PART IV.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVIII, Issue 5, 1 February 1900, Page 24

PART IV.

General Lomer was enjoying a stolen nap in the seclusion of his study, when his wife made an abrupt and unceremonious entrance and roused him from his dreams. 'James," she said, her voice t-embling with various conflicting emotions, ' Frank has disgraced himself.' ' What has happened now ." inquired her husband sleepily. 'We seem to be living on the edge of a volcano nowadays. Has he eloped with the lady-help .'' 1 He is going to marry her,' was the astounding reply. ' What, already .'' exclaimed the general. He was wide-awake now. and considerably taken aback by the nature of his wife's information. ' This is a case of love at first sight with a vengeance,' he added. ' But,' vaguely, ' I thought you said there waa another woman, eh ?' ' Oh, don't talk nonsense, James,' said Mrs. Lomer, in a tone of intense irritation. • fche is the woman, don't you understand V 1 Perhaps I might if you would explain matters to me a little, my dear,' returned her husband meekly. •At present, I must confess, 1 am rather in a fog. ' Well, do listen quietly, and don't interrupt me every moment, for this is really a serious affair. It seems that Frank met this Miss Chester ponio months ago. while staying with the Crofts in Surrey, and completely 10->t his head about her. She is a handsome girl, certainly.' ' in, indeed.' '-aid the general emphatically. ' Do you wish to hear the story or not, James,' asked Mrs Lomer, blandly. 1 Oh, I beg your pardon, my dear, I quite forgot, it shan't occur again. ' Well. 1 o piopoaed to the girl after a foitnight's acquaintance and she aeku.>wl d^ed that she cared about him. but at the same time refused to ha\e tn\y thing to do with him because he was not a Roman Catholic. He did all he could to persuade her to alter her mind but she remained firm, and really, although it was all for the sake of a delusion, she deserves ciedit for it. for Frank can be very eloquent wht n he chooses, and.' with a gleam of mother's love in her eyes. ' it must have been no ea«y task to resist him.' 'H'm,' murmured the general. 1 After that he went away in despair, and now comes the worst part of this miserable business. The wietched. misguided boy began to study all kind- of pernicious books, and finally consulted one of thc-e double-faced Jesuits who bamboozled him — there is no other word for it — into promising to change his religion.' 'Change his religion.'' shouted the general, unable to restrain his tongue an instant longer. 'My boy a Papist V ' Yes, tbat is what is going to happen to us,' remarked Mrs. Lomer. bitterly. ' Our only son is going to desert the Church in which he was baptised, and is also about to marry the woman who has been acting in the capacity of my lady-help.' ' But — but,' stammered the general, his face becoming gradually purple with suppressed agitation. ' W r hat — what does he mean by it, eh ' and what business had this hussy to come masquerading here ? I—lI — I will have her up here now. by jove, and tell her what I think of her designing ways.' * No, no. .lames,' said his wife hurriedly, laying a restraining hand upon his arm as he was about to ring the bell. The idea of abctne was abhorrent to her, and besides, at the bottom of her heart there lurked ati unacknowledged feeling of sympathy for the tmi who had such an artistic eye for the arrangement of dinner tables, and who had been ready to renounce the man she loved at the call of — what she considered — duty. Her husband cast a scrutinizing glance in her direction, and a caret ul ob-erver would have noticed that there was a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. ' I thought that would fetch the old lady,' he reflected. ' Now, if I can only keep it up a little longer she will be ready to give them both her blessing in a quarter of an hour ' ' I tell you I will have it out with her, Laura, 1 he continued, ' and that young rascal too. They shall both come and let me hear what they have to say for their selves. A nioe pair, to be sure !' And this time, notwithstanding Mrs. Lomer's efforts to prevent him, he did succeed in giving a furious tug to the bell. ' Ask Miss Chester to come here.' he said, when the summons was answered. ' And — cr — tell Mr. Frank that I should be glad if he would come and speak to me for a moment.'

It was very rarely that the general asserted himself in anyway, and the novelty of the spectacle had apparently deprived hia wife of her usual powers of resistance. Presently the lady-help, with a somewhat embarrassed expression on her piquant face, made her appearance, followed closely by the tall, soldierly figure of her companion in crime. Frank had confidently expected to find a wrathfully indignant mother, and a placid temporising father, but in this caw, greatly to his astonishment, the situation was reversed.

Mrs. Lomer gave him a deprecating glance as he entered, and thp gpnpral danced up to him and shook his fist in his faoe.

' What do you mean by it, sir /' he shouted, and then, without waiting for an answer he turned to Ruth. And you too, Miss? Ma°querading in a cap and apron when you had every intention of becoming my daughter-in-law.'

' But I had not,' replied Ruth, looking up at him with a confiding expression in her hazel eyes. She knew he admired her — what woman was ever ignorant on that subject ? — and she hoped that that same admiration would tend to soften his heart. ' May I tell you all about it ?' she added timidly.

' That is why I sent for you,' he answered, seating himself in hia arm-chair in a magisterial attitude.

And then, in her low, musical voioe, Ruth told her story,

She had refused Frank Lomer because she could not, consistently with the religion she professed, consent to become the wife of a Protestant. Since her conversion her life at home had not been exactly a bed of roses, and she felt instinctively that her father, the Rector, jesented the presence of a Catholic under his roof, so she decided — that being the role for which she felt herself best fitted — to undertake the duties of a lady-help.

An old school companion had invite! her on a visit to London, and it was during this time that she nude inquiries at agency offices nnd studied the advertisement sheets of the daily papers in search of a situation. Then one morning she saw tho nama of Lomer, and was immediately attracted by it. Further investigations proved the relationship of her rejected lover, and an irresistible impulse prompted her to offer her services, although she had then no hopes of Frank's ultimate conversion to Catholicity.

1 H'm,' grunted the general at this juncture. 'It seem 9 to me you were playing with fire, young lady. What did you intend to do. pray, when Master Frank appearel upon the scene ?'

'He had told me he was going to exchange into a regiment in India,' she faltered, ' and — and I thought I could have asked for a holiday when he came home on leave.'

Mrs. Lomcr's foot tapped impatiently on the floor. Thid was another blow. Her son, then, would have cheerfully abandoned his parents and his country for the sake of this — this — well, this yoang woman.

1 It was about a fortnight aero.' continued Ruth, ' that he — your son — discovered where I was. 1 had neither heard n>r seen anything of him since we parted, and I f illy mi i^ined he had gone to India. He wrote to me and saiJ he was coming hero as soon as he could get leave, an'l,' with a deprecating glanc n at the general and his wife. ' that he was convinced of the truth nf the Catholic religion '

Hero Mrs. Lomer rose hastily with the air ot one who has exhausted her stock of patient c.

1 There, .James,' she .said. • you h.'ive hoard the facts of the case ; surely we need not prolong this scene I With regard to the creed Frank has chosen to adopt we c.in do nothing, fie is of a»e, and though it is a bitter blow we shall have to bear it. But with regard to this — this engagement ' And she paused abruptly with her eyes tixed on Ruth's tair. flushed face.

The general's glance had wandered in the same direction, but was now hastily averted.

' If yon have made up your mind to be a Papist. Frank.' he said sharjdy, turning to hi* .still bewildered son, ' why, hang it all, you are old enough to have more senge, but you must do as you choose. But as for you, Miss Chester, why, God bless my soul, this sort of tiling won't do. 1 give you warning immediately, and from this moment you are no Linger in my service.'

' Vi ry wt II," replied Ruth quietly, aw she turned to leave the room. Hir face was pile, bitli t little head was a.s erect as ever.

'Fathtr 1 ' exolaui.ed Frank hotly, starting forward and intercepting her pas-age 111 1 the door. ' What do you mean ''

' What 1 say,' replied the gt-neral

lie was enjoying hnn-elf intensely, and his wife was gazing at him, lost in suipii>e at this newly-developed phase of his character.

' Mrs Lomer and I have no longer any need of Mis.s Chester's services, ami so '

'Jauie-" exclaimed his w ite at his elbow. ' You are a little too «evere ; perhaps '

' And so, repealed the general, with a gleam of triumph in his eyes, ■ she is dismissed in the eapa-ity of lady-help, but — we shall hope to ret tin her in the role of a daughter-in-law.'

'By George, said the general to himself, with a gleeful chuckle, when he was left in undisputed possession of his study, ' they say no man has ever been able to get the better of a woman, but it btrike* me. Lomer old boy, that in this case you have been the exception which proves the rule.' — Catholic Firc-sidt.

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