Part 14 (1/2)
”In that case I aet well, dear,” was the answer, in a tone strangely soft as coo, had been haunted by an uncomfortable dread, lest she should claim and exact this very proprietorshi+p in the life she had saved And indeed, if Roden Musgrave was in so his head it is little to be wondered at--re time and place, his oeakened but restful state, the warnificent creature bending over hiht of love in her eyes, a caress in every tone of her voice With all his clear-headedness and cynical mind, his was by no means a cold temperament; indeed, very much the reverse But what kept his head level noas the ice-current of an ingrained cynicis fragrance of as perilously akin to a long-forgotten feeling--nahtful, rather entrancing; but hoas it going to end? In but one way of coarse--when she was tired of it, tired of hi never did last--oh no! He had seen too much of it in his time
To his last remark, however, Monaunduly effusive about her, and this went far towards enhancing her attractiveness in his eyes In the tendernesses she showed hiush; and keenly observing her every word, every action, he noted the fact, and was duly i note; all was in perfect har there they talked--talked on matters not limited by the boundaries of the district of Doppersdorp, or those of the Cape Colony, but on matters that orld wide And on such Mona loved to listen; for of the world he possessed far greater knowledge than falls to the lot of most e, for some reason, found histers starting in life But while delighting in his keen, trenchant views upon men and matters, Mona failed not to note that there was one subject upon which he never dwelt, and that subject was hi his hand upon hers as she sat beside hiether before--before I had made such a hash of the old life But,” with a queer s You would have been in short frocks then, in very short frocks I aey, Mona”
”You are not,” she replied closing her fingers upon his with sorip, in which she had held his hand when to relax her grasp of it rasp was in accord with her thoughts, holding hi else; fro of his life to which he had made so direct an allusion Yet to what nature did that allusion apply? A chill seemed to hold her heart paralysed for the moment Should she ask him? Here was her opportunity Would it not be wiser--nay only in accord with the very first dictates of common sense? Confusion to the dictates of common sense! Let the past take care of itself, and the future too The present was hers--was theirs, and the present was very good, very fair, very sunny; glowing, golden, enchanting with the strong wine of love
Do we refuse to take advantage of a cloudless day because thethunder and volleying squalls of rain? No The cloudless day was hers--was theirs Let theof the sort,” she continued ”So I give you new life, do I? Roden dear, I ht say the same--I love to talk with you like this I knew I should fro you have just said of yourself, when I asked her what you were like, 'Quite a ey'”
”Oh, the mischief she did! I shall have a roith Mrs Grace about that”
”Ah, but wait She only said she had heard so, for she hadn't seen you, and of course had no idea of your identity with her knight errant during the post-cart journey In the latter capacity you should have heard all the nice things she said about you Charlie declared himself sick of the very name of the unknown, only he didn't know it, for that she see I rather thought she had got hihed queerly
”Well, Mona, and so ought I to be, for that was the very way to prepare me the most unfavourable reception Come now, isn't it an invariable rule that the individual much-belauded in advance turns out a sure disappointment on acquaintance?”
”It is the rule But every rule has its exceptions”
”Meaning htfulness of the compliment, for I believe it is sincere Nevertheless, ree with you--precious few”
”I know, Roden You are one of those whoeneral run would rather dislike”
”Perhaps And now, disclai so profitless a topic asself? And indeed here comes that which will assuredly divert all attention from it, or any other matter”
Mona subtly and imperceptibly someidened the distance between them--indeed, in whatever situation or dileet out of it gracefully--just as the whole brood ca pacified the disturbance, and forthwith taken the whole lot for a walk, whence they were returning
”Well, as all the grief about?” said Mona ”Frank, I suppose, teasing soain”
”It wasn't me, Cousin Mona,” said the accused urchin resentfully ”I had nothing to do with it Bah! It was Alfie, as usual He'd let another slate pencil fall on his toe, I suppose” And the wrongfully accused one hed unrestrainedly
”That fellow's a wag, by Jove!” he said ”You'll have to entrust him with the care of the humour of the fahted with the answer repeated for her benefit, for Frank was rather the favoured one in her eyes, probably because he was thewith a jealous eye lest any of the small fry in their restive exuberance should co to the invalid chair a sudden and unpremeditated shake
”I saw that, Mona,” he said, after they had all cleared out ”I have seen the sah in different ways, before, since I have been lying here Believe hted up She see In her heart, however, she was echoing gladsomely that resolute, passionate ht as she stilled his pain in slu it with such a thrill of exultation as to tax all her powers of self-co love--my love--you are mine! I have won you, and now I hold you!”
CHAPTER TWELVE
BREATHING OF WAR
The town of Doppersdorp was in the wildest state of excite which tended to stir the soporific surface of life in that centre of light and leading was productive of unqualified satisfaction, and the tidings which had now arrived to effect this result were of no less importance than the announcement that hostilities had actually broken out in the Transkei
At the street corners ing their legs against counters, and blowing out clouds of Boer tobacco, this was the topic of conversation, while sereat wool bales in and out, and those at the receipt of custom dispensed wares or took pay interest was the turn events had taken But it was in the bars, where glasses filled and emptied to-day with abnored fast and free