Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 September 1907 — A SMILING VILLAIN. [ARTICLE]

A SMILING VILLAIN.

By VIOLET M. FLINN.

CHAPTER XIV. # They were all in the drawing roam, the gentlemen having just cm me up. and coffee had been brought in., Bride, who was sit ting beside Mrs. Fenton's couch, looked up eagerly as Mr. Fenton took the brooch to the nearest Tamp, the better to examine it. She‘flushed with pleasure as, after a dose scrutiny, the old gentleman declared It to he a very good and valuable ruby, “Probably It belonged originally to a royal eeOcelinn.’’ he said, returning it to Moyra. "When yon wear that. Miss Moyra, you .can reflect that you have the equivalent of eight or nine hundred pounds at your throat." Moyra turned very pale; her eyes Bought hcF father’s, for the others bad bow attracted round her. The Hector laughed. ‘‘Then I think Angus got the better of some dealer or curio seller, for he is by no means a millionaire,” he said lightly. "Perhaps It was sold to him by some one ignorant of its value." “More likely by some one who knew be had no right to it, and was anxious to get it safely out of his hatjds," Mr. Fenton replied. "How do you know that Angus bought Tt at aH7” Aileen suggested, and' Moyra. Bashed a gratefnl glance at her. “It may bare been one of his mother’s jewels.* Probably, knowing Moyra, ho was afraid she would not accept it if she knew its anal aabaa.” = Then Billy, xyjjo was longing to play eome round game by which Prof. Lewiseon could be dislodged from Aileen's side, auggosted that his father should display eome of bis treasures, diamond collecting being his special hobby; The idea was eagerly seconded, and, laughing imlulfently. Mr. Fentbn~dephrted, to return with a large wooden tray, bn which were many and divers shaped cases. - Every one clustered round, and, pleased with their Interest, Mr. Fenton unlocked each case one by one, "and displayed the exquisitely set stones that were in them. Sbrae of the gems he had bought uncut, _ and had had set according to his own Ideas, bnt the greater number were historic. He showed them a necklace that bad once clasped the fair throat of Illfated Marie Antoinette. The touch of petulance that had been on Bride’s face vanished as she injected the diamonds, admiring them with the ©pen pleasure of a child, and, seeing her admiration, Mr. Fenton, whose favorite she was, told Billy to warm some of the necklnees ond let her wear them. Blushing and langhing. and highly pleased, Bride Submitted to be dressed up. There was a tiara In her hair, and a diamond lizard crawled nero«*s the knot of ruddy gold, there were diamonds on her smooth, rounded white arms, diamonds covered the front of her white gown and whiter shoulders, ropes of diamonds hung roUnd her neck, flashed on her fingers,*and outshone the radiance of her o, es. She looked at herself with the naive simplicity of a child.

“How lovely they look 1" she exclaimed. “But I should be afraid to move. Used yon to wear them. Mrs. Felton?” “A few, now and api in,” said the •weetfaeed invalid, looking up at her ■milingly. . "Yon are quite a diamond queen, Bride!” “Do yon know. I think diamonds such eruel atones,” Aih'en said. “They look ■o cold and hard.” “They do not suit Miss Bride at all," remarked the Professor. “They are cold atones, and they are not in keeping with her fare or*espression.” y “Tig look incongruous in some way," Aileen n aid. "Bride has too much of the hahy kitten in her face to wear diamonds.” “Then I’m Tery*sorry I can't propose to trou. Bride.” Biliv said, helping the tirl to lake off the glittering burden. “Because. you see, I shall have to find a wife who w?TT «nils die diamonds.” “Does that mean, that she is to be cold and cruel?" his father asked, chuckling as Bride protested that she did not want Billy in any.circumstances, “Now 1 don’t agree with you. I think some people are admirably fitted to wear diamonds. How imperial mamma used to look in her tiara and necklace! And although you. Miss Aileen. abuse my favorite gems. I think you would look very well In them." lie had no idea on what delicate ground he was treading, nor did be understand why Billy should look so confused and Aileen stammer out an irrelevant reply. But Mrs F enton’s quick, expressive ala ore went inquiringly from one face to the other.

“New. Miss Bride, as yon admire the diamond* the most." the old gentleman •aid. as eaeh ease was restored to the tray. “I wHI show you where and how I keep them, and I don't do that to every one. In fact, mamma and myself are the only ernes who do know the hiding place hi this house. I think Billy knew •t at lHtteniands."

The I wm went off together. and Billy Oat* they should «H play “nap." The Tier lor. Prof, iison and Mrs. Fentoa were the only ones who did not join In the game, and when Bride returned, flushed and smiling with the importance of Iter ascret. she sat wry contentedly beside Mrs. Fenton, where they were joined by the professor. while the Other lon talked policies. The card party was u wry noisy one. and in a short time Ailecif. who was not eery Interested, was hni»'le>elj- tieaten. and drew out of the game. A fear minate* later Billy had alio lost all his counters and joined her. She was in a gracious humor that evening, nnd. having devote.) all dinner time nnd an V>qr afterwards to higher culture, as ‘fairy designated conversation with Lowiseon. «ff>e eonnidered she might unbend for Bill/* edification. So they discussed panto®ime- at Osterham -not in relat ion "with those of ancient Greece — •ad the Merit' of various burlesque a<<1 eases, and became very friendly and ai Moat confidential under cover of the hub hah of the cord table.

“How solemn Bride looks," Alicea said sudden!®/ ‘T wonder how much of his conversation she understands';" “He admire# her tremendously, I think," Billy remarked. Aileon locked at him in amazement. “He spoke of her to me after dinner, and seemed greatly taken with her. He said her loveliness was incredible, and she was so innocently unconscious that she was anything out of the common.” “Of course ho admires her looks," Ailoon began. ;.... But Billy continued equably: “lie also said it was such a relief to meet a girl who was absolutely without self-consciousness, who did not flank she had a mission or believed she f ought to do anything beyond w hat ha (U been given -her to do To—look- beautifui• and not bother —I think., that was his idea of Bride's vocation." The amazement on Aileen's face was almost -comic as her eyes went from Bride to Eric Lewisson, from Lewisson to Brid e. Suddenly she looked at "Billy with suspicious sharpness, but *he met her gaze frankly. “I think you.must he making it all Up,” she remarked, the color deepening in her lace. and. she rcadjlisted her eyeglasses with decision. “It is impossible that a man like ~Prof;' Lcwishoii should be attracted by.such ah ignoramus as Bride, sweet as she is. Why, lie is one of the strongest advocates for women’s highejr education and advancement. Besides —" She paused. entering and biting her liu in her embarrassment.

Billy apparently did not notice her cons us i on. ——. ■ , —— “I don't mean to imply that he is in love with Bride,” lie..said coolly, taking up her fan and waving it vigorously. “Probably he is only attracted to her simply beccauso she is so different from all fbc other women he has known, and, as a rule, clever men and women marry their opposites, don’t they? It is more of a change for them, I suppose." lie edged a little nearer to her, and dropped his voice to a confidential whisper. “There is somebody else who—thinks -a lot of Bride, isn’t there, and it struck-me Brldo sort of reciprocated? Chatteris, I mean.” ■“Oh!’’ A ileen was conscious that she had not expected the conversation to take that turn. ‘ I don’t know much of him. lie has been abroad so long. don't think I like him."

“Oh, he seems a decent sort, anil handsome enough to take any girl's fancy, only he didn’t seem to agree with Moyra! I suppose lie met Angus abroad?" "lie doesn't know him at all." Aileen answered. She was wondering if Moyra had really any serious objection to Bertram, and there was another idea in her mind, too. "Doesn't he?” Billy queried.jn surprise, "1 am sure he knew the name when Lulu first mentioned it, and the knowhdgo didn’t seem to please him, either. I hud an idea that perhaps he had mistaken the object of Angus' affections." Aileen looked up with a frank smile. ‘Then you do think— —?’’ Pausing with n touch of embarrassment that was very pleasing as she glanced at’ him inquiringly. “Oh, it's as plain as a pike-staff! Even the pater noticed it: but I don’t think she" —with a nod toward unconscious Moyra, intent on her counters —“has the faintest idea of it." "Fm sure she hasn’t! She's as guileless in her way as Bride. And that reminds me. I think I ought to be seriously angry with you for speaking to me about Prof, Lowisson as you did. You seem to forget ” Her words trailed off into silence as Billy raised his -eyes, and looked at her with an expression before which her eyes dropped. “I forget nothing." he said slowly. "You forget that-yon permitted me to be as brotherly as Terry. But I would not have Said a word did i not see that”— he leaned forward and smiled at her audaciously—“you are no more in love with him than you are with me—perhaps not as much."

CHAPTER XV. As long as the frost lasted, which was for several days, the inhabitants of the big house and the Rectory spe«fc»4jvery available moment on the iee. and there Prof. Lowisson and Bertram Charteris were wont to joiu them, the former, however. far more frequently than the younger man. whose appearance both'at the Rectory and on the ice.were by no means so regular ns they had been.

Lowisson did not skate at all, and Aileen was just at that stage of proficiency when the penalties of learning were over ana the joys were treading close upon each other's heels. She had the skating fever very badly. She was on the iee from morning to uight. and Lulu declared that she practiced in her bedroom. Most certainly site was a credit to her teacher, Billy, who. it must be confessed, could hardly conceal his delight on learning that Lowisson could not skate and had no intention of learning.

The professor seemed astonished to discover that his favorite scholar bad so much weakness in her. He shook his head dubiously when she declared rather defiantly that she did not intend to open a book as lorife as she could skate. Bride showed no objection' to entertairiing the professor. She lik*- 1 wry much, in spite of his appalling cleverness. He was wry learned and superior to her and very often aha forgot that he was so much her senior and a wry clever tr.au. and talked to him as freely and as frankly as she would once haw done to Moyra. For even in the few days that liad pas-ed a change had rerae over Bride in her relations with her eldest sister, and. strange and improbable as it seemed. Moyra fancied that Bride was avoiding her. There were no more tender confidences. none of Bride’s usual demonstm , tivr affection. The girT teemed even in the course of a few days to have grown older, staider. and quieter. She certainly was much more reserved. It waa only

when she was with the professor Mur* ' she seemed to be as of old to the anxious eyes watching her. .Whether the others also noticed the change Moyra could not tell, and did not like to ask. But there were many times when she longed earn- ! oßtiy for Angfis Robertson's return. To j him she oould tell all that was*'in-her mind without fear of being misunderstood. „ Yet even iq the thought of him there was discomfort. She could—not—forget the ruby brooch lie had given her; it was safely locked up in a secure place, and ; many., lixnca .she puzzled... her ..brains • over . ■ it. Once she sounded Aileen on the matter,* but Aileen, who hid her own idea concerning it, only laughed and put her off. “Perhaps he is a millionaire in disguise- afier all,” she said, and wondered why Moyra Hushed so hotly. j She did hot know that her sister had thought of that eight hundred pounds borrowed years before aDd never repaid. “He may have done.it with the ruby, but the money, would have been so much better,” she thought, as she went over the housekeeping books and thought of a letter received from Pat that morning, asking her to send him as much as she could spare before the end of the week. “I can’t think how lie spends all the money~ he do s." she sighed dolefully. The day of the congregational tea party, so keeiriy desired Dy some, so much disliked by others, arrived, and Aileen had perforce to give up an afternoon’s skating and help in the preparations, cutting up brown loaf and currant cake and setting tea urns and cups and saucers in order on the loilg, narrow tables that extended do >vn the school room. . At five o’clock the. guests of all conditions 1 and qualities began to arrive, some on 'Toot, some in carriages.. At six. o’clock the tea -was in full swing, the whole Bcresford family anti their friends acting ns waiters and waitresses. At eight ’ o'clock tic tables would be cleared and the subnet children woi’id give a concert and tho dergy make addrcsM’s. Inthe opinion of the Caterhamites, the whole proceedings were magnificent, and the day was marked as a red-letter one. The evening wore on. The Rector mad< Ills usual speech.- there were songs and reelt ations From children Th an degrees of nervousness and forwardness, there we’re more speeches, there were pianoforte duets. The air grew close and sibling. Moisture streamed down the open windows, and Aileen gasped for breath. ’Flic noise made her head ache, and, rising quietly, she made her way out of the room, unobserved, as she fancied. The fresh, l’rostv air outside was delights ful. people stood round the doorway, and she could distinguish Miss Prior’s voice amongst them. Suddenly a tall form emerged from the lighted room. “The Rector says you are to go home. You. loofi 0 so tired.” said Billy's voice, and, taking her hand, he drew it through his arm, utterly disregarding her protests and the bystanders, and tightening his grasp as she tried to release herself. "You might just as well resign yourself* to the inevitable," he said in a low tone, as they left The school yard, “I sha'nt let you go- '■ Aileen was forced to submit, and indeed, as he talked in his customary manner on all sorts of indifferent subjects, and seemed to regard the little incident as one of no importance, she began to feel rather annoyed with herself for having made any fuss. Yet her heart was beating frantically, and when she spoke her voice, to her own ears, sounded jerky and broken. What was there in this young fellow to affect her so strangely? she wondered. It was n dark, close night, with heavy clouds overhead. They walked slowly'up the hill, talking at first of the tea party, of the dance the Fentons were giving the next week, but gradually a .silence fell between them. They reached the crest of the hill shadowed by the fringe of trees that marked the summit. It was very dark, and far below them they could hear the dulled, muffled beat of the water on the shore. Circumstances were too strong for Rttty. and suddenly he flung his arm round the slender igure. (To be continued.)