Show I 1 ll 11 01 I 1 GUIL GUILTY f OR M I 1 1 I 1 TX 31 4 I 1 ate ayi ak w 1 em INNOCENT C EN xz by jay AMY BRAZIER pak as FN A CHAPTER II 11 continued poor little mrs bouverie Bou verte having given up all idea ot of attending the chrysanthemum party at lady barry a Is considerably surprised when at about 3 0 clock her son dashes into the drawing room with speed and ex claims the dogcart will be round in five minutes jump into your bonnet mother mine and well we 11 trot over to Barrys town mrs bouverie Dou verle stands up with a look of pleasure and gratification on her sweet old face any little attention from george touches her heart how good ol 01 you my dear boy to think of met me so sweet of you george she gays says reaching upon tiptoe to kiss bis his brown cheek pride and love in her eyes george had refused to go to the party at Barrys town he had made an excuse and hia his mother thinks that seeing her disappointment he has re fretted his decision and changed bis his mind but are you sure dear you don t mind 9 she asks her sweet eyes on his hi f face ace it Is good of you to give up your afternoon to take the old woman out of course I 1 like going george re piles plies halt half shame trot off mother and put on your I 1 ve got to change too twenty minute minutes later a very spruce and well groomed young man with a little tiny old lady with a bonnet with violets in it sitting perched beside him spins down the avenue and out of the gates of the grange at a pace little short of terrific mrs Dou bouverie verle Is frightened but has every confidence in her son as a whip he ile Is very fresh dear isn t hel he she ventures to ask as the chestnut performs various frantic evolutions your aren t frightened little moth er are youa george says we must hurry along you know tor for we ve a good bit to go but there a nothing to be afraid of the chestnut Is a rare good goer and steadies to his work presently but it is dark when they reach barrys town so good of you to come so tar far dear mrs Dou bouverie verie lady barry says in a high pitched harsh voice and you have brought your son how very de light full I 1 know it is hard to get young men to do anything but hunt the rooms are full george bou T verie erle s golden head rises out of the crowd how handsome he looks mrs saville seated on a sofa amidst a bevy et of friends remarks witheringly that it Is a pity poor dear mrs airs Bou bouverie verle has such a bad unprincipled son he ile la Is breaking his mother s heart she adds lowering her voice poor thing she told me herself that she has never known happiness since he took to gambling his father you know and here she lowered her voice still more and shakes her head till the osprey in her headgear shakes like a field of barley when the wind passes over it it wont be mrs saville s fault it george bouverie a fallings failings are not magnified into crimes george Is looking for barbara per haps she is in the tearoom and thither he wends his way and then to the conservatory which Is off the drawing room and lit with lamps to display the beauty of bloe blossoms there thore yea yes barbara la is there and sebastian Is at her side barbaras cheeks are flushed and her eyes are sparkling with anger sebastian looks moved too out of hia his usual cynical calm barbara a face ae as george appears is to a revelation and the man a heart throbs you have come the girl says soft ly turning her back on her cousin and looking up from beneath the brim of a black velvet picture hat trimmed with ostrich tips I 1 thought you t coming sebastian lan s face Is white and his eyes gleam how flow dare barbara treat hl him n like thail will you come back to my mother nowa he says pointedly to her you have seen all the chrysanthemums I 1 am going to show them to mr air bouverie barbara says with a smile that alter after all is forced it if you are tired of them sebastian mr bou verie will take care of me without a word sebastian saville walks off and then all barbara s care lees less easy manner vanishes her lips tremble and it if the lashes hide her eyes it is because she is striving to conceal the tears he was cruel to me she falters george I 1 am afraid of him they are alone and he takes both her hands in his in a close clasp bet iet us announce our engagement barbara and nd give me the right to champion you not yet she whispers we must wait george till I 1 hear from father but that will be weeks and weeks barbara he urges etow ow am I 1 to wait watt and see Sebe etlan seville sivilla perse buting you youa A faint smile curves her lips it Is tool fool bh of me george but I 1 feel afraid of him he Is so co a so cruel does he make love to you bar bars bara I 1 7 two troubled eyes look up at him tor for a second yei she whimpers very very lo 10 1 george bouverie Bou verle Is young and pas it Is my right he exclaims to let Sea sebastian know that you are mine that you have given your love to me and woman like barbara loves the tho masterful tones ot of his voice I 1 will tell my aunt myself she says but she will be dreadfully an gry george I 1 know quite well aunt julia means me to marry sebastian she said so over and over long be fore her quick blush finishes her sen seri tence before you cared for me george whimpers pers softly the lovers do not look at the chrys anthe mums after all but into each other a eyes tor for they have entered a paradise that opens to mortals in tho the days when the heart is young CHAPTER III mrs saville Is standing ng in her own room dressed for dinner her dress Is ruby belvet elvet very long and a small lace cap rests on her white hair on the hearthrug stands barbara in a simple white frock a primrose sash round her slim waist there is an expression of resolution on her pretty face but the eyes are w and ap pealing mrs saville Is putting on her brace lets even in her old age she Is a vain woman and casts sundry glances at a face that owes much to art barbara turns round suddenly her heart beating wildly beneath the white lace trimmed bodice of her gown aunt julia I 1 want to tell you something the agitation in the young voice does not escape mrs saville she crosses the room suddenly and lays two jeweled hands on barbara a ders my dear are you going to be my daughter Is gnat what you are going to tell me barbara 7 barbara turns rather white but the beautiful blue eyes are brave enough as she looks up at her aunt no aunt julia I 1 told sabastian lan tan today this afternoon at Barrys town that I 1 could not marry him because I 1 am engaged to george bouverie Bou verle it Is out at last the wonderful secret and the girlish face Is covered with confusion engaged to george mrs saville echoes the words wildly I 1 am surprised barbara barbarat since when may I 1 aska about a month ago barbara re piles plies george wanted to speak to you but I 1 wished him to wait till I 1 heard from father he ought to know first with a pleading look mrs saville is very angry A leaden look comes over her face and her pale paie full eyes scintillate with passion yet she only gives a short unpleasant laugh mv dear child do you think your father will sanction such an engage ment tor for a moment I 1 have no power over you barbara engage yourself as much as you please but I 1 do not for one moment think your father will allow you to marry a young man who possesses nothing but debts As for mr air bouverie Bou verle he may be very desin te rested but it Is far more probable he imagines you have money but 1 I may as well tell you at once you will have no fortune if you marry contrary to your father fathers s wishes we could not help caring for each other falters barbara my dear with that I 1 have nothing to do I 1 am sorry tor for sebastian we he has loved you tor for years and it has been the dream of his life to make you his wife but of course all that Is at an end come barbara I 1 feel fee sure dinner Is ready roady and sebastian will not like to be kept waiting laying her hand on barbara a arm and together they pass through count less long draughty corridors mrs saville sweeping along in her velvet gown gow inwardly furious at barbara having having dared to become engaged with out her knowledge tor for barbara s tor for tune had been destined to build up the co and restore the saville family to prosperity barbara feeling as if she were in deep disgrace walks beside the mas sive siva figure of her aunt to confront se bastjan with lowering brow and furl ous eyes he and his mother exchange glances as they take their places and tonight barbara is strictly left out in the cold as far as conversation goes she does not care her thoughts aro are full of happi happiness neSb but in the evening sabastian joins her as sitting at the piano she playa plays dreamy music while mrs urs saville slum bers hers peacefully sabastian lan s fingers closed on bar bara bars a wrist with a clasp that Is pain ful do you think I 1 shall ever give you up to hima he asks fixing her with his strange powerful gaze we Ss so villes know how to keep our own I 1 am a saville too retorts bar dar bara shaking off his hand and you have no right to speak to me like that be bastan have I 1 not nota he lie whispers I 1 have the right of every man to try and win the woman he loves and I 1 will make you love me yet barbara u never the girl exclaims passi toB abely and I 1 think you are cruel and cowardly cruel and cowardly you shall 1 unsay those words he breathes out fiercely his jace face close to her scarlet cheek barbara your beauty mad dena dens me I 1 hive have looked upon you as mine for so long and your father wishes you to marry me he ile wrote to me himself she lifts her dark head with pride and am I 1 to have no voice in the matter sebastian you need not say any more I 1 have made my choice and so have I 1 he says with a ring of suppressed passion in his voice as he rises to his feet don t think for one moment barbara that I 1 will give you up moving away across the room the days that follow are unhappy enough barbara finds her engage meat ment ignored and she herself under goes a sort of domestic boycotting george arrives at the court one aft art ernson and hols a short interview with mrs savil favlle e that lady gives him to understand pretty plainly that without the consent of barbara a fath er the name even of engagement la Is not to be mentioned barbara is under my charge mr bouverie Bou verle and her father would never forgive me it if she mad an undesirable marriage I 1 may as well tell you at once he has other views tor for his daugh ter george Is furious but what Is the use of being angry he and barbara are treated as a pair of children al lowed to play at being engaged it if they choose with the distinct understand ing that it can never come to any thing of course I 1 cannot prevent my niece promis ng rig to marry you mrs saville says with great frankness turning her heavy expressionless face on george she is quite at liberty to engage herself to any one sh chooses but I 1 feel sure mr air bouverie Bou verle you will have the good sense and taste to agree with me that under the circumstances it would be better tot foi you not to visit at the court until barbara can hear from her father you have written to him I 1 presume yes george has written and colors up as he thinks of his letter which he h had found so hard to write tor for he h had so little to offer barbara but hit his love A kind of smile passes over mrs saville s face I 1 suppose you have explained to 0 air nir saville how you intend to sup port a wife she asks with a degree of S sarcasm I 1 have two aundre I 1 a year says ioor poor george and in course of time the grange comes to me ah ali yes but I 1 fear mr saville may not take quite such a hopeful view as you do which Is undeniable and gerge feels that he can say nothing in re ply mrs saville writes herself to tas mania by the next mall mail barbara watches her aunt as she sits at her writing table her pen racing over the tore fore agn notepaper covering page after page abusing george thinks barbara indignantly the letter is posted and greatest trial of all Dar barbara baras s love at af fair is q netly ignored george dos doles not come any more to the court in honor he teela feels bound not to do so and mrs baverle coached by mrs saville also thinks it better not to ask barbara to the grange so the lovers are forced to meet each other how and where thy can these stolen Int interview ervie s are truly de and the young people build lovely castles in the air and count the days till the letter can come from tas mania doubting that the ans answer will be anything but favorable to be continued |