TEMPTATION.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3189, 7 April 1911, Page 3

TEMPTATION.

By El x IE ADELAIDE ROWLANDS

Published by special arrangement—AH rights reserved by the ‘-‘Times ”

CHAPTER XNNVI. Carina’s financial manoeuvres were carried through quite .easily. She interviewed the manager of the bank where her uncle had kept his modest account for so many years, and she explained the cheque signed l by Mary as being a wedding portion which Sir George and Lady. Verney had desired to make their kinsman's wife. This explanation was quite readily accepted, find Carina left the bank with a flattering sense of having arosed almost startled admiration, and with a new cheque book, and a purse full of gold. After that she seemed to progress like a house on fire.

Whilst looking for a furnished house, she arranged that they should stay in one of the imost fashionable hotels, and then she set herself to hunt out all the various relations of her family who could be the. most useful to her. It was her husband who informed her of David Forrester’s death. When, they were at dinner the second night after that visit of Carina’s to Yelverton, he gave her a newspaper to read in which there was a brief announcement of the death of the man who had been so good to her, who had loved her so tenderly. For one moment Carina’s face contracted and her lips quivered. The brilliant hglits- of the restaurant faded into a.mist, the music jarred painfully; then she. shook herself, and' then laughed.

“To-morrow,” she said, “I will get some mourning.” Base ah Leopold Verney was in many ways, he- lacked her callousness, anil Carina noticed that he could do nothing more that night. “You are over-sentimental, my dear friend,” she said to him with a sneer as they passed into the lounge; then, when they were sitting taking coffee and liqueur, she caught her breath, for* she saw coining towards her the very man whom she wished to meet. “You can leave me.” she said harshly to her husband, and Leopold Verney obeyed as though he, were glad to be awav from her.

A little scowl settled on his face as he turned back and saw Carina stretching out her hand to Baron Detchmar. and he paused irresolutelv for a minute. then with a muttered word and a shrug of his shoulders he lounged awav.