A Wandering Bride

Gisborne Times, Volume XXX, Issue 3511, 30 April 1912, Page 3

A Wandering Bride

BY MARION WARD.

Author of “Love’s Thorny Path,” \ “His Fair Lady,” etc. (Published by Special Arrangement J . All Rights Reserved..')

CHAPTER XXXV

THE EXPLANATION

Ronald Vernon was not the man to let the grass grow under his feet or to waste in grief the time that might lie spent in seeking Loveday, so although his very heart felt broken at his darling’s disappearance, *he pulled himself together and tried to think of any human creature to whom she might have gone in her wild desire to escape at any cost- from her mother.

It was Saturday evening, and he knew of course that the atelier in Montgomery street must, be closed, but he thought there might bo a. housekeeper or caretaker in charge of the premises who might be able to givo liim the address of the deformed girl whom Loveday had mentioned as the' only living creature at Madame Berthe’s who had shown her any human kindness. He had never felt more thankful for his increased income than now, for he felt the search for his darling might bo long and tedious and that ( inoney might be needed to further it. The caretaker at the atelier was quite ready to tell him all she knew in return for a bright half-sovereign. “You m,ust mean Miss Bonnet,” she said when he had described poor Loveday’s one friend, “she lives at Camberwell, sir, 240, The Grove, her address is. No, she is the only one of the young ladies I ever saw Miss Day talk to, but if it’s news of her you want, you’ll not get it by going to Miss Bennet.”

“Why not?” asked Ronald, who was far too anxious to despise any clue.

. “Because there was a gentleman came hero on Thursday, the day after the poor young lady was dismissed; lie asked to see Madame Berthe, so he was shown up to hor little office, and presently Miss Bennet was sent for, and I know what they asked her, to tell them where‘to lind Miss Day. It seems Madame had never troubled to ask where she lodged while she was here. I can’t tell you the gentleman’s name, but Madame called him ‘your lordship,’ and so lie was ‘somebody.’ "Well, he offered Miss Bennet twenty, pounds if she could give him Miss Day’s address.” ‘And she refused?”

“She said she did not know it. Later on I heard one of the other girls tell her she was a simpleton, for twenty pounds uidn’t grow on every bush, but she only said she did not know the address, and she was glad of it, for her people were poor, and though she’d not have betrayed Miss Day, it would have seemed cruel to them to have refused the money, so she was thankful she had not the choice.”

In spite of this assurance Ronald went on to Camberwell and saw the deformed girl at her own home. “No,” she said frankly, “I have no idea where Miss Day is. She was the most silent, reserved girl I ever met, but I can tell you this, the gentleman who called to inquire about her was in such a rage at having just missed the clue to her and come to Montgomery Street the day after she had left that I hope with all my heart that he will never find her. I liked Miss Day, I was sorry for her, but I’d rather think i f her as half starved and selling flowers in the street than at that man’s mercy.” It was too late to put an advertisement in .the patter for it to appear on Monday, and lie felt too utterly heart-sick and dis-spirited to make any further efFort that night, so lie went sorrowfully back to his flat, where ho sat up till the small hours of the morning writing the history of Loveday’s disappearance to his uncle. In Sir Lionel’s softened frame of mind Ronald felt sure he would pity the girl whose young life seemed to be chequered, and Lady Vernon had seemed to take a special interest in Loveday because her Christian name —an old Devonshire one—was that of her own mother. These two, rich, independent, with a power and influence he could not hone for, would, the poor fellow felt, be able to do far more for Loveday than he could achieve. (To be Continued.)