LOVE IN FETTERS

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 76, 6 May 1914, Page 2

LOVE IN FETTERS

By RICHARD MARSH Author of "A Master of Deception," "Twin Sifters," etc.

CHAPTER V. A FAIRY PALACE,

When we were introduced to Ronald Denton he had just.awakened in a railway carriage, to wonder where he was; ■when we meet hiin again he has just come out of a sourid slumber to exercise the same ssnsepf wonder. He could not make out where he was. He was certainly not inVa;^rain —this was no railway carriage; it ;seemed to be a very comfortable room. He was lying on a bed which appeared to be all that such an article ought to be. .•' He raised himselfjon his elbow; it was a charming room.- A-lof ty ceiling; white cupboards all round, the Trails; a Persian rug in the cfcnire of a black oak floor, which was; polished till it shone like a mirror; inviting arm-chairs; a loomy couch; twSp;tables; and he knew not what besides. '■' What was this place? Where on cvrth could he^e? He sat up. He felt heavy and stupid; his head was aching; he could not get liis thoughts into .proper working order —he couldn't understand the thing at all. Where ha'd, he been last night? That part camei back to him with a shock; the journey with Inspector Jenner; the awakening out of sleep; the interview in the Bhed; what had been the finale to that scene? He had a vague notion that something queer had happened at the end. When he tried to think just what it-was, his brain seemed clogged. How the interview had ended"; what had happened afterwards; how he came to be where he was —these things he could not remember. Someone tapped .at the door and, ■without invitation, entered;, .apparently a man-servant, in :an alpaca jacket of what struck him as being an odd design.- He spoke in Freueh. "Monsieur would like coffee?" ' He-addressed, him in the carefully modulated tones of the well-trained French servant. Somehow Denton thought how out of keeping with the {tone was, the man \s appearauce. Broadchested, (bullet-headed, bull-necked,, his hair cropped so close that he seemed almost shaven, he not only suggested unusual there was something sinister about him altogether. Hi& curiosity mojre on the alert than ever, Denton a question: • "Who are you?'/ "I am the valet de ehambre; I am A-chille." . "What place is this?"

"This is the house of Madame de 'Constal, the Chateau d'Eman. Monsieur would like coffee?"

"I would like, something —yes, coffee. '' The man was leaving the room. ".Wait a moment. ,; The man stopped. Denton had it on his tongue to ask how he got' there. Perhaps there was something in the man's bearing which pre-

vented the question being put. He asked something else instead: "I am rather hungry; can I have an my coffee?" The man inclined his head and went. Directly he was gone, Denton said to himself; v ",Of all the. rascallylooking gentleman!. ( lf Nature writes a clear hand, what a treasure he must be! Madame 'de Constal? Who is Madame de Constal, and what is the Chateau d'Ernan,'and how came I to be here, anyhow?" He racked, his brain. "Madame de.Constal? Wasn't that the name of the woman in the shed, or, anyhow', didn't she say that it was? If'that's so —and I believe she said that Washer name —what sort of a place is this she has got? If this is a sample of' the" 'rooms, it must be quite a palace; s and how come, I to be installed in such; an apartment?'' Achille returned so quickly with a well-covered silver tray that one: might be excused for wondering if he had found it the door. There was coffee, there were all sorts of rolls, delicious looking* butter, boiled eggs, various samples of those agreeable confitures which sometimes accompany a French "little breakfast." As Achille put the tray upon a small table and carried the table to his bedside, Denton thought what an appetising looking tray it* was. "By the way," he asked, "where are my clothes? And—" Surveying his person, he made a discovery. '' Where on earth did I get these pyjamas? They are not mine." ' ' Monsieur should know better than I." Achille's voice could not have been sauver; not a 'muscle of his visage moved; yet Denton suspected 'him of smiling. Achille went on: "As for monsieur's clothes, here is monsieur's dressing room; monsieur will find everything ready. Monsieur will have a i bath—hot or cold?" : • > '

Achille, opening a door which Denton had not noticed, revealed .on the other side what seemed to be< quite a pleasant chamber, in which masculine garments of all sorts were displayed, ns if for their-.owner's inspection. Denton felt confused; this was almost too much. Were these clothes his? How could they be? Yet is was hardly a question which he could discuss with a valet de ehambre. i

"I'll have a cold bath when I ring. Is there a bell?" Achille pointed to a small silver bell which was on the tray, and went. Denton, alone, looked about him-with bewildered eyes.

"Of all the queer starts, this is the queerest. I suppose I am awake, and that these things aren't happening in ,a dream. The room seems real enough, aild the man seemed real enough, and, by George, there's no mistake about this coffee; it's delicious. But how come

I to be in a place like this, in another man'a pyjamas? I swear they're not mine, although ~they fit me uncommonly well, and a dressing room which seems chock-full of clothes which aren't mine any more - than these pyjamas, though'that fellow seems to take it for granted that they are. He seemed' to take a good deal for granted. I wonder how much he knows—how much he could tell me if he liked? I'll bet a trifle that he knows more about me than I do about him. But it's rather awkward to have to put questions of a certain sort to a black-visaged ruffian who tells you he is a valet de ehambre. I doubt if he'd answer if I put them. I 'd better wait till I see where this adventure is leading.. This coffee certainly is excellent. He did justice to the "little breakfast." It refreshed him; it seemed to clear his head, to give him assurance, to make him more of a man. He got out of bed and began to walk about. A pair of quilted, sky-blue slippers were by the bed; he had never worn such things-in, his life, yet, with a smile, he put them on; they seemed to be in keeping with the room. It was certainly exquisitely-appointed; there were all sorts of odds and ends which pointed to both taste and money. Achille had drawn the curtains which hung before a big window which ran almost one side of the room. It was a casemented window. Opening one of the easements, he leaned out. The view was superb. It seemed that the house stood on a slope; from what he could see of it, it was a huge place, in spacious grounds. The March sun, shining in., a cloudless sky, suggested spring. The aii* was sweet arid fresh; it did him good to breathe it into his lungs. He admired, and wondered all the more.

"What on earth is this place, and how do I come to be in it?"

He went into the dressing-room. It was not large, but it was charming, a dressing-room for a true exquisite. And the clothes which were displayed—and in the cupboards there were more—dozens of pairs of boots, treed, on shelves. (

"I might be able to get into another man's coat and trousers, but I doubt if my feet will fit his boots. At one end of the apartment, screened by a curtain, was a bath, of a kind quite unusual in a French private house.

"Is this a palace seen in Allasea's vision'? Shall I presently wake up and find myself—goodness alone knows where? There's a trick about it somewhere, that I'll swear. I think I can manage without that" fellow's help. I can set my own bath, and without assistance get into another fellow's clothes, or fry to." He bathed and dressed, amused to find that every garment fitted as if it had been made for him. What amazed him was that the boots should fit his feet, being ignorant that there are stock sizes in boots, as in clothes. As he surveyed himself in a long mirror, being completely arrayed, he decided that the result was not so bad; a 1 the things he had on were of excellent quality, made by good craftsmen, for whomever they might have been intended. His toilette completed, he rang the bell. Achille appeared. "I have bathed. As you see, I am dressed. Now, what next?". *

Achille*s face was inscrutable. "If monsieur will descend," he said.

He held the door open. Ronald Denton passed throug. "If monsieur will permit," explained Achille, "I will lead the way." v Denton permitted. Achille led' him through wide corridors to the heal of a splendid staircase; then down it. half-way down, Achille, pausing, drew aside, to permit someone to ascend. Ronald Denton, confused, tongue-tied, amazed, beheld a lovely creature coming up the stairs. She just glanced at him as she passed, that was all, then went on. Achille continued to descend. Denton,"* all agitation, would have liked to ask him who that dream of feminine beauty was, biit he refrained —he followed where the other led. Across a fine hall, a fire of logs blazing in the great, oldfashioned fireplace, to a doorway screened by silk curtains. He drew the curtains aside, held the door ouen. •

"If monsieur will please to enter."

Monsieur did please. Ronald Denton found himself in an apartment, not of large dimensions, panelled in black oak. polished like the floor in-his bedroom, till each panel shone so that one seemed, to see into the very heart of the wosrd. "This, monsieur," said Achille, "is what here, in the chateau, we call 'the room of other times. ' " , Achille went. Though he was no connoisseur in such matters, Denton, as he glanced about him, understood what the man had meant. .Every article the room contained had a history, one felt sure of it; it was so old,'and had played a part in so many scenes. In the open fireplace, -framed in the panels, conscious of a sudden sense of chill/ warmed his hands at the blaze. "This certainly must be a palace in AJlasca's vision." As he said this to himself the do'dr opened. A lady, entering, approached to where he stood. "Mr Robert Dennett, I am Madame de Constat; welcome to the Chateau d'Ernan. Now at last I really keep my promise, and you see me. It is not necessary that I should hope that you slept well; I can see it iii your face. What a good-looking boy you ave." (To be continued to-morrow.)