THE SILVER DAGGER

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 171, 25 August 1914, Page 2

THE SILVER DAGGER

By R. A. J. WALLING

i :■ CHAPTEE XXIV. IN, WHICH MISS TORFREY COMES : HOME. ,One of the huge liners of the UnionCastle Company was steaming up channel in the early morning. As she passed the Lizard, a man and a girl were leaning over the rail of the promenade deck Jooking at the Cornish cliffs. "Home again!" said ! the girl. il How familiar the west country hills lpok, Mr Granger. How many years have we been away?" "We have been absent from England exactly a fortnight, my dear Miss Torfrey,"! said the man. \ "It seems more like fourteen years than fourteen days," she responded. *«I wonder .what has been happening?" ' "I would not suggest that the world lias .stood: 'still in our absence; that -would ! be too flattering to us. Nor would I suggest that our friends have been idle in the meantime—our friends the enemy, I mean," he added. "That would be too unflattering to them." "What do you think they have done?" ' . -.. ■ "My private opinion is that, finding their iittle game discovered, they have made themselves scarce with all possible speed. And we shall discover, when we get back, that there is not one of them, nor a trace of them, left in the district. What lam puzzling about is what has happened to ,Mr Pudifin. A man who was fool enough not to be able | to guess at that infernal island is riot lit to take care of himself. He wants somebody to look after him all the time." i ■ '

Miss Torfrey' noticed a peculiar inflection in Granger's voice, and gave •him a rapid glance. His face was as imperturbable and expressionless as ever. - ""'

'' Yes,'' he. continued. <' He's an excellent man, Mr Pudifin. I don't know when I came across a man I liked better. Although he was such an ass about the island —if you'll pardon that manner of expression—he had possibilities. He had a sort of boldness —he did that little burglary with me as to the manner born. He handled that little shoot-ing-iron like a professional. And certain people have him to thank that they're not well on the way to Mexico or Venezuela, or some other Godforsaken spot at this moment. If he had not ibeen dodging around the streets of Westport at midnight, and risking his reputation there as he risked his life among that mob of pirates and bravos in your? peaceful valley, Miss Torfrey, I should not have had the pleasure of being captured, and Mr Diego Holmes would riot have been sitting against a wall with a gag in his mouth. I wonder if he ha ; s got it out yet?" A shadow passed across Lucy Torfrey's face. "Now, look here, Miss Torfrey!" cried Granger, altering his manner. *'Let me give you some fatherly advice. I've noticed you loth to believe in the utter villainy of that young Bill Sikes. I've not said anything to you before about this; but I'm going to kill all your sentiment about that little scoundrel. He was not so much in love with you as I am, and I'm a married man with two girls as big as you. What do you think was the endearing name that Diego Holmes used about you when he was talking to Benson of your capture? 'Little devil,' said he. And he remarked'that if the 'little devil' had not come prying into other people's affairs, there would have been no trouble.; There's a lover for you! Chivalry! Why the chivalry's all on tlie side; of Mr Pudifin. He had a hopeless love for you, but for the sake of that he iwas willing to do anything, risk anything. Where is that ornament you lost out of your hair? Where is it at this moment, do you think? Why, next to his heart —if he's got any heart left. He does- not knew whether you're dead or alive.; But, dead or alive, he'd go on loving you to the end of all eternity." ■*' Really, Mr Grn nger ''

"Yes, really. I've had: my say. Now we shall be in Westport in two hours. Hurry up, ship! " ."Why," asked Lucy, "did you not tell them that I was with you when you cabled from Madeira?"

Mr Granger pulled a long face. He took from his pocket a purse, and showed her that it was empty. "If that old Don who gave me my supper had not politely left my purse to

Author of "Flaunting Moll," "A Sea Dog of Devon," &c. [copyright] .

me when he made me turn ou* my pockets.we might have been in Madena now. When I had paid for the tickets home I had precisely enough money lert to cable three words. I cabled, Home Wednesday.—Granger.' " ' < I thought you sent two telegrams, said Miss Torfrey. "Ah, well," said Granger, .a -little disconcerted. "I had to communicate with the Chief, of course." "You are deceiving me." "How?" ■"You had some silly idea in your head—about giving them a surprise.''

"Then?" ■ "Well, Mr Pudifin, I- suppose. But I can't talk to you any more. I'm going to make myself presentable." She left him and went to her cabin. The fine ship entered the Sound at Westport at 11 o'clock, and they.were landed by a tender in the, docks by noon. Mr Granger hailed the first hansom he saw, anvl they'drove straight to the Central Police Office. :: The Chief was called from the police Court to see them. , n "Ah, Granger!" he cried. "Glad to see you—and so will Mr Pudifin be. But who is this?" "I should have introduced you to Miss Torfrey," said Granger. "Miss Torfrey! And how in heaven's name ?"

"Exactly, sir. Funds would not run to a long explanation,..,by cable. The facts are very simple.' ■*■■ And Granger related them. "Well," was the ~ Chief's comment, "you've had some remarkable advon? tures, Granger. We shall all.be wanted at St. Maurice now. I rather think that we shall make a haul." , ■ ~ "A haul, sir?" "Yes—the last.l have from Pudi-lin is that Radford is there, and he is keeping an eye on him. They can't have the slightest notion.of what has happened to you." " Jiminy! " exclaimed Granger. "I should think not. But haven't you sent anybody to keep an eye on Mr Pudifin" . . ■;. • "No. Why?" ~ t : "Then I, think we had better start. I wouldn't trust him with any of that crowd. They all have their knife in him. Radford's there, eh? Where are the rest?"

"Disappeared. Mr Hayland and Mr Torfrey went to St. Malo, Avith Sergeant Greatorex, to intercept the yacht. They just missed it. But they've got Miss Hayland all right. Dr Hoskings managed that, I fancv.'' "Miss Hayland!" they both cried. "Oh, I forgot you didn't know that the man Wilton —and who the deuce Wilton is I want to know —carried her off and married hor. She didn't take long to find him out. But they're returning this afternoon, so that we shall not remain in doubt. I intend to go with you. I want to see the end of this extraordinary affair." A knock at the office door was answered by the Chief in person. A telegram was handed in. He tore it open.

"By jove!" he exclaimed. "From Pudifin —'Danger of Radford escaping. Come or send immediately. Watch trains.' That's what he says. No time to lose. Go and get a snack of lunch, Granger. The two o'clock train stops at Mossbridge. I'll joiu.you at the station."

Thus in a whirl passed the first day of Lucy Torfrey's return, while her heart was sore ami her mind ill at ease. She was whirled off to get lunch in a restaurant, and she could not touch food; in a hansom' to the station; the train whirled hor' to Mossbridge. The Chief had wired for a trap to meet them there from the hotel. As they Avalkcd along to the exit and looked for their conveyance, the down train ran in. The Chief 1 hung behind, and in two minutes joined them again. >

"Keep your nerve, Miss Torfrey," said he, "for time presses. Your brother is here, with Miss Hayland, and her father, and Dr Hoskings. They've come in by tho train from the East — landed at Southampton last night. I'll go and warn them." But Lucy had already run along the platform, and met them as they crossed the bridge. The Chief interrupted their almost hysterical greetings, and would allow no time for explanations, then. "Mr Torfrey's carriage is here," he said. "Ride with him, Miss'iTorfrev, and you can talk to your heart's content. Dr Hoskings 'will come with Granger and me."

The Chief, Mr Granger and Dr Hoskings crammed themselves into the front seat of a dogcart, the"better to talk, and they followed Torfrev's carriage. ''Mr Pudifin said," the Chief remarket! when he had introduced Granger,- "that your* own mother wouldn't know you in the boiler suit you wore when 1 saw you last, doctor. And I had some difficulty in recognising you in a civilised rig." "Rather a smart fit-up, isn't it?" said Hoskings. "I bought it in France. Phew! What an age it seems since I saw this country last! " '' I daresay. You seem to have taken several chances of never seeing it again.''

"You're right. There were times when I thought I should never be able to circumvent that gang of cut-throats. But all their plans went wrong in the most consistent manner. You know, when the yacht left Westport that day, they had fairly discovered me—saw I was in the know. By pretending to know no English or Spanish, I had confounded them. But that man Benson came aboard, and the game was up. He knew all about me', somehow.'' "Yes," said Grange*, "Mr Pudifin and Miss Torfrey were at great pains to put "him in possession of that information." ...... !

"Well, anyhow, when* Benson arrived it was touch and go with me,'' the doctor proceeded. "They seemed to have some qualms about shedding blood, or I should have been in heaven long ago. They locked me up in a cabin instead of sending me there. We. went to Saint Malo, and there Wilton came on board and came to see me. How the deuce he knew me I don't know. But he called ine by name, and made sarcastic speeches. .He said he thought I should probably like a spell on shore after such a long spell on the ship, and put me in charge of two of his rascals. We stayed at a vile place just under the wall not far from the Grande Porte. By keeping my ears open I found that Wilton had a lady in the town with him. I could never get at her name. His rascals called him Senor Rodrigo and the lady the Se'nora. The day after I was landed the yacht left again—this time intending to bring off Miss Torfrey and Diego Holmes.' I knew that I should be ; left stranded if they succeeded in that, and I puzzled how to give my guardians the slip. I had some money concealed on me, and I bribed: a maid at the cabaret to make them drunk. I wormed out of them the name of the hotel where the Senor was staying, and finally I got them both insensible and ran away. I hid for a whole day, got my clothes changed, and then decided on the bold course. I went to the Hotel de France and asked for the Spanish Senor. He was away, I was told, but I, could see the Senora. I had some doubts about that, but I went the whole hog, and I was then shown in—to Miss Hayland. I had never seen her before, but our mutual introduction was not a very elaborate matter. I found that she had already been disabused about the character of Wilton, and had written to her father. Wilton had disappeared. The next day the yacht .vanished, too. Nothing has been seen of either of them since. Mr Torfrey •and Mr Hayland turned up. We should have come back a week ago, but Miss Hayland was so ill that she could not stand the journey. After her father arrived she fairly broke down, and I thought at one time that it was going to be a very serious case. That's my adventure, Mr Chief, Can you parallel it in experience?" "Not quite," said the Chief. "It's pretty bad. But you never know where you are with a crowd like this. I am still in the dark, though. Who is Wilton?" '' I can't tell you precisely who he is. But I can tell you who he is not. He is not Wilton at all. The adoption of that name was a mere blind to get into the confidence of Mr Hayland. Wilton is a Gomez —Rodrigo Gomez, a rich owner of Mexican silver mines. The Wilton that Mr Hayland knew was some connection of the Gomez family. This man traded upon the knowledge that he had thus obtained, and upon the fact that there was nobody who could prove that he was not Wilton." '' The whole thing seems to show that Pudifin's suspicion was right," said the Chief. "This is a family vendetta." They, stopped at St..Maurice on the way down to the Villa Zamora, ami learnt from Mrs Wherry that Pudifin had not been home all day, and that he had told her she was not to expect him. "How's that?" exclaimed the Chief. "[ had a telegram from him at one o'clock. How can that be?" Mrs Wherry could not enlighten him. Granger jumped out at the telegraph office.' "Polly, the maid at Mr Torfrey's, sent the wire," said he when he rejoined them. "Let's drive on at once, then." The ;Chief whipped, up'his horse, and, guided by Hoskings/ they descended to the river mouth; The other party had arrived, and in the library were encircling

Polly and bombarding her with questions.

Between her > delight' at the return of Miss Torfrey and her sense, of impending events, Polly was less coherent than usual, but finally they managed to extract from her some facts.

(To be Continued.)