DEEDS AND DIAMONDS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXII, Issue 7024, 12 November 1906, Page 4

DEEDS AND DIAMONDS.

(By Sophie Osmond.) ' CHAPTER XLI. (Continued.) Caasite,T surmised- that Miss Beam© had some, plot m. hand. He swooped down upon her, and, despite .her struggles and screams, seized her Jiike a, child; and dragged heir back to the- house. Johnson unable' to aTepress a grin, threw open the door./- ■"■■ v'--":;:'' ■'• - : ":|: 'The library!' xoared Cassiter, anid Johnson irusihed 'before, him. The haM .rang with shrill feminxiie proteats and. tearful bleating®, until the staid household was agape at this inexplicable kidnappinig exploit on the pamt of the young mMfier. Cassiter, flushed and triumphami, released Miss Bean® m the Jdbraay. 'What-excuse have you to offer for being illegally on the premiiseis. By the way mianded m thunderous Itomes. Lurking maiidis couild hear every word. Johneon iidgeteid. 'Shiaill I go, sir?' 'No, stay! I saw her enter the boudoir, wihiill'a 'that Frenchwoman- remained outside. What !aira you 'doing m my house* ?' 'I &haM not answer,' wailed Miss Beanie, with the highest top-note effect of her -thin voice. 'I'll seie thaiti you do answer! Again I ask, what were you doing im my ■house?' Miiss Beame dosed .heir ttJiim. lips so tightly tlhlat tlhe merest 1 ime of a mouth remained, while her fishy gaze -was enlivened by a perceptible spark of malice. 'Speak!' he commanded, stamping his foot. 'What wer you doing hene?' 'I valnwb to answer/ aaid she darted a venomous gttance at him. 'Johmson, MQ Peters, it© drive over at heira.' 'How dare you insult m©?* struck m Miiss Beame, bat m ispite of 'her attempt at bravado he saw that the threat was not without effect). 'I intend to give you m charge fotf being illegally on my premises- V 'he de»Johnson, isemd someone aifter tShat Frenchwoman, amd bring her hwe. These vromen have some plot iin> tend, 'and I'D have! both arrested.' 'I'm aifraid it'.s too late 'for -the French* woman, sir. She's got a good. start.' 'Nevermind. I camffiodgeon information against her wtiA lhave heir amneisted ait the Bale. Tedl Peters (to drive oveir «* onoe.' Johnson wiithdr-ew. Miss Beam© commenced .tol "whimpar. 'I tihink you are most cruel and ■aur kind!' slh© quavered, 'to ibrowbeat'- aaud fhreatftn amd bully an itnoflensive ■womaß It i» sihanweful.' "" '1 daresay it is!' he retorted, if you were inoffensive; but you are not! You are dovmßigjhti dishonest! What do you warn* playing rt/he ispy ihere?' 'I camei 'h«re to gelt some books I fongot whan I left to go to the Bate.' cW!hy -oonldn't you aak 'im the ordiiinaTy way, (then, or wnite about them? The seiTvamts would have attended teyou; and wfoy;ido you bring tihait gn'^l ihere?' 'I did 'not know she was 'here.* 'That's a, lie.' 'Suoh ilanguage!' sniffled Miss Beane, tiaJcmg uot her ihand'kerchie'f. He suddenly rememberd the other hamidkeirsihief found by 'this self-same woman on the tei'nace. 'Your statement is as false as 'that story you pa.tdhed up about the figure you saav on the tovrn, and the handkerchief you found on fh-e terrace! Burt mow- you shall tell me th« "whole truth! I have yx>u compliet^Qy iin my ; power. Not one step do you ©tir fiiom this 1 room ainitU the constable arrives from Farrow, when. I giv« you mi ohaTge for attempted felony—d« you Jieair? Then youMl be forced ■ tc speak!' Miss Bea'ne'is demeanour uindeinvemii a remairkable change. She ' knew Johr. Caasiiter too well 'to doubt that he would keep his word, and the immediate prospect of pol/ice interference was appalling. She fell, into a!fit of waaling and Weeping, beseieohimg to be. eat- foee, affld assuring him of her unalterable regard for tht Oassiter .-family. He walked about the iroom ifumiimg. Bui she construed /his silenoe dnto la- stubborn resolve to punish her, and cast about hei for means of placating him. 'You'll not only be made to confess wihat you were doing here now, but you' 1! havfi to- Oiwn uip to much worse. It is yoi who have the Garadngiton diamxxadsi!' Miss Bean© screamed* with itfetnroa'. 'No, indeed, Mr Cassolter, yon hw wrong! I know nothing of tlhe Hi»monda!' 'We'll B*e wlia* ilhe poKoe *ay itb youT story.', 'Indeie'd, .indeed, it is *rae. I know nott/hifag of the idiamoad®. Lady Ga.Tiruin(gUrn took them iheraelf.' What!' Ca®siter's Bhioait ojf Burpriu© waa heand ail over rtlhe 'house. If I never live to u/bter anothei* word, *fc is true! Lady Garflimgitonj has the nec Mace to this day.' 'Explain younself.' His .tonei was quieter but Tiis heart was beating tumultuously. If this woman -were but speaking the truth I 'Lady Garrington camie here om the evening of the hunt, though she declared itlhat did .no-t.' Castsiber stamped with amgjer a-nd shame at has memembTamice of Geaitradl©'® agony arad his ci-uel disbelief. 'Wjel'l, what after?' 'She weint out. I isaw hw inmt the terrace, and saiw Mis.s Sheldon, follow, then- you. Lady Garringiton, fearing discovery, mis'hed back .here.' Eusihed back—-here? A second time! Alh! where were you?' He 'OouldMsoarce. }y spea.k, with itihiet dawnimg hope, m his heart* 'I was m the boudoir. I went there, as I itold you before, .to get a. ibook, but to my ,surp,ni6«i saw a diamond (necklace tossed inside the safe. I Jasetw it was Lady Garriirigton's, but could not think how it came there. The housemaid entered the .room, a minute before I .did, but she noticed nothing. Whem I heard footsteps coming along the terrace, I fancied it was you or Mis.s- Shed dan returnimig, and stepped behind a screen, when Lady Gamngton crept into the room. ,She was trembling and patnitdng, and islli» sprang to the ,safe with a- cry. She eedzeid the .necklace, /but I could not see what she did with ifc. I kept behind t)he soiieen, for ish© fancied hensieli aTom©—' 'Go On, go on!' His voice was Ihoarse with excitement. 'The anext ;momenst she. ruslhiad out of the room along the terrace, and itook the iroad to the Bale. I followed heir .to 'the window, and ran lor a few yards-, but she Was coon out of siight, anid then H saw Johnson." 'Attd /Hotel him a delibenait« 3ie about seeing srametoino vn the gas-den,' said •Oaissiter istejmly, for his wrath was aga/in rising ait tan duplicity. 'I did that to scneein you and Miss S'helLdiCHi from gossip,' was the* quick ncUxr-t 'But why could you not have told me tih'ifi wheai I queefcionied you?' 'Because I thought Lady GairMngitbn would herself .speak, and bo avoid scandal Whm I found she kept silence it was not my place to bring about a family quainrel, and I said owtbing.' 'No, ywx did not oar© what 'heaaits wiera broken, wihat lives rained, as long as you

could levy blackmail! So that's -how you warmed yourself inito Lady Ga.rrAngton'3 1 sarvioe! But it do-es root explain what you saire 'doing An ray .hoitse. Speak ! I wn 'd«tt«.rmiaed to know ieveaytihing!' 'It was Cigarette's snigge&tion'. She said the diamonds wane iinot at the Dale, sihe had tried everywheme, and t'baiti I must have made a mistake, amd tlhat itlh© diamoind's were cojioeated here. She promised to i&haro the five 'hundred ipounds reward with, me if I would search, tfa& possible duding places m tthfc boudoAr> while she watched outside, thinking tifoat perhaps Lady Gkurrington <never took >tih© jewels from t>"h& house afiter ail I' 'You fiends!' 'It was all Glarethe's doing. She heard you and Mts Cassdter "had gorte up tx> London, <amd that .it was our oinly chance. I yielded.to temptation, I was a poor, defenceless womam, and the thought of the reward dazzled /me. I was led away by Cl&Hetite!' Miss Deame sniffed dismally, but Cas&iter's brow was black. 'Spaire your crocodile teairs; itfh'ey do not impose on Hie ! iEbere, take thai pen!' He placed writing materials before her, disregarding her whining protest. 'Write out itlhe oomfiessLom you have just made—,thia/t you saw Lady Gformn-gtoni takfc her diamond 'inecMaoe from the safe otn the night of December Ttih—~—' 'I cannot, Mr Caissatea\ Oh, don't ask me * 'Write, I say! or by Heaven I Tiand you over to justice !' Amd Miss Desme .vrxotm, sobbing all the time. (To be continued.)