THE EVIL GENIUS.

Auckland Star, Volume XX, Issue 53, 6 March 1889, Page 7

THE EVIL GENIUS.

■ft-TSIAZ'A A-, &17-PUT,

ft She Write Tcr.vr,"" Wftratofi y^fftfgbe Secret; <;fearubei%" &c., &o. CHAPTER XVII. it -Ilia AMCBSSTttAI HOME-. «_ ea T lv morning drive throngli tho I *it road, with the soft air fcuminjr her , £*, and tho/onp of bird* _ lilli«g Sfehs-e with jubilant luaaic, was Kflght that, niter all, life might yob, , w have something that was worth JLyiag, «wn if P«»5 iovo bad proved a *fto* miles vevo inpid'y pnsscci ever, •nd&e carriage drew np ais i.he landing to ss the steamer rounded to* ■ 1 '100 are just in time, Miss, s&id Lies, j jaisdnghertoalU-ht, Tvapiita lad Jo bold my Iwwrees. and if you'll 'low me, i il j Hjjmieafe aboard.' •Thank yon, Wefc I shall be much obliged, for'l Bhould scarcely kuow how to <not ' mim inez-Bt:t x am to fle fore cow, and when you gita book toBorrow afternooa 111 try and bo here in nine to e;o you safe off tbo boa t,' Inanodded approval, turn moved along It his side, glad to have his protection. Kck found her a seat on deck, placed her atdritoide her chair, and tlisn sought oat Aa oaptain, a biaff, hard-swenring nyi, to ask biin to pay Boino attention to ianaptoteoted young pastcupsr. Captain Owens hastily saiu : 'Aye aye, of course I'll look after tho gd. Oakland landiuß, is it ? WVil get there by four o'clock. Always stop tivo j minutes there, ro they'll bo plenty of timo \ tor her to get o&. Want to know at wuat hoar I'll beback horo to-morrow afternoon ? q^ yes—l understand. Afc fix, or hali after. That's the ticket, my man.' The curious oatha with which these fenteces were interlarded would baffle anyone save a phonetic scholar bo spell. _ They vera quite original, for the captain had been strictly educated, and thought swearing, aa understood by others, a sin ; hut the expletives coined by himself ha regarded as a clever compromise. 1 The <1 1 will never know that I am cussing,' he said, 'and as to the good man, E% knows that; a fellow can't run a boat without some motive power besides steam." He did not mean to ba irreverent, nor tf&s he deficient in kindness, for he soon found lima to coaie to tho sido of tiac lonely girl, and assure her that at four o'clock be would see he:1 on shore at Oakland himself. Inez thanked him and eel-tied herself for the pleasanb voya^a across the bay. The day was charming, the awning overhead sheltered her from the too ardent my a of thesua, and the buoyant aii seemed to fill her languid, frame with a portion or its own elasticity. There was no one to interrupt the dreamy ftverie into which Inez soon fell, for there was but one other passenger on deck besides herself, and he seemed deeply absorbed in the pages of a book he held in his bad. He was a pale, fair young wan, with colourless hair, and that sn;ootii, v.'hite sleekness of appearance that was peculiarly repulsive to Inez, uud she scarcely gave him a second look ; it she had done so, the *ould soon have discovered that the stranger was more interested in watching her fair lace than iv the volume he was pretending to read. She seemed to attract him tnoro and more, for be finally im;de some movements preliminary to opening a conversation with oer. Inez no Eoouer became aware of this, than she hastily took cab a volume of Teany&on, with which she had furnished herself as arefuge against her own thoughts, tod absorbed horsolf co completely in it that the stranger fiually strolled away and left her alone. At two o'clock dinner was served, and the captain came himself to conduct her below. She found several other passengers in tho cabin, buotnada no attempt to join in the conversation that took place over tho table. Glad.to get back into the open air again, she passed the time in alternate dreaming and reading, till the bluff voice of Captain Owona spoke close beside her. 'Here we ara, ilies. In live minutes more ; Joa'll be at your place, and I'm t-iad to pay wat I've found a beau for you. 1 nould only nave put you ashore my.-elf, hub thin young fellow cays he'll see you safe to the house, teeing as he's going there himself to wee his Uncle, M r Wilkins. He aaya his name is the jams, and yours is Lopes-., ] believe; ao I ""pe, -Miss, that you think I'vo dono tlie nghfc tbing by^iindin^ a G^jort for auch a 8"| 0I a gal ao you seem tv be.1 , Iha sandy-haired stranger wa« standing Just behind the captain, and after Lhia «iojratar introduction l at> x could do no losn wan bow to Witkbs, junior, iul thank flunlorbis proffered politeness, though ,liv earnestly wished that )m hud choKon aom« «ncr timo for his visit co his relatives. Inez was annoyed to find that Mi- Wil•ws was the same individual who had sat ««ar her earlier in the day, and uiio shi-auk fon the thought of her vi.nt to Oakland "ecommg known to this prying, sleek-look-»g youn s man, whe would certainly rack w discover why she was aont'oa such ay wand m pl aca vi despatciiing aa order to llSd °booka that h*r fafclw M* Wilkins very politely took her sctohol heT b*raana. Rod mov«d jaontiiy beuido Bted^V" only snch w»i«fcanco *n way Jfi,*'U she stood safely on a eloplr-K ? . sheltered from ths suu by a olnatai- of Sme/ 88 frOm Whick th° P"laca fcook ita Scattered over tho undulating ground fcoil % befcwcen tho ancienii-lcoldHg Warni^ tfac water's edge were groups of ■*lth ri g <OU"d baneath 1 waa covered CiR undorg™wtli Which gave a iorTh v (ißserted air to the place. t«re oft?? l^ Qlf was a lar^e s^aare Bfc™c--5 $ a back end th« *• " S^'('e». and at bheoppoaite ated tOvver In *Mch the library was situoulfe»; S and pigs wandered at will over

the largo incloßur©, tho f,'ato to which was secured by a paddook carefully fauboned. "\\ hon Mr Wilkins aaoertuiued this, and he saw no inovmnciit in fcho houso tm it' anyone meant to coaio to open it, he-asked, in surprises : ' Waa nob juy tincle informed o? your in tf.iitioti to visit the place, Miss Lopez? 1 came unexpectedly myself, but. when 1 herud that you wore on your wny hero, I took ife for granted there would bo^omabody to meet yon.: Inez had nob anticipated Biich a reception (^i this, and who was reluctantly forctid to oxplaiu : ! ' JSly father did nob consider it nocoxf-ary i to inform Mr Wilkins of my intention to coiie to Oakland for a few hour:;. I only i wish to see the old place, visit tho library, and gea from it some books for which my aunt, Mrs Hawks, hay given an order. Armed with thr.t, is never occurred to me that anything else would bo necessary*' Tho light eyca of tho young man rested on her with an expression of shrewd inquiry, but; he was apparently satisfied -vita tho explanation oii'ored, and immediately *aid : 'It'a a lucky thins for you thai; I happened along to-day, Mi/<s Lope/., for you could never have made your voica heard at tli3 house, and if you could h.ivo p;ot inside of thif. pate, you might have been Eeverely injured by v. fierce dog my uncle keeps. Nipper knows me, and i ahall risk is .thin:.; in jumping the fence, &o if you are not afraid to retrain hero alone a few momenta, I will hurry up to the house aad briag fcha key cf tho gate.1 Inez glanced around ; the steamer was receding in tho distance, and tho whole f-eene r-eemed steeped i:i the very spirit oi seclusion and pe?.co. She emilod ns she replied : . . I ' 1 should be a terrible coward, indeed, if | I were afraid to be left hero a fow moment?, j While you are away I .will use my eyes in becoming familiar with the scaiios in uhicli ray moth&r's girlhood was parsed, i really tliitik it was mosfi fortunate for mo, Mr Wilkins, that you chanceJ ro visit your undo tu-dny.' He bowed v.'ith a singular expression and replied : ' Then I will bo off, and back again as soon aa possible.' Tho words had scarcely passed his lips before lie bounded lightly over the fenco, and plunged into a narrow pathway that i led toward tho houee. Soor. afterward the deep baying of a dog was hoard, and on iminenea English bull-terrier cumo bounding toward him with open jaws and fiory eyas. " Bur, ho fieemed suddenly to recogmss an old acquaintance, for ho paused in his wild careor, and then crouched at tho fceb of tne young man with a whine of welcome. 'So-bo, old Nipper! you kiow mo, do you? That's right ; down in the dust at übo feot of your master ! Thei'b —there - that will do. Come now, old fellow, 1 can i »fibrd to loio Eight of you—just yet '.' ■ The tio^ sulleuiy obeyed the motion of his hand r<Arard tho huuso, thoujrh he evidently wished to k" on a i'"rfch^r quest. Nipper soattered the chickens atid ducia 6hufc congregated near the houso by flyin" in among them with his deep-mouthed | bark ; bub Wilkina called him to orcer, j and, after leading him into a narrow biaohall, ho closed tho door upon him. This entrance wad between tho main portion of the building and the vine: occupied by fche tenant*?. A narrow staircase wound upward from it. and on the right hand was a door which opened into a square room o. respectable size. Beyond that was the j Kitchen, and Wilkina went o:> to the inner. shrine, in which he expected to una biuncle's wife, eupaged in the congenial occupation of cooking supper. _ L lie hud anticipated, Mrs Wilkins was there, and she goewtd greatly uurpfiaod ai the sight of her visitor. She was a inn. Sandy-Laired woman, with a good-humoured chough nob very sharp face. She took her [muds from '.tho dough eho waa knoading, and exclaimed: .. anmmv9 'Do'tell! You here agin, feammy . Why, 'cainfc more 'n a week since you went away. I can't ace what brings you .so often to this out-o'-tho-way place !' ' 1 am sorry that you aie not grind to ccc mo, Aunt Hannah, bub I've no time to axplain whabbroughb me here now. I ha\c the pleiwiireof informing you that 1 a . not your only guest to-day. I left a younK lady outside of tho gate waiting for admittance, and 1 have come lor the key. < A. vo mr lady ! La eakea, Sammy, l i.ope vCSn't Jonean-gotmaimd^rc 0.-vJ made anything to ive on. Hyou Li;.--, you needn't be a-briugin of the S al hen, to be tuck care of.' Wilkius lau«hed uniileorantly. yonii^ IUU) ;i ; ■>, jandv/eVc Hfcandinir own e\ei v . vli i op67 aim ah* ooV^S «bm.t book. f»»; tho library, without his knowledge, you "'/^ .^ a Inez standing. (To le Continued.) uOT- ,^, 1