KITTY'S FATHER

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 123, 26 May 1893, Page 3

KITTY'S FATHER

BY FEANK BARRETT.

[ALL EIGHTS RESERVED].

CHAPTER XLII

ME NET LKGINS TO CLOSE,

When the admiral turned the conversation to the question of property, Miss Strong rose and went with Kitty into the adjoining room to join Miss Forsyth. Thus, whon the servant brought Singleton's message, there was no one else in tho room but the admiral, Jack and I. 1 Let Mr Singleton come in here, said the admiral; adding as he turned to us, ' amonesb us we may discover what now tactics he is upon.' Singleton entered the room, smart and clean-cut as ever, hat in hand ; stopped on the threshold to make a bow. Then, closing the door with instinctive care and silence, he crossed and took the chair indicated by the admiral.

11 daresay you are surprised to see me again so soon ?' he said. 'So aoon !' exclaimed the admiral ; 1 you've delayed showing yourself so long that 1 gave up all expectation of ever seeing you again. Well, whafc's in the wind now ?' ' I have met these gentlemen before. I suppose I may epeak with perfect confidence in their secrecy,' said Mr Singleton, fixing his eye particularly on me. ' As much as in mine. I have no secrets from them. Now, gob to work, it you please.' 1 Have you seen Mr Shuttle lately 2 •This morning.' • He is still at tho vicarage V

• He is.' •And, Mr Shepherd, have you seen him since I was here last ?' 'No.' ' You have not heard of his being seen in the neighbourhood.' 'No, I have not, and I'warrant you know more about him than I do.' ~ 1 Possibly,' Mr Singleton replied, strojcing his reflectively. * May I ask you, sir, if he has applied to you for the payment of certain bills of yours in bis possession ?' 'He has, and I don't intend to pay 'em until I am compelled.' ' I'm glad to hear you say so, sir. I must beg you to keep that resolution. Witnesses, especially clerical witnesses, are reluctant to appear in the witness-box— can't stand cross-examination, and it is of tho utmosb importance that we should be able to lay our hands on him with a subpoena at any moment.' ' I wager he'd rather sacrifice those bills than submit to such a raking fire as a counsel could turn on him. But look you here, Mr Ferret, if you are so precious anxious to keep him within arm's reach, what the dickens did you pay him that five hundred for ?' ' I did not pay him,' replied Singleton softly, with a lengthy shake of the head. ' You told me that you had given him a cheque in exchango for the will.' • And I did. But the cheque was dishonoured. And there will be no deposit in

:he bank to meet that cheque until this affair is wound up satisfactorily.' 'Gammon. You could have obtained a warrant to apprehend him the day he Bhowed that the will was in his possession.' ' Which would have suited Mr Shuttle down to the ground, And while we were trying to get a conviction against Mr Shepherd for unlawful possession tho murderer would have slipped through our fingers. That would not have been very much to our credit.' ' I should be very glad to hear of any proceeding that would,' said the admiral, pointedly. Singleton smiled, put his hand in his breast pocket and brought out a small flat parcel, removed the elastic band that bound it, unfolded the paper with loving care, and exposed an oblong piece of wood. My heart was in my mouth, for at the first glanco I recognised the carving upon it and the colour. ' Have you seen that before ?' he asked, putting it in the admiral's hand. 'Smell it,' he added, as the admiral turned it over, clearly unable to make out what it was. _ 1 There's a sort of spicey smell about it,' said the admiral, passing it on to Jack. llt is 6andal wood,' said Singleton, ' and part of the box which contained the will and other papers. The rest of the box is at home. I took it to pieces for convenience, and brought that to convince you on some points which may induce you to give us more assistance than you have Bhown yourself ready to accord. Above all things, it may show you the advisability of concealing your hand from Mr Shuttle.' ' What do >ou mean by that?' • I was not a hundred yards from you this morning when you roundly accused Mr Shuttle of being a thief, adding certain facts which it was necessary should be concealed. You keep your front gate unlocked and there is a most convenient summerhouse at the bottom of your paddook, That iB why I am yet rather anxious to know if Mr Shuttle etill stays at the vicarage.' ' Well, I only hope that you may prove yturself as honest as Shuttle,' said tho admiral, unshaken in hie faith.

lI hope bo also. Now, gentlemen, to return to this box,' continued Singleton, &a he carefully enveloped the box end. 'I was at Chester ad the time this crime was committed, watching a fraudulent jockey on behalf of Lord , and I mixed with the Bcum of the meeting, not in thia get-up you may be sure. On the last day of the meeting I heard that a couple of cardsharpers had boasted that they could hang the murderer if they chose. If I had wished to occupy myself in this affair it would have been too late to find the men, who had cleared out with the rest of the roughs. I should probably have taken no more notice of this rumour but that by a curious accidenb thia sandalwood box fell into my hands at Nottingham.' ' How did it fall into your hands ?' asked the admiral. 'Isuppose it did not rain sandalwood boxes ?' 'I got it,' replied Singleton, 'from tho man who now calls himself Shuttle.' I glanced with terrible dread towards the adjoining room, and drew a deep breath of relief to find that the door was closed. ' I had seen him at Chester. I've had my eye on him for years; and, recollecting the rumours I had heard regarding the two sharpers who hinted at knowing the murderer, I surmised that they had been confederates with him in some sharping operations at the races, and had discovered his secret. 1 did not consider it worth while, however,, to go into tho basineaß until I saw your advertisement, sir, in the papers. Then it occurred to me that something might be done by offering a big price for evidence; the witnesses who were not likely to come forward for nothing might be drawn by the offer of a large reward. You were good enough to accept my proposal, and I had the advertisement published in all the papers read by turf men of the lower class. The result has answered my expectations. I've got my witnesses ; they were in Chancery Lane when I turned up at my office this morning at nine o'clock, and I have brought them down with mo.' ' To identify tlio criminal,' said Jack, 'Precisely, sir.' ' What the plague id the u?e of all this, beating up,1 askod the admiral, 'if they!

find ibwas Shuttle?' < Thab is exactly what they cannobor will were tramping mto Che ß ter. Famished with hunger-and pwohed wit £™£J they thought it possible that an open into the stable yard and concealed themselves m a woodhouse.. Shortly afterward* they perceived the man, benb under his burden, coma mto the yard and croßa to the well, men he threw down the body, attached the chain to it, and lowered it into the will. When this was done, he replaced the.-chain and withdrew, and my mO n made their escape by the gate opening into Love Lane. Now, during; the timo that the man was disposing of the dead body the witnesses had ample opportunity to observe his features aud general appearance, and both are confident that they should recognise him again aniongsb a thousand. • Instead of bringing them down here you would have done better to eeb them face to f ac e with your friend MrShepherd.'growled the admiral. < That is a suggestion which I shall undoubtedly acb upon, Bir, when I find that m y own suspicions are misplaced. At present I think they are nob misplaced. I have a firm belief that my witnesses, although, for obvioua reasons they disclaim any knowledge of Shuttle, know well enough why I have brought them down here. One o f m y men who is watching the place saw them hanging about the vicarage on Sunday ; a"d I think it is conclusive thab if Shuttle had given thorn a liberal amount 01 hush money they would never have come to m e. However, I propose with your assistance to settle whether Shuttle i 8 the man ornotthis evening.' The admiral promised he should have all the assistance he required. <I am much obliged to you air,' Eaid Singleton. 'As this identification is of enormous importance I wish to make the test as thorough as possible. For thab purpose I intend to place my witnesses in the shrubbery where they first saw the man carrying tha body, and hope to make Mr Shuttle place himself at the open window of the library in a twilight as nearly as possible resembling that in which they saw him standing there on the morning of June the 12th. If we leffc it to chauce we mighb watch for a week without any good results, but if one of you gentlemen would do mo a favour I think we might pull it off successfully. May I ask if any of you are on visiting terras with Mr Shuttle ?' 4 You have called upon him once or twice about the loan of a book,' said Jack to me. 'Thu loan of a book,' cried Singleton in delight; ' that's the very thing. Will you be kind enough, sir, to call upon him again with the some purpose ?' • With pleasure,' I roplied, only too glad of this opportunity to warn York. ' I'll go at once.' 'Oh, no, no, no,' said Singleton, laying his hand on my arm as I rose. 'Wo shan't be ready for about an hour. Tho light, I reckon, will be jusb right then, and I shall have my witnesses in position. I myself will start you, and while you are going along on the outside of the wall I shall make my way back to tha vicarageshrubbery by the inside. I may rely on your doing the'besb you can to bring Mr Shuttle to the library window ; this will be tolerably easy if you pretend you want a book. In all probability he will go into the room with you to seek ib and come oub with you when you leave. You follow me, MrHolderness.' 'Yes,' I faltered, 'I will do my best,' adding to myself, ' for Yorke and poor Kitty." ' Well, now, gentlemen, if you'll excuse me I will go and loon after my witnesses.' ' Where have you left 'em/ asked the admiral. 1 In the tool house at the bottom of your garden, sir. I took the liberty bo place them there under the care of my man before I came up.' A light laugh came from the next room —Kitty's. The poor, dear girl little knew how the net was closing round her father, [To he. continued.)