A LOST WITNESS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 256, 4 November 1897, Page 6

A LOST WITNESS.

THE MYSTERY OF LEAH PAGEI

By LAWRENCE L. LYNCH, Author of "Shadowed by Three," "A Slender Clue," "Dangerous Ground, "Madeline Payne," " A Mountain Mystery," "The Diamond Coterie," " Romance of a Bomb Thrower," "Out of a Labyrinth."

CHAPTER XV. COMPLICATIONS

If the father of Max Talfourd had not been a semi-invalid, unusually harassed by the events of the precedingl forty-eight hours, suffering from frequent twnges of gouty pain, and hungry for his dinner, it might,- perhaps, have been otherwise. Or if Abner Paget had not been left too long to himself, fasting, and thinking alone, gnawed by his pride; pricked a little, as even a very wellbehaved father may reasonably be sometimes, by his conscience, fearful for the fate of his missing daughter, and wroth because he must needs be questioned and commanded like auy common mortal, by Chief of Police Connors and his minions—it might not have happened. As it was, with the best of intentions upon both sides, Talfourd senior and Paget pere quarrelled, each man being sure that his point of view was the only reasonable one. They met in Abner Paget's severelysplendid library, where all the books looked so painfully new, and saluted like two courteous hostile gentlemen of the old school about to fight a duel —and, indeed, that is pretty much what they did. It is a sad, absurd, and tedious thing—a polite and courtly quarrel between two stately, well-intentioned, opinionated grey-beards; and its end •was confusion. It began with the two duellists sitting directly opposite each other in two huge leather-covered chairs, in which each could be at his ease and still maintain a becoming dignity. And it ended with the two standingerect, facing each other squarely, and not an arm's length between them. When it was' over, Mr Talfourd walked to the door as prim and erect as if he ■were not wincing because of the twinges that were writhing their way through his right limb, turned there and said: 'I am sorry for the spectacle of mistaken, yes wicked pride, that yon have shown this day. It makes it impossible, that I should lift a hand to help you, were it in my power. It compels me to bid my son withdraw entirely from his present position as openlyannounced fiancee of a girl who is mysteriously missing-. It forces me to close my doors to you and yours. You have insulted me, sir, and only your age and the fact that you are a man in affliction saves you from chastisement. One thing more: you have given me a new idea, a new hint.which I shall not be slow to follow up. I leave you, sir, to visit the Chief of Police.'

'James,' said Mr Paget to the servant who had just answered hissing, 'show that gentleman the door.' When Mi- Talfourd came out from the inhospitable house of Mr Pag-et it was growing late, but he told his coachman to drive him once more to the office, 'of the Chief of Police.

'Well, said that individual, wnen Talfourd was again seated in one of his comfortable office chairs, 'have you made that call?' 'Paget will doubtless inform you that I have, when you see him again,' said Talfourd with a short laugh. •It is my first call upon Abner Paget in—l don't know how many years,' lie went on, in answer to an inquiring look from Captain Connors. 'And I cannot fancy myself repeating- it; at least, not. for some time. Yoii are a pretty shrewd fellow, Captain, but I will wager you cannot guess ;what the old man charged me with.' 'Carrying off the young lady?' queried Connors, with a grin at his own facetiousness. . 'Yes, sir.' T" 'You don't mean it.' 'But I do. I told him that my son, thinking1 it might be best, and wishing that he might have the rig-ht it •would give him to assist in the search for Miss Paget, would make it known at once that she was betrothed to him Paget flew into a rage, declared that it should not be done, and ended by vowing1 that he believed the whole thing a scheme gotten up by us—ray son, myself, and his daughter.' 'By Jove,' ejaculated Captain Connors, and for some time he said nothing more. 'What did you say to all this?' he asked, finally. 'Well, I am afraid that I spoke rather hotly, but I guess I did not say any more than I meant. I told him that after such an outrage I could do but one thing—that I must forbid my son to put himself forward as Miss Paget's fiancee, or to mix him;self up in the business in any way.' 'And you meant that?'

>'Yes, I meant it, and I mean it now. My son is of age, to be sure, and I shall not go into the casting off, disinheriting1 business, or anything1 of that sort. But if he persists, it will be against my expressed wishes, and without my aid or consent. 1 think too, that he must see the necessity for withdrawing altogether, from this moment, otherwise old Paget will pronounce the whole thing a farce.'

'Yes, it is a most extraordinary state of affairs,' assented Captain Connors, thoughtfully.

'Now, I think I will go home and inform my wife and Max of the result of my visit to that unreasoning old idiot: that is,' with a smile, 'if you do not share Paget's suspicions, and so put me under arrest.' 'Not to-night,' laughed Connors.

'Well,' taking up his hat, and rising, 'you had better have us watched. Is there anything else, Captain? If not, I will be off before Paget arrives. He is sure to come, to tell you of his ibrilliant new idea.'

There was little else; and Mr Talfourd went home to catechise his son.

Max was alone in his room, and he received his father so eagerly that the elder Talfourd felt his courage de-