A LOST WITNESS, OR THE MYSTERY OP LEAH PAGET.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 300, 28 December 1897, Page 6

A LOST WITNESS, OR THE MYSTERY OP LEAH PAGET.

BY LAWRENCE L. LYNCH, Author of "Shadowed by Three," "> Blender Clue," " Dangerous Ground, "Madeline Payne," "A Mountain Mystwy," "The Diamond Coterie," M Romance of a Bomb Thrower," '^Oat of a Labyrinth.'

CHAPTER LTX. SOMETHING UNEXPECTED. LeaU caught her breath sobbing £ Before she could speak or stay bis Movements, he had lifted her hands, earnest tones. • , 'Leah do not remonstrate, my dai li Do not think that I .Csregard youV trouble or that 1 hold it light y. BY ancl bye, it you will, we w.ll reSuStfit again. J cannot give you up Vet, dear, although later I may be Sried to do so-not because of your Secret, my dearest, but because-*-be-cause I may come under the ban. I am menaced by a serious dauger, Leah.'

'Yes I Wait, dear, and let me. ask YOU a 'question.. It takes you back to the day on which we last saw you or thfc day beior&- 1 hardly remember vVhitiil*' -ii, 'What is it?' she asked, qiucldj. 'On that day, or one of those days, 1 fient you a photograph and a note; quite a letter, in fact.' He Stopped, she was looking at him inquiringly. .. 'Leah, did you get, that-note? he asked, huskily.

'Nd,' she said. , 'Leah, are you snreV Think, dear. The photo was one of Rowan's, a. profile only; the letter-- —' She sho6k her head. •I asked you once to sit for a profile,' she s"aid, slowly. 'But, I never saw it. - , Then something in his face made her start. 'Max,' she cried. 'What is it's" He was very pale, and his lips were quivering. He held out both his hands and looked straight into be.i* eyes. . , , 'Put your hands in.mine, Leah, he said, pently. and she complied. 'Listen, dear, and take away your hands when you will. Yes, J, too, have my mystery. 1 'You!' Her fingers tightened about his.

'Leah, liave you read in the papers ©f the murder of the French actress? 'Hdrtense Novalis? Yes. T have read H little. Only the head-lines, 3 think.' 'About the time of your flitting' l gent you a letter and a photograph. On the sameday, or a day after, T had occasion to cail at the house of (his woman, Hortense Novalis.' Instantly the girl drew back a little. 'Wait, dear. Hortense Novalis was killed on the night before you came back. And one of the officers who WaS first on the premises, and who made a thorough search through •them, found, under the. deadWftmafa's pillow, a letter signed "Max" and a photograph. It was my photograph, Leah? a"ndriVwas the letter I hud ■ wi*« ten to you. I had not used your name and it began simply "My darling," do you see? as if it had been sent to her.' The fingers clasped in his quivered find loosened their pressure, but did not withdraw themselves.

'If this had been all, he went on, *your name, my darling, might never have been mentioned in connection with that hideous event. But, in searching further, they -found in the grate, I believe, the envelope that contained that letter, with your name Upon it.' The loosened fingers tightened their clasp again. She bent toward him a ■white, scared face. ,

'Max,' she whispered, what does it mean?'

'They are trying to find the murderer, Leah. Fred Quinlan has fallen under suspicion; it is known that we •were not friends ' 'Max,' she broke out with a sharp cry, 'Max, have they accused you?' 'Not yet, Leah.' 'Thank heaven! Now tell me every* thing", Max—everythingI.' All hour later Leah Paget came into her mother's presence with pale cheeks tout glowing- eyes. 'Mother,' she said, 'Max has told me : much. I want you to tell me more. Especially tell me about this English detective.' 'Didn't Max tell you about him, dear?' 'A little. But I do not understand how he came to be here so opportunely.' 'My child, Max Talfourd caused him to be sent for. He came to help us find you.' Lenh drew a hassock close to her i mother's side and seated herself upon it. '.Ts Tow,' she said,"'give me.the history of that search for rue. Tell me all — everythingI.'I That evening Ferrars received, through the Chief of Police, to whose care it had been sent, a brief little Dote. It said: Sir,—lf you will kindly grant me an Interview, I will come to you at any time and In any way you may think lit. My business is important. LEAH PAGET. The detective read it and smiled. 1 thought it would happen so,' he said to himself. 'At last things begin to run smoothly.' He recognised in the sending of the note, under cover through Captain Connors, the hand of Mrs Paget, and he seated himself at once to reply. He thanked Miss Paget for her promptness and her confidence. He would not ask her to come to him on this occasion,but would wait upon her in her own home that evening. Necessarily he must come in as unobtrusive a manner as possible, and having said this much, he would rely upon her to receive him as seemed best.

Considering this note, his manner of going seemed a little sti-ange.

Early in the evening, while it was vet daylight in fact, the handsome open carriage of Mr Talfourd might have been seen rolling through the Park down Fifth Avenue, and across Union Square. It had two occupants, Talfourd senior and Sir Felix Wyntoun. A little later this same conveyance stood before Sara Volney's door.while the two gentlemen paid their respects to that lovely lady. As Talfourd senior and Sir Felix were taking their leave, a hansom drove tip, stopped just behind the open carriage, and deposited a third caller, none other than Max Talfourd, who entered as the others came out, exchanged a jesting word with them, and said:

Coma back, won't you? I've only dropped in to ask after Sara's health. Come in, and then take me to town with you. I daresay that Sara won't Jet me stay Jong—it's an opera night, J believe.'

'But I'm not going. Max." broUe in Mrs Volney, 'and I shall consider you a godsend if you will tarry a while. Of course -' .She turned to the others with n charming smile, but the elder Talfourd Jilted a warning finger.

'You are going to tell a polite little fib, Kara,' lie said. ' You've seen enough of us for once, and we really must. go. Keep Max, by all means. He couldn't, be in better hands. As for us, I'm going to present Sir Felix to MrstPagetiYou youthful dames have monopolised him too much. Me must see what a. perfect creature the America v matron is.'

'When he hiis seen Mrs J'aget,' flashed Mrs Volney, 'lie will have seen the matron par excellence.' And she laughed up into the face of Sir Felix and slipped a white hand under the ami of Max Talfourd. 'Come in, Max. You and 1 know who is even lovelier than the matron, do we not?'

She was looking especially brilliant, with more fire and colour than usual in her face, and Sir Felix said as the two went down the stone Walk to the waiting carriage, 'Mrs Volney lias the beauty of all the sjrens. However has Max known her so long- only to losj his heart to somebody else?'

'When Max knew her first she was the wife of my cousin, my dear fellow,' the father of Max replied. 'And perhaps the sirens even might not, have shone so fair alongside of two hundred pounds of husband each.'

"Possibly not,' replied Sir Felix, as he seated himself besides his host, 'except perchance in France.'

As Mr Talfourd's carriage rolled away the liansom which had brought Max followed close behind, mid soon the fii"st vehicle turned into a quiet street, the second turning also. Then as if by one volition both stopped.

Nothing1 was said, but vSir Felix sprang from the Talfourd carriage and at the same moment Ferrars stepped from the hansom. It. was simply an exchange. When the carriage moved oti it. Was Ferrars that sat beside Mr Talfourd, who ordered his coachman to drive to the Pag-ets, and it was Sir Felix who drove townward in the hansom.

(To be Continued.)