FOR LOVE OR MONEY

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 210, 5 September 1899, Page 6

FOR LOVE OR MONEY

By ST. GEORGE EATKBOKNE

Author of "Doctor Jack," "A Fair lir-Tolutionist," "A Sailer's Sweetheart," "A Chase for a Bride."

CHAPTER XXVI

THE STREETS OF1 LONDON AFTER

DARK.

It would be almost impossible to adequately measure the surprise and consternation that overwhelmed the marquis as he sat there and felt the chubby arms of Fedora's little darlings about his neck.

Surely there must have been some decree of Providence that sent these scions of the house of Livermore flying- into the drawing-room afc this particular moment when fate balanced the fortunes of their parents in the scales—that gave them such assurance to look upon this total stranger in the light of an old friend, and thus climbingl into his lap demand his attention. The pure touch of childish lips upon his own—what ecstacy it gave him to look into those wondering, confiding eyes, both blue and dusky, and believe that here at least there was no guile.

And as he sat there, with one little cherub upon each knee, the man with a history found himself indulging in some reflections that were hardly on the order of those he had expected would occupy his attention when under this roof. , Somehow this new and astonishing development troubled 'him. He had thus far in all his calculations taken it for granted that there could not be a great amount of affection existing between Livermore and Fedora—the manner of their marriage was in itself quite sufficient grounds for him to believe this —nor had he at any time been given the least intimation that family relations existed under the captain's roof-tree. This, then, was what staggered him. He, realised that possibly he was mistaken and that Fedora had with the passage of years come to respect and then to love her husband—these sweet pledges of affection would in themselves naturally draw the parents' hearts together. Once before, in thinking along- these lines, he had savagely declai-ed such an event would be hailed by him with pleasure, because his triumph must be all the more glorious.

Ah! that was before he had looked into these confiding childish orbs, and knew fhat Fedora was the mother of two such lovely darlings. With what artlessness they prattled in their childish fashion, and vied with each other in giving this new friend the greatest bear-hug possible. The little maiden of three was a perfect picture in miniature of her mother, and as may be imagined, her caresses were much more agreeable to the marquis than those of her brother, ■who took after his father in appearance and boldness.

Somehow the man shuddered while he sat there, and let the delighted little folks dive in his pockets and take complete possession of him —he groaned to think that while they were her children they were nothing to him— another man occupied the proud position of their fafher, and he was little better than an outcast, perhaps almost forgotten by the one who had vowed again and again to love him while life lasted.

They looked upon him as a kind friend, and gave him their childish confidence, he, who was probably the ■worst enemy their parents had in all the wide world, who had come to this home to-day with the avowed purpose of destroying it—he was in heart, if not in deed, the wrecker of peace as well as the avenger of his own wrongs. It was wonderful what an influence this new and astounding element had ■upon him—he had entered with head erect and lance in position for the final charge—the joust; yet here he was met and unseated by the puny assault of childish glee, surrendering, rescue or no rescue, to their demands. Could these innocents but know the evil designs of his heart how they must shrink from him in terror. Never in all his experience had the marquis experienced such a rude shock—his complacency, was gone—his mission for the day ruined —until he had a chance to steady his nerves there was no use in endeavouring to bring about the desperate climax to which •bis actions were leading. He was quite disarmed —those chubby hands upon his face, the little cooing voice, as trusting eyes looked up into his own, exclaiming: "Dodo loye oo » a man must have colder blood in his veins than the marquis to endure this and at the same moment plan destruction to the little maiden's parents. In that short time he saw a great light, such as had never dawned on him before.

True, it might die out again, overwhelmed by the darkness of passion's sway; but the influence of his association with those innocents would have a decided bearing upon his future. Thus Fedora found them when she came in, and greatly she marvelled at the sudden fancy her little darlings had taken for the mysterious marOf'course their nurse was summoned and they were banished from (he scene; but the retreat was conducted with much reluctance, especially on the part of Miss Dorothy, who seemed to have conceived a great fancy for the marquis. Thus, the visit that he had intended should be so dramatic, and lead to a crisis, was of an altogether different nature. . Fedora, finding him interested m her children, was easily persuaded 1o tell many of t!he amusing pranks of .which they had been guilty— what mother could have resisted when thus urged? — and the

marquis led her on, atracted and yet annoyed at this new development in her character, the presence of which he had never before so much as suspected, for mother love and pride chased away the look of worry | from her face, and gave instead a radij ant. happiness s\ieh as he remembered ; seeing- there years ago, when "they two went Maying1," and exchanged their vows—alas! how easily broken on her part. And he came away without, by act or word, having advanced the clesper!v- to. .scheme which had so filled his mind on crossing- that home portal. It was not remorse—the time had not come for that; but while the kisses of that innocent little prattler were yet warm upon his cheek he could iiot strike the terrible blow that would possibly blight her. mother's future happiness. He must again seek new strength in moody dreams of his miserable past, and summon to his aid the stern resolutions he had made which nothingmight disturb. It was only a question of more time, and he could easily afford to wait, since each day saw his praises sung afresh by public and press, while poor Livermore's position grew constantly more distressing. Somehow the man who lived for revenge could not enjoy the anticipation of his ultimate victory so much as before, since this new element had been precipitated into the game. Circumstances alter cases—the children, at least, were innocent of having | wronged him, and yet upon them must 'full the brunt of the storm, since a heritage of shame would be their por-

lion. Possibly the marquis might find his bed an unusually hard one that night, unless something occurred in the meantime to neutralise the result of liig visit to Livermore's establishment. Not being in the humour to enjoy social intercourse with his fellows, he avoided those who would have sought his company, and spent the eveningstrolling along Oxford-street and High Holbovn, watdhing the crowds, smoking innumerable cigars and wrestling with his thoughts. Seldom has any man had occasion to fight the elements in his own nature j more bitterly than did this soldier of fortune. As the hour grew late he found himself quite a distance from his hotel, beyond St. Paul's, and even on the border of the Whitechape^ district of unenviable fame as one of the most notorious slum districts of the modern Babylon. The marquis was a student of human nature, and had always seized upon every opportunity to look upon the strange phases of life. Paris he knew like a book, and parts of London; but there was still a region to be explored in the metropolis of the world, and he began to feeL the old Bohemian longing come over him. It mattered little that there was a mighty difference between the impecunious art student and the multimillionaire—that where the one could venture with impunity it might be exceedingly dangerous for tine other to "o—he was a man who generally snapped his fingers at the ogre of peril, and followed out his own swee* "Will he concluded that the present time was hardly suited to such ar, extended excursion into the realms-, poverty and vice, since he had .00 many'problems to solve -he must postpone the pleasure until a little later, when he might, find a favourable opportunity to gratify the demands of his artistic temperament. It was with considerable reluctance, however, that he turned his back on the scene which had many picturesque temptations for him. It was a weary distance to "his hotel, and the marquis naturally looked

around for a cab. Even in this part of London it is no trouble to find such a c°nveya _n. ce, n* reasonable hours, hut the night had worn on and there was a possibility that he might have some difficulty. The marquis did a very foolish thing- when he approached the borders of this hot region by night. In London, as in every metropolis, there are sharpers who keep an eye on eccentric people.of wealth, seeking to turn some of" their queer actions to

o-ood account. Naturally enough, the new Croesus had been marked down as one who sooner or later might yield just such an opportunity for fine picking, and although he knew it not, sharp eyes had been upon him ever sines he started to kill time by strolling along Oxford-street and ended up beyond Cornhill. , . \t least if no cab hove in sight he I could make for the Liverpool-street I station not far away, where he would find any species of conveyance he might desire. Luck seemed to favour him, for the voice of an eager Jehu hailed from behind. . The four-wheeler was one ol tne night-hawk variety, much the worse for wear, but to a shipwrecked sailor any port in a storm is good enough; so the marquis, with a laugh, bundled himself, inside and sang out his orders. '. He might not have been so easy in his mind had he known that a couple of fellows swung themselves, one up with the driver on his seat, and the other behind the growler. Perhaps, had the marquis been less engrossed and worried with his own thoughts, he might have noticed also that his driver was not taking him by the most direct route—it is easy to become confused when passing through the streets of London.in a /chicle, especially by night, and in this instance the man who' had shown himself to be thoroughly wide awake on most occasions could hardly be blamed for confessing that he was unable to identify his whereabouts when he took an observation from the window. One thing he did discover, that his driver had chosen a far from delectable route to the hotel—true, it might be shorter, but he could not remember ever having heard of a Jehu ready to cut down the length of his journey when he had a good paying fare inside. The marquis experienced the first little sensation of alarm, or, rather, uneasiness, just then. He suddenly remembered that he had a few ornaments upon his person, a handsome gold watch, and a roll of bank notes, altogether very good pickings for some of the bold footpads to be found in lonely London streets. This set. him to thinking of other things besides the Corsican vengeance that had lain slumbering for five years, and the dainty hands that had so recently caressed his bearded cheeks, while laughing, wondering

blue eyes looked into his own troubled orbs. It seemed ridiculous to imagine such a thing, and yet perhaps there might be dagger hovering- over him. We have seen how he faced the bullet of Captain Livermore in the duel; also how lie met peril at the side of brave old Barrajo, and surely the spirit that sustained him during those desperate, crises would not fail to grasp the situation now. His curiosity having been aroused, the marquis found means to look oub of tho vehicle, and was not greatly surprised when he discovered that an unknown niau sat beside his driver. Before now he had known some one was riding behind, having heard various tkumpings that gave the secret away, and once upon twisting his head" around he had a fleeting glimpse of a human eye glued to the little glass in the back canopy of the vehicle. A very pleasant outlook, really. That "meant at least three against one. The marquis had not felt his fighting blood leap and bound so fiercely these many moons —why, the very audacity of the thing' was enough to stagger anyone, and he could hardly "believe' they meant business of this desperate sort, such as would do credit to that famous knight of old Dick Turpin, who held up travellers on Winslow Heath. Being- a philosophical man to a marked degree, the marquis at once set to work pooling- his resources, so as to make as game a stand as the occasion would admit. The result was not all he might have wished. Had he a good revolver in hand, he felt the situation- would lose much of its serious nature, for such an agent when properly handled conduces to bring -about respect and peace. Unfortunately, while he possessed an elegant weapon built upon this order, it chanced to bo snugly reposing in his rooms -at the hotel. The marquis, upon ascertaining this fact, almost snorted with disgust, for nothing could well be more discouraging. He remained perfectly cool and self-possessed—when a man has passed throught such astonishing adventures as had fallen to his lot of late years he is hardly likely to show the "white feather because forsooth a few London blackmailers and footpads conspire to on trap him. _ It was his intention upon sighting" a policeman on some corner to stop the vehicle, summon the "bobby," and place himself under his charge; but this little scheme was blocked on account of the singular absence of these gentry from the posts where they were frequently seen. It often happens so —officers are as hard to find as stray needles in a haystack, especially when their presence is most urgently desired. Others have remarked upon the same peculiarity before, and it will doubtless go ringing down the ages as one of those mysteries that human wit can never solve. The marquis, thus thrown upon his own resources, determined to take prompt action. Indeed, it was really necessary, for they seemed to be constantly entering upon a region more suitable for the desperate work these nervy fellows had in hand. He g-athered his energies together and watching- his chance, quietly j opened the door to the left, intending to drop out without attracting the j attenion of the two cronies upon the seat. A very clever little idea, and one that might have worked to a beauti- j fnl issue only for one thing—he had j forgotten the fellow who was riding in the rear of the "growler." The marquis, with an agility he had acquired from long- years of athletic practice, had successfully made the drop, and was in hopes that his j move had not been seen, when the third party leaped from behind the ■ vehicle, and throwing himself upon j the half recumbent passenger, sounded the alarm. (To be continued.)