The Black Motor Car

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 15, 18 January 1905, Page 11

The Black Motor Car

CHAPTER XX. iN ESCAFED I'KISUNER. WTien Jorchs.>n awoke from h:s sleep lt suil d.vs. t'- .-truck a matcn l_ d looked a'- ins -.---•-. 1: was bali- . ... '•■;.- iad been a.-.-ep barely , 0 hour. T> -■■" «ou»i -- 1 - r ; -o lor lD ocaer hou: and ■' '■-'.(• -ad turning K . en hLs --:•-• ■'■ tried to snatch a i-tik !H^ re r, ' al u '' ,aiV he uirre,i lh,: 5 -,; iuy on ---" •••>*.cid.- of iii» b-d. las: is ht had .-eiuied his h--ad com fjna-ny ■-- ■•--• pdlow. atiu was dozing ti to — •' lul - 1 '" 11 - 1 r -uigc stueii , a , n ,. room 22- raised himselt up ou I jus eibow aad »i-d---- "— undoub.-j _ft a curicus -mcii. hu'. ue dul not re- ; jiii f.r a :-., what it was. tu*_- --- -•■ .- : y^ I fit recognised -.»• ------ p t l -- Kjl • ( is *a= tee smell :' -JD-.euiuie, .urntug. Ue jumped --:! ■'.-- -"-i J-u-2 If- his Ue light siiov.eu a lautt grey i_i- -it '-""■ ■ XHI " '' ' M:^7r ' ,A " i iur r_ but toUI-i notaiiig. Then „-dde2iiy a low stiricd .-ry broke tae 3tter«.f of the rught. It was f.-llowed by the loud rauling of chain.-, and then tV another -ry. and l-.uder than ln e drst. In a titusii -lordi.- n realised tae smoke -ame :n m. The itabk woo -in are asderneath tain. tie rushed from toe room md rouse-i iapc iron: a heavy Jeep. -Winy -nored beside imn. -tid l.ipp ratsetl .. brawny; 4J-H for a rude awakening. But Jordieon jioppeu aim. "Let bun be. ' he -aid hurriedly, "two i:* quite enough, and if by any chance ; w - cannot pm th- :>re > ut. well " Hi Liis -.: uid-.--. and 1-ipp uti c.r.wGd. knny - .*- .1 -■■■:i-:aiit mena.-c lo both i.-f taeni. Lipp tanist --a .1 jer-ey an-1 a pan- ■ 1 troasers. -nu foßo-we-1 hi- master dowu , lac stair-. When they got outside the : „moke was pourtnsr • :irough the -table windows, for tber- w:_- no: a pane ...f - gix=s tn any of U*>iii. VVithin they could ,eetheduii red giew ,v arc. and .1-- tru-y | acarcd 221 c dwr :h. y heard .1 long audi aomble scream. -n<: :ue i-iank . I caaiiis. ■rjtnck L-pp" -'i-iwi -I- nIL-ou. hand- ! im? 212111 tie "Td p mu-si ! » save,] _t tny cost.'' Lipp d_d t:ot wait :o fumbh- : with the ; .e>. nut burs; the door open j W.'-i hi- iaoulQ-": A volume of dames j -ad sparks dew ~_<.. mi the two uen ■ gnrini back from •:-.■ ■ :*■ 111 n_-. L'herc , wii another -.ream, and a, 1. -ar?e 1 ;y ur help and ihe nc— of - bains, being j ui2j«i -lad shaken. j "He is *live. and iia- got his gag off." , said Jordison. hurriedly. T expect the are has net reached hiei yet. Tne loose ! box is made 0: iron, if he is alive we 1 i-an live -.her- 1 , too. There'- the window. Quick!" Tier raa to the window at tho far ! end. Jordison tone away ti-." wooden j iramework with his iiands and climbed ato the stable. The j:r in-id- wa- com- I parativeiy free fn a: smoke, but was hot I ac :ae blast 0: a 1 err,ace. in ive minutes' rime -Lirdisoa reap- 1 pparrf md thnjs; _ jimp form through I lie window. A lo< s- • ham dangled fn m c-ne ankle, and a loop of rope was -riil ; round the drooping nek. The hands - ff crossed - iosv- toget2ier in the iron ■h.-p 'if the handcuff-. Lipp ;ook tin : burden from -Jocdi-on and laid i r on the grass. I A.i.v." he suid gruffly, bu 1 without tt faintest -how of interes:. Acs." -aid Jordison. coughing and j gaspms for breath, "but pretty well cai kd. I '-inaldri'' have -trjo.i another nr.ame uf it. ' "j,- cud -•: the place i-3 j i._e j. ftirnace. I'nfl.i those band<-uns 1 and work bis ami- .1 bi" 20 pul some air j :3'lo nis lung-:. lie is -u;e rnough at ; present." Lipri -Jiifasfened :he handcuffs, and j triwi the process recommended for the ! .-"snsciration of drowning men It wa-, as might, have been expected, singular!'/ -nsucceasrul. Holme neither sighed nor j his eyes. ! "tio down to the creek.'" said JordiM-. '"and get some water. 1 am going ' to see what I can save. We shall be 1 hurnt out to-nigiu. No. stay: you had , o-tter 'one aaid help mc. ' He" is not , oead. lie can shift for himself. Put on : '..to handcufis. take hun down to the j "'-■ use. and chain him by the legs to something— a bar ~f the "-ellar window i will do." ! These words, had a sudden and unejx- ' .toted r «ult. Holme, who had been - 'hamming unconsciousness, sprang to his fat, dashed one fist in Lapp', face, and ' tae other I 0 Jcrdiaorr's -torna<b. and sent | luem tola -iprasding Before they could power themselves, he had caught'up the la «c chain m one hand and started down tae slope towards the creek. delate tos a voang and athletn- man, i asd vrith the 50 /a j-cL, star* he had obbe reached the - reek before his Piusae-i. in , p ite of his weakness and ta« chaias eaemnberrng bis proeress. H* gained the and plunged j awwgh .he nrad tali tue water reach- 1 «4a wwrst. Theai he struck out fori fJ « opposite bank. The w-eigrrt of the c!B =n became painfull v anpa.rem.. and. I p «wld baEdy kefep his ' bead above 1 * a * p r. Hut be was a powerful swimaer - w»d at; struggled rhrougb 2he in«mmig Ufa u> a p ()lr)l n< -j r i v 100 raj-ds V*™" the place, where he had entered ! =*«■ As he (r-.: ,b. -oft mud' «W"j his feet una- more, he breathed' *ffl»-_ of relief. From the ..oposit--' *"V* the ""Port of .1 pisud, and ! UQUn£ to trie left of him. Lie Wng .icKvn :n th- mv.l and 1. ' '"•* more strew ,«i-o: over » head, and then ne h.-aru the *pnsb-n m-d i.»{ ,„,. st>ctelrin , r ,„■ xxior U) , '* >rt - maio.J.n-i>trS oe<l. Jo reacbe«i 'he bank. P'-,, s,ifa»nir« . Wa -'* r 'ontinned. Then ne bear i r y ''"T ou ' thar the currenr was V * :ro *Z t0 a foothold and an •■„ m r n - order to go back. Neifor "Jf* P* ll * l ' ,n 'ihi anin. and * he ~_s beyond their react. the B_a"Y 0?pOSIle Dank *"" srahies of ews-« " a:T^<l ff^'^l ~- an d he f^m rhe lurid and, ugrrt. H* Knew that so is J, as Ct a :TTari . fg _ r|llp big^ "V ;n 'ia-nger. Foot by foot he Ben ° n ~ °* * hp iarp - nto Ye dork-. *<ioL rea * ißC<i tiat '- r ° r C'ison and Lipp -,-,-rJ a ° l give up pursr.it but endjeareaefc mt€rce P t him before he could a place of safety. But now all! advantage wad on ; ;„ B ; dr Ha " » ev«y lneh n , . hp _ jm) , " !ld fc 'fof tne eastern sky and , _-' <,y * rit:> Lhn '" omiri i-' do - wn hfl nm a T Jd * d hu * a ? had! la f a l!!e . *B*r_t, and was mov ! Hal' 0 r ! ' in ° P«J"k to liaathcrstone i Iten'i, eimln riankrd a', every I It haL**-*' U svai ' &* afll «' «rf9S«l

By J. B. HARRIS BURLAND

Author of ■■ Daeobra," "The Unspeakable Thing," Etc Eta,

[could fin,! any human beings to protect 1 him. ' r n it as he crossed tbe lawn bis senses reeled, and his strength gave way, and h" icil in a heap on the green tun". And j t.iere t;ie gardeners found him in the 1 morning, delirious ami crying out for j wa-L'-r. too weak To move an inch from j tho place where he had fallen. j I he men W ent indoors with the news. I and .1 crowd of servants pa there;-! on I the Lnvn, They talked volubly, but were uncertain bow to act. Lord Hea- | tin rstone was mv yet down. Lady ' Aines was with her stepmother. The I whole household were already in a tuns;,: after the events of the previous ; night, ruosr. of which had now become j public property. Lady Heatherstone's j maid was the only person who bad any detinife idea-. She rashly jumped to ; the conclusion that the prostrate man \ htui some connection with. the at--1 tempted burglary of the night before. Lac chain on his ankle .stiggestod. to her mind an escaped convict, and who rt-ore likely than an escaped convict to bo connected with robbery and violence, -he voiced her opinion in shrill tones, and the men, most of whom were, or had been, in love witb her, applauded her perspicacity. 1 ortainly. no one recognised Arthur Holme in the huddled and dripping lig>ure that lay at their feet. His 1 clothes ware torn and blackened witn smoke. His face was bleeding and smeared with soot, his beard and mouisraehe were scorched into a filthy mass 02 -hrivelled hair. The black mud of cue creeks plastered him from head to foot. He was dressed in a rough biue 1 jersey and a pair of old serge trousers. His i£-et were bare, and his ankles were sore and bleeding where the chain had: chafe 1 them. They resolved to leave him and send for the police. Two of the gardeners ! picked up the i-hain and held it in their hands, in case he shouid attempt to escape. Mc did no; move, but now and then he cried out for water. The ! womenkind "ere for giving the poor wretch something to drink. Tbe men.! backed up by Lady Heatherstone '_ n:a ; .i. deeded :o do nothing without; Lord Heaiaerstoiie's permis-sion. ''ue of the footmen wa.-> despatched to ! . aciuain' his lordship of their discovery. , But hci- re he reached the path leading | to the servants' quarters Lady Agnes ! her-_-lf appeared from the opposite ili-j re* tiotl. Ihe crowd of servants opened I ou." and made way lor her. She came close ujj to the pro-strate man and look-j H at Luu. His lace was thrust down on j the turf, so that she could only see the I bii'-k of his head. •'Who is tins'.'" -ho asked. "Water, water." he moaned, pfteously. 1 •■Oct him some water." she said sharp- j lv. "Why do you stand staring, and, why are you two men holding on to j that -tmiii'.' Do you think he will run j away'/" 'lire men laid 2,he chain down sheepish-' ly. aid .mc of th--m wen; otf for some, wafer. Lady HeathtvrsTone's maid then I braran :•• e-:pouml hr-r theory, but Lady ( Agnes out her short. | "That'll do. Brown." she said. "Tt | doesn't matter who he is. You can see he is half de-ad. He's been nearly : drowned or burnt alive. Pick him up, some of yon, and take him into the \ house. Where's liar land f j "tjonc into Gorehaven. your ladyship." answered one of the gardeners. '-Well, Edwards, you hud better take a horse and follow him. Tell Dr. Dow- j sett to come over at otui-. This man is j \srv ill. Poor fellow. Poor fellow." She moved round to the other side of him, and bent down to see his face, j He stirred uneasily, and raised it a little from the ground- Then her lips whitened, and she gave- a cry of horror. and -in.king on her knees, she took his head Ivtwrn her two hands and p<2ered into his features. "!•'- Mr. Holme." she cried our., rising: to 1,-r ''<ci. -yuick. quick, you fools. He :- riving. To think that nonp of you 1 rec..:mYil him. and that . Quick.) pirt bun up JQ'i take him into the, notice-. There is not a moment to be j lost." j "Mr. Holme." >-• hoed one of the ser- : wants, feebly. "11-- is dead." ■ H- hlH'be. -,f you don't stir your , selves." -he cried. ' -Brown, be at the] hall door witn a glass of weak brandy: and water by the time we reach it. and : that a !«•>• bath is sot ready at 1 I one" ihe maid liew off across the lawn, and two of the men picked up Arthur j Holme and cam. d him into the house, lai-lv Agnes followed them, and sent the rest of the 'en-ut- about their I business. She had scarcely realised yet I thai the dead had come to life, and tbat I her lover had u-,vn restored to her. She only s3w ,1 lit-" in danirer. and the neces- I si'v tor immediate action. In an lio-ir- time \rthur Holme was in bed. and bad reeained his senses. Lor-! Heatherstone -rood by his side, and questioned him kindly. They had. partc-i in ansf-r, bin Lloltne's helpless 1 condition would have appealed to the hardest b*>art. ami there was much real, kindness hidden under tho pompous and: aristocratic manners of I-ord (ieather-.-1 o nt-. Bit by hit. Holme told bis story. At ( tjnif.s he v,-l.j a tntie incoherent, and be | often had to stop. I.ord Heatherstone j did cot press for details, but directly he I has gathi n-d the man: facts he rang the: *L.<- ! 1. j ••'[>_ sotneon* to go at once to Core | haven." ie said, when a maid entered.: He must inform tbe police that Mr., .Inrdisoo. of the Re;i House, and his ser-1 ■ in-, must be arrested at once for tbe j m :r-:---r of the sailor William Outen. 1 i-i ase thov iiiav be to-' Lite, send halti a dozen of the men to the Red House at one- •' -.-.•tire these scoundrels, and de-j tain them until tho police come I will ■ take all responsibility."' The girl lefr the room, and Holme, j thoroughly exhausted, closed his eyes j and s-lppr. Lord Heatherstone went over. to the window, and looked onr across 1 the marshes to where the Red House i rose atmirrst the eastern sky. Tt was a ! clea2-, irosty morning, and he could see 1 it piainly "tn the sunlight. He went I into bis own bedroom and returned with I a pair of powerful field glasses. Then j he opened the window and directed them j on the ngly red brick building. Nothing , »th-Tfd, but ne conld see smoke still ris- ; ing from the stables, wldch appeared to , have be<m burnt to the ground. Then suddenly a cloud of smok? and dast rose ! from the bin, and several seconds after-. wards there was a low boom, like the ootind of a distant gun. When the paaoJ-n cleared away, the Red Htjuse woe tt low and shapei««B mass upon tbe ground. He s»w a black oblong thing

move swiftly westwards along the road between the two creeks. He uttered a word which was neither pari jam en tary nor becoming to a man in his position. In less than two minutes tbe moving object was hidden behind a clump of trees on the lawn. Lord Heatherstone closed the window and went down to breakfast. By noon the six men bad returned. They reported that tbey had not encountered a living soul on the road, and that the Red House was a mere heap of ruins. I CHAPTER NNI. HCE A2ND CRT. There was little doubt that three of the murderers had escaped in the motor car, and that the fourth was dead. A body, charred and consumed beyond all recognition, bad boon found by the police in the black ruins of the stables. There was no evidence to show whether it was the body of .iordison or that of one of his three servants. No one knew of Susanson's death, and it was commonly supposed that three people had escaped. Holme, indeed, spoke of only having seen one of -Jordison's servants, but it was well-knowu that there had been four men in the house, and it was not extraordinary that a person confined to the four square walls of a box should only have come in contact witn two of them. I'he Red House had tumbed down | like a house of cards. Scarcely one brick | was left standing on another, it re--1 seuibled a vast rubbish heap, or a build- ! ing that had gone through the hands of ; the house-breakers. It was no longer the semblance of a house, but a mere pile j of brick, timber, and plaster. , The police bad no hope of finding any I bodies in the ruins, for they knew that I the house had not been inhabited for ! some time past, and that -lordison and i his servants had made their home in I tbe stables and outhous.es. Bui. they I removed every brick till the surface was j level with the garden. Tbey did this as I a. matter of form, and aid nor pursue 1 their investigations into the -cedars. j which were entirely choked up with rub- | bish. They found no trace of anything. j not evrn of a single pie-.-c of furniture. j They came to the conclusion tbat it had ' all been removed to the stables and that i it had perished in the fire. There was | an element of weakness in this theory. ■ for it would have been hard to get a I houseful of furniture into the stables. ; but tbe theory had to serve in default - of a better one. | Both Lady Heatherstone and Arthur ■ Holme were carefully questioned and ! cross-exanincd. The former withheld ah ! information a_s to Jordison's real name j and past history. The latter gave his evidence to the best of bis ability, but slurred over the matter of Arthur Sterious. as an unimportant detail, and some hallucination ot Jordi-on's brain. Other minor witnesses contributed to the general stock of knowledge, and Ljrd Heather-stone stated what he hud seen from the bedroom window. The sum total of it all was that William Jordison and his servants were responsible for the murders of Lord Overcliffe and William Outen. and that three of them had escaped from the district on a very powerful motor-car. Thlatter had been seen on the old Roman Causeway by two oyster fishermen, whose boat was lying up one of the creeks. And then all trace of it had vanished as completely as though i: had been swallowed up in the ooze of j the marshes. The Essex papers, in com- ; menting on the ease, said that rh.- nnly satisfactory feature of the whole affair was the fact that three such determine I ruffians had escaped from th- neighbourhood, and tbat the fourth was dead. One journal, progressive and ultra-radi- j cal, printed some severe remarks about, the stupidity of the police —aiming thereby at the Government —and even hinting that the evidence of Arthur ! Holme and Lady Heatherstone was no 2 entirely satisfactory. The whole aii'air cau--cd tbe greatest j sensation throughout. England and .sfltiaad. Lord Heatherston. added another £23000 to the promised reward, and the enormous sum of £ 10,UOO awaited tho fortunate man who could discover tn" whereabouts of the three murder rs. Tbe hunt, which had formerly been | confined to a small and little known district on ihe east cujsl, now became general throughout the length aud breadth of the lan-J. fhree mcv on a motor-car which report had exaggerated in r o a mun-ter as big as a railway locomotive, mignt be found anywhere between John O'Grcrato and Laud's Lad. Such a car. as a half-penny evening paper said, annihilated space, and threw ail ordinary detective methods into confusion. It might one day be in Yurka-ire aud tbe - next in Ue\ on, ana tne next in Inverness. It might be seen anywhere and by any inhabitant i:i Cre.it ilritain. The Irish alone slept aafely in their b.-ds at night. They were not grateful, an 1 construed this pleading circumstance into a o-rjevanc-p. The reward was not Likely Lo j their way. vvacrc the money most wanted. The papers pooh- ■ poobed the whole affair. It was a bad time for tbe drive: -ioi big ears, espujaily those who Uive.l.d by night. PoLec traps abounded . n ■ very '■ road and enthusiastic amateur-, drove j madly vi pursuit uf brother motorists, [ enlv to find that they wore themselves j the" objects of pursuit. Accid-nts occur- j red with alarming frequency. Half a dozen lives were 10-t, and there were at k-asi. three score actions for damages. | The whole thing would have been laugh- , able if so serious a fact had not been at tae root, of 1--Of course th.c missing car was seen by a thousand correspondents to the daily papers, and, like the sea serpent, i: varied so greatly in size ami appearance j that no credence whatever could be at- j tacbed to the different narratives.- it; became a Will o' tbe Wisp, a phantom j eluding ail pursuit and all attempts ar capture- It was sometimes seen tn two places, some hundred miles apart, at ! the same hour. In time the excitemenL , became tbe ridicule of ail sober-minded j men, and it died ou2. almost as rapidly as it had arisen, in two months' time only the police and a few determined 1 seekers after the reward, look any fur- j ther interest in the search. And these j worked silently and unostentatiously, following out their own methods an i theories without any desire for publicity in tbe newspapers. Tbey kept their attention fi.-ted. not on powerful ; cars that travelled by night, but on tinlist of burglaries that occurred through- ] out the United Kingdom. It was possible for the thieves to get rid of their car, , but it was more than likely that they , would continue to steal. The result was disappointing. Several burglaries occurred in the two months, but in every | case the thieves bad been captured, a^.. none oi them conespond-'>d to tne de- , scription of Jordison or any of bis three servants. It almost seemed as i.£ they had broken up their car and left the country. Arthur Holme took no part in tbe general search. It was three weeka before he could leave the Heatherstone Hall. He received sv«ry attention at the hande of

Lord Heatherstone and his wife, but he was not allowed to see or speak to Lady Agnes. He did not mention her name, and her father made no reference to what had passed between them. Holme was i j content to catch an occasional glimpse of . her from the window. She never looked . up at him nor showed any desire to see . him. This indifference might have been a I source of annoyance to a sick man whose , j nerves, had been considerably shaken. But t ! Holme was strong-minded and sensible. ! lie was sure of her love, and he knew •that she acted from motives that could j not be ascribed to indifference. j This restraint on his part and the (quiet resignation of Lady Agnes did no r , .escape tho notice of the shrewd Lord ' i Heatherstone. and the young man ross ■ considerably in his estimation. He had ■ [already formed a high opinion of Holme's t! abilities, and it was no unusual thing for • jhim to spend a couple of hours in the in- ' valid's bedroom and talk seriously to him •of political matters. The noble earl had [every hope of winning over this promisi ing recruit to the Conservative causeHolme's views on certain matters were fixed and unalterable. But he cared lit- ; tie for party shibboleths. He had the cause of the poor at heart, and he had assisted the Liberal candidate because he thought that by so doing he would further the interests of the poor fishermen in the district. He would have a.s readily | worked for a Conservative candidate, if i lite latter had held out the same boat. Lord Heatherstone, ex-diplomat that he ! iva.-. w-j not slow to grasp the situation. He pointed out that iv the next general j election there would be a re-shuffling of I the cards. He tthe Earl) was a free trader, and might be separated from his colleagues. Holmes was also a free trader. This would be a bond between them, and would bring them into the same political party, when the whole election was fought j out on the question of protection. Before j Holme left Heatherstone Hall they had come to a closer understanding, and j Holme definitely promised his support i against any political doctrine that threat- ' i lined the existence of free trade. The young man. it is only fair to say, was not entirely disinterested in thus promising his allegiance to the Karl of Heatherstone. Luruig his three weeks of j.-ickness he had thought much of his own 'career, and the unpleasant conviction had come to him that he was wasting much precious time. He had not been an idle man since lie had been in Essex. He had I the past to blot out, and that meant work. I lie did m>t want any spare time to think over his life as a sailor. He wished also. : Lv some measure, to atone for many I wasted hours. He had a small income, land wis riot obliged to work for his bare j sustenance. 2so he had thought that he could not do better than fling himself .heart, and soul into the righting of social i wrong*, into the alleviation of distress aniousr the poor, into schemes w hicli i would raise the working man socially and morally from his slough of despondency. 'I he seafaring folk had always been near his heart, and he had narrowed down his gent ral theories to this particular clas-. He had gone among them as one lof themseives. and worked incessantly oa i their behalf. HLs philanthropy had taken I the form of Labour and not of gilts, which i he could not afford. He had raised a eon- - siderable stun of money from wealthy | people, aud built the men a good club--1 house. « hire they could get both billiards land boor. He had set to work to study the oyster fisheries, and had suggested | several improvements in the antiquated j methods that had been handed down j from father to sou for more than a cen[tury. And in every.sense of the word he had proved himself a true friend to these | rough, but sterling men. He had gra.-p----jed in in the first the true spirit i I the sea, ! and after be had fought and won Iwo batI ties on their behalf, one against the interference of the Fishmongers' Company, 'and one against the owners of the foreshore, hi.s name became a word to conjure i with. Every man on the coast and up 1 tho creeks ha™ a good word to s.iy lor Jhim. and if occasion had offered, would j have backed up their words with deeds. iet in spite of the good work he had ■ done, Arthur Holme felt that be was not making the best use of his life. He had been working with narrow Limits, and | duruig the three weeks of his illness he | had seen how wide the world was, and how much it offered to an earnest man. i Hitherto his work in the creeks and j mar-lies had left no time to think of a wider sphere of action. But he had ruaij ised at last that he had ambition, and that ii lie could only obtain an opening he would thrust all his heart and soul into it and force a way to success. Such an opening might well be made by the great Karl of Heatherstone. The sphere of politics offers more lo an ambi- : tious man than any other in the whole j world. And Lord Heatherstone was siril [a power in the political worlJ. Holme [ .saw that under the patronage of this I so mew hat pompous, but intellectual aris- | tocrat lie might rise to great heights and , do mucn geod. It is no shame to turn that he reaoived to take the opportunity j when it offered itself. Lord Heathorstone was as good as his I word, and before Holme had left the ] house he had given him a start in life. The oyster fisheries of the distxk-t were 1 at that Lime under a cloud. ieveral '. cases of typhoid bad been traced to the : beds which iay up one of the Essex | creek-, and the puulic began to institute ' a silent but indiscriminate boycott of the oyster- of the whole country. An industry which supported many hundreds [ of hard-working and capable men was j threatened almost with extinction. Their outcry would never have reached the ears 1 of Parliament, which had many matters I o: more importance to discuss, if it had I nut been for the voice of Lord Harry K>uy. ile moved for a commission to enI ijuar-s into the cause of typhoid in the ! creek in question, and to suggest some means of purifying the water and re- ] storing public confidence in the Essex ! oysters. After some haggling, it was ro- ; solved that a committee be appointed. , It was composed of two doctors, two members of Parliament, two sanitary inI specters, two bacteriologists, and Ajrtbnr • Holme. At the suggestion of Lord Heatherstone, the latter was nominated chairman. His practical knowledge of the | oyster fisheries, and his influence with , the men employed in the industry, outj w-ighed his comparative youth and ob- : scuritr. Moreover, it was thought advisable for a. lay mind to direct and con- - trol the various professional elements in the commission. With the prospect of this promising entry into public life, Holme resolved to start on a three weeks' cruise on the . '-Rover," hoping that the air of the sea would restore him to perfect health and : vigour. Lord Heatherstone said "goodI bye" to him with genuine regret, and : promised him the pntire Heatherstone | support if he would stand for the western division of Gloucestershire at the next General hilection. Lord Heather- ; stone owned l.irtre estates in this country, and in his own person represented . thf balance of political power. j The "Rover,'' with two hands on board, for Holme was not yet sure of bis | strength, was anchored off the Park wail. It was a bright, frosty morning, and as thay glided down tne narrow creek Holme's thoughts reverted to the night I

when he had run, as it were, into the very jaws of hell. In an hour's time they passed the piace where the Red House had once | stood. The little hill was almost bare. The police had levelled everything to the ground and scattered the debris over the marshes. Arthur Holme wondered what had become of the occupants. The hue and cry was still loud over the length and breadth of England. Bat the excitement of the cbase had long left the place where the quarry had first been started. The missing motor had been ] seen everywhere save in the district j where Jordison had first driven it. Essex had contributed nothing but tbe two ' murders to the general nproar. It was j the source, tne fountain head, but the stream had flowed far from it. and into many- channel's. A bare bill, naked and ugly in the sunlight, was all tbat William Jordison had j left behind him. ! (To be Continued next Satnrday.) ==22-=