The Golden Lotus.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 293, 10 December 1910, Page 15

The Golden Lotus.

A MODERN ROMANCE.

"; . • CHAPTER XI. '■" ffiANCE-JOT'-S LKTOCER CO_NTI__n_FEI>. I ifpgl & while after Dr. Clay left mc t gat almost overwhelmed, attempting jo review calmly the changes the,last / eff minutes had made in. my future Thesn a wild idea came to mc that there was still a hope. "T put on my hat and hurried to Dunlin's bfßce. "As luck would have it, he was at lome, and I ..was shown directly into kjs private room. "Dunkin himself was a tall, handsome fellow, very'popular in Colombo, and a personal friend of my own. Had he jgoi a wealthy man he. would have lent mc the money off his own bat, 1 «in sure. As it was, I knew he had been obliged'to arrange, the affair in a business fashion, in order to obtain a certain amount of the loan from his own , jjankers. ... "Knowing the man as I did, I could not understand how it had come about that' he had consented under any circumstances to let the bill pass out of jus. hands; and, until I entered his office, I had a mad hope that Clay might have lied to mc when he told mc the paper vas in Sing's possession. "However, the first glimpse of Dunlin's face dashed that hope. He turned 'first red, and then pale, as he caught my ey e , an( i commenced to stammer nervously. 'Good day, Durand,' he said hurriedly. 'I am awfully busy—what can I do for you? You haven't come—l Hope you haven't come about that bill?' <1 stopped him. 'Then it is true what (flay told mcV -I said sternly. " "My dear Durand,' he said, nibbing Jus forehead nervously, 'I hope it is not a.very serious matter for you? You _>wfll, I fear, think mc a blackguard not to have kept my word regarding negotiating your bill. But you really don't tnowthe position I was in.' "I waved aside his apologies. 'Then the-bill is in Sing's hands?' I asked. : "He nodded, avoiding my eye •and biting his lips. Then he sprang to his feet quickly. ' Good God, Durand! you look quite ill!'

la cried. 'I am awfully sorry it is so .tad as that! But how can it affect you fib much after all? Yon will have the I game time allowed you to pay m, and I Sag will renew, ,1 suppose. It will only cost you a little more than we should ihave charged you, that is all.' '"You have ruined mc, Dunkin,' I . groaned. ."Then I saw the surprise in his face,

~• sad attempted to pull myself together. \ -■'■'■ .'-It-wonld not do to let him gues3 the ';/'truthwhile there.was any kind of hope -.' tbat it might not transpire. "That Sing is such a blackguard!' I gasped. 'Once a man is in his hands; —' "Dunkin nodded. 'Kelentless! but I daresay when the time comes I shall be ! aide to give you a hand with the interest,' T V he said I noticed, however, that there was a queer, note' of "*. testation in 'his voice; and for a moment we sat staring at on& another Uankly.

", You really know that Sing will not

teww'Dunkin!* I said after a moment. : 'You are trying to give mc false hopes,

• But!to tell you the truth, it matters little ||-,io mc if he does niofc. There is more man "^thatibdunai'tt'all!- ■- "Why did you,play mc . ' (this trick?'- ' •

'Thmkin looked up quickly with a

flush on his cheek. 'My dear Durand, I

-■' can only reply in your own words, "There 1 was more than that behind it all." lam '• sorry—more sorry than words can tell — ■if I have done you any harm. But you ; surely don'f imagine mc such a black- - guard as to do you harm 'wilfully ? I .._ was powerless, absolutely powerless.'

" 'Surely you were not afraid of Sing?' I said bitterly. 'Dunkin sighed. 'Durand, that man (Sing could have broken mc as a stone

r shatters a pane of glass—as he could . iireak men whom you would imagine far if Ibeyond.his reach.- I am only one of the ;'-/. smaller fry here, and I have a wife and § kids to look after. He has influence, too, I in many queer ways. . . Excuse mc, ;-: iDarand, lam going to ask you a strange -. -. question. You are aware—-you cannot Mp being so, living the years you have in Ceylon—that things are, hardly run so v- ffeughtforwardly in these Eastern lands as-, they are in the 'newer civilisations. There are,wheels within wheels, and hidden springs which govern men's actions— ;■ secret:societies, religious and the oppoj site, abound; and sometimes spectators ; who would remain spectators only get ! drawn into the whirl of the machinery against their will as a man gets caught •up in the driving-belt of an engine. Are you a free agent, Durand?' '"As regards the subject you hint at, ferieotly,' I replied, surprised. / "Dunkin looked at mc dubiously. ' Are

'you aware of having given offence to any-I-onein piarticular who might be connected :>V with—-let us keep up the metaphor and

. Kiy—one of these machines? Remember, ..; the smallest cog-wheel can. influence the j whole force.' 'T hesitated. My thoughts flew back to my interview with Clay. As if he had read my mind Dunkin wept on: *If it had been so I could have you a warning.that would perhaps tave proved of service to you. There are two men whom I should point out to you, ,:wd I should say, make your peace at any ...price with one of them, whichever it is ttatyou may have offended. These two Ben are Jan Sing and a person whom you kwe already mentioned—a man named . Gay.'.'.

"-L I 'don't know Sing,' I said eagerly -/bat this.man Clay—what is he? What 'jWyouknow of Mm?'

j sighed. ' I can't tell you, DurW4» I wish I could It "Is impossible, ■However. He is a very important part - . oi the greatest of these machines ■Oat is all lam at liberty to say. He is .a dangerous enemy—but that you know : "ready. If y<m can> ge t straight with j™. I don't think he is vindictive, and « ought to be possible. I can say no ?ore. Come and see mc again,' and wuikin commenced to shuffle the papers stout on his desk. I took the hint and •eft him. ; , '"My little card-castle of hope had . "lien to the ground and I realised how «eble weie my chances in the hands of day and his confederate Sing. . ■"othnig but compliance with 'their de- ' seemed posible now. Sing held °M Wll. He had boughfc it k now i n g *en the. power it would give them. j "or young Carter, who would go down ■J"tn mc when the smash came,' had 1 te(l out the secret of 'the hill to Clay, and ffly OWn foolish Coasting had "been m commencement of the affair. That J a 8 the solution of the business, evint ly, and that .accounted for Clay's to India. He must have known . wmethmg of the history of the Golden & _y? s > f n d, after my disclosures, had de- ' lrin+ ,■ learn farther details, or to formal" 6 Pa ns - Was there yet any hope for

BY ALFRED WILSON BARRETT ■Author of "The Shadow on the Bouse," "A Soldier's Love." etc.. etc.

Yet what chance had I of escape? Three months! Yes, there were three months hefore the bill became due . . .

but now these men knew the truth about it, and how long should I have if I defied them?

"The next day as I sat in my office Clay came to.me again. He was as cool as ever, but there was a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes that was new there. " 'You have been thinking, friend Durand!' he said gaily, as he gave mc a quick glance. 'I knew you would, and 1 thought it "better to leave you to yourself. Well?' " 'Well,' I returned coldly, 1 am in your power, it seems. What do you want ?' " 'The Golden Lotus, of course!' he replied lightly. 'What else 6hould you suppose we want?' "'I haven't got the Golden Lotus,' I returned savagely. " 'Of course you haven't! But yon will get it!' "1 will get it?' " *Yes. You know where it was hidden —where Roger hid it. You did not mention the spot, I fancy, in that very indiscreet confidence of yours some weeks ago. But, if it is not a rude question, friend Durand, why the deuce did you never get it before—instead of giving such compromising bills for such comparatively small sums of money?'

"I stared at him. I wondered how much he knew. 'It was not such an easy task,' I returned. 'There were considerable difficulties, as you will find. Besides, I did not care to meet the fate of the only two Europeans who bad ever had the Lotus in their possession.' " 'Don't say "as I shall find,"' said Durand, sneeringly. 'It will be you who will find the difficulties—if there are to be any. But as regards the fate of the two men you speak of, if you fall in with our ideas I think I can promise you a safe conduct.' " 'So you want ime to get possession of this jewel—which, mind you, is mine by right! —and hand it over to you and your confederates,' I said angrily. " ' I do.' ' "' Otherwise ?' "' Otherwise,' murmured Clay— 'well, otherwise certain disclosures will be made to certain people—to old Carter, for instance—to Dunkin, for instance—-to Sing, who holds your bill—to . . . well, there is no end to it 1 Or, rather, there i 3 an end —for yon 1' "' And what do you get out of it V "' You get your bill hack again for six thousand pounds. And let mc tell you, Durand, that bill should really be worth a great deal more than six thousand pounds to you. Think what it would mean if it came out wjia-t the well-known and respected Mr. Durand had done !' "I stopped him with an oath. 'Curse you !' I cried, losing my temper. ' Curse you, and those who are in league with you in this damnable scheme! The Golden Lotus is mine ! and you want to rob ime of it and leave mc a beggar at the same time 1 '

" Clay laughed at my rage. "' For thirty years you have troubled little about your property —that is all I can say, Durand ! Why didn't you think of the Lotus sooner 1'

"' I tell you there are difficulties !' I said sullenly. "Clay shrugged his shoulders carelessly. 'There are worse difficulties in front of you, of your own cohtriving, too,' he remarked. ' Besides, as I have said already, you will be allowed —-we shall allow you—to secure the Lotus.' '"Even if you did . . .' I commenced, and then I stopped. I was not going to tell him by chance any more than he might already know. I tried to collect my thoughts. These men had mc in a corner and I "was a desperate man. On one side I saw the prison open for mc (think of it, Madeleine I—the prison for your father's son—the shame ! the disgrace !), on the other side I saw ruin ! For even should I succeed in rescuing the' Lotus and earning freedom from the clutches of these men by handing it over to them, what would my position toe ? With the six thousand pounds of Carter's bill taken from the sum of my liabilities, disaster was nevertheless assured, and with disgrace, though of a milder kind. I felt that I was fighting for my life.

"'With the power you impute to yourself, and the mysterious force behind you, I am surprised,' I said, ' that you do not recover the Lotus without my aid.*

" 'Clay laughed. 'I see what you mean. You imply that we are not clever enough to know where it is hidden! Well, I must confess that fellow Roger did succeed in puzzling us at the time. I say "us" though of course that was long before I had anything to do with the affair. Still, your worthy father was watched while he lived, Durand, and I fancy there have even been people who took an interest in you, his son. Those whom I serve are thorough, and they never forget. But at least give us this credit—we are going to recover the Golden Lotus at last!' " 'You are very confident,' I could not resist saying. '"Unlike that noble animal the horse, we know our own strength," said Clay, lightly. '-But take care, Durand!' he continued with a change of tone, 'no •foolery! "We are not to be trifled with. Both Koger and Wilson were clever and determined men—with ten times your courage in addition. Their qualities, however, did not save them from an unpleasant fate. You will he watched, I warn you, and every movement will be known. We shall not be deceived again. One false step and it will be your last. My dear Durand, you are an Englishman, and you. cannot realise —even I, who am half a child of the East, cannot entirely comprehend the feelings which the loss of the Golden Lotus aroused at the time. And, let mc tell you, the resolution to recover'- the thing has never died."

" "Roger and "Wilson were murdered, but they baffled you,' I said. "Tor a time, yes! For a time—infinitesimal compared to the long ages which sa-w the Golden Lotus revered! But they for whom I work believe in Time—that Time brings its revenge, my friend Durand! And, indeed, does it-not strike you ac strange—but perhaps you are not superstitious? — that after all these years the affair should he brought to light again here in the East? That you should: confide; in mc your knowledge of the hiding-place? That Carter should confess to mc the secret which places you in our power? That for some reason or other you should not attempt to profit by your:'knowledge until you met me?' "I was silent. I "What are your plans?" I asked after a moment.

"These. There are three months before Mr. Carter senior will be called upon to pay the bill which he is supposed to have backed. And we shall allow jrou

three months clear. At the end of that time you will hand over to. mc the Golden Lotus intact. ' Ways and means you must arrange for" yourself—they do..not concern us. .To all appearances you .will be as free as air;- and I fancy I can pro- • mise you that the rest of your creditors will not press you for the time.-But remember, you will be watched, as I have told you; and if you went arm-in-arm with mc during all that time your actions would not be more tied, more circumscribed than they will be. I tell yoii so for your own good. But with all respects to you, Durand, I fancy you are no Roger! And now I must leave you. Forgive mc for keeping you so long from your business. You must have many affairs to settle before you start for— where? Ah, well, it doesn't matter where! I shall be with you in spirit. Be here to meet mc, with the Golden Lotus in your hand, on this day three months. If sooner, so much the better; but don't be late. I should be sorry to cause you any pain, friend .Durand, and my friends would be sorry too. They bear you no malice. They only want the Lotus. Good-bye." "And he left mc.

"It is now some weeks since last I saw Clay and I have spent the time—Heaven knows how! But I have planned a scheme that may yet thwart these devils, Madeleine! You must help mc! Without you lam helpless. I have thought it all out, though God knows my brain has sometimes almost given way beneath the strain and anxiety of the time. I cannot stand it much longer, Madeleine. I cannot stand it much longer! . . .

"Listen! this is how I have worked it out. I shall be watched, that is certain 1 Wherever I go, whatever I do, I shall be followed. lam shadowed already. I have found that out. Heaven knows if this letter will ever reach you even. I do not know the extent of "their" powers yet. But I am taking precautions, and it is probable you will receive it safely. It is useless for mo to attempt to escape them; and you are my only chance. I shall leave to-morrow for Jamaica, as secretly as- I am able. Jamaica was the last spot where Roger was known to be —where he was murdered, in fact. They will, I hope—they must—connect my stealthy departure with this knowledge. I do not believe them to have the faintest idea where the | hiding-place of the Golden Lotus really is. If they had, they would have recovered it before this. The supposition that Roger contrived to conceal his treasure in I Jamaica before he died wiH seem reasonable to them.

"Now, Madeleine, you know where the Golden Lotus really is, and you know the terrible danger I am in. ji. send you, with this letter, the plan of the grave in Montrouje Cemetery, where Koger was supposed to be interred. You must get someone to help you—some person in whom you have absolute confidence. Remember it must be someone you have known for a long tame—a mere acquaintance will not do; it might be one of these people themselves. You must tell this person, under a vow of secrecy, the story of the Golden Lotus or so much of it as is needful. This is absolutely necessary. No one would help you to break into a real grave—no one you could -trust. This grave is not a real one, as you know! . . .

"Oh, my' God, Madeleine! I don't know what to do! I don't know you. It is fifteen years since I saw you, and you were a little girl then! This is no work for a. woman, yet what can I do? There is no one else —there i 3 no one else. You seem a woman of character from what 1 know of you, and from your letters. You must do it! You must do it! My life —our name I —everything hangs on you.

"There will, I anticipate, be little real difficulty. All that will be required will be courage and someone you can trust. This grave is nearly thirty years old— the grave of an unknown English soldier. By the plan I send yon it appears to be situated in a corner of the cemetery near the boundary wall, a spot no Jonger used. The wall looks on to a deserted piece of waste ground. The. place could not have been better chosen —as of course it was chosen for the purpose! You will have to go at dusk. The .grave is not deep. There is a coffin, of course —a plain oak one with Roger's name carved upon it. It contains nothing but a Sew pieces of lead and a small box with the Lotus inside.

"For God's sake have courage, Madeleine! Think, when you open that box, all your fears will vanish away, and you will see the wonderful jewel which will save your brother's life and our name and make us rich.

"Once I have put Clay off the scent, and you have got the Lotus, I shall have no fear. I shall he able to dispose of it easily enough. I can pay Carter. He will not be vindictive when he gets the money. He cannot hurt mc without harming his son. When he is settled with I am out of Teach of the law, and I think I know where to go and live upon the money I shall have and yet be out of the way of Clay and his friends. He shall see -if I have not the courage of Roger, as well as the brains to baffle him. Immediately I have given him the slip I shall join you in Paris. You must be careful. The responsibility will be, for a time, tremendous. Yet, if you are cautious, and the friend you choose is sure, and is not told too much, there is only one thing that can ruin us—it is that Clay should have you watched meanwhile.

"Yet I cannot think that likely! have written this letter in my own office. N.o one has been in, and when I have finished it -I shall walk straight down to the General Post-Office and put it into the -box, together with a dozen other letters that I have written. No one will see the address before it reaches the box.

"I don't fancy Clay and his people will do much tampering with Her Majesty's mails. They are not likely cither to follow this letter to its destination in Paris and intercept it before it reaches you. (If they do then lam a dead man.) But they might—l do not say they will —send over to watch you. You must trust no one! Especially fear anyone answering to the description of Clay himself. H you see or hear of him, at once give up everything and wait till yoifhear from mc.

"Can I tell you anything more? No. I must trust to chance and your own strength of character. Will these fail mc? Not if you are your father's daughter! Remember my position is that I am defying these men—l am pitting my wits and your courage against their mysterious powers. One slip and lam a dead man. I suppose they would hurt you—why should -they t But they -won't forgive -mc.

"Now, Madelein, good-bye When we meet again,- shall I have a sister to be proud of ? LANCELOT DURAND." (To be continued on Saturday.)

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