THE .CRIMSON HONEYMOON.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 203, 26 August 1913, Page 10

THE .CRIMSON HONEYMOON.

3 By HEADON HILL.

'Aiiihor of u Unmas7ced-at Last" "A Traitor's Wooing," "Foes of Justice," etc.

£bikP3?ER Ytf. /THE -MOTOR LAUNCH." "Paul flung himself down on the punt cushions, and reLapsed into the dark niood from which Sybil's sweet comradeship had momentarily roused him. :He laTigrlied 'bitterly almost before she could hare been beyond hearing. '"That was too 4 much even fo.r her — the naked truth -that- lam glad to be quit of my wife,"" lie told himself. "Palpably it shook her sublime faith in' my innocence. She has joined the ranks of those who think that I am the Kind of man who, having no further use for a woman, -promptly murders her, for no other rhyme or reason. How inconsistent the wiseacres are, to charge mc quite correctly, in one foreath with having married old Bernstein's daughter for ■her money, and in the next to accuse mo oS*. killing-lier- liefore -I had 1 touched a penny of it." -So lie-lay- "brooding over his wrongs fancied and real, and on the gracious apparition whom he had so churlishly treated as an intruder, till some twenty minutes later he was aroused by the tick-tack •of - a motor-launch. He had siways been interested in such craft, and had looked forward to possessing one as part of the compensation for his loveless union. Scrambling to his feet, he gazed in.; the direction of the sound. Sure enough a tiny midget of a petrol-driven boat, with .the steersman at the wheel its only oconpant, was coining down the river, and at the inomen-t of Paul's first observation of her was passing , the opening of the backwater. She came steadily on, turning up a silver ripple of cleft water with her miniature grow, arid was running the gauntlet of Paul's admiring eyes when a twirl of the wheel caused ht>r to swerve with the elegance of a swan towards the moored punt. At the same time S.pleasant, 'gentlemanly voice hailed the occupant of the clumsier vessel — 'r»>> v-By Jove, but it is Sir P.tul 'Lystcr, is ifclnd't? How are you, Sir Paul? I had ■no; idea that yon -were a votary of [Father Thames." '

The motor launch had described a half circle and had been deftly brought head to the stream neariy alongside the punt, ■with her engine just moving so as to keep her sta-fciqnary, before Paul recognised the speaker. ',*Oh, how do yon do, Captain Charlock?"' he said. "'"I didn't know you in flannels. That launch of yours is a little ibeaaiy. I was taking the liberty of admiring her lines." "Yes. The Water Baby is all right," assented the other. "You need not envy mc, though, as she is not my property. I have only hired her for a spin on the river. I ran hor up from Hampton to •Wind-._-r yesterday, and am on my way down again. lam going to lunch at the hotel by the bridge Jjel-ow here." - ■ A sudden impulse gripped Paul. He was of a sociable nature, and foe now understood "how he had misled thecompanion shij; of his -fellow men during *he month Bf«tos ostracism. He glanced more critically at. the occupant .of the launch and! saw Bffftihing that did not meet witli hisZappiQvai,. ;_ eiadiin spotless white flannels and straw hat. Charlock's persortality : vras-even'■ moxe attractive than when" the orthodox garb of tihe racecouise'aiuOiKe Ifflndon streets; His slirowd grey -ey-es seemed to inspire confidence. Besides, there was a bond of union between them. Paul realised. Char-lo^rfo'cwnnnan:"wi-tih-'himself. under the ban of Talfourd's .professional hostility, whkib. -was -probably.as ■t-o'be justified as iv his own case: That in itseM "was a recamiiiendation. and Paul experienced a pleasurable thrill in acting on T it. It was almost as;-good as giving the impudent detective a smack in the face.

hexe, wiiy go to the hotel for tondi, CSiailockr', ihe eadd....' - Ttoat is my cottage benind the .frees, and my nan is expecting mtf home "po , feed by nasf. If .yon trH take with-mo I snail be delighted." "And, being a gregarious animal, I wffl accept your ih.ospitality with ail due gratitude" Charlock's musical laugh rang out. "YxHiT place looks roost charmingly cool, and -the coffee-room at Skindde's is sure to be iineomfortably crowded on such a hot day." So Paul lun-Tiitclied ihis painter and poled thejpuiit to the landing steps at •the foot of ibia lifcUe-3awn, the snotor3aimch gliding slowly in his wake. Wli-en they ibad made <thes-r craft secure theiwo men. strolled up .to tihe house sa-de by side, ihe host nJrondexing if his guest would broach the subject of their 'last meeting at Charing Cross station, and the scandal •that dated from that eventful evening. If he did, iPaui felt tha* lie sh-onld regret the in,vi±a.tipn so hurriedly given. But Charlock iwoe guilty of no such solecism, nor during the couple of hour.* which he spent at "Tihe WHlows" did he once refer to the mystery TvMch had matle his entertaitier a pariah amtmgst his fellow nn>n. . ■

Paul; led ibis •guest through aa open French.-'winiiiow into a- 'low-ceiled- diningroom, where Huxiable was putting , the final touches to a. luncheon table laid for one. The valet knew Hus business, better tihan to show- any surprise a-t the advent of a visitor or to evince 'any interest in his' personality. If ikis master chose to bring a strange gentleman in to lunch, ail that coneernpd him was to see tliat the;strange gentleman was not made a ■Granger oft So, a.t. ;le'ast. Mir. Joetjph BuxtaWe's deroear/our seemed to say when Paul bade him ]a:v a second place sit'table, and show Captain Charlock dnto a spare bedroom where he could ■wash Ms hands. '1:1 am living the simple life, and 3ia-ve nothing but ,p3am .fare to offer you." Paul remarked apologetically when they presently sat down to a di-=i!i of cutlets and mashed .potatoes cooked to a tarn. "And I am afraid that there is nothing but whisky and soda to drink irpaleas you care i-or claret. It ds good .claret J wliat there ia of it—from the celiacs at mv OTrii home, Lyster Court" I .prefer a dash of.whisky," Charlock replied easily. " AnA- as to your menu,- why TsOiould you'disparage it? -The cookery is the ■work of an or.fciet. who could, temsfonn tlie sole of a boot into a "sole au gratin." '" Share's a. eomplknent fox yooi, Joe," laughed. Pa-ii], glad that Jjis guest had ignored the persoinail note •which ihe liad pniTx»=<sy thrown out as a .test in. (has nltosion to the origin of ihis wile. If tiho other had .pounced upon it as a road to closer in±iiifcß-v" Pa.ul •wonild ihave dm-rm back into Jiia dwill. and set him do-nrn »c a barandcr. Aβ it was, Ohorlork/a refusal of iihG opening >was not on]y oanrect form, birt, as evideuci* of an 3Jltc*£t.v*n to keep the acq-nruntameo on an ond-fnarr ?ctol, was calculated to lnspare confidence. The harassed reotose felt iba-ihe- Jku? fount!' a congeniaj com-

panion who might be/trusted Co cheer ■his solitude •vrttlrout touching him on the raw. Charlock fflanced across at Haixtable wibh ! fcho firs-t sijjn of, interest 3>e had -shown in the silent-footed .servitor "w3io had ihe knack of waiting at table without making his presence in Ihe room noticcaible. The host's direct reference ■to him warranted, in fact almost called for, the guest's own direct acknowledgment. " Tour man must be a double-ba.rre.l'lcd fcreas-ure if ho can cook a meal ais we&l as this is cooked, and serve it .with the same pair of ihande," Char>lw?k remarked in the tone of kindly condescension soiitaiMe to the occasion. "So you are a treasure, ain't you, Joe?" aiid Pawl, and the affectionate gratitude he felt for the comfort his servant had given him in the dark days of the post month found expression in ihrs eye*. '" Good masters rnako servants, sir," was the modest reply, under cover of wihich Huxtable in some confusion slipped out of tihe room. The two gentlemen laughed at hie retreat .from ila-ttery, and turned to general topics, discussing the cjianms of tSho rh-or, the merits of the motor-Jaunoh and the beauty of -tihe suxroiHiiding- scenery. Without any apparent effort Charlock -laid himself out to be amusing, tolling anecdotes of his former life in tihe army, and frankly owning to ihfe present source of income as sv backer of .race--siorses. He threw several hiriJ eide3jjrhts on the iniquities of the .Turf. " I believe that it is more the excitement than the money which appeals to me,' , 3ie said, when Unstable hud brought their exquisitely brewed coffee to a little table on the la.wn, and they 'had lit their cigar*. " There is the drawback, of course, that in select circle* tiw man who follows racing without owning horses himself srefcs looked upon as an outsider, but after all. what does the opinion of the select circle matter to men of the world?"

"Damn the select circles." Paul heartily agreed. "See hero. Charlock. T wish you would come and look mc up again. I am .ill on my own here, and I could put you up any time you liked. Why not rnn the Water Baby up river next week-end? You could spare from Saturday to Monday from your entrancing racecourses, anyhow." Captain Charlock affected to consider. "T don't think I have any enpajfomente that T cannot cancel or postpone," he replied, aft-er a pause. "My dear fellow, if I shall not be t res passing on your soorl nature there is nothing that 1 should like more." "Then come as early as you can," said Paul. "I'll put Unstable on his mettle in the catering department, and do you better, J hope, than you have been done to-day." ''That would be difficult." was tho polite rejoinder. "Have you had your 'treasure' long, by the way? An. old family retainer", perhaps?" "No, he has only been with mc, a few iyears." "Long enough, at least, to become your attached clave. said Charlock. "I surprised him once or twice during lun-! cheon looking at you, and I was greatly struck with the doglike fidelity of his gaze. He is not, however, 1 should imagine, above the average order of intelligence outside hts own particular duties, eh?"- • • - ' •

"Possibly not, but all the tetter for that," Paul answered loyally. "He is as open as the day. I couldn't stand a man about mc who was too eharp."

When his cigar was smoked out Charlock rose, and in spite of his host's protests went on board the launch. It was necessary for him to start, he said, as he was bound by a dinner engagement and had to be in London not later than seven o'clock. "Au revoir till Saturday, -, lie shouted back, as his hand settled on the wheel and he sent the dainty boat humming like an angry hornet down the sun-lit reach. And Sir Paul Lyster called after him a cordial response. '•Quite a nice gentleman, sir," murmured Huxtable, who had come out to collect the coffee cups. "I don't seem to remember seeing him before." "One of the best,'" assented Paul, "lie is coming down again on Saturday. Joe, to spend a couple of days with ns." So was inaugurated a friendship destined to be of brief duration, but of sinister results, to him who was left behind. (To be continued daily.)