THE VEILED LADY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 4, 5 January 1914, Page 10

THE VEILED LADY.

By STANLEY PORTAL HYATT. Aufher of." A. Gamble far, LaceJ' FarLooe of a Girl^'-"The- Gamblers," -ft a.

CHAPTER 111. THE MONEY I..EXDERS. Tfie Honourable Derek Lawlor made .1 slight griirrace when his man brought, in his mornin** enp of tea. Ordinarily, he Vrtis a youth of cheerful countenance with an appetite to match; but. on this particular morning, the -svbole ivorld appeared to have gone jwrv. He saw life through jaundiced ews, and seemed to find it a very dull affair. . "Xo tea. Staines, take it away" he grraned. 'Bring mc a whiskj-and soda —a strong one." Staines. being perfectly trained, frave no outward sign of surprise: but, when •cite dooT had closed behind him. he permitted himself to mutter: "He wasn't out specially late last night, be hasn't got a head on him this morning. Likes a bit of fun. he does: blit still he"s the deeentest young officer I ever served: and I've been with a ieve. ... In love with a woman? No, it's not that. . — Money?" again he eiiook -his head. "Only son of Lord Leuriston ought to be able to srtand the cost, even in the Guards. . . . Well, well. Whisky and soda he said—and stiff." ' . It wa? characteristic of the excellent Staines that, -whilst he was worrying over his employer's supposed troubles, he did not forget to hei£ iiimself to a -trniskv and soda, and a very stiff one. before mising that for the Honourable Derek. ?On hie way baric 10 thf DeJroom he eoopped to look for the letters which should ha.ye been in the box—he had heard the postman knock—but. to his eirprise. found that they had already been collected. "He must have been in a hurry." Thr man-servant shook hi* head wisely. -"Why. 1 wasn't a couple of minutes ofer thai drink." When he re-entered the bedroom, a single slance eervprl to tell Staim-s that his employer must have received e-amc ■welcome news, for the gloomy expression had already left his fcu-e. and he was humming ;i tune to himself. "Did I ask for whisky. Staines?" he eaid. "Oh. well. 111 hive it. 1 had forgotten. Let mc have breakfast in good time. There's some important business 1 miiet see to." Xben, once more, he glanced at the letter which had been instrumental in raising his spirits. It was from Messrs. R:obcn=ahm and fie. - "ttbfrxr Sir. —We have duly considered tout proportion re the sale of the i properly which you will ultimateJy i inherit under your mother's will. We j have now pleasure in stating that if vo.ll rould favour Uβ with a call tomorrow morning, up can do the business ; on the terms you mentioned." . : "Good .for- them." the Honourable > Derek murmured. "It seem* there are decent mopev lenders, after all. Thnt; will jurit get -mc out of the hole nieoly, i and leave a little over as-wol]." --„ ..' At eleven-thirty he entered the eajne j tcaitiiur room into which Doris and her , fljher had been shown the previous i day: and. by a curious chance, the! veiled lady was once more th-ere. The; eanie thought which liad struck Doris j now flashed through Derek's mind. i '"Poo'r'wrp*?Ti!"" ?Tie's' eviaentlr"one of those, who can\t give eecuTity. Looks I mournful enough for it. aTiy-wav." j A minute liter, rather to his relief, eh.> was summoned away. "I suppose I may smoke here, now I'm alone," Derek murmured to himself. .Bui. his cigarette was hardly alight before the door opened again, i and Doris Hardene was ushered in. I With a sigh, the cigarette was tossed j into the grate, -where it smouldered; gently. Doris heard the sigh, and could 1 •ban-ly repress a smile: then she tried to look very severe, and began to turn over the magazine on ithe table. Derek 'watched her out of the corners : of his eyes. Certainly she was quite the prettiest girl he «ver remembered seeing, atid his indignation against Messrs. Riebeneahm for keeping.him -waiting abated greally. The cigarette was smouldering more vigorously now. fanned by a gentle down draught. A slight cough from Done seemed to suggest that the rather ■puncrent smoke -was worrying her. Derek coloured, and stooped, down, /with the intention of extinguishing- it finally: but it had fallen into an β-wi.ward place, .the iba-Ts, where ihe was unable to reach it. He looked round vicdonely for a, poker, <but could find Done. Dons noted his distress, and smiled. "Cfii, please doirt; worry. Really, I'm Borry you threw it away on my account. I lore the smoke-of those cigarettes. It nras an Osman Shazi, -wasn't it?" The yonng man stared at her in awestruck amazement. Certainly this .was a j piri'.Tn 'a' thousand, a'girl in a' million. s"he\had actoalry detected the aroma of; a. cigarette which was - only--for the men of one certain regiment. "It was," he said at last. "T got some from my governor last week. But how did you know?" The question 6eemed so natural that he never paused to consider its po&JFbte radenees. ' Her answer came calmly. "I-smoke them myself occasionally. My father never has any other kind."" "Then your father must have belonged to that regiment." Derek came to the correct conclusion inetantlv. but ■was too greatly afraid of offending her to put his thought into speech; instead, he looked at her with a smile. "May I light a fresh cigarette then?" She nodded brightly. "Of course. \Yhj~ .ahcralj I mind?" Without knowing why. however, ehe blushed and began to turn over the pa<re> of a magazine. The minutes dragged by and became a quarter of an hour —half and hour— three-quarters of an hour. Doris had I"ng since-grown tired of the magazines, whilst the man's cigarette-case was empty. He opened it, remembered -he harl already taken out thel.last one. and closed it with a sigh, wfiich caused Doris to look up. "I didn't expect to be. kept waitinghere. and I only brought half a dozen with mc." he said in explanation. Tie jjirl nodded sympathetically. They arp a long time. T can't think what had happened to them. I simply oame to fetch tome papers for my father. He's not very well again to-day.' , .~-.he arag too inexperienced to grasp the fact that a money-lender's office was a strange place ior anyone of her birth and breeding to visit: whilst, for the moment at least, she hid forgotten her father's declaration that his health was feriect.

Many men might have raised their eyebrows in surprise at the idea of her acting as messenger for her father in such a cause, but Derek was too greatly fascinated with her already to give that matter a thonght. All he cared about was to make the best use of his elianee now that she seemed ifl.linfil to talk. "They must be busy. I suppose,' , he answered. "Still, it doesn't look like it, with no one -else in the waiting room. There was one lady here when 1 arrived. >She was all in black, with a big black veil, but they came for her almost at once." , lioris was interested now. '"Did s-be stare very much? Yee. She must be the one who was here yesterday. She gave mc such a queer feeling. 1 wonder " The sentence was never finished, for the door was-opened hurriedly, and the clerk entered. "Will you come this. way. sir?" she saidDerik went with none too good a grace. To think that three-quarters of an hour should have been wasted, and now he had to leave Doris without even having got a clue as to who she was. Perhaps Doris, too, was a little disappointed. At leaAt, he had amused and interested her, and had taken her mind off the business on which she had oome. a business which, she felt mori , and more certain, was going to end in disaster for her father. Five minuter later she. too. was summoned to the manager's room. The manager was full of apologies. "I am ,-o sorry. Miss Hardene. My silly typist inadea series of errors in the agreement, which had to be done o.er again. We expected your father to -sign it: but still that is no matter. If you will just sign here, we can hand you the cheque, and Colonel Hardene cau sign later." Doris glanced at»ihe paper. She had never had the slightest experience of business: no one had ever had occasion to warn her not to put her name to things she did not understand. She had a natural sense of caution, however, which led her to hesitate. "What is it? What docs it all mean?" she asked. The manager proceeded to explain. For a large sum in cash the colonel was handing over all his rights in his pension, which would now be paid to Messrs. Riebensaiim. "If you just put your name to it, aa a formal acknowledgement, it will do for the moment, till your father signs," he repeated. When Doris had done ai J he wished, he handed her a second paper. i "This is merely a copy, just a copy." he ' murmured, and Doric signed that also. Five minutes later he was bowing her ! out of his room. As she passed the outer I office a door of a small room was : opened suddenly, then closed again ! quickly. Still. Doris had time to see a tall figure seated at a large and hand- : .-ome desk. *, x~ " , ;Thp girl had glanced in that direction j by chance, not out of any sort of curioI sity: but now she- was really interested, I for the occupant of that room was un- ! doubtedly the lady in black. ! ".She looks as if she belonged there; ; she was certainly giving instructions to I one of the clerks. Why doers she go i into the. waiting room and watch people frtnri'beulnd"tßa"t"lleavy veil?" ! Doris knit her brows as she asked j herself these questions. Already she would have given anything never to have entered the doors of Messrs. Riebensahm's premises. She had an uneasy feeling that matters were very far from being right, even though she I bad that large cheque in her handbag. i Meanwhile, Derek had been interviewj ing another personage, -who -was also 'described as being the manager, in anI other, private office. When it came to i the point, the soldier was distinctly ner;vous. He bad never had to raiae a large sum of money before, and he knew as little about business as did Doris. At the same time, he was urgently in need of cash, and he dare not draw oack now. This manager, like his colleague, was suave and accommodating. He ran over the main features of the business rapidly. "You -wish Messrs. Riebensahm to buy from you the property you will ultimately inherit under your mother's will. . In . ordinary course this would not come fo"_you until you reach thirty, and you are now only four and twenty. You are. I understand, anxious to complete the business immediately. "If the firm were to make full inquiries for itself this would take some days: but. to save time, they are prepared to take your word for the facts. 1 have a short statement here which, perhaps, you will sign. Then I can hand you the cheque." The HononraSjJe Derek took ibe document and read it carefully—at least, he considered himself careful. The matter appeared to be simple enough. There were the facts relating to his inheritance—he remembered the lawyer hud told him about it on his attaining his majority—and there was the price, quite a generous price really, which Messrs. Riebensahm were prepared to pay. The whole thing was an agreeable surprise tu.hinu He had heard so much abfliit moneylenders—the hard terms they made, the long, wearisome inquiries and negotiations. Yet here there was no trouble, and 110 delay. They treated him as a gentleman. He felt quite grateful as he left the room, and glanced eagerly round the outer office, wondering if he was destined to catch another giimpse of Dori<. As a miytter of fact, the outer door had only just closed behind the girl, who was still standing on the step as he came down the stairs. Evidently she was either waiting for a cab or was undecided, which way to go. In the circumstances, it was easy for him to stop and speak to her. "Y-gs. i do. waat v -iaxi," she answered. "I—you see—l don't know London well, and I'm not sure which way I ought to turn now, so I thought I would wait until one came along." S&e was so transparently straightforward and honest, so simple without being in any sense a simpleton, that all Derek's chivalry, of which he had more 'than an ordinary share, was aroused. He knew his London well; at any rate, well enough to know the risks which a girllike Doris can run in the West Knd, even, in .the-jnoming.; and ha.delermined to "see jier..iafely on., her way. - '. "There's Sure to be, a;.taxi:here soon." he said. "Shall "we stroll alonj slowly?' 1 Doris assented. After all. what harm could there - • be in accepting this stranger's help in such a little matter? They had hardly gone a dozen yards before the sound of a motor behind .oiaaie tfcem glance round. It was not a

taxi, however, but a very large private car. which had drawn up at the door of Messrs. Riebensahm's buildings. Even as they looked, a figure hurried down the steps and entered the vehicle. Doris' eyes met those of her companion. 'The woman in black from the waitingroom! The one who stares at you," she exclaimed. Derek nodded. "The same-one, Som,?how. she doesn't look like an unsuccessful borrower now." Despite herself, a little shiveT ran through Miss Hardene. The veiled lady seemed like some black bird of evil omen: a litting symbol for the business cj'" Messrs Kiebensahm and Co. She was grateful now. more than grateful, that -she had this granger, who was so obviously a gentleman, to escort her to the safety of a taxi-cab. The vague sensr of alarm which =he had felt from the moment her father mentioned Merits EUefoen£ah*m was growing blronger even' second. Suddenly there seemed to be the very best of reasons for her thankfulness. The street, though in a most expensive neighbourhood, was one of those which appear always to be deserted. Beyond Doris and her companion, the only other pedestrian near was a tall, thin man slouching along on the other Ale of the road. The engine of the veiled lady's motor whirred, the car gathered speed quickly, a few seconds more and it would be past them: when, without the slightest warning, the tall, thin man whipped an automatic pistol out. of his pocket, and began to ?hoot. apparently at the woman in black. Derek gave a hoarse cry. and sprang forward, not with any idea of seizing the would-be murderer, but to shield Dori< from any stray bullets with Ilia own bod)'. "Drive on—drive straight on!" It wus the veiled lady who had thrust her h«sid out of the window of the car. and was ecxeaming to her chauffeur. The latter appeared to be only too glad 10 obey. (roufhins down over his wheel, he was practically sheltered from tho bullets, which were now ripping through the back of the car itself. Then one, the last in the magazine, aimed too low. ripped up the back tyre. Instantly the car swerved violently, and mounted tho kerb. Had Doris been alone, nothing could have saved her. for she was too territied to move, and t-hp radiator must have pinned her against the wall. But Derek did not lose his head. In a flash, he lifted her oil her foci, and dragged her into safety. The car scraped the wall, seemed about 10 atop. then went on ajrain, and disappeared from sight round the next corner. Derek, who was still supporting Doris, looked round quickly for the would-be murderer, and just caught a glimpse of him dashimr down a narrow turning, which, apparently, led to some mews. People were hurrying up now. attracted by the noise of the shooting. Fortunately two men who had seen part of the incident from houses near b;>' wra-e only too ready to sive information, and a little crowd quickly gathered round them. A taxi-cab, whose driver scented the possibility of a fare cither to the hospital or the police station, came down the street. Doris' companion hailed the man instantly. "Got in. please," he said to the girl, as he flung open the door. Hyde Park Corner was the direction he gave the driver. Doric. pale-faced and shaking, pulled herself together splendidly: thoujrh it was a full minute before she could speak. "Thank you—oh. thank you. so much!" flip murmured. "You saved my life." The man coloured and looked away. Tt was very sweet to have her thanks— and to know that he really earned them. "When he faced her again, he made no reference to that part of the incident. "We were lucky to get away so easily, without anyone seeing us. One doesn't want to be a witness in an affair like that. They ask such idiotic questions. They wonld learn we had both been to Riebensa-hm's. the money-lenders," he added hurriedly, as if that -was the only reason. But Doris divined the delicacy of thought whicli led him to want to conceal the fact that they had met one another in an unconventional manner. "I'm afraid T was too startled to think of th-o&e thing?," eb-e admitted. ''But you seem co prompt." He coloured under the compliment, -which had slipped out naturally. "Mret men -would io-ve 6tood and -watched, or run for safety, instead of trying .to shelter m as you dkl." Once more she thanked him. "Do you trbrttk anyone was hurt after all?" Derek seized ifoe opportunity to- get away from the subject of himself. "No, I don't." 'he answered. "The veiled lady looked back 39 The car disappeared," and the chauffeur certainly was not ihrt. CtrrronG affair, though. Everybody concerned seems jolly anxious to get away from it. Our lady was not going to stay to answer questions, and the nraTdererJfello-w got elesr. T think. I doirbt if the police will ever find out what it -was all a/bout, or who the-people were." TJoris Eihivered. Her misgivings regarding Messrs Riebenea'hm and Gα seemed only too -well founded. (To be continued daily.)