The "White Lie.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 166, 14 July 1914, Page 10

The "White Lie.

By WILLIAM LE QTJEUX. 'Author of '-England's' Peril" -'Revelatwus vf -ihc Secret Xerriec," "Hushed Up," etc., etc.

A Story- of Love, Blackmail and Revenue.

• CHAPTER NX. CROOKED COXKIDKXCIX About noon on the same day which •lean and her husband spent sohnppilv together by the Devon sea, two men of i'bom thirty-live met in the cosy little American bar of a well known London hotel. Both were wealthy Americans, smartly dressed in summer tweeds, and wore soft l>ll hats of American Shape. line, a tall. thin, hard-faeod man. who lm.l l>een drinkinp a cocktail and chatting witlv the barmaid while awaiting liift friend, turned ns the other entered, ami in Jiis pronounced Amerivun accent exclaimed:— "Holloa, boy! Thought you weren't coming. Say, you're late." Tlif> other, dark, clean-shaven, with a broad brow, and rather jrood-lookinp. his fricnd"s hand and ordered a drink. Then tossing it oIT at one gulp, be walked with his friend into the adjoining smoking room, where they lonltl bo alone. "What's upi" a~kpil tin- new-comer, in n low, voii'c "Look here. Lloggan. ir.y b.iy." exclaimed the, tuller of the two to the newomier. "I'm glad you've eoine along. I 'plioued. you to your hotel at halt-past ten. but you were out. It >eems there's trouble over that same of poker yon played with those two hoys in Knijil'itslost They've been to the police, bo you'd better clear out ut ulhT."

"The police!" echoed the other, bis dark brows knit. "Awkward, isn't it':"

■'Wry. You go. old chap. (let across the Channel ;u- quick a* ever you can. or I guess you'll have t-ome, unwelcome' visitors. Don't go 1-ai-k t.> tho hotel. Abandon yo.ir • Ua-pa, -and clear out right away." Silas P. iHoggan. the man with the iiroad brow, had no deeire to make further acquaintance with the police. As a cosmopolitan adventurer he had lived for the past six years a life of remarkuhle* experiences in Vienna. Berlin, St. Petersburg, and Rome. He posed as a •'iiiaju-icr.-and had matured many schemes fur public companies in all the capitals —companies formed to exploit all sorts nf enterprises, all of which, however, hi,l placed money in his pocket.

Two years before he had been worth thirty thousand pounds, the proceeds of various crooked businesses. At that mo. -ment he had been in San Francisco, when, by an unlucky mischance, a scheme of his had failed, ingenious as it was. and now be found himself living in an expensive hotel in London, with scarcely sufficient 'to settle his hotel foill.

Smce the day when he had stolen those notes ifro-in the coat pocket of his accomplice, and locked him in the trap -o that the police should arrest him. -and thus give hrm time for escape —tor Silas V. Higgart and Ralph-Ansel! were one and the saime person—things hod prospered 'With him. and he had cultivated an air of prosperous relinenieut. in order lo move in the circle of high finance.

Afte - his escape acres* the Seine, he hal sought refuse in the house

oi a friesd in the- Monruartre, where lie had dried the "sodden banknotes ami turned them into cash. Then. after a week, he had taken the night rapide to Switzerland, and thence to ('ci many, where in. Berlin be had entered upon Hnaucial undertakings in partnershrp with a "crook" from Chicago. Their first venture was the (Jxploiting of a new motor tyre, put of Which made a huge profit, although the patent -was afterwards found to be worthless. Then they moved to Russia, and nice sen vely to Austria, to Denmark, anfl then across to the States.

ljO-r-es. followed by gains, had compellsd him of late to adopt a more certabs mode of living, until now he found himself in London, staying at one of ita be>t hotels—for like all his class he always patronised the best hotel and ale the (est that money could buy—and earning a precarious living by finding "pigeons to pluck." namely, scraping up acquaintanceship with young men about town and playing with them games ot chalice._\r •«• enrd-sharpcr. Silas P. Hoggali was an expert. Among the fraternity "The American" was known as a clever crook, and a man who was a past-nia-ter in the an of bluff. Yet his friend's warning had thoroughly alarmed him. The circumstance which had been recalled was-certainly anugly one. He had found his victims there, in a swell bar, as he had otten found them. About many of the London hotels and luxuriously appointed restaurants and fashionable meeting -places are always to he seen young men of wealth and leisure who are ea.sy -prey to the swindler, tlie blackmailer, or the sharper—the vultures of soejeiy.

A chanre iicquaintancredup. the sun-, ;re.stion of :tn evening at carils. a visit; 1o a theatre, with, a bit of supper after- j wa.rdVi at au hotel, waet. as might beexpected, followed by a friendly *rarae at ihe rooms of tho elder nf .the two lads at Knightabridge. Hoggan left at three o'clock that morning -with one hundred and two pounds in his pocket in cash and note 3, and four acee.ptancrs of one hundred pounds each drawn by the elder of the i wo victims. Five hundred pounds for one evening's pluy was not a bud prolit. yet Hoggan never dreamed that the London police were already upon bis track. What hie friend had sugpested was the best, -way out of the difficulty. Aa he hud so often done before, he must once again burn his boats and clear. The outlook-was far -too -risky. Yet he -was filled -with chagrin. Jn the-circum-stances, the acceptances were useless. "I sh.i!! want money," he remarked. "Well, boy, 1 g-uuss 1 haven't an}-cash-money to spare just, at the-moment, as you know," replied hiia accomplice. "We've been hard hit lately. I'm sorry we came across on this side." "Our lock'c out," Hoggan declared. despondently, as he selected a cigarette from his case and Jit it. "What about little, Lady Mscheleaombe? She ought to be jrood for a bit more.^ -ITI try, if you like, hoy. But for Heaven's sake clear out of this (infernal eily. or you'll go to gaol sure." urged F.dward Patten, his friend. "Where ahofl. I go. Ted-J TVhatVyottr advice';" "Oct over to Calais or Offend, or by the Hook ihto Holland. Theji slip along te tome qiuet epot, and let-ine-know

where you are. Lie low until I send you some oof. You can go on for a week or so, can't you?" "for a fortnight." '•'Good. Meanwhile I'll touch her ladyship for a bit more." "Yes. She's a perfect little gold-ißine, isn't she';" "Quite. We've had about four thousand from her already, and we hope"to get a bit more." '"You worked the game splendidly. Ted," Hoggan declared. "What fools some women are." "And you acted the pari of lover perfectly, too. That night when I.caught yon two together on the terrace at Monte Carlo—you remember. She waa leaning over tbe balustrade, looking out upon the imonlit sea. and you were kissing her. Then 1 caught you nt supper later, and found that you were staying at the hotel where she was staying. All very compromising for her. eh? \\ hen 1 called on her a week afterwards, and suggested that she could shut my mouth for a consideration, I saw in a moment that she was iv deadly fear lest her husband should know. But 1 was unaware that her husband had no idea thnt she had been to Monte, but believed her to be staying with her sister near .Edinburgh."

"She's paid pretty dearly for flirting with mc." remarked Silas P. Hoggan, with a grin.

''Just as one or two others have. boy. Say. do yon recollect that ugly old widow in Venice: Jp-hu! -what a face. And didn't we make her cough up. too— six thousand!"

'I'm rather sorry for the Michel coombe woman." remarked Hog-ran "She's a decent little sort."

••She believes in you. boy, and looks npos mc as a ckmik. She luTs no idea that you and I are in partnership," lie laughed. -We'll get a thousand or tuo more out of her yet. Fortunately. i-he doesn't know the exact extent of acknowledge of her skittish indiscretion?. Say. we struck luck when -we fell in "will her. eh?" Hoggan reflected. It ccrtaiiilr a cruel trick lo have played upon* a woman. They had met casually in the Room* at Monte Carlo, then" he had contrived to chat with her. invited her to tea at a famous cafe, strolled with her. dined with her. and within a week had so fascinated her with his charming manner that .she had faJlen m lo\ o «••[', ) lim , !le resu[t being that Patten, who had watched the pair, suddenly came upon them, and atterwar<ls demanded -hush-money which •he divided wi-fh bis iriend.

Such instance* of blackmail are much more than are suppos ( d. There is a close of low-down adventurer who .taunts the gayer resorts of Kurope ever on the look-out for young married women who liave been ordered abroad for the benefit of their health, and whose husbands, on account of their social Parliamentary, or -bu-iness duties, cannot accompany them. Hunting in coup-res, they mark down a victim, and while one. giving himself the airs of wealth, and assuming a title proceeds to flirt -with the lady, the other carefully watches. Too often a woman at the gay-watering-place of Kurope finds the gaiety infectious, and behaves indiscreetly: too often she flirts with the good-looking young stranger until, suddenly surprised in compromising circumstances, she realises that 'her husband must never know, and is rilled -with fear lest he may discover how she has allowed herself to "be misled.

Then comes the blackmailer's chance. A hint that it would be better to pay than court exposure generally has the dosired effect, with the result that the woman usually pawns what jewellery she possesses, and pays up. aiany an unfortunate woman, though perfectly innocent of having committed any wrong, has paid up, and even been driven to suicide rather than allow the seeds of suspicion to be sown in her husband's heart.

It -wa? so in Lady Micheieoo-mbe's case. .She was a sweet little woman, daughter of a well known earl, and married to Viscount [Vlichelcoombe. a man of great wealth, with a house in Grosvi'iior Square and four country seats. Al ready the pair of adventurers had compelled her to pawn tome of her jewels and hand them the proceeds. !*he was quite innocent of having committed any wrong, yet she dreaded lest her 'hnsiband's suspicions tnight be excited, snd had no desire that he should learn that she had deceived hint by going to Monte Carlo instead of to her sister's. The real reason was that she liked the gaiety and sunshine of the place, -while her husband strongly disapproved of it. Certainly her clandestine visit had cost her dear. "Well.'' exclaimed lloggan. the perfect lover, "you'd better see •her ladyship as -oon as passible. Guess she's still in London, eh t" ••I'll ring up later on and a=k the fat old butler. But you clear out right away. 'boy. There's no time to lose. Write to mc tit 'the Paste Restante. ill Ihe Strand. Don* write here, the police may get hold «f my mail." "li her ladyship turns on you. I guess you'll have to look slick." I "Rah: No fear of that, sonny. We've got her right there." "You can't ever be sure where a woman is concerned. She might suddenly Ihrow discretion to tbe wind*, and tell her husband all about it. Then you. too. would have to clear right away." "Guess I should,'- replied Patten. "But I don't fear her. 1 mean to get another thousand out of her. Women who make fools of themselves have to pay for it." "Well. I must sjv you engineered it wonderfully/ declared Hoggan. ''And I'll do so again with a little luck," his friend declared. "'Come and have another cock-tail, and then shake the dust of this internal city off ymir ■feet. Every time you have a drink tilings look different.'' Tlie two men passed into the inner roonu-*whcre the bar wa*. situate)!, and aftera final Martini each, went out together into the handsome hall of the hotel. ''Wai, so long, old pal. Clear out right away." whispered Patten, a= he shook bis friend's hand. And -next, mow-rut Silas P. Hcgjnn ■passed acriißS the courtyard and into tbe busy Strand, once tnore a fugitive from justice. (To be continued aa;;*/.)