AN EVIL INHERISTANCE

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 37, 12 February 1917, Page 8

AN EVIL INHERISTANCE

By W. E. NORRIS, 'Author of "The Square Peg," "Not Guilty," '"Pauline," CHAPTER XXIV. THE- CAPTO-tt CAPTURE©. Issuinjr from a conference of which the- upshot had surpassed his hopes, Harry Marsh did not forget that he had a promise to redeem. He had told Mrs. Lynden that he waa going to lay hands upon her assailants, and he had little doubt of bis ability to prove as good as his word; only he recognised that, since in such enterprises less of time may mean the loss of much besides, the sooner he came to grips with Signor Giuseppe Ricci the better. He was disappointed, therefore, at not finding that functionary in the hall. "Where is the butler?" he asked of the footman who helped him on with his coat. "I believe he _:.a gone out, sir," answered the man. "Oh! Does lie often go out at this time of night?" "I couldn't say, sir; we don't see nothing of him, except at meals." There was an aggrieved ring in the tone of the reply which was perhaps not unnatural on the part of a free-born Briton who found himself under the command of a swarthy foreigner, and for a [ moment Harry thought of inviting further disclosures. But it would have been I rather undignified, as well as probably futile, to do that; so he accepted an unavoidable postponement and said no more. Like the Cottons, Harry had decided to return home on foot, being unwilling to take -his hosf s horses out and putting trust in a starlit night; but, like them, he was more than a little inconvenienced by the circumstances that the night had ceased to be starlit. It waa very dark, it was bitterly cold, and a thin coating of ice which had formed upon tho surface of the road made progress both 6low and difficult for a pedestrian who could not so much as see where he was putting his feet. To Harry groping his way along, cutting involuntarily capers, colliding once or twice with trees and using words appropriate to the occasion, there presently appeared in the distance a bobbing light, which soon resolved itself into a lantern, carried by somebody who advanced with a brisk, assured tread. This was Giuseppe, homeward bound from the Rectory and in no fear of impending denunciation. "I -wish you good-night, sir/ said he, gravely. •'Thanks," answered Harry, "but I'm afraid there isn't much chance of your wish coining off, for a more beaatly night I never was out in. All very fine for you, with your lantern, but it seems to mc that if I get back to Hill Place without having broken any of my bones, I shall be lucky." Giuacppe famnediately made tie offer which the other had hoped that he might make- He had just been escorting Mr. and Mrs. Cotton home, he mentioned, and would be very happy to Tender a similar service to Mr. Marsh. The opportunity was one which mss unlikely to recur, and Harry felt that he really could not afford to let it slip. There might be a species of perfidy in leading a Good Samaritan into a trap, but —a la guerre comme a la guerre! After all, the man waa a criminal and one must catch criminals as and when one can. Giuseppe was accordingly thanked and requested to lead the way. "Though I don't suppose you know the way, do you? - ' Harry added, not without hope of drawing an meliminating admission. But into that trap, at all events, Giuseppe did not walk. "I know no road, here, except the one to the railway station," he answered. "You will please be so kind as to direct mc, sir." It was easier to direct him than to keep step with _im or talk to him! for he strode over tshe slippery surface as though he had been a Scandinavian instead of a Sicilian, and he had only deferential monosyllables in exchange for remarks which were meant to be instigating. Harry, -however, having settled upon his course of action, did not mind taciturnity at this stage. The moment when Signor Ricci would have to make use of his tongue, whether he liked it or not, was approaching. Hill Place having been reached without mishap, Giuseppe was for retracing his steps, but Harry would not hear of such a thing. "2'ly good man, after having seen mc all this distance and getting frozen to the bones, as you •must foe! No, no; come along in and warm yourself and have something to drink." Giuseppe, either because ho scented danger or because, as he alleged, he was neither cold nor thirsty, showed great reluctance to avail himself of this hospitable invitation. His excuses, however, were scouted, and his arm seized in a friendly grip. Thus secured, he was swiftly conducted into the study, where, as Harry expected, Mr. Alder and his son were found seated before the fire. So far, so good. Harry closed the door, placed his back against it and announced: "I've brought an acquaintance of yours to see you, Geoffrey. You aren't acquainted with his face, I believe, but if he will show you his right hand, as I'm sure he will, you'll see that this isn't your firet meeting." Geoffrey jumped up and stared at the stranger, who neither essayed to escape nor betrayed the slightest emotion. "This," continued Harry explanatorily, "is Signor Giuseppe Ricci—at present acting as ibutler to Mrs. Lynden, at other times playing the masked bandit for pur-' poses which I daresay he'll reveal to us ; before we've done with him." "I've nothing to reveal to you, sir," said Giuseppe tranquilly. At the sound _pf a voice which he, instantly recognised Geoffrey started. He : caught hold of the man's hand,.meeting with no opposition, examined it and ejaculated; "By Jove, you are the fello* who took mc prisoner, and no mistake about it!" A faint smile flickered about Giuseppe's lips. "There is no mistake, sir," was his mild tespouse. "Then what the devil," inquired Geoffrey, rather taken aback by this unhesitating avowal, "did you mean by it? What was your game? and how do you come to be here?" In reply to the last question, Giuseppe said: "As the night is very dark, and j there is much ice on the roads, this gentleman did mc the honour of permitting mc to show him the way here with my lantern. I did not know that he required more of mc. If I had known, perhaps he would be still out in the dark night." "Well," observed Harry __lf-_polo-getically, "you would 'have been collared to-morrow anyhow, because I .potted you as soon as I saw your hand after dinner. Teach you to take the precaution of wearing gloves t_e next time you " v—-, t-onr r"»~ sr >ri ;*, rr.-<-=l-p—-."

Giuseppe's renewed smile and deprecating gesture appeared to acknowledge, the justice of the criticism and to plead I that one cannot think of everything. "For more reasons than one," Harry j went on, "I had to take the chance that you gave mc. Sow look here, my man, the best thing you can do is to make a clean breast of the whole business at once. You won't be set free until you do I promise you." Giuseppe, for all reply, shrugged his , shoulders and spread out h\a bauds. "Come," Harry resumed persuasively, "you'll only make matters worse for yourself by being obstinate about it. You acted upon somebody's ordcis, 1 suppose?" Hiuseppe bowed gravely. "Upon orders," he assented, adding in the same breath, "X am not to tell you upon whose orders." And from that passively resistant attitude there was no moving- him. Yes, it.was he who, to his regret, but iv fulfilment of an imperative obligation, had done what he was accused of. Accomplices? Certainly he had accomplices, as had been seci. But he could not name them, nor could he say why he had received instructions -which he had only to obey. He was not, in fact, aware of the reason for their issue. "All very well," said Geoffrey, "but you have confessed , enough already to justify us in detaining you; and detained you will be until you choose to speak out. Tit for tat ,; it's my turn now." "You will remain here all night, then, sir?" Giuseppe inquired, with another faint smile. "No; but we shall lock you up somewhere all night." "We're three to one, you'll observe," put in Harry. Giuseppe grandly intimated that he had taken note of that circumstance. He now turned to Mr. Alder, who had been a silent, but interested and apparently amused spectator of the scene. "Excellenza," said he, with much deference, "is it lawful for these gentlemen to lock mc up in your house?" "Possibly not," answered Nicholas, "but you're a bit of a law-breaker your- ' self, you see. In any case, upon the information that I -have received I could not refuse a warrant for your arrest tomorrow. That means that you will be taken into custody by the- police and brought up before the magistrates." "For what offence, sir?" ""Why, for the offence to which you have pleaded guilty," Geoffrey answered. "I don't know and I don't much care about tho strict legality of our locking you up, but it was certainly illegal for you to treat mc as you did." "I have told you, sir, that I had orders. "Just so," said Harry, "and perhaps if you will now tell us from whom your orders came " "Impossible, sir!" "All right; I daresay you won't be so obdurate when you're in the dock. One thing, at any rate, is very sure: tho truth must come out now." Giuseppe's solemn eyes roved from tho speaker to Geoffrey, then to Mr. Alder and back. "It is not always," said he. "that the truth comes out in a court of justice, and sometimes when it does it may happen that everybody-is sorry. I think, gentlemen, that if you do not permit mc to return to my duties, you will perhaps be sorry. I shall not run away. 1 shall be found at Tranton to-morrow and the next day—possibly for many days yet." "•No, thank you," returned Haxry decisively. " The confidence trick won't work when there isn't any confidence, and we have to think of Mrs. and Miss Lynden. What security have we against your cutting their throats to-night?" On the instant the hitherto imperturbable Giuseppe broke out into volcanic fury. His eyes blazed, his features became distorted, and ho poured forth iv his own language a flood of maledictions which, judging by his gestures, would have translated themselves into assault and battery in another minute, had not Nicholas Alder laid a restraining 'hand upon. his shoulder, with— " Now, my man, keep your temper. It was a foolish thing to say, but Mr. Marsh didn't mean you to take it literally." Giuseppe, drawing long breaths, controlled 'himself with difficulty. No doubt he wished that he and Mr. Marsh were in Sicily, but remembered that he was less conveniently situated. "It is an infamy," he gasped, "To say that I would kill the Signora!—l, who owe everything to her and would kill myself rather than harm her!" " Yes, yes," isaid the unrepentant Harry, •■but you must bear in mind that certain persons have been doing all they know to harm Mrs. Lynden for some time past, and that, to the best of our belief, you are dn their employ.'' Mr. Alder arrested a further imminent outbreak by observing soothingly: "You're under suspicion, you sec, and it's a good deal your own fault, because you refuse to speak. Personally, I a.m convinced that Mrs. Lynden has nothing to fear froni you, and I see no objection to your being allowed to go back to her." The two youftg men, however, objected vehemently. They, for their part, were far from being convinced either that Mrs. Lynden was safe or that their pnisonor, if released, would be found at Tranton on the morrow. The upshot of a short discussion, in which Mr. Alder took no share, was that Giuseppe, once more calm, mute and unresisting, was marched off between them to the wine-cellar, from which improvised dungeon escape was impracticable. Having thus secured their captive, they collected a mattress, a pillow, a supply of rugs, candles and other necessaries which they carried down to him, reletting that they had no alternative but to leave him in such undesirable quarters. -Giuseppe only opened hie lips to say gravely: "Irepeat,gentlemen, that you will be sorry for this. But that is your affair." "What does he mean, do you think?" Geoffrey asked of his friend, ou the way back to the study. " I was wondering," Harry confessed. What Harry was in truth wondering was whether Mr. Alder could have been behiind the persons who had given orders to Giuseppe Bicci and whether Giuseppe knew' it. In such a case -the fat would | indeed be in the fire! But Nicholas Alder appeared to be free from aHarm, and. ■when his opinion as to Giuseppe's meaning was solicited, he replied with a smile: "We shall see. I don't know that it greatly matters, but' there are several things that he may mean. One of them, for instance, may be that Mrs. Lynden will scarcely thank you for confiscating her butler."

" She isn't likely to hear anything about it to-night," said Geoffrey, "and I'll go over and explain the first thing in the morning." "Tliat," observed this father, "will perhaps be the moment when you will begin to feel sorry. But, as I said before, we shall sec."