DR. BURNEY'S GREATEST CASE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 232, 1 October 1925, Page 20

DR. BURNEY'S GREATEST CASE.

\ » BY DIXON KAYE.

I SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS. I i I Tir. Burner, Uau'lst>ine and has 1 faUe.n In love with Cora WesuHffc, sister ] of his ..Id schoolfellow, Kawdou IVestdlffe. : -At the opening ol the story Unrne.v Is I hastily .-ailed to Morton Mnnor. tlie home of j tin- Westcliffes. where Haivdoii. who !e I intifh aptate,]. leiig him thut Cora has \«'<>n j titkeu wrinuslv ill, and has be,-otne Insensible. Hiirnev rinds Cora lying on a couch in tue lilirury. apparently dead. He applies ri-etoratlvi-H. and uses every won us iv his power to revive her, tun without avail, ret his doctor* insiiii't. sterns to tei! him that. despite the semblance of dentb. she. still lives. 11.- sj.ends two hours by her t=i<l»-. and then romps t.i tin? conclusion that his efforts arc unavailing', he nm«i seek a s;.e.-i;ilist in canile ;.kv. Hastening l.ii-k t" his house he timls that lie lias been rung up by a well-known I.omlou surseou. wbo desires his assistance at a 'Titlt'iil operation on a Cabinet Minister. With ;l spe.-i:il note of Cora's ease. Hurncy ha nils ov.-r the care ! of his patient ;o Dr. Siunllwood, au elderly hrufiier iirnrtltlmiHr. The uix-rotlou in 1 r^..ml,,n proven re ivmplirato.l tlian is I nnticipnti'i], and I'.urney i> delayed three diiy.s. Nt the end ~f which he reuirn» home I with the sjiO'-lulivt. With h'.rrt.r In- rinds ■ hut c ( ,m ha< l.epu buried that innrnlnjr. Tii-y ilri.l Dr. Sinalhv.H.d under the inMncil'"f drink, ami Uurtiey is npnnsi at th" thonsrht thnt Cora has been buried aMv. He and Sir John at onep de -iilf I" i'l"'ii the family vault, in the hope of rc-euins Cora. HiiWdon Wt-stellffe refuses In u'ive up the key. I>r. Burney obtaius permission from the Home Sereiiirv to mien the vault. Th«I'oflln Is fo'iii,! to in empty. A warrant ii< issiii'd for t!ie arresi of Knwrt.ifj Westeliffe. who hns ilisii|ip--:nri>(l. l'.uniey in illsioiione iii--lit. tlniUns the ihwir of the Manor r.jien. h>> enters, and sitting flown, falls nslei-]i, to In- awnken-il by hearlni: (lira's vui.-e sin-iiiL'. The telephone bell In lier r.'.iin rins:*. The »I<l lintler i« tliere annworins the toleplioiie. with the di«>r locked. Ulirn.y nls,, hears on the following •lay thnt the footinati. lleinler«in. has ln-nnl Corn's voice over tli.' tolejihoiie. Heniiers.m I gofx tn 1.0m1i.11. Hurncv f.illows. ami r.ill" j upon him. lie obtains the telephone number j from him. and discover* that the iioiiilkt is . that of ;i niKlit club. He sees Corn there, j hut Bhe ta'aes tm n"tl'-e of him. She N I .lining with Lord llelnn.ro. a despicable man. anri he rauiiut umierstand it. Humpy returns t,i tiie niclit club u.:;i but Corn Is not there. CHAPTER X. • Jilbert Burney. after lenring llenilerson in Berkeley Square. walKod down to hi* cltiiv in S:. .liimes' Street and rang up "Kelirrav ia "-•"'." I i w: , . s a time l«»ff.re lie got an answer: thon it wns in the discontented voice nt a jierson who l>«d \>een disturdod ai some t.isk. "Are you 'Beljjravia ~2">'V" n>ke<l B\irnry. "Yf>."' ivn- the ri'j-ly. "Wiiat i- vuiir aijilri'-? ':" the dn.-tor 1 colli iiiiied. j '"Addrps-!'" \rn-i the aiKWer. "J)o ryou mean to -ay you ilim'i know it : j AVliv. thi> i> tin , Uri'i'ii Hark I lull." J "(Jreen Park ("Ittli!" re pea toil Biinu-y. j It c-<nive\ed linlhinj; t<> liis riiind. : "1 want "to speak to Nfiss Cora WViclift'e':" was lii.- next "(UPStidii. "Mi>~ Cora '.'.liai':" ennie the i-iin j "Mi.-> t ora Westi'litle." the ductor ivI pea ted. j "N'exer lieanl <4 hn." «a> the n-j.ly. "I t'iink." -aid BuriK'V, "1 v ill come round to thr i-lub. What i* the adI drosf>':" I "Wlir. i iholight evpryhody knew 1 tliflt." «a- the answer. "lark Lane. j of course. But you .an'; come here j before twelve oV!o<k to-niplil." I <;ilhert Kuriiey {iiitlic pd in the >iuia- | tirin at mice :it ims » ni»!it eluh. I It was ini|Mi>silde tn tliink that fora ; could have an; connection with such a I (dace. Henderson had obviously swindI led him out of twenty-five pound?. That nisrht at dinner at the Ritr with Broughton Harwood. Hilliert thought he would olitain pome further information of the (rret-n Park ( lull. He mentioned it to his friend easnwlly. "(Jreen Park CTtili." Ifarwood repeated. "Tlica are hot >unT there. I can tell you. Why. in a way itV a> «ood as the Sporting L'luli at Monte— lmccarat, trente et rjuarente, and roulette—any stake? you like." i "Then it's simply a gambling house':" &ujrgpsted Bnrney. "'You can call it that if you like." Harwood re|ilied: ''but it is one ot the [ smartest chili? in London, for the really l smartest people go there—and the mi>rnart too —but I"11 take you there. We arc hooked up till Thursday night, hut we will go to the "Green Park" then. , " So it was arranged, and (jilhert had to endure a round of utterly uninteresting entertainments arranged by his friend, who was determir vi lie should miss nothing of modern London. "Is there anything else you can suggest old ehajir' , demanded Harwood at dinner on Wednesday night. "i think we have done most of the places of intere>t I can think of in the wav of night L-lnbe." "The only tiling , i can suggest." answered (iilhert wearily. "i> tiiat tri -r. to bed a bit earlier, h'was four o'clock this morning, three o'clock yesterday morning, and two-thirty the ' morning before that. We are knockil g out the nights re?t,al an alarming rate. T must .-.iv. he added, "that T am looking forward to g,,i, )s tIJ t|l< , , irecn park C]ub ,10-tnorrow night. That will be -omet lung new. ' Harwood -hook his l,,, a <i. nieres not niuch i n j,;- ~„ sai(J onlT the gamblin". There's no singin' nor daiicin there." * 'Mlhen remembered the long boriiia nijrbts he had sat out limning o stupid songs and contortions called dancing, and groaned inv.ardlv h , know he was booked for one more nigh, "t it: and then if ,)„■ «,reen Park flub did not produce something more interesting he should strike and go home But he wanted to unravel that nivstery of the telephone number H was growing upon him more each hour that he had been duped by the footman Henderson. In all the tawdry show of the night Mill., wi-h the clashing negro music. hi> thoughts had gone back to those peaceful evenings of the summer when his idol Cora had sat at her harp and filled the old Manor Houte with the sweetest of music. Would those days ever come again? But Thursday night came at last. Harwood had. on a sudden impulse. taken him to a supper club on the prej > ion? night, which closed at two o'clock. so they got home early. "I'm afraid you'll have a dull evening, liilbert." Harwood commented as they sat over a quiet dinner at the ■Tunior Carlton. Buriiey's club. "We must have something startljn' in the way of a night out, !>efore you go. to make up for it. But perhaps you do a hit of gambliif? If so, you will find plenty of baccarat tables." "I spent a fortnight at Monte Carlo once."' replied Btirney. '"and then I didn't gamble much. I only played a mild game at roulette."' Harwood heaved a sigh; the official stateliness of the Junior Carlton and his friend's moderation seemed to depress him.

''Let's put in an hour ai the old Eaipire," he said, "and then it will be time, when we have had a bit of supper somewhere, to go on to the Green Park." "It"? all very « ; >ll f,, r y,, u . y, n , know. Harwood," remarked Bu'ruey" as tbev bowled along in the former's night motor car inn a month of this life would break ruo up. both in health and in pocket. A week 1 don't mind. 1 cann.it imagine how you manape to keep it up. ))o you do this sort of ; thinp every night ':'' ; "Kvery night ot my life, my boy. lie answered, "except when l'i;i hunt in" or raein'. Even then »t di'ii't keep very early hours." They duly enjoyed the programme at ' tlie Kmpire. from a couple of stalle. and then were just in lime for supper at j Prince"* and some iced champagne, which . Harwood always iiiM*t<'d upon at tliat hour, being, as he stated, the best night i (irink iie knew of. "Whisky and eodn i- a mistake hi night," lie commented: "too heavy, ani the whisky is lint always good; ) oil can't depend upon it." I-'mm the PrineeV they went straigh' to the Ureeii I'ark ( lull, and ruun found themselves in a queue ut motor cars extending half way up I'ark Lane. | The clubhouse was situated in » garden. well separated from its neighbour fur o!i\ itujs reason:-, fur it was a club! which was op.mi ii.-ually till morning, j They drove under a big porto eochere. | and thcii Hurney begun to realise fri.ia the sci-tie he beheld through the nj.cii i door- what a rich man's- night club rcall\ w a<. Haifa dozen footmen in plush hreecheami -ilk stocking-, wearing tin- oldfashioned powder mi their hair, ueie j receiving tin- dtreain tif -mart men and I"\ely women, vvlm -in,ply poured in thrcuijrh the open doors. ! "Thi- then." murmured diibert to him- j «elf. "is the dernier cri in gambling ] llOlIH'S." j Gilbert and hi- friend on ! tlirotigh tlie throng >uid up the stairs to ! a big room nn the l:i>: floor. ' li «;);- (jiiitc clear to the doctor that this dnti v,n.- copied from tho Sporting , ( lub a: Monte Carlo, but even on a more : niagnirhvnt scale. "I onic and uii■.e a look at the l.accarat." suggr.-tcd Harwood. taking hi? arm. "Tl;erc i- usually Mime big money changing hands there." They found a couple of Interiir.it tables in full «'.ving j n a room to the right, wit li nbinji an eip>«l riuml-rr of men and women at each, with the usual crowd of onlookers, eagerly «.-it<-hiii>r the box and ' the cards and staking o«- ( asii-na llv. A young man. appur-ntly no{ ntiu-li over i). wa- having the rnosi extraordinary luck — (t and If) appeared in hishand>. apparently at vail. "I shall chip in hero." remarked Harwood. taking a \acani -seat, "and see it I i;iii IciHK-k -pot- off iliis f-ilded youtb. A yr - Australian." lie continual] in a whi-per. "whose fat!;nmade inillioiii, out ot wool. i suppose you won't take a hand ':" (lilbcrt dmiled. snd *)«>o]t his l^ad. "I fhall go f<,r ii look round." he said. It was m>l baccarat which had attracted him ther.'. He was iraruli-ri.'ii! into iin..ther room where trent et •jiiaraiue v. .m in full »winjr. and -aw .1 couple of thousand pound- staked mi red -,vept away in abnui a.- iiia;i> iiiin;:l ■-. Thrre was American with ;: <:ia.-s ■flick in hi- rip -inking th.>u-nn<l jiotind notes on the ccloiirs with the utmost i-fitdlii-/.. wliieh was ;,,.; in Hie l-.-nst .-hakeii viion I.c l".-t. Cilben >;..o,| watching thi- table for some t.me \-. ith great interest, and uapartiVulurh -irurk with the play ot a .(ewi-!i-lookin- man wearing the Hievitahlc cye-r,!a-s. «•)„, Ui . ? apparently pla\ ■ inj. agains! tho Aiiicrii-dii. When tii>> latter played on red his opponent played £.'»()0 on black. But while the American in the long run won. cliunginj; hi- colours from time to time and participating in several run*, the .Ipw ahvnv* lo<t. As Burney w.i- waleh'iii". Harwood stood beside him. "Had enough liaei-arat :" .he doctor aski'd. "I thotigiit you wvn- going to kii..<-k spots off the Australian." "No such luck." was the answer. "He knocked Vpot, off mr to the extent ot three hundred pound*." A= he strike, the .lei-, i«|,.looking man. having lost a linal £.-,lili. ro-,. from hiscat v.ith an exclamation of impatience. "This is a man worth knowing." Harwooil whispered to Rtirney as the player turned. -'Let mc introduce you 'to Lord Helmore." Ihe Jew smiled ami.ililv. and seemed to forget hit fos«es s\\ once. "Let us go and have a drink," he *ugge=trd. They *auntcre.l ofT to th? h-ir. which was in an adjacent room, and soon all three wero conMimlng iced champague. Hurney watched Lord Helmore with grea- interest. }\,-- ],aj tlie unmistakable air of a gentleman, the -tamp of Eton and ( hristchunii. which a ni,>n never lose.-: yet there was sninct liiui; about him which repelled Burner. A genial manner, hut shifty a contemptuous way of which disgusted him. "I've dropped over live thousand pounds, at that damned treute et quarnntc table he confided to them. "Thai American seems to have tin. Devil"* own luck. ! nevr-r saw a inai: with siu-li an intuitive knowledge of what colour would iurii "ip." "Has he won much:" llarwoud n.-ked. "M should think he won fifteen Lhon =and while I was playing.' , Lun] Jlelniore answered; "'he won over that la-t night, anil took it home "itii liim." "No*, wltat i- the history of tliai man?" asked I'.urney. when tilt , peer h; I tinished his drink and sauntered awa\. "Do you think he has half-ruined him-i-elf"'" Hardwood launheil heartily. "He is Mipposel to be one of the richest men in England." lie answered: 'iie wouldn't hurt '.:'-:,iself if he dropped ten time* tiiat amount. Besides- —" "Beside;: what?" "Well." continued Harwood i:i a low voice, "he it* to have a large interest in this (.lac. and probably runs it. If so. he can afford to lose'a thousands here to encourage the others to play, for the place must I*. a -old mine to those who own it." "And yet it i- illejtalV Burney digested. Why is it not stopped r , ' Harwood sllli i (M , „„,, ( . 1((M , (1 <in ;, pvc ■I'ii* is a highly respectable social club. Wa,,sj,r t ,l. "ai,,! i, visited l.y Rome of the highest and nio?t respected people in the land. s,m. arp some lunny things sa id about it 1 admit.*' "Who are the other proprietors besides Lord Helmore r" Burney asked. "Nobody knows.- u- as \h e reply. "That it a mystery. "Well. I'm off for another ghr nr baccarat." continued Harwood. "to ti-v and >:et that three hundred back. Are you coming? ,- (Gilbert shook his head. "I'm or a mild shy at roulette,"' he answered. As Harwood strolled away, he turned into the big room where three roulette tables were in full swing. One thing

struck him at once: instead of men. the croupiers at the tables were all beautiful women! It pare him quite a shock to hear: "Messieurs fake* vo« jeux": "Rien ne va plus" from soft voices. He stood for come moment* watching the scene with gTeat interest, then advanced to the nearest table and put a pound chip on each of the fives—.l, 15, 2~\ :•)•). entrusting it to our of tiie lad\ croupiers who sat with her hark, to him. I Fifteen won. and <Mll>ert sniilinirly ! held out his hand for the stake which the lady croupier was- counting out for him. She turned with it. and pluced the notes in his hand, looking up at him. ' Gilbert's hand relaxed and the notes fluttered t.> the floor. ; He was looking down into the face of ', Cora: CHAPTER XI. fiillnTi Blimey had had the $h«>ek uf hi- life: this beautiful lady croupier. !■<•- ----: liiiui \i liiim' (hair he hud ;to"d t»r i fully ten minute*, vva*. I'urn! I Bill she ga\e him n<> further chance of rpv«>jnii>inji her. She turned <)nivkl."> to the table, and the iiom moiueti! jl'Jilbert heard ln-r soft voice, so out of I place in that room, in the stereotyped 1 cry: ■ "Mcft-ieurs faile> m< jeux." ! He leaned over her shoulder and «»ftly j murmured her name: •Torn :" But he might h ~ well 11; i\• • »pokeii ! ■ ;i sta:iiu. Neither by n-oid nor rlisrhti«t inov.- ,- nii-ni ij;.l slit' }>'.\c him lo under-tan.l lli:il she had heard him. He repeated her name «>nee mure, and then he was brought to hit , -en-e*: n counterpart of one of those jtorjretMl" mdix idual- who attend tlie tiiMiS at Monte Carbi, Hphtly touclx d him on the arm. lie handed him the notes wiiieh he had dropped on the llo.t. "It i-; not permitted." continued the man speakinc; with a ulijriit foreign aceiMit, "for \ isitors to address tiie lady craupierf." At first < iilbert v-..- in.liniHl t,> recent (he man.- inti-rfereiice; then lit , -aw tiia; lw '.\;i- in lice wiMiic, .timl made tile best of it. He liaiidcd ;he man a good lip. But '.here, wa* nf , ; -i'.iji to prrveni lnni looking at this beautiful lady eroupvr. and he did whal fln\ nilu-r man periiapwould have done under the < ir< urnstances: s;e moved ;i) i }>■• oppu.*itp si'le of the table where lie intild yet a lietler \iew of the -'.rl he believed to be ( ..i-a. The lii>r -hade- ihrowinjr tne h^lit Upon tiie firPi'U I;.'ble. -onH'whnT im|iede<l hi- view, lmi ii- now nnd agra'n •roi a idear -ijrlit t>l the lady croupiers face. It wuo Cora'- fa .-. ■'. i;li.:'!- a doulit: Inn another Cure. A ( •<•:» mnde mun , Leauiiful by the nrt- o: fa-!iion. i!• r hair ua- diilerently arranged: her eye-.-eemed larger and more brilliam. lur cfdoiir was heightened: iin t l in-tend "i the jirl of 21. thai he had known and loveil. iliif. (,'ora looked fully t«o yearolder. He -rood there im/mu- m: iier witii .i puz/leil look, li i.c s:i\\ liini -lie iiu indicHli'iii of it: h- :■ « hole utlelitiun -lenier absorbed in the j:.;;m-. "Mo.-siemv-. tait n > \ o.« j.u\." en mc iii.. , ■>Oll)lll <".f tile -weet voirt , . V. iiil ;l |ire".l\ relined French Hi-cent. "F.e jeu esi. fait., rifn no \ a plu>." ITo b< ■■..ii'luu.-d ,\.uU ~