THE ENCHANTED PERIL.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 252, 23 October 1926, Page 32

THE ENCHANTED PERIL.

BY WILLIAM LE QUETJX.

CHAPTER XXV. Wialama's Knife.

Sennett advanced across the room to meet Molly when she entered. A moment later she was within the restful haven of his arms, her lip 3 pressed to his in one long-awaited kiss. Presently Peter led her to a divan where they sat down together, neither of them caring to break the delectable silence which prevailed between them. Molly's head lay contentedly upon Peter's shoulder, and, for the time being, all thoughts of Warringford and his machinations were absent. It was a moment which neither of them would ever forget. "My darling, my darling," whispered Peter presently, "1 will never let you go again. You are mine for all time." Molly's only answer was to look up at Peter with a suspicion of tears in her smiling eyes, and then to snuggle closer to him and quietly kiss his hand which she held in both of hers. "Now tell mc all about it," said Peter at last. "How did you escape from the clutches of that old brute?" "I vvant to ask you the same thing," replied Molly, "for" you were hopelessly in his power when I last saw you. But somehow I felt you would escape, and when I came to your' flat last night 1 was confident that I should discover that you had escaped. I had an awful difficulty in finding where you lived. How etrange, Peter I I didn't even know that much about you! ,, "You haven't had much chance," said Peter. "However, you'll get to know all about mc now. Firstly, I want to tell something about myself, which Warringford hinted at when we were in his room —you remember; he said it was nice for him to have discovered both our secrets. I don't know what, yours is, and I don't care, but I'm going to tell you mine." Despite Molly's protestations [ Sen> nett then proceeded to tell her br'&Jiji the story of his mother and of the attempt by Pears to secure her body, "If that's your only secret you Can consider it forgotten again, ,- said Molly "I love you, and that's all which mattere. I've a worse story to tell.. My name ,ie not Molly Merton, but Alolly Stamvay and my father was Roger Stanway, tin solicitor who committed suicide iwwi —because he had not been straight with his clients' money. But I loved him and cherish his memory as though he had been the most upright man on earth." Molly then told Peter more details, including the fact that Warringford, according to the latter's assertion, had been one of his victims. Peter disavowed sympathy for the doctor, but ehowed great interest in Molly's mention ■ Leroux, who held the packages which Warringford was so eager to secure. "I suppose that's why he's gone- to France now!" he suggested. Then: "But I understood he'd taken you with him. How have you managed to get away from him?" .' "Well, he did intend to take mc with him, to make Leroux think it was my wish that the packages be given up. I had already signed a statement to that effect, but the doctor thought he would have' a better chance if I went, with him. He gave some drug which eeemed to put mc under his influence, but for once he miscalculated things. The influence wore off before we got to Newhaven to catch the boat, but I didn't let. him know. I even appeared to be eager to be with him and to go to France. Then —it was a great joke—l gave him the slip on the boat and just "managed to get down the gangway on to the quay at the last: moment. Oh, I can see him now standing on the ship, his. face almost purple!" Molly laughed as she told her story and Peter put his arm closely about her.. girl!" he exclaimed. "He'll he frightfully wild at being thwarted by one of your sex. But, meanwhile, 1 suppose, he will.have obtained what he went to France for?" "No.c he won't," said. Molly. "His luck's out! I called at Mrs. Paxman'r this morning—they told mc you'd been there—and I found a letter from Monsieur Leroux saying that he was coming to Eneland arid that he would like mc to call and see him at the" Majestic Hotel .'this afternoon." -"Toor old Warringford!" laughed Peter.; : .-,' "Perhape we'd better not laugh too Boon," said Molly. "He's the kind wh< always have a bite left in them. Anyhow, I wonder if you'd like to come

round with mc this afternoon to see M. Leroux. ' I should? like /you to Bβ with , mc." ~-.-..'•■•;■";..'■■'"■-*":• ' '-' ~ {". "Yes. i f|l'ir,.. come with you. It may V ; be that we ....- shall \j: learn nj a little more aboutWarringford if Leroux knows himV" Nevertheless, I : lcnpw-plehty about him now. That effort ,of his to, get my mother's body exhumed shows that he lied td".,me when he said all traces of his" administration" of poison •would have disappeared. I've therefore decided to sacrifice my. mother's secret to the cause of justice. I'm -going to see the Home Office and get an exhumation order myself." \. "Oh, don't,'- exclaimed, Molly. '|We can.afford to ignore now that we've found each other, darling." - ; :?C' .v" ' ' "No, we can't," said Peter. «You yourselr said he might ':. have a kick left in him, and you can be sure it will be a • , , nasty kick. No.'the man is causing too r . ihuch..misery to be ignored.. However, :i'\ . let mc v take you but to lunch and then '; r . we'll see -;. Leroux ~ afterwards." ' \7 : - "• : 'S At that moment the 1 * telephone ' bell ii rang and Peter lifted the receiver to hear the voice of Conrad Fears who was per- - forming/ hie promise to keep in touch , ■with Sennett. He had no news to impart, though he had been trying to ascertain when Warringford was returning. So far, however, Mellor had had no word • : • from , his master. Peter and Molly had • ! ' a , laugh at the expense of Pears, about whom? Molly i; seemed to detect a slight ' '■' air of ; 'i the ludicrous, despite t the ' evil : - 'works with which he had been associated. ''■■■'• •- 'After lunch Teeter and Molly, wct,t to ' the Majestic .. and ,met n> Leroux, who proved to be a genial old Frenchman who >' had nothing but j pleasant : memories ■of Molly's father. ' '■••',. "Please , .'don't, let usi speak of hie difficulties," he said in excellent English. "He was.a splendid man in many ways. - He rendered kme several '. good, services which only his > death prevented,me repaying, But there, you.want to know something about the packages which he left in my charge. I don't know if 'j you're aware of It, but your father had - ' a great enemy .'the person of a Doctor '■'-;■• Warringford, who is now a fashionable figure in'the West End. You know him T" ;-,.-;..-'■ Leroux had noticed the significant "> ? glance ■which passed between Molly 1 and teter. . • : -- ? . -. " ; - ~ / ; "Yes,'; him," said the latter, "and, .with Miss. Stanway'e • permission, I will tell you a little about.Um.^, ! -J ; : Wta* .he .wae. ; teljing the jrwnchman the .tory; of Warringford'i A . ■•■:-..'.■■ —\(A ' . ■■■

almost unbelievable behaviour towards Molly and himself. Leroux wks astounded as Peter unfolded the details

of the diabolical means whereby Warringford had extracted Molly's secret and his own.

"It is well I came to London," he said, "for it happens that Roger Stairway left it to my discretion to acquaint hie daughter of the contents of the package* before she was twenty-five, and I am going to tell you that in the one is a sum of money, whilst in the other are 1 Hers* which I believe Warringford to be guilty of some crime, but what crime I cannot tell. Mr. Stanway thought that by the time his daughter was twenty-five she would have acquired sufficient discretion to deal with the letters sensibly. He could not bring himself to destroy them. Perhaps he anticipated that Warringford might at some time deserve the—what you call the screw' —being put on." "Cannot Miss Stanway see the contents of that package?" "Oh yes cried Molly. "The man is such a brute that I'm sure my father would consider it justifiable for us to open the package. Something must be done to make quite sure that he doesn't escape. As for the money, I shall give it to the Official Receiver to apply to the benefit of those who suffered through my father. Is it very much?" "About four thousand pounds, i think," said Leroux. "It's in bank-notes. As for the other package,- I have both here and I am willing to open the one containing the letters in the presence of you and Mr. Sennett. I merely brought them to show y and to discuss the best means of leaving them for you in the event of my death." A few minutes later JJeroux produced a large foolscap envelope, sealed with a large seal which Molly recognised as that used by her father. Then I. opened the package and took out a bundle of letters and, opening them out, laid them on the table so that all three, cculd examine them together. Presently Sennett stepped back. "I've seen sufficient," he said, "to know that those letters written by Warringford are enough to hang him." 1h& others agreed, for they were letters referring to the death of one of his patients a number of years previously. They had been written ur confidence to a nian named Fortescue, tfho had promised him a portion of the inheritance winch would come to. him upon the death of tlie patient, an. old man of seventyfive. . Not to-day would Warringford have -written such letters, even to one whom he trusted so much as he did Fortescue. Warringford was young then. Fortescue had been careless enough not to destroy the letters as he had told Warringford he would do—he was abroad at the time of their receipt —then he had died himself and itanway had come across the letters whilst going through his papers. It was all so simple. Yet how many-of our astutest evil-doers have been incriminated by. letters' which they thought would be destroyed? Here, then, was another string to the bow with which Sennett meant to rid the world of Warringford. It would save the unpleasantness of having his mother's name mentioned in the courts. No wonder Warringford had asked to which patient did Peter refer when the latter had mentioned exhumation

Peter begged to be a! owed to take'one of the letters to Inspector Perry, and to this Leroux, seeing the seriousness of the case, assented. A little later Molly and Peter departed, Molly going to an hotel and Peter back to his flat where he found Jim Cooke awaiting him. "I've been asking a few questions about that there knife, Mr. Sennett," he said, "and as far as I can make out it belonged to that bloke Nialama. Two or three saw it. Bill Fetter did, for one. Not that it matters much, seeing that Nialama died, aboard ship on his last voyage. Hie ship berthed yesterday and they say he was buried at sea. I'm not surprised, for he looked bad when I saw him last. They say he said something about a chap he'd murdered in England, but he was rambling, like, when he said it, but I wouldn't put it past him to have done it. These dagoes think nothing of knifing a chap. I've had a few escapes myself." When Cooke had gone Peter sat in his chair pondering over the information which the ex-pugilist had given him. If it were true it explained the murder of Reginald Lovell. Peter decided to see the captain of the ship, which he did later that afternoon. The captain, himself a South American, repeated the story which Cooke had heard. It appeared that Nialama, knowing his end to be near, had spoken almost incoherently of having killed a man who was making love to his wife. From the stray remarks he had made to the captain, it seemed sure to Peter that it was the murder of Lovell to which he referred. He had found the man in his wife's house—she had a big house left to her by a relation. It seemed perfectly clear. At first Peter thought of interrogating Mrs. Paxman, for Molly had told him of. her perturbation on the night of the murder, but finally he decided to leave the unfortunate woman in peace. He could see no purpose to be served by dragging up the crime, and eventually he declined even the idea of telling Perry. The mystery of Reginald Loveil's death should remain a mystery. Nevertheless, he paid Perry a visit that evening and acquainted him of the letters which Leroux had brought over from Paris. The inspector was keenly interested and immediately sent one of his men to obtain several death certificates which had been signed by the doctor so that the handwriting could be compared. There was' no doubt about it, the letters were in the hand of Warringford himself. "You say he's in France?" said Perry. "In that case I shall have the boats watched and a message sent to mc as soon as he sails. But I have not decided yet about what other course of action to pursue." "If you take my advice you'll decide soon." said Peter. "He's a queer fish and is almost supernatural: If he senses anything in the air, as he may easily do, you'll find him very hard to catch." "On the other hand there's nothing so disastrous in a case of this kind as acting too hastily. Perhaps you'll come and see mc in the morning, when I may be able to tell you my plans. If anything happens in the meantime I'll ring you up and let you know." With that the inspector thanked Peter for what he had done and bade him good evening.

Peter felt relieved that he had got the evening to himself and immediately went round to Molly's .hotel, after which the tw.o spent a happy evening together, referring as rarely as possible to the fiend about whom the nets of inexorable Fate seemed at last to be closing. (To be Concluded.)