"GREYMARSH"
By ARTHUR J. REES. Author of "The Mystery of the Downs," "The Threshold of Fear," etc. CHAPTER VI. Next morning we drove over to Grevjntarsh early. From the car Grey went j i:.rough the gates to :he tower, leaving mo to go alone to the house. I was £::o\«u ir.to a morning room looking out lon the river, and Linda Liskard came to !me there. >be wore Mack, and looked ' vale. J though:. She gave me her hand I asked afu-r her husband. She lifted I her Lead v.-ith a smile. i "11-.- is better, Mr. HaMhsm. decidedly ; hotter. I am clad to jay. Dr. Kendall ;.-a~s he will recover now—with care. If lirr smile faded. She broke ofT abruptly aid looked away, iier slender fingers ' j laying nervously with a goM chain la.'-o'.it her ne-k. I guessed the thought ««> ja-sir.j through !.-r mind, i'rtter :iian at.ycue si.e kr.i-w the menace 'which lurked in wait i<~>r her husband's . re-t- ration to health. '• "I am verv c'.ad to hear he ;« letter, i La-iv Liskard." j "Thv..k you. Mr. Haldham. Has yu.r I frier Mr. Grey. discovered anything j yet I Her voice charged. Her eyes were : dark with suffering and unhappiness. "He is making investigations,'' I replied gently, "hr.i they are not complete: yet. Y--u ]>i',i!-t be hopeful. and ■aait. Gr.-y v\ ii; !o-k into all the circumstances tii'.: •. jy. you may lie sure of I that. He i- going to Norwich soon. tn j see ore of your f. r-r.er guests. I heard , him say -o yesterday." j j She lv.-ked uii quickly. j "'Ure of my former guests! Whiifc'• one—did you hear him sav?" "Ye-." 1 answered. "his name is Lir.t-I I oil. He is a iter, I understand." I I I had jerfornic i iny task disingenu- 1 ;C-usiy. yei with s-me reluctance, too. But I was certainly not prepared for the effect of my words upon her. Her fingers gra?ped the thin ihaki tightly, ar. 1 her j fate went suddenly white. "H-- is goini: in Mr. I.intweli? D" to': kr.o>v \v :-at f• r " >iie spoke huskily— almost indistinctl_v —a- th question? tame with h-'-.td. and r-turned qui k'y. glad to be *.•> answer with truth: j "No. I di-1 not. Hut Templetor. vas tell- t | incr vis- that Mr. Lir.twell made some amateur invert ir.it ion= p--»' i • - 1 : rv, V T ha" " "Anl what iias ti.is to do with Mr. Grey'" >i.e s-'oke with a sudden anger that caused r.ie to !o.>k at her in surprise. "He is here f-• r that purp^•"■>." I rer.'in.ied her. "to tlirow licht r.pc-n thidark tragedy, if he can. My r.ncle wanted him to make independent investigations. He asked us both to Norfolk f"r the purpose, in fact.*' "True. I had forgotten for the 1 element.She spoke with returning com-p-'-ure. but beneath i: I climpse-l strange v:">t;b:s and fears. "And do you think Mr. Grey will succeed —do you suppose } •> wj'.l discover anythin™ at all'" ; "Hp has made some discoveries al- ! readv." I ar.»-At-red: "though I cannot i vet tell you what thev mean. And wna*i ever has t-"-:n hi hieti he v ill discern j sooner <~t l.iter. you can feel quite cer-; j tain of that." 1 "You seem t-"> have great faith in him. \V- nt n:akc« u.n feel so surob' | "That he will discover what has been I hidden —and much has been hidden— about Henry Liskard's death! Because I have never known him to fail. Becau-e ' r 'i hi? ?r>ecial rifts."' j "I realised it the first moment I saw him. I think that I feared him at once.'' ; There was a tinge cf fear in her voice , .a: that moment, and I turned over her admission in my mind. I would have j liked to ask her'in what way sbe feared i him. but 1 resisted the impulse to speak There was a moment's silence. i • -if—" I j Her voice trailed off. There was silence : B_v.in. Yet in that single word all her j fears, ail her doubts, stood expressed. | And. when 1 spoke, I sought to reach ■them and answer them in a manner she ' could tindery* and. 1 have no-.'r.ing to fear from Grey."' il said: "he will be able to heip you, '.I you need it. \ou can be sure ot thai, j ' She did not answer immediately, but sat still, her fingers or.ee more playing with the thin gold chain. At length I she looked up. ; "Thank you. Mr. Haldham." she said ! earnestly. '"I thank you for telling me i what you have, and I wu.l think over j what you have said." We rose, and she held out her hand. | But as I turned away 1 had the feeling j that it would not be long before I sailer arain. I waited outside near the gates for j Grey, for I had no inclination to go ito him in the tower. And presently he ! came, walking through the grounds with J swift strides. As he drew near I observed I that he held something white in his j hand—a sheet of relied paper. I thought. He saw my eyes rest upon and held it out to me. "Look a: it. Haldham." he said. I unrolled the sheet and saw a crayon drawing of a girl's face, boldly, yet delicately dore. From the rougn surface of the drawing paper the sad little face or Avis Ormond started out. and seemed :to look up at aiv with dark, st-eaking eyes. T.ie likeness was wonderful; there I Could :>e r.-i two opinions on that. | "Where did you find it!" I asked. "Among a litter of finished and unfinished stud'es m the studio." Grey j replied. "There was a cupboard full ! of tnem. and I found this near .he botj torn o: t.ie heap. It is silent additional j te?timony that the bond between this I pirl and tne dead man was as close as | I nejd :ne picture in my hand. It j moved me. , n some inestdicable wav. !As Ijianced it back I said: j "V, aat are you going to do »"ith it V' I Grey put ilc .ittle picture away. [ r w;.l wa.k over the mar-hes to ■ c-ttasre ccj tne c..:Ts this afternoon, .-i-.w::am. r.e saiu. "I had intended to ! Avis Ormond to-dav in anv case I - . . * . " i - —. t . : i> jfwn-.j w;i: maKe it easier j .o. Sr? to teJ tne t—utn. Perhaps it j — a ~ not r>e wanted at all."'" . He put it carefully away. We went I tn.-ough the gates, and walked across I tne sand toward- the car. j you tell Lacy Liskard about ;L:ntweil!"' Grey asked. ' - 1 di 'V. ar '- appeared startled— j a.most frightened, in fact. But I told her she had nothing to fear from vou." He nodded thoughtfully, mat afternoon Grey and I went over tne hiils from my uncle's house towards the ec*ast. On one side of the marshes ]a y Grejmarsh, w.-.h its hich land, its ground-, and dominating tower, while on the ot_er the marshes swept to the distant elm-. V. e threaded our wav towc.r-1- thfin. to w iier- an-tiier path ran to tiiem from a canal. As we drew j
| near the channel we saw a numan figure, | j silhouetted, like a shadow, in the mist, jit was a girl, standing motionlesi by' | the plank whjch formed a bridge. 1 'knew her instantly. It was the g.rl we i had set out to seek. ! ' As we ap; roacned she saw us, and ! moved away from t!v> flimsy bridge to lot us cross. But Grey halted in the path and stoke. ! "Your name is Ormond—Miss Avis Ormond, .s it not!" he asked. •! She turned towards us quickly, surprise written on her face. "Yes," she said nervously, "why do l ' .you ask 1" . "Because we were cr. our wav to your home to see you," Grey re: lied. t "To see me'"' she rerouted, with a ' fluttering voice, and a startled look in : rer -oft dark ryes. "Why .... Wl.v , • . . . her voice laded away. "I want to a-k you a few questions." Grey explained gently, "if I may. j Vuey'.ions about Heury Liskard, whom | 1 think you knew." j stool silent, with hands tightly ! i and her head turned a\*av. But I had set-n that her eyes wtte full of t-. ars. "I have nothing to tell you,"-she murmured, after a pause. " I "I am here to st-rve justice." Grt-v ' went on: "to find out the n.urderer Jf Henry Liskard. n I can. An innc>cer.t person is su-pevted—the brother of the • man who was killed. Vou would nut like the innocent to suffer by voui yiit-nce—l am sure of that." 1 knew by her quick look towards him, that he had taken the rizl.t line. With Lis subtle appreciation oi type:-, he had read hrr guileless nature at a glance. "No. ' she answered slowly. "I should not like that." j "I a'-o know who shot him." Grev ' j went in. "But—if it is any consolu ' tion for you to know thir-—the one who . di-1 so wiil never be brought to trial." j She seemed to liear him wondering!v ; Grey went on: I "Le: me show you something —.t will interest v ou. I think. Look at this picture-—your portrait, is it not V , He tc-'-k the cray-in drawing from his pocket, and placed it in ber hand. She . xann.-d it timidly for a moment, ti.-n : 5 and--; it back. of n,-. ." "Drawn by Henry Li.-kard—is that ( vc: '■(. "You knew him we".'., then' D.: y-u • see hnn often —will you tell rnc- that;'* i "I used to meet him sometimes «>n ' he won: -ut painting." she hesitatingly . replied. "He -p >ke to n.e first on the 1 mar-he l , ar. i *j« very kind to tr.e. 1 liavo been very unhat py, since—since i.e died." Her lips quivcrel. There was pitv in ' Grey's eyes. "When did you see him last'" "It wa- that last aft-rnoon —the dsv <"'f the tide." sbe answervd sadly. "I had been sitting with him ui» the river— vvat-i-hir.g him while he sketched. "And when did vou leave him*" "On tie i-ridce —n-ar '■he faintly, as thotigh at son.e hidden thoti«ht. "It was nearly dnsk 1 tii'-n an i 1 hurried heme a r-.-ss the I mar-hes." 1 ; "And you 5S w yjrjj again V Sbe burst into a sudden passion of j tear*. • "No." she said, "'never a rain. 1 But that night, when the tid" <"-verj flowed the marshes, I felt afraid for i 1 him—oh, so afraid. Something seemed : :to tell me that he was in dar.z'-r. When the water vvas li-i.ng I would have gone etross the marshes to warn them at Groymarsh, but George Rudsham came ; out ar.d saw me. and would not let me 1 go." | i* She was eryin™ quietlv n«w. Grev b-'kt-d at her thoughtfullv for a n:-"-- ; n.er.t. then said: i second mate of the Perseus, is he r.ot!" | She ] "And lie h. a .«* sm--e rone Itark to tea c-r , gone away. • V.ieve*" i I "\es." sue said. "He had to rejoin his! I ship." | "Were you sweethearts, you and he - J Were you going t'~> marry him!" "Not real sweeihe-aru?." she answered | diffidently. "George always wanted to, marry me. but I : -.*.i n.m 1 uidn : love : iiim enouEii. "And was he jealous of Mr. Liskard! Did he know about you and him!" ! j 1 sue s-aid faintly. "He foundou: that night. He >aw me savins good-night to Mr. Liskard, in tiu- du-k on tlie bridge." I • - ?->e gave her answer quite trankiy. but 1 couid see she was on the rack- i "George Pvuds-ham was ancry. I eup-pc«-e. when he eroke to vou tii3t nirht!" She bowe-d her head. "With you. and w.;h Mr. Liekard as well 5" j "On. yet : very angrv. ' ' said crue! things alo.st the difference' in our positions. and that no. goo-d could come of our friendship— tbmgs like that. Ge-orge wanted me toi promise him not to meet Mr. Liskard again, and when I refused he became angrier than ever, and epoke dreadfully then. I was a little trightened of him. j I think." I She ma le this reveiatinn simrdv. ar>-; r(■ nk. \ vi;. \i x. & *iv 3r c o 1 11*? s«n tc r • , i impor;. j ■J "And after mat —I heard Grey; . quest i--n h--r ag-in—"nlia: happened ; [ , then»" r ! "Nothing-—' her hps tremoi-.-l . slightly—"except t'aat they m.ssed as. • indoor-, anl father sent out Creeke vv.tnj ! a ligh: to s-ee wba: kept us s-d lon j | My father, who is blind, stood in t.ie ■ i oj>en doorway, but Georze would not co ; back to tne house to s3y gocd-night. He • . set out for h.s walk arrc-ss t..e hills. 1 | He had some miles to go. and wa. i j join hi' ship the next day." ■ ; "And Lave you Lear] from him since 1" 1 ! Avis heard this question with surprise ! . "Ob. no!" she said, "why do you ask' that "I thought you might have expected a 1 letter from him." j > "No." -he responded cuietlv. "Georr- , . would not write. He knew- it was aii > over between us alter w hat he said that . I night. Ee understood that. I feel sure, i ■ ; I never expected to hear from htm—cr j i to see him —again. It would be useless | —as he knows." :j the was silent, standing motionless i 1 as before, in a attitude of listless j ' apiathy, facing towards the sea. Grev, . looked at her and sp>oke. j "1 am grateful to you for answerine' ■1 my questions." Le said, "and I have, 1 nothing more to ask. Would you carc ' j for this little sketch!" • 1 Her dark, uplifted eyes answered him. i and he placed it in her hands. i j "Thank you." she said softly. ' We tumrd away. On the other sid-' !of the little bridge I leaked back. >he 1 ! was standing where we had left her. Iv j the brink of the canal. And her head ■ i wa — l»ent over the little in !>.-r I j Land:. | (To bs continued daily.) i
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Bibliographic details
Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 46, 24 February 1927, Page 22
Word Count
2,363"GREYMARSH" Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 46, 24 February 1927, Page 22
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