"THE RING"

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 120, 23 May 1928, Page 18

"THE RING"

By MAY WYNNE (Author of "The Golden Hour," "If Richea Increase," "Other Men's Shoes," etc., etc.)

SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS MAISIE GARNELL Is the eldest child of the Vicar ol Darton-Winleigh. She Is affianced to MURRAY MALLERTON, a young doctor. One day Maisie is able to assist a lady ■who has fallen tlowzi the sid'j of a disused pit. The rescued lady ia so grateful that she gives Maisie, as hostage of her gratitude, a ring of great brilliance, but peculiar appearance, the setting of the stonea forming a strange hieroglyphic. The woman. MRS. BANBERRY, tells Maisie to keep the ring for two months, then bring it to Reydell Court, when she will have the of giving her the reward it is er firm purpose to bestow. She obtains Maisle'B promise t/iat she will not wear the ring or show it to anyone until the day she returns it to Reydell Court. A MR. RODNEY GLASHIER comes to stay at the village inn with bis servant— FO CHUNG—a Chinaman. Maisie and Murray take an instant dislike to these two. Glashler calls on the vicar, and Fo Chung amuses Malsie's younger brothers and sisters by showing them conjuring tricks. He says be could show them the best trick of all if only he had a ring. The vicar is seriously pressed with bills, and Glashier obliges him with a small loan, and says he will not consider this a debt if he can have a smal gift as compensation. He would prefer a ring, if Maisie had no old one of any 6ort to give him. Can Fo Chung and Glashler possibly have anything to do with Mrs. Banberry and the mysterious ring? Glashler is not convinced when Maisie says she has no ring, and threatens her. Later Fo Chung by artful means, contrives to look himself in Malsie's bedroom and make a frantic search for the ring.

CHABTER V. "Maisie's room!" exclaimed Dr. Mallerton. "What on earth can have possessed the fellow,? He must have been mad. But—." He passed Barnard and entered the house running up the stairs there at a time. Maisie was glad that he had not looked at 'her. The colour was slowly returning to her cheeks. At first she had forgotten that she had slipped the talisman into her pocket and she felt a sensation of relief a«3 her fingers closed round the hard band of gold. What a strange chance that, what had been sheer carelessness, should have resulted in the safety of this much-coveted treasure. "Nice, eh?" eaid Bernard, recovering his self possession. "I knew those heathen Chinese ran amok at times, and I felt pretty rotten with the kids about. Nellie behaved like a heroine. She's got them all playing a patent edition of 'Up Jenkins'!" Maisie came to the foot of the stairs. A fresh fear assailed her. "I hope he won't hurt Murray," she said. "Oh, dear, how awful it is. Listen!" A tremendous banging brought not only Mr. Garnell from his room, but a cluster of curious faces to the sitting room door. Maisie went to her father. "It's all right, dad," she said, "Murray is here. He is upstairs now. Fo Chung has been rather stupid—or ill. But we needn't bother now." The vicar smiled. He was In & most placid and contented mood. Though he had not asked Maisie what she had said to Bodney Glashier he had a profound faith that his daughter would do the right thing. So now he retired to the Writing of his sermon, leaving Maisie to follow her brothers upstairs. Murray Mallerton bad just succeeded in breaking open the frail door—everything in the vicarage was on its "last legs" in the way of structural repair and such trifles as doors and window frames!. Seeing Maisie, the doctor called out a sharp command: "Go back—all of you— instanter." They retreated with reluctance, but huddled at the stair head watching nervously. Mallerton had entered the room but there had been no sound of scuffle or struggle. "I bet," said Bernard with a shiver, "your window's open, May. F«'s done a bunk. But he must have been mad. Was it the pain, do you think?" "No," said Maisie, "I don't think. I —-I'm going to see." Ana she marched forward. As it chanced, disobedience did not cost her dear. Mallerton had finished a quick search of the room and was leaning out of the window as she came in. He looked completely puzzled. "What can the chap have been after?" he exclaimed, "really it does look as if he had been u bit touched in the upper storey. Only a madman or a monkey would have chosen euch a r way out,' but Fo Chung evidently not only chose, but took it successfully." He pointed toward the broken guttering which ran along the moss-grown tiles of the roof. No one could have jumped from euch a height without injury, yet the only other explanation of Fo Chung's retreat was that he must have leapt from the corner at right angles from Maisie's window into a chestnut tree which spread leafy boughs toward the house. Thence descent would be easy. Maisie drew back into the room. "So long a<3 ho has gone," she said, "I am content." She looked toward her locked "treasure" drawer.

The Chinaman was an expert burglar. For short as had been his opportunity he had broken open the drawer and tipped its contents on to the bed. Every other drawer or possible hiding place mu3t have been searched too. The room was in a hopeless state of confusion. "He seems to have been on the ramp," said Mallerton, "but what I want is the clue. Can you throw any light on the subject, darling!" Maisie had been expecting—and dreading—the question. And how difficult it was to answer! Her changing colour answered already and Mallerton looked still graver. "You must tell me everything," he said—just a trifle dictatorial in his manner, but he had been dreadfully worried over the whole thing, which had roused vague and dormant suspicions. Unluckily the note **£ command was his worst weapon. Maisie had been on the verge of tears. If Murray had taken her in his arms and coaxed for confidence I am thinking that various promises would have partaken of pie crust nature. But his demand, spoken as to a child, dried up the fountain of tears and roused the combative spirit, whch smacks of ruffled temper and k called so often by us in selfdefence, "Honour's command." '7 , can 'J' , te M y°u anything," retorted Maifiie, biting her lip. 'I have made a promise and, of course, I am going to keep it. I—l don't expeet we shall ever see Fo Chung again now, since he did not find anything."

The boys had clattered downstairs, eager to go out and make search for the fugitive. Murray and Maisie stood on the landing. "Maiisie," said Mall art on, "what did he expect to find?" She laughed uneasily. "Don't look so awfully solemn," she replied, "there's nothing tragic. And it .... it will all be settled and. done with—very soon. Wait and see, Master Curiosity—and if you are a good, patient boy, you shall be rewarded." But her coaxing was ineffectual, for Mallerton had caught the note of bravado which hid fear. "Aren't you going to trust me, Maisie?" he asked reproachfully. "I ask you most earnestly. There is a secret which you share with Fo Chung and Glashier. They are men of the world, subtle and versed in Oriental intrigue. You are an ignorant—oh, yes, don't pout—country lass with no chance in pitting yourself against them. And I am convinced that both those men would stop at nothing in gaining their own ends. Trust me." He ought to have pleaded that way first! Now it was too late. Maisie, with nerves awry, tired after a long day's work and unrefreshed by tea, was unreasonable. She gulped back her tears, but resolutely moved away. "You ought not to ask me," she said, "if I wore a man you wouldn't! A ■man re . . . respects the honour of another man. Yet you ask me to b . . . break my solemn word and I won't." She flung nway from her lover as she spoke, and dashed downstairs. Murray took three steps to follow her, then hesitated and frowned. "11l leave her alone till to-morrow," he muttered. "Then she will have to tell me, though I haven't the foggiest notion of what the game can be. Something money-making I- should guess— since there is an American in it. But what can the Chinaman have been looking for?" He still asked himself the question as he returned home. It was his intention to return later to ask if any trace of the Chinaman had been discovered, but —of all professions that of a doctor is the most difficult for a man to be sblo to make plans. His landlady met >.im to say that the telephone had been ringing like mad, and he was to go to Rohlvn Court at once on receipt of message since old Sir Archibald was taken worse, and it did not seem possible he could live till morning. Mallerton had to return to his car and start at once, but he went most reluctantly. He wanted to see Maisie and offer a new line of infallible arguments by which to win her confidence. 'It's a puzzle to me," he thought, "as to however she got mixed up in it all. But she'll have to tell me, and I'll settle the business out of hand. After all, it is quite as important as any other 'case'—and a thousand times more so to me. I hate the idea of my darling girl having any sort of link or connection with those scoundrels." He would have repeated those words in stronger terms had Be returned to the vicarage that evening. Maisie had called "the children" and begged them to say nothing about Fo Chung to the mother. "She will only fuss," she added, "and it is not fair. Mr. Glashier has left the neighbourhood and Fo—if he is at all sane—will have certainly followed him. It's good riddance to bad rubbish."

She did not find any voice raised in agreement; in fact, the younger Garnells were inclined to lament most sincerely, for their friends of the Rainbow Inn, and Doris was discovered by Maisie later in floods of tears whilst she sobbed out a story of being certain that darling Chung was dead since no oqe had been able to find the missing knife which he had certainly swallowed. (To be continued daily.)