CROOKED COMPANY

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 150, 28 June 1933, Page 19

CROOKED COMPANY

FRANCIS MARLOWE //I

CHAPTER XV. Unable to fix responsibility elsewhere for her mysterious kidnapping, Anne had <lcfinitcly pinned it on the man into "whose evil clutches Phil had fallen. In 310 other direction could she discover even a suggestion of a motive that would lead anyone to have her spirited away from London and imprisoned. Accepting this as the correct explanation of the situation from which sho had bo sensationally extricated herself, she had to believe that a crisis in Phil's affairs had arrived, and that, while she was supposed to be beyond power of interference, Lumville and his associates had established complete dominance over him and were making him. their catspaw In the scheme to rob the Central Hank. Her first thought, therefore, when the had abandoned the motor car which Jtad brought her to Dorking and felt really assured of her freedom, was to yet to Phil's flat with the least possible delay. She feared now that it had already been too late when sho had consulted Mr. Summers, for she regarded her kidnapping as a sign that the plans to rob the bank had come to the point of fruition and that her enforced isolation ■was a precaution taken to ensure that the nefarious work should be finished ■while she was helpless to make any attempt to prevent it. Their manner of dealing 'with her left no doubt in her mind that the men who had Phil in their toils were desperate and detcimined. Impressed as she was by Mr. Summers, she ■was sadly afraid that by going to him only at the eleventh hour, she had set him a task beyond his powers, and even more afraid was she that, when she did reach Phil, it would bo to find that he vvas beyond anyone's saving. When she reached Dorking she took the earliest opportunity of getting away from the main highway, for it had occurred to her that it would bo wise to keep off the beaten track while there was still a chance that she might be overtaken. A little way down the High Street she took a left-hand turning, and half-way down she cut into a cross street. Evidence of life in the town now began to show itself; early workers were beginminrr to drift out of the houses and servants were washing stops. Uncomfoitably aware of her incongruous dress, Anno felt that she must inevitably invite curious interest from the people sho met, but one and all, male and female alike, passed her with no more than casual glances. It occurred to her in time that outwardly she must be no more than commonplace in this country district. Even to those who recognised her sex sho would appear to be only a isomewhat oddly-dressed land girl. She knew there were many such on the farms in the neighbourhood. Presently, just on the fringe of the shop district, she came to a shed-like building with a galvanised iron roof. Apparently there was someone already at work in this, for its door was open and the sound of a cheerful whistle floated out to her. She would have passed but that a shingle projecting at rightangles from the top of the doorway caught her eye and on it she read the black-painted word "Garage." _ This halted her, for at the sight of it inspiration was born. Why should she not, she asked herself, hire a car to take her from Dorking to Bayswater? She would gain hours by doing so, and as a fare-paying passenger sho would run no risk of awk-

/ / i ward attentions from the police, or indeed of inconvenient inquiries of any kind. Though her bag-purse had disappeared with her clothes, she would have no difficulty in paying the hire of the car when sho reached home, and if security for this were demanded her wrist watch would surely serve. She hesitated at the door of the shed for a moment or two, and, then, growing ease in the clothes she wore cmboldenin"- her, she ventured inside. A young man of less than 30, fair-liaired and with a pleasant, tanned face, looked up from a bench at which he was workill'"'. Aline noted that he was wealing an overall somewhat like that which covered her. So that there should be no misunderstanding about her sex, and to facilitate the hiring of the car, Anne took off her cap when sho entered, her luxuriant hair falling charmingly though somewhat untidily about her forehead. The young man ceased his whistling abruptly and looked at her . with the frankest admiration in his blue eyes. "I'd like to hire a car from you to take me to London; I suppose it can bo managed," Anno said, with a smile aud voico that "would have disarmed Cerberus himself. The man left- his bcncli and "walked to the door. "I'm sorry, miss," he said respectfully, "but ! haven't a car I can hire you. This is just what you'd call a repairing garage. The cars here, he pointed to two at the back of the shed, "are privately owned." "I wonder if you know any place In the town where I could get a car," sho said, replacing the cap on her head. , "There are one or two places, but you won't find them open yet," the man replied. "I suppose you're in a hurry, miss." "I want to get to London as quickly as possible," Anno answered, "but if I have to wait till eight o'clock, or later, to get a car, I might as well go by train." The man ran his fingers through his blonde hair and looked at her thoughtfully. Obviously he wanted to be helpful. "I was thinking, miss," he explained, "that if three-quarters of an hour more or less doesn't make any difference to you there's something I can do." "Yes," Anne interjected hopefully. "I have to go to London myself this morning to get some gear," he went on. "That's why I'm here so early—got a job to finish before I start —and if you don't mind running up in my little van I'll be glad to give you a lift." "That would do splendidly," Anne said gratefully, her fact lighting up; "but you must let me pay you—that is, I'll pay you when I get home —I haven't any money with me now." "No, miss," he said, "there won't be anv charge. It won't cost anything extra to take you along. I'll be glad to do it." "But you must let me pay you sopietliing," Anne insisted. "I'm sorry, miss, but I'm not taking any money for something tliat s no sort of trouble to me," he answered definitely, but still smiling. "Besides, you wouldn't want me to get into

trouble—l'vo no license to carry passengers for hire, you see. You just let me run you up to London and if you don't want to feel under a compliment —you needn't, you know —you can pass tho lift on to someone else that's in a hurry sometime when you get a chance. I can't take you on any other terms." Anno laughed happily. "It's awfully good of you, if you're quite sure I shan't be in your way." "It'll be no trouble at all," he assured her. "I'll finish this job I'm on, and have a bit of breakfast, and then I'll be ready for you. Perhaps you'd like to wait over at tho house —it's only just over the road. Mother will be getting breakfast by now and maybe you'd feel like having a bit. I'll take you over." He stepped briskly from the shed, and .Anne, feeling that she could do 110 better than leave herself in his competent hands, followed him across the road to a neat little two-storeyed house with tastefully curtained windows. lie opened tho door of this and motioned to Anne to enter. "Mother!" he called. A comfortable-looking, kindly-faced ■woman showed herself at tho end of the passage in which Anne stood. "Here's a young lady that's in a hurry to get to London, and I'tn giving her a lift in the van," he explained. "I'll bo along in about 10 minutes." When his mother had reached the door he was halfway back to his garage. "Come along in, my dear," she said cordially. "You won't mind putting up with tho kitchen, I'm sure; John will be having his breakfast there." Anno smilingly acknowledged the invitation and followed her to her kitchen, which proved to be a goodsized comfortable room in which a lire burned brightly. "You'll take a bite of breakfast yourself, my dear," the woman said hospitably, placing a chair for Anne against a table on which cups, cancers and plates were already laid. "I'd certainly be glad of a cup of tea," Anne said. "Better make a breakfast of it, my dear. It's that early you can't have had any, and you're young and healthy enough to have a good appetite." She added plates and another cup and saucer to the table service while she spoke. Anne, feeling embarrassed by kindness for which she was unable to make any return, thanked her almost shyly, and tho kindly woman returned to her kitchen range, and the breakfast preparations she had been making when she was interrupted. John Burdett returned within a few seconds of the ten minutes 110 had given himself, and by the time he had washed his hands and changed his overall for a coat, his mother had breakfast 011 the table. When ho had seated himself oppcJfaito Anne he looked across at her with a slowly-forming smile to which she found herself irresistibly responding. As'their glances encountered, it seemed to her that there were in his eyes little dancing lights of gladness as though on this morning he had found the world a very delightful place to be in. In a well cut grey jacket he looked as smart and distinctive as any man with whom she had ever sat at table. His hands, she noticed, were well shaped, and, considering his occupation, extraordinarily well kept, and when he smiled—before they finished breakfast Anno was finding his slow smile almost fascinating—he showed a perfect set of even white teeth. He did most of the talking, and when eventually they rose from the table Anne found herself wishing that this strangely-met young man knew Phil. A clean, straight, wholesome, thoroughly manly man —it was not surprising that his mother was so proud of him —he would be a much more desirable friend, she told herself, than any of her brother's queer set.

While John Burdctt was bringing liis van to the door his mother, still abstaining from questing for information that was not volunteered, took Anne to her bedroom for a wash, and insisted on lending her a comfortable coat to keep her warm on the road to London. Anne ' was very sincere when, on leaving the house, she gave her promise that the , next time she war? in the neighbourhood she would call and see Mrs. Burdctt [ again. 1 CHAPTER XVI. ' It was a little after six o'clock by her - wrist watch when Anno took her scat r beside John Burdctt in his van. ', "You'd better put this about your knees," he said, handing her a rug. "It will warm up presently, but just now 5 the air's a bit fresh." ~ Anne accepted his suggestion. He himself was wearing a comfortable- \ looking motoring coat, cap and gloves, j and in appearance—the garage man now completely submerged—was not exactly in keeping with the plain little work van lie was driving. 1 i "I believe you've left work undone to take me to London," Anno said, as they turned into the London road from i Dorking's main st vet. "You can't have - finished the job you got up early to do." ' "You're finite right," he said with a frank laugh, "but I've got it so well on its way {hat my man will have no s trouble in finishing it when he coincs. He'll turn up at eight." 1 With practically no traffic on the roads "> to engage his attention, he and Anne 1 chatted almost without interruption. In their few moments of silence she . once or twice caught him looking at her ~ curiously, as if he was speculating, as indeed he was, on possible reasons for , her urgency in getting to London. But however keen his curiosity ho gave no rein to it. He knew her name —she had given his mother that in his presence —and she had allowed them both i to continue in the belief that *he had come from a farm in the neighbourhood of Dorking. She, however, put no ' check on her questions, but satisfied to the full her thoroughly awakened interf est in Joh.u Burdctt, his work, and liis 1 hone. f "Surely your mother doesn't do all a the work of the house?" she questioned, r thinking of the spotlessly clean kitchen Iloor, and the shining pots and pans, s "She would if I'd let her," Jolm Burdett chuckled, "but I've made? her have 1 a girl in every day to do the rough - work." "You're a lucky man to have such a 3 nice mother." "I've been lucky in most things up to v now," ho said, and, pausing, looked at 1 her with just a hint of timorous daring 1 in his eves. "I hope my luck will eon--1 tinuc," he added. f Anne could not fail to understand the meaning of his look and words so canr didly conveyed. She encountered his 1 glance steadily, and answered, in the j most matter-of-fact way. B "I'm sure I hopo so," she said. "I j think you deserve it, too, starting out in j, business for yourself as you've done. I x sometimes wish my brother had done t the same thing; I think he'd be happier i and do better than wliero he is now." i, "What is he doing?" "He's in a bank, but I'm sure he's not y happy or comfortable there," Anne ree plied. 5 "There's nothing like having your own e business to keep you interested and i. feeling all right," John Burdett remarked a cheerfully. "That little garage of mine e is not much yet, but in a few years I'll s -be making a very fair income from it. S. If I had a bit more capital I could hurry y things up a lot, but it'll grow all right t as it is. It's hard work, of course, but e I enjov it. In about three weeks or so I, I'll have a nice little two-seater as well r as this van, and that will help me a lot in many ways."

"I think Id like my brother to meet you, Jlr. Burdett," Anne said. "I'll see if I can get him to come down with me some time when I call to see your mother." "You will come down some time, then?" John Burdett flashed her a pleased smile as he swung the van across a tramline just before reaching the Plough at Clapham Common. "I promised your mother I would, - ' Anne replied demurely. (To be continued daily.)

Author Of "The Secret of tho Sandhills," "The Sunset Express," etc. //I