THE HAND OF THE OPPRESSOR.

Evening Star, Issue 12067, 12 December 1903, Page 3

THE HAND OF THE OPPRESSOR.

fPnblished by Special Arrangement.]

Br J. W. Matall, Author of 'Bitter Blood,' 'Paying tbe Price,' 'Grasping the Shadow.' 'A Girl of Resource,' etc., etc!, [Copyright-.] SYNOPSIS OF PRiviOU.S CHAPTERS. CHAPTERS I. to llT—Jasper Holroy.l. lawyer, has arrived at that crisis in his life. when a certain escape from overwhelming difficulty presents an irresistible temptation to the thoroughly cornered man. To Jasper it takes the form of suicide bv poison. He is ruined by vain speculation*; and his future he cannot face. As the potion is raised to his lips, there is a loud ring at the door bell, and Jasper's attempt is' frustrated. The caller is an old school chum : of Holroyd's—Dick Carsdale by name. It is a well-timed visit for Jasper, for bis j Visitor asks the lawyer to take charge of j his orphan child, a" baby girl, as he has i just received order." to go out to India. I His fortuno of £5,000 will be invested by ; Ihe child's trustee, and the income is to be j devoted to her welfare-. Jasper almost I faints from the shock of such, a reversal in I his affairs, but he accepts the offer thankfully. Jasper Holroyd's clerk, Ephraim. Fogg, is astonished at the change in his master's appearance, and he sets his subtle wits to work to find the cause. Holrovd decides to place the child in the charge "of Fogg's mother.. To this Ephraim consents, fend Sirs Fogg consents also. Under this regime a whole vear slips bv _ CHAPTERS IV. AND V.—Then Jasper is startled once more. This time it is bv seeing the announcement of the death of Captain Richard Carsdale in the doilv paper. It alters Holroyd's plans. The child is in his way. But for her all the money which Carsdale had placed in his hands would he his. hut Winnie Carsdale Ebows no signs of an earlv demise. In desperation Jasper bethinks 'himself of some "tUj WayS ° f £ ettln S rid °f unwanted 'Htj^ l ' and lie finaU J" hits upon a common expedient which he proceeds to put into execution by advertising. From the numerous replies he selects one, and after satisfying himself that Jane Williams would be a trustworthy agent of his evil purhe decides to send his clerk on a long journey North, while he removes the child. Ephraim makes a confidante of his v mother, who willingly joins in his scheme. ■-.. >«, True to EphraimY prediction Holrovd' arryes -up to Mrs Fogg's door one evening pd jafter stating that Winnie is to cr 0 \ 0 ter facer's people, who are willing to Jdopfc he?,, he takes .her away in a cab. Mrs Foggy, anxiety as to the result of her fons plans are set at rest bv the sight of the detective, seated in a hansom, following in the wake of Holroyd's cab ° CHAPTERS Yl/and VH.—Ephraim togg makes more discoveries of his principals methods of working the latter hi a-wara of. He finds out where the child (s> located, and when his own plana are fullv matured he proceeds to Holrovd's houW opens fire on him at onoe, and ait* terrorising him into abject submission he Informs ! him that the police have made a raid "upon ' a certain house, and that the woman Wjl- - ; bam* is under arrest. Jasper place* hi mr I self in his clerk's hands, and is ordered to ' go into hiding for some week?. When the • trial comes on the case is anxiously watched ' by the two men. Ephraim keeps 'his victim in a constant state of fear, but Jasper's dread is somewhat allayed when the woman reveals nothing. She. is sentenced to penal servitude for life. Jasper Holrovd returns to his place immediately the trial is over only to find himself completely under the thumb of Ephraim Fogg. Fogg has not a gram of mercy in his composition, and the : reign of terror once begun the remainder of Jasper Holroyd's life is passed under such \ onerous conditions that penal servitude itself sometimes appears to the unhappy man ' s \ as a comparatively peaceful existence < ■jJJnnng these years Ephraim Fogg amasses < wealth. He and his mother remove into a : rhrer house, and live in accordance with < their bettered circumstances. One day m i ea% summer Ephraim takes a cab to Her- I bert Carsdale's rooms. Herbert Carsdale •' is the first cousin of the late Richard Cars- : 1 dale, and Ephraim presents himself in the

guise of a philanthromst. Herbert, who is always hard up, accepts the offer of pecuniary assistance. The lawyer then obtains i rue information that Herbert's uncle, Sir i : James (the late Richard Carsdale's father) is worth a pot of money. He inquires about I a girl, a granddaughter, of Sir James's. , Herbsrt informs him that she is no relation, but only an adopted child, and further tells him it is Sir James's wi?h that ho should marry this girl. Having obtained , this information Fogg pays for it by satisfy- , I ID K t"i- young man's monetary require- ' j ments. CHAPTERS VIII. and TX.-Tho story passes over to Garden Oaks, Sir James's country residence. Herbert returns to "his mofher. Mrs Carsdale and he discus j Winnie as a suitable wife for Herbert, and . . both admit that she has a partiality for : Jim Verrance, but as the latter has" been . ordered out to India, this gives Herbert a ; l *f£ r ch ™r- , , Mrs Carsdale was the wife • , , ft Garsda!e - Slr James's brother, and , she had been a widow for two years. Great I had been the widow's astonishment on her ~ .arrival at Garden Oaks to find a girl ini galled there as the granddaughter of Sir ; and bearing the name of Winifred , Carsdale. Jim Verrance, son of General ■ \erranee, and Winifred Carsdale were lovers, ] but Mrs Carsdale is successful in separating ; them. Jr.st before his departure for India i Jim, in desperation, sends a. private note. : i to Winnie, which falls into Mrs Carsdale's j hands. She meets him at the appointed ! ; place and delivers a fictitious message from : j Winnie, which has the effect of sending J:m i j broken-hearted to India. | i i CHAPTER X. j TROrULEI) HAYS. I Until she received definite information of ■ Jim Verrance's departure for India. Mis Carsdale experienced all the tortures com- , mon to the wrong-doer who fears detection : indeed, had she known what an agonv of suspense her act was to bring it is probable she would not have committed it. j When she knew, however, that the danger was passed', any misgivings she had had ! were cast away, and in their place reigned the sense of triumph that success usually briii£s. For her son's sake she had taken great risks. Had she hesitated his future would have been ruined. At such a time everything depended on boldness of j thought and the gift of acting decisively. ! . All along she had known what was in ti'ie ' young soldier's mind, and she had set herself I ' to defeat liiin. She had succeeded, but it ; \ had been a case of touch and go. Where ] ' she had shown her superiority was in fore- j : stalling the moves he had made. She had . considered it probable that when he found ' ' his attempts to obtain a tete-a-tete with. ! ' Winni-3 checked he would write to her and : ' ask her to give him a private assignation ! I She knew his writing, and she had not j ' found it bfhcult to possess herself of his : ' letter. The idea of meet bur him as Win- ; • i::e's envoy had at once presented it-self i : to her, and she carried it out to her entire j ' satisfaction. 'lhe way was quite clear for t ( Herbert now, and she meant that he should ' " lose no time in making Winnie his wife, i , She would nut feel tbat"riis future was safe • " until "his- was accomplished. j .' When she told her son of ihe deceit she ! f had practised upon his rival, he regarded j her in a fashion that was highly coinpii- i ' mentaly to her powers. i ; ' •'Gad! mother, but vou'll ■ stop ar j l nothing," he said. ' ' c "Not. when your fnr.ure is at strike." she i ' I answered, her* eyes fixed on him 'with "a ■ ' : tenderness that showed the depth of her ' ' affection. All her hopes were centred -n - her son : all the love of which her h,v."t . | was capable was -jiven to him. ■ l' ''lt's a risky business, too." he remaikcd ■ • as be opened his cigarette rase. Thov ' " were in his sitting room, a luxuriously fur- I '' nisbed sanctum, that reeked of tobacco and ? waa littered with pipes an-.l b"jxes ! "It would be very awkward if j; lva ,« t * v ',,'. ! '' brought to light." '' : a "That is scarcely likely,"' she repbVd • it' "besides, it was worth the risk, if ] )>,j • not suppressed that letler. thev would h'ive : J been engaged now, and your chimed of b,- i f coming master of Carcieji-o,ik< H-riuid'h-iv • ? vsmshed for ever.- : A-sit is there are ditii- ' culties to overcome, but the greatest ob- ,-. stacle is removed. She cerUinh- cared u. r ' '■* Jim VciT;uice, and now that he has "tiiie : t away without declaring liimself, she % i'l! \ ' conclude that he does not care for he [■ '■ is very likely that she will be quiiVWadv ' v , to turn to someone else— crirls always <| f > n J such cases—and that someone, must* be von ",- I have done my share, now do vours." " Herbert Carsdale puffed at his cigarette 7

in a way that showed he considered there were still obstacles in his path. "It doesn't follow that she'll have mo now that he is out of the way." he said. "She will if you manage things properly. You must be careful. Try and take an interest in what interests her. Show her that you find pleasure in her [society. Ask hereto go riding or walking with you, and don't be -discouraged if she declines. You must persevere. It is worth it." Her son did not seem to take kindly to the advice she gave him. He was not the one- to woo a maid who was difficult to win, and he had no desire to afford Winnie opportunities of snubbing him. "One thing I warn you against." his mother said ; '* that is, being in ton great a hurry. You must give at least six inontJis to this matter." '" Six months!" and liis countenance*, expressed the utmost dismay. "Good heavens, mother, you don't suppose I e;m stick in this dull hole for six months, dandling after a girl like Winnie?" " Herbert, you must. Think what is to happen to you if you lose Garden Oaks. It is not a very long time, and it is of the. utmost consequence. You have dilly dallied enough. Every day is of importance. Can't yo'u see that Sir jamea is not what he was? Haven't you noticed a difference in him since your last visit?" "Why, yes, now that you mention it, I ; have," he said. : " Herbert, he is breaking up fast. I am sure of it," she nodded "with conviction. " I shouldn't at ail wonder if ho went off suddenly. It would be a blessing for us if he did—that is, providing he had not willed his money to this gill" "He may have done so already." " He bus not to my knowledge; but of course he may have. He is very close about his affairs. I have never succeeded in getting much out of him." Here the confab was interrupted by the appearance of a servant, who announced that afternoon tea had just been taken in. Every day that followed Mrs Carsdale saw the eiiVcts of her evil work. It. was I most marked upon Winnie. Tbe girl was j as bright ;md as merry a maiden to be ' found in the land, but now that the one she j loved had gone without a word of farewell her brightness suffered an eclipse. She hud loved Jim; for that matter loved him still, and she had not expected h:m to go away to this distant land without a word. He had led her to expect that he would speak to her as a man usually speaks to the woman he loves. Was she to uudeist-md that those sweet words and ! ardent looks meant nothing? Was she to understand that they were the meaninglesstokens of one who is simply beguiling" the iinic? That she should incline to this belief was natural, and now. on looking back into the past, she saw that the last two years had not been satisfactory. With the arrival of Mrs Carsdale matters had seemed to go wrons between them. She had a certain und*nVd feeling that the widow was for this, but there was no tangible evidence to confirm her suspicions. Mrs Corsdale was too clever to cive aJivone grounds for making a definite charge against j her. and poor Winnie was an easy prcv to her cunning wiles. Kate Carsdale 'was skilled m_the unenviable art of raising doubt and suspicion in a manner that was above reproach. With rare craft she had thrown out subtle hints that told against .Tim's (haracter. At fim Winnie 'had ignore'! ihem:_ nay. she had laughed at them"; but the widow had persevered, and in the < ml some of her shots had hit the mark. Peri'fet trust is ;i rare quality, and in love ;,re often the first to doubt each other. One or two trivialities, perfectly innocent in themselves, but becoming very" damaging when touched up by such a skilled perverter of the truth as Mrs Cars-dale, served as 'he thin edge of the wedje. Winnie had considered that she hid cause for complaint, and her manner had been a little stiff and | cold. Slu- was sorry for this now. Pet- ! haps she w,:s to blame. One minute --he j was ready to admit.this ; the next the told • herself "1 hat- she' had pl;,eed a wronsr construction upon his intentions. After all, hu had only ; :ee n ~,,.- a brother to her. Many tears did she shed over her ill ftte.i romance. She grew „ little quieter :; htile paler, and then she resolved ( 0 do lt.-r best to put her sorrow uway. \ brave resolve, but oh I how diliierdt to carry out. I J hen- were others besides Winnie who I were boin puzzled and grieved bv the im- I -•atisfactorv condition of affairs between t'"e ' roung people. ! Sir James was bitterly disappointed that Tim haa gone away without asking the sirl

ft to be his wife.. Although, the master of • Garden Oaks did not express his desires a • openly, yet it had; always been his chief i hone that the two "young people should be- . come betrothed.' Jhu stood high in his i favor, or, rather., he had done. ° Now he r had suffered a fall, for the baronet was l.ot c inclined to attach any blame to Winnie. I Great as was his '■ disappointment, it was r no greater than Mrs Verrance's and the General's. The former especially was deeply ) trouble/1 by the misfortune. *She was a • good-natured woman of the warm-hearted , type, who found a surpassing interest in an - affair of the heart. Winnie "had always teecived the affection she would have be- • stowed upon;a daughter, and she had never i been so happy as'when she saw the two ; young people together. Of course site was not in the girl's con- • fidence. neither was she in her son's. She i hadfar too much delicacy of feeling to iui trade upon such secrets, "but if she "had re- • muined silent she had assured Winnie of her sympathy by a motherly embrace or a warm > piessute of the hand." It is true she had > often yearned to discuss the matter with > Jim. but Jim, though an admirable son, ■ was just the one to keep his own counsel on such a subject. He had never revealed his i love to anyone, and he was scarcely likely : to do Probably a woman feels the want of a confidant in such matters more than a man, and when Jim went away it was to her husband that the good lady'turned with }ier trouble. I No doubt he wan the right person, but several circumstances rendered her choice unfortunate. [ In the first place the General was as <iis- : appointed a.s she was- and his disappointment affected his 'temper very seriously. Again, s-he appratiched him tit a moment when his gout was at its worst, and at such a time he was always glad of an excuse for giving his tongue rein.. This he did now. He attit-ked his son in hi:; most savage fashion. Jim was a fool. He was chickenhearted,'not tit to wear a uniform, a coward, nay, wow than a toward. He had trifled with this girl. His conduct had been abomI inable. There- was nothing meaner cr j more contemptible th-jn the "behaviour of : which he Lad been guilty. Winnie was fnr- | tunate in being well rid of him. As for himself, he did not wish to hear his name again. So he went on until both his breath and his powers of denunciation failed him. His wife made no attempt to stem his anger. Experience had taught her that such attempts only acted as fuel to his rage. I Silence was the only way in which to treat | ! such outbursts, and though she would dearly ! have loved to exchange opinions on the dis- i astrous love affair she was forcvd to forego this luxury. Thus Mrs Carsdale- succeeded in rendering no lees than five jN;ople thoroughly miserable. There was Winnie, with all the natural impulses' of her fresh voung heart blighted. Far away, being borne°to the ' lonely Indian hills, was the man who loved her. his mind given over to those bitter reflections on women that come to most men who aro crowed in love. Next there was: I Sir James, his hones of «e-einr: his favorite I happily married dashed ; and last there was j the General and his wire, tho one with hi;- I faith in his son sorely shaken, the. other lamenting over the sod on- that bad befallen I her. j Cleary it v.as n ir'.ta'ee example of the triumph of villainy over virtue. f'RAI'TMiI XI. I i-i'..':!N.":i; 'nit-: worst. j A'thm-gli Mrs Cu.J.ile !,-,,] c-ot rid „f the rnccipa.l clerr'em of .d-.n-er u, ] icr scheme., ' she soon fern-id that .-he had other difficulties ! to contend wiih. Sir Jairws quickly beir-m I to cause her -.ttxi-tv. Of l u; ,. hjs health had not been satisfactory. TI- was aware of this bims-df. and one ue-.--.k-end a verv famous physician, who was also an old friend ! came to G.Mdeti Oaks »:..[ hold a rons'idtatiou with its owner. \is C.'arsd.'ile would ! have mven a great deal to le: U -n the result of the confab, but neither the patient nor ' the doctor showed a ciesiie to gratify her ' curiosity. ' " I She w;ls not- hm- however, befoie she i realis-ed that the great- specialist's verdict '■■ bad been unfavorable. i One. morniu" Sir ! James looked up from, his letters and an- j noiuieed that Mr Bntfit. his London lawyer, I would arrive that afternoon and stay a "few I days. • j The news caused the widow s-rious alarm I Mr ISurfit's visits to Garden Oaks were uni- I ally a>-::!ci:;terl with important business and '• Mrs Carsdale was convinced that on' this occasion he was coming.to receive instruc- -

—— : -4- :—. _ f tions for his client's will. Hero was grav« s matter for disquiet. Although she tried tc f persuade herself to the contrary, she was - aware that there was a great probabilitv s of her brother-in-law bequeathing the largest ■i share of his wealth to his adopted graudt! cliiltl. Assuming that he did this, and that his fortune finally came into Winnie's hands 3 bUore Fie was Herbert's wife, it was more than probable that she might decline the r al'jance. She would be quite independent j then, and she might drive those she had riel frauded from the house. That she would > do this the widow Mas prettv certain. It • behoved her, therefore, to bring about the - marriage with all possible despatch. In a remote corner of her brain, however. ' there lingered the hope that Sir James might recognise the claims of his own kith and kin, and she showed a great desire to learu Mr : Burfit'E business. With this object she made herself particularly gracious to the lawyer, showing herself" anxious to render his stay as pleasant as possible, and using craft to gain ah inkling of the true object of his visit. Mr Burfit scarcely answered to the usual preconceived ideas of a family lawyer. His appearance hardly suggested that he enjoyed the confidences of many clients. He was a genial litle man. rosy faced and inclined to corpulency. Although Hearing sixty, he carried his ye;irs lightly, and in his dress be was somewhat of a dandy. Mrs Carsdale was indefatigable in her attentions to him. She, it was who took him the round of the grounds and the stables, and on these expeditions she was constantly set-king some moans of probing his brain. Skilled though she was in this art. she gained little that was satisfactory. Mr Burfit's experience of the human j-acc. had been large and varied, and the widow had never succeeded in deceiving him. He interpreted her attentions rightly, and he found little difficulty in checkmating her. As his visit drew to a. clone, however, she grew boldei, ;md finally she spoke in a fashion that could not hemisunderstood. On the morning of his departure, as they were looking at the blossoms in the conrervatory, to which retreat she had purposely beguiled him, she begun to speak of Sir James's failing health. " It gives me great concern, you know," she said. " Of course, it has been plain to us all, but we do not like to sav anything. As you know, he has had a consultation with his old friend, £ir Partridge Baker, but he has not told me the Tesu't. He is j vt-iy close, and T am naturally anxious about { matter*, especially about Winnie/' j Mr Burfit, who was smelling the leaf of , a scented geranium in an abstnuted fashion, mn.de no i espouse. "You see. Mr Bui fit," she went on in a confidential lone, "Winnie would be left in a very awkward position unless he made some provision for her. Of course, he may have done that or he may not, but I wanted | you to put in a word for he:-.' 1 don't suppose. I urn betraying a secret when I tell you that Winnie is no connection of our family. You are aware of that. I daresay?" " Yes. I am aware of it." he said. I ~"^ J!( '' °f course, if anything happened to j Sir James and he had not made a will she would be left penniless. Of course, my son and myself would take care that she was provided for. but still it would be more isitisfaciorv if she h;;d an income of her own. Now. I think 'hat, if he has not already settled his affairs a word from you would do a good deal of good. .[ know you ( admir- Winnie, and J am sure you would I be delighted to do her a. good turn." j •" My dear nrvlam. I should be charmed, and allow me to y.ty that, vnur motives do I you credit. If I thought"? could further I Miss Winnie's fortune in nnv wav T would [ eertaiidv do so, but. unfortunately, .you over-estimate, my power with Sir James. Any suggestion of that nature would do wore harm than good—that is. coming from me. On lhc other hand, if it came from you I have no doubt that he would lisren readily." For a moment the widow was silent. Although' she gav:> no sijzn. she was bitterly disappointed with the" result of her plan". This iosy-cl)eek'>d little lawyer, so suave and polite, batiied her, and' she admitted her defeat by turning (he matter off with a few c">mmo!:pia.-..-e. words. Ml- Burfit geranium leaf in his coat, and then they returned to the, house. Directly she was alone the polite smile she had worn in the lawyer's society was n- I placed by a harassed "expression'.' Once I again she found b-rseif confronted with a ' crisis that threatened to bring disaster to ! her plans. Undoubtedly Mr Burfit had I come down to make a. draft of the Baronet's < w:IL and this will mhrht spell rain to her- I

self and her beloved Bertie. A couple of months had gone, by since Jim Verrance's departure, and Mrs Carsdale could scarcely congratulate her son on his success as a lover. It is true Herbert, had remained at Garden Oalcs for the purpose of carrying on his wooing, but he.made little headway To tell the truth, he had little taste for the affair. Winnie's- character did not appeal to lum, neither did her beauty .suit his tastes. When Mr Burnt took his departure the widow gave up all hopes of learning the object of his visit, and then it was that the unexpected happened. That same evening Sir James sent it* her to his private room.

She found him sitting in his easy chair, and his thin, pallid face -wore a look of unusual gravity. " Close the door," he said. " I have something important to say to you." She gave him a keen glance, and then obeyed his request. Seating herself opposite him, she waited for him to speak, iier heart beating with unusual quickness. "As you are no doubt aware, my health is not what it was," he began. "I have not long to live. Sir Partridge has told me that the end may come at any time now." " Oh, but he may be mistaken," she cried. "No, he is not," he answered in his decisive way. '• lam aware of it myself. However, it is not about my health I want to talk to you, but about the way in which I have left my money." Here Mrs Carsdale gave a little start, her eyes brightened, and she glanced across at him expectantly. " I sent for Mr Burfit to give him instrac- } tions for the making of my will. He is preparing it now, and it wiil be ready for my signature next week. I have decided to I inform you of its contents beforehand." j He paused a moment here, and her breath i came a little quicker. Of course, you will understand that" I have always regarded Winnie as my heirea?," he resumed, " and the greater portion of my wealth, as well as Garden Oaks, will go to her." Again he paused, as if to give his words time to sink into the widow's mind. Tliev did that very quickly. Although she longed to express w hat she thought of the abominable wrong that was being inflicted upon herself and her son, his statement was not unexpected. " I daresay you consider that I am doing you and Herbert an injustice in leaving The I bulk of my properly to one who is unconnected with me." " Well, it hardly seems fair," she murmured, with quivering lips. Her hatred of lum ab that moment was so great, that she could have struck him. '"Perhaps it doesn't seem fair—to voti," lie returned dryly; •' but I have no desire to see my money made ducks and drakes of by Herbert." " Oh, I am sure " ( " I am more than sure," he interposed. I have no faith in Herbert, and if he ever becomes master of Garden Oaks it must be through Winnie. ]f Winnie chooses to marry him I .-hall have nothing to say. I suppose he is rcadv to marry her'?" he added, villi a dry touch. /'Qui- • ready." she replied. "It is the wis.i i.. i: ,y L . that they should make a match of it." "i don't doubt it. I should advise you t" tell Herbert, to make haste. I shan't, interfere. I have no sympathy with hi* wooing. I shall do nothing to influence her: indeed I should be better pleased if she re- ! fused him than I should be if she accepted him. However, I vill do nothing to spoil his- chance. It shall rest with her." There was another pause. Her face i showed that she was suffering from keen i : emotion. As a matter of fact, she was i ; thinking of the dread consequence* that ■ would ensue should Winnie refuse Herbert. "If she should refuse to marrv Bertie, thvii we should have to leave Garden Oak.s I suppcre':'' she murmured. '• Ves." Ther.' wae no hesitation about the replv - it was prompt and decisive. " ' '■ But you wouldn't leave us absolutely penniless?" she pleaded. * i "No ; you wiil have an income of five ! hundred a year." isiie bowed her head in silence—bowed ii to hide the expression of that disturbed her features. Five hundred a year' , And this girl, tiii,? alien, would inherit thousands. Gh. it was mere than flesh ;>,).; blood could stand! " I think that is all I have to sav to vou " he said, and he took up his newspap'orr'a hint that by retiring. (To be continued.)