Lord Pendryn's Daughter, -OR- The Shadow of a Sin.

Hastings Standard, Volume XII, Issue 5846, 9 May 1908, Page 1 (Supplement)

Lord Pendryn's Daughter, -ORThe Shadow of a Sin.

CHAPTER XXXIV

NEW SERIAL STORY.

By HANNAH B. MACKENZIE. Author of "The Web of Fate"; "Tuixt Moor and Mountain"; "After Touch of bedded Haade," etc.

Well, the spoil is not so great as I expected." "Ha!" said the old man with a long drawn breath that was half a cry. "But, such it is, you shall have your share in good time. Now tell me, how did you manage to trick the authorities and send mo the certificate of your death?" " Ah? 'twas a fine trick, a clever trick," cried the old man, rubbing his hands together gleefully, forgetting, as the very old do, presnt anxiety in the memory of the past. "Authorities are not particular about card-sharpers, whether they live or die." "Naturally," cried the other, drily. "So Reginald Danvers is dead and buried. Good —very good .'" "And the money?" asked the old man, eagerly. " 0, yes !" the money ! We have other matters yet to discuss. The Earl of Pendryn is now with Reginald Danvers." But I got the money, part of it at least, before —he died." The two men looked at each other. Then the old man drew the other towards him, and holding his mouth close to his ear, whispered, " Did he die — suddenly?" "Aye," said De Rulnore, with an unpleasant look. "Suddenly?" For a moment neither spoke. Cardsharper, greed of gold, unprincipled, evil-minded as the father of Magdalen Danvers was, there was one crime at which he stopped short, and that was the one be felt his confederate had com-

CONFEDERATES AND ENEMIES

About a week after the conviction of Cecil Danvers, in a sumptuously apartment in the principal hotel of Monaco, a man sat leisurely smoking. It was a warm evening, an dthe windows of the room were thrown open; a verandah ran round the house, lookingly invitingly cool in tho pleasant evening's shadows ; but the smoker seemed to feel no temptation to quit his seat. Presently, however, he rose, glanced at his watch, and stretched himself, flinging the unfinished cigar out of the window. "I'll go down," he said aloud, as if lie had just made up his mind. "My usual luck will not desert me now, and I have tho chance of doubling the possessions which my last coup gave me." Having dresed himself, he made his way to the Casino, wher ho stood a mere spectator of the busy, excited scene. After a time he happened to raise his eyes to the mirror opposite. In it lie saw his own evil countenance reflected. Immediately behind his own he beheld another—that of an old man, shrivelled and dried like parchment, and with the unmistakable signs of decay and death upon it to which the evil look of selfishness and greed formed a painful contrast. Seeing, perhaps, from the change ou the face in the mirror that ho had been perceived, tho old man moved nearer, and laid his hand on the shoulder of the other, who looked

d eign-looking man, and a beautiful bo - to the Castle.1 Then came Manfred Danvers, who ha 1 parted from his disreputable famil * years ago, and who was becoming su< cesful as a London merchant, and whe 3, seeing the beautiful child of whom Mag 5 dalen was so proud, offered to take hii to England, and educate him. At firs Magdalen passionately resisted; bu a afterwards, thinking it would furthe 3 her own ends, she consented. And s . Cecil was taken from the mother, wh was henceforth to be to him but a dir memory of the past, until she cam ? into his life again, bringing unquietud _ and unrest and ruin in her train. J When Cecil was eighteen, he had an * nounced his intention of becoming a: ' artist, then Magdalen mado up he mind to go to England, and, tellin; " him all, leave the matter betweei . father and son. Then, for the firs time, she learned that Lord Pndryi had married a second time. She knei nothing of tho false story of her deat] that had been sent to him; she onl; . knew; he was false to her, and her rag' I and insulted pride knew no bounds. X I send Cecil to his father, and make th latter acknowledge her son as his hei would be too slight a revenge. Mag , dalen gathered all her resources to . gether, that she might deal Lord Pen ; dryn an open blow, by bringing hin before a court of justice, and, Lor< Pendryn died. It was a terrible shock ; but, dead or alive, Magdalen woulc ; avenge her wrongs. CHAPTER XXXV. THE ATONEMENT OF JUDAS. ; After leaving De Rulnore, Dauveri returned to his lodgings. They wen situated in a low part of the towi and tho room he entered was a dull dark one,, scantily furnished. In oni corner there stood a small black box towards which, as anyone might hav< observed, the eyes of the man were al ways direced. The first precautior Danvers took was to lock the door then, stealing on tiptoe to the window ho examined it to see whether all th< fastenings were tight. Having satisfiec himself on this point he went to th( box, and unlocked it with some difficulty, disclosing to view an amount oi money in English notes, French coins, American greenbacks, and the representatives of wealth of almost everv- nation under heaven, at which one might look appalled. The eyes of the misei glittered with delight. "Ten thousand francs!" he muttered. "What's that to me? Shall I not gain more by bringing this scoundrel to justice? Follow him up, scent out his secret, get him entangled somewaw. Not by fair means. b;it bv foul. But how —how? an old man like me! Villain—-double-eyed villain, to cheat me like this. Ten thousand francs! For years ho has been my master, and I have crouched to him; now I'l make him crouch like a dog, and die like a hound. But I must be quick, and get the rope round his neck." Mutering thus to himself, he began to finger out his money. "Twenty pounds—that will take me to England. But I'll need money there -money does everything. And I'll need money here. I will go to the Mayor and tell him he must watch his suspect closely, or he'll slip off, till I get a warrant from England to aporehend him. But will the Mayor believe me? I must have proof!" When he rose late in the morning, and had devoured the scanty meal which he had allowed himself, he went out once more into the town. Walking along a frequented street, he saw befoso him the till fig ire Tie knew so nf 11 Crouching behind T>i iror c 1 < 1 » t _ 1 t » T 'n e It < -> i <'o o he 'ld , ' U *~\ r n di 1 1 r 1 * 1 1 h n (I r 1* h 1 nr l 1 r < n ay 1 e noi Id ( in gt tt > t n r * Tho gentleman who has just entered." "Oh. M. le Comte? No, he did not say. Why?" "Because M. le Comte and I are well acquainted, and I have a little matter to talk over. But I have forgotten the number of his room"—he took out a card. "It is 27," said the waiter. "Ah, yes! so it is. Will yon tell Monsieur that the gentleman who was to meet him to-day finds himself comto postpone it till to-morrow night?" "Certainly." said the waiter. " Also my friend"—and a shining coin became transferred from the palm of tho old man to that of the waiter—"find out for me what hours M. le Comte will be absent this evening, and I shall call again in the afternoon." "Certainly, Monsieur." Reginald Danvers turned, and crept down the streets with a smile on his lips. He passed again in the afternoon, and learned that M. le Comte would bo out after dinner, and not back again till midnight. He returned to the hotel at night, engaged a room near 27, and retired to it soon, apparently to rest. But it was not rest Reginald Danvers was thinking of. When there was a momentary lull of feet passing up and down, to and fro, the old man stole gently out to the landing, and crossing to number 27, with the agility of a panther, knelt down, and thrust something into the look. It was a piece of wax. Two hours after, and it still wanted an hour of M. le Comte's return, Danvers stolo on softly to 27, inserted a key in the lock, turned it, opened the door and entered, then locked it on tho inside. Then began his search. It was the one thief robbing the other. For long, ho could find nothing that in any way could criminate his partner. At last, in the secret drawer of a writing-desk with which 'Danvers was so familiar that he opened it with ease, he came upon a packet, sealed, and having written across it, "To be put into circulation presently." He broke it open. It contained a number of Bank of England notes. The man's eyes gleamed. He selected one note, closed the packet, melted the wax where a slight break had been made, and left the room again. He had got all he wanted. That night, Do Rulnore little suspected that tbe man he had made his mortal enemy was .sleeping almost next door to him. In the mornins Danvers, paying his bill, slipped quietly away, and returned to his old lodgings. No one was any tho wiser. And that evening he met Do Rulnore. "I have changed my mind; ten

i "Ten thousand francs!" cried the old 1 man. " Ten thousands francs for selling myself to you body and sold! Ten thousand francs for betraying my own flesh and blood into your hands like a Judas Lscariot! Ten thousand francs !" "Ten thousand francs, and not a French sou or an English farthing more," said De Hulnore, coolly. "You are possessor of tho Earl's money, theif—murderer!" cried the other, in a frenzy. Did you not promise me a fair proportion?" "Do you want money stained with blood?" said De Rulnore. "If you want it I shall give you that instead of gold; I have the Earl's money under sure and safe guard. If not, you must be content with tho gold." " I will not be content with your villainous cheating," almost shouted the other. " Ten thousand francs—no, nor fifty nor a hundred! I shall have you before the authorities. I shall have you hanged!" De Rulnore laughed sneeringly. " Have me before the authorities ! How can Reginald Danvers, who is a dead man, do that? or, if he did, who would believe him?" Danvers utted an imprecation. "There's no use swearing over it, my much estemed old friend; I simply ask a few questions which are rather difficult to answer." The old man turned on him a look of baffled fury; then was silent for some time, as if considering the matter. Presently he said—" I shall meet you at the time and place appointed, then we shall bo able to settle our score." Do Rulnore looked at him closely. "Very well; you know my terms," he said, coolly. They parted,_ and De Rulnore. taking the opposite direction, walked back to his hotel moodily. " Settle matters ! The viper ! So we shall!" Danvers muttered to himself. Reginald Danvers' cogitations were not of a pleasant kind. He did not return to tho Casino, but walked down a

thousand franc? is bettor than nothing,'' ho said, but still in his old half-whining way." Tho other laughed. He did not suspect the weaker villain of so deep a villainy as Danvers was plotting. " 'Tis wiser for you, my old friend. I shall pay you the ten thousand francs down if you will let me come to your lodgings, and pay it there." Danvers acceded, seemingly willingly enough. '■ Tell me," he said presently, as if tho subject were praying on his mind, "is there any hope of my grandson getting offr What proof had they of 'his guilt?" "The very best. Cecil Danvers' pistol w-as lying beside the murdered man; and, I believe, ho would be unable to prove that he had been elsewhere but in the Pendryn Woods on the night and at the hour when Lord Pendryn is supposed to have met his death." "But there might have been some tramp, to whom the possession of so much money as Lord Pendryn had upon his person would be a powerful inducement to murder, lurking in the woods? And the money—that had disappeared, had it not?" "Who told you of money?" growled Do Rulnore, eyeing his confederate closely; but the old man's countenance wore its usual half terrified, half-baffled expression. "The motive for the disappearance of any money was not hard to find," went on De Rulnore. "The young fellow was left penniless by the decision cf the Court; and I can see from the papers he was on the eve of marriage with some girl in Cornwall, and afterwards going abroad. One can read between the lines easily enough." "And tho money?" persisted the old man. "Could it bo tracked? Money in England loaves a cine—it 13 not gold." Ho cautnionsly raised his eves Do Rulnorc's face had assumed a fook of sudden diabolical rage. He sprang upon the old man, took him by the throat and forced him backwards from him. "Dog!" he hissed. "What do you mean by your insinuations?" "Mercy!" cried the old man struggling to release his throat from the savage hands that gripped it. De Rulnore presently relaxed his hold as footsteps echoed along the quiet street in which they stood and contented himself with glaring wrathfully at the cowering figure before him. After a while Danvers recoverd himself a little. "You are a madman, De Rulnore," said he ,a little more boldly than lie generally ventured to speak. "But to what purpose is my talking? I can do nothing to save my grandson from a felon's death, I —he must die, justly or unjustly, and I can do nothing to save him. But I have sold myself to you, and 1 wish the wages of my iniquity. Come then to my lodgings tomorrow, and bring tho money with you." "I must kill him," De Rulnore muttered between set teeth, as he walked away from the meeting place. "He knows too much —he knows too much!" " Yes, come to-morrow," Danvers chuckled, rubbing his hands; "come prepared to kill me—as I know you will, Do Rulnore. You will find me your match at once. You do .not suspect that you are walking into a snare when .«■ you walk into my dark room." Danvers was not idle the rest of the day. but having communicated with the authorities, calmly waited for the appearance of De Rulnore. "You have come," said the old man, rising to receive his guest. "Yon were to cheat mo altogether. You have so often cheated me, De Rulnore, that I have begun to suspect your every pr< 111 -

I m\o i' it 1 mi fi 1 ( e 1 l 1 tir e » ill , J m t' l 1 I _ k c 11 i >r 1 i'l v ' 1 rv is » 1 i'a 1 « i7uic 1 pi \ 1 in \ \ i' r \n 0 I s i lpou it but ho lias held back bj a s + rong aim Tinning ion id he shrank back cowering before the terrible look on the face above him. " I have a little matter to settle ivith you first," said De Rulnore, in a voice of such concentrated yet perfectly composed and resolute purpose as sent a oo!d chill through ©very vein in Danves' feeble frame, though he knew help was at hand. " Reginald Danvers, it is unsafe for me that you should longer live; therefore I have resolved you shall die. You suspect me of the murder of Lord Pendryn, and of the betrayal of .your grandson: and your suspicions are so near the truth that I can never feel safe while your head is above the ground. Already you are, to all Intents and purposes, a dead man; before long, you shall be so in reality." But help was at hand. Before Do Rulnore could accomplish his deadly purpose, a door in the side of the room fell open, and two men leaped out. De Rulnoro saw them, and he saw also that escape was impossible. Tho arch-villain was outwitted at last, like a rat in its hole, like a weasel in its den; the cunning scoundrel who had escaped justice all his life was secured in the very presence of the weak confederate he had meant to rid himself of, and at that confederate's instigation. It was four days after that, that Reginald Danvers. decrepit. feeble, travel-stained, and weary walked into tho presence of the great Sir Matthew Clark. Law is not exactly the all-pow-erful machine in Monaco that it is In England; its scent of crime is les* acute, boundaries between its own domain and the domain of transgressors nro less distinctly defined; and therefore it is not so implacably, remorselessly resolute in its onward march. And it takes very long indeed before tho machine is oiled and jointed, and put in thorough working order. Reginald Danvers, who knew this well was determined not t > wait the slow movements of the Monaco authorities; he would l>e beforehand with them, and be tho first himself to apprise the English lawyers of the extraordinary apprehension made in Monaco. (To fce continued). _... 1