“BURNT WINGS"

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 31 October 1928, Page 4

“BURNT WINGS"

CHAPTER VIII

Sir Horace Hopper gazed through half-shut eyes at the white-clad figures springing lightly about the green tennis court. Because of his position as president of the club, lie occupied the post of honour in the gay company “\Ycll puivetl Miss Doom;, well played!” he laugher after Kathleen had finished a hard tout of strenuous volleying. “-.We’ll see you at A imbledon yet!”

•‘Flatterer.!” slu> called as she ciashed to meet the opponents service,Sir Horace laughed aad stooped down to return a ball lli.it bad rolled near him. Both Peter Brent and Harrv Doore seeled side by side, had nos failed to notice the magnate's obvious attention to Kathleen, but, neither mentioned it. When the game was over, however, and Sir iionce was s/t aking apa:. i to Kathleen with! an juiciest rliat was perhaps a little more than paternal, the two be.vs with one accord strolled slowly over the ground in their direction. Except for a slight 1-netting of his grey brows, the , resident made no sign of displeasure ;J>e intui :• option of a tete-a-tete, nut, Kathleen web oiled them with a oliee / sn-itatioii. “Hallo, Mr. Brent! You see I’ve played after all.” “And played very well, too,” answered Peter, shaking hands. . “1 thought Mary was coming,’’ asked Harry. “So she was until she remembered something she had ho do—as- usual,” rep.ied Ins sister with a slight pout. 1 “bhe doesn’t come to tennis very often,” she explained to Peter, “and has an -idea that she knows nobody, and will feel out in the cold. Nonsense J call it.” “Your sister has been telling about her sprained ankle,” said Sir Horace turning to Harry. “I’ve been scolding her for taking such a risk with it today.” I “Oh, I believe she’d play tennis from a, bath-chair,” laughed her brother. “Still, it’s hotter to be out, anyway;” A bell tinkled in the pavilion, and a pleasant girlish voice called that tea was ready. “Sir Horace is entertaining all of use to tea. Are you boys coming?.” Peter and Harry asked to be •excused, and Kathleen raced across to the pavilion like a happy child, while the mill owner followed at a pace not quite compatible with his usual dignity. Lady Hopper had* been invited to the little party, but had declined on the plea of a former engagement. The fact was, the wife of the local member of Parliament had that morning invit- * ,ed her to go for a run into the country, ana she had gladly accepted the oiler as being more to- her liking. Peggie Deauville, who had been hovering about at the tournament, was leaving the ground after the guests had gone into the pavilion, when lie noticed a young, fashionably dressed woman approaching the gate, . She was pretty, obviously “made-up,” and lie felt vaguely that he had seen her before. Then, as ' 'recollection > ame to him, lie went to meet her and took off his liat with ail elaborate vOW. i “Pardon me, but aren’t you Miss . Esterel?” i “i am,” she smiled, “but I don’t know you.” I “My name is Deauville —Reggie i Deauville. Used to be a- member of l the Proscenium Club in London.” “Deauville —Deauville,” repeated the woman. “I seem to remember the i name. M ere you with •” ! “Yes,” burst out Reggie delighted- a Iy, ..“with Clanrie Green, Johnnie a Lester, Nellie Drury, Percy James, c Dolly Springer, Judy Martin, and all that lot.” .i “Oh, I remember you now. But you t* went away.” ‘a “Yes, unfortunately,’’ , sighed Ii Reggie, “hut I’m going bgck soon, I & hope. There’s a big man here that you’ll remember —Sir Horace Hopper, o You know, the man who used to ” " “Yes, I know,” replied the woman grimly. “I’ve come to see him.” Reggie remembered the letter he had opened, npd lie could have danced for t joy. I: “He’s busy at the moment,” he re- a plied, with a grin. “But I’ll be only s; too pleased to help you if I can.” “Dive him this, then, and tell him “ 1 must see him at once. I wrote to d him the other day, but he chooses to b ignore my letter.” fi , Reggie took the visiting card gingerly between his fingers, as though o afraid of soiling it, and read the name o he had previously known so well. h Miss Ninon Esterel,’ Proscenium Club, Soho, W.” ii Among the tinkling of teacups and bursts of girlish laughter, he iiad to knock two or three times before the door was opened by a maid. n “Who did you say gave you this?” ir asked Sir Horace Hopper as he vi frowned down on little Deauville. qi “A lady at the gate, Sir Horace, pi Shall I ask her to come in?” >* “Certainly not! Tell her to go and tc be —— ” oj “All right, Sir Horace. Is that the only message?” T “Tell her what you like,” was the tu angry response. L As Reggie was returning slowly to the gate, the millowner called him back. “Toll her to wait,” ho cried. di

The patience of Ninon Esterel was becoming exhausted when Sir Horace appeared. “Well?” he asked.

“I was wondering if you got my letter,” she answered quietly. “You were rude enough to ignore it.” “I intend ignoring all your letters in future.” he replied angrily 7. “That’s what I thought, Horace, dear. That’s why I came to see you.”

“You’ll find this a costly amusement, madam!” he blustered. “Don’t call me madam,” was the -'•rcastic rejoinder, “It sounds so octant. 1 used to bo your darling Ninon—till you got tired of me.” The woman spoke quietly, hut in her dark eyes there were smouldering fires that threatened to burst into angry flame. “Hadn’t we better get away from here,” she suggested, noticing some of the party emerging from the pavilion,, “or would you rather vve stayed?” Without a word, but vvith an angry step which spoke volumes, Sir Horace Hopper led the way up the road away from the town.

By G. Herbert Teague.

5 nope to survive tor long the terrible • pressure or the heavy hand that was - gradually relaxing her muscles. JPant- - mg auu tearful she vainly strove to i matvh Uio brutal strength of the bully, out he laughed at her ebons ' t Hastily glancing at the notes, he , pushed them deep into his pocket, i “Two nvers! \Yliat luck! Wish 1 , .quid always get ’em so easy!” “You’re a. dirty thiei, j>en Dale—a dirty gipsy thief. 1 ” she panted. “Go on, my beauty!” lie sneered. “The -gipsy was good enough .or you

mice, Wasn’t he, till you met the rich alone?” “j.’d got to live, hadn’t I? Did I know you would te too lazy to work .or your wile? 1 d.dn’L know you were iiera.” ■ “Didn’t care, either, did yer? When the war killed the little show business r ’ad, you ’opped it, didn’t yer? But the old woman said you’d come bacx some time.” ' “No woman’s coming back to be knocked about, and starved as well. You’ve only got yourself to thank for anything Tam now. 1 wish I'd never veeu you! ’ she concluded in ;i burst of tears. • “You kul no money when I met you first, an’ J ’ad plenty',” he went, oh relentlessly'. “So, hem’ a vvidder an’ artful, you sorter fascinated me”—he laughed .derisively— “fascinated me, 1 saiu,.'an’"kids meter ” “The man I’d lost then,” she burst out passionately, stung by his taunts, “was a better man than you!” “Died in quod, didn’t ’e?” ‘Wes, an innocent man! Sent there for stealing money which he had never touched, and died of a broken heart. But J. know now who took it. and —”

a storm of tears prevented further speech. “Como, qrf it!” sneered the gipsy. “Turn orf the tap. . What’s done’s done. Come back to yer lovin’ husband' an’ I’ll give yer one o’ these fivers.” The recollection of her present need of money drove away immediate memories of the past, and she held out her hand' for the note, “Not so quick. When are you cornin’ back?” “Never!” “Weil, then, no money!” ■ “If you don’t give me one of those notes .now, Ben Dale,” said the woman, with a determination that convinced the gipsy by- the unnatural quietness of her. tone, “I shall complain to the police in Kirkcliester that roil have robbed me with violence of ten pounds and leave you to get out of it as well as you can.” The throat had flic desired c/l'cct. L’ho g-psy gave her cue of lhe banknotes immediately and allured Ills tone lo one of wheedling. “Gimme a. kiss before you go.” “Most certainly not!” was the indignant reply. “You’ve no claim on tne now. Go away if you want me to help you. J hate you—and threaten me at yoilr peril,” she concluded, as the man paused as though to strike her. With a foul imprecation he put his hands in his pockets and slunk hack across the common. Plot and purple with indignation, Sir Horace Hopper strode violently along the road back to the town when ne had scrambled clown from the top of the hill. He cursed Ninon Esterel below bis’ breath, and cursed Jiis own lolly for surrendering to her Wiles in the past. But ho was determined to end it once and for all. If she thought she could blackmail him she was mistaken . A loud honk made him step quickly to tlm side of- the road,; and a motor car coming round the beinl overtook him. - “Good afternoon, Sir Horace,” called a pleasant feminine voice, and as the ear came to a stop ho saw the wife of the local member sitting with her ladyship. “We’ve just been for a drive. The country is gorgeous now.” '

“Wliat do you want?” lie ueinandeU. I “That s a brutal question, seeing I aul deprived,or you and you are .. priceless old ——” 5 h “Stop -this tooling! Tell me what eb you want and he ou, or <” n * : Ho raised ins arm as. il to strike her. 110 “Any of that!” she hissed, as she stepped back, - “and the next move will be with her ladyslup. i wan t l ” LoU now. I’m hard up. • We’ll talk about the rest later.” 1)1 The millowner laughed mirthlessly. “Fifty pounds! to you think Tm a “ walking hank?” v ; ' “Uoii't asiv mo what I think you !( -j are. You might ho offended. f my “ pounds is! what -I said —to ho going on with.” ' . :e Instinctively he had led the way J ° over ttie high ground at the side of the road. His • regard for the safety oi “ tiia reputation. impelled linn to cdu- ' tinuo the discussion, where they were o leapt likely to- bo overheard, it . “Hdty pounds!” he repeated, liis :1 neck and lace purpling dangerously. ■ •jLiidicuious! Here, take tnese aim 11 think yourself lucky.”. The woman snatched the two lb notes he onered, then screwed tuein 1 up f in her hand and uung them m his 11 race. “ nlind with rage the millowner sprang at tiie frail creature and attempted to e seme her. \> uli a ivilu smiex she moke away, while a man rushed out “ i no in iiie adjacent bushes aim aimeu .i aiCiv at her assailant. r Tut fcir Aiora.o cropper was running .101 l Uio tomnion luster Limn lie liau d u.cr run toiorc. Aie-o,ernig herself, flic woman iook- ;• ocj. at her rescuer. - atunding motiou--7 less as though fascinated, sue cried, , “You hero:'’ and collapsed on the > grass. “uootl God! My wife!” cried the t k'psy as he ran -toward her. o Z ' CHAPTER, IX. s “What's the game?” cried the gipsy r brutally as lie snook the woman into ' sensibility. “Unat are you back eit .or:' \i Mat are you doing with Unit j tou, an who is ! c?” ,i " ii i± v should J. tell you?” she as ken defiantly, as she pi cued i.p tnc f crumpleu notes she had hung at iiei .ormer lover. The quiciv eyes of the . Utah had. 3 noticed the action, however, and bej .ore the money coula be seereted lie b had seized her clenched hand and was - endeavouring to wrest the firize from ner. ) Jtter knuckles showed white with the i force of her grip, hut she couid not

“You look very hot, Horace,’’ said her ladyship, regarding her husband questiomngly. “it is too liot lor you lo wain to-day, particularly as you won’t take much exercise.” “Yes, it is rather warm, dear, ’ replied tne knight awkwardly. “I’ve just been on the common. I couldn’t resist it; the view from the hill is so beaiitilul oil a clear day. Don t you think so?” ho concluded, turning to ! the M.r'.’s wire lor corroooiaLon. “So > I’ve been told,” she laughed, “but I am airaid you Have more energy than l have.” “iou look tired,” persisted her ladyship. “’Will you come home with i us?” “No—no, thanks,” was the reply. “I’d rather walk just now; Grimes is waiting with the car at the ground, and i’ll come on with him.” “What ail escape!” he murmured as he wiped his streaming brow and watched the car diminishing rapidly in the distance. From her position on the hill Ninon Esterel watched her old patron reach the road, saw the overtaking motor stop, but was too far away to distinguish the occupants, and watched him resume his solitary walk Theu, with a detorminod frown on her troubled face, she made her way to the ivirkchester road. Dusk had fallen when she reached the tennis giound. Nobody was in sight and the gates were closed. Without any increase in her speed, she wandered on mechanically until she reached the Five Bells Inn, where, without a s.nglo glance backward, she went inside and straight up to tho room she had engaged on arrival in the town. (To be continued.)