THE MISSING i WITNESS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 8921, 9 September 1905, Page 2

THE MISSING i WITNESS.

By Mary H. Tennyson.

[Copyright.]

CHAPTER XVIII.

At half-past eight Sir Malcolm Stanton rose from^the dinner table at the George Hotel at~D . Two hours previously the heavy meal -had commenced; so that the farmers who had driven long distances

to attend the festivity in which the annual horse show culminated might be able to reach home at a reasonablehour. _.

Racked with nervous doubts, the two hours of the dinner had appeared to' the anxious man almost unendurable; but unless Tie would set tongues wagging about hia affairs — and- full of vague apprehensions he shrank" from doing "this — he knew he must wait until he had proposed -the principal toast, at least. But having called upon the guests to drink the health of their Queen, and afterwards prosperity to the show, and with somewhat scant politeness acknowledged the enthusiasm with which the proposal ~of hisTiwn health had been received, Sir ' Malcolm venturedto beg that he might be excusedfrom the hilarious scene, stating that he was uneasy about his wife, who had - been far from •well when he had left horae.

His excuses were accepted readily jthe more readily^ because the usually popular

chairman had been a distinct disappointon this occasion. - - - Sir Malcolm Stanton to be sure," was always dignified and somewhat grave in heading a table, but the farmers had been wont to declare "that the baronet's afterdinnerl speeches were to the full _a - good as any you read in the papers, and that the attention he gave when anyone else spoke,and his kindly smile of encouragement to beginners, put the most nervous at his 1 ease ~__ _ '

Sir Malcolm, in fact, was a gentleman from his crown to his toes, they declared,

with never a harsh word except for those who played rough- practical jokes -at the expense of their neighbors, and in thatway threatened to disturb the general harmony of the meeting.

But on this evening Sir "Malcolm's speeches had been comparatively ineffective: he had not been able-to conceal his

impatience during the long-winded oration of the country equire, who had proposed the health of "Their respected Chairman,"" and his reply had been curt to" the verge of brusqueness

Several of the principal guests, .however, insisted, against his-obvious wishes, on going~to the door_pf the hotel with him, and on waiting there -until he had ; started on his way, and the- faces of the honest fellows were full of portentous solemnity as they walked slowly back to the dinning-hall, whispering togetherr

What could be wrong with the baronet? He was- actually going to walk'home, calthought his dog-cart was to come for -him at ten. It was four miles and more to

the house, even taking the short cutthrough the woods. He must be -anxious about my lady, and no mistake. Well, Well, there had been some gossip of. lateT Budge was sent off pretty sharp, for an old servant. ' ~ —

And that there cousin of my lady's — the whisper went on — they did say that j he'd only been seen once in these parts during the last six months; and then he

came to the station at L , further'down

the line, not to DD — —, as he used to do, for all the world as though he wantedjto

escape notice But- he -went-- up to the house, though, for all that, for old. Burrowes had seen him pass his cottage.

Well, they hoped all would turn out right. Sir Malcolm was a good landlord and one of the_ best altogether; it -would be a rare pity if he came another matrimonialcropper, but he had done a foolish thing, for so wise a- man, when he, wedded a school miss,- only » year or so" older

than his own dau

At a quarter to ten, for the sixth time young William Blunt stole into his master's^ study, and slipping between the drawn curtains peered earnestly through the lat r ticed window. " - ~|

At half-past eight the servants supped ; but William had scarcely tasted his food, and at the first opportunity had left the servants' hall, giving as "a reason for absenting himself for the remainder _of "the evening that he- had work to do in Sir Malcolm's sleeping ehamber_ "that should have been accomplished in the morning. But relying on escaping the notice of, the rest, who. were _not disposed tcstir^ from the cheery sitting-room provided for \ their extra comfort by_their considerate j mistress, William Blunt kept in .the. vicinal ity of the hall and the study. On -the j

mat, after Antoinette had gone, he had discovered a latchkey, and feelingfcertain that, his mistress had dropped it inadvertently, he resolved at once to be on the spot when she returned, that he might admit her immediately. ""_"_-

Every few minutes, therefore, -he had looked from the window (for he dared hot_ open the hall door constantly.- lest the sound should attract attention), so as to be in time to prevent her applying for ad-_

mission; but no sign of her could he see, and each moment his trepidation increased.

Blinking his eyes, the young, fellowBtrove to pierce'the darkness. The full extent of the lawn lay before him, but. the light was .not good, and he was still standing with his face_ close to the- glass, when he suddenly started backwards. _ —

"Master !" he muttered under his breath

in great despair, "andmy lady- not in,yet!My word^ whatever will_ happen now? He'D go straight up to her room and find she's not there, and then there^ll be the" devil to pay: — And why is he home so

soon? Bless my_ soulr does he, suspect

anything? Id-give ten years -of my, life, to know she wa« safe up_there."

His eyes moist with the intensity of his sympathy and fears for the object of his idolatry, the good-hearted young fellow turned from the window; but before he could get free from the curtains, to his unspeakable confusion, he heard the study door opened softly, and as noiselessly closed again and the key turned. Then a stealthy footstep crept across the room, and there came the sound of a heavy fall into a chair, to be followed immediately by a stifled groan, which caused the lad's hair to stir upon his head, so fraught was it with heart-breaking agony. " With his hands upon the heavy curtains, Blunt peered cautiously between them, and Tthen with natural delicacy he closed the crevice, and with eyes distended with alarm leant up against the window frame, trembling in every limb. "Sir Malcolm, with his light overcoat Lopen, showing his white shirt front, in which a.'diamond stud sparkled brightly, and with his hat still on his head, sat 'facing the window in his easy chair, by the side of the fire; and in his whole attitude, and in the expression of his drawn ashen countenance, was a despair that is seldom looked upon, for the reason that it ~is as much the instinct of cultivated man to conceal the ghastly wounds of his mind

as those of his body. But Sir Malcolm Stanton at that moment believed he was shut in alone with Jiis horrible sorrow, and therefore he made no effort to conceal the agony and terror with which he was consumed; and the young man behind the curtains, the unwilling witness of his master's humiliation and despair, grew cold as death as he stood there, shrinking back as far as possible, with the sound of that harrowing moan in his ears, and the image of that fearful haggard face, on which he had looked for one instant only, floating before his eyes.

What had happened ? Something awful, Blunt could not doubt. Two nights before, after the discovery of the mysterious footprints in his lady's morning room, the young servant, who since Rudge's hasty dismissal had taken the valet's duties, had entered the study unexpectedly, and had found his master evidently overburdened with trouble ; but this was a much more terrible business, there could )ie no question of -that; the expression of Sir Mal--colm's countenance now was scarcely sane in its frenzied fear.

For five minutes the young man stood, hardly daring to breathe lest he should be discovered, and all this time the faint blood-curdling groans came from the lips of his unseen companion, but at last they "gradually died away, and for a few moments the oppressive silence in the room was only broken by the sudden sputtering of the tiny jets of gas in the coals in the grate, and the light fall of cinders on .bhe-tiled hearth.

William Blunt, with his ears on

the strain, heard another soft movement in the quiet chamber, and impelled by irresistible curiosity, once more he disposed the heavy curtains so that he could oDserve his master without being seen himself. I Sir Malcolm now knelt on the rug before ■ the fire, with his back towards the silent

watcher; and the sudden leaping of the

flame, and the cautious use of the poker, jvith which he gently moved the coals,

left" no doubt in Blunts mind that the was engaged in destroying some-

thing.- This could not be paper, for Sir "Malcolm knelt on the rug for the space of several minutes, and more than once he stirred the coals as though the thing was difficult" to burn; and when at last he rose slowly, the- perspiration glistened on his miserable, hopeless face, and he shuddered as he rubbed his clammy hands on his overcoat, as though to free them from some contamination. But the fire burnt brightly, and among the "glowing coals there remained no trace of ' the lace-trimmed, blood-stained handkerchief which the baronet had thrust into

theTieart of the flames,

Jhfaving risen, Sir Malcolm stood for a thinking deeply, glaring in front ,of him with'his half-mad, woe-begone eyes, arid, then he was seized with a fit of violent shivering. Folding his arms across his chest, his breath h"ssing between his teeth, he strove to. subdue the convulsive trembling which shook his stalwart frame, but he could not; and then a new terror leapt into his half-mad eyes, and Blunt heard him mutter hoarsely, : j "My God ! Am I going to break down no%y ? It is not done, it is not done. And

it can't be done unless I can control my-

self." - , With another groan, the baronet leapt up against the table, and then the musical

clink of glasses appeared to attract his

attention. _ „ Quickly the half-fainting man lifted his

I head. Blunt had placed on the table the j~ decanter of whisky, with a syphon of soda [ water, and also the silver biscuit canister. ._ Leaning across the table, the baronet laid his trembling fingers on the decanter, but he took out the stopper with difficulty, and smashed the fragile tumbler at once whenjhe attempted to pour out the liquid.

Setting hia teeth in desperation, he contrived at length to slop some of the spirit jnto a wineglass, and then to gulp down a portion of it. In a couple of minutes his shivering grew less violent, and then lighting a candle he walked steadily to the door, and unlocking it opened it, and after listening an instant went out of the study, shading the flame of the candle with one shaking hand. '"He's going up to her room!" Blunt muttered ; "Lord help us ! What does it all mean?" -; Cautiously he pulled the curtains apart, and then he perceived through the open doorway the flicker of an unsteady light, and immediately after the soft sound of a "returning footstep. Instantly the young man retreated again. Bif Malcolm then had gone no further than the morning room across the hall, for he had not been absent two minutes/ The baronet's step was somewhat firmer when he once more entered the study, and haying relocked the door walked to a (Continued om. Page 3.) ■

(Continued irom page 2.)

bureau which stood in a corner close to the window. from his point of vantage Blunt could not observe his master's actions now, but he heard him gently open a drawer, and after an instant close it. But the young man kii*-v nothing of the drawer that Sir

Malcolm liad opened in his wife's writing table in the morning room, nor had he seen him take from his breast pocket a tiny silver-mounted revolver and a gun-metal matchbox before he closed it again.

Sir Mfilcolm lingered by the bureau for a minute, and then he came slowly towards the lal'fc. and overcome with a sudden sense of fa.nfness Blunt suddenly reeled on his left. He steadied himself by the cur-tain-j. h< vv^vf-r. and with starting eyes "con-

tinued tf watch

Sir Male-Jin stood by the -table now, in the iull light, and in his hand' was a revolver, which he was" examining -with "the utmost care. For the space of a minute the Iwuonet turned the ominous thing from side to~side. and then he placed it carefully in his In east pocket, and- tossing^ off the remainder of the spirit, in the wineglass, cure moi « ~ stole across the room to the

door, again softly unlocked it, and wehtour.

Then the house door was noiselessly,) opened, and in a few "seconds Blunt saw" Sir Malcolm's figure emerge from the~3arkness. cross the lawn in the direction of the !

woods, and vanish into the blacknessjpf the night. Quaking in every limb, the young man crept frcrn his place of "concealment) .com ; pletely overwhelmed by the horror~of the situation. What ff«i:iul business was on foot?

What had taken place since Lady Stanton had stolen from, her home? Would she^ ever return? And if so what was thedreadfnl tioubfe that would confronfher ?

Slightly dense of brain at all times, and now entirely confused by the tragedy thathad suddenly come into his hitherto, placidexistence. over and over again William Blunt repeated -his distracting queries ; but they wm all unanswerable., and he was pacing up ;md_down in his bewildered per-" plexity wh*n all at once a now and awful

thought flashed " into his perturbed brain, inducing tht sweat to start from his forehead. -- - — - -

Sir Makohn_had muttered more than" once. "It is not done." What was the, deed that had to be accomplished'/ Why had his master to fortify his failing courage with thr- raw spirit — who was in_ general, '■« abstemious? Why had -he taken the" revolver when he had crept stealthily from his home ' . -

For a mement Blunt stood stricken mo-

tionless hy the enormity of his fear, and I then rnshing from 'the room he seized a cloth rap that" lay upon the hall-table, and hastily quitting the house, followed^ swiftly in his master's footsteps. ~_ There was crime, deadly crime, in the air ; lie must prevent it if possible. Sir" Malcolm was a strong -man and he but a stripling : but he would_struggle with him if need t>*. He would drag die revolver

from him; he would risk his life- to save

his master's soul, for, the sake of the bein? lie worshipped and reverenced with all the strength of his faithful,, simple heart. ~ But Sir Malcolm had seven- or. eight minutes" start of the lad. Moreover, Blunt" was so agitated that in the darlcness he crossed the lawn diagonally — to find'when he was at the other extremity that he had to retrace his steps a considerable distance to gain the path through the woods which he frit "i tain was Sir Malcolm's destination. ~= ~

Rushing blindly forward, slipping and stumbling -Tver the tree roots. Blunt was still scarcely on a level with the' game-"

keeper's rt.tt.ige. when with a stifled shriek" h° stopped short. In the distance he" had

heard th* report of a pistol. One shot only, vc-iy iaintly heard, "but unmistake-

able, and the-n complete silence. - \ Then a panic seized upon William Blunt, and dazed with terror he turned about-andJ fled towards the house" he -had left so lately. Paining with fear^his dry tongue cleaving to the roof of his mouth. jthe ladj crept into the house, and rushing upstairs, gained Ins own small room and locked himself m. Then dressed -as he was he

threw h'n.self on the bed, which shook under him. and buried his quivering faoe.

What' was that he had heard his master

say to Rudge when he dismissed him that

day after tho awful- quarrel ?_■ Distinctly tlv words came back to him, and he writhed and groaned aloud. "I swear if. you interfere with me or mine," Sir Malcolm had said, "if you let your vile tongue

wag about me or my affairs. I"will punish you myself, and then Heaven have mercy'

(To be Continued.)