SERIAL STORY.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVII, Issue 139, 14 June 1913, Page 3

SERIAL STORY.

LOVERS THREE.

(By Arthur Applin.)

.Author of Ailes' Wife," "The Stolen Heiress," "The Chorus Girl." etc.)

THE LAST CHOICE

There was a long silence. Presently Sin rose and took Ichbert's hand. "Thanks. Now you'd better lie down and have a sleep." Ichbert shook his head. "Tell me first about the woman you love. Is it this Miss Carlyle "

"Yes."

"Of coui-se, they suspected her?" "The young man, Robert Hertford, Avas her lover, Egglington his rival. The whole thing is as clear as daylight now. You think you could identify this Hertford from a photograph ?" Ichbert nodded. "And if you saw the farmer, you would remember hi m? "

"Oh, yes, perfectly. And doubtless when 1 see him many little details connected with, the farm house will return to me. Conversa^- ! tione which I overheard, and which j made no impression at the time." ; Sin smiled. "They dug a..grave | for you, Mr Ichbert, or rather, the farmer did. I think poor Hertford was more sinned against. than sinning. He must have fired at you, mistaking you for Egglington. in a moment of "mad jealousy, thinking he was protecting the woman he loved. Afterwards, i suppose, he got into the clutches of the farmer." "By the way," Ichbert said thoughtfully, "I never saw the fellow you call Hertford again. In the farm house I only heard his voice. Arid—yes. Besides money, they were always discussing a dead man. Perhaps" Hertford believed he had really killed me." "That's it," Sin replied quickly. "I've got it now. I've got the whole story from beginning to end." Aaron Ichbert lay back and closed his eyes. "I'm glad I've told you. I feel better for it. By Jove! the woman you love ought to be grateful to you, Mr Sin, for you deserve her if ever a man deserved a woman. And I, too, owe you a debt I can never repay." Sin shook his head as he stepped quietly from the room. "Oh, no, you don't; nor does Phyllis. And I don't know what you mean by a debt. Each man and woman in the world owes the other love and loyalty, that's all. I've enjoyed myself. Ive had my hunting Perhaps I shall make' others, happy. Now Im satisfied." Aaron Ichbert stretched out his hand towards the departing figure. "Be happy, too!" Sin threw up his great shaggy head, the great eyes opened their widest. "I shall be happy when I reach London with you, and knocking at the door of Phyllis Carlyle's room, present to her ]V£r Aaron Ichbert. Now have a good sleep; I'm off to tell Jeanne."

"One moment, Sin," Ichbert said quietly. "When you see Jeanne, ask her is—if she wouldn't like a iittle trip to London. I think I said I'd buy her, a diamond ring when I returned from Monte Carlo. I haven't forgotten, but somehow or other, in the last twenty-four hours, I've taken against diamonds. Wonder if she would like a plain gold ring instead," he murmured dreamily. "I'll ask her," Sin said, as he closed the door.

There is really nothing more to tell. When Peter Gate, standing by the window of Phyllis's room, heard the cries of the newsboys oa the Embankment, he rushed out and bought a newspaper, and read the confession it was alleged the farmer had made. And as he read his last hope vanished, for the farmer's confession incriminated both Hertford and Phyllis Carlyle. The former, he said, had acknowledged that he and Phyllis had robbed Ichbert and shared the plunder. He made up_ a very pretty story, in which he did his best to shield himself by saying that he was tempted to shield yoxxng Hertford, hoping by this confession to escape altogether, or to get off with a very light sentence. Obviously the police did 'not quite believe him; though Phyllis was watched day and night. But when the farmer' was brought up for the ! third time before the magistrate she | was summoned to appear. And that ! very morning Sin arrived in London, just in time to get a taxi-cab, and, breaking all speed limits and rules of the road, drive to the police court and enter it arm-in-arm with the dead man, Aaron Ichbert. Of course, Buhner believed he had purposely arranged this dramatic effect, though if there was one thing in the world which Sin loathed, it v/as notoriety. But he was fated to become one of the most famous men in London, for at any rate a brief 1 period. * # * «• * *

If Aaron Ichbert's explanation was not absolutely sufficient to dispel every vestige of suspicion against Phyllis, the farmer's amended confession, when he found himself faced by the man/ for whom he had pretended to dig a grave was sufficient to clear her absolutely and for all time.

Hertford had mistaken Ichbert for Lord Richard Egglington, Avhen he attacked—and, as he then thought, killed tho wrong man—lie had fled from the wood in terror. The farmer, discovering Aaron Ichbert's body, and finding that he was not dead, carried him back to his farm and hid him there. He then waited for Hertford and attempted to blackmail him. He assured him that Ichbert was really dead, showed him the diamond pendant and bundle of notes he had. . found on the body, and then offered ■to conceal the corpse in the stable • yard if Hertford would share the booty. At first Robert Hertford refused1, but the farmer succeeded in terroris- ; tns. him into a nominal acceptance of I his terms. He forced him to take ' two hundred and fifty pounds, j exactly half the money . found on ! Ichbert, the farmer keeping the I diamond pendant until it could safely ibe turned into cash. llt was obvious that at first Hert- "; ford had no intention of using thi6 i money taken taken from the dead \ man. murdered as he then thought. :He must have lived in absolute terror S for some days. Eventually making i a package of the notes and securely i tying them up, he gave them to Phyllis, merely telling her the little parcel contained something of great value, and asking her to lock it 1 away. Phyllis Carlyle never suspected what the package contained that her lover had given her. How should

she ? Not until the eleventh, hour, iust before her marriage with him was to take place,, did she begin, to feel something akin to suspicion. At the most these fears were vague, halfformed. For a whole week after his arrival in London with Ichbert, Sin saw neither Phyllis Carlyle nor his friend Peter Gate alone for a single moment. Scotland Yard, the lawyers, and Ichbert took up the major portion of his time. But at last Peter Gate routed him out at his hotel, and carried him by force to his office. They entered the little room where so long ago they had each confessed their love for Phyllis and agreed to fight for her. Gate shut and locked the door of his room. Habit made him switch on the eLectric light which swung • above his bureau, habit made him ; take his usual seat where he could ; see without being being seen. ' Sin yawned, and Gate realised he • had scarcely changed at all. He had i shaved his beard off again, and was j iust himself. I "Well?" Gate said sharply. His nerves were on edge.. For over a ! week he had been on the rack, torn | asunder by doubt and fear, jealousy I and hope. He had had no opporI tunity of seeing Phyllis alone, until that morning. The iov he took in, the knowledge thai, she was innocent, that she would stand before the world unsullied, I with clean hands ,and heart and an j honorable name, Iras great indeed; but at the same time there was great agony in the thought. Sin had done the impossible. Perhaps now she would turn to Sin; perhaps she loved him. "Well?" Gate repeated. "Why don't you speak, man? Have you nothing to say to me?" Sin yawned and blinked his big, stupid^ dog-like eyes. "I'm waiting to hear what you've got to say. Have you found another case that puzzles you? Do you want me to take it up?"

Gate half rose from his chair with a miittered curse. "This is no time for ioking." "I'm not joking." "Well, then, come to the point. You know I love Phyllis. Many weeks ago in this very room, you, too. said you loved her. You agreed to fie:ht for her." He took a deep breath. "We said the man who won her should take her. But that necessarily did not mean the bestman. If it did, she'd belong to you Sin; becaus-e you are the best man!" Sin shook his head. "The lucky one, you mean. Don't you know, Gate, that Providence always looks after fools and drunkards? I'm just a fool. You've told me that often, ] enough." I Gate was fighting for self-control. It was impossible to believe, that this man. Sin, loved. He tried to see into those great big eyes; he knew down in their depths were many strange secrets. But he could not see. Sin was wearing his mask. "For heaven's sake, speak, man," he blurted out at last. "Do you love her? Do you want her?" j Sin shook his head. And he held ! himself erect, and his eyes opened ; very wide, and he looked at his; friend. I "My dear Gate, how old-fashioned j you are! It isn't a question of what \ I want or what you want—l thought I explained that" before. What does Phyllis want?" There was a long silence. Gate was fighting a great spiritual and mental struggle. It was the last fight. It brought beads of ■ perspiration to his brow. Presently he walked unsteadily across the room, pulled back the curtains from , the hidden door, and opened it. "Phyllis," he said gently. She stood before them. Sin stepped forward, and taking her hand kissed it. ' "You are all right now, aren't you? Everything's all right?" "Thanks—to you—both," she whispered. There was another silence. "You know why I came here to-day at, Mr Gate's request ? I have to— oh. it's difficult to say." Her cheeks srew the color of red roses. "You want me. I must keep my promise and choose between you. And you're both my two dear friends. But love —love is something beyond one's power. One can't choose—that!" Sin nodded. "One moment," he said, quietly, in his old cheery voice. Turning, he walked to the door which Gate had locked, turning the key, he opened it wide, then stood beside Gate. "For you, Phyllis, there is love and friendship and freedom. Don't ask mv advice. You both know that once upon a time I believed freedom was the greatest thing in the world. You haven't to choose just between us, Phyllis. There are three paths to choose. Love, Friendship, and Freedom \ "You know they each stand alone, unfortunately, and not one can go hand-in-hand with the other. There_s the open door, and outside the world. The world of men and women, the woild which can offer you success j and fame and wealth and sorrow and happiness. And here we remain. If you go we shall quite understand. -If you say, ' Just be my friends,' I think we've learnt enough to promise that and to keep our promise. And Gate here loves you; he is a biggev man than I, and a cleverer. Well:"' Phyllis hung her head. "You've said nothing about yourself." Sin. was silent. "Won't you choose?" she continued. "That open 1 door means freedom for me; and ■ Peter Gate, I'm sure, stands for' • Friendship. And you? I'm only j | a woman, so I have only love." j [ Sin slowly walked to the open j • door, then stopped. "Love—for me?" ] j Phyllis held herself erect, her head j ; went up. her eyes shone like twin j ! stars. "Yes," she said. } j With a glad cry, like the cry of a t '■ wild thing of the forests, he leapt ■; ' towards her. In another instant she ] ■ was in his arms, and he strode i ; through the open door, carrying her, ] ■ holding her tightly. ] *■.*.* * * * j j The Avedding which eventually took j ' place was what Gate called a double ; ! event. For Aaron Ichbert and the | ■ little girl from the Latin Quarter, j who everyone just called Jeanne, were ; . married at the same time. There . Ti-as no one to give Phyllis away, tor, 3 : as she said, she had given herself to ; the man she loved. ) i But Peter Gate, the famous detec- j tive. was Best Man. And, as Sm ; , smilingly remarked when he kissed ; his bride. "It isn't always the best ; | man who wins!" ■ [The End.] '

F Wednesday next:—"The Blue Taxi," by Wilson A. Barrett. Read this gripping story of the Ham King s son who became a taxi-driver. J