SERIAL STORY.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIX, Issue 284, 1 December 1915, Page 3

SERIAL STORY.

THE lUBY IK-BLUE.

(By F. M. White.)

CHAPTER XXXIV

A HOUSE OF SORROWS. Kelso and Denver were waiting patiently :it the corner of the avenue, and the* former gave a sigh of relief when ho recognised Audrey and saw her face, shining and happy in the lamplight. Despite her assurance that she would run no risks, Kelso had been full of misgivings all the evening. He knew perfectly well that Audrey was thrusting her head a den of scoundrels, and there was no knowing -what the issue might be. Now, at any rats, it looked as if she had emerged triumphant, and certainly success had crowned her efforts, for there was not only Audrey herself, untouched, but the Princess Zaroff, in the flesh as well. "This looks like a family party," Denver murmured. "I wonder who the tall man. in the shabby suit is? And whatever is Polly Elkin doing here? I suppose we shall know presently." Audrey made the necessary introductions to the slightly bewildered Denver..; Ho was only just beginning to grasp the possibilities of a story still more exciting than the history of ths stolen diamonds. Then Kelso'dropped back and detained Audrey/ as the others Avent on ahead. They could hear the. .Princess talking with smooth swiftness, and Glutton j putting in a word every now and 1 again. To all practical pin-poses ; Audrey and Kelso were alone in . the world, for the avenue Av-as deserted, and the others Avere by this time some way ahead. Kelso passed his arm round the girl's Avaist, and dr- w her close to his side. It thrilled him to <: see the happy look in her eyes, and , the tender smile upon her lips. ! "I really must kiss you, darling," j he said. "I wonder if you know j how divine you look? And I wonder j if you can guess how anxious I haA-e been all the evening? The danger you ran " "My dearest boy, T have been in no j danger at all," Audrey assured him. j "It'was as easy as possible. When j you told me where the Princess Avas • imprisoned, I knew exactly what to j do. I knew that Polly Elkin lived j in the same house, and that she had j lived there for years. Why I can re- j member the place when it stood by it- | self. I Avaylaid Polly Avhen she came i back from the theatre, -and she told ; I me at once Avhere the Princess could j ]be found, and you see for yourself i ; that she told me no more than the j \ truth. Noav wb are all going to Bar- \ 1 ris Court for a thorough explana- j j tion." I i "But I thought Polly Avas a , ; stranger' to you," Kelfio said. j I • "Polly is not Polly Elkin at all, but : iMaiy Barriscourt. The man by her ; |side is her father, who is younge,r ] brother to Gordon Barriscourt, the . head of the family. You know him ( as Pascoe." • - j "I shall Avake up presently," Kelso ; said. "Go on, dear." j - <'Oh, I have only just begun," Au~ . drey laughed. "What will you say when I tell you that I am not Audrey ( Blair, but Audrey Barriscourt, the; daughter of the^head 'of the house, and that I was born Wenty-two years ago in a foreign capital, at the time j when iiny- father Avas British Ambas- 1 sador tliere?" ■ . - j Kelso gave a sign of astonishment, j All this was like a flood of light to ; him. His mind went back .rapidly along the pathway of the years, and things long forgotten began to rise in i dim array before him. There had •. been a scandal in a certain British j Embassy.; and the man at tho head of | it had been suddenly recalled. •':., It j was suggested, at the time, that he j had been the victim of some malig- i nfint form of brain trouble, but peo- j ole had; shaken their heads Avhen it became:known that the.chief attache, who was the ambassador's oavu 'brothei;-', -had been ' coiwpulporily re- I tired, at tlv> Rfims tircm. There had I been; no flaming scandal, and. such j curiosity .is had been aroused had j been quickly <jllavefl': but there had j been hi«;h officials and certain person- ' ages who had expressed a. hor>e, i amounting almost to a command, that I neither of tho Barriscourts might ever be seen in the great world again. And from that moment they had vanished from their ptace, and the world kneAV them no more.

"You are very silent," Audrey said. "I see you knoAV more than I expectrd, and if you have any regrets, Rupert "

"Only one. sweetheart," Kelso whispered. , "Only one, and that is

that I did not meet you before/ I , don't Avant to hear another word as | | regards this part of the story, and I } I don't sp^ that it- touched you in the | i least. What difference does it pos- j sibly make to you and too? Of j j course, twenty years is not a long \ j time, as far as things go, and I dare- | say there are a good many peor>le avlio 1 know something of this, sordid story, \ and who will 7>riek up their ears when J I they are told that Rupert Kelso is see*- j i ing to marry a-'daughter of Gordon j 1 Barriscourt. There will be the usual j • paragraphs in the papers about the i ] latest stage romance; but it will be ] | only a nine days;' winder at the ] > worst. And I know Av-i>it my friends ; ; Avill saA- Avhen they florae to meet my j ,' dear little wife. Th?v will say that ' Rupert Kelso ay.is . ahvoys a lucky beggar, .nnd that here he is at 'it.* agJiin. If Aye can only get that little \ , matter of the diamond ornament set- \ ; tl«d " }

'•'Mr Clutton told me just hoav that I needn't even grivo it- another thought," Audrey said. "He is quite sure that avc can have it Avhenevei1 ho likes to ask fnr it. Anr) then "

"Ah, ami then we shall know what to do. What an extraordinary tangle it all is. At any rate it will bo a positive ioy to me to take you away from this gloomy old house. Windoes your father remain here? It must bo a terrible struggle to keep the place going. An establishment like this should,command a big income." "And we have it," Audrey said. "There is money in plenty, both as regards mv father and- my uncle. But, unfortunately, tha money wrac too late io save the j-'candal, and ever since it h;'s been paid away in the form of blackmail to the scoundrels who had the Princess in their power this evening. T am afraid that you are going to listen to a very sordid story presently, Rupert. For there were worse things done than the mad folly which culminated in mv father's dismissal from his post. Still, you know so nmch now, th:it n little more or less does rot matter. And as loiii* as T am happy in your love, and know that I have your confidence——"

There was no time to say any more, for they had come np to the entrance of J3arris Court by now, and Audr»y

f bid them enter. In the big diningI room they found Gordon Barriscourt writing, under a shaded lamp. There was no sign of the Avoman Avith the ivory mask, and Audrey appeared to be relieved, as she saw that her father Avas alone. He looked up coldly from his work. "What is the meaning of all this?" he demanded. "Herbert, is it possible that you are here? I neA-er expected that you Ayould show yourself in this house again. And I presume the girl Avith you is your daughter. There AY-asa time Avhen I could, at any rate, count upon my sechjsion-be-ing respected, but since my sister the Princess came to London. I never knoAV what' to expect. Is that" Mr Denver I see, and Mr Kelso? And there is another gentleman whose face is fairly familiar to me. By heaven, it's Spencer Clutton." "The same," Clutton said quietly. "I have been looking forward for some time to the -pleasure of seeing you, Mr Barriscourt. But let me assure you that I come Avith the friendliest motives." "Don't you thmk you had better ask all these, people to sit doAvn, Gordon?" the Princess suggested. "We are all acting in the best interests ot the family. The assurance ought to soothe your pride, Gordon. If you Averc to g.iA re us the least assistance now, Aye can, once and for all,, rid you'oT the attention of the three scoundrels who have been poisoning your life and keeping you a pauper for years. We are in a position to conclusively conclude that those men were directly responsible for the niur» der of -the Grand Duke, ard AA-hen I say that, I have said it all. In the course of a day or t\A'o tb*y Avill be arrested, and, if they are not all hanged, they Avill; without doubt, t>e shut up for the future. Now, I Avant you to act in.the' interests of these young people. As you knoAV, I never cared tAVO straAV.s for the family dig- ! nity, though, of course, the family honor aaxis a-different matter. When I the crash came I -Avent on the stage, I because it was thevonly Avay in Avhich ! I could see a chance of getting a liv- ! ing. Besides, it helped financially. j And, in tho course of time, I met and j married my husband, and became l quite a celebrity in my way. You ! knoAV Avhat Zaroff was—you knew his I amazing intellect and courage^ and i his marvellous acquaintance with a ! "secret history of Europe. All I know 'I learned from him. I learned how 'to intrigue and plot and defeat the ! schemes of our enemies. Bub all "the \ time..l.'was working to get into my : power the man Magavitch and the ; gang under him who Avere blackmail- ! ing my brothers and living on their i incomes. It . has taken me just ; twenty years to bring, this about. One ;by one, I have seen the gang die on < the scaffold or in gaol, /victims to '< Zara and her methods, and now there are only three of them left. Within a day or tAvo they will be powerless |to do .further evil. When once the ' gaol door closes upon them you will [be free, Gordon. You will have the '• spending of your money, you will be ' able to repair this old house again, and take your proper place in the i world once more. But you must coni sider these young ■ people. Why j should they suffer for your folly and 1 arrogance?. You may be surprised to hear that Mr Kelso proposes to marry your daughter." ! "He has 'never consulted me?" Gordon" Barriscourt observed. "Why should he?" the Princess retorted. "What have you ever done ! that you shoiUda^lKnie the..rights of : a father? If you'had only had the | courage to put your foot'down, you ! could have stopped this blackmail long ago; But no, there Avould hav<» been" talk. The family dignity Avould have suffered afresh. 'Bah, just as it ] our honor could be more- tarnished

than it :.s! If you tell these people the truth "

"I will do it," Herbert Barriscourt said resolutely. "Let me speak. Twenty years ago ruin and disgrace stared me in .'the face. I Avas ready to do anything to save myself from the consequences of my shame. The Avild idea occurred to me to get hold of certain confidential documents, which had been sent to my brother from London, and I persuaded his wife to help me. She Avas little more then a child in years or knowledge of the Avorld. and she had ahvays liked, me. It' Avas an easy task, and Avithin a feAV hours those papers were mine, and I had sold them to the enemies of my country for money enough to ensure my safety. Of course I Avas found out, I kneAV from the first that discovery Avas inevitable. After that I dragged my brother into the sameenct, and Magavitch, avlio AA-tfs then in the employment of his own Government, got on the track of the story ,and avo hadl to plunge deeper and deeper in the mire until A\:e Avere face to face Avith, not only the scandal, but a criminal disgrace. When Aye came into" the money, which reached us too late to save the situation, Magavitch ami his gang marked us for their OAvn. I don't say my brother was not to blame, but the reai criminal stands before you. And noAV I should like to know what is to be gained by the disclosure of all these sordid details? And hoAV does the murder of the Grand Duke restore the family fortunes ?:)

(To be Continued.)