WHOSE FINDETH A WIFE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10419, 17 April 1897, Page 3 (Supplement)

WHOSE FINDETH A WIFE.

BY WILLIAM LE QUEUX, Author of "The Great War in England in 1897," "Zoraida," "Stolen Souls," "Guilty Bonds," "A Secret Service," etc., etc. [Copyright. SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS. CHAPTER I AN" TL-Dei-des, a confidential dark in eminent office, receives a despatch from Berlin, «ml his chief, Ilw Burl of Warnhain, Her Majesty's princinal Foreign Secretary, directs him to seal it STue does s>, and places it in his pocket. He inches with Dudley Ogle, an old college chum, and afterwards delivers the despatch to the earl. In the evening they dine at the Nook with Mrs Laing, to whose daughter Deedea is engaged He is somewhat ieilous of the attentions of an old man named Andrew Beck. A telegram in cipher alarms ivetles and he is about to leave for London when hestunibles over Ihe dead body of bis friend, Dudley Olivine in the path. Chapters 111 and IV.—Leavine the dead body of Ms friend to await an inquest, Deedes hurries home to learn the startling news that he is accused " a spy by his chief, who informs him that the document entrusted to him baa been stolen, the envelope handed back to the earl containing nothing but blank piper. At the name timo a telecraphic despatch informs them that ltaia is on the point of declaring war against England in consequence of the secret despatch being known to the Russian Government. CHAITERS V and Vl.— Warnham persists in ifcusins Oeedea with M a spy, and renders him almost speechless by producing th« ordinal of a tele.ramapuarently in I'cedes' hamlwiitm» which had been handed in at the Strand Post Office, and which contained the full text of he secret document His lordship also stated that to make the document .till safer he removed it to his own house, and ifteriraids restored it to the safe. Lord Warnham dismisses him from his presence. afterwards discovers in a onversatiim with an old gossip in the tillage of Warnham that Ogle and Miss Laing have been in the neighbourhood meeting each other secretly, and evidently devising a deep-laid scheme. Deedts is summoned to give evidence at the coroner's inquest, and whilst there, just before beiim sworn, lie oberves an article on the table which rivets his attention, and he is dumbfounded by an amazing discovery that staggered belief. CHAPERS VII. and VIII.—At the inquest Deedes and others give evidence, and Ella, who is present, declares her belief that Ogle has teen murdered. An open vei diet is r. turned. At a subsequent interview between Deed's and Ella, the latter begs of him to forgive her, saying that what she has done was in his interest, and she is d etermined to discover Ogle's murderer. Deedes then asks her if Ogle was in pecuniary difficulties, at the same moment showing her a brass seal which wax found unong the deceased's trinkets on the coroner's table It is an exact counterpart of the Karl of Warnham's sell, and with which the false envelope bearing the secret Russian despatch was sealed, Hla is tillable to reply. CHAPTER IX. THE BO.ND OF SECUEOY. I held the small brass stamp towards her, inviting her to examine it, but she shrank back with un expression of terror and repulsion, refusing to touch it. " Have you ever seen Dudley with this in his hand ?" I asked, repeating my question seriously, determined upon learning the troth.

" Where did you find it?" sho inquired, a look of bewilderment upen hor haggard face. "You have not answered my question, Ells," I said, sternly. " Your question ? Ah," she cried, as if in sudden remembrance of my words. "I -I have never seen Dudley with it. I—l Bwear I haven't." " Is that the absolute truth ?" I asked, in doubt. " The truth!" she echoed. "Did I not, a moment ago, promise you I would never again deceive you by word or action ? Can you never have conn'deuce in me?" she ■eked, in a tone of mingled regret and reproach. "But this was found in Dudley's possession," I said, holding it nearer my gaee, and detecting in the bright sunlight streaming through the window small portions of black wax adhering to the cleverly-cut coat of arms. Blaok wax, I remembered, had been used to secure tho dummy envelope. "And evenif that were so, is itsuchavery remarkable fact that a man should carry a seal?" she asked suddenly, raising her brows and assuming a well-feigned air oi eurpriee. At tlmt instant it occurred tome that she was an adept in preserving a mystery—she could practice deception with a vorsimilitude little short of marvellous. " But this," I observed, " is no ordinary seal." "It looksordinary enough, she answered, railing. " It's only brass." " But its discovery forms a clue to a most serious and startling crime," I said. " A crime 1" sho gasped. " What do you mean ? Dudley's murder?" I did not fa.il to uotice that sho used the word " murder" a 9 if she had absolute proof that death bad not been dua to natural causes. Yet the effect of my announcement had been to fill her with sudden misapprehension. She strove to appear amazed, but I thought I could detect iu her attitude and bearing a fear that I had knowledge of her ecret. " It is most probably connected with that tragic event," I answered, meaningly, looking her straight in the face. "The police will no doubt pursue their investigations, and clear up the matter." "The police!" she whispered, hoarsely, just as Mrs, Laing had dono when the officers had entered her house. " Do you think they will discover the cause of poor Dudley's death?" "I cannot say," I answered, calmly. " They will, however, discover the reason he had this seal in his possession." " I tell you it was not his—l mean I never saw him with it," she protested. "But he may have hud it in bis pocket and not shown it) to you. Indeed, there were reasons that he should not do so, because it was used for a nefarious purpose." "For what?" she asked, suddenly evincing an interest in tho stamp, taking it from my hand and examining it closely. It was on my tongue to relate to her the whole circumstances, but suddenly remembering that for the present the secret of England's peril must be preserved if the identity of the spy was to be discovered, I refrained, and answered: " The man who used that seal committed one of the worst crimes of which a man can be guilty." "What was it, tell me? she asked, quickly. " surely Dudley never committed »ny offence!" " I am not certain," I answered, gloomily. " An enemy who would pose as a friend, as he has done, might be capable of any deceit." "Have I not already told you that he •as not your enemy, Geoffrey?" she observed, calmly. "Ah, Ella," I cried, in disgust. "All these falsehoods only render your conduct all the more despicable. You will deny next that you went down to Warnham to meet him surreptitiously." " To Warnhiiin ?" ehe cried, white to tho lip;. "Yes. Do you deny it ?" " No. I—it is quite true that I met him there," she faltored. "You spent the day with my rival, unknown to mo," I went on, bitterly. " Yet you declare that you never loved him I" Her breath came and went in short quick gasps, her haggard eyes were fixed, and she etood silent, unable to make reply. "It is useless to further prolong this painful interview," I exclaimed at last, turning from her. " I swear I never loved him,' she cried, enddenly. "Some day, when you know the truth, you will bitterly regret how you have misjudged me, how, while strivingto serve yon, I have fallen under suspicion." "Butyour visit to Warnham!" I said. "Iβ that an act such as can be overlooked without explanation ?" "I only ask you to place trust in me, and I will prove ere long that I acted under compulsion." " You want me to believe that he held youirrevocably in hie power, I suppose!' I said, with biting sarcasm. She nodded, and held her head in downcast dejected attitude. "Itie easy enough to allege all this, now that he is dead," I observed, doubtingly. . "I have told you the truth. I feared Wβ, and was compelled to obey," sho ex- ■ daimed, hoarsely. "What was the object of your riait? Sorely you can explain that!" "No. I cannot." 'Youabsolutely refuses" "Absolutely," she answered, in a low, •trained voice, looking straight at me with *" expression of determination, " Then we must part," I eaid, slowly, but wmly disengaging myself from her embrace. "N0.n0," she wailed, sobbing bitterly •no dinging more cloeely to me. " Do not " » cruel, Geoffrey. You would never Hter those words could you know all." . "But you will not tell me," I cried. At present I dare not. Wait; be pttient, and you shall know everything."

" How loni; must I remain in doubt and ignorance?"! asked.

"I know not. To-morrow the bond of secrecy may be removed from my lips, or it may be many months ere I can fearlossly speak and explain," she answered, in a strange voice, almost as if speaking to herself.

"From your words it would appear that some person still holds power over you, even though Dudley is dead," I said, looking into her eyes seriously. She sighed deeply, and her hand, resting upon my shoulder, trembled violently. " Yes, you guess the truth," she answered. " I would tell you all: explain all these facts that no doubt puzzle you and cause me to appear base, heartless, and deceitful, yet I fear tho consequences. If 1 did so we should be partod for ever." " But if you told tho truth and cleared your conduct I should then have confidence again, and love you. How should we be parted?" Pale and silent she stood with her eyes resting upon the distant line of drooping willows. Nob until I had repeated my question did she move and answer in a voico almost inaudible, as she clung to me: "We should be parted by death," she whispered, hoarsely. "By death I" I cried, dismayed. " What do you mean, Klla ? Do you fear that the same tragic fate that has overtaken Dudley will overtake you ?" She shuddered, and burying her white face upon my shoulder, again buret into a torrent of tears. Here was indeed a woeful figure, bent, dejected, and grief-stricken. Raising her head at last she stifled her sobs with an effort, and implored with earnestness : " Tell me, Geoffrey, that you will nob prejudge me. Tell me with your own lips that you will be content to wait in patience until I can present the facts to you in their true light. lam not an adventuress, as you think. I have novor, I swear before Heaven, looked upon any other man with thought of affection. I have told you of my inability to speak ; I can tell you no more." I made a movement, steady, stern, and deliberate, to put her from mo, but, with her arms entwined fonrHy about my neck, ehe cried in an agonised tone : "No, Geoffrey. At lease show me a single grain of pity. Be patient. If you desire it I will not come noar you until I can reply to your questions and clear my conduct of the stigma upon it; I will do anything <you ask, so long as you give me time to pursue my investigations and free myself from this terrible thraldom, Say you will, and bring back peace to my mind ami happiness to my heart. 1 love you, Geoffrey, I love you !" and her hot passionate lips met mine in a manner that showed plainly her terrible agitation, and her fear lost 1 should cast her off.

Slowly, during thoeo moments of painful silence that followed, my anger and bitterness somewhat abated, and oven against ray better judgment, feelings of pity swayed my mind. It seemed t,o me, us 1 reflected upon the past, tlmt Dudley Ogle had boen unfortunate in his early surroundings and education ; his character had recoived a wrong bias from the very boginning anil the possession of wealtli had increased it. And yet, in spite of all tlmt, thoro had been something pleasant and good in him. No man is altogether hideous when truly known, and I had not yet accurately ascertained the character of his mysterious relations with my well-beloved. I hnd, during thin interview, caught glimpses of the real truo woman bonenth t-lio veil of falsehood and evasion of the truth; I had seen a wistful look occasionally in Ella's eyes, as though she were haunted constantly by some terrible dread. Ye?, I pitied her. I'erhaps, if I waited, the time would come when her nature would recover from the blight that had fallen upon it; when tho alien element that had unified itself upon her true life would be expelled by those avenging powers that vex and plague the erring soul, not in mockery, but to save it from the death that cannot die. Tho strangeness of hor manner, and tho tragic apprehension of her words would, I know, never fade from my memory, yet half inclined to believe I had misjudged hor. I at length, although feeling that tho world could nover again be quite the same for me, drew her slight form towards me, and imprinting a long pasaionato kiss upon hor ready lips, said : "I will try and think of you as a woman who has been wrongod, Ellti, I will wait until you can explain, but remember that until you relate to me truthfully tho whole of the facts there can be no love between us." "No love!" she wailed in a voice of poignant grief. "Is your love for me so utterly dead, then, that you Bhould say this ?" " No," I answered, careening her, stroking her wealth oi gold-brown hair fondly as of old. " I love you still, Ella, yet, speaking candidly, I cannot trust you further until you explain the truth." " But you will bo patient, will you not?' she urged. " Remomber that 1 havo before me a task so difficult that it may require all my woman's tact and cunning to accomplish it. But I will—l must, succeed j failure will mean that I lose you, my bost beloved. Thorefore wait, and ore long I will convince you that I have not lied." " Yes, I will wait," I said, kifging her once again. " Until you have cleared yourself, however, remember that I cannot love you as I have done." "Very well," she answered, her tearstained face brightening. "If such is your decision, I am content. Beforo long I will explain all the facts, and then, I feel confident, you, noblest and dearest, will love me even better than before."

"I trust I shall," 1 answered, with hoartfelt earnestness, taking her small hand arid pressing it softly; " for I love you, Ella." "1 care for nothing else," she answered, raising her face to mino and smiling through her tears. " I am happy in the knowledge that you still think of me. Yon have enemies; yes, many. But there was one that loved you always—ay, and loves you now, and over shall love you !" For a moment I gazed into the doep blue depths of hor clear, trusting eyes, still grasping her tiny hand in mine, but almost at that instant the door opened and Mrs. Laing, fussy, pood-natured, and full of sympathy, entered, and seating herself, commenced to chat about the events of that memorable morning. CHAPTER X. ENGLAND'S PIXIL. By the discovery of the duplicate of Lord Warnham's private seal in the possession of my dead companion, it became impressed upon my mind that Dudley Ogle, the man in whon I had placed implicit trust, had not only abused my confidence by making love to Ella, but was a spy in the Russian seoret service. Try how I would I could see no extenuating circumstances, and as next morning, when sitting alone in my London flat, moody and disconsolate, I calmly reflected upon the startling events of the past few day?, I saw plainly from Ella's attitude when I had exhibited the brass stamp, that, notwithstanding her declaration to the contrary, she had seen it before. It seemed placed beyond all doubt that Dudley had acted in conjunction with certain agents, who had by some means ascertained the very day and hour that) the secret convention would arrive from Berlin. Then Dudley, armed with tho forged duplicate, called upon me, and while we were together extracted tho document from my pocket and substituted the envelope. Yet there was the registration mark upon it, so cleverly imitated as to defy detection. How that had been placed upon the dummy puzzled me, for the designation I had written could not be known until tho envelope, with its precious contents, had been filched from my pocket. The reason of Dudley's visit to Warnham was now—to a certain extent—explained. More th»n probable it seemed that through bribery he had obtained from one of the servants an impression in wax of the earl's private seal, and from it the brass stamp had beon cut. The theft ot the document had been accomplished with a ueatnesa that seemed almost miraculous, and if Dudley really had stolen it, ho must have been a most adroit pickpocket. Nevertheless, even though his every action had now corroborated up to the hilt the suspicion thai) he wan a spy, I could not, somehow, believe him capable of such crafty, nay devilish, deception. Friends that we were, I could have trusted him with any secret, or with any of my possessions; but these revelations startled and amazed me. Still there wu a more remarkable and puzzling phase of the mystery. If Ella's fears were well grounded, why bad he been murdered, and by whom I J

The mysterious secret possessed by the woman 1 adored, the woman who hold me under the spell of her marvellous beauty, was of a tragic and terrible nature, I felt assured. No doubt it had some connection with Dudley's death, and that the sinister circumstance once elucidated would, I knew, furnish a very valuable clue to the identity of the spy, if perchance the innocence of my companion should be established, as I hoped ib might be. There was still one fact, too, that required explanation, one that seemed to prove conclusively that Dudley was in the pay of our enemies. I had found on looking over hie possessions in our cottage at Shepperton some pieces of crumpled foolscap. He had evidently intended to throw them away, but being unable to got rid of them at the moment, had placed them in a drawer and locked them up. On smoothing thorn, out, I found another piece of paper inside. To my astonishment I saw iu was a letter written by me, while the pieces of foohcap accompanying id wero covered with words and sentences in ink and pencil, showing how carofully he had studied and copied all the characteristics of my handwriting. These papers were, in themselves, sufficient evidence that he had practised the forger's art.

I had, after leaving Staines, returned straight to Shepperton, and in company with a detective carefully investigated all my fiiend'a belongings, We spent the afternoon and evening in roadine through heaps of latter?, but discovered nothing that would lead us to any suspicion of foul play. Tho detective made notes of one or two of the addresses of tho writers, and took charge of several letters relating to money matters. When, howevor, we had removed all the correspondence from the small wooden box in which it had been kept the detective ascertained that there was a false bottom, and unable to find oub the secret whereby it might; be opened, we forced it with a chisel.

At first we wore disappointed, only one ineignificant-lookiiig paper hoing therein concealed, but when the olficer eagerly opened it 1 at once recognised its extreme importance, although I preserved silence. The paper was nothing less than a Russian passport of a special character signed by the Chief of Secret Police in St. Petersburg, and countersigned by tho Minister of the Interior himrelf. It was not a formally printed document, but, written in Russian upon official paper stamped with tho doublehoadnd oagle, it was nwdo out in the name of Dudley Ol'lc, and after explaining that he was an official engaged on aocrotserrico, gave him complete immunity from arrest within the Russian Empire. " What's this, I wonder?" the detective said, puzzled by the unfamiliar characters in tho writing. Taking it from him I elanced through it, and without betraying theslightestaurpriso, answered, " Mnrely a passport for Russia." " That doesn't load us to anything," he replied, taking it from my form, glancing at it again fur an instant, and tossing it back cnrolossly into tho box. But when ho had complctod his investigations, removed whatever letters nnd papors he thought might bo of use and departed, I secured Iho passport and the cruinplod foolscap, nnd giving Juckos orders to remove my belongings back to London nnd give up possession of tho cottage, ] returned to Mansions. With these undeniable evidences* of Ogle's activity as a spy I was sitting alone next morning pondering over the best course to pursue, nt Inst resolving to go to the Foreign Office and boldly pluco tho startling facts before Lord Warnham, About noon I knocked at the door of the Minister's private room, and received in his deep hoarse voice ponnisMon lo enter. He was alono, seated «t his big writing-table, engrossed in n long closely-written docninent he was studying. " Woll, sir," ho exclaimed, with an expression of displeasure when lie saw mo. " To what, pray, do I owo this intrusion ?'' " I have come," I said, " to cloar myself of the chargo you hnvo made against me." "To clear yourself! Bah I" he cried in disgust, returning to his papers. "My timo is too valuable for lurther discussion," and he inado a movement- to ring the bell for a messenger to conduct me out. But I placed my hand upon his bony fingers firmly, and stayed it, saying: " It is to your intorost, Lord Warnham, as well as to my own, that you should know tho truth." "A traitor who will sell his country's honour is capable of any falsehood wheroby to justify himeolf," he snappod, savagely. " I am no traitor," I protested in anger, (To be continued on Wednesday next.)