THE HEAD OF GOLD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12546, 13 April 1904, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE HEAD OF GOLD.

' ({PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARBANGEMENT.]

BY.MARK ASHTON, ' idtUhor of "Pilate's Wife," " SWe Stands _Alone." i" The Nana'® Talisman," " Haggith Shy.".

CHAPTER -XIX.

WHEN the ex-captain of the bushrangers left Golden Grove, after his secret observation of Mrs. Steele, lie returned tc Sydney, and without loss of time thus addressed hi* employer :

"Mr. Rosenthal, you offered me a part- , nership iu your future on tlrt? condition I married your sister. Sheba. I accept the proposal, and am prepared to pay the price !" The joy of the Jew .showed itself in Lis face, but he made no rejoinder except to rise from his chair and offer his hand to Laiitte. " Stof.!" said the latter waving it back; "before we thus" ratify our compact listen to the conditions upon my side. You and your sister may not think me worth litem." Mr. Rosenthal resumed his seat. " I once had a wife," resumed Lafitte. " I will say nothing of her or of what she was 10 me, save that she deceived and betrayed me under circumstances of such unnatural atrocity that it was more like the conduct of a fiend than a woman, and I have vowed that never again will I tak!? another to my •heart, and love. If 1 many JJrs. Garland itwill be only to keep the money in the family. We shall only be titular husband and wife." ; Aaron Rosenthal made no reply. Lafitte went on:—"But I will give her every material advantage a wife can enjoy. Of every sovereign I gain I will give her the half. Of every- home I possess she shall be the mistress. She shall bear my name, and be my honoured wife in the sight of the world : but there the bargain stops." "You ,ire right," said the Jew at last. " Your compliance is not. worth your conditions."

"Yet," suggested Louis Lafitte, "after Siii, we have no right to decide. That, is your sister's privilege. Have I your permission to appeal to her?" Mr. Rosenthal made a gesture of assent, and Louis Lafitte sought Mrs. Garland. She made no secret- of her delight at seeing him, and without further preamble than .he had used to her brother, save that he plainly told her that he admired her handsome person— every man did— that it ; was .no personal objection to herself that jirompted his conditions, hut an invincible repugnance to again replace his false wife, he made his strange proposal of marriage. She was deeply disappointed. She loved Louis Lafitte, and had hoped he had already or would sooner or later return it ; and this proof ot his indifference chilled her. •Yet.she felt she could not give him tip. If •once she was legally his wife she would strive to win him afterwards. She looked at and contrasted him with the drunken outcast she had previously married. Yes, she would venture the risk. She loved Louis Lafitte. and she would not let him go. So, as soon as.their arrangements could be made., Louis Lafitte and Bathsheba Garland were married, and they both accompanied 'Aaron Rosenthal and his not inconsiderable fortune to America.

Willi the last echo of the retreating foot* steps of CI cry Steele from the kiosk of the . *• Head of Gold " the demon's curse began to work upon its ill-fated owner. A proSound melancholy at first took possession of Rupert Layburne. He returned to Melbourne, and began putting his house in order, as though arranging for his death, He placed the management of his fortune in a kind of syndicate of trustees, carefully guarding against; fraud or neglect,, providing with ■ : ' eat" liberality for all expenses, and loss of - time and trouble incurred by the administration. Then he sat di wu, as it were, to await Ms doom. - '' . 'Year after year this terrible torment clung to him, and but for intervals oi perfect •' "sanity lasting for a few weeks and now ; - Then.* death must have stepped in and ended iis misery. There: was one exception to the worthless companions of Layburne's youth, whose friendship he had made during his college career, and one whom he had never forgotten or ceased to esteem. This man was Fergus Cameron, of Scotch extraction, marked ability, and hard-working, high-princi-pled character. Cameron had become a doctor, and attained a reputation for diseases of the. mind and brain. He was now the principal of a large establishment for the mentally afflicted on the- southern sea coastof England. During on? of Layburae" $ short lucid intervals he made up his mind to leave Australia and place himself under the care of his friend Cameron. His business affairs | v. were so well organised that they necessitated 1 neither trouble nor delay. Before his de« • parture he withdrew the case containing the " Head of Gold" from the bank, where, after the act-no in the kiosk with Clery Steele, he had deposited it, and despatched it to his agent in England, taking his own passage in another vessel, instinctively shrinking from crossing the water with his yellow burden. Rupert Layburae arrived without any misadventure, and in a state ot perfect sanity, and presented himself to his old friend. I' Without a single reservation or extenuation lie revealed the whole story of his Australian - life to Dr." Cameron, of liis fatal crime and ■alsiost a* fatal love, and it was finally artf ' ranged that be should place himself under the doctor's care and make his home at the asylum, where apartments and a personal servant were set apart for . his accomrncdil; lion. * ! .>± ■■ . The first act of Layburae, after-his return ' to the Old Country, was to make, a will executed, in the presence of two medical men and his lawyer, in which, with the exception, of legacies to Dr. Cameron and Australian friends, .he left all his enormous' wealth to •Sirs. Steele, appointing Dr. Cameron and his lawye~ her trustees to assist and protect but not to control in the management of its ' affairs. ' This will, as well as the case containing the head, was deposited with Mr. Layburne's London bankers. With the restoration of his mental health bis attachment to Clery Steele returned, for it was an inseparable part of his identity. ' He did not dare intrude upon- her, - but he found out her locality, and haunted it without detection or suspicion from the object of ' his devotion. These visits to Mrs. Steele's vicinity were made in the intervals between the transaction of his monetary affairs, which he now naturally resumed. During one of these visits to Seacliffe air '■!.'•> - unexpected encounter occurred to the infatuated haunter. ; V' It was night—after twelve o'clock, and all £. the lights were out in 'Violet Bank, when Rupert Layburne, like an enamoured schoolhoy, was lingering in the garden of his idol, -where he could view the house and imagine which was her window, when lie perceived another man enter the grounds and as stealth as himself approach the house. <■ He is after no good!" thought Layburne 'ansrrilv. forgetting that his own appearance was as suspicious as that of the new intruder, tmd in order to watch the latter he came round the corner of the house and entered the pretty front porch, embosomed in climbing roses, which effectually concealed him. ■ The man he watched appeared to be absorbed in his observation, and quite careless of being himself observed. He strolled up to the front oi the house, uplifted his face, which a slouch hat concealed, and appeared - to regard the windows attentively ; then, as lie passed close to the porch, Layburne heard {something like a sigh, almost a sob, escape from the stranger's breast An uncontrollable burst of jealous rage overmastered Layburae. This was no burg- - Jar, then, but doubtless a lover of the mis-tress—-perhaps a favoured one. He sprang like a, beast of prey upon the man, almost overturning him in the sudden onslaught of the attack, in which Rupert Layburne's hat fell to the ground. The moon at this mosnent sailed from behind a cloud, and gleam- - ed full upon the liberated features of the . uncovered man. At this revelation the fury of the other : ■man burst forth in an ungovernable access of rage. He rushed forward and raised his hand as if to strike, but it seemed, in the intensity of his emotion, as if the muscular ■force gave way, and his arm fell to his side. Then he bitterly cursed Rupert Layburne, as well as the lady of the house, by name, applying to the latter the worst,epithets that could be coupled with the name of a woman, and left the place. • Soon artci this occurrence Dr. Cameron left Hollingford for his holiday, and during Ids absence Rupert Layburne went up • ) town. "After a few days' absence he returned, and had the doctor been at home, a

change in his friend and patient's condition would not have escaped his practised eye, as it. did that- of the assistant. in charge. He grew daily more moody, taciturn, and morose, and shut himself up in his own room, only requiring short service from his personal servant, to whom he did not show any particular difference of manner, and continued as usual his quiet and independent life ; when, one morning, being later than usual, his servant entered his room and found him lying on the floor, to all appearance lifeless. lie immediately summoned the doctor, who pronounced that lie had been dead some hours. The post-mortem examination proved that a sudden access of frenzy on a diseased brain had caused death, and the verdict at the inquest was given accordingly. The death of the Australian millionaire made a short sensation, especially in financial circles, and then passed, as all events of our modern life do, into the region of forgetfulness. When Mis. Steele read the occurrence in the payers she sighed and said, "With the same measure he meted to Reginald it is measured to him again," and she felt it a relief to be sure that neither Rupert. Laybtirne nor Roger Bum would ever again cross her path in lite. CHAPTER XX. Mrs. Steele had now entered her twentyninth year. Time had matured, not impaired, her beauty. It is not the bud. but the open ftewer, that is the thing of joy and loveliness. The value of the first lies in its promise, the latter in the fruition of its maturity ; end now, in the zenith of her prime, Cjery had blossomed into a most fascinating end beautiful woman, even more than heretofore. About this time a great financial house was carrying ail before it in the London money market. The exact nature of this business was not clearly understood, whether bankers', discounters', stockbrokers', company promoters', etc., for thev combined, apparently, in an authorised way all these branches; and perhaps the tacit impression of the outside world will best describe their status as "something iu the city." Lafitte and Co. was the name of this firm. Its capital, so it was believed, was colossal, its credit unlimited, its management infallible. It carried all before it. a verification of the saying that nothing succeeds like success. The ostensible head of the house was Mr. Louis Lafitte, the Co., Mr. Aaron Rosenthal. The first was an accomplished man of the world, whose genial manners obtained al- ! most universal popularity; whilst the finan- I cial skill of the other partner secured as wide a confidence. They were brothers-in-law by right of Bathsheba, Mr. Lafitte's wife, who reigned as supreme in the fashionable world as her relatives swayed the financial one. Mr. Lafitte had built a mansion in Kensington, which had risen with the rapidity and magnificence of Aladdin's palace, and here Mrs. Lafitte queened it in rainbow splendour,, as one of the handsomest and certainly the most superbly-dressed women in London. In both the worlds just alluded to the Lafitte.* were accepted without question. Nothing whatever was known of their origin and antecedents. It was ascertained they came from America, and that- was all. Rumour was rife on the subject in clubs and drawing-rooms, and the wildest conjectures j were born and died. Mr. Lafitte vouched for i himself without need of inquiry; his wife j and brother-in-law were token on trust, and I The world in general did not know, as the ! reader of this history must- know, that this I triumvirate consisted of the usurer and bar-keeper, the captain of a band of bush ! robbers, and the daughter of a transported j felon. j

Bathsheba had not, as she had hoped, won her husband's love after marriage. After a time her own grew into resentment, then lapsed into indifference, and so the loveless couple each went their own different wavs.

The husband, however, kept his promise. His generosity to his wife was unbounded, and he treated her—in public—with respect and attention. After all, she reflected—for she was a clear-sighted woman, and had clever Jewish brains in her head—site had much to the good in her lot, and the most fortunate of mortals rarely, if ever, had everything that they desired. ' One of the most successful of the Lafitte companies was a bank, to be conducted—so said the prospectus—on a new system, which would ensure money-lending interest to the shareholders.' ' .

" Thfj rush for apportionment of shares was so great that it was jokingly said it would require a staff of Accountants to verify the. letters of regret. Amongst the fortunate— or unfortunate — for these was Mrs. Clery Steele. "Violet Bank, Seacliffe; widow. Clery, like the rest of us, whether our means are great or small, wanted a little " mere than she had, and catching the general mania, she too applied for the magic shares, and, as just stated, was accepted. A dividend surpassing ail expectations was dnly declared, on the strength of which Mrs. Steele indulged in a trip to Trouville in the season, where the " belie Anglaise" and her dainty children made a sensation and had a good time. Then a paragraph in the papers concerning the bank alarmed and perplexed her, and she took it to her solicitor, who was also a personal friend, ever ready to help her in any difficulty. "My dear Mrs. Steele," he cried, you don't mean to say you are involved in this unfortunate bank!" "Why fortunate'.' It is unlimited; which, I understand, refers to its capital. Is it not so?" she queried, seeing the dismay on her lawyer's face. '"Do you not "know, my dear friend,' 1 he replied, '"that if the bank' fails the creditors have the right to come upon vou for every farthing yon possess?" ■" Then'l had better sell out at once," she said. ' "I fear it is no use. You are responsible from the time you bought them." Then, seeing the effect of his words, he added, " But I will tell you what I will do. We lawyers don't care muck for stocks and shares, they bring but little grist, to our mills; but"we keep our eyes open, and I know there are some privileged shares lately issued which exempt the owners holding them, from more than limited liability. 1 have a cousin, a stockbroker of the name of Arnott, and I will write to him; you shall take the letter yourself, and if anyone can help you out- of this mess he will. Lose no time." Go to town at once. The next day Mrs! Steele journeyed to London, She went at once to Mr. Arnott's office. He was out, but she left her card and letter, and the following morning Mrs. Arnott left her card and an invitation to dine that evening. Tt was a party, and under cover of a musical amateur performance Mr. Arnott took the opportunity of speaking to bis guest upon the subject of her shares. "This is not a very suitable place to talk business in,"' hr began, with a friendly smile. " but we shall, perhaps, be less interrupted here than at the office. lam sorry to hear that you are a shareholder in this unlucky bank, Mrs. Steele." "Your cousin told me there were some priveleged shares to be obtained which would exempt the holders from liability, and that you would put me in the way of getting them," she saicj, directly and simply. "There were such shares issued before the threatening crash," he replied, " but they were created for the purpose of shielding the directors and other favoured members. Not enough to go round, in fact." " Then I fear I have no chance." "I don't say that," he answered. "I steer clear of a ll these questionable ventures myself ; still, I might put you in the way of getting out of this scrape. May I ask if you know Mr. Lafitte, or if you have any meam of getting introduced to him? With all hi? rather unscrupulous ways, he is a. very generous man, and,'' looking at the charming woman beside him, he added, "lie might be influenced by a personal interview." "1 scarcely ever heard of Mr. Lafitte before," she answered, "and I certainly have no chance of getting introduced to him." "Ah. that's a pity. There is not a shadow of hope of your being named except through tins man". Upon my life," he added, as if from <? sudden impulse, "if I were in your place and could not get an introduction 1 would apply to him" direct without one." "Would you really advise me to do so?" she sighed "You do not know how important it is to me to obtain these shares," and as she spoke she raised the long silken eyelashes that had drooped upon her cheeks and looked straight at Mr. Arnott with her •earnest,, lovely eyes.

" Upon ray word, I dc advise it. _ I don't see how he can refuse it.; I couldn't. Did you bring yovu certificates with you?" " Yes; I have them with me." "Then go boldly to Mr. Laiitte and ask for an apportionment of the guaranteed exceptions, showing by your papers that you are the right Mrs. Steele. He cau_but refuse you, and I do not- think he will do so." " Thank you. Mr. Arnott. X will do as you advise. At any rate, it will do no harm."

"No : it- can do no harm, and may do good. „ At any rate, it- is your only chance." " I suppose," she said simply, " ,1 mustnot go to hi? house?" "To the Hague. Oh, dear no!" replied Mr. Arnott, laughing. " What would the superb Mrs. Lafitte say to that! The ladies do not as a, rule approve of business 'at home.' I shall have a curtain lecture, by-and-bye, toi talking it. here in my wife's drawing-room." " I so dislike going to offices," she said. '• It will soon be over, and is only once in a way, and the thing is worth the inconvenij ence." Besides, Louis Lafitte is a perfect I gentleman. You have nothing of discouri tesy to lear from him, Mrs. Steele," added i Mr. Arnott in an encouraging tone.

(To be continued on Saturday next.)