FATE'S BEGGAR MAID.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13193, 2 June 1906, Page 3 (Supplement)

FATE'S BEGGAR MAID.

BY' TOM gallon, j Author of "Memory's Prisoner," "Tattertey," "A Rogue in Love," "Kiddy," "A Prince of Mischance," "The Dead Ingleby." etc. [COPYRIGHT.] SYNOPSIS OF PRECEDING CHAPTERS. John Falconer's son rescues a lady from a disagreeable situation at a wayside inn. The father expeuU the daughter of a onc-tinie partner, who alone knew of a.n early business fraud, to brine him a document. Haunted by the suspicion that the girl, too, knows the secret, he arranges to have her brought to hi« office at night time. This is the, ladr his son had rescued. . Miss Ruth Arkett, for that iu her name, entrusts Nance. Ryder, ,a woman whom she meets in a poor lodging-house in London, with a miniature of her mother to pawn. CHAPTER lll.—(Continued.) Nayce Rtdf.r came out of the house, and walked quickly away on her errand. She was ai little doubtful is. her own mind as to whether or not she would be successful the miniature was valuable, and it might be difficult to persuade a pawnbroker that she had come by it honestly. However, tie trial must be made, for Nance was absolutely , honest, and had quite made up her mind to help this friendless girl if she could. Coming out of Cable Gardens, and making her way towards the broader streets, she wa« unaware that she was being followed. As a matter of fact, however, Mr. ; Saul Capstick, remembering that Ruth Ar- 1 kett was to keep a certain appointment with ' his master that night, had returned to the lodging-house in search of her, and therefore saw her, as he imagined, come out of the house. Of course, he saw Nance Ryder in reality, but as Nance had already appeared in the business, and he had seen ' her drop the letter into the letterbox in ! Flower's Court, it never occurred to him 1 that this could be ajav other person than , Ruth. It happened, further, that he was ; to be confirmed in that mistake within a J very few minutes. Nance, all unconscious of the watchful man following het, dived at last into the ! side door of a pawnbroker's shop. ■ In the passage ' inside were a number of little ■■ doors, each leading to a separate compart- ■'< merit, for the greater privacy of those custo- ; meis who did not desire to be seen while ; transacting their business. One of ; these " doors the woman opened, and went into the compartment just as Mr. Saul Capstick, . coming into the passage opened the door of

ULL' 1 1 ~ . ■ ' r ' ; that adjoining ami slipped inside. He ha# timed bis coming very well, the man behind the counter was already attending to ■ the woman, and Mr. Ops tick had perforce ;v • to ait. . .. . , ' "Where did you get this?" It. was the r voice of the pawnbroker, and Mr. , Capstick, •" looking round the partition, saw? thai''.tit* num held the miniature in his palm. "It's an heirloom," replied the woman, ' quietly_ "You'll sec a monogram on the ' back of it; it's ;i, little worn, but you can sec lie letters '11' and ' A.' Those are the , letters <«f my »amo—and that was ray ; mother's." - , \ " And what is your name?" asked the man, suspiciously. . . "Ruth Arkett," replied Nance. Now, lie initials on tho miniature iajrcl tho name had becii told her bv Ruth Arkett. herself, and Nance jVit that she would simplify matters for the girl in (he future, and ' lor herself at the moment, if she gave.' that , ; name. Mr. Saul Ca.pstick in the next compartment nodded quietly, and felt that after ■ : all he had managed the business rather i cleverly. Meanwhile the pawnbroker was I speaking. v "1 can't, lend you anything on this," be said; tlio things much too valuable, and' tho risk ls too great. 1 must have some lmtlifi-particulars before I can deal with 3 on. li you care to leave it " „• ■ ■■■■.: i liut1 i ut £j IMC , K . vdcr » suspicious of trouble, '' had suddenly snatched the miniature from us hand, and was out in the passage before the man could move. The man laughed', and turned to Capstick. | .« "I thought a* much," he said, knowindr.' • stolen—or Im a Dutchman. However 1 dim t, want to spend a day at tho policecouit; let. her try somewhere else. Now. sir, 'hat can I do for you?" ' The pawnbroker was still more astonished when Mr. Capstick, muttering that he had: '■ changed his mind, turned and bolted out also, lie clerk was just iu time to see the <-1 supposed Ruth Aikett disappearing round a . I corner; he at once gave chase, and came up with her, breathless. She turned and faced hini defiantly, evidently believing for at' ; f** ; moment that- the pawnbroker had sent to T detain her. "Miss Arkett?" said Saul, raising his hat about two inches from his head, and letting • ; it drop again into plaoo. Nance looked at him frowning! y. "What' ' ''M do you want?" she demanded. " - »>* "1 happen to know, quite bv accident' ' • that you are Miss Ruth Arkett, 5 ' said Gap- i stick, confidently. "Vou left a. note this >' ; evening at an office in the city—the office of Mr. John Falconer." * . a ( " Well, what if I did?' asked" Nance. .: 'l Are you .John Falconer?" No, 1 m his clerk, and I have a. n»es- ' * •? sage from him to you," said Caps tick, low- * ernig his voice. It flashed suddenly through the mind of "■ the woman that she would here help Ruth in another fashion. It was obviously im- *. possible for her to pawn so valuable a'thing. .V as tho miniature, vet Rut h must have money somehow. It might be possible for her, to " see this mysterious John Falconer, and V plead with him on behalf of the girl. "In, any case, she was more experienced tliaia Ruth; there slioulh be no hesitation about M her when she faced Ruth's friend.' . "Well, what is your message to Ruth ' ' Arkett?" she asked. ' ' ' V" Just as she spoke Westminster Tower clock struck tho hour of half-past nine. Capstick started, amd looked hurriedly atjiis . -tf watch, then he glanced at the woman. i,:l "Mr. John Falconer wished to sec you— • ' '! to-night," he said. It is, of course, in re- . • '-J J spouse to your note to-day; he will see you. .V at his oftice at ten o'clock. If you will come i with me now, we shall just be in time," he - added. \,|> he proper course for Nance Ryder to \ ha, adopted would have been to declare,V there and then, that she was not the Ruth '4 Arkett of whom this man was in search,'; , but that would have involved much explana- \ ' lion and delay, and perhaps the missing of * the appointment. Even if she hurried back *' jlflS and informed Ruth of the appointment, it, was possible that the girl might hesitate 1 ' . to keep it at such an hour, and might in consequence lose the chance of, gaining tho ] - money . she so sorely needed. >It did not ! > take a moment for Nance Ryder to make up Si her mind wha.t to do; she accepted Jibe;, identity that had! been thrust upon her, and |l Wm turned willingly eastward with Mr. Saul. / -', Capstick. Saul called a cab, , put her in, i arid climbed in .himself; then told the- dri-. '>? ver to drive to the bank. On the way Mr. i * ''<■] Capstick put a few leading questions. . i " I may take it that you are quite alone "1 in London, Miss Arkett?" he asked. -, /fe'j

"Quito alone, and no friends," she re- ' J<&jf - sponded. In fact," she went on, keeping i up the character she had assumed,; "Mr. *'« i John Falconer is the only friend I have.. ,T' • l'i I don suppose there's another soul in Loa- "s ; don knows of my existence." ' * - " .y, " You were wise to keep yourself to your- . t ! self, replied Capstick. And so they drove « 1 along towards the city, the woman un- k i suspicious, and the man beside her plot-% 1 ' ting and scheming. f "% >* ftlappffllf j Meanwhile, the man for whom Capstick •plotted had before him always, the remem- V'; nee of this girl he had never seen, '£•.He-' remembered, as clearly as hough, the letter- 1 i ' were in his hands, what that man who had 1 died had written in preparing Falconer for. 81 her coining. Even while his guests were l| 1 buzzing about him, and he was talking, to j them, he seemed to . see the letter spread ' 1 out before his eyes, and to read every' word yi ' of it. , "John Falconer, — ago, when you *, ,|4 and I worked together, you know what we ■; did. Fraud is an ugly word, and even wherf ; it is never detected it is none the lessfralid'.'--" ■ S§|t|fpj lou treated mc badly ; you oast me aside . aj§t when it suited you to do so. > But you were a fool, John Falconer, for you left in my i, ? v "§§ hands the proofs of what we had done. I - yf'flS am dying—shall be dead when yon read this r ~ , | —and they camnot touch ■ me. - With -too it ' ' '• "J will 'be different. 'I have waited mv hour;' fS now I give the work to another to do. My , / '*Z daughter shall deal with you ;my daughter * '. shall teach you what her . father's revenge ~/ is like. She lias all the papers. She ha« ! my full instructions what to do with them. 81 You must deal only with her. ... ' , fl " Gordon Abkett." , ,1 "yi He thought, bitterly enough about' t-ba ' fi," 1 phrases ; he felt ho knew what the dead man , had schemed, and how this girl, probably • 7-1 as vindictive as her father, would not hesitate to ex pew; him. or to blackmail: him. My daughter shall deal with you; my ' ',i daughter shall teach you what her father's :-'i revenge is like. She has all the papers.' . |fjj I'll settle this matter in some fashion to- '* w'>§f night. I won't let a weak woman stand in .'/ the way," he thought bitterly. f* ,':iM Always he kept before him the fact that/ the girl was to be there- at bis office at ton, -"t o'clock that night. Capstick was to -be - , J'jj trusted ; and, alter all, Capstick would know - , jfSI nothing beyond the fact that the woman • '' had entered the place. From that points the matter was in John. Falconer's hands* '-'-',*>4 and Capstick was done with • -?1 Falooner plotted the thing with careful 1 s'i ingenuitv. He had his guests in the house. ' || He must get away from them on "some ex- ',J/i cuse. and must return to them, that was"' - ,<Jsf I certain. For while Falconer would not hav« . "i | admitted, even to himself, that he contem- j% plated the death of this woman—would, indeed, have repelled such a thought at that? - ' time with horror— had yet gone so far as to know in his own mind that be must , "if create, if possible, something of an alibi. He must absent himself; but it must be ' S§f on another excuse. He decided that, be must; lake his wife into his confidence. He knew that if he said it was necessary he should' ' . .'a disappear for a time, the bond of confidence v "$. $3 was so great between them that she would not question him. He contrived to sneak to her alone for a moment or two, at a little ' H after nine o'clock. Her face showed that 6he knew what was passing in his mind •" , rlffl that she shared with him the tension , of \'!'J§ the time. • > i y, ;;£ff||| '"I must get away— a matter of im- "" " — portan.ee for about ■an - hour, .or perhaps ' - >- % longer," he whispered. ■-< r "I understand," she replied. "I? you' cou'.d smooth out your brows a little, and ~ ' -VI contrive to smile as though you were talk- • ing commonplaces, it might fee better." 5? He started and loked round . quickly at 'V\ , *'3 her, and laughed. " I haven't your courage, he said. "Well, what do you sugbest.'" ■ ' '' IrS?; "A plea of illness is the safest thing," "f-'M she replied. "You have been working hard, and you are run down. A mere sud- '" den faintness, and I excuse you. to your 1 .VI guests, and you go to your room for a time.; No one will disturb "you. v A little, later, •' when your guests are departing, you put '•> • in an appearance, with many apologies. • • 1 1 Don't worry; trust me to help you." "> - .\ " v|f| "I do," he said, touching her hand for a ' ' .'Ji moment. (To be continued on Saturday next.) *||