THE EDGE OF THE SWORD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13395, 25 January 1907, Page 3

THE EDGE OF THE SWORD.

[PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT.]

BY FRED M. WHITE. Author of "The Nether Millstone," "The Corner House." "The Scales of Justice," " Craven Fortune," tie., etc. [COPYRIGHT.] SYNOPSIS OF PRECEDING CHAPTERS. Lionel Harvey is writing a story, under the nom (I- plume of Rodney Payne, for the Daily Record. The beautiful Elsie Armstrong, whose lover lie was, is suddenly shown in to see the novelist, for the novel is mysteriously developing upon the lines of a tragedy in which her brother Dick is concerned. She is'surprised to meet Lionel. A vear or two before he had silently borne the blame of a bank forgery of which young Armstrong was guiltv, and this bad separated the lovers. The novel tells how Dick's prototype become*, secretary to -a nobleman, and falls in love with his daughter, forges a signature, and -in the last instalment—bow the nobleman is found stunned, and the key of the safe containing the late Ladv Manning! roe's emeralds is lest. This exactly describes what has just occurred. Dick, his sister says, bus forged a signature. Lionel cannot, explain the coincidence; it. must be telepathy. Is the secretary or another character in the story, a woman, to be made the thief? Dick was in London at the time of the outrage. Lionel niters the end of the next instalment, mid. to his itniazcment, .when he arrives homo the Manningfrer emeralds are lying in Ins desk. A lady going out. bad passed him ill the hall as lie came in. Joining Elide at the theatre, in .answer to a telephone message, a la<iv 13 pointed out, to him in a. hex. in whoso company Dick Armstrong bud tveii a few moments before. The lady shows signs of perfect distress, llai'vev ascertains that she is Miss Ada Moberlev, Loid Mauningtree's niece. He discloses to Elsie what lie del for Dick before, and promises to redeem him again, He follows Miss Moberley's cab to ft house which is ill darkness. A man saunters up and follows her into the house. The door yields to pressure, and Lionel steps after them into the darkness of the hall.

He discovers that it. is Lord Mjnninjrtree'a daughter Gladys who has just arrived in the masculine hat and overcoat. He bears Ada S.UV- that, having herself taken the emerald? from the safe, she became alarmed by the turn of the storv, and took them to the rooms of the novelist. The door is suddenly flung open, revealing Lionel on the mat. He explains that he is there to eave Hick from the consequences of fo'iKC'iv, and the girls, realising his honesty, beg him to help them, too. in their difficulty. Gladys introduces him to her mother, the Countess of Muiiiiiugtree. whom llaivey believed had been dead for .some years. CHAPTER VII. A PATH OF THORNS. Lionel's surprise was complete and absolute. As a journalist it. was his duty to know something of the class of people who are prominent in the eyes of society ; ant! it seemed to him that there, were no details as to the life of Lord Manningtrce that had escaped him. He would have been prepared without hesitation to say that Lord Manningtree had been a widower of many years' standing. He seemed to remember that the great financier and philanthropist had lost his wife abroad. Yet it was just possible that - the lady who sat before Lionel was the wife of 'a second, and perhaps secret, marriage, tine glance at Gladys Manningtree settled that question. There was a strong likeness between the elderly lady and the girl by her side. Lionel found his voice at last. "I am just a little confused," ho stammered. "I understood that Lout Manningtree—" "Quite so," the elderly lady said, as Lionel hesitated. "The world shares the same opinion. Only a very few people know that there is a Lady Manningtree in existence. But, my dear Gladys," why did you bring the gentleman here'.' 1 Why should he be in the least interested in my little secret?"

Lionel turned an imploring ■ eye on Gladys. It was not for liim to explain how lie had found himself in Arlington Gardens. It would be hard to induce anybody to believe hi* extraordinary story. ere was the suspicion of a smile on the girl's faro. "Perhaps I had better go back to the beginning of the adventure," she said. " Mother, I ask you not to laugh at me or Ada. Remember that we did everything for the best. If you will give me your close attention for a few moments—" The story was told at length. The look of sadness and affliction faded from Lady Manningtree's eyes, she became, interested and excited. There was no suggestion of a smile on her face as the story was told. " Tin's is amazing," she said presently. "Ada, why did you act like that? What possessed you to send those jewels to "Sir. llaivev'.'"

"I was frightened,'' Ada Mobcrlev confessed. " I had .stolen, the. emeraldsl stole them from the safe as Lord Manningtree lay there, as 1 thought, dead. I locked the safe again and hid the key. I wanted to save you from ruin. I thought that if I kepi the emeralds for a time I should succeed in raising money on them. 1 knew how necessary it would bo to obtain money before long. And the next morning it seemed to me as if the writer of thai amazing serial story had discovered my secret. The awful trouble I have gone through lately and the anxiety unhinged my brain for the moment. Temporarily I was mad. T had obtained Mr. Harvey's address, and I sent the emerald's to him. . . . It was as if he were a, blackmailer and T was paying the price of his silence. I blush to think of my folly now.''

"It is not in the least, likely to prove expensive." Lionel murmured. "Not as things have turned out." Lady Mauningtree said. " But why did you take my unhappy family tot your models. Mr. Harvey? From what Gladys says you seem to have us all in your story. You take Lord Mauningtree and make him a. shrewd philanthropist, a financier who appears to be rich beyond the dreams of a miser, and yet who is on the verge of disgraceful ruin. Why did you do that'.'" "Please don't ask me." Lionel said. "It is nothing more than a curious parallel. And surely the world has seen enough lately of these dignified, learned men of means who turn out to be forgers, and worse. One could mention a score of instances. It struck me as a new note to make my hollow fraud a- peer of the realm. It never for a. moment occurred to me that Lord Manningtree could be identified with the central figure of my romance. That is where the sharp division comets between my story and the reality of life."

Lady Manningtree shook her head with an air of sadness.

" That is just- whore you have hit the bitter -truth," she said. "My unhappy husband is worse than any of the instances you could call to mind. T tell it you now. the whole world may know it to-morrow."

The words were quietly uttered, but they struck Lionel like a blow. If anything happened to affect the personal standing of Lord Manningtree thousands would be involved in utter ruin. It would be almost as bad as if the Government savings banks had suspended payment. At least a score of huge industrial undertakings had been (loafed with great- success by Lord Manningtree. IT is name was one to ion jure with; he was the great philanthropist among capitalists that the people trusted : lie was the guardian of millions gathered together in small sums. Nobody had even suggested for a moment that his credit was shaky. .And here was this elderly l.ulv quiet!} stating that Manniinrtive's position was rotten to the core. "It is past belief," Lionel cried. " 1 can't possibly be'ieve it." " Nevertheless, what 1 say is absolutely true,'' Lady Manningtree went on, in the same sad and helpless tone. "It is a very true proverb, one-half the world does not know how the oilier half lives. ft is also true that the greater the house the greater is the skeleton that lies concealed in the cupboard. Whenever 1 travel about the country and see some magnificent family mansion it. is always forced upon me that the owner must have some great sorrow in proportion with the size of his domain." "I believe that to be absolutely true'" Lionel said, thoughtfully. "It has often occurred to me to write a novel having that idea for the motif of the story. At the same time there are certain people whom one positively refuses to identify with scandal of the sort you mention. It there is one man in England whose name stands for purity and truth higher than that of any other individual ■it is Lord Manningtree. Why, if I were to suggest to a single soul that his probity ° was doubtful I should be laughed to scorn."

"I know that," Lady Manningtree replied. "And yet you cannot look mo in the face and doubt that I am telling you the truth. It is a most shameful confession for me to have j,o make, arid up .to a. few moments ago'l never dreamt (that 1 had strength of mind to mention it to anybody; but I have taken a liking to" you. ] admire tin" frank openness of your fare, and, moreover, you have come into our livis, in so strange a fashion that 1 honestly believe Providence has sent you here. 1 daresay you may smile at my sentimentality, hut it is a privilege that all women possess, and without which wo should he but colourless creatures."

"I will do all I can," Harvev said; " But when you speak of your husband in the way in which you have already— "All, I would give unythiug to know 1 was mistaken,*' Lady Nlatiningtree continued. ".Mr. Harvey, 1 am going to ask you to help me. You have come into our lives in the strangest possible way, you are clever and resolute. And your father was one of the best and noblest men that 1 ever knew."

"Was my father a friend of yours?") Lionel cried. Truly this is a night of! surprises." " I can't say that he was exactly a friend," Lady Manningtree went on. "But for nearly forty years he held a most. important position in Hudson's Bank. I have heard my father speak in the highest terms of yours. 1 was a Miss Hudson; when 1 married my husband 1 brought him a fortune of over £300.000. What you are pleased to term the Manningtree family jewels are mine; they used to belong to my mother. Therefore, so long as I do nothing, nobody can prosecute anyone who took thoeo stones. But lam wandering from the point of my story. Ada seems to think that we are on the verge of ruin, but that is not the case. My own privatefortune is considerably larger than it was when I left Lord Ma lining tree 15 years ago. But. large as that fortune is, I am afraid it will not be sufficient for my purpose." " And if it is not an impertinent question," Lionel murmured, "may 1 ask—"

"I am coining to that. I want to save roy husband's name and credit : i want to prevent the widespread misery that must overtake thousands of deserving people before long. Oh, you may ask live why I do not go to my lawyers, and the partners in my father's old bank. They could not help me, they would reply that it is impossible to interfere with a man in the position my husband occupies. It may be too late, and yet, on the other hand, we may he in time. If we are. in time I am prepared to sacrifice every penny of my money to avert the coming disaster, If we could only get my husband out of the way for a time, if we could only wrest the power from his hands! You are a novelist, Mr. Harvey ; you are accustomed to -work out problems like this; in the way of your profession. Can't you think of some scheme''"

Lionel admitted that lie might. It was nob a little curious that Lady Manningtree and Elsie Armstrong should have approached him with the same idea. Elsie had come to him and asked him to save her brother, and now Lath- Manningtree was looking to him to save, her family honour. And there was the air of mystery about the latter that appealed to Lionel's imagination. There was something, too, about these people that he liked. He began to feel a certain exultation of spirit. "Give me a little, time," he said. "One must be clever and quick to grapple with such problems as these. Lady Manninglive, tell me, why do you sneak with the suggestion that your husband is not capable of managing his own affairs?" " Because that is nothing more nor less than the truth," was the startling reply. "That is where the danger lies. Lord Manningtree is a dangerous madman." Lionel fairly started. It crossed his mind that perhaps the madness, after all, lay in the speaker. There Was such an air of melancholy in her dark eyes. Lionel glanced at the two girls to see if they shared in his suspicion. Evidently they were of the same opinion as the speaker. "You are surprised," Lady Manningtree resumed. " And now you know as much about the grim skeleton in the family cupboard as I do. You are a man of intellect and imagination, .so, therefore, I can leave you to guess to what extent this dreadful misery has oppressed' me. And the worst of it' is that one has to suffer silently. I have always said that the sharing of grief with others is to relieve that, grief of half its terrors. Even now, since L have told you this awful thing, I tee] all the better for it. I am quite sure that you will understand my feelings." " You touch me very deeply," Lionel said, with 'feeling. "Indeed, a lot ■of people come to me with their troubles. Perhaps they know that 1 am sympathetic, or. maybe, there is some magnetism about me which attracts trouble in my direction. But 1 will ask you to believe that I am speaking in all sincerity when I tell you that I will do anything to help you and relieve you of your burden. My own life has not been so happy that I am callous to the feelings of others." Lionel spoke with a thrill in his voice which fairly brought, the tears into the eyes of his listener." Just for a moment she could not speak. She held out her hands to him and pressed his lingers convulsively. it never seemed to occur to her that perhaps she was following an imprudent course in confiding her trials to this stranger. Probably Lionel's smile reassured her on that point. "Won't von tell me a little more?" lie tasked. '"Is there Nothing that you are concealing from me?" "I think not," Lady Manningtree replied. " Suffice it that you know where the "leaf danger lies. And nobody suspects this—nobody knows. Ever and. again ; t goes out to the world that Lord Manningtree has given this or that public building to some poor place, the press sines his praises, he makes a clear and lucid speech, and his intellectual air is commented upon. And yet he is a dangerous madman. Not even his doctor suspects it : only 1 know fur certain. For ten years I lived side by side with that malignant farce, for ten years I bore my torture in silence. What aire would you take me to he, Mr. Harvey?"

Lionel stammered something. If lie had told the truth he would have said that Lady .Manning-tree was somewhere about seventy. But she did not press *or a reply.

"] am 42." she said. "I was married at 18. At 28 my hair was at> white as it is to-day. All, if you only knew! The only one 'who (hies know is my dear niece hero, Ada Moberley."

At Lionel glanced at the girl lie saw the shudder that ran over her frame. " Even Gladys is more or less in the dark," Lady Mantiingtree went on. "My good and faithful Ada lias shielded her well. But the time has come when it becomes necessary for Gladys to know everything. When I parted from my husband and refused to return to him he punished me by taking my child away from me. Ii was Ada who kept me fresh in the memory of my daughter; it was Ada who induced me to come hack to London from the obs'tin little German town whew 1 was living ■; it was Ada. who so pkmmed it that Gladys can come here from time to time to see me. And it was Ada. who tells me all about the desperate position into which my husband is drifting. Not, that he imagines for a moment that she knows anything—he is toe deeply immersed in his wild speculations for that. Gladys, it is time you wont hack to your own home; you will be missed if you stay any longer.

Ada will go along with yon. There is no need for any great secrecy for the present, now thai we are assured that we are not being shadowed by a blackmailer in the person of Mr. Harvey. Besides, I should like a few words with Mr. Harvey alone." " T will do all 1 can for yon." Lionel said, when the girls had departed. "Fortunately we have a little breathing space. Lord ManningtreeVi accident is in our favour. It would bo interesting to know who it was that found his way into his lordship's study and assaulted him so murderously he other night." "Nobody did," Lady Manningtree said, quietly. " There were no burglars present. My husband brought his injury entirely on himself; it was practically selfinflicted (To bo continued daily.)

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