THE AVENGER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13482, 8 May 1907, Page 10

THE AVENGER.

BY. E. PHILLIPS OPPENHEIM,. Author of " The Mysterious Mr. Sabin." "A Man and His ivingdom," " A Prince of Sinners," " Mr. Wingrave. Millionaire." and "A Maker of History,", etc., etc., etc.

[ALL EIGHTS RESERVED.] [COPYRIGHT.] CHAPTER XXXVII. Sydney Barnes stepped quickly forward. If Wrayson had permitted it lie would have snatched the packet from the girl's fingers. Wrayson, however, saw his intent and intervened; He stepped forward and led her to his writing-table. / " I want you to sit down here quietly and open the envelope," he said, switching on the electric lamp., ' "That is what he told you to do, isn't it? There may be a message for you inside." She looked around a little fearfully. The presence of the baroness evidently discomposed her. "I thought," she said, " that we were going to be alone —that there would have been no one here but him and you." . . "The lady is a friend of mine," Wrayson said, " and it is very likely that she may be interested in the contents of this envelope." She untied the string with trembling fingers. . Wrayson handed her a • paperknife, and she cut open the top of the envelop?, . Then she looked up at him appealinglv. "I—l don't want to look inside," she half-sobbed. Wrayson took up the envelope and shook out its contents before her. There was a letter addressed simply to Agnes) and a small packet wrapped in brown oilcloth and secured with dark green ribbon. Sydney Barnes' hand stole out, but Wrayson was | too quick for him.. He changed his position, so as to interpose his person between [ the packet' and anyone in the room.: "Bead the letter," he told the girl. "It is addressed to you." She handed it to him. Her eyes were blinded with tears. " Read it. for me, please," she said. He tore open the envelope and read the few lines scrawled upon , a half-sheet of notepaper. He read very softly ' into her ear, but the words were audible' enough to all of them: "My dear Agnes,l have just .discovered that there are some people on my track who mean mischief. I have a secret they want to rob me of. I seem to be followed about everywhere I go. What they want is the _ little packet in this envelope. I'm leaving it with' you because I daren't cany it about with me. .I've had two narrow escapes already. " Now you'll never read this letter., unless anything happens- to me. I've made up my mind to-sell this packet for what I can get for it, and take you with me.out of the country. It'll be "a matter, of ten thousand quid, and I only wish I had my fingers on it now and was well out of the country.' But this is where the rub comes in.- If anything happens to' me before I can bring this off, I'm hanged if I know what, to tell you • to, do- with the packet. It's worth it's weight in banknotes to more persons than one, but there's a beastly risk in having anything to do with it. I think you'd better burn it! There's money in it, but I don't see how you-could handle it. Burn it, Agnes. , It's "too risky a business for you! I only hope that in a .week or so I shall burn this letter myself, and you and I bo on our way to America. So long, Nessie, from vour loving husband." , ' * . "P:S. —By-the-by, my real name is Morris Barnes!" v ; ■ • : ; There was •an instant's pause as' Wrayson finished reading. Then there came a long-drawn-out . whisper - from Sydney Barnes. He was close to the girl, and his eyes were rivetted upon the little packet. "Tenthousand pounds! Ah! Five thousand. each ! jGive me the packet,' sis-ter-in-law!" . , She stretched out her hand as though to obey. Wrayson checked her. " Remember," lie said,' " what, your husband ■ told you. You were to burn that packet. He was right. Your husband was. a blackmailer, Mrs. Barnes, and he paid the penalty of his infamous career with his life. '. I shall not allow either of you'or your brother-in-law .to follow his • footsteps!" • She flashed an indignant glance upon him. "Who are you calling names?"'.she demanded. . "He was my husband and lie was good to me!" . "I beg your pardon,"- Wrayson said. "I was wrong to use such a word. ' But I want you to understand that to attempt to make money by the contents of that packet is a crime! Your husband paid the penalty. He knew what he was doing when lie commanded;you to burn it." She looked toward Sydney Barnes. "What do you say?"-she asked. The word? leaped from his mouth. He was half beside himself. - " I say let us open the packet and look it through, ouselyes, before we decide. What the devil business is it of anybody else's! He was my brother and your husband. These people weren't even : his friends. They've 110 right to' poke their noses into our affairs. You- tell them so, sister-in-law. Give me the packet. Come awav with me somewhere," Where we can look it through quietly. , I'm and straight. •It shall be halves, I swear. I say, sister-in-law—-Agnes, you don't want to go back to the refreshment bar, do you?" : . "No!" she moaned ; " No! no!" ■"•Nor do I want' to go back to -the gutter," he declared fiercely. "But money isn't .to be had for the picking up. Ten thousand pounds Morris expected to get. for that packet. It's , hard if we can't make half of that." . , She looked up at Wrayson as though for advice.'-- . - * : "Mrs. Barnes,"- lie said gravely. "I can tell you what is in that packet. You can see for yourself, then, whether it is by means, of which, you ; can .make money. It" consists of the letters of' a very famous woman to a man whom she loved. They were stolen from him on the battle-field l — do ,not wish to give pain to you, but the thief was Morris - Barnes. The friends of that lady who wrote them, paid your husband two thousand pounds a-year. Her enmies offered himten thousand pounds down. » There is the secret of Morris Barnes' wealth."- . ; Sydney Barnes leaned over the back of her chair. " His hot - whisper seemed, to burn her cheek. , "Keep the packet, sister-in-law. - Don't part!"' ~ "Your. ' brother-in-law,"-. - - Wrayson remarked, "is- evidently disposed' to continue your husband's operations. Remember you are not at liberty to do as he asks. Your- husband's words are plain. He orders you to burn the packet." " How do I know that you are telling me the truth?" she asked abruptly. " Undo the packet," he suggested. A glance inside should show you." For. some reason or other she seemed dissatisfied. She pointed towards the baroness. '■ ' v'-'v.'-.

What is she doing here?" she asked. ; " She is a friend of the woman who wrote these letters," Wrayson answered. I want her to see them destroyed."/. There was silence for several moments. The. girl's fingers closed upon the packet. She turned round and faced them all, but she addressed more particularly Wrayson. "You are wondering why I hesitate," she. said slowly. ."Augustus said destroy, the packet, and I suppose I ought to do it." ,;.:,' ; : . .'! , :;: -' . '" " By — — , you sha'n't!" Sydney Barnes broke in fiercely. " Morry didn't know that I should be here to look after things."' She waited until he had finished, but she seemed to take very little, if any, notice of his intervention. ' * "It isn't," she continued, " that I'm afraid to go back tc the bar. I'll have to go to-work somewhere, - I suppose; 'but it. isn't that. I want to know"—she leaned a little forward—"l want to know who , it is that has robbed me of my husband.

I don't' care what he was to otherV people! He was very good to me, and I loved him. I should like to see the person who killed him hanged!" . ■■■■. ■_.'■."■--. :-; ' Wrayson for a moment was discomposed, " But that," he said, " has nothing to do withi: obeying .your husband's .„ directions about that packet." '/ '■..'.. She 1 looked at him with tired eyes and changeless expression. "Hasn't it?" she asked. " I am not so sure. You have explained about these letters. it is quite certain that my husband was; killed by either the friends or the enemies" of the woman who wrote these letters. I' think that if I take this packet to the police it will help them to find the murderer Her new attitude was a perplexing one. Wrayson glanced at the baroness as though for counsel. She stepped forward and laid her hand upon the girl's shoulder. "There is one thing which you must not forget, Mrs. Barnes," she said quietly. " Your husband knew he was running a great risk in keeping these letters and making a living out of them. His letter to you shows that he was perfectly aware of it. Of course, it is a very terrible, a very inexcusable thing that he should have been killed. But he knew perfectly well that he was in danger. Can't you sympathise a little with the poor woman whose life he made so miserable. Let her have her letters back. You will not find her ungrateful!" (To he continued daily.)