THE CASE OF LADY BROADSTONE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13666, 6 February 1908, Page 3

THE CASE OF LADY BROADSTONE.

' :■' "' BY ARTHUR W. MARCHMONT, - tuthor of "By Bight of Sword," " A Heritage ' of Peril," "When I was Tsar," "A Courier of Fortune." "By Wit of Woman," etc., etc. ■n :'•*.■ COPYRIGHT. CHAPTER XVIII. ■■'_"■' THE CIRCLE 01' PERIL. . '■]■■ j5r2V Sadie had underestimated the intensity of Bloodstone's anger; for she had ".' ' not known on© of the chief causes. He was § ; in truth nearly beside himself with jealousy, fear, and chagrin. On tho previous day ho hid received a letter from Gertrude Haniyl in which she :. announced her betrothal to.Harold Vynocke. "Wo must both do our best to forget the past. We can't do as. we wished; so you must not blame mo for doing what I can. Wo had better not see one another again. '' It is just another case of 'it might have f:' been,' if we bad met earlier. Good-bye." :'.'•. ;On tho top of that had come the news j. ; of Dorrison's return to the Towers, and V 1 Sadie's anonymous letter had roused his fears and made him terribly afraid of his . , cousin. Ho was quite shrewd enough to draw the inference .she suggested. He knew the truth as to Jack Pctherby's death; and t ; while ho was bitterly disconcerted, on Ger:'trade Hamyl's account, that Eva was get- '" ting better instead of worse, ho was mor- ,'.:, bidly convinced that if his life alone should /-•stand between Dorrison and the title and

p fortune, tlio same diabolical cunning would ;.• V be directed against him. And ho was an ./ egregious coward. His one idea was that if Eva cb'wd he ;;■ would go abroad far out of Dorrison's reach and persuade- Gertrude to go with him. Nov.', however, everything was failing i him. In a week Evil would leave the ; Towers; and ho cursed Sadie bitterly as ■the cause of this. That it was she who had thwarted the attempt on Eva ho had .lot even the faintest suspicion; neither did ho see that it was she who had quietly- forced, ■' bis Land and brought about the collapse" of \ the attempt to woo Eva's regard. What to do he was at a loss to decide. He must have Dorrison's advice; '■■}■~. and to get that he must hide his new . y fears of him; and he must keep away from ":' ; the whisky bottle lest the truth should ': slip out. •• 'i Meanwhile, Sadie on her part was '-.-.:■' strengthening her defences of Eva. Under -' the pretext that her bedroom was draughty -.' she had the bed removed to a room which ." communicated with Eva's, and placed close to the door which opened from the one room to the other. She hurried the arrangements and. pre- ; ;; parations for their tour, so that they could ■; v get away two days before the time Eva had *jj£?-' fixed and in order to'have a reason for ~ inducing Eva to fall in with this plan at ■v : ■•-■.!■ the last moment, Sadie planned to have v' ait urgent message calling her to Paris ;.,""" without a moment's delay. ;" V ' She resolved, too, that as soon as Eva was safely* away in her charge she would '', write to both Broadstone and Dorrison telling them who she really was, and what Must he done. '• t \ s£V. " As a further step to disarm Dorrison's suspicions, she gave it out that it would //,'be nearer a fortnight than a week before ;/.v. Eva would start for the Continent. - r ; In- the meantime every night would find i , her on the watch. Whatever might be attempted against Eva now would have to . be some drastic step; and the night time /.would thus be more dangerous than the ;■■'■/ day. Two* or three hours' sleep in the day would enable her to keep her night vigils; and it would be an easy matter to feign indisposition and induce Eva to watch by her side while she slept. . /' Despite the ; almost, feverish ; : agitation which theses thoughts and plans induced, Sadie let no sign of them appear" when she , was.with Eva. Their chief topic now was the forthcoming torn, where they would '■-.' - go and what they would • see. Paris, Swit- .:■ ! zerland, Rome,- Venice', the Riviera, were .on -their lips all the time. They read about the places and discussed ' them to Eva's unending delight. • ' f She grew enthusiastic in the contempla- ■' tion of the journey, and took almost a #-;f:''i; childish .'.pleasure in settling details and planning all- manner of pleasant , jaunts. That Dorrison had arrived they knew, Hid on the following morning ho asked permission to see Eva. "I have really come as, a peace delegate, Eva," he said, after,he had expressed delight at finding her so well. , "Ber- . ' tram has told me of the unfortunate ; affair the day before yesterday, and I assure yon he is. profoundly repentant and h ,; intensely* ashamed. I had a long .talk with him last night; and he is really miserable . at thisthis state of war." He used the phrase with - a smile and a lifting of the hands. • . ; , "There is no war between us, Mr. Dor- ■: rison," said Eva- , " . "But you are leaving Broadstone." -- ' "We are going on the Continent for a month or so; that is all. That is not leaving Broadstone in;any such,sense as you imply." . - ~.' "But the household knows of the cause

.; .' —and servants talk; These things get out j ■•■., and so scandal grows." • "The household knows of many other things." ~' "I know, of course. There is no use ' in blinking facts. I told Bertram his treatment of you had been abominable I throughout." ; " I don't think I can thank you for that. I don't think I want anyone to in* '?■ : ; ' terfere in the matters between my husband and myself." " I only speak as a member of the family— man of the world, Eva, who knows how the world feeds on the garbage of scandals such as these." "It is not I who have added to the .V' garbage heap," replied Eva pointedly. . ■ ; ; " Oh, please, don't think I have ever j suggested such a thing. I can quite understand how you —and am the first .:;';; to admit you "have only too much.cause ] for compfaint. My only suggestion is that you should delay this trip — say for a : month— that the cause and effect " should not bo so apparent." So this was the object, thought Sadie; ■ and when Dor risen said presently that the weather a month later would be much more agreeable for a tour, she said quiet- ' ly : "That is perfectly true, Eva." . "What, are you for a postponement too, Margaret?" ■' " The "Continental hotels are horrible -when they're crowded with tourists, dear; • and if wo waited we could book our room well ahead everywhere." "I did not expect to find you on Mr. Dorrison's side," replied Eva, with' some "•!'."■' show of disappointment. !,. : "I am not exactly that, Eva. I ■;!'/ ' ' shouldn't give the least weight to his first ;'::, reason. No one is likely to make a scandal because you go abroad for a few weeks; but you certainly would find it much more enjoyable a month hence." ! „ Dorrison prudently said nothing; but '< ' Sadie's intervention both pleased and sur- ... prised him. "We have talked so much about it you have made me eager to get away," cried V- Eva, with a smile. ■"■ "Well, we could split the difference 5. and make it a fortnight later. That .would meet Mr. Dorrisou's point, and ; r l every -week counts at this season."

: / "J. suppose I have no option? but to *; yield," and Eva shrugged her shoulders. '•; ," "You have been a great traveller, Miss :• Hutchinson?" said Dorrison. He had been v etching her closely and puzzling again ; ; •, over the resemblance which she suggested. - ■ '"Oh, yes— is, I have been to many places." i ' "You know America pretty well?" ■: ~ ''I am an American citizen. I was , wised there—as we say," she answered, .K'ljh. a laugh. , ~ ■■- "American women are, very charming, l'Ssfew'"said: gallantly as ho' rose to leave. Hum wo may take that as settled, i . E *"■*'' he asked, turning to her. ; .V -,'1 am 'til-aid so." was the reply, with •;,'■.>;•■;■» ii'oi'ul glance at Sadie. . • , 'You won't regret it, dear," said the "' * latter; and Dorrison went away more puz-

zled than ever as to Sadie. He was getting near to the truth. "If'the infernal thing .wasn't" impossible, I should think she -was actually number one. By gad I" he broke off suddenly. " That's the resemblance—the nose in that profile photograph." f . , > . - - ' . With a feeling of unwonted excitement, he hurried to his room before rejoining Broadstone, hunted up the photograph, and scrutinised it eagerly. Then shook his head. " No, the mouth makes it impossible. The nose is very much like — but those long promineab teeth, 'no. A devilish ugly mouth, too. Beside, Bertram couldn't be such a blind ,ass as to be in the same house with his own wife and not recognise her. I'm a fool. Wait, wait, ami!" and then he fell into a train of thought which ended in one of those ominous smiles of his.

A train of thought that' was to havo many results. Sadie's acquiescence in Dorrison's proposal—that the tour should lie, postponed —had been a mere pretence, intended to lead him to believe that he would have more time lor his schemes. The longer she could persuade him to believe he had,. the more time he was sure to take to mature plans. Every day was of, consequence, she felt; every hour almost. She was fighting against a man who was ready to take desperate chances; and he knew, quite as well as she, that if Eva were once away from Broadstone the difficulties he would have to overcome would he immensely increased. And Eva had shown that she would readily enough fall in with Sadie's plan for a sudden departure. " I wish you hadn't urged me to stay here longer, Margaret," she said, after Dorrison had left them. " I would" rather have gone on the day we fixed. I am longing to get away." "It is always open to us to change our minds again," laughed Sadie. "If one woman may do that, surely two may, who have no one but themselves to consult and please." " Then why did you say that to Mr. Dorrison?" He is so pleasant, you know; and so difficult to refuse.'' " You don't really like him, Margaret?" "Everybody does, Eva. But I'll tell you a little secret of mine—and not a very pleasant one. 1 am acting quite selfishly in proposing this trip of ours. A great friend of mine is in Paris, and I have heard such news that I may have to go there quite in a hurry." "Oh, Margaret; but you won't leave me," cried Eva in dismay. " No, no, don't think that. But 1 may have to carry you off with me, hurryscurry, post haste, as fast as we can travel. So I'll tell you my idea. We'll he ready to start at any minute; but if the need does not ariso wo can stay.as long as you like. But we need not tell everybody all our business—and certainly not Mr. Dorrison, despite all his pleasantways." "If it is not bad news, I think I should ,like a rush journey like that." There's another reason, too, for our being ready. If anything more unpleasant happened here, we could just be off." And so it was settled between them ; and Sadie was able to hasten the preparations without causing any suspicions. Indeed, there were very few to be made. They were going to Paris, where everything they needed could be easily bought. Sadie planned therefore that a telegram should reach her o",i the morning of the third clay after tho talk with Dorrison; and on that day she determined to leave the Towers, covering the. suddenness of the departure with the plea of her summons to Paris.

That night Sadie kept her first vigil; but without results; and the next morning, pleading nerves and a bad headache, she slept for two or three hours, having got from Eva a promise that she would sit by her side/ In the afternoon they went for a drive, and returning through the village. stopped at the post office. Sadie wished to post the letter to her maid about the telegram with her own hands:

She had bought some stamps and was leaving the shop when Mr. Gregory came out from a room behind.

'"Oh, is that you, Miss Hutchinson?-" he asked.

•'Yes.': , -■'.'.,': :, '.-...' "Then yon may as.well sign the book, if yon will." - Sign what book?" she asked in great surprise. "It's only a form and I think a:regular farce, but we have to comply with the law, you know, of else they come down on us pretty heavily. When we sell poisons, the purchaser lias to sign for them. I gave them 'to yor.r messenger, knowing you so well, and meant to ask you to sign the next time you were in. . It- wasn't quite regular; but I was willing to strain a point, of course, for anyone at the Towers." , .

Sadie glanced at the girl behind the post office desk, who was staring hard at her. "I think I had better_ speak'to you. a minute in.private," she said. He led her into a room behind. ; " Do you mean someone asked for poisons for mo?" she asked.. •..'

"He did not ask; he brought me your letter," and Mr. Gregory showed her a letter signed "Margaret Hutchinson/-' and asking that some arsenic, a small quantity of hydrocyanic acid, and a hypodermic syringe should be sent by the bearer, who would pay the charge. "There is some strange mistake, Mr. Gregory. I did not write this letter, and I certainly do not want any prussic acid." , " I shall- get into trouble if the book-is not signed," said Mr. Gregory. "Of course, I did not know.it was a mistake." "Who brought the letter?" " One of the servants. I don't kruVw him. A thin-faced, sallow, spare man, with close-set eyes, not in livery." Sadie recognised the description as *,hat of Jame3 Gardiner. "I will keep this letter and make inquiries. Possibly one of the stablemen wanted the things to kill a cat or a dog." " I'd rather have the letter, please, it's my only authority." " I tell you it is a forgery, and no authority from me; but you can keep it. I will see to . the matter. - So the circle of peril was spreading, and she was to be involved, thought Sadie, as she went back to the carriage. She said nothing to Eva; but resolved to redouble her vigilance ; and that night she kept watch with a loaded revolver under her pillow.

(To bo continued daily.)