THE ALLINSON HONOUR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15481, 12 December 1913, Page 3

THE ALLINSON HONOUR.

BY HAROLD BINTJLOSS, Author of "Tho Impostor," "The " Pioneer," " Hawtrcy'B Deputy," " The Wastrel." etc. CHAPTER XVIII.-Continued). When she stopped he leaned on the piano looking down on her, and Geraldino knew she had gone far enough. After having treated him with cold indifference she must not be too gracious, lest his suspicions should be aroused. The man was in her hands, but he was not a fool. She hated him a s she saw the crude desire in his face. " Thank you," he said rather hoarsely, and picked out another song at random. "Won't you try this? I've never heard it." " No," she said firmly ; " not that one." It was the ballad whirl), so Andrew had told her, helped to send him up into the wilds where his duty lay. Henceforward it was sacred—not to be sung to euch men as Mappin. "Why?" he demanded. "I only sing that song to people who I know will appreciate it." " And veil don't think I would "It strikes me as very doubtful," she said with a emile, in which there was a touch of scorn. His colour deepened. She had shown signs of yielding, and now he wondered if she had after all been amusing herself with him. Stirred as he was by passion he was in no reasoning mood and savage jealousy filled his heart. " It's th kind of thing you keep for sentimental fools like Allm/son!" he exclaimed. Geraldine had expected some such outbreak. Indeed, it was what she desired. "Well," she said, with a tenderness which was meant to disturb her companion, "I sang it to him once." "It will be long while before you sing it to him again." The voice rang harsh with exultant fierceness and Geraldine knew that she had gained her object in rousing the brute in him. She had learned the truth—for whatever danger threatened her lover this man was responsible. But there was mor e she must know. " As he's a friend of ours, you're not very considerate," she said. "What makes you speak with so much assurance ?" Mappin, who saw that he had been rash, was on his guard. "It was a fcol thing to go North in winter. It's no country for a raw tenderfoot, and Allinson should have taken a stronger party. I know something about transport work in the bush." " I suppose food would be their greatest difficulty," Geraldine remarked with a thoughtful air. " No. Fresh snow and blizzards would trouble them worse." "Still, stores would be a consideration," Geraldine persisted. "I know they thought a good deal about them and had some depots made. If they couldn't find them coming back, it would be serious, wouldn't it" Mappin's jealousy was heightened by her interest, but he regretted his hasto and meant to be cautious. Unfortunately for him, the charm Geraldine had exercised had carried him away. He could not think as clearly as usual. " The stores were carefully packed and sent up in charge of good men," he said. " They were properly cached; every precaution was taken."

"Were they your men? " Mappin glanced sharply at her, but read nothing in her face. He could not evade the question without rousing suspicion. " Yes," he said; " that's why I know they could be relied upon to "do their work."

Geraldino sat silent a moment, struggling to preserve her calm, for she had found out what she wished to know. She understood why Mappin had insisted on the dangers of the journey and made light of the question of food*. He had, with scarcely conceivable cruelty, cut off the party's supplies. Still, he 'must not susped that she knew this and with an effort she took up another piece of music. ."We are anxious for news of the expedition, and it's comforting to remember that they had an excellent guide," she said. "But I'll play you something." Before the piece was finished, her father came in and she left him to entertain their guest. Seeking her room she eat down, feeling suddenly limp from strain. . That she was humbled and ashamed did not much matter; she was filled with hatred and loathing for the man she had led on and with anxiety on Andrew's behalf. CHAPTER XIX. FROBISirER COMES TO THE RESCUE. When Mappin left, Frobisher went to his smokingroom, where he was surprised to find Geraldine waiting him. " I thiuk," he said with mock severity, "it was mean of you to leave Mr. Mappin on my hands, particularly as I don't suppose hi visit was made on mv account." • "Did he bore you very badly?" Geraldine inquired. "We have had guests here whom I'd sooner entertain, but for your aunt's sake I try to be civil. After all, we have known the man for a long while." "I feel that we have been very patient in putting np with him," said Geraldine. "He's insufferable." "Ah!" said Frobisher, taking out a cigar; "then you didn't happen to be here by accident,? You may as well sit down and explain what you came for." <( G«raldine took the chair he indicated. "I have something to tell you," she said ,with an effort. " Mappin asked me to marry him a little while ago." "It strikes me as curious that this is tho first I've heard of it." "I was ashamed to tell you," said Geraldine shyly. " I felt degraded. Besides, you must have guessed—" "Just so. I'll admit that I had some idea of tho man's ambitions, which seems to describe it best. In my opinion, he's too cold-blooded to be influenced by any mere tender sentiment." "No," said Geraldine with deepening colour, "ho is not cold-blooded; that 's the worst."

Frobisher lighted his cigar and regarded her thoughtfully. " We'll take it for granted that you refused him. Nowadays it seems to be a father's business to sanction and not to interfere; but I really think if you had wanted to marry the fellow I d have been a 6 firm as adamant However, this is not to the purpose. Why did you tell me about it now ? ,s " You'll see presently. But try to remember that he has other feelings than avarice. The man's unscrupulous and full of savage cruelty." "Then we'll let him drop out for a While, and you can come to the point " "To begin with, will you read 'this' It a from Lthel Hillyard, whom I met in London. You have heard me speak of her. r

She gave him a letter containing sufficient information about the house of Allinson to explain why Andrew had cone to Canada Hi Character and relations with Hathersagc and the rest of the family were cleverly sketched. Frobisher studied it carefully before he looked up '«. "All $" « not exactly new to me though Miss Hillyard, who seems to be a shrewd young lady, speaks strongly in Allinsons favour. From odd things he let fall I'd formed a pretty good idea of the situation. Now you have cleared the ground you had better go on." ''Father," said Geraldine, "so far V ou have done nearly everything I asked' you and that is why I'm not afraid to ask for something else. I want you to send up a party to look for Mr. Allinson. Ho. and the others are in danger of starving in the snow."

'All! said Frobisher, who looked at her searchingly, and she met his gaze for a moment, though a flush crept into her face. "Well," lie added simply, "lie is a straight man." "And a friend of yours. But yon will send him help at once?" Geraldine asked with keen eagerness. '' First of all you can tell me why you think it needful." " * Geraldine spent some time over the explanation and concluded: "You must see that, their safety depends upon their finding

the stores, and Mappin has had the depot* V made at the wrong places." For the next few moments Frobisher sati silent, the smoke curling up from his neglected cigar, while Geraldine watched him m suspense. Then he said: "You have reasoned the matter out remarkably well, and it strikes me that you're near the truth. However, I don't understand how you led Mappin into making the dangerous admissions that gave you a clue; he's a bit of a brute, but I thought him a cunning one. Perhaps I'd better not inquire." Gerakline's embarrassment was obvious, and there were signs of dry amusement in her father's face. "After all," he resumed, "when you pay a gam,, for high stakes with a man like Mappin you can't he too fastidious." 'But what about the relief party?" Geraldino demanded. "I think the situation is serious enough to need one. I'll drive over to t i, c Land . ing and see about it first thing to-morrow." He got up. ami as he reached the door Geraldine, following, put her arms about Ins neck and kissed him. Then she went past swiftly and vanished down the passage. Next morning Frobisher learned that Mappin had gone east by an earlv train and that there was not a man capable of undertaking a difficult journey into the wilds disengaged. Mat-pin had hired all the available choppers and packers and sent them into the bush to cut some lumber he required for his railroad contract. Frobisher could not determine whether this had been done with the object of preventing their being employed on a relief expedition, but it looked suspicious. Being in it. difficulty, he called upon the owner of the sawmill and told him as much as he thought advisable. j "As it happens, I can help you,'' said the lumberman. "There are two or three I fellows on our pay-roll whom we haven't much work for at present, though we'll need them later. They're good bushmen, and I might raise one or two more by sending up to our logging camp." " Thanks." said Frobisher; ''it will bo a favour. It's lucky I thought of coming to you." " Never mind that. I feel I ought to help Graham out; he's an old and valued servant. But I don't see how you We interested in the thing." Frobisher smiled. "It's one's duty to help a fellow-creature who's in serious danger. Then I believe I may call myself a friend of Allinson's." "There's a point to be considered. The most likely place to meet the party would bo in the neighbourhood of the food depots. You intimate that there's a risk of Allinson's missing them, which I don't understand ; but he must have a rough idea whereabouts they are. As Mappin's out of town, wouldn't it be well to wire and ask him exactly where they were to bo made?'' '' On the whole, Fd sooner get the information from Mrs. Graham. No doubt she knows her husband's plans." The millowner gave him a searching glance. He was a shrewd man and suspected that there was a good reason for his visitor's preference. " Yes," he said pointedly, " that might be wiser." Frobisher nodded. "There may have i been some misunderstanding about the precise location of the depots. Mrs. Graham | will know where her husband meant them to be made, which, of course, is the most ; important thing." " Just so," agreed the other. '' You will excuse me for a few minutes.'' He went out, and returning by and by announced that three men would be ready to start up river during the afternoon and j that some more from the logging camp I would follow in a few days. Frobisher left him and after calling on Mrs. Graham went to the store, where he ordered a quantity of provisions to be prepared. It was evening when he reached home, and finding Geraldino waiting for him smiled at her as he took off his furs " I've had a busy day. but I've got things satisfactorily fixed," he said. "You have found men to take up stores?" Geraldine asked eagerly. "Better than that," replied Frobisher. " I've sent them off." Then seeing the relief in his daughter's face, he nodded reassuringly and left her. The relief expedition had orders to loss no time, and as it happened, two of the men had narrowly escaped starvation in the wilds. Their experience led them to urge the pace and it was afterwards admitted that they made an excellent march, which was fortunate, because things were going badly with Andrew and his friends. It was snowing hard when Andrew, who had been out since sunrise and could drag himself no farther, crawled into the shelter of a rock on the desolate hillside and fab ' down shivering. There was an insufferable pain in his left side, he was faint with hunger, and his muscles ached cruelly. His fur coat was ragged, and his mocassins were cut by the snow-shoe fastenings and falling to pieces; his face was pinched and hollow. It was some hours since he had seen Carnally, and he could not continue the search, but he shrank from going back . to camp, where there was nothing to eat, and facing his famishing, comrade. Indeed, as he grew- lethargic with cold, it scarcely seemed worth while to make the effort of getting on his feet again. He sat still, listlessly looking down across the white slopes, because Carnally would probably pass near the spot by and by, though he had now no expectation of his finding the cache. During the last few days they had some- - times met while they searched and exchanged a brief " Nothing yet," or a dejected shake of the head. It would be the same again, though Andrew thought his comrade might have succeeded if they could have held out. He could not see far through the snow, \ which swept along the hillside before a savage wind. Blurred clumps of spruce marked the edge of the lower ground, bub tho river was hidden and the straggling junipers on the spurs were formless and indistinct. At length, however, Andrew noticed something moving near the end of a long ridge and, as it must be a man, he supposed it was Carnally reluming. Then ho imagined that the hazy figure stopped and waved an arm. as if signalling to somebody below, which was curious, since his comrade would be alone. (To be continued daily.)