A TIGHT CORNER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16098, 11 December 1915, Page 3 (Supplement)

A TIGHT CORNER.

BY ARTHUR W. MARCHMONT, Author of " By Right of Sword." " The Man Who Was Dead," etc.

COPYRIGHT. 1 " i CHAPTER XVl.—(Continued.) ] " There's that red-headed girl I men- ' tioned. She may possibly know something. She was in the car which bowled me. over. I don't know her real name, but she's a dancer. I saw her at the Folies Tra ires, and I'm pretty sure she : recognised me. Her stage name is 'La Lunette.' But you'll have to mind how you tackle her, because she saw me at Issy." "I'll be careful. She may be just the link we need. I'll run over to Paris tonight and get the facts at first hand. In the meantime, if you think that this Blount is likely to recognise you, keep out of his way until we know more. You might co out of town for a few days." " Not I. I'm not going to funk things now. But hurry up. I want the beastly thing settled and out of the way." "All right. I won't lose an hoar, and shall soon have good news, I hope. Don't worry." and with that Bob went away. It was all very well to talk glibly about not worrying, but not so easy to take the advice. There was Enid to think of. He could not go to her until the affair was cleared up: and the effect of the interview with Grimston had left the unpleasant impression that there might still be a good deal of delav. More than that, his friend had taken the matter so differently from what he had expected that Bob besan to exaggerate the possibilities of trouble and found it more difficult merely to laugh at them. That night another unpleasant thought suggested itself—whether there was any chance of his losing his memory again ? He decided to try and find that out by seeing a specialist in mental cases the next day. Sir Mervvn Weeks was the best man, and he fixed up an appointment and was at the house before his time the next morning. The qreat man was particularly interested in the case and watched Bob so closely that it cot on his nerves. He nut almost as many nuestions as Grimston had the previous day, but his verdict was in some respects more cheering. "Of course, it would have been far more | sstisfactorv if I could have seen the Tied' cal man who attended you and learnt the precise nature of the injury you sustained; but from what you tell me I should conclude that the case was quite a simple one. A clot resulting from a blow on the head. You were very fortunate to recover so completely. Constitution, no doubt. And I have no hesitation in assuring yon that there is no fear of any I relapse or recurrence of the trouble after | so considerable a period^" "And when I was lifrS that, is there any reason to' think I was able to move j and do things ?" asked Bob anxiously, ! "That would depend entirely upon the j extent of the injury, Sir Robert. Of I course, in most cases the patient is more II or less in a condition of coma." "Not always?" Oh, no. You may not have been I badly hurt at all, and only your memory ■ may have lain dormant-. That is so in | many cases.'' , " Should I act rationally—appear to I know what I was doing I mean 1" j " Very likely. These injuries to the brain are very subtle. It is perfectly pos- | sible that in all resDects. except memory, you would act quite rationally, to use your own words. "I am a keen motorist, for instance, and I might be able t>-» handle a car all right? As well. say. as 1 can ordinarily "I should consider it quite possible, probable, indeed." Bob winced at this reply. " There's ore other thing. Should I be likely to do things which at any other time I should never dream of doing ? Would one's ordinary moral sense be active as usual, or chanced ?" " That's going a little deeper. Have you any reason for the question?'' " Afraid I have. I've been told of one or two things that were pretty rotten— not a bit like me, I mean." " That's very interesting; very interesting indeed. I have known one or two cases of that nature. Yours was probably one of them."

" Of course a man wouldn't be held responsible for anything he did ?" " Naturally not. You would only have to prove your condition." Bob nearly groaned. "What sort of proof," he asked anxiously. "Of course, the medical man's evidence tin the first place; and then that of the people who were with you, nurses and friends, and so on. A man in your position, Sir Robert, would have no difficulty of that description." " Doctors and nurses and friends," thought Bob gloomily as he walked alone , Harley Street. He hadn't the faintest ; idea whether there had been either doctor I or nurses, and the " friends," would be ■ Gaudin and his associates. Splendid witI nesses to character in all conscience, as Grimston had said.

Anyway, there was one satisfaction to be derived from the interview with the specialist, there were going to be no more lapses of memory; and as for the rest, well, it must be faced.

He was a little restless that no word came from Grimston that day. He was to wire as soon as he had any news worth sending, and when a telegram arrived in the evening he opened it with excitement. But it wasn't from Grimston. It was from Mrs. Gendall asking him to go and see her at once. " Something important to tell you," it concluded. This switched off his thoughts from Grimston to Enid and was a big relief. " I've been busy on your matters, Bob," said Mrs. Gendall when they met. "And I've been thinking a lot about you and : Enid since we had that chat at Bournemouth. Something happened down there and I think I know what it was. Let me tell you first that after I had gone I went up to Enid's room and—well, it will be entirely your fault if she marries that horrid little'cad, Blount." I "I know that," he replied, with a. grin. " You've seen her then?" He nodded. "I'm glad. Til tell you why. The next morning I saw them in the garden before breakfast, and afterwards Enid was just a different girl. You know how bright the child is, but at breakfast she hadn't a word to say and looked awfuL Really awful. Blount, on the other hand, was as perky as a cock sparrow, if he could be as innocent as one, and kept hinting about an early marriage, and not one word did she say to contradict him. I could have —I don't know what I couldn't have done to him.' "I'm with you there." said Bob. " Well, now. I'll tell you what Eve found out. I told you that there was no end of trouble to get things settled when I took my matters from croft and went to Mr. Bachelor. He dropped certain hints at the time, and so I went to him yesterday to find out more." It's awfully good of you." There is something wrong, very wrong indeed. He didn't want to tell —one legal dog never bites another if be can help it, you know ; but I made him- He found out that in order to raise the money to pay me. between three and four thousand pounds, Cracroft sold some things— shares and a couple of —which didn't belong to him. It wasn't Bachelor's business, as he said, to probe the matter: but the moment be told me what they were I knew they were Enid's. I know all about the money my sister left Enid, of course." "I'm not much of a hand at business matters." said Bob; "but I suppose she knows all about the sale." " That's just what she didn't. She believes at this moment that they are still hers, and, what's more, that precious brother-in-law of mine leads her to believe it. Now, Enid's of ac«. and those things couldn't be sold without her signature : in other words, someone forged her signature." "My dear lady!" protested Bob. " It v s no good taking that. tone. Someone forged Enid's signature," pharrepeated with a nod of emphasis for each word. " And it could only have been one of two —Cracroft himself or that horrid little cad who was at my house the other night. To my mind the thing's as plain as the nose on my face. Cracroft has always dabbled on the Stock Exchange, ,

tod has probably been in deep water. for a long time. Blount must have found it outthe reason for the partnership, of courseand he has in all probability led that stupid old man—for he is one of the stupidest—still deeper in, for his own purposes naturally. Now he has turned round and most likely threatened exposure unless Enid marries him." "Of course, one has heard of such things, but—" and Bob paused, shaking his head as if unable to credit it. "He couldn't make her marry such a man as Blount!" " I'm not so sure of that. She's not an ordinary girl at all; and Cracroft has been kind enough to her in his way. Of course, it's paid him. She has aboat six hundred a year, or should have, rather ; and he's brought her up. If that rat has drummed it into her that her uncle 13 in fear of prosecution, and that she can save him, I wouldn't like to say what she would do. And it's mv belief that he told her that morning at Bournemouth." "'l'd like to wring his neck," growled Hob. " But that wouldn't help vou with Enid, Ine question is what you will do"?" "An infernally ticklish business." "Then I'll tell yon what to do. We're not going to sit and twiddle our thumbs and see Lmd sacrificed in that wav; and tor her sake as well as mine we can't have any open scandal. You must see Cracroft, therefore, telling him plainly what you know, and get the thing settied quietly. Fortunately, you don't need to bother your head about Enid's monev so you can go and tell him that he can have the income for the rest of his life Let him retire and give tin his law business to his beautiful partner. You'll have to frighten him a bit, of course— if he refuses, Enid will be told the truthtor of course, if you don't tell her, I snail. ' "Not a nice job." murmured Bob, looking _ worried. "Besides. I'm afraid that t-ans business is not so simple as I thought:" and he told her the result rf the interviews with Grimston and Sir Mervyn Weeks." _ But Mrs. Gendall only smiled at it all ' ion re hipped by the suspense, and this will give you something to do while vera're waiting for the verdict. Yon want something of the sort. Here's a paper with all the facts you need for tackling Cracroft; and mv advice is—tackle him at once. He won't show fight. Do it to-dar • and you II spend the evening with Enid at Burnham Court. See if you don't." " But if this other business " "Bother the other business! Yon don't suppose Enid will care a single Llovd George stamp about it, do vou? And "at any rate you'll save her from this awful marriage. ''That's true." agreed Bob, smiling: and he went awav studying the paper which Mrs. Gendall had given him He would see Mr. Cracroft the next day. On the following morning a telegram came from Grimston, and a very disquieting message it was. Reirret matter much worse than anticipated. Returning immediately, urgent. See you to-night.—GErilSTO^•. ;, " Confound the man : the devil couldn't he wire something definite," he muttered fretfully, as he tossed the telegram dowri. But he picked it up directlv. and threw himself into his easy chair, and sat frowning as he conjured up all sorts of unpleasant possibilities behind the words "much worse." A little later the. telephone bell interrupted his rather gloomy meditations. "Is that you, Bob?" It was Mrs. Gen. dall's voice. " Yes." "I'm at Burnham Court, Enid's, von know. Come here at once. There's trouble." " * " ~ "What is it?" " I'll tell you when jou're here. Come now! ' "*" "Wait a bit. Are von there?" No answer "As bad as Grimston," he ; growied, and told Stevens to call a taxi

j CHAPTER XYTI. EXID REBELS. I All possible reasons for Mrs. Gendall'a urgent summons which occurred to Bob on his way to answer it were far away from the truth. The fact was that Enid had raised the standard of rebellion as the result of their interview in Kensington Gardens, and a letter which Mrs. Gendall had written her- That very shrewd person had pointed out to her one very pertinent fact. "It is all nonsense about your being frightened into marrying Blount because Stephen may get into trouble. Of course the two are in it together; and if one*» in a mess the other must bo also. Don't forget this." The consequence was that Enid startled Mr. Cracroft with a very decided declaration x of independence- " Uncle, I have resolved not to marry Mr. Blount," she said firmly. It was just before dinner, and he was reading and nearly let the book fall. "I— I don't understand you, child." "I have made up my mind not to marry Mr. Blount," she repeated very deliberately. "But youyou promised. You—you must. You'reyou're engaged to him." " Promise or no pronibe, I won't marry him. He'll be here directly, and I shall tell him: but I thought you'd better know first. That's his knock." " You— ruin me," said the old man feebly. He was so agitated that Enid was sorry she had not waited until Blount came. He had always been as kind and affectionate to her as if she had been his own child, and in this matter of the marriage had not uttered a single word to urge her. Blount had done all that, painting in vivid colours the ruinous consequences to her uncle if she refused, and using the affection between them as the most powerful lever. His present distress went straight to her heart therefore. But in the instant Blount came into the room all thought of that vanished. He went np to her with his usual smile. " Good evening, Enid. I was half afraid I should be a bit late," he said, holding out his hand. " Good evening, Mr Blount," with a frigid bow. " Hullo! Something in the wind?" and he turned to Mr. Cracroft for the explanation. The old map avoided his look, fidgetting uneasily in his seal. The dinner-gong sounded. " Come, dear," she said, helping her uncle up and putting her hand on his arm- Blount followed, biting his nails almost fiercely. "What's the matter, Enid?" he asked when the maid was out of the room. *' I'll tell you after dinner, Mr. Blount," she answered curtly, and, turning to hew uncle, plunged at once into a description of a story she had been reading, taking care to appear in the best of spirits. The men scarcely* spoke a word- Each was busy with his own thoughts, one wondering uneasily what was amiss, the other distressed and alarmed by the possible consequences. When she rose Blount opened the door for her, but instead of going out Enid bent over her uncle. " I'll tell Mr. Blount, dear; but I want you to be with us." He rose slowly with a sigh and a sad shake of the head, and they all went back to the drawingroom. and she sat beside him on the chesterfield. " I think I've been kept on tenter-hooks long enough, if you ask me, Enid," said Blount, trying not to show his anger. " I told my uncle, just before you came, that I will not marry you." " Oh, that's the game, is it? Very well. Only don't blame me for what appens." ,7 1 "Nothing will happen. lon know that. And if I hadn't been stupid I should have seen that from the first." " \h someone's been talking to ycu, ph'l's'pose I can guess the name in once But he's no friend of yours, Mr. Cracroft So you've seen him again, then ?" And he turned to Enid with a flush of anger. ••If you mean Sir Robert Marlowe. I have only seen him once since I came back from Bournemouth. I made no secret of that." (To bo continued oa Wednesday next)