THIS WOW TO THIS MAN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16202, 12 April 1916, Page 10

THIS WOW TO THIS MAN.

BY C, N. AND A. M. WILLIAMSON. Authors of "The Ligh'tainn Conductor," "The Car of Destiny," " The Golden Silonoe," " The Princess Paerej," eto., «to.

COPYRIGHT.

CHAPTER Xl.—(Continued.) The two women bad been standing in the drawing-room of the flat, Lady Amies-ley-Seton'r hand still in the counter's But now,, without speaking again, Madelena led her, visitor into the room adjoining, which was fitted up much as the room at the Devonshire hotel had been, for her first seance. The seeress gavo herself here at home the same background of purple velvet; tho floor was carpeted with black, aid spread with black fur rags; «he is never without fragrant

white lilies ranged in curious pots along the purple walls; but in her. own house all the appointments were more elaborate and impressive than the temporary fittings she carried about for use when visiting. On her table was a cushion of cloth-of-gold, embroidered with amethysts and emeralds, and "lucky" jewels of her horoscope'; and her gleaming ball of crystal lay like a bright bubble on a shallow cup of solid jet which, she told everyone, had been given her in India by the j "greatest astrologer in the world. What ! wa3 the name of this man, and when she had visited him in India, she did not reveaL

They sat down at tho table, she and Constance AnueEley-Seton, opposite each other. At first she looked into the glittering ball in vain, anil her companion watched her face anxiously. It looked marble white, and expressionless as that of a statue, in tho light of seven wax candles, grouped toj" itlicr in a silver candelabrum. Suddenly, as it seemed to -,he other woman's intense gaze, the statueface "came alive." It was not the first time that Constance hod seen this thrilling change in the eyes and features of the seeress. It invariably happened when the crystal began to show a picture; and t.j powerful was its effect on tho nerves of the watchf in this silent, perfumed room as to give an illusion that she, too,' could see dimly what the seeres3 saw forming in the transparent depths. "A man is there," she said in a low, measured roice, almost a whisper, as if she were talking in her sleep. "He is shutting a door. It is tho front door of a house liko yours. Yes, it is yours! There J is the number over the door, and I recognise the street. It is Portman Square. He puts a latchkey in his pocket. How could he have got the key? I do not know that. Perhaps I could find out, but there is no time. I must follow him. He is hurrying away. He carries a heavy travelling bag. A closed carriage is coming along—not a public one. It has been waiting for him, I think. He gets in, and the coachman seems to be all in black— off. very fast. They go through street after street—street after street! I v can't be sure where. It seems to be north they are going. There's ft p|rk—Regent's Park, maybe. But' 1' don't'know London well. The carriage is storing—before a closed house in a quiet stT&t. There is a little garden in front, and "a high wall. The man opens the gate and walks in. The carriage drives off. The coachman must know where to go, for 110 word is said. Someone inside the'house is waiting. Ho lets tho man with the bag into a dark hallway. Now he shuts the door, and goes into a room. There is a light there. The first man puts the bag on a table; it is like a dining table. The other man—much older —watches. The first one takes things out of the bag. Oh, a great deal of beautiful silver! I have seen it before, at your house. And there are other things— string; of pearls, and a lob of jewellery

He pours it out of a brown handkerchief on to the table. But still the second man is not pleased. I think he is asking why there isn't more. The first man explains. He makes gestures. So does the other. They are quarrelling. The man who brought the bag is afraid of the older one. He apologises. He soems to be explaining something that he wijj do. He goes to the mantelpiece in the room and points to a calondar. He touches a date with his forefinger." "What date!" Lady Annesloy-Seton cried out impulsively. It was forbidden to speak to the seeress in tho midst of a vision, but Constance forgot in the strain of her excitement.

The countess gave a little gasp, fell back in her chair, and put her lianas over her eyes. " Oh!" slie stammered, as though she awoke suddenly from sleep, " How my head aches! It is all gone! "I'm so sorry!" Constance apologised. "It began to seem so real, I thought I was in that room with you. You are really unaccountable! You couldn't possibly know what happened. Yet you havo been seeing the thief who stole our silver last night, and the Nelson Smiths' jewellery, but no jewellery of ours, that is the strange part of the affair, for I havo a few things I adore—and they would liavo been easy to find. You didn't even know wo had seen robbed, did you?" " No, of course not," said the countess. "I am sorry! Was it in the papers?" "It will be in this evening and tomorrow morning. _ But the . police must hear about this vision of yours— vision of tho man with the latchkey. It may help them." "You must not tell the police!" Madelena said. "I have warned yon all, if you talked too much about me and my crystal, that the police might hear and take notice. There are such stupid laws in England. I may be doing someining against them. If you or Lord Antiesiey Seton speak of me to the police I will go away, and you will never hear any more of my visions— you call them—of the future. Unless you promise me now that you will let tho polico find the thieves in their own way, without dragging me in, I shall be so— unnerved that my eves will be darkened." "Oh, I promise,.of course, if you feel so strongly," said Constance "I didn't realise that it might do you harm." Sho wished very much to have Madelena go on looking in the crystal. She had been interested, excited, carried out of herself for a few minutes, but she had not yet hoard what she had come to hear— sho had been spared the loss of all her personal treasures. The desired promise hurriedly made, the countess gave her attention once more to the crystal. For a timo she could see nothing. The mysterious force or - current had been severed by the diversion, and had slowly to be re-established and rewoven by the seems' will. "I can Bee only dimly now," Madelena said • " It was so clear before. I cannot tell yon whv the things you care for were left. Some-' thing new r is coming. It aeems to me that this-time I am looking ahead into

the future. The picture I get is blurred —like a badly-developed photograph. The thing I Bee has still to materialise for it.

"Where?" whispered Constance, thrilled by the thought that some evont on its way to her down the unknown path of. futurity, was casting a shadow into the crystal. " Where?"

"I see a beautiful room. There are a number of people there—men and women. You are with them, and Lord Annesley-Seton, and Nelson Smith and your cousin Mary. I know most of the faces—not all. Everyone is very excited. Something has happened. They are talking it over. Now I see the room more clearly. It is as if a light was turned on in the crystal. Oh, .it is what you call tho Chinese drawingroom at Valley House. I know why the room lights up for me so suddenly, and why I seo everything in it so much more clearly. It is because I myself am coming into the picture. The people want mo to tell them the meaning of tho'thing that has happened. It seems that I know-all about it. I do not hesitate to answer. It must be that I have boon oonsulting the crystal, for I seem so sure of what to say to them. I point towards the door—or is it at something on the wall—or is it at a person? Ah, the picture is gone from tho crystal now." "How irrigating of it! 11 cried Lady Annesley-Seton, who felt vaguely that supernatural forces ought to be subject to her convenience. "Can't you rnako it come back, if you concentrate?"

Madelena shook her head. " No, it will not come back. I am- sure of that, because when the crystal clouds for me j.j if milk were pouring into it, I alwavs know that I shall never see the samo picture again. It is finished. Whether it is a cross-current in myself 05-in the crystal, I cannot tell; but it anions to the siuio thing. I am sorry. But it is useless to trv any more. Shall we go back to the other room and have tea?"

Constance did not persist, as she wished to do. She had to tako tho countess's word that further effort would be useless, but she felt thwarted and annoyed, as if the curtain had gone down by mistake in the middle of an exciting act, and all the characters on the stage had availed themselves of the chance to go home. It was vexatious enough that Madelena had not been able to explain the mystery of last night. But this was ten times more so. "Am I not to know the end of the act?" sho asked as her hostess poured tea. The latter shrugged her shoulders, as if to shake off responsibility, "Ah, I cannot tell 1 Perhaps if—" She stopped, and handed her guest ajsup. "Perhaps if—what?" " Oh, nothing! " Madelena tasted her . own tea and put in a little more cream. "Do tell me what you were going to say, dear countess, unless you to die of curiosity.' "I should be sorry to have you do that!" smiled Madelena. "But if I said what I was going to say, you might misunderstand. _ You might think— was asking for an invitation." * ' (To b#' continued on Saturday next,)