HARDER THAN STEEL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16823, 13 April 1918, Page 3 (Supplement)

HARDER THAN STEEL.

ft BY GUY TEORNE, author of "When It Was Dark." "A Lost * Cause.' etc.

(COPYRIGHT.)

CHAPTER VII.-(Continued.)

It took Violet nearly half an hour of climbing, and then she came out upon an Immense plateau or tableland, one thousand feet above the sea. Sho turned and looked whither she had come. The gorgo now seemed like the green waterway of a brook. Immediately below it, wero the red tiled roofs of the villas. Below that again, she saw the Victoria Hotel, looking like a Swiss toy—a fringe of greenery, a liny white ribbon of road, a white beach, and then the sea.

She stood, tall and beautiful, gazing flown below upon the sunlit glories, and then filling her lungs with the clean air, she turned and faced another prospect, She was on a great high tableland. Boiling moors of heather and budding gorse stretched away in an uulimitablo vista. To her left, a quarter of a nnlo away, a huge, stony, rounded dome itoe up into tho sky—the famous bilberry Ilil. To her right, and far higher than either, was a grim sharped peak of slate, rising so high {hat even on this jocund midday a little fleecy cloud caressed its summit. And beyond, at the edge of tho vast moors, were ether peaks, higher and more menacing. They seemed to niako a great rampart to the unknown.

A lark or two were singing high in tho turquoise sky. Some early bees were booming among the bilberry bushes—it was high noon, glorious and peaceful. Violet sat down upon a largo boulder, staged with grey and orange lichens. She jtuck her alpine stock in the ground, and pulled a letter from her pocket. "Now, darling," she said, "I'll read jou again up here in the clean, pure air." She opened tho envelope. It had arrived by the morning's post together with several small parcels— parcels were in the rather heavy basket sue had carried from the hotel

This was the letter.

" You will get this to-morrow, darling, with my directions. The night after, I shall come again to Pwylog. Tho things I send, you must take to Wintorbotham ' directly you get them. It haß been a fins more to"establish him in that mountain farm as a consumptive. He will tell you what he has discovered, and when yon come down from the mountains, send mo a telegram detailing everything. Tho cypher is quite simple, I am sure you won't have any difficulty as far as that is concerned. "For my part, I have been very herd »t work, and I have discovered two things —both of them most significant. "The first is in connection with the ex{losion of the Quarry Queen. It is this. fo cargo of ordinary blasting powder— which is gelatine—could possibly have had the effect upon the land that the explosion actually did have, "Thanks to yon, I am rather a great person in Liverpool now. I heard the explosion discussed by people who knew— experts. I also met Major Sayer, the stupid old Board of Trade expert, at the Reform Club. Of course, the affair was not of any great importance as far as Liverpool went, still it was talked over. And to cut a long story short, the Board of Trade could see nothing extraordinary in the incident, but one or two real experts are confident that there must hare been jome very different explosives on board the Quarry Queen. I give you this for what it is worth, but it may be another link. " Secondly, I want yon to remember a. certain name—Sachs. I have discovered that Mr. Conway Flint has recently been entertaining a certain Carl Sachs at the) Adelphi Hotel here. We are stumbling along in the dark, but every clue may prove of immense assistance. Sachs has been recognised in Liverpool. He is the famous expert of the Skoda Steel Foundry in AusMa, I cannot say in the least what it may mean, but' strange thoughts are beginning to revolve in my mind." Violet made a little grimace as she turned a page of small and clear handwriting. This was all very well, but— ah! there was that she wanted to see far more. She devoured the burning words of love that closed the letter, until the high place where she sat became golden ana irradiated to the exclusion of all other thoughts. What did it matter, after all, about their quest? She loved Gerald, Gerald loved her— sky, the sea, the mountains, sang and shone in] chorus. | For nearly half an hour she sat there in a dream. Then, as a slight shadow of cloud passed before the sun and turned the heather grey, she rose with a sigh. ''Go on, you little beast," she said to herself. "Go on and do your work. Both you and he made it a solemn condition that you should not marry before this mystery was probed to the bottom. Get to work, Violet, my girl." She laughed aloud at her fantasy, gathered up the heavy basket, caught up her stick, and began to tramp onwards through the heather and gorse. She knew what she had to do for at least' a mile. She followed a smooth, green sheep-track, which did not deviate in any way. When she came to a clump cf wind-bitten birch trees and a little rained chapel, she was to look at her map and take out the pocket compass which the had bought in Conway. .. She strode along, the rich mountain air filling her lungs, until the huddled trees and the ruined, granite chapel rose to view. She came up to the place. It was indescribably melancholy. The walls of the little meeting-house still stood, but the slate roof had fallen in. There was a pool of stagnant water before tho doorway—a forlorn and deserted spot ! It was the first time uhe had climbed so high up among the mountains, and a slight but very definite depression stole over her. She pulled out the envelope upon which Mr. Price had traced her route in blue pencil, put it upon a flat stone, and the little compass upon that. She watched the needle quiver, pause, and stop. "That must bo the way," she said to herself, as she saw a narrow path stretching westwards. " There is the green hill behind which the farm must stand. Poor Winterbotham, what a remote and lonely life for him!' In that clear air all the landmarks seemed much nearer than they really were. Violet had walked for nearly an hour over the moor and round the base of the green eminence before she came in sight of the mountain farm. It was a long, low, whitewashed building, covered with slate and surrounded by a granite wall. ■ it she came up to the gate of the little garden in front of the house she he.vd voices. An old Welsh woman came out of the porch, followed by a little (at man of about fifty, wearing gold-rimmed spectacles. His cheeks wero rosy, his eyes wight blue, and his hair, which was plentiful, was the colour of straw. Winterbothaia followed. He was very pale . he bad naturally a sallow complexion, and this had been assisted by art. Ho walked With a bowed back, leaning upon a stick, tod every now and then he coughed. "Well, I thank you," :,.tid the plump "M smiiir.g little stranger to the farmer s "Jf'fe. "Never have I better milk taste,]. * v as fatigued with my walk upon tho "fountains. You will not take any money, " 10 • I thank you for your hospitality." He bowed and smiled. And you, poor man," he said to , Winterbotham, " I hope you of your comy:, plaint will cured be soon. This air is \-; Wonderful! I have been here for three ;.'■'.■ *eeks now, and am much improved in I health." Staying at the castle, sir, I suppose," j < v 'ntcrbotham said, humbly touching his tap. ' ..At tha castle," said the little fat man .■'-:; * ll a wave of his hand. " I am an on- ' H" eer, and am superintending pumping : ' ; ttschmery of a deep artesian well the ■■.-.-. £ord Pendrylas has bored." He beamed •/ ;.*p<m the farmer's wile, and tapped her .•?P°n. ; the shoulder. "Ach! the water," ~ M cried with a chuckle, and in an ecstasy ( -:ot admiration, " from tho very heart of f «J mountain, so cold as ice it come. But ; '•;••£ ™ l better than your milk, madam—! ;2jßhi a goddess approaches." J l6 hsd 4 turned and seen Violet at the I *. and, taking off his soft felt hat, the S''.. man made a low and sweeping bowi' m » cavalier upon the stage, '

Its my mistress, sir," said Winterbotham, in a thin voice.. "My kind mistress that has put me here to get well." And he hobbled down to th<» gate towards the girl.

The littlo fat man preceded him, and pulled the gat* open with another bow. And then with a final smile of goodwill, ho skipped out on to the moor and trotted away, waving his stick and humming a merry tune.

Violet," after a word or two with the farmer's wife, a placid old dame to whom Winterbotham introduced her, accompanied the sick man into the sitting-room set apart for his use.

She closed the door. Immediately Winterbotham rose erect. He was a clever actor. Ten years seomed to fall from him in a second as he pulled out a chair for Violet.

"Eh, miss, I'm rather glad ye'vocoom." Violet laughed. " I hope you feel stronger to-day," 6ho said. " Isn't it very lonely hero?" , W'interbotham gave a sudden sharp cackle of laughter. Humour was not his strong point. "Lonely, miss," he said. "On the contrary, every moment I can get away from this house is full of interest. Eh, but it's a strange world I'm in, and more like living in a story of bogles than ordinary Christian life." "Bogles?" Violet asked; sho did not understand the North country word. " Yes, miss, wizards and magicians. I 1 shouldn't be surprised to meot the witch of Endor at sundown in this place." " Well, you shall tell me all about it in a minute. First of all, several parcels arrived this morning from Mr. Boynton. Here they are. I pretended I was bringing you calves'-foot jelly." Winterbotham was on the basket !iko a' monkey on a nut, and withdrew several packages. He whipped out a knife from his pocket and cut the string of the first one. It contained a small square box, which he opened and lifted out an instrument of dull steel, which extended as he did so like a pair of lazy tongs."

"What's that!" Violet asked, in somesurprise. "A small skeleton periscope, miss. With this I can lie hidden in the heather, and just push it up and see all that's going on around the castle, and who goes in and out each day. And this," he continued, "is a pair" of strong prism binoculars, plus eight magnification. They also Trill be useful." He laid his hand upon a third package. " That will be the cylinder which I asked Meslflr Boynton to make for me," he muttered I'll tell you the use of that in a minute, miss, when ye've heard my stay." " I'll tell you something first, Winterbotham," Violet said. "It is a dead secret, of course, like all that passes between you and me."

He looked up quickly, and his face grew bright at what he saw in hers.

" Is that bo, missy," he said, before she had spoken a word. " Aye, I'm reet glad to hear it. Eh, that's the best of news."

Viofet blushed. " But I have told you nothing," she said, marvelling At the man's Keenness.

" Your bonny face has told me," he said. " You and Hester Boynton have fixed it up, isn't that so, miss?"

Hia hand was outstretched in the splendid North country warmth of feeling, so frequently hidden under a dry and cold exterior. She took it.

"Yes, Winterbotham," she said. "Some day we are going to be married. But we have both agreed that we will not even think of it until we have discovered the mystery which started with Peter Fanshawe at the works. By the way, to change the subject, who was the man I saw going out of the house just now?" " He had been for a walk on the moors, miss, and he knocked at the farm door to ask Mrs. Llewelyn for a glass of milk, as he was parched. 1 was in the kitchen and we had a bit of a chat like. He comes from the castle. He has a sort of foreign turn to his speech, though his English is good enough." " Have you ever heard of the Skoda Works in Austria?"

" Why, yes, miss, everyone that has to do with machinery knows them." " Well, unless 1 am very much mistaken that gentleman comes from there." "I wouldn't bo at all surprised, miss," Winterbotham said. "He said he was erecting pumping machinery at the castle." " Yes, I heard him. Uno more question. Is the naino ' Sachs' familier to you?" " Sachs, miss I should rather think so. There's no engineer that doesn't know it. Sachs is the first hydraulic engineer. He is to the hydraulic machinery what Edison ia to the electric light." "Why, you have just been talking to him."

Winterbotham jumped up from his chair. " Good heavens, miss, you don't say so. To think that Elijah Winterbotham should have shaken hands with the great Sachs. Eh, this is a day that I shall remember." Violet smiled at the little man's professional eagerness. " Quite so," she said dryly, " but what is Mr. Sachs doing at the castle? Erecting machinery for a trumpery artesian well? Do you think that?" ' Winterbotham sobered in a moment. " Lord 1" ho said, " the plot thickens, miss, and no mistake." " It does," she answered gravely. " Both Mr. Boynton and myself think we aro on the threshold of very great events. And now tell me, Mr. Winterbotham, have you discovered anything?"

(To b» continued on Wedocid»j next.)