THE HYPNOTIST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17110, 15 March 1919, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE HYPNOTIST.

BY JAMES L. FULLERTON.

COPYRIGHT.

CHAPTER XXYIH. PLIGHT. Greatly to Cephas' surprise he found Mrs. Traikt already seated in the carnage. , "Are you going to Fernhow also V be inquired. '■ Ut course I am ! Do you think I can stay here and let you go on by yourself. "It's exceedingly good ot you; but really I don't feel that i ought to trouble yuu thus." * 1 always stand by my friends, and i look upon you as one of them, Now tell me, ii you have no objection, what your plans aie'." "1 think some little seaside place on the south coast will suit me till 1 am strung, and meanwhile I have to settle !my business attains. Alter that 1 shall ( go abroad !" '• Where do you think of going*" "I'm not certain; but 1 have a strong fancy for Mexico. ' '• iou intend to give up your work in Loudon then''" " 1 had half broken with my chief before 1 was hurt, and 1 thiuii we are belter apart." " And your old guardian—the sailor, 1 mean—who saved you if " Ned has been rather a puzzle to mc. I haven't heard from him since he let (Mi his secret, but why I can't imagine." " Perhaps he has gone oil' to sea again '." " 1 should hardly think 60, and 1 am puzzled whether to take him with me or leave him nt home, if I leavo him he may annoy Lady Hawkbndge, and if 1 lake him he will probably be a nuisance in his anxiety to undo the past." " You are afraid of his zeal?" * I am; so if 1 take him it will be the lesser inconvenience. Yes, I think it will be better to take him."

" I can't tell you what I think of your consideration for others; I would that it were possible even now for you to reconsider your decision, and turn back with me to the abbey ! " •'lndeed I cannot, dear Mrs. Traite. Please continue your kindness to me so far as not to press me. If you would let me hear from you occasionally I should be so thankful." "Won't that entail my knowing where you are? I should like to be able to profess entire ignorance of your whereabouts In fact, if I knew I should be almost sure to give myself away!" " I can easily manage that. I'll write to you through my lawyer, and you can reply, if you will be 30 good, in the same manner." " In that caso I shall be charmed to write you and to hear from you." Mrs. Traite, who had not for years past imagined herself capable of so much feeling, watched Cephas* train pass out of the station with wet eyes, and when it had disappeared she was glad to return to the carriage to hide her feelings. She felt again, as freshly as if it were but yesterday, the extreme bitterness- of the grief she had undergone when she had been obliged to reject his father. About mid-day the wind backed round to the east, and dried up all scent, with the result that after pottering about for an hour or two tho hounds wero taken off, and the abbey party got home early in the afternoon. Mrs. Traite had a I strong disinclination to face her niece im-, mediately with the news of Cephas' de- j parture, and it was not until just upon four that she went to Violet's room. ;

" I have a piece of news for you, Violet. M " Yes, auntie.** "Mr. Marriage has gone." Lady Hawkbridge looked surprised. "Gone? Where!'' " Gone away, dear." " But he can't walk !" " Ha managed to get along fairly well, I went to Fernhow to see him off." "When is he coming back?"

"Not at all!" " Cyril gone, and not coming hack! " and Violet repeated the words excitedly. "So be says. He has written to you and Ernest explaining himself.'' " Oh, auntie, did you know he was going? How could you let him go?" "Well, deal, he,told' me the first time

I saw him that he would never let you give up anything in hi* favour." " Yes; but then we agreed that things should stand over until he got better! My idea was that ho would be willing to take his proper place then." "No, dear, from what he told me he only temporised to prevent you taking any steps before he was strong enough to travel. He seemed to have guarded himself most carefully from promising more." " Oh! I can never forgive him, auntie. You might have told me when you first knew ha was going!" exclaimed Violet. M I couldn't possibly do so, VL He took me into his confidence, and, as things stand, it didn't seem to be my duty to keep him there in order that ho might deprive yon of everything." Though Lady Hawkbridge gave her Mint a look of keen reproach the latter remained quite unmoved. " 1 know the extraordinary ideas you and Ernest nurse; but I am qnite unable to see things with your eyes, or to assist you to denude yourself of this," including the whole house and estates in her comprehensive wave of the hand.

" I must go and tell Ernest," said Violet, after a moment of thought. ■"Ernest," she cried, comin? to him as he stood b front of the fire" in the hall, "Qyril has gone. He drove into Fernhow to catch the London train, and auntie went with him to see him off." " He must have had some unexpected sews. M Oh, no? From what auntie says, he planned this a long time ago; it was in his mind that day he persuaded us to take no immediate steps as to the estate." " I had no notion he was so deep. I nrastgo after him and fetch him back." " He has posted letters to us in Fernbow, so aunt informs me, and they will be here in a few minutes." " I'll wire to London to try and catch him at the station on arrival, begging him to reconsider his plans, and wait for me at the hot-el, or go to Porit Street, and I'll wire to Font Street for someone to meet the train and make sure of catching him." " It's a good idea!" '' Then I'll go up myself by the night train." j " Oh, Ernest! How good of you!" " I can't do anything less. It wouldn't do to have him charged with declining to accept his title and estates, or deserting them, and leaving himself chargeable to the parish." The letters arrived shortly afterwards. That addressed to Violet ran as follows:— " My dear Lady Hawkbridge,—! feel that I am certain at- the outset to incur your extreme displeasure, and even to lie under suspicion of having deceived you, but you must remember that I was laving up a chance of being charged with a suggests falsi. You will remember also that I abstained most carefully from surrendering my freedom of action when I should have recovered. I know this reads like a casuistical apology for underhand behaviour, but I can only plead that my action was dictated by a desire to serve your best interests.

" I could not bear to be pursued all my life, by the reflection that merely because I happen to be alive, only through Reepham's assistance. I am to oust you from what you have held so long, and can use to better advantage than ever 1 could hope to do. " I beg that yon will not endeavour to trace me. I shall sink my identity as Cephas Marriage, whilo Cyril Falcou has never existed, and never will through any act of mine. " The only oilier person with a knowledge of tho facts is Ned Hiding, and I shall try to prevent anything coining out through Lim. " You can rest assured, believe me, that you will never be disturbed by any descendant of mine, for I shall not many. " J. cannot thark yoi' for what yon have done and endeavoured to do for mo. I prefer to consider myself your debtor, and to remain. " Always most sincerely yours." Lord Rrepham's letter was shorter: " My Hear Reepliam.-— the surprise I have caused you. I cannot and will not take anything from Lady Hawkbridge.

" My debt to yon is so tranendom) (Ssj the possibility of depriving you of any. thing even indirectly is to me iaconceivable. " I would it had been possible fo* me to remain within your ken, but it is not; I shall, however, always cherish the remembrance of our friendship, and to the end remain, " Yours most sincerely." Lord Reephara left Fernhow that night, but his haste was vain. He found, upon arriv;J in London, that his telegram bad not ijeen delivered, as no one answering to Marriage's description had arrived by the train. Lord Reepham then turned backward on his track, and on inquiring iX each of the stations where the np express had stopped he found that a lamo gentleman had been assisted off at Beddow Junction, and gone away to a cab. Hero the scent failed, for Cephas, foreseeing this very pursuit, and determined to baffle it, had driven in a cab to a station several miles out of Beddow on another line. Then he took the cabby into his confidence: " You may think what you please, cabby, but inquiries are very likely to be made after me in a dav or two. Some of my friends will probably search for me and I do not want to be discovered. Here's a five-pound note, you can forget all about There you drove me!" " I wouldn't like to get into no trouble, Fir. I've got a wife and family to think of."

" Will you take my word U>: it (Jiat there's nothing in the slightest degree wrong? It's entirely a family mattes, and it's absolutely impossible It vera to get ii't-i any trouble." Cephas' frank look and' open speech envied certainty into the cabby's heart.

" Well, sir, you're a gentleman, and wouldn't get a poor man into trouble, no I'll pass my word to you." Hence it arose that when Lord Reepham questioned the caiman whom a por!,r pointed oat to him, he received the reply: - " Yes, sir, lame genleroan. I remember 'im quite well. I put 'im down at tie Golden Lion. No. let me see, that was another fare." He appeared to reflect. " Now I remember, the lame gcnleman stopped mo outside Lambert's, the tobacconist's. He was there a littU while, then I brongbt 'im back, an' I didn't see "nn again. No. Fir, I didn't see which porter took his luggage. Things were very busy— trains in, and as & lady bailed me, tho pen'lemen just told me to put his luggage down, an' he would see after it."

Lord Reepliam conld not pursue Cephas with tho facility of a detective in search of a defaulting cashier, for the delicacy of the position forbade publicity. A guarded advertisement, informing CM that his self-sacrifice was futile, as his relative declined absolutely to take advantage of it, and would only hold the property as a trust, begging him also to commnnicate, was all he considered possible to be done, and wih ft he was i&rft to comfort himself, hoping that the advertisement might be answered.

CHAPTER XXIX. A ffTEOKB OP LUCK. When Hockeru returned from hit journey to the west coast, he felt jusiined in taking a top to inspect the scenery in the neighbourhood of b'ernhow, and incidentally to learn what he could, relative to Marriage. In reply 10 the letters which he had written to Cephas, and in which he had still kept up the role of the generous and solicitous employer, there came to him among the mail awaiting his return, grateful letters, thanking him for his continues kindness, and gKing account of the writer's progress. " Well," said Hockern, as he threw th« last epistle on the tablo, " it don't seem any good to buck against that young man's horse lack, but either I must find some way to 'get rid of him or my deal must be given up, and of the two I decidedly prefer the former. And I don't think 1 can go on scoring misses faf ever."

Arriving in Fernhow he walked in the direction of Hawkbridge. and his attention was arrested by the bills offering £25 for information leading to the recovery by Lord Reepham of a box which bad fallen into the River Hawk from the old Toll Bridge on a day some weeks previous. ~ , " Hullo 1 I guess my young friend ha s got a little trouble of his own on here. Well, I can stand his troubles with considerable ease, ami wish him more of 'em. I wish, though, I could pick up that box, just to spite his highness. It would be better than nothing at all." He was nearer to the achievement of his desire than he guessed at that moment, for coming towards him was the identical All Potter, in his usual dreamt those twenty -five sovereigns and the possibility of " lifting " them. His team stopped lor their customary rest on the bridge, and Alf was hanging over the parapet, gazing at the pool, when he heard a voice inquiring if thft migfci be the bridge from which the box .hi tumbled into tho river. Alfs conscience immediately Ittk alarm, and he answered roughly. "\Mafc the'd 1 should I know about ST ]

Hockern, amused at the sulky nans, replied chaffingly. " Well, seeing there's a bj3l just B front of you, .which I suppose you Can read, and that you belong to Femhcw, I thought you might know something «i«nt it." " ' '

The last sentence struck ominomfy <« AH'b ears. " Might know something about it, might I ? What d'yer mean by insinuating as I knows anythin' about it. And who are yon to come worryin' honest people?" he demanded. ,_ With hal! a thought aroused in his mind by Potter's unnecessary heat, Hockern continued to tease. "Ah! I daresay yon ,know a great deal more about it than yon care to tell." " Look here," shouted Aft suddenly losing control of himself, " I ain't goin' to be browbeat like this 'ere. Who are you to come asking all this ? Get out of the way." A light seemed to dawn on Hockem's mind. " This man knows something," flashed through his mind. " You'll have to answer, my man, he said. " Here or elsewhere." Alf ground out an oath and rushed on him without warning, but Hockern was never at a loss when it was a question of using his hands. As Alf came forward snorting wfti rage, his hands stretched out to dutch Hockern by the throat, he encountered something that seemed to him to resemble the buffer of an express engine in midcareer, and when his mind began to grope its uncertain way back to earth, he found himself seated against the parapet of the bridge, Hockern standing near and gazing down at him.

Alf made an attempt to rise, but hi» swimming head dragged hire to earth again, and Hockern wakened him with » smile. "My young friend v twii don't knov enough about fisrhtins? to take to it witii a man," ha said, selecting a cigar, and lighting it deliberately. " When yon get a little better I shall have a few more questions to as'< you." It is not probable that in ordinary circumstances, and with full possession of his faculties. Potter would have been able to fence with Hockern, bat just after the receipt of a jolt which seemed to have shaken every bone loose and to have prostrated his nervous system, it cannot be wondered that Alfred played direct into bis adversary's hands. " Now, yon 11 find it better to make 8 clean breast of it and tell me all yon knowabout the box." " Well, I heard the box fall into the river when my lady went past, and } got it out, nevor meaning to keep» back, so 'elp me, but I made * *; mistake, and when the sergeant asked me I said I knew nothing about it, and 1 was afraid to come forwaid, was just—trying to make np my mud to give it up. and you won't let me 8" into trouble, will you, sir?" .. Hockern pretended to consider, then B s ™ | that he reallv thought, if the be* was flff- ; ; >>l rendered 'him without delay, that fie $ conld prevail on the owners not to P* 06 *". M cute. JM " Where shall I bring il tor . \;.; • " No, no, my friend. You dent tbinK I'm quite so innocent as that-, a\>yo?v. Fine chance I should have of getting"* eh? I'm coming with you now to .*.;!,■ . the box is," and Hockern mounted w» the iwggon and sat down. ■ Sj \ ■ Bfc-*»4*storM&*a fistarftw-*****'J/