THE HYPNOTIST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17151, 3 May 1919, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE HYPNOTIST.

BY JAMES L. FULLERTON,

COPYRIGHT.

CHAPTER XL.-(Continued.) Fear for Cyril! And now that ene learnt of his danger all other emotion wee swallowed up. She longed to express what was in her heart, to go to him, to hold his hand, to be of use to him; but it could not be. Her situation forbade it, and by a strong effort of will she retained her sell-control and did mechanically what her companions suggested. Just as she was getting back into the carriage she caught a view of something m the light of the lamp that startled her.

"Ernest, what has nanpened to vonr face!"

"Is there much of a mark?" "It's terrible— discoloured and swollen."

"It was Hockern! He hit hard, but fortunately, it was a glancing blow," "Oh, you are brave, Ernest!" and impulsively she threw her arms round his neck ana kissed him warmly. She could not resist the impulse, though half conscious herself that her real motive was to thank him for tho devotion he had shown to Cyril. On the homeward drive she had much to occupy her thoughts. Her love for Cyril could not be repressed, and now that she allowed it recognition love welled up in an overpowering tide, even though she realised that bound as she was to Ernest it behoved her to make every effort to conquer tho feeling. She cried quietly, and Mrs. Traite, recognising the cause, remained silent, trying to look forward and make some plans to settle the affair, if possible, in such a way as to secure Violet's happiness. Mrs Traito did net know that another mind was occupied with the same thoughts, and at the same time as hers, or she might have been a good deal more contented than she was. Early the following morning Lord Recp-' ham sent a note to Mrs. Traite, saying that he would like to see her, if she felt well enough. "Good morning, Ernest! How are yon feeling? Better' Your face looks terribly painful!" she asked, after greeting him. "It's rather stiff, but after all I got off lightly, and it's more a matter of externals." "How is Mr. Marriage, have yon heard!" "He is still unconscious, though the doctor who has been round seems quite satisfied, and there's surprisingly little fever, considering. I've a wire from Miss Dester that she can get away to nurse him. I thought he would prefer to see an old friend when he comes round." "How considerate of you!" "I think we need have no fear for him now, but what I wanted to see you about is something rather different." They had both been standing, now he placea a chair for Mrs. Traite, but himself continued to move about. "You see, for 6ome time past—an impression— it's mare— grown up in my mind that Violet does not like me." In spite of what he felt, he spoke calmly and preserved his composure unruffled, so that his companion could make no piess at what was passing beneath the ' surface. He looked directly at her when to broke off. She was unprepared, how- | ever, for the encounter of eyes, and gazing into the fire, asked, "What makes j you think so?" Satisfied by her manner that she had been observant, tie answered by asking, "Have you noticed anything yourself?' , This was a home thrust. "1 can't deny that I have thought she—" I He looked more closely at her, "Cvril!" , With eyes still fixed on the fire she , nodded her head affirmatively. :

"And he!" "I fear is in the same case. I saw it before he left the Abbey! In fact I felt certain at the time that it was the cause of his going in such haste." lard Reepham recalled with a touch of bitter sadness the night be bad ) saved Cephas from the fire, and the lalter's jestins allusion to the penalty for saving life from the sea. It had been borne out in his case! The man whose life he had saved not once, but many times, had won his promised wife's love, yet Cyril was not to blame. . It could not be accounted,hi6 fault that "Violet should be attracted to him. nor. he realised clearlv, could Violet be blamed either. There was a natural affinity between the two, based perhaps on the tie of blood. In any case the truth stood clear before his eyes. It was his part to suffer, and he must try to do so without flinching. "Then, it only remains," he said, "for me to take myself off." , . • Mrs. Traite looked on wonderinqlv. "You, Ernest! ? Take yourself— don't understand you." "I couldn't keep Violet to her promise if she loves Cyril. It would be cruel and unworthy. "There will have to be an inquiry into this terrible business, but as scon as it is over I hope Cyril will be out of danger, and I shall leave England. Sav nothing to Violet, please, as we shall have to meet, but I must keep out of your way as much as possible."

CHAPTER XLI. THE GOLDEN LION AGAIN.

When Cephas returned to consciousness his first thought was that he was back at Hawkbridge, for he found himself in bed, and recognised Miss Dester sitting near the window, but after allowing his eyes to wander Jowly round the room he came to the conclusion that he must be elsewhere, unless the Abbey had been converted into a "first-class family and commercial hotel." The half-tester bed with red rep hangings, the carpet worn by generations of strange feet; the mirror in a gilt frame on the mantelpiece, supported by pink glass vases wilh-lus-tre* of which some had disappeared; the prints, "Bolton Abbey," "The Coming of Age," and others in brown composite frames, the lithographed portrait of .Somebody undecipherable, Esq., M.F.H., a/1 combined to carry conviction Slowly his mind travelled back, and he pieced together the happenings before his lapse into unconsciousness. He got as far as the call at the Mirror office, then Hockern jumped at the recollection—ther. in one leap his mind fpiang to the struggle at the mouth of the "Blow Hole." His Urror renewed ittelf, he started up. Miss Dester, alarmed, came towards the bed in haste. "What is it, Mr. Marriage?" "What ie the matter with me? Why are vou here?" he asked. "You shall know presently. Keep quiet now, Mr. Marriage, for you are doing well and have nothing to fear, but you must not talk." "Tell me where I am at least." "This is the hotel at Tei>v." "How did vou come here?" "Lord Roepham sent for me, but you reallv musn't talk." „ "Only one more question—is he all right?" . t "I'erfectlv! Now yon must be patient." , ,■-, , When he was at last given limited permission to talk, his first question Viii for his friend. "Is Lord Reepham stil. here, Miss lies--No- he went v??lerday, I believe." "(lone? How long is it since 1 was hurt 1 " '~ , „ "This is the ninth day. "Nine days' You must be joking. Ko? What in tho world happened to ™ "You must have struck your head when vou fell." . ~1 ,1 ■)•' ; Cephas shuddered. "And the others. "Thev were buried some days ago. "Poor Ned." Cephas ran bark '"."'•' mind over what the old man had done for him. He had been fatner and mother, too, in his rough way, and always V.nd according to his lights; equally also lud he done his best to make a man of rtns charge. He felt very sore to think that he should never grip the old hand, nor have a chance of assuring him that no bitter feeling remained over the concealment of his identity. In Ins weak condition he could not prevent the tears from flying freely. m , ~,„ •'Poor old chap! What caused it. n "His neck was dislocated by the fall. "And—the- other I"

"Probably be was dead before he. fell, ™».doctor aays ftSt both blows reached tho heart."

"I think he mast have gone mad roddenly/' Cephas spoke sadly. 'That was what the jury found." "And so Martin Hockern, who might have been famous had he only lived at the right period, passed oat of Marriage's life. .A few days later Cyril was able, with asfiistance, to get to a pleasant sittingroom opening off his own. It was a delightful place, with a profusion of flowers, and a large bow window looking over the bay. The air was deliriously mild, and the window was open, allowing the fragrance of the sea to enter freely. Miss Dester arranged an arm-chair in the window for her patient, and when he was comfortable told liim that someone wanted to see him.

Well, I suppose I must see him, if you would a3k him to be so good as to step up?" | Miss Dester went out, and in a few [ minutes returned. Opening the door sho preceded Mrs. Traite into the room and went out again. Cephas was looking round, curious as to the personality of his visitor, but when he saw who it was he was too surprised to speak. Mrs. Trait* hurried towards Cephas with both hands outstretched, and grasped his warmly, shaking them with vigour. "Poor boy! Poor boy! I am so glad to see that you are better, after ill you have gone through." Cephas had recovered himself. "Thank you, thank you. But how is it that you are here?"

" Ernest wired Violet to come that day when he hoard you were here, in order that she might add her persuasions to his that you should accept your proper place in the world." " But he could not possible have thought 1 I should yield, after I had so constantly expressed my decision not to give way." I " Well, I fancy his thought was to keep near you and conf jnue until yon were worn out."

" What a terrible proposition." " At least they have won in the final event!" and Mrs. Traite smiled. "Won? I don't understand you, how can—" " Violet wrote to Sir George Balder, laying the facts before him, and he is coming here to-morrow to see you. There!"

Cephas groaned. " Who would have thought them capable of taking such an advantage of an invalid, but I can refuse to see Sir George, and again there are no proofs. Poor Ned is crone, and the box it at the bottom of the Hawk."

" There you aTe checkmated again. The man at Fernhow, who was on the bridge when the box fell over, had been drinking heavily and beating Irs wife. She went to the police, and told them that her husband recovered the box, and that not being able to claim the reward at first had given it up afterwards to a detective, as he thought at the time, but the person proved upon inquiry to be no other than"

"I know I know!" something that had passed clear out of Cephas's head came back to him in a moment; he remembered all the details of the attempt upon him now, Kockern's ineffectual bribe, and the offer to hand over the proofs. "It was Hockern!"

"Yes, the police traced him through a cabman to tho hotel where he stayed in Fernhow."

> ,l But even so it may never come to light! Who can fell where it is hidden! II must see Ernest, and try to persuade him to"

" There are two objections to that. First, he has left England, and sec—" " Left England. But of course he is coming back soon?" " 1 don't think so; and secondly he has set Violet free.'"

" Set Lady Hawkbridge free," and Cephas asked this in a tone of bewilderment.

" Well, as the head of the family I don't see that there is any impropriety in telling you, but of course if you insist on remaining Mr. Marriage I cannot say more." " Say I take the position for a few jiinute's." He was on the edge of his nerves, and talked a little wildly.

" Well in that case, I say that Ernest came to 1 the conclusion Violet preferred somebody other than himself." Cephas paled. "Somebody else?" he said, scarcely above a whisper. " Yes; and the fortunate part of it for him was that ho was quite right." " Poor fellow! And the other, de> you think he will make her happy !" His companion did not answer; and when at last he could gaze out no longer ho turned his eyes to her.

He saw a comely head shaken to and fro, and a soft voice murmur, " Blind ! Blind !' He scarcely dared hope, but a warm hand took his and pressed it. " Come to Hawkbridge soon and see," said Mrs, Traite.

" Does Violet know why Ernest set her free!"

"He told her!" " And has she any inkling that—l—" Mrs. Traite laughed at Cephas inability to continue. "Of course she had, and if she hadn't I should have told her. I can't stand by and see two young people waste any timo when yon may be radiantly happy. Come to Hawkbridge as soon as you can."

It was some three weeks later, and Cyril was on his way to Hawkbridge. He thought of his last drive over that road when the fire of life seemed to be for ever extinguished, then a drop of bitterness fell into hist cup as he remembered that his happiness could only be secured through the self-sacrifice of the friend who had served him so well. Lovers, however, cannot avoid a touch of selfishness, and his momentary bitterness wa»' soon lost in the ocean of his happineses. Now he was passing through Hawkbridge village, now up the long drive, at last he was in the great hall, and Vic let and- Mrs. Traite were welcoming him. As the moment of meeting drew near, the former had yielded to an uncontrollable fit of diffidence, and had implored her aunt on no account to leave her. Khn scarcely looked at Cephas as she gave him her hand, and threw the whole burden of conversation on Mrs. Traite, though when Cephas was not looking she took hurried glances at him. At last the moment arrived when further temporising was impossible. They loitered over the tea in the large bay window looking over the south terrace, and then Mrs. Traite without a sign of shamec~ consciousness nleaded that she had a irnber of letters to write and would leave the cousins to talk over business. When a pause has to bo bridged a woman rarely hesitates, and it was Violet who spoke first. " You must he tired of business after beine so much with Sir George?" " It is a tremendous relief to get into the country awav from it all." His sentence faded away as a desert river loses itself in the sand, and he sat looking at Violet who looked everywhere but at him. She made another opening. "It was verv singular that your de"d W should have been found as it was." " Yes, it was a great surprise." Another pause. " Mr. Hot-kern's extraordinary will must have added a good deal to your worries?" " Tremendously ! " " What have you decided to do about.

it"' „ , . " I'm quite at a loss to know, and again he stopped, but Violet desired no pauses. " Had he no relations?" " None that we can trace." " Auntie told me that yon were hoping to fi"il one of his sisters." " We did come across some people who knew her " " Then you'll bo able to do somethine for her'" , " Unfortunately she died in the wnrkhouse the same day as her brother, a.fter a fmrfif' struggle with poverty." "How very sad for the poor thing 1 " '" Yes, verv sad indeed— Violet,—! don't want to talk to you about boxes— and business."' He rose and drew near her. Her eves sought his rapidly, then dinned ai-ain. " No'" " No! I want to tell you something, Violet'" He bent his head nearly to her ear, then slipped on to his knee by her side as he whispered, May I?" "T know, Cyril!" Her eves came to his at last without reserve, and he saw in them the light which iie hardly dared to hope would bo lit for him. TEE EM).