THE MYSTERY OF THE COMMON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17270, 20 September 1919, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE MYSTERY OF THE COMMON.

(A STORY OF ADVENTURE).

BY JAMES BLYTH.

n CHAPTER XXVI.-( C x "I deny the whole thing," said Si e ► Julian. " It was an absolute Bale. * Look in your safe," said Ronnie. • Wh you kept the deeds there instead of you e i really strong room in town, I do no 0 know. It may have been sentiment; i j nope it was." a . th l,thinkins that he betrayed him self Sir Juhan rose and unlocked the safe His eyes brigbitened when he saw th, P S 2: de ? da ]in "» front - But h a untied the piece of red tape with whicl „ they were bound together and look* | through them hastily. * el " iou scoundrel"" he cried. " Wh* i has done this ? You have stolen a deed.' f | . My good man," said Ronnie, laugh - ' x? g ' a man Can ' t Bteai his own property j Now I want to know if you are preparec r to reconvey the estate to me in return fa 3 seventy thousand pounds. I have i i Bank of England draft for that sum. Yoi 5 ! are aware that no mention is made o I interest in the deed. The price you paid r fafty thousand, or ra.ther the money yoi . had lent with the costs and interest, was 1 so monstrously disproportionate to th« . value of the estate that even you aid not [ dare (to suggest interest. I have had { . . supplemental deed prepared, and if yoi j will execute it now it will be better foi you. , I " I'll do no such thing. I'll prosecutt > you for, theft," cried the baronet " ~ *£' u ve ccme to the wrong shop foi > bluff, a T ly young friend. Clear out/* "j ~, „ * do --" Ronnie blandly, " ] will first take proceedings in Chancery , t.or reconveyance, and you will have tc pay the coats. I shall also immediately . on , leaving here have your son detained j and then prosecuted or conrt-martialled i tor stealing certain documents from my premises. He was seen to commit the , theft. I could have had him searched and found the papers on him. But I wished to spare Miss Kennick the shame, because my friend Dick is engaged to her, (though frankly I don't think he will ever marry I her. . Anyway, I wished to spare him ! the pain. No, it is for you to say what I you will do. You will either execute > this supplemental deed which has been < prepared from the counterpant in my possession—Forward will do as a witness— or I shall go at once to headquarters at Lowestoft, tell the story of the theft of my paper, and instruct my solicitors to ' enter process against you in Chancery." Sir Julian's face was flabby. He looked a broken man. But in a way ha was pleased. Ronnie had only referred to the theft of the papers, to nothing else. ' But why should Ernest have taken the papers ? " he asked. " Because you are interested in another aeroplane," said Ronnie, smiling internally as he saw thait his equivocations told. Sir Julian could not restrain a gasp of relief. At first he feared it was something worse. "How long do you give me!" he asked. Ronnie looked at his watch. " Five minutes," he said. "Oh, come," said Sir Julian, "(that is absurd. I must have the deed I am to sijfn read by my solicitors." "' You have my terms," said Ronald. !" Here is the deed. I should fancy that you are yourself enough of a lawyer to see that it is correct." Sir Julian took the deed and glanced I through it hastily. It was as plain and I simple as most modern supplemental § deeds are. [ " You have thirty seconds left," said Ronnie, rising from his chair. Sir Julian gave one gasp. "Very well, | then," he said. "You've beaten me. I But don't forget, my young friend, that I have some influence. This won't do you any good in your profession." Ronnie smiled. *' And don't forget," i he said, i" that I have a witness of your son's theft.*':;, :... ..«, •■..• ...... " And Ahe beastly things were no good! " cried Sir Julian, cursing himself at once for ! the slip. " My dear sir," said Ronnie, " surely ■ you don't think all of us are fools but you ! " i " But what guarantee have I that after ! I have executed the deed you will not ; prosecute Ernest ? " asked Sir Julian. " You have my word," said Ronnie, smflb.g. " You must take your chance as to ithe value of that." " Ring for Forward," said the beaten man. In a few minutes Forward attested the execution by the master of a deed restoring to Ronnie Randwall the estate I | which had been in his family as long as I the Bareacre estate had been in the Bee--1 oton family, save for the few years during which Sir Julian had obtained possession. " You'll give me a little time to clear my things ? said Sir Julian. " Certainly. I'll give you a month," smiled Ronnie, knowing well that a month would be more than enough. " But you must remember that the greater part of the best furniture and the best pictures are included in the schedule to the deed." " A month," said Sir Julian. " Well, well, I will try to manage. But don't think you'll get off scot free, my young friend." " Bo much the worse for your son," replied Ronnie. " Oh—it—" cried the baronet. " But you'll find me an awkward neighbour at Bareacre." At this Ronnie frankly laughed. " Don't let us cross the bridge till we come to the water," he said. "I'm much obliged to you, Sir Julian, and I hope you have enjoyed your possession of my poor place." He made his way from Decoy Manor with his deeds, satisfied, but wondering how he could spare Minna from the crash that was to come. He knew, he felt certain, that within a night or two the ultimate destruction of the Kennickß must ensue. How could he spare Minna for Dick's sake, and would it be for Dick's sake? He chuckled as he thought that some men might have been dissatisfied because they had not obtained actual possession on parting with their money. But he knew that he would have no trouble in sintering into his own when he chose. The i world was very good to him. And Marjorie! Ah! It seemed now as if Marjorie would be his without such a struggle is he had feared. B CHAPTER XXVII. THE SUBMARINE. Ronald and Bill Bailey were out in their nachine, and on the watch. They had leard from old Smee, nay, they had seen 'or themselves, that a seaplane occasionilly rose from the mere of Decoy Manor *nd headed out to sea. But this had ' >n!y occurred twice, and Ronnie guessed < hat it had been by way of rehearsal. 1 Dn this night, however, he fancied that here would be serious work to do. i As early as ten at night the Gull shot i ip into the sky with Ronnie and Bill 3ailey— new Gull, with the bomb- J 1 ropping arrangement and the windlass ■, vhereby a lowered ladder or rope could f >e wound up at very little expense of } >ower. t Silently and without light, the two ] nen hung in the sky at an elevation of t ibout two thousand feet. They hung f iver the mere of Decoy Manor, and the B heen of the water, a tiny blob of steel rom their elevation, was nevertheless j isible. - { It was a little before midnight that the c learnees of that steel blob was disturbed, r "he Gull lowered a little till it was low 1 nough to see the rise of a seaplane from s he mere. t " Take the glasses. Bill," said Ronnie, a ?ho was pilot that night. " See what you an make out." i The Gull still swept lower as she sped s long over the seaplane. Ronnie felt s ecure from observation while he kept f ven a hundred feet above. He had an s utomatic gun shipped aboard, but he n lid not expect to use it. On one side s as a long rope, wound round the rimmed isc on which the windlass operated, t ton.iie had protested at taking it. "We g an't want that," he had said. " It will i ■e the bomb that does it." 1

But Bill Bailey had been persistent. He said, with a sad smile, that he had a presentiment it might come in useful, and one never knew one's luck. .-■'- : -f The eeaplane headed out to** sea. She was swift, but the new Gull could have circled round her. Bill raised the night glasses to his eves. " Great Scot !*' he cried. " What's wrong ?" asked Ronnie. " Goodness !" cried Bailey. " I believe he has got Miss Beeston with him. Yes, he has, the infernal scoundrel!" "I ought to have thought of that," said Ronnie, with a curse. "Of course he can get off with her, or thinks he can, and his father will make a fuss and wonder what has become of him. He has found out that she loathes him and is taking her by force.' What shall we do? We cannot drop a bomb on her." "Wait, wait,*' pleaded Bill. " I've got an idea. Ronnie, old man, you know I told you I'd do anything to save that ; girl for you, even when we did not know ! she was encaged to that swine. Leave it to me, old man. You ought to be able to trust me by this time. Trust me, and you shall smash the enemy and rescue Miss Beeston." It was at least four miles out to sea when they saw a faint glimmer from the surface or the water. " Submarine," said Ronnie. "He is supplying 'em with petrol and oil, as I expected." "Don't talk," Bald Bailey irritably: I want to think." Bailey drew up the rope attached to tn« windlass and carefully made a bowline noose in it. Then he let it fall over the side of the Gull. By this time the seaplane was swooping down. The Gull followed her, noiselessly, and unseen.

The seaplane struck the sea at a few yards from the place whence the light was shining, which Ronnie and Bailey could now see was the deck and conning tower of a submarine. A second or two brought the seaplane close alongside. The Gull swooped low a little astern. " Good luck, old man," sajd Bailey, as he slipped over the side. " Let her go slowly and work your elevation, so that I come on the submarine's deck," Ronnie was about to protest when he saw a girl, .yhom4ie -did not-,doubt £«>-be* Marjorie, carried * from the seaplane to the deck of the submarine. He saw meu gesticulating eagerly. He saw them busying themselves in transferring the tins of petrol from the seaplane to the submarine. He saw a man whom he took to be Ernest Kennick holding the girl by the arm on the after-deck of the fiubniarine, and as he worked the Gull he looked below and saw that Bailey was swinging at the end of the rope at about the level of the submarine's deck. The Gull drove on slowly, kept at the same elevation by the gyroscopic screw.

And then, before he realised what was Bailey's intention, he saw the deformed man leap to the deck of the submarine, fling the bowline noose round, the girl's shoulders under her armpits, and strike at the man who tried to prevent him.

"Lift her, lift her," shouted Bailey, and his words came clear if faint to Ronnie. Then Ronnie saw the whole thing. Up leapt the Gull, and with the windlass working the girl was soon on a level with the body of her. Ronnie was directly above the submarine, but the jeer on her deck were too astounded as yet to fire at him.

j As he hesitated to drop bis bomb on I his friend he saw a man whom he believed [ to bo Ernest Kennick put a pistol to his i head and shoot him down. I A touch on a lever and the bomb was released, while the Gull shot upwards with all the power of her lifter. A terrible crash followed. The bomb had struck full on the submarine. There was a blaze of light, a turmoil of the sei.s, and the U-boat sank with all aboard her save one, who was apparently struggling to reach the seaplane. Again Ronnie dropped a bomb, this time on the seaplane, and that treacherous machine from Decoy Manor dissolved in flame and spume. Ronnie leant over the body of the Gull and hoisted in the inanimate body of the girl he had saved. He placed her in the observer's seat and without waiting to restore her he turned the Gull towards land and sped for home at his fastest speed. In less than five minutes from the explosion of the second bomb he was aground in front of his hut. The place was swarming with troops. Although the submarine had been destroyed at least four miles from shore the sound of the bomb and the enormous flat* from the petrol which exploded at the second bomb had warned both officers and men that there had been grave work at sea. Half a dozen hands were stretched out to help Ronnie lower Marjorie to the ground and to assist him to descend. The noose was slipped over the girl's head. (To be concluded, on Wednesday next.