A SNARE OF SOLD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17361, 7 January 1920, Page 11

A SNARE OF SOLD.

■B BY J. J. BELL. ' • Mtitboi* cvgrthmhuk( "Wee MicGrwgor," "Kilt* ■ST • Carstairs." «to.)> **>

188 ' V, COPYRIGHT, ' *?. *''' > ■ ■ ■ COPYRIGHT, -}f •; ? ' ' " i •« CHAPTER Vl.—(Continued.} ||#' : " Your report says ha has a house on * the East Coast of Scotland." "}' in a little place called "st,. : > Aim Perhaps wo shall visit it before ffij, . w « are through. Ho goes north refo 1 «l u?ntlv ln summer, occasionally in Vai winter." . • / &:;3 " triads •is a man-abcut-town, I Ptt- gathered." * 88 " Yes: and a ( 'ommonplaca young man P'. ' 011 the surface - But I shall burrow into' r his life also - Well, now you know where | • to find your arch-enemy at home. Air. |j. ; St.irforth! Bui; time enrage, vou W jll f ?f' to find *» in after we hare found • . 181 out " M r ' p hins tone was grimly » humorous. , He seldom joked openly v and when he did it was a poor oke r David ou l e he 5- at ,™ 6 now said v .;. , • A ou donfc happen to know which are h l6 windows." '' At that moment, , a man emereed from ? \ Cn sS W -' and gan to descend the broad steps in a preoccupied fashion ' The | lampshmo caught his fa&. m | Suddenly David wheeled about and' » walked off 80 rapidly that Mr- Phin had to flurry to overtake him. inJ?A tb" 6 !; 1 V said } * r " Phin, as they : turned the far it corner. "If you have «i infectf,r *"V----tune. But :,t wasnt Mandrake Avho c came out just now," r" ? aware , of that," returned David, I i' ,J. or it was the man who recognised mo! this morning'. I A , "Oh, damn!" exclaimed Mr. Phin, be- 1 f • raying his real feelings for once. ! f "Why 'damn?' ' j "Because that- man is Mandrake, and Wades chief clerk." His name?" " Styles." " Then he is the man who lied about my father! Xo wonder he has grown a beard !'* " les," said Mr. Phin, calm again, "we have come into tho thick of it right away.'' ° They walked on in silence until he touched David's arm, sayingMr. SUrforth, I believe I could buy that man"' 11 He must have sold himself 20 years ago.' " Even if he hadn't, I should be dis- ■' posed to make the attempt after seeing is face in repose. " Find out his price, and let me know," said David. " I'll not haggle. But it's not in cash I should choose to pay him!" "It may take a little time, but 111 certainly see what can be done. One would very much like to know whether he has told his master of his encounter this morning. But one must have patience. And" one cannot be' too careful." ■ "Xs that to me?" David asked with a laugh. " And now," said Mr. Phin, ignoring the question,. "1 beg to be excused for the remainder of tte evening. If 1 am to have a clear head in -.ho morning, 1 must have eight hours in ted." "We'll get a taxi, and I'll drive you heme," David returned, m no Humour for solitude. t " Much obliged," wis the repi/, given with some awkwardngsfi of manner, " but I've .got to do some thinking, and I'll walk. You might look in to-morrow in case inything has turned up. And, once more, take care of yourself.' i They parted, and David took a taxi to his hotel. "I wonder why Phin wouldn't let me see him home. Perhaps he keeps them all there, David reflected with momentary arausei.ient, ere his thoughts slipped back to th) sombre business that had brought him from the other side of the earth to London town. A diversion awaited him at the hotel. He was surprised, startled indeed, when the clerk handed him a letter, which had •been delivered by special messenger just after he and Mr. Phin had gone out. Then he saw that it was addressed in a moan's hand, and his mind immediately turned to the Silverests. As he opened it, a horrid doubt assailed him: the letter was to cancel the invitation for the following evening. Bat it was mt so. Dorothy wrote: — "Dear Cousin David,—Father wonders whether he mentioned the hour for tomorrow night, and I write to say it is 7.30. We shall dine alone, but possibly a friend or two may come in later. " Yon will forgive my adding that ] have net yet got used, to our relationship, but' you may count on my not forgetting it when others are present. You may be sure that my father and I will carry out what we have undertaken—for • our honour's as well as our gratitude s sake. But I would ask you to rei>jmber I that my father is getting old and is not at present in the best ofhualtli, and that anything in the nature of a shock or disagreeable surprise would do him infinite harm. I am quite ready to go into the mystery with my eyes shut, and do what f I can to help ycru, so long as ray fathei docs not *iters but at the first glimpse 1 of any danger for him or his health J j should not hesitate to consider my promise to him, on wur account, cancelled. ? Do not regard this a® written in an unfriendly spirit. I simply wish to bt straight with you. .... , "1 would prefer that you did not replj to this—Your cousin, Dorothy Sdvereat. David would fain have replied there and then. "An honest girl, if ever God made one!" he thought. "Sooner 01 later, if she care to hear it. I shall bare to tell her the whole story.' He read the letter a dozen, time*, an betook himself to bed. Weep came quickly, but in the euly hours of morn inc he was awake and ill at ease. "Good heavens!" ho said to himsfll " what a fool I was to act oil that Un pulse. What if anything ugly jhoulc happen to that splendid jP'l-and hei father!'' (It is to be feared that the later was an afterthought). 'ill jp» them back their promises to-morrow . Happily for his rest s sake, it. did no occur to hir* that to-morrow might bf 100 late. | CHAPTER VII. TOT PAKTXtES. , Hilton Glade was not a little gratified bv the contents of Dorothy s note-or a ail events by what he "ad betweeu it —which was just what the girl had intended be should read. Evidently he concluded, silo did not mean to ment.or the incident at the Mansion! House I b a tion to her father, nor was she, on second Eights, so determined on seven,,* friendly relations with himself- Glade felt that he held a pretty hand alter aT and the winning of the game "ffh simply on how he played »• 4° na , been, or fancied himself, in love with no a few girls in his time, but non i had h desired so whole-heartedly as Doro h.\ Silvered If he could have afforded t brean with Mandrake then, he might har wooed her as an honest man. But thai huge, unfortunate, private speculation a two years ago had left bim practically . dependant on the senior partnei. y miraculous piece of good fortune coulc set him free. , , „ .v Nevertheless he reached the office thai morning in fairly cheerful humour Thanks tr. Dorothy's note, he had that u iv which could hardly fad to lrnjires , Mandrake He was earlier than usual •■nd to hie astonishment found Man drat already at his desk. As he entered th« room, Styles passed him hurriedly, ant without the usual respectful greeting. "Morning, said Glade when the uoo] had closed. "Has Styles not got OV9T hli upset of yesterday?" "Styles needs a second holiday, sa" Mandrake with a friendly nod. Hov are you this morning, Ashloii.' Sorry J was curt vesterday—almost rude, wasn I" "Oh. that's all right," Glade returnee somewhat puzzled. "I confess it hurt a the time, Mr. Mandrake —I mean tho 111 ference that' I was not acting wit you." , , "Hut you are in love with the g'j'lsaid the senior kindly "Aren't you.' "I don't deny it, but" V .

c 'It won't do, Asliton, it won't 20. ; As suro -as fate, sooner or : later, you'll fail "i your duty to me and to—yourself; tor the girl's sake you'll be tempted to spare the eld man, which for us will; Wean—" Mandrake's middle finger and thumb snapped suggestively. r "•" '.T "i assure you," ticgan the junior, ■ 1 v, "You, can't convince m<f.'' || > "You won't trust me?'. & i "Candidly, I i can't. ? If I could trust you, I should have shared with you the secret of tho • whole matter." • • ' A "Are you going back on my My, of two years ago, Mr. Mandrake!" ,i " "Nonsense, my dear Ash ton!' That would bo mere vindictiveness. You blundered; I paid}- you became my debtor. That -was all, and I am willing now to cancel the debt." An exclamation escaped tho young man. Freedom! "Un one condition," said Mandrake. "VVhat is it?" 'That you leave London to-night, and occupy my house at St. Ann's for the space of at least three mouths from this date. You will find plenty of amusement —golf, sea-fishing, and so on. Do yoii accept?" Mandrake's tone had become autocratic. \ Glade's frown gave place to a slight smile. "May I sit down? If you are not too bufy, I have something to say." "(40 ahead." " -. Giado stated himself,- and said- " Mr. Mandrake, I thartk y<ju for your offer, and I think I should have accepted it but for one thing, for the debt has been, and is, a nightmare. But I'm not altogether so selfish as you may imagine. I cannot go to St. Ann's—" ''May I ask, why?" "Becau/io you need my presence in London." "Indeed! Again, why?" "Siiverest is taking up that bill to-day. Where .has he found the money?" "I'hat I shall find out in good time." "1 wonder! Three months pass quickly." "Silverest's credit will have gone before three months are over. I know what I'm doing," said Mandrake. "No, to be candid, I don't need your presence in London, my boy. Better get along to your rooms and pack up." "Listen, Mr. Mandrake. For this evening I have an invitation to Silverest's, to meet Mr. Silverest's nephew, just home from Vancouver—" "A nepbow—ah!" "Jit strikes you as it struck me!" Glade's manner was eager. "And don't you think I might succeed in finding out something?" Mandrake moved uneasily on his chair. He did not like being checked, but his junior's information seemed to change the situation very materially. "Suppose you give me "till to-morrow," Glade continued. "If by then I have done you no service, I shall be prepared to do as you wish about going away." Mandrake's countenance relaxed. "I must admit that your proposal is reasonable, Ashton," he said slowly; "and I agree to it. Further, if you can do me a real service in this matter, it will bo counted against the debt. And now I have nothing more to say until tomorrow.'' When Glade had gone, he sat awhile motionless and frowning. The advent of a wealthy relative was a contingency upon which he had nevar reckoned, ana for a moment he beheld his whole scheme in ruins. But Mr. Godfrey Mandrake was a man not easily beaten, and Mr". Sylvuius Phin was not the only person in London who cou'.d burrow. At the telephone in his private room, Glade was holding converse with a lady who lived not far from the Si'verests, and Was on ( fairly intimate terms with them. That she was on fairly intimate terms with Glade also, may be surmised from their talk. I "I'm not a bit k»en on going there toI night," she was saying, "even if Dorothy | asks me- Besides, I'm not good at fishing for invitations." 1 "But it's ages since I saw you, Enid, I and may be my only chance for ases more. Do bo kind and ring up Miss Silvered." "What on earth do you want to see me about?" : " About nothing. I simply want to see you." . "Oh, nonsense! You know father is always pleased to see you, but you haven't been in this house for months." " I've been to awfully rushed— ness, yon know." , There was a pause, and it is possible that each was wondering what the other was th'nkinc, for in the not so long ago there had be<m passages bordering on the tender between those two. "Listen. Enid," said Glade at last. " After all, there may be something I want to say to yon I may ask yoor help in a certain matter. And it is almost certain that I shall lie leavincr town to* morrow for at least three months." " Well. I'll see, Ashton," she said reluctantly. " Please do it now, and let me know." " TCeallv, vou expect a great deal!" „ " T only bee it—" Oh,' frood-bve!" Glade sailed softlv, lit a cigarette, and waited. The cigarette was just finished when he heard her voice once more. " Dorothy said she would be delighted .to see me. She has a ro«sin from Vancouver to entertain—did you know? Well. I'll bo there— I change my mind." Glade smiled again, but brieflv. If he asked this crirl to help him, she would do so; he was certain of that. But she wo"ld. as he was equally certain, require payment. . . . A clerk entered and left a sheaf of capers for his neru«al. For a Ion? time he sat utarinrr blanklv "t them. After all, tho man didn't like dirty work. (To be cmt-'-niifd en Saturday next.)