THE MYSTERY OF CROCK-SANDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18468, 3 August 1923, Page 3

THE MYSTERY OF CROCKSANDS.

■v. ■- • ' m ' : —~ tiif " r;; ■'/"• U .:• ' ' ' BY FRED M. WHITE. , Author of ."The Secvet of . the Sands,'" "Tb» , ' Devil's Advocate,",. " The Mnn : with tho ; . Vaudyk«-.Beard," " The 'Edge «f. v tiio Sword," ctc. , , .• ■ :

(Copyright-) v | CHAPTER XXII. , . I It was the first'time she had ever dined alone with Mrs., Amberley, so thai , there was a certain amount of constraint between them. When the meal was over at length, and the two women were alone 1 in one of the smaller drawing rooms, » Ellen felt free to speak. , R Is there any way I can help you?"' j she asked. "I want to be quite candid, I if you don't mind, Lady Wrath." The woman opposite; half rose to ho* feet. " How did you know that?" she whispered. "■ " I can only tell' you the exact truth,** Ellen said. "I overheard a conversation a, little time ago between yourself an<t Sir Christopher, when you were in the music-room. 1 was up in .gallery overhead, and I could not help listening. X ' I ■ think that or. that occasion Sir Christopher rather forgot himself." " Ah, that is nothing new," the woman said, \ bitterly. "It is a very shameful confession to have to make, Miss Mar- ■ chant" " Please don't say another word aboufi that,''; Ellen / replied.: x" I • cannot tell you how sorry I 'am" for you. ;'Ever since I - came into the house you have had a certain attraction for me, and when you told - me that that : portrait in your room" was .. 8 your own I began to understand. It ~ , seems , almost incredible to me ; that ; one could ' change so in so short a time* • But why do, you remain here? Why do you put up with such treatment at the hands of a man whom you must hate and despise from the bottom of your soul?" ..'/ " I wonder if I do," : Lady Wrath laughed, mirthlessly. "My . dear child, we women are strange creatures. ..You have on the one side a woman who has : every kindness and consideration at a I man's hands, and treats, him, as if he were v { merely made to provide her with money and pleasure. And the kinder he is to her the more she despises him. ./; And then you have the other kind of ' woman, like y ; \ me, who loves to kiss the rod. She ia neglected and ill-treated, oven beaten, and yet one kind word from .her task- ' master, and she ' crawls back to his . feet like a dog. I never .dreamt that I belonged to fchat class . but I am afraid I * .do." . Ellen listened with tears in her . eyes, v. • It seemed almost impossible to argue with ; a despair like this. -/;/./;;.'-/ , Z' ~ ( '•/;" But surely you/ have friends?" ■■■•■: sh* M said, / " Indeed. ; I know you have. There : ( is your own - brother, for instance —the ; man you met thin evening. Yen see, I know all about it. . Why - don't' you get * him to interfere, why don't you r ask f him to take you away • from here altogether I. Your life must be a misery." . , , " This is a very strange conversation,^ Lafly .Wrath, murmured. "I am wonder* •■■■ ing where you got. your information from. . . Of course, you learnt quite ly aocidenfc that: I . am Sirr Christopher's wife, ? but." : ■ how could you possibly ' know ..that .Gilbert Akers is my brother I know qiite well that Mr, Evors ani Mr. Ely are friends of yours, but .that does not explain everything. ': And yet I.suppose it is impossible . :to keep' these .things : concealed for ever. "* Ever since I have been here I have been keeping out of Mr. - Evor's: .way,- in terror . lest I should meet , him and.be -recognisedj- : • If he had met me, I know that he would / ; hare found ; but where my : b?etb«r was • and - told him $ what •" sort of a!> life I i . ,' . leading.". . ./ >• *»*.' l'-l " But " why shouldn't he?" El;on - asked.* /; .! " You must : have known that your brother . .j! was 'looking for : you - everywhere, > and yoa; £ must have known that he was fearing the - - worst. Why 7 does / Sir * Christopher keep : ' - his marriage a secret? Why should he |, bring you down here 'pretending you are . " I' his : housekeeper, Mrs.',* Amberley ?$ I- am,;/.-:/' 1 quite' sure that you have done ' nothing ; wrong." ' " Have I not?" Lady Wrath whispered." " Have - I not ? . Ah! if you ■ only - knew.. But one 'thing/ I,' can assure; you. j I r really • _ am Lady. Wrath. I was married in; Aus- ■ tralia ..before we •:came; back to -England. We came ,in an . assumed name " for' ; soma • reason - which ; Ir' cannot understand, _ and- . my: life has - been : one • constant ■ '' misery > '. ever since. And yet I did not !go j into it " blindfold. I ! know f. perfeectly • well what s was the character of : the maa I■' was' marrying/: All my C friends were dead ' I against : ■ him, : '"and,:. without ;.V exception, v | they warned me of what sort of 'a" future'. I was, likely to lead. But in those days I was wilful and head-strong, and / I . refused ,to - listen. ,I ■: was :a popular ; figure ■. on the stage, and the admiration I was getting from all sides l quite turned my, . head. And "<even when ■ I knew that .' Sir ~ ? Christopher,:.had : made .an -attempt . upon . I the life oft his j cousin, ' Gordon : Bland; I refused to draw back. ■ But' I • suppose Mr. " Evori 1 has; told - yon all about that." ;. ' - " Yes, I=■ have : heard: that story." Ellen said. ! " From 'what I - can' understand,: Mr. : Gordon Bland stood {:' between Sir: Christopher i andthe title. -It wm a horrible business altogether, and ; nothing ■ could/ be proved,;, of 'i course; : but it ,- is quite clear that when Sir Christopher sent, those people up country .in search , for. 'gold, he never ejected tc see-them oom«> ;« back again.". • -•. " All, I did not realise that at' the r * time," Lady/ Wrath said. " I did ~ not " really realise it till i; long '. afterwards. It •: was • only • when ;we " got to England »nd were living in a sordid way that "I learnt ¥ bit by bit my ' husband's past. 'He will not ; tell ma even now why I am not; al- • ' lowed to assume my proper .-name and. title. No doubt there is some disgrace-;; : ful reason why; but : I think, ■' Miss "Mer-, ■ chant, you have a good deal ' more to tell :, : me yet." -• ' ' : "In what way?"; Ellen assed. '■ j..;t,;, V " Well to begin with,' the' reason why ' you came here. Why did you-give up a good, 'situation in London P. to come . down, ; to ■ Crocksands Abbey and become private; .• secretary to a man' who ;;must ; have offended all ; your % nice; feminine instincts f the 1 first time.he ever spoke to' you? Oh, I .know Christopher's way ; with a pretty, girl. I have • watched;it; a score of = times. ; Still, we need not'; go into that. ; You r must have had some powerful reason for. ; >; I coming here. You said just now that J you wanted to speak candidly. If that, | is so, then perhaps you will tell me whati' V 1 is your proper name?" ;• | : Ellen looked up swiftly. "I believe you | know it already," she . cried, , y' > ;i^ a "Mv brother told me this evening ;It , : I slipped out ; quite casually ' that you- ;are ; • the daughter of Gordon Bland— /man; . v who was supposed . to have . committed v suicide at Monte Carlo rather than betray l, 5 a vain and foolish woman - who allowed ' \\'- « herself to be dragged into a crime : and did S not idealise it; until too late." i ,;. ; ;',i '• "Yes, that is true,"/ Ellen said..-"And when I find that ,woman my task will be,; nearly complete.'* <• " i, - ■i: Lady Wrath ■ looked up with a . ijueer .: expression in her eyes. It was some ; tim« " f before she spoke again.- • a . » ; " Let me ; find her for: yoa," she said. , I i; Let ;me / introduce you to the ; . womaji ; 5 vrho sent ■ your, father to his death. v Mind \ .you, she did not realise-till too late what j she 'was: doing j because she • was ;a • mere ;; ' i ; tool in the hands of; a clever and tin- . ! scrupulous scoundrel. ./Because I 1 am./the/. I woman ,who gave your father that fata} ,->■ paper!"'/ • " ' ! • • - (To be continued-d«il;ir.) r; - 1 L . -—- ; v.,