A MILLIONAIRE MYSTERY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18630, 11 February 1924, Page 3

A MILLIONAIRE MYSTERY.

BY ARTHUR W. MARCHMOUT. Author of By. B&ht of Sword." "1* »• flusre of Lore,** 'Ac .■.'"■•'• ■■' . (Copyright.) ".; " '. CHATTER (Continued.) ■ "I have not claimed any such general right, but the circumstances in this particular instance are very unusual. Duke Boris has made some very grave allegations against yon; I did not believe them, and he referred me to you for confirmation. If you decline to answer such questions as I must put to you, we need not prolong this interview." " And if I do decline?" " He will leave this office in the custody of the police." "On what charge?" "Y|&u will learn that in due course. I prefer not to state it now." This worried her considerably, and a good deal of the stiffness of manner fell away. "Of course, if it will help him, I'll answer your questions, Mr. Waring." " You will remember that I asked you whether he was absent one night from the hotel at Eastbourne, and you showed me an entry in your diary to the effect that you had been with him that night at a concert. Do you still say thai?" " Certainly I do. My diary proves it." " Ho has admitted to me that he was absent on that evening. Do you persist in your statement, in "view of that admission?" ' , "I don't see that it matters; but it may be possible I confused the dates, although. I don't think I did."' "He declares that yon knew the reason for his absence. Is that true? A great deal depends upon your reply." " What does he say the reason was?" "If yon know it, as he says, it cannot be necessary for me to anuwei* you. If you do not know it, he has lied;»and I need not ask any more 'questions.'' This put her in a very thorny dilemma. " Unless you tell me more, I shall certainly not answer you," she said at. length. Once again I opened the door. "I have'no more to say, madam." " This is infamous and—and cowardly. You ' are trying to extort information from me by an abominable and bullying method, and you should be ashamed of such conduct. I have never been so treated in my life," she cried, furiously; but she did not attempt to leave. "You are at liberty to go." _ "It is disgraceful and vile of you. .1 won't answer until I know what the charge is against my friend." "Mr. Trevor," I called. "Let one of the clerks fetch a constable." "Wait a moment, Mr. Waring, she cried in alarm. . "Wait then, Trevor"; and I closed the door and went back to my chair. "I gave you the opportunity of leaving yin order to prove that I am not bullying you, as you said. The position is this : The Duke declares that you not only knew of his absence, but that you made the entry in your dairy to conceal the fact, and further, that yon knaw what he was going to do, and yourself gave him ; what be took with him. Eithw- that is true or false. If it is true, it implicates you very jrravely; if it is false, then the result to Turn could not well be more serious. If you refuse to reply, I shall of course conclude that he has lied and, shall give him in custody without a momen» s further delay." .-"*■ ":. . - ' ~ She hesitated for a long time and then looked up with an assumption of indifference. "And what if I admit that it is true?" , . ~ . "It is mere trifling to reply in that way. Is it true or false ?" .:.: .;-,'.. "It's true, of course." she admitted. "Make what you like of it.' > "You admit that you gave him the wallet, containing the will, which was taken from Dreshed Pasha at the time of i his murder?" • ~, .' i "I told you to make what you like or I it," she replied almost flippantly, . i "And that you conspired with him to i put iiwra. in the safe at the ' Manor in i order to extract money from Mr. Penti Up?"" : ■;. ':.■/ £ -j i "I admit nothing more than I said, i Mr. Waring. You are hopelessly fat sea i in regard •to everything. It rather ! amuses me. What's to come next? ; s i "That will rest wi<h Mr. Pentlip. : ; i "You mean whether he will care to i have his dirty family linen washed in pubI lie. It would make a particularly savi oury story, but I don't think you will i find him very willing." ! " There is another story that will need jto be told—how that wallet came into I your possession, Mrs. lettering. ' . j " "I dare say it would interest you to [ hear it." .. .■ .-..„** i "There are others who will be more i interested." ,'.'■■. :.. ; : ''v v .v'-v.. w -.; \ if That another threat ?" she asked with 5 a shrug and a smile. „."«.», • "I have not threatened you*at all. ~ . s "Perhaps you'd like to send for that . • constable . now and give me in charge for • the mufder,;this time.? 'Or • would you ■ prefer me to give you a graphic story of I how I waylaid that rascally Turk - A 3 shot him? You have a taste for o-i *: dramatic, yon know," she sneered.: * i "The affair is - not in ;my hands, -, a; * it will be necessary for me to place, the : information I have in the hands ot the • police." ;..'.. : ,IV: «__,, t X "■£ ■'%£.'.

"How delightful! Shall I go on my knees at you* feet, and implore you to have mercy,: with all; the pathos and passion of a fib* heroine? The .shirewd *nd brilliant young solicitor, impelled by his- high sense of , duty to $ denounce , a* guilty wretch, detected ,by her own confession, and left with, no- option * but. a tearful appeal to his chivalry and pity/, What do you say to that?"* ..-> and she laughed ' derisively. "A little puaJed, , aren't you? Still it's not your fault if tout wits ; are dull and woolly." } , * I made no reply "and: after ;• a moment she tout. "Well, are you going to have mo arrested?" she scoffed., "If not, m see the Duke now. I'm sure the f time of so clever a lawyer must not -he wasted." . < il- • , -r •j----*-He is in my room" and } I opened the door. '--:''-•'. .\ »' A . '.' • , She sailed past mo into the general office, smiling scornfully in her :r. enjoyment of what she no doubt regarded ai her triumph over me. „,, . ■ "~ : "Mr.' Trevor, take Mrs. Kettering to the Duke," .1 said- '■ . ■ ■*•'_'". ... On hearing her name, Harry Pent Sip, who was looking out into the street with his back to us., turned sharply, gave a start ■ of surprise; V and > ; hurried across the office. \y-'.'- <K r >4v' ■•'' ;'■■-- ■"■'.v.--'ivi.-' " Hold on there, Waring," he cried. Something's gone loose. Did you say i Mrs. Kettering?" :: ■■^.^± r .' -.'^.y-^ I nodded. ."This is Mr. Harry Pentlip who has just come over about 'The Fells,*. Mrs. Kettering." ; : , "Mrs. Kettering, eh?" he said, his face almost as hard as his father's, as no stared at her: "That's no more your name than mine is. You are Edna Davenant. She was Mrs. Kettering's companion," he added to me. ; "We'd better go back here?" I said and took the other two into Trevor's ; room. "Now, madam, your explanation of this?" : :'■,,,•' *■' .;..J- ■': '■■p,'!^ She was as cool and self-possessed as if nothing unusual had occurred, and there was not a tremor in her voice, as eh© declared she would take a moment to think. ■■' ,] . ' ■ „ '■:•' "Mr. Pentlip is right, of course, sue said after some two or three minutes; although I am not quite so much th* villain of .the piece as you appear to believe! I am not a murderess, • Mr. Waring; but I have been a. great fool, and must pay for my folly. ■'! am absolutely ruined. Mrs. Kettering died two veaisago in London and left me twenty thousand pounds as well as some jewels and furniture and other things. j Sffe was deeply attached to me, and , maue it a condition -\ that I • should take ;* her : name, , In that respect I, have done no; ; wrong, except to call myself■ /Mrs.' instead of 'Miss* Kettering. All this » easy of proof." <To be continued daily.J •