THE HOUSE OF EVIL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19452, 7 October 1926, Page 18

THE HOUSE OF EVIL.

BY WILLIAM LE QUEUX

CHAPTER IV.—(Continued). But if it was the fact that, in Stormant's selfish desire of luxury, he was spending money as fast as he made it, and putting by nothing for a rainy day, something that had puzzled Lvdon became easily capable of explanation. In this case, Gloria would not be an heiress, and he; uncle had not formed any grandiose plans for her future. 110 would be content if she could marry a man who would keep her comfortably, and not expect any fortune with her.

And, as a result of this hypotheses, Howard Stormont fell distinctly .n his estimation. He was simply living for his own gratification, oblivious of those he left behind: in Lvdon's opinion, the most contemptible conduct any man could be capable of.

On Monday morning the two elderly couples departed. The young man would have gone also, but on the Sunday night Stormont took him on one side and pressed him to stop another day, if his business engagements would permit. " I very rarely go up on a Monday myself, unless there is something very he had said. " And, at my age, I think I may be permitted to allow myself a little latitude. I simply love pottering about this dear old place; although I have had it for some time now, it is still a new toy to me, after being pent up in cities nearly the whole of my working life. Stop till Tuesday morning, and we will go up together." Lydon, nothing loath, . agreed to the agreeable proposition. This was really the happiest day of his visit. Soon after breakfast Stormont went off on his own. Mrs. Barnard was fully occupied during the morning and afternoon, and he had Gloria practically to himself until it was time to dress for dinner.

That evening in the smoking room Lydon told his host what Hugh had disclosed in that letter which the solicitor, Shelford, bad handod to him. He fancied that Stormont did not take very much interest in the matter. This, however, was hardly to be wondered at, as Hugh had always treated the man with a certain hauteur which he could not have helped observing, had he been much less intelligent person than he was. When the story was finished Lvdon learned a piece of the Clatidon family history that was unknown to him, " A very remarkable family, the Clandons; I know a little about them," he remarked.

It was by no means the first time the young man had noticed that Stormont always seemed to know a good deal about everybody who was of any importance in the world. According to what Gloria had let drop, he knew that Lvdon's father had been a man of considerable wealth. He rather wondered where this information was procured. Stormont, of course, knew a great many people about Effington, but so much gossip of tho big world would hardly filter there. He had never heard him speak of numerous acquaintances in London, and so far as Leonard knew, he did not belong to any London club, a circumstance which in a man of his apparent wealth seemed rather peculiar. " A very remarkable family, the Clandons," repeated the genial, rubicund man. " Remarkable, in this respect, that for some generations they have transmitted to their descendants a very high order of intelligence. They have never produced any first-class brains, it is true. They have never boasted a Prime Minister, a great general, a distinguished lawyer, but several of them have filled second and third-rate posts with some distinction. This poor chap who killed himself after trying to murder the girl for example. I don't suppose be would have been a Shalford de Redcliffe, or a von Bieberstein, but he would no doubt have developed into a quite respectable diplomatist of the average order." It hurt Lydon to hear him speak of his old friend in such a slighting measure. But .Hugh had certainly taken no pains to conceal his dislike of " the aggressive profiteer," an,<l Stormont "was human. The next words slartled him greatly.

" Well, as I told you, I know some things about the Clandon family, one a fact not at all generally known. By the. light of that knowledge, your friend's.act can be accounted for.- There was insanity on both sides, the 'mother's and the father's." " You astound me," cried Lydon in genuine amazement. " I never had a suspicion of this. But then how should I have? Even if Hugh was acqainted with the fact, which it is more than' likely he was, he was hardly likely to reveal it even to his best friend."

" Quite so," asserted Stormont. " Men don't speak of these paiUful things as a rulo. But you can rest assured that what I have told you is quite true. The uncle of the present holder of tho title. Hugh Craig's father, a man of good fortune, endowed with all Ihe blessings of life, cut his throat in his bath one morning without any apparent reason or motive: this man's sister, Lord Clandon's aunt, died a raving- lunatic. On tho mother's sido, Lady Clandon has a younger brother who has been in a private asylum for the last twenty-five years. It is not generally known outside the family. My sources of information happened to bo rather exclusive. So you see the taint suddenly developed in this poor chap as soon as he got an overpowering shock." So the family history accounted for poor Hugh's sudden aberration. Mysterious malady of. madness that sometimes passes a whelo generation, to break out with virulence in £he next one.

On the Tuesday morning Leonard travelled up with his host. They parted at Waterloo Station, as Stormont said bis offices were in the city, while those of Leonard were in Westminster. The young man was warmly pressed to pay another visit to Effington at an early date. Obviously this genial uncle was not going to j)ut any obstacles in the way of increased Intimacy between the young people. The very significant facts admitted by Gloria seemed to solve what might otherwise havo proved a puzzling problem. Mr. Howard Stormont had apparently made up his mind to live for the day, and to say with the French monarch, " apres moi, le deluge." A few days later he met Gloria at the luncheon which she had agreed :hould be a secret one. She was very sweet and amiable, but evidently her conscience pricked her, for when they parted she told him firmly it must be the last under such conditions.

"There is really no longer any necessity for it," she told him. "Uncle likes you very much and be has now made you free of EfTmgton. If he. disapproved of our friendship, he would not ask you to his home."

"You are quite right," admitted Lydon. "It was a foolish sort of whim of mine. I could not quite get it out of my mind that if I took such a liberty with tho nieco of the owner of such a splendid place as Effington Hall, ho would send me to the right-about." Gloria laughed, told him that he seemed an exceedingly modest young man, and hoped he would always remain so. If was evident that Stormont desired his friendship, for on tho following Friday be rang him up and inquired if he would go down with him to Effington on the following day.

Of course, the young man was only too pleased to go. He had not ventured to hope that bo would see Gloria again so soon. Stormont was at the station awaiting him, and with him was a tall, thin man of about the same age as himself, Whom he introduced as Mr. Whitehouso. This gentleman was a quiet, reserved sort of person, and Lydon did not feel particularly attracted to him. Stormont added an explanation that they were very old friends, and did a good deal of business together. As he said this, Leonard remembered that ho had never heard the nature of Stormont's business eithor from himself or his niece.

(COPY 111 GUT.)

This visit was quite a different one from the last. No big dinner party at night with the army of well-trained servants in attendance; just a cosy meal in a smaller apartment, half morning-room, half din-ing-room. Mr. Whitehouso seemed well known to the household, but he was not by any means a great talker. Probably lie bad come down to discuss business matters with his host. After dinner the two elder men retired to Stormont's study. Lydon went with the ladies into the drawing-room, Stormont excusing his absence with the gonial remark that they were treating him as one of the family. After Gloria had played and sung a little, she proposed that they should adjourn to billiards, a game at which she was no mean performer. The billiardroom was next to Stormont's study, the door of which was open, and as they went in Lydon heard, these words uttered in Whitehouse's rather deep voice: "Yes. it is most unfortunate that the thing should have happened at the moment it did. She is absolutely essential to this particular scheme. We can't start it without her." These words made the young man wonder a good deal. What possible business could it be, to the prosecution of which a certain woman was essential ? CHAPTER V. He had always felt curious on tho subject of Stormont's business, one which evidently brought him in a large income, for how otherwise could he have maintained the upkeep of such an expensive place as Effington. It was strange, too, that the man had never made any allusion to it himself, more especially as ho did hot appear to be. of a reticent or secretive nature. With the majority of persons it is not necessary ■ > know them for very long before they let drop something that proclaims their occupation. He had told the Stormonts all about himself on the occasion of bis second meeting with them at Brighton, without any reserve. If he had foregathered more intimately with them at Nice, lie would have told them then. Even with such a very reticent man as Craig, you could not have been in his society for a few hours without learning that he was a member of the diplomatic corps. It certainly was odd that Stormont never dropped a remark that enabled you to fix his occupation. Ho occasionally spoke of himself as a business man, and that was all. To carry on any sort of business, he must have an office or offices somewhere, and presumably they were in London. But Stormont had never given him the address. Only once, when they had travelled together up to London and parted at Waterloo, ho had mentioned that he was bound for the city, a sufficient vague definition. Those words lie had overheard uttered by the man Whitehouse aggravated the curiosity he had for long felt on the subject since he had become so intimately acquainted with the family. Very delicately be questioned Gloria as they proceeded with their game in the billiard-room. "1 suppose business does- not take up all your uncle's time ? He spends a good deal of it in this delightful place," he said. There was not the slightest hesitation in the girl's reply. He had long ago made up his mind that everything about Gloria Stormont was open and above-board. How frank she had been about herself, and her youthful days in China with her father and mother. "I shouldn't say he went up to London more than three days a week on an average ; his heart has been wrapped up in Effington ever since he bought it from Lord Sedgemere a few years ago. When we lived in London itself, he used to work much harder." " Oh, you lived in London before you came here," said Leonard, who learned this fact for the first time. Certainly Stormont was a very reticent fellow about strictly personal matters. He had never made any allusion to a previous homo which, from his intense fondness for rural life, the young man fancied might have been in the country. " Yes. we bad a dear old eighteenthcentury house in Curzon Street. It was very comfortable and convenient, but my aunt and I welcomed tho change as much as bo did. T should hate to po back to town life again after this sweet Effington." " I suppose you had a very large circle of acquaintances 'in town ?" asked Lydon, still pursuing his questioning. . " Not large at all, considering the fact that my undo seemed so well off," was the frank answer. "He honestly owns that he is not very fond of "general society. He has a few friends who come down here now and again. There were some of thorn with us on your .first visit. Of course we know a lot of people round about here, in'fact a great many more than in London." ''You travel a great deal, don't you? Mr. Stormont seems well acquainted with all the principal places in Eurone." This wns one of the subjects on which her uncle had not been so reticent. His knowledge of the Continent, of the customs and habits of the diflerent foreign nations, was extensive and exhaustive, and bo always seemed pleased to air it. "Oh, uncle is a tremendous traveller; he has been everywhere and seen everything; but he lias dot travelled so much since we havo been here, a matter of some five years. Before that he used to be away the greater part of the year. Sometimes my aunt and I went with him, but usually he went alone. His business took him a good deal abroad, you know." Here was the opportunity he had been waiting for, and he hastened to seize it. " It seems rather funny, ono learns these things so soon, as a rule. But I have never heard what your uncle's business is." Gloria's reply was perfectly free from embarrassment. "It is connected with finance; I suppose he is what you call a financier." So the secret was out: the owner of Effington Hall as a financier. Well, there were a good many people belonging to that profession, some of them quite reputable, controlling vast interests, some of them quite the reverse, addicted to very shady doings. No doubt the rubiennd Stormont was one of the respectable ones, but why the deuce had he been so reticent about it ? The proper pursuit of finance was quite a respectable calling. When a man does not .openly mention his occupation, his silence rather gives you the idea ho is secretly ashamed of it. It was quite within the bonnds of possibility that Stormont was not among the high spirits of the financial world, that liis activities inclined a little to the shady side of the profession. But if that were so, would he have had the hardihood to buy Effington, and run the gauntlet of the respectable people of the neighbourhood ? On the Sunday' morning S'tormont absented himself from church, contrary to his usual custom. Mr. Whitehouse" remained at homo to keep him company. All tho others went as they had done on the previous occasion. Lydon had a shrewd suspicion that the two men wanted to be alone to discuss business affairs. Evidently matters wore settled during tho morning, for the two men did not shut themselves up again during the rest of the day. Whitehouse might possibly bo an excellent man 6f business, but he was not a lively or inspiring person. Grave and taciturn to a degree, he spoke very little and only when addressed directly by his host or some other member of the party. Ho did not volunteer conversation. From a few hints dropped by Gloria, Leonard gathered that the women rather disliked him, and looked upon him as a wet blanket.

Stormont said that he used to" bo a frequent visitor to Curzon Street; but since they had taken up tiheir residence at Effington, ho camo somewhat infrequently, not more than three or four times in tho year, and then only for a stay of a day or two. She understood that 'ho and her uncle had been connected in business for many years and that they had a very great regard for each other. (To be continued daily.)