THE HOUSE OF EVIL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19459, 15 October 1926, Page 18

THE HOUSE OF EVIL.

BY WILLIAM LE QUEUX

CHAPTER X.—(Continued). On that same Saturday afternoon, a very strange thing occurred. Mrs. Barnard had gone out to luncheon that Jay, and the tnree sat chatting together for some time after the meal was concluded, Lydon being the most silent member of the party. ' * , ' " Presently they went out into the Ml together, the young man having suggested to his sweetheart that they should take a stroll in the grounds. A peculiar spectacle met their view. A bronsed-looking, elderly ms.n, with a shaggy heard and moustache, rather shabbily dressed, was standing inside close by the door. A smart-looking voung footman stood near to him, with rather the air of mounting guard. Duncan, the butler, was advancing in the direction ot the dining room, but halted when he saw the party approaching. He spoke in his grave, respeccful voice, in which there seemed just a tinge oi surprise: " A—a—person wishes to see you, sir. He declines to give his name, says he wants to surprise you." Stormont started for a second, then advanced toward the new comer, whom .ie could not see very distinctly, as ho was afflicted with short-sight. Then, when he got close to him, his face went pale under its ten, and the words drooped from his lips slowly, as if they were forced from him. " lorn. Newcombe, by all that's wonderful." i , The shabby-looking man burst into a loud laugh and extended a hand. Lydon noticed it was not over-clean, which the other took with evident embarrassment. .... ... , "Tom Newcombe, it is, your old pal. Glad to see you again, Howard; and to find things are so well with That gentleman is quite right, I wouldn't give my name, I wanted to give you a surprise." Hj glanced ,at the footman. "I think this young fellow has got an idea I'm a burglar or something of the sort;.he's been looking at me suspiciously ever since I came in." There was an awkward pause. Stojmont's agitated countenance ■showed that he was very much upsiet by this' Unexpected arrival of his "old pal." The footman disappeared rapidly. Duncan retreated -with his slow, majestic step, his grave face looking graver than ever. Before he came to Effington, ho had lived all his life in refined and aristocratic, families. Never had he in Ks respectable experience,' such an occurrence as this—a .shabby-looking stranger entering the house and greeting the owner as " vour old -pal." There is no doubt the dignified butler was thoroughly shaken! '• ,• Lydon was very generous-hearted, ana in spite of the altered feelings with which he now regarded Stormont, he could hot but feel a wave of pity for the man, subjected to such a rude shock in the very midst of his splendour, before the eyes of his astonished servants. Thinking the most tactful course was to withdraw, he touched Gloria lightly on the arm. " Let us go for our stroll," he said, and she, understanding his object, nodded her head. They went out and left the agitated Stormont to deal with Mr. Tom Newcombe. When they were in the grounds, she turned to him, a look of surprise, Lydon fancied a faint hint of trouble, in her clear, candid, blue eyes. " What can it mean, Leonard ? Such a common fellow, too, his way of talking! Not a broken-down gentleman. You heard him speak of uncle as his old- pal.' Where in the name of wpnder could he have known him ?" . 1 ' • > - "Do you know anything - of' your uncle's past, of hia.life as a young man ?" As her sweetheart put the-question, his thought was that, she probably knew as little of the-pant as : she did of the present. The girl answered • him with her usual frankness. " Nothing: , From • sortie little things -father dropped,', I gathered that he was rather ; wild in his youth. I don't fancy they had ever been vary good friends as young men. lam sure you have noticed how little Uncle Howard , ever talks about himself, .about his business or his past. 1 L knownowng about these things. .Auntie may know itiore about tjiem than I do, but I don't fancy very much. . lie , is* so„.strongly reticent. He certainly told, her he was going to borrow money from you, but .I expect he did so because he thought you might let it out to one of us. If' he had been sure of your silence, she would never have heard a word about'it, I am convinced." • • After a short pause, she resumed the subject: "I cannot, understand it, the man is obviously of such a common class. The Stormonts come from very homelystock, I know, but they are miles above this. I don't think I have ever told you much about the family history, which I learned from my father, not my uncle. I don't think I have ever heard him allude to his family. He is as reticent about them as he is about himself." She proceeded to telllh'im about the past Stormonts. Her grandfather,was a small tradesman in a midland town, his family consisted of two sons, Howard and Jasper. Although not ambitious for himself, he was for his children, and-he stinted and screwed to -give them a gopd education to enable them to do better in the world than their father. That < Jucation' had stood them in good stead and developed their native brains. Jasp'er, the elder of the two, was a very clever fellow, although-he had ■ made nothing like the monjy his brother had done. This, in Gioria's opinion, was simply due to lack -of opportunity, to that absence of luok which plays such a large part in' human affairs.- And what money Jasper did make he took good care of. " But although he has' never tried to make any show, father's career has been one of steady success," she- concluded with an air of pardonable pride. " And he is one of the most upright men, .with high ideals of duty. He has not got Uncle Howard's robust ■ geniality, but' he has most lovable qualities. I should be so pleased for yon to meet him." They strolled about for a long time before they returned to the house. Before they went in, Gloria had confided to her lover her perplexity, as to what Stormont would do with his unwelcome guest. Mr. Newcombe certainly could not join the ultra-respectable dinner party that would assemble in the evening. This problem was presently solved by Stormont himself, who later on came into the billiard-room to.find them. He had recovered a good deal fro.m the shock, but it was easy to' see by his ner* i vous, jerky manner, that he was still very ill-at-ease over this disconcerting experience, and the necessity of furnishing some explanation of it. He tried to carry it off in his usual hearty, bluff way, but Lydon knew that he would have given a bij sum of money for it not to have happened. " Strange after all these years, very strange! Poor old Tom Newcombe to have come down so, he was fairly prosperous at one time.- A rough diamond; but one of best, one of the best." It was obvious to both there was no real heartiness in his voice as he pronounced these warm eulogies on the* shabby-dook-infr man. ( . i ! He went on in the same ierfcv, unconvincing manner, addressing himself rather more directly to his niece. " I suppose you are wondering how I came to know him ?" "I think we are," said Gloria, speaking with her usual directness. "He spoke as if you had been on very intimate terms!" " So we were, so we were," was the reply. " I must reveal a. little bit of my life that I have said nothing to you about before. When I was quite a youngster, I was a bit inclined to kick over the traces. And, in one of mv wild woods, I went out to Australia in the hope of making my fortune quickly. It Jhere I met Tom Newcombe, " who and been lucky and made quite a respect- ® pile. In that land of democratic

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equality we chummed up together. After a few years. I left, having made no headway. But during that trying time Newcombe was a splendid pal to me, let me share with him when I was wanting a meal. I'have never'set eyes on him Since. And now poor old Tom has turned lip, broke to the world. One of the saddest things 1 know." Lydon was firmly convinced that . the man' was lying, that he had invented this explanation- of - his- acquaintance with the rough-looking stranger. Even Gloria looked somewhat doubtful. " What are you goigg to do with him, uncle? . Will he stay here?'' she asked quickly.' -~ "Of course. Could I turn out a man who befriended me as !ie did ?" answered Stormont with a fine show of virtuous rectitude. " A pity we have got that party, on to-night. I should have been proud to have such a fine fellow at my table, in spite of the fact that he is not quite of our—er —class. Hut he is a sensible chap and sees things clearly, He lias no evening clothes, and none of mine would fit him. He wiii have dinner in my study, and I shall instruct the servants to show him the greatest- respect. There will be nobody here to-morrow, and lie can then join us." He was carrying it out very bravely, as well as anybody could, turning the rough Tom Newcombe mto almost a heio. But Lydon disbelieved every wo;rd he 'aid, as he naturally would, and Gloria -id not seem very convinced "You are going to help him. of course?" she said in the same quiet tone. A generous glow seemed to animate Stormont's whole, manner as lie replied to ,her. And Lydon was more than ever convinced that the man was acting for all he was worth. " I should think so. I have heaps of faults, but want of ;• humanity, thank Heaven, is not one of them. I shall help poor old Tom as long as he wants help, as he helped me when I was in need.*' With the utterance of these noble sentiments, the conversation ended. Stormont went away to shut himself up with his guest till dinner-timo. The respectable, people-of the neighbourhood-came to t'lie banquet and did full -justice'to it,' in ignorance that not far fr,om them, in the host's' study} a shabby-looking man, waited upon',by.a father supercilius footman, was partaking in solitude of the same rich viands and choice wines. When the'last carriige had rolled away, Mrs. Barnard went to bed, explaining that she was tired with her long day. Wat it because she wished to avoid any conversation with her niece about the unexpected guest ? Stormont went to look for Newcombe. He promised to join them shortlv in the billiard-room, as the night was still young. He came in looking rather relieved, and proposed a three-handed game. " I've sH the poor chap •in front of a bottle "of whisky; it wdl do him good after his privations," he said genially. "I hope, though, he won't take too much: he has a little -weakness in_ th.it direction." They had not played more than half an. hour when the door opened, and the shabby figure of Mr. Newcombe appeared. His face was very flushed, there was no doubt about his condition. His gait was uncertain and his voice decidedly thick. Advancing toward the billiard table, he looked at his host with a very unfriendly expression, in ' which Lydon saw, or fancied he saw, a hint of menace. " Look here Stormont, my boy. Old pal as you may have been, I'm not going to stand much'more of this sort of thing. I'm being treated, in'a way I don't like. It's devilish ..unhandsome, to- say the least least of it." The more than 'half-drunken man was meditationg a scene, in.revenge, for some real or ■ fancied grievance 1 ;' Gloria paled and reddened by turns .and looked'apprehensively at her .uncle.; ,'{ . , Lydon waited developments. Would "this 'fellow in -'his •Clip's,' arid without the leait ; coritrol-''over his faculties, blurt out • something that would .give the lie to Stormont's hastily 1 concocted story ?•-; - CHAPTER XI. Stormont himself seemed. .merely taken aback by this almost savage 'onslaught, almost as deprived of sclf-control,as"New-combe himself: "What are you complaining of?" he asked in a voice that, was scarcely audible. The "man whom'" his accent declared to be a colonial, answered in his thick utterance:. "/I don't say anything about not being asked to dine with your swell friends,, they're not-my kidney, and I'd rather have their room than their company. But after they'd all gone, you might have introduced me to your family." He pointed' a shaking forefinger at the shrinking Gloria, who was* immensely afraid of a drunken man. Stormont was pretty liberal in his potations, but he never got into anything approaching this condition. "This pretty girl, I take it, is your niece. And this, I suppose, is her young man you told me about. Looks a bit stuck-up, I fancy, like the young feller who brought me my dinner. But I daresay- I-shall -find him a good sort when we're better acquainted." He walked, with his unsteady gait toward. the-table on which the ever-thought-ful, butler had placed refreshments. Tl\e actio,n seemed to rouse Stormont from his trance. " "Stop it," he shouted in a voice of thunder. "Stop it. You've had more than you can carry already." But he was , too late,. Newcombe had already filled-a tumbler half-full of. raw whisky and . tossed it down his throat as if it had been water. Having done this, his manner seemed to change. Frcm a mood, very nearly approaching ferocity, he lapsed into one of maudlin sentimentality.' A weak smile overspread his bearded countenance. "Well, my boy,- we mustn't quarrel, we've been'too dear old pals for tlfat." He-laughed, with the disconcerting hilarity of. a drunken man. "Lord, what fine games we've had in our day, Howard, haven't we ? Do you remember that glorious day w/j followed up old BillyStiles ?" " Again Stormont's voice rang out, and there was a'note of almost agony in it. ' Stop, Newcombe. for Heaven's sake stop. You forget there, is a woman present," .. .. - ; - The appeal seemed to momentarily sober 1 the wretched man. He turned his bleary eyes ir the direction of Gloria. "Sorry,-miss, I'm sure; I forgot you were here! No offence meant, Howard, my dear old pal. I lu<ven't said anything; you've -noticed , that." ~ ; • ' ; . '• It. was time to und the disgusting scene. Stormont 1 turned : to the young peoplf'. "Very sorry, but you'd better take Gloria away.. I'll deal with this drunken creature and get him 'to bed." ' As he spoke, he turned a very malevolent glance on the huddled-up Newcombe, who had closed his eyes after his last speech, and appeared to - be falling to sleep. There was positive hatred in that glance Lydon felt assured. And yet a few hours afro lie had spoken of the man as a snlendid fellow, as one of the very best, -The young- man doubted if there was much love lost on either side, in spite of Newcomhe's reference •to his friend as a dear old pal. , The lovers went' into-the drawing room. Gloria still looked .pale, and not a little indignant. "What a perfect brute." she cried. "Why has uncle put. up with him for five minutes? You, could see the sort he was at the first glance, a rough "savage. Why did he not give him some money, and make him go?" Almost before he was aware of it, the words slipped out of her sweetheart's mouth; words that voiced his inmost thoughts. "Depend upon it, dear, Mr. Stormont has some eood reasons for not wishing to offend this uncouth fellow." The trirl looked up with a startled glance, one whHi had fear in it as well as surprise "Leonard, what' is in your mind ? Do you sugeest"—her voice faltered for a second—"that he knows anything to Uncle Howard's discredit?" (To be contiiiMid daily.)