THE RIDDLE OF THE RAIL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19831, 29 December 1927, Page 14

THE RIDDLE OF THE RAIL.

BY FRED M. WHITE.

CHAPTER XXV.—(Continued). «' Well, it was like this, lady. I 'ad a pal, I 'ad, sort of chap wot was very like myself, only a deal cleverer and with a proper 'eadpiece upon 'un. Still, 'e ■jwas only a common sailor, an' many's. the v'yages we've been together. And then I lost sight of 'im. Lost sight of 'im for there year, I did. The war, or somethink; anyway, it doesn't matter. And when 1 runs up ag'in 'im seme time ago in Melbourne, I never sees such a change in a man in my life. Dyin', *6 was. Anybody could see that at a glance. But afore 'o went off, 'e told me all about them pearls your ladyship is aware of, and just where he'd ?id them. I don't rightly know as 'e found them 'isself, but they didn't belong to nobody in partie'lar, and so thinks I to myself they might just as ( well be mine as anybody elsb's. They was found, original, in the South Pacific, but where I don't know no more than the 'dead. And my mate, 'e tells me as if I could find 'em, they might be worth a few thousand dollars." "And you found them?" Cora interrupted. " Well, in a manner o' speaking, yes, madam. You see, I ships on a fruit steamer as was working on that line, and we gets into bad weather so as we ?as to take to the boats —at least, some of us did, though I believe as the captain and the rest o' the crew managed to reach safety. An' this is where the story comes in." *' The really interesting part,'! Cora Bmiled encouragingly. " Yus, just as it is in books. We wasn't more than ten mile from the place where the pearls was 'idden. I knows exactly where to find 'em, and while my mates in the boat were makin' things snug on the island against tho time we ;was taken off by a passing ship, I sets off to look for them stones. And, wot's more I finds 'em. An' I brought 'em to America to turn 'em into money when I 'as the good luck to run against Mr. Egerton, who's bin a passenger on board a big tramp as I was working on some years ago, and then, thinks I, I'll ask 'is advice. An' I does." " And. a very lucky thing ho did," Egerton said, turning to Cora. "If he had fallen into dishonest hands ho would have been robbed surely enough. But ho didn't," Egerton wemE on rapidly, seeing a smile playing about the corners of Cora's mouth. "He was actually prepared to take ten thousand dollars for those pearls, and when I told him he had a fortune in his pocket, he was astounded. And that is why I have brought him here to-day to tell his story and show his treasure, so that you might be disposed to have the first chance to buy it, Mrs. Van Geldt." " Ah, that was very kind and thoughtful of you," Cora said. " Have you the pearls with you, Mr. Kennedy ! " By way of reply, Kennedy rose slowly to his feet and produced a little flexible leather purse from his pocket. Then he turned out the contents on to the table, and Cora lingered lovingly over them with eyes that sparkled like living fire.

"Oh, wonderful!" she cried. "How lovely! And now, tell me, Mr. Kennedy, what are you asking for your pearls ? "-

CHAPTER XXV. There the pearls lay before Cora's surprised and delighted eyes, twelve little globular objects, each a small fortune in itself. But it was not the intrinsic yalue that intrigued her so much as the knowledge that in the possession of those translucent lures she would possess something no other woman in the world could claim as her own. And, on the top of this, the beauty of the gems! She let them slide through her fingers, she caressed them lovingly and touched them, one by one, with the tip of her pink tongue. No, she could never part with these peai'ls again! It was a tejnptation that no ordinary woman could resist. And yet, the price! Thirty-five thou- ! sand pounds'! A fortune in itself! And she had practically nothing—beyond her reputation and her credit and the knowledge that she was the wife of a millionaire. Yet, despite this fact, the pearls in her fingers were as much beyond her reach as if they had been behind iron bars. Still, she must have •them, even if. she had to go down on her knees to Van Geldt and implore him to let her have her way this onco with a promise to redeem the price by sheer economy. And yet, as these thoughts were running swiftly through her mind, she knew perfectly well that it was absolutely hopeless. Her husband would not be angry, he would not reproach her with her extravagance, but in that calm way of his he would be inflexible. And yet, "'by some means or other, the pearls must be hers. She came out of her reverie and glanced across the table at Egerton, who Btood very quietly watching her. "What is the price?" she asked. " That 1 have already told you," Vane said. " And 1 need" not remind you that 1 could probably procure more elsewhere. The question is, are you to be the purchaser, or not? " Why, of course," Cora smiled. " That is, if you don't mind leaving them with me for a few days. I shall have to take them to my valuer, and if he says that they are all what they appear to be, then I will appoint a time when you can come here and collect the money in cash. I should prefer to pay that way." " Quite reasonable," Egerton replied. T have no complaint to make on that score. Suppose we leave the pearls with you for a week ? Thai will five you plenty of time to ascertain whether they are genuine or no 1 and I can rail and complete the transaction. Say this day .week at the same time." Cora expressed her approval of that arrangement. She was not going to trust those precious pearls out of her sight, because they would remain in the private safe in her own bedroom until she could arrange foi the man from Shiffany's to tall in person and settle the matter beyond question. And, of course, Van Geldt would not be in the house at the time In fact, ever since they had been married, Cora had never known her husband to be under the roof- of the Fifth LA.venue house between the hours of nine and six. And then, >vitbin a week, Egerton could call and take his money a-way, and there would bo 'an end of the whole transaction. " Very well," she said. " At. the fcama time next Thursday. And when that;. time comes. 1 will give you your • teoriey in cash, or. I will hand you the pearls back again." .

A POWERFUL STORY OF LOVE AND INTRIGUE.

(COPYRIGHT.)

A few minutes later, and Cora was alone, gloating over those new found treasures. She carried them to her room presently and locked them safely away. Within eight and forty hours, the pearls had been, certified by the man from Shiffany's and he had taken away the rest of those unique gems with a view to completing the necklace on the lines settled between himself and Cora.

The next thin), of course, was to inform Van Geldt what had happened, 33ut not quite in the way that most honest people would have approved. She brought up tho matter casually one night after dinner, a*»d Van Geldt listened more or less abstractedly. "Oh, you have found what you want, have you ? " he asked. "Oh yes, " Cora explained. " I have had the greatest luck in the world. *\nd Shiffany's tell me that my necklace will bo unique. It is in their hands now, and they are making a sort of loop of the new gems to form the base of it." , "Then that is all right," Van Geldt smiled as he emerged once more from the reverie into which ho had fallen. "But where did trn money come from ? "

"Oh, that was comparatively easy," Cora said. "Ono can't have everything, so I parted with a lot of my diamonds. Indeed, I sold most of them. I would rather have that pearl necklace than all the diamonds and emeralds in the world. I shall have one unique thing, at any rate and everybody wilt envy me. " "Yes, 1 suppose that means a great deal to a woman. ' Van Geldt smiled. " I should have liked to accommodate yoa, but just now I want all tho ready cash upon which I can lay my hands. lam interested in a big railway combine, and if things come all right, I shall be president of a huge now combination. I have been financing one of the lines which had got into a bad way, mostly owing to mismanagement, and, if I can get the control of that, then I shall be able to dictate my own terms. But it may he necessary to find another million dollars or so to bolster up the line of which I am speaking, and that is why 1' am keeping a tight hand uopn my hanking account. I don't want, if I can help it, to touch those securities in my safe downstairs." Cora glanced up in some alarm. " Is it as bad as that?" she asked. "Bad, my dear child, bad? Things could not be better. I am only saying what I am, because I want you to understand why I cannot let you ran wild with my cheque book at the present moment. No, I don't think I shall have to go to the safe, but one never quite knows, and I must be on the right side." The colour came back into Cora's cheeks, and she was glad enough to sidetrack the conversation on to other topics. At any rate, she had had her warning, and she would know how to act. And yet, at the same time, Van Geldt had told her pretty plainly that there would be little or no risk as far as his private strong-room was concerned. Therefore, the following morning, soon after her husband had departed for Wall Street, Cora stole into the library, and, closing the door carefully behind her, proceeded to open the great safe. She knew exactly for what she was looking, and precisely where to find it. With those bearer bonds in her possession, she went, up to her own room and there called up hei broker o,n the telephone. He was a young man, well known in society, who did a good deal of that sort of thing for a select circle of lady clients who were fond of an occasional gamble in stocks and shares. A discreet young man, too, who could be thoroughly relied upon. " Is that you. Mn Cozens?" Cora said, directly she had got through. " Oh, yes, it is Mrs. Van Geldt speaking. I wish you would send one of your young men round here to call for some securities I want to sell. They are Anglo-Texan bearer- bonds."

" I shouldn't sell those, if I were you," the man responded. " They are high now, but likely to go still higher."

" Yes, I know," Cora said. " But I want the money. I have two hundred of them. All thousand-dollar bonds. Could you possibly put the matter through and let me have the cash' to-day ?" » " Delighted," the voice came over the telephone. "Of course, you know your own business best, Mrs. Van Geldt, but don't, say I have not warned you. . I will send one of my men round in a taxi within the next half-hour. What's that? Cash? Oh, yes, the messenger can return again before lunch-time with the money in notes. No trouble whatever, I assure you. Good morning." Well, the thing was done now, and there was an end of it. Within a couple of hours, Cora had the money in her safe, and then she sat down to await the coming of Vane Egerton. He arrived presently in his quiet, almost languid, mood, and entered the room that Cora kept apart for her intimates with a smile on his face. " Well, Cora?" he asked. " Well?" •" As a matter of fact, it is well," Cora said. " I find that the pearls are all you said they were, and at present they are in the hands of Messrs.' Shiffany. Oh, yes, I have bought them, and I hope the great necklace will be complete so that I can wear it next Wednesday to that big affair of Mrs. Tamberge's! You know the party I mean. I believe that several royalties will' be present, and 1 think I can look forward to a sensation." " I am quite sure you can," Egerton said admiringly. " You could do that, my dear Cora, if you hadn't so much as a jewel in tho world. But, quite seriously, let me congratulate you upon possessing so unique a set of gems. Unfortunately, I shall not be present to see your triumph, though I might have managed it if I had known of it beforehand. I suppose the money is ready? Not that I want it for tho moment, and if you haven't got it, an acknowledgment from' your husband to the effect that he is good for the dollars will be quite sufficient, for Kennedy and myself." " Oh, my husband doesn't do business like that." Cora laughed. " Yon see, this is entirely my own affair, and he knows very little about it. If you will wait here for a minute or two, I will come back and pay you the amount due in hard cash." She flitted out of the room and came back a minute later with a bundle of large currency notes which Egerton made some show-of counting before putting them awav in fits pocket. "Well, that is a good thing well done," ho said. "Upon my word, Cora, you are a woman to be envied. Who would ever have thought that the little circus girl would have come to this high estate.' But you will go higher still. Cora swept him a little cui'lsey. " That is my ambition." She smiled. " I think I am entitled to congratulate you. But one thing, please. This transaction is entirely one between out selves. " You can trust me implicitly," Egerton said. (To be continued daily.)