"SHADOWS BY THE SEA"

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20113, 26 November 1928, Page 16

"SHADOWS BY THE SEA"

BY JEFFERSON FARJEON.

CHAPTER XI. CONCERNING MR. ANDERSON. •" Righty-ho," sang out Napoleon. " Zo rope," muttered Luigi, and stared nt tho coil over Leonard's arm. " Tho rope —what about tho rope?" demanded Leonard, speaking testily. " Wc's putting it away. Any objection ?" it was clear that Luigi in his heart was us curious to know what they had been doing, as t'liey in their hearts wero curious to know what Luigi had been doing; Init neither curiosity was immediately satisfied. Luigi asked no more, and said no more. Ho returned quickly to tho pantry which ho had neglected too long to receive a sound scolding from tho maid, Florence. " A lazy bag of bones you aro!" cried tho indignant Florence. " I,caving mo to do all tho wnshiu' up! Don't tho men do any of tho work in your precious Italy ?" " Italy all right," retorted Luigi. i'.And .[ not out for longa, no!" " But you wero for too longa, yes," tr.nppcd Florence. " Wherc'vo you been ? .The mistress was that wild!" " Wasi sho?" muttered Luigi, impressed. " Was sho? Was she? Of course, sho Was!" returned Florence, scornfully. >" And thero you stand, like a statue, without a word of explanation! ' Whero's Luigi?' says tho mistress. ' Sond him to mo tho very moment ho gels back,' she say. ' I'll give it to him, tho lazybones !' " " Miss Fyno—sho say all zat ?" exclaimed Luigi, in astonishment, " Sho says moro than that," cried Florence. "Go and tell her where you've been—and don' say it's to post a letter, because I know better than that, Mr. Luigi!" " Vou know? What you know ?" asked Luigi. " Moro than you think, I dare say." "Bali l You—how you say?—taikingmachino.! Jabber, jabber, jabber! .(Jibber, jabber, jabber! Zo jaws—up, down, tip, down. Zey must givo you pain. Maria! You know nosing." " Don't I?" blazed Florence. "It wouldn't bo a silly little girl waiting for you round tho corner, now, would it— W'ith goo-goo eyes, and a blanc mango for n brain—' The bell rang twice " Thore, that's for you Luigi. Go and tell her a few lies, do!" Anxiously, Luigi presented himself at the hotel oflico, to find himself fixed by .reproving brown eyes. " Where have you been, Luig;i ?" asked Jessica, quietly. " I wanted you a little .while ago, and was told you wero out*" " Not for longa," ans-.vered Luigi, penitently. " I should 'ave ask, niadamo, but I s'cughb it no matter." " It always matters, Luigi, when my (servants aro absent without leave. You haven't told me where you went ?" Luigi took a deep breath " It was 7,0 bicycle —zo poor Mr. Anderson. yes," ho said. " I tako it. away for ?im." " Took it away ?" " Yes." " But why did you do that!" "'E ask for it. 'E send for it." Jessica puckered her brow, and in obedience to Leonard's scheme tried not to show lie;, surprise. " I didn't, know Anderson was well enough to think about his bicycle," she said, slowly. "Did he write?" " Yes. Mr. Anderson much better. 'E .write to me." "To you, Luigi? You know Anderson ?" " 'E wroto to ze new waiter. Si, si. Zo note come from zo 'ospital. No, I don't know Mr. Anderson, but 'e say please new waiter to bring 'i3 bicyclo to ze village— placo o' name—l know it—and so I iako ze bicycle, and givo it to Mr. Anderson's friend." Jessica considered this rathor complicated story. " I should have thought the bicyclo was too broken to worry about," sho commented.

" Ver* much broken," agreed Luigi. No good. But 'e think 'e can get it mended, and ride again when '<> is better, Jessica. " You can go now. But understand this, pleaso. You must never again absent yourself without permission. If you wish to go out at any times that are iiot your regular times, you must ask me first."

" I am ver' sorry. I s'ink only of poor iMr. Andorson. S'ank you, madamo." Ho bowed himself away, nearly bumping into Leonard as ho left tho office. Leonard had just entered tho hotel with Napoleon, and while tho latter had made a bee-line for tho drawing-room, Leonard was lingering for a few words with Jessica. " Well, what had ho to say for himself?" ho enquired, as the waiter slithered out of sight. " Mr. Truelove and I met him at tho shed before wo cano in, but we thought it beat to let you do tho questioning." Jessica repeated the conversation and then looked at her enquirer questioning!}-. "A bit far-fetched," pronounced Leonard. " But it might bo true." "No, it mightn't bo true," replied •Jessica Fyne. " tor its oniy ten minutes sinco I opened a letter telling mo that Anderson died this morning." "By Jove!" muttered Leonard, and read the note which sho band ad to hhn. ."Well, that's definite enough, isn't it?" " Vcs— rather startlingly definite," sho rind, gravely. " I simply longed to thrust Ili.it letter under Luigi's noao!"

" Why didn't you?" " Becauso I knew you'd disapprove.' " And you trust inv wisdom as much us that?"

" I've no one else's wisdom to trust. Oh, what does it all mean, Mi 1 . Seflon ? Why are all theso extraordinary things happening? Can wo sit patiently till wo make our discoveries? Aren't more things happening, while wo wait?"

He did not answer for a long while. Jler outburst, which was no reflection upon hint but was the iiicrq expression of her henso of impotence, hail the effect of making liiin rapidly reconsider his policy and tin) strokes he was about to play. Three minutes went bv. Then lie said:

" VYVrn not. silting patiently till we're making our discoveries, Miss Ky lie. We're •working toward fhuso discoveries. Perhaps yoif can trust, my wend for tliat. ml us for tlifi more tilings that urn happening, I'm thinking of those, too, and my v. hold object, is to prevent them from happening—to avoid precipitating them. 3 want, to know who the guilty parties tiro, and to prove their guilt,—" " Their guilt, of what, ?" Does it, mutter for the moment ? We Know thy guilt exists. 'lake Luigi, for irist nice. He's just, lied to you. If you had shown liiru that, letter, you would liavri proved his lie, hut not, the object «>f it, and what would have been the use? Ltugi would probably liavo disappeared again, this tiiuo for good. Luigi's a .link—a link hi I lie chain—wo mustn't Joso him just yet." He closed his eyes. With his eyes still closed, ho continued, " Of course, we do know something. We know that Luigi didn't want us to examine that bieyclo. Now, why didn't Luigi ■want i;« to examine that bicycle?" He opened his eyes suddenly, and stared at her. Perhaps thero was something about the bicycle that would liavo proved it had been tampered with? Perhaps 'Anderson's accident was arranged, and our friend Mr. Luigi was afraid that tho oioycln,, if examined by an interfering visitor, might reveal its unpleasant secret. f ,® Ba y' y° u 8C! ". row. Miss Fyno, why to work quiolly. I've 0 ofllclous already."

A FASCINATING AND ROMANTIC DETECTIVE SERIAL.

(coprmcnT.)

" But why should Anderson's accident; havo been arranged ?" sho asked. " I can't seo that. lie was a nice, quiet fellow. I can't belicvo ho had any enemies." "Wo :an't always lie sure of our enemies any more than wo can always bo suro of our friends," replied Leonard. " I'm not suggesting (hat Anderson had enemies, though. We'll assume, for tlie moment, that lio hadn't. In that case, the person who arranged Anderson's accident may merely have been after his job. It's cer. t.ainlv interesting that the man who's got his job is tho man who's got rid of tho bicycle." Suddenly, noting her paleness, Leonard changed his tone. " Well, anyway, you can't do any more at tho moment, Miss Fyne. May I suggest an early bed for you? And sleep?" " Yes. T am tired," sho answered, wearily. " When I've made up my books, I shall take vour advice. But it's uot easy to sleep. 1 ' " It would please me immensely," lie exclaimed, as sho took the hand he held out, " if I could feel you'd sleep a little better to-night than you slept last night. After all, you've got one moro friend under tho roof, you know." " Tho best friend, I think," sho nnswered; and then, fearing that sho had said moro than sho had meant to, she withdrew her hand rather quickly and opened n lodger. " Good-night, in caso I don't seo you again," ho said. " Good-night, Mr. Sefton," slio replied. " And thank you." Ho went along the hall toward tho drawing room, and as ho drew near, ho heard voices raised. " Just because a fellow's a pood swimmer, that's no reason why others can't bo just as smart in other ways—dash it all. swimmers haven't got all tho pluck !" The speaker was Napoleon Truelove, and lie appeared to bo pulsing with indignation. " I'm suro there's no need to get excited." came M iss Haines' soothing tones. "Excited? I'm not excited!" cried Napoleon. " Gut I can't stand all this silly hero talk! Why, for twopence, I'd tako a boat and row out to tho wreck myself this very night!" " What—with no moon?" jeered Guy. "I can seo you doing it!" Leonard smiled, and turned away—and, as lie did so, met tho eyes of old Mr. Griddle. " Out young friend is in a somewhat volranic mood," he observed, genially. "Well, I don't think I'll stay up and listen to him. I'm off to bed. Goodnight." CHAPTER XII. PREPARATIONS FOII A JOLLY EVENING. An hour later, while Leonard Sefton was sitting on tho edge of his bed, with his room in darkness, thero camo a soft, tapping at tho door, and Napoleon Truelove entered. » " Must it bo dark ? " queried Napoleon, his hand groping for the switch. " It is preferable dark," replied Leonard, in a low voice, and Napoleon's hand dropped. " Closo that door and don't talk loudlv."

"Oh, anything to oblige," murmured Napoleon as he obeyed. " We're going to have a thoroughly nasty, creepy time, so we might as well begin in style." The door was now closed, and he began to feel his way forward. "Do I si't down. or do you receive your visitors standing. I 11 curtsey, if you like, and kiss your hand."

Don t be an idiot," replied Leonard, smiling in the darkness. I tell you, old chap, I'vo simply got to be an idiot," retorted the other. " It's tho only way I can keep my pecker up." "let 1 heard you shouting in the drawing room that you had as much courage as anyone." Napoleon chuckled.

" That's true," ho ever sort of an ass I'm making of myself up here, it's nothing to the ass I made of myself down there. Luckily, Guy Logan chipping me. so that gave nie a" lead off. I told 'em that no one had a corner in courage, and that, if it camo fo a pinch, wo could all do our share. I behaved like a jealous Laliv, and tootled out the trashest tosh. As a matter of fact '—he paused for an instant—" T really did feel just it tiny lit jealous when you went off with Miss Haines, you know. [Not that I—oh, well, chuck'all that! , Anyway, I swore .I'd row over to the wreck to-night for twopence, and though nobody believed rno for a moment, if" I did do any such silly ass thing—well, thero'd bo no questions asked." " lou'ro a brick," answered Leonard sincerely. 111 stand sponsor for your courage when tho time comes." Don fc be too swcetlv sure," observed Napoleon, grimly. "'Tho timo hasn't come yet." But it will. And, meanwhile, I understand you've como to ask me where you can find a boat, and, learning of your insano intention, I insist on accompanying you." J.liub s tho plan," grinned Napoleon "My courage cools somewhat. J expect, and, when it comes to tho point, I'm only too glad to accept tho invitation of my rival to join the little party." " You don't want the rival to go alone?" queried Leonard, with momentary doubt. " I damn well do want the rival to go alone," answered Napoleon, " but for the honour of my namesake I ain't going to let him go alone. Besides, I've got a sort of a bet with that fool, Guy, and at least I stand to make five shillings out of this. I think I'll buy a tonic with it—" Sli: Don t talk so loudly," muttered Leonard suddenly. Loudly ? I wasn't " «'Sli!" Napoleon remained silent, obediently. What was the jolly idea, ho wondered ? This silence and this sitting in the darkness. » u anything ? ' whispered Leonard. \ou bet I do," Napoleon whispered back. " It's going threo hundred to the minute." " Hear anything else?" Napoleon listened. No, lie heard nothing else, ifo was about to say so when a faint sound carne from the wall to the right of (he window. "What is it?" ho asked in a low voice. " Cupboard door over there, isn't there 1 " It isn't a cupboard door. It's a door opening into the next room." " Oh, Lord! I hope it's locked!" Of course, it's locked. But do you know who sleeps in the next room ? " " V fs. Old Griddle." " Are you sure ? " " Quite. I know, becauso T had that room myself first, and gave it up when he came." "ell, he's not asleep now—winch a man with a headache ought to be," commented Leonard. "It seems (o mo Mr. '■riddle spends r.li his evenings saving lie s going to bed, but never getting there, lie's been by that door for twenty minutes " J " Unless it's a mouse," suggested NapoIcon. 1 It's not a mouse." Well praps you know mouse noises better than I do. Oh, Lord-bores an idea. I raps the old chap really is ,n nn . . ll ' s so, »cbody ,-Iso in his room »ho idea \wts arresting. Leonard considered it. Suddenly he jumped ,ip from his bed an ran out r.f the room. Napoleon heard him knocking on tho next door. " .Mr. Griddle!" called Leonard. There was no reply at first, and he called again. I hen a sleepy voice responded in mumbling tones: Kb ? What's that ? " " Did you call out just now ? " asked Leonard through the door. " Who there? Who's that speaking? " Mr. Griddlo called back. He now seemed thoroughly awake. " I thought I hoard you calling." " Calling ? No, I didn't call." |( Sorry, ' said Leonard, apologetically. " I must havo been mistaken." (To bo continued daily.)