TREASURE HOUSE OF MARTIN HEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20332, 13 August 1929, Page 16

TREASURE HOUSE OF MARTIN HEWS.

BY E. rillLLirS OPPENHEIM.

■j SYNOPSIS. Almost penniless after the war. Major Owston, former crack athlete, accepts the Offer of employment by Martin Hews, a strange, legless cripple, who lives in Brcezo]ey Mansion, a great barrack of a building iu flat dyke country—a house of sliding doors and mysterious peepholes. Hews, after interviewing Owston, and amazing him with his marvellous motor-chair, bids him hido in a secret wall recess and no ready to come to his employer's aid if necessary during the visit of two people who nro approaching the house. In his recess. Owston is approached by a beautiful "irb v '' lo states she is Hews' niece, and offers Owston money to desert his post and BO back to London. This he refnaas, end from his recess watches and listens to the conversation between.' his employer, a girl nnmet! Rachel and Joe Donkin, who is seek.us shelter from arrest for a murder committed (lie previous jiight. Donkin tells Hews that he had carried out his instructions to start a hooligan light, a lid that several men had been killed.

CHAPTER lll.—(Continued). One Jof (he telephones upon Martin Ileus's desk tinkled gently. He listened, Mid spoke into it a nearly inaudible word. Almost before ho had replaced the rereiver. the white light above the door flashed. He touched a button upon bis desk, tho door swung open, and the girl who had intruded upon my hiding-place, with her singular offer, entered the room. ] watched lior as she walked with measured footsteps toward an easy chair set behind a small Chippendale desk. Of mo she took not the slightest notice, nor did jiny gesture or word of greeting pass between Her and Martin Hews. " Since you are joining my establishment, Major Owston, ' tno latter said, with a little wave of his band. " let me introduce you to iny niece—my lay-secre-tary, if I may call" her so. for she docs nothing except act as intermediary between'myself and my bureau of information into" whose secrets you shall be one day initiated. Mv dear,' he went on, turning to her, ik a young Goliath who lias guaranteed to protect me against the assassins of Shorcclitch —Major Owston Miss Essiter." I rose to my feet. Her eyes met mine, expressionless and vacant. She inclined her head very slightly and took no further notice of mc. . " Where are you staying in London . Martin, Hews enquired. "At Rowton House last nighi, I told him. / '• I imagine it would have been the Embankment to-night."

" Your clothes ?" " Mostly pawned. I have nothing except what I stand in." He studied me thoughtfully—a pudgy little finger played with the end of his 1 "'I am, as a rule." he admitted, " suspicious of such destitution. In your case, however, you will receive the benofit of the doubt. Beat-rice, my dear, fifty pounds, from your coffer, if you please. The young woman leaned forward. OTieued a wonderful ivory box with clasps which seemed to mo of solid gold, and counted out fifty pounds from what appeared to mo to bo an inexhaustible supplv, She took the notes across, and laid tl/em on her uncle's desk. He passed them over to nle. I had to hold them very tightly in iriv hand to he sure that 1 was not dreaming. " I will take it for granted, he continued: " that you are not on speaking terms with your tailor, and 1 will telephone to mine. You must have some clothes. Most other things we can provide you with. For the present, you will sleep here, until I have decided what to do with this fair Helen of Shoreditch. Before the. week is over, I have other work for you in the West End. That must wait, however, until you have .your clothes, and until your rooms are engaged. Do you happen to belong to any clubs in town ?' • ~ I am still a member of the Rag. , sl1 ". I fold him—" rather a matter of kindly sufferance, I flm afraid, but I am supposed to be out of England. " Service clubs are not the slightest nse." ho snapped. " What about Ciro s, the Embassy, the Blue Skies, and that sort of thing?" " I know them, of course, I admitted. "If I had been able to pay their subscriptions, I should have spent the money on food before now." He made a note upon some tablets py bis side. A bell rang softly. The white light flashed out, the door opened. My employer's expression became almost benevolent. . , " Come in, Minchin," he invited, " come in." , •\ man entered and approached the table respectfully. He was diessed in sober black, and there were many points about Jhim which seemed to indicate the -well trained gentleman's servant. 110 was a person of curiously nondescript appearance with small features, bald head, and slanting eyes set rather wide apart. Suitsiblv attired, he could have passed sinvwliere for a Chinaman. On the spot ] took an instinctive but violent dislike to him. '• Minchin." his master announced, •* this/ gentleman. Major Owston, has «rrented a post of responsibility in the household. He will sleep here to-nicht. You <vill t;ive him the laurel suite on the .ground floor. He will need a great many articles for his toilette, most of ■which you will doubtless be able to provide " "'Certaiulv, sir."

" I.n five minutes," Martin Hews concluded, " return and show Major Oust on to his rooms." The inan departed. My new employer turned toward nie, and the indifferent note left his tone. His expression had become almost ferocious. He looked at me intensely, his eyes seeking mine, holding them with an* almost portentous intensity. I was as nearly afraid of him as J have ever been of any man in my life. " Owston," he said, ' from now on until we part you are my man. Don t ouestion mv ordei-s. If you fail to -carry them out, or neglect to obey them, scuttle away as fast as you can, but I warn you now as I warned you before, that my cnteiT)rises in life are not undertaken for purposes of philanthropy. Sometimes it may happen that I am actually aiding «nd abetting criminals. Often lam against the law. I alone plan: you, my t-ervants obey. You rnav refuse to carry nut mv instructions, and quit my service. but if a breath of my doings is tarried to the outside world or a ronti rlence of mine betrayed, you pay—you pay tp a very ugly limit Is it under blood ?" ..ii " Perfertlv," I assured him ' 1 lia v ° mv own principles left, such as they aie, and nothing will rnnke mo swerve from them, but the world has treated rno badlv. and I am not squeamish. With that, be touched a button under bis desk. Minchin reappeared, and I became an inmate of Dreezeley Mansion

I, CIIAPTEI? IV Tlie apartments to which my new employer's peculiar manservant in fine course i nnducted me wore, after the hard time 1 liroiifh which I had recen';lv passed, n revelation in comfort and luxury There was a' r>!e"santlv f?!rnished sitfinr? room. tvith d bedroom and large bathroom comJuunicatintt. all on the around floor, and the windows f all three protected bv iron bars With a mi it of clothes it was? impossible to provide me. bnt linen, sponges, and all manner of toilet articles fcfimcd to have appeared bv rnacic, Min- • hio, at 11is master's wish, reappeared, after J had had my bath and made as "'"ch of u toilette as T could, and he told mo sliunpie things in curiously matter of fact fafhion. ™ l! cws tliouirht. sir." he conlfflwL t.ltfif* you had Ijottrr liocnni'* nonuaintrd with l»m const Unt.ion of the I'ousrlirld In ml (lit ton to tho ordinary flornyvtic sl'tff. we have five footmen in lllf hr MISC." " What, on earth for?" T asked

" Kor ptirnoses of defence. Mr TTo 1" very nervous about burplars. Then there are three electricians." " Also fighters V

/ ' Tliey :iw t'enerallv too busv to think nhoyt. anything but their work," ho said. IjJC house, as you may have noticed,

AN INSPIRING SERIAL BY A FAMOUS AUTHOR.

(COPYniCUT.)

is full of electric devices. Even the master's carriage runs up or down stairs in grooves connected with an electric dynamo. Then thero is a complete set of burglar alarms indoors and out, and Iho secret doors are all worked in the saino manner. Wo have a huge searchlight in the tower, and some other smaller contrivances which Mr. Hews will probably toll you about, himself. So far as T li.ivo boon able to observe, sir—and I liavo been here for cloven years—l should say that the electricians are (ho hardest worked members of the staff." " Well, it all sounds odd to me, of course, Minchin," I acknowledged, "but I dare say I shall get used to it." " Lit'o hero usually has plenty of variety, sir," the man continued. " Your meals can be served in your sitting room at any hours you order them, and there is a car at your disposal whenever you require it. Across tho passage there is a library. There is also a billiard room. Tho master wishes you to keep for the present tho automatic you have, and there arc other weapons and ammunition in tho cupboard." " Who actually lives in (he houso beside (ho servants?" I asked.

" Miss Essiter, Mr. Hews, and your self, sir."

" Why, there must bo forty empty rooms!" I exclaimed.

" There are a great many," he admitted. " Still, thero are visitorsforeign chiefly—coming and going all the time, and (he whole of the north wing has been converted into a museiuu for pictures and such-like. The master often spends several hours a day locked in there." " What on earth made Mr. Hows chooso this singular neighbourhood ?" I asked. " It has its advantages, sir," Minchin explained. " You saw one of them to-day when we were able to get Donkin away by means of the river. Years ago," the man added reflectively, "we used to have a great many callers drop off from the steamers. The police became a little inquisitive, though. There was an accident on the road between here and the river one night. A Chinaman was shot with some very valuable precious stones upon him. lam afraid the police since that tune have been a trifle suspicious of this house and our doings." It occurred to me that I was perhaps becoming too curious concerning matters which were not exactly my affair. I endeavoured to change the subject. " Talking of the police," I remarked, " don't you think they'll get Donkin ? There must bo a warrant out against him, and they can telephono and wireless down tho river."

" We are not afraid of (lie police, sir," Minchin assured me. " Tho only trouble was getting Donkin on to the motor boat before any of Joseph's lot arrived. The polico are all very well in their way, but they are much slower. Tho motor boat did the trick' for us. By this time, Donkin is on a tanker. He leaves that to-night for a coasting steamer, and so on. The master is a great organiser. It gives him pleasure to arrange these things. His agents in London aro almost as clever. . . .

At what time will you take your dinner, sir ?"

" At any time that is convenient," I told him, trying, by adopting a casual tone about the matter, to conceal the fact that I had had no luncheon. " It will be served about eight o'clock then, sir," he announced. Ho laid upon the table the evening papor which ho had been carrying, and respectfully took his leave. I looked after him for a moment or two, wondering why the man had inspired me with such a profound sense of distrust. His manner was fuiel and civil, almost impressive. There was nothing in tho least furtive about him.

Ho looked one iu the face, and ho was certainly an excellent servant He was of a secretive type, without a doubt, but as likely as not it was his master's secrets he guarded I mixed myself a whisky and soda, and stretched myself out in an easv-chair to reflect upon this amazing household of which I bad become a member. Exactly what was Martin Hews' object in life ? What were the thoughts and schemes with which that strange brain of his was occupied ? Why had it become a point of honour with him to secure thq escape of a desperate criminal, and give shelter to his mistress ? That he should keep his house closely guarded was not an unreasonable thing, especially if that othor wing, of which Minchin had spoken, was filled with as many priceless treasures as was tho library in which he usually sat. On the other* hand, I was not at ail convinced that his energies wero purely defensive. His organisation outsido must exist for some purpose or other. Was he, I speculated, the head of a band of criminals of his own, of which I was already a member, or was he simply a receiver of stolen goods on a huge scale, a financier of robberies and fraudulent exploits? After all, my interest in the matter was really little more than academic. After years of bitter hardship, 1 bad adopted the vagabond's philosophy. There was 10 be a roof over mv head to-night, food to eat, wine to drink, tobacco to smoke. Questions of ethics could go bang. I was content to wait for the first problem to present itself.

My room became a little close, and presently I took advantage of a cleverly concealed door, and,' finding the fastening with some difficulty, opened it, and stepped out into the night. A slight drizzling rain was falling, v.hich cooled my cheeks, as I strolled down the flinty path toward the road. There was scarcely sound to be heard except the melancholy booting of steamers crawling up. the river, and the prospect all round was as dreary as ever. Suddenly I was aware that my solitude was about to be disturbed

A motor-car or taxi-cab had stopped in the road some two hundred yards away, and a man was proceeding on foot toward me. The incident in itself was ordinary enough, but the singular part of it was that, although it was a dark night, tho vehicle had approached without lights, and the footsteps,.which every moment I could hear more distinctly, seemed to be the footsteps of a man seeking as far as possible to avoid attention. Even when bo came in sight—a large, bulky figure, wearing a bowler hat" and a long mackintosh—his progress was furtive, and at his first glimpse of .he light of mv cigarette be appeared to hesitate

Iti a moment or two, however, lie, came .in, and paused an he reached my side. I recognised him at once. It was Miles, the butler, who had admitted mc. He had lost his manner, however. He was no longer the dignified but affable majoidomo of a large household; he gave one tho impression of a man skulking in from an errand of which ho was ashamed. "Good evening," I greeted him. "You have bad a wet walk. I am afraid." _ He lifted his hat with an effort at politeness

" A miserable walk, sir," he confided. " A shocking neighbourhood, this. You'll find it dull, I'm afraid, if you're staying with us long."

Mv immediate reply was interrupted in a singular fashion. I felt suddenly blinded, bathed in a great sheet of light. I shielded my eyes with my hand, and swung around. A brilliant shaft of electric illumination from (lie further lower had caught us both, played on ns for a moment, and travelled on over the mud-soaked wilderness to tho road beyond. The water in tho dykes glistened, the wizened trees stood out one by ono. About half-way to tho station tho vehicle in which Miles had arrived was clearly visihle—a motor-car or taxi-cab, perhaps —being driven very slowly, and still without lights. Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, tho searchlight was shut off, and the darkness around us seemed nioro intense than ever. I realised to my surprise that the man by my side was trembling violently, (To be continued daily.)