THE LAVENHAM TREASURE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20990, 29 September 1931, Page 14

THE LAVENHAM TREASURE.

By OTTWELL BINNS. Author of "Diana of the Wands." "The Trail of Adventure," " The Mystery of the Atoll." etc.. «tc

<COPYRIGHT.)

A STORY OF TENSE AND DRAMATIC ACTION BY POPULAR WRITER.

CH A PTE E IX.— (Continued). Lavenham laughed silently as he caught the words. " What—what. " " They're going to try to pick the lock." '• Oil, it I hoy should " " Nothing to worry about. The bolts will prove a corker to them. Listen!" They stood there together, his arm around her, protectingly; tho girl apparently accepting the fact as the most natural in the world. Lavenham heard her hurried breathing, was aware of the rise and fall of her breast; but her face was turned away from him, her eyes straining toward the door. Wild emotions were surging in him. He wanted to kiss that pale laco, to fold her to him more closely, to wh.sper that before she should suffer hurt he would die, whilst at the same time he strove to give attention to things that were happening outside. A rasping sound made itself heard; the scraping ol some steel implement against iron. " What is that?" " The pick-lock at work. Someone is trying to " A new sound impinged on his cars, a kind of " plung" as if something had struck tho door and embedded itself in the wood. " Flames of the Pit!" cried a hoarse voice outside. "There eet ees again! That was a bullet, surely." " Yep! There's some guy out there in the darkness trying to pot us. We've sure got to look lively, or Oh, blast! The devil's got me in the shoulder an'—" "Scatter!" broke in a, voice which Lavenham recognised for Spanish John's. " We must find tho man." " But who tho blazes " " Dat dam picture-painter! If v.e get him we scrag him for good!" Impulsively the girl turned her face to Lavenham. "Oh!" she whispered. "Oh! you are in danger, here, for me!" Lavenham laughed a little wildly. " Not yet!" he said. " But I wouldn't bo in any other place for worlds." " But ." She faltered, and apparently becoming suddenly conscious of their unconventional position, made a movement of withdrawal from his protecting arm. lie made no effort to hold her, and as she stood a little apart from him, again lie heard her breathing, quick, irregular, as if she were battling with strong emotions. Unspeaking, they stood waiting. There reached them the sound of feet furtively withdrawing, then followed a long period of silence, which was an even greater strain than the exciting movements which had preceded it. Outside the night was still as the night in the remote country can be, with no roaring traffic, no clanging bells, hooting horns, or human babble to break its calm. Within tho house was silent as some vault of the dead. So for a time—then again a sound reached the pair, distant but clear, the sound of an opening window, which was followed almost immediately by tho crashing noise of a door caught and flung to violently, as by a strong draught.

CHAPTER X. At the crash of the door, Helen utterly startled, clutched nervously at Lavenham, and a little shuddering cry came from her lips. " o—o—h !" " Steady, Miss Lavenham," he whispered, " there's no damage done vet." " But that sound," she answered quickly, her voice shaking with apprehension. "It—it was a door?" " Yes!" he answered quietly. " A door that crashed." " And before that —a window—" " Yes. Someone certainly opened one." " That means that someone lias entered the house?" " I think it is very likely." " One of those men who were at the door?" she persisted. " I don't know that, hut, I have got to find out. If you will remain here—" "Alone? I would rather come with you. I shall feel safer." " But there may be danger," he protested. " These men have no outfit of scruples. Remember Carling. I think you had better let me tackle the job by myself.'' " You mean I should be in the way?" " I did not say that. What, I meant was that there is no need for you to thrust, yourself into danger when—" "Listen. Oh! listen, Mr. Lavenham." He did not need that appeal. Already ho had caught the sounds of movement to which the girl was drawing his attention; and ho strained his ears to catch the direction from which they came. Unfamiliar with the lie of the house, ho was not. sure, and finally he asked : " Where can the man be?" " In the gallery," she whispered, promptly. " It has a polished floor. You can hear his feet —" " That means the picture," he said. " It cannot mean anything else. Xow we know where he is. I will go." "And I! I simply must." " Very well!" he said. " But keep well behind. You might carry the torch ; but do not switch it on until I give you the word. Ready?" lie moved into the hall, with Helen Lavenham at his heels. For ft moment lie stood hesitating, debating with himself whether he should turn the f,witches and light up the place; that v. ly, at any rate, he would at least be able to see the intruder. He decided against it. The darkness, which concealed the interloper, was a. friendly screen for the girl and himself; and the truth was that ho was rather worried by her presence, since if it came to a rough and tumble she might he very much in the way. But it seemed that now she was less agitated; rendered cooler and more collected by action; for she softly whispered the direction in his ear. i " To the right!" | They arrived at, the doorless archway which gave admission to the gallery, and there, paused for a moment. Within someone was moving slightly on the polished oak; and then came a sound of something being set thereon. The pair stared into the darkness of the gallery, til 1 ? blinds of which were all drawn. They could seo nothing at, all. The sounds of movement however continued; and after a little time came a noise of tearing. Lavenham stared into the darkness, greatly puzzled; then'quite siddenly the explanation came, to hiin. " The picture," lie whispered. " Someone is ripping it from its frame —tho torch, von have it readv ?" "Yes!" " When 1 give the word, switch on!" Ho waited tensely. The ripping, tearing sound continued ; but. before he spoke the word, a new sound mingled with it—that of furtive feet creeping along the gallery. Tho man who had invaded Tho Priory had, it, appeared, not arrived alone, and there was more than one man to deal with. Unda.inted however, Lavenham faced the situation. "Got ready!" ho whispered; then tensely gave the word. " Now!" Ho heard the slight, click as tho girl moved Ui£! switch. For a second, no more, the torch shone i little feebly, then faded out, completely. "Oh!" whispered tho girl, "it has failed!" He heard he clicking the switch to and fro, but knew that was hopeless; and ho had seen so little by tho brief, faint flash, just, the dim figure of a man on a library ladder, busy with a picture on the wail; and two other vague forms coming along the gallery; all too indistinctly seen for him to make out, their identity. But the flash, brief as it was, had plainly startled the intruders; for save a little rustling sound, all noise of movement had ceased abruptly. He conceived the intruders, momentarily frozen to inaction by that brief radiance; tho man on the ladder uncertain what to do,

and the two men up the gallery in like case; and"'an Idea came to him. To flood the gallery with light which if it did not scare the intruders into a stampede would at least -oveal who they were. Instantly he whispered to Helen. " The switch for the gallery, you can find it in the dark ?" " Yes. It is at, the entrance here."

" Then turn "on all the light, you can—every lamp; but keep out of sight." He caught the faint rustle of her dress a;i she moved away; then the sounds in front of him were renewed. This time, it seemed to him those who marlo them were incautious, reckless,, as if they Cared nothing whether they were discerned or not.

"Get the man. Sharp!" The voice came snappingly out of the darkness; and thinking the speaker was directing hostilities against him, Lavenham gripped the poker ready for action, lie was not called to use it, however. There was the briefest pause during which there reached hirn the click of switches vainlv turned; and as he realised that whoevei had entered the house had begun by turning off the main switch, and ensuring darkness tnrough the house there was a rush of noisy feet, on the polished oak. He waited tensely, his I ack to the wall. The first man to come should hftve the poker— • A crash broke on the thought, and a man spat an oath. " Flames of hell!"

There was another crash as if a man had gone to the floor, a light laugh, sounds of men scrambling to their feet, and then a man's voice hoMse and savage. " He's going. Stop him!" Apparently someone did try to stop someone else, for there was a noise of impact., and another man bumped upon the oak. Someone ran lightly up the gallery, and a voice shouted ragir.gly: " After heem. Two of you to the gates. He weel go that way. Pete, you come with me."

" Spanish John!" whispered Lavenham. There followed the din of stampede; several pairs of feet pounding the oaken floor, as their owners rushed from the gallery at the further end. The sounds grew fainter, and once more a door clashed noisily; then from outside came a new rush of hurrying feet on the gravel path. At the same moment, his eyes grown accustomed to the darkness, Lavenham saw the girl moving toward hirn, a dim and ghostly figure. "The lights!" she said a little shakingly. " I can't " " No! They've been tampered with. Main switch turned off, I expect. If you could procure a candle No, stay, I have matches. It may be quicker. Where is the switch ?"

"In a recess off the kitchen. We have a private installation." Ho struck a match and by its faint radiance glimpsed her face. It was pale, but the blue eves were dancing with excitement, to which, as he surmised, the shaking in her voice had been due. There was at any rate no fear of her 'swooning. . " Lend me, quickly," he said. "We must have light." She gripped his hand as the match expired. They went at a half-run, hand in hand; reached the kitchen, and then the girl halted him. " There is a door here. The switch is inside and all the fuse boxes and what not." Ho struck a match, and finding a'halfopen door pushed it wide, then stepped into the recess. A single glance showed him the switch and as he turned it the room behind him was flooded with light, the switch there having been left on when the main switch had been turned off. Lavenham looked at Helen as he emerged from the recess. There was a hot colour in her face now, duo either to hurry or excitement; and quite clearly she was finding the adventure pleasurable. for she laughed as she asked: " What next?" " The gallery," he said. "We will go there, and I think you may find you are a picture short." " You think they took it?" she asked quickly. " That man on the ladder " " You saw him clearly ? You recognised hirn ?" "" No,"" she answered. " I saw the ladder was there and that, there was a mm on it. Nothing more." " A pity," he ejaculated. " I hoped you had seen him." " There were several men " she be'^an. "• Yes, but the man on the ladder was not with tho others who tried to get him." " You think it might be Mr. Hammerton ?" " T have an idea. But lam not sure." They reached the gallery, turning the (twitches as they went, and instantly Lavenharn's face went to the wall where Henry Lavenharn's portrait should be. As he had anticipated it. was gone, cut cleanly from tho frame. "That man got it!" cried the girl. " Yes! the question is , did those others get him ?" H« looked round the gallery as he spoke. The ladder was lying where it had fallen, one. rung snapped. A sheath knife gleamed on the oak; and farther away was a grey Trilby hat. These things and the empty frame were the sole indications of tho thieving visitors to The Priory, which now was silent as the grave. Ho looked at Helen Lavenham and gave a short laugh. " I do not think we shall see any more theso gentry to-night. Whichever side got the picture, the other will know it is no longer here. You can ring up the police now or in tho morning and inform them of the burglary." " If it were a burglary " began the girl. Lavenham jerked his thumb in the direction of the empty frame. " No doubt of that, I should say!" "But there, is!" said Helen. "If the man on the ladder were Mr. Hammerton I am sure it was not a " "Crank! Crank!" Two sharp reports from the park interrupted her words, and her face lost its hot colour. " Oh—h! Those were g-gunshots." " Pistol shots, more likely," answered Lavenham, hurriedly. "It seems those men are in touch with " " They may have killed him!" she, whispered tragically. " That is possible, hut- " A faint shout came through the night, and ha changed what he was going to say. " Not yet, 1 think. They are in pursuit, that is all. If that is Hammerton, he may come back here, or he may be requiring •help. Do von mind if I leave you for a short time. Miss Lavenham ? I may be of use to—-—" " Oh, go, go!' she cried tensely. " You do not know why now, but I will tell you when—when Go! Savo him if you can." He needed no second bidding. Carrying the poker with him, he ran to the hall, groped for the bolts, undid them, and then made to unlock the door. Tho key he found was already turned, a testimony of the efficiency of the man who had picked the lock. He opened the door, and passing outside, stood on the steps listening. The half-clouded moon made it possible to see right, across the park, dimly outlined the trees on the right, and showed him tho gravelled drive like a winding ribbon. But nowhero could he see any signs of the men whom lie knew wore out there, 6omewherc among tho shadows. (To be continued daily.)