SNOW-BOUND

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21577, 23 August 1933, Page 17

SNOW-BOUND

A BRILLIANT ROMANTIC STORY

SYNOPSIS Angus Sluurl,. lately blossomed into a successful author and playwright after three years of poidid poverty, sets out in his car to spend Christmas at Redsands. Snow haj fallen for days, until Iho roads have become so blocked that it is doubtful if holiday-milkers will rea:h their destinations. After taking three hours to travel loss than fifty miles, unusually steep hills and huge drifts prove too much for even Stuart's new car, as they do for several parties of motorists. The district is tpursely populated, but fortunately there is near by an old-fashioned country inn, dating from coaching days, which affords shelter to tho stranded mctorists. Stuart helps two helpless, elderly, maiden ladies, the Misses Amy and Connie Adderley, to the inn, where they nro shortly followed by other people until " Tho Noah's Ark" houses in addition to themselves. Dr. Luke Constantine. a noted' chess player; a commercial traveller named Sonnies; Trevor, an accountant's clerk; Melnotte, a professional dancer; Lord Romsey, with his son, the Hon. Geoffrey Ford, and two daughters, tho Hon. Victoria find*the Hon. Angela Ford, Mrs. Van Dolert, a rich American widow, who makes a habit, of travelling about with quantities of jewellery, including an emerald girdle of enormous value, her companion. Miss Hamilton; Major Carow.; a strikingly beautiful woman, Mrs. Orkney Cloude; and lastly, a. chauffeur who is taking his master's car to Redsands. This man is ill with lumbago, and is immediately confined to bed on arrivr.l at the hotel. ' These, with Girling, the landlord, several chauffeurs, and tho inn servants, comprise the heterogeneous company. As Mis. Orkney Cloudo enters tho hotel, and looks arross to tho little group of people in the lounge, suddenly her whole body seems to stiffen, and her faco goes deathly white. "With an effort she masters her emotion, and goes quickly up the stairThat night, Stuart, on his way to his bedroom, accidentally overhears part of a conversation between two people. He hears a man's voice saying; "I wish to God you could get away!" and the reply, in Mrs. Orkney Cloude's voice, " You've got to get me away somehow! X don't dare stay Goodnesß knows what will happen if I do! Later Stuart is aroused by tho younger Miss Adc'erley, who declares she has seen a, masked man in the passage. CHAPTER lll.—(Continued) Stuart caught up his dressing-gown. " I'll go and see," he said. " You spy it was near tho stairs that you saw him?" Sho clutched at his arm with a shaking hand. " Wait," she announced impressively. " Don't move until I come back." She disappeared into the room next door, and camo out almost immediately bearing a small black poker, which she pressed' into his hand. " There!" she exclaimed. " You can hit him hard with that." , Stuart, feeling distinctly foolish, started along the passage, armed with the ppker, Miss Adderley following at an ever-increasing distance in his rear. They had not gone more than half a-dozen paces when there was a click, and the entire passage was plunged into .darkness. Stuart stopped dead, and "Miss Adderley gave vent to a little squeal of terror and, literally, threw herself upon him. " You go back to your room and wait there," he whispered. " I'll try to get to the switch." Grasping the poker firmly, ho felt his way carefully along tho wall. After some difficulty he managed to find tho switch, which was placed just at the head of the stairs. He turned it on, blinking for a moment at the sudden transition from darkness to the light which flooded not only the passago but the stairs below. There was no one to be seen. The intruder had seized his opportunity and made his escape in the darkness. Stuart hesitated. He realised that it was useless to pursue his quarry down the stairs. If there had been any means of escape that way tho man would have taken it. The very fact that he had risked tho turning out of the light showed that he had been unable to reach his objective without crossing the landing on which Stuart and Miss Adderley stood. It was therefore pretty obvious that ho had gone to one of the upper floors, and, Stuart concluded, had probably used tho little staircase at tho opposito end of tho passage which corresponded with the one outside Miss Adderley's room. He felt fairly certain that 110 ono had passed him in the darkness, though ho had a vague idea that both flights of steps led to tho servants' quarters. To reach the billiard-room 110 had used a small back staircase which ran from behind Girling's office on the ground floor. This was about as far as his knowledge of tho lay of tho house extended, and ho realised that it would bo useless to attempt tho exploration of such an unknown territory bj r himself.

Still grasping tho ridiculous poker he made his way past tho head of the stairs to Constantino's room. Where Soatnes was sleeping 110 did not know, though he had an idea that ho was somewhere 011 tho samo floor as himself.

Ho had some difficulty in waking tho old man, but when 110 did come to the door, tying the cord of his black silk dressing gown round his waist, his thick white hair on end, and his dark eyes bright with vitality, 110 looked equal to dealing with any situation. " What is it? Fire? " he demanded.

Stuart reassured him, and described Miss Adderley's vision. " If it hadn't been for that business of the light, I should have been inclined to think that sho had imagined tho wholo thing," he finished.

Constantino nodded. "This is delicious!" 110 exclaimed. "A masked man in a snow-bound hotel! You realise he could hardly have come from outside on a night like this? " " The question is, how are we to got hold of the landlord 0 " said Stuart, who was beginning to feel chilly, and did not quite share his companion's obvious enjoyment of the situation.

•' You might knock up Soanies to begin with. His knowledge of hotels and their ways is positively uncanny. He is tho first door on the right at the top of the flight of steps at the end of this passage. If tho man slipped round this way ho must have passed l oth our rooms."

Stuart routed out Soames, who proved sleepy, but helpful. " The servants' quarters are all at the back there," he informed them. " I heard them moving about after I got to bod. You cut round and up the stairs at your end, and I'll go this way and try to get old Girling on the way. We'ro bound to meet somewhere, and, if tho beggar is lurking in the back .regions, w ought to head him off. But you may bet he's gone to earth by now. 1 like your little poker," he added appreciatively. " That's really Miss Adderley's contribution. Will you keep an eye on the stairs here, sir? " said Stuart, turning to Constantine. " I will look after this end to the best of my ability," ho assured them with a .twinkle in his eye that brought the absurdity of the wholo expedition home to Stuart. " Though I must warn you that my fighting days are over.'

Soanies was as good as his word, and, when Stuart eventually ran him to earth,. lie was already in conversation with Girling, who showed himself frankly sceptical' about the wholo occurrence.

He was sufficiently impressed, however, to rouso the Boots, and, together, tho four men made tho round of the whole house, to find that, not only was everything undisturbed, but that all tho windows and doors were as securely fastened as they had been when tho household retired to bed. >l# was not until they had worked their way round "to the lounge, and

(COPYRIGHT)

By MOLLY THYNNE Author of " The Red Dwarf," " The Murder on the Enriquetta," etc.

were hailed by Constantino from tho top of tho first flight of stairs, that Stuart, to his relief, was able to some degree to substantiate his story. Constantino was standing on the ' stairs, by a small window close to tho landing. ' "I haven't seen a soul," he informed them, " but this looks as if it might have some bearing on the matter." He pointed to the carpot immediately under the window. A couple of handfuls cf snow, evidently dislodged from the outside sill of tho window, and now fast dissolving into a pool of water, were lying there, and, through tho window, tlio bottom of which was open some ten inches, the flakes were drifting in and settling in a thin layer on the inside sill. " Did you find that there window open, sir? " asked Girling. " I latched it myself last thing." "It was just as you see it," answered Constantino. "I only got hero a minute ago." Girling threw open the window and peered out into tho darkness, and Stuart, looking over his shoulder, discovered that it gave 011 to a balcony, though how far this extended he could not see. Girling, who had been leaning far out of tho window, heaved himself back on to tho staircase His head and shoulders were thickly powdered with snow. " Here, you, Joe," he said. " Hop down to the oflico and fetch that torch of mine. You know where to find it." " Can't see a thing out there," ho went 011. " But, even if the chap did get in that way, which I find it hard to believe, he wouldn't leave no traco. This snow'd cover anything in five minutes." " How far does that balcony run? " asked Stuart. " Right past the two bedrooms on that side. But it's a tidy way up from the ground, and I wouldn't care to do it, even with a ladder, in weather like this." " Who is occupying those rooms? " asked Constantino. " The American lady comes'first,- then that Mrs. Orkney Cloude that arrived this evening. They're big rooms; that's why there are only two 011 this floor to three 011 tho floor above. The American lady would be just under you, sir. You didn't hear anything, I suppose?" " Nothing," answered Constantine. " But I was fast asleep when Mr. Stuart knocked at my dpor. All the same, I think it might be as well to see that she's all right, though I don't fancy she's been disturbed." Girling disappeared round the angle of the passago, and they heard him knock softly at Mrs. van Dolen's door. Stuart looked at Constantine. " You're thinking of the emeralds," he said. "But surely she couldn't bo such a fool as to have them here." "If all I've heard of the lady is true," answered tho old man, "she's certain to have them with her. But, if she was the objective, I fancy she's escaped this time. Whoever opened that window was getting out, not in." " How do you make that out?" asked Stuart, staring at him. For answer Constantino shut dowil tho window. " If you wait a moment I'll show you," lie said. " But j*ou can see for yourself that there isn't a sign of damp 011 the carpet, except where tho snow has fallen from the window ledge. No human being could have got in from outside without leaving a. wet trail behind him. And another thing. I'll admit it never does to generalise, but you must see that the cat burglar theory hardly holds water. By to-morrow, we shall be as completely isolated as the original Noah's Ark on its waste of waters. Even if we accept the amazing theory that a burglar, knowing all about Mrs. van Dolen's emeralds, happened to find himself in the village to-night, we have still to explain how ho proposed to get away with his booty." " He might have followed her from London, meaning to have a try for the girdle at Redsands," suggested Stuart, " and then have found himself hung up by tho snow here." " In which case he's in this hotel and this is an insido job," retorted Constantino. " He's far safer here than lodging at some cottage in tho village. If I know anything of these small country places, 110 stranger is likely to escape notice for moro than twelve hours."

Ho bent forward and threw the window open. Tho snow had had time to collect once more on the outsido ledge of the sash, and t\s he raised it a goodish lump detached itself and fell on tho carpet at his feet. "It isn't necessary to come in through the window to bring the snow with you," he pointed. " Miss Adderley must have disturbed our friend in the nick of time. Why he was such a fool as to show himself, remains to be seen." He was interrupted by tho reappearance of Girling. " Mrs. van Dolen hasn't heard anything," ho said. " And I've had a look at her window. It's 0110 of those French ones, with "an ordinary catch and 110 shutters. Easy enough to force, if anyone wanted to; but it hasn't been touched, and tho snow outsido doesn't show anything. 1 went out to look, but that's no proof on a night liko this." Ho turned sharply at a sound 011 tho stairs, but it was only Joe returning with the torch.

" It's 110 good bothering about tho balcony. We shan't get anything there. Ypu get a coat 011 Joe, and take tho torch with you. And tho key of the barn. Go right round tho outsido and keep a sharp outlook to see if there's any sign of anyone's having got in anywhere. And have a peep into the barn and see if thero's a ladder missing." ' " I'm afraid he's wasting his time," said Constantino, and proceeded to propound his theory. As he did so tho hard-bitten lines on Girling's face deepened. " I don't like it sir," he said frankly, when Constantine had finished. " I don't liko it at all. If I'd known of the quantity of jewellery that there lady'd got with her, I'd have made it\very plain in tho beginning that I wouldn't hold myself responsible for anything that might happen. Wo haven't got no safe hero, and it fair took my breath away when sho told mo just now what she's got in that room there. It isn't right nor fair to travel with all that stuff, and I told her so straight. All sho says is, that she's never been robbed yet." " Well, I shouldn't brood over it. You may bo sure it's all insured, and, even if it wasn't, she can afford to lose it. Don't waste your anxiety on a silly woman," rejoined Constantine consolingly. " And now you tell me that I m harbouring a thief in my house," went on Girling. " And, what with tho chauffeurs and such these gentry have brought with them, I'm willing enough to believe you. I'm ready to answer for every man and woman on my own staff, but what do I know about tho lot we've got here to-night? I tell you, sir, I'll be glad to see the back of that American lady, and that's tho truth." " Did she happen to tell you whether she is in tho habit of locking her door at night?" asked Soames, who, Stuart realised, had been unwontcdly silent since tho discovery of tho open window. Girling nodded. "Always locks her door, she says, and I'm glad of it. They're old, heavy doors with good locks, and they'd take some getting through." " Whereas tho windows are modern, flimsy contrivances with tho usual slipup catch, I suppose?" put in Constantino. (To be continued daily)