THE HONEYMOON BUSINESS
By MORRIS HAY
STXCGrSES A C;»2»K£ try ' *?: a cci i"?—d A si<;cip: s»T* aS F: 7 ?^—t* a.wifSsd *fe<K* fey a, EiiS'v* rs3-i-t«c sits vh* bxsx* c-a;-tsxas ard u caljr sfea&ea ©£ wiii ii fe si-> 3rjrz. azxihis- i<rr£xl iy;?.? of = ic also- "■«&!!=» ij'' to feya, a»d ar-.er-Tsrirdf cCSSf i—3; 4 fefi S» 4fe«> icwl. -wfeKcfe gi »?sj«My' XSt* aa; tirrca cj» ta tii icis£ mszs*- asc is a liE-4r.rs: catsia« (Jror^tswsr r*?o* fe-is « oilier r*ss-ia»o?«a astj'xaic.'saac*' and M»ti» 3&»s fee sobs* r»iLJca fe» if cc~-fj vif~ b-» it vayiaic ia a dask comer ef "i» a»£ is.?® ?fe® Hast by fwc uraiZi&afc. E* w ta&vs ae®* iisteuK* 5C I feiffiM villi i Jjirf* ,s»rdiwilCf £-. i Jjriil ;.*« ss *«%« fer feast, ari asicm-ds t i.— by annce-cfes: tfeaS a yorr? lawT /will sicriiy asrr** w&ms h* £3 - ra~7, Scca arias- si* sir" irn-ies - is«ws_ as ecc* Sfeas e..* 'rr,i.§ s»es feU h*.«, S» if ««£ shaj tfe* awL Hary Halfetd, if _an fe«rwa» *tw> is: 4e b.xvs? felt, ci fe«r -creasy «iifeer cater ci:zixf* cr v" s*r 35ta_«riidyr.. fest-s u *fe« cisccrsrfd £;"•}■?!: '"■* a r-csiiiei; of ir-i-as cuij*r lirccxfe : enxre urili, io ?z'irr?_*\ oeee. ins «p*«r Grw«K- sfecctfe *rtrs*d «£ s.w»t'e>!< cia- «: *c iirzifl'J. tc ?I-it feif j-nrt. ar-1 hj? a--£ IXxrr »5 c--:-# to fe«r scticucr"?. tz TC-i' r?:^JT cti-cij CH AFTER IV.—t Coaticue.s> Laist cf a3 Mr_ bECM e? a !jrp? "rsretept?. / '■ %tr. G tiis iaiHS tee je"Z-?™ea.t. msa jo_:r wife, Mn. i- Th?' what?" 1 I asked febakiy. Vr Hceketl at me iiisrply, a-d his statement. c-trt m s* —er—-be-Treen. yc- "r ■ssife arrd j-wirseil." fororard, and oac or .tJje o~i/ *r X 53' CIK 1 srnn paadicg ojS face cntiS I reEeiaJer/ vc-ai-e'rinr, evea slsea, h-ow it- vis :ha: it aids': hurt him. ">lr. Farqcarsoa," she said thcKizh there a higher voice the Eno~eijt, '" I ceiieve rsy husbsnd cTCe ore-looked the necessirj of a Eettlefeest, 'acd as I cid no: think it recessarr to, raeation the matter, so far he Scbqvs aooti" it. Of ccvtrrsa T>-"- ; -'ige kad :o pat- his litde hit in. Ik y-x"~-r'-~> I- may seem, I belisve Mr." Grcsvenor osderstands, eTea co*. th2- Miss Haliord - Ci rather vssj~2.z least 1 nwan • Grosreaor is a very rich voues iaay.- *• Mr.. Farqaarsjc." I said steraty. « give me those papers. I ooeaed the envelope, anc. sax my ottii nsime set out as. the kcsbssci ■ oi the girl ceside me, and a very iar-e sum ci mo-ey name-d as havms been transferred to my account —•ko'ar larze doesn't matter to this story. So to settle this part os it satisfactorily, I tore parer into shrecs-•'-There!/That is- mj answer'to thatj I believed I had spoken in _3 dramatic smiled at asu isd his heaid. document tfS est m-ahdate the se.ae-i-zr:- hut simaij" ne»;"esiitate _tne prepsrataasi. Os a sesh copy of it-" £ s3.~x that Mary tco - as_ smiling, as iho:i2S she very wei: p.ease<2 wish what I had cone. I hand to her. for I it- was Simefor us to be gohiff, thoogn where we ■s-ere to go 'was something^that up to then I had not even considered. " I sappesSj Mary, if these ggnnemen assure us they can do no more tor es, we may go now. Mar* gave me her arm, and je saM to the ami tne - was in order. Followed by Dupm<-ii_-e, ■ ve descended to the street, -uere una car irs.s waiting for us, anu I put Mary izLzo the hack seat. DusnKSffe, as bef tiii? and'i was - preparing to .get in mysen when Mary" gave a Ettie exclamation of distrsss. I i»™ m" h&£ utir.ais- WSH jou get it for me, TrwCJ%£&? » , -« »- 'v I returned to tne buiiumg. , ?* to-md the solicitors shtsttmz; ra fe'fe. They said seen ; Estchmg; cf any cag. X couEon t re-mesa-her Mary having any such thing with . her. Aaii-'ac', after searching ror a mm- • xpr r.T- u'Vv 1 ' 1 decided she nsd made a xiisrais'., and hurried back to the street, j j_i alicun a time as I ipd ceen away , tee f-ttc liad disappeared. I _at • ti® li. -uidiia to' have expected notnmi: ; eaft;. .vttsiv such a Sims* esccse ror get- . tics? jPiiii of* mi?;, tet-1 ysms icr a wm»e I fiwc ;iij" iiftjui at the suudenness ot Us# dnwwttefe* -.virichi had overtaken ose. EsTfUj}*" Ihtcwiais what I was aomg. I j 2ast cuv ulitf- usava&r ot the streetout a;< 1 donldl -was the red taii-itght or a cir diminishing in the distance, ana Snr a more, graced wxjmJ j; Atznr ii, : im'.'l I reansec 'mat it Err-g-* j : cn: any car,, and tnat rauss ba» - j mean-u ;w- r>i fcsrsefcf of me cebccrateiy. f pcec... a Etrle out of fcreatc % I retamed'to the: omce where I nad teen ried: hu-t the Uoor ~ itW, and all the lignts in ezsigjiiafced. For a minute or tv*o a : dsgpsr&Vilji as the &e*H. set tbe*« ""igak "and again I pressed _despanr- : fry'.t at th>s hauton. aD*i ijwa.? t ® -: sidermg Shag po«siu£ity of hreakmg into ; the ptice -when a policeman; came ;■ CS 7 * 2x . appealed to him rcr heip>- _ 5 •"■ See here, constahUe. I'revest ceen j; f'fj HIT 5The polEceman grinned, almost as:would'hare dene. . . « " If" I xas yoa, sir, id be | 'it for home. That s uo ; t a chGrcE. tsaw ): I pleaded, " Mr. \ and Mr.' Dunnidi£e, and my ®T»e and W Thel»Sk#Esas shook his head sadJy. r '■ You teat it for come. sir. 10a u oe j-; fee I in' better is the morning. I don't ► wan: to nave to put yoa in the ecoier. : I saw it was nopeiftis, so ?" t r.r h«l and walked away irom i"® i z'a* hotel I had [eit tnree notixa j a heart-free and gay young i batheior." Unless I had taken leave or | my senses I was returning to it !egasl> > married to a girl of whom I knew prac- | ticahv nothing, except that I had learnt { to lore her in the fe~ minutes we had | zxerit together, and that she had deserted m&'immediately after our wedding. t CHAPTER V As I walked away from the _ police- | man, leaving him stanng susp!cious!> ; : after me. I could not help thinking { - hoTv the v*~noi& tnmg ; . I reached the'hotel in a dazed state; j : it wis hicky nobody mistook tor drun- f • ketness. I" kept corning back to the , con'-iusicn that I must be asleep ana | j dreaming my adventfires, arci pinche<« | . my-eif with painful res-.ilis which conTinced me that if I were in the land or | •'slmnber, at least I was sleeping very \ . ssoundly. : , When I came to the hotel I gazed . • •■at it wonderingly. for it appeared to ! , be coo matter of fact and solid to be < j part of the dream I was jn—too reason- | ■ able for the world in which I had just"; . beer, married. Climbing the steps to ; j the big doorwav I saw that the time j was oniv a few minutes to eleven, and I ■ ;as I had left it a little before eight '■ J had been away from it for barely 1 1 three hours. I ; I nfortunatel v I had nothing in the j Sroild to show for those three hours
AN INTRIGUING SISUAL
(COPTBIGBTJ
j. net evipn a wedding ring, like my wife — t : to prwre to anybody, much less my- I , I: saJf, tlsat I hadn't become temporarily I t c insane and imagined the thing from A ■ : to Z. J. thought it would hardly do to • t |. tatk to anybody about, it —where, for ' « iuf.ar.re. was the wife I had married. ji and who wo«Id believe me if I told ■ 1 ij them how she had disappeared ? '|j Thai!, standing in the lobby of the ' !ji hotel, I felt in my pocket for a i }! eigareitte—and found something there f ■ i; which I brought out and looked at- in : ji much the same way a man who dreamt : ' i; he haidl found a diamond as big as a | I hen's egg' in his pocket would take it : ; ; out mi look at it, if he were to wake - - || and and it a real diamond. ij _ Holding the thing in my hand, I ' j: fceekoifred to the had porter, who was : j eying me curiously, and * showed him ; - j what I had found. " Willi you please tell me what this f The porter edged away from me li . f suspicis>us'ty. and spoke to me sooth- ■ ■ ingiy like a nurse calming a fractious | , ji baby. ! ji That thing there, sir That thing £ t here'it a pisitoi. sir. and if I was you, | [ sir, I'd! put it away.-'' | Thank vou," I said, giving him a ; f coap'e_ cf sniHtngs. " Taen I'm not j '- dreaming, or if i am so are you." i returned the pistol to the pocket I I where I had found it, and went- into 1 -;;' the lounge and called a waiter. i " i What drink do yoa recommend for | S a case of extreme uncertainty of mind ? | ! I've just found a pistol in my pocket."'' ( The waiter looked at me even more ! s suspiciously than the hall porter. 2 i "" I—l barcjy know, sir. Perhaps ? P *•* 5. t»4. .» - . *** I : t hi D«3'l IuCT tUi-Jii. " » " Never mind. A whisky and scda I ought to fill the bill." j; I felt 1 needed one after all I had J ; j been through, although my weariness f ! had Is it me and I was wide, awake, f Yet I was nervous and jumpy, ar.d \ somehow quite positive in my mind f that my adventures for the night were \ ■ not over. [ The waiter brought me my order. [ and while I drank, almost heedless of I ; what it was he had brought me. I j : went over the strange doings of the ij j last few hc:irs. I had no doubt my | wife had deserted me deliberately—in \ i which, as it tamed out, I did her a | [ partial: injustice—and I thought with 5 j distaste of the necessity I would he j I under or approaching my solicitor in j j the morning, and broaching the sub-1 , jeet o.l: my marriage—and the imme- | | diate of events. I felt it ! | ought not to surprise me if he were i to deny ail knowledge of the affair, i ■ and ill; that case I hardly cared to f ji imagine what he would think of me. Perhaps he would just decide I had j , gone mad, and advise me to consult I as alhinist. Then: I heard a telephone boy call--1 iog ray name. Mr. Grosvenor —is j Mr. Grc-svenor here?'' J ** Hutre _you are boy," I called tot I him, V,"ho is it wants me? What j I did thefy say?" 'j 'E "says it's a bloke wiv your, wife t f; —namE> of DunnicliSe, 1 ' the answer f j: came hack. " And "e says you're to | I Even the telephone boy must have t |- seen something: peculiar about my | : appearance as I turned to the table j where the waiter had put my drink, I [; and tossed it down at a single gulp. I I j- felt I was going to need it in the near ! 1. future even more than I had » \ I needed it when I had ordered it, and I when she boy guided me to the tele- ; I phone booth. I noticed my hand was f r shaking as I put the receiver to my | ■ ear. f | " HttBol" I said into the mouth- t j piece. Ij .;i "Peterl*!-1 heard my wife's voice.; j: trembling with excitement at the- other i; end oi; the wire—at least- I supposed " | then it was excitement, bat I am not- ; . tso sure now. " Peter, have you the jj revolvi?r—the automatic, I gave von?" i " Hullo, Marw!" I replied. " Tnat j !j was a nice trick to play on a man — j! and us not married more than a few : [ nsinat^s!" "Oh, Peter I'' she exclaimed, and I j; thrillei. at the sound of my name as i [ it came from her lips, " You will have [ s to trust- me—l told you, didn't I, you jj }• would have to trust ma now you're my ; ; | husbandr. You haven't answered my jj 5 question yet? Have you the pistol | | safely " • •• Ceartainly." I assured her " I've i I just-. found the thing in my \ jcket. | | Teil met, Mary—is this a scenario for a f i talkie we're rehearsing, or—" _ j I " Pe<:er. ; '" my wife's agitated voice ji \ cut short my jesting. " Quickly—do i • absolutely as"l tell you! Promise me, I | Peter, quickly." { "AH right, my dear. It seems _to | jme "ike a bit out of the Arabian jj j Nights, but I'll promise you whatever { ;j you lilie. if —" " Peter —they nearly ran into us on | the street. wh : 'e you were looking for [ Imy bag!' I—Mr! thmsidiffe didn't r : think thev would find out so quickly • " about oar marriage. They turned their j and came arter us. bat we man- i. : aged to escape from them. Listen — I j; tfeev will he arter you now, it they find | : out where- you are. Don't talk to any | j one vo-'u don't know —so much depends t on you now" And Peter —I i She hesitated, and after a second or | jj YefrMary— what 13 it?" \ 1 want vou to meet me." I heard j her say, and then the telephone went j dead as only a telephone can go dead jj II —when vou particularly want to keep: it alb?!. / 5 t La there anything to rray one sjnerves as badly as 3 telephone under !- : certain circumstances? Perhaps no : : eircomiitances —at least nothing I can j imagine could have been more exasper- j ; •' ating so me than to lose the sound of | ij my wife's voice like that. Dimly I 1 j understood there were forces at work \ ij which meant evil to her, and to me \ jj also, now I was married to her % What | these forces were I had no idea, yet f \ antes ilary's anxiety was entirely | |j mlsplaciDd " she evidently expected j S 'they.' whoever they were, would soon j j make their presence feit. For a few minutes I in the j telephone booth, hoping Mury s voice j would come through again; but as j i time pjissed and no sound came from | the telephone, I tried to raise the ex- j change, and cursed the automatic sys- : tern which gave me nothing but a bare | dial to manipulate, and very little esatisfaction when at last I succeeded in | raising a number. " It is practically impossible to trace j a call on the automatic exchange," a j cold uninterested voice replied to my ! question as to how I could find out j from where Mary's call had come. No doubt the party will call again." j But you don't understand!" I ex- j claimed,, almost in despair. "In afraid j something has happened to my wife:" | " I'm sorry, sir," the voice said in a \ iinal tome. ' 4 1 regret it is impossible 1 for us to do anything for you." j I would have given a good deal to be \ able to throw something at the owner j of the Oold. decisive voice—to hit him j over the head with a cricket bat, or ; something like that. But as it was quite impossible for me to reach him, there was nothing I could do but- to wait patiently. 1 told the man in the hotel ofnee I expected another call to come for me, and returned to the lounge and table where I had had my drink. I was surprised to see by the clock that, even now. it was not much after eleven, but the lounge was empty and I had it to myself with the exception of the sleepv waiter. Mary says I must have dropped off to sleep, but I swear I was as wide awake as anyone could have been —3nd after all, it was only for a few minutes that I was waiting—yet. it was not until she was actually seating herself at my table that I saw or heard the woman who must have passed is silently as a ghost tjbrough the roo:|in. • (To lie continued on Saturday next)
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Bibliographic details
New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21758, 24 March 1934, Page 11 (Supplement)
Word Count
2,704THE HONEYMOON BUSINESS New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21758, 24 March 1934, Page 11 (Supplement)
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