FICTION.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1263, 14 May 1896, Page 39

FICTION.

(Copyright 1806 in the United States of America by A. H. Hawkins.)

"PHRQSO."

BY ANTHONY HOPE, Author of "Tho Prisoner of Zonda.' (Continued.) CHAPTEE 111. THE FEVER OF NEOPALIA. I looked for a moment on the old man's pale, clean-cut, aristocratic faco; then I shook his attendant vigorously by the arm. She awoke with a start. ' What does this mean ?' I demanded. ' Who is he ?'

'Heaven help us, who are you?' she cried, leaping up in alarm.

Indeed, we four, with our eager, fierce faces, may have looked disquieting enough. 'I am Lord Wheatley; these aro my friends,' I answered, in brisk, sharp tones. 'What, it is you, then ?' A wondering gaze ended her question. ' Yes, yes, it is I. I havo bought the island. Wo came out for a walk and '

' But he will kill you, if he finds you here,' 'He? Who?'

' Ah, pardon, my lord —they will kill you, they—the peoplo—tho men of tho island.'

I gazed at her sternly. She shrank back in confusion. And I spoko at a venture, yet in a well-grounded hazard—

' You mean that Constantino Stefanopoulos will kill me ?' 'Ah, hush!' she cried. 'He may bo here! Ho may be anywhere!' 'He may thank his stars he's not here,' said I, grimly, for my blood was up. ' Attend, woman ! Who is this ?' ' It is the lord of the island, my lord,' she answered. 'Alas! and ho is wounded, I fear to death. And yet I fell asleep. But I was so weary.'

' Wounded —by whom ?' Her faco suddenly became vacant and expressionless. ' I do not know, my lord. It happened in tho crowd. It was a mistake. My dear krd had yielded what they asked. Yet some ono—no, by heaven, my lord, I do not know whom—stabbed him! And he cannot live.'

'Tell mo tho whole- thing,'l commanded

'They came up hero, my lord, all of them —Vlacho and all, and with them my Lord Constantino. Tho Lady Euphrosyno was away; she is often away, down on the rock 3 by the sea, watching tho waves. And they came and said that a man had lauded who claimed our island as his a man of your name, my lord. And when my dear lord said ho had sold tho island to savo tho honour of his house and race, they were furious, and Vlacho raised the death chant that One-eyed Alexander tho Bard wroto on tho death of Stefan Stefanopoulos long ago. And they came near with knives, domandiug that ray doar lord should send away tho stranger; for the men of Neopalia wore not to be bought find sold like bullocks or liko pigs. At first my lord woidd not yield : and they sworo they would kill the stranger and my lord also. Then they pressed closer. Vlacho was hard on him with drawn knife, and tho Lord Constantino stood by him, praying him to yield, and Constantino drew his own knife, saying to Vlacho that he must fight him also before ho killed tho old lord. But at that Vlacho smiled—and then—and then —all, my dear lord!' For a moment her voice broke, and sobs supplanted words. But she drew herself up and, after a glance at the old man, whom her vehement speech had not availed to waken, sho went on—- ' And then those behind cried out that there was enough talk. Would he yield or would he die ? And they rushed forward, pressing tho nearest against him. And he, an old man, frail and feeble —yet once lie was as bravo a man as any—cried, in bio weak tones: " Enough, friends, I yield; I " And they fell hack. Hut my lord stood for an instant; then ho sot his hand to his side and swayed and tottered and fell, and tho blood ran from his side. And tho Lord Constantino fell on his knees beside him, crying: " Who stalled him?" And Vlacho smiled grimly, and tho others looked at one another. Hut I, who had run out from tho doorway whenco I had seen it all, knelt by my lord and stanched tho blood. Then Vlacho said, fixing his eyes straight and keen on tho Lord Constantino, "It was not I, my lord." " Nor I, by heaven!" cried the Lord Constantino; and he rose to his feet, demanding: "Who struck tho blow ?" But none answered, and ho went en: " Nay, if it were in error, if it were because ho would not yield, speak! There shall bo pardon." But Vlacho, hearing this, turned himself round and faced them all, saying : " Did ho not sell us like oxen and liko pigs?" and he broke into the death chant, and they all raised the chant, none caring any more who had struck the blow. And Lord Constantine '

The impetuous flow of the old woman's story was frozen to sudden silonce. 'Well, and Lord Constantine?' said I, in low, stern tones, that quivered with excitement; and I felt Denny's hand, that was on my arm, jump up and down. ' And Constantine, woman?'

'Nay, ho did nothing/ said she. 'He talked with Vlacho awhile, and then they went away, and he bade mo tend my lord, and wont himself to seek tho Lady Euphrosyne. Presently ho came back with her. Her eyes were red, and sho wept

afresh when sho saw my poor lord, for she loved him. And she sat by him till Constantine came and told her that you would not go, and that you and your friends would be killed if you did not go. And then, weeping to leave my lord, she went, praying heaven sho might find him alive when she returned. " I must go," she said to me; " for though it is a shameful thing that the island should have been sold, yet theso men must be persuaded to go away and not meet death. Kiss him for mo if ho awakes." Thus sho went, and left me with my lord, and I fear he will die.' And she ended in a burst of sobbing.

For a moment there was silence. Then I said again—- ' Who struck the blow, woman ? Who struck the blow ?'

She shrank from me as though I had struck her.

' I do not know —I do not know,' sho moaned.

Then a thing happened that seemed strange and awful in the gloomy, dark hall; for the stricken man opened his eyes, his lips moved and he groaned—

' Contantine! You, Constantine!'

And the old woman's eyes mot mino for a moment, and fell to tho ground again. 'Why—why, Constantine?' moaned the wounded man. 'I had yielded—l had yielded, Constantine. I would havo sent them '

His words ceased, his eyes closed, his lips met again, but met only to part. A moment later his jaw dropped. The old lord of Neopalia was dead. Then I, carried away by anger and by hatred of tho man who, for a reason I did not yet understand, had struck so foul a blow against his kinsman and an old man, did a thing so rash that it seems to me now, when I consider it in the cold light of the past, a mad deed. Yet then I could do nothing else; and Denny's face, aye, and the eyes of tho others, too, told me that they were with mo. ' Compose this old man's body,' I said, 'and we will watch it. And do you go and tell this Constantino Stefanopoulos that I know his crime, that I kuow who struck that blow, and that what I know all men shall know, and that I will not rest, day nor night, until ho has paid tho penalty of this murder. And tell him I swore this on the honour of an English gentleman.' 'And say I sworo it, too!' cried Denny, and Hogvardt and Watkins, not making bold to speak, ranged up closo to me; and I knew that they alao meant what I meant.

The old woman looked at mo with searching eyes. ' You are a bold man, my lord,' said

' I see nothing to bo afraid of up to now,' said I. ' Such ccurago as is needed to tell a scoundrel what I think of him I boliovo I can claim.'

' But he will novor let you go now. You would go to Rhodes and tell his-tell what you say of him.' 'Yes, and farther than Rhodes, if need be. He shall die for it as sura as I live.'

A thousand men might have tried in vain to persuade me. Tho treachery of Constantino had tired my heart and driven out all opposing motives. ' Do as I hid you,' said I, sternly, ' and waste no time on it. Wo will watch here by the old man till you return.' ' My lord,' sho replied, ' you run on your own death. And you aro young, an I the young man by you is yet younger.' ' Wo aro not dead yet,' said Denny; and I had never seen him look as he did then; for the gaiety was out of his face and ho spoko from between stern-set lips.

Sho raised her hands toward heaven—whether in prayer or in lamentation 1 do not know, Wo turned away and left her to her sad work, and, going back to our places, waited there till dawn began to break, and from tho narrow windows wo saw the gray crests of the waves dancing and frolicking in the early dawn. As I watched them, the old woman was by my elbow.

*lt is done, my lord,' said sho. ' Aro you still of the sanio mind ?' 'Still of tho same,' said 1.

'lt is death—death for you all,' she said, and without more sho went to the great door,

Hogvardt opened it for her, and she walked away down tho road, between the high rocks that bounded the path on either side. Then we went and carried the old man to a room that opened oil' the hall, and, returning, stood in the doorway, cooling our brows in tin; fresh, early air. And while we stood, Hogvardt said, suddenly ' It is ~> o'clock.'

'Then we hare only an hour to live,' said I, smiling, 'if wo do not make fur the yacht.' ' You're not going back to the yacht, my lord ?'

'l'm puzzled,' I admitted. 'lf wo go, this ruffian will escape. And if wo don't

' Why, we,' Hogvardt ended for me, 'may not escape.' I saw that Hogvardt'a sonso of responsibility was heavy; he always regarded himself as the shepherd, his employers as the sheep. I believe this attitude of his confirmed my obstinacy, for I said, without hesitation —

' Oh, we'll chance that. When they know what a villain the follow is, they'll turn against him. Besides, we said we'd wait hero.' Denny seized on my last words with alacrity. When you are determined to do a rash thing, there is great comfort in feeling that you are already committed to it by some previous act or promise. 'So we did,' ho cried. ' Then that settles it, Hogvardt.' 'His lordship certainly expressed that intention,' observed Watkins, appearing at this moment with a largo loaf of bread and a great pitcher of milk. I eyed theso viands. ' I bought the house and its contents,' said I. ' Come along.'

Watkins' further researches produced a

large chunk of native cheese; and when he had set this down, he remarked—- ' In a pen behind tho house, close to the l.itchen windows, there are two goats; and your lordship sees there, on the right of the front door, two cows tethered.'

I began to laugh, Watkins was so wise and solemn.

' We can stand a siege, you mean ?' I asked. ' Well, I hope it won't come to that.'

Hogvardt rose, and began to move round the hall, examining tho weapons that decorated tho walls. From time to time he grunted disapprovingly; the guns were useless, rusted, out of date and there was no ammunition for them. But when he had almost completed his circuit, lie gave an exclamation of satisfaction, and came to me, holding an excellent modern rifle and a large cartridge case. 'See!' he grunted, in huge satisfaction. ' OS. on tho stock. I expect you can guess whose it is, my lord?' ' This is very thoughtful of Constantine,' observed Denny, who was employing himself in cutting imaginary lemons in two with a fine damascined scimitar that ho had taken from tho wall.

' As for the cows,' said I, ' perhaps thoy will carry them oft'.' ' I think not,' said Hogvardt, taking an aim with the rifle through the window. I looked at my watch. It was five minutes past six. ' Well, we can't go now,' said I. ' H's settled. What a comfort! I wonder if I had ever in my heart meant to go ! The next hour passed very quietly, Wo sat smoking pipes and cigars and talking in subdued tones. The recollection of the dead man in the adjoining room sobered tho excitement to which our position might otherwise havo given occasion. Indeed, I suppose that I, at least, who had led the rest into this imbroglio through my whim, should have been utterly overwhelmed by tho burden on me. But I was not. Perhaps Hogvardt's assumption of responsibility relieved me; perhaps I was too full of anger against Constantino to think of the risk wo ourselves ran ; and I was more than half-persuaded that the revelation of what ho had done would rob him of his power to hurt us. Moreover, if I might judge from tho words I heard on the road, we had on our side an ally of uncertain, but probably considerable, power in the sweet-voiced girl whom tho old woman called tho Lady Euphrosyno : sho would not support her uncle's murderer, oven though ho wero hor cousin. Presently Watkins carried mo off to view his pen of goats, and, having passed through tho lofty flagged, kitchen, I found myself in a sort of compound, formed by tho rocks. Tho ground had been levelled for a few yards, and tho rocks rose straight to tho height of ten or twelve feet; from tho top of this artificial bank they ran again in wooded slopes toward the peak of tlio mountain. I followed their course with my eye, and five hundred or more foot above us, just beneath the summit, I perceived a little wooden ch<'det or bungalow. Blue smoke issued from tho chimneys; and, oven while wo looked, a figuro came out of tho door a:\d stood still in front of it, apparently gazing down towards the house.

' It's a woman,' I pronounced. ' Yes, my lord. A peasant's wife, I suppose.' ' I dare say,' said I. But I soon doubted Watkins' opinion; in the first place, because tho woman's dress did not look liko that of a peasant woman : and secondly, because sho went into the house, appeared again, and levelled at us what was, if I mistook not, a large pair of binocular glasses. Now such things wore not likely to bo in the possession of tho peasants of Neopalia. Then she suddenly retreated, and through the silence of those still slopes, wo heard tho door of the cottage closed with violence. ' She doesn't seem to like tho looks of us,' said I.

'Possibly,' suggested Watkins, with deference, 'she did not expect to see your lordship here.' 1 I should think that's very likely, Watkins,' said 1.

I was recalled from the survey of my new domains —my satisfaction in tho thought that they wore mine survived all tho disturbing features of tho situation — by a call from Denny. In response to it, I hurried back to the hall and found him at the window, with Constantino's rifle rested on the sill.

' 1 could pick him off pat,' said Denny laughingly, and ho pointed to a figure which was approaching tho house. It was a man riding a stout pony ; when he came within about two hundred yards of the house, ho stopped, took a leisurely bok, and t he'ii waved a white handkerchief. 'The laws of war must lie observed,' said 1, smiling. 'This is a flag of truce.' And I opened the door, stepped out, and waved my handkerchief in return. Tho man, reassured, began to mop his brow with fin; flag *f truce, and put his pony to a trot. I now perceived him to bo the innkeeper Vlacho, and a moment later he reigned up beside me, giving an angry jerk at his pony's bridle. ' I havo searched the island for you,' ho criod. 'I am weary and hot! How came you here ?' 1 explained to him briefly how I had chanced to take possession of my house, and added significantly—- ' But has no message come to you from mo ?'

Ho smiled with equal meaning, as lie answered —

' No; an old woman came to speak to a gentleman who is in the village ' ' Yes, to Constantine Stefanopoulos,' said I, with a nod. 'Well, then, if you will, to the Lord Constantino,' ho admitted, with a careless shrug, 'but her message was for his ear only; ho took her asido and they talked alone.' ' You know what she said, though ?' ' That is between my Lord Constantino and mo.'

* And the young lady knows it, I hope—tho Lady Euphrosyno ?' Vlacho smiled broadly. ' We could not distress hor with such a silly tale,' he answered ; and he leant down towards me. ' Nobody has heard the mossage but the lord and ono man he told it to. And nobody will. If that old woman spoke, she—well, she knows and will not speak.' 'And you back up this murdoror?' I cried.

' Murderer ?' he repeated, questioningly. ' Indeed, sir, it was an accident done in hot blood. It was the old man's fault, because he tried to sell the island.' 'Ho did sell the island,' I corrected,' and a good many other people will hear of what happened to him.' He looked at me again, smiling.

' If you shouted it in tho hearing of every man in Neopalia, what would they do ?' he asked, scornfully.

' Well, I should hope,' I returned, ' that they'd hang Constantino to tho tallest tree you've got hero.'

'They would do this,' ho said, with a nod; and he began to sing softly the chant I had heard the night before. I was disgusted at his savagery, but 1 said, coolly—- ' And the Lady ?'

'The Lady believes what sho is told, and will do as her cousin bids hor. Is she not his affianced wife ?' 'The deuce she is!' I cried, in amazement, fixing a keen scrutiny on Vlacho's face. Tho face told mo nothing. * Certainly,' he said gently. ' And they will rule the island together.' 'Will they, though?' said 1. I was becoming rather annoyed. ' There are one or two obstacles in the wny'of that. First, it's my island.'

He shrugged his shoulders again. ' That,' he seemed to say, 'is not worth answering.' But I had a second shot in tho locker for him, and 1 let him havo it for what it was worth. I knew it might bo worth nothing, but I tried it. ' And secondly,' I observed, ' how T many wives does Constantino propose to have?' A hit! A hit! A palpable hit! I could have sung in glee. The fellow was dumbfounded. Ho turned rod, bit his lip, scowled fiercely.

'What do you mean?' he blurted out, with an attempt at blustering defiance.

' Never mind what I mean. Something, perhaps, that tho Lady Euphrosyno mightcare to kuow. And now, my man, what do you want of me ?' Ho recoverod his composure, and stated his errand with his old, cool assurance, but tho cloud of vexation still hung heavy on his brow.

'On behalf of tho Lady of tho island ' ho began. ' Or shall wo say her cousin ?' I interrupted. ' Which you will,' ho answered, as though it were not worth while to wear the mask any longer. 'On behalf, then, of my Lord Constantino, I am to offer you safe passage to your boat, and a return of the money you havo paid ' ' How's he going to pay that ?' 'Ho will pay it in a year and give you security meanwhile.' ' And tho condition is that I give up the island?' I asked; and I began to think that perhaps 1 owed it to my companions to acquiesce in this proposal, however distasteful it might be to me. 'Yes,' said Vlacho, 'and there is one other small condition, which will not trouble you.' ' And what's that ? You're rich in conditions.'

' You are lucky to be offered any. It is that you mind your own business.' ' I came hero for tho purpose,' I observed.

'And that you undertake, for yourself and your companions, on your word of honour, to speak not a word of what has passed in the island or of tho affairs of the Lord Constantine.' ' And if I won't givo my word ?'

'The yacht is in our hands. Demetri and Spiro aro our men; there will bono ship hero for two months.' 'l'ho fellow paused, smiling at mo. I took the liberty of ending his period for him.

'And there is,' I said, returning his smile, ' as wo know by now, a particularly sudden and fatal form of fever in tho island.'

'Certainly you may chance to find that out,' said he. ' Hut is there no antidote ?' 1 asked, and 1 showed him the butt of my revolver in the pocked, of my coat. 'lt may keep it elf for a day or two—not longer. \'ou have tho bottle there, but most of tho drug is with your baggage at the inn.'

His parable was (rue enough; wo had only two or three dozen cartridges apiece. ' Hut there is plenty of food for Coustantine's rifle,' said I, pointing to the muzzle of it, which protruded from the window. He suddenly became impatient.

'Your answer, sir?' ho demanded, peremptorily. 'Hero it is,' said I. 'l'll keep the island and I'll see Constantino hanged.' 'So be it, so be it,' ho cried. ' You aro warned, so bo it!' and without another word he turned his pony and trotted rapidly off down the road. And I went back to tho house feeling, I must confess not in tho best of spirits. But when my friends heard all that had passed, they applauded me, and we made up our minds to 'see it through,' as Denny said. That day passed quietly. At noon we carried tho old lord out of his house, having wrapped him in a sheet; and we dug for him as good a grave as wo could ill a little patch of ground that lay outddo the windows of his own chapel—a small erection at the west end of the house. There lie must lie for the moment. This

sad work done, we came back and—so swift aro life's changes—wo killed a. goat for dinner, and watched Watkins dress it. Thus the afternoon wore away, and whoa

evening came wo ate our goat-flesh alio Hogvardt milked our cows ; and wo sat down to consider tho position of the garrison.

But the evening was hot and wo adjourned out of doors, grouping ourselves on the broad marble pavement in front of tho door. Hogvardt had just begun to expound a very elaborate scheme of escape, depending, so far as I could make out, on our reaching the other side of the island and finding there a boat which wo had no reason to suppose would be there, when Denny raised his hand, saying, ' Hark!'

From tho direction of tho village and tho harbour came the sound of a horn, blowing long and shrill, and echoed back in strange protracted shrieks and groans from the hillside behind us. And following on the blast we heard, low in the distance and indistinct, yet rising and falling and rising again in savage defiance and exultation, the death-chant that OneEycd Alexander tho Lard had made oi tho death of Stefan Stefanopoulos tw< hundred years ago. For a few minute wo sat listening; and I do not think thai any of us were very comfortable. Then I roso to my feet, and I said—

'Hogvardt, old fellow, I fancy tlia scheme of yours must wait a little. Ur less I'm very much mistaken, we're goin; to have a lively evening." Well, and then we shook hands al round, and went in and bolted tho dooi and sat down to wait. We heard fh death-chant through the walls now ; fori was coming nearer.

(To be continued.)