SYLVIA'S SUITORS

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12076, 2 March 1925, Page 4

SYLVIA'S SUITORS

. " ft POWERFUL STORY OFLOYE AKB MYSTERY.

(PUBIASHBD-BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT.) /

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Tracy.

Author of 'There Waa No Other Way," '"One Wonderful Night," "Ths House of Storm." lelaud,” Etc., Eto. , [COPYRIGHT.!

CHAPTER XVTI.—THE SEITIiE- . Winter tried to persuade. Ins mer-curial-spirited friend ta.sriatch.a few hours' .. rest. v.polipadnspector ■obligingly offered a bed, (but,, sh9rt ot ■■a- positive order, whicn the superinJitendent did not caxa .nothmg, llrauld. induce Fmrneaux to 4et go. his |grip -on the.Fenley; case. . ' ■. < 4 “Whit till the doctor’s car comes ifback,’’-. he urged. ‘Theochauffeur .will s carry ’.the staiy a iew pagea' farther--1 ,At any rate, we shall know .-where he « dropped. Fenley, -and* that -is something.?’ . ( -■•= r. . Winteri-produced;&-.,big.. cigar,, and. • Tronholme felt in his. pockets lor pipe I Sad tobaeoo. I «• “Noi’ you don’t, young_.man,” . said. | Into big man Irmlp * .‘jxouJre. gaijig < straight to your room- in the ‘White Horae. And’Fll tell-you why- Frpm what l have heard about the Fenley?, they weite a ’lonely crowd. Their friends- were business associates, and they seem to own no relatives, while -Miss Manning; '’if ever she possessed - any, has -been carefully shut* away from them. Now, the position of affairs in The Towers will he sirainfed 'to-morrow. The elder Fepieya ar«>- dead, one son may be in gaol, or, if ne isn’t, might as -well be,.• anch the either, as.soon as he'feels his feet, will'be giving-himself airs. Now, haven’t you a mother or an aunt who -would come to Roxton and meet Miss Manning, and perhaps. rridp-fner to gefr-en^ay-from a, house is; no : frt-.place'-lfor her .{olivein at prekentf” ' ■ > ■ “My- niortlier can' be • here within an ’ “Write the '.telegram now, and the; constable on ’ ’rijght’,. dutywill attend; to It,. .When,' your' mother arrives, tell Tjfer Hifi wKble story, and send ben to SEW I Manning.- Bon't 'go youraelf,; Yon Robestr Fenley, and he would certainly be Cantankerous. If Yotsr mother* resembles you, she will, Have in arranging' matter? with thei-yipiing lady.” ~ “If *' l- Tremble my- -.mother, t am, a, very fortunate marii’’ 'said -tbe artist, ? waa tife'aiDninfeJcomSiedtf On© tßtt4ssl‘ldon’tUS#PJM»d for a m»TO is, tell’hereto (summit .them, and g«; them to- communicate with S«»tlanaSiJBPiy, Pt leave ■with "others; certain information wjnoh J pn promptly in her behalf H; as Jfeesjecfc She, knows no lawyer ,-, «ee;-.tbst she' this cat-d Jfcitfae addresS on-it, and .give,Messrs Gifor M^i^’Snd^Gibb^'nyssage. fern unffitefoV* \ r “ i ;l‘Jplaally,. ahejnivrifche tvaSnefeto- wy nothing of thie-.to Sober®' Fjeriley., In, fact, the ‘ less that young spgrkknows about : fecr vaffauafr ft® bsttoiv ,: Aft©r to&igW?© ihafc faint is h*t4p. "needed, - but> it; is , wejl to Now, off w|£» ; Uot r tir)sa : Qan I be of any ' 4 , *' •’• I' r d© reader for Manning’?, interests. Mr J'jcrneaux and I maybet busy elsewhere.'. . Unquestionably,, ■ two shall not he in Roxtoij*; we may ; jaypn ! ping will want &.friend. See to it : ithat you start the ( 4?y refreshed by. some hours' of 'sleep.”’ !‘Good-bye,” said Trenholfne promptly. “Sorry you. \Wo will, miss JSlma’s dinner.. ’Hut that;is only a feast-de-ferred. By the wpy,. if I leave Rox.ton, I’ll send-yon-iny ~ ■' “Don’t worry about that, , smiled tbe &uperihtendent.; -‘‘Our friend, the. inspedtor here.’will keep tab on’-you. Before you’ve finished with inquests,* police court, and assizes f you’ll wishyouM never heard the name of Fenley—by Jove, I nearly forgot to - caution • you. -Not’ a word, to the Press-rPhi-ew!” he-whistled, "if-ithey get on to , this story in its - entirety, won’t they publish chapteu -and verse 1”. ,■ . * So Trenholme went, out< into .the yil- - iage fftreet, and walj£ed.to hia quart?rs j in the White Horsp Inn, -'lt was not | yet two o’clock, but .dawn had.already, silvered the north-east am qt the .hon- i zon. Just 20 hours' earlier' ah alarm", clock had waked him into such a: dayj as, fejv have experienced* Many .a man hafcheen, brought Juto in- j timatc touch’with , a tragedy,, pf no per-1 s'onal concern, seldopi, iildped, do the- fates contrive that dds.tlv and love i and’high adventure should’ bp so, close-, ly bound, and packed pell-mell into' one long day, - Only to' think M of it 1 i When he stole upstairs with the filock" to play • a trick -on Eliza, he hatd never;; seen Sylvia; nor so much as hhard her ■ name spoken. When he shn'g i and the dawn .while striding-homeward : through- the’park, he had-’seen her, | yet did not-know her, arid'Hadnb hope ! of ever' seeing her again.- When ’ pe’ worked ? afc.her picture, he had lhbour- | ed at the idealisation of a drebn-which bade fate'to remain a dream.” Ajgd now, by some magic jugglery of oro!nary events, ’ each well within -the hounds ,of credibility, yet so • ’ overwhelmingly incredible in'their sequence and completuaess,. he-whs Sylvia’s lover; her. defender, her. trusted .knight err rant. Even the concluding words of that. big, round-headed, sensible- .detective had -brought a; fantasy .nearer .attainment. If Sylvia werp rich, why* then a youngster .who painted pictures for a living would hardly dare think of marrying hey, But,,- if Sylv.ia. were poor—and Winter’s' comments seemed to show that these'financiers had beeß financing themselves at her-.expense---earthly reason was there, that; she should not, become' Mrs John ;. Trenholme at-the earliest prncficable.date Y None ,tlir.t he dould conceive.--‘Why, a: fellow*'Would-have te be a .fool,- ‘indeed. who did not know when-he -Pad

inet the one woman in the World. Hi had often, laughed, at other fellows who spoke in that way about the chosen one. Now h.o understood that .they hSd been Wit©' and he'foolish:. ' V i But. swam Sylvia—h)h. dash it. no

need to’spoil one’s brief rest- by allows iug /si beastly doubt like that to rear, its ugly head! One thing he was' Bure rot —Robert Fenley oouldnever- be, ,a Tival, and Fenley j churl that he -was, hjd known her for years, and could Hardly b© peßtering her -with "his 'attentions if she 'were pledged to another man. Moreover, he, John,'new--Iy in love and tingling with the thrill of. it, ‘ fancied that ijylvia. would pot have clung to him. with 'such complete -confidence when the. uproar- arose* ini the park -.if—well, -well, .the 'history; ot ! the ■ Fenley case will .never be brought to an end. if any attempt is made' to analyse the effectof lovje’s first vigor--ous growth- in - the - artistic temperament. - Abopti « quarter past three Dr. Stem’s little landaiHette was halted--.at -the -same cross- road where a police'men;bad stopped it nearly three hours earlier. .. . . . “Thatyou, Toro?” said* the constable. “Xou’re wanted at" the station.” “What station ?’ ’ . Inquired ' the* chauffeur. “The i police-station.” ' : v . - ‘dm I, ly gum? What’s upP” « -. “The Scotland Yard l men want you.”. “But what for?, I haven’t run over so much as a hen.” , “Oh, it’s all right. You’re wanted ■.as. a-, witness. Never mind why..'r ..They’ll tell- you. The doctor is there',smoking a cigar till you turn up.” “I left him-at-Joe Bland's.” - Bffafiud Shoe lefit Roxtow for- . Kingdom -Oopae. - And The Towers i%half bu)mt- down. Tljihgs'.'.havien’t -bqen,happening while • you .were' away,; ha-ro theyP” , ' , , . ? **®Toir half,” said Tom. . “No, nor juarter,” grinned the pplineman -tohimtelf, when the- car mov ed on. “Wait till you know who yon took on that trip ahji why,-and your sparkin’ pJugTl*ho but ofolder' for ’a '.week.”- ■■

• It was as. well' that the chauffeur had not -the' slightest notion, that he -had conveyed a murderer to London? - when he.-began-' tatell: hastate to hiß‘ ®njJ<jryer and;.the- detectives. ■■ They Wanted a plain, unvarnished atary, rod got it. Qn leaving s tjbe.offices*in Bwhogsgqte street, Fenley -baked!, to he dnveu to-Gloucester Mansions;--Shafts eebury Afcenue. 'seed ' thb laWi of dntnf Standings on’%hd , with.* suttcane ,an the.groundaih Rife fee*-- He was-wearing thh ovesooid, and tu Dwwler hit, - siiji.’wis - Awngthg ■ an : electric bell. - ?. ; ,, <-{ ‘*He'told me I •needn’t' wait?.’-so I' mado-for/ the Edge-war© road,. Sand thatfs all,’ said', Tom. • -» I‘Oodl -as a fish 1” commented* Fur, nesux. i ~, ~ »’iyell, , eir, ,!l. didn’t get bot over It.’ said the surprised chauffeur.. ' *-t-m ho* talking about (you. Gould - yon manage,-another run to town? Are you toovflred?” -• ■ Tho mystified .Tom, looked-at -his masr ten i >Dw Stem, laughed, j *> . MGo right ahead!”-he cried-' “I’mthinking of buying a new car.*’ A -him.• dred and: twenty -miles in eqp■ night should settle the matter sO'''far "aa ; this bid rattle-trap' is concerned.” - "Pll course, ■ wteTl r pay you, doctor,” said Winter. j "That’* more * th'an.'Hilton Feidey will ever do,-’ I’m afraid.”' .., Tom- tickled his scalp • under 'bis cap. “Mr Hilton’ geminb a fiver,” he said, TW*»r sheepishly. There was something going on that he' did. not -understand, bat he thought it advisable to own up with regard-to that* lordly tip. “You-’re a-lucky- fellow,” said- the doctor- '“What about'petrol? And;do you feel able to 'takS' these gentlemen to'London?”

Tom was a wiry person. In five •nitelte*- ijie. was on., the • road again, pound, for Scotland -Yard- this time.- - As S-.tnatter. of fact, a ’detective was' sent -to_ Gloucester Mansions, and came back’ Wlth-.the not unforeseen, news that'Mfa Garth was very angry at being disturbed at such an unearthly hour. No: -die had seen nothing' of ’’Mr Hilton iFsnley since’ the, preceding afternoon. Someone had rung the bell about two jOfclock ,t>hafc*morning. but the summons -ww not repeated, ajid she.had,hot inquired into it, thinking that a mistake had been. made,- and discovered by : the blunderer. " '

Sheldon wqs brought from his resi®ehce; he had , a very complete report concerning Mr s Lisle, but that.lady’s •shadowy form need not flit across the screen,. since Robert Fenley’s intrigues ctease to be of interest. He- had dispatched'f’hey. to. France, urging that he mpstibe -given a free hand until the.upset caused by his father’s death Was put -Straight. , Suffice it to say that’ when he secured some few hundreds -a'- ye at ou of 'the residue of the estate, he married .Mrs Lisle,' and, possibly, became a hen-pecked husband* The Garths, too, ■mother and daughter, maybe dropped. There-was no‘getting any restjWffion by them'of any sh'fire-'of the procteds'of the robbery. They Vowed tfaejr’ Were innocent agents, and rfecetee'difo' share of the plunder. Miss Eileen Gprth has taken up nrofiitffd tfimfSdy, if Sot seriously, at least jealously, and'‘'com--menced in the chorus with quite,a decent show of diamonds. ' ’* (To be concluded.) ’ r