THE COTTESMORE CASE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10416, 31 March 1910, Page 6

THE COTTESMORE CASE.

BY JOHN OAKLEY,

' (Author of "The Blackmailer," ' 'The Great Craneb'oro' Conspiracy," "A Gentleman in Khaki," etc.)

CHAPTER XIII. THE LOXDALES APPEAR

I take credit to myself that''"whatever my inward perturbation, I. kept a straight and tranquil face, and even called to my aid an expression of blank surprise. It required some doing, too, with the girl thus tragically described waiting in the iie"xt room. "I beg .your pardon," I said, "but really 1 do not understand —1 must ask for ah explanation." ' I think," said James Loxdale, in a 'soft:and even voice, "you rather mistake the position. Such explanations as may be required should come from you." . . 'Oil, I can easily' explain," I replied, turning to him with a sense of relief atih'aving a man to deal with. "My explanation is that I haven't a ghost of a notion who you- are or what you are driving at.". He shrugged his shoulders with a gesture indicating polite'disbelief. "Seeing who you are—a newspaper man —you can hardly have failed to hear of the Cottesmore case."

"I .have heard of it—yes," I replied. "And, as: my mother told you, she is the widow of "

"Oh, }es, I know she said so," I niton up led. He laughed softly , "If you take it like that," he went 'on, apeakmg in the same even tones villi no appealance of excitement, very htlie even of interest. "You were good enough to doubt my v.oid," I said. * "Yes E But I did noc say so. And if 1 did doubt, that Was after all only because* 1 knew. "Besides, 'you must have seen my mother at the trial —she gave evidence." v I lecoilected hei veiy well when he said that, though her appearance in the box had been so short that I had toigotten all about'hei, certainly had not lccognised her when she lirst iaten»d J tfie loom.

'And we came here," James Loxdtfle went on, "because the girl is here. Oi, )i not heie, jou know wheie she IS." T •'You of that p " "Quite. As ceitain as I am tliat I am* Jieie nivseli. We desne to —see iier " I was trying haid to think rapiulv, but it was something of a strain to keep ileal.. guaid over nij tongue and ovpi my thoughts as well Besides, this thing had tak&i me 'so milch bj sui prise that at first air, oideicd mental ptocess had Been impossible As to wliv. they had come, how they had got "to know, I did not foi the piesent tiy to considei It was enough that they obviousl-y did know And I had mdic than my work cut out to decide wh«t it weie" best to do, and how I might fend, fliem off "But what I do riot understand," I ciid, "is/why you should come to me "vVIipL Have 'I to do with Marjoij Cnvsfoid 3 " 'J he woman's evt ? s had nevei been 'till Ceaselessly "they had vvandeicd tuml ''ho loom resting long nowh»ic, but examining cvciv object again and jgim. Piesentlv she lose her < nau and stioiled acioss to p hLtle catjlo hi the window whence she picked up a theet of papei I went piompth aftoi her "Paulon me," I sstid, "but those aic pii.ate documents, all of them " "Jt is one of Maijorv Crajsfoid's c a she said, entnelv tlisie■cmding rnc, as ll she were the ownci ot the premises and\ I had no existence, and passed the sheet across to her son

"i'es," he agiecd with a liodj "it is one ol Maijoiv's dialings Sue is »oi\ clever with her pencil" ' aie jour niitnls M O °'' he queued saicasticallv, examining one cornei of the drawing more mtcntlj. "A. little M with a big C cuihng lound it c " T-fp daited a keen glance at mj face, and then liughed soltlj j "You aie clever , Mi. Aidland," ii"- said, "but not quite perfect jet in the art of keeping, a straight face Tlierc aie no initials on the drawing Nevertheless, vou have given yourself a'vav Your eyes signed the drawing foi her 'But now let me tell vou " He took fiom his pocket a note-book and lead, or pictended to lead, theieii'om. t "Ycu wcic at the tnal in Westchestei You stmt?d home bv the same train at. that bv which the piisoners travelled. You reached your destination by motor car You started alone, but vou reached Sheaf borough accompanied bv a—a brother You returned the motor car to its owner, and "' , "That lb a veiv charming stoiy," I sa'd, "but what is rtVmeanmg and application, supposing it to be all true?" "It is all true lam at least suie ot mj facts." "I suppose," I said shortly, "that Count Margendoif told vou that ridiculous ta'rradiddle'." '

T do'not kndvv whv I said that, why I dtagged hi Maigcndoif's name. I had certainly no conscious purpose in so doing. And vet the shot so aimlessly fired right home. I could see that, not onlv in the change that took place in Loxdale's face, m his ob- ■< ious\peitmbation md discomposuie, buo a'"so in the attitude of the woman "I beg voitr pardon," Loxdale said hoaisely, bending a little foiwaid, "whom did yOu say ? " "Allow me," I returned, "to condole with v. ou on 3 oui Unhappy deafness 1 said Count Maigendorl And you might tell him fiom me, if vou would, that to buj a man's secrets fiom his sen ants is as lmjlropei m a guest as it would be impossible to a gentlcmau "

: q iiite ' wrofag-rrl ':d.t>. Rcfcfe'i'feiiti w. lir3&';' >ik >. I knew,..';differentlyj was as-Avell aware of ipy knowledge, as I .waW.v .- : .!"■',■■'.' .-:•'■,v' : '' :: .../"fell- 'ltim./'frqm ?riie/' I 'Svenfc. oh,' ''tliafc 'I deal only with principal?'.. ' If lie cares.to come and' See.me—-j"

: "Hut you are mad—what .do you -know of Count Margendorf—-I have never'heard the name—-that isM —-'.' But, the mention of the Count had. evidently startled him badly, and his obvious discomposure gave'me the upper hand, which I had no intention of relinquishing. I walked to the door arid Hung it open. "You : mky return to him," I went 'on, ''and give him my message. I decline ,-any fiirther conversation with you.. Good-day." /Rather to my surprise, and not a 'little to my relief, they both obeyed me, and I was left, alone., w,ith the necessity of deciding on the instant as ■ tc my next 'move. It might' be that not more than a tow minutes would be left trie in which to place' Marjory in a secure refuge. I seized my hat and went after my visitors, ..but what I saw gave me, at 'all events, : a temporary respite. They went direct to the railway "station and boarded k train, which, ys I gathered .from the timetable, sfoppecF first p.t a- junction over eighty miles away. I did not learn their destination, but of eighty iriiles was quite 'sufficient for toy present requirements. I went back and found Marjory a little white of fa«Je, biit otherwise calm enough. "I recognised their voices," she explained '-What did ;tlieywkrit?'' "You," I returned ■promptly. "Yes, I heard that. But why should they want me?" '...'. "I cannot say, unless it would be'to take you back to prison —" * I paused, knitting, my brows. If they had killed the old man themselves they might be anxious to recapture Marjory lest the.pursujt of her should lead the police to a fresh themselves.

"Who was that otlier one?" she asked.' "What was 5 the name you nieutioneid ?" _* /" : ■'» "Count MaVgendort? Oh, he was one iof those •who tried to rescue you. Do ydii know the riariie ?" . '' " "i. have .never, heard'it before." ;■■

' 'Yoii said you recognised neitfeer of the ttfo nieii. . Think agailK Aire you quite:sure of that?" ";' ••..•:"- r .-'

"1 am sine I dul uqt know thein." "Bat 'li> did—Ltattßtte did—ind so, did 'the Ataman. In sdffle Way tHey iire Ltfxdaffs 'aM Me Mn vho attempted yriiir re&iie; But I am all «t sea, flufl"! seelio sSp'of'firtß/ r v » ~., <.

CHAPTER XIV. LUMLEY SAYS GOO'6-BYE. I received a visit late on the following evening from Lumley. "I called at your office, but they said you hadn't turned in yet," was his greeting. .. "No, I'm due at a meeting at the Town Hall at eight o'clock," I replied. "But sit down and have a cigar."

Marjory was in her own room, and I did not call her. "I suet two friends of yours in town this afternoon," Luiwley went on as soon as his cigar was fairly alight. j My thought flew to the Loxdales, though I dimissed the idea promptly. He might have seen them as they were on tht 11 wi U> m> lodgings, but as fii as 1 knew ho had never seen them b-loie, possibh had ne\ci heaid of them. r , "ies," he went on, "those two tiermans " , r I could not avoid a start, and l nstei.c d intentiv. ' 'Count What -was - his - linpiessivenan.e and the other chap, the Colonel, we met at that dinner at Mr Lattor\'s " "] wonder what they were doing in Sheafboiough 9 " I said thoughtfully. "Did thei iccognise vou 9 " "Moie than a bib," he responded with a, laugh "Thev very neailv dusted the pavement with then hats Thev swept them off in a beautiful stmi-cnculai curve which ended somewheif just above the ankle, and they did it both togothei as if it were a drill thev had been piactising. I wis 'so taken up with the aitistic movement ihat I neailv foigol to acknowledge -it. But I iccollected jusb in tune to raise my own hat in le<s'jonf.e.'' , , "In the usual uncouth fray— about twV inches from your head 9 " I ..queried. . ~ ' As if I were afiaid of my .hair blowiiv (iff," 'lie said laughing. "Not at all, I brought it right dbw'n m front of me. Oh, I think I did it lather '•fell, though it did lack the maclnnelike precision of then salutation ' •'I am glad they recognised 30U, J said. ' . ~ , Quite on houoi"foi me, wasnt.ita meic v.brin to leceive s> ——"' "1 wasn't thinking of that, L iepbrd, "but of something else." -1 was mteiested indeed m the suggestion that at least they wcie not theie secietly, had appaientry no desire to evade recognition. And yet 1 could not shake off- the ndtion that there was some sinister meaning in the coincidence of then picsencc in bheatborough with the visit of the Loxdales. Theie was something behind all this of which I had as vet obtained no clear 01 ceitam glimpse. ' But I did not come to tell you that." Lumley went on "I did not) come to talk of Count Maigendoif—j thanK iroodnoss I have lecollected his honorable name—it has worned me ever since I saw him. 1 came to talk, or something infinitely moie nineiestmg than thc-whole of the Teutonic* au&fcocra'ci ' , ' Thev me Austiians, ' 1 muimured. "Then, of the Austnan anstociacv lolled into one I came "to talk about TOv&elt. lam heic to sa.< faievvell ' ''Eh 9 " "Fact. I have left Fisker's—cast the dust of that enteipiismg empoimm liom off my feet lam going to Lon- ' "Have vou—h'avo von got anothei jcb 9 " " „ , He sent thiee 01 four smoke ungs cm 1)11"- tow aids the ceiling. "No," he said at length, not at all" . , 'I don't quite undeistand "No, and I'm not very cleat on it mvself. I will put it bioadly 1 am ■>f,in«- to Lnodon to seek mv fOl tune Piobably I shall not find it But ceitamlv I shall not fiiid it if I do net look tor -it. Victor? 01 Westminster Abbey, vou know—ol what is one equivalent 111 m> case, Victory or tne Thames Embankment, with the odds 011 the lattei I ma»' stav heie fatty vcais and get veiv little ioiiadei 1 want to be- big, 01 nothing. - "But what aie vou going "to do 111 London ° ' , T . "I don't know It's money 1 want chieflv, and -theie's a lot of it, in the woild Money, money cveiywhcte and not a quid.to spend. Some people have the nose for it. Ihev. can sine 1 it 'out as a cat scents fish I haven t the gift fiom Nature, but I'm going to see if a nasal oigan can ; be tncci to know cash fiom an onion o>> "Have you quarrelled with I<iskei "Not at all. Indeed, he ofleied me a pound a week more to stay on. 1 said I would if he would take me wto ?aitneiship oh a half-shaie basis. Bnt e only looked at jne and said, I thought you were "a teetotaller' I daie say it sounded hke ale. Perhaps ntv whole stoiy sounds like that to jou. ~ He lav back in his chan and laughed with quiet enjovnjent. , "I go to-morrow," he went on. 1 am supposed to give Fisker a fort, night's notice, but he let me off .the rest I have eightv=three pounds eight shillings m cash-all my savings lam ofi to-moirow by the eight-fifteen. , 1 want to make a fortune, and 1 want to make it quick. "It will be of no use to me if it isn't pretty sudden. An old-age pension, even ot five thousand pounds a year aoes,not appeal to me I am not going to work. Nobody ever made a fortune by work. It is always "Memories began to stir lh my sluggish mind, and I could discern some stray glimpses of daylight. "And when you have made your fortune 9 " 1 asked. "Ah, then " ~ x . , He laughed again and took a second cigar from the box. - ''Then I suppose you will many Miriam Peggiter," I observed softly. "You are an awful ass sometimes; Ardland," he replied but■ I knew tliat my chance shot had hit the mark.

"But what do you want with a fortune if she has one?" I persisted. "We were not talking o£ her.

By the.way he took it I knew I was right. Poor old Lumlev had fallen in love with the beautiful little American, and he was going to hazard everything on a single cast. Fortune and Miriam or failure and It appealed to me stronglv enough. Deep down, ever} man is" a gambler, and even it one is onlv a looker-on at the game the play is thrilling. It is v retched morality, 1 know, but it is the truth, and the^ truth is frequently immoral, at leasn, unmoral. - 1 1 ■ 1 114.1 *. "It seems to me," I said slowly, tnat if Miriam wjll not have you plain, she will not have you gilded, and that— — "You speak—pardon me . tor putting it thus—like a fool, Ardland. _ Suppose I wanted,to marry Miss-Peggiter —he emphasised the "Miss Peggiter, objecting probably to my free-and-easy "Miriam"—"which I do not admit

"Nor deny." . _ . "Precisely—nor deny. I do not, m fact, discuss it. But supposing I wantj ed to marry a girl in some such position as hers—how could I even approach her? Can I call oil the Latterys now ks if a chaiice invitation to dinner made tis near and dear friends ? I am not an idiot. were pleasant to me because I was with you.. That was all. It was an accident. If I hadnt happened to he in that motor-Car with you they wouldn't have asked me to dinner. It was" no overwhelming desire for my company that possessed them. .It was, in fact," a bit of a nuisance., but they tolerated me in order to make sure of you. Probably they wouldn't know me 'again if they' met me. I "want to get in on my own account, and the only key I know which will open the door. is cash." •■ ■., T v i ■■■ ." He was not far wrong, and I did not arnue the point. ""With you it is different,' he went on. "You belong to the aristocracy

"Yes," I responded grimlv. |'it is quite true that I am in the direct succession to a title, but I am something like fortv down, so many, indeed, that I have lost count. It would need a fairlv efficient, pestilence to wipe my comDetitors off." "But still, it is there—the blood is there," he persisted "You are a gentleman by descent." "Well, admitting that—what then?" "Yon have votir passport, and I rattier thought Lattery would not mirid If her sister " . "Put - that out ot your mind m*t»nter," I said with a laugh. "I will tell you in confidence. I am not likelv to be your rival —-there is someone else. ' He drew a lonjg breath, and I really Believe - that he fbaa*looked on me as a possible ddtofetitof, - - '*

CHAPTER XV. MY ENEMIES STRIKE HOME. I said a word or two to Marjory, tlieh Lunilev and I went out together. We parted "on the steps of the Town Hall. " ~ "You will send me your address when you have settled down?" I asked. "Oh, ves. It will not be the Thames | Embankment tor a week or two, but it may be the Thames itself at the finish. He little knew what really was in front of him. I returned from my meeting, expecting to find Marjory awaiting rac at the supper table. She was not in the sitting-room when I arrived, and 1 stepped across the corridor and knocked at her bedroom door. There was no response. I looked at my watch. It was five minutes after eleven. Surely she could not have gone to bed? I made a rule of coming back for supper, even when I was on what we called "late stop," and had to go back again to the office, and she had never been in bed before that hour. I knocked again. As there was still silence, I turned the handle of the door. But here again I was barred out. The door was apparently locked. I knew that Marjory, as a rule, fastened herself in when she retired,"and there was therefore nothing strange about that. But why should she have gone to bed thus without even a word for me? I knocked again, still more loudly, and then, growing very uneasy and anxious, I went for Mrs Cragg. "I am afraid Mar —my brother is ill," I said -quickly. "I have 'knocked at his door, but I cannot 'make him hear. Have you seen her—him tonight?" "No, sir, I have not, and I was surprised, too, that he was not in the sit-ting-room when I laid the' supper,, which I says to myself " . ,•; "Ho usually has his window open,. , I interrupted her. "I will go into the yard and see if I can reach him that way." " . But first I tried another summons at the door, beating a rattling tattoo that must certainly have been sufficient to awaken any ordinary sleeper. "He must be ill," said Mrs Cragg. "Yesl ,-Will you stay here a minute while I try the window?"'. I ran downstairs, and, unfastening the kitchen door, stepped out into, the yard, which I found Hooded with moonhglit streaming through a silver-lined aperture in the. heavy clouds that had Lung like a pall over the 'city during the day. And in that white radiance I \saw the figure of a man standing directly before mc with uplifted arm. 1 had nb time to act nor even to speak, for the next moment, almost- simultaneously with my appearance, the blow fell. He had probably heard the rattle of the key in the lock, and had stood prepared.. Whether the stroke came from | a stick or merely from a closed fist, I l cannot say even' now. That its effect ' was immediate and complete I attribute partly to the physical strength and ac- , curate aim of my unknown, foe, even more to the fact that he took me un- , a wares and entirely by surprise. At all events, I came crashing down, and lay like" a log at the man's feet devoid alike of sense and of the power of movement. How long I remained like that I cannot* say. It might have been minutes or hours for any consciousness I possessed of the lapse of time; Probably the interval was short, since Mrs Cragg did not come to look for .me.. When I did recover I dragged myself to my feet and looked cautiously around, halfexpecting another attack. But my assailant, whoever he was, had apparently disappeared, leaving no sign. Yes, one, for leaning against the wall beneath Marjory's window was a ladder! .' •

After a momentary, pause I began to mount this, and although I was still dizzy from the effects of the blow I had received, t managed safely to reach the top, "whence I climbed across the window-sill'into the room. It "did not strike me at .the moment as curious that the "window should be wide'open at the b'ottbm. Indeed, I :was, hardly as yet in a condition for ordered thought. But it all came back,to me afterwards. '■'■■', Theoroom. was in darkness, x took a box of matches from >my pocket, and striking one, walked,: alinqst. lurched, across "towards the bed. It was empty—had.never been used, though appearances on the outer quilt suggested, that sblnebb'dy had been lying thereon. Nor were there any garments about. Apparently Marjory had not ivndressed. I searched everywhere, beneath the bed, in the wardrobe,- in the huge cupboard which occupied the-recess to the left of the fireplace. And then I unlocked arid topehed[the door to see Mrs Cragg standing patiently there awaiting my return. ~ ' ..." : . "She has gone," I said dully, by no means comprehending fully the meaning of my own :words ; or in any way 'realising the. coiistru'ctibn that .Mrs. Cragg might put upon/them/ ■ •■ ■' .your. sir?" she masked.- ; "v':■..;.'•'. .-;'::"'" ;-'■"-.

"Ay, my brother.'I could not repress a shrill laugh which frightened Mrs Cragg and startled even myself' into "some semblance of coherency. "But where can he have gone—at this time of the night?" she "demanded. I pushed past her and into my own room; where I mixed myself a_ stiff brandy-and-soda. And then, having to some extent pacified Mrs Cragg and sent her back to bed, no easy task as you may guess, I sat myself, down trying to force my aching head to think. But it was all dark to me-I—would 1 —would have been dark had I been in fall control of my wife. TTor there was something afoot — -something desperate and deadly, the meaning of which I could by no means penetrate. The.hours passed slowly antL heavily away, 'and the 'night drew out into morning, but still Marjory did not return. I started fortli once or twice intent on making some inquiries, but I never got beyond the threshold. Where could I go?' Whom could I ask? Whom dare I ask ? Not the police, certainly!

And always I went back to my weary vigil, waiting for the return of someone who did not come, longing for the daylight, yet fearing its advent lest -it might bring me evil news. (To be Continued.)