Time, The Avenger

Ohinemuri Gazette, Volume XXI, Issue 2723, 25 November 1910, Page 4

Time, The Avenger

(All Rights Reserved.)

H THE UNRAVELLING OF A STRANGE WILL MYSTERY. •

By HEDLEY RICHARDS.

Author of "The Haighs of Hill crest," "From Mill to Mansion," "Diana's Inheritance," Etc., Etc.

TWENTY-SECOND INSTALMENT

CHAPTER XXIII

A CLUB AT LAST

"At last, my . darling ! " the speaker was Hugh Hudspith, whe had been sitting on a stile while he waited for Louise.

It was a quiet country lane, very little frequented, and on that account they had chosen it for their place of meeting.

"At last ! Mon Dieu, you are one impatient man ! I am in very good time," she answered, as she seated herself tan the grassy bank.

"Good time! I've been waiting more than a quarter of an hour," he said, seating himself beside her.

"What is that? Do you think Louise hop, skip, and jump to meet, any man?" she answered, tossing her head coquettishly.

" I am one particular man who loves you with all his heart," he said, stealing his arm round her waist ; but she flung it off and moved further from him.

" Come, that is too bad. You know you care for me a little bit," he said, beseechingly, as he drew nearer. "Louise does care for monsieul so does pretty little Gertie ; and now monsieur is tired of her. Louise not made one plaything." " Good heavens, why do you talk that way. You know I worship you. I want you for my- wife. Will you marry me, Louise ? " A gleam of satisfaction came into her face as she said : " What will monsieue le pere say to you marrying one little milliner ? "

" Confound him ! I don't care what he says. I got him in a good humour by pretending I was willing to marry Mona Dalrymple, and he

has paid my debts. I don't owe a penny," said Hugh in. a tone ,ol triumph.

" That is well, Monsieur Hugh ; but what would we live on if monsieur le pere. turned what you call crusty ? I have one good appetite and I like pretty frocks," she said, smiling, and loolrdng full at him. Hugh smiled. . " What a business-like woman you are ! But don't be uneasy. I have thirty thousand pounds from my mother, which is well invested. The interest is thirteen hundred a year, and that will keep us in a quiet way and allow you to have some new frocks ; and in a short time the pater will relent." •' Thirteen hundred a year ! " said Louise musingly. It was wealth to what she had been accustomed, but it was not what she had promised herself, and she asked , herself if she would be satisfied if his father disinherited Hugh. He was a handsome fellow and could introduce her to the grand people with whom she longed to associate, but would she be satisfied to have what would be a paltry little income for Hugh's position, while those with whom she mixed had thousands ? Then Louise told herself it "would be better than marrying one of the Wittonbury tradesmen ; and she had faith enough in her own charms to believe that she could win the sternest, par-ent-living to regard her with favour. " Won't you say ' Yes ' my darling ? " he asked, and there was no mistaking that Hugh was in earnest. " Ouij monsieur, I will be your very good wife; but we mustn't dream of that little income. I will charm monsieur, mon pere, and all will be well.", -

" Faith, I don't believe there is a man living who could resist you," said Hugh drawing her into his arms and passionately kissing her; and Louise submitted, well pleased with the evident admiration of her handsome lover.

"When will you marry me? "he said, after a" minute or two. " I could get a special licence and we could be married in London," he continued.

" That won't do;" and Louise Bhook her head. "In one little time I go with Miss Penman to the seaside. You meet Louise there with your special licence and we marry. But remember one thing, mon ami— if you try to cheat Louise, and if the licence is not all right, you will be one dead man within the week."

" What a bloodthirsty girl you are ! " he said with a laugh. Then he drew her close to him, saying "My darling, you are the only woman I have ever cared for, and I love you madly. I wouldn't do you an injury for all the world contains."

" Mon ami, I believe you fJo love me. But ma mere will be suspicious If I stay longer;" and she rose.

" You must try and hurry Miss Penman off to the seaside," he said, as they strolled along the lane ; but Louise shook her head coquettishly, declaring that it was pleasant to be made love to, which caused Hugh to vow that he should spend bis days doing that.

A few moments more and they parted ; then, as Louise walked slowly homeward, she .thought over what had passed.

" He loves me, but if I let him see that I cared much for him, or was a fool like petite Gertie, he would tire of me—perhaps cheat me of my good name ; but Louise holds him in the hollow of her hand, and soon, very

soon, pere Hudspith too shall be in my power."

" Are you tired, Mildred ? " said Mr. Dalryinple, as the carriage entered the lodge gates at Housesteads. They had been spending the day with some friends who lived at a long ■ driving 7 distance, so they had dined rather early, in order to enable them'to reach home by eleven o'clock.

Mona had spent the day at Gelder Hall, and had reached home half an hour before them.

"I do feel fatigued ; it has been such a warm day," replied Lady Dalrymple.

In another minute the carriage drew up at the entrance^ and Mona, who had heard the sound of wheels, came into the hall. ■•

"Have you enjoyed yourself?" asked her mother, following her into the drawing room.

" Yes ; but Nina looks very ill and mother, she is strangely altered. The least thing makes her start and change colour. I told her she wag very nervous, and she said it was owing to that jewellery robberythat she has never felt quite well since." ,

" It was a strange affair," replied Lady Dalrymple, thoughtfully ; ther she roused herself * remarking thai they must persuade -Nina to come anq see them frequently. It wasn't good for her to be so much alone.

Meanwhile the butler had informed Mr. Dalrymple that he had taken his letters into the library, and he had gone there at once. Three letters were lying on the table, two of them tradesmen's circulars, but the third was a large bulky envelope.

Wondering what it could be, hi opened it and was surprised to see a parchment envelope decidedly yellow with age. As his eyes rested on the words, "To be given to my son, Lionel Richard Hudspith," he almost let it fall from his hands.

That the writing was his father's he was certain, and- ho stood gazing at it in amazement. The clock chiming the quarter after eleven roused him, and crossing the room he locked the door ; then seating himself, he examined the seals, and saw that they bore the Hudspith coat-of-arms. A moment more the seals were bxofcen, and he drew out of.the envelope several sheets of paper. The first began! " To my dear son, Lionel."

It was a lengthy epistle and he read it through twice , carefully weighing each word, after which he laid it down and sat looking at it in evident amazement. A quarter of an hour passed while he cogitated about what he had read; then he replaced it in the envelope which bore hig father's handwriting, and after a moment's hesitation placed that in the outer envelope.

As he did so a question occurred to him of which he had not thought, he had been so deeply immersed in the contents ; but .now he asked himseH who had sent him " this communication from his dead father.

For years it must have been Id some one's keeping. Why had it not reached.him sooner ? It was easy.tc answer that question. It was probably because r the sender had only just discovered that Richard Dalrymple and Lionel Hudspith were the same person.

Then who had made the discovery? The one man who knew about it lay in his grave, but he might have confided the. secret to others before his death. Remembering the stamp of man he was, however, Mr.' Dalrymple decided that he would not be likely to part with a secret out of which he had made money, and no doubt hoped to make it again. One thing was certain ; the contents of this paper, written by his father on his deathbed, gave him just the clue he aeeded and he resolved to go up to London, and place the matter in a letective's hands.

The very thought of what this proving of his innocence before all the world would mean made his aeart grow light. He. would be able ;o resume his own name, and, more, he would be master of Gelder Hall. The very idea of this caused his pulses to throb, and he then knew what It had cost him to see Marcus Hudspith reigning there. He had borne it as part of a horrible necessity. When he had married Lady Dalrymple he had faced the matter and resolved to act as though he was inieed the stranger he purported to be; jut it had been bitterly galling to see this cousin, for whom he had nerer cared, in the place that was his by right—a place which he knew in lis heart he had done nothing to forfeit.

Then, again, it would make life smooth for Mona ; she would be able to marry the man she loved.

There had been moments, especially Df late, when he had felt bitter igainst his old judge, Lord Hatton, but now he was inclined to be merciful, and he told himself it had been a huge fraud, for which only one person was to blame, and that person should pay the penalty.

At that moment he was roused by the turning of the door handle, and, hastily locking the papers in a desk, ac crossed the room and unlocked the. Joor, where he found his wife waiting with a look of deep anxiety on her face.

" What is the matter ? "he asked, (juickly.

"Mona is very ill; she is passing from one faint to another. I have sent a groom for a doctor. Why did you lock your door, Richard ? " she asked in a surprised tone.

'' I was looking through some private papers. What do you think has caused Mona to faint ?" he said, as they stood just within the library door. ;■•■■

" I don't know. She hasn't looked well of late. I fear this uncertainty about Gar Is telling on her. Mona loves him very much."

Mr. Dalrymple longed to.tell'Ms

wU'e Llx/.t f c ■ • ij, separated the lovers might bo removed. But he checked himself and in silence they went to the drawing room, where Mona lay on a couch, with her eyes closed, and looking so death-like that her father felt a thrill of terror.

Lady Dalrymple's maid, an experienced woman, was using restoratives, and Mona revived a little before the doctor arrived.

" Well, young lady, what have you been doing to look so thin and pale ? " he said, when he had asked her a few questions ; and Mona, smiling faintly, told him she would soon be all right again.

When the doctor left the room, he motioned to Lady Dalrymple and her husband to follow him. When they were in the hall, he said :

" Miss Mona is very weak—thor-. oughly ran down. I advise you to take her away at once ; she needs change of air. Can you be ready to go early next week ? " he asked, looking at Lady Dalrymple.

" Yes. Where do you think we had better go ? " asked her ladyship.

" Take her to Brighton and let hei have plenty of lively campanionship," he replied. Then, promising to call again in the morning, he de« parted.

Lady Dalrymple looked at her husband.

" You need not come with us. I'm sure you don't care to be away it the shooting season."

" But you will feel lonely without me," he said, but conscious that he did not wish to miss the shooting.

"We shall manage nicely, and 1 don't suppose we need be away above a month," said Lady Dalrymple.

" Then, I will take you to Brighton and leave you, and as I pass through London on my return I can attend to a matter of business," he said, wondering what his wife would have said if she had known that the business meant seeing a detective. The next morning Mr. Dalrymple rode into Wittonbury, and the first thing that met his eye was a huge poster, so clean as to suggest that it had just left the printer's hands. In bold type was printed the following announcement: " Stolen from the Hollies during Wednesday night a large parchment envelope containing papers. The said envelope is discoloured with age. Any one giving information that will lead to its recovery will be paid twenty pounds. All- information tc be given to Miss Holmes, the Hoi" lies."

Mr. Dalrymple had checked his horse as he read it, and as he finished he saw that Mr. Millburn, the superintendent of police, was . standing near, reading it with an evident air of enjoyment.

" That's a queer advertisement," said Mr. Dalrymple, with difficulty controlling his voice.

" Very. Miss Holmes came to me last night, and asked me to trace these papers ; but as she wouldn't tell me a word more than the advertisement contains, I declined, so she has had these posters put up. Trust a woman not to be beaten," replied the superintendent.

" It's a queer advertisement," repeated Mr. Dalrymhle. Then, as he rode on he speculated who had stolen the papers in order to send them to him. Miss Holmes had been his father's housekeeper, and the papers had evidently been confided to hei care ; and whoever had stolen then? knew he, Richard Dalrymple, wag really Lionel Hudspith. But why had the thief not taken Miss Holmes into his confidence, as she would, he felt sure, be glad to pass them intc the right hands ? It was a mystery, and he decided not to -take any action in the matter until he had consulted a detective. The papers were his and he . should keep them. Whether he took Miss Holmes intc his confidence depended upon the advice he received.

CHAPTER XXIV. MR. JONES. Mr. Dalrymple was seated in the detective's private room. He hac made inquiries and learned that Mr. Hughes stood at the head of his profession. In fact, from what he heard, there was not a private detective anywhere approaching him in capability. Scotland Yard had given up one or two cases that he had succeeded in unravelling, and as one oJ the foremost lawyers in London had told Mr. Dalrymple, " Hughes was born a detective."

" You say this is a complicated case," said Mr. Hughes, looking at his client.

The detective was a man of medium size, of neat build, clear-cut features, and keen grey eyes; "Yes. I should say you were an infant when the first act took placeover thirty-eight years ago." The detective smiled. " I was two years old then, and. of course, did not read the papers, if your case was one that appeared iv them." "It did. It was widely reported and discussed. If you read these pa pers they will enlighten you as tc what took place then," said Mr. Dalrymple handing to the detective som? paper cuttings which had years age been obtained by Mr. Hcsketh, th( Australian who had made him hit heir. Twenty minutes passed, durinr which the detective read the papers. evidently absorbed in their contents and Mr. Dalrymple tried to fix his attention on the daily paper. " A strange case," said Mr. Hughes laying the papers down and looking at his companion. (To be Continued.)