CHAPTER XIII.—OVERTAKEN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2603, 3 February 1904, Page 60

CHAPTER XIII.— OVERTAKEN.

Mr LuttrellV shrewdness and cleverness as a plotter was never more manifest than in the arrangements he had made for ths journey of Sir Nigel and Helen to the little Cornish cottage in the neighbourhood of Tredennis Point. That if he suggested that Abbas should travel with them, it would give rise to the suspicion that they were uncle* espionage, and, perhaps, lead to a refusal upon their part to go at all until they had had legal advice, was a fact which he fully realised ; and yet it was absolutely imperative that his son should be on the ground as soon as, if not sooner, than they were, in order to keep a close watch upon their movements, and to intercept any letters they might write to the baronet's solicitors. He therefore, as has been shown, adopted the plan of letting Sir Nigel and Helen travel alone, and of having Abbas follow them with the luggage ; but — and here the craft of the man showed itself distinctly — he chose for them a roundabout journey in a low train, with frequent changes and long waits at out-of-the-way places, whilst Abbas was sent by the shortest possible route and the swiftest available means.

The result of all this manoeuvring was that Abbas outstripped them, and had! ample time t< marshal his forces and to interview old Margery Millet and her daughter Betty before they arrived upon the scene.

The day had burnt itself out, and the sun was going down in an oriflamme of rose and gold and royal purple when Sir Nigel and Helen alighted at last at the little out-of-the-way station of Penvarney — whence there was a long drive to be faced before Lonewood Cottage was reached — and found, to their surprise and discomfort, that there was no vehicle in, waiting for then: and nobody to meet them.

"This is what I call a right down scurvy trick, Helen," mid Sir Nigel angrily, when the state of affairs was revealed to him. "Not content with putting us into trains that travel at a snail's pace- and -wearying ur, half to death with, su all-dajy's iournev A

the ftllovv has failed to wire on to the cottage to have us met, and we shall probably have to wait here for hours through his blundering stupidity." '•Thing* by their light names, dad. dear; I don't believe it is a ca&e of blundering at all," returned Helen. "I believe it is all a part of a verj- well-arranged plan to prevent our getting on the ground before everything lias been planned to receive us, and if I were addicted to betting I shouldn't mind wagering you a pair of gloves that a vehicle of some description will put in an appearance before long, and ilr Abbas Luttrell with it. And now, if you ple?se, tvon't you try to get me a cup of tea (there's a refreshment place just opposite), for I am almost famished and in a very bad temper indeed. I want my cup of tea, and I shan't be pleasant to live at ith if I don't <iet it very soon. I don't care about patronising station tearooms as a rule, but it appears to be a ca--e of Hobfon's choice and — porter!"

"Your servant, mi's,."

'"If o vehicle should arrive and a dark man v, ith a very blight moustache should 1 make inquiries for Sir Nigel and Miss Forrester, kindly send him to the tearoom, and say that he will find us there. Come along, d^d, dear ; I can feel that bad temper rising, and nothing will drown it but a cup of hot tea."

Sir Nigel smiled — the idea of Helen being out of temper at any time amused him — and straightway led "her in quest of the desiied cup of comfort, conducting her into the dingy refreshment room, with its stacks of stale sandwiches standing under the inevitable glass covers on the nprrow countei ; its two tiny tables with canechairs and a varied array of chipped sugar basins, mustard pots and salt cellars, and the inevitable hot-water urn, with the inevitable dreary-faced female presiding over it with the dejected air of the chief mourner at a funeral.

The only other occupant of the room was a tall young man perched on a high seat before the counter, with a cup of tea and a mustard-pot in front of him, and a wedgeshaped ham sandwich in his hand.

His back was towards the door, and he was munching the leathery wedge with the slowness and the disinterestedness of one whose thoughts were elsewhere ; but at the sound of someone else entering the place, he turned, and met Helen's eyes fixed upon, him in a look of uttei incredulity.

His face lit up suddenly, and lie vras off the seat and across- the room in the twinkling of an eve

(To be continued.)