A STEP IN THE DARK

Otago Witness, Issue 2996, 16 August 1911, Page 70

A STEP IN THE DARK

By RALPH RODD, °L"4 Marrf ag« by Capture," . ihe Hand on the Strings," "An Interfering Englishman," "A Velvet Knave," etc., etc.

the novelist.

[PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT.]

[Copyright.] § CHAPTER XIX. UY YARDLEY lay inert, and he gazed into two fathomless pools of still green water. Still as they were, they were they were none the less full of compelling vitality. A light i he had never seen in water before shone in them. It had for him irresistible magnetism. The sick man tried to turn his head j away, but those deep, green pools still followed him. Try as be would he could not get away from them; they were always just . before has eyes. Their pre- j sence caused him intense discomfort. I "Wbeer have you put the paper John , Hey wood gave you ? You must tell me where it is. Where have you hidden it? The paper John Hey wood gave you justbefore his death ?" J Yardley's crippled brain was working slowly. Still, green pools do not ask ' questions. Someone must be near at hand , —.someone who went on reiterating the ] same thing over and over again. \ The man re-opened his eyes. He had ! closed them in order to get away from | those compelling emerald depths. They ! were still there, yet now it dawned upon I him that he had made a mistake—a strange mistake. He had not been looking down ! into deep pools, but up into a pair of eyes which were bent close over him. | He was too ill ' to reason matters out clearly, so weak that which at

another time must have caused him eager speculation never even occurred to him. It did not strike him as strange that he should be lying there in bed : he never even wondered how long he had been there, what ailed him, or who was ministering to him. His brain had been asleep too long to recommence work at once. It, like his body, was very tired. The green eyes had gone. He was conscious of the sound of voices. They were hushed, yet he could hear them quite distinctly, only at first he was scarcely able to take in the significance of what they were saying.

“We shall have to wait until he is a little stronger. I always said you had done too much at him.”

It was a woman’s voice; had Yardley ■been less ill he might have recognised it. Even as it was, it seemed vaguely familiar. “ It is all very well saying that, Lilith” —the speaker was a man this time—‘‘but I had no doubt w© should find what we wanted for ourselves if the coast was clear. Besides, you mustn’t forget that he had threatened to employ a detective immediately. Why, when I found him he was at the telephone, perhaps for that y er y purpose. I only just got my blow in in time; I shudder to think what might have happened if he had not drunk his coffee.”

“ I suppose you were right,” the woman returned grudgingly—“ only, of course, it means delav.”

‘‘.Well, and if it does, what matter? It isn’t as though ho had a number of friends asking awkward questions. At any rate, we have managed very well so far. Now, how much longer do you want?”

The other considered for a moment

“Oh, a day or two should be enough! He should be quite lucid by then—lucid, but weak, you know. It is wonderful how amenable a man is when he is really weak and ill.”

“You scarcely found John Hey wood very amenable when you nursed him.” “Oh, Heywood was different: he was as clear-witted as you or I up to the last. And suspicious ! He made me taste everything. John Heywood was a very different subject from Gay Yardley.” “He was a wonderful fellow,” agreed Brown, the man of man aliases. “Of course, I shall always maintain that bs was outrageously selfish.” There was something reminiscent of Septimus Gentle in the plaintive tone. “I can never see why he should not have shared his good fortune with his old friend. It could not have done him any harm, since he was dying.” “ Miss Hermione Blakeney got at him before we did. I suppose she found him easier to influence,” she said shortly. “ And yet it seemed at one time as though the game were in our hands. When you found out that Heywood would only consent to place the papers in a stranger’s hand—a far-seeing man to the' last, —and when I managed to get from Lord Hardrow the name of the man they were sending- down ” “Oh, yes, we know all that!” Miss Lilith Brown interposed impatiently. “And you can’t say I didn’t do my part. I was only too ready to go myself and fetch Mr Yardley the moment John Heywood would see him, and I set Miss Blakeney searching through worthless papers to keep her quiet, never doubting that when once Yardley had been told Heywood’s secret you and I would find a way of pumping him.”

The other groaned. “To think that after such excellent scheming we should fail!” “It is too early to say that. When you and I thought the police were really it the Hermitage, of course we were bound to disappear; if only we’d known the truth we’d have stood our ground. Weil, anyway it was perfectly clear that Heywood had not had time for any conversation with Yardley before he died; he had only a moment in which to pass him a paper or anything of that sort while the light was out. John Heywcod guessed you’d be prying round somewhere. I searched the room afterwords just to make sure, ad I couldn’t find anything; then, before I had time to go down and start operations on Guv Yardley—l’d a grand tale ready for him—the wretched makebelieve police came and spoilt everything.” “ But you left Yardley and Miss Blakenev together.” “ Oh, come now, father, you can’t pretend that did any harm. We do know that Yardley rendered Miss Blakeuey no sendee, because if he had she would hardly have cut him in the way vou described, Really. it almost looks as though he had been trying to blackmail her already, while anyway I am quite sure that he has got what we want, and that we shall get it from him sooner or later.” ‘‘l’ve been butler here ever since he came back from abroad. I’ve even been to his rooms at the Temple, but I haven’t been able to find anything,” grumbled Brown.

“ Oh, I know yon have done vour best,” remarked the lady patronisingly. “Now, it is my turn again, and I am going to make my interesting patient tell me everything before long.” “ And what then? Mind, Lilith, I don’t hold with murder.” “Goodness me, I should think not indeed !” The woman was cleverer than her father. “As soon as ever I’ve got what I want Mr Yardley Avill have another relapse, and I shall send for a specialist—a genuine one this time—only before he comes I shall have been called away, and there will be another nurse in attendance on Mr Yardley. By the time she and the doctor pull their patient round you and I will be abroad. We can work our blackmail just as well from there, while Mr Yardley can send his detective round to Seymour terrace, and there will be nothing for him to find.”

“ Yes, that sounds all right—only I tell you, Lilith, the matter has gone on so long and has proved so difficult that I am beginning to lose faith. There’s young

O’Brian now; he may spoil everything at any moment.” “ Terence O’Brian—the boy Terry ! My dear dad, you do like putting up bogies. Terry is my admirer. He loved me as Miss Brown, the hostess at Seymour terrace, who tried to keep him from burning his fingers! I used to implore him not to play, for his mother’s sake. I used to tell him how ashamed I was of my position, that my true work was to tend the sick and smooth crumpled pillows. Such a good thing I put that touch in. It prevented him being too surprised when he found me nursing his friend. Now he considers that I have broken away from my father and his shady associates, and that I am struggling to earn an honest living and to do good at the same time. Pretty idea, isn’t it?”

The man on the bed had opened his eyes. He was staring at the ceiling. He had listened drowsily to all she had said, and had hardly grasped their meaning—only lie knew that those two were speaking of something discreditable. What really did arouse his interest a little was the mention of Terry’s name. When Terry came he would ask him to send those two away. A chair creaked.

“ Well, I only hope it’s as you say. It is about young o’Brian’s time, and so I’d better get away. It wouldn’t do for him to find me here; he’d hardly think I’d turned over a new leaf as well.”

And the door was opened and closed. By moving his head a little the sick man was able to see his nurse. She wore a neat grey dress, a big white apron, and a spotless cap. Everything about her was strangely familiar. He supposed that all sick nurses were much alike, only surely all of them had not such wonderful hair. Once, in the past which seemed so far away, he had seen hair like that—- “ living hair,” he had called it then, and the same idea came back to him now.

The nurse got up and came towards the bed. The man let his lids droop. He was watching her though he appeared to sleep. For an instant Nurse Lilith stood at .the foot of the bed, and she let her white hands rest on the rail. He had seen just such a woman stand like that before, only then her hands had rested on a wide oaken balustrade.

Cases are not unknown in which a cud den shock has done a sick man more good than harm. Guy Yardley suffered such a shock at that moment; it awoke his brain to sudden activity. This woman had stood like that at the head of the Hermitage staircase. He knew her now. She was the nurse from whom John Heywood had turned with such repulsion. And then Yardley became aware of the fact that someone had joined Nurse Lilith. It was Terry. The boy’s face was grave. It had lighted up for a moment when be had shaken hands with the woman, but the smile left his face as he turned to the bed.

“ He doesn’t look any better,” he said. “ Oh, but he is, really. I thought just now that he was conscious, • and spoke to him, but he went off into a doze again.” “ Poor old chap ! And he was always such a healthy beggar, Yardley. What did the doctor say?” “Doctor Wyatt-Ba.ll was most pleased with his improvement this morning.” “Must be easily pleased,” grumbled Terry. “ I say, don’t you think we had better have another opinion?” “ The doctor doesn’t think it necessary.”

“ I should have thought . the more opinions the better,” objected the other. But he was young, and he had immense respect for Nurse Lilith’s opinion. “Of course, I don’t want to interfere if you’re satisfied. You know much more about sick men than I do. Hullo, did you see that?” Nothing very startling had happened—only the patient had opened his eyes, and this time, instead of staring about him blankly, there was recognition in his glance. ‘‘l say, I believe he knows me!” The bov’a face was radiant but over Nurse Lilith’s had came a change. She had a hand on the other’s arm and said something low in his ear. He nodded.

“ Oh, of course—only natural.” Then he went and leaned over his friend. He had done so instinctively, yet now he was at a loss what to say. Poor old Guy was looking up at him with such pathetic, tired eyes. “ Well,' old chan.” Terry hazarded. “You are better. We’ll soon have you on your legs again. You must buck up. old man.” “Send her away. Send her out of the house.” Terry smiled. He didn’t In the least understand the art of professing to agree with a sick man's whims. “Oh. rubbish, old man. You mustn’t ffo and turn against vour best friends. You trust nurse and the doctor: they’ll pull you through.” He nodded his head wisely. “ Nurse Lilith has hardly left you night or day since you crocked up. You’re jollv luckv to have such a nurse.” The patient made no answer. He was very weary—only his eyes grew more troubled.

But Nurse Lilith was smiling—smiling triumphantly.

CHAPTER XX

Cuthbert Storr stooped and kissed the flower-like face turned up to his. “ Then you’re quite sure you won’t mind leaving England for all those years?” Madge nodded. “ Quite sure,” she said.

“ All right. That decides it.” The man leaned his arms on the mantelshelf and he looked down at his wife smilingly. “ I am to see the Prime Minister this afternoon, the King to-morrow. You have got to rack your brains as to what title you will condescend to use. It is rather a bore to have to change one's name, isn’t it?” Ho pretended to look discontented. “ But, of course, it would never do for a Viceroy to be anything as humble as a baronet; we have to impress the natives with our semi-regal dignity ! You

must make up your mind what it is to be.” He laughed boyishly,®* Madge had seldom seen him so excited. “ Get a sheet of paper, pen and ink, and practise like the heroines in the old-fashioned story books. They always did, you know, when they were going to change their name. Begin at the top—Madge Blakeney — Madge Storr—Lady Storr—The Countess of . There, I have given you quite a morning’s work, and you’ll have such a lot of wardrobe-planning to do.” Madge pouted. ‘‘You talk as though I were a frivolous little girl! I don’t believe our predecessors ever wasted time over such rub-

bish.” “ I don’t suppose they did. Poor old Karslake !” All the laughter had left Cuthbert Storr’s ; face. ‘‘That is the worst of the game,” he went on, “ one is always stepping into another’s shoes.” ! “ Perhaps Lord Karslake is tired of being a Viceroy. The papers say his health has broken down.” j Madge’s husband shrugged his shoulders.- ! “ Oh, they’re bound to say that. It would never do for them to give the real j reason. Karslake is as keen on the work 1 as ever he was. It is his son we have . got to thank for all this.”

“Well, then, I think it is grossly unfair ” —-Outhbert Storr had rarely heard Madge speak with so much vehemence. “It was Lord Karslake who was Viceroy, not his wretched son. It is too hard that a man should be punished for the faults of his family.” The other nodded sympathetically. “ Hard, but inevitable.’’ “I don’t agree with you a bit,” the girl returned hotly. “If I w r ere Lord Karslake I wouldn’t retire just because my son had behaved abominably.” “No? And I blame him for not having done so sooner. I admit that for an ordinary Cabinet Minister to throw up public life because his eon has brought disgrace on his family may be unneces-

sary, but when a man holds such a position as Karslake has done, the case is different. It is simply impossible for any man to retain the respect of ignorant Orientals while agitators can go round

telling the people with perfect truth that their viceroy’s son is a thief, or his wife an abandoned woman.” He broke off abruptly. ‘‘There now, I’ve made you look quite grave. If I go on impressing you with the awful responsibilities of our new position I shall lose my butterfly wife, and she is such a precious little butterfly!” She opened her lips as though to speak. It was in her heart to tell him everything, and then because'she loved him so she stopped. If Cuthbert knew that his wife’s good name might be blasted' at any moment he would not Jove her less, _ but he would assuredly ask the Prime Minister to find another successor for the unfortunate Karslake. And then the door opened to admit Hardrow.

His Lordship made a great show of besi- , fating on the threshold, i “I am afraid I am interrupting a very important ” I ‘‘Cabinet meeting, my dear .fellow !_ It ■ is at an end, and you are just in time j to give Madge the benefit of your advice upon sundry weighty questions.” Storr had reached the door, he pushed the other into the room, and as he paused ! his eyes were twinkling. “ I could hardly ; provide her with a better mentor, and, at the same time, conceal my own lamentable ignorance.” And then he was gone. “ The ‘man of the moment’ is in high spirits,” Hardrow said quite genially. “I am really not surprised; the gods smile. He drew off a perfectly-fitting suede glove, glanced at his tie in the glass, and then , sat down. “You have doubtless read the article in The Times this morning?’ 1 “No,” the girl said dully. “Ah' hut you must.’ He waved a plump forefinger at her. “ Eulogistic, yet in excellent taste. The Thunderer approves of Storr as a shining example of British integrity, unimpeachable honour, and all the other virtues. It also makes j a very graceful allusion to yourself. Madge bent over the sheet of paper Outhbert had laughingly placed before her. She knew quite well why her visitor was adopting this tone. He wanted to show her what she and Cuthbert had to lose should her secret become public. _ m I “I wot your letter this morning, the ' man went on in his suave voice, “ but really, my dear Madge, I failed to underi stand it.” • She turned towards him. 1 “ What was there in the letter you couldn’t understand? { Lord Hardrow used a snowy handkerj chief very deliberately. He knew the value of keeping an opponent on tenter “A straight question which calls for a straight answer. Well, in the first I do not understand what can have ha.'p- ■ pened to alter the state of affairs so greatly as to cause your letter. “ Nothing has happened.” He looked relieved. “ And yet you command me to release Hermione from her engagement? Really. Madge vou will have to be more explicit. “ Hermione promised to marry you for m - sake. Well, now I am ashamed of my selfishness, and I have made up my mind that she shan’t make this final sacrifice. I That last word touched him; she saw him frown slightly. _ jf “You are scarcely complimentary'. “ What do yon or I care about compliments?” she flashed out at him, and each moment she felt her hatred of this man growing. It gave her courage. Before her visit to GiUihgford Castle, before she had discovered what lay in the secret drawer of his writing-desk, she had merely disliked Hardrow, had laughed at his many affections. Now she knew the man in his true colours. He had professed to be a friend —her friend and Hermione’s friend! Ho was unscrupulous, contemptible ! Leading them to believe that he desired nothing so much as to end John Heywood’s persecution, he had stepped

into his place. It was ho who was the blackmailer now. The money he paofessed to lend his old friend’s daughters was merely filtering back into his own pockets. He had accused an innocent man of the crime of which he was himself guilty, and all that he might retain his hold oVer He'rmione.” “It is enough that it is a sacrifice for a woman to marry a man she does not love.”

“We cannot all be as fortunate as you and Storr,” he sneered. “Hermione is not an impressionable girl; I shall make her happy if only you will leave us alone.” “But I won’t. I’m not going to let you marry her!” He raised his brows. “Then you mean that you are going to tell Storr everything?” _ There w r as no mistaking the threat. If once she declared herself his antagonist then he would keep her secret no longer. Already the dangers of the position were comins' hack to her. It was not as easy to fight this man as she had imagined it would be. She dare not tell him how much she knew, lest he should find means of disproving her story, he was so much more clever than she was, so much more unscrupulous. “No.”

“Then I am afraid you will have to do—that is, if you are determined to interfere between Hermione and me. It is a pity for I am afraid it will be a sad shock for Storr to learn that his innocent young “You know it isn’t true.”

He shrugged his shoulders. ‘‘l know that the evidence of its truth was so overwhelming that you and Hermione were willing to , pay large sums of money in' order to prevent it reaching your husband’s ears. It is a disagreeable tale to have to tell, and it hangs so well together.” He knew that he must frighten her, her open rebellion had startled him. He* was determined that she should not hinder his marriage, no matter how base the means , he might have to take to quell her. “You can hardly have forgotten the story. Madge Blakeney, always a wilful little girl, had a violent friendship with a decidedly rapid parvenu family of whom her father did not approve.” “I thought it was just the dads oldfashioned prejudice. I hated the way the county treated. Stella Duvine, just because she had been on the stage, and because her husbad had made his fortune instead of inheriting it.” Hardrow took no notice of the interruption. , , , “Our young friend saw a good deal more of the Duvines than her father or her sister had any idea of, and that is how she came to meet John He3 r wood, as choice a blackguard as .ever walked.” - - “How was X to knew?” the girl broke Lord Hardrow shrugged his shoulders. “The two got very friendly,” he went on smoothly, “and used to go off for cycle rides together—bicycles were the mode that year, you renumiber, — and one of these excursions was a very long one, wasn’t it? Unfortunately, the machine broke down—such a time-honoured excuse !—and the result was that ‘Mr and Mrs John Hey wood’ had to spend the night at a lonely inn near the little village of Craigentour.” “I never dreamed that he had dared to pretend that we were married.” “No? Well, anyway, the entry in the visitors’ book was clear enough, and the inn people had no reason to doubt its truth. They never knew that you flew into a passion upon learning what Heywood had done, or that you obtained shelter with a convenient old lady who, according to you, happened to he staying in the inn at the time.” “It is true. You know that it is true.” “Oh, I never contradict a woman; I only say that it is unfortunate that your accommodating old friend had not entered her name in the visitors’ list, and that all attempts to trade her have failed. The ver-"- next morning you left without enlightening the inn people as to the true state of affairs, and you went home and let . your father and Hermione believe that you had been staying with the Duvines. It was not until you were married to Storr, and John Heywood had commenced his system of blackmail, that you thought -out this very plausible explanation.” “I did not think it out. I just told the truth. Hermione believed me, and you professed to do.” His smile was maddening in its malicious scepticism. “Dear Madge we all had such faith in your story that we paid John Heywood to keep his mouth shut. Even in those days I mean to marry Hermione, and it would pot liave suited me then, any more than it would now, to have such a scandal attached to my wife’s sister. I paid money for my own sake, and for Ilea’s, but neyer for yours. Don’t you see that if you prevent my marriage there will no longer he any reason for my silence? Apparently you have made up your mind that you have no further need of me as your friend; that being the case, you can hardly blaino me if I Jay the whole matter before fhtorr, and let him refund the money I have advanced in order to shield his wife’s gfrod name.” She T/as racking her brains for an answor. It would .not help her at all to prove that this man had been playing a false part all the time. That might prevent Hermione’s marriage, but it would not Save Cnthbert from a public scandal. If she accused Hardrow of having himself blackmailed her she would only the more surely drive him to publish his hateful story abroad. Ho waited for her answer; then, since none came, he went on. “Of course, we hoped that with Heywood’s death the trouble would end; apparently we were too sanguine. The page from the visitors’ book, with the letter from the landlady returning the bracelet you k)ft in your haste to ‘Mrs John Heywood, care J. Duvine, Esq.,’ has now passed into Cluy Yardley’s hands, and he has aJre’wlj' shown himself quite as ready

to use them for the purpose of extorting money as John Hey wood was. Well, now we’ve bad our little chat, and you must just think the matter over. Do nothing rash, my dear Madge. Do not betray the secret we have guarded so zealously unless you are prepared: to ruin your husband’s career, for, mark me, when the world hears.your story it .will not be as ready as Hermione was to believe in your innocence.” Again the man waited for her to speak. Then; since she never even looked np, he got to his feet slowly. At that moment Lord Hardrow felt very certain of victory, so certain that instead of attempting to argue further he picked up his gloves and left the room. (To be continued.)