CHAPTER XXVII. (Continued.)

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 325, 15 December 1888, Page 5

CHAPTER XXVII. (Continued.)

'Wr.ix'r' ."aid the Lady Kathleen, in apparent haughty surprise. ' What is-, it you want ? Certainly there can be no necessity to aroube a lady at this hour. If you want; anything, you can apply to my steward, Mr Delaney.' . . 'My In — " began Delaney. timidly and anxiously. The officer interrupted the old steward. He was a man v»f seme education and ehtnacloi, nud had much of tho nathe Irish chivalry. The aspect, of tho lovely young creatuic, with her unbound hair and her »rear blue eyes, full ot min«led hangh- , tinesa and terror, appealed to his sense of gallantry. Moreover, the Connors of Bnllyconnor were one ot" the c,reai families of County Wicklow, with wealth and influence—qualities which he well knew how lo re.-.pect— and he had no desire to oflond the latest representative of the ancient house. ' JM v lady.' he said, ' we have received information th.»l a person known as Gentleman Bob, and under \arious other aliases, a fugitive convict from the penal colonies, i? living under your roof—" •YVhb says this?" demanded the Lady Kathleen. 'I do: declared Lame Bill, slopping forward. 'It's 1 that gave the information. There's a big rewaid out for him, and I've put in a claim for it. Gentleman Bob is living at Connor Ilall, under the uobbish name of Bassantyne.' The Lady Kathleen forced a smile. ' Mr Bassantyne is my husband,' she said, disdainfully. 'If you deshe to see him, Delaney will conduct you to hi? door.' * Is her not in your chambei f asked the officer. The Lady Kathleen's fair cheek? leddened. 'He is not," answered coidh. 'If you doubt my v ord. jon are at liberty to •ro through my rooms. Delaney, show him through. I The officer muttered something about the forms of the law, his respect for the Connors, and his disbelief in Lame Bill's story, but accepted the proftered guidance of Delaney. his aid following him. As he entered the sitting-room, Lame Bill made a movement also to iollow him. but the servants seized and held him, while he foamed and raxed, and threatened them with all the terrors of the law. The examination ot her ladyship's room 3 was brief. It was quite evident that Ba»funtyne was not concealed in them. The little piivate door by which he had escaped was discovered, and the officer examined its i fastening by the light of a candle. There were fresh finger marks ia the thick dust on the bolts and at sight of these the officer's face giev. gra\e. Someone had evident!) gone out by the i prh ate door recench . i The olHcer began to ghe ctedenee to j Lame Bill's story» which until now ho had j disbelie\ed. He examined the footprints, m I the duct on the stair*, «i:ul as he did *o hi^ newly-loi mul suspicion 0 -ti^ngthenpd. is became evident to him that this noble young hehe?s had been deluded into a marriage with a runaway con\icr, who had taken to flight on the approach of danger. He opened the private dooi and looked out, as Bassantyne had doiu. None of ln> aids were on that side of the house. Ba--bantyne was nowheie in «H_fhr 'This is a bad busine-^ "' he muitcitd. 'There is no doubt but that, the man ha-» lied. And iiisrht at .«ueh a time has a lvid look !' Old Delaney looked trruble'l and anxious. 'You think it's true, then, ho asked. ' Oh, my poor young lads ! My poor lad> !' 1 If he's innocent, how should he know we v, ere after him ":' a-ked the officer. ' It" he's innocent, why should he rij "' 1 must try to rind the fellow." He closed and secured the door and returned upstaiis to the Lady Kathleen's sit-ting-room. 'He is not in these rooms.' he said, briefly. ' J will go through the Hall.' Delaney offered to guide him, and did hO. Lame Bill was detained outside of the Lady Kathleen's door by the servants. until the unsuccessful search was completed, and the officer and his men took their departure to search the park and the valley. Lame Bill went with them, cursing their" stupidity and inefficiency, and renewing threat* to lepoifc them at headquarters. 5 The truth is," said the oiiicer in command, as he mounted and led the way to the park, 'if this fellow's story is tiue, Bassantyne was off hour* <i«o — at soon ns be discovered that the body he had hid in the hollow had disappeared. He is well mounted, and on his way to Dublin or Waterford." ' Then you should send a man to Wicklow, to 'telegraph in every direction.' .said Lame Bill, impatiently, ' unless you expect to make more by letting him escape 1' The officer replied tp this* speech only by directing one of his aids to make all haste to Wicklow, to repoit uon-iuccess, and to telegraph to all points to which the fugitive would be likely to make his way. And. then, aiousing himself to tho necessity of a fhow of zeal and diligence, the officer despatched two otheio of hi.s men to watch the passes at each end of the valley, and to prevent Bassantyne'a escape, if it had not already occurred. He had then but one man remaining, besides Lame Bill, but the latter was a fore in himself. The three scoured the park, examined the hollow in which Lame Bill had been hidden, and the latter told anew the story of his recognition of Bassantyne, but no trace of the fugitive was discovered. ' He has given us the slip,' said the officer at last. ' He's not at the Hall, nor in the park. Of course, he's not in the village. Ho has left the valley. There's only one chance lelt, If he hadn't got away by the time I sent the men to guard the mountain roads we may find him a prisoner. As we shall go back" by the south pass, we'll ride now to the north pass, and relieve our guard.' He rode back to the Hall, and out upon the valley road, galloping swiftly toward the mountains enclosing the valley on its northern side. His aid and Lame Bill followed him at equal speed. A ride of a couple of miles brought them to a point where the road wound ateeply through an elevated pass, and where it tvas bordered on one side by ascendinc cliffs, and on tho other by a steep precipice. Here, sitting hid horse like an old Roman sentinel, they found the policeman who had been ordered to guard that end of the valley.

'Seen anything of the fugitive?' demanded the officer, eagerly. ' Nothing, sir,' was the response. ' Theie's beon nobody 1 along 1 . I don't think the man went in tliis direction, but, if he did, he climbed the mountain, avoiding the road.' | Lame Bill almost gnashed his teeth, in his disappointment and rage. ! The officer expressed his regret; at Bas santyne's undoubted escape. 'But we've done the best we could,' he added. 'Fall in, my men. We're oft 1 to I Wicklow, to report failure- [ The four, including the road guard, set I out on their return throuerh the valley, riding rapidly. They passed Connor Hall, its parks and farm?, rode through the village of Ballyconnor, and ascended the narrow road that led through the mountains b\- what the officer hud termed ' the south par-s.' i ■ At) they approached the nanowest point ! of thN pass the officer looked through the j gioom anxiously, exclaiming : ; ' I don't .see Wall, I told him to be heie 1 ill this point, and to await our coming.' ' What's that on the ground ?' asked Lame Bill, peering ahead with strained ! gaze. * A man. as &vie as I live !' I Tie .sprang from his horse and itched toward the daik object he h.irt espied in the road, hoping to lind it the prostrate figure of his enemy. < The officer followed his example, leaping to the giuund. The light of a dark lantern was tin own upon the daik heap in the roadway, and the policemen uttered simultaneously a cry ot burpiise. 4 Tt's Wall '*' fjiii>d the officer. 'He if'liot in the arm, and must have tumbled off his hen^e. But. whcie is his horse Who shot him '! These queries weie an&weicd bj the wounded man himself, when a little cue and attention had % .c\ived him from his> uncon^ciousneso. ' What has happened to son :' demanded the otiiccr, as the policeman"* eyes opened. ■ Whom ha\c you been fighting with '.'' The wounded man aiose to his elbow. staring 1 wildly about him. "I don't know,' he answered. 'All 1 know is. I was waiting here, according to orders, when a man came running up the hill like Satan a-horscback. I called out to him, asking who he was-. And heansweied by bhooting me, w hich was all the answer he gave me, the ill-manneied hound ! And tho next thing I knew I didn't know nothing. 1 felt myself tumbling, and I fell in a heap on the ground. And the omadhaun has run away with my horse — ' * Wa» he a tall, big' man, with a long black beard V eagerly demanded Lame Bill. ' I'm thinking he wab taller and bigger nor a steeple/ said Wall, rubbing his head. ' But his beard was noi long — ' ' He's trimmed it, then," inteirupted Ca.s-sant-yne's enemy. ' Which \u\> did he go?' "To his own dominions. I'm thinking,' sair) Wall, struggling 1 to his feet. ' How could I see \\ ith no eyes to me head ? .And me in a taint swoon, total unconscious, with no wits about me. Is it a madman ye are 1 All 1 know is he came and he whit and he left with mo the contents of his pistol." v It will be easy to track him by the horse," ciied Lame Bill. 'We must telecrrapli for a man on such a horse, describing ir. 1 told \ou the fellow was a perfect desperado. Ti:i?» highway robbery and shooting of d policeman will ti\ his ca^e. You ran take Wall on w ith you to Wicklow. As for me. I 11 track the man like a bloodhound. Ton d ireier leave a man to watch my lady of t'onrur Hal. may go to her fine husband.' The oliicer, ainc now to the desperate rharaoter of Ba^anuyne, and sternly re»ol\cd upon hi-, captuie, bowed a^ent to tbcM .-.ug£e-*tionf>. Wall was taken up upon one of the hoi-^us of hi? companions, while Lame Bill, with the bloodtlur-tincf-«« of a -Jeuth-hound, =H j l out to fo'low the trail of fJa-«antyne.