A Coil of Rope

Taranaki Daily News, 9 December 1931, Page 10

A Coil of Rope

(Bp

Frank Gilbert)

CHAPTER I. — (Continued.) “There’s one little private mattei •n which I should value your help •nd advice, sir.” “And what is that?” asked Hampden. "You know that if I can ever help you in any way, I do so gladly.” 'For reply, Eric took from his at-ttohe-case the coil of rope. “This reached me this morning,” tie, said. “I found it tied to my front Moor.” He glanced up at Hampden’s face, ft had suddenly gone pale and into those eyes, usually so kind, there •wept a look of terror. CHAPTER 11. In a stupefied amazement Eric Watched .the terrified look spread over life older man’s face, and then, as Hampden regained control of his . feelings, it gradually withdrew, and his features almost resumed their •Mirai aspect. .' Hampden was- about- to speak 'to Drib' when • there came a knock, at /the .door,. r and almost involuntarily, both- meh called out: ' “Goptie in !” ' -The ' door opened, and' with- an apologetic- air for disturbing her employers, Miss Waters entered andan■iduhqed-’/ . -•'■“I am sorry to disturb you, but all the-' ‘Other; gentlemenv have arrived, •nd it is two minutes past, twelve 1” . ..“Oh, thank you!” responded HampMin. ■ “We ■ will come now 1” . < Miss:- Waters, taking a searching , glance around the office, stood at the Moorway to permit the two men to ‘ pas's. Swiftly Eric closed his ; at-tache-case, but -not before the • sharp •yes of the lady'secretary had observed the rope coiled up therein. ‘ As he passed her, following Hampden, Brio caught a very curious .expression In her eyes. He would have found it very hard, if not .impossible, to . describe, or analyse that ■ expression, but nevertheless, it gave him an uneasy feeling, following as it did so quickly after, the two strange incidents of that morning. • As has been remarked, the company was based on war-time acquaintanceships, and the names of Eric’s 'colleagues should be mentioned. On the chairman’s right sat Stanley K. Paton; a breezy American who had been attached .to Eric’s battalion for special service and training. On Paton’s right was Arnold Wells, a big fellow with a scar hear his left eye,' caused' by a' bit of shrapnel. ' ' . . ■ The Board sat at a round table, and

next to Wells was John Rushton, whose chief interest was a profound study of foreign stamps. 'There were three others present —Ronald Keith, a mining engineer, whose experience and advice had frequently been of service to the Company ; Leslie Webb, the latest recruit,’' whose hobby, it should be added, was criminology; and finally the secretary, quite a youngster. . • The business of the Board proceeded slowly, for there was much to .review and discuss. After a while, Eric, finding he hail left a certain document on .his desk, passed from the Board Ro<An to his office to retrieve it. As he entered his room he was surprised to see Miss Waters sitting on his swivel chair, speaking into the tele- . phone. He heard her say: ’ “Thev are all here to-day. The meeting" has just begun. Yes. I saw when she caught sight oi her employer. Hurriedly she altered her tone and ' «eld: “He is engaged now, lam afraid, but I will tell him'you called up. Go-od-bye!” She hung up the receiver, and looking up, feigned surprise as Eric bent over her. “Who was that?” he demanded. “Mr Cresswell!” she replied glibly. **l told him you were engaged.” He looked sternly and keenly at her, but hot by the flicker of an eye- • lid did he betray that he knew she was lying. But nevertheless she knew he ;knew. “All right!” he said, curtly, adding, "f want that double sheet statement about the factory liquidation.” She . searched’ among the papers on his desk and found the missing document. . ; He took it with a brief word of thanks, and considerably intrigued’by her behaviour, returned to the Board Room. As the meeting proceeded he had no time for his private thoughts, for his position as Managing Director demanded that he had something to gay or explain on every project discussed, and to-day their whole fate, asa- ■' Company, was in the balance. It was not a pleasant task he undertook that morning, and they were all glad when ' the luncheon interval arrived, affording an opportunity for cheery conversation, such as they enjoyed as messmates In the old war days. As they sat smoking over their coffee, Paton remarked in his usual breezy style. “I say, everyone! I hope you have all remembered that you are my guests over We shall have a jolly party at Woodside. Mary expects you all down before tea on Christmas Eve!" Followed a chorus of acceptances. "You’re coming too, sir, I hope asked Paton of Hampden, adding “and you will bring IMiss Pauline without a . doubt?" „ "Yes,” responded Hampden. We ! are looking forward to it very much. . - It is most kind of you to ask us. ... After lunch they resumed their meeting, and listened to a long statement from Hampden in explanation of his policy. • "Gentlemen,” he concluded, not without emotion, “it is because. I am driven to it that I recommend that we accept the •offer made by the Group I have mentioned. I am an old man, and I feel that my fighting days ye over vet If I thought it worth while now I would fight to the end. For you, all young men, it may be that you would , rather fight this opposition. I would be with you if I thought it were of any but it is not the first time I have seen organisations bigger than ours crushed and sucked under by a ruthless rival. The great thing for auooess in business is to know when io go on and when to give up. These iast years I have always urged a proSessive policy. Now I feel we must Xe in. ‘ It hurts me more than I care to admit to say these words, but I know that-most of you have other Km in’the fire,’ and to none of us ES? the absorption of the Company

(spell ruin. We will even get some•thing of a consideration for our interests, and although we are forced to (relinquish our directorships in the Company, we have built up together, fthere is no reason that at the right smoment we should not make a fresh {start.” ; He paused, and seemed overwhelmed with emotion.

■ There was silence until Paton, sumlying up their feelings generally, reSnarked quietly: ' "Well, sir, I guess you’re right. It is sure bad luck, but it certainly is an tn know when. ypu are beaten.

How exactly we have failed, is still a bit of a mystery, but we do feel that no one here is. to blame. Our good Chairman has told us all he knows. Eric Croft, our Managing Director has worked like a white man all the years we have known him. But as in that Spring of 1918, we had to retreat, later to gain the victory, so today we must retire, and do not forget that one day there will come to us the call to start afresh. May we be ready then, “ is the advice I would like to offer.” It was obvious from the murmurs of approval that Paton had struck the right note, and-then a silence fell. Hampden went, on, a few moments later, with the remaining business, and soon it was all over. Hampden was entrusted with the task of coni" pleting matters. This was their last meeting, and there were tears in his eyes as he bade each man good-bye. He excused himself from staying to the private talk to which Eric had looked forward during the afternoon, oh the grounds that he had some special business to transact -hat •afternoon. But as he shook hands with Eric he murmured two. words: “Courage, laddie!" . He passed- down stairs from the board room, ■ and • Eric was busily occupied for a few minutes. Then, glancing up, he saw Webb -coming up the stairs again. More t'o forget his anxieties thap anything else, he said casually to Webb: "Any specially interesting cases lately, old man?” “No,” replied Webb. “Things are quiet in crime circles just at present, although to me such silence is always ominous. It has been the experience of most students of that I have had the fortune to meet, that after a quiet period there always comes a series of outbreaks, many of them alarming in their cunning and brutality. For example, the Cat burglar series came after a time of comparative cairn; . “It’s really a question of ‘waves,’ and, for my partI am definitely of the opinion that another ‘wave’ is now due.” “Really?” asked Eric. “Are you by any chance a believer in omens? I mean, is there a type of criminal who gives warning of J has intention to commit a certain .crime ?" , “Oh. yes,” answered Webb, and although, his glance..at Eric was . only apparently that of ordinary courteous •interest, yet the’trained eye studied the other’s every movement. But he did not reveal what he discerned m Eric’s mind. • •, “It’s a well known ‘kink’ in a certain type' of criminal mind to send some kind of warning to his intended victim.. It’s really vanity, I suppose, md yet I-ought to add that very often he type of . criminal . is one of the nos.t dangerous of < all,” continued. ,Vebb. . ' “Why?" asked Eric, interested in spite of himself.. . . • - “Because the person, who receives the warning gets .nervy and'jumpy, and "sometimes especially wary, with me result that the criminal is put on his 'mettle and has to’resort to unusual ' methods to achieve his ends.’,’ Eric lit ,'a Cigarette, and then remarked, as he thought, .rather casually; .. ... - “I- suppose it must be a bit unsettling to get suddenly a hint that your life isn’t as safe as you had. imagined it to be? Webb had, however, detected a note of assumed carelessness in Eric s voice, underlying-anxiety, so he replied gravely: "Well, there’s always Scotland Yard • where one Can get special protection if a need arises for it suddenly. That is both the right and the privilege of every citizen, and.it is never refused.” Eric forced a laugh, and after' a jest or two, i to hide his real feelings, he pleaded work and the two parted. Alone in his sanctum, Eric lay thoughtfully back in his chair, and tried to imagine whoever could desire to warn him of an intention to harm him. So far as he knew he had no enemies. He fell to thinking of Mary Waters. She was, he admitted, something of an enigma. He recalled his first meeting with her. It had, happened in rather a- curious way. He was waitin? on the platform of Oxford Circus Tube Station, intending to get into a westbound train. A girl, chancing to pass him by at the moment he was laughing at a joke in “.Punch,” caught his eye.' She caught the same train as he. did, and alighted, with him, at Lancaster Gate Station. t They found themselves the only persons in an upward bound lift, and when it reached the top the gates did not immediately open as usual. ' So he called loudly for the liftman Who did not, at once, respond. The two naturally began to converse, and when they were released from the. lift a couple of minutes later, they continued the conversation, on'ordinary and everyday topics, outside the station. A week later she called, at his office, in search of employment.-He had casually mentioned at his usual restaurant, in the hearing nf a number of’ other business men, that his secretary was’ leaving. He certainly had never spoken to the girl herself about work, and was surprised when she called. She told him that she had been well trained, but was nearing the end of her resources after a spell of unemployment. He believed her, liked her frankness, and engaged her. Looking back at the months during which she had been employed by him, he remembered now one or two rather curious things about her. For instance she had never actually told him where she lived, and although her wages were quite good, it was obvious to even his untrained eye that what she earned in the office could not pay for the excellent clothes she invariably wore. ■More than ever, especially after the incident of the telephone conversation that morning, he was convinced she jvas a “dark horse.” (To h. uantlnuedJ