CHAPTER XVII.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 1350, 12 June 1907, Page 6

CHAPTER XVII.

The man who was sleeping the sleep of the stunned had left the garden gate unlocked, and the three marauders walked out with easy confidence. Following Medhurst's lead, they crossed the road to the nearest cab-stand. In a four-wheeler they drove up the hill towards Hampstead, where Medhurst paid the man his fare and , dismissed him. He had not even allowed either of his companions to speak up to now, and carefully looking about' him, he motioned them to walk down a side street.

" You see, sir," he said when the cabman was out of hearing, "it is eomewhai difficult to know where we had better go. 'If we could get to Clapham, my mother might look' after this young

' The difficulty of what to do with Miss 'Rentoul had already occurred to Strangways, but he had as yet found no solution. Clearly they wanted a chaperon of some sort. Medhurst's view of the matter was somewhat different. He wanted some one to keep an eye on her.

Miss Rentoul herself saved the problem.

"Take me to Esther Elders' flat," she said. " I have the address, and she told me I could call there at any time. They are all late sitters, and somebody is sure to be up." She was tpo frightened to suggest going back to her own rooms.

Miss Esther Elders was, one of the ladies of the twentieth century, with a will of her own and a determination to make herself useful in the world. She occupied, in partnership with a friend who was an artist, a pretty little flat at the north end of Hampstead Heath, and when Miss Elders was not at home, the other lady was sure to be there. Her friendship with Lady Violet had begun when they were both completing their education on the Continent — she the daughter of a well-connected rector who died early in life, with charges for dilapidations on his big country rectory heavy enough to ruin a whole family ; and Lady Violet the daughter of an English peer, who found it necessary to economise in his daughter's education. A fast friendship had grown up between them, hence the invitation from Lady Violet to spend a month in their country seat in the north. The railway accident had rudely interrupted this arrangement, but it was understood that they would proceed together, after spending a week or two at The Gappe in order that the. Duchess could thoroughly recover her shattered nerves.

It was with some astonishment, therefore, that Strangways, on ringing at the flat, found himself faced with Miss Esther Elders instead of the lady artist. " Come in, all of you," she. cried gaily. ' ' Rennie, I have been expecting you in particular. I came up to-night and was going to sit up for you until you came. I knew you would come sooner or later."

The two men and Miss Rentoul were bustled into the daintily-furnished little sitting-room, which they almost filled, and Strangways was endeavouring to explain in a confused mass of words what had occurred, when Esther, rushing past him, caught Miss Rentoul just as she was falling.

" What on earth have you been doing with the girl?" she asked. " I suppose she has rushed about without proper rest and food, and here she is in a state of utter collapse. Alice, just help me to carry her into my room, and then if she does not pull round, I shall have to ask Mr. Strangways to fetch a doctor."

A dainty little lady, the counterpart of the fiat, who had been touching up some drawings in a little studio to the right, and who, hearing that the visitors were Esther's, had discreetly remained in the background until called, bustled in. Without waiting for introductions, they carried Miss Rentoul between them to the inner room, and leaving the two ladies with her, Strangways plumped down in one of the little chairs. Medhurst sat on the corner of another, with a general air of doubt and uncertainty ns to whether the ohair ought to ,hold him or he the chair.

" Well, and what's our next move now?" asked Strangways awkwardly.

' Medhurst shook his head and waited a while before he spoke. " I suppose we cannot stop here," he said, " but I don't like the idea of leaving the lady. This is going to be a wild night. Whenj those people discover she has gone, of j course the first place thej will go to will be where she has been in the habit of stopping in London, and as «he seems a friend of this lady's, they are pretty certain to be somewhere in this neighbourhood before long. 1 ' " You may calm yourself on that, for she never saw Miss Elders until they met near my house. How on earth they came to strike up such a close friendship in those two or three days passes my imagination. I left Miss Elders at I The Gappe, expecting her to remain I with the Duchess and Lady Violet, and 1 here she is missing the chance of a holi- [ day in a fine country house, in order to j rush back to town and look after thisj stranger whom she had never seen a fortnight ago. The ways of women are incomprehensible." " And some women are clover enough to make friends when they need them," added Medhurst drily. "Now look here, Medhurst, surely what we have seen to-night ought to calm your suspicions about .that girl. I see you still have a notion that she is as bad as the rest ; but if she were one of the gang, why the deuce need they bind and gag her?" "She had turned soft-hearted, and they had to do something till they made up their minds which -way to turn. If we want to catch them, believe me, sir, the best thing we can do is to use this young lady as a decoy, The first thing they have to do is to find her, and in that attempt there is a good chance that they will put us in the way of finding them, but I want to discover a bit more about them first." " I hope you gentlemen are helping yourselves to whatever refreshments you can get there, but I am afraid Burgundy is about the most potent liquor you will find," said 'Miss Elders, putting her head out of -the bedroom door. " You will be glad to know/ she added, coming, back to the sitting-room after a while and softly closing the door behind her, " that there is nothing very serious the matter with Miss Rentoul ; she has s^nply broken down and wants a sleep. And now can you give me some coherent account of what all this is about. Why are - you two here, and where is that stupid man Theodore Beeton?" " Beeton, why, bless my life, I had forgotten all about him," said Strangways. "Why, the demented oreature must be splashing about in the English Channel by this time, trying to swim to America, if he has not caujftit a boat." " Caught a^boatP )Do you mean to say you have allowed that man to go back to America without " " Without Miss Rentoul : well, as Miss Rentoul showed no inclination to stay with him, I do not ace I could very well prevent it. Besides, they both left my house without very much ceremony, and I think I may claim that they have taken themselves off my hands." x " Then what are jjrou doing with Miss Rentoul on your hands,?" (To be continued.)