"SIR MORECAMBE'S MARRIAGE"

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13730, 20 August 1908, Page 6

"SIR MORECAMBE'S MARRIAGE"

(Published by Special Arrangement.) J

BY FLORENCE WARDEN, Author of "The House on the Marsh," etc., etc. [COPYRIGHT. 1 CTIAPTKK XXLII. i Pamela dashed into the dining-room, where prayers had .just been read hy Cotnstone, who hail now to act as head oi the hou&e. , There was an air oi excitement about her which told them, before a question had been asked, what the matter was which had brought her round to them ac this late hour. 'You've had news of Moreeambe! Is it good or bad:'" asked' Uuly Crake, in a trembling voice. "Good, I hope," said Pamela. "I vo seen him to-night, ami he's been arrested.'' "Arrested!" The three ladies uttered cries of distress, but Comstone spoke up in a ringing voice — "You're right, Pamela. It's good news," said he; "for as he never did any of these things they accuse him ot,' the sooner he's able to speak up for himself the sooner he will be cleared. She looked at him with earnest eyes. "That's what I'm hoping," she said. But Lady Crake could not take this comfort to her heart so easily. The accumulation of charges agaiiist her eldest son, the darling of her heart, had overwhelmed her, bewildered her ; and the doubts and dismay* which she perceived on some even of the friendly laces round her increased her distress and seduced her to a state of frenzied dread. It was in vain that Comstone, who had always opposed this idea of concealment, represented to her that all would be well in the long run, that the truth w° n M prevail and the creatures x who had borne false witness against him would be punished. Her sensitive nature had never before experienced such a shock as this, and she felt as if the earth had given way under her feet. The two girls, on the other hand, had been divided in mind, sometimes donbting with thoir mother, sometimes hoping with their brother, but always loyal and tendeY-hearted. and praying for the best. "If it's best for him .» give himself up now, why was it right for him to hide before?" asked Lady Crake reasonably enough. The tears came into Pamela's eyes.

"1 think I was wrong to advise him as i did," she said humbly. "But he has forgiven me, if there* was anything to forgive, so I hope you all will too." Comstone broke in earnestly — "Don't reproach yourself, Pamela. After all, things have advanced a little while he's been in hiding." "If you call it an advance for him to be accused of another murder," put in Olive, the younger daughter, who had always been inclined to take Comstone 's view.

Lady Crake shuddered. "Well, that means another crime on the part of Raggett," said Pamela, 'readily. "And it ought to be easier to bring a man to book when he's committed two crimes than when he's done only one." \

TThere was reason in this, and Olive did not contnue tfte argument.

Lady Crake could not, however, forget that most horrible thought that her darling son was in prison, that he had all the shame, the ignominy, of a trial to go through, and she wept quietly while the young people discussed the matter.

"When did they take him? How is it you heard ot it before us!*" she asked suddenly.

"He came to tho Orange," said Pamela.' "Morton, our chauifeur, saw him in the garden, and I heard them [talking and looked out of my window and came down."

"And how did the police get to know ho was there!''" asked Lilith.

Pamela hesitated. Hut the truth would have to come out, so she said — ■ "Morton gave information." A chorus of indignation broke out.

"Then who drove you here to-night r1"r 1 " asked Lady Crake, quickly. "He did," said Pamela, adding apologetically: "There was no one else." Hut the family could not accept this as sufficient explanation of her allowing the traitor to serve her again in any capacity, and Pamela noted a distinct access of cold reserve on the part ot everybody towards her, when, in the silence that followed her speech, they all heard the violent ringing of 111 a bell. The unexpected sound, coming at a moment when they were all in a state of extreme nervous tension, produced a sort of panic among the ladies. Pamela, indeed, who was getting used to shocks after her experiences of the evening, bore it without more sign of consternation than a quick movement of surprise. But Lady Crake uttered a scream, and the two girls, crying and Bobbhig, clung to each other, and looked into each other's face, foreseeing fresh tioubles of an unknown and appalling kind.

indeed, even Comstone and Pamela thought that the late arrival must bring had news oi' Morecamhe. Tliron«;h| the tnind of tin* mother them Hjinlicl horrihlo pictures of her son, maddened with despair, committing suicide in t he police cell into, which they would have put him. Comstono recovered the first from th»t consternation into which they were all thrown by the summons. "It's only some one come to tell us tin- news we've learnt already," sugKe.sled he, plausibly enough, as he went to the door. He left them in the. dining-room, nml closed the door behind him. Hut he had scarcely gone, half a dozen steps across the hall when all the ladies were startled by hearing him ufter a loud cry. For one moment there was a horrible pilule, none of them daring to open the door and look out. Then Pamela, recovering herself before tho others, sprang across the room, and turning to Lady Crake, said — "May I go out and see what it is?" Lady Crake assented by a hfntl of the head, and Pamela dashed open the door. The other ladies did not dare either to follow or even to look out after her, but huddled together in frightened silence, listening and waiting. A joyous cry from Pamela, however, gave them courage to Jook out. And to the intense joy and amazo[nienl of them all, they saw that she was in the arms of " Moreeambe. l/.uly Crake could scarcely believe her eyes. "Moree-mbe, Moreeambe! Ts ii yon, really, really you P" she cried in a'tre-

njulous voice, as Pamela, laughing and eryin" together, released him and stepped hack, trembling wiili excitement. • l • Sir Morecambe took his mother in ins arms. „ . , "Yes, mother, it's really 1, said

"But they said— Pamela said— and Lmlv Crake stood looking intently into his We, with her two hands lying on bis arms, as if she could not yet believe that it was indeed her son— -"thai you bad been"— she whispered the wonl

■-•■anvhted." . . Sir Moivcambo, who was in such ;i i Mato oi excitement that he ronM ' scarce) \ command hn> voice, nodded ;.s lv- stooped to kiss his mother. 4 •Quite true. So 1 was. ••lint- -now —aren't you freer 1 \ ■ Well, how is it? How? Mow?" •I do. it know," said he simpl.v. And then, amid a babel oi voices, lie turned Ironi one to ihv other kt.^iu«; his- sisters, shaking hands with Comstone, who was Incoherent, crazy wiili joy, and tried to answer them all ai once. ••All I can tell you is that 1 wh.s taken by tho policeman who arrested me below a magistrate, that 1 was then asked to wait while a lot ot whispering went on, and that then evenbody ottered me p roi use apologies,, said thai a mistake had been made, that the police had no evidence to oiler, and that, in short, I was free to go where 1 pleased. So, as you may imagine, 1 came here." Amidst all the heartfelt joy and excitement (>r his return. Sir and his lamil'y and Pamela all felt that there was something mysterious and uncanny about tho circumstances both ol his arrest and of his immediate release, and they conversed in whispers about it until' the small hours of the morning, when Pamela came out to take her seat for the return journey to the Change in the motor-car. Morton, who was trembling with the cold, burst into profuse apologies to Sir Moreeambe as soon as they met. The baronet was in a forgiving mood, however, and he only laughed. •'You were quite right, Morton.'' said he. "It was better that I should lind out at once all that there vru*. to be said and done to me. So ! can afford to be generous. And now." lie added, pointing to the back ot the car, 'you can take your seat inside, as I will drive Miss Herrick back to the Grange." "And now," said Sir Moreeambe in a low voice to Pamela, as he took his seat at the wheel, "we will have our second drive together, and you shall judge whether I've made any progress since I became a professional !" Through the frosty night air they drove, happy, excited, yet .not without a mysterious sense that there was still something vaguely terrible hanging over them, along the country road and lane,-, back to the Grange. The Herricks were overwhelmed with amazement at his return, so soon, a free man. And by the extent of their surpiso poor Sir Moreeambe was able to judge the extent to which they had doubted his innocence of the crimes laid to*his charge. He was too happy, however, in spite of his vague doubts, to quarrel with any one. And as he walked back to Crake Hall with Comstone, who had come to see that no fresh harm came to him on the way, the two brothers were so deeply conscious of a sense ol relief that the worst was over, that they could scarcely do more than ex/ change.au occasional incoherent word. (To be concluded.)

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