CHAPTER XXI.- (Continued)

Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 13947, 30 April 1909, Page 1

CHAPTER XXI.- (Continued)

IN TIIE HOLIiOW OF HIS HAND

\(,:li .i will, ii "'inp.wnn- \'' ll(l1 '"• r " "' 1 i „. hni.U li.kl <•.'.' rl i<> -In! « ti"l ;l" !| |, , ( Ulu,l (\< liiiviuml «rt'- „ -<„.■!.. ,„>., id ;m-\ die in'!<-".' '-'-i- ;1(-;!; 1( - ; ! (n(l |,i .V IH(.I<- I'I.IIMDIS I.»Mi 1" „,„,, „,-rl ili.ui Mmt ol li'tunj; Idom. a ]„ MKl.i.ll 111.1111.H Oil .'» 'l<'tcll<-''!<'^ t;u . j,,. n ,H t.il" tA CWu Stui-K-MU1.1.-SS |„l<.slW l l» U«, ).«>« M-t told. )f Vn I-.UC til.- li' Milt I)C\(HI(1 <l')Hl.l, 11, „.,.« IH.hI. •"•lirwtcr will |''«\«* ,| ,rj ill,' u. n \\ nil Mi^ llanl< " s i.lMin-r «liuiu«. on lf> «lumb waiior out,,t,. 1,,. r «li.or. Tlkmv *M Irf* a -liarp , 'nc:i(l-knit< 1 upon it." t | ! Hi it will do." siiul Paul, ris/nc. { : „,11 „„ up tr. tho woft \wx\ii »')«' »n° '< „ t Tf After all it won't ho •in d< ni'-i. M''f ? 1^:«»' ( ' )l!1Vl> t0 SPl< "• ,1,.,!! I, Stur-W , „ . \V( 11 \on ni r !i:u<l!v fhcsort io rusli mi ft, h\ :»t)(l f-Hfft n rcM'lfc," ri- tlt<' .umslic rt pl\ . "I'-ut '1c «(»* l 'J *«• i Midi a lmriv I m"^ loconnoitrc frst. Hid «■(•«> il tlint imp. K:itu-. lias jioiK' to " \\ it'lT'l, hifh Iw iiidorkcd tlio lihnr> .1, in and slipp. 1 oul. !<•:!* in- In 1 ' M'tim 'to Itiac.' limiM'll sis l«-st lv- inijil't lor (he (iiiiniii oidfil. (To ho roiuumod.)

[CopyrtKht.]

Palo as death, Paul sprang to his f m < on hearing Sturge's indict ment. A coin sweat broke out on his loiohoad. and ho raised Ins hands in an un< in^emugesture of appeal, ... , "Vou — you saw? ho taltered. ' I saw everything," joturnod_Khirgo. with grim insistence. "1 had iust li"-i-lied "imp.-!- in iho sor\:uiis' hall tirM ni-li(. when the Ml li'om ''<•• lads-Inn - ap.iitini-uN wing, showing that Nui-i Chew tor had nood of mo. I w.v- pa^mthiough the hall 011 mv wa\ i>> th" -,1.1.15. mid I In ard \oioes j.iised ni ui'<i in the diiinig-ioom. Henl<: oi !' cmmus deposition. I opened tli" d ioi sli.liU\ iiiid softK. theio being ciinwli ..I .i n>\\ to lustiU in*- if 1 was s<vii Hut I war not sc-cn. You wcio too <m\uK(d v.ith lage to s<v an\ thing hut tin- old m.m whom \<m were attacking." J'aul Hhtho sank down into his oh-i.i, coveiing his face with his hands. y\\ In — why did yon not denounce mo he stammered after a pause. ■'For <lte same reason that will prevent me from denouncing yo»i now, if you behave with common sense — because I wanted to turn my hold over uiu into rom of the realm." Sturge replied, boldly. "1 should have brought .m>u to book' Itefore bad 1 tun learned by chance the very next dn\ that niV sjs<<t had scraped acquaintance with youi half-brother in London. I have been holding im band in order to give her time to become Lady Hlythc. To further that end it boeuire nooossarv to ■ make Sir Norman helioio that Mildred Inrdon wit.s dead. IVrhap- now follow the gist of my diplomat nl MonkMvbod s '" "You i reoclk'rons hound ' smiled Paul. „ „ "Names break no bones," was the sneering aiwwer. "Yes. il Miss Harden had consented to marry you w nnt has got to be done to-night would not have been necessary. She would n.u-r b^en in the same boat with you, amthat would have kept l«>r quint abiu» the kidnapping. So long as \ou satisfied mv demand-* upon \r>ur chequebook your father's murder would nivt remained a my-tery. Tli<t<> was novel any real ovidwe against Sir Nornuui —for all your sneaking oil to the police about him to-day." "I don't soo how you are going to gci over thai," said Paul, summoning up •• feeblo no(e of trnimbh: "Nothing easier, retorted Sturge. "After the tragedy that is to lie enacted in the west wing to-night « P"blu explanation will have to be forthcoming for Miss Hardon's concealment there. You will have to bear the brunt ot that 90 as to saw your own bacon. You will have to say that you allowed the young lady to hide there because you lov<kl her. and were afraid, that she iva.<about to lie umw«od. TJ»at will bo quit* .sufficient. Her gujlt will be at once inferred. You will doubtless be freely blamed for cheating the scaffold of her, but tb.*b not bo so unpleasant as being -honied yourself." Paul buried his head again ana groaned. . "Isn't there any other way out of it. Stur«e?" he whined. "I shall have to put up with tour blackmail, 1 suppose, to — to a moderate amount. But cannot I escape without having to do this horrible thing r"" , "Impossible," frame the firm reply. "I want mv sjster to live in peace and honour with her husband. She would enjoy neither if Sir Norman was te became a ware of how he bad boon tricked out of Jiis first sweetheart. .No there is only one way out of it. Mi» Harden must be silenced in the way 1 indicated to you last night. If yon carry out my instructions to the letter nc b'lamo can attach to you in that respect, at any rate." Paul was crying now. The tear.' pla-shed through his fingers and fell oii the table. "I haven't got the nerve," be wai'ed. "Desides 1 was really fond of the girlam now ior the matter of that. It wr i to save myself from having to atlopt your fiendish sujigostion that I told Inspector Hrvson about Norman." "Well, if you can't you can't, but then xou'll surely hang." Stunre re spondi-d brutally. "Seoherel" he ndded in contemptuous tones, going to the sideboard ana dashing some neat brandy into a tumbler. "Try some DtitcV courage if you haven't any of tho fi^ht sort." Paul gulped it down, a slow filial mounting into his sallow cheeks. Almost simultaneously the inherent meanness of him broke out. He looked up, the ghost of a leer ot! his weak, dissolute face. "Cannot you do the job yourself," he murmured. "J — I might— in fact would — be mor< generous in coming to a settlement." Thou if was that Caspar Sturge, cold relentless seouiuh'el as he v.-n.s, Ijlszei out into s\idden anger. "Do you think I shall permit yon t< dictate terms to ni«;-" he bnn>t foith "I can assure .you. Mr. Paul Blythe that by the time I have done, with you there will be a very small margin at your di.sposaj for bribing me or anyone else to commit your murders. Your present indebtedness to me will dram yni. fairly dry, I can promise you that. D< the job myself, indeed !" A lon^ .silence fell upon the romn for the wretched culprit had realised il last that no merry was to be oxpe- tec 1 from the callous schemer who held bin in the hollow of bis hand. He was debating whether it was worth whi!< ir the circumstances to avoid the pen 'lt\ of one en mo b> committing aivnlu r ir finitely more cold-blood.-d and lovilt UIK- Sturge had «s good as <>vp lv . ,£>.' the intention of sucking bun dry hi n> eiall.s. Would life he worth living wtl virtual nun staring hinv'in the face'- 1 " On tin* other hand there was tin dreadful prospect of a disgraceful doom led up to by stage after stau;e of puMi< ignominy. And he shrank in -dicei physical' terror from the violence of tin death that would claim him— th" pin loning of bis limbs, the blindfolding of his e.\es, the swift tall oi the drop that would hurl him strangled into nothingness. No. bo could not screw his mme 1 ' to it. Hotter that bo should live on in penury and that someone else should suffer, oven though the thought of thai suffering, and of the manner of it. turned him sick. So he voiced his decision in a few halting, moody words. t "That is more like common sense, said Sturge, who had never for a moment doubted the issue. And taking the tumbler which the other had drained he poured more brandy into it. a .smaller quantity tliis time, and froelj diluted it with water. "Now drink that— slowly. Don't <j,wlp it down, but drink it while you listen tc me," lie- went on in the tone of on< who coaxes an ailing child. "I will just refresh your memory a 9 to what ;\ov.' have to do." "It is burned in letters of firo in nn brain," said Paul. "I " "Never mind that: we must take m risk of oversights," Sturgo checked him. Or, rather, yon must not, for j-ei sonallv 1 intend to take no risk at all And really, if you keep your w its about you, there is none for you. This is th< programme." Ho glanced at the clock on the mantolpioce, and wont on : "This is what you have to do. In ten minutes >ou will go up to the apartments in the we.' l wing. Chewtei ha. her instructions and will admit you when you knock, locking the corridor door when you have passed through. You will then proceed m a portocth natural manner, so that, with one slight omission, you will be able to relate the absolute truth afterwards. >on will inform Chewter that you are anxious ebout your mother, and tint you wish to »cc her before retiring for the night. Chewter will try to dissuade 1 you, but will inM.t. Havin- gained your "point :md induced Chewter to unlock Lady Hlvthe's door \ou will at once put ml<. practice the little detail which it mil be desirable to forgot " "No nood to repeat that," Paul shuddered. . . . ... "\h but there js need. A mistake would cost >ou your life," Sturge reminded him. "Yen aio one ol the few people whom Lady Hhthe does not att'irk on sight in those paroxysms, and l>r M - antipathy lias b.'cn carefully fost.'red in on. 1 direction. On entering he mom \('» will 1 "•!■ "" tin.c in di i\\ni<> her attention to the lact thai the ■\'i\ is open to the intruder in the bedi'o( in from which she has been ousted." The hrarnh bad done its work now 1 . Paul listened to the Satanic prompting'