CHAPTER XXV.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 14018, 24 September 1909, Page 1

CHAPTER XXV.

. Until Li]-M omlii "s 1111 111 1 ~>t impulse on ' i mi^. \\ liri.c t K'tc and n- ,- II 111 III,', It 111 1 I 111 tlllOll^ll tllO Fll'lllll i-m! in nl Ili ill ill il ; loom w i.s In 111 - ' 'ii lu>, i to c , > ioiiim) to one of !)'<■ .1 »lt- .I'lll »-"< iv .>dl.l>s-i>lll 111 tilt 1 Oldlll3 '\ i..* Mm ■; hi-, in.: K i ii}«, M'^ns to 3 ■i < licit tin 'Id man lodoiihlod Ins 5 ' uit'i j;- nil.-- Hid M ell,"d del. rllli'ud t ' H' ill' '.ii'dow. Owen, thei«<jj ni 1 , ni'li f\> (1 it :u.'l filing it ope-i de- ' A „ I'diti : .in'ii il\ \. irit Mich ati untimch c i iM l u~i.ui me ;nt . J "1 ''Mo urn all the \\.».\. Mr. Owen 4 'II ;l'(> '.i " from the ■\.ird. Mr," the | I, till- .-p.' nf a nrui panted, taking off 3 Ii- li it ;iiid moppiir_r his crinkled forc■j 'i" id nith a tli ft \ ml handkerchief. '"I A. in.c -<>lved the ln.v-tery, sir. of my 4 |> 'nr old nr<stf>i's murder. I have boon 3 it .t Inr \wcU, hut onl,\ an hour ayo, 3 ,< h. i> (lie nr^lit shift came on, did I see i ih, !> ht." ( ip, ■ ip then, and tell me all ■I ' 'lit i," m plied Owen, eagerly. The j 'in -I, ,(><t manner i>f hi 1 - weiid . \i,',' .ipi'i ticli to tln> lintise yiu 3 (in ■! h\ the iiii]nii finre of his 'nil- ] ii • „-nt. | I will 1(11 \i'H as we go nlon«j:." tl»e I 'i hi idii" qil.iwnd. uitheut :»tj hi iiii tc r !!(<■■ the worn. , i< 'I oi" '■- wo uo along:'" Owen iei ii 'I v\oiid iin^ if tlu 1 caretaker had 1 t; \ ( You miM ronie to the. yard nt (i"(c Mr. Ow«u, mi. Theie is a man tluic mli > will show \ou. He knows i,i «i" ill i ii me— about the furnae" Ilium \>li('!r the proof is to bo found. Oil -i', dn t'.il del.M while your father's lilin dis u\nig tor }ongeaiice." And \\ ijnsei Kite emphasised tho appeal by lavinp, a skinm hand on tho young iiisim's i oat s!o»\e, as though to dra»v In m away. This peculiar conduct inspired reinembranoe of the story which Mrs. Bertram had told Owen earlier in the evening of Kite's frequent visits to the d\ing lodge keeper, of the queer utterance she had overheard, and the sudden cessation of those visits after Sir George- Lipscombe's inexplicable fite. Mrs. Bertram, the capable and clear-headed, had formed a deduction, at which she had scarcely darod to more, .than hint, but which she had nevertheless succeeded in imparting to him, that Kite and the deceased lodge keeper had shared a secret which the latter wished to divulge to Sir George, against wish, and that Kite therefore had a motive for desiring Sir George's death. To hold this theory was tantamount to accusing Kite of a guilty knowledge of the deed that was done in the private room at tho Yard. But it was all very obscure, mere conjecture, in fact ; .iiid it was equally possible that Kite, who appeared to be little better than a doddering imbecile, might have acquir- f ed some knowledge of tho crime that was not a guilty one. Fear or uncertainty, or a hundred other things, might have tied his tqnguo on the crucial point, and set it wagging irresponsibly in the vague incoherences that had .started the rumours against Owen himself. Owen had intended to refer the whole matter to Abe Bintry so soon as he I should arrive at the Hall, and be was 1 still inclined to wait for that redoubt- ( able ally's assistance. J "Look here, Kite," he said kindly, * "you are a bit excited, I think, and ' \ou are not so j-oung as you used to be. ' I am expecting a gentleman down— to- I morrow probably — to go into ail lhe-o ' nutters connected with my fathei's ' [loath. He is a regular nailer at find- ' ing out things and piecing them together. I am sure that this business will 1 krep till he conies. It's a beast of a 1 night and going to be worse, and tho ' long and short of it i.s, I don't care ' about turning out at this hour." J "Sir! Sir!" Kite protected, feebly * boating the air. 1 "I will wire my friend in the morning that important information has i :>om» to hand, and hots, him to come to 'Jramlpnrt *>t once," said Oven. "And ' 1 should advise you to hurry back to the Yard unless you want to get wet or ' bltm n anav." : He- made a.s though to step back into the room, but his decision threw • Kile into a frenzy. He began to - mouth and wring his hands, to weep enile tears, and finally to sob in a steady refrain: "Mv poor old master! M\ poor old master!" If Mr. Abraham Hintry had been there he would m,t liave failed to obseive that, shaken llioii'ih the old man seemed to be to hh wi \ foundations, his emotion was eo:>:1 lifted entirely without noivp. II is protests, violently ns they .swayed his ' IV-iil body, were not calculated to alarm the liom.e. But O»ven wa.s not gifted with fie Jotoftivo instinct, and he heeded not ;ui inconsistency which upon a inoro ncute mi nd might have acted as a warning. As Kite attached such impoitanee to his going to the Yard that night he would subject him&elf to the inconvenience rather than run the risk nt discovering lat r that he had missed a chauce of gathering vital Information. "Very well," he relented. "1 'suppose I must humour you. Just wnit there while I get a cap." He stepped back into the dining room, and it was not necessary to go further, for tlie cap which he had been wearing all day lay upon a chair. For one moment he hesitated whether lie ought to let the Bertrams know th-t he was going out, but reflecting tlrit they would have yonu up to bud, he decided that it would not be necessary to disturb them. In all probability he would be back long before th",v were up m the morning. In order to leave everything secure, he took the key from the inside of the open window, closed the latter and locked it, pocketing the key, nb he rejoined Kite ou the tot race. "You came in h\ the lodge and luiind the house.'" he inquired of tinulfl man. who begun to shamble alon^ at his side "Of course you must have, though, a* the gate from the lower load i.s locked, and .Mill are not up to climbing tho wall. It is the longest loutc, i>nt uh Bertram has the key <>l tln> lower gate we will go the way jou came.' 1 So Ih<\\ made a. circuit of the mansion, which led them to the carriage. dine and cwntually to the high road. The Mglit of the lodge, silent and desortod. leminded Owon of the a.s ,\ot iinsohed connection between its jatc occupant and his eccentric companion. Me v-:ihv -:ih no harm in trying to prol>e tint m\ster.\ on his ou ii account, and he llatteied hiimoll that he would imitate Bmti.\'s approved method, of which uili.-ihi(\ and the springing of Middcji blirprlM-h »(•!(' tb« loaflili^ toatur< v 3.v 3. "So <ild Mrs. Jlonch has passc<l aw.iv." lu> remarked as they turned out of tho groat iion gates into the road. "Y<-%, sir; \os, sfr •«0« 0 | | )in( < hoard." panted the liottin^; hgui«\ who in the dark v> ( >iii«'d lik«- a shruukeii goblin flitting thiiiiigh th<> night. "I nndrr-vtand that you wo^rc vrr\ kind to Ikt— voi,\ nttoiiti\ c— in lior last lllnoss!-'" Tho «.iigt;<«.lion, nio<-l,\ as it was put, •\ol\<'fl no slower lint a wh<-«/,.\ yro-ui, acooi.ipiniod l>\ a f|Uifkening of \\i!niei KHo's alieadv lapid pa«v>. "But perhaps that was but natur.i 1 , if tin 1 rumour that has MMclird me i^concrt tlml \ou wen- neailv irlati-d til her" Onoii poi'isled. Me xi -is waimiu-j; to liis work, find w.^^ ((iiitc »-uro til it Bir:tr\ couldn't lino done !»tN'r. 110 Irid at an \ rale made an impr<<•^ioii. Kilo sliH-kenod speed a lit l l o mid I ("tod ■ 1 1 > al him. "\Ylio «.;i\s that I u-is id i(i>(| to her!'" tin- old man quaviM'd pi In^ si'inlo piping 1 rel)li>. "\> •„•!• liuiid'" it-joined Owen i)u>"'i'fiilv .t- In- workrd up to Ins 'oir!'i i-i' Ilis the (act . is it not . tint miii weiv> Ann Ifoaeli's brother-" Ow< i' s d.iwuin" f.iitli in bis pro 11-i1 1i ionc\ as ii skillnl ci(iss-o\aminor thoio ,ii'l tin n rr-< ritrd p shock, for the only in \i"t tri liis qicMion w.-i.s t c-icklo of liii"liloi (liaf mijilit li;»\o meant ain'bm' Imtii -luci r-iaziness to hoifst .mil" liti'iit :■.! a "hiiiu liiis(akn. He i']i>,i*id tin- question lint uot nolbiivc for llis- i.-iiiis but n lmlf intellii'ihlc yroau to the vffcgt that they would bo

I'tc if tin', did not hurry. And to , illuvdatc t ! ,w> truth ot his assertion Wihner Ki'e J>ogan to run. (To be continued.)