FOES OF JUSTICE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 14134, 14 February 1910, Page 5

FOES OF JUSTICE.

(Published by Special Arrangement.)

By HEADON HILL, Author of “Unmasked at Last,” “The Hidden Victim,” “Her Splendid Sin,” “A Traitor’s Wooing,” Etc., etc., CHAPTER HI. A MYSTERY. The town house of Sir AVilliam Grasmere was a mansion replete with every ■ modern convenience, including a'"private secretary’s room, and, as a necessary appanage, a private secretary. Mr. James Trelawney, the gentleman who filled this position, stood at the window of his sung sanctum, which was on the first fleer, adjoining the judge’s study, apparently engaged in nothing more arduous than chewing the end of a weakly-nourished sandy moustache. Ho was short in stature and spare of frame, and of a generally insignificant appearance that was enhanced by a pair of short-sighted, watery blue eyes. The latter, however, ’sufficed to bring into his field of vision the street immediately below him. and, incidentally, a wellappointed brougham that was waiting at the front door. Suddenly the watery blue eyes began to blink rapidly, and Mr. Trelawney drew a little further beck into the folds of the window curtains. The tail, slightly-stooping figure of Sir AVilliam came into sight ns he emerged from tlm house and got into the carriage, followed closely by Julian Penfold, who took a scat beside him. Then the snlendid pair of thoroughbreds received their gentle orders from the sedate coachman on the box, and the equipage rolled away to the Law Courts, where for the next few hours Sir William would drop his kpigbthood and ho known ,by that far more formidable title, Mr. Justice Grasmere. The brougham having disappeared, Mr. James Trelawney retreated from the window and, seating himself at his neatly arranged pedestal table, turned the handle of the telephone that stood thereon. “I wont Number One Thousand and Two,” ho spoke into the instrument when he got his 'answer from the Exchange. The usual pause ensued, but just •as ho obtained connection and asked: “Is that you, One Thousand and Two?” receiving a reply in the affirmative, an interruption occurred. Through the door communicating with tho study there entered a girl who was compensated for a plain, capable, freckled faeo by the possession of a beautifully moulded figure. She met tho secretary’s mildly reproving glance with a toss of her well-poised head. “Oh, don’t look so fierce. Mr. TreInwnoy,” she laughed. “How was I to know th*.t you. were at the, telephone? I’ll come back again presently, for I want to ring up several tradespeople for Lady Grasmere.” “I shall bo some, little time, Miss. Bilton,” the secretary replied. _ “I am in conversation with Sir AYilh'am’s stockbrokers over a rather intricate transaction which cannot be settled offhand.” i The girl nodded .and retired, and directly she was gone Mr. Trelawney said into the instrument; “Wait one moment, please.” He then got up and turned tho key in tho door, drawing across the latter its heavy portiere curtain. “I ought to have' taken that precaution before,” he muttered as he went hack to his sent and resumed his conversation at tho telephone. And a very curious conversation it was, to be carried on with a firm doing' business in stocks and shares. “Is that you, Jcnmscn?” ho said. “Right. Sorry to keep von waiting, but I was interrupted. The new bulldog come, do you ask? A r es, arrived last uijht. Appears to give satisfaction, and lias pone to court with his master. AATiat do I think of him ?. Oh, just what one thinks of bulldogs gouernlfy. a big stupid brute, all muscle and devilish few brains. Useless ns a guard, but with a demon of- a grip to hang on with, if he once got hold. Instructions? Yes, I’m listening.” And with his oar to tho receiver Mr. James Trelawney listened for the space of two minutes, his sandy eyebrows twitching with a nervousness that was also apparent in the leaden hue that crept into his pasty ei ecks. “Yes, I quite understand,” he spoke again presently. “But this ;s trying me rather high—more than I bargained for, in fact. Cannot the chief nonage without me?”

The anxiety in tho face of Uio secretary deepened as ho gave close attention to the answer, gradually clearing towards tho end of the comma mention. Ido moistened his thin lips mid hieathed heavily. Of a man of fuller habit it might" almost have been said (hat ire sighed with content. “A r cry well,” ho replied into the telephone, “on those terms I'll do uhat I can. The chief is a good paymaster, if he does want hard nuts “racked. By the way—one word before you ring off. It was arranged at breakfast this morning that they go down to Monksgiad’o on Saturday for tho vacation. That’s .all there is to report. Right. Good-bye.” It would have puzzled an outsider to know how Sir AA’illiam Grasmere’s invcstmoijts were to benefit by v this littlo chat with his brokers, but apparently his industrious secretary knew, for a satisfied smile. was on Air. Trolawncy’s thin face as, after hanging up the receiver, he stopped noiselessly across tho room and, drawing back tho curtain, unlocked tho door. Having glanced into tho study and assured himself that there was no one there, he returned to his table and busied himself with his correspondence till the girl who had previously interrupted him reappeared. “I will leave you alone to your telephoning, Aliss Bilton,” ho said politely, rising and putting his papers together. “I have a commission to do for Sir William out of doors.”

But, loft to liorsolf, tho girl did not immediately avail liorsolf of tho opportunity. She sat down in tho secretary’s vacated chair and. drew towards her the catalogue of numbers that is supplied by the company to subscribers. A gleam of eager interest flashed in her shrewd grey eyes as she turned the pages in quest of a certain number. Presently she uttered a chuckling laugh. “Hero wc arc,” she murmured. “1002. Abraham Lcvita, Newsagent, 45, Crossway Street, Stepney. lam afraid that Mr. Lovita would bo a poor substitute for that respectable firm of old-fashioned stockbrokers, Messrs. Cooper and Carlyon of Throckmorton Street. Now I wonder why Mr. James Trolawnoy told that lie. Probably ho bets on tho quiet, and Mr. Abraham Lovita is a bookmaker ns well as a newsagent. Anyway, it’s a certainty that tho little wretch was using tho ’phono on his own account, and on business that ho was ashamed of. Ho is too paltry to ho anything but barmless, or I would tell Sir William straight out my opinion of tho creature.”

AVith which she went on with tho affairs that had originally caused hoito sock tho telephone, when on entering ■ sho had boon in time to hoar the secretary asking for <a number which she know was not that of the stockbrokers. Being something of a philosopher, she reflected that her opinion, if imparted to the head of thp household, would not count for very much. For Miss Norah Biltou only held tho post of paid companion to Lady Grasmere, and had not held it long; whereas the sandy-haired secretary bad been installed for many years. Ever since her appointment as 'amanuensis and reader to Sir AVilliam’s invalid wife it had been an enigma to Norah how such a subtly deductive, student of nature as the famous judge could have, in the first instance, engaged Air. Trelawney at all, and, having done so, could subsequently have tolerated him for so long. As she had confided to‘.Lady Grasmere, there were hidden qualities in Air. Trelawney that made her “squirm.” i In common with tho rest of , the household Norah was in ignorance of tho real circumstances under which. Julian Pcnfold had come into residence the day before. But such an occurrence as tho addition of a, good-looking young doctor to the family circle bad iict been accepted by the quick-witted girl without much inward speculation. Not onlv did she shave to the full the hereditary failing of the daughters of Eve, but' sho was devoted to the kindly old lady whom she served, and she was genuinely grieved when she first hoard that Sir William found it necessary to employ a private medical attendant. After ‘seeing Julian, however, sho was a little doubtful as to the adequacy of the reason alleged for his presence in the house. Ho.hardly carried conviction as the kind of physician whom an elderly gentleman would retain for purely medical ■ assistance, and .she remembered that no anxiety had been shown by Lady Grasmere cn the score of her distinguished husband’s health.

So Miss Norah Biltou was both puzzled and interested by • the advent of Julian Penfold, hut over , and above that she was also glad—firstly because it was nice to have a pleasant-spoken, open-faced young man in the house, and secondly because sho had already discerned a bond of union between her-' self and the new arrival. In tho drawing room the night before she had noticed the intuitive dislike in Julian’s honest eyes on his being introduced to Mr. James Trelawney. “He shook hands as if ho couldn’t hear the touch of him and wished ho had gloves on,” tho astute young observer had said to hoyself at tbe time. Having completed her business on the telephone. Alias Bilton betook herself to tho dainty room where Lady Grasmere spent most of her days in noblv-borne suffering. Tho faded, kindly woman, with tho stamp of a great sorrow on a face that must onco have boon very lovely, received her vivacious companion with a pleasant smile. , (To bo Continued.)