THE BOOM OF SECRETS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 144133, 1 July 1913, Page 5

THE BOOM OF SECRETS.

m yvUAAAM LE QUEX. * CHAPTER 111. MAINIiY MYSTERIOUS. The instant tlie silent Arab had gone Jean assotmed her normal so s-suddenly, indeed,, that I per-. » jd©sed : --as to what it all could mean. She leaned back in her ehair, quite i calm and smiling.. So rapid had been . the change in her manner that I felt haH-asharaed at having sprung up and interfered. My mysterious host, on hisrpart, had sunk back into his chair; rand resumed Ins cigar with an air-.of eomplet© indifference; save that I felt his keen, searching glance was upon me, and saw that Jig was at tho same covertly, watching . her most in-s-tontly. % Her hysterical laughter had now* been* ;iollowed by a complete cairn. AVas it rdue to any drug which that thick, sweet* coffee contained? . I had partaken of it. hut I felt no ill-effects. Perhaps, after/all,: I had misjudged that grey-bearded, mysterious man,, who seemed ; so determined that sho should drink what* tho Arab had brought. * ' - - 5 . > • The terror which had shown so plainly in her big blue eyes was now no longer present, for her features ' had grown quite composed, ■; and sho sat chatting affably with me,* as though she bad uttered no unavailing protest.: One can often he mislead by a-com- u biuation of untoward circumstances. Had I been mislead in this case into a maze of false suspicion? o That was’ the problem which’ pre-. sentod itself to mo as: I sat there with father and daughter,-smoking and gossiping about books, plays'and-travels-—the small talk ■ of conventional society. ~ , | Vet some strange,; inexplicable in-tuition—-that' curious premonition of, danger that has often come to me during life, , as, it often comes to others of ray fellow-men—-gripped me strongly.; I could not rid myself of.the firm belief ; that the house I , had entered was a house of mystery. : ; Tiio mysteries of our great, throbbing, strugling world-, of ; ‘London, where millions fight each,- other for daily sustenance,, and where the rich:, feed by, tho sweat of the poor, are many and oft-timo so startling . and strango as to be boyond credence. Many are the crimes of murder which the police annually discover within the area of Greater London, but when*oiio recollects the law of averages, is it not a grim reflection to consider how many black secrets remain undiscovered be-* hind those rows of doors in the dingy, smoke-blackened; streets ? . >. ; ■ Koop led the conversation to travel, and 1 told him of my own constant journeying/;. ... “Ah! Then you travel for pleasurer” ho remarked, • / . “Not exactly. I am usually on business. The fact is i am partner in a trading concern. We are merchants and deal with goods suitable left African or South American natives.” “Supply Africa with curios made in Birmingham—oh?”• he laughed. VUvo often wondered how those imitation antiques, sham arms, and .native beads get out to Nubia and tho Sudan. They, nil come from England, I suppose? •‘Most of thorn/’ I replied. You would really ho astonished at the, demand for imitations of the,; antique .iVhith reach us from Luxor, Assouan ■and Khartoum. 1 suppose one-quarter of the false statues .ot Osiris, mummybeads, scarabs and oarnelian necklaceswhich tourists in Egypt buy each year, in the, belief that they have been dug Up in; temples or tomjbs, pass through our hands. The demand is made in Egvpt by Europeans, and wo supply itthrough the natives themselves.’ • “Your’s is a somewhat fraudulent business, then?” ho remarked, with a smile. “Not at all. If wo refused to supply what is required, German traders*, would do so, and so annex our business! Most of it. is perfectly -legitimate —the siipnly of Manchester goods, hardware, knives and clothes. And it is strange how far afield English good® travel in Africa. I once found a mam in Timbucioo with a brand-now leather, silk-hat case of bucket shape and bearing the name of a well-known London ■maker. Ho offered it to me for sale itinerant of. its use. How, could ifc have got there?” ■ , . “AYlio knows? English goods mate their way into every quarter of-the,, world —preceded by tho proverbial Scotsman,” my host laughed affably as- ■ he looked straight into my face with * those curiously intense eyes pi . ms, , while Joan sat near him, also smiling and composed. • 1 was wondering what effect that cotfee had really had, upon her. lo me. it seemed as though if had produced ■ a curious inertness, an unnatural tran■quillity or mind. . • • , r "1 happen to know something ol your business,'Mr. C°lefax, ’ reniarked :,my strange'host. - ' To tel the tl-uth,, ! I am the principal .sharenplper-in. K>ders, of Coleman Street. Curious, isn’t it, that we should meet? '■ I looked at him in surprise. In my own particular business the name ot Kvdor Brothers was indeed one to conliure with. Their firm was world-famed, ,and thev had offices and depots in a •dozen different corners of the world. As a matter, of fact, they weic undoubtedly tho largest-trading firm in ’■existence. , , ~ T ■ , . .' y. .', “J. admire Ryders,” I exclaimed m •perfect frankness. ‘‘Though- they, are, keen competitors of ours in the Central African market, yet. their ‘business is always conducted on fair, legitimate, arid sportsmanlike Mines. . Alley are .newer underhanded.” ■ • ; . “No, I think not,” ho said. ‘ it is, however, very gratifying to hoar you express such views. In mj younger days I, like yourself, travelled, a'good 1 (leal in the East in the interests of my firm.” “And on one of your journeys you picked up Ibrahim—eh ?” _ : , “Exactly,” he answered, drawing at his cigar. ,; , . Yet before the reply could'escape his, lips a slight sound caused me to turn, and looking, 1 saw, that' a, complete change had come over the pretty gm seated opposite to me. She. was rigid, her face white as marble,' her- great' blue eyes with the pupils dilated-were 1 staring straight before hen • ~• ■ i "What’s the matter?”-.I gasped, rising from my seat in alarm. ; t "Nothing,” was the man’s quiet reply. "She is often like that. If left alone sho will quickly .recover.” She was staring straight at me with a bard fixed look, an expression' of unspeakable terror in her gaze. Her white lips were moving, but no sound _ came from them. She was conscious, without a doubt, yet sho seemed stricken by paralysis so that she could neither speak nor move. "The,.-coffee caused that.l I cned

quickly, turning upon the man,' \ou brute; you forced her to* drink it I • v “Because she is subject to fits, and, I give her medicine which alleviates • them,” was his quiet reply. “W-aich, - she will very quickly recover. ' ■ $ I took her hand, which hung‘inert- ; iy over the arm of the chair; but it : seemed stiff and cold, hko that of a dead person Keep rose leisurely and crossed to- a small table on the opposite aide of tho : room to obtain an ash-tray. 1 noted that Joan’s eyes followed him with keenest anxiety and dread. ’ -,-g As X ‘hold her stiff, chilly hand I bent sympathetically and isaid: V “You are ill, Miss Coopir Tell mo, can I get you an\thmg p ” Only a sad. smile played'tahout. nor , lips, and slowly she shook -her head in the negative. She seemed consumed bv utter despair. “This is shameful! —inhuman 1” Vdo- ,*■ dared, turning upon tho .man as ho came back to his seat. “You may consider so;” ho grnnw'd. , “But X have "only acted under thodoctor’s orders—to nlleviatedier sufferings, i Is it feasible that I should, wdlfully ad- , minister anything , deleterious ,to my daughter?” he asked. - ■ . “Whatever may lie your. obieet in forcing her to-drink that coffee, the i .result is that her condition is ,abnor-r ; ; mal,” I declared angrily. ,“Seel oho •; .can’t speak!•'Why, she-can’t-move, ffißrrr yet site is entirely conscious!” .* f ' “Most certainly,” was his colrit lin«‘, concerned reply. “If shh had not had the drug she would ,now (have beiii , -writhing in torture and agony. It has calmed her. See!” ho added .sudden: ly, pointing at her. “Look-!’ Sno is smiling! She is . laughing .instead ot screaming .with pain.’:-. !: And sure enough, as I gazed, upon i-her sweet, innocent face a light laugh plavod about her lips,: even though her „ groat eyes weie still fixed, staring wildly into space ' • * Her w'hito breast rose and foil quick-, , ’ly beneath- its cinffens as though -sho .were short -of breath, but a few rat* smonts later a clam again fdft upon her —a. stillness as of-death. 1 ’ “Lct’«---!eavehor. for, a few- minutes',’/j-no. .Koop suggested “She’ll boffnr better alone, and will recover more quickly. . The 1 curious situation puzzled." mo „• greatly. 'That strange old man with .the grey hair and deep-sot eyes so full of youth and most certainly a man of . mystery. There was an air of distinct, ' ,suspicion about tho whole affair, now - that I recollected Joan’s inexpressible horror when the coffee was suggested and her undisguised hatred of the big ’■Arab servant. , , , , -i ■Why ?■ - What,‘l wondered, was the .truth which she dread to be revealed - , I should Iravo risen and 3eft»tholioi366_^ ■ were it not .that I had determined to -,j ♦remain "until the girl recoreredvtio uso >of limb and-speech. , I intended toi.as- ' certain the truth from her own lips. Therefore, I altewed my strange,-,oc-♦centric host to conduct mo out into the ~' Phall whore, strangely enough, a 1 cur- r fdous sulphurous odour greeted my nostrils?: Tho'smell was one I never re..collected having encountered before--nauseous,, suffocating,; sickening, ss. , “1 don’t know if you are at all in- ; -terestod in pictures,.h-oep said., : r,,i ; A-' u ,i have a few upstairs which are consid- ; cred rather unique.” . 1 followed him, passing the faithful ( Ibrahim, who stood immovable at tho. foot of tho staircase, salaaming as wo went up over tho thick Turkey carpet, so soft that our feet trod noiselessly. ■ The drawing-room, which occupied tho whole of tho first floor, was a.splendid, tastefully furnished room.full of expensivo knick-knacks, ana | jvqudor l ll l ou rios, tlio collection or a man of ©ndent wealth- and refinement, - A log fife burned brightly at tho end of tho loom, and before it a great white bearskin was spread. ‘ But theie were no pictures on tho walls . He was quick to note my glance of inquiry, and explained: “Thev are upstairs. 1 keep them ’ in a good light in a room to them-,, selves.”:-; (To ho‘continued.),