THE GREY CAR MYSTERY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144666, 28 April 1915, Page 5

THE GREY CAR MYSTERY.

,'COPYRIGHT.]

By A. WILSON BARRETT.

Amb or of “Tho House Over the Way,” “The Silver Pin,” “A Soldier’s Love,” etc. CHAPTER VII.

For a moment I/aurence stood speechless and motionless. And the old lady, a little surprised at his silence, looked at him curiously. Then, mistaking the cause of his emotion, she smiled a little pleased, proud smile. “Was 1 not right?” she asked. “Is she not a lovely creature ?” Laurence, recalled to earth, drew a lon£ breath. “Yes,” he said, simply. And as he spoke the girl on the couch moved a little, and opened her dark eyes. She had noticed him during the dinner at tho restaurant, the young man was sure of that; and for a second he looked down into those lovely eyes of hers, expecting to see some sign of recognition arise in them. Bud only a very faint, puzzled look tinged thoir depths for tho least space of time, and then faded quickly away ; and the young girl, turning a quick and startled glance upon Miss Linton —Laurence's aunt—rose from tho

couch and moved to tho elder lady’s side. “There, there, my dear.” she said, quickly. “Don’t he frightened; this is not,a stranger. It is my nephew, my very dear nephew, Mr. Laurence Carton; Miss, , but that does not matter. He is quite a good, nice young man, though he does not come to see me as often as he might, and you are going to be friends, you two.” Laurence smiled as tho young girl’s eyes met his, a little timidly still.

“We are not quite strangers, by sight, at least,” he said. ‘T saw you the other night at the Imperial Restaurant. You were dining with some friends, and I was. 1 am. afraid, with rather a noisy party.” ’The young woman looked at him for a moment, her brow slightly knit, her eyes thoughtful. Then she shook her head slowly, turning to Miss Linton with a puzzled, rather pitiful, gesture. “It is no. use,” she said, in a sweet, low voice. “I do not remember. I remember nothing.”

M iss Linton put cat her arms quickly, and leading her gently hack to the couch, sat down and drew her to her side. ‘'There, there, my dear.” she said. “Don’t fret; it will all come back to you bv-and-bye. Just now. all you have 10 remember Is that you are among friends, and quite, quite safe and ’ cared . for. And soon everything will come back to you, and you will toll us who your friends are. and whore you live. And, meanwhile, you must lie down and rest again, and not trouble that pretty head of yours or cloud those lovely eyes with too much thought.”

It was obvious that, however timid she might he to find herself in such a strange position, and in Laurence’s presence, Miss Linton’s protegee had at least absolute trust and confidence in the warm-hearted old lady who had taken a fancy to her, for she lay back upon the sofa with the passive obedience of a child, and, with her hands still held caressingly in Miss Linton’s, closed her eyes drowsily onco more in sleep. And Laurence, feeling that his presence was required no longer, slipped noiselessly from the boudoir to his aunt’s drawing-room, whore that lady, after a short interval, joined him for tea.

“Well.” sho asked, as she helped him to cream and sugar, “and what do you think of my find, my treasure?” “1 think sho is the most wonderful woman I have ever seen, co be quite frank.” said Laurence, doing far loss justice than usual to the old lady’s home-made scones. “But I also fear she may prove rather an embarrassing one. It is an extraordinary thing, hut she has evidently completely lost her memory. 1 have hoard of such cases often enough, but this is the first 1 have ever met. The past will come back to her, of course. But just suppose that it should not.”

Miss Linton looked up from her teaurn with a little toss of her head. “I don’t care,” she said. “Don’t look at me like that, sir ! If you do. 1 shall say that I hope it won't. She is the sweetest, prettiest creature I have ever met. and But, of course, there will be some bothering old father or guardian who will come rushing after her to take her away to Laurence, I am sure she has been illtreated.” Laurence started. “Why, who would ill-treat her?” lie asked. Miss Linton shook her head. ‘Who, indeed?” she said. “Byt I am sure that someone has. And it was some man, too, 1 feel certain. Did yon notice how timid she was, a.nd how she turned to me for help? But what is this about a dinner at the Imperial?” In a few words Laurence described his first 'sisjht of the young girl and her companions at the restaurantand his aunt looked thoughtfully into the fire for a moment.

‘‘There! You see,” she said, at last, with a nod of her grey head. ‘Tt was that disagreeable, foreign-looking man. A brother, J. suppose, or a guardian: and he has been bullving her. 1 know' what men are”—(she didn’t. She knew nothing about that inoffensive sex.) —‘‘and he has frightened her out of her wits. 1 suppose wc shall have to trv to line! those people, though. Still, ‘before I let her go back to them I shall make quite sure that she is not going to be badly treated again, poor young thing.” Laurence smiled at the pace at which the old lady’s thoughts ran on; but, at the same time, the memory of the handsome, rather scowling man who had been one of the companions o. his aunt’s protegee recurred to him. ‘‘He looked the kind of man who might ill-treat anyone,” he thought. "”'o must go to tlio police, at all event®, he said at last. “They have probably already had inquiries about her, in fact. It is impossible that anyone like her could disappear in that strange way without being sought for eagerly. And, meanwhile, don’t you think that Lnuton ought to have a look at nerr V)r. Lupton was Miss Linton s medical man—a keen, brusque old Scotsman. who was a groat favourite with the old lady—and her face lighted up at the suggestion. _ “I will send for him this very afternoon.” she said, decisively, "and wo will see what ho says. As for the police Well. yes. I suppose you must go and see if they know anything about her. That is only right. Hut—” "But you hope they won t, said

Laurence, smiling. ‘'l reallv believe that you hope that, like an angel dropped from tho skins, she has arrived to capture your affections. And that, like an angel, indeed, she will, remain unclaimed by any earthly relations.” Miss Linton nodded. ”1 really believe I do,” she said. (To be continued.)