BIG PETER,

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144850, 30 November 1915, Page 8

BIG PETER,

STRONG ROMANTIC LOVE STORY.

By JOHN SHUTE, Author of “The Bullion Baby,” etc., etc. PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS: Big Peter; A miner on the Kampurli Gold Field. The real Lord Cambray. The Swell and Scotty: Chums of Big Peter, Robert Walker: A solicitor’s clerk. Endeavours to sell a secret to Big Peter. -Mr. Fearon; Acts as solicitor to Big Peter. Lord Cambray: Selfish, old, and with a vicious past. Lorrimor: Servant to Lord Cambray. -Miss Parker: Aunt to Margaret Parker: With whom Big Peter is in love. Mrs. Saunders; A poor widow whom Rig Peter helps. Tommy Saunders: Her son. CHAPTER XI. IN LONDON AGAIN. Peter went to sec old Mr. Fearon directly he got to Loudon. He wanted to take his advice about the surprising discoveries ho had made, but he did noi mean to tell him anything yet about his meeting with' the girl m the picture and her sudden disappearance. The old man looked grave when he heard his story. , “There’s only one man in the world,” he said, “to whoso interest it is to have that record/lostroyed. and ho is the lasi, man you will be able to get information from.” “You mean Lord Cambray?” “1 do. He has heard the story, and he has paid to have the leaf of the register stolon.” “Whom could he have heard it from?"

“From Walker. There is nohody else. You said that that autiipiary who first made the discovery was dead, didn't yon?” “Yes, the vicar told me that. It was a very great disappointment. But who was the man I caught—the man who called himself Morgan?”

“We can find him, I think. He must have been somebody whom the real .Morgan met and got into conversation with. 1 will make inquiries at mice." Mr. Fearon did so. The old gentleman whose name had been used so unscrupulously told him that ho had met an intelligent man travelling up in the train from the West country, had gut into conversation with him. and git on him his card. The stranger had not returned the compliment. But the journey on which the two had met had been made from that part of the country in which Cambray Castle was situated. “1 thought so,” said Mr. Fearon. “You had belter go down there, Peter, and make a few inquiries. You may come across the gentleman—probably will.” But Peter was not ready to do flint yet. He had another search to make. He would willingly let all ehance.s of assuming his title go by if lie could have found Margaret by doing so. His only clue was tlie picture, and lie set. about finding the paper from whieh it had been cut out in the way he had told her he should have done if he had not met'her. He got a ticket for the British Museum, and spent every day in looking through the iluslrated papers of the past five years. When he should find the one ho was looking for he would know who Margaret was. Then he would have something to go upon. He searched and searched, for days iV'/ ran into weeks, hut could not find ulXt he was looking for. He began to get sick at heart, and even to lose flesh. This was the unhappiest time in his life. One Sunday afternoon he went to see Mrs. Saunders and little Tommy, whom he found making wonderful progress with his brush and pencil. yßnt there seemed to ho something wrong about Tommy’s mother. She seemed unhappy ; and yet she told Peter eagerly that she • -s doing well and wanted for nothing, Tnere.were signs of poverty about her, too, which certainly ought not to have been there. She had no servant, and did all the work of the house herself, as well as her dressmaking. Peter left her disappointed. His visit had seemed to cheer her, and she thanked him for coming. But she did not press him to come again, and he went away with the impression that she did not want him to come too often. Peter dined that night in a restaurant, and walked homo to his rooms in Bloomsbury.

As bo was turning a corner lie almost ran into two men walking along arm-in-arm, and both of them the worse for liquor. “Steady on, now!” said Peter, and" then instantly recognised one of the roysterers as Walker. Walker recognised him at the same time, and his face showed the utmost horror at the meeting. He turned to run away, but Peter had him by the collar of "his coat. His friend set up a drunken shout, and immediately a policeman came round the corner and wanted to know what it was all about. Unfortunately, Peter could not tell him what it was all about without making his whole story public, which he was not yet prepared to do. “I have reason to believe that this man is concerned in a felony, ’ he said, using language he had heard from Mr. Fearon, and speaking impressively. “I want him kept under observation, and his address taken.” “It’s a lie!” said Walker, indignantly. “This man has assaulted me. You saw him do it, constable. Take his name and- address.”

The policeman happened to be new to the force, and hardly knew how to act. But the taking of names and addresses ho did understand, and produced his pocket-book for that purpose. Walker’s companion, who tyas rather more under the influence of liquor thap Walker himself, now took part in the proceedings. “Take the constable’s number!” he said, solemnly, and Walker produced his own pocket-book and did so, with some difficulty, as the shock of meeting Peter, which had sobered him for the time, was beginning to wear off. It was the only note that was made. The policeman, possibly outraged at the idea of his number being taken by a half-drunken man, put up bis book and said, “Hero, you all of you move along, or you’ll, get into trouble,” Walker instantly took advantage of the order and made off, bis companion lurching after him. Peter expostulated, and was for following them, but the policeman said: “You’d bctter go homo, sir. I saw yon catch him by the collar, and if he liked to have you up for- assault. I should bo obliged to tell what I saw.”

Peter turned on bis heel and strode off, too angry to make any reply.

CHAPTER XII. A CONSPIRACY. On the evening of the third day after his departure Lqrrimcr earao back. Lord Cambray had rung the hell for the footman who hail-taken his place, and Lorrimer walked into the room, the same soft-footed neatly-dressed servant that he had always been. But his face was pale; there were dark rings under his eyes, and on his forehead there was a livid mark.

"Oh! it’s yon at last.” cried his master with an oath. “Why on earth didn't you send me a telegram? You’ve bungled it 1 can see. Whatever made me put such an a (fair in the hands of a clumsy fool like you?”

Lorritner was pretty well used to these insults, in regard to which ho seldom showed any signs of resentment. But at this reception his face flushed a dull red and he said with subdued passion, “If I had been the fool you say 1 am. my lord. 1 should have been safely lodged in gaol by this time. It’s true that I have failed. There isn’t a man in flic world who wouldn't have done so under the circumstances, and there are precious few men who could have got away as 1 have.” “Oh, of course, 1 am vastly relieved at seeing you hack,” said tlm old lord with an uglv sneer. “Nothing much matters as long as you’ve saved your skin. I’ve been in a terrible state of mind for fear that something might have happened to yon.” Uorrinier kept his mouth doggedly closed, and busied himself over certain little duties, that his keen eye showed Itim that the footman who had taken Ins place had neglected. Presently Lord Cambray grew tired of girding at him and said, “'Well, let’s have your story. I don’t say 1 shall believe all «f it. You’ve failed, and, of course, you will put up the best excuse for yourself that you can.”

Upon this not very encouraging invitation Lorrimer told his story, lie had bought an ordnance map and studied the whereabouts of Thasted Church carefully. He had approached it from a station twelve miles awny, so as to cover his tracks if anything should go wrong. He had stopped for an hour in, the evening to have a meal at the inn at Hollow Weiv, from whieh Mervyn Chandos had written those letters which had put them on the track. "What on earth did you want to do that for?” grumbled the old lord. “You take immense pains to put them oft the. track, and then you snow yourself in the very place.” . Lorrime.r told him that Thaxtod Church was some miles away from Hollow Weir, and that he bad made inquiries of the landlord ns to quite a different route. He bad also got nut of him without asking any question about it, the fact flint Thaxted Church stood in a lonely place quite by itself, and that nohodv" ever went near it, excent on Sundays. He had gone off and lain hidden in a wood until he knew that everyone anywhere near would have been long since in bed and asleep. Then, with great difficulty, he had picked the lock of the vestry door, and bad made up bis mind that if the register was in the church at all it must he, in an old chest that was in the vestry itself. Ho had worked at the lock of the chest for half an hour, without making the slightest impression upon it. It was a very old lovK that had been well looked after and nothing he could do would shift it. “For halt an hour!” exclaimed Lord Cambray. “Why didn’t you break the chest open? I would have had the register out of it and been half-way homo by that time.” The chest was one of the strongest he hud over seen, said Lorrimer, of thick oak as hard as iron, and bound everywhere with steel. It was just as strong us a modern safe. Then ho told how ho had been surprised by a man coming in and standing over hiiii; how he had tried to escape, and how the man had thwarted his every attempt, and even torn his revolver out of his hip pocket. He told this story in such a way that even Lord Cambray, with a sneer always on his face, was convinced by it. Besides, there was no doubt about the ugly mark on his forehead, which so far corroborated him. “Who was this man? asked the old lord. "What was he doing there at that time of night?” . Lorrimer did not know. Ho looked like a gentleman' on a holiday, fishing or something. Ho did not belong to that country, because once lie bad said something about coming from another place. No doubt he was up to some mischief of his own, being about at 'that time of night, but what it was be couldn t say, although he did not refrain from making some vile suggestion, with a curse at his ill-luck at being foiled in that way. He described his assailant as a man of unusual strength, and Lord Cambray sneered again and said, “Oh! I’ve no doubt be was’ a sort of Samson, or be couldn’t have got the better of you.” Then Lorrimer went on to tell hint how his captor had determined to give him up to the police, and how he had worked upon his feelings and told him a yarn which had persuaded him to let him go. Evidently ho took great credit to himself for the story be had invent-.

ed, and Lord Cambray did not deny that it was a smart trick.

Going up in the train Lorrimer had read in a snippety paper a story of a man who had stolen a valuable piece of plate out of a church, just for the sake of possessing a unique specimen, - although he could never exhibit it .in his collection; and he had appropriated that story and told it to the man who had caught him. _ Ho had also, some time before, during another journey, got into conversation with an old gentleman who had given him his card, and that card he fortunately had Jrad with him, although he had got rid of all marks of his own identity. He told how he had tried to get rid of-his captor, so that he could go back to the church and finish his work, but it had been no use. He had watched him out of sight for miles and miles, and he was so done up by all he had been through that if he had had the opportunity he would not have been able to get back before the alarm was given and the tools he had left in the vestry had been removed. When he had heard the story, out, Lord Carabray instantly dismissed-it as without importance at all. “The fact is you’ve, railed.” he said, “and now there’s nothing to be done but to wait for that little brute to shoot at us, and then try and buy him off.” » There did indeed seem nothing to he done. One piece of projected villainy was foiled for the time being, and the other, that had been discussed between this precious pair, was discussed no longer. Whether Lorrimer bad given up all hopes of being'able to get his way with his master’s daughter there was nothing to show, but at any rato he made no mention of her, and Lord Cambrav seemed to have forgotten altogether that she had loft her home, and that nothing had been heard of her whereabouts. Perhaps lie thought that she would turn up again in her own good time. Perhaps he did not care whether she. turned up again or not. Her maid, who had been with her ever since she was a child, was with her now, wherever she was, and whatever paternal anxiety he might have felt on her behalf could not ho acute since she was in the care of the invaluable Parker. (To bo continued.)