BIG PETER,

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144854, 4 December 1915, Page 5

BIG PETER,

STRONG ROMANTIC LOVE STORY.

By JOHN SHtTTE, Author of “The Bullion Baby,” etc., etc.

PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS: Big Peter; A minor 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; Act* as solicitor to Big Peter. ... Lord Cambray: Selfish, old, and with a vicious past. Lorrimer: Servant to Lord Cambray. Miss Parker; Aunt to Margaret Parker: With whom Big Peter is in love. Mrs. Saunders: A poor widow whom Big Peter.helps. Tommy Saundeis; Her son. CHAPTER XlV—Continued. No one had ever doubted the physical courage of Lord Cambray; but he cowered at these words. Whatever he may have guessed and tried to prevent the telling of, tnat terrible word “murder” broke down all pretences; and he was completely at the mercy of .the man who was standing over him with an almost insane look in his eyes, for he could hardly move without help, and could have offered no more resistance to an attack than if he bad been bound hand and foot.

But his shrinking, was only moment ary. There was hardly a change in his voice as he said, “Sit down 1 And don’t play the fool. Anybody may come in and hear you. Tell me about it, then.” Lorrimor told/bis story and found some, relief in sharing his guilty knowledge. Lord Cambray’s eyes were fixed upon him all the time, and showed disgust, but no particular honor. He even asked questions as to how lie had disposed of the body, and where, and if be had covered up all traces. Then at last, when Lorrimer had unburdened himself, he said, “He, was a mean little cur and nobody is likely to miss him. You’re safe enough if you saw nobody coming or going, as you say. What you've got to do is to pull yourself together and behave os usual. You were a fool to do it, because you could probably have got hold of the paper without. Still, now it’s done, there's no use crying out about it. Put it oat erf your mind and never so much as mention it again.” “Oh! it's ail very well for you to talk,” said Lorrimer, rudely. “You incite a man to commit murder and then tell him not to worry about it. I wish you had had the doing of it yourself 1 I was a good man before I came to you and got mixed up in all your vile schemes. ' “Well, you’re a good man now, said the old lord encouragingly, “it only you'll show a little pluck, Quito natural you should be upset, but don’t let it take hold of you or you’re done. “Now leave it alone and show me the paper. You needn't give it _ up until I have done what I've promised to do. I’ll keep to ray bargain. You’ve already paid the price.” ■■“XVa told yon,” said Lorrimor impatiently, “that he hadn’t got the paper, and that's what made mo so angry. And I don't want anything more said about that other business. I’ve got enough on my conscience now. I’ll never do another wicked deed as long as I live. I’ll go away somewhere an<f bury myself whore they can’t find me—somewhere a long way off; and I’ll change my name so that nobody will know who I am; and I’ll live a good life and ” He had spoken as if the purpose for which he had gone down into the wood to meet his victim was now of no importance at all and could be put on one side, and was startled by the voico in which his master cried, “What! You haven’t got the paper after all. You mean to tell me that you’ve killed a man for nothing?” Lorrimer looked up, annoyed at being aroused ont of bis dream of escape and future contentment. “Oh! am I to go on saying the same thing againand again!" he said irritably. "Ho told me how he cut the leaf out of the book, and I tried to bargain with him, and when he wouldn’t I said I was going to take it from hfm. And then lie told rue that lie hadn’t got it. That was what made me go for him.” “Of course ho had got it.” said Lord Cambray. “That was only bluff, you drivelling fool I It’s on him now, and you’re left it there for anybody to find if they come across his body. What you’ve got to do is to go down as soon as it gets light enough to-mor-row morning and get it. Do you hear ?' Lorrimer shuddered violently. “I wouldn't go there again,” he said, “for anything in the world I” Then the old man lost his temper and raged at him with fierce imprecations, and called him a coward, with all the scorching opprobrium of which he was capable; and when Lorrimer. taking no offence at his words, only shook his head obstinately and repeated his refusal in the same words, he made a niolistrous effort to rise from his couch, shaking his fist at Kim and threatening to kill him if he did not do as he was told. , Lorrimer’s face grew dark again, and he was just about to retort with abuse in his turn, when the old man fell back on his pillows gasping; his face grew purple, and be'was taken with one of those seizures which only the skilful and attentive servant could deal with. But Lorrimer sat looking, at him with a sneer on his lips, and as his master helplessly rolled his eyes at him in unspoken appeal, laughed savagely in his face and sat still in bis chair. The old man tried to say something, but ho was on the point of unconsciousness, and tho sounds ho made were quite unintelligible. But suddenly Lorrimer sprang up, and with a scared face busied himself over the remedies bo knew so well how to use. Whether his roaster had meant to warn him against being responsibe for another murder or no, that wan what had comeinto his mind. How would it be with him if Lord Cambray should die, with his servant in the room with him ? For the rest of the night he was ir. close attendance upon his master; and the next day, and f6r many days afterwards he hardly left him. The doctor, who came constantly to the castle, praised him for his unremitting care, and told him that he would knock himself up if he did not take r<3 As for the evil old man who lay silent and motionless hour after hoar, dataller dav, night after night, on his great canopied bed of state—what thoughts must have passed through Kis mind, to which he would no more be able to give expression! Whatever they were, they were hidden even from I his attendant. All except one; Lorri-

mer knew from his look whenever he went near him, that his pride and his courage had broken down. There was a look of fear and appeal in his eyes that had never been there before. He was afraid of the man who was nursing him in a way that no woman, not even one trained to wait on suffering man; kind, could have excelled. If Lorrimer had wanted revenge on a man who had "set him on to commit the crime for which he now felt such bitter remorse, ho could have devised none greater than this, that the wicked Earl of Carabray, who had been so bold in evil, so overbearing in his hanghy insolence to all those dependent on him, should be living his last days in mortal and abject terror of a servant.

When it was seen that bo would not recover from his last, attack, there were those in' the house who said that his daughter must be sent for. But no one knew where she was. Since the day when, accompanied by her maid, she had left the castle, no word had been heard from her. Lady Marlow was written to, and was greatly distressed at the news that her niece's whereabouts was still unknown, if she bore with equanimity the news that her bro-ther-in-law could not be expected to live much longer. She hod a carefully worded advertisement put into the newspapers, but it brought no reply, and the household at Cambray Castle had another topic to discuss, besides their dreaded master’s mortal illness He had driven his daughter away from him, they said, and now he was going to die and she would not be with him. . The end came late one night, just at that time when nature seems to be most wearied and most sad. Lorrimer was asleep on the sofa, at the toot of the bed. Tired out with his continuous vigil, he was sleeping more peacefully than he had done over since that dreadful day. Suddenly he was startled, and sprang up, sweating with fright, to see the white figure on the bed sitting up making horrible grimaces at him and striving to say something. The sounds that cam© from the blackened lips were horrible and meaningless, and had pierced even through his soothing dreemsAs he sprang up and then stopped, unable to move through terror at that awful sight of the figure that had lain so long helpless and speechless, now sitting up and uttering those horrid sounds and undergoing those grotesque contortions, Lord Cambray lifted a shrunken arm a-nd pointed at him, and made a violent effort to say something, but only gibbered unmeaningly. Then, as if he had given up the attempt, he broke out into a screech of laughter, which rang fearfully through the sleeping house and woke some of those m rooms far distant. Those who heard the sound said afterwards that it was more terrifying than any sound they had over heard. With that unearthly mocking laugh on his lips, and his hand still-stretched out with its pointing finger, Lord Cambray fell back upon his pillows, and there felt a silence never more to be broken by words or sounds from him. (To bo continued.)