BIG PETER.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144855, 6 December 1915, Page 5

BIG PETER.

STRONG ROMANTIC LOVE STOKE-

By JOHN SHUT®,

Author of “The Bullion Baby,” etc., etc. PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS: Bis Peters A miner on the K.imperii Cold Field. The real Lord Cambray. Tho Swell and Scotty: Chums of Big Peter. Robert Walker: A solicitors 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, Lorriroer: Servant to Lord Cambray. Miss Parker: Aunt to Margaret Parker: With whom Big Peter is in love. Mrr Saunders: A poor widow whom Big Petur helps Tommy Saunders: Her son.

CHAPTER XlV—Continued,

The death of the Earl of Cambray did not call forth much comment in tho public Press. In all his tong The he had done no public service, unless a few years in tho Household Brigade can be counted as such. He had been a mean and grasping landlord; he Lad come into possession of wealth and rank in his earJy youth, and ho had spent everything he had on the gratification of his own pleasures and vices. There was nothing good to say of such a man, and the bad that was known of him was allowed to rest.

One point, of interest in his death was the succession to his ancient title of his daughter. Lady Margaret Chandos. The paragrapli.r-ts all produced their little lists ot peeresses in their own right, -to whom the Countess of Cambray's name was now added, and then the subject dropped. Very little was known, even to the society journalists, of Lady Margaret. She had not boen seen much in fashionable society, and it was not possible even to produce photographs of her in the illustrated papers. Applications to her ladyship for permission to do so wero left unanswered, as were sundry other communications, addressed to Cambray Castle to tho new peeress. For two days after Lord Camhray's death there was still no word from his daughter. Tho family solicitor came down to tho castle and took in band tho arrangements for the luneral and tho succession of the estates. Then at last there camo word from Lady Margaret. She was with her aunt, Lady Marlow, in her house in tho country. She wished to come down to the castle, but before she did so, desired that certain instructions should bo carried out. Amongst them were some relating to the household staff. All the servants who wished to do so, were to stay on for the present, with tho exception of the late earl's valet, Lorrimer. He was to bo dismissed at once. This order wvrs peremptory. Lorrimer did not seem to be surprised at her ladyship’s decision, nor did he seem so averse to leaving tho house whore ho had lived for so many years as might have been expected. On tho day on which notice was gi von him ho went away, and the same veiling tho Countess of Cambray arrived with her maid, and took up her residence in the castle whicli was now hors.

She paid one -lisit to the room in whicli her father’s body lay, but it was a very short one, and she did not repeat it. Nor did she follow him to tho grave in which ho was laid with all the pomp that befitted his rank, and in tho presence of a largo concourse of people, amongst whom there was not one to shed a tear for him or to feel anything but a sense of relief that his long bad reign was over, and hope that tho new reign just begun would be a very different one. CHAPTER XV.

THE HOME OF HIS FATHERS

The day after . Lord Cnmbray’s remains had been deposited rvith nil pomp and ceremony in the family vault, i'eter went down to tho village of Tuustead, which was about two miles from Cambray Castle. He did not go to Chartseclg'e, m whicn parish tlio cast la was situated, bocauso, always with the idea in his mind that some day ho might come to reign over this property, ho was unwilling to make his lirsr. appearance there as a stranger in tho village inn. He wished as lar as possible to keep quiet, and not to bo recognised while bo was making his investigations, and for that reason ho called himself riot Mr. Peter Chandos, but Mr. Peter, and telt absurdly pleased at being addressed by tho name, because be had lirst been called by it sitting in that little paradise of an orchard by the Norfolk Pro ad- , . The inn in winch he took up his quarters was a pleasant, old-fashioned, rambling house that had seen better days. It was kept by a buxom widow, who was quite ready to gossip with him, and ho learnt a good deal from her before ho had been there an hour. She was, of course, full of the grand funeral that they had had at Chartsedge the day before. It. had been a Godsend to a neighbourhood where, as she told Peter, nothing ever happened. And as there had been no call to grieve for the person chiefly concerned in it, it had been taken frankly as a welcome entertainment and enjoyed as ‘There wasn’t a soul amongst the gentry all round who would have anything to do with his lordship when he was alive,” she said, “at \2ftst not latterly—for his goings on were something awful. But they all sent their carriages—l dare say more out, of respect to her ladyship than anything—and as for the flowers, why, I never see anything like ’em, not even when the countess was buried, and lucky for her, poor lady, that she was took when she was, for no never brought her anything but sorrow, and he would have brought her more still if she’d lived. He was a thorough bad one, was the earl—thought of nothing but spending money on his .own pleasures—and pretty awful pleasures they were too—and let hia property get into a frightful state. AVhen yon go about this country, sir,'just you look at the farm buildings and cottages. Why, some of them are a positive disgrace! Nobody could get anything done. It’s my belief he’d just as soon see ’em tumble down as not, as long as ho got some sort of rent out of them, and djdn t have to put his hand in hia pocket for repairs. Well, it’s to be hoped it will he different now, though where the money’s to come from to do anything X don’t know.” Then Peter asked her what the new countess was like. “Well.-it’s a funny thing,” said the

landlady, '‘but although I have lived here for over ten rears, I have never onco set eyes on her. When I first came she was mostly abroad with her ladyship, who was in a decline —at least that’s what they called it, but it’s my belief she was just suffering from a broken heart. Then alter the countess died, till she was grown up, she was living mostly with her aunt. They say she never wanted to como here at all, but his lordship made her; and I suppose she was so ashamed at the sort of things that, used go on at tho castlo.that she wouldn’t willingly let it ho known that sho lived there. Besides, the people at Chartscdgo are a rough lot; thoy can hardly got docent tenants to oomo to such a place. Sbo wouldn’t be likely to go about amongst them much. There are just one or two farms which have been in the same hands for many years that sho's boon used to go to occasionally, but not even that lately. I don v t believe for a year or two she’s been outside tho castle- - gates whon she’s been down here, except just to go to church; and, of course, the grounds and the woods about the castle arc so big that sho needn’t ever have Ip ft them if sho didn’t want to bo seen. Still, everybody as knows her speaks well of her, but they sav she’ll never bo able to live here unless sho marries somebody with.a great deal of money; and if sho docs that he’s likely to have fine place of his own. They, say there 11 bo next to nothing for her when everything is settled up. and she’ll bo almost ns poor as il sho wore a simplo farmer’s daughter, instead of a lady with a title of her own and como of some of tho proudest blood in the land.”

"Ah, well,” said Peter, ‘‘l hope it won’t he as had as all that. And if she is a nice lade, I dare, say she will marry well and forget all her trouble*. Do you know anything about the servants at the castle? I suppose the old man had somebody to look after him all the time ho was so broken up?” "He wns broken' up with his bad ways,” said tho landlady severely, "and na "for being looked after, he. was looked after by a man who was just about as bad as he was. His name was Lorrinier, and any wicked prank that my lord wanted to play up with Lorrimer helped him. I could HI you some stories about that, only they’re hardlyfit for a woman to tell a gentleman Oh, yes. Mr. Ixirrimcr looked after his lordsbio all right, and after himself, too. They say that whatever money has boon left ho will very likely gel his share of it. Bui it’s a funny thing that though all fho rest of tho servants was there at the church yesterday, ho wasn’t. I did hoar that he’s took himself off already, and X dare say it’s quite true, because it isn't likely her ladyship would want him there.” Peter asked a good many questions about Mr. Lorrimer, and the landlady was able to give him a description which made him,priek up his ears and consider whether it might not be as well to send a telegram to Mr. Foaron without delay. For it seemed certain that this servant. who had the reputation of being at his master's beck and call for ipiy evil service that was required of him, was the man he had surprised in Thaxted church, and allowed to escape him. It was rather disturbing to learn that ho had already left the neighbourhood. It looked rather as if another opportunity might have been iost. It might be as well to got on to his track at once. Xle thought, however, that he would find out a little more first. Tho landlady did not seem to be quite certain whether Tajrrimor bad actually left the castle. It was only that somebody had told her that he hod,- when she had remarked about bis not being present at the funeral. Ho might be still there, and in that case ho would get an unpleasant surprise, after Peter han paid a visit to the nearest police station. Ho wanted to make quite certain of his man first., and. not .let himself in for another fiasco. (To be continued.)