FOR HIS DEAR SAKE

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 145999, 4 December 1917, Page 8

FOR HIS DEAR SAKE

ATTRACTIVE STORY OF STRONG DOMESTIC INTEREST.

By RUTH TEMPLETON, Author of “The Price of Her Silence,” “The Tie That Binds,” “Love Forbidden,” etc., etc.

CHAPTER XYIII.

So long as ishe lived Lynetto would never forget the terror-stricken scream that burst from the French maid’s lips, as she stoopecPover her murdered mistress. It seemed to rouse her to sudden action, and bending down, sho picked up the small revolver that lay on the carpet where it had fallen or been flung down by Paulino Silver’s murderer. At sight of it Cerise gave another shrill 'scream.

“Mon Dion! It is with that my poor mistress has boon killed !” She covered her face with her hands to shnt out the sight of the deadly little weapon. “Oh, it is dreadful, dreadful! I shall go mad!” White with the shock she had sustained, Lynctte faced tho distraught girl. . “Try to calm yourself l ,” sho sard kindly. “One of us must go for tho police. Will you, or shall I?” “Zo polls!” Horror unmistakable showed on the maid’s face as -she removed her hands. “Ah! But it is neco&saire, I suppose. Yes. I will go. I dare not stay here. And they will question mo, and I shall have to say that Mr. Travers was with my poor mistress when I loft the house this afternoon.” At mention of Owen Travers’ name, Lyuette felt herself go suddenly cold. “Mr. Travers? Was lie here this aftornoon ?” she asked, in deep surprise. Cerise nodded.

“But yes, and they were talking angrily, quarrelling, in fact. Mr. Travers was not so fond of Miss Silver when she came down to Beverley.” A terrible fear swept over Lynctte. This woman’s wild statements might fix suspicion upon Owen Travers. With an effort she forced herself to speak. “You must not say things like that about Mr. Travers.”'sho said authoritatively. “It may do him a lot of harm. The police are sure to find the murder-

Ceriso shot a keen glance at Lynetto from her beady black eyes. “I shall hide nothing, mademoiselle. I loved my poor mistress, and now she is dead."

Lynette looked np quickly, fancying she detected a note of menace in the Frenchwoman’s words. She opened her lips to speak, then closed them again, deeming it best to keep silent. Cerise moved away, and Lynette, with a shiver of dread, heard the front door close behind her. She stood for a few moments looking down on the beautiful form of Pauline Silver, until she could boar the sight no longer, then glanced at the revolver she still held in her hand.

As she did so, a low cry leapt to her lips. Just above the handle a name was scratched, and she had no difficulty in deciphering it. It was just the word “Travers.”

Lynettc’s blood ran suddenly cold, and a look of tear shot into her eyes. The revolver undoubtedly belonged to Owen, and Cerise had said that she had left him at “Crossgates” that afternoon. 1

Lynette looked wildly round. What should she do? Any moinont now, the police might arrive. There certainly was not time to hide the incriminating weapon, and if there had been, Ceriso would probably testify to the fact that it had been in' the room when she loft. .She started, as the sound of voices reached her, mingled with the heavy tread of approaching footsteps. Then tho door opened, and the Beverley inspector came in, followed by Ceriso and Dr. Seaton. At sight of Lynette, Mas Seaton gave a scarcely perceptible start. Ho had not expected to see her there. He took her cold hand in his for a moment, then turned to his task of examining the murdered woman, giving it as his opinion that she had been dead about two hours. Inspector Graves made a note of Dr. Seaton’s evidence, then turned to Lynetto, whom he questioned closely. She forced herself to answer calmly, but Seaton saw. the sudden whitening of her cheeks at mention of Mark Travers name, and turned aside to hide the triumphant smile that hovered round his thin lips; Then came the French maid’s evidence, given in a rapid mixture of French and English, but plain enough to show that she was firmly convinced that her mistress had met her death at Travers’ hands.

Tho inspector snapped the elastic hand round his note-book, and intimated to Max Seaton that it would be advisable for him to take Lynette away. “Come, Lynette, wo can do nothing more now, and it is very distressing for you. Lot mo take you back.” Like ono in a dream, Lynette hoard Seaton’s low words, and suffered herself to bo led away. Once outside in the fresh air, she seemed to revive and found her voice once more.

“What will happen?” she asked, in evident distress. “Will they arrest Mr. Travers? Oh, but I’m sure ho didn’t do it—it’s too horrible to think of—he would never do such a thing.”

An ugly look flashed into tho man’s dark face.

“It’s to be hoped then that everyone will take that view,’ ho remarked brusquely, “but circumstances look very black against him. You hoard what that girl said—that Travers was with her mistress this afternoon when she left the house, and that high words had passed between them. Then there’s the revolver with which the crime was committed. It clearly belongs to Travers, and ho will have to give a satisfactory account of how it came to be there.”

Lynetto’s face was quite bloodless now.

‘‘Poor Miss Silver. It is very terrible, but I am certain Mr. Travers knows nothing about the crime.” “It remains for him to prove it,” Seaton returned significantly. “And knowing what I do of the man, I do not feel so sure of his being able to do so.” Lynette’s hatred and distrust of Seaton flamed up afresh. Her eyes flashed with anger and indignation, as she looked up at him. “You are cruel and unjust,” she said, “but however strong the circumstances were against him, I would not believe Mr. Travers guilty of such a horrible deed.” Seaton made no answer, aware that Lynette was strung up to a pitch of nervous tension well nigh unendurable. He insisted upon taking her right up to the Hall, but just before they turned the bend in the drive, he questioned her as to her reason for being at Crossgates that night.

For a moment. Lynctto hesitated, then told him of tho nolo Paulino Silver bad sent that morning. Fortunately for Seaton, tho darkness hid the expression of anxiety that flitted across his face.

He did not speak again, until, in Mrs. Hedderwick’s presence, ho related just what had happened, his attitude towards Lynctto somewhat surprising the older woman.

When lie had gone, sho turned to Lynctte, who stood white and anxious at her side.

“What is all this mystery, clear?” she asked kindly. “1 am sure there is something unusually wrong. For weeks now, both the colonel and I have seen that you were bearing some trouble in secret.’' Her anus closed round Lynette’s slender form ns they had done that day at the Knoll just after John Sylvester’s death. “Tell me what it is, child. I will keep your confidence, and help you, if I can.”

But hymn to shook her head hopelessly. “You cannot help mo, dear Mrs. Hedderwiek,” she said gratefully. “No one can, now. But I will tell you this. I have promised to marry Dr, Seaton, but I do not love him. I even distrust and dislike him ”

“Then, my dear child, you must not think of wrecking your life by becoming his wife.”

Lynette smiled sadly. “Ho holds a secret over someone who is very dear to me, which ho threatens to expose unless I agree to marry him.” A sudden light broke in upon Mrs. Ilcddorwick. “Is that someone Mark Travers, Lynette?” she asked. “Ah! I can see 1 have stumbled on the truth by tho look in your eyes.” Then, because further evasion was useless, Lynette confided to her kind friend enough of tho story to let her see how matters really stood, though she purposely said nothing of tho nature of the hold Max Seaton had over Owen. Mrs. Hcddcrwick’s face was unusually grave when she bad heard of the evidence that pointed to Travers as the murderer of Paulino Silver, but she did not let Lynette seo to what extent this affected her.

“Cheer up, child,” she said brightly, patting the slender drooping shoulders, “Mr. Travers will doubtless bo able to clear himself of any suspicion against him, and it may bo that all will come right in the end.” But she would have spoken less confidently could she have witnessed the scene that was being enacted, at that very moment, at Beverley Grange. After concluding the necessary formalities in connection with the tragedy involving Pauline Silver’s death, Inspector Graves took immediate steps to provide himself with a warrant for Owen Travers’ arrest. His nest move was to go up to the Grange, where he inquired fdV the suspected man. Jepson, imperturbable as ever, informed him that this was impossible, as his master was just on the point of going away. Inspector Graves gave a knowing smile. Ho did not doubt the information for one moment. Just at that moment Owen’s car came into view on its way down the drive. The chauffeur would have shot past, but the inspector stepped briskly forward. “Pardon mo, sir, but I wish to ha% r c a. few words with you. You are Mr. Travers, I believe ” Owen, surprised at tho unexpected encounter, admitted that he was. Ho took out his watch and looked at it. “Will what you have to say take long, Inspector?” he asked politely. “For I want to catch the 9.10 train from Bevor. ton.”

Inspector Graves shook his head. “I’m afraid you won’t bo able io do that, sir, for I have here a warrant for your arrest on suspicion of having murdered Miss Pauline Silver.” “What!” Owen sprang to his feet, and in a moment was out of the car. “Pauline Silver dead? Why, .you must be dreaming, my good man.” “Unfortunately I’m not, sir. The pom lady is dead —was found about an hour ago, shot through the heart, and your revolver was lying by her side. On that, and other incriminating evidence, I am bound to arrest you, sir.” The news completely staggered Owen, and in'the powerful light from the lamps on the car, his face showed deathly pale. “There’s a big mistake somewhere, Inspector,” he exclaimed. “For Miss Silver was perfectly well when I left her this afternoon.” The inspector’s steely blue eyes searched Owen’s face with careful scrutiny. “Then you admit that you wore at ’Crossgatek’ this afternoon?” Owen nodded. ‘ ‘Certainly. Miss Silver sent for me on a matter of business, but I had left the house by a quarter to four. You say that the doctor gave it as his opinion that she met her death two hours before her body was discovered ? Well, that would make the timo of the murder about half-past five.” The inspector agreed. “If you can prove what you were doing at that time, and how your revolver came to bo the one from which the fatal shot was fired, Mr. Travers, it will he all the better for you. But it is not my business to go further into the case now. You must consider yourself under arrest, and I must trouble you to come with me.” Inwardly the inspector was congratulating himself upon having caught Owen before ho had time to got clear away, for ho told himself everything pointed to tho suspected man’s guilt, oven this, his hurried flight. Ho stopped into the car beside Owen and directed tho chauffeur to drive to Bevcrton Police Station, and a moment later the automobile glided off, leaving Jepson standing dazed and horrified in tho porch. Ho had not returned to the house more than half an hour, however, when Lynette, flushed and panting, arrived and as lied to seo Owen. “I must see him, Jepson,” she said, in eager, anxious tones, stepping inside. "So please lose no time in telling your master I am here.” Jepson looked down into tho sweet, troubled face, his own anxious and grave. “I’m sorry, Miss Lynottc, but you’re just too late. Inspector Graves has placed the master under arrest on suspicion of having caused Miss Silver’s death.” At the dread news, a low cry left Lynetto’s lips, and a sudden terrifying darkness seemed to envelop her, ere she swayed and fell, in a little crumpled heap, on to the smooth, polished floor at Jepson’s feet. (Continued daily.)