A TIGHT CORNER

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 16050, 7 February 1918, Page 8

A TIGHT CORNER

[COPYRIGHT.!

By ARTHUR W. MARCHMONT,

Author of “By Right of Sword,” “Th* Man Who Was Dead,” Etc.

CHAPTER XXlll—Continued. “Don't bother. That was only an excuse to get a good look at you. Your eyes are less wild than they wore, and 1 think we can talk this thing over seriously now. The first point /is that .in your present unstrung condition you’re not fit to decide anything by yourself. Do you admit that?” ~ "There’s only one thing possible, Mrs. Gendall.” . . “That’s the same thing as admitting if, Bob,” she retorted, drily. “There aie herns of things possible.” “If the stain of that man’s blood— ’ “Oh, don't be so melodramatic. You might bo Deerbohin Tree in a character part when you talk in that tone. Do try and seethe other side of it. I’m not going to reason with you. I’ve heard you nay often enough that a man should meet trouble with a laugh. Is this how you laugh?” “I oaa’t. I can’t.”

“That’s generally the way with your philosophers. They laugh at pain in the abstract and yell if you tread on a .corn. What you’ve got to do is this. See thiVFrcnch cat and hear what .she has to say to yon. Fool her if you can ; although ! expect she's infinitely bettor at that game than you are. Tell her the truth about your having been knocked out of your senses—you’ll find she knows all about that, I’ll go hail—and then point out to her the glaring flaw in her story.” “What flaw?” Dob and Enid cried together. “Oh yoi pair of innocents! But T’m glad to hear the change in your voiced Boh. Isn't it obvious that she lost her head in her over-eagerness to scare Enid out of her way and lied like a Trojan ? Ask her why she’s so eager to marry you, when the police want to cut. your head off. She'll bo ready to bite her own off when she has to answer that question. Does it stand to reason that the linssy would want to marry a man to see him guillotined ?” “You think she exaggerated things?” asked Bob eagerly; so eagerly, indeed, that Mrs. Gendall smiled. “I think the artful little wretch knows that she can prove enough to clear that business out of the way. I’m euro of it. yon simpleton; and if I’d been hero I’d have had it out of her by book nr crook.” “But Blount beard, of it from the nolico hero,” said Bob, his face glooming again. “But she didn’t,tell him, did die? And why not? Because she meant to keen it un her sleeve ns n card to play with Enid and you if tou kicked.” “Rut the report in the paper, the de. tails, thp name evcrvthing,” argued Boh.

“Tlonlly. my door boy, I shall have to teach you your alphabet next. I don’t doubt the renort. and that tbp poor nun woe. murdered, nr even that no was hilled in exart.lv the way described. Put do you imagine: the police arc. infallible? Have.ym never bear’d that they have mnde a blunder?' 'ls'iTimpossible that the unfortunate inspector was mistaken about the name, Jean Colonne® There nppea;s nothing inoro than his. word for it.”

"I never thought of that,” exclaimed Bob.

“Obviously,” said Mrs. G<ndall, with a shrug .anil a dry smile. “But new that I hnvo’put the thought into that v.ell-shiped, but. momentarily unreceptiva bond of vours, perhaps you’ll hehavo rationally. There’s another thing I’ll ho hound you don’t think of either. If the only man who could recognise you is dead, how in the world are they going to identify you as the chauffeur of the car that day at Cremont? But there, there are a hundred things .to ho done before you talk such nouqcnso as frightened this poor, child into fits. 1 oegin to forsoc that I shall have a lot of trouble with yon when you’re married.”

Enid was by her side, having gone to her when the conversation had taken this hopeful turn, and she blushed vividly and then laughed, and as suddenly throw her arras round Mrs. Gondall’s neck and burst into tears, the first she had shed through’it all. There was little grief in them ; more happiness and intense relief from the ordeal wl ieh had taxed her to the limit of endurance.

Bob’s relief was quite as great as hers. “I’ve never been so heartily glad before to realise what an ass I can make of myself. And you’ve made mo see it,” lie said with a nervous laugh. “Even a man is half way to wisdom when ho knows he’s a fool, Bob.”

“Don’t nib it in. I’te been pretty badly punished.” ( “Very well. There’s no groat Harm clone, fortunately, and we’ll cry n truce. I make only one condition, that you keep mo posted in tbo affair. And row, if you fee! fit( you’d better go and sco this French oat.’’ “I’m fit for anything again now,” ho said confidently. “I’m glad to hear it; but don’t rush to tbo othor' extibmo and imagino that because the thing isn’t as black as you thought, it’s perfectly white. It isn’t, and you may still have a lot of troOble. And now the sooner yon go the better. TTI go to your uncle, child, while Bob makes his peace with you.” “I don’t, know how to thank you, Mrs Gendall,” said Bob earnestly, as ho opened the door for her. She returned his serious look with a quizzical smile. “I can tell you. You shall pay for the replica of my necklace,” she answered and went out laughing. , “Isn’t she wonderful?” exclaimed Enid, smiling now through her happy tears. _

“Yes; but she’s mads mo feel pretty cheap,” ho said shaking his head rue* fully. . . “I think you deserve something. ‘'l’ve got more than I deserved.” he answered, and h' 3 blue eyes lighted and then grow vorv tender as he took her hand and put his arm round her. “I know now in all truth how much someone cares for me.” “Oh, isn’t that cowardly? To take advantage of what I said and did at such a time/’ She looked up into his face with a radiant smile and then laid her head on his breast, sighing contentedly. “You must never frighten me again like that, Bob.” “Let me get out ofi this mess, and if I ever do, you’ll only have to mention it to bring mo to heel in a moment,” ho said, lifting her face and kissing her on the lips. “Thank God we can hope once more.”

“Wo mustn’t give way to despair again, must we, whatever happens now?” ' . \

“I won’t. You have my word for it. I’ll go through with it.” “And youTl never even think of lot-

ting' it part us, whatever the result may bo ” she pressed. ‘No,” ho answered; and repeated it more firmly. She looked up and held his eyes. “On your honour. Bob?” “On my honour, dearest.” And again their lips met to seal the promise. “I'm quite happy now,” she said brightly. “And I can let you go.” , (Continued daily.)