The Curse of the Cardews

Thames Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 14517, 7 May 1913, Page 3

The Curse of the Cardews

By W. MURBAY GSAYDON,

(Continued.)

Brian's ancestors had been noted duellist*, and that Brian himself was an advocate of "affairs of honour," he suddenly grasped the situation. For a moment he was speechless and perturbed. : "Do you refuse ?" JJrian said, curtly. "There is no alternative, unless"——* ..-.'■'■ "I have not refused, Desmond." "Then you wIU give me satisfactibn?" "Certainly. When and wherevei you like." "That is easily arranged. Where can you be found to-morrow :? f> "I shall be in town—at the Albany," Geoffrey answered, fiercely. "Very good. You will hear from me. By-the-by, let us agree that no woman's name shall be dragged into our dispute." . "Willingly." "That is -all, then. You have wronged me, Cardew. as bns ly ;-.- ever friend wronged ; trusting frit-mi. ' " Since you are convinced o. that," Gooiirey replied,- "1 *ha.l gladly: give you the satisfaction you demand." N6 more was said. They purtOil in cold anger that .could bnrrl.v ?.«•' repressed from bin sti •><.>; into Sanv;, and two minutes lafrr ■ ihe I rap t!;nhad brought Desmond to Ht-echcomi'.c was rattling him aw-iv og;iiu. Thesound of tie -■ :tv I :!i.<! into silence, arid th;- l>/-;> i ss , T rlwj .I: and impending- evil i>;,' uri.ii:. 0;. ffroy. He had io.si -is it.-t - friend, and the woman v. ho «;:s all the world to him. Wh. v/as- there now to live for? Soin<-; Isui/r perhaps-':'-but he was in no .mooil then to value it. Fate "had cruKhe.l him into dumb .mi.vi-y, <wu) .Kate was to strike yet 'ajviiiii aii'.i again. Or was it a slrojige'r, more jiurposefu] power than bli'nd---fut>-? Air doubt being a! an end, Geoffrey accepted the irevi! able with a calmness that surprise;! 'him. --(hough it masked a heartai-lie that was a smouldering fire of torment. The greater part of the afternoon he devoted to a careful consideration ai what he should do, and his mind was: pretty well made up when, turning his back on Beechcombe for what he knew might be the last time, ho travelled to town by an eveningtrain. He took with him the tin box containing thi? , Cardew papers, and put them safely away in his chambers at the Albany. He went there to dresss, and, later, having dined at a restaurant where he was little known, and decided that nothing could be gained by seeking an interview with Carmen Torrana, he called upon a friend, a young Frenchman of good birth, who lodged in. Sackville-street, and was learning the art of foreign diplomacy at Albert Gate. Jules Dupont was at home, and as he loved a duel better than absinthe, he welcomed the opportunity of taking the part of a second, and laugh(?d at the possible consequences .. in which it might involve him. Geoffrey left him at a late hour, returned to the Albany to bed, and sl.-pt fitfully until 10 o'clock the next morning. Breakfast was served when he entered his sitting room, . and by his plate was a letter that had been re-addressed from' Beechcombe. He carefully tjorc it open, and glanced at the contents. "By heavens !'' ho gasped ; and every vestige of colour fled from his face. With a shaking hand, with dilated, staring eyes, he read on to the end.

CHAPTER VII,

THE LAST BLOW,

That Geoffrey was but human after all, and by no means so indifferent to his future existence as his misfortunes had persuaded him to believe, was shown by the agitation with which he received the bad news contained in the innocent-looking envelope—the. staggering, undreamed-oi blow that indeed stripped him oi everything. The letter he held in hi? hand was from his solicitor, and its purport may be summed up in a few wort.o Ho i^'.vui\icy Cai-dew) was not the legal heir to Beechcombe. A son, Sidney, by name, had been borne to Georgo and Lola Cardew five years before at Rouen, in France; and two years later, when the parents separated by mutual agreement, George Cardew had put the child in the care of English friends :>f his, a certain Captain Leyland and his wife, who were on the eve of sailing for Canada to take possession of a Government timber grant that the retired officer had inherited from a re* ive. So much for that fact, "a'uS"*. Geoffrey's eccentric brother .'. >r) chosen to keep from the kn.-v .nlge of any whom it. might cor. ■ ■ ,i. The sequel began with th v recent death of George Cardev ** Heidelberg. He put- - liveO ;,.j. wife but a short time, when hip : «j>,id in Canada the certificates o| o' .uarriage and of his son's 'jlili a letter of instructions, and , ' val document that vested Capt '/. Ley land with powers of guar-. ...-in to the child. And now '*ap.iti Ley land and his wife were in England with the teoy, who was the rightful owner of Beechcombe. The guardian of young Sidney Cardew had acted promptly kind quietly. The necessary papers had been filed, a firm of solicitors had been employed aiid notice had been served on Archibald Menzies to render aa account of the property which he no'longer.-'had any authority to administer for the benefit of his client, Geoffrey Cardew. "5 was aware of this startling development some few days ago," the letter' went on, '''but I thought it best not to communicate the same to you until I had gone thoroughly into the matter. I have now consulted with Captain Leyland and his solicitors, and there seems to be no grounds, I regret to say, that would warrant opposition on our part. That is my opinion at present. But you had better come to see me at once, and we will decide what steps, if any, it may be advisable to take. Though your brother died intestate, his son would succeed to Beechcombe as the estate is entailed to male heir. It might lead to something— I.offer this meagre scrap of encouragement for what it is worth—if we should proceed to trace the antecedents of George Cardew's wife. He knew little of-- her at the time of his marriage—and ii.o more afterwards, I believe—except that she was tlie widow of a Brazilian officer, General Calderon, and that she had rcc^itly come from Jftiode Janeiro (To* he Continued).