LITERATURE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5108, 16 September 1884, Page 3

LITERATURE.

» THE TIDAL TRAIN. (The World.) (Concluded.) AYhen the porters rushed on board, Lady Jones desired one of them to go at once and secure her a carriage. " Can't be done, mum," he replied. " All the things have to be examined before they let us through to the train." " Absurd ! " said her ladyship ; " they won't examine mine. lam Lady Jones." But her ladyship was no better than ait ordinary person before the law. The Custom-house officers were inexorable ; and, in spite of her protests, all her small parcels, and those of her party, were taxea into the search-room, and laid out on the counter. AVith an imperious wave of the hand, an official ordered her to follow them. To make matters worse, the quiet Englishman, to whom she had been so rude in the train, was standing there at the doorway, talking to two other men, and laughing, as she thought, at ncr distress." For the moment her two American friends were nowhere to be seen. "I never heard of such a thing! "she said indignantly to Millicent, as tho officious searchers turned everything out ©£ her gold-mounted dressing-case, and then proceeded to unroll the rugs. "Whatd© they take us for ? " " Everybody is treated alike, dear Lady Jones. I suppose they arc afraid of Fenians, or dynamite, or something." "It is preposterous, disgraeef ill ! Sir John shall Avrite to the papers — I beg your pardon." This was to an official, who had said to her twice, " AVhat is this ?" A small parcel done up in strong browtt paper securely tied and sealed. " I haven't the least idea. Something of my maid's or Millicent's — this young lady here. I really cannot say." But while she chattered on with accugw tomed garrulity the Custom House officer | had already cut the strings, undone the parcel, and laid bare a small, plain tin ; case. I It had a lid, which was easily opcnoH. | Inside were a number of slabs of a v.hity- ; brown sugary - looking substance, which \ might have been tenth-rate chocolate or indifferently-made " toffee." " Some sort of sugar," said Lady Jones. " How odd ! I cannot imagine — " " It's just Avhat I expected," said a quiet voice behind. " Hand it over, Mr Saunders. This is irsy affair." " What, Mr Hopkinson, are you here ? " '• Very much on the spot this time, I think, Mr Saunders. Now, ma'am" — to Lady Jones — where are your other friends ? " " How dare you speak to me ! " she replied hotly, recognising her old enemy of the train. "I am Lady Jones." "Of course, all right," replied the man called Mr Hopkinson. " But there," he went on, half to himself, "we don't want any scandal or noise. AYe might 10.-c the others ; " and with that lie v. Insured a few words to an attendant, :vu<- draw back 'nto the crowd. Tho examination of Lrv/ly Jones' b:i;--,'.--.ge was completed, evei-yth -I!.;- wn ■; rep:; '■.cd, and the party proceeded t./.v.-uvi^ the i-. in. Just as they pai-dud tiu- r«-:V. .i.iwn'.-.-.iL'm, a railway guard e;:.;:e up, and {••li-.-lih;-,' his cap, said, '"The t.i:'.tio:i-';:: '-t ■ :• has reserved you a t-ompartm^nt. J.'i.juso como this way." " How uncommonly civil of him, to be siuv !" cried her ladyphip. "I suppose it is to make up for this annoyance. I :un really much obliged." Within five minutes tlie two ladies were stowed away in a carriage by themselves, and the door securely lucked. Presently the train ran out of the station up the hill to Folkestone town, and Lady Jones, who was rapidly rocovoringher eoinnhuity, niter a few ejaculations of d-dir;-lit :A ' ••rng homo again, composed herself t > *]•_• ■ in v, corner of the carriage. But fresh ann< vance v.:i.:- i. t r -'•••- .■ for her. At Folkctnne 'JVwn fc ta'.i :• \he carriage was unlocked, and three lv.en got in ; one of them, to Lady J.-nes' inui^na-

tion "and dismay, was Mr Hop k^ V e f his black bag, which he kept on hu kneft, is time you should know who I am. My name — " ... . 1 »» 1 "1 am sure I don t care to know. "My name is Hopkinson. I am Chief Inspector of Police from Scotland Yard." 1 " Well," said Lady Jones, still bold, but •with much inward misgiving, " I really do not understand ." " By this time my men will have arrested your two confederates— your friends who helped you in trying to keep me out of the train at Paris. I knew them all along. "My friends: I never met them before this morning ! Why, I don't even know their names!" ' " That won't do. You know as well as I do that they are Phelim Cassidy and ( Thaddeus O'Brien, American Fenians — " " Gracious Heavens !" ' " With whose connivance you have , attempted to convey dynamite into , Encland— a nice little lot of ' Atlas powder/ in slabs too, for convenience in packing." " I deny it, mo3t positively ! I — I — " " Case is too strong against you. Why, the stuff was found in your possession, and . I have it here in my bag ; enough to wreck j the whole train." j Lady Jones shrieked. I " Do you mean to tell me that there is \ dynamite here, in this carriage? O, do, please, throw it away !" " The concussion would certainly explode it, and we should all be blown to kingdom come ' Don't be frightened ; you travelled with it all the way from Paris, and would have carried it on to London yourself." " I assure you I know nothing of all this. I am Lady Jones, the wife of Sir John Jones, of Harley street. Millicent, help me to explain to him who I am." The detective shook his head doubtfully. "It may be as you say ; but I don't quite see my way. Wait till we get to London. If you can prove your identity, at any rate you may escape being locked up ; the magistrates may give you bail." With this cold cemfort Lady Jones had to be satisfied, and in dire terror and discomfort she made the rest of the journey to London. Hopkinson, it must be confessed, had already made up his mind that it was as Lady Jones had said; but he chose to keep her in suspense. On. reaching Cannon street, the guard brought him a telegram. The detective read it with strong symptoms of disgust. " Shipped through my fingers ! Just when I thought I had them, too ! It's the •very mischief. What shall Ido next ?'' After a pause of deep thought he turned suddenly to Lady Jones. "Do these men know your London address? Yes? Well, if you will assist us now, I think I can promise that nothing more shall be said about this unfortunate affair. But first, you must be secret, silent as the grave. Can I trust you ? And this young Lady ?" Millicent and Lady Jones answered in a breath, promising to be most circumspect. '* My idea now is that these scoundrels only planted the stuff on you, hoping it •would pass unnoticed; whether it did or not they would know by the morning papers, which would be sure to publish an account of the seizure of dynamite. Well," went on the detective, " no one must know a syllable of this ,- there shall be nothing in the papers, or anywhere. To-morrow or next day they will call at your house to recover their small parcel, explaining that it slipped in among your rugs by mistake. If they do, we have them ; do you understand ? And will you help ?" Lady Jone3 only too gladly assented. That night the house in Harley street was practically in the possession of the police. Sir John entered into the spirit of the thing ; gave his hall-porter a holiday, and installed Hopkinson disguised in his place. On the third day the dark American called, sent up his card, and was given the dynamite. As he left the house his red-headed companion joined him, and both were arrested before they had turned the next comer. Their trial, with the examination of Lady Jones, was one of the events of the season.