A BOXER'S BRIDE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7232, 19 October 1901, Page 2

A BOXER'S BRIDE.

(By GEO. E. SIMS.) My young friend Dick MapSingham had written a novel, which he Jvas exceedingly anxious that I should dramatise before he published, it. My house set the time was in the hands of the decorators, so we agreed that when collaboration was necessary we would work together in 'Dick's apartments. At ifoe time I began to collaborate with him he was living in a suite itt Fitzroy Street, Fitzrpy Square. The first day that I called on. Dick I met upon his doorstep a young lady who anstantly attracted smy attention. She was tall, graceful, pretty and well dressed, and she had a pair of the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. They mad© such, an impression on mo that I forgot for a moment I was nob looking ab a picture, and gazed intently. . "There's an awful pretty girl lives here,* Dick," I said, as soon as I had been shown into my friend's rooms. " I've just met ncr on the doorstep. is she?" " I don't know,* replied Dick. "I don't ask my landlady questions about my fellow lodgers, but I believe she has the draw-ing-room floor." / "All' to herself?" ' ' "At present, I believe. Bub I fancy she's married, and her husband's away. You're quite right about 'her being pretty. I've met her iro the 'hall several times — wonderful pair of eyes hasn't she?" ""Glorious !" '' Curious you noticed her, because between ourselves I'm going to give those eyes to my heroine in tlie nest book I write. A woman with eyes like that can make a great impression, on a romantic,* artistic man. Bub let's get on with our play, old chap."* When I left him a few hours afterwards we had made good progress, and arranged to meet in a week. Before the day arranged for I was called 1 out of town. When I returned, any first visit was to Filzroy Street. It was about eight o'clock when I called, and the twilight of an early September evening had settled down upon London. Dick was out, but had left word ftat he would not be long, and I was to wait. I was sitting in his room when there came, a tap at the door, and before I could say "Come in," it was opened, and! a strange figure entered. ..,,.. I was so astonished at what I saw that I involuntarily uttered an exclamation of surprise. Standing before me was a handsomely dressed pig-tailed . Chinaman. The man was good-looking \nd well-built and of good position, for I noticed that his silk cap had the button >on it which denotes rank. He was evidently as surprised to see me as I was to see him, for he stepped back, and with a grave Oriental bow, exclaimed in excellent English, " I beg your pardon, I thought to find Mr Massingham. here." Then with another low bow he retired and closed the door. When Dick arrived a few minutes later I was full of my adventure. - , "There's been a Chinaman hereV aftei' you," I exclaimed. " Where on earth did he spring from?" "Been here after me?" exclaimed Dick, and to my surprise I noticed that his face became grave. " Yes — do you know him?— who is he? W T hat on earth does a Chinaman want with you?" " Well — I — l hardly know how to tell you — I suppose you'll think I'm an awful fool, but the fact is, Ive — I've fallen desperately* in love with that young r lady upstairs." "'Well, I suppose you'll fall out again. Your romances don't last long as a rule. But what has the Chinaman to do with the young lady upstairs/ " Everything — he's her husband." " What— that charming girl married to a Chinaman?" " Yes. And she's awfully unhappy. One day I found her looking terribly worried, and somehow or other I won her confidence, and she fold me everything. Her name is Lilian. She was a nursery governess at the Chinese Embassy — had to take^ the little Chinese boys about and teach-' them English. Ching-San-Lo — that's the man you saw — was an attache or something of that sort. He met her at the Embassy every day, and fell in love with her, and asked her to marry him. He's a handsome chap, talks English you know, and belongs to a good family. The poor girl hadn't a friend in the world, and didn't like nursery governessing, and at last she accepted him. Ho took apartments here, and lives here with her on and off." " Ou and off?"' "Well, of course he has to go about with, the Ambassador, and part (jf the year the Chinese Ambassador is in Paris. When he came buck from Paris he told his wife that (something was going to happen soon, and he should have to return to China — perhaps, in a few weeks -and she would have to go with hCm. In the meantime he wants her to go and live- with him 'at ; t'he Embassy, where the Ambassador has given him rooms." " Well, if she loves her husband she need not worry about that. Portland Place is a better address than Fitzroy Street." " You don't understand. The poor girl believes that if she enters the doors of the Chinese Embassy she will never be seen again." "Oh, nonsense! She imagines these horrors." " Xo, she has been warned by a Chinese servant from the Embassy, wlio used to orne here with messages from Ching.-San-Lo. She did the man a service, and he was grateful. He told her that there is going to be a great revolt in China presently, and all foreigners are to be massacred. The Chinese are plotting sumethOng, and they are going to drive all the foreign devils into the sea." "That's a talc. How could this man know?' •He is a member of a secret society. Some of the members of the Embassy belong to it. They have discussed these tilings togti-her, and they have messages constantlv'from Chin;!, as lo what is going on. * " But if this young lady is the wife cf a Chinese official." she is » Chines subject. She will be safe even if these things shoulu happen." . - No— in a fit of terror, when her lms-

band told her she must leave for China with him in a montih, sho let him know that she had learned the secret. He was in a terrible rage. The next day she received a mysterious message. It -was from the poor fellow who had -vvarsed her.. Suspicion had fallen upon him as the 'traitor. He sent her word that h6 was a marked' man, that he would be forced to commit suicide. He begged her to refuse to leave the English house with her husband- If she could escape in the night and leave London, letting no one know where she was, going to, it might save her life." • "Come, come, Dick," I exclaimed; "you are trying your next romance on me. We are not in China, but in London, where that sort of thing is impossible." Dick shook his head mournfully. "It as all possible," he replied. " There is an account in to-day's paper of the suicide o-f a Chinese servant at the Embassy. He took poison. The witnesses at 'the inquest swore his brain was turned because he was disappointed in love." * "Then if this is really true your duty is clear," I exclaimed. i; You must go first to the Foreign Office and give information of the Chinese plot against foreigners, and then to the police and get protection for Mrs Ohing-San-Lo." " I have been to the Foreign Office. The official I -saw laughed at me. He said I had been imposed upon. If my information were correct the Foreign Legations in China, would have communicated with thsir Governments long ago." "And the police?" " They said that they could not at the suggestion of a stranger interfere between a member of A foreign Embassy and Ms wife. But lam an love with Lilian, and I meaii to ptit •t'hisgs right. I have found out that her husband has another domestic establishment dn Paris. According to English law that, coupled with cruelty he has now been guilty of, will entitle Lilian -it© a divorce. When she has obtained it I will imarr>y her. - In the meantime I must guard her from assassination." There was m, knock at the door. Dick opened it and found himself face to face with Mr Gbing-San-Lo. . " May I ask the honour of your company in •my rooms ; for a moment?" said the Chinaman, speaking in a soft musical voice. "I wish to .speak with you privately." Dick bowed, and with . a nervous glance at me, •followed the Chinaman upstairs. Dick was absent for about ten minutes. When he. returned 'he was deadly pale. "The danger is nearer than I thought, he exclaimed. "This man knows everything. He has either, had 'his wife watched while he was «%way. or has forced' a confession from"" tier. He knows" of our meeting. He suspects -that she has. told roe -her secret. Upstairs, he told me quke .quietly that his wife was in a very excited state. She had allowed herself to be fascinated by me, -and in » moment of foolishness^bad told me an untruth, which if it w>ere repeated would seriously injure her husband. She was filled with remorse at her conduct.. If I made the slightest attempt to communicate wijh her, oi. if I made any use of the untrue statement she had made to one she would immediately take poison. Her life was in my hands." "Do you believe it?" . • "Believe it; no 1 . It's all a diabolical invention of tiis cursed Chinaman. There are a couple of Chinamen in European clothes in the room upstairs with Ching-San-Lo at <tba present moment." "What shall you do?" ■ '■ "I shall sit up all night. If an at--1 tempt l ' is --made to remove Lilian I s-haligfo; ■ out into the street and call for- assistance to prevent it." We sat talking matters over until midnight, and I was. jus* telling him that I would send a message home and remain with him through the night wh,ea Dick suddenly started up with a: cry. " Listen !" . ■ , ; .. There was the noise ©f footsteps xn : ihe ; hall. Dick sprang -to the door,. and. lP-*? moment we were in the passage. The front, door stood wide open. Drawn up. to tjiej kerb was a. private brougham. We were' just in time to see two Chinamen in Euro-, pean dress lifting in «in inanimate form wrapped in a travelling rug. Before Diet could rush out into the street one. China-, man had entered the carriage, the . otherhad climbed on to the. box' and th^broug-; ham was being driven rapidly away. A hansom was passing. Dick hailed it and we got in. " Follow that brougham," he shouted to the cabman. ) The cabman, whipped his horse up. The^ brougham was driven rapidly across "Tiotj-; don. The cabman's horse was fired tfhdi we had the greatest difficulty in keeping i& in sight. We must have been driving for nearly an hour when we found ourselves in a desolate region that was quite unfamiliar to me. The moon was hidden by clouds, and the houses and the tre-es looked like ghostly shadows. .Presently Dick; who was standing up by. the splashboard and straining his r eyes through the darkness, exclaimed : j "We an* near the river!" At that moment our horse staggered and fell/ \ "He's dead beat!" cried the cabman, jumping off the box. We leaps out, . Dick flinging the man a sovereign, and we van like roadmen through the night, guided rather by the noise of the wheels of the brougham than anything else, for it carried no lig%. ■ '• : Suddenly the rattle of the wheels ceased. "My God!" exclaimed Dick] "they're going to throw her into the water." With a desperate effort we increased our pace, and presently we could see the brciigIvani drawn up near a, narrow deserted rivez*«id« street. We ran forward and groped our way to the water's edge. The men hail placed -their burden in a boat. They leapt into it themselves, and werg pulled rapidly "down the river, disappearing in the duikncss. We shdu-ted, but no cry answered ours. We made our way out of the alley and found that the brougham had driven off. Shouting for help, we succeeded at last in attracting attention. A night watchman roused from his slumber came to us and tokl us where the nearest police station was. The Inspector listened to our story and proceeded instantly ~so warn the river police a-nd to communicate with the dock authorities. He also telephoned to Scotland Yard, advising ua to go there at once. We hud some difficulty in getting a cab,, but we succeeded at last, and went straight to tlio Yard. An inspector immediately set out with us for Fitzroy Street. His first object was to search the rooms of Ching-San-Lo and secure any evidence that might be there. It was about three in the morning when we reached Fitzroy Street. Letting himself in with his latch-key, Dick led the way upstairs. . The Inspector opened the door of the Chinaman's apartments without knocking. Then we all three started back with a cry of astonishment. Lying on the sofa was Mrs Ching-San-Lo. We tried to rouse her, but she was in a heavy sleep. " The woman has been drugged," exclaimed the Inspector. "I'll fetch a doctor. The lady may be able to give us a clue to the mystery of the river." When Lilian came to herself she could tell us very little. After :i violent scene with her husband, during which she absoluteh" refused to leax^e the houge with him, she had suddenly become aware of the presence of two Chinamen in European dress. She believed that her husband had given them 'his iatch-key :ind they had let themselves in. One held her, while the other forced) stuns liquid down her throat. From that moment she knew no more. The next inquiries we made were at the Chinese Embassy for Mr Ching-San-Lo. There the officials knew nothing of his whereabouts: They declared that he had never been authorised to bring his wife to tlio Embassy. On the previous day, Mr Ching-San-Lc had obtained leave of absence, and had announced his intention of returning to China. It was presumed that he had already set out. No further information being obtainable, the .detectives made their own inquiries,

! and came to their own conclusion. "From 1 information received" they had no doubt that this was the key to the mystery. Ching-San-Lo was a member of a secret society, and in spite of his official position, was engaged in a plot to overthrow the 'reigning dynasty. The Chinese servant who had committed suicide had betrayed the plot to the Chinese authorities, and Mr Ching-San-Lo had been caught in a trap. The two Chinese in European costume had offered to assist him in getting his wife j away with him. In order that she jjhould not be able to give an account of what hap* j pened they had drugged her. When '&■* was insensible they had probably forced the same drug xrpon Ching-San-Lo, and/ had/ then conveyed him to the river, where he had been put on board a boat which was in readiness, and towed in ihe dark .hours of the nighfc to a Chinese vessel *in the docks. He would be taken to China, and there tortured into a confession and: a betrayal of the names of the members of the society working in Europe. Then he "would" be executed after the Chinese fashion. Every effort to trace his fate failed. ' Hl* death was practically certain, but not legally so. Under these circumstances his wife commenced an action for divorce, and tjie evidence that there was a, lady in .Paris, who passed as Mrs Ching-San-Lo, while the Embassy was at the French capital, being undeniable,- and the proofs of. cruelty suffi* cient, a divorce was granted. A year later the young lady whose beatt* tiful eyes had attracted my attention on Dick Massingham's doorstep, became Dick Massingham's wife. It was in the early days of their hbneymoon that the world was startled by 'the news of the "Boxfer Rebellion land the attack on the Legation at Pekin. I wonder if the officials at the Foreign Office remembered then that nearly two years previously a gentleman named Bic»» liard Massingham called upon them " and told them what was going to happen, asiS that. they dismissed his story as "uttea|| absurd." . , - -.-•- • .