Wolfe's Schnapps Just What the Doctor Grdered

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7301, 5 January 1904, Page 4

Wolfe's Schnapps Just What the Doctor Grdered

the rail gate were Sir Charles Tempest and Professor Lucas. The prospective bridegroom, who had never known fear for himself, was a trifle nervous now. " I suppose it's all right, but I don't like leavtog her," he said. The professor blinked at him 6trangely through the thick convex lenses. "I don't either, but outside these locked doors is not the place to be of '• any use," was the enigmatic reply. " Come and see if there are enough to make up a pool." And wijth an air of shepherding the rest away from the pfcecincts of the chapel, the professor brought up the recur of the party a« it trooped back to the light and warmth of the house. His eye was always on Mervyn Gilliat, who was in exceptionally good form to-night as a squire of dames. The rays of the searchlight also flickered round young Heotor Charlemain, and blazed with something like satisfaction when at the* door of the billiard-room the boy said he was too sleepy for pool, and would go off to bed. "I know Marje will be all right," he explained. "No use in my sitting up to help swell her triumph." "Good lad," mentally ejaculated the professor as he watched tha hear of the Charlemains slowly mount the grand staircase. "Now for the other one." The " other one " was apparently Mr Mervyn> Gilliat, whose heels he dogged; till that gentleman, after hovering dubiously between the door of the dTawing-room and that of the billiard-room finally eleoted in favour of the latter, and took awm a one*. The professor thereupon promptly enr sconced himself in the corner of the settee and sat watching the game. As the end of the hour approached,, a shade of relief stole across his face', and he muttered under his breath, " After all, it seema to have been a false alarm. If the beggar intended any villainy, he must have suspected that I smelt a rat." So the time passed till close on one o'clock, when, with one accord the players laid down their cues and poured into the hall, where they mingled with the stream coming from the drawing-room — all bound for the chapel, to witness Majorie's return from the vault. As before, Sir Richard 1 led the way with Sir Charles Tempest, the father' jovial as ever, the lover unfeignedly anxious now. The grim interior of the chapel struck chill like an ice cave, but the brilliant throng had no heed "for aught but the iron rail gate and the great studded door in the recess behind. As the dii&t&nt chimes of the stable clock rang out tKe hour of one, all eyes were strained painfully at the forbidding portal, Dut there came no grating of tb© lock; the massive oak remained firm, disclosing mo radiant vision of happy girlhood to the spectators. " Tine's vo, Marjoria. You're all right, eh?" shouted Sir Richard to the full pitch of his stentorian lungs. There was no reply. "Try all together," cried Sir Richard, now white. "Now then, a good one." The shout that was raked made the rafters rinsr, and this time Sir Charles Tempest, whose trembling hand was drooping candle grease right and left, thought he heard a faint response. A silence that seemed to last for years followed, during which the professor's glasses gleamed in a puzzled stare upon Mervyn Gilliat's impassive face. Then when some of tho women were beginning to shriek the wooden door rolled slowly back and Marjorie staggered forth. But what a Marjorie! jJThe dainty maiden who had waved them a laughing farefwell had vanished, and in. place of her there tottered into their midst a poor distraught girl with he r evening dress all draggled in the slime of the vault, while the warm wraps she had taken were left behind. "I fainted," she sobbed. "Oh, father, I saw something — something terrible — a writing in letters of fire— to part Charlie and me. And there 5» someone down there being strangled." ."Look after her, Tempest," said Sir Richard through clenched teeth. " You, Lucas, and some of you men come down her© with me." Willing hands took charge of Marjorie, and tii© baronet led the way down the damp stone steps. They had no sooner reached the floor of the vault than the eyes of all were arrested by a faint luminous radiance 'that burned at the far end. Going closer they saw that it was a phosphorescent gleam, fast, fading, but which was evidently the. " letters of fire " mentioned by Marjorie — letters which had been scrawled with a stiok of phosphorus on the topmost of a pile of stone coffins. Even now it was possible to decipher the Bcreed, which ran : — i "If thou mate with Tempest quail before the storm, for death shall claim him within the month." " There is some infernal trickery hero," cried Sir Richard. " But how could it have been worked? She had the keys and locked herself in. But hark ! What m God's name was that?" , ; They gazed in awed wonder round the gloom of th« charnel-house, but there was no one visible despite the sound of stertorous breathing that had fallen on their ears. Suddenly the professor snatched the candle from Sir Richard's band and darted behind the pile of coffins next to that on which the writing was fading out. There was but scant space between tb© pile and the dripping wall, but he squeezed in, and a moment later raised the shout :— " Come hero, all of you. It's young Hector and he's got the culprit/- ' The men crowded round, but there was no room to see or help, and "with a mighty shove Sir Richard sent the pile of coffins toppling to the ground. There was disclosed the mouth, of a narrow cavity in thewall from which, Professor Lucas was struggling to extricate the entwined bodies of Hector Charlemain- and Paul Lesurques — Mr Mervyn Gil Hat's French valet. Eager assistance was forthcoming, and the boy's lithe fingers were loosed from their dutch on the Frenchman, who, seeing that the game was up, also released his murderous grip on his assailant's throat. The object of the valet's presence in the vault was all too obvious to need explanation, andi the chief exeorations were reserved for the master who had sent him to play such a dastard trick on an innocent girL "In a way this is my fault," said the professor, mopping his brow. "I thought Gilliat meaut mischief last night at dinner and I guessed that both Hector and ; he knew of a secret passage into the vault. I remained at home all day searching for it without success, but I expected him to come himself, so I contented myself with keeping an eye upon him, feeling sure that Hector, too, was on guard. I ought to have allowed for his delegating this scoundrel to do hia dirty : work. " Still I doat- understand," said Sir Richard. "How did you and Gilliat come to have a common knowledge of this secret entrance, Hootpr?"' Half proud of his prowess, y*t> ashamed of having shared a secret with Gilliat, the boy looked up at his father shyly. "It» was five years ago, when I was quite a little chap," he said. "Mr Gilliat was staying hero, and when we were playing

hide-and-seek I found the way in througl [ the buck of that large fireplace" in they*, muniment-room. He told me you'd be angry if I had been in the vault, and I was to say nothing about it." "On the principle that knowledge is power, he desired to preserve his share of it, I suppose," ejaculated the professor. "•That's just what struok me last night at dinner," said the lad. "I gues-wl he was really savage at Majorie chucking him, and I determined to come down and soe that she was all right. And I caught this 'beggar— that's all." "And quite enough, too," said Sir Riohard. " Come, gentlemen, we will go and reassure Majone and put Gilliat and this jackal out into the snow. My daughter will be glad to hear that a brace of human rascals, and not our poof old anb&stors, are at the bottom of the pother." So it was that at two o'clock on Christmas morning Mr Mervyn Gilliat and Paul Lesurgues "found themselves #in. the carriage drive of Mofkshoud Chase facing a blinding blizzard and with a six-mile< walk to the nearest railway station before them, while from the hall door a burst of jeering laughter sped them on their way. And a week latex pretty Marjorie was wed without fear of the very up-to-date " ghosta " who would have disturbed her peace.