CHAPTER XXXV.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8705, 20 August 1906, Page 4

CHAPTER XXXV.

AT PBATB FAKM. We left Eleanor and her handmaiden a few chapter** back captives in the hands of a couple of mysterious assailants, who had, with a suddenness and completeness sufficiently terrifying, prevented tho further flight of the fugitives. Possibly their captors' would have proceeded at once to explanations, but that Roachley, with the inetinet of a thorough-going huntsman, m?.d© straight for the paddock, waving hie lantern before him. The passage between, the two barns was by far the darkest part noticeable, even, where all eke was so black, and in: that passage Roachley's search began— and ended. The two men who had intercepted the girls left the latter as they noticed Roachley's approach, and crept themselves on. hands and knee* into "th« alley. The meeting took place about halfway along. RoacMey's lantern was dashed out of his hand, his arms were seized in a giasp of iron and pinioned behind him, and. the cold muzzle of a revolver was pressed against his forehead. "If you move 1 shall fire," said a voice. " Very well, gentlemen," Boaohley replied mildly. "I am as still as a monument; at least, as etill as I can be with one of you tugging at my elbows as if he were hauling on the tow-rope of a- canal bargo. But I have nothing on me — ray money; is all inside. Will you accompany me thither?" "We propose so to do,'' was the reply of one of his assailants. " We came for that purpose," said - the other. • "Just search him first," commanded the former speaker. >t "A revolver in hie jacket pocket, was the other's announcement after a ipauee. "Put it in your own." " Nothing else, that I can see." " Good I Now you take one arm, and I'll take the other, and then to the house." "I shall be delighted to entertain you, gentlemen," was Roaohley's only comment. . They advanced in that formation to the door,, the girls following— though the trio did not heed them— a dozen yards, or so behind. Eleanor's first idea, and Emily's too, for that matter, had been to continue their flight, but curiosity and the knowledge that Rod was inside that bouse a captive, overcame in a measure their fears, and they crept in the wake of Roachley and his captors, keeping, however, at a respectful distance, and well in the full flood of light from the lamps within, Emily gave a great cry and ran forward. "Ralph!" she cried. "Oh, Ralph, is it you?" Simultaneously, Roachley turned to view his captors. "By Jove!" he exclaimed. Soott Mallabar, and Bowmar, the secretary." " Your humble servants, the jo.urnalist returned, and Ralph, having recovered a little from the eemi-paralysis of astonishment into which the eight of his sister had thrown him, the procession passed up the hall, the two girls bringing up the rear. . " Which is the room?" the journalist, askod. . i " Have you any preference?" Roach* ley queried politely. " We want the room wher© in Kenwood us " "So!" "Which is it?" " I do not know." i " That is a lie. ajjyway."

"Well, then, I rofuse to eay." "What if I shoot you?". "With all the pleasure in life. Don't let me be any impediment to the enjoyment of my guests. Though as a method of inducing speech it has certain drawbacks." Scott Mallabar turned to Eleanor. " Open all the doors," he' commandCf " That is the room," Emily cried shrilly. " I saw him through the window. That must be the one. § She ran to the door she had indicated, and tried to open it, but found it fast locked. Roachley chuckled audibly " I shall owe Sanders a bit tor that," ho muttered " He .must have seen us commo; and locked the door, it demanded the journalist, overhearing Roachley s meditations. _ "A friend of mine.' "Where is he?" "I don't. know." , The catechism was interrupted abruptly by a loud shot behind them. Ralph and the journalist turned involuntarily to see Eales, not three yards away, covering them with a revolver in each hand. Taking advauntage of their momentary surprise, Roachley wrenched himself free , " Fire, man. fire I" he cried. Shoot at their legs." Whether Eales would have carried out the order or root, or whether he would have hit if he had, will ever remain a question. The decision did not rest with him ; that was Emily's. The girl had been standing by a Bmall table on which was disposed an earthenware vase holding all that was mortal of a defunct geranium. This she seized, and at a four-foot range, hurled it full in the face of the man with the revolvers. " I shall never joke about a woman s aim again." Scott Mallabar eaid ac he knelt on Eales' recumbent form, covering Roachley carefully with his own weapon the while. "Em, get those scarves on that table, and bind this fellow's logs. If this revolver goes off —this was to Roachley—" you will get ";And if he misses, I shan't," Ralph Roaohley shrugged his shoulders with a resigned air, and folded his arms, but the ceaseless movements of. hie eves belied his assumption of outward calm. Emily deftly swathed tho fallen man's Kmbs, and the journalist rolled him into a corner. Then he shut tho door and bolted it. • •,,,. " There may be others outside, ne muttered. ! "There are," rejoined Em. " Then they're better there, and— and safer. Now for. that room." But here .a new complication confronted them in the shape of a voice from the keyhole. "I am here armed, ran the announcement; "if you open the door, I shall fire.'' . , ,„ , I. Roachley chuckled again., and nodded hfc head. " I thought so," he said. " That, I presume, is Sanders," the journalist remarked. " Keep your eye on that chap "—this to Ralph apropos i of Roachley—" while I He bent down and attempted to spy through the keyhole, which, however, afforded him no glimpse of the interior. He straightened himself epeedily enough when h© heard a rattling and thumping on, tho outside of the front door, and Roachley crying, "Be oareful, there are foes herein^ Get m the other Avay, and shoot " He stepped just there with some abruptness, Scott Mallabar's hands being too tightly round hi© threat to allow of further utterance. But apparently the man outside had accepted the message, for he c&aoed his calls for admission., and went, presumably to eeek that other entrance. His success in , that j expedition, was announced with some- ' what startling suddenness. " I wonder " Scott Mallabar was beginning, when he was interrupted by 0 loud report and a rush of smoke, foli lowed almost momentarily by the boom ; it sounded so in.that confined space— lof his oto weapon. Ralph twisted half : round, and reeled against the wall, but i the journalist's shot had a much more sensational effect, for it was followed by the crash of falling plaster, a haxsh rending ac of tearing woodwork, and then the sudden thud of a heavy body coming from a .height above them to their own level. When the dust and eraoke had cleared sluggishly away, they saw Ralph leaning against the ; wall, with a vivid red lina scored along i his left cheek, beginning by the mouth and ending low down on the neck, while in the middle of the hall, writhing with agony, and cursing volubly, lay Cruston, M.P. Roachley stood regarding his fallen oomrade with, phlegmatic unconcern. " A good shot, sir 3 " he said. "Yes," the journalist responded with similar tranquility. " There had. been so much talk of shooting, it was time somebody began in real earnest. He was fool enough, to show hie face." " Ay, you can't teach some people. And Bowmar? He was hit, tco." " Hit, but not hurt," Ralph responded. "It is only a scratch." " They will.be able to identify you in heaven by it," Roachley said grimly. ">You'll never quite lose that iscar. Hullo! the man there has fainted— l hope he isn't dead." He stepped across the hall, and knelt down by Cruston's side, nobody attempting to hinder him, though both Ralph and the journalist kept a, watchful «ye upon him. " No, not dead," Roachley announced. " Shot in the leg, and— l think— his arm broken by the fall. Have you j a flask on you, sir? Sanders." " Sir," responded a voice from tlie other eide of the closed door. " Come here." The door opened promptly, and Sanders stepped forth, imperturbable, solemn, apparently unastonished. 'fSee to Mr Cruston," Roachley went on. " Leave Mr Eales as he is until I tell you. Now, ladies and gentleiuenj your friend i 6 therein — shall we visit him?" They entered the room, and 1 in a minute Em had freed. Rod from his bonds with a few slashes of tihe knife the pressman liad handed her. Mallabair meanwhile made a tour of the room, but found nothing remarkable. At one' end was an old-fashioned closet cupboard, cavernous and dark, but he only just peeped inside for this occasion, reserving a more complete investigation for a later opportunity. He went to the other door and glanced into the hall, wihere he saw Sanders still assiduously attending tihe wounded man. He pushed the door to, half mechanically, and joined the group on. the hearthrug. v A reinforcement for you, sir," Roacbiley said, smilingly, referring to Rod's release. " And now that your search 'is ended, may we part as " " Ended !" cried the journalist. " Why, this is but the threshold. And we did not come looking for Kenwood.-' "Then for whom?" "For Mr Christopher Rattray." An enigmatical smile hovered momentarily round Roaohley'e lips, but bis eyes remained grave, even sombre. "As you cay," he agreed, "your search is merely beginning. And might 1 ask what trail led you here?" " The trail which began with a man named Townsend, and Garnette House, in Craneboro'." "Ah!" A •. . • "Yes, at one time we thought Townsend had been murdered— Bowmar thought so — until he 'remembered tihe sear — and he revised his opinion completely when he saw you. Then' the mystery of Mr Rattray's illness wo are figuring it out by degrees." "And I oan supply some of the missing links," Rod put in. ' BaafiMfty turned, his sombre gaae in

Kenwoca's direction, but addressed himself, when h& spoke, to, th^ pr«s»inan. " You accuse me of being Townsend of Oarnette House?" I " Yes." ! " And of making away with. Mr Rat,trayP" 1 "Yes." . _ . I " Th'en who was that man— -Rayoourt — wiho was murdered I—-whose-wife1 — -whose -wife " I don't know, but he was not Towneend, adid you are not he.' "I. faith, no!" Eoachley chuckled 1 . " I am no ghcefe, 1 though Kenwood took m© for one." „.,,,. ." So did we," Emily- broke in. Roachley bowed with a bland emil*, but did iiot reply to her. "No," the journalist went on, "Townsend liad no scar, you have no soar, but that man had. The murdered man. was your double, but for the c0 IWlifey knitted hie brows. "TM Bowmar notice that?" he demanded. "H« did ; at leaet he •remembered it afterwardß." . , „ lloachley shrugged his shoulders. " The old fault of under-valuing ones opponents," he murmured. _ « I did not think of it at the time,'' Ralph broke in. ' ' Indeed, I identified Rayoourt as Townsend. But I remembered, it afterwards. And now I see you I remember nothing else. Your eyes were blue, so were Townsend s; but Raycourt's were brown. "That is so," the journalist corroborated. "I made a note of rb~ brown eyes and reddish brown hair-, like your*. So you see it is up against you You last saw Mr Rattray alive. W^^*t that I killed .him?;' Roachley asked. " Pho ! that .is ridiculous. * Supposing I am Townsend-1 didn't kill the Councillorv For all I know he ifr alive and well to-day. Kenwood, here, can tell you the story. 4nd you have to find a victim before wu can- arrest a murderer. You are putting the cart before the horse jhen you accuse me of the murder ,of Councillor Rattray ere ever you know whether he be dead or alive. He paused and glanced round the little company, his eyes resting at length upon Eleanor's white, terrified face. « I will help you," he went on. In that cupboard I have documents—letters from Mr Rattray— recently. ' He stepped briskly across the room, entered the cupboard, and closed the door behind him. There was a sharp creaking, a muffled, sullen bang, and .then silence. The little company in the room waited, saying nothing, for Roachley's reappearance, but as one minute lengthened to three, and the three drew out to five, surprise was succeeded by impatience. ' Scott Mallabar strode across the floor and pulled the handle of the cupboard door. To his astonishment, it refused to answer his summons, remaining apparently fast locked ora the inside. "Hullo!" be cried. "Come* out! What's this new game? Come out!" There was no sound. Ralph ran to the door of the room and tried that., " They have locked us in!" he cried, and at that moment, almost simultaneously indeed, Em held up her hand with " Hush ! What's that?" ■ „ 1M , ■' • , j, "That, replied tho journalist grimly as his «ar caught a steady, rhyth-

mical, throbbing sound, "is a motorcar, and it is going away from us.'' He ran to the window and peered out, but, seeing nothing in the darkness, returned to the cupboard door. "We must hare this open," he cried, "and before they can fetch help." . . Rod and Ralph Bowmar had been busy meanwhile, with the other dobf , at >which they, were battering with a heavy oak pedestal that had supported a plaster statuette of Mercury. It required a good score blows to give them the exit they desired ; and they plunged into the hall, only to hnd rt in dark-; ness and — as they saw a moment or. two later — empty. They ran to the tront door, followed by the two girls, the pressman remaining behind to keep guard over his prisoner in the. cupboard. ] The front door was fastened only by an old-fat»hioned lock shooting into an open hasp^ and that gave them little trouble. The open air, however, afforded them no clue to the m^st^ry.' Everything around them was buried in silent and impenetrable' darkness. Only, as they 'stood -with hands behind ears, listening strenuously, they were abl« to catch a faint, intermittent, throbbing rattle far away along the main road. " If they are in that motor-car," Rod said; "they have got clear away." " Mr Crueton must be having a bad time of it knocked, about as he was/ Ralph rejoined. Rod nodded. "We have, one of them, at all events," in the cupboard," he chuckled, and he led the way back to the early Victorian parlour, where they once more requisitioned the pedestal as a. battering-ram, and began an energetic assault upon tine door of the cupboard. " Stand clear with your revolver, Kenwood, in case the door flies open and he makes a rush for it," Scott Mallabar said. It required a score of good, hearty blows to make a breach in those stout timbers, and at least a score more ere they had splintered it sufficiently to effect uji oiurance. Bait they 6plit it down the middle at last so that they | were able to turn one half on the hinges. The pressman gave * great cry as he thrust his head and shoulders through the narrow gap. " Bring that lamp here," he shouted, "the place is. empty." A very brief examination sufficed to show them Roachley'.s manner of escape. The back of the cupboard was,in short, nothing but another door, opening, shelves and all, away from the cupboard, and giving access to another room which was practicatyy devoid <of furniture, but which opened directly into the- hall. Evidently it had been constructed so that somebody might stand unobserved and overhear the conversation in the parlour. Scott Mallabar began a full-mouthed oath, but remembering the girls, pufted up in time. "Cruston must have been shamming," he muttered, as if he were completing a train of thought " You think it was they who were in the motor-car?" Rod asked. "Yes— don't you?" "As to following them -" Jfcegan Ralph doubtfully. "On foot," gibed the pressman. " The betting to say the least, wouldn't run to odd© on us." He took up the lamp, and in company they began a miniature pilgrimage through the deserted rooms of the rambling old house." (To he continued.)