THE INVESTMENTS

Star (Christchurch), Issue 20044, 6 September 1920, Page 5

THE INVESTMENTS

I © I © 5 © 5 JOSEPH HOCKING. ©

■■ Tl w CHAFi'ER Vll.—Continued. hj: “ Felt I couldn’t help it’,” Mr Seth T. t( Adnold bmto m. " ion were so Kind yesterday, tuat 1 kind ot fell as Uioug.i g you were an old friend. and I said to t! norace iiere, ‘if there’s time I m go- ti iug to'looic m at young oir i'rank xiestormel. Put it tnere, Sir Drank, 1 and I Mr Arnold held out his hand, '‘ if ever si I'm in tho neigiiboarneod again, 1 shall drop in ana see you, sure, nut it won't e bo tor three mouths, anyhow. If ever a you come to ‘ Aoo lane,' look me up s' aud I’ll give you a royal time. Here's my card-, sir.” . I “ And will you stay long in London, a Churchill!'” asked Drank. . u “1 guess it’ll take me a week to do what 1 have to do,” replied tho American. “As for Monsieur oules llenaua, he has to get back to Dranoo to-mor-row.” A minute later the great car rolled down the drive and proceeded on its way towards the nearest station where tho London express stopped. Neithei of the men spoke to each other as the car passed quickly along the quiet conn* try lanes; bub each lay back in tho luxuriously _ appointed vehicle and smoked their cigars. When they _ arrived at tho station, * they bought tickets for London, but the ' car did not return immediately to Tre- I carrel. Instead it made its way north- ’ ward, ami it went at very great speed ! The chauffeur might have had no know- 1 ledge of English laws about the speed ' limit. It was very late that night when the chauffeur returned to Trecarrel. Ho brought back some passengers’; but it was impossible to see them, f Tho car was closed, and th© curtains were drawn. x 1 ‘ What have you been doing all day?” asked, Dick Trecarrel of bis friend, as that same evening he drove Frank’s little two-seater up to the house. It was nearly seven o’clock, and Dick had been away all day. lie had declared, when the Americans left them that morning, that as he was in Cornwall ho could do no other than visit some of his old friends, and had borrowed tho car for that purpose. Ho had urged Frank to como with him, but . Frank had elected to stay at home, There were several things he had to do, he said, and ho did not feel up to a long motor- drive. “ 1 haven’t been idle, I can assure you.” ‘‘Been cooped up in the house all day?” “ No, I had a stroll around for a couple of hours after lunch.” “.And all the rest of the time?” “ I have been looking over my father’s papers.” “ Got hold of anything important?” asked Dick, who thought he detected a peculiar’ note in his' friend’s reply. “I aon’t know—yet. By the way. you 11 want to dress for dinner, I'suppose, as you arn’t in Khaki. How long | are you staying in mufti?” “ A good bit I’m afraid. I’ve done ray best to join up, but they won’t let me. Anyhow, as I brought some evening togs, I’ll put ’em on. These things are frightfully dusty.” Dick went upstairs whistling, while Frank walked restlessly aremnd. He went from one room to another, as f in search of something, but there seemed to be nothing definite which he desired to find. Abel Bunny, who knew his master so well, felt sure he had something on his mind that bothered I him. “What is it, old man?” asked Dick, when at last dinner was over.,- .“.Get it off your chest. Have you"found anything?” < • “ ¥es,” replied Frank. Instantly Dick’s eyes flashed with interest. “No,” continued Frank, noting Dick’s look, “ I’ve not found what wo were talking about last night, but I’m puzzled.” What about?” “ First of all I’ve discovered some ( plans of tho house. It seems ray father hud them made when he came into possession more than thirty years ago. As yon know ho had certain parts of the place restored. The east wing was dilapidated, tho sanitation was not all it should he, and the fireplaces wore anyI thing but up to modern standards; so he had the whole building overhauled. ’ I had no knowledge of it, but he hail plans of tho place made at the time, and here they are.” Frank flattened tho rolls of tracing paper on tho library table, and the young men examined them one by one. “Ah, here’s the thing you’ve been ! thinking most about,” cried Dick, as ho caught sight of the words, Plan of Foundations. “ Yes, I’ve spent hours on it.” “Found anything?” “ Nothing out of the ordinary. Of course, 1 knew that the whole house was I cellared in rather a remarkable way; | I’ve been all through them scores of | times as a boy. They are all traced | here.” I “But there are secret chambers.” I “Yes, they are marked here,” and | Frank placed his finger on the sketch. I “ But I’ve known of them all my life. !I’vo hpen down there to-day, and examined them.” “ Anything in them?” m 4 ‘ Nothing but what i knew of. However, there are one or two things that - are not quite plain to me. 1 will go into them later. But I’ve discovered something else,” and Dick detected a curious vibration in bis friend’s voice. “ Do you care to tell me what?” he asked. “I’m going to tell you. It’s worrying me. As 1 told you I’ve not had time to go through my father’s papers. Those,that ho had with him in London at the time ol his death, I of cofir.sc, examined carefully, but as far as 1 could judge there was nothing hero to trouble about. Hendy has most of the deeds of the farms, and before my father left England for the last time he depositca a lot of stuff at the bank in Truro. As soon as I can I’m going to have a look at them. All that was necessary for the probate of bis will, and for my coming into possession was all ready to hand, and as I had to'tako up my work in tho army, 1 didn’t bother about the rest. " “ IN hat’s troubling you, then?” . “In going through tne safe to-day I’vo found some papers of my fater’s, which he must have written in London immediately before his death.” “Of which you knew nothing?” “Of which I knew nothing.” - “ Important papers?” “ I hardly know yet. My .mind has been so*excited that I’ve scarcely grasped the situation. . Don’t yon see? As ray father never came to Cornwall from the Continent, but went straight to London, where ho met his death, it follows that someone else has been here, ■md that that someone has opened tho safe, and put the papers there.” “ When I” whistled Dick Trecarrel ■ meditativly, “ Frank, my boy, • wo are getting warm.” I “It seems so, doesn’t it, hut so far | ns I can see, these papers don’t amount ito very much. However, I’m not sure I that even yet I’m at tho end of my discoveries. I must go through every i paper again.” I ‘‘l suppose you’ve no idea who your mysterious correspondent is? 1 mean the one who gave tho warning about the foundations.” i “ Not the slightest. I’m bothered I about it.” • i I “Look here, Frank; could you swear L that that letter was not in your pocket w before you went to Trecarrel yesterday r 1 morning?” s

■ “Yesterday, I thouzht l could. I felt sure I had removed everything from the pockets, but to-day I’m not so sure. ■ But that only makes everything | more difficult. If I was right yester- 9 day, some one in Mr Churchill’s must S have done it; then discovery would [ have been easy. But now it doesn’t [ seem so.” S “Why?” . “ Tins morning, not, long after those I men left here, your old servant Hendy j cam,e over to see Bunney, and 1 had a i chat with him. He told me that all Mr Churchill’s servants were brought : from London, and that only strangers were in the house except himself and his wife.” Dick looked thoughtful. “ The rays- . tory thickens, old man,” ho said. | “Yes,” replied Frank, “but I am | going to find out who the writer was all I the same. It 'Wasn’t written as a pas- | time, of that I feel sure.’’ | “ No, I don’t think it was,” and | Dick spoke very slowly. “All the same, 1 soo no sense in it.” “ It's determined mo to keep my eyes skinned, to quote Mr Churchill, I anyhow,” and Frank’s laugh was very j suggestive. . j He had barely spoken when they j both heard the tooting of a motor horn, ! and the sound of wheels rapidly coming up tho drive. (To be continued.)