THE YOUNG ARCHDUCHESS

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16735, 17 May 1922, Page 5

THE YOUNG ARCHDUCHESS

OUR SERIAL.

(By

WILLIAM LE QUEUX)

CHAPTER XIX.— Continued. Tlie Russian woman looked round quickly at the sound of his voice and recognised him immediately. For «i second, a slight frown gathered on her brow, then the humour of the situation seemed to strike her, and the frown gave way to a look, half comical, half apprehensive. “ You are not going to drive me out of Bond Street as you did out of the other place, I hope,” she said with a. raillery that was a little assumed. A incent was a verj r formidable person ; it impossible to guess what he was meditating, what he had up his sleeve. He spoke quite seriously. “ I can see you are a little nervous, but -you need be under no apprehension that T am going to take any violent measures. My feelings towards you at the moment are not in the least hostile. Tn fact, I have it in my mind to propose something that would distinctly benefit you.” She looked at him closely and intently. He was very good to look at. she thought. In spite of her undeniable criminal instincts, she was a very emotional woman and also very susceptible to the influence of the stronger sex. “ We were enemies at Market Harthought. In spite of her undeniable other,” went on the young man in his easy, persuasive tones. ‘‘l was the conqueror then. I hope you don’t bear me too much malice on account of that fact. To-day we are no longer enemies ; we are in a state of peace.” ; She answered him. slowly, choosing her words carefully. “ No, I don’t think I bear you any personal malice for that. In fact I am sure I do not. When I am beaten, I am always ready to own it and to admit tha***the person who beat me is cleverer and more subtle than myself. I respect that person rather than hate him.” “ Truly a very complex person!” was Vincent’s thought. She had proved herself capable of compassion and generosity when he had posed as the decrepit mendicant. She was now proving that she was not petty. After a short pause she spoke again. “ You said you had something in your mind that would benefit me. I take it you cannot explain yourself in the street ?” “ Impossible, of course.” said cent quickly. “As we are. at present, in a state of peace, a little conversation between us will do no harm to the friends of either of us. I was going to propose that you should do me the honour of taking tea with me.” Madame Thirska hesitated. *• AA r here can we go? In a few minutes every place will be full. I take it that whatever you are going to say will be of a most private nature-” “ Naturally. But I think I can solve that little difficulty. My knowledge of Iyondon is rather extensive. I know a restaurant not very far from here, but quite off the beaten track. Its habitues are nearly all foreigners and hardly a soul comes near the place of an afternoon But I know them well, and they will get some tea for us.” For a moment Madame Thirska hesitated. AA'as he lending her into a trap? Would she find the minions of the lavwaiting for her when she got inside this restaurant which was quite “off the beaten track”? He guessed what was passing tn her mind, and was compelled to admit that, in her place the same suspicions would have occurred to him. How was he to convince her that his present designs did not menace her liberty in any

“ T quite understand what is passing in your mind.” he said quietly. “ Under the circumstances, it is not unnatural "Will you believe me if I swear by all that T hold sacred that my meeting with you to-day is a chance one, that T meditate no harm against you, and that you shall come out of that place as safely as you went into it?” She looked at as if she would read his very soul, but he never flinched a second from that searching gaze. “ Yes, T will come, trusting to your honour,” she said briefly- “ T know something of you -English. You keep your word.” AMnoent hailed a taxi. They got in and in a few moments both were deposited at the out-of-the-way restaurant which he had indicated. His description of it was perfectly correct. There were two badly-lighted rooms, the sole occupant of the depressing apartments being a dingv-looKmg Italian waiter, who spoke English most imperfectly. He was half asleep when they entered, but at once flourished ln& napkin and assumed an air of alacrity. Tea was evidently an unaccustomed meal in this forlorn establishment, for it was quite half an hour before it was served, and was of a most unsatisfactory quality. During the long wait, Abnoent talked slowly and earnestly to the Russian woman. During the frequent pauses in what was really a monologue, she would shake her head and murmur the one word *‘ impossible.” Then presently, the head-shaking ceased, the word “ impossible ” was no longer repeated, and Madame began to talk on her own account, to ask questions. The tea was over, the conversation finished. Madame rose. "It would be wiser for you to leave alone, 1 think ” said A'incont. “ I

will depart after a few moments. I will get Luigi to call you a taxi- AA'e will meet here to-morrow at the same hour, but we will arrive separately. One cannot be too cautious.”

From there the young man went on to Onslow Gardens, where he had a long interview with the good Renoir. It was a very important one. AYhen A T incent bade him good-bye, the faithful guardian of the young Archduchess shook him warmly by the hand. “ I have every confidence in your zeal and ability, Mr A'incent, and I think you are doing splendidly. All my resources, acting as trustee for my dear young mistress (that precious legacy bequeathed to me by my beloved master), are at your disposal. Alas, that the poor Colonel is not with us to-day I” XX. The young Archduchess, otherwise Geraldine Torella, sat in the spacious but sombre drawing-room at Onslow Gardens, very depressed, very unhappy. To-morrow the trial would take place at Leicester. Her dear old guardian, whom she had grown to love as a father, was to l>e tried for his life, on the charge of having deliberately murdered his son. She herself was to be called as a witness to testify to the finding of the dead body of Hugh Ashdown on that terrible night when she, his mother and Basil Long had entered the study found the screen overturned, the French windows open and the Colonel escaped. She had read many reports of trials in England and she had gathered that no person who goes into a witness box has a very comfortable tme. Your own Counsel will, naturally, be very gentle and considerate with you. But the Counsel on the other side is very sure to handle you ronglilv. She was thinking of all these things, wondering what might be dragged out of her with regard to her own identity. She could imagine the questions. AVas she really Geradine Torella? A\ r hat was her parentage? Under what circumstances had she become Colonel Ashdown’s ’ward ? All these tilings might very probably be brought out in the full light of day, with the curious gaze of her friends and acquaintances of Market Harborough fixed full upon her, anxious to have their curiosity satisfied at last. She was thinking of all these things so far as they affected her personally, so far as they threatened to reveal the secret of her real history which had been so jealously guarded. But, to her infinite credit, the main thought in her mind was the peril to which her dear friend and guardian was exposed. And she remembered with poignant regret that incident of the father laying his whip across his son’s shoulders, indignant that such an insult should have been offered to his guestOf course, it was partly her fault Hugh did not know* that she was an Archduchess, with royal blood in her veins. He had regarded her as a pretty girl of no particular origin, from whom a little clumsy gallantrv might not receive a chilling response. And, forgetting the unusual circumstances, she had made a great outcry. and sown the seeds of bad blood between father and son, seeds which had borne bitter fruit in that interview later on. She could not but blame herself for having been in some measure the cause of the tragedy. She had come to Hithercoifibe Hall bright and buoyant of spirit, she had found in Ashdown a second father, dearer to her than her own, of whom she had known so little. Tragic as her cwr. lot was, was she always to te (A fct.nec. to bring tragedy to those who associated with her. to those who beliierded her?

She was not disturbed in those sorrowful thoughts; she had the house practically to herself, save for the servants who, like all well trained domestics, kept to their own apartments. Renoir was out. It was not for a long time after that Geradine learned fiom Basil Long that the very astute Vincent, in the pursuance of his deep1\ laic plans, had pdrposely withdrawn this werthy gentleman from Onslow Gardens. Madame Camilfort, a lady of hearty appetite ana somewhat corpulent habit, was ltidi lging in her usual afternoon siesta- When she had partaken of a more than usually excellent lunch, which had been the case to-day, the slumber of this most excellent, woman was liable to be a prolonged one. Geraldine sat dreaming and thinking She fully appreciated the loyalty ami devotion of the two guardians who nowcontrolled her destiny, in place of the dear old Colonel, but neither of there, had ever succeeded in winning her personal affection. Her happiest moments were when the one was absent and the oilier asleep. Early that morning -Mabel Somers had called upon her. Naturally the subject of their conversation was th 2 approaching trial. Several times she had risen from her chair and paced the room, repeating in a strained voice the same phrase. “ They will never dare to find him guilty.” Geradine attached little importance to her demeanour. Mabel was Ashdown’s god-child, she was very- fond of him. She was also a little hysterical, not to say neurotic. For excitability, under the circumstances, was not perhaps unnatural. Geradine was quite sure she was feeling the situation more acutely than her friend, but she did not indulge in this exaggerated language. And Mabel bad departed in the same state of restlessness and excitement. Then, as the voting girl was pursuing the train of her sad fancies on this particular afternoon, the footman open- j ed the door and announced Air Via- j cent. (To Bo continued.)