“ The Cypress Chest.”

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17410, 12 December 1924, Page 15

“ The Cypress Chest.”

I NEW SERIAL. 11

1 B y I

GERALD CUMBERLAND.

Author of * ; Sct Down in Alalice, ’ “Talo of a Cruel Country,” ‘‘The Poisoner,” etc., etc. (Copyright ) CHAPTER V. (Continued.) ‘‘Of course, yc#a would bring with you any you wish.” Sho smiled half humorously, half sadly. _ “ I v. ill come alone. T. am not afraid of you, Mr Maxim. It i.-, not in that way that T sometimes feel X distrust you. ’Shall 1 return with you now? The sooner this thing is done tin; bet- •• Unfortunately my valet---hi 3 name is Soul gratis—is away in Manchester to-day. But he is returning by the midnight train to-day, and will be home by ten o’clock tomorrow morning Will eleven o’clock suit you*''’ ‘‘ Yes. I will make it suit me.” Ten minutes later Maxim was on his way back to the station. During the. last half-liour his mood had changed. No longer was he delighted by the heat*, of the sun and the blazing flowers. Ho noticed none ef these things, lor he was sunk in depression. On his return home. Mrs Rickman handed him a letter which, she explain od, she had found in the letter-box an hour ago. £fc had not come by post. Absently he* tore open the envelope and road its cyontents This is sent to warn you. If you seek to recover the chest that you have lost, you will dp so at your peril. Xf you attempt to discover who has removed it, disaster will inevitably overtake you. Xf you communicate to others what you. know, you will meet your death. Your evorj movement is watched. Entorwing his study, Maxim placed the typewritten, unsigned note on his desk with a sigh. Thi«,” ho said to himself, “is bocom i rgg absurdly theatrical. ’ ’

his disgust was not really arous9<T by the letter, but by the feeling of his helplessness, of his sheer inability to cojxs with the mystery by which ha was enveloped. Sitting dqwn, he began to open the letters which Souigravc had brought from the. flat in Jermyn Street- two days previously. CHAPTER VI. Soulgravo returned to his master’s house tho following morning feeling that ho was about to enter a. jungle full of tigers. Since lie had last been there in tho dead of night—only thirty four hours ago- -lie had travelled to Manchester, and had taken a taxicab to the house at Cheadle Holme which Maxim had ordered him. 'to inspect. Alone all the time, he had felt apprehensive and full of fear. Ho would hav© given all he possessed never to have become involved in this, business winch threatened at any moment to land him in gaol. But he hud been unable to help himself ; lie was in Revell’s power, fastened in his clutches. During his journey from Manchester he had had no sleep; added to his mental distress, he. had now to endure physical exhaustion. He pulled himself together as ho entered the house. He would seek his master at once. Better far to know the worst than to remain any longer in this horrible suspense* So, having knocked at, the study door, he entered in obedience to Maxim’s summons. “Good, Soulgravo! I’m glad to see you back. »Sit down. You look tired.” “Yes, sir ; I am tired.” “But well, I hope. No further attacks of faintness?” “ Quite well, thank you, sir.” Tho short silence that, ensued soon got on Soulgrave’s nerves. He felt that he would quickly lose his head if the conversation were not kept- up. So, to cover his confusion, lie began to talk. “X went to the house at Cheadle Hulme, sir, and jotted down a number of notes. Would you like me to* read them out now. or shall X write you a full report?” “There’s no hurry, Soulgravo. You’d better write me a report. But. waif, until you've rested. I shall want, you for a few minutes at eleven o'clock: after then, your time is your own till this evening. Let me have the report tomorrow' morning . that m ill suit me admirably.” Most "fervently he hoperl that tho interview was now ended, and. as his master remained silent, it really seemed that this might be so. “Is there anything else, sir?” “Yes, Soulgrave. there is. A very strange thing has happened while you have been away.” It was cgming! The dreadful thing could not be avoided! With a quick movement Soulgrave put his right hand into his coat pocket, and thrust liis nails into tho palm of his hand; they pierced the skin and entered his flesh. But lie felt no pain, though the action seemed to steady him and give him more confidence. “ The night before last.” continued Maxim, “ the liouss was broken into. There must have been several burglars —three at least, and probably four. They entered through the scullery window.” Maxim interrupted himself in order to smile frankly and kindly into his servant’s face. “ I wonder. Soulgrave.” he went on. “if you can guess what they took away with them.” Soulgrave. tried hard to return his master’s easy smile, but ho felt that his control over his facial muscles was .very imperfect; and, indeed, the smile lie manufactured was peculiarly sickly. “ Well. T don’t, know. sir. But I should think the silver from the diningroom. ” • ■ No—votpre wrdng. They took that old cypress chest that has been stored in the attic ever since I went to Africa. Strange, isn’t it?” “ Very, sir. Is that all that’s mig.svig? ” “ Yes.” ’“I wonder why they should go for that and nothing else. Is it very valuable ? ” “ Well, Soulgrave. the chest isn’t worth very much, sgy £lO or £ls at the outside. It was what was iri the chest that mattered.” But though the valet felt a sudden impulse to rush from the room, he did not flinch. “ Was there something 111 ii I'd al■vny imagined it to he empty.”

“ But the weight, Soulgrave. It was extraordinarily heavy.” The valet felt that lie was expected to ask what the chest contained, but he could not force himself to do so. Instead : “Of course, you've notified the police, sir,” he said. | “ No, Soulgrave, I I hardly thought it necessary.” 4 4 Not necessary ? ’ ’ “ No.” And that was all that Maxim said. Idly he picked up a letter, and began to read it, seemingly forgetful of his servant’s presence. Soulgrave stirred uneasily. He did not know whether the interview was at an end or not. lie longed to escape, but was fearful of ap)>earing anxious to go.. ITc coughed. Without removing his gaze from the letter he Mas reading, Maxim said, in a low voice: “At eleven, then, Soulgrave.” The few words, so softly spoken-, sounded like, a threat. The valet rose and left the room. What did Maxim’s attitude portend? What did it mean. What did anything mean? He was too i weary to try to puzzle anything out. | Rut ho felt that ho could not stay I much longer in this house. He would | -wait till eleven to see what happened, i but after then— . i He went to his bedroom with his i handbag. Instead of emptying the ! latter, he added a few articles to • what -it already contained. Though t he did not realise it, ho had already i decided upon flight. True, to run away at this juncture Mould be only : to clraw suspicion upon himself; but j ho felt that already ho was suspeotlod. To go away was dangerous, but I to remain was more dangerous still* lie Mas conscious of an hysterical im- | p U lse to rush iiito Makirn's study "and j confess. If he confessed he would f surely bo forgiven, whereas if he j waited until he was found out, he j would be punished as severely os the j Jaw permitted. But there was Xtevell !to be considered. Revel 1 had it in | his gower to injure him; Revell had ; neither compassion nor tolerance; he would strike quickly, alici with. deadl\ force. Some minutes before eleven o clock Maxim brushed his papers aside, left his room, strolled out into the rock garden in front of the house, and lit a cigarette. In three minutes he was at the entrance gates. Hooking up the road, he saw Everal Malory coming towards him. He advanced, to meet her. “ You have had no news? he askea her, as they shook hands. "None. Aud you?” “I have not yet visited the friends of your sister’s whose names and addroses you gave me. X thought it wiser to wait for the result of our our experiment this morning. In my valet, Soulgrave, as I suspect, is implicated in your sister’s disappearance, wo shall know it within ten minutes, and that knov*. ledge will be of great help to me in mv investigations. W Oll Id you mind putting up you r & unshade ?’ ? • She at once fell in with his suggestion. ‘•'You wish me to hide my face as •wo approach the house?” she asked. “Precisely.. He must have his first sight of you only when we can see him.” They M'alked slowly through the rock garden to the front door which t Maxim had left open. He led the way to the drawing-room, and sho sat down with a sigh of weariness on a. chair near the window.

It was evident from her pale fare and darkened eyes that she was suffering from tho intolerable strain of these anxious days. and. looking upon her, Maxim’s heart went out to her in pity avid love. He felt that it would be much, much kinder to tell her tho worst than to allow her to live from hour to hour iu delusive hope, and that it was cruel of him to keep her longer in suspense. But love is often selfish, and Maxim saw with dismay what a poor figure he would cut if were now to tell her all ho knew. In a few days—perhaps in a few hours —he would have probed this mystery to the bottom. t “You are very brave.” he said, in

admiration. “You think so? I show a. bravefront, but it is in my heart that I suffer. I want you : —yesterday I said 1 should not appeal to you again—hut to-day I can’t help doing so. Tell me—is my —do you know —is niv sister- —alive?” She breathed, rather than spoke.-the words, but they fell upon his ears like

a despairing cry- “ Why not?” he asked. “Why should disappearance mean death? After all, Miss Malory, it rarely does. You have told me that she lias very Bohemian tastes—that sho is impulsive and reckless. Moreover, we know that she is a victim of the cocaine habit. Now, people of that kind are not always very responsible; they do tilings which, to them seem ordinary enough. buz which commonplace people are unable to understand.” “I know.” she answered, sadly, not realising that her direct question had been evaded. “ I tell myself that often and often And yet—but. if she .still lives, the is in need of help, MiMaxim, She is somewhere she ought not, to he. She has drifted there, and perhaps she is kept there against her will."' These conjectures were, hitter things to hear—more bitter to him than his own lies which, to bis astonishment, he invented so readily and spoke so giibiy “Very likely.” lie replied lamely, “though it is difficult to imagine for what- purpose.” She made no comment upon this ; indeed. she uow appeared to be immersed in her own profoundly disturbing thoughts. “ Miss Malory.” he said, tentatively. She stirred uneasily and raised her eyes to his. “ Shall I summon Soulgrave now?” “ Please do.” “Very well. But before I do so, I should ho glad if you would remove your hat. Do you mind? It will help me. If Soulgrave has seen your sister at all, he has seen her indoors, without her hat. I want tho extraordinary resemblance between you and her to strike him at the very first glance.” For answer she removed her widebrimmed hat and placed it on a chair by her side. Scarcely could he bear to look upon her heautv. It was difficult to do so without betraying his secret. So pitiful she looked that the tear# sprang smarting “to his eyes. He rose and touched the hell which, in a few moments, was answered by a maid. ' Send Sbylgrave to me, please, Alice.” he sajd. “ Very good, sir.” i - They sat in silence as they waited. The minutes parsed, and, feeling he could no logger sit still, rose and slowly paced the room.' Then the door opened, and. on the instant, Maxim turned round and f*ced his valet. Scarcely could the master re cognise his man in this hesitatipg death-white and trembling figure who, with disturbed face and nervous gestures, entered the room. “ Oh. Soulgrave.” said Maxim, in an even voice, “in the left-hand drawer of my safe you will find a bundle of letters tied vvith red tape. Please bring them to me. Here is the key.”