LOVE, THE CONQUEROR.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17568, 19 June 1925, Page 14

LOVE, THE CONQUEROR.

NEW “STAR” SERIAL.

by

CARLTON DAWE

-Author of ' The Temptation of Selma. - ' " Stranger Than Fiction/’ &.c. CHAPTER X. (Contin tied.) Moio than ever did he regret the lolly oi that mad moment. He had turned his eyes from the sun, shut out hope, just when, it was beginning to dawn on him. Out of the depths he had come into the light only to sink bacli again. .He almost believed those, languorous eyes of hers were reading liis thoughts; sometimes lie caught the faint ripple of a smile on her lips which emphasised this belief. And once Ins eyes met hers as lie looked across and that sho had not forgo sorret. or her power. But in nil olso she was sphinx-like, playing the game ns she played every game, with a detachment from interest calculated to deceive the sharpest eyes. And all the iinie this game was going on in the drawing-room, another and mere important one was being played in the librarClegg, having rubbed off his varnish, showed the eross-gra-i ned t i n iher he nc at 11. j! 0 spoke rapidly, almost interminably, of financial affairs; from which his listener gathered in a confused sort or fashion that money was unusually tight in the City, and that n few thousand pounds in hand at the moment would prove of inestimable value. He did not want to. press, of course, bub business was business. And nf+oi- -,ii ho was not c t one of the fa Derek flushed Everything gone?” lie asked, fear I 7 - say that; we’ll weather the storm all right if you’ll only trust me.” “ You know I do, Clegg.” hat other course was open to him 2 Clegg the shrewd, the capable, the brilliant ; the man who had promised to make a fortune for him: who had induced him to venture far beyond his depth. ; Vet Wholly W hat on earth do ‘ It's like JI.V place ■it ion, one 7 not the this, SlalJa si on ; yov u a most invidious extremesb do 1i c a cv. c\- due ; that’s a lore flea biro and does not interest io. Its the principle involved thai cigh/s so heavily on my conscience tact, to nut. it quite plainl- ™ wouldn’t gift of money fron protested th "• Certainly not.” other, his eyes flnshi “ 1 never thought von would Ho coul.l you, T not being 0.10 of t! familyHe paused, his heavv gi for brows jutting over his little eve With lus right hand lie trifled wi tlie- red bristles on the back of h “ But if I were, Alallasfon, I were a member of the family-, could then do with ease what tbc pi-•'-cut situation renders so difficult, ; most impossible. Just think it on my dear fellow, and remember lb, Jarnie Clegg is devoted to vou ai He bad a rd often, and once lie lind believed i . No"' lie was seeing this frien m another light, a singularly unfla tering light, one which accentuate every flaw and blemish. ■■An act befitting a son-in-law wool hardly become a mere friend. Peop me so iensmio.il.-,. The honour t ymir family is dearer to me than m Sir Derek writhed under the to lure, but tlie executioner was calm or smiling. Probably even an execution or acts from some misguided sense < duty. 1 could not redeem myself at il sacrifice of my own flesh and blood ” ‘ •Sacrifice!” There wn* in th. know be sensible, Mallastc... about sacrifice, honour, and sort of thing, mere catch words to i press the ignorant. The wav S oi people talk about these thinsg mat iV, I ?. ;; ,Sk "I- nnd biasplien Hut they dr„, t impose on ns: we our shoulders, smile and ■Aliol, does it matter' so long' / the'’i™ t C u • lop ."'."I Korgo our till Ihe best things lire has to offer? A mi's T ,O, ' alists <"• idealists, with mission to regenerate the world. I main thousands ut years now t world has steadily refused to lie i generated ; it prefers its own wav a 11s nail ideals. f hry’ve answered 1 a long time now. badly if you will; b w ho s going to destroy them, and vrh set it]i in their place? ! offer nuieh ' My daughter is a free agent.” ■ -Nonsense; no one is a tree agei \\e are all ordered to step forward backward, to turn to the right or i lei', and we obey. The rja’h - •obedience is highly developed in t, jr children,” be added in n tone of si giilar meaning. “Besides, I J,avc u bounded faiili in the wisdom of ma Isiml. particularly when certain p, [ sonnl interests are at stake.” j Hir Derek shook his chains. Iml I could not free himself of them: tin j merely clanked the louder. Had l j health been better, or were, he tweri i years younger, he would have talk, | to this man in no uncertain tone; b | ho felt his years and infirmities wc-ii | heavily on him. while the follies i which lie hod been guilty added a koe ! er anguish to his despair and ruLb. j J:im of all courage. : •• Bur, vou don’t mean to toll me th j nil is lost, Glegg? You know | lions that 1 invested so much of n I capital.” 1 did not say all was lost; but l havo merely been try tug to toll y< i that, such is tbo state of the niarkt if you were to attempt to realise ! the present moment you would be u | able to meet your liabilities-' I “ But the market will recover-” ' •• Probably ; but mcamvhile?” A Glegg extended his podgy hands in d i precating fashion, looked up at th I ceiling, round the room, and the scratched his chin reflectively, j “You oughtn't have let me in t’c: i ihi Gl :gg: wasn't friendly.” ".My dear sir, I am as badly hit in;

self; that is comparatively speaking. Ii came oh me like a thunderbolt, caught me utterly unprepared. But don't lel us talk any more about it,” he added hastily, as if wishing to dismiss an unpleasant subject; “at least, for the present. You trust Jamie G.'egs to see yu through, and you won't go far wrong. There is, however, one other very* important matter I should like to discuss with you. which 1 think concerns you verv nearlw” “oh: ” Sir erek wondered what was coming now. Glegg’s preternaturally grave face alarmed him. It was his way when he wished to be impressive to assume a grave, stern air, a judicial pose. Humbug, of course, but frequently effective, exemplifying his gospel of bluff. “Our mysterious friend Darling,” lie said in a low voice. “Mysterious! What is there mysterious about him?” It has already been said that Jamie played liis cards in his own way; it might be an abrupt, a brusque, a slow or irritating way, but it was his way at the moment. With the game certain it afforded him infinite delight to prolong it. The cat must find pleasure in viewing the attempts of the mouse to escape its claws. “Much more than you think. Tt struck me from the first that you were taking him a little too much on trust, fn the general affairs of life, as in business. we should demand documentary evidence.” he said impressively. “But he came direct to us from my “Who no doubt is sincerely honest, but decidedly impressionable, don't you think ?” “To be perfectly candid. T don't. In fact, he is quite the reverse, as you would admit if you knew him.” But he had no doubt of the instantaneous impression Jamie Glegg would have ere aiecl. “All the same, it's just possible, that your so may have been deceived, a theory I am inclined to favour, from certain information which has come tu hand.” “Infonna t ioj \? ” The other 1 ooked his astonishment. “My clear Mallaston, I much regret to sa-v that there is something of the humbug in our friend Darling, to give it no harsher name.” “This is a serious accusation, Glegg.” “T am not in the habit of making j serious accusations without proof.” “But what can you possibly know of him? He is as great a stranger to you “Was,” said Jamie, and repeated the word with still more significance, Sir Derek Mallaston looked hard at the man and met ac uriously enigmatic smile. With his right forefinger-Jamie once more tickled the red bristles on the back of his left hand. “I don't follow, you, Glegg. What more do you know?" “Lots more,” the other snapped sharply, “enough to prove that the fellow should be kicked out cf tsih house.” "And the source of this information?” Sir Derek asked in a cold, level tone. He resented this imputation aainst Darling, and doubly resented Glegg’s manner of imparting it. Btu he would be just. Perhaps the man could prove his charge. Glegg said: “Ever since T have cnertainecl the ambition of becoming a member of the family I have been jealous of the honour of your house. From the first I have had my doubts of this man and the fabulous riches of his romantic silver mine. 1 offered to interest myself in his behalf: even made an appointment for him. busy man as T am. which he failed to keep. The person wlio fails to keep an appoint ment with Jamie Glegg on a matter of financial importance is cither a knave '•r a fool. Suspicious before, 1 now felt certain of my man, and, ns vou know, I am not one to submit tamelv to imposition in any shape ur form." Glegg continued in easy, masterful “Imposition!” the other echoed, fashion : (To be continued.)