"THE WEB."

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8551, 9 October 1907, Page 2

"THE WEB."

CHAPTER V.—Continued. "As soon as I feel a bit steadier on mv pins I'm going in a cab to the Yard t:> make arrangements for sending in my papers. You move about to-day just as"though you intended to stop in London, but don't come back here to-night, and to-morrow keep indoors till you catch your train. Don't tell the porter where you are going until you nave got there safely, and then just drop him a note telling him where to re-address your letters. As soon as they find there has been no inquest they will be manoeuvring round here for information, and " "They will discover where I am." "Exactly! That's what 1 want them to do, and then I can get right on the track of them." Strangways carefully thought over various likely spots for baiting his trap. One after the other Medhurst dismissed them. Brighton was no good, it was too near town. Anywhere up the river was worse. There must be a long .-treteh of country, and communication with anybody in London must be difficult. Then, all of a sudden, there oc curred to him for the first time that he was the heir of his- father. During the stormy time that had elapsed since his father's death, he had no time to realize that he was a millionaire, lord, not only of a vast manufacturing town, where thousands of mil 1 , hands clattered daily down the stone-paved streets to toil for him, not onlj master of more than a million sterling, but owner of three large country seats, two in Yorkshire and one in Scotland. The realization acted upon him like a tonic. With all the instruments .of power at his command, it should not be a difficult matter to track his father's murderer to the fallows. The detective's suggestion had opened his vista of realization. There wa% no difficulty in finding a place such as he had prcpo<ed; lonely and far away from everywhere. A place where the plotters against his life would have to weave their plans on the open moor beneath the wide staring heavens. was just the place. It was his father's favourite residence. It was from there that he had come on the day of his death. Strangways himself had never cared for the place. It was too extravagantly part and parcel of the bleak, barren country around. But his father had loved it. It was near his mills and near his mines, as the crow flies; but completely isolated from them by a barrier of gorse and heather and hard ragged moorland roads. In the far-off centuries, whsn the Strangways were territorial aristocrats, it had belonged to his father's family, and in old John Strangways there had been a dash of the old Adam, despite his Galvinistic love of simplicity. Through life his ambition had been to buy out or turn out, the reigning family, and to restore the name of Strangways to "The Gappe." He had succeeded in his ambition, as he indeed had .succeeded in everything on which he had set his heart. But Jack never liked the place. It lacked the sunshine and the colour for which his soul hungered. But for the object ha had in view, it was just the thing. Moreover, the house wad ready for his reception. All the servants had remained, and it only required a telegram to insure everything being in readiness for him. Medhurst approved of this plan, and acting on the spur of the moment, Strangways went to the telegraph office and wired to the housekeeper to send a motor car to meet him on the morrow at Skipton, for the train that arrived from London at 7.30 in the evening. It was then about 3 in the afternoon, and remembering that he had some legal affairs to settle before leaving London, he hailed a hansom. Just as he was stepping in, a newspaper boy ran up to him holding out a paper. "Later Extra News, sir. Will of the Murdered Millionaire. The 'At Murder, Guv'nor. Buy a paper." Strangways felt himself flush to the roots of his hair. He thrust sixpence into the boy's hand and snatching a paper, told the driver to take him to Lincoln's Inn. Thv. boy looked after the hansom in wonder. "What's the matter, Bill?" said another boy. "Got sunstroke?" "Nah," said the other. "'Ere I've gone and sold that gent a paper about the Murdered Millionaire's Will, and blowed if it isn't his son. 'lm that was 'ad up for the murder. I seed 'is mug in the paper. I'm glad they didn't'ang'im, c'us 'e's given me a tanner," and the little philosopher of materialism spat on the coin for luck, and put it into some recess among his rags. As the hansom sped towards Lincoln's Inn fields Scrangwavs glanced at the announcement of his father's will. It amounted in all to £1,987,000 less estate and death duty. He just read the figures and then threw the paper oui of the window. He could not bring -.imseif to read the letter-press in which he knew his name figured largely. , When he finally arrived in his solicitor's office, Mr Watford again marked the change which had come over his sentiments with regard to his client, by giving him- his whole hand to shake. Then, begging him to be seated, began to enter into the details of the winding up the of his father's estate. When he had finished, and Strangways was rising to go, Mr Walford stopped him a moment. "I should tell you, Mr Strangways, that many years ago, after your father's return from America, we were instructed to draw up a letter to a certain Mrs Pollard. As my partner and myself consider that this letter may have some remote connection

By PAUL URQUHART.

[Published By Special Arrangement.] [A.ll Eights Reserved.]

with the person or persons who may or may not have boon evilly disposed towards the deceased, we have thought it wise- indeed, only rightto call your particular attention to the document." He handed a closely-written sheet of paper to Strangways. The young man glanced at it eagerly. "Madam, —We are instructed by our client, Mr John Strangways, to inform you that he is in receipt of your letter, and that he has noted the information therein given. Hebegs us to state that he approves of the step you have taken in changing your name. Jn consideration of your continuing to keep your identity unknown, he is prepared to make you an allowance on behalf of your daughter of £SOO a year, on the understanding that no further claims are made upon him. Herewith we enclose cheque for £SOO, payable to Bearer. We shall be obliged by an acknowledgment of the receipt by return mail. "We beg to remain, Madam, "Your obedient Servants, (Signed) "Walford, Walford and Rawlins." The letter was dated some eighteen years previously. When he had read it, Strangways looked up with a puzzled expression on his face. "What do you make of it?" he said. "To tell you the truth, Mr Strangways,"- replied Mr Walford with some diffidence. "If the man concerned had beer, anybody else but your father, we should have drawn; the not unnatural conclusion that he hai been concerned in some unfortunate mesalliance in America. But. our knowledge of your father's h'gh moral character precludes such a deduction. Moreover, had the Mrs Pollard referred to in tho letter been a woman who had some criminal hold upon your father she would not have acted as she did act. For by return mail we received the cheque torn in half. And neither then nor since, to our knowledge, have any communications passed between her and your father. 1 have only called your particular attention to the letter on the chance that it mieht throw some light on your father's mysterious death. I will send you a copy of the letter if you care to have it about you." Not quite following the solicitor's train of thoueht, Strangways said he would like to have a copy of the letter and turned towards the door. "There is another matter, too, which I *hink I ought to you," said Mr Walford, as his hand was on the door handle. "It seems foolish to have thase suspicions and to make these mysterious hints, but I was one of your father's very oldest friends, and I feel hi 3 death more than I care to say. One of my articled clerks" was engaged in the Will Department at Somerset House the day before yesterday, and noticed a tall, elderly man, with a scar on his forehead, who paid his shilling (o search your father's will. The mention of the name Strangways arrested the attention of the young man, for j I suppose, of course, the mysterious tragedy surrounding your father's death has been the subject of discussion in the office. Having obtained the will, the man made careful and elaborate notes on his shirtcuff, and ; then left the building. There may or may not be anything in this mat- , ter, but I thought it right to mention it to you." The remembrance of the paper he | had just read flashed through Strangways' mind. "I see that my father's will is in this evening's papers," he said, flushing slightly. "The man wa& probably a journalist engaged in copying the particulars. But I am glad of any help or assistance which [ you can give me, Mr Walford, both as my solicitor and my father's friend. For J mean to spare neither money nor time until I have brought the man who murdered him to Justice." (To be Continued.)