"THE WEB."

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8558, 17 October 1907, Page 2

"THE WEB."

CHAPTER IX.—Continued. ir "Wlm is Henry?" said StrsuigWijs, smiling. "If you don't nunc! & my asking." A pvtittv blush came to Miss LI- • ders' checks. "As a man said to re Violet on the platform," she replied, ai endeavouring to imitate the broad v Yorkshire, "he's the young man I th keep company with." ~,,., Strang ways did not understand the nr allusion, but Lady Violet blushed b; scarlet, and endeavoured to hide her confusion in her tea-cup. J Mis- Kentoul hardly spoke during t< tea and when it was finished she s< asked Strangways if she might see n over the house. Her host, only too si pleased to do anything that might v> rouse her, for she seemed to have b suffered more than any of the others v from the shock of the railway acci- ti dent, rose with alacrity to play the ti part of showman. ° As they passed from room to room p she said little, Strangways finding it u very hard to make conversation. But a all of a sudden, without any preface 11 to the subiect she remarked quietly— N "I was' very sorry to hear your t father had died ho recently, Mr t Strangways." I Strangwavs looked at her quickly. £ Why he wondered, did she introduce 1 this painful subject? He determined \ to put an end to the unpleasant situ- e ation bv what amounted almost to a j brutal "confession. "He died last t March. He was murdered." < "Murdered?" she exclaimed ques- 1 tioningly, "by whom?" "No oin knows. They thought it < was I who had murdered him. I just : have returned from London after standing my trial. That's why at . lunch," he added bitterly, "the Duchess, Lady Violet, and Miss Elders talked so loud about nothing when Mr Beeton introduced the subject. We have a noble motto in English society which says there is no smoke without fire, so although a jury of my countrymen have acquitted me, society refuses to believe that my innocence has baen proved until iho actual murderer has been discovered." With a little gesture of sympathy she put her hand upon his arm. "How terrible it must have been for you," phe said in an awed voice. "Yes, it wasn't very "he paused a moment for the word, and when it came ic sounded bald and ridiculous—"it wasn't very pleasant." Shhe gazed at him with a strange, fixed look in her eyes. "I am so sorry, so very sorry," she said in an almost inaudible tone. "Have you a portrait of your father? I should like to see one." "There is one in the long gallery," he replied, and without another word led lh3 way there. They passed down the picture gallery without looking at any of the • dead and gone Strangways in ruff and jerkin till they came to the portrait of the murdered man. Strangways paused in front of it. The face looked down at him "with the same rugged sternness that he so well remembered. There was the broad, magnificent brow crowned by the sweep of iron grey hair; there were the eyes, deep-set and flashing, the hardness of their grey blue depths relieved by the earnest, passionate j spirit which looked forth from them. ! Ha thought of that face the last time he had seen it, with the bloody mark of the murderous trade upon the brow. The portrait held nim entranced, so that he quite forgot the girl by his side. Suddenly he was awakened from his trance by a sound, half-gasp, half-sigh. She was leaning for support against the •wall, her face deathly white staring up at the picture. "Miss Rentoul! Mis-s Rentoul! What's the matter?" said Strangways springing towards her. "Oh, my God! My God!" she said, ,a depth of anguish in her voice. Then she tottered forward with her hands outstretched Ike a blind .voman groping in darkness. Strangways had just time to ca*.ch her in his arms as she fell forward in a dead faint.

CHAPTER X. At the end of tho long gallery was a room which his father had used as a private study. There Strangways carried Miss Rentoul, laid her on a sofa, and rung the bell for the housekeeper. With the aid of smelling salts and a little water Miss Rentoul soon came to harself, and was able to sip the glass of brandy and water which the housekeeper held to her lips. '■' l am afraid, Miss Rentoul, you have been doing too much. ¥ou haven't sufficiently recovered from the accident.'' "Oh, its nothing," she said in some confusion. "I'm not as strong as I thought I was, I suppose I shall be quite all right in a few minutes. I should be glad if you would mention noti/ng of my illness to anybody downst.. n. I will rest here a few minutes ai,. then join you." When Strangv.ayg returned to the party on tiie verandah he discovered instinctively by tho sudden silence which marked his appearance that the Duchess had been enlightening Beeton as to the mystery surrounding the death of old Strangways. The conversation turned on general topics until Miss Rentoul made her appearance some half an hour later, showing no traces of her seizure in the long gallery. But she was very pre-occu-pied, and her contribution to the general flow of small talk consisted chiefly of monosyllables. Beeton in vain tried to interest her in one subject after another, but she seemed to listen to him in a sort of a dream, lying back in her chair and looking straight in front of her, clearly pay-

By PAUL U&QUKAR'J:

[Published By. Special Arrange est.] [All Eights Reserved.]

I g little attention to what tie was .Ving- T , '"You might Y.r.\ ■-■r. t'> what I m ying, at least." Moot on remarked last in despenit.H'ii. She did not sirm !•■ h'-'ar his mild proof and with a fee'lin?;- of pardon)lo irritation ho turned to Lady olet. At dinner ;<he was equally strait, and in thv drawing-room iterwards she family opened her outh until Strangways took a seat / her side, wh< n Middvnly some of n- old vivacity ciimc hack to her. nth a keen p<ni.< of jealousy, Bee)ii, who had in vain tried to elicit >me remark fro?.- Kr, watched from is position by La-ly Violet's side the jdden return of ;;o<>;i .spirits. She ouldn't talk to him. who loved her, at reserved, apparently, all her conersation for a total stranger. He jit angry and sore. He had followed lis girl over from America to watch ver and care for hoi-. And now aparently he was to b: thrown aside as seless for another man who came long. In a spirit of yiquche plunged ito a lively conversation with Lady r iolet, laughing with her and talking o her with such evident pleasure hat the Duchess from the sofa on /hich she reclined inwardly con•ratulated Providence in thus throwng into her net the very man for imom she had been angling ever ince she first met him in New York. ?he illustrious family of the Knaresloroughs were far from being in hat sound financial condition which ;heir place in the peerage justified. The late Duke, her husband, had lone much to dissipate the family "orturie, and their son, the present Duke, was following in the footsteps )f his father with truly filial care. A match between Violet and the molasses king, would she told herself, be very apropos. And as she watched the young couple she felt it in her heart to almost forgive] the managers of railway companies. When finally the ladies retired for the night, Beeton showed by his restlessness that he was in no mood for a convivial talk. In fact, so ill disguised was the state of his temper that Strangways was more than pleased when he was able to wish him good-night. The following day Beeton had still more cause for annoyance, and inversely the Duchess for congratulation. Following his plan of the previous evening, Beeton devoted most of his attention to Lady Violet, keeping an eye open, however, on Miss Rentoul for the signs of remorse and regret which he expected his conduct would excite. To his increasing surprise and annoyance, the young American girl took less notice of him than ever, and devoted herself entirely to the company of Strangways. Strangways, on his part, was for ever trying to get. to the side of Lady Violet. But lieeton's tactics completely prevented this movement. As the day wore On the atmosphere surrounding the party grew hourly more electric. Only the Duchess and Miss Elders retained their good spirits, neither of them appearing to

notice that anything was wrong. The following morning Beeton came down savagely determined to seek an explanation from Miss Rentoul. But her attitude towards him had grown more cold and more distant than ever, and so steadfastly did , she avoid his company that the young / millionaire flung himself out of the ! house in order to give full expression to his feelings in the grounds of "TheGappe." Meanwhile, Strangways had succeeded in inveighling Lady Violet into the billiard-room, hoping under the pretence of a game to have some conversation with the girl whom lie loved. But fate was against him. Hardly had they selected their cues when a servant entered with a message to the effect that old John wished to speak to him on a most important matter. Excusing himself to Lady Violet, Strangways in no sweet temper hurried out into the hall where the old servant was waiting him. "It's about James, Master John. He went to Leeds yesterday, as you know, to attend that precious meeting of his, and he hasn't koom back. Instead, I've got this 'ere letter, with one for you enclosed. The man's fair daft to my thinking." He handed Strangways a clumsily scrawled communication and an unopened letter addressed to himself. Strangways first cast his eye over the letter to old John—"Dear Bradsliaw," (it ran), "Please send my boxes to the Cloak Room at Leeds and give the enclosed letter to the master. lam no longer going to tread the path of the wicked, but am going to live in the light of the new Jerusalem. I only wish you could see the light as well. JAMES GONNELL." (To be Continued.)