Sea Urchin.

Waikato Independent, Volume XXXI, Issue 2780, 26 November 1931, Page 3

Sea Urchin.

BY E. C. BULEY,

When Peter returned to his friends, he found Ann and Edsell missing from the party. Edsell had taken Ann to see the crowd on Trundle Hill, and to watch a race from that eminence. And Camilla was smiling with malicious pleasure at Peter’s blank look, on discovering this defection. CHAPTER XIV. Who Is Edsell? Ann Despard had not gone off with Edsell out of sheer caprice, as her father imagined, or merely because she had a weakness for handsome and ingratiating scoundrels, as Peter Gaunt supposed. She did not intend to tell anybody why Edsell had interested her so greatly, but she made no secret, of the fact that she was interested. She had heard his voice before seeing Edsell himself, and the voice had startled her, by its likeness to that Of Philip Tarleton, the man who had saved her life and whose memory she had cherished through her girlhood. Upon meeting Edsell face to face, she bad been rather ashamed of herself and of her imagination. There was nothing in Edsell’s appearance to remind her of Philip Tarleton. To confirm her second impression, Ann had sought among her treasured belongings an old photograph of Tarleton. She was able to renew her memory of his thick curls, bis straight nose, his delicate and almost effeminate eyebrows. Edsell had straight hair, and a cleft in his chin, which Tarleton had never possessed. His eyebrows were heavy and dark, and his nose had rather a pronounced tendency to the aquiline. Again, Edsell gave the impression of being rather taller than the average man; and Ann recalled Tarleton as, if anything, short. And even the resemblance of Edsell’s voice to Tarleton’s was not apparent, when she was speaking to Edsell. In spite of all these discrepancies, Ann was attracted to Edsell; and, at first merely because he continued to remind her, in some unexplained way, of the mao who had always been so much in her thoughts. .

When Ann had expressed an interest in the crowd which blackened Trundle Hill, and had wondered audibly what a race looked like, when viewed from that vantage spot she had hoped and intended that Edsell should offer to take her there. She desired, with all her native curiosity, to study this attractive stranger at close quarters, and to discover, if possible, why Peter Gaunt had manifested so plain a distaste for his presence. Edsell, for his part, was enchanted at the opportunity which had come so swiftly to him. He proceeded to make the utmost use of it, as he and Ann made their way from the stand enclosure in the direction of the high ground, from which so fine a view of the Goodwood racing can be obtained, free of charge. “I suppose, Miss Despard,” he began, “that you think your cousins very foolish, not to accept your father’s generous offer," Ann, who knew nothing about her father’s offer, and was secretly a little piqued at being kept in the dark, shrugged her shoulders. “As a matter of fact, I know very little about it,” she said. “Oh, I beg your pardon,” Edsell said. "I hope you will not think that I am meddling with family affairs. It just happens that Camilla is a very old friend of mine, and that Ledgeways has formed the habit of coming to me, when he gets into a mess.” “I should imagine that happens pretty often,” Ann said. “I don’t envy you your position as adviser and helper.” “I’m afraid that you see them at their worst,” Edsell replied tolerantly. Ledge,ways is really in an intolerable position, you know. Which makes his refusal all the more senseless, it seems to me.” Ann' was not going to admit that she was not informed of the nature of the offer, and certainly she could not ask what had been offered; so she contented herself by saying:— “My father is usually pretty fair; and he is very keen on preserving his old home." “Yes; and Ledgeways and Camilla quite see all that. I fancy that it was the part allotted to our friend Gaunt which set their backs up. Camilla told me that she could not bear the idea of her son being taken completely from the hands of his parents, to be controlled by a prig like Gaunt. Her way of putting it, of course." “I’m inclined to sympathise with Camilla,” Ann said carelessly; though if anybody had suggested, twenty-four hours earlier, that she could sympathise with Camilla about anything at all, Ann would have been furious. “Yes, it is the child who furnishes the point of difference,” Edsell went on. “Ledgeways admits that Gaunt would probably make a very efficient manager of the estate, but he is behind Camilla in objecting to him as the guardian of the future Lord Ledgeways. I’ve done my best with them —and I’d like Mr Despard to know it —but the negotiations broke down on that point. You see, the child is not three years old and . . .” “I’ve said that I sympathised with Camilla,” Ann interrupted. “Suppose we talk about something else, Mr Edsell. This is my father’s affair rath-

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f er than mine; my father’s and Mr Gaunt’s.” The angry flash of her eyes, as she pronounced the name of Peter Gaunt, informed Edsell that he had said quite enough for his purpose. He became the interesting showman at once, conducting' Ann through the crowd on Trundle Hill, and pointing out its component parts. “Half of them are cockneys, who come down from London by train or char-a-banc,” he said. “The other half are purely Sussex; and they are smarter, in their own way, than the very slickest Londoners. The welshing bookmaker has the poorest chance in the world, on Trundle Hill." Ann was hardly listening. She was furious with her father, and furious with Peter' Gaunt, They had been planning behind her back; and she had been forced to depdiid Upon a stranger for information on the subject of their Intentions. She was used to her father keeping his plans to himself; but that Peter should be consulted, while she w'dS ignored, angered Ann Despard to the point of an explosion. Gregory Despard knew what .was coming when Ann, on their return from the races, stood before him and said:—

“Can you spare me a minute, sir, before you dress for dinner?” When Ann called him “sir,” Despard knew what to expect; and he resigned himself philosophically to some very severe fault-finding. “Let’s get it over then,” he said. “What’s the matter now, girl?” “I hear from a chance acquaintance that you are trying to make Peter Gaunt manager of Ledgeways, and guardian of young Rupert Despard,” Ann said. “Is that true?” “Quite true,” Despard agreed. “But it is a confidential matter, of which only four people should have been aware. They are myself, Ledgeways and his wife, and Peter Gaunt. Which of us do you describe as a chance acquaintance?” “Mr Edsell was my informant,” Ann said, stiffly. “Then there has been a breach of confidence,” Despard replied. “Ledgeways or his wife must be responsible for blabbing to Edsell, and Edsell has passed the secret on to you. Why did he do that, my girl?” “If you had told me, instead of making a hush-hush matter of it, I could have warned you that Camilla would never part with her child,” Ann said, loftily. “You always say that business is no,t for women; but what man can expect, to understand how a mother feels for her child?” “So that’s the lay, is it?” Despard asked. “Ledgeways refuses to escape from the bankruptcy court and settle down on a sure £3,000 a year; and the story is to be that I was inhuman enough to part a mother from her child. Well, Ann, you have plenty of common sense, when you

condescend to use it. Who is the better guardian for the future Lord Ledgeways ? Camilla; or our friend Peter Gaunt?”

“That’s not the point,” Ann said, more loftily than ever. “No,” Despard agreed. “The point is that somebody is making mischief. He only arrived this morning, but he has got you . meddling with my business already.” “Well, you meddle with mine,” Ann retorted. “Ever since we have been in England, you’ve been planning to marry me to Peter Gaunt. You know it’s true. So you’d better understand that I choose my own husband, and that I wouldn’t marry your paragon; no, not if there wasn’t another® man left in the world.” “Wait until Peter asks you,” Despard advised. “And in the meantime, my girl, kindly keep your fingers out of the pies which I am trying to cook. I’m running up to London to-morrow on important business. You know what it means, when I say that anything is important, Ann.” The girl agreed, almost submissively. “Conduct your own love affairs,” Despard went on. “I never meant you to see that I’d have liked you to have Peter Gaunt. You are too damned acute about such matters, Ann; but they are women’s affairs. I know now that you will never have him; and I think that it is a pity. But it is your own affair, my girl; and mark that I admit it. Just bear that in mind, before you meddle further with what I consider to be my affairs.” “I’m sbrry, sir; I made a mistake,” Ann admitted. “That’s handsome,” Despard approved. “You don’t often overstep the line Ann. We’ll say no more about it; but I’d like you to reflect upon the motives of the outsider who is responsible for this little rumpus.” “Mr Edsell naturally assumed that. I was in your confidence, Father,” Ann protested. “Humph,” grunted Despard. “Think it over, Ann.” He could have said a good deal more; for he had informed Ledgeways that Ann knew nothing of his offer, and of the conditions attached to it. He had stipulated that, beyond Camilla, nobody should be told, until the arrangement had been made. So that Gregory Despard turned his back upon the pleasures of Goodwood, in order to visit London and set afoot a close investigation into the career of Richard Edsell. What Ronnie Scaife had been able to tell him was vague

and indefinite enough; but Ronnie had still been able to reflect, in a general way, what was being said about Edsell and the prosperity which he undoubtedly enjoyed. Despard was determined to know how much lay behind these intangible rumours; and he knew the best way of finding out. (To be continued).