The Evil Chateau

Waikato Independent, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2953, 19 January 1933, Page 3

The Evil Chateau

But, this ordeal which now confronted her was worse than anything Szulc could have conceived. With her hands strapped behind her, and her ankles tied together, she faced a demoniac hag. The gentle Comtesse de la Siagne had become a creature that could only have existed in the imagination of a diseased brain. This fragile aristocrat, whose blindness conjured pity from everyone she met, had changed into a sadistic monster possessed by a fabulous wickedness. Prom the bosom of her dress the Comtesse had pulled a dainty polgnard, and along its cruel, glistening Made she ran a caressing finger. J finger that was white and small as a child's . . . Felicity recoiled at the sickening sight. How vividly returned to her the unspoken warning of the maid N Xandra. What was it the girl had said? "Mademoiselle, this house is ev ——" The uncompleted word had been 'evil" without a doubt. God orily knew what dreadful things had Hjeeh done there —done by this mad old woman with the rotted soul. Gerry Westover has been fortunate, for he had escaped, even though he had died later at the knife of one of de la Siagne's assassins. But she was a prisoner—a prisoner without hope •of escape. She had been inclined to scoff at Tommy Daxendale's melodramatic stories of the Chateau, but now she knew them all to be true. Those, men and women who had disappeared —they had one and all been murand murdered horribly by this l>lood-crazed creature who now, laughing softly to herself, rocked, to and fro on her tiny feet. "You will not be the first whose flesh this little lover has kissed," crooned the Comtesse: "after my son has gained what he wanted, he has handed them over to me. I am blind, and'time hangs heavily on my hands —he! he! —so that you see it is only kindness to allow me a little relaxation. Oh, I could tell you strange and wonderful stories of those the little lover has kissed. Strong men have pleaded—to me, a poor blind old woman, whom God has seemed to have forgotten . . . "You may wonder what satisfaction I can obtain since I cannot see their faces. But my ears are very sharp, my beautiful, and what they say is music to me, sweet; wonderful, music! you need not think that your -shrieks or screams will be listened to; these walls are thick and those about me are very faithful. "You, my beautiful, are vesy brave, I know that. Otherwise, you would never have ventured so much; you would have thought twice before coming to the Chateau de la Siagne to

pry out my son's secrets, armed with an outfit to pick locks and a revolver to shoot men. But you will shortly have heed of all your courage. That lover of yours—they tell me he is your lover; Monsieur Heritage, the Englishman —he will be there to see, but he will not be able to help you. "You do not speak. Perhaps your thoughts crowd too quickly in your mind for you to give any of them utterance. No doubt you are judging me to be mad. Perhaps it is so,, my beautiful; perhaps when God chose one gift He decided to take two. But this I know: I would not change places with anyone els'e in the world tonight. You are young and strong: many times will the little lover have to kiss before the play is ended . . ."

The girl's head drooped forward. She had borne so much; she could en-

By SYDNEY HORLER.

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dure no more. Consciousness slipped from her.

Heritage found himself mumbling incoherent prayers. He wondered why his reason had not already left him.

On the opposite side of the room he could see Felicity. She was strapped to a wooden structure fastened to the wall, and her clothes had been torn from her so that now she was naked to the waist. Uttering crooning sounds that sounded indescribably revolting, was a tiny old woman in whose hand flashed a dagger. This much he had been forced to watch. But infinitely worse was to follow.

The old woman walked across to him. By her gait, and glazed eyes, he knew that she was blind. "Monsieur Heritage," she said in a childish treble voice, "we have not yet been introduced. May Ibe permitted to present myself to you? I am the Comtesse de la Siagne, the mother of your host."

"Who will have to answer for this specimen of his hospitality, Madame." She inclined her graceful head at the remark.

"No doubt he will have a reply," she said: "unfortunately, at the moment, the Count is engaged"—she smiled at the word —"or he would give you that answer now. Will you please excuse me?" as a manservant, one of the beasts who had been tearing at Felicity's clothes, touched her on'the arm.

Heritage felt now that his sanjty had really gone. Strain at his bonds as he might he could not make them give an inch. He was completely powerless—and over there the opposite side of the room . . . He could not look. The unspeakable purpose of the dagger which the blind woman held became plain. Felicity was to be tortured, perhaps mutilated by that soft-spoken, gracefulmannered hag from hell . . A mist came before his eyes: he heard the blood thundering in his ears; he felt his heart leaping in his breast. Through the mist, there came the sound of a mocking voice— a voice sweet and yet terrible; the voice of the blind Comtesse.

"The little lover is eager to kiss you, my beautiful . . ." it said.

CHAPTER XXX.—THE MAN WITH THE BEARD. The man who had called at the Chateau and given the name of Benatzky, looked across the table and frowned. "I have had tremendous difficulty in getting here," he said; "that is why I am two days late." "Why did you not send a message?" "Because I was afraid. Ever since I left Geneva I have been followed." The man gave a realistic impression of being panic-stricken. "During the past two months I have gr/wn this beard" —he toughed the black hair—"lt was necessary."

"You were followed —here?" Szulc rapped out an'impressive oath.

"No —I think not. In fact, lam sure of it. But it was touch and go until I got to Cannes. If it had not been for this" —he pulled out what looked like a small silver cross' from his pocket—"l might have been taken several times. But this, of course, helped." "I will have your full report later, Benatzky," said Szulc, rising. "In the meantime, there is another matter to be seen to."

(To be Continued).