"The Golden Casket,"

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 45, Issue 14004, 15 December 1919, Page 7

"The Golden Casket,"

I By LEWIS RAMSDEN, Author of "Prisoners of the Council,'' "The Word of a Somerleigh," "Red Cavalier," "Under a Kingly Mask," "My Comrade Frank," etc., etc. ' ..... -.■.,._, (COPYRIGHT.) -■'< " :, : i

\ PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT. I SPLENDID STORY OF LOVE AND ADVENTURE, 1 __-._ ,*-*■ _ •_ _rs._ _-_._. ••

I * CIIAITELi Vl.—Continued. § "Isn't there a Miss Godwin, a little 9 girl, on the island'" I asked. I . "Oh, no, sir," was the reply, to me 1 made somewhat startling by its tone 1 of certainty. I "But surely there is a daughter of the young squire, as you called him —a girl named Elsa'/" '•'No, sir; the young squire was never married. At least, nobody about here ever heard lie was. But there is a young lady named Elsa, a Miss Bond, niece of Mr Bond. She must "be about nineteen or twenty. A very pretty youug lady she is, too. She used to come across to Axmouth every 2iow and again with her governess, but the last couple of years she has hardly left the island. Somebody told mo lately that there's talk of her marrying Squire Bond's son, Mr Guy Boud, but if that is true I'm sorry for her, for nobody has anything good to say for him. His father did his best to make a gentleman of him. but it hasn't turned out much of a job.'' There was a good deal of astonishing information conveyed in the foregoing conversation. Assuming that the Elsa mentioned was Godwin's daughter, it , was strange that she should be known as Atiss Bond. Bond's step-niece Godi win's narrative had already told me she was, and this relationship will presently be explained, but that she should have been brought up as Elsa Bond, instead of Elsa Godwin, seemed to justify the suspicion which had troubled the mind of the dying man— the suspicion that a great wrong was being done her. In spite of the prohibition of the landing of strangers on Nut Holm, I at once commenced to make preparations for paying it a visit, and I determined to sejeure an. interview with Miss Elsa. The fact that she was a grown-up young lady, instead of the little girl I had, without careful reilectiou, imagined her to be, somewhat altered the complexion of affairs in my thoughts, and if there was any truth in the rumour of her engagement to young Bond, the matter was still further complicated. The window of the room in which I stood whilst turning these things over in my mind, looked out upon a big yard ,at the end of which stood the garage. I had taken no notice of the sound of a motor car turning into the yard until I saw the machine passing the window, then I turned with some feeling of excitement to James, who was hovering about the table. "Do you know who those men are?" I asked, stepping quickly back as two men alighted not far from the window. For it seemed to me I could not be mistaken in that long, low car, painted a slatey grey, although the number was not the same it had borne when I saw it at Shirehampton. Neither had I much doubt about the two men, although this was the first time I had really caught sight of their faces. "Yes, sir. The nearer one is Mr Moss, and the slightly taller one a Mr Levison. Anyway, that's what they call themselves now, though when they first came here they gave outlandish • names which none of us could get hold of. Russian Jews, I believe, sir.'' There could be little doubt that they belonged to some branch of the Jewish I race, for the face, acute, and at the same time dogged and sullen, yet bore the characteristic impress. "Are they friends of Mr Bond?" '' Yes, sir. Anyway, they ',ye been going to and from the Holm a goodish bit lately. I suppose it's for them the launch has been waiting at the jetty this morning. I used to wonder what they came for, until a financial gent who was staying here told me." "And what did he say?" "That they were putting money in this hunt for treasure on the island. It seems that they and the two Bonds have registered as a private company— the Golden Casket Syndicate., Limited." | It was with some feeling of relief I ! saw Moss and Levison repass the win- j dow, on their way, as I guessed, to the c jetty. I was glad to believe they knew nothing of my presence in the hotel, un- £ til I had a chance to cross over to the t Holm. i I presumed that this precious syndi- £ cate would now bfe meeting, and marvelled with what mind they would dis- « cuss their failure to obtain Godwin's documents, which they seemed to imagine contained some complete clue or • guide to the hidden Golden Casket and its wonderful contents. With something of caution I did not attempt to hire a boat at Axmouth, but walked to the village of Bream, which lay a few miles up the coast. And even here I found posted up copies of those bills I had seen at Axmouth, stating that Nut Holm was private property, that no person unauthorised by the owner would be allowed to land upon it, and any person doing so would be prosecuted. A delightful evening, then, found me ih my tiny craft, speeding under sail across the dancing, golden waters of the Channel. I did not, however, make directly for the usual landing place, having no fancy for being warned off, or oven possibly being prevented from \ landing by force, so I stood a little to- ! wards the north, and under the shadow of the precipitous eastern cliffs took, down ni3 r sail. Then. I took to the oars, looking out for a spot which had attracted my notice when I had previousIly aproached the island. I soon found the place I sought. It j was a narrow cleft in the rock, with a shelving floor of sand. When I had I first seen tho opening it had struck me what a capital bathing place it would make. Into it I ran my boat (there was scarcely more than enough room to do so), and pulled her a safe distance up the little beech. Then, by clambering around by the base of the rocks (a task

——— "-i ir. m_r m»I ' which I found rather more troublesome than I had expected), I*reached the .south shore, with its beautiful beach and open valley. I did not, however, proceed up the broad, white road which led past the" blossom-embowered cottages, up to the manor house, perched high on the gently rising slope, with woods about it, and rich fields, pasture and arable, stretching right and left. My wish was to reconnoitre about the house and the adjacent ruins. So I found a narrow way which later in the summer would be hedged high with fuchsia, and by dint of following a rarely frequented path, came to. the wood which shielded from sight and had nearly overgrown the old monastic ruins. If this were anything more than a plain narrative of events, I might stop to give some adequate description of the ancient and romantic religious retreat— such as was left of it, for generations, had taken its material for the rebuilding and repair of Manor house and cottages. I must, however, forego any such description, and must stick to tho main thread of my story. Walls and outbuildings formed a coli-' tiuous connection between the house and the ruins, some part of the monastery was, in fact, I afterwards found, incorporated iv the dwelling. I noticed, too, that here and there shafts had recently been driven under tho ruins, doubtless in search of the Golden Casket, the story of which seemed to have so completely dazzled the minds of Bond and his syndicate that they would stick at ntthing to discover the treasure. (To be continued.)