“A Girl of Grit.”

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 48, Issue 14609, 7 March 1922, Page 7

“A Girl of Grit. ”

By FIRTH SCOTT, Author of “The Riddle of Gordon Square,” “The Bramley Heir,” “Kitty Kingston’s Heritage,” etc.

PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT. DOMESTIC STORY OF LOVE AND MYSTERY,

; CO.P Y. 3IGHT.)

CHAPTER XIX. —(! c 11 i t i i i u e cl. (Houston wondered whether one night would be sufficient to bring- Evelyn to her bearings. It would not be ;i very long trial ot' her capacity for resistance, though drastic enough for any girl of ordinary determination. As tie sat- smoking a last cigarette before going to lied, in a comfortable armchair with a copious whisky and soda ar- iiis elbow, lie pictured to himself what Evelyn was experiencing, and extracted considerable amusement .from the spectacle. Saving for the dimness shown by the midnight sky through the top lights of the studio, she would be entirely in darkness. Also in silence. If she was tired she could sit—on the floor. If she was cold she could walk about — there was plenty of room for the exercise, and no chance of disturbing anyone even if she walked about all night. If she became hungry her natural intelligence worn l enable her lo realise that the sooner she fol in with the ideas of other people —as represented by himself, Colton, her father, and the Earl of Bramley —the sooner she would bo able to satisfy her craving for food. The same thing would happen, more quickly perhaps, if she became thirsty. In her solitude these weighty arguments would have an added power. Directly she learned how completely she had ben isolated from everyone, and how impossible it was for her to escape she would come to a rational conclu-

stead it must have roused her lighting instincts to their highest. The boldlyprinted message she had left for him testified to the spirit she possessed, indifferent as he was to most human qualities, he had a dep admiration for eour;ioe. Although he was beaten largely by Evelyn's action he did not blame j lo r it was upon himself that he vented liis most biting criticism. As so..a a» she was free she would go direct to Lady Molly and tell her ail that had occurred. He cursed hts precipiluucv in having gone Die previous evening to trifle witu the game he had thought he held in the hollow of his ha mb The revelation of ail the details of the plot- he had weaved, which must inevitably follow Lady Molly s learning the truth about the bogus telegram, would mean his absolute defeat. She would never see him again. Worse than that, she would vent upon him all the venomous hatred he knew she was capable of feeling. And she had the power to her hand to wipe him practically out of existence. Luck, which he believed was entirely iu his favour, had gone aginst him at the worst possible moment. Evelyn evidently had escaped, not only to the roof, but awav altogether. His quick brain worked " out in a second what, this meant to him.

sion. As to the amount of suffering entailed upon her he had not the slightest compunction. He had set his heart on the capture of Lady Molly, and the means by which lie attained that object were his chief concern. The barrier in the way was the belief on Lady Molly’s part that she could and would many Lord Colton. He had only to compel Evelyn to give way and accept Colton's offer for that barrier to be removed. The girl was absolutely in his power and he intended to use that power without halt or hindrance. At the hour he had told Evelyn he would come, he climbed the ill-lighted, dusty stairway to the studio on the top floor, a cigar between his lips, and a self-satisfied feeling of victory in his heart. He reached the door before his eves were quite accustomed to the dim H"lit, and he had to run his hand along the walJ to feel for the bell-push he could not see. lie could not hear whether the bell rang or not, the door fitted too closely for “that; but he waited with his ear to it-, listening for the answering kicks. He believed lie caught a faint, muffled sound, and smiled to himself—Die silence and the solitude had done thenwork quicker than he had eared to expCCt. •i , ii The key of the door was m his hand, ’and ho stealthily slipped it into Unlock, opened the. door and listened, sound as of someone moving in the studio came to him, and he stepped briskly across the dark passage to where he knew the inner door was situated. As lie gripped tfi e handle the outer door closed with a slam. In the elation at which he believed to be the success of his plan, he paid no heed to it, forgetting momentarily that the lock he had had put an specially could be opened only from the othei side. . He flung open the studio door, expecting to see Evelyn, subdued and docile, standing in front of him. Instead he stared into an empty room. And yet not empty. In the centre, under the top light, stood the stove lie remembered seing in the recess off the kitchen. Scattered round it were the torn remains of Evelyn’s cloak and on the floor a tew spots of candle grease. He raised his eyes to the -top light. Over most of it there lay the grime and dust which had accumulated since the place was built, but at the side where Evelyn had scrambled up the dust wa# brushed away and the grime smeared. On one of the panes of glass also was the impression of a hand. , . There was no mistaking cance of .these signs. His victim had escaped. A pai-oxsym of blind, senseless rage swept over him, and he cursed 10-ud and deeply as he understood. Then lie pulled himself together. If the gm hud managed to get on to the root, what beneht would that be 2 He had seen from the street how the root toweied above all others iu the neighbourhood, yhe would only iind berselt m a worse position, and be compelled sooner or inter to return to the studio and "uit for him to conic to liberate he.. It was useless raging. !3he had on y eluded him temporarily. Who would never be able to attract the notice o people in the street below, and would soon weary of wandering in among the chimney pots. He went into the other rorns. It was possible she might be hiding in one ot them. But they were all empty. His first impresion was coreet; she nad escaped to the roof. The question whether n would not be as wel for him to go after he# passed through his mind. It was just possible t-iat, m a lit of sudden desperation, sue migrt throw hersea over Die parapet. Returning to the studio he climbed up on to the top of the stove, and readied up his arms, expecting to touch the frame of the window. To his amazement his hands were- not witlnn a loot of the ceiling, and the frame ot the top light was another three feet above that. He stood staring upwards, and then jumped down ami stared from tne lioor. There was no gainsaying the very ug y fact. The ceiling, let alone the window, was too hign for bun to reach. How, then, had Evelyn managed to leave those marks which showed that she had been up there? She was certainly a tall girl, but he was tallei. Ly what means could she have elimbeu; He looked womteriugly round the rom for a suggestion. Lt was the hrst time he had glanced round the "Mis, his attention having been held, from the time he entered the room, by the grime-smeared top-light. How he saw what he ought to have seen uie moment he entered. Beside the sheet >». aper on which he had printed Ins brutal ultimatum was another sheet, on which was written: ‘‘You were quite wrong. 1 hero ».<is one way, and I have taken iu ° The rage (Houston had felt when he saw his [irev had escaped returned, and as a minor" relief he strode across to the- paper, lore it down and into tatters, which he Hung on the floor with a deep malediction. How Evelyn had succeeded in - getting out of Dio place he could not uuder&tand, but the fact that sho had done .so showed her to possess far greater skill and courage than he had given her credit for. He had expected the .oneliness alone would have been enough to reduce her to subjection; in-

Ho glanced at his wateli. It was already nearly an hour since he had cntcreit the place. There was nothing to be gained by waiting further, he told himself. The sooner he was out of Eondon, if not England, the better. Not until he was almost at the front door did the sound it had made as it slammed recur to him. Then the memory of it- went- through his brain like a hot, searing lire. With a bound he was in front of the closely-locked barrier, groping blindly for what he had taken such care should not be there. His hand passed over the smooth-painted surface of the . iron. There was not a crevice into which he could dig a linger nail, not- even a bolthead to grip in an attempt lo shake or pull the thing open. Jle was caught, hopelessly caught, in his own trap! The rage he had felt when lie discovered Evelyn had gone swept over him again, and he Hung himself bodily against the dor he had been at such pains to make strong enough to resist any such attack. Lie beat it with his lists till he bruised them, kicked it till his boots were almost- burst, and shouted wildlv, madly, until the emptiness around him reverberated with is cries, and the rage left him as terror, the terror of one who at heart was a craven, came in its stead.

The panic lie had calculated would seize his victim had gripped him. Dire as was the stress she had had to face, his was worse, for with hex’ it was only a matter of a few hours before he would have returned, whereas there was no one who was coming to his assistance. No one knew lie was there; no one would be able to hear him as lie shouted, even if they were standing at the other side of the door, for it was not only covered with an iron plate, but packed as well, so that no noise could get through: worse still, the only key there was for the lock was in his pocket —no one could open the door without it, and there was no means by which he could pass it out. (To be Continues.]