“The House on the River,”

Wairarapa Daily Times, 10 December 1925, Page 7

“The House on the River,”

(PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT.)

DRAMATIC STORY OF. STRONG LOVE INTEREST,

(By Fred M. White.) Author of “The Cardinal Moth,” “The Crimson Blind,” “The Man Called Gilray,” etc., etc.

(COPY BIGHT.)

('HAPTIOIv XXV. —Continued. Knderby grinned under the cover ot' the dnrkn?.ss>, and., a little easier in his nirnd, followed Geere and Claw into the dining •■oom at the hack of the house. A fire burned cheerfully on the hearth, and when the lights were turned up, the banks of flowers in the little conservatory gave almost a tropical flavour to the room. The double windows leading into the conservatory were open, so that the scent of flowers was almost overpowering. They could be seen glowing in the half light with the feathery dusk of a lofty bank of ferns behind them. “.\[y only hobby, gentlemen, my only hobby, ” Geere croaked, indicating the blooms with a wave of his' hand. “1 grew and tended those myself, Ainu see, I live quite alone here. I haven’t even a servant, and. until lately I never left the house, though I have just invested in a bath chair and an attendant. Xow, sit down, gentlemen, sit down and help yourselves to a whisky and soda. I never touch it myself, but I know that it is good because T have had it in the house for a good lnanv years. We are absolutely alone lure, as you can see, so we can talk freely. ” Knderby and Claw exchanged tdcr ces. Things were turning out a grea! deal better than they had expected. To all appearances, they had the .old mail entirely to themselves, and it would be hard indeed if they could not twist him to their purpose. “Ah, that's right, that's right,”

Geere said, as the others filled their glasses and made themselves comfortable. “I want you to feel quite at home. This is the first time I’ve entcitaiiied anybody for goodness knows how many years, and now, as you are busy men, let’s get to business.” ‘‘Certainly, Air Geere,” Claw said. “As a matter of fact, if you hadn’t written to me I should have come to see about those American securities' of yours. It seems a thousand pities that you should have all your money locked u]i in concerns that don’t pay you a penny. I could sell them to-morrow for their face value, and I am sure that my friend Air Mnderbv would invest the proceeds into something superlatively good.” „ “Anything for a friend of yours,” Knderby said magnanimously. “I’m sure I’m very grateful,” murmured Geere. “Please don’t, mention it.” Claw went on. “Do you know, Air Geere, I hear some very alarming reports about those .shares. Of course, 1 am on rather delicate ground, seeing that Air Harr is a very old friend, not to say relation, of yours.” “A relation, res,-” Geere piped, “but a friend, never. We quarrelled yearn ago. ’ ’ “All. so you diil!” Geere said, as if the matter was an after-thought. “I liad quite forgotten. I suppose you are not aware of the fact that AFr Barr is at present in England?” “In England, really?"’ Geere asked. “Well, it doesn't matter. I don’t suppose he will venture to come near me.”

Once more Claw and Knderby exchanged glances. They began to feel now that they wore treading firm ground. “Ah, that makes my task a little easier,” Claw went on. “Air Geere, vou must get rid of those securities at once. You must give me a power of attorney that will enable me- to deal with them. I am powerless without. If you give me a few words with your signature, I can go to the bank and get the papers. These. I will hand over to Air Knderby and bv to-morrow night they will be disposed of at their face value. A r ou will never have-such another opportunity.” Knderby smiled behind his hand. It was a characteristic piece of trickery just after his own heart. AForeovcr, tliere was something decidedly 'humorous' in hearing Claw talking like this, with those securities actually in the room and in his own pocket. But Geere did not appear to be listening. He sat tliere, lialf huddled up in his chair, muttering something almost incoherent, as if those rambling thoughts of his- were far a wav.

“Oil, do.'ir! Oil, dear.” lie* moaned. ‘•'l feel it- coming on me again. I am a very old man, gentlemen, and I am not lit to talk business with you. I ought to have someone to look after me. 1 ought not to be alone in the house like this. There are some days when I can’t get up at all, and then I lie in bed thinking about the past till my head gets in such a state I don’t know what I’.om doing. It’s dreadful, dreadful. You see, Barr married my sister, and he knew the girl I should have married—but I musn’t think about that. Give me just a drop of whisky.” Claw and Enderby exchanged glances again, but this time there was no particular satisfaction in them. Claw clenched his teeth and muttered under his breath, lie was wondering if this senile old man was going to break down just at the very moment when they had the whole thing in their hands. ‘‘Come, pull yourself together, Mr Geere,” he said impatiently. “Recollect what we came here for!” “What did you come here for?” 1 asked Geere, absently. “In your own interests,” Claw almost shouted. “About your securities. You must sell them, sell them, don’t you hear? Only half a sheet of notepaper with vour name on.” Geere looked up absently.

“I was very fond of Barr once,” he said in a quavering voice. “He used to write lire letters, such nice letters. I would like to show you one or two of them. They are up in my bedroom. Perhaps if I fetch them down they will refresh my memory.” Claw restrained himself with an cf-

fort. Enderby would have dragged the old man back, 1 nit Chi wpreferred to humour him. “It. can do no harm,’’’ he said, when Geere left the room. “ Poor old fool, lie is certainly in a dreadful state. But so long as we can keep him in a condition to sign the document, the rest matters nothing. Humour him, humour him.” “Oh, I don't mind,” Knderby said. “I wonder what he’d say if he knew that you lvad got his securities in your pocket- 'at- the present moment. What a joke it is!” “Here, drop that, you idiot!” Claw hissed. “'You never know who might be listening.” “Who on earth is likely to lie listening hero?” Knderby ’’demanded. “The old man is evidently alone in the hou.se. A little patience, and we shall get all that, we need.” ‘‘ I *iji not so .sure of that,” Claw said. “At anuy rate —hush, lie’s coniine- down the stairs.”

Surely enough, someone was coming of the dining room. Then the door was slowly down the stairs in the direction opened, and there entered, not Geere, but Kent, with a broad grin on his face. CHAPTER XXV. Kent, standing there .entirely at his ease and obviously enjoying the situation, was a different Kent altogether to the mail that. Knderby and Claw had been in the habit, all these years, of treating in a way that either of them would have hesitated to treat a dog. He as just as furtive as ever, with tucse •cunning little eyes of his glittering an/ dor his red brows, but. there was a suggestion of easy familiarity about him that robbed the. other two men off a good deal of their newlv-acquired confidence. lie was obviously enjoying Die situation. “Well,” lie said, “who would have thought, of seeing you here? Rather a joke, gentlemen, isn’t it?” “What the devil do von mean by speaking to me like that?” Claw asked furiously. “And what are you doing here, anvwav?”

“ We’ll come to that presently,” £.aid Kent coolly. “Sit down and make vourselves at home, and, whatever happens, don’t lose your nerve. Try another whisky and soda, and then we’ll talk the matter over quietly.” Claw held himself in with an effort. Obviously there was nothing to be gained by forcing a quarrel upon Kent, who showed no signs of fear. The thing to do now was to find out exactly how much he knew and what strange chain of circumstance had placed him on such an easy footing in the house on the river. “Where is the old gentleman?” asked Knderby, suspiciously. “Oh, you needn’t worry about him for the present,'Kent laughed. “The fact as, .lie’s rather upset. You see, he doesn't, see visitors often, and any conversation out of the ordinary is a dead strain on him. He tobl you just now that he had employed a bath-chair man. What .lo you think of me as a batlichair man?’ ’ “Oh, stop all that rubbish!” Claw snarled. “Is the old -gentleman coming downstairs again?” “That you can rely upon,” Kent said drily. “He’s looking for some letters that he can’t find, and he’s just had a dose of his medicine. When he has rested himself for a quarter of an hour or so you can reckon on seeing him again. But never mind ATr Geere. What are you going to do about me?” Claw looked at Knderby and the latter glanced back helplessly. But obviously if they meant to get any further it would be necessary to bring Kent to their side again. Therefore, Claw made a determined effort to bo conciliatorv.

“Look here, Kent,” he said, “I am not going to deny that we have behaved badly to you, because we did. But, honestly, when you went abroad I had every intention that you should receive that money. But things have gone all wrong lately, and 1 don '.t know where to turn for a few hundreds of ready money. But if you had waited for a few da vs longer the draft would ha\ e turned up.” “I’m a bit of a liar mssclf,” Kent said with offensive pleasantness, “but I can’t hope to cope with an artist like von. You sent me abroad, knowing that T had only a few shillings, except my fare, and you thought to get rid of me without any expense to yourself. You never anticipated my (joining back again. But I am back, as you sec, and unless you agree to my terms you will find that I am master of the situation. Never mind how I got heie, or what the connection is between. Mr Geere and myself —tire fact remains that I am here, and I am in a position to dictate terms.” “I am quite prepared to listen,” Bade rby said. “Very well, then; in that case I want not live hundred pounds, but two thousand. Ob', lamin no hurry I can wait for a week or two if necessary. 1 am quite comfortable here, with plenty to cat and drink, and if I want a pound or two to go on with I can have it. Just let me. explain the position of affairs. When Mr Somerset came to you for money to work bis invention, bin friend, Enderby, turned him over to me. I was to pose as a man who had capital to invest in new patents. I agreed to find the preliminary expenses. I. posed as being a bit short at the time, and introduced tbe name of Claw as a man who would discount a bill.” “Quite right!” Enderby said. (To be Continued.)