“Held in Ransom,”

Wairarapa Daily Times, 27 November 1926, Page 7

“Held in Ransom,”

—HP—GERALD CUMBERLAND. Author of “"The Cypress Chest,” “Set Down in Malice,” “The Prisoner,” etc., etc.

(COPYRIGHT.)

CHAPTER IV—Continued. .Many clocks were chiming' the hour as lie alighted at the appointed place. Almost simultaneously, another cab, containing Perceval, entered the big, almost deserted square; but it stopped at a discreet distance, and its occupant was content to observe Frank from within the comparative scrutiny of the cab. He watched Frank as he helped his driver to remove the luggage to the pavement; he saw the cab drive off and observed a second one approach almost immediately out of nowhere. In less than a minute the luggage on tlie pavernent was transferred to the new vehicle; with a sigh of infinite relief Perceval saw Frank step into the cab just as it began no move away. As for Frank, he lit a cigarette and leaned back in his seat. Though he had a nonchalant air, every faculty was alert. His driver turned northward at a slow pace. They travelled down the main streets until they reached Montmartre; then, suddenly, they emerged into the network of narrow streets of which that region is full; they turned and twisted a score of times and, as time went on, the cab increased its speed until it was going at a dangerous pace. Then, with seeming inconsequence, it turned southwards —on and on until it crossed -the river at Auteuil; then, having led through. another maze of streets, it went East until it reached the Latin Quarter. Jt was with a feeling of amusement that Frank watched the attempts of the driver to bewilder him. No doubt the driver believed that bj r now his passenger was .thoroughly confused, but as a matter of fact they; had been in very few streets that were not thoroughly familiar to Frank. As for the Latin Quarter, ho knew its every square yard, and lie smiled with grim humour as ithe cab, just "before one o’clork, came silently to 'a stop at Mo 73, Hue de Canibre. He photographed on his brain the number and the name as the driver alighted, and, without a moment’s delay, knocked gently on the door.

Evidently their arrival had been welltimed, for the door opened instantly and two men emerged. In less than half a minute they had carried Frank’s luggage msiuc, and Frank had followed them, and the door was silently closed belaud tiiein. N o.filng could have been done with greater discretion, and despatch. Without a word he was escorted up an iron spiral staircase, preceded by one of the men and followed closely by the other. “Won’t you bring my baggage?’’ Frank asked in French. As neither of the men made any reply to his question, he repeated it. But they evinced no sign that they had heard him. Indeed, Frank had already divined 'that both men were deaf and probably dumb. “I must expect little surpluses of this kind,’’ he told himself as, at length they reached the top of the staircase. Directly on the. topmost step was an iron door. Upon tiiis the man in front knocked. It was immediately and mysteriously opened —mysteriously, because no one was to be seen on the farther side.

They entered a rather long, narrow and windowless corridor. At '.the end of it was another door; as this opened, the man in front of Frank stepped aside and allowed him to enter alone. Noiselessly the door closed behind him.

Ho found himself in a rather small (but luxuriously furnished room, lit by a single electric bulb,, heavily shaded. Por a moment of - two he believed himself alone; hut presently on a broad divan in a comer he saw someone move. In the semi-darkness two luminous, mocking eyes stared into his, and a voice, like the echo of another voice, spoke softly: “Ah! Mr Mi-chelle; Again we meet. How charming—how very charming of you. ’ ’

It w r as •unbelievable! His eves were deceiving him; his ears were telling him lies. But no! This was Princess Warenski. His uncle ’s suspicions of her had been right, and the police had been grossly but cleverly fooled. Even as Prank stood staring at her in doubt and amazement, he remembered the words of Superintendent Brill. “You need have no suspicion of Princess Warenski. Her visit to this country is well-known to the Home Office; she is, indeed, under police- protection.” What, a preposterous situation!—a dangerous criminal, wanted by the polieo themselves! “You!” he exclaimed. “Yes—l. Are you surprised? Are you disappointed, Mr Mi-chelle?” “I—l am sorry.” “Yes? Tell me why you are sorry.” “Sorry that such a ’beautiful woman should lend herself to such vileness.” Her face hardened. “You must not talk to mo like that,” she said. “You must, not make mo angry—l warn you. But. sit down, Mr Mi-chelle. You had a pleasant journey—yes? ’ ’ He seated himself as far away from her as possible. He felt the danger and seductiveness of he.r. In her lowcut evening dress of purple she was like a syren—like Circe.

“My journey was as pleasant as it could (be under the circumstances,” lie replied. “But I suffered from the more than kind int rest of your little ratman, Perceval. But fell me, Princess,” lie said, assuming a light tone, “what is tlie meaning of all this elaborate fooling.’ For at least a week 1 have had the sensation of living in a third-rate cim'ir • 'av in five reels.”

“Ah, no. Ngt five, Mr Mi-chelle. Tills little play has one act only. It finishes in an hour —now. You have brought the money. That is wise of you. To-morrow you will return to London and toiyour Miss Stansmore. I shall pass out of your life, and you and she will live happily together ever after.”

He gave her an inscrutable look, which quickly into one of bland amusement".

“You are mistaken, Princess. 1 have brought no money. Did yon take me for a fool?”

She started up from her chair as though she had been struck. “What is that you say?” ' “1 have brought uo money.”

“Do you mean to tell me that you have dared to come here without the £10,000?” “Dared? Certainly. What have I to fear?”

“ You will soon learn what you have to fear, Mr Mi-chelle,” she cried. “This is real life you are living —it is no cinema play. Oh, you fool —you reckless fool! —to come here without the money demanded from you. What was your motive'?”

“Shall we call it curiosity, Prin cess? Or shall we call it love? I want cd to see Miss Stansmore!”

A,t this point he also rose to his feet, lie walked to her side, put his face on a level with iier and probed her eyes with a fierce and hostile gaze. “Is she here, Princess?” ho whispered, menacingly. “Is Miss Stansmore in this house?”

“It is not for you to ask questions of me, Air Mi-chelle. Nor will I allow you to threaten me. From our previous meetings I had rather gathered that you were a gentleman; I should not like anything to take place that might lead me to change my opinion.” “Your opinion, of me, Princess? Do you honestly think I care a straw what you think of me?” At this question sho winced, and stepped back a pace. For a moment or two sho seemed to lose her criminal hardness and to become merely a woman—a woman who had "been sorely wounded.

“Perhaps you don’t care, Mr Michelle. But some day you will.” “That is as it may be, Princess. In the meantime, I have two questions .to ask, and neither you nor I will leave this room until they have been answered.”

She smiled a little sadly. “There are so many things you fail to realise, Mr Mi-chelle. Let me tell you somo of them. First of all, you are a prisoner. Secondly, youi are now in grave danger of our life. Thirdly, you can be made ’to suffer terribly —you can guess in what way I mean. Fourthly, I am —I am —” She hesitated two or three moments; then, with an effort, and raising her eyes, into which there had come a look half of tenderness, she added in a whisper:

“I am your friend —so far as I dare be.”

“You cabnot expect nje to believe that. I don’t believe it. You. have deceived me from the very beginning. You arc trying to deceive mo now. And, in any cake, I don’t, want vour friendship. I despiso you and hate you. You and your gang are at this very moment causing untold wretchedness for sentence in twelve months’ time, girl as ever lived. You are e.vil —I feel it, I know it.” His voice had risen to a high pitch as the words came running from his lips. The sound of his own voice seemed to lure him on to further expression of hatred and contempt. “Yes —evil, evil, evil! We are enemies, Princess. Never as long as I live shall I cease to loathe you. And be sure Hiat some day you will have to pay with tears and blood for your wickedness.” 1

Her face hardened as he spoke. The look of tenderness had now vanished; in its place was something like the hatred he had declared ho felt for her. “Very well, Mr Mi-chelle. It shall bo as you say. "We arc enemies. We will tight. Miss Stansmore is hero in this house. You have tried to hurt me by your words; in return, I shrill hurt you with acts.”

Instinctively Prank thrust his hand into the side pocket of his coat and placed it upon his revolver. But 'Princess Warenski had seen that movement many times before, made by other men, and she knew what it meant.

“So you are armed, Mr Mi-chelle,” she observed calmly. Taken abaik, his first impulse was to contradict her statement, but he realised almost at once that such a contradiction would bo idle. “Yes.” ‘ ‘ You threaten me! ’ ’

“I warn you to bo oil your guard as to what to do. Threaten?—well, I myself—my entire being is a threat to you. I demand that you produce Miss vStansmore at once. I must see her — now! I must have proof that she is well and unharmed. I must assure myself that you have not yet begun your devilish wickedness!” (To be Continued.)