“Held in Ransom,”

Wairarapa Daily Times, 29 November 1926, Page 7

“Held in Ransom,”

—BY—- ' GERALD CUMBERLAND. Author of “The Cypress Chest,” ’’‘Set Down in Malice,” “The Prisoner,” etc., etc.

(COPYRIGHT.)

CHAPTER IV—Continilc<l. “Culm .yourself, .Mr Mi-chelle. It is my intention —part, of niv plan that you shall see her. But you serve no purpose in raising your voice so loudly, if Hiss Staiismore were to overhear you she would be more distressed than ever. So be calm. Sit down, please!’’ He obeyed her, taking possession of a deep armchair behind him. At the same moment she resumed her position on the divan wnert she had ueen reclining on his entrance. • • Thank you!’’ she said. “L hate scenes. 'They are tiring—and they make one fell so ill-bred.” Idly she leaned forward. “1 will summon bliss Stansmore now,” she said. She appeared to be about to press a button on a, small table by her side. But, before she had done so, an extraordinary thing happened. prank, who had been watching her carefully and with deep suspicion, felt himself half-stunned as though by a colossal blow aimed at every pait of his 1 body. Great currents of electricity | ran through his body like living fire; every limD, every muscle was paraly- ! zed. He sat helpless while j the lire pulsed and coursed through him, ! wave-like, from the soies of his feet to the crown of his head. Intense horror seized him. But this was not all. prom the sides of tne chair steel bai.uls, like arms, were first projected with | tenable suddenness; then, with a jerk, i they encircled him, pressing him to the ! chair, clamping him to it. There was ['steel around ins neck, steel upon his I chest, at the- pit of his -stomach, steel | around his ankles.

He tried to cry out but could not. Even his tongue was paralysed* .For the first. Time in his life lie learned" what fear was. There was something devilish in this woman —something horribly sinister.

Dimly ho saw her rise from the divan and walk slowly round the room until she had disappeared behind the chair. Then the electric current was switched off as suddenly as it. had been turned on; but though his muscles were so longer paralysed ho was unable to-move* for To was still damped to Hie chair — damped so closely, indeed, that it seemed to him that he and tho chair were one. He found himself covered with perspiration, and he was overcome by a. feeling of shame that he htid so easily been outwitted 'by this foreign female crook. He heard her voice in his ear.

“I am removing your revolver from your pocket,” she said, calmly. “It is better so. Revolvers are dangerous things, Mr Mi-chelle.” Por a minute he felt too sick with anger and shame to make any reply. Ilia ignominious position degraded him in his own eyes. But, with a tremendous effort he threw off his depression and began to speak to her in a tone of well-assumed amusement.

“Have you any more parlour tricks, Princess?”

“Quite a variety,” she answered him in the same tone; “'but. I hope it will not prove necessary to show you any of them.” ■She had taken his revolver from him and now stood before him, examining it carefully.

‘‘ A Web-ley, ’ ’ she said. ‘ ‘ Very clumsy, Mr Mi-clielle—too heavy, too noisy. ’ You should get an automatic. But you arc, I expect, .unused .to firearms. This kind of life is new to you —yes? You are trying to play a game without having learned the rules. That is foolish of you." “I shall soon learn them,’’ he said with a grim smile. “Yes, you will, for you are not without intelligence. ’ ’ She opened the revolver, tilted it up, and shook the cartridges out of the six chambers.

"You have more cartridges?" sfic said.

"You’ll find quite a number in the inside pocket of my coat. I’m sorry I’m not in a position to hand them over to

"They can wait,’’ she said laconically. "And now I-’ll leave you--for a short, time in order that you may indulge in a little thought! Perhaps in a quarter of an hour or so you may have come to your senses. For your own sake, I hope it may be so.’’ She turned to leave him, taking his revolver with her. At the door, she waited a moment and gazed at him half regretfully. "I’m sorry this has happened, Mr. Mi-chelle, ’’ she said softly. A second later, she had opened the door, and passed out of his sight.

No sooner was the door closed again, than the one light, that illuminated the room was turned out. He was now in completo darkness. Silence. It was almost terribly silent. The darkness and the silence seemed to suffocate him. Men talk glibly of silence, but few of them ever experienced that complete quiet into which not the slightest noise penetrates. There is something aweinspiring in it; it is like death. As Frank sat there, manacled and full of shame, there came relief in the guise of a tiny sound like the scratching of a mouse in the wainscot. Then, with appaling sudden mss, lie heard the voice of Audrey close to his ear:

"Frank—-if is your Audrey -speaking to you—little MU. i is your Audrey." "Mit" was !■ ■ yet naii]o she used sometm.es when they were alone together. Henri- ■ now, in this place, his heart fe' 1 -ed. Ho struggled to free himself - brokenly: "Audrey— w ! • • you? I’m—l can’t—of. do i ’“t me feel your hand; Oome— have they hurt you? Come, little dr-

But her voice continued as though she had not heard a word ho had spoken. “Prank —make them release me compel thpiu ‘o set me free. Do anything they ask— anything. I am afraid. I do not know what- is going to happen. Oh, come to me, .Frank. Dear blit, don’t delay a moment —come rescue me.” He could not bear tbo deep pleading in her voice; he could not endure his utter helplessness. With a desperate struggle he tried to free himself, but as well might a toad, imprisoned in the heart cf a rock, have tried to break its way to the light and freedom. Nevertheless, ho continued to light the steel arms that bound him, for her voice roused within him a madness he could not control. But it was all useless. He could do nothing.

“You seem so far away, prank,” her voice went. on. “Where are you, dear’ Come —

“I’m here, Audrey,” ho shouted, passionately: “I’m here —close to you, jiiy darling. But they have fastened me down —I can’t move. Listen, dear! Audrey—Audrey —can’t you hear me! Why do you go on talking? I’m here in this room with you, little sweetheart. Yen are not deserted —A-ud-rey.’ ’ —he cried out. now, with all the force he could command —“Audrey, for God’s sake, listen! ”

But,. Heaven above! had she been driven insane?. She would not listen to him—no, not to a single word. But perhaps she could not. hear. Perhaps they had been cruel to her and, as a result she. had lost her senses.

If only lie could touch her! If only she would place her hand upon his or put her face against his face! Slip must be very near to him —just behind the abominable chair that gripped him liko an octopus. Oh, God! .this was dreadful, not to be borne! It was hell itself.

i‘Good-bye, dear Mit,” Audrey went on, “Good-bye. You will come soon, won’t you? You will do all they ask, dear, won’t you? You will give them anything they want?”

Lti. came to him with sudden revelation. Audrey was not hero at all! Her voice was here, but she herself—no! Listening now with passionate eagerness, lie heard a curious grating sound—a sound that hitherto, in his excitement, had escaped him. It was a familiar sound—the sound of a gramophone. Oh! irony of ironies! Oh! infamous trickery! Was if thus that they hoped to reduce him to surrender? And yet —and yet it was Audrey’s voice! She herself had spoken those very words that had assaulted his ear. By what vile means had they compelled her to speak them? “Good-bye, dear blit. I have faith-in. you; You will rescue me! I shall be with you once again.” The voice and the grating sound ceased simultaneously. Once more he was enveloped in th■■ dark silence that now seemed tenfold more oppressive and dread than it had done before. He sat. motionless, ready for tho next, development of this evil business. CHAPTER V. Very soon time ceased to have any signilieance for Prank. Five hours might have passed, or only tliq same number of minutes, when he was brought back to acute, consciousness by the turning on of the light; a moment later tho door opened, and the Princess entered.

“You have had plenty of time to think,” she said. “Yes, but I have not thought.” “That is a pity. You must do your thinking mow.’’

"I have been too much amused to think. Your methods of trying to get money out of me are really very childish. That absurd gramophone, for example. Did you imagine for one moment that I should be deceived?" "Xot at. all. But you have heard Miss Stansmore’s voice, and you know what she wishes you to do. That ought to help you in coming to a decision." "A decision? About what?"

"I’ll tell you. I —we —those for whom I am acting are resolved that the ransom shall be paid. And paid it will be—either now or later on—it depends upon yourself. But let nje make you more comfortable.!’

As she spoke, she released the steel springs of the chair, and Frank was free to move. But he found himself Incredibly- stiff. He shook himself •slightly, and leaned forward a little, feeling the pleasure-pain of his blood begnning once more to cqursc freely through his veins. "Is that better?" she said. "Thank you." I’o bo Continued.)