"The Runaway Wife,”

Wairarapa Daily Times, 23 June 1930, Page 7

"The Runaway Wife,”

(Copyright).

CHAPTER XVlll.—Continued. “Why, with half of it”—Mr Moses went on —“you’ll me would be in clover out in Kenya growin’ coffee. Give me a couple a’ hours start of Kran and I’d show him such a clean pair o’ heels as nobody could believe. He’d dassent go to the police about me because of wliat.l’d put on him to Humphreys, and in a, one-man chase I’ll back myself for a winner every time. Especially with all that money.” “You talk biggetty,” observed Lolette, but there was admiration in her eyes, nevertheless. No-body could have shown a cleaner pair of heels than had Ben Moses in getting her off "that boattrain under Mr Humphreys’s very nose. She had expected swift retribution to overtake him, but nothing of the sort had happened. On the contrary, since Ben and the late “master” were apparently by way of being friends. The newly-weds proceeded to complete their dinner toilets, Ben sulky and brooding over his wrongs, and Lolotte excessively thoughtful. The atmosphere was heavy with the burden of that £20,000. “We will see,” said Lolette, with a deep sigh as they prepared to descend to the communal dining-room. “There is still time —all day to-morrow. I am to be pleasant to this man —ya —as?” Ben regarded her doubtfully. How pleasant, he wondered? And suppose Kran took a fancy to her would she let the thought of that £20,000 run away with her wifely virtue Could he trust her?

“Oh, you just be poolite, ’’ he said gloomily. “Act as though you didn’t know about this, but you needn’t start gettin’ too pleasant. Kran mightn’t understand it.’’ Lolette tossed her head and smirked. * * * *

Kran, however, was not dallying with women at this stage of his dangerous game, although he returned Lolette ’s demure smiles and encouraged her amazing attempts to play the Society lady for his benefit. Shrewdly he guessed that Moses had put her up tosomething, and it afforded him some cynical amusement. In vain did Moses press strong drink upon his warder. Krtu wasn’t having any, and casually let drop the news that he had managei to get his bedroom changed to one bang next door to that occupied by Mr and Mrs Moses.

After, dinner a couple of tables for bridge were made up in the drawingupon his warder. Kran wasn’t having self to be drawn into the game, after ascertaining that Ben Moses would join also. It was probably the first time in his life that Kran had ever sat down to bridge at threepence a hundred, and it would probably be the last. Moses resigned himself to the adverse workings of fate. After all, as Lolette had said, there was all day tomorrow and pretty well all of Friday. At some moment Kran’s vigllar.ee must relax, and if it came 1o the very worst, one could risk sending a letter to Derek Humphreys by Lolette—supposing, of course, that one could find out where Humphreys was. Having come to that philosophic conclusion, Mr Moses devoted himself wholeheartedly to winning as much as he could or losing as little as necessary at the business in ha’d. Lolette, whose social accomplishments did not as yet include any card games, wandered about aimlessly, striving to disguise her acute boredom. She was not a success with the feminine element in this refined establishment; reading was both dull amusement and something of a torture; she had already written one letter to her father, with Ben’s assistance, and that would have to last him a year. In short, there was nothing at all for Mrs Bep Moses to do unless she went to bed, and although bored, she was not yet sleepy. Her wanderings brought her finally to the front door, which had been left open because of the warmth, and stepping out on to the hooded portico, she wistfully surveyed the wide unadventurous stretch of Cromwell-rd. Perhaps she, too, had homesick visions of the iKnd she had left behind, that Afrit, whose racy essence ran in her very blood, and of whose jungles and rich red earth her bones and flesh were builded.

It was etiquette established by more or less pointed hints from the manageress of the hotel, for the residents to close down any social festivities on the premises not later than eleven-thirty, and preferably a litjtle earlier. Long before t'T oridge party broke up, Lolette Moses was drowsing in an armchair, dutifully reluctant to retire more privately until her husband should be free to accompany her.

Mr Moses rose from the table with a gain of three-and-ninepence in his pocket, which made him feel almost cheerful. Kran, not so successful, was equally cheerful none the less. Kran was clever at psychology. He knew far more surely than if Moses had verbally assured him; that the little Jew had given up all hope of escape for to-night. As their ways led together, the three —which included the sleep-dazed Lolette —ascended the stairs in company, and at the door of h? room Ben Moses was moved to an ofiLr of hospitality He invited his warder to come in for a liquid nightcap. Lolette, however, unexpectedly inter venod; in fact, it might be said thal she bridled.

Did they know how late it was? Am 1 if Ben and Major Kran wanted to dr'r together, would they kindly do it in the major’s room. Ironically, Kran assured her that h had no intention of trespassing up*‘ her hospitality, and, furthermore, h>

BY ELIZABETH YORK MILLER, Author of “The Road That Led Home,” “A Cinderella of Mayfair,” “The House of the Secret,” etc).

(To be Continued)

did not in the least want a night-cap. He bade *thc couple good-night with the effect of kicking rubbish out of his path. “Mon Dieu —que tu es bete!” Lolette hissed under her breath as the door closed upon Kran, but the compliment was not meant for him. Ben stared at.her bleakly, and glaring angrily in return, she laid a finger to her bps. Perhaps—she hoped—he would understand that he was to make no sound. Thoroughly bewildered, Ben followed her into the chamber which constituted their personal domain. Then very nearly he undid her clever

strategy, but Lolette clapped a hand over his mouth just in the nick of time to prevent an exclamation of surprise which might easily have penetrated to the room next door. Unless his eyes deceived him, which was scarcely probable, the man who had just risen from the only really comfortable chair in the room, was Derek Humphreys. CHAPTER XIX. But the first shock of surprise being over, Lolette had no need to fear any lack of discretion on her husband’s part. Ben Moses summed up the situation at ftnee. It was quite obvious to him what had happened. This Derek Humphreys--not so blind as he had

thought to his surreptitious winks — had come to call upon him, and fortunately fallen into the hands of Lolette while Kran and himself were deep in threepenny bridge. It had been a daring manoeuvre on Lolette’s part to take him straight upstairs and 'immure him in their bedroom. How she had managed it under the noses of the numerous retainers, Ben did not know, nor was he immediately interested to discover; but lie realised that had fully explain-: ed the situation to- their more than j welcome guest, “You’n me, Ben, we talk a little —> ya-as?” she said in ordinary conversational tones. “If we do not say somesing—it don’t matter much what it is, our frien’ nex’ door, he begins to wonder why—ya-as?” “Surest thing in the world,” Ben agreed. \ ‘‘He ’ ’ —Lolette indicated Derek — “he will say nossing, but writes it down what he likes to say—ya-as?” “You’re a bright girl,” said her loving husband, giving her a pale smile of admiration. They could hear Kran moving about in the room next door, probably making ready for bed, and the sounds did not indicate that he was specially interested in his neighbours’ connubial conversation. Fortunately for the Moses couple, there was no door between the rooms 1 , so although the sound of their voices could be heard by Kran, it would reach him only as an indistinct murmur.

All this time Derek was waitiiig and watching attentively, a note-book and pencil in his hands. Evidently Lolette and he had had a long heart-to-heart talk.

“I tell him every.sing,” Lolette went on. “All how if we have money enough we go to Kenya, and you have news he< will be glad for, so he saj's he will pay ten thousand for it, if it is worth it, a thousand cash in ’and for us to get away with, and the rest he send to you when you write and say where he is to send it. You can trus’ the master, Ben. He is a gentleman and keeps his word.” Mr Moses was clammy with excitement. He was also weak, and had to rest himself a moment on the edge of the- bed.

“Is that straight?” he asked, looking at Derek. The latter nodded, and then scribbled rapidly, showing what he had written to Moses: “It is worth it. If it can free Miss Storm.”

The little Jew on his part nodded vigorously. Then, as though fearing to trust himself to speech at this point, he asked for the notebook, and balancing it on his knee, began a slow and seemingly laborious composition, moistening the pencil with his tongue from time to time, and once having recourse to some memoranda from his own pocket; Lolette, meanwhile, kept up a sort of murmuring, broken monologue, which, if anyone was trying to listen, might have been taken for an amiable curtain lecture.

Suddenly, however, there was a break in this little drama. The door of the next room had opened, and the three held their breaths. But it was only for a second. There was ,the thump of a pair of shoes droppiftg, and then the door closed again. After that, dead silence, and they Roped and assumed had gone to bed. This gave Lolette an idea, and she found two pairs of shoes and rather os-' tentatiously dumped them in the hall outside her own door, while Ben Moses returned to his composition, and Derek Humphreys waited in a mounting fever of anxiety.