“STORM DRIVEN,”

Wairarapa Daily Times, 22 December 1932, Page 7

“STORM DRIVEN,”

PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT.

COPYRIGHT.

CIIA PTE It NYU. —Co nt in ue d. Deering threw the end of his cigar into the river. “ You must come over to my little place for a. bit of food some time. By the way, Birandt was asking why you hadn’t been in to see them. ’ ’

Tony watched him. walk away. He’d been wondering himself why he had purposely avoided meeting I'at, why he had made no move, letting time slip like gold-dust through his lingers. When the sun set behind the hills he got a brace of trout at the bathing pool and took them up to Dane Court. Brandt saw him from the terrace and came to meet him, insisting on his staying to dinner. '“We’ve been to Kxtcr on business all day—only just got back, so we’re not dressing. You're the most amazing lishernian, Dawson. We’ve got some iiriends coining to lunch to-mor-row so we shall be glad of that brace.” “Afraid they won’t go far. I’ll run down after dinner and get you some more. There ought to be a line rise after dusk.” They dined on the terrace in the twilight and! drank their coffee as night' began to fall, but, of course, Doering was present and Tony gathered! that he spent nearly aIL his time with the Brandts. He laid himself out to be entertaining, lost his patronising tone: it may have been the wine of which ho drank heavily, but Tony knew he was acting, discussing sub-

jects that he knew interested Bat, subtly flattering old Brandt. When Tony rose to fetch his rod lie said: “I say, Tat. darling, shall we stroll down with Dawson ? This would be a divine night for a swim, but I'm afraid there’s no water in the bathing pool, but we can watch him fish; lie’s a marvel. ’ ’ They had to go in single file down the path beyond the garden. Now Tony knew why he had kept out of the way; now he knew the agony of jealousy. He had tried to blunt his feelings, to arm himself against the love which consumed him inwardly, but he found ho had no defence against little things which had the power to sting and hurt ns. bitterly as the great ones. When Deering took Pat’s hand to steady her, when he picked her up in his arms to lift her over a fence and held her close, looking down into her face, when ho saw that she answered tho desire in his eyes with a shy glance, when her short skirt became entangled in the briars and lie stooped to unfasten it, Tony’s blood boiled in his veins, increasing his love! for Pat and doubling his hatred for Deering. He was forced to walk on ahead, afraid lest he suddenly lost control. Their voices mocked him ns lie stood

beside the pool and changed his flies. He watched them stand on the rickety bridge, looking at their dark reflections in tho water, talking softly in an undertone. The moon hadn’t risen, the stars were just coining out. It was very epiiet, the air heavy with the scent of honeysuckle; an owl hooted from tho wood. Very quickly the light faded and darkness covered everything. Down in tho valley the air was warm. It was as if nature had set the scene far love and lovers. And there they stood, obviously lovers, Pat in her light frock clearly silhouetted, and Deering a dark shadow beside her holding her firmly. Tony strode up stream. Pool to think he had a chance of fighting for his rights—or for his love. He was a dead man; he’d no longer any legal existence, no legal rights. On and on he went, casting carelessly; it didn't matter in the dark, the fish rose quickly enough. He stopped only when the moonlight flooded the stream. When 1 lie returned to the bridge it was deserted. Ho glanced into the wood on tho other side of the stream, fancied he saw a flutter of skirt, hesitated, then climbed the hill again. Brandt wasn’t on the terrace; he went into tho hall but found no one there.

The library door was open, one shaded light burning on the bureau opposite the opr.it windows. Tony unslung the basket and put it on the table, took a cigarette from a silver box, and lighting it dropped) into an armchair. Funny how this room drew him towards it; perhaps because it know his secret. He looked round it with a cynical smile; if inanimate things could talk! As he lit a second cigarette ho heard voices, then footsteps outside. Tony sat quite still, lie didn’t want to bo found in that (room. The shaded lamp threw its narrow beam of light only on to the bureau, and from the moonlit garden outside the room must have appeared to be in darkness. A shadow blotted out the moon; slowly it took shade and* elongated itself through the windows on to the Jloor, approaching until it stopped at Tony's feet, die rose slowly, staring fascinated at it the perspiration broke out on his foirehead as memory Hashed upon him. “Deering!" he cried. “Decring—it was vou!”

.Deering stepped into the room, switching on the lights as he did so. “What tho devil d’you mean.?" And then lie stopped as he'saw Tony’s face, no longer bronzed butwhite, and his eyes staring. Neither man spoke for a moment. Decring came . closer, seized Tony’s shoulder, pulled him round until he stood beneath the portrait of his father over the mantelpiece. He looked up at the picture, and then at Tony again. “When first- we met a fOw weeks ago T thought your face seemed strangely familiar, and your voice. Who are you ?’ ’ Tony didn’t reply; hr was looking through tho open windows. Deering closed them and drew the curtains. “Tou needn’t, reply; I know who you are," he said unsteadily, his hands clutching the curtains behind him. “You’re. Tony Main-waring!" From the hall came Fat's voice: “Oh, Edward, where are you, dear?" CHAPTER XVI IT. “Coming," Deering shouted. Telling Tony to stay where he was he opened the library door. Pat met him. on the. threshold. “Well, you are-— ’’ She stopped as she saw Tony. He picked up the- basket of .fish and gave it to her saying lie hoped they would make a dish for the luncheon party to-morrow. She took them, smiling her thanks but her eyes were puzzled. “There arc dirinks and sandwiches in tho hall; why are you two hiding yourselves in this stuffy old room?"

(To bo continued.)

BY ARTHUR APPLIN. (Author of “The Woman Who Doubted,” “Adventure for Two,” “Her Hidden Husband,” etc).

When at last the door closed on him and Lis footsteps had died away, silence- sat heavily in the room. It was broken by the hiss of a syphon as Deering mixed himself a stiff whisky and soda. “Help yourself—you look as if you wanted one, Captain Dawson 1 ’ ’ Tony shook his head. “No thanks, I can d-o without one.” “I adm lire your nerve.” Ho took a. cigar from the box, bit off the end and struck a. match. Through the flame Tony saw fear in his eves but he himself was no longer afraid, lie felt cold, unnaturally calm, just as he had felt after lifting Patinto the life-boat and seeing her safely off and then climbing up on to the bridge, waiting for the ship to go down. He had saved Pat then and nothing else mattered. Deering was waiting for Tony to speak; he found the silence intolerable. He said: “Hadn’t you better explain what you’re doing here? Brandt will get tired of knocking the balls about soon and will join us.”“After the Bolovia sank I was picked up by a rum-runner; landed in Canada where I happened to fall on my feet; made a good deal more money than I wanted, so I thought I’d come homo and see what was happening.”

“You realise the risk von're tak-

ing ? ’ ’ Tony nodded and moved closer to Deering; lie was twisting the cigar between. his teeth, reducing it to pulp. “It is four years since we last met, Deering, and it was in this iroom. You and my father were playing cards. You accused him of cheating—” Deering took the cigar from his lips and twisted it in his lingers; looked at the glowing end. “You saw what happened—but I’d like to think it was a mistake 1 Anyway, the fact that he cheated never came out at the inquest. ’ ’ “You could afford to be generous, having ruined him.” ' “That’s not true; he ruined himself; mortgaged everything he could lay his hands on. That’s why you quarrelled with him—and killed him! .For God's sake tell me why you’ve been mad enough to come back? Don’t you realise that, if you’re recognised, you’ll be .arrested?”

“Yes, I know that. And you have recognised me; so what are you going to do?” Deering moved away; walked to the window, back to the eloor. “Nothing. I kept your father’s name clean and —and you’re my cousin. . . Only you must clear out at once. Go back to Canada. If you stay here, or anywhere in England, you’re sure to be' found out sooner -or later. Only a

madman would take tho risk you’re running. What in heaven’s name have you done it for, Tony?" “I should liavo thought you might have guessed. Take another drink, Deering! ’ ’ Tony was sure' now, quite sure. He drew back "tho curtains from, the window, threw them open again, switched out the lights. “Come here, Deunng; stand out there on the terrace just where you were standing on the night of the tragedy!" Deering didn’t move. “There’s no time for play-acting now." “On the night when I struggled with my father and he shot himself you were standing out there and the moonlight threw your shadow across the 110 or. ’’

Deering's c.igar cracked between his lingers; he threw it into the grate.

• ‘Well?” “Standing out there you heard my father threaten to kill us both; then to take his own life. You saw what happened, how I tried to get the pistol from him, and how it went otf in the struggle. I suppose you were afraid, realising your own share in the tragedy, and you ran away." Deering poured some whisky into his glass. “I saw you murder him,’’ lie said unsteadily. Tony smiled. “Then you admit you were there? Thanks; that’s good enough, Deering! You were there and you heard what my father said. You were there- and you heard evccytlgiig, so if I'm arrested and tried for his dentil you'll have to give evidence." •• I 'in giving you a chance to get away," Deering said thickly. “What, explanation will you offer for sneaking away? Whether it was murder or suicide- it makes no difference- to your action? There was a quarrel, a. man with whom you’d been gambling, tho man you had ruined, not only at cards but on the Stock Exchange, was shot within a few feet of where you stood; you didn’t go to his aid, you didn't, call for help; you just crept away into the night and hid! What's your explanation?"

“Dawson’s been telling me of his adventures in Canada —and I’m trying to. do a business deal with him.”

Pat shrugged her shoulders. “Oh, well, I’ll leave you. Father's in the billiards-room practising some new shots. I’m for bed. Good-night, Captain Dawson. I shan’t be riding tomorrow morning, Edwand, but we shall see you at lunch.” At the door she hesitated, then blew him a. kiss from her fingers. Tony had the impression that she was acting. He lit another cigarette and remained standing by the mantelpiece beneath the portrait of his father, waiting for Deering to speak. A footman brought the tray with its glasses and decanters from the hall, placed it on the table, went out. and then returned with sandwiches and cigars, his movements were very slow and deli bate; he was quite unconscious how both men in the , room watched him with a kind of fascination.