The Green Banglow

Waikato Times, Volume 97, Issue 15183, 8 March 1923, Page 3

The Green Banglow

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Chapter viil That Nlghi at Shorehaven.

Blythe had more or less thrust himself into the confidence of Mark Shute, but not for a moment was he trusting to that rascally individual, or his equally shady acquaintance, Macglendy. He knew perfectly well that both of these would throw him over at the first, opportunity, and it was up to him, therefore, to see that the opportunity did not arise. He had his underground methods of obtaining information, and when he left the Metropolitan Hotel about half-past nine the same night, he had a quite definite object in view. He oame down from his bedroom in the lift, and stole quietly out of the hall, with his coat collar turned up, so as to escape observation. To outward appearances he was in evening dress, but under his light overcoat was a workmanlike reefer suit of serge, and, in the pockets of his coat, he carried a pair of stout shoes, shod with indiarubber. .H e turned his steps westward and stopped, first of all, at the corner of Brunswick Square.

Turning into the Square, he knocked at the door of 201, and inquired from the foreign-looking servant as, to whether Mr Shute happened to be with Mr Macglendy. In reply, he was told that Shute had been dining there I hat evening, but that some quarter of an hour before, the master of the house and his guest had gone off in a motor.

, "Very annoying," Blythe said. "I have come down from London to see Mr Shute on most important business. I must see him this evening at all hazards. 1 suppo*s c you don't happen to know where he has gone. If you can tell me I shall be very glad." . As Blythe spoke he produced a scrap of paper from his ticket pocket and displayed what appeared to be a Treasury note. The servant grinned, and his expression became friendly. "I am,not quite sure, sir," he said, "but I rather fancy they hav e gone lo Mr Shutc's bungalow. But —" "That will do," Blythe said.'"That's all 1 want to know. I suppose I can get a taxi somewhere, can't I? I know all about the bungalow. I've been there before." With that, th e piece of paper changed hands, and Blythe turned on to the front, where' he was fortunate enough to pick up a taxi, which whirled him as fan as Shorlhaven, where he got out, arid bade the driver to wait.

"1 may b c an hour, I may be more," he said. "But there> a pound note to go on with. If you can't wait for me, then run back to Brighton, and send another cab here."

"Oh, I can wait for you all right, sir," the driver -said. "It's always a pleasure to do anything for a gentleman like you."

Blythe crossed the shingle, add, skirting round the lonely, green bungalow, made, his Way over the-high shoulder of sand and stone until he came at length to the cutting, where lie could make out a low floating landing stage resting on the water. It was possible to put a boat in there, even at low tide, with perfect safety, and without the slightest chance of observation. No doubt Shute had bwc" right when h e told Blythe that this secret landing-place had been constructed during the course of the war, at the time when the bungalow was in the occupation of the military, and, doubtless, that tiny jetty had witnessed more than one strange sight.

It was only a mailer of a few/yards from the jetty to the back of the bungalow, along a hollow channel with the shingle piled high on either side, so, that Blythe, with all his professional instincts aroused, realised with a frank admiration what an ideal spot this was for the purpose Shute had in view. He was still studying the ground carefully under the shadow of the gloom, when suddenly out of the darkness and intense silence that reigned all round, came a single mournful cry that Blythe recognised as the call of the curlew. Instantly he pricked his ears. Ho did not need to be told that there was not a single curlew within ten miles of Shorehaven beach, so. ho stepped back behind a huge boulder, prepared to watch patiently for further developments. It was a long time before anything happened again, and Blythe's patience was nearly exhausted, when he made out a tiny point of flame, so small as to be almost invisible, that came, no doubt, through a hole in the shutter at the back of the bungalow. No sooner had this appeared than the cry of the curlew was heard once more, and the pinpoint of light vanished. "Now we shall see what we shall see," Blythe muttered. He had not long to wait, for, almost immediately, those quick ears of his made out a sound of footsteps coming from the bungalow in the direction of the beach, and then against the dim background of hazy light reflected on the sky from the street lamps of Brighton, appeared two figures that Blythe rightly guessed to be thos e of Macglendy and Shute. He could hear them muttering to themselves as they passed him, and made their way to the head of the jetty where they stopped as if waiting for something to happen. It was no part of Blythe's game to betray his presence there, so he sat crouched close behind the boulder, waiting for th e next scene in the drama. It came presently in the form of a motor boat which pulled up in absolute silence alongside the landingslajjrn. and, atfer a short interval, Macglendy and lus companion re-appeared carrying somelhing that looked like small sacks in their hands.

It was quite, clear what was happening. The motor boat, equipped with the very last thing in the way of a silencer, had evidently put off from a yacht somewhere in th e offing, with one or two bags of precious saccharine, and the cry of the curlew had been the signal to those two. waiting- in the bunsalow, that the stuff was close at hand. It was all so quiet that even Wythe, listening intently, could n-l hear the boat put off again, bul il socmed to him he rould just mak-j mi! flic fainl white line of her bows as she tacked before turning out to sea. He waited until Shute and Macglendy had disappeared, then he turned and followed.

He was just in lime lo catch the other Iwo up before they closed Hie dour behind Ihcm. He heard Macglendy cry out, and the next moment he was fighting for his life.

They were both upon him instantly. one of them clinging about his knees. whilst the other had him by the' throat. This was not the first lime. by any means, thai Blylho had found

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"Rather heavy, isn't it?" Blythe said as he picked up one of the bags. "What's that noise inside?"

With that, he whipped a knife out of his pocket, and, cutting the mouth of the sack, poured its contents on the table. Mixed up with a certain quantity of bran was a gliteririg service of silver plate that gleamed invitingly in the lamplight.

"Oh-h," Blythe cried. "Oh-h. I don't seem to know everything yet. Perhaps one of you gentlemen will kindly explain. Really, this is a bigger thing that, in my innocence, I expected." (To be continued to-morrow.)

himself in a tight place, and he had not come down to that lonely spot to confront two absolutely reckless antagonists without being prepared. He managed presently to twist right arm free, and work it into his coat pocket. Then he raised his arm and an instant later, Shute became painfully conscious of the fact that a small cold circle was being pressed tightly under his right ear . "I think you had better drop it," Blythe said as coolly as he could. "If you don't, I shall press the trigger, and subsequen't proceedings will interest you no more." This came under Blythe's breath, but there was no mistaking the grlmness of the threat, and instantly Shute relaxed his hold. Blythe | managed to kick himself free of Macglendy, then he turned and faced the pair of them calmly enough. "Don't you lhii»k we had better go inside?" he suggested. "Itfs long odds that there is no one within a mile of us, but then you never can tell. Open the door." Shute complied meekly enough, and led the way into the sitting-room, which was furnished like the' cabin of a yacht, and turned on the lights. He tossed the sack he was' carrying on to the table, and savagely turning on Blythe, demanded to know what he meant by this strange line of action of his. \ "We'll come to that" presently," Blythe said. "My dt-ar man, do you suppose that you and your pals here can do anything without my llnding it out! Why, you couldn't crosa, the street without my knowing all about it. Besides, the arrangement was. that I was to come into this thing, and Irave a third share. You promised me a day or two ago that 1 was to come down here when the next lot of stuff was landed. And, here you are, sneaking off in the dead of the night behind my back, trying to rob a poor, hard-working man of his reward. I am ashamed of you, Shute." "Here, what is that?" Macglendy cried. "Good Lord, it's Hilton Blythe. Hilton Blythe. Hilton Blythe." Macglendy repeated the name as if it had been a sort of talisman or thing of ill -omen of which he stood in mortal fear. He dropped every i trace of his Scotch accent. I

"That.'s right*, my cunning little Jew boy," Blythe laughed. "And so your own confederate hasn't told you the story, has lie? How on earth do you chaps expect to succeed when you don't even trust one another? I am sorry to disturb you, Moses, but there is no getting, rid of Ihe sad fact that I have tumbled to the whole game, and that I am going to have my share of the plunder, uf course, if Shute likes to keep you in the dark for his own purposes, that is nothing to do with inc. I expected something of the sort, when I turned up to-night. Shute, you had better tell your friend all about it. I'll smoke a cigarette and listen,"

Shute made some sort of a shamefaced confession to his confederate, who listened moodily enough, glancing malevolently at the smiling Blythe meanwhile.

"And now you understand," Blythe said. "I dare say Shute thought*he could shake, me altogether. But he might have Known by this time that I am not that sort of man. Also', I want you to understand that if this sort o< thing happens again you will be exceedingly sorry for it. And now, if you don't mind, I should like to have a look at those samples you have just landed. I have never seen saccharine/in niy'lifc, and lam rather curious to know what it is like. You might open one of those bags." - "What's the use of doing that?" Shute said uneasily. "You don't want to see the stuff. It's only concentrated sugar. Besides, it's all properly packed up, ready lo go to Brunswick Square in the eft-, and from thence to London to-morrow. There is over a thousand pounds' worth there, ana so long as you ket your proper share, 'I don't see what you have got to worry about. " Here, let's have a drink."