Hearts in Bondage

Waikato Times, Volume 100, Issue 16749, 16 March 1926, Page 3

Hearts in Bondage

copmpm. (Published by arrangement witn me Generjt Press, 1.1 d.)

(By CHRISTOPHER WILSON)

Author of “Sundered Lives," “Blind-fold Love." "The Heart of Delilah.” etc.

SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS Chapters I. and ll.—The skipper o the Mbowena informs his passenger. Sir John Thorskill, that they will nc in the Mersey next day. A fog comes down, and Captain lluggard advises Sir John to get a good sleep. 1 hei vessel collides with another, and Dac .v damages it. Sir John finds a man hiding is his stateroom, with P IS levelled, lie is a convict, just cscapcn from the French convict steamer which the Mbowena had rammed, ue had killed a man twenty-five ycats ago. Thorskill gives him a chance The Right Hon. James, flrsl #1 ? a P" Cairon, the Master of Balmouth, genius linked to an iron will. 1 * sites Sir John Thorskill to be P resc "‘ at the launching of his new lme , Gololand, as his guest. Lady Carr on refuses to accompany her the station to meet Sir John. H oT with Sylvia Langlon. Lady Caiion, when she meets Sir John, wu' s P ■ ' welcome to Jack. Afterwards she him why she married Lord Carr . . promises to help her to do " 1 "'CHAPTER lll—The car containing Lady Carron and Sir John Tho . drives to the shipbuilding works. L Carron meets them, lie tells Sir John that the workers of Bclmouth are worse than those of Gololand. make a tour of the workshops, where Sir John finds the convict whom he shielded. lie says he has got on the track of the man who has wronged him, on whom he means to be revenged. Sylvia Langton is to name the new liner as she is launched. But the scaffolding on which Lord Carron and Sir John are standing gives way. Lord Carron is precipitated into the water; Sir John just saves himself by leaping. Some of the falling timbers crash against the “dog-shore,” and the “Gololand.” as the new ship is to be named, slips down tiic incline, and launches herself. Thorskill goes to the rescue of Lord Carron. They are picked up by a small motor craft. Sir Ronald Myrtle, a celebrated Bclmouth physician, says Lord Carron’s condition is not serious. Sir John tells Lady Carron that he tried lo save her husband for her sake. Just as Thorskill is about to step into the car which is to take him to Carron Hall, Stephen Ingram, the escaped convict, steps forward to thank him, and to say thaJ this is the second big thing that Sir John has done for him. CHAPTERS IV. & Y.—Desmond Hale has read the account of the launching incident in the Belrnouth Evening Telegraph, and learns that the mishap was not due to accident. He lias given his life up lo work for tho Labour interest, and, he knows that Lord Carron is not loved by his men. Mrs Kirk, Hale's landlady, sends up two workmen who want to sec him. Hale and the men have a short altercation on Ihe recent attempt on Lord Carron’s life. After their departure Stephen Ingram calls on Halo and tells him of a plot to kill Lord Carron. Finding no sympathy Ingram vanishes rapidly. Desmond asks Sylvia to advise her uncle lo slay in London for a little while. Sylvia informs him that her uncle is not lacking in courage, and would not follow any such suggestion. A little Inter he" (ells Sylvia of Jiis love for her, which she reciprocates. There is (he sound of a pistol shot, and a man rushes past them, swiftly followed by another. The second is Sir John Thorskill, who questions Hale. Thorskill supposes the man to be a burglar. A footman comes up the drive. He has been in town on an urgent message. Hale, on his return to his rooms, finds the message the footman has left. It is a severe letter from Lord Carron forbidding Hale to associate any longer with his family, sir John lids Laly Carron farewell at the station. Meanwhile at Carron Halt Lord Carron alarms his servants by liis temper, and it is while be is in this mood that Desmond HaL inviadcs his presence. CHAPTER Vl. (Continued.) lie gulped down the fluid, set aside the empty glass, and turned to Lord Carron with 'a perceptible thickness in his speech. “As you want to konw I may tell you that I am not going hack to the yard. I’m going lo London. Last night I went lo —to a man whom you know, to gel him to warn you about what I had heard among Hie men, and he talked about the police. Weil, I don't w;uit to gel mixed up with the police, whether in Bclmouth or anywhere else, so I’m going to clear out.” lie paused for a moment and then added abruptly; “Time for me lo go now. Tomorrow you can begin to make your arrangements for tile change to London. Lord Carron was quick to perceive that Ingram was now under IMe in- | lluencc of tho neat spirit which he had recklessly consumed, and forcing his voice to a conciliatory tone, lie said :

went slowly back into the big entrance hull. For a space he paused at Ihe foot of Hie staircase, lost in Ihe bitterness of bis thoughts. A door opened, and the butler appeared with a eandlostick in his hand.

"I thought you might need me, my lord," he' said, as lie came towards his master. Then lie stopped'abruptly ns he caught a glimpse of the haggard features arid staring eyes of Lord Carron.

“You are ill, my lord,” lie said, in a kind of awe-struck whisper. "Give me your arm, Porson. Help me to my room. 1 am not ill, but I am tired—very tired.”

CHAPTER VII. —A Twist of the Screw. The prolonged and rather stormy meeting of the board of the Gololand Development Company bail come to an end at last, and Sir John Thorskill looked gloomy and ill at ease, as he stood with two of his colleagues on the steps of the huge building that the company had acquired in Kingsway, waiting for his car. One of his companions, Viscount Filford. was as gay end debonair as if had been attending a race meeting, hut the features of the other man seemed to reflect some of the anxiety that was in Thorskill’s eyes.

"Cheerio! Sir John." exclaimed the young Viscount, as he skipped nimbly into tly) big Rolls-Royce. "Let’s chuck all beastly business worries to the dogs for an hour or so, at all events."

The "dogs” invariably could rely upon Lord Filford as a bountiful provider and neither Thorskill nor Silas Marslon, the “rubber king,” could resist the fascination of his merry chatter, on the drive to the Grand Colonial Hotel, where luncheon was awaiting them ip Thorskill’s suite of rooms. And all through (he meal, he kept the hall rolling, though perhaps towards the end there was just a suspicion of effort in his gaiety. "Can't offer you elephant or rhino down at Filford, Sir John, but a day among the birds is the very tiling you need to buck you up.” I am afraid I could hardly manage to got away from town just at present."

Why not? You arc not the type of man for mugging up ledgers and balance sheets and piffle of that kind in a musty old board room.”

It gave Thorskill the opening that he had been waiting for. Pushing aside hjs coffee cup, and leaning back in his chair, he looked steadily at his guest and said with slow emphasis; “You are right, Lord Filford. I am a plain, out-of-door man, accustomed to big open spaces, and the atmosphere of the city seems to choke me.”

“Yet, you know how to handllc Ihe City," said Marston. “You carried every one of your proposals this morning, in spite of strong opposition.” “You are absolutely top hole, my dear chap,” added Lord Filford enthusiastically. "By Gad, if I could get up on my hind legs and speechify like you, I’d chuck sport and take to (lie game at Westminster. Hang me if 1 wouldn’t." Thorskill shook his head, flicked the ash off his cigar and said: "I am afraid neither of you quite understands my difficulty. Out in Gololand, I saw things like gold, rubber, iron and coal, with my own eyes, and i knew their value. Here in London they are all transformed into figures and statistics. Clever men juggle with them, men who have spent their lives in learning the trick, and all the values have to bo re-adjusted from hour to hour."

“One lias to depend on the legal Johnnies and oilier experts,” said Lord Filford, holding up 1 1 is liqueur glass, and gazing meditatively at the green contents. “I am director of about a dozen companies, hut I’m hanged if I ever understood the workings of any of them." Marston smiled at the naive admission, but Thorskill's features were grave and stern, as lie laid aside his cigar and said; "You have always backed me up on the Gololand Board, Lord Filford. You have been a straight and reliable friend ever since the company was incorporated. Will you answer me a straight question? What is wrong?" Lord Filford set down his giass hurriedly, and a flush of embarrassment showed on his lac?.

"In what way?” lie asked. “Well, as regards myself personally. I have no experience of business affairs, hut J cannot lie blind to Hie fact that an atmosphere of Hostility lias sprung up at our board meetings, and that 1 am losing the confidence of my colleagues. What is wrong ?•”

“You don't understand, Stephen. 1 dare, not go at present. There arc important contracts on hand, and if I were lo go up to London it would leave things in a hopeless rncss at the yard.”

“WcJI, you sec ” Lord Filford Slopped, fidget led uneasily for a moment in a longue-lied fashion, and llien appealed in despention to Silas Marston.

“I understand more about the Langlon yard Ilian you do. Things there would go all right if only you would let I hem alone. Bullying and niggerdriving has been your game l'or years, but you’ve got lo drop it now, I tell you. You’ve got to drop ii.” Ilis voice rose almost to a scream, and he picked up his revolver as lie spoke, and going over to the door began to fumble at Hie handle. “Hush! For heaven's sake, hush! You will he heard,” said Lord Carron. “What matter if 1 am heard. You can explain. You were always iufernaljy clever at explaining things. Open the door for me or Fit kick the panels lo matchwood.”

Lord Carron’s face was black with rage, hut he obeyed. Ingram lurched out into Ihe corridor, and made his way unsteadily down the staircase, sliding his hand along the smooth rail of the marble balustrade and picking liis slops with exaggerated caution. When they reached the portico, he swung round and slapped Lord Carron heavily on Ihe shoulder, laughing in a maudlin fashion.

‘By heavens’ James, it was sport lo see you opening tbnl door! Worth anything! You have gol Ihe deuce of n lot lo learn, hut perhaps I’ll make a man of you \el before I've finished." “Co! For Coil's sake, go!” said Lord Carron hoarsely.

"I'll go- jus! wlioii ii pleases me lo go. No sooner and no later.’’ For a moment Ingram slood I here swaying lo and fro, wit 1 1 a Iniciilenl glare in 1 1 is eyes. Then lie look off IBs hat with a fantastic flourish Ihnl nearly upset his balance, ami said mockingly; "I bid you good-night, my Lord Carron I”

From Hie steps of Ihe porch Lord Carron watched the man whom he called "Stephen" lill lie disappeared at the bend of the avenue. Then L

"You tell him, Marslon. lie lias got to know some lime. Better lie should hear it from his friends. And you are aide to explain things. 1 never can." "It’s the Paris Iron Syndicate," said Marslon laconically. “Oh, I know that Ihe Syndicate is doing rottenly,” said Thorskill. “GonIraels for shipping neglected, endless friction with the Government about concessions, shares tumbling down in the market, and all that kind of lliing. I wish Ihe Syndicate had never been linked tip with our Company at all.” “Rotten business from beginning lo end," chimed in Lord Filford, as he lit a new cigar. “But I don’t understand,” continued Thorskill. "How could I he held responsible for Hie mismanagement in Paris?” ’ll is not mismanagement,” said Marslon. "It is very clever and astute management." "Still, I fail lo understand ” "The Gololand property is worth fifty per cent- more than the nominal value ol‘ the Symiie.de shines. Still the shares are dropping daily. Why? Recause someone is arliiieially driving them down, so ihal. lie can buy in practically llm whole of them. Ho lias been selling heavily, and he has been engineering all Ihe troubles ihrd you have mentioned, as part of his own garni'." “lliil ihal is infernally dishonest, nnl only lo Hie public, bill lo ids own colleagues and in Hie pare ill Company also. For wo ire bound la snf - f.i- loo." said Thors kill indignantly. ■•unite so. Thai is wliai your colleagues realise." "Who is this swindler?" (To he conlinuci' /o-morrow.)