Hearts in Bondage

Waikato Times, Volume 100, Issue 16750, 17 March 1926, Page 3

Hearts in Bondage

Copyrtfrht (Published by arrangement wiui trie Generei Press, Ltd.)

(By CHRISTOPHER WILSON) Author of "Sundered Lives," "Bllnd-f old Love," 'The Heart of Delilah."'etc.

CHAPTER VII. — (Continued.)

"One of the directors of the Syndicate, whose mouth is large enough to swallow it first and then our Company afterwards, if no one can check his operations." Thorskill swiftly reviewed the list of Syndicate directors in his mind, arid then asked: "Which of them?" Marston sat hack with compressed lips, hut. Lord Pilford said impulsively: "Why, r.onround it, my dear chap, that is just the awkward point. For he is a friend of yours."

"I have no friend on that board," said Thorskill promptly. "What about Lord Carron?" said Marston. drily. "He was practically your nominee when the Syndicate was launched." Thorskill felt, as if some ghastly pitfall had suddenly opened beneath his feet. In a finish he realised how cleverly Lord Carron had made use of him. "I really know very little about him," he said in reply lo Marston. "I only made his acquaintance a short time ago." "Well, yon know more about him now," said Marston grimly. "For it is he who lias been playing Ihc game I have described." "Surely a man in bis position,, and jvllh his wealth would be incapable —" "Lord Carron is capable of anything, if it is a matter of getting the reins inlo his own bands. It is not Ihc money he is after; it is the control." Lord Filford nodded approvingly, and said: "Carron wants to be boss of every show that he has any hand in. They say he came up to town for a holiday, but Carron's idea or a holiday is to wipe out some other fellow." "Why did none of my colleagues on the board tell me of this before?" Marston hesitated. Then he said cautiously:

"Well, you see, Sir John, they were not quite sure how you would take it."

"Do you mean lo tell me that I am suspected of being a parly to tins scheme?" Hashed out Thorskill wralhfully. "That has, been suggested," said Marston, after a pause.

"By Heaven, if 1 had the man before me who suggested it " "Deuced unpleasant for him, I should say," broke in Lord Filford. "But that wouldn't get rid of the suggestion. What you have got to do, Sir John is lo go for Carron. smash him up, the way you smashed up those fellows this morning . 11, is really you or he in this affair. For if lie gels a grip of our Company, out you go. There is no room for two strong men in any place where Carron has bis way." Viscount Filford might be as ignorant as he said of the technical complications of business, but there was a vein of shrewd sense beneath Ihc surface of airy frivolity, and .Marston was prompt lo echo his advice. "If Lord Carron had been really your friend, the position would have been difficult. But as things arc you owe it to yourself as well as to the Company, lo taoklc him at once, and show him up." For a moment Thorskill lay back in silence, trying to wrestle with the problem which had been sprung upon him. The course indicated by his friends was clear enough. But there were difllcullies of which they knew nothing, difllcullies which hemmed him in with barriers that seemed impassable. "It is not likely that Lord Carron would pay much attention to any remonstrance from me," he said at last. His two guests exchanged swift glances of mingled surprise and disarpointment. For Thorskill's tone was half-hearted,iwilh none of the energy and determination which they bad both expected from him.

"If you had our board solid behind you, he would have lo climb down, and you would have every man of them if you took up a strong altitude," said Marston, as he rose to his feet.

Lord Filford rose at the same time, and nodded emphatically. "Marston is right, from the business standpoint. But, apart from that, it i 3 a question of honour, Sir John. There is' certainly the feeling among some of our directors that you have let them down by giving Carron the chance to play the deuce with things generally. And it's up lo you to put up a light against the man and his methods."

When his guests had gone, Sir .lohn Thorskill flung himself inlo an easy chair and lay back with knitted brows and the tips of his lingers pressed together, facing the situation.

If Mildred were out of the question, lie would havo attacked Lord Carron, denounced him, exposed the manner in which he had traded on their acquaintance, and spared nothing to win in a tight to the hitter end. Bi.t he was slaved by a sense of honour similar to that impulse which had sent him down into Hie. pit, of death at Belmoulh to rescue Lord Carron from destruction, lie haled (lie man; he would rejoice if ruin were to overlake him, he felt, as if he could, with a clear conscience, pray for his death; hut, just hecausc of those very things his hands were tied. As the just judge, will often err on the side of severity towards some criminal who appeals to his personal sympathy, so Thorskill was driven to even to the extreme excess of leniency by the hatred in his heart. Although his honour was at slake, he could not divest himself or the feeling that it was not for him to throw down the gage of balLle with the aggressor.' Possibly bis attitude; was quixotic and illogical, but he could nol help it. Then, while he was sliil thriving to grapple with the dilemma, there was a lap at Ihe door and a page boy entered with a card on a salver. '•Gentleman lo see you .sir." "All right, show him up."

For a moment after the boy had departed, Thorskill looked puzzled. The inscription on (he card seemed unfamiliar. "Mr Stephen Ingram. Consulting electrical engineer." Suddenly his memory Mashed back to his conversation with Craig, Ihe superintendent of the laboratory, al Ihe Canglon yard, and he looked up in astonishment as Ingram came into the mom; ••This is a surprise. I bad nol expeeled to ever see. you again. Have von left Btlmoulll already."' "Yes. Left Bclmoulh for good, bir .John."

"No trouble, | hope'.'" "No, none whalevcr. I came lway of mv own accord." ••A|',, | see. Kvide.nlly In heller vourselt in Condon," said Thorskill. as his swift glance look in the lit 11** details of imjiroveiHcnl in clothing and

general appearance. "I hope you will do well."

"If I do, it Is you whom I shall have to thank."

Ingram paused, and Sir John began to wonder if he had come to ask for a job, in the Cololand Company. He had taken a curious fancy to the strange man whom lie bad rescued and protected and in the new Cololand there might be room for electrical engineers. "If there is anything that I can do for you," he began. "Thanks. I think you have done, enough for me, and it is my t.ijrn to see if [ can try to repay some of your kindness." Ingram fumbled in his pocket, and Thorskill smiled, as he said: "Nonsense I I could not dream of accepting anything." "Donf be 100 sure of that." Ingram extracted a copy of a financial journal from his pocket, smoothed out (be wrinkles with his, thumb, and handed it to Thorskill, pointing out a marked paragraph. "Have you -seen that, Sir John." "No. I neve/ read papers of that, kind. I don't understand Ihcm." "You will understand that," said Ingram. "Head it." The pirgrapb was n. scathing Indictment of Lord Carron's conduct as director of the Iron Syndicate, and the thinly veiled references to Thorskill, himself, wern barbed with malice. He flushed with ansrer as he read it,, and then handed it back to Ingram. "Lies! Nothing, but lies —as far as I am concerned." "So I thought," said Ingram, as he folded the paper and put it back into his pocket. So you are not. standing in with Lord Carron in this business?" "I certainly am nol." "Hard lines to have that kind of thing written about you then. You see wiiat they suggest as to your friendly relations with him." "Lord Carron is not a friend of mine," said Tborski'l. and Iher? was an almost lierje ring in his voice that brought r. gleam of swift understanding inlo the eyes of Ingram. He leaned forward in his chair, with his gaxe fixed intently on Sir John, and said very slowly: "Suppose Lord Carron 'were to resign ills seat on the board of the Syndicate, and give up meddling with the concern, how would that suit you?" Thorskill laughed bitterly. "Lord Carron doesn't resign or give up things." Everyone knows that." "Everyone doesn't know him as well as I do." Thorskill glanced at the speaker in amazement. Then he recalled that Craig had told him about Ingram's "quecrness." The man was evidently slightly "touched," and the easiest way was to humour him. "If Lord Carron were to resign, it would be worth more than any money to me jusl now. Bui, as you know him so well, you can understand that there is nut the least chance of his resignation." Stephen Ingram's features relaxed inlo a mysterious smile, as lie rose to his feet. "He has got lo go whether he likes it or not." Then he looked meditatively at Ins watch and said: "It is just four o'clock now. Before this time 10-morrow you and your companies will have got rid of him." There was a hint of violence in the man's tone, and Sir John was not displeased lo see him depart. Ingram seemed to read the suspicion that had awakened, and cm the threshold of Hie room, he turned to Thorskill with the same inscrutable smile. "I suppose you would hardly believe it, even if you read it in the newspaper?" he said, "Believe what?" "Believe that Lord Carron was out of your way." "Oh I suppose, even the newspapers'have lo tell 111 c truth now and then." said Thorskill. with a laugh. "Well, try 'The Times' to-morrow morning, if you want a pleasant dose of truth," said Ingram, as he turned away. The strange interview left no abiding impression on Thorskill's mind, and he soon went, hack to liis brooding over the difficulties that faced him. Now that the financial press bad got hold of the afflair, the position seemed more impossible than ever. But next morning, when he opened his newspaper, one of the first things that met his eye was a letter by Lord Carron staling that owing to pressure of other business engagements lie had tendered his resignation to the board of the Paris Iron Syndicate.

Swiftly all the details of the conversation with Ingram flashed back to Thorskill's memory, and as he stared at Ihc letter, he niutlered to himself: "Was the fellow a clairvoyant or—" But he dismissed the second unspoken alternative with a laugh al bis own folly in even imagining for one moment that Stephen Ingram could have bad any hand or part in what had happened. (To be continued <o-morrow.)