Mystery of Thorncliffe Hall

Waikato Times, Volume 102, Issue 17219, 30 September 1927, Page 3

Mystery of Thorncliffe Hall

(By EDGAR PICKERING.) Author of "The Secret Foe.” "IKorder Will Out,” "Lore, the Conqueror,” Sic., Etc.

SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS. CHAPTERS I. to lII.—Mr Ellis Dean, in Ills palatial mansion, waits alone in his study for a message which will bring him further success or absolute ruin. His niece, Esther Dean, young and beautiful, is at a ball, in company with her lover, Gerald Durrant, and bis mother, Lady Durrant. With Lady Durrant is her cousin, Julia Ferris, a beautiful but very poor woman, who acts as Lady Durrant’s paid companion. Julia is in love with Gerald. Mr Harding. Ellis Dean’s lawyer, comes to the ball, not as a guest, but charged with ill news to Esther and Lady Dnrrant, and, while he is telling the latter that Mr Dean has committed suicide, Gerald and Esther are planning their future together in the conservatory. Mr Harding comes, bringing the ill news to Gerald. He calls on Lady Durrant the following day, saying further that Ellis Dean, who had become a swindler, is a ruined man. She tells Julia to get ready at once. They are to pay a visit to Esther Dean. Thorneliffe Hall overlooks the North Sea. Cornelius Hibbert, the present owner, is old and feeble. Hls eyesight is railing, and his steward, James Carew, tells him that he ought to have a secretary. Mr Hibbert tells him that one is coming—a Miss Dean. When Carew enters the dim hall a black-robed hgure is coming towards him.

CHAPTERS IV. to Vl.—Lady Durrant pays her visit to Esther Dean, accompanied by Julia. She puts Esther into her place by dissolving, in Gerald’s name, the engagement between the girl and her son. Esther 11 res tip on behalf of her dead uncle, Ellis Dean, but Rnds that (heir allegations are true on seeking information from Mr Haruing. Gerald Durrant calls on Esther, but stle refuses to see him. He afterwards visits bis mother and Julia and vents his pent-up anger on them. At ThorncUiTe Hall Esther becomes acquainted with Mr Carew, the steward, who leads her into the presence or her employer, Cornelius Hibbert. Sbe promises the old man that she will read to him, and Mrs Joyce, the housekeeper, shows her to her room. She hears peculiar sounds, which Mrs Joyce attributes to the position and age of the building. In the night she wakes and hears uncanny sounds. CHAPTERS YU to JX. —Carew undertakes to enliven Esther Dean. She afterwards visits the garden, but is watched and guarded by Creak, the butler. As Mr Harding has gone abroad, Gerald Durrant finds it impossible to get bold of Esther’s whereabouts, but hears from a chance companion that she is at present at Thorncliffe Hall. Janies Carew takes Esther for a motor drive. He is going to propose to her, when a stranger comes upon the scene. Esther recognises him, and Carew is jealous. The stranger asks his way to Thornecliffe Hall, but the steward snubs him. Creak, the butler, refuses to allow Gerald Durrant to enter the grounds. Carew’s motor stops, and Durrant comes upon him threateningly. CHAPTERS IX. (Continued) to Xl. Carew, on arrival at his home, finds a dunning letter from a Jewish moneylender, Jonas Emanuel. He decides he will have to extort more money from Cornelius Hibbert ror keeping Hibbert’s secret. Cornelius refuses bis steward’s demands, saying that when be himseir is dead Carew will be a rich man. Gerald and Esther have an exciting meeting, which is interrupted by Carew. Once more the two men face each other. CHAPTER XII—FATAL NEWS. On leaving the dining-room Esther had gone out into the garden. She. must see Gerald again, there was so much to say that she had been prevented from saying. Mrs Joyce for a wonder did not present herself, and, on reaching the drive, she waited for him to come. The hall door opened at last, and Gerald was seen approaching, whereupon she stepped out from the sheltering trees, intercepting him. “I have been wailing for you,” she whispered eagerly, as though dreading she might be overheard, and his response chilled her. “Your friend up there,” and he pointed to the house, “detained me.” “Mr Carew is no friend of mine,” answered Esther, indignantly. “Why do you call him that?” “I judged from what I have seen. You can’t blame me for thinking as I do. You must have a motive for remaining in this wretched house.”

“You know what my reason was in coming to Thorneliffe. It was to earn a living. Will you not believe “Was it necessary to hide yourself?” “I thought only of the disgrace that was on my name, and it urged me to hide from the people who scorned when they pretended to pity me.” There was a little silence before he spoke again. “I’ve only one thing to ask, lie said. “Will you reconsider your decision. She 'did not reply at once. To reconsider her determination would mean altering it, and the recollection of Lady Durnant's cruel words returned. “You don’t he went on. “Possibly you are right.” , „ “I want you to see as I do, Gerald, she pleaded. “I’ve done what I thought was right, what I am certain was ngtit for vour future.” _ “Your future and mine, Esther, arc in the balance for good or evil. Is jou mo,” she I am lo go on doubt*“Was it pride that brought me horo*“sho replied. “Will you never understand that it was for youi sa • Our marriage would have brought yo ° ll ‘*ReaA l lov e° rmver brought that yet Remember that I have not changed, n C T word "from her would have removed all his doubts, biR it was no spoken. It was impossible to foi„c. the unmerited ignominy s fered, and her resolute amU was no ms bac f. f p r T 0 s t S"-shc would see S h i a in, and with this promise Ul lie Tad Intended returning to London, but gaunt, desolate Thorneliffe lof Esther w within its gloomy wills The landlord otthe.tan -here he lodph ’“‘Off” S O ,"UL had Ilibbert, and the tra«,eay vvi driven him from home and country, and was talkative about the old ma Si °“ They say it’s haunted,” remarked the landlord, as he and Geiald sat chatting one evening m the- anything mrlour " Not that I’ve seen anyining out of 'the ordinary, but it’s common talk that the Hall is eh«?st-nddcn “Do you know anything about Mr Cornelius Ilibbert ? ” asked Gerald. “ Not of late. He’s never out of the house, I’m told. “ His stcwaid looks after everything. He s a man disliked by the tenants. You ve not happened on him, perhaps, Mr Durrant . “ I have met Mr Carew twice and Gerald laughed to himself as he changed the conversation. Meanwhile Carew had been paying a visit to Mr Emanuel, who was always to be found in a dingy little office Lothbury. It was an unsatisfactory via i because Mr Emanuel, usua y •unctuously urbane, had been unusually outspoken, and was insistent ltgard'ing payment. u “ Tree hundred,” he gurgled. You gif me my monish and I don’t ask noting more.” , , “ You will be wise not to press me,” retorted Carew. “You won’t get a penny if you do.” “ You vait,” snarled Mr Emanuel. “I know vat I do if you don’t pay me.” “I shall be in a position to pay you fifty times over when Ilibbert dies,” realise! Carew. “ I don't vait no longer than vat 1 say,” and with this answer Carew had

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He had been away for two days and returned late in the afternoon. Even his passion for Esther paled before the danger threatening him, and ho decided on seeing Mr Hibbert without delay. It was necessary, however, for him to go home first, and an hour or two passed before he was at the lodge, where a. gentleman was seen walking demurely down the grass-grown drive. He was Mr Ilibbert’s lawyer, with whom Carew was on friendly terms. Mr Hibbert wired me,” said the former, as they shook hands. “ lie had some urgent business to see me about.”

“ Connected with the estate I suppose,” replied Carew indifferently.

“ He has decided on making a new will for one thing,” answered his lawyer. “ I have just taken his instructions. He wishes the matter completed as speedily as possible. In a few days in fact.” “What possessed him to do that?” demanded Carew angrily. . “ That is more than I can tell you.” was the answer. “ Old people take strange fancies sometimes. One might think they were out of their mind, but Mr Ilibbert’s sane enough. He has been ailing, he says. But I mustn’t linger, Mr Carew, or I shall lose my train.”

Carew muttered a curt good evening, and continued his way to the house over which the gathering night was casting its black mantle, and not a sound could be beard as he went through the dim hall direct to Mr Hibbert’s study.

What passed between him and the feeble old man would never be known, but when Carew came out of the room half an hour later his face was ghastly white, and, strong man though he was he staggered awkwardly. It was the night of Gerald’s second visit to Thorneliffe. It might be the last time he would see Esther, unless her resolution changed, and he intended to explain her position to Mr ilibbert. That was the straightforward thing to do, and instead of going to Ibe garden entrance which Creak had arranged Lo keep unlocked he went to the hall door, finding it party open. Entering the gloomly hall, he saw Mrs Joyce coming downstairs, who listened in her saturnine way to his request to be directed to Mr Hibbert. “ He’s in his study,” said the housekeeper. "Did he expect you, sir?” “ He does not know me, but ray business is urgent,” replied Gerald. “ If you will show me the way to the study I won’t trouble you further.” She had gone lo the foot of the broad staircase quickly, listening there as though forgetful of his presence, looking upward with the light of a flickering candle on her hard feaiures. “ You will find the door on the right,” she said, giving a direction w/n her outstretched hand as she went hastily up the stairs. Going to the study he paused for a moment. Ail was silent, and his knock being ‘unanswered he went in. A dull Are was smouldering on the hearth, and the keen wind came through the open window. One of the chairs had been overturned, and with an involuntary exclamation Gerald started backward. For the flickering light had shown him the huddled body of Mr Cornelius Hibbert on the floor. CHAPTER' XIII.—MURDER. With an unrest of mind she .was unable to control Esther had gone out of doors a short time before Gerald’s coming to the Hall that evening. He believed her to be false to him, that his place in her hoax t had been taken by another, whom from the depths of her soul, she abhorred, and it was the fear of Carew that prompted her to leave the house, choosing the forbidden part of the grounds for her walk. Creak would have objected, as he had done on her first corning to Thorneliffe, but that did not hinder her. The cast wing and crumbling cliff side, together with the mystery lying behind those blinded windows, had an irrepressible fascination for her.

Through the untended garden, and along the ivy-covered walls she went on, immersed in her troubled thoughts unheedful of deepening gloom. Gaining the cliff edge she reamined for some time lost in meditation, feeling salt spray touch her face as she gazed seaward. Standing thus she felt a strange tremor of the ground, immediately succeeded by a fall of earth from the face of the cliff, taking with it a further length of the fence and path. Every storm had done the like destruction, and as little notice, had been given to it, every winter's gale had robbed the narrow pathway until the danger of passing along it had deterred even Creak from venturing there.

Yet for all the peril of the spot, someone was standing mid-way between Esther and the lighted window of the study. A man, who had appeared as if by magic out the shadows, whose grey hair streamed out on the breeze mistily as he came towards her, heedless of the danger.

Esther had not moved. Held by some influence not to be resisted she remained awaiting his approach, conscious of a sense of awe, but his first words dispelled her fear of him.

“A visitor to Thorneliffe,” he exclaimed in a thin unnatural tone, that was neither uncouth nor displeasing—a voice such as she had never before heard.-—“We rarely have strangers here; their coming is objected to. May I ask your name, Madam?”

Esther told him. “Cornelius’s secretary,” and he laughed gently. “How is he? I often see him, but we do not speak.” “Mr Hibbert is ill.” “Indeed. Do you like Cornelius?” “He is my employer and treats me considerately.” “That is clever. A non-committal answer Few people do like him, let me say. He is a villain.” (To be continued on Monday.)