The Girl at The Gables

Waikato Times, Volume 108, Issue 18158, 24 October 1930, Page 4

The Girl at The Gables

Serial Story

. SYNOPSIS. Philomel Sutton, who lives with her Aunt Amelia, sees an advertisement for a lady chauffeur wanted by Mr Martin Dreever, The Gables, Marshfield. In a mental hospital in the West of England are two men, who. are great friends, and haye periodical attacks of insanity, but curiously enough never at the same time. One is Reuben Dreever, who has been placed there by his brother Martin; the other Is James Bantry. These two make their escape together. Reuben’s one idea is to have his revenge on his brother, who is a moneylender and miser. He is known all over for his meanness and merciless treatment of his victims. The two men make their way to The Gables, and, taking MartJn prisoner, lock him up in a room on the fourth storey. Reuben then impersonates his brother, taking his name, and lives at The Gables with Bantry. They advertise for a lady chauffeur. Philomel arrives at The Gables. Whilst driving her employer’s car Phil collides with the car of Jack Preston, son and heir of Sir James Preston. The incident causes a “breeze” between the young people, but really is the commencement of a charming love affair. Reuben and Bantry, by their acts of charity and benevolence, completely alter the opinion formerly held of Martin Dreever, and they help each other during attacks of insanity, butalways hanging over them is the thought of what would happen should they, both have an attack at the same time i

CHAPTER XlX.—(Continued. “Still, if he's disappeared,” commented Sam with mnsouline practicality, “he can't marry her, can he?" "Well, of course not, silly I But you can’t do anything, can you?’’ “Can’t I? I’m going to see the young lady I" ■ “What! At The Gables?” “Yes. Why not? It’ll have to he done very carefully. I’ll ask Sir Richard to let, me have the day off, tomorrow to see if I can get to know anything about (Mr John." Phil Sutton, sad at heart and slok with disappointment, walked slowly up the road towards their recent trystlngplace. Since Jack Preston had left her at the gate on that memorable night she had heard no news of him. It seemed years since he had kissed her good-bye at that very place, and now —he had apparently forgotten her! Not a word even of regret or farewell! He had simply ignored her. She could stand anything but Indifference 1 The grating of brakes as a motorcar drew up behind her made the girl turn her head suddenly. She had been so engrossed with her thoughts that she had failed to notioe its approach. “Pardon the liberty, miss,” said the driver as he lifted his cap, "but are you Miss Sutton from The Gables?”

“That, is my name.” “Well, I’m Morris —Sam i Morris — chauffeur to Sir Riohard 1 Preston, and—” Something gripped. Phil's heart, and she felt herself go pale, but the man did not appear to notice it. “I’m sorry if I should seem to be making too bold, miss,” he went on, “but young Mr John has disappeared, and I' thought you might like to say what you know —er —that is—to tell Sir Richard what you can about it, and —I mean to say—” “Disappeared 1” Her voice was little more than a whisper. “When?” “Three —four nights ago, miss.” “And does nobody know where he’s gone?” "No, miss. -Nobody saw him go out, except one O’ the maids', and she said he had no bag of any kind with him.” In spite of her sorrow, some little sprite persisted in dancing in the oorner of Phil Sutton’s heart, and she breathed more freely, and a crushing load appeared to have been removed. “I’ll go with you now, if you like,” she said quietly. A moment later she was sitting back in the luxurious car as it sped up the highway, and Sam Morris was silently congratulating himself on the success of his Idea of patrolling the road until he should meet the girl from The Gables. ' As the car purred quietly up the long drive to Graylands, doubt of the correctness of her position assailed Phil for one horrid moment. What right had she to go uninvited to see Sir Richard Preston about his son? They were not engaged. She remembered, however, that Jack had spoken to his father about her, and she felt she owed it to herself to tell what she knew. Villages and small towns—where everybody knows everybody else, at least by sight or reputationare often hothCds of suspicion, and things might be said that ... Before she realised it, the .car had imperceptibly stopped at the imposing entrance to the mansion, and Morris was standing waiting for her to alight. With a pardonable flush of excitement she saw in the hall, behind the maid who had opened the door just as she reached it, a tall, distinguishedlooking man. As soon as he spoke, she knew that this was Sir Richard Preston, the father of her lover. He was not so tall as Jack, but he had the same well-modulated voice and the

same winning smile. ‘‘l am glad to see you, Miss Sutton,” he said as he held out his hand in welcome. “And I am glad to meet you. Sir Richard,” she answered simply, but I wish I could have brought good news with mo.” “My son has spoken about you, remarked the baronet as he led the way into the drawing-room. And that was whv I agreed to my chauffeur’s request'that he should ask you to come here.. It was very kind of y °“Oh, no," burst out Phil impulsively ’ “I believe I would have come to sec you myself, because—because _<> she broke off in confusion, while her face became still more beautiful as a lovelv flush mantled cheek and brow and' ebbed slowly away again, leaving behind the delicate tints of a rose-leaf. , . • Sir Richard noticed her confusion and mentally congratulated his son on his good taste. “I know you would, he said quietly. ‘“When did you last see him?” “On Saturday. I met .Tack in the ovening, and —and the last I saw of him was when we said good-bye outside the gate of The Oiables.” "Good-bye? He didn’t give you the impression that he was going away?” “Oh, no! We may have'said goodnic“v 'i'll t we parted.”

I “I see —and of course you arranged to lutci again?”

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■ Phil’s lower lip quivered. “Yes,” she murmured, but could not trust herself to say any more. ’ “You are fond of my boy?” The remark was almost as much a declaration of an undoubted fact as a question. Sir Richard Preston was blessed with a memory whloh enabled him to remember his own happy early manhood, when his long-dead wife still shed the fragrance of her sweet presr ence over the old home of his ancestors. Graylands they had called It, but the neutral tint of the name was coloured In those days by the bloom of the lilac, the warm flush of the rose, the pale blue-gray of the lavender, and the golden hue of the laburnum. For ten happy years his life had been one sweet song, and then an inexorable Fate had taken away his wife and left a tiny son In her place. He awoke from his reverie to the realisation of Phil's presence and the fact that she was speaking to him. “Yes. Jack has asked me to marry him. But I don’t know where he is, and—” Her beautiful eyes filled with tears that threatened to overflow. The baronet, who had married rather late in life, had a horror of a woman’s tears. “There, there 1” he said as one talking to. a grief-stricken child. “We must waste no time in weeping. It may not be so bad after all. You must have some lunch with us, and meet Jack's aunt, who has kindly kept, house for me for many vears. Then we’ll see about getting things done.” Miss Preston was a charming old lady, blessed with a sympathetic / heart, tempered by an abundant stock of oommon-sense. She took to Phil immediately and. despite their joint trouble, the meal was not an unhappy one. The girl felt as though she had known her lover's relatives for years, and they in turn were addressing her as “Phil” as an obvious sign that already they considered her one of the family. ’ . Various theories were propounded by each of them, but none led to anything definite. Phil promised to call again very soon In the hope of good news.- Deep in her' sorrowing heart, however, she felt sick and despondent. Within a mile of The Gables she told the chauffeur she would walk the rest. Sitting still was distasteful to her. Walking alone was just as futile, but. she bnd a feeling that she ns doing something. As she reached the place where she and Jaok had parted such a.. short time ago—yet how long it seemed I—her sorrow and disappointment overwhelmed her in one great wave. The sunshine mocked her; the wide expanse of green stared in stark emptiness. The song of the birds was callous and cruel. How could they sing at such a time? Where was he? She felt like shreiking the \Juestlon to high heaven and demanding an answer. She could find no consolatory thought. 'Of two alternatives, both were bad. Either he had met with serious Injury and was probably dead; or he had gone away without a word of farewell. She could nob—dare not.—think of either I She resolutely refused to conjeoture, and, shutting the door on .her mind, walked rapidly and blindly back to The Gables. ■CHAPTER XX. When Phil Sutton had left Graylands to return to the house she called home, Sir Richard Preston telephoned to the police-station at Marshfield and asked the superintendent to call "If he should happen to be near during the afternoon.” The old baronet had purposely oouohed his message in a casual form to save creating unnecessary fuss on the part of the authorities. He would far rather had kept ‘the police ignorant of his son’s disappearance, but felt that prolonged secrecy might defeat the obiect he had In view. Within two hours Superintendent Tadworth arrived In plain clothes on a motor-cycle. As a Justice of the Peace for‘the county. Sir Richard was well-known to the local police, and the officer readily agreed to his suggestion that, the inquiries should, as far as possible, be conducted with the least, publicity. After stating the fact of his son’s disappearance, the masdst.rate told what he knew of the details. “The last person to see him, as far as we know, was a youne - lady at The Gables —Miss Philomel Sutton — who is a great friend of the family, and will, I hope, bear a closer relationship when this mystery Is cleared up.” “The Gables.” reheated the officer, “isn’t that old Martin Dreever’s place?” “Yes. Miss Sutton, who is a very independent, young person, elected to accent, a job there as ohauffeuse.” “It’s true, then? I had heard about a lady chauffeur, hut couldn’t conceive any girl voluntarily taking any job there. In fact, I couldn’t believe that Dreever would spend money on a luxurv like a car.” “That has amazed everyone, but the , Dreever of ponular imagination appears to be vastly different from the present occupier of The Gables. The Martin Dreever I once knew was a bit of a stiff ’un, anyhow. What has workedsuch a remarkable change I don’ know, neither does anyone else.” "Remorse, perhaps,” grinned the

i officer. ' , , | . Without ostentation, Superintendent Tadworth personally inspected that j portion of the road that lav between I the edge of the wood and the border of the busy heath, while two other men searched the undergrowth for possible clues. ! Although convnced in bis own mind that, the disappearance of Jack was • nothing more than a desire to get ft way ; from home for a while, be thought it ! advisable to examine the pla.ee where I he was last seen, on the nffchance of ' something being found that might shed move light, on the matter. He walked slowly up the road, noticing the usual tyre-marks common on all bighwavs and feeling that he was wasting time looking for signs ihere four days after the disappearance, . particularly when there was nothing in the circumstances to merit a suspicion of foul play. But the officer w es nothing if not orthodox in his methods, and he carried out his duties according to custom. About halfway up the tree-shaded portion of the road he noticed that the regular parallel traffic lines were broken and wiped as though someone had' been sweeping the sandy surface. What lie aptly described as a smear extended from almost the cenlre of the road to the coppice on the left, and appeared to develop from a confused medley of abrasions. i in answer to a whistle, bis assist-

ants came rapidly from eaoh side o the road. - “1 think we might fieri n go l "**™ here,” he said, pointing to the aantfi surface. ' “Something has been dragged fieri obviously,” remarked one of th< officers. “Yes; but what? A bundle evidently.” “More likely a body,” muttered Tadworth. “Look at those deep ruts cutting right across the—er—smear Dragging- heels made those.” His colleagues looked up in alarm “Do you think there’s been murder?” “That’s a question still to be answered," replied the superintended with professional caution. “The wooc may tell us something.” The marks ended at the edge of the coppice, but the soil was broken away and the grass trampled and crushed, Beyond there, however, all traces ceased. Superintendent Tadworth gazed long and earnestly at the small patch of broken ground. “If it’s murder,” he said at length, “the body has been carried away—• probably in a car; but it’s useless trying to distinguish tracks on the road, where there are so many. We’d better concentrate on the ground round about these bushes.", (To be oontinued.)