THE FEUD AT ST. FABIAN’S.

Waikato Times, Volume 116, Issue 19462, 29 December 1934, Page 13 (Supplement)

THE FEUD AT ST. FABIAN’S.

('Continued from last week.) "My Dearest Sister (it ran), “When I think of the miles that part us, my heart fails me at which I must write you. Oh, Patience dear, by the time you receive these last few words front your desolate sister she may be no more.” (There was hardly any more punctuation of any kind; the writer’s feelings had run away with her.) “ She whom through no fault of your own you have left an unprotected female with only sixteen short* years to her life may be killed any moment by Abraham Feather. Patty dear, if I do not marry him I am sure he will kill me so that he can have this farm by the terms of the will for we all think you are too far away ever to return oh how I wish you would is sp wanting in elegance, so,, wild "and fierce he frightens me with his rages—" “Just like Belle," put in L’ettice breathlessly. They read on. “Oh Patience I am iso frightened and alone I ha/ve not even heart to write in my 'diary which I ipromlsed to send you—” The letter en'ded here, and obviously the writer had never sent it. Overawed'by this old tragedy the two modern ‘girls stor'd silent a moment, staring at the paper with, its frail echo of dead events. Lettice broke the silence first. “■She was only the same age as Hilary in the Upper Sixth,” she said slowly. “'Of course she didn’t want to he married —especially to him. Oh, Hermy, this 'proves that my belief In her murder is justified.” Hermione bit her lip. She did want to prove that there was no murder, then tlie feud, would simply have to die a natural death. Anyway, the finding of this letter had made Lettlco as keen as herself to clear it up, though for reasons differing from Hermione’s own. There and then tfhey made a pact to see the thing through. When they went down to lunch they Hook with them all the old papers they could find relating to the case. (Over oold pigeon pie Hermione read out a description of Abraham, taken from a local broadsheet of that period. "Abraham Feather, the 'accused, is a tall man, with littel heares and long legges. The hairse hang black and uniiowdered on either side of these littel heares which are a 'curiosity in bo large a creature.” “ Murderer’s ears, I expect,” said (Lettice viciously. "His nose is like a, hawk’s,” spelt out Hermione. "The orb black and lively, but else the expression is wholly ugly and forbidding. “ When accused of walling up Miss Letitla Fay, because a stable-boy had seen him at midnight on New Year’s Eve with bricklayers’ lojols in his hands, Abraham said that it were only his wraith that was seen. According to popular superstition the ghosts of those about to die within the coming year walk abroad on that night.” “ Fancy getting (out of it like that,” cried Lettice indignantly.

They continued to tgo through the papers, for they had decided to look fOr the diary mentioned in Letitia’s letter. •

At length it was found, tucked away In a wad of old documents, a faded, leather-covered little book full of irrelevant entries.

‘Wore my sprigge gowno. D. likes it.’ ” ‘Mrs Andrews to dinner. A vastly fine lady.’ ” “ ‘We killed old Bessie and put her on the table with her legs in the air, two capons beside.’ ” “Who do you think old Bessie was?” queried Lettice“A hen, silly I Not the qook, I

hope! ” After a time, these entries began to pall on the restless Lettice. “Of course It's all awfully quaint.” she sighed. “And she’s much more housewifely than 1 shall ever be. See here, for instance —‘Laid out the tomatoes In the octagonal rojom.’ . . . Then on another page, ‘ The octagonal room full of bulbs.’ ’’ She was dipping into the book at random. “ ‘An excessively fine place to start them—’ etc . . . But I wish she’d say where she was walled up ”

‘ Ytou don't realise that we've got to be the detectives and And that out. For all we know every sentence in this book 'ls telling us, hut she Mocsn t know It when she writes it. nor do we now We have to read between the lines. These perfectly innocent little entries are probably seething with inllormation." Hormionc was interested and eager. She went on: "This octagonal room which she seems - n keen on, for instance—here and 6 -—she indicated the various page’s referring to it—"it may be lull

(By Beryl Irving;.)

of her belongings still. Where is it?” Lettice looked 'puzzled. “ lOctagonal? That’s eight sided. Bothered if I know.”

She thought hard for a moment, then shook her head. “I can’t think of one in the house.”

“ Well, choke down that pie, dearie, and let’s look.”

They finished lunch hasitly and decided to look for the room then and there. The en<J of the afternoon found them completely unsuccessful. They had started at the top of the farm and made a thorough search downwards. Lettice cried out:

“ Hermy One, do you know what I think. That octagonal room is a secret one, and Letitla is walled up there.” 1

That evening they had been invited to a friend’s house. The weather had changed suddenly. <There| : .waS; a cold wind blowing', and .great clouds were" sailing up. Hermione shivered as she got into bed after their return. How desolate the country could be sometimes 1 She could not sleep. JHer mind was busy chasing round 'octagonal rooms. There had been no time to-resume their search after tea. Outside the storm was Increasing in violence. The trees bowed rhythmically before the gale, their branches spidering in shadows up and down the walls of the room; the clouds swept across the moon at a great rate, darkening and silvering the night by turns. The noise of the gale was deafening. What with that and the myriads of tiny squeaks and scamperings which she rightly attributed to mice and rats, her little beamed room over the kitchens was full of clamour. One of the walls of this room apparently separated her from the huge old disused granary which ran at right angles to the main • building. She decided that the creatures must be running about in the granary. Outside the storm raged on. The mice and rats -scuttered, the wind rose to a shrieking crescendo, and all at once there came with it a faint faraway sound. Hermione shot up in bed. She could hear music 1

'For one second her hair stood on end. Was Lettice right? Did the little ancestress walk to musio? Then common sense reasserted Itself. 'Cautiously she uncovered an ear, and finding that it was not immediately bitten off by ghosts she sat up . Ah, there it was again, and what a jolly friendly little tunel “if I believed • in ghosts I could swear I heard tapping too,” marvelled Hermione, “ but as it’s only Lettice who’s got to believe it (it being family tradition), I say there aren’t any such things. But what on earth is it?” Once more it came 'quite loud and close, accompanied by a blast from the gale, then it died away. It seemed to be coming from somewhere on the right. Presently the wind dropped, the eerie little tune was lost in space, and she fell asleep. * Lettice was terribly excited when Hermione told her next morning. “I believe the octagonal room’s next to you,” she asserted. “And Letitia sent that music as a signal to you. 'How I would love to find her and give her poor soul peace 1” They commenced tapping the wall. But it all seemed extremely sustantial. 'Hermione fetched the diary . and commenced to study intently again. Suddenly she said: (To be continued next week.)