THE DOCTOR'S PROTÉGÉE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 499, 11 September 1912, Page 2

THE DOCTOR'S PROTÉGÉE.

(All Rights Reserved.)

By ALBERT LEE,

Author of "The Baronet in Corduroy," "The Key of the Holy House," King Stork of the Netherlands," " The Black Disc," &c.

Published By Special Arrangement,

CHAPTER V.—(Continued). "A patient wants me, I suppose," I muttered somewhat discontentedly, for I was cold and tired. Suddenly I halted. The footmarks took a turn off the garden path to the lawn, and this, which was a sheet of whiteness, was broken up by an irregular line of footprints wh'icE ran off at an angle towards the bay window. Tracing this in surprise, I was astounded when I saw the dark form of a man, who was trying to peer into the front room beneath the Venetain blind laths, as if to discover who was within. He was either indifferent to my approach or so absorbed in his examinations that he did not hear my coming, for he continued his attempt to peer in, shifting himself this way and that, even up to the moment when I came upon him suddenly and roughly took him by the collar. Before he had time to say a word or turn to face me, I shook him vigorously, then tossed him from me, so that he fell heavily on the whitened lawn.

that there was no sleep for me that night. As I tossed about in my bed there came a growing consciousness of danger, but I called

"You scoundrel," I cried. "What are you doing here in rriy place, and peering into my house?"

myself a fool for having such doubts after so many precautions had been taken. The more, however, I endeavoured to convince myself that all was right, and that I might sleep without a doubt upon my mind, the more the conviction grew that something was wrong. Once I got out of bed and listened at the open door, but the corridor was silent, and not a sound gave any indication that anyone was stirring. Again, after another attempt at sleep, I arose, and going to a drawer of a Bureau in the bedroom, I drew out a loaded revolver, which I had brought with me to Marly to be prepared for emergencies. I saw that it was ready for use; then I dressed, and putting fresh coal on the fire sat down to read.

The man looked at me steadily, when he had quickly risen to a sitting posture in the snow, but he made no reply to my question. The moonlight fell on his face, and I recognised it as that of the man whom I had seen in the house next door, attempting to take the life of the woman whose safety was now my chiefest care. When he began to scramble to his feet, I saw a black-handled dagger lying some distance from him, the polished blade gleaming dangerously. It had either fallen from his hand when I was dealing with him with such unexpected roughness, or had tumbled from his pocket. Seeing my eyes fall on the weapon, he glanced in that direction. I was moving towards it with sudden quickness, but he also flung himself upon it just as I stooped to pick it up. I had the advantage, however, it being nearer to me than to him, and had: gripped the handle just as his own hand fell on the keen edged steel. He snatched his hand away with a sharp cry of pain, then scrambled to his feet, and fled across the lawn to the gate, through which he ran, and disappeared. I did not follow, and when I looked at the place where he had put his hand out to help himself in the act of rising, I saw that the snow was spotted with bloodL

Reading was as impossible as sleep, and convinced that someone was moving about the house, I went into the corridor with a lighted candle, walking past Teresina's room in felt shoes that made no sound. All was still. I turned back, went down the stairs, my revolver within reach in my jacketpocket, looked through the hall, everywhere in fact, saw that all seemed right, and then turned to cross the hall and mount the stairs again. Something caused me to look up, and I halted with startled suddenness. My hand went to my pocket and closed over the .weapon there, while I gazed upward and saw a man in hTs shirt and trousers carrying a candlestick in one hand, and a policeman's truncheon in the other. For a moment our eyes met, and then came an audible chuckle of relief from both. It was Crane, who had been alert for any sound, and hearing something he did not understand, he hadi come out of his room to see whether anything was wrong. Speaking in whispers for a little while we returned to our rooms. When it had l gone long past midinight the carol singers came and went, and quietness settled over the house once more. Surely all were sleeping but myself, I thought, when I closed my eyes and tried to sleep with my head deep in the cushion of my cosy chair before the fire. Once I was confident I heard a sound, and in the posture of attention I listened; but I put it down to imagination. Presently 'a tap came on the door. Going to it instantly I threw it open, and saw Mrs. Dawney standing outside. "There's someone in the house," she exclaimed, her teeth chattering, either with terror or with cold. "Whereabouts?.'-' was my eager inquiry.

CHAPTER VI. •A" DISTURBED NIGHT. T had secured the co-operation of my sister Agnes, and as she had no home ties, being her own mistress, and, as she had put it often, was a staid spinster of thirty, she came with us as Teresina's companion, and as a hostage -to Mrs. Grundy. With that addition to our party, we journeyed to Marly on the morning of Christmas Eve, Unseen, so I fondly flattered myself. During the ride from the country station in Sidney Dennis's carriage, I saw nothing to indicate that we were followed. Mrs. Dawney's keen eyes were everywhere, and she too congratulated us all, herself included, that we had eluded any possible pursuers. Indeed, we were all so confident of this that we looked forward to Christmas Day with a sense of intense relief. At least in the house down by the sea there would be no danger, and although Teresina Telamone's heart was sore at the turn of events,she felt that the winter festival itself would surely be free from peril. She was so assured of this that she declined my sister's offer to share her room at night. "What need?" she asked'. *-' Who could molest me here, or who could possibly know our whereabouts?" When I found she would have no companion, I left her with Agnes after dinner, and took the opportunity of. looking into her bedroom, to see that she would be secure. J looked to the window and its fastenings, assured myself that no one could look in and see her, because the heavy curtains were drawn across, that there was no iron piping up which anyone could climb, as is often the case with old-fashioned country houses, and saw that no one was lurking behind the curtains nor beneath the bedstead. The chamber was a secure resting place for the woman whose safety had become an absorbing passion with me.

"It sounded close to my "room, just as if a man had stumbled against a chair."-

I looked down the corridor anxiously, and at the time the moon wa,s shining brightly through the lozenged window before me, so that I could see from end to end. But nothing livings was there so' far ias I could see. "You must have 'been mistaken," I whispered. "No I was not. fl Heard (the sound plainly." We went quickly towards :T«resina's room, and to my alarm, I saw that the door was ajar. At that moment the silence of the night was broken by a man's hoarse,cry of terror, followed by the scream of a, woman.

How is it that in momeints of danger we lose all power of motion, and are rooted to our standing place when instant action jis imperative? It seemed to me impossible to move, and yet I had the thought that Teresina might be face to face with death. Recovering myself in an instant, calling my" self a fool for my helplessness, I was about to move forward when a man swung through the open doorwav with such violence that

Teresina would certainly be secure. Agnes's room was next to hers, communicating with it by an Inner door which I unlocked, removing the key in order to prevent any accident. That room, too, I had searched, and found all right. On the other side was Mrs. Daw-

as Dennis had done, that the lady's safety was threatened, and therefore he should keep an ear open for any suspicious sounds during the night. Near to the other end of the corridor was my own room, close to the head of the staircase. Surely after such precautions, I thought, no harm could come to my protegee. "You will ring the bell, signora, if anything disturbs you in the night?.'' I asked, when we separated.

She answered! in her pretty foreign accent: "I will indeed, Dr. Carson. But surely there will be no need. If I ring at all, it shall be the Christmas morning bell to waken you by way of greeting," she added, laughingly. She had recovered her confidence wonderfully, more so than I, for I had a presentiment of danger even here, where surely one might have expected safety. The sense of insecurity was such

inone, Teresina's husband, pale-1 faced and startled, as though he j had looked on death or feared it. I

Taken by surprise, I was somewhat slow in drawing my revolver from my side pocket; but I was able to level it before the retreating man had reached the top of the staircase. Then, while I sought to cover him, the weapon was struck by a second man, who came out of the room in hot haste, as if in pursuit of Andrieno Telamone. The collision came so unexpectedly that I did not see his face—whether it was Crane or a stranger —andi soon he, like Telamone, disappeared on the stairs. Not waiting to look after the men, and thinking in the passing moment that the pursuer was Crane, who, by his size, would be more than a match for the other, I darted into the bedchamber, thinking to see Teresina lying dead or dyingThe red glow of the burning embers in the grate showed me the face of my sister entering by the inner door, startled by the sudden outcry. But right before me was a woman in white, standing barefooted at the bedside, her breath coming like heavy sobs, while her soft hands were tightly clasped; together. I saw at a glance that it was Teresina.

"Are you hurt?" I cried. v "No," came her answer; and with that she sank in a heap upon the floor, and hid her face in her hands.

Knowing that she was safe, and that Agnes and Mrs. Dawney would look after her, I went out of the room to see after the man who had intruded on her; but, to my surprise, Crane was now in the corridor, wide 'awake, but only half dressed, and wondering what had happened. The man who had gone after Telamone was fully dressed, so that I understood instantly that he was a stranger. "Some men are in the house," I exclaimed, not waiting to make an explanation or to ask questions; and with that I ran down the corridor, with Crane at my heels.

The house door slammed loudly before we took the first head of the stairs, but we hastened on, and, reaching the hall, threw open the door and looked out. The waste of snow was lit up brilliantly by the moon, which rode on through the heavens in a cloudless sky, and on. the white expanse we saw two men —one flying madly on, as 'f from death, and; the other in strenuous pursuit.

"Let us go after them, sir/'said Crane, and away we went. The men were making for the cliff, which showed us that they were strangers to the place. It was not the way to the shore unless they plunged headlong down to the beach, some thirty yards below ; and, knowing this., we knew that it must be a mad leap, or a struggle on the edge of the precipice, so that death seemed to threaten either way. The second of the men before us was gaining on Telamone, fleet of foot though he was; and presently he seemed to come within striking distance. Suddenly the leader halted in his career, as if he saw the cliff edge before him, but he was barely able to save himself from toppling over. As it was his feet shot from under him, and he fell. The stranger, rushing on, and taken unawares, caught his foot in the prostrate body and tumbled heavily, clutching at Telamone to save himself.

It was the undoing of the two men. Had they remained still both of them would have been saved, but Andrieno Telamone tugged and pulled and kicked furiously in the effort to be free, and the stranger, receiving a kick in the face, recoiled as he lay. But he still held on to the other, and 1 , while doing so, his body began to slide down the sloping, snow-covered rock. Then came a two-fold cry. The stranger, holding on frantically, went over the edge as we drew near, and in a moment Telamone, too, was gone. There came back no sound of groan or. cry—nothing but the wash of the waves upon the shore.

Turning. our back's upon trie cliff edge where this tragedy had taken place —for there was no way possible to the beach without a long journey round—we hurried to the house, and I went at once to Teresina's room. Entering at my sister's invitation I saw her lying on the bed, looking pale and startled, but recovered somewhat from her terror. Giving her a restorative, we sat and talked quietly, watching the fire as the flames roared up the broad chimney and sent its genial warmth into the room. The chase across the snow and then the quick walk back again had put me into a glow, so that, what with the excitement of the night I was loth, unless the others desired it, to go awoy and spend the remaining hours of darkless alone.

{To be Continued.) D.P.—5.