A Hunge into the Unknown

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 281, 17 February 1928, Page 5

A Hunge into the Unknown

Charles D. Leslie

Author ot •* A Wild Wager,** “ Loved tor Herself* “The Erringtcn I'earls Mystery." “The Power of the Purse," &c.. &c.

SYNOPSIS OP PREVIOUS CHAPTERS. CHAPTERS 1. and ll.—Mrs. Tourmaline finds herself at the Ritz. She is in great perplexity. She is anxious to a victory against her rival, Mrs. pichson-Dickson, but cannot see how it is to be accomplished. She sees a very ?vf£ ty -f* lr ’ w i th & olden hair and blue eyes, sitting at some distance from her. cj® over to her and begins to talk. She tells this girl that she is the duplif at ® of Ead Y Eva Boulton. The girl ,^ anta f e ’ an ex_ &overness. Mrs. Tourmaline informs her that the oaronhVfoK ~^, dy Doul , ton . quarrelled with her husband more than a week ago, and has away - Mrs. Tourmaline mightily desires the presence of Lady Doulton a~t n?™t '■ v £ ich *»t° take plaee°that She offer 3 £SO to the ex-gover-thl ne°vt Pe j4 SO h nate Lady Doulton for iems of h - rs ,' and explains the obit!*, °f ‘he society to which she and others belong. Lord Swayne is the president, and has the casting vote about T t°h U e rmallne tel > s Eya Wantage ili case as it presents itself to her, and persuades her by giving £io on account. Eva tells Mri J ,. on Shoot her last SSu!”£ p , art of Lady Doulton. The lady leaves, promising to send her maid, Bennett, to Eva. While •v-Tit.. be S dead^v n ° f wh °rn she seems to ue in aeacily fear, approaching her l-,-,,. tunately she had left her seat and tfi?™ leiuge behind some sheltering palms. CHAPTER V.—IN PORTLAND PLACE. Lord Swayne nodded gravely vote es - I possess a casting am inti, t S ’ 1 confess a prerogative 1 Mr and x? r f X S' C , 1 I se ' My vote was for - r. and Mrs. Nellson. I must say ” he S AU Dicksbn-Dickson. "tha! Lomte D Aubigny on the one occasion '?, hls wife I am unacquainted Tuitc~ dlt " not appear to me quite. A? 11 -suppose we elect Mr. Nellson and the Comtesse,” cried Mrs. DicksonDickson, with a spontaneous air. Lord Swayne reluctantly but positlVfly wr declined the suggestion. “I have met Mrs. Xellson,” he declared, “and I consider she would be a decided acquisition. Moreover, if we elect her husband and not her ” A red spot, redder than her rouge, showed on either side of Mrs. DicksonDickson’s cheeks. She had to recognise defeat. But she kept her dignity unimpaired, withdrawing with ~ easy amiability. — —

If our president fails to agree with me, the voting being as it is, there is no more to be said. I withdraw my candidates. I thought, and so did my friends, and we compose half ‘the Society,’ the introduction of a little foreign blood would benefit our ranks . . . however ... I will second Mrs. Tourmaline’s candidates, and ask my friends to elect the Nellsons unanimously.” Thus quietly and undramatically the election ended. Mrs. Dickson-Dickson rose. “Will you all excuse me? I expect I people are arriving now.” Mrs. Tourmaline, triumphant, leaned back in her chair, and her eyes openly mocked her defeated rival, but the other woman declined to see her. The meeting broke up, the members risng and moving away from the table in little groups. Lord Swayne approached Mrs. Tourmaline and Lady Doulton and shook hands, his attention all for the younger woman. “I was surprised to see you,” he said, and then, “You’ve told Mrs. Tourmaline —that we’ve been in correspondence this last week?” Eva smiled vaguely and shook her head. “The truth is,” Lord Swayne continued to Mrs. Tourmaline, “Lady Doulton and I share a little secret.” “Really, Evie hasn’t told me,” Mrs. Tourmaline veiled her surprise, and spoke with conventional lightness. “Yes, and I want five minutes private talk with her,” he continued, drawing Eva apart, the girl obeying him mechanically, while Mrs. Tourmaline, confused at what she had learned, made no effort to stop the tete-a-tete. “You got my letters this morning,” said Lord Swayne, “Now, what’s j'our

opinion? Is the woman an imposter or the real Jane Norman?” Eva wished the floor would open and swallow her. She felt utterly helpless in this emergency. About the best thing to do was frankly to confess she was not Lady Loulton, for surely he would find that out for himself in a minute or two; but that would not be acting the part she was engaged to play. She looked him in the face, smiling, racking her brain for an intelligent answer, “I’m really not sure,” was what she finally told him. He looked disappointed, and she went on hastily; “It’s selfish of me, but to-night I can’t think of anything except myself. I’ve come here this evening to oblige Madge, she wanted my vote here tonight, and I hear Francis is in town. I’m so afraid of meeting him,’’ she frank’.* and truthfully concluded. Though she had hesitated momentarily over the two names the speech was not badly delivered, and obviously raised no doubt in the auditor as to her identity. He regarded her shaking his head at her. “Afraid of your husband? Why, what have you done that you are so reluctant to meet him?” A poser this, but Eva, braving his glance, felt her embarrassment already departing. She saw he never doubted her identity. And she guessed his regard for Lady Loulton made him take

a lenient view of all her actions. To a middle-aged bachelor a young and pretty married woman can do no wrong, so she moved her shoulders with a little gesture of irritation. “You know just as well as 1 why 1 don’t want to meet him,” she told him. “At any rate I'm not going to see him if I can avoid it. I’m staying with Madge to-night, and to-morrow I disappear again.” “1 guessed you were with her, but was surprised to see you walk in, considering two days ago you told me you’d no intention of returning for this election.” “It’s the privilege of my sex to change one’s mind,” she said. “And you won’t talk about Jane Norman?” “Not to-night.” “Well, certainly, we can’t talk very well here; when may I come and see you again?” “Let me see, what did we arrang: last time?” “I was to come next Sunday afternoon.” “Then that holds good.” She turned away. He held out his hand. “Good-bye, little lady. I’m not staying for the concert. Remember, if v.»u want me any time 1 am at ytur service.” “Whatever did he say to you?” inquired Mrs. Tourmaline. Lord Swayue

had gone straight out of the room. “Lid he discover you weren’t Eva?” “No.” “How strange! But what is this secret he shares with Eva?” “I don’t know. But he knows her address, and has been to see her. He s going to call again next Sunday. Lady Harden was relating her latest Spiritualist adventure and as half the society were believers and half sceptics they all gathered round her. Mr. Le Vitre, a confirmed materialist, hotly arguing with her. The discussion did not attract Eva, more interested in her surroundings and the lovely frocks of tho women. “Welcome to town again. Lady Loulton.” Mr. Mailing was at her elbow, his bold black eyes raking her. Eva shivered slightly as she met his gaze. The man affected her like a snake; she found him more unlikeable than his photograph. Yet with his sleek black hair brushed back from his fore - head, his trim moustache, and oli*. e clcar-cut face he was far from ill-look-ing. She nodded. “Where have you been?” he ask'd her in a soft wheedling voice. “Rusticating.” she told 1 im. “It suits you. I never saw you look more beautiful than you do to-night. WiM you be at the opera to-morrowV’* “No, I'm i '-turning to my retreat.” tTo be Continued.)