Her Hidden Husband

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 657, 8 May 1929, Page 5

Her Hidden Husband

Serial Story

By

Arthur Applin

Author of “The Ttangerous Game.” “The Greater Claim,” I '*The 'Woman IVho Doubted” <£c., <£c. =' ■ —== Copyright

SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS. CHAPTERS I. to lll.—Alfred Marknam and James King are congratulating «‘>ne another on the fact that they are *ell on the way to home and England. They are at Singapore, arid have just emerged from the hands of the barber. After a cocktail each they set off for the nocks. They are late, and, at the sound of the Malaya’s sirens the two men begin to run, James King in advance. A chain, winging from its crane, catches him, and swings him out. Alfred Markham springs forward to aid his chum. He seizes the hook on which King is impaled, bl >t his hands slip and he is carried down only to fall on the top of Jim. Together T hey fall to the lower deck of the Malaya. J'.ti s head clashes on an iron davit, and simultaneously Markham crashes beside mm. Three lascars rush to the prostrate men. but one of them jumps up and /trds them off, declaring he can carry onum. The first mate seizes him v*.“ e collapses. Stretcher bearers carry noth men to their stateroom. The caplin gives the order to cast off. Robert Lenny, standing on the upper deck, and w.? re ]’’ e}ed srirl beside him, have witrh f • t ! le accident. He remarks to her |nat it is a bad beginning to a voyage. Koi accortlance wi t.h her wish Denny goes th an< * learns from the steward that Vo r?° tor does not hold out hope for Mr. ».,kk hart1 ’ who has made his fortune in an d was going home to spend it. aoctor bends over the less injured the two men, and, in answer to his on * tells him he is homeward bound nil ;♦? BS * Malasa. in reply to a further re f?arding the sick man’s own the doctor steps to the other °f tJie stateroom, where a still nsure is lying, and notes that the body ■ covered with a sarong marked “A.M.” ft® knows the names of the temporary occupiers of 8.14, and tells the sick man • n . lust be James King. Deft alone m valid investigates both his own and suit cases. He finds that the man was wealthy, also married, for .'fas a photograph of a pretty girl ‘if 1 'Tour loving wife Violet” written ;_fP ss it. The doctor re-enters, and njects something into his arm which in“s*s a long sleep Much later King rr* n owiedges loss of memory to the doctafn but insists on interviewing the oapvV,,- , Crossing the promenade deck an ater he notices a girl with clear S»e\ She inspires him with a fresh for life. The captain, having 'ooked through Markham's things, and satisfied with King's replies, tells that the funeral will take place at morning. King sees the girl *.ain and gees to her. She owns that appearance has given her a shock, he was more dangerously ini r i . • They converse and each discovthe other is also making a fresh Kn fdand. Her name is Pete jjarchmont She declares that the roiiCt n S fe hfe is the only thing worth liv"He n>l "Can twe fight for it CHAPTERS IV. and V._The funeral p,.‘ M ‘ r , ed Markham takes place, and Jr; ® Man?hmont tries to comfort James tk.,r. They meet regularlj, and soon \f a f_ Know they are partners •'or life. The iov^i’ a arrives at Southampton, but the ha . r * ar f, *© engrossed that a steward ham 1 ? Kir »g that Mrs. Alfred Markbaiting to speak to him in the Kne Fete promises not to aiu v t "’ r an, l hastens to the cf i talI » dark figure * *cman awaits him.

CHAPTER VI

Mrs. Markham merely glanced through the papers the captain showed her, signed her name in the places he indicated, and in a low, frightened voice assured him she was perfectly satisfied. “I know everything possible was done —but of course I should like to have seen him once again. I hoped he could have been buried over here, but I quite realise now it was impossible.” There were tears in her blue eyes. She was a good-looking woman, the captain thought, and in the prime of life. He put her age about 32, might have been more—nowadays one never could tell. It was certainly rough luck for Markham, but as he gripped Mrs. Markham’s cold white hand sympathetically he assured himself she would get over it all right. She had lost a husband and come into a fortune! He tactfully left her alone for her interview with King, telling her she would find him a very decent fellow. Directly Mrs. Markham was alone she stood in front of the mirror hanging at the far end of the cabin and powdered her face and smoothed her lips with D’Oorsay’s latest colour. She threw back her furs a little so that her figure was displayed to better advantage. The hair beneath her black hat was pale gold; her skin almost white. When she heard the door open she quickly shut her vanity case, turned to greet her dead husband's friend but stopped as she saw his reflection in the mirror. A tall, powerfully built man—just what she might have expected —but it was his eyes that held her, the low, narrow forehead, and the shape of his mouth. She gave a

startled cry, Instantly suppressed. As the man came forward his reflection disappeared. She held her breath, trembling, waiting for him to speak, terrified lest when she did she would hear her husband’s voice. She waited in an agony of suspense, telling herself she must be mad —it was only some trick of the imagination or memory; a vague likeness, perhaps? She remembered reading that two people who lived alone together for a long time, away from the world, grew alike. “I’m afraid I’ve startled you. My name is James King. The captain said you would like to see me.” She wondered if she were mad, or dreaming, perhaps. It was her husband who spoke to her; her husband who had been buried six weeks ago two thousand miles away at sea! She had just seen the death certificate signed by the captain. Already her lawyers had advanced her a large sum of money out of the estate which was due to her; the sables she wore had been purchased by the dead man. . . . She wanted to laugh, or to scream. She held her lower lip between her sharp, white teeth until it bled. She was frightened. She 'wasn’t a nervous woman, nor romantic, but she wondered whether perhaps it was not her husband’s ghost who was standing in the dimly-lit cabin behind her. She wished he would speak again. She strained her ears, but there wasn’t a sound to be heard. The ship seemed to be waiting with her. A sudden revulsion of feeling swept over her. She had waited for 14 years and suddenly a wireless message had come telling her she was free and wealthy beyond her dreams —and now Alfred, or his ghost, had come back from the dead to mock her! j She couldn't believe it; she I wouldn’t. She steeled herself with | the silence, and turning quickly, | looked him in the face, seeing him I no longer through a glass dimly, but ! flesh and blood, vital and vivid. Again she caught her breath and held it, for now there was no doubt. He had changed; he had aged; he was different; but she couldn’t escape from the fact that it was her husband who looked at her with calm and steady eyes. Suddenly her heart began to beat very fast as she realised he was looking at her without the faintest recognition. He didn’t know her; he was not acting! He was looking at her a little shyly. She watched him stroke his short, neatly-trimmed beard nervously; she heard him clear his throat as a man does when he has a delicate duty to perform. “Won’t you sit down, Mrs. Markj ham? I know there must be a lot of questions you would like to ask me about your late husband. I have been with him for the last 12 years. No man could have had a better friend than I had in him. For months together we were fighting swamps and forests, never seeing another white man. He did all the real work —and in the end 1 believe he made a

little gusts of wind sweeping through the docks. But he remembered Markham’s last words —to take care of his girl. That was his first duty and he wasn’t going to shirk it. Though slowly there had been growing on him a sense of disappointment. He hadn’t thought much about her, but he had taken for granted that anyone connected with Markham must be big. This tall, calm woman, though there were tears in her eyes and though he saw her red lips tremble now and then, seemed ordinary and even a little superficial—perhaps it was in comparison to Pete. He had a vague sense that she was the type of woman he had met in his past life. Queer he should feel that about her —it was like remembering something. She was like the photograph he had found in his friend’s suitcase; or he might have wondered whether she really was the girl Markham had asked him to look after. “When I get hack to London you will

big fortune —he deserved it. But it wasn’t only money lie was after. He was a man with an ideal. 1 would have gladly given my life for him.” Violet Markham smiled as she dropped into a chair, and leaning back crossed her knees. “Tell me how it happened, will you?” Her voice was very low. She used the emotion which swept her, like an actress uses emotion on the stage, turning it into the channels she desires. She held King with her eyes while he talked, now and then interrupting with a question. It was she who was acting, not he, and she was using every art in her power to make certaiu he was absolutely unconscious of his real identity. For a long time she talked until King at last began to grow impatient. He wanted to get back to Pete; she would be cold and tired, standing on deck alone all this time. He could see the rain driving outside and hear

realise I am entirely at your service, won’t you? My address is the Oriental Club. You must treat me as au ; old friend. What I gave to Alfred now belongs to you.” Violet got up and took King’s outi stretched hand. It gave her a queer sensation —it was fourteen years since ■ she had touched it. She remembered that once lie had held her hand so i fiercely that it hurt her, and even now ■ | she winced at the friendly grip. 1 “I came down from London alone. • ' I daresay you understand the feeling—i there was no one I —l cared for enough i to bring with me.” She stood very i close to him, looking straight into his ' eyes. “Up to the last moment I had a i sort of feeling that it couldn't be true, ; that when I came on board the ship I i should find Alfred waiting to greet ■ i me.” Tears swam in her eyes again; i she looked almost pathetic. “It seems | terrible after all those years of hard I work he should be cheated of enjoying l i the fortune he made.”

King nodded. “I feel that. But he would be glad to know you've got it, Mrs. Markham. I expect he really made it for you; and he knows you'll spend it just in the way that would make him happiest.” He walked to the door and opened it. “Unless you’re staying in Southampton, perhaps you wouldn’t mind coming up to London with me?” Violet said. “We shall reach there just in time for dinner. There are lots of things 1 haven’t said yet, and since you must know more about Alfred’s affairs even than I do, I want to ask your advice. You see, I'm taking you at your word when you said I was to look upon you as my friend.” “That’s right.” King said quickly. “Of course, I shall be delighted.” He ; stood at the door hesitating. Mrs. Markham as she reached his l i side hesitated, too, looking at him in- ! | quiringly. “But you mustn't put your- j self out —perhaps you've friends on j board who are waiting for you?”

Instinctively he glanced to the deck below them. Mrs. Markham followed his gaze, and she saw' a girl standing against the rails. She had taken off her hat, and the wind was blowing her hair. Her figure was clearly silhoue? ted against the dark background of the docks; she could see it was beautiful with youth and virility. Before King spoke she knew that this girl was waiting for her husband! It gave her a strange sensation; a sharp stab of jealousy. Though she was in the prime of life and not without charm, she had lost the sweet-scented fascination that youth gives to life. Dimly she saw' in that quiet solitary figure the 1 quality of romance Alfred once imagined she possessed. She shivered and J drew' her furs together. She heard King say shyly: “I have | a friend—a young lady—who is waifing to go up to tow'n with me. We might all travel together. She came I on board at Singapore, too.” (To be continued daily.)