CHAPTER XXVII.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 128, 14 November 1885, Page 3

CHAPTER XXVII.

A FRIEND OR AN ENEMY ? Robert Hood, walking along the edge of the soggy turf, was nearest to Lillis. The headlong movement with which Bhe darted from the spot rustled the trailing ivy so loudly that it attracted his instant notice Half checking his steps, he cast a sharp backward glance over his shoulder. He saw the girl. He read her purpose. But the curse that rose to his lips died there. At that moment a strong arm was thrown violently about her, and a strong band pressed over her mouth. With a quickened breath, a swift, dark smile, and a furtive glance at his chattering companions, he went on. From the instant of Lillis's appearance in the grounds, ft. lurking stealthy form had followed patiently in her steps. As the girl sprang from her screening evergreen, the spy darted upon her from the shadows of the box bush bower. It was Rebecca Hough. Almost before Hood had withdrawn his glance the woman had the girl out of sight. She hurried her into the bower. "Don't blame me!" she eaid rapidly, harshly. " Anyway, it'd done you no earthly good. It would only a' hurried things. You was wild to think of it. Your mother would a' sided with him. Nobody can gainsay yeur mother, Miss, not even a detective." At that reminder of her mother's ambitious complicity, Lillis ceased her desperate struggles and burst into tears. Perhaps the woman's heart was touched. She said almost gently :—: — " If you'll promise not to scream or do anything troublesome, Mies, I'll let you go." Lillis gave the required promise by a shake of the head and a deep-drawn sigh. Rebecca put her in a rustic arm chair, and withdrew to the doorway. She stood there, her sombre eyes turned to the lodge. Directly the gates changed. " Gone !" she whispered, and wheeling round, found Lillis's eyes fastened upon her in a wild, questioning gaze. Th 6 girl hastily rose, the tears still glistening oa her cheeks. She cried with emotion, "• You have some heart ! — it was in your voice just now, and — " " Don't think it— l have none," interposed Rebecca, gruffly. " I will think it. I must think it. Oh, Rebecca Hough ! as you may some day die and hope to die in peace, do me one little kindness !— mail a letter for me — see that it is done in secrecy and safety. See that it is done this day— this bour, if possible !" As she paused she caught the woman's long, slender, brown hands to her breast in a passionate, tearful appeal. Rebecca jerked herself free, and turned away, and then turned back again. " Give me your letter," she said. "You will post it yourself ? with your own hands ?" cried Lillis, breathlessly, yet anxiously observant of the woman's averted eyes. "I will. Give it to me." "Heaven bless you," faltered Lillis. I will have it ready in ten minutes. Come to my room at the end of that time." She started hurriedly to leave the bower. Rebecca checked her at the first step. " H'ant it writ, then?" she asked, looking fully at the girl in her earnestness. Lillis replied in the negative. " Then, Miss, I can't say when it will be posted. Nobody can leave the Abbey without orders. I've orders to go to the village the minute you're safe indoors. I don't know when I'll be wanted to go again." " Oh ! what shall I do ? " groaned Lillis. " Writejt here — now, Miss." " On nothing ?" " On this." She drew from her pocket an old letter, and tore off the blank sheet of the half. The bitter smile with which the eirl had spoken changed to an expression of heartfelt gratitude and joy. " Write it," continued the woman, " and I will see to the rest at the post-office." The question just rising to Lillis's mind thus disposed of, she turned a glance of luminous light upon Rebecca, and, seizing the little pencil at her watch chain, knelt down by one of the benches against the leafy wall. The first word was scarcely written, when Rebecca stooped and touched her shoulder. " Make it short, and make it safe, Miss," le whispered, warningly. Liliis nodded, and in two minutes rose and placed the folded paper in the woman's hand. " You will," she said, anxiously pointing to the address, "take the utmost pains to make it clear ?" Rebecca answered, with nervous impatience and haste, ''Iwill! I will!" she cried, "go in, go as quiok as you can the quicker you are there, the quicker I'll be off." She emphasied the charge in a way that cut the girl's thanks and last entreaties short. She took her by the shoulders, and put her out of the bower, her final act being a rough push towards the avenue. Too thankful for the woman's assistance to be easily offended, Lillis obeyed. Rebecca watched her past the curve with suspended breath and dilated' nostrils. As the last fold of the black dress disappeared from her view, she turned and limped round the bower with inoredible quiokness. The evergreen growth was thick on that i side. She saw nothing but the glossy-leaved holly ; she heerd nothing but the rustling touch of the ohill, wintry wind, The

"Safe? Ha!" ''It got her confidence. Then, safe a she might make it, it couldn't be saf< enough to fool your lordship. But iti plain your lordship ain't confidence in me That's enough. Instead of going to th< village for Lady Melross, I'll pack my bo: and go back to Lunnon. I bid your lord ship a respectful good morning." The angry determination in her eye anc voice ended the matter. As she made her obeisance and turnec away, Hood cried irritably, "Don't be an idiot! lam satisfied. You took the best plan. Go and attend your dv ties. I see I can trust you." " Thank you, my lord. " With that replj she left him. In his rage he had not taker time to look at the letter. He did not now, His eye followed the woman. "I see I can trust her," he muttered] "but 1 can't get used to her. There's something uncanny about her -Pshaw," suddenly breaking from the thought, and giving his attention to the letter. He glanced at the superscription and stopped at it. "Gibbs !" he exclaimed. "By all that's sharp ! Solicitor Gibbs! Not the green young lover, but the seasoned old lawyer ! By Jove ! she's keen as a fox ! meant to call that old legal warhorse to her aid." With a laugh he tore open the note Laughing still, he read it — " I make," it ran, " an extraordinary request. By your iriendship for the late earl, I entreat you to come to me at Langdon Abbey. Come without an hour's delay, and come informally, making such excuse aa you can without mentioning this note. I need you ! For Heaven's sake come, and do not leave the Abbey till you see me. Lillis Melross." " Well," he thought, settling into gravity as he reached the end, " you have done me a service, Rebecca Hough. A fine check I'd have met but for you !" He moved slowly and thoughtfully in the direction of the lodge, tearing the letter into small fragments as he went. He had just disposed of the last when Tony Folger's voice caused him to look up. "Stay where you are, one minute, will you ?" cried Tony, crossing the turf briskly from the opposite direction. " You see," he explained, as he came up, "I'm not friendly to shrubbery when secrets are to be uttered. Accordingly I've watched your approach to this open space with a satisfaction only equalled by my patience." Hood, thinking of his own recent exploit, half smiled, and then asked sharply : " What have you to say ? And how is it you did not go on to the station with that sleuth-hound ?" "For the excellent reason that the sleuthhound rendered if; unnecessary. By a little dextrous management I gained the information for which I was angling. It concerns you. Ho is going to Paris." " Let him." " You say that ?" " I say it. My tracks are too carefully covered to occasion me an instant's anxiety. There's not a clue to be tracked— not a single one." "But-M. Balby?" "Well." "This! Linter accounted insufficiently for his appearance here " " I don't think so. Zeal (confound him) was at the root of it. But even supposing that suspicion — " ".Suspicion ? that's it," pursued Tony, "suspicion brought him, suspicion has taken him away. More : it turns in that ring, He was at the townhouse in disguise while the earl lay there, and saw you several times." " You told me that before." "Did I? I'd forgotten. Then I'll go back to M. Balby. Should Linter bring him here upon some pretext (as he may), what then?" " Linter won't do it. But should he, M. Balby will see a young man in the prime of of life instead of an old greybeard." Tony looked relieved. Hood explained further. "In my excitemeut and anxiety I discovered the loss of the ring too late to make use ot Borden in his character of German professor." " Luckily," interjected Tony. "As it turns out," assented Hood, "accordingly I visited an Insignificant costumier's, mounted a flowing "white wig and beard, and transacted my business at M, Balby 's shop as a venerable old gentleman with a gold-headed cane. But pshaw ! any man might lose and desire to replace a ring without being suspected of murder. %> " Well," said Tony, after a moment, " in view of the fact that the ring is past recognition, I think I may pronounce you safe. But glad as I am, 1 want to be done with you. There's a place open for me at St. Petersburg, and I'm going to accept it. I'll do you a last kindness and take Borden with me till this thing blows over. I'll keep him with me." Hood's delight at the first part of the announcement was nipped by a sudden deathly fear. " Borden," he gasped. "You don't mean to say Borden suspects ?" "He suspeots nothing," replied Tony, "and to make sure he should not, I leff< him in London instead of bringing him on here, But it won't do harm to get him out of Liuter's way. And now will you let me have the dogcart and one of the cuen ? If so, I'll drive over to Groveton and take the 2 o'clock train for I*ondon." 1 "You may have the dogcart and me," cried Hood, cheerfully. "If you'll return to the Abbey and order the team I'll go on to the lodge, write a letter I want to mail, and be ready to take the reins by the time Jalce brings you to the gates," "All right," nodded Tony, and they separated. :

faintest shadow of an inscrutable smile upon her lips, she spoke two quick, cautiously uttered words.