CHAPTER XXX. THE IRON CAGE.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 188, 22 January 1887, Page 7

CHAPTER XXX. THE IRON CAGE.

At that fearful sound the candle that Margaret carried dropped a second time from her nervelees fingers, and was extinguished as it fell. She staggered weakly against the wall, and stared blankly before her with failing senses. When she had swung that door open the whole of the room was revealed to her, and she saw that one corner was inclosed by a sort of iron fence like a cage, perhaps to protect the safe before mentioned. But standing within this inclosure, his white face pressed close against the iron bars, there was a man ! His dark eyes had a wild, anxious look in tbein, and he scarcely seemed to breathe, so eagerly had he been watching for the appearance of the person whom he had heard without. His hair was long and dishevelled, his face haggard and worn, his linen soiled and rumpled, and his whole appearance denoting neglect. As that duor had been slowly opened he had stood breathless, immovable ; then, as Margaret's face and form came into sight he had thrown up his hands and uttered the startled cry which had so unnerved the young girl. Standing there and looking before her, it seemed for awhile as if she were dying. There was a roaring in her ears, her sight failed her, and she felt as if all life and sense were slipping away from her. Then she suddenly heard, as if in a dream, yet strangely real and life-like, an earnest, thrilling voice calling : " Margaret ! Margaret ! you must not faint— do you hear me ? Rouse yourself, my darling ; .listen— listen !" I She raised her falling eyes with a helpless look. She saw that figure in the dim light, with its arms outstretched, his" manner so , eager, almost frenzied, and recognised it, while a wan smile flitted over her colourless lips ; still, she could not move from the spot where she stood. It was her lover — the knew him. - It was Louis Dunbar in the flesh. Still she could only see him dimly — there seemed a veil between him and her, She only heard his voice faintly— the • sound seemed fat away, Then all at once her limbs failed her ; she sank upon her knees to the floor, and her head dropped upon a chair that stood near. , •• She knew that she was faint and almost unconscious, yet she tried by all the force of her will to rally her failing energies in obedience to hxs eager call. •* Margie, my wHite,,lily, rouse yourself,"

i he pleaded. "Do you not Bee that lam a 1 prisoner— that I am locked behind those 3 cruel b&ra ? If you faint I cannot get to you j to do anything for you. For Heaven's sake, - and the love you bear me, call back your strength and come to me." I Ah, yes, she would, she must ; she would ) not faint, for so much depended upon her. ; If she should lie there unconscious, the i hour ahe had allowed herself would go by, , Annette would come for her, and not find- : iog her, would doubtless create a fearful • excitement looking for her. But— oh, it seemed almost beyond her power to do anything to break the spell that i was upon her — she was so benumbed, so : utterly strengthlees. She exerted herself, and wearily raised her i head from the chair. She remembered to have heard that rubbing was good for reetoriog the circulation, and she began feebly to chafe her hands and arms. Even the effort helped her ; she began to breathe more freely, that terrible sound in her ears grew less, and she could see more distinctly. That loy,ed voice did not sound quite bo far away, for -Louis kept talking to her, encouraging her to persist in her efforts, though bemoaning the cruel fate that kept him from her. Every moment she was improving j now ahe cuuid see him quite plainly, and she lifted up her face to him and smiled upon him. The sight of that sweet, fond smile unnerved him, and, strong man though he was, he leaned his head against the iron bars and a great sob escaped him. That did more for her than all else. Her heart gave a bound that set all her pulse 3 beating once more, and sent the blood coursing naturally in its channels. " Louis — Louis !" she murmured. "Yes, my darling, it is I Oh, this dreadful cage !" he cried, almost frantically, and, grasping the bars with his hands, he shook it desperately. It was useless, however ; he could barely stir it. " Did you think some terrible thing had happened to me?" he went on. "Did you believe that I was dead ? Ah, I can hardly credit the evidence of my senses— l can hardly realise that it is really you whom I see, and not a delusion of my own brain. How did you get here, Margaret ! What providence directed your footsteps thither, and how dared you come alone at such an hour ? Oh, dearest, have you not strength to come to me ? Come and sit in this chair close beside me, and let me put my hands between these bars and take yours. I will wa«m them j I will chafethem for you and that will impart^new strength to you." Margaret helped herself to her feet by the aid of the chair beside her, and tottered to the one he had indicated, and sank wearily into it. Louis threw himself upon his knees, thrust his hands foi'fcli from the cage, and, grasping hers, began to rub them as vigorously as circumstances would permit. " These dear hands 1 how icy cold they are," he said, tenderly, " and how I have longed for a touch of them during these endless weeks. Ah, I cannot understand at all how you of all people should come to me in this extremity. Are you better, dear? But wait —how stupid ot me— l have some water here." He darted to a tiny table on which there stood a pitcher and glass, also a plate containing some bread and meat. He poured out some water and brought it to her. j " Drink, dear," he aaid, " then bathe your face and head with it." She obeyed him, and was immediately refreshed ; there was even a promise of colour m her hitherto colourless lips, "This was just what I needed," she said, returning the glass to him and looking up at him with her old fond smile. " Oh, Louis, is it really you ?" she added, in a trembling voico ; " how can I bear the joy of it?" She could say no more, but, dropping her face upon her hands, sobbed like a child. He put forth his hand again and laid it tenderly on her bowed head. " My poor darling," he murmured, " what a hard trial this must have been for you." Margaret raissd her head and dashed the tears from her lashes. " I can never tell you hoiv hard," she said, then asked : " But, Louis, have you the time with you ?" " Yea — the wretch had the grace to leave me my watch," he replied, drawing it forth. c « Who ? Arthur Aspinwall ?' " Yea. How came you to suspect him 2" " You shall know by and by — but the time, please ?" " Twenty minutes past eight. 11 " Ah !" I have only a half hour then, for it must have beeu nearly eight when I reached here ; but the first thing to coneider is how to get you out of this place." Margaret returned, while she viewed the strong bars, between them, with dismay. "It you have a key to tit that padlock on the coiner I can be free in less than two minutes." Louis answered, directing her attention to the fastening. "I have not, unless the keys that unlocked the doors of this 1 building will do it." She went to get them — having let them in the door, Jbut he knew instantly that they would be of no use. " No, neither of them will fit," ho said, gloomily. " What shall we do then ?" ahe asked, growing pale, and looking deeply distressed, for she could well see there wa3 no other way of getting out except that of unlocking the gate. Each of those massive bars extended from floor to celling, into which they were embedded, while a strong band of iron braced them about midway. I Louis thought a few moments, then | said : " We can do nothing to night, dear, that is very evident ; I must remain here at least another day, or until you can bring me the means of release.'' " ' "But I can go and tell papa, he will notify the police, and you can thus be liberated immediately," Margaret said, eagerly. ' ' Again her lover was silent for several moments. ■ •'Mo, dear," he at length returned. "I have reasons tot thinking that such a proceeding would not be best. I will not stop to tell you now how I happen to be confined here ; there will not be time for that if you must go in half an hour; .hut, of course, you know that when I disappeared a large amount of money also disappeared with me." •• Yes."

" What does the world believe about it? Do people think that I absconded with it?" Louis anxiously asked. " Some do," Margaret was forced to admit, " but those who knew you best believe that there was foul play, and that your lather had some hand in it." " The foulest in the world, though they are mistaken as to its author," Louis said, his face growing dark and stern, " But never mind that now," he went on ,• "what I wanted to tell you was, I believe that money is concealed somewhere in this building." "In this safe?" interrupted Margaret eagerly. " Oh, no ; it would never have done to have put it inside this coop with me ; the wretch was too cunning for that, for he could not. get at it without coming in contact with me. But lam confident, by hia movements when he comes heie, that it is not very far off, and, Margaret, if people believe that /am the thief I can never show my face until I am able to restore it to the company. " " But perhaps you never can do fchafe, said the young girl, anxioualy, " I mttst, the money was in my keeping, I am responsible for it," Louis said, with decision. " Let me go for papa," Margaret pleaded; " he can afe least have Arthur arrested, and he could be made to confess the whole plot." "1 am afraid that cannot be easily done, for he ie made of pretty resolute stuff, as I can truthfully bear witness. I have an idea, however, that by using a little strategy I can accomplish what I wish, and when I appear in the world again I can restore the treasure that was in my keeping." Margaret looked greatly distressed. "Louis, I cannot bear the thought of your remaining here another hour; you have suffered enough already— you are very thin and haggard," she said, gazing wistfully into his face. 14 1 know it, dear," he returned, smiling, "but I am no longer destitute of hope, and I shall soon build up again. Now listen to what I have to propose, for much still depends upon you. The first thing I have to do is to get outside of this wretched cage " " Yes, but how ?' Margaret asked. " It will be comparatively easy now," he answered ; " you have the keys to the doors of this building, and can come and go at your pleasure." " Yes." " lam crazy to know how you obtained them— but never mind that now. lam going to tell you, though," he said, smiling, "to go home like a good girl, and sleep tonight the sleep of the just. To-morrow go to some hardware ahop and purchase a thin file and saw, suitable lor cutting iron ; and to-morrow evening, at this hour, bring them with me, together with some black beeswax." " Oh, you are going to cut out some of fchesa bara >" said Margaret, beginning to comprehend his plan. " Yes ; and as ifc may take me some time to do it, I shall need the wax to holdfthem in place until I have room enough to get out, so as to avoid suspicion of my scheme if Aspinwall should come in upon me before I aaa through. Once give me an outlet from this place, and I can take my o*n i time to search for the money, You shall come to me every day to cheer me with I the sight of your dear face, and to learn how lam progressing. Let me once discover where that treasure is concealed, then you shall notify Mr Houghton— he can inform the police, who will of course immediately arrest Aspinwall. and my vindication will be complete. On the other hand, if he Bhould have the slightest suspicion that my place of concealment had been discovered, he would decamp wibh his ill-gotten gains before any one cocld move in the matter, and those forty thousand dollars would be lost for ever." " That is true ; but at the Bame time I .shall be very anxious until you are free," said Margaret. " Your life is in his hands while you are here ; there is no knowing what hia wicked schemes may be." 11 1 have expected that he would adopt extreme measures before this. lam confident, however, that he does not want to stain his hands with blood j he doubtless hopes to find some other way of disposing of me, but I believe he will let well enough alone for the present. No one, he believes, suspects that lam here ; no one has any id6a that he had anything to do with the robbery, so until he begins to think of leaving Paris, 7 believe he will keep me a prisoner in this place. One thing, however, puzzles me," Louis continued, looking perplexed, "and that is how he came to know that there was such a large sura of money in my safe. No one besides myself and the caebier knew anything about it until I mentioned it to you that evening." '•That was how he discovered it," Margaret said, eagerly ,* and then she gave her reasons for believing that Arthur was concealed behind the curtains in the parlour on the night of his disappearance. "It wasn't the money alone that made him follow me, I am sure," Louis replied, when she concluded ,• "it was a deeper scheme than that." " Do you think so ?" " Yes, Margaret, he has loved you for years, and he has been my mortal foe ever since he knew that we loved each other. Of course he heard all our plans that night, and it must have made him desperate, while my speaking of the money gave him the very opportunity he desired, He meant to make it^appear that I had absconded with it, thus getting rid of me disgracing me for ever in your sight and the world's, and giving him a chance to win you for himself by and by. "I think so, too," Margaret replied, though a bright flush stained her cheek at the acknowledgment. " And I fear such a belief would have prevailed— that is, that you had taken the money and fled — if papa had not explained to the detectives that you could have no object in so doing, since we were engaged, and it would ruin all your prospects, and you would forfeit more than treble the amount by such an act. Consequently they settled upon the other theory that your father had "something to da with it—that there had been foul play," " They have been diligently looking fo him, I- suppose ?" Louis asked, " Yes ; but as they are without a description of him, it is not strange that they have tailed to find him," " I imagine he is frightened, and keeps himself securely concealed," said Louis. " I only hope he has taken my advice and returned to America. It was a bold and cunning scheme, though, on the part of Aspinwall," " Tell me about) it, Louis," Margaret pleaded c Conttmted,)