CHAPTER XXIV.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 321, 1 December 1888, Page 5

CHAPTER XXIV.

FOGARTY SEES HOW TO MAKE MONEY. Foil hours the young Lady Nora Kildare slept on, in the little swift-sailing sloop, under tho dark night sky, her small head drooped low on her bosom ; and for hours her fellow- voyager, Fogarty, sat at the tiller, watching her, and debating the fearful problem of what should he do with her ? On the one hand was the reward offered him by Michael Kildare for his ward's destruction — a trivial leward, and considered only because behind it lay the threat of a betrayal into the hands of the law. On the other hand were riches and safety, Fogarcy thought, with advantages and pleasures innumerable. Long before the Lady Nora awoke, Fogarty had decided that she should live, and live for his benefit. ' I'm out of the lawyer's reach here,' he mused. 'I can hide whore he can never find me. I have found a mine of wealbh, and 1 shall be a fool not to work it. Why should I play into Michael Kildare's hands when my own pockets are empty Y And with these thoughts canio projects of gaining wealth for himself out of the coffers which he supposed might, after all, belong to the Lady Nora. ' My days as valet are over,' he thought, exultantly. ' Bassanbyne will find that I am as clever as he. He managed, by some legerdemain, to induce an heiress to elope with him. I shall get money, and not be tied down to the whims of any fine lady !' The morning broke at last over the waters— a dull, gloomy, sunleas morning, with a fine breeze. The little sloop was heading her way gallantly to the north, and making fair progress. Fogarty was content, and ate his breakfast, which he procured from the basket, with a good appetite. He had no conscience to interfere with his digestion. An hour or so later the Lady Nora awakened. She aroused herself with a start, and looked around her with a frightened gaze. • Oh, I had forgotten I was on my way to England,' she said, as the colour slowly tinged her pale cheeks. ' 1 fancied myself still in my prison at Yew Cottage. How glorious this free, strong air is ! And we are out of sight of land ?' She stood up and surveyed the waters on every side with dilated eyes. ' Yes, my lady,' returned Fogarty, • we're bowling along at eight knots an hour, as near as I can make out. The wind is shifty, We'll do better when she settles.' 'But there is no sun,' said the Lady Nora, looking up at the dun clouds. ' How can you tell our course ? Have you a compass ?' ' No, my lady,' answered the pretended sailor. ' And all night I told it by the stars. We're all right, my lady. Tim Fogarty knows this 'ere Channel as well as he knows the way to his mouth !' The Lady Nora was reassured, yet for a long time she looked thoughtfully at both sea and sky. At last she asked : • Ought we not to get to Liverpool by noon, Mr Fogarty V • Wibh this wind, my lady Y asked Fogarty in apparent astonishment. ' It's well we'll be doing if we get there by sunser. But it's not for Liverpool I'm making ! Mr Kildare, when he discovers our flight, my lady, may send by the steamer, or telegraph, to Liverpool and Holyhead to intercopfc you. And so it would bo better to put in some small bay on the English coast near Southport, and 3*oll can take the train to Manchester from Southport.' Tho Lady Nora's face brightened. ' You are \ery thoughtful, Mr Fogarty !' she exclaimed. ' You shall be well rewarded for all your kindness to me, if I ha\ eto sell my jewellery to repay you. T am poor, you know, but. if ever I should be rich I shall know how to reward your goodness.' ' It's not helping you for money I am !' said Fogarty, hypocritically. 'It is out of pity. It's not in a sailor's heart to look on calmly and see an innocent girl persecuted. But eat your breakfast, my lady. This air makes sharp appetites !' The Lady Noia, weakened by her meagre prison tare, felt the need of complying with this suggestion. She got out tho provision basket, and took from it a slice of bread and a piece of cold meat, these being the chief edibles afforded. There was a large can of fresh water, which had been j placed in the half-cabin by tho owner of the sloop, and to this can was attached a rusty tin cup. The Lady Nora moistened her meagre breakfast with the water, and both food and drink had a delicious taste to her which pretentious feasts had formerly sometimes lacked. Her breakfast over, she resumed her seat and the contemplation oi the heaving, white-capped waters. As the morning deepened the clouds lifted. At noon the sun showed itself, and the chill October air had a tinge of warmth imparted to it. The young girl ceased to shiver under her wrappings. • Arc you sure we are going in the right direction, Mr Fogarty V asked the Lady Nora, at length, when the sun had begun to descend the afternoon sky. 'We do not seem to be going east.' ' We are all right, my lady,' said Fogarty. • I shall tack presently. It's on the tack I am now. I've been wondering, my lady,' he added, ' why Mr Kildare should have treated you so ill. It's not altogether to make you marry a nobleman, I'm thinking ?' • No, that was nob all he shut me up for,' I said the young heiress. 'I happened to overhear a conversation in which he took part the last evening of my stay at his houso, and the discoveries I made and the revelations 1 overheard were full of danger to Dim. He discovered my presence in the I adjoining room, and that very night ' brought mo to Yew Cottage, informing me that" I should never be released until I agreed to marry Lord Kildare ! A promise to do so w ould alone give him safety after what I had overheard, • And what was it you overheard, my lady ?' asked Fogarty w ith pretended indifference. 1 That I cannot tell you, Mr Fogarty- I can tell no one until I have seen my principal guardian. Sir Russel Ryan.' Fogarty looked chagrined. He had expected to find it an easy matter to induce the Lady Nora to tell him all she knew concerning her kinsman ; but something now in the grave, sweet face, and lovely, resolute mouth told him that she was not one to open her heart to everyone. Nob oven the supposed service he had I rendered her, and was rendering her, could induce her to make him her confidant. ' If you was to tell me, I might help yon,' he suggestod. ' The only help I need is in getting to England,' said the Lady Nora, with a bright, warm smile. ' You are rendering mo the only and the greatest service now that you can, Mr Fogarty. Once on English soil, I can tako care of myself. Once with Sir I Russel, he will take caie of me.'

' And so you won't tell me ?' said Fogarty, a little sullenly. The young heiress opened her sunny eyes more widely. Such pertinacity was as singular as it was disagreeable. ' I cannot tell you,' she said, gravely. Fogarty scowled, but was silent. The change in his looks impressed the young girl, but she also was silent. Presently the man spoke again. 'I heard Mr Kildare say, as he went down the stairs at Yew Cottage last night, that you 'knew too much.' How did you know too much, my lady ? You have got some hold upon him ? You have gob track of some secret of his, the disclosure of which will injure his reputation ?' ' I cannot answer your questions now, my friend,' returned Lady Nora. 'My confidence is due, first of all, to my guardian.' Fogarty scowled again. The role of virtue was becoming irksome to him. He was a reckless, bad-hearted fellow at best, and was capable of few good deeds, excepb when such deeds were likely to prove profitable. He began to think now that a disclosure of the facts in the case, and of her helplessness, might make his girl passenger more confidential. ' She's got to tell me the whole story,' he thought. ' And as she won't tell me out of friendliness, she must out of fear. I know 1 can terrify her into a complete revelation.' He studied how to tell her the truth, how to reveal to her his true character. And whilehe was thus engaged, the young girl was studying him. The fact that there was something strange about this pretended sailor was just forcing itself upon her attention. ' I didn't tell you that I knew Mr Kildare personally, did I V asked Fogarty. ' Did I mention to you that I had a long interview with him alone last night in my moLher's parlour ?' The young heiress started. She replied in the negative. ' It's so,' said Fogarty, smiling sullenly. ! c You never heard of me, you said. My past is nothing to boast on, and Kildare knows it. He knows, too, that lam wanted out in the colony. You see, I had an engagement to stay there a certain number of years, and I broke the engagement and came home. Kildare knew that too.' The girl did not understand. She continued to regard him with grave, innocenteyes, sweet and fearless, vaguely conscious only that there was something wtong. ' Well, you broke your engagement ?' she said, a little impatiently. 'Yes, I broke it,' exclaimed Fogarty, laughing boisterously. ' And it's against the law to break an engagement of that sort. Kildare knew he had the whip-hand. And so he tries to make me do his dirty work. He has a ward, says he, that ' knows too much.' And he says he wants a bold fellow to dispose of her. How ? says I. Here's your plan, says he, and you're the man to do it. And with that he says as how his ward is as innocent as a baby, having been brought up in the country. And it would be easy to get rid of her, and twenty pounds to the man bhat sinks her in St. George's Channel.' The young lady Nora leaned forward, breathless, eager, panting. Her sunny eyes shone like stars from out of the whiteness of her face. •He wanted to kill me !' she ejaculated. ' Oh, Mr Fogarty ! you are not deceiving me ? He really offered you money to drown me ?' 'He really did. Twenty pounds, and to go scot free ; and if I didn't do it. a beti ayal to the police on account of my past offences.' ' He wanted to kili me !' repeated the girl, in a piteous voice. ' Oh, Heaven ! I have loved him so ! The discovery of all his baseness and treachei'v wounds me to the soul ! 0, Michael ! Michael !' Her voice broke down in a wild, wailing sob. ' Y\ T hat did he say when you refused to fall in with his plans ?' asked the Lady Nora, a little later, when she had grown calm again. ' I didn't refuse, my lady.' 'Ah ! You pretended to consider them ? Your words gave me such a start then, Mr Fogarby. You made Michael think you v, ould kill me ?' ' Yes, my lady.' ' And how — how was it to be done ?' 4 1 was to waib twenty-four hours till last night, my lady, and then I was to go to your room — no, I am getting ahead of my stoiy — Mr Kildai*e was to send me a disguise yesteiday morning, my lady — a suit of sailor garments, &o that I could pretend to you that I am a sailor — ' ' But you are a sailor, are you not, Mr Fogarly V ' No, my lady.' The young girl looked ab her companion with two terrible eyes. They seemed to be burning, and they were opened to their widest extent, giving them a wild look. ' Not a sailor ?' c No, my lady. The character is put on with the clothes.' There was a long silence. The young Lady Nora covered her face with her hands. At last she spoke again : ' C4o on,' she said, in a strange voice. ' Yes, my lady. Mr Kildare said that I must steal, the key to your room, and not let my mother know of your intended escape. He did not want her to know his plans. He's a cautious man, is Mr Kildare. He said I was to open the door and offer to rescue you out of pity. He said you would be sure to fly with me. Then I was to take you to the sea-coasb, where I was to have a boat hired, and in readiness.' ' This boat is hired, then ? It is not your own ?' ' No, it's nob mine I hired it yesterday of the man we found on board last night. Mr Kildare gave me the money to pay him.' *Ah ! And what else ?' ' On reaching the boat we were to go on board. We were to set sail ostensibly for England — ' ' We are not headed for England, then ?' said the Lady Nora, still in that strange voice. 'No. Mr Kildare said you would be wearied and worn, and would soon fall aslccr. While you were asleep, I was to toss you overboard ! I was then to return to Dublin and keep silence, while he would make loud inquiries after you and loud lamentations about your unknown fate !' The terrible gloom on the girl's fair brows lifted. Into her despairing, horrified eyes crept a quick gleam of light. A heavenly smile gathered about her lovely mouth. ' You rescued me, as he ordered,' she said : ' you took me to sea in that boat — I fell asleep — and you did not drown me. You have let me live. You have even betrayed to me all the plans of your would-be employer ! Oh, Air Fogarty. I dared to doubt you while you were telling me this story ! I feared and dreaded and despaired ! But you pretended to obey Michael Kildare only that you might save me ! You knew that be would find some other way to destroy me if you utterly refused to do his bidding ! And while pretending to carry out his villainous schemes, you are befriending me and taking me to my guardian.' She drew near to him in a^ glow of gratitude, and raising one of his hairy, dirty hands from the tiller, she clasped it in both her own dainty pink palms, pressing ib fervently. ; I Fogarty drew his hand away with some confusion, ( To to continued, )