Literature.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 162, 13 July 1904, Page 4

Literature.

TUKNINQ THE TABLES* (Continued.) "What is it, Dodson ? " he asked, with a -searching glance. "L»xton", ■ who is doing that trick i» Manchester, arrived home last night," said Dodson without the least perturbation, "and he had a little too much, with the result that he fell under a heavy waggon and got hurt. He died this morning !" "H'm !. He had practically finished the job, so there's no harm done !" said Heaton unconcernedly. "You can get another man to finish it, if necessary, can't you?" "Exactly ! " replied Dodson easily. The two men conferred together for a time, arid then Dodson left his principal. They had arranged matters to'tbelr own satisfaction, and neither was particularly sorry for the accident,; as the man had learnt more of bin chief than was desirable. "It's a good riddance !" was Heaton's thought. Yet neither guessed how that accident was to affect them ! j The fortnight passed away, and sent. a message to Lena in order to aslc her to see him. Lena replied in noncommittal terms, and Heaton betook himself to Mr Brookes' residence with a light heart. Everything looked gay, as he himself expressed it ; several of his coups were coming oil. Lena was bound to submit, and all would be well with him. He would mend his ways, and live happily with her in luxury. . He found Lena looking worried to the last degree, and a quick feeling | of pity shot through' his heart. "I'll make it up to her when we are married!" he mentally vowed, *s he saluted her gallantly, "My father is out," said Lena in a cold, monotonous voice. "We had beeter go into his little room, where we can talk without interruption." She led the way, and he followed, ■blessing his good fortune at having Lena to himself. "Sit down," she said, motioning him to a chair as they entered the room and she closed the door. "You have failed ?''

"No ! " he ci'iod, throwing hiniscll into the chair, which was a swivel chair placed before a small table. He noted the question with satisfaction ; it showed him that she dreaded to hear, expected to hear, that he had been succcsslul. "I have ample proofs !.

She moved away from him without speaking, and sank into another cha,r a few feet from the table. "Tell me all !" she commanded in a hollow voice.

'lt Will distress you, but it is to save you from degradation ! I love you too well to permit it; so even while I inflict, pain, lam working for your goad ! I have proofs here " he continued, spreading some papers on the empty table, "which show what a rascal lie is ! Come and see

She rose hurriedly, and,, pressing her hand to her side, she leant oveT from the opposite side of the table and tried to follow with unseeing eyes what he was explaining g „hi t ,. Wa f 1 SO dearly S(,t forth that she could see that Harold Winslow was guilty of a great crime. Sic wanted to refuse to believe it, but the evidence was so clear ! She was ?hat VlnTTo " We t0 pi< * th ' s «£ mat point to pieces. Shs uttered n Kroan and held m ««* a support as Heaton rolled up then? "Is that sufficient, Lena ■> Will vn.. her side „f the table. * t0 "No, mo ! I will not !" s h« crlwl rmsingher voice till he feared Z't the servants might h ea , „ ml Zmot their mistress' assistance. "KeeT away from me! I will not marrv V ou I cannot : ' ■ - ■

She lifted her hands to thrust him back, and there was such a look of abhorrence and determination on her usually placid and smiling features

that he recoiled. He cast a swift glance at her, and he recognised that he must force her now if he wished to possess her. Possess her ? He would have her if he died a week after the wedding ! His lilood was up, hut, unlike U>na, he did not show it in his features.

•'I have a paper here," he said with calm delil/eration, '■that will send your lover to prison ns certainly ns we are looking at it. That paper requires only my signature. Will ,\ on be my wife or shall 1 sign it ?" Moving swiftly to a side table, lie brought pen and ink to the table at which lie had been ait'ting ; he held his incriminating document lightly in his left hand all the lime. Seatror himself, he laid the paper on the tumble, took a pen and prepared 10 sign it.

"For the last lime, Lena, will von be my wife or shall 1 sign this ar,d send your lover 1o prison '.'" "I Cannot marry you, I will not marry you !" came in vehement tones from the girl's lips.

"Then I sign it !" he cried, fixing his keen eyes upon her.

He saw an agonised look creep into her eyes ; her face was convulsed with conflicting sentiments; she stood over the table and stretched out her hand with a linger pointing to the paper and his pen. "Sign that paper if you dare !" she said. '-You are foieing me to it! I owe you my life, but you are taki»g it from me ! ! cannot undo the guilt of the man to whom I have given my love, but ] can demonstrate my love by saving him ! Walter Heaton, if you sign thai paper and send my lover to prison, I will bring upon your head the just punishment of your own crime !" For the first time, Heatoro lost his aelf-possession ; her words were so significant, and uttered with sue-h conviction, that they alarmed him.

"What do you mean ?" he gasped, springing to his feet and brushing the fatal document to the floor. "I don't understand."

"You are a villain, and you know it " she cried. "See ! " she added pointing her linger at his now livid face and speaking as if to an invisible judge. "See how guilty he looks. Walter Heaton, 1 have discovered your crime ! The widow of your poor accomplice, forced to do youit rascally bidding because you had a hold on him through one false step of his—his widow received his confession in hi* last moments. I befriended her, and she told me ! I have found out much, for it was right that I should know the real characters of both the men who wished to marry me ! If you had left me in peace, I would have said nothing, leaving the working of justice to other and higher bands ; but you forced me to speak. My gratitude would have held me, but there must be some concession on your part !"

Walter Heaton did not trouble to examine into the logic of her action, all that concerned him was that she had learnt enough to visit his sins upon him if he persisted in carrying out his threat with regand to Harold Winslow. The tables were turned with a vengeance !

She still believed that Harold was guilty ! He tried to collect hiinseU, in order to find a way out. Before he had time to utter a word, however, a servant knocked at the door. "There's two detectives, miss, as wants to come in ! I've tried to bamboozle 'em, while I come to you, but they're coming and says as I'll catch it for hindering 'em or my name ain't John, and they 'ave got a warrant for the arrest of Mr Heaton ! Here they come !'' Lena shut the door in the man's 'face, then turned to confront the man w.ho had saved her life, as she thought. He was trembling in every limb.

"They have found you out !;' she cried spasmodically. "1 have said nothing. There may yet 'be a chance of escape, and it is the last thing 1 can do for you ! Quick, through that door, up the narrow staircase to the first floor, then take the servants' staircase to the leit, and make your way to the roof ! Quick, quick ! You can escape that way, along the roofs. I will hold them at that door !"' He hesitated lor a moment, for one brief second he forgot himself and thought of the risk she was running im helping him, and of the suffering he had caused her by his fiendish plot against Harold Winslow. Then she instinct of self-preservation gained the upper hand. "Hold them !" he cried, white with foar. "I may escape !" He dashed through the opposite door, not stopping even to give a sign that the document on the floor was false. Lena gathered up the paper and thrust it into her pocket ; then she locked the door and threw the key through the open window into the shrubbery. The next moment the two officers entered, angry at having been detained. "Where is he?" demanded one.

"Gone !" declared Lena, laconically, trying to bo calm and gain time. Every moment was precious ! One man dashed towards the open window and quickly examined the sill.

"He didn't go that way I" he shouted. "Here, Jack, through this door !"-

Lena, by an effort, prevented herself from placing her weak frame between them and the door : that would have betrayed her and him. The officers tried to open the door, but were ballled. It appeared us if Heaton would gain all the time necessary to make good his flight, but the feeling of exultation that was rising in Lena's breast was dashed by the inspiration of one of the detectives. "I know these houses ! That leads to Ihe first floor I Follow me, and we'll have him !''

What happened during the next five minutes Lena never properly understood. She waited with nervouslyclasped hands for the result. She waited till she heard a shriek from somewhere above, and then she fell into a swoon. They told he-r all afterwards.

The officers found He-aton on the roof; there was a short chase, Heaton missed his footing and fell from the high roof, uttering that shriek as he fell. When picked up he was still living, and he made use of his last moments, as his accomplice had done, to endeavour to right « wrong. Harold Wmslow was amazed when he discovered how narrowly h e had ea-uped prison without being in the least aware of his danger, old. MiBrookes was so upset, that he vowed that Lena should make her own selection of a husband, which duly she

delegated to Harold with a charming blush. ! The marriage did not take place for a year, and, when it was solemnised Mr Brookes sold his house and went to live in the South of England, :near to the pretty estate which ho had giiven his daughter as a wedding present.