Literature.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 195, 22 August 1904, Page 4

Literature.

A SUP OF PAPER

"I .don't see where else I could have dropped it," mutter Hubert Darrell in perplexity. "What would the chief say if he picked upj a snapshot portrait of Elsie Glaive, with my initials on tho iback ? He might send me going, thinking I was giving away office secrets to one of bis rivals in the financial business. For, of course, he would imagine I was on giood terms with her father, who wouldn't look at me, probably. I wish 1 were on good terms with him !"

"" This last reflection caused his thoughts to wander from the missing miniature to Elsie Glaive. He had seen her hald a dozen times. She was not beautiful—to tell the truth, she was not even entitled to be called pretty, and Hubert knew it. Yet she possessed a rare charm of manner and a tender, sympathetic nature, which in the eyes of Darrell compensated for any deficiency in beauty of face and form. Darrell had fallen n love with a girl whom he dared not approach as a lover, and he had seized an opportunity to take a snapshot photo of her, which he piped al(ove all things. And this photo was lost. Apart from the danger he ran in the event of Mr Bruton finding the miniature, there was the chlafl which he would incur if it were diiAu.ered by an employee of the firm. He could not bear the notion of Elsie being the butt of office ohaff. He called her Elsie to himself; lie could not help it, although he told himself that his love was mere folly, a dream not to be realised.

"I'll hunt through his room and risk the consequences !" he continued, resolutely. '''lt's risky to be found in his room alone, especially just now, when there are so many big things floating in the air ; but it's neck or nothing. Can I got the key ? Perhaps he has only just run out for a minute or two, in which * case the key is probably in the door—and the risk of discovery all the greater, because he may come back at any moment. I'll risk it." He slipped cautiously along tiie narrow passage. To his delight he 3aw the key in the door. His luck was in, foe thought; he turned the key and entered the room. And that small incident meant a complete change in the course of events —a change such as he could scarcely have imagined.

He eagerly scanned the floor and the table in; search) of the miniature photo, and at length he discovered it close to one of the legs of the table —so close that it was not discernible at first sight. He thrust it into his pocket hurriedly, and moved towards tho door ; but lie retreated in alarm as the sound of voices peached him. He had not shut the door, or it would have bean impossible for so slight a sound to penetrate the room as/ it was for the sound of voices to escape to the passage. For a second Hubert' hesitated ; then, acting on an impulse, he sprang into a tall wardrobe or cupboard in which Bruton usually hung his overcoat and placed his bat and umbrella, and into this hid_jng place he darted, closing] the door behind "Sim. When he was snugly ensconced inside, he realised how foolish he baa been;'if caught' there, what hope was there for him ?

Bruton entered, followed by someone else; to Hubert's relief, he was blaming himself for having left his door ajar. He carefully closed it before saying another .word.

•This is what I ""want to tell you," he said, speaking in a low tone. "Glaive has had one or two nasty falls lately, and another good let down would about settle him. I am preparing that final fall, and you can do your part." "Trust me for that," returned the other, with a sinister laugh. ''What is it ?"

"What would happen if Glaive were to buy largely of tho ordinary shares in the Kodonto group ?" "Certain ruin!" came the answer, promptly and emphatically. "But be won't buy !"- "He will if he scents a 'rig,' my dear sir. And lam giving him the chance of scenting a rig that does not exist". I have written a letter on other subjects to Glaive, in the ordinary course of business, and I have been foolish enough—h'm !—to inclose by accident a very private paper containing, notes. Once he sees that paper, as he must do on opening that letter, he will buy ; ne simply won't be able to resist it. It is just the thing he wants to set him up, and he will swallow the bait at a gulp ! Now, you snow what to do, so don't fail, and we shall get rid of Glaive." "When did the letter go ?" 'iThis afternoon at five o'clock." The unintentional listener wno had forgotten hm cwn dai.ger, stifled a sigh of relief on hearing these last words; apparently Brut 0 n dild not know that Glaivo was to leave town that afternoon at four o'clock. There might be a chance of doing something to save Elsie, lor her father's ruin naturally mflajnt disaster to her. The click of the latch naturally brought Darrell to a sense of his position. Bruton and his friend had gone out, shutting the door 'behind them. It was fastened by a latch, which necessitated the use of a key when one was in the passage, but when inside the room it was simply necessary to pull back the knob. Huberbert Darrell waited until he thought the coast was clear, and then went back cautiously to bis desk.

What was to be the plan of campaign ? Had Glaive really left town ? If so, would letters be sent on to him ? If not, he might succeed by some strategy in obtaining possession of that sheet of , private notes. How ? If he went to the house and told what he had heard, his story would probably not be believed ; the letter would not be given up to him, and his conduct might be reported to Bruton, who would stigmatise his statement as false and declare that he had not missed any private document. It was very questionable whether a plain statement on his, Darrell'spart, would prevent Glaive from

pluuigiing! in ; lho ■teuipja.tion (Would bo a sovere ouc Finally, he would bo betraying a secret; it would bo done in the cause of truth, but it might bo exceedingly difficult to prove a plot if Glaive did not purchase the Kodonto, and Darrell would be discredited in the eyes pi Elsie. Onfy Glaive's ruin, by falling into the trap, could prove that the trap had been laid. Elsie might tven suppose that Darrell had slipped the paper into the letter himself, in order to have the chance of making up a story and pretending to fcxposo a plot. l»arrell was distracted, but he finally resolved on & plan, and he lost no time in making a commencement. It was nearly seven o'clock when Hubert Darrell left tho office that evening; ho w a s usually away ut half-past five, but they had Had a busy day. Fifteen minutes later he was ringing tiie front door bell at tho residence of Mr Sinclair Glaive, the financier. It was not so pretentious a dwelling as one would have expected ; some of those who knew him wondered at it, while others rightly attributed his modesty to tho influence of his daughter. "Can I see Mr Glaive?" asked Hubert of the footman who answerid his ling. "No, sir," was tho reply of the man, who knew Darrell by reason of his having called several times with bulky letters for Mr Glaive from Bruton and Co. "Mr Glaivo leit town this afternoon." (This was a piece of information that would nave cost the man his situation had it been given to am outsider.) "Miss Gl a ive is in, if it's important." Darrell had tipped the man handsomely on one recant occasion in oiler to obtain a special two-minute interview with Miss Glaive, and he was on the l o ok out for another gratuity ; Darrell hesitated. He had scarcely expected this chance of seeing tho girl whom he so dearly loved in secret. He had obtained one item of information—namely, that Glaivo was actually out ol town, and ho wished to learn one moro fact. Could ho obtain this, letter from the footman ? He believed so. Moreover, what excuse had he for asking to see Elsie ? "I do not "think I need trouble her," ho said, slowly—ono might say regretfully. "I suppose that letters will bo forwarded to Mr Glaive ?" ho asked.

"No, sir. Not yet, at any rate," returned the man. Then he appeared to think that he might have said too much. "I'm not sure, and you had better see Miss Glaive. Walk into this room ; I'll tell her. Bruton an(i Co., of course?"

"I've le a rnt all I want to know for the present," reflected Darrell, "and I shall have to invent some thing to tell her. Never mind. It seems that I am fated to see her this evening, so why should I not ivail myself of the enjoyment of »ven one minute with her, however distant she may toe from me?'" "Good evening, Mr Darrell," she said affably, as she entered, and it seemed to him that she remembered his name very well. "Is there a"Jthing important from Mr Bruton ■? There was a letter from him this afternoon, after my father's departure. Can I do anything 1" "You will not forward tho letters to Mr Glaive?" he asked, wondering where his usual readiness of speech had gone. "Not till II have a. telegram from him, which will not be till to-mor-row evening," she replied. "Is there anything wrong with that letter?" she concluded, just a trifle mxiously. Darrell was relieved to find that he had a whole day in which to make j the attempt to save Glaive and Elsie from disaster. Her last words tempted him to alter his plan a little. If she knew that a mistake had been made, would she He plunged into the breach at once, without oncluding his rapid reflect on about It.

"Yes, Miss Glaive," he answered, deferentially. "A paper has been inclosed by accident in that letter." He was using Bruton's own words. "Someone will get into troublo about that, I fear, and it would solve the difficulty if I were allowed to take it out. It gives) away a business secret," he added, as he saw a iubious expression cross her features. (To be continued.)