The Eventful Journey.

Thames Star, Volume LII, Issue 13940, 19 July 1919, Page 5 (Supplement)

The Eventful Journey.

(By LOUIS TRACY)

I j CHAPTER XIV (ooMinuied); i'j AND GOOD JUDGMENT YIELDS "j TO POLLY. [I A spasm of hat© and furious joy ': struggled for mastery in Mairigny's ' i face, but he showed, an iron resolu- " ■ iicm that almost equalled the oooli ness of the man whose scomM ga?,e }\ might well have abashed him. ■ "I thought so," he sadd; '"under ■>j terms, of .course?" •\ '"Terms, you beastl! The only \ terms I ask are that you shall stand 'before ime with a* sword in -your ■ hand." j "A sword! Is that quite fail-? .; You Englishmen are not proficient '■' with the sword. Why nob pistols?' 3 i'j "I think you a>rei right," said f.; Mcdenham, turning away as if the !,] right of him was loathsome. "You [< deserve the death of £■ dog; "it would f^ dishonour bright steel to . touch Y\ you." y> "Wo shall see," said Marigny,. i who, ha.ving achieved his purpose, was now apparently uoioo'nceirned as : to its outcome.. "But it would 'be '■' folly to fight without arriving at in. j understanding". I shall try to kill ■ you, and I am sure you, will adnrt i' tliih I have striven to force you in- ! to an active reciprocity in that ref sweet. But one might only be |, wmmded—thnt is the lottery of it —■ .'■ so I stipulate that if fortune should '*. favour tne, and you still live, you '! shall agree to leave me in undisturbf 5 ed possession of the neld for aft , least six months afteir our enconra- , I ter." ■ ■■■■ ■■■;■■ ;■■■ ,-.■.■ •■■•. l'\ Medenham still refused to look a:t \ hiim. .'■*■■■.■■.'■•'... " ' t -. "I agree to no terms, or coudi- ',', tioois whatsoever," he answered. "I. am meeting you ■ solely .because' of the foul lie you have diared to utter 'r against the reputation of the wor : man I love. If you boreathei a word j of it in. any other ear I, shall tear : your tongue out by. the roots, duel -i^or no duel." i'l "Ah, but thai is a .pity," jeered V the Frenchman. "Don'ti you see '< that, unless you accept my offer 1 shall be compelled' to lali back) on V; the sword, since it is absolutely • an ■'I essential elecmemt of my probable 4 success thaifc youi should be cleared ' out of my "way. I have no. chance t|> agaimjsit! you in the matrimonial J market, but I think the odds are '':- in my favour where .cold! steel is ' the arbitrator. Now, could any- * v one!be more frank than I in this V matter? I mean either to wnia or ■ lose. There must be no middle „ course, unless you are willinig! to "' stand aside if beaten. I can _win !~ only by steppding over your oofpss. \ Why not) avoid extremes!? They may ' be unnecessiairy." 1, "You have already/convinced' me ,'j that your ethics atre drawn from <?"| th© police court, but ■ I see now '"] that you depend for your* ' wit on ,| the cheaper variety of melodrama/ J | said Medenham wdth a, quiet der'..*'O'i , -1 that alt .last brought 'a flush of pas , I sioa .to the JFrenchman's face. "I t'i fail to gee the need of more words., 'I You ha.ye asked for deeds, and you "i shall have them. Whe'ii and where »* do you propose this enoouniter shall \ } take place?" •■'■■! I ■ "To-morrow morning-—>aboat four [»' o'clock—on. the sands betweer f"; Calais'and Wissamt." : la s-pdte of all that had gone le,tJ. fore Medenhaim was unprepared'for

this categorical answer. Were he in full possession) of his faculties he must ha.ye .seen, the jtrapi into which he was being decoyed. XJnhappily. Vanrenen's letter had helped to complete the lure, and he was no longer amenable 'to th© "dictateis of cold reason. ,

"That is hardly possible/ ho said. "I do. not propose to bring myself under ,the law; as a murderer, Monsieur Marigny. I am ready : to- take the consequence® of a fan* fight, but to secure that cerain j--ve-liminafries. aire indispensable." "I was sure you -vrould meeß me," said Marigny, smiling nonchalantly as he lighted, the oigavett© >a.gain. '"I have arranged everything, even the attendaaice ol wi*nesseis and! a, doctor. We cross* over; to Calais by the night, boat frcu Dover, pick aip the others at tne Hotel d" Plage, at which they will arrive: toj-taiiigjr€—'a.nd' drive straight to the terrain. There is no proc 1-. pect of outside interference. This is not the sort~of duel which either of the combatants is ainxious to ad- } yertiso "broadcast. My friends w*ll J be dkoretiomi itself and I need hardjly express' my conviction that, you ( will.-not-make knowoi: in England I th© puii"pose of our .journey. Of I course, it is o>p©n to you to bring j ipme of your friends, you 1 think fit.

But my notion is that these affairs i can be settled discreetly in the pr»- ---' seaioei of the-smallest possible num- , ber o<f onlookers, 'I shall, of course, satisfy you as to .the. standing of the genblemein, I 'have summoined from Paris. On the table 'there _ are their telegrams, accepting my. invitation to meet U's at Calais. When you come in I was busy putting my ■wretched affaire in order. "At least, I have given you proof of my belief In your courage. I eveni go so far as 'to say that.l regret most profoundly the necessity which has driven','me. to use threats against a' charming lady in order tot wring a challenge out of you. Of course, between ourselves, I know. perfectly wej.l that there is.-not ,a word of truth in the statements I have pledged to make', but that defect'in no. wise detracts from their efficiency. Indeed, it recommends them 'the more to' the real purveyor of ■scandal— —j" : . The dooi- slammed ' behind aledenihaim. A dreadful douibit assailed him that if he did not hurry away from tihat tiauinting voice he might be tempted to forget himself, and what torture; that, would mean to Sylvia. He ,wa® • indeed a prey to complex emotions that rendered 1 him utterly incapable of foMninjg a well- ■ bsfJajnced judgment. .Nlo+ihrngi miore illlo'gicali, moire ill-advised, more thoroughly unsuitie'd- to achieve its object',- than the proposed duel could well, 'be mooted, yet the sheer malignity of Marxgny's ruffianly device to attain, his end'g,'Ead compelled:"him to that final madness. ;.Notions of right amd! wrong were; topsy-turvy in his brain.- He was carried along a, current otf ipaissioin that overturned every bara-ier imposed by ■ sense and prudence. Ii seemed' quite reasonable to one who had , often risked 'life and limb -Sot his country, who, from mere love of sport, had faced many am • infuriated tiger and skulking lion, that he should be ■justified' 'by the 'eternal law in striving to rid the world of this ultrabeast. He had not scrupled to, (kill a poisonous snake- —why should • he flinch from 'killing 1 a man whose thief' equ)i'pmen'fc were the .poison,-• laden fangs of slander? Happily; he could use a sword In a. fashion that might surpJiiseT Marigniy most woefully. Mhe did.noti siucceedi in killing the wretch, he would surely disable toim, and the thought sent such a tbril of fierce pleasure through his veins that he resolutely j closed his eyes to the lamentable | relsultis that must follow his ■ own ,dea<<ki. „ '",•.! | Sylvia, at least, would not suffer; that wiaig all he cared for. iNo> matter what happened, 'he did not imagine for one moment that sh© would marry Marigny. But that eventuality hardly troubled him it all. The Frenchman had chosen the sword, and he must abide _by itg stern arbitrament. ■ uHome,! T> he said to Bale, finding his retainer's eye bent inquiringly on him when he reached the street., The word had a curiously detached sound in his ears. "HomeY It savoured of rank lunacy to think that within a few short hours he would 'be kstanding on. foreign! soil, striving desperately with naked steel to defend his" own life and destroy another's.

ajtei oiveii' Egyiprtj- and deposes Khedive- ; . ■' ■Deid. —Mtst ■ iieirioipilanß r'add on England. 1915. Janl. 19—-^eippeLui raid: Yarmioui'th and distiiciti. - ' ' 4 Jan. 24-r-Naival Batitle off DogigeaBanik, Bluohett 1 sunk. Feb. 2h—-N.Z. troops•■ assist to rep d altitck Suez Canal. Feb. 18—Geirm)an v subma-riiaa bliockade of Greait Biiitain begiinis. MJaa-dh 10—Baitttle of Neiuvei Chiapelle. ■ April 22h—iSeoond .'. BaMe..: of Ypir-es beigiam. .. ■ April 22—iFS'rBitl use ode pioiision, gias by. ■ G-eornaiainisi. ; . April 25—The Allied Forces land in Qallipoli.

May.7 —The Luisdt'aniai toaipedoed ana sunk, orvtar 1000 lives' lost-

the no^-ea^terni railway aystern. • It began in Donoaster on Tuesday, and! the' entire: system ■ is (By Johannes C. AjndersKm>.) (By; "Aj«s.") (Continued) the enemy with "drum "fire.'* " The German artillery, at first stupefied, recovered! quickest! in the neighbour- i hood of Messines, amd, finding the ■New Zealanders, caused' them considerably .(losses. jThe New .. Zealanders,' promptly on time, advanced across the valley of the Steenebeek, and ascended the isou'tihem end of the ridge. At 4.10 a..an., ; when the fiuni rose, the mem of MJaordlamd were seem progressing slowly in- the one-time, village towarde £he, site of the church and the fcquaire. Throughout they met wdth stiff opposition, but by 7 a.m. they had completed! the capture of Messmes, had advancedl behind' the town, and at once proceeded to dig in., while the Aiusitraliains "leaip^fi-oigged" through, *hem, and completed the work. Tanks igreatly assisted in the attack, also numerousi battleplanes. The Ntew Zealand Division was againi showered wHOi congratulations. It held fch« proud distinction of having wrested the first Belgian town from the grasp) of the invader. . « Capture of La Basseville. Giveni another brief resit, the di/viision was next senifc into action Km 3'lst July, being- aissigned 'the captture off ILa. B'assieviiile,' nieair Warnetoni, stromgly, held :fay the enemy. Advancing out of the early morning fog, the New Zealandem Bulrpi-isingi the Germans., did excellent wor\i at the cros^-i"^^ "uiy captuaung dominating machime-giums, and were, ia the "village itself before the enemy's troops anticipated t£eir praaemoe. Tbr,rific. hamd-ito-haiid lighting emsuedl; lihe .garrison, ■ was Skilled almost to a fmanj the at'tackeris remaining in possession. The ememy quicOdyl developed • a .heavy cwtumiter-iartftaick, jand: reooivered most of tine lost (ground; our men, surroumded' by greatly superior numbers, retired, fighting! gallantly back to "their original line. The GertaQiami auocessi, towever, wa^ ' ■slhlolrt^ lived. The New Zealanders resumed thei attack, in force, amd swept their- opponents! back' into La Basseville, where tihe fiercesti ba,yonet fighting ensued. Dawn found the New iZealanders securely in the village, amid tlhe position was?' quickly limlked' up with the line to • north. GravenstJtiel and Abraham Heights. (From 'JPhamies Star 19th July;, 1874)

Deo. 15—'Sir Douglas Hadg replaces Sir Joihaa French as British Com.nuandeir in Chief. Dea. '19—GiaEipoli -evacuation, oonamenced. 1916. Jam. B—End .of British. evaouaitHon caf GallEpolii. Feib. 9—Geinea-al Snmts aippioimtied to 1 East Afrioani cio'mm'a'ud. Feb. 2il—Verdun battle begun,. April 15—Anzacis land in Fi-anlcfe. Apiul 24—Irish t ebellion. ; Apiril 29—-Fall of Kut, May %i —British Co'nsciripbioiU' Bill passed. May 31 —Baittle o>flt ooast; of JultiLamid. June 4—'Russiajii .offensive uinde,r Birusiloff begun. Junel s—'Loiss aib Seta, of Lord Kirtchenler and • Staff. Junie 21 —Allied Note to Grecoe. Demands concededJuly I—Soimmie Battle beigam.. Augiuistl 6—litiali'anj offensivip 'Onl Isonzobe&tiin). Augustfc 27—'Runi'uniiai entea-s War. , August 29—■Hindem'burg!' appointed Chnef of Germsaml Staff. Sepit:. 3 —'Zepipeilin desitiroyed at Cuffley. Sept. 15—New Zeail'anders ta.ki j Fleirto; tlam'ks ifirteitl ussed 1. _ Sept. 23-24—-Zoppelini deistroyed in Essex, 'and aniotheir 1 broniiaihf down Nov. 18—>Oaipit.ure of MoniaistiT 1- ; Nov. 21' —Franz Josef of Ausitoai doaidj Deo. I—'Allied ita'ooipsi a* Aiihenig aittadked. ; D'ed. s—Mr Asquith' regiesDec. & —Bucihiatreislti odoulpie-d by enemy. Deo.' 7—Mr Lloyd Gearys Prime. Ministeir. Deo. 12:—^Gemftral 1 NiVelle succeeds Gemlerfal Joffre •iiru comimaard of French Army. Gemeir'ail Joffre bedoimieis Pre^iidenit oif Allies' Wan J Council. Deo. 20—Ffclfc Peace Not© from) Prteiisdden* Wilstm.

Nov. 7—General Alleiuiby takes Gaza. Nov. 20—'General Byng, witih tanks, bre&iks Hmdetaburg; Line facing 1, Oaimbrai. Dec. I—Bet-hashl—Bet-hash Ea&t Africa cleared of, enemy. Deici- 3—Russian General Staff susrr'andea 11 ;ta Bolsheviks. Deo. B—Russo'-Gerinian aranstdoei., Doo. 9—'Fall of Jerusalem. Deo. 11—British, aeroplanes . raid Rhine towns. * 1918. Jan. B—President Wilsow enunciates has. 14 points. Jam. 17—British cross PiaveJari. 28—Raid on London-: 58 killed, 173 injured. Feib. 10—Tratzky announces Rutes-ia. is no longer aitr waorFeib. 16—General Sir William' Robeii'som rfesignis aisi Chief f£ General Staff. General Sir Henry Wilson succeed^ him.

Feb 21—^Alien-by take© Jefricthoi. March. 2—Russo-Gea-man' ppacei si'gped at Brest-Liitlovs'kl. March 7 —'"Northern Lights'" an«l fnioonless! raids on London. March 21—Gecrnaan attempt to smash British Army beginfe. Maircih, 29—rGemeral Focn appointed GeneHalissimd.