The Scales of Justice

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8535, 16 September 1907, Page 2

The Scales of Justice

CHAPTER XXXl.—Continued. "It is out of tho question, darling." he said. "I have my loyal friends io think of. And it will not be long before we are together again for ali time -till death do us par 4 ;. If you !! G.lnert paused; a single tap on ths window-pane of the cottage brought hi.n tumbling headlong to earth again. Somebody was asking to be let in, and that somebody was not alone. Un'ess the ears of Gi 1beit deceived him, Marston was out there and Beard was along with him. It was Marston who asked to be let jr, and this Gilbert rightly took as a signal to keep out of the way. To meet Beard at this juncture would be a cruel misfortune, and the deathblow to Gilbert's fondest hopes.

"Sit where you are," Gilbert whispered. "A search-party is looking for you outside. I feel quite certain that Bernard Beard is with them. And he must not see me. lam going to wake up Anna to open the door. Be true and silent!" Winifred's face turned deadly white, and though she nodded bravely., the old listless look was creeping over her face again. Gilbert noticed it, with a certain feeling of euilty regret. Still, he would effect a permanent cure when the time came. The great thing for the moment was to baffle Bernard Beard. As Gilbert made his way into the attic bedroom he could hear Marston pretending to try the door. As a matter of fact, the door was not locked, and Gilbert accepted this as a hint that danger wau near. He shook the old woman in bed, and she sat up rubbing her eyes. In a few hurried words Gilbert explained ruatters. The brave nurse rose to the situation. "Two minutes," she said. "Give me two minutes and I shall be ready for them, dearies, foow you go to your bedroom, and wait there till they have gone." Th' 5 visitors outside were getting impatient, a? the rattling of the door testified. Then the door was thrown open, with a great pushing of latch, and an irate old woman, with a dressing-gown over her head, wanted to know what they wanted at this time of night.

'Wr- fW" Lc-iitu. S tWDIiUH,

Marston explained. As a matter of fact, he had been led away by a phantom, and only reached the cottage again as Beard came up with a section of his search-party. The light in the cottage window had attracted his possible that Winifred had seen it also, and had asked for a night's shelter. "Making all this fuss about nothing!" old Anna grumbled. "A young lady? Certainly I've got a young lady here. She lost her way, and she's sitting by the flre. Nothi; g the worse for her tramp, I hope. And she's had something to eat into the bargain." Beard pushed by the speaker into the sitting-room. His anger disappeared, he assumed his softest and most amiable expression as his eyes rested on the girl. r "My poor child, you have given us a fright," he said. "Why did you do it?" „ Winifred shrugged her shoulders listlessly. She seemed to have fallen back into the grey, hard woman again; the mist was enveloping her again. And yet she had appeared to remember the warning that Gilbert had given her—she was to say very little to anybody, and, least of all, to Bernard Beard. "Pid anybody bring you here?" he asked. "Did you see any strangers? —a tail man, with a clever, stern face, and the accent of an American?" Wini'red shrugged her shoulders again. She was understood to say that she had not neen anything of the kind. Betard bent over her tenderly, and laid a finger on her pulse. It was beating furiously, as well it might. But, Beard, being innocent of the cause, grew grave. "She is not well," he said. "I should not wonder if this produced a grave illness. Old lady, would you find a bed here for my young friend, to-night?" "Yes," Anna replied promptly. "And right glad to be of any service to the young lady—God bless her!"

CHAPTER XXXII. GILBERT SPEAKS. The news of the finding of Winifred had spread like wildfire. It seemed to reach those others searching the wood and the moors by a specjes of mental telegraphy. It was known in the woods a few minutes later, and the shouts of the seekers reached the strained ears of those on the moors. As if by magic a crowd gathered round the cottage. Prominent amongst them were thn Dc.lameres. "No occasion to go inside," Marston said. "I found the young lady some time but she gave me the slip. The lu i of the cottage windows attracted >.er, I suppose, and she obtained there. No, she is not much the worse, but Dr. Beard is prudent to keep her here for the night." The willing, eager band of searchers broke into a cheer. They were all tired and weary, but they had given their services generously, and were gratified their efforts had been crowned with success. They began to melt away immediately, so that the. woods were not soon quiet again. It was only the two Delameres who pushed their way into the cottage. By this time the sitting-room was emplv, for Winifred had been conveyed to Gilbert's room by old Anna. She stoutly refused to have any assistance; Dr. Beard could come

By FRED W. WHITE,

[Published By Special Arrangement.] [All Eights Reserved.]

in and see his patient when she was safely in bed, but not before. As a matter of fact, the quick-witted old woman had seen things of Gilbert's littered about that would have to be removed before Beard could be admitted into the room. Everything was done, and at length Beard came into the sitting room with the intimation that his patient was going on well. She was asleep already, and was likely to be herself in a day or two. Meanwhile she would be best where she was. "I'm sure we can trust the old woman," David Delamere said. "She has honesty written all over her ; homely face. Shall we get back, doctor?" Beard nodded moodily. He was not pleased with the turn of affairs. And, moreover, he was dismayed to find that he was so entirely in the hands of the Virginians. They had a cool, commanding way about them that he secretly dreaded. "We had better," he said. "All's well that ends well. We have earned our night's rest, I fancy." "Well, well, most of the mischief has been your doing," the younger Delamere said drily. "If you had been less cunning there had been no occasion for all this anxiety. Still, you are not likely to spirit the young lady away again. We can wait our time now. Have a cigar?" Beard refused the offer curtly. In other circumstances he would have felt hiirself quite a match for the Americans, and have preferred to fight them with their own weapons. But he had an uneasy feeling now that things were closing in around him. He was silent and sullen all the way home; he stood before the hall fire warming himself, with a deep frown on his face. Mary was downstairs fully dressed, but looking wan and anxious. "Is —is there any news?" she faltered. "Or have you —" "Succeeded," Beard said curtly. "The lost one has been found. She is quite safe at old Anna's cuttage. I think that's what they call the woman. She was little the worse for her adventure, and you will find her fairly well in the morning. Any o? the servants up? All gone to bed. I hope there is something in- the dining room for us." That had been thought of, for Flora Cameron was in the dining room superintending the laying-out of the supper table. Nothing was lacking when the men entered. "You must be dreadfully in want of food," said Flora, "and lam sure you have earned it. Dr. Beard, there is a telegram in the study for you. It came by special messenger from Longtown. It is in the library." Beard growled out his thanks for the information. He was in dark mood to-night. The presence of the Virginians seemed to bear him down. They were so polite, so cool, so sure of their ground. The telegram could wait; it was pretty sure to contain some bad news; and perhaps after h good meal he would feel himself again. It was even as Beard imagined. As he ate of the good food and partook sparingly of the generous wine, his courage and resolution came back to hm. With a coolness equal to that of the Virginians, he suggested a in the library. He puffed luxuriously at his as he took the telegram from the mantel-shelf and leisurely opend it. ( The expression of his face changed, he clicked his teeth snarlingty together. The flimsy was crushed in his right hand with passionate force. Evidently something exceedingly disturbing had happened. He turned his face from his guests conscious of the fact that they were watching him. He did not desire that they should see his face for the moment. "I have to go to London at once," he said. "You may stay here if you like as my guests. "For to-night, at any rate," David L'elamere said coldly, "as it is impossible for us to go elsewhere. To-j morrow we could easily obtain lodgings at one of the farmhouses handy." "There is no train to London tonight," the other said. "Then I must have a special," Beard said hoarsely. He was pacing up and down -the room with an agitation he could not conceal. "Something has gone wrong, one of my schemes that I was fool enough to entrust to another. There is no help for it, I must get to Longtown without delay. Make yourselves comfortable, please." The Virginians nodded. They did not appear in the least curious as Beard left the room and proceeded to knock up one of the grooms. A few minutes later and the clatter of the horses' hoofs on the hard ground died away along the drive. David Delamere lay back in his chair and flicked the ash of his cigar into the old brass fender. He looked quite satisfied with himself; he would have been hard to please if he had not been equally satisfied with his surroundings. His alertness was only noticed by his glittering eyes. (To be Continued.)