The Scales of Justice

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8544, 26 September 1907, Page 2

The Scales of Justice

CHAPTER XXXVIII. WITHIN THE SNARE. Gilbert watched him as one watches some important piece of impersonation. He had not the least idea what it all meant. But Beard was not acting—that expression on the face was only the outcome of strong, glad emotion. He knelt in the path as if he had found some treasure that was beyond price; there were tears in his eyes. "What has he found?" Gilbert asked. "And if the papers are useful to him " "You conclude that they might be more useful to us?" Marston went on. "So they will, for we shall get them back again—at least, the proper owners .will- And you mean to say that you don't know w'lat Beard is so excited about?" Gilbert was free to confess that he had not the slightest idea. Marston chuckled. "Then I'll tell you," he said. "The strange part of the bond rolling—l mean, the rolling that got you into such serious trouble—was that the bonds were never circulated. They are negotiable bonds and could have been turned into cash before they were missed, but such a thing never happened. It was deemed by some that this was impossible and too sanguine, as things turned out, but a clever man like Beard would have laughed at the theory. Still, the bonds were never turned into cash, and the true reason is that the bonds were lost."

"Lost!" Gilbert said, with difficulty suppressing a cry, "lostby rim. Then y«u mean to say that these very bonds that were lost " "Have been found again in the strangest manner. As far as I can understand, they have been under Beard's nose the last two years. At any rate, they are found now, and Beard has them in his possession at the present moment." . "I am as much in the dark as ever," Gilbert said. Marston proceeded to explain the discovery made by Delamere in the little red box. The rest of the plan had been earned out after Winifred Cawdor had begun to recollect things as told to David Delamere. "But why wait any longer?" Gilbert asked. "There is that ruffian with the bonds in his possession. Let us prove that, and lam free. 1 can hardly stand here and watch him, knowing the mischief and misery he has done to me and one that I love, and control myself. I want to rush out and seize the rascal and bring him to justice. What do we gain by delay?" Marston laid a detaining hand on

the shoulder of his companion. Gil- <• bert was trembling with anger from head to foot. "I shall keep you if I have to detain you by force," Marston said coojly. "Would you spoil everything by your Jmpetuosity at the last moment? Does it not seem that there are others-to be trapped as well as Beard—Madame Regnier, for instance and the one who rails himself Captain Ronald Cardrew? Do you suppose that the Delameres have not made arrangements for them to be taken red-handed? Don't you suppose Good heavens!" Marston's astonishment was not unnatural in the circumstances. Beard had just risen to his feet and was placing the precious papers in his pocket, when the bushes parted, and the figure of a woman stood there. She had a short skirt and a man's double-breasted reefer jacket. A tweed cap rested on her head. Her eyes flamed with anger. "So I have caught you in the nick of time," she said. "It is not in vain that I have had you watched, all three of you. I knew that in some way you were making use of your ward, Miss Cawdor, in the matter. It never occurred to you, perhaps, that Miss Cawdor's own attendant was in my pay. She did not hear all your talk to-night,but enough to give me a clue. The telephone did the rest. , ;Mow, what have you to say for your- j self?"

Gilbert, crouching down; there, knew without being told that it was Madame Regnier who spoke. Marston was shaking with suppressed laughter. In the light of the lantern 'Beard looked white and flabby. He had not expected this denouement. He stammered some explanation. "You are too clever, but you are wrong. If you fancy that I am trying to do you out of your share of the plunder you are mistaken. I am prepared to swear to you that the bonds were lost, and that I have only recovered them a few minutes ago." "Liar! Always a liar! You pretend that the bonds were stolen and you hid them here in some hollow tree.*|All that gstovy about the red box was an invention. But I am glad your ward's maid told me of it because I knew then that you had some hiding-place here. That is why I came away from home to-night as soon as possible and followed you. And my surmi t was correct." "Your suspicion was not correct," Beard said bonds were lost. It happened one day in London. I met Miss Cawdor and asked her to come and lunch with me and who should come in at the earns moment but Theodore, the famous French detective. You know what I had to fear from Paris, and you can guess my state of mind. I thought the police were after me for that Paris affair. And then I felt cold as I thought of these bonds in my pocket. Whatever charge I was arrested on would not save me from having to give up the bonds, and in that case nothing could possibly save me. Theodore went out for a momsnt and I took the oppor- j tunity of passing the bonds over to Miss Cawdor."

By PEED E WHITE,

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

"You were always quick at inventing a story," madame said bitteriy. "You have quite missed your vocation. Well, get along!" "I am gftt'ng along as fast as I can," Beard said sulkily. "I didn't have an opportunity to get the bonds back for over a week, as Winifred had gone to Hastings, and Gilbert Doyle was there also; and you know perfectly well that 1 dared not face him. After he was arrested, Winifred's mind was so preyed or. that she lost her memory, and I lost the bonds because she could give me no clue to their whereabouts. And all that story of the red box is true. The bonds fell out of it as Winifred was coming back from d cottage near here, after she has escaped from your house, on her way to-ihe Moat House. I came here to look with " a lantern, and I have found all the lost papers." "I wish that I could believe you," Madame Regnier said grudgingly. "I tell you 1 am speaking nothing but the truth!" Beard flared out. "Do you suppose that I should be pottering about here with a lantern attracting the attention of keepers and what not if I had known where to place my hand on the missing securities? And you know perfectly well that I would have disposed of these bonds at the very time the police were hottest in search of them. You are going to get your share, never fear.'' "Oh, I shall take care of.that!" Madame Regnier said pointedly. "I am going to let you out of my sight again as long as you have that plunder on you. As soon as Ido I shall be done out of my share to a dead certainty. You are coming back with me." "What for?" Beard asked. "Have you got some scheme in your mind?"

"Yes, I have. And if I have to trust somebody, that somebody will not ba Dr. Bernard Beard. I can trust John Lancaster, alias Ronald Cardrew, because he is afraid to play me false. And he is going to be my messenger in this business." "Oh, indeed! And what part in that negotiation am I going to play?" "You are going to hand over the papers to me to-night. Cardrew will slip off on his bicycle about half-past ten, and catch the mail to London at Longtown Junction. To-morrow he will see Isaac Barry, who had originally arranged to buy the bonds. He will get cash for them, and bring it back to me. I shall then hand you your share of the money, and after that there will be no need .of any further business between us —I am rather tired of playing catspaw to you. Besides, I am quite clever enough to set up for myself." "You are, indeed!" Beard said bitterly. "Well, I suppose I shall have to do as you suggest. Once rouse a woman's suspicions, and you need not try to do anything with her again. I'll just hide my lantern, and come with you to Breckland Lodge. As you are so cruelly suspicious, you may as well take the papers whilst I hide my lantern here. I suppose you are not afraid to trust yourself with me in the dark, eh?" "Not in the least," Maslame Regnier.said coolly. "Let us get along." The sound of their footsteps died away in the distance. Marston laughed. "This is a development that I hardly expected," he said. "All the same it is all in our favour. It was a slice of real luck getting to know just what the plan was. We shall be able to make the trap the more complete. I don't know what plan the Dela-meres-nave made. They are somewhere near Breckland Lodge just now and we are safe to see the usual delay. Let us follow that precious pair to their lair. Did I not tell you that you would be a free man before the week was out?"

Gilbert nodded; his heart was too full for words. Everything was going smoothly; he felt no longer anxious to confront Beard and accuse him of his crimes. He could see that Marston's prudence was more useful. A day or two, and all would be well. Yet it was good to know that he could be up and doing something. "Very well," he said presently. "Perhaps it would be the best thing to follow those people and let the two Delameres know what we have done.''

They made their way through the wood and into the near road. By keeping on the grass at the sides of the heath it was possible to glide along almost close enough to the precious couple to hear what they were talking about. Breckland Lodge was reached at length, and the door closed on Beard and his companion. Immediately Marston raised the cry of the barn-owl.

In response, David and Stephen Delamere appeared. They explained that they had left the motor hidden in a deep lane, and that they had come here to force something like a confession out of Madame Regnier, but that she was out. Their idea was to drag the truth from the adventuress, and ' then confront Beard and compel him to disgorge the bonds. (To be continued.)