"THE WEB."

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8550, 7 October 1907, Page 2

"THE WEB."

[All Eights Reserved.]

Chapter iv.—continued. * The solicitors and barristers and all ] who had no abiding resides save . business offices in Lincoln's Inn, werj gone home when the interview with ( Mr Walford came to an end. Mr ] Hinchcliffe. who had sent; his luggage to the station in the morning and } settled his hotel bill before going to the Court, called a hansom when they came to the gate of the Inn, and drove direct to King's Cross. And Jack Strangways once again stood on the kerb with no settled opinion as to his immediate movements. Events were crowding upon each other with a freshness that "startled h,im out of the unnatural lethargy of the past few weeks. There was obviously some hidden romance in his father's life, some personal trouble he had never confided even to his dearest friend. Not only must the man who killed his father be found, but this, "Alice" must also be discovered. The duty of fulfilling his father's wish had somehow struck him as one of the settled necessities of life; it seemed to be regarded as a concession on his part by Mr Hinchcliffe and the solicitor, and possibly six months ago he would himself have been inclined to suggest to another man in similar circumstances that if Alice had any claim on bis father's generosity or his estate she might be relied on to look after herself and the estate might rest content till she came to trouble it. But he was beginning to take a -different view o'f life, although he hardly knew why. That face looked on approvingly, so he thought, which was an assurance that the new view ) was the right one. It had not yet dawned i"on him that the face was the cause of it all. xhat he was getting" back into the groove of ordinary mortals was borne in upon him by a more worldly and a lesa poetic fact. For the first time for many days he became conscious that he was hungry. The Inns of Court Restaurant was the nearest place he remembered. Up to now life had not been cast in this quarter of London, but he knew the restaurant among others, and by. taking a seat in the grille room on the ground floor he unconsciously aided a. person who had found Chancery Lane at the time in the evening an awkward place to keep a careful eye upon him. While he was eating his dinner, it occurred to him also that he must.

sleep somewhere. Calling a waiter, he ordered a bed in the hotel, little dreaming what a -difference this* casual adoption of the line of least trouble was to make in his life. Leaning back and blowing some smoke with the delicious sense of enjoyment only known to a man who has bean denied tobacco for many weeks, he saw before him a long evening with nothing particular to do. Mr Walfofd had mentioned that the flat had been taken possession of by the police while the trial was pending, but that it would of course be handed over to him on his bare application now. It would probably be damp and uncomfortable after being practically uninhabited for so long, but, at any rate, he might spend a profitable hour there—the environment might possibly suggest an idea. Paying his bill, he also gave the waiter a sovereign in response to a discreet suggestion that he might like to secure his bed by paying a deposit, walked along High Holborn, and thence westwards. The growing activity of the streets in this part of the town impressed nim almo3t as strongly as when he first came to London.' Shut off from the world behind prison bars, he had come out into it a different man. Every thing he did and all his thoughts seemed to be those of a person starting over again. He walked and walked, chartering neither cab nor 'bus, the sensation of being one of the crowd, the crowd that has no individuality, the members of which know nothing uf each other, had a fascination for him. Night was closing in when he reaqhed the block of buildings from whence he had been taken a prisoner. The porter was enjoying an evening smoke on the pavement. His numerous employers had all gone off for the evening, and he greeted the return of one of his moat generous of masters with a welcome smile. Like the rest of the world, he had been shocked at the murder, but since the evening papers had announced the. all important fact that the law had found the young man not guilty it was not his place to question the wisdom of his betters. "We thought you would be coming round to-night, sir. The young man from Scotland Yard is waiting to hand you over the keys, and I have had your bedroom aired and made ready for you." "Very good of you, Jenkins," said Jack as he stepped into the lift and was whirled upwards just as the two men who had watched him drive off from Ludgate Circus approached each other from opposite ways and as though by accent stopped opposite the doorway, u.o young man making the excuse tu ask the older one the way to St. James' Park. Making a pretence of pointing and explaining various directions, the man with ■ the scar led the other out into the middle of the street, and whispered to him: "He will be staying here for the night, so we may safely leave ii till later. Better not be seen hanging about here too much." "Here's the gentleman himself to relieve you," said the porter, cheerily, as he threw open the door of the fiat. A well-built young man was standing with his , back to the door as they entered the room. He was holding a curatain of one of the the windows in front of him, apparently examining the tsxture for the sheer

By PAUL URQUHART.

[Published By Special Arrangement.]

sake of something to, do. At the sound of the porter's voice he turned, and Jack recognised him as one of the men who had played a par*-, in his arrest on the fateful night. The porter went over and drew the curtain, and putting up the electric light remarked: "You've been studying economy in the electricity bill for us." Laughing loudly at his own joke, the worthy man then left them together. Jack threw himself into a chair and the officer, remaining standing, invited him to make an inspection of the premises to satisfy himself that everything was right. "I suppose you've had rather a dull time of it since I've been away," remarked Jack. "Won't you have a sit down and mix yourself a drink if you care for one?" His old longing for somebody to talk to had come upon him, and he did not like the idea of letting this man of such varied experience go away without getting a chat out of him. "I think you had better go over the rooms first, sir, and I will then hand you over the keys," replied the young man respectfully but firmly. • "Oh, well, perhaps we had better attend to business first, as you suggest, although as you may suppose, this place is not too attractive to me." Rousing himself he went through I the rooms with the officer. The place presented a different appearance now to the morning he left it. All traces of the hideous tragedy had been removed. Everything was in perfect Wler, with cupboards sealed up, and the various articles in the room ticketed with little bits of tape and formal-looking labels. By the mar--1 vellous precision of the law, a rowdy 1 bachelor's .untidy flat had been converted into a neat and respectable suite" of apartments. 1 "You had better open the cup- ; boards, drawers and see that every- ' thing is correct, sir," said the de- ' tective, handing him the keys.

Jack took the bundle and thrust it into his pocket remarking offhandedly, "Oh, that's all right." But the officer, with that courteous determination by which the London policeman manages to get his own way, persisted, and the process of examination went through to bis entire satisfaction. Then only did the .man of law unbend, and dropping his official air, consented to accept one of the cigars which Jack held out to Mm. '

"You might sit down if you're not in a hurry," said Strangways presuasively. "Had you intended to stop here all night if 1 hadn't come?"

"Yes, sir, I have only just relieved my mate," replied the officer, contentedly puffing his cigar as he crossed his legs with a semiofficial air of friendship.

"I suppose ypu were all convinced that I was guilty, or you wouldn't have worked so hard to get me convicted;" .

The officer uncrossed his, legs and sbwly took a long drink. By action rather than words he gave his host to understand that he was not anxious to.talk about the case. Anything else, now that he was off duty, but, Jack, after chatting about athletics, in which the man appeared to be deeply interested, kept finding his way back to the subject which had occasioned their first meeting. He led him on by circuitous conversational power-to talk of crimes and* criminals and of the many remarkable ways in which crimes had been discovered years after the outside world had forgotten them. He had a persuasive tongue, and he drew his companion out. There was something fascinating to him about this strongwilled, strong-limbed person who could keep his feelings thoroughly under control and who while yielding to his appeal for information up to a point, always held something in reserve. At length even the goodnature of a police officer well done by in the' matter of refreshment found its limit.

"I shall have to be reporting myself early in the morning," he said with a yawn, "arid I have to get to Clapham if I'm going home to-night. They've made up a bed for you, sir, and if you'll take my advice you'll get to it as soon as possible." (To be Continued.)