"THE WEB."

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8864, 25 October 1907, Page 2

"THE WEB."

CHAPTER XlV.—Continued. "I will not hear you talk _ with ribald disrespect of the insignia of my holy office." "Oh, well," and the Venetian blind came down with a bang. "You are actually beginning to convince yourself that there is some- ' thing in your creer 1 , which explains your doting imbecility on other matters. We must play on this and make our position secure before we tell all. There will be enoughior us all then without your flying scroll, and tha New Jerusalem may go to some other Moses. I don't see why you cling to it so long. Do you suppose you can keep up much longer with a couple of millionaires fighting against you?" "And"clumsy bunglers about me who cannot even shoot straight." ' "Then do the next job yourself. But for your infernal squeamishness the thing might have been finished long ago, although the English pig dies hard." "And scores-of lives are sacrificed white he comes out scathless. His escape from the railwaj disaster wa's a miracle, nothing short of a miracle, and I begin to despair of the whole business. Yet we cannot stop halfway. And to think that she was also in the train." "The grim humour of ;hance is one of the compensations of a humdrum life. However, we haven't much time to moralize. According to Council's' information he passed through Loeds this afternoon in the London express, and he will be here to-night. Before we go to St. Pancras then, let us have a thorough understanding. That girl must no longer remain independent of us." "You do not know her spirit." "You do not know an Italian's power with a woman Have you got the papers?" "No, she has ceased to carry them on her, a.further indication that she is wearying of the work. She is so stubborn that 1 can get no more from her than that they are safe, where I do.not know. And now, my dear Ricardo, let me again tell you that you are playirg too high a game, I fear; your reward is already sufficiently assured." "Yes, but I have other ambitions now. Firstly, I have grown to love this girl, and then " There was a long pause as though the two men were stealthily watching each ohter. The harsher voice of the old man first broke the silence.

"Ricardo," he said, "do not deceive yourself. Do you think that you can work without me? Do you imagine that by luring this girl into marriage with you, you wiil be able to defy me? If that is passing in your * mind, dismiss it at once. Neither of you can succeed without me. It is better to my purpose, to our purpose, that her silence should be secured in - another way. Let her go forth to her owniife with her lips sealed for the sake of her husband. She comes of a stubborn stock, and no man will marry her against her will. Do not flatter yourself that you can rival Theodore Beeton."

"You are insolent, you vulgar Yankee, to compare the son of a line of Roman nobles with your mushroom sugar boiler. The honour is hers, not mine. I teU you, you impious old mocker, that all the vulgar scum brought into your country, and grown rich and fat on plebeian commerce, shall not prevent me marrying your niece. It is that or nothing, do you hear me? Let me go to her now, I will see her once again, I'll plead with her, I.will tell her the tales that counts have breathed into the ears of fair Iralian ladies in my own land. She cannot resist. She shall not resist. Stand away, I say, let me go to her." "You hare-brained ass. You talk like a demented boy. Our plans cannot be thwarted for the sake of a fleeting passion." "Stand aside, I say." "Sit down and cool yourself. Keep your fingers off me, you ruffian." There were sounds of a struggle; the old carpet moved and a dustcovered face appeared cautiously out. Putting his hands on the window sill, the man slowly raised himself to the level of the bottom leaf of the Venetian blind. In a small room, hung about the walls with curious vestments and weird emblems, a tall man, just past middle age, held a black-haired young man by the shoulders. The elder one's back was against the door, the other tried to dislodge him, but though younger he was slight of frame and the room was so constructed that only weight would tell. Wrenching' and gasping he clutched at the older man's throat, but the long arms held him off, and a dexterous trip with the right foot sent him sprawling to the end of the room. A stiletto flashed in the gathering gloom as he picked himself up and rushed again to the door. The long arm of the older man shot out and caught his uplifted wrist, and ngain the strjggle was renewed. j...re was murder in the black eyes of i.ie Italian. He had lost all sense of caution; his southern blood was galloping through his veins until they stood out in blue lines across his delicately chiselled face, now white with passion. The tall sinewy man held him at first with a grip of iron, and twisted his wrist with the skill of an old Wild West duellist; but youth and ungovernable rage are dangerous allies, and the weight of years began to tell. The elder man's breath came and went in short gasps, and there was terror in his eyes as he glanced furtively round the room. Twice cr thrice he tried a trip,, but the nimble youth, warned by the previous trick, foiled him. He was dragged from his corner at the door, and struggled desperately and painfully

PAUL URQUHART.

[Published -jßybSpecial Arrangement.] [All Eights Reserved.]

across the room, still frantically clutching the wrist of his assailant. The watcher outside observed every movement of the two combatants; c'early it was not his purpose to interfere, but to listen, yet the workings of his face showed clearly that the turn events were taking did not suit his purpose. The two men struggled ruar the window, and as they'did so the watcher cautiously worked his thumb and forefinger through the corner of the blind. A long length of cord was hanging there, and he dexterously trailed it near the legs of the Italian. Having baited his trap, he withdrew his hand, and, as he expected, the shuffling feet of the younger man became entangled with the loose cord. It broke off with a bang, but the impetus was sufficient to make him lose his foothold. He stumbled and fell, loosening his hold of his antagonist in his attempt to save himself.

The older man tumbled a heavy' chair upon him, and darting to a folding desk drew out a revolver. The young man attempted to rise, but a warning voice, hard, metallic and merciless, stopped him. "I'll blow out your brains if you get up a moment before I tell you." Covered and cowed, the Italian crouched in his corner like a panther at bay. The American kept his revolver on him, and with his left hand slowly emptied out a draught of brandy, which he gulped down, still watching his captive. For several minutes neither spoke. The young man, cooling as rapidly as he had fired up, muttered sulkily, "are you going to keep me sitting here all night and miss your appointment at St. Pancras?"

"lam glad you have thought of our appointment at Does it not strike you now that we are a pair of fools to be fighting here over a chit of a girl, while there is serious work for both of us to do? You may get up now, but before we go, let me warn you that there are limits? to my patience. Assuming for the sake of argument that you had stuck that knife into me, what would have happened to yourself? Gould you have moved a single step without me? And do you suppose the brotherhood would not have called you to account. It is I they follow, and not you; they would have tracked you to the ends of the earth and torn you from limb to limb." "Well, you should notlhave tantalized me so; you know I have no control over myself when I get in these passions." "Then my advice to you then is to keep out of them, especially when you are dealing with me." Instead of putting the revolver back in the desk, the older man slipped it quietly in his pocket, and the younger man, now sobered, slowfy began to put the scattered furniture in order. He picked up the piece of broken cord and walked towards the window. "This was a lucky bit of string for both of us," he muttered as he joined it to the broken end. Pulling up the blind, he shut and fastened the window, remarking as he did so, "That rotting piece of old carpet is still on this kitchen roof. If I think of it to-morrow, I'll get a ladder and fetch it down. It must be a harbour- ( ing place for all manner of vermin. The vermin at that moment beneath the carpet became slowly active a few minutes later, and when the two men shortly afterwards let themselves out at the garden gate which they carefully locked behind them, a man swung into a steady pace on the opposite side,,of the road a very few yards behind them, cleared the cobwebs and rubbish off his clothes during his speedy journey from the back to the front of tbe house.

CHAPTER XV. The train from the north drew up punctually to time at St. Pancras Station. John Strangways and Theodore Beeton stepped on to the platform and looked awkwardly at each other. , "I'm afraid our ways part here," baid Jack holding out his hand, "unless I can give you any assistance with my better knowledge of London." "I fear you can do me little assistance on the only point which interests me in this life now," replied Beeton sadly. . "Then you are convinced 1 know nothing more than yourself." (To be continued.)