"THE WEB."

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8873, 6 November 1907, Page 2

"THE WEB."

CHAPTER XX. Continued. "And Mr Strargways " "Oh, that's all right, Ladv Violet I've fixed that up too. Strangways has goc to come. The doctor s coming round to patch him up for the journey, and we'll get him on board sure, if I have to carry him and his ambulance on my shoulder. So there s an end to the matter, and don t waste timi talking, or some of you will be forgetting one of your best yachting | qostumes, and wanting the ship to put back at the last minute to get it." Lady Violet and Esther Elders were delighted with the prospect. The latter would have been better pleased had she been able to take Alice Beaumont with her, but that industrious young lady, who seemed to have an intuitive faculty for being in her studio just when she could only make a crowd more unwieldy in the sittingroom, ihad a picture to finish for an important patron. One other member of the company, who had hitherto heen a silent onlooker, was compelled to decline. Esther Elders looked longingly at him, but he was compelled to shake his head in reply to her whispered appeal. "I'm awfully sorry as you know I must be, Esther," he said, "but I have to go back to duty at the station. I only ran up to town on special duty, and it was good of you to rash up on purpose when I sent you that ware.'" Esther Elders put her hand playfully over the young man's mouth. "They don't know 1 came because of that," she said with a blush. "I really don't like to go without you. "Oh, go and enjoy yourself, old girl. I must rush off the very first \thing in the morning. Indeed, I ought to go to-night, so,we shan t see one little bit more of each other by your depriving yourself of the pleasure, and you have already given up one holiday, you know." The Duchess and Violet and Mr Bee ton had been all talking to one another so enthusiastically that they .had missed this little conversation. The Duchess was at first inclined to insist that the whole thing was indecorously hasty, but Mr Beoton would take no denial. Moreover, as she had not yet given >'p hope in that direction, she consented to go with dignified reluctance and drove off with Violet to their town house to make the necessary preparations. "Well, an all-wise providence seems determined to keep us all together," remarked Beeton breezily. "It was good of you to send me that wire, Miss Elders. I was just about wondering whether to take the boat oil spec or to get off in the and think it out on the sea. You'll just] about enjoy this trip, I promise you. I ' It was a great idea of mine to snap iup that yacht cable before I started,., when I knew she was for sale. It was her name that struck my fancy. You've all heard of the Alice, haven't you? What do you think of that for an idea? eh?" he asked, turning to Miss Rentoul, who, pale and silent, ihad been sitting by throughout all this excitement. "I don't see why that name should attract you more than any'other," she remarked pensively. "I suppose you are going to change it to Violet now?" Esther lElders, expecting this little outburst, had drawn Henry Marsham out of the room when Beeton addressed himself to Miss Rentoul. "Now look here, that's altogether too bad of you, but I'll talk to you on board. Of course you are coming, because we just don't start from Lon,<jon without you. By the way. that's .a nice boy Henry Marsham. Who and what is he? Everything seems to be going it at such a rush, that one hasn't time to be ordinarily civil to people." "Henry Marsham is Esther's fiancee. He is an engineer who lias made a special study of wireless telegraphy." "Grand idea. I'll just get that blesse.l receiver on the yacht put in •order, and because she is a right good girl, she shall just have the chance !of talking to her lover through the ,air as we sail about. Bless me, it will be a case of whispering love to the winds that blow from the south in real life." "Miss Rentoul has just given me .a splendid hint," he added, as Henry .Marsham and Esther came in, "and

,now I must bo getting off to tap the •wires to Southampton, and tell them

,to be making ready for you all. Oh, # .by the way, what happy chance was it that brought thp Duchess and

JLady Violet back just now?" "It seems they were lonely at 'The Gappe' after we had all left. The Duchess abandonpd her Scotch visit, and as soon as they arrived, Violet insisted an coming up to rac to get news of us all." "And mighty thoughtful of her too/' remarked Beeton as he moved .off'to send his wire. "Thoughtful indeed," said Miss Eontoul, watching hiro go down the .street and turning hastily away from ithe window .is he threw a kiss at * lcr - . , --1 • i "Now, don l you a fiuJy and just you be up early to-morrow morning, only not quite so desperately early as you were this morning," (remarked Esther Elders. When the morning came, Strangwavs was practically well Bxcopt tndt the wound slightly irritated him. The doctor gave him full permission to travel, and in a specially engaged saloon Theodore Beeton marshalled his guests for Southampton. As the train was moving out of the station, a man whose figure seemed familiar to Strangways rushed across the platform and jumped into a third-class carriage, "Has anybody thought of bringing any newspapers?" asked Beeton. i "Not anybody? well, I'm glad of it.

PAUL URQUHART. [Published t2BySpecial Arrangement.] [A.ll Eights Be served.]

The sight of people in a railway carriage With their heads buried in newspapers always makes j that this is an unsociable world." The company chatted gaily at the prospect of-the trip, and the Duchess, by a masterly 'strategic move, sat herselt down close beside Slrangways with Violet on the other side of her. Jack was therefore kept in conversation with the mother all the way. At the first stopping place Miss Rentoul bought a newspaper apparent y to annoy Beeton, and was aimlessly glancing down its columns when she | I suddenly stopped and read a paragraph carefully. "No papers, please," shouted Bee ton playfully clutching at the offending journal. Misd Rentoul snatched it away from him, and rolling it up into a ball threw it out of the window. As they walked along the platform at Southampton, Strangways felt a hand on his shoulder. "You'll go down to the the rest, but you won't sail," pered a voice in his ear. "Don't look round and don't speak." Jack realized that Medhurst was behind him, and he had learnt sufficient wisdom by this time to obey and question not when that sagacious man spoke. Sidling up to Beeton as they neared the boat, he whispered—"Don't let me break up your party, Beeton, on any account, but I can't come with you." "Then I'll be darned if "

"For God's sake, Beeton, don't make a scene. It's imperative, J tell you. It's too long a~'story to tell you, but you have seen enough to know that it wasn't a piece of flint that cut my shoulder open, and I tell you there's every reason why 1 should stop on land. You would if you were in my place," "Want to get your own back, I suppose Well, it's natural, and although revenue is a fool's game, I'm darned if I shouldn't do it myself if a man had been poking his gun at me."

"You can just shove off without me, and let me get lost in the crowd. There are sure to be a few people knocking about to see this yacht of yours." . _ There was indeed a big crowd about the quay. A boat had just come in, and everybody was bustling. The party got on board, and just as they were towing the yacht off, Theodore Beeton was observed to be wildly shouting at the tug, but the little steamer and its graceful protege went stubbornly on. There was too much traffic to be stopping and turning and playing about. Strangways wondered what on earth was the matter with the man. Perhaps lie was acting the part well and pretending to the company that he had just missed him. As he sauntered slowly round the quay, a man came up and handed him a newspaper with a paragraph thick marked in pencil in the personal column to the effect that the American Molasses King, Mr Theodore Beeton, was taking a trial trip in his yacht, the Alice, with the Duchess of Knaresborough and her daughter, Lady Violet Greville. Incidentally it was also mentioned that the party would include Mr John Strangways, of "The Gappe," Yorkshire. "Oh, these* infernal newspapers," said Strangways, crumpling up the juurnal. "How on earth did they get hold of v this? Some fussy correspondent here, I suppose, to whom one of Beeton's fellows must have been talking last night." , "I don't know whether it came from that side or from the other side," said, Medhurst shrewdly. "The ways of some fashionble people are 1 beg your pardon, sir—but It's there anyway, and it isn't wise to have your movements chronicled too publicly. Better get back to London as quickly as you can, sir. There'll be a train starting almost' immediately." Strangways made his way to the booking hall, and there to his amazement encountered Miss Rentodl, who also was taking a ticket for London. "What on earth arc you doing i here?" he asked. "I understand now what it was that sent poor old Beeton into such a fury when the tue pulled him off." "I also have seen the paragraph," said Miss Rentoul, pointing to the newspaper which Jack still held crumpled up in his hand, "and I don't choose to play gooseberry for anybody." (To be continued.)