A SENSATIONAL CASE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9181, 2 September 1908, Page 2

A SENSATIONAL CASE.

By FLORENCE WARDEN. Author of " The™ Lady in Black," "An Infamous Fraud," "For Love of Jack," "A. Terrible Family," "The House on the Marsh," etc. etc.

CHAPTER XX.— Continued

' "I can tell you the name of my own robber, of course," said the younger man. "But I don't know that thera are any mure points about him than about any other gentleman uf his class, or of his persuasion." "Hebrew, I suppose?" "Of course. He calls himself Harrington Moseley, but I 'spects ho growed plain Moses without any Harrington." Hugh asked for his address, and a few moments afterward the newmade friends separated, not before Waller had increased the suspicions of the otber*by mentioning that he lived out of town, in the house of some married friends. Hugh took an early opportunity of calling upon Harrington Moseley, with whom he negotiated a small loan of which he was not in need, to establish an acquaintance with the Jew. He mentioned the name of Gerard Waller, and at once obtained in return some valuable information. "Oh, yes," said Mr Moseley. "young Waller is a great friend of mine. Lives down at Wimbledon just now, at "The Fira," with some friends of mine. People named Hilliard; husband awfully nice fel'ow—warm friend of mine; wife most charming woman you ever met in your life. Ask Waller!" And the Jew gave an unpleasant leer. "Did he ask you down there?" "No," said Hugh. "He hardly knows me well enough." "Oh, they don't stand upon ceremony down there," said Mr Moseley promptly. "That is to say, of course," and he pulled himself up as if he had said rather more than he had intended, "they are very nice people and Mrs Hilhard is very particular. But they are very good to their friends. I, for instance, am allowed to do just' as I like down there, and to take down my own friends to have a quiet game of poker j —of course, you play poker?—or bac- ■ carat. I don't abuse the privilege, of course, but I use it;, and it you would care to come down there with me some evening, I can guarantee you a pleasant time." "Thank you," said Hugh. "There's nothing I should like more." "Then what do you say to next Wednesday night? I have half a dozen very nice young fellows coming down on that night—l didn't want them to come; I've been rather out of sorts, and I wanted a quiet week; but they insisted. If you'll join our party, I'll give you directions how to get to my rooms. There's a side door I always use when I have a few fellows down with me, so as not to disturb Mrs H or the rest of the household more than I can help." Mr Moseley had indicated, more by look and tone than by his words, exactly the sort of entertainment he proposed to offer, since he had perceived that his visitor was not a man to be frightened by the revelation. Hugh understood, as he went down the dark stairs into the street, that the money-lender proposed to introduce him to a gambling-club where the stakes were high. One small item of the entertainment Mr Moseley had indeed omitted to mention to his new client, but it was one which that experienced person was prepared to find out for Himself.

On the following Wednesday evening, therefore, Hugh Thorndyke found himself at the side door of "The Firs" which had been indicated by the Jew. The approach was from the road at the back of the house, and was by an avenue of trees and evergreens which formed so complete a sceen that a person could enter the house by that way without being * seen at all from the body of the building. Experience had taught Mr Moseley caution, so within the door, wuich could not be opened from the outside, a man servant of his own stood, to let in the visitors and show them the way upstaiis. This Was by no means Hugh Thorndyke's fust visit to a gambling-house, and he kept his eyes and ears open. Mr Moseley received him with cordi ality and introduced him to Linley Now, Linley had heard the name of Hugh Thorndyke mentioned by Netelka aa that of one of the sweethearts of her girlhood's days; but Hugh had gone abroad before Linley himself had ever met Netelka and had by no means of knowing that Linley "Hilliard" wiifs Linley Dax,. or that he was Netelka's husband. The card-party, which consisted for the most part of very young men, some of whom belonging to ".smart sets," soon split up into groups; while one sat down to baccarat, another, at Linley's suggestion, played poker. Linley played well, very well; it was a recognised fact among the players; and Hugh noticed that the expressionless, bloodless face was peculiarly well adapted for the gams, in which eelf-coiitrol is such an important factor. It was not long, however, bel\re Hugh began to 'suspect that Mr Hilliard was not contented with the advantage his natura.ly impassive countenance gave him; he Had extraordinarily good hands, which grnv better as the play procee U d. Hup;'.! began to watch him narrow I.\ ; then he perceived, catching a furtive glance from Linley's light eyes, that that gentleman knew that lie was bring watched. Instantly adaptine his play to this knowledge, Linley became careful, and for some lime the hands he held deteriorated in quality and his play became above tuapicion. At last Linley evidently found lh» restraints put upon him irksome, and his manner toward the suspicious stranger grew curt and cold. Mr Moseley, who scarcely ever

played himself, excusing himself on the grounds that he was such a bad player, and that the cards confused him, noticed that something was wrong, and came to the table at a pause in the game. He and Linley exchanged what looked like a series of signals. The end of the rapidly exchanged signs was that Linley looked down on the floor, raising his eyes again immedately. All this telegraphy was so neat and su rapid that only a person prepared, as Hugh was, for something of the sort, would have noticed that it bore any significance. Then Mr Moseley spoke. "I don't believe," said he, in a goodhumoured tone, "that Mr Thorndyke care 3 a bit more for cards than I do. He h making a martyr of himself to please the rest of you. Am I not right?" he ended, turning to Hugh. "It is quite true," said Hugh coldly, "that I have not enjoyed the game much to-night." Mr Moseley cut in hastily, not liking the visitor's tone. "Come downstairs with me, then," he suggested, "and I wilt introduce you to Mrs Hilliard. We will ask her to give us non-card players a little music. Are you fond of music?" "Very," said Hugh, rather shortly, J rising with so much precipitancy i that Linley threw a warning glance at the Jew. And Hueh Thorndyke followed Mr Moseley downstairs, with his temper very hear boiling point. What further confirmation did he need of his suspicions of the entire household? He had sesn the young men upstairs borrowing money from the Jew; he was certain, although he could not prove it the fact, that Hilliard cheated his fellow-players. And, now, was it not evident that, having discovered him to be not only too good a poker-player to be easily beaten, but too suspicious a one to be easily cheated, they were turning him over to their female } accomplice, in the hope that she would have better luck in the attempt to fleece him. Netelka was not in the drawing- ! room when Mr Moseley brought in his inconvenient guest. She had been in the lowest of spirits, low since her last visit to her aunt, who had seemed to her unusually cold and j unsympathetic, and unwilling to give her any practical advice. Even the discovery that Linley was part man,a£rer of a gambling house had not shaken Lady Kenslow's opinion that it was better his wife to remain with him than to cast herself adrift. Therefore Netelka returned home uncomforted, except by Waller, who thought lightly of this particular trouble, and still urged upon her the advisability of taking existance as it came, and not frittering one's, life away in vain regrets and hankerings after an ideal standard for everybody. She had \ listened in silence, and remained unconvinced. And the real relief to her unhappiness did not come until Jem, having escaped from "The Maisonette" on a pretext of a guild-meeting at the vicarage, had stolen a few moments at "The Firs" on the very evening of Hugh Thorndyke's visit. (To be continued.)