A SENSATIONAL CASE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 2992, 16 September 1908, Page 2

A SENSATIONAL CASE.

By FLORENCE WARDEN. t | , Author oi" The Lady in Black," "An Infamous Fraud," "For Lovo of Jack," "A Terrible Family," "The House on the Marsh,"

' CHAPTER XXVIII. I { A STARTLING PROPOSITION. j "Mr Thorndyke! Mr Thorndyke!" t Hugh heard his name hissed out j in a mysteriously tragic whisper t which would have done honour to any sta"-e. The words made his heart < leap, "although all the outward sign ] he gave was to turn very slowly and { deliberately, as if uncertain trcm j which direction ihe sibilant sounus r came. He heard his name repeated in a still more emphatic manner . before his eyes met those of Jem Collingham, who was hanging over j the fragile green wooden balcony of j "The Maisonette" at apparent risk to that ethetic structure and her t own limbs. She made various gest- r uresito him to come into the house; j, and as he hesitated, she disappeared, v and, rushing out of the front door, f met him excitedly at the gate. c "Come in, come in for one mo- r ment," cried she, in entreaty. F "Never mind the children. And please t excuse my being so untidy. You don't know what it is to have to mind t five children when there's no governess and the nurse ia out!" c "It looks as if the task were t rather formidable!" said Hugh, as a he glanced from the girl's pretty v to the troop of small step-brothers and'step-sisters, who had tumultuous- r ly followed her out. "I can't come $ in," he went on plaintively, "be- t cause Mrs Collingham might came back, and I've just got myself into a such hot water with her that I shall never get out again." "Oh, that's nothing." said Jem, as £ she threw open the gate and caught a t couple of infantile stragglers in the act of making for the road. "Every- p body gets into hot water with mama, but it's always easy to get out. c She'll forget it by the time ahe sees you again." , v "But she thinks—of course I didn t ■} say anything of the kind—but she s thinks I said that Mr Waller was in a questionable hands while she nursed r nim -" ~ -j t • t, f "It's quite true," said Jfem, sighing. "Poor Gerard! I've been won- t daring all day how ' long he'd stand j i;! Come in and tell me everything. v How- how is he?" 11 Hugh did not know whether to be j j touched or annoyed by the feeling ; she showed in voice and eyes at the j < mention of Mr Waller. He did not t give her any hint of his own suspic- ' ions, but said that he had persuaded i th/e invalid to promise to come away with him in a day or two. Jem's lip s quivered. c "You are quite right. Ha will bo r better with you," she said, in a brok- r en voice. "But oh, it will seem so hard for him to go away! You will t let me hear how he gets on, won't j t you?" ! t Hugh was quite sure that he was j annoyed this time. Is was ridicu- j j lous of this eirl to make such a J fuss about a man who never spared \ a thought for tier. He said stiffly, | j and not without some sign of im-, t patience, that no doubt Mrs Colling- t ham would be able to give" her \. what information she wanted. i Jem noticed the change in his tone. I , and in a moment she became awkwasd j and shy. . < They had by this time all got inside the house and swarmed into tl e ; dining-room, where the elder children , engaged in making a scrap-book, and ] where, in consequence, the floor , and the furniture were slimy with | paste, and coloured pictures were ■ scattered rt about the apartment Ike i leaves after a storm. "Don't sit d6wn," entreated Jem. "Willie, bring Mr Thorndyke a chair out of drawing-room —not the one papa mended, mind." "You needn't take all thi3 trouble forme," said Hugh, as he made i himself a clear corner among the scraps and sat on the table. "You mustn't stay a moment; but I thought you'd like to know that I've found out where Mrs Hilliard is—at least, I think so." Jem flew at him. Standing before him with sparkling eyes unci parted lips, sHe told him how anxious she had Leen for the past month, and how she thought he had forgotten his promise to let her know the sequel to her visit v to town. Had nothing happened at the house near the Victoria station which they had seen Linley enter? Why had he not written? Why had he not come down? These and a dozen other questions Jem poured out rapidly, while the children clung, open-mouthed, to her skirta, and formed a wondering audience. Hugh answered with discreet reserve. Nothing h. particular had happened, hu at rirst maintained. But, under the pressure of i.er questionings, of her vigorous disbelief, he presently broke down; and it ended in his confi ling to her not only the suspic'ou3 circums'ance discovered by the detectives, but all the other details with which he wis acquainted concerning Linley's antecedents and his own discovery that that person was not above cheating i.t Jem listened, with clasped hands, without uttering a word; even the discovery that the HilliardH were using a name which wa& not their own, failed to draw from her a «ingle exclamation. When he had finished, she drew a long breath; "Does he ir,ean to murder them both :cr "he sake of the insurance ' money, sne a-ked, with the bluntness of the vi'iv shocking Hugh, who had til sorts oi euphemisms rather thaii face the fact in all its hare hideousntss. "Well," he said, "of course, we don't know that—we don't know anything; hut one can hardly help having suspicion!"." "I should think not, inieed! The wretch!" retorted Jem hotly. By this time the children had tired of

the novelty of gazing at the stranger, and were performing acrobatic feats on the hearth-rug, so that Jem could speak freely. "You know her address, you say? And she's at Hastings? Of course you will go down and see her?" "Well," said Hugh diffidently, "you see lam in a difficult position. Don't you see that as her husband practically kicked me out for speaking to his wife, I should do her harm rather than good by seeing her again? You know it would give her husband a handle " Jem nodded vigorously. She was frowning and biting her lips,, the picture of earnest thought. "You ought to see her again, though," she said slowly. "You might persuade her—you who have known her so Jong—to go away, where her horrid husband couldn't find her; and then" pursued Jem cheerfully, "you could give information to the police and have him put in prison, «*nd then he wouldn't trouble her or anybody any more!" Hugh could not help smiling at this ingenuous conclusion. "I'm afraid," said he, "that it can't be managed ap easily as you think. In the first place, I haven't any idea how lam to communicate with her. If I write " ' "That won't be any good," interrupted Jem. "Yon must see her —go down and see her. I have an idea — take me with you." Hugh was taken back. He looked at her rather helplessly. "Take—take you!" "Yes. I have two aunts living at St. Leonards; you can take me to see them." Hugh was bewildered by this proposition. "But," he objected mildly, "Mrs Collingham would never " "Let me.go with you? Oh, yes, she would. Say you're engaged to me. You can be, you know, until we've seen that Mrs Hilli.-ird is all right, and then we'll break it oft'. And mama will never know what it was for." Hugh tried in vain to hide the fact that he was overwhelmed with astonishment, and a feeling not altogether pleasureable that Miss Collingham thought he "didn't count." Jem perceived this, and blushed. "I—l'm afraid you think me a 'forward minx,' but I can't help that," she said, laughing shyly. "1 don't care what I do to get at Mrs Hillnrd. I " "But I don't think anything of the | sort," broke in Hugh quickly. "I only wondered whether Mrs Collingham would allow you to go whatever reason you gave." "Oh, mama, will make no objection, I know. She is only anxious to get rid of me. Now let us settle our plans," she went on, "for I expect papa home, Willie, get the guide-book ou<" of the hall, will you?" The baby, a large and aggressive female, whose attacks on the property and limbs of her brothers and sisters kept the family in a constant uproar, at this point screamed, loudly. Jem took her up and consoled her with cresses for the weli-merited punishment one of her sisters had inflicted, while Hugh huntsd out a convenient train. When their arrangements for the following day weie \made, and Jem gave him her hand in farewell, he 1 ngered one moment . and looked down into her pretty face with embarrassment, which caused her to ask what was the matter. (To be continued.)