A SENSATIONAL CASE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 2993, 17 September 1908, Page 2

A SENSATIONAL CASE.

caAPf&J XXVlJL—Continued. "Nothing," answered he quickly, "except that-that it may not bo ho easy for me to—to—to—catch the train!" This was not what he meant to say —that was evident. He felt that he was on dangerous ground, and before Jen could do more than glance at him with a look of haughty indignatiun, he was gone. "The worst\of it is that there's no bringing it home 1 to the rascal!'' These were the words in which Hugh pummed up his regrets on the ' subject of Linley Hilliard as he and Jem Collingham sat in the train which was carrying them to Hastings on the morning after Hugh's visit to Wimbledon. Jem sighed. But she was more hopeful than her companion. It seemed as her ,young and innocent mind that wickedness like Linley's could not go unpunished much longer. Hugh had lived longer and seen considerably more of the world, and he tried to put her right. "In my experiene," said he, "no very great scoundrel ever does get punished. It's the half-and-half fellows, those that have a little bit of conscience, or a weakness for somebody or other besides themselves, tha 1 : are caught and convicted. If you don't care a straw for anybody in the world but yourself, you can generally save your own skin and cheat the gallows. That's rather coarsely put, I'm afraid, and it shocks you; but i it's very near the truth." j Jem "listened, but remained unconvinced. She did not say much, l,a,ving boen overtaken by the shyness which alternated with he" astoundinn fits of audacity. j The engagement into which she hid entered on the previous evening, with the rash racklassne-s which had so much astonished Hugh, had already landed her into trouble which the had not anticipate.!. To begin with, Mrs Colling- | ham had shown such demonstrative joy when Jem told her that she had become engaged to Hugh Thnmdyk;.-, that Jem dreaded the terriblj ication which would set in when, according to compact she "broke it oh":'" on her return-from Hastings. In thi second place, the girl found that in s arrangement, which she had h .Tselr proposed without sillicient thou;.ili , made her feel awkward and c nstraine.l with Hugo hi ruse f. Sic had an uncomfortable feeling that the remembrance of their supposed n lationship to each other was alwa;,s in his mind, although he was for bearing enough not to make any allusion to it; and she even fancied that she detected in his manner a tinge of unusual reserve, which aha took to imply a feeling of distress at her unmaidenly forwardness. By the time the train reachvd Tunbridge' Wells, where the Uo other passengers in their compartment got out, conversation between Jem and her fiancee had become first oiilicult and then impossible, so flint there was r.o mistaking the horn r on the gill's face whe.i uhe found that sh3 and her companion were tj ba left alone together. Hugh, without realising the keenness of the j young girl's feelings, understood | the r nature. "Shall I go away and smoke? There's a smokinjr-compartment next door," said he, thinking the; proposition would find favour in her : eyes Hut the ways and the j thoughts of the young and innocent are pe:vearse and inscrutable,, an J j Je:n coloured and grew resarvjd. j "Oh, yes; pray go, if 1 hove j you!'' said she quickly, as she drew hi-rself back on h°r snat. Poor Hugh looked absolutely thunderstruck. He hastily sat down again. He could not at all understand why Jem's cheerful coamaraderie had disappear., d, and wondered whether it **Wad through any unconscious fault in i his own manner. j "1 only thought that perhaps you j would prefer to get rid of me for the | next hour," he humbly explained, , yet not without a suggestion in his manner of the slight annoyance he I fell. "I thii.k—l am afraid you are j disposed, Miss Collingham, to J be sorry you chose to accept my—to embark on this—in fact to carry out our " Me was floundering deeper and deeper ip the mire. Jem stole a glance at him, and then the humour of*the sit uuion struck her; her eonBaqucnt good humour spread to him, and they both laughed heartily, if rather consciously, at the oddity of their nituat'on, and at their inability to risj propyl/ to ita requirements-. Then, a in :idlier noting naving bee.i established, Jem rashly entered into explanations. "I was afraid," she began hesitatingly, "that it, I thought—that that yoj thought me hor-ibly forwaid ia —in maKiug the proponal— nc, no, 1 mean the suggestion, the arrangement I suggested, arranged, lns>t night. I thought that—.hat-that whs •' hy you were —so, sn cold r.o, !i'<, ( iriia'- •-<> r-served, so-eo difl'oreit—.hat i.s co t-uy, ti i- morning." Then she stoppe 1 short, having .inid': thin/H l .finitely worse. And she Udtfa'i tou.f. •; m one of her gloves, • andti fasten it up. again, with a , •crim.-oii face. Hnrh ft'k that things'were bocom ins? d -i irllv interesting. "l.ii '■■'. fi !" he '.;•■ hfimed, with ■enthu ias.ii. "W.-iy, i.< *. is just what I was thinki ■# Hinuc you. And 1 was obliged to tali .j your cue—don't you fcee?—for fear you should think I win presuming upon our—our—•ompact, our arrangement. It was ■ really just as awkward for me, in fact iron* so, don't you see? It is so "diflicul:. to be exactly right, isn't it? Only I'm afraid that instead I've been exactly wrong. You will for--1 tfWe' In*, won't you?" "Oh, yes, of course I must since

By FLORENCE WARDEN. -Aulhll 0l u The Laflyill Black," "An Infamous Fraud," "For Love of Jack," "A Terrible Family," "The House on tho Marsh,"

it is all my fault," answered Jem hastily, anxious to get the explanations over, as she perceived in Hugh a tendency to overdo his humility and become inconveniently abject. "Of course, I see now that I ought to have come by myself. I could not have persuaded htr bo well as you, nut —but still I think perhaps it would have been better. "I don't, though!" exclaimed Hugh quickly, "J- think it's very likely we may have to frighten good Mr Hilliard, and I can do that better than you." They took care to keep the talk going after that on Linlay and his misdeeds, so that the remaining hour of the journey passed without further difficulties. On arriving at Hastings, they went on foot to the address given to Hugh by the footman. It was a house up a side street, not far from the sea. Hugh and Jem went to the door together, and Jem asked for Mrs | Hilliard. j 'l'll inquire if you can see her, ma'am," said the woman who opened the door. "But she's very ill. Mr Hilliard is with her, ma'am; perhaps you'd like to see him?" As she spoke, the woman threw open the door of the front room on the first floor, and Jem, who had uttered an exclamation of horror at the evil tidings stood transfixed on seeing Linley, sitting at luncheon by himself, reading a newspaper and eating at the same time. It was evident that the appearance of the young lady took him completely bv surprise. He looked up with a slight start, which was succeeded by a gesture still more marked when he caught sight of her compan ion. There was an expression on t'ie faces of the visitors which caused the very little colour he ever had in his cheek? to fade precipitately as Jem walked into the room, and Hugh i followed without ceremony. He could not get farther than: "What! Miss Collingham! This is a delightful surprise indeed!" before Jem, who did not attempt to take his outstretched hand, broke in: "Mrs Hilliard! 111! Where is she?" Linlev began to trembli, as he always did when he was offended or hurt. V[ an afraid you cannot see her," hj». siid in a little mincing tone. "Shs's very seriously ill, much too ill to receive visitors; and, in fact, I have to.) much to do nursing her and l.uking atcer her to care to receive tid m myself just now. As for you, sir," and he turned, with a very ins'.iliirig mane toward Hugh, "I should nave thought, after mv la?t reception of joj, that you would have thought t.vice oefore intruding upon, me a^uin." Hugh answered in a very low voice. tie did not want a row, in the presence of Jem, in the house where Netelka was perhaps lying ill. But he had io let this man I see that he was not going to be allowed to murder two people with impunity. •'For your own sake," he said vcy quietly, very deliberately, "I should never have wanted to see yon' face again. It is for your wife's sake I am here—hers and Gerard Wallers " (To be continued.) Sr-nil the documents of your importations to MESSES J. J. CURTIS & CO., LTD., ' Customhouse Shipping and Forwarding I Customhouse Quay, Wellington who will quickly clear, pass and forward ; the goodi to you. Moderate ch