A SENSATIONAL CASE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3001, 25 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,"

CHAPTER XXXIV. GOOD-BY. It was the sight of her husband, well-hidden, as he supposed in his corner between the archway a " d . th ° door, which had caused Netelka to scream and fall back. Linley was extremely disgusted at this venture, following so Q on llI& [ covery of what he would have called Netelka's perfidy toward himself. However, it was clearly nocesbary to make some excuse for "I was just coming in, he said in a suave tone, which hardly concealed his annoyance. "Did I frighten >ou. Netelka did not deign to answer him The attitude m which sh~ had caught him, the expression on his face, had shuwn her quite unmistakably that he had been eavesdropping, and her disgust at his swallowed up her riiame for the worda he had known, nothing she had suspected of her husband's conduct had ever caused her so much repugnance as this unmanly action. She would have passed him without a word and lett the room, if Linley, who was not easily abashed, had not laid his detaining hand on her arm. "Don't go away. I want to speak to you," said Liuley, who was by no means anxious to be left alone with Waller "lam tired. lam going to my room," said Netelka coldly. "You are not too tired to sit up foi your own amusement; well, then, you may sit up for mine," said he, in a snarling tone. "Lord St. Peters ab just come; I Jieard his voice in the hali. He says he never sees unythm of you, and it's quite true. You make yourself invisible to my friends, and keep your society for a few privileged persons." . . And he threw a vicious .glance a*. Wittier, who had .liscrafitlv retired o. the window at the faithe t mid of the room, but who was not out of hear ,

hesitated for a moment j only; then, as the voices of Arthur Sainsbury and Lord St. Peters be- 1 came audible as they approached the , door of the room, she submitted fioto force of habit, ai'd retreated to the j nearest looking- ;lass to see what lav- i aces her recent tears had made m her appearance. They were even greater , tha i she l.aJ suj p >sed. Sl-e was still i standing before the glas* when tliu | two young men entered. Lord St. I'ettrs was a thics-aet, common-looking man of six or aevf-n , and twenty, who had evidently had more champagne than was Rood hr him He was the only son ot a upholsterer, who had received first a baronetcy and then a peerage for "services to his party." L.«ra s>t. Peters had the manners of the new rather than the old nobility, and hi swaggered into the room in a manner which made Waller lone to kick In in. "Hello Is it you, Mrs Hilliard.' It's ages since we've had a glimpse of you!" cried he, ,as he sauntered up to Netelka with an v air of easy atmrance, which he thought irresistible. . , , , She had never liked him, and had, in fact, been barely civil to him at any time. She now passed him over for Arthur Sainsbury, tempestuous, but more boyish, manners were much less offensive to her than those of his companion. She was sorry to sue however, that the lite 01 dissipation ha was leading was tell-, ingupon the' lad, who had always been credited with more than brains,. .• and who, under the guidance of the Jew and Linley, was rapidly reducing the amount of his fortune without acquiring any compensating gain in the mhtter oil intellect; ■"Arthur," she said gravely, 1 shall have to give you a lecture, I see. ;I don't see any signs of the reformation you promised On, it's coming; in fact, its begun " cried he with one of his uproarious laughs. "I don't flourish the sign of it yet, nor wear a blue riobon in my buttonhole; but, for all that, I'm a reformed character, I assure you." , Lord St. Peters, very angry at the much warmer reception Netelka had given to Arthur Sainsbury than to him, laughed disagreeably. . "Reformed, eh?" he exclaimed, in a sneering tone. "Reformed, do you say? Oh, yes, thia is the very house where vou would be encouraged to do that, Sainsbury! And Mrs Hilliard would be the yt-ry person to bring it about, wouldn t you, Mrs Hilliard?" . At this point Linley hurried ioiward to the young man's side, and, pas vino' his arm through that ot Lord St. Peters, tried % to persuaae him to go Hp-stairs and try his luck at baccarat. But the young man was obstinate, and he shook off the hand of his persuasive host. "No, no! It'll be your turn ly| anrl by -ytfurs and that of that infer- j nal little Hebrew you keep stowed away in the attic, I came down tonight determined to pay my respects to Mrs Hilliard, ir I were so fortunate a3 to find her at home. Well, now [ have foui d her at home, and 1 m . not going to deliver myself into your clutches til! she's had her turn. «i»an to'sec i! I can't cut out our ■sulky friend in the corner there. He fjuneed at Waller, who, standing 3)rne distance away from the rest, certainly looked far from amiable. "I kio»v lie's a prima favourite; but, dash it all. surely that's all the more reason a iother fellow should have his turn!" Linley, who had seized a man servant and despatched him wtih a message to Harrington Mostlay, telling him to come down at once, was growing more and more uneasy at the bold tone of Lord St. Peters' conversation. The young man was behaving, not with the deference usually shown to Netelka, but with the free and-easy aira of the gamo-

| ling-room up-stairs. He thought that Moseley, by joining his persuasions with Linley',s own, might be able to remove the young man to regions where he would be less actively offensive. 'lt was evident that Waller already found a difficulty in restraining his longing to lay violent hands upon Lord St. Peters. While Netelka herselt' seemed to be conscious that there was some reason that she did not know of for the unusually offensive behaviour of the visitor, she looked suspiciously at her husband, and then turning away from Lord St. Peters, walked toward the the door. "Oh, no, no, you're not going to escape so easily. Hilliard please use your authority, and tell your wife to jrbp these airs. Tfiey don't become hor half so well as the old ones." As he spoke he made a rush toward the door! and put his back against it, to prevent her exit. In a moment Waller wa.'i beside him, laughing rather nervously, and pushing Lord St. Peters with a touch which had in it more of anger than of the playfulness he professed to assume. "Look here, old chap, we are not on Hampstead Heath, and this isn't a bank-holiday. You can't dictate to a lady whether she shall or shall not leave her own drawing-room, can you?" Perhaps Lord St. Peters was sober enough to detect a note he did not like und"r Waller's friendliness. He pulled his arm roughly and planted himself still more firmly before the door. "Don't 'old chap' me, Mr Thingamy; it's a liberty I don't allow except to my particular friends." Now, you may be Mrs Hilliard's particular friend, but nol: mine. So go away and leave me alone." Waller's eyes blazed, and, clenching his hands he glanced first at Netelka, who 'id retreated from the door during this colloquy, and then at Linley, who was trying to look as if he had not heard what had passed. "I will go away, certainly, rather than take part in a row in the presence of a lady,'' said Waller, in a very low voice, anxious above all things not to irritate the young fool into any further insulting remarks. Unluckily, his very forbearance excited Lord St. Peters, who was in no mood or condition to be careful of his words. "Do you think I'm going to take lesions in deportment from you?" asked he insolently. "If Hilliard is satisfied with my being here it seems to ir.e you ought to be. You don't find anything to complain of in me, do you Hilliard? Nor you, eh?" added he, to Harrington Moseley, who had been waiting outside the door, and who had seized this his first opportunity of edging himself into the room Deli ind Lord St. Peters back. "Of course not. There's nobody we're more clad to welcome, Lord St. Peters " said the Jew, casting a nervous glance around, to take in the bearings of the situation. "Now, aren't you coining up-stair to my den for a smoke? I'm sure Mrs Hilliard will excuse you." Hero Arthur Sainsbury struck in, not with the best results. *'Oh, yes, I'll be bound she will Mrs Hilliard will be only too glad to get rid of you afcer the bother there has been," said he in his strident tone. (To be continued.) i