THE COLONEL'S ENEMY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3122, 24 February 1909, Page 2

THE COLONEL'S ENEMY.

BY WINTHEOP B. HABLAIfD. Author of "Lady Elgin's Secret," "A Harvest of Shame," "The Elder Son," "Lord Ash ton's Heir," Etc.

CHAPTER Vll.—Continued. I These details jvere carefully entered in Mr Dacre's noteoook, and he returned to the Cornwallis hotel, tired and depressed. There was nothing else to be done; he could only wait; while the time passed so slowly and now and then when he looked at the clock, he wondered whether it had stopped. He was not a nervous man; but he could not re3t in the colonel's sitting room; the change in the position of his own shadow mad* by a sudden leap of the flame of the fire, mada him start, and cold as it was outside, he went into the street, and 1 wandered about till past nine. Then he returned to the hotel; "no message had arrived; no one had called. He turned away in silence and walked to the station once more, where he waited for the Iraki the major was to travel by; it came in to the minute, and Frederick Lugard was one of the first to alight. He saw Mr Dacre on the platform before that gentleman saw him, and thought he wasgatified by what he took for a mark of attention, the major wondered not a little to see him there. "It was very kind of you to come," he said, as Dacre's eyes fell upon him; "but why did you leave St. Hilary?—and how is he?" "I have not seen him," was the grave reply; "and I came to meet you so that no time should be lost. not satisfied with something that has happened. It may be that I have not your youth and /serve, and take alarm where there is no real reason for it; but I am afraid there is something doubtful abojt this business." * "In Hsaven's name explain what you mean!" . Mr Dacre took the major's arm and walked towards th* Hotel, giving him the story of what haa taken place that day; he showed Lugard the colonel's note, and when they reached the Cornwall he call ?d the waiters, who repeated word for word what they had said, with a few additions that were unimportant. The major, though he feared the worst, was so quiet that they did not see a sign of the suppressed excitement and the dread that had taken possession of him. He went with Mr Dacre to St. Hilary's room, and his lip trembled for a moment as he aaw the slippers the colonel had worn, and the book he had been reading, when the stranger railed upon him. The door leading to the bedchamber was open, and the fire burned brightly; but Lugard had a misgiving that the ashes of many a fire would grow cold and gray in that grate before the colonel came back. "You have heard everything now," Mr Dacre said, "and what do you think of it?" "What can I think." Lugard said, with a tear on hia lashes, though his mouth was fiercely set, "except that he has been lured away? The strange man's statement that they were only going-to Crewe was purposely made to throw us off the scent at the outset; but, living or dead, I will find St. Hilary, ana if foul play has been done I will not rest till I have avenged him!"

CHAPTER VIII. INSPECTOR DARLINGTON'S ADVICE. That the colonel had been lured away was a conviction which grew stronger on reflection in Frederick's mind; ho put aside, almost impatiently, Mr bat-re's repetition of the waiters suggestion that it was the work of Eome one belonging to a gang of desperadoes, always on the lookout for travellers to entice them into a den of ii.lamy, to be drugged and robbed. "Such a thing might happen to an ordinary traveller," he said; "a man who may have madp an ostentatious display of his money on board the ship, or mixed with the professional gamblers in the smoking room, That kind of thing goes on to a terrible extent in the Atlantic liners, I am sorry to say, and I do not suppose the P. and 0. can suppress it. But St. Hilary was never a gambler, and he would not carry more money than he wanted for present needs. Robbery is not the object for which he has been lured; it is the work of some enemy who has reason to fear him in England." "Had he an enemy?" "Every hoi.est and moderately successful man must have enemies in plenty. The first to turn upon him are the idle and worthless scoundrels who give vent to their envy when he will no longer help them; and the most bitter enemies of all those by whom he has been most foully wronged. The one who had the greatest cause to dread him, is he whose name is mentioned in the note he left—Dallas Crombie." \l Mr Dacre shook his' head with a wintry smile of disapproval. "Don't leap at a conclusion with the impetuosity of a .soldier," he said; "but you see how illogical your conclusion is. If Mr Crombie were living, and chose to be the moving spirit in a, conspiracy to put the colonel out of the way, does it stand to reason that he would supply you and tne with such a clue as is contained in the note the colonel left "that is worth considering, certait ly," the major said; "but, judging what St. Hilary told me, Crombie is a subtle as well as daring scoundrel; ar.d may have covered his plans so well that he is not afraid to give a clue." "He could not afford to risk it. Dfirir said. "It would be an act of j fVmd'fS hardihood beyond any-j thii £ I ever heard in the annals of dime; and we are now discussing a

theory, after all. colonel may return at any moment." "He may," the major repeated, doubtfully"; "but apart from the supposition that he has been decoyed away, there is the danger ot the reaction following so much fatigue and excitement. The man who wrote that r.ote to you was nr.t fit to travel; it speaks for itself; and if all had been well, we should have heard Irom him by now." "He said he would send," Dacre said, thoughtfully; "but he may have forgotten in his hurry, and in his note he says distinctly that he will eo straight to my house, He tolJ me to wait for you, aud he evidently intended that we should follow him. Does it not occur so to vou?" "( would rather not depend on my own judgment," was the reply; "the matter is too seriuus for that. I will go to the police and get advice; you had better take the midnight train for London, and if you find him at your house let me know at once." "And if I do not find him there?" "Do not tell Dora that we suspect there is anything wrong. Say that he was called away unexpectedly, on important business, and I am waiting for him to return. It will bo time enough to let her know the worst, if we do not hear of him within twentyfour hours from now." "That is a most excellent thought of yours," Mr Dacre said, with emphatic eagerness; "much may be done in twefjty four hours. I could almost guarantee to produce the colonel in that time, provided that the police work quietly, and do not take any active steps. In fact, I would advise you to do nothing till you hear from me." "I could not consent to that," the majorsaid; "too much time has been j lost already. It is now nearly eleven, and the colonel has been gone i since shortly after midday. Had I come down when you did—as I might have done if you had let me know in j time—l should have gone at once to I Fletcher and Wyman, to ascertain I whether they had sent a man to him." j "It was an oversight on my part," Mr Dacre said. "I did not think of ! that, ar.d I did not know their adI dress." . "A glance at the directory would have told you, or the newspapers, for they advertise frequently; ar ; d to send them a telegram was the most obvious to tike—at least it is the one which would have suggested itself to me, though I do not lay claim to much worldly knowledge, «nd am tmubled with a soldier' 3 impetuosity. I shall be back before you start, but, should I miss you, you will send me a message the first thing in the morn-' ing." "You could have one here by about seven." "Why not before?" "It will be nearly six when I reach Euston. I should have to go home and see if the colonel is there, thenreturn to Euston and send to you; that would make it nearly or quite seven." [to be continued.]