A DESPERATE GAME.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10117, 12 October 1910, Page 2

A DESPERATE GAME.

(OUR SERIAL.)

By OWEN MASYHKS, Autlior of "The Master Gi'Tivdcroft," •-..• Impassioned Hour," "The,. Deverel Heritage," "Whrti i, (l •, ..Ks the Heart," "Captain Kmlyn e I;;;.!'," etc.

• CHAPTER XVll.—Continued. I had discovered the secret, or part of tho secret of the room, but that knowledge was little enough aid. The sides of the chamber were formed of steel plates, one of which moved backwards and forwards like a sliding door, probably by some arrangements of cranks and pulleys on the outside. Tho other three sides , were apparently immovable. The | floor was of stone and cement, and a ■ very brief investigation sufficed toconvince me that it was far too hard to admit of burrowing my way i through there. There remained only the ceiling. - After some little cogition, I managed with the aid of bed table and chair to construct a scaffolding which brought me within easy reach of the ceiling. I had placed my rather unsafe erection close to the wall, and as I mounted it I made a further discovery. Three of the steel sides of the cell did not go right up to the ceiling, but stopped short of it by about eight or ten inches, while between them and the. outer walls was a space of nearly a foot. By the outer' walls I mean those of the room in which the steel box had been erected; or, to put it another way, the steel sides of my prison were a sort of inner lining to the original room, the walls of which were of ordinary material. The darkness in which the upper part of the room was buried, thanks to the shade of the lamp, had prevented me from noticing this before, and, indeed, it was my sense of touch that first indicated it to me. I examined them all carefully in turn and found that all stopped short of the ceiling, except the one that had moved to admit my cousin, and that was a few inches higher than the others, being fitted into a groove that was evidently fitted in the beams above. What had been the aim and use of this strong-room? For what purpose had the original apartment been lined with steel? Perhaps Ephrami had rightly diagnosed it. At all events I had more pressing problems to solve. I drew my scaffolding across the room, and tried to, peep over the lining of the wall opposite. There ought to be a window somewhere, I thought—the window of the original room—but I could detect no sign of it by even the faintest shaft of light, though the strong current of cool air which met my face showed me that there must he an outlet somewhere. Wherever it was, however, it admitted air, but apparently no light.

no result, until a sudden crackling showed me that my new ally was being to work. it was possibly a mad, reckless thing for me to attempt, and it was dangerous, too, for I found the dry, shrunken wood almost as inflammable as tinder, and when it had well caught had very great difficulty indeed to protect my head and arms from the falling sparks and shreds of charred wood.. I realized, too, as the fire took hold and the smoke grew thicker and thicker that after all 1 might be merely creating a signal to warn my gaolers and bring them to the spot. But notwithstanding all the danger and risk, I persevered, guiding the flames as well as I could, cutting away the burning wood when it went in the wrong direction, and descending every now and then to stamp out the embers that fell upon my scaffolding. Even then it took me nearly two hours, alternately burning and hacking, to clear a piece large enough to admit my head and shoulders.

But at last aching, burned and blackened, with blisters on my hands and more than one scar upon my face," I managed to drag myself through and reach the room above. I put some food up first, next an empty bottle to serve as a weapon, and finally my coat. Then I carefully stamped out any burning fragment that remained in my cell; then I mounted once more my scaffold, and pulled myself through the aperture I had made, tearing every shred of shirt and a good deal of skin from off my arms, and rending my vest and trousers in several places. But I was up at last and free. The room in which I found myself was empty, but the door, when I tried it, I found cecurely locked. That, however, did not largely disconcert me. A man who had brokt-n out of a cell in which 1 had been confined had no need to dread an ordinary door. I carefuly stamped out the smoking remnants of my fire and then crept towards the window. It was not even fastened.

For a moment I stood to get breath for my next move, for I did not know what I might meat, or what dangers and difficulties I had yet to encounter. Outside nothing was visible save a mass of trees, with a tangled undergrowth of long grass and thick bushes, which latter came close to the wall, obliterating anything there may have been at one time in the shape of a. roadway. When I came to open the window 1 saw that it opened into a uarrow balcony, which apparently ran the whole length of that side of the. house, ending some ten or .twelve yards to the right in a flight of steps, which in their, turn led to a dilapidated, moss-grown terrace of brick and stone. It' would, have been an easy matter to drop from the balcony to the ground below, but I was already so bruised and jolted that I determined to try the steps. I must have cut a horrible figure as I stood by that window, with my blackened face, torn clothing, and disheveled hair, and I dare say, too, that I looked fierce and desperate, for indeed I had murder in my heart, and it would have gone ill with anybody appearing at that moment had I but half a chance of holding niy own..

I turned my attention to the ceiling, and was a little surprised, possibly a little relieved, -to find that it was of ordinary plaster. The walls had been lined with steel, the floor covered with cement, but the ceiling had not been toucKed. With the aid of a table knife I managed to cut and hack through a square piece of plaster, and to break away the laths above.' I found, as I had_ expected, the beams tunning from left to right, supporting the planks cf the floor of the room above. To be so near an outlet of escape, and yet so far away, was maddening. 'There was nothing between me ■and liberty save an inch or so of deal board, and yet how could I possibly hope to get through with no more powerful aid than that of a table knife. True, I might have managed in time, but how much time had I ? My gaolers might return at any minute, and by that undo even the little I had accomplished. I tried all„the boards within reach to see if perchance any of them might be loose, but that was too much to hope. .1 descended to the floor again and stood pondering. The beams were sufficiently wide, apart to admit of my creeping through, but I should have to cut through at least four of the flooring boards, and even that would be a tight squeeze. But how could I possibly cut through those four boards.

I T stepped onto the balcony, closed the window, behind me, and with my empty bottle poised carefully in my right hand crept along towards the steps.

But I did not reach them—l did not reach them—then or ever. As I passed the window of the uoxt room I turned and peered in, and what I saw brought me to a full stop. For there, with her arms spread out before her, as if to ward off a coming terror, her beautiful face blanched with fear, stood Constance Vanneck, my own dear love!

I got out my penknife and began clearing away "tho dirt that had settled between* the planks. These latter were old and shrunken, and it took me but aminute or two to bring the daylight through five narrow slits. It was the first breach in the prison walls, the first step to frec- [' dom, the first glimpse I had gaiiv d of the outer world.

CHAPTER XVIII. TRAPPED AGAIN. I hesitated for nearly a minute, dubious to what I should do. But that did not last' long. I had no idea at mat moment —at Constance was in any sort of trouble, or that she needed my aid, or that I should be in any way a welcome visitor. But she was part of the mystery, perhaps involved in it ,and besides, I loved her.

I began paring away the wood w ; th my knife, listening for any ouud m the room above. It was drearily slow work. At the endof half an hour I had pared away perhaps half an inch, possibly a little more, but the necessity of working with my hands above my head, and the strained position in which I was forced to staid, not to mention the insecurity et my

I drew near and tapped at. the window, forgetting : that in my present guise I should be a somewhat terrifying apparition, and that my blackened face would conceal my identity, I placed my lips close to the division between the two parts of the window, and said, as clearly as I could without making undue noise over it:

scaffolding, very soon lessened" even that rate of progress. But J Kept at it until every nerve in my body was vibrating with the tension, until every bone in 'my head, neck and shoulders was aching furiously. And then I though of the lamp! I crept down from my hazardous scaffold, and once again examined the lamp. As I have said, it was fastened to the table, but closer investigation showed me that the upper part, the bowl, could be unscrewed from me base. I had it off in a moment and blowing it out, re-filled it from the can of kerosene. Then, lighting it again, but leaving glass and shade on the table, I once more climbed my rickety scaffold and held the lamp.so that the flame curled and twisted through the nick I had cut. First in one hand and then iii the other, I hold it some time with

"Can you let me iu, 1 want to speak to you?"

She too, approached a step or two and made some reply that I could not catch, and it was then for the first time that I noticed the heavy iron bars, no more that eighteen inches apart, which guarded the window, and for the first time had some inkling of the real state of the case.

, "Can you hear me?" 1 asked with my lips once more pressed close.

She nodded her head. "Then come to the window as I am Can you let me in ?" I asked. .-She approached the window. ' (To bo Continued.)