PAOLINA. OR THE MILLIONAIRE'S PLOT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10152, 31 January 1911, Page 2

PAOLINA. OR THE MILLIONAIRE'S PLOT.

(CUR SEHiAA.y

V>J MAiIIIOCA WJ3IB, Author of "tyactync'g Temptatton," "A Chase Rountf the World," e'ie.

Cll APT KR X 1 .—Continued

mons so promptly/' said Paolina. a§ Hector was shown into the drawing room. "And pray, sir, how long have we ignorantly had the honour of having you for a neighbour?" The assumed sprightlines of her manner did not deceive Hector. He saw clearly enough that something of an unusual nature had happened, and that she was making an • effort to appear undisturbed. "About a week," he replied.

In addition to the visits of Gina, Hector has seen Doctor Goethe Guberlct make his daily calls to see his patient, and from these continued visits lie infers that Jennie is still too ill to undertake the trip to Sonoma Valley, if, indeed, her mistress is seriously ilesolved upon sueli a step.

He has several times seen a suspicious looking man—at least, he looks suspicious to Hector—entering tlib premises by the basement door, and once lie has seen a large man, wrapped in a long cloak, pass slowly down the street only half-an-hour before midnight, when all the neighbourhood was hushed and dark except the light that streamed from Paolina's window. He had seen this man pause opposite this window, and look up at it fixedly and long.

' 'And as you have newly moved into our neighbourhood, I suppose you have kept away from us 011 the point of ceremony that the established law of etiquette under such circumstances requires us to call upon you first." "My reception the last time I was here was not of so encouraging a character as to make me imagine my absence would be regretted." "Hector," replied the lady, speaking more gravely, and without any trace of affectation or coquetry in her maimer, "you ought to be aware that you are talking very absurdly, if not insincerely, which is worse. You must know that my feelings toward you are those of cordial friendship, and that I am always glad to see you—that is, when you behave sensibly, and leave sentiment alone."

What else had he seen? He had seen the family occupying the house next door to the Cranch's, on the north side, move out. He had thought nothing of that. Then, lie had seen the family occupying the house 011 tli? south side move out; and he had not thought much of that. But when, very early one morning, being awakened by the rattle and clatter of the milkman's cart, he took a look out of the .window and saw the suspicious looking individual, accompanied by Doctor Goetlie Guberlet, letting himself into ■the house 011 the north side with a latch key, it struck him as being somewhat strange, and when, on the same evening at dusk, he saw the j same suspicious looking personage let, himself into the house' on the south side . with iv latch key, \ some strange and alarming, though vague, s surmises began to shape themselves in his brain.

She then rapidly informed him of her reasons for requesting his presence. Jennie had come to her, she said, on the previous night, hysterical with remorse, or drink, or more probably both, and made a remarkable confession.

Her illness had been feigned at the urgeiit request of. her lover, who was a driver on an omnibus line. It was by liis direction, too, that she had insisted upon having the queer little German doptor attend her. Upon being questioned as to motive she declared that her only motive was to oblige "Corney" —so she designated her sweetheart. What object he had she didn't know. She believed that he Was put up to doing this by others, who had some bad purpose which they concealed from him, for Corney was as good-hearted a young man as ever lived, and wouldn't knowingly help to rob a house.

The next morning, he felt as-if he , could endure liis self-infli-cted exile from Paolina no longer. Accordingly, after breakfast, Jie ventured across the street a'nd rang the bell with a ( hesitative hand. The servant who responded to; the summons reported that Miss Cranch was out. Hector, who had scarcely had his eyes off the front door for two consecutive minutes since rising, said to himself, "So she denies herself to me," and felt very bitter about it. He thought/ that possibly she .might have become aware that lie had established himself across the way, and was offended at the assumption of guardianship and ' protection.

She had adopted Mrs Cranch's theory about the pretended doctor. He wasn't really a doctor at all, she believed; lie was in with some gang of robbers who wanted to plunder the house. Yes, she was positive that was what was designed; and they must have got an idea, somehow, that lier young mistress had quantities of jewellery, for the pretended doctor had questioned her about the situation of Paolina's room, and how the adjoining rooms were occupied, 1 and what rooms had to be passed in order to get to it; whether she was in the habit of having all her windows closed at night, whether she kept a light burning, whether she was a light sleeper, with numerous other queries of the like purport.

But the young man was wrong in both these surmises. Paolina had gone out while he was hastily swallowing his breakfast, unobserved by him, notwithstanding all his alert watchfulness.

Hectox* returned to his post dispirited and a little resentful. The young man was aroused from a train of despondent reflections, or, "more correctly speaking, from a vague, sad-coloured reverie, by the violent hanging of his shutter, which a gust of wind had thrown wide open, and was now dashing alternately against the window sill and the open door. As he raised the sash and leaned out to sceure the shutter, he saw Paolina ascend the steps of the house opposite. He was in the act of withdrawing to escape observation, when she turned and saw him. Their eyes mot, a look of sudden surprise came into hers, which showed clearly enough that she had not before known that he was so near a neighbour. He fancied, too, that her face lighted up as she nodded to him, as if the surprise was not altogether a:i unpleasant one.

. Finally, the day before the confession, Guberlet had asked her, while Paolina was out ,to show him her room, she at first refusing to comply, but Guberlet frightened her. into compliance. It was then that she became alarmed, and made up lier mind to disclose the whole matter.

When Paolina had given this summary of Jennie's confession, Hector expressed a wish to see the girl, and question her further. She accordingly, at the request of her mistress, made her appearance in the drawing room in a tearful condition, when Hector managed to elicit from her a few additional particulars. What had Guberlet done when shown into Miss Cranch's room? Oh, he had just looked around at things. Was that all ? Yes, so far as she could tell; he had poked about- the rooms for all the world like some inquisitive old maid. Had he looked at anything in particular? No, he had looked at almost everything, but no one thing more than another.

When she had stepped across the threshold, she stood for a moment with the door open, as if considering something. Then she looked up again at the window, and entered the house with the hasty air of one who has decided iipon something that must be done at" once. Five minutes afterward the servant who had told him .that Paolina was not at home, came out of the front door with something in her hand, crossed the street, and rang the bell. v In a few minutes Hector's landlady put in his- hands a note, which read as follows:

"Dear Mr North : I wish to see you on a matter of importance, and as soon as you can spare me half-an-hour. . Paojjina. Crancli." Hector saw at a glance that the note had been written in the utmost haste, and he promptly sallied forth to obey this urgent summons from his lady-love. CHAPTER XVII. JENNIE'S TARDY CONFESSION. "Thanks for responding to my sum-

(To Be Continued.J