PAOLINA. OR THE MILLIONAIRE'S PLOT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10172, 23 February 1911, Page 2

PAOLINA. OR THE MILLIONAIRE'S PLOT.

OUR SERIAL.

By MARIPOSA WEIR. Author of "Evadyne's Temptation," "A Chase Round the World," etc

CHAPTER XXlV—Continued

termine. Associating it with the faint perfume which' had so long haunted her, she. had endeavoured to keep her rooms thoroughly ventilated, .both by day and night, since her first distinct return to consciousness at the chateau. The suite of apartments occupied by-her, or, more properly speaking, to which she was confined, consisted of a large sitting room, small ; dressing room, and, a bedroom of moderate size. All were.newly arid elegantly furnished, and nothing was wanting that could minister to : the physical comfort of the occupant. The door opening from.the sitting i-oorii into the hall was nailed up, and there was no access to the main stairway or other* parts of the house except through Madam Campan's apartment, which adjoined a smaller one occupied by Hannah Hagburn. It was evident to Paolina that these two women regarded each other! with dislike, a circumstance which she was glad to note, as she herself stood l in great fear of the Frenchwoman,! and was in great hopes of being able to make a friend of the other, with whose frank and kindly countenance she was pleased. On the second morning after her arrival at her place of imprisonment, Hannah presented herself at the sit-ting-room, anrl with an awkward courtesy, asked, what she should order' for her breakfast. Madame Campan had entered the room only a moment before, and was sitting near one of the windows. Hannah did not take any notice of iher, whereati.the Frenchwoman took grave offence. i 'Ma foi !"••• she said, 'shrugging her shoulders, and surveying' the girl" from head to foot; "one can easily 'see that you do not arrive, from Paris. ; Well, my goot girl, you may bring an omelette and some coutelettes of mutton. With some coffee it will suffice." "I did not speak to you, and it is ,not my business to wait on you, but on my lady," returned Hannah brass.: 'query. "The master says' you are to : have your meals downstairs with' me." " •. . .1 >• ' .• .; After- this little feminine thrust Hannah turned from the Frenchwoman with a sniff of contempt, and addressing herself to Paolina,' repeated her question in regard to the breakfast. . ' .. ' The latter resolved to take every possible precaution against any; further administration of the drugs which she believed had been used against'her; and, in accordance witihh this new plan, she now ordered'' for her .breakfast? some boiled eggs,'aiadj a potato baked or boiled l with , the skin on. She did not' wish for tea or coffee; the only drink she desired was a glass of cold water. ' Madame Oampan found it quite impossible to give adequate expression sion to the amazement with which she heard this extraordinary "bill-of-fare announced. . "And," continued Paolina, rising, ' 'you may bring me my breakfast in iny bedroom; .that is, if it is to be permitted,", she, added, witii some bitterness. f • •■.'. ■"" : Then she retired, without looking at the Frenchwoman, to ftlie innermost apartment of, h,er'suite. ; Only a few nhinutes-,rhad elapsed when she heard a door open softly,' arid then as > softly close, Next came stealthy footsteps .in the dressingroom, and tlie second,. door was opened. The face of, Madame Campan appeared at the aperture,' looking very serious and very wicked. Paolina was indignant, and also; a little frightened. ■•;;•''!'■ "What, do you mean," she, cried, by this intrusion upon iny privacy? Retire instantly and leave me alone, or I will raise an alarm!" 'Do you eemageen I am come' to keel you?" asked the woman, with a sneer. "Little poltroon and imbecile with .the handsome face, I tell you be quiet. It will not be wise for you to disturb ze house."

"There's no mystery about the matter at all," said Hector. ."It's perfectly plain that Grandin is using the uncle'as a tool to accomplish his purpose. ; Grandin is the real mover in the whole matter. The place we have just left was his property until recently, as I have no doubt, though he-may have made a deed of i„t to Huntingdon for the sake of appearances." "Very likely you're right, sir," returned Zip.; "In fact, that's about my idee, as I have been figurin' the thing out since we left the place. But all the same it gives tlve other side a big advantage in.the game." This was a proposition winch Hector could not dispute, and the three rode on without further conversation until they drew up in front of the City Hotel.

"I'm going to look into the recorder's office," said Zip, as they parted, "to see if there's a deed of this place to this Huntingdon. I'll call round again in the afternoon, and p'r'aps there may be another .telegram from Eben Ta^gart."

As he entered the Plaza Hotel he saw Lawyer Tripp and the Italian sitting sociably together'in the barroom, the former with *a newspaper in his hand, the latter puffing a cigarette, with a glass of absinthe at his elbow.

The counselor, noticing Zip, accosted him in a manner that was too demonstrative to be friendly, although it was his purpose to seem friendly. After a few exchanges of speech, the lawyer proposed a walk toward Shaw's Plat, where a rich vein of the precious ore had recently been struck,' and where there was a quartz pull well worth seeing. ~, "What's Tripp's littie..gamer }; Zip thought, winking with the eye furthest from the lawyer. "I must keep my wits about.me."

.:''''Well," he answered, speaking aloud, "I believe I have half-an-hour to spare, and as I have never seen a quartz mill, perhaps I may learn of something useful." .'.".

A few minutes later the pair, duly equipped for the excursion, issued from the hotel door. " 'Mr Barne,',' said counselor, as they proceeded up the road toward the Shaw's Flat road, "permit me to take your arm. I'm getting a little rhe'umatie, and at imy age it is a pleasant thing to have a,younger and stronger arm to lean upon.'^ "Oh, the cunning old fox! Evi-

d'enily Counselor Tripp had studied

human nature in more.volumes than one. Evidently there was good reason why Mr Daniel Barrie should "keep his wits about him." Counselor Tripp and Mr Barne proceeded on, arm in arm, without conversation, until they were out of the town, and a quarter of a mile on the way to Shaw's Flat. Here, on a huge rock, beneath two lofty pines, they sat down. Each was anxious to learn the other's business in Sonora. After some verbal fencing, in which neither seemed able to outwit the other, Tripp at last plainly declared that he had pro6fs that Regina Percy was the lost heiress of the Marlianisy and that he wished Zip would induce her to come up to Sohora, as it was his intention' to present* her to her father. This information, given at greab length, with minuteness of detail, and with the lawyer's well-known plausibility, staggered Zip. Instead of being pleased, he;seemed to regret that, i:Gina —his little golden-haired G,ina, as he called her, was about to become, rich.and honoured. it was with a dejected heart that he returned to his hotel. Late that night, in an interview with Hector, he advised an attack upon the house in which PaoHna was confined, and suggested the engagement of a wellknown character named Deadly Dade, to aid'in.the enterprise. Zip .coxirted danger-now, for: with Gina k>s£ to him he cared no longer for life. v

CHAPTER XXXV.

THE' FRENCH GIANTESS MEETS HER MATCH: What terrified Pnolina more than everything else was the conviction that she. had been, for several days, kept more or loss, under the influence of some drug which rendered her almost helpless, and which affected botli mind and body. How or when this was administered she could not de-