PAOLINA OR THE MILLIONAIRE'S PLOT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10173, 24 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' XXXV—Continued.

"Leave me at once, or I will call j for help." cried Paolina, raising her | voice. "I know there are those in j this liou.se that will not see me insult- j ■ ed or abused by you. At any rate I will ascertain whether your conduct is cpproved of by those who employ you, unless you retire instantly." "Leesten to me one moment, and I will go, for I do not find your company charming. To-day you wll see Milor Huntingdon.' Bo not speak to him against me. It will not he good for you to* try to injure me with him. Ma foi, eef you do so, I will he revenged.'' Having concluded this pleasant speech, Madam Campan withdrew as stealthily as she had come./ As she reentered the sitting room she met Hannah Hagburn carrying a tray with Paolina's breakfast. Tlie . Frenchwoman .glared at her with undisguised hostility, pausing! in the doorway to "the dressing-room, •which she entirely blockaded with her huge frame. - ' ■ ' t "}' "Let me pass," said Hannah, some-tj what impatiently. "Where is your politesse, Mees Impudence? Request me with respect. Say 'eef. you please,'" retorted' Mad-; am Campan, without budging. Hannah, embarrassed by her tray, j was polite enough ttf restrain her temper. ' f'.Well, then, let me pass, please," she said, with the best grace she eotlld. . This concession, however, instead of mollifying madam, only made her mpre. domineering.' ,She, still main- : tained her obstructive position; ..but--; veying Hannah with a monkeyish griiFace.' ~'' •'■":•■ ' ~ .said, glancing, .at the 'tray, ' '-/An'is . milady's dejeuner. : But where are ze pommes de terre with ze skeens on? I see zem not." "It is none or your business," said Hannah, whose blood was now up. ■'t'Qqjj out of the way, or'it 'will be the i '; ■ : y ' ; --■' -;' "Ah! you dal'B insult me!" cried madam. "I shall chastise you ■'."■ And seizing Haflttah by the ear she inflicted upon that sensitive organ, a severe pinch'. . , This was too much; the cup was full. Hannah's education and breeding had not been such as to utterly tame the combative instinct^, or to m'ake her shrink with lady. like sensitiveness from the idea of resorting to physical force to resent such an indignity when offered by one of her own sex. Be--1 sides, it was her lady's quarrel as well as her own. She was opposed and hindered in the sdischarge of her duty. She-was attacked with violence, and she must defend herself. ■..•■', Yes,"it was clearly" a case of necessary self-defence, for lo! madam, exulting in the anticipated humiliation of her foe, was stretching out her hand with the apparent intention of equalising the administration of punishment, and keeping the scales :. of justice evenly balanced by pinching the other, ear. •,"•;.•'.■' ,-..

"Just as lie cam© back, the master's negro boy, Hannibal, came down to carry up his breakfast; There .was the steak that had been cooked for 72": and a plate-of buttered toast,, and a clip of coffee.-/ 'Why, Francois,' says I-Hbhat's the cook's name, ma'am, 'what lovely toast! I'm sure the master'll never «at that pile, and I'll take two slices for my mistress.? So I did, and he grinned and scraped, and said it would afford him pleasure to make some more for me just Jikeit, and tint if I'd do him the- honour of taking; my breakfast with.him in .1 should have one fit for a /princess. Of course, I accepted his . invitationj just to keep him in good .humour, ma'am. Then, after he had poured out a ciip.of coffee,for the master, I .filled your cup from the same pot. And so, ma'am, you heed have no feai of poison in anything that I have fetched you." .'..'■'■ ■'..■ '-i' •■ ■■ "Hannah, you're a brave girl,"said Paoline, "and as'.quick-witted as.you are brave. Having such tt frienfd is you under the same roof wuh: Hie, i will not give way to despair..'.' I "Ah, ma'am, .if you only knewlhow proud and glad I am to lie to servei you. : But you have mor'j powerful and wiser, friends than I am, nho are not far off." ■:.'< . | . "You lower your voice, .aid spook as if you knew something :;f importance," said Paoline, eagerly. ' "Oh, tell me at once.what it is you-mean!" Hannah gave her mistress a significant look, and tlien stepped softly to the door between thesitiiag roiini and dressing room, which she secured. Returning into the bedroom she closed the second door, also, and turned the key in the lock. Haying i alien the precautions, she stationed herself behind Paolina's chair, and bending slightly forward, said: ' "I've been waiting for a chance, ma'am, to tell you something; \ but this is the: first time that,l've-ibeen alone with you except for a i little (While last night, and then you seemed so sleepy that. I put it off." "I was under the influence of that dreadful drug," said Paolina. . "I guessed as much, ma'am," replied Hannah; i; /TdßaConU'h'scd.)

' Swiftly Hannah deposited her tray upon the nearest chair; alertly she turned upon the astonished Frenehwo,'man, and with all the ferocity of a (ma l ternal hen whose callow brood is threatened by some prowling grimalkin, she precipitated herself upon her gigantic foe. • < : ' The fight Hvas of short duration. Not being fa,miliar with the rules of the P.E., Hannah's first blow was a foul, forcibly administered 'below the belt.' It doubled the Frenchwoman like a half-closed' jack-knife, and she dropped to the floor, dumfounded arid helpless.

CHAPTER XXXVI

Hannah.discloses a plan. After hastily arranging her dress and hair, Hannah cast* a glance of contempt at the bewildered Frenehwo-. man, and,, taking' the tray in hand, passed with it through ( the dressingroom, and tapped at the door of the inner apartment; , "Why, Hannah," said Paolina, glancing at the tray as the girl entered the room, "this is not what I asked for. Biit I suppose the privilege was not permitted me of choosing what I will eat. They are determined to keep'me under the influence of the horrible drugs, but I will defeat their cunning. You may take the things away, for I will not touch a My mind is fully made v up, and I choose rather to die of starvation;.than ito be thus vilely practised upon.'

"You need not be afraid, ma'am," Hannah said, with a peculiar smile, "if anyone meant to pwt poison in your victuals, it is not you but the master that will get the benefit of it." ••... "What is it you mean to say?" asked Paolina, eyeing her handmaiden in astonishment. "Why, ma'am, from what ycu and the Frenchwoman said a little while ago, I thought you had a notion that they were putting some doctored stuff into your victuals. So when I went down into the kitchen I found the cook was just putting on a steak to' broil for the master's bi-eakfast, and I told him that it looked so nice I would like to have another like it for my lacty. He said he had the mate to it, and after he had broiled the first one, and set it in the oven to keep warm, he broiled the other, and I went out of the kitchen while he was doing it, so as not to seem to be watching him. When I came back he had set it on the tray for me to bring up. Then I spoke up as if I had forgotten something, and asked him if he wouldn't be good enough to put a , couple of potatoes in the oven to bake, and wouldn't he do it right off. Well, ma'am, I've noticed that the man is disposed to be obliging and pleasant to me, and has paid me a number of foolish compliments. And to tell you the truth, ma'am, I have pretended to be pleased with' his impertinence, thinking it might be as well to have a friend in a strange, out-of-the-way place like this. So he drops, everything, and rushes off to get the pota-, toes, and the minute his back /'.was' turned I whipped out the steak that he had set in the oven for;the master, ;and put yours in its place. They were 'both- tender]pins, and the beingexacjily a'likey'il'o otte'oan telfjifchei difference. v