A DEEP GAME. OR THE HONOUR OF THE TREVELLANS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10553, 8 February 1912, Page 2

A DEEP GAME. OR THE HONOUR OF THE TREVELLANS.

ODE SERIAL.

By Mrs De Winter Baker, Author of "The Sin of Carina," "Sir Bland ford's Protegee," "For Weal or Woe, eto.

CHAPTER XXT —Continued. , "Well, if you prefer their company to your own soil's, it is your own look-out; but I must say that it is extremely strange. As regards Lettico, however, I,am grieved —deeply grieved at vour inexplicable attitude to-, wards iier. Of course you will understand that my affection for the girl f ivui going to marry does not permit me to inflict a disapproving mother-in<-!aw upon her. So, when I marry Lettice Lascelles, I say good-bye to you and Trevellan Castle for ever. That is all!" 1 _ Eric turned on his heel, and lett the room, slamming the door behind him. With a gesture of utter despair and unspeakable woe,. Lady Trevellan flung her hands upon the table and buried her head in them. Great soulwracking sobs convulsed her shrumken l>ody, but her eyes were dry—she had 110 tears left within her. _ S'he had arrived at .that state of- grief where the tears would 110 longer flow. 1 "Oh God!" she cried with a husky voice, terrible to hear. "Is. there no pity in Heaven —no mercy—no resipite —no spark of solace?" - "What is the matter, my lady?" Grace Omer. had silently entered the turret chamber and now stood over her mistress. Lady Trevellan .raised her head, and . there was a terrible look upon her | face—the look of a tigress at bay—a tigress that has been robbed of one of her cubs. _ ! Grace Omer quailed before the look. "You foul fiend!" the old lady hiss- , ed. "You devils—you and Mark Jason. I-warned you against driving me too far. But you shall not suck my lifeblood any longer, you black vampires. All the world shall know my secret—all the world skill hear of' the ! Trevellan shame. A thousand times raither would I have my shame publicly discussed and gossiped albout tliian. that my • son—any' only son—should hate and despise me as he does now."

"1 am going to call him to me now, Omer. In front of you and Jason I l am going to tell him everything—everything—do you understand?" Lady Trevellanalmost shrieked in.her livid excitement. "I am going to .tell him how you have held this sword of' disgrace over my .head for all these years —how I have bought your silence over , and over again. You have asked too big a price this time, Omer —you hvae ■ j. asked the price of my-own son's love and' (affection. That is a price no Smother can pay, and I will not pay it ; -r-no, not even to keep tiie disgrace I ; fi-om his ears will I pay it F j $. % 'And when he kno.vs the .secret—

Nyhen the dread skeleton has been le- 1 •IMealed to him —I sli.iil tell him some- ! • t else, Omer—something tiiat you : :, 4vi)d Jason are gloating about at this f very moment. I shall tell him, and he „ leap at your t s roats and shake } 1 like t)he dogs that you. are. For ' B shall tell him that, the letter he re- j j'/jedved this morniiig was never written ! :<iy. Lettiice Lascelles —ah, I see you ' fEtncn!—yes, I shall toll Jiiui that th.tt •' £jl££tor; wiis written by either Mark Ja>- | or Grace Oiiier'. : , And I shall tell \ liim to search the castle from battle- ; ment to basement—because some- ■ where between these walls you two fi-e-nds have hidden the one woman to ifim —the one woman in the world that S want him to marry." r 3l "You we mad —mad, my lady!" ( :j Qmer snorted with rage at the dow- jtiger's indictment. I | 'l am not mad. You know as Well as " ■■,, l do that Miss Lascelles did not leave j ; y tiie l castle this morning. I know* hter ; .perfectly,' Omer. She nev'cV wrote that-letter that my son re- 1 tt. jceivod. I expect you wrote it your.si"if and gave it to Eric!" hj "Oh-—so that is your game, is it?" :*K)mer was openly insolent now. "Then listen to me. You don't suppose that Mark and I are playing this game without taking every, precaution. You 1 will kindly oblige us by believing im- . plicifcly, as your son does, if yon do ( liot believe it — if you mention a; word :of your suspicions to-a living soul,you j \yiil never hear of the girl again. One < ' from you, Lady Trevellan, . will .ttoe -girl'to a living death. ,-Qirly Mark and-1, in this wide world, .'iknow'twhere' she is—only we two can " ' .find her— only we two have the secret \ ;».that'enables us to find her. She is perij fectlv safe at present and will contin- * lie so, as long as you keep quiet. But .dare to breathe a .suspicion, and Jason 1 ~'and I will. Do you know what star- | ). ration is, Lady Trevelllan ? It is a slow ; lingering death—and Lettice Lascelles , is a pretty little thing, isn't she?" Lady Trevellan stared open-mouthed 1 '• at this abominable counter-threat. ; Terror seemed to have iruin'hod her I btain. J "Starvation starvation!" slie - • mumbled mechanically. You don't i ! -mean that you have got the girl locked up somewhere —that if I speak you will leave her to starve to death? Yon 1 can't mean that, Omer. Inhuman < fiends that you and Jason are, you can not mean that?" : "I can, and I do, my lady," answer- ' ed Omer with a flickering sneer. f But Ladv Trevellan hardly heard ( her reply. 1 She had tumbled to the floor, a huddied, fainting heap. I O ! CHAPTER XXII. | i THE UNDERGROUND ROOM. j 1 It is necessary at this point to go ; - back to Lettice, whom we left asleep ' ] in her ■bedroom in the east. wing. i Soundly she slumbered —the happy, i dreamless sleep of youth wrapping her * fast in its cloak of oblivion. Far away on the other side of the house her l<nr- .

Pr was eagerly fitting a little gold ring tf*his finger, pausing now and then to wind a strand of white wool around the shank —wool unravelled from a ycarf of his. At last he got it> to his .satisfaction, and placing it beneath his pillow, returned once more to 'his fest. For- some time lie lay awake, puzzle;! about that light in the chapel. In some indefinite way he seemed to connect it wifh the mystery that he and Lattice were going to solve. But, then, Lett ice was going a way 011 the morrow —of course —and after all, what was the use of bothering about such ridiculous things as supposititious mysteries when he was shortly going to marry the dearest little woman in the world ? Once married to her, he would not care if he never saw Trevellan Castle again, so why bother his head about the subject? ■; In the contemplation of Lett ice's sweet face and figure that floated up before him all other thoughts were ait once dispelled from his irvind. He too, fell asleep at last, .murmuring to himself the words of that other passionate lover, whose words thrilled' him noW as he had never before.been thrilled: "Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in thy breast! —would I were sleep and peace, so sweet to rest!" * « * * * * The old grandfather clock in the hall set up a buzzing, whirring noise—twice the hammer beat upon the sweet voiced going—two o'clock in the morning. , Lettice awoke with a start—someone had rushed into her room,'and was shaking hex by the shout lcr. "Get up quick, miss. The castle, is on fire—quick—quick!" There was no light in the room, but Lettice recognised the speaker's voic«. It was Grace Omer. A few short moments passed as Lettice ra.pidly collected her sleepy senses. Omer repeated iher summons and shook the girl again and again.. "Fire!" Lettice was out of bed in an and struggling into the wrap that the woman held out for her. "Follow me—don't - stop—it , s our only chance!" commanded Omer, and led the way out of the bedrocm. ' "My boxes my clothes!" cried Lettice. But she was summitrily bundled out of/the'room. She was very sleepy —Still hardly cognisant of what had happened; V t "Where—where 's the fire >'* she asked in awed tonss. "Front of tflie house, miss. You can see the red glare. She pointed down the corridor. A Jurvi glow was reflected on the walls. It seemed to come from the hall below.

.->■ "Every one is out on the (irive'miss. ■ I missed you and came for you. There i is oiity one way of escape-. I am taking you there," she added hurriedly. Tho reflection of the fire was terribly wid now; clouds of siritftce rolled up from J ' |' the ground flooV. , j "Siiv Erie— is he mfoi'" gasped Let- ' tice. ! "I don't see Win, miss—most prob ably he is'. But don't talk, hurry on, please."

Wonderingly, exoi+ed!y, Lottioe allowed herself to be forced along. She wanted t-o get 1 out 'or to the drive, to fee thfl.t her lover \Vas safe —ah —yes, she must hurry, hurry. Omer tnniod down a. corridor at the top of a llighr, of stairs and paused before a door that was guarded by an iron gu:o 15-i;ii door and gate stood wide open, Lattice saw. in the dim. light. "The Black Room !" she exclaimed, to restrain s shiKhkv, even ;.n her excitement to outside to her' lover's arms.

"Well, what of it 0 It is the only way out, miss. Tho fi'.nt staircase is blazing. .flier's a seer a passage iicie —com© on —quick!" Omer crossed t-Ji-? room and Ihmp; back t!he plush curt.ii-i in the comer m.d Lettrice groped her way behind. It 'had been fairly in the corridor —it was pitch du.rK in this ror-n. She felt her hand taken,. rather roughly, she thougjht, but ma r '.e 110 comment orf rotest. Angling to get. out —out — out.

Now she felt hers 'U' pull-id through an open doorvray and hurried down a steep flight of stone steps. Another door stood open before l her . Groping blindly with lier free hand Lattice felt that it was studded with heavy nails. "fri here, quick miss!" Omer stood aside. All unsuspicious, Lettice passed through the doorway. Instantly there was a jarring crash —ia hang—the door wias slammed violently behind her—she heard the metallic clank of bolts being s'hot into the sockets. (To be Continued.)