A DEEP GAME. OR THE HONOUR OF THE TREVELLANS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10568, 26 February 1912, Page 2

A DEEP GAME. OR THE HONOUR OF THE TREVELLANS.

OUR SERIAL.

By Mrs De Winter Bak«r, Author of "The Sin of Carine," "Sir Blandford'a Protegee," -'For Weal or .Woe, etc.

CHA PTER XIJ [ —Continued. "You lire Mr Norman Cole —oh,how can 1 thank you fore rescuing mo from that a w t'ul. piitct* ? I>kl you discover my sign ail of distress tlien?" Beneath tlio unaffected enthusiasm of her welcome Cole found all traces of nervousness leaving him. Quickly ho put her in possession of all the facts thai, had led up to her release from the underground cell. With slightly parted lips', and head thrown back, sho listened to his story.

"You know Eric has loft the c-as-tlo?" she asked when ho had conludcd.

"Ye—es.' Cole hardly knew what to say.

"I have had a loiter from him. I want youi' help, Mr Colo. Eric has T.eft because ho learned somo news that makes him ashamed to marry me, so ho says. I want you to take me to him, so that I can tell him that I am rot ashamed to marry him. Will you do this for me?"

"With al my heart ,Miss Lascelles. It should not be hard to find him. But —about this news he has learned. He mentioned something of the sort in a short farewell note to me. But I aim altogether in the dark . And now he 'has left I have really no_ right to' be hero any longer. . I was his guest, you see. I have never met Lady Trevellan."

Lettice thought for a moment. "Surely there would be no harm in staying for ono night longer?" she asked.

"Well, I can stay in tho village. I think that would bo better."

"Oh, will you do this? How good of you. To-morrow lam going to interview Lady Trevella.n .and get hold of the wholo story. Then I will tell you everything, and together wo will go to Eric." She. held out her little hand, and the ommoact between them was firmly sealed, "May I congratulate you on your wonderful recovery, Miss Lascelles?" asked Cole as he rose to take his leave. "It will give me the greatest pleasure to inforni the doctor that his services aro nd longer needed." Lettice gavo a little girlish laugh. "I don't think I shall he quite well —until —until ''

"Until wo find a certain gentleman .who has played truant, eh?" Cole finished her sentence for her and withdrew, laughing gaily. Repairing to his bedroom, he packed his bag, and informing the 'butler, immediately made off for the vilage. He engaged a. room for the night. Afterwards he went to the post office, and this timo wired to Eric's old rooms in London. He also wired to the club to make sure of catching him. This is what he 'wired: "Don't bo an ass —she loves you."

CHAPTER XLIII, "SWEET IS REVENGE." Eric gone, and the dowager utterly broken up, Lettice in bed, and the detective temporarily out of tho way, 0mer looked round her in truimph. It had iboen a sweeping victory for her all along the line, and she had nothing to fear. She would go and te.ll Jason how successful she had been and together they would discuss their'future line of action. Doubtless Lettico would be ready to pay hush money, even as tho old dowager had. Wliero had tho chaplain been; all this time, sho wondered ? Hiding in the chapel, probably. Well, it would be good news for him to hear tho coast was clear again. It would 'be nice, too, to have his praises for tho masterly way in which sho had pulled the affair through. Lattice Lascelles—pah! The little fool would never dare to lay a charge against them. l , and thus have tho story of the Trevellan scandal brought to the ears of the world at large. Moreover, Margaret could now be openly produced, and introduced to the servants' hall as a new lady's maid for Lady Trevcllan. Tho thing was now working splendidly. ' ; Picking up a ..packet of letters, she thrust them into her apron pocket, and went in search of Jason. As she came to tho Black Room paused to , ruminate. The recollection of how Colo had plucked the key from her hand Cfvusetj to flWlMleqily, I

_ J'What a iW r pon dered. "I ought to have come out by way of the chapel. It would have been far safer. And then to go and faint like that. Still, the shock would have upset a stronger woman than me, I guess 1 Norman Cole, her thoughts ran on, "he's left the castle, so the 'butler says, but I am no so sure that we have .seen the last or h im. Strikes me we have to be jolly careful still. Anyway, if ho comes prowling around again, I can show hi 111 these letters,"—slie touched the pocket of her apron and smiled "they will shut his mouth tight, athey have shut other people's mouths." Now sho descended to her daughter s ; rooms underground. Margaret looked up as her mother entered, and there seemed to be a look of fear in her weak and watery eyes. "Where is your uncle? Has 110 been here?" she asked sharply. 1 "No, mother. But a strange gentleman came in somo hours ago. He said he was Eric's friend. Who is he, and who is Eric?" There was little of curiosity in the girl's languid questions. Her voieo was devoid of expression , and she spoke in a singsong dreamy fashion, hardly above a whisper.

"Oh, don't ask questions. Look hero Margaret—l am going to take you away out of this —to live up above in a decant room at last. Can you stand tho light?" "Up above —in the castle? My eyes aro very weak, mother. I can only see properly in tho dark. Why .am i going up above?'

".Didn't I tell you not to ask questions? You will do as you are told please. I wil get a pair of blue glasses for your eyes. Now —turn to and pack •up your belongings. I wil he bade presently to tatko you up." omer departed fortJiwith. in search of tho chaplain. For the first five minutes or so sho supposed that ho must ba iu hiding somewhere. But when sho had searched the chapel and all the underground rooms Without finding any traces of him she grew alarmed.

Through tho grounds of tho castle sho hurried in the growing dusk of the summer evening, and then through the length and breadth of the oastle itself. Not a sign could she find. It was not until she hiad descended to tho underground sitting room again and was prompted by growing suspicion, examined the contents of the japanned cash box in the cupboard that the truth iburst in upon her . Jason had fled, and had taken nearly (ill their ill-gotten, carefully hoarded hush money into tlie bargain. Uncontrollable fury seized her heart as she viewed the meagre remains of what had once been a nice little sum of money. .

"Coward!' she hissed between her clenched teeth. "You coward, Mark, and after all I have done for you. You shall pay for this treachery—treachery to your sister who picked you out of the gutter and made you a chaplain. Chaplain, ball! You wait, my boy. I wil bo even with you yet!"

Angrily she mused on. Her brother must ho made to disgorge his plunder. Half of it belonged falirly toiler by tho agrement they made years ago, ■when she had first brought him to the castlo. Tho more she pondered on his cowardice and, deceit, tho blacker grow the rago within her. ? Desire for revenge seemed to obsess her. Sweet is revenge, especially to 'women.. Like some ravening wild beast, she snarled in despair .because she could think of-110 way of satisfying her desire just then. She had slaved far more for this money than he had. To her had fallen the heavy duties of looking after Margaret and keeping the girl cloncealed —of supplying food secretly all these years, (while he had lorded it up ahove ground, eating at the same table .as her ladyship, and generally having an. easy time of it. Well—she knew very well where he had fled to. To-morrow she would be on his track.

"To-morrow,' she repeated to herself viciously. "Look out for yourself Mark, for I won't spare you after tho : way you have treated me." Putting back the cash box with its sadly reduced contents, she returned to her daughter's room, to find the girl standing, silently regarding a. couple of bundles tied up in .sheets. Stil boiling with rage Omer strode into the room. "Make haste—pick up your baggage and follow mo,' sho exclaimed, j Sho made no offer to help the weak, J emaciated girl to lift the heavy bun- ! dies. She rated her with angry abuse because she was slow and awkward in her movements. She finished by giving tho girl a resounding blow over tho o ar with her open palm.. Margaret M inced, but offered 110 word of icmonstrance. She followed her mother very meekly out - to (the foot of the stono stairs and mounted painfully, with labouring breath to the Black Room aibove. , , ~ "You will livo in this room now, said Omer. "Go back and get your bed u.p as best you can. Go 011—don't look ait ,me. I'm not going to help f'you."

CHAPTER XldY. A CONFERENCE. The local doctor, when calling at tho castle later on that evening, found Lettico chafing and impatient to be up and about. Noting {.];? sparkle of colour 111 her ~u- -1— ./I +.Ka dint of returning heath in her ©ye, ho had 110 professional qualms about giving her permission to leave her bed on the following mornng, bub not before, .N°t that it would have vn.nde the slightest difference to Lettice had he proved less amenable, for sho was quite determined on her course for tho roonow. Now that sho was onco more at liberty and out of the clutches of her diabolical jailers, Lettico was too utteriy hankful to have rooin for any vengeful desires in her mind. .Moreover, this farewell note of Eric's filled her heart to the exclusion, of everything else. (To be Continued.)