A DEEP GAME. OR THE HONOUR OF THE TREVELLANS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10574, 4 March 1912, Page 2

A DEEP GAME. OR THE HONOUR OF THE TREVELLANS.

OUR SERIAL.

> By Mrs Da VVlntaw Bnftsr, ! Author of "Tho Sin of Cwine," "Sir Blandford'i Protejp*," 'For I Weal or Woo," ©to.

CHAPTER L. NORMAN COLE EXPLAINS. A dreary period of blank suspense followed for poor little Lett-ice. At one moment overjoyed to think that her lover's name was cleared forever cf any suspicion of scandal, the next moment she was groping in the depth of agony and despair because hu did not como to her. For Eric TrevelLm was still missing, and despite the .herculean efforts of Colo and Scotland Yard no traca of his whereabouts was forthcoming.

Trevellan Castle and confronts t-ho old dowager. Lady Trevellan is a proud old lady, possibly rather .weak on the subject of family honour, and being overwhelmed with grief by the threats of exposure, yields to Grace Omer's demands. The child shall 'be concealed underground and Omer-shall be installed as attendant.

"Finding everything going well, 0mer pays her husband twenty .shillings a week to keep out of the way, and introduces her brother, Mark Jason—who, by the way, is no more a chaplain than I am. She .probably feels the need of a man's assistance in continuing this lifelong blackmail. Lady Trevellan doubtless gets restless and tries to kick over the traces, so to speak. Meanwhile Margaret grows up a weak, bloodless girl— a, sort of human, mole, indeed( poor thing—and her concealment becomes increasingly difficult. Lady Trevellan is called upon to pay more and more for the silence that is so much to her. Tho rest of the story up to the time of Miss Lettice's abduction and the discovery is known to you. I need not repeat it.'' "And how much do you think, that these blackmailers got out of poor old Lady Trevellan?" asked Adelaide. "Ah, that we shall know when they aro arrested. My latest information now- is that Lady Trevellan has given her evidence, and that warrants have been issued for the arrest of both of the scoundrels.' 7 ' "And so the Trevellan Castle mystery is all cleared up. How happy the old dowager must be!" put in Miss Letice. "I confess that I felt rather annoyed with her when she objected to my engagement to Eric. But it is quite easy to see why she objected. Omer and Jason must have frightened her into doing so, because tKey wanted to get hold of me—as they subsequently did." "Just so. Wo shall hear it all in court, MissJLettico., and you shall have the satisfaction of seeing your two beautiful jailers receiving their full deserts, I sincerely trust." Cole rose to go at this juncture. 'Already he had overstayed his time, 'having promised to meet the Scotland Yard detective that afternoon. Tho two sisters saw him to the door and listened to his encouraging farewell. . "Eric must be found!' he declared with vigour, "and I hope, Miss Lettice, that you will,give him a--jolly good scolding when you-get him to yourself For giving us all this trouble." Adelaide was conscious that her hand lingered a trifle longer than was absolutely necessary in tlie firm, confident grasp of the departing man. She wondered whether it was because she did. not Withdraw it, or'because he continued to hold itIt was a little problem that kept her awake long after she had retired to bed that night.

Cole paid daily visits to Lexingham Gardens, bringing the latest news, but a hi,-;, no consolation to the waiting girl. Knowing how much ho was doing for her, Lottico tried her hardest to bo 'brave, but she found it a thousand times more difficult now than it had been when, she was face to faco with-actual danger in the dungeon m Trevellan Castle. At first Lettice was content to wait, sitting for 'hours at the window and watching every person and vehicle with eager, restless eyes. But as the days went by she began to implore Co'lo to take her with him on his daily search. Patiently and tactfully as he could Cole restrained her loving ardour, pointing out that the keenest and cleverest .brains cf London, were on the track of her sweetheart, and that he could do nothing more than was already being done. In'his efforts to console her ho canvassed Adelaide's assistance, and they would try to distract Lettice's mind by getting her into conversation. ' The three of them sat one afternoon in til© drawing room of the cosy little Bays-waiter villa, going over the story of Lettice's Mloon signal and other incidents in the exposure of the Treviellan Castle mystery.

In Adelaide Lascelles -Cole found a wonderfully sympathetic listener. He caught himself several times that afternoon .watching the light and shade in her purple-black hair, and the changing expression in her big, tender eyes. This was a woman with a soul, lie told himself, not easy to be won, but strong to love tho man she chose. He flattered himself that his momentary fits of absent-mindedness passed unnoticed—but ho was strong. He forgot that Lettice's eyes were sharpened by love. She guessed. ' "I really had my way made clear from tho beginning" For instance, as soon as Eric told me about Mrs Parfitt's suspicions, and about Grace 0mer, and tho leg of mutton, tho Black Room, and the plush curtain, I guessed that there must be a secret door leading to some unferquented part of the castle. Then again, it was sheer luck my seeing the paper bag on the chimney pot. I thought at first that some children had been flying a kite or something and that' it had got caught somehow on the roof of the castle. But when I had satisfied myself that such was not tho case, I naturally wanted to havo a closer look at that'bag. I think. it was about the cleverest thing I ever' heard of, Mss Lettice, and I give you all credit for your eventful release. Of course I made for the Black Room as soon as I read your message, because I guessed ftbat that would be tho only way of getting at you." "Tell us about tins Mr William Umer?" «isked Adelaide. "Hjow did you find him?" " "Very drunk indeed, I am 'sorry to say. The way I discovered his address was quite simple .again. Eric happened to hear that Mark Jason had sent a telegram, so I brutally frightened the little postmistress into showing me her file." Cole smiled good-hum-ou redly. "Then. »l>out those letters ot bir Thomas Trovollan's?" "That is" tho cleverest part of the whole sordid affair!' 'quoth Cole. "I will tell vou tho story as I havo reconstructed* from all the particulars I have been able to obtain. The late Sir Thomas Trevellan was a prosperous merchant of the old school. Grace Jason and William Omer were two of his employees. She was a typist and he was a messenger. These two got married'on the sly. After tho girl Margaret was born, Grace took ill and went to''live with her brother, in the country. She. took her child with . her and left her husband in London. He, being an idle, drunken loafer, left Sir Thomas' employ. Grace Omer had not told Sir Thomas about her marriage. She probably only told him that she was going to another sitution in the country. Anyway, when she had reached her brother's roof silo found/that funds were beginning to run short.

CHAPTER LI. LOVE, LAUGHTER AND TEARS. Lady Trevellan was at first too completely 'bewildered to comprehend what the Scotland-Yard detective required of her. She was slowly, very ! slowly, recovering from the shock of the exposure of her lifelong secret. __ The detective, who happened to be one of the smartest men in the Yard, went about the task with patience and tact, however, and having succeeded in making the -old lady know what he i had come for, produced William Omer's signed declaration. This electrified the dowager into new life. Joy never kills. It had the reverse effect on Lady Trevellan; it brought her back from death's door, as the doctor subsequently confessed It took somo time for the detective to get the whole story out of her ladyship, but when he eventually took his departure some hours later, his face woro a, satisfied smile. Racing back to London, he soon procured tho necessary warrants for tho arrest of as complete a pair of scoundrels as he had ever the luck to go after. Grace Omer was easy to find. She had been closely shadowed ever since her visit to her husband at Pigeon Alley. Having utterly failed to got any. thing out of the drunkard, she had been compelled to wait till his money was exhausted. , This was about three days, tor when William Omer got things going he cid not do them by halves. It took another day to sober down to intelligence again, and Grace Omer wos j™t siting clown with renewed hop© to qiies tion (him again as to Jason's movements, when she heard a knock at the squalid tenement door. Cautiously unlocking it, die felt herself hurled violentlv back as two well-developed specimens of the London police force entered. A quarter of an hour later _Grace Omer was sadly reviewing her ma'V sins in a- narrow police colli, and William Omer was drank again. Ho ha.l discovered a forgotten half-crown in tho rag bed. As soon as the news was conveyed tohim. Cole rushed off again to Bayswater. Adelaide greeted him 111 E&S hall. She did not explain that oho had recognised his footstep—indeed, had been waiting for it. She merely said that Lettice was entertaining a vivi-' tor—an old schoolgirl friend who lnul just returned from abroad. 'Would ho como in and be introduced, or lnul ho some important news to tell p (To be Continued.)

"Her husband was out of work and not sending her any money. So she bethought" herself of Sir Thomas and wrote to him cautiously —feeling her way, so to speak. He replied kindly sunt graciously, whereupon she grow bold, confessed that she had married and was in poverty and distress, and asked outright to be taken back into his employ. He replied that this was impossible, so sho began to write him begging lettei-s. He sent her money from time to time out of tho kindness of his heart, but in the end grew tired of her importunity and refused to send her any more. Shortly afterward-ho "Now begins the tragedy . When Sir Thomas dies his ex-typist coneeives the outrageous plan of using tho letters to blackmail Lady Trevellan. Whether this was her own idea or whether Mark Jason put her up to it T can't say: Anyway, she takes Sir Thomas' letters and her child down to