Silas Dennington's Money.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10659, 14 June 1912, Page 2

Silas Dennington's Money.

OUR SERIAL.)

CHAPTEIt 11.—Continued. "What a big fellow you are, Jack." Grantley said, when they were in the. train. "A sort of bronzed viking." "Fcur years make a- big difference in a man," Jack smiled. "You look old and worried, Grantley; you are grinding too hard."

It isn't tnat altogether." His eyes darkened.

"You'll have to recuperate, Grant; you'll be getting married soon. You can't think how interested I am in that little romance of yours. Miss Tempest is one of the blue-blooded sort, isn't she?

"Don't run away with a wrong impression, Jack. There's no nonsenco about Madge, but you'll know her right enough in a day or two. Well, we've got a high-sounding place now —Denniugton Court—and dad's used up every blessed shilling on the folly. I ought to have interfered, perhaps, but I didn't realise what he was doing until it was too late. He's as pleased as a child, and there isn't the shadow of a doubt that his mind was unhinged by his last illness." "So that's the worry, Grant-r-dad's queeraess, and the upkeep of the new place?" • ■;. . .

"Exactly." Grantley was suddenly alert, but he laid an affectionate hand on his brother's arm. "We won't talkabout it now, old chap. I know, what's mind, and as long as dad lives you ia-n help him."

"As long as dad -Eves!" repeated Jack, sharply. "His heart is weak—very weak. He has had several fainting fits lately. Jack paled through his tan. "Trouble seems to come in bunches."

"I shall never be .able to grind enough out of the law to keep things going," Grantley went on, "and am looking for outside work—a directorship, or two,, with suitable " emoluments. I can't keep. Madge Tempest .waiting for eyfef." v '. . i. . ' Twenty months had passed since Jack Bennington had come home, and his father had been dead alittle over a year.; In the interval both, he and Grantley had been working hard in their respective fields of labour. Grantley was steadily advancing in, his profession, and, in addition, was how identified with the directorship of a commercial enterprise of considerable magnitude. But his income fell far short of his requirements. He'was anxious to marry—to provide a suitable home for his wife, for. time was going on apace, and Madge Tempest's father openly showed his impatierice. Sir Peter's notions were of the most i sordid kind; He was notoriously hard up, and failing a rich son-in-law, lie would have to marry again himself., Who or what his proposed wife might be he didn't care a snap of his fingers, so long as she brought gold to his empty coffers. But, with Margaret on his hands, he was helpless. If she would only transfer* her affections to the younger, brother, who was so extremely rich! Always providing that the younger brother would appreciate 'the the dishonour. Great as was Sir Peter's worry and exasperation, his traitorous thoughts never resolved themselves into speech, but he -had entertained.hopes. Madge and Jack Denningtonwere often together, and surely, if she chose to exert her charms, the fellow was only human after all; and when.love stepped in, brotherly considerations were set at naught. But Sir Peter's disillusionment'was swift and decisive. Humanity, as represented by his daughter and Jack Dennington, was not so "weak and selfish as he dreamed. Jack had written a book, and Madge was his only personal sympathizer. She was useful to him in many ways, amended his' misleading descriptions of feminine,dress, and huntedL up quotations and chapter lines.' There was no nonsence about them, and the faintest suspicion of the . kind on either side would have caused an immediate disruption. Both were loyal to the core. , . ■ One day Sir Peter was invited into their confidences, when Jack explained that he was going into some tremendous enterprise. "Madge thinks you ought to know about it,"' said Jack, "and I've walked over to the Grange to'have a talk with you, sir." ; "H'm!" grunted Sir Peter. "We must do something for Grantley, and I'm ambitious myself. Grant won't accept of a loan—Heaven knows Iwpuld gladly give him half of my money, but his pride would, dumbfound old Lucifer. I'm going into business —big, mind you; I can't make a mistake well-backed with the needfull. A limited liability affair, and Grantley .shall have his .shares,, and a stated income for'services rendered. You: must be a shareholder, too, Sir Peter." Sir Peter listened intently now. "Something big, with all the advertisement of pomp and circumstance. I'm not a marrying man, and I can't live in a cave after my open-<air life in Nevada. By and by I shall have to get out of the Court when Madge and Grant want it." "No—no," broke in Margaret. "Yes —yes," laughed Jack. "Grantley might sell the Court to you and live at the Grange," Sir Peter put in. "If he doesn't get it soon,the Jews will. But go on." "Wo have been groping in the dark,

BY F. L. DACRE, Author oi "'Held iri Bondage," ''_V*Phantom of the PasL," "Sir John's 13e:r6'5s," "The Shadow of Shame," "A .Daughter of Mystery," etc 1 .

. like people traversing a difficult \v«y, {with the happiness of all involved. Now there's light ahead—■■and it came in a flash. T am advertising in the j London dailies for a business invest- ■ ment up to half a million." I "You'll get half a million answers." J Sir Peter rubbed his hands together I and looked cheerful. Wo must crack ja. bottle of champagne over this. I I say, what if Grantley refuses.' I "Ho won't," Jack said quietlv., "Ho shan't," Madge cried. "1 shall tell him that we can't get ■along without him, and that he must drop out of the other company. -He feels very keenly that he and Madge have been drifting aimlessly far too long, and will' take his chance now. The tragical farce.is merely ended." j Sir Peter rang for the butler. "A bottle of Heidsieck," he ordered— 'l'72.'* .' CHAPTER 111. TRICKS OF FATE. It Avas two weeks since the financial agent's visit to Bennington Court, and things were.humming. There was a noble building to let midway between Fleet Street and the Thames Embankment, spacious light, and airy, and Jack had tramped over it at least half a dozen times. He pictured a score of printing presses.in the basement; the publishing and general offices on the first floor; a suite of private and editorial offices above that; and higher up the composing rooms and linotype 'machines. Then there would be the foundry somewhere, and the stock rooms; the rumble and rattle of machinery; the constant rush of •Inisy feet, and the hum of voices. Teddy Brown said it was the "very j thing" for the purpose, and the own-' ers were anxious to get the lease drawn up ajid signed.

On the last of these excursions Jack felt that further delay was a waste of time; .'.Sir Peter Tempest had run up to town with 'him, and BrownWwai buzzing about. There was no doing without Brown, anyway. He knew everybody that was worth knowing, and the smartest journalists in. London were friends of his. , "Let the owners have the lease drafted," Jack said.' "We can't do better than this. Then for "blue machinery and the rest of the equipment. When is n. good time to start a newspaper? About a month after the Christmas holidays, I should say,, 'when people; are settling to work iagain." I ."Just the time," said Brown. "The spirit of speculation and unrest grips everybody in the new year. Of course, you'll go in for the popular style and price? Smart, crisp, newsy, and illustrated? I can lay my hand on the best newspaper editor in London at the present moment. He wants a change, because his employer's young so<n pokes his nose into affairs too much. Don't matter a hang what our politics are. He's very accommodating, and falls in with the policy. He writes the leaders for both Radical and Tory papers, hot and strong, too. .Sir Peter roared with laughter.

"Give the public it wants, and it will choke itself,',' he said. "What about the title ?\ We Wad better think of all possible titles, and jot them down."

"Must be short and catchy. By George, Fleet Street and the whole of London will be agog in no time."

"Well, you can go ahead now. Brown, for all we are worth. The draft of the lease Wad better be sent i-r, nrv brother's chambers to save time."

"I'll have everything in line, sir. never fear. I'm working night and day, and enjoying it."

Sir Peter whisked Jack off. to his iclub in Mayf air, where . they dinedj, and talked upon the absorbing themeJ

"Yon must know a lot of these men," said Sir Peter. "A most exclusive, but influential crowd. Half, a score of Cabinet Ministers, diplomatists, and foreign attaches. Talk about scooping the news! Leave it to me. Here come the Home Secretary. I'll introduce you." The hard-headed Grantley also had succumbed to the spell of the enchantment. Ten years of unremitting toil had knocked a lot of enthusiasm out of him. His lawyer friends envied.him, but he was sick of himself. His best financial year had not yet realised more than a thousand pounds, and he ' could not dream of marrying with less than three times that sum per annum. But for Jack's liberal support the Court would 'have been let tostrangers long since. | But now he was labouring heart andi soul in the cause of the hew business,' quite,persuaded that its success in the main depended upon a~ perfect systemfj of organisation, and he was the man •at the helm, Jaok's knowledge of finance and business was the merest parody on the cuiinand-thrust lite, in the commercial world. There could be no question about the success of the scheme, backed as it was by ai million. And in a little while the public would be gktd to pay for the thing twice' over. ,

Imbued with this delightful exuberance, Grantley saw his way clear to sneak plainly and comfortingly to Maargaret Tempest. (To he Continued).