The Dark House at Highgate

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10684, 2 August 1912, Page 2

The Dark House at Highgate

OUR SERIAL.)

CHAPTER VIII.— Cbntimicd. "I should have bid for that last lot, -sir," he shouted, purihing lii-s way through a rather startled crowd. "If it had been con-ecu:,ly catalogued. If you cvci put it up again '' "ferry, .sir, .not ray mis-take," replied the auctioneer calmly. "Lot itVo-'i v.c:ity-iUve—.no, i"or, I can't put up what I've once knocked down. iKialf a c.nwn bid, five; any one g\> better than .five? Ten's bid " There was some turmoil in tire axiom and we saw a stout mim with wildly 'SitaiWiig eyes and ashen face, being led out between two good £>armirit.a,ns, who Iliad observed that lie looked 'likely to faii<t. He w's pint dovw oil. the lawn outside, :n an .armchair labelled Lot 41, and a lady offered h:m smelling sai'lts. When I got outside he was slowly 'llocoveri-ng.

"I'm .right as rain now," li_> said to a ir.*m bonding over him. "I only wan.ced air. /It's real sultry ir.i .there, and I've just gt»t up from a spell of .influenza. Thank you, sir; I'm a medical man myself, and I'll prescribe. fcT the patient Jeter on." He ro'so with difficulty, and then, .putting hiir.ocltf tegjtheir, hurried off .to where the pureliaeed Jots .weire be'hig packed and dispatelke-d to their various destinations. I was watching a hew trun'k that I lCid bcugjbt being lifted i:ito n' railway luggage van, whom—"Sir," said Rimingt/m ,without- preface, "I should; be' greatly obUjiJxl if you wcuM s'ell me that little Cabinet, which I let go owing to a .misapprehension. L understood it was to be included i'll the next lot.' The cabinet in question wa>s about a foot high ; it contained three' drawers*, secured by a Bide flap that lockied ; it was worth on!iy a few sh'il- | 'lings, and was probably /intended for a collection of coins.

"I'm sorry," said I; "It's packed n th'.'t trunk."

±t:m;i'ng!!jon looked at the 'trunk, which was labelled! witpi my Chelsea address.

"n'l give you a (sovereign for it," .Ire said quickly,- as the cart started.

- wasi greatly astonished. TIII2 mou had corne-clown from London on: purpose. for the sale; lie had made 110 bids, and mow teemed Set upon securing an article of quit.* t'rifling val-

''lt's only a notion," .lie explained quickly, with £ giv.it of anger in lus c!-?sp .set eyes- "'ilhat'ls a cute little cabinet, of a pattern I've ncft seen elsewhere, and 1. want -to send it, as a tl.unple to a cm:.pewter who isi fitting ,u-p my difpo.':>r.iry. Two soveTeigns, Mr Kycroft." He lilatl caught Uie name 011 the Intel. Foci that 1 way, I accepted this explanation, of the? man's cbttmaite pel'v.fjtency. Blind, blind '—why did I suspect nothing!

"If you'll give me your Lonklon address I'll have it sent 011 to yo-u," I aiid.

"Rimington's face worked . -convulsively.- "You are very good. I'an much obliged," the said, iii an odd, strained veirfr. Hut, somehow, he omiltited; (to igive .lifts, address, and moved away, heaviily 'and lunrfcaadi'.y, like a, niani who is sorely -ill'.

• CHAPTER IX. TONY'S LOVE AFFAIR. A little more than twenty-four hours hvter i m ;vs standing in this lobby of the theatre at wjhucJi Cynthia OoiUiiten'ay was billed to appear, watching people paw:i into the .house. T hoped (that Tony, whom I had beem imablG to find -since my - imiival in London at n>:d-day, might be in the crowd, ( when it would perhaps bis possible to make a supper ongagemenit witih lvim and escape the purgatory,, to a ncn-musilcal mmi, of , Bitting through a musical comedy. But Tony did not appear before the rise of the curtain, so I paid: my' guinea at ,the box office, and 1 was presently seated in ifchis middle c;f a row cf stalk', tiiyintg to m>ak'e out what tlit? yoiling men in light flanbel.suits an'd th'O .girls it); spring ifrockis, whlo ajppcMred <to (be marking time on' the stage, were ringing about. "After all, T may atewell taike stock of the enemy," I told myseif, "and perhaps Tcsiy will '.come duninlg the performance." iMy heart sank ais I thought of the tadt.tbeifore mo. How wap I to convince a boy of three and twenty of 'the folily of worshipping rt.hlis siren •o,f (hist, when )i : t was wotm-mrH that •she had turned the head and tarnished ithe heart of aM elderly member of the Hbuse of Lords, and: who bad had long (years u'ni which to acquire wisdom ?

BY DERWENT Ml ALL. A tkor of "Lady Rosalie's Lunacy," "Bellamy's Warning," "The Strange Case ->r Yincent Hume," "In the Web. " Etc Etc.

] My interest hi tliq .piece was not s:i ppi'oat ranti-l the brehostra plunged into an ai'r that street boys had made only too, ptiiinlfiiiHy famsKar; then c.'.'-iie a •hu&li r.f expcictaincy in w.!kcli I shared ; them a burst of applause, (n which I took no laa'd; and Cynthra CoiMenay awis'hed (triumphantly on to t»ho stage, with the limeSCigJifc following hor, and with a 1 preliinLualry, ''Well, girls!" began 'to ispeak the ,l:uu:; t-h,".>t led up to h'civ first 'song, j It m chanced It-hat I had never seen Ilea- befoire, r>o I is-tudiied her race attentively,, and felt nscrei t.h:u ever my inabil r.ty to contend: against such an c::iemy. How was a individu'.iil i l .ike myself to enter the Ti'S-ts against buc.li full-blown: comelinprs ? And whait preisiimjpt'loii it wouM be to talk islight'ljigly of this magnificent •butterfly, whose drees every cr;pectabi'e iwornan in the audience w,ould plbbulbiy go home a-nd copy—as. .nearly as she dare dor cculd.

Cynthia Cow.'tenay ;b>egani tto .But after watching her tor a minuto or wo any attentio.ni wandered to a pretty giinl sitting ill firont of one,' who was h'eteni'.ig with apt on.joymen.t. I wondered whether Isli'c understood the song's aaill, .base, vwlgaT Apparently not. It all ise«ined to ibe intolerably eilly. I had hound songs as risky at Ifcho music thalls, but there they were at least sung with verve ivad gayety, and some talent. This .wonTiui had not a spark of real gayety in, lier nature, not 'in scrap of art in her composition , nd her gong wa,s as .'stupid a& lje»r&e^f. To call her an actress would be to Jibel a gre'at •profeiss.'icn. I IA-ntd a lhundired miiljeis away the n'ightingafes were singing .in Anlne'& garden! (PeufapiS lit was the knowledge that Am ne -would: listen to them' abn© that made me (such a captious critic of a highly successful pliiy whitCi drew pebple hr lV.om the suburbs. ~

Oynlc-hi'ai went off tlhe istag.e with a parting iser'eam, and noisy plaudits followed. I f€ lit .sure that isliei would immediately come on again, probably "with a UliiVon Jock an encore verse of eulnrina't'-hg s©Jness; uh I rose Jias'tily 'a<nd went out. I had done pai't of my duty. I had i-een the enemy, Mid estimated licjr strength and. heir weakness; wliren the jplay was over I would savoop down upon the •discomfited Tt.uiy at- the stage door and join bat'tfe with 'hint.

. Thoughtfully I made my way vtoress the cheerful Stn.'ind, kind returned' to iiny club. "Oh! Tony, you poor litiblc iur.<i," ! thought, as I (a®c®nded the ehibhcixe (steps, "what on earth shall I say to ■show you .whait a donkey you arc: /The wcrld has so* much toand your ideal is a hiarpy : with l greaco ipain't oil- iiier face." .1 passed' through the sai'ng c'ijov ar.d .went to ihe smokiing rccm,, .an:, there I found Tony sarnk into the depths of aiv easy chaar, restlessly | turning- the ilcavcis cf an illustrated paper. •

He sprang up whan he saw me, and .held out his .hand.

"Hello, old man!".'he .said. ''l've heard .from A'me, and I give my consent. I'm muc'h pleaded, old chap. B© kind to her. She's.a good little girl." - ' .

"I wish.yon .were » good 1 liititle boy, Tony," I remarked, -as I f.'ank into a chair beside Mm. I did not fi» !to note that Tony .wa:s paler than lu-ual, and tihat there •wcavs asuctiiu lin-es on. his face, ithoug'h lie fjpbke with hi si customary lightness iof man-

"I'm not so had, as things go," h.2 'said, and I suddenly divined that lie was furtively watdhing the door, and 'had hardly recovered from the shock of my 'entrance. .He knew has peril, diei}; hut wars. he rl'.i' .poseosiSA'vn of •fchiait dmrkcir secret—d'id lie know the 'truth xvbout Mr Be'tswortih'® dealfch? It .was difficult to believe it, and yet —all things were possible. "I've jiif.lt hepn to see Cywthia Courtcnlay," I observed, rather awk■wa'rd'ly, I divre say.

Tony istantecl, nd then-. said: "Oh, yds,, she's great, isn't .she?" with fcin indiiffcircilice palpably affected. "I d'id-n>';b think •so," I replied bluntly, and find>ing the paternal part if or which Anno had cast me rather difficult to dop't at ishort notice. Theiv was nothing for it, ilirnvwer, hut to go through with the uncc'.igenial task. (To he Contniiu-v../