The Dark House at Highgate

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10686, 5 August 1912, Page 2

The Dark House at Highgate

'OUP (SERIAL.)

CHAPTER X. I c&ni'ideircd the matter'a m-inute. W'ell, I 'would tcill my fcuspicior.s to Tony's lawyer, who might, perh.ips, think it worth while to make inquiries about Ri'mington. With Tony's life- in. the balance, it would be criminal! to throw away the f,m,a!k ,c :i chanc9 of collecting any evidence that aright raise a doubt as to his guilt in the minds of jurors. "If it should be he," I thought, "that little cabinet he wanted to buy Mr] 11 give n.le <an< excuse for calling en him.

I tiiiudkd the. advertisement more carefully. It set; foUth hew "Riminigjt'cm'iS L'ie Water - ' was the miiraeu-to-us discovery of a scientist who had spent twenty years in research bei'e:re perfecting it. Everyone henceforth could live to be a hundred, unless 'accidentally killed, for all ordinary diseases were quickly curable whan rigorous health could he purcl:;;;.'. 1 d at four and sixpence a pint. Something in the wording of the ndvertisemcat cesrtiainJy suggested that it* origin v.'as American, and 1 was .cot slaw in comilng to the conclusion that the Riinington who ottered health to the yick was actually th'o identical Remington whose conduet h'ad puzzled me at Pol ton. I did not forget that tne massive American, when cvinir:. gat the Jolly Farmer Inn had trodden, on his companion's foot under the table when his name as mentioned, as if He did not wish *t to bo known, possibly because he wa? aware that any cure knowing his n.vme might easily find him out iro London. The businetVi address of the "ltfewia.tor" manufacturer mas easily obtained from a druggist, land, jumping into a hansom, I bade thie cabman drive to Oloth Fair, that most ancient of London street?, whoso high gables once reflected the glare of the great fire—<wh:ich made an end of its ravages hard by— and from which yet inhabited houses people must have trooped forth to witness those more ghastly fires that orthodoxy lit up m neighbouring Smithfield. The great dispenser of bottled health had fnetalled 'liimself on the ground land second floors of an old lioiiso with plastered front, and I pushed open .the street doer and found nvyseif in a bare room with a dour.t'cr corcss it, a staircase and an open door leading into another room being 'behind the counter. ! Through the open door came th<"> sound of a youthful voice ringing very, lustily: "Liaro to be a IVan-yelf, Dare to'e'iand alone, Dare to 'av-e .a purpoio trew "

I ]i-r.-d to rap 'on the cbv.'Dtei - fc>v..> or three times before the singling ceased. Then, after further , deliv. a red haired boy appeared iin the coorway, and with, a worried, anxious expression on his ftce. "Now, sir," lie <j.ucl, "what can \. Live the pleasure of doing for you ? It's the horrid rush of br.sj'ntss thai kept n», or I would have come before."'

"I want to see Mr JRiraington," 1 explained. "Old Jmmbo," said the boy though vfu'.ly. "Yes, he's lit; got some one with him, though. / V shall .have to blow up the tubo. 'Any ir-iine?" ' Iteirtiaiaily. liycuDft,''' I replied. Tiio boy went into the back rooai ;\gaip, and I heard him blowing into a .speaking tube and announcing to same one on the first flan' that Mr Ifcightcff was waiting in the outer office . Then lie returned to the doorway, looking more iwonried tban before.

"Governor sayy you're to be seated, /V he announced. "Will you comv behind the ccv.ll-.lcer, plfea-se? Where would you like to sit? That's tho cl&rk's etcol, and be'll be in in a minute, so you'd better come through into, my ( pMice."

I sat imi a hard chair in the inner room, and the worried boy went on witn his task <of tying paper capsules over the corks of medicine bottles, wbole 1 eg i ime-r.it of which stood a:.i a largo t'j ble beifore liinv. "So you're dioing a- big business?" 1 said presently. The worried boylooked up. "Tremendous,'' he replied. "Hundreds of lives saved weekly. You don't believe it? i Perhaps you haven't seen our tcstimior.iials. Have w vou seen) Mr Hoggins' grateful letter in ifcbe papers?"' I replied tfli'ut I bad not, land v he red haired boy, delisting .from bis work, placed his hand soiin bis hips and wi'bifcled bis forehead as if with te (effort of (recollecting Mr Hoggins' tastimontal. "Dear feir," be began, with n far-

BY DERWENTMIALL. A thor of "Lady Rosalie's Lo-acy," "Bellamy's Warning," "The Strange Case "i Vincent Hume," "In the Wea. " Etc Etc.

away lock mi his eves, "for [ suffered from severe dizz/net's a.iu.l pains in the head, not to m-e-ritioii wefikhbss cf flie legs, which ofttvi ob.'i!gccl me to hold on to railr.igs ar.-.i lamp-posts when going homo at night. Doctors did me n'o good, and the hosgot fairly sick of me. ,1 l.i;<] lost nil ht.jpo, v lien a JX':{.£,br,ur «a,:d, 'Why not get a bottle -of- Rim'tnigtcn":-, Life Water? It iav&l my life." [ turned the matter ovc rin my mind, and spent four .a,nd six f.it the diemist rs next deer to the TL'.-ea funs.' " A scvc.ro effort of memciry occasioned a k:\v ir.cn: <ents' silence, ar.ld then 'the .red-haired boy we,mt on again:

"After one dose of year' Life Water I filt better. At the third dot'my fr; cauls worn 'urprised at the hoaluiftil chb.ngo ■■ my .app-earan,c». Sgned, William Hoggins, G'aswoirker.' 7

I dare pay I smiled at the 'youthful humourist, who, thus encouraged, asked if I woi/ld Ii : ko to hear any mor .

"You haven't ,nead tdiht one about Mrs Muggins' servant, have you?" ho asked a.::i:|ioiisly. "Ah:! I thought not, and a further offr.irt o'f memory brought ircis'li wrinkles to his forehead.

lt x/"ear isir/' .writes Mrs- Mugginß, "for •several months our now servant wihose iiiume is Ethehvyn Gladys, suffered hbrribliy from the .most distressiing weahne&s." lie was aibout t'o cor/i'nue the reading of Miw 'Muggins' tc&tfimonial, wili'en tire. Ifcoli cif satisfaction vanished tslorvvily ,froim bis face, leaving him staring ;as if at ,\somcv apparat'on over my shoulder.

"Wilien the .clerk returnis," commenced ;a drawling, slightly 'nasal voice, "you can draw yourmtfney, less the whole sale ; pr.ice of one battle Jf the Life Water, and go home. Now, Mr Rycroft," added Rimington, who had come in; .from the outer office, "if you wffll .come rtilus way, £.'Vr, I ahalll be pleased to nave a chat with yirm." I wars glad to ,find that my [lnstinct had aiot misled me.. This was the mail' I wiishod to see.

Tire red haired boy wfinki'd .:rt nw as I wont out of the roemi, amd before I had mounted the I heard hi;u as before: "Daire to be a Dan-yell, 'n Care ,t'o tt-a-nd .alone." "That's a quai'iit !iad," observed i)r Kimiir.jgtcn, irfh-Gifiiig me into a \yellivi<:vU:hsd room, "And I've no .<foul;t lie.'ll do -ivell, font not' in c-ur lino. Now, sir, be seated." f .

I noticed that l : V'jjr.vr.-i-r-l- 1 ->n appear ail to ,b? U'mzdt *s±i. Bis -face looked sti'.-.<:: g and purpcseifu'!, <and there was tint nf latent power about him tJvat I:-r;cl i.irpi'cfsscd me ;;,t tlr-J fi >i 1 at i'clton. ,

The big, 'heavy man motioned me to au armchair, ar.d -them, . with" grev,it do!,il>erat. : c:«;i. he" trc-t-iMlii'ed to tli-3 dci-r a,:<id kekul it.

"Now, air," ho s«:d agai ; n, with Lis lharids u:i iMi-e f.ule- pocketr- of s Ibr-se fitting offii'e coat, ar.'cl w;:tih a c'JaiigKliV.s giiM, i::.i l:; : s eyos, "Ave can come to terms .without aay prolmxnUry ber.tling ( aliout the bush. You know a 111 tlbe're is to, know, I can:; see, h.nd itl:e only quc:s"tcY-,:i to deciicle is, lvtliat arc your ermfi?" At that ir.y hcadt gave a vble.it jump. I ha,u hardly Expected such sudden Mtccccs ;vs I'lns, and J felt for tho moment that Tony was already saved.

HWe ,v-as Kinijiifgton confessedly anxious to preserve seme secret; a.nd wdltiJi what could that secret be concerned unkfji with tih& <la.rk tragedy at Polton ? I fe.it convinced that my kiisftinct hud led me right all through, and tilia't wilth tact a:i'S good luck I might learn enough to fadteii a virime upon the man who 'had really perpctrajud it. My w:prise, Jiowever, wa& «c groat that I had :::() answer ready for Ririiington. "Take your Mima to consider," , i;o added, wailking away ,to the window "take yew oui time, sir. Burt yoVi have got to ccmo inAo this. w:th us."

I the man's, •vggressive trtive, anid I recinnted the locked door; but n'f(tilling was to 'be gained by quarrelling „wit'h Him, whereas I felt tha|t nmch might bo gained by ! blu. I l'Sng him. (To be Contiiuir^c-/