The Dark House at Highgate

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10688, 7 August 1912, Page 2

The Dark House at Highgate

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BY DERWENT MIALL. A tiiorof '"Lady Rosaiio's 1.-Lacy," 'Bellamy's Warning," 'The StraTt^- 1 Cjm -f Vincent Hume," "in l ,he v7;;>. •' Etc Etc.

CHAPTER Xl—Continued. It promised to be tin unhappy dinner party; but when, eventually, dinner vns served in a faded dining room —, faded chairs, a threadbare carpet, a tarnished cpergno in the centre of the table —these evidences of neglect or poverty caught my watchful eye— Rimington talked incessantly and 1110I notonously of .bygone business triumphs, leaving me free to observe and to -speculate about what I saw. I thought that perfect confidence existed between the doctor and Madame Claude.' 'but the Cecile was not in possession of their secret, whatever it might be. It appeared also that Rimington treated Cecile with an anxious deference, as if lie wished to be ingratiating; possibly he wanted to •marry her. Somehow, the idea was displeasing, for the man was material n-d earthy; the girl shy, spintuellc. a dreamer. When the ladies "had left the table the American pushed a decanter toward me find lit a cigarette K" himself had drunk nothing but oofec at dinner,( and continued to drink it now-. I "You will have noticed, sir," he said, "that my partner is no ordinary woman. She has a will power that beats anything I ever saw in a lady, md I should be so-ry for the man who opposed his' will to hers. She is wrapped up heart and soul in this business, and, I tell you. with her will as the driving power it will be a success." Now,was Rimington referring to the Life-Water speculation or was he not? X T mieht ascertain this by a simple tuest : nn, li-'t I refrained asking it. ' If there was '.anything to learn, the only way to Iparn it lav in oorfirming the doctor hi the belief that I knew all a.bout it already. So I merely nodded, and agreed that madame was a remarkable woman. "She is not a Frenchwoman?" I asked. Rimington eyed me in astonishment. "Surely not!" he said "Welsh, of course." "Ah !of course," I agreed. Apparently I was supposed to have known this fact. Why, I wondered. "Her daughter is a charming girl," I said quickly, conscious of having blundered. Rimington looked gloomy. "She is a vow attractive girl," he said, with /a sigh. "Do they see much society here?" T asked presently, feeling certain that ihev saw no one. "T'liev do not," said Remington. "and 1 don't, denv it is a little dull "or Miss Cecile, who is not long from the convent school. But madame will T'eturn to France shortly, when we have brought matters to a satisfactory "nnelusion. if you will take no more •vine. Mr R.yoroff - -. shall vo pvi and 'oin marbune in the other room?" he I broke off. j T averted. -,..,] „•« ,•„(-,<— 1 t- »■■'- narlour. in which lamps had been lighted. Madame Claude, eacer to get to business, dismissed Cecile to the piano, and beckoned me to come ind. sit beside her. Rimington sat near, watehintr inv face intently. "Mr Ryc-oft." beeah Madame Claude passionately. "T shall waste no time in niceties of speech. You are dangerous to us. but wo are prepared to buy pour silence. What is' your price?'' Her contempt was tremendous. Tt would have saved me a t">rviblo ordeal if T h?A f!'>med no under the insult and left the house there and th n n. But T felt T war coin"- to get at Hie heart of the mystery at last; and I staved.

CHAPTER XII. PARTNERS IN MYSTERY. When madame so contemptuously asked price, the doctor moved impatiently, as if he wanted to speak ; he retained, however, and contented himself with looking on for the present. "My price?" I said. "Come, come, that won't do. So far as I am concerned, your secret is safe." This, at all events, was true for the present. Unless the secret was concerned with the futility of a quack medicine I know nothing definite about it. Madame Claude's fan went faster. "All men want money," she said. "It is more, to them than love, or honour, or justice, or anything else in the world. I told you that I would not waste time in niceties of speech. I beg that you will be as blunt and practical as I am." "If I might suggest something," chimed in Rimington, leaning forward and talking with intense earnestness, "I would like to put matters a little differently. We are dealing with a gentleman, not with a blackmailer; and. that being so, I do not offer to buy his silence; but T ask him what terms will induce him to give us his active help and support." This fore tactful suggestion evidently displeased Madame Claude. "I have seen a good deal of the world," she said, "in many lands, but I never yet found that gentlemen were above stooping to what was mean, base, and cruel, when it serv-

.od their selfish ends to do .so. But } if you dislike calling a thing by its ordinary name we will talk no more of blackmail. Mr Ilycroft is a partner with us in our'secret; let him state, what price we are to pay him to become ;i partner with us in fraud and imposture. He will. I imagine, he nothing more than a sleeping partner." Face and voice expressed bi;ter scorn as she suggested that'the vv welcome party to their secret woulc" naturally avoid taking risks. I v.a: to be paid, actually, for my silencenominally, for assistance that I iva« not expected to render. "You are a little hard on me Madame Claude," I said, "and I may as well say at once that, while you have nothing to fear from mo, I will have nothing to do with fraud or imposture, of any kind. lam not. rich, but I am getting on in the world, and my wants are simple. But Madame Claude firmly declined to believe that I, or any other ma-n. would throw away a chance of making money easily. I had begun the conversation hy being tolerant and amused; but now the woman's whole nature —and I wondered what had perverted it —jarred upon me. I rose impatiently, and, walking across the room, sat down by the piano. Cecile looked up at me, startled, a little frightened. . "Don't stop playing." I said. "I like to listen to you. But I want to ask you a question. Can you talk while you play?" Cecile nodded. "There is nothing wrong hi my curiosity," I went on hurriedly, "but I want to know if your mother is interested in this discovery of Doctor Remington's—this Life Water?" "I think she has invested all her fortune in it," replied Cecile shyly. "It is a wonderful medicine?" "I don't know. They laugh at the j simplicity of the public for buying it. | Perhaps I ought not to have told — j—" sho faltered. "Never mind; I suspected as much I already. In fact, I am in their secret to some extent." ' Cecile nodded and glanced aside at her mother. "You must not talk to mo any more, please," she said ; "they don't like it." In proof of this, indeed, Madame Claude now came forward and tapped me on the shoulder with her.fan. "I'm a bad-tempered old woman." ' she said, "and I ask your pardon, Mr Ryeroft, for what I said just now. Come. Do young men play ecarte in these days of ibricV'e, I wonder? 1 cling to the fashions of my -young days, and I own to a fondness for the game." "I am at your service." I re-ilied, rather surprised at her change of manner ; and she led me to a card table, while Rimington, after roamin": abou' the room for a minute, took his plac by the piano. "He is ma!- : ng the cirl reneat my conversation with her." I said to -myself. Half an hour la ted Cecile ce"i" t.bid me good' niVht; her face lookec 1 iiw'Med ; ii<d gui'tv. "Poor little soul, she lias Uetr-iv-v my .conversation." I thought, "ami lik--> to tell iree she is sorrv for it." But mv attention was diverted fror>her to Rimngtou. S->ee he had <-•■! by piano and talked to Cecile the doctor's manner had -a remarkable Mra F'' seemed to swell with exultation ; ordinarily grave, Ids face was now alight with smi'cs. "Mr Rvcroft." he said, "it is ;• long way back to your quarter of the town ; we must bouse you for thr night." and he eyehnno-pd a quick meaning glance with Madame Claude, who immediately seconded the invitation. f nv o^O c|;nd +hP't I COUld "Ct t-hink of putting them to any trouble, and was -ti'l protesting ■"•h°n iMndn™ie Ob> i, d r bade me good nisrht and followed her from the room.-'. "Well, if vou won't stay," said Rimington. still in a strangely exalted state, "iust come to my den for a mi'iute while T entertain vou with a smoke and a cocktail that'll send yen bom" all gay. I don't drink-myself.'hut T am an expert at mixing liquors." Still hoping that, by some word, or hint, or act, Rimiiicton mitrht indicate the nature of the "secret" T was sinposed to share, T followed him intr a room littered with books and papers iand cigar boxes. "T am almost a total abstain"'-," j observed Rimington. mixing various I liquors together, "hut to-night I'll 'break my rule and drink to our better acquaintance, Mr Rycroft." He filled two glasses, and wc sat down and lit cigars. "I don't want to worry you my more about business," continued th" doctor, "except to say this much : I do hope that anything my partner may have said has not given offense. I have concluded that we have been taking things a little too seriously; but you must reflect that if anybody | else —anybody who was not a gentle- '■ man—had got talking with that boy of mine, he might have made things uncomfortable for us, although my Life Water is really a harmless concoction." (To be ContiiintTv. /