The Dark House at Highgate

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10691, 12 August 1912, Page 2

The Dark House at Highgate

'OUP SERiALi)

BY DERWENT MIALL,

"The Strange. Case Vincent Hume," "In

tho Wd.b

" Etc Etc

(' hi A FTER XV—(Continued.)

But 1 looked about me in .vain for ml:' girl who had summoned mo liitlitT. ('losing tlic door behind mo, I strolled slowly along a green path, looking this way and that for a glimpse ol' light drapery, peering into the ivy covered abor, the ancient home of spiders, possessed by a growing fooling of as if the tangled garI den \re n veritable jungle, and some | bright-coloured panther might hound terribly i'roin the bushes, or a speckled pttake 'hiss suddenly through the leaves ■fit niy feet. Not without amusement I suddenly realised that I was creeping cautiously through a suburban garden as though it were an enchanted fc;rest; thi-M) n noise like the snapping of a dry twig underfoot brought me'to a standstill. and I looked about expectantly. Bur Coeile did not appear; and yet I felt that there was some one with me in the garden.

"Unless it is the reproachful ghost of the alderman revisiting his neglected paradise," I .thought humorously. There was something peculiar in this stealthy visit to the gloomy pleasure garden that had forgotten the sunshine; but I did not lose sight of the fact that my visit had a serious purpose ; and I wished that Cccile would come to keep her tryst.

T walked toward the door in the wall again, through an avenue of rhododendrons, wondering .'rather impatiently il' I should get back to town in time to catch an evening train to Polton. ll' Cceilo was trying to heighten the mystery of her proceedings by keeping me waiting it was very tiresoinely romantic of her. Then, as I was about to take out my watch. 1 heard a sudden rustling of the leaves, and before me was Clunv, with uplifted hand. Within a second something fell with stunning violence on my head. Beaten to my knees, bewildered, and -half blinded, I looked up and saw as in a mist, the terrified face of Cluny bending over me.

,1 tried to strugglo up, but a second blow filled the world with flame. I beat out, in the darkness that followed, with impotent hands; and then came oblivion, and I have reason to think that the garden god, with his unsped arrow, took aim at the bulky man in sombre attire, who stopped to lock the little door in the wall.

ICHAFTER XVI

TRAPPED!

. A bairred window, from which the glass was gone, forced if self upon my attention —a barred window and then bare, damp walls. Then came full consciousness, and. with consciousness, pain and alarm. I know that I was a prisoner.

1 Fatun. but the pnin in my V-ad lnid me nrostra to again. I had 'been placed on n mattress. in the- carnor of a dark, scmisubt n, v'Hm , an renin, and for a time I lay there, wat^h : iljalf-closed: eyes, the leaves of the rank evergreen shrub:; that grew closic against the uncrlaml window. Although fully aware that I mi«:ht be in great danger, I felt strnnirely numb and bereft of will f<v the time being,, with no other 'wish but to lie still. But, as I slowly recovered from this, I told myself that I ought to lose no time about attempting to make my escape. The knowledge that this must be Madame Claude's house, in which I was iniprisoned, filled me with fears by no means chimerical. That that mysterious old ladv was » oerson without pity or scruple T did not doubt; and it was certain that she a"d Kimington we.rc slotting some mischief together. But what, in the name of wonder, could it be? I made no further effort to rise for some time; then, fretting to my feet slowly and unsteadily, I began to creep round the room, coming to a hilt when I reached the window. The house had been built nearly a centurv ago, when people trusted to bars and shutters to safeguard them from thieves, the metropolitan police force" being then nonexistent. T saw at once •that it would be impossible to move any of the massive sou are bars that guarded the window, but they made a convenient support for :a dizzy man to cling to.

Dully I stared out between them. The lower half of the window was sunk beneath the level of the ground, outside was a narrow area, strewn with dead leaves, and -infested with immense snails. My eves were thus on a level with the roots of the laurels beyond the area, and by standing on tiptoe I could see ibetween the foolish garden god and the of the fountain basin, fifty yards distant. As I stood dizzily clinging to the square window bars all sorts of v asm ft enniectures flflitted through my mind. Had the young man, Cluny, found out about mv assignation with Cocile and .attacked me out of jealousy? Or was T. .suspected of a desisn to 'rain the Life-water market? Was T Madame Claude's prisoner because she deemed me art obstacle to the success of her mysterious plot? But how could that lie? Nothing Avas at all clear, nothing was certain, except that- T. had been struck on the head with a, sandbag and that my head still iached painfully. This was so very certain that I staggered back over the stone floor to the mattress and lay down on it again. I t;ried to think lucidly; but I was

A thor of "Lady Rosalie's "Bellamy's Warning,"

worried continually wit 'hthoughts cf Anne's anxiety. She would expect me back by the last train, and there would not even bo a message to explain why J did not arrive. Thir: would sadly aggravate her troubles, already enough, in all conscience. I had. done wrong in paying attention to Cccilo's letter.

Cwilo's letter! Wo? it me.roly a docoy to lure me back to the house ? But it was absurd to think of Cecile in the light of a treacherous enemy; and suddenly it dawned upon me that the letter was forged—probably by Kimington—and that I had been deliberately trapped. Bu + why, if he wished to lure me back to the house, had he ever let me leave it? I hadsurely been in< his power all night. Then I guessed that I had been trapoed because it had prahabl v come to Rimington's knowledge that I had been busy during the day making inquiries about him. and he had not, in the morning, .anticipated that 1 should ( do anything of the kind ? But howhad ho tracked me to Waterloo Station? i

"I went to his office," I reflected, "to got Albert Blight's 'address from the clerk. The clerk told him at once that I had called, 'and told him why, and that frightened him. He knew — yes, lie would easily guess it, knowing me to !be suspicions about him—that I should question the boy about his doings, 'and learn tbnt he fra-ve a false account of himself at Polton, and that be had not been, touring with, a patient named Cluny. Naturally he wouldn't like that to be known; so he sent some one to follow me from Abort Blight's house —perhaps he followed rue himself; and then he got that fellow to hand me the letter that he himself had forged. Ho knew what bait would surely tempt me back here, knowing me to be curious about himself."

It took mo some time to mako these deductions, which suggested to me that I was at the mercy of the man who had probably murdered Mr Betsworth. This was .an alarming theory, because if Doctor Rimington believed me to be dangerous to him he might not hesitate to commit a second murder in order to save his own neck.

Suddenly I became aware of a face outside v the window —the face of the wry-necked rascal who had given me the letter at He wa.s 011 his hands and knees among the laurels, looking in at me. He vanished at once, as soon as I looked up; 'and then I knew for certain that the letter .was a fraud. Had it been genuine the man would have been my friend; his quick retreat showed that he was not so. [ had bv this time fairly recovered from the .blows that had stunned me —recovered sufficiently, at all events, to feel capable of putting up some sort of fight if my enemies attempted violence. But as the dusk gathered I realised with a thrill of cold horrer tlin-i- .a man 'bent on killing 111 c could easily shoot between' the bars.of the .unsWttared wnidc.v.

.This grim fact intensified my desire to 1:° {roue, but it also compelled me to adopt certain precautions. I +i lP Tiuitt-ew over the window n»d set it up against the bars, almort hicmu;- the windr,-* altr.g?th'>'\ It ,"""!d be -pushed down f.rrm the 0111nd", to .V sure, but at all events ro-!'.-,rJv Tiild kpt in at mo without makin" his .nresenc? known. ~ T vat down oil tV flooV. with r'" back aeainst the wall, beside t,he Tf denv was on°ned I should be behind it, and might have si momentary ndvni'-tnsce, at «ny rate, nf anv one coming in. And, if mv hot fit continued. T sheu'd p'-obablv "ko for" .anvhody v.'ho entered, with damaging violence. 'lt erewdn.rk. and T had no matches —nothing: had boon 1-eft-- in my rockets but a- useless nine and some money; «ven 'Anne'* letter had been, from me. which. T remember, and tlus loss gave me crrent- annoyance.

U"ly .speculation- crowded into mv mind. Perhaps Rimineton and his accomplices meant +0 leave me hero to .starve : such things have beon known + o in suburban houses, s-'tnnted 1 Mtle the tide of traffic; and one thing was - • call for help throuo'h the window ha--would be ivorse than useless: for I knew that T) o etor +ute enough to have niade certain before choosing my prison, that be was piacinn: me wlie-"" mv voice could not carry to the public thoroughfare.

Mexted and Sam saved well. The home backs were set going several times but nothing of advantage re- [ suited. The reds were compelled to j force on one or two occasions. San j with a fine kick found the line well down field, and from the line out the j red forwards broke away. It was here that the home backs showed to disadvantage, iby their disinclination to go down to rushes. But for Groube and Sandel'the reds must have scored. Sandel was particularly safe. Mexted made a good opening, and a nice passing rush by the red backs resulted in Darville forcing, when a score seemed imminent. A free kick to greens saw Henderson and Bond, by fast following up, take play . reds' line, whore the übiquitous Sam again saved the situation. Another penalty to greens saw Sandel place a nice goal—Wairarapa 8, Bush 5. Spademan and Henderson then took part in a nice run but Mexted intervened. The red forwards were having the best of the loose work, but in the line out Wairarapa generally got the ball, mainly through the excellent work of'McvKenzie, who gavo his backs many good openings, which were not availed of. Sandel had another kick ai goal, but the ball fell short. Give and take play followed, with both packs working hard, with little, advantage to either. The reds were then seen to advantage in :a good forward rush, which Daville stopped by a nice line kick. Sievers had a kick at goal, but was unsuccessful. Shortly 1 lafter Sam took a splendid mark, and also kicked a great goal. Wairarapa S, Bush 8. The spectators roared with delight, at the turn events wore taking, and the visitors spurred on made, several unsuccessful efforts to get over. Mexted took an excellent mark, but little advantage was gained. From this stage, the play "was of an even character, both side?, taking t"rns in attack. Almost on the or'! of time Oroube took a snlendid mark, ■and Sandel added the winning points with a kick. The game ended Wairarapa 11. Bush 8. Mr T. McKenzio controlled the game. t. LEAGUE GAME. TXTERPROVINYTAL MATCH. (~Bv Telegraph.— Tre,ss Association.) ' . AUCKLAND. Last Nicrht. Auckland defeated Wellington l>v 16 points !to nil, in the 'second jnterprovincial match of the season. The ■home team was too superior in combination, which gave them the victory.