The Swoop of the Vulture.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10703, 26 August 1912, Page 2

The Swoop of the Vulture.

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CHAPTER I

LOVK IX .THE MAKING

Enstone Manor., one of the finest, as well as one of the oldest, estates between the Dennincs ard the North Soa, came into the possession of the late owner, Sir Godfrey Enstone. in tiiis fashion :■ He was a younger son. hut every one said that he ought to have been the elder, with his handsome face, stalwart figure, and high spirit, abloit the last was wont on occasion to flame un somewhat swiftly in anger. The heir, and the only other child, was more of a throwback to seme remote generation than the son in spirit, as well >as in blood, of his own father and mother, for lie was not only mean to look upon, hut he was in disposition and nature everything that a gentleman ought not to he —secretive, underhand, revengeful, and as close-fisted as a Dutch miser.

That, however, is not germane to the story, save in so Car as it -'.as responsible for the everlasting quarrels between the brothers, which ended when Archibald, the elder, managed to get Godfrey into terribly hot water with his parents over some youthful escapade, and received at his hands a thrashing so sound that Archibald suffered injuries from which ho never quite recovered. Of course, Godfrey was deeply and sinerely penitent when lie cooled down, and recognised what his momentary passion bad led him to do; hut his father would have none of his repentance, and in the end ho gave him five hundred pounds, and his curse, and hade him never let him see liis face a gam. Like most curses, that- one duly came home to roost under the old rooffcroe. Godfrey disappeared utterly for over twenty years. The old baronet and his wife died within a few months of each other', of pneumonia following influenza. The heir succeeded —a soured, enfeebled misanthrope, who hatpd women, and believed that all the girls of the countryside and in London were after his money and position, whereas no decent women would have married him if he bad been a. duke and a millionaire. He died in little more than a year, and then the lawyers set to work to find Sir Godfrev. as he \v{\*. now. if alive.

\~— For two or thro« years nothing was heard of him, and the estate was mano<rr>fl l, v ♦■'•"stees. annointed hv the Court of Chancery. Then, without , anv notice, he walked one day into }' the lawyer's offic". and pxnlained that j be bad onlv honrd of the deaths of his father and hrothcr «ix weeks hefore, in Hongkong, on his return from a j" three years' exploring expedition in l Central and North-eastern Asia.

However, lie had made money; ho was evidently very wealthy ; and when lie had established his identity and taken possession of the carefully nursed estates he was one of the richest men in the North country.

Although there was no doubt as to liis being Godfrey Enstono. all who had known hirn before bis banishment agreed that no one could have been more unlike what one might have expected "Master Godfrey" to grow up than the thin, slightly /stooping, parchment-skinned, grave man who seemed to have little or no interest in life beyond his estates and his scientific studies —which some of his sporting neighbours looked upon with frank and openly expressed suspicion. There was, however, one exception to this' rule. He brought back with him a fine, strapping, Jionest-faced young fellow of about .. twenty-two, whom all his friends at first hoped was his son. But the world soon learned that ho was really the son of an old comrade and fellow adventurer, who lost his lifo is saving Sir Godfrey's. He had adopted him, and one of the first things lie did when he got settled was to go through the legal process of giving him his name, and declaring him heir to the estates, which were unentailed, and his own personal property. The title was to die with himself. He had proved that a father's curse, whether rightly or wrongly given, was a grievous burden to bear. His own wife and child had died together of plague fifteen years before, on the anniversary of his 'banishment. Five years later, on the same day, his own life had been saved at tho expense of that of the only friend he had on earth. He had not a single blood relation 1 in the world, and he had determined that the title should die with him, and tho line of Enstones cease to exist.

He had few friends, scarcely any at all in England; hut, as the postmaster at Enstone was well aware, lie had a large circle of corresponding acquaintances scattered nearly all over the

BY OWEN MASTERS. Author of "His Heart's Desire," "One Impassioned Hour," "Captain Emlyn's Bride," "The Devorell .Heritage," "Tlio J ron master's Daughter," etc.

world, and of these the most frequent and constant was a certain Profos-yir .Tenner Halkiuo, who appeared to possess addresses in nearly every corner of the globe.

One morning, at breakfast, nearly two years after his return, Sir Godfrey said to liis adopted son, who was legally known as Harold Trevor Enstone :

I "Harold, my hoy, what do yon say to a run up to London for a few days? Yon want some now guns and hunting /rear before the .season opens, J believe, arid yon could have a lo»k round and choose thorn for yourself. Jt will bo better than having them sent on approval." "With pleasure, dad." was the reply. "Arc you going, too?" "Oh, yes," said Sir Godfrey,-with what was for him an unwonted eagerness. "The fact is I have just had a letter from Professor Halkine. and he tolls me that he has at last made up liis mind' to give up wandering and pitch his tent permanently in England. He says his niece is growing up now, and be doesn't think it quite fair to her to keep on the everlasting trek any longer. At any rate, whatever that resolve mav prove* to be worth, ho landed at Brindisi four days ago, and will bo in London the day after to-morrow. Curiously enough, although we've been friends on note paper and in the scientific journals for voars, this in the first time we have boon within about a thousand miles of each, other. In this letter he asks me to call on him at Morley's Hotel on Wednesday, and at last make his personal acquaintance."

Harold remembered as he spoko that Wednesday was the Anniversary, as they called it—the Black "Day of the year, on which Sir Godfrey never began or ended anything of importance. Harold did not share his feelings'on this subject, although they had never discontinued the custom of putting on black ties on the anniversary of his father's death.