The Swoop of the Vulture.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10707, 30 August 1912, Page 2

The Swoop of the Vulture.

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CiJAPTKK 111.—Continued. "That would be a very great misfortune for you nncl for him. Jt really would, because you are so perfectly suited to each other in every way. Therefore, J will tell you. But remember,'.' lie went on, putting his hands on her shoulders, and fixing her eyes with that strange, magnetic .glance which Harold Enstone disliked so much. "Iteinomber that what I am going to tell you now is for you alone. It in :ust never he repeated, not even to him when you are married. You have the same power over him thai every beautiful woma.n has over the man who believes her to be the most adorable being in the world; .but you have something else, something that you inherited from your mother: You have the power of .keeping his love, of making him mentallyyour abject slave, and at the same time detaching him as something apart from your own existence, and therefore you can do as you will with his love. You can chain him in fetters of silk and gold, n'Jul yet remain entirely free yourself. 'That is. if you choose to do ro; and," lie drew her a little nearer to him, "you will choose, Grace, to do that whenever it, may be necessary. Y'ou will marry him, and I think —yes, J believe—you will be happy with him ; but never forget, in the midst of all your happiness, that you retain that power in reserve, a nd, if circumstances should ever demand it, you must and shall remember to. use it."

"But why," she said, looking at him, and feeling as though it were impossible to take her eyes away from him, "why should I have such a, power as that, and why should I ever want to use it."

"That," lie replied, still keeping her gaze enchained, "is a question which only the Fates can answer. I have o:i!y told you what I know. But remember this, too—that having told you that you possess this power, T desire you to use it when and how it may bo necessary to do so.' Now you had better go to hed —but remember—remembar!"'

He stooped forward and kissed her on the forehead. He stroked her hair back with his hand, and then drew it quickly over her eyes. They closed; and'then, as he brushed her hair again, her eyes opened. She turned away, and walked mechanically to tho door. He opened it for her, and as she passed slowly upstairs he went to the kitchen and sent her maid up to her. When he got back to the dining room he lit another pipe, threw himself into the big armchair, and said to himself, between the puffs: "Well, looked at from the lower plane, 1 suppose it would not he considered an. entirely legal or even ;-,

tln'rc are other tilings to consider; and, after all, the interests of science are higher than any individual human interest?.. It can bo clone, and there is no reason why she should not help me to do it. She will he happy, and so will he, for a time, perhaps for life, if they will only do what they are wanted to do.

"As for Sir Gcdfrcy, lie is a very good fellow, a learned man in his own qui ore. hut an ignoramus from our ponit of view; and, happily or unhappily, again according to the point of view, he is afflicted with that very convenient disease. —a divided personality. Really, it would .seem as though the Fates had worked to bring me. into contact with such a man. a man who, properly managed, could make mo a potential master of two or three millions What would bo impossible then?

"Yes, it is just a. matter of money. Strange fha.t we who have done so much, and solved so many mysteries, should still, 1 through some queer contradiction in the order of things, he forced to depend upon the monev that may have been made hy the most sordid trading, or the commonest or meanest swindling. Yet we must have it, and thorp-fore, if my first experiment in divided personality is only a success, T will have it." .--""

CHAPTER TV

TWO SCOUNDRELS

The next day the engagement hetween.Grace nnd Harold was a formally accomplished fact, and the occasion was duly celebrated hv a dinner at the manor, to which all the best people in the county were invited.

There was ;i considerable amount of heart searching and disappointment, which in some eases amounted to disgust, among the" many marriageable daughters and their mothers at seeing the greatest prize in. the Northern matrimonial market carried off so swiftly hv the daughter of a stranger, who, however, distinguished' '- might be in the world of science, was in their estimation far below countyfamilv rank; Still, there was no denying the fact that the beauty and indoserihnblo charm of Grace Romanes placed her far above any of the other young ladies who might have aspired to be the future mistress of Enstone Manor and the millions which Sir Godfrey's heir would inherit. Some of these young ladies, and their mothers—especially the mothers —had tried to dislike her, and failed. Others, rashly daring, had even tried

BY OWEN MASTERS. Author of "His Heart's Desire," "One Impassioned Flour," "Captain Emlyn's Bride," "The Deverell Heritage," "The Ironmaster's Daughter," etc.

to snub lior, and these had; failed more disastrously still. Wherefore county, as represented by its territorial mid financial aristocracy, made up it;; mind to accept the ii>ovi to bio, and to look as pleased as it could.

The dinner was a groat success. Sir Godfrey., for once, came out of his shell. Ho ceased to be the retired student, who passed most of his life amoitj; books, and revealed another character which society had scarcely suspected—that of the universal student, the widely travelled man, who had boon everywhere and dono everything. Harold played a modest but excellent second to him. Grace was delightful, and charmed even those who would have given much to bo in her nlace. As for the professor, he, as Harold put it afterward, "just let himself go," and simply dazzled even the keen Northern intellects by t brilliancy of his conversation. In fact, when the guests thought over the evening's doings the next morning, it seemed to many of them as though they had been passing bod: hours on the borderland of a strange world.

Ono of the guests at the dinner wan a, Mr Bouham Denyer, a well-built and , decidedly good-looking man, about forty, clean shaven, square-headed, and slightly hawk-nosed, with steel- j blue eyes, which were rather too small for his face, and well-cut lips, which would have been all the better for being a trifle fuller. Ho was staying at the dower house with the professor, who had intro- ! duced him to Sir Godfrey as an. old friend and college chum, now the head of a firm of lawyers in London j who managed all his legal and financial business for him during las tra- j vols. Mr Bonham Denver was also in a sen.se the legal, guardian and trustee of Grace, as her mother had left him the management of her little fortune. Such an. introduction insured a hearty welcome from Sir Godfrey and Harold, and as the lawyer's manner was quite irreproachable, the acquain- ; tanco'had ripened into something like i intimacy. | When they had taken leave of t'he ; ! host the little party from the dower j house went home; and after Grace ! had said good night and gone to bed, i the two men went into the professor's I den. Although it was getting well | on toward midnight, Halkine got out i the spirit stand, a siphon of soda, and a box of cigars, and they settled themselves in two big armchairs, o. i on. c-ach side of tho fireplace, as though j they were at the beginning rather than tho end of a country evening.

"Help .yourself, Donyer. There is whisky "and brandy, and I think you will find the cigars as good as usual." "Tli:uiks," replied the lawyer, mixing himsolf a whisky and soda, and nicking out a nice- long, miid cigar.

The professor did the kiuiic, and when Mr Denver had lit his cigar no sat down, and leaned* back, am\ after r. meditative pufx looked, across at hie host ar.d '-aid .'slowly.

"T .Haikinc, from what vou zk'id. tin:; afternoon, tin!; you havo absolutely mad - .' u;v'-.mi' mint 1 , to carry this thing through ?" "Absolutely. Don't yo\'. see, Denver, that it if; literally the ehahvc of a lifetime f°r a nia " '^ v " e "'y*s«l« : - Hero is everything ready to our hands ; ;> man worth millions, a;i adored son and heir, who bar; been abliging enough t:* fall madly in love hvith Grace', and she is euite prepared to be'iTve that she is in lore with him." "By the way." interrupted Mr Denver, "! presume' von have no intention of indicating the true nature of your relationship with Miss Grace, either before or after marriage?"

"Oh. no," replied the professor oniekly. "There isn't the slightest necessity for that. Besides, look at the curious impression it would create, and the difficulty of explaining matters to her. Oh, no, it is much lettor r.< it is. Why do you ask?" "Only because it just struck me thai, such relationships are traceable, and if there-were any hitch in our co ltomplated proceeding, and ;\ou incurred the hostility of this youiu; fellow, and he./ set lnms.'df to f.ud thinss out. it would be st.il linnro difficult then. However, if you have made n.p vour mind, thorp's nr< end of it," Then, after a little pnasc, lie went on more slowly: "You want my help now. To out it plainly, you've got to have it, and my silence its well, as T havo come down to giro it to you. What are the conditio - -!? J " (To be Continued.)