The Swoop of the Vulture.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10710, 2 September 1912, Page 2

The Swoop of the Vulture.

'OUP SERIAL.)

BY OWEN MASTERS. Author of "His Heart's Dosir c." "One Impassioned Hour,'' "Captain Emlyn's Bride," "The Dtverc-Ii Heritage," "Tho Ironmaster's Daughter," etc.

CHAPTER, V. THE PROFESSOR'S FIRST MOVE. Tho next morning, among Iter lottors, CI raw found an invitation from her aunt, the professor's elder sister, to £0 to London to do some shopping. When Grace's engagement to Harold had boon formally announced, this lady had been asked by her brother to conio and keep house for him until after the wedding was over. This IV!! hi exactly with the arrangements of the party, ail the more so because Harold was also going to town to look after some shooting gear, so they wont together by the midday train. Grace was to stop a week in town, then, bring her aunt back with her to take up her new position at the dower house.

The night of the supper passed off very pleasantly, and no one who could havo seen the three men smoking and chatting in such seemingly cordial friendship over their wine could have guessed that they were anything but the closest of friends. Certainly the last possible supposition would have been that the perpetration of one of the most, diabolically subtle .crimes the mind of man had ever devised wordd have begun before Professor Halkine's guest left the house. Although Sir Godfrey did not see any sinister meaning in. the circumstances he might have noticed that his hosts smoked pipes, while he had a box of cigars at his elbow; and further, that Halkine had devoted a small decanter of very delicately flavoured wine, something like Tokay, to Jus special use, saying that it was the last drop he had left for the present. He and Mr. Denver contented themselves with ordinary port.

This Sir Godfrey took good.naturally, as a friendly compliment, little dreaming what the consequences of his acceptance, were to he.

Toward eleven o'clock he began to experience a curious exhilaration of mind, and an equally singular increase of physical vigor. He felt as though a weight of twenty years had dropped from his shoulders. The elasticity of youth seemed to he returning to his limbs, and his thoughts, quickly thronging as they were, appeared to bo most unwontedly clear-cut and luminous. "This is certainly most wonderful wine of yours, Halkino, I must say." he remarked, as he responded to an invitation to fill his glass again. "What did you say it was? Oh, yes,somo rare Bohemian vintage. It is very kind of you to let me have your last bottle. Upon my word, it almost makes one believe in the possibility of the elixir of life. Hanged if I don't feel twenty years vounger! And these cigars, too, are delioiously fragrant." "Ycr>" repVicd the professor, "it is quite a wonderful wino. I'm very sorry that I have come to the end of it. But I am told that there will bo another lot ready for export in a few months; so you needn't have any scruples about finishing that. 1 assure you that there -isn't a headache in & doden bottles of it. It is remarkable how it really does make one feel a lot younger. I suppose it must have somo curious physical effect on the brain centers. It's a very pleasant delusion, anyhow. I have drunk St for years, and never found any evil results; so it is an innocent enjoyment especially for people \vlw> 'have led lives like ourselves, and are getting into the armchair stage of travel. For my own part, I know of no greater enjoyment than to go on my wanderings again in nn armchair, with a pipe and a sketch map. For instance, I spent the half of last night among the mountains of the eastern frontier of Tibet. That ground, is pretty well known to you, isn't it, Sir Godfrey?"

"Yes, I think I may say it is, I had one or two little adventures there which form quite interesting memories."

"Well, as it is comparatively early yet, Sir Godfrey," said Mr-Denver, in a gentle, persausive tone, "and as I, a .hopeless stay-at-home, don't often find myself in company with such great travellers as you, won't you share some of these pleasant memories with us? I'm sure you must have had some very strange experiences during your wanderings.'* Mr Denyer was, as lie had confessed, neither a moral nor an honest man, but he had a sort of'moral veneer which served him as well with the world as the real article would have done, and ho was distinctly 'shocked at the startling result of this request. • • Sir Godfrey's thin, parclimentlike cheeks were flushed as they had not been for years, and his usually mild and meditative eyes were shining with

a hard, steely light, like the eyes of a man who is looking death very nearly, in the face. Before ho was half through with tho tolling of his Mvs.fc rc(oi:eetir::i ; the startler] lawyer recognised that Halkine had only told hitn the literal truth during his exposition of the strange disease, of personality from which he .said ;" Godfrey war, suffering.

i Whatever drug the. professor had put into the wino and the cigars, it certniuly had the effect of dividing Sir Godfrey's nature with amazing sharpness. The courtly gentleman and the refined scholar had disappeared, and the adventurous wanderer,

ruthless and unscrupulous in his fight for life and fortune against overwhelming odds, has taken 1;:.-; place. His very speech had changed, and ho used phrases of picturesquo coarseness and unrestrained ribaldry, which sounded strange from the lips of the, polished master of Enstonc Manor. From adventures of one kind he gradually descended to others of the least creditable, sort. In short, all the worst that he had done in his life came out, told with a. frank gusto of brutal satisfaction which completely shocked the superficially n spectable lawyer. It was, indeed, such a miracle as Mcphistophel himself might 'have delighted to work, and while Sir Godfreywas revelling in the description of episodes upon which he had often lookeci bacK .with* shame and disgus lie drank glass after glass of the poisoned wine, and smoked the seductively fragrant cigars incessantly.

And yet, strange to say, he showed no signs of ordinary intoxication. His'speech was as clear a.nd his sentences as logically framed and consecutive as they had ever been. In short, the only effects that the deadly drafts lie had taken had been to' make him, as it wore, morally instead of physically drunk —to paralyse the whole of the better part of his and to excite to intense activity all that was base and common in it.

it was nearly two o'clock before the party broke up, and when Sir Godfrey, rose to go the professor went out into the hall with him to help him on with his coat. In doing so lie committed one of those apparently slight mistakes which have" so often wrecked the careers of the greatest of criminals. There were still about a dozen cigars in the box, and two or' three glasses cf wine in the decanter. The moment that they were out of the room Mr. Denyor took a small round bottle out of his pocket, uncorked it, and filled it-with wine. He corked it, and put it back, and helped himself to a couple of cigars^ "There's no telling where these might come in useful," he said to himself, as he sat clown again. "It's quite on the cards that Haikine may over- ; step the law practically as well as theoretically. In that case, these would furnish very-valuable evidence, especially if he is inclined to play the fool about.that money; and when a fellow goes mad, as he is, on science, and all that sort of thing, there's no knowing what ho will do." ! When Sir Godfrey came in with his overcoat on, to say good night, the professor took the remaining cigars out of the box in a handful, andsaid:

"Xow, Sir Godfrey, there's another glass of wine for a nightcap. Yon might as wo]] put those weeds in your pocket. I've got plenty more."

"Thanks. But yon say that you are going to be good enough to walk up to the manor with me? Well, if you like to turn in, I'll have the pleasure of watching you have a brandy and soda. Meanwhile, Jlnuist thank you for a very pleasant evening. By Gad! It's just like being back in -the old times. Most extraordinary! All the same, I'm not sorry that M;;.ster Harold wasn't here to listen to some of the o.ueer yarns I've been telling you. Things werw different in those old days, weren't they? I suppose you could spin us a pretty tough ysrn yourself, if you tried. Well, when, you get in some mora of that wine, I'll get .you to let mo haw some of it if you can. Good night, Dojjyer " (To he Continued.)