The Swoop of the Vulture.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10713, 6 September 1912, Page 2

The Swoop of the Vulture.

BY OWEN MASTERS.. Author of "His Heart's Desire," "One Impassioned Hour," "Captain Emlyn's Bride," "The DevereJl Heritage," "The Ironmaster's Ai-uirhter," etc.

OUR SLMAL.) .

CHAPTER Vll.^Continued. "Um—m —ycsl suppose you are right. Can you do anything yourself? I mean in of an advance?" "1 think I could let you have a couple of thousands within the week, if that would help you over the stile," said Halkinc. # It was nearly all the ready money he could command at the time, uut he. felt that, whatever happeneed, he could not afford to-make an -enemy, of his accomplice at such a juncture as this. Afterward, when: he reaserted his "power over Grace, everything would bo easy. But for the time being his 'only course'was to temporize, even at a sacrifice. . N

"Very wel," replied Denver. "If you can manage that, I think I .can tide over for the present." Mr Barthgate dined at the manor with Harold and his wife; and accepted a presses invitation to spend the there. "The fact is, Mr Barthgate," said Harold, when Grace had left the table and the butler had placed the decanters and retired, "I do not believe that that will was properly made. I am perfectly certain .that my father —as I have always called and con--sidered him since. I was a boy—could never have put such an absurd condition as that trusteeship without---' what do ;-ou <.nll V

"I suppose,"- said Mr Barthgate, taking a sip at his port, "that you allude to what we call, in law, undue influence."

"Exactly, said Harold, lighting a cigar. "That is just what I mean. Sir Godfrey was a trifle eccentric where scientific, matters were concerned. I could quite understand a rich, man like him making very considerable bequests to recognised scientific institutions, and should be the very last -to Object to such a thing.. I owe everything to him. He has been better than a great many fathers might have been to rhe, and has left mc a rich man. If he had left, a million in that way, I .should have grumbled. But what I can't understand is that he should had left the disposal, of what I suppose amounts to something like a couple of millions and the interest on' them to this man Halkine. He is. Grace's uncle certainly, but I have never liked the man. I don't know whether you have noticed his eyes, but there is in them a sort, of hypnotic power, or something of thatj.sort. that I don't think a man ought to have." "Yes," replied Mr Barthgate slow- . ly. "I have noticed them. I have noticed also. that on the few occasions on whicji We have met he lias done his best to fix my gaze. I admit that I share your distrust of him, and I have always looked the other way. Still," he went on, looking contemplatively at tho smok'o curling from the end of his cigar ,; "as your legal advisor, I ought to tell you that, of all things in the law, undue influence upon a testator in; the making of <i will is the most difficult to prove.

"it is quite possible that those strange eyes of his did influence Sir Godfrey to make that extraordinary will. But there is the fact that the instructions which were given ,o me were in his own handwriting* and signed with his usual signature.- I'm afraid there is no getting away from that. We "may call it eccentricity, or anything efse that we like, but the courts are occupied every day with th. eccentricities of testators. And I need hardly., remind you that the law absolutely recognisec the right of a man Wdo'what he will with his own, provided always that he is sane, and that he; executes his will in. proper form. "Now I really cannot see that there is any proof that Sir Godfrey was not absolutely sane when lie gave me those instructions of his, written by his own hand, and when he executed the will in my presence. In short, if you are contemplating anything-like a contest of the will, I am bound to advise you that you haven't a leg to stand on., I had bettor tell you that iiow than later. Whatever my private opinion of the,matter may be, ray duty is to save you from the worry and expense of a lawsuit which, I am afraid, could only have one endJ" 4 ■' ■ , "Yes, you are perfectly right. AH the same I am practically certain that he did not write those instructions of his own free will and accord," said [Harold. After a pouse, he went on: "It is a most extraordinary thing, Mrßarthgate, but since I've been married,.to Grace I seem to have inspired a curious kind of insight, almost in spiration, I may say, that I certainly never had before. For instance, I never liked this Professor Halkine. It was like the old rhyme about Doctor Fell —I oould not tell why. Although J havenottho slightest proof, I feel practically certain that he has been playing a double game all along, and that he, and not Sir Godfrey, is the author of these instructions. And," he went on,.leaning forward and putting his elbows on the table, "what is more extraordinary still, Grace, who, believe me, before we were married, never had an evil thought of him, now believes exactly as I do. Now what do you make of that?" "Everything, and yet nothing," replied the lawyer, with a smile and a slight shrug of the shoulders. "Everything from what you might call the point of view of moral conviction, but as 1 to th© legal view, absolutely nothing. You see.the courts do not go upon convictions. I mean that kind of

CHAPTER VIII

SIB GODFREY'S DIARY,

conviction. Thoy want evidence, fapl". p;oof. Of that you haven't a shred. I don't say something may not be discovered when you go through Sir Godfrey'..: papers."

"Happy thought,"said Harold. "Lot lis go to the library, and look through his wriu'ng desk. I would rather I .had you with mo when Ido it. Grace .can come, too, because it is quite ac much her business as it is mine." "1 am intirely at your service," said Mr Barthgate, rising, "for the rest of the night, if you like. I'm the last man in the world to hold out anything like false hopes, but I sincerely trust that we may find something tangible to go upon; for. morally, sneaking, I am just as certain as 'you are that this Professor Ha Urine-is not exactly what lie ought to. be. He is a man, as any one can see, of great abilities, perhaps too great.. And those eyes of his —I don't like themjl ' I may say that during a little conversation I had with Sir Nevil Alderson and Dr Russcl Thorpe, Sir Neville.distinctly raised the question as to whether he of a great many instances known "to medical science of genius run.mad." "H'm!" said Harold, v as they went toward the door, "criminal madness, I suppose, if that's the case."

Grace gave them coffee in the draw-ing-room, and Harold repeated his conversation with Mr Barthgate in a somewhat condensed form-while they were drinking it. "It certainly does not seem a very dutiful sort of thing to say about one's uncle, and the man who has been as good as a father to me," said Grace, when he had finished; "but it's no use trying to be dishonest with one' self, or," she went on, with a smile at MP Bartihgate, "with one's lawyer. I think I'm right there, ami not?"

"You know the old saying, Mrs Enstone, that the man who is his own lawyer has a fool for lus client. I think' there is only one' greater fool, and that is the patient of the mv.n who is his own doctor."

. "Exactly." she said. "And that is something like I feel with regard to this will and my uncle. I have an instinctive feeling that things are not all right. And. to be quite frank, I think exactly as Harold does about those instructions."

She stopped suddenly, got up from her chair, walked., across the room to the fireplace, looked at her own beautiful reflection in the mirror for a few moments, then turned back, and said : "Mr Barthgate, have you ever heard —wait now —yes, it's coming back to me now. What is it? I remember discussing it with my uncle two or three years ago in Paris, after he had been making some of his experiments with.Doctor Charcot at tho Salpetnero. Yes,that\s it —divtided personality. Have you ever heard of that? "I'm afraid I milsfc plead ignorance. I am neither a scientist nor a medical man, and such a term as that is known only to them." "Just as I was>saying," interrupted Harold, "and that is where I believe all the difficulty is coming in. .That is where the professor will trip us up, if he does anywhere." "I'm afraid, Mr Enstone, you are getting a little beyond my depth. You.see wo lawyers have to confine ourselves to hard facts. Mothing else is admitted in evidence, and so we don't find anything else worth studying. I really don't find anything else worth studying. I really don't know what you are talking about." . "It's just as well that you don't want to," laughed Harold," because I certainly could *not explain it to you. Indeed, I never had any idea of the subjeect at all until I had tho felicity of becoming the other half of Miss Grace Romanes." , ' "Don't talk nonsense, Harold," she said, witha delightfully unsuccessful I attempt .tc be rsevere/ ■. "All things ; considered, I think this is a rather too serious subject for frivolities of speech." | (To be Continueed.)