The Swoop of the vulture.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10714, 7 September 1912, Page 2

The Swoop of the vulture.

BY OWEN MASTERS. Author of "His Heart's Desir a," "One Impassioned Hour," "Captain Emlyn's Bride," "The Dtverell Heritage," "The Ironmaster's ° Daughter," eto.

'OUl* SERIAL.)

GRAFTER VIII;—-(Continued.)

"I am duly corrected, and conscious of my fimlt/' ho laughed again. "And now supposo wo take Mr Unrthgatc'a advice, and proceed from theory to last." Ho turned to tho lawyer. "You will do me the favor of being present whoa 1 open Sir Godfrey's .writing table:-"' "With pleasure," he relied, 'opening the- door for Grace. A minute search through the drawers of tho writing table and those of an old bureau nothing ;mue than neatly arranged files of letters,. manuscript books full of scientific memoranda, and accounts relating to the estate. ' "Nothing that wo want at present, said Harold, when tho search was over. "But I have just thought of something vise. Excuse- me a moment," Ho unlocked the door and went out, roturning in a few v.'it.b a sea : '-:; 7 „qiuuu 0...e!0p0 hi itfo luuvd. "I think this is what we hare been looking for," he said. I remembered just then that Sir Godfrey used to do c #-cat deal cf work in the email hours of tho morning in his bedroom. There is a little safe there let into .the wall and covered with a panel. . He told me how to open it, and'if; there are any private instructions they are here. And, dear," ho went on; putting his hand into the pocket of his dinner jacket, and turning toward his wife, I have found something else that may be of use to you." He withdrew his hand, and she saw that it was full of lustrous pearls and glittering diamonds. He spread them out on the table, and they took the form of ft necklace composed of five rows of exactly matched strung pearls, with n- big diamond between each couple of pearls. "Ts that," exclaimed with a little.;catch in.&er voice, o's' : sTfo took a, step back from him, "is that for mef So. Harold it is altogether too lovely! "The very reason why it should be for you." he said, as he put; the striri"- of splendid gems over he* willingly bowed head. "Too lovely ? Nonsense! Its exactly in tho right place, isn't it, Mvßarthgate?" "It would be impossible for them to ho seen to better advantage," replied tho lawver, with somthing almost akin, to adoration that was divided between the splendor of tho gems and the beautiful wearer. "And npw let me see what there is in this," said Harold, breaking the seal df the envelope. He took from it a small hook hound in limp parchment, and read-on the first page the inscription in Sir Godfrey's handwnt-

ing "Notra v of my strange experiences from 10th July'to " ' Ho turned to the next page, and rai his eye over it. and then the next am the next. The others saw his eyelids rise and fall, nnd a shade of grey stea under tlio'bronxe of his skin. "What is this matter, Harolds asked Grace anxiously. "Is it any■ thine: serious?" "Yes." he slowly replied. _ "Something that may be \ r ery serious l'n afraid. It is apparently a diary that rov father kept during the last day of hi? life. It is " ( "Oh. then," she interrupted.. 'it is something that can onlyibe intend' I ed for Vou. Shall I go if you want tr ! read it?" . ' : , I "Oh, no, ho replied, a little awkwardlv. she thought. "There is nc ; such imrry as that. I'll have anothei look at it after you have gone to bed | And now suppose we have same coffee < and afterward you can sing for us.' j During the r.est of tho evening Grant 1 noticed that her husband was decided ly preoccupied. She guessed that his thoughts were really between the pages of tho book in bis pocket, so about ten she said good night, and weiv'i upstairs. "We'll have our smoke in the nb- ■■ raw. Mr'Uarthgate, if you don't rnind," he said'to the lawyer. 'I want' to have a, tft-lk to you about this diary.'!- ••«*■■■■■ • *.. "With pleasure, replied the other, as he followed him.from the drawing

room. .! When they reached the library Har- i old locked tiie door, and began rather j abruptly J ' '"l \ "\on remember, Mr Barthgate, what I said just now about the will, and that extraordinary illness which' my father had before his inexplicablo suicide; and you'll remember also —f but never mind, that will do afterward. I have a very strong idea that this diary will throw light upon what seemed dark to me in more senses than one. I must, ask you to go oyer it with me,'and give rac your opinion and advice upon it." "Yes," replied the lawyer, lighting his cigar, and leaning back in the armchair. "Now, .suppose you read it slowly, and I'll devote myself to the thinking part." "Perhaps that will be the best way," replied Harold, sitting down at the table and opening the diary. He began to read without further comment. "July 10. | Man, know thyself." Vain, if seeming wise, advice. Impossible even. | for those who, like myself, have de- ' voted so many years of patient labor I to the study of nature and man. Yet I thought that I had made some littleprogress as my reward, and here I am confronted in my own being,in my own self, with an unsolvablo puzzle. But have I really one self, or two? Or is

(To be Coutiaueed.)

it possible that 3. am afflicted with < somo oh.'X'uco »iei:l;;l disease —that., perhaps, i am gf-iiiK *' inust not write, or'even I:.mi; of that, for that way darkness lies. 1 think I'll jmvo a talk with H. No, 1 won't. ']*:: cry's been .something queer about him since that supper. He has hot been at ail th-j eiuik 1 ; or is it my mental vision tiiat lias changed ? At anyrato, .1. dare *-. ay ho would only kvugn at me, as ho did, I think, to-day, when .1 forgot about the will. That was a very curious thing, for example. Of course, I wroto the instructions fnd signed the will only the other day, and yet 'sometimes f seem to have done it weeks, or months, or years ago. It's all very odd. When Harold io settled, I must have- a rest ajid a run abroad. At present I had better tako some more of H.'s tonic, and go to bed. [ hope I slianfc have any moro of those queer dreams I have been having lately,'' ' '"'l don't iiko the tone of that at all," said Mr Barthgate, as Harold ceased reading. "How on earth can he have forgotten a will thai he had only executed —let me see —yes, two days, before." "iou'll like what comes after still • less,',' said Harold, in a hard tone. "The next entry is four days fciter. Listen. "'July 14. . I "Awake again—or what is it? Have I been asleep since I wrote tlxat .last entry, and is this only a dream in the sleep r" No, that won't do. A diary is not such stuff as dreams are made of. Besides, J was awake this morning when H. brought me some more or his liltny physic. .Remember, too. 1 did not take it. Fizz instead. Must iiav« oone me good, remaps woke me up, and that's why I am writing. If H. can't stop those awful dreams — for lam certain they are dreams —I'll | ha,ye another,doctors I'll try the .stuff ohc#.more, and if that doesn't do, I'll tell Halkine. No i won't—send Altierson " I "Oh, that's terrible 1" exclaimed the lawyer, sitting upright, "terrible! [lour father could never have written 'like that, even if he had' been intoxlicated." "Or mad," interrupted Harold, "or, ' at any rate, on the verge of maemess. But there's worse to come. The next iis dated the 18th. Listen. I " 'Dreams in heaven ; dreams in hell, j { Wake mo on earth when Harold comes. • "'i'hat,'' said Harold, "is all of that j one, and it is written in a scrawl that I can hardly read. Now the next, which I is dated a week later, is written in his old hand, and perfectly clear and sane. " 'Thank God, that mysterious atI tack of mine is over at last. God grant that I shall never have another. It seems incredible to mo that I should have written such nonsense as those last two entries. 1 have half a mind to burn the thing; but I think I will keep it as a curiosity in mental pathology. It has certainly nonplussed Halkine, at least as far as diagnosis goes. He actually had the assurance to accuse me of taking drugs. Never did such a tiling in my life, except opium for cholera. Still, whatever it was, I must confess that he has pulled me round very quickly, and precious glad 1 am. What on earth would have happened if Harold and Graco had conic back and found me in the condition I must have been to write that rubbish? "Whatever it was, ] hope there's an end.of it now. But 1 shall have to be careful. Halkinc, says I have been overdoing it for a lo:-g time; therefore, as soon as Harold aud Grace are married, [ will-bo oft' to the Rockies for a couple of months or so, and try nature's own cure. I can easily be back for Christmas.' "

, "That's better," said Barthgatc. "I should say that Sir Godfrey was; mentally well when he wrote that. What a thousand pities that ho didn't go.". ' . , "Yes," reeplied Harold, between.' his '"clenched teeth. Then lie went on :! "The next entry is on the evening of our wedding day:

'" { Well,' they are married, "and off. l God Mess them, and give them everything that they desire and deserve. And now for the Far West.' "