The Swoop of the Vulture.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10718, 12 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," "Tho Deverell Heritage," "The Ironmaster's Daughter," etc.

'OUR SERIAL.)

CHAPTER X. (Continued.) "Exactly," replied the lawyer, in a low, but perfectly distinct tone. "To save, time, and get to the point at once, I will begin by saying that I want to talk to you about a matter which,, very closely concerns you and your fortunes, and something even more than them." "Then you can only refer to my late father's death, and. the extraordinary will be made," said Harold, looking'him straight in tho eyes. "Yes, that is it," replied Mr Denver, returning his look for a momentand then dropping his eyelids. "lb begin .with, I'm going to ask you to give me your word that nothing -I shall say shall go beyond this room, even to your wife, without my consent."

"Certainly," answered Harold, after a. moment's thought. His instinct told him that Halkine's friend and partner, perhaps his accomplice, would not gpeak like that without good reason, so lie determined to take the risk. "Yes." he continued, "you have my word on that. And now. what is it you have to tell me?"

CHAPTER XI. DENVER'S PERIL. To be perfectly plain, Mr Enstone," said the laywer, after a little pause, and with visible embarrassment, "I want to make a bargain with, and a confession to, you ; ibut I may say at once that the one is contingent on tho other." "Then suppose we take the bargain first, Mr Denver," said; Harold coldly, but with a thrill of hope running ti'j'.xmgh his nervcp; "and lot me say before you begin, that if you.nro in a position, as I somehow have an idea you are, to throw a light u^:on the mystery of Sir Godfrey's death, and you can satisfy me that you had no hand in it,'T will pay anything in! reason fior proc-iV, that will stand legal tests, and hold my tongue about.the confession, as you call it. What is the figure?"

"Permit me first to explain my position, Mr Enstone," .he replied, passing his handkerchief over his forehead. "You will not fully understand the circumstances unless I do." Harold nodded and the lawyer went on:

"It's a painful thing for a man to l say to himself, but the truth is that J like a good many other men, who j have had a hard .and' unequal fight with adverse fortune, I have driven off the lines. It is the old story, Mr Enstone—unhappy speculations, los-' ses", debts, and then worse. That is how I came into Jenner Halkine's power; and that ,is why, in obedience to some wliini of his crooked intellect, -he forced me to give him''my passive, mark you —assistance in the extraordinary, the most incomprehensible crime by Avhich he compassed vour-father's death."

"Ah! then ho did it?" said Harold, between his teeth, forgetting his disgust at the man in his eagerness to learn what he had to say. "Prove that; and name your price." "I cain," ihe ireplietV, wjiping his brow again ; "and if you accept my proposal, I will do so within a week. Halkine's original price for my, er —countenance,*-which wa.s very necessary to him after the fact, was five thousand pounds as soon as he flamo' ..into |the 'trusteeship, and '• a thousand a year for life as legal adviser to the trust, as well as the return of certain documents, even more important to mo than the money. Now, ni you know, he has drawn the huge 1 sum of a million sterling out of the estate. What does that mean? The developement of science? Not a bit- of it, Mr Enstone. To my mind it means 'bolt' —the disappearance of himself and that uncanny friend of his, with your father's million —that's what it means."

"And T presume that it also means," interrupted Harold, with a note of contempt in her voice, "that you have come to me because he has refused to give you what you consider to be an Adequate share of the said million?"

"in a sense, yes," replied the other awkwardly. "I firmly believe that he intends to vanish and leave me in the lurch, perhaps after having sent the documents I spoke of to the Home Office, so as to secure my retirement for some years from active life. .1 asked for a twentieth part of his plunder, for it was nothing else, and the return of the documens. laughed at me, and said he could not think of .robbing his mistress, Science, to such an extent, for the sake of a lawyer who had been fool enough, to get himself into trouble. I did not show my hand. He little laiows that the tables are 'turned now, and that he is in my power." "From that I gather," replied Harold, "that your power over him is your ability to prove him guilty of —we will say, managing the circumstances which led to my father's death. If you can do that, and at the same time satisfy me that you had xw active part in it, it is merely a question, of terms between us. To begin with, what can you do?"

"I. can prove," replied the lawyer, after a little pause, "first, that Halkine began to yet Sir Godfrey under the influence of drugs at a little sup-

1 per that we had at the dower house the evening after Miss ltomanc.4 went to London." j "Yes," Harold interrupted him, ! with some show of eagerness, "yes, • I .have heard about that supper. In fact, I was so much interested that ! I told Mr Barthgate that I would give a thousand pounds to know i what my father had at it." ! "I will tell you," said the lawyer j quietly; "and to show you tnai J i am not trilling with you, 1 will do i that much for nothing. The sup- • per itself was harmless, for we all ; three partook of it; but afterward ; Sir Godfrey had a small • decanter I. of rare old wine, and a box of cigars j ! especially reserved for him. 1 need scarcely add that both wine and cigars were drugged. Their effect on ►Sir Godfrey was perfectly marvelous. His personalicy was perfectly changed, and very umcli tor vne worse.''

"But how can that be proved, Mr Denycr?" was the impatient interruption. "I mean proved to.satisfy a judge and jury." "I took the precaution of securing a sample of the wine, and a couple of the cigars. I thought they might come in useful some day. If we conclude.an'.a'Erangement they will be at/your service for analysis. Further, I may tell you that Halkino went back to the manor with Sir Godfrey that night, and the next morning, at breakfast, showed me Sir Godfrey's instructions for his will, written and signed by his own hand. It was certainly not a forgery. How Halkine obtained . it, I haven't the slightest notion, though it is certain he possesses some hypnotic sort of power far ibeyoud the average.

"After that, during'your absence, \ he kept Sir Godfrey continuously un- I der the influence of drugs. I was careful .to secure samples of the socalled medicines that he was giving hin> to counteract tho bad dreams and-fits of'nervous- depression 'which .Ire was suffering from. Finally, when Sir Godfrey got «o bad that lx>th- his own doctor and Sir Xevil Alderson were called in, he continued what he called his 'treatment' by substituting medicines for what they prescribed. "That, is the explanation or the mystery which so puzzled tho other two men. They thought that Sir Godfrey was a confirmed victim of tho- drug habit, and had drugs hidden .away which he could' take trusted to Halkine, who was in constant attendance, to stop it. while all tho while he was giving him drags of his own compounding. I had samnles of those medicines also." "Heavens!" exclaimed Harold, with an expression of mingled horror and disgust. "W'hat an abominable crime! a thousand times worse than ordinary murdc'-! And you know that this unspeakable villainy was going on under your eyes, and never spoke a word, or moved: a finger to stop it!—to save the life of a man who had never harmed yon, wnore bread you h.id eaten! What •is th'i price for those samples, as you.cull them, and your evidence?" Mr Denver's plump ard usually .'"> fey cum ten a nee ((hanged to a sallow pallor at the word evidence. "It wui!d be most dangerous for me to give evidence," lie said rathr- fii'-itly. ."You see. the moment Halkine saw my hand in this, he would send the documents I spoke of to the Home Office, and 'that i would mean a prosecution for me, which I am- afraid might result in penal servitude." "That, Mr Denver," replied Harold coldly, "is absolutely no concern of mine, and I cannot pretend to sympathize with you. As a lawyer you must know that if T. do purchase your assistance, :l ■sha!', nmolf be compounding a felony. At- the .same time, such offenses as 'I presume you are hinting at aretreated with such leniency nowadays that at the very utmost you would not get more than five years, which your good behavior would bring down to three and a half. Of that, however, you must make up your mind to take your 'chance. For my part 1 refuse to move another step in the matter un- | less you are prepared to write out proof of your evidence, and verify it by the usual affidavit. If you do that I will give you ten thousand "down on the day that Halkine is sentenced If you can get safely out of the country with that before the law lays hold of you, well and good. If you are caught, and sent to penal ser- [ vitude, I will undertake to pay your wife, or any one you may appoint. [ a thousand a year for the term of your imprisonment. How will that suit you?" (To be Continued.)