The Swoop of the Vulture

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10719, 28 September 1912, Page 2

The Swoop of the Vulture

'CUP St RIAL.)

j CHAPTER. > . (Continued.) | "And for lvc-r T t-rust you will ,b» successful," rcp'hrd Hedley Siej riiens, with a smile full of meaning, I sis lie pub his finger on tho button and pressed! it. A few minutes later the princess Natieff wad been placed in a chair in tilio care of the Indian nursee, artl they were back in the director's sitting room. "Now, sir, having seen what you have seeon," he said to his guest, "I shall ask you whether you are in a mind to pursue tho experiments further?" "Yes, doctor," replied the millionaire, meeting his gaze quite steadily; "v(v3, J air, convinced'. You know that fa.m not only what the world sees jne—a mere soulless man of business who carc-i for nothing except tho piling of millions upon millions; I am also something of a student, of the mysteries of existenco,ar<l,-a.sfar as I am concerned, I am ready to begin the experiment again with any one whom you may select. Does that satisfy you of my sincerity?" "I have never doubted it since you entered the room and took your place at tho table," replied the doctor; but even again I must warn you that the consequences may be very serious; and if you choose to continue the experiment, you must be prepared to have the inmost|, secrets of your own soul laid bare to the gaze of another man. Are you ready to take such a risk as that might be?" "Who is the man to be —yourself I presume?" "N0,." said Izah-Ramal quietly, yet with a deep meaning in his tone, "it ■will no be - myselfr ' I tottve no desireat present to add to my -knowledge of human nature. If you were determined to continue the experiment, the'man who will see into your sovtl 1 , and into whose soul you will see, will be of another world."

"What's that?" interrupted the millionaire, with a very visible start, j which he was totally unable to dis- j guise. "Surely you can hardly be , serious. At any rate," he went on, I with a perceptible hardening of his . tone, "T may-a.s well say at once doctor, that I do not propose to be made the subject of any experiments in the supernatural, if that is what you are going to suggest. Anything within the realm of nature I am willing and glad to loam; bub I have neither taste nor ambition to trifle wii.'.i the , porblenK of life and death." I "You would have had no fear of that had you allowed me to finish my statement. The man of whom I was speaking died quite publicly, a considerable time ago, -and lie has not the slightest desire to return, I won't say to the flesh, but rather to the former state of existence. From that you will naturally and correctly con- \ cludo that, should any secrets be discovered during the course of the experiment, they will be in absolutely , saffl keeping." | "Am I to take it that that is the answer to the question which I asked Rain Dass when he brought me your note?" "It is," was the quiet reply. "Then that satisfies me completely. I shall be ready to go through with the experiment whenever it is convenient to you." \ "I!m glad to hear it," replied the other.. "I -will not suggest this evening. because I sou Id advise you to take a little time to think over what you-

have seen and heard to-day." "There i not the slightest reason for that. T have seen quite enough to .be satisfied that, if the next experiment is successful, no one will have a deeper interest in secrecy than I shall have."

"It is an excellent thing that we should understand each other so soon, and so completely. As soon as I am able to complete the arrangements, Ram Dass will come to you." Half an lionr later Hedley Siemens was driving home in his brougham, which had waited for him. He was leaning back in one corner, smoking furiously, and biting off more of his rapidly diminishing cigar than he smoked. He was looking straight ahead through the rounded glass •which formed the front of his brougham, at the houses and swiftly passing street lamps which seemed to wink at him quickly moving, inquisitive eyes.

He had been trying in vain to analyise the crowding thoughts which had arisen out of thait wonderful evening's experience, but in spite of his perfect mental discipline, 'and a rare faculty of dividing 'his own personality, and l criticising himself as he might have done another man, lie had had to confess that, for once, his mental faculties had got out of hand. ■Not a thought seemed to pass

BY OWEN MASTERS.

„f 'Mfia Heart's Desire," "Oao Impassioned Hour, 7 ' "• Kmlyn's Brido," "Tic Ueveroi! Heritage," ' Ironmaster's ]daughter" etc.

through his brain, and not a word came from his lips as tho -swiftly ehanging scenes flitted past- his carriage windows. But when ho got out into tho coo] night air at the great arched entrance to the court, ho pulled himself together with such a very obvious effort that tho porter, somewhat mistaking his symptoms, hurried. down the steps even more quickly than usual to meet the most- distinguished resident in his domains. When ho reached his room ho curtly dismissed! Saunders. Then he mixed for himself as stiff a brandy and soda as ever ho had taken in his wildest days, and went to bed to dream of unutterable possibilities.

| CHAPTER XXI. | RECOGNITION. I Hedley Siemens, like many other men who have been accustomed to roughing it, taking their rest when they might, and going without it when necessary, was not a very early riser. Saunders brought him a cup of • coffee and his letters at eight, and at half-past he had his bath and was shaved, after which he sat down to a leisurely breakfast. But this particular morning something seemed to take him ,baek to the old conditions. He was broad awake at five o'clock. I Ho saw* some letters which had come in by the evening's mail, and which he had noticed when he came to bed, lying on the writing table in the middle of his room. He got out of bed, and took"-them back to read. Those which were obviously business communications Ire tossed aside, and after his experience,?, of the night before, ho was in little humor for that sort of tiling, Then on a square, crested envelope be saw the crest and monogram of Mrs Rowel-Grover. This h'e opened, and found an at-home card for t that afternoon. He ran through the rest of the envelopes without- finding . that his secretary could not attend to.

Ho took up the card again, and began one of those soliloquies which men who have spent many of their days in solitude are wont to indulge in. "Just fits in," he said to himself;, "couldn't have been more convenient. ■Of course the princess will - have a, card. She is the dear little women's greatest social attraction, or, at any rate, the most interesting—doubly interesting for me since she does mo the honour of wishing to marry me; and if that machine of Ramal's is to be relied on, she has done me the still greater honor of falling in love with me—she, Gara Natieff- the unapproachable. who has had more coronets laid at her feet than any other woman in Europe. Well, I suppose it is a great compliment, and. my masculine Vanity ought to feel duly flattered. "Ah', if it wasn't for Grace! Of course she will be there, too. Wihy did that fellow Trevor meet her be-, (Ore I did? To sav nothing about, getting adopted by Sir Godfrey, the man who ought to have died out there in the Xever-Xever. I wonder if : he ever told Harold about that little trip ■of ours, and if he remembers the other affair with his real father? Tf i that could be proved, a British jury might take rather an ugly view of it, jto say nothing of Godfrey Enstone's I half share in the Lone Hill mines, ( which Harold would come into, as his only legal heir.

"That would be a matter of aboutsome, eight or ten millions cash; and even I might find a difficulty in realizing to that extent under compulsion.

"However, there is not much fear of that —unless Jpenneir Halkine is really alive, or has somehow come to life again after being frozen to death ancl duly cremated. Suppose he learns the whole story by means of the diabolical contrivance, at the institute? iStill, if he made himself unpleasant, there would always be the possibility of sending him back to prison, and I don't suppose he would care to risk that. No, I shalli be safe enough there, and these people can be of the greatest use to me in more ways than one. (To be Continued.)