The Swoop of the Vulture

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10711, 1 October 1912, Page 2

The Swoop of the Vulture

OUP SERIAL*

CHAITKIt XXI. (Continued) > ITodley Siemens, blissfully nnconscions of tin.' many possibilities nl' hi- : morning ride in the park, went to ' Mrs Rowel-Grovcr's reception in a state of somewhat piquiunt uncertain- j ty as to whether ho would meet the, | princess, a«d if so, whether she would ' retain any definite memory of the ex- ! perimenfc which he was now beginning to feel rather glad that she had not been ablo to conclude. Ho was not disappointed in either respect. Cara NatiefF was one of the first to greet him after he had paid his respects to the hostess, and there was no mistaking the meaning with { which she said, as they shook hands: ! "I am delighted to meet such a j very close acquaintance so soon." [ She spoke in a very low but distinct j tone, and there was a look of challenge in her wonderful eyes a,s "they met his which left no possibility of doubtas to her perfect comprehension of the situation. The millionaire hardly knew whether to be pleased or the reverse. On the one hand, it was distinctly comforting to iiis vanity to find himself on such uniquely intimate terms with one of ;the most beautiful and brilliant women in Europe. On the other hand, it was quite impossible for a man of his complicated temperament and vast responsibilities not to feel somowhat anxious as to the extent and nature of her almost miraculously acquired knowledge. He Had passed the En .stones a few moments before with the usual bow. He had never seen Grace looking so lovely, or quite so distinctly desirable. Although slio gave no apparent signs of possessing the terible knowledge which Harold had given her, his acute and highly trained perceptions detected that something must have happened to alter her attitude toward him , since their last .meeting. The lovely eyes looked into his with a glance ol acute inquiry, and a glint of what be took to be antagonism, which he bad never seen before. . He knew of no reason for it, though could he have had a few moments with her at the other end of the marvelous instrument at the institute, lie would have, understood the meaning of the , altered glance. Grace and Georgina Porttifex passed again a moment after the princess had uttered her significant greet-

inc. "How very lovely Mrs Enstone is looking this afternoon," she jiml. almost in a whisper. "One can hardly wonder that so many men are enI vious of her husband." i I There was no mistaking either the j j.words or tho eloquent glances that accompanied them. He saw instantly that his secret was known to her, i,that she knew that ho loved Grace Enstone with a passion that was a.s strong as it was unholy. He was not j j slow to recognise the power which this knowledge gavo her, and it was not- j very long before she made the fact I still plainer to him. j .Mrs Rowel-drover's house was one of those old Mai da Yale mansions | which arc all too quickly disappearing ' before the encroachments of business houses and Hats. The spacious drawing-room ran from front to rear of the house, and opened by wide glass doors on a flight of broad marble steps, leading into a big, treeshaded garden, whose, apparent extent had been troubled by the genius of Sir Joseph Paxton. It so happened, whether by accident or design, thait, about an hour later, Hedley Siemens found himself once more tete-a-tete with Cara Nation in a secluded arbor'to which one of the servants had brought them tea and cakes. "And now, princess," he abruptly began, when he felt that they were alone, "since we know each other so well, and I can see quite plainly that you know at least one of my secrets " "And that you know at least one of mine," she said, with a glint in her eyes. "Well, I.suppose you-are going to do something about it?" "Exactly." "Then it should not take us long to understand each other," she said softly in German, for greater protection against possible eavesdroppers ; "but this is hardly the place for such confidences, is it?" "T'm afraid not," he replied in the same language. "A certain room in

the institute would lie more suitable, would it not?" As though the very mention of the name had summoned him, Ram Pass appeared at the same instant at the door of the summer house, salaamed, and presented a little sealed envelope. "Ah," said (Siemens, "perhaps this

BY OWEN MASTERS. Author of "His Fit art's I>es:r t\" "One Impassioned Horn," "Captaiu ExrJyn's BHde," "The D-cverell Heritage," "The Ironmaster'*? Daughter" etc.

is at once mi answer and a suggestion." CHAPTER XXLT. HEDLEY SIEMENS' BOLD BLUFF. The note which Sam Pa,>s had so mysteriously presented ran as follows: '•The door of the Chamber of Secrots will be open at ten o'clock tonight." Thero was no signature, for none was necessary. "Very well, Ram Pass; you can tell your master that J shall be there, j "There's something uncanny about that man, as there seems to be aboutthe whole of Ramal's institute," i said the princess. "I must confess that I've thought the same, about.our friend Ham Pass. The other day I was looking out of the window for a moment, and when T turned round he was gone, but certainly 1 neither heard the door open nor shut. After all, it's quite a. common sort of mystery in the East." "I presume," said tho princess, "that you are going to complete the experiment that T failed in so miserably?" 'Not altogether failed," -ho replied, with a smile that was full of meaning for her —"at least, you discovered something." "Yes —two or throe things, and among them flic very thing that I did no*, want to know." "And yet. since it is the truth, is it *iot as well i : ..-l yen should know it? These things are not within oui own control. If they were, ono might order them differently." He looked straight into her eyes as he spoke; the words came as slowly as though, he were weighing the effect of each of them. She flushed, ever so slightly, and he saw the laccfc on her -breast rise and fall in a f ter. 'And would you order this different- I ly if you could?" she asked, leaning a little toward him. He thought that she had never looked so beautiful or so desirable in his eyes as she did at that moment, I and Ire answered with perfect frank- ( ness: - ; 'Yes, if T could, and if you wished j it, and would help me." ] "You know that already," she replied, rising. "I suppose, according j to the ordinary conventions, T ought to have told a lie, instead of saying that; but between us a lie would be entirely futile. now, if you will take ine back, T think T will say good-; bve. T have another call to make this afternoon. Will it bo much to ask that you should teli mo f-ome-thin.tr of tho result of this experiment ?" she went on, as they left the little summerhonsc. "I am so ashamed of my" stupid weakness that I should liko to have h. chance of braving tho' ordeal again—no, not with you this time, of with any other man, but with a woman —some dear, innocent, whitc-souled creature, liko our mutual friend, Grace Enstone, ; for instance." The angry light in her eyes and the note,of mockery in her voice, angered him for a" instant, but the' next ; the possibility that she had suggested came swiftly home to him. "That should not be altogether im-. possible," he said, "and who knows what wonders might be revealed?" "To her, perhaps," she laughed a iittle bitterly'; "to me I fear the only revelation would be that of the white flower of snotless womanhood. I do not know that that quotation is quite correct but under the circumstances I don't think it is very far wrong." "No" ho replied. "Ah!" she said looking up at him again with" a gleam of triumph in her eyes; "then you would wish the unattainable to remain immaculate. Was it. then, only a pi atonic, affectionthat I thought I saw?" Ho be Continued.)