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The Swoop of the Vulture

%>Ui f >'t RiAi...} j

BY OWEN MASTERS.

Author of "His He-art's Desire," "One Impassioned Houi "Captain Emlyn's Bride,' "The DevereU Heritage,' 1 •'I he Iro tun aster 't- uaujihtvr " etc.

'-{or husband's r.ad i:i o::< ,o:!se eoni'iis'.xi the plan of Uu- c:..-:i----spirators, but hi another ha;i simplified them. When Grace came with Lady Gooigina and Mr Rowel-Grover to say good-bye, and offer th-cir final congratulations, the princess slipped her arm through hers and drew her aside toward the door of the big reception room. "Dear Mrs Enstone," she said, in a voice in which Grace immediately recognised a note af apprehension, "I want you to do me a very groat favor. Will yon?" "Jf I can," replied Grace. "What is it?" "To begin with," said the princess. "I am going to ask you to come and have a little private chat with me. H isn't quite the sort of thing I can explain here, but I assure you that to me it is of the most vital importance. It is rather hard," she went on, in a whisper, 'that a. shadow, and a rather dark one, too, should fall across a woman's path on her Avedding day. but that has happened to me, a nd you are the only one who can help me to dear it awav. Perhaps vou understand?" "jYos," saad Gra-ce, Iremembering what her husband had said at breakfast time three mornings before. "J think I do—at least, if it has anything to do with Mr Siemens and a case of suspected identity." "Exactly," whispered the princess. "That horrible rumor only reached me last night, on the eve of my wedding day; but faith goes where love goes, and, by something like a mirIjtcle, my htusband -has, i within the last few hours, received evidence which enables him to absolutely destroy all ground for that terrible suspicion. We had hoped that your husband would be here, but we will give the proofs to you so that you may give them to him. Now, will yon come with me?' ' '.'Certainly." replied Grace. They made their adieus, and Grace followed the radiant bride out of the reception room and down the long curtained corridor which led to the sanctuary, "This," paid the princess, "is one of the most interesting rooms in the institute, and only of us who are earnest students of the mysteries have been admitted so far; and as I want our litle talk to be very 5 private, I have taken the responsibility of bringing you here." She stood aside, holding the door half open, ard Grace walked past her with her head slightly bowed. The next instart the door closed sharply behind her. She raised her head, and, to her utter amazement, her eyes met those of .Tenner Halkine. the convict, who. as she had believed for the last •three years, had paid the penalty which discharges all the debts of humanity and opens the gates forever. "Uncle, uncle, is it ready you?" She covered her eye-i with her hands. "No, no. impossible!'' "Socially a'lcl professionally, ye.-;, my dear girl," answered the old familiar voice, "but 7>hysioally, no. OVj oum.stance:j hare unfortunately compelled us to be strangers toe long, but. thanks to the princess and hoi hushandj with whom wo shall have i little important talk shortly, T an to renew your acquaintance, and this time 1 hope it will not Ik broken off quite abruptly as ii was before." As ho had gone on speaking, evoi - . 1 word had come more slowly from hii lips, and bis eyes had come close and closer to hers. He put out hi; hands and clasped her temples. Sin saw his two eyes merge into one—one all-compelling visual force which she recognised as the once fam ■iliair linstrum.rpit of ,tlie mastorfu soul behind the eye. own sigh [ became dim, hor senses began t wander. She struggled hard to kcej her self-control, but it was of no use 1 Her limbs relaxed, and she began t 1 sway from side to side. She had • sense of being caught and lifted up 1 and then, through the mists of tb j dreamland inio which she was sink [ ing, she heard a voice which she dim r ly recognised: "It is very wonderful, professoi T don't think there should be an s great difficulty after this!" - "Quite right, princess." ] (To be Continued.)

CHAPTER N.W. (Coiuinut •..•'"Vri'ilnv., u;. !,.->tl, hands ana ihed aloud. "f«r», *' ! nppr-ar t, 1..- ovceonfident." \ , ,Uob - We are pledged to one lli! , Ik '•uul I You know the kM; of the S an 1C He :s ; is n uo desire is to got even . it, t , ?„s ~k.s and have command ot ln» , S Kohre she T riM ;,0, 0 was the nbs-i.uto mental >.lav , ~ sesoaped from bis control He in., to regain l l,nt control, and get _ , lHi-«l<l Enstone out oi the way. , Then his arms closed about he It .■ushedherupelosetoh.m.anatlu.. , ins sealed the unholy contract. CHAPTER XXVI. GRACE IS SPIRITED AWAY. ] On the third morning *ho nio- \ u entus -interview a:t Hydfc Path . 'Crt Grace Enstone, rnnmn Sourf,tholitle Pile of ay at her right hand-at the b. eaka'st table, opened an envelope which ,ad a coronet and a monogram on it ook out two exquisitely deseed . ards glanced at one of them aid Mikl, tossing it across to her husonl''There Harold . what do you , hink o f'that? The gossips were ,M,.t. after all. But what if J m suspicions about Siemens are right, , lld the princess wore to find out Loo late? Don't you think she ought to be warned?" . ~ "\o T don't. Tt is no husn.e,s c,t nul ." t „' interfere with the mat.-imon-ial project, of an experienced wopi..n (i f the world like the Princes >atieff If she chooses to marry Siemens without inquiring into his anieoede- , H t<. what has thao to do with us. besides, I am not sure that Siem(M,s is an imposter, and it would ~.»* do to mako a mistake with a man .M- "his character. No, the princess must stand the hazard of her luck. She is not exactly the kind of womaa r like, in spite of her beauty and brilliance, but I should be sorry for her if Siemens turns out to be llnnfield. For the present we are obhgM to give him the benefit of the doubt, and therefore you cannot go far wrong if yon attend this reception." , . .... "The nove.Uv of the thing will be cniovable, and all the disciples of the new'craze will be sure to be there; and considering the princess' posit:on and iMr Siemens enormous wealth and- influence. I should think that a'l the upper half of society will he there as well. It wilT-be quite one of the picturesque functions of the j season. But what about lm afraid you won't bo able to go.' | "No," ho said, "that is quite out j of the question. T must start for j Enstone to-morow. J have put that , business off quite long enough and it's more important than a wedding reception given by people I know nothing about. Still, that neednt effect vou. You can easily fix up a party with Lady Georgina and Mrs Grover. and the colonel will be only too delighted to escort you Don't you worry about me-" "1 rather wonder the grave and reverend J Kali-Rama" gave the use of his sanctuary for such a tr.volou* purpose as a wedding reception ; but they are both disciples, and very considerable contributors to the hinds, no doubt." And so it was settled. The princess Natieff's reception at the Institute of Psychic Science was, as Grace Enstone had so innocently anticipated, a very great success. The wedding ceremony had been quietly performed at St. Luke's, Kensington, under special license. The invited guests had not numbered more than a dozen, and the bride, who had no near relatives in England was given away by an old friend of her father's, tli'e Russian ambassador. With an (instinctive genius for stage effect, and for other purposes of her own and her husband's, the princess had concentrated all her efforts on the reception, and the result had amply justified even her most sanguino anticipations. Every one complimented her, at the tlie leavetaking, on having organised and achieved the most brilliant matrimonial function that London had ever seen. But the real achievement for which the function had been organised had yet to be assomplished. It was difficult, and, as some might have thought, a practically impossible task to spirit such a well-known woman as Mrs Harold Enstone out of London in the full swing of the season, and cause her to thenceforth vanish from the world which knew her » so well. And this had to be done if the unholy marriage'coinpact was/to be kept; and this carefully arranged opportunity could never be repeated

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAG19121007.2.3

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 10715, 7 October 1912, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,482

The Swoop of the Vulture Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 10715, 7 October 1912, Page 2

The Swoop of the Vulture Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 10715, 7 October 1912, Page 2

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