"Pretty Penelope,"

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 19 August 1913, Page 2

"Pretty Penelope,"

(OUR SERIAL

By Effie Adelaide Rowlands, Author of "A Girl's Kingdom," "A Splendid' Man," "The Interloper," "A Kinsman's Sin," "Bravo Barbara," etc

CHAPTER XXll.—Continued,

In another moment they were outside the door of the room Downs had told them was allotted to Mrs Latimar. Doctor AVestall gave that quick exclamation again as he tried to enter and found that the door resisted him. "Locked!" lie said to himself. "Is ,tny fear going to turn out true?'" Turning an instant to the young man ehside him, ho said: "Put your shoulder against, this. Wo must break it in." Out loud lie cried, in strong tones, "It is I, Penelope. lam here. Keep away from the door, child. We are breaking it in!" A sharp crash followed on his words. As he recovered his breath and his senses after a momentary stagger as the door yielded suddenly, Philip Gregory looked quickly around him.

Doctor Westall had already grasped a figure in his arms, 4nd was holding it to his heart for an instant; then he had turned and put his burden into the arms of the housekeeper, Kate's mother, who, hearing of their arrival, had come quickly after them up the staii-s. '"Take her away at once—at once," Doctor Westall said, as well'.,as he, could speak;/then he pu£ his hand oh Philip Gregoryls "shoulder. "This is a bad business, I'm'afraid/' he said j "'worse than I expected." . The- rdim light, of the room had blinded his eyes at first, but at these ' words Doctor Gregory glanced in the. sume direction as his companion, and he gave an involuntary shudder. Lying almost at his feet was a motionless body, the arms thrown out, the face white and set; by the fire glow could be seen a dark stream of blood running -from'.the .lips; staining the delicate-ooloured carpet. "Turn up the light," Doctor Westall commanded.. -*

He knelt beside Marcia and lifted her head with one hand, while he felt for her heart with the other.

"Dead?" asked the younger doctor, the full horror of the moment ringing in his voice. The other shook his head.

"Wa are in the very nick of time," he said. "If we, only ha,d help! but we must do our best. I have foreseen this all along." The next few minutes were devoted to trying every possible means to stop the flow of blood. Together they lifted the woman's form and laid it flat on the bed. . They had worked in utter silence, except when the older man gave an order, but as this last Was accomplished, Doctor Westall spoke suddenly. \ . "We must have ice—otherwise' l -" ho s,hook his head. ' \"My groom shall get some. I will gOr'and—" ■ *»-■ But Doctor Gregory was interrupted by the entrance of Kate —Kate, breathless, white, in tears, almost frantic.

"Oh, Doctor Westall, will you come please? Miss Penelope will die. She looks awful. Oh! do coitio to her, sir; do come!"' Doctor WestallV manner was almost unduly harsh. s He silenced the excited girl-with a word. ''Miss Penelope will hot die. She has faintecl. ' Mrs Latimar.is much' moro likely to die if you don't go but and leave her quiet. Stop that noise and get some iee. I expect you have some in the house ••„ if not, toll Doctor Gregory's groom to drive as quickly as Jie knows how to bring some. If all you servants had' remembered ybfe duty better, and had not gone gadding about and leaving your mistress all alone, none of this would have happened." Poor Kate's eyes filled ..with tears at this reproach. She had suffered i mo'st keenly as she had seen her mo- | ther bending over Penelope's prosj fate form, and had caught a glimpse of the white,- still face. She had not the least idea of what Doctor Westall's words could mean, beyond the fact that in some way # Miss Penelope's illness was caused by being left alone with Mrs Latimar.

. Ice was forthcoming immediately, and in a, short vwhile the medical men had the satisfaction of seeing success crown their efforts, although the danger and seriousness of the case were still very great. Of his own free will, Philip Gregory offered to remain at Thicket. Croft all night. "Twill watch her," he said. "You will like to go to Miss Desborough." . Whatever natural curiosity the young man may have felt, and, indeed, the circumstances were enough to arouse the least lively curiosity, he ■made no comment, and asked no questions. His inind was infected easily, however,by the anxiety and trouble manifested by Doctor Westall, and the. knowledge that the accident —and agony Mrs Latimar had professed' in his presence only a few hours before—was nothing but a myth, a deception; for, guided, by his desire, Doctor Westall had made a quick examination of the supposed injured ankle, and disclosed its soundness. '

It did not need .many glances at Marcia'is livid face to realise that there was something unusual—one might well-nigh say uncanny—about her; and the young man gave an involuntary shiver as he remembered the scene which had greeted them on forcing the door, and conjured up £he possible mental agony Penelope must have gone through before they came.

It was with a feeling of security about 'Mareia for the moment that Doctor Westall isought Penelope's room. The fainting fit was of •unusual duration, and he had time to sponge away a mass of congealed bl)od fron the .small right hand, showing a wound that he conjectured, rightly Mareia'« sharp teeth had caused, before there dame the faintest flutter of life from between

the white lips, or a flicker of faintest movement in the closed eyelids. As the work of bathing, dressing and bandaging the poor swollen and discoloured hand was nearly finished, however, there came a sigh that told of the soul's awakening from its merciful spell of oblivion; and as Doctor Wostall bent tenderly over the beautiful face that bore such a look of ■ wnguish and terror and pain, the heavy, fringqd lids were lifted, and Penelope's blue eyes regained their sight and consciousness. The words tha£ trembled on her lips were tenderly hushed into silence. "Yon are not to talk yet; there is plenty of time. lam "here, you see, so all is right now,; pleases to open your lips and swallow this. No refusal; you know I never allow any patient to disobey me; drink it down, every drop." * Weak as an infant, scarcely comprehending the extent of the relief that had come to her, Penelope obeyj ed. In a few minutes, aided by Kate, the girl was wrapped in a comfortable dressing-gown and laid on her favourite couch, lost this time to sound and eight in a deep sleep. "That, will last some hours," Doctor Weistall said to himself, /with satisfaction, as he stood looking down on the lovely young face. "Poor lamb," he added, with a quick, involuntary shudder, as his eyes fell again on the bandaged hand, "what an experi-' ence! What an awful thing to have" happened to her! I dread to let her tell me all that took place, ,and yet it would be better for her to speak when she is able. Good heavens!" mused on Doctor Westall, as he paced to and fro; "what cunning the creature has had! How is it no one but I has seen this distinct trait of mania in her nature? It has been a hard matter for me to keep silence on this point, and yet, again, it has been well-nigh impossible to speak what I have felt. When a person is mad right;through, with no extenuating moments of sanity, then it is straigt sailing; but with ' this woman! And yet,"- was the next thought, "sometimes I have felt that Denis Latimar was of my opinion; he never could have stood the perpetually, repeating horror of those furious moods had he not told himself his wife —at least at such times —was not to be dealt with as one would deal with a sane woman. The fullness of. the danger Denis never has, of course, grasped for a single instant, otherwise he would have taken some means to have guarded others front the violence that was inevitable to a brain filled with homicidal intentions." (To be Contiutitjd.)