“AN EVIL ANGEL”

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20494, 10 May 1938, Page 10

“AN EVIL ANGEL”

An Exciting Mystery Story.

(By JOHN MIDDLEMASS.)

CHAPTER VII.— (Continued.) “My dear young lady—you should cultivate myrtle not cypress. In your young life despair should have no place, eh. Miss Monhlanque, what do

' “Say that if you encourage Marie ' in any foolisr clinging to this girl, who I was probably a mere adventuress, I shall not think much of you," said Nina, who had evidently recovered her common sense, if not her usual j temperate sang froid. Gervase A’Court laughed. “Well, I don't think I shall fall into disgrace,” he answered. “Fate or chance will prevent the descent, as Miss Norris is not in England. She left a week or so before Yesey died, and went abroad with an uncle who had made his ‘pile’ in Australia or America—l fotget where, and invited her to go and live with him.” “Oh, I am disappointed. Tlijn U could not have be«.n that gill who brought me the vicng dress.'' “I never thought she was, nor do I believe she had anything whatever to j do with that terrible tragedy—she is j at least innocent —if in Lord Vesey’s past life —but, my dear young ladies, do not let us enter into details, the police can very well unravel, without us, the truth will certainly come out sooner or later, and the wrong will be i righted. Morley —” ! “Then you do not believe he—” “Not a word against him—if at any time 1 had a vague suspicion, since i jealousy makes fiends of us men— Browne has chased it quite away—so thoroughly does he appreciate our much maligned, absent friend.” “Ah, Mr Browne is coming to-mor-row to tell me—” “To tell you, I hope, as I do, to leave this sad —sad story alone, and to go again into society, and try to enjoy your life.” Marie Cooper sighed—though she i did not care to own it, in her heart I she was beginning to long for the glit- ; ter and the glamour, that is only obtainable in the arena of fashion and chatter. Having, as he considered, comported himself with much diplomacy and philosophy, A’Court soon after took his leave, and eventually Joined Hamilton Browne at dinner at the i “Rational,” but neither that evening nor on any other evening, question though he might, did he succeed in making him acknowledge whether or not be and Miss Nina Fonblanque had ever met before, though that they had done so A’COurt felt very certain. For a time after the fainting incident, there was a stillness in the air that seemed to augur storm, at least this Mrs Cooper, with her love for omens, prophesied on her return from Brighton. She felt, and she was 1 right, that the whole atmosphere was pregnant with events- The coming of the men, of which of course she } had been told, and the changed condition of the two girls gave her perhaps greater cause for predicting that something—she knew not what—would happen ere long, than ever she had had before. The tiresomeness of these perpetual forebodings riled Marie, and if of late she had been too much cast down to give them much attention the irritation seemed to increase tenfold that she was awakening from the trance into which she had fallen after the death of Lord Yesey. Shcf seemed to be like someone on wires, in a perpetual state of motion, expectancy and agitation. That she would calm down to some extent when the setting in of reaction had somewhat passed everyone hoped, no one more so than Hamilton Browne, who j had become a pretty constant visitor —urged to come by Marie who could i not hear enough of the stories he told of Philip Morley’s prowess and general merits. j Hamilton Browne felt himself to be in some degree responsible for the rousing of Marie, but whether this rousing would not prove in the end destructive to her future happiness he . frequently feared, when he rememi beted the tone and words in which Philip Morley had spoken of Miss Marie Cooper. For another change in the Coopers’ ; household Hamilton Browne was also even more responsible. It seemed to Mrs Cooper asif the two girls had changed places. As Witt he sickness of the soul of Nina became each day more depressed in mind, thinner, Bnd less robusts in body. On her cheeks there was ever a hectic flush, while her eyes, always wide open, seemed to be perpetually looking into a future : that was too far off for mortal vision. i That Hamilton Browne was in some way mixed up with this change in Nina no one could help thinking. Never, if she could help it, did she meet him. , Constant were her visits to Wimbledon to help Lady Alice Paxton, who was delighted to* have her —given up to good works as she was since her brother’s tragic death.

Yet, when Nina was compelled by circumstances to meet Mr Browne, the amenities of society were observed with the most perfect courtesy. He posed lor Marie's friend, while with Nina, and as far us anyone knew no private interview—not even a few words cnlete-u-tete had ever taken place between them. It was another mystery that annoyed ever worrying Mrs Cooper, although she was supposed by everyone to be fully acquainted with the history of Nina's past. It was, nevertheless, very evident that she had by no means the full knowledge with which she was credited, since she was constantly asking the girl what was the matter, to receive the as constant answer. “Nothing,” till one day Nina, driven to an extreme of irritation, answered, “Nothing, except that I think we all want a change.” “A change,” cried Marie, “let us go abroad. Fresh scenes, new faces, and perhaps forget everything that has gone before-” No one was ayerse to this change—the two men, whom Marie seemed to have elected to the position of family councillors both urged it. Airs. Cooper for a time murmured over the perils of a journey to “the Continong,” as she expressed it, but she was overruled; thus on the very day, when a year ago Marie should have been a bride, they left London in search of excitement and forgetfulness at the queen of foreign watering-places, Ostende the gay.

CHAPTER VIII. An Important Personage Marie Cooper and her faithful companion were standing together in front of the Kursal, looking down at the blue rippling sea, that was almost Mediterranean in its calmness. They were both dressed in white Marie having discarded cable robes when she left England. Two of the prettiest girls in Ostende, connoisseurs decided, certainly the brightest, at least Marie was, for the excitement engendered by reaction had by no means waned among new surroundings, while Nina too appeared to have forgotten some of her private trouble, and to be enjoying herself in a quiet way. For a few seconds neither of them had spoken as they stood enjoying the beauty of the evening, and the brilliance of the scene on the gay busy Digue, then suddenly Marie said: "The day after to-morrow. I am so glad they are coming.” “Who are coming the day after tomorrow?” asked Nina somewhat anxiously. “Gervase A'Court, and Browne, of course. I thought you knew.” She shook her head, while a white shadow seemed to pass over her face. “You do not look a bit pleased, Nina, now I am delighted—so nice to have some men of your own to depend on. These Belgian men are lovely, as that American girl says—so goodlooking, too. In evening dress with a tall hat at a masked ball, don't they look ‘dogs,’ but then they are not our ‘dogs,’ and I do not feel as if I could trust them.”

“And you can trust A’Court and Brownt?” asked Nina almost mockingly. “Why, of course, especially Browne —he is so paternal. Can’t you? but I forgot you do not like Browne ” “1 do not know enough of him either to like or dislike him. He is your friend.” 'Marie laughed, and was about to disclaim sole possession, when suddenly the whole current of her ideas flowed in a totally different direction. “Look, Nina, there is the Comtesse Feodore coming down the Kursaal steps. She is the lady who has a suite of rooms in the Splendide under us, and quite a retinue of servants.” "1 have seen some of the servants. Why black men, I wondered?” answered Nina. “Is she Indian?” “They say she is French, and very rich—lives in Paris.” “So. She is insignificant looking enough to be a female Croesus,” said Nina, who was in a cynical mood. While they were talking the lady In question passed quite close to them, but if she saw them she did not appear to do soShe was a small, slight woman, but scarcely insignificant, since she carried herself with some hateur. Her age was about thirty, perhaps less, since women with dark olive-tinted complexion and raven black hair usually age before their fairer sisters. She was very simply dressed in imperial blue with just a touch of crimson in a small toque. She looked a thoroughly refined gentlewoman—not a suspicion of the adventuress being at any point apparent. She was unaccompanied by any companion save a huge mastiff, without which she was never seen. Although, as Marie said, she had a retinue of servants, their places were more or less sinecures, since the Comtesse's simple habits and require- | inents demanded but little attention. In fact, so quiet and unobtrusive was she that, save for the servants, her very existence in Ostende would have been ignored, for there was nothing remarkable in her appearance to prevent her from being passed by as a somewhat plain little inoffensive darkey.

The dog was much more likely to meet with general approval than was his mistress, that is he would have done so, if the train of domestics and the thus asserted power of gold had not held its sway. Probably it was the “guinea stamp” that had attracted Marie, for, having become rich herself, she would not help being somewhat snobbily drawn towards those who possessed this world's goods, in preference to the * poorer members of the community, j who ever had the greater interest for j Nina. The sun was already beginning to ; abate the rigour with which it had ! been shining during the entire day, 1 and, as the glare subsided, the many , pleasure seekers with which Ostende was filled, were fluttering towards the i universal point of attraction, the Kur- ! saal. ! “There's De Briac,” cried Marie, “he | will tell me all about the Comtesse j Feodore, and whether I can get introduced to her.” j “Introduced to her, Marie—you i must be mad. Why do you want to j know her?” “Simply for a whim. I was nearly a Countess myself, so I might have J a fellow feeling with this one.” (To be continued.)