The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-11-22 00:00:00

CHAPTER 3LXVIIL

A CONVENIENT DOOR.
" After her, quick!
Secure her with all haste, ere she be gone,
It cannot be, my prey within my grasp,
That I .hould miss it 1"
CLARENCE WOODVILLE made no attempt to rebut
this accusation, for, indeed, he had no answer
ready to make that. would be at all likely to con-
vince Carrie.that it was undeserved, and thought it
better to temporise. _
"For heaven's sake re:_lember where we are !”
he murmured sooothingly, for her manner was so
excited that he dreaded lest it might attract such
notice as would have beea by no means to his
taste. "I have not behaved well—there—l admit
it! But I haven't been pite so much to blame,
perhaps, as you imagine. '
His dread of a scene was becoming great, for
though her veil was drawn close down over her face,
her heaving shoulders betrayed the emotion she
could no longer repress, and drew upon the pair
more than one curious glance from those who passid
ahem by. -
But words were useless under the circumstances,
orv.d Clarence Woodville speedily nude his escape
from the inquisitive eyes that followed him and
his tompanion by turning into a quiet-looking
cafe, at the corner of the quays, where, after a
short interval, he succeeded in calming her down a
little.
Then, by degrees, he extracted from her oufficient
to convinze him that her warning was no idly-spoken
threat, but that the danger whi3h menaced him was
really imminent, the plan by which he had hoped to
secure fortune discovered, and all hope of success at
an end.

Carrie did net tell him that it was she herself who,
in the first berm-. nfnassion and resentment of hie
-

desertion, had furnished the necessary clue to the
imposture he had attempted to practise ; and Clarence
Woodville, though only guessing at what share
she had in its detection, and resolving to make her
pay the penalty hereafter, feigned an utter uncon-
sciousness of any such suspicion..
"so, the game is played out, then, and I have
lost," he said, with a quiet shrug of his shoulders.
"Well, thank fortune, I have other irons in the
fire yet. As you say, however, I must make the
best of my way from here. But—what about
yourself :"
"Do you really care what becomes of me l" she
asked. "Oh, no! Don't think to deceive me
again. I know only too well how little it would
trouble you if we never met again."
"That's not true, Carrie," answered the man,
with as much earnestness as he could put into his
words. "I can't deny that I've acted badly by
you like a scoundrel, if you will; but only trust
me once again, throw in your fortunes with mine
again, and you shall never repent it. Thereis still
the chance - nay, the certainty—that I shall make a
god thing of the information I hold respecting
Leonard. I shall stand out for a good prioe.depend
upon it, and afterwards—"
"You will acknowledge mer
" Do you doubt it, Carrie?"
"Why should I 7a:ft? I am no ignorant girl,
now, to be satisfied with smooth words and fair
promises. No, no T. must have some better
guarantee of your good faith than those."
She spoke determinedly, and Clarence Woodville
saw that it would be no use to attempt to work upon
her feelings now. By-and-by he promised himself
to make her pay for the enforced submission to her
will she now exacted; but in the meantime it was
essential to act a part, and persuade her of the reality
of his repentance by any means without giving too
much regard to veracity.
"I don't say you have no cause to doubt me,"
he answered, penitently. "But you need have no
fear for the future, Carrie. I will do you justice,
believe me. But if all you have told me is correct it
will be out of the questionthat you should accompany
me to England, for I niust make myself scarce at
once, and your being with me would only hamper
my movements."
"That is only an excuse to get rid of me," she
returned with a quick glance of suspicion. "You
mean to return to her, and—"
"Now, do be reasonable, Carrie," broke in Mr.
. Woodville. "What is the use of wasting time in
quarrelling, especially when I swear to you I have
no such intention as you imagine. After all, yeu
have no real cause for jealousy."
"Indeed r'
"No, indeed. I tell you it was a pure matter of
pounds, shillings, and pence that led me into
taking such a step, and I always intended to return
to you if the speculation had turned out successfully.
So do, like a sensible woman, try and help me
further to get out of this scrape instead of throwing
obstacles in the way."
And after a while, being by no means troubled
about adhering too scrupulously to truth when
falsehood would better answer his purpose, Mr.
Woodville succeeded in persuading the credulous
woman who listened to him that his protestations
were sincere, and she yielded.
"That is like my own true-hearted Carrie," he
said, fondly. "We shall meet again soon, and in
the meantime I will give you an earnest of my
sincerity. Go to this address," he continued,
giving her thename of hiehotel and a:hastily scribbled
little note, "and give this to my man, Sharpe, whom
you will find there. I have told him to get you a
quiet place to live in till I send for you to London,
and let you have all my boxes —in one of them you
will find a writing-case. Be specially easeful of
that, for it contains the papers I told you of. You
know how much they are worth to us, and what
power I place in your hands by entrusting them to
you. I won't chance going after them myself.
The risk would be too great': I had better go first
and feel my way; you can easily join me after-
wards."
_ _

In all of which he was perfectly sincere up to a
certain point, being quite satisfied that he could
find no such trustworthy custodian of the important
documents that he so valued as Carrie would be;
but all the while he thus made use of her assistance
it was with as little thought of afterwards re-
warding her forbearance as he bestowed now upon
the luckless partner of his guilty scheme, whom he
had so selfishly left to her fate on being warned of
the danger that menaced them.
Not that Laura Despard deserved much pity, since
her motives had been as purely mercenary and
selfish as those of the man with whom she had cast
in her lot without even the one palliation of affection.
She had not absolutely known, it is true, of Carrie's
existence; but such a matter would by no means,
have influenced her either one way or the other, and
she was hardly surprised at the discovery that
another woman possessed a prior claim upon Clarence
Woodville. Chap 28
What that claim might be she neither knew nor
cared, though she made up her mind to exact a
full explanation when Clarence returned,, as his
parting words told her he would do. But the day
passed by without bringing either him or any note
or message by which his prolonged absence was
accounted for, ancl;-,she began at last to feel very
uneasy, and imagine—if, indeed, it was not so
that the servants of the hotel looked at her in an
odd, curious fashion whenever they entered her
apartment.
Her misgivings rose to a stronger pitch when night
came, and still no sign, no token came to relieve
her anxiety; and at length the suspense grew so
intolerable that she could bear it no longer, but
sent her maid to Mr. Woodville's rooms to make
enquiries.
The girl returned presently with a selred look.
"Mr. Sharpe is not there, miss," she said. "He
has gone for good, they tell me."
" They ! Who ?"
"Pierre, the head waiter, num. A—a lady—the
same who called this morning—came again in the
afternoon with a letter which told Mr. Sharpe to pay
Mr. Woodville's bill and take his things away, and
—they've gone."
"Gone !"
Could it be possible, Laura thought, that she had
been played such a scurvy trick—left at so critical a
moment! Though he had gone from her as he did,
she could scarcely believe that he would leave her in
such peril.
" Yes, gone away altogether," nervously continued
the girl; "and Pierre says, too, that Mr. Woodville
has gone away too."

"There can't be any mistake, for Pierre was at
the station when the mail train passed through for
Dieppe," the girl went on, "and saw Mr. Woodville
get into it."
"You and Pierre seem to have a great deal to say
to each other, Emma," returned Mademoiselle
Despard, who had recovered her self-possession by
this time, and decided that it would be as well not
to show any signs of the perturbation which filled
her mind. "But—about Mr. Woodville—l re-
member now, he made some mention yesterday
about being obliged to run over to England—only
for a day or two, however. I daresay he has written
to me. And. by the way, Emma, should anyone
call this evening—especially from the lawyer's—l am
not well. You understand ?"
"Yes, miss.'

"Mind, I am not to be disturbed on any pretence.
You need not come in again yourself unless I ring
for you. Give me my dressing-gown now, and
leave me alone for an hour or two while I try to get
rid of my headache."
The girl obeyed her in-tructions, and was soon
afterwards dismissed by Laura, who then locked the
door behind her and sat down to consider at leisure
the position of affairs.
"So," she muttered, when she was alone, "he
has gone! Left me to fight it out alone, has he?
Then there must be something wrong, and it is
time I looked to my own safety. Ah, the coward
,that you are " she continued, apostrophising the
recreant Clarence Woodville and clenching her
shapely hands with angry vehemence. "I will be
even with him yet, but just now the first thing to
be done is to look after my own safety. What
can it all mean, though? Has that woman who
came this morning any hand in it? Never mind, I
shall know all in good time. At present I must
act instead of puzzling my brain with useless ques-
tions."

And starting up, without any more hesitation,
she set to work to examine her wardrobe, from out
of which she selected a dark-hued travelling dress
of serge, and laid it on the bed. She was not pos-
sessed of much jewellery, but what she had was of
same, and on counting over the contents of her
purse, she found that it contained, besides about a
hundred francs, nearly twenty pounds in English
gold and notes.-
This she replaced in the purse, secreting the
jewels about her dress, and then sat down to turn
over her wi iting desk, from which she' selected a
few letters and stuFfed the rest of them into the
stove, where she set light to them with a taper,
and stood watching them till they were thoroughly
consumed.
These proceedings occupied some time, and when
they were finished Laura had no other preparations
to make. sh - would go at once—steal out quite
unperceived, and—
A knock came at the door.
"Who is there ? ' she said.
"It's me, miss,' answered the voice of her maid
from without. "A lady wishes to see you."
" A lady !" Laura Despard felt somewhat relieved
at this announcement. I told you I could see no
one." _ . _

'Yes miss, I know, and I told her so, but she says
it is of the greatest importance."
"They would not send a woman alone," mut-
tered Laura; and then, aloud, "You are sure no one
is with her ?"
Oh, no."
u Then bring her upstairs when I ring. lam not
dressed yet."

The -girl departed, and Mademoiselle Despard
hastily put on the dress she had laid out for that
purpose, and covering her hea 1 with a plain felt hat,
round which a thick veil was wrapped, went out into
the salon. J
There wag a small d or in the further corner of
this apartment, to which she first directed her steps,
ilnd removed the key from the inner to the outer

side, after hastily exploring the passage to which
it gave access, and finding that it led, by a dark,
unused flight of stairs, to a courtyard at the back of
the hotel. _ _ _

Then, sath3fied that her way of escape was clear,
she returned once more to the salon and. touched the

4 Ah, I was not wrong, then!" she said, as in
answer to her summons the servant led Carrie
Bradley into her presence and then retired, leaving
them alone together. "I half suspected it was you,
but shall be glad to know what as procured me this
honour?" _ .

There was a covert insolence in her tone, but
Carrie took no notice, of it, as she answered:
"I have come to warn you.'
" Ah, how good of you!
"You are in immediate danger,' continued
Carrie, still unmoved; "and if you are found
hero--" _

-
" Danger ! Of what!"
"Arrest, that is all."
"Really !"
"You can misunderstand me if you will, but the
fact is as I tell you. M. Jules Despard, of this city,
is in possession of certain informationrespecting his
late aunt, who died in Melbourne, and her child,
which is enough to--"
'That is sufficient, thank you. I need. not
trouble you to go into particulars," interrupted.
Laura Despard, her face livid with suppressed pas-
sion.. "I suppose I ought to feel grateful for your
caution though why—"
"Why I should trouble myself so far for one I
have no cause to befriend is more than you can
understand, I presume ?" broke in Carrie. "Never
mind that. I have my reasons; though only this
morning I intended leaving you to your fate. But
I have thought better of that—perhaps my temper
has cooled—and would more willingly aid you to
escape."
"Oh, don't think to blind me !" passionately ex-
claimed the other. "Say that it is because you fear
for your lover's safety, and how far it might be
endangered if I were taken. But let that pass.
Though we hate each other, you have placed me in
your debt. Some day, perhaps—who knows—l may
be able to repay you. Till then—"
"You waste time," urged Carrie. "Even while
you are speaking, it may be—ah, it is—too late! Do
you not hear?" Chap 28
There were sounds of heavy, hurried footsteps
trampling the corridor, but Laura Despard only drew
a little further into the shade, and laughed scornfully,
as a commissary of police, accompanied by a couple
of gendarmes, entered the room, closely followed by
M. Despard, who wore a triumphant smile upon his
face, and behind whom, filling up the corridor and
doorway, came the landlord of the hotel and a group
of curious servants, anxious to behold the denouement
of the affair.

"Good evening, mademoiselle, my cousin," said
M. Despard, stepping forward and saluting Laura
with an ironical bow. "I am desolated at the
apparent rudeness of intruding upon your charming
presence so unceremoniously, but between relations
of such closeness, you know--"
"Pray make no apology, monsieur," coolly
answered Laura, slowly retreating towards the
corner wherein lay her road to safety. "Mine
should be the regret, rather that lam unable to
stop and receive you properly."
"You would surely not be cruel enough to leave
me," he returned, mockingly, "especially when I
have brought my friends r
"They, too, unfortunately, will have to excuse
me," broke in Laura, who had moved close to the
little door as she spoke, and stood now with her
back towards it. "You perceive that lam dressed
for a promenade. Pardon my abrupt leave-taking,
monsieur. I shall not probably return soon.
Adieu!"

And with a light, mocking laugh, she darted out.
M. Despard rushed after her with a curse of
baffled rage and disappointment, but was too late,
only reaching the door through which she had dis-
appeared in time to hear the click of the lock, as
Laura Despard turned the key on the outside, fol-
lowed by hurriedly retreating foote-eps.
"Malediction he cried. "Shy has escaped us."
And he threw himself frantieallj against the door.
The officer, more practical, hastily questioned the
landlord as to where the passage led to, and, followed
by his subordinates, rushed round, in the hope of
intercepting the fugitive.
But he was disappointed, after all. The distance
was considerable, and some minutes before he
reached the other outlet Laura Despard had
emerged from it into a narrow, winding court that
opened upon the square of the cathedral, across
which she darted, and was soon lost to sight
amongst the tortuous windings of the streets leading
off it.