Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-30
CHAPTER VIII.
Duty and Mr.. Nee1d.

CHAPTER VIII.
Duty and Mr.. Nee1d.
When Nina Zabriska brought back the
news from Fairholme and announced 1T with
an intensity Of significance which the sud
den aggravation of an illness long known
to be mortal hardly accounted for. Major
Duplay grew very solemn. The moment
for action approached, and the nearer it
came the less was the major satisfied with
his position and resources: the scene by the
pool had taught him that he would have a
stiff fight. He had been hard hit by Har-
rvs shrewd suggestion that he must ask
liver himself for the means of proving what
he meant to tell liver. The only alterna-
tive, however, was to procure money for
the necessary investigations from his niece,
and his niece, though comfortably well off.
was not rich. Nor was she any longer
Jealous in the cause. The Imp was sulky
and sullen with him. sorry she had ever
touched the affair at all. ready. he sus-
pected, to grasp at any excuse for letting
it drop. This temper of hers foreboded
refusal to open her purse. 1t was
riouS in another way. OF himself Duplay
knew nothing; Nina was his only witness;
her evidence, though really secondhand,
was undoubtedly weighty; it would, at
least, make inquiries necessary. But would
she give 1t. Duplay was conscious that she
was capable of turning round on him and
declaring that she had made a blunder.
If she did that. what would happen?
Harry's attitude would be simple. He
would at the proper time produce his GER
tificates, testifying to the death of Sir
Randolph, the marriage of his parents, his
own birth. The copies Were in perfect Or
der, and, duly authenticated, they were
evidence in themselves: the originals could
be had and would bear out the copies. All
this had been well looked after, and Du-
play did not doubt it. What had he to set
up against it? Only that the third certifi-
cate was false, and that somewhere,
neither he. nor even Nina, knew where,
bearing some dates, neither he nor Nina
knew what, there must be two other GER
tificates, one fatal to Harry's case as fix
ing his birth at an earlier date, the other
throwing at least grave suspicion on it by
recording second ceremony of marriage.
But where were these certificates? Con-
ceivably, they had been destroyed; that
was hot likely, but it was possible At
any rate, to find them would need much
time and some money. On reflection, the
major could not blame Harry for defying
him by the pool.
Nina CLEANED from her mother and filled in
from her own childish recollection, was
not SO minute in the matter of date as
that which Madam de Kries had given at
the time Of the events to Mr. Cholderton,
and which was now locked away in the
drawer at Mr.. Jenkinson Neeld's cham
bers. The major would have been mate
rally assisted by sight of that document:
Of inquiry and given definiteness to his
assertions. which must have carried added
weight with Mr.. liver.
Nina, being sulky, would not talk to her
uncle; she could not talk to jamie liver:
she did not see Harry and would not have
dared to talk to him If she had. But It
need hardly be said that she was dying to
talk to somebody. With such matters on
hand she struggled against silence like
soda water against the cork. Merely to
stare down at Blent and wonder what was
happening there whetted curiosity 1t
could not satisfy. She felt out of the game,
and the feeling was intolerable. AS a last
resort, in a last effort to keep in touch
with it, although she had been warned that
in the volume. she telegraphed to library
bookseller In London to send her Mr. Chol-
derton's Journal. 1t came the day after it
was published, four days after she had
made Mr.. Neelds acquaintance. and while
Lady Tristram, contrary to expectation,
still held death at arms length and lay
looking at her own picture. The next
morning Neeld received pressing invita-
ton to go to tea at Merton Lodge. With
out a moments hesitation he went; with
him, too, all resolutions to know and to
care nothing further about the matter
more Of 1t. And Nina had been Mile de
Kries.
She received him in the library The
Journal lay on the table. Something had
restored animation to her manner and
malice to her eyes, She began by dattering
her visitor outrageously, and INDUCING in
number of false statements regarding her
delight with the Journal and the amuse-
ment and instruction she had gained from
1t. She even professed to have mastered
the hydroxeric method, observing that
note by the editor put the whole thing in q
nutshell Much pleased. yet vaguely dis
appointed Mr.. Neeld concluded that she
had no more to say about the visit to
Heidelberg.
The Imp turned over the pages leisurely
while Neeid slipped his tea.
Il see you put little asterisk things
where you leave out anything" she OBJ
served. THAT'S convenient. isn't it?"
81 think it's usual" said he.
"And another thing you do-oh, you really
are a splendid editor-you put the date at
the top of every page even where Mr.. Chol-
derton's entry runs over ever so many
pages. He is rather long sometimes, isn't
sPve always found the date at the top of
the page convenience in reading myself"
said Mr. Neeld.
Eyes. it tells you just where you are-and
where Mr.: Choiderton was" She laughed
a little. Yes. look here; page 1856 Nav.
1875: he's at Berlin! Then there are some
asterisks-
Mr.. Neeld looked up from his tea.
And You turn over the page (the Imp
turned over with the air Of a dIscoverer
land you find him at Interiaken in-why.
in August, Mr.. Neeldr An amiable sur.
prise appeared on her face. Where was
he In betweenT' she asked.
I'll suppose he said In Berlin
"Oh, perhaps. No-look here. He saws. Il
had not previously met Sir silas Minting.
as left Berlin before he arrived In the be- I
ginning of June" The. Imp laid down the
garded Neeld steadily. you told me
right" she added: 81 don't find any men
ton OF my mother, nor of Heidelberg It's
rather funny that he doesn't mention Hei-
tea and waited The firnA M ~ rf ~ -