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"THE TEMPLE OF LIES."

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"THE TEMPLE OF LIES." By J. B. HARRIS-BURL AND, Jttfibctr of "Gabriel Janthry," "The Broken Law," -'TSe Guardian, of Hia Honour," "The Splendid Felon," &,e, &c. BEGIN THE STORY TO-DAY 1 tmal)ter I.-In a oottage on a Cardiganshire mountain, Bmrya Morgan, a consumptive, is being visited by Dr. Jones, of Tret hoi. Emry3, who has on ty thM Yews to live, p",a(les him to pro-I cWm his death, in order that his mother might Wure? the ElO?000 for which he was insured.—Chapter U. &nda th. mother waiting for news from her son. A solicitor calls with the news that Emrys has been left .moO.OOO by a Mr. Richard Morgan. Directiy a.fter Gwladys Morgan, the daughter, receives a ni,-?e from Dr. Jones that &nns had "diM." Emrva, having pre- deceased his relative, the legacy i verts to Owen Hughes, the hero.—Chapter III. opens with an j11rview between Owen Hughes a.nd Audrey Anwyl. the daughter of one of the richest men in Wales, in which he confeses his love for her. Audrey tels him that she loves Emry. I Morris Anwyl. Audrey's father, enters, and a discussion takes place on the question of capital and tabour, in which Anwyl loses his temper, Ower. having championed the men's cau.se.—In Chapter IV. Dr. Jones receives a telegram from Gwladys Morgan, urgently asking him to come to Cardiff, when she attempts to brit* him.—Chapter V. tells how Emrys is about to escape from the cottage when there comes a knock at the door It turns out to be a tramp who robs E.,y?,. Emrys slim? a whisky bottle and str;kg the man on the head. leaving him unconS<:iou.s.-1 In Chapter VI. a solicitor Calls and informs Owen Hughes of his good fortune. He dMid&a to use it for th.? bc-nett o' his fell?Dw-men.-Chapter VII.—Emrvs J arrives at Cardiff Docks, and aai!s on the Hvpatia und?r the assumed name 0" William Rees. H? decides to see Audrey one fiJIe, and with that intention goes up town.—Chapter VIII.—Gwladys calls upon Auidrev. In an interval of silence there comes a sharp tap upon the window. Gwladys draws aside the curtain, and, by the aid of the electric light, sees something move back j into the darkness. In the morning Audrey goes into the garden and picks up a gold match-box, which she "You infernal scotmdrel, w-hat do you mean?" I haA 9!Tm to EmTv& She piaœs this in her bureau.— Chaptei' II.—Dr. David Jones reads in a newspaw of the total low of the Hvpatia. The only survivor is ft man med Arthur Rollins. CHAPTER IX. (Continued). I "That finishes up the whole business," Dr. Jones muttered to himself. His hands trembled a little as he held the newspaper, and the lines seemed to deepen on his thin, sallow face. The Hypatia had carried down with, her £ 300,000 in gold—part of which, at any rate, might have come in-to his pockets. Emrys Morgan was dead. God had pro- nounced a, swift and terrible judgment on the man who had played at death. David Jones wondered whether perhaps there were mot some punishment in store for himself as well. So far, everything had gone smoothly and well. The claim had been sent illl to the insurance company, and they had raised no objections, for they knew that at the nfost Morgan could only have lived another two or three years. Yet, perhaps, some danger lurked in the darkness of the future. The! doctor knew that he had sinned-not as Mor- gan had sinned-for the love of an old and feeble mother threatened with disgrace-but for the sum- of £ 1,000. He was no better than a sordid thief. "God does not forget," he thought, as he read the terrible details of the shipwreck, told by the sole survivor, and cabled home from the Azores. "God waits His time." David Jones was not a religious man, in the strict sense of the word, for his religion did not exert any good influence on his life. But he had been brought up as a child to believe in a God of vengeance, rather than a God of love, and his early training had left its mark upon his mind. And, as a doctor, be knew that, at any rate, in the physical world the wages of sin is death. His faoe whitened and his lips were pressed together tightly, as he read the harrowing account of the disaster. The ship-a. sound and good vessel—had been caught in a storm, mch a storm as she had weathered a dozen times in the course of her career. But this time there had been a Jonah on board. In the darkness of the night, forging full steam ahead, she had struck a derelict, that had ripped off her steel plates as though they had been paper. In two minutes it was all over, and half an hour later, when the dawn broke, and Arthur Rollins WW3 picked up by a homeward-bound vessel, the grey sea was searched in vain for another living soul. A terrible story indeed, and doubly terrible to one who believed in a God of vengeance. "Still I have the £ 1,000," he said to himself, "or, rather, I shall have about 1950. I will buy a practice in Cardiff. I will work hard. I will rise in my profession—do, perhaps, some good in the world—justify the theft- make atonement for my sin." His thoughts were checked by the entrance of his sister. She came in very quietly and seated herself on a plain wooden chair by the Are, smoothing down her apron with her than, ugly hands. "I've been in the town, David," she said after a pause. "Indeed?" he queried sharply, "and what took you into the town so early, Mary?" I had to pay a bill to Lawyer Griththe-- 'tihe one he wrote about, th-reatening the law." "Well, I hope you gave him a piece of your mind, and have gone to anotfjer butcher, a man who can wait for his money, as I have to wain for mine." "I said I didn't hold with, tracto ways of dealing with honest folk." "Good; and what did he s&7 to thatr, "He said, David—oh, oh" and placing er apron to her eyes, she burst into tears. "Abused you, eh?" the doctor queried. "Well, I'll get even with the brute one of these days. Whart. did he say?*' "Oh, that I should have lived to hear ÏJt-" the woman faltered, and then srie burst out into tears again. "Stop that smivellang," exclaimed the doctor angrily. "Tell me what he saad, amd I'll go to Law with him if it waa a word more than he ought to have said." "He said that honest folk were few and far between in Tretaol, and that we-we shall see in a few days whether you were Honest or no." The shadow of fear earns into David Jones's eyes, and he half rose from his chair. Than he controlled himself and gmdled. "Had you a witness to those he asked, "for. by heaven, if Toi hav«——" and be brought down his clenched fist in the patm of the other hand, as though he were exter- minating some insect like Lawyer Griffiths. "It was about poor Mr. Morgan's will," the woman continued, and then she ge,ve a cry of horror as she looked at her brother's face, and would have fled from the room, if be had not sprung from his seat and caught her savagely by the wrist. "The will?" he cried fiercely. "What's the matter with the will? Lawyer Griffiths drew it up himself, and it was witnessed in his office." .,Yes-Yes, sobbed the vpamaa, "don't grip my wrist so tightly, David. You're hurting me." He let go of her and looked at her sternly. He had made a fool of himself, and he knew it. "What's wrong with the will?" be asked tgooeAig. "What does tthe old tool mmm?" "Mrs. Morgan 16 goring- to dispute it-on the ground of undue influence. They say a, thousand pounds was a deal to give a I stranger when there was so little to leave." Dr. Jones gave a sigh of relief. He had had feared something worse than that. Yet, even as it was. the news was sufficiently un- pleasant." "I'll go and see the man at once," he said, "and find out what he is talking about." "Mind, I'm speaking for your own good," said Mr. Griffiths, wagging his fa.t forefinger at the doctor. "I'm not the man to see trouble where there isn't any. You take my advice and give up the money. It'll come cheaper in the long run." David Jones glanced at the lawyer's large, red, cleanshaven face, and his gaze was quickly averted from the scrutiny of the small grey eyes. He knew from the man's tone that something worse was coming, if he did not slink out of his apparently -.afe legal posi- tion. "This—this is monstrous," he stammered; "you drew op the will yourself. It is valid, properly signed and witnessed. You were there yourself." "lee," said Mr. Griffiths quietly, "but I was not there when Emrys Morgan died." What do you mean ?" shouted the dootor. You infernal scoundrel, what do you mean ?" And he shock his fiet in the lawyer's face. He was white with fury and seemed to have lost all control of himself. I don't wish to insinuate anything," Mr. Griffiths answered slowly, "but I will tell you that unless you give up this money to Mrs. Morgan, she is going to apply to the Home Secretory for a.n order to eaJuime the body. At least, I believe that is her intention What she expects to discover I do not know." David Jones's hands dropped to his side, and he tried in vain to conceal the terror written on his face. If the grave were opened—no, it was too I horrible even to think of such a. thing. Yet I if he gave in he would admit that there was something to be concealed. What did Mre. Morgan know? What had prat this idea into her head ? She could not suspect that f he grave did not contain the body of her son. She snsfpccted that there had been foul play; that Emrys Morgan bad been murdered for the money he had left in his will. The idea was ridiculous, but it constituted a real and terrible danger. "This is absurd," he said after a pause. "I am not to be intimidated by such vile threats. I shall bring an act-ion for criminal libel a", nst anyone who even speaks of such a thing." "That is as you please. Dr. Jones. You can have twenty-four hours to think the matter over. Remember that the charge againet you is only one of undue influence." "You shall pay for this," said the doctor hoa.rsely; "by Heaven, you shall pay for this." Then he flung himself out of the room, and returned to his mean eottage on the slope of the hill, with hell raging in his heart. The next morning he intimated to the lawyer that he was willing to come to terms, in order to avoid the expenses of a lawsuit. He would take £ 500. "Fifty:" said Mr. Griffiths. For a quarter of an hour they fouglnfc and haggled, and the miserable little doctor emerged from the contest with theptomise of a hundred pounds. Of this amount he had lent fifty pounds to Emrys Morgan. Of a truth, the way of the transgressor is hard! Yet the fifty pounds would take him out of England, and that very night he began to make preparations to leave the little town. For his sister he had no thought at all. She had devoted the last seven years of her drab and dreary life to him—had worked for him like a..SlaTe. But he had no thought for her in his hour of danger. He must leave Eng- land at once. Long after midnight he eat before the fire in the room of the cottage, fIace to face with ruin.. He now realised what he had done, how he had admitted that some secret lay hidden in the grave of Emrys Morgan. No further proceedings were to be taken. The grave was not to be opened. But in the eyes of Griffiths, at amy rate. he was a. guilty man. Ugh! how be halted the fat, Complacent lawyer. Nothing would h?e pleased him be-tter than to have i =t h :a by his thick, soft throat and ohoked the life out of him. Such blood-suckers were not fit to live. He lit his pipe and glared at the dying embers of the fire. What did life hoW for him-a penniless doctor with a shadow on his good name. If he went abroad what would it mean—the work of a labourer, the scheming and fighting of a man who was forced to exist by his wits. He was unfit for manual toil. Of a trwth, the future was very dark indeed. "It's net wwth it," he m-wttered. "I'd like tc put an end to it aII-to die fighting—to strike a blow at the man who tempted me- a.t those Eimryg Morgan Icwed—at those for whom Emrys Morgan sinned." An hour paosed, and the red glow had died from the fire, leading oreiy a heap of grey asheo. The room was beginning to get cold, a.nd David Jones efaivared. There was a ghastly eapreeion on his face, as he cat there in the Etlenoe--A was almost Mke the face of a man who bad died with horror in his eyes. Ootssde the cottage the wind •moaned fit- fully, and as the doctor listened to it he fancied he heard the roar of a temjpeet, the crash of a ship, and the residing of steel plates. Then there were the cries of drown- ing men, and after that only the sotmd of tite storm. When another half hour bad elapsed he rose to his feet, lighted. a candle, and, passing through the kitchen, went to a room at the back of the cottage, a room that had once, been an outhouse, but was now a surgery. He looked along the line of bottles on the shelves, selected one. and carried it back to the sitting-room. He set the bottle down on the tahie, and stared at it for a few moments with a smile on his white lips. Then he seated himself at a smaller table in the corner, and wrote a. letter. It was not very long, but tibe writing of it occupied more than an hour. Wilen be had toiefced be read st conwrmt-x. i placed it in an envelope, and addressed it to his. He placed the letter on the mantelpiece, and then sealed himself at the table, and cta.red at the bottle he had brought from the surgery. For nearly an hour he did not move. Then he reocihed out his hand with a. sudden impulsive movement, opened the bottle, placed it to has lips, and, throwing his head back drained down half the con- tents, and re-fploced the bottle on the table. Then the door o^sened, and Mary, his sister, stood on the tturesthodd. (TO BE CONTINUED TO-MORROW.)

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