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Show RED HOUSE gMtf f CHATTICr. J . In the rlrowsy heat of the summer afternoon The Red House was taking tak-ing It siesta. There was a lazy murmur mur-mur of bes in the fioWer-bordoro, ; gentle cooing of pigeons in th" tops of the elms. From distant lawns camo tho whir of a mowing machln,! that moat restful of all country! sounds, making ease the SWOetpr In that It in taken while othora ' nroj working. It was the hour when even those whose business It Is lo attend to th'" wants of others have a moment or two for themNolves. In tho house- I keeper's room Audrey Steven, the pretty parlormaid, re-trimmed hr best hat. and t;i.lk. idlv to her -111111, the cook-honsekeepor of Mr Murk Ablett'S bachelor home. "Funny thing that about Mr. Mark's brothor. Fancy not seeing him for fifteen years." As I told you all this morning." aid her aunt, "i'vo been here five years, and m . -r In-ard of a brother I could say that before everybody If I w.ia going to die tomorrow " You could hae knocked m down with a feather when he spoke about; him at breakfast this morning 1 1 llin't hoar what went before, naturally, na-turally, but they was all talking about the brother when I went In. Mr Mark turns to me. and says you know his way Stevens.' he says, 'my brother la coming to see me this afternoon I'm expecting him about' three,' he says. Show him Into the! office.' ho says just Mko that. "Yes. I sir,' I says qull- quietly, but I was never so surprised In my life, not I Knowing he had a brother. "My broth-er broth-er front Australia ' ho says there, j I'd forgotten that. From Australia. "Well, he may have been in Aus-! tralla," said Mr Stevens Judicially. "Rut what I do say is he's never been here Not While I've been here anl that's flvi- years" "Well, but. auntie, he hasn't been here for fifteen years I heard Mr. j Mark tilling Mr Cayley "Fifteen I years.' he says. Mr. Cayley having arst him when his brother was last Jn England. Air. Cayley knew of him. j T heard him telling Mr. Beverley, but' didn't know w hen he was last In ; England ee? So that's why he arat Mr Mark " I'm not saying anything about fif- t. n ".ir-.. Vudn-y. I can only sp.-alc I for what I know, and that's five years Whitsuntide. If he's been In Australia, as you say. well, I daresay he's had 1 his reasons " " hut reasons?" said Audrovt lightly. "Never mind what reasons BHng In the pla 1 ol a mother to you. btni-' ! your poor mother died, I say this. ' Audrey when a gentleman goes .ol Australia, he has his roosons And j when h- Stays in Australia fifte n years, he has his reasons. And a respectably brought-up girl doesn't ask what reasons." "Got Into trouble. I suppose." said Audrey carelessly. "They were saying say-ing at breakfast he'd been a wild one." The ringing of a bell brought Audrey Au-drey to her feet no longer Audrey, but now Stevens She arranged her cap in front of the glass "There, that's the front door." she said "That's him. "Show him into the office.' said Mr. Mark. I suppose he doesn't want tho other ladies and gentlemen to see him. Weil, they're ' all out at their golf, anyhow- Won-, der If he'a going to stay P'raps he's brought back a lot of gold from Australia Aus-tralia " "Now, now, get on Audrey." "Just going, darling ' She went out. As Audrey came across the hall sh guve a little start as she saw Mr. I'ayley suddenly, sitting unobtrusively In a seat beneath one of tho front windows, reading. No reason why h- shouldn't be' there, certainly a much cooler place I than the golf-links on such a day: I but somehow there was a deserted air about tho house that afternoon. Mr Ca ley, the muster's cousin. " emu imwnh ko' ii u niun exclamation as she curae suddenly upon up-on him. she blushr-.j ;md said, "Oh, I bog your pardon sir, I didn't see 1 (it first," and he looked up from his book and smiled nt her. An attractive smlb? it was on that big ugly face. "Such ,1 gentleman Mr Cayley," 8he thought to herself as she wont on. and wondered what tho master would do without him If this brother, for Instance, had t. a bundled bark to Australia. It was Mr Cayloy who would do most of tho bundl Ing. 'So this Is Mr Robert," said Audrey Au-drey to herself, as she came In sight of the lsltor. She told her mint afterwards that she would have known Mm anywhere any-where for Mr. Mark's brother, but! she would have wild that in anv event. Actually she was surprised. Dapper little Mark, with his neat pointed beard and his caref Ully-curled mustache; with his qulck'-dartln eyes, always moving from one to tho I other of any company he was In. to j register one more smile to his . r. lit when he had said a good thing one more expectant look when he was only waiting his turn to say It; he was a very different man from this rough-looking ill-dressed colonial, staring at her so loweringly," j "I want to see Mr Mark Ablett." he growled. It sounded almost like 1 a threat Ys, pr. He Is expecting you. tf you will come this way." Audrey went to tho 3econd door on j the left, and opened It. "Mr Robert Ab " sho began unJ j ,hrn broke off The room was empty II you will sit down, sir I will find the master. I know lie's in. because I hn tol(l me that you wore coming this afternoon." "Oh"' He looked round the room What d'you call thlM plae. eh?" "The office, sir " "The office "The room where the master l works, sir " "Works, eh" That's now. Didn't know hod ever done a stroke 0f Worfc In his life." ' VI her.' he writes, sir." said Audrey Au-drey with dignity. The fact that. Mr Mark "wrote," though nobody knew what, was a matter of pride In the housekeeper's room. "Not well dressed enough for tho drawing room, eh"" 'J will tell the master you are here, 0r," flald Audr(.y fcc.eivHy She closed the door and left" him there Well! Here was something to tell auntie Her mind was busy at onco going over all the things which ho had said to her and she had Bald ro him -quiet-like "Directly I saw him I said to mysolf " Why. you could I nave knocked her over with a foath- er Feathers. Indeed, were a perpetual perpet-ual menace to Audrey. However, tho immediate business was to find tho master She walked across the hall to tho library, glanced in, camo back a little uncertainly, and .rtood In front of Cayley. "If you please, tdr," she said in al 'Open the door," a man's voice was shouting low. respectful voice, "can you toll; mo where the master Is? It's Mr. ' Robert called. "What""' said Cayloy. looking up from his hook "Who?" Audrey repeated her question "I don't know Ho went up to .ho Temple after lunch." "Thank you. air. I will go up to the Temple." Cayley returned to his booK The "Temple" was a brick summer-house, in the gardens at the back of the house, about throe hundred hun-dred yards away Here Mark meditated meditat-ed sometimes before retiring to the "office" to put hln thoughts upon paper. The thoughts were not of any great value; moreover, they were given off at the dinner-table more often than they got on to paper, and got on to paper more often than they ifoi in... print Bui thai did noi prevent pre-vent the master of The Red House from being a little pained when n visitor treated the Temple carelessly, as If it had been erected for the ordinary or-dinary purposes of flirtation and cigarette-smoking. Audrey walked slowly up to the Temple, looked In and walked slowly slow-ly back All that walk for nothing. Perhaps the master was upstairs tn his room. "Not well-dressed enough for the drawing-room." Well, now. Auntie, would you llk- anyone in your drawing-room with a red handkerchief handker-chief round his neeu and great big dusty boots, and listen! One of the men shooting rabbits. AUntie was partial to a nice rabbit, and onion sauce. She came into tho house As she passed the housekeeper's room on her way to the hall the door opened suddenly, and a rather frightened fnce looked out. "Hallo. Aud," said Elsie. "It's An- 1 drey," she said, turning into the I room. "Come in. Audrey. " culled Mrs Stevens. What's up." said Audrey, looking In at the door "Oh, my dear, you gave me such a turn. Where have you been"" "Up to the Temple." "Idd you hear anything"" ' Hear what?" "Bangs and explosions and terrible ter-rible things." "Oh " said Audrey, rather relieved "One of the men shooting rabbits " "Rabbits!" said her aunt scornfully, scornful-ly, "it was Inside th' house, ms girl " Straight It was ' said Blsle 9h was one of tho housemaids. "I said to Mrs. Stevons didn't I Mrs Btei -ens" That was in the house,' I said " Audrey looked at her aunt and then at Elsie "Do you think he had a revolver with him"'' she said In a hushed voice. "Who"' said Elsie excitedly "That brother of his. From Australia Aus-tralia I said as soon as I set eyes on him. 'You'ro a bad lot, my man" Rude'" She turned to her aunt. "Well, , give you 'There-' 1 cried Mr, up with a start The I t-t on.-rj amln, Jjrl. In.t.netivsiy'SSjl tip older woman' Chaj7 ' A door llfn. eh,. rattled u.l "Listen!" Audre and Elsie wk(J-other wk(J-other with frightens T ' They hoard n B angry TH ren the door'" It - ' ' P n the door' V.v J door " Tl "Hon't open th foftnl St .ens in a panic, as I' . door which was thrcateanJ Elsie- Don't let him hr 1 ''Damn lt open tbMisi the voice again "We're nil Kolne lo be aj OUT h.-.lH," shn .jUl-.c-rtJ.'s the two girls hudJIed do an arm round facb. Mrj there, waiting (Continued In Our Xea |