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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..acdfc7f --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #69789 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69789) diff --git a/old/69789-0.txt b/old/69789-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 99a8788..0000000 --- a/old/69789-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,13795 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The fellowship of the Frog, by Edgar -Wallace - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The fellowship of the Frog - -Author: Edgar Wallace - -Release Date: January 14, 2023 [eBook #69789] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Al Haines, Cindy Beyer & the online Distributed - Proofreaders Canada team at http://www.pgdpcanada.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE -FROG *** - - - - - - - - [Cover Illustration] - - - - - ──────────────────────────────── - POPULAR NOVELS - BY - EDGAR WALLACE - PUBLISHED BY - WARD, LOCK & CO., LIMITED - _In various editions_ - ——— - SANDERS OF THE RIVER - BONES - BOSAMBO OF THE RIVER - BONES IN LONDON - THE KEEPERS OF THE KING’S PEACE - THE COUNCIL OF JUSTICE - THE DUKE IN THE SUBURBS - THE PEOPLE OF THE RIVER - DOWN UNDER DONOVAN - PRIVATE SELBY - THE ADMIRABLE CARFEW - THE MAN WHO BOUGHT LONDON - THE JUST MEN OF CORDOVA - THE SECRET HOUSE - KATE, PLUS TEN - LIEUTENANT BONES - THE GREEN RUST - THE ADVENTURES OF HEINE - JACK O’ JUDGMENT - THE DAFFODIL MYSTERY - THE NINE BEARS - THE BOOK OF ALL POWER - MR. JUSTICE MAXELL - THE BOOKS OF BART - THE DARK EYES OF LONDON - CHICK - SANDI THE KING-MAKER - THOSE FOLK OF BULBORO’ - THE THREE OAK MYSTERY - THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE FROG - BLUE HAND - ──────────────────────────────── - - - - - THE FELLOWSHIP - OF THE FROG - - - - BY - EDGAR WALLACE - - - - WARD, LOCK & CO., LIMITED - LONDON AND MELBOURNE - 1926 - - - - - Printed in Great Britain by Butler & Tanner Ltd., Frome and London - - - - - CONTENTS - - CHAP. PAGE - FOREWORD: THE FROGS- - - - - - - - - - - 7 - I AT MAYTREE COTTAGE- - - - - - - - - - - 11 - II A TALK ABOUT FROGS- - - - - - - - - - - 17 - III THE FROG- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 20 - IV ELK- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 25 - V MR. MAITLAND GOES HOME- - - - - - - - - 31 - VI MR. MAITLAND GOES SHOPPING- - - - - - - 41 - VII A CALL ON MR. MAITLAND- - - - - - - - - 49 - VIII THE OFFENSIVE RAY- - - - - - - - - - - - 58 - IX THE MAN WHO WAS WRECKED- - - - - - - - - 67 - X ON HARLEY TERRACE- - - - - - - - - - - - 72 - XI MR. BROAD EXPLAINS- - - - - - - - - - - 79 - XII THE EMBELLISHMENT OF MR. MAITLAND- - - - 83 - XIII A RAID ON ELDOR STREET- - - - - - - - - 91 - XIV “ALL BULLS HEAR!”- - - - - - - - - - - - 99 - XV THE MORNING AFTER- - - - - - - - - - - - 103 - XVI RAY LEARNS THE TRUTH- - - - - - - - - - 107 - XVII THE COMING OF MILLS- - - - - - - - - - - 114 - XVIII THE BROADCAST- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 118 - XIX IN ELSHAM WOOD- - - - - - - - - - - - - 127 - XX HAGN- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 133 - XXI MR. JOHNSON’S VISITOR- - - - - - - - - - 143 - XXII THE INQUIRY- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 148 - XXIII A MEETING- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 154 - XXIV WHY MAITLAND CAME- - - - - - - - - - - - 158 - XXV IN REGARD TO SAUL MORRIS- - - - - - - - 166 - XXVI PROMOTION FOR BALDER- - - - - - - - - - 172 - XXVII MR. BROAD IS INTERESTING- - - - - - - - 184 - XXVIII MURDER- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 190 - XXIX THE FOOTMAN- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 196 - XXX THE TRAMPS- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 204 - XXXI THE CHEMICAL CORPORATION- - - - - - - - 215 - XXXII IN GLOUCESTER PRISON- - - - - - - - - - 220 - XXXIII THE FROG OF THE NIGHT- - - - - - - - - - 223 - XXXIV THE PHOTO-PLAY- - - - - - - - - - - - - 233 - XXXV GETTING THROUGH- - - - - - - - - - - - - 242 - XXXVI THE POWER CABLE- - - - - - - - - - - - - 247 - XXXVII THE GET-AWAY- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 254 - XXXVIII THE MYSTERY MAN- - - - - - - - - - - - - 258 - XXXIX THE AWAKENING- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 261 - XL FROG- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 266 - XLI IN QUARRY HOUSE- - - - - - - - - - - - - 273 - XLII JOSHUA BROAD EXPLAINS- - - - - - - - - - 279 - - - - - FOREWORD - - - THE FROGS - -IT was of interest to those who study the psychology of the mass that, -until the prosperous but otherwise insignificant James G. Bliss became -the object of their attention, the doings and growth of the Frogs were -almost unnoticed. There were strong references in some of the country -newspapers to the lawless character of the association; one Sunday -journal had an amusing article headed - - “TRAMPS’ TRADE UNION TAKES FROG FOR - SYMBOL OF MYSTIC ORDER” - -and gave a humorous and quite fanciful extract from its rules and -ritual. The average man made casual references: - -“I say, have you seen this story about the tramps’ Union—every member a -walking delegate? . . .” - -There was a more serious leading article on the growth of trade -unionism, in which the Frogs were cited, and although from time to time -came accounts of mysterious outrages which had been put to the discredit -of the Frogs, the generality of citizens regarded the society, order, or -whatever it was, as something benevolent in its intentions and -necessarily eccentric in its constitution, and, believing this, were in -their turn benevolently tolerant. - -In some such manner as the mass may learn with mild interest of a -distant outbreak of epidemic disease, which slays its few, and wake one -morning to find the sinister malady tapping at their front doors, so did -the world become alive and alarmed at the terror-growth which suddenly -loomed from the mists. - -James G. Bliss was a hardware merchant, and a man well known on -exchange, where he augmented the steady profits of the Bliss General -Hardware Corporation with occasional windfalls from legitimate -speculation. A somewhat pompous and, in argument, aggressive person, he -had the advantage which mediocrity, blended with a certain expansive -generosity, gives to a man, in that he had no enemies; and since his -generosity was run on sane business principles, it could not even be -said of him, as is so often said of others, that his worst enemy was -himself. He held, and still holds, the bulk of the stock in the B.G.H. -Corporation—a fact which should be noted because it was a practice of -Mr. Bliss to manipulate from time to time the price of his shares by -judicious operations. - -It was at a time coincident with the little boom in industrials which -brought Bliss Hardware stock at a jump from 12.50 to 23.75, that the -strange happening occurred which focussed for the moment all eyes upon -the Frogs. - -Mr. Bliss has a country place at Long Beach, Hampshire. It is referred -to as “The Hut,” but is the sort of hut that King Solomon might have -built for the Queen of Sheba, had that adventurous man been sufficiently -well acquainted with modern plumbing, the newest systems of heating and -lighting, and the exigent requirements of up-to-date chauffeurs. In -these respects Mr. Bliss was wiser than Solomon. - -He had returned to his country home after a strenuous day in the City, -and was walking in the garden in the cool of the evening. He was (and -is) married, but his wife and two daughters were spending the spring in -Paris—a wise course, since the spring is the only season when Paris has -the slightest pretensions to being a beautiful city. - -He had come from his kennels, and was seen walking across the home park -toward a covert which bordered his property. Hearing a scream, his -kennel man and a groom ran toward the wood, to discover Bliss lying on -the ground unconscious, his face and shoulders covered with blood. He -had been struck down by some heavy weapon; there were a slight fracture -of the parietal bone and several very ugly scalp wounds. - -For three weeks this unfortunate man hovered between life and death, -unconscious except at intervals, and unable during his lucid moments to -throw any light on, or make any coherent statement concerning, the -assault, except to murmur, “Frog . . . frog . . . left arm . . . frog.” - -It was the first of many similar outrages, seemingly purposeless and -wanton, in no case to be connected with robbery, and invariably (except -once) committed upon people who occupied fairly unimportant positions in -the social hierarchy. - -The Frogs advanced instantly to a first-class topic. The disease was -found to be widespread, and men who had read, light-heartedly, of minor -victimizations, began to bolt their own doors and carry lethal weapons -when they went abroad at nights. - -And they were wise, for there was a force in being that had been born in -fear and had matured in obscurity (to the wonder of its creator) so that -it wielded the tyrannical power of governments. - -In the centre of many ramifications sat the Frog, drunk with authority, -merciless, terrible. One who lived two lives and took full pleasure from -both, and all the time nursing the terror that Saul Morris had inspired -one foggy night in London, when the grimy streets were filled with armed -policemen looking for the man who cleaned the strong-room of the S.S. -_Mantania_ of three million pounds between the port of Southampton and -the port of Cherbourg. - - - - - THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE FROG - - - - - CHAPTER I - - - AT MAYTREE COTTAGE - -A DRY radiator coincided with a burst tyre. The second coincidence was -the proximity of Maytree Cottage on the Horsham Road. The cottage was -larger than most, with a timbered front and a thatched roof. Standing at -the gate, Richard Gordon stopped to admire. The house dated back to the -days of Elizabeth, but his interest and admiration were not those of the -antiquary. - -Nor, though he loved flowers, of the horticulturist, though the broad -garden was a patchwork of colour and the fragrance of cabbage roses came -to delight his senses. Nor was it the air of comfort and cleanliness -that pervaded the place, the scrubbed red-brick pathway that led to the -door, the spotless curtains behind leaded panes. - -It was the girl, in the red-lined basket chair, that arrested his gaze. -She sat on a little lawn in the shade of a mulberry tree, with her -shapely young limbs stiffly extended, a book in her hand, a large box of -chocolates by her side. Her hair, the colour of old gold, an old gold -that held life and sheen; a flawless complexion, and, when she turned -her head in his direction, a pair of grave, questioning eyes, deeper -than grey, yet greyer than blue. . . . - -She drew up her feet hurriedly and rose. - -“I’m so sorry to disturb you,”—Dick, hat in hand, smiled his -apology—“but I want water for my poor little Lizzie. She’s developed a -prodigious thirst.” - -She frowned for a second, and then laughed. - -“Lizzie—you mean a car? If you’ll come to the back of the cottage I’ll -show you where the well is.” - -He followed, wondering who she was. The tiny hint of patronage in her -tone he understood. It was the tone of matured girlhood addressing a boy -of her own age. Dick, who was thirty and looked eighteen, with his -smooth, boyish face, had been greeted in that “little boy” tone before, -and was inwardly amused. - -“Here is the bucket and that is the well,” she pointed. “I would send a -maid to help you, only we haven’t a maid, and never had a maid, and I -don’t think ever shall have a maid!” - -“Then some maid has missed a very good job,” said Dick, “for this garden -is delightful.” - -She neither agreed nor dissented. Perhaps she regretted the familiarity -she had shown. She conveyed to him an impression of aloofness, as she -watched the process of filling the buckets, and when he carried them to -the car on the road outside, she followed. - -“I thought it was a—a—what did you call it—Lizzie?” - -“She is Lizzie to me,” said Dick stoutly as he filled the radiator of -the big Rolls, “and she will never be anything else. There are people -who think she should be called ‘Diana,’ but those high-flown names never -had any attraction for me. She is Liz—and will always be Liz.” - -She walked round the machine, examining it curiously. - -“Aren’t you afraid to be driving a big car like that?” she asked. “I -should be scared to death. It is so tremendous and . . . and -unmanageable.” - -Dick paused with a bucket in hand. - -“Fear,” he boasted, “is a word which I have expunged from the bright -lexicon of my youth.” - -For a second puzzled, she began to laugh softly. - -“Did you come by way of Welford?” she asked. - -He nodded. - -“I wonder if you saw my father on the road?” - -“I saw nobody on the road except a sour-looking gentleman of middle age -who was breaking the Sabbath by carrying a large brown box on his back.” - -“Where did you pass him?” she asked, interested. - -“Two miles away—less than that.” And then, a doubt intruding: “I hope -that I wasn’t describing your parent?” - -“It sounds rather like him,” she said without annoyance. “Daddy is a -naturalist photographer. He takes moving pictures of birds and -things—he is an amateur, of course.” - -“Of course,” agreed Dick. - -He brought the buckets back to where he had found them and lingered. -Searching for an excuse, he found it in the garden. How far he might -have exploited this subject is a matter for conjecture. Interruption -came in the shape of a young man who emerged from the front door of the -cottage. He was tall and athletic, good-looking. . . . Dick put his age -at twenty. - -“Hello, Ella! Father back?” he began, and then saw the visitor. - -“This is my brother,” said the girl, and Dick Gordon nodded. He was -conscious that this free-and-easy method of getting acquainted was due -largely, if not entirely, to his youthful appearance. To be treated as -an inconsiderable boy had its advantages. And so it appeared. - -“I was telling him that boys ought not to be allowed to drive big cars,” -she said. “You remember the awful smash there was at the Shoreham -cross-roads?” - -Ray Bennett chuckled. - -“This is all part of a conspiracy to keep me from getting a -motor-bicycle. Father thinks I’ll kill somebody, and Ella thinks I’ll -kill myself.” - -Perhaps there was something in Dick Gordon’s quick smile that warned the -girl that she had been premature in her appraisement of his age, for -suddenly, almost abruptly, she nodded an emphatic dismissal and turned -away. Dick was at the gate when a further respite arrived. It was the -man he had passed on the road. Tall, loose-framed, grey and gaunt of -face, he regarded the stranger with suspicion in his deep-set eyes. - -“Good morning,” he said curtly. “Car broken down?” - -“No, thank you. I ran out of water, and Miss—er——” - -“Bennett,” said the man. “She gave you the water, eh? Well, good -morning.” - -He stood aside to let Gordon pass, but Dick opened the gate and waited -till the owner of Maytree Cottage had entered. - -“My name is Gordon,” he said. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ella -had turned back and stood with her brother within earshot. “I am greatly -obliged to you for your kindness.” - -The old man, with a nod, went on carrying his heavy burden into the -house, and Dick in desperation turned to the girl. - -“You are wrong when you think this is a difficult car to drive—won’t -you experiment? Or perhaps your brother?” - -The girl hesitated, but not so young Bennett. - -“I’d like to try,” he said eagerly. “I’ve never handled a big machine.” - -That he could handle one if the opportunity came, he showed. They -watched the car gliding round the corner, the girl with a little frown -gathering between her eyes, Dick Gordon oblivious to everything except -that he had snatched a few minutes’ closer association with the girl. He -was behaving absurdly, he told himself. He, a public official, an -experienced lawyer, was carrying on like an irresponsible, love-smitten -youth of nineteen. The girl’s words emphasized his folly. - -“I wish you hadn’t let Ray drive,” she said. “It doesn’t help a boy who -is always wanting something better, to put him in charge of a beautiful -car . . . perhaps you don’t understand me. Ray is very ambitious and -dreams in millions. A thing like this unsettles him.” - -The older man came out at that moment, a black pipe between his teeth, -and, seeing the two at the gate, a cloud passed over his face. - -“Let him drive your car, have you?” he said grimly. “I wish you -hadn’t—it was very kind of you, Mr. Gordon, but in Ray’s case a -mistaken kindness.” - -“I’m very sorry,” said the penitent Dick. “Here he comes!” - -The big car spun toward them and halted before the gate. - -“She’s a beauty!” - -Ray Bennett jumped out and looked at the machine with admiration and -regret. - -“My word, if she were mine!” - -“She isn’t,” snapped the old man, and then, as though regretting his -petulance: “Some day perhaps you’ll own a fleet, Ray—are you going to -London, Mr. Gordon?” - -Dick nodded. - -“Maybe you wouldn’t care to stop and eat a very frugal meal with us?” -asked the elder Bennett, to his surprise and joy. “And you’ll be able to -tell this foolish son of mine that owning a big car isn’t all -joy-riding.” - -Dick’s first impression was of the girl’s astonishment. Apparently he -was unusually honoured, and this was confirmed after John Bennett had -left them. - -“You’re the first boy that has ever been asked to dinner,” she said when -they were alone. “Isn’t he, Ray?” - -Ray smiled. - -“Dad doesn’t go in for the social life, and that’s a fact,” he said. “I -asked him to have Philo Johnson down for a week-end, and he killed the -idea before it was born. And the old philosopher is a good fellow and -the boss’s confidential secretary. You’ve heard of Maitlands -Consolidated, I suppose?” - -Dick nodded. The marble palace on the Strand Embankment in which the -fabulously rich Mr. Maitland operated, was one of the show buildings of -London. - -“I’m in his office—exchange clerk,” said the young man, “and Philo -could do a whole lot for me if dad would pull out an invitation. As it -is, I seem doomed to be a clerk for the rest of my life.” - -The white hand of the girl touched his lips. - -“You’ll be rich some day, Ray dear, and it is foolish to blame daddy.” - -The young man growled something under the hand, and then laughed a -little bitterly. - -“Dad has tried every get-rich-quick scheme that the mind and ingenuity -of man——” - -“And why?” - -The voice was harsh, tremulous with anger. None of them had noticed the -reappearance of John Bennett. - -“You’re doing work you don’t like. My God! What of me? I’ve been trying -for twenty years to get out. I’ve tried every silly scheme—that’s true. -But it was for you——” - -He stopped abruptly at the sight of Gordon’s embarrassment. - -“I invited you to dinner, and I’m pulling out the family skeleton,” he -said with rough good-humour. - -He took Dick’s arm and led him down the garden path between the serried -ranks of rose bushes. - -“I don’t know why I asked you to stay, young man,” he said. “An impulse, -I suppose . . . maybe a bad conscience. I don’t give these young people -all the company they ought to have at home, and I’m not much of a -companion for them. It’s too bad that you should be the witness of the -first family jar we’ve had for years.” - -His voice and manner were those of an educated man. Dick wondered what -occupation he followed, and why it should be so particularly obnoxious -that he should be seeking some escape. - -The girl was quiet throughout the meal. She sat at Dick’s left hand and -she spoke very seldom. Stealing an occasional glance at her, he thought -she looked preoccupied and troubled, and blamed his presence as the -cause. - -Apparently no servant was kept at the cottage. She did the waiting -herself, and she had replaced the plates when the old man asked: - -“I shouldn’t think you were as young as you look, Mr. Gordon—what do -you do for a living?” - -“I’m quite old,” smiled Dick. “Thirty-one.” - -“Thirty-one?” gasped Ella, going red. “And I’ve been talking to you as -though you were a child!” - -“Think of me as a child at heart,” he said gravely. “As to my -occupation—I’m a persecutor of thieves and murderers and bad characters -generally. My name is Richard Gordon——” - -The knife fell with a clatter from John Bennett’s hand and his face went -white. - -“Gordon—Richard Gordon?” he said hollowly. - -For a second their eyes met, the clear blue and the faded blue. - -“Yes—I am the Assistant Director of Prosecutions,” said Gordon quietly. -“And I have an idea that you and I have met before.” - -The pale eyes did not waver. John Bennett’s face was a mask. - -“Not professionally, I hope,” he said, and there was a challenge in his -voice. - -Dick laughed again as at the absurdity of the question. - -“Not professionally,” he said with mock gravity. - -On his way back to London that night his memory worked overtime, but he -failed to place John Bennett of Horsham. - - - - - CHAPTER II - - - A TALK ABOUT FROGS - -MAITLANDS Consolidated had grown from one small office to its present -palatial proportions in a comparatively short space of time. Maitland -was a man advanced in years, patriarchal in appearance, sparing of -speech. He had arrived in London unheralded, and had arrived, in the -less accurate sense of the word, before London was aware of his -existence. - -Dick Gordon saw the speculator for the first time as he was waiting in -the marble-walled vestibule. A man of middle height, bearded to his -waist; his eyes almost hidden under heavy white brows; stout and -laborious of gait, he came slowly through the outer office, where a -score of clerks sat working under their green-shaded lamps, and, looking -neither to the right nor left, walked into the elevator and was lost to -view. - -“That is the old man: have you seen him before?” asked Ray Bennett, who -had come out to meet the caller a second before. “He’s a venerable old -cuss, but as tight as a soundproof door. You couldn’t pry money from -him, not if you used dynamite! He pays Philo a salary that the average -secretary wouldn’t look at, and if Philo wasn’t such an easygoing devil, -he’d have left years ago.” - -Dick Gordon was feeling a little uncomfortable. His presence at -Maitlands was freakish, his excuse for calling as feeble as any weak -brain could conceive. If he had spoken the truth to the flattered young -man on whom he called in business hours, he would have said: “I have -idiotically fallen in love with your sister. I am not especially -interested in you, but I regard you as a line that will lead me to -another meeting, therefore I have made my being in the neighbourhood an -excuse for calling. And because of this insane love I have for your -sister, I am willing to meet even Philo, who will surely bore me.” -Instead he said: - -“You are a friend of Philo—why do you call him that?” - -“Because he’s a philosophical old horse—his other name is Philip,” said -the other with a twinkle in his eye. “Everybody is a friend of -Philo’s—he’s the kind of man that makes friendship easy.” - -The elevator door opened at that moment and a man came out. -Instinctively Dick Gordon knew that this bald and middle-aged man with -the good-humoured face was the subject of their discussion. His round, -fat face creased in a smile as he recognized Ray, and after he had -handed a bundle of documents to one of the clerks, he came over to where -they were standing. - -“Meet Mr. Gordon,” said Ray. “This is my friend Johnson.” - -Philo grasped the extended hand warmly. - -“Warm” was a word which had a special significance in relation to Mr. -Johnson. He seemed to radiate a warming and quickening influence. Even -Dick Gordon, who was not too ready to respond, came under the immediate -influence of his geniality. - -“You’re Mr. Gordon of the Public Prosecution Department—Ray was telling -me,” he said. “I should like you to come one day and prosecute old man -Maitland! He is certainly the most prosecutable gentleman I’ve met for -years!” - -The jest tickled Mr. Johnson. He was, thought Dick, inclined to laugh at -himself. - -“I’ve got to get back: he’s in a tantrum this morning. Anyone would -think the Frogs were after him.” - -Philo Johnson, with a cheery nod, hurried back to the lift. Was it -imagination on Dick’s part? He could have sworn the face of Ray Bennett -was a deeper shade of red, and that there was a look of anxiety in his -eyes. - -“It’s very good of you to keep your promise and call . . . yes, I’ll be -glad to lunch with you, Gordon. And my sister will also, I’m sure. She -is often in town.” - -His adieux were hurried and somewhat confused. Dick Gordon went out into -the street puzzled. Of one thing he was certain: that behind the young -man’s distress lay that joking reference to the Frogs. - -When he returned to his office, still sore with himself that he had -acted rather like a moon-calf or a farm hand making his awkward advances -to the village belle, he found a troubled-looking chief of police -waiting for him, and at the sight of him Dick’s eyes narrowed. - -“Well?” he asked. “What of Genter?” - -The police chief made a grimace like one who was swallowing an -unpleasant potion. - -“They slipped me,” he said. “The Frog arrived in a car—I wasn’t -prepared for that. Genter got in, and they were gone before I realized -what had happened. Not that I’m worried. Genter has a gun, and he’s a -pretty tough fellow in a rough house.” - -Dick Gordon stared at and through the man, and then: - -“I think you should have been prepared for the car,” he said. “If -Genter’s message was well founded, and he is on the track of the Frog, -you should have expected a car. Sit down, Wellingdale.” - -The grey-haired man obeyed. - -“I’m not excusing myself,” he growled. “The Frogs have got me rattled. I -treated them as a joke once.” - -“Maybe we’d be wiser if we treated them as a joke now,” suggested Dick, -biting off the end of a cigar. “They may be nothing but a foolish secret -society. Even tramps are entitled to their lodges and pass-words, grips -and signs.” - -Wellingdale shook his head. - -“You can’t get away from the record of the past seven years,” he said. -“It isn’t the fact that every other bad road-criminal we pull in has the -frog tattooed on his wrist. That might be sheer imitation—and, in any -case, all crooks of low mentality have tattoo marks. But in that seven -years we’ve had a series of very unpleasant crimes. First there was the -attack upon the _chargé d’affaires_ of the United States -Embassy—bludgeoned to sleep in Hyde Park. Then there was the case of -the President of the Northern Trading Company—clubbed as he was -stepping out of his car in Park Lane. Then the big fire which destroyed -the Mersey Rubber Stores, where four million pounds’ worth of raw rubber -went up in smoke. Obviously the work of a dozen fire bugs, for the -stores consist of six big warehouses and each was fired simultaneously -and in two places. And the Frogs were in it. We caught two of the men -for the Rubber job; they were both ‘Frogs’ and bore the totem of the -tribe—they were both ex-convicts, and one of them admitted that he had -had instructions to carry out the job, but took back his words next day. -I never saw a man more scared than he was. And I can’t blame him. If -half that is said about the Frog is true, his admission cost him -something. There it is, Mr. Gordon. I can give you a dozen cases. Genter -has been two years on their track. He has been tramping the country, -sleeping under hedges, hogging in with all sorts of tramps, stealing -rides with them and thieving with them; and when he wrote me and said he -had got into touch with the organization and expected to be initiated, I -thought we were near to getting them. I’ve had Genter shadowed since he -struck town. I’m sick about this morning.” - -Dick Gordon opened a drawer of his desk, took out a leather folder and -turned the leaves of its contents. They consisted of pages of -photographs of men’s wrists. He studied them carefully, as though he -were looking at them for the first time, though, in truth, he had -examined these records of captured men almost every day for years. Then -he closed the portfolio thoughtfully and put it away in the drawer. For -a few minutes he sat, drumming his fingers on the edge of the -writing-table, a frown on his youthful face. - -“The frog is always on the left wrist, always a little lob-sided, and -there is always one small blob tattooed underneath,” he said. “Does that -strike you as being remarkable?” - -The Superintendent, who was not a brilliant man, saw nothing remarkable -in the fact. - - - - - CHAPTER III - - - THE FROG - -IT was growing dark when the two tramps, skirting the village of Morby, -came again to the post road. The circumvention of Morby had been a -painful and tiring business, for the rain which had been falling all day -had transformed the ploughed fields into glutinous brown seas that made -walking a test of patience. - -One was tall, unshaven, shabby, his faded brown coat was buttoned to his -chin, his sagged and battered hat rested on the back of his head. His -companion seemed short by comparison, though he was a well-made, -broad-shouldered man, above the average height. - -They spoke no word as they plodded along the muddy road. Twice the -shorter man stopped and peered backward in the gathering darkness, as -though searching for a pursuer, and once he clutched the big man’s arm -and drew him to hiding behind the bushes that fringed the road. This was -when a car tore past with a roar and a splattering of liquid mud. - -After a while they turned off the road, and crossing a field, came to -the edge of a wild waste of land traversed by an ancient cart track. - -“We’re nearly there,” growled the smaller man, and the other grunted. -But for all his seeming indifference, his keen eyes were taking in every -detail of the scene. Solitary building on the horizon . . . looked like -a barn. Essex County (he guessed this from the indicator number on the -car that had passed); waste land probably led to a disused clay pit -. . . or was it quarry? There was an old notice-board fixed to a groggy -post near the gate through which the cart track passed. It was too dark -to read the faded lettering, but he saw the word “lime.” Limestone? It -would be easy to locate. - -The only danger was if the Frogs were present in force. Under cover of -his overcoat, he felt for the Browning and slipped it into his overcoat -pocket. - -If the Frogs were in strength, there might be a tough fight. Help there -was none. He never expected there would be. Carlo had picked him up on -the outskirts of the city in his disreputable car, and had driven him -through the rain, tacking and turning, following secondary roads, -avoiding towns and hamlets, so that, had he been sitting by the driver’s -side, he might have grown confused. But he was not. He was sitting in -the darkness of the little van, and saw nothing. Wellingdale, with the -shadows who had been watching him, had not been prepared for the car. A -tramp with a motor-car was a monstrosity. Even Genter himself was taken -aback when the car drew up to the pavement where he was waiting, and the -voice of Carlo hissed, “Jump in!” - -They crossed the crest of a weed-grown ridge. Below, Genter saw a -stretch of ground littered with rusting trollies, twisted Decourville -rails, and pitted with deep, rain-filled holes. Beyond, on the sharp -line of the quarry’s edge, was a small wooden hut, and towards this -Carlo led the way. - -“Not nervous, are you?” he asked, and there was a sneer in his voice. - -“Not very,” said the other coolly. “I suppose the fellows are in that -shack?” - -Carlo laughed softly. - -“There are no others,” he said, “only the Frog himself. He comes up the -quarry face—there’s a flight of steps that come up under the hut. Good -idea, eh? The hut hangs over the edge, and you can’t even see the steps, -not if you hang over. I tried once. They’d never catch him, not if they -brought forty million cops.” - -“Suppose they surrounded the quarry?” suggested Genter, but the man -scoffed. - -“Wouldn’t he know it was being surrounded before he came in? He knows -everything, does the Frog.” - -He looked down at the other’s hand. - -“It won’t hurt,” he said, “and it’s worth it if it does! You’ll never be -without a friend again, Harry. If you get into trouble, there’s always -the best lawyer to defend you. And you’re the kind of chap we’re looking -for—there is plenty of trash. Poor fools that want to get in for the -sake of the pickings. But you’ll get big work, and if you do a special -job for him, there’s hundreds and hundreds of money for you! If you’re -hungry or ill, the Frogs will find you out and help you. That’s pretty -good, ain’t it?” - -Genter said nothing. They were within a dozen yards of the hut now, a -strong structure built of stout timber bulks, with one door and a -shuttered window. - -Motioning Genter to remain where he was, the man called Carlo went -forward and tapped on the door. Genter heard a voice, and then he saw -the man step to the window, and the shutter open an inch. There followed -a long conversation in an undertone, and then Carlo came back. - -“He says he has a job for you that will bring in a thousand—you’re -lucky! Do you know Rochmore?” - -Genter nodded. He knew that aristocratic suburb. - -“There’s a man there that has got to be coshed. He comes home from his -club every night by the eleven-five. Walks to his house. It is up a dark -road, and a fellow could get him with a club without trouble. Just one -smack and he’s finished. It’s not killing, you understand.” - -“Why does he want me to do it?” asked the tall tramp curiously. - -The explanation was logical. - -“All new fellows have to do something to show their pluck and -straightness. What do you say?” - -Genter had not hesitated. - -“I’ll do it,” he said. - -Carlo returned to the window, and presently he called his companion. - -“Stand here and put your left arm through the window,” he ordered. - -Genter pulled back the cuff of his soddened coat and thrust his bare arm -through the opening. His hand was caught in a firm grip, and immediately -he felt something soft and wet pressed against his wrist. A rubber -stamp, he noted mentally, and braced himself for the pain which would -follow. It came, the rapid pricking of a thousand needles, and he -winced. Then the grip on his hand relaxed and he withdrew it, to look -wonderingly on the blurred design of ink and blood that the tattooer had -left. - -“Don’t wipe it,” said a muffled voice from the darkness of the hut. “Now -you may come in.” - -The shutter closed and was bolted. Then came the snick of a lock turning -and the door opened. Genter went into the pitch-black darkness of the -hut and heard the door locked by the unseen occupant. - -“Your number is K 971,” said the hollow voice. “When you see that in the -personal column of _The Times_, you report here, wherever you are. Take -that. . . .” - -Genter put out his hand and an envelope was placed in his outstretched -palm. It was as though the mysterious Frog could see, even in that -blackness. - -“There is journey money and a map of the district. If you spend the -journey money, or if you fail to come when you are wanted, you will be -killed. Is that clear?” - -“Yes.” - -“You will find other money—that you can use for your expenses. Now -listen. At Rochmore, 17 Park Avenue, lives Hallwell Jones, the -banker——” - -He must have sensed the start of surprise which the recruit gave. - -“You know him?” - -“Yes—worked for him years ago,” said Genter. - -Stealthily, he drew his Browning from his pocket and thumbed down the -safety catch. - -“Between now and Friday he has to be clubbed. You need not kill him. If -you do, it doesn’t matter. I expect his head’s too hard——” - -Genter located the man now, and, growing accustomed to the darkness, -guessed rather than saw the bulk of him. Suddenly his hand shot out and -grasped the arm of the Frog. - -“I’ve got a gun and I’ll shoot,” he said between his teeth. “I want you, -Frog! I am Inspector Genter from police headquarters, and if you resist -I’ll kill you!” - -For a second there was a deathly silence. Then Genter felt his pistol -wrist seized in a vice-like grip. He struck out with his other hand, but -the man stooped and the blow fell in the air, and then with a wrench the -pistol was forced out of the big man’s hand and he closed with his -prisoner. So doing, his face touched the Frog’s. Was it a mask he was -wearing? . . . The cold mica goggles came against his cheek. That -accounted for the muffled voice. . . . - -Powerful as he was, he could not break away from the arms which -encircled him, and they struggled backward and forward in the darkness. - -Suddenly the Frog lifted his foot, and Genter, anticipating the kick, -swerved round. There was a crash of broken glass, and then something -came to the detective—a faint but pungent odour. He tried to breathe, -but found himself strangling, and his arms fell feebly by his side. - -The Frog held him for a minute, and then let the limp figure fall with a -thud to the ground. In the morning a London police patrol found the body -of Inspector Genter lying in the garden of an empty house, and rang for -an ambulance. But a man who has been gassed by the concentrated fumes of -hydrocyanic acid dies very quickly, and Genter had been dead ten seconds -after the Frog smashed the thin glass cylinder which he kept in the hut -for such emergencies as these. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - - ELK - -THERE was no detective in the world who looked less like a police -officer, and a clever police officer, than Elk. He was tall and thin, -and a slight stoop accentuated his weediness. His clothes seemed -ill-fitting, and hung upon rather than fitted him. His dark, cadaverous -face was set permanently in an expression of the deepest gloom, and few -had ever seen him smile. His superiors found him generally a depressing -influence, for his outlook on life was prejudiced and apparently -embittered by his failure to secure promotion. Faulty education stood in -his way here. Ten times he had come up for examination, and ten times he -had failed, invariably in the same subject—history. - -Dick, who knew him better than his immediate chiefs, guessed that these -failures did not worry Mr. Elk as much as people thought. Indeed, he -often detected a glum pride in his inability to remember historical -dates, and once, in a moment of astonishing confidence, Elk had -confessed that promotion would be an embarrassment to a man of his -limited educational attainments. For Elk’s everyday English was one of -his weaknesses. - -“There’s no rest for the wicked, Mr. Gordon,” he sighed as he sat down. -“I thought I’d get a holiday after my trip to the U.S.A.” - -“I want to know all about Lola Bassano—who are her friends, why she has -suddenly attached herself to Raymond Bennett, a clerk in the employ of -Maitlands Consolidated. Particularly why she picked him up at the corner -of St. James’s Square and drove him to Horsham last night. I saw them by -accident as I was coming out of my club, and followed. They sat in her -coupé for the greater part of two hours within a hundred yards of -Bennett’s house, and they were talking. I know, because I stood in the -rain behind the car, listening. If he had been making love to her I -should have understood—a little. But they were talking, and talking -money. I heard certain sums mentioned. At four o’clock he got out of the -car and went into his house, and Lola drove off.” - -Elk, puffing, sadly shook his head. - -“Lola wouldn’t talk about anything but money anyway,” he said. “She’s -like Queen What’s-her-name who died in 1077, or maybe it was 1573. She -married King Henry, or it may have been Charles, because she wanted a -gold snuff-box he had. I’m not sure whether it was a gold snuff-box or a -silver bed. Anyway, she got it an’ was be’eaded in . . . I don’t -remember the date.” - -“Thank you for the parallel,” smiled Dick. “But Lola is not after -snuff-boxes of gold or silver. Young Bennett hasn’t twopence of his own. -There is something particularly interesting to me about this -acquaintance.” - -Elk smoked thoughtfully, watching the smoke rings rise to the ceiling. - -“Bennett’s got a sister,” he said, to the other’s amazement. “Pretty, as -far as looks go. Old man Bennett’s a crook of some kind. Doesn’t do any -regular work, but goes away for days at a time and comes back looking -ill.” - -“You know them?” - -Elk nodded. - -“Old man Bennett attracted me. Somebody reported his movements as -suspicious—the local police. They’ve got nothing to do except guard -chickens, and naturally they look on anybody who doesn’t keep chickens -as bein’ a suspicious character. I kept old Bennett under observation, -but I never got to the bottom of his movements. He has run lots of queer -stunts. He wrote a play once and put it on. It went dead on the fourth -night. Then he took to playing the races on a system. That nearly broke -him. Then he started a correspondence school at Horsham—‘How to write -good English’—and he lost money. Now he’s taking pictures.” - -“How long has he been trying those methods of getting a living?” - -“Years. I traced a typewriting agency to him seventeen years ago. They -haven’t all been failures. He made money out of some. But I’d give my -head to know what his regular game is. Once a month regular, sometimes -twice, sometimes more often, he disappears and you can’t find him or -trail him. I’ve sounded every crook in town, but they’re as much puzzled -as I am. Lew Brady—that’s the big sporting fellow who worked with -Lola—he’s interested too. He hates Bennett. Years ago he tackled the -old man and tried to bully him into telling him what his lay was, and -Bennett handled him rough.” - -“The old man?” asked Dick incredulously. - -“The old man. He’s as strong as an ox. Don’t forget it. I’ll see Lola. -She’s not a bad girl—up to a point. Personally, vamps never appeal to -me. Genter’s dead, they tell me? The Frog’s in that too?” - -“There’s no doubt about it,” said Dick, rising. “And here, Elk, is one -of the men who killed him.” - -He walked to the window and looked out, Elk behind him. The man who had -stood on the sidewalk had disappeared. - -“Where?” asked Elk. - -“He’s gone now. I——” - -At that moment the window shattered inward, and splinters of glass stung -his face. Another second, and Elk was dragged violently to cover. - -“From the roof of Onslow Gardens,” said Richard Gordon calmly. “I -wondered where the devils would shoot from—that’s twice they’ve tried -to get me since daylight.” - -A spent cartridge on the flat roof of 94, Onslow Gardens, and the print -of feet, were all the evidence that the assassin left behind. No. 94 was -empty except for a caretaker, who admitted that he was in the habit of -going out every morning to buy provisions for the day. Admission had -been gained by the front door; there was a tradesman who saw a man let -himself into the house, carrying what looked to be a fishing-rod under -his arm, but which undoubtedly was a rifle in a cloth case. - -“Very simple,” said Dick; “and, of course, from the Frog’s point of -view, effective. The shooter had half-a-dozen ways of escape, including -the fire-escape.” - -Elk was silent and glum. Dick Gordon as silent, but cheerful, until the -two men were back in his office. - -“It was my inquiry at the garage that annoyed them,” he said, “and I’ll -give them this credit, that they are rapid! I was returning to my house -when the first attempt was made. The most ingenious effort to run me -down with a light car—the darned thing even mounted the pavement after -me.” - -“Number?” - -“XL.19741,” said Dick, “but fake. There is no such number on the -register. The driver was gone before I could stop him.” - -Elk scratched his chin, surveying the youthful Public Prosecutor with a -dubious eye. - -“Almost sounds interesting to me,” he said. “Of course I’ve heard of the -Frogs, but I didn’t give much attention. Nowadays secret societies are -so common that every time a man shakes hands with me, he looks sort of -disappointed if I don’t pull my ear or flap my feet. And gang work on a -large scale I’ve always looked upon as something you only hear about in -exciting novels by my old friend Shylock——” - -“Sherlock—and he didn’t write them,” murmured Dick. - -Again Elk fingered his cheek. - -“I don’t believe in it, anyway,” he said after thought. “It’s not -natural that tramps should do anything systematic. It’s too much like -work. I’ll bet there’s nothing in it, only a lot of wild coincidences -stickin’ together. I’ll bet that the Frogs are just a silly society -without any plan or reason. And I’ll bet that Lola knows all about ’em,” -he added inconsistently. - -Elk walked back to “The Yard” by the most circuitous route. With his -furled and ancient umbrella hanging on his arm, he had the appearance of -an out-of-work clerk. His steel-rimmed spectacles, clipped at a groggy -angle, assisted the illusion. Winter and summer he wore a soiled fawn -top-coat, which was invariably unbuttoned, and he had worn the same -yellowish-brown suit for as long as anybody could remember. The rain -came down, not in any great quantities, but incessantly. His hard derby -hat glistened with moisture, but he did not put up his umbrella. Nobody -had ever seen that article opened. - -He walked to Trafalgar Square and then stopped, stood in thought for -some time, and retraced his steps. Opposite the Public Prosecutor’s -office stood a tall street-seller with a little tray of matches, -key-rings, pencils and the odds and ends that such men sell. His wares, -for the moment, were covered by a shining oil-cloth. Elk had not noticed -him before, and wondered why the man had taken up so unfavourable a -stand, for the end of Onslow Gardens, the windiest and least comfortable -position in Whitehall, is not a place where the hurrying pedestrian -would stop to buy, even on a fine day. The hawker was dressed in a -shabby raincoat that reached to his heels; a soft felt hat was pulled -down over his eyes, but Elk saw the hawk-like face and stopped. - -“Busy?” - -“Naw.” - -Elk was immediately interested. This man was American, and was trying to -disguise his voice so that it appeared Cockney—the most impossible task -that any American had ever undertaken, for the whine and intonation of -the Cockney are inimitable. - -“You’re American—what state?” - -“Georgia,” was the reply, and this time the hawker made no attempt at -disguise. “Came over on a cattle-boat during the war.” - -Elk held out his hand. - -“Let me see that licence of yours, brother,” he said. - -Without hesitation the man produced the written police permit to sell on -the streets. It was made out in the name of “Joshua Broad,” and was in -order. - -“You’re not from Georgia,” said Elk, “but that doesn’t matter. You’re -from Hampshire or Massachusetts.” - -“Connecticut, to be exact,” said the man coolly, “but I’ve lived in -Georgia. Want a key-ring?” - -There was a gleam of amusement in his eyes—the merest flash. - -“No. Never had a key. Never had anything worth locking up,” said Elk, -fingering the articles on the tray. “Not a good pitch, this.” - -“No,” said the other; “too near to Scotland Yard, Mr. Elk.” - -Elk cast a swift glance at the man. - -“Know me, do you?” - -“Most people do, don’t they?” asked the other innocently. - -Elk took the pedlar in from the soles of his stout shoes to his soddened -hat, and, with a nod, went on. The hawker looked after the detective -until he was out of sight, and then, fixing a cover over his tray, -strapped it tight and walked in the direction Elk had taken. - -Coming out of Maitlands to lunch, Ray Bennett saw a shabby and saturnine -man standing on the edge of the pavement, but gave him no more than a -passing glance. He, at any rate, did not know Elk and was quite -unconscious of the fact that he was being followed to the little -chop-house where Philo Johnson and he took their modest luncheon. - -In any circumstances Ray would not have observed the shadow, but to-day, -in his condition of mind, he had no thought for anybody but himself, or -any offence but the bearded and ancient Maitland’s outrageous behaviour. - -“The old devil!” he said as he walked by Johnson’s side. “To make a ten -per cent cut in salaries and to start on me! And this morning the papers -say that he has given five thousand to the Northern Hospitals!” - -“He’s a charitable cuss, and as to the cut, it was either that or -standing you off,” said Johnson cheerfully. “What’s the use of kicking? -Trade has been bad, and the stock market is as dead as Ptolemy. The old -man wanted to put you off—said that you were superfluous anyway. If -you’d only look on the bright side of things, Ray——” - -“Bright!” snorted the young man, his face going pink with anger. “I’m -getting a boy’s salary, and I want money mighty badly, Philo.” - -Philo sighed, and for once his good-humoured face was clouded. Then it -relaxed into a broad grin. - -“If I thought the same way as you, I’d go mad or turn into a first-class -crook. I only earn about fifty per cent more than you, and yet the old -man allows me to handle hundreds of thousands. It’s too bad.” - -Nevertheless, the “badness” of the parsimonious Maitland did not -interfere with his appetite. - -“The art of being happy,” he said as he pushed back his plate and lit a -cigarette, “is to want nothing. Then you’re always getting more than you -need. How is your sister?” - -“She’s all right,” said Ray indifferently. “Ella’s the same mind as you. -It’s easy to be a philosopher over other people’s worries. Who’s that -disreputable bird?” he added, as a man seated himself at a table -opposite to them. - -Philo fixed his glasses—he was a little near-sighted. - -“That’s Elk—a Scotland Yard man,” he said, and grinned at the -new-comer, a recognition which, to Ray’s annoyance—and his annoyance -was tinged with uneasiness—brought the seedy man to their table. - -“This is my friend, Mr. Bennett—Inspector Elk, Ray.” - -“Sergeant,” suggested Elk dourly. “Fate has always been against me in -the matter of promotion. Can’t remember dates.” - -So far from making a secret of his failure, Mr. Elk was never tired of -discussing the cause. - -“Though why a man is a better thief-taker for knowin’ when George -Washington was born and when Napoleon Bonaparte died, is a mystery to -me. Dine here every day, Mr. Bennett?” - -Ray nodded. - -“Know your father, I think—John Bennett of Horsham, isn’t it? Thought -so.” - -In desperation Ray got up with an excuse and left them alone. - -“Nice boy, that,” said Elk. - - - - - CHAPTER V - - - MR. MAITLAND GOES HOME - -THEY were nearing the imposing home of Maitlands Consolidated, when Mr. -Johnson suddenly broke off in the middle of an interesting exposition of -his philosophy and quickened his pace. On the pavement ahead of them he -saw Ray Bennett, and by his side the slim figure of a girl. Their backs -were toward the two men, but Elk guessed rightly when he decided that -the girl was Ella Bennett. He had seen her twice before, and he had a -wonderful memory for backs. - -Turning as the stout man came up to her, hat in hand, she greeted him -with a quick and friendly smile. - -“This is an unexpected pleasure, Miss Bennett.” - -There was a pink tinge to Johnson’s homely face (“Sweet on her,” thought -Elk, interested), and his handshake was warm and something more than -cordial. - -“I didn’t intend coming to town, but father has gone off on one of his -mysterious excursions,” she said with a little laugh, “this time to the -West. And, curiously enough, I am absolutely sure I saw him on a ’bus -just now, though his train left two hours ago.” - -She glanced at Elk hovering in the background, and the sight of his glum -countenance seemed to arouse some unpleasant memory, for the brightness -went out of her face. - -“My friend, Mr. Elk,” said Johnson a little awkwardly, and Elk nodded. - -“Glad to meet you, Miss Bennett,” he said, and noted Ray’s annoyance -with inward satisfaction which, in a more cheerful man, would have been -mirth. - -She bowed slightly and then said something in a low tone to her brother. -Elk saw the boy frown. - -“I shan’t be very late,” he said, loudly enough for the detective to -hear. - -She put out her hand to Johnson, Elk she favoured with a distant -inclination of her head, and was gone, leaving the three men looking -after her. Two, for when Mr. Elk looked around, the boy had disappeared -into the building. - -“You know Miss Bennett?” - -“Slightly,” said Elk grudgingly. “I know almost everybody slightly. Good -people and bad people. The gooder they are, the slighter I know ’em. -Queer devil.” - -“Who?” asked the startled Johnson. “You mean her father? I wish he -wasn’t so chilly with me.” - -Elk’s lips twitched. - -“I guess you do,” he said drily. “So long.” - -He strolled aimlessly away as Johnson walked up the steps into -Maitlands, but he did not go far. Crossing the road, he retraced his -steps and took up his station in the doorway. - -At four o’clock a taxicab drew up before the imposing door of Maitlands -Consolidated, and a few minutes later the old man shuffled out, looking -neither to the right nor to the left. Elk regarded him with more than -ordinary interest. He knew the financier by sight, and had paid two or -three visits to the office in connection with certain petty thefts -committed by cleaners. In this way he had become acquainted with Philo -Johnson, for old Maitland had delegated the interview to his -subordinate. - -Elk judged the old man to be in the region of seventy, and wondered for -the first time where he lived, and in what state. Had he relations? It -was a curious fact that he knew nothing whatever about the financier, -the least paragraphed of any of the big City forces. - -The detective had no business with the head of this flourishing firm. -His task was to discover the association between Lola Bassano and this -impecunious clerk. He knew inside him that Dick Gordon’s interest in the -young man was not altogether disinterested, and suspected rightly that -the pretty sister of Ray Bennett lay behind it. - -But the itch for knowledge about Maitland, suddenly aroused by the -realization that the old man’s home life was an unknown quantity, was -too strong to be resisted. As the taxicab moved off, Elk beckoned -another. - -“Follow that cab,” he said, and the driver nodded his agreement without -question, for there was no taximan on the streets who did not know this -melancholy policeman. - -The first of the cabs drove rapidly in the direction of North London, -and halted at a busy junction of streets in Finsbury Park. This is a -part of the town which great financiers do not as a rule choose for -their habitations. It is a working-class district, full of small houses, -usually occupied by two or more families; and when the cab stopped and -the old man nimbly descended, Elk’s mouth opened in an ‘O’ of surprise. - -Maitland did not pay the cabman, but hurried round the corner into the -busy thoroughfare, with Elk at his heels. He walked a hundred yards, and -then boarded a street car. Elk sprinted, and swung himself on board as -the car was moving. The old man found a seat, took a battered newspaper -from his pocket, and began reading. - -The car ran down Seven Sisters Road into Tottenham, and here Mr. -Maitland descended. He turned into a side street of apparently -interminable length, crossed the road, and came into a narrow and even -meaner street than that which he had traversed; and then, to Elk’s -amazement, pushed open the iron gate of a dark and dirty little house, -opened the door and went in, closing it behind him. - -The detective looked up and down the street. It was crowded with poor -children. Elk looked at the house again, scarcely believing his eyes. -The windows were unclean, the soiled curtains visible were ragged, and -the tiny forecourt bore an appearance of neglect. And this was the home -of Ezra Maitland, a master of millions, the man who gave £5,000 to the -London hospitals! It was incredible. - -He made up his mind, and, walking to the door, knocked. For some time -there was no reply, and then he heard the shuffle of slippered feet in -the passage, and an old woman with a yellow face opened the door. - -“Excuse me,” said Elk; “I think the gentleman who just came in dropped -this.” He produced a handkerchief from his pocket, and she glared at it -for a moment, and then, reaching out her hand, took it from him and -slammed the door in his face. - -“And that’s the last of my good handkerchief,” thought Elk bitterly. - -He had caught one glimpse of the interior. A grimy-looking passage with -a strip of faded carpet, and a flight of uncovered stairs. He proceeded -to make a few local inquiries. - -“Maitland or Mainland, I don’t know which,” said a tradesman who kept a -general store at the corner. “The old gentleman goes out every morning -at nine, and comes home just about this hour. I don’t know who or what -he is. I can tell you this, though; he doesn’t eat much! He buys all his -goods here. What those two people live on, an ordinary healthy child -would eat at one meal!” - -Elk went back to the west, a little mystified. The miser was a common -figure of fiction, and not uncommonly met with in real life. But old -Maitland must be a super-miser, he thought, and decided to give the -matter a little further attention. For the moment, he was concentrating -his efforts upon Miss Lola Bassano, that interesting lady. - -In one of the fashionable thoroughfares leading from Cavendish Square is -a block of flats, occupied by wealthy tenants. Its rents are remarkably -high, even for that exclusive quarter, and even Elk, who was not easily -surprised, was a little staggered when he learnt that Lola Bassano -occupied a suite in this expensive building. - -It was to Caverley House that he made his way after returning to -Maitland’s office, to find the premises closed. There was no indicator -on the wall, but the lift-man, who regarded Elk with some suspicion, as -he was entitled to do, announced that Miss Bassano lived on the third -floor. - -“How long has she been here?” asked Elk. - -“That’s no business of yours,” said the lift-man; “and I think what you -want, my friend, is the tradesmen’s entrance.” - -“I’ve often wondered,” ruminated Elk, “what people like you do their -thinking with.” - -“Now look here——!” began the lift-man indignantly. - -“Look here,” retorted Elk, and at the sight of his badge the man grew -more polite and more informative. - -“She’s been here two months,” he said. “And, to tell you the truth, Mr. -Elk, I’ve often wondered how she got a suite in Caverley House. They -tell me she used to run a gambling joint on Jermyn Street. You haven’t -come to raid her, have you?” he asked anxiously. “That’d get Caverley -House a pretty bad name.” - -“I’ve come to make a friendly call,” said Elk carefully. - -“That’s the door.” The man stepped out of the lift and pointed to one of -the two sober mahogany doors on the landing. “This other flat belongs to -an American millionaire.” - -“Is there such a thing?” asked Elk. - -He was about to say something more when the lift-man walked to the door -and peered at one of its polished panels. - -“That’s queer,” he said. “What do you make of this?” - -Elk joined him, and at a glance saw and understood. - -On the panel had been stamped a small white frog—an exact replica of -those he had seen that morning on the photographs that Dick Gordon had -shown him. A squatting frog, slightly askew. - -He touched it. The ink was still wet and showed on his finger. And then -the strangest thing of all happened. The door opened suddenly, and a man -of middle age appeared in the doorway. In his hand was a long-barrelled -Browning, and it covered the detective’s heart. - -“Put up your hands!” he said sharply. Then he stopped and stared at the -detective. - -Elk returned the gaze, speechless; for the elegantly dressed man who -stood there was the hawk-faced pedlar he had seen in Whitehall! - -The American was the first to recover. Not a muscle of his face moved, -but Elk saw again that light of amusement in his eyes as he stepped back -and opened the door still wider. - -“Come right in, Mr. Elk,” he said, and, to the amazed lift-man; “It’s -all right, Worth. I was practising a little joke on Mr. Elk.” - -He closed the door behind him, and with a gesture beckoned the detective -into a prettily furnished drawing-room. Elk went in, leaving the matter -of the frog on the door for discussion later. - -“We’re quite alone, Mr. Elk, so you needn’t lower your voice when you -talk of my indiscretions. Will you smoke a cigar?” - -Elk stretched out his fingers mechanically and selected a big Cabana. - -“Unless I’m greatly mistaken, I saw you this morning,” he began. - -“You weren’t mistaken at all,” interrupted the other coolly. “You saw me -on Whitehall. I was peddling key-rings. My name is Joshua Broad. You -haven’t anything on me for trading in a false name.” - -The detective lit his cigar before he spoke. - -“This apartment must cost you a whole lot to keep up,” he said slowly, -“and I don’t blame you for trying to earn something on the side. But it -seems to me that peddling key-rings is a very poor proposition for a -first-class business man.” - -Joshua Broad nodded. - -“I haven’t made a million out of that business,” he said, “but it amuses -me, Mr. Elk. I am something of a philosopher.” - -He lit a cigar and settled himself comfortably in a deep, chintz-covered -arm-chair, his legs crossed, the picture of contentment. - -“As an American, I am interested in social problems, and I have found -that the best way to understand the very poor of any country is to get -right down amongst them.” - -His tone was easy, apologetic, but quite self-possessed. - -“I think I forestalled any question on your part as to whether I had a -licence in my own name, by telling you that I had.” - -Elk settled his glasses more firmly on his nose, and his eyes strayed to -Mr. Broad’s pocket, whither the pistol had returned. - -“This is a pretty free country,” he said in his deliberate way, “and a -man can peddle key-rings, even if he’s a member of the House of Lords. -But one thing he mustn’t do, Mr. Broad, is to stick fire-arms under the -noses of respectable policemen.” - -Broad chuckled. - -“I’m afraid I was a little rattled,” he said. “But the truth is, I’ve -been waiting for the greater part of an hour, expecting somebody to come -to my door, and when I heard your stealthy footsteps”—he shrugged—“it -was a fool mistake for a grown man to make,” he said, “and I guess I’m -feeling as badly about it as you would have me feel.” - -The unwavering eyes of Mr. Elk did not leave his face. - -“I won’t insult your intelligence by asking you if you were expecting a -friend,” he said. “But I should like to know the name of the other -guest.” - -“So should I,” said the other, “and so would a whole lot of people.” - -He reached out his hand to flick the ash from his cigar, looking at Elk -thoughtfully the while. - -“I was expecting a man who has every reason to be very much afraid of -me,” he said. “His name is—well, it doesn’t matter, and I’ve only met -him once in my life, and then I didn’t see his face.” - -“And you beat him up?” suggested Elk. - -The other man laughed. - -“I didn’t even beat him up. In fact, I behaved most generously to him,” -he said quietly. “I was not with him more than five minutes, in a -darkened room, the only light being a lantern which was on the table. -And I guess that’s about all I can tell you, Inspector.” - -“Sergeant,” murmured Elk. “It’s curious the number of people who think -I’m an Inspector.” - -There was an awkward pause. Elk could think of no other questions he -wanted to ask, and his host displayed as little inclination to advance -any further statement. - -“Neighbour friends of yours?” asked Elk, and jerked his head toward the -passage. - -“Who—Bassano and her friend? No. Are you after them?” he asked quickly. - -Elk shook his head. - -“Making a friendly call,” he said. “Just that. I’ve just come back from -your country, Mr. Broad. A good country, but too full of distances.” - -He ruminated, looking down at the carpet for a long time, and presently -he said: - -“I’d like to meet that friend of yours, Mr. Broad—American?” - -Broad shook his head. Not a word was spoken as they went up the passage -to the front door, and it almost seemed as if Elk was going without -saying good-bye, for he walked out absent-mindedly, and only turned as -though the question of any farewell had occurred to him. - -“Shall be glad to meet you again, Mr. Broad,” he said. “Perhaps I shall -see you in Whitehall——” - -And then his eyes strayed to the grotesque white frog on the door. Broad -said nothing. He put his finger on the imprint and it smudged under his -touch. - -“Recently stamped,” he drawled. “Well, now, what do you think of that, -Mr. Elk?” - -Elk was examining the mat before the door. There was a little spot of -white, and he stooped and smeared his finger over it. - -“Yes, quite recent. It must have been done just before I came in,” he -said. And there his interest in the Frog seemed to evaporate. “I’ll be -going along now,” he said with a nod. - -In the exquisitely appointed drawing-room of Suite No. 6, Lola Bassano -sat cuddled up in a deep, over-cushioned chair, her feet tucked under -her, a thin cigarette between her lips, a scowl upon her pretty face. -From time to time she glanced at the man who stood by the window, hands -in pockets, staring down into the square. He was tall, heavily built, -heavily jowled, unprepossessing. All the help that tailor and valet gave -to him could not disguise his origin. He was pugilist, run to fat. For a -time, a very short time, Lew Brady had been welter-weight champion of -Europe, a terrific fighter with just that yellow thread in his -composition which makes all the difference between greatness and -mediocrity in the ring. A harder man had discovered his weakness, and -the glory of Lew Brady faded with remarkable rapidity. He had one -advantage over his fellows which saved him from utter extinction. A -philanthropist had found him in the gutter as a child, and had given him -an education. He had gone to a good school and associated with boys who -spoke good English. The benefit of that association he had never lost, -and his voice was so curiously cultured that people who for the first -time heard this brute-man speak, listened open-mouthed. - -“What time do you expect that rat of yours?” he asked. - -Lola lifted her silk-clad shoulders, took out her cigarette to yawn, and -settled herself more cosily. - -“I don’t know. He leaves his office at five.” - -The man turned from the window and began to pace the room slowly. - -“Why Frog worries about him I don’t know,” he grumbled. “Lola, I’m -surely getting tired of old man Frog.” - -Lola smiled and blew out a ring of smoke. - -“Perhaps you’re tired of getting money for nothing, Brady,” she said. -“Personally speaking, that kind of weariness never comes to me. There is -one thing sure; Frog wouldn’t bother with young Bennett if there wasn’t -something in it.” - -He pulled out a watch and glanced at its jewelled face. - -“Five o’clock. I suppose that fellow doesn’t know you’re married to me?” - -“Don’t be a fool,” said Lola wearily. “Am I likely to boast about it?” - -He grinned and resumed his pacings. Presently he heard the faint tinkle -of the bell and glanced at the girl. She got up, shook the cushions and -nodded. - -“Open the door,” she said, and the man went out of the room obediently. - -Ray Bennett crossed the room with quick strides and caught the girl’s -hand in both of his. - -“I’m late. Old Johnson kept me running round after the clerks had gone. -Moses, this is a fine room, Lola! I hadn’t any idea you lived in such -style.” - -“You know Lew Brady?” - -Ray nodded smilingly. He was a picture of happiness, and the presence of -Lew Brady made no difference to him. He had met Lola at a supper club, -and knew that she and Brady had some business association. Moreover, Ray -prided himself upon that confusion of standards which is called -“broad-mindedness.” He visualized a new social condition which was -superior to the bondage which old-fashioned rules of conduct imposed -upon men and women in their relationship one to the other. He was young, -clean-minded, saw things as he would have them be. Breadth of mind not -infrequently accompanies limitation of knowledge. - -“Now for your wonderful scheme,” he said as, at a gesture from her, he -settled himself by the girl’s side. “Does Brady know?” - -“It is Lew’s idea,” she said lightly. “He is always looking out for -opportunities—not for himself but for other people.” - -“It’s a weakness of mine,” said Lew apologetically. “And anyway, I don’t -know if you’ll like the scheme. I’d have taken it on myself, but I’m too -busy. Did Lola tell you anything about it?” - -Ray nodded. - -“I can’t believe it,” he said. “I always thought such things belonged to -magazine stories! Lola says that the Government of Japan wants a secret -agent in London. Somebody they can disown, if necessary. But what is the -work?” - -“There you’ve got me,” said Lew, shaking his head. “So far as I can -discover, you’ve nothing to do but live! Perhaps they’ll want you to -keep track of what is going on in the political world. The thing I don’t -like about it is that you’ll have to live a double life. Nobody must -know that you’re a clerk at Maitlands. You can call yourself by any name -you like, and you’ll have to make your domestic arrangements as best you -know.” - -“That will be easy,” interrupted the boy. “My father says I ought to -have a room in town—he thinks the journey to and from Horsham every day -is too expensive. I fixed that with him on Sunday. I shall have to go -down to the cottage some week-ends—but what am I to do, and to whom do -I report?” - -Lola laughed softly. - -“Poor boy,” she mocked. “The prospect of owning a beautiful flat and -seeing me every day is worrying him.” - - - - - CHAPTER VI - - - MR. MAITLAND GOES SHOPPING - -ELDOR STREET, Tottenham, was one of thousands of drab and ugly -thoroughfares that make up the central suburbs of London. Imagine two -rows of houses set on either side of a straight street, lighted at -economic intervals by yellow lamps. Each house has a protuberance, -called a bay window; each house is separated from the road by iron -railings pierced by an iron gate. There is a tiny forecourt in which the -hardiest of shrubs battle desperately for existence; there is one -recessed door, and on the floor above two windows exactly alike. - -Elk found himself in Eldor Street at nine o’clock that night. The rain -was pelting down, and the street in consequence was a desert. Most of -the houses were dark, for Eldor Street lives in its kitchens, which are -back of the houses. In the front window of No. 47 one crack of light -showed past the edge of the lowered blind, and, creeping up to the -window, he heard, at long intervals, the mumble of conversation. - -It was difficult to believe that he was standing at the door of Ezra -Maitland’s home. That morning the newspapers had given prominence to the -newest speculation of Maitlands Consolidated—a deal involving something -over a million. And the master-mind of the concern lived in this -squalor! - -Whilst he was standing there, the light was extinguished and there came -to him the sound of feet in the uncarpeted passage. He had time to reach -the obscurity of the other side of the street, when the door opened and -two people came out: Maitland and the old woman he had seen. By the -light of a street-lamp he saw that Maitland wore an overcoat buttoned to -his chin. The old woman had on a long ulster, and in her hand she -carried a string bag. They were going marketing! It was Saturday night, -and the main street, through which Elk had passed, had been thronged -with late shoppers—Tottenham leaves its buying to the last, when food -can be had at bargain prices. - -Waiting until they were out of sight, Elk walked down the street to the -end and turned to the left. He followed a wall covered with posters -until he reached a narrow opening. This was the passage between the -gardens—a dark, unlighted alleyway, three feet wide and running between -tar-coated wooden fences. He counted the gates on his left with the help -of his flash-lamp, and after a while stopped before one of them and -pushed gently. The gate was locked—it was not bolted. There was a -keyhole that had the appearance of use. Elk grunted his satisfaction, -and, taking from his pocket a wallet, extracted a small wooden handle, -into which he fitted a steel hook, chosen with care from a dozen others. -This he inserted into the lock and turned. Evidently the lock was more -complicated than he had expected. He tried another hook of a different -shape, and yet another. At the fourth trial the lock turned and he -pushed open the door gently. - -The back of the house was in darkness, the yard singularly free from the -obstructions which he had anticipated. He crossed to the door leading -into the house. To his surprise it was unfastened, and he replaced his -tools in his pocket. He found himself in a small scullery. Passing -through a door into the bare passage, he came to the room in which he -had seen the light. It was meanly and shabbily furnished. The arm-chair -near the fireplace had broken springs, there was an untidy bed in one -corner, and in the centre of the room a table covered with a patched -cloth. On this were two or three books and a few sheets of paper covered -with the awkward writing of a child. Elk read curiously. - -“Look at the dog,” it ran. “The man goes up to the dog and the dog barks -at the man.” - -There was more in similar strain. The books were children’s primers of -an elementary kind. Looking round, he saw a cheap gramophone and on the -sideboard half a dozen scratched and chipped records. - -The child must be in the house. Turning on the gas, he lit it, after -slipping a bolt in the front door to guard against surprise. In the more -brilliant light, the poverty of the room staggered him. The carpet was -worn and full of holes; there was not one article of furniture which had -not been repaired at some time or other. On the dingy sideboard was a -child’s abacus—a frame holding wires on which beads were strung, and by -means of which the young are taught to count. A paper on the mantelpiece -attracted him. It was a copy of the million pound contract which -Maitland had signed that morning. His neat signature, with the -characteristic flourish beneath, was at the foot. - -Elk replaced the paper and began a search of the apartment. In a -cupboard by the side of the fireplace he found an iron money-box, which -he judged was half-full of coins. In addition, there were nearly a -hundred letters addressed to E. Maitland, 47 Eldor Street, Tottenham. -Elk, glancing through them, recognized their unimportance. Every one was -either a tradesman’s circular or those political pamphlets with which -candidates flood their constituencies. And they were all unopened. Mr. -Maitland evidently knew what they were also, and had not troubled to -examine their contents. Probably the hoarding instincts of age had made -him keep them. There was nothing else in the room of interest. He was -certain that this was where the old man slept—where was the child? - -Turning out the light, he went upstairs. One door was locked, and here -his instruments were of no avail, for the lock was a patent one and was -recently fixed. Possibly the child was there, he thought. The second -room, obviously the old woman’s, was as meanly furnished as the parlour. - -Coming back to the landing, his foot was poised to reach the first stair -when he heard a faint “click.” It came from below, and was the sound of -a door closing. Elk waited, listening. The sound was not repeated, and -he descended softly. At first he thought that the old man had returned, -and was trying his key on the bolted door, but when he crept to the door -to listen, he heard no sound, and slipping back the bolt, he went to the -second of the rooms on the ground floor and put his light on the door. - -Elk was a man of keen observation; very little escaped him, and he was -perfectly certain that this door had been ajar when he had passed it on -entering the house. It was closed now and fastened from the inside, the -key being in the lock. - -Was it the child, frightened by his presence? Elk was wise enough a man -not to investigate too closely. He made the best of his way back to the -garden passage and into the street. Here he waited, taking up a position -which enabled him to see the length of Eldor Street and the passage -opening in the wall. Presently he saw Maitland returning. The old man -was carrying the string bag, which now bulged. Elk saw the green of a -cabbage as they passed under the light. He watched them until the -darkness swallowed them up, and heard the sound of their closing door. -Five minutes later, a dark figure came from the passage behind the -houses. It was a man, and Elk, alert and watchful, swung off in pursuit. - -The stranger plunged into a labyrinth of little streets with the -detective at his heels. He was walking quickly, but not too quickly for -Elk, who was something of a pedestrian. Into the glare of the main road -the stranger turned, Elk a dozen paces behind him. He could not see his -face, nor did he until his quarry stopped by the side of a waiting car, -opened the door and jumped in. Then it was that Elk came abreast and -raised his hand in cheery salutation. - -For a second the man in the closed limousine was taken aback, and then -he opened the door. - -“Come right in out of the rain, Elk,” he said, and Elk obeyed. - -“Been doing your Sunday shopping?” he asked innocently. - -The man’s hawk-like face relaxed into a smile. - -“I never eat on Sundays,” he said. - -It was Joshua Broad, that rich American who peddled key-rings in -Whitehall, lived in the most expensive flats in London, and found time -to be intensely interested in Ezra Maitland. - -He turned abruptly as Elk seated himself. - -“Say, Elk, did you see the child?” - -Elk shook his head. - -“No,” he said, and heard the chuckle of his companion as the car moved -toward the civilized west. - -“Yes, I saw that baby,” said Mr. Broad, puffing gently at the cigar he -had lit; “and, believe me, Elk, I’ve stopped loving children. Yes, sir. -The education of the young means less than nothing to me for evermore.” - -“Where was she?” - -“It’s a ‘he,’” replied Broad calmly, “and I hope I’ll be excused -answering your question. I had been in the house an hour when you -arrived—I was in the back room, which is empty, by the way. You scared -me. I heard you come in and thought it was old St. Nicholas of the -Whiskers. Especially when I saw the light go on. I’d had it on when you -opened the scullery door—I left that unfastened, by the way. Didn’t -want to stop my bolt hole. Well, what do you think?” - -“About Maitland?” - -“Eccentric, eh? You don’t know how eccentric!” - -As the car stopped before the door of Caverley House, Elk broke a long -silence. - -“What are you, Mr. Broad?” - -“I’ll give you ten guesses,” said the other cheerfully as they got out. - -“Secret Service man,” suggested Elk promptly. - -“Wrong—you mean U.S.? No, you’re wrong. I’m a private detective who -makes a hobby of studying the criminal classes—will you come up and -have a drink?” - -“I will come up, but I won’t drink,” said Elk virtuously, “not if you -offer gin and orange. That visit to the United States has spoilt my -digestion.” - -Broad was fitting a key in the lock of his flat, when a strange cold -sensation ran down the spine of the detective, and he laid his hand on -the American’s arm. - -“Don’t open that door,” he said huskily. - -Broad looked round in surprise. The yard man’s face was tense and drawn. - -“Why not?” - -“I don’t know . . . just a feeling, that’s all. I’m Scot by birth . . . -we’ve got a word ‘fey,’ which means something supernatural. And it says -inside me, ‘don’t open that door.’” - -Broad put down his hand. - -“Are you being fey or funny?” he asked. - -“If I look funny,” said Elk, “I’m entitled to sue my face for libel. -There’s something at the other side of that door that isn’t good. I’ll -take an oath on it! Give me that!” - -He took the key from the unwilling hand of Joshua Broad, thrust it in -the lock and turned it. Then, with a quick push, he threw open the door, -pushing Broad to the cover of the wall. - -Nothing happened for a second, and then: - -“Run!” cried Elk, and leapt for the stairs. - -The American saw the first large billow of greenish-yellowy mist that -rolled from the open door, and followed. - -The hall-porter was closing his office for the night when Elk appeared, -hatless and breathless. - -“Can you ’phone the flats?—good! Get on at once to every one on and -below the third floor, and tell them on no account to open their doors. -Tell ’em to close all cracks with paper, to stop up their letter-boxes, -and open all windows. Don’t argue—do it! The building is full of poison -gas!” - -He himself ’phoned the fire station, and in a few seconds the jangle of -bells sounded in the street outside, and men in gas-masks were -clattering up the stairs. - -Fortunately, every tenant except Broad and his neighbour was out of town -for the week-end. - -“And Miss Bassano doesn’t come in till early morning,” said the porter. - -It was daylight before the building was cleared by the aid of -high-pressure air-hoses and chemical precipitants. Except that his -silver was tarnished black, and every window glass and mirror covered -with a yellow deposit, little harm had been done. A musty odour pervaded -the flat in spite of the open windows, but later came the morning breeze -to dispel the last trace of this malodorous souvenir of the attempt. - -Together the two men made a search of the rooms to discover the manner -in which the gas was introduced. - -“Through that open fireplace,” Elk pointed. “The gas is heavier than -air, and could be poured down the chimney as easily as pouring water.” - -A search of the flat roof satisfied him that his theory was right. They -found ten large glass cylinders and a long rope, to which a wicker -cradle was attached. Moreover, one of the chimney-pots (easily reached -from the roof) was scratched and discoloured. - -“The operator came into the building when the porter was busy—working -the lift probably. He made his way to the roof, carrying the rope and -the basket. Somebody in the street fixed the cylinders in the basket, -which the man hauled to the roof one by one. It was dead easy, but -ingenious. They must have made a pretty careful survey beforehand, or -they wouldn’t have known which chimney led to your room.” - -They returned to the flat, and for once Joshua Broad was serious. - -“Fortunately, my servant is on a holiday,” he said, “or he would have -been in heaven!” - -“I hope so,” responded Elk piously. - -The sun was tipping the roofs of the houses when he finally left, a -sleepy and a baffled man. He heard the sound of boisterous voices before -he reached the vestibule. A big car stood at the entrance of the flats, -and, seated at the wheel, was a young man in evening dress. By him sat -Lew Brady, and on the pavement was a girl in evening finery. - -“A jolly evening, eh, Lola! When I get going, I’m a mover, eh?” - -Ray Bennett’s voice was thick and unsteady. He had been drinking—was -within measurable distance of being drunk. - -With a yell he recognized the detective as he came into the street. - -“Why, it’s old Elk—the Elk of Elks! Greetings, most noble copper! Lola, -meet Elky of Elksburg, the Sherlock of Fact, the Sleuth——” - -“Shut up!” hissed the savage-voiced Lew Brady in his ear, but Ray was in -too exalted a mood to be silenced. - -“Where’s the priceless Gordon?—say, Elk, watch Gordon! Look after poor -old Gordon—my sister’s very much attached to Gordon.” - -“Fine car, Mr. Bennett,” said Elk, regarding the machine thoughtfully. -“Present from your father?” - -The mention of his father’s name seemed to sober the young man. - -“No, it isn’t,” he snapped, “it belongs to a friend. ’Night, Lola.” He -pumped at the starter, missed picking up, and stamped again. “S’long, -Elk!” - -With a jerk the car started, and Elk watched it out of sight. - -“That young fellow is certainly in danger of knocking his nut against -the moon,” he said. “Had a good time, Lola?” - -“Yes—why?” - -She fixed her suspicious eyes upon him expectantly. - -“Didn’t forget to turn off the gas when you went out, did you? If I was -Shylock Holmes, maybe I’d tell from the stain on your glove that you -didn’t.” - -“What do you mean about gas? I never use the cooker.” - -“Somebody does, and he nearly cooked me and a friend of mine—nearly -cooked us good!” - -He saw her frown. Since she was a woman he expected her to be an -actress, but somehow he was ready to believe in her sincerity. - -“There’s been a gas attack on Caverley House,” he explained, “and not -cooking gas either. I guess you’ll smell it as you go up.” - -“What kind of gas—poison?” - -Elk nodded. - -“But who put it there—emptied it, or whatever is done with gas?” - -Elk looked at her with that wounded expression which so justly irritated -his victims. - -“If I knew, Lola, would I be standing here discussing the matter? Maybe -my old friend Shylock Holmes would, but I wouldn’t. I don’t know. It was -upset in Mr. Broad’s flat.” - -“That is the American who lives opposite to us—to me,” she said. “I’ve -only seen him once. He seems a nice man.” - -“Somebody didn’t think so,” said Elk. “I say, Lola, what’s that boy -doing—young Bennett?” - -“Why do you ask me? He is making a lot of money just now, and I suppose -he is running a little wild. They all do.” - -“I didn’t,” said Elk; “but if I’d made money and started something, I’d -have chosen a better pacemaker than a dud fighting man.” - -The angry colour rose to her pretty face, and the glance she shot at him -was as venomous as the gas he had fought all night. - -“And I think I’d have put through a few enquiries to central office -about my female acquaintances,” Elk went on remorselessly. “I can -understand why you’re glued to the game, because money naturally -attracts you. But what gets me is where the money comes from.” - -“That won’t be the only thing that will get you,” she said between her -teeth as she flounced into the half-opened door of Caverley House. - -Elk stood where she had left him, his melancholy face expressionless. -For five minutes he stood so, and then walked slowly in the direction of -his modest bachelor home. - -He lived over a lock-up shop, a cigar store, and he was the sole -occupant of the building. As he crossed Gray’s Inn Road, he glanced idly -up at the windows of his rooms and noted that they were closed. He -noticed something more. Every pane of glass was misty with some yellow, -opalescent substance. - -Elk looked up and down the silent street, and at a short distance away -saw where road repairers had been at work. The night watchman dozed -before his fire, and did not hear Elk’s approach or remark his unusual -action. The detective found in a heap of gravel, three rounded pebbles, -and these he took back with him. Standing in the centre of the road, he -threw one of the pebbles unerringly. - -There was a crash of glass as the window splintered. Elk waited, and -presently he saw a yellow wraith of poison-vapour curl out and downward -through the broken pane. - -“This is getting monotonous,” said Elk wearily, and walked to the -nearest fire alarm. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - - A CALL ON MR. MAITLAND - -OUTWARDLY, John Bennett accepted his son’s new life as a very natural -development which might be expected in a young man. Inwardly he was -uneasy, fearful. Ray was his only son; the pride of his life, though -this he never showed. None knew better than John Bennett the snares that -await the feet of independent youth in a great city. Worst of all, for -his peace of mind, he knew Ray. - -Ella did not discuss the matter with her father, but she guessed his -trouble and made up her mind as to what action she would take. - -The Sunday before, Ray had complained bitterly about the new cut to his -salary. He had been desperate and had talked wildly of throwing up his -work and finding a new place. And that possibility filled Ella with -dismay. The Bennetts lived frugally on a very limited income. Apparently -her father had few resources, though he always gave her the impression -that from one of these he received a fairly comfortable income. - -The cottage was Bennett’s own property, and the cost of living was -ridiculously cheap. A woman from the village came in every morning to do -heavy work, and once a week to assist with the wash. That was the only -luxury which her father’s meagre allowance provided for. So that she -faced the prospect of an out-of-work Ray with alarm and decided upon her -line of action. - -One morning Johnson, crossing the marble floor of Maitland’s main -office, saw a delicious figure come through the swing doors, and almost -ran to meet it. - -“My dear Miss Bennett, this is a wonderful surprise—Ray is out, but if -you’ll wait——” - -“I’m glad he is out,” she said, relieved. “I want to see Mr. Maitland. -Is it possible?” - -The cheery face of the philosopher clouded. - -“I’m afraid that will be difficult,” he said. “The old man never sees -people—even the biggest men in the City. He hates women and strangers, -and although I’ve been with him all these years, I’m not so sure that he -has got used to me! What is it about?” - -She hesitated. - -“It’s about Ray’s salary,” and then, as he shook his head, she went on -urgently: “It is so important, Mr. Johnson. Ray has extravagant tastes, -and if they cut his salary it means—well, you know Ray so well!” - -He nodded. - -“I don’t know whether I can do anything,” he said dubiously. “I’ll go up -and ask Mr. Maitland, but I’m afraid that it is a million to one chance -against his seeing you.” - -When he came back, the jovial face of Mr. Johnson was one broad smile. - -“Come up before he changes his mind,” he said, and led her to the lift. -“You’ll have to do all the talking, Miss Bennett—he’s an eccentric old -cuss and as hard as flint.” - -He showed her into a small and comfortably furnished room, and waved his -hand to a writing-table littered with papers. - -“My little den,” he explained. - -From the “den” a large rosewood door opened upon Mr. Maitland’s office. - -Johnson knocked softly, and, with a heart that beat a little faster, -Ella was ushered into the presence of the strange old man who at that -moment was dominating the money market. - -The room was large, and the luxury of the fittings took her breath away. -The walls were of rosewood inlaid with exquisite silver inlay. Light -came from concealed lamps in the cornice as well as from the long -stained-glass windows. Each article of furniture in the room was worth a -fortune, and she guessed that the carpet, into which her feet sank, -equalled in costliness the whole contents of an average house. - -Behind a vast ormolu writing-table sat the great Maitland, bolt upright, -watching her from under his shaggy white brows. A few stray hairs of his -spotless beard rested on the desk, and as he raised his hand to sweep -them into place, she saw he wore fingerless woollen gloves. His head was -completely bald . . . she looked at his big ears, standing away from his -head, fascinated. Patriarchal, yet repulsive. There was something gross, -obscene, about him that hurt her. It was not the untidiness of his -dress, it was not his years. Age brings refinement, that beauty of decay -that the purists call caducity. This old man had grown old coarsely. - -His scrutiny lacked the assurance she expected. It almost seemed that he -was nervous, ill at ease. His gaze shifted from the girl to his -secretary, and then to the rich colouring of the windows, and then -furtively back to Ella again. - -“This is Miss Bennett, sir. You remember that Bennett is our exchange -clerk, and a very smart fellow indeed. Miss Bennett wants you to -reconsider your decision about that salary cut.” - -“You see, Mr. Maitland,” Ella broke in, “we’re not particularly well -off, and the reduction makes a whole lot of difference to us.” - -Mr. Maitland wagged his bald head impatiently. - -“I don’t care whether you’re well off or not well off,” he said loudly. -“When I reduces salaries I reduces ’um, see?” - -She stared at him in amazement. The voice was harsh and common. The -language and tone were of the gutter. In that sentence he confirmed all -her first impressions. - -“If he don’t like it he can go, and if you don’t like it”—he fixed his -dull eyes on the uncomfortable-looking Johnson—“you can go too. There’s -lots of fellers I can get—pick ’um up on the streets! Millions of ’um! -That’s all.” Johnson tiptoed from the presence and closed the door -behind her. - -“He’s a horror!” she gasped. “How can you endure contact with him, Mr. -Johnson?” - -The stout man smiled quietly. - -“‘Millions of ’um,’” he repeated, “and he’s right. With a million and a -half unemployed on the streets, I can’t throw up a good job——” - -“I’m sorry,” she said, impulsively putting her hand on his arm. “I -didn’t know he was like that,” she went on more mildly. -“He’s—terrible!” - -“He’s a self-made man, and perhaps he would have been well advised to -have got an artisan to do the job,” smiled Johnson, “but he’s not really -bad. I wonder why he saw you?” - -“Doesn’t he see people?” - -He shook his head. - -“Not unless it is absolutely necessary, and that only happens about -twice a year. I don’t think there is anybody in this building that he’s -ever spoken to—not even the managers.” - -He took her down to the general office. Ray had not come back. - -“The truth is,” confessed Johnson when she asked him, “that Ray hasn’t -been to the office this morning. He sent word to say that he wasn’t -feeling any too good, and I fixed it so that he has a day off.” - -“He’s not ill?” she asked in alarm, but Johnson reassured her. - -“No. I got on the telephone to him—he has a telephone at his new flat.” - -“I thought he had an ordinary apartment!” she said, aghast, the -housewife in her perturbed. “A flat—where is it?” - -“In Knightsbridge,” replied Johnson quietly. “Yes, it sounds expensive, -but I believe he has a bargain. A man who was going abroad sub-let it to -him for a song. I suppose he wrote to you from the lodgings in -Bloomsbury where he intended going. May I be candid, Miss Bennett?” - -“If it is about Ray, I wish you would,” she answered quickly. - -“Ray is rather worrying me,” said Johnson. “Naturally I want to do all -that I can for him, for I am fond of him. At present my job is covering -up his rather frequent absences from the office—you need not mention -this fact to him—but it is rather a strain, for the old man has an -uncanny instinct for a shirker. He is living in better style than he -ought to be able to afford, and I’ve seen him dressed to kill with some -of the swellest people in town—at least, they looked swell.” - -The girl felt herself go cold, and the vague unrest in her mind became -instantly a panic. - -“There isn’t . . . anything wrong at the office?” she asked anxiously. - -“No. I took the liberty of going through his books. They’re square. His -cash account is right to a centimo. Crudely stated, he isn’t -stealing—at least, not from us. There’s another thing. He calls himself -Raymond Lester at Knightsbridge. I found this out by accident, and asked -him why he had taken another name. His explanation was fairly plausible. -He didn’t want Mr. Bennett to hear that he was cutting a shine. He has -some profitable outside work, but he won’t tell me what it is.” - -Ella was glad to get away, glad to reach the seclusion which the wide -spaces of the park afforded. She must think and decide upon the course -she would take. Ray was not the kind of boy to accept the draconic -attitude, either in her or in John Bennett. His father must not -know—she must appeal to Ray. Perhaps it was true that he had found a -remunerative sideline. Lots of young men ran spare time work with profit -to themselves—only Ray was not a worker. - -She sat down on a park chair to wrestle with the problem, and so intent -was she upon its solution that she did not realize that somebody had -stopped before her. - -“This is a miracle!” said a laughing voice, and she looked up into the -blue eyes of Dick Gordon. “And now you can tell me what is the -difficulty?” he asked as he pulled another chair toward her and sat -down. - -“Difficulty . . . who . . . who said I was in difficulties?” she -countered. - -“Your face is the traitor,” he smiled. “Forgive this attire. I have been -to make an official call at the United States Embassy.” - -She noticed for the first time that he wore the punctilious costume of -officialdom, the well-fitting tail-coat, the polished top-hat and -regulation cravat. She observed first of all that he looked very well in -them, and that he seemed even younger. - -“I have an idea it is your brother,” he said. “I saw him a few minutes -ago—there he is now.” - -She followed the direction of his eyes, and half rose from her chair in -her astonishment. Riding on the tan track which ran parallel to the park -road, were a man and a girl. The man was Ray. He was smartly dressed, -and from the toes of his polished riding-boots to the crown of his grey -hat, was all that was creditable to expensive tailoring. The girl at his -side was young, pretty, petite. - -The riders passed without Ray noticing the interested spectators. He was -in his gayest mood, and the sound of his laughter came back to the -dumbfounded girl. - -“But . . . I don’t understand—do you know the lady, Mr. Gordon?” - -“Very well by repute,” said Dick drily. “Her name is Lola Bassano.” - -“Is she—a lady?” - -Dick’s eyes twinkled. - -“Elk says she’s not, but Elk is prejudiced. She has money and education -and breed. Whether or not these three assets are sufficient to -constitute a lady, I don’t know. Elk says not, but, as I say, Elk is -considerably prejudiced.” - -She sat silent, her mind in a whirl. - -“I have an idea that you want help . . . about your brother,” said Dick -quietly. “He is frightening you, isn’t he?” - -She nodded. - -“I thought so. He is puzzling _me_. I know all about him, his salary and -prospects and his queer masquerade under an _alias_. I’m not troubling -about that, because boys love those kinds of mysteries. Unfortunately, -they are expensive mysteries, and I want to know how he can afford to -keep up this suddenly acquired position.” - -He mentioned a sum and she gasped. - -“It costs all that,” said Dick. “Elk, who has a passion for exact -detail, and who knows to a penny what the riding suit costs, supplied me -with particulars.” - -She interrupted him with such a gesture of despair that he felt a brute. - -“What can I do . . . what can I do?” she asked. “Everybody wants to -help—you, Mr. Johnson, and, I’m sure, Mr. Elk. But he is -impossible—Ray, I mean. It will be fighting a feather bed. It may seem -absurd to you, so much fuss over Ray’s foolish escapade, but it means, -oh, so much to us, father and me!” - -Dick said nothing. It was too delicate a matter for an outsider to -intrude upon. But the real delicacy of the situation was comprised in -the boy’s riding companion. As though guessing his thoughts, she asked -suddenly: - -“Is she a nice girl—Miss Bassano? I mean, is she one whom Ray should -know?” - -“She is very charming,” he answered after a pause, and she noted the -evasion and carried the subject no farther. Presently she turned the -talk to her call on Ezra Maitland, and he heard her description without -expressing surprise. - -“He’s a rough diamond,” he said. “Elk knows something about him which he -refuses to tell. Elk enjoys mystifying his chiefs even more than -detecting criminals. But I’ve heard about Maitland from other sources.” - -“Why does he wear gloves in the office?” she asked unexpectedly. - -“Gloves—I didn’t know that,” he said, surprised. “Why shouldn’t he?” - -She shook her head. - -“I don’t know . . . it was a silly idea, but I thought—it has only -occurred to me since . . .” - -He waited. - -“When he put up his hand to smooth his beard, I’m almost sure I saw a -tattoo mark on his left wrist—just the edge of it showing above the end -of the glove—the head and eyes of a frog.” - -Dick Gordon listened, thunderstruck. - -“Are you sure it wasn’t your imagination, Miss Bennett?” he asked. “I am -afraid the Frog is getting on all our nerves.” - -“It may have been,” she nodded; “but I was within a few feet of him, and -a patch of light, reflected from his blotter, caught the wrist for a -second.” - -“Did you speak to Johnson about it?” - -She shook her head. - -“I thought afterwards that even he, with all his long years of service, -might not have observed the tattoo mark. I remember now that Ray told me -Mr. Maitland always wore gloves, summer or winter.” - -Dick was puzzled. It was unlikely that this man, the head of a great -financial corporation, should be associated with a gang of tramps. And -yet—— - -“When is your brother going to Horsham?” he asked. - -“On Sunday,” said the girl. “He has promised father to come to lunch.” - -“I suppose,” said the cunning young man, “that it isn’t possible to ask -me to be a fourth?” - -“You will be a fifth,” she smiled. “Mr. Johnson is coming down too. Poor -Mr. Johnson is scared of father, and I think the fear is mutual. Father -resembles Maitland in that respect, that he does not like strangers. -I’ll invite you anyway,” she said, and the prospect of the Sunday -meeting cheered her. - -Elk came to see him that night, just as he was going out to a theatre, -and Dick related the girl’s suspicion. To his surprise, Elk took the -startling theory very coolly. - -“It’s possible,” he said, “but it’s more likely that the tattoo mark -isn’t a frog at all. Old Maitland was a seaman as a boy—at least, that -is what the only biography of him in existence says. It’s a half-column -that appeared in a London newspaper about twelve years ago, when he -bought up Lord Meister’s place on the Embankment and began to enlarge -his offices. I’ll tell you this, Mr. Gordon, that I’m quite prepared to -believe anything of old Maitland.” - -“Why?” asked Dick in astonishment. He knew nothing of the discoveries -which the detective had made. - -“Because I just should,” said Elk. “Men who make millions are not -ordinary. If they were ordinary they wouldn’t be millionaires. I’ll -inquire about that tattoo mark.” - -Dick’s attention was diverted from the Frogs that week by an unusual -circumstance. On the Tuesday he was sent for by the Foreign Minister’s -secretary, and, to his surprise, he was received personally by the -august head of that department. The reason for this signal honour was -disclosed. - -“Captain Gordon,” said the Minister, “I am expecting from France the -draft commercial treaty that is to be signed as between ourselves and -the French and Italian Governments. It is very important that this -document should be well guarded because—and I tell you this in -confidence—it deals with a revision of tariff rates. I won’t compromise -you by telling you in what manner the revisions are applied, but it is -essential that the King’s Messenger who is bringing the treaty should be -well guarded, and I wish to supplement the ordinary police protection by -sending you to Dover to meet him. It is a little outside your duties, -but your Intelligence work during the war must be my excuse for saddling -you with this responsibility. Three members of the French and Italian -secret police will accompany him to Dover, when you and your men will -take on the guard duty, and remain until you personally see the document -deposited in my own safe.” - -Like many other important duties, this proved to be wholly unexciting. -The Messenger was picked up on the quay at Dover, shepherded into a -Pullman coupé which had been reserved for him, and the passage-way -outside the coupé was patrolled by two men from Scotland Yard. At -Victoria a car, driven by a chauffeur-policeman and guarded by armed -men, picked up the Messenger and Dick, and drove them to Calden Gardens. -In his library the Foreign Secretary examined the seals carefully, and -then, in the presence of Dick and the Detective-Inspector who had -commanded the escort, placed the envelope in the safe. - -“I don’t suppose for one moment,” said the Foreign Minister with a -smile, after all the visitors but Dick had departed, “that our friends -the Frogs are greatly interested. Yet, curiously enough, I had them in -my mind, and this was responsible for the extraordinary precautions we -have taken. There is, I suppose, no further clue in the Genter murder?” - -“None, sir—so far as I know. Domestic crime isn’t really in my -department. And any kind of crime does not come to the Public Prosecutor -until the case against an accused person is ready to be presented.” - -“It is a pity,” said Lord Farmley. “I could wish that the matter of the -Frogs was not entirely in the hands of Scotland Yard. It is so out of -the ordinary, and such a menace to society, that I should feel more -happy if some extra department were controlling the investigations.” - -Dick Gordon might have said that he was itching to assume that control, -but he refrained. His lordship fingered his shaven chin thoughtfully. He -was an austere man of sixty, delicately featured, as delicately -wrinkled, the product of that subtle school of diplomacy which is at -once urbane and ruthless, which slays with a bow, and is never quite so -dangerous as when it is most polite. - -“I will speak to the Prime Minister,” he said. “Will you dine with me, -Captain Gordon?” - -Early in the next afternoon, Dick Gordon was summoned to Downing Street, -and was informed that a special department had been created to deal -exclusively with this social menace. - -“You have _carte blanche_, Captain Gordon. I may be criticized for -giving you this appointment, but I am perfectly satisfied that I have -the right man,” said the Prime Minister; “and you may employ any officer -from Scotland Yard you wish.” - -“I’ll take Sergeant Elk,” said Dick promptly, and the Prime Minister -looked dubious. - -“That is not a very high rank,” he demurred. - -“He is a man with thirty years’ service,” said Dick; “and I believe that -only his failure in the educational test has stopped his further -promotion. Let me have him, sir, and give him the temporary rank of -Inspector.” - -The older man laughed. - -“Have it your own way,” he said. - -Sergeant Elk, lounging in to report progress that afternoon, was greeted -by a new title. For a while he was dazed, and then a slow smile dawned -on his homely face. - -“I’ll bet I’m the only inspector in England who doesn’t know where Queen -Elizabeth is buried!” he said, not without pride. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - - THE OFFENSIVE RAY - -IT was perfectly absurd, Dick told himself a dozen times during the days -which followed, that a grown man of his experience should punctiliously -and solemnly strike from the calendar, one by one, the days which -separated him from Sunday. A schoolboy might so behave, but it would -have to be a very callow schoolboy. And a schoolboy might sit at his -desk and dream away the time that might have been devoted to official -correspondence. - -A pretty face . . . ? Dick had admired many. A graciousness of carriage, -an inspiring refinement of manner . . . ? He gave up the attempt to -analyse the attraction which Ella Bennett held. All that he knew was, -that he was waiting impatiently for Sunday. - -When Dick opened the garden gate, he saw the plump figure of -philosophical Johnson ensconced cosily in a garden chair. The secretary -rose with a beaming smile and held out his hand. Dick liked the man. He -stood for that patient class which, struggling under the stifling -handicap of its own mediocrity, has its superlative virtue in loyalty -and unremitting application to the task it finds at hand. - -“Ray told me you were coming, Mr. Gordon—he is with Miss Bennett in the -orchard, and from a casual view of him just now, he is hearing a few -home truths. What do you make of it?” - -“Has he given up coming to the office?” asked Dick, as he stripped his -dust-coat. - -“I am afraid he is out for good.” Johnson’s face was sad. “I had to tell -him to go. The old man found out that he’d been staying away, and by -some uncanny and underground system of intelligence he has learnt that -Ray was going the pace. He had an accountant in to see the books, but -thank heaven they were O.K.! I was very nearly fired myself.” - -This was an opportunity not to be missed. - -“Do you know where Maitland lives—in what state? Has he a town house?” - -Johnson smiled. - -“Oh yes, he has a town house all right,” he said sarcastically. “I only -discovered where it was a year ago, and I’ve never told a single soul -until now. And even now I won’t give details. But old Maitland is living -in some place that is nearly a slum—living meanly and horribly like an -unemployed labourer! And he is worth millions! He has a cheap house in -one of the suburbs, a place I wouldn’t use to stable a cow! He and his -sister live there; she looks after the place and does the housekeeping. -I guess she has a soft job. I’ve never known Maitland to spend a penny -on himself. I’m sure that he is wearing the suit he wore when I first -came to him. He has a penny glass of milk and a penny roll for lunch, -and tries to swindle me into paying for that, some days!” - -“Tell me, Mr. Johnson, why does the old man wear gloves in the office?” - -Johnson shook his head. - -“I don’t know. I used to think it was to hide the scar on the back of -his hand, but he’s not the kind of man to wear gloves for that. He is -tattooed with crowns and anchors and dolphins all up his arms. . . .” - -“And frogs?” asked Dick quietly, and the question seemed to surprise the -other. - -“No, I’ve never seen a frog. There’s a bunch of snakes on one -wrist—I’ve seen that. Why, old man Maitland wouldn’t be a Frog, would -he?” he asked, and Dick smiled at the anxiety in his tone. - -“I wondered,” he said. - -Johnson’s usually cheerful countenance was glum. - -“I reckon he is mean enough to be a Frog or ’most anything,” he said, -and at that minute Ray and his sister came into view. On Ray’s forehead -sat a thundercloud, which deepened at the sight of Dick Gordon. The girl -was flushed and obviously on the verge of tears. - -“Hallo, Gordon!” the boy began without preliminary. “I fancy you’re the -fellow that has been carrying yarns to my sister. You set Elk to spy on -me—I know, because I found Elk in the act——” - -“Ray, you’re not to speak like that to Mr. Gordon,” interrupted the girl -hotly. “He has never told me anything to your discredit. All I know I -have seen. You seem to forget that Mr. Gordon is father’s guest.” - -“Everybody is fussing over me,” Ray grumbled. “Even old Johnson!” He -grinned sheepishly at the bald man, but Johnson did not return the -smile. - -“Somebody has got to worry about you, boy,” he said. - -The strained situation was only relieved when John Bennett, camera on -back, came up the red path to greet his visitors. - -“Why, Mr. Johnson, I owe you many apologies for putting you off, but I’m -glad to see you here at last. How is Ray doing at the office?” - -Johnson shot a helpless and pathetic glance at Dick. - -“Er—fine, Mr. Bennett,” he blurted. - -So John Bennett was not to be told that his son had launched forth on a -new career? The fact that he was fathering this deception made Dick -Gordon a little uncomfortable. Apparently it reduced Mr. Johnson to -despair, for when a somewhat tense luncheon had ended and they were -alone again in the garden, that worthy man unburdened himself of his -trouble. - -“I feel that I’m playing it low on old Bennett,” he said. “Ray should -have told him.” - -Dick could only agree. He was in no mood to discuss Ray at the moment. -The boy’s annoyance and self-assurance irritated him, and it did not -help matters to recognize the sudden and frank hostility which the -brother of Ella Bennett was showing toward him. That was disconcerting, -and emphasized his anomalous position in relation to the Bennetts. He -was discovering what many young men in love have to discover: that the -glamour which surrounds their dears does not extend to the relations and -friends of their dears. He made yet another discovery. The plump Mr. -Johnson was in love with the girl. He was nervous and incoherent in her -presence; miserable when she went away. More miserable still when Dick -boldly took her arm and led her into the rose-garden behind the house. - -“I don’t know why that fellow comes here,” said Ray savagely as the two -disappeared. “He isn’t a man of our class, and he loathes me.” - -“I don’t know that he loathes you, Ray,” said Johnson, waking from the -unhappy daydream into which he seemed to have fallen. “He’s an extremely -nice man——” - -“Fiddlesticks!” said the other scornfully. “He’s a snob! Anyway, he’s a -policemen, and I hate cops! If you imagine the he doesn’t look good on -you and me, you’re wrong. I’m as good as he is, and I bet I’ll make more -money before I’m finished!” - -“Money isn’t everything,” said Johnson tritely. “What work are you -doing, Ray?” - -It required a great effort on his part to bring his mind back to his -friend’s affairs. - -“I can’t tell you. It’s very confidential,” said Ray mysteriously. “I -couldn’t even tell Ella, though she’s been jawing at me for hours. There -are some jobs that a man can’t speak about without betraying secrets -that aren’t his to tell. This is one of them.” - -Mr. Johnson said nothing. He was thinking of Ella and wondering how long -it would be before her good-looking companion brought her back. - -Good-looking and young. Mr. Johnson was not good-looking, and only just -on the right side of fifty. And he was bald. But, worst of all, in her -presence he was tongue-tied. He was rather amazed with himself. - -In the seclusion of the rose-garden another member of the Bennett family -was relating her fears to a more sympathetic audience. - -“I feel that father guesses,” she said. “He was out most of last night. -I was awake when he came in, and he looked terrible. He said he had been -walking about half the night, and by the mud on his boots I think he -must have been.” - -Dick did not agree. - -“Knowing very little about Mr. Bennett, I should hardly think he is the -kind of man to suffer in silence where your brother is concerned,” he -said. “I could better imagine a most unholy row. Why has your brother -become so unpleasant to me?” - -She shook her head. - -“I don’t know. Ray has changed suddenly. This morning when he kissed me, -his breath smelt of whisky—he never used to drink. This new life is -ruining him—why should he take a false name if . . . if the work he is -doing is quite straight?” - -She had ceased addressing him as “Mr. Gordon.” The compromise of calling -him by no name at all was very pleasant to Dick Gordon, because he -recognized that it _was_ a compromise. The day was hot and the sky -cloudless. Ella had made arrangements to serve tea on the lawn, and she -found two eager helpers in Dick and Johnson, galvanized to radiant -activity by the opportunity of assisting. The boy’s attitude remained -antagonistic, and after a few futile attempts to overcome this, Dick -gave it up. - -Even the presence of his father, who had kept aloof from the party all -afternoon, brought no change for the better. - -“The worst of being a policeman is that you’re always on duty,” he said -during the meal. “I suppose you’re storing every scrap of talk in your -mind, in case you have to use it.” - -Dick folded a thin slice of bread and butter very deliberately before he -replied. - -“I have certainly a good memory,” he said. “It helps me to forget. It -also helps me keep silent in circumstances which are very difficult and -trying.” - -Suddenly Ray spun round in his chair. - -“I told you he was on duty!” he cried triumphantly. “Look! There’s the -chief of the spy corps! The faithful Elk!” - -Dick looked in astonishment. He had left Elk on the point of going north -to follow up a new Frog clue that had come to light. And there he was, -his hands resting on the gate, his chin on his chest, gazing mournfully -over his glasses at the group. - -“Can I come in, Mr. Bennett?” - -John Bennett, alert and watchful, beckoned. - -“Happened to be round about here, so I thought I’d call. Good afternoon, -miss—good afternoon, Mr. Johnson.” - -“Give Sergeant Elk your chair,” growled John Bennett, and his son rose -with a scowl. - -“Inspector,” said Elk. “No, I’d rather stand, mister. Stand and grow -good, eh? Yes, I’m Inspector. I don’t realize it myself sometimes, -especially when the men salute me—forget to salute ’em back. Now, in -America I believe patrol men salute sergeants. That’s as it should be.” - -His sad eyes moved from one to the other. - -“I suppose your promotion has made a lot of crooks very scared, Elk?” -sneered Ray. - -“Why, yes. I believe it has. Especially the amatchoors,” said Elk. “The -crooks that are only fly-nuts. The fancy crooks, who think they know it -all, and will go on thinking so till one day somebody says, ‘Get your -hat—the chief wants you!’ Otherwise,” confessed Elk modestly, “the news -has created no sensation, and London is just as full as ever of -tale-pitchers who’ll let you distribute their money amongst the poor if -you’ll only loan ’em a hundred to prove your confidence. And,” Elk -continued after a moment’s cogitation, “there’s nearly as many dud -prize-fighters living on blackmail an’ robbery, an’ almost as many -beautiful young ladies running faro parlours and dance emporiums.” - -Ray’s face went a dull red, and if looks could blast, Inspector Elk’s -friends would have been speaking of him in hushed tones. - -Only then did he turn his attention to Dick Gordon. - -“I was wondering, Captain, if I could have a day off next week—I’ve a -little family trouble.” - -Dick, who did not even know that his friend had a family was startled. - -“I’m sorry to hear that, Elk,” he said sympathetically. - -Elk sighed. - -“It’s hard on me,” he said, “but I feel I ought to tell you, if you’ll -excuse me, Miss Bennett?” - -Dick rose and followed the detective to the gate, and then Elk spoke in -a low tone. - -“Lord Farmley’s house was burgled at one o’clock this morning, and the -Frogs have got away with the draft treaty!” - -Watching the two furtively, the girl saw nothing in Dick Gordon’s -demeanour to indicate that he had received any news which was of -consequence to himself. He came slowly back to the table. - -“I am afraid I must go,” he said. “Elk’s trouble is sufficiently -important to take me back to town.” - -He saw the regret in Ella’s eyes and was satisfied. The leave-taking was -short, for it was very necessary that he should get back to town as -quickly as his car could carry him. - -On the journey Elk told all that he knew. Lord Farmley had spent the -week-end in his town house. He was working on two new clauses which had -been inserted on the private representation of the American ambassador, -who, as usual, held a watching brief in the matter, but managed (also as -usual) to secure the amendment of a clause dealing with transshipments -that, had it remained unamended, would have proved detrimental to his -country. All this Dick learnt later. He was unaware at the time that the -embassy knew of the treaty’s existence. - -Lord Farmley had replaced the document in the safe, which was a “Cham” -of the latest make, and built into the wall of his study, locked and -double-locked the steel doors, switched on the burglar alarm, and went -to bed. - -He had no occasion to go to the safe until after lunch. To all -appearances, the safe-doors had not been touched. After lunch, intending -to work again on the treaty, he put his key in the lock, to discover -that, when it turned, the wards met no resistance. He pulled at the -handle. It came away in his hand. The safe was open in the sense that it -was not locked, and the treaty, together with his notes and amendments, -had gone. - -“How did they get in?” asked Dick as the car whizzed furiously along the -country road. - -“Pantry window—butlers’ pantries were invented by a burglar-architect,” -said Elk. “It’s a real job—the finest bit of work I’ve seen in twenty -years, and there are only two men in the world who could have done it. -No finger-prints, no ugly holes blown into the safe, everything neat and -beautifully done. It’s a pleasure to see.” - -“I hope Lord Farmley has got as much satisfaction out of the workmanship -as you have,” said Dick grimly, and Elk sniffed. - -“He wasn’t laughing,” he said, “at least, not when I came away.” - -His lordship was not laughing when Elk returned. - -“This is terrible, Gordon—terrible! We’re holding a Cabinet on the -matter this evening; the Prime Minister has returned to town. This means -political ruin for me.” - -“You think the Frogs are responsible?” - -Lord Farmley’s answer was to pull open the door of the safe. On the -inside panel was a white imprint, an exact replica of that which Elk had -seen on the door of Mr. Broad’s flat. It was almost impossible for the -non-expert to discover how the safe had been opened. It was Elk who -showed the fine work that had extracted the handle and had enabled the -thieves to shatter the lock by some powerful explosive which nobody in -the house had heard. - -“They used a silencer,” said Elk. “It’s just as easy to prevent gases -escaping too quickly from a lock as it is from a gun barrel. I tell you, -there are only two men who could have done this.” - -“Who are they?” - -“Young Harry Lyme is one—he’s been dead for years. And Saul Morris is -the other—and Saul’s dead too.” - -“As the work is obviously not that of two dead men, you would be well -advised to think of a third,” said his lordship, pardonably annoyed. - -Elk shook his head slowly. - -“There must be a third, and he’s the cleverest of the lot,” he said, -speaking his thoughts aloud. “I know the lot—Wal Cormon, George the -Rat, Billy Harp, Ike Velleco, Pheeny Moore—and I’ll take an oath that -it wasn’t any of them. This is master work, my lord. It’s the work of a -great artist such as we seldom meet nowadays. And I fancy I know who he -is.” - -Lord Farmley, who had listened as patiently as he could to this -rhapsody, stalked from the library soon after, leaving the men alone. - -“Captain,” said Elk, walking after the peer and closing the door, “do -you happen to know where old Bennett was last night?” - -Elk’s tone was careless, but Dick Gordon felt the underlying -significance of the question, and for a moment, realizing all that lay -behind the question, all that it meant to the girl, who was dearer to -him than he had guessed, his breath came more quickly. - -“He was out most of the night,” he said. “Miss Bennett told me that he -went away on Friday and did not return until this morning at daybreak. -Why?” - -Elk took a paper from his pocket, unfolded it slowly and adjusted his -glasses. - -“I’ve had a man keeping tag of Bennett’s absences from home,” he said -slowly. “It was easy, because the woman who goes every morning to clean -his house has a wonderful memory. He has been away fifteen times this -past year, and every time he has gone there’s been a first-class -burglary committed somewhere!” - -Dick drew a long breath. - -“What are you suggesting?” he asked. - -“I’m suggesting,” replied Elk deliberately, “that if Bennett can’t -account for his movements on Saturday night, I’m going to pull him in. -Saul Morris I’ve never met, nor young Wal Cormon either—they were -before I did big work. But if my idea is right, Saul Morris isn’t as -dead as he ought to be. I’m going down to see Brother Bennett, and I -think perhaps I’ll be doing a bit of resurrecting!” - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - - THE MAN WHO WAS WRECKED - -JOHN BENNETT was working in his garden in the early morning when Elk -called, and the inspector came straight to the point. - -“There was a burglary committed at the residence of Lord Farmley on -Saturday night and Sunday morning. Probably between midnight and three -o’clock. The safe was blown and important documents stolen. I’m asking -you to account for your movements on Saturday night and Sunday morning.” - -Bennett looked the detective straight in the eyes. - -“I was on the London road—I walked from town. At two o’clock I was -speaking with a policeman in Dorking. At midnight I was in Kingbridge, -and again I spoke to a policeman. Both these men know me because I -frequently walk to Dorking and Kingbridge. The man at Dorking is an -amateur photographer like myself.” - -Elk considered. - -“I’ve a car here; suppose you come along and see these policemen?” he -suggested, and to his surprise Bennett agreed at once. - -At Dorking they discovered their man; he was just going off duty. - -“Yes, Inspector, I remember Mr. Bennett speaking to me. We were -discussing animal photography.” - -“You’re sure of the time?” - -“Absolutely. At two o’clock the patrol sergeant visits me, and he came -up whilst we were talking.” - -The patrol sergeant, wakened from his morning sleep, confirmed this -statement. The result of the Kingbridge inquiries produced the same -results. - -Elk ordered the driver of his car to return to Horsham. - -“I’m not going to apologize to you, Bennett,” he said, “and you know -enough about my work to appreciate my position.” - -“I’m not complaining,” said Bennett gruffly. “Duty is duty. But I’m -entitled to know why you suspect me of all men in the world.” - -Elk tapped the window of the car and it stopped. - -“Walk along the road: I can talk better,” he said. - -They got out and went some distance without speaking. - -“Bennett, you’re under suspicion for two reasons. You’re a mystery man -in the sense that nobody knows how you get a living. You haven’t an -income of your own. You haven’t an occupation, and at odd intervals you -disappear from home and nobody knows where you go. If you were a younger -man I’d suspect a double life in the usual sense. But you’re not that -kind. That is suspicious circumstance Number One. Here is Number Two. -Every time you disappear there’s a big burglary somewhere. And I’ve an -idea it’s a Frog steal. I’ll give you my theory. These Frogs are mostly -dirt. There isn’t enough brain in the whole outfit to fill an average -nut—I’m talking about the mass of ’em. There are clever men higher up, -I grant. But they don’t include the regular fellows who make a living -from crime. These boys haven’t any time for such nonsense. They plan a -job and pull it off, or they get pinched. If they make a getaway, they -divide up the stuff and sit around in cafés with girls till all the -stuff is gone, and then they go out for some more. But the Frogs are -willing to pay good men who are outside the organization for extra -work.” - -“And you suggest that I may be one of the ‘good men’?” said Bennett. - -“That’s just what I am suggesting. This Frog job at Lord Farmley’s was -done by an expert—it looks like Saul Morris.” - -His keen eyes were focused upon Bennett’s face, but not by so much as a -flicker of an eyelash did he betray his thoughts. - -“I remember Saul Morris,” said Bennett slowly. “I’ve never seen him, but -I’ve heard of his work. Was he—anything like me?” - -Elk pursed his lips, his chin went nearer to his chest, and his gaze -became more and more intensified. - -“If you know anything about Saul Morris,” he said slowly, “you also know -that he was never in the hands of the police, that nobody except his own -gang ever saw him, so as to be able to recognize him again.” - -Another silence. - -“I wasn’t aware of that,” said Bennett. - -On the way back to the car, Bennett spoke again. - -“I bear no malice. My movements are suspicious, but there is a good -reason. As to the burglaries—I know nothing about them. I should say -that in any case, whether I knew or not. I ask you not to mention this -matter to my daughter, because—well, you don’t want me to tell you -why.” - -Ella was standing at the garden gate when the car came up, and at the -sight of Elk the smile left her face. Elk knew instinctively that the -thought of her brother, and the possibility of his being in trouble, -were the causes of her apprehension. - -“Mr. Elk came down to ask me a few questions about the attack on Mr. -Gordon,” said her father briefly. - -Whatever else he was, thought Elk, he was a poor and unconvincing liar. -That the girl was not convinced, he was sure. When they were alone she -asked: - -“Is anything wrong, Mr. Elk?” - -“Nothing, miss. Just come down to refresh my memory—which was never a -good one, especially in the matter of dates. The only date I really -remember is the landing of William the Conqueror—1140 or thereabouts. -Brother gone back to town?” - -“He went last night,” she said, and then, almost defiantly: “He is in a -good position now, Mr. Elk.” - -“So they tell me,” said Elk. “I wish he wasn’t working in the same shop -as the bunch who are with him. I’m not letting him out of my sight. Miss -Bennett,” he said in a kinder tone. “Perhaps I’ll be able to slip in the -right word one of these days. He wouldn’t listen now if I said -‘get!’—he’s naturally in the condition of mind when he’s making up -press cuttings about himself. And in a way he’s right. If you don’t know -it all at twenty-one you never will. What’s that word that begins with a -‘z’?—‘zenith,’ that’s it. He’s at the zenith of his -sure-and-certainness. From now on he’ll start unloading his cargo of -dreams an’ take in ballast. But he’ll hate to hear the derricks at -work.” - -“You talk like a sailor,” she smiled in spite of her trouble. - -“I was that once,” said Elk, “the same as old man Maitland—though I’ve -never sailed with him—I guess he left the sea years before I was born. -Like him?” - -“Mr. Maitland? No!” she shivered. “I think he is a terrible man.” - -Elk did not disagree. - -To Dick Gordon that morning he confessed his error. - -“I don’t know why I jumped at Bennett,” he said. “I’m getting young! I -see the evening newspapers have got the burglary.” - -“But they do not know what was stolen,” said Dick in a low voice. “That -must be kept secret.” - -They were in the inner bureau, which Dick occupied temporarily. Two men -were at work in his larger office replacing a panel which had been -shattered by the bullet which had been fired at him on the morning Elk -came into the case, and it was symptomatic of the effect that the Frogs -had had upon headquarters that both men had almost mechanically -scrutinized the left arms of the workmen. The sight of the damaged panel -switched Elk’s thoughts to a matter which he had intended raising -before—the identity of the tramp Carlo. In spite of the precautions -Gordon had taken, and although the man was under observation, Carlo had -vanished, and the combined efforts of headquarters and the country -offices had failed to locate him. It was a sore point with Gordon, as -Elk had reason to know. - -For Carlo was the reputable “Number Seven,” the most important man in -the organization after the Frog himself. - -“I’d like to see this Carlo,” he said thoughtfully. “There’s not much -use in putting another man out on the road to follow up Genter’s work. -That system doesn’t work twice. I wonder how much Lola knows?” - -“Of the Frogs? They wouldn’t trust a woman,” said Dick. “She may work -for them, but, as you said, it is likely they bring in outsiders for -special jobs and pay them well.” - -Elk did not carry the matter any further, and spent the rest of the day -in making fruitless inquiries. Returning to his room at headquarters -that night, he sat for a long time hunched up in his chair, his hands -thrust into his trousers pockets, staring down at the blotting-pad. Then -he pressed a bell, and his clerk, Balder, came. - -“Go to Records, get me all that is known about every safe-breaker known -in this country. You needn’t worry about the German and French, but -there’s a Swede or two who are mighty clever with the lamp, and of -course there are the Americans.” - -They came after a long interval—a considerable pile of papers, -photographs and finger-prints. - -“You can go, Balder—the night man can take them back.” He settled -himself down to an enjoyable night’s reading. - -He was nearing the end of the pile when he came to the portrait of a -young man with a drooping moustache and a bush of curly hair. It was one -of those sharp positives that unromantic police officials take, and -showed whatever imperfections of skin there were. Beneath the photograph -was the name, carefully printed: “Henry John Lyme, R.V.” - -“R.V.” was the prison code. Every year from 1874 to 1899 was indicated -by a capital letter in the alphabet. Thereafter ran the small letters. -The “R” meant that Henry J. Lyme had been sentenced to penal servitude -in 1891. The “V” that he had suffered a further term of convict -imprisonment in 1895. - -Elk read the short and terrible record. Born in Guernsey in 1873, the -man had been six times convicted before he was twenty (the minor -convictions are not designated by letters in the code). In the space at -the foot of the blank in which particulars were given of his crime, were -the words: - -“Dangerous; carries firearms.” In another hand, and in the red ink which -is used to close a criminal career, was written: “Died at sea. _Channel -Queen_. Black Rock. Feb. 1, 1898.” - -Elk remembered the wreck of the Guernsey mail packet on the Black Rocks. - -He turned back the page to read particulars of the dead man’s crimes, -and the comments of those who from time to time had been brought into -official contact with him. In these scraps of description was the real -biography. “Works alone,” was one comment, and another; “No women -clue—women never seen with him.” A third scrawl was difficult to -decipher, but when Elk mastered the evil writing, he half rose from the -chair in his excitement. It was: - - “Add to body marks in general D.C.P. 14 frog tattooed left - wrist. New. J. J. M.” - -The date against which this was written was the date of the man’s last -conviction. Elk turned up the printed blank “D.C.P.14” and found it to -be a form headed “Description of Convicted Person.” The number was the -classification. There was no mention of tattooed frogs: somebody had -been careless. Word by word he read the description: - - “Henry John Lyme, _a._ Young Harry, _a._ Thomas Martin, _a._ Boy - Peace, _a._ Boy Harry (there were five lines of aliases). - Burglar (dangerous; carries firearms). Height 5 ft. 6 in. Chest - 38. Complexion fresh, eyes grey, teeth good, mouth regular, - dimple in chin. Nose straight. Hair brown, wavy, worn long. Face - round. Moustache drooping; wears side-whiskers. Feet and hands - normal. Little toe left foot amputated first joint owing to - accident, H.M. Prison, Portland. Speaks well, writes good hand. - Hobbies none. Smokes cigarettes. Poses as public official, tax - collector, sanitary inspector, gas or water man. Speaks French - and Italian fluently. Never drinks; plays cards but no gambler. - Favourite hiding place, Rome or Milan. No conviction abroad. No - relations. Excellent organizer. Immediately after crime, look - for him at good hotel in Midlands or working to Hull for the - Dutch or Scandinavian boats. Has been known to visit - Guernsey. . . .” - -Here followed the Bertillon measurements and body marks—this was in the -days before the introduction of the finger-print system. But there was -no mention of the Frog on the left wrist. Elk dropped his pen in the ink -and wrote in the missing data. Underneath he added: - -“This man may still be alive,” and signed his initials. - - - - - CHAPTER X - - - ON HARLEY TERRACE - -SO writing, the telephone buzzed, and in his unflurried way he finished -his entry and blotted it before he took up the instrument. - -“Captain Gordon wishes you to take the first taxi you can find and come -to his house—the matter is very urgent,” said a voice. “I am speaking -from Harley Terrace.” - -“All right.” Elk found his hat and umbrella, stopped long enough to -return the records to their home, and went out into the dark courtyard. - -There are two entrances to Scotland Yard: one that opens into Whitehall -and was by far the best route for him, since Whitehall is filled with -cabs; the other on to the Thames Embankment, which, in addition to -offering the longest way round, would bring him to a thoroughfare where, -at this hour of the night, taxis would be few and far between. So -engrossed was Elk with his thoughts that he was on the Embankment before -he realized where he was going. He turned toward the Houses of -Parliament into Bridge Street, found an ancient cab and gave the -address. The driver was elderly and probably a little fuddled, for, -instead of stopping at No. 273, he overshot the mark by a dozen houses, -and only stopped at all on the vitriolic representations of his fare. - -“What’s the matter with you, Noah?—this ain’t Mount Ararat!” snapped -Elk as he descended. “You’re boozed, you poor fish.” - -“Wish I was,” murmured the driver, holding out his hand for the fare. - -Elk would have argued the matter but for the urgency of the summons. -Whilst he was waiting for the driver to unbutton his many coats to find -change, he glanced back along the street. A car was standing near the -door of Dick Gordon’s house, its headlights dimmed to the least possible -degree. That in itself was not remarkable. The two men who waited on the -pavement were. They stood with their backs to the railings, one (as he -guessed) on either side of the door. To him came the soft purring of the -motor-car’s engine. He took a step back and brought the opposite -pavement into his range of vision. There were two other men, also -lounging idly, and they were exactly opposite 273. - -Elk looked round. The cab had stopped before a doctor’s house, and the -detective did not take a long time to make up his mind. - -“Wait till I come out.” - -“Don’t be long,” pleaded the aged driver. “The bars will be shut in a -quarter of an hour.” - -“Wait, Batchus,” said Elk, who had a nodding acquaintance with ancient -mythology, but only a hazy idea of pronunciation. Bacchus growled, but -waited. - -Fortunately, the doctor was at home, and to him Elk revealed his -identity. In a few seconds he was connected with Mary Lane Police -Station. - -“Elk, Central Office, speaking,” he said rapidly, and gave his code -number. “Send every man you can put your hand on, to close Harley -Terrace north and south of 273. Stop all cars from the moment you get my -signal—two long two short flashes. How soon can your men be in place?” - -“In five minutes, Mr. Elk. The night reliefs are parading, and I have a -couple of motor-trucks here—just pinched the drivers for being drunk.” - -He replaced the receiver and went into the hall. - -“Anything wrong?” asked the startled doctor as Elk slid back the jacket -of his automatic and pushed the safety catch into place. - -“I hope so, sir,” said Elk truthfully. “If I’ve turned out the division -because a few innocent fellows are leaning against the railings of -Harley Terrace, I’m going to get myself into trouble.” - -He waited five minutes, then opened the door and went out. The men were -still in their positions, and as he stood there two motor-trucks drove -into the thoroughfare from either end, turned broadside in the middle of -the road and stopped. - -Elk’s pocket lamp flashed to left and right, and he jumped for the -pavement. - -And now he saw that his suspicions were justified. The men on the -opposite pavement came across the road at the double, and leapt to the -running-board of the car with the dim lights as it moved. Simultaneously -the two who had been guarding the entrance of 273 sprang into the -machine. But the fugitives were too late. The car swerved to avoid the -blocking motor-truck, but even as it turned, the truck ran backwards. -There was a crash, a sound of splintering glass, and by the time Elk -arrived, the five occupants of the car were in the hands of the -uniformed policemen who swarmed at the end of the street. - -The prisoners accepted their capture without resistance. One (the -chauffeur) who tried to throw away a revolver unobtrusively, was -detected in the act and handcuffed, but the remainder gave no trouble. - -At the police-station Elk had a view of his prisoners. Four very fine -specimens of the genus tramp, wearing their new ready-to-wear suits -awkwardly. The fifth, who gave a Russian name, and was obviously the -driver, a little man with small, sharp eyes that glanced uneasily from -face to face. - -Two of the prisoners carried loaded revolvers; in the car they found -four walking-sticks heavily weighted. - -“Take off your coats and roll up your sleeves,” commanded the inspector. - -“You needn’t trouble, Elk.” It was the little chauffeur speaking. “All -us boys are good Frogs.” - -“There ain’t any good Frogs,” said Elk. “There’s only bad Frogs and -worse Frogs and the worst Frog of all. But we won’t argue. Let these men -into their cells, sergeant, and keep them separate. I’ll take Litnov to -headquarters.” - -The chauffeur looked uneasily from Elk to the station sergeant. - -“What’s the great idea?” he asked. “You’re not allowed to use the third -degree in England.” - -“The law has been altered,” said Elk ominously, and re-snapped the -handcuffs on the man’s wrists. - -The law had not been altered, but this the little Russian did not know. -Throughout the journey to headquarters he communed with himself, and -when he was pushed into Elk’s bare-looking room, he was prepared to -talk. . . . - -Dick was waiting for the detective when he came back to Harley Terrace, -and heard the story. - -“I never dreamt that it was a plant until I spotted the lads waiting for -me,” said Elk. “Of course you didn’t telephone; they caught me napping -there. Thorough! The Frogs are all that! They expected me to leave -headquarters by the Whitehall entrance, and had a taxi waiting to pick -me up, but in case they missed me that way, they told off a party to -meet me in Harley Terrace. Thorough!” - -“Who gave them their orders?” - -Elk shrugged. - -“Mr. Nobody. Litnov had his by post. It was signed ‘Seven,’ and gave him -the rendezvous, and that was all. He says he has never seen a Frog since -he was initiated. Where he was sworn in he doesn’t remember. The car -belongs to Frogs, and he receives so much a week for looking after it. -Ordinarily he is employed by Heron’s Club—drives a truck for them. He -tells me that there are twenty other cars cached in London somewhere, -just standing in their garages, and each has its own driver, who goes -once a week to give it a clean up.” - -“Heron’s Club—that is the dance club which Lola and Lew Brady are -interested in!” said Dick thoughtfully, and Elk considered. - -“I never thought of that. Of course, it doesn’t mean that the management -of Heron’s know anything about Litnov’s evening work. I’ll look up that -club.” - -He was saved the trouble, for the next morning, when he reached the -office, he found a man waiting to see him. - -“I’m Mr. Hagn, the manager of the Heron’s Club,” he introduced himself. -“I understand one of my men has been in trouble.” - -Hagn was a tall, good-looking Swede who spoke without any trace of a -foreign accent. - -“How have you heard that, Mr. Hagn?” asked Elk suspiciously. “The man -has been under lock and key since last night, and he hasn’t held any -communication with anybody.” - -Mr. Hagn smiled. - -“You can’t arrest people and take them to a police-station without -somebody knowing all about it,” he said with truth. “One of my waiters -saw Litnov being taken to Mary Lane handcuffed, and as Litnov hasn’t -reported for duty this morning, there was only one conclusion to be -drawn. What is the trouble, Mr. Elk?” - -Elk shook his head. - -“I can’t give you any information on the matter,” he said. - -“Can I see him?” - -“You can’t even see him,” said Elk. “He has slept well, and sends his -love to all kind friends.” - -Mr. Hagn seemed distressed. - -“Is it possible to discover where he put the key of the coal cellar?” he -urged. “This is rather important to me. This man usually keeps it.” - -The detective hesitated. - -“I can find out,” he said, and, leaving Mr. Hagn under the watchful eyes -of his secretary, he crossed the yard to the cells where the Russian was -held. - -Litnov rose from his plank bed as the cell door opened. - -“Friend of yours called,” said Elk. “Wants to know where you put the key -of the coal cellar.” - -It was only the merest flicker of light and understanding that came to -the little man’s eyes, but Elk saw it. - -“Tell him I believe I left it with the Wandsworth man,” he said. - -“Um!” said Elk, and went back to the waiting Hagn. - -“He said he left it in the Pentonville Road,” said Elk untruthfully, but -Mr. Hagn seemed satisfied. - -Returning to the cells, Elk saw the gaoler. - -“Has this man asked you where he was to be taken from here?” - -“Yes, sir,” said the officer. “I told him he was going to Wandsworth -Prison—we usually tell prisoners where they are going on remand, in -case they wish to let their relatives know.” - -Elk had guessed right. The inquiry about the key was prearranged. A -telephone message to Mary Lane, where the remainder of the gang were -held, produced the curious information that a woman, reputedly the wife -of one of the men, had called that morning, and, on being refused an -interview, begged for news about the missing key of the coal cellar, and -had been told that it was in the possession of “the Brixton man.” - -“The men are to be remitted to Wormwood Scrubbs Prison, and they are not -to be told where they are going,” ordered Elk. - -That afternoon a horse-driven prison-van drew out of Cannon Row and -rumbled along Whitehall. At the juncture of St. Martin’s Lane and -Shaftesbury Avenue, a carelessly-driven motor lorry smashed into its -side, slicing off the near wheel. Instantly there came from nowhere a -crowd of remarkable appearance. It seemed as if all the tramps in the -world had been lying in wait to crowd about the crippled van. The door -was wrenched open, and the gaoler on duty hauled forth. Before he could -be handled, the van disgorged twenty Central Office men, and from the -side streets came a score of mounted policemen, clubs in hand. The riot -lasted less then three minutes. Some of the wild-looking men succeeded -in making their escape, but the majority, chained in twos, went, meekly -enough, between their mounted escorts. - -Dick Gordon, who was also something of an organizer, watched the fight -from the top of an omnibus, which, laden with policemen, had shadowed -the van. He joined Elk after the excitement had subsided. - -“Have you arrested anybody of importance?” he asked. - -“It’s too early to say,” said Elk. “They look like ordinary tadpoles to -me. I guess Litnov is in Wandsworth by now—I sent him in a closed -police car before the van left.” - -Arrived at Scotland Yard, he paraded the Frogs in two open ranks, -watched, at a distance, by the curious crowd which packed both -entrances. One by one he examined their wrists, and in every case the -tattoo mark was present. - -He finished his scrutiny at last, and his captives were herded into an -inner yard under an armed guard. - -“One man wants to speak to you, sir.” - -The last file had disappeared when the officer in charge reported, and -Elk exchanged a glance with his chief. - -“See him,” said Dick. “We can’t afford to miss any information.” - -A policeman brought the Frog to them—a tall man with a week’s growth of -beard, poorly dressed and grimy. His battered hat was pulled down over -his eyes, his powerful wrists visible beneath the sleeves of a jacket -that was made for a smaller man. - -“Well, Frog?” said Elk, glowering at him. “What’s your croak?” - -“Croak is a good word,” said the man, and at the sound of his voice Elk -stared. “You don’t think that old police car of yours is going to reach -Wandsworth, do you?” - -“Who are you?” asked Elk, peering forward. - -“They want Litnov badly,” said the Frog. “They want to settle with him, -and if the poor fish thinks it’s brotherly love that makes old man Frog -go to all this trouble, he’s reserved a big jar for himself.” - -“Broad! What . . . !” - -The American licked his finger and wiped away the frog from his wrist. - -“I’ll explain after, Mr. Elk, but take a friend’s advice and call up -Wandsworth.” - -Elk’s telephone was buzzing furiously when he reached his office. - -It was Wandsworth station calling. - -“Your police car was held up on the Common, two of your men were -wounded, and the prisoner was shot dead,” was the report. - -“Thank you!” said Elk bitterly. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - - - MR. BROAD EXPLAINS - -DETAINED under police supervision, Mr. Broad did not seem in any way -surprised or disconcerted. Dick Gordon and his assistant reached -Wandsworth Common ten minutes after the news came through, and found the -wreckage of the police car surrounded by a large crowd, kept at a -distance by police. - -The dead prisoner had been taken into the prison, together with one of -the attackers, who had been captured by a party of warders, returning to -the gaol after their luncheon hour. - -A brief examination of Litnov told them no more than they knew. He had -been shot through the heart, and death, must have been instantaneous. - -The prisoner, brought from a cell, was a man of thirty and better -educated than the average run of Frogs. No weapon had been found upon -him and he protested his innocence of any complicity in the plot. -According to his story, he was an out-of-work clerk who had been -strolling across the Common when the ambush occurred. He had seen the -fight, seen the second motor-car which carried the attackers away, and -had been arrested whilst running in pursuit of the murderers. - -His captors told a different story. The warder responsible for his -arrest said that the man was on the point of boarding the car when the -officer had thrown his truncheon at him and brought him down. The car -was moving at the time, and the remainder of the party had not dared to -stop and pick up their comrade. Most damning evidence of all was the -tattoo mark on his wrist. - -“Frog, you’re a dead man,” said Elk in his most sepulchral voice. “Where -did you live when you were alive?” - -The captive confessed that his home was in North London. - -“North Londoners don’t come to Wandsworth to walk on the Common,” said -Elk. - -He had a conference with the chief warder, and, taking the prisoner into -the courtyard, Elk spoke his mind. - -“What happens to you if you spill the beans, Frog?” he asked. - -The man showed his teeth in an unpleasant smile. - -“The beans aren’t grown that I can spill,” he said. - -Elk looked around. The courtyard was a small, stone-paved quadrangle, -surrounded by high, discoloured walls. Against one of these was a little -shed with grey sliding doors. - -“Come here,” said Elk. - -He took the key that the chief warder had given him, unlocked the doors -and slid them back. They were looking into a bare, clean apartment with -whitewashed walls. Across the ceiling ran two stout oak beams, and -between them three stubby steel bars. - -The prisoner frowned as Elk walked to a long steel lever near one of the -walls. - -“Watch, Frog!” he said. - -He pulled at the lever, and the centre of the floor divided and fell -with a crash, revealing a deep, brick-lined pit. - -“See that trap . . . see that ‘T’ mark in chalk? That’s where a man puts -his feet when the hangman straps his legs. The rope hangs from that -beam, Frog!” - -The man’s face was livid as he shrank back. - -“You . . . can’t . . . hang—me,” he breathed. “I’ve done nothing!” - -“You’ve killed a man,” said Elk as he pulled the doors to and locked -them. “You’re the only fellow we’ve got, and you’ll have to suffer for -the lot. Are them beans growin’?” - -The prisoner raised his shaking hand to his lips. - -“I’ll tell you all I know,” he said huskily. - -Elk led him back to his cell. - -An hour later, Dick was speeding back to his headquarters with -considerable information. His first act was to send for Joshua Broad, -and the eagle-faced “tramp” came cheerfully. - -“Now, Mr. Broad, I’ll have your story,” said Dick, and motioned the -other to be seated. - -Joshua seated himself slowly. - -“There’s nothing much to tell,” he said. “For a week I’ve been getting -acquainted with the Frogs. I guessed that it was unlikely that the bulk -of them would be unknown to one another, and I just froze on to the -first I found. Met him in a Deptford lodging-house. Then I heard there -was a hurry-up call for a big job to-day and joined. The Frogs knew that -the real attack might be somewhere else, and on the way to Scotland Yard -I heard that a party had been told off to watch for Litnov at -Wandsworth.” - -“Did you see any of the big men?” - -Broad shook his head. - -“They looked all alike, but undoubtedly there were two or three section -leaders in charge. There was never any question of rescuing. They were -out to kill. They knew that Litnov had told all that he knew, and he was -doomed—they got him, I suppose?” - -“Yes—they got him!” said Dick, and then: “What is your interest in the -Frogs?” - -“Purely adventitious,” replied the other lazily. “I’m a rich man with a -whole lot of time on my hands, and I have a big interest in criminology. -A few years ago I heard about the Frogs, and they seized on my -imagination. Since then I’ve been trailing them.” - -His gaze did not waver under Dick Gordon’s scrutiny. - -“Now will you tell me,” said Dick quietly, “how you became a rich man? -In the latter days of the war you arrived in this country on a -cattle-boat—with about twenty dollars in your pocket. You told Elk you -had arrived by that method, and you spoke the truth. I’ve been almost as -much interested in you as you have been in the Frogs,” he said with a -half-smile, “and I have been putting through a few inquiries. You came -to England 1917 and deserted your ship. In May, 1917, you negotiated for -the hire of an old tumbledown shack near Eastleigh, Hampshire. There you -lived, patching up this crazy cottage and living, so far as I can -discover, on the few dollars you brought from the ship. Then suddenly -you disappeared, and were next seen in Paris on Christmas Eve of that -year. You were conspicuous in rescuing a family that had been buried in -a house bombed in an air raid, and your name was taken by the police -with the idea of giving you some reward. The French police report is -that you were ‘very poorly dressed’—they thought you might be a -deserter from the American Army. Yet in February you were staying at the -Hôtel de Paris in Monte Carlo, with plenty of money and an extensive -wardrobe!” - -Joshua Broad sat through the recital unmoved, except for the ghost of a -smile which showed at the corner of his unshaven mouth. - -“Surely, Captain, Monte Carlo is the place where a man _would_ have -money?” - -“If he brought it there,” said Dick, and went on: “I’m not suggesting -that you are a bad character, or that your money came in any other way -than honestly. I merely state the facts that your sudden rise from -poverty to riches was, to say the least, remarkable.” - -“It surely was,” agreed the other; “and, judging by appearances, my -change from riches to poverty is as sudden.” - -Dick looked at the dirty-looking tramp who sat on the other side of the -table and laughed silently. - -“You mean, if it is possible for you to masquerade now, it was possible -then, and that, even though you were apparently broke in 1917, you might -very well have been a rich man?” - -“Exactly,” said Mr. Joshua Broad. - -Gordon was serious again. - -“I would prefer that you remained your more presentable self,” he said. -“I hate telling an American that I may have to deport him, because that -sounds as if it is a punishment to return to the United States. But I -may find myself with no other alternative.” - -Joshua Broad rose. - -“That, Captain Gordon, is too broad for a hint and too kindly for a -threat—henceforth, Joshua Broad is a respectable member of society. -Maybe I’ll take the Prince of Caux’s house and entertain bims and be a -modern Harun al Raschid. I’ve got to meet them somehow.” - -At the mention of that show house that had cost a king’s ransom to build -and a queen’s dowry to furnish, Dick smiled. - -“It isn’t necessary you should advertise your respectability that way,” -he said. But Broad was not smiling. - -“The only thing I ask is that you do not advise the police to withdraw -my permits,” he said. - -Dick’s eyebrows rose. - -“Permits?” - -“I carry two guns, and the time is coming when two won’t be enough,” -said Mr. Broad. “And it is coming soon.” - - - - - CHAPTER XII - - - THE EMBELLISHMENT OF MR. MAITLAND - -THERE was a concert that night at the Queen’s Hall, and the spacious -auditorium was crowded to hear the summer recital of a great violinist. -Dick Gordon, in the midst of an evening’s work, remembered that he had -reserved a seat. He felt fagged, baffled, inclined to hopelessness. A -note from Lord Farmley had come to him, urging instant action to recover -the lost commercial treaty. It was such a letter as a man, himself -worried, would write without realizing that in so doing he was passing -on his panic to those who it was very necessary should not be stampeded -into precipitate action. It was a human letter, but not statesmanlike. -Dick decided upon the concert. - -He had finished dressing when he remembered that it was more than likely -that the omniscient Frogs would know of his reservation. He must take -the risk, if risk there was. He ’phoned to the garage where his own -machine was housed and hired a closed car, and in ten minutes was one of -two thousand people who were listening, entranced, to the master. In the -interval he strolled out to the lobby to smoke, and almost the first -person he saw was a Central Office man who avoided his eye. Another -detective stood by the stairway leading to the bar, a third was smoking -on the steps of the hall outside. But the sensation of the evening was -not this evidence of Elk’s foresight. The warning bell had sounded, and -Dick was in the act of throwing away his cigarette, when a magnificent -limousine drew up before the building, a smart footman alighted to open -the door, and there stepped heavily to the pavement—Mr. Ezra Maitland! - -Dick heard a gasp behind him, and turned his head to see Elk in the one -and only dress suit he had ever possessed. - -“Mother of Moses!” he said in an awed voice. - -And there was reason for his astonishment. Not only was Mr. Maitland’s -equipage worthy of a reigning monarch, with its silver fittings, -lacquered body and expensively uniformed servants, but the old man was -wearing a dress suit of the latest fashion. His beard had been shortened -a few inches, and across the spotless white waistcoat was stretched a -heavy gold chain. On his hand many rings blazed and flashed in the light -of the street standard. There was a camellia in his perfect lapel, and -on his head the glossiest of silk hats. Leaning on a stick of ebony and -ivory, he strutted across the pavement. - -“Silk socks . . . patent leather shoes. My God! Look at his _rings_,” -hissed Elk. - -His profanity was almost excusable. The vision of splendour passed -through the doors into the hall. - -“He’s gone gay!” said Elk hollowly, and followed like a man in a dream. - -From where he was placed, Dick had a good view of the millionaire. He -sat throughout the second part of the programme with closed eyes, and so -slow was he to start applauding after each item, that Dick was certain -that he had been asleep and the clapping had awakened him. - -Once he detected the old man stifling a yawn in the very midst of the -second movement of Elgar’s violin concerto, which held the audience -spellbound by its delicate beauty. With his big hands, now enshrined in -white kid gloves, crossed on his stomach, the head of Mr. Maitland -nodded and jerked. - -When at last the concert was over, he looked round fearfully, as though -to make absolutely certain that it _was_ over, then rose and made his -way out of the hall, his silk hat held clumsily in his hand. - -A manager came in haste to meet him. - -“I hope, Mr. Maitland, you enjoyed yourself?” Dick heard him say. - -“Very pooty—very pooty,” replied Maitland hoarsely. “That fiddler ought -to play a few toons, though—nothing like a hornpipe on a fiddle.” - -The manager looked after him open-mouthed, then hurried out to help the -old man into his car. - -“Gay—he’s gay!” said Elk, as bewildered as the manager. “Jumping -snakes! Who was that?” - -He addressed the unnecessary question to the manager, who had returned -from his duty. - -“That is Maitland, the millionaire, Mr. Elk,” said the other. “First -time we’ve had him here, but now that he’s come to live in town——” - -“Where is he living?” asked Elk. - -“He has taken the Prince of Caux’s house in Berkeley Square,” said the -manager. - -Elk blinked at him. - -“Say that again?” - -“He has taken the Prince of Caux’s house,” said the manager. “And what -is more, has bought it—the agent told me this afternoon.” - -Elk was incapable of comment, and the manager continued his surprising -narrative. - -“I don’t think he knows much about music, but he has booked seats for -every big musical event next season—his secretary came in this -afternoon. He seemed a bit dazed.” - -Poor Johnson! thought Dick. - -“He wanted me to fix dancing lessons for the old boy——” - -Elk clapped his hand to his mouth—he had an insane desire to scream. - -“And as a matter of fact, I fixed them. He’s a bit old, but Socrates or -somebody learnt Greek at eighty, and maybe Mr. Maitland’s regretting the -wasted years of his life. I admit it is a bit late to start night -clubs——” - -Elk laid a chiding hand upon the managerial shoulder. - -“You certainly deceived me, brother,” he said. “And here was I, drinking -it all in, and you with a face as serious as the dial of a poorhouse -clock! You’ve put it all over Elk, and I’m man enough to admit you -fooled me.” - -“I don’t think our friend is trying to fool you,” said Dick quietly. -“You really mean what you say—old Maitland has started dancing and -night clubs?” - -“Certainly!” said the other. “He hasn’t started dancing, but that is -where he has gone to-night—to the Heron’s. I heard him tell the -chauffeur.” - -It was incredible, but a little amusing—most amusing of all to see -Elk’s face. - -The detective was frankly dumbfounded by the news. - -“Heron’s is my idea of a good finish to a happy evening,” said Elk at -last, drawing a long breath. He beckoned one of his escort. “How many -man do you want to cover Heron’s Club?” he asked. - -“Six,” was the prompt reply. “Ten to raid it, and twenty for a rough -house.” - -“Get thirty!” said Elk emphatically. - -Heron’s from the exterior was an unpretentious building. But once under -the curtained doors, and the character of its exterior was forgotten. A -luxurious lounge, softly lit and heavily carpeted, led to the large -saloon, which was at once restaurant and dance-hall. - -Dick stood in the doorway awaiting the arrival of the manager, and -admired the richness and subtle suggestion of cosiness which the room -conveyed. The tables were set about an oblong square of polished -flooring; from a gallery at the far end came the strain of a coloured -orchestra; and on the floor itself a dozen couples swayed and glided in -rhythm to the staccato melody. - -“Gilded vice,” said Elk disparagingly. “A regular haunt of sin and -self-indulgence. I wonder what they charge for the food—there’s -Mathusalem.” - -“Mathusalem” was sitting, a conspicuous figure, at the most prominent -table in the room. His polished head glistened in the light from the -crystal candelabras, and in the shadow that it cast, his patriarchal -beard so melted into the white of his snowy shirt front that for a -moment Dick did not recognize him. - -Before him was set a large glass mug filled with beer. - -“He’s human anyway,” said Elk. - -Hagn came at that moment, smiling, affable, willing to oblige. - -“This is an unexpected pleasure, Captain,” he said. “You want me to pass -you in? Gentlemen, there is no necessity! Every police officer of rank -is an honorary member of the club.” - -He bustled in, threading his way between the tables, and found them a -vacant sofa in one of the alcoves. There were revellers whose faces -showed alarm at the arrival of the new guests—one at least stole forth -and did not come back. - -“We have many notable people here to-night,” said Hagn, rubbing his -hands. “There are Lord and Lady Belfin” . . . he mentioned others; “and -that gentleman with the beard is the great Maitland . . . his secretary -is here somewhere. Poor gentleman, I fear he is not happy. But I invited -him myself—it is sometimes desirable that we should elect the . . . -what shall I say? . . . higher servants of important people?” - -“Johnson?” asked Dick in surprise. “Where?” - -Presently he saw that plump and philosophical man. He sat in a remote -corner, looking awkward and miserable in his old-fashioned dress -clothes. Before him was a glass which, Dick guessed, contained an orange -squash. - -A solemn, frightened figure he made, sitting on the edge of his chair, -his big red hands resting on the table. Dick Gordon laughed softly and -whispered to Elk: - -“Go and get him!” - -Elk, who was never self-conscious, walked through the dancers and -reached Mr. Johnson, who looked up startled and shook hands with the -vigour of one rescued from a desert island. - -“It was good of you to ask me to come over,” said Johnson, as he greeted -Dick. “This is new to me, and I’m feeling about as much at home as a -chicken in a pie.” - -“Your first visit?” - -“And my last,” said Johnson emphatically. “This isn’t the kind of life -that I care for. It interferes with my reading, and it—well, it’s sad.” - -His eyes were fixed on a noisy little party in the opposite alcove. -Gordon had seen them almost as soon as he had sat down. Ray, in his most -hectic mood, Lola Bassano, beautifully and daringly gowned, and the -heavy-looking ex-pugilist, Lew Brady. - -Presently, with a sigh, Johnson’s eyes roved toward the old man and -remained fixed on him, fascinated. - -“Isn’t it a miracle?” he asked in a hushed voice. “He changes his habits -in a day! Bought the house in Berkeley Square, called in an army of -tailors, sent me rushing round to fix theatre seats, bought jewellery -. . .” - -He shook his head. - -“I can’t understand it,” he confessed, “because it has made no -difference to him in the office. He’s the same old hog. He wanted me to -become his resident secretary, but I struck at that. I must have some -sort of life worth living. What scares me is that he may fire me if I -don’t agree. He’s been very unpleasant this week. I wonder if Ray has -seen him?” - -Ray Bennett had not seen his late employer. He was too completely -engrossed in the joy of being with Lola, too inspired and stimulated -from more material sources, to take an interest in anything but himself -and the immediate object of his affections. - -“You are making a fool of yourself, Ray. Everybody is looking at you,” -warned Lola. - -He glanced round, and for the first time began to notice who was in the -room. Presently his eyes fell upon the shining pate of Mr. Maitland, and -his jaw dropped. He could not believe the evidence of his vision, and, -rising, walked unsteadily across the floor, shouldering the other -guests, stumbling against chairs and tables, until he stood by the table -of his late employer. - -“Gosh!” he gasped. “It _is_ you!” - -The old man raised his eyes slowly from the cloth which he had been -contemplating steadily for ten minutes, and his steely eyes met the gaze -steadily. - -“You hoary old sinner!” breathed Ray. - -“Go away,” snarled Mr. Maitland. - -“‘Go away,’ is it? I’m going to talk to you and give you a few words of -advice and warning, Moses!” - -Ray sat down suddenly in a chair, and faced his glaring victim with -drunken solemnity. His words of warning remained unuttered. Somebody -gripped his arm and jerked him to his feet, and he looked into the dark -face of Lew Brady. - -“Here, what——” he began. But Brady led him and pushed him back to his -own table. - -“You fool!” he hissed. “Why do you want to advertise yourself in this -way? You’re a hell of a Secret Service man!” - -“I don’t want any of that stuff from you,” said Ray roughly as he jerked -his arm free. - -“Sit down, Ray,” said Lola in a low voice. “Half Scotland Yard is in the -club, watching you.” - -He followed the direction of her eyes and saw Dick Gordon regarding him -gravely, and the sight and knowledge of that surveillance maddened him. -Leaping to his feet, he crossed the room to where they sat. - -“Looking for me?” he asked loudly. “Want me for anything?” - -Dick shook his head. - -“You damned police spy!” stormed the youth, white with unreasoning -passion. “Bringing your bloodhounds after me! What are you doing with -this gang, Johnson? Are you turned policeman too?” - -“My dear Ray,” murmured Johnson. - -“My dear Ray!” sneered the other. “You’re jealous, you poor -worm—jealous because I’ve got away from the bloodsucker’s clutches! As -to you”—he waved a threatening finger in Dick’s face—“you leave me -alone—see? You’ve got a whole lot of work to do without carrying tales -to my sister.” - -“I think you had better go back to your friends,” said Dick coolly. “Or, -better still, go home and sleep.” - -All this had occurred between the dances, and now the band struck up, -but if the attention of the crowded clubroom was in no wise relaxed, -there was this change, that Ray’s high voice now did not rise above the -efforts of the trap drummer. - -Dick looked round for the watchful Hagn. He knew that the manager, or -one of the officials of the club, would interfere instantly. It was not -Hagn, but a head waiter, who came up and pushed the young man back. - -So intent was everybody on that little scene that followed, in the -spectacle of that flushed youth struggling against the steady pressure -which the head waiter and his fellows asserted, that nobody saw the man -who for a while stood in the doorway surveying the scene, before pushing -aside the attendants he strode into the centre of the room. - -Ray, looking round, was almost sobered by the sight of his father. - -The rugged, grey-haired man, in his worn, tweed suit, made a striking -contrast to that gaily-dressed throng. He stood, his hands behind him, -his face white and set, surveying his son, and the boy’s eyes dropped -before him. - -“I want you, Ray,” he said simply. - -The floor was deserted; the music ceased, as though the leader of the -orchestra had been signalled that something was wrong. - -“Come back with me to Horsham, boy.” - -“I’m not going,” said Ray sullenly. - -“He is not with you, Mr. Gordon?” - -Dick shook his head, and at this intervention the fury of Ray Bennett -flamed again. - -“With him!” he said scornfully. “Would I be with a sneaking policeman?” - -“Go with your father, Ray.” It was Johnson’s urgent advice, and his hand -lay for a second on the boy’s shoulder. - -Ray shook him off. - -“I’ll stay here,” he said, and his voice was loud and defiant. “I’m not -a baby, that I can’t be trusted out alone. You’ve no right to come here, -making me look a fool.” He glowered at his father. “You’ve kept me down -all these years, denied me money that I ought to have had—and who are -you that you should pretend to be shocked because I’m in a decent club, -wearing decent clothes? I’m straight: can you say the same? If I wasn’t -straight, could you blame me? You’re not going to put any of that kind -father stuff over——” - -“Come away.” John Bennett’s voice was hoarse. - -“I’m staying here,” said Ray violently. “And in future you can leave me -alone. The break had to come some time, and it might as well come now.” - -They stood facing one another, father and son, and in the tired eyes of -John Bennett was a look of infinite sadness. - -“You’re a silly boy, Ray. Perhaps I haven’t done all I could——” - -“Perhaps!” sneered the other. “Why, you know it! You get out!” - -And then, as he turned his head, he saw the suppressed smiles on the -face of the audience, and the hurt to his vanity drove him mad. - -“Come,” said John gently, and laid his hand on the boy’s arm. - -With a roar of fury Ray broke loose . . . in a second the thing was -done. The blow that struck John Bennett staggered him, but he did not -fall. - -And then, through the guests who thronged about the two, came Ella. She -realized instantly what had happened. Elk had slipped from his seat and -was standing behind the boy, ready to pin him if he raised his hand -again. But Ray Bennett stood, frozen with horror, speechless, incapable -of movement. - -“Father!” The white-faced girl whispered the word. - -The head of John Bennett dropped, and he suffered himself to be led -away. - -Dick Gordon wanted to follow and comfort, but he saw Johnson going after -them and went back to his table. Again the music started, and they took -Ray Bennett back to his table, where he sat, head on hand, till Lola -signalled a waiter to bring more wine. - -“There are times,” said Elk, “when the prodigal son and the fatted calf -look so like one another that you can’t tell ’em apart.” - -Dick said nothing, but his heart bled for the mystery man of Horsham. -For he had seen in John Bennett’s face the agony of the damned. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - - - A RAID ON ELDOR STREET - -JOHNSON did not come back, and in many respects the two men were glad. -Elk had been on the point of telling the secretary to clear, and he -hoped that Mr. Maitland would follow his example. As if reading his -thoughts, the old man rose soon after the room had quietened down. He -had sat through the scene which had followed Ray’s meeting with his -father, and had apparently displayed not the slightest interest in the -proceedings. It was as though his mind were so far away that he could -not bring himself to a realization of actualities. - -“He’s going, and he hasn’t paid his bill,” whispered Elk. - -In spite of his remissness, the aged millionaire was escorted to the -door by the three chief waiters, his top-coat, silk hat and -walking-stick were brought to him, and he was out of Dick Gordon’s sight -before the bowing servants had straightened themselves. - -Elk looked at his watch: it wanted five minutes of one. Hagn had not -returned—a circumstance which irritated the detective and was a source -of uneasiness to Dick Gordon. The merriment again worked up to its -highest point, when the two men rose from the table and strolled toward -the door. A waiter came after them hurriedly. - -“Monsieur has not paid his bill.” - -“We will pay that later,” said Dick, and at that moment the hands of the -clock pointed to the hour. - -Precisely five minutes later the club was in the hands of the police. By -1.15 it was empty, save for the thirty raiding detectives and the staff. - -“Where is Hagn?” Dick asked the chief waiter. - -“He has gone home, monsieur,” said the man sullenly. “He always goes -home early.” - -“That’s a lie,” said Elk. “Show me to his room.” - -Hagn’s office was in the basement, a part of the old mission hall that -had remained untouched. They were shown to a large, windowless cubicle, -comfortably furnished, which was Hagn’s private bureau, but the man had -disappeared. Whilst his subordinates were searching for the books and -examining, sheet by sheet, the documents in the clerk’s office, Elk made -an examination of the room. In one corner was a small safe, upon which -he put the police seal; and lying on a sofa in some disorder was a suit -of clothes, evidently discarded in a hurry. Elk looked at them, carried -them under the ceiling light, and examined them. It was the suit Hagn -had been wearing when he had shown them to their seats. - -“Bring in that head waiter,” said Elk. - -The head waiter either wouldn’t or couldn’t give information. - -“Mr. Hagn always changes his clothes before he goes home,” he said. - -“Why did he go before the club was closed?” - -The man shrugged his shoulders. - -“I don’t know anything about his private affairs,” he said, and Elk -dismissed him. - -Against the wall was a dressing-table and a mirror, and on each side of -the mirror stood a small table-lamp, which differed from other -table-lamps in that it was not shaded. Elk turned the switch, and in the -glaring light scrutinized the table. Presently he found two wisps of -hair, and held them against the sleeve of his black coat. In the drawer -he found a small bottle of spirit gum, and examined the brush. Then he -picked up a little wastepaper basket and turned its contents upon the -table. He found a few torn bills, business letters, a tradesman’s -advertisement, three charred cigarette ends, and some odd scraps of -paper. One of these was covered with gum and stuck together. - -“I reckon he wiped the brush on this,” said Elk, and with some -difficulty pulled the folded slip apart. - -It was typewritten, and consisted of three lines: - - “Urgent. See Seven at E.S.2. No raid. Get M.’s - statement. Urgent. F.1.” - -Dick took the paper from his subordinate’s hand and read it. - -“He’s wrong about the no raid,” he said. “E. S., of course, is Eldor -Street, and two is either the number two or two o’clock.” - -“Who’s ‘M.’?” asked Elk, frowning. - -“Obviously Mills—the man we caught at Wandsworth. He made a written -statement, didn’t he?” - -“He has signed one,” said Elk thoughtfully. - -He turned the papers over, and after a while found what he was looking -for—a small envelope. It was addressed in typewritten characters to “G. -V. Hagn,” and bore on the back the stamp of the District Messenger -service. - -The staff were still held by the police, and Elk sent for the -doorkeeper. - -“What time was this delivered?” he asked. - -The man was an ex-soldier, the only one of the prisoners who seemed to -feel his position. - -“It came at about nine o’clock, sir,” he said readily, and produced the -letter-book in confirmation. “It was brought by a District Messenger -boy,” he explained unnecessarily. - -“Does Mr. Hagn get many notes by District Messenger?” - -“Very few, sir,” said the doorkeeper, and added an anxious inquiry as to -his own fate. - -“You can go,” said Elk. “Under escort,” he added, “to your own home. -You’re not to communicate with anybody, or tell any of the servants here -that I have made inquiries about this letter. Do you understand?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -To make assurance doubly sure, Elk had called up exchange and placed a -ban upon all ’phone communications. It was now a quarter to two, and, -leaving half-a-dozen detectives in charge of the club, he got the -remainder on to the car that had brought them, and, accompanied by Dick, -went full speed for Tottenham. - -Within a hundred yards of Eldor Street the car stopped and unloaded. The -first essential was that whoever was meeting No. 7 in Eldor Street -should not be warned of their approach. It was more than possible that -Frog scouts would be watching at each end of the street. - -“I don’t know why they should,” said Elk, when Dick put this possibility -forward. - -“I can give you one very excellent reason,” said Dick quietly. “It is -this: that the Frogs know all about your previous visit to Maitland’s -slum residence.” - -“What makes you think that?” asked Elk in surprise, but Dick did not -enlighten him. - -Sending the men round by circuitous routes, he went forward with Elk, -and at the very corner of Eldor Street, Elk found that his chief’s -surmise was well founded. Under a lamp-post Elk saw the dim figure of a -man standing, and instantly began an animated and raucous conversation -concerning a mythical Mr. Brown. Realizing that this was intended for -the watcher, Gordon joined in. The man under the lamp-post hesitated -just a little too long. As they came abreast of him, Elk turned. - -“Have you got a match?” he asked. - -“No,” growled the other, and the next instant was on the ground, with -Elk’s knee on his chest and the detective’s bony hand around his throat. - -“Shout, Frog, and I’ll throttle you,” hissed the detective ferociously. - -There was no scuffle, no sound. The thing was done so quickly that, if -there were other watchers in the street, they could not have known what -had happened, or have received any warning from their comrade’s fate. -The man was in the hands of the following detective, gagged and -handcuffed, and on his way to the police car, before he knew exactly -what tornado had struck him. - -“Do you mind if I sing?” said Elk as they turned into the street on the -opposite side to that where Mr. Maitland’s late residence was situated. - -Without waiting permission Elk broke into song. His voice was thin and -flat. As a singer, he was a miserable failure, and Dick Gordon had never -in his life listened with so much patience to sounds more hideous. But -there would be watchers at each end of the street, he thought, and soon -saw that Elk’s precautions were necessary. - -Again it was in the shadow of a street-lamp that the sentinel stood—a -tall, thickset man, more conscientious in the discharge of his duties -than his friend, for Dick saw something glittering in his mouth, and -knew that it was a whistle. - -“Give me the woild for a wishing well,” wailed Elk, staggering slightly, -“Say that my dre-em will come true . . .” - -And as he sang he made appropriate gestures. His outflung hand caught -the whistle and knocked it from the man’s mouth, and in a second the two -sprang at him and flung him face downward on the pavement. Elk pulled -his prisoner’s cap over his mouth; something black and shiny flashed -before the sentry’s eyes, and a cold, circular instrument was thrust -against the back of his ear. - -“If you make a sound, you’re a dead Frog,” said Elk; and that portion of -his party which had made the circuit coming up at that moment, he handed -his prisoner over and replaced his fountain-pen in his pocket. - -“Everything now depends upon whether the gentleman who is patrolling the -passage between the gardens has witnessed this disgusting fracas,” said -Elk, dusting himself. “If he was standing at the entrance to the passage -he has seen it, and there’s going to be trouble.” - -Apparently the patrol was in the alleyway itself and had heard no sound. -Creeping to the entrance, Elk listened and presently heard the soft pad -of footsteps. He signalled to Dick to remain where he was, and slipped -into the passage, walking softly, but not so softly that the man on -guard at the back gate of Mr. Maitland’s house did not hear him. - -“Who’s that?” he demanded in a gruff voice. - -“It’s me,” whispered Elk. “Don’t make so much noise.” - -“You’re not supposed to be here,” said the other in a tone of authority. -“I told you to stay under the lamp-post——” - -Elk’s eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness, and now he saw his man. - -“There are two queer-looking people in the street: I wanted you to see -them,” he whispered. - -All turned now upon the discipline which the Frogs maintained. - -“Who are they?” asked the unknown in a low voice. - -“A man and a woman,” whispered Elk. - -“I don’t suppose they’re anybody important,” grumbled the other. - -In his youth Elk had played football; and, measuring the distance as -best he could, he dropped suddenly and tackled low. The man struck the -earth with a jerk which knocked all the breath out of his body and made -him incapable of any other sound than the involuntary gasp which -followed his knock-out. In a second Elk was on him, his bony knee on the -man’s throat. - -“Pray, Frog,” he whispered in the man’s ear, “but don’t shout!” - -The stricken man was incapable of shouting, and was still breathless -when willing hands threw him into the patrol wagon. - -“We’ll have to go the back way, boys,” said Elk in a whisper. - -This time his task was facilitated by the fact that the garden gate was -not locked. The door into the scullery was, however, but there was a -window, the catch of which Elk forced noiselessly. He had pulled off his -boots and was in his stockinged feet, and he sidled along the darkened -passage. Apparently none of the dilapidated furniture had been removed -from the house, for he felt the small table that had stood in the hall -on his last visit. Gently turning the handle of Maitland’s room, he -pushed. - -The door was open, the room in darkness and empty. Elk came back to the -scullery. - -“There’s nobody here on the ground floor,” he said. “We’ll try -upstairs.” - -He was half-way up when he heard the murmur of voices and stopped. -Raising his eyes to the level of the floor, he saw a crack of light -under the doorway of the front room—the apartment which had been -occupied by Maitland’s housekeeper. He listened, but could distinguish -no consecutive words. Then, with a bound, he took the remaining stairs -in three strides, flew along the landing, and flung himself upon the -door. It was locked. At the sound of his footsteps the light inside went -out. Twice he threw himself with all his weight at the frail door, and -at the third attempt it crashed in. - -“Hands up, everybody!” he shouted. - -The room was in darkness, and there was a complete silence. Crouching -down in the doorway, he flung the gleam of his electric torch into the -room. It was empty! - -His officers came crowding in at his heels, the lamp on the table was -relit—the glass chimney was hot—and a search was made of the room. It -was too small to require a great deal of investigation. There was a bed, -under which it was possible to hide, but they drew blank in this -respect. At one end of the room near the bed was a wardrobe, which was -filled with old dresses suspended from hangers. - -“Throw out those clothes,” ordered Elk. “There must be a door there into -the next house.” - -A glance at the window showed him that it was impossible for the inmates -of the room to have escaped that way. Presently the clothes were heaped -on the floor, and the detectives were attacking the wooden back of the -wardrobe, which did, in fact, prove to be a door leading into the next -house. Whilst they were so engaged, Dick made a scrutiny of the table, -which was littered with papers. He saw something and called Elk. - -“What is this, Elk?” - -The detective took the four closely-typed sheets of paper from his hand. - -“Mills’ confession,” he said in amazement. “There are only two copies, -one of which I have, and the other is in the possession of your -department, Captain Gordon.” - -At this moment the wardrobe backing was smashed in, and the detectives -were pouring through to the next house. - -And then it was that they made the interesting discovery that, to all -intents and purposes, communication was continuous between a block of -ten houses that ran to the end of the street. And they were not -untenanted. Three typical Frogs occupied the first room into which they -burst. They found others on the lower floor; and it soon became clear -that the whole of the houses comprising the end block had been turned -into a sleeping-place for the recruits of Frogdom. Since any one of -these might have been No. 7, they were placed under arrest. - -All the communicating doors were now opened. Except in the case of -Maitland’s house, no attempt had been made to camouflage the entrances, -which in the other houses consisted of oblong apertures, roughly cut -through the brick party walls. - -“We may have got him, but I doubt it,” said Elk, coming back, breathless -and grimy, to where Dick was examining the remainder of the documents -which he had found. “I haven’t seen any man who looks like owning -brains.” - -“Nobody has escaped from the block?” - -Elk shook his head. - -“My men are in the passage and the street. In addition, the uniformed -police are here. Didn’t you hear the whistle?” - -Elk’s assistant reported at that moment. - -“A man has been found in one of the back yards, sir,” he said. “I’ve -taken the liberty of relieving the constable of his prisoner. Would you -like to see him?” - -“Bring him up,” said Elk, and a few minutes later a handcuffed man was -pushed into the room. - -He was above medium height; his hair was fair and long, his yellow beard -was trimmed to a point. - -For a moment Dick looked at him wonderingly, and then: - -“Carlo, I think?” he said. - -“Hagn, I’m sure!” said Elk. “Get those whiskers off, you Frog, and we’ll -talk numbers, beginning with seven!” - -Hagn! Even now Dick could not believe his eyes. The wig was so perfectly -made, the beard so cunningly fixed, that he could not believe it was the -manager of Heron’s Club. But when he heard the voice, he knew that Elk -was right. - -“Number Seven, eh?” drawled Hagn. “I guess Number Seven will get through -your cordon without being challenged, Mr. Elk. He’s friendly with the -police. What do you want me for?” - -“I want you for the part you played in the murder of Chief Inspector -Genter on the night of the fourteenth of May,” said Elk. - -Hagn’s lips curled. - -“Why don’t you take Broad?—he was there. Perhaps he’ll come as witness -for me.” - -“When I see him——” began Elk. - -“Look out of the window,” interrupted Hagn. “He’s there!” - -Dick walked to the window and, throwing up the sash, leant out. A crowd -of locals in shawls and overcoats were watching the transference of the -prisoners. Dick caught the sheen of a silk hat and the unmistakable -voice of Broad hailed him. - -“Good morning, Captain Gordon—Frog stock kind of slumped, hasn’t it? By -the way, did you see the baby?” - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - - - “ALL BULLS HEAR!” - -ELK went out on the street to see the American. Mr. Broad was in -faultless evening dress, and the gleaming head-lamps of his car -illuminated the mean street. - -“You’ve certainly a nose for trouble,” said Elk with respect; “and -whilst you’re telling me how you came to know about this raid, which -hadn’t been decided on until half-an-hour ago, I’ll do some quiet -wondering.” - -“I didn’t know there was a raid,” confessed Joshua Broad, “but when I -saw twenty Central Office men dash out of Heron’s Club and drive -furiously away, I am entitled to guess that their haste doesn’t indicate -their anxiety to get to bed before the clock strikes two. I usually call -at Heron’s Club in the early hours. In many ways its members are less -desirable acquaintances than the general run of Frogs, but they amuse -me. And they are mildly instructive. That is my explanation—I saw you -leave in a hurry and I followed you. And I repeat my question. Did you -see the dear little baby who is learning to spell R-A-T, Rat?” - -“No,” said Elk shortly. He had a feeling that the suave and -self-possessed American was laughing at him. “Come in and see the -chief.” - -Broad followed the inspector to the bedroom, where Dick was assembling -the papers which in his hurried departure No. 7 had left behind. The -capture was the most important that had been made since the campaign -against the Frogs was seriously undertaken. - -In addition to the copy of the secret report on Mills, there was a -bundle of notes, many of them cryptic and unintelligible to the reader. -Some, however, were in plain English. They were typewritten, and -obviously they corresponded to the General Orders of an army. They were, -in fact, the Frog’s own instructions, issued under the name of his chief -of staff, for each bore the signature “Seven.” - -One ran: - - “Raymond Bennett must go faster. L. to tell him that he is a - Frog. Whatever is done with him must be carried out with - somebody unknown as Frog.” - -Another slip: - - “Gordon has an engagement to dine American Embassy Thursday. - Settle. Elk has fixed new alarm under fourth tread of stairs. - Elk goes to Wandsworth 4.15 to-morrow for interview with Mills.” - -There were other notes dealing with people of whom Dick had never heard. -He was reading again the reference to himself, and smiling over the -laconic instruction “settle,” when the American came in. - -“Sit down, Mr. Broad—by the sad look on Elk’s face I guess you have -explained your presence satisfactorily?” - -Broad nodded smilingly. - -“And Mr. Elk takes quite a lot of convincing,” he said. His eyes fell -upon the papers on the table. “Would it be indiscreet to ask if that is -Frog stuff?” he asked. - -“Very,” said Dick, “In fact, any reference to the Frogs would be the -height of indiscretion, unless you’re prepared to add to the sum of our -knowledge.” - -“I can tell you, without committing myself, that Frog Seven has made a -getaway,” said the American calmly. - -“How do you know?” - -“I heard the Frogs jubilating as they passed down the street in -custody,” said Broad. “Frog Seven’s disguise was perfect—he wore the -uniform of a policeman.” - -Elk swore softly but savagely. - -“That was it!” he said. “He was the ‘policeman’ who was spiriting Hagn -away under the pretence of arresting him! And if one of my men had not -taken his prisoner from him they would both have escaped. Wait!” - -He went in search of the detective who had brought in Hagn. - -“I don’t know the constable,” said that officer. “This is a strange -division to me. He was a tallish man with a heavy black moustache. If it -was a disguise, it was perfect, sir.” - -Elk returned to report and question. But again Mr. Broad’s explanation -was a simple one. - -“I tell you that the Frogs were openly enjoying the joke. I heard one -say that the ‘rozzer’ got away—and another refer to the escaped man as -a ‘flattie’—both, I believe, are cant terms for policemen?” - -Elk nodded. - -“What is your interest in the Frogs, Broad?” he asked bluntly. “Forget -for the minute that you’re a parlour-criminologist and imagine that -you’re writin’ the true story of your life.” - -Broad considered for a while, examining the cigar he had been smoking. - -“The Frogs mean nothing to me—the Frog everything.” The American puffed -a ring of smoke into the air and watched it dissolve. - -“I’m mighty curious to know what game he is playing with Ray Bennett,” -he said. “That is certainly the most intriguing feature of Frog -strategy.” - -He rose and took up his hat. - -“I envy you your search of this fine old mansion,” he said, and, with a -twinkle in his eye: “Don’t forget the kindergarten, Mr. Elk.” - -When he had gone, Elk made a close scrutiny of the house. He found two -children’s books, both well-thumbed, and an elementary copybook, in -which a childish hand had followed, shakily, the excellent copperplate -examples. The _abacus_ was gone, however. In the cupboard where he had -seen the unopened circulars, he made a discovery. It was a complete -outfit, as far as he could judge, for a boy of six or seven. Every -article was new—not one had been worn. Elk carried his find to where -Dick was still puzzling over some of the more obscure notes which “No. -7” had left in his flight. - -“What do you make of these?” he asked. - -The Prosecutor turned over the articles one by one, then leant back in -his chair and stared into vacancy. - -“All new,” he said absently, and then a slow smile dawned on his face. - -Elk, who saw nothing funny in the little bundle, wondered what was -amusing him. - -“I think these clothes supply a very valuable clue; does this?” He -passed a paper across the table, and Elk read: - - “All bulls hear on Wednesday 3.1.A. L.V.M.B. Important.” - -“There are twenty-five copies of that simple but moving message,” said -Dick; “and as there are no envelopes for any of the instructions, I can -only suppose that they are despatched by Hagn either from the club or -his home. This is how far I have got in figuring the organization of the -Frogs. Frog Number One works through ‘Seven,’ who may or may not be -aware of his chief’s identity. Hagn—whose number is thirteen, by the -way, and mighty unlucky it will be for him—is the executive chief of -Number Seven’s bureau, and actually communicates with the section -chiefs. He may or may not know ‘Seven’—probably he does. Seven takes -orders from the Frog, but may act without consultation if emergencies -arise. There is here,” he tapped the paper, “an apology for employing -Mills, which bears this out.” - -“No handwriting?” - -“None—nor finger-prints.” - -Elk took up one of the slips on which the messages were written, and -held it to the light. - -“Watermark Three Lion Bond,” he read. “Typewriter new, written by -somebody who was taught and has a weak little finger of the left -hand—the ‘q’ and ‘a’ are faint. That shows he’s a touch typist—uses -the same finger every time. Self-taught typists seldom use their little -fingers. Especially the little finger of the left hand. I once caught a -bank thief through knowing this.” He read the message again. - -“‘All bulls hear on Wednesday . . .’ Bulls are the big men, the bull -frogs, eh? Where do they hear? ‘3.1.A.’? That certainly leaves me -guessing, Captain. Why, what do you think?” - -Dick was regarding him oddly. - -“It doesn’t get me guessing,” he said slowly. “At 3.1 a.m. on Wednesday -morning, I shall be listening in for the code signal L.V.M.B.—we are -going to hear that great Frog talk!” - -“Will he talk about the durned treaty?” growled Elk. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - - - THE MORNING AFTER - -RAY BENNETT woke with a groan. His temples were splitting, his tongue -was parched and dry. When he tried to lift his aching head from the -pillow he groaned again, but with an effort of will succeeded in -dragging himself from the bed and staggering to the window. He pushed -open a leaded casement and looked out upon the green of Hyde Park, and -all the time his temples throbbed painfully. - -Pouring a glass of water from a carafe, he drank greedily, and, sitting -down on the edge of the bed, his head between his hands, he tried to -think. Only dimly did he recall the events of the night before, but he -was conscious that something dreadful had happened. Slowly his mind -started to sort out his experiences, and with a sinking heart he -remembered he had struck his father! He shuddered at the recollection, -and then began a frantic mental search for justification. The vanity of -youth does not readily reject excuses for its own excesses, and Ray was -no exception. By the time he had had his bath and was in the first -stages of dressing, he had come to the conclusion that he had been very -badly treated. It was unpardonable in him to strike his father—he must -write to him expressing his sorrow and urging his condition as a reason -for the act. It would not be a crawling letter (he told himself) but -something dignified and a little distant. After all, these quarrels -occurred in every family. Parents were temporarily estranged from their -children, and were eventually reconciled. Some day he would go to his -father a rich man. . . . - -He pursed his lips uneasily. A rich man? He was well off now. He had an -expensive flat. Every week crisp new banknotes came by registered post. -He had the loan of a car—how long would this state of affairs continue? - -He was no fool. Not perhaps as clever as he thought he was, but no fool. -Why should the Japanese or any other Government pay him for information -they could get from any handbook available to all and purchasable for a -few shillings at most booksellers? - -He dismissed the thought—he had the gift of putting out of his mind -those matters which troubled him. Opening the door which led into his -dining-room, he stood stock-still, paralysed with astonishment. - -Ella was sitting at the open window, her elbow on the ledge, her chin in -her hand. She looked pale, and there were heavy shadows under her eyes. - -“Why, Ella, what on earth are you doing here?” he asked. “How did you -get in?” - -“The porter opened the door with his pass-key when I told him I was your -sister,” she said listlessly. “I came early this morning. Oh, -Ray—aren’t you . . . aren’t you ashamed?” - -He scowled. - -“Why should I be?” he asked loudly. “Father ought to have known better -than tackle me when I was lit up! Of course, it was an awful thing to -do, but I wasn’t responsible for my actions at the time. What did he -say?” he asked uncomfortably. - -“Nothing—he said nothing. I wish he had. Won’t you go to Horsham and -see him, Ray?” - -“No—let it blow over for a day or two,” he said hastily. He most -assuredly had no anxiety to meet his father. “If . . . if he forgives me -he’ll only want me to come back and chuck this life. He had no right to -make me look little before all those people. I suppose you’ve been to -see your friend Gordon?” he sneered. - -“No,” she said simply, “I have been nowhere but here. I came up by the -workmen’s train. Would it be a dreadful sacrifice, Ray, to give up -this?” - -He made an impatient gesture. - -“It isn’t—this, my dear Ella, if by ‘this’ you mean the flat. It is my -work that you and father want me to give up. I have to live up to my -position.” - -“What is your work?” she asked. - -“You wouldn’t understand,” he said loftily, and her lips twitched. - -“It would have to be very extraordinary if I could not understand it,” -she said. “Is it Secret Service work?” - -Ray went red. - -“I suppose Gordon has been talking to you,” he complained bitterly. “If -that fellow sticks his nose into my affairs he is going to have it -pulled!” - -“Why shouldn’t he?” she asked. - -This was a new tone in her, and one that made him stare at her. Ella had -always been the indulgent, approving, excusing sister. The buffer who -stood between him and his father’s reproof. - -“Why shouldn’t he?” she repeated. “Mr. Gordon should know something of -Secret Service work—he himself is an officer of the law. You are either -working lawfully, in which case it doesn’t matter what he knows, or -unlawfully, and the fact that he knows should make a difference to you.” - -He looked at her searchingly. - -“Why are you so interested in Gordon—are you in love with him?” he -asked. - -Her steady eyes did not waver, and only the faintest tinge of pink came -to the skin that sleeplessness had paled. - -“That is the kind of question that a gentleman does not ask in such a -tone,” she said quietly, “not even of his sister. Ray, you are coming -back to daddy, aren’t you—to-day?” - -He shook his head. - -“No. I’m not. I’m going to write to him. I admit I did wrong. I shall -tell him so in my letter. I can’t do more than that.” - -There came a discreet knock on the door. - -“Come in,” growled Ray. It was his servant, a man who came by the day. - -“Will you see Miss Bassano and Mr. Brady, sir?” he asked in a hoarse -whisper, and glanced significantly at Ella. - -“Of course he’ll see me,” said a voice outside. “Why all this -formality—oh, I see.” - -Lola Bassano’s eyes fell upon the girl seated by the window. - -“This is my sister—Ella, this is Miss Bassano and Mr. Brady.” - -Ella looked at the petite figure in the doorway, and, looking, could -only admire. It was the first time they had met face to face, and she -thought Lola was lovely. - -“Glad to meet you, Miss Bennett. I suppose you’ve come up to roast this -brother of yours for his disgraceful conduct last night. Boy, you were -certainly mad! It _was_ your father, Miss Bennett?” - -Ella nodded, and heard with gratitude the sympathetic click of Lew -Brady’s lips. - -“If I’d been near you, Ray, I’d have beaten you. Too bad, Miss Bennett.” - -A strange coldness came suddenly to the girl—and a second before she -had glowed to their sympathy. It was the suspicion of their insincerity -that chilled her. Their kindness was just a little too glib and too -ready. Brady’s just a little too overpowering. - -“Do you like your brother’s flat?” asked Lola, sitting down and -stretching her silk-covered legs to a patch of sunlight. - -“It is very—handsome,” said Ella. “He will find Horsham rather dull -when he comes back.” - -“Will he go back?” Lola flashed a smile at the youth as she asked the -question. - -“Not much I won’t,” said Ray energetically. “I’ve been trying to make -Ella understand that my business is too important to leave.” - -Lola nodded, and now the antagonism which Ella in her charity was -holding back came with a rush. - -“What is the business?” she asked. - -He went on to give her a vague and cautious exposition of his work, and -she listened without comment. - -“So if you think that I’m doing anything crooked, or have friends that -aren’t as straight as you and father are, get the idea out of your head. -I’m not afraid of Gordon or Elk or any of that lot. Don’t think I am. -Nor is Brady, nor Miss Bassano. Gordon is one of those cheap detectives -who has got his ideas out of books.” - -“That’s perfectly true, Miss Bennett,” said Lew virtuously. “Gordon is -just a bit too clever. He’s got the idea that everybody but himself is -crook. Why, he sent Elk down to cross-examine your own father! Believe -me, I’m not scared of Gordon, or any——” - -_Tap . . . tap . . . tappity . . . tap._ - -The taps were on the door, slow, deliberate, unmistakable. The effect on -Lew Brady was remarkable. His big body seemed to shrink, his puffed face -grew suddenly hollow. - -_Tap . . . tap . . . tappity . . . tap._ - -The hand that went up to Brady’s mouth was trembling. Ella looked from -the man to Lola, and she saw, to her amazement, that Lola had grown pale -under her rouge. Brady stumbled to the door, and the sound of his heavy -breathing sounded loud in the silence. - -“Come in,” he muttered, and flung the door wide open. - -It was Dick Gordon who entered. - -He looked from one to the other, laughter in his eyes. - -“The old Frog tap seems to frighten some of you,” he said pleasantly. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - - - RAY LEARNS THE TRUTH - -LOLA was the quickest to recover. - -“What do you mean . . . Frog tap? Got that Frog stuff roaming loose in -your head, haven’t you?” - -“It is a new accomplishment,” said Dick with mock gravity. “A -thirty-third degree Frog taught me. It’s the signal the old Grand Master -Frog gives when he enters the presence of his inferiors.” - -“Your thirty-third degree Frog is probably lying,” said Lola, her colour -returning. “Anyway, Mills——” - -“I never mentioned Mills,” said Dick. - -“I know it was he. His arrest was in the newspapers.” - -“It hasn’t even appeared in the newspapers,” said Dick, “unless it was -splashed in _The Frog Gazette_—probably on the personality page.” - -He inclined his head toward the girl. Ray, for the moment, he would have -ignored if the young man had not taken a step toward him. - -“Do you want anything, Gordon?” he asked. - -“I want a private talk with you, Bennett,” said Dick. - -“There’s nothing you can’t say before my friends,” said Ray, his ready -temper rising. - -“The only person I recognize by that title is your sister,” replied -Gordon. - -“Let us go, Lew,” said Lola with a shrug, but Ray Bennett stopped them. - -“Wait a minute! Is this my house, or isn’t it?” he demanded furiously. -“You can clear out, Gordon! I’ve had just about as much of your -interference as I want. You push your way in here, you’re offensive to -my friends—you practically tell them to get out—I like your nerve! -There’s the door—you can go.” - -“I’ll go if you feel that way,” said Dick, “but I want to warn you——” - -“Pshaw! I’m sick of your warnings.” - -“I want to warn you that the Frog has decided that you’ve got to earn -your money! That is all.” - -There was a dead silence, which Ella broke. - -“The Frog?” she repeated, open-eyed. “But . . . but, Mr. Gordon, Ray -isn’t . . . with the Frogs?” - -“Perhaps it will be news to him—but he is,” said Dick. “These two -people are faithful servants of the reptile,” he pointed. “Lola is -financed by him—her husband is financed by him——” - -“You’re a liar!” screamed Ray. “Lola isn’t married! You’re a sneaking -liar—get out before I throw you out! You poor Frog-chaser—you think -everything that’s green lives in a pond! Get out and stay out!” - -It was Ella’s appealing glance that made Dick Gordon walk to the door. -Turning, his cold gaze rested on Lew Brady. - -“There is a big question-mark against your name in the Frog-book, Brady. -You watch out!” - -Lew shrank under the blow, for blow it was. Had he dared, he would have -followed Gordon into the corridor and sought further information. But -here his moral courage failed him, and he stood, a pathetic figure, -looking wistfully at the door that the visitor had closed behind him. - -“For God’s sake let us get some air in the room!” snarled Ray, thrusting -open the windows. “That fellow is a pestilence! Married! Trying to get -me to believe that!” - -Ella had taken up her handbag from the sideboard where she had placed -it. - -“Going, Ella?” - -She nodded. - -“Tell father . . . I’ll write anyway. Talk to him, Ella, and show him -where he was wrong.” - -She held out her hand. - -“Good-bye, Ray,” she said. “Perhaps one day you will come back to us. -Please God this madness will end soon. Oh, Ray, it isn’t true about the -Frogs, is it? You aren’t with those people?” - -His laugh reassured her for the moment. - -“Of course I’m not—it’s about as true as the yarn that Lola is married! -Gordon was trying to make a sensation; that’s the worst of these -third-rate detectives, they live on sensation.” - -She nodded to Lola as he escorted her to the lift. Lew Brady watched her -with hungry eyes. - -“What did he mean, Lola?” asked Brady as the door closed behind the two. -“That fellow knows something! There’s a mark against my name in the -Frog-book! That sounds bad to me. Lola, I’m finished with these Frogs! -They’re getting on my nerves.” - -“You’re a fool,” she said calmly. “Gordon has got just the effect he -wanted—he has scared you!” - -“Scared?” he answered savagely. “Nothing scares me. You’re not scared -because you’ve no imagination. I’m . . . not scared, but worried, -because I’m beginning to see that the Frogs are bigger than I dreamt. -They killed that Scotsman Maclean the other day, and they’re not going -to think twice about settling with me. I’ve talked to these Frogs, -Lola—they’d do anything from murder upwards. They look on the Frog as a -god—he’s a religion with them! A question-mark against my name! I -believe it too—I’ve talked flip about ’em, and they won’t forgive -that——” - -“Hush!” she warned him in a low voice as the door handle turned and Ray -came back. - -“Phew!” he said. “Thank God she’s gone! What a morning! -Frogs—Frogs—Frogs! The poor fool!” - -Lola opened a small jewelled case and took out a cigarette and lit it, -extinguishing the match with a snick of her fingers. Then she turned her -beautiful eyes upon Ray. - -“What is the matter with the Frogs anyway?” she asked coolly. “They pay -well and they ask for little.” - -Ray gaped at her. - -“You’re not working for them, are you?” he asked astonished. “Why, -they’re just low tramps who murder people!” - -She shook her head. - -“Not all of them,” she corrected. “They are only the body—the big Frogs -are different. I am one and Lew is one.” - -“What the devil are you talking about?” demanded Lew, half in fear, half -in wrath. - -“He ought to know—and he has got to know sooner or later,” said Lola, -unperturbed. “He’s too sensible a boy to imagine that the Japanese or -any other embassy is paying his overhead charges. He’s a Frog.” - -Ray collapsed into a chair, incapable of speech. - -“A Frog?” he repeated mechanically. “What . . . what do you mean?” - -Lola laughed. - -“I don’t see that it is any worse being a Frog than an agent of another -country, selling your own country’s secrets,” she said. “Don’t be silly, -Ray! You ought to be pleased and honoured. They chose you from thousands -because they wanted the right kind of intelligence . . .” - -And so she flattered and soothed him, until his plastic mind, wax in her -hands, took another shape. - -“I suppose it is all right,” he said at last. “Of course, I wouldn’t do -anything really bad, and I don’t approve of all this clubbing, but, as -you say, the Frog can’t be responsible for all that his people do. But -on one thing I’m firm, Lola! I’ll have no tattooing!” - -She laughed and extended her white arm. - -“Am I marked?” she asked. “Is Lew marked? No; the big people aren’t -marked at all. Boy, you’ve a great future.” - -Ray took her hand and fondled it. - -“Lola . . . about that story that Gordon told . . . your being married: -it isn’t true?” - -She laughed again and patted the hand on hers. - -“Gordon is jealous,” she said. “I can’t tell you why—now. But he has -good reasons.” Suddenly her mood grew gay, and she slipped away. -“Listen, I’m going to ’phone for a table for lunch, and you will join -us, and we’ll drink to the great little Frog who feeds us!” - -The telephone was on the sideboard, and as she lifted the receiver she -saw the square black metal box clamped to its base. - -“Something new in ’phones, Ray?” she asked. - -“They fixed it yesterday. It’s a resistance. The man told me that -somebody who was talking into a ’phone during a thunderstorm had a bad -shock, so they’re fitting these things as an experiment. It makes the -instrument heavier, and it’s ugly, but——” - -Slowly she put the receiver down and stooped to look at the attachment. - -“It’s a detectaphone,” she said quietly. “And all the time we’ve been -talking somebody has been making a note of our conversation.” - -She walked to the fireplace, took up a poker and brought it down with a -crash on the little box. . . . - -Inspector Elk, with a pair of receivers clamped to his head, sat in a -tiny office on the Thames Embankment, and put down his pencil with a -sigh. Then he took up his telephone and called Headquarters Exchange. - -“You can switch off that detectaphone to Knightsbridge 93718,” he said. -“I don’t think we shall want it any more.” - -“Did I put you through in time, sir?” asked the operator’s voice. “They -had only just started talking when I called you.” - -“Plenty of time, Angus,” said Elk, “plenty of time.” - -He gathered up his notes and went to his desk and placed them tidily by -the side of his blotting-pad. - -Strolling to the window, he looked out upon the sunlit river, and there -was peace and comfort in his heart, for overnight the prisoner Mills had -decided to tell all he knew about the Frogs on the promise of a free -pardon and a passage to Canada. And Mills knew more than he had, as yet, -told. - - “I can give you a line to Number 7 that will put him into your - hands,” his note had run. - -Number Seven! Elk caught a long breath. No. 7 was the hub on which the -wheel turned. - -He rubbed his hands cheerfully, for it seemed that the mystery of the -Frog was at last to be solved. Perhaps “the line” would lead to the -missing treaty—and at the thought of the lost document Elk’s face -clouded. Two ministers, a great state department and innumerable -under-secretaries spent their time in writing frantic notes of inquiry -to headquarters concerning Lord Farmley’s loss. - -“They want miracles,” said Elk, and wondered if the day would produce -one. - -He went to his overcoat pocket to find a cigar, and his hand touched a -thick roll of papers. He pulled them out and threw them upon the desk, -and as he did so the first words on the first sheet caught his eye. - -“_By the King’s Most Excellent Majesty in Council_——” - -Elk tried to yell, but his voice failed him, and then he snatched up the -paper from the desk and turned the leaves with trembling hands. - -It was the lost treaty! - -Elk held the precious document in his hand, and his mind went back -quickly over the night’s adventures. When had he taken off his top-coat? -When had he last put his hand in his pocket? He had taken off the coat -at Heron’s Club, and he could not remember having used the pockets -since. It was a light coat that he either carried or wore, summer or -winter. He had brought it to the office that morning on his arm. - -At the club! Probably when he had parted with the garment to the -cloak-room attendant. Then the Frog must have been there. One of the -waiters probably—an admirable disguise for the chief of the gang. Elk -sat down to think. - -To question anybody in the building would be futile. Nobody had touched -the coat but himself. - -“Dear me!” said Elk, as he hung up the coat again. - -At the touch of his bell, Balder came. - -“Balder, do you remember seeing me pass your room?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“I had my coat on my arm, didn’t I?” - -“I never looked,” said Balder with satisfaction. - -He invariably gave Elk the impression that he derived a great deal of -satisfaction out of not being able to help. - -“It’s queer,” said Elk. - -“Anything wrong, sir?” - -“No, not exactly. You understand what has to be done with Mills? He is -to see nobody. Immediately he arrives he is to be put into the -waiting-room—alone. There is to be no conversation of any kind, and, if -he speaks, he is not to be answered.” - -In the privacy of his office he inspected his find again. Everything was -there—the treaty and Lord Farmley’s notes. Elk called up his lordship -and told the good news. Later came a small deputation from the Foreign -Office to collect the precious document, and to offer, in the name of -the Ministry, their thanks for his services in recovering the lost -papers. All of which Elk accepted graciously. He would have been cursed -with as great heartiness if he had failed, and would have been equally -innocent of responsibility. - -He had arranged for Mills to be brought to Headquarters at noon. There -remained an hour to be filled, and he spent that hour unprofitably in a -rough interrogation of Hagn, who, stripped of his beard, occupied a -special cell segregated from the ordinary places of confinement in -Cannon Row Station—which is virtually Scotland Yard itself. - -Hagn refused to make any statement—even when formally charged with the -murder of Inspector Genter. He did, however, make a comment on the -charge when Elk saw him this morning. - -“You have no proof, Elk,” he said, “and you know that I am innocent.” - -“You were the last man seen in Genter’s company,” said Elk sternly. “It -is established that you brought his body back to town. In addition to -which, Mills has spilt everything.” - -“I’m aware what Mills has said,” remarked the other. - -“You’re not so aware either,” suggested Elk. “And now I’ll tell you -something: we’ve had Number Seven under lock and key since morning—now -laugh!” - -To his amazement the man’s face relaxed in a broad grin. - -“Bluff!” he said. “And cheap bluff. It might deceive a poor little -thief, but it doesn’t get past with me. If you’d caught ‘Seven,’ you -wouldn’t be talking fresh to me. Go and find him, Elk,” he mocked, “and -when you’ve got him, hold him tight. Don’t let him get away—as Mills -will.” - -Elk returned from the interview feeling that it had not gone as well as -it might—but as he was leaving the station he beckoned the chief -inspector. - -“I’m planting a pigeon on Hagn this afternoon. Put ’um together and -leave ’um alone,” he said. - -The inspector nodded understandingly. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - - - THE COMING OF MILLS - -ON the morning that Elk waited for the arrival of the informer, -elaborate precautions were being made to transfer the man to -headquarters. All night the prison had been surrounded by a cordon of -armed guards, whilst patrols had remained on duty in the yard where he -was confined. - -The captured Frog was a well-educated man who had fallen on evil times -and had been recruited when “on the road” through the agency of two -tramping members of the fraternity. From the first statement he made, it -appeared that he had acted as section leader, his duty being to pass on -instructions and “calls” to the rank and file, to report casualties and -to assist in the attacks which were made from time to time upon those -people who had earned the Frog’s enmity. Apparently only section leaders -and trustees were given this type of work. - -They brought him from his cell at eleven o’clock, and the man, despite -his assurance, was nervous and apprehensive. Moreover, he had a cold and -was coughing. This may have been a symptom of nerves also. - -At eleven-fifteen the gates of the prison were opened, and three -motor-cyclists came out abreast. A closed car followed, the curtains -drawn. On either side of the car rode other armed men on motor-cycles, -and a second car, containing Central Office men, followed. - -The cortège reached Scotland Yard without mishap; the gates at both ends -were closed, and the prisoner was rushed into the building. - -Balder, Elk’s clerk, and a detective-sergeant, took charge of the man, -who was now white and shaking, and he was put into a small room -adjoining Elk’s office, a room the windows of which were heavily barred -(it had been used for the safe holding of spies during the war). Two men -were put on duty outside the door, and the discontented Balder reported. - -“We’ve put that fellow in the waiting-room, Mr. Elk.” - -“Did he say anything?” asked Dick, who had arrived for the -interrogation. - -“No, sir—except to ask if the window could be shut. I shut it.” - -“Bring the prisoner,” said Elk. - -They waited a while, heard the clash of keys, and then an excited buzz -of talk. Then Balder rushed in. - -“He’s ill . . . fainted or something,” he gasped, and Elk sprang past -him, along the corridor into the guard-room. - -Mills half sat, half lay, against the wall. His eyes were closed, his -face was ashen. - -Dick bent over the prisoner and laid him flat on the ground. Then he -stooped and smelt. - -“Cyanide of potassium,” he said. “The man is dead.” - -That morning Mills had been stripped to the skin and every article of -clothing searched thoroughly and well. As an additional precaution his -pockets had been sewn up. To the two detectives who accompanied him in -the car he had spoken hopefully of his forthcoming departure to Canada. -None but police officers had touched him, and he had had no -communication with any outsider. - -The first thing that Dick Gordon noticed was the window, which Balder -said he had shut. It was open some six inches at the bottom. - -“Yes, sir, I’m sure I shut it,” said the clerk emphatically. “Sergeant -Jeller saw me.” - -The sergeant was also under that impression. Dick lifted the window -higher and looked out. Four horizontal bars traversed the brickwork, -but, by craning his head, he saw that, a foot away from the window and -attached to the wall, was a long steel ladder running from the roof (as -he guessed) to the ground. The room was on the third floor, and beneath -was a patch of shrub-filled gardens. Beyond that, high railings. - -“What are those gardens?” he asked, pointing to the space on the other -side of the railings. - -“They belong to Onslow Gardens,” said Elk. - -“Onslow Gardens?” said Dick thoughtfully. “Wasn’t it from Onslow Gardens -that the Frogs tried to shoot me?” - -Elk shook his head helplessly. - -“What do you suggest. Captain Gordon?” - -“I don’t know what to suggest,” admitted Dick. “It doesn’t seem an -intelligent theory that somebody climbed the ladder and handed poison to -Mills—less acceptable, that he would be willing to take the dose. There -is the fact. Balder swears that the window was shut, and now the window -is open. You can trust Balder?” - -Elk nodded. - -The divisional surgeon came soon after, and, as Dick had expected, -pronounced life extinct, and supported the view that cyanide was the -cause. - -“Cyanide has a peculiar odour,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any -doubt at all that the man was killed, either by poison administered from -outside, or by poison taken voluntarily by himself.” - -After the body had been removed. Elk accompanied Dick Gordon to his -Whitehall office. - -“I have never been frightened in my life,” said Elk, “but these Frogs -are now on top of me! Here is a man killed practically under our eyes! -He was guarded, he was never let out of our sight, except for the few -minutes he was in that room, and yet the Frog can reach him—it’s -frightening, Captain Gordon.” - -Dick unlocked the door of his office and ushered Elk into the cosy -interior. - -“I know of no better cure for shaken nerves than a _Cabana Cesare_,” he -said cheerfully. “And without desiring to indulge in a boastful gesture, -I can only tell you, Elk, that they don’t frighten me, any more than -they frighten you. Frog is human, and has very human fears. Where is -friend Broad?” - -“The American?” - -Dick nodded, and Elk, without a second’s hesitation, pulled the -telephone toward him and gave a number. - -After a little delay, Broad’s voice answered him. - -“That you, Mr. Broad? What are you doing now?” asked Elk, in that -caressing tone he adopted for telephone conversation. - -“Is that Elk? I’m just going out.” - -“Thought I saw you in Whitehall about five minutes ago,” said Elk. - -“Then you must have seen my double,” replied the other, “for I haven’t -been out of my bath ten minutes. Do you want me?” - -“No, no,” cooed Elk. “Just wanted to know you were all right.” - -“Why, is anything wrong?” came the sharp question. - -“Everything’s fine,” said Elk untruthfully. “Perhaps you’ll call round -and see me at my office one of these days—good-bye!” - -He pushed the telephone back, and raising his eyes to the ceiling, made -a quick calculation. - -“From Whitehall to Cavendish Square takes four minutes in a good car,” -he said. “So his being in the flat means nothing.” - -He pulled the telephone toward him again, and this time called -Headquarters. - -“I want a man to shadow Mr. Joshua Broad, of Caverley House; not to -leave him until eight o’clock to-night; to report to me.” - -When he had finished, he sat back in his chair and lit the long cigar -that Dick had pressed upon him. - -“To-day is Tuesday,” he ruminated, “to-morrow’s Wednesday. Where do you -propose to listen in, Captain Gordon? - -“At the Admiralty,” said Dick. “I have arranged with the First Lord to -be in the instrument room at a quarter to three.” - -He bought the early editions of the evening newspapers, and was relieved -to find that no reference had been made to the murder—as murder he -believed it to be. Once, in the course of the day, looking out from his -window on to Whitehall, he saw Elk walking along on the other side of -the road, his umbrella hanging on his arm, his ancient derby hat at the -back of his head, an untidy and unimposing figure. Then, an hour later, -he saw him again, coming from the opposite direction. He wondered what -particular business the detective was engaged in. He learnt, quite by -accident, that Elk had made two visits to the Admiralty that day, but he -did not discover the reason until they met later in the evening. - -“Don’t know much about wireless,” said Elk, “though I’m not one of those -people who believe that, if God had intended us to use wireless, -telegraph poles would have been born without wires. But it seems to me -that I remember reading something about ‘directional.’ If you want to -know where a wireless message is coming from, you listen in at two or -three different points——” - -“Of course! What a fool I am!” said Dick, annoyed with himself. “It -never occurred to me that we might pick up the broadcasting station.” - -“I get these ideas,” explained Elk modestly. “The Admiralty have sent -messages to Milford Haven, Harwich, Portsmouth and Plymouth, telling -ships to listen in and give us the direction. The evening papers haven’t -got that story.” - -“You mean about Mills? No, thank heaven! It is certain to come out at -the inquest, but I’ve arranged for that to be postponed for a week or -two; and somehow I feel that within the next few weeks things will -happen.” - -“To us,” said Elk ominously. “I dare not eat a grilled sausage since -that fellow was killed! And I’m partial to sausages.” - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - - - THE BROADCAST - -HIS jaundiced clerk was, as usual, in a complaining mood. “Records have -been making a fuss and have been blaming me,” he said bitterly. “Records -give themselves more airs than the whole darned office.” - -The war between Balder and “Records”—which was a short title for that -section of Headquarters which kept exact data of criminals’ pasts,—was -of long standing. “Records” was aloof, detached, sublimely superior to -everything except tabulated facts. It was no respecter of persons; would -as soon snap at a Chief Commissioner who broke its inflexible rules, as -it would at the latest joined constable. - -“What’s the trouble?” asked Elk. - -“You remember you had a lot of stuff out the other day about a man -called—I can’t remember his name now.” - -“Lyme?” suggested Elk. - -“That’s the fellow. Well, it appears that one of the portraits is -missing. The morning after you were looking at them, I went to Records -and got the documents again for you, thinking you wanted to see them in -the morning. When you didn’t turn up, I returned them, and now they say -the portrait and measurements are short.” - -“Do you mean to say they’re lost?” - -“If they’re lost,” said the morose Balder, “then Records have lost ’em! -I suppose they think I’m a Frog or somethin’. They’re always accusing me -of mislaying their finger-print cards.” - -“I’ve promised you a chance to make a big noise, Balder, and now I’m -going to give it to you. You’ve been passed over for promotion, son, -because the men upstairs think you were one of the leaders of the last -strike. I know that ‘passed over’ feeling—it turns you sour. Will you -take a big chance?” - -Balder nodded, holding his breath. - -“Hagn’s in the special cell,” said Elk. “Change into your civilian kit, -roughen yourself up a bit, and I’ll put you in with him. If you’re -scared I’ll let you carry a gun and fix it so that you won’t be -searched. Get Hagn to talk. Tell him that you were pulled in over the -Dundee murder. He won’t know you. Get that story, Balder, and I’ll have -the stripes on your arm in a week.” - -Balder nodded. The querulous character of his voice had changed when he -spoke again. - -“It’s a chance,” he said; “and thank you, Mr. Elk, for giving it to me.” - -An hour later, a detective brought a grimy-looking prisoner into Cannon -Row and pushed him into the steel pen, and the only man who recognized -the prisoner was the chief inspector who had waited for the arrival of -the pigeon. - -It was that high official himself who conducted Balder to the separate -cell and pushed him in. - -“Good night, Frog!” he said. - -Balder’s reply was unprintable. - -After seeing his subordinate safely caged, Elk went back to his room, -locked the door, cut off his telephone and lay down to snatch a few -hours’ sleep. It was a practice of his, when he was engaged in any work -which kept him up at night, to take these intermediate siestas, and he -had trained himself to sleep as and when the opportunity presented -itself. It was unusual in him, however, to avail himself of the office -sofa, a piece of furniture to which he was not entitled, and which, as -his superiors had often pointed out, occupied space which might better -be employed. - -For once, however, he could not sleep. His mind ranged from Balder to -Dick Gordon, from Lola Bassano to the dead man Mills. His own position -had been seriously jeopardized, but that worried him not at all. He was -a bachelor, had a snug sum invested. His mind went to the puzzling -Maitland. His association with the Frogs had been proved almost up to -the hilt. And Maitland was in a position to benefit by these many -inexplicable attacks which had been made upon seemingly inoffensive -people. - -The old man lived a double life. By day the business martinet, before -whom his staff trembled, the cutter of salaries, the shrewd manipulator -of properties; by night the associate of thieves and worse than thieves. -Who was the child? That was another snag. - -“Nothing but snags!” growled Elk, his hands under his head, looking -resentfully at the ceiling. “Nothing but snags.” - -Finding he could not sleep, he got up and went across to Cannon Row. The -gaoler told him that the new prisoner had been talking a lot to Hagn, -and Elk grinned. He only hoped that the “new prisoner” would not be -tempted to discuss his grievances against the police administration. - -At a quarter to three he joined Dick Gordon in the instrument room at -the Admiralty. An operator had been placed at their disposal; and after -the preliminary instructions they took their place at the table where he -manipulated his keys. Dick listened, fascinated, hearing the calls of -far-off ships and the chatter of transmitting stations. Once he heard a -faint squeak of sound, so faint that he wasn’t sure that he had not been -mistaken. - -“Cape Race,” said the operator. “You’ll hear Chicago in a minute. He -usually gets talkative round about now.” - -As the hands of the clock approached three, the operator began varying -his wave lengths, reaching out into the ether for the message which was -coming. Exactly at one minute after three he said suddenly: - -“There is your L.V.M.B.” - -Dick listened to the staccato sounds, and then: - -“_All Frogs listen. Mills is dead. Number Seven finished him this -morning. Number Seven receives a bonus of a hundred pounds._” - -The voice was clear and singularly sweet. It was a woman’s. - -“_Twenty-third district will arrange to receive Number Seven’s -instructions at the usual place._” - -Dick’s heart was beating thunderously. He recognized the speaker, knew -the soft cadences, the gentle intonations. - -There could be no doubt at all: it was Ella Bennett’s voice! Dick felt a -sudden sensation of sickness, but, looking across the table and seeing -Elk’s eyes fixed upon him, he made an effort to control his emotions. - -“There doesn’t seem to be any more coming through,” said the operator -after a few minutes’ wait. - -Dick took off the headpiece and rose. - -“We must wait for the direction signals to come through,” he said as -steadily as he could. - -Presently they began to arrive, and were worked out by a naval officer -on a large scale map. - -“The broadcasting station is in London,” he said. “All the lines meet -somewhere in the West End, I should imagine; possibly in the very heart -of town. Did you find any difficulty in picking up the Frog call?” he -asked the operator. - -“Yes, sir,” said the man. “I think they were sending from very close at -hand.” - -“In what part of town would you say it would be?” asked Elk. - -The officer indicated a pencil mark that he had ruled across the page. - -“It is somewhere on this mark,” he said, and Elk, peering over, saw that -the line passed through Cavendish Square and Cavendish Place and that, -whilst the Portsmouth line missed Cavendish Place only by a block, the -Harwich line crossed the Plymouth line a little to the south of the -square. - -“Caverley House, obviously,” said Dick. - -He wanted to get out in the open, he wanted to talk, to discuss this -monstrous thing with Elk. Had the detective also recognized the voice, -he wondered? Any doubt he had on that point was set at rest. He had -hardly reached Whitehall before Elk said: - -“Sounded very like a friend of ours, Captain Gordon?” - -Dick made no reply. - -“Very like,” said Elk as if he were speaking half to himself. “In fact, -I’ll take any number of oaths that I know the young lady who was talking -for old man Frog.” - -“Why should she do it?” groaned Dick. “Why, for the love of heaven, -should she do it?” - -“I remember years ago hearing her,” said Elk reminiscently. - -Dick Gordon stopped, and, turning, glared at the other. - -“You remember . . . what do you mean?” he demanded. - -“She was on the stage at the time—quite a kid,” continued Elk. “They -called her ‘The Child Mimic.’ There’s another thing I’ve noticed, -Captain: if you take a magnifying glass and look at your skin, you see -its defects, don’t you? That wireless telephone acts as a sort of -magnifying glass to the voice. She always had a little lisp that I -jumped at straight away. You may not have noticed it, but I’ve got -pretty sharp ears. She can’t pronounce her ‘S’s’ properly, there’s a -sort of faint ‘th’ sound in ’um. You heard that?” - -Dick had heard, and nodded. - -“I never knew that she was ever on the stage,” he said more calmly. “You -are sure, Elk?” - -“Sure. In some things I’m . . . what’s the word?—infall-i-able. I’m a -bit shaky on dates, such as when Henry the First an’ all that bunch got -born—I never was struck on birthdays anyway—but I know voices an’ -noses. Never forget ’um.” - -They were turning into the dark entrance of Scotland Yard when Dick said -in a tone of despair: - -“It was her voice, of course. I had no idea she had been on the -stage—is her father in this business?” - -“She hasn’t a father so far as I know,” was the staggering reply, and -again Gordon halted. - -“Are you mad?” he asked. “Ella Bennett has a father——” - -“I’m not talking about Ella Bennett,” said the calm Elk. “I’m talking -about Lola Bassano.” - -There was a silence. - -“Was it her voice?” asked Gordon a little breathlessly. - -“Sure it was Lola. It was a pretty good imitation of Miss Bennett, but -any mimic will tell you that these soft voices are easy. It’s the pace -of a voice that makes it . . .” - -“You villain!” said Dick Gordon, as a weight rolled from his heart. “You -knew I meant Ella Bennett when I was talking, and you strung me along!” - -“Blame me,” said Elk. “What’s the time?” - -It was half-past three. He gathered his reserves, and ten minutes later -the police cars dropped a party at the closed door of Caverley House. -The bell brought the night porter, who recognized Elk. - -“More gas trouble?” he asked. - -“Want to see the house plan,” said Elk, and listened as the porter -detailed the names, occupations and peculiarities of the tenants. - -“Who owns this block?” asked the detective. - -“This is one of Maitland’s properties—Maitlands Consolidated. He’s got -the Prince of Caux’s house in Berkeley Square and——” - -“Don’t worry about giving me his family history. What time did Miss -Bassano come in?” - -“She’s been in all the evening—since eleven.” - -“Anybody with her?” - -The man hesitated. - -“Mr. Maitland came in with her, but he went soon after.” - -“Nobody else?” - -“Nobody except Mr. Maitland.” - -“Give me your master-key.” - -The porter demurred. - -“I’ll lose my job,” he pleaded. “Can’t you knock?” - -“Knocking is my speciality—I don’t pass a day without knocking -somebody,” replied Elk, “but I want that key.” - -He did not doubt that Lola would have bolted her door, and his surmise -proved sound. He had both to knock and ring before the light showed -behind the transom, and Lola in a kimono and boudoir cap appeared. - -“What is the meaning of this, Mr. Elk?” she demanded. She did not even -attempt to appear surprised. - -“A friendly call—can I come in?” - -She opened the door wider, and Elk went in, followed by Gordon and two -detectives. Dick she ignored. - -“I’m seeing the Commissioner to-morrow,” she said, “and if he doesn’t -give me satisfaction I’ll get on to the newspapers. This persecution is -disgraceful. To break into a single girl’s flat in the middle of the -night, when she is alone and unprotected——” - -“If there is any time when a single girl should be alone and -unprotected, it is in the middle of the night,” said Elk primly. “I’m -just going to have a look at your little home, Lola. We’ve got -information that you’ve been burgled, Lola. Perhaps at this very minute -there’s a sinister man hidden under your bed. The idea of leaving you -alone, so to speak, at the mercy of unlawful characters, is repugnant to -our feelin’s. Try the dining-room, Williams; I’ll search the -parlour—_and_ the bedroom.” - -“You’ll keep out of my room if you’ve any sense of decency,” said the -girl. - -“I haven’t,” admitted Elk, “no false sense, anyway. Besides, Lola, I’m a -family man. One of ten. And when there’s anything I shouldn’t see, just -say ‘Shut your eyes’ and I’ll shut ’um.” - -To all appearances there was nothing that looked in the slightest degree -suspicious. A bathroom led from the bedroom, and the bathroom window was -open. Flashing his lamp along the wall outside, Elk saw a small glass -spool attached to the wall. - -“Looks to me like an insulator,” he said. - -Returning to the bedroom, he began to search for the instrument. There -was a tall mahogany wardrobe against one of the walls. Opening the door, -he saw row upon row of dresses and thrust in his hand. - -It was the shallowest wardrobe he had ever seen, and the backing was -warm to the touch. - -“Hot cupboard, Lola?” he asked. - -She did not reply, but stood watching him, a scowl on her pretty face, -her arms folded. - -Elk closed the door and his sensitive fingers searched the surface for a -spring. It took him a long time to discover it, but at last he found a -slip of wood that yielded to the pressure of his hand. - -There was a “click” and the front of the wardrobe began to fall. - -“A wardrobe bed, eh? Grand little things for a flat.” - -But it was no sleeping-place that was revealed (and he would have been -disappointed if it had been) as he eased down the “bed.” Set on a frame -were row upon row of valve lamps, transformers—all the apparatus -requisite for broadcasting. - -Elk looked, and, looking, admired. - -“You’ve got a licence, I suppose?” asked Elk. He supposed nothing of the -kind, for licences to transmit are jealously issued in England. He was -surprised when she went to a bureau and produced the document. Elk read -and nodded. - -“You’ve got _some_ pull,” he said with respect. “Now I’ll see your Frog -licence.” - -“Don’t get funny, Elk,” she said tartly. “I’d like to know whether -you’re in the habit of waking people to ask for their permits.” - -“You’ve been using this to-night to broadcast the Frogs,” Elk nodded -accusingly; “and perhaps you’ll explain to Captain Gordon why?” - -She turned to Dick for the first time. - -“I’ve not used the instrument for weeks,” she said. “But the sister of a -friend of mine—perhaps you know her—asked if she might use it. She -left here an hour ago.” - -“You mean Miss Bennett, of course,” said Gordon, and she raised her -eyebrows in simulated astonishment. - -“Why, how did you guess that?” - -“I guessed it,” said Elk, “the moment I heard you giving one of your -famous imitations. I guessed she was around, teaching you how to talk -like her. Lola, you’re cooked! Miss Bennett was standing right alongside -me when you started talking Frog-language. She was right at my very -side, and she said ‘Now, Mr. Elk, isn’t she the artfullest thing!’ -You’re cooked, Lola, and you can’t do better than sit right down and -tell us the truth. I’ll make it right for you. We caught ‘Seven’ last -night and he’s told us everything. Frog will be in irons to-day, and I -came here to give you the last final chance of getting out of all your -trouble.” - -“Isn’t that wonderful of you?” she mocked him. “So you’ve caught ‘Seven’ -and you’re catching the Frog! Put a pinch of salt on his tail!” - -“Yes,” said the imperturbable Elk, untruthfully, “we caught Seven and -Hagn’s split. But I like you, Lol—always did. There’s something about -you that reminds me of a girl I used to be crazy about—I never married -her; it was a tragedy.” - -“Not for her,” said Lola. “Now I’ll tell _you_ something, Elk! You -haven’t caught anybody and you won’t. You’ve put a flat-footed stool -pigeon named Balder into the same cell as Hagn, with the idea of getting -information, and you’re going to have a jar.” - -In other circumstances Dick Gordon would have been amused by the effect -of this revelation upon Elk. The jaw of the unhappy detective dropped as -he glared helplessly over his glasses at the girl, smiling her triumph. -Then the smile vanished. - -“Hagn wouldn’t talk, because Frog could reach him, as he reached Mills -and Litnov. As he will reach you when he decides you’re worth while. And -now you can take me if you want. I’m a Frog—I never pretend I’m not. -You heard all the tale that I told Ray Bennett—heard it over the -detectaphone you planted. Take me and charge me!” - -Elk knew that there was no charge upon which he could hold her. And she -knew that he knew. - -“Do you think you’ll get away with it, Bassano?” - -It was Gordon who spoke, and she turned her wrathful eyes upon him. - -“I’ve got a Miss to my name, Gordon,” she rapped at him. - -“Sooner or later you’ll have a number,” said Dick calmly. “You and your -crowd are having the time of your young lives—perhaps because I’m -incompetent, or because I’m unfortunate. But some day we shall get you, -either I or my successor. You can’t fight the law and win because the -law is everlasting and constant.” - -“A search of my flat I don’t mind—but a sermon I will not have,” she -said contemptuously. “And now, if you men have finished, I should like -to get a little beauty sleep.” - -“That is the one thing you don’t require,” said the gallant Elk, and she -laughed. - -“You’re not a bad man, Elk,” she said. “You’re a bad detective, but -you’ve a heart of gold.” - -“If I had, I shouldn’t trust myself alone with you,” was Elk’s parting -shot. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - - - IN ELSHAM WOOD - -DICK GORDON, in the sudden lightening of his heart which had come to him -when he realized that his horrible fears were without foundation, was -inclined to regard the night as having been well spent. This was not -Elk’s view. He was genuinely grave as they drove back to headquarters. - -“I’m frightened of these Frogs, and I admit it,” he confessed. “There’s -a bad leakage somewhere—how should she know that I put Balder in with -Hagn? That has staggered me. Nobody but two men, in addition to -ourselves, is in the secret; and if the Frogs are capable of getting -that kind of news, it is any odds on Hagn knowing that he is being -drawn. They frighten me, I tell you, Captain Gordon. If they only knew a -little, and hadn’t got that quite right, I should be worried. But they -know everything!” - -Dick nodded. - -“The whole trouble, Elk, is that the Frogs are not an illegal -association. It may be necessary to ask the Prime Minister to proclaim -the society.” - -“Perhaps he’s a Frog too,” said Elk gloomily. “Don’t laugh, Captain -Gordon! There are big people behind these Frogs. I’m beginning to -suspect everybody.” - -“Start by suspecting me,” said Gordon good-humouredly. - -“I have,” was the frank reply. “Then it occurred to me that possibly I -walk in my sleep—I used to as a boy. Likely I lead a double life, and I -am a detective by day and a Frog by night—you never know. It is clear -that there is a genius at the back of the Frogs,” he went on, with -unconscious immodesty. - -“Lola Bassano?” suggested Dick. - -“I’ve thought of her, but she’s no organizer. She had a company on the -road when she was nineteen, and it died the death from bad organization. -I suppose you think that that doesn’t mean she couldn’t run the -Frogs—but it does. You want exactly the same type of intelligence to -control the Frogs as you want to control a bank. Maitland is the man. I -narrowed the circle down to him after I had a talk with Johnson. Johnson -says he’s never seen the old man’s pass-book, and although he is his -private secretary, knows nothing whatever of his business transactions -except that he buys property and sells it. The money old Maitland makes -on the side never appears in the books, and Johnson was a very surprised -man when I suggested that Maitland transacted any business at all -outside the general routine of the company. And it’s not a company at -all—not an incorporated company. It’s a one man show. Would you like to -make sure, Captain Gordon?” - -“Sure of what?” asked Dick, startled. - -“That Miss Bennett isn’t in this at all.” - -“You don’t think for one moment she is?” asked Dick, aghast at the -thought. - -“I’m prepared to believe anything,” said Elk. “We’ve got a clear road; -we could be at Horsham in an hour, and it is our business to make sure. -In my mind I’m perfectly satisfied that it was not Miss Bennett’s voice. -But when we come down to writing out reports for the people upstairs to -read” (‘the people upstairs’ was Elk’s invariable symbol for his -superiors) “we are going to look silly if we say that we heard Miss -Bennett’s voice and didn’t trouble to find out where Miss Bennett was.” - -“That is true,” said Dick thoughtfully, and, leaning out to the driver, -Elk gave new directions. - -The grey of dawn was in the sky as the car ran through the deserted -streets of Horsham and began the steady climb toward Maytree Cottage, -which lay on the slope of the Shoreham Road. - -The cottage showed no signs of life. The blinds were drawn; there was no -light of any kind. Dick hesitated, with his hand on the gate. - -“I don’t like waking these people,” he confessed. “Old Bennett will -probably think that I’ve brought some bad news about his son.” - -“I have no conscience,” said Elk, and walked up the brick path. - -But John Bennett required no waking. Elk was hailed from one of the -windows above, and, looking up, saw the mystery man leaning with his -elbows on the window-sill. - -“What’s the trouble, Elk?” he asked in a low voice, as though he did not -wish to awaken his daughter. - -“No trouble at all,” said Elk cheerfully. “We picked up a wireless -telephone message in the night, and I’m under the impression that it was -your daughter’s voice I heard.” - -John Bennett frowned, and Dick saw that he doubted the truth of this -explanation. - -“It is perfectly true, Mr. Bennett,” he said. “I heard the voice too. We -were listening in for a rather important message, and we heard Miss -Bennett in circumstances which make it necessary for us to assure -ourselves that it was not she who was speaking.” - -The cloud passed from John Bennett’s face. - -“That’s a queer sort of story, Captain Gordon, but I believe you. I’ll -come down and let you in.” - -Wearing an old dressing-gown, he opened the door and ushered them into -the darkened sitting-room. - -“I’ll call Ella, and perhaps she’ll be able to satisfy you that she was -in bed at ten o’clock last night.” - -He went out of the room, after drawing the curtains to let in the light, -and Dick waited with a certain amount of pleasurable anticipation. He -had been only too glad of the excuse to come to Horsham, if the truth be -told. This girl had so gripped his heart that the days between their -meetings seemed like eternity. They heard the feet of Bennett on the -stairs, and presently the old man came in, and distress was written -largely on his face. - -“I can’t understand it,” he said. “Ella is not in her room! The bed has -been slept in, but she has evidently dressed and gone out.” - -Elk scratched his chin, avoiding Dick’s eyes. - -“A lot of young people like getting up early,” he said. “When I was a -young man, nothing gave me greater pleasure than to see the sun -rise—before I went to bed. Is she in the habit of taking a morning -stroll?” - -John Bennett shook his head. - -“I’ve never known her to do that before. It’s curious I did not hear -her, because I slept very badly last night. Will you excuse me, -gentlemen?” - -He went upstairs and came down in a few minutes, dressed. Together they -passed out into the garden. It was now quite light, though the sun had -not yet tipped the horizon. John Bennett made a brief but fruitless -search of the ground behind the cottage, and came back to them with a -confession of failure. He was no more troubled than Dick Gordon. It was -impossible that it could have been she, that Elk was mistaken. Yet Lola -had been emphatic. Against that, the hall-porter at Caverley House had -been equally certain that the only visitor to Lola’s flat that night was -the aged Mr. Maitland; and so far as he knew, or Elk had been able to -discover, there was no other entrance into the building. - -“I see you have a car here. You came down by road. Did you pass -anybody?” - -Dick shook his head. - -“Do you mind if we take the car in the opposite direction toward -Shoreham?” - -“I was going to suggest that,” said Gordon. “Isn’t it rather dangerous -for her, walking at this hour? The roads are thronged with tramps.” - -The older man made no reply. He sat with the driver, his eyes fixed -anxiously upon the road ahead. The car went ten miles at express speed, -then turned, and began a search of the side roads. Nearing the cottage -again, Dick pointed. - -“What is that wood?” he asked pointing to a dense wood to which a narrow -road led. - -“That is Elsham Wood; she wouldn’t go there,” he hesitated. - -“Let us try it,” said Dick, and the bonnet of the car was turned on to a -narrow road. In a few minutes they were running through a glade of high -trees, the entwining tops of which made the road a place of gloom. - -“There are car tracks here,” said Dick suddenly, but John Bennett shook -his head. - -“People come here for picnics,” he said, but Dick was not satisfied. - -These marks were new, and presently he saw them turn off the road to a -‘ride’ between the trees. He caught no glimpse of a car, however. The -direction of the tracks supported the old man’s theory. The road ended a -mile farther along, and beyond that was a waste of bracken and tree -stumps, for the wood had been extensively thinned during the war. - -With some difficulty the car was turned and headed back again. They came -through the glade into the open, and then Dick uttered a cry. - -John Bennett had already seen the girl. She was walking quickly in the -centre of the road, and stepped on to the grassy border without looking -round as the car came abreast of her. Then, looking up, she saw her -father, and went pale. - -He was in the road in a moment. - -“My dear,” he said reproachfully, “where have you been at this hour?” - -She looked frightened, Dick thought. The eyes of Elk narrowed as he -surveyed her. - -“I couldn’t sleep, so I dressed and went out, father,” she said, and -nodded to Dick. “You’re a surprising person, Captain Gordon. Why are you -here at this hour?” - -“I came to interview you,” said Dick, forcing a smile. - -“Me!” She was genuinely astonished. “Why me?” - -“Captain Gordon heard your voice on a wireless telephone in the middle -of the night, and wanted to know all about it,” said her father. - -If he was relieved, he was also troubled. Looking at him, Elk suddenly -saw the relief intensified, and with his quick intuition guessed the -cause before John Bennett put the question. - -“Was it Ray?” he asked eagerly. “Did he come down?” - -She shook her head. - -“No, father,” she said quietly. “And as to the wireless telephone, I -have never spoken into a wireless telephone, and I don’t think I’ve ever -seen one,” she said. - -“Of course you haven’t,” said Dick. “Only we were rather worried when we -heard your voice, but Mr. Elk’s explanation, that it was somebody -speaking whose voice was very much like yours, is obviously correct.” - -“Tell me this, Miss Bennett,” said Elk quietly. “Were you in town last -night?” - -She did not reply. - -“My daughter went to bed at ten,” said John Bennett roughly. “What is -the sense of asking her whether she was in London last night?” - -“Were you in town in the early hours of this morning, Miss Bennett?” -persisted Elk, and to Dick’s amazement she nodded. - -“Were you at Caverley House?” - -“No,” she answered instantly. - -“But, Ella, what were you doing in town?” asked John Bennett. “Did you -go to see that wretched brother of yours?” - -Again the hesitation, and then: - -“No.” - -“Did you go by yourself?” - -“No,” said Ella, and her lip trembled. “I wish you wouldn’t ask me any -further questions. I’m not a free agent in the matter. Daddy, you’ve -always trusted me: you’ll trust me now, won’t you?” - -He took her hand and held it in both of his. - -“I’ll trust you always, girlie,” he said; “and these gentlemen must do -the same.” - -Her challenging eyes met Dick’s, and he nodded. - -“I am one who will share that trust,” he said, and something in her look -rewarded him. - -Elk rubbed his chin fiercely. - -“Being naturally of a trusting nature, I should no more think of -doubting your word, Miss Bennett, than I should of believing myself.” He -looked at his watch. “I think we’ll go along and fetch poor old Balder -from the house of sin,” he said. - -“You’ll stop and have some breakfast?” - -Dick looked pleadingly at Elk, and the detective, with an air of -resignation, agreed. - -“Anyway, Balder won’t mind an hour more or less,” he said. - -Whilst Ella was preparing the breakfast, Dick and Elk paced the road -outside. - -“Well, what do you think of it, Captain?” - -“I don’t understand, but I have every confidence that Miss Bennett has -not lied,” said Dick. - -“Faith is a wonderful thing,” murmured Elk, and Dick turned on him -sharply. - -“What do you mean?” - -“I mean what I say. I have got faith in Miss Bennett,” he said -soothingly; “and, after all, she’s only another little bit of the jigsaw -puzzle that will fall into place when we fix the piece that’s shaped -like a Frog. And John Bennett’s another,” he said after a moment’s -thought. - -From where they stood they could see, looking toward Shoreham, the -opening of the narrow Elsham Wood road. - -“The thing that puzzles me,” Elk was saying, “is why she should go into -that wood in the middle of the night——” He stopped, lowering his head. -There came to them the soft purr of a motor-car. “Where is that?” he -asked. - -The question was answered instantly. Slowly there came into view from -the wood road the bonnet of a car, followed immediately by the remainder -of a large limousine, which turned toward them, gathering speed as it -came. A moment later it flashed past them, and they saw the solitary -occupant. - -“Well, I’m damned!” said Elk, who very infrequently indulged in -profanity, but Dick felt that on this occasion at least he was -justified. For the man in the limousine was the bearded Ezra Maitland; -and he knew that it was to see Maitland that the girl had gone to Elsham -Wood. - - - - - CHAPTER XX - - - HAGN - -A MINUTE later Ella came to the door to call them. - -“Was that a car went past?” she asked, and they detected a note of -anxiety in her tone. - -“Yes,” said Elk, “it was a big car. Didn’t see who was in it, but it was -a big car.” - -Dick heard her sigh of relief. - -“Will you come in, please?” she said. “Breakfast is waiting for you.” - -They left half an hour later, and each man was so busy with his own -thoughts that Dick did not speak until they were passing the villas -where the body of Genter had been found. It was near Horsham that Genter -was killed, he remembered with a little shudder. Outside of Horsham he -himself had seen the dead man’s feet extended beyond the back of a -motor-van. Hagn should die for that; whether he was Frog or not, he was -party to that murder. As if reading his thoughts, Elk turned to him and -said: - -“Do you think your evidence is strong enough to hang Hagn?” - -“I was wondering,” said Dick. “There is no supporting evidence, -unfortunately, but the car which you have under lock and key, and the -fact that the garage keeper may be able to identify him.” - -“With his beard?” asked Elk significantly. “There is going to be some -difficulty in securing a conviction against this Frog, believe me, -Captain Gordon. And unless old Balder induces him to make a statement, -we shall have all the difficulty in the world in convincing a jury. -Personally,” he added, “if I was condemned to spend a night with Balder, -I should tell the truth, if it was only to get rid of him. He’s a pretty -clever fellow, is Balder. People don’t realize that—he has the makings -of a first-class detective, if we could only get him to take a happier -view of life.” - -He directed the driver to go straight to the door of Cannon Row. - -Dick’s mind was on another matter. - -“What did she want with Maitland?” he asked. - -Elk shook his head. - -“I don’t know,” he confessed. “Of course, she might have been persuading -him to take back her brother, but old Maitland isn’t the kind of -adventurer who’d get up in the middle of the night to discuss giving Ray -Bennett his job back. If he was a younger man, yes. But he’s not young. -He’s darned old. And he’s a wicked old man, who doesn’t care two cents -whether Ray Bennett is working at his desk for so much per, or whether -he’s breaking stones on Dartmoor. I tell you, that’s one of the minor -mysteries which will be cleared up when we get the Frog piece in its -place.” - -The car stopped at the entrance of Cannon Row police-station, and the -men jumped down. The desk sergeant stood up as they came in, and eyed -them wonderingly. - -“I’m going to take Balder out, sergeant.” - -“Balder?” said the man in surprise. “I didn’t know Balder was in.” - -“I put him in with Hagn.” - -A light dawned upon the station official. - -“That’s queer. I didn’t know it was Balder,” he said. “I wasn’t on duty -when he came in, but the other sergeant told me that a man had been put -in with Hagn. Here is the gaoler.” - -That official came in at that moment, and was as astonished as the -sergeant to learn the identity of the second prisoner. - -“I had no idea it was Balder, sir,” he said. “That accounts for the long -talk they had—they were talking up till one o’clock.” - -“Are they still talking?” asked Elk. - -“No, sir, they’re sleeping now. I had a look at them a little time -ago—you remember you gave me orders to leave them alone and not to go -near them.” - -Dick Gordon and his subordinate followed the gaoler down a long passage -faced with glazed brick, the wall of which was studded at intervals by -narrow black doors. Reaching the end of the corridor, they turned at -right angles. The second passage had only one door, and that was at the -end. Snapping back the lock, the gaoler threw open the door, and Elk -went in. - -Elk went to the first of the figures and pulled aside the blanket which -covered the face. Then, with an oath, he drew the blanket clear. - -It was Balder, and he was lying on his back, covered from head to foot -with a blanket. A silk scarf was twisted round his mouth; his wrists -were not only handcuffed but strapped, as were his legs. - -Elk dashed at the second figure, but as he touched the blanket, it sank -under his hands. A folded coat, to give resemblance to a human figure, a -pair of battered shoes, placed artificially at the end of the -blanket—these were all. Hagn had disappeared! - -When they got the man into Elk’s office, and had given him brandy, and -Elk, by sheer bullying, had reduced him to coherence, Balder told his -story. - -“I think it was round about two o’clock when it happened,” he said. “I’d -been talking all the evening to this Hagn, though it was very clear to -me, with my experience, that he spotted me the moment I came in, as a -police officer, and was kidding me along all the evening. Still, I -persevered, Mr. Elk. I’m the sort of man that never says die. That’s the -peculiar thing about me——” - -“The peculiar thing about you,” said Elk wearily, “is your passionate -admiration of Balder. Get on!” - -“Anyway, I did try,” said Balder in an injured voice; “and I thought I’d -got over his suspicion, because he began talking about Frogs, and -telling me that there was going to be a wireless call to all the heads -to-night—that is, last night. He told me that Number Seven would never -be captured, because he was too clever. He asked me how Mills had been -killed, but I’m perfectly sure, the way he put the question, that he -knew. We didn’t talk very much after one, and at a quarter-past one I -lay down, and I must have gone to sleep almost at once. The first thing -I knew was that they were putting a gag in my mouth. I tried to -struggle, but they held me——” - -“They?” said Elk. “How many were there?” - -“There may have been two or three—I’m not certain,” said Balder. “If it -had been only two, I think I could have managed, for I am naturally -strong. There must have been more. I only saw two besides Hagn.” - -“Was the cell door open?” - -“Yes, sir, it was ajar,” said Balder after he had considered a moment. - -“What did they look like?” - -“They were wearing long black overcoats, but they made no attempt to -hide their faces. I should know them anywhere. They were young men—at -least, one was. What happened after that I don’t know. They put a strap -round my legs, pulled the blanket over me, and that’s all I saw or heard -until the cell door closed. I have been lying there all night, sir, -thinking of my wife and children . . .” - -Elk cut him short, and, leaving the man in charge of another police -clerk, he went across to make a more careful examination of the cell. -The two passages were shaped like a capital L, the special cell being at -the end of the shorter branch. At the elbow was a barred door leading -into the courtyard, where men waiting trial were loaded into the -prison-van and distributed to various places of detention. The warder -sat at the top of the L, in a small glass-panelled cubby-hole, where the -cell indicators were. Each cell was equipped with a bell-push in case of -illness, and the signals showed in this tiny office. From where he sat, -the warder commanded, not only a view of the passage, but a side view of -the door. Questioned, he admitted that he had been twice into the -charge-room for a few minutes at a time; once when a man arrested for -drunkenness had demanded to see a doctor, and another time, about -half-past two in the morning, to take over a burglar who had been -captured in the course of the night. - -“And, of course, it was during that time that the men got away,” said -Elk. - -The door into the courtyard was locked but not bolted. It could be -opened from either side. The cell door could also open from both sides. -In this respect it differed from every other cell in the station; but -the explanation was that it was frequently used for important prisoners, -whom it was necessary to subject to lengthy interrogations; and the lock -had been chosen to give the police officers who were inside an -opportunity of leaving the cell when they desired, without calling for -the gaoler. The lock had not been picked, neither had the lock of the -yard door. - -Elk sent immediately for the policemen who were on duty at either -entrance of Scotland Yard. The officer who was on guard at the -Embankment entrance had seen nobody. The man at the Whitehall opening -remembered seeing an inspector of police pass out at half-past two. He -was perfectly sure the officer was an inspector, because he wore the -hanging sword-belt, and the policeman had seen the star on his shoulder -and had saluted him—a salute which the officer had returned. - -“This may or may not be one of them,” said Elk. “If it is, what happened -to the other two?” - -But here evidence failed. The men had disappeared as though they had -dissipated into air. - -“We’re going to get a roasting for this, Captain Gordon,” said Elk; “and -if we escape without being scorched, we’re lucky. Fortunately, nobody -but ourselves knows that Hagn has been arrested; and when I say -‘ourselves,’ I wish I meant it! You had better go home and go to bed; I -had some sleep in the night. If you’ll wait while I send this bleating -clerk of mine home to his well-advertised wife and family, I’ll walk -home with you.” - -Dick was waiting on the edge of Whitehall when Elk joined him. - -“There will be a departmental inquiry, of course. We can’t help that,” -he said. “The only thing that worries me is that I’ve got poor old -Balder into bad odour, and I was trying to put him right. I don’t know -what the experience of the Boy Scouts is,” he went off at a tangent, -“but my own is that the worst service you can render to any man is to -try to do him a good turn.” - -It was now nearly ten o’clock, and Dick was feeling faint with hunger -and lack of sleep, for he had eaten nothing at Horsham. Once or twice, -as they walked toward Harley Terrace, Elk looked back over his shoulder. - -“Expecting anybody?” asked Dick, suddenly alive to the possibility of -danger. - -“No-o, not exactly,” said Elk. “But I’ve got a hunch that we’re being -followed.” - -“I saw a man just now who I thought was following us,” said Dick, “a man -in a fawn raincoat.” - -“Oh, him?” said Elk, indifferent alike to the rules of grammar and the -presence of his shadow. “That is one of my men. There’s another on the -other side of the road. I’m not thinking of them, my mind for the moment -being fixed on Frogs. Do you mind if we cross the road?” he asked -hurriedly, and, without waiting for a reply, caught Gordon’s arm and led -him across the broad thoroughfare. “I always object to walking on the -same side of a street as the traffic runs. I like to meet traffic; it’s -not good to be overtaken. I thought so!” - -A small Ford van, painted with the name of a laundry, which had been -crawling along behind them, suddenly spurted and went ahead at top -speed. Elk followed the car with his eyes until it reached the Trafalgar -Square end of Whitehall. Instead of branching left toward Pall Mall or -right to the Strand, the van swung round in a half-circle and came back -to meet them. Elk half turned and made a signal. - -“This is where we follow the example of the chicken,” said Elk, and made -another hurried crossing. - -When they reached the pavement he looked round. The detectives who were -following him had understood his signal, and one had leaped on the -running-board of the van, which was pulled up to the pavement. There was -a few minutes’ talk between the driver and the officer, and then they -all drove off together. - -“Pinched,” said Elk laconically. “He’ll take him to the station on some -charge or other and hold him. I guessed he’d see what I was after—my -man, I mean. The easiest way to shadow is to shadow in a trade truck,” -said Elk. “A trade van can do anything it likes; it can loiter by the -pavement, it can turn round and go back, it can go fast or slow, and -nobody takes the slightest notice. If that had been a limousine, it -would have attracted the attention of every policeman by drawling along -by the pavement, so as to overtake us just at the right minute. Probably -it wasn’t any more than a shadow, but to me,” he said with a quiver of -his shoulder, “it felt rather like sudden death!” - -Whether Elk’s cheerfulness was assumed or natural, he succeeded in -impressing his companion. - -“Let’s take a cab,” said Dick, and such was his doubt that he waited for -three empty taxis to pass before he hailed the fourth. “Come in,” said -Dick when the cab dropped them at Harley Terrace. “I’ve got a spare room -if you want to sleep.” - -Elk shook his head to the latter suggestion, but accompanied Gordon into -the house. The man who opened the door had evidently something to say. - -“There’s a gentleman waiting to see you, sir. He’s been here for half an -hour.” - -“What is his name?” - -“Mr. Johnson, sir.” - -“Johnson?” said Dick in surprise, and hurried to the dining-room, into -which the visitor had been ushered. - -It was, indeed, “the philosopher,” though Mr. Johnson lacked for the -moment evidence of that equilibrium which is the chiefest of his -possessions. The stout man was worried; his face was unusually long; and -when Dick went into the room, he was sitting uncomfortably on the edge -of a chair, as he had seen him sitting at Heron’s Club, his gloomy eyes -fixed upon the carpet. - -“I hope you’ll forgive me for coming to see you, Captain Gordon,” he -said. “I’ve really no right to bring my troubles to you.” - -“I hope your troubles aren’t as pressing as mine,” smiled Dick as he -shook hands. “You know Mr. Elk?” - -“Mr. Elk is an old friend,” said Johnson, almost cheerful for a second. - -“Well, what is your kick?—sit down, won’t you?” said Dick. “I’m going -to have a real breakfast. Will you join me?” - -“With pleasure, sir. I’ve eaten nothing this morning. I usually have a -little lunch about eleven, but I can’t say that I feel very hungry. The -fact is, Captain Gordon, I’m fired.” - -Dick raised his eyebrows. - -“What—has Maitland fired you?” - -Johnson nodded. - -“And to think that I’ve served the old devil all these years faithfully, -on a clerk’s salary! I’ve never given him any cause for complaint, I’ve -handled hundreds of thousands—yes, and millions! And although it’s not -for me to blow my own trumpet, I’ve never once been a penny out in my -accounts. Of course, if I had been, he would have found it out in less -than no time, for he is the greatest mathematician I’ve ever met. And as -sharp as a needle! He can write twice as fast as any other man I’ve -known,” he added with reluctant admiration. - -“It’s rather curious that a man of his uncouth appearance and speech -should have those attainments,” said Dick. - -“It’s a wonder to me,” confessed Johnson. “In fact, it has been a -standing wonder to me ever since I’ve known him. You’d think he was a -dustman or a tramp, to hear him talk, yet he’s a very well-read man, of -extraordinary educational qualities.” - -“Can he remember dates?” asked Elk. - -“He can even remember dates,” replied Johnson seriously. “A queer old -man, and in many ways an unpleasant old man. I’m not saying this because -he’s fired me; I’ve always had the same view. He’s without a single -spark of kindness; I think the only human thing about him is his love -for this little boy.” - -“What little boy?” asked Elk, immediately interested. - -“I’ve never seen him,” said Johnson. “The child has never been brought -to the office. I don’t know who he is or whose he is; I’ve an idea he’s -a grandchild of Maitland’s.” - -There was a pause. - -“I see,” said Dick softly, and well he did see, for in that second began -his understanding of the Frog and the secret of the Frog. - -“Why were you fired?” he asked. - -Johnson shrugged his shoulders. - -“Over a stupid thing; in fact, it’s hardly worth talking about. It -appears the old man saw me at Heron’s Club the other night, and ever -since then he’s been going carefully into my petty cash account, -probably under the impression that I was living a fast life! Beyond the -usual grousing, there was nothing in his manner to suggest that he -intended getting rid of me; but this morning, when I came, I found that -he had already arrived, which was an unusual circumstance. He doesn’t as -a rule get to the office until about an hour after we start work. -‘Johnson,’ he said, ‘I understand that you know a Miss Ella Bennett.’ I -replied that I was fortunate enough to know the lady. ‘And I -understand,’ he went on, ’that you’ve been down there to lunch on one or -two occasions.’ ‘That is perfectly true, Mr. Maitland,’ I replied. ‘Very -well, Johnson,’ said Maitland, ‘you’re fired.’” - -“And that was all?” asked Dick in amazement. - -“That was all,” said Johnson in a hushed voice. “Can you understand it?” - -Dick could have said yes, but he did not. Elk, more curious, and -passionately anxious to extend his knowledge of the mysterious Maitland, -had something to ask. - -“Johnson, you’ve been right close to this man Maitland for years. Have -you noticed anything about him that’s particularly suspicious?” - -“Like what, Mr. Elk?” - -“Has he had any visitors for whom you couldn’t account? Have you known -him, for example, to do anything which would suggest to you that he had -something to do with the Frogs?” - -“The Frogs?” Johnson opened his eyes wide, and his voice emphasized his -incredulity. “Bless you, no! I shouldn’t imagine he knows anything about -these people. You mean the tramps who have committed so many crimes? No, -Mr. Elk, I’ve never heard or seen or read anything which gave me that -impression.” - -“You’ve seen the records of most of his transactions; are there any that -he has made which would lead you to believe that he had benefited, say, -by the death of Mr. Maclean in Dundee, or by the attack which was made -upon the woollen merchant at Derby? For example, do you know whether he -has been engaged in the buying or selling of French brandies or -perfumes?” - -Johnson shook his head. - -“No, sir, he deals only in real estate. He has properties in this -country and in the South of France and in America. He has done a little -business in exchanges; in fact, we did a very large exchange business -until the mark broke.” - -“What are you going to do now, Mr. Johnson?” asked Dick. - -The other made a gesture of helplessness. - -“What can I do, sir?” he asked. “I am nearly fifty; I’ve spent most of -my working life in one job, and it is very unlikely that I can get -another. Fortunately for me, I’ve not only saved money, but I have had -one or two lucky investments, and for those I must be grateful to the -old man. I don’t think he was particularly pleased when he found that -I’d followed his advice, but that’s beside the question. I do owe him -that. I’ve just about enough money to keep me for the rest of my life if -I go quietly and do not engage in any extraordinary speculations. Why I -came to see you was to ask you, Captain Gordon, if you had any kind of -opening. I should like a little spare time work, and I’d be most happy -to work with you.” - -Dick was rather embarrassed, because the opportunities for employing Mr. -Johnson were few and far between. Nevertheless, he was anxious to help -the man. - -“Let me give the matter a day or two’s thought,” he said. “What is -Maitland doing for a secretary?” - -“I don’t know. That is my chief worry. I saw a letter lying on his desk, -addressed to Miss Ella Bennett, and I have got an idea that he intends -offering her the job.” - -Dick could hardly believe his ears. - -“What makes you think that?” - -“I don’t know, sir, only once or twice the old man has inquired whether -Ray has a sister. He took quite an interest in her for two or three -days, and then let the matter drop. It is as astonishing as anything he -has ever done.” - -Elk for some reason felt immensely sorry for the man. He was so -obviously and patently unfitted for the rough and tumble of competition. -And the opportunities which awaited a man of fifty worn to one groove -were practically non-existent. - -“I don’t know that I can help you either, Mr. Johnson,” he said. “As far -as Miss Bennett is concerned, I imagine that there is no possibility of -her accepting any such offer, supposing Maitland made it. I’ll have your -address in case I want to communicate with you.” - -“431, Fitzroy Square,” replied Johnson, and produced a somewhat soiled -card with an apology. “I haven’t much use for cards,” he said. - -He walked to the door and hesitated with his hand on its edge. - -“I’m—I’m very fond of Miss Bennett,” he said, “and I’d like her to know -that Maitland isn’t as bad as he looks. I’ve got to be fair to him!” - -“Poor devil!” said Elk, watching the man through the window as he walked -dejectedly along Harley Terrace. “It’s tough on him. You nearly told him -about seeing Maitland this morning! I saw that, and was ready to jump -in. It’s the young lady’s secret.” - -“I wish to heaven it wasn’t,” said Dick sincerely, and remembered that -he had asked Johnson to stay to breakfast. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - - - MR. JOHNSON’S VISITOR - -THERE is a certain murky likeness between the houses in Fitzroy Square, -London, and Gramercy Park, New York. Fitzroy Square belongs to the -Georgian days, when Soho was a fashionable suburb, and St. -Martins-in-the-Fields was really in the fields, and was not tucked away -between a Vaudeville house and a picture gallery. - -No. 431 had been subdivided by its owner into three self-contained -flats, Johnson’s being situated on the ground floor. There was a fourth -basement flat, which was occupied by a man and his wife who acted for -the owners, and, incidentally, were responsible, in the case of Johnson, -for keeping his apartments clean and supplying him with the very few -meals that he had on the premises. - -It was nearly ten o’clock when philosopher Johnson arrived home that -evening, and he was a very tired man. He had spent the greater part of -the day in making a series of calls upon financial and real estate -houses. To his inevitable inquiries he received an inevitable answer. -There were no vacancies, and certainly no openings for a stoutish man of -fifty, who looked, to the discerning eyes of the merchants concerned or -their managing clerks, past his best years of work. Patient Mr. Johnson -accepted each rebuff and moved on to another field, only to find his -experience repeated. - -He let himself in with a latchkey, walked wearily into a little -sitting-room, and dropped with a sigh to the Chesterfield, for he was -not given to violent exercise. - -The room in which he sat was prettily, but not expensively furnished. A -large green carpet covered the floor; the walls were hidden by -book-shelves; and there was about the place a certain cosiness which -money cannot buy. Rising after some little time, he walked to his -book-shelf, took down a volume and spent the next two hours in reading. -It was nearly midnight when he turned out the light and went to bed. - -His bedroom was at the farther end of the short corridor, and in five -minutes he was undressed and asleep. - -Mr. Johnson was usually a light but consistent sleeper, but to-night he -had not been asleep an hour before he was awake again. And wider awake -than he had been at any portion of the day. Softly he got out of bed, -put on his slippers and pulled a dressing-gown round him; then, taking -something from a drawer in his bureau, he opened the door and crept -softly along the carpeted passage toward his sitting-room. - -He had heard no sound; it was sheer premonition of a pressing danger -which had wakened him. His hand was on the door-knob, and he had turned -it, when he heard a faint click. It was the sound of a light being -turned off, and the sound came from the sitting-room. - -With a quick jerk he threw open the door and reached out his hand for -the switch; and then, from the blackness of the room, came a warning -voice. - -“Touch that light and you die! I’ve got you covered. Put your gun on the -floor at your feet—quick!” - -Johnson stooped and laid down the revolver he had taken from his bureau. - -“Now step inside, and step lively,” said the voice. - -“Who are you?” asked Johnson steadily. - -He strained his eyes to pierce the darkness, and saw the figure now. It -was standing by his desk, and the shine of something in its hand warned -him that the threat was no idle one. - -“Never met me?” There was a chuckle of laughter in the voice of the -Unknown. “I’ll bet you haven’t! Friend—meet the Frog!” - -“The Frog?” Johnson repeated the words mechanically. - -“One name’s as good as another. That will do for mine,” said the -stranger. “Throw over the key of your desk.” - -There was a silence. - -“I haven’t my key here,” said Johnson. “It is in the bedroom.” - -“Stay where you are,” warned the voice. - -Johnson had kicked off his slippers softly, and was feeling with his -feet for the pistol he had laid so obediently on the floor in the first -shock of surprise. Presently he found it and drew it toward him with his -bare toes. - -“What do you want?” he asked, temporizing. - -“I want to see your office papers—all the papers you’ve brought from -Maitlands.” - -“There is nothing here of any value,” said Johnson. - -The revolver was now at his feet and a little ahead of him. He kept his -toes upon the butt, ready to drop just as soon as he could locate with -any certainty the position of the burglar. But now, though his eyes were -growing accustomed to the darkness, he could no longer see the owner of -the voice. - -“Come nearer,” said the stranger, “and hold out your hands.” - -Johnson made as though to obey, but dropped suddenly to his knees. The -explosion deafened him. He heard a cry, saw, in the flash of his pistol, -a dark figure, and then something struck him. - -He came to consciousness ten minutes later, to find the room empty. -Staggering to his feet, he put on the light and walked unsteadily back -to his bedroom, to examine the extent of his injuries. He felt the bump -on his head gingerly, and grinned. Somebody was knocking at the outer -door, a peremptory, authoritative knocking. With a wet towel to his -injured head he went out into the passage and opened the front door. He -found two policemen at the step and a small crowd gathered on the -pavement. - -“Has there been shooting here?” - -“Yes, constable,” said Johnson, “I did a little shooting, but I don’t -think I hit anything.” - -“Have you been hurt, sir? Was it burglars?” - -“I can’t tell you. Come in,” said Johnson, and led the way back to the -disordered library. - -The blind was flapping in the draught, for the window, which looked out -upon a side street, was open. - -“Have you missed anything?” - -“No, I don’t think so,” said Johnson. “I think it was rather more -important than an ordinary burglary. I am going to call Inspector Elk of -Scotland Yard, and I think you had better leave the room as it is until -he arrives.” - -Elk was in his office, laboriously preparing a report on the escape of -Hagn, when the call came through. He listened attentively, and then: - -“I’ll come down, Johnson. Tell the constable to leave things—ask him to -speak to me.” - -By the time Elk had arrived, the philosopher was dressed. - -“He gave you a pretty hefty one,” said Elk, examining the contusion with -a professional eye. - -“I wasn’t prepared for it. I expected him to shoot, and he must have -struck at me as I fired.” - -“You say it was the Frog himself?” said the sceptical Elk. “I doubt it. -The Frog has never undertaken a job on his own, so far as I can -remember.” - -“It was either the Frog or one of his trusted emissaries,” said Johnson -with a good-humoured smile. “Look at this.” - -On the centre of his pink blotting-pad was stamped the inevitable Frog. -It appeared also on the panel of the door. - -“That is supposed to be a warning, isn’t it?” said Johnson. “Well, I -hadn’t time to get acquainted with the warning before I got mine!” - -“There are worse things than a clubbing,” said Elk cheerfully. “You’ve -missed nothing?” - -Johnson shook his head. - -“No, nothing.” - -Elk’s inspection of the room was short but thorough. It was near the -open window, blown by the breeze into the folds of the curtain, that he -found the parcel-room ticket. It was a green slip acknowledging the -reception of a handbag, and it was issued at the terminus of the Great -Northern Railway. - -“Is this yours?” he asked. - -Johnson took the slip from him, examined it and shook his head. - -“No,” he said, “I’ve never seen it before.” - -“Anybody else in your flat likely to have left a bag at King’s Cross -station?” - -Again Johnson shook his head and smiled. - -“There is nobody else in this flat,” he said, “except myself.” - -Elk took the paper under the light and scrutinized the date-stamp. The -luggage had been deposited a fortnight before, and, as is usual in such -tickets, the name of the depositor was not given. - -“It may have blown in from the garden,” he said. “There is a stiff -breeze to-night, but I should not imagine that anybody who had got an -important piece of luggage would leave the ticket to fly around. I’ll -investigate this,” he said, and put the ticket carefully away in his -pocket-book. “You didn’t see the man?” - -“I caught a glimpse of him as I fired, and I am under the impression -that he was masked.” - -“Did you recognize his voice?” - -“No,” said Johnson, shaking his head. - -Elk examined the window. The catch had been cleverly forced—“cleverly” -because it was a new type of patent fastening familiar to him, and which -he did not remember ever having seen forced from the outside before. -Instinctively his mind went back to the burglary at Lord Farmley’s, to -that beautifully cut handle and blown lock; and though, by no stretch of -imagination, could the two jobs be compared, yet there was a similarity -in finish and workmanship which immediately struck him. - -What made this burglary all the more remarkable was that, for the first -time, there had appeared somebody who claimed to be the Frog himself. -Never before had the Frog given tangible proof of his existence. He -understood the organization well enough to know that none of the Frog’s -willing slaves would have dared to use his name. And why did he consider -that Johnson was worthy of his personal attention? - -“No,” said Johnson in answer to his question, “there are no documents -here of the slightest value. I used to bring home a great deal of work -from Maitlands; in fact, I have often worked into the middle of the -night. That is why my dismissal is such a scandalous piece of -ingratitude.” - -“You have never had any private papers of Maitland’s here, which perhaps -you might have forgotten to return?” asked Elk thoughtfully, and -Johnson’s ready smile and twinkling eyes supplied an answer. - -“That’s rather a graceful way of putting the matter,” he said. “No, I -have none of Maitland’s documents here. If you care, you can see the -contents of all my cupboards, drawers and boxes, but I can assure you -that I’m a very methodical man; I know practically every paper in my -possession.” - -Walking home, Elk reviewed the matter of this surprising appearance. If -the truth be told, he was very glad to have some additional problem to -keep his mind off the very unpleasant interview which was promised for -the morning. Captain Dick Gordon would assume all responsibility, and -probably the Commissioners would exonerate Elk from any blame; but to -the detective, the “people upstairs” were almost as formidable as the -Frog himself. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - - - THE INQUIRY - -HE intended making an early call at King’s Cross to examine the contents -of the bag, but awoke the next morning, his mind filled with the coming -inquiry to the exclusion of all other matters; and although he entered -Johnson’s burglary in his report book very carefully, and locked away -the cloak-room ticket in his safe, he was much too absorbed and worried -to make immediate inquiries. - -Dick arrived for the inquiry, and his assistant gave him a brief sketch -of the burglary in Fitzroy Square. - -“Let me see that ticket,” he asked. - -Elk, unlocking the safe, produced the green slip. - -“The ticket has been attached to something,” said Dick, carrying the -slip to the window. “There is the mark of a paper-fastener, and the mark -is recent. This may produce a little information,” he said as he handed -it back. - -“It’s very unlikely,” said Elk despondently as he locked the door of the -safe. “Those people upstairs are going to give us hell.” - -“Don’t worry,” said Dick. “I tell you, our friends above are so tickled -to death at recovering the Treaty that they’re not going to worry much -about Hagn.” - -It was a remarkable prophecy, remarkably fulfilled. Elk was gratified -and surprised when he was called into the presence of the great—every -Commissioner and Chief Constable sat round the green board of -judgment—to discover that the attitude of his superiors was rather one -of benevolent interest than of disapproval. - -“With an organization of this character we are prepared for very -unexpected developments,” said the Chief Commissioner. “In ordinary -circumstances, the escape of Hagn would be a matter calling for severe -measures against those responsible. But I really cannot apportion the -blame in this particular case. Balder seems to have behaved with perfect -propriety; I quite approve of your having put him into the cell with -Hagn; and I do not see what I can do with the gaoler. The truth is, that -the Frogs are immensely powerful—more powerful than the agents of an -enemy Government, because they are working with inside knowledge, and in -addition, of course, they are our own people. You think it is possible, -Captain Gordon, to round up the Frogs?—I know it will be a tremendous -business. Is it worth while?” - -Dick shook his head. - -“No, sir,” he replied. “They are too numerous, and the really dangerous -men are going to be difficult to identify. It has come to our knowledge -that the chiefs of this organization—at least, some of them—are not so -marked.” - -Not all the members of the Board of Inquiry were as pleasant as the -Chief Commissioner. - -“It comes to this,” said a white-haired Chief Constable, “that in the -space of a week we have had two prisoners killed under the eyes of the -police, and one who has practically walked out of the cell in which he -was guarded by a police officer, without being arrested or any clue -being furnished as to the method the Frogs employed.” He shook his head. -“That’s bad, Captain Gordon.” - -“Perhaps you would like to take charge of the inquiry, sir,” said Dick. -“This is not the ordinary petty larceny type of crime, and I seem to -remember having dealt with a case of yours whilst I was in the -Prosecutor’s Department, presenting less complicated features, in which -you were no more successful than I and my officers have been in dealing -with the Frogs. You must allow me the greatest latitude and exercise -patience beyond the ordinary. I know the Frog,” he said simply. - -For some time they did not realize what he had said. - -“You know him?” asked the Chief Commissioner incredulously. - -Dick nodded. - -“If I were to tell you who it was,” he said, “you would probably laugh -at me. And obviously, whilst it is quite possible for me to secure an -arrest this morning, it is not as easy a matter to produce overwhelming -evidence that will convict. You must give me rope if I am to succeed.” - -“But how did you discover him, Captain Gordon?” asked the Chief, and -Elk, who had listened, dumbfounded, to this claim of his superior, -waited breathlessly for the reply. - -“It was clear to me,” said Dick, speaking slowly and deliberately, “when -I learnt from Mr. Johnson, who was Maitland’s secretary, that somewhere -concealed in the old man’s house was a mysterious child.” He smiled as -he looked at the blank faces of the Board. “That doesn’t sound very -convincing, I’m afraid,” he said, “but nevertheless, you will learn in -due course why, when I discovered this, I was perfectly satisfied that I -could take the Frog whenever I wished. It is not necessary to say that, -knowing as I do, or as I am convinced I do, the identity of this -individual, events from now on will take a more interesting and a more -satisfactory course. I do not profess to be able to explain how Hagn -came to make his escape. I have a suspicion—it is no more than a -suspicion—but even that event is soluble if my other theory is right, -as I am sure it is.” - -Until the meeting was over and the two men were again in Elk’s office, -the detective spoke no word. Then, closing the door carefully, he said: - -“If that was a bluff of yours, Captain Gordon, it was the finest bluff I -have ever heard, and I’ve an idea it wasn’t a bluff.” - -“It was no bluff,” said Dick quietly. “I tell you I am satisfied that I -know the Frog.” - -“Who is it?” - -Dick shook his head. - -“This isn’t the time to tell you. I don’t think any useful purpose would -be served if I made my views known—even to you. Now what about your -cloak-room ticket?” - -Dick did not accompany him to King’s Cross, for he had some work to do -in his office, and Elk went alone to the cloak-room. Producing the -ticket, he paid the extra fees for the additional period of storage, and -received from the attendant a locked brown leather bag. - -“Now, son,” said Elk, having revealed his identity, “perhaps you will -tell me if you remember who brought this bag?” - -The attendant grinned. - -“I haven’t that kind of memory,” he said. - -“I sympathize with you,” said Elk, “but possibly if you concentrated -your mind, you might be able to recall something. Faces aren’t dates.” - -The attendant turned over the leaves of his book to make sure. - -“Yes, I was on duty that day.” - -“What time was it handed in?” - -He examined the counterfoils. - -“About eleven o’clock in the morning,” he said. He shook his head. “I -can’t remember who brought it. We get so much luggage entered at that -time in the morning that it’s almost impossible for me to recall any -particular person. I know one thing, that there wasn’t anything peculiar -about him, or I should have remembered.” - -“You mean that the person who handed this in was very ordinary. Was he -an American?” - -Again the attendant thought. - -“No, I don’t think he was an American, sir,” he said. “I should have -remembered that. I don’t think we have had an American here for weeks.” - -Elk took the bag to the office of the station police inspector, and with -the aid of his key unlocked and pulled it wide open. Its contents were -unusual. A suit of clothes, a shirt, collar and tie, a brand-new shaving -outfit, a small bottle of Annatto, a colouring material used by -dairymen, a passport made out in the name of “John Henry Smith,” but -with the photograph missing, a Browning pistol, fully loaded, an -envelope containing 5,000 francs and five one-hundred-dollar bills; -these comprised the contents. - -Elk surveyed the articles as they were spread on the inspector’s table. - -“What do you make of that?” - -The railwayman shook his head. - -“It’s a fairly complete outfit,” he said. - -“You mean a get-away outfit? That’s what I think,” said Elk; “and I’d -like to bet that one of these bags is stored at every railway terminus -in London!” - -The clothing bore no marks, the Browning was of Belgian manufacture, -whilst the passport might, or might not, have been forged, though the -blank on which it was written was obviously genuine. (A later inquiry -put through to the Foreign Office revealed the fact that it had not been -officially issued.) - -Elk packed away the outfit into the bag. - -“I shall take these to the Yard. Perhaps they’ll be called for—but more -likely they won’t.” - -Elk came out of the Inspector’s office on to the broad platform, -wondering what it would be best to do. Should he leave the bag in the -cloak-room and set a man to watch? . . . That would be a little futile, -for nobody could call unless he had the ticket, and it would mean -employing a good officer for nothing. He decided in the end to take the -bag to the Yard and hand it over for a more thorough inspection. - -One of the Northern expresses had just pulled into the station, two -hours late, due to a breakdown on the line. Elk stood looking idly at -the stream of passengers passing out through the barrier, and, so -watching, he saw a familiar face. His mind being occupied with this, the -familiarity did not force itself upon his attention until the man he had -recognized had passed out of view. It was John Bennett—a furtive, -hurrying figure, with his battered suit-case in his hand, a dark felt -hat pulled over his eyes. - -Elk strolled across to the barrier where a station official was -standing. - -“Where does this train come from?” - -“Aberdeen, sir.” - -“Last stop?” asked Elk. - -“Last stop Doncaster,” said the official. - -Whilst he was speaking, Elk saw Bennett returning. Apparently he had -forgotten something, for there was a frown of annoyance on his face. He -pushed his way through the stream of people that were coming from the -barriers, and Elk wondered what was the cause of his return. He had not -long to wait before he learnt. - -When Bennett appeared again, he was carrying a heavy brown box, fastened -with a strap, and Elk recognized the motion picture camera with which -this strange man pursued his paying hobby. - -“Queer bird!” said Elk to himself and, calling a cab, carried his find -back to headquarters. - -He put the bag in his safe, and sent for two of his best men. - -“I want the cloak-rooms of every London terminus inspected for bags of -this kind,” he said, showing the bag. “It has probably been left for -weeks. Push the usual inquiries as to the party who made the deposit, -select all likely bags, and, to make sure, have them opened on the spot. -If they contained a complete shaving kit, a gun, a passport and money, -they are to be brought to Scotland Yard and held for me.” - -Gordon, whom he afterwards saw, agreed with his explanation for the -presence of this interesting find. - -“At any hour of the day or night he’s ready to jump for safety,” said -Elk admiringly; “and at any terminus we shall find money, a change of -kit and the necessary passport to carry him abroad, Annatto to stain his -face and hands—I expect he carries his own photograph. And by the way, -I saw John Bennett.” - -“At the station?” asked Dick. - -Elk nodded. - -“He was returning from the north, from one of five towns—Aberdeen, -Arbroath, Edinburgh, York or Doncaster. He didn’t see me, and I didn’t -push myself forward. Captain, what do you think of this man Bennett?” - -Dick did not reply. - -“Is he your Frog?” challenged Elk, and Dick Gordon chuckled. - -“You’re not going to get my Frog by a process of elimination. Elk, and -you can save yourself a whole lot of trouble if you cut out the idea -that cross-examining me will produce good results.” - -“I never thought anything so silly,” said Elk. “But John Bennett gets me -guessing. If he were the Frog, he couldn’t have been in Johnson’s -sitting-room last night.” - -“Not unless he motored to Doncaster to catch an alibi train,” said Dick, -and then: “I wonder if the Doncaster police are going to call in -headquarters, or whether they’ll rely upon their own intelligence -department.” - -“About what?” asked Elk surprised. - -“Mabberley Hall, which is just outside Doncaster, was burgled last -night,” said Dick, “and Lady FitzHerman’s diamond tiara was -stolen—rather supports your theory, doesn’t it, Elk?” - -Elk said nothing, but he wished most fervently that he had some excuse -or other for searching John Bennett’s bag. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII - - - A MEETING - -HERON’S CLUB had been temporarily closed by order of the police, but now -was allowed to open its doors again. Ray invariably lunched at Heron’s -unless he was taking the meal with Lola, who preferred a brighter -atmosphere than the club offered at midday. - -Only a few tables were occupied when he arrived. The stigma of the -police raid lay upon Heron’s, and its more cautious clients had not yet -begun to drift back. It was fairly well known that something had -happened to Hagn, the manager, for the man had not appeared since the -night of the raid. There were unconfirmed rumours of his arrest. Ray had -not troubled to call for letters as he passed through the hall, for very -little correspondence came to him at the club. He was therefore -surprised when the waiter, having taken his order, returned, accompanied -by the clerk carrying in his hand two letters, one heavily sealed and -weighty, the other smaller. - -He opened the big envelope first, and was putting in his fingers to -extract the contents when he realized that the envelope contained -nothing but money. He did not care to draw out the contents, even before -the limited public. Peeping, he was gratified to observe the number and -denomination of the bills. There was no message, but the other letter -was addressed in the same handwriting. He tore this open. It was -innocent of address or date, and the typewritten message ran: - - “On Friday morning you will assume a dress which will be sent to - you, and you will make your way towards Nottingham by road. You - will take the name of Jim Carter, and papers of identification - in that name will be found in the pockets of the clothes which - will reach you by special messenger to-morrow. From now onward - you are not to appear in public, you are not to shave, receive - visitors or pay visits. Your business at Nottingham will be - communicated to you. Remember that you are to travel by road, - sleeping in such lodging-houses, casual wards or Salvation Army - shelters as tramps usually patronize. At Barnet, on the Great - North Road, near the ninth milestone, you will meet another whom - you know, and will accompany him for the remainder of the - journey. At Nottingham you will receive further orders. It is - very likely that you will not be required, and certainly, the - work you will be asked to do will not compromise you in any way. - Remember your name is Carter. Remember you are not to shave. - Remember also the ninth milestone on Friday morning. When these - facts are impressed upon you, take this letter, the envelope, - and the envelope containing the money, to the club fireplace, - and burn them. I shall see you.” - -The letter was signed “Frog.” - -So the hour had come when the Frogs had need of him. He had dreaded the -day, and yet in a way had looked forward to it as one who wished to know -the worst. - -He faithfully carried out the instructions, and, under the curious eyes -of the guests, carried the letter and the envelopes to the empty brick -fireplace, lit a match and burnt them, putting his foot upon the ashes. - -His pulse beat a little quicker, the thump of his heart was a little -more pronounced, as he went back to his untouched lunch. So the Frog -would see him—was here! He looked round the sparsely filled tables, and -presently he met the gaze of a man whose eyes had been fixed upon him -ever since he had sat down. The face was familiar, and yet unfamiliar. -He beckoned the waiter. - -“Don’t look immediately,” he said in a low voice, “but tell me who is -that gentleman sitting in the second alcove.” - -The waiter looked carelessly round. - -“That is Mr. Joshua Broad, sir,” he said. - -Almost as the waiter spoke, Joshua Broad rose from his seat, walked -across the room to where Ray was sitting. - -“Good morning, Mr. Bennett. I don’t think we have met before, though we -are fellow-members of Heron’s and I’ve seen you a lot of times here. My -name is Broad.” - -“Won’t you sit down?” Ray had some difficulty in controlling his voice. -“Glad to meet you, Mr. Broad. Have you finished your lunch? If not, -perhaps you’ll take it with me.” - -“No,” he said, “I’ve finished lunch. I eat very little. But if it -doesn’t annoy you, I’ll smoke a cigarette.” - -Ray offered his case. - -“I’m a neighbour of a friend of yours,” said Broad, choosing a -cigarette, “Miss Lola Bassano. She has an apartment facing mine in -Caverley House—I guess that’s where I’ve seen you most often.” - -Now Ray remembered. This was the strange American who lived opposite to -Lola, and about whose business he had so often heard Lola and Lew Brady -speculate. - -“And I think we have a mutual friend in—Captain Gordon,” suggested the -other, his keen eyes fixed upon the boy. - -“Captain Gordon is not a friend of mine,” said Ray quickly. “I’m not -particularly keen on police folk as friends.” - -“They can be mighty interesting,” said Broad, “but I can quite -understand your feeling in the matter. Have you known Brady long?” - -“Lew? No, I can’t say that I have. He’s a very nice fellow,” said Ray -unenthusiastically. “He’s not exactly the kind of friend I’d have -chosen, but it happens that he is a particularly close friend of a -friend of mine.” - -“Of Miss Bassano,” said Broad. “You used to be at Maitlands?” - -“I was there once,” said Ray indifferently, and from his tone one might -have imagined that he had merely been a visitor attracted by morbid -curiosity to that establishment. - -“Queer cuss, old Maitland.” - -“I know very little of him,” said Ray. - -“A very queer fellow. He’s got a smart secretary, though.” - -“You mean Johnson?” Ray smiled. “Poor old philosopher, he’s lost his -job!” - -“You don’t say? When did this happen?” Mr. Broad’s voice was urgent, -eager. - -“The other day—I don’t know when. I met Johnson this morning and he -told me. I don’t know how the old boy will get on without Philo.” - -“I was wondering the same thing,” said Broad softly. “You surprise me. I -wonder he has the nerve, though I don’t think he’s lacking in that -quality.” - -“The nerve?” said the puzzled Ray. “I don’t think it requires much nerve -to fire a secretary.” - -A fleeting smile played on the hard face of the American. - -“By that I meant that it requires nerve for a man of Maitland’s -character to dismiss a man who must share a fair number of his secrets. -Not that I should imagine there would be any great confidence between -these two. What is Johnson doing?” - -“He’s looking for a job, I think,” said Ray. He was getting a little -irritated by the persistence of the stranger’s questions. He had a -feeling that he was being “pumped.” Possibly Mr. Broad sensed this -suspicion, for he dropped his flow of interrogations and switched to the -police raid, a prolific source of discussion amongst the members of -Heron’s. - -Ray looked after him as he walked out a little later and was puzzled. -Why was he so keen on knowing all these things? Was he testing him? He -was glad to be alone to consider this extraordinary commission which had -come to him. The adventure of it, the disguise of it, all were -particularly appealing to a romantic young man; and Ray Bennett lacked -nothing in the matter of romance. There was a certain delightful -suggestion of danger, a hint almost as thrilling of lawlessness, in -these instructions. What might be the end of the adventure, he did not -trouble to consider. It was well for his peace of mind that he was no -seer; for, if he had been, he would have flown that very moment, seeking -for some desolate place, some hole in the ground where he could lie and -shiver and hide. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV - - - WHY MAITLAND CAME - -ELLA BENNETT was cooking the dinner when her father came in, depositing -his heavy camera on the floor of the sitting-room, but carrying, as was -usual, his grip to the bedroom. She heard the closing of the cupboard -door and the turning of the lock, but had long ceased to wonder why he -invariably kept his bag locked in that cupboard. He was looking very -tired and old; there were deeper lines under his eyes, and the pallor of -his cheeks was even more pronounced. - -“Did you have a good time, father?” she asked. It was the invariable -question, and invariably John Bennett made no other reply than a nod. - -“I nearly lost my camera this morning—forgot it,” he said. “It was -quite a success—taking the camera away with me—but I must get used to -remembering that I have it. I found a stretch of country full of wild -fowl, and got some really good pictures. Round about Horsham my -opportunities are limited, and I think I shall take the machine with me -wherever I go.” - -He seated himself in the old chair by the fireplace and was filling his -pipe slowly. - -“I saw Elk on the platform at King’s Cross,” he said. “I suppose he was -looking for somebody.” - -“What time did you leave where you were?” she asked. - -“Last night,” he replied briefly, but did not volunteer any further -information about his movements. - -She was in and out of the kitchen, laying the table, and she did not -speak to him on the matter which was near her heart, until he had drawn -up his chair, and then: - -“I had a letter from Ray this morning, father,” she said. It was the -first time she had mentioned the boy’s name since that night of horrible -memories at Heron’s Club. - -“Yes?” he answered, without looking up from his plate. - -“He wanted to know if you had his letter.” - -“Yes, I had his letter,” said John Bennett, “but I didn’t answer it. If -Ray wants to see me, he knows where I am. Did you hear from anybody -else?” he asked, with surprising calm. - -She had been dreading what might follow the mention of Ray’s name. - -“I heard from Mr. Johnson. He has left Maitlands.” - -Bennett finished his glass of water and set it down before he replied. - -“He had a good job, too. I’m sorry. I suppose he couldn’t get on with -the old man.” - -Should she tell him? she wondered again. She had been debating the -advisability of taking her father into her confidence ever since—— - -“Father, I’ve met Mr. Maitland,” she said. - -“I know. You saw him at his office; you told me.” - -“I’ve met him since. You remember the morning I was out, when Captain -Gordon came—the morning I went to the wood? I went to see Mr. -Maitland.” - -He put down his knife and fork and stared at her incredulously. - -“But why on earth did you see him at that hour of the morning? Had you -made arrangements to meet him?” - -She shook her head. - -“I hadn’t any idea that I was going to see him,” she said, “but that -night I was wakened by somebody throwing a stone at the window. I -thought it was Ray, who had come back late. That was his habit; I never -told you, but sometimes he was very late indeed, and he used to wake me -that way. It was just dawn, and when I looked out, to my astonishment, I -saw Mr. Maitland. He asked me to come down in that queerly abrupt way of -his, and, thinking it had something to do with Ray, I dressed and went -out into the garden, not daring to wake you. We walked up the road to -where his car was. It was the queerest interview you could imagine, -because he said—nothing.” - -“Nothing?” - -“Well, he asked me if I’d be his friend. If it had been anybody else but -Mr. Maitland, I should have been frightened. But he was so pathetic, so -very old, so appealing. He kept saying ‘I’ll tell you something, miss,’ -but every time he spoke he looked round with a frightened air. ‘Let’s go -where we can’t be seen,’ he said, and begged me to step into the car. Of -course I refused, until I discovered that the chauffeur was a woman—a -very old woman, his sister. It was a most extraordinary experience. I -think she must be nearly seventy, but during the war she learnt to drive -a motor-car, and apparently she was wearing one of the chauffeur’s -coats, and a more ludicrous sight you could not imagine, once you -realized that she was a woman. - -“I let him drive me down to the wood, and then: ‘Is it about Ray?’ I -asked. But it wasn’t about Ray at all that he wanted to speak. He was so -incoherent, so strange, that I really did get nervous. And then, when he -had begun to compose himself and had even made a few connected remarks, -you came along in Mr. Elk’s car. He was terrified and was shaking from -head to foot! He begged me to go away, and almost went on his knees to -implore me not to say that I had seen him.” - -“Phew!” John Bennett pushed back his chair. “And you learnt nothing?” - -She shook her head. - -“He came again last night,” she said, “but this time I did not go out, -and he refused to come in. He struck me as a man who was expecting to be -trapped.” - -“Did he give you any idea of what he wanted to say?” - -“No, but it was something which was vitally important to him, I think. I -couldn’t understand half that he said. He spoke in loud whispers, and -I’ve told you how harsh his voice is.” - -Bennett relit his pipe, and sat for a while with downcast eyes, -revolving the matter in his mind. - -“The next time he comes you’d better let me see him,” he said. - -“I don’t think so, daddy,” she answered quietly. “If he has anything -very important to say, I think I ought to know what it is. I have a -feeling that he is asking for help.” - -John Bennett looked up. - -“A millionaire asking for help? Ella, that sounds queer to me.” - -“And it _is_ queer,” she insisted. “He didn’t seem half so terrible as -he appeared when I first saw him. There was something tragic about him, -something very sad. He will come to-night, and I’ve promised to see him. -May I?” - -Her father considered. - -“Yes, you may see him, provided you do not go outside this garden. I -promise that I will not appear, but I shall be on hand. Do you think it -is about Ray—that Ray has committed some act of folly that he wants to -tell you about?” he asked with a note of anxiety. - -“I don’t think so, daddy. Maitland was quite indifferent to Ray or what -becomes of him. I’ve been wondering whether I ought to tell somebody.” - -“Captain Gordon or Mr. Elk,” suggested her father dryly, and the girl -flushed. “You like that young man, Ella? No, I’m not referring to Elk, -who is anything but young; I mean Dick Gordon.” - -“Yes,” she said after a pause, “I like him very much.” - -“I hope you aren’t going to like him too much, darling,” said John -Bennett, and their eyes met. - -“Why not, daddy?” It almost hurt her to ask. - -“Because”—he seemed at a loss as to how he should proceed—“because -it’s not desirable. He occupies a different position from ourselves, but -that isn’t the only reason. I don’t want you to have a heartache, and I -say this, knowing that, if that heartache comes, I shall be the cause.” - -He saw her face change, and then: - -“What do you wish me to do?” she asked. - -He rose slowly, and, walking to her, put his arm about her shoulder. - -“Do whatever you like, Ella,” he said gently. “There is a curse upon me, -and you must suffer for my sin. Perhaps he will never know—but I am -tired of expecting miracles.” - -“Father, what do you mean?” she asked anxiously. - -“I don’t know what I mean,” he said as he patted her shoulder. “Things -may work out as they do in stories. Perhaps . . .” He ruminated for a -while. “Those pictures I took yesterday may be the making of me, Ella. -But I’ve thought that of so many things. Always there seems to be a -great possibility opening out, and always I have been disappointed. But -I’m getting the knack of this picture taking. The apparatus is working -splendidly, and the man who buys them—he has a shop in Wardour -Street—told me that the quality of the films is improving with every -new ‘shot.’ I took a mother duck on the nest, just as the youngsters -were hatching out. I’m not quite sure how the picture will develop, -because I had to be at some distance from the nest. As it was, I nearly -scared the poor lady when I fixed the camera.” - -Very wisely she did not pursue a subject which was painful to her. - -That afternoon she saw a strange man standing in the roadway opposite -the gate, looking toward the house. He was a gentleman, well dressed, -and he was smoking a long cigar. She thought, by his shell glasses, that -he might be an American, and when he spoke to her, his New England -accent left no doubt. He came toward the gate, hat in hand. - -“Am I right in thinking that I’m speaking to Miss Bennett?” he asked, -and when she nodded: “My name is Broad. I was just taking a look round, -and I seemed to remember that you lived somewhere in the neighbourhood. -In fact, I think your brother told me to-day.” - -“Are you a friend of Ray?” she asked. - -“Why, no,” said Broad with a smile. “I can’t say that I’m a friend of -Mr. Bennett; I’m what you might call a club acquaintance.” - -He made no attempt to approach her any closer, and apparently he did not -expect to be invited into the house on the strength of his acquaintance -with Ray Bennett. Presently, with a commonplace remark about the weather -(he had caught the English habit perfectly) he moved off, and from the -gate she saw him walking up towards the wood road. That long -_cul-de-sac_ was a favourite parking place of motorists who came to the -neighbourhood, and she was not surprised when, a few minutes later, she -saw the car come out. Mr. Broad raised his hat as he passed, and waved a -little greeting to some person who was invisible to her. Her curiosity -whetted, she opened the gate and walked on to the road. A little way -down, a man was sitting on a tree trunk, reading a newspaper and smoking -a large-bowled pipe. An hour later, when she came out, he was still -there, but this time he was standing; a tall, soldier-like-looking man, -who turned his head away when she looked in his direction. A detective, -she thought, in dismay. - -Her instinct was not at fault: of that she was sure. For some reason or -other, Maytree Cottage was under observation. At first she was -frightened, then indignant. She had half a mind to go into the village -and telephone to Elk, to demand an explanation. Somehow it never -occurred to her to be angry with Dick, though he was solely responsible -for placing the men who were guarding her day and night. - -She went to bed early, setting her alarm for three o’clock. She woke -before the bell roused her, and, dressing quickly, went down to make -some coffee. As she passed her father’s door, he called her. - -“I’m up, if you want me, Ella.” - -“Thank you, daddy,” she said gratefully. She was glad to know that he -was around. It gave her a feeling of confidence which she had never -before possessed in the presence of this old man. - -The first light was showing in the sky when she saw the silhouette of -Mr. Maitland against the dawn, and heard the soft click of the latch as -he opened the garden gate. She had not heard the car nor seen it. This -time Maitland had alighted some distance short of the house. - -He was, as usual, nervous and for the time being speechless. A heavy -overcoat, which had seen its best days, was buttoned up to his neck, and -a big cap covered his hairless head. - -“That you, miss?” he asked in a husky whisper. - -“Yes, Mr. Maitland.” - -“You coming along for a little walk? . . . Got something to tell -you. . . . Very important, miss.” - -“We will walk in the garden,” she said, lowering her voice. - -He demurred. - -“Suppose anybody sees us, eh? That’d be a fine lookout for me! Just a -little way up the road, miss,” he pleaded. “Nobody will hear us.” - -“We can go on to the lawn. There are some chairs there.” - -“Is everybody asleep? All your servant gels?” - -“We have no servant girls,” she smiled. - -He shook his head. - -“I don’t blame you. I hate ’um. Got six fellows in uniform at my house. -They frighten me stiff!” - -She led him across the lawn, carrying a cushion, and, settling him in a -chair, waited. The beginnings of these interviews had always seemed as -promising, but after a while Mr. Maitland had a trick of rambling off at -a tangent into depths which she could not plumb. - -“You’re a nice gel,” said Maitland huskily. “I thought so the first time -I saw you . . . you wouldn’t do a poor old man any ’arm, would you, -miss?” - -“Why, of course not, Mr. Maitland.” - -“I know you wouldn’t. I told Matilda you wouldn’t. She says you’re all -right. . . . Ever been in the workhouse, miss?” - -“In the poorhouse?” she said, smiling in spite of herself. “Why, no, -I’ve never been in a poorhouse.” - -He looked round fearfully from side to side, peering under his white -eyebrows at a clump of bushes which might conceal an eavesdropper. - -“Ever been in quod?” - -She did not recognize the word. - -“I have,” he went on. “Quod’s prison, miss. Naturally you wouldn’t -understand them words.” - -Again he looked round. - -“Suppose you was me. . . . It all comes to that question—suppose you -was me!” - -“I’m afraid I don’t understand, Mr. Maitland.” - -She watched his frightened scrutiny of the grounds, and then he bent -over toward her. - -“Them fellows will get me,” he said slowly and impressively. “They’ll -get me, _and_ Matilda. And I’ve left all my money to a certain person. -That’s the joke. That’s the whole joke of it, miss.” He chuckled -wheezily. “And then they’ll get him.” - -He slapped his knee, convulsed with silent laughter, and the girl -honestly thought he was mad and edged away from him. - -“But I’ve got a great idea—got it when I saw you. It’s one of the -greatest ideas I’ve ever had, miss. Are you a typewriter?” - -“A typist?” she smiled. “No, I can type, but I’m not a very good -typist.” - -His voice sank until it was almost unintelligible. - -“You come up to my office one day, and we’ll have a great joke. Wouldn’t -think I was a joker, would you? Eighty-seven I am, miss. You come up to -my office and I’ll make you laugh!” - -Suddenly he became more serious. - -“They’ll get me—I know it. I haven’t told Matilda, because she’d start -screaming. But _I_ know. _And_ the baby!” - -This seemed to afford the saturnine old man the greatest possible -enjoyment. He rocked from side to side with mirth, until a fit of -coughing attacked him. - -“That’s all, miss. You come up to my office. Old Johnson isn’t there. -You come up and see me. Never had a letter from me, have you?” he -suddenly asked, as he rose. - -“No, Mr. Maitland,” she said in surprise. - -“There was one wrote,” said he. “Maybe I didn’t post it. Maybe I thought -better. I dunno.” - -He started and drew back as a figure appeared before the house. - -“Who’s that?” he asked, and she felt a hand on her arm that trembled. - -“That is my father, Mr. Maitland,” she said. “I expect he got a little -nervous about my being out.” - -“Your father, eh?” He was more relieved than resentful. “Mr. John -Bennett, his name is, by all accounts. Don’t tell him I’ve been in the -workhouse,” he urged, “or in quod. And I have been in quod, miss. Met -all the big men, every one of ’um. And met a few of ’um out, too. I bet -I’m the only man in this country that’s ever seen Saul Morris, the -grandest feller in the business. Only met him once, but I shall never -forget him.” - -John Bennett saw them pacing toward him, and stood undecided as to -whether he should join them or whether Ella would be embarrassed by such -a move. Maitland decided the matter by hobbling over to him. - -“Morning, mister,” he said. “Just having a talk to your gel. Rather -early in the morning, eh? Hope you don’t mind, Mr. Bennett.” - -“I don’t mind,” said John Bennett. “Won’t you come inside, Mr. -Maitland?” - -“No, no, no,” said the other fearfully. “I’ve got to get on. Matilda -will be waiting for me. Don’t forget, miss: come up to my office and -have that joke!” - -He did not offer to shake hands, nor did he take off his hat. In fact, -his manners were deplorable. A curt nod to the girl, and then: - -“Well, so long, mister——” he began, and at that moment John Bennett -moved out from the shadow of the house. - -“Good-bye, Mr. Maitland,” he said. - -Maitland did not speak. His eyes were open wide with terror, his face -blanched to the colour of death. - -“You . . . you!” he croaked. “Oh, my God!” - -He seemed to totter, and the girl sprang to catch him, but he recovered -himself, and, turning, ran down the path with an agility which was -surprising in one of his age, tore open the gate and flew along the -road. They heard his dry sobs coming back to them. - -“Father,” whispered the girl in fear, “did he know you? Did he recognize -you?” - -“I wonder,” said John Bennett of Horsham. - - - - - CHAPTER XXV - - - IN REGARD TO SAUL MORRIS - -DICK GORDON ’phoned across to headquarters, and Elk reported -immediately. - -“I’ve discovered six good get-away bags, and each one is equipped as -completely and exactly as the one we found at King’s Cross.” - -“No clue as to the gentleman who deposited them?” - -“No, sir, not so much as a clue. We’ve tested them all for -finger-prints, and we’ve got a few results; but as they have been -handled by half a dozen attendants, I don’t think we shall get much out -of it. Still, we can but try.” - -“Elk, I would give a few years of my life to get to the inside of this -Frog mystery. I’m having Lola shadowed, though I shouldn’t think she’d -be in that lot. I know of nobody who looks less like a tramp than Lola -Bassano! Lew has disappeared, and when I sent a man round this morning -to discover what had happened to that young man about town, Mr. Raymond -Bennett, he was not visible. He refused to see the caller on the plea -that he was ill, and is staying in his room all day. Elk, who’s the -Frog?” - -Elk paced up and down the apartment, his hands in his pockets, his -steel-rimmed spectacles sliding lower and lower down his long nose. - -“There are only two possibilities,” he said. “One is Harry Lyme—an -ex-convict who was supposed to have been drowned in the _Channel Queen_ -some years ago. I put him amongst them, because all the records we have -of him show that he was a brilliant organizer, a super-crook, and one of -the two men capable of opening Lord Farmley’s safe and slipping that -patent catch on Johnson’s window. And believe me, Captain Gordon, it was -an artist who burgled Johnson!” - -“The other man?” said Dick. - -“He’s also comfortably dead,” said Elk grimly. “Saul Morris, the -cleverest of all. He’s got Lyme skinned to death—an expression I picked -up in my recent travels, Captain. And Morris is American; and although -I’m as patriotic as any man in this country, I hand it to the Americans -when it comes to smashing safes. I’ve examined two thousand records of -known criminals, and I’ve fined it down to these two fellows—and -they’re both dead! They say that dead men leave no trails, and if Frog -is Morris or Lyme, they’re about right. Lyme’s dead—drowned. Morris was -killed in a railway accident in the United States. The question is, -which of the ghosts we can charge.” - -Dick Gordon pulled open the drawer of his desk and took out an envelope -that bore the inscription of the Western Union. He threw it across the -table. - -“What’s this. Captain Gordon?” - -“It’s an answer to a question. You mentioned Saul Morris before, and I -have been making inquiries in New York. Here’s the reply.” - -The cablegram was from the Chief of Police, New York City. - - “Answering your inquiry. Saul Morris is alive, and is believed - to be in England at this moment. No charges pending against him - here, but generally supposed to be the man who cleared out - strong room of ss. _Mantania_, February 17, 1898, Southampton, - England, and got away with 55,000,000 francs. Acknowledge.” - -Elk read and re-read the cablegram, then he folded it carefully, put it -back in its envelope and passed it across the table. - -“Saul Morris is in England,” he said mechanically. “That seems to -explain a whole lot.” - -The search which detectives had conducted at the railway termini had -produced nine bags, all of which contained identical outfits. In every -case there was a spare suit, a clean shirt, two collars, one tie, a -Browning pistol with cartridges, a forged passport without photograph, -the Annatio and money. Only in one respect did the grips differ. At -Paddington the police had recovered one which was a little larger than -its fellows, all of which were of the same pattern and size. This held -the same outfit as the remainder, with the exception that, in addition, -there was a thick pad of cheque forms, every cheque representing a -different branch of a different bank. There were cheques upon the Credit -Lyonnais, upon the Ninth National Bank of New York, upon the Burrowstown -Trust, upon the Bank of Spain, the Banks of Italy and Roumania, in -addition to about fifty branches of the five principal banks of England. -Occupied as he had been, Elk had not had time to make a very close -inspection, but in the morning he determined to deal seriously with the -cheques. He was satisfied that inquiries made at the banks and branches -would reveal different depositors; but the numbers might enable him to -bring the ownership home to one man or one group of men. - -As the bags were brought in, they had been examined superficially and -placed in Elk’s safe, and to accommodate them, the ordinary contents of -the safe had been taken out and placed in other repositories. Each bag -had been numbered and labelled with the name of the station from whence -it was taken, the name of the officer who had brought it in, and -particulars of its contents. These facts are important, as having a -bearing upon what subsequently happened. - -Elk arrived at his office soon after ten o’clock, having enjoyed the -first full night’s sleep he had had for weeks. He had, as his -assistants, Balder and a detective-sergeant named Fayre, a promising -young man, in whom Elk placed considerable trust. Dick Gordon arrived -almost simultaneously with the detective chief, and they went into the -building together. - -“There isn’t the ghost of a chance that we shall be rewarded for the -trouble we’ve taken to trace these cheques,” said Elk, “and I am -inclined to place more hope upon the possibility of the handbags -yielding a few items which were not apparent at first examination. All -these bags are lined, and there is a possibility that they have false -bottoms. I am going to cut them up thoroughly, and if there’s anything -left after I’m through, the Frogs are welcome to their secret.” - -In the office, Balder and the detective-sergeant were waiting, and Elk -searched for his key. The production of the key of the safe was -invariably something of a ritual where Elk was concerned. He gave Dick -Gordon the impression that he was preparing to disrobe, for the key -reposed in some mysterious region which involved the loosening of coat, -waistcoat, and the diving into a pocket where no pocket should be. -Presently the ceremony was through, Elk solemnly inserted the key and -swung back the door. - -The safe was so packed with bags that they began to slide toward him, -when the restraining pressure of the door was removed. One by one he -handed them out, and Fayre put them on the table. - -“We’ll take that Paddington one first,” said Elk, pointing to the -largest of the bags. “And get me that other knife, Balder.” - -The two men walked out into the passage, leaving Fayre alone. - -“Can you see the end of this, Captain Gordon?” asked Elk. - -“The end of the Frogs? Why, yes, I think I can. I could almost say I was -sure.” - -They had reached the door of the clerk’s office and found Balder holding -a murderous looking weapon in his hand. - -“Here it is——” he began, and the next instant Dick was flung violently -to the floor, with Elk on top of him. - -There was the shrill shriek of smashed glass, a pressure of wind, and, -through all this violence, the deafening thunder of an explosion. - -Elk was first to his feet and flew back to his room. The door hung on -its hinges; every pane of glass was gone, and the sashes with them. From -his room poured a dense volume of smoke, into which he plunged. He had -hardly taken a step before he tripped on the prostrate figure of Fayre, -and, stooping, he half-lifted and half-dragged him into the corridor. -One glance was sufficient to show that, if the man was not dead, there -seemed little hope of his recovery. The fire-bells were ringing -throughout the building. A swift rush of feet on the stairs, and the -fire squad came pelting down the corridor, dragging their hose behind -them. - -What fire there was, was soon extinguished, but Elk’s office was a -wreck. Even the door of the safe had been blown from its hinges. There -was not a single article of furniture left, and a big hole gaped in the -floor. - -“Save those bags,” said Elk and went back to look after the injured man, -and not until he had seen his assistant placed in the ambulance did he -return to a contemplation of the ruin which the bomb had made. - -“Oh, yes, it was a bomb, sir,” said Elk. - -A group of senior officers stood in the corridor, looking at the havoc. - -“And something particularly heavy in the shape of bombs. The wonder is -that Captain Gordon and I were not there. I told Fayre to open the bag, -but I thought he’d wait until we returned with the knife—we intended -examining the lining. Fayre must have opened the bag and the bomb -exploded.” - -“But weren’t the bags examined before?” asked the Commissioner -wrathfully. - -Elk nodded. - -“They were examined by me yesterday—every one. The Paddington bag was -turned inside out, every article it contained was placed on my table, -and catalogued. I myself returned them. There was no bomb.” - -“But how could they be got at?” asked the other. - -Elk shook his head. - -“I don’t know, sir. The only other person who has a key to this safe is -the Assistant Commissioner of my department, Colonel McClintock, who is -on his holidays. We might all have been killed.” - -“What was the explosive?” - -“Dynamite,” said Elk promptly. “It blew down.” He pointed to the hole in -the floor. “Nitro-glycerine blows up and sideways,” he sniffed. “There’s -no doubt about it being dynamite.” - -In his search of the office he found a twisted coil of thin steel, later -the blackened and crumpled face of a cheap alarm dock. - -“Both time and contact,” he said. “Those Frogs are taking no chances.” - -He shifted such of his belongings as he could discover into Balder’s -office. - -There was little chance that this outrage would be kept from the -newspapers. The explosion had blown out the window and a portion of the -brickwork and had attracted a crowd on the Embankment outside. Indeed, -when Elk left headquarters, he was confronted by newspaper bills telling -of the event. - -His first call was at the near-by hospital, to where the unfortunate -Fayre had been taken, and the news he received was encouraging. The -doctors thought that, with any kind of luck, they would not only save -the man’s life, but also save him from any serious mutilation. - -“He may lose a finger or two, and he’s had a most amazing escape,” said -the house surgeon. “I can’t understand why he wasn’t blown to pieces.” - -“What I can’t understand,” said Elk emphatically, “is why _I_ wasn’t -blown to pieces.” - -The surgeon nodded. - -“These high explosives play curious tricks,” said the surgeon. “I -understand that the force of the explosion blew off the door of the -safe, and yet this paper, which must also have been within range, is -scarcely singed.” - -He took a square of paper out of his pocket; the edges were blackened; -one corner had been burnt off. - -“I found this in his clothing. It must have been driven there when the -bomb detonated,” said the surgeon. - -Elk smoothed out the paper and read: - -“_With the compliments of Number Seven._” - -Carefully he folded the paper. - -“I’ll take this,” he said, and put it tenderly away in the interior of -his spectacle case. “Do you believe in hunches, doctor?” - -“Do you mean premonitions?” smiled the surgeon. “To an extent I do.” - -Elk nodded. - -“I have a hunch that I’m going to meet Number Seven—very shortly,” he -said. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI - - - PROMOTION FOR BALDER - -A WEEK had passed, and the explosion at headquarters was ancient -history. The injured detective was making fair progress toward recovery, -and in some respects the situation was stagnant. - -Elk apparently accepted failure as an inevitability, and seemed, even to -his greatest admirer, to be hypnotized into a fatalistic acceptance of -the situation. His attitude was a little deceptive. On the sixth day -following the explosion, headquarters made a raid upon the cloak-rooms, -and again, as Elk had expected, produced from every single terminus -parcels office, a brand-new bag with exactly the same equipment as the -others had had, except that the Paddington find differed from none of -its fellows. - -The bags were opened by an Inspector of Explosives, after very careful -preliminary tests; but they contained nothing more deadly than the -Belgian pistols and the self-same passports, this time made out in the -name of “Clarence Fielding.” - -“These fellows are certainly thorough,” said Elk with reluctant -admiration, surveying his haul. - -“Are you keeping the bags in your office?” asked Dick, but Elk shook his -melancholy head. - -“I think not,” said he. - -He had had the bags immediately emptied, their contents sent to the -Research Department; the bags themselves were now stripped of leather -and steel frames, for they had been scientifically sliced, inch by inch. - -“My own opinion,” said Balder oracularly, “is that there’s somebody at -police headquarters who is working against us. I’ve been considering it -for a long time, and after consulting my wife——” - -“You haven’t consulted your children, too, have you?” asked Elk -unpleasantly. “The less you talk about headquarters’ affairs in your -domestic circle, the better will be your chance of promotion.” - -Mr. Balder sniffed. - -“There’s no fear of that, anyway,” he said sourly. “I’ve got myself in -their bad books. And I did think there was a chance for me—it all comes -of your putting me in with Hagn.” - -“You’re an ungrateful devil,” said Elk. - -“Who’s this Number Seven, sir?” asked Balder. “Thinking the matter over, -and having discussed it with my wife, I’ve come to the conclusion that -he’s one of the most important Frogs, and if we could only get him, we’d -be a long way towards catching the big fellow.” - -Elk put down his pen—he was writing his report at the time—and -favoured his subordinate with a patient and weary smile. - -“You ought to have gone into politics,” he said, and waved his -subordinate from the room with the end of his penholder. - -He had finished his report and was reading it over with a critical eye, -when the service ’phone announced a visitor. - -“Send him up,” said Elk when he had heard the name. He rang his bell for -Balder. “This report goes to Captain Gordon to initial,” he said, and as -he put down the envelope, Joshua Broad stood in the doorway. - -“Good morning, Mr. Elk.” He nodded to Balder, although he had never met -him. “Good morning,” he said. - -“Good morning,” said Elk. “Come right in and sit down, Mr. Broad. To -what do I owe the pleasure of this call?—excuse my politeness, but in -the early morning I’m that way. All right, Balder, you can go.” - -Broad offered his cigar-case to the detective. “I’ve come on a curious -errand,” he said. - -“Nobody ever comes to headquarters on any other,” replied Elk. - -“It concerns a neighbour of mine.” - -“Lola Bassano?” - -“Her husband,” said the other, “Lew Brady.” - -Elk pushed up his spectacles. - -“You don’t tell me that she’s properly married to Lew Brady?” he asked -in surprise. - -“I don’t think there’s any doubt about that,” said Broad, “though I’m -perfectly certain that her young friend Bennett is not aware of the -fact. Brady has been staying at Caverley House for a week, and during -that time he has not gone out of doors. What is more, the boy hasn’t -called; I don’t think there’s a quarrel—I have a notion there’s -something much deeper than that. I saw Brady by accident as I was coming -out of my door. Bassano’s door also happened to be open: the maid was -taking in the milk: and I caught a glimpse of him. He has the finest -crop of whiskers I’ve seen on a retired pugilist and their ambitions do -not as a rule run to hair! That made me pretty curious,” he said, -carefully knocking the ash of his cigar into a tray that was on the -table, “and I wondered if there was any connection between this sudden -defiance of the barber and Ray Bennett’s actions. I made a call on -him—I met him the other day at the club and had, as an excuse, the fact -that I have also managed to meet Miss Ella Bennett. His servant—he has -a man in by the day to brush his clothes and tidy up the place—told me -that he was not well and was not visible.” - -Mr. Broad blew out a ring of smoke and watched it thoughtfully. - -“If you want a servant to be faithful, he must live on the premises,” he -said. “These occasional men aren’t with you long enough to get -trustworthy. It cost me, at the present rate of exchange, two dollars -and thirty-five cents to discover that Mr. Ray Bennett is also in the -hair-restoring business. If there were an election on, these two fellows -might be political cranks who had vowed a vow that they wouldn’t touch -their razors until their party was returned to power. And if Lew Brady -were a real sportsman, I should guess that they were doing this for a -bet. As it is, I’m rather intrigued.” - -Elk rolled his cigar from one corner of his mouth to the other. - -“I’m not well acquainted with the Statute Book,” he said, “but I’m under -the impression there is no law preventing people from cultivating -undergrowth. The—what’s the word?—psych——” - -“Psychology,” suggested Mr. Broad. - -“That’s it. The psychology of whiskers has never quite reached me. -You’re American, aren’t you, Mr. Broad?” - -“I have the distinction,” said the other with that half-smile that came -so readily to his eyes. - -“Ah!” said Elk absently, as he stared through the window. “Ever heard of -a man called Saul Morris?” - -He brought his eyes back to the other’s face. Mr. Joshua Broad was -frowning in an effort of thought. - -“I seem to remember the name. He was a criminal of sorts, wasn’t he—an -American criminal, if I remember rightly? Yes, I’ve heard of him. I seem -to remember that he was killed a few years ago.” - -Elk scratched his chin irritably. - -“I’d like to meet somebody who was at his funeral,” he said, “somebody I -could believe on oath.” - -“You’re not suggesting that Lew Brady——” - -“No. I’m not suggesting anything about Lew Brady, except that he’s a -very poor boxer. I’ll look into this distressing whisker competition, -Mr. Broad, and thank you for telling me.” - -He wasn’t especially interested in the eccentric toilet of Ray Bennett. -At five o’clock Balder came to him and asked if he might go home. - -“I promised my wife——” he began. - -“Keep it,” said Elk. - -After his subordinate’s departure there came an official letter to -Inspector Elk, and, reading its contents, Mr. Elk beamed. It was a -letter from the Superintendent who controlled the official careers of -police officers at headquarters. - - “Sir,” it ran, “I am directed by the Chief Commissioner of - Police to inform you that the promotion of Police-Constable J. - J. Balder to the rank of Acting-Sergeant has been approved. The - appointment will date as from the 1st May.” - -Elk folded up the paper and was genuinely pleased. He rang the bell for -Balder before he remembered that he had sent his assistant home. Elk’s -evening was free, and in the kindness of his heart he decided upon -conveying the news personally. - -“I’d like to see this wife of his,” said Elk, addressing nobody, “and -the children!” - -Elk turned up the official pass register, and found that Balder lived at -93, Leaford Road, Uxbridge. The names of his wife and children were not -entered, to Elk’s disappointment. He would like to have addressed the -latter personally, but no new entry had been made on the sheet since -Balder’s enlistment. - -His police car took him to Leaford Road; 93 was a respectable little -house—such a house as Elk always imagined his assistant would live in. -His knock was answered by an elderly woman who was dressed for going -out, and Elk was surprised to see that she wore the uniform of a nurse. - -“Yes, Mr. Balder lives here,” she said, apparently surprised to see the -visitor. “That is to say, he has two rooms here, though he very seldom -stays here the night. He usually comes here to change, and then I think -he goes on to his friends.” - -“Does his wife live here?” - -“His wife?” said the woman in surprise. “I didn’t know that he was -married.” - -Elk had brought Balder’s official record with him, to procure some dates -which it was necessary he should certify for pension purposes. In the -space against Balder’s address, he noticed for the first time that there -were two addresses given, and that Leaford Road had been crossed out -with ink so pale that he only noticed it now that he saw the paper in -daylight. The second address was one in Stepney. - -“I seem to have made a mistake,” he said. “His address here is Orchard -Street, Stepney.” But the nurse smiled. - -“He was with me many years ago,” she said, “then he went to Stepney, but -during the war he came here, because the air raids were rather bad in -the East End of London. I am under the impression he has still a room in -Stepney.” - -“Oh?” said Elk thoughtfully. - -He was at the gate when the nurse called him back. - -“I don’t think he goes to Stepney, though I don’t know whether I ought -to talk about his business to a stranger; but if you want him -particularly, I should imagine you would find him at Slough. I’m a -monthly nurse,” she said, “and I’ve seen his car twice going into Seven -Gables on the Slough Road. I think he must have a friend there.” - -“Whose car?” asked the startled Elk. - -“It may be his or his friend’s car,” said the nurse. “Is he a friend of -yours?” - -“He is in a way,” said Elk cautiously. - -She stood for a moment thinking. - -“Will you come in, please?” - -He followed her into the clean and tidy little parlour. - -“I don’t know why I told you, or why I’ve been talking so freely to -you,” she said, “but the truth is, I’ve given Mr. Balder notice. He -makes so many complaints, and he’s so difficult to please, that I can’t -satisfy him. It isn’t as though he paid me a lot of money—he doesn’t. I -make very little profit out of his rooms, and I’ve a chance of letting -them at a better rent. And then he’s so particular about his letters. -I’ve had a letter-box put on the door, but even that is not big enough -to hold them some days. What his other business is, I don’t know. The -letters that come here are for the Didcot Chemical Works. You probably -think that I am a very difficult woman to please, because, after all, -he’s out all day and seldom sleeps here at night.” - -Elk drew a long breath. - -“I think you’re nearly the finest woman I’ve ever met,” he said. “Are -you going out now?” - -She nodded. - -“I’ve an all night case, and I shan’t be back till eleven to-morrow. You -were very fortunate in finding anybody at home.” - -“I think you said ‘his car’; what sort of a car is it?” asked Elk. - -“It’s a black machine—I don’t know the make; I think it is an American -make. And he must have something to do with the ownership because once I -found a lot of tyre catalogues in his bedroom, and some of the tyres he -had marked with a pencil, so I suppose he’s responsible to an extent.” - -One last question Elk asked. - -“Does he come back here at night after you’ve gone?” - -“Very rarely, I imagine,” replied the woman. “He has his own key, and as -I’m very often out at night I’m not sure whether he returns or not.” - -Elk stood with one foot on the running-board of his car. - -“Perhaps I can drop you somewhere, madam?” he said, and the elderly -woman gratefully accepted. - -Elk went back to headquarters, opened a drawer of his desk and took out -a few implements of his profession, and, after filing a number of urgent -instructions, returned to the waiting car, driving to Harley Terrace. -Dick Gordon had an engagement that night to join a theatre party with -the members of the American Embassy, and he was in one of the boxes at -the Hilarity Theatre when Elk opened the door quietly, tapped him on the -shoulder, and brought him out into the corridor, without the remainder -of the party being aware that their guest had retired. - -“Anything wrong, Elk?” asked Gordon. - -“Balder’s got his promotion,” said Elk solemnly, and Dick stared at him. -“He’s an Acting-Sergeant,” Elk went on, “and I don’t know a better rank -for Balder. When this news comes to him and his wife and children, -there’ll be some happy hearts, believe me.” - -Elk never drank: this was the first thought that came to Dick Gordon’s -mind; but there was a possibility that the anxieties and worries of the -past few weeks might have got on top of him. - -“I’m very glad for Balder,” he said gently, “and I’m glad for you too, -Elk, because I know you tried hard to get this miserable devil a step in -the right direction.” - -“Go on with what you were thinking,” said Elk. - -“I don’t know that I was thinking anything,” laughed Dick. - -“You were thinking that I must be suffering from sunstroke, or I -shouldn’t take you out of your comfortable theatre to announce Balder’s -promotion. Now will you get your coat, Captain Gordon, and come along -with me? I want to break the news to Balder.” - -Mystified, but asking no further questions, Gordon went to the -cloak-room, got his coat, and joined the detective in the vestibule. - -“We’re going to Slough—to the Seven Gables,” he added. “It’s a fine -house. I haven’t seen it, but I know it’s a fine house, with a carriage -drive and grand furniture, electric light, telephone and a modern -bathroom. That’s deduction. I’ll tell you something else—also -deduction. There are trip wires on the lawn, burglar alarms in the -windows, about a hundred servants——” - -“What the devil are you talking about?” asked Dick, and Elk chuckled -hysterically. - -They were running through Uxbridge when a long-bodied motor-car whizzed -past them at full speed. It was crowded with men who were jammed into -the seats or sat upon one another’s knees. - -“That’s a merry little party,” said Dick. - -“Very,” replied Elk laconically. - -A few seconds later, a second car flashed past, going much faster than -they. - -“That looks to me like one of your police cars,” said Dick. - -This, too, was crowded. - -“It certainly looks like one of my police cars,” agreed Elk. “In America -they’ve got a better stunt. As you probably know, they’ve a fine patrol -wagon system. I’d like to introduce it into this country; it’s very -handy.” - -As the car slowed to pass through the narrow, crooked street of -Colnebrook, a third of the big machines squeezed past, and this time -there was no mistaking its character. The man who sat with the driver, -Dick knew as a detective inspector. He winked at Elk as he passed, and -Elk winked back with great solemnity. - -“What is the idea?” asked Dick, his curiosity now thoroughly piqued. - -“We’re having a smoking concert,” said Elk, “to celebrate Balder’s -promotion. And it will be one of the greatest successes that we’ve had -in the history of the Force. There will be the brothers Mick and Mac, -the trick cyclists, in their unrivalled act . . .” He babbled on -foolishly. - -At Langley the fourth and fifth police cars came past. Dick had long -since realized that the slow pace at which his own car was moving was -designed to allow these laden machines to overtake them. Beyond Langley, -the Windsor road turned abruptly to the left, and, leaning over the -driver, Elk gave new instructions. There was no sign of the police cars: -they had apparently gone on to Slough. A solitary country policeman -stood at the cross-roads and watched them as they disappeared in the -dusk with a certain languid interest. - -“We’ll stop here,” said Elk, and the car was pulled from the road on to -the green sidewalk. - -Elk got down. - -“Walk a little up the road while I talk to Captain Gordon,” he said to -the chauffeur, and then he talked, and Dick listened in amazement and -unbelief. - -“Now,” said Elk, “we’ve got about five minutes’ walk, as far as I can -remember. I haven’t been to Windsor races for so long that I’ve almost -forgotten where the houses are.” - -They found the entrance to the Seven Gables between two stiff yew -hedges. There was no gateway; a broad, gravelled path ran between a -thick belt of pine trees, behind which the house was hidden. Elk went a -little ahead. Presently he stopped and raised his hand warningly. Dick -came a little nearer, and, looking over the shoulder of the detective, -had his first view of Seven Gables. - -It was a large house, with timbered walls and high, twisted -chimney-stacks. - -“Pseudo-Elizabethan,” said Dick admiringly. - -“1066,” murmured Elk, “or was it 1599? That’s _some_ house!” - -It was growing dusk, and lights were showing from a broad window at the -farther end of the building. The arched doorway was facing them. - -“Let us go back,” whispered Elk, and they retraced their steps. - -It was not until darkness had fallen that he led the way up the carriage -drive to the point they had reached on their earlier excursion. The -light still showed in the window, but the cream-coloured blinds were -drawn down. - -“It is safe up as far as the door,” whispered Elk; “but right and left -of that, watch out!” - -He had pulled a pair of thick stockings over his shoes, and handed -another pair to Dick; and then, with an electric torch in his hand, he -began to move along the path which ran parallel with the building. -Presently he stopped. - -“Step over,” he whispered. - -Dick, looking down, saw the black thread traversing the path, and very -cautiously avoided the obstacle. - -A few more paces, and again Elk stopped and warned Dick to step high, -turning to show his light upon the second of the threads, almost -invisible even in the powerful glare of the electric lamp. He did not -move from where he stood until he had made a careful examination of the -path ahead; and it was well that he did so, for the third trip wire was -less than two feet from the second. - -They were half-an-hour covering the twenty yards which separated them -from the window. The night was warm, and one of the casements was open. -Elk crept close under the window-sill, his sensitive fingers feeling for -the alarm which he expected to find protecting the broad sill. This he -discovered and avoided, and, raising his hand, he gently drew aside the -window blind. - -He saw a large, oaken-panelled room, luxuriously furnished. The wide, -open stone fireplace was banked with flowers, and before it, at a small -table, sat two men. The first was Balder—unmistakably Balder, and -strangely good-looking. Balder’s red nose was no longer red. He was in -evening dress and between his teeth was a long amber cigarette-holder. - -Dick saw it all, his cheek against Elk’s head, heard the quick intake of -the detective’s breath, and then noticed the second man. It was Mr. -Maitland. - -Mr. Maitland sat, his face in his hands, and Balder was looking at him -with a cynical smile. - -They were too far away to hear what the men were saying, but apparently -Maitland was being made the object of reproof. He looked up after a -while, and got on to his feet and began talking. They heard the rumble -of his excited voice, but again no word was intelligible. Then they saw -him raise his fist and shake it at the smiling man, who watched him with -a calm, detached interest, as though he were some strange insect which -had come into his ken. With this parting gesture of defiance, old -Maitland shuffled from the room and the door closed behind him. In a few -minutes he came out of the house, not through the doorway, as they -expected, but apparently through a gateway on the other side of the -hedge, for they saw the gleam of the headlights of his car as it passed. - -Left alone, Balder poured himself a drink and apparently rang for one of -the servants. The man who came in arrested Dick’s attention instantly. -He wore the conventional uniform of a footman, the dark trousers and the -striped waistcoat, but it was easy to see, from the way he moved, that -he was not an ordinary type of servant. A big man, powerfully built, his -every action was slow and curiously deliberate. Balder said something to -him, and the footman nodded, and, taking up the tray, went out with the -same leisurely, almost pompous, step that had distinguished his entry. - -And then it flashed upon Dick, and he whispered into the detective’s ear -one word. - -“Blind!” - -Elk nodded. Again the door opened, and this time three footmen came in, -carrying a heavy-looking table with a canvas cover. At first Gordon -thought that it was Balder’s meal that was being brought, but he was -soon to discover the truth. Above the fireplace, hanging on a single -wire, was a large electric lamp, which was not alight. Standing on a -chair, one of the footmen took out the lamp and inserted a plug from the -end of which ran a wire connecting with the table. - -“They’re all blind,” said Elk in a whisper. “And that is Balder’s own -broadcasting apparatus, and the aerial is attached to the lamp.” - -The three servants went out, and, rising, Balder walked to the door and -locked it. - -There were another set of windows in the room, looking out upon the side -of the house, and one by one Balder closed and shuttered them. He was -busy with the second of the three, when Elk put his foot upon a ledge of -brick, and, tearing aside the curtain, leapt into the room. - -At the sound, Balder spun round. - -“Evening, Balder,” said Elk. - -The man made no reply. He stood, watching his sometime chief, with eyes -that did not waver. - -“Thought I’d come along and tell you that you’ve got your promotion,” -said Elk, “as Acting-Sergeant from the 1st of May, in recognition of the -services you’ve rendered to the State by poisoning Frog Mills, loosing -Frog Hagn, and blowing up my office with a bomb that you planted -overnight.” - -Still the man did not speak, nor did he move; and here he was discreet, -for the long-barrelled Browning in Elk’s hand covered the lower button -of his white piqué waistcoat. - -“And now,” said Elk—there was a ring of triumph in his voice—“you’ll -take a little walk with me—I want you, _Number Seven_!” - -“Haven’t you made a mistake?” drawled Balder, so unlike his usual voice -that Elk was for a moment taken aback. - -“I never have made a mistake except about the date when Henry the Eighth -married,” said Elk. - -“Who do you imagine I am?” asked this debonair man of the world. - -“I’ve ceased imagining anything about you, Balder—I know!” - -Elk walked with a quick movement toward him and thrust the muzzle of the -pistol in his prisoner’s diaphragm. - -“Put up your hands and turn round,” he said. - -Balder obeyed. Slipping a pair of handcuffs from his pocket, Elk snapped -them on to the wrists. Deftly the detective strapped the arms from -behind, drawing them tight, so that the manacled hands had no play. - -“This is very uncomfortable,” said Balder. “Is it usual for you to make -mistakes of this character, Mr. Elk? My name is Collett-Banson.” - -“Your name is Mud,” said Elk, “but I’m willing to listen to anything you -like to say. I’d rather have your views on cyanide of potassium than -anything. You can sit down.” - -Dick saw a gleam come to the man’s eye; it flashed for a second and was -gone. Evidently Elk saw it too. - -“Don’t let your hopes rest upon any monkey tricks that might be played -by your attendants,” he said, “because fifty C.I.D. men, most of whom -are known personally to you, are disposed round this house.” - -Balder laughed. - -“If they were round the house and on top of the house, they wouldn’t -worry me,” he said. “I tell you, inspector, you’ve made a very grave -error, and one which will cost you dear. If a gentleman cannot sit in -his own drawing-room”—he glanced at the table—“listening to a wireless -concert at The Hague without interfering policemen—then it is about -time the police force was disbanded.” - -He walked across to the fireplace carelessly and stood with his back to -it; then, lifting his foot, he kicked back one of the steel fire-dogs -which stood on either side of the wide hearth, and the “dog” fell over -on its side. It was a nervous act of a man who was greatly worried and -was not quite conscious of what he was doing. Even Elk, who was all -suspicion, saw nothing to excite his apprehension. - -“You think my name is Balder, do you?” the man went on. “Well, all I can -say is——” - -Suddenly he flung himself sideways on to the hearthrug, but Elk was -quicker. As an oblong slip of the floor gave way beneath the man’s -weight, Elk gripped him by the collar and together they dragged him back -to the room. - -In a second the three were struggling on the floor together, and in his -desperation Balder’s strength was unbelievable. His roaring cry for help -was heard. There came a heavy blow on the door, the babble of angry -voices without, and then, from the ground outside, a series of sharp -explosions, as the army of detectives raced across the lawn, oblivious -to the presence of the alarm-guns. - -The fight was short and sharp. The six blind men who comprised the -household of No. 7 were hustled away, and in the last car travelled -Acting-Sergeant Balder, that redoubtable No. 7, who was the right hand -and the left hand of the terrible Frog. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII - - - MR. BROAD IS INTERESTING - -DICK GORDON ended his interview with Mr. Ezra Maitland at three o’clock -in the morning, and went to Headquarters, to find the charge-room at -Cannon Row singularly empty. When he had left, it was impossible to get -in or out for the crowd of detectives which filled or surrounded the -place. - -“On the whole, Pentonville is safest, and I’ve got him there. I asked -the Governor to put him in the condemned cell, but it is not etiquette. -Anyway, Pentonville is the safest spot I know, and I think that, unless -Frogs eat stones, he’ll stay. What has Maitland got to say, Captain?” - -“Maitland’s story, so far as one can get a story from him, is that he -went to see Balder by invitation. ‘When you’re sent for by the police, -what can you do?’ he asked, and the question is unanswerable.” - -“There is no doubt at all,” said Elk, “that Maitland knew Balder’s -character, and it was not in his capacity as policeman that the old man -visited him. There is less doubt that this man is hand in glove with the -Frog, but it is going to be very difficult to prove.” - -“Maitland puzzles me,” said Dick. “He’s such a bully, and yet such a -frightened old man. I thought he was going to drop through the floor -when I told him who I was, and why I had come. And when I mentioned the -fact that Balder had been arrested, he almost collapsed.” - -“That line has to be followed,” said Elk thoughtfully. “I have sent for -Johnson. He ought to be here by now. Johnson must know something about -the old man’s business, and he will be a very valuable witness if we can -connect the two.” - -The philosopher arrived half-an-hour later, having been aroused from his -sleep to learn that his presence was required at Headquarters. - -“Mr. Elk will tell you something which will be public property in a day -or two,” said Gordon. “Balder has been arrested in connection with the -explosion which occurred in Mr. Elk’s office.” - -It was necessary to explain to Johnson exactly who Balder was, and Dick -went on to tell him of the old man’s visit to Slough. Johnson shook his -head. - -“I didn’t know that Maitland had a friend of that name,” he said. -“Balder? What other name had he?” - -“He called himself Collett-Banson,” said Dick, and a look of -understanding came to the face of Johnson. - -“I know that name very well. Mr. Banson used frequently to call at the -office, generally late in the evenings—Maitland spends three nights a -week working after the clerks have gone, as I know to my cost,” he said. -“A rather tall, good-looking fellow of about forty?” - -“Yes, that is the man.” - -“He has a house near Windsor. I have never been there, but I know -because I have posted letters to him.” - -“What sort of business did Collett-Banson have with Maitland?” - -“I’ve never been able to discover. I always thought of him as a man who -had property to sell, for that was the only type of outsider who was -ever admitted to Maitland’s presence. I remember that he had the child -staying with him for about a week——” - -“That is, the child in Maitland’s house?” - -Johnson nodded. - -“You don’t know what association there is between the child and these -two men?” - -“No, sir, except that I am certain that Mr. Collett-Banson had the -little boy with him, because I sent toys—mechanical engines or -something of the sort—by Mr. Maitland’s directions. It was the day that -Mr. Maitland made his will, about eighteen months ago. I remember the -day particularly for a peculiar reason. I had expected Mr. Maitland to -ask me to witness the will and was piqued, for no cause, because he -brought two clerks up from the office to sign. These little things -impress themselves upon one,” he added. - -“Was the will made in favour of the child?” - -Johnson shook his head. - -“I haven’t the slightest knowledge of how the property goes,” he said. -“He never discussed the matter with me; he wouldn’t even employ a -lawyer. In fact, I don’t remember his ever employing a lawyer all the -time I was with him, except for conveyancing work. He told me he had -copied the form of will from a book, but beyond feeling hurt that I, an -old and faithful servant of his, hadn’t been taken a little into his -confidence, I wasn’t greatly interested in the matter. But I do remember -that that morning I went down to a store and bought a whole lot of toys, -had them packed and brought them back to the office. The old man played -with them all the afternoon!” - -Early in the morning Dick Gordon interviewed the prisoners at -Pentonville, and found them in a very obstinate mood. - -“I know nothing about babies or children; and if Johnson says he sent -toys, he is lying,” said Balder defiantly. “I refuse to make any -statement about Maitland or my association with Maitland. I am the -victim of police persecution, and I defy you to bring any proof that I -have committed a single act in my life—unless it is a crime to live -like a gentleman—for which you can imprison me.” - -“Have you any message for your wife and children?” asked Dick -sarcastically, and the sullen features of the man relaxed for a second. - -“No, Elk will look after them,” he said humorously. - -The most stringent precautions had been taken to prevent a rescue, and -the greatest care was exercised that no communication passed between No. -7 and the outside world. He was charged at Bow Street an hour before the -court usually sat. Evidence of arrest was taken, and he was remanded, -being removed to Pentonville in a motor-van under armed guard. - -On the third night of his imprisonment, romance came into the life of -the second chief warder of Pentonville Prison. He was comparatively -young and single, not without good looks, and lived, with his widowed -mother, at Shepherd’s Bush. It was his practice to return home after his -day’s duty by omnibus, and he was alighting on this day when a lady, who -had got off before him, stumbled and fell. Instantly he was by her side, -and had lifted her to her feet. She was young and astonishingly pretty -and he helped her gain the pavement. - -“It was nothing,” she said smilingly, but with a grimace of pain. “It -was very foolish of me to come by ’bus; I was visiting an old servant of -mine who is ill. Will you call me a taxi, please?” - -“Certainly, madam,” said the gallant chief warder. - -The taxi which was passing was beckoned to the kerb. The girl looked -round helplessly. - -“I wish I could see somebody I know. I don’t want to go home alone; I’m -so afraid of fainting.” - -“If you would not object to my escort,” said the man, with all the -warm-hearted earnestness which the sight of a woman in distress awakens -in the bosom of impressionable man, “I will see you home.” - -She shot a glance at him which was full of gratitude and accepted his -escort, murmuring her regret for the trouble she was giving him. - -It was a beautiful apartment she occupied. The chief warder thought he -had never met so gracious and beautiful a lady before, so appropriately -housed, and he was right. He would have attended to her injury, but she -felt so much better, and her maid was coming in soon, and would he have -a whisky-and-soda, and would he please smoke? She indicated where the -cigarettes were to be found, and for an hour the chief warder spoke -about himself, and had an enjoyable evening. - -“I’m very much obliged to you, Mr. Bron,” she said at parting. “I feel -I’ve wasted your evening.” - -“I can assure you,” said Mr. Bron earnestly, “that if this is a waste of -time, then time has no use!” - -She laughed. - -“That is a pretty speech,” she said, “and I will let you call to-morrow -and see me.” - -He took a careful note of the address; it was an exclusive maisonette in -Bloomsbury Square; and the next evening found him ringing the bell, but -this time he was not in uniform. - -He left at ten o’clock, an ecstatic man who held his head high and -dreamt golden dreams, for the fragrance of her charm (as he wrote her) -“permeated his very being.” Ten minutes after he had gone, the girl came -out, closed the door behind her and went out into the street, and the -idler who had been promenading the pavement threw away his cigar. - -“Good evening. Miss Bassano,” he said. - -She drew herself up. - -“I am afraid you have made a mistake,” she said stiffly. - -“Not at all. You’re Miss Bassano, and my only excuse for addressing you -is that I am a neighbour of yours.” - -She looked more closely at him. - -“Oh, Mr. Broad!” she said in a more gracious tone. “I’ve been visiting a -friend of mine who is rather ill.” - -“So I’m told, and a nice flat your friend occupies,” he said as he fell -in by her side. “I was thinking of hiring it a few days ago. These -furnished apartments are difficult to find. Maybe it was a week -ago—yes, it was a week ago,” he said carefully; “it was the day before -you had your lamentable accident in Shepherd’s Bush.” - -“I don’t quite understand you,” she said, on her guard at once. - -“The truth is,” said Mr. Broad apologetically, “that I’ve been trying to -get at Bron too. I’ve been making a very careful study of the prison -staff for the past two months, and I’ve a list of the easy boys that has -cost me a lot of money to compile. I suppose you didn’t reach the stage -where you persuaded him to talk about his interesting prisoner? I tried -him last week,” he went on reminiscently. “He goes to a dance club at -Hammersmith, and I got acquainted with him through a girl he’s keen -about—you’re not the only young love of his life, by the way.” - -She laughed softly. - -“What a clever man you are, Mr. Broad!” she said. “No, I’m not very -interested in prisoners. By the way, who is this person you were -referring to?” - -“I was referring to Number Seven, who is in Pentonville Gaol,” said Mr. -Broad coolly, “and I’ve got an idea he is a friend of yours.” - -“Number Seven?” Her perplexity would have convinced a less hardened man -than Joshua Broad. “I have an idea that that is something to do with the -Frogs.” - -“That is something to do with the Frogs,” agreed the other gravely, -“about whom I daresay you have read. Miss Bassano, I’ll make you an -offer.” - -“Offer me a taxi, for I’m tired of walking,” she said, and when they -were seated side by side she asked: “What is your offer?” - -“I offer you all that you require to get out of this country and to keep -you out for a few years, until this old Frog busts—as he will bust! -I’ve been watching you for a long time, and, if you won’t consider it an -impertinence, I like you. There’s something about you that is very -attractive—don’t stop me, because I’m not going to get fresh with you, -or suggest that you’re the only girl that ever made tobacco taste like -molasses—I like you in a kind of pitying way, and you needn’t get -offended at that either. And I don’t want to see you hurt.” - -He was very serious; she recognized his sincerity, and the word of -sarcasm that rose to her lips remained unuttered. - -“Are you wholly disinterested?” she asked. - -“So far as you are concerned, I am,” he replied. “There is going to be -an almighty smash, and it is more than likely that you’ll get in the way -of some of the flying pieces.” - -She did not answer him at once. What he had said merely intensified her -own uneasiness. - -“I suppose you know I’m married?” - -“I guessed that,” he answered. “Take your husband with you. What are you -going to do with that boy?” - -“You mean Ray Bennett?” - -It was curious that she made no attempt to disguise either her position -or the part that she was playing. She wondered at herself after she was -home. But Joshua Broad had a compelling way, and she never dreamt of -deceiving him. - -“I don’t know,” she said. “I wish he wasn’t in it. He is on my -conscience. Are you smiling?” - -“At your having a conscience? No, I fancied that was how you stood. And -the growing beard?” - -She did not laugh. - -“I don’t know about that. All I know is that we’ve had—why am I telling -you this? Who are you, Mr. Broad?” - -He chuckled. - -“Some day I’ll tell you,” he said; “and I promise you that, if you’re -handy, you shall be the first to know. Go easy with that boy, Lola.” - -She did not resent the employment of her first name, but rather it -warmed her towards this mystery man. - -“And write to Mr. Bron, Assistant Chief Warder of Pentonville Gaol, and -tell him that you’ve been called out of town and won’t be able to see -him again for ten years.” - -To this she made no rejoinder. He left her at the door of her flat and -took her little hand in his. - -“If you want money to get away, I’ll send you a blank cheque,” he said. -“There is no one else on the face of the earth that I’d give a blank -cheque to, believe me.” - -She nodded, most unusual tears in her eyes. Lola was breaking under the -strain, and nobody knew it better than the hawk-faced man who watched -her as she passed into her flat. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII - - - MURDER - -THE stone which woke Ella Bennett was aimed with such force that the -pane cracked. She slipped quickly from bed and pulled aside the -curtains. There had been a thunderstorm in the night, and the skies were -so grey and heavy, and the light so bad, that she could only distinguish -the shape of the man that stood under her window. John Bennett heard her -go from her room and came to his door. - -“Is it Maitland?” he asked. - -“I think so,” she said. - -He frowned. - -“I can’t understand these visits,” he said. “Do you think he’s mad?” - -She shook her head. After the precipitate flight of the old man on his -last visit, she had not expected that he would come again, and guessed -that only some matter of the greatest urgency would bring him. She heard -her father moving about his room as she went through the darkened -dining-room into the passage which opened directly on to the garden. - -“Is that you, miss?” quavered a voice in the darkness. - -“Yes, Mr. Maitland.” - -“Is _he_ up?” he asked in an awe-stricken whisper. - -“You mean my father? Yes, he’s awake.” - -“I’ve got to see you,” the old man almost wailed. “They’ve took him.” - -“Taken whom?” she asked with a catch in her voice. - -“That fellow Balder. I knew they would.” - -She remembered having heard Elk mention Balder. - -“The policeman?” she asked. “Mr. Elk’s man?” - -But he was off on another tack. - -“It’s you he’s after.” He came nearer to her and clutched her arm. “I -warned you—don’t forget I warned you. Tell him that I warned you. He’ll -make it good for me, won’t he?” he almost pleaded, and she began to -understand dimly that the “he” to whom the old man was referring was -Dick Gordon. “He’s been with me most of the night, prying and asking -questions. I’ve had a terrible night, miss, terrible,” he almost sobbed. -“First Balder and then him. He’ll get you—not that police gentleman I -don’t mean, but Frog. That’s why I wrote you the letter, telling you to -come up. You didn’t get no letter, did you, miss?” - -She could not make head or tail of what he was saying or to whom he was -referring, as he went on babbling his story of fear, a story -interspersed with wild imprecations against “him.” - -“Tell your father, dearie, what I said to you.” He became suddenly -calmer. “Matilda said I ought to have told your father, but I’m afraid -of him, my dear, I’m afraid of him!” - -He took one of her hands in his and fondled it. - -“You’ll speak a word for me, won’t you?” She knew he was weeping, though -she could not see his face. - -“Of course I’ll speak a word for you, Mr. Maitland. Oughtn’t you to see -a doctor?” she asked anxiously. - -“No, no, no doctors for me. But tell him, won’t you—not your father, I -mean, the other feller—that I did all I could for you. That’s what I’ve -come to see you about. They’ve got Balder——” He stopped short suddenly -and craned his head forward. “Is that your father?” he asked in a husky -whisper. - -She had heard the footsteps of John Bennett on the stairs. - -“Yes, I think it is, Mr. Maitland,” and at her words he pulled his hand -from hers with a jerk and went shuffling down the pathway into the road -and out of sight. - -“What did he want?” - -“I really don’t know, father,” she said. “I don’t think he can be very -well.” - -“Do you mean mad?” - -“Yes, and yet he was quite sensible for a little time. He said they’ve -got Balder.” - -He did not reply to her, and she thought he had not heard her. - -“They’ve taken Balder, Mr. Elk’s assistant. I suppose that means he has -been arrested?” - -“I suppose so,” said John Bennett, and then: “My dear, you ought to be -in bed. Which way did he go?” - -“He went toward Shoreham,” said the girl. “Are you going after him, -father?” she asked in surprise. - -“I’ll walk up the road. I’d like to see him,” said John Bennett. “You go -to bed, my dear.” - -But she stood waiting by the door, long after his footsteps had ceased -to sound on the road. Five minutes, ten minutes passed, a quarter of an -hour, and then she heard the whine of a car and the big limousine flew -past the gate, spattering mud, and then came John Bennett. - -“Aren’t you in bed?” he asked almost roughly. - -“No, father, I don’t feel sleepy. It is late now, so I think I’ll do -some work. Did you see him?” - -“Who, the old man? Yes, I saw him for a minute or two.” - -“Did you speak to him?” - -“Yes, I spoke to him.” The man did not seem inclined to pursue the -subject, but this time Ella persisted. - -“Father, why is he frightened of you?” - -“Will you make me some coffee?” said Bennett. - -“Why is he frightened of you?” - -“How do I know? My dear, don’t ask so many questions. You worry me. He -knows me, he’s seen me—that is all. Balder is held for murder. I think -he is a very bad man.” - -Later in the day she revived the subject of Maitland’s visit. - -“I wish he would not come,” she said. “He frightens me.” - -“He will not come again,” said John Bennett prophetically. - - * * * * * * - -The house in Berkeley Square which had passed into the possession of -Ezra Maitland had been built by a nobleman to whom money had no -significance. Loosely described as one of the show places of the -Metropolis, very few outsiders had ever marvelled at the beauty of its -interior. It was a palace, though none could guess as much from viewing -its conventional exterior. In the gorgeous saloon, with its lapis-lazuli -columns, its fireplaces of onyx and silver, its delicately panelled -walls and silken hangings, Mr. Ezra Maitland sat huddled in a large -Louis Quinze chair, a glass of beer before him, a blackened clay pipe -between his gums. The muddy marks of his feet showed on the priceless -Persian carpet; his hat half eclipsed a golden Venus of Marrionnet, -which stood on a pedestal by his side. His hands clasped across his -stomach, he glared from under his white eyebrows at the floor. One -shaded lamp relieved the gloom, for the silken curtains were drawn and -the light of day did not enter. - -Presently, with an effort, he reached out, took the mug of beer, which -had gone flat, and drained its contents. This done and the mug replaced, -he sank back into his former condition of torpor. There was a gentle -knock at the door and a footman came in, a man of powder and calves. - -“Three gentlemen to see you, sir. Captain Gordon, Mr. Elk, and Mr. -Johnson.” - -The old man suddenly sat up. - -“Johnson?” he said. “What does he want?” - -“They are in the little drawing-room, sir.” - -“Push them in,” growled the old man. - -He seemed indifferent to the presence of the two police officers, and it -was Johnson he addressed. - -“What do you want?” he asked violently. “What do you mean by coming -here?” - -“It was my suggestion that Mr. Johnson should come,” said Dick. - -“Oh, your suggestion, was it?” said the old man, and his attitude was -strangely insolent compared with his dejection of the early morning. - -Elk’s eyes fell upon the empty beer-mug, and he wondered how often that -had been filled since Ezra Maitland had returned to the house. He -guessed it had been employed fairly often, for there was a truculence in -the ancient man’s tone, a defiance in his eye, which suggested something -more than spiritual exaltation. - -“I’m not going to answer any questions,” he said loudly. “I’m not going -to tell any truth, and I’m not going to tell any lies.” - -“Mr. Maitland,” said Johnson hesitatingly, “these gentlemen are anxious -to know about the child.” - -The old man closed his eyes. - -“I’m not going to tell no truth and I’m not going to tell no lies,” he -repeated monotonously. - -“Now, Mr. Maitland,” said the good-humoured Elk, “forget your good -resolution and tell us just why you lived in that slum of Eldor Street.” - -“No truth and no lies,” murmured the old man. “You can lock me up but I -won’t tell you anything. Lock me up. My name’s Ezra Maitland; I am a -millionaire. I’ve got millions and millions and millions! I could buy -you up and I could buy up mostly anybody! Old Ezra Maitland! I’ve been -in the workhouse and I’ve been in quod.” - -Dick and his companion exchanged glances, and Elk shook his head to -signify the futility of further questioning the old man. Nevertheless, -Dick tried again. - -“Why did you go to Horsham this morning?” he asked, and could have -bitten his tongue when he realized his blunder. - -Instantly the old man was wide awake. - -“I never went to Horsham,” he roared. “Don’t know what you’re talking -about. I’m not going to tell you anything. Throw ’em out, Johnson.” - -When they were in the street again, Elk asked a question. - -“No, I’ve never known him to drink before,” said Johnson. “He has always -been very abstemious so long as I’ve known him. I never thought I could -persuade him to talk.” - -“Nor did I,” said Dick Gordon—a statement which more than a little -surprised the detective. - -Dick signalled to the other to get rid of Johnson, and when that -philosophical gentleman had been thanked and sent away, Dick Gordon -spoke urgently. - -“We must have two men in this house at once. What excuse can we offer -for planting detectives on Maitland?” - -Elk pursed his lips. - -“I don’t know,” he confessed. “We shall have to get a warrant before we -arrest him; we could easily get another warrant to search the house; but -beyond that I fear we can’t go, unless he asks for protection.” - -“Then put him under arrest,” said Dick promptly. - -“What is the charge?” - -“Hold him on suspicion of being associated with the Frogs, and if -necessary move him to the nearest police-station. But it has to be done -at once.” - -Elk was perturbed. - -“It isn’t a small matter to arrest a millionaire, you know, Captain -Gordon. I daresay in America it is simple, and I am told you could pinch -the President if you found him with a flask in his pocket. But here it -is a little different.” - -How very different it was, Dick discovered when he made application in -private for the necessary warrants. At four o’clock they were delivered -to him by the clerk of a reluctant magistrate, and, accompanied by -police officers, he went back to Maitland’s palatial home. - -The footman who admitted them said that Mr. Maitland was lying down and -that he did not care to disturb him. In proof, he sent for a second -footman, who confirmed the statement. - -“Which is his room?” said Dick Gordon. “I am a police officer and I want -to see him.” - -“On the second floor, sir.” - -He showed them to an electric lift, which carried the five to the second -floor. Opposite the lift grille was a large double door, heavily -burnished and elaborately gilded. - -“Looks more like the entrance to a theatre,” said Elk in an undertone. - -Dick knocked. There was no answer. He knocked louder. Still there was no -answer. And then, to Elk’s surprise, the young man launched himself at -the door with all his strength. There was a sound of splitting wood and -the door parted. Dick stood in the entrance, rooted to the ground. - -Ezra Maitland lay half on the bed, his legs dragging over the side. At -his feet was the prostrate figure of the old woman whom he called -Matilda. They were both dead, and the pungent fumes of cordite still -hung in a blue cloud beneath the ceiling. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIX - - - THE FOOTMAN - -DICK ran to the bedside, and one glance at the still figures told him -all he wanted to know. - -“Both shot,” he said, and looked up at the filmy cloud under the -ceiling. “May have happened any time—a quarter of an hour ago. This -stuff hangs about for hours.” - -“Hold every servant in the house,” said Elk in an undertone to the men -who were with him. - -A doorway led to a smaller bedroom, which was evidently that occupied by -Maitland’s sister. - -“The shot was fired from this entrance,” said Dick. “Probably a silencer -was used, but we shall hear about that later.” - -He searched the floor and found two spent cartridges of a heavy calibre -automatic. - -“They killed the woman, of course,” he said, speaking his thoughts -aloud. “I was afraid of this. If I could only have got our men in!” - -“You expected him to be murdered?” said Elk in astonishment. - -Dick nodded. He was trying the window of the woman’s room. It was -unfastened, and led on to a narrow parapet, protected by a low -balustrade. From there, access could be had into another room on the -same floor, and no attempt had been made by the murderer to conceal the -fact that this was the way he had passed. The window was wide open, and -there were wet footmarks on the floor. It was a guest room, slightly -overcrowded with surplus furniture, which had been put there apparently -by the housekeeper instead of in a lumber-room. - -The door opened again into the corridor, and faced a narrow flight of -stairs leading to the servants’ quarters above. Elk went down on his -knees and examined the tread of the carpet carefully. - -“Up here, I think,” he said, and ran ahead of his chief. - -The third floor consisted entirely of servants’ rooms, and it was some -time before Elk could pick up the footprints which led directly to No. -1. He tried the handle: it was locked. Taking a pace backward, he raised -his foot and kicked open the door. He found himself in a servant’s -bedroom, which was empty. An attic window opened on to the sloping roof -of another parapet, and without a second’s hesitation Dick went out, -following the course of that very precarious alleyway. Farther along, -iron rails protected the walker, and this was evidently one of the ways -of escape in case of fire. He followed the “path” across three roofs -until he came to a short flight of iron stairs, which reached down to -the flat roof of another house, and a guard fire-escape. Guarded it had -been, but now the iron gate which barred progress was open, and Dick ran -down the narrow stairs into a concrete yard surrounded on three sides by -high walls and on the fourth by the back of a house, which was -apparently unoccupied, for the blinds were all drawn. - -There was a gate in the third wall, and it was ajar. Passing through, he -was in a mews. A man was washing a motor-car a dozen paces from where he -stood, and they hurried toward him. - -“Yes, sir,” said the cleaner, wiping his streaming forehead with the -back of his hand, “I saw a man come out of there about five minutes ago. -He was a servant—a footman or something—I didn’t recognize him, but he -seemed in a hurry.” - -“Did he wear a hat?” - -The man considered. - -“Yes, sir, I think he did,” he said. “He went out that way,” and he -pointed. - -The two men hurried along, turned into Berkeley Street, and as they did -so, the car-washer turned to the closed doors of his garage and whistled -softly. The door opened slowly and Mr. Joshua Broad came out. - -“Thank you,” he said, and a piece of crisp and crackling paper went into -the washer’s hand. - -He was out of sight before Dick and the detective came back from their -vain quest. - -No doubt existed in Dick’s mind as to who the murderer was. One of the -footmen was missing. The remaining servants were respectable individuals -of unimpeachable character. The seventh had come at the same time as Mr. -Maitland; and although he wore a footman’s livery, he had apparently no -previous experience of the duties which he was expected to perform. He -was an ill-favoured man, who spoke very little, and “kept himself to -himself,” as they described it; took part in none of their pleasures or -gossip; was never in the servants’ hall a second longer than was -necessary. - -“Obviously a Frog,” said Elk, and was overjoyed to learn that there was -a photograph of the man in existence. - -The photograph had its origin in an elaborate and somewhat pointless -joke which had been played on the cook by the youngest of the footmen. -The joke consisted of finding in the cook’s workbasket a photograph of -the ugly footman, and for this purpose the young servant had taken a -snap of the man. - -“Do you know him?” asked Dick, looking at the picture. - -Elk nodded. - -“He has been through my hands, and I don’t think I shall have any -difficulty in placing him, although for the moment his name escapes me.” - -A search of the records, however, revealed the identity of the missing -man, and by the evening an enlargement of the photograph, and his name, -aliases and general characteristics, were locked into the form of every -newspaper in the metropolis. - -One of the servants had heard the shot, but thought it was the door -being slammed—a pardonable mistake, because Mr. Maitland was in the -habit of banging doors. - -“Maitland was a Frog all right,” reported Elk after he had seen the body -removed to the mortuary. “He’s well decorated on the left wrist—yes, -slightly askew. That is one of the points that you’ve never cleared up -to me, Captain Gordon. Why they should be tattooed on the left wrist I -can understand, but why the frog shouldn’t be stamped square I’ve never -understood.” - -“That is one of the little mysteries that can’t be cleared up until we -are through with the big ones,” said Dick. - -A telegram had been received that afternoon by the missing footman. This -fact was not remembered until after Elk had returned to headquarters. A -’phone message through to the district post-office brought a copy of the -message. It was very simple. - -“Finish and clear,” were the three words. The message was unsigned. It -had been handed in at the Temple Post Office at two o’clock, and the -murderer had lost no time in carrying out his instructions. - -Maitland’s office was in the hands of the police, and a systematic -search had already begun of its documents and books. At seven o’clock -that night Elk went to Fitzroy Square, and Johnson opened the door to -him. Looking past him, Elk saw that the passage was filled with -furniture and packing cases, and remembered that early in the morning -Johnson had mentioned that he was moving, and had taken two cheaper -rooms in South London. - -“You’ve packed?” - -Johnson nodded. - -“I hate leaving this place,” he said, “but it’s much too expensive. It -seems as though I shall never get another job, and I’d better face that -fact sensibly. If I live at Balham, I can live comfortably. I’ve very -few expensive tastes.” - -“If you have, you can indulge them,” said Elk. “We found the old man’s -will. He has left you everything!” - -Johnson’s jaw dropped, his eyes opened wide. - -“Are you joking?” he said. - -“I was never more serious in my life. The old man has left you every -penny he had. Here is a copy of the will: I thought you’d like to see -it.” - -He opened his pocket-case, producing a sheet of foolscap, and Johnson -read: - - “I, Ezra Maitland, of 193, Eldor Road, in the County of - Middlesex, declare this to be my last will and testament, and I - formally revoke all other wills and codicils to such wills. I - bequeath all my property, movable or immovable, all lands, - houses, deeds, shares in stock companies whatsoever, and all - jewellery, reversions, carriages, motor-cars, and all other - possessions absolutely, to Philip Johnson, of 471, Fitzroy - Square, in the County of London, clerk. I declare him to be the - only honest man I have ever met with in my long and sorrowful - life, and I direct him to devote himself with unremitting care - to the destruction of that society or organization which is - known as the Frogs, and which for four and twenty years has - extracted large sums of blackmail from me.” - -It was signed in a clerkly hand familiar to Johnson, and was witnessed -by two men whose names he knew. - -He sat down and did not attempt to speak for a long time. - -“I read of the murder in the evening paper,” he said after a while. “In -fact, I’ve been up to the house, but the policemen referred me to you, -and I knew you were too busy to be bothered. How was he killed?” - -“Shot,” said Elk. - -“Have they caught the man?” - -“We shall have him by the morning,” said Elk with confidence. “Now that -we’ve taken Balder, there’ll be nobody to warn the men we want.” - -“It is very dreadful,” said Johnson after a while. “But this”—he looked -at the paper—“this has quite knocked me out. I don’t know what to say. -Where was it found?” - -“In one of his deed boxes.” - -“I wish he hadn’t,” said Johnson with emphasis. “I mean, left me his -money. I hate responsibility. I’m temperamentally unfitted to run a big -business . . . I wish he hadn’t!” - -“How did he take it?” asked Dick when Elk had returned. - -“He’s absolutely hazed. Poor devil, I felt sorry for him, and I never -thought I should feel sorry for any man who came into money. He was just -getting ready to move into a cheaper house when I arrived. I suppose he -won’t go to the Prince of Caux’s mansion. The change in Johnson’s -prospects might make a difference to Ray Bennett: does that strike you, -Captain Gordon?” - -“I thought of that possibility,” said Dick shortly. - -He had an interview in the afternoon with the Director of Public -Prosecutions in regard to Balder. And that learned gentleman echoed his -own fears. - -“I can’t see how we’re going to get a verdict of murder against this -man, although it is as plain as daylight that he poisoned Mills and was -responsible for the bomb outrage. But you can’t hang a man on suspicion, -even though the suspicion is not open to doubt. How did he kill Mills, -do you think?” - -“Mills had a cold,” said Dick. “He had been coughing all the way up in -the car, and had asked Balder to close the window of the room. Balder -obviously closed, or nearly closed the window, and probably slipped a -cyanide tablet to the man, telling him it was good for his cold. It was -a fairly natural thing for Mills to take and swallow the tablet, and -that, I am sure, is what happened. We made a search of Balder’s house at -Slough, and found a duplicate set of keys, including one to Elk’s safe. -Balder got there early in the morning and planted the bomb, knowing that -Elk and I would be opening the bags that morning.” - -“And helped Hagn to escape,” said the Public Prosecutor. - -“That was much more simple,” explained Dick. “I gather that the -inspector who was seen walking out at half-past-two was Hagn. When -Balder went into the cell to keep the man company, he must have been -dressed underneath in the police uniform, and have carried the necessary -handcuffs and pass-keys with him. He was not searched—a fact for which -I am as much responsible as Elk. The chief danger we had to fear from -Balder came from his closeness to us, and his ability to communicate -immediately to his chief every movement which we made. His name is -Kramer, and he is by birth a Lithuanian. He was expelled from Germany at -the age of eighteen for his revolutionary activities, and came to this -country two years later, where he joined the police. At what time he -came into contact with the Frogs I do not know, but it is fairly clear, -from evidence we have obtained, that the man has been engaged in various -illegal operations for many years past. I’m afraid you are right about -Balder: it will be immensely difficult to get a conviction until we have -caught Frog himself.” - -“And will you catch the Frog, do you think?” - -Dick Gordon smiled cryptically. - -No fresh news had come about the murder of Maitland and his sister, and -he seized the opportunity which the lull gave to him. Ella Bennett was -in the vegetable garden, engaged in the prosaic task of digging potatoes -when he appeared, and she came running toward him, stripping her leather -gloves. - -“This is a splendid surprise,” she said, and flushed at the -consciousness of her own enthusiasm. “Poor man, you must be having a -terrible time! I saw the newspaper this morning. Isn’t it dreadful about -poor Mr. Maitland? He was here yesterday morning.” - -He nodded. - -“Is it true that Mr. Johnson has been left the whole of Maitland’s -money? Isn’t that splendid!” - -“Do you like Johnson?” he asked. - -“Yes, he’s a nice man,” she nodded. “I don’t know a great deal about -him; indeed, I’ve only met him once or twice, but he was very kind to -Ray, and saved him from getting into trouble. I am wondering whether, -now that he is rich, he will induce Ray to go back to Maitlands.” - -“I wonder if he will induce you——” He stopped. - -“Induce me to what?” she asked in astonishment. - -“Johnson is rather fond of you—he’s never made any disguise of the -fact, and he’s a very rich man. Not that I think that would make any -difference to you,” he added hastily. “I’m not a very rich man, but I’m -comfortably off.” - -The fingers in his hand stole round his, and pressed them tightly, and -then suddenly they relaxed. - -“I don’t know,” she said, and drew herself free. - -“Father said——” She hesitated. “I don’t think father would like it. He -thinks there is such a difference between our social positions.” - -“Rats!” said Dick inelegantly. - -“And there’s something else.” She found it an effort to tell him what -that something was. “I don’t know what father does for a living, but it -is . . . work that he never wishes to speak about; something that he -looks upon as disgraceful.” - -The last words were spoken so low that he hardly caught them. - -“Suppose I know the worst about your father?” he asked quietly, and she -stood back, looking at him from under knit brows. - -“Do you mean that? What is it, Dick?” - -He shook his head. - -“I may know or I may not. It is only a wild guess. And you’re not to -tell him that I know, or that I’m in any way suspicious. Will you please -do that for me?” - -“And knowing this, would it make any difference to you?” - -“None.” - -She had plucked a flower, and was pulling it petal from petal in her -abstraction. - -“Is it very dreadful?” she asked. “Has he committed a crime? No, no, -don’t tell me.” - -Once more he was near her, his arm about her trembling shoulders, his -hand beneath her chin. - -“My dear!” murmured the youthful Public Prosecutor, and forgot there was -such a thing as murder in the world. - -John Bennett was glad to see him, eager to tell the news of his triumph. -He had a drawer full of press cuttings, headed “Wonderful Nature -Studies. Remarkable Pictures by an Amateur,” and others equally -flattering. And there had come to him a cheque which had left him -gasping. - -“This means—you don’t know what it means to me, Mr. Gordon,” he said, -“or Captain Gordon—I always forget you’ve got a military title. When -that boy of mine recovers his senses and returns home, he’s going to -have just the good time he wants. He’s at the age when most boys are -fools—what I call the showing-off age. Sometimes it runs to pimples and -introspection, sometimes to the kind of life that a man doesn’t like to -look back on. Ray has probably taken the less vicious course.” - -It was a relief to hear the man speak so. Dick always thought of Ray -Bennett as one who had committed the unforgiveable sin. - -“This time next year I’m going to be an artist of leisure,” said John -Bennett, who looked ten years younger. - -Dick offered to drive him to town, but this he would not hear of. He had -to make a call at Dorking. Apparently he had letters addressed to him in -that town (Dick learnt of this from the girl) concerning his mysterious -errands. Dick left Horsham with a heart lighter than he had brought to -that little country town, and was in the mood to rally Inspector Elk for -the profound gloom which had settled on him since he had discovered that -there was not sufficient evidence to try Balder for his life. - - - - - CHAPTER XXX - - - THE TRAMPS - -LEW BRADY sat disconsolately in Lola Bassano’s pretty drawing-room, and -a more incongruous figure in that delicate setting it was impossible to -imagine. A week’s growth of beard had transfigured him into the most -unsavoury looking ruffian, and the soiled old clothes he wore, the -broken and discoloured boots, the grimy shirt, no less than his own -personal uncleanliness of appearance made him a revolting object. - -So Lola thought, eyeing him anxiously, a foreboding of trouble in her -heart. - -“I’m finished with the Frog,” growled Brady. “He pays—of course he -pays! But how long is it going on, Lola? You brought me into this!” He -glowered at her. - -“I brought you in, when you wanted to be brought into something,” she -said calmly. “You can’t live on my savings all your life, Lew, and it -was nearly time you made a little on the side.” - -He played with a silver seal, twiddling it between his fingers, his eyes -gloomily downcast. - -“Balder’s caught, and the old man’s dead,” he said. “They’re the big -people. What chance have I got?” - -“What were your instructions, Lew?” she asked for the twentieth time -that day. - -He shook his head. - -“I’m taking no risks, Lola. I don’t trust anybody, not even you.” - -He took a small bottle from his pocket and examined it. - -“What is that?” she asked curiously. - -“Dope of some kind.” - -“Is that part of the instructions too?” - -He nodded. - -“Are you going in your own name?” - -“No, I’m not,” he snapped. “Don’t ask questions. I’m not going to tell -you anything, see? This trip’s going to last a fortnight, and when it’s -finished, I’m finished with Frog.” - -“The boy—is he going with you?” - -“How do I know? I’m to meet somebody somewhere, and that’s all about -it.” He looked at the clock and rose with a grunt. “It’s the last time I -shall sit in a decent parlour for a fortnight.” He gave a curt nod and -walked to the door. - -There was a servants’ entrance, a gallery which was reached through the -kitchen, and he passed down the stairs unobserved, into the night. - -It was dark by the time he reached Barnet; his feet were aching; he was -hot and wretched. He had suffered the indignity of being chased off the -pavement by a policeman he could have licked with one hand, and he -cursed the Frog with every step he took. There was still a long walk -ahead of him once he was clear of Barnet; and it was not until a village -clock was striking the hour of eleven that he ambled up to a figure that -was sitting on the side of the road, just visible in the pale moonlight, -but only recognizable when he spoke. - -“Is that you?” said a voice. - -“Yes, it’s me. You’re Carter, aren’t you?” - -“Good Lord!” gasped Ray as he recognized the voice. “It’s Lew Brady!” - -“It’s nothing of the kind!” snarled the other man. “My name’s Phenan. -Yours is Carter. Sit down for a bit. I’m dead beat.” - -“What is the idea?” asked the youth as they sat side by side. - -“How the devil do I know?” said the other savagely as, with a tender -movement, he slipped off his boots and rubbed his bruised feet. - -“I had no idea it was you,” said Ray. - -“I knew it was you, all right,” said the other. “And why I should be -called upon to take a mug around this country, God knows!” - -After a while he was rested sufficiently to continue the tramp. - -“There’s a barn belonging to a shopkeeper in the next village. He’ll let -us sleep there for a few pence.” - -“Why not try to get a room?” - -“Don’t be a fool,” snapped Lew. “Who’s going to take in a couple of -tramps, do you think? We know we’re clean, but they don’t. No, we’ve got -to go the way the tramps go.” - -“Where? To Nottingham?” - -“I don’t know. If they told you Nottingham, I should say that’s the last -place in the world we shall go to. I’ve got a sealed envelope in my -pocket. When we reach Baldock I shall open it.” - -They slept that night in the accommodating barn—a draughty shed, -populated, it seemed, by chickens and rats, and Ray had a restless night -and thought longingly of his own little bed at Maytree Cottage. -Strangely enough, he did not dwell on the more palatial establishment in -Knightsbridge. - -The next day it rained, and they did not reach Baldock until late in the -afternoon, and, sitting down under the cover of a hedge, Brady opened -the envelope and read its contents, his companion watching him -expectantly. - - “You will branch from Baldock and take the nearest G.W. train - for Bath. Then by road to Gloucester. At the village of - Laverstock you will reveal to Carter the fact that you are - married to Lola Bassano. You should take him to the _Red Lion_ - for this purpose, and tell him as offensively as possible in - order to force a quarrel, but in no circumstances are you to - allow him to part company from you. Go on to Ibbley Copse. You - will find an open space near where three dead trees stand, and - there you will stop, take back the statement you made that you - are married to Lola, and make an apology. You are carrying with - you a whisky flask; you must have the dope and the whisky - together at this point. After he is asleep, you will make your - way to Gloucester, to 289 Hendry Street, where you will find a - complete change of clothing. Here you will shave and return to - town by the 2.19.” - -Every word, every syllable, he read over and over again, until he had -mastered the details. Then, striking a match, he set fire to the paper -and watched it burn. - -“What are the orders?” asked Ray. - -“The same as yours, I suppose. What did you do with yours?” - -“Burnt them,” said Ray. “Did he tell you where we’re going?” - -“We are going to take the Gloucester Road; I thought we should. That -means striking across country till we reach the Bath Road. We can take a -train to Bath.” - -“Thank goodness for that!” said Ray fervently. “I don’t feel I can walk -another step.” - -At seven o’clock that night, two tramps turned out of a third-class -carriage on Bath station. One, the younger, was limping slightly, and -sat down on a station seat. - -“Come on, you can’t stay here,” said the other gruffly. “We’ll get a bed -in the town. There’s a Salvation Army shelter somewhere in Bath.” - -“Wait a bit,” said the other. “I’m so cramped with sitting in that -infernal carriage that I can hardly move.” - -They had joined the London train at Reading, and the passengers were -pouring down the steps to the subway. Ray looked at them enviously. They -had homes to go to, clean and comfortable beds to sleep in. The thought -of it gave him a pain. And then he saw a figure and shrank back. A tall, -angular man, who carried a heavy box in one hand and a bag in the other. - -It was his father. - -John Bennett went down the steps, with a casual glance at the two -unsavoury tramps on the seat, never dreaming that one was the son whose -future he was at that moment planning. - -John Bennett spent an ugly night, and an even more ugly early morning. -He collected the camera where he had left it, at a beerhouse on the -outskirts of the town, and, fixing the improvised carrier, he slipped -the big box on his back, and, with his bag in his hand, took the road. A -policeman eyed him disapprovingly as he passed, and seemed in two minds -as to whether or not he should stop him, but refrained. The strength and -stamina of this grey man were remarkable. He breasted a hill and, -without slackening his pace, reached the top, and strode steadily along -the white road that was cut in the face of the hill. Below him stretched -the meadow lands of Somerset, vast fields speckled with herds, -glittering streaks of light where the river wound; above his head a blue -sky, flecked white here and there. As he walked, the load on his heart -was absorbed. All that was bright and happy in life came to him. His -hand strayed to his waistcoat pocket mechanically. There were the -precious press cuttings that he had brought from town and had read and -re-read in the sleepless hours of the night. - -He thought of Ella, and all that Ella meant to him, and of Dick -Gordon—but that made him wince, and he came back to the comfort of his -pictures. Somebody had told him that there were badgers to be seen; a -man in the train had carefully located a veritable paradise for the -lover of Nature; and it was toward this beauty spot that he was making -his way with the aid of a survey map which he had bought overnight at a -stationer’s shop. - -Another hour’s tramp brought him to a wooden hollow, and, consulting his -map, he found he had reached his objective. There was ample evidence of -the truth that his chance-found friend had told him. He saw a stoat, -flying on the heels of a terrified rabbit; a hawk wheeled ceaselessly on -stiff pinions above him; and presently he found the “run” he was looking -for, the artfully concealed entrance to a badger’s lair. - -In the years he had been following his hobby he had overcome many -difficulties, learnt much. To-day, failure had taught him something of -the art of concealment. It took him time to poise and hide the camera in -a bush of wild laurel, and even then it was necessary that he should -take a long shot, for the badger is the shyest of its kind. There were -young ones in the lair: he saw evidence of that; and a badger who has -young is doubly shy. - -He had replaced the pneumatic attachment which set the camera moving, by -an electrical contrivance, and this enabled him to work with greater -surety. He unwound the long flex and laid it to its fullest extent, -taking a position on the slope of the hill eighty yards away, making -himself comfortable. Taking off his coat, which acted as a pillow on -which his arms rested, he put his field-glasses near at hand. - -He had been waiting half an hour when he thought he saw a movement at -the mouth of the burrow, and slowly focussed his glasses. It was the tip -of a black nose he saw, and he took the switch of the starter in his -hand, ready to set the camera revolving. Minutes followed minutes; -five—ten—fifteen—but there was no further movement in the burrow, and -in a dull way John Bennett was glad, because the warmth of the day, -combined with his own weariness and his relaxed position, brought to him -a rare sensation of bodily comfort and well-being. Deeper and deeper -grew the languorous haze of comfort that fell on him like a fog, until -it obscured all that was visible and audible. John Bennett slept, and, -sleeping, dreamed of success and of peace and of freedom from all that -had broken his heart, and had dried up the sweet waters of life within -him. In his dream he heard voices and a sharp sound, like a shot. But he -knew it was not a shot, and shivered. He knew that “crack,” and in his -sleep clenched his hands convulsively. The electric starter was still in -his hand. - - * * * * * * - -At nine o’clock that morning there had come into Laverstock two limping -tramps, though one limped more than the other. The bigger of the two -stopped at the door of the _Red Lion_, and an unfriendly landlord -surveyed the men over the top of the curtain which gave the habitués of -the bar a semi-privacy. - -“Come in,” growled Lew Brady. - -Ray was glad to follow. The landlord’s bulk blocked the entrance to the -bar. - -“What do you want?” he asked. - -“I want a drink.” - -“There’s no free drinks going in this parish,” said the landlord, -looking at the unpromising customer. - -“Where did you get that ‘free drink’ stuff from?” snarled Lew. “My -money’s as good as anybody else’s, isn’t it?” - -“If it’s honestly come by,” said the landlord. “Let us have a look at -it.” - -Lew pulled out a handful of silver, and the master of the _Red Lion_ -stood back. - -“Come in,” he said, “but don’t make a home of my bar. You can have your -drink and go.” - -Lew growled the order, and the landlord poured out the two portions of -whisky. - -“Here’s yours, Carter,” said Lew, and Ray swallowed the fiery dram and -choked. - -“I’ll be glad to get back,” said Lew in a low voice. “It’s all right for -you single men, but this tramping is pretty tough on us fellows who’ve -got wives—even though the wives aren’t all they might be.” - -“I didn’t know you were married,” said Ray, faintly interested. - -“There’s a lot you don’t know,” sneered the other. “Of course I’m -married. You were told once, and you hadn’t the brains to believe it.” - -Ray looked at the man open-mouthed. - -“Do you mean—what Gordon said?” - -The other nodded. - -“You mean that Lola is your wife?” - -“Why, certainly she’s my wife,” said Lew coolly. “I don’t know how many -husbands she’s had, but I’m her present one.” - -“Oh, my God!” - -Ray whispered the words. - -“What’s the matter with you? And take that look off your face,” said Lew -Brady viciously. “I’m not blaming you for being sweet on her. I like to -see people admire my wife, even such kids as you.” - -“Your wife!” said Ray again. He could not believe the man was speaking -the truth. “Is she—is she a Frog?” - -“Why shouldn’t she be?” said Brady. “And keep your voice down, can’t -you? That fat old devil behind the counter is trying hard to listen. Of -course she’s Frog, and she’s crook. We’re all crooks. You’re crook too. -That’s the way with Lola, she likes the crooks best. Perhaps you’ll have -a chance, after you’ve done a job or two——” - -“You beast!” hissed Ray, and struck the man full in the face. - -Before Lew Brady could come to his feet, the landlord was between them. - -“Outside, both of you!” he shouted, and, dashing to the door, roared -half a dozen names. He was back in time to see Lew Brady on his feet, -glaring at the other. - -“You’ll know all about that, Mr. Carter, one of these days,” he said. -“I’ll settle with you!” - -“And, by God, I’ll settle with you!” said Ray furiously, and at that -moment a brawny ostler caught him by the arm and flung him into the road -outside. - -He waited for Brady to come out. - -“I’ve finished with you,” he said. His face was white, his voice was -quivering. “Finished with the whole rotten shoot of you! I’m going -back.” - -“You’re not going back,” said Lew. “Oh, listen, boy, what’s making you -mad? We’ve got to go on to Gloucester, and we might as well finish our -job. And if you don’t want to be with me after that—well, you can go -ahead just as you like.” - -“I’m going alone,” said Ray. - -“Don’t be a fool.” Lew Brady came after him and seized his arm. - -For a second the situation looked ugly to the onlookers, and then, with -a shrug, Ray Bennett suffered the arm to remain. - -“I don’t believe you,” he said—the first words he spoke for half an -hour after they had left the _Red Lion_. “Why should you have lied?” - -“I’ve got sick of your good temper, that’s the whole truth, Ray—just -sick to death of it. I had to make you mad, or I’d have gone mad -myself.” - -“But is it true about Lola?” - -“Of course it’s not true,” lied Brady contemptuously. “Do you think -she’d have anything to do with a chap like me? Not likely! Lola’s a good -girl. Forget all I said, Ray.” - -“I shall ask her myself. She wouldn’t lie to me,” said the boy. - -“Of course she wouldn’t lie to you,” agreed the other. - -They were nearing their rendezvous now—the tree-furred cut in the -hills—and his eyes were searching for the three white trunks that the -lightning had struck. Presently he saw them. - -“Come on in, and I’ll tell you all about it,” he said. “I’m not going to -walk much farther to-day. My feet are so raw you couldn’t cook ’em!” - -He led the way between the trees, over the age-old carpet of pine -needles, and presently he stopped. - -“Sit down here, boy,” he said, “and let us have a drink and a smoke.” - -Ray sat with his head on his hands, a figure so supremely miserable that -any other man than Lew Brady would have felt sorry for him. - -“The whole truth is,” began Lew slowly, “that Lola’s very strong for -you, boy.” - -“Then why did you tell me the other thing? Who was that?” He looked -round. - -“What is it?” asked Lew. His own nerves were on edge. - -“I thought I heard somebody moving.” - -“A twig broke. Rabbits, it may be; there are thousands of ’em round -here,” said Lew. “No, Lola’s a good girl.” He fished from his pocket a -flask, pulled off the cup at the bottom and unscrewed the stopper, -holding the flask to the light. “She’s a good girl,” he repeated, “and -may she never be anything else.” - -He poured out a cupful, looked at the remainder in the bottle. - -“I’m going to drink her health. No, you drink first.” - -Ray shook his head. - -“I don’t like the stuff,” he said. - -The other man laughed. - -“For a fellow who’s been pickled night after night, that’s certainly an -amusing view to take,” he said. “If you can’t hold a dram of whisky for -the sake of drinking Lola’s health, well, you’re a poor——” - -“Give it to me.” Ray snatched the cup, but spilt a portion, and, -drinking down the contents at a draught, he threw the metal holder to -his companion. - -“Ugh! I don’t care for that whisky. I don’t think I care for any whisky -at all. There’s nothing harder to pretend you like than drinking, if you -don’t happen to like it.” - -“I don’t think anybody likes it at first,” said Lew. “It’s like -tomatoes—a cultivated taste.” - -He was watching his companion keenly. - -“Where do we go from Gloucester?” asked Ray. - -“We don’t go anywhere from Gloucester. We just stop there for a day, and -then we change and come back.” - -“It’s a stupid idea,” said Ray Bennett, screwing up his eyes and -yawning. “Who is this Frog, Lew?” He yawned again, lay back on the -grass, his hands under his head. - -Lew Brady emptied the remainder of the flask’s contents upon the grass, -screwed up the stopper and shook the cup before he rose and walked -across to the sleeping boy. - -“Hi, get up!” he said. - -There was no answer. - -“Get up, you!” - -With a groan, Ray turned over, his head on his arms, and did not move -again. A sudden misgiving came to Lew Brady. Suppose he was dead? He -went livid at the thought. That quarrel, so cleverly engineered by the -Frog, would be enough to convict him. He whipped the flask from his -pocket and slipped it into the coat pocket of the sleeper. And then he -heard a sound, and, turning, saw a man watching him. Lew stared, opened -his mouth to speak, and: - -“_Plop!_” - -He saw the flash of the flame before the bullet struck him. He tried to -open his mouth to speak, and: - -“_Plop!_” - -Lew Brady was dead before he touched the ground. - -The man removed the silencer of the pistol, walked leisurely across to -where Ray Bennett was sleeping, and put the pistol by his hand. Then he -came back and turned over the body of the dead man, looking down into -the face. Taking one of three cigars from his waistcoat pocket, he lit -it, being careful to put the match in the box whence he had taken it. He -liked smoking cigars—especially other men’s cigars. Then, without -haste, he walked back the way he had come, gained the main road after a -careful reconnaissance, and reached the car he had left by the roadside. - -Inside the car a youth was sitting in the shelter of the curtained hood, -loose-mouthed, glassy-eyed, staring at nothing. He wore an ill-fitting -suit and one end of his collar was unfastened. - -“You know this place, Bill?” - -“Yes, sir.” The voice was guttural and hoarse. “Ibbley Copse.” - -“You have just killed a man: you shot him, just as you said you did in -your confession.” - -The half-witted youth nodded. - -“I killed him because I hated him,” he said. - -The Frog nodded obediently and got into the driver’s seat. . . . - -John Bennett woke with a start. He looked at the damp bell-push in his -hand with a rueful smile, and began winding up the flex. Presently he -reached the bush where the camera was concealed, and, to his dismay, -found that the indicator showed the loss—for loss it was—of five -hundred feet. He looked at the badger hole resentfully, and there, as in -mockery, he saw again the tip of a black nose, and shook his fist at it. -Beyond, he saw two men lying, both asleep, and both, apparently, tramps. - -He carried the camera back to where he had left his coat, put it on, -hoisted the box into position and set off for Laverstock village, where, -if his watch was right, he could catch the local that would connect him -with Bath in time for the London express; and as he walked, he -calculated his loss. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXI - - - THE CHEMICAL CORPORATION - -ELK had promised to dine at Gordon’s club. Dick waited for him until -twenty minutes past the hour of appointment, and Elk had neither -telephoned nor put in an appearance. At twenty-five minutes past he -arrived in a hurry. - -“Good Lord!” he gasped, looking at the clock. “I had no idea it was so -late, Captain. I must buy a watch.” - -They went into the dining-hall together, and Elk felt that he was -entering a church, there was such solemn dignity about the stately room, -with its prim and silent diners. - -“It certainly has Heron’s beat in the matter of Dicky-Orum.” - -“I don’t know the gentleman,” said the puzzled Dick. “Oh, do you mean -decorum? Yes, this is a little more sedate. What kept you, Elk? I’m not -complaining, but when you’re not on time, I worry as to what has -happened to you.” - -“Nothing has happened to me,” said Elk, nodding pleasantly to an -embarrassed club waiter. “Only we had an inquiry in Gloucester. I -thought we’d struck another Frog case, but the two men involved had no -Frog marks.” - -“Who are they?” - -“Phenan is one—he’s the man that’s dead.” - -“A murder?” - -“I think so,” said Elk, spearing a sardine. “I think he was thoroughly -dead when they found him at Ibbley Copse. They pinched the man who was -with him; he was drunk. Apparently they’d been to Laverstock and had -quarrelled and fought in the bar of the _Red Lion_. The police were -informed later, and telephoned through to the next village, to tell the -constable to keep his eye on these two fellows, but they hadn’t passed -through, so they sent a bicycle patrol to look for them—there’s been -one or two housebreakings in that neighbourhood.” - -“And they found them?” - -Elk nodded. - -“One man dead and the other man bottled. Apparently they’d quarrelled, -and the drunken gentleman shot the other. They’re both tramps or of that -class. Identification marks on them show they’ve come from Wales. They -slept at Bath last night, at Rooney’s lodging-house, and that’s all -that’s known of ’em. Carter is the murderer—they’ve taken him to -Gloucester Gaol. It’s a very simple case, and the Gloucester police gave -a haughty smile at the idea of calling in Headquarters. It is a crime, -anyway, that is up to the intellectual level of the country police.” - -Dick’s lips twitched. - -“Just now, the country police are passing unpleasant comments on our -intelligence,” he said. - -“Let ’um,” scoffed Elk. “Those people are certainly entitled to their -simple pleasures, and I’d be the last to deny them the right. I saw John -Bennett in town to-night, at Paddington this time. I’m always knocking -against him at railway stations. That man is certainly a traveller. He -had his old camera with him too. I spoke to him this time, and he’s full -of trouble: went to sleep, pushed the gadget in his dreams and wasted a -fortune in film. But he’s pleased with himself, and I don’t wonder. I -saw a note about his pictures the other day in one of the newspapers. He -looks like turning into a first-class success.” - -“I sincerely hope so,” said Dick quietly, and something in his tone made -his guest look up. - -“Which reminds me,” he said, “that I had a note from friend Johnson -asking me whether I knew Ray Bennett’s address. He said he called up -Heron’s Club, but Ray hadn’t been there for days. He wants to give him a -job. Quite a big position, too. There’s a lot that’s very fine in -Johnson.” - -“Did you give the address?” - -Elk nodded. - -“I gave him the address, and I called on the boy, but he’s out of -town—went out a few days ago, and is not likely to be back for a -fortnight. It will be too bad if he loses this job. I think Johnson was -sore with the side young Bennett put on, but he doesn’t seem to bear any -malice. Perhaps there’s another influence at work,” he said -significantly. - -Dick knew that he meant Ella, but did not accept the opening. - -They adjourned to the smoke-room after dinner, and whilst Elk puffed -luxuriously at one of his host’s best cigars, Dick wrote a brief note to -the girl, who had been in his thoughts all that day. It was an -unnecessary note, as such epistles are liable to be; but it might have -had, as its excuse, the news that he had heard from Elk, only, for some -reason, he never thought of that until after the letter was finished and -sealed. When he turned to his companion, Elk propounded a theory. - -“I sent a man up to look at some chemical works. It’s a fake -company—less than a dozen hands employed, and those only occasionally. -But it has a very powerful electrical installation. It is an old poison -gas factory. The present company bought it for a song, and two fellows -we are holding were the nominal purchasers.” - -“Where is it?” asked Dick. - -“Between Newbury and Didcot. I found out a great deal about them for a -curious reason. It appears there was some arrangement between the -factory, when it was under Government control, that it should make an -annual contribution to the Newbury Fire Brigade, and, in taking over the -property, the company also took over that contract, which they’re now -trying to get out of, for the charge is a stiff one. They told the -Newbury Brigade, in so many words, to disconnect the factory from their -alarm service, but the Newbury Brigade, being on a good thing and having -lost money by the arrangement during the war, refused to cancel the -contract, which has still three years to run.” - -Dick was not interested in the slightest degree in the quarrel between -the chemical factory and the fire brigade. Later, he had cause to be -thankful that conversation had drifted into such a prosaic channel; but -this he could not foresee. - -“Yes, very remarkable,” he said absent-mindedly. - - * * * * * * - -A fortnight after the disappearance from town of Ray Bennett, Elk -accepted the invitation of the American to lunch. It was an invitation -often given, and only accepted now because there had arisen in Elk’s -mind a certain doubt about Joshua Broad—a doubt which he wished to -mould into assurance. - -Broad was waiting for the detective when he arrived, and Elk, to whom -time had no particular significance, arrived ten minutes late. - -“Ten minutes after one,” said Elk. “I can’t keep on time anyhow. There’s -been a lot of trouble at the office over the new safe they’ve got me. -Somethin’s wrong with it, and even the lock-maker doesn’t know what it -is.” - -“Can’t you open it?” - -“That’s just it, I can’t, and I’ve got to get some papers out to-day -that are mighty important,” said Elk. “I was wondering, as I came along, -whether, having such a wide experience of the criminal classes, you’ve -ever heard any way by which it could be opened—it needs a proper -engineer, and, if I remember rightly, you told me you were an engineer -once, Mr. Broad?” - -“Your memory is at fault,” said the other calmly as he unfolded his -napkin and regarded the detective with a twinkle in his eye. -“Safe-opening is not my profession.” - -“And I never dreamt it was,” said Elk heartily. “But it has always -struck me that the Americans are much more clever with their hands than -the people in this country, and I thought that you might be able to give -me a word of advice.” - -“Maybe I’ll introduce you to my pet burglar,” said Broad gravely, and -they laughed together. “What do you think of me?” asked the American -unexpectedly. “I’m not expecting you to give your view of my character -or personal appearance, but what do you think I am doing in London, -dodging around, doing nothing but a whole lot of amateur police work?” - -“I’ve never given you much thought,” said Elk untruthfully. “Being an -American, I expect you to be out of the ordinary——” - -“Flatterer,” murmured Mr. Broad. - -“I wouldn’t go so far as to flatter you,” protested Elk. “Flattery is -repugnant to me anyway.” - -He unfolded an evening newspaper he had brought. - -“Looking for those tailless amphibians?” - -“Eh?” Elk looked up puzzled. - -“Frogs,” explained the other. - -“No, I’m not exactly looking for Frogs, though I understand a few of ’em -are looking for me. As a matter of fact, there’s very little in the -newspaper about those interesting animals, but there’s going to be!” - -“When?” - -The question was a challenge. - -“When we get Frog Number One.” - -Mr. Broad crumpled a roll in his hand, and broke it. - -“Do you think you’ll get Number One before I get him?” he asked quietly, -and Elk looked across the table over his spectacles. - -“I’ve been wondering that for a long time,” he said, and for a second -their eyes met. - -“Do you think I shall get him?” asked Broad. - -“If all my speculations and surmises are what they ought to be, I think -you will,” said Elk, and suddenly his attention was focussed upon a -paragraph. “Quick work,” he said. “We beat you Americans in that -respect.” - -“In what respect is that?” asked Broad. “I’m sufficient of a -cosmopolitan to agree that there are many things in England which you do -better than we in America.” - -Elk looked up at the ceiling. - -“Fifteen days?” he said. “Of course, he just managed to catch the -Assizes.” - -“Who’s that?” - -“That man Carter, who shot a tramp near Gloucester,” said Elk. - -“What has happened to him?” asked the other. - -“He was sentenced to death this morning,” said the detective. - -Joshua Broad frowned. - -“Sentenced to death this morning? Carter, you say? I didn’t read the -story of the murder.” - -“There was nothing complicated about it,” said Elk. “Two tramps had a -quarrel—I think they got drinking—and one shot the other and was found -lying in a drunken sleep by the dead man’s side. There’s practically no -evidence; the prisoner refused to make any statement, or to instruct a -lawyer—it must have been one of the shortest murder trials on record.” - -“Where did this happen?” asked Broad, arousing himself from the reverie -into which he had fallen. - -“Near Gloucester. There was little in the paper; it wasn’t a really -interesting murder. There was no woman in it, so far as the evidence -went, and who cared a cent about two tramps?” - -He folded the paper and put it down, and for the rest of the meal was -engaged in a much more fascinating discussion, the police methods of the -United States, on which matter Mr. Broad was, apparently, something of -an authority. - -The object of the American’s invitation was very apparent. Again and -again he attempted to turn the conversation to the man under arrest; and -as skilfully as he introduced the subject of Balder, did Elk turn the -discussion back to the merits of the third degree as a method of crime -detection. - -“Elk, you’re as close as an oyster,” said Broad, beckoning a waiter to -bring his bill. “And yet I could tell you almost as much about this man -Balder as you know.” - -“Tell me the prison he’s in?” demanded Elk. - -“He’s in Pentonville, Ward Seven, Cell Eighty-four,” said the other -immediately, and Elk sat bolt upright. “And you needn’t trouble to shift -him to somewhere else, just because I happen to know his exact location; -I should be just as well informed if he was at Brixton, Wandsworth, -Holloway, Wormwood Scrubbs, Maidstone, or Chelmsford.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXXII - - - IN GLOUCESTER PRISON - -THERE is a cell in Gloucester Prison; the end cell in a long corridor of -the old building. Next door is another cell, which is never occupied, -for an excellent reason. That in which Ray Bennett sat was furnished -more expensively than any other in the prison. There was an iron -bedstead, a plain deal table, a comfortable Windsor chair and two other -chairs, on one of which, night and day, sat a warder. - -The walls were distempered pink. One big window, near the ceiling, -heavily barred, covered with toughened opaque glass, admitted light, -which was augmented all the time by an electric globe in the arched -ceiling. - -Three doors led from the cell: one into the corridor, the other into a -little annexe fitted with a washing-bowl and a bath; the third into the -unoccupied cell, which had a wooden floor, and in the centre of the -floor a square trap. Ray Bennett did not know then how close he was to -the death house, and if he had known he would not have cared. For death -was the least of the terrors which oppressed him. - -He had awakened from his drugged sleep, to find himself in the cell of a -country lock-up, and had heard, bemused, the charge of murder that had -been made against him. He had no clear recollection of what had -happened. All that he knew was that he had hated Lew Brady and that he -had wanted to kill him. After that, he had a recollection of walking -with him and of sitting down somewhere. - -They told him that Brady was dead, and that the weapon with which the -murder was committed had been found in his hand. Ray had racked his -brains in an effort to remember whether he had a revolver or not. He -must have had. And of course he had been drugged. They had had whisky at -the _Red Lion_, and Lew must have said something about Lola and he had -shot him. It was strange that he did not think longingly of Lola. His -love for her had gone. He thought of her as he thought of Lew Brady, as -something unimportant that belonged to the past. All that mattered now -was that his father and Ella should not know. At all costs the disgrace -must be kept from them. He had waited in a fever of impatience for the -trial to end, so that he might get away from the public gaze. -Fortunately, the murder was not of sufficient interest even for the -ubiquitous press photographers. He wanted to be done with it all, to go -out of life unknown. The greatest tragedy that could occur to him was -that he should be identified. - -He dared not think of Ella or of his father. He was Jim Carter, without -parents or friends; and if he died as Jim Carter, he must spend his last -days of life as Jim Carter. He was not frightened; he had no fear, his -only nightmare was that he should be recognized. - -The warder who was with him, and who was not supposed to speak to him, -had told him that, by the law, three clear Sundays must elapse between -his sentence and execution. The chaplain visited him every day, and the -Governor. A tap at the cell door told him it was the Governor’s hour, -and he rose as the grey-haired official came in. - -“Any complaints, Carter?” - -“None, sir.” - -“Is there anything you want?” - -“No, sir.” - -The Governor looked at the table. The writing-pad, which had been placed -for the condemned prisoner’s use, had not been touched. - -“You have no letters to write? I suppose you can write?” - -“Yes, sir. I’ve no letters to write.” - -“What are you, Carter? You’re not an ordinary tramp. You’re better -educated than that class.” - -“I’m an ordinary tramp, sir,” said Ray quietly. - -“Have you all the books you need?” - -Ray nodded, and the Governor went out. Every day came these inevitable -inquiries. Sometimes the Governor made reference to his friends, but he -grew tired of asking questions about the unused blotting-pad. - -Ray Bennett had reached the stage of sane understanding where he did not -even regret. It was inevitable. He had been caught up in the machinery -of circumstance, and must go slowly round to the crashing-place. Every -morning and afternoon he paced the square exercise yard, watched by -three men in uniform, and jealously screened from the observation of -other prisoners; and his serenity amazed all who saw him. He was caught -up in the wheel and must go the full round. He could even smile at -himself, observe his own vanity with the eye of an outsider. And he -could not weep, because there was nothing left to weep about. He was -already a dead man. Nobody troubled to organize a reprieve for him; he -was too uninteresting a murderer. The newspapers did not flame into -headlines, demanding a new trial. Fashionable lawyers would not -foregather to discuss an appeal. He had murdered; he must die. - -Once, when he was washing, and was about to put his hand in the water, -he saw the reflection of his face staring back at him, and he did not -recognize himself, for his beard had grown weedily. He laughed, and when -the wondering warders looked at him, he said: - -“I’m only now beginning to cultivate a sense of humour—I’ve left it -rather late, haven’t I?” - -He could have had visitors, could have seen anybody he wished, but -derived a strange satisfaction from his isolation. He had done with all -that was artificial and emotional in life. Lola? He thought of her again -and shook his head. She was very pretty. He wondered what she would do -now that Lew was dead; what she was doing at that moment. He thought, -too, of Dick Gordon, remembered that he liked him that day when Dick had -given him a ride in his big Rolls. How queerly far off that seemed! And -yet it could have only been a few months ago. - -One day the Governor came in a more ceremonial style, and with him was a -gentleman whom Ray remembered having seen in the court-house on the day -of the trial. It was the Under Sheriff, and there was an important -communication to be made. The Governor had to clear his throat twice. - -“Carter,” he said a little unsteadily, “the Secretary of State has -informed me that he sees no reason for interfering with the course of -the law. The High Sheriff has fixed next Wednesday morning at eight -o’clock as the date and hour of your execution.” - -Ray inclined his head. - -“Thank you, sir,” he said. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIII - - - THE FROG OF THE NIGHT - -JOHN BENNETT emerged from the wood-shed, which he had converted into a -dark room, bearing a flat square box in either hand. - -“Don’t talk to me for a minute, Ella,” he said as she rose from her -knees—she was weeding her own pet garden—“or I shall get these blamed -things mixed. This one”—he shook his right hand—“is a picture of -trout, and it is a great picture,” he said enthusiastically. “The man -who runs the trout farm, let me take it through the glass side of the -trench, and it was a beautifully sunny day.” - -“What is the other one, daddy?” she asked, and John Bennett pulled a -face. - -“That is the dud,” he said regretfully. “Five hundred feet of good film -gone west! I may have got a picture by accident, but I can’t afford to -have it developed on the off-chance. I’ll keep it by, and one day, when -I’m rolling in money, I’ll go to the expense of satisfying my -curiosity.” - -He took the boxes into the house, and turned round to his stationery -rack to find two adhesive labels, and had finished writing them, when -Dick Gordon’s cheery voice came through the open window. He rose eagerly -and went out to him. - -“Well, Captain Gordon, did you get it?” he asked. - -“I got it,” said Dick solemnly, waving an envelope. “You’re the first -cinematographer that has been allowed in the Zoological Gardens, and I -had to _crawl_ to the powers that be to secure the permission!” - -The pale face of John Bennett flushed with pleasure. - -“It is a tremendous thing,” he said. “The Zoo has never been put on the -pictures, and Selinski has promised me a fabulous sum for the film if I -can take it.” - -“The fabulous sum is in your pocket, Mr. Bennett,” said Dick, “and I am -glad that you mentioned it.” - -“I am under the impression you mentioned it first,” said John Bennett. -Ella did not remember having seen her father smile before. - -“Perhaps I did,” said Dick cheerfully. “I knew you were interested in -animal photography.” - -He did not tell John Bennett that it was Ella who had first spoken about -the difficulties of securing Zoo photographs and her father’s inability -to obtain the necessary permission. - -John Bennett went back to his labelling with a lighter heart than he had -borne for many a day. He wrote the two slips, wetted the gum and -hesitated. Then he laid down the papers and went into the garden. - -“Ella, do you remember which of those boxes had the trout in?” - -“The one in your right hand, daddy,” she said. - -“I thought so,” he said, and went to finish his work. - -It was only after the boxes were labelled that he had any misgivings. -Where had he stood when he put them down? On which side of the table? -Then, with a shrug, he began to wrap the trout picture, and they saw him -carrying it under his arm to the village post-office. - -“No news of Ray?” asked Dick. - -The girl shook her head. - -“What does your father think?” - -“He doesn’t talk about Ray, and I haven’t emphasized the fact that it is -such a long time since I had a letter.” - -They were strolling through the garden toward the little summer-house -that John Bennett had built in the days when Ray was a schoolboy. - -“You have not heard?” she asked. “I credit you with an omniscience which -perhaps isn’t deserved. You have not found the man who killed Mr. -Maitland?” - -“No,” said Dick. “I don’t expect we shall until we catch Frog himself.” - -“Will you?” she asked quietly. - -He nodded. - -“Yes, he can’t go on for ever. Even Elk is taking a cheerful view. -Ella,” he asked suddenly, “are you the kind of person who keeps a -promise?” - -“Yes,” she said in surprise. - -“In all circumstances, if you make a promise, do you keep it?” - -“Why, of course. If I do not think I can keep it, I do not make a -promise. Why?” - -“Well, I want you to make me a promise—and to keep it,” he said. - -She looked past him, and then: - -“It depends what the promise is.” - -“I want you to promise to be my wife,” said Dick Gordon. - -Her hand lay in his, and she did not draw it from him. - -“It is . . . very . . . businesslike, isn’t it?” she said, biting her -unruly underlip. - -“Will you promise?” - -She looked round at him, tears in her eyes, though her lips were -smiling, and he caught her in his arms. - -John Bennett waited a long time for his lunch that day. Going out to see -where his daughter was, he met Dick, and in a few words Dick Gordon told -him all. He saw the pain in the man’s face, and dropped his hand upon -the broad shoulder. - -“Ella has promised me, and she will not go back on her promise. Whatever -happens, whatever she learns.” - -The man raised his eyes to the other’s face. - -“Will you go back on your promise?” he asked huskily. “Whatever you -learn?” - -“I know,” said Dick simply. - -Ella Bennett walked on air that day. A new and splendid colour had come -into her life; a tremendous certainty which banished all the fears and -doubts she had felt; a light which revealed delightful vistas. - -Her father went over to Dorking that afternoon, and came back hurriedly, -wearing that strained look which it hurt her to see. - -“I shall have to go to town, dearie,” he said. “There’s been a letter -waiting for me for two days. I’ve been so absorbed in my picture work -that I’d forgotten I had any other responsibility.” - -He did not look for her in the garden to kiss her good-bye, and when she -came back to the house he was gone, and in such a hurry that he had not -taken his camera with him. - -Ella did not mind being alone; in the days when Ray was at home, she had -spent many nights in the cottage by herself, and the house was on the -main road. She made some tea and sat down to write to Dick, though she -told herself reprovingly that he hadn’t been gone more than two or three -hours. Nevertheless, she wrote, for the spirit of logic avoids the -lover. - -There was a postal box a hundred yards up the road; it was a bright -night and people were standing at their cottage gates, gossipping, as -she passed. The letter dropped in the box, she came back to the cottage, -went inside, locked and bolted the door, and sat down with a workbasket -by her side to fill in the hour which separated her from bedtime. - -So working, her mind was completely occupied, to the exclusion of all -other thoughts, by Dick Gordon. Once or twice the thought of her father -and Ray strayed across her mind, but it was to Dick she returned. - -The only illumination in the cosy dining-room was a shaded kerosene lamp -which stood on the table by her side and gave her sufficient light for -her work. All outside the range of the lamp was shadow. She had finished -darning a pair of her father’s socks, and had laid down the needle with -a happy sigh, when her eyes went to the door leading to the kitchen. It -was ajar, and it was opening slowly. - -For a moment she sat paralysed with terror, and then leapt to her feet. - -“Who’s there?” she called. - -There came into the shadowy doorway a figure, the very sight of which -choked the scream in her throat. It looked tall, by reason of the -tightly-fitting black coat it wore. The face and head were hidden behind -a hideous mask of rubber and mica. The reflection of the lamp shone on -the big goggles and filled them with a baleful fire. - -“Don’t scream, don’t move!” said the masked man, and his voice sounded -hollow and far away. “I will not hurt you.” - -“Who are you?” she managed to gasp. - -“I am The Frog,” said the stranger. - -For an eternity, as it seemed, she stood helpless, incapable of -movement, and it was he who spoke. - -“How many men love you, Ella Bennett?” he asked. “Gordon and -Johnson—and The Frog, who loves you most of all!” - -He paused, as though he expected her to speak, but she was incapable of -answering him. - -“Men work for women, and they murder for women, and behind all that they -do, respectably or unrespectably, there is a woman,” said the Frog. “And -you are that woman for me, Ella.” - -“Who are you?” she managed to say. - -“I am The Frog,” he replied again, “and you shall know my name when I -have given it to you. I want you! Not now”—he raised his hand as he saw -the terror rising in her face. “You shall come to me willingly.” - -“You’re mad!” she cried. “I do not know you. How can I—oh, it’s too -wicked to suggest . . . please go away.” - -“I will go presently,” said the Frog. “Will you marry me, Ella?” - -She shook her head. - -“Will you marry me, Ella?” he asked again. - -“No.” She had recovered her calm and something of her self-possession. - -“I will give you——” - -“If you gave me all the money there was in the world, I would not many -you,” she said. - -“I will give you something more precious.” His voice was softer, -scarcely audible. “I will give you a life!” - -She thought he was speaking of Dick Gordon. - -“I will give you the life of your brother.” - -For a second the room spun round and she clutched a chair to keep her -feet. - -“What do you mean?” she asked. - -“I will give you the life of your brother, who is lying in Gloucester -Gaol under sentence of death!” said the Frog. - -With a supreme effort Ella guided herself to a chair and sat down. - -“My brother?” she said dully. “Under sentence of death?” - -“To-day is Monday,” said the Frog. “On Wednesday he dies. Give me your -word that when I send for you, you will come, and I will save him.” - -“How can you save him?” The question came mechanically. - -“A man has made a confession—a man named Gill, a half-witted fellow who -thinks he killed Lew Brady.” - -“Brady?” she gasped. - -The Frog nodded. - -“It isn’t true,” she breathed. “You’re lying! You’re telling me this to -frighten me.” - -“Will you marry me?” he asked. - -“Never, never!” she cried. “I would rather die. You are lying to me.” - -“When you want me, send for me,” said the Frog. “Put in your window a -white card, and I will save your brother.” - -She half lay on the table, her head upon her folded arms. - -“It’s not true, it’s not true,” she muttered. - -There was no reply, and, looking up, she saw that the room was empty. -Staggering to her feet, she went out into the kitchen. The kitchen door -was open; and, peering into the dark garden, she saw no sign of the man. -She had strength to bolt the door, and dragged herself up to her room -and to her bed, and then she fainted. - -Daylight showed in the windows when she sat up. She was painfully weary, -her eyes were red with weeping, her head was in a whirl. It had been a -night of horror—and it was not true, it could not be true. She had -heard of no murder; and if there had been, it could not be Ray. She -would have known; Ray would have sent for her father. - -She dragged her aching limbs to the bathroom and turned the cold-water -tap. Half an hour later she was sane, and looking at her experience -dispassionately. Ray was alive. The man had tried to frighten her. Who -was he? She shivered. - -She saw only one solution to her terrible problem, and after she had -made herself a cup of tea, she dressed and walked down into the town, in -time to catch an early train. What other thought came to her, she never -dreamt for one moment of surrender, never so much as glanced at the -window where a white card could be placed, might save the life of her -brother. In her heart of hearts, she knew that this man would not have -come to her with such a story unless it was well founded. That was not -the Frog’s way. What advantage would he gain if he had invented this -tragedy? Nevertheless, she did not even look for a white card, or think -of its possible use. - -Dick was at breakfast when she arrived, and a glance at her face told -him that she brought bad news. - -“Don’t go, Mr. Elk,” she said as the inspector pushed back his chair. -“You must know this.” - -As briefly as she could, she narrated the events of the night before, -and Dick listened with rising wrath until she came to the climax of the -story. - -“Ray under sentence?” he said incredulously. “Of course it isn’t true.” - -“Where did he say the boy was?” asked Elk. - -“In Gloucester Prison.” - -In their presence her reserve had melted and she was near to tears. - -“Gloucester Prison?” repeated Elk slowly. “There _is_ a man there under -sentence of death, a man named”—he strove to remember—“Carter,” he -said at last. “That is it—Carter, a tramp. He killed another tramp -named Phenan.” - -“Of course it isn’t Ray,” said Dick, laying his hand on hers. “This -brute tried to frighten you. When did he say the execution had been -fixed for?” - -“To-morrow.” She was weeping; now that the tension had relaxed, it -seemed that she had reached the reserve of her strength. - -“Ray is probably on the Continent,” Dick soothed her, and here Elk -thought it expedient and delicate to steal silently forth. - -He was not as convinced as Gordon that the Frog had made a bluff. No -sooner was he in his office than he rang for his new clerk. - -“Records,” he said briefly. “I want particulars of a man named Carter, -now lying under sentence of death in Gloucester Prison—photograph, -finger-prints, and record of the crime.” - -The man was gone ten minutes, and returned with a small portfolio. - -“No photograph has been received yet, sir,” he said. “In murder cases we -do not get the full records from the County police until after the -execution.” - -Elk cursed the County police fluently, and addressed himself to the -examination of the dossier. That told him little or nothing. The height -and weight of the man tallied, he guessed, with Ray’s. There were no -body marks and the description “Slight beard——” - -He sat bolt upright. Slight beard! Ray Bennett had been growing a beard -for some reason. He remembered that Broad had told him this. - -“Pshaw!” he said, throwing down the finger-print card. “It is -impossible!” - -It was impossible, and yet—— - -He drew a telegraph pad toward him and wrote a wire. - - “Governor, H.M. Prison, Gloucester. Very urgent. Send by special - messenger prison photograph of James Carter under sentence of - death in your prison to Headquarters Records. Messenger must - leave by first train. Very urgent.” - -He took the liberty of signing it with the name of the Chief -Commissioner. The telegram despatched, he returned to a scrutiny of the -description sheet, and presently he saw a remark which he had -overlooked. - -“Vaccination marks on right forearm.” - -That was unusual. People are usually vaccinated on the left arm, a -little below the shoulder. He made a note of this fact, and turned to -the work that was waiting for him. At noon a wire arrived from -Gloucester, saying that the photograph was on its way. That, at least, -was satisfactory; though, even if it proved to be Ray, what could be -done? In his heart Elk prayed most fervently that the Frog had bluffed. - -Just before one, Dick telephoned him and asked him to lunch with them at -the Auto Club, an invitation which, in any circumstances, was not to be -refused, for Elk had a passion for visiting other people’s clubs. - -When he arrived—on this occasion strictly on time—he found the girl in -a calm, even a cheerful mood, and his quick eye detected upon her finger -a ring of surprising brilliance that he had not seen before. Dick Gordon -had made very good use of his spare time that morning. - -“I feel I’m neglecting my business, Elk,” he said after he had led them -into the palatial dining-room of the Auto, and had found a cushion for -the girl’s back, and had placed her chair exactly where it was least -comfortable, “but I guess you’ve got through the morning without feeling -my loss.” - -“I certainly have,” said Elk. “A very interesting morning. There is a -smallpox scare in the East End,” he went on, “and I’ve heard some talk -at Headquarters of having the whole staff vaccinated. If there’s one -thing that I do not approve of, it is vaccination. At my time of life I -ought to be immune from any germ that happens to be going round.” - -The girl laughed. - -“Poor Mr. Elk! I sympathize with you. Ray and I had a dreadful time when -we were vaccinated about five years ago during the big epidemic, -although I didn’t have so bad a time as Ray. And neither of us had such -an experience as the majority of victims, because we had an excellent -doctor, with unique views on vaccination.” - -She pulled back the sleeve of her blouse and showed three tiny scars on -the underside of the right forearm. - -“The doctor said he would put it where it wouldn’t show. Isn’t that a -good idea?” - -“Yes,” said Elk slowly. “And did he vaccinate your brother the same -way?” - -She nodded, and then: - -“What is the matter, Mr. Elk?” - -“I swallowed an olive stone,” said Elk. “I wonder somebody doesn’t start -cultivating olives without stones.” He looked out of the window. “You’ve -got a pretty fine day for your visit, Miss Bennett,” he said, and -launched forth into a rambling condemnation of the English climate. - -It seemed hours to Elk before the meal was finished. The girl was going -back to Gordon’s house to look at catalogues which Dick had ordered to -be sent to Harley Terrace by telephone. - -“You won’t be coming to the office?” asked Elk. - -“No: do you think it is necessary?” - -“I wanted to see you for ten minutes,” drawled the other, “perhaps a -quarter of an hour.” - -“Come back to the house.” - -“Well, I wasn’t thinking of coming back to the house,” said Elk. -“Perhaps you’ve got a lady’s drawing-room. I remember seeing one as I -came through the marble hall, and Miss Bennett would not mind——” - -“Why, of course not,” she said. “If I’m in the way, I’ll do anything you -wish. Show me your lady’s drawing-room.” - -When Dick had come back, the detective was smoking, his elbows on the -table, his thin, brown hands clasped under his chin, and he was -examining, with the eye of a connoisseur, the beautifully carved -ceiling. - -“What’s the trouble, Elk?” said Gordon as he sat down. - -“The man under sentence of death is Ray Bennett,” said Elk without -preliminary. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIV - - - THE PHOTO-PLAY - -DICK’S face went white. - -“How do you know this?” - -“Well, there’s a photograph coming along; it will be in London this -afternoon; but I needn’t see that. This man under sentence has three -vaccination marks on the right forearm.” - -There was a dead silence. - -“I wondered why you turned the talk to vaccination,” said Dick quietly. -“I ought to have known there was something in it. What can we do?” - -“I’ll tell you what you can’t do,” said Elk. “You can’t let that girl -know. For good and sufficient reasons, Ray Bennett has decided not to -reveal his identity, and he must pass out. You’re going to have a rotten -afternoon, Captain Gordon,” said Elk gently, “and I’d rather be me than -you. But you’ve got to keep up your light-hearted chatter, or that young -woman is going to guess that something is wrong.” - -“My God! How dreadful!” said Dick in a low voice. - -“Yes, it is,” admitted Elk, “and we can do nothing. We’ve got to accept -it as a fact that he’s guilty. If you thought any other way, it would -drive you mad. And even if he was as innocent as you or I, what chance -have we of getting an inquiry or stopping the sentence being carried -into execution?” - -“Poor John Bennett!” said Dick in a hushed voice. - -“If you’re starting to get sentimental,” snarled Elk, blinking -furiously, “I’m going into a more practical atmosphere. Good afternoon.” - -“Wait. I can’t face this girl for a moment. Come back to the house with -me.” - -Elk hesitated, and then grudgingly agreed. - -Ella could not guess, from their demeanour, the horror that was in the -minds of these men. Elk fell back upon history and dates—a prolific and -a favourite subject. - -“Thank heaven those catalogues have arrived!” said Dick, as, with a sigh -of relief, he saw the huge pile of literature on his study table. - -“Why ‘thank heaven’?” she smiled. - -“Because his conscience is pricking him, and he wants an excuse for -working.” Elk came to the rescue. - -The strain was one which even he found almost insupportable; and when, -after a pleading glance at the other, Dick nodded, he got up with a -sense of holiday. - -“I’ll be going now, Miss Bennett,” he said. “I expect you’ll be busy all -the afternoon furnishing your cottage. I must come down and see it,” he -went on, wilfully dense. “Though it struck me that there wouldn’t be -much room for new furniture at Maytree.” - -So far he got when he heard voices in the hall—the excited voice of a -woman, shrill, insistent, hysterical. Before Dick could get to the door, -it was flung open, and Lola rushed in. - -“Gordon! Gordon! Oh, my God!” she sobbed. “Do you know?” - -“Hush!” said Dick, but the girl was beside herself. - -“They’ve got Ray! They’re going to hang him! Lew’s dead.” - -The mischief was done. Ella came slowly to her feet, rigid with fear. - -“My brother?” she asked, and then Lola saw her for the first time and -nodded. - -“I found out,” she sobbed. “I had a suspicion, and I wrote . . . I’ve -got a photograph of Phenan. I knew it was Lew at once, and I guessed the -rest. The Frog did it! He planned it; months in advance he planned it. -I’m not sorry about Lew; I swear I’m not sorry about Lew! It’s the boy. -I sent him to his death, Gordon——” And then she broke into a fit of -hysterical sobbing. - -“Put her out,” said Gordon, and Elk lifted the helpless girl in his arms -and carried her into the dining-room. - -“True!” Ella whispered the word, and Dick nodded. - -“I’m afraid it’s true, Ella.” - -She sat down slowly. - -“I wonder where I can find father,” she said, as calmly as though she -were discussing some everyday event. - -“You can do nothing. He knows nothing. Do you think it is kind to tell -him?” - -She searched his face wonderingly. - -“I think you’re right. Of course you’re right, Dick. I’m sure you’re -right. Father mustn’t know. Couldn’t I see him—Ray, I mean?” - -Dick shook his head. - -“Ella, if Ray has kept silent to save you from this, all his -forbearance, all his courage will be wasted if you go to him.” - -Again her lips drooped. - -“Yes. It is good of you to think for me.” She put her hand on his, and -he felt no tremor. “I don’t know what I can do,” she said. “It is -so—stunning. What can I do?” - -“You can do nothing, my dear.” His arm went round her and her tired head -fell upon his shoulder. - -“No, I can do nothing,” she whispered. - -Elk came in. - -“A telegram for Miss Bennett,” he said. “The messenger just arrived with -it. Been redirected from Horsham, I expect.” - -Dick took the wire. - -“Open it, please,” said the girl. “It may be from father.” - -He tore open the envelope. The telegram ran: - - “Have printed your picture. Cannot understand the murder. Were - you trying take photo-play? Come and see me. Silenski House, - Wardour Street.” - -“What does it mean?” she asked. - -“It is Greek to me,” said Dick. “‘Cannot understand murder’—has your -father been trying to take photo-plays?” - -“No, dear, I’m sure he hasn’t; he would have told me.” - -“What photographs did your father take?” - -“It was a picture of trout,” she said, gathering her scattered thoughts; -“but he took another picture—in his sleep. He was in the country -waiting for a badger, and dozed. He must have pressed the starter; he -thought that picture was a failure. It can’t be the trout; it doesn’t -mention the trout; it must be the other.” - -“We will go to Wardour Street.” - -It was Elk who spoke so definitely, Elk who called a cab and hustled the -two people into it. When they arrived at Wardour Street, Mr. Silenski -was out at lunch, and nobody knew anything whatever about the film, or -had authority to show it. - -For an hour and a half they waited, fuming, in that dingy office, whilst -messengers went in search of Silenski. He arrived at last, a polite and -pleasant little Hebrew, who was all apologies, though no apology was -called for, since he had not expected his visitors. - -“Yes, it is a curious picture,” he said. “Your father, miss, is a very -good amateur; in fact, he’s a professional now; and if it is true that -he can get these Zoo photographs, he ought to be in the first rank of -nature photographers.” - -They followed him up a flight of stairs into a big room across which -were row upon row of chairs. Facing them as they sat was a small white -screen, and behind them an iron partition with two square holes. - -“This is our theatre,” he explained. “You’ve no idea whether your father -is trying to take motion pictures—I mean photo-plays? If he is, then -this scene was pretty well acted, but I can’t understand why he did it. -It’s labelled ‘Trout in a Pond’ or something of the sort, but there are -no trout here, and there is no pond either!” - -There was a click, and the room went black; and then there was shown on -the screen a picture which showed in the foreground a stretch of grey, -sandy soil, and the dark opening of a burrow, out of which peeped a -queer-looking animal. - -“That’s a badger,” explained Mr. Silenski. “It looked very promising up -to there, and then I don’t know what he did. You’ll see he changed the -elevation of the camera.” - -As he spoke, the picture jerked round a little to the right, as though -it had been pulled violently. And they were looking upon two men, -obviously tramps. One was sitting with his head on his hands, the other, -close by him, was pouring out whisky into a container. - -“That’s Lew Brady,” whispered Elk fiercely, and at that moment the other -man looked up, and Ella Bennett uttered a cry. - -“It is Ray! Oh, Dick, it is Ray!” - -There was no question of it. The light beard he wore melted into the -shadows which the strong sunlight cast. They saw Brady offer him a -drink, saw him toss it down and throw the cup back to the man; watched -him as his arms stretched in a yawn; and then saw him curl up to sleep, -lie back, and Lew Brady standing over him. The prostrate figure turned -on to its face, and Lew, stooping, put something in his pocket. They -caught the reflection of glass. - -“The flask,” said Elk. - -And then the figure standing in the centre of the picture spun round. -There walked toward him a man. His face was invisible. Never once during -that period did he turn his face to that eager audience. - -They saw his arm go up quickly, saw the flash of the two shots, watched -breathless, spellbound, horrified, the tragedy that followed. - -The man stooped and placed the pistol by the side of the sleeping Ray, -and then, as he turned, the screen went white. - -“That’s the end of the picture,” said Mr. Silenski. “And what it means, -heaven knows.” - -“He’s innocent! Dick, he’s innocent!” the girl cried wildly. “Don’t you -see, it was not he who fired?” - -She was half-mad with grief and terror, and Dick caught her firmly by -the shoulders, the dumbfounded Silenski gaping at the scene. - -“You are going back to my house and you will read! Do you hear, Ella? -You’re to do nothing until you hear from me. You are not to go out; you -are to sit and _read_! I don’t care what you read—the Bible, the Police -News, anything you like. But you must not think of this business. Elk -and I will do all that is possible.” - -She mastered her wild terror and tried to smile. - -“I know you will,” she said between her chattering teeth. “Get me to -your house, please.” - -He left Elk to go to Fleet Street to collect every scrap of information -about the murder he could from the newspaper offices, and brought the -girl back to Harley Terrace. As he got out of the cab, he saw a man -waiting on the steps. It was Joshua Broad. One glance at his face told -Dick that he knew of the murder, and he guessed the source. - -He waited in the hall until Dick had put the girl in the study, and had -collected every illustrated newspaper, every book he could find. - -“Lola told me of this business.” - -“I guessed so,” said Dick. “Do you know anything about it?” - -“I knew these two men started out in the disguise of tramps,” said -Broad, “but I understood they were going north. This is Frog work—why?” - -“I don’t know. Yes, I do,” Dick said suddenly. “The Frog came to Miss -Bennett last night and asked her to marry him, promising that he would -save her brother if she agreed. But it can hardly be that he planned -this diabolical trick to that end.” - -“To no other end,” said Broad coolly. “You don’t know Frog, Gordon! The -man is a strategist—probably the greatest strategist in the world. Can -I do anything?” - -“I would ask you to stay and keep Miss Bennett amused——” Dick began. - -“I think you might do worse,” said the American quietly. - -Ella looked up with a look of pain as the visitor entered the room. She -felt that she could not endure the presence of a stranger at this -moment, that she would break under any new strain, and she glanced at -Dick imploringly. - -“If you don’t want me to stay, Miss Bennett,” smiled Broad, “well, I’ll -go just as soon as you tell me. But I’ve one piece of information to -pass to you, and it is this: that your brother will not die.” - -His eyes met Dick Gordon’s, and the Prosecutor bit his lip to restrain -the cry that came involuntarily. - -“Why?” she asked eagerly, but neither of the men could tell her. - -Dick telephoned to the garage for his car, the very machine that Ray -Bennett had driven the first day they had met. His first call was at the -office of the Public Prosecutor, and to him he stated the facts. - -“It is a most remarkable story, and I can do nothing, of course. You’d -better see the Secretary of State at once, Gordon.” - -“Is the House of Commons sitting, sir?” - -“No—I’ve an idea that the Secretary, who is the only man that can do -anything for you—is out of town. He may be on the Continent. I’m not -sure. There was a conference at San Remo last week, and I’ve a dim -notion that he went there.” - -Dick’s heart almost stood still. - -“Is there nobody else at the Home Office who could help?” - -“There is the Under Secretary: you’d better see him.” - -The Public Prosecutor’s Department was housed in the Home Office -building, and Dick went straight away in search of the responsible -official. The permanent secretary, to whom he explained the -circumstances, shook his head. - -“I’m afraid we can do nothing now, Gordon,” he said, “and the Secretary -of State is in the country and very ill.” - -“Where is the Under Secretary?” asked Dick desperately. - -“He’s at San Remo.” - -“How far out of town is Mr. Whitby’s house?” - -The official considered. - -“About thirty miles—this side of Tunbridge Wells,” and Dick wrote the -address on a slip of paper. - -Half an hour later, a long yellow Rolls was flying across Westminster -Bridge, threading the traffic with a recklessness which brought the -hearts of hardened chauffeurs to their mouths; and forty minutes after -he had left Whitehall, Dick was speeding up an elm-bordered avenue to -the home of the Secretary of State. - -The butler who met him could give him no encouragement. - -“I’m afraid Mr. Whitby cannot see you, sir. He has a very bad attack of -gout, and the doctors have told him that he mustn’t touch any kind of -business whatever.” - -“This is a matter of life and death,” said Dick, “and I must see him. -Or, failing him, I must see the King.” - -This message, conveyed to the invalid, produced an invitation to walk -upstairs. - -“What is it, sir?” asked the Minister sharply as Dick came in. “I cannot -possibly attend to any business whatever. I’m suffering the tortures of -the damned with this infernal foot of mine. Now tell me, what is it?” - -Quickly Gordon related his discovery. - -“An astounding story,” said the Minister, and winced. “Where is the -picture?” - -“In London, sir.” - -“I can’t come to London: it is humanly impossible. Can’t you get -somebody at the Home Office to certify this? When is this man to be -hanged?” - -“To-morrow morning, sir, at eight o’clock.” - -The Secretary of State considered, rubbing his chin irritably. - -“I should be no man if I refused to see this damned picture,” he said, -and Dick made allowance for his language as he rubbed his suffering -limb. “But I can’t go to town unless you get me an ambulance. You had -better ’phone a garage in London to send a car down, or, better still, -get one from the local hospital.” - -Everything seemed to be conspiring against him, for the local hospital’s -ambulance was under repair, but at last Dick put through a message to -town, with the promise that an ambulance would be on its way in ten -minutes. - -“An extraordinary story, a perfectly amazing story! And of course, I can -grant you a respite. Or, if I’m convinced of the truth of this -astounding romance, we could get the King to-night; I could even promise -you a reprieve. But my death will lie at your door if I catch cold.” - -Two hours passed before the ambulance came. The chauffeur had had to -change his tyres twice on the journey. Very gingerly, accompanied by -furious imprecations from the Cabinet Minister, his stretcher was lifted -into the ambulance. - -To Dick the journey seemed interminable. He had telephoned through to -Silenski, asking him to keep his office open until his arrival. It was -eight o’clock by the time the Minister was assisted up to the theatre, -and the picture was thrown upon the screen. - -Mr. Whitby watched the drama with the keenest interest, and when it was -finished he drew a long breath. - -“That’s all right so far as it goes,” he said, “but how do I know this -hasn’t been play-acted in order to get this man a reprieve? And how am I -to be sure that this wretched tramp _is_ your man?” - -“I can assure you of that, sir,” said Elk. “I got the photograph up from -Gloucester this afternoon.” - -He produced from his pocket-book two photographs, one in profile and one -full-face, and put them on the table before the Minister. - -“Show the picture again,” he ordered, and again they watched the -presentation of the tragedy. “But how on earth did the man manage to -take this picture?” - -“I’ve since discovered, sir, that he was in the neighbourhood on that -very day. He went out to get a photograph of a badger—I know this, sir, -because Mr. Silenski has given me all the information in his power.” - -Mr. Whitby looked up at Dick. - -“You’re in the Public Prosecutor’s Department? I remember you very well, -Captain Gordon. I must take your word. This is not a matter for respite, -but for reprieve, until the whole of the circumstances are -investigated.” - -“Thank you, sir,” said Dick, wiping his streaming forehead. - -“You’d better take me along to the Home Office,” grumbled the great man. -“To-morrow I shall be cursing your name and memory, though I must -confess that I’m feeling better for the drive. I want that picture.” - -They had to wait until the picture was replaced in its box, and then -Dick Gordon and Elk assisted the Secretary of State to the waiting -ambulance. - -At a quarter-past eight, a reprieve, ready for the Royal -counter-signature, was in Dick’s hand, and the miracle, which Mr. Whitby -had not dared expect, had happened. He was able, with the aid of a -stick, to hobble to a car. Before the great Palace, streams of carriages -and motor-cars were passing. It was the night of the first ball of the -season, and the hall of the Palace was a brilliant sight. The glitter of -women’s jewels, the scarlet, blue and green of diplomatic uniforms, the -flash of innumerable Orders, no less than the organization of this -gorgeous gathering, interested Dick as he stood, a strangely contrasting -figure, watching the pageant pass him. - -The Minister had disappeared into an ante-room and presently came back -and crooked his finger; Dick followed him down a red-carpeted passage -past white-haired footmen in scarlet and gold, until they came to a -door, before which another footman stood. A whispered word, the footman -knocked, and a voice bade them enter. The servant opened the door and -they went in. - -The man who was sitting at the table rose. He wore the scarlet uniform -of a general; across his breast was the blue ribbon of the Garter. There -was in his eyes a kindliness and humanity which Dick had not imagined he -would find. - -“Will you be seated? Now please tell me the story as quickly as you can, -because I have an appointment elsewhere, and punctuality is the -politeness of princes,” he smiled. - -He listened attentively, stopping Gordon now and again to ask a -question. When Dick had finished, he took up a pen and wrote a word in a -bold, boyish hand, blotted it punctiliously and handed it to the -Secretary of State. - -“There is your reprieve. I am very glad,” he said, and Dick, bowing over -the extended hand, felt the music of triumph in his soul, forgot for the -moment the terrible danger in which this boy had stood; and forgot, too, -the most important factor of all—the Frog, still vigilant, still -vengeful, still powerful! - -When he got back to the Home Office and had taken farewell, with a very -earnest expression of gratitude, of the irascible, but kindly Minister, -Dick flew up the stairs to his own office and seized the telephone. - -“Put me through to Gloucester 8585 Official,” he said, and waited for -the long-distance signal. - -It came after a few minutes. - -“Sorry, sir, no call through to Gloucester. Line out of order. Trunk -wires cut.” - -Dick put down the ’phone slowly. Then it was that he remembered that the -Frog still lived. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXV - - - GETTING THROUGH - -WHEN Elk came up to the Prosecutor’s room, Dick was sitting at the -table, writing telegrams. They were each addressed to the Governor of -Gloucester Prison, and contained a brief intimation that a reprieve for -James Carter was on its way. Each was marked viâ a different route. - -“What’s the idea?” said Elk. - -“The ’phone to Gloucester is out of order,” said Dick, and Elk bit his -lip thoughtfully. - -“Is that so?” he drawled. “Then if the ’phone’s out of order——” - -“I don’t want to think that,” said Dick. - -Elk took up the instrument. - -“Give me the Central Telegraph Office, miss,” he said. “I want to speak -to the Chief Clerk. . . . Yes, Inspector Elk, C.I.D.” - -After a pause, he announced himself again. - -“We’re putting some wires through to Gloucester. I suppose the lines are -all right?” - -His face did not move a muscle while he listened, then: - -“I see,” he said. “Any roundabout route we can get? What’s the nearest -town open?” A wait. “Is that so? Thank you.” - -He put down the instrument. - -“All wires to Gloucester are cut. The trunk wire has been cut in three -places; the connection with Birmingham, which runs in an earthenware -pipe underground, has been blown up, also in three places.” Dick’s eyes -narrowed. - -“Try the Radio Company,” he said. “They’ve got a station at Devizes, and -another one somewhere near Cheltenham, and they could send on a -message.” - -Again Elk applied himself to the telephone. - -“Is that the Radio Station? Inspector Elk, Headquarters Police, -speaking. I want to get a message through to Gloucester, to Gloucester -Prison, viâ—eh? . . . But I thought you’d overcome that difficulty. How -long has it been jammed? . . . Thank you,” he said, and put down the -telephone for the second time. - -“There’s a jam,” he said. “No messages are getting through. The radio -people say that somebody in this country has got a secret apparatus -which was used by the Germans during the war, and that when the jam is -on, it is impossible to get anything through.” - -Dick looked at his watch. It was now half-past nine. - -“You can catch the ten-five for Gloucester, Elk, but somehow I don’t -think it will get through.” - -“As a telephone expert,” said Elk, as he patiently applied himself to -the instrument, “I have many of the qualities that make, so to speak, -for greatness. Hullo! Get me Great Western, please. Great Western -Stationmaster. . . . I have a perfect voice, a tremendous amount of -patience, and a faith in my fellow-man, and—Hullo! Is that you, -Stationmaster? . . . Inspector Elk. I told you that before—no, it was -somebody else. Inspector Elk, C.I.D. Is there any trouble on your road -to-night?” . . . A longer pause this time. “Glory be!” said Elk -unemotionally. “Any chance of getting through? . . . None whatever? What -time will you have trains running? . . . Thank you.” - -He turned to Dick. - -“Three culverts and a bridge down at Swindon, blown at seven o’clock; -two men in custody; one man dead, shot by rail guard. Two culverts down -at Reading; the metals blown up at Slough. I won’t trouble to call up -the other roads, because—well, the Frog’s thorough.” - -Dick Gordon opened a cupboard and took out a leather coat and a soft -leather helmet. In his drawer he found two ugly-looking Browning pistols -and examined their magazines before he slipped them into his pocket. -Then he selected half-a-dozen cigars, and packed them carefully in the -breast pocket of the coat. - -“You’re not going alone, Gordon?” asked Elk sternly. Dick nodded. - -“I’m going alone,” he said. “If I don’t get through, you follow. Send a -police car after me and tell them to drive carefully. I don’t think -they’ll stop me this side of Newbury,” he said. “I can make that before -the light goes. Tell Miss Bennett that the reprieve is signed, and that -I am on my way.” - -Elk said nothing, but followed his chief into the street, and stood by -him with the policeman who had been left in charge of the car, while -Dick made a careful scrutiny of the tyres and petrol tank. - -So Dick Gordon took the Bath road; and the party of gunmen that waited -at the two aerodromes of London to shoot him down if he attempted to -leave by the aerial route, waited in vain. He avoided the direct road to -Reading, and was taking the longer way round. He came into Newbury at -eleven o’clock, and learnt of more dynamited culverts. The town was full -of it. Two laden trains were held up on the down line, and their -passengers thronged the old-fashioned streets of the town. Outside _The -Chequers_ he spoke to the local inspector of police. Beyond the outrages -they had heard nothing, and apparently the road was in good order, for a -car had come through from Swindon only ten minutes before Dick arrived. - -“You’re safe as far as Swindon, anyway,” said the inspector. “The -countryside has been swarming with tramps lately, but my mounted -patrols, that have just come in, have seen none on the roads.” - -A thought struck Dick, and he drove the inspector round to the -police-station and went inside with him. - -“I want an envelope and some official paper,” he said, and, sitting down -at the desk, he made a rough copy of the reprieve with its quaint -terminology, sealed the envelope with wax and put it into his pocket. -Then he took the real reprieve, and, taking off his shoe and sock, put -it between his bare foot and his sock. Replacing his shoe, he jumped on -to the car and started his cautious way toward Didcot. Both his glare -lamps were on, and the road before him was as light as day. -Nevertheless, he went at half speed, one of his Brownings on the cushion -beside him. - -Against the afterglow of the sunset, a faint, pale light which is the -glory of late summer, he saw three inverted V’s and knew they were the -ends of a building, possibly an aerodrome. And then he remembered that -Elk had told him of the chemical factory. Probably this was the place, -and he drove with greater caution. He had turned the bend, when, ahead -of him, he saw three red lights stretched across the road, and in the -light of the head-lamps stood a policeman. He slowed the machine and -stopped within a few yards of the officer. - -“You can’t go this way, sir. The road’s up.” - -“How long has it been up?” asked Dick. - -“It’s been blown up, sir, about twenty minutes ago,” was the reply. -“There’s a side road a mile back, which will bring you to the other side -of the railway lines. You can back in here.” He indicated a gateway -evidently leading to the factory. Dick pulled back his lever to the -reverse, and sent the Rolls spinning backward into the opening. His hand -was reaching to change the direction, when the policeman, who had walked -to the side of the car, struck at him. - -Gordon’s head was bent. He was incapable of resistance. Only the helmet -he wore saved him from death. He saw nothing, only suddenly the world -went black. Scarcely had the blow been struck when half-a-dozen men came -from the shadows. Somebody jumped into the driver’s seat, and, flinging -out the limp figure of its owner, brought the car still further -backward, and switched off the lights. Another of the party removed the -red lamps. The policeman bent over the prostrate figure of Dick Gordon. - -“I thought I’d settled him,” he said, disappointed. - -“Well, settle him now,” said somebody in the darkness, but evidently the -assailant changed his mind. - -“Hagn will want him,” he said. “Lift him up.” - -They carried the inanimate figure over the rough ground, through a -sliding door, into a big, ill-lit factory hall, bare of machinery. At -the far end was a brick partition forming an office, and into this he -was carried and flung on the floor. - -“Here’s your man, Hagn,” growled the policeman. “I think he’s through.” - -Hagn got up from his table and walked across to where Dick Gordon lay. - -“I don’t think there’s much wrong with him,” he said. “You couldn’t kill -a man through that helmet, anyway. Take it off.” - -They took the leather helmet from the head of the unconscious man, and -Hagn made a brief inspection. - -“No, he’s all right,” he said. “Throw some water over him. Wait; you’d -better search him first. Those cigars,” he said, pointing to the brown -cylinders that protruded from his breast pocket, “I want.” - -The first thing found was the blue envelope, and this Hagn tore open and -read. - -“It seems all right,” he said, and locked it away in the roll-top desk -at which he was sitting when Dick had been brought in. “Now give him the -water!” - -Dick came to his senses with a throbbing head and a feeling of -resentment against the consciousness which was being forced upon him. He -sat up, rubbing his face like a man roused from a heavy sleep, screwed -up his eyes in the face of the bright light, and unsteadily stumbled to -his feet, looking around from one to the other of the grinning faces. - -“Oh!” he said at last. “I seem to have struck it. Who hit me?” - -“We’ll give you his card presently,” sneered Hagn. “Where are you off to -at this time of night?” - -“I’m going to Gloucester,” said Dick. - -“Like hell you are!” scoffed Hagn. “Put him upstairs, boys.” - -Leading up from the office was a flight of unpainted pine stairs, and up -this he was partly pushed and partly dragged. The room above had been -used in war time as an additional supervisor’s office. It had a large -window, commanding a view of the whole of the floor space. The window -was now thick with grime, and the floor littered with rubbish which the -present occupants had not thought it worth while to move. - -“Search him again, and make sure he hasn’t any gun on him. And take away -his boots,” said Hagn. - -A small carbon filament lamp cast a sickly yellow light upon the -sinister group that surrounded Dick Gordon. He had time to take his -bearings. The window he had seen, and escape that way was impossible; -the ceiling was covered with matchboards that had once been varnished. -There was no other way out, save down the steps. - -“You’ve got to stay here for a day or two, Gordon, but perhaps, if the -Government will give us Balder, you’ll get away with your life. If they -don’t, then it’ll be a case of ‘good-night, nurse!’” - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVI - - - THE POWER CABLE - -DICK GORDON knew that any discussion with his captors was a waste of -breath, and that repartee was profitless. His head was aching, but no -sooner was he left alone than he gave himself a treatment which an -osteopath had taught him. He put his chin on his breast, and his two -open hands behind his neck, the finger-tips pressing hard, then he -slowly raised his head (it was an agony to do so), bringing his fingers -down over the jugular. Three times repeated, his head was comparatively -clear. - -The door was of thin wood and could easily be forced, but the room below -was filled with men. Presently the light below went out, and the place -was in darkness. He guessed that it was because Hagn did not wish the -light to be seen from the road; though it was unlikely that there would -come any inquiries, he had taken effective steps to deal with the police -car which he knew would follow. - -They had not taken his matches away, and Dick struck one and looked -round. Standing before a fireplace filled with an indescribable litter -of half-burnt papers and dust, was a steel plate, with holes for rivets, -evidently part of a tank which had not been assembled. There was a heavy -switch on the wall, and Dick turned it, hoping that it controlled the -light; but apparently that was on the same circuit as the light below. -He struck another match and followed the casing of the switch. By and by -he saw a thick black cable running in the angle of the wall and the -ceiling. It terminated abruptly on the right of the fireplace; and from -the marks on the floor, Dick guessed that at some time or other there -had been an experimental welding plant housed there. He turned the -switch again and sat down to consider what would be the best thing to -do. He could hear the murmur of voices below, and, lying on the floor, -put his ear to the trap, which he cleared with a piece of wire he found -in the fireplace. Hagn seemed to do most of the talking. - -“If we blow up the road between here and Newbury, they’ll smell a rat,” -he said. - -“It’s a stupid idea you put forward, Hagn. What are you going to do with -the chap upstairs?” - -“I don’t know. I’m waiting to hear from Frog. Perhaps the Frog will want -him killed.” - -“He’d be a good man to hold for Balder, though, if Frog thought it was -worth while.” - -Towards five o’clock, Hagn, who had been out of the office, came back. - -“Frog says he’s got to die,” he said in a low voice. - - * * * * * * - -Two people sat in Dick Gordon’s study. The hour was four o’clock in the -morning. Elk had gone, for the twentieth time, to Headquarters, and for -the twentieth time was on his way back. Ella Bennett had tried -desperately hard to carry out Dick’s instructions, and turned page after -page determinedly, but had read and yet had seen nothing. With a deep -sigh she put down the book and clasped her hands, her eyes fixed upon -the clock. - -“Do you think he will get to Gloucester?” she asked. - -“I certainly do,” said Broad confidently. “That young man will get -anywhere. He is the right kind and the right type, and nothing is going -to hold him.” - -She picked up the book but did not look at its printed page. - -“What happened to the police cars? Mr. Elk was telling me a lot about -them last night,” she said. “I haven’t heard since.” - -Joshua Broad licked his dry lips. - -“Oh, they got through all right,” he said vaguely. - -He did not tell her that two police cars had been ditched between -Newbury and Reading, the cars smashed and three men injured by a mine -which had been sprung under them. Nor did he give her the news, that had -arrived by motor-cyclist from Swindon, that Dick’s car had not been -seen. - -“They are dreadful people, dreadful!” She shivered. “How did they come -into existence, Mr. Broad?” - -Broad was smoking (at her request) a long, thin cigar, and he puffed for -a long time before he spoke. - -“I guess I’m the father of the Frogs,” he said to her amazement. - -“You!” - -He nodded. - -“I didn’t know I was producing this outfit, but there it is.” How, he -did not seem disposed to explain at that moment. - -Soon he heard the whirr of the bell, and thinking that Elk had perhaps -forgotten the key, he rose, and, going along the passage, opened the -door. It was not Elk. - -“Forgive me for calling. Is that Mr. Broad?” The visitor peered forward -in the darkness. - -“I’m Broad all right. You’re Mr. Johnson, aren’t you? Come right in, Mr. -Johnson.” - -He closed the door behind him and turned on the light. The stout man was -in a state of pitiable agitation. - -“I was up late last night,” he said, “and my servant brought me an early -copy of the _Post Herald_. - -“So you know, eh?” - -“It’s terrible, terrible! I can’t believe it!” - -He took a crumpled paper from his pocket and looked at the stop-press -space as though to reassure himself. - -“I didn’t know it was in the paper.” - -Johnson handed the newspaper to the American. - -“Yes, they’ve got it. I suppose old man Whitby must have given away the -story.” - -“I think it came from the picture man, Silenski. Is it true that Ray is -under sentence of death?” - -Broad nodded. - -“How dreadful!” said Johnson in a hushed voice. “Thank God they’ve found -it out in time! Mr. Broad,” he said earnestly, “I hope you will tell -Ella Bennett that she can rely on me for every penny I possess to -establish her brother’s innocence. I suppose there will be a respite and -a new trial? If there is, the very best lawyers must be employed.” - -“She’s here. Won’t you come in and see her?” - -“Here?” Johnson’s jaw dropped. “I had no idea,” he stammered. - -“Come in.” - -Broad returned to the girl. - -“Here is a friend of yours who has turned up—Mr. Johnson.” - -The philosopher crossed the room with quick, nervous strides, and held -out both his hands to the girl. - -“I’m so sorry, Miss Bennett,” he said, “so very, very sorry! It must be -dreadful for you, dreadful! Can I do anything?” - -She shook her head, tears of gratitude in her eyes. - -“It is very sweet of you, Mr. Johnson. You’ve done so much for Ray, and -Inspector Elk was telling me that you had offered him a position in your -office.” - -Johnson shook his head. - -“It is nothing. I’m very fond of Ray, and he really has splendid -capabilities. Once we get him out of this mess, I’ll put him on his feet -again. Your father doesn’t know? Thank God for that!” - -“I wish this news hadn’t got into the papers,” she said, when he told -her how he had learnt of the happening. - -“Silenski, of course,” said Broad. “A motion picture publicity man would -use his own funeral to get a free par. How are you feeling in your new -position, Johnson?” he asked, to distract the girl’s mind from the -tragic thoughts which were oppressing her. - -Johnson smiled. - -“I’m bewildered. I can’t understand why poor Mr. Maitland did this. But -I had my first Frog warning to-day; I feel almost important,” he said. - -From a worn pocket-case he extracted a sheet of paper. It contained only -three words; - - “You are next!” - -and bore the familiar sign manual of the Frog. - -“I don’t know what harm I have done to these people, but I presume that -it is something fairly bad, for within ten minutes of getting this note, -the porter brought me my afternoon tea. I took one sip and it tasted so -bitter that I washed my mouth out with a disinfectant.” - -“When was this?” - -“Yesterday,” said Johnson. “This morning I had the analysis—I had the -tea bottled and sent off at once to an analytical chemist. It contained -enough hydrocyanic acid to kill a hundred people. The chemist cannot -understand how I could have taken the sip I did without very serious -consequences. I am going to put the matter in the hands of the police -to-day.” - -The front door opened, and Elk came in. - -“What is the news?” asked the girl eagerly, rising to meet him. - -“Fine!” said Elk. “You needn’t worry at all, Miss Bennett. That Gordon -man can certainly move. I guess he’s in Gloucester by now, sleeping in -the best bed in the city.” - -“But do you _know_ he’s in Gloucester?” she asked stubbornly. - -“I’ve had no exact news, but I can tell you this, that we’ve had no bad -news,” said Elk; “and when there’s no news, you can bet that things are -going according to schedule.” - -“How did you hear about it, Johnson?” - -The new millionaire explained. - -“I ought to have pulled in Silenski and his operator,” said Elk -thoughtfully. “These motion picture men lack reticence. And how does it -feel to be rich, Johnson?” he asked. - -“Mr. Johnson doesn’t think it feels too good,” said Broad. “He has -attracted the attention of old man Frog.” - -Elk examined the warning carefully. - -“When did this come?” - -“I found it on my desk yesterday morning,” said Johnson, and told him of -the tea incident. “Do you think, Mr. Elk, you will ever put your hand on -the Frog?” - -“I’m as certain as that I’m standing here, that Frog will go the -way——” Elk checked himself, and fortunately the girl was not -listening. - -It was getting light when Johnson left, and Elk walked with him to the -door and watched him passing down the deserted street. - -“There’s a lot about that boy I like,” he said; “and he’s certainly -fortunate. Why the old man didn’t leave his money to that baby of -his——” - -“Did you ever find the baby?” interrupted Broad. - -“No, sir, there was no sign of that innocent child in the house. That’s -another Frog mystery to be cleared up.” - -Johnson had reached the corner, and they saw him crossing the road, when -a man came out of the shadow to meet him. There was a brief parley, and -then Elk saw the flash of a pistol, and heard a shot. Johnson staggered -back, and his opponent, turning, fled. In a second Elk was flying along -the street. Apparently the philosopher was not hurt, though he seemed -shaken. - -The inspector ran round the corner, but the assassin had disappeared. He -returned to the philosopher, to find him sitting on the edge of the -pavement, and at first he thought he had been wounded. - -“No, I think I just had a shock,” gasped Johnson. “I was quite -unprepared for that method of attack.” - -“What happened?” asked Elk. - -“I can hardly realize,” said the other, who appeared dazed. “I was -crossing the road when a man came up and asked me if my name was -Johnson; then, before I knew what had happened, he had fired.” - -His coat was singed by the flame of the shot, but the bullet must have -gone wide. Later in the day, Elk found it embedded in the brickwork of a -house. - -“No, no, I won’t come back,” said Johnson. “I don’t suppose they’ll -repeat the attempt.” - -By this time one of the two detectives who had been guarding Harley -Terrace had come up, and under his escort Johnson was sent home. - -“They’re certainly the busiest little fellows,” said Elk, shaking his -head. “You’d think they’d be satisfied with the work they were doing at -Gloucester, without running sidelines.” - -Joshua Broad was silent until they were going up the steps of the house. - -“When you know as much about the Frog as I know, you’ll be surprised at -nothing,” he said, and did not add to this cryptic remark. - -Six o’clock came, and there was no further news from the west. Seven -o’clock, and the girl’s condition became pitiable. She had borne herself -throughout the night with a courage that excited the admiration of the -men; but now, as the hour was drawing close, she seemed on the verge of -collapse. At half-past seven the telephone bell rang, and Elk answered. - -It was the Chief of Police at Newbury speaking. - -“Captain Gordon left Didcot an hour ago,” was the message. - -“Didcot!” gasped Elk in consternation. He looked at the clock. “An hour -ago—and he had to make Gloucester in sixty minutes!” - -The girl, who had been in the dining-room trying to take coffee which -Gordon’s servant had prepared, came into the study, and Elk dared not -continue the conversation. - -“All right,” he said loudly, and smashed down the receiver. - -“What is the news, Mr. Elk?” The girl’s voice was a wail. - -“The news,” said Elk, twisting his face into a smile, “is fine!” - -“What do they say?” she persisted. - -“Oh, them?” said Elk, looking at the telephone. “That was a friend of -mine, asking me if I’d dine with him to-night.” - -She went back to the dining-room, only half-satisfied, and Elk called -the American to him. - -“Go and get a doctor,” he said in a low voice, “and tell him to bring -something that’ll put this young lady to sleep for twelve hours.” - -“Why?” asked Broad. “Is the news bad?” - -Elk nodded. - -“There isn’t a chance of saving this boy—not the ghost of a chance!” he -said. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVII - - - THE GET-AWAY - -DICK, with his ear to the floor, heard the words “Frog says he’s got to -die,” and his cracked lips parted in a grin. - -“Have you heard him moving about?” asked Hagn. - -“No, he’s asleep, I expect,” said another voice. “We shall have to wait -for light. We can’t do it in the dark. We shall be killing one another.” - -This view commended itself to most of the men present. Dick counted six -voices. He struck a match for another survey, and again his eye fell -upon the cable. And then an inspiration came to him. Moving stealthily -across the floor, he reached up, and, gripping the cable, pulled on it -steadily. Under his weight, the supporting insulator broke loose. By -great good luck it fell upon the heap of rubbish in the fireplace and -made no sound. For the next half-hour he worked feverishly, unwrapping -the rubber insulation from the wires of the cable, pulling the copper -strands free. His hands were bleeding, his nails broken; but after -half-an-hour’s hard work, he had the end of the cable frayed. The door -opened outward, he remembered with satisfaction, and, lifting the steel -plate, he laid it tight against the door, so that whoever entered must -step upon it. Then he began to fasten the frayed copper wires of the -cable to the rivet holes; and he had hardly finished his work before he -heard a stealthy sound on the stairs. - -Day had come now, and light was streaming through the glass roof of the -factory. He heard a faint whisper, and even as faint a click, as the -bolts of the door were pulled; and, creeping to the switch, he turned it -down. - -The door was jerked open, and a man stepped upon the plate. Before his -scream could warn him who followed the second of the party had been -flung senseless to the floor. - -“What the devil’s wrong?” It was Hagn’s voice. He came running up the -stairs, put one foot on the electric plate, and stood for the space of a -second motionless. Then, with a gasping sob, he fell backward, and Dick -heard the crash as he struck the stairs. - -He did not wait any longer. Jumping over the plate, he leapt down the -stairs, treading underfoot the senseless figure of Hagn. The little -office was empty. On the table lay one of his pistols. He gripped it, -and fled along the bare factory hall, through a door into the open. He -heard a shout, and, looking round, saw two of the party coming at him, -and, raising his pistol, he pressed the trigger. There was a click—Hagn -had emptied the magazine. - -A Browning is an excellent weapon even if it is not loaded, and Dick -Gordon brought the barrel down with smashing force upon the head of the -man who tried to grapple with him. Then he turned and ran. - -He had made a mistake when he thought there were only six men in the -building; there must have been twenty, and most of them were in full -cry. - -He tried to reach the road, and was separated only by a line of bushes. -But here he blundered. The bushes concealed a barbed wire fence, and he -had to run along uneven ground, and in his stockinged feet the effort -was painful. His slow progress enabled his pursuers to get ahead. -Doubling back, Dick flew for the second of the three buildings, and as -he ran, he took out the magazine of his pistol. As he feared, it was -empty. - -Now they were on him. He could hear the leading man’s breath, and he -himself was nearly spent. And then, before him, he saw a round -fire-alarm, fixed to the wall, and in a flash the memory of an almost -forgotten conversation came back to him. With his bare hands he smashed -the glass and tugged at the alarm, and at that minute they were on him. -He fought desperately, but against their numbers resistance was almost -useless. He must gain time. - -“Get up, you fellows!” he shouted. “Hagn’s dead.” - -It was an unfortunate statement, for Hagn came out of the next building -at that moment, very shaken but very alive. He was livid with rage, and -babbled in some language which Dick did not know, but which he guessed -was Swedish. - -“I’ll fix you for that. You shall try electric shock yourself, you dog!” - -He drove his fist at the prisoner’s face, but Dick twisted his head and -the blow struck the brickwork of the building against which he stood. -With a scream, the man leapt at him, clawing and tearing with open -hands, and this was Dick’s salvation. For the men who were gripping his -arms released their hold, that their chief might have freer play. Dick -struck out, hitting scientifically for the body, and with a yell Hagn -collapsed. Before they could stop him, Gordon was away like the wind, -this time making for the gate. - -He had reached it when the hand of the nearest man fell on him. He flung -him aside and staggered into the roadway, and then, from down the -straight road, came the clang of bells, a glitter of brass and a touch -of crimson. A motor fire-engine was coming at full speed. - -For a moment the men grouped about the gate stared at this intervention. -Then, without taking any further notice of their quarry, they turned and -ran. A word to the fire chief explained the situation. Another engine -was coming, at breakneck speed, and firemen were men for whom Frogs had -no terror. - -Whilst Hagn was being carried to one of the waiting wagons, Dick looked -at his watch; it was six o’clock. He went in search of his car, fearing -the worst. Hagn, however, had made no attempt to put the car out of -gear; probably he had some plan for using it himself. Three minutes -later, Dick, dishevelled, grimy, bearing the marks of Hagn’s talons upon -his face, swung out into the road and set the bonnet of the car for -Gloucester. He could not have gone faster even had he known that his -watch was stopped. - -Through Swindon at breakneck speed, and he was on the Gloucester Road. -He looked at his watch again. The hands still pointed to six, and he -gave a gasp. He was going all out now, but the road was bad, full of -windings, and once he was nearly thrown out of the car when he struck a -ridge on the road. - -A tyre burst, and he almost swerved into the hedge, but he got her nose -straight again and continued on a flat tyre. It brought his speed down -appreciably, and he grew hot and cold, as mile after mile of the road -flashed past without a sign of the town. - -And then, with Gloucester Cathedral showing its spires above the hill, a -second tyre exploded. He could not stop: he must go on, if he had to run -in to Gloucester on the rims. And now the pace was painfully slow in -comparison with that frantic rush which had carried him through -Berkshire and Wiltshire to the edge of Somerset. - -He was entering the straggling suburbs of the town. The roads were -terrible; he was held up by a street car, but, disregarding a -policeman’s warning, flew past almost under the wheels of a great -traction engine. And now he saw the time—two minutes to eight, and the -gaol was half a mile farther on. He set his teeth and prayed. - -As he turned into the main street, with the gaol gates before him, the -clocks of the cathedral struck eight, and to Dick Gordon they were the -notes of doom. - -They would delay the carrying out of the death penalty for nothing short -of the reprieve he carried. Punctually to the second, Ray Bennett would -die. The agony of that moment was a memory that turned him grey. He -brought the bumping car to a halt before the prison gates and staggered -to the bell. Twice he pulled, but the gates remained closed. Dick pulled -off his sock and found the soddened reprieve, streaky with blood, for -his feet were bleeding. Again he rang with the fury of despair. Then a -little wicket opened and the dark face of a warder appeared. - -“You’re not allowed in,” he said curtly. “You know what is happening -here.” - -“Home Office,” said Dick thickly, “Home Office messenger. I have a -reprieve!” - -The wicket closed, and, after an eternity, the lock turned and the heavy -door opened. - -“I’m Captain Gordon,” gasped Dick, “from the Public Prosecutor’s office, -and I carry a reprieve for James Carter.” - -The warder shook his head. - -“The execution took place five minutes ago, sir,” he said. - -“But the Cathedral clock!” gasped Dick. - -“The Cathedral clock is four minutes slow,” said the warder. “I am -afraid Carter is dead.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVIII - - - THE MYSTERY MAN - -RAY BENNETT woke from a refreshing sleep and sat up in bed. One of the -warders, who had watched him all night, got up and came over. - -“Do you want your clothes. Carter?” he said. “The Governor thought you -wouldn’t care to wear those old things of yours.” - -“And he was right,” said the grateful Ray. “This looks a good suit,” he -said as he pulled on the trousers. - -The warder coughed. - -“Yes, it’s a good suit,” he agreed. - -He did not say more, but something in his demeanour betrayed the truth. -These were the clothes in which some man had been hanged, and yet Ray’s -hands did not shake as he fixed the webbed braces which held them. Poor -clothes, to do duty on two such dismal occasions! He hoped they would be -spared the indignity of a third experience. - -They brought him his breakfast at six o’clock. Yet once more his eyes -strayed toward the writing-pad, and then, with breakfast over, came the -chaplain, a quiet man in minister’s garb, strength in every line of his -mobile face. They talked awhile, and then the warder suggested that Ray -should go to take exercise in the paved yard outside. He was glad of the -privilege. He wanted once more to look upon the blue sky, to draw into -his lungs the balm of God’s air. - -Yet he knew that it was not a disinterested kindness, and well guessed -why this privilege had been afforded to him, as he walked slowly round -the exercise yard, arm in arm with the clergyman. He knew now what lay -behind the third door. They were going to try the trap in the death -house, and they wished to spare his feelings. - -In half an hour he was back in the cell. - -“Do you want to make any confession. Carter? Is that your name?” - -“No, it is not my name, sir,” said Ray quietly, “but that doesn’t -matter.” - -“Did you kill this man?” - -“I don’t know,” said Ray. “I wanted to kill him, and therefore it is -likely that I did.” - -At ten minutes to eight came the Governor to shake hands, and with him -the Sheriff. The clock in the prison hall moved slowly, inexorably -forward. Through the open door of the cell Ray could see it, and, -knowing this, the Governor closed the door, for it was one minute to -eight, and it would soon open again. Ray saw the door move. For a second -his self-possession deserted him, and he turned his back to the man who -came with a quick step, and, gripping his hands, strapped them. - -“God forgive me! God forgive me!” murmured somebody behind him, and at -the sound of that voice Ray spun round and faced the executioner. - -The hangman was John Bennett! - -Father and son, executioner and convicted murderer soon to be launched -to death, they faced one another, and then, in a voice that was almost -inaudible, John Bennett breathed the word: - -“Ray!” - -Ray nodded. It was strange that, in that moment, his mind was going back -over the mysterious errands of his father, his hatred of the job into -which circumstances had forced him. - -“Ray!” breathed the man again. - -“Do you know this man?” It was the Governor, and his voice was shaking -with emotion. - -John Bennett turned. - -“He is my son,” he said, and with a quick pull loosed the strap. - -“You must go on with this, Bennett.” The Governor’s voice was stern and -terrible. - -“Go on with it?” repeated John Bennett mechanically. “Go on with this? -Kill my own son? Are you mad? Do you think I am mad?” He took the boy in -his arms, his cheek against the hairy face. “My boy! Oh, my boy!” he -said, and smoothed his hair as he had done in the days when Ray was a -child. Then, recovering himself instantly, he thrust the boy through the -open door into the death chamber, followed him and slammed the door, -bolting it. - -There was no other doorway except that, to which he had the key, and -this he thrust into the lock that it might not be opened from the other -side. Ray looked at the bare chamber, the dangling yellow rope, the -marks of the trap, and fell back against the wall, his eyes shut, -shivering. Then, standing in the middle of the trap, John Bennett hacked -the rope until it was severed, hacked it in pieces as it lay on the -floor. Then: - -_Crack, crash!_ - -The two traps dropped, and into the yawning gap he flung the cut rope. - -“Father!” - -Ray was staring at him; oblivious to the thunderous blows which were -being rained on the door, the old man came towards him, took the boy’s -face between his hands and kissed him. - -“Will you forgive me, Ray?” he asked brokenly. “I had to do this. I was -forced to do it. I starved before I did it. I came once . . . out of -curiosity to help the executioner—a broken-down doctor, who had taken -on the work. And he was ill . . . I hanged the murderer. I had just come -from the medical school. It didn’t seem so dreadful to me then. I tried -to find some other way of making money, and lived in dread all my life -that somebody would point his finger at me, and say: ‘There goes Benn, -the executioner.’” - -“Benn, the executioner!” said Ray wonderingly. “Are you Benn?” - -The old man nodded. - -“Benn, come out! I give you my word of honour that I will postpone the -execution until to-morrow. You can’t stay there.” - -John Bennett looked round at the grating, then up to the cut rope. The -execution could not proceed. Such was the routine of death that the rope -must be expressly issued from the headquarter gaol. No other rope would -serve. All the paraphernalia of execution, down to the piece of chalk -that marks the “T” on the trap where a man must put his feet, must be -punctiliously forwarded from prison headquarters, and as punctiliously -returned. - -John shot back the bolts, opened the door and stepped out. - -The faces of the men in the condemned cell were ghastly. The Governor’s -was white and drawn, the prison doctor seemed to have shrunk, and the -Sheriff sat on the bed, his face hidden in his hands. - -“I will telegraph to London and tell them the circumstances,” said the -Governor. “I’m not condemning you for what you’re doing, Benn. It would -be monstrous to expect you to have done—this thing.” - -A warder came along the corridor and through the door of the cell. And -behind him, entering the prison by virtue of his authority, a -dishevelled, dust-stained, limping figure, his face scratched, streaks -of dried blood on his face, his eyes red with weariness. For a second -John Bennett did not recognize him, and then: - -“A reprieve, by the King’s own hand,” said Dick Gordon unsteadily, and -handed the stained envelope to the Governor. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIX - - - THE AWAKENING - -THROUGHOUT the night Ella Bennett lay, half waking, half sleeping. She -remembered the doctor coming; she remembered Elk’s urgent request that -she should drink the draught he had prepared; and though she had -suspected its nature and at first had fought against drinking that -milky-white potion, she had at last succumbed, and had lain down on the -sofa, determined that she would not sleep until she knew the worst or -the best. She was exhausted with the mental fight she had put up to -preserve her sanity, and then she had dozed. - -She was dimly conscious, as she came back to understanding, that she was -lying on a bed, and that somebody had taken off her shoes and loosened -her hair. With a tremendous effort she opened her eyes and saw a woman, -sitting by a window, reading. The room was intensely masculine; it smelt -faintly of smoke. - -“Dick’s bed,” she muttered, and the woman put down her book and got up. - -Ella looked at her, puzzled. Why did she wear those white bands about -her hair, and that butcher-blue wrapper and the white cuffs? She was a -nurse, of course. Satisfied with having solved that problem, Ella closed -her eyes and went back again into the land of dreams. - -She woke again. The woman was still there, but this time the girl’s mind -was in order. - -“What time is it?” she asked. - -The nurse came over with a glass of water, and Ella drank greedily. - -“It is seven o’clock,” she said. - -“Seven!” The girl shivered, and then, with a cry, tried to rise. “It is -evening!” she gasped. “Oh, what happened?” - -“Your father is downstairs, miss,” said the nurse. “I’ll call him.” - -“Father—here?” She frowned. “Is there any other news?” - -“Mr. Gordon is downstairs too, miss, and Mr. Johnson.” - -The woman was faithfully carrying out the instructions which had been -given to her. - -“Nobody—else?” asked Ella in a whisper. - -“No, miss, the other gentleman is coming to-morrow or the next day—your -brother, I mean.” - -With a sob the girl buried her face in the pillow. - -“You are not telling the truth!” - -“Oh yes, I am,” said the woman, and there was something in her laugh -which made Ella look up. - -The nurse went out of the room and was gone a little while. Presently -the door opened, and John Bennett came in. Instantly she was in his -arms, sobbing her joy. - -“It is true, it is true, daddy?” - -“Yes, my love, it is true,” said Bennett. “Ray will be here to-morrow. -There are some formalities to be gone through; they can’t secure a -release immediately, as they do in story-books. We are discussing his -future. Oh, my girl, my poor girl!” - -“When did you know, daddy?” - -“I knew this morning,” said her father quietly. - -“Were you—were you dreadfully hurt?” she asked. - -He nodded. - -“Johnson wants to give Ray the management of Maitlands Consolidated,” he -said. “It would be a splendid thing for Ray. Ella, our boy has changed.” - -“Have you seen him?” she asked in surprise. - -“Yes, I saw him this morning.” - -She thought it was natural that her father should have seen him, and did -not question him as to how he managed to get behind the jealously -guarded doors of the prison. - -“I don’t think Ray will accept Johnson’s offer,” he said. “If I know him -as he is now, I am sure he will not accept. He will not take any -ready-made position; he wants to work for himself. He is coming back to -us, Ella.” - -She wanted to ask him something, but feared to hurt him. - -“Daddy, when Ray comes back,” she said after a long silence, “will it be -possible for you to leave this—this work you hate so much?” - -“I have left it, dear,” he replied quietly. “Never again—never -again—never again, thank God!” - -She did not see his face, but she felt the tremor that passed through -the frame of the man who held her. - -Downstairs, the study was blue with smoke. Dick Gordon, conspicuously -bandaged about the head, something of his good looks spoiled by three -latitudinal scratches which ran down his face, sat in his dressing-gown -and slippers, a big pipe clenched between his teeth, the picture of -battered contentment. - -“Very good of you, Johnson,” he said. “I wonder whether Bennett will -take your offer. Honestly, do you think he’s competent to act as the -manager of this enormous business?” - -Johnson looked dubious. - -“He was a clerk at Maitlands. You can have no knowledge of his -administrative qualities. Aren’t you being just a little too generous?” - -“I don’t know. Perhaps I am,” said Johnson quietly. “I naturally want to -help. There may be other positions less important, and perhaps, as you -say, Ray might not care to take any quite as responsible.” - -“I’m sure he won’t,” said Dick decidedly. - -“It seems to me,” said Elk, “that the biggest job of all is to get young -Bennett out of the clutches of the Frogs. Once a Frog, always a Frog, -and this old man is not going to sit down and take his beating like a -little gentleman. We had a proof of that yesterday morning. They shot at -Johnson in this very street.” - -Dick took out his pipe, sent a cloud of blue smoke toward the haze that -lay on the room. - -“The Frog is finished,” he said. “The only question now is, what is the -best and most effective way to make an end? Balder is caught; Hagn is in -gaol; Lew Brady, who was one of their most helpful agents, though he did -not hold any executive position—Lew is dead; Lola——” - -“Lola is through.” It was the American who spoke. “She left this morning -for the United States, and I took the liberty of facilitating her -passage—there remains Frog himself, and the organization which Frog -controls. Catch him, and you’ve finished with the gang.” - -John Bennett came back at that moment, and the conversation took another -turn; soon after, Joshua Broad and Johnson went away together. - -“You have not told Ella anything, Mr. Bennett?” - -“About myself?—no. Is it necessary?” - -“I hope you will not think so,” said Dick quietly. “Let that remain your -own secret, and Ray’s secret. It has been known to me for a very long -time. The day Elk told me he had seen you coming from King’s Cross -station, and that a burglary had been committed, I saw in the newspapers -that a man had been executed in York Prison. And then I took the trouble -to look up the files of the newspapers, and I found that your absences -had certainly coincided with burglaries—and there are so many -burglaries in England in the course of a year that it would have been -remarkable if they had not coincided—there were also other -coincidences. On the day the murder was committed at Ibbley Copse, you -were in Gloucester, and on that day Waldsen, the Hereford murderer, was -executed.” - -John Bennett hung his head. - -“You knew, and yet . . .” he hesitated. - -Dick nodded. - -“I knew none of the circumstances which drove you to this dreadful -business, Mr. Bennett,” he said gently. “To me you are an officer of the -law—no more and no less terrible than I, who have helped send many men -to the scaffold. No more unclean than the judge who sentences them and -signs the warrant for their death. We are instruments of Order.” - -Ella and her father stayed that night at Harley Terrace, and in the -morning drove down to Paddington Station to meet the boy. Neither Dick -nor Elk accompanied them. - -“There are two things which strike me as remarkable,” said Elk. “One is, -that neither you nor I recognized Bennett.” - -“Why should we?” asked Dick. “Neither you nor I attend executions, and -the identity of the hangman has always been more or less unknown except -to a very few people. If he cares to advertise himself, he is known. -Bennett shrank from publicity, avoided even the stations of the towns -where the executions took place, and usually alighted at some wayside -village and tramped into the town on foot. The chief warder at -Gloucester told me that he never arrived at the gaol until midnight -before an execution. Nobody saw him come or go.” - -“Old man Maitland must have recognized him.” - -“He did,” nodded Dick. “At some period Maitland was in gaol, and it is -possible for prisoners, especially privileged prisoners, to catch a -glimpse of the hangman. By ‘privileged prisoners’ I mean men who, by -reason of their good conduct, were allowed to move about the gaol -freely. Maitland told Miss Bennett that he had been in ‘quod,’ and I am -certain that that is the true explanation. All Bennett’s official -letters came to him at Dorking, where he rented a room for years. His -mysterious journeys to town were not mysterious to the people of -Dorking, who did not know him by sight or name.” - -To Elk’s surprise, when he came back to Harley Terrace, Dick was not -there. His servant said that his master had had a short sleep, had -dressed and gone out, and had left no message as to where he was going. -Dick did not, as a rule, go out on these solitary expeditions, and Elk’s -first thought was that he had gone to Horsham. He ate his dinner, and -thought longingly of his comfortable bed. He did not wish to retire for -the night until he had seen his chief. - -He made himself comfortable in the study, and was fast asleep, when -somebody shook him gently by the shoulder. He looked up and saw Dick. - -“Hullo!” he said sleepily. “Are you staying up all night?” - -“I’ve got the car at the door,” said Dick. “Get your top-coat. We’re -going to Horsham.” - -Elk yawned at the clock. - -“She’ll be thinking of bed,” he protested. - -“I hope so,” said Dick, “but I have my fears. Frog was seen on the -Horsham Road at nine o’clock to-night.” - -“How do you know?” asked Elk, now wide awake. - -“I’ve been shadowing him all the evening,” said Dick, “but he slipped -me.” - -“You’ve been watching Frog?” repeated Elk slowly. “Do you know him?” - -“I’ve known him for the greater part of a month,” said Dick Gordon. “Get -your gun!” - - - - - CHAPTER XL - - - FROG - -THERE is a happiness which has no parallel in life—the happiness which -comes when a dear one is restored. Ray Bennett sat by his father’s -chair, and was content to absorb the love and tenderness which made the -room radiant. It seemed like a dream to be back in this cosy -sitting-room with its cretonnes, its faint odour of lavender, the wide -chimney-place, the leaded windows, and Ella, most glorious vision of -all. The rainstorm that lashed the window-panes gave the comfort and -peace of his home a new and a more beautiful value. From time to time he -fingered his shaven face absently. It was the only sure evidence to him -that he was awake and that this experience belonged to the world of -reality. - -“Pull up your chair, boy,” said John Bennett, as Ella carried in a -steaming teapot and put it on the table. - -Ray rose obediently and placed the big Windsor chair where it had always -been when he lived at home, on his father’s right hand. - -John Bennett sat at the table, his head bent forward. It was the old -grace that his father had said for years and years, and which secretly -amused him in other days, but which now was invested with a beautiful -significance that made him choke. - -“_For all the blessings we have received this day, may the Lord make us -truly thankful!_” - -It was a wonderful meal, more wonderful than any he had eaten at Heron’s -or at those expensive restaurants which he had favoured. Home-cured -tongue, home-made bread, and a great jar of home-made preserves, tea -that was fragrant with the bouquet of the East. He laid down his knife -and fork and leant back with a happy smile. - -“Home,” he said simply, and his father gripped his hand under cover of -the table-cloth, gripped and held it so tightly that the boy winced. - -“Ray, they want you to take over the management of Maitlands—Johnson -does. What do you think of that, son?” - -Ray shook his head. - -“I’m no more fit to manage Maitlands than I am to be President of the -Bank of England,” he said with a little laugh. “No, dad, my views are -less exalted than they were. I think I might earn a respectable living -hoeing potatoes—and I should be happy to do so!” - -The older man was looking thoughtfully at the table. - -“I—I shall want an assistant if these pictures of mine are the success -that Silenski says they will be. Perhaps you can hoe potatoes between -whiles—when Ella is married.” - -The girl went red. - -“Is Ella going to be married? Are you, Ella?” Ray jumped up and, going -to the girl, kissed her. “Ella, it won’t make a difference, will -it—about me, I mean?” - -“I don’t think so, dear. I’ve promised.” - -“What is the matter?” asked John Bennett, as he saw the cloud that came -to the girl’s face. - -“I was thinking of something unpleasant, daddy,” she said, and for the -first time told of the hideous visitation. - -“The Frog wanted to marry you?” said Ray with a frown. “It is -incredible! Did you see his face?” - -She shook her head. - -“He was masked,” she said. “Don’t let us talk about it.” - -She got up quickly and began to clear away the meal, and, for the first -time for many years, Ray helped her. - -“A terrible night,” she said, coming back from the kitchen. “The wind -burst open the window and blew out the lamp, and the rain is coming down -in torrents!” - -“All nights are good nights to me,” said Ray, and in his chuckle she -detected a little sob. - -No word had been spoken since they met of his terrible ordeal; it was -tacitly agreed that that nightmare should remain in the region of bad -dreams, and only now and again did he betray the horror of those three -weeks of waiting. - -“Bolt the back door, darling,” said John Bennett, looking up as she went -out. - -The two men sat smoking, each busy with his own thoughts. Then Ray spoke -of Lola. - -“I do not think she was bad, father,” he said. “She could not have known -what was going to happen. The thing was so diabolically planned that -even to the very last, until I learnt from Gordon the true story, I was -under the impression that I had killed Brady. This man must have the -brain of a general.” - -Bennett nodded. - -“I always used to think,” Ray went on, “that Maitland had something to -do with the Frogs. I suppose he had, really. I first guessed that much -after he turned up at Heron’s Club—what is the matter?” - -“Ella!” called the old man. - -There was no answer from the kitchen. - -“I don’t want her to stay out there, washing up. Ray, boy, call her in.” - -Ray got up and opened the door of the kitchen. It was in darkness. - -“Bring the lamp, father,” he called, and John Bennett came hurrying -after him. - -The door of the kitchen was closed but not bolted. Something white lay -on the floor, and Ray stooped to pick it up. It was a torn portion of -the apron which Ella had been wearing. - -The two men looked at one another, and Ray, running up to his room, came -down with a storm lantern, which he lit. - -“She may be in the garden,” he said in a strained voice, and, throwing -open the door, went out into the storm. - -The rain beat down unmercifully; the men were wet through before they -had gone a dozen yards. Ray held the light down to the ground. There -were tracks of many feet in the soft mud, and presently he found one of -Ella’s. The tracks disappeared on to the edge of the lawn, but they were -making straight for the side gate which opened into a narrow lane. This -passage-way connected the road with a meadow behind Maytree Cottage, and -the roadway gate was usually kept chained and padlocked. Ray was the -first to see the car tracks, and then he found that the gate was open -and the broken chain lay in the muddy roadway. Running out into the -road, he saw that the tracks turned to the right. - -“We had better search the garden first to make absolutely sure, father,” -he said. “I will arouse some of the cottagers and get them to help.” - -By the time he came back to the house, John Bennett had made a thorough -search of the garden and the house, but the girl had disappeared. - -“Go down to the town and telephone to Gordon,” he said, and his voice -was strangely calm. - -In a quarter of an hour Ray Bennett jumped off his old bicycle at the -door of Maytree Cottage, to tell his grave news. - -“The ’phone line has been cut,” he said tersely. “I’ve ordered a car to -be sent up from the garage. We will try to follow the tracks.” - -The machine had arrived when the blazing head-lamps of Dick’s car came -into view. Gordon knew the worst before he had sprung to the ground. -There was a brief, unemotional consultation. Dick went rapidly through -the kitchen and followed the tracks until they came back to the road, to -find Elk going slowly along the opposite side, examining the ground with -an electric lamp. - -“There’s a small wheel track over here,” he said. “Too heavy for a -bicycle, too light for a car; looks to me like a motor-cycle.” - -“It was a car,” said Dick briefly, “and a very big one.” - -He sent Ray and his father to the house to change; insisted on this -being done before they moved a step. They came out, wrapped in -mackintoshes, and leapt into the car as it was moving. - -For five miles the tracks were visible, and then they came to a village. -A policeman had seen a car come through “a little time ago”—and a -motor-cyclist. - -“Where was the cyclist?” asked Elk. - -“He was behind, about a hundred yards,” said the policeman. “I tried to -pull him up because his lamp was out, but he took no notice.” - -They went on for another mile, and then struck the hard surface of a -newly tarred road, and here all trace of the tracks was lost. Going on -for a mile farther, they reached a point where the road broke into -three. Two of these were macadamized and showed no wheel tracks; nor did -the third, although it had a soft surface, offer any encouragement to -follow. - -“It is one of these two,” said Dick. “We had better try the right-hand -road first.” - -The macadam lasted until they reached another village. The road was -undergoing repair in the village itself, but the night watchman shook -his head when Dick asked him. - -“No, sir, no car has passed here for two hours.” - -“We must drive back,” said Dick, despair in his heart, and the car spun -round and flew at top speed to the juncture of the roads. - -Down this they went, and they had not gone far before Dick half leapt at -the sight of the red tail-lamp of the machine ahead. His hopes, however, -were fated to be dashed. A car had broken down on the side of the road, -but the disgruntled driver was able to give them valuable information. A -car had passed him three-quarters of an hour before; he described it -minutely, had even been able to distinguish its make. The cyclist was -driving a Red Indian. - -Again the cyclist! - -“How far was he behind the car?” - -“A good hundred yards, I should say,” was the reply. - -From now on they received frequent news of the car, but at the second -village, the motor-cyclist had not been seen, nor at subsequent places -where the machine had been identified, was there any reference to a -motor-cyclist. - -It was past midnight when they came up with the machine they were -chasing. It stood outside a garage on the Shoreham Road, and Elk was the -first to reach it. It was empty and unattended. Inside the garage, the -owner of that establishment was busy making room for the last comer. - -“Yes, sir, a quarter of an hour ago,” he said, when Elk had produced his -authority. “The chauffeur said he was going to find lodgings in the -town.” - -With the aid of a powerful electric lamp they made an examination of the -car’s interior. There was no doubt whatever that Ella had been an -inmate. A little ivory pin which John Bennett had given her on her -birthday, was found, broken, in a corner of the floor. - -“It is not worth while looking for the chauffeur,” said Elk. “Our only -chance is that he’ll come back to the garage.” - -The local police were called into consultation. - -“Shoreham is a very big place,” said the police chief. “If you had luck, -you might find your man immediately. If he’s with a gang of crooks, it -is more likely that you’ll not find him at all, or that he’ll never come -back for the machine.” - -One matter puzzled Elk more than any other. It was the disappearance of -the motor-cyclist. If the story was true, that he had been riding a -hundred yards behind and that he had fallen out between two villages, -they must have passed him. There were a few cottages on the road, into -which he might have turned, but Elk dismissed this possibility. - -“We had better go back,” he said. “It is fairly certain that Miss -Bennett has been taken out somewhere on the road. The motor-cyclist is -now the best clue, because she evidently went with him. This cyclist was -either the Frog, or one of his men.” - -“They disappeared somewhere between Shoreham and Morby,” said Dick. “You -know the country about here, Mr. Bennett. Is there any place where -they’d be likely to go near Morby?” - -“I know the country,” agreed Bennett, “and I’ve been trying to think. -There is nothing but a very few houses outside of Morby. Of course, -there is Morby Fields, but I can’t imagine Ella being taken there.” - -“What are Morby Fields?” asked Dick, as the car went slowly back the way -it had come. - -“Morby Fields is a disused quarry. The company went into liquidation -some years ago,” replied Bennett. - -They passed through Morby at snail pace, stopping at the local -policeman’s house for any further news which might have been gleaned in -their absence. There was, however, nothing fresh. - -“You are perfectly certain that you did not see the motor-cyclist?” - -“I am quite certain, sir,” said the man. “The car was as close to me as -I am to you. In fact, I had to step to the pavement to prevent myself -being splashed with mud; and there was no motor-cyclist. In fact, the -impression I had was that the car was empty.” - -“Why did you think that?” asked Elk quickly. - -“It was riding light, for one thing, and the chauffeur was smoking for -another. I always associate a smoking chauffeur with an empty car.” - -“Son,” said the admiring Elk, “there are possibilities about you,” and a -recruit to Headquarters was noted. - -“I’m inclined to agree with that village policeman,” said Dick when they -walked back to their machine. “The car was empty when it came through -here, and that accounts for the absence of the motor-cyclist. It is -between Morby and Wellan that we’ve got to look.” - -And now they moved at a walking pace. The brackets that held the -head-lamps were wrenched round to throw a light upon the ditch and hedge -on either side of the road. They had not gone five hundred yards when -Elk roared: - -“Stop!” and jumped into the roadway. - -He was gone a few minutes, and then he called Dick, and the three men -went back to where the detective was standing, looking at a big red -motor-cycle that stood under the shelter of a crumbling stone wall. They -had passed it without observation, for its owner had chosen the other -side of the wall, and it was only the gleam of the light on a handlebar -which showed just above its screen, that had led to its detection. - -Dick ran to the car and backed it so that the wall and machine were -visible. The cycle was almost new; it was splattered with mud, and its -acetylene head-lamps were cold to the touch. Elk had an inspiration. At -the back of the seat was a heavy tool-wallet, attached by a firm strap, -and this he began to unfasten. - -“If this is a new machine, the maker will have put the name and address -of the owner in his wallet,” he said. - -Presently the tool-bag was detached, and Elk unstrapped the last -fastening and turned back the flap. - -“Great Moses!” said Elk. - -Neatly painted on the undressed leather was: - -“Joshua Broad, 6, Caverley House, Cavendish Square!” - - - - - CHAPTER XLI - - - IN QUARRY HOUSE - -THE first impression that Ella Bennett had when she returned to the -kitchen to fasten the door that shut off the sitting-room, was that the -tea-cloth, which she had hung up to dry on the line near the lofty -ceiling, had fallen. With startling suddenness she was enveloped in the -folds of a heavy, musty cloth. And then an arm was flung round her, a -hand covered her mouth and drew back her head. She tried to scream, but -no sound came. She kicked out toward the door and an arm clutched at her -dress and pulled back her foot. She heard the sound of something -tearing, and then a strap was put round her ankles. She felt the rush of -the cold air as the door was opened, and in another second she was in -the garden. - -“Walk,” hissed a voice, and she discovered her feet were loosened. - -She could see nothing, only she could feel the rain beating down upon -the cloth that covered her head, and the strength of the wind against -her face. It blew the cloth so tightly over her mouth and nose that she -could hardly breathe. Where they were taking her she could only guess. -It was not until she felt her feet squelch in liquid mud that she knew -she was in the lane by the side of the house. She had hardly identified -the place before she was lifted bodily into the waiting car; she heard -somebody scrambling in by her side, and the car jerked forward. Then -with dexterous hand, one of the men sitting at her side whisked the -cloth from her head. Ahead, in one of the two bucket seats, the only one -occupied, was a dark figure, the face of which she could not see. - -“What are you doing? Who are you?” she asked, and no sooner did the -voice of the man before her come to her ears than she knew she was in -the power of the Frog. - -“I’m going to give you your last chance,” he said. “After to-night that -chance is gone.” - -She composed the tremor in her voice with an effort, and then: - -“What do you mean by my last chance?” she asked. - -“You will undertake to marry me, and to leave the country with me in the -morning. I’ve such faith in you that I will take your word,” he said. - -She shook her head, until she realized that, in the darkness, he could -not see her. - -“I will never do that,” she answered quietly, and no other word was -spoken through the journey. Once, at a whispered word from the man in -the mask—she saw the reflection of his mica eye-pieces even though the -blinds were drawn, as the car went through some village street—one of -the men looked back through the glass in the hood. - -“Nothing,” he said. - -No violence was offered to her; she was not bound, or restricted in any -way, though she knew it was perfectly hopeless for her to dream of -escape. - -They were running along a dark country road when the car slowed and -stopped. The passengers turned out quickly; she was the last. A man -caught her arm as she descended and led her, through an opening of the -hedge, into what seemed to her to be a ploughed field. - -The other came after her, bringing her an oilskin coat and helping her -into it. - -The rain flogged across the waste, rattling against the oil-coat; she -heard the man holding her arm mutter something under his breath. The -Frog walked ahead, only looking back once. She slipped and stumbled, and -would have often fallen but for the hand which held her up. - -“Where are you taking me?” she asked at last. - -There was no reply. She wondered if she could wrench herself free, and -trust to the cover of darkness to hide her, but even as the thought -occurred, she saw a gleam of water to the right—a round, ghostly patch. - -“These are Morby Fields,” she said suddenly, recognizing the place. -“You’re taking me to the quarry.” - -Again no answer. They tramped on doggedly, until she knew they were -within measurable distance of the quarry itself. She wondered what would -be her fate when she finally refused, as she would refuse. Did this -terrible man intend to kill her? - -“Wait,” said the Frog suddenly, and disappeared into the gloom. - -Then she saw a light, which came from a small wooden house; two patches -of light, one long, one square—a window and a door. The window -disappeared as he closed the shutter. Then his figure stood silhouetted -in the doorway. - -“Come,” he said, and she went forward. - -At the door of the hut she drew back, but the hand on her arm tightened. -She was pushed into the interior, and the door was slammed and bolted. - -She was alone with Frog! - -Curiosity overcame her fear. She looked round the little room. It was -about ten feet long by six feet broad. The furnishings were simple: a -bed, a table, two chairs and a fireplace. The wooden floor was covered -by an old and grimy rug. Against one of the walls were piled two shallow -wooden boxes, and the wood was new. The mask followed the direction of -her eyes and she heard his slow chuckle. - -“Money,” he said tersely, “your money and my money. There is a million -there.” - -She looked, fascinated. Near the boxes were four long glass cylinders, -containing an opaque substance or liquid—she could not tell from where -she stood. The nature of this the Frog did not then trouble to explain. - -“Sit down,” he said. - -His manner was brisk and businesslike. She expected him to take off his -mask as he seated himself opposite her, but in this she was -disappointed. He sat, and through the mica pieces she saw his hard eyes -watching her. - -“Well, Ella Bennett, what do you say? Will you marry me, or will you go -into a welcome oblivion? You leave this hut either as my wife, or we -leave together—dead.” - -He got up and went to where the glass cylinders lay and touched one. - -“I will smash one of these with my foot and take off my mask, and you -shall have at least the satisfaction that you know who I am before you -die—but only just before you die!” - -She looked at him steadily. - -“I will never marry you,” she said, “never! If for no other reason, for -your villainous plot against my brother.” - -“Your brother is a fool,” said the hollow voice. “He need never have -gone through that agony, if you had only promised to marry me. I had a -man ready to confess, I myself would have taken the risk of supporting -his confession.” - -“Why do you want to marry me?” she asked. - -It sounded banal, stupid. Yet so grotesque was the suggestion, that she -could talk of the matter in cold blood and almost without emotion. - -“Because I love you,” was the reply. “Whether I love you as Dick Gordon -loves you, I do not know. It may well be that you are something which I -cannot possess, and therefore are all the more precious to me—I have -never been thwarted in any desire.” - -“I would welcome death,” she said quickly, and she heard the muffled -chuckle. - -“There are worse things than death to a sensitive woman,” he said -significantly, “and you shall not die until the end.” - -He did not attempt to speak again, but, pulling a pack of cards from his -pocket, played solitaire. After an hour’s play, he swept the cards into -the fireplace and rose. - -He looked at her and there was something in his eyes that froze her -blood. - -“Perhaps you will never see my face,” he said, and reached out his hand -to the oil lamp which stood on the table. - -Lower and lower sank the flame, and then came a gentle tap at the door. - -_Tap . . . tap . . . tappity . . . tap!_ - -The Frog stood still, his hand upon the lamp. - -_Tap . . . tap . . . tappity . . . tap!_ - -It came again. He turned up the light a little and went to the door. - -“Who’s that?” he asked. - -“Hagn,” said a deep voice, and the Frog took a startled step backward. -“Quick! Open!’” - -The mask turned the heavy bar, and, taking a key from his pocket, he -drew back the lock. - -“Hagn, how did you get away?” - -The door was pushed open with such violence that he was flung back -against the wall, and Ella uttered a scream of joy. - -Standing in the doorway was a bareheaded man, in a shining trench-coat. - -It was Joshua Broad. - -“Keep back!” - -He did not look round, but she knew the words were addressed to her and -stood stock-still. Both Broad’s hands were in the deep pockets of his -coat; his eyes did not leave the mask. - -“Harry,” he said softly, “you know what I want.” - -“Take yours!” screeched the Frog. His hand moved so quickly that the -girl could not follow it. - -Two shots rang out together and the Frog staggered back against the -wall. His foot was within a few inches of the glass cylinders, and he -raised it. Again Broad fired, and the Frog fell backward, his head in -the fireplace. He came struggling to his feet, and then, with a little -choking sob, fell backward, his arms outstretched. - -There was a sound of voices outside, a scraping of feet on the muddy -path, and John Bennett came into the hut. In a moment the girl was in -his arms. Broad looked round. Elk and Dick Gordon were standing in the -doorway, taking in the scene. - -“Gentlemen,” said Joshua Broad, “I call you to witness that I killed -this man in self-defence.” - -“Who is it?” said Dick. - -“It is the Frog,” said Joshua Broad calmly. “His other name is Harry -Lyme. He is an English convict.” - -“I knew it was Harry Lyme.” It was Elk who spoke. “Is he dead?” - -Broad stooped and thrust his hand under the man’s waistcoat. - -“Yes, he is dead,” he announced simply. “I’m sorry that I have robbed -you of your prey, Mr. Elk, but it was vitally necessary that he should -be killed before I was, and one of us had to die this night!” - -Elk knelt by the still figure and began to unfasten the hideous rubber -mask. - -“It was here that Genter was killed,” said Dick Gordon in a low voice. -“Do you see the gas?” - -Elk looked at the glass cylinders and nodded. Then his eyes came back to -the bareheaded American. - -“Saul Morris, I believe?” he said, and “Joshua Broad” nodded. - -Elk pursed his lips thoughtfully, and his eyes went back to the still -figure at his feet. - -“Now, Frog, let me see you,” he said, and tore away the mask. - -He looked down into the face of Philosopher Johnson! - - - - - CHAPTER XLII - - - JOSHUA BROAD EXPLAINS - -THE sunlight was pouring through the windows of Maytree Cottage; the -breakfast things still stood upon the table, when the American began his -story. - -“My name, as you rightly surmised, Mr. Elk, is Saul Morris. I am, by all -moral standards, a criminal, though I have not been guilty of any -criminal practice for the past ten years. I was born at Hertford in -Connecticut. - -“I am not going to offer you an apology, conventional or unconventional, -for my ultimate choice; nor will I insult your intelligence by inviting -sympathy for my first fall. I guess I was born with light fingers and a -desire for money that I had not earned. I was not corrupted, I was not -tempted, I had no evil companions; in fact, the beginnings of my career -were singularly unlike any of the careers of criminals which I have ever -read. - -“I studied bank robberies as a doctor might take up the study of -anatomy. I understand perfectly every system of banking—and there are -only two, one of which succeeds, the other produces a plentiful crop of -fraudulent directors—and I have added to this a knowledge of lockcraft. -A burglar who starts business without understanding the difficulties and -obstacles he has to overcome is—to use the parallel I have already -employed—like the doctor who starts off to operate without knowing what -arteries, tissues and nerves he will be severing. The difference between -a surgeon and a butcher is that one doesn’t know the name of the tissues -he is cutting! - -“When I decided upon my career, I served for five years in the factory -of the greatest English safe-maker in Wolverhampton. I studied locks, -safes, the tensile qualities of steel, until I was proficient, and my -spare time I gave up to as important a study—the transportation of -negotiable currency. That in itself is a study which might well occupy a -man’s full time. - -“I returned to America at the age of twenty-five, and accumulated a kit -of tools, which cost me several thousand dollars, and with these, and -alone, I smashed the Ninth National Bank, getting away, on my first -attempt, with three hundred thousand dollars. I will not give you a long -list of my many crimes; some of them I have conveniently forgotten. -Others are too unimportant, and contain too many disappointments to tell -you in detail. It is sufficient to say that there is no proof, other -than my word, that I was responsible for any of these depredations. My -name has only been associated with one—the robbery of the strong-room -on the _Mantania_. - -“In 1898 I learnt that the _Mantania_ was carrying to France fifty-five -million francs in paper currency. The money was packed in two stout -wooden cases, and before being packed, was submitted to hydraulic -pressure in order to reduce the bulk. In one case were thirty-five -packets, each containing a thousand mille notes, and in the second case -twenty packets. I particularly want you to remember that there were two -cases, because you will understand a little better what happened -subsequently. - -“It was intended that the ship should call at a French port; I think it -was Havre, because the trans-Atlantic boats in those days did not call -at Cherbourg. I had made all my plans for getting away with the stuff, -and the robbery had actually been committed and the boxes were in my -cabin trunk, substitute boxes of an exact shape having been left in the -strong-room of the _Mantania_, when to my dismay we lost a propeller -blade whilst off the coast of Ireland, and the captain of the _Mantania_ -decided to put in to Southampton without making the French port. - -“A change of plans, to a man of my profession, is almost as embarrassing -as a change of plan in the middle of a battle. I had on this occasion an -assistant—a man who afterwards died in _delirium tremens_. It was -absolutely impossible to work alone; the job was too big, and my -assistant was a man I had every reason to trust.” - -“Harry Lyme?” suggested Elk. - -“Joshua Broad” shook his head. - -“No, you’re wrong. I will not tell you his name—the man is dead, and he -was a very faithful and loyal fellow, though inclined to booze, a -weakness which I never shared. However, the reason we were so -embarrassed was that, had we gone ashore at the French port, the robbery -in the strong-room would not have been discovered, because it was -unlikely that the purser would go to the strong-room until the ship was -in Southampton Water. I had fixed everything, the passing of my bags -through the Customs being the most important. This change meant that we -must improvise a method to get ashore at Southampton before the hue and -cry was raised, and, if possible, before the robbery was discovered, -though it did not seem possible that we should succeed. - -“Fortunately, there was a fog in the Solent, and we had to go dead slow; -and, if you remember the circumstances, as the _Mantania_ came up the -Solent, she collided with a steam dredger that was going into -Portsmouth. The dredger’s foremast became entangled in the bowsprit of -the _Mantania_ and it was some time before they were extricated. It was -then that I seized my opportunity. From an open port-way on my deck, -where we were waiting with our baggage, ready to land, we were level -with the side of the dredger as she swung round under the impact. I -flung the two grips that held the boxes on to the dredger’s deck, and I -and my friend jumped together. - -“As I say, a fog lay on the water, and we were not seen, and not -discovered by the crew of the dredger until we had parted company with -the _Mantania_, and although the story we told to the dredger’s captain -was the thinnest imaginable—namely, that we thought it was a tender -that had come off to collect us—he very readily accepted it, and the -twenty-dollar bill which I gave him. - -“We made Portsmouth after a great deal of difficulty late in the -evening. There was no Customs inspection and we got our bags safely on -land. I intended staying the night at Portsmouth, but after we had taken -our lodgings, my friend and I went round to a little bar to get a drink, -and there we heard something which sent us back to our rooms at full -pelt. What we heard was that the robbery had been discovered, and that -the police were looking for two men who had made their escape on the -dredger. As it was the dredger’s captain who had recommended our -lodgings, I had little expectation of getting into the room and out -again without capture. - -“However, we did, and as we passed out of the street at one end, the -police came in at the other. I carried one bag, my friend the lighter, -and we started on foot across country, and before the morning we had -reached a place called Eastleigh. It was to Eastleigh, you will -remember, Mr. Elk, that I came when I left the cattle-boat during the -war and suddenly changed my character from a hard-up cattle-puncher to a -wealthy gambler at Monte Carlo. - -“That matter I will explain later. When we reached Eastleigh, I had a -talk with my companion, and it was a pretty straight talk, because he’d -got a load of liquor on board and was becoming more and more unreliable. -It ended by his going into the town to buy some food and not returning. -When I went in search of him, I found him lying in the street, incapably -drunk. There was nothing to do but to leave him; and getting a little -food, I took the two bags and struck the road. The bags, however, were -much too heavy for me, and I had to consider my position. - -“Standing by the road was an old cottage, and on a board was an -announcement that it was to be sold. I took the address; it was the name -of a Winchester lawyer; and then I got over the fence and made an -inspection of the ground, to find that, at the lower end of the rank -garden, was an old, disused well, boarded over by rotten planks. I could -in safety drop the lighter of my burdens down the well and cover it up -with the rubble, of which there was plenty around. I might have buried -both; in many ways a lot of trouble would have been saved if I had. But -I was loth to leave all that I had striven for with such care and pains, -and I took the second box on with me, reached Winchester, bought a -change of clothing, and spent a comfortable day there, interviewing the -lawyer, who owned the cottage. - -“I had some English money with me, and the purchase was effected. I gave -strict instructions that the place was not to be let in any -circumstances, and that it was to remain as it was until I came back -from Australia—I posed as a wealthy Australian who was repurchasing the -house in which he was born. - -“From Winchester I reached London, never dreaming that I was in any -danger. My companion had given me the name of an English crook, an -acquaintance of his, who, he said, was the finest safe-man in Europe—a -man who was called ‘Lyme’ and who, I discovered many years after, was -the same Harry Lyme. He told me Lyme would help me in any emergency. - -“And that emergency soon arose. The first man I saw when I put my foot -on the platform at Waterloo was the purser of the _Mantania_, and with -him was the ship’s detective. I dodged back, and, fortunately for me, -there was a suburban train leaving from the opposite platform, and I -went on to Surbiton, reaching London by another route. Afterwards, I -learnt that my companion had been arrested, and in his half-drunken -state had told all he knew. The thing to do now was to cache the -remainder of the money—thirty-five million francs. I immediately -thought of Harry Lyme. I have never suffered from the illusion that -there is honour amongst thieves. My own experience is that that is one -of the most stupid of proverbs. But I thought that at least I might make -it worth Lyme’s while to help me out of a mess. - -“I learnt from the newspapers that there was a special force of police -looking for me, and that they were watching the houses of well-known -criminals, to whom, they thought, I might gravitate. At first I thought -this was a bluff, but I was to discover that this was not the case. I -reached Lyme’s house, in a disreputable thoroughfare in Camden Town. The -fog was thick and yellow, and I had some difficulty in finding my way. -It was a small house in a mean, squalid street, and at first I could get -no reply to my knocking. Then the door was opened cautiously. - -“‘Is that Lyme?’ I asked. ‘He’s not at home,’ said a man, and he would -have shut the door, but my instinct told me this was the fellow I was -seeking, and I put my foot in the way of the closing door. ‘Come in,’ he -said at last, and led the way into a small room, the only light of which -was a lantern which stood on the table. The room was thick with fog, for -the window was open, as I learnt afterwards, to allow Lyme to make his -escape. - -“‘Are you the American?’ he asked. ‘You’re mad to come here. The police -have been watching this place ever since this afternoon.’ I told him -briefly what my difficulty was. ‘I have here thirty-five million -francs—that’s a million, three hundred thousand pounds,’ said I, ‘and -there’s enough for both of us. Can you plant this whilst I make a -get-away?’ ‘Yes, I will,’ he said. ‘What do I get out of it?’ ‘I’ll give -you half,’ I promised, and he seemed to be satisfied with that. - -“I was surprised that he spoke in the voice and tone of an educated man, -and I learnt afterwards that he also had been intended for some -profession, and, like myself, had chosen the easier way. Now, you’ll not -believe me when I tell you that I did not see his face, and that I -carried no very vivid impression away with me. This is due to the fact -that I concentrated my attention upon the frog which was tattooed on his -wrist, and which afterwards, at great expense, he succeeded in having -removed by a Spanish doctor at Valladolid, who specialized in that kind -of work. That frog was tattooed a little askew, and I knew, and he knew -too, that, whether I remembered his face or not, he had a mark which was -certain to guide me back to him. - -“The arrangement I made was that, when I got back to America, I should -send a cable to him, at an address we agreed upon, and that he was then -to send me, by registered post to the Grand Hotel, Montreal, a half of -the money he had in the box. To cut a long story short, I made my -escape, and eventually reached the Continent by way of Hook of Holland. -Encumbered with any baggage, that would have been impossible. In due -course I left for the United States from Bremen, Germany, and -immediately on my arrival sent the cable to Lyme, and went up to -Montreal to await the arrival of the money. It did not come. I cabled -again; still it did not come. - -“It was months after that I learnt what had happened. It came from a -cutting of a newspaper, saying that Lyme had been drowned on his way to -Guernsey. How he sent that, I don’t know and never have inquired. Lyme -was, in fact, very much alive. He had some six million dollars’ worth of -French notes, and his job was to negotiate them. His first step was to -move to a Midland town, where for six months he posed as a man of -business, in the meantime changing his whole appearance, shaving off his -moustache and producing an artificial baldness by the application of -some chemical. - -“Whilst he was doing this, and determined that every penny he had taken -from me he would hold, he decided to make assurance doubly sure, and -started in a small way the Fellowship of the Frog. The object of this -was to spread the mark of identification by which I should know him, as -far and wide as possible. He may have had no other idea in his mind, and -probably had not, but to broadcast this mark of the frog, a little -askew, the exact replica of his. Obviously, no class would be willing to -suffer the tortures of tattooing for nothing. So began this curious -Benefit Fund of his. From this little beginning grew the great Frog -organization. Almost one of the first men he came into contact with was -an old criminal named Maitland, a man who could neither read nor write.” - -There was a gasp. - -“Why, of course!” said Elk, and smacked his knee impatiently. “That is -the explanation of the baby!” - -“There never was a baby,” smiled “Broad.” “The baby was Maitland -himself, learning to write. The clothes of the baby, which were planted -for your special benefit in the Elder Street house, were put there by -Johnson. The toys for the baby were inventions to keep you guessing. -There never was a baby. Once he had Maitland properly coached, he came -to London, and Maitlands Consolidated was formed. Maitland had nothing -to do except to sit around and look picturesque. His alleged clerk, one -of the cleverest actors I have ever met, was the real head of the -business, and remained Maitland’s clerk just as long as it suited him. -When he thought suspicion was veering toward him, he had himself -dismissed; just as, when he thought you had identified him with the -Frog, he made one of his men shoot at him with a blank cartridge in -Harley Terrace. He was the real Maitland. - -“In the meantime the Frog organization was growing, and he sat down to -consider how best he could use the society for his advantage. Money was -going out, and he naturally hated to see it go. New recruits were -appearing every day, and they all cost money. But what he did get from -this rabble were one or two brilliant minds. Balder was one, Hagn was -one, and there were others, who perhaps will now never be known. - -“As the controlling force of Maitlands Consolidated, he had not the -slightest difficulty in disposing of his francs. And then he set -Maitlands speculating in other directions, and when his speculations -were failing, he found ways of cutting his loss. He was once caught -short in a wool transaction—the Frog maimed the only man who could have -ruined him. Whenever he found it expedient for the benefit of himself to -club a man, whether he was a military attaché or a very plain City -merchant speculating in his own stocks, Johnson never hesitated. People -who were bothering him were put beyond the opportunities of mischief. He -made one great mistake. He allowed Maitland to live like a hog in a -house he had bought. That was folly. When he found that the old man had -been trailed, he shifted him to Berkeley Square, got him tailored, and -eventually murdered him for daring to go to Horsham. I saw the murderer -escape, for I was on the roof when the shots were fired. Incidentally, I -had a narrow escape myself. - -“But to return to my own narrative. Five years ago I was broke, and I -decided to have another attempt to get my money; and there was also the -fact that a very large sum of money waited reclaiming at Eastleigh, -always providing that I had not been identified as the man who bought -the house. It took me a long time before I made absolutely certain that -I was unknown, and then, with the title deeds in my pocket, I sailed on -a cattle-boat and landed, as you have said, Mr. Elk, with a few dollars -in my pocket, at Southampton. I went straight to the house, which was -now in a shocking state of repair, and there I made myself as -comfortable as I possibly could whilst, night after night, I toiled in -the well to recover the small box of money, amounting to a very -considerable sum. When this was recovered, I left for Paris, and the -rest, so far as my public history is concerned, you know. - -“I then began my search for Frog, and I very soon saw that, if I -depended upon the identification of the tattoo marks, my search was -hopeless. Naturally, when I discovered, as I soon did, that Maitland was -a Frog, I narrowed my search to that office. I discovered that Maitland -was an illiterate by the simple expedient of stopping him in the street -one day near his house, and showing him an envelope on which I had -written ‘You are a fake,’ and asking him if he knew the address. He -pointed to a house farther along the street, and hurried in.” - -“I knew that Maitland could neither read nor write when I learnt that -the children’s clothes had been left at Eldor Street,” said Dick, “and -from that moment I knew that Johnson was the Frog.” - -“Joshua Broad” nodded. - -“That, I think, is about all I have to say. Johnson was a genius. The -way he handled that huge organization, which he ran practically in his -spare time when he was away from the office, was a revelation. He drew -everybody into his net, and yet nobody knew him. Balder was a godsend; -he was perhaps the highest paid agent of the lot. You will find that his -income ran into six figures!” - - * * * * * * - -When “Joshua Broad” had gone back to London, Dick walked with Elk to the -garden gate. - -“I shan’t be coming up for a little while,” he said. - -“I never expected you would,” said Elk. “Say, Captain Gordon, what -happened to those two wooden boxes that were in the quarry hut last -night?” - -“I didn’t see the boxes.” - -“I saw them,” said Elk, nodding. “They were there when we took Miss -Bennett away, and when I came back with the police they were gone, and -‘Joshua Broad’ was there all the time,” he added. - -They looked at one another. - -“I don’t think I should inquire too closely into that matter,” said -Dick. “I owe ‘Broad’ something.” - -“I owe him a bit too,” said Elk with a hint of enthusiasm. “Do you know, -he taught me a rhyme last night? There are about a hundred and fifty -verses, but I only know four. It starts: - - William the Conqueror started his tricks, - Battle of Hastings, ten sixty-six. - -That’s a grand rhyme, Captain Gordon. If I’d only known that ten years -ago I might have been a Chief Commissioner by now!” - -He walked down the road towards the station, for he was returning by -tram. The sun glittered upon the rain-fringed banners of the hollyhocks -that filled the cottagers’ gardens. Then from the hedge a tiny green -figure hopped, and Elk stood still and watched it. The little reptile -looked round and eyed the detective with black, staring eyes. - -“Frog,” Elk raised a reproachful finger, “have a heart and go home—this -is not your Day!” - -And, as if he understood what the man had said, the frog leaped back to -the shelter of the long grass. - - THE END - - - - - TRANSCRIBER NOTES - -Misspelled words and printer errors have been corrected. 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- margin-top:.5em; margin-bottom:.5em; - margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;} - .literal-container {margin-top:.5em; margin-bottom:.5em} - .dropcap {font-size: 225%; font-weight:bold;} - div.lgc {margin-top:.5em; margin-bottom:.5em} - p {margin-top: 0em; margin-bottom: 0em;} - div.blockquote {margin-top:.5em; margin-bottom:.5em;} - </style> - </head> - <body> -<p style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of The fellowship of the Frog, by Edgar Wallace</p> -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The fellowship of the Frog</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Edgar Wallace</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: January 14, 2023 [eBook #69789]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Al Haines, Cindy Beyer & the online Distributed Proofreaders Canada team at http://www.pgdpcanada.net</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE FROG ***</div> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/cover.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0000' style='width:80%;height:auto;'/> -</div> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<table id='tab1' summary='' class='center' style='font-size:.7em;'> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'><span style='font-size:larger'>POPULAR NOVELS</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'><span style='font-size:smaller'>BY</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'><span style='font-size:x-large'>EDGAR WALLACE</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'><span style='font-size:smaller'>PUBLISHED BY</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'><span style='font-size:larger'>WARD, LOCK & CO., LIMITED</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'><span style='font-size:smaller'><span class='it'>In various editions</span></span></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>———</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> SANDERS OF THE RIVER</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> BONES</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> BOSAMBO OF THE RIVER</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> BONES IN LONDON</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> THE KEEPERS OF THE KING’S PEACE</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> THE COUNCIL OF JUSTICE</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> THE DUKE IN THE SUBURBS</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> THE PEOPLE OF THE RIVER</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> DOWN UNDER DONOVAN</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> PRIVATE SELBY</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> THE ADMIRABLE CARFEW</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> THE MAN WHO BOUGHT LONDON</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> THE JUST MEN OF CORDOVA</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> THE SECRET HOUSE</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> KATE, PLUS TEN</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> LIEUTENANT BONES</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> THE GREEN RUST</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> THE ADVENTURES OF HEINE</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> JACK O’ JUDGMENT</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> THE DAFFODIL MYSTERY</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> THE NINE BEARS</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> THE BOOK OF ALL POWER</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> MR. JUSTICE MAXELL</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> THE BOOKS OF BART</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> THE DARK EYES OF LONDON</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> CHICK</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> SANDI THE KING-MAKER</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> THOSE FOLK OF BULBORO’</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> THE THREE OAK MYSTERY</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE FROG</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'> BLUE HAND</td></tr> -</table> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div class='lgc' style=''> <!-- rend=';' --> -<p class='line0' style='font-size:2.0em;'>THE FELLOWSHIP</p> -<p class='line0' style='font-size:2.0em;'>OF THE FROG</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line0'><span style='font-size:smaller'>BY</span></p> -<p class='line0'><span style='font-size:larger'>EDGAR WALLACE</span></p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line0' style='margin-top:8em;'>WARD, LOCK & CO., LIMITED</p> -<p class='line0'><span style='font-size:smaller'>LONDON AND MELBOURNE</span></p> -<p class='line0'><span style='font-size:smaller'>1926</span></p> -</div> <!-- end rend --> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<p class='line0' style='text-align:center;margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:20em;font-size:.8em;'>Printed in Great Britain by Butler & Tanner Ltd., Frome and London</p> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<p class='line0' style='text-align:center;margin-top:2em;margin-bottom:1em;font-size:1.3em;'>CONTENTS</p> - -<table id='tab2' summary='' class='center'> -<colgroup> -<col span='1' style='width: 3.5em;'/> -<col span='1' style='width: 20em;'/> -<col span='1' style='width: 2.5em;'/> -</colgroup> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'><span style='font-size:smaller'>CHAP.</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><span style='font-size:smaller'>PAGE</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'></td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>Foreword: The Frogs</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_7'>7</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>I</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>At Maytree Cottage</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_11'>11</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>II</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>A Talk about Frogs</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_17'>17</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>III</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>The Frog</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_20'>20</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>IV</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>Elk</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_25'>25</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>V</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>Mr. Maitland Goes Home</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_31'>31</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>VI</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>Mr. Maitland Goes Shopping</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_41'>41</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>VII</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>A Call on Mr. Maitland</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_49'>49</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>VIII</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>The Offensive Ray</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_58'>58</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>IX</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>The Man Who Was Wrecked</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_67'>67</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>X</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>On Harley Terrace</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_72'>72</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XI</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>Mr. Broad Explains</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_79'>79</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XII</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>The Embellishment of Mr. Maitland</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_83'>83</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XIII</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>A Raid on Eldor Street</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_91'>91</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XIV</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span>“<span class='sc'>All Bulls Hear!</span>”</span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_99'>99</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XV</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>The Morning After</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_103'>103</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XVI</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>Ray Learns the Truth</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_107'>107</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XVII</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>The Coming of Mills</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_114'>114</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XVIII</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>The Broadcast</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_118'>118</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XIX</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>In Elsham Wood</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_127'>127</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XX</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>Hagn</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_133'>133</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XXI</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>Mr. Johnson’s Visitor</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_143'>143</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XXII</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>The Inquiry </span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_148'>148</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XXIII</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>A Meeting</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_154'>154</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XXIV</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>Why Maitland Came</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_158'>158</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XXV</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>In Regard to Saul Morris</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_166'>166</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XXVI</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>Promotion for Balder</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_172'>172</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XXVII</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>Mr. Broad is Interesting</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_184'>184</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XXVIII</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>Murder</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_190'>190</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XXIX</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>The Footman</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_196'>196</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XXX</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>The Tramps</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_204'>204</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XXXI</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>The Chemical Corporation</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_215'>215</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XXXII</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>In Gloucester Prison</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_220'>220</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XXXIII</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>The Frog of the Night</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_223'>223</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XXXIV</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>The Photo-play</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_233'>233</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XXXV</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>Getting Through</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_242'>242</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XXXVI</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>The Power Cable</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_247'>247</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XXXVII</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>The Get-Away</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_254'>254</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XXXVIII</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>The Mystery Man</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_258'>258</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XXXIX</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>The Awakening</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_261'>261</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XL</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>Frog</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_266'>266</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XLI</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>In Quarry House</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_273'>273</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle2'>XLII</td><td class='tab2c2 leader-dash tdStyle3'><span><span class='sc'>Joshua Broad Explains</span></span></td><td class='tab2c3 tdStyle4'><a href='#Page_279'>279</a></td></tr> -</table> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='7' id='Page_7'></span><h1>FOREWORD</h1></div> - -<h3>THE FROGS</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>I</span>T was of interest to those who study the psychology -of the mass that, until the prosperous but otherwise -insignificant James G. Bliss became the object of their -attention, the doings and growth of the Frogs were almost -unnoticed. There were strong references in some of the -country newspapers to the lawless character of the association; -one Sunday journal had an amusing article headed</p> - -<p class='line0' style='text-align:center;margin-top:1em;'>“<span class='sc'>Tramps’ Trade Union Takes Frog for</span></p> -<p class='line0' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1em;'><span class='sc'>Symbol of Mystic Order</span>”</p> - -<p class='noindent'>and gave a humorous and quite fanciful extract from its -rules and ritual. The average man made casual references:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I say, have you seen this story about the tramps’ Union—every -member a walking delegate? . . .”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a more serious leading article on the growth of -trade unionism, in which the Frogs were cited, and although -from time to time came accounts of mysterious outrages which -had been put to the discredit of the Frogs, the generality of -citizens regarded the society, order, or whatever it was, as -something benevolent in its intentions and necessarily eccentric -in its constitution, and, believing this, were in their turn -benevolently tolerant.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In some such manner as the mass may learn with mild -interest of a distant outbreak of epidemic disease, which -slays its few, and wake one morning to find the sinister -malady tapping at their front doors, so did the world become -alive and alarmed at the terror-growth which suddenly loomed -from the mists.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>James G. Bliss was a hardware merchant, and a man well -known on exchange, where he augmented the steady profits -of the Bliss General Hardware Corporation with occasional -windfalls from legitimate speculation. A somewhat pompous -and, in argument, aggressive person, he had the advantage -which mediocrity, blended with a certain expansive generosity, -gives to a man, in that he had no enemies; and since his -generosity was run on sane business principles, it could not -even be said of him, as is so often said of others, that his worst -enemy was himself. He held, and still holds, the bulk of the -stock in the B.G.H. Corporation—a fact which should be noted -because it was a practice of Mr. Bliss to manipulate from time -to time the price of his shares by judicious operations.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was at a time coincident with the little boom in industrials -which brought Bliss Hardware stock at a jump from -12.50 to 23.75, that the strange happening occurred which -focussed for the moment all eyes upon the Frogs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Bliss has a country place at Long Beach, Hampshire. -It is referred to as “The Hut,” but is the sort of hut that King -Solomon might have built for the Queen of Sheba, had that -adventurous man been sufficiently well acquainted with -modern plumbing, the newest systems of heating and lighting, -and the exigent requirements of up-to-date chauffeurs. In -these respects Mr. Bliss was wiser than Solomon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He had returned to his country home after a strenuous -day in the City, and was walking in the garden in the cool -of the evening. He was (and is) married, but his wife and -two daughters were spending the spring in Paris—a wise -course, since the spring is the only season when Paris has -the slightest pretensions to being a beautiful city.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He had come from his kennels, and was seen walking -across the home park toward a covert which bordered his -property. Hearing a scream, his kennel man and a groom -ran toward the wood, to discover Bliss lying on the ground -unconscious, his face and shoulders covered with blood. -He had been struck down by some heavy weapon; there were -a slight fracture of the parietal bone and several very ugly -scalp wounds.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For three weeks this unfortunate man hovered between -life and death, unconscious except at intervals, and unable -during his lucid moments to throw any light on, or make -any coherent statement concerning, the assault, except to -murmur, “Frog . . . frog . . . left arm . . . frog.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was the first of many similar outrages, seemingly purposeless -and wanton, in no case to be connected with robbery, -and invariably (except once) committed upon people who -occupied fairly unimportant positions in the social hierarchy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The Frogs advanced instantly to a first-class topic. The -disease was found to be widespread, and men who had read, -light-heartedly, of minor victimizations, began to bolt their -own doors and carry lethal weapons when they went abroad at -nights.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And they were wise, for there was a force in being that -had been born in fear and had matured in obscurity (to the -wonder of its creator) so that it wielded the tyrannical power -of governments.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In the centre of many ramifications sat the Frog, drunk -with authority, merciless, terrible. One who lived two lives -and took full pleasure from both, and all the time nursing -the terror that Saul Morris had inspired one foggy night in -London, when the grimy streets were filled with armed policemen -looking for the man who cleaned the strong-room of the -S.S. <span class='it'>Mantania</span> of three million pounds between the port of -Southampton and the port of Cherbourg.</p> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<p class='line0' style='text-align:center;margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.5em;'>THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE FROG</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='11' id='Page_11'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER I</h1></div> - -<h3>AT MAYTREE COTTAGE</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>A</span> DRY radiator coincided with a burst tyre. The second -coincidence was the proximity of Maytree Cottage -on the Horsham Road. The cottage was larger than most, -with a timbered front and a thatched roof. Standing at the -gate, Richard Gordon stopped to admire. The house dated -back to the days of Elizabeth, but his interest and admiration -were not those of the antiquary.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Nor, though he loved flowers, of the horticulturist, though -the broad garden was a patchwork of colour and the fragrance -of cabbage roses came to delight his senses. Nor was it the -air of comfort and cleanliness that pervaded the place, the -scrubbed red-brick pathway that led to the door, the spotless -curtains behind leaded panes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was the girl, in the red-lined basket chair, that arrested -his gaze. She sat on a little lawn in the shade of a mulberry -tree, with her shapely young limbs stiffly extended, a book -in her hand, a large box of chocolates by her side. Her hair, -the colour of old gold, an old gold that held life and sheen; a -flawless complexion, and, when she turned her head in his -direction, a pair of grave, questioning eyes, deeper than grey, -yet greyer than blue. . . .</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She drew up her feet hurriedly and rose.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m so sorry to disturb you,”—Dick, hat in hand, smiled -his apology—“but I want water for my poor little Lizzie. -She’s developed a prodigious thirst.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She frowned for a second, and then laughed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Lizzie—you mean a car? If you’ll come to the back of -the cottage I’ll show you where the well is.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He followed, wondering who she was. The tiny hint of -patronage in her tone he understood. It was the tone of -matured girlhood addressing a boy of her own age. Dick, -who was thirty and looked eighteen, with his smooth, boyish -face, had been greeted in that “little boy” tone before, and -was inwardly amused.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Here is the bucket and that is the well,” she pointed. -“I would send a maid to help you, only we haven’t a maid, -and never had a maid, and I don’t think ever shall have a -maid!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then some maid has missed a very good job,” said Dick, -“for this garden is delightful.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She neither agreed nor dissented. Perhaps she regretted -the familiarity she had shown. She conveyed to him an -impression of aloofness, as she watched the process of filling -the buckets, and when he carried them to the car on the -road outside, she followed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I thought it was a—a—what did you call it—Lizzie?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She is Lizzie to me,” said Dick stoutly as he filled the -radiator of the big Rolls, “and she will never be anything else. -There are people who think she should be called ‘Diana,’ but -those high-flown names never had any attraction for me. -She is Liz—and will always be Liz.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She walked round the machine, examining it curiously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Aren’t you afraid to be driving a big car like that?” -she asked. “I should be scared to death. It is so tremendous -and . . . and unmanageable.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick paused with a bucket in hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Fear,” he boasted, “is a word which I have expunged -from the bright lexicon of my youth.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For a second puzzled, she began to laugh softly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Did you come by way of Welford?” she asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wonder if you saw my father on the road?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I saw nobody on the road except a sour-looking gentleman -of middle age who was breaking the Sabbath by carrying -a large brown box on his back.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where did you pass him?” she asked, interested.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Two miles away—less than that.” And then, a doubt -intruding: “I hope that I wasn’t describing your parent?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It sounds rather like him,” she said without annoyance. -“Daddy is a naturalist photographer. He takes moving -pictures of birds and things—he is an amateur, of course.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Of course,” agreed Dick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He brought the buckets back to where he had found them -and lingered. Searching for an excuse, he found it in the -garden. How far he might have exploited this subject is a -matter for conjecture. Interruption came in the shape of a -young man who emerged from the front door of the cottage. -He was tall and athletic, good-looking. . . . Dick put his age -at twenty.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Hello, Ella! Father back?” he began, and then saw -the visitor.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is my brother,” said the girl, and Dick Gordon nodded. -He was conscious that this free-and-easy method of getting -acquainted was due largely, if not entirely, to his youthful -appearance. To be treated as an inconsiderable boy had its -advantages. And so it appeared.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I was telling him that boys ought not to be allowed to -drive big cars,” she said. “You remember the awful smash -there was at the Shoreham cross-roads?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray Bennett chuckled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is all part of a conspiracy to keep me from getting -a motor-bicycle. Father thinks I’ll kill somebody, and Ella -thinks I’ll kill myself.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Perhaps there was something in Dick Gordon’s quick smile -that warned the girl that she had been premature in her -appraisement of his age, for suddenly, almost abruptly, she -nodded an emphatic dismissal and turned away. Dick was at -the gate when a further respite arrived. It was the man he -had passed on the road. Tall, loose-framed, grey and gaunt -of face, he regarded the stranger with suspicion in his deep-set -eyes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good morning,” he said curtly. “Car broken down?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, thank you. I ran out of water, and Miss—er——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bennett,” said the man. “She gave you the water, eh? -Well, good morning.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He stood aside to let Gordon pass, but Dick opened the -gate and waited till the owner of Maytree Cottage had entered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My name is Gordon,” he said. Out of the corner of his eye -he saw Ella had turned back and stood with her brother within -earshot. “I am greatly obliged to you for your kindness.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The old man, with a nod, went on carrying his heavy burden -into the house, and Dick in desperation turned to the girl.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You are wrong when you think this is a difficult car to -drive—won’t you experiment? Or perhaps your brother?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The girl hesitated, but not so young Bennett.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’d like to try,” he said eagerly. “I’ve never handled a -big machine.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>That he could handle one if the opportunity came, he -showed. They watched the car gliding round the corner, the -girl with a little frown gathering between her eyes, Dick -Gordon oblivious to everything except that he had snatched -a few minutes’ closer association with the girl. He was behaving -absurdly, he told himself. He, a public official, an experienced -lawyer, was carrying on like an irresponsible, love-smitten -youth of nineteen. The girl’s words emphasized his -folly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wish you hadn’t let Ray drive,” she said. “It doesn’t -help a boy who is always wanting something better, to put -him in charge of a beautiful car . . . perhaps you don’t understand -me. Ray is very ambitious and dreams in millions. A -thing like this unsettles him.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The older man came out at that moment, a black pipe -between his teeth, and, seeing the two at the gate, a cloud -passed over his face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Let him drive your car, have you?” he said grimly. -“I wish you hadn’t—it was very kind of you, Mr. Gordon, -but in Ray’s case a mistaken kindness.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m very sorry,” said the penitent Dick. “Here he comes!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The big car spun toward them and halted before the gate.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She’s a beauty!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray Bennett jumped out and looked at the machine with -admiration and regret.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My word, if she were mine!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She isn’t,” snapped the old man, and then, as though -regretting his petulance: “Some day perhaps you’ll own a -fleet, Ray—are you going to London, Mr. Gordon?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Maybe you wouldn’t care to stop and eat a very frugal -meal with us?” asked the elder Bennett, to his surprise and -joy. “And you’ll be able to tell this foolish son of mine -that owning a big car isn’t all joy-riding.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick’s first impression was of the girl’s astonishment. -Apparently he was unusually honoured, and this was confirmed -after John Bennett had left them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re the first boy that has ever been asked to dinner,” -she said when they were alone. “Isn’t he, Ray?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray smiled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Dad doesn’t go in for the social life, and that’s a fact,” -he said. “I asked him to have Philo Johnson down for a -week-end, and he killed the idea before it was born. And the -old philosopher is a good fellow and the boss’s confidential -secretary. You’ve heard of Maitlands Consolidated, I suppose?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick nodded. The marble palace on the Strand Embankment -in which the fabulously rich Mr. Maitland operated, was -one of the show buildings of London.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m in his office—exchange clerk,” said the young man, -“and Philo could do a whole lot for me if dad would pull out -an invitation. As it is, I seem doomed to be a clerk for the -rest of my life.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The white hand of the girl touched his lips.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’ll be rich some day, Ray dear, and it is foolish to -blame daddy.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The young man growled something under the hand, and -then laughed a little bitterly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Dad has tried every get-rich-quick scheme that the mind -and ingenuity of man——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And why?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The voice was harsh, tremulous with anger. None of them -had noticed the reappearance of John Bennett.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re doing work you don’t like. My God! What of -me? I’ve been trying for twenty years to get out. I’ve tried -every silly scheme—that’s true. But it was for you——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He stopped abruptly at the sight of Gordon’s embarrassment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I invited you to dinner, and I’m pulling out the family -skeleton,” he said with rough good-humour.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He took Dick’s arm and led him down the garden path -between the serried ranks of rose bushes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know why I asked you to stay, young man,” he -said. “An impulse, I suppose . . . maybe a bad conscience. -I don’t give these young people all the company -they ought to have at home, and I’m not much of a companion -for them. It’s too bad that you should be the witness of the -first family jar we’ve had for years.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His voice and manner were those of an educated man. -Dick wondered what occupation he followed, and why it -should be so particularly obnoxious that he should be seeking -some escape.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The girl was quiet throughout the meal. She sat at Dick’s -left hand and she spoke very seldom. Stealing an occasional -glance at her, he thought she looked preoccupied and troubled, -and blamed his presence as the cause.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Apparently no servant was kept at the cottage. She did -the waiting herself, and she had replaced the plates when the -old man asked:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I shouldn’t think you were as young as you look, Mr. -Gordon—what do you do for a living?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m quite old,” smiled Dick. “Thirty-one.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thirty-one?” gasped Ella, going red. “And I’ve been -talking to you as though you were a child!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Think of me as a child at heart,” he said gravely. “As -to my occupation—I’m a persecutor of thieves and murderers -and bad characters generally. My name is Richard Gordon——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The knife fell with a clatter from John Bennett’s hand and -his face went white.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gordon—Richard Gordon?” he said hollowly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For a second their eyes met, the clear blue and the faded -blue.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes—I am the Assistant Director of Prosecutions,” said -Gordon quietly. “And I have an idea that you and I have -met before.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The pale eyes did not waver. John Bennett’s face was -a mask.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not professionally, I hope,” he said, and there was a -challenge in his voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick laughed again as at the absurdity of the question.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not professionally,” he said with mock gravity.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>On his way back to London that night his memory worked -overtime, but he failed to place John Bennett of Horsham.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='17' id='Page_17'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER II</h1></div> - -<h3>A TALK ABOUT FROGS</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>M</span>AITLANDS Consolidated had grown from one small -office to its present palatial proportions in a comparatively -short space of time. Maitland was a man advanced -in years, patriarchal in appearance, sparing of speech. He -had arrived in London unheralded, and had arrived, in the -less accurate sense of the word, before London was aware -of his existence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick Gordon saw the speculator for the first time as he -was waiting in the marble-walled vestibule. A man of middle -height, bearded to his waist; his eyes almost hidden under -heavy white brows; stout and laborious of gait, he came slowly -through the outer office, where a score of clerks sat working -under their green-shaded lamps, and, looking neither to the -right nor left, walked into the elevator and was lost to -view.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is the old man: have you seen him before?” asked -Ray Bennett, who had come out to meet the caller a second -before. “He’s a venerable old cuss, but as tight as a soundproof -door. You couldn’t pry money from him, not if you -used dynamite! He pays Philo a salary that the average -secretary wouldn’t look at, and if Philo wasn’t such an easygoing -devil, he’d have left years ago.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick Gordon was feeling a little uncomfortable. His -presence at Maitlands was freakish, his excuse for calling as -feeble as any weak brain could conceive. If he had spoken -the truth to the flattered young man on whom he called in -business hours, he would have said: “I have idiotically -fallen in love with your sister. I am not especially interested -in you, but I regard you as a line that will lead me to another -meeting, therefore I have made my being in the neighbourhood -an excuse for calling. And because of this insane love -I have for your sister, I am willing to meet even Philo, who -will surely bore me.” Instead he said:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You are a friend of Philo—why do you call him that?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Because he’s a philosophical old horse—his other name -is Philip,” said the other with a twinkle in his eye. “Everybody -is a friend of Philo’s—he’s the kind of man that makes -friendship easy.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The elevator door opened at that moment and a man -came out. Instinctively Dick Gordon knew that this bald -and middle-aged man with the good-humoured face was the -subject of their discussion. His round, fat face creased in -a smile as he recognized Ray, and after he had handed a -bundle of documents to one of the clerks, he came over to -where they were standing.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Meet Mr. Gordon,” said Ray. “This is my friend -Johnson.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Philo grasped the extended hand warmly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Warm” was a word which had a special significance in -relation to Mr. Johnson. He seemed to radiate a warming -and quickening influence. Even Dick Gordon, who was not -too ready to respond, came under the immediate influence -of his geniality.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re Mr. Gordon of the Public Prosecution Department—Ray -was telling me,” he said. “I should like you -to come one day and prosecute old man Maitland! He is -certainly the most prosecutable gentleman I’ve met for years!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The jest tickled Mr. Johnson. He was, thought Dick, -inclined to laugh at himself.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve got to get back: he’s in a tantrum this morning. -Anyone would think the Frogs were after him.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Philo Johnson, with a cheery nod, hurried back to the lift. -Was it imagination on Dick’s part? He could have sworn -the face of Ray Bennett was a deeper shade of red, and that -there was a look of anxiety in his eyes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s very good of you to keep your promise and call . . . -yes, I’ll be glad to lunch with you, Gordon. And my sister -will also, I’m sure. She is often in town.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His adieux were hurried and somewhat confused. Dick -Gordon went out into the street puzzled. Of one thing he -was certain: that behind the young man’s distress lay that -joking reference to the Frogs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When he returned to his office, still sore with himself that -he had acted rather like a moon-calf or a farm hand making -his awkward advances to the village belle, he found a troubled-looking -chief of police waiting for him, and at the sight of -him Dick’s eyes narrowed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well?” he asked. “What of Genter?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The police chief made a grimace like one who was swallowing -an unpleasant potion.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They slipped me,” he said. “The Frog arrived in a -car—I wasn’t prepared for that. Genter got in, and they -were gone before I realized what had happened. Not that -I’m worried. Genter has a gun, and he’s a pretty tough -fellow in a rough house.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick Gordon stared at and through the man, and then:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think you should have been prepared for the car,” he -said. “If Genter’s message was well founded, and he is -on the track of the Frog, you should have expected a car. -Sit down, Wellingdale.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The grey-haired man obeyed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m not excusing myself,” he growled. “The Frogs -have got me rattled. I treated them as a joke once.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Maybe we’d be wiser if we treated them as a joke now,” -suggested Dick, biting off the end of a cigar. “They may be -nothing but a foolish secret society. Even tramps are entitled -to their lodges and pass-words, grips and signs.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Wellingdale shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You can’t get away from the record of the past seven -years,” he said. “It isn’t the fact that every other bad -road-criminal we pull in has the frog tattooed on his wrist. -That might be sheer imitation—and, in any case, all crooks -of low mentality have tattoo marks. But in that seven years -we’ve had a series of very unpleasant crimes. First there -was the attack upon the <span class='it'>chargé d’affaires</span> of the United -States Embassy—bludgeoned to sleep in Hyde Park. Then -there was the case of the President of the Northern Trading -Company—clubbed as he was stepping out of his car in Park -Lane. Then the big fire which destroyed the Mersey Rubber -Stores, where four million pounds’ worth of raw rubber went -up in smoke. Obviously the work of a dozen fire bugs, for -the stores consist of six big warehouses and each was fired -simultaneously and in two places. And the Frogs were in -it. We caught two of the men for the Rubber job; they were -both ‘Frogs’ and bore the totem of the tribe—they were -both ex-convicts, and one of them admitted that he had had -instructions to carry out the job, but took back his words -next day. I never saw a man more scared than he was. -And I can’t blame him. If half that is said about the Frog -is true, his admission cost him something. There it is, Mr. -Gordon. I can give you a dozen cases. Genter has been two -years on their track. He has been tramping the country, -sleeping under hedges, hogging in with all sorts of tramps, -stealing rides with them and thieving with them; and when -he wrote me and said he had got into touch with the organization -and expected to be initiated, I thought we were near -to getting them. I’ve had Genter shadowed since he struck -town. I’m sick about this morning.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick Gordon opened a drawer of his desk, took out a leather -folder and turned the leaves of its contents. They consisted -of pages of photographs of men’s wrists. He studied them -carefully, as though he were looking at them for the first -time, though, in truth, he had examined these records of -captured men almost every day for years. Then he closed -the portfolio thoughtfully and put it away in the drawer. -For a few minutes he sat, drumming his fingers on the edge -of the writing-table, a frown on his youthful face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The frog is always on the left wrist, always a little lob-sided, -and there is always one small blob tattooed underneath,” -he said. “Does that strike you as being remarkable?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The Superintendent, who was not a brilliant man, saw -nothing remarkable in the fact.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='20' id='Page_20'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER III</h1></div> - -<h3>THE FROG</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>I</span>T was growing dark when the two tramps, skirting the -village of Morby, came again to the post road. The -circumvention of Morby had been a painful and tiring business, -for the rain which had been falling all day had transformed -the ploughed fields into glutinous brown seas that made walking -a test of patience.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>One was tall, unshaven, shabby, his faded brown coat was -buttoned to his chin, his sagged and battered hat rested on -the back of his head. His companion seemed short by comparison, -though he was a well-made, broad-shouldered man, -above the average height.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They spoke no word as they plodded along the muddy -road. Twice the shorter man stopped and peered backward -in the gathering darkness, as though searching for a pursuer, -and once he clutched the big man’s arm and drew him to -hiding behind the bushes that fringed the road. This was -when a car tore past with a roar and a splattering of liquid -mud.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>After a while they turned off the road, and crossing a field, -came to the edge of a wild waste of land traversed by an -ancient cart track.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’re nearly there,” growled the smaller man, and the -other grunted. But for all his seeming indifference, his keen -eyes were taking in every detail of the scene. Solitary building -on the horizon . . . looked like a barn. Essex County -(he guessed this from the indicator number on the car that -had passed); waste land probably led to a disused clay pit -. . . or was it quarry? There was an old notice-board fixed -to a groggy post near the gate through which the cart track -passed. It was too dark to read the faded lettering, but he -saw the word “lime.” Limestone? It would be easy to -locate.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The only danger was if the Frogs were present in force. -Under cover of his overcoat, he felt for the Browning and -slipped it into his overcoat pocket.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>If the Frogs were in strength, there might be a tough -fight. Help there was none. He never expected there would -be. Carlo had picked him up on the outskirts of the city -in his disreputable car, and had driven him through the rain, -tacking and turning, following secondary roads, avoiding towns -and hamlets, so that, had he been sitting by the driver’s -side, he might have grown confused. But he was not. He -was sitting in the darkness of the little van, and saw nothing. -Wellingdale, with the shadows who had been watching him, -had not been prepared for the car. A tramp with a motor-car -was a monstrosity. Even Genter himself was taken aback -when the car drew up to the pavement where he was waiting, -and the voice of Carlo hissed, “Jump in!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They crossed the crest of a weed-grown ridge. Below, -Genter saw a stretch of ground littered with rusting trollies, -twisted Decourville rails, and pitted with deep, rain-filled -holes. Beyond, on the sharp line of the quarry’s edge, -was a small wooden hut, and towards this Carlo led the -way.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not nervous, are you?” he asked, and there was a sneer -in his voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not very,” said the other coolly. “I suppose the fellows -are in that shack?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Carlo laughed softly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There are no others,” he said, “only the Frog himself. -He comes up the quarry face—there’s a flight of steps that -come up under the hut. Good idea, eh? The hut hangs -over the edge, and you can’t even see the steps, not if you -hang over. I tried once. They’d never catch him, not if -they brought forty million cops.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Suppose they surrounded the quarry?” suggested Genter, -but the man scoffed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Wouldn’t he know it was being surrounded before he -came in? He knows everything, does the Frog.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He looked down at the other’s hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It won’t hurt,” he said, “and it’s worth it if it does! -You’ll never be without a friend again, Harry. If you get -into trouble, there’s always the best lawyer to defend you. -And you’re the kind of chap we’re looking for—there is plenty -of trash. Poor fools that want to get in for the sake of the -pickings. But you’ll get big work, and if you do a special -job for him, there’s hundreds and hundreds of money for you! -If you’re hungry or ill, the Frogs will find you out and help -you. That’s pretty good, ain’t it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Genter said nothing. They were within a dozen yards -of the hut now, a strong structure built of stout timber -bulks, with one door and a shuttered window.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Motioning Genter to remain where he was, the man called -Carlo went forward and tapped on the door. Genter heard -a voice, and then he saw the man step to the window, and -the shutter open an inch. There followed a long conversation -in an undertone, and then Carlo came back.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He says he has a job for you that will bring in a thousand—you’re -lucky! Do you know Rochmore?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Genter nodded. He knew that aristocratic suburb.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s a man there that has got to be coshed. He -comes home from his club every night by the eleven-five. -Walks to his house. It is up a dark road, and a fellow could -get him with a club without trouble. Just one smack and -he’s finished. It’s not killing, you understand.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why does he want me to do it?” asked the tall tramp -curiously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The explanation was logical.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“All new fellows have to do something to show their -pluck and straightness. What do you say?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Genter had not hesitated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll do it,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Carlo returned to the window, and presently he called his -companion.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Stand here and put your left arm through the window,” -he ordered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Genter pulled back the cuff of his soddened coat and thrust -his bare arm through the opening. His hand was caught in -a firm grip, and immediately he felt something soft and wet -pressed against his wrist. A rubber stamp, he noted mentally, -and braced himself for the pain which would follow. It -came, the rapid pricking of a thousand needles, and he winced. -Then the grip on his hand relaxed and he withdrew it, to look -wonderingly on the blurred design of ink and blood that the -tattooer had left.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t wipe it,” said a muffled voice from the darkness -of the hut. “Now you may come in.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The shutter closed and was bolted. Then came the snick -of a lock turning and the door opened. Genter went into -the pitch-black darkness of the hut and heard the door locked -by the unseen occupant.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Your number is K 971,” said the hollow voice. “When -you see that in the personal column of <span class='it'>The Times</span>, you report -here, wherever you are. Take that. . . .”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Genter put out his hand and an envelope was placed in his -outstretched palm. It was as though the mysterious Frog -could see, even in that blackness.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There is journey money and a map of the district. If -you spend the journey money, or if you fail to come when -you are wanted, you will be killed. Is that clear?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You will find other money—that you can use for your -expenses. Now listen. At Rochmore, 17 Park Avenue, -lives Hallwell Jones, the banker——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He must have sensed the start of surprise which the recruit -gave.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You know him?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes—worked for him years ago,” said Genter.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Stealthily, he drew his Browning from his pocket and -thumbed down the safety catch.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Between now and Friday he has to be clubbed. You -need not kill him. If you do, it doesn’t matter. I expect -his head’s too hard——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Genter located the man now, and, growing accustomed to -the darkness, guessed rather than saw the bulk of him. Suddenly -his hand shot out and grasped the arm of the Frog.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve got a gun and I’ll shoot,” he said between his teeth. -“I want you, Frog! I am Inspector Genter from police headquarters, -and if you resist I’ll kill you!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For a second there was a deathly silence. Then Genter -felt his pistol wrist seized in a vice-like grip. He struck -out with his other hand, but the man stooped and the blow -fell in the air, and then with a wrench the pistol was forced -out of the big man’s hand and he closed with his prisoner. -So doing, his face touched the Frog’s. Was it a mask he was -wearing? . . . The cold mica goggles came against his -cheek. That accounted for the muffled voice. . . .</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Powerful as he was, he could not break away from the -arms which encircled him, and they struggled backward -and forward in the darkness.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Suddenly the Frog lifted his foot, and Genter, anticipating -the kick, swerved round. There was a crash of broken glass, -and then something came to the detective—a faint but pungent -odour. He tried to breathe, but found himself strangling, -and his arms fell feebly by his side.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The Frog held him for a minute, and then let the limp figure -fall with a thud to the ground. In the morning a London -police patrol found the body of Inspector Genter lying in the -garden of an empty house, and rang for an ambulance. But -a man who has been gassed by the concentrated fumes of -hydrocyanic acid dies very quickly, and Genter had been dead -ten seconds after the Frog smashed the thin glass cylinder -which he kept in the hut for such emergencies as these.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='25' id='Page_25'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER IV</h1></div> - -<h3>ELK</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>T</span>HERE was no detective in the world who looked less -like a police officer, and a clever police officer, than -Elk. He was tall and thin, and a slight stoop accentuated -his weediness. His clothes seemed ill-fitting, and hung upon -rather than fitted him. His dark, cadaverous face was set -permanently in an expression of the deepest gloom, and few -had ever seen him smile. His superiors found him generally -a depressing influence, for his outlook on life was prejudiced -and apparently embittered by his failure to secure promotion. -Faulty education stood in his way here. Ten times he -had come up for examination, and ten times he had failed, -invariably in the same subject—history.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick, who knew him better than his immediate chiefs, -guessed that these failures did not worry Mr. Elk as much -as people thought. Indeed, he often detected a glum pride -in his inability to remember historical dates, and once, in -a moment of astonishing confidence, Elk had confessed that -promotion would be an embarrassment to a man of his limited -educational attainments. For Elk’s everyday English was -one of his weaknesses.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s no rest for the wicked, Mr. Gordon,” he sighed -as he sat down. “I thought I’d get a holiday after my trip -to the U.S.A.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I want to know all about Lola Bassano—who are her -friends, why she has suddenly attached herself to Raymond -Bennett, a clerk in the employ of Maitlands Consolidated. -Particularly why she picked him up at the corner of St. -James’s Square and drove him to Horsham last night. I saw -them by accident as I was coming out of my club, and followed. -They sat in her coupé for the greater part of two hours within -a hundred yards of Bennett’s house, and they were talking. -I know, because I stood in the rain behind the car, listening. -If he had been making love to her I should have understood—a -little. But they were talking, and talking money. I -heard certain sums mentioned. At four o’clock he got out -of the car and went into his house, and Lola drove off.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk, puffing, sadly shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Lola wouldn’t talk about anything but money anyway,” -he said. “She’s like Queen What’s-her-name who died in -1077, or maybe it was 1573. She married King Henry, or it -may have been Charles, because she wanted a gold snuff-box -he had. I’m not sure whether it was a gold snuff-box or a -silver bed. Anyway, she got it an’ was be’eaded in . . . I -don’t remember the date.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thank you for the parallel,” smiled Dick. “But Lola -is not after snuff-boxes of gold or silver. Young Bennett -hasn’t twopence of his own. There is something particularly -interesting to me about this acquaintance.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk smoked thoughtfully, watching the smoke rings rise -to the ceiling.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bennett’s got a sister,” he said, to the other’s amazement. -“Pretty, as far as looks go. Old man Bennett’s a -crook of some kind. Doesn’t do any regular work, but goes -away for days at a time and comes back looking ill.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You know them?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Old man Bennett attracted me. Somebody reported -his movements as suspicious—the local police. They’ve got -nothing to do except guard chickens, and naturally they look -on anybody who doesn’t keep chickens as bein’ a suspicious -character. I kept old Bennett under observation, but I never -got to the bottom of his movements. He has run lots of queer -stunts. He wrote a play once and put it on. It went dead -on the fourth night. Then he took to playing the races on -a system. That nearly broke him. Then he started a correspondence -school at Horsham—‘How to write good English’—and -he lost money. Now he’s taking pictures.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How long has he been trying those methods of getting -a living?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Years. I traced a typewriting agency to him seventeen -years ago. They haven’t all been failures. He made money -out of some. But I’d give my head to know what his regular -game is. Once a month regular, sometimes twice, sometimes -more often, he disappears and you can’t find him or trail -him. I’ve sounded every crook in town, but they’re as -much puzzled as I am. Lew Brady—that’s the big sporting -fellow who worked with Lola—he’s interested too. He hates -Bennett. Years ago he tackled the old man and tried to -bully him into telling him what his lay was, and Bennett -handled him rough.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The old man?” asked Dick incredulously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The old man. He’s as strong as an ox. Don’t forget it. -I’ll see Lola. She’s not a bad girl—up to a point. Personally, -vamps never appeal to me. Genter’s dead, they tell -me? The Frog’s in that too?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s no doubt about it,” said Dick, rising. “And -here, Elk, is one of the men who killed him.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He walked to the window and looked out, Elk behind him. -The man who had stood on the sidewalk had disappeared.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where?” asked Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s gone now. I——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At that moment the window shattered inward, and splinters -of glass stung his face. Another second, and Elk was dragged -violently to cover.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“From the roof of Onslow Gardens,” said Richard Gordon -calmly. “I wondered where the devils would shoot from—that’s -twice they’ve tried to get me since daylight.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A spent cartridge on the flat roof of 94, Onslow Gardens, -and the print of feet, were all the evidence that the assassin -left behind. No. 94 was empty except for a caretaker, who -admitted that he was in the habit of going out every morning -to buy provisions for the day. Admission had been gained -by the front door; there was a tradesman who saw a man -let himself into the house, carrying what looked to be a fishing-rod -under his arm, but which undoubtedly was a rifle in a -cloth case.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Very simple,” said Dick; “and, of course, from the -Frog’s point of view, effective. The shooter had half-a-dozen -ways of escape, including the fire-escape.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk was silent and glum. Dick Gordon as silent, but -cheerful, until the two men were back in his office.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was my inquiry at the garage that annoyed them,” -he said, “and I’ll give them this credit, that they are rapid! -I was returning to my house when the first attempt was -made. The most ingenious effort to run me down with a light -car—the darned thing even mounted the pavement after me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Number?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“XL.19741,” said Dick, “but fake. There is no such -number on the register. The driver was gone before I could -stop him.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk scratched his chin, surveying the youthful Public -Prosecutor with a dubious eye.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Almost sounds interesting to me,” he said. “Of course -I’ve heard of the Frogs, but I didn’t give much attention. -Nowadays secret societies are so common that every time a -man shakes hands with me, he looks sort of disappointed if -I don’t pull my ear or flap my feet. And gang work on a -large scale I’ve always looked upon as something you only -hear about in exciting novels by my old friend Shylock——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sherlock—and he didn’t write them,” murmured Dick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Again Elk fingered his cheek.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t believe in it, anyway,” he said after thought. -“It’s not natural that tramps should do anything systematic. -It’s too much like work. I’ll bet there’s nothing in it, only -a lot of wild coincidences stickin’ together. I’ll bet that the -Frogs are just a silly society without any plan or reason. -And I’ll bet that Lola knows all about ’em,” he added -inconsistently.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk walked back to “The Yard” by the most circuitous -route. With his furled and ancient umbrella hanging on -his arm, he had the appearance of an out-of-work clerk. -His steel-rimmed spectacles, clipped at a groggy angle, -assisted the illusion. Winter and summer he wore a soiled -fawn top-coat, which was invariably unbuttoned, and he -had worn the same yellowish-brown suit for as long as anybody -could remember. The rain came down, not in any great -quantities, but incessantly. His hard derby hat glistened -with moisture, but he did not put up his umbrella. Nobody -had ever seen that article opened.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He walked to Trafalgar Square and then stopped, stood -in thought for some time, and retraced his steps. Opposite -the Public Prosecutor’s office stood a tall street-seller with -a little tray of matches, key-rings, pencils and the odds -and ends that such men sell. His wares, for the moment, -were covered by a shining oil-cloth. Elk had not noticed -him before, and wondered why the man had taken up so -unfavourable a stand, for the end of Onslow Gardens, the -windiest and least comfortable position in Whitehall, is not -a place where the hurrying pedestrian would stop to buy, -even on a fine day. The hawker was dressed in a shabby raincoat -that reached to his heels; a soft felt hat was pulled down -over his eyes, but Elk saw the hawk-like face and stopped.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Busy?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Naw.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk was immediately interested. This man was American, -and was trying to disguise his voice so that it appeared Cockney—the -most impossible task that any American had ever -undertaken, for the whine and intonation of the Cockney are -inimitable.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re American—what state?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Georgia,” was the reply, and this time the hawker made -no attempt at disguise. “Came over on a cattle-boat during -the war.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk held out his hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Let me see that licence of yours, brother,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Without hesitation the man produced the written police -permit to sell on the streets. It was made out in the name of -“Joshua Broad,” and was in order.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re not from Georgia,” said Elk, “but that doesn’t -matter. You’re from Hampshire or Massachusetts.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Connecticut, to be exact,” said the man coolly, “but -I’ve lived in Georgia. Want a key-ring?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a gleam of amusement in his eyes—the merest -flash.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No. Never had a key. Never had anything worth -locking up,” said Elk, fingering the articles on the tray. “Not -a good pitch, this.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No,” said the other; “too near to Scotland Yard, Mr. -Elk.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk cast a swift glance at the man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Know me, do you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Most people do, don’t they?” asked the other innocently.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk took the pedlar in from the soles of his stout shoes -to his soddened hat, and, with a nod, went on. The hawker -looked after the detective until he was out of sight, and then, -fixing a cover over his tray, strapped it tight and walked in -the direction Elk had taken.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Coming out of Maitlands to lunch, Ray Bennett saw a -shabby and saturnine man standing on the edge of the pavement, -but gave him no more than a passing glance. He, -at any rate, did not know Elk and was quite unconscious -of the fact that he was being followed to the little chop-house -where Philo Johnson and he took their modest luncheon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In any circumstances Ray would not have observed the -shadow, but to-day, in his condition of mind, he had no -thought for anybody but himself, or any offence but the -bearded and ancient Maitland’s outrageous behaviour.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The old devil!” he said as he walked by Johnson’s side. -“To make a ten per cent cut in salaries and to start on me! -And this morning the papers say that he has given five -thousand to the Northern Hospitals!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s a charitable cuss, and as to the cut, it was either -that or standing you off,” said Johnson cheerfully. “What’s -the use of kicking? Trade has been bad, and the stock -market is as dead as Ptolemy. The old man wanted to put -you off—said that you were superfluous anyway. If you’d -only look on the bright side of things, Ray——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bright!” snorted the young man, his face going pink -with anger. “I’m getting a boy’s salary, and I want money -mighty badly, Philo.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Philo sighed, and for once his good-humoured face was -clouded. Then it relaxed into a broad grin.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If I thought the same way as you, I’d go mad or turn -into a first-class crook. I only earn about fifty per cent -more than you, and yet the old man allows me to handle -hundreds of thousands. It’s too bad.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Nevertheless, the “badness” of the parsimonious Maitland -did not interfere with his appetite.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The art of being happy,” he said as he pushed back his -plate and lit a cigarette, “is to want nothing. Then you’re -always getting more than you need. How is your sister?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She’s all right,” said Ray indifferently. “Ella’s the -same mind as you. It’s easy to be a philosopher over other -people’s worries. Who’s that disreputable bird?” he added, -as a man seated himself at a table opposite to them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Philo fixed his glasses—he was a little near-sighted.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s Elk—a Scotland Yard man,” he said, and grinned -at the new-comer, a recognition which, to Ray’s annoyance—and -his annoyance was tinged with uneasiness—brought -the seedy man to their table.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is my friend, Mr. Bennett—Inspector Elk, Ray.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sergeant,” suggested Elk dourly. “Fate has always -been against me in the matter of promotion. Can’t remember -dates.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>So far from making a secret of his failure, Mr. Elk was -never tired of discussing the cause.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Though why a man is a better thief-taker for knowin’ -when George Washington was born and when Napoleon -Bonaparte died, is a mystery to me. Dine here every day, -Mr. Bennett?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Know your father, I think—John Bennett of Horsham, -isn’t it? Thought so.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In desperation Ray got up with an excuse and left them -alone.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Nice boy, that,” said Elk.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='31' id='Page_31'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER V</h1></div> - -<h3>MR. MAITLAND GOES HOME</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>T</span>HEY were nearing the imposing home of Maitlands -Consolidated, when Mr. Johnson suddenly broke off -in the middle of an interesting exposition of his philosophy -and quickened his pace. On the pavement ahead of them -he saw Ray Bennett, and by his side the slim figure of a girl. -Their backs were toward the two men, but Elk guessed rightly -when he decided that the girl was Ella Bennett. He had seen -her twice before, and he had a wonderful memory for backs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Turning as the stout man came up to her, hat in hand, -she greeted him with a quick and friendly smile.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is an unexpected pleasure, Miss Bennett.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a pink tinge to Johnson’s homely face (“Sweet -on her,” thought Elk, interested), and his handshake was -warm and something more than cordial.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I didn’t intend coming to town, but father has gone off -on one of his mysterious excursions,” she said with a little -laugh, “this time to the West. And, curiously enough, I -am absolutely sure I saw him on a ’bus just now, though his -train left two hours ago.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She glanced at Elk hovering in the background, and the -sight of his glum countenance seemed to arouse some unpleasant -memory, for the brightness went out of her face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My friend, Mr. Elk,” said Johnson a little awkwardly, -and Elk nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Glad to meet you, Miss Bennett,” he said, and noted -Ray’s annoyance with inward satisfaction which, in a more -cheerful man, would have been mirth.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She bowed slightly and then said something in a low tone -to her brother. Elk saw the boy frown.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I shan’t be very late,” he said, loudly enough for the -detective to hear.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She put out her hand to Johnson, Elk she favoured with -a distant inclination of her head, and was gone, leaving the -three men looking after her. Two, for when Mr. Elk looked -around, the boy had disappeared into the building.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You know Miss Bennett?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Slightly,” said Elk grudgingly. “I know almost everybody -slightly. Good people and bad people. The gooder -they are, the slighter I know ’em. Queer devil.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who?” asked the startled Johnson. “You mean her -father? I wish he wasn’t so chilly with me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk’s lips twitched.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I guess you do,” he said drily. “So long.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He strolled aimlessly away as Johnson walked up the steps -into Maitlands, but he did not go far. Crossing the road, -he retraced his steps and took up his station in the doorway.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At four o’clock a taxicab drew up before the imposing door -of Maitlands Consolidated, and a few minutes later the old -man shuffled out, looking neither to the right nor to the left. -Elk regarded him with more than ordinary interest. He -knew the financier by sight, and had paid two or three visits -to the office in connection with certain petty thefts committed -by cleaners. In this way he had become acquainted -with Philo Johnson, for old Maitland had delegated the -interview to his subordinate.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk judged the old man to be in the region of seventy, -and wondered for the first time where he lived, and in what -state. Had he relations? It was a curious fact that he -knew nothing whatever about the financier, the least paragraphed -of any of the big City forces.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The detective had no business with the head of this flourishing -firm. His task was to discover the association between -Lola Bassano and this impecunious clerk. He knew inside -him that Dick Gordon’s interest in the young man was not -altogether disinterested, and suspected rightly that the pretty -sister of Ray Bennett lay behind it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But the itch for knowledge about Maitland, suddenly -aroused by the realization that the old man’s home life was -an unknown quantity, was too strong to be resisted. As the -taxicab moved off, Elk beckoned another.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Follow that cab,” he said, and the driver nodded his -agreement without question, for there was no taximan on -the streets who did not know this melancholy policeman.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The first of the cabs drove rapidly in the direction of -North London, and halted at a busy junction of streets in -Finsbury Park. This is a part of the town which great -financiers do not as a rule choose for their habitations. It is -a working-class district, full of small houses, usually occupied -by two or more families; and when the cab stopped -and the old man nimbly descended, Elk’s mouth opened in -an ‘O’ of surprise.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Maitland did not pay the cabman, but hurried round the -corner into the busy thoroughfare, with Elk at his heels. -He walked a hundred yards, and then boarded a street car. -Elk sprinted, and swung himself on board as the car was -moving. The old man found a seat, took a battered newspaper -from his pocket, and began reading.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The car ran down Seven Sisters Road into Tottenham, and -here Mr. Maitland descended. He turned into a side street -of apparently interminable length, crossed the road, and came -into a narrow and even meaner street than that which he -had traversed; and then, to Elk’s amazement, pushed open -the iron gate of a dark and dirty little house, opened the door -and went in, closing it behind him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The detective looked up and down the street. It was -crowded with poor children. Elk looked at the house again, -scarcely believing his eyes. The windows were unclean, the -soiled curtains visible were ragged, and the tiny forecourt -bore an appearance of neglect. And this was the home of -Ezra Maitland, a master of millions, the man who gave £5,000 -to the London hospitals! It was incredible.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He made up his mind, and, walking to the door, knocked. -For some time there was no reply, and then he heard the -shuffle of slippered feet in the passage, and an old woman -with a yellow face opened the door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Excuse me,” said Elk; “I think the gentleman who -just came in dropped this.” He produced a handkerchief -from his pocket, and she glared at it for a moment, and -then, reaching out her hand, took it from him and slammed -the door in his face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And that’s the last of my good handkerchief,” thought -Elk bitterly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He had caught one glimpse of the interior. A grimy-looking -passage with a strip of faded carpet, and a flight of -uncovered stairs. He proceeded to make a few local inquiries.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Maitland or Mainland, I don’t know which,” said a -tradesman who kept a general store at the corner. “The -old gentleman goes out every morning at nine, and comes -home just about this hour. I don’t know who or what he -is. I can tell you this, though; he doesn’t eat much! He -buys all his goods here. What those two people live on, an -ordinary healthy child would eat at one meal!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk went back to the west, a little mystified. The miser -was a common figure of fiction, and not uncommonly met -with in real life. But old Maitland must be a super-miser, -he thought, and decided to give the matter a little further -attention. For the moment, he was concentrating his efforts -upon Miss Lola Bassano, that interesting lady.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In one of the fashionable thoroughfares leading from -Cavendish Square is a block of flats, occupied by wealthy -tenants. Its rents are remarkably high, even for that exclusive -quarter, and even Elk, who was not easily surprised, -was a little staggered when he learnt that Lola Bassano -occupied a suite in this expensive building.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was to Caverley House that he made his way after -returning to Maitland’s office, to find the premises closed. -There was no indicator on the wall, but the lift-man, who -regarded Elk with some suspicion, as he was entitled to do, -announced that Miss Bassano lived on the third floor.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How long has she been here?” asked Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s no business of yours,” said the lift-man; “and I -think what you want, my friend, is the tradesmen’s entrance.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve often wondered,” ruminated Elk, “what people -like you do their thinking with.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now look here——!” began the lift-man indignantly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Look here,” retorted Elk, and at the sight of his badge -the man grew more polite and more informative.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She’s been here two months,” he said. “And, to tell -you the truth, Mr. Elk, I’ve often wondered how she got a -suite in Caverley House. They tell me she used to run a -gambling joint on Jermyn Street. You haven’t come to raid -her, have you?” he asked anxiously. “That’d get Caverley -House a pretty bad name.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve come to make a friendly call,” said Elk carefully.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s the door.” The man stepped out of the lift -and pointed to one of the two sober mahogany doors -on the landing. “This other flat belongs to an American -millionaire.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is there such a thing?” asked Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was about to say something more when the lift-man -walked to the door and peered at one of its polished panels.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s queer,” he said. “What do you make of this?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk joined him, and at a glance saw and understood.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>On the panel had been stamped a small white frog—an -exact replica of those he had seen that morning on the photographs -that Dick Gordon had shown him. A squatting frog, -slightly askew.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He touched it. The ink was still wet and showed on his -finger. And then the strangest thing of all happened. The -door opened suddenly, and a man of middle age appeared in -the doorway. In his hand was a long-barrelled Browning, -and it covered the detective’s heart.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Put up your hands!” he said sharply. Then he stopped -and stared at the detective.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk returned the gaze, speechless; for the elegantly -dressed man who stood there was the hawk-faced pedlar he -had seen in Whitehall!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The American was the first to recover. Not a muscle of -his face moved, but Elk saw again that light of amusement -in his eyes as he stepped back and opened the door still wider.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come right in, Mr. Elk,” he said, and, to the amazed -lift-man; “It’s all right, Worth. I was practising a little -joke on Mr. Elk.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He closed the door behind him, and with a gesture beckoned -the detective into a prettily furnished drawing-room. Elk -went in, leaving the matter of the frog on the door for -discussion later.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’re quite alone, Mr. Elk, so you needn’t lower your voice -when you talk of my indiscretions. Will you smoke a cigar?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk stretched out his fingers mechanically and selected a -big Cabana.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Unless I’m greatly mistaken, I saw you this morning,” -he began.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You weren’t mistaken at all,” interrupted the other -coolly. “You saw me on Whitehall. I was peddling key-rings. -My name is Joshua Broad. You haven’t anything -on me for trading in a false name.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The detective lit his cigar before he spoke.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This apartment must cost you a whole lot to keep up,” -he said slowly, “and I don’t blame you for trying to earn -something on the side. But it seems to me that peddling key-rings -is a very poor proposition for a first-class business man.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Joshua Broad nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I haven’t made a million out of that business,” he said, -“but it amuses me, Mr. Elk. I am something of a philosopher.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He lit a cigar and settled himself comfortably in a deep, -chintz-covered arm-chair, his legs crossed, the picture of -contentment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“As an American, I am interested in social problems, and -I have found that the best way to understand the very poor -of any country is to get right down amongst them.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His tone was easy, apologetic, but quite self-possessed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think I forestalled any question on your part as to -whether I had a licence in my own name, by telling you that -I had.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk settled his glasses more firmly on his nose, and his -eyes strayed to Mr. Broad’s pocket, whither the pistol had -returned.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is a pretty free country,” he said in his deliberate -way, “and a man can peddle key-rings, even if he’s a member -of the House of Lords. But one thing he mustn’t do, Mr. -Broad, is to stick fire-arms under the noses of respectable -policemen.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Broad chuckled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m afraid I was a little rattled,” he said. “But the -truth is, I’ve been waiting for the greater part of an hour, -expecting somebody to come to my door, and when I heard -your stealthy footsteps”—he shrugged—“it was a fool mistake -for a grown man to make,” he said, “and I guess I’m -feeling as badly about it as you would have me feel.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The unwavering eyes of Mr. Elk did not leave his face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I won’t insult your intelligence by asking you if you -were expecting a friend,” he said. “But I should like to -know the name of the other guest.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So should I,” said the other, “and so would a whole lot -of people.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He reached out his hand to flick the ash from his cigar, -looking at Elk thoughtfully the while.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I was expecting a man who has every reason to be very -much afraid of me,” he said. “His name is—well, it doesn’t -matter, and I’ve only met him once in my life, and then I -didn’t see his face.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And you beat him up?” suggested Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The other man laughed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I didn’t even beat him up. In fact, I behaved most -generously to him,” he said quietly. “I was not with him -more than five minutes, in a darkened room, the only light -being a lantern which was on the table. And I guess that’s -about all I can tell you, Inspector.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sergeant,” murmured Elk. “It’s curious the number of -people who think I’m an Inspector.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was an awkward pause. Elk could think of no -other questions he wanted to ask, and his host displayed -as little inclination to advance any further statement.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Neighbour friends of yours?” asked Elk, and jerked -his head toward the passage.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who—Bassano and her friend? No. Are you after -them?” he asked quickly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Making a friendly call,” he said. “Just that. I’ve -just come back from your country, Mr. Broad. A good -country, but too full of distances.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He ruminated, looking down at the carpet for a long time, -and presently he said:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’d like to meet that friend of yours, Mr. Broad—American?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Broad shook his head. Not a word was spoken as they -went up the passage to the front door, and it almost seemed -as if Elk was going without saying good-bye, for he walked -out absent-mindedly, and only turned as though the question -of any farewell had occurred to him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Shall be glad to meet you again, Mr. Broad,” he said. -“Perhaps I shall see you in Whitehall——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And then his eyes strayed to the grotesque white frog on -the door. Broad said nothing. He put his finger on the -imprint and it smudged under his touch.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Recently stamped,” he drawled. “Well, now, what do -you think of that, Mr. Elk?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk was examining the mat before the door. There was -a little spot of white, and he stooped and smeared his finger -over it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, quite recent. It must have been done just before -I came in,” he said. And there his interest in the Frog -seemed to evaporate. “I’ll be going along now,” he said -with a nod.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In the exquisitely appointed drawing-room of Suite No. 6, -Lola Bassano sat cuddled up in a deep, over-cushioned chair, -her feet tucked under her, a thin cigarette between her lips, -a scowl upon her pretty face. From time to time she glanced -at the man who stood by the window, hands in pockets, -staring down into the square. He was tall, heavily built, -heavily jowled, unprepossessing. All the help that tailor -and valet gave to him could not disguise his origin. He was -pugilist, run to fat. For a time, a very short time, Lew -Brady had been welter-weight champion of Europe, a terrific -fighter with just that yellow thread in his composition which -makes all the difference between greatness and mediocrity -in the ring. A harder man had discovered his weakness, and -the glory of Lew Brady faded with remarkable rapidity. He -had one advantage over his fellows which saved him from -utter extinction. A philanthropist had found him in the -gutter as a child, and had given him an education. He had -gone to a good school and associated with boys who spoke -good English. The benefit of that association he had never -lost, and his voice was so curiously cultured that people who -for the first time heard this brute-man speak, listened open-mouthed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What time do you expect that rat of yours?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Lola lifted her silk-clad shoulders, took out her cigarette -to yawn, and settled herself more cosily.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know. He leaves his office at five.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man turned from the window and began to pace the -room slowly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why Frog worries about him I don’t know,” he grumbled. -“Lola, I’m surely getting tired of old man Frog.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Lola smiled and blew out a ring of smoke.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Perhaps you’re tired of getting money for nothing, -Brady,” she said. “Personally speaking, that kind of weariness -never comes to me. There is one thing sure; Frog -wouldn’t bother with young Bennett if there wasn’t something -in it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He pulled out a watch and glanced at its jewelled face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Five o’clock. I suppose that fellow doesn’t know you’re -married to me?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t be a fool,” said Lola wearily. “Am I likely to -boast about it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He grinned and resumed his pacings. Presently he heard -the faint tinkle of the bell and glanced at the girl. She got -up, shook the cushions and nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Open the door,” she said, and the man went out of the -room obediently.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray Bennett crossed the room with quick strides and -caught the girl’s hand in both of his.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m late. Old Johnson kept me running round after -the clerks had gone. Moses, this is a fine room, Lola! I -hadn’t any idea you lived in such style.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You know Lew Brady?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray nodded smilingly. He was a picture of happiness, -and the presence of Lew Brady made no difference to him. -He had met Lola at a supper club, and knew that she and -Brady had some business association. Moreover, Ray prided -himself upon that confusion of standards which is called -“broad-mindedness.” He visualized a new social condition -which was superior to the bondage which old-fashioned rules -of conduct imposed upon men and women in their relationship -one to the other. He was young, clean-minded, saw -things as he would have them be. Breadth of mind not -infrequently accompanies limitation of knowledge.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now for your wonderful scheme,” he said as, at a gesture -from her, he settled himself by the girl’s side. “Does -Brady know?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is Lew’s idea,” she said lightly. “He is always looking -out for opportunities—not for himself but for other -people.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s a weakness of mine,” said Lew apologetically. “And -anyway, I don’t know if you’ll like the scheme. I’d have -taken it on myself, but I’m too busy. Did Lola tell you -anything about it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I can’t believe it,” he said. “I always thought such -things belonged to magazine stories! Lola says that the -Government of Japan wants a secret agent in London. Somebody -they can disown, if necessary. But what is the work?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There you’ve got me,” said Lew, shaking his head. “So -far as I can discover, you’ve nothing to do but live! Perhaps -they’ll want you to keep track of what is going on in -the political world. The thing I don’t like about it is that -you’ll have to live a double life. Nobody must know that -you’re a clerk at Maitlands. You can call yourself by any -name you like, and you’ll have to make your domestic arrangements -as best you know.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That will be easy,” interrupted the boy. “My father -says I ought to have a room in town—he thinks the journey -to and from Horsham every day is too expensive. I fixed that -with him on Sunday. I shall have to go down to the cottage -some week-ends—but what am I to do, and to whom do I -report?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Lola laughed softly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Poor boy,” she mocked. “The prospect of owning a -beautiful flat and seeing me every day is worrying him.”</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='41' id='Page_41'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER VI</h1></div> - -<h3>MR. MAITLAND GOES SHOPPING</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>E</span>LDOR STREET, Tottenham, was one of thousands of -drab and ugly thoroughfares that make up the central -suburbs of London. Imagine two rows of houses set on either -side of a straight street, lighted at economic intervals by yellow -lamps. Each house has a protuberance, called a bay window; -each house is separated from the road by iron railings pierced -by an iron gate. There is a tiny forecourt in which the hardiest -of shrubs battle desperately for existence; there is one recessed -door, and on the floor above two windows exactly alike.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk found himself in Eldor Street at nine o’clock that night. -The rain was pelting down, and the street in consequence was -a desert. Most of the houses were dark, for Eldor Street -lives in its kitchens, which are back of the houses. In the -front window of No. 47 one crack of light showed past the edge -of the lowered blind, and, creeping up to the window, he heard, -at long intervals, the mumble of conversation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was difficult to believe that he was standing at the door -of Ezra Maitland’s home. That morning the newspapers had -given prominence to the newest speculation of Maitlands Consolidated—a -deal involving something over a million. And -the master-mind of the concern lived in this squalor!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Whilst he was standing there, the light was extinguished and -there came to him the sound of feet in the uncarpeted passage. -He had time to reach the obscurity of the other side of the -street, when the door opened and two people came out: -Maitland and the old woman he had seen. By the light of a -street-lamp he saw that Maitland wore an overcoat buttoned -to his chin. The old woman had on a long ulster, and in her -hand she carried a string bag. They were going marketing! -It was Saturday night, and the main street, through which Elk -had passed, had been thronged with late shoppers—Tottenham -leaves its buying to the last, when food can be had at bargain -prices.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Waiting until they were out of sight, Elk walked down the -street to the end and turned to the left. He followed a wall -covered with posters until he reached a narrow opening. This -was the passage between the gardens—a dark, unlighted alleyway, -three feet wide and running between tar-coated wooden -fences. He counted the gates on his left with the help of his -flash-lamp, and after a while stopped before one of them and -pushed gently. The gate was locked—it was not bolted. -There was a keyhole that had the appearance of use. Elk -grunted his satisfaction, and, taking from his pocket a wallet, -extracted a small wooden handle, into which he fitted a steel -hook, chosen with care from a dozen others. This he inserted -into the lock and turned. Evidently the lock was more complicated -than he had expected. He tried another hook of a -different shape, and yet another. At the fourth trial the lock -turned and he pushed open the door gently.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The back of the house was in darkness, the yard singularly -free from the obstructions which he had anticipated. He -crossed to the door leading into the house. To his surprise it -was unfastened, and he replaced his tools in his pocket. He -found himself in a small scullery. Passing through a door into -the bare passage, he came to the room in which he had seen -the light. It was meanly and shabbily furnished. The arm-chair -near the fireplace had broken springs, there was an untidy -bed in one corner, and in the centre of the room a table covered -with a patched cloth. On this were two or three books and a -few sheets of paper covered with the awkward writing of a -child. Elk read curiously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Look at the dog,” it ran. “The man goes up to the -dog and the dog barks at the man.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was more in similar strain. The books were children’s -primers of an elementary kind. Looking round, he -saw a cheap gramophone and on the sideboard half a dozen -scratched and chipped records.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The child must be in the house. Turning on the gas, he -lit it, after slipping a bolt in the front door to guard against -surprise. In the more brilliant light, the poverty of the -room staggered him. The carpet was worn and full of holes; -there was not one article of furniture which had not been -repaired at some time or other. On the dingy sideboard -was a child’s abacus—a frame holding wires on which beads -were strung, and by means of which the young are taught -to count. A paper on the mantelpiece attracted him. It -was a copy of the million pound contract which Maitland -had signed that morning. His neat signature, with the -characteristic flourish beneath, was at the foot.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk replaced the paper and began a search of the apartment. -In a cupboard by the side of the fireplace he found -an iron money-box, which he judged was half-full of coins. -In addition, there were nearly a hundred letters addressed -to E. Maitland, 47 Eldor Street, Tottenham. Elk, glancing -through them, recognized their unimportance. Every one -was either a tradesman’s circular or those political pamphlets -with which candidates flood their constituencies. And they -were all unopened. Mr. Maitland evidently knew what they -were also, and had not troubled to examine their contents. -Probably the hoarding instincts of age had made him keep -them. There was nothing else in the room of interest. He -was certain that this was where the old man slept—where -was the child?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Turning out the light, he went upstairs. One door was -locked, and here his instruments were of no avail, for the -lock was a patent one and was recently fixed. Possibly the -child was there, he thought. The second room, obviously -the old woman’s, was as meanly furnished as the parlour.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Coming back to the landing, his foot was poised to reach -the first stair when he heard a faint “click.” It came from -below, and was the sound of a door closing. Elk waited, -listening. The sound was not repeated, and he descended -softly. At first he thought that the old man had returned, -and was trying his key on the bolted door, but when he crept -to the door to listen, he heard no sound, and slipping back -the bolt, he went to the second of the rooms on the ground -floor and put his light on the door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk was a man of keen observation; very little escaped -him, and he was perfectly certain that this door had been -ajar when he had passed it on entering the house. It was -closed now and fastened from the inside, the key being in -the lock.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Was it the child, frightened by his presence? Elk was -wise enough a man not to investigate too closely. He made -the best of his way back to the garden passage and into the -street. Here he waited, taking up a position which enabled -him to see the length of Eldor Street and the passage opening -in the wall. Presently he saw Maitland returning. The old -man was carrying the string bag, which now bulged. Elk -saw the green of a cabbage as they passed under the light. -He watched them until the darkness swallowed them up, -and heard the sound of their closing door. Five minutes -later, a dark figure came from the passage behind the houses. -It was a man, and Elk, alert and watchful, swung off in -pursuit.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The stranger plunged into a labyrinth of little streets with -the detective at his heels. He was walking quickly, but not -too quickly for Elk, who was something of a pedestrian. -Into the glare of the main road the stranger turned, Elk a -dozen paces behind him. He could not see his face, nor did -he until his quarry stopped by the side of a waiting car, -opened the door and jumped in. Then it was that Elk came -abreast and raised his hand in cheery salutation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For a second the man in the closed limousine was taken -aback, and then he opened the door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come right in out of the rain, Elk,” he said, and Elk -obeyed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Been doing your Sunday shopping?” he asked innocently.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man’s hawk-like face relaxed into a smile.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I never eat on Sundays,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was Joshua Broad, that rich American who peddled -key-rings in Whitehall, lived in the most expensive flats in -London, and found time to be intensely interested in Ezra -Maitland.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He turned abruptly as Elk seated himself.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Say, Elk, did you see the child?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No,” he said, and heard the chuckle of his companion -as the car moved toward the civilized west.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I saw that baby,” said Mr. Broad, puffing gently -at the cigar he had lit; “and, believe me, Elk, I’ve stopped -loving children. Yes, sir. The education of the young means -less than nothing to me for evermore.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where was she?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s a ‘he,’ ” replied Broad calmly, “and I hope I’ll -be excused answering your question. I had been in the house -an hour when you arrived—I was in the back room, which -is empty, by the way. You scared me. I heard you come -in and thought it was old St. Nicholas of the Whiskers. -Especially when I saw the light go on. I’d had it on when -you opened the scullery door—I left that unfastened, by the -way. Didn’t want to stop my bolt hole. Well, what do -you think?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“About Maitland?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Eccentric, eh? You don’t know how eccentric!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As the car stopped before the door of Caverley House, -Elk broke a long silence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What are you, Mr. Broad?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll give you ten guesses,” said the other cheerfully as -they got out.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Secret Service man,” suggested Elk promptly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Wrong—you mean U.S.? No, you’re wrong. I’m a -private detective who makes a hobby of studying the criminal -classes—will you come up and have a drink?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I will come up, but I won’t drink,” said Elk virtuously, -“not if you offer gin and orange. That visit to the United -States has spoilt my digestion.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Broad was fitting a key in the lock of his flat, when a -strange cold sensation ran down the spine of the detective, -and he laid his hand on the American’s arm.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t open that door,” he said huskily.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Broad looked round in surprise. The yard man’s face was -tense and drawn.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why not?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know . . . just a feeling, that’s all. I’m Scot -by birth . . . we’ve got a word ‘fey,’ which means something -supernatural. And it says inside me, ‘don’t open that -door.’ ”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Broad put down his hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Are you being fey or funny?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If I look funny,” said Elk, “I’m entitled to sue my face -for libel. There’s something at the other side of that door -that isn’t good. I’ll take an oath on it! Give me that!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He took the key from the unwilling hand of Joshua Broad, -thrust it in the lock and turned it. Then, with a quick push, -he threw open the door, pushing Broad to the cover of the -wall.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Nothing happened for a second, and then:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Run!” cried Elk, and leapt for the stairs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The American saw the first large billow of greenish-yellowy -mist that rolled from the open door, and followed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The hall-porter was closing his office for the night when -Elk appeared, hatless and breathless.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Can you ’phone the flats?—good! Get on at once to -every one on and below the third floor, and tell them on no -account to open their doors. Tell ’em to close all cracks -with paper, to stop up their letter-boxes, and open all windows. -Don’t argue—do it! The building is full of poison gas!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He himself ’phoned the fire station, and in a few seconds -the jangle of bells sounded in the street outside, and men in -gas-masks were clattering up the stairs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Fortunately, every tenant except Broad and his neighbour -was out of town for the week-end.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And Miss Bassano doesn’t come in till early morning,” -said the porter.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was daylight before the building was cleared by the -aid of high-pressure air-hoses and chemical precipitants. -Except that his silver was tarnished black, and every window -glass and mirror covered with a yellow deposit, little harm had -been done. A musty odour pervaded the flat in spite of the -open windows, but later came the morning breeze to dispel -the last trace of this malodorous souvenir of the attempt.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Together the two men made a search of the rooms to discover -the manner in which the gas was introduced.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Through that open fireplace,” Elk pointed. “The gas -is heavier than air, and could be poured down the chimney -as easily as pouring water.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A search of the flat roof satisfied him that his theory was -right. They found ten large glass cylinders and a long rope, -to which a wicker cradle was attached. Moreover, one of the -chimney-pots (easily reached from the roof) was scratched and -discoloured.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The operator came into the building when the porter -was busy—working the lift probably. He made his way to -the roof, carrying the rope and the basket. Somebody in -the street fixed the cylinders in the basket, which the man -hauled to the roof one by one. It was dead easy, but ingenious. -They must have made a pretty careful survey beforehand, -or they wouldn’t have known which chimney led to -your room.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They returned to the flat, and for once Joshua Broad was -serious.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Fortunately, my servant is on a holiday,” he said, “or -he would have been in heaven!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I hope so,” responded Elk piously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The sun was tipping the roofs of the houses when he finally -left, a sleepy and a baffled man. He heard the sound of -boisterous voices before he reached the vestibule. A big car -stood at the entrance of the flats, and, seated at the wheel, -was a young man in evening dress. By him sat Lew Brady, -and on the pavement was a girl in evening finery.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A jolly evening, eh, Lola! When I get going, I’m a -mover, eh?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray Bennett’s voice was thick and unsteady. He had been -drinking—was within measurable distance of being drunk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>With a yell he recognized the detective as he came into the -street.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why, it’s old Elk—the Elk of Elks! Greetings, most noble -copper! Lola, meet Elky of Elksburg, the Sherlock of Fact, -the Sleuth——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Shut up!” hissed the savage-voiced Lew Brady in his -ear, but Ray was in too exalted a mood to be silenced.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where’s the priceless Gordon?—say, Elk, watch Gordon! -Look after poor old Gordon—my sister’s very much attached -to Gordon.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Fine car, Mr. Bennett,” said Elk, regarding the machine -thoughtfully. “Present from your father?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The mention of his father’s name seemed to sober the young -man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, it isn’t,” he snapped, “it belongs to a friend. ’Night, -Lola.” He pumped at the starter, missed picking up, and -stamped again. “S’long, Elk!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>With a jerk the car started, and Elk watched it out of sight.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That young fellow is certainly in danger of knocking his -nut against the moon,” he said. “Had a good time, Lola?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes—why?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She fixed her suspicious eyes upon him expectantly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Didn’t forget to turn off the gas when you went out, did -you? If I was Shylock Holmes, maybe I’d tell from the stain -on your glove that you didn’t.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What do you mean about gas? I never use the cooker.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Somebody does, and he nearly cooked me and a friend of -mine—nearly cooked us good!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He saw her frown. Since she was a woman he expected her -to be an actress, but somehow he was ready to believe in her -sincerity.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s been a gas attack on Caverley House,” he explained, -“and not cooking gas either. I guess you’ll smell it -as you go up.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What kind of gas—poison?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But who put it there—emptied it, or whatever is done -with gas?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk looked at her with that wounded expression which so -justly irritated his victims.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If I knew, Lola, would I be standing here discussing the -matter? Maybe my old friend Shylock Holmes would, but -I wouldn’t. I don’t know. It was upset in Mr. Broad’s -flat.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is the American who lives opposite to us—to me,” -she said. “I’ve only seen him once. He seems a nice man.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Somebody didn’t think so,” said Elk. “I say, Lola, -what’s that boy doing—young Bennett?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why do you ask me? He is making a lot of money just -now, and I suppose he is running a little wild. They all do.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I didn’t,” said Elk; “but if I’d made money and started -something, I’d have chosen a better pacemaker than a dud -fighting man.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The angry colour rose to her pretty face, and the glance -she shot at him was as venomous as the gas he had fought all -night.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And I think I’d have put through a few enquiries to central -office about my female acquaintances,” Elk went on remorselessly. -“I can understand why you’re glued to the game, -because money naturally attracts you. But what gets me -is where the money comes from.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That won’t be the only thing that will get you,” she said -between her teeth as she flounced into the half-opened door of -Caverley House.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk stood where she had left him, his melancholy face -expressionless. For five minutes he stood so, and then walked -slowly in the direction of his modest bachelor home.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He lived over a lock-up shop, a cigar store, and he was the -sole occupant of the building. As he crossed Gray’s Inn Road, -he glanced idly up at the windows of his rooms and noted that -they were closed. He noticed something more. Every pane -of glass was misty with some yellow, opalescent substance.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk looked up and down the silent street, and at a short -distance away saw where road repairers had been at work. -The night watchman dozed before his fire, and did not hear -Elk’s approach or remark his unusual action. The detective -found in a heap of gravel, three rounded pebbles, and these -he took back with him. Standing in the centre of the road, -he threw one of the pebbles unerringly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a crash of glass as the window splintered. -Elk waited, and presently he saw a yellow wraith of poison-vapour -curl out and downward through the broken pane.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is getting monotonous,” said Elk wearily, and walked -to the nearest fire alarm.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='49' id='Page_49'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER VII</h1></div> - -<h3>A CALL ON MR. MAITLAND</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>O</span>UTWARDLY, John Bennett accepted his son’s new life -as a very natural development which might be expected -in a young man. Inwardly he was uneasy, fearful. Ray was -his only son; the pride of his life, though this he never showed. -None knew better than John Bennett the snares that await -the feet of independent youth in a great city. Worst of all, -for his peace of mind, he knew Ray.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ella did not discuss the matter with her father, but she -guessed his trouble and made up her mind as to what action -she would take.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The Sunday before, Ray had complained bitterly about the -new cut to his salary. He had been desperate and had talked -wildly of throwing up his work and finding a new place. And -that possibility filled Ella with dismay. The Bennetts lived -frugally on a very limited income. Apparently her father had -few resources, though he always gave her the impression that -from one of these he received a fairly comfortable income.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The cottage was Bennett’s own property, and the cost of -living was ridiculously cheap. A woman from the village -came in every morning to do heavy work, and once a week to -assist with the wash. That was the only luxury which her -father’s meagre allowance provided for. So that she faced the -prospect of an out-of-work Ray with alarm and decided upon -her line of action.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>One morning Johnson, crossing the marble floor of Maitland’s -main office, saw a delicious figure come through the -swing doors, and almost ran to meet it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My dear Miss Bennett, this is a wonderful surprise—Ray -is out, but if you’ll wait——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m glad he is out,” she said, relieved. “I want to see -Mr. Maitland. Is it possible?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The cheery face of the philosopher clouded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m afraid that will be difficult,” he said. “The old man -never sees people—even the biggest men in the City. He hates -women and strangers, and although I’ve been with him all -these years, I’m not so sure that he has got used to me! -What is it about?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She hesitated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s about Ray’s salary,” and then, as he shook his head, -she went on urgently: “It is so important, Mr. Johnson. -Ray has extravagant tastes, and if they cut his salary it means—well, -you know Ray so well!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know whether I can do anything,” he said dubiously. -“I’ll go up and ask Mr. Maitland, but I’m afraid that -it is a million to one chance against his seeing you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When he came back, the jovial face of Mr. Johnson was one -broad smile.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come up before he changes his mind,” he said, and led -her to the lift. “You’ll have to do all the talking, Miss -Bennett—he’s an eccentric old cuss and as hard as flint.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He showed her into a small and comfortably furnished room, -and waved his hand to a writing-table littered with papers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My little den,” he explained.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>From the “den” a large rosewood door opened upon Mr. -Maitland’s office.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Johnson knocked softly, and, with a heart that beat a -little faster, Ella was ushered into the presence of the strange -old man who at that moment was dominating the money -market.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The room was large, and the luxury of the fittings took her -breath away. The walls were of rosewood inlaid with exquisite -silver inlay. Light came from concealed lamps in the -cornice as well as from the long stained-glass windows. Each -article of furniture in the room was worth a fortune, and she -guessed that the carpet, into which her feet sank, equalled in -costliness the whole contents of an average house.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Behind a vast ormolu writing-table sat the great Maitland, -bolt upright, watching her from under his shaggy white brows. -A few stray hairs of his spotless beard rested on the desk, and -as he raised his hand to sweep them into place, she saw he -wore fingerless woollen gloves. His head was completely -bald . . . she looked at his big ears, standing away from -his head, fascinated. Patriarchal, yet repulsive. There was -something gross, obscene, about him that hurt her. It was -not the untidiness of his dress, it was not his years. Age -brings refinement, that beauty of decay that the purists call -caducity. This old man had grown old coarsely.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His scrutiny lacked the assurance she expected. It almost -seemed that he was nervous, ill at ease. His gaze shifted from -the girl to his secretary, and then to the rich colouring of the -windows, and then furtively back to Ella again.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is Miss Bennett, sir. You remember that Bennett -is our exchange clerk, and a very smart fellow indeed. Miss -Bennett wants you to reconsider your decision about that salary -cut.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You see, Mr. Maitland,” Ella broke in, “we’re not particularly -well off, and the reduction makes a whole lot of -difference to us.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Maitland wagged his bald head impatiently.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t care whether you’re well off or not well off,” -he said loudly. “When I reduces salaries I reduces ’um, -see?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She stared at him in amazement. The voice was harsh -and common. The language and tone were of the gutter. -In that sentence he confirmed all her first impressions.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If he don’t like it he can go, and if you don’t like it”—he -fixed his dull eyes on the uncomfortable-looking Johnson—“you -can go too. There’s lots of fellers I can get—pick -’um up on the streets! Millions of ’um! That’s all.” -Johnson tiptoed from the presence and closed the door -behind her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s a horror!” she gasped. “How can you endure -contact with him, Mr. Johnson?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The stout man smiled quietly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“ ‘Millions of ’um,’ ” he repeated, “and he’s right. With -a million and a half unemployed on the streets, I can’t throw -up a good job——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m sorry,” she said, impulsively putting her hand on his -arm. “I didn’t know he was like that,” she went on more -mildly. “He’s—terrible!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s a self-made man, and perhaps he would have been -well advised to have got an artisan to do the job,” smiled -Johnson, “but he’s not really bad. I wonder why he saw -you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Doesn’t he see people?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not unless it is absolutely necessary, and that only happens -about twice a year. I don’t think there is anybody in -this building that he’s ever spoken to—not even the managers.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He took her down to the general office. Ray had not come -back.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The truth is,” confessed Johnson when she asked him, -“that Ray hasn’t been to the office this morning. He sent -word to say that he wasn’t feeling any too good, and I fixed it -so that he has a day off.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s not ill?” she asked in alarm, but Johnson reassured -her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No. I got on the telephone to him—he has a telephone -at his new flat.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I thought he had an ordinary apartment!” she said, -aghast, the housewife in her perturbed. “A flat—where is -it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In Knightsbridge,” replied Johnson quietly. “Yes, it -sounds expensive, but I believe he has a bargain. A man who -was going abroad sub-let it to him for a song. I suppose he -wrote to you from the lodgings in Bloomsbury where he -intended going. May I be candid, Miss Bennett?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If it is about Ray, I wish you would,” she answered -quickly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ray is rather worrying me,” said Johnson. “Naturally -I want to do all that I can for him, for I am fond of him. At -present my job is covering up his rather frequent absences -from the office—you need not mention this fact to him—but -it is rather a strain, for the old man has an uncanny instinct -for a shirker. He is living in better style than he ought to be -able to afford, and I’ve seen him dressed to kill with some of -the swellest people in town—at least, they looked swell.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The girl felt herself go cold, and the vague unrest in her -mind became instantly a panic.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There isn’t . . . anything wrong at the office?” she -asked anxiously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No. I took the liberty of going through his books. -They’re square. His cash account is right to a centimo. -Crudely stated, he isn’t stealing—at least, not from us. -There’s another thing. He calls himself Raymond Lester at -Knightsbridge. I found this out by accident, and asked him -why he had taken another name. His explanation was fairly -plausible. He didn’t want Mr. Bennett to hear that he was -cutting a shine. He has some profitable outside work, but -he won’t tell me what it is.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ella was glad to get away, glad to reach the seclusion which -the wide spaces of the park afforded. She must think and -decide upon the course she would take. Ray was not the -kind of boy to accept the draconic attitude, either in her or in -John Bennett. His father must not know—she must appeal -to Ray. Perhaps it was true that he had found a remunerative -sideline. Lots of young men ran spare time work with -profit to themselves—only Ray was not a worker.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She sat down on a park chair to wrestle with the problem, -and so intent was she upon its solution that she did not realize -that somebody had stopped before her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is a miracle!” said a laughing voice, and she looked -up into the blue eyes of Dick Gordon. “And now you can -tell me what is the difficulty?” he asked as he pulled another -chair toward her and sat down.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Difficulty . . . who . . . who said I was in difficulties?” -she countered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Your face is the traitor,” he smiled. “Forgive this -attire. I have been to make an official call at the United -States Embassy.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She noticed for the first time that he wore the punctilious -costume of officialdom, the well-fitting tail-coat, the polished -top-hat and regulation cravat. She observed first of all that -he looked very well in them, and that he seemed even younger.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have an idea it is your brother,” he said. “I saw him -a few minutes ago—there he is now.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She followed the direction of his eyes, and half rose from her -chair in her astonishment. Riding on the tan track which ran -parallel to the park road, were a man and a girl. The man was -Ray. He was smartly dressed, and from the toes of his -polished riding-boots to the crown of his grey hat, was all that -was creditable to expensive tailoring. The girl at his side was -young, pretty, petite.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The riders passed without Ray noticing the interested spectators. -He was in his gayest mood, and the sound of his -laughter came back to the dumbfounded girl.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But . . . I don’t understand—do you know the lady, -Mr. Gordon?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Very well by repute,” said Dick drily. “Her name is -Lola Bassano.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is she—a lady?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick’s eyes twinkled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Elk says she’s not, but Elk is prejudiced. She has money -and education and breed. Whether or not these three assets -are sufficient to constitute a lady, I don’t know. Elk says -not, but, as I say, Elk is considerably prejudiced.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She sat silent, her mind in a whirl.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have an idea that you want help . . . about your -brother,” said Dick quietly. “He is frightening you, isn’t -he?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I thought so. He is puzzling <span class='it'>me</span>. I know all about him, -his salary and prospects and his queer masquerade under an -<span class='it'>alias</span>. I’m not troubling about that, because boys love those -kinds of mysteries. Unfortunately, they are expensive mysteries, -and I want to know how he can afford to keep up this -suddenly acquired position.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He mentioned a sum and she gasped.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It costs all that,” said Dick. “Elk, who has a passion -for exact detail, and who knows to a penny what the riding -suit costs, supplied me with particulars.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She interrupted him with such a gesture of despair that he -felt a brute.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What can I do . . . what can I do?” she asked. “Everybody -wants to help—you, Mr. Johnson, and, I’m sure, Mr. -Elk. But he is impossible—Ray, I mean. It will be fighting -a feather bed. It may seem absurd to you, so much fuss -over Ray’s foolish escapade, but it means, oh, so much to us, -father and me!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick said nothing. It was too delicate a matter for an -outsider to intrude upon. But the real delicacy of the situation -was comprised in the boy’s riding companion. As -though guessing his thoughts, she asked suddenly:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is she a nice girl—Miss Bassano? I mean, is she one -whom Ray should know?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She is very charming,” he answered after a pause, and -she noted the evasion and carried the subject no farther. -Presently she turned the talk to her call on Ezra Maitland, and -he heard her description without expressing surprise.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s a rough diamond,” he said. “Elk knows something -about him which he refuses to tell. Elk enjoys mystifying -his chiefs even more than detecting criminals. But I’ve heard -about Maitland from other sources.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why does he wear gloves in the office?” she asked -unexpectedly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gloves—I didn’t know that,” he said, surprised. “Why -shouldn’t he?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She shook her head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know . . . it was a silly idea, but I thought—it -has only occurred to me since . . .”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He waited.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When he put up his hand to smooth his beard, I’m almost -sure I saw a tattoo mark on his left wrist—just the edge of it -showing above the end of the glove—the head and eyes of a -frog.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick Gordon listened, thunderstruck.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Are you sure it wasn’t your imagination, Miss Bennett?” -he asked. “I am afraid the Frog is getting on all our nerves.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It may have been,” she nodded; “but I was within a -few feet of him, and a patch of light, reflected from his blotter, -caught the wrist for a second.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Did you speak to Johnson about it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She shook her head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I thought afterwards that even he, with all his long years -of service, might not have observed the tattoo mark. I -remember now that Ray told me Mr. Maitland always wore -gloves, summer or winter.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick was puzzled. It was unlikely that this man, the head -of a great financial corporation, should be associated with a -gang of tramps. And yet——</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When is your brother going to Horsham?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“On Sunday,” said the girl. “He has promised father to -come to lunch.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I suppose,” said the cunning young man, “that it isn’t -possible to ask me to be a fourth?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You will be a fifth,” she smiled. “Mr. Johnson is coming -down too. Poor Mr. Johnson is scared of father, and I think -the fear is mutual. Father resembles Maitland in that respect, -that he does not like strangers. I’ll invite you anyway,” she -said, and the prospect of the Sunday meeting cheered her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk came to see him that night, just as he was going out to -a theatre, and Dick related the girl’s suspicion. To his surprise, -Elk took the startling theory very coolly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s possible,” he said, “but it’s more likely that the -tattoo mark isn’t a frog at all. Old Maitland was a seaman as -a boy—at least, that is what the only biography of him in -existence says. It’s a half-column that appeared in a London -newspaper about twelve years ago, when he bought up Lord -Meister’s place on the Embankment and began to enlarge his -offices. I’ll tell you this, Mr. Gordon, that I’m quite prepared -to believe anything of old Maitland.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why?” asked Dick in astonishment. He knew nothing -of the discoveries which the detective had made.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Because I just should,” said Elk. “Men who make -millions are not ordinary. If they were ordinary they -wouldn’t be millionaires. I’ll inquire about that tattoo mark.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick’s attention was diverted from the Frogs that week by -an unusual circumstance. On the Tuesday he was sent for -by the Foreign Minister’s secretary, and, to his surprise, he -was received personally by the august head of that department. -The reason for this signal honour was disclosed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Captain Gordon,” said the Minister, “I am expecting -from France the draft commercial treaty that is to be signed -as between ourselves and the French and Italian Governments. -It is very important that this document should be well guarded -because—and I tell you this in confidence—it deals with a -revision of tariff rates. I won’t compromise you by telling -you in what manner the revisions are applied, but it is essential -that the King’s Messenger who is bringing the treaty should -be well guarded, and I wish to supplement the ordinary police -protection by sending you to Dover to meet him. It is a little -outside your duties, but your Intelligence work during the war -must be my excuse for saddling you with this responsibility. -Three members of the French and Italian secret police will -accompany him to Dover, when you and your men will take -on the guard duty, and remain until you personally see the -document deposited in my own safe.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Like many other important duties, this proved to be wholly -unexciting. The Messenger was picked up on the quay at -Dover, shepherded into a Pullman coupé which had been -reserved for him, and the passage-way outside the coupé -was patrolled by two men from Scotland Yard. At Victoria -a car, driven by a chauffeur-policeman and guarded by armed -men, picked up the Messenger and Dick, and drove them to -Calden Gardens. In his library the Foreign Secretary -examined the seals carefully, and then, in the presence of Dick -and the Detective-Inspector who had commanded the escort, -placed the envelope in the safe.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t suppose for one moment,” said the Foreign Minister -with a smile, after all the visitors but Dick had departed, -“that our friends the Frogs are greatly interested. Yet, -curiously enough, I had them in my mind, and this was responsible -for the extraordinary precautions we have taken. There -is, I suppose, no further clue in the Genter murder?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“None, sir—so far as I know. Domestic crime isn’t really -in my department. And any kind of crime does not come to -the Public Prosecutor until the case against an accused person -is ready to be presented.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is a pity,” said Lord Farmley. “I could wish that the -matter of the Frogs was not entirely in the hands of Scotland -Yard. It is so out of the ordinary, and such a menace to -society, that I should feel more happy if some extra department -were controlling the investigations.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick Gordon might have said that he was itching to assume -that control, but he refrained. His lordship fingered his -shaven chin thoughtfully. He was an austere man of sixty, -delicately featured, as delicately wrinkled, the product of -that subtle school of diplomacy which is at once urbane and -ruthless, which slays with a bow, and is never quite so dangerous -as when it is most polite.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I will speak to the Prime Minister,” he said. “Will you -dine with me, Captain Gordon?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Early in the next afternoon, Dick Gordon was summoned to -Downing Street, and was informed that a special department -had been created to deal exclusively with this social menace.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You have <span class='it'>carte blanche</span>, Captain Gordon. I may be -criticized for giving you this appointment, but I am perfectly -satisfied that I have the right man,” said the Prime Minister; -“and you may employ any officer from Scotland Yard you -wish.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll take Sergeant Elk,” said Dick promptly, and the -Prime Minister looked dubious.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is not a very high rank,” he demurred.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He is a man with thirty years’ service,” said Dick; “and -I believe that only his failure in the educational test has stopped -his further promotion. Let me have him, sir, and give him -the temporary rank of Inspector.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The older man laughed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Have it your own way,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Sergeant Elk, lounging in to report progress that afternoon, -was greeted by a new title. For a while he was dazed, and -then a slow smile dawned on his homely face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll bet I’m the only inspector in England who doesn’t -know where Queen Elizabeth is buried!” he said, not without -pride.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='58' id='Page_58'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER VIII</h1></div> - -<h3>THE OFFENSIVE RAY</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>I</span>T was perfectly absurd, Dick told himself a dozen times -during the days which followed, that a grown man of -his experience should punctiliously and solemnly strike from -the calendar, one by one, the days which separated him from -Sunday. A schoolboy might so behave, but it would have to -be a very callow schoolboy. And a schoolboy might sit at his -desk and dream away the time that might have been devoted -to official correspondence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A pretty face . . . ? Dick had admired many. A graciousness -of carriage, an inspiring refinement of manner . . . ? -He gave up the attempt to analyse the attraction which Ella -Bennett held. All that he knew was, that he was waiting -impatiently for Sunday.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When Dick opened the garden gate, he saw the plump figure -of philosophical Johnson ensconced cosily in a garden chair. -The secretary rose with a beaming smile and held out his hand. -Dick liked the man. He stood for that patient class which, -struggling under the stifling handicap of its own mediocrity, -has its superlative virtue in loyalty and unremitting application -to the task it finds at hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ray told me you were coming, Mr. Gordon—he is with -Miss Bennett in the orchard, and from a casual view of him -just now, he is hearing a few home truths. What do you make -of it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Has he given up coming to the office?” asked Dick, as -he stripped his dust-coat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I am afraid he is out for good.” Johnson’s face was sad. -“I had to tell him to go. The old man found out that he’d -been staying away, and by some uncanny and underground -system of intelligence he has learnt that Ray was going the -pace. He had an accountant in to see the books, but thank -heaven they were O.K.! I was very nearly fired myself.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>This was an opportunity not to be missed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you know where Maitland lives—in what state? -Has he a town house?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Johnson smiled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh yes, he has a town house all right,” he said sarcastically. -“I only discovered where it was a year ago, and I’ve -never told a single soul until now. And even now I won’t -give details. But old Maitland is living in some place that is -nearly a slum—living meanly and horribly like an unemployed -labourer! And he is worth millions! He has a cheap house -in one of the suburbs, a place I wouldn’t use to stable a cow! -He and his sister live there; she looks after the place and -does the housekeeping. I guess she has a soft job. I’ve never -known Maitland to spend a penny on himself. I’m sure that -he is wearing the suit he wore when I first came to him. He -has a penny glass of milk and a penny roll for lunch, and tries -to swindle me into paying for that, some days!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Tell me, Mr. Johnson, why does the old man wear gloves -in the office?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Johnson shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know. I used to think it was to hide the scar on -the back of his hand, but he’s not the kind of man to wear -gloves for that. He is tattooed with crowns and anchors and -dolphins all up his arms. . . .”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And frogs?” asked Dick quietly, and the question seemed -to surprise the other.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, I’ve never seen a frog. There’s a bunch of snakes on -one wrist—I’ve seen that. Why, old man Maitland wouldn’t -be a Frog, would he?” he asked, and Dick smiled at the -anxiety in his tone.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wondered,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Johnson’s usually cheerful countenance was glum.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I reckon he is mean enough to be a Frog or ’most anything,” -he said, and at that minute Ray and his sister came -into view. On Ray’s forehead sat a thundercloud, which -deepened at the sight of Dick Gordon. The girl was flushed -and obviously on the verge of tears.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Hallo, Gordon!” the boy began without preliminary. -“I fancy you’re the fellow that has been carrying yarns -to my sister. You set Elk to spy on me—I know, because I -found Elk in the act——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ray, you’re not to speak like that to Mr. Gordon,” -interrupted the girl hotly. “He has never told me anything -to your discredit. All I know I have seen. You -seem to forget that Mr. Gordon is father’s guest.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Everybody is fussing over me,” Ray grumbled. “Even -old Johnson!” He grinned sheepishly at the bald man, -but Johnson did not return the smile.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Somebody has got to worry about you, boy,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The strained situation was only relieved when John Bennett, -camera on back, came up the red path to greet his visitors.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why, Mr. Johnson, I owe you many apologies for putting -you off, but I’m glad to see you here at last. How is Ray -doing at the office?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Johnson shot a helpless and pathetic glance at Dick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Er—fine, Mr. Bennett,” he blurted.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>So John Bennett was not to be told that his son had launched -forth on a new career? The fact that he was fathering this -deception made Dick Gordon a little uncomfortable. Apparently -it reduced Mr. Johnson to despair, for when a somewhat -tense luncheon had ended and they were alone again -in the garden, that worthy man unburdened himself of his -trouble.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I feel that I’m playing it low on old Bennett,” he said. -“Ray should have told him.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick could only agree. He was in no mood to discuss Ray -at the moment. The boy’s annoyance and self-assurance -irritated him, and it did not help matters to recognize the -sudden and frank hostility which the brother of Ella Bennett -was showing toward him. That was disconcerting, and -emphasized his anomalous position in relation to the Bennetts. -He was discovering what many young men in love have to -discover: that the glamour which surrounds their dears does -not extend to the relations and friends of their dears. He -made yet another discovery. The plump Mr. Johnson was -in love with the girl. He was nervous and incoherent in her -presence; miserable when she went away. More miserable -still when Dick boldly took her arm and led her into the rose-garden -behind the house.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know why that fellow comes here,” said Ray -savagely as the two disappeared. “He isn’t a man of our -class, and he loathes me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know that he loathes you, Ray,” said Johnson, -waking from the unhappy daydream into which he seemed to -have fallen. “He’s an extremely nice man——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Fiddlesticks!” said the other scornfully. “He’s a snob! -Anyway, he’s a policemen, and I hate cops! If you imagine -the he doesn’t look good on you and me, you’re wrong. I’m -as good as he is, and I bet I’ll make more money before I’m -finished!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Money isn’t everything,” said Johnson tritely. “What -work are you doing, Ray?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It required a great effort on his part to bring his mind back -to his friend’s affairs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I can’t tell you. It’s very confidential,” said Ray mysteriously. -“I couldn’t even tell Ella, though she’s been jawing -at me for hours. There are some jobs that a man can’t -speak about without betraying secrets that aren’t his to tell. -This is one of them.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Johnson said nothing. He was thinking of Ella and -wondering how long it would be before her good-looking -companion brought her back.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Good-looking and young. Mr. Johnson was not good-looking, -and only just on the right side of fifty. And he was -bald. But, worst of all, in her presence he was tongue-tied. -He was rather amazed with himself.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In the seclusion of the rose-garden another member of the -Bennett family was relating her fears to a more sympathetic -audience.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I feel that father guesses,” she said. “He was out most -of last night. I was awake when he came in, and he looked -terrible. He said he had been walking about half the night, -and by the mud on his boots I think he must have been.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick did not agree.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Knowing very little about Mr. Bennett, I should hardly -think he is the kind of man to suffer in silence where your -brother is concerned,” he said. “I could better imagine a -most unholy row. Why has your brother become so unpleasant -to me?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She shook her head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know. Ray has changed suddenly. This morning -when he kissed me, his breath smelt of whisky—he never -used to drink. This new life is ruining him—why should he -take a false name if . . . if the work he is doing is quite -straight?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She had ceased addressing him as “Mr. Gordon.” The -compromise of calling him by no name at all was very pleasant -to Dick Gordon, because he recognized that it <span class='it'>was</span> a compromise. -The day was hot and the sky cloudless. Ella had -made arrangements to serve tea on the lawn, and she found -two eager helpers in Dick and Johnson, galvanized to radiant -activity by the opportunity of assisting. The boy’s attitude -remained antagonistic, and after a few futile attempts to -overcome this, Dick gave it up.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Even the presence of his father, who had kept aloof from -the party all afternoon, brought no change for the better.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The worst of being a policeman is that you’re always on -duty,” he said during the meal. “I suppose you’re storing -every scrap of talk in your mind, in case you have to use it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick folded a thin slice of bread and butter very deliberately -before he replied.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have certainly a good memory,” he said. “It helps -me to forget. It also helps me keep silent in circumstances -which are very difficult and trying.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Suddenly Ray spun round in his chair.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I told you he was on duty!” he cried triumphantly. -“Look! There’s the chief of the spy corps! The faithful -Elk!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick looked in astonishment. He had left Elk on the -point of going north to follow up a new Frog clue that had -come to light. And there he was, his hands resting on the -gate, his chin on his chest, gazing mournfully over his glasses -at the group.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Can I come in, Mr. Bennett?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>John Bennett, alert and watchful, beckoned.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Happened to be round about here, so I thought I’d call. -Good afternoon, miss—good afternoon, Mr. Johnson.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Give Sergeant Elk your chair,” growled John Bennett, -and his son rose with a scowl.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Inspector,” said Elk. “No, I’d rather stand, mister. -Stand and grow good, eh? Yes, I’m Inspector. I don’t -realize it myself sometimes, especially when the men salute -me—forget to salute ’em back. Now, in America I believe -patrol men salute sergeants. That’s as it should be.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His sad eyes moved from one to the other.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I suppose your promotion has made a lot of crooks very -scared, Elk?” sneered Ray.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why, yes. I believe it has. Especially the amatchoors,” -said Elk. “The crooks that are only fly-nuts. The fancy -crooks, who think they know it all, and will go on thinking so -till one day somebody says, ‘Get your hat—the chief wants -you!’ Otherwise,” confessed Elk modestly, “the news has -created no sensation, and London is just as full as ever of -tale-pitchers who’ll let you distribute their money amongst -the poor if you’ll only loan ’em a hundred to prove your -confidence. And,” Elk continued after a moment’s cogitation, -“there’s nearly as many dud prize-fighters living on -blackmail an’ robbery, an’ almost as many beautiful young -ladies running faro parlours and dance emporiums.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray’s face went a dull red, and if looks could blast, Inspector -Elk’s friends would have been speaking of him in hushed tones.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Only then did he turn his attention to Dick Gordon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I was wondering, Captain, if I could have a day off next -week—I’ve a little family trouble.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick, who did not even know that his friend had a family -was startled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m sorry to hear that, Elk,” he said sympathetically.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk sighed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s hard on me,” he said, “but I feel I ought to tell you, -if you’ll excuse me, Miss Bennett?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick rose and followed the detective to the gate, and then -Elk spoke in a low tone.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Lord Farmley’s house was burgled at one o’clock this morning, -and the Frogs have got away with the draft treaty!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Watching the two furtively, the girl saw nothing in Dick -Gordon’s demeanour to indicate that he had received any -news which was of consequence to himself. He came slowly -back to the table.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I am afraid I must go,” he said. “Elk’s trouble is -sufficiently important to take me back to town.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He saw the regret in Ella’s eyes and was satisfied. The -leave-taking was short, for it was very necessary that he -should get back to town as quickly as his car could carry him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>On the journey Elk told all that he knew. Lord Farmley -had spent the week-end in his town house. He was working -on two new clauses which had been inserted on the private -representation of the American ambassador, who, as usual, -held a watching brief in the matter, but managed (also as -usual) to secure the amendment of a clause dealing with transshipments -that, had it remained unamended, would have -proved detrimental to his country. All this Dick learnt later. -He was unaware at the time that the embassy knew of the -treaty’s existence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Lord Farmley had replaced the document in the safe, which -was a “Cham” of the latest make, and built into the wall -of his study, locked and double-locked the steel doors, switched -on the burglar alarm, and went to bed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He had no occasion to go to the safe until after lunch. To -all appearances, the safe-doors had not been touched. After -lunch, intending to work again on the treaty, he put his key -in the lock, to discover that, when it turned, the wards met -no resistance. He pulled at the handle. It came away in -his hand. The safe was open in the sense that it was not -locked, and the treaty, together with his notes and amendments, -had gone.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How did they get in?” asked Dick as the car whizzed -furiously along the country road.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Pantry window—butlers’ pantries were invented by a -burglar-architect,” said Elk. “It’s a real job—the finest bit -of work I’ve seen in twenty years, and there are only two -men in the world who could have done it. No finger-prints, -no ugly holes blown into the safe, everything neat and beautifully -done. It’s a pleasure to see.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I hope Lord Farmley has got as much satisfaction out of -the workmanship as you have,” said Dick grimly, and Elk -sniffed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He wasn’t laughing,” he said, “at least, not when I -came away.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His lordship was not laughing when Elk returned.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is terrible, Gordon—terrible! We’re holding a -Cabinet on the matter this evening; the Prime Minister has -returned to town. This means political ruin for me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You think the Frogs are responsible?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Lord Farmley’s answer was to pull open the door of the safe. -On the inside panel was a white imprint, an exact replica of -that which Elk had seen on the door of Mr. Broad’s flat. It -was almost impossible for the non-expert to discover how the -safe had been opened. It was Elk who showed the fine work -that had extracted the handle and had enabled the thieves to -shatter the lock by some powerful explosive which nobody -in the house had heard.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They used a silencer,” said Elk. “It’s just as easy to -prevent gases escaping too quickly from a lock as it is from -a gun barrel. I tell you, there are only two men who could -have done this.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who are they?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Young Harry Lyme is one—he’s been dead for years. -And Saul Morris is the other—and Saul’s dead too.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“As the work is obviously not that of two dead men, you -would be well advised to think of a third,” said his lordship, -pardonably annoyed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk shook his head slowly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There must be a third, and he’s the cleverest of the lot,” -he said, speaking his thoughts aloud. “I know the lot—Wal -Cormon, George the Rat, Billy Harp, Ike Velleco, Pheeny -Moore—and I’ll take an oath that it wasn’t any of them. This -is master work, my lord. It’s the work of a great artist such -as we seldom meet nowadays. And I fancy I know who he -is.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Lord Farmley, who had listened as patiently as he could -to this rhapsody, stalked from the library soon after, leaving -the men alone.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Captain,” said Elk, walking after the peer and closing -the door, “do you happen to know where old Bennett was -last night?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk’s tone was careless, but Dick Gordon felt the underlying -significance of the question, and for a moment, realizing -all that lay behind the question, all that it meant to the girl, -who was dearer to him than he had guessed, his breath came -more quickly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He was out most of the night,” he said. “Miss Bennett -told me that he went away on Friday and did not return until -this morning at daybreak. Why?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk took a paper from his pocket, unfolded it slowly and -adjusted his glasses.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve had a man keeping tag of Bennett’s absences from -home,” he said slowly. “It was easy, because the woman -who goes every morning to clean his house has a wonderful -memory. He has been away fifteen times this past year, and -every time he has gone there’s been a first-class burglary -committed somewhere!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick drew a long breath.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What are you suggesting?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m suggesting,” replied Elk deliberately, “that if Bennett -can’t account for his movements on Saturday night, I’m going -to pull him in. Saul Morris I’ve never met, nor young Wal -Cormon either—they were before I did big work. But if my -idea is right, Saul Morris isn’t as dead as he ought to be. I’m -going down to see Brother Bennett, and I think perhaps I’ll -be doing a bit of resurrecting!”</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='67' id='Page_67'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER IX</h1></div> - -<h3>THE MAN WHO WAS WRECKED</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>J</span>OHN BENNETT was working in his garden in the early -morning when Elk called, and the inspector came straight -to the point.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There was a burglary committed at the residence of Lord -Farmley on Saturday night and Sunday morning. Probably -between midnight and three o’clock. The safe was blown and -important documents stolen. I’m asking you to account for -your movements on Saturday night and Sunday morning.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Bennett looked the detective straight in the eyes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I was on the London road—I walked from town. At -two o’clock I was speaking with a policeman in Dorking. At -midnight I was in Kingbridge, and again I spoke to a policeman. -Both these men know me because I frequently walk -to Dorking and Kingbridge. The man at Dorking is an -amateur photographer like myself.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk considered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve a car here; suppose you come along and see these -policemen?” he suggested, and to his surprise Bennett agreed -at once.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At Dorking they discovered their man; he was just going -off duty.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, Inspector, I remember Mr. Bennett speaking to me. -We were discussing animal photography.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re sure of the time?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Absolutely. At two o’clock the patrol sergeant visits -me, and he came up whilst we were talking.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The patrol sergeant, wakened from his morning sleep, -confirmed this statement. The result of the Kingbridge -inquiries produced the same results.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk ordered the driver of his car to return to Horsham.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m not going to apologize to you, Bennett,” he said, -“and you know enough about my work to appreciate my -position.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m not complaining,” said Bennett gruffly. “Duty is -duty. But I’m entitled to know why you suspect me of all -men in the world.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk tapped the window of the car and it stopped.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Walk along the road: I can talk better,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They got out and went some distance without speaking.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bennett, you’re under suspicion for two reasons. You’re -a mystery man in the sense that nobody knows how you get -a living. You haven’t an income of your own. You haven’t -an occupation, and at odd intervals you disappear from home -and nobody knows where you go. If you were a younger -man I’d suspect a double life in the usual sense. But you’re -not that kind. That is suspicious circumstance Number One. -Here is Number Two. Every time you disappear there’s a -big burglary somewhere. And I’ve an idea it’s a Frog steal. -I’ll give you my theory. These Frogs are mostly dirt. There -isn’t enough brain in the whole outfit to fill an average nut—I’m -talking about the mass of ’em. There are clever men -higher up, I grant. But they don’t include the regular fellows -who make a living from crime. These boys haven’t any time -for such nonsense. They plan a job and pull it off, or they -get pinched. If they make a getaway, they divide up the -stuff and sit around in cafés with girls till all the stuff is gone, -and then they go out for some more. But the Frogs are -willing to pay good men who are outside the organization for -extra work.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And you suggest that I may be one of the ‘good men’?” -said Bennett.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s just what I am suggesting. This Frog job at Lord -Farmley’s was done by an expert—it looks like Saul Morris.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His keen eyes were focused upon Bennett’s face, but not by -so much as a flicker of an eyelash did he betray his thoughts.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I remember Saul Morris,” said Bennett slowly. “I’ve -never seen him, but I’ve heard of his work. Was he—anything -like me?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk pursed his lips, his chin went nearer to his chest, and -his gaze became more and more intensified.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If you know anything about Saul Morris,” he said slowly, -“you also know that he was never in the hands of the police, -that nobody except his own gang ever saw him, so as to be -able to recognize him again.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Another silence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wasn’t aware of that,” said Bennett.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>On the way back to the car, Bennett spoke again.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I bear no malice. My movements are suspicious, but -there is a good reason. As to the burglaries—I know nothing -about them. I should say that in any case, whether I knew -or not. I ask you not to mention this matter to my daughter, -because—well, you don’t want me to tell you why.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ella was standing at the garden gate when the car came up, -and at the sight of Elk the smile left her face. Elk knew -instinctively that the thought of her brother, and the possibility -of his being in trouble, were the causes of her apprehension.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mr. Elk came down to ask me a few questions about the -attack on Mr. Gordon,” said her father briefly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Whatever else he was, thought Elk, he was a poor and -unconvincing liar. That the girl was not convinced, he was -sure. When they were alone she asked:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is anything wrong, Mr. Elk?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Nothing, miss. Just come down to refresh my memory—which -was never a good one, especially in the matter of -dates. The only date I really remember is the landing of -William the Conqueror—1140 or thereabouts. Brother gone -back to town?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He went last night,” she said, and then, almost defiantly: -“He is in a good position now, Mr. Elk.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So they tell me,” said Elk. “I wish he wasn’t working -in the same shop as the bunch who are with him. I’m not -letting him out of my sight. Miss Bennett,” he said in a kinder -tone. “Perhaps I’ll be able to slip in the right word one of -these days. He wouldn’t listen now if I said ‘get!’—he’s -naturally in the condition of mind when he’s making up press -cuttings about himself. And in a way he’s right. If you -don’t know it all at twenty-one you never will. What’s that -word that begins with a ‘z’?—‘zenith,’ that’s it. He’s at the -zenith of his sure-and-certainness. From now on he’ll start -unloading his cargo of dreams an’ take in ballast. But he’ll -hate to hear the derricks at work.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You talk like a sailor,” she smiled in spite of her trouble.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I was that once,” said Elk, “the same as old man Maitland—though -I’ve never sailed with him—I guess he left the -sea years before I was born. Like him?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mr. Maitland? No!” she shivered. “I think he is a -terrible man.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk did not disagree.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>To Dick Gordon that morning he confessed his error.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know why I jumped at Bennett,” he said. “I’m -getting young! I see the evening newspapers have got the -burglary.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But they do not know what was stolen,” said Dick in a -low voice. “That must be kept secret.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They were in the inner bureau, which Dick occupied temporarily. -Two men were at work in his larger office replacing -a panel which had been shattered by the bullet which had been -fired at him on the morning Elk came into the case, and it was -symptomatic of the effect that the Frogs had had upon headquarters -that both men had almost mechanically scrutinized -the left arms of the workmen. The sight of the damaged -panel switched Elk’s thoughts to a matter which he had -intended raising before—the identity of the tramp Carlo. In -spite of the precautions Gordon had taken, and although the -man was under observation, Carlo had vanished, and the -combined efforts of headquarters and the country offices had -failed to locate him. It was a sore point with Gordon, as Elk -had reason to know.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For Carlo was the reputable “Number Seven,” the most -important man in the organization after the Frog himself.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’d like to see this Carlo,” he said thoughtfully. -“There’s not much use in putting another man out on the -road to follow up Genter’s work. That system doesn’t work -twice. I wonder how much Lola knows?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Of the Frogs? They wouldn’t trust a woman,” said -Dick. “She may work for them, but, as you said, it is likely -they bring in outsiders for special jobs and pay them well.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk did not carry the matter any further, and spent the rest -of the day in making fruitless inquiries. Returning to his -room at headquarters that night, he sat for a long time hunched -up in his chair, his hands thrust into his trousers pockets, -staring down at the blotting-pad. Then he pressed a bell, -and his clerk, Balder, came.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Go to Records, get me all that is known about every safe-breaker -known in this country. You needn’t worry about -the German and French, but there’s a Swede or two who are -mighty clever with the lamp, and of course there are the -Americans.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They came after a long interval—a considerable pile of -papers, photographs and finger-prints.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You can go, Balder—the night man can take them -back.” He settled himself down to an enjoyable night’s -reading.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was nearing the end of the pile when he came to the -portrait of a young man with a drooping moustache and a -bush of curly hair. It was one of those sharp positives that -unromantic police officials take, and showed whatever imperfections -of skin there were. Beneath the photograph was the -name, carefully printed: “Henry John Lyme, R.V.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“R.V.” was the prison code. Every year from 1874 to -1899 was indicated by a capital letter in the alphabet. Thereafter -ran the small letters. The “R” meant that Henry J. -Lyme had been sentenced to penal servitude in 1891. The -“V” that he had suffered a further term of convict imprisonment -in 1895.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk read the short and terrible record. Born in Guernsey -in 1873, the man had been six times convicted before he was -twenty (the minor convictions are not designated by letters -in the code). In the space at the foot of the blank in which -particulars were given of his crime, were the words:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Dangerous; carries firearms.” In another hand, and -in the red ink which is used to close a criminal career, was -written: “Died at sea. <span class='it'>Channel Queen</span>. Black Rock. -Feb. 1, 1898.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk remembered the wreck of the Guernsey mail packet -on the Black Rocks.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He turned back the page to read particulars of the dead -man’s crimes, and the comments of those who from time to -time had been brought into official contact with him. In -these scraps of description was the real biography. “Works -alone,” was one comment, and another; “No women clue—women -never seen with him.” A third scrawl was difficult -to decipher, but when Elk mastered the evil writing, he half -rose from the chair in his excitement. It was:</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='pindent'>“Add to body marks in general D.C.P. 14 frog tattooed -left wrist. New. J. J. M.”</p> - -</div> - -<p class='noindent'>The date against which this was written was the date of the -man’s last conviction. Elk turned up the printed blank -“D.C.P.14” and found it to be a form headed “Description -of Convicted Person.” The number was the classification. -There was no mention of tattooed frogs: somebody had been -careless. Word by word he read the description:</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='pindent'>“Henry John Lyme, <span class='it'>a.</span> Young Harry, <span class='it'>a.</span> Thomas Martin, -<span class='it'>a.</span> Boy Peace, <span class='it'>a.</span> Boy Harry (there were five lines of aliases). -Burglar (dangerous; carries firearms). Height 5 ft. 6 in. Chest -38. Complexion fresh, eyes grey, teeth good, mouth regular, -dimple in chin. Nose straight. Hair brown, wavy, worn -long. Face round. Moustache drooping; wears side-whiskers. -Feet and hands normal. Little toe left foot amputated first -joint owing to accident, H.M. Prison, Portland. Speaks well, -writes good hand. Hobbies none. Smokes cigarettes. Poses -as public official, tax collector, sanitary inspector, gas or water -man. Speaks French and Italian fluently. Never drinks; -plays cards but no gambler. Favourite hiding place, Rome or -Milan. No conviction abroad. No relations. Excellent organizer. -Immediately after crime, look for him at good hotel in -Midlands or working to Hull for the Dutch or Scandinavian -boats. Has been known to visit Guernsey. . . .”</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>Here followed the Bertillon measurements and body marks—this -was in the days before the introduction of the finger-print -system. But there was no mention of the Frog on the -left wrist. Elk dropped his pen in the ink and wrote in the -missing data. Underneath he added:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This man may still be alive,” and signed his initials.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='72' id='Page_72'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER X</h1></div> - -<h3>ON HARLEY TERRACE</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>S</span>O writing, the telephone buzzed, and in his unflurried way -he finished his entry and blotted it before he took up -the instrument.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Captain Gordon wishes you to take the first taxi you can -find and come to his house—the matter is very urgent,” said -a voice. “I am speaking from Harley Terrace.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“All right.” Elk found his hat and umbrella, stopped long -enough to return the records to their home, and went out into -the dark courtyard.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There are two entrances to Scotland Yard: one that opens -into Whitehall and was by far the best route for him, since -Whitehall is filled with cabs; the other on to the Thames -Embankment, which, in addition to offering the longest way -round, would bring him to a thoroughfare where, at this hour -of the night, taxis would be few and far between. So engrossed -was Elk with his thoughts that he was on the Embankment -before he realized where he was going. He turned toward -the Houses of Parliament into Bridge Street, found an ancient -cab and gave the address. The driver was elderly and probably -a little fuddled, for, instead of stopping at No. 273, he -overshot the mark by a dozen houses, and only stopped at -all on the vitriolic representations of his fare.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What’s the matter with you, Noah?—this ain’t Mount -Ararat!” snapped Elk as he descended. “You’re boozed, -you poor fish.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Wish I was,” murmured the driver, holding out his hand -for the fare.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk would have argued the matter but for the urgency of -the summons. Whilst he was waiting for the driver to -unbutton his many coats to find change, he glanced back along -the street. A car was standing near the door of Dick Gordon’s -house, its headlights dimmed to the least possible degree. -That in itself was not remarkable. The two men who waited -on the pavement were. They stood with their backs to the -railings, one (as he guessed) on either side of the door. To -him came the soft purring of the motor-car’s engine. He -took a step back and brought the opposite pavement into his -range of vision. There were two other men, also lounging idly, -and they were exactly opposite 273.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk looked round. The cab had stopped before a doctor’s -house, and the detective did not take a long time to make up -his mind.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Wait till I come out.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t be long,” pleaded the aged driver. “The bars -will be shut in a quarter of an hour.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Wait, Batchus,” said Elk, who had a nodding acquaintance -with ancient mythology, but only a hazy idea of pronunciation. -Bacchus growled, but waited.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Fortunately, the doctor was at home, and to him Elk -revealed his identity. In a few seconds he was connected -with Mary Lane Police Station.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Elk, Central Office, speaking,” he said rapidly, and gave -his code number. “Send every man you can put your hand -on, to close Harley Terrace north and south of 273. Stop all -cars from the moment you get my signal—two long two -short flashes. How soon can your men be in place?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In five minutes, Mr. Elk. The night reliefs are parading, -and I have a couple of motor-trucks here—just pinched the -drivers for being drunk.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He replaced the receiver and went into the hall.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Anything wrong?” asked the startled doctor as Elk -slid back the jacket of his automatic and pushed the safety -catch into place.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I hope so, sir,” said Elk truthfully. “If I’ve turned out -the division because a few innocent fellows are leaning against -the railings of Harley Terrace, I’m going to get myself into -trouble.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He waited five minutes, then opened the door and went -out. The men were still in their positions, and as he stood -there two motor-trucks drove into the thoroughfare from -either end, turned broadside in the middle of the road and -stopped.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk’s pocket lamp flashed to left and right, and he jumped -for the pavement.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And now he saw that his suspicions were justified. The -men on the opposite pavement came across the road at the -double, and leapt to the running-board of the car with the -dim lights as it moved. Simultaneously the two who had -been guarding the entrance of 273 sprang into the machine. -But the fugitives were too late. The car swerved to avoid -the blocking motor-truck, but even as it turned, the truck ran -backwards. There was a crash, a sound of splintering glass, -and by the time Elk arrived, the five occupants of the car -were in the hands of the uniformed policemen who swarmed -at the end of the street.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The prisoners accepted their capture without resistance. -One (the chauffeur) who tried to throw away a revolver -unobtrusively, was detected in the act and handcuffed, but -the remainder gave no trouble.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At the police-station Elk had a view of his prisoners. Four -very fine specimens of the genus tramp, wearing their new -ready-to-wear suits awkwardly. The fifth, who gave a Russian -name, and was obviously the driver, a little man with small, -sharp eyes that glanced uneasily from face to face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Two of the prisoners carried loaded revolvers; in the car -they found four walking-sticks heavily weighted.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Take off your coats and roll up your sleeves,” commanded -the inspector.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You needn’t trouble, Elk.” It was the little chauffeur -speaking. “All us boys are good Frogs.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There ain’t any good Frogs,” said Elk. “There’s only -bad Frogs and worse Frogs and the worst Frog of all. But -we won’t argue. Let these men into their cells, sergeant, and -keep them separate. I’ll take Litnov to headquarters.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The chauffeur looked uneasily from Elk to the station -sergeant.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What’s the great idea?” he asked. “You’re not allowed -to use the third degree in England.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The law has been altered,” said Elk ominously, and -re-snapped the handcuffs on the man’s wrists.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The law had not been altered, but this the little Russian -did not know. Throughout the journey to headquarters he -communed with himself, and when he was pushed into Elk’s -bare-looking room, he was prepared to talk. . . .</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick was waiting for the detective when he came back to -Harley Terrace, and heard the story.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I never dreamt that it was a plant until I spotted the -lads waiting for me,” said Elk. “Of course you didn’t telephone; -they caught me napping there. Thorough! The -Frogs are all that! They expected me to leave headquarters -by the Whitehall entrance, and had a taxi waiting to pick -me up, but in case they missed me that way, they told off a -party to meet me in Harley Terrace. Thorough!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who gave them their orders?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk shrugged.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mr. Nobody. Litnov had his by post. It was signed -‘Seven,’ and gave him the rendezvous, and that was all. -He says he has never seen a Frog since he was initiated. -Where he was sworn in he doesn’t remember. The car belongs -to Frogs, and he receives so much a week for looking after it. -Ordinarily he is employed by Heron’s Club—drives a truck -for them. He tells me that there are twenty other cars cached -in London somewhere, just standing in their garages, and each -has its own driver, who goes once a week to give it a clean up.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Heron’s Club—that is the dance club which Lola and Lew -Brady are interested in!” said Dick thoughtfully, and Elk -considered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I never thought of that. Of course, it doesn’t mean that -the management of Heron’s know anything about Litnov’s -evening work. I’ll look up that club.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was saved the trouble, for the next morning, when he -reached the office, he found a man waiting to see him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m Mr. Hagn, the manager of the Heron’s Club,” he -introduced himself. “I understand one of my men has been -in trouble.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Hagn was a tall, good-looking Swede who spoke without -any trace of a foreign accent.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How have you heard that, Mr. Hagn?” asked Elk -suspiciously. “The man has been under lock and key since -last night, and he hasn’t held any communication with -anybody.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Hagn smiled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You can’t arrest people and take them to a police-station -without somebody knowing all about it,” he said with truth. -“One of my waiters saw Litnov being taken to Mary Lane -handcuffed, and as Litnov hasn’t reported for duty this morning, -there was only one conclusion to be drawn. What is the -trouble, Mr. Elk?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I can’t give you any information on the matter,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Can I see him?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You can’t even see him,” said Elk. “He has slept well, -and sends his love to all kind friends.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Hagn seemed distressed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is it possible to discover where he put the key of the -coal cellar?” he urged. “This is rather important to me. -This man usually keeps it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The detective hesitated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I can find out,” he said, and, leaving Mr. Hagn under the -watchful eyes of his secretary, he crossed the yard to the cells -where the Russian was held.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Litnov rose from his plank bed as the cell door opened.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Friend of yours called,” said Elk. “Wants to know -where you put the key of the coal cellar.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was only the merest flicker of light and understanding -that came to the little man’s eyes, but Elk saw it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Tell him I believe I left it with the Wandsworth man,” -he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Um!” said Elk, and went back to the waiting Hagn.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He said he left it in the Pentonville Road,” said Elk -untruthfully, but Mr. Hagn seemed satisfied.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Returning to the cells, Elk saw the gaoler.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Has this man asked you where he was to be taken from -here?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, sir,” said the officer. “I told him he was going to -Wandsworth Prison—we usually tell prisoners where they -are going on remand, in case they wish to let their relatives -know.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk had guessed right. The inquiry about the key was -prearranged. A telephone message to Mary Lane, where -the remainder of the gang were held, produced the curious -information that a woman, reputedly the wife of one of the -men, had called that morning, and, on being refused an interview, -begged for news about the missing key of the coal -cellar, and had been told that it was in the possession of -“the Brixton man.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The men are to be remitted to Wormwood Scrubbs Prison, -and they are not to be told where they are going,” ordered -Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>That afternoon a horse-driven prison-van drew out of Cannon -Row and rumbled along Whitehall. At the juncture of -St. Martin’s Lane and Shaftesbury Avenue, a carelessly-driven -motor lorry smashed into its side, slicing off the near wheel. -Instantly there came from nowhere a crowd of remarkable -appearance. It seemed as if all the tramps in the world had -been lying in wait to crowd about the crippled van. The -door was wrenched open, and the gaoler on duty hauled forth. -Before he could be handled, the van disgorged twenty Central -Office men, and from the side streets came a score of mounted -policemen, clubs in hand. The riot lasted less then three -minutes. Some of the wild-looking men succeeded in making -their escape, but the majority, chained in twos, went, meekly -enough, between their mounted escorts.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick Gordon, who was also something of an organizer, -watched the fight from the top of an omnibus, which, laden -with policemen, had shadowed the van. He joined Elk after -the excitement had subsided.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Have you arrested anybody of importance?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s too early to say,” said Elk. “They look like ordinary -tadpoles to me. I guess Litnov is in Wandsworth by now—I -sent him in a closed police car before the van left.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Arrived at Scotland Yard, he paraded the Frogs in two -open ranks, watched, at a distance, by the curious crowd -which packed both entrances. One by one he examined their -wrists, and in every case the tattoo mark was present.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He finished his scrutiny at last, and his captives were -herded into an inner yard under an armed guard.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“One man wants to speak to you, sir.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The last file had disappeared when the officer in charge -reported, and Elk exchanged a glance with his chief.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“See him,” said Dick. “We can’t afford to miss any -information.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A policeman brought the Frog to them—a tall man with a -week’s growth of beard, poorly dressed and grimy. His -battered hat was pulled down over his eyes, his powerful -wrists visible beneath the sleeves of a jacket that was made -for a smaller man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, Frog?” said Elk, glowering at him. “What’s -your croak?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Croak is a good word,” said the man, and at the sound of -his voice Elk stared. “You don’t think that old police -car of yours is going to reach Wandsworth, do you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who are you?” asked Elk, peering forward.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They want Litnov badly,” said the Frog. “They want -to settle with him, and if the poor fish thinks it’s brotherly -love that makes old man Frog go to all this trouble, he’s -reserved a big jar for himself.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Broad! What . . . !”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The American licked his finger and wiped away the frog -from his wrist.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll explain after, Mr. Elk, but take a friend’s advice and -call up Wandsworth.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk’s telephone was buzzing furiously when he reached his -office.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was Wandsworth station calling.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Your police car was held up on the Common, two of -your men were wounded, and the prisoner was shot dead,” -was the report.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thank you!” said Elk bitterly.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='79' id='Page_79'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XI</h1></div> - -<h3>MR. BROAD EXPLAINS</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>D</span>ETAINED under police supervision, Mr. Broad did not -seem in any way surprised or disconcerted. Dick -Gordon and his assistant reached Wandsworth Common ten -minutes after the news came through, and found the wreckage -of the police car surrounded by a large crowd, kept at a distance -by police.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The dead prisoner had been taken into the prison, together -with one of the attackers, who had been captured by a party -of warders, returning to the gaol after their luncheon hour.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A brief examination of Litnov told them no more than -they knew. He had been shot through the heart, and death, -must have been instantaneous.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The prisoner, brought from a cell, was a man of thirty and -better educated than the average run of Frogs. No weapon -had been found upon him and he protested his innocence of -any complicity in the plot. According to his story, he was -an out-of-work clerk who had been strolling across the Common -when the ambush occurred. He had seen the fight, seen the -second motor-car which carried the attackers away, and had -been arrested whilst running in pursuit of the murderers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His captors told a different story. The warder responsible -for his arrest said that the man was on the point of boarding -the car when the officer had thrown his truncheon at him and -brought him down. The car was moving at the time, and the -remainder of the party had not dared to stop and pick up their -comrade. Most damning evidence of all was the tattoo mark -on his wrist.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Frog, you’re a dead man,” said Elk in his most sepulchral -voice. “Where did you live when you were alive?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The captive confessed that his home was in North London.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“North Londoners don’t come to Wandsworth to walk on -the Common,” said Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He had a conference with the chief warder, and, taking the -prisoner into the courtyard, Elk spoke his mind.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What happens to you if you spill the beans, Frog?” he -asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man showed his teeth in an unpleasant smile.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The beans aren’t grown that I can spill,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk looked around. The courtyard was a small, stone-paved -quadrangle, surrounded by high, discoloured walls. -Against one of these was a little shed with grey sliding doors.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come here,” said Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He took the key that the chief warder had given him, -unlocked the doors and slid them back. They were looking -into a bare, clean apartment with whitewashed walls. Across -the ceiling ran two stout oak beams, and between them three -stubby steel bars.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The prisoner frowned as Elk walked to a long steel lever -near one of the walls.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Watch, Frog!” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He pulled at the lever, and the centre of the floor divided -and fell with a crash, revealing a deep, brick-lined pit.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“See that trap . . . see that ‘T’ mark in chalk? That’s -where a man puts his feet when the hangman straps his legs. -The rope hangs from that beam, Frog!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man’s face was livid as he shrank back.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You . . . can’t . . . hang—me,” he breathed. “I’ve -done nothing!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’ve killed a man,” said Elk as he pulled the doors to -and locked them. “You’re the only fellow we’ve got, and -you’ll have to suffer for the lot. Are them beans growin’?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The prisoner raised his shaking hand to his lips.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll tell you all I know,” he said huskily.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk led him back to his cell.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>An hour later, Dick was speeding back to his headquarters -with considerable information. His first act was to send for -Joshua Broad, and the eagle-faced “tramp” came cheerfully.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now, Mr. Broad, I’ll have your story,” said Dick, and -motioned the other to be seated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Joshua seated himself slowly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s nothing much to tell,” he said. “For a week -I’ve been getting acquainted with the Frogs. I guessed that -it was unlikely that the bulk of them would be unknown to -one another, and I just froze on to the first I found. Met -him in a Deptford lodging-house. Then I heard there was a -hurry-up call for a big job to-day and joined. The Frogs -knew that the real attack might be somewhere else, and on -the way to Scotland Yard I heard that a party had been told -off to watch for Litnov at Wandsworth.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Did you see any of the big men?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Broad shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They looked all alike, but undoubtedly there were two -or three section leaders in charge. There was never any -question of rescuing. They were out to kill. They knew -that Litnov had told all that he knew, and he was doomed—they -got him, I suppose?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes—they got him!” said Dick, and then: “What is -your interest in the Frogs?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Purely adventitious,” replied the other lazily. “I’m a -rich man with a whole lot of time on my hands, and I have a -big interest in criminology. A few years ago I heard about -the Frogs, and they seized on my imagination. Since then -I’ve been trailing them.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His gaze did not waver under Dick Gordon’s scrutiny.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now will you tell me,” said Dick quietly, “how you -became a rich man? In the latter days of the war you -arrived in this country on a cattle-boat—with about twenty -dollars in your pocket. You told Elk you had arrived by -that method, and you spoke the truth. I’ve been almost as -much interested in you as you have been in the Frogs,” he -said with a half-smile, “and I have been putting through a -few inquiries. You came to England 1917 and deserted -your ship. In May, 1917, you negotiated for the hire of an -old tumbledown shack near Eastleigh, Hampshire. There -you lived, patching up this crazy cottage and living, so far -as I can discover, on the few dollars you brought from the ship. -Then suddenly you disappeared, and were next seen in Paris -on Christmas Eve of that year. You were conspicuous in -rescuing a family that had been buried in a house bombed in -an air raid, and your name was taken by the police with the -idea of giving you some reward. The French police report -is that you were ‘very poorly dressed’—they thought you -might be a deserter from the American Army. Yet in -February you were staying at the Hôtel de Paris in Monte -Carlo, with plenty of money and an extensive wardrobe!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Joshua Broad sat through the recital unmoved, except for -the ghost of a smile which showed at the corner of his unshaven -mouth.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Surely, Captain, Monte Carlo is the place where a man -<span class='it'>would</span> have money?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If he brought it there,” said Dick, and went on: “I’m -not suggesting that you are a bad character, or that your -money came in any other way than honestly. I merely state -the facts that your sudden rise from poverty to riches was, -to say the least, remarkable.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It surely was,” agreed the other; “and, judging by -appearances, my change from riches to poverty is as sudden.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick looked at the dirty-looking tramp who sat on the other -side of the table and laughed silently.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You mean, if it is possible for you to masquerade now, it -was possible then, and that, even though you were apparently -broke in 1917, you might very well have been a rich man?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Exactly,” said Mr. Joshua Broad.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gordon was serious again.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I would prefer that you remained your more presentable -self,” he said. “I hate telling an American that I may have -to deport him, because that sounds as if it is a punishment -to return to the United States. But I may find myself with -no other alternative.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Joshua Broad rose.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That, Captain Gordon, is too broad for a hint and too -kindly for a threat—henceforth, Joshua Broad is a respectable -member of society. Maybe I’ll take the Prince of Caux’s -house and entertain bims and be a modern Harun al Raschid. -I’ve got to meet them somehow.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At the mention of that show house that had cost a king’s -ransom to build and a queen’s dowry to furnish, Dick smiled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It isn’t necessary you should advertise your respectability -that way,” he said. But Broad was not smiling.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The only thing I ask is that you do not advise the police -to withdraw my permits,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick’s eyebrows rose.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Permits?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I carry two guns, and the time is coming when two won’t -be enough,” said Mr. Broad. “And it is coming soon.”</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='83' id='Page_83'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XII</h1></div> - -<h3>THE EMBELLISHMENT OF MR. MAITLAND</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>T</span>HERE was a concert that night at the Queen’s Hall, -and the spacious auditorium was crowded to hear the -summer recital of a great violinist. Dick Gordon, in the midst -of an evening’s work, remembered that he had reserved a -seat. He felt fagged, baffled, inclined to hopelessness. A -note from Lord Farmley had come to him, urging instant -action to recover the lost commercial treaty. It was such a -letter as a man, himself worried, would write without realizing -that in so doing he was passing on his panic to those who it -was very necessary should not be stampeded into precipitate -action. It was a human letter, but not statesmanlike. Dick -decided upon the concert.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He had finished dressing when he remembered that it was -more than likely that the omniscient Frogs would know of -his reservation. He must take the risk, if risk there was. -He ’phoned to the garage where his own machine was housed -and hired a closed car, and in ten minutes was one of two -thousand people who were listening, entranced, to the master. -In the interval he strolled out to the lobby to smoke, and -almost the first person he saw was a Central Office man who -avoided his eye. Another detective stood by the stairway -leading to the bar, a third was smoking on the steps of the -hall outside. But the sensation of the evening was not this -evidence of Elk’s foresight. The warning bell had sounded, -and Dick was in the act of throwing away his cigarette, when -a magnificent limousine drew up before the building, a smart -footman alighted to open the door, and there stepped heavily -to the pavement—Mr. Ezra Maitland!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick heard a gasp behind him, and turned his head to see -Elk in the one and only dress suit he had ever possessed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mother of Moses!” he said in an awed voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And there was reason for his astonishment. Not only was -Mr. Maitland’s equipage worthy of a reigning monarch, with -its silver fittings, lacquered body and expensively uniformed -servants, but the old man was wearing a dress suit of the latest -fashion. His beard had been shortened a few inches, and -across the spotless white waistcoat was stretched a heavy -gold chain. On his hand many rings blazed and flashed in -the light of the street standard. There was a camellia in his -perfect lapel, and on his head the glossiest of silk hats. Leaning -on a stick of ebony and ivory, he strutted across the -pavement.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Silk socks . . . patent leather shoes. My God! Look -at his <span class='it'>rings</span>,” hissed Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His profanity was almost excusable. The vision of splendour -passed through the doors into the hall.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s gone gay!” said Elk hollowly, and followed like a -man in a dream.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>From where he was placed, Dick had a good view of the -millionaire. He sat throughout the second part of the -programme with closed eyes, and so slow was he to start -applauding after each item, that Dick was certain that he -had been asleep and the clapping had awakened him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Once he detected the old man stifling a yawn in the very -midst of the second movement of Elgar’s violin concerto, -which held the audience spellbound by its delicate beauty. -With his big hands, now enshrined in white kid gloves, crossed -on his stomach, the head of Mr. Maitland nodded and jerked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When at last the concert was over, he looked round fearfully, -as though to make absolutely certain that it <span class='it'>was</span> over, -then rose and made his way out of the hall, his silk hat held -clumsily in his hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A manager came in haste to meet him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I hope, Mr. Maitland, you enjoyed yourself?” Dick heard -him say.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Very pooty—very pooty,” replied Maitland hoarsely. -“That fiddler ought to play a few toons, though—nothing -like a hornpipe on a fiddle.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The manager looked after him open-mouthed, then hurried -out to help the old man into his car.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gay—he’s gay!” said Elk, as bewildered as the manager. -“Jumping snakes! Who was that?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He addressed the unnecessary question to the manager, -who had returned from his duty.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is Maitland, the millionaire, Mr. Elk,” said the -other. “First time we’ve had him here, but now that he’s -come to live in town——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where is he living?” asked Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He has taken the Prince of Caux’s house in Berkeley -Square,” said the manager.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk blinked at him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Say that again?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He has taken the Prince of Caux’s house,” said the -manager. “And what is more, has bought it—the agent -told me this afternoon.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk was incapable of comment, and the manager continued -his surprising narrative.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t think he knows much about music, but he has -booked seats for every big musical event next season—his -secretary came in this afternoon. He seemed a bit dazed.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Poor Johnson! thought Dick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He wanted me to fix dancing lessons for the old boy——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk clapped his hand to his mouth—he had an insane desire -to scream.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And as a matter of fact, I fixed them. He’s a bit old, -but Socrates or somebody learnt Greek at eighty, and maybe -Mr. Maitland’s regretting the wasted years of his life. I -admit it is a bit late to start night clubs——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk laid a chiding hand upon the managerial shoulder.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You certainly deceived me, brother,” he said. “And -here was I, drinking it all in, and you with a face as serious -as the dial of a poorhouse clock! You’ve put it all over -Elk, and I’m man enough to admit you fooled me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t think our friend is trying to fool you,” said Dick -quietly. “You really mean what you say—old Maitland -has started dancing and night clubs?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Certainly!” said the other. “He hasn’t started dancing, -but that is where he has gone to-night—to the Heron’s. I -heard him tell the chauffeur.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was incredible, but a little amusing—most amusing of -all to see Elk’s face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The detective was frankly dumbfounded by the news.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Heron’s is my idea of a good finish to a happy evening,” -said Elk at last, drawing a long breath. He beckoned one -of his escort. “How many man do you want to cover Heron’s -Club?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Six,” was the prompt reply. “Ten to raid it, and twenty -for a rough house.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Get thirty!” said Elk emphatically.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Heron’s from the exterior was an unpretentious building. -But once under the curtained doors, and the character of its -exterior was forgotten. A luxurious lounge, softly lit and -heavily carpeted, led to the large saloon, which was at once -restaurant and dance-hall.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick stood in the doorway awaiting the arrival of the -manager, and admired the richness and subtle suggestion -of cosiness which the room conveyed. The tables were set -about an oblong square of polished flooring; from a gallery -at the far end came the strain of a coloured orchestra; and -on the floor itself a dozen couples swayed and glided in rhythm -to the staccato melody.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gilded vice,” said Elk disparagingly. “A regular haunt -of sin and self-indulgence. I wonder what they charge for -the food—there’s Mathusalem.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mathusalem” was sitting, a conspicuous figure, at the most -prominent table in the room. His polished head glistened in -the light from the crystal candelabras, and in the shadow that -it cast, his patriarchal beard so melted into the white of his -snowy shirt front that for a moment Dick did not recognize -him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Before him was set a large glass mug filled with beer.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s human anyway,” said Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Hagn came at that moment, smiling, affable, willing to oblige.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is an unexpected pleasure, Captain,” he said. “You -want me to pass you in? Gentlemen, there is no necessity! -Every police officer of rank is an honorary member of the -club.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He bustled in, threading his way between the tables, and -found them a vacant sofa in one of the alcoves. There were -revellers whose faces showed alarm at the arrival of the new -guests—one at least stole forth and did not come back.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We have many notable people here to-night,” said Hagn, -rubbing his hands. “There are Lord and Lady Belfin” . . . -he mentioned others; “and that gentleman with the beard -is the great Maitland . . . his secretary is here somewhere. -Poor gentleman, I fear he is not happy. But I invited him -myself—it is sometimes desirable that we should elect the -. . . what shall I say? . . . higher servants of important -people?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Johnson?” asked Dick in surprise. “Where?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Presently he saw that plump and philosophical man. He -sat in a remote corner, looking awkward and miserable in -his old-fashioned dress clothes. Before him was a glass which, -Dick guessed, contained an orange squash.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A solemn, frightened figure he made, sitting on the edge of -his chair, his big red hands resting on the table. Dick Gordon -laughed softly and whispered to Elk:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Go and get him!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk, who was never self-conscious, walked through the -dancers and reached Mr. Johnson, who looked up startled and -shook hands with the vigour of one rescued from a desert -island.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was good of you to ask me to come over,” said Johnson, -as he greeted Dick. “This is new to me, and I’m feeling -about as much at home as a chicken in a pie.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Your first visit?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And my last,” said Johnson emphatically. “This isn’t -the kind of life that I care for. It interferes with my reading, -and it—well, it’s sad.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His eyes were fixed on a noisy little party in the opposite -alcove. Gordon had seen them almost as soon as he had sat -down. Ray, in his most hectic mood, Lola Bassano, beautifully -and daringly gowned, and the heavy-looking ex-pugilist, Lew -Brady.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Presently, with a sigh, Johnson’s eyes roved toward the -old man and remained fixed on him, fascinated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Isn’t it a miracle?” he asked in a hushed voice. “He -changes his habits in a day! Bought the house in Berkeley -Square, called in an army of tailors, sent me rushing round -to fix theatre seats, bought jewellery . . .”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I can’t understand it,” he confessed, “because it has made -no difference to him in the office. He’s the same old hog. -He wanted me to become his resident secretary, but I struck -at that. I must have some sort of life worth living. What -scares me is that he may fire me if I don’t agree. He’s been -very unpleasant this week. I wonder if Ray has seen him?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray Bennett had not seen his late employer. He was too -completely engrossed in the joy of being with Lola, too -inspired and stimulated from more material sources, to take -an interest in anything but himself and the immediate object -of his affections.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You are making a fool of yourself, Ray. Everybody is -looking at you,” warned Lola.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He glanced round, and for the first time began to notice who -was in the room. Presently his eyes fell upon the shining -pate of Mr. Maitland, and his jaw dropped. He could not -believe the evidence of his vision, and, rising, walked unsteadily -across the floor, shouldering the other guests, stumbling against -chairs and tables, until he stood by the table of his late -employer.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gosh!” he gasped. “It <span class='it'>is</span> you!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The old man raised his eyes slowly from the cloth which -he had been contemplating steadily for ten minutes, and his -steely eyes met the gaze steadily.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You hoary old sinner!” breathed Ray.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Go away,” snarled Mr. Maitland.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“ ‘Go away,’ is it? I’m going to talk to you and give -you a few words of advice and warning, Moses!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray sat down suddenly in a chair, and faced his glaring -victim with drunken solemnity. His words of warning -remained unuttered. Somebody gripped his arm and jerked -him to his feet, and he looked into the dark face of Lew -Brady.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Here, what——” he began. But Brady led him and -pushed him back to his own table.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You fool!” he hissed. “Why do you want to advertise -yourself in this way? You’re a hell of a Secret Service man!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t want any of that stuff from you,” said Ray -roughly as he jerked his arm free.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sit down, Ray,” said Lola in a low voice. “Half Scotland -Yard is in the club, watching you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He followed the direction of her eyes and saw Dick Gordon -regarding him gravely, and the sight and knowledge of that -surveillance maddened him. Leaping to his feet, he crossed -the room to where they sat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Looking for me?” he asked loudly. “Want me for -anything?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You damned police spy!” stormed the youth, white -with unreasoning passion. “Bringing your bloodhounds -after me! What are you doing with this gang, Johnson? -Are you turned policeman too?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My dear Ray,” murmured Johnson.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My dear Ray!” sneered the other. “You’re jealous, you -poor worm—jealous because I’ve got away from the bloodsucker’s -clutches! As to you”—he waved a threatening -finger in Dick’s face—“you leave me alone—see? You’ve got -a whole lot of work to do without carrying tales to my sister.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think you had better go back to your friends,” said Dick -coolly. “Or, better still, go home and sleep.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>All this had occurred between the dances, and now the band -struck up, but if the attention of the crowded clubroom was -in no wise relaxed, there was this change, that Ray’s high -voice now did not rise above the efforts of the trap drummer.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick looked round for the watchful Hagn. He knew that -the manager, or one of the officials of the club, would interfere -instantly. It was not Hagn, but a head waiter, who came up -and pushed the young man back.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>So intent was everybody on that little scene that followed, -in the spectacle of that flushed youth struggling against the -steady pressure which the head waiter and his fellows asserted, -that nobody saw the man who for a while stood in the doorway -surveying the scene, before pushing aside the attendants -he strode into the centre of the room.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray, looking round, was almost sobered by the sight of -his father.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The rugged, grey-haired man, in his worn, tweed suit, -made a striking contrast to that gaily-dressed throng. He -stood, his hands behind him, his face white and set, surveying -his son, and the boy’s eyes dropped before him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I want you, Ray,” he said simply.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The floor was deserted; the music ceased, as though the -leader of the orchestra had been signalled that something -was wrong.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come back with me to Horsham, boy.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m not going,” said Ray sullenly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He is not with you, Mr. Gordon?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick shook his head, and at this intervention the fury of -Ray Bennett flamed again.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“With him!” he said scornfully. “Would I be with a -sneaking policeman?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Go with your father, Ray.” It was Johnson’s urgent -advice, and his hand lay for a second on the boy’s shoulder.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray shook him off.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll stay here,” he said, and his voice was loud and defiant. -“I’m not a baby, that I can’t be trusted out alone. You’ve -no right to come here, making me look a fool.” He glowered -at his father. “You’ve kept me down all these years, denied -me money that I ought to have had—and who are you that -you should pretend to be shocked because I’m in a decent -club, wearing decent clothes? I’m straight: can you say the -same? If I wasn’t straight, could you blame me? You’re -not going to put any of that kind father stuff over——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come away.” John Bennett’s voice was hoarse.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m staying here,” said Ray violently. “And in future -you can leave me alone. The break had to come some time, -and it might as well come now.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They stood facing one another, father and son, and in the -tired eyes of John Bennett was a look of infinite sadness.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re a silly boy, Ray. Perhaps I haven’t done all I -could——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Perhaps!” sneered the other. “Why, you know it! -You get out!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And then, as he turned his head, he saw the suppressed -smiles on the face of the audience, and the hurt to his vanity -drove him mad.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come,” said John gently, and laid his hand on the boy’s -arm.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>With a roar of fury Ray broke loose . . . in a second the -thing was done. The blow that struck John Bennett staggered -him, but he did not fall.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And then, through the guests who thronged about the two, -came Ella. She realized instantly what had happened. Elk -had slipped from his seat and was standing behind the boy, -ready to pin him if he raised his hand again. But Ray Bennett -stood, frozen with horror, speechless, incapable of movement.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Father!” The white-faced girl whispered the word.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The head of John Bennett dropped, and he suffered himself -to be led away.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick Gordon wanted to follow and comfort, but he saw -Johnson going after them and went back to his table. Again -the music started, and they took Ray Bennett back to his -table, where he sat, head on hand, till Lola signalled a waiter -to bring more wine.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There are times,” said Elk, “when the prodigal son and -the fatted calf look so like one another that you can’t tell -’em apart.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick said nothing, but his heart bled for the mystery man -of Horsham. For he had seen in John Bennett’s face the -agony of the damned.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='91' id='Page_91'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XIII</h1></div> - -<h3>A RAID ON ELDOR STREET</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>J</span>OHNSON did not come back, and in many respects the -two men were glad. Elk had been on the point of -telling the secretary to clear, and he hoped that Mr. Maitland -would follow his example. As if reading his thoughts, the -old man rose soon after the room had quietened down. He -had sat through the scene which had followed Ray’s meeting -with his father, and had apparently displayed not the slightest -interest in the proceedings. It was as though his mind were -so far away that he could not bring himself to a realization -of actualities.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s going, and he hasn’t paid his bill,” whispered Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In spite of his remissness, the aged millionaire was escorted -to the door by the three chief waiters, his top-coat, silk hat and -walking-stick were brought to him, and he was out of Dick -Gordon’s sight before the bowing servants had straightened -themselves.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk looked at his watch: it wanted five minutes of one. -Hagn had not returned—a circumstance which irritated the -detective and was a source of uneasiness to Dick Gordon. -The merriment again worked up to its highest point, when -the two men rose from the table and strolled toward the door. -A waiter came after them hurriedly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Monsieur has not paid his bill.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We will pay that later,” said Dick, and at that moment -the hands of the clock pointed to the hour.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Precisely five minutes later the club was in the hands of -the police. By 1.15 it was empty, save for the thirty raiding -detectives and the staff.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where is Hagn?” Dick asked the chief waiter.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He has gone home, monsieur,” said the man sullenly. -“He always goes home early.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s a lie,” said Elk. “Show me to his room.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Hagn’s office was in the basement, a part of the old mission -hall that had remained untouched. They were shown to a -large, windowless cubicle, comfortably furnished, which was -Hagn’s private bureau, but the man had disappeared. Whilst -his subordinates were searching for the books and examining, -sheet by sheet, the documents in the clerk’s office, Elk made -an examination of the room. In one corner was a small safe, -upon which he put the police seal; and lying on a sofa in some -disorder was a suit of clothes, evidently discarded in a hurry. -Elk looked at them, carried them under the ceiling light, and -examined them. It was the suit Hagn had been wearing -when he had shown them to their seats.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bring in that head waiter,” said Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The head waiter either wouldn’t or couldn’t give information.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mr. Hagn always changes his clothes before he goes home,” -he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why did he go before the club was closed?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man shrugged his shoulders.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know anything about his private affairs,” he said, -and Elk dismissed him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Against the wall was a dressing-table and a mirror, and -on each side of the mirror stood a small table-lamp, which -differed from other table-lamps in that it was not shaded. -Elk turned the switch, and in the glaring light scrutinized -the table. Presently he found two wisps of hair, and held -them against the sleeve of his black coat. In the drawer -he found a small bottle of spirit gum, and examined the -brush. Then he picked up a little wastepaper basket and -turned its contents upon the table. He found a few torn bills, -business letters, a tradesman’s advertisement, three charred -cigarette ends, and some odd scraps of paper. One of these -was covered with gum and stuck together.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I reckon he wiped the brush on this,” said Elk, and with -some difficulty pulled the folded slip apart.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was typewritten, and consisted of three lines:</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='pindent'>“Urgent. See Seven at E.S.2. No raid. Get M.’s -statement. Urgent. F.1.”</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick took the paper from his subordinate’s hand and -read it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s wrong about the no raid,” he said. “E. S., of course, -is Eldor Street, and two is either the number two or two -o’clock.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who’s ‘M.’?” asked Elk, frowning.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Obviously Mills—the man we caught at Wandsworth. -He made a written statement, didn’t he?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He has signed one,” said Elk thoughtfully.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He turned the papers over, and after a while found what -he was looking for—a small envelope. It was addressed in -typewritten characters to “G. V. Hagn,” and bore on the -back the stamp of the District Messenger service.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The staff were still held by the police, and Elk sent for -the doorkeeper.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What time was this delivered?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man was an ex-soldier, the only one of the prisoners -who seemed to feel his position.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It came at about nine o’clock, sir,” he said readily, and -produced the letter-book in confirmation. “It was brought -by a District Messenger boy,” he explained unnecessarily.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Does Mr. Hagn get many notes by District Messenger?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Very few, sir,” said the doorkeeper, and added an anxious -inquiry as to his own fate.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You can go,” said Elk. “Under escort,” he added, “to -your own home. You’re not to communicate with anybody, -or tell any of the servants here that I have made inquiries -about this letter. Do you understand?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>To make assurance doubly sure, Elk had called up exchange -and placed a ban upon all ’phone communications. It was -now a quarter to two, and, leaving half-a-dozen detectives -in charge of the club, he got the remainder on to the car -that had brought them, and, accompanied by Dick, went full -speed for Tottenham.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Within a hundred yards of Eldor Street the car stopped -and unloaded. The first essential was that whoever was -meeting No. 7 in Eldor Street should not be warned of their -approach. It was more than possible that Frog scouts would -be watching at each end of the street.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know why they should,” said Elk, when Dick -put this possibility forward.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I can give you one very excellent reason,” said Dick -quietly. “It is this: that the Frogs know all about your -previous visit to Maitland’s slum residence.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What makes you think that?” asked Elk in surprise, -but Dick did not enlighten him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Sending the men round by circuitous routes, he went forward -with Elk, and at the very corner of Eldor Street, Elk -found that his chief’s surmise was well founded. Under a -lamp-post Elk saw the dim figure of a man standing, and -instantly began an animated and raucous conversation concerning -a mythical Mr. Brown. Realizing that this was intended -for the watcher, Gordon joined in. The man under -the lamp-post hesitated just a little too long. As they came -abreast of him, Elk turned.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Have you got a match?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No,” growled the other, and the next instant was on -the ground, with Elk’s knee on his chest and the detective’s -bony hand around his throat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Shout, Frog, and I’ll throttle you,” hissed the detective -ferociously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was no scuffle, no sound. The thing was done so -quickly that, if there were other watchers in the street, they -could not have known what had happened, or have received -any warning from their comrade’s fate. The man was in the -hands of the following detective, gagged and handcuffed, and -on his way to the police car, before he knew exactly what -tornado had struck him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you mind if I sing?” said Elk as they turned into -the street on the opposite side to that where Mr. Maitland’s -late residence was situated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Without waiting permission Elk broke into song. His -voice was thin and flat. As a singer, he was a miserable -failure, and Dick Gordon had never in his life listened with -so much patience to sounds more hideous. But there would -be watchers at each end of the street, he thought, and soon -saw that Elk’s precautions were necessary.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Again it was in the shadow of a street-lamp that the sentinel -stood—a tall, thickset man, more conscientious in the discharge -of his duties than his friend, for Dick saw something -glittering in his mouth, and knew that it was a whistle.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Give me the woild for a wishing well,” wailed Elk, staggering -slightly, “Say that my dre-em will come true . . .”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And as he sang he made appropriate gestures. His outflung -hand caught the whistle and knocked it from the man’s -mouth, and in a second the two sprang at him and flung him -face downward on the pavement. Elk pulled his prisoner’s -cap over his mouth; something black and shiny flashed -before the sentry’s eyes, and a cold, circular instrument was -thrust against the back of his ear.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If you make a sound, you’re a dead Frog,” said Elk; and -that portion of his party which had made the circuit coming -up at that moment, he handed his prisoner over and replaced -his fountain-pen in his pocket.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Everything now depends upon whether the gentleman -who is patrolling the passage between the gardens has witnessed -this disgusting fracas,” said Elk, dusting himself. -“If he was standing at the entrance to the passage he has -seen it, and there’s going to be trouble.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Apparently the patrol was in the alleyway itself and had -heard no sound. Creeping to the entrance, Elk listened and -presently heard the soft pad of footsteps. He signalled to -Dick to remain where he was, and slipped into the passage, -walking softly, but not so softly that the man on guard at -the back gate of Mr. Maitland’s house did not hear him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who’s that?” he demanded in a gruff voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s me,” whispered Elk. “Don’t make so much -noise.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re not supposed to be here,” said the other in a tone -of authority. “I told you to stay under the lamp-post——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk’s eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness, and -now he saw his man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There are two queer-looking people in the street: I -wanted you to see them,” he whispered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>All turned now upon the discipline which the Frogs maintained.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who are they?” asked the unknown in a low voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A man and a woman,” whispered Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t suppose they’re anybody important,” grumbled -the other.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In his youth Elk had played football; and, measuring the -distance as best he could, he dropped suddenly and tackled -low. The man struck the earth with a jerk which knocked -all the breath out of his body and made him incapable of any -other sound than the involuntary gasp which followed his -knock-out. In a second Elk was on him, his bony knee on -the man’s throat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Pray, Frog,” he whispered in the man’s ear, “but don’t -shout!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The stricken man was incapable of shouting, and was -still breathless when willing hands threw him into the patrol -wagon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’ll have to go the back way, boys,” said Elk in a -whisper.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>This time his task was facilitated by the fact that the garden -gate was not locked. The door into the scullery was, -however, but there was a window, the catch of which Elk -forced noiselessly. He had pulled off his boots and was in -his stockinged feet, and he sidled along the darkened passage. -Apparently none of the dilapidated furniture had been removed -from the house, for he felt the small table that had stood in -the hall on his last visit. Gently turning the handle of Maitland’s -room, he pushed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The door was open, the room in darkness and empty. Elk -came back to the scullery.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s nobody here on the ground floor,” he said. “We’ll -try upstairs.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was half-way up when he heard the murmur of voices -and stopped. Raising his eyes to the level of the floor, he -saw a crack of light under the doorway of the front room—the -apartment which had been occupied by Maitland’s housekeeper. -He listened, but could distinguish no consecutive -words. Then, with a bound, he took the remaining stairs -in three strides, flew along the landing, and flung himself upon -the door. It was locked. At the sound of his footsteps the -light inside went out. Twice he threw himself with all his -weight at the frail door, and at the third attempt it crashed -in.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Hands up, everybody!” he shouted.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The room was in darkness, and there was a complete -silence. Crouching down in the doorway, he flung the gleam -of his electric torch into the room. It was empty!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His officers came crowding in at his heels, the lamp on -the table was relit—the glass chimney was hot—and a search -was made of the room. It was too small to require a great -deal of investigation. There was a bed, under which it was -possible to hide, but they drew blank in this respect. At -one end of the room near the bed was a wardrobe, which was -filled with old dresses suspended from hangers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Throw out those clothes,” ordered Elk. “There must -be a door there into the next house.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A glance at the window showed him that it was impossible -for the inmates of the room to have escaped that way. -Presently the clothes were heaped on the floor, and the detectives -were attacking the wooden back of the wardrobe, which -did, in fact, prove to be a door leading into the next house. -Whilst they were so engaged, Dick made a scrutiny of the -table, which was littered with papers. He saw something -and called Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is this, Elk?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The detective took the four closely-typed sheets of paper -from his hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mills’ confession,” he said in amazement. “There are -only two copies, one of which I have, and the other is in the -possession of your department, Captain Gordon.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At this moment the wardrobe backing was smashed in, -and the detectives were pouring through to the next house.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And then it was that they made the interesting discovery -that, to all intents and purposes, communication was continuous -between a block of ten houses that ran to the end -of the street. And they were not untenanted. Three typical -Frogs occupied the first room into which they burst. They -found others on the lower floor; and it soon became clear -that the whole of the houses comprising the end block had -been turned into a sleeping-place for the recruits of Frogdom. -Since any one of these might have been No. 7, they were -placed under arrest.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>All the communicating doors were now opened. Except -in the case of Maitland’s house, no attempt had been made -to camouflage the entrances, which in the other houses consisted -of oblong apertures, roughly cut through the brick party -walls.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We may have got him, but I doubt it,” said Elk, coming -back, breathless and grimy, to where Dick was examining the -remainder of the documents which he had found. “I haven’t -seen any man who looks like owning brains.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Nobody has escaped from the block?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My men are in the passage and the street. In addition, -the uniformed police are here. Didn’t you hear the whistle?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk’s assistant reported at that moment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A man has been found in one of the back yards, sir,” he -said. “I’ve taken the liberty of relieving the constable of his -prisoner. Would you like to see him?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bring him up,” said Elk, and a few minutes later a handcuffed -man was pushed into the room.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was above medium height; his hair was fair and long, -his yellow beard was trimmed to a point.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For a moment Dick looked at him wonderingly, and then:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Carlo, I think?” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Hagn, I’m sure!” said Elk. “Get those whiskers off, -you Frog, and we’ll talk numbers, beginning with seven!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Hagn! Even now Dick could not believe his eyes. The -wig was so perfectly made, the beard so cunningly fixed, that -he could not believe it was the manager of Heron’s Club. -But when he heard the voice, he knew that Elk was right.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Number Seven, eh?” drawled Hagn. “I guess Number -Seven will get through your cordon without being challenged, -Mr. Elk. He’s friendly with the police. What do you want -me for?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I want you for the part you played in the murder of -Chief Inspector Genter on the night of the fourteenth of May,” -said Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Hagn’s lips curled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why don’t you take Broad?—he was there. Perhaps -he’ll come as witness for me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When I see him——” began Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Look out of the window,” interrupted Hagn. “He’s -there!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick walked to the window and, throwing up the sash, -leant out. A crowd of locals in shawls and overcoats were -watching the transference of the prisoners. Dick caught the -sheen of a silk hat and the unmistakable voice of Broad hailed -him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good morning, Captain Gordon—Frog stock kind of -slumped, hasn’t it? By the way, did you see the baby?”</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='99' id='Page_99'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XIV</h1></div> - -<h3>“ALL BULLS HEAR!”</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>E</span>LK went out on the street to see the American. Mr. -Broad was in faultless evening dress, and the gleaming -head-lamps of his car illuminated the mean street.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’ve certainly a nose for trouble,” said Elk with respect; -“and whilst you’re telling me how you came to know about -this raid, which hadn’t been decided on until half-an-hour ago, -I’ll do some quiet wondering.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I didn’t know there was a raid,” confessed Joshua Broad, -“but when I saw twenty Central Office men dash out of -Heron’s Club and drive furiously away, I am entitled to guess -that their haste doesn’t indicate their anxiety to get to bed -before the clock strikes two. I usually call at Heron’s Club -in the early hours. In many ways its members are less desirable -acquaintances than the general run of Frogs, but they -amuse me. And they are mildly instructive. That is my -explanation—I saw you leave in a hurry and I followed you. -And I repeat my question. Did you see the dear little baby -who is learning to spell R-A-T, Rat?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No,” said Elk shortly. He had a feeling that the suave -and self-possessed American was laughing at him. “Come -in and see the chief.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Broad followed the inspector to the bedroom, where Dick -was assembling the papers which in his hurried departure -No. 7 had left behind. The capture was the most important -that had been made since the campaign against the Frogs -was seriously undertaken.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In addition to the copy of the secret report on Mills, there -was a bundle of notes, many of them cryptic and unintelligible -to the reader. Some, however, were in plain English. They -were typewritten, and obviously they corresponded to the -General Orders of an army. They were, in fact, the Frog’s -own instructions, issued under the name of his chief of staff, -for each bore the signature “Seven.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>One ran:</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='pindent'>“Raymond Bennett must go faster. L. to tell him that -he is a Frog. Whatever is done with him must be carried out -with somebody unknown as Frog.”</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>Another slip:</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gordon has an engagement to dine American Embassy -Thursday. Settle. Elk has fixed new alarm under fourth -tread of stairs. Elk goes to Wandsworth 4.15 to-morrow for -interview with Mills.”</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>There were other notes dealing with people of whom Dick -had never heard. He was reading again the reference to -himself, and smiling over the laconic instruction “settle,” -when the American came in.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sit down, Mr. Broad—by the sad look on Elk’s face I -guess you have explained your presence satisfactorily?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Broad nodded smilingly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And Mr. Elk takes quite a lot of convincing,” he said. -His eyes fell upon the papers on the table. “Would it be -indiscreet to ask if that is Frog stuff?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Very,” said Dick, “In fact, any reference to the Frogs -would be the height of indiscretion, unless you’re prepared -to add to the sum of our knowledge.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I can tell you, without committing myself, that Frog -Seven has made a getaway,” said the American calmly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How do you know?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I heard the Frogs jubilating as they passed down the -street in custody,” said Broad. “Frog Seven’s disguise was -perfect—he wore the uniform of a policeman.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk swore softly but savagely.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That was it!” he said. “He was the ‘policeman’ who -was spiriting Hagn away under the pretence of arresting him! -And if one of my men had not taken his prisoner from him -they would both have escaped. Wait!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He went in search of the detective who had brought in -Hagn.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know the constable,” said that officer. “This -is a strange division to me. He was a tallish man with a -heavy black moustache. If it was a disguise, it was perfect, -sir.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk returned to report and question. But again Mr. Broad’s -explanation was a simple one.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I tell you that the Frogs were openly enjoying the joke. -I heard one say that the ‘rozzer’ got away—and another -refer to the escaped man as a ‘flattie’—both, I believe, are -cant terms for policemen?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is your interest in the Frogs, Broad?” he asked -bluntly. “Forget for the minute that you’re a parlour-criminologist -and imagine that you’re writin’ the true story -of your life.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Broad considered for a while, examining the cigar he had -been smoking.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Frogs mean nothing to me—the Frog everything.” -The American puffed a ring of smoke into the air and watched -it dissolve.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m mighty curious to know what game he is playing -with Ray Bennett,” he said. “That is certainly the most -intriguing feature of Frog strategy.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He rose and took up his hat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I envy you your search of this fine old mansion,” he said, -and, with a twinkle in his eye: “Don’t forget the kindergarten, -Mr. Elk.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When he had gone, Elk made a close scrutiny of the house. -He found two children’s books, both well-thumbed, and an -elementary copybook, in which a childish hand had followed, -shakily, the excellent copperplate examples. The <span class='it'>abacus</span> was -gone, however. In the cupboard where he had seen the unopened -circulars, he made a discovery. It was a complete -outfit, as far as he could judge, for a boy of six or seven. -Every article was new—not one had been worn. Elk carried -his find to where Dick was still puzzling over some of the more -obscure notes which “No. 7” had left in his flight.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What do you make of these?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The Prosecutor turned over the articles one by one, then -leant back in his chair and stared into vacancy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“All new,” he said absently, and then a slow smile dawned -on his face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk, who saw nothing funny in the little bundle, wondered -what was amusing him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think these clothes supply a very valuable clue; does -this?” He passed a paper across the table, and Elk read:</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='pindent'>“All bulls hear on Wednesday 3.1.A. L.V.M.B. Important.”</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>“There are twenty-five copies of that simple but moving -message,” said Dick; “and as there are no envelopes for -any of the instructions, I can only suppose that they are -despatched by Hagn either from the club or his home. This -is how far I have got in figuring the organization of the Frogs. -Frog Number One works through ‘Seven,’ who may or may -not be aware of his chief’s identity. Hagn—whose number -is thirteen, by the way, and mighty unlucky it will be for him—is -the executive chief of Number Seven’s bureau, and actually -communicates with the section chiefs. He may or may -not know ‘Seven’—probably he does. Seven takes orders -from the Frog, but may act without consultation if emergencies -arise. There is here,” he tapped the paper, “an apology for -employing Mills, which bears this out.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No handwriting?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“None—nor finger-prints.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk took up one of the slips on which the messages were -written, and held it to the light.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Watermark Three Lion Bond,” he read. “Typewriter -new, written by somebody who was taught and has a weak -little finger of the left hand—the ‘q’ and ‘a’ are faint. That -shows he’s a touch typist—uses the same finger every time. -Self-taught typists seldom use their little fingers. Especially -the little finger of the left hand. I once caught a bank thief -through knowing this.” He read the message again.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“ ‘All bulls hear on Wednesday . . .’ Bulls are the big -men, the bull frogs, eh? Where do they hear? ‘3.1.A.’? -That certainly leaves me guessing, Captain. Why, what do -you think?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick was regarding him oddly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It doesn’t get me guessing,” he said slowly. “At 3.1 a.m. -on Wednesday morning, I shall be listening in for the code -signal L.V.M.B.—we are going to hear that great Frog talk!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Will he talk about the durned treaty?” growled Elk.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='103' id='Page_103'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XV</h1></div> - -<h3>THE MORNING AFTER</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>R</span>AY BENNETT woke with a groan. His temples were -splitting, his tongue was parched and dry. When he -tried to lift his aching head from the pillow he groaned again, -but with an effort of will succeeded in dragging himself from -the bed and staggering to the window. He pushed open a -leaded casement and looked out upon the green of Hyde Park, -and all the time his temples throbbed painfully.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Pouring a glass of water from a carafe, he drank greedily, -and, sitting down on the edge of the bed, his head between -his hands, he tried to think. Only dimly did he recall the -events of the night before, but he was conscious that something -dreadful had happened. Slowly his mind started to sort -out his experiences, and with a sinking heart he remembered -he had struck his father! He shuddered at the recollection, -and then began a frantic mental search for justification. The -vanity of youth does not readily reject excuses for its own -excesses, and Ray was no exception. By the time he had had -his bath and was in the first stages of dressing, he had come -to the conclusion that he had been very badly treated. It -was unpardonable in him to strike his father—he must write -to him expressing his sorrow and urging his condition as a -reason for the act. It would not be a crawling letter (he told -himself) but something dignified and a little distant. After -all, these quarrels occurred in every family. Parents were -temporarily estranged from their children, and were eventually -reconciled. Some day he would go to his father a rich man. . . .</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He pursed his lips uneasily. A rich man? He was well -off now. He had an expensive flat. Every week crisp new -banknotes came by registered post. He had the loan of a -car—how long would this state of affairs continue?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was no fool. Not perhaps as clever as he thought he -was, but no fool. Why should the Japanese or any other -Government pay him for information they could get from -any handbook available to all and purchasable for a few -shillings at most booksellers?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He dismissed the thought—he had the gift of putting out -of his mind those matters which troubled him. Opening -the door which led into his dining-room, he stood stock-still, -paralysed with astonishment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ella was sitting at the open window, her elbow on the ledge, -her chin in her hand. She looked pale, and there were heavy -shadows under her eyes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why, Ella, what on earth are you doing here?” he asked. -“How did you get in?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The porter opened the door with his pass-key when -I told him I was your sister,” she said listlessly. “I came -early this morning. Oh, Ray—aren’t you . . . aren’t you -ashamed?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He scowled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why should I be?” he asked loudly. “Father ought -to have known better than tackle me when I was lit up! -Of course, it was an awful thing to do, but I wasn’t responsible -for my actions at the time. What did he say?” he -asked uncomfortably.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Nothing—he said nothing. I wish he had. Won’t you -go to Horsham and see him, Ray?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No—let it blow over for a day or two,” he said hastily. -He most assuredly had no anxiety to meet his father. “If -. . . if he forgives me he’ll only want me to come back and -chuck this life. He had no right to make me look little before -all those people. I suppose you’ve been to see your friend -Gordon?” he sneered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No,” she said simply, “I have been nowhere but here. -I came up by the workmen’s train. Would it be a dreadful -sacrifice, Ray, to give up this?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He made an impatient gesture.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It isn’t—this, my dear Ella, if by ‘this’ you mean the -flat. It is my work that you and father want me to give up. -I have to live up to my position.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is your work?” she asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You wouldn’t understand,” he said loftily, and her lips -twitched.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It would have to be very extraordinary if I could not -understand it,” she said. “Is it Secret Service work?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray went red.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I suppose Gordon has been talking to you,” he complained -bitterly. “If that fellow sticks his nose into my affairs he -is going to have it pulled!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why shouldn’t he?” she asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>This was a new tone in her, and one that made him stare -at her. Ella had always been the indulgent, approving, -excusing sister. The buffer who stood between him and his -father’s reproof.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why shouldn’t he?” she repeated. “Mr. Gordon should -know something of Secret Service work—he himself is an -officer of the law. You are either working lawfully, in which -case it doesn’t matter what he knows, or unlawfully, and the -fact that he knows should make a difference to you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He looked at her searchingly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why are you so interested in Gordon—are you in love -with him?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Her steady eyes did not waver, and only the faintest tinge -of pink came to the skin that sleeplessness had paled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is the kind of question that a gentleman does not -ask in such a tone,” she said quietly, “not even of his sister. -Ray, you are coming back to daddy, aren’t you—to-day?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No. I’m not. I’m going to write to him. I admit I -did wrong. I shall tell him so in my letter. I can’t do more -than that.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There came a discreet knock on the door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come in,” growled Ray. It was his servant, a man -who came by the day.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Will you see Miss Bassano and Mr. Brady, sir?” he -asked in a hoarse whisper, and glanced significantly at Ella.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Of course he’ll see me,” said a voice outside. “Why -all this formality—oh, I see.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Lola Bassano’s eyes fell upon the girl seated by the window.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is my sister—Ella, this is Miss Bassano and Mr. -Brady.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ella looked at the petite figure in the doorway, and, looking, -could only admire. It was the first time they had met face -to face, and she thought Lola was lovely.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Glad to meet you, Miss Bennett. I suppose you’ve come -up to roast this brother of yours for his disgraceful conduct -last night. Boy, you were certainly mad! It <span class='it'>was</span> your father, -Miss Bennett?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ella nodded, and heard with gratitude the sympathetic -click of Lew Brady’s lips.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If I’d been near you, Ray, I’d have beaten you. Too -bad, Miss Bennett.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A strange coldness came suddenly to the girl—and a second -before she had glowed to their sympathy. It was the suspicion -of their insincerity that chilled her. Their kindness was -just a little too glib and too ready. Brady’s just a little too -overpowering.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you like your brother’s flat?” asked Lola, sitting -down and stretching her silk-covered legs to a patch of sunlight.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is very—handsome,” said Ella. “He will find Horsham -rather dull when he comes back.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Will he go back?” Lola flashed a smile at the youth as -she asked the question.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not much I won’t,” said Ray energetically. “I’ve been -trying to make Ella understand that my business is too important -to leave.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Lola nodded, and now the antagonism which Ella in her -charity was holding back came with a rush.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is the business?” she asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He went on to give her a vague and cautious exposition -of his work, and she listened without comment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So if you think that I’m doing anything crooked, or -have friends that aren’t as straight as you and father are, -get the idea out of your head. I’m not afraid of Gordon or -Elk or any of that lot. Don’t think I am. Nor is Brady, -nor Miss Bassano. Gordon is one of those cheap detectives -who has got his ideas out of books.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s perfectly true, Miss Bennett,” said Lew virtuously. -“Gordon is just a bit too clever. He’s got the idea that -everybody but himself is crook. Why, he sent Elk down to -cross-examine your own father! Believe me, I’m not scared -of Gordon, or any——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='it'>Tap . . . tap . . . tappity . . . tap.</span></p> - -<p class='pindent'>The taps were on the door, slow, deliberate, unmistakable. -The effect on Lew Brady was remarkable. His big body -seemed to shrink, his puffed face grew suddenly hollow.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='it'>Tap . . . tap . . . tappity . . . tap.</span></p> - -<p class='pindent'>The hand that went up to Brady’s mouth was trembling. -Ella looked from the man to Lola, and she saw, to her amazement, -that Lola had grown pale under her rouge. Brady -stumbled to the door, and the sound of his heavy breathing -sounded loud in the silence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come in,” he muttered, and flung the door wide open.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was Dick Gordon who entered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He looked from one to the other, laughter in his eyes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The old Frog tap seems to frighten some of you,” he -said pleasantly.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='107' id='Page_107'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XVI</h1></div> - -<h3>RAY LEARNS THE TRUTH</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>L</span>OLA was the quickest to recover.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What do you mean . . . Frog tap? Got that -Frog stuff roaming loose in your head, haven’t you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is a new accomplishment,” said Dick with mock -gravity. “A thirty-third degree Frog taught me. It’s the -signal the old Grand Master Frog gives when he enters the -presence of his inferiors.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Your thirty-third degree Frog is probably lying,” said -Lola, her colour returning. “Anyway, Mills——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I never mentioned Mills,” said Dick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I know it was he. His arrest was in the newspapers.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It hasn’t even appeared in the newspapers,” said Dick, -“unless it was splashed in <span class='it'>The Frog Gazette</span>—probably on the -personality page.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He inclined his head toward the girl. Ray, for the moment, -he would have ignored if the young man had not taken a -step toward him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you want anything, Gordon?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I want a private talk with you, Bennett,” said Dick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s nothing you can’t say before my friends,” said -Ray, his ready temper rising.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The only person I recognize by that title is your sister,” -replied Gordon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Let us go, Lew,” said Lola with a shrug, but Ray Bennett -stopped them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Wait a minute! Is this my house, or isn’t it?” he -demanded furiously. “You can clear out, Gordon! I’ve -had just about as much of your interference as I want. You -push your way in here, you’re offensive to my friends—you -practically tell them to get out—I like your nerve! There’s -the door—you can go.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll go if you feel that way,” said Dick, “but I want to -warn you——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Pshaw! I’m sick of your warnings.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I want to warn you that the Frog has decided that you’ve -got to earn your money! That is all.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a dead silence, which Ella broke.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Frog?” she repeated, open-eyed. “But . . . but, -Mr. Gordon, Ray isn’t . . . with the Frogs?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Perhaps it will be news to him—but he is,” said Dick. -“These two people are faithful servants of the reptile,” he -pointed. “Lola is financed by him—her husband is financed -by him——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re a liar!” screamed Ray. “Lola isn’t married! -You’re a sneaking liar—get out before I throw you out! -You poor Frog-chaser—you think everything that’s green -lives in a pond! Get out and stay out!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was Ella’s appealing glance that made Dick Gordon -walk to the door. Turning, his cold gaze rested on Lew -Brady.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There is a big question-mark against your name in the -Frog-book, Brady. You watch out!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Lew shrank under the blow, for blow it was. Had he -dared, he would have followed Gordon into the corridor and -sought further information. But here his moral courage failed -him, and he stood, a pathetic figure, looking wistfully at the -door that the visitor had closed behind him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“For God’s sake let us get some air in the room!” snarled -Ray, thrusting open the windows. “That fellow is a pestilence! -Married! Trying to get me to believe that!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ella had taken up her handbag from the sideboard where -she had placed it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Going, Ella?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Tell father . . . I’ll write anyway. Talk to him, Ella, -and show him where he was wrong.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She held out her hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good-bye, Ray,” she said. “Perhaps one day you will -come back to us. Please God this madness will end soon. -Oh, Ray, it isn’t true about the Frogs, is it? You aren’t -with those people?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His laugh reassured her for the moment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Of course I’m not—it’s about as true as the yarn that -Lola is married! Gordon was trying to make a sensation; -that’s the worst of these third-rate detectives, they live on -sensation.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She nodded to Lola as he escorted her to the lift. Lew -Brady watched her with hungry eyes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What did he mean, Lola?” asked Brady as the door -closed behind the two. “That fellow knows something! -There’s a mark against my name in the Frog-book! That -sounds bad to me. Lola, I’m finished with these Frogs! -They’re getting on my nerves.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re a fool,” she said calmly. “Gordon has got just -the effect he wanted—he has scared you!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Scared?” he answered savagely. “Nothing scares me. -You’re not scared because you’ve no imagination. I’m . . . -not scared, but worried, because I’m beginning to see that -the Frogs are bigger than I dreamt. They killed that Scotsman -Maclean the other day, and they’re not going to think -twice about settling with me. I’ve talked to these Frogs, -Lola—they’d do anything from murder upwards. They look -on the Frog as a god—he’s a religion with them! A question-mark -against my name! I believe it too—I’ve talked flip -about ’em, and they won’t forgive that——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Hush!” she warned him in a low voice as the door handle -turned and Ray came back.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Phew!” he said. “Thank God she’s gone! What -a morning! Frogs—Frogs—Frogs! The poor fool!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Lola opened a small jewelled case and took out a cigarette -and lit it, extinguishing the match with a snick of her fingers. -Then she turned her beautiful eyes upon Ray.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is the matter with the Frogs anyway?” she asked -coolly. “They pay well and they ask for little.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray gaped at her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re not working for them, are you?” he asked -astonished. “Why, they’re just low tramps who murder -people!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She shook her head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not all of them,” she corrected. “They are only the -body—the big Frogs are different. I am one and Lew is -one.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What the devil are you talking about?” demanded Lew, -half in fear, half in wrath.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He ought to know—and he has got to know sooner or -later,” said Lola, unperturbed. “He’s too sensible a boy -to imagine that the Japanese or any other embassy is paying -his overhead charges. He’s a Frog.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray collapsed into a chair, incapable of speech.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A Frog?” he repeated mechanically. “What . . . what -do you mean?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Lola laughed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t see that it is any worse being a Frog than an -agent of another country, selling your own country’s secrets,” -she said. “Don’t be silly, Ray! You ought to be pleased -and honoured. They chose you from thousands because -they wanted the right kind of intelligence . . .”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And so she flattered and soothed him, until his plastic -mind, wax in her hands, took another shape.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I suppose it is all right,” he said at last. “Of course, -I wouldn’t do anything really bad, and I don’t approve of -all this clubbing, but, as you say, the Frog can’t be responsible -for all that his people do. But on one thing I’m firm, Lola! -I’ll have no tattooing!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She laughed and extended her white arm.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Am I marked?” she asked. “Is Lew marked? No; -the big people aren’t marked at all. Boy, you’ve a great -future.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray took her hand and fondled it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Lola . . . about that story that Gordon told . . . your -being married: it isn’t true?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She laughed again and patted the hand on hers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gordon is jealous,” she said. “I can’t tell you why—now. -But he has good reasons.” Suddenly her mood grew -gay, and she slipped away. “Listen, I’m going to ’phone -for a table for lunch, and you will join us, and we’ll drink -to the great little Frog who feeds us!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The telephone was on the sideboard, and as she lifted the -receiver she saw the square black metal box clamped to its base.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Something new in ’phones, Ray?” she asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They fixed it yesterday. It’s a resistance. The man -told me that somebody who was talking into a ’phone during -a thunderstorm had a bad shock, so they’re fitting these things -as an experiment. It makes the instrument heavier, and it’s -ugly, but——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Slowly she put the receiver down and stooped to look at -the attachment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s a detectaphone,” she said quietly. “And all the -time we’ve been talking somebody has been making a note -of our conversation.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She walked to the fireplace, took up a poker and brought -it down with a crash on the little box. . . .</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Inspector Elk, with a pair of receivers clamped to his head, -sat in a tiny office on the Thames Embankment, and put -down his pencil with a sigh. Then he took up his telephone -and called Headquarters Exchange.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You can switch off that detectaphone to Knightsbridge -93718,” he said. “I don’t think we shall want it any more.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Did I put you through in time, sir?” asked the operator’s -voice. “They had only just started talking when I called -you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Plenty of time, Angus,” said Elk, “plenty of time.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He gathered up his notes and went to his desk and placed -them tidily by the side of his blotting-pad.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Strolling to the window, he looked out upon the sunlit -river, and there was peace and comfort in his heart, for overnight -the prisoner Mills had decided to tell all he knew about -the Frogs on the promise of a free pardon and a passage to -Canada. And Mills knew more than he had, as yet, told.</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='pindent'>“I can give you a line to Number 7 that will put him into -your hands,” his note had run.</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>Number Seven! Elk caught a long breath. No. 7 was -the hub on which the wheel turned.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He rubbed his hands cheerfully, for it seemed that the -mystery of the Frog was at last to be solved. Perhaps “the -line” would lead to the missing treaty—and at the thought -of the lost document Elk’s face clouded. Two ministers, a -great state department and innumerable under-secretaries -spent their time in writing frantic notes of inquiry to headquarters -concerning Lord Farmley’s loss.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They want miracles,” said Elk, and wondered if the -day would produce one.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He went to his overcoat pocket to find a cigar, and his -hand touched a thick roll of papers. He pulled them out -and threw them upon the desk, and as he did so the first words -on the first sheet caught his eye.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“<span class='it'>By the King’s Most Excellent Majesty in Council</span>——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk tried to yell, but his voice failed him, and then he -snatched up the paper from the desk and turned the leaves -with trembling hands.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was the lost treaty!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk held the precious document in his hand, and his mind -went back quickly over the night’s adventures. When had -he taken off his top-coat? When had he last put his hand -in his pocket? He had taken off the coat at Heron’s Club, -and he could not remember having used the pockets since. -It was a light coat that he either carried or wore, summer or -winter. He had brought it to the office that morning on his -arm.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At the club! Probably when he had parted with the garment -to the cloak-room attendant. Then the Frog must -have been there. One of the waiters probably—an admirable -disguise for the chief of the gang. Elk sat down to think.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>To question anybody in the building would be futile. -Nobody had touched the coat but himself.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Dear me!” said Elk, as he hung up the coat again.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At the touch of his bell, Balder came.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Balder, do you remember seeing me pass your room?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I had my coat on my arm, didn’t I?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I never looked,” said Balder with satisfaction.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He invariably gave Elk the impression that he derived a -great deal of satisfaction out of not being able to help.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s queer,” said Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Anything wrong, sir?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, not exactly. You understand what has to be done -with Mills? He is to see nobody. Immediately he arrives -he is to be put into the waiting-room—alone. There is to -be no conversation of any kind, and, if he speaks, he is not -to be answered.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In the privacy of his office he inspected his find again. -Everything was there—the treaty and Lord Farmley’s notes. -Elk called up his lordship and told the good news. Later -came a small deputation from the Foreign Office to collect -the precious document, and to offer, in the name of the -Ministry, their thanks for his services in recovering the lost -papers. All of which Elk accepted graciously. He would -have been cursed with as great heartiness if he had failed, -and would have been equally innocent of responsibility.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He had arranged for Mills to be brought to Headquarters -at noon. There remained an hour to be filled, and he spent -that hour unprofitably in a rough interrogation of Hagn, -who, stripped of his beard, occupied a special cell segregated -from the ordinary places of confinement in Cannon Row -Station—which is virtually Scotland Yard itself.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Hagn refused to make any statement—even when formally -charged with the murder of Inspector Genter. He did, however, -make a comment on the charge when Elk saw him this -morning.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You have no proof, Elk,” he said, “and you know that -I am innocent.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You were the last man seen in Genter’s company,” said -Elk sternly. “It is established that you brought his body -back to town. In addition to which, Mills has spilt everything.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m aware what Mills has said,” remarked the other.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re not so aware either,” suggested Elk. “And -now I’ll tell you something: we’ve had Number Seven under -lock and key since morning—now laugh!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>To his amazement the man’s face relaxed in a broad grin.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bluff!” he said. “And cheap bluff. It might deceive -a poor little thief, but it doesn’t get past with me. If you’d -caught ‘Seven,’ you wouldn’t be talking fresh to me. Go -and find him, Elk,” he mocked, “and when you’ve got him, -hold him tight. Don’t let him get away—as Mills will.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk returned from the interview feeling that it had not -gone as well as it might—but as he was leaving the station -he beckoned the chief inspector.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m planting a pigeon on Hagn this afternoon. Put ’um -together and leave ’um alone,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The inspector nodded understandingly.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='114' id='Page_114'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XVII</h1></div> - -<h3>THE COMING OF MILLS</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>O</span>N the morning that Elk waited for the arrival of the -informer, elaborate precautions were being made to -transfer the man to headquarters. All night the prison had -been surrounded by a cordon of armed guards, whilst patrols -had remained on duty in the yard where he was confined.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The captured Frog was a well-educated man who had fallen -on evil times and had been recruited when “on the road” -through the agency of two tramping members of the fraternity. -From the first statement he made, it appeared that he had -acted as section leader, his duty being to pass on instructions -and “calls” to the rank and file, to report casualties and -to assist in the attacks which were made from time to time -upon those people who had earned the Frog’s enmity. Apparently -only section leaders and trustees were given this type -of work.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They brought him from his cell at eleven o’clock, and the -man, despite his assurance, was nervous and apprehensive. -Moreover, he had a cold and was coughing. This may have -been a symptom of nerves also.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At eleven-fifteen the gates of the prison were opened, and -three motor-cyclists came out abreast. A closed car followed, -the curtains drawn. On either side of the car rode other -armed men on motor-cycles, and a second car, containing -Central Office men, followed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The cortège reached Scotland Yard without mishap; the -gates at both ends were closed, and the prisoner was rushed -into the building.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Balder, Elk’s clerk, and a detective-sergeant, took charge -of the man, who was now white and shaking, and he was -put into a small room adjoining Elk’s office, a room the windows -of which were heavily barred (it had been used for the -safe holding of spies during the war). Two men were put on -duty outside the door, and the discontented Balder reported.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’ve put that fellow in the waiting-room, Mr. Elk.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Did he say anything?” asked Dick, who had arrived -for the interrogation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, sir—except to ask if the window could be shut. I -shut it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bring the prisoner,” said Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They waited a while, heard the clash of keys, and then -an excited buzz of talk. Then Balder rushed in.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s ill . . . fainted or something,” he gasped, and Elk -sprang past him, along the corridor into the guard-room.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mills half sat, half lay, against the wall. His eyes were -closed, his face was ashen.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick bent over the prisoner and laid him flat on the ground. -Then he stooped and smelt.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Cyanide of potassium,” he said. “The man is dead.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>That morning Mills had been stripped to the skin and -every article of clothing searched thoroughly and well. As -an additional precaution his pockets had been sewn up. To -the two detectives who accompanied him in the car he had -spoken hopefully of his forthcoming departure to Canada. -None but police officers had touched him, and he had had no -communication with any outsider.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The first thing that Dick Gordon noticed was the window, -which Balder said he had shut. It was open some six inches -at the bottom.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, sir, I’m sure I shut it,” said the clerk emphatically. -“Sergeant Jeller saw me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The sergeant was also under that impression. Dick lifted -the window higher and looked out. Four horizontal bars -traversed the brickwork, but, by craning his head, he saw -that, a foot away from the window and attached to the wall, -was a long steel ladder running from the roof (as he guessed) -to the ground. The room was on the third floor, and beneath -was a patch of shrub-filled gardens. Beyond that, high railings.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What are those gardens?” he asked, pointing to the -space on the other side of the railings.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They belong to Onslow Gardens,” said Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Onslow Gardens?” said Dick thoughtfully. “Wasn’t -it from Onslow Gardens that the Frogs tried to shoot me?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk shook his head helplessly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What do you suggest. Captain Gordon?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know what to suggest,” admitted Dick. “It -doesn’t seem an intelligent theory that somebody climbed -the ladder and handed poison to Mills—less acceptable, that -he would be willing to take the dose. There is the fact. Balder -swears that the window was shut, and now the window -is open. You can trust Balder?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The divisional surgeon came soon after, and, as Dick had -expected, pronounced life extinct, and supported the view -that cyanide was the cause.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Cyanide has a peculiar odour,” he said. “I don’t think -there’s any doubt at all that the man was killed, either by -poison administered from outside, or by poison taken voluntarily -by himself.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>After the body had been removed. Elk accompanied Dick -Gordon to his Whitehall office.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have never been frightened in my life,” said Elk, “but -these Frogs are now on top of me! Here is a man killed -practically under our eyes! He was guarded, he was never -let out of our sight, except for the few minutes he was in -that room, and yet the Frog can reach him—it’s frightening, -Captain Gordon.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick unlocked the door of his office and ushered Elk into -the cosy interior.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I know of no better cure for shaken nerves than a <span class='it'>Cabana -Cesare</span>,” he said cheerfully. “And without desiring to indulge -in a boastful gesture, I can only tell you, Elk, that they don’t -frighten me, any more than they frighten you. Frog is human, -and has very human fears. Where is friend Broad?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The American?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick nodded, and Elk, without a second’s hesitation, pulled -the telephone toward him and gave a number.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>After a little delay, Broad’s voice answered him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That you, Mr. Broad? What are you doing now?” -asked Elk, in that caressing tone he adopted for telephone -conversation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is that Elk? I’m just going out.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thought I saw you in Whitehall about five minutes ago,” -said Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then you must have seen my double,” replied the other, -“for I haven’t been out of my bath ten minutes. Do you -want me?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, no,” cooed Elk. “Just wanted to know you were -all right.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why, is anything wrong?” came the sharp question.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Everything’s fine,” said Elk untruthfully. “Perhaps -you’ll call round and see me at my office one of these days—good-bye!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He pushed the telephone back, and raising his eyes to the -ceiling, made a quick calculation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“From Whitehall to Cavendish Square takes four minutes -in a good car,” he said. “So his being in the flat means -nothing.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He pulled the telephone toward him again, and this time -called Headquarters.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I want a man to shadow Mr. Joshua Broad, of Caverley -House; not to leave him until eight o’clock to-night; to -report to me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When he had finished, he sat back in his chair and lit the -long cigar that Dick had pressed upon him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“To-day is Tuesday,” he ruminated, “to-morrow’s Wednesday. -Where do you propose to listen in, Captain Gordon?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“At the Admiralty,” said Dick. “I have arranged with -the First Lord to be in the instrument room at a quarter to -three.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He bought the early editions of the evening newspapers, -and was relieved to find that no reference had been made -to the murder—as murder he believed it to be. Once, in -the course of the day, looking out from his window on to -Whitehall, he saw Elk walking along on the other side of -the road, his umbrella hanging on his arm, his ancient derby -hat at the back of his head, an untidy and unimposing figure. -Then, an hour later, he saw him again, coming from the -opposite direction. He wondered what particular business -the detective was engaged in. He learnt, quite by accident, -that Elk had made two visits to the Admiralty that day, but -he did not discover the reason until they met later in the -evening.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t know much about wireless,” said Elk, “though -I’m not one of those people who believe that, if God had -intended us to use wireless, telegraph poles would have been -born without wires. But it seems to me that I remember -reading something about ‘directional.’ If you want to know -where a wireless message is coming from, you listen in at two -or three different points——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Of course! What a fool I am!” said Dick, annoyed -with himself. “It never occurred to me that we might pick -up the broadcasting station.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I get these ideas,” explained Elk modestly. “The -Admiralty have sent messages to Milford Haven, Harwich, -Portsmouth and Plymouth, telling ships to listen in and give -us the direction. The evening papers haven’t got that story.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You mean about Mills? No, thank heaven! It is -certain to come out at the inquest, but I’ve arranged for that -to be postponed for a week or two; and somehow I feel that -within the next few weeks things will happen.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“To us,” said Elk ominously. “I dare not eat a grilled -sausage since that fellow was killed! And I’m partial to -sausages.”</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='118' id='Page_118'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XVIII</h1></div> - -<h3>THE BROADCAST</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>H</span>IS jaundiced clerk was, as usual, in a complaining mood. -“Records have been making a fuss and have been -blaming me,” he said bitterly. “Records give themselves -more airs than the whole darned office.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The war between Balder and “Records”—which was a -short title for that section of Headquarters which kept exact -data of criminals’ pasts,—was of long standing. “Records” -was aloof, detached, sublimely superior to everything except -tabulated facts. It was no respecter of persons; would as -soon snap at a Chief Commissioner who broke its inflexible -rules, as it would at the latest joined constable.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What’s the trouble?” asked Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You remember you had a lot of stuff out the other day -about a man called—I can’t remember his name now.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Lyme?” suggested Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s the fellow. Well, it appears that one of the portraits -is missing. The morning after you were looking at them, -I went to Records and got the documents again for you, -thinking you wanted to see them in the morning. When -you didn’t turn up, I returned them, and now they say the -portrait and measurements are short.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you mean to say they’re lost?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If they’re lost,” said the morose Balder, “then Records -have lost ’em! I suppose they think I’m a Frog or somethin’. -They’re always accusing me of mislaying their finger-print -cards.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve promised you a chance to make a big noise, Balder, -and now I’m going to give it to you. You’ve been passed -over for promotion, son, because the men upstairs think you -were one of the leaders of the last strike. I know that ‘passed -over’ feeling—it turns you sour. Will you take a big chance?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Balder nodded, holding his breath.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Hagn’s in the special cell,” said Elk. “Change into -your civilian kit, roughen yourself up a bit, and I’ll put -you in with him. If you’re scared I’ll let you carry a gun -and fix it so that you won’t be searched. Get Hagn to talk. -Tell him that you were pulled in over the Dundee murder. -He won’t know you. Get that story, Balder, and I’ll have -the stripes on your arm in a week.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Balder nodded. The querulous character of his voice had -changed when he spoke again.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s a chance,” he said; “and thank you, Mr. Elk, for -giving it to me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>An hour later, a detective brought a grimy-looking prisoner -into Cannon Row and pushed him into the steel pen, and the -only man who recognized the prisoner was the chief inspector -who had waited for the arrival of the pigeon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was that high official himself who conducted Balder to -the separate cell and pushed him in.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good night, Frog!” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Balder’s reply was unprintable.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>After seeing his subordinate safely caged, Elk went back -to his room, locked the door, cut off his telephone and lay -down to snatch a few hours’ sleep. It was a practice of -his, when he was engaged in any work which kept him up at -night, to take these intermediate siestas, and he had trained -himself to sleep as and when the opportunity presented itself. -It was unusual in him, however, to avail himself of the office -sofa, a piece of furniture to which he was not entitled, and -which, as his superiors had often pointed out, occupied space -which might better be employed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For once, however, he could not sleep. His mind ranged -from Balder to Dick Gordon, from Lola Bassano to the -dead man Mills. His own position had been seriously jeopardized, -but that worried him not at all. He was a bachelor, -had a snug sum invested. His mind went to the puzzling -Maitland. His association with the Frogs had been proved -almost up to the hilt. And Maitland was in a position to -benefit by these many inexplicable attacks which had been -made upon seemingly inoffensive people.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The old man lived a double life. By day the business -martinet, before whom his staff trembled, the cutter of salaries, -the shrewd manipulator of properties; by night the associate -of thieves and worse than thieves. Who was the child? -That was another snag.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Nothing but snags!” growled Elk, his hands under his -head, looking resentfully at the ceiling. “Nothing but -snags.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Finding he could not sleep, he got up and went across to -Cannon Row. The gaoler told him that the new prisoner -had been talking a lot to Hagn, and Elk grinned. He only -hoped that the “new prisoner” would not be tempted to discuss -his grievances against the police administration.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At a quarter to three he joined Dick Gordon in the instrument -room at the Admiralty. An operator had been placed -at their disposal; and after the preliminary instructions they -took their place at the table where he manipulated his keys. -Dick listened, fascinated, hearing the calls of far-off ships -and the chatter of transmitting stations. Once he heard a -faint squeak of sound, so faint that he wasn’t sure that he -had not been mistaken.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Cape Race,” said the operator. “You’ll hear Chicago -in a minute. He usually gets talkative round about now.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As the hands of the clock approached three, the operator -began varying his wave lengths, reaching out into the ether -for the message which was coming. Exactly at one minute -after three he said suddenly:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There is your L.V.M.B.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick listened to the staccato sounds, and then:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“<span class='it'>All Frogs listen. Mills is dead. Number Seven finished -him this morning. Number Seven receives a bonus of a hundred -pounds.</span>”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The voice was clear and singularly sweet. It was a woman’s.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“<span class='it'>Twenty-third district will arrange to receive Number Seven’s -instructions at the usual place.</span>”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick’s heart was beating thunderously. He recognized -the speaker, knew the soft cadences, the gentle intonations.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There could be no doubt at all: it was Ella Bennett’s -voice! Dick felt a sudden sensation of sickness, but, looking -across the table and seeing Elk’s eyes fixed upon him, he -made an effort to control his emotions.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There doesn’t seem to be any more coming through,” -said the operator after a few minutes’ wait.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick took off the headpiece and rose.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We must wait for the direction signals to come through,” -he said as steadily as he could.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Presently they began to arrive, and were worked out by -a naval officer on a large scale map.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The broadcasting station is in London,” he said. “All -the lines meet somewhere in the West End, I should imagine; -possibly in the very heart of town. Did you find any difficulty -in picking up the Frog call?” he asked the operator.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, sir,” said the man. “I think they were sending -from very close at hand.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In what part of town would you say it would be?” -asked Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The officer indicated a pencil mark that he had ruled across -the page.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is somewhere on this mark,” he said, and Elk, peering -over, saw that the line passed through Cavendish Square and -Cavendish Place and that, whilst the Portsmouth line missed -Cavendish Place only by a block, the Harwich line crossed -the Plymouth line a little to the south of the square.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Caverley House, obviously,” said Dick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He wanted to get out in the open, he wanted to talk, to -discuss this monstrous thing with Elk. Had the detective -also recognized the voice, he wondered? Any doubt he had -on that point was set at rest. He had hardly reached Whitehall -before Elk said:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sounded very like a friend of ours, Captain Gordon?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick made no reply.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Very like,” said Elk as if he were speaking half to himself. -“In fact, I’ll take any number of oaths that I know -the young lady who was talking for old man Frog.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why should she do it?” groaned Dick. “Why, for the -love of heaven, should she do it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I remember years ago hearing her,” said Elk reminiscently.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick Gordon stopped, and, turning, glared at the other.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You remember . . . what do you mean?” he demanded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She was on the stage at the time—quite a kid,” continued -Elk. “They called her ‘The Child Mimic.’ There’s -another thing I’ve noticed, Captain: if you take a magnifying -glass and look at your skin, you see its defects, don’t you? -That wireless telephone acts as a sort of magnifying glass -to the voice. She always had a little lisp that I jumped at -straight away. You may not have noticed it, but I’ve got -pretty sharp ears. She can’t pronounce her ‘S’s’ properly, -there’s a sort of faint ‘th’ sound in ’um. You heard that?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick had heard, and nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I never knew that she was ever on the stage,” he said -more calmly. “You are sure, Elk?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sure. In some things I’m . . . what’s the word?—infall-i-able. -I’m a bit shaky on dates, such as when Henry -the First an’ all that bunch got born—I never was struck -on birthdays anyway—but I know voices an’ noses. Never -forget ’um.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They were turning into the dark entrance of Scotland Yard -when Dick said in a tone of despair:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was her voice, of course. I had no idea she had been -on the stage—is her father in this business?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She hasn’t a father so far as I know,” was the staggering -reply, and again Gordon halted.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Are you mad?” he asked. “Ella Bennett has a -father——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m not talking about Ella Bennett,” said the calm Elk. -“I’m talking about Lola Bassano.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a silence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Was it her voice?” asked Gordon a little breathlessly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sure it was Lola. It was a pretty good imitation of -Miss Bennett, but any mimic will tell you that these soft -voices are easy. It’s the pace of a voice that makes it . . .”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You villain!” said Dick Gordon, as a weight rolled from -his heart. “You knew I meant Ella Bennett when I was -talking, and you strung me along!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Blame me,” said Elk. “What’s the time?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was half-past three. He gathered his reserves, and ten -minutes later the police cars dropped a party at the closed -door of Caverley House. The bell brought the night porter, -who recognized Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“More gas trouble?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Want to see the house plan,” said Elk, and listened as -the porter detailed the names, occupations and peculiarities -of the tenants.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who owns this block?” asked the detective.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is one of Maitland’s properties—Maitlands Consolidated. -He’s got the Prince of Caux’s house in Berkeley -Square and——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t worry about giving me his family history. What -time did Miss Bassano come in?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She’s been in all the evening—since eleven.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Anybody with her?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man hesitated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mr. Maitland came in with her, but he went soon after.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Nobody else?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Nobody except Mr. Maitland.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Give me your master-key.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The porter demurred.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll lose my job,” he pleaded. “Can’t you knock?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Knocking is my speciality—I don’t pass a day without -knocking somebody,” replied Elk, “but I want that key.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He did not doubt that Lola would have bolted her door, -and his surmise proved sound. He had both to knock and -ring before the light showed behind the transom, and Lola -in a kimono and boudoir cap appeared.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is the meaning of this, Mr. Elk?” she demanded. -She did not even attempt to appear surprised.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A friendly call—can I come in?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She opened the door wider, and Elk went in, followed -by Gordon and two detectives. Dick she ignored.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m seeing the Commissioner to-morrow,” she said, “and -if he doesn’t give me satisfaction I’ll get on to the newspapers. -This persecution is disgraceful. To break into a -single girl’s flat in the middle of the night, when she is alone -and unprotected——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If there is any time when a single girl should be alone -and unprotected, it is in the middle of the night,” said Elk -primly. “I’m just going to have a look at your little home, -Lola. We’ve got information that you’ve been burgled, -Lola. Perhaps at this very minute there’s a sinister man hidden -under your bed. The idea of leaving you alone, so to -speak, at the mercy of unlawful characters, is repugnant to -our feelin’s. Try the dining-room, Williams; I’ll search the -parlour—<span class='it'>and</span> the bedroom.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’ll keep out of my room if you’ve any sense of decency,” -said the girl.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I haven’t,” admitted Elk, “no false sense, anyway. -Besides, Lola, I’m a family man. One of ten. And when -there’s anything I shouldn’t see, just say ‘Shut your eyes’ -and I’ll shut ’um.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>To all appearances there was nothing that looked in the -slightest degree suspicious. A bathroom led from the bedroom, -and the bathroom window was open. Flashing his lamp -along the wall outside, Elk saw a small glass spool attached -to the wall.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Looks to me like an insulator,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Returning to the bedroom, he began to search for the -instrument. There was a tall mahogany wardrobe against -one of the walls. Opening the door, he saw row upon row -of dresses and thrust in his hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was the shallowest wardrobe he had ever seen, and the -backing was warm to the touch.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Hot cupboard, Lola?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She did not reply, but stood watching him, a scowl on her -pretty face, her arms folded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk closed the door and his sensitive fingers searched the -surface for a spring. It took him a long time to discover -it, but at last he found a slip of wood that yielded to the -pressure of his hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a “click” and the front of the wardrobe began -to fall.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A wardrobe bed, eh? Grand little things for a flat.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But it was no sleeping-place that was revealed (and he -would have been disappointed if it had been) as he eased down -the “bed.” Set on a frame were row upon row of valve -lamps, transformers—all the apparatus requisite for broadcasting.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk looked, and, looking, admired.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’ve got a licence, I suppose?” asked Elk. He supposed -nothing of the kind, for licences to transmit are jealously -issued in England. He was surprised when she went to a -bureau and produced the document. Elk read and nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’ve got <span class='it'>some</span> pull,” he said with respect. “Now I’ll -see your Frog licence.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t get funny, Elk,” she said tartly. “I’d like to -know whether you’re in the habit of waking people to ask -for their permits.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’ve been using this to-night to broadcast the Frogs,” -Elk nodded accusingly; “and perhaps you’ll explain to -Captain Gordon why?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She turned to Dick for the first time.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve not used the instrument for weeks,” she said. “But -the sister of a friend of mine—perhaps you know her—asked -if she might use it. She left here an hour ago.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You mean Miss Bennett, of course,” said Gordon, and -she raised her eyebrows in simulated astonishment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why, how did you guess that?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I guessed it,” said Elk, “the moment I heard you giving -one of your famous imitations. I guessed she was around, -teaching you how to talk like her. Lola, you’re cooked! -Miss Bennett was standing right alongside me when you -started talking Frog-language. She was right at my very -side, and she said ‘Now, Mr. Elk, isn’t she the artfullest -thing!’ You’re cooked, Lola, and you can’t do better than -sit right down and tell us the truth. I’ll make it right for -you. We caught ‘Seven’ last night and he’s told us everything. -Frog will be in irons to-day, and I came here to give -you the last final chance of getting out of all your trouble.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Isn’t that wonderful of you?” she mocked him. “So -you’ve caught ‘Seven’ and you’re catching the Frog! Put -a pinch of salt on his tail!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes,” said the imperturbable Elk, untruthfully, “we -caught Seven and Hagn’s split. But I like you, Lol—always -did. There’s something about you that reminds me of a -girl I used to be crazy about—I never married her; it was -a tragedy.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not for her,” said Lola. “Now I’ll tell <span class='it'>you</span> something, -Elk! You haven’t caught anybody and you won’t. You’ve -put a flat-footed stool pigeon named Balder into the same -cell as Hagn, with the idea of getting information, and you’re -going to have a jar.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In other circumstances Dick Gordon would have been amused -by the effect of this revelation upon Elk. The jaw of the -unhappy detective dropped as he glared helplessly over his -glasses at the girl, smiling her triumph. Then the smile -vanished.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Hagn wouldn’t talk, because Frog could reach him, as -he reached Mills and Litnov. As he will reach you when -he decides you’re worth while. And now you can take me -if you want. I’m a Frog—I never pretend I’m not. You -heard all the tale that I told Ray Bennett—heard it over -the detectaphone you planted. Take me and charge me!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk knew that there was no charge upon which he could -hold her. And she knew that he knew.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you think you’ll get away with it, Bassano?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was Gordon who spoke, and she turned her wrathful -eyes upon him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve got a Miss to my name, Gordon,” she rapped at -him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sooner or later you’ll have a number,” said Dick calmly. -“You and your crowd are having the time of your young -lives—perhaps because I’m incompetent, or because I’m -unfortunate. But some day we shall get you, either I or -my successor. You can’t fight the law and win because the -law is everlasting and constant.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A search of my flat I don’t mind—but a sermon I will -not have,” she said contemptuously. “And now, if you -men have finished, I should like to get a little beauty sleep.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is the one thing you don’t require,” said the gallant -Elk, and she laughed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re not a bad man, Elk,” she said. “You’re a bad -detective, but you’ve a heart of gold.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If I had, I shouldn’t trust myself alone with you,” was -Elk’s parting shot.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='127' id='Page_127'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XIX</h1></div> - -<h3>IN ELSHAM WOOD</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>D</span>ICK GORDON, in the sudden lightening of his heart -which had come to him when he realized that his -horrible fears were without foundation, was inclined to regard -the night as having been well spent. This was not Elk’s -view. He was genuinely grave as they drove back to headquarters.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m frightened of these Frogs, and I admit it,” he confessed. -“There’s a bad leakage somewhere—how should she know -that I put Balder in with Hagn? That has staggered me. -Nobody but two men, in addition to ourselves, is in the secret; -and if the Frogs are capable of getting that kind of news, it -is any odds on Hagn knowing that he is being drawn. They -frighten me, I tell you, Captain Gordon. If they only knew -a little, and hadn’t got that quite right, I should be worried. -But they know everything!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The whole trouble, Elk, is that the Frogs are not an -illegal association. It may be necessary to ask the Prime -Minister to proclaim the society.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Perhaps he’s a Frog too,” said Elk gloomily. “Don’t -laugh, Captain Gordon! There are big people behind these -Frogs. I’m beginning to suspect everybody.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Start by suspecting me,” said Gordon good-humouredly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have,” was the frank reply. “Then it occurred to me -that possibly I walk in my sleep—I used to as a boy. Likely -I lead a double life, and I am a detective by day and a Frog -by night—you never know. It is clear that there is a genius -at the back of the Frogs,” he went on, with unconscious -immodesty.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Lola Bassano?” suggested Dick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve thought of her, but she’s no organizer. She had a -company on the road when she was nineteen, and it died -the death from bad organization. I suppose you think that -that doesn’t mean she couldn’t run the Frogs—but it does. -You want exactly the same type of intelligence to control -the Frogs as you want to control a bank. Maitland is the -man. I narrowed the circle down to him after I had a talk -with Johnson. Johnson says he’s never seen the old man’s -pass-book, and although he is his private secretary, knows -nothing whatever of his business transactions except that -he buys property and sells it. The money old Maitland -makes on the side never appears in the books, and Johnson -was a very surprised man when I suggested that Maitland -transacted any business at all outside the general routine of -the company. And it’s not a company at all—not an incorporated -company. It’s a one man show. Would you like -to make sure, Captain Gordon?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sure of what?” asked Dick, startled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That Miss Bennett isn’t in this at all.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You don’t think for one moment she is?” asked Dick, -aghast at the thought.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m prepared to believe anything,” said Elk. “We’ve -got a clear road; we could be at Horsham in an hour, and -it is our business to make sure. In my mind I’m perfectly -satisfied that it was not Miss Bennett’s voice. But when -we come down to writing out reports for the people upstairs -to read” (‘the people upstairs’ was Elk’s invariable symbol -for his superiors) “we are going to look silly if we say that -we heard Miss Bennett’s voice and didn’t trouble to find out -where Miss Bennett was.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is true,” said Dick thoughtfully, and, leaning out -to the driver, Elk gave new directions.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The grey of dawn was in the sky as the car ran through -the deserted streets of Horsham and began the steady climb -toward Maytree Cottage, which lay on the slope of the Shoreham -Road.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The cottage showed no signs of life. The blinds were -drawn; there was no light of any kind. Dick hesitated, with -his hand on the gate.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t like waking these people,” he confessed. “Old -Bennett will probably think that I’ve brought some bad news -about his son.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have no conscience,” said Elk, and walked up the brick -path.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But John Bennett required no waking. Elk was hailed -from one of the windows above, and, looking up, saw the -mystery man leaning with his elbows on the window-sill.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What’s the trouble, Elk?” he asked in a low voice, as -though he did not wish to awaken his daughter.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No trouble at all,” said Elk cheerfully. “We picked -up a wireless telephone message in the night, and I’m under -the impression that it was your daughter’s voice I heard.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>John Bennett frowned, and Dick saw that he doubted the -truth of this explanation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is perfectly true, Mr. Bennett,” he said. “I heard -the voice too. We were listening in for a rather important -message, and we heard Miss Bennett in circumstances which -make it necessary for us to assure ourselves that it was not -she who was speaking.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The cloud passed from John Bennett’s face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s a queer sort of story, Captain Gordon, but I -believe you. I’ll come down and let you in.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Wearing an old dressing-gown, he opened the door and -ushered them into the darkened sitting-room.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll call Ella, and perhaps she’ll be able to satisfy you -that she was in bed at ten o’clock last night.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He went out of the room, after drawing the curtains to -let in the light, and Dick waited with a certain amount of -pleasurable anticipation. He had been only too glad of the -excuse to come to Horsham, if the truth be told. This girl -had so gripped his heart that the days between their meetings -seemed like eternity. They heard the feet of Bennett on the -stairs, and presently the old man came in, and distress was -written largely on his face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I can’t understand it,” he said. “Ella is not in her room! -The bed has been slept in, but she has evidently dressed and -gone out.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk scratched his chin, avoiding Dick’s eyes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A lot of young people like getting up early,” he said. -“When I was a young man, nothing gave me greater pleasure -than to see the sun rise—before I went to bed. Is she in -the habit of taking a morning stroll?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>John Bennett shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve never known her to do that before. It’s curious I -did not hear her, because I slept very badly last night. Will -you excuse me, gentlemen?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He went upstairs and came down in a few minutes, dressed. -Together they passed out into the garden. It was now quite -light, though the sun had not yet tipped the horizon. John -Bennett made a brief but fruitless search of the ground behind -the cottage, and came back to them with a confession of -failure. He was no more troubled than Dick Gordon. It -was impossible that it could have been she, that Elk was -mistaken. Yet Lola had been emphatic. Against that, the -hall-porter at Caverley House had been equally certain that -the only visitor to Lola’s flat that night was the aged Mr. -Maitland; and so far as he knew, or Elk had been able to -discover, there was no other entrance into the building.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I see you have a car here. You came down by road. -Did you pass anybody?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you mind if we take the car in the opposite direction -toward Shoreham?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I was going to suggest that,” said Gordon. “Isn’t it -rather dangerous for her, walking at this hour? The roads -are thronged with tramps.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The older man made no reply. He sat with the driver, -his eyes fixed anxiously upon the road ahead. The car went -ten miles at express speed, then turned, and began a search -of the side roads. Nearing the cottage again, Dick pointed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is that wood?” he asked pointing to a dense wood -to which a narrow road led.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is Elsham Wood; she wouldn’t go there,” he -hesitated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Let us try it,” said Dick, and the bonnet of the car was -turned on to a narrow road. In a few minutes they were -running through a glade of high trees, the entwining tops of -which made the road a place of gloom.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There are car tracks here,” said Dick suddenly, but -John Bennett shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“People come here for picnics,” he said, but Dick was not -satisfied.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>These marks were new, and presently he saw them turn -off the road to a ‘ride’ between the trees. He caught no -glimpse of a car, however. The direction of the tracks -supported the old man’s theory. The road ended a mile -farther along, and beyond that was a waste of bracken and -tree stumps, for the wood had been extensively thinned -during the war.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>With some difficulty the car was turned and headed back -again. They came through the glade into the open, and -then Dick uttered a cry.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>John Bennett had already seen the girl. She was walking -quickly in the centre of the road, and stepped on to the grassy -border without looking round as the car came abreast of her. -Then, looking up, she saw her father, and went pale.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was in the road in a moment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My dear,” he said reproachfully, “where have you been -at this hour?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She looked frightened, Dick thought. The eyes of Elk -narrowed as he surveyed her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I couldn’t sleep, so I dressed and went out, father,” she -said, and nodded to Dick. “You’re a surprising person, -Captain Gordon. Why are you here at this hour?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I came to interview you,” said Dick, forcing a smile.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Me!” She was genuinely astonished. “Why me?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Captain Gordon heard your voice on a wireless telephone -in the middle of the night, and wanted to know all about -it,” said her father.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>If he was relieved, he was also troubled. Looking at him, -Elk suddenly saw the relief intensified, and with his quick intuition -guessed the cause before John Bennett put the question.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Was it Ray?” he asked eagerly. “Did he come down?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She shook her head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, father,” she said quietly. “And as to the wireless -telephone, I have never spoken into a wireless telephone, and -I don’t think I’ve ever seen one,” she said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Of course you haven’t,” said Dick. “Only we were -rather worried when we heard your voice, but Mr. Elk’s -explanation, that it was somebody speaking whose voice was -very much like yours, is obviously correct.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Tell me this, Miss Bennett,” said Elk quietly. “Were -you in town last night?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She did not reply.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My daughter went to bed at ten,” said John Bennett -roughly. “What is the sense of asking her whether she was -in London last night?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Were you in town in the early hours of this morning, -Miss Bennett?” persisted Elk, and to Dick’s amazement -she nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Were you at Caverley House?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No,” she answered instantly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But, Ella, what were you doing in town?” asked John -Bennett. “Did you go to see that wretched brother of -yours?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Again the hesitation, and then:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Did you go by yourself?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No,” said Ella, and her lip trembled. “I wish you -wouldn’t ask me any further questions. I’m not a free agent -in the matter. Daddy, you’ve always trusted me: you’ll -trust me now, won’t you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He took her hand and held it in both of his.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll trust you always, girlie,” he said; “and these gentlemen -must do the same.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Her challenging eyes met Dick’s, and he nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I am one who will share that trust,” he said, and something -in her look rewarded him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk rubbed his chin fiercely.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Being naturally of a trusting nature, I should no more -think of doubting your word, Miss Bennett, than I should -of believing myself.” He looked at his watch. “I think -we’ll go along and fetch poor old Balder from the house of -sin,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’ll stop and have some breakfast?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick looked pleadingly at Elk, and the detective, with an -air of resignation, agreed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Anyway, Balder won’t mind an hour more or less,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Whilst Ella was preparing the breakfast, Dick and Elk -paced the road outside.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, what do you think of it, Captain?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t understand, but I have every confidence that -Miss Bennett has not lied,” said Dick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Faith is a wonderful thing,” murmured Elk, and Dick -turned on him sharply.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What do you mean?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I mean what I say. I have got faith in Miss Bennett,” -he said soothingly; “and, after all, she’s only another little -bit of the jigsaw puzzle that will fall into place when we fix -the piece that’s shaped like a Frog. And John Bennett’s -another,” he said after a moment’s thought.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>From where they stood they could see, looking toward -Shoreham, the opening of the narrow Elsham Wood road.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The thing that puzzles me,” Elk was saying, “is why -she should go into that wood in the middle of the night——” -He stopped, lowering his head. There came to them the -soft purr of a motor-car. “Where is that?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The question was answered instantly. Slowly there came -into view from the wood road the bonnet of a car, followed -immediately by the remainder of a large limousine, which -turned toward them, gathering speed as it came. A moment -later it flashed past them, and they saw the solitary occupant.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, I’m damned!” said Elk, who very infrequently -indulged in profanity, but Dick felt that on this occasion at -least he was justified. For the man in the limousine was -the bearded Ezra Maitland; and he knew that it was to see -Maitland that the girl had gone to Elsham Wood.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='133' id='Page_133'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XX</h1></div> - -<h3>HAGN</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>A</span> MINUTE later Ella came to the door to call them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Was that a car went past?” she asked, and they -detected a note of anxiety in her tone.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes,” said Elk, “it was a big car. Didn’t see who was -in it, but it was a big car.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick heard her sigh of relief.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Will you come in, please?” she said. “Breakfast is -waiting for you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They left half an hour later, and each man was so busy -with his own thoughts that Dick did not speak until they -were passing the villas where the body of Genter had been -found. It was near Horsham that Genter was killed, he -remembered with a little shudder. Outside of Horsham he -himself had seen the dead man’s feet extended beyond the -back of a motor-van. Hagn should die for that; whether -he was Frog or not, he was party to that murder. As if -reading his thoughts, Elk turned to him and said:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you think your evidence is strong enough to hang -Hagn?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I was wondering,” said Dick. “There is no supporting -evidence, unfortunately, but the car which you have under -lock and key, and the fact that the garage keeper may be able -to identify him.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“With his beard?” asked Elk significantly. “There is -going to be some difficulty in securing a conviction against -this Frog, believe me, Captain Gordon. And unless old Balder -induces him to make a statement, we shall have all the -difficulty in the world in convincing a jury. Personally,” -he added, “if I was condemned to spend a night with Balder, -I should tell the truth, if it was only to get rid of him. He’s -a pretty clever fellow, is Balder. People don’t realize that—he -has the makings of a first-class detective, if we could only -get him to take a happier view of life.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He directed the driver to go straight to the door of Cannon -Row.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick’s mind was on another matter.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What did she want with Maitland?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know,” he confessed. “Of course, she might -have been persuading him to take back her brother, but old -Maitland isn’t the kind of adventurer who’d get up in the -middle of the night to discuss giving Ray Bennett his job back. -If he was a younger man, yes. But he’s not young. He’s -darned old. And he’s a wicked old man, who doesn’t care -two cents whether Ray Bennett is working at his desk for so -much per, or whether he’s breaking stones on Dartmoor. I -tell you, that’s one of the minor mysteries which will be -cleared up when we get the Frog piece in its place.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The car stopped at the entrance of Cannon Row police-station, -and the men jumped down. The desk sergeant -stood up as they came in, and eyed them wonderingly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m going to take Balder out, sergeant.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Balder?” said the man in surprise. “I didn’t know -Balder was in.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I put him in with Hagn.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A light dawned upon the station official.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s queer. I didn’t know it was Balder,” he said. -“I wasn’t on duty when he came in, but the other sergeant -told me that a man had been put in with Hagn. Here is the -gaoler.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>That official came in at that moment, and was as astonished -as the sergeant to learn the identity of the second prisoner.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I had no idea it was Balder, sir,” he said. “That accounts -for the long talk they had—they were talking up till one -o’clock.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Are they still talking?” asked Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, sir, they’re sleeping now. I had a look at them a -little time ago—you remember you gave me orders to leave -them alone and not to go near them.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick Gordon and his subordinate followed the gaoler down -a long passage faced with glazed brick, the wall of which was -studded at intervals by narrow black doors. Reaching the -end of the corridor, they turned at right angles. The second -passage had only one door, and that was at the end. Snapping -back the lock, the gaoler threw open the door, and Elk -went in.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk went to the first of the figures and pulled aside the -blanket which covered the face. Then, with an oath, he drew -the blanket clear.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was Balder, and he was lying on his back, covered from -head to foot with a blanket. A silk scarf was twisted round -his mouth; his wrists were not only handcuffed but strapped, -as were his legs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk dashed at the second figure, but as he touched the -blanket, it sank under his hands. A folded coat, to give -resemblance to a human figure, a pair of battered shoes, placed -artificially at the end of the blanket—these were all. Hagn -had disappeared!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When they got the man into Elk’s office, and had given -him brandy, and Elk, by sheer bullying, had reduced him to -coherence, Balder told his story.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think it was round about two o’clock when it happened,” -he said. “I’d been talking all the evening to this Hagn, -though it was very clear to me, with my experience, that he -spotted me the moment I came in, as a police officer, and was -kidding me along all the evening. Still, I persevered, Mr. Elk. -I’m the sort of man that never says die. That’s the peculiar -thing about me——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The peculiar thing about you,” said Elk wearily, “is -your passionate admiration of Balder. Get on!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Anyway, I did try,” said Balder in an injured voice; -“and I thought I’d got over his suspicion, because he began -talking about Frogs, and telling me that there was going to -be a wireless call to all the heads to-night—that is, last night. -He told me that Number Seven would never be captured, -because he was too clever. He asked me how Mills had been -killed, but I’m perfectly sure, the way he put the question, -that he knew. We didn’t talk very much after one, and at -a quarter-past one I lay down, and I must have gone to sleep -almost at once. The first thing I knew was that they were -putting a gag in my mouth. I tried to struggle, but they -held me——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They?” said Elk. “How many were there?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There may have been two or three—I’m not certain,” -said Balder. “If it had been only two, I think I could have -managed, for I am naturally strong. There must have been -more. I only saw two besides Hagn.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Was the cell door open?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, sir, it was ajar,” said Balder after he had considered -a moment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What did they look like?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They were wearing long black overcoats, but they made -no attempt to hide their faces. I should know them anywhere. -They were young men—at least, one was. What -happened after that I don’t know. They put a strap round -my legs, pulled the blanket over me, and that’s all I saw or -heard until the cell door closed. I have been lying there all -night, sir, thinking of my wife and children . . .”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk cut him short, and, leaving the man in charge of another -police clerk, he went across to make a more careful examination -of the cell. The two passages were shaped like a capital L, the -special cell being at the end of the shorter branch. At the -elbow was a barred door leading into the courtyard, where -men waiting trial were loaded into the prison-van and distributed -to various places of detention. The warder sat at -the top of the L, in a small glass-panelled cubby-hole, where -the cell indicators were. Each cell was equipped with a bell-push -in case of illness, and the signals showed in this tiny -office. From where he sat, the warder commanded, not only -a view of the passage, but a side view of the door. Questioned, -he admitted that he had been twice into the charge-room for -a few minutes at a time; once when a man arrested for drunkenness -had demanded to see a doctor, and another time, about -half-past two in the morning, to take over a burglar who had -been captured in the course of the night.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And, of course, it was during that time that the men got -away,” said Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The door into the courtyard was locked but not bolted. It -could be opened from either side. The cell door could also -open from both sides. In this respect it differed from every -other cell in the station; but the explanation was that it was -frequently used for important prisoners, whom it was -necessary to subject to lengthy interrogations; and the lock -had been chosen to give the police officers who were inside -an opportunity of leaving the cell when they desired, without -calling for the gaoler. The lock had not been picked, neither -had the lock of the yard door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk sent immediately for the policemen who were on duty -at either entrance of Scotland Yard. The officer who was -on guard at the Embankment entrance had seen nobody. -The man at the Whitehall opening remembered seeing an -inspector of police pass out at half-past two. He was perfectly -sure the officer was an inspector, because he wore the hanging -sword-belt, and the policeman had seen the star on his shoulder -and had saluted him—a salute which the officer had returned.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This may or may not be one of them,” said Elk. “If it -is, what happened to the other two?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But here evidence failed. The men had disappeared as -though they had dissipated into air.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’re going to get a roasting for this, Captain Gordon,” -said Elk; “and if we escape without being scorched, we’re -lucky. Fortunately, nobody but ourselves knows that Hagn -has been arrested; and when I say ‘ourselves,’ I wish I -meant it! You had better go home and go to bed; I had -some sleep in the night. If you’ll wait while I send this bleating -clerk of mine home to his well-advertised wife and family, -I’ll walk home with you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick was waiting on the edge of Whitehall when Elk -joined him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There will be a departmental inquiry, of course. We -can’t help that,” he said. “The only thing that worries me -is that I’ve got poor old Balder into bad odour, and I was -trying to put him right. I don’t know what the experience -of the Boy Scouts is,” he went off at a tangent, “but my own -is that the worst service you can render to any man is to try -to do him a good turn.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was now nearly ten o’clock, and Dick was feeling faint -with hunger and lack of sleep, for he had eaten nothing at -Horsham. Once or twice, as they walked toward Harley -Terrace, Elk looked back over his shoulder.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Expecting anybody?” asked Dick, suddenly alive to the -possibility of danger.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No-o, not exactly,” said Elk. “But I’ve got a hunch -that we’re being followed.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I saw a man just now who I thought was following us,” -said Dick, “a man in a fawn raincoat.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, him?” said Elk, indifferent alike to the rules of -grammar and the presence of his shadow. “That is one of -my men. There’s another on the other side of the road. -I’m not thinking of them, my mind for the moment being -fixed on Frogs. Do you mind if we cross the road?” he asked -hurriedly, and, without waiting for a reply, caught Gordon’s -arm and led him across the broad thoroughfare. “I always -object to walking on the same side of a street as the traffic -runs. I like to meet traffic; it’s not good to be overtaken. I -thought so!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A small Ford van, painted with the name of a laundry, -which had been crawling along behind them, suddenly spurted -and went ahead at top speed. Elk followed the car with his -eyes until it reached the Trafalgar Square end of Whitehall. -Instead of branching left toward Pall Mall or right to the -Strand, the van swung round in a half-circle and came back -to meet them. Elk half turned and made a signal.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is where we follow the example of the chicken,” -said Elk, and made another hurried crossing.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When they reached the pavement he looked round. The -detectives who were following him had understood his signal, -and one had leaped on the running-board of the van, which -was pulled up to the pavement. There was a few minutes’ -talk between the driver and the officer, and then they all drove -off together.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Pinched,” said Elk laconically. “He’ll take him to the -station on some charge or other and hold him. I guessed he’d -see what I was after—my man, I mean. The easiest way to -shadow is to shadow in a trade truck,” said Elk. “A trade -van can do anything it likes; it can loiter by the pavement, -it can turn round and go back, it can go fast or slow, and -nobody takes the slightest notice. If that had been a -limousine, it would have attracted the attention of every -policeman by drawling along by the pavement, so as to overtake -us just at the right minute. Probably it wasn’t any more -than a shadow, but to me,” he said with a quiver of his -shoulder, “it felt rather like sudden death!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Whether Elk’s cheerfulness was assumed or natural, he -succeeded in impressing his companion.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Let’s take a cab,” said Dick, and such was his doubt that -he waited for three empty taxis to pass before he hailed the -fourth. “Come in,” said Dick when the cab dropped them at -Harley Terrace. “I’ve got a spare room if you want to sleep.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk shook his head to the latter suggestion, but accompanied -Gordon into the house. The man who opened the door had -evidently something to say.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s a gentleman waiting to see you, sir. He’s been -here for half an hour.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is his name?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mr. Johnson, sir.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Johnson?” said Dick in surprise, and hurried to the -dining-room, into which the visitor had been ushered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was, indeed, “the philosopher,” though Mr. Johnson -lacked for the moment evidence of that equilibrium which -is the chiefest of his possessions. The stout man was worried; -his face was unusually long; and when Dick went into the -room, he was sitting uncomfortably on the edge of a chair, -as he had seen him sitting at Heron’s Club, his gloomy eyes -fixed upon the carpet.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I hope you’ll forgive me for coming to see you, Captain -Gordon,” he said. “I’ve really no right to bring my troubles -to you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I hope your troubles aren’t as pressing as mine,” smiled -Dick as he shook hands. “You know Mr. Elk?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mr. Elk is an old friend,” said Johnson, almost cheerful -for a second.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, what is your kick?—sit down, won’t you?” said -Dick. “I’m going to have a real breakfast. Will you join -me?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“With pleasure, sir. I’ve eaten nothing this morning. I -usually have a little lunch about eleven, but I can’t say that -I feel very hungry. The fact is, Captain Gordon, I’m fired.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick raised his eyebrows.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What—has Maitland fired you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Johnson nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And to think that I’ve served the old devil all these years -faithfully, on a clerk’s salary! I’ve never given him any -cause for complaint, I’ve handled hundreds of thousands—yes, -and millions! And although it’s not for me to blow my -own trumpet, I’ve never once been a penny out in my accounts. -Of course, if I had been, he would have found it out in less -than no time, for he is the greatest mathematician I’ve ever -met. And as sharp as a needle! He can write twice as fast -as any other man I’ve known,” he added with reluctant -admiration.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s rather curious that a man of his uncouth appearance -and speech should have those attainments,” said Dick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s a wonder to me,” confessed Johnson. “In fact, it -has been a standing wonder to me ever since I’ve known him. -You’d think he was a dustman or a tramp, to hear him talk, -yet he’s a very well-read man, of extraordinary educational -qualities.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Can he remember dates?” asked Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He can even remember dates,” replied Johnson seriously. -“A queer old man, and in many ways an unpleasant old man. -I’m not saying this because he’s fired me; I’ve always had -the same view. He’s without a single spark of kindness; I -think the only human thing about him is his love for this -little boy.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What little boy?” asked Elk, immediately interested.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve never seen him,” said Johnson. “The child has -never been brought to the office. I don’t know who he is or -whose he is; I’ve an idea he’s a grandchild of Maitland’s.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a pause.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I see,” said Dick softly, and well he did see, for in that -second began his understanding of the Frog and the secret of -the Frog.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why were you fired?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Johnson shrugged his shoulders.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Over a stupid thing; in fact, it’s hardly worth talking -about. It appears the old man saw me at Heron’s Club the -other night, and ever since then he’s been going carefully into -my petty cash account, probably under the impression that -I was living a fast life! Beyond the usual grousing, there -was nothing in his manner to suggest that he intended getting -rid of me; but this morning, when I came, I found that he -had already arrived, which was an unusual circumstance. -He doesn’t as a rule get to the office until about an hour after -we start work. ‘Johnson,’ he said, ‘I understand that you -know a Miss Ella Bennett.’ I replied that I was fortunate -enough to know the lady. ‘And I understand,’ he went on, -’that you’ve been down there to lunch on one or two occasions.’ -‘That is perfectly true, Mr. Maitland,’ I replied. -‘Very well, Johnson,’ said Maitland, ‘you’re fired.’ ”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And that was all?” asked Dick in amazement.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That was all,” said Johnson in a hushed voice. “Can -you understand it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick could have said yes, but he did not. Elk, more -curious, and passionately anxious to extend his knowledge of -the mysterious Maitland, had something to ask.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Johnson, you’ve been right close to this man Maitland -for years. Have you noticed anything about him that’s -particularly suspicious?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Like what, Mr. Elk?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Has he had any visitors for whom you couldn’t account? -Have you known him, for example, to do anything which -would suggest to you that he had something to do with the -Frogs?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Frogs?” Johnson opened his eyes wide, and his -voice emphasized his incredulity. “Bless you, no! I -shouldn’t imagine he knows anything about these people. -You mean the tramps who have committed so many crimes? -No, Mr. Elk, I’ve never heard or seen or read anything which -gave me that impression.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’ve seen the records of most of his transactions; are -there any that he has made which would lead you to believe -that he had benefited, say, by the death of Mr. Maclean in -Dundee, or by the attack which was made upon the woollen -merchant at Derby? For example, do you know whether -he has been engaged in the buying or selling of French brandies -or perfumes?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Johnson shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, sir, he deals only in real estate. He has properties -in this country and in the South of France and in America. -He has done a little business in exchanges; in fact, we did -a very large exchange business until the mark broke.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What are you going to do now, Mr. Johnson?” asked -Dick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The other made a gesture of helplessness.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What can I do, sir?” he asked. “I am nearly fifty; -I’ve spent most of my working life in one job, and it is very -unlikely that I can get another. Fortunately for me, I’ve -not only saved money, but I have had one or two lucky -investments, and for those I must be grateful to the old man. I -don’t think he was particularly pleased when he found that -I’d followed his advice, but that’s beside the question. I do -owe him that. I’ve just about enough money to keep me for -the rest of my life if I go quietly and do not engage in any -extraordinary speculations. Why I came to see you was to -ask you, Captain Gordon, if you had any kind of opening. I -should like a little spare time work, and I’d be most happy to -work with you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick was rather embarrassed, because the opportunities -for employing Mr. Johnson were few and far between. Nevertheless, -he was anxious to help the man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Let me give the matter a day or two’s thought,” he said. -“What is Maitland doing for a secretary?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know. That is my chief worry. I saw a letter -lying on his desk, addressed to Miss Ella Bennett, and I have -got an idea that he intends offering her the job.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick could hardly believe his ears.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What makes you think that?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know, sir, only once or twice the old man has -inquired whether Ray has a sister. He took quite an interest -in her for two or three days, and then let the matter drop. -It is as astonishing as anything he has ever done.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk for some reason felt immensely sorry for the man. He -was so obviously and patently unfitted for the rough and -tumble of competition. And the opportunities which awaited -a man of fifty worn to one groove were practically non-existent.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know that I can help you either, Mr. Johnson,” -he said. “As far as Miss Bennett is concerned, I imagine -that there is no possibility of her accepting any such offer, -supposing Maitland made it. I’ll have your address in case -I want to communicate with you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“431, Fitzroy Square,” replied Johnson, and produced a -somewhat soiled card with an apology. “I haven’t much -use for cards,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He walked to the door and hesitated with his hand on its -edge.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m—I’m very fond of Miss Bennett,” he said, “and I’d -like her to know that Maitland isn’t as bad as he looks. I’ve -got to be fair to him!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Poor devil!” said Elk, watching the man through the -window as he walked dejectedly along Harley Terrace. “It’s -tough on him. You nearly told him about seeing Maitland -this morning! I saw that, and was ready to jump in. It’s -the young lady’s secret.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wish to heaven it wasn’t,” said Dick sincerely, and -remembered that he had asked Johnson to stay to breakfast.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='143' id='Page_143'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XXI</h1></div> - -<h3>MR. JOHNSON’S VISITOR</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>T</span>HERE is a certain murky likeness between the houses -in Fitzroy Square, London, and Gramercy Park, New -York. Fitzroy Square belongs to the Georgian days, when -Soho was a fashionable suburb, and St. Martins-in-the-Fields -was really in the fields, and was not tucked away between a -Vaudeville house and a picture gallery.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>No. 431 had been subdivided by its owner into three self-contained -flats, Johnson’s being situated on the ground floor. -There was a fourth basement flat, which was occupied by a -man and his wife who acted for the owners, and, incidentally, -were responsible, in the case of Johnson, for keeping his -apartments clean and supplying him with the very few meals -that he had on the premises.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was nearly ten o’clock when philosopher Johnson arrived -home that evening, and he was a very tired man. He had -spent the greater part of the day in making a series of calls -upon financial and real estate houses. To his inevitable -inquiries he received an inevitable answer. There were no -vacancies, and certainly no openings for a stoutish man of -fifty, who looked, to the discerning eyes of the merchants -concerned or their managing clerks, past his best years of -work. Patient Mr. Johnson accepted each rebuff and moved -on to another field, only to find his experience repeated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He let himself in with a latchkey, walked wearily into a -little sitting-room, and dropped with a sigh to the Chesterfield, -for he was not given to violent exercise.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The room in which he sat was prettily, but not expensively -furnished. A large green carpet covered the floor; the walls -were hidden by book-shelves; and there was about the place -a certain cosiness which money cannot buy. Rising after -some little time, he walked to his book-shelf, took down a -volume and spent the next two hours in reading. It was -nearly midnight when he turned out the light and went to bed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His bedroom was at the farther end of the short corridor, -and in five minutes he was undressed and asleep.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Johnson was usually a light but consistent sleeper, but -to-night he had not been asleep an hour before he was awake -again. And wider awake than he had been at any portion of -the day. Softly he got out of bed, put on his slippers and -pulled a dressing-gown round him; then, taking something -from a drawer in his bureau, he opened the door and crept -softly along the carpeted passage toward his sitting-room.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He had heard no sound; it was sheer premonition of a -pressing danger which had wakened him. His hand was on -the door-knob, and he had turned it, when he heard a faint -click. It was the sound of a light being turned off, and the -sound came from the sitting-room.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>With a quick jerk he threw open the door and reached out -his hand for the switch; and then, from the blackness of the -room, came a warning voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Touch that light and you die! I’ve got you covered. -Put your gun on the floor at your feet—quick!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Johnson stooped and laid down the revolver he had taken -from his bureau.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now step inside, and step lively,” said the voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who are you?” asked Johnson steadily.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He strained his eyes to pierce the darkness, and saw the -figure now. It was standing by his desk, and the shine of something -in its hand warned him that the threat was no idle one.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Never met me?” There was a chuckle of laughter in -the voice of the Unknown. “I’ll bet you haven’t! Friend—meet -the Frog!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Frog?” Johnson repeated the words mechanically.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“One name’s as good as another. That will do for mine,” -said the stranger. “Throw over the key of your desk.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a silence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I haven’t my key here,” said Johnson. “It is in the -bedroom.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Stay where you are,” warned the voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Johnson had kicked off his slippers softly, and was feeling -with his feet for the pistol he had laid so obediently on the -floor in the first shock of surprise. Presently he found it -and drew it toward him with his bare toes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What do you want?” he asked, temporizing.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I want to see your office papers—all the papers you’ve -brought from Maitlands.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There is nothing here of any value,” said Johnson.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The revolver was now at his feet and a little ahead of him. -He kept his toes upon the butt, ready to drop just as soon as he -could locate with any certainty the position of the burglar. -But now, though his eyes were growing accustomed to the -darkness, he could no longer see the owner of the voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come nearer,” said the stranger, “and hold out your -hands.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Johnson made as though to obey, but dropped suddenly to -his knees. The explosion deafened him. He heard a cry, -saw, in the flash of his pistol, a dark figure, and then something -struck him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He came to consciousness ten minutes later, to find the room -empty. Staggering to his feet, he put on the light and walked -unsteadily back to his bedroom, to examine the extent of his -injuries. He felt the bump on his head gingerly, and grinned. -Somebody was knocking at the outer door, a peremptory, -authoritative knocking. With a wet towel to his injured head -he went out into the passage and opened the front door. He -found two policemen at the step and a small crowd gathered -on the pavement.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Has there been shooting here?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, constable,” said Johnson, “I did a little shooting, -but I don’t think I hit anything.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Have you been hurt, sir? Was it burglars?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I can’t tell you. Come in,” said Johnson, and led the -way back to the disordered library.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The blind was flapping in the draught, for the window, -which looked out upon a side street, was open.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Have you missed anything?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, I don’t think so,” said Johnson. “I think it was -rather more important than an ordinary burglary. I am -going to call Inspector Elk of Scotland Yard, and I think you -had better leave the room as it is until he arrives.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk was in his office, laboriously preparing a report on the -escape of Hagn, when the call came through. He listened -attentively, and then:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll come down, Johnson. Tell the constable to leave -things—ask him to speak to me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>By the time Elk had arrived, the philosopher was dressed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He gave you a pretty hefty one,” said Elk, examining -the contusion with a professional eye.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wasn’t prepared for it. I expected him to shoot, and -he must have struck at me as I fired.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You say it was the Frog himself?” said the sceptical -Elk. “I doubt it. The Frog has never undertaken a job -on his own, so far as I can remember.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was either the Frog or one of his trusted emissaries,” -said Johnson with a good-humoured smile. “Look at this.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>On the centre of his pink blotting-pad was stamped the -inevitable Frog. It appeared also on the panel of the door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is supposed to be a warning, isn’t it?” said Johnson. -“Well, I hadn’t time to get acquainted with the warning before -I got mine!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There are worse things than a clubbing,” said Elk cheerfully. -“You’ve missed nothing?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Johnson shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, nothing.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk’s inspection of the room was short but thorough. It -was near the open window, blown by the breeze into the folds -of the curtain, that he found the parcel-room ticket. It was -a green slip acknowledging the reception of a handbag, and -it was issued at the terminus of the Great Northern Railway.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is this yours?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Johnson took the slip from him, examined it and shook -his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No,” he said, “I’ve never seen it before.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Anybody else in your flat likely to have left a bag at -King’s Cross station?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Again Johnson shook his head and smiled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There is nobody else in this flat,” he said, “except myself.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk took the paper under the light and scrutinized the date-stamp. -The luggage had been deposited a fortnight before, -and, as is usual in such tickets, the name of the depositor -was not given.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It may have blown in from the garden,” he said. “There -is a stiff breeze to-night, but I should not imagine that anybody -who had got an important piece of luggage would leave the -ticket to fly around. I’ll investigate this,” he said, and put -the ticket carefully away in his pocket-book. “You didn’t -see the man?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I caught a glimpse of him as I fired, and I am under the -impression that he was masked.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Did you recognize his voice?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No,” said Johnson, shaking his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk examined the window. The catch had been cleverly -forced—“cleverly” because it was a new type of patent -fastening familiar to him, and which he did not remember -ever having seen forced from the outside before. Instinctively -his mind went back to the burglary at Lord Farmley’s, -to that beautifully cut handle and blown lock; and though, -by no stretch of imagination, could the two jobs be compared, -yet there was a similarity in finish and workmanship which -immediately struck him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>What made this burglary all the more remarkable was that, -for the first time, there had appeared somebody who claimed -to be the Frog himself. Never before had the Frog given -tangible proof of his existence. He understood the organization -well enough to know that none of the Frog’s willing slaves -would have dared to use his name. And why did he consider -that Johnson was worthy of his personal attention?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No,” said Johnson in answer to his question, “there are -no documents here of the slightest value. I used to bring -home a great deal of work from Maitlands; in fact, I have -often worked into the middle of the night. That is why my -dismissal is such a scandalous piece of ingratitude.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You have never had any private papers of Maitland’s -here, which perhaps you might have forgotten to return?” -asked Elk thoughtfully, and Johnson’s ready smile and -twinkling eyes supplied an answer.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s rather a graceful way of putting the matter,” he -said. “No, I have none of Maitland’s documents here. If -you care, you can see the contents of all my cupboards, drawers -and boxes, but I can assure you that I’m a very methodical -man; I know practically every paper in my possession.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Walking home, Elk reviewed the matter of this surprising -appearance. If the truth be told, he was very glad to have -some additional problem to keep his mind off the very unpleasant -interview which was promised for the morning. -Captain Dick Gordon would assume all responsibility, and -probably the Commissioners would exonerate Elk from any -blame; but to the detective, the “people upstairs” were -almost as formidable as the Frog himself.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='148' id='Page_148'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XXII</h1></div> - -<h3>THE INQUIRY</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>H</span>E intended making an early call at King’s Cross to -examine the contents of the bag, but awoke the next -morning, his mind filled with the coming inquiry to the -exclusion of all other matters; and although he entered -Johnson’s burglary in his report book very carefully, and -locked away the cloak-room ticket in his safe, he was much too -absorbed and worried to make immediate inquiries.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick arrived for the inquiry, and his assistant gave him a -brief sketch of the burglary in Fitzroy Square.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Let me see that ticket,” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk, unlocking the safe, produced the green slip.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The ticket has been attached to something,” said Dick, -carrying the slip to the window. “There is the mark of a -paper-fastener, and the mark is recent. This may produce -a little information,” he said as he handed it back.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s very unlikely,” said Elk despondently as he locked -the door of the safe. “Those people upstairs are going to -give us hell.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t worry,” said Dick. “I tell you, our friends above -are so tickled to death at recovering the Treaty that they’re -not going to worry much about Hagn.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was a remarkable prophecy, remarkably fulfilled. Elk -was gratified and surprised when he was called into the -presence of the great—every Commissioner and Chief Constable -sat round the green board of judgment—to discover -that the attitude of his superiors was rather one of benevolent -interest than of disapproval.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“With an organization of this character we are prepared -for very unexpected developments,” said the Chief Commissioner. -“In ordinary circumstances, the escape of Hagn -would be a matter calling for severe measures against those -responsible. But I really cannot apportion the blame in this -particular case. Balder seems to have behaved with perfect -propriety; I quite approve of your having put him into the -cell with Hagn; and I do not see what I can do with the -gaoler. The truth is, that the Frogs are immensely powerful—more -powerful than the agents of an enemy Government, -because they are working with inside knowledge, and in -addition, of course, they are our own people. You think it -is possible, Captain Gordon, to round up the Frogs?—I know -it will be a tremendous business. Is it worth while?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, sir,” he replied. “They are too numerous, and the -really dangerous men are going to be difficult to identify. It -has come to our knowledge that the chiefs of this organization—at -least, some of them—are not so marked.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Not all the members of the Board of Inquiry were as -pleasant as the Chief Commissioner.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It comes to this,” said a white-haired Chief Constable, -“that in the space of a week we have had two prisoners killed -under the eyes of the police, and one who has practically -walked out of the cell in which he was guarded by a police -officer, without being arrested or any clue being furnished as -to the method the Frogs employed.” He shook his head. -“That’s bad, Captain Gordon.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Perhaps you would like to take charge of the inquiry, -sir,” said Dick. “This is not the ordinary petty larceny type -of crime, and I seem to remember having dealt with a case of -yours whilst I was in the Prosecutor’s Department, presenting -less complicated features, in which you were no more successful -than I and my officers have been in dealing with the Frogs. -You must allow me the greatest latitude and exercise -patience beyond the ordinary. I know the Frog,” he said -simply.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For some time they did not realize what he had said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You know him?” asked the Chief Commissioner incredulously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If I were to tell you who it was,” he said, “you would -probably laugh at me. And obviously, whilst it is quite -possible for me to secure an arrest this morning, it is not as -easy a matter to produce overwhelming evidence that will -convict. You must give me rope if I am to succeed.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But how did you discover him, Captain Gordon?” asked -the Chief, and Elk, who had listened, dumbfounded, to this -claim of his superior, waited breathlessly for the reply.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was clear to me,” said Dick, speaking slowly and -deliberately, “when I learnt from Mr. Johnson, who was -Maitland’s secretary, that somewhere concealed in the old -man’s house was a mysterious child.” He smiled as he looked -at the blank faces of the Board. “That doesn’t sound very -convincing, I’m afraid,” he said, “but nevertheless, you will -learn in due course why, when I discovered this, I was perfectly -satisfied that I could take the Frog whenever I wished. It -is not necessary to say that, knowing as I do, or as I am convinced -I do, the identity of this individual, events from now -on will take a more interesting and a more satisfactory course. -I do not profess to be able to explain how Hagn came to -make his escape. I have a suspicion—it is no more than a -suspicion—but even that event is soluble if my other theory -is right, as I am sure it is.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Until the meeting was over and the two men were again -in Elk’s office, the detective spoke no word. Then, closing the -door carefully, he said:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If that was a bluff of yours, Captain Gordon, it was the -finest bluff I have ever heard, and I’ve an idea it wasn’t a -bluff.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was no bluff,” said Dick quietly. “I tell you I am -satisfied that I know the Frog.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who is it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This isn’t the time to tell you. I don’t think any useful -purpose would be served if I made my views known—even to -you. Now what about your cloak-room ticket?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick did not accompany him to King’s Cross, for he had -some work to do in his office, and Elk went alone to the cloak-room. -Producing the ticket, he paid the extra fees for the -additional period of storage, and received from the attendant -a locked brown leather bag.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now, son,” said Elk, having revealed his identity, “perhaps -you will tell me if you remember who brought this bag?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The attendant grinned.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I haven’t that kind of memory,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I sympathize with you,” said Elk, “but possibly if you -concentrated your mind, you might be able to recall something. -Faces aren’t dates.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The attendant turned over the leaves of his book to make -sure.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I was on duty that day.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What time was it handed in?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He examined the counterfoils.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“About eleven o’clock in the morning,” he said. He shook -his head. “I can’t remember who brought it. We get so -much luggage entered at that time in the morning that it’s -almost impossible for me to recall any particular person. I -know one thing, that there wasn’t anything peculiar about -him, or I should have remembered.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You mean that the person who handed this in was very -ordinary. Was he an American?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Again the attendant thought.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, I don’t think he was an American, sir,” he said. “I -should have remembered that. I don’t think we have had -an American here for weeks.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk took the bag to the office of the station police inspector, -and with the aid of his key unlocked and pulled it wide open. -Its contents were unusual. A suit of clothes, a shirt, collar -and tie, a brand-new shaving outfit, a small bottle of Annatto, -a colouring material used by dairymen, a passport made out -in the name of “John Henry Smith,” but with the photograph -missing, a Browning pistol, fully loaded, an envelope containing -5,000 francs and five one-hundred-dollar bills; these -comprised the contents.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk surveyed the articles as they were spread on the -inspector’s table.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What do you make of that?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The railwayman shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s a fairly complete outfit,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You mean a get-away outfit? That’s what I think,” -said Elk; “and I’d like to bet that one of these bags is stored -at every railway terminus in London!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The clothing bore no marks, the Browning was of Belgian -manufacture, whilst the passport might, or might not, have -been forged, though the blank on which it was written was -obviously genuine. (A later inquiry put through to the -Foreign Office revealed the fact that it had not been officially -issued.)</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk packed away the outfit into the bag.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I shall take these to the Yard. Perhaps they’ll be called -for—but more likely they won’t.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk came out of the Inspector’s office on to the broad platform, -wondering what it would be best to do. Should he -leave the bag in the cloak-room and set a man to watch? . . . -That would be a little futile, for nobody could call unless he -had the ticket, and it would mean employing a good officer -for nothing. He decided in the end to take the bag to the -Yard and hand it over for a more thorough inspection.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>One of the Northern expresses had just pulled into the -station, two hours late, due to a breakdown on the line. Elk -stood looking idly at the stream of passengers passing out -through the barrier, and, so watching, he saw a familiar face. -His mind being occupied with this, the familiarity did not -force itself upon his attention until the man he had recognized -had passed out of view. It was John Bennett—a furtive, -hurrying figure, with his battered suit-case in his hand, a dark -felt hat pulled over his eyes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk strolled across to the barrier where a station official -was standing.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where does this train come from?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Aberdeen, sir.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Last stop?” asked Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Last stop Doncaster,” said the official.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Whilst he was speaking, Elk saw Bennett returning. -Apparently he had forgotten something, for there was a frown -of annoyance on his face. He pushed his way through the -stream of people that were coming from the barriers, and Elk -wondered what was the cause of his return. He had not long -to wait before he learnt.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When Bennett appeared again, he was carrying a heavy -brown box, fastened with a strap, and Elk recognized the -motion picture camera with which this strange man pursued -his paying hobby.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Queer bird!” said Elk to himself and, calling a cab, -carried his find back to headquarters.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He put the bag in his safe, and sent for two of his best men.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I want the cloak-rooms of every London terminus -inspected for bags of this kind,” he said, showing the bag. -“It has probably been left for weeks. Push the usual -inquiries as to the party who made the deposit, select all -likely bags, and, to make sure, have them opened on the spot. -If they contained a complete shaving kit, a gun, a passport -and money, they are to be brought to Scotland Yard and held -for me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gordon, whom he afterwards saw, agreed with his explanation -for the presence of this interesting find.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“At any hour of the day or night he’s ready to jump for -safety,” said Elk admiringly; “and at any terminus we -shall find money, a change of kit and the necessary passport -to carry him abroad, Annatto to stain his face and hands—I -expect he carries his own photograph. And by the way, I -saw John Bennett.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“At the station?” asked Dick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He was returning from the north, from one of five towns—Aberdeen, -Arbroath, Edinburgh, York or Doncaster. He -didn’t see me, and I didn’t push myself forward. Captain, -what do you think of this man Bennett?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick did not reply.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is he your Frog?” challenged Elk, and Dick Gordon -chuckled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re not going to get my Frog by a process of elimination. -Elk, and you can save yourself a whole lot of trouble -if you cut out the idea that cross-examining me will produce -good results.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I never thought anything so silly,” said Elk. “But -John Bennett gets me guessing. If he were the Frog, he -couldn’t have been in Johnson’s sitting-room last night.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not unless he motored to Doncaster to catch an alibi -train,” said Dick, and then: “I wonder if the Doncaster -police are going to call in headquarters, or whether they’ll -rely upon their own intelligence department.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“About what?” asked Elk surprised.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mabberley Hall, which is just outside Doncaster, was -burgled last night,” said Dick, “and Lady FitzHerman’s -diamond tiara was stolen—rather supports your theory, -doesn’t it, Elk?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk said nothing, but he wished most fervently that he had -some excuse or other for searching John Bennett’s bag.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='154' id='Page_154'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XXIII</h1></div> - -<h3>A MEETING</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>H</span>ERON’S CLUB had been temporarily closed by order -of the police, but now was allowed to open its doors -again. Ray invariably lunched at Heron’s unless he was -taking the meal with Lola, who preferred a brighter atmosphere -than the club offered at midday.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Only a few tables were occupied when he arrived. The -stigma of the police raid lay upon Heron’s, and its more -cautious clients had not yet begun to drift back. It was -fairly well known that something had happened to Hagn, the -manager, for the man had not appeared since the night of the -raid. There were unconfirmed rumours of his arrest. Ray -had not troubled to call for letters as he passed through the -hall, for very little correspondence came to him at the club. -He was therefore surprised when the waiter, having taken his -order, returned, accompanied by the clerk carrying in his hand -two letters, one heavily sealed and weighty, the other smaller.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He opened the big envelope first, and was putting in his -fingers to extract the contents when he realized that the -envelope contained nothing but money. He did not care to -draw out the contents, even before the limited public. Peeping, -he was gratified to observe the number and denomination -of the bills. There was no message, but the other letter was -addressed in the same handwriting. He tore this open. It -was innocent of address or date, and the typewritten message -ran:</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='pindent'>“On Friday morning you will assume a dress which will be -sent to you, and you will make your way towards Nottingham -by road. You will take the name of Jim Carter, and papers -of identification in that name will be found in the pockets of -the clothes which will reach you by special messenger to-morrow. -From now onward you are not to appear in public, you are not -to shave, receive visitors or pay visits. Your business at Nottingham -will be communicated to you. Remember that you are -to travel by road, sleeping in such lodging-houses, casual wards -or Salvation Army shelters as tramps usually patronize. At -Barnet, on the Great North Road, near the ninth milestone, -you will meet another whom you know, and will accompany -him for the remainder of the journey. At Nottingham you -will receive further orders. It is very likely that you will not -be required, and certainly, the work you will be asked to do -will not compromise you in any way. Remember your name -is Carter. Remember you are not to shave. Remember also -the ninth milestone on Friday morning. When these facts are -impressed upon you, take this letter, the envelope, and the -envelope containing the money, to the club fireplace, and burn -them. I shall see you.”</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>The letter was signed “Frog.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>So the hour had come when the Frogs had need of him. -He had dreaded the day, and yet in a way had looked forward -to it as one who wished to know the worst.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He faithfully carried out the instructions, and, under the -curious eyes of the guests, carried the letter and the envelopes -to the empty brick fireplace, lit a match and burnt them, -putting his foot upon the ashes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His pulse beat a little quicker, the thump of his heart was -a little more pronounced, as he went back to his untouched -lunch. So the Frog would see him—was here! He looked -round the sparsely filled tables, and presently he met the gaze -of a man whose eyes had been fixed upon him ever since he -had sat down. The face was familiar, and yet unfamiliar. -He beckoned the waiter.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t look immediately,” he said in a low voice, “but -tell me who is that gentleman sitting in the second alcove.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The waiter looked carelessly round.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is Mr. Joshua Broad, sir,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Almost as the waiter spoke, Joshua Broad rose from his -seat, walked across the room to where Ray was sitting.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good morning, Mr. Bennett. I don’t think we have met -before, though we are fellow-members of Heron’s and I’ve -seen you a lot of times here. My name is Broad.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Won’t you sit down?” Ray had some difficulty in controlling -his voice. “Glad to meet you, Mr. Broad. Have you -finished your lunch? If not, perhaps you’ll take it with me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No,” he said, “I’ve finished lunch. I eat very little. -But if it doesn’t annoy you, I’ll smoke a cigarette.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray offered his case.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m a neighbour of a friend of yours,” said Broad, choosing -a cigarette, “Miss Lola Bassano. She has an apartment -facing mine in Caverley House—I guess that’s where I’ve -seen you most often.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Now Ray remembered. This was the strange American -who lived opposite to Lola, and about whose business he had -so often heard Lola and Lew Brady speculate.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And I think we have a mutual friend in—Captain -Gordon,” suggested the other, his keen eyes fixed upon -the boy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Captain Gordon is not a friend of mine,” said Ray quickly. -“I’m not particularly keen on police folk as friends.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They can be mighty interesting,” said Broad, “but I can -quite understand your feeling in the matter. Have you known -Brady long?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Lew? No, I can’t say that I have. He’s a very nice -fellow,” said Ray unenthusiastically. “He’s not exactly the -kind of friend I’d have chosen, but it happens that he is a -particularly close friend of a friend of mine.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Of Miss Bassano,” said Broad. “You used to be at -Maitlands?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I was there once,” said Ray indifferently, and from his -tone one might have imagined that he had merely been a visitor -attracted by morbid curiosity to that establishment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Queer cuss, old Maitland.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I know very little of him,” said Ray.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A very queer fellow. He’s got a smart secretary, though.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You mean Johnson?” Ray smiled. “Poor old philosopher, -he’s lost his job!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You don’t say? When did this happen?” Mr. Broad’s -voice was urgent, eager.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The other day—I don’t know when. I met Johnson this -morning and he told me. I don’t know how the old boy will -get on without Philo.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I was wondering the same thing,” said Broad softly. -“You surprise me. I wonder he has the nerve, though I -don’t think he’s lacking in that quality.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The nerve?” said the puzzled Ray. “I don’t think it -requires much nerve to fire a secretary.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A fleeting smile played on the hard face of the American.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“By that I meant that it requires nerve for a man of -Maitland’s character to dismiss a man who must share a fair -number of his secrets. Not that I should imagine there would -be any great confidence between these two. What is Johnson -doing?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s looking for a job, I think,” said Ray. He was -getting a little irritated by the persistence of the stranger’s -questions. He had a feeling that he was being “pumped.” -Possibly Mr. Broad sensed this suspicion, for he dropped his -flow of interrogations and switched to the police raid, a prolific -source of discussion amongst the members of Heron’s.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray looked after him as he walked out a little later and -was puzzled. Why was he so keen on knowing all these -things? Was he testing him? He was glad to be alone to -consider this extraordinary commission which had come to -him. The adventure of it, the disguise of it, all were particularly -appealing to a romantic young man; and Ray -Bennett lacked nothing in the matter of romance. There was -a certain delightful suggestion of danger, a hint almost as -thrilling of lawlessness, in these instructions. What might -be the end of the adventure, he did not trouble to consider. -It was well for his peace of mind that he was no seer; for, if -he had been, he would have flown that very moment, seeking -for some desolate place, some hole in the ground where he -could lie and shiver and hide.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='158' id='Page_158'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XXIV</h1></div> - -<h3>WHY MAITLAND CAME</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>E</span>LLA BENNETT was cooking the dinner when her father -came in, depositing his heavy camera on the floor of -the sitting-room, but carrying, as was usual, his grip to the -bedroom. She heard the closing of the cupboard door and -the turning of the lock, but had long ceased to wonder why -he invariably kept his bag locked in that cupboard. He was -looking very tired and old; there were deeper lines under his -eyes, and the pallor of his cheeks was even more pronounced.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Did you have a good time, father?” she asked. It was -the invariable question, and invariably John Bennett made -no other reply than a nod.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I nearly lost my camera this morning—forgot it,” he -said. “It was quite a success—taking the camera away -with me—but I must get used to remembering that I have -it. I found a stretch of country full of wild fowl, and got -some really good pictures. Round about Horsham my opportunities -are limited, and I think I shall take the machine with -me wherever I go.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He seated himself in the old chair by the fireplace and was -filling his pipe slowly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I saw Elk on the platform at King’s Cross,” he said. -“I suppose he was looking for somebody.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What time did you leave where you were?” she asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Last night,” he replied briefly, but did not volunteer -any further information about his movements.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She was in and out of the kitchen, laying the table, and she -did not speak to him on the matter which was near her heart, -until he had drawn up his chair, and then:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I had a letter from Ray this morning, father,” she said. -It was the first time she had mentioned the boy’s name since -that night of horrible memories at Heron’s Club.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes?” he answered, without looking up from his plate.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He wanted to know if you had his letter.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I had his letter,” said John Bennett, “but I didn’t -answer it. If Ray wants to see me, he knows where I am. Did -you hear from anybody else?” he asked, with surprising calm.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She had been dreading what might follow the mention of -Ray’s name.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I heard from Mr. Johnson. He has left Maitlands.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Bennett finished his glass of water and set it down before -he replied.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He had a good job, too. I’m sorry. I suppose he -couldn’t get on with the old man.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Should she tell him? she wondered again. She had been -debating the advisability of taking her father into her confidence -ever since——</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Father, I’ve met Mr. Maitland,” she said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I know. You saw him at his office; you told me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve met him since. You remember the morning I was -out, when Captain Gordon came—the morning I went to the -wood? I went to see Mr. Maitland.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He put down his knife and fork and stared at her incredulously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But why on earth did you see him at that hour of the -morning? Had you made arrangements to meet him?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She shook her head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I hadn’t any idea that I was going to see him,” she said, -“but that night I was wakened by somebody throwing a -stone at the window. I thought it was Ray, who had come -back late. That was his habit; I never told you, but sometimes -he was very late indeed, and he used to wake me that -way. It was just dawn, and when I looked out, to my astonishment, -I saw Mr. Maitland. He asked me to come down in -that queerly abrupt way of his, and, thinking it had something -to do with Ray, I dressed and went out into the garden, not -daring to wake you. We walked up the road to where his -car was. It was the queerest interview you could imagine, -because he said—nothing.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Nothing?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, he asked me if I’d be his friend. If it had been -anybody else but Mr. Maitland, I should have been frightened. -But he was so pathetic, so very old, so appealing. He kept -saying ‘I’ll tell you something, miss,’ but every time he spoke -he looked round with a frightened air. ‘Let’s go where we -can’t be seen,’ he said, and begged me to step into the car. -Of course I refused, until I discovered that the chauffeur was -a woman—a very old woman, his sister. It was a most -extraordinary experience. I think she must be nearly -seventy, but during the war she learnt to drive a motor-car, -and apparently she was wearing one of the chauffeur’s coats, -and a more ludicrous sight you could not imagine, once you -realized that she was a woman.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I let him drive me down to the wood, and then: ‘Is it -about Ray?’ I asked. But it wasn’t about Ray at all that -he wanted to speak. He was so incoherent, so strange, that -I really did get nervous. And then, when he had begun to -compose himself and had even made a few connected remarks, -you came along in Mr. Elk’s car. He was terrified and was -shaking from head to foot! He begged me to go away, and -almost went on his knees to implore me not to say that I -had seen him.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Phew!” John Bennett pushed back his chair. “And -you learnt nothing?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She shook her head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He came again last night,” she said, “but this time -I did not go out, and he refused to come in. He struck me -as a man who was expecting to be trapped.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Did he give you any idea of what he wanted to say?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, but it was something which was vitally important -to him, I think. I couldn’t understand half that he said. -He spoke in loud whispers, and I’ve told you how harsh his -voice is.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Bennett relit his pipe, and sat for a while with downcast -eyes, revolving the matter in his mind.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The next time he comes you’d better let me see him,” -he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t think so, daddy,” she answered quietly. “If -he has anything very important to say, I think I ought to -know what it is. I have a feeling that he is asking for help.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>John Bennett looked up.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A millionaire asking for help? Ella, that sounds queer -to me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And it <span class='it'>is</span> queer,” she insisted. “He didn’t seem half -so terrible as he appeared when I first saw him. There was -something tragic about him, something very sad. He will -come to-night, and I’ve promised to see him. May I?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Her father considered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, you may see him, provided you do not go outside -this garden. I promise that I will not appear, but I shall be -on hand. Do you think it is about Ray—that Ray has committed -some act of folly that he wants to tell you about?” -he asked with a note of anxiety.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t think so, daddy. Maitland was quite indifferent -to Ray or what becomes of him. I’ve been wondering whether -I ought to tell somebody.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Captain Gordon or Mr. Elk,” suggested her father dryly, -and the girl flushed. “You like that young man, Ella? -No, I’m not referring to Elk, who is anything but young; I -mean Dick Gordon.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes,” she said after a pause, “I like him very much.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I hope you aren’t going to like him too much, darling,” -said John Bennett, and their eyes met.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why not, daddy?” It almost hurt her to ask.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Because”—he seemed at a loss as to how he should -proceed—“because it’s not desirable. He occupies a different -position from ourselves, but that isn’t the only reason. I -don’t want you to have a heartache, and I say this, knowing -that, if that heartache comes, I shall be the cause.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He saw her face change, and then:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What do you wish me to do?” she asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He rose slowly, and, walking to her, put his arm about her -shoulder.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do whatever you like, Ella,” he said gently. “There is -a curse upon me, and you must suffer for my sin. Perhaps he -will never know—but I am tired of expecting miracles.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Father, what do you mean?” she asked anxiously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know what I mean,” he said as he patted her -shoulder. “Things may work out as they do in stories. -Perhaps . . .” He ruminated for a while. “Those pictures -I took yesterday may be the making of me, Ella. But I’ve -thought that of so many things. Always there seems to be a -great possibility opening out, and always I have been disappointed. -But I’m getting the knack of this picture taking. -The apparatus is working splendidly, and the man who buys -them—he has a shop in Wardour Street—told me that the -quality of the films is improving with every new ‘shot.’ I -took a mother duck on the nest, just as the youngsters were -hatching out. I’m not quite sure how the picture will develop, -because I had to be at some distance from the nest. As it -was, I nearly scared the poor lady when I fixed the camera.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Very wisely she did not pursue a subject which was painful -to her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>That afternoon she saw a strange man standing in the -roadway opposite the gate, looking toward the house. He -was a gentleman, well dressed, and he was smoking a long -cigar. She thought, by his shell glasses, that he might be -an American, and when he spoke to her, his New England -accent left no doubt. He came toward the gate, hat in hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Am I right in thinking that I’m speaking to Miss Bennett?” -he asked, and when she nodded: “My name is Broad. -I was just taking a look round, and I seemed to remember that -you lived somewhere in the neighbourhood. In fact, I think -your brother told me to-day.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Are you a friend of Ray?” she asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why, no,” said Broad with a smile. “I can’t say that -I’m a friend of Mr. Bennett; I’m what you might call a club -acquaintance.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He made no attempt to approach her any closer, and -apparently he did not expect to be invited into the house -on the strength of his acquaintance with Ray Bennett. -Presently, with a commonplace remark about the weather -(he had caught the English habit perfectly) he moved off, -and from the gate she saw him walking up towards the wood -road. That long <span class='it'>cul-de-sac</span> was a favourite parking place of -motorists who came to the neighbourhood, and she was not -surprised when, a few minutes later, she saw the car come -out. Mr. Broad raised his hat as he passed, and waved a -little greeting to some person who was invisible to her. Her -curiosity whetted, she opened the gate and walked on to the -road. A little way down, a man was sitting on a tree trunk, -reading a newspaper and smoking a large-bowled pipe. An -hour later, when she came out, he was still there, but this time -he was standing; a tall, soldier-like-looking man, who turned -his head away when she looked in his direction. A detective, -she thought, in dismay.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Her instinct was not at fault: of that she was sure. For -some reason or other, Maytree Cottage was under observation. -At first she was frightened, then indignant. She had half a -mind to go into the village and telephone to Elk, to demand -an explanation. Somehow it never occurred to her to be angry -with Dick, though he was solely responsible for placing the -men who were guarding her day and night.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She went to bed early, setting her alarm for three o’clock. -She woke before the bell roused her, and, dressing quickly, -went down to make some coffee. As she passed her father’s -door, he called her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m up, if you want me, Ella.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thank you, daddy,” she said gratefully. She was glad -to know that he was around. It gave her a feeling of confidence -which she had never before possessed in the presence -of this old man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The first light was showing in the sky when she saw the -silhouette of Mr. Maitland against the dawn, and heard the -soft click of the latch as he opened the garden gate. She -had not heard the car nor seen it. This time Maitland had -alighted some distance short of the house.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was, as usual, nervous and for the time being speechless. -A heavy overcoat, which had seen its best days, was buttoned -up to his neck, and a big cap covered his hairless head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That you, miss?” he asked in a husky whisper.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, Mr. Maitland.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You coming along for a little walk? . . . Got something -to tell you. . . . Very important, miss.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We will walk in the garden,” she said, lowering her voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He demurred.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Suppose anybody sees us, eh? That’d be a fine lookout -for me! Just a little way up the road, miss,” he pleaded. -“Nobody will hear us.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We can go on to the lawn. There are some chairs -there.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is everybody asleep? All your servant gels?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We have no servant girls,” she smiled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t blame you. I hate ’um. Got six fellows in uniform -at my house. They frighten me stiff!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She led him across the lawn, carrying a cushion, and, settling -him in a chair, waited. The beginnings of these interviews -had always seemed as promising, but after a while Mr. Maitland -had a trick of rambling off at a tangent into depths which she -could not plumb.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re a nice gel,” said Maitland huskily. “I thought -so the first time I saw you . . . you wouldn’t do a poor old -man any ’arm, would you, miss?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why, of course not, Mr. Maitland.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I know you wouldn’t. I told Matilda you wouldn’t. -She says you’re all right. . . . Ever been in the workhouse, -miss?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In the poorhouse?” she said, smiling in spite of herself. -“Why, no, I’ve never been in a poorhouse.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He looked round fearfully from side to side, peering under -his white eyebrows at a clump of bushes which might conceal -an eavesdropper.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ever been in quod?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She did not recognize the word.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have,” he went on. “Quod’s prison, miss. Naturally -you wouldn’t understand them words.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Again he looked round.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Suppose you was me. . . . It all comes to that question—suppose -you was me!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m afraid I don’t understand, Mr. Maitland.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She watched his frightened scrutiny of the grounds, and -then he bent over toward her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Them fellows will get me,” he said slowly and impressively. -“They’ll get me, <span class='it'>and</span> Matilda. And I’ve left all my money -to a certain person. That’s the joke. That’s the whole joke -of it, miss.” He chuckled wheezily. “And then they’ll -get him.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He slapped his knee, convulsed with silent laughter, and the -girl honestly thought he was mad and edged away from him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But I’ve got a great idea—got it when I saw you. It’s -one of the greatest ideas I’ve ever had, miss. Are you a -typewriter?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A typist?” she smiled. “No, I can type, but I’m not -a very good typist.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His voice sank until it was almost unintelligible.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You come up to my office one day, and we’ll have a great -joke. Wouldn’t think I was a joker, would you? Eighty-seven -I am, miss. You come up to my office and I’ll make -you laugh!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Suddenly he became more serious.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They’ll get me—I know it. I haven’t told Matilda, -because she’d start screaming. But <span class='it'>I</span> know. <span class='it'>And</span> the baby!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>This seemed to afford the saturnine old man the greatest -possible enjoyment. He rocked from side to side with mirth, -until a fit of coughing attacked him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s all, miss. You come up to my office. Old Johnson -isn’t there. You come up and see me. Never had a letter -from me, have you?” he suddenly asked, as he rose.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, Mr. Maitland,” she said in surprise.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There was one wrote,” said he. “Maybe I didn’t post it. -Maybe I thought better. I dunno.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He started and drew back as a figure appeared before the -house.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who’s that?” he asked, and she felt a hand on her arm -that trembled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is my father, Mr. Maitland,” she said. “I expect -he got a little nervous about my being out.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Your father, eh?” He was more relieved than resentful. -“Mr. John Bennett, his name is, by all accounts. Don’t -tell him I’ve been in the workhouse,” he urged, “or in quod. -And I have been in quod, miss. Met all the big men, every -one of ’um. And met a few of ’um out, too. I bet I’m the -only man in this country that’s ever seen Saul Morris, the -grandest feller in the business. Only met him once, but I -shall never forget him.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>John Bennett saw them pacing toward him, and stood -undecided as to whether he should join them or whether Ella -would be embarrassed by such a move. Maitland decided -the matter by hobbling over to him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Morning, mister,” he said. “Just having a talk to your -gel. Rather early in the morning, eh? Hope you don’t -mind, Mr. Bennett.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t mind,” said John Bennett. “Won’t you come -inside, Mr. Maitland?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, no, no,” said the other fearfully. “I’ve got to get -on. Matilda will be waiting for me. Don’t forget, miss: -come up to my office and have that joke!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He did not offer to shake hands, nor did he take off his -hat. In fact, his manners were deplorable. A curt nod to -the girl, and then:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, so long, mister——” he began, and at that moment -John Bennett moved out from the shadow of the house.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good-bye, Mr. Maitland,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Maitland did not speak. His eyes were open wide with -terror, his face blanched to the colour of death.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You . . . you!” he croaked. “Oh, my God!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He seemed to totter, and the girl sprang to catch him, but -he recovered himself, and, turning, ran down the path with -an agility which was surprising in one of his age, tore open -the gate and flew along the road. They heard his dry sobs -coming back to them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Father,” whispered the girl in fear, “did he know you? -Did he recognize you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wonder,” said John Bennett of Horsham.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='166' id='Page_166'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XXV</h1></div> - -<h3>IN REGARD TO SAUL MORRIS</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>D</span>ICK GORDON ’phoned across to headquarters, and Elk -reported immediately.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve discovered six good get-away bags, and each one is -equipped as completely and exactly as the one we found at -King’s Cross.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No clue as to the gentleman who deposited them?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, sir, not so much as a clue. We’ve tested them all -for finger-prints, and we’ve got a few results; but as they -have been handled by half a dozen attendants, I don’t think -we shall get much out of it. Still, we can but try.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Elk, I would give a few years of my life to get to the inside -of this Frog mystery. I’m having Lola shadowed, though I -shouldn’t think she’d be in that lot. I know of nobody who -looks less like a tramp than Lola Bassano! Lew has disappeared, -and when I sent a man round this morning to -discover what had happened to that young man about town, -Mr. Raymond Bennett, he was not visible. He refused to see -the caller on the plea that he was ill, and is staying in his room -all day. Elk, who’s the Frog?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk paced up and down the apartment, his hands in his -pockets, his steel-rimmed spectacles sliding lower and lower -down his long nose.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There are only two possibilities,” he said. “One is Harry -Lyme—an ex-convict who was supposed to have been drowned -in the <span class='it'>Channel Queen</span> some years ago. I put him amongst -them, because all the records we have of him show that he -was a brilliant organizer, a super-crook, and one of the two -men capable of opening Lord Farmley’s safe and slipping that -patent catch on Johnson’s window. And believe me, Captain -Gordon, it was an artist who burgled Johnson!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The other man?” said Dick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s also comfortably dead,” said Elk grimly. “Saul -Morris, the cleverest of all. He’s got Lyme skinned to death—an -expression I picked up in my recent travels, Captain. -And Morris is American; and although I’m as patriotic as -any man in this country, I hand it to the Americans when -it comes to smashing safes. I’ve examined two thousand -records of known criminals, and I’ve fined it down to these -two fellows—and they’re both dead! They say that dead -men leave no trails, and if Frog is Morris or Lyme, they’re -about right. Lyme’s dead—drowned. Morris was killed in -a railway accident in the United States. The question is, -which of the ghosts we can charge.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick Gordon pulled open the drawer of his desk and took -out an envelope that bore the inscription of the Western -Union. He threw it across the table.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What’s this. Captain Gordon?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s an answer to a question. You mentioned Saul -Morris before, and I have been making inquiries in New -York. Here’s the reply.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The cablegram was from the Chief of Police, New York -City.</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='pindent'>“Answering your inquiry. Saul Morris is alive, and is believed -to be in England at this moment. No charges pending against -him here, but generally supposed to be the man who cleared -out strong room of ss. <span class='it'>Mantania</span>, February 17, 1898, Southampton, -England, and got away with 55,000,000 francs. Acknowledge.”</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk read and re-read the cablegram, then he folded it carefully, -put it back in its envelope and passed it across the -table.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Saul Morris is in England,” he said mechanically. “That -seems to explain a whole lot.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The search which detectives had conducted at the railway -termini had produced nine bags, all of which contained -identical outfits. In every case there was a spare suit, a -clean shirt, two collars, one tie, a Browning pistol with cartridges, -a forged passport without photograph, the Annatio -and money. Only in one respect did the grips differ. At -Paddington the police had recovered one which was a little -larger than its fellows, all of which were of the same pattern -and size. This held the same outfit as the remainder, with the -exception that, in addition, there was a thick pad of cheque -forms, every cheque representing a different branch of a -different bank. There were cheques upon the Credit Lyonnais, -upon the Ninth National Bank of New York, upon the -Burrowstown Trust, upon the Bank of Spain, the Banks of -Italy and Roumania, in addition to about fifty branches of -the five principal banks of England. Occupied as he had been, -Elk had not had time to make a very close inspection, but -in the morning he determined to deal seriously with the -cheques. He was satisfied that inquiries made at the banks -and branches would reveal different depositors; but the -numbers might enable him to bring the ownership home to -one man or one group of men.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As the bags were brought in, they had been examined -superficially and placed in Elk’s safe, and to accommodate -them, the ordinary contents of the safe had been taken out -and placed in other repositories. Each bag had been numbered -and labelled with the name of the station from whence -it was taken, the name of the officer who had brought it in, -and particulars of its contents. These facts are important, -as having a bearing upon what subsequently happened.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk arrived at his office soon after ten o’clock, having -enjoyed the first full night’s sleep he had had for weeks. -He had, as his assistants, Balder and a detective-sergeant -named Fayre, a promising young man, in whom Elk placed -considerable trust. Dick Gordon arrived almost simultaneously -with the detective chief, and they went into the -building together.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There isn’t the ghost of a chance that we shall be rewarded -for the trouble we’ve taken to trace these cheques,” said Elk, -“and I am inclined to place more hope upon the possibility -of the handbags yielding a few items which were not apparent -at first examination. All these bags are lined, and there is a -possibility that they have false bottoms. I am going to cut -them up thoroughly, and if there’s anything left after I’m -through, the Frogs are welcome to their secret.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In the office, Balder and the detective-sergeant were waiting, -and Elk searched for his key. The production of the key -of the safe was invariably something of a ritual where Elk -was concerned. He gave Dick Gordon the impression that -he was preparing to disrobe, for the key reposed in some -mysterious region which involved the loosening of coat, -waistcoat, and the diving into a pocket where no pocket should -be. Presently the ceremony was through, Elk solemnly -inserted the key and swung back the door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The safe was so packed with bags that they began to slide -toward him, when the restraining pressure of the door was -removed. One by one he handed them out, and Fayre put -them on the table.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’ll take that Paddington one first,” said Elk, pointing -to the largest of the bags. “And get me that other knife, -Balder.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The two men walked out into the passage, leaving Fayre -alone.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Can you see the end of this, Captain Gordon?” asked Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The end of the Frogs? Why, yes, I think I can. I -could almost say I was sure.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They had reached the door of the clerk’s office and found -Balder holding a murderous looking weapon in his hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Here it is——” he began, and the next instant Dick was -flung violently to the floor, with Elk on top of him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was the shrill shriek of smashed glass, a pressure of -wind, and, through all this violence, the deafening thunder -of an explosion.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk was first to his feet and flew back to his room. The -door hung on its hinges; every pane of glass was gone, -and the sashes with them. From his room poured a dense -volume of smoke, into which he plunged. He had hardly -taken a step before he tripped on the prostrate figure of Fayre, -and, stooping, he half-lifted and half-dragged him into the -corridor. One glance was sufficient to show that, if the man -was not dead, there seemed little hope of his recovery. The -fire-bells were ringing throughout the building. A swift rush -of feet on the stairs, and the fire squad came pelting down the -corridor, dragging their hose behind them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>What fire there was, was soon extinguished, but Elk’s office -was a wreck. Even the door of the safe had been blown -from its hinges. There was not a single article of furniture -left, and a big hole gaped in the floor.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Save those bags,” said Elk and went back to look after -the injured man, and not until he had seen his assistant placed -in the ambulance did he return to a contemplation of the ruin -which the bomb had made.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, yes, it was a bomb, sir,” said Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A group of senior officers stood in the corridor, looking at -the havoc.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And something particularly heavy in the shape of bombs. -The wonder is that Captain Gordon and I were not there. I -told Fayre to open the bag, but I thought he’d wait until we -returned with the knife—we intended examining the lining. -Fayre must have opened the bag and the bomb exploded.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But weren’t the bags examined before?” asked the Commissioner -wrathfully.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They were examined by me yesterday—every one. The -Paddington bag was turned inside out, every article it contained -was placed on my table, and catalogued. I myself -returned them. There was no bomb.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But how could they be got at?” asked the other.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know, sir. The only other person who has a key -to this safe is the Assistant Commissioner of my department, -Colonel McClintock, who is on his holidays. We might all -have been killed.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What was the explosive?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Dynamite,” said Elk promptly. “It blew down.” He -pointed to the hole in the floor. “Nitro-glycerine blows up -and sideways,” he sniffed. “There’s no doubt about it being -dynamite.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In his search of the office he found a twisted coil of thin -steel, later the blackened and crumpled face of a cheap alarm -dock.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Both time and contact,” he said. “Those Frogs are -taking no chances.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He shifted such of his belongings as he could discover into -Balder’s office.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was little chance that this outrage would be kept -from the newspapers. The explosion had blown out the -window and a portion of the brickwork and had attracted -a crowd on the Embankment outside. Indeed, when Elk -left headquarters, he was confronted by newspaper bills -telling of the event.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His first call was at the near-by hospital, to where the -unfortunate Fayre had been taken, and the news he received -was encouraging. The doctors thought that, with any kind -of luck, they would not only save the man’s life, but also save -him from any serious mutilation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He may lose a finger or two, and he’s had a most amazing -escape,” said the house surgeon. “I can’t understand why -he wasn’t blown to pieces.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What I can’t understand,” said Elk emphatically, “is -why <span class='it'>I</span> wasn’t blown to pieces.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The surgeon nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“These high explosives play curious tricks,” said the -surgeon. “I understand that the force of the explosion -blew off the door of the safe, and yet this paper, which must -also have been within range, is scarcely singed.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He took a square of paper out of his pocket; the edges were -blackened; one corner had been burnt off.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I found this in his clothing. It must have been driven -there when the bomb detonated,” said the surgeon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk smoothed out the paper and read:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“<span class='it'>With the compliments of Number Seven.</span>”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Carefully he folded the paper.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll take this,” he said, and put it tenderly away in the -interior of his spectacle case. “Do you believe in hunches, -doctor?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you mean premonitions?” smiled the surgeon. “To -an extent I do.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have a hunch that I’m going to meet Number Seven—very -shortly,” he said.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='172' id='Page_172'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XXVI</h1></div> - -<h3>PROMOTION FOR BALDER</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>A</span> WEEK had passed, and the explosion at headquarters -was ancient history. The injured detective was -making fair progress toward recovery, and in some respects -the situation was stagnant.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk apparently accepted failure as an inevitability, and -seemed, even to his greatest admirer, to be hypnotized into -a fatalistic acceptance of the situation. His attitude was a -little deceptive. On the sixth day following the explosion, -headquarters made a raid upon the cloak-rooms, and again, -as Elk had expected, produced from every single terminus -parcels office, a brand-new bag with exactly the same equipment -as the others had had, except that the Paddington find -differed from none of its fellows.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The bags were opened by an Inspector of Explosives, after -very careful preliminary tests; but they contained nothing -more deadly than the Belgian pistols and the self-same passports, -this time made out in the name of “Clarence Fielding.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“These fellows are certainly thorough,” said Elk with -reluctant admiration, surveying his haul.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Are you keeping the bags in your office?” asked Dick, but -Elk shook his melancholy head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think not,” said he.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He had had the bags immediately emptied, their contents -sent to the Research Department; the bags themselves were -now stripped of leather and steel frames, for they had been -scientifically sliced, inch by inch.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My own opinion,” said Balder oracularly, “is that there’s -somebody at police headquarters who is working against us. -I’ve been considering it for a long time, and after consulting -my wife——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You haven’t consulted your children, too, have you?” -asked Elk unpleasantly. “The less you talk about headquarters’ -affairs in your domestic circle, the better will be your -chance of promotion.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Balder sniffed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s no fear of that, anyway,” he said sourly. “I’ve -got myself in their bad books. And I did think there was a -chance for me—it all comes of your putting me in with -Hagn.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re an ungrateful devil,” said Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who’s this Number Seven, sir?” asked Balder. “Thinking -the matter over, and having discussed it with my wife, -I’ve come to the conclusion that he’s one of the most -important Frogs, and if we could only get him, we’d be a -long way towards catching the big fellow.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk put down his pen—he was writing his report at the -time—and favoured his subordinate with a patient and weary -smile.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You ought to have gone into politics,” he said, and waved -his subordinate from the room with the end of his penholder.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He had finished his report and was reading it over with a -critical eye, when the service ’phone announced a visitor.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Send him up,” said Elk when he had heard the name. -He rang his bell for Balder. “This report goes to Captain -Gordon to initial,” he said, and as he put down the envelope, -Joshua Broad stood in the doorway.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good morning, Mr. Elk.” He nodded to Balder, although -he had never met him. “Good morning,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good morning,” said Elk. “Come right in and sit down, -Mr. Broad. To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?—excuse -my politeness, but in the early morning I’m that way. -All right, Balder, you can go.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Broad offered his cigar-case to the detective. “I’ve come -on a curious errand,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Nobody ever comes to headquarters on any other,” replied -Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It concerns a neighbour of mine.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Lola Bassano?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Her husband,” said the other, “Lew Brady.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk pushed up his spectacles.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You don’t tell me that she’s properly married to Lew -Brady?” he asked in surprise.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t think there’s any doubt about that,” said Broad, -“though I’m perfectly certain that her young friend Bennett -is not aware of the fact. Brady has been staying at Caverley -House for a week, and during that time he has not gone out -of doors. What is more, the boy hasn’t called; I don’t -think there’s a quarrel—I have a notion there’s something -much deeper than that. I saw Brady by accident as I was -coming out of my door. Bassano’s door also happened to -be open: the maid was taking in the milk: and I caught -a glimpse of him. He has the finest crop of whiskers I’ve -seen on a retired pugilist and their ambitions do not as a -rule run to hair! That made me pretty curious,” he said, -carefully knocking the ash of his cigar into a tray that was -on the table, “and I wondered if there was any connection -between this sudden defiance of the barber and Ray Bennett’s -actions. I made a call on him—I met him the other day at -the club and had, as an excuse, the fact that I have also -managed to meet Miss Ella Bennett. His servant—he has a -man in by the day to brush his clothes and tidy up the place—told -me that he was not well and was not visible.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Broad blew out a ring of smoke and watched it -thoughtfully.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If you want a servant to be faithful, he must live on -the premises,” he said. “These occasional men aren’t with -you long enough to get trustworthy. It cost me, at the -present rate of exchange, two dollars and thirty-five cents to -discover that Mr. Ray Bennett is also in the hair-restoring -business. If there were an election on, these two fellows -might be political cranks who had vowed a vow that they -wouldn’t touch their razors until their party was returned -to power. And if Lew Brady were a real sportsman, I should -guess that they were doing this for a bet. As it is, I’m rather -intrigued.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk rolled his cigar from one corner of his mouth to the -other.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m not well acquainted with the Statute Book,” he said, -“but I’m under the impression there is no law preventing -people from cultivating undergrowth. The—what’s the -word?—psych——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Psychology,” suggested Mr. Broad.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s it. The psychology of whiskers has never quite -reached me. You’re American, aren’t you, Mr. Broad?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have the distinction,” said the other with that half-smile -that came so readily to his eyes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ah!” said Elk absently, as he stared through the window. -“Ever heard of a man called Saul Morris?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He brought his eyes back to the other’s face. Mr. Joshua -Broad was frowning in an effort of thought.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I seem to remember the name. He was a criminal of -sorts, wasn’t he—an American criminal, if I remember rightly? -Yes, I’ve heard of him. I seem to remember that he was -killed a few years ago.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk scratched his chin irritably.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’d like to meet somebody who was at his funeral,” he -said, “somebody I could believe on oath.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re not suggesting that Lew Brady——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No. I’m not suggesting anything about Lew Brady, -except that he’s a very poor boxer. I’ll look into this distressing -whisker competition, Mr. Broad, and thank you for -telling me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He wasn’t especially interested in the eccentric toilet of -Ray Bennett. At five o’clock Balder came to him and asked -if he might go home.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I promised my wife——” he began.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Keep it,” said Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>After his subordinate’s departure there came an official -letter to Inspector Elk, and, reading its contents, Mr. Elk -beamed. It was a letter from the Superintendent who -controlled the official careers of police officers at headquarters.</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sir,” it ran, “I am directed by the Chief Commissioner -of Police to inform you that the promotion of Police-Constable -J. J. Balder to the rank of Acting-Sergeant has been approved. -The appointment will date as from the 1st May.”</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk folded up the paper and was genuinely pleased. He -rang the bell for Balder before he remembered that he had -sent his assistant home. Elk’s evening was free, and in the -kindness of his heart he decided upon conveying the news -personally.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’d like to see this wife of his,” said Elk, addressing -nobody, “and the children!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk turned up the official pass register, and found that -Balder lived at 93, Leaford Road, Uxbridge. The names of -his wife and children were not entered, to Elk’s disappointment. -He would like to have addressed the latter personally, -but no new entry had been made on the sheet since Balder’s -enlistment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His police car took him to Leaford Road; 93 was a respectable -little house—such a house as Elk always imagined his -assistant would live in. His knock was answered by an -elderly woman who was dressed for going out, and Elk was -surprised to see that she wore the uniform of a nurse.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, Mr. Balder lives here,” she said, apparently surprised -to see the visitor. “That is to say, he has two rooms here, -though he very seldom stays here the night. He usually -comes here to change, and then I think he goes on to his -friends.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Does his wife live here?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“His wife?” said the woman in surprise. “I didn’t know -that he was married.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk had brought Balder’s official record with him, to -procure some dates which it was necessary he should certify -for pension purposes. In the space against Balder’s address, -he noticed for the first time that there were two addresses -given, and that Leaford Road had been crossed out with ink -so pale that he only noticed it now that he saw the paper in -daylight. The second address was one in Stepney.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I seem to have made a mistake,” he said. “His address -here is Orchard Street, Stepney.” But the nurse smiled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He was with me many years ago,” she said, “then he -went to Stepney, but during the war he came here, because -the air raids were rather bad in the East End of London. I -am under the impression he has still a room in Stepney.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh?” said Elk thoughtfully.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was at the gate when the nurse called him back.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t think he goes to Stepney, though I don’t know -whether I ought to talk about his business to a stranger; -but if you want him particularly, I should imagine you would -find him at Slough. I’m a monthly nurse,” she said, “and -I’ve seen his car twice going into Seven Gables on the Slough -Road. I think he must have a friend there.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Whose car?” asked the startled Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It may be his or his friend’s car,” said the nurse. “Is -he a friend of yours?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He is in a way,” said Elk cautiously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She stood for a moment thinking.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Will you come in, please?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He followed her into the clean and tidy little parlour.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know why I told you, or why I’ve been talking -so freely to you,” she said, “but the truth is, I’ve given -Mr. Balder notice. He makes so many complaints, and he’s -so difficult to please, that I can’t satisfy him. It isn’t as -though he paid me a lot of money—he doesn’t. I make very -little profit out of his rooms, and I’ve a chance of letting them -at a better rent. And then he’s so particular about his letters. -I’ve had a letter-box put on the door, but even that is not -big enough to hold them some days. What his other business -is, I don’t know. The letters that come here are for the -Didcot Chemical Works. You probably think that I am a -very difficult woman to please, because, after all, he’s out all -day and seldom sleeps here at night.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk drew a long breath.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think you’re nearly the finest woman I’ve ever met,” -he said. “Are you going out now?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve an all night case, and I shan’t be back till eleven -to-morrow. You were very fortunate in finding anybody at -home.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think you said ‘his car’; what sort of a car is it?” -asked Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s a black machine—I don’t know the make; I think -it is an American make. And he must have something to -do with the ownership because once I found a lot of tyre -catalogues in his bedroom, and some of the tyres he had -marked with a pencil, so I suppose he’s responsible to an -extent.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>One last question Elk asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Does he come back here at night after you’ve gone?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Very rarely, I imagine,” replied the woman. “He has -his own key, and as I’m very often out at night I’m not sure -whether he returns or not.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk stood with one foot on the running-board of his -car.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Perhaps I can drop you somewhere, madam?” he said, -and the elderly woman gratefully accepted.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk went back to headquarters, opened a drawer of his -desk and took out a few implements of his profession, and, -after filing a number of urgent instructions, returned to the -waiting car, driving to Harley Terrace. Dick Gordon had -an engagement that night to join a theatre party with the -members of the American Embassy, and he was in one of -the boxes at the Hilarity Theatre when Elk opened the door -quietly, tapped him on the shoulder, and brought him out -into the corridor, without the remainder of the party being -aware that their guest had retired.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Anything wrong, Elk?” asked Gordon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Balder’s got his promotion,” said Elk solemnly, and Dick -stared at him. “He’s an Acting-Sergeant,” Elk went on, -“and I don’t know a better rank for Balder. When this -news comes to him and his wife and children, there’ll be some -happy hearts, believe me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk never drank: this was the first thought that came to -Dick Gordon’s mind; but there was a possibility that the -anxieties and worries of the past few weeks might have got -on top of him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m very glad for Balder,” he said gently, “and I’m glad -for you too, Elk, because I know you tried hard to get this -miserable devil a step in the right direction.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Go on with what you were thinking,” said Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know that I was thinking anything,” laughed -Dick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You were thinking that I must be suffering from sunstroke, -or I shouldn’t take you out of your comfortable theatre -to announce Balder’s promotion. Now will you get your coat, -Captain Gordon, and come along with me? I want to break -the news to Balder.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mystified, but asking no further questions, Gordon went -to the cloak-room, got his coat, and joined the detective in -the vestibule.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’re going to Slough—to the Seven Gables,” he added. -“It’s a fine house. I haven’t seen it, but I know it’s a fine -house, with a carriage drive and grand furniture, electric -light, telephone and a modern bathroom. That’s deduction. -I’ll tell you something else—also deduction. There are trip -wires on the lawn, burglar alarms in the windows, about a -hundred servants——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What the devil are you talking about?” asked Dick, and -Elk chuckled hysterically.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They were running through Uxbridge when a long-bodied -motor-car whizzed past them at full speed. It was crowded -with men who were jammed into the seats or sat upon one -another’s knees.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s a merry little party,” said Dick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Very,” replied Elk laconically.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A few seconds later, a second car flashed past, going much -faster than they.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That looks to me like one of your police cars,” said Dick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>This, too, was crowded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It certainly looks like one of my police cars,” agreed -Elk. “In America they’ve got a better stunt. As you -probably know, they’ve a fine patrol wagon system. I’d -like to introduce it into this country; it’s very handy.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As the car slowed to pass through the narrow, crooked -street of Colnebrook, a third of the big machines squeezed -past, and this time there was no mistaking its character. -The man who sat with the driver, Dick knew as a detective -inspector. He winked at Elk as he passed, and Elk winked -back with great solemnity.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is the idea?” asked Dick, his curiosity now -thoroughly piqued.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’re having a smoking concert,” said Elk, “to celebrate -Balder’s promotion. And it will be one of the greatest -successes that we’ve had in the history of the Force. There -will be the brothers Mick and Mac, the trick cyclists, in their -unrivalled act . . .” He babbled on foolishly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At Langley the fourth and fifth police cars came past. -Dick had long since realized that the slow pace at which his -own car was moving was designed to allow these laden -machines to overtake them. Beyond Langley, the Windsor -road turned abruptly to the left, and, leaning over the driver, -Elk gave new instructions. There was no sign of the police -cars: they had apparently gone on to Slough. A solitary -country policeman stood at the cross-roads and watched them -as they disappeared in the dusk with a certain languid interest.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’ll stop here,” said Elk, and the car was pulled from -the road on to the green sidewalk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk got down.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Walk a little up the road while I talk to Captain Gordon,” -he said to the chauffeur, and then he talked, and Dick listened -in amazement and unbelief.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now,” said Elk, “we’ve got about five minutes’ walk, -as far as I can remember. I haven’t been to Windsor races -for so long that I’ve almost forgotten where the houses -are.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They found the entrance to the Seven Gables between two -stiff yew hedges. There was no gateway; a broad, gravelled -path ran between a thick belt of pine trees, behind which -the house was hidden. Elk went a little ahead. Presently -he stopped and raised his hand warningly. Dick came a -little nearer, and, looking over the shoulder of the detective, -had his first view of Seven Gables.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was a large house, with timbered walls and high, twisted -chimney-stacks.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Pseudo-Elizabethan,” said Dick admiringly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“1066,” murmured Elk, “or was it 1599? That’s <span class='it'>some</span> -house!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was growing dusk, and lights were showing from a broad -window at the farther end of the building. The arched doorway -was facing them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Let us go back,” whispered Elk, and they retraced their -steps.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was not until darkness had fallen that he led the way -up the carriage drive to the point they had reached on their -earlier excursion. The light still showed in the window, but -the cream-coloured blinds were drawn down.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is safe up as far as the door,” whispered Elk; “but -right and left of that, watch out!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He had pulled a pair of thick stockings over his shoes, and -handed another pair to Dick; and then, with an electric -torch in his hand, he began to move along the path which -ran parallel with the building. Presently he stopped.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Step over,” he whispered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick, looking down, saw the black thread traversing the -path, and very cautiously avoided the obstacle.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A few more paces, and again Elk stopped and warned Dick -to step high, turning to show his light upon the second of -the threads, almost invisible even in the powerful glare of -the electric lamp. He did not move from where he stood -until he had made a careful examination of the path ahead; -and it was well that he did so, for the third trip wire was -less than two feet from the second.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They were half-an-hour covering the twenty yards which -separated them from the window. The night was warm, and -one of the casements was open. Elk crept close under the -window-sill, his sensitive fingers feeling for the alarm which -he expected to find protecting the broad sill. This he discovered -and avoided, and, raising his hand, he gently drew -aside the window blind.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He saw a large, oaken-panelled room, luxuriously furnished. -The wide, open stone fireplace was banked with flowers, and -before it, at a small table, sat two men. The first was Balder—unmistakably -Balder, and strangely good-looking. Balder’s -red nose was no longer red. He was in evening dress -and between his teeth was a long amber cigarette-holder.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick saw it all, his cheek against Elk’s head, heard the -quick intake of the detective’s breath, and then noticed the -second man. It was Mr. Maitland.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Maitland sat, his face in his hands, and Balder was -looking at him with a cynical smile.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They were too far away to hear what the men were saying, -but apparently Maitland was being made the object of reproof. -He looked up after a while, and got on to his feet and began -talking. They heard the rumble of his excited voice, but -again no word was intelligible. Then they saw him raise his -fist and shake it at the smiling man, who watched him with -a calm, detached interest, as though he were some strange -insect which had come into his ken. With this parting gesture -of defiance, old Maitland shuffled from the room and the door -closed behind him. In a few minutes he came out of the -house, not through the doorway, as they expected, but apparently -through a gateway on the other side of the hedge, for -they saw the gleam of the headlights of his car as it passed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Left alone, Balder poured himself a drink and apparently -rang for one of the servants. The man who came in arrested -Dick’s attention instantly. He wore the conventional -uniform of a footman, the dark trousers and the striped -waistcoat, but it was easy to see, from the way he moved, -that he was not an ordinary type of servant. A big man, -powerfully built, his every action was slow and curiously -deliberate. Balder said something to him, and the footman -nodded, and, taking up the tray, went out with the -same leisurely, almost pompous, step that had distinguished -his entry.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And then it flashed upon Dick, and he whispered into the -detective’s ear one word.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Blind!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk nodded. Again the door opened, and this time three -footmen came in, carrying a heavy-looking table with a -canvas cover. At first Gordon thought that it was Balder’s -meal that was being brought, but he was soon to discover the -truth. Above the fireplace, hanging on a single wire, was a -large electric lamp, which was not alight. Standing on a -chair, one of the footmen took out the lamp and inserted -a plug from the end of which ran a wire connecting with -the table.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They’re all blind,” said Elk in a whisper. “And that -is Balder’s own broadcasting apparatus, and the aerial is -attached to the lamp.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The three servants went out, and, rising, Balder walked -to the door and locked it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There were another set of windows in the room, looking -out upon the side of the house, and one by one Balder closed -and shuttered them. He was busy with the second of the -three, when Elk put his foot upon a ledge of brick, and, -tearing aside the curtain, leapt into the room.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At the sound, Balder spun round.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Evening, Balder,” said Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man made no reply. He stood, watching his sometime -chief, with eyes that did not waver.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thought I’d come along and tell you that you’ve got -your promotion,” said Elk, “as Acting-Sergeant from the -1st of May, in recognition of the services you’ve rendered to -the State by poisoning Frog Mills, loosing Frog Hagn, and -blowing up my office with a bomb that you planted overnight.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Still the man did not speak, nor did he move; and here -he was discreet, for the long-barrelled Browning in Elk’s -hand covered the lower button of his white piqué waistcoat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And now,” said Elk—there was a ring of triumph in his -voice—“you’ll take a little walk with me—I want you, -<span class='it'>Number Seven</span>!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Haven’t you made a mistake?” drawled Balder, so -unlike his usual voice that Elk was for a moment taken -aback.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I never have made a mistake except about the date when -Henry the Eighth married,” said Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who do you imagine I am?” asked this debonair man -of the world.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve ceased imagining anything about you, Balder—I -know!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk walked with a quick movement toward him and thrust -the muzzle of the pistol in his prisoner’s diaphragm.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Put up your hands and turn round,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Balder obeyed. Slipping a pair of handcuffs from his -pocket, Elk snapped them on to the wrists. Deftly the -detective strapped the arms from behind, drawing them -tight, so that the manacled hands had no play.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is very uncomfortable,” said Balder. “Is it usual -for you to make mistakes of this character, Mr. Elk? My -name is Collett-Banson.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Your name is Mud,” said Elk, “but I’m willing to -listen to anything you like to say. I’d rather have your -views on cyanide of potassium than anything. You can sit -down.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick saw a gleam come to the man’s eye; it flashed for a -second and was gone. Evidently Elk saw it too.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t let your hopes rest upon any monkey tricks that -might be played by your attendants,” he said, “because -fifty C.I.D. men, most of whom are known personally to you, -are disposed round this house.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Balder laughed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If they were round the house and on top of the house, -they wouldn’t worry me,” he said. “I tell you, inspector, -you’ve made a very grave error, and one which will cost -you dear. If a gentleman cannot sit in his own drawing-room”—he -glanced at the table—“listening to a wireless -concert at The Hague without interfering policemen—then -it is about time the police force was disbanded.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He walked across to the fireplace carelessly and stood -with his back to it; then, lifting his foot, he kicked back -one of the steel fire-dogs which stood on either side of the -wide hearth, and the “dog” fell over on its side. It was a -nervous act of a man who was greatly worried and was not -quite conscious of what he was doing. Even Elk, who was -all suspicion, saw nothing to excite his apprehension.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You think my name is Balder, do you?” the man went -on. “Well, all I can say is——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Suddenly he flung himself sideways on to the hearthrug, -but Elk was quicker. As an oblong slip of the floor gave way -beneath the man’s weight, Elk gripped him by the collar and -together they dragged him back to the room.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In a second the three were struggling on the floor together, -and in his desperation Balder’s strength was unbelievable. -His roaring cry for help was heard. There came a heavy -blow on the door, the babble of angry voices without, and -then, from the ground outside, a series of sharp explosions, as -the army of detectives raced across the lawn, oblivious to the -presence of the alarm-guns.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The fight was short and sharp. The six blind men who -comprised the household of No. 7 were hustled away, and -in the last car travelled Acting-Sergeant Balder, that -redoubtable No. 7, who was the right hand and the left -hand of the terrible Frog.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='184' id='Page_184'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XXVII</h1></div> - -<h3>MR. BROAD IS INTERESTING</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>D</span>ICK GORDON ended his interview with Mr. Ezra -Maitland at three o’clock in the morning, and went to -Headquarters, to find the charge-room at Cannon Row -singularly empty. When he had left, it was impossible to -get in or out for the crowd of detectives which filled or -surrounded the place.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“On the whole, Pentonville is safest, and I’ve got him -there. I asked the Governor to put him in the condemned -cell, but it is not etiquette. Anyway, Pentonville is the safest -spot I know, and I think that, unless Frogs eat stones, he’ll -stay. What has Maitland got to say, Captain?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Maitland’s story, so far as one can get a story from him, -is that he went to see Balder by invitation. ‘When you’re -sent for by the police, what can you do?’ he asked, and -the question is unanswerable.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There is no doubt at all,” said Elk, “that Maitland knew -Balder’s character, and it was not in his capacity as policeman -that the old man visited him. There is less doubt that this -man is hand in glove with the Frog, but it is going to be very -difficult to prove.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Maitland puzzles me,” said Dick. “He’s such a bully, -and yet such a frightened old man. I thought he was going -to drop through the floor when I told him who I was, and -why I had come. And when I mentioned the fact that -Balder had been arrested, he almost collapsed.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That line has to be followed,” said Elk thoughtfully. -“I have sent for Johnson. He ought to be here by now. -Johnson must know something about the old man’s business, -and he will be a very valuable witness if we can connect the -two.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The philosopher arrived half-an-hour later, having been -aroused from his sleep to learn that his presence was required -at Headquarters.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mr. Elk will tell you something which will be public -property in a day or two,” said Gordon. “Balder has been -arrested in connection with the explosion which occurred in -Mr. Elk’s office.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was necessary to explain to Johnson exactly who Balder -was, and Dick went on to tell him of the old man’s visit to -Slough. Johnson shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I didn’t know that Maitland had a friend of that name,” -he said. “Balder? What other name had he?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He called himself Collett-Banson,” said Dick, and a look -of understanding came to the face of Johnson.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I know that name very well. Mr. Banson used frequently -to call at the office, generally late in the evenings—Maitland -spends three nights a week working after the clerks have -gone, as I know to my cost,” he said. “A rather tall, good-looking -fellow of about forty?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, that is the man.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He has a house near Windsor. I have never been there, -but I know because I have posted letters to him.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What sort of business did Collett-Banson have with -Maitland?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve never been able to discover. I always thought of -him as a man who had property to sell, for that was the -only type of outsider who was ever admitted to Maitland’s -presence. I remember that he had the child staying with -him for about a week——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is, the child in Maitland’s house?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Johnson nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You don’t know what association there is between the -child and these two men?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, sir, except that I am certain that Mr. Collett-Banson -had the little boy with him, because I sent toys—mechanical -engines or something of the sort—by Mr. Maitland’s directions. -It was the day that Mr. Maitland made his will, about eighteen -months ago. I remember the day particularly for a peculiar -reason. I had expected Mr. Maitland to ask me to witness -the will and was piqued, for no cause, because he brought -two clerks up from the office to sign. These little things -impress themselves upon one,” he added.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Was the will made in favour of the child?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Johnson shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I haven’t the slightest knowledge of how the property -goes,” he said. “He never discussed the matter with me; -he wouldn’t even employ a lawyer. In fact, I don’t remember -his ever employing a lawyer all the time I was with him, -except for conveyancing work. He told me he had copied -the form of will from a book, but beyond feeling hurt that I, -an old and faithful servant of his, hadn’t been taken a little -into his confidence, I wasn’t greatly interested in the matter. -But I do remember that that morning I went down to a -store and bought a whole lot of toys, had them packed and -brought them back to the office. The old man played with -them all the afternoon!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Early in the morning Dick Gordon interviewed the prisoners -at Pentonville, and found them in a very obstinate mood.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I know nothing about babies or children; and if Johnson -says he sent toys, he is lying,” said Balder defiantly. “I -refuse to make any statement about Maitland or my association -with Maitland. I am the victim of police persecution, -and I defy you to bring any proof that I have committed a -single act in my life—unless it is a crime to live like a gentleman—for -which you can imprison me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Have you any message for your wife and children?” -asked Dick sarcastically, and the sullen features of the man -relaxed for a second.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, Elk will look after them,” he said humorously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The most stringent precautions had been taken to prevent -a rescue, and the greatest care was exercised that no communication -passed between No. 7 and the outside world. He -was charged at Bow Street an hour before the court usually -sat. Evidence of arrest was taken, and he was remanded, -being removed to Pentonville in a motor-van under armed -guard.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>On the third night of his imprisonment, romance came into -the life of the second chief warder of Pentonville Prison. He -was comparatively young and single, not without good looks, -and lived, with his widowed mother, at Shepherd’s Bush. It -was his practice to return home after his day’s duty by -omnibus, and he was alighting on this day when a lady, who -had got off before him, stumbled and fell. Instantly he was -by her side, and had lifted her to her feet. She was young -and astonishingly pretty and he helped her gain the pavement.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was nothing,” she said smilingly, but with a grimace of -pain. “It was very foolish of me to come by ’bus; I was -visiting an old servant of mine who is ill. Will you call me -a taxi, please?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Certainly, madam,” said the gallant chief warder.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The taxi which was passing was beckoned to the kerb. The -girl looked round helplessly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wish I could see somebody I know. I don’t want to go -home alone; I’m so afraid of fainting.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If you would not object to my escort,” said the man, -with all the warm-hearted earnestness which the sight of a -woman in distress awakens in the bosom of impressionable -man, “I will see you home.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She shot a glance at him which was full of gratitude and -accepted his escort, murmuring her regret for the trouble she -was giving him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was a beautiful apartment she occupied. The chief -warder thought he had never met so gracious and beautiful -a lady before, so appropriately housed, and he was right. -He would have attended to her injury, but she felt so much -better, and her maid was coming in soon, and would he have -a whisky-and-soda, and would he please smoke? She -indicated where the cigarettes were to be found, and for an -hour the chief warder spoke about himself, and had an enjoyable -evening.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m very much obliged to you, Mr. Bron,” she said at -parting. “I feel I’ve wasted your evening.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I can assure you,” said Mr. Bron earnestly, “that if this -is a waste of time, then time has no use!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She laughed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is a pretty speech,” she said, “and I will let you -call to-morrow and see me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He took a careful note of the address; it was an exclusive -maisonette in Bloomsbury Square; and the next evening -found him ringing the bell, but this time he was not in -uniform.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He left at ten o’clock, an ecstatic man who held his head -high and dreamt golden dreams, for the fragrance of her -charm (as he wrote her) “permeated his very being.” Ten -minutes after he had gone, the girl came out, closed the door -behind her and went out into the street, and the idler who -had been promenading the pavement threw away his cigar.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good evening. Miss Bassano,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She drew herself up.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I am afraid you have made a mistake,” she said stiffly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not at all. You’re Miss Bassano, and my only excuse -for addressing you is that I am a neighbour of yours.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She looked more closely at him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, Mr. Broad!” she said in a more gracious tone. “I’ve -been visiting a friend of mine who is rather ill.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So I’m told, and a nice flat your friend occupies,” he said -as he fell in by her side. “I was thinking of hiring it a few -days ago. These furnished apartments are difficult to find. -Maybe it was a week ago—yes, it was a week ago,” he said -carefully; “it was the day before you had your lamentable -accident in Shepherd’s Bush.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t quite understand you,” she said, on her guard at -once.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The truth is,” said Mr. Broad apologetically, “that I’ve -been trying to get at Bron too. I’ve been making a very -careful study of the prison staff for the past two months, and -I’ve a list of the easy boys that has cost me a lot of money -to compile. I suppose you didn’t reach the stage where you -persuaded him to talk about his interesting prisoner? I -tried him last week,” he went on reminiscently. “He goes -to a dance club at Hammersmith, and I got acquainted with -him through a girl he’s keen about—you’re not the only -young love of his life, by the way.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She laughed softly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What a clever man you are, Mr. Broad!” she said. “No, -I’m not very interested in prisoners. By the way, who is -this person you were referring to?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I was referring to Number Seven, who is in Pentonville -Gaol,” said Mr. Broad coolly, “and I’ve got an idea he is a -friend of yours.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Number Seven?” Her perplexity would have convinced -a less hardened man than Joshua Broad. “I have an idea -that that is something to do with the Frogs.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is something to do with the Frogs,” agreed the -other gravely, “about whom I daresay you have read. Miss -Bassano, I’ll make you an offer.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Offer me a taxi, for I’m tired of walking,” she said, and -when they were seated side by side she asked: “What is -your offer?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I offer you all that you require to get out of this country -and to keep you out for a few years, until this old Frog busts—as -he will bust! I’ve been watching you for a long time, -and, if you won’t consider it an impertinence, I like you. -There’s something about you that is very attractive—don’t -stop me, because I’m not going to get fresh with you, or suggest -that you’re the only girl that ever made tobacco taste like -molasses—I like you in a kind of pitying way, and you needn’t -get offended at that either. And I don’t want to see you -hurt.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was very serious; she recognized his sincerity, and the -word of sarcasm that rose to her lips remained unuttered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Are you wholly disinterested?” she asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So far as you are concerned, I am,” he replied. “There -is going to be an almighty smash, and it is more than likely -that you’ll get in the way of some of the flying pieces.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She did not answer him at once. What he had said merely -intensified her own uneasiness.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I suppose you know I’m married?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I guessed that,” he answered. “Take your husband -with you. What are you going to do with that boy?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You mean Ray Bennett?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was curious that she made no attempt to disguise either -her position or the part that she was playing. She wondered -at herself after she was home. But Joshua Broad had a compelling -way, and she never dreamt of deceiving him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know,” she said. “I wish he wasn’t in it. He -is on my conscience. Are you smiling?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“At your having a conscience? No, I fancied that was -how you stood. And the growing beard?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She did not laugh.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know about that. All I know is that we’ve had—why -am I telling you this? Who are you, Mr. Broad?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He chuckled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Some day I’ll tell you,” he said; “and I promise you -that, if you’re handy, you shall be the first to know. Go -easy with that boy, Lola.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She did not resent the employment of her first name, but -rather it warmed her towards this mystery man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And write to Mr. Bron, Assistant Chief Warder of Pentonville -Gaol, and tell him that you’ve been called out of town -and won’t be able to see him again for ten years.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>To this she made no rejoinder. He left her at the door of -her flat and took her little hand in his.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If you want money to get away, I’ll send you a blank -cheque,” he said. “There is no one else on the face of the -earth that I’d give a blank cheque to, believe me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She nodded, most unusual tears in her eyes. Lola was -breaking under the strain, and nobody knew it better than -the hawk-faced man who watched her as she passed into her -flat.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='190' id='Page_190'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XXVIII</h1></div> - -<h3>MURDER</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>T</span>HE stone which woke Ella Bennett was aimed with -such force that the pane cracked. She slipped quickly -from bed and pulled aside the curtains. There had been a -thunderstorm in the night, and the skies were so grey and -heavy, and the light so bad, that she could only distinguish -the shape of the man that stood under her window. John -Bennett heard her go from her room and came to his door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is it Maitland?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think so,” she said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He frowned.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I can’t understand these visits,” he said. “Do you -think he’s mad?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She shook her head. After the precipitate flight of the old -man on his last visit, she had not expected that he would -come again, and guessed that only some matter of the -greatest urgency would bring him. She heard her father -moving about his room as she went through the darkened -dining-room into the passage which opened directly on to the -garden.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is that you, miss?” quavered a voice in the darkness.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, Mr. Maitland.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is <span class='it'>he</span> up?” he asked in an awe-stricken whisper.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You mean my father? Yes, he’s awake.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve got to see you,” the old man almost wailed. -“They’ve took him.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Taken whom?” she asked with a catch in her voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That fellow Balder. I knew they would.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She remembered having heard Elk mention Balder.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The policeman?” she asked. “Mr. Elk’s man?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But he was off on another tack.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s you he’s after.” He came nearer to her and clutched -her arm. “I warned you—don’t forget I warned you. Tell -him that I warned you. He’ll make it good for me, won’t -he?” he almost pleaded, and she began to understand dimly -that the “he” to whom the old man was referring was Dick -Gordon. “He’s been with me most of the night, prying -and asking questions. I’ve had a terrible night, miss, terrible,” -he almost sobbed. “First Balder and then him. He’ll -get you—not that police gentleman I don’t mean, but Frog. -That’s why I wrote you the letter, telling you to come up. -You didn’t get no letter, did you, miss?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She could not make head or tail of what he was saying or -to whom he was referring, as he went on babbling his story -of fear, a story interspersed with wild imprecations against -“him.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Tell your father, dearie, what I said to you.” He became -suddenly calmer. “Matilda said I ought to have told your -father, but I’m afraid of him, my dear, I’m afraid of him!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He took one of her hands in his and fondled it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’ll speak a word for me, won’t you?” She knew he -was weeping, though she could not see his face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Of course I’ll speak a word for you, Mr. Maitland. -Oughtn’t you to see a doctor?” she asked anxiously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, no, no doctors for me. But tell him, won’t you—not -your father, I mean, the other feller—that I did all I could -for you. That’s what I’ve come to see you about. They’ve -got Balder——” He stopped short suddenly and craned his -head forward. “Is that your father?” he asked in a husky -whisper.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She had heard the footsteps of John Bennett on the -stairs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I think it is, Mr. Maitland,” and at her words he -pulled his hand from hers with a jerk and went shuffling down -the pathway into the road and out of sight.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What did he want?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I really don’t know, father,” she said. “I don’t think -he can be very well.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you mean mad?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, and yet he was quite sensible for a little time. He -said they’ve got Balder.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He did not reply to her, and she thought he had not heard -her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They’ve taken Balder, Mr. Elk’s assistant. I suppose -that means he has been arrested?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I suppose so,” said John Bennett, and then: “My -dear, you ought to be in bed. Which way did he go?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He went toward Shoreham,” said the girl. “Are you -going after him, father?” she asked in surprise.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll walk up the road. I’d like to see him,” said John -Bennett. “You go to bed, my dear.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But she stood waiting by the door, long after his footsteps -had ceased to sound on the road. Five minutes, ten -minutes passed, a quarter of an hour, and then she heard -the whine of a car and the big limousine flew past the gate, -spattering mud, and then came John Bennett.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Aren’t you in bed?” he asked almost roughly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, father, I don’t feel sleepy. It is late now, so I -think I’ll do some work. Did you see him?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who, the old man? Yes, I saw him for a minute or -two.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Did you speak to him?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I spoke to him.” The man did not seem inclined -to pursue the subject, but this time Ella persisted.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Father, why is he frightened of you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Will you make me some coffee?” said Bennett.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why is he frightened of you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How do I know? My dear, don’t ask so many questions. -You worry me. He knows me, he’s seen me—that -is all. Balder is held for murder. I think he is a very -bad man.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Later in the day she revived the subject of Maitland’s -visit.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wish he would not come,” she said. “He frightens -me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He will not come again,” said John Bennett prophetically.</p> - -<p class='line0' style='text-align:center;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:1em;'>* * * * * *</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The house in Berkeley Square which had passed into the -possession of Ezra Maitland had been built by a nobleman -to whom money had no significance. Loosely described as -one of the show places of the Metropolis, very few outsiders -had ever marvelled at the beauty of its interior. It was -a palace, though none could guess as much from viewing -its conventional exterior. In the gorgeous saloon, with its -lapis-lazuli columns, its fireplaces of onyx and silver, its -delicately panelled walls and silken hangings, Mr. Ezra -Maitland sat huddled in a large Louis Quinze chair, a glass -of beer before him, a blackened clay pipe between his gums. -The muddy marks of his feet showed on the priceless Persian -carpet; his hat half eclipsed a golden Venus of Marrionnet, -which stood on a pedestal by his side. His hands clasped -across his stomach, he glared from under his white eyebrows -at the floor. One shaded lamp relieved the gloom, for the -silken curtains were drawn and the light of day did not -enter.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Presently, with an effort, he reached out, took the mug -of beer, which had gone flat, and drained its contents. This -done and the mug replaced, he sank back into his former -condition of torpor. There was a gentle knock at the door -and a footman came in, a man of powder and calves.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Three gentlemen to see you, sir. Captain Gordon, Mr. -Elk, and Mr. Johnson.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The old man suddenly sat up.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Johnson?” he said. “What does he want?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They are in the little drawing-room, sir.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Push them in,” growled the old man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He seemed indifferent to the presence of the two police -officers, and it was Johnson he addressed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What do you want?” he asked violently. “What do -you mean by coming here?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was my suggestion that Mr. Johnson should come,” -said Dick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, your suggestion, was it?” said the old man, and his -attitude was strangely insolent compared with his dejection -of the early morning.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk’s eyes fell upon the empty beer-mug, and he wondered -how often that had been filled since Ezra Maitland -had returned to the house. He guessed it had been employed -fairly often, for there was a truculence in the ancient man’s -tone, a defiance in his eye, which suggested something more -than spiritual exaltation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m not going to answer any questions,” he said loudly. -“I’m not going to tell any truth, and I’m not going to tell -any lies.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mr. Maitland,” said Johnson hesitatingly, “these gentlemen -are anxious to know about the child.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The old man closed his eyes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m not going to tell no truth and I’m not going to tell -no lies,” he repeated monotonously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now, Mr. Maitland,” said the good-humoured Elk, -“forget your good resolution and tell us just why you lived -in that slum of Eldor Street.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No truth and no lies,” murmured the old man. “You -can lock me up but I won’t tell you anything. Lock me -up. My name’s Ezra Maitland; I am a millionaire. I’ve -got millions and millions and millions! I could buy you -up and I could buy up mostly anybody! Old Ezra Maitland! -I’ve been in the workhouse and I’ve been in quod.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick and his companion exchanged glances, and Elk -shook his head to signify the futility of further questioning -the old man. Nevertheless, Dick tried again.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why did you go to Horsham this morning?” he asked, -and could have bitten his tongue when he realized his blunder.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Instantly the old man was wide awake.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I never went to Horsham,” he roared. “Don’t know -what you’re talking about. I’m not going to tell you anything. -Throw ’em out, Johnson.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When they were in the street again, Elk asked a question.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, I’ve never known him to drink before,” said Johnson. -“He has always been very abstemious so long as I’ve -known him. I never thought I could persuade him to talk.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Nor did I,” said Dick Gordon—a statement which more -than a little surprised the detective.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick signalled to the other to get rid of Johnson, and -when that philosophical gentleman had been thanked and -sent away, Dick Gordon spoke urgently.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We must have two men in this house at once. What -excuse can we offer for planting detectives on Maitland?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk pursed his lips.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know,” he confessed. “We shall have to get -a warrant before we arrest him; we could easily get another -warrant to search the house; but beyond that I fear we -can’t go, unless he asks for protection.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then put him under arrest,” said Dick promptly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is the charge?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Hold him on suspicion of being associated with the -Frogs, and if necessary move him to the nearest police-station. -But it has to be done at once.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk was perturbed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It isn’t a small matter to arrest a millionaire, you know, -Captain Gordon. I daresay in America it is simple, and I -am told you could pinch the President if you found him with -a flask in his pocket. But here it is a little different.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>How very different it was, Dick discovered when he made -application in private for the necessary warrants. At four -o’clock they were delivered to him by the clerk of a reluctant -magistrate, and, accompanied by police officers, he went -back to Maitland’s palatial home.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The footman who admitted them said that Mr. Maitland -was lying down and that he did not care to disturb him. -In proof, he sent for a second footman, who confirmed the -statement.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Which is his room?” said Dick Gordon. “I am a -police officer and I want to see him.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“On the second floor, sir.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He showed them to an electric lift, which carried the five -to the second floor. Opposite the lift grille was a large -double door, heavily burnished and elaborately gilded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Looks more like the entrance to a theatre,” said Elk -in an undertone.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick knocked. There was no answer. He knocked louder. -Still there was no answer. And then, to Elk’s surprise, the -young man launched himself at the door with all his strength. -There was a sound of splitting wood and the door parted. -Dick stood in the entrance, rooted to the ground.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ezra Maitland lay half on the bed, his legs dragging over -the side. At his feet was the prostrate figure of the old -woman whom he called Matilda. They were both dead, and -the pungent fumes of cordite still hung in a blue cloud beneath -the ceiling.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='196' id='Page_196'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XXIX</h1></div> - -<h3>THE FOOTMAN</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>D</span>ICK ran to the bedside, and one glance at the still -figures told him all he wanted to know.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Both shot,” he said, and looked up at the filmy cloud -under the ceiling. “May have happened any time—a quarter -of an hour ago. This stuff hangs about for hours.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Hold every servant in the house,” said Elk in an undertone -to the men who were with him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A doorway led to a smaller bedroom, which was evidently -that occupied by Maitland’s sister.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The shot was fired from this entrance,” said Dick. “Probably -a silencer was used, but we shall hear about that later.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He searched the floor and found two spent cartridges of -a heavy calibre automatic.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They killed the woman, of course,” he said, speaking -his thoughts aloud. “I was afraid of this. If I could only -have got our men in!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You expected him to be murdered?” said Elk in astonishment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick nodded. He was trying the window of the woman’s -room. It was unfastened, and led on to a narrow parapet, -protected by a low balustrade. From there, access could -be had into another room on the same floor, and no attempt -had been made by the murderer to conceal the fact that -this was the way he had passed. The window was wide open, -and there were wet footmarks on the floor. It was a guest -room, slightly overcrowded with surplus furniture, which -had been put there apparently by the housekeeper instead -of in a lumber-room.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The door opened again into the corridor, and faced a -narrow flight of stairs leading to the servants’ quarters above. -Elk went down on his knees and examined the tread of the -carpet carefully.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Up here, I think,” he said, and ran ahead of his chief.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The third floor consisted entirely of servants’ rooms, and -it was some time before Elk could pick up the footprints -which led directly to No. 1. He tried the handle: it was -locked. Taking a pace backward, he raised his foot and -kicked open the door. He found himself in a servant’s -bedroom, which was empty. An attic window opened on -to the sloping roof of another parapet, and without a second’s -hesitation Dick went out, following the course of that very -precarious alleyway. Farther along, iron rails protected -the walker, and this was evidently one of the ways of escape -in case of fire. He followed the “path” across three roofs -until he came to a short flight of iron stairs, which reached -down to the flat roof of another house, and a guard fire-escape. -Guarded it had been, but now the iron gate which -barred progress was open, and Dick ran down the narrow -stairs into a concrete yard surrounded on three sides by high -walls and on the fourth by the back of a house, which was -apparently unoccupied, for the blinds were all drawn.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a gate in the third wall, and it was ajar. Passing -through, he was in a mews. A man was washing a motor-car -a dozen paces from where he stood, and they hurried -toward him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, sir,” said the cleaner, wiping his streaming forehead -with the back of his hand, “I saw a man come out of -there about five minutes ago. He was a servant—a footman -or something—I didn’t recognize him, but he seemed -in a hurry.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Did he wear a hat?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man considered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, sir, I think he did,” he said. “He went out that -way,” and he pointed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The two men hurried along, turned into Berkeley Street, -and as they did so, the car-washer turned to the closed doors -of his garage and whistled softly. The door opened slowly -and Mr. Joshua Broad came out.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thank you,” he said, and a piece of crisp and crackling -paper went into the washer’s hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was out of sight before Dick and the detective came -back from their vain quest.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>No doubt existed in Dick’s mind as to who the murderer -was. One of the footmen was missing. The remaining servants -were respectable individuals of unimpeachable character. -The seventh had come at the same time as Mr. Maitland; -and although he wore a footman’s livery, he had apparently -no previous experience of the duties which he was expected -to perform. He was an ill-favoured man, who spoke very -little, and “kept himself to himself,” as they described it; -took part in none of their pleasures or gossip; was never -in the servants’ hall a second longer than was necessary.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Obviously a Frog,” said Elk, and was overjoyed to learn -that there was a photograph of the man in existence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The photograph had its origin in an elaborate and somewhat -pointless joke which had been played on the cook by -the youngest of the footmen. The joke consisted of finding -in the cook’s workbasket a photograph of the ugly footman, -and for this purpose the young servant had taken a snap of -the man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you know him?” asked Dick, looking at the picture.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He has been through my hands, and I don’t think I -shall have any difficulty in placing him, although for the -moment his name escapes me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A search of the records, however, revealed the identity -of the missing man, and by the evening an enlargement of -the photograph, and his name, aliases and general characteristics, -were locked into the form of every newspaper in -the metropolis.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>One of the servants had heard the shot, but thought it -was the door being slammed—a pardonable mistake, because -Mr. Maitland was in the habit of banging doors.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Maitland was a Frog all right,” reported Elk after he -had seen the body removed to the mortuary. “He’s well -decorated on the left wrist—yes, slightly askew. That is -one of the points that you’ve never cleared up to me, Captain -Gordon. Why they should be tattooed on the left -wrist I can understand, but why the frog shouldn’t be stamped -square I’ve never understood.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is one of the little mysteries that can’t be cleared -up until we are through with the big ones,” said Dick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A telegram had been received that afternoon by the missing -footman. This fact was not remembered until after -Elk had returned to headquarters. A ’phone message through -to the district post-office brought a copy of the message. -It was very simple.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Finish and clear,” were the three words. The message -was unsigned. It had been handed in at the Temple Post -Office at two o’clock, and the murderer had lost no time in -carrying out his instructions.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Maitland’s office was in the hands of the police, and a -systematic search had already begun of its documents and -books. At seven o’clock that night Elk went to Fitzroy -Square, and Johnson opened the door to him. Looking -past him, Elk saw that the passage was filled with furniture -and packing cases, and remembered that early in the morning -Johnson had mentioned that he was moving, and had -taken two cheaper rooms in South London.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’ve packed?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Johnson nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I hate leaving this place,” he said, “but it’s much too -expensive. It seems as though I shall never get another -job, and I’d better face that fact sensibly. If I live at Balham, -I can live comfortably. I’ve very few expensive tastes.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If you have, you can indulge them,” said Elk. “We -found the old man’s will. He has left you everything!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Johnson’s jaw dropped, his eyes opened wide.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Are you joking?” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I was never more serious in my life. The old man has -left you every penny he had. Here is a copy of the will: -I thought you’d like to see it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He opened his pocket-case, producing a sheet of foolscap, -and Johnson read:</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='pindent'>“I, Ezra Maitland, of 193, Eldor Road, in the County of -Middlesex, declare this to be my last will and testament, and -I formally revoke all other wills and codicils to such wills. I -bequeath all my property, movable or immovable, all lands, -houses, deeds, shares in stock companies whatsoever, and all -jewellery, reversions, carriages, motor-cars, and all other possessions -absolutely, to Philip Johnson, of 471, Fitzroy Square, -in the County of London, clerk. I declare him to be the only -honest man I have ever met with in my long and sorrowful life, -and I direct him to devote himself with unremitting care to the -destruction of that society or organization which is known as -the Frogs, and which for four and twenty years has extracted -large sums of blackmail from me.”</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>It was signed in a clerkly hand familiar to Johnson, and -was witnessed by two men whose names he knew.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He sat down and did not attempt to speak for a long -time.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I read of the murder in the evening paper,” he said after -a while. “In fact, I’ve been up to the house, but the policemen -referred me to you, and I knew you were too busy to -be bothered. How was he killed?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Shot,” said Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Have they caught the man?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We shall have him by the morning,” said Elk with -confidence. “Now that we’ve taken Balder, there’ll be -nobody to warn the men we want.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is very dreadful,” said Johnson after a while. “But -this”—he looked at the paper—“this has quite knocked me -out. I don’t know what to say. Where was it found?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In one of his deed boxes.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wish he hadn’t,” said Johnson with emphasis. “I -mean, left me his money. I hate responsibility. I’m temperamentally -unfitted to run a big business . . . I wish he -hadn’t!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How did he take it?” asked Dick when Elk had returned.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s absolutely hazed. Poor devil, I felt sorry for him, -and I never thought I should feel sorry for any man who -came into money. He was just getting ready to move into -a cheaper house when I arrived. I suppose he won’t go to -the Prince of Caux’s mansion. The change in Johnson’s -prospects might make a difference to Ray Bennett: does -that strike you, Captain Gordon?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I thought of that possibility,” said Dick shortly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He had an interview in the afternoon with the Director of -Public Prosecutions in regard to Balder. And that learned -gentleman echoed his own fears.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I can’t see how we’re going to get a verdict of murder -against this man, although it is as plain as daylight that he -poisoned Mills and was responsible for the bomb outrage. -But you can’t hang a man on suspicion, even though the -suspicion is not open to doubt. How did he kill Mills, do -you think?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mills had a cold,” said Dick. “He had been coughing -all the way up in the car, and had asked Balder to close the -window of the room. Balder obviously closed, or nearly -closed the window, and probably slipped a cyanide tablet -to the man, telling him it was good for his cold. It was a -fairly natural thing for Mills to take and swallow the tablet, -and that, I am sure, is what happened. We made a search -of Balder’s house at Slough, and found a duplicate set of -keys, including one to Elk’s safe. Balder got there early -in the morning and planted the bomb, knowing that Elk -and I would be opening the bags that morning.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And helped Hagn to escape,” said the Public Prosecutor.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That was much more simple,” explained Dick. “I -gather that the inspector who was seen walking out at half-past-two -was Hagn. When Balder went into the cell to -keep the man company, he must have been dressed underneath -in the police uniform, and have carried the necessary -handcuffs and pass-keys with him. He was not searched—a -fact for which I am as much responsible as Elk. The chief -danger we had to fear from Balder came from his closeness -to us, and his ability to communicate immediately to -his chief every movement which we made. His name is -Kramer, and he is by birth a Lithuanian. He was expelled -from Germany at the age of eighteen for his revolutionary -activities, and came to this country two years later, where -he joined the police. At what time he came into contact -with the Frogs I do not know, but it is fairly clear, from -evidence we have obtained, that the man has been engaged -in various illegal operations for many years past. I’m -afraid you are right about Balder: it will be immensely -difficult to get a conviction until we have caught Frog himself.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And will you catch the Frog, do you think?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick Gordon smiled cryptically.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>No fresh news had come about the murder of Maitland -and his sister, and he seized the opportunity which the lull -gave to him. Ella Bennett was in the vegetable garden, -engaged in the prosaic task of digging potatoes when he -appeared, and she came running toward him, stripping her -leather gloves.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is a splendid surprise,” she said, and flushed at the -consciousness of her own enthusiasm. “Poor man, you -must be having a terrible time! I saw the newspaper this -morning. Isn’t it dreadful about poor Mr. Maitland? He -was here yesterday morning.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is it true that Mr. Johnson has been left the whole of -Maitland’s money? Isn’t that splendid!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you like Johnson?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, he’s a nice man,” she nodded. “I don’t know a -great deal about him; indeed, I’ve only met him once or -twice, but he was very kind to Ray, and saved him from -getting into trouble. I am wondering whether, now that -he is rich, he will induce Ray to go back to Maitlands.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wonder if he will induce you——” He stopped.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Induce me to what?” she asked in astonishment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Johnson is rather fond of you—he’s never made any -disguise of the fact, and he’s a very rich man. Not that I -think that would make any difference to you,” he added -hastily. “I’m not a very rich man, but I’m comfortably -off.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The fingers in his hand stole round his, and pressed them -tightly, and then suddenly they relaxed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know,” she said, and drew herself free.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Father said——” She hesitated. “I don’t think father -would like it. He thinks there is such a difference between -our social positions.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Rats!” said Dick inelegantly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And there’s something else.” She found it an effort -to tell him what that something was. “I don’t know what -father does for a living, but it is . . . work that he never -wishes to speak about; something that he looks upon as -disgraceful.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The last words were spoken so low that he hardly caught -them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Suppose I know the worst about your father?” he -asked quietly, and she stood back, looking at him from under -knit brows.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you mean that? What is it, Dick?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I may know or I may not. It is only a wild guess. -And you’re not to tell him that I know, or that I’m in any -way suspicious. Will you please do that for me?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And knowing this, would it make any difference to -you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“None.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She had plucked a flower, and was pulling it petal from -petal in her abstraction.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is it very dreadful?” she asked. “Has he committed -a crime? No, no, don’t tell me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Once more he was near her, his arm about her trembling -shoulders, his hand beneath her chin.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My dear!” murmured the youthful Public Prosecutor, -and forgot there was such a thing as murder in the world.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>John Bennett was glad to see him, eager to tell the news -of his triumph. He had a drawer full of press cuttings, -headed “Wonderful Nature Studies. Remarkable Pictures -by an Amateur,” and others equally flattering. And there -had come to him a cheque which had left him gasping.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This means—you don’t know what it means to me, Mr. -Gordon,” he said, “or Captain Gordon—I always forget -you’ve got a military title. When that boy of mine recovers -his senses and returns home, he’s going to have just the good -time he wants. He’s at the age when most boys are fools—what -I call the showing-off age. Sometimes it runs to pimples -and introspection, sometimes to the kind of life that a man -doesn’t like to look back on. Ray has probably taken the -less vicious course.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was a relief to hear the man speak so. Dick always -thought of Ray Bennett as one who had committed the -unforgiveable sin.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This time next year I’m going to be an artist of leisure,” -said John Bennett, who looked ten years younger.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick offered to drive him to town, but this he would not -hear of. He had to make a call at Dorking. Apparently -he had letters addressed to him in that town (Dick learnt -of this from the girl) concerning his mysterious errands. -Dick left Horsham with a heart lighter than he had brought -to that little country town, and was in the mood to rally -Inspector Elk for the profound gloom which had settled on -him since he had discovered that there was not sufficient -evidence to try Balder for his life.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='204' id='Page_204'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XXX</h1></div> - -<h3>THE TRAMPS</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>L</span>EW BRADY sat disconsolately in Lola Bassano’s pretty -drawing-room, and a more incongruous figure in that -delicate setting it was impossible to imagine. A week’s -growth of beard had transfigured him into the most unsavoury -looking ruffian, and the soiled old clothes he wore, the broken -and discoloured boots, the grimy shirt, no less than his own -personal uncleanliness of appearance made him a revolting -object.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>So Lola thought, eyeing him anxiously, a foreboding of -trouble in her heart.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m finished with the Frog,” growled Brady. “He -pays—of course he pays! But how long is it going on, -Lola? You brought me into this!” He glowered at her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I brought you in, when you wanted to be brought into -something,” she said calmly. “You can’t live on my -savings all your life, Lew, and it was nearly time you -made a little on the side.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He played with a silver seal, twiddling it between his -fingers, his eyes gloomily downcast.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Balder’s caught, and the old man’s dead,” he said. -“They’re the big people. What chance have I got?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What were your instructions, Lew?” she asked for the -twentieth time that day.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m taking no risks, Lola. I don’t trust anybody, not -even you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He took a small bottle from his pocket and examined -it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is that?” she asked curiously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Dope of some kind.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is that part of the instructions too?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Are you going in your own name?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, I’m not,” he snapped. “Don’t ask questions. I’m -not going to tell you anything, see? This trip’s going to -last a fortnight, and when it’s finished, I’m finished with -Frog.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The boy—is he going with you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How do I know? I’m to meet somebody somewhere, -and that’s all about it.” He looked at the clock and rose -with a grunt. “It’s the last time I shall sit in a decent -parlour for a fortnight.” He gave a curt nod and walked -to the door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a servants’ entrance, a gallery which was reached -through the kitchen, and he passed down the stairs unobserved, -into the night.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was dark by the time he reached Barnet; his feet were -aching; he was hot and wretched. He had suffered the -indignity of being chased off the pavement by a policeman -he could have licked with one hand, and he cursed the Frog -with every step he took. There was still a long walk ahead -of him once he was clear of Barnet; and it was not until a -village clock was striking the hour of eleven that he ambled -up to a figure that was sitting on the side of the road, just -visible in the pale moonlight, but only recognizable when -he spoke.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is that you?” said a voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, it’s me. You’re Carter, aren’t you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good Lord!” gasped Ray as he recognized the voice. -“It’s Lew Brady!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s nothing of the kind!” snarled the other man. “My -name’s Phenan. Yours is Carter. Sit down for a bit. -I’m dead beat.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is the idea?” asked the youth as they sat side -by side.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How the devil do I know?” said the other savagely -as, with a tender movement, he slipped off his boots and -rubbed his bruised feet.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I had no idea it was you,” said Ray.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I knew it was you, all right,” said the other. “And -why I should be called upon to take a mug around this country, -God knows!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>After a while he was rested sufficiently to continue the -tramp.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s a barn belonging to a shopkeeper in the next -village. He’ll let us sleep there for a few pence.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why not try to get a room?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t be a fool,” snapped Lew. “Who’s going to take -in a couple of tramps, do you think? We know we’re clean, -but they don’t. No, we’ve got to go the way the tramps -go.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where? To Nottingham?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know. If they told you Nottingham, I should -say that’s the last place in the world we shall go to. I’ve -got a sealed envelope in my pocket. When we reach Baldock -I shall open it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They slept that night in the accommodating barn—a -draughty shed, populated, it seemed, by chickens and rats, -and Ray had a restless night and thought longingly of his -own little bed at Maytree Cottage. Strangely enough, he -did not dwell on the more palatial establishment in Knightsbridge.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The next day it rained, and they did not reach Baldock -until late in the afternoon, and, sitting down under the cover -of a hedge, Brady opened the envelope and read its contents, -his companion watching him expectantly.</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='pindent'>“You will branch from Baldock and take the nearest G.W. -train for Bath. Then by road to Gloucester. At the village -of Laverstock you will reveal to Carter the fact that you are -married to Lola Bassano. You should take him to the <span class='it'>Red -Lion</span> for this purpose, and tell him as offensively as possible -in order to force a quarrel, but in no circumstances are you -to allow him to part company from you. Go on to Ibbley Copse. -You will find an open space near where three dead trees stand, -and there you will stop, take back the statement you made -that you are married to Lola, and make an apology. You -are carrying with you a whisky flask; you must have the dope -and the whisky together at this point. After he is asleep, you -will make your way to Gloucester, to 289 Hendry Street, where -you will find a complete change of clothing. Here you will -shave and return to town by the 2.19.”</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>Every word, every syllable, he read over and over again, -until he had mastered the details. Then, striking a match, -he set fire to the paper and watched it burn.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What are the orders?” asked Ray.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The same as yours, I suppose. What did you do with -yours?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Burnt them,” said Ray. “Did he tell you where we’re -going?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We are going to take the Gloucester Road; I thought -we should. That means striking across country till we reach -the Bath Road. We can take a train to Bath.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thank goodness for that!” said Ray fervently. “I -don’t feel I can walk another step.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At seven o’clock that night, two tramps turned out of a -third-class carriage on Bath station. One, the younger, was -limping slightly, and sat down on a station seat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come on, you can’t stay here,” said the other gruffly. -“We’ll get a bed in the town. There’s a Salvation Army -shelter somewhere in Bath.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Wait a bit,” said the other. “I’m so cramped with -sitting in that infernal carriage that I can hardly move.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They had joined the London train at Reading, and the -passengers were pouring down the steps to the subway. -Ray looked at them enviously. They had homes to go to, -clean and comfortable beds to sleep in. The thought of it -gave him a pain. And then he saw a figure and shrank -back. A tall, angular man, who carried a heavy box in -one hand and a bag in the other.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was his father.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>John Bennett went down the steps, with a casual glance -at the two unsavoury tramps on the seat, never dreaming -that one was the son whose future he was at that moment -planning.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>John Bennett spent an ugly night, and an even more ugly -early morning. He collected the camera where he had left it, -at a beerhouse on the outskirts of the town, and, fixing the -improvised carrier, he slipped the big box on his back, and, -with his bag in his hand, took the road. A policeman eyed -him disapprovingly as he passed, and seemed in two minds -as to whether or not he should stop him, but refrained. The -strength and stamina of this grey man were remarkable. He -breasted a hill and, without slackening his pace, reached -the top, and strode steadily along the white road that was -cut in the face of the hill. Below him stretched the meadow -lands of Somerset, vast fields speckled with herds, glittering -streaks of light where the river wound; above his head -a blue sky, flecked white here and there. As he walked, -the load on his heart was absorbed. All that was bright -and happy in life came to him. His hand strayed to his -waistcoat pocket mechanically. There were the precious -press cuttings that he had brought from town and had read -and re-read in the sleepless hours of the night.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He thought of Ella, and all that Ella meant to him, and -of Dick Gordon—but that made him wince, and he came back -to the comfort of his pictures. Somebody had told him -that there were badgers to be seen; a man in the train -had carefully located a veritable paradise for the lover of -Nature; and it was toward this beauty spot that he was -making his way with the aid of a survey map which he had -bought overnight at a stationer’s shop.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Another hour’s tramp brought him to a wooden hollow, -and, consulting his map, he found he had reached his objective. -There was ample evidence of the truth that his -chance-found friend had told him. He saw a stoat, flying -on the heels of a terrified rabbit; a hawk wheeled ceaselessly -on stiff pinions above him; and presently he found -the “run” he was looking for, the artfully concealed entrance -to a badger’s lair.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In the years he had been following his hobby he had overcome -many difficulties, learnt much. To-day, failure had -taught him something of the art of concealment. It took -him time to poise and hide the camera in a bush of wild -laurel, and even then it was necessary that he should take -a long shot, for the badger is the shyest of its kind. There -were young ones in the lair: he saw evidence of that; and -a badger who has young is doubly shy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He had replaced the pneumatic attachment which set -the camera moving, by an electrical contrivance, and this -enabled him to work with greater surety. He unwound -the long flex and laid it to its fullest extent, taking a position -on the slope of the hill eighty yards away, making himself -comfortable. Taking off his coat, which acted as a pillow on -which his arms rested, he put his field-glasses near at hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He had been waiting half an hour when he thought he -saw a movement at the mouth of the burrow, and slowly -focussed his glasses. It was the tip of a black nose he saw, -and he took the switch of the starter in his hand, ready -to set the camera revolving. Minutes followed minutes; -five—ten—fifteen—but there was no further movement -in the burrow, and in a dull way John Bennett was glad, -because the warmth of the day, combined with his own -weariness and his relaxed position, brought to him a rare -sensation of bodily comfort and well-being. Deeper and -deeper grew the languorous haze of comfort that fell on -him like a fog, until it obscured all that was visible and -audible. John Bennett slept, and, sleeping, dreamed of -success and of peace and of freedom from all that had broken -his heart, and had dried up the sweet waters of life within -him. In his dream he heard voices and a sharp sound, like -a shot. But he knew it was not a shot, and shivered. He -knew that “crack,” and in his sleep clenched his hands -convulsively. The electric starter was still in his hand.</p> - -<p class='line0' style='text-align:center;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:1em;'>* * * * * *</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At nine o’clock that morning there had come into Laverstock -two limping tramps, though one limped more than -the other. The bigger of the two stopped at the door of -the <span class='it'>Red Lion</span>, and an unfriendly landlord surveyed the men -over the top of the curtain which gave the habitués of the -bar a semi-privacy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come in,” growled Lew Brady.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray was glad to follow. The landlord’s bulk blocked -the entrance to the bar.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What do you want?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I want a drink.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s no free drinks going in this parish,” said the -landlord, looking at the unpromising customer.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where did you get that ‘free drink’ stuff from?” -snarled Lew. “My money’s as good as anybody else’s, -isn’t it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If it’s honestly come by,” said the landlord. “Let -us have a look at it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Lew pulled out a handful of silver, and the master of -the <span class='it'>Red Lion</span> stood back.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come in,” he said, “but don’t make a home of my -bar. You can have your drink and go.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Lew growled the order, and the landlord poured out the -two portions of whisky.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Here’s yours, Carter,” said Lew, and Ray swallowed -the fiery dram and choked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll be glad to get back,” said Lew in a low voice. “It’s -all right for you single men, but this tramping is pretty -tough on us fellows who’ve got wives—even though the -wives aren’t all they might be.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I didn’t know you were married,” said Ray, faintly -interested.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s a lot you don’t know,” sneered the other. “Of -course I’m married. You were told once, and you hadn’t -the brains to believe it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray looked at the man open-mouthed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you mean—what Gordon said?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The other nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You mean that Lola is your wife?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why, certainly she’s my wife,” said Lew coolly. “I -don’t know how many husbands she’s had, but I’m her -present one.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, my God!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray whispered the words.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What’s the matter with you? And take that look off -your face,” said Lew Brady viciously. “I’m not blaming -you for being sweet on her. I like to see people admire -my wife, even such kids as you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Your wife!” said Ray again. He could not believe -the man was speaking the truth. “Is she—is she a Frog?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why shouldn’t she be?” said Brady. “And keep your -voice down, can’t you? That fat old devil behind the counter -is trying hard to listen. Of course she’s Frog, and she’s -crook. We’re all crooks. You’re crook too. That’s the -way with Lola, she likes the crooks best. Perhaps you’ll -have a chance, after you’ve done a job or two——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You beast!” hissed Ray, and struck the man full in -the face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Before Lew Brady could come to his feet, the landlord -was between them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Outside, both of you!” he shouted, and, dashing to -the door, roared half a dozen names. He was back in time -to see Lew Brady on his feet, glaring at the other.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’ll know all about that, Mr. Carter, one of these -days,” he said. “I’ll settle with you!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And, by God, I’ll settle with you!” said Ray furiously, -and at that moment a brawny ostler caught him by the -arm and flung him into the road outside.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He waited for Brady to come out.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve finished with you,” he said. His face was white, -his voice was quivering. “Finished with the whole rotten -shoot of you! I’m going back.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re not going back,” said Lew. “Oh, listen, boy, -what’s making you mad? We’ve got to go on to Gloucester, -and we might as well finish our job. And if you don’t want -to be with me after that—well, you can go ahead just as -you like.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m going alone,” said Ray.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t be a fool.” Lew Brady came after him and -seized his arm.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For a second the situation looked ugly to the onlookers, -and then, with a shrug, Ray Bennett suffered the arm to -remain.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t believe you,” he said—the first words he spoke -for half an hour after they had left the <span class='it'>Red Lion</span>. “Why -should you have lied?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve got sick of your good temper, that’s the whole -truth, Ray—just sick to death of it. I had to make you -mad, or I’d have gone mad myself.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But is it true about Lola?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Of course it’s not true,” lied Brady contemptuously. -“Do you think she’d have anything to do with a chap like -me? Not likely! Lola’s a good girl. Forget all I said, -Ray.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I shall ask her myself. She wouldn’t lie to me,” said -the boy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Of course she wouldn’t lie to you,” agreed the other.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They were nearing their rendezvous now—the tree-furred -cut in the hills—and his eyes were searching for the three -white trunks that the lightning had struck. Presently he -saw them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come on in, and I’ll tell you all about it,” he said. “I’m -not going to walk much farther to-day. My feet are so raw -you couldn’t cook ’em!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He led the way between the trees, over the age-old carpet -of pine needles, and presently he stopped.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sit down here, boy,” he said, “and let us have a drink -and a smoke.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray sat with his head on his hands, a figure so supremely -miserable that any other man than Lew Brady would have -felt sorry for him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The whole truth is,” began Lew slowly, “that Lola’s -very strong for you, boy.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then why did you tell me the other thing? Who was -that?” He looked round.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is it?” asked Lew. His own nerves were on -edge.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I thought I heard somebody moving.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A twig broke. Rabbits, it may be; there are thousands -of ’em round here,” said Lew. “No, Lola’s a good -girl.” He fished from his pocket a flask, pulled off the cup -at the bottom and unscrewed the stopper, holding the flask -to the light. “She’s a good girl,” he repeated, “and may -she never be anything else.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He poured out a cupful, looked at the remainder in the -bottle.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m going to drink her health. No, you drink first.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t like the stuff,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The other man laughed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“For a fellow who’s been pickled night after night, that’s -certainly an amusing view to take,” he said. “If you can’t -hold a dram of whisky for the sake of drinking Lola’s health, -well, you’re a poor——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Give it to me.” Ray snatched the cup, but spilt a -portion, and, drinking down the contents at a draught, he -threw the metal holder to his companion.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ugh! I don’t care for that whisky. I don’t think I -care for any whisky at all. There’s nothing harder to pretend -you like than drinking, if you don’t happen to like it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t think anybody likes it at first,” said Lew. “It’s -like tomatoes—a cultivated taste.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was watching his companion keenly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where do we go from Gloucester?” asked Ray.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We don’t go anywhere from Gloucester. We just stop -there for a day, and then we change and come back.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s a stupid idea,” said Ray Bennett, screwing up -his eyes and yawning. “Who is this Frog, Lew?” He -yawned again, lay back on the grass, his hands under his -head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Lew Brady emptied the remainder of the flask’s contents -upon the grass, screwed up the stopper and shook the cup -before he rose and walked across to the sleeping boy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Hi, get up!” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was no answer.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Get up, you!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>With a groan, Ray turned over, his head on his arms, -and did not move again. A sudden misgiving came to -Lew Brady. Suppose he was dead? He went livid at -the thought. That quarrel, so cleverly engineered by the -Frog, would be enough to convict him. He whipped the -flask from his pocket and slipped it into the coat pocket -of the sleeper. And then he heard a sound, and, turning, -saw a man watching him. Lew stared, opened his mouth -to speak, and:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“<span class='it'>Plop!</span>”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He saw the flash of the flame before the bullet struck him. -He tried to open his mouth to speak, and:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“<span class='it'>Plop!</span>”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Lew Brady was dead before he touched the ground.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man removed the silencer of the pistol, walked leisurely -across to where Ray Bennett was sleeping, and put the -pistol by his hand. Then he came back and turned over the -body of the dead man, looking down into the face. Taking -one of three cigars from his waistcoat pocket, he lit it, being -careful to put the match in the box whence he had taken -it. He liked smoking cigars—especially other men’s cigars. -Then, without haste, he walked back the way he had come, -gained the main road after a careful reconnaissance, and -reached the car he had left by the roadside.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Inside the car a youth was sitting in the shelter of the -curtained hood, loose-mouthed, glassy-eyed, staring at nothing. -He wore an ill-fitting suit and one end of his collar was unfastened.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You know this place, Bill?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, sir.” The voice was guttural and hoarse. “Ibbley -Copse.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You have just killed a man: you shot him, just as you -said you did in your confession.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The half-witted youth nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I killed him because I hated him,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The Frog nodded obediently and got into the driver’s -seat. . . .</p> - -<p class='pindent'>John Bennett woke with a start. He looked at the damp -bell-push in his hand with a rueful smile, and began winding -up the flex. Presently he reached the bush where the -camera was concealed, and, to his dismay, found that the -indicator showed the loss—for loss it was—of five hundred -feet. He looked at the badger hole resentfully, and there, -as in mockery, he saw again the tip of a black nose, and -shook his fist at it. Beyond, he saw two men lying, both -asleep, and both, apparently, tramps.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He carried the camera back to where he had left his coat, -put it on, hoisted the box into position and set off for Laverstock -village, where, if his watch was right, he could catch -the local that would connect him with Bath in time for the -London express; and as he walked, he calculated his loss.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='215' id='Page_215'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XXXI</h1></div> - -<h3>THE CHEMICAL CORPORATION</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>E</span>LK had promised to dine at Gordon’s club. Dick waited -for him until twenty minutes past the hour of appointment, -and Elk had neither telephoned nor put in an appearance. -At twenty-five minutes past he arrived in a hurry.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good Lord!” he gasped, looking at the clock. “I -had no idea it was so late, Captain. I must buy a watch.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They went into the dining-hall together, and Elk felt -that he was entering a church, there was such solemn dignity -about the stately room, with its prim and silent diners.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It certainly has Heron’s beat in the matter of Dicky-Orum.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know the gentleman,” said the puzzled Dick. -“Oh, do you mean decorum? Yes, this is a little more -sedate. What kept you, Elk? I’m not complaining, but -when you’re not on time, I worry as to what has happened -to you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Nothing has happened to me,” said Elk, nodding pleasantly -to an embarrassed club waiter. “Only we had an -inquiry in Gloucester. I thought we’d struck another Frog -case, but the two men involved had no Frog marks.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who are they?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Phenan is one—he’s the man that’s dead.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A murder?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think so,” said Elk, spearing a sardine. “I think he -was thoroughly dead when they found him at Ibbley Copse. -They pinched the man who was with him; he was drunk. -Apparently they’d been to Laverstock and had quarrelled -and fought in the bar of the <span class='it'>Red Lion</span>. The police were -informed later, and telephoned through to the next village, -to tell the constable to keep his eye on these two fellows, -but they hadn’t passed through, so they sent a bicycle patrol -to look for them—there’s been one or two housebreakings -in that neighbourhood.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And they found them?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“One man dead and the other man bottled. Apparently -they’d quarrelled, and the drunken gentleman shot -the other. They’re both tramps or of that class. Identification -marks on them show they’ve come from Wales. -They slept at Bath last night, at Rooney’s lodging-house, -and that’s all that’s known of ’em. Carter is the murderer—they’ve -taken him to Gloucester Gaol. It’s a very simple -case, and the Gloucester police gave a haughty smile at -the idea of calling in Headquarters. It is a crime, anyway, -that is up to the intellectual level of the country police.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick’s lips twitched.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Just now, the country police are passing unpleasant -comments on our intelligence,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Let ’um,” scoffed Elk. “Those people are certainly -entitled to their simple pleasures, and I’d be the last to -deny them the right. I saw John Bennett in town to-night, -at Paddington this time. I’m always knocking against him -at railway stations. That man is certainly a traveller. -He had his old camera with him too. I spoke to him this -time, and he’s full of trouble: went to sleep, pushed the -gadget in his dreams and wasted a fortune in film. But -he’s pleased with himself, and I don’t wonder. I saw a -note about his pictures the other day in one of the newspapers. -He looks like turning into a first-class success.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I sincerely hope so,” said Dick quietly, and something -in his tone made his guest look up.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Which reminds me,” he said, “that I had a note from -friend Johnson asking me whether I knew Ray Bennett’s -address. He said he called up Heron’s Club, but Ray hadn’t -been there for days. He wants to give him a job. Quite -a big position, too. There’s a lot that’s very fine in Johnson.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Did you give the address?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I gave him the address, and I called on the boy, but -he’s out of town—went out a few days ago, and is not likely -to be back for a fortnight. It will be too bad if he loses -this job. I think Johnson was sore with the side young -Bennett put on, but he doesn’t seem to bear any malice. -Perhaps there’s another influence at work,” he said significantly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick knew that he meant Ella, but did not accept the -opening.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They adjourned to the smoke-room after dinner, and -whilst Elk puffed luxuriously at one of his host’s best cigars, -Dick wrote a brief note to the girl, who had been in his thoughts -all that day. It was an unnecessary note, as such epistles -are liable to be; but it might have had, as its excuse, the -news that he had heard from Elk, only, for some reason, he -never thought of that until after the letter was finished and -sealed. When he turned to his companion, Elk propounded -a theory.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I sent a man up to look at some chemical works. It’s -a fake company—less than a dozen hands employed, and -those only occasionally. But it has a very powerful electrical -installation. It is an old poison gas factory. The present -company bought it for a song, and two fellows we are holding -were the nominal purchasers.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where is it?” asked Dick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Between Newbury and Didcot. I found out a great -deal about them for a curious reason. It appears there was -some arrangement between the factory, when it was under -Government control, that it should make an annual contribution -to the Newbury Fire Brigade, and, in taking over -the property, the company also took over that contract, -which they’re now trying to get out of, for the charge is a -stiff one. They told the Newbury Brigade, in so many words, -to disconnect the factory from their alarm service, but the -Newbury Brigade, being on a good thing and having lost -money by the arrangement during the war, refused to cancel -the contract, which has still three years to run.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick was not interested in the slightest degree in the -quarrel between the chemical factory and the fire brigade. -Later, he had cause to be thankful that conversation had -drifted into such a prosaic channel; but this he could not -foresee.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, very remarkable,” he said absent-mindedly.</p> - -<p class='line0' style='text-align:center;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:1em;'>* * * * * *</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A fortnight after the disappearance from town of Ray -Bennett, Elk accepted the invitation of the American to -lunch. It was an invitation often given, and only accepted -now because there had arisen in Elk’s mind a certain doubt -about Joshua Broad—a doubt which he wished to mould -into assurance.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Broad was waiting for the detective when he arrived, -and Elk, to whom time had no particular significance, arrived -ten minutes late.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ten minutes after one,” said Elk. “I can’t keep on -time anyhow. There’s been a lot of trouble at the office -over the new safe they’ve got me. Somethin’s wrong with it, -and even the lock-maker doesn’t know what it is.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Can’t you open it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s just it, I can’t, and I’ve got to get some papers -out to-day that are mighty important,” said Elk. “I -was wondering, as I came along, whether, having such a -wide experience of the criminal classes, you’ve ever heard -any way by which it could be opened—it needs a proper -engineer, and, if I remember rightly, you told me you were -an engineer once, Mr. Broad?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Your memory is at fault,” said the other calmly as he -unfolded his napkin and regarded the detective with a twinkle -in his eye. “Safe-opening is not my profession.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And I never dreamt it was,” said Elk heartily. “But -it has always struck me that the Americans are much more -clever with their hands than the people in this country, -and I thought that you might be able to give me a word of -advice.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Maybe I’ll introduce you to my pet burglar,” said Broad -gravely, and they laughed together. “What do you think -of me?” asked the American unexpectedly. “I’m not -expecting you to give your view of my character or personal -appearance, but what do you think I am doing in London, -dodging around, doing nothing but a whole lot of amateur -police work?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve never given you much thought,” said Elk untruthfully. -“Being an American, I expect you to be out of the -ordinary——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Flatterer,” murmured Mr. Broad.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wouldn’t go so far as to flatter you,” protested Elk. -“Flattery is repugnant to me anyway.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He unfolded an evening newspaper he had brought.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Looking for those tailless amphibians?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Eh?” Elk looked up puzzled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Frogs,” explained the other.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, I’m not exactly looking for Frogs, though I understand -a few of ’em are looking for me. As a matter of fact, -there’s very little in the newspaper about those interesting -animals, but there’s going to be!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The question was a challenge.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When we get Frog Number One.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Broad crumpled a roll in his hand, and broke it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you think you’ll get Number One before I get him?” -he asked quietly, and Elk looked across the table over his -spectacles.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve been wondering that for a long time,” he said, -and for a second their eyes met.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you think I shall get him?” asked Broad.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If all my speculations and surmises are what they ought -to be, I think you will,” said Elk, and suddenly his attention -was focussed upon a paragraph. “Quick work,” he said. -“We beat you Americans in that respect.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In what respect is that?” asked Broad. “I’m sufficient -of a cosmopolitan to agree that there are many things -in England which you do better than we in America.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk looked up at the ceiling.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Fifteen days?” he said. “Of course, he just managed -to catch the Assizes.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who’s that?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That man Carter, who shot a tramp near Gloucester,” -said Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What has happened to him?” asked the other.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He was sentenced to death this morning,” said the -detective.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Joshua Broad frowned.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sentenced to death this morning? Carter, you say? -I didn’t read the story of the murder.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There was nothing complicated about it,” said Elk. -“Two tramps had a quarrel—I think they got drinking—and -one shot the other and was found lying in a drunken -sleep by the dead man’s side. There’s practically no evidence; -the prisoner refused to make any statement, or to instruct -a lawyer—it must have been one of the shortest murder -trials on record.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where did this happen?” asked Broad, arousing himself -from the reverie into which he had fallen.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Near Gloucester. There was little in the paper; it -wasn’t a really interesting murder. There was no woman -in it, so far as the evidence went, and who cared a cent about -two tramps?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He folded the paper and put it down, and for the rest of -the meal was engaged in a much more fascinating discussion, -the police methods of the United States, on which matter -Mr. Broad was, apparently, something of an authority.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The object of the American’s invitation was very apparent. -Again and again he attempted to turn the conversation to -the man under arrest; and as skilfully as he introduced -the subject of Balder, did Elk turn the discussion back to -the merits of the third degree as a method of crime detection.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Elk, you’re as close as an oyster,” said Broad, beckoning -a waiter to bring his bill. “And yet I could tell you -almost as much about this man Balder as you know.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Tell me the prison he’s in?” demanded Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s in Pentonville, Ward Seven, Cell Eighty-four,” said -the other immediately, and Elk sat bolt upright. “And you -needn’t trouble to shift him to somewhere else, just because -I happen to know his exact location; I should be just as -well informed if he was at Brixton, Wandsworth, Holloway, -Wormwood Scrubbs, Maidstone, or Chelmsford.”</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='220' id='Page_220'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XXXII</h1></div> - -<h3>IN GLOUCESTER PRISON</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>T</span>HERE is a cell in Gloucester Prison; the end cell in -a long corridor of the old building. Next door is -another cell, which is never occupied, for an excellent reason. -That in which Ray Bennett sat was furnished more expensively -than any other in the prison. There was an iron bedstead, a -plain deal table, a comfortable Windsor chair and two other -chairs, on one of which, night and day, sat a warder.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The walls were distempered pink. One big window, near -the ceiling, heavily barred, covered with toughened opaque -glass, admitted light, which was augmented all the time by -an electric globe in the arched ceiling.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Three doors led from the cell: one into the corridor, -the other into a little annexe fitted with a washing-bowl and -a bath; the third into the unoccupied cell, which had a -wooden floor, and in the centre of the floor a square trap. -Ray Bennett did not know then how close he was to the -death house, and if he had known he would not have cared. -For death was the least of the terrors which oppressed him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He had awakened from his drugged sleep, to find himself -in the cell of a country lock-up, and had heard, bemused, -the charge of murder that had been made against him. He -had no clear recollection of what had happened. All that -he knew was that he had hated Lew Brady and that he -had wanted to kill him. After that, he had a recollection -of walking with him and of sitting down somewhere.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They told him that Brady was dead, and that the weapon -with which the murder was committed had been found in -his hand. Ray had racked his brains in an effort to remember -whether he had a revolver or not. He must have -had. And of course he had been drugged. They had had -whisky at the <span class='it'>Red Lion</span>, and Lew must have said something -about Lola and he had shot him. It was strange that he -did not think longingly of Lola. His love for her had gone. -He thought of her as he thought of Lew Brady, as something -unimportant that belonged to the past. All that mattered -now was that his father and Ella should not know. At all -costs the disgrace must be kept from them. He had waited -in a fever of impatience for the trial to end, so that he might -get away from the public gaze. Fortunately, the murder -was not of sufficient interest even for the ubiquitous press -photographers. He wanted to be done with it all, to go out -of life unknown. The greatest tragedy that could occur -to him was that he should be identified.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He dared not think of Ella or of his father. He was -Jim Carter, without parents or friends; and if he died -as Jim Carter, he must spend his last days of life as Jim -Carter. He was not frightened; he had no fear, his only -nightmare was that he should be recognized.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The warder who was with him, and who was not supposed -to speak to him, had told him that, by the law, three -clear Sundays must elapse between his sentence and execution. -The chaplain visited him every day, and the Governor. A -tap at the cell door told him it was the Governor’s hour, -and he rose as the grey-haired official came in.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Any complaints, Carter?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“None, sir.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is there anything you want?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, sir.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The Governor looked at the table. The writing-pad, -which had been placed for the condemned prisoner’s use, -had not been touched.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You have no letters to write? I suppose you can -write?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, sir. I’ve no letters to write.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What are you, Carter? You’re not an ordinary tramp. -You’re better educated than that class.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m an ordinary tramp, sir,” said Ray quietly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Have you all the books you need?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray nodded, and the Governor went out. Every day -came these inevitable inquiries. Sometimes the Governor -made reference to his friends, but he grew tired of asking -questions about the unused blotting-pad.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray Bennett had reached the stage of sane understanding -where he did not even regret. It was inevitable. He -had been caught up in the machinery of circumstance, and -must go slowly round to the crashing-place. Every morning -and afternoon he paced the square exercise yard, watched -by three men in uniform, and jealously screened from the -observation of other prisoners; and his serenity amazed -all who saw him. He was caught up in the wheel and must -go the full round. He could even smile at himself, observe -his own vanity with the eye of an outsider. And he could -not weep, because there was nothing left to weep about. -He was already a dead man. Nobody troubled to organize -a reprieve for him; he was too uninteresting a murderer. -The newspapers did not flame into headlines, demanding a -new trial. Fashionable lawyers would not foregather to -discuss an appeal. He had murdered; he must die.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Once, when he was washing, and was about to put his -hand in the water, he saw the reflection of his face staring -back at him, and he did not recognize himself, for his beard -had grown weedily. He laughed, and when the wondering -warders looked at him, he said:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m only now beginning to cultivate a sense of humour—I’ve -left it rather late, haven’t I?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He could have had visitors, could have seen anybody he -wished, but derived a strange satisfaction from his isolation. -He had done with all that was artificial and emotional in life. -Lola? He thought of her again and shook his head. She -was very pretty. He wondered what she would do now -that Lew was dead; what she was doing at that moment. -He thought, too, of Dick Gordon, remembered that he liked -him that day when Dick had given him a ride in his big Rolls. -How queerly far off that seemed! And yet it could have -only been a few months ago.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>One day the Governor came in a more ceremonial style, -and with him was a gentleman whom Ray remembered having -seen in the court-house on the day of the trial. It was the -Under Sheriff, and there was an important communication -to be made. The Governor had to clear his throat twice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Carter,” he said a little unsteadily, “the Secretary of -State has informed me that he sees no reason for interfering -with the course of the law. The High Sheriff has fixed next -Wednesday morning at eight o’clock as the date and hour of -your execution.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray inclined his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thank you, sir,” he said.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='223' id='Page_223'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XXXIII</h1></div> - -<h3>THE FROG OF THE NIGHT</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>J</span>OHN BENNETT emerged from the wood-shed, which he -had converted into a dark room, bearing a flat square -box in either hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t talk to me for a minute, Ella,” he said as she -rose from her knees—she was weeding her own pet garden—“or -I shall get these blamed things mixed. This one”—he -shook his right hand—“is a picture of trout, and it is -a great picture,” he said enthusiastically. “The man who -runs the trout farm, let me take it through the glass side of -the trench, and it was a beautifully sunny day.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is the other one, daddy?” she asked, and John -Bennett pulled a face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is the dud,” he said regretfully. “Five hundred -feet of good film gone west! I may have got a picture by -accident, but I can’t afford to have it developed on the off-chance. -I’ll keep it by, and one day, when I’m rolling in -money, I’ll go to the expense of satisfying my curiosity.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He took the boxes into the house, and turned round to -his stationery rack to find two adhesive labels, and had finished -writing them, when Dick Gordon’s cheery voice came through -the open window. He rose eagerly and went out to him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, Captain Gordon, did you get it?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I got it,” said Dick solemnly, waving an envelope. -“You’re the first cinematographer that has been allowed in -the Zoological Gardens, and I had to <span class='it'>crawl</span> to the powers that -be to secure the permission!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The pale face of John Bennett flushed with pleasure.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is a tremendous thing,” he said. “The Zoo has never -been put on the pictures, and Selinski has promised me a -fabulous sum for the film if I can take it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The fabulous sum is in your pocket, Mr. Bennett,” said -Dick, “and I am glad that you mentioned it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I am under the impression you mentioned it first,” said -John Bennett. Ella did not remember having seen her -father smile before.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Perhaps I did,” said Dick cheerfully. “I knew you -were interested in animal photography.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He did not tell John Bennett that it was Ella who had -first spoken about the difficulties of securing Zoo photographs -and her father’s inability to obtain the necessary -permission.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>John Bennett went back to his labelling with a lighter -heart than he had borne for many a day. He wrote the two -slips, wetted the gum and hesitated. Then he laid down the -papers and went into the garden.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ella, do you remember which of those boxes had the -trout in?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The one in your right hand, daddy,” she said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I thought so,” he said, and went to finish his work.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was only after the boxes were labelled that he had any -misgivings. Where had he stood when he put them down? -On which side of the table? Then, with a shrug, he began -to wrap the trout picture, and they saw him carrying it under -his arm to the village post-office.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No news of Ray?” asked Dick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The girl shook her head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What does your father think?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He doesn’t talk about Ray, and I haven’t emphasized -the fact that it is such a long time since I had a letter.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They were strolling through the garden toward the little -summer-house that John Bennett had built in the days when -Ray was a schoolboy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You have not heard?” she asked. “I credit you with -an omniscience which perhaps isn’t deserved. You have not -found the man who killed Mr. Maitland?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No,” said Dick. “I don’t expect we shall until we catch -Frog himself.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Will you?” she asked quietly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, he can’t go on for ever. Even Elk is taking a cheerful -view. Ella,” he asked suddenly, “are you the kind of -person who keeps a promise?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes,” she said in surprise.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In all circumstances, if you make a promise, do you -keep it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why, of course. If I do not think I can keep it, I do not -make a promise. Why?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, I want you to make me a promise—and to keep it,” -he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She looked past him, and then:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It depends what the promise is.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I want you to promise to be my wife,” said Dick -Gordon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Her hand lay in his, and she did not draw it from him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is . . . very . . . businesslike, isn’t it?” she said, -biting her unruly underlip.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Will you promise?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She looked round at him, tears in her eyes, though her lips -were smiling, and he caught her in his arms.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>John Bennett waited a long time for his lunch that day. -Going out to see where his daughter was, he met Dick, and -in a few words Dick Gordon told him all. He saw the pain -in the man’s face, and dropped his hand upon the broad -shoulder.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ella has promised me, and she will not go back on her -promise. Whatever happens, whatever she learns.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man raised his eyes to the other’s face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Will you go back on your promise?” he asked huskily. -“Whatever you learn?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I know,” said Dick simply.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ella Bennett walked on air that day. A new and splendid -colour had come into her life; a tremendous certainty which -banished all the fears and doubts she had felt; a light which -revealed delightful vistas.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Her father went over to Dorking that afternoon, and came -back hurriedly, wearing that strained look which it hurt her -to see.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I shall have to go to town, dearie,” he said. “There’s -been a letter waiting for me for two days. I’ve been so -absorbed in my picture work that I’d forgotten I had any -other responsibility.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He did not look for her in the garden to kiss her good-bye, -and when she came back to the house he was gone, -and in such a hurry that he had not taken his camera with -him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ella did not mind being alone; in the days when Ray -was at home, she had spent many nights in the cottage by -herself, and the house was on the main road. She made -some tea and sat down to write to Dick, though she told -herself reprovingly that he hadn’t been gone more than two -or three hours. Nevertheless, she wrote, for the spirit of -logic avoids the lover.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a postal box a hundred yards up the road; it -was a bright night and people were standing at their cottage -gates, gossipping, as she passed. The letter dropped in the -box, she came back to the cottage, went inside, locked and -bolted the door, and sat down with a workbasket by her side -to fill in the hour which separated her from bedtime.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>So working, her mind was completely occupied, to the -exclusion of all other thoughts, by Dick Gordon. Once or -twice the thought of her father and Ray strayed across her -mind, but it was to Dick she returned.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The only illumination in the cosy dining-room was a shaded -kerosene lamp which stood on the table by her side and -gave her sufficient light for her work. All outside the range -of the lamp was shadow. She had finished darning a pair -of her father’s socks, and had laid down the needle with a -happy sigh, when her eyes went to the door leading to the -kitchen. It was ajar, and it was opening slowly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For a moment she sat paralysed with terror, and then leapt -to her feet.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who’s there?” she called.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There came into the shadowy doorway a figure, the very -sight of which choked the scream in her throat. It looked -tall, by reason of the tightly-fitting black coat it wore. The -face and head were hidden behind a hideous mask of rubber -and mica. The reflection of the lamp shone on the big goggles -and filled them with a baleful fire.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t scream, don’t move!” said the masked man, -and his voice sounded hollow and far away. “I will not -hurt you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who are you?” she managed to gasp.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I am The Frog,” said the stranger.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For an eternity, as it seemed, she stood helpless, incapable -of movement, and it was he who spoke.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How many men love you, Ella Bennett?” he asked. -“Gordon and Johnson—and The Frog, who loves you most -of all!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He paused, as though he expected her to speak, but she -was incapable of answering him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Men work for women, and they murder for women, and -behind all that they do, respectably or unrespectably, there -is a woman,” said the Frog. “And you are that woman -for me, Ella.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who are you?” she managed to say.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I am The Frog,” he replied again, “and you shall know -my name when I have given it to you. I want you! Not -now”—he raised his hand as he saw the terror rising in her -face. “You shall come to me willingly.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re mad!” she cried. “I do not know you. How -can I—oh, it’s too wicked to suggest . . . please go away.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I will go presently,” said the Frog. “Will you marry -me, Ella?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She shook her head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Will you marry me, Ella?” he asked again.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No.” She had recovered her calm and something of -her self-possession.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I will give you——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If you gave me all the money there was in the world, I -would not many you,” she said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I will give you something more precious.” His voice -was softer, scarcely audible. “I will give you a life!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She thought he was speaking of Dick Gordon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I will give you the life of your brother.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For a second the room spun round and she clutched a -chair to keep her feet.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What do you mean?” she asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I will give you the life of your brother, who is lying in -Gloucester Gaol under sentence of death!” said the Frog.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>With a supreme effort Ella guided herself to a chair and -sat down.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My brother?” she said dully. “Under sentence of -death?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“To-day is Monday,” said the Frog. “On Wednesday -he dies. Give me your word that when I send for you, you -will come, and I will save him.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How can you save him?” The question came mechanically.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A man has made a confession—a man named Gill, a -half-witted fellow who thinks he killed Lew Brady.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Brady?” she gasped.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The Frog nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It isn’t true,” she breathed. “You’re lying! You’re -telling me this to frighten me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Will you marry me?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Never, never!” she cried. “I would rather die. You -are lying to me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When you want me, send for me,” said the Frog. “Put -in your window a white card, and I will save your brother.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She half lay on the table, her head upon her folded arms.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s not true, it’s not true,” she muttered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was no reply, and, looking up, she saw that the room -was empty. Staggering to her feet, she went out into the -kitchen. The kitchen door was open; and, peering into the -dark garden, she saw no sign of the man. She had strength -to bolt the door, and dragged herself up to her room and to -her bed, and then she fainted.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Daylight showed in the windows when she sat up. She -was painfully weary, her eyes were red with weeping, her -head was in a whirl. It had been a night of horror—and -it was not true, it could not be true. She had heard of no -murder; and if there had been, it could not be Ray. She -would have known; Ray would have sent for her father.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She dragged her aching limbs to the bathroom and turned -the cold-water tap. Half an hour later she was sane, and -looking at her experience dispassionately. Ray was alive. -The man had tried to frighten her. Who was he? She -shivered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She saw only one solution to her terrible problem, and -after she had made herself a cup of tea, she dressed and -walked down into the town, in time to catch an early train. -What other thought came to her, she never dreamt for one -moment of surrender, never so much as glanced at the window -where a white card could be placed, might save the life of -her brother. In her heart of hearts, she knew that this man -would not have come to her with such a story unless it was -well founded. That was not the Frog’s way. What advantage -would he gain if he had invented this tragedy? -Nevertheless, she did not even look for a white card, or think -of its possible use.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick was at breakfast when she arrived, and a glance at -her face told him that she brought bad news.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t go, Mr. Elk,” she said as the inspector pushed -back his chair. “You must know this.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As briefly as she could, she narrated the events of the -night before, and Dick listened with rising wrath until she -came to the climax of the story.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ray under sentence?” he said incredulously. “Of -course it isn’t true.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where did he say the boy was?” asked Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In Gloucester Prison.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In their presence her reserve had melted and she was near -to tears.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gloucester Prison?” repeated Elk slowly. “There <span class='it'>is</span> -a man there under sentence of death, a man named”—he -strove to remember—“Carter,” he said at last. “That is it—Carter, -a tramp. He killed another tramp named Phenan.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Of course it isn’t Ray,” said Dick, laying his hand on -hers. “This brute tried to frighten you. When did he say -the execution had been fixed for?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“To-morrow.” She was weeping; now that the tension -had relaxed, it seemed that she had reached the reserve of -her strength.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ray is probably on the Continent,” Dick soothed her, -and here Elk thought it expedient and delicate to steal -silently forth.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was not as convinced as Gordon that the Frog had -made a bluff. No sooner was he in his office than he rang -for his new clerk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Records,” he said briefly. “I want particulars of a -man named Carter, now lying under sentence of death in -Gloucester Prison—photograph, finger-prints, and record of -the crime.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man was gone ten minutes, and returned with a small -portfolio.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No photograph has been received yet, sir,” he said. -“In murder cases we do not get the full records from the -County police until after the execution.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk cursed the County police fluently, and addressed himself -to the examination of the dossier. That told him little -or nothing. The height and weight of the man tallied, he -guessed, with Ray’s. There were no body marks and the -description “Slight beard——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He sat bolt upright. Slight beard! Ray Bennett had -been growing a beard for some reason. He remembered that -Broad had told him this.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Pshaw!” he said, throwing down the finger-print card. -“It is impossible!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was impossible, and yet——</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He drew a telegraph pad toward him and wrote a wire.</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='pindent'>“Governor, H.M. Prison, Gloucester. Very urgent. Send -by special messenger prison photograph of James Carter under -sentence of death in your prison to Headquarters Records. -Messenger must leave by first train. Very urgent.”</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>He took the liberty of signing it with the name of the -Chief Commissioner. The telegram despatched, he returned -to a scrutiny of the description sheet, and presently he saw -a remark which he had overlooked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Vaccination marks on right forearm.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>That was unusual. People are usually vaccinated on the -left arm, a little below the shoulder. He made a note of -this fact, and turned to the work that was waiting for him. -At noon a wire arrived from Gloucester, saying that the photograph -was on its way. That, at least, was satisfactory; -though, even if it proved to be Ray, what could be done? -In his heart Elk prayed most fervently that the Frog had -bluffed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Just before one, Dick telephoned him and asked him to -lunch with them at the Auto Club, an invitation which, in -any circumstances, was not to be refused, for Elk had a -passion for visiting other people’s clubs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When he arrived—on this occasion strictly on time—he -found the girl in a calm, even a cheerful mood, and his quick -eye detected upon her finger a ring of surprising brilliance -that he had not seen before. Dick Gordon had made very -good use of his spare time that morning.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I feel I’m neglecting my business, Elk,” he said after he -had led them into the palatial dining-room of the Auto, and -had found a cushion for the girl’s back, and had placed her -chair exactly where it was least comfortable, “but I guess -you’ve got through the morning without feeling my loss.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I certainly have,” said Elk. “A very interesting morning. -There is a smallpox scare in the East End,” he went -on, “and I’ve heard some talk at Headquarters of having -the whole staff vaccinated. If there’s one thing that I do -not approve of, it is vaccination. At my time of life I ought -to be immune from any germ that happens to be going -round.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The girl laughed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Poor Mr. Elk! I sympathize with you. Ray and I -had a dreadful time when we were vaccinated about five -years ago during the big epidemic, although I didn’t have -so bad a time as Ray. And neither of us had such an experience -as the majority of victims, because we had an excellent -doctor, with unique views on vaccination.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She pulled back the sleeve of her blouse and showed three -tiny scars on the underside of the right forearm.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The doctor said he would put it where it wouldn’t show. -Isn’t that a good idea?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes,” said Elk slowly. “And did he vaccinate your -brother the same way?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She nodded, and then:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is the matter, Mr. Elk?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I swallowed an olive stone,” said Elk. “I wonder -somebody doesn’t start cultivating olives without stones.” -He looked out of the window. “You’ve got a pretty fine -day for your visit, Miss Bennett,” he said, and launched -forth into a rambling condemnation of the English climate.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It seemed hours to Elk before the meal was finished. The -girl was going back to Gordon’s house to look at catalogues -which Dick had ordered to be sent to Harley Terrace by -telephone.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You won’t be coming to the office?” asked Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No: do you think it is necessary?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wanted to see you for ten minutes,” drawled the other, -“perhaps a quarter of an hour.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come back to the house.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, I wasn’t thinking of coming back to the house,” -said Elk. “Perhaps you’ve got a lady’s drawing-room. I -remember seeing one as I came through the marble hall, and -Miss Bennett would not mind——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why, of course not,” she said. “If I’m in the way, I’ll -do anything you wish. Show me your lady’s drawing-room.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When Dick had come back, the detective was smoking, -his elbows on the table, his thin, brown hands clasped under -his chin, and he was examining, with the eye of a connoisseur, -the beautifully carved ceiling.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What’s the trouble, Elk?” said Gordon as he sat down.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The man under sentence of death is Ray Bennett,” said -Elk without preliminary.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='233' id='Page_233'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XXXIV</h1></div> - -<h3>THE PHOTO-PLAY</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>D</span>ICK’S face went white.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How do you know this?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, there’s a photograph coming along; it will be in -London this afternoon; but I needn’t see that. This man -under sentence has three vaccination marks on the right -forearm.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a dead silence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wondered why you turned the talk to vaccination,” -said Dick quietly. “I ought to have known there was -something in it. What can we do?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll tell you what you can’t do,” said Elk. “You can’t -let that girl know. For good and sufficient reasons, Ray -Bennett has decided not to reveal his identity, and he must -pass out. You’re going to have a rotten afternoon, Captain -Gordon,” said Elk gently, “and I’d rather be me than you. -But you’ve got to keep up your light-hearted chatter, or -that young woman is going to guess that something is wrong.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My God! How dreadful!” said Dick in a low voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, it is,” admitted Elk, “and we can do nothing. -We’ve got to accept it as a fact that he’s guilty. If you -thought any other way, it would drive you mad. And even -if he was as innocent as you or I, what chance have we of -getting an inquiry or stopping the sentence being carried -into execution?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Poor John Bennett!” said Dick in a hushed voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If you’re starting to get sentimental,” snarled Elk, -blinking furiously, “I’m going into a more practical atmosphere. -Good afternoon.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Wait. I can’t face this girl for a moment. Come back -to the house with me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk hesitated, and then grudgingly agreed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ella could not guess, from their demeanour, the horror -that was in the minds of these men. Elk fell back upon -history and dates—a prolific and a favourite subject.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thank heaven those catalogues have arrived!” said -Dick, as, with a sigh of relief, he saw the huge pile of literature -on his study table.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why ‘thank heaven’?” she smiled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Because his conscience is pricking him, and he wants an -excuse for working.” Elk came to the rescue.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The strain was one which even he found almost insupportable; -and when, after a pleading glance at the other, -Dick nodded, he got up with a sense of holiday.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll be going now, Miss Bennett,” he said. “I expect -you’ll be busy all the afternoon furnishing your cottage. I -must come down and see it,” he went on, wilfully dense. -“Though it struck me that there wouldn’t be much room -for new furniture at Maytree.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>So far he got when he heard voices in the hall—the excited -voice of a woman, shrill, insistent, hysterical. Before -Dick could get to the door, it was flung open, and Lola -rushed in.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gordon! Gordon! Oh, my God!” she sobbed. “Do -you know?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Hush!” said Dick, but the girl was beside herself.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They’ve got Ray! They’re going to hang him! Lew’s -dead.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The mischief was done. Ella came slowly to her feet, -rigid with fear.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My brother?” she asked, and then Lola saw her for -the first time and nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I found out,” she sobbed. “I had a suspicion, and I -wrote . . . I’ve got a photograph of Phenan. I knew it was -Lew at once, and I guessed the rest. The Frog did it! He -planned it; months in advance he planned it. I’m not -sorry about Lew; I swear I’m not sorry about Lew! It’s -the boy. I sent him to his death, Gordon——” And then -she broke into a fit of hysterical sobbing.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Put her out,” said Gordon, and Elk lifted the helpless -girl in his arms and carried her into the dining-room.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“True!” Ella whispered the word, and Dick nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m afraid it’s true, Ella.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She sat down slowly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wonder where I can find father,” she said, as calmly -as though she were discussing some everyday event.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You can do nothing. He knows nothing. Do you -think it is kind to tell him?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She searched his face wonderingly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think you’re right. Of course you’re right, Dick. -I’m sure you’re right. Father mustn’t know. Couldn’t I -see him—Ray, I mean?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ella, if Ray has kept silent to save you from this, all -his forbearance, all his courage will be wasted if you go to -him.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Again her lips drooped.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes. It is good of you to think for me.” She put her -hand on his, and he felt no tremor. “I don’t know what I -can do,” she said. “It is so—stunning. What can I do?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You can do nothing, my dear.” His arm went round -her and her tired head fell upon his shoulder.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, I can do nothing,” she whispered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk came in.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A telegram for Miss Bennett,” he said. “The messenger -just arrived with it. Been redirected from Horsham, I -expect.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick took the wire.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Open it, please,” said the girl. “It may be from -father.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He tore open the envelope. The telegram ran:</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='pindent'>“Have printed your picture. Cannot understand the murder. Were -you trying take photo-play? Come and see me. Silenski -House, Wardour Street.”</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>“What does it mean?” she asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is Greek to me,” said Dick. “ ‘Cannot understand -murder’—has your father been trying to take photo-plays?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, dear, I’m sure he hasn’t; he would have told -me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What photographs did your father take?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was a picture of trout,” she said, gathering her scattered -thoughts; “but he took another picture—in his sleep. -He was in the country waiting for a badger, and dozed. -He must have pressed the starter; he thought that picture -was a failure. It can’t be the trout; it doesn’t mention the -trout; it must be the other.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We will go to Wardour Street.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was Elk who spoke so definitely, Elk who called a cab -and hustled the two people into it. When they arrived at -Wardour Street, Mr. Silenski was out at lunch, and nobody -knew anything whatever about the film, or had authority to -show it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For an hour and a half they waited, fuming, in that dingy -office, whilst messengers went in search of Silenski. He -arrived at last, a polite and pleasant little Hebrew, who was -all apologies, though no apology was called for, since he had -not expected his visitors.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, it is a curious picture,” he said. “Your father, -miss, is a very good amateur; in fact, he’s a professional -now; and if it is true that he can get these Zoo photographs, -he ought to be in the first rank of nature photographers.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They followed him up a flight of stairs into a big room -across which were row upon row of chairs. Facing them as -they sat was a small white screen, and behind them an iron -partition with two square holes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is our theatre,” he explained. “You’ve no idea -whether your father is trying to take motion pictures—I -mean photo-plays? If he is, then this scene was pretty well -acted, but I can’t understand why he did it. It’s labelled -‘Trout in a Pond’ or something of the sort, but there are -no trout here, and there is no pond either!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a click, and the room went black; and then -there was shown on the screen a picture which showed in -the foreground a stretch of grey, sandy soil, and the dark -opening of a burrow, out of which peeped a queer-looking -animal.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s a badger,” explained Mr. Silenski. “It looked -very promising up to there, and then I don’t know what he -did. You’ll see he changed the elevation of the camera.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As he spoke, the picture jerked round a little to the right, -as though it had been pulled violently. And they were -looking upon two men, obviously tramps. One was sitting -with his head on his hands, the other, close by him, was -pouring out whisky into a container.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s Lew Brady,” whispered Elk fiercely, and at that -moment the other man looked up, and Ella Bennett uttered -a cry.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is Ray! Oh, Dick, it is Ray!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was no question of it. The light beard he wore -melted into the shadows which the strong sunlight cast. -They saw Brady offer him a drink, saw him toss it down -and throw the cup back to the man; watched him as his -arms stretched in a yawn; and then saw him curl up to -sleep, lie back, and Lew Brady standing over him. The -prostrate figure turned on to its face, and Lew, stooping, -put something in his pocket. They caught the reflection of -glass.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The flask,” said Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And then the figure standing in the centre of the picture -spun round. There walked toward him a man. His face -was invisible. Never once during that period did he turn -his face to that eager audience.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They saw his arm go up quickly, saw the flash of the two -shots, watched breathless, spellbound, horrified, the tragedy -that followed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man stooped and placed the pistol by the side of -the sleeping Ray, and then, as he turned, the screen went -white.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s the end of the picture,” said Mr. Silenski. “And -what it means, heaven knows.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s innocent! Dick, he’s innocent!” the girl cried -wildly. “Don’t you see, it was not he who fired?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She was half-mad with grief and terror, and Dick caught -her firmly by the shoulders, the dumbfounded Silenski gaping -at the scene.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You are going back to my house and you will read! -Do you hear, Ella? You’re to do nothing until you hear -from me. You are not to go out; you are to sit and <span class='it'>read</span>! -I don’t care what you read—the Bible, the Police News, -anything you like. But you must not think of this business. -Elk and I will do all that is possible.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She mastered her wild terror and tried to smile.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I know you will,” she said between her chattering teeth. -“Get me to your house, please.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He left Elk to go to Fleet Street to collect every scrap -of information about the murder he could from the newspaper -offices, and brought the girl back to Harley Terrace. -As he got out of the cab, he saw a man waiting on the steps. -It was Joshua Broad. One glance at his face told Dick that -he knew of the murder, and he guessed the source.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He waited in the hall until Dick had put the girl in the -study, and had collected every illustrated newspaper, every -book he could find.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Lola told me of this business.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I guessed so,” said Dick. “Do you know anything -about it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I knew these two men started out in the disguise of -tramps,” said Broad, “but I understood they were going -north. This is Frog work—why?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know. Yes, I do,” Dick said suddenly. “The -Frog came to Miss Bennett last night and asked her to marry -him, promising that he would save her brother if she agreed. -But it can hardly be that he planned this diabolical trick -to that end.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“To no other end,” said Broad coolly. “You don’t know -Frog, Gordon! The man is a strategist—probably the -greatest strategist in the world. Can I do anything?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I would ask you to stay and keep Miss Bennett amused——” -Dick began.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think you might do worse,” said the American -quietly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ella looked up with a look of pain as the visitor entered -the room. She felt that she could not endure the presence -of a stranger at this moment, that she would break under -any new strain, and she glanced at Dick imploringly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If you don’t want me to stay, Miss Bennett,” smiled -Broad, “well, I’ll go just as soon as you tell me. But I’ve -one piece of information to pass to you, and it is this: that -your brother will not die.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His eyes met Dick Gordon’s, and the Prosecutor bit his -lip to restrain the cry that came involuntarily.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why?” she asked eagerly, but neither of the men could -tell her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick telephoned to the garage for his car, the very machine -that Ray Bennett had driven the first day they had met. -His first call was at the office of the Public Prosecutor, and -to him he stated the facts.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is a most remarkable story, and I can do nothing, of -course. You’d better see the Secretary of State at once, -Gordon.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is the House of Commons sitting, sir?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No—I’ve an idea that the Secretary, who is the only -man that can do anything for you—is out of town. He -may be on the Continent. I’m not sure. There was a conference -at San Remo last week, and I’ve a dim notion that -he went there.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick’s heart almost stood still.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is there nobody else at the Home Office who could -help?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There is the Under Secretary: you’d better see him.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The Public Prosecutor’s Department was housed in the -Home Office building, and Dick went straight away in search -of the responsible official. The permanent secretary, to -whom he explained the circumstances, shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m afraid we can do nothing now, Gordon,” he said, -“and the Secretary of State is in the country and very ill.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where is the Under Secretary?” asked Dick desperately.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s at San Remo.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How far out of town is Mr. Whitby’s house?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The official considered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“About thirty miles—this side of Tunbridge Wells,” and -Dick wrote the address on a slip of paper.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Half an hour later, a long yellow Rolls was flying across -Westminster Bridge, threading the traffic with a recklessness -which brought the hearts of hardened chauffeurs to their -mouths; and forty minutes after he had left Whitehall, -Dick was speeding up an elm-bordered avenue to the home -of the Secretary of State.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The butler who met him could give him no encouragement.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m afraid Mr. Whitby cannot see you, sir. He has a -very bad attack of gout, and the doctors have told him that -he mustn’t touch any kind of business whatever.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is a matter of life and death,” said Dick, “and I -must see him. Or, failing him, I must see the King.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>This message, conveyed to the invalid, produced an invitation -to walk upstairs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is it, sir?” asked the Minister sharply as Dick -came in. “I cannot possibly attend to any business whatever. -I’m suffering the tortures of the damned with this -infernal foot of mine. Now tell me, what is it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Quickly Gordon related his discovery.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“An astounding story,” said the Minister, and winced. -“Where is the picture?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In London, sir.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I can’t come to London: it is humanly impossible. -Can’t you get somebody at the Home Office to certify this? -When is this man to be hanged?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“To-morrow morning, sir, at eight o’clock.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The Secretary of State considered, rubbing his chin irritably.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I should be no man if I refused to see this damned picture,” -he said, and Dick made allowance for his language as he -rubbed his suffering limb. “But I can’t go to town unless -you get me an ambulance. You had better ’phone a garage -in London to send a car down, or, better still, get one from -the local hospital.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Everything seemed to be conspiring against him, for the -local hospital’s ambulance was under repair, but at last -Dick put through a message to town, with the promise that -an ambulance would be on its way in ten minutes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“An extraordinary story, a perfectly amazing story! -And of course, I can grant you a respite. Or, if I’m convinced -of the truth of this astounding romance, we could -get the King to-night; I could even promise you a reprieve. -But my death will lie at your door if I catch cold.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Two hours passed before the ambulance came. The -chauffeur had had to change his tyres twice on the journey. -Very gingerly, accompanied by furious imprecations from the -Cabinet Minister, his stretcher was lifted into the ambulance.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>To Dick the journey seemed interminable. He had telephoned -through to Silenski, asking him to keep his office -open until his arrival. It was eight o’clock by the time the -Minister was assisted up to the theatre, and the picture was -thrown upon the screen.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Whitby watched the drama with the keenest interest, -and when it was finished he drew a long breath.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s all right so far as it goes,” he said, “but how -do I know this hasn’t been play-acted in order to get this -man a reprieve? And how am I to be sure that this wretched -tramp <span class='it'>is</span> your man?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I can assure you of that, sir,” said Elk. “I got the -photograph up from Gloucester this afternoon.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He produced from his pocket-book two photographs, one -in profile and one full-face, and put them on the table before -the Minister.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Show the picture again,” he ordered, and again they -watched the presentation of the tragedy. “But how on -earth did the man manage to take this picture?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve since discovered, sir, that he was in the neighbourhood -on that very day. He went out to get a photograph -of a badger—I know this, sir, because Mr. Silenski has given -me all the information in his power.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Whitby looked up at Dick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re in the Public Prosecutor’s Department? I -remember you very well, Captain Gordon. I must take -your word. This is not a matter for respite, but for reprieve, -until the whole of the circumstances are investigated.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thank you, sir,” said Dick, wiping his streaming forehead.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’d better take me along to the Home Office,” grumbled -the great man. “To-morrow I shall be cursing your name -and memory, though I must confess that I’m feeling better -for the drive. I want that picture.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They had to wait until the picture was replaced in its -box, and then Dick Gordon and Elk assisted the Secretary -of State to the waiting ambulance.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At a quarter-past eight, a reprieve, ready for the Royal -counter-signature, was in Dick’s hand, and the miracle, -which Mr. Whitby had not dared expect, had happened. -He was able, with the aid of a stick, to hobble to a car. Before -the great Palace, streams of carriages and motor-cars -were passing. It was the night of the first ball of the season, -and the hall of the Palace was a brilliant sight. The glitter -of women’s jewels, the scarlet, blue and green of diplomatic -uniforms, the flash of innumerable Orders, no less than the -organization of this gorgeous gathering, interested Dick as -he stood, a strangely contrasting figure, watching the pageant -pass him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The Minister had disappeared into an ante-room and presently -came back and crooked his finger; Dick followed him -down a red-carpeted passage past white-haired footmen in -scarlet and gold, until they came to a door, before which -another footman stood. A whispered word, the footman -knocked, and a voice bade them enter. The servant opened -the door and they went in.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man who was sitting at the table rose. He wore the -scarlet uniform of a general; across his breast was the blue -ribbon of the Garter. There was in his eyes a kindliness and -humanity which Dick had not imagined he would find.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Will you be seated? Now please tell me the story as -quickly as you can, because I have an appointment elsewhere, -and punctuality is the politeness of princes,” he smiled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He listened attentively, stopping Gordon now and again -to ask a question. When Dick had finished, he took up -a pen and wrote a word in a bold, boyish hand, blotted it -punctiliously and handed it to the Secretary of State.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There is your reprieve. I am very glad,” he said, and -Dick, bowing over the extended hand, felt the music of -triumph in his soul, forgot for the moment the terrible danger -in which this boy had stood; and forgot, too, the most -important factor of all—the Frog, still vigilant, still vengeful, -still powerful!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When he got back to the Home Office and had taken -farewell, with a very earnest expression of gratitude, of the -irascible, but kindly Minister, Dick flew up the stairs to his -own office and seized the telephone.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Put me through to Gloucester 8585 Official,” he said, -and waited for the long-distance signal.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It came after a few minutes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sorry, sir, no call through to Gloucester. Line out of -order. Trunk wires cut.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick put down the ’phone slowly. Then it was that he -remembered that the Frog still lived.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='242' id='Page_242'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XXXV</h1></div> - -<h3>GETTING THROUGH</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>W</span>HEN Elk came up to the Prosecutor’s room, Dick -was sitting at the table, writing telegrams. They -were each addressed to the Governor of Gloucester Prison, -and contained a brief intimation that a reprieve for James -Carter was on its way. Each was marked viâ a different -route.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What’s the idea?” said Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The ’phone to Gloucester is out of order,” said Dick, and -Elk bit his lip thoughtfully.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is that so?” he drawled. “Then if the ’phone’s out -of order——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t want to think that,” said Dick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk took up the instrument.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Give me the Central Telegraph Office, miss,” he said. -“I want to speak to the Chief Clerk. . . . Yes, Inspector -Elk, C.I.D.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>After a pause, he announced himself again.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’re putting some wires through to Gloucester. I -suppose the lines are all right?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His face did not move a muscle while he listened, then:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I see,” he said. “Any roundabout route we can get? -What’s the nearest town open?” A wait. “Is that so? -Thank you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He put down the instrument.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“All wires to Gloucester are cut. The trunk wire has -been cut in three places; the connection with Birmingham, -which runs in an earthenware pipe underground, has been -blown up, also in three places.” Dick’s eyes narrowed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Try the Radio Company,” he said. “They’ve got a -station at Devizes, and another one somewhere near Cheltenham, -and they could send on a message.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Again Elk applied himself to the telephone.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is that the Radio Station? Inspector Elk, Headquarters -Police, speaking. I want to get a message through -to Gloucester, to Gloucester Prison, viâ—eh? . . . But I -thought you’d overcome that difficulty. How long has it -been jammed? . . . Thank you,” he said, and put down the -telephone for the second time.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s a jam,” he said. “No messages are getting -through. The radio people say that somebody in this country -has got a secret apparatus which was used by the Germans -during the war, and that when the jam is on, it is impossible -to get anything through.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick looked at his watch. It was now half-past nine.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You can catch the ten-five for Gloucester, Elk, but somehow -I don’t think it will get through.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“As a telephone expert,” said Elk, as he patiently applied -himself to the instrument, “I have many of the qualities -that make, so to speak, for greatness. Hullo! Get me -Great Western, please. Great Western Stationmaster. -. . . I have a perfect voice, a tremendous amount of patience, -and a faith in my fellow-man, and—Hullo! Is that you, -Stationmaster? . . . Inspector Elk. I told you that before—no, -it was somebody else. Inspector Elk, C.I.D. Is there -any trouble on your road to-night?” . . . A longer pause -this time. “Glory be!” said Elk unemotionally. “Any -chance of getting through? . . . None whatever? What -time will you have trains running? . . . Thank you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He turned to Dick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Three culverts and a bridge down at Swindon, blown -at seven o’clock; two men in custody; one man dead, shot -by rail guard. Two culverts down at Reading; the metals -blown up at Slough. I won’t trouble to call up the other -roads, because—well, the Frog’s thorough.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick Gordon opened a cupboard and took out a leather -coat and a soft leather helmet. In his drawer he found two -ugly-looking Browning pistols and examined their magazines -before he slipped them into his pocket. Then he selected -half-a-dozen cigars, and packed them carefully in the breast -pocket of the coat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re not going alone, Gordon?” asked Elk sternly. -Dick nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m going alone,” he said. “If I don’t get through, -you follow. Send a police car after me and tell them to -drive carefully. I don’t think they’ll stop me this side of -Newbury,” he said. “I can make that before the light goes. -Tell Miss Bennett that the reprieve is signed, and that I am -on my way.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk said nothing, but followed his chief into the street, -and stood by him with the policeman who had been left -in charge of the car, while Dick made a careful scrutiny of -the tyres and petrol tank.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>So Dick Gordon took the Bath road; and the party of -gunmen that waited at the two aerodromes of London to -shoot him down if he attempted to leave by the aerial route, -waited in vain. He avoided the direct road to Reading, -and was taking the longer way round. He came into Newbury -at eleven o’clock, and learnt of more dynamited culverts. -The town was full of it. Two laden trains were held up on -the down line, and their passengers thronged the old-fashioned -streets of the town. Outside <span class='it'>The Chequers</span> he spoke to the -local inspector of police. Beyond the outrages they had -heard nothing, and apparently the road was in good order, for -a car had come through from Swindon only ten minutes before -Dick arrived.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re safe as far as Swindon, anyway,” said the inspector. -“The countryside has been swarming with tramps -lately, but my mounted patrols, that have just come in, have -seen none on the roads.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A thought struck Dick, and he drove the inspector round -to the police-station and went inside with him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I want an envelope and some official paper,” he said, -and, sitting down at the desk, he made a rough copy of -the reprieve with its quaint terminology, sealed the envelope -with wax and put it into his pocket. Then he took the -real reprieve, and, taking off his shoe and sock, put it between -his bare foot and his sock. Replacing his shoe, he jumped on -to the car and started his cautious way toward Didcot. Both -his glare lamps were on, and the road before him was as -light as day. Nevertheless, he went at half speed, one of his -Brownings on the cushion beside him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Against the afterglow of the sunset, a faint, pale light -which is the glory of late summer, he saw three inverted V’s -and knew they were the ends of a building, possibly an -aerodrome. And then he remembered that Elk had told -him of the chemical factory. Probably this was the place, -and he drove with greater caution. He had turned the -bend, when, ahead of him, he saw three red lights stretched -across the road, and in the light of the head-lamps stood a -policeman. He slowed the machine and stopped within a -few yards of the officer.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You can’t go this way, sir. The road’s up.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How long has it been up?” asked Dick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s been blown up, sir, about twenty minutes ago,” -was the reply. “There’s a side road a mile back, which -will bring you to the other side of the railway lines. You -can back in here.” He indicated a gateway evidently leading -to the factory. Dick pulled back his lever to the reverse, -and sent the Rolls spinning backward into the opening. -His hand was reaching to change the direction, when the -policeman, who had walked to the side of the car, struck -at him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gordon’s head was bent. He was incapable of resistance. -Only the helmet he wore saved him from death. -He saw nothing, only suddenly the world went black. Scarcely -had the blow been struck when half-a-dozen men came from -the shadows. Somebody jumped into the driver’s seat, and, -flinging out the limp figure of its owner, brought the car still -further backward, and switched off the lights. Another of -the party removed the red lamps. The policeman bent over -the prostrate figure of Dick Gordon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I thought I’d settled him,” he said, disappointed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, settle him now,” said somebody in the darkness, -but evidently the assailant changed his mind.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Hagn will want him,” he said. “Lift him up.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They carried the inanimate figure over the rough ground, -through a sliding door, into a big, ill-lit factory hall, bare -of machinery. At the far end was a brick partition forming -an office, and into this he was carried and flung on the floor.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Here’s your man, Hagn,” growled the policeman. “I -think he’s through.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Hagn got up from his table and walked across to where -Dick Gordon lay.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t think there’s much wrong with him,” he said. -“You couldn’t kill a man through that helmet, anyway. -Take it off.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They took the leather helmet from the head of the unconscious -man, and Hagn made a brief inspection.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, he’s all right,” he said. “Throw some water over -him. Wait; you’d better search him first. Those cigars,” -he said, pointing to the brown cylinders that protruded from -his breast pocket, “I want.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The first thing found was the blue envelope, and this Hagn -tore open and read.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It seems all right,” he said, and locked it away in the -roll-top desk at which he was sitting when Dick had been -brought in. “Now give him the water!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick came to his senses with a throbbing head and a feeling -of resentment against the consciousness which was being -forced upon him. He sat up, rubbing his face like a man -roused from a heavy sleep, screwed up his eyes in the face -of the bright light, and unsteadily stumbled to his feet, looking -around from one to the other of the grinning faces.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh!” he said at last. “I seem to have struck it. Who -hit me?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’ll give you his card presently,” sneered Hagn. “Where -are you off to at this time of night?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m going to Gloucester,” said Dick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Like hell you are!” scoffed Hagn. “Put him upstairs, -boys.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leading up from the office was a flight of unpainted pine -stairs, and up this he was partly pushed and partly dragged. -The room above had been used in war time as an additional -supervisor’s office. It had a large window, commanding a -view of the whole of the floor space. The window was now -thick with grime, and the floor littered with rubbish which the -present occupants had not thought it worth while to move.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Search him again, and make sure he hasn’t any gun on -him. And take away his boots,” said Hagn.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A small carbon filament lamp cast a sickly yellow light -upon the sinister group that surrounded Dick Gordon. He -had time to take his bearings. The window he had seen, -and escape that way was impossible; the ceiling was covered -with matchboards that had once been varnished. There was -no other way out, save down the steps.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’ve got to stay here for a day or two, Gordon, but -perhaps, if the Government will give us Balder, you’ll get -away with your life. If they don’t, then it’ll be a case of -‘good-night, nurse!’ ”</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='247' id='Page_247'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XXXVI</h1></div> - -<h3>THE POWER CABLE</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>D</span>ICK GORDON knew that any discussion with his -captors was a waste of breath, and that repartee -was profitless. His head was aching, but no sooner was he -left alone than he gave himself a treatment which an osteopath -had taught him. He put his chin on his breast, and -his two open hands behind his neck, the finger-tips pressing -hard, then he slowly raised his head (it was an agony to do so), -bringing his fingers down over the jugular. Three times -repeated, his head was comparatively clear.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The door was of thin wood and could easily be forced, -but the room below was filled with men. Presently the -light below went out, and the place was in darkness. He -guessed that it was because Hagn did not wish the light -to be seen from the road; though it was unlikely that there -would come any inquiries, he had taken effective steps to -deal with the police car which he knew would follow.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They had not taken his matches away, and Dick struck -one and looked round. Standing before a fireplace filled -with an indescribable litter of half-burnt papers and dust, -was a steel plate, with holes for rivets, evidently part of a -tank which had not been assembled. There was a heavy -switch on the wall, and Dick turned it, hoping that it controlled -the light; but apparently that was on the same circuit -as the light below. He struck another match and followed -the casing of the switch. By and by he saw a thick black -cable running in the angle of the wall and the ceiling. It -terminated abruptly on the right of the fireplace; and from -the marks on the floor, Dick guessed that at some time or -other there had been an experimental welding plant housed -there. He turned the switch again and sat down to consider -what would be the best thing to do. He could hear the -murmur of voices below, and, lying on the floor, put his ear -to the trap, which he cleared with a piece of wire he found in -the fireplace. Hagn seemed to do most of the talking.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If we blow up the road between here and Newbury, -they’ll smell a rat,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s a stupid idea you put forward, Hagn. What are -you going to do with the chap upstairs?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know. I’m waiting to hear from Frog. Perhaps -the Frog will want him killed.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’d be a good man to hold for Balder, though, if Frog -thought it was worth while.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Towards five o’clock, Hagn, who had been out of the -office, came back.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Frog says he’s got to die,” he said in a low voice.</p> - -<p class='line0' style='text-align:center;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:1em;'>* * * * * *</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Two people sat in Dick Gordon’s study. The hour was -four o’clock in the morning. Elk had gone, for the twentieth -time, to Headquarters, and for the twentieth time was on his -way back. Ella Bennett had tried desperately hard to carry -out Dick’s instructions, and turned page after page determinedly, -but had read and yet had seen nothing. With a -deep sigh she put down the book and clasped her hands, her -eyes fixed upon the clock.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you think he will get to Gloucester?” she asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I certainly do,” said Broad confidently. “That young -man will get anywhere. He is the right kind and the right -type, and nothing is going to hold him.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She picked up the book but did not look at its printed -page.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What happened to the police cars? Mr. Elk was telling -me a lot about them last night,” she said. “I haven’t heard -since.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Joshua Broad licked his dry lips.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, they got through all right,” he said vaguely.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He did not tell her that two police cars had been ditched -between Newbury and Reading, the cars smashed and three -men injured by a mine which had been sprung under -them. Nor did he give her the news, that had arrived by -motor-cyclist from Swindon, that Dick’s car had not been -seen.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They are dreadful people, dreadful!” She shivered. -“How did they come into existence, Mr. Broad?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Broad was smoking (at her request) a long, thin cigar, and -he puffed for a long time before he spoke.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I guess I’m the father of the Frogs,” he said to her amazement.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I didn’t know I was producing this outfit, but there it -is.” How, he did not seem disposed to explain at that -moment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Soon he heard the whirr of the bell, and thinking that -Elk had perhaps forgotten the key, he rose, and, going along -the passage, opened the door. It was not Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Forgive me for calling. Is that Mr. Broad?” The -visitor peered forward in the darkness.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m Broad all right. You’re Mr. Johnson, aren’t you? -Come right in, Mr. Johnson.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He closed the door behind him and turned on the light. -The stout man was in a state of pitiable agitation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I was up late last night,” he said, “and my servant -brought me an early copy of the <span class='it'>Post Herald</span>.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So you know, eh?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s terrible, terrible! I can’t believe it!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He took a crumpled paper from his pocket and looked at -the stop-press space as though to reassure himself.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I didn’t know it was in the paper.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Johnson handed the newspaper to the American.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, they’ve got it. I suppose old man Whitby must -have given away the story.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think it came from the picture man, Silenski. Is it -true that Ray is under sentence of death?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Broad nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How dreadful!” said Johnson in a hushed voice. -“Thank God they’ve found it out in time! Mr. Broad,” -he said earnestly, “I hope you will tell Ella Bennett that -she can rely on me for every penny I possess to establish -her brother’s innocence. I suppose there will be a respite -and a new trial? If there is, the very best lawyers must -be employed.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She’s here. Won’t you come in and see her?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Here?” Johnson’s jaw dropped. “I had no idea,” -he stammered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come in.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Broad returned to the girl.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Here is a friend of yours who has turned up—Mr. Johnson.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The philosopher crossed the room with quick, nervous -strides, and held out both his hands to the girl.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m so sorry, Miss Bennett,” he said, “so very, very -sorry! It must be dreadful for you, dreadful! Can I do -anything?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She shook her head, tears of gratitude in her eyes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is very sweet of you, Mr. Johnson. You’ve done so -much for Ray, and Inspector Elk was telling me that you -had offered him a position in your office.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Johnson shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is nothing. I’m very fond of Ray, and he really has -splendid capabilities. Once we get him out of this mess, -I’ll put him on his feet again. Your father doesn’t know? -Thank God for that!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wish this news hadn’t got into the papers,” she said, -when he told her how he had learnt of the happening.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Silenski, of course,” said Broad. “A motion picture -publicity man would use his own funeral to get a free par. -How are you feeling in your new position, Johnson?” he -asked, to distract the girl’s mind from the tragic thoughts -which were oppressing her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Johnson smiled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m bewildered. I can’t understand why poor Mr. -Maitland did this. But I had my first Frog warning to-day; -I feel almost important,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>From a worn pocket-case he extracted a sheet of paper. -It contained only three words;</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='pindent'>“You are next!”</p> - -</div> - -<p class='noindent'>and bore the familiar sign manual of the Frog.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know what harm I have done to these people, -but I presume that it is something fairly bad, for within -ten minutes of getting this note, the porter brought me -my afternoon tea. I took one sip and it tasted so bitter -that I washed my mouth out with a disinfectant.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When was this?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yesterday,” said Johnson. “This morning I had the -analysis—I had the tea bottled and sent off at once to an -analytical chemist. It contained enough hydrocyanic acid -to kill a hundred people. The chemist cannot understand -how I could have taken the sip I did without very serious -consequences. I am going to put the matter in the hands -of the police to-day.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The front door opened, and Elk came in.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is the news?” asked the girl eagerly, rising to -meet him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Fine!” said Elk. “You needn’t worry at all, Miss -Bennett. That Gordon man can certainly move. I guess -he’s in Gloucester by now, sleeping in the best bed in the -city.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But do you <span class='it'>know</span> he’s in Gloucester?” she asked stubbornly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve had no exact news, but I can tell you this, that -we’ve had no bad news,” said Elk; “and when there’s no -news, you can bet that things are going according to schedule.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How did you hear about it, Johnson?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The new millionaire explained.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I ought to have pulled in Silenski and his operator,” -said Elk thoughtfully. “These motion picture men lack -reticence. And how does it feel to be rich, Johnson?” he -asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mr. Johnson doesn’t think it feels too good,” said Broad. -“He has attracted the attention of old man Frog.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk examined the warning carefully.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When did this come?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I found it on my desk yesterday morning,” said Johnson, -and told him of the tea incident. “Do you think, Mr. Elk, -you will ever put your hand on the Frog?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m as certain as that I’m standing here, that Frog -will go the way——” Elk checked himself, and fortunately -the girl was not listening.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was getting light when Johnson left, and Elk walked -with him to the door and watched him passing down the -deserted street.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s a lot about that boy I like,” he said; “and -he’s certainly fortunate. Why the old man didn’t leave his -money to that baby of his——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Did you ever find the baby?” interrupted Broad.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, sir, there was no sign of that innocent child in the -house. That’s another Frog mystery to be cleared up.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Johnson had reached the corner, and they saw him crossing -the road, when a man came out of the shadow to meet him. -There was a brief parley, and then Elk saw the flash of a -pistol, and heard a shot. Johnson staggered back, and his -opponent, turning, fled. In a second Elk was flying along -the street. Apparently the philosopher was not hurt, though -he seemed shaken.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The inspector ran round the corner, but the assassin had -disappeared. He returned to the philosopher, to find him -sitting on the edge of the pavement, and at first he thought -he had been wounded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, I think I just had a shock,” gasped Johnson. “I -was quite unprepared for that method of attack.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What happened?” asked Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I can hardly realize,” said the other, who appeared -dazed. “I was crossing the road when a man came up and -asked me if my name was Johnson; then, before I knew -what had happened, he had fired.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His coat was singed by the flame of the shot, but the bullet -must have gone wide. Later in the day, Elk found it -embedded in the brickwork of a house.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, no, I won’t come back,” said Johnson. “I don’t -suppose they’ll repeat the attempt.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>By this time one of the two detectives who had been guarding -Harley Terrace had come up, and under his escort Johnson -was sent home.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They’re certainly the busiest little fellows,” said Elk, -shaking his head. “You’d think they’d be satisfied with -the work they were doing at Gloucester, without running -sidelines.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Joshua Broad was silent until they were going up the steps -of the house.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When you know as much about the Frog as I know, -you’ll be surprised at nothing,” he said, and did not add to -this cryptic remark.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Six o’clock came, and there was no further news from the -west. Seven o’clock, and the girl’s condition became pitiable. -She had borne herself throughout the night with a courage -that excited the admiration of the men; but now, as the -hour was drawing close, she seemed on the verge of collapse. -At half-past seven the telephone bell rang, and Elk answered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was the Chief of Police at Newbury speaking.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Captain Gordon left Didcot an hour ago,” was the -message.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Didcot!” gasped Elk in consternation. He looked at -the clock. “An hour ago—and he had to make Gloucester -in sixty minutes!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The girl, who had been in the dining-room trying to take -coffee which Gordon’s servant had prepared, came into the -study, and Elk dared not continue the conversation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“All right,” he said loudly, and smashed down the receiver.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is the news, Mr. Elk?” The girl’s voice was a -wail.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The news,” said Elk, twisting his face into a smile, “is -fine!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What do they say?” she persisted.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, them?” said Elk, looking at the telephone. “That -was a friend of mine, asking me if I’d dine with him to-night.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She went back to the dining-room, only half-satisfied, and -Elk called the American to him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Go and get a doctor,” he said in a low voice, “and tell -him to bring something that’ll put this young lady to sleep -for twelve hours.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why?” asked Broad. “Is the news bad?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There isn’t a chance of saving this boy—not the ghost -of a chance!” he said.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='254' id='Page_254'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XXXVII</h1></div> - -<h3>THE GET-AWAY</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>D</span>ICK, with his ear to the floor, heard the words “Frog says -he’s got to die,” and his cracked lips parted in a grin.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Have you heard him moving about?” asked Hagn.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, he’s asleep, I expect,” said another voice. “We -shall have to wait for light. We can’t do it in the dark. -We shall be killing one another.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>This view commended itself to most of the men present. -Dick counted six voices. He struck a match for another -survey, and again his eye fell upon the cable. And then an -inspiration came to him. Moving stealthily across the floor, -he reached up, and, gripping the cable, pulled on it steadily. -Under his weight, the supporting insulator broke loose. By -great good luck it fell upon the heap of rubbish in the fireplace -and made no sound. For the next half-hour he worked -feverishly, unwrapping the rubber insulation from the wires -of the cable, pulling the copper strands free. His hands were -bleeding, his nails broken; but after half-an-hour’s hard -work, he had the end of the cable frayed. The door opened -outward, he remembered with satisfaction, and, lifting the -steel plate, he laid it tight against the door, so that whoever -entered must step upon it. Then he began to fasten the frayed -copper wires of the cable to the rivet holes; and he had hardly -finished his work before he heard a stealthy sound on the -stairs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Day had come now, and light was streaming through the -glass roof of the factory. He heard a faint whisper, and -even as faint a click, as the bolts of the door were pulled; -and, creeping to the switch, he turned it down.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The door was jerked open, and a man stepped upon the -plate. Before his scream could warn him who followed the -second of the party had been flung senseless to the floor.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What the devil’s wrong?” It was Hagn’s voice. He -came running up the stairs, put one foot on the electric plate, -and stood for the space of a second motionless. Then, with -a gasping sob, he fell backward, and Dick heard the crash as -he struck the stairs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He did not wait any longer. Jumping over the plate, he -leapt down the stairs, treading underfoot the senseless figure -of Hagn. The little office was empty. On the table lay one -of his pistols. He gripped it, and fled along the bare factory -hall, through a door into the open. He heard a shout, and, -looking round, saw two of the party coming at him, and, -raising his pistol, he pressed the trigger. There was a click—Hagn -had emptied the magazine.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A Browning is an excellent weapon even if it is not loaded, -and Dick Gordon brought the barrel down with smashing -force upon the head of the man who tried to grapple with -him. Then he turned and ran.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He had made a mistake when he thought there were only -six men in the building; there must have been twenty, and -most of them were in full cry.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He tried to reach the road, and was separated only by a -line of bushes. But here he blundered. The bushes concealed -a barbed wire fence, and he had to run along uneven -ground, and in his stockinged feet the effort was painful. His -slow progress enabled his pursuers to get ahead. Doubling -back, Dick flew for the second of the three buildings, and as -he ran, he took out the magazine of his pistol. As he feared, -it was empty.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Now they were on him. He could hear the leading man’s -breath, and he himself was nearly spent. And then, before -him, he saw a round fire-alarm, fixed to the wall, and in a -flash the memory of an almost forgotten conversation came -back to him. With his bare hands he smashed the glass and -tugged at the alarm, and at that minute they were on him. -He fought desperately, but against their numbers resistance -was almost useless. He must gain time.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Get up, you fellows!” he shouted. “Hagn’s dead.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was an unfortunate statement, for Hagn came out of -the next building at that moment, very shaken but very alive. -He was livid with rage, and babbled in some language which -Dick did not know, but which he guessed was Swedish.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll fix you for that. You shall try electric shock yourself, -you dog!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He drove his fist at the prisoner’s face, but Dick twisted -his head and the blow struck the brickwork of the building -against which he stood. With a scream, the man leapt at -him, clawing and tearing with open hands, and this was Dick’s -salvation. For the men who were gripping his arms released -their hold, that their chief might have freer play. Dick -struck out, hitting scientifically for the body, and with a yell -Hagn collapsed. Before they could stop him, Gordon was -away like the wind, this time making for the gate.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He had reached it when the hand of the nearest man fell -on him. He flung him aside and staggered into the roadway, -and then, from down the straight road, came the clang of -bells, a glitter of brass and a touch of crimson. A motor -fire-engine was coming at full speed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For a moment the men grouped about the gate stared at -this intervention. Then, without taking any further notice -of their quarry, they turned and ran. A word to the fire -chief explained the situation. Another engine was coming, -at breakneck speed, and firemen were men for whom Frogs -had no terror.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Whilst Hagn was being carried to one of the waiting wagons, -Dick looked at his watch; it was six o’clock. He went in -search of his car, fearing the worst. Hagn, however, had -made no attempt to put the car out of gear; probably he had -some plan for using it himself. Three minutes later, Dick, -dishevelled, grimy, bearing the marks of Hagn’s talons upon -his face, swung out into the road and set the bonnet of the -car for Gloucester. He could not have gone faster even had -he known that his watch was stopped.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Through Swindon at breakneck speed, and he was on the -Gloucester Road. He looked at his watch again. The -hands still pointed to six, and he gave a gasp. He was going -all out now, but the road was bad, full of windings, and once -he was nearly thrown out of the car when he struck a ridge -on the road.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A tyre burst, and he almost swerved into the hedge, but he -got her nose straight again and continued on a flat tyre. It -brought his speed down appreciably, and he grew hot and -cold, as mile after mile of the road flashed past without a -sign of the town.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And then, with Gloucester Cathedral showing its spires -above the hill, a second tyre exploded. He could not stop: -he must go on, if he had to run in to Gloucester on the rims. -And now the pace was painfully slow in comparison with -that frantic rush which had carried him through Berkshire -and Wiltshire to the edge of Somerset.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was entering the straggling suburbs of the town. The -roads were terrible; he was held up by a street car, but, -disregarding a policeman’s warning, flew past almost under -the wheels of a great traction engine. And now he saw the -time—two minutes to eight, and the gaol was half a mile -farther on. He set his teeth and prayed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As he turned into the main street, with the gaol gates before -him, the clocks of the cathedral struck eight, and to Dick -Gordon they were the notes of doom.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They would delay the carrying out of the death penalty -for nothing short of the reprieve he carried. Punctually to -the second, Ray Bennett would die. The agony of that -moment was a memory that turned him grey. He brought -the bumping car to a halt before the prison gates and staggered -to the bell. Twice he pulled, but the gates remained -closed. Dick pulled off his sock and found the soddened -reprieve, streaky with blood, for his feet were bleeding. -Again he rang with the fury of despair. Then a little wicket -opened and the dark face of a warder appeared.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re not allowed in,” he said curtly. “You know what -is happening here.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Home Office,” said Dick thickly, “Home Office messenger. -I have a reprieve!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The wicket closed, and, after an eternity, the lock turned -and the heavy door opened.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m Captain Gordon,” gasped Dick, “from the Public -Prosecutor’s office, and I carry a reprieve for James Carter.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The warder shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The execution took place five minutes ago, sir,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But the Cathedral clock!” gasped Dick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Cathedral clock is four minutes slow,” said the warder. -“I am afraid Carter is dead.”</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='258' id='Page_258'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XXXVIII</h1></div> - -<h3>THE MYSTERY MAN</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>R</span>AY BENNETT woke from a refreshing sleep and sat -up in bed. One of the warders, who had watched -him all night, got up and came over.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you want your clothes. Carter?” he said. “The -Governor thought you wouldn’t care to wear those old things -of yours.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And he was right,” said the grateful Ray. “This looks -a good suit,” he said as he pulled on the trousers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The warder coughed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, it’s a good suit,” he agreed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He did not say more, but something in his demeanour -betrayed the truth. These were the clothes in which some -man had been hanged, and yet Ray’s hands did not shake -as he fixed the webbed braces which held them. Poor clothes, -to do duty on two such dismal occasions! He hoped they -would be spared the indignity of a third experience.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They brought him his breakfast at six o’clock. Yet once -more his eyes strayed toward the writing-pad, and then, -with breakfast over, came the chaplain, a quiet man in -minister’s garb, strength in every line of his mobile face. They -talked awhile, and then the warder suggested that Ray should -go to take exercise in the paved yard outside. He was glad -of the privilege. He wanted once more to look upon the -blue sky, to draw into his lungs the balm of God’s air.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Yet he knew that it was not a disinterested kindness, and -well guessed why this privilege had been afforded to him, as -he walked slowly round the exercise yard, arm in arm with -the clergyman. He knew now what lay behind the third -door. They were going to try the trap in the death house, -and they wished to spare his feelings.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In half an hour he was back in the cell.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you want to make any confession. Carter? Is that -your name?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, it is not my name, sir,” said Ray quietly, “but that -doesn’t matter.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Did you kill this man?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know,” said Ray. “I wanted to kill him, and -therefore it is likely that I did.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At ten minutes to eight came the Governor to shake hands, -and with him the Sheriff. The clock in the prison hall moved -slowly, inexorably forward. Through the open door of the -cell Ray could see it, and, knowing this, the Governor closed -the door, for it was one minute to eight, and it would soon -open again. Ray saw the door move. For a second his -self-possession deserted him, and he turned his back to the -man who came with a quick step, and, gripping his hands, -strapped them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“God forgive me! God forgive me!” murmured somebody -behind him, and at the sound of that voice Ray spun -round and faced the executioner.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The hangman was John Bennett!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Father and son, executioner and convicted murderer soon -to be launched to death, they faced one another, and then, -in a voice that was almost inaudible, John Bennett breathed -the word:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ray!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray nodded. It was strange that, in that moment, his -mind was going back over the mysterious errands of his father, -his hatred of the job into which circumstances had forced -him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ray!” breathed the man again.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you know this man?” It was the Governor, and his -voice was shaking with emotion.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>John Bennett turned.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He is my son,” he said, and with a quick pull loosed -the strap.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You must go on with this, Bennett.” The Governor’s -voice was stern and terrible.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Go on with it?” repeated John Bennett mechanically. -“Go on with this? Kill my own son? Are you mad? -Do you think I am mad?” He took the boy in his arms, -his cheek against the hairy face. “My boy! Oh, my -boy!” he said, and smoothed his hair as he had done in the -days when Ray was a child. Then, recovering himself -instantly, he thrust the boy through the open door into the -death chamber, followed him and slammed the door, bolting it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was no other doorway except that, to which he had -the key, and this he thrust into the lock that it might not -be opened from the other side. Ray looked at the bare -chamber, the dangling yellow rope, the marks of the trap, -and fell back against the wall, his eyes shut, shivering. Then, -standing in the middle of the trap, John Bennett hacked the -rope until it was severed, hacked it in pieces as it lay on the -floor. Then:</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='it'>Crack, crash!</span></p> - -<p class='pindent'>The two traps dropped, and into the yawning gap he flung -the cut rope.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Father!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray was staring at him; oblivious to the thunderous blows -which were being rained on the door, the old man came -towards him, took the boy’s face between his hands and -kissed him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Will you forgive me, Ray?” he asked brokenly. “I -had to do this. I was forced to do it. I starved before I -did it. I came once . . . out of curiosity to help the executioner—a -broken-down doctor, who had taken on the work. -And he was ill . . . I hanged the murderer. I had just come -from the medical school. It didn’t seem so dreadful to me -then. I tried to find some other way of making money, -and lived in dread all my life that somebody would point his -finger at me, and say: ‘There goes Benn, the executioner.’ ”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Benn, the executioner!” said Ray wonderingly. “Are -you Benn?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The old man nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Benn, come out! I give you my word of honour that -I will postpone the execution until to-morrow. You can’t -stay there.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>John Bennett looked round at the grating, then up to the -cut rope. The execution could not proceed. Such was the -routine of death that the rope must be expressly issued from -the headquarter gaol. No other rope would serve. All the -paraphernalia of execution, down to the piece of chalk that -marks the “T” on the trap where a man must put his feet, -must be punctiliously forwarded from prison headquarters, -and as punctiliously returned.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>John shot back the bolts, opened the door and stepped -out.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The faces of the men in the condemned cell were ghastly. -The Governor’s was white and drawn, the prison doctor seemed -to have shrunk, and the Sheriff sat on the bed, his face hidden -in his hands.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I will telegraph to London and tell them the circumstances,” -said the Governor. “I’m not condemning you -for what you’re doing, Benn. It would be monstrous to -expect you to have done—this thing.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A warder came along the corridor and through the door -of the cell. And behind him, entering the prison by virtue -of his authority, a dishevelled, dust-stained, limping figure, -his face scratched, streaks of dried blood on his face, his eyes -red with weariness. For a second John Bennett did not -recognize him, and then:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A reprieve, by the King’s own hand,” said Dick Gordon -unsteadily, and handed the stained envelope to the Governor.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='261' id='Page_261'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XXXIX</h1></div> - -<h3>THE AWAKENING</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>T</span>HROUGHOUT the night Ella Bennett lay, half waking, -half sleeping. She remembered the doctor coming; -she remembered Elk’s urgent request that she should drink -the draught he had prepared; and though she had suspected -its nature and at first had fought against drinking that -milky-white potion, she had at last succumbed, and had lain -down on the sofa, determined that she would not sleep until -she knew the worst or the best. She was exhausted with -the mental fight she had put up to preserve her sanity, and -then she had dozed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She was dimly conscious, as she came back to understanding, -that she was lying on a bed, and that somebody had taken off -her shoes and loosened her hair. With a tremendous effort -she opened her eyes and saw a woman, sitting by a window, -reading. The room was intensely masculine; it smelt faintly -of smoke.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Dick’s bed,” she muttered, and the woman put down her -book and got up.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ella looked at her, puzzled. Why did she wear those white -bands about her hair, and that butcher-blue wrapper and -the white cuffs? She was a nurse, of course. Satisfied with -having solved that problem, Ella closed her eyes and went -back again into the land of dreams.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She woke again. The woman was still there, but this time -the girl’s mind was in order.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What time is it?” she asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The nurse came over with a glass of water, and Ella drank -greedily.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is seven o’clock,” she said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Seven!” The girl shivered, and then, with a cry, tried -to rise. “It is evening!” she gasped. “Oh, what happened?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Your father is downstairs, miss,” said the nurse. “I’ll -call him.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Father—here?” She frowned. “Is there any other -news?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mr. Gordon is downstairs too, miss, and Mr. Johnson.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The woman was faithfully carrying out the instructions -which had been given to her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Nobody—else?” asked Ella in a whisper.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, miss, the other gentleman is coming to-morrow or -the next day—your brother, I mean.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>With a sob the girl buried her face in the pillow.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You are not telling the truth!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh yes, I am,” said the woman, and there was something -in her laugh which made Ella look up.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The nurse went out of the room and was gone a little while. -Presently the door opened, and John Bennett came in. -Instantly she was in his arms, sobbing her joy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is true, it is true, daddy?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, my love, it is true,” said Bennett. “Ray will be -here to-morrow. There are some formalities to be gone -through; they can’t secure a release immediately, as they do -in story-books. We are discussing his future. Oh, my girl, -my poor girl!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When did you know, daddy?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I knew this morning,” said her father quietly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Were you—were you dreadfully hurt?” she asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Johnson wants to give Ray the management of Maitlands -Consolidated,” he said. “It would be a splendid thing for -Ray. Ella, our boy has changed.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Have you seen him?” she asked in surprise.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I saw him this morning.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She thought it was natural that her father should have -seen him, and did not question him as to how he managed to -get behind the jealously guarded doors of the prison.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t think Ray will accept Johnson’s offer,” he said. -“If I know him as he is now, I am sure he will not accept. -He will not take any ready-made position; he wants to work -for himself. He is coming back to us, Ella.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She wanted to ask him something, but feared to hurt him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Daddy, when Ray comes back,” she said after a long -silence, “will it be possible for you to leave this—this work -you hate so much?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have left it, dear,” he replied quietly. “Never again—never -again—never again, thank God!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She did not see his face, but she felt the tremor that passed -through the frame of the man who held her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Downstairs, the study was blue with smoke. Dick Gordon, -conspicuously bandaged about the head, something of his -good looks spoiled by three latitudinal scratches which ran -down his face, sat in his dressing-gown and slippers, a big -pipe clenched between his teeth, the picture of battered -contentment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Very good of you, Johnson,” he said. “I wonder whether -Bennett will take your offer. Honestly, do you think he’s -competent to act as the manager of this enormous business?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Johnson looked dubious.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He was a clerk at Maitlands. You can have no knowledge -of his administrative qualities. Aren’t you being just a little -too generous?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know. Perhaps I am,” said Johnson quietly. -“I naturally want to help. There may be other positions -less important, and perhaps, as you say, Ray might not care -to take any quite as responsible.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m sure he won’t,” said Dick decidedly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It seems to me,” said Elk, “that the biggest job of all -is to get young Bennett out of the clutches of the Frogs. -Once a Frog, always a Frog, and this old man is not going -to sit down and take his beating like a little gentleman. We -had a proof of that yesterday morning. They shot at Johnson -in this very street.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick took out his pipe, sent a cloud of blue smoke toward -the haze that lay on the room.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Frog is finished,” he said. “The only question now -is, what is the best and most effective way to make an end? -Balder is caught; Hagn is in gaol; Lew Brady, who was -one of their most helpful agents, though he did not hold any -executive position—Lew is dead; Lola——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Lola is through.” It was the American who spoke. -“She left this morning for the United States, and I took the -liberty of facilitating her passage—there remains Frog himself, -and the organization which Frog controls. Catch him, and -you’ve finished with the gang.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>John Bennett came back at that moment, and the conversation -took another turn; soon after, Joshua Broad and -Johnson went away together.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You have not told Ella anything, Mr. Bennett?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“About myself?—no. Is it necessary?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I hope you will not think so,” said Dick quietly. “Let -that remain your own secret, and Ray’s secret. It has been -known to me for a very long time. The day Elk told me he -had seen you coming from King’s Cross station, and that a -burglary had been committed, I saw in the newspapers that -a man had been executed in York Prison. And then I took -the trouble to look up the files of the newspapers, and I found -that your absences had certainly coincided with burglaries—and -there are so many burglaries in England in the course -of a year that it would have been remarkable if they had -not coincided—there were also other coincidences. On the -day the murder was committed at Ibbley Copse, you were -in Gloucester, and on that day Waldsen, the Hereford murderer, -was executed.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>John Bennett hung his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You knew, and yet . . .” he hesitated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I knew none of the circumstances which drove you to -this dreadful business, Mr. Bennett,” he said gently. “To -me you are an officer of the law—no more and no less terrible -than I, who have helped send many men to the scaffold. No -more unclean than the judge who sentences them and -signs the warrant for their death. We are instruments of -Order.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ella and her father stayed that night at Harley Terrace, -and in the morning drove down to Paddington Station to -meet the boy. Neither Dick nor Elk accompanied them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There are two things which strike me as remarkable,” -said Elk. “One is, that neither you nor I recognized -Bennett.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why should we?” asked Dick. “Neither you nor I -attend executions, and the identity of the hangman has -always been more or less unknown except to a very few -people. If he cares to advertise himself, he is known. -Bennett shrank from publicity, avoided even the stations -of the towns where the executions took place, and usually -alighted at some wayside village and tramped into the town -on foot. The chief warder at Gloucester told me that he -never arrived at the gaol until midnight before an execution. -Nobody saw him come or go.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Old man Maitland must have recognized him.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He did,” nodded Dick. “At some period Maitland was -in gaol, and it is possible for prisoners, especially privileged -prisoners, to catch a glimpse of the hangman. By ‘privileged -prisoners’ I mean men who, by reason of their good -conduct, were allowed to move about the gaol freely. Maitland -told Miss Bennett that he had been in ‘quod,’ and I -am certain that that is the true explanation. All Bennett’s -official letters came to him at Dorking, where he rented a room -for years. His mysterious journeys to town were not -mysterious to the people of Dorking, who did not know him -by sight or name.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>To Elk’s surprise, when he came back to Harley Terrace, -Dick was not there. His servant said that his master had -had a short sleep, had dressed and gone out, and had left no -message as to where he was going. Dick did not, as a rule, -go out on these solitary expeditions, and Elk’s first thought -was that he had gone to Horsham. He ate his dinner, and -thought longingly of his comfortable bed. He did not wish -to retire for the night until he had seen his chief.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He made himself comfortable in the study, and was fast -asleep, when somebody shook him gently by the shoulder. -He looked up and saw Dick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Hullo!” he said sleepily. “Are you staying up all -night?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve got the car at the door,” said Dick. “Get your -top-coat. We’re going to Horsham.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk yawned at the clock.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She’ll be thinking of bed,” he protested.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I hope so,” said Dick, “but I have my fears. Frog was -seen on the Horsham Road at nine o’clock to-night.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How do you know?” asked Elk, now wide awake.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve been shadowing him all the evening,” said Dick, -“but he slipped me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’ve been watching Frog?” repeated Elk slowly. -“Do you know him?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve known him for the greater part of a month,” said -Dick Gordon. “Get your gun!”</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='266' id='Page_266'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XL</h1></div> - -<h3>FROG</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>T</span>HERE is a happiness which has no parallel in life—the -happiness which comes when a dear one is restored. -Ray Bennett sat by his father’s chair, and was content to -absorb the love and tenderness which made the room radiant. -It seemed like a dream to be back in this cosy sitting-room -with its cretonnes, its faint odour of lavender, the wide -chimney-place, the leaded windows, and Ella, most glorious -vision of all. The rainstorm that lashed the window-panes -gave the comfort and peace of his home a new and a more -beautiful value. From time to time he fingered his shaven -face absently. It was the only sure evidence to him that he -was awake and that this experience belonged to the world -of reality.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Pull up your chair, boy,” said John Bennett, as Ella -carried in a steaming teapot and put it on the table.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray rose obediently and placed the big Windsor chair -where it had always been when he lived at home, on his -father’s right hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>John Bennett sat at the table, his head bent forward. It -was the old grace that his father had said for years and years, -and which secretly amused him in other days, but which -now was invested with a beautiful significance that made -him choke.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“<span class='it'>For all the blessings we have received this day, may the Lord -make us truly thankful!</span>”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was a wonderful meal, more wonderful than any he had -eaten at Heron’s or at those expensive restaurants which he -had favoured. Home-cured tongue, home-made bread, and -a great jar of home-made preserves, tea that was fragrant -with the bouquet of the East. He laid down his knife and -fork and leant back with a happy smile.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Home,” he said simply, and his father gripped his hand -under cover of the table-cloth, gripped and held it so tightly -that the boy winced.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ray, they want you to take over the management of -Maitlands—Johnson does. What do you think of that, -son?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m no more fit to manage Maitlands than I am to be -President of the Bank of England,” he said with a little laugh. -“No, dad, my views are less exalted than they were. I -think I might earn a respectable living hoeing potatoes—and -I should be happy to do so!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The older man was looking thoughtfully at the table.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I—I shall want an assistant if these pictures of mine are -the success that Silenski says they will be. Perhaps you can -hoe potatoes between whiles—when Ella is married.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The girl went red.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is Ella going to be married? Are you, Ella?” Ray -jumped up and, going to the girl, kissed her. “Ella, it won’t -make a difference, will it—about me, I mean?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t think so, dear. I’ve promised.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is the matter?” asked John Bennett, as he saw the -cloud that came to the girl’s face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I was thinking of something unpleasant, daddy,” she said, -and for the first time told of the hideous visitation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Frog wanted to marry you?” said Ray with a -frown. “It is incredible! Did you see his face?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She shook her head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He was masked,” she said. “Don’t let us talk about -it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She got up quickly and began to clear away the meal, and, -for the first time for many years, Ray helped her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A terrible night,” she said, coming back from the kitchen. -“The wind burst open the window and blew out the lamp, -and the rain is coming down in torrents!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“All nights are good nights to me,” said Ray, and in his -chuckle she detected a little sob.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>No word had been spoken since they met of his terrible -ordeal; it was tacitly agreed that that nightmare should -remain in the region of bad dreams, and only now and again -did he betray the horror of those three weeks of waiting.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bolt the back door, darling,” said John Bennett, looking -up as she went out.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The two men sat smoking, each busy with his own thoughts. -Then Ray spoke of Lola.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I do not think she was bad, father,” he said. “She could -not have known what was going to happen. The thing was -so diabolically planned that even to the very last, until I -learnt from Gordon the true story, I was under the impression -that I had killed Brady. This man must have the brain of a -general.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Bennett nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I always used to think,” Ray went on, “that Maitland -had something to do with the Frogs. I suppose he had, -really. I first guessed that much after he turned up at -Heron’s Club—what is the matter?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ella!” called the old man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was no answer from the kitchen.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t want her to stay out there, washing up. Ray, -boy, call her in.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ray got up and opened the door of the kitchen. It was -in darkness.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bring the lamp, father,” he called, and John Bennett -came hurrying after him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The door of the kitchen was closed but not bolted. Something -white lay on the floor, and Ray stooped to pick it -up. It was a torn portion of the apron which Ella had been -wearing.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The two men looked at one another, and Ray, running up -to his room, came down with a storm lantern, which he -lit.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She may be in the garden,” he said in a strained voice, -and, throwing open the door, went out into the storm.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The rain beat down unmercifully; the men were wet through -before they had gone a dozen yards. Ray held the light down -to the ground. There were tracks of many feet in the soft -mud, and presently he found one of Ella’s. The tracks disappeared -on to the edge of the lawn, but they were making -straight for the side gate which opened into a narrow lane. -This passage-way connected the road with a meadow behind -Maytree Cottage, and the roadway gate was usually kept -chained and padlocked. Ray was the first to see the car -tracks, and then he found that the gate was open and the -broken chain lay in the muddy roadway. Running out into -the road, he saw that the tracks turned to the right.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We had better search the garden first to make absolutely -sure, father,” he said. “I will arouse some of the cottagers -and get them to help.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>By the time he came back to the house, John Bennett had -made a thorough search of the garden and the house, but the -girl had disappeared.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Go down to the town and telephone to Gordon,” he said, -and his voice was strangely calm.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In a quarter of an hour Ray Bennett jumped off his old -bicycle at the door of Maytree Cottage, to tell his grave -news.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The ’phone line has been cut,” he said tersely. “I’ve -ordered a car to be sent up from the garage. We will try to -follow the tracks.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The machine had arrived when the blazing head-lamps of -Dick’s car came into view. Gordon knew the worst before -he had sprung to the ground. There was a brief, unemotional -consultation. Dick went rapidly through the kitchen and -followed the tracks until they came back to the road, to find -Elk going slowly along the opposite side, examining the ground -with an electric lamp.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s a small wheel track over here,” he said. “Too -heavy for a bicycle, too light for a car; looks to me like a -motor-cycle.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was a car,” said Dick briefly, “and a very big one.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He sent Ray and his father to the house to change; insisted -on this being done before they moved a step. They came -out, wrapped in mackintoshes, and leapt into the car as it -was moving.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For five miles the tracks were visible, and then they came -to a village. A policeman had seen a car come through “a -little time ago”—and a motor-cyclist.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where was the cyclist?” asked Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He was behind, about a hundred yards,” said the policeman. -“I tried to pull him up because his lamp was out, but -he took no notice.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They went on for another mile, and then struck the hard -surface of a newly tarred road, and here all trace of the tracks -was lost. Going on for a mile farther, they reached a point -where the road broke into three. Two of these were macadamized -and showed no wheel tracks; nor did the third, although -it had a soft surface, offer any encouragement to follow.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is one of these two,” said Dick. “We had better try -the right-hand road first.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The macadam lasted until they reached another village. -The road was undergoing repair in the village itself, but the -night watchman shook his head when Dick asked him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, sir, no car has passed here for two hours.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We must drive back,” said Dick, despair in his heart, -and the car spun round and flew at top speed to the juncture -of the roads.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Down this they went, and they had not gone far before -Dick half leapt at the sight of the red tail-lamp of the machine -ahead. His hopes, however, were fated to be dashed. A -car had broken down on the side of the road, but the disgruntled -driver was able to give them valuable information. -A car had passed him three-quarters of an hour before; he -described it minutely, had even been able to distinguish its -make. The cyclist was driving a Red Indian.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Again the cyclist!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How far was he behind the car?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A good hundred yards, I should say,” was the reply.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>From now on they received frequent news of the car, but -at the second village, the motor-cyclist had not been seen, nor -at subsequent places where the machine had been identified, -was there any reference to a motor-cyclist.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was past midnight when they came up with the machine -they were chasing. It stood outside a garage on the Shoreham -Road, and Elk was the first to reach it. It was -empty and unattended. Inside the garage, the owner -of that establishment was busy making room for the last -comer.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, sir, a quarter of an hour ago,” he said, when Elk -had produced his authority. “The chauffeur said he was -going to find lodgings in the town.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>With the aid of a powerful electric lamp they made an -examination of the car’s interior. There was no doubt whatever -that Ella had been an inmate. A little ivory pin which -John Bennett had given her on her birthday, was found, -broken, in a corner of the floor.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is not worth while looking for the chauffeur,” said -Elk. “Our only chance is that he’ll come back to the -garage.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The local police were called into consultation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Shoreham is a very big place,” said the police chief. “If -you had luck, you might find your man immediately. If -he’s with a gang of crooks, it is more likely that you’ll not -find him at all, or that he’ll never come back for the -machine.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>One matter puzzled Elk more than any other. It was the -disappearance of the motor-cyclist. If the story was true, -that he had been riding a hundred yards behind and that -he had fallen out between two villages, they must have passed -him. There were a few cottages on the road, into which he -might have turned, but Elk dismissed this possibility.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We had better go back,” he said. “It is fairly certain -that Miss Bennett has been taken out somewhere on the road. -The motor-cyclist is now the best clue, because she evidently -went with him. This cyclist was either the Frog, or one of -his men.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They disappeared somewhere between Shoreham and -Morby,” said Dick. “You know the country about here, -Mr. Bennett. Is there any place where they’d be likely to -go near Morby?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I know the country,” agreed Bennett, “and I’ve been -trying to think. There is nothing but a very few houses -outside of Morby. Of course, there is Morby Fields, but I -can’t imagine Ella being taken there.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What are Morby Fields?” asked Dick, as the car went -slowly back the way it had come.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Morby Fields is a disused quarry. The company went -into liquidation some years ago,” replied Bennett.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They passed through Morby at snail pace, stopping at the -local policeman’s house for any further news which might -have been gleaned in their absence. There was, however, -nothing fresh.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You are perfectly certain that you did not see the motor-cyclist?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I am quite certain, sir,” said the man. “The car was as -close to me as I am to you. In fact, I had to step to the -pavement to prevent myself being splashed with mud; and -there was no motor-cyclist. In fact, the impression I had was -that the car was empty.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why did you think that?” asked Elk quickly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was riding light, for one thing, and the chauffeur was -smoking for another. I always associate a smoking chauffeur -with an empty car.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Son,” said the admiring Elk, “there are possibilities -about you,” and a recruit to Headquarters was noted.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m inclined to agree with that village policeman,” said -Dick when they walked back to their machine. “The car -was empty when it came through here, and that accounts for -the absence of the motor-cyclist. It is between Morby and -Wellan that we’ve got to look.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And now they moved at a walking pace. The brackets -that held the head-lamps were wrenched round to throw a -light upon the ditch and hedge on either side of the road. -They had not gone five hundred yards when Elk roared:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Stop!” and jumped into the roadway.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was gone a few minutes, and then he called Dick, and -the three men went back to where the detective was standing, -looking at a big red motor-cycle that stood under the shelter -of a crumbling stone wall. They had passed it without -observation, for its owner had chosen the other side of the -wall, and it was only the gleam of the light on a handlebar -which showed just above its screen, that had led to its -detection.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dick ran to the car and backed it so that the wall and -machine were visible. The cycle was almost new; it was -splattered with mud, and its acetylene head-lamps were cold -to the touch. Elk had an inspiration. At the back of the -seat was a heavy tool-wallet, attached by a firm strap, and -this he began to unfasten.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If this is a new machine, the maker will have put -the name and address of the owner in his wallet,” he -said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Presently the tool-bag was detached, and Elk unstrapped -the last fastening and turned back the flap.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Great Moses!” said Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Neatly painted on the undressed leather was:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Joshua Broad, 6, Caverley House, Cavendish Square!”</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='273' id='Page_273'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XLI</h1></div> - -<h3>IN QUARRY HOUSE</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>T</span>HE first impression that Ella Bennett had when she -returned to the kitchen to fasten the door that shut -off the sitting-room, was that the tea-cloth, which she had -hung up to dry on the line near the lofty ceiling, had fallen. -With startling suddenness she was enveloped in the folds of -a heavy, musty cloth. And then an arm was flung round -her, a hand covered her mouth and drew back her head. -She tried to scream, but no sound came. She kicked out -toward the door and an arm clutched at her dress and pulled -back her foot. She heard the sound of something tearing, -and then a strap was put round her ankles. She felt the -rush of the cold air as the door was opened, and in another -second she was in the garden.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Walk,” hissed a voice, and she discovered her feet were -loosened.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She could see nothing, only she could feel the rain beating -down upon the cloth that covered her head, and the strength -of the wind against her face. It blew the cloth so tightly -over her mouth and nose that she could hardly breathe. -Where they were taking her she could only guess. It was -not until she felt her feet squelch in liquid mud that she -knew she was in the lane by the side of the house. She had -hardly identified the place before she was lifted bodily into -the waiting car; she heard somebody scrambling in by her -side, and the car jerked forward. Then with dexterous hand, -one of the men sitting at her side whisked the cloth from her -head. Ahead, in one of the two bucket seats, the only one -occupied, was a dark figure, the face of which she could not -see.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What are you doing? Who are you?” she asked, -and no sooner did the voice of the man before her come -to her ears than she knew she was in the power of the -Frog.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m going to give you your last chance,” he said. “After -to-night that chance is gone.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She composed the tremor in her voice with an effort, and -then:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What do you mean by my last chance?” she asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You will undertake to marry me, and to leave the country -with me in the morning. I’ve such faith in you that I will -take your word,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She shook her head, until she realized that, in the darkness, -he could not see her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I will never do that,” she answered quietly, and no other -word was spoken through the journey. Once, at a whispered -word from the man in the mask—she saw the reflection of his -mica eye-pieces even though the blinds were drawn, as the -car went through some village street—one of the men looked -back through the glass in the hood.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Nothing,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>No violence was offered to her; she was not bound, or -restricted in any way, though she knew it was perfectly -hopeless for her to dream of escape.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They were running along a dark country road when the -car slowed and stopped. The passengers turned out quickly; -she was the last. A man caught her arm as she descended -and led her, through an opening of the hedge, into what seemed -to her to be a ploughed field.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The other came after her, bringing her an oilskin coat and -helping her into it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The rain flogged across the waste, rattling against the oil-coat; -she heard the man holding her arm mutter something -under his breath. The Frog walked ahead, only looking back -once. She slipped and stumbled, and would have often -fallen but for the hand which held her up.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where are you taking me?” she asked at last.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was no reply. She wondered if she could wrench -herself free, and trust to the cover of darkness to hide her, -but even as the thought occurred, she saw a gleam of water -to the right—a round, ghostly patch.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“These are Morby Fields,” she said suddenly, recognizing -the place. “You’re taking me to the quarry.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Again no answer. They tramped on doggedly, until she -knew they were within measurable distance of the quarry -itself. She wondered what would be her fate when she -finally refused, as she would refuse. Did this terrible man -intend to kill her?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Wait,” said the Frog suddenly, and disappeared into the -gloom.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then she saw a light, which came from a small wooden -house; two patches of light, one long, one square—a window -and a door. The window disappeared as he closed the shutter. -Then his figure stood silhouetted in the doorway.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come,” he said, and she went forward.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At the door of the hut she drew back, but the hand on her -arm tightened. She was pushed into the interior, and the -door was slammed and bolted.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She was alone with Frog!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Curiosity overcame her fear. She looked round the little -room. It was about ten feet long by six feet broad. The -furnishings were simple: a bed, a table, two chairs and a -fireplace. The wooden floor was covered by an old and -grimy rug. Against one of the walls were piled two shallow -wooden boxes, and the wood was new. The mask followed -the direction of her eyes and she heard his slow chuckle.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Money,” he said tersely, “your money and my money. -There is a million there.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She looked, fascinated. Near the boxes were four long -glass cylinders, containing an opaque substance or liquid—she -could not tell from where she stood. The nature of this -the Frog did not then trouble to explain.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sit down,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His manner was brisk and businesslike. She expected -him to take off his mask as he seated himself opposite her, -but in this she was disappointed. He sat, and through the -mica pieces she saw his hard eyes watching her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, Ella Bennett, what do you say? Will you -marry me, or will you go into a welcome oblivion? You -leave this hut either as my wife, or we leave together—dead.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He got up and went to where the glass cylinders lay and -touched one.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I will smash one of these with my foot and take off my -mask, and you shall have at least the satisfaction that you -know who I am before you die—but only just before you -die!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She looked at him steadily.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I will never marry you,” she said, “never! If for no -other reason, for your villainous plot against my brother.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Your brother is a fool,” said the hollow voice. “He -need never have gone through that agony, if you had only -promised to marry me. I had a man ready to confess, I -myself would have taken the risk of supporting his confession.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why do you want to marry me?” she asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It sounded banal, stupid. Yet so grotesque was the -suggestion, that she could talk of the matter in cold blood -and almost without emotion.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Because I love you,” was the reply. “Whether I love -you as Dick Gordon loves you, I do not know. It may well -be that you are something which I cannot possess, and therefore -are all the more precious to me—I have never been -thwarted in any desire.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I would welcome death,” she said quickly, and she heard -the muffled chuckle.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There are worse things than death to a sensitive woman,” -he said significantly, “and you shall not die until the -end.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He did not attempt to speak again, but, pulling a pack of -cards from his pocket, played solitaire. After an hour’s play, -he swept the cards into the fireplace and rose.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He looked at her and there was something in his eyes that -froze her blood.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Perhaps you will never see my face,” he said, and -reached out his hand to the oil lamp which stood on the -table.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Lower and lower sank the flame, and then came a gentle -tap at the door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='it'>Tap . . . tap . . . tappity . . . tap!</span></p> - -<p class='pindent'>The Frog stood still, his hand upon the lamp.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='it'>Tap . . . tap . . . tappity . . . tap!</span></p> - -<p class='pindent'>It came again. He turned up the light a little and went to -the door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who’s that?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Hagn,” said a deep voice, and the Frog took a startled -step backward. “Quick! Open!’ ”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The mask turned the heavy bar, and, taking a key from -his pocket, he drew back the lock.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Hagn, how did you get away?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The door was pushed open with such violence that he was -flung back against the wall, and Ella uttered a scream of -joy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Standing in the doorway was a bareheaded man, in a -shining trench-coat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was Joshua Broad.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Keep back!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He did not look round, but she knew the words were -addressed to her and stood stock-still. Both Broad’s hands -were in the deep pockets of his coat; his eyes did not leave -the mask.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Harry,” he said softly, “you know what I want.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Take yours!” screeched the Frog. His hand moved so -quickly that the girl could not follow it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Two shots rang out together and the Frog staggered back -against the wall. His foot was within a few inches of the -glass cylinders, and he raised it. Again Broad fired, and the -Frog fell backward, his head in the fireplace. He came -struggling to his feet, and then, with a little choking sob, fell -backward, his arms outstretched.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a sound of voices outside, a scraping of feet on -the muddy path, and John Bennett came into the hut. In -a moment the girl was in his arms. Broad looked round. -Elk and Dick Gordon were standing in the doorway, taking -in the scene.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gentlemen,” said Joshua Broad, “I call you to witness -that I killed this man in self-defence.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who is it?” said Dick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is the Frog,” said Joshua Broad calmly. “His other -name is Harry Lyme. He is an English convict.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I knew it was Harry Lyme.” It was Elk who spoke. -“Is he dead?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Broad stooped and thrust his hand under the man’s waistcoat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, he is dead,” he announced simply. “I’m sorry that -I have robbed you of your prey, Mr. Elk, but it was vitally -necessary that he should be killed before I was, and one of -us had to die this night!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk knelt by the still figure and began to unfasten the -hideous rubber mask.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was here that Genter was killed,” said Dick Gordon in -a low voice. “Do you see the gas?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk looked at the glass cylinders and nodded. Then his -eyes came back to the bareheaded American.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Saul Morris, I believe?” he said, and “Joshua Broad” -nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elk pursed his lips thoughtfully, and his eyes went back -to the still figure at his feet.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now, Frog, let me see you,” he said, and tore away the -mask.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He looked down into the face of Philosopher Johnson!</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='279' id='Page_279'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>CHAPTER XLII</h1></div> - -<h3>JOSHUA BROAD EXPLAINS</h3> - -<p class='noindent'><span class='dropcap'>T</span>HE sunlight was pouring through the windows of Maytree -Cottage; the breakfast things still stood upon the -table, when the American began his story.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My name, as you rightly surmised, Mr. Elk, is Saul Morris. -I am, by all moral standards, a criminal, though I have not -been guilty of any criminal practice for the past ten years. -I was born at Hertford in Connecticut.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I am not going to offer you an apology, conventional or -unconventional, for my ultimate choice; nor will I insult -your intelligence by inviting sympathy for my first fall. I -guess I was born with light fingers and a desire for money -that I had not earned. I was not corrupted, I was not -tempted, I had no evil companions; in fact, the beginnings -of my career were singularly unlike any of the careers of -criminals which I have ever read.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I studied bank robberies as a doctor might take up the -study of anatomy. I understand perfectly every system of -banking—and there are only two, one of which succeeds, the -other produces a plentiful crop of fraudulent directors—and -I have added to this a knowledge of lockcraft. A burglar -who starts business without understanding the difficulties and -obstacles he has to overcome is—to use the parallel I have -already employed—like the doctor who starts off to operate -without knowing what arteries, tissues and nerves he will -be severing. The difference between a surgeon and a butcher -is that one doesn’t know the name of the tissues he is -cutting!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When I decided upon my career, I served for five years -in the factory of the greatest English safe-maker in Wolverhampton. -I studied locks, safes, the tensile qualities of steel, -until I was proficient, and my spare time I gave up to as -important a study—the transportation of negotiable currency. -That in itself is a study which might well occupy a man’s -full time.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I returned to America at the age of twenty-five, and -accumulated a kit of tools, which cost me several thousand -dollars, and with these, and alone, I smashed the Ninth -National Bank, getting away, on my first attempt, with three -hundred thousand dollars. I will not give you a long list of -my many crimes; some of them I have conveniently forgotten. -Others are too unimportant, and contain too many disappointments -to tell you in detail. It is sufficient to say that -there is no proof, other than my word, that I was responsible -for any of these depredations. My name has only been -associated with one—the robbery of the strong-room on the -<span class='it'>Mantania</span>.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In 1898 I learnt that the <span class='it'>Mantania</span> was carrying to -France fifty-five million francs in paper currency. The -money was packed in two stout wooden cases, and before -being packed, was submitted to hydraulic pressure in order -to reduce the bulk. In one case were thirty-five packets, -each containing a thousand mille notes, and in the second -case twenty packets. I particularly want you to remember -that there were two cases, because you will understand a -little better what happened subsequently.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was intended that the ship should call at a French port; -I think it was Havre, because the trans-Atlantic boats in -those days did not call at Cherbourg. I had made all my -plans for getting away with the stuff, and the robbery had -actually been committed and the boxes were in my cabin -trunk, substitute boxes of an exact shape having been left -in the strong-room of the <span class='it'>Mantania</span>, when to my dismay we -lost a propeller blade whilst off the coast of Ireland, and the -captain of the <span class='it'>Mantania</span> decided to put in to Southampton -without making the French port.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A change of plans, to a man of my profession, is almost -as embarrassing as a change of plan in the middle of a battle. -I had on this occasion an assistant—a man who afterwards -died in <span class='it'>delirium tremens</span>. It was absolutely impossible to -work alone; the job was too big, and my assistant was a -man I had every reason to trust.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Harry Lyme?” suggested Elk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Joshua Broad” shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, you’re wrong. I will not tell you his name—the -man is dead, and he was a very faithful and loyal fellow, -though inclined to booze, a weakness which I never shared. -However, the reason we were so embarrassed was that, had -we gone ashore at the French port, the robbery in the strong-room -would not have been discovered, because it was unlikely -that the purser would go to the strong-room until the ship -was in Southampton Water. I had fixed everything, the -passing of my bags through the Customs being the most -important. This change meant that we must improvise a -method to get ashore at Southampton before the hue and cry -was raised, and, if possible, before the robbery was discovered, -though it did not seem possible that we should succeed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Fortunately, there was a fog in the Solent, and we had -to go dead slow; and, if you remember the circumstances, -as the <span class='it'>Mantania</span> came up the Solent, she collided with a -steam dredger that was going into Portsmouth. The dredger’s -foremast became entangled in the bowsprit of the <span class='it'>Mantania</span> -and it was some time before they were extricated. It was -then that I seized my opportunity. From an open port-way -on my deck, where we were waiting with our baggage, ready -to land, we were level with the side of the dredger as she -swung round under the impact. I flung the two grips that -held the boxes on to the dredger’s deck, and I and my friend -jumped together.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“As I say, a fog lay on the water, and we were not seen, -and not discovered by the crew of the dredger until we had -parted company with the <span class='it'>Mantania</span>, and although the story -we told to the dredger’s captain was the thinnest imaginable—namely, -that we thought it was a tender that had come off -to collect us—he very readily accepted it, and the twenty-dollar -bill which I gave him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We made Portsmouth after a great deal of difficulty late -in the evening. There was no Customs inspection and we -got our bags safely on land. I intended staying the night -at Portsmouth, but after we had taken our lodgings, my -friend and I went round to a little bar to get a drink, and -there we heard something which sent us back to our rooms -at full pelt. What we heard was that the robbery had been -discovered, and that the police were looking for two men who -had made their escape on the dredger. As it was the dredger’s -captain who had recommended our lodgings, I had little -expectation of getting into the room and out again without -capture.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“However, we did, and as we passed out of the street at -one end, the police came in at the other. I carried one bag, -my friend the lighter, and we started on foot across country, -and before the morning we had reached a place called -Eastleigh. It was to Eastleigh, you will remember, Mr. Elk, -that I came when I left the cattle-boat during the war and -suddenly changed my character from a hard-up cattle-puncher -to a wealthy gambler at Monte Carlo.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That matter I will explain later. When we reached -Eastleigh, I had a talk with my companion, and it was a pretty -straight talk, because he’d got a load of liquor on board and -was becoming more and more unreliable. It ended by his -going into the town to buy some food and not returning. -When I went in search of him, I found him lying in the street, -incapably drunk. There was nothing to do but to leave him; -and getting a little food, I took the two bags and struck the -road. The bags, however, were much too heavy for me, and -I had to consider my position.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Standing by the road was an old cottage, and on a board -was an announcement that it was to be sold. I took the -address; it was the name of a Winchester lawyer; and then -I got over the fence and made an inspection of the ground, -to find that, at the lower end of the rank garden, was an -old, disused well, boarded over by rotten planks. I could -in safety drop the lighter of my burdens down the well and -cover it up with the rubble, of which there was plenty around. -I might have buried both; in many ways a lot of trouble -would have been saved if I had. But I was loth to leave all -that I had striven for with such care and pains, and I took -the second box on with me, reached Winchester, bought a -change of clothing, and spent a comfortable day there, interviewing -the lawyer, who owned the cottage.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I had some English money with me, and the purchase -was effected. I gave strict instructions that the place was -not to be let in any circumstances, and that it was to remain -as it was until I came back from Australia—I posed as a -wealthy Australian who was repurchasing the house in which -he was born.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“From Winchester I reached London, never dreaming that -I was in any danger. My companion had given me the -name of an English crook, an acquaintance of his, who, he -said, was the finest safe-man in Europe—a man who was -called ‘Lyme’ and who, I discovered many years after, -was the same Harry Lyme. He told me Lyme would help -me in any emergency.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And that emergency soon arose. The first man I saw -when I put my foot on the platform at Waterloo was the -purser of the <span class='it'>Mantania</span>, and with him was the ship’s detective. -I dodged back, and, fortunately for me, there was a -suburban train leaving from the opposite platform, and I -went on to Surbiton, reaching London by another route. -Afterwards, I learnt that my companion had been arrested, -and in his half-drunken state had told all he knew. The -thing to do now was to cache the remainder of the money—thirty-five -million francs. I immediately thought of Harry -Lyme. I have never suffered from the illusion that there -is honour amongst thieves. My own experience is that that -is one of the most stupid of proverbs. But I thought that -at least I might make it worth Lyme’s while to help me out -of a mess.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I learnt from the newspapers that there was a special -force of police looking for me, and that they were watching -the houses of well-known criminals, to whom, they thought, -I might gravitate. At first I thought this was a bluff, but -I was to discover that this was not the case. I reached -Lyme’s house, in a disreputable thoroughfare in Camden -Town. The fog was thick and yellow, and I had some difficulty -in finding my way. It was a small house in a mean, -squalid street, and at first I could get no reply to my knocking. -Then the door was opened cautiously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“ ‘Is that Lyme?’ I asked. ‘He’s not at home,’ said -a man, and he would have shut the door, but my instinct -told me this was the fellow I was seeking, and I put my -foot in the way of the closing door. ‘Come in,’ he said -at last, and led the way into a small room, the only light -of which was a lantern which stood on the table. The room -was thick with fog, for the window was open, as I learnt -afterwards, to allow Lyme to make his escape.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“ ‘Are you the American?’ he asked. ‘You’re mad -to come here. The police have been watching this place -ever since this afternoon.’ I told him briefly what my -difficulty was. ‘I have here thirty-five million francs—that’s -a million, three hundred thousand pounds,’ said I, -‘and there’s enough for both of us. Can you plant this -whilst I make a get-away?’ ‘Yes, I will,’ he said. ‘What -do I get out of it?’ ‘I’ll give you half,’ I promised, and -he seemed to be satisfied with that.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I was surprised that he spoke in the voice and tone of -an educated man, and I learnt afterwards that he also had -been intended for some profession, and, like myself, had -chosen the easier way. Now, you’ll not believe me when I -tell you that I did not see his face, and that I carried no very -vivid impression away with me. This is due to the fact -that I concentrated my attention upon the frog which was -tattooed on his wrist, and which afterwards, at great expense, -he succeeded in having removed by a Spanish doctor at -Valladolid, who specialized in that kind of work. That frog -was tattooed a little askew, and I knew, and he knew too, -that, whether I remembered his face or not, he had a mark -which was certain to guide me back to him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The arrangement I made was that, when I got back to -America, I should send a cable to him, at an address we -agreed upon, and that he was then to send me, by registered -post to the Grand Hotel, Montreal, a half of the money he -had in the box. To cut a long story short, I made my escape, -and eventually reached the Continent by way of Hook of -Holland. Encumbered with any baggage, that would have -been impossible. In due course I left for the United States -from Bremen, Germany, and immediately on my arrival -sent the cable to Lyme, and went up to Montreal to await -the arrival of the money. It did not come. I cabled again; -still it did not come.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was months after that I learnt what had happened. -It came from a cutting of a newspaper, saying that Lyme -had been drowned on his way to Guernsey. How he sent -that, I don’t know and never have inquired. Lyme was, -in fact, very much alive. He had some six million dollars’ -worth of French notes, and his job was to negotiate them. -His first step was to move to a Midland town, where for -six months he posed as a man of business, in the meantime -changing his whole appearance, shaving off his moustache -and producing an artificial baldness by the application of -some chemical.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Whilst he was doing this, and determined that every -penny he had taken from me he would hold, he decided -to make assurance doubly sure, and started in a small way -the Fellowship of the Frog. The object of this was to spread -the mark of identification by which I should know him, as -far and wide as possible. He may have had no other idea -in his mind, and probably had not, but to broadcast this mark -of the frog, a little askew, the exact replica of his. Obviously, -no class would be willing to suffer the tortures of tattooing -for nothing. So began this curious Benefit Fund of his. -From this little beginning grew the great Frog organization. -Almost one of the first men he came into contact with was -an old criminal named Maitland, a man who could neither -read nor write.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a gasp.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why, of course!” said Elk, and smacked his knee impatiently. -“That is the explanation of the baby!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There never was a baby,” smiled “Broad.” “The baby -was Maitland himself, learning to write. The clothes of -the baby, which were planted for your special benefit in -the Elder Street house, were put there by Johnson. The -toys for the baby were inventions to keep you guessing. -There never was a baby. Once he had Maitland properly -coached, he came to London, and Maitlands Consolidated -was formed. Maitland had nothing to do except to sit around -and look picturesque. His alleged clerk, one of the cleverest -actors I have ever met, was the real head of the business, -and remained Maitland’s clerk just as long as it suited him. -When he thought suspicion was veering toward him, he had -himself dismissed; just as, when he thought you had identified -him with the Frog, he made one of his men shoot at him -with a blank cartridge in Harley Terrace. He was the real -Maitland.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In the meantime the Frog organization was growing, -and he sat down to consider how best he could use the society -for his advantage. Money was going out, and he naturally -hated to see it go. New recruits were appearing every day, -and they all cost money. But what he did get from this -rabble were one or two brilliant minds. Balder was one, -Hagn was one, and there were others, who perhaps will now -never be known.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“As the controlling force of Maitlands Consolidated, he -had not the slightest difficulty in disposing of his francs. -And then he set Maitlands speculating in other directions, -and when his speculations were failing, he found ways of -cutting his loss. He was once caught short in a wool transaction—the -Frog maimed the only man who could have -ruined him. Whenever he found it expedient for the benefit -of himself to club a man, whether he was a military attaché -or a very plain City merchant speculating in his own stocks, -Johnson never hesitated. People who were bothering him -were put beyond the opportunities of mischief. He made -one great mistake. He allowed Maitland to live like a hog -in a house he had bought. That was folly. When he found -that the old man had been trailed, he shifted him to Berkeley -Square, got him tailored, and eventually murdered him -for daring to go to Horsham. I saw the murderer escape, -for I was on the roof when the shots were fired. Incidentally, -I had a narrow escape myself.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But to return to my own narrative. Five years ago -I was broke, and I decided to have another attempt to get -my money; and there was also the fact that a very large -sum of money waited reclaiming at Eastleigh, always providing -that I had not been identified as the man who bought -the house. It took me a long time before I made absolutely -certain that I was unknown, and then, with the title deeds -in my pocket, I sailed on a cattle-boat and landed, as you have -said, Mr. Elk, with a few dollars in my pocket, at Southampton. -I went straight to the house, which was now in a shocking -state of repair, and there I made myself as comfortable as I -possibly could whilst, night after night, I toiled in the well -to recover the small box of money, amounting to a very -considerable sum. When this was recovered, I left for Paris, -and the rest, so far as my public history is concerned, you -know.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I then began my search for Frog, and I very soon saw -that, if I depended upon the identification of the tattoo -marks, my search was hopeless. Naturally, when I discovered, -as I soon did, that Maitland was a Frog, I narrowed -my search to that office. I discovered that Maitland was -an illiterate by the simple expedient of stopping him in -the street one day near his house, and showing him an envelope -on which I had written ‘You are a fake,’ and asking him -if he knew the address. He pointed to a house farther along -the street, and hurried in.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I knew that Maitland could neither read nor write when -I learnt that the children’s clothes had been left at Eldor -Street,” said Dick, “and from that moment I knew that -Johnson was the Frog.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Joshua Broad” nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That, I think, is about all I have to say. Johnson was -a genius. The way he handled that huge organization, -which he ran practically in his spare time when he was away -from the office, was a revelation. He drew everybody into -his net, and yet nobody knew him. Balder was a godsend; -he was perhaps the highest paid agent of the lot. You will -find that his income ran into six figures!”</p> - -<p class='line0' style='text-align:center;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:1em;'>* * * * * *</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When “Joshua Broad” had gone back to London, Dick -walked with Elk to the garden gate.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I shan’t be coming up for a little while,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I never expected you would,” said Elk. “Say, Captain -Gordon, what happened to those two wooden boxes that -were in the quarry hut last night?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I didn’t see the boxes.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I saw them,” said Elk, nodding. “They were there -when we took Miss Bennett away, and when I came back -with the police they were gone, and ‘Joshua Broad’ was -there all the time,” he added.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They looked at one another.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t think I should inquire too closely into that matter,” -said Dick. “I owe ‘Broad’ something.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I owe him a bit too,” said Elk with a hint of enthusiasm. -“Do you know, he taught me a rhyme last night? There -are about a hundred and fifty verses, but I only know four. -It starts:</p> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>William the Conqueror started his tricks,</p> -<p class='line0'>Battle of Hastings, ten sixty-six.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='noindent'>That’s a grand rhyme, Captain Gordon. If I’d only known -that ten years ago I might have been a Chief Commissioner -by now!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He walked down the road towards the station, for he -was returning by tram. The sun glittered upon the rain-fringed -banners of the hollyhocks that filled the cottagers’ -gardens. Then from the hedge a tiny green figure hopped, -and Elk stood still and watched it. The little reptile looked -round and eyed the detective with black, staring eyes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Frog,” Elk raised a reproachful finger, “have a heart -and go home—this is not your Day!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And, as if he understood what the man had said, the frog -leaped back to the shelter of the long grass.</p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-top:2em;margin-bottom:2em;'>THE END</p> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'>TRANSCRIBER NOTES</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Misspelled words and printer errors have been corrected. -Where multiple spellings occur, majority use has been -employed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Punctuation has been maintained except where obvious -printer errors occur.</p> - -<p class='line'> </p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE FROG ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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