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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..05ac365 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #69790 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69790) diff --git a/old/69790-0.txt b/old/69790-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 6ddd8ea..0000000 --- a/old/69790-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,12224 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The three Just Men, 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 three Just Men - -Author: Edgar Wallace - -Release Date: January 14, 2023 [eBook #69790] - -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 THREE JUST MEN *** - - - - - - - * * * * * - - [Cover Illustration] - - - - - NOVELS BY - EDGAR WALLACE - - The Black Abbot - Sanders - The Door with Seven Locks - Penelope of the Polyantha - The Day of Uniting - We Shall See - The Four Just Men - The Yellow Snake - The Terrible People - The Three Just Men - The Mind of Mr. J. G. Reeder - The Gaunt Stranger - The Strange Countess - The Sinister Man - Double Dan - The Valley of Ghosts - The Green Archer - The Clue of the New Pin - The Crimson Circle - The Angel of Terror - The Law of the Four Just Men - - HODDER AND - STOUGHTON - Ltd., London - - - - - The - Three Just Men - - - By EDGAR WALLACE - - - H o d d e r a n d S t o u g h t o n - Limited London - - - - -Made and Printed in Great Britain. Butler & Tanner Ltd., Frome and London - - - - - _Contents_ - - I THE FIRM OF OBERZOHN - II THE THREE MEN OF CURZON STREET - III THE VENDETTA - IV THE SNAKE STRIKES - V THE GOLDEN WOMAN - VI IN CHESTER SQUARE - VII “MORAL SUASION” - VIII THE HOUSE OF OBERZOHN - IX BEFORE THE LIGHTS WENT OUT - X WHEN THE LIGHTS WENT OUT - XI GURTHER - XII LEON THEORIZES - XIII MIRABELLE GOES HOME - XIV THE PEDLAR - XV TWO “ACCIDENTS” - XVI RATH HALL - XVII WRITTEN IN BRAILLE - XVIII THE STORY OF MONT D’OR - XIX AT HEAVYTREE FARM - XX GURTHER REPORTS - XXI THE ACCOUNT BOOK - XXII IN THE STORE CELLAR - XXIII THE COURIER - XXIV ON THE NIGHT MAIL - XXV GURTHER RETURNS - XXVI IN CAPTIVITY - XXVII MR. NEWTON’S DILEMMA - XXVIII AT FRATER’S - XXIX WORK FOR GURTHER - XXX JOAN A PRISONER - XXXI THE THINGS IN THE BOX - XXXII THE SEARCH - XXXIII THE SIEGE - XXXIV THE DEATH TUBE - - - - -_Chapter I_ _The Firm of Oberzohn_ - - “£520 p.a. Wanted at once, Laboratory Secretary (lady). Young; - no previous experience required, but must have passed recognized - examination which included physics and inorganic (elementary) - chemistry. Preference will be given to one whose family has some - record in the world of science. Apply by letter, Box 9754, - _Daily Megaphone_. If applicant is asked to interview - advertiser, fare will be paid from any station within a hundred - and fifty miles of London.” - -A GOOD friend sent one of the issues containing this advertisement to -Heavytree Farm and circled the announcement with a blue pencil. - -Mirabelle Leicester found the newspaper on the hall settee when she came -in from feeding the chickens, and thought that it had been sent by the -Alington land agent who was so constantly calling her attention to the -advertisers who wished to buy cheap farms. It was a practice of his. She -had the feeling that he resented her presence in the country, and was -anxious to replace her with a proprietor less poverty-stricken. - -Splitting the wrapper with a dusty thumb, she turned naturally to the -advertisement pages, having the agent in mind. Her eyes went rapidly -down the “Wanted to Buy” column. There were several “gentlemen requiring -small farm in good district,” but none that made any appeal to her, and -she was wondering why the parsimonious man had spent tuppence-ha’penny -on postage and paper when the circled paragraph caught her eye. - -“Glory!” said Mirabelle, her red lips parted in excited wonder. - -Aunt Alma looked up from her press-cutting book, startled as Mirabelle -dashed in. - -“Me!” she said dramatically, and pointed a finger at the advertisement. -“I am young—I have no experience—I have my higher certificate—and -daddy was something in the world of science. And, Alma, we are exactly a -hundred and forty miles from London town!” - -“Dear me!” said Aunt Alma, a lady whose gaunt and terrifying appearance -was the terror of tradesmen and farm hands, though a milder woman never -knitted stockings. - -“Isn’t it wonderful? This solves all our problems. We’ll leave the farm -to Mark, open the flat in Bloomsbury . . . we can afford one or even two -theatres a week . . .” - -Alma read the announcement for the second time. - -“It seems good,” she said with conventional caution, “though I don’t -like the idea of your working, my dear. Your dear father . . .” - -“Would have whisked me up to town and I should have had the job by -to-night,” said Mirabelle definitely. - -But Alma wasn’t sure. London was full of pitfalls and villainy untold -lurked in its alleys and dark passages. She herself never went to London -except under protest. - -“I was there years ago when those horrible Four Just Men were about, my -dear,” she said, and Mirabelle, who loved her, listened to the oft-told -story. “They terrorized London. One couldn’t go out at night with the -certainty that one would come back again alive . . . and to think that -they have had a free pardon! It is simply encouraging crime.” - -“My dear,” said Mirabelle (and this was her inevitable rejoinder), “they -weren’t criminals at all. They were very rich men who gave up their -lives to punishing those whom the law let slip through its greasy old -fingers. And they were pardoned for the intelligence work they did in -the war—one worked for three months in the German War Office—and there -aren’t four at all: there are only three. I’d love to meet them—they -must be dears!” - -When Aunt Alma made a grimace, she was hideous. Mirabelle averted her -eyes. - -“Anyway, they are not in London now, darling,” she said, “and you will -be able to sleep soundly at nights.” - -“What about the snake?” asked Miss Alma Goddard ominously. - -Now if there was one thing which no person contemplating a visit to -London wished to be reminded about, it was the snake. - -Six million people rose from their beds every morning, opened their -newspapers and looked for news of the snake. Eighteen daily newspapers -never passed a day without telling their readers that the scare was -childish and a shocking commentary on the neurotic tendencies of the -age; they also published, at regular intervals, intimate particulars of -the black _mamba_, its habits and its peculiar deadliness, and -maintained quite a large staff of earnest reporters to “work up the -story.” - -The black mamba, most deadly of all the African snakes, had escaped from -the Zoo one cold and foggy night in March. And there should have been -the end of him—a three-line paragraph, followed the next day by another -three-line paragraph detailing how the snake was found dead on the -frozen ground—no mamba could live under a temperature of 75° -Fahrenheit. But the second paragraph never appeared. On the 2nd of April -a policeman found a man huddled up in a doorway in Orme Place. He proved -to be a well known and apparently wealthy stockbroker, named Emmett. He -was dead. In his swollen face were found two tiny punctured wounds, and -the eminent scientist who was called into consultation gave his opinion -that the man had died from snake-bite: an especially deadly snake. The -night was chilly; the man had been to a theatre alone. His chauffeur -stated that he had left his master in the best of spirits on the -doorstep. The key found in the dead man’s hand showed that he was struck -before the car had turned. When his affairs were investigated he was -found to be hopelessly insolvent. Huge sums drawn from his bank six -months before had disappeared. - -London had scarcely recovered from this shocking surprise when the snake -struck again. This time in the crowded street, and choosing a humble -victim, though by no means a blameless one. An ex-convict named Sirk, a -homeless down-and-out, was seen to fall by a park-keeper near the -Achilles statue in Hyde Park. By the time the keeper reached him he was -dead. There was no sign of a snake—nobody was near him. This time the -snake had made his mark on the wrist—two little punctured wounds near -together. - -A month later the third man fell a victim. He was a clerk of the Bank of -England, a reputable man who was seen to fall forward in a subway train, -and, on being removed to hospital, was discovered to have died—again -from snake-bite. - -So that the snake became a daily figure of fear, and its sinister fame -spread even so far afield as Heavytree Farm. - -“Stuff!” said Mirabelle, yet with a shiver. “Alma, I wish you wouldn’t -keep these horrors in your scrap-book.” - -“They are Life,” said Alma soberly, and then: “When will you take up -your appointment?” she asked, and the girl laughed. - -“We will make a beginning right away—by applying for the job,” she said -practically. “And you needn’t start packing your boxes for a very long -time!” - -An hour later she intercepted the village postman and handed him a -letter. - -And that was the beginning of the adventure which involved so many lives -and fortunes, which brought the Three Just Men to the verge of -dissolution, and one day was to turn the heart of London into a -battle-field. - -Two days after the letter was dispatched came the answer, typewritten, -surprisingly personal, and in places curiously worded. There was an -excuse for that, for the heading on the note-paper was - -On the third day Mirabelle Leicester stepped down from a ’bus in the -City Road and entered the unimposing door of Romance, and an inquisitive -chauffeur who saw her enter followed and overtook her in the lobby. - -“Excuse me, madame—are you Mrs. Carter?” - -Mirabelle did not look like Mrs. Anybody. - -“No,” she said, and gave her name. - -“But you’re the lady from Hereford . . . you live with your mother at -Telford Park . . . ?” - -The man was so agitated that she was not annoyed by his insistence. -Evidently he had instructions to meet a stranger and was fearful of -missing her. - -“You have made a mistake—I live at Heavytree Farm, Daynham—with my -aunt.” - -“Is she called Carter?” - -She laughed. - -“Miss Alma Goddard—now are you satisfied?” - -“Then you’re not the lady, miss; I’m waiting to pick her up.” - -The chauffeur withdrew apologetically. - -The girl waited in the ornate ante-room for ten minutes before the pale -youth with the stiff, upstanding hair and the huge rimless spectacles -returned. His face was large, expressionless, unhealthy. Mirabelle had -noted as a curious circumstance that every man she had seen in the -office was of the same type. Big heavy men who gave the impression that -they had been called away from some very urgent work to deal with the -triviality of her inquiries. They were speechless men who glared -solemnly at her through thick lenses and nodded or shook their heads -according to the requirements of the moment. She expected to meet -foreigners in the offices of Oberzohn & Smitts; Germans, she imagined, -and was surprised later to discover that both principals and staff were -in the main Swedish. - -The pale youth, true to the traditions of the house, said nothing: he -beckoned her with a little jerk of his head, and she went into a larger -room, where half a dozen men were sitting at half a dozen desks and -writing furiously, their noses glued short-sightedly to the books and -papers which engaged their attention. Nobody looked up as she passed -through the waist-high gate which separated the caller from the staff. -Hanging upon the wall between two windows was a map of Africa with great -green patches. In one corner of the room were stacked a dozen massive -ivory tusks, each bearing a hanging label. There was the model of a -steamship in a case on a window-ledge, and on another a crudely carved -wooden idol of native origin. - -The youth stopped before a heavy rosewood door and knocked. When a deep -voice answered, he pushed open the door and stood aside to let her pass. -It was a gigantic room—that was the word which occurred to her as most -fitting, and the vast space of it was emphasized by the almost complete -lack of furniture. A very small ebony writing-table, two very small -chairs and a long and narrow black cupboard fitted into a recess were -all the furnishings she could see. The high walls were covered with a -golden paper. Four bright-red rafters ran across the black ceiling—the -floor was completely covered with a deep purple carpet. It seemed that -there was a rolled map above the fire-place—a long thin cord came down -from the cornice and ended in a tassel within reach. - -The room, with its lack of appointments, was so unexpected a vision that -the girl stood staring from walls to roof, until she observed her guide -making urgent signs, and then she advanced towards the man who stood -with his back to the tiny fire that burnt in the silver fire-place. - -He was tall and grey; her first impression was of an enormously high -forehead. The sallow face was long, and nearer at hand, she saw, covered -by innumerable lines and furrows. She judged him to be about fifty until -he spoke, and then she realized that he was much older. - -“Miss Mirabelle Leicester?” - -His English was not altogether perfect; the delivery was queerly -deliberate and he lisped slightly. - -“Pray be seated. I am Dr. Eruc Oberzohn. I am not German. I admire the -Germans, but I am Swedish. You are convinced?” - -She laughed, and when Mirabelle Leicester laughed, less susceptible men -than Dr. Eruc Oberzohn had forgotten all other business. She was not -very tall—her slimness and her symmetrical figure made her appear so. -She had in her face and in her clear grey eyes something of the -country-side; she belonged to the orchards where the apple-blossom lay -like heavy snow upon the bare branches; to the cold brooks that ran -noisily under hawthorn hedges. The April sunlight was in her eyes and -the springy velvet of meadows everlastingly under her feet. - -To Dr. Oberzohn she was a girl in a blue tailor-made costume. He saw -that she wore a little hat with a straight brim that framed her face -just above the lift of her curved eyebrows. A German would have seen -these things, being a hopeless sentimentalist. The doctor was not -German; he loathed their sentimentality. - -“Will you be seated? You have a scientific training?” - -Mirabelle shook her head. - -“I haven’t,” she confessed ruefully, “but I’ve passed in the subjects -you mentioned in your advertisement.” - -“But your father—he was a scientist?” - -She nodded gravely. - -“But not a great scientist,” he stated. “England and America do not -produce such men. Ah, tell me not of your Kelvins, Edisons, and Newtons! -They were incomplete, dull men, ponderous men—the fire was not there.” - -She was somewhat taken aback, but she was amused as well. His calm -dismissal of men who were honoured in the scientific world was so -obviously sincere. - -“Now talk to me of yourself.” He seated himself in the hard, -straight-backed chair by the little desk. - -“I’m afraid there is very little I can tell you, Dr. Oberzohn. I live -with my aunt at Heavytree Farm in Gloucester, and we have a flat in -Doughty Court. My aunt and I have a small income—and I think that is -all.” - -“Go on, please,” he commanded. “Tell me of your sensations when you had -my letter—I desire to know your mind. That is how I form all opinions; -that is how I made my immense fortune. By the analysis of the mind.” - -She had expected many tests; an examination in elementary science; a -typewriting test possibly (she dreaded this most); but she never for one -moment dreamt that the flowery letter asking her to call at the City -Road offices of Oberzohn & Smitts would lead to an experiment in -psycho-analysis. - -“I can only tell you that I was surprised,” she said, and the tightening -line of her mouth would have told him a great deal if he were the -student of human nature he claimed to be. “Naturally the salary appeals -to me—ten pounds a week is such a high rate of pay that I cannot think -I am qualified——” - -“You are qualified.” His harsh voice grew more strident as he impressed -this upon her. “I need a laboratory secretary. You are qualified”—he -hesitated, and then went on—“by reason of distinguished parentage. -Also”—he hesitated again for a fraction of a second—“also because of -general education. Your duties shall commence soon!” He waved a long, -thin hand to the door in the corner of the room. “You will take your -position at once,” he said. - -The long face, the grotesquely high forehead, the bulbous nose and wide, -crooked mouth all seemed to work together when he spoke. At one moment -the forehead was full of pleats and furrows—at the next, comparatively -smooth. The point of his nose dipped up and down at every word, only his -small, deep-set eyes remained steadfast, unwinking. She had seen eyes -like those before, brown and pathetic. Of what did they remind her? His -last words brought her to the verge of panic. - -“Oh, I could not possibly start to-day,” she said in trepidation. - -“To-day, or it shall be never,” he said with an air of finality. - -She had to face a crisis. The salary was more than desirable; it was -necessary. The farm scarcely paid its way, for Alma was not the best of -managers. And the income grew more and more attenuated. Last year the -company in which her meagre fortune was invested had passed a dividend -and she had to give up her Swiss holiday. - -“I’ll start now.” She had to set her teeth to make this resolve. - -“Very good; that is my wish.” - -He was still addressing her as though she were a public meeting. Rising -from his chair, he opened the little door and she went into a smaller -room. She had seen laboratories, but none quite so beautifully fitted as -this—shelf upon shelf of white porcelain jars, of cut-glass bottles, -their contents engraved in frosted letters; a bench that ran the length -of the room, on which apparatus of every kind was arranged in order. In -the centre of the room ran a long, glass-topped table, and here, in -dustproof glass, were delicate instruments, ranging from scales which -she knew could be influenced by a grain of dust, to electrical machines, -so complicated that her heart sank at the sight of them. - -“What must I do?” she asked dismally. - -Everything was so beautifully new; she was sure she would drop one of -those lovely jars . . . all the science of the school laboratory had -suddenly drained out of her mind, leaving it a blank. - -“You will do.” Remarkably enough, the doctor for the moment seemed as -much at a loss as the girl. “First—quantities. In every jar or bottle -there is a quantity. How much? Who knows? The last secretary was -careless, stupid. She kept no book. Sometimes I go for something—it is -not there! All gone. That is very regrettable.” - -“You wish me to take stock?” she asked, her hopes reviving at the -simplicity of her task. - -There were measures and scales enough. The latter stood in a line like a -platoon of soldiers ranged according to their size. Everything was very -new, very neat. There was a smell of drying enamel in the room as though -the place had been newly painted. - -“That is all,” said the long-faced man. - -He put his hand in the pocket of his frock-coat and took out a large -wallet. From this he withdrew two crisp notes. - -“Ten pounds,” he said briefly. “We pay already in advance. There is one -more thing I desire to know,” he said. “It is of the aunt. She is in -London?” - -Mirabelle shook her head. - -“No, she is in the country. I expected to go back this afternoon, and if -I was—successful, we were coming to town to-morrow.” - -He pursed his thickish lips; she gazed fascinated at his long forehead -rippled in thought. - -“It will be a nervous matter for her if you stay in London -to-night—no?” - -She smiled and shook her head. - -“No. I will stay at the flat; I have often stayed there alone, but even -that will not be necessary. I will wire asking her to come up by the -first train.” - -“Wait.” He raised a pompous hand and darted back to his room. He -returned with a packet of telegraph forms. “Write your telegram,” he -commanded. “A clerk shall dispatch it at once.” - -Gratefully she took the blanks and wrote her news and request. - -“Thank you,” she said. - -Mr. Oberzohn bowed, went to the door, bowed again, and the door closed -behind him. - -Fortunately for her peace of mind, Mirabelle Leicester had no occasion -to consult her employer or attempt to open the door. Had she done so, -she would have discovered that it was locked. As for the telegram she -had written, that was a curl of black ash in his fire. - -_Chapter II_ _The Three Men of Curzon Street_ - -NO. 233, Curzon Street, was a small house. Even the most enthusiastic -of agents would not, if he had any regard to his soul’s salvation, -describe its dimensions with any enthusiasm. He might enlarge upon its -bijou beauties, refer reverently to its historical association, speak -truthfully of its central heating and electric installation, but he -would, being an honest man, convey the impression that No. 233 was on -the small side. - -The house was flanked by two modern mansions, stone-fronted, with metal -and glass doors that gave out a blur of light by night. Both overtopped -the modest roof of their neighbour by many stories—No. 233 had the -appearance of a little man crushed in a crowd and unable to escape, and -there was in its mild frontage the illusion of patient resignation and -humility. - -To that section of Curzon Street wherein it had its place, the house was -an offence and was, in every but a legal sense, a nuisance. A learned -Chancery judge to whom application had been made on behalf of -neighbouring property owners, ground landlords and the like, had refused -to grant the injunction for which they had pleaded, “prohibiting the -said George Manfred from carrying on a business, to wit the Triangle -Detective Agency, situate at the aforesaid number two hundred and -thirty-three Curzon Street in the City of Westminster in the County of -Middlesex.” - -In a judgment which occupied a third of a column of _The Times_ he laid -down the dictum that a private detective might be a professional rather -than a business man—a dictum which has been, and will be, disputed to -the end of time. - -So the little silver triangle remained fixed to the door, and he -continued to interview his clients—few in number, for he was most -careful to accept only those who offered scope for his genius. - -A tall, strikingly handsome man, with the face of a patrician and the -shoulders of an athlete, Curzon Street—or such of the street as took -the slightest notice of anything—observed him to be extremely well -dressed on all occasions. He was a walking advertisement for a Hanover -Street tailor who was so fashionable that he would have died with horror -at the very thought of advertising at all. Car folk held up at busy -crossings glanced into his limousine, saw the clean-cut profile and the -tanned, virile face, and guessed him for a Harley Street specialist. -Very few people knew him socially. Dr. Elver, the Scotland Yard surgeon, -used to come up to Curzon Street at times and give his fantastic views -on the snake and its appearances, George Manfred and his friends -listening in silence and offering no help. But apart from Elver and an -Assistant Commissioner of Police, a secretive man, who dropped in at odd -moments to smoke a pipe and talk of old times, the social callers were -few and far between. - -His chauffeur-footman was really better known than he. At the mews where -he garaged his car, they called him “Lightning,” and it was generally -agreed that this thin-faced, eager-eyed man would sooner or later meet -the end which inevitably awaits all chauffeurs who take sharp corners on -two wheels at sixty miles an hour: some of the critics had met the big -Spanz on the road and had reproached him afterwards, gently or -violently, according to the degree of their scare. - -Few knew Mr. Manfred’s butler, a dark-browed foreigner, rather stout and -somewhat saturnine. He was a man who talked very little even to the cook -and the two housemaids who came every morning at eight and left the -house punctually at six, for Mr. Manfred dined out most nights. - -He advertised only in the more exclusive newspapers, and not in his own -name; no interviews were granted except by appointment, so that the -arrival of Mr. Sam Barberton was in every sense an irregularity. - -He knocked at the door just as the maids were leaving, and since they -knew little about Manfred and his ways except that he liked poached eggs -and spinach for breakfast, the stranger was allowed to drift into the -hall, and here the taciturn butler, hastily summoned from his room, -found him. - -The visitor was a stubby, thick-set man with a brick-red face and a head -that was both grey and bald. His dress and his speech were equally -rough. The butler saw that he was no ordinary artisan because his boots -were of a kind known as _veldtschoons_. They were of undressed leather, -patchily bleached by the sun. - -“I want to see the boss of this Triangle,” he said in a loud voice, and, -diving into his waistcoat pocket, brought out a soiled newspaper -cutting. - -The butler took it from him without a word. It was the _Cape Times_—he -would have known by the type and the spacing even if on the back there -had not been printed the bisected notice of a church bazaar at Wynberg. -The butler studied such things. - -“I am afraid that you cannot see Mr. Manfred without an appointment,” he -said. His voice and manner were most unexpectedly gentle in such a -forbidding man. - -“I’ve got to see him, if I sit here all night,” said the man stubbornly, -and symbolized his immovability by squatting down in the hall chair. - -Not a muscle of the servant’s face moved. It was impossible to tell -whether he was angry or amused. - -“I got this cutting out of a paper I found on the _Benguella_—she -docked at Tilbury this afternoon—and I came straight here. I should -never have dreamt of coming at all, only I want fair play for all -concerned. That Portuguese feller with a name like a cigar—Villa, -that’s it!—he said, ‘What’s the good of going to London when we can -settle everything on board ship?’ But half-breed Portuguese! My God, I’d -rather deal with bushmen! Bushmen are civilized—look here.” - -Before the butler realized what the man was doing, he had slipped off -one of his ugly shoes. He wore no sock or stocking underneath, and he -upturned the sole of his bare foot for inspection. The flesh was seamed -and puckered into red weals, and the butler knew the cause. - -“Portuguese,” said the visitor tersely as he resumed his shoe. “Not -niggers—Portugooses—half-bred, I’ll admit. They burnt me to make me -talk, and they’d have killed me only one of those hell-fire American -traders came along—full of fight and fire-water. He brought me into the -town.” - -“Where was this?” asked the butler. - -“Mosamades: I went ashore to look round, like a fool. I was on a Woerman -boat that was going up to Boma. The skipper was a Hun, but white—he -warned me.” - -“And what did they want to know from you?” - -The caller shot a suspicious glance at his interrogator. - -“Are you the boss?” he demanded. - -“No—I’m Mr. Manfred’s butler. What name shall I tell him?” - -“Barberton—Mister Samuel Barberton. Tell him I want certain things -found out. The address of a young lady by the name of Miss Mirabelle -Leicester. And I’ll tell your governor something too. This Portugoose -got drunk one night, and spilled it about the fort they’ve got in -England. Looks like a house but it’s a fort: he went there. . . .” - -No, he was not drunk; stooping to pick up an imaginary match-stalk, the -butler’s head had come near the visitor; there was a strong aroma of -tobacco but not of drink. - -“Would you very kindly wait?” he asked, and disappeared up the stairs. - -He was not gone long before he returned to the first landing and -beckoned Mr. Barberton to come. The visitor was ushered into a room at -the front of the house, a small room, which was made smaller by the long -grey velvet curtains that hung behind the empire desk where Manfred was -standing. - -“This is Mr. Barberton, sir,” said the butler, bowed, and went out, -closing the door. - -“Sit down, Mr. Barberton.” He indicated a chair and seated himself. “My -butler tells me you have quite an exciting story to tell me—you are -from the Cape?” - -“No, I’m not,” said Mr. Barberton. “I’ve never been at the Cape in my -life.” - -The man behind the desk nodded. - -“Now, if you will tell me——” - -“I’m not going to tell you much,” was the surprisingly blunt reply. -“It’s not likely that I’m going to tell a stranger what I wouldn’t even -tell Elijah Washington—and he saved my life!” - -Manfred betrayed no resentment at this cautious attitude. In that room -he had met many clients who had shown the same reluctance to accept him -as their confidant. Yet he had at the back of his mind the feeling that -this man, unlike the rest, might remain adamant to the end: he was -curious to discover the real object of the visit. - -Barberton drew his chair nearer the writing-table and rested his elbows -on the edge. - -“It’s like this, Mr. What’s-your-name. There’s a certain secret which -doesn’t belong to me, and yet does in a way. It is worth a lot of money. -Mr. Elijah Washington knew that and tried to pump me, and Villa got a -gang of Kroomen to burn my feet, but I’ve not told yet. What I want you -to do is to find Miss Mirabelle Leicester; and I want to get her quick, -because there’s only about two weeks, if you understand me, before this -other crowd gets busy—Villa is certain to have cabled ’em, and -according to him they’re hot!” - -Mr. Manfred leant back in his padded chair, the glint of an amused smile -in his grey eyes. - -“I take it that what you want us to do is to find Miss Leicester?” - -The man nodded energetically. - -“Have you the slightest idea as to where she is to be found? Has she any -relations in England?” - -“I don’t know,” interrupted the man. “All I know is that she lives here -somewhere, and that her father died three years ago, on the twenty-ninth -of May—make a note of that: he died in England on the twenty-ninth of -May.” - -That was an important piece of information, and it made the search easy, -thought Manfred. - -“And you’re going to tell me about the fort, aren’t you?” he said, as he -looked up from his notes. - -Barberton hesitated. - -“I was,” he admitted, “but I’m not so sure that I will now, until I’ve -found this young lady. And don’t forget”—he rapped the table to -emphasize his words—“that crowd is hot!” - -“Which crowd?” asked Manfred good-humouredly. He knew many “crowds,” and -wondered if it was about one which was in his mind that the caller was -speaking. - -“The crowd I’m talking about,” said Mr. Barberton, who spoke with great -deliberation and was evidently weighing every word he uttered for fear -that he should involuntarily betray his secret. - -That seemed to be an end of his requirements, for he rose and stood a -little awkwardly, fumbling in his inside pocket. - -“There is nothing to pay,” said Manfred, guessing his intention. -“Perhaps, when we have located your Miss Mirabelle Leicester, we shall -ask you to refund our out-of-pocket expenses.” - -“I can afford to pay——” began the man. - -“And we can afford to wait.” Again the gleam of amusement in the deep -eyes. - -Still Mr. Barberton did not move. - -“There’s another thing I meant to ask you. You know all that’s happening -in this country?” - -“Not quite everything,” said the other with perfect gravity. - -“Have you ever heard of the Four Just Men?” - -It was a surprising question. Manfred bent forward as though he had not -heard aright. - -“The Four——?” - -“The Four Just Men—three, as a matter of fact. I’d like to get in touch -with those birds.” - -Manfred nodded. - -“I think I have heard of them,” he said. - -“They’re in England now somewhere. They’ve got a pardon: I saw that in -the _Cape Times_—the bit I tore the advertisement from.” - -“The last I heard of them, they were in Spain,” said Manfred, and walked -round the table and opened the door. “Why do you wish to get in touch -with them?” - -“Because,” said Mr. Barberton impressively, “the crowd are scared of -’em—that’s why.” - -Manfred walked with his visitor to the landing. - -“You have omitted one important piece of information,” he said with a -smile, “but I did not intend your going until you told me. What is your -address?” - -“Petworth Hotel, Norfolk Street.” - -Barberton went down the stairs; the butler was waiting in the hall to -show him out, and Mr. Barberton, having a vague idea that something of -the sort was usual in the houses of the aristocracy, slipped a silver -coin in his hand. The dark-faced man murmured his thanks: his bow was -perhaps a little lower, his attitude just a trifle more deferential. - -He closed and locked the front door and went slowly up the stairs to the -office room. Manfred was sitting on the empire table, lighting a -cigarette. The chauffeur-valet had come through the grey curtains to -take the chair which had been vacated by Mr. Barberton. - -“He gave me half a crown—generous fellow,” said Poiccart, the butler. -“I like him, George.” - -“I wish I could have seen his feet,” said the chauffeur, whose veritable -name was Leon Gonsalez. He spoke with regret. “He comes from West -Sussex, and there is insanity in his family. The left parietal is -slightly recessed and the face is asymmetrical.” - -“Poor soul!” murmured Manfred, blowing a cloud of smoke to the ceiling. -“It’s a great trial introducing one’s friends to you, Leon.” - -“Fortunately, you have no friends,” said Leon, reaching out and taking a -cigarette from the open gold case on the table. “Well, what do you think -of our Mr. Barberton’s mystery?” - -George Manfred shook his head. - -“He was vague, and, in his desire to be diplomatic, a little incoherent. -What about your own mystery, Leon? You have been out all day . . . have -you found a solution?” - -Gonsalez nodded. - -“Barberton is afraid of something,” said Poiccart, a slow and sure -analyst. “He carried a gun between his trousers and his waistcoat—you -saw that?” - -George nodded. - -“The question is, who or which is the crowd? Question two is, where and -who is Miss Mirabelle Leicester? Question three is, why did they burn -Barberton’s feet . . . and I think that is all.” - -The keen face of Gonsalez was thrust forward through a cloud of smoke. - -“I will answer most of them and propound two more,” he said. “Mirabelle -Leicester took a job to-day at Oberzohn’s—laboratory secretary!” - -George Manfred frowned. - -“Laboratory? I didn’t know that he had one.” - -“He hadn’t till three days ago—it was fitted in seventy-two hours by -experts who worked day and night; the cost of its installation was -sixteen hundred pounds—and it came into existence to give Oberzohn an -excuse for engaging Mirabelle Leicester. You sent me out to clear up -that queer advertisement which puzzled us all on Monday—I have cleared -it up. It was designed to bring our Miss Leicester into the Oberzohn -establishment. We all agreed when we discovered who was the advertiser, -that Oberzohn was working for something—I watched his office for two -days, and she was the only applicant for the job—hers the only letter -they answered. Oberzohn lunched with her at the Ritz-Carlton—she sleeps -to-night in Chester Square.” - -There was a silence which was broken by Poiccart. - -“And what is the question you have to propound?” he asked mildly. - -“I think I know,” said Manfred, and nodded. “The question is: how long -has Mr. Samuel Barberton to live?” - -“Exactly,” said Gonsalez with satisfaction. “You are beginning to -understand the mentality of Oberzohn!” - -_Chapter III_ _The Vendetta_ - -THE man who that morning walked without announcement into Dr. -Oberzohn’s office might have stepped from the pages of a catalogue of -men’s fashions. He was, to the initiated eye, painfully new. His lemon -gloves, his dazzling shoes, the splendour of his silk hat, the very -correctness of his handkerchief display, would have been remarkable even -in the Ascot paddock on Cup day. He was good-looking, smooth, if a -trifle plump, of face, and he wore a tawny little moustache and a -monocle. People who did not like Captain Monty Newton—and their names -were many—said of him that he aimed at achieving the housemaid’s -conception of a guardsman. They did not say this openly, because he was -a man to be propitiated rather than offended. He had money, a place in -the country, a house in Chester Square, and an assortment of cars. He -was a member of several good clubs, the committees of which never -discussed him without offering the excuse of war-time courtesies for his -election. Nobody knew how he made his money, or, if it were inherited, -whose heir he was. He gave extravagant parties, played cards well, and -enjoyed exceptional luck, especially when he was the host and held the -bank after one of the splendid dinners he gave in his Chester Square -mansion. - -“Good morning, Oberzohn—how is Smitts?” - -It was his favourite jest, for there was no Smitts, and had been no -Smitts in the firm since ’96. - -The doctor, peering down at the telegram he was writing, looked up. - -“Good morning, Captain Newton,” he said precisely. - -Newton passed to the back of him and read the message he was writing. It -was addressed to “Miss Alma Goddard, Heavytree Farm, Daynham, -Gloucester,” and the wire ran: - - “Have got the fine situation. Cannot expeditiously return - to-night. I am sleeping at our pretty flat in Doughty Court. Do - not come up until I send for you.—=Miss Mirabelle - Leicester.=” - -“She’s here, is she?” Captain Newton glanced at the laboratory door. -“You’re not going to send that wire? ‘Miss Mirabelle Leicester!’ -‘Expeditiously return!’ She’d tumble it in a minute. Who is Alma -Goddard?” - -“The aunt,” said Oberzohn. “I did not intend the dispatching until you -had seen it. My English is too correct.” - -He made way for Captain Newton, who, having taken a sheet of paper from -the rack on which to deposit with great care his silk hat, and having -stripped his gloves and deposited them in his hat, sat down in the chair -from which the older man had risen, pulled up the knees of his -immaculate trousers, tore off the top telegraph form, and wrote under -the address: - - “Have got the job. Hooray! Don’t bother to come up, darling, - until I am settled. Shall sleep at the flat as usual. Too busy - to write. Keep my letters.—MIRABELLE.” - -“That’s real,” said Captain Newton, surveying his work with -satisfaction. “Push it off.” - -He got up and straddled his legs before the fire. - -“The hard part of the job may be to persuade the lady to come to Chester -Square,” he said. - -“My own little house——” began Oberzohn. - -“Would scare her to death,” said Newton with a loud laugh. “That -dog-kennel! No, it is Chester Square or nothing. I’ll get Joan or one of -the girls to drop in this afternoon and chum up with her. When does the -_Benguella_ arrive?” - -“This afternoon: the person has booked rooms by radio at the Petworth -Hotel.” - -“Norfolk Street . . . humph! One of your men can pick him up and keep an -eye on him. Lisa? So much the better. That kind of trash will talk for a -woman. I don’t suppose he has seen a white woman in years. You ought to -fire Villa—crude beast! Naturally the man is on his guard now.” - -“Villa is the best of my men on the coast,” barked Oberzohn fiercely. -Nothing so quickly touched the raw places of his amazing vanity as a -reflection upon his organizing qualities. - -“How is trade?” - -Captain Newton took a long ebony holder from his tail pocket, flicked -out a thin platinum case and lit a cigarette in one uninterrupted -motion. - -“Bat!” When Dr. Oberzohn was annoyed the purity of his pronunciation -suffered. “There is nothing but expense!” - -Oberzohn & Smitts had once made an enormous income from the sale of -synthetic alcohol. They were, amongst other things, coast traders. They -bought rubber and ivory, paying in cloth and liquor. They sold arms -secretly, organized tribal wars for their greater profit, and had -financed at least two Portuguese revolutions nearer at home. And with -the growth of their fortune, the activities of the firm had extended. -Guns and more guns went out of Belgian and French workshops. To Kurdish -insurrectionaries, to ambitious Chinese generals, to South American -politicians, planning to carry their convictions into more active -fields. There was no country in the world that did not act as host to an -O. & S. agent—and agents can be very expensive. Just now the world was -alarmingly peaceful. A revolution had failed most dismally in Venezuela, -and Oberzohn & Smitts had not been paid for two ship-loads of lethal -weapons ordered by a general who, two days after the armaments were -landed, had been placed against an _adobe_ wall and incontinently shot -to rags by the soldiers of the Government against which he was in -rebellion. - -“But that shall not matter.” Oberzohn waved bad trade from the -considerable factors of life. “This shall succeed: and then I shall be -free to well punish——” - -“To punish well,” corrected the purist, stroking his moustache. “Don’t -split your infinitives, Eruc—it’s silly. You’re thinking of Manfred and -Gonsalez and Poiccart? Leave them alone. They are nothing!” - -“Nothing!” roared the doctor, his sallow face instantly distorted with -fury. “To leave them alone, is it? Of my brother what? Of my brother in -heaven, sainted martyr . . . !” - -He spun round, gripped the silken tassel of the cord above the -fire-place, and pulled down, not a map, but a picture. It had been -painted from a photograph by an artist who specialized in the gaudy -banners which hang before every booth at every country fair. In this -setting the daub was a shrieking incongruity; yet to Dr. Oberzohn it -surpassed in beauty the masterpieces of the Prado. A full-length -portrait of a man in a frock-coat. He leaned on a pedestal in the -attitude which cheap photographers believe is the acme of grace. His big -face, idealized as it was by the artist, was brutal and stupid. The -carmine lips were parted in a simper. In one hand he held a scroll of -paper, in the other a Derby hat which was considerably out of drawing. - -“My brother!” Dr. Oberzohn choked. “My sainted Adolph . . . murdered! By -the so-called Three Just Men . . . my brother!” - -“Very interesting,” murmured Captain Newton, who had not even troubled -to look up. He flicked the ash from his cigarette into the fire-place -and said no more. - -Adolph Oberzohn had certainly been shot dead by Leon Gonsalez: there was -no disputing the fact. That Adolph, at the moment of his death, was -attempting to earn the generous profits which come to those who engage -in a certain obnoxious trade between Europe and the South American -states, was less open to question. There was a girl in it: Leon followed -his man to Porto Rico, and in the Café of the Seven Virtues they had -met. Adolph was by training a gunman and drew first—and died first. -That was the story of Adolph Oberzohn: the story of a girl whom Leon -Gonsalez smuggled back to Europe belongs elsewhere. She fell in love -with her rescuer and frightened him sick. - -Dr. Oberzohn let the portrait roll up with a snap, blew his nose -vigorously, and blinked the tears from his pale eyes. - -“Yes, very sad, very sad,” said the captain cheerfully. “Now what about -this girl? There is to be nothing rough or raw, you understand, Eruc? I -want the thing done sweetly. Get that bug of the Just Men out of your -mind—they are out of business. When a man lowers himself to run a -detective agency he’s a back number. If they start anything we’ll deal -with them scientifically, eh? Scientifically!” - -He chuckled with laughter at this good joke. It was obvious that Captain -Newton was no dependant on the firm of Oberzohn & Smitts. If he was not -the dominant partner, he dominated that branch which he had once served -in a minor capacity. He owed much to the death of Adolph—he never -regretted the passing of that unsavoury man. - -“I’ll get one of the girls to look her over this afternoon—where is -your telephone pad—the one you write messages received?” - -The doctor opened a drawer of his desk and took out a little memo pad, -and Newton found a pencil and wrote: - - “To Mirabelle Leicester, care Oberzohn (Phone) London. Sorry I - can’t come up to-night. Don’t sleep at flat alone. Have wired - Joan Newton to put you up for night. She will call.—ALMA.” - -“There you are,” said the gallant captain, handing the pad to the other. -“That message came this afternoon. All telegrams to Oberzohn come by -’phone—never forget it!” - -“Ingenious creature!” Dr. Oberzohn’s admiration was almost reverential. - -“Take her out to lunch . . . after lunch, the message. At four o’clock, -Joan or one of the girls. A select dinner. To-morrow the office . . . -gently, gently. Bull-rush these schemes and your plans die the death of -a dog.” - -He glanced at the door once more. - -“She won’t come out, I suppose?” he suggested. “Deuced awkward if she -came out and saw Miss Newton’s brother!” - -“I have locked the door,” said Dr. Oberzohn proudly. - -Captain Newton’s attitude changed: his face went red with sudden fury. - -“Then you’re a—you’re a fool! Unlock the door when I’ve gone—and keep -it unlocked! Want to frighten her?” - -“It was my idea to risk nothing,” pleaded the long-faced Swede. - -“Do as I tell you.” - -Captain Newton brushed his speckless coat with the tips of his fingers. -He pulled on his gloves, fitted his hat with the aid of a small -pocket-mirror he took from his inside pocket, took up his clouded cane -and strolled from the room. - -“Ingenious creature,” murmured Dr. Oberzohn again, and went in to offer -the startled Mirabelle an invitation to lunch. - -_Chapter IV_ _The Snake Strikes_ - -THE great restaurant, with its atmosphere of luxury and wealth, had -been a little overpowering. The crowded tables, the soft lights, the -very capability and nonchalance of the waiters, were impressive. When -her new employer had told her that it was his practice to take the -laboratory secretary to lunch, “for I have no other time to speak of -business things,” she accepted uncomfortably. She knew little of office -routine, but she felt that it was not customary for principals to drive -their secretaries from the City Road to the Ritz-Carlton to lunch -expensively at that resort of fashion and the epicure. It added nothing -to her self-possession that her companion was an object of interest to -all who saw him. The gay luncheon-parties forgot their dishes and -twisted round to stare at the extraordinary-looking man with the high -forehead. - -At a little table alone she saw a man whose face was tantalizingly -familiar. A keen, thin face with eager, amused eyes. Where had she seen -him before? Then she remembered: the chauffeur had such a face—the man -who had followed her into Oberzohn’s when she arrived that morning. It -was absurd, of course; this man was one of the leisured class, to whom -lunching at the Ritz-Carlton was a normal event. And yet the likeness -was extraordinary. - -She was glad when the meal was over. Dr. Oberzohn did not talk of -“business things.” He did not talk at all, but spent his time shovelling -incredible quantities of food through his wide slit of a mouth. He ate -intently, noisily—Mirabelle was glad the band was playing, and she went -red with suppressed laughter at the whimsical thought; and after that -she felt less embarrassed. - -No word was spoken as the big car sped citywards. The doctor had his -thoughts and ignored her presence. The only reference he made to the -lunch was as they were leaving the hotel, when he had condescended to -grunt a bitter complaint about the quality of English-made coffee. - -He allowed her to go back to her weighing and measuring without -displaying the slightest interest in her progress. - -And then came the crowning surprise of the afternoon—it followed the -arrival of a puzzling telegram from her aunt. She was weighing an -evil-smelling mass of powder when the door opened and there floated into -the room a delicate-looking girl, beautifully dressed. A small face -framed in a mass of little golden-brown curls smiled a greeting. - -“You’re Mirabelle Leicester, aren’t you? I’m Joan Newton—your aunt -wired me to call on you.” - -“Do you know my aunt?” asked Mirabelle in astonishment. She had never -heard Alma speak of the Newtons, but then, Aunt Alma had queer -reticences. Mirabelle had expected a middle-aged dowd—it was amazing -that her unprepossessing relative could claim acquaintance with this -society butterfly. - -“Oh, yes—we know Alma very well,” replied the visitor. “Of course, I -haven’t seen her since I was _quite_ a little girl—she’s a dear.” - -She looked round the laboratory with curious interest. - -“What a nasty-smelling place!” she said, her nose upturned. “And how do -you like old—er—Mr. Oberzohn?” - -“Do you know him?” asked Mirabelle, astounded at the possibility of this -coincidence. - -“My brother knows him—we live together, my brother and I, and he knows -everybody. A man about town has to, hasn’t he, dear?” - -“Man about town” was an expression that grated a little; Mirabelle was -not of the “dearing” kind. The combination of errors in taste made her -scrutinize the caller more closely. Joan Newton was dressed beautifully -but not well. There was something . . . Had Mirabelle a larger knowledge -of life, she might have thought that the girl had been dressed to play -the part of a lady by somebody who wasn’t quite sure of the constituents -of the part. Captain Newton she did not know at the time, or she would -have guessed the dress authority. - -“I’m going to take you back to Chester Square after Mr. Oberzohn—such a -funny name, isn’t it?—has done with you. Monty insisted upon my -bringing the Rolls. Monty is my brother; he’s rather classical.” - -Mirabelle wondered whether this indicated a love of the Greek poets or a -passion for the less tuneful operas. Joan (which was her real name) -meant no more than classy: it was a favourite word of hers; another was -“morbid.” - -Half an hour later the inquisitive chauffeur put his foot on the starter -and sent his car on the trail of the Rolls, wondering what Mirabelle -Leicester had in common with Joan Alice Murphy, who had brought so many -rich young men to the green board in Captain Newton’s beautiful -drawing-room, where stakes ran high and the captain played with such -phenomenal luck. - - * * * * * - -“And there you are,” said Gonsalez complacently. “I’ve done a very good -day’s work. Oberzohn has gone back to his rabbit-hutch to think up new -revolutions—Miss Mirabelle Leicester is to be found at 307, Chester -Square. Now the point is, what do we do to save the valuable life of Mr. -Sam Barberton?” - -Manfred looked grave. - -“I hardly like the thought of the girl spending the night in Newton’s -house,” he said. - -“Why allow her to remain there?” asked Poiccart in his heavy way. - -“Exactly!” Leon nodded. - -George Manfred looked at his watch. - -“Obviously the first person to see is friend Barberton,” he said. “If we -can prevail on him to spend the evening with us, the rest is a simple -matter——” - -The telephone bell rang shrilly and Leon Gonsalez monopolized the -instrument. - -“Gloucester? Yes.” He covered the receiver with his hand. “I took the -liberty of asking Miss Alma Goddard to ring me up . . . her address I -discovered very early in the day: Heavytree Farm, Daynham, near -Gloucester . . . yes, yes, it is Mr. Johnson speaking. I wanted to ask -you if you would take a message to Miss Leicester . . . oh, she isn’t at -home?” Leon listened attentively, and, after a few minutes: “Thank you -very much. She is staying at Doughty Court? She wired you . . . oh, -nothing very important. I—er—am her old science master and I saw an -advertisement . . . oh, she has seen it, has she?” - -He hung up the receiver. - -“Nothing to go on,” he said. “The girl has wired to say she is delighted -with her job. The aunt is not to come up until she is settled, and -Mirabelle is sleeping at Doughty Court.” - -“And a very excellent place too,” said Manfred. “When we’ve seen Mr. -Barberton I shouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t sleep there after all.” - -Petworth Hotel in Norfolk Street was a sedate residential hostel, -greatly favoured by overseas visitors, especially South Africans. The -reception clerk thought Mr. Barberton was out: the hall porter was sure. - -“He went down to the Embankment—he said he’d like to see the river -before it was dark,” said that confidant of so many visitors. - -Manfred stepped into the car by Leon’s side—Poiccart seldom went -abroad, but sat at home piecing together the little jigsaw puzzles of -life that came to Curzon Street for solution. He was the greatest of all -the strategists: even Scotland Yard brought some of its problems for his -inspection. - -“On the Embankment?” Manfred looked up at the blue and pink sky. The sun -had gone down, but the light of day remained. “If it were darker I -should be worried . . . stop, there’s Dr. Elver.” - -The little police surgeon who had passed them with a cheery wave of his -hand turned and walked back. - -“Well, Children of the Law”—he was inclined to be dramatic—“on what -dread errand of vengeance are you bound?” - -“We are looking for a man named Barberton to ask him to dinner,” said -Manfred, shaking hands. - -“Sounds tame to me: has he any peculiarities which would appeal to me?” - -“Burnt feet,” said Leon promptly. “If you would like to learn how the -coastal intelligence department extract information from unwilling -victims, come along.” - -Elver hesitated. He was a man burnt up by the Indian suns, wizened like -a dried yellow apple, and he had no interest in the world beyond his -work. - -“I’ll go with you,” he said, stepping into the car. “And if your -Barberton man fails you, you can have me as a guest. I like to hear you -talking. One cannot know too much of the criminal mind! And life is dull -since the snake stopped biting!” - -The car made towards Blackfriars Bridge, and Manfred kept watch of the -sidewalk. There was no sign of Barberton, and he signalled Leon to turn -and come back. This brought the machine to the Embankment side of the -broad boulevard. They had passed under Waterloo Bridge and were nearing -Cleopatra’s Needle when Gonsalez saw the man they were seeking. - -He was leaning against the parapet, his elbows on the coping and his -head sunk forward as though he were studying the rush of the tide below. -The car pulled up near a policeman who was observing the lounger -thoughtfully. The officer recognized the police surgeon and saluted. - -“Can’t understand that bird, sir,” he said. “He’s been standing there -for ten minutes—I’m keeping an eye on him because he looks to me like a -suicide who’s thinkin’ it over!” - -Manfred approached the man, and suddenly, with a shock, saw his face. It -was set in a grin—the eyes were wide open, the skin a coppery red. - -“Elver! Leon!” - -As Leon sprang from the car, Manfred touched the man’s shoulder and he -fell limply to the ground. In a second the doctor was on his knees by -the side of the still figure. - -“Dead,” he said laconically, and then: “Good God!” - -He pointed to the neck, where a red patch showed. - -“What is that?” asked Manfred steadily. - -“The snake!” said the doctor. - -_Chapter V_ _The Golden Woman_ - -BARBERTON had been stricken down in the heart of London, under the -very eyes of the policeman, it proved. - -“Yes, sir, I’ve had him under observation for a quarter of an hour. I -saw him walking along the Embankment, admiring the view, long before he -stopped here.” - -“Did anybody go near him or speak to him?” asked Dr. Elver, looking up. - -“No, sir, he stood by himself. I’ll swear that nobody was within two -yards of him. Of course, people have been passing to and fro, but I have -been looking at him all the time, and I’ve not seen man or woman within -yards of him, and my eyes were never off him.” - -A second policeman had appeared on the scene, and he was sent across to -Scotland Yard in Manfred’s car, for the ambulance and the police -reserves necessary to clear and keep in circulation the gathering crowd. -These returned simultaneously, and the two friends watched the pitiable -thing lifted into a stretcher, and waited until the white-bodied vehicle -had disappeared with its sad load before they returned to their machine. - -Gonsalez took his place at the wheel; George got in by his side. No word -was spoken until they were back at Curzon Street. Manfred went in alone, -whilst his companion drove the machine to the garage. When he returned, -he found Poiccart and George deep in discussion. - -“You were right, Raymond.” Leon Gonsalez stripped his thin coat and -threw it on a chair. “The accuracy of your forecasts is almost -depressing. I am waiting all the time for the inevitable mistake, and I -am irritated when this doesn’t occur. You said the snake would reappear, -and the snake has reappeared. Prophesy now for me, O seer!” - -Poiccart’s heavy face was gloomy; his dark eyes almost hidden under the -frown that brought his bushy eyebrows lower. - -“One hasn’t to be a seer to know that our association with Barberton -will send the snake wriggling towards Curzon Street,” he said. “Was it -Gurther or Pfeiffer?” - -Manfred considered. - -“Pfeiffer, I think. He is the steadier of the two. Gurther has -brain-storms; he is on the neurotic side. And that nine-thonged whip of -yours, Leon, cannot have added to his mental stability. No, it was -Pfeiffer, I’m sure.” - -“I suppose the whip unbalanced him a little,” said Leon. He thought over -this aspect as though it were one worth consideration. “Gurther is a -sort of Jekyll and Hyde, except that there is no virtue to him at all. -It is difficult to believe, seeing him dropping languidly into his seat -at the opera, that this exquisite young man in his private moments would -not change his linen more often than once a month, and would shudder at -the sound of a running bath-tap! That almost sounds as though he were a -morphia fiend. I remember a case in ’99 . . . but I am interrupting -you?” - -“What precautions shall you take, Leon?” asked George Manfred. - -“Against the snake?” Leon shrugged his shoulders. “The old military -precaution against Zeppelin raids; the precaution the farmer takes -against a plague of wasps. You cannot kneel on the chest of the _vespa -vulgaris_ and extract his sting with an anæsthetic. You destroy his -nest—you bomb his hangar. Personally, I have never feared dissolution -in any form, but I have a childish objection to being bitten by a -snake.” - -Poiccart’s saturnine face creased for a moment in a smile. - -“You’ve no objection to stealing my theories,” he said dryly, and the -other doubled up in silent laughter. - -Manfred was pacing the little room, his hands behind him, a thick -Egyptian cigarette between his lips. - -“There’s a train leaves Paddington for Gloucester at ten forty-five,” he -said. “Will you telegraph to Miss Goddard, Heavytree Farm, and ask her -to meet the train with a cab? After that I shall want two men to patrol -the vicinity of the farm day and night.” - -Poiccart pulled open a drawer of the desk, took out a small book and ran -his finger down the index. - -“I can get this service in Gloucester,” he said. “Gordon, Williams, -Thompson and Elfred—they’re reliable people and have worked for us -before.” - -Manfred nodded. - -“Send them the usual instructions by letter. I wonder who will be in -charge of this Barberton case. If it’s Meadows, I can work with him. On -the other hand, if it’s Arbuthnot, we shall have to get our information -by subterranean methods.” - -“Call Elver,” suggested Leon, and George pulled the telephone towards -him. - -It was some time before he could get into touch with Dr. Elver, and then -he learnt, to his relief, that the redoubtable Inspector Meadows had -complete charge. - -“He’s coming up to see you,” said Elver. “As a matter of fact, the chief -was here when I arrived at the Yard, and he particularly asked Meadows -to consult with you. There’s going to be an awful kick at the Home -Secretary’s office about this murder. We had practically assured the -Home Office that there would be no repetition of the mysterious deaths -and that the snake had gone dead for good.” - -Manfred asked a few questions and then hung up. - -“They are worried about the public—you never know what masses will do -in given circumstances. But you can gamble that the English mass does -the same thing—Governments hate intelligent crowds. This may cost the -Home Secretary his job, poor soul! And he’s doing his best.” - -A strident shout in the street made him turn his head with a smile. - -“The late editions have got it—naturally. It might have been committed -on their doorstep.” - -“But why?” asked Poiccart. “What was Barberton’s offence?” - -“His first offence,” said Leon promptly, without waiting for Manfred to -reply, “was to go in search of Miss Mirabelle Leicester. His second and -greatest was to consult with us. He was a dead man when he left the -house.” - -The faint sound of a bell ringing sent Poiccart down to the hall to -admit an unobtrusive, middle-aged man, who might have been anything but -what he was: one of the cleverest trackers of criminals that Scotland -Yard had known in thirty years. A sandy-haired, thin-faced man, who wore -pince-nez and looked like an actor, he had been a visitor to Curzon -Street before, and now received a warm welcome. With little preliminary -he came to the object of his call, and Manfred told him briefly what had -happened, and the gist of his conversation with Barberton. - -“Miss Mirabelle Leicester is——” began Manfred. - -“Employed by Oberzohn—I know,” was the surprising reply. “She came up -to London this morning and took a job as laboratory assistant. I had no -idea that Oberzohn & Smitts had a laboratory on the premises.” - -“They hadn’t until a couple of days ago,” interrupted Leon. “The -laboratory was staged especially for her.” - -Meadows nodded, then turned to Manfred. - -“He didn’t give you any idea at all why he wanted to meet Miss -Leicester?” - -George shook his head. - -“No, he was very mysterious indeed on that subject,” he said. - -“He arrived by the _Benguella_, eh?” said Meadows, making a note. “We -ought to get something from the ship before they pay off their stewards. -If a man isn’t communicative on board ship, he’ll never talk at all! And -we may find something in his belongings. Would you like to come along, -Manfred?” - -“I’ll come with pleasure,” said George gravely. “I may help you a -little—you will not object to my making my own interpretation of what -we see?” - -Meadows smiled. - -“You will be allowed your private mystery,” he said. - -A taxi set them down at the Petworth Hotel in Norfolk Street, and they -were immediately shown up to the room which the dead man had hired but -had not as yet occupied. His trunk, still strapped and locked, stood on -a small wooden trestle, his overcoat was hanging behind the door; in one -corner of the room was a thick hold-all, tightly strapped, and -containing, as they subsequently discovered, a weather-stained -mackintosh, two well-worn blankets and an air pillow, together with a -collapsible canvas chair, also showing considerable signs of usage. This -was the object of their preliminary search. - -The lock of the trunk yielded to the third key which the detective -tried. Beyond changes of linen and two suits, one of which was -practically new and bore the tab of a store in St. Paul de Loanda, there -was very little to enlighten them. They found an envelope full of -papers, and sorted them out one by one on the bed. Barberton was -evidently a careful man: he had preserved his hotel bills, writing on -their backs brief but pungent comments about the accommodation he had -enjoyed or suffered. There was an hotel in Lobuo which was full of -vermin; there was one at Mossamedes of which he had written: “Rats ate -one boot. Landlord made no allowance. Took three towels and -pillow-slip.” - -“One of the Four Just Men in embryo,” said Meadows dryly. - -Manfred smiled. - -On the back of one bill were closely written columns of figures: “12/6, -13/15, 10/7, 17/12, about 24,” etc. Against a number of these figures -the word “about” appeared, and Manfred observed that invariably this -qualification marked one of the higher numbers. Against the 10/7 was a -thick pencil mark. - -There were amongst the papers several other receipts. In St. Paul he had -bought a “pistol automatic of precision” and ammunition for the same. -The “pistol automatic of precision” was not in the trunk. - -“We found it in his pocket,” said Meadows briefly. “That fellow was -expecting trouble, and was entitled to, if it is true that they tortured -him at Mosamodes.” - -“Moss-_am_-o-dees,” Manfred corrected the mispronunciation. It almost -amounted to a fad in him that to hear a place miscalled gave him a -little pain. - -Meadows was reading a letter, turning the pages slowly. - -“This is from his sister: she lives at Brightlingsea, and there’s -nothing in it except . . .” He read a portion of the letter aloud: - - “. . . thank you for the books. The children will appreciate - them. It must have been like old times writing them—but I can - understand how it helped pass the time. Mr. Lee came over and - asked if I had heard from you. He is wonderful.” - -The letter was in an educated hand. - -“He didn’t strike me as a man who wrote books,” said Meadows, and -continued his search. - -Presently he unfolded a dilapidated map, evidently of Angola. It was -rather on the small scale, so much so that it took in a portion of the -Kalahari Desert in the south, and showed in the north the undulations of -the rolling Congo. - -“No marks of any kind,” said Meadows, carrying the chart to the window -to examine it more carefully. “And that, I think, is about all—unless -this is something.” - -“This” was wrapped in a piece of cloth, and was fastened to the bottom -and the sides of the trunk by two improvised canvas straps. Meadows -tried to pull it loose and whistled. - -“Gold,” he said. “Nothing else can weigh quite as heavily as this.” - -He lifted out the bundle eventually, unwrapped the covering, and gazed -in amazement on the object that lay under his eyes. It was an African -_bête_, a nude, squat idol, rudely shaped, the figure of a native woman. - -“Gold?” said Manfred incredulously, and tried to lift it with his finger -and thumb. He took a firmer grip and examined the discovery closely. - -There was no doubt that it was gold, and fine gold. His thumb-nail made -a deep scratch in the base of the statuette. He could see the marks -where the knife of the inartistic sculptor had sliced and carved. - -Meadows knew the coast fairly well: he had made many trips to Africa and -had stopped off at various ports en route. - -“I’ve never seen anything exactly like it before,” he said, “and it -isn’t recent workmanship either. When you see this”—he pointed to a -physical peculiarity of the figure—“you can bet that you’ve got -something that’s been made at least a couple of hundred years, and -probably before then. The natives of West and Central Africa have not -worn toe-rings, for example, since the days of the Cæsars.” - -He weighed the idol in his hand. - -“Roughly ten pounds,” he said. “In other words, eight hundred pounds’ -worth of gold.” - -He was examining the cloth in which the idol had been wrapped, and -uttered an exclamation. - -“Look at this,” he said. - -Written on one corner, in indelible pencil, were the words: - -“Second shelf up left Gods lobby sixth.” - -Suddenly Manfred remembered. - -“Would you have this figure put on the scales right away?” he said. “I’m -curious to know the exact weight.” - -“Why?” asked Meadows in surprise, as he rang the bell. - -The proprietor himself, who was aware that a police search was in -progress, answered the call, and, at the detective’s request, hurried -down to the kitchen and returned in a few minutes with a pair of scales, -which he placed on the table. He was obviously curious to know the -purpose for which they were intended, but Inspector Meadows did not -enlighten him, standing pointedly by the door until the gentleman had -gone. - -The figure was taken from under the cloth where it had been hidden -whilst the scales were being placed, and put in one shallow pan on the -machine. - -“Ten pounds seven ounces,” nodded Manfred triumphantly. “I thought that -was the one!” - -“One what?” asked the puzzled Meadows. - -“Look at this list.” - -Manfred found the hotel bill with the rows of figures and pointed to the -one which had a black cross against it. - -“10/7,” he said. “That is our little fellow, and the explanation is -fairly plain. Barberton found some treasure-house filled with these -statues. He took away the lightest. Look at the figures! He weighed them -with a spring balance, one of those which register up to 21 lbs. Above -that he had to guess—he puts ‘about 24,’ ‘about 22.’” - -Meadows looked at his companion blankly, but Manfred was not deceived. -That clever brain of the detective was working. - -“Not for robbery—the trunk is untouched. They did not even burn his -feet to find the idol or the treasure-house: they must have known -nothing of that. It was easy to rob him—or, if they knew of his gold -idol, they considered it too small loot to bother with.” - -He looked slowly round the apartment. On the mantelshelf was a slip of -brown paper like a pipe-spill. - -He picked it up, looked at both sides, and, finding the paper blank, put -it back where he had found it. Manfred took it down and absently drew -the strip between his sensitive finger-tips. - -“The thing to do,” said Meadows, taking one final look round, “is to -find Miss Leicester.” - -Manfred nodded. - -“That is one of the things,” he said slowly. “The other, of course, is -to find Johnny.” - -“Johnny?” Meadows frowned suspiciously. “Who is Johnny?” he asked. - -“Johnny is my private mystery.” George Manfred was smiling. “You -promised me that I might have one!” - -_Chapter VI_ _In Chester Square_ - -WHEN Mirabelle Leicester went to Chester Square, her emotions were a -curious discord of wonder, curiosity and embarrassment. The latter was -founded on the extraordinary effusiveness of her companion, who had -suddenly, and with no justification, assumed the position of dearest -friend and lifelong acquaintance. Mirabelle thought the girl was an -actress: a profession in which sudden and violent friendships are not of -rare occurrence. She wondered why Aunt Alma had not made an effort to -come to town, and wondered more that she had known of Alma’s friendship -with the Newtons. That the elder woman had her secrets was true, but -there was no reason why she should have refrained from speaking of a -family who were close enough friends to be asked to chaperon her in -town. - -She had time for thought, for Joan Newton chattered away all the time, -and if she asked a question, she either did not wait for approval, or -the question was answered to her own satisfaction before it was put. - -Chester Square, that dignified patch of Belgravia, is an imposing -quarter. The big house into which the girl was admitted by a footman had -that air of luxurious comfort which would have appealed to a character -less responsive to refinement than Mirabelle Leicester’s. She was -ushered into a big drawing-room which ran from the front to the back of -the house, and did not terminate even there, for a large, cool -conservatory, bright with flowers, extended a considerable distance. - -“Monty isn’t back from the City yet,” Joan rattled on. “My dear! He’s -awfully busy just now, what with stocks and shares and things like -that.” - -She spoke as though “stocks and shares and things like that” were -phenomena which had come into existence the day before yesterday for the -occupation of Monty Newton. - -“Is there a boom?” asked Mirabelle with a smile, and the term seemed to -puzzle the girl. - -“Ye-es, I suppose there is. You know what the Stock Exchange is, my -dear? Everybody connected with it is wealthy beyond the dreams of -avarice. The money they make is simply wicked! And they can give a girl -an awfully good time—theatres, parties, dresses, pearls—why, Monty -would think nothing of giving a string of pearls to a girl if he took a -liking to her!” - -In truth Joan was walking on very uncertain ground. Her instructions had -been simple and to the point. “Get her to Chester Gardens, make friends -with her, and don’t mention the fact that I know Oberzohn.” What was the -object of bringing Mirabelle Leicester to the house, what was behind -this move of Monty’s, she did not know. She was merely playing for -safety, baiting the ground, as it were, with her talk of good times and -vast riches, in case that was required of her. For she, no less than -many of her friends, entertained a wholesome dread of Monty Newton’s -disapproval, which usually took a definitely unpleasant shape. - -Mirabelle was laughing softly. - -“I didn’t know that stockbrokers were so rich,” she said dryly, “and I -can assure you that some of them aren’t!” - -She passed tactfully over the _gaucherie_ of the pearls that Monty would -give to any girl who took his fancy. By this time she had placed Joan: -knew something of her upbringing, guessed pretty well the extent of her -intelligence, and marvelled a little that a man of the unknown Mr. -Newton’s position should have allowed his sister to come through the -world without the benefit of a reasonably good education. - -“Come up to your room, my dear,” said Joan. “We’ve got a perfectly -topping little suite for you, and I’m sure you’ll be comfortable. It’s -at the front of the house, and if you can get used to the milkmen -yowling about the streets before they’re aired, you’ll have a perfectly -topping time.” - -When Mirabelle inspected the apartment she was enchanted. It fulfilled -Joan’s vague description. Here was luxury beyond her wildest dreams. She -admired the silver bed and the thick blue carpet, the silken panelled -walls, the exquisite fittings, and stood in rapture before the entrance -of a little bathroom, with its silver and glass, its shaded lights and -marble walls. - -“I’ll have a cup of tea sent up to you, my dear. You’ll want to rest -after your horrible day at that perfectly terrible factory, and I wonder -you can stand Oberzohn, though they tell me he’s quite a nice -man. . . .” - -She seemed anxious to go, and Mirabelle was no less desirous of being -alone. - -“Come down when you feel like it,” said Joan at parting, and ran down -the stairs, reaching the hall in time to meet Mr. Newton, who was -handing his hat and gloves to his valet. - -“Well, is she here?” - -“She’s here all right,” said Joan, who was not at all embarrassed by the -presence of the footman. “Monty, isn’t she a bit of a fool? She couldn’t -say boo to a goose. What is the general scheme?” - -He was brushing his hair delicately in the mirror above the hall-stand. - -“What’s what scheme?” he asked, after the servant had gone, as he -strolled into the drawing-room before her. - -“Bringing her here—is she sitting into a game?” - -“Don’t be stupid,” said Monty without heat, as he dropped wearily to a -low divan and drew a silken cushion behind him. “Nor inquisitive,” he -added. “You haven’t scared her, have you?” - -“I like that!” she said indignantly. - -She was one of those ladies who speak more volubly and with the most -assurance when there is a mirror in view, and she had her eyes fixed -upon herself all the time she was talking, patting a strand of hair here -and there, twisting her head this way and that to get a better effect, -and never once looking at the man until he drew attention to himself. - -“Scared! I’ll bet she’s never been to such a beautiful house in her -life! What is she, Monty? A typist or something? I don’t understand -her.” - -“She’s a lady,” said Monty offensively. “That’s the type that’ll always -seem like a foreign language to you.” - -She lifted one shoulder delicately. - -“I don’t pretend to be a lady, and what I am, you’ve made me,” she said, -and the reproach was mechanical. He had heard it before, not only from -her but from others similarly placed. “I don’t think it’s very kind to -throw my education up in my face, considering the money I’ve made for -you.” - -“And for yourself.” He yawned. “Get me some tea.” - -“You might say ‘please’ now and again,” she said resentfully, and he -smiled as he took up the evening paper, paying her no more attention, -until she had rung the bell with a vicious jerk and the silver tray came -in and was deposited on a table near him. - -“Where are you going to-night?” - -His interest in her movements was unusual, and she was flattered. - -“You know very well, Monty, where I’m going to-night,” she said -reproachfully. “You promised to take me too. I think you’d look -wonderful as a Crusader—one of them—those old knights in armour.” - -He nodded, but not to her comment. - -“I remember, of course—the Arts Ball.” - -His surprise was so well simulated that she was deceived. - -“Fancy your forgetting! I’m going as Cinderella, and Minnie Gray is -going as a pierrette——” - -“Minnie Gray isn’t going as anything,” said Monty, sipping his tea. -“I’ve already telephoned to her to say that the engagement is off. Miss -Leicester is going with you.” - -“But, Monty——” protested the girl. - -“Don’t ‘but Monty’ me,” he ordered. “I’m telling you! Go up and see this -girl, and put it to her that you’ve got a spare ticket for the dance.” - -“But her costume, Monty! The girl hasn’t got a fancy dress. And -Minnie——” - -“Forget Minnie, will you? Mirabelle Leicester is going to the Arts Ball -to-night.” He tapped the tray before him to emphasize every word. “You -have a ticket to spare, and you simply can’t go alone because I have a -very important business engagement and your friend has failed you. Her -dress will be here in a few minutes: it is a bright green domino with a -bright-red hood.” - -“How perfectly hideous!” She forgot for the moment her disappointment in -this outrage. “Bright green! Nobody has a complexion to stand that!” - -Yet he ignored her. - -“You will explain to Miss Leicester that the dress came from a friend -who, through illness or any cause you like to invent, is unable to go to -the dance—she’ll jump at the chance. It is one of the events of the -year and tickets are selling at a premium.” - -She asked him what that meant, and he explained patiently. - -“Maybe she’ll want to spend a quiet evening—have one of those -headaches,” he went on. “If that is so, you can tell her that I’ve got a -party coming to the house to-night, and they will be a little noisy. Did -she want to know anything about me?” - -“No, she didn’t,” snapped Joan promptly. “She didn’t want to know about -anything. I couldn’t get her to talk. She’s like a dumb oyster.” - -Mirabelle was sitting by the window, looking down into the square, when -there was a gentle tap at the door and Joan came in. - -“I’ve got wonderful news for you,” she said. - -“For me?” said Mirabelle in surprise. - -Joan ran across the room, giving what she deemed to be a surprisingly -life-like representation of a young thing full of innocent joy. - -“I’ve got an extra ticket for the Arts Ball to-night. They’re selling at -a—they’re very expensive. Aren’t you a lucky girl!” - -“I?” said Mirabelle in surprise. “Why am I the lucky girl?” - -Joan rose from the bed and drew back from her reproachfully. - -“You surely will come with me? If you don’t, I shan’t be able to go at -all. Lady Mary and I were going together, and now she’s sick!” - -Mirabelle opened her eyes wider. - -“But I can’t go, surely. It is a fancy dress ball, isn’t it? I read -something about it in the papers. And I’m awfully tired to-night.” - -Joan pouted prettily. - -“My dear, if you lay down for an hour you’d be fit. Besides, you -couldn’t sleep here early to-night: Monty’s having one of his men -parties, and they’re a noisy lot of people—though thoroughly -respectable,” she added hastily. - -Poor Joan had a mission outside her usual range. - -“I’d love to go,”—Mirabelle was anxious not to be a kill-joy,—“if I -could get a dress.” - -“I’ve got one,” said the girl promptly, and ran out of the room. - -She returned very quickly, and threw the domino on the bed. - -“It’s not pretty to look at, but it’s got this advantage, that you can -wear almost anything underneath.” - -“What time does the ball start?” Mirabelle, examining her mind, found -that she was not averse to going; she was very human, and a fancy dress -ball would be a new experience. - -“Ten o’clock,” said Joan. “We can have dinner before Monty’s friends -arrive. You’d like to see Monty, wouldn’t you? He’s downstairs—such a -gentleman, my dear!” - -The girl could have laughed. - -A little later she was introduced to the redoubtable Monty, and found -his suave and easy manner a relief after the jerky efforts of the girl -to be entertaining. Monty had seen most parts of the world and could -talk entertainingly about them all. Mirabelle rather liked him, though -she thought he was something of a fop, yet was not sorry when she -learned that, so far from having friends to dinner, he did not expect -them to arrive until after she and Joan had left. - -The meal put her more at her ease. He was a polished man of the world, -courteous to the point of pomposity; he neither said nor suggested one -thing that could offend her; they were half-way through dinner when the -cry of a newsboy was heard in the street. Through the dining-room window -she saw the footman go down the steps and buy a newspaper. He glanced at -the stop-press space and came back slowly up the stairs reading. A -little later he came into the room, and must have signalled to her host, -for Monty went out immediately and she heard their voices in the -passage. Joan was uneasy. - -“I wonder what’s the matter?” she asked, a little irritably. “It’s very -bad manners to leave ladies in the middle of dinner——” - -At that moment Monty came back. Was it imagination on her part, or had -he gone suddenly pale? Joan saw it, and her brows met, but she was too -wise to make a comment upon his appearance. - -Mr. Newton seated himself in his place with a word of apology and poured -out a glass of champagne. Only for a second did his hand tremble, and -then, with a smile, he was his old self. - -“What is wrong, Monty?” - -“Wrong? Nothing,” he said curtly, and took up the topic of conversation -where he had laid it down before leaving the room. - -“It isn’t that old snake, is it?” asked Joan with a shiver. “Lord! that -unnerves me! I never go to bed at night without looking under, or -turning the clothes right down to the foot! They ought to have found it -months ago if the police——” - -At this point she caught Monty Newton’s eye, cold, menacing, malevolent, -and the rest of her speech died on her lips. - -Mirabelle went upstairs to dress, and Joan would have followed but the -man beckoned her. - -“You’re a little too talkative, Joan,” he said, more mildly than she had -expected. “The snake is not a subject we wish to discuss at dinner. And -listen!” He walked into the passage and looked round, then came back and -closed the door. “Keep that girl near you.” - -“Who is going to dance with me?” she asked petulantly. “I look like -having a hell of a lively night!” - -“Benton will be there to look after you, and one of the ‘Old Guard’——” - -He saw the frightened look in her face and chuckled. - -“What’s the matter, you fool?” he asked good-humouredly. “He’ll dance -with the girl.” - -“I wish those fellows weren’t going to be there,” she said uneasily, but -he went on, without noticing her: - -“I shall arrive at half-past eleven. You had better meet me near the -entrance to the American bar. My party didn’t turn up, you understand. -You’ll get back here at midnight.” - -“So soon?” she said in dismay. “Why, it doesn’t end till——” - -“You’ll be back here at midnight,” he said evenly. “Go into her room, -clear up everything she may have left behind. You understand? Nothing is -to be left.” - -“But when she comes back she’ll——” - -“She’ll not come back,” said Monty Newton, and the girl’s blood ran -cold. - -_Chapter VII_ _“Moral Suasion”_ - -“THERE’S a man wants to see you, governor.” - -It was a quarter-past nine. The girls had been gone ten minutes, and -Montague Newton had settled himself down to pass the hours of waiting -before he had to dress. He put down the patience cards he was shuffling. - -“A man to see me? Who is he, Fred?” - -“I don’t know: I’ve never seen him before. Looks to me like a ‘busy.’” - -A detective! Monty’s eyebrows rose, but not in trepidation. He had met -many detectives in the course of his chequered career and had long since -lost his awe of them. - -“Show him in,” he said with a nod. - -The slim man in evening dress who came softly into the room was a -stranger to Monty, who knew most of the prominent figures in the world -of criminal detection. And yet his face was in some way familiar. - -“Captain Newton?” he asked. - -“That is my name.” Newton rose with a smile. - -The visitor looked slowly round towards the door through which the -footman had gone. - -“Do your servants always listen at the keyhole?” he asked, in a quiet, -measured tone, and Newton’s face went a dusky red. - -In two strides he was at the door and had flung it open, just in time to -see the disappearing heels of the footman. - -“Here, you!” He called the man back, a scowl on his face. “If you want -to know anything, will you come in and ask?” he roared. “If I catch you -listening at my door, I’ll murder you!” - -The man with a muttered excuse made a hurried escape. - -“How did you know?” growled Newton, as he came back into the room and -slammed the door behind him. - -“I have an instinct for espionage,” said the stranger, and went on, -without a break: “I have called for Miss Mirabelle Leicester.” - -Newton’s eyes narrowed. - -“Oh, you have, have you?” he said softly. “Miss Leicester is not in the -house. She left a quarter of an hour ago.” - -“I did not see her come out of the house?” - -“No, the fact is, she went out by way of the mews. My—er”—he was going -to say “sister” but thought better of it—“my young friend——” - -“Flash Jane Smith,” said the stranger. “Yes?” - -Newton’s colour deepened. He was rapidly reaching the point when his -sang-froid, nine-tenths of his moral assets, was in danger of deserting -him. - -“Who are you, anyway?” he asked. - -The stranger wetted his lips with the tip of his tongue, a curiously -irritating action of his, for some inexplicable reason. - -“My name is Leon Gonsalez,” he said simply. - -Instinctively the man drew back. Of course! Now he remembered, and the -colour had left his cheeks, leaving him grey. With an effort he forced a -smile. - -“One of the redoubtable Four Just Men? What extraordinary birds you -are!” he said. “I remember ten-fifteen years ago, being scared out of my -life by the very mention of your name—you came to punish where the law -failed, eh?” - -“You must put that in your reminiscences,” said Leon gently. “For the -moment I am not in an autobiographical mood.” - -But Newton could not be silenced. - -“I know a man”—he was speaking slowly, with quiet vehemence—“who will -one day cause you a great deal of inconvenience, Mr. Leon Gonsalez: a -man who never forgets you in his prayers. I won’t tell you who he is.” - -“It is unnecessary. You are referring to the admirable Oberzohn. Did I -not kill his brother . . . ? Yes, I thought I was right. He was the man -with the oxycephalic head and the queerly prognathic jaw. An interesting -case: I would like to have had his measurements, but I was in rather a -hurry.” - -He spoke almost apologetically for his haste. - -“But we’re getting away from the subject, Mr. Newton. You say this young -lady has left your house by the mews, and you were about to suggest she -left in the care of Miss—I don’t know what you call her. Why did she -leave that way?” - -Leon Gonsalez had something more than an instinct for espionage: he had -an instinct for truth, and he knew two things immediately: first, that -Newton was not lying when he said the girl had left the house; secondly, -that there was an excellent, but not necessarily a sinister, reason for -the furtive departure. - -“Where has she gone?” - -“Home,” said the other laconically. “Where else should she go?” - -“She came to dinner . . . intending to stay the night?” - -“Look here, Gonsalez,” interrupted Monty Newton savagely. “You and your -gang were wonderful people twenty years ago, but a lot has happened -since then—and we don’t shiver at the name of the Three Just Men. I’m -not a child—do you get that? And you’re not so very terrible at close -range. If you want to complain to the police——” - -“Meadows is outside. I persuaded him to let me see you first,” said -Leon, and Newton started. - -“Outside?” incredulously. - -In two strides he was at the window and had pulled aside the blind. On -the other side of the street a man was standing on the edge of the -sidewalk, intently surveying the gutter. He knew him at once. - -“Well, bring him in,” he said. - -“Where has this young lady gone? That is all I want to know.” - -“She has gone home, I tell you.” - -Leon went to the door and beckoned Meadows; they spoke together in low -tones, and then Meadows entered the room and was greeted with a stiff -nod from the owner of the house. - -“What’s the idea of this, Meadows—sending this bird to cross-examine -me?” - -“This bird came on his own,” said Meadows coldly, “if you mean Mr. -Gonsalez? I have no right to prevent any person from cross-examining -you. Where is the young lady?” - -“I tell you she has gone home. If you don’t believe me, search the -house—either of you.” - -He was not bluffing: Leon was sure of that. He turned to the detective. - -“I personally have no wish to trouble this gentleman any more.” - -He was leaving the room when, from over his shoulder: - -“That snake is busy again, Newton.” - -“What snake are you talking about?” - -“He killed a man to-night on the Thames Embankment. I hope it will not -spoil Lisa Marthon’s evening.” - -Meadows, watching the man, saw him change colour. - -“I don’t know what you mean,” he said loudly. - -“You arranged with Lisa to pick up Barberton to-night and get him -talking. And there she is, poor girl, all dressed to kill, and only a -dead man to vamp—only a murdered man.” He turned suddenly, and his -voice grew hard. “That is a good word, isn’t it, Newton—murder?” - -“I didn’t know anything about it.” - -As Newton’s hand came towards the bell: - -“We can show ourselves out,” said Leon. - -He shut the door behind him, and presently there was a slam of the outer -door. Monty got to the window too late to see his unwelcome guests -depart, and went up to his room to change, more than a little perturbed -in mind. - -The footman called him from the hall. - -“I’m sorry about that affair, sir. I thought it was a ‘busy’ . . .” - -“You think too much, Fred”—Newton threw the words down at his servitor -with a snarl. “Go back to your place, which is the servants’ hall. I’ll -ring you if I want you.” - -He resumed his progress up the stairs and the man turned sullenly away. - -He opened the door of his room, switched on the light, had closed the -door and was half-way to his dressing-table, when an arm like steel -closed round his neck, he was jerked suddenly backward on to the floor, -and looked up into the inscrutable face of Gonsalez. - -“Shout and you die!” whispered a voice in his ear. - -Newton lay quiet. - -“I’ll fix you for this,” he stammered. - -The other shook his head. - -“I think not, if by ‘fixing’ me you mean you’re going to complain to the -police. You’ve been under my watchful eye for quite a long time, Monty -Newton, and you’ll be amazed to learn that I’ve made several visits to -your house. There is a little wall safe behind that curtain”—he nodded -towards the corner of the room—“would you be surprised to learn that -I’ve had the door open and every one of its documentary contents -photographed?” - -He saw the fear in the man’s eyes as he snapped a pair of aluminium -handcuffs of curious design about Monty’s wrists. With hardly an effort -he lifted him, heavy as he was, threw him on the bed, and, having locked -the door, returned, and, sitting on the bed, proceeded first to strap -his ankles and then leisurely to take off his prisoner’s shoes. - -“What are you going to do?” asked Monty in alarm. - -“I intend finding out where Miss Leicester has been taken,” said -Gonsalez, who had stripped one shoe and, pulling off the silken sock, -was examining the man’s bare foot critically. “Ordinary and strictly -legal inquiries take time and fail at the end—unfortunately for you, I -have not a minute to spare.” - -“I tell you she’s gone home.” - -Leon did not reply. He pulled open a drawer of the bureau, searched for -some time, and presently found what he sought: a thin silken scarf. -This, despite the struggles of the man on the bed, he fastened about his -mouth. - -“In Mosamodes,” he said—“and if you ever say that before my friend -George Manfred, be careful to give its correct pronunciation: he is -rather touchy on the point—some friends of yours took a man named -Barberton, whom they subsequently murdered, and tried to make him talk -by burning his feet. He was a hero. I’m going to see how heroic you -are.” - -“For God’s sake don’t do it!” said the muffled voice of Newton. - -Gonsalez was holding a flat metal case which he had taken from his -pocket, and the prisoner watched him, fascinated, as he removed the lid, -and snapped a cigar-lighter close to its blackened surface. A blue flame -rose and swayed in the draught. - -“The police force is a most excellent institution,” said Leon. He had -found a silver shoe-horn on the table and was calmly heating it in the -light of the flame, holding the rapidly warming hook with a silk -handkerchief. “But unfortunately, when you are dealing with crimes of -violence, moral suasion and gentle treatment produce nothing more -poignant in the bosom of your adversary than a sensation of amused and -derisive contempt. The English, who make a god of the law, gave up -imprisoning thugs and flogged them, and there are few thugs left. When -the Russian gunmen came to London, the authorities did the only -intelligent thing—they held back the police and brought up the -artillery, having only one desire, which was to kill the gunmen at any -expense. Violence fears violence. The gunman lives in the terror of the -gun—by the way, I understand the old guard is back in full strength?” - -When Leon started in this strain he could continue for hours. - -“I don’t know what you mean,” mumbled Monty. - -“You wouldn’t.” The intruder lifted the blackened, smoking shoe-horn, -brought it as near to his face as he dared. - -“Yes, I think that will do,” he said, and came slowly towards the bed. - -The man drew up his feet in anticipation of pain, but a long hand caught -him by the ankles and drew them straight again. - -“They’ve gone to the Arts Ball.” Even through the handkerchief the voice -sounded hoarse. - -“The Arts Ball?” Gonsalez looked down at him, and then, throwing the hot -shoe-horn into the fire-place, he removed the gag. “Why have they gone -to the Arts Ball?” - -“I wanted them out of the way to-night.” - -“Is—Oberzohn likely to be at the Arts Ball?” - -“Oberzohn!” The man’s laugh bordered on the hysterical. - -“Or Gurther?” - -This time Mr. Newton did not laugh. - -“I don’t know who you mean,” he said. - -“We’ll go into that later,” replied Leon lightly, pulling the knot of -the handkerchief about the ankles. “You may get up now. What time do you -expect them back?” - -“I don’t know. I told Joan not to hurry, as I was meeting somebody here -to-night.” - -Which sounded plausible. Leon remembered that the Arts Ball was a fancy -dress affair, and there was some reason for the departure from the mews -instead of from the front of the house. As though he were reading his -thoughts, Newton said: - -“It was Miss Leicester’s idea, going through the back. She was rather -shy . . . she was wearing a domino.” - -“Colour?” - -“Green, with a reddish hood.” - -Leon looked at him quickly. - -“Rather distinctive. Was that the idea?” - -“I don’t know what the idea was,” growled Newton, sitting on the edge of -the bed and pulling on a sock. “But I do know this, Gonsalez,” he said, -with an outburst of anger which was half fear: “that you’ll be sorry you -did this to me!” - -Leon walked to the door, turned the key and opened it. - -“I only hope that you will not be sorry I did not kill you,” he said, -and was gone. - -Monty Newton waited until from his raised window he saw the slim figure -pass along the sidewalk and disappear round a corner, and then he -hurried down, with one shoe on and one off, to call New Cross 93. - -_Chapter VIII_ _The House of Oberzohn_ - -IN a triangle two sides of which were expressed by the viaducts of -converging railroads and the base by the dark and sluggish waters of the -Grand Surrey Canal, stood the gaunt ruins of a store in which had once -been housed the merchandise of the O. & S. Company. A Zeppelin in -passing had dropped an incendiary bomb at random, and torn a great ugly -gap in the roof. The fire that followed left the iron frames of the -windows twisted and split; the roof by some miracle remained untouched -except for the blackened edges about the hole through which the flames -had rushed to the height of a hundred feet. - -The store was flush with the canal towing-path; barges had moored here, -discharging rubber in bales, palm nut, nitrates even, and had restocked -with Manchester cloth and case upon case of Birmingham-made geegaws of -brass and lacquer. - -Mr. Oberzohn invariably shipped his spirituous cargoes from Hamburg, -since Germany is the home of synthesis. In the centre of the triangle -was a red-brick villa, more unlovely than the factory, missing as it did -that ineffable grandeur, made up of tragedy and pathos, attaching to a -burnt-out building, however ugly it may have been in its prime. - -The villa was built from a design in Mr. Oberzohn’s possession, and was -the exact replica of the house in Sweden where he was born. It had high, -gabled ends at odd and unexpected places. The roof was shingled with -grey tiles; there were glass panels in the curious-looking door, and -iron ornaments in the shape of cranes and dogs flanking the narrow path -through the rank nettle and dock which constituted his garden. - -Here he dwelt, in solitude, yet not in solitude, for two men lived in -the house, and there was a stout Swedish cook and a very plain Danish -maid, a girl of vacant countenance, who worked from sun-up to midnight -without complaint, who seldom spoke and never smiled. The two men were -somewhere in the region of thirty. They occupied the turret rooms at -each end of the building, and had little community of interest. They -sometimes played cards together with an old and greasy pack, but neither -spoke more than was necessary. They were lean, hollow-faced men, with a -certain physiognomical resemblance. Both had thin, straight lips; both -had round, staring, dark eyes filled with a bright but terrifying -curiosity. - -“They look,” reported Leon Gonsalez, when he went to examine the ground, -“as if they are watching pigs being killed and enjoying every minute of -it. Iwan Pfeiffer is one, Sven Gurther is the other. Both have escaped -the gallows or the axe in Germany; both have convictions against them. -They are typical German-trained criminals—as pitiless as wolves. -Dehumanized.” - -The “Three,” as was usual, set the machinery of the law in motion, and -found that the hands of the police were tied. Only by stretching the law -could the men be deported, and the law is difficult to stretch. To all -appearance they offended in no respect. A woman, by no means the most -desirable of citizens, laid a complaint against one. There was an -investigation—proof was absent; the very character of the complainant -precluded a conviction, and the matter was dropped—by the police. - -Somebody else moved swiftly. - -One morning, just before daybreak, a policeman patrolling the tow-path -heard a savage snarl and looked round for the dog. He found instead, up -one of those narrow entries leading to the canal bank, a man. He was -tied to the stout sleeper fence, and his bare back showed marks of a -whip. Somebody had held him up at night as he prowled the bank in search -of amusement, had tied and flogged him. Twenty-five lashes: an expert -thought the whip used was the official cat-o’-nine-tails. - -Scotland Yard, curious, suspicious, sought out the Three Just Men. They -had alibis so complete as to be unbreakable. Sven Gurther went -unavenged—but he kept from the tow-path thereafter. - -In this house of his there were rooms which only Dr. Oberzohn visited. -The Danish maid complained to the cook that when she had passed the door -of one as the doctor came out, a blast of warm, tainted air had rushed -out and made her cough for an hour. There was another room in which from -time to time the doctor had installed a hotchpotch of apparatus. -Vulcanizing machines, electrical machines (older and more used than -Mirabelle had seen in her brief stay in the City Road), a liquid air -plant, not the most up-to-date but serviceable. - -He was not, curiously enough, a doctor in the medical sense. He was not -even a doctor of chemistry. His doctorate was in Literature and Law. -These experiments of his were hobbies—hobbies that he had pursued from -his childhood. - -On this evening he was sitting in his stuffy parlour reading a -close-printed and closer-reasoned volume of German philosophy, and -thinking of something else. Though the sun had only just set, the blinds -and curtains were drawn; a wood fire crackled in the grate, and the -bright lights of three half-watt lamps made glaring radiance. - -An interruption came in the shape of a telephone call. He listened, -grunting replies. - -“So!” he said at last, and spoke a dozen words in his strange English. - -Putting aside his book, he hobbled in his velvet slippers across the -room and pressed twice upon the bell-push by the side of the fire-place. -Gurther came in noiselessly and stood waiting. - -He was grimy, unshaven. The pointed chin and short upper lip were blue. -The V of his shirt visible above the waistcoat was soiled and almost -black at the edges. He stood at attention, smiling vacantly, his eyes -fixed at a point above the doctor’s head. - -Dr. Oberzohn lifted his eyes from his book. - -“I wish you to be a gentleman of club manner to-night,” he said. He -spoke in that hard North-German tongue which the Swede so readily -acquires. - -“Ja, Herr Doktor!” - -The man melted from the room. - -Dr. Oberzohn for some reason hated Germans. So, for the matter of that, -did Gurther and Pfeiffer, the latter being Polish by extraction and -Russian by birth. Gurther hated Germans because they stormed the little -jail at Altostadt to kill him after the dogs found Frau Siedlitz’s body. -He would have died then but for the green police, who scented a -Communist rising, scattered the crowd and sent Gurther by-road to the -nearest big town under escort. The two escorting policemen were never -seen again. Gurther reappeared mysteriously in England two years after, -bearing a veritable passport. There was no proof even that he was -Gurther. Leon knew, Manfred knew, Poiccart knew. - -There had been an alternative to the whipping. - -“It would be a simple matter to hold his head under water until he was -drowned,” said Leon. - -They debated the matter, decided against this for no sentimental or -moral reason—none save expediency. Gurther had his whipping and never -knew how near to the black and greasy water of the canal he had been. - -Dr. Oberzohn resumed his book—a fascinating book that was all about the -human soul and immortality and time. He was in the very heart of an -analysis of eternity when Gurther reappeared dressed in the -“gentleman-club manner.” His dress-coat fitted perfectly; shirt and -waistcoat were exactly the right cut. The snowy shirt, the braided -trousers, the butterfly bow, and winged collar. . . . - -“That is good.” Dr. Oberzohn went slowly over the figure. “But the studs -should be pearl—not enamel. And the watch-chain is demode—it is not -worn. The gentleman-club manner does not allow of visible ornament. Also -I think a moustache . . . ?” - -“Ja, Herr Doktor!” - -Gurther, who was once an actor, disappeared again. When he returned the -enamel studs had gone: there were small pearls in their place, and his -white waistcoat had no chain across. And on his upper lip had sprouted a -small brown moustache, so natural that even Oberzohn, scrutinizing -closely, could find no fault with it. The doctor took a case from his -pocket, fingered out three crisp notes. - -“Your hands, please?” - -Gurther took three paces to the old man, halted, clicked his heels and -held out his hands for inspection. - -“Good! You know Leon Gonsalez? He will be at the Arts Ball. He wears no -fancy dress. He was the man who whipped you.” - -“He was the man who whipped me,” said Gurther without heat. - -There was a silence, Dr. Oberzohn pursing his lips. - -“Also, he did that which brands him as an infamous assassin . . . I -think . . . yes, I think my dear Gurther . . . there will be a girl -also, but the men of my police will be there to arrange such matters. -Benton will give you instructions. For you, only Gonsalez.” - -Gurther bowed stiffly. - -“I have implored the order,” he said, bowed again and withdrew. Later, -Dr. Oberzohn heard the drone of the little car as it bumped and -slithered across the grass to the road. He resumed his book: this matter -of eternity was fascinating. - - * * * * * - -The Arts Ball at the Corinthian Hall was one of the events of the -season, and the tickets, issued exclusively to the members of three -clubs, were eagerly sought by society people who could not be remotely -associated with any but the art of living. - -When the girl came into the crowded hall, she looked around in wonder. -The balconies, outlined in soft lights and half-hidden with flowers, had -been converted into boxes; the roof had been draped with blue and gold -tissue; at one end of the big hall was a veritable bower of roses, -behind which one of the two bands was playing. Masks in every -conceivable guise were swinging rhythmically across the polished floor. -To the blasé, there was little difference between the Indians, the -pierrots and the cavaliers to be seen here and those they had seen a -hundred times on a hundred different floors. - -As the girl gazed round in wonder and delight, forgetting all her -misgivings, two men, one in evening dress, the other in the costume of a -brigand, came from under the shadow of the balcony towards them. - -“Here are our partners,” said Joan, with sudden vivacity. “Mirabelle, I -want you to know Lord Evington.” - -The man in evening dress stroked his little moustache, clicked his heels -and bent forward in a stiff bow. He was thin-faced, a little pallid, -unsmiling. His round, dark eyes surveyed her for a second, and then: - -“I’m glad to meet you, Miss Leicester,” he said, in a high, harsh voice, -that had just the trace of a foreign accent. - -This struck the girl with as much surprise as the cold kiss he had -implanted upon her hand, and, as if he read her thoughts, he went on -quickly: - -“I have lived so long abroad that England and English manners are -strange to me. Won’t you dance? And had you not better mask? I must -apologize to you for my costume.” He shrugged his shoulders. “But there -was no gala dress available.” - -She fixed the red mask, and in another second she was gliding through -the crowd and was presently lost to view. - -“I don’t understand it all, Benton.” - -Joan was worried and frightened. She had begun to realize that the game -she played was something different . . . her part more sinister than any -rôle she had yet filled. To jolly along the gilded youth to the green -tables of Captain Monty Newton was one thing; but never before had she -seen the gang working against a woman. - -“I don’t know,” grumbled the brigand, who was not inaptly arrayed. -“There’s been a hurry call for everybody.” He glanced round uneasily as -though he feared his words might be overheard. “All the guns are -here—Defson, Cuccini, Jewy Stubbs . . .” - -“The guns?” she whispered in horror, paling under her rouge. “You mean -. . . ?” - -“The guns are out: that’s all I know,” he said doggedly. “They started -drifting in half an hour before you came.” - -Joan was silent, her heart racing furiously. Then Monty had told her the -truth. She knew that somewhere behind Oberzohn, behind Monty Newton, was -a force perfectly dovetailed into the machine, only one cog of which she -had seen working. These card parties of Monty’s were profitable enough, -but for a long time she had had a suspicion that they were the merest -side-line. The organization maintained a regular corps of gunmen, -recruited from every quarter of the globe. Monty Newton talked sometimes -in his less sober moments of what he facetiously described as the “Old -Guard.” How they were employed, on what excuse, for what purpose, she -had never troubled to think. They came and went from England in batches. -Once Monty had told her that Oberzohn’s people had gone to Smyrna, and -he talked vaguely of unfair competition that had come to the traders of -the O. & S. outfit. Afterwards she read in the paper of a “religious -riot” which resulted in the destruction by fire of a great block of -business premises. After that Monty spoke no more of competition. The -Old Guard returned to England, minus one of its number, who had been -shot in the stomach in the course of this “religious riot.” What -particular faith he possessed in such a degree as to induce him to take -up arms for the cause, she never learned. She knew he was dead, because -Monty had written to the widow, who lived in the Bronx. - -Joan knew a lot about Monty’s business, for an excellent reason. She was -with him most of the time; and whether she posed as his niece or -daughter, his sister, or some closer relationship, she was undoubtedly -the nearest to a confidante he possessed. - -“Who is that man with the moustache—is he one?” she asked. - -“No; he’s Oberzohn’s man—for God’s sake don’t tell Monty I told you all -this! I got orders to-night to put him wise about the girl.” - -“What about her . . . what are they doing with her?” she gasped in -terror. - -“Let us dance,” said Benton, and half guided, half carried her into the -throng. - -They had reached the centre of the floor when, with no warning, every -light in the hall went out. - -_Chapter IX_ _Before the Lights Went Out_ - -THE band had stopped, a rustle of hand-clapping came from the hot -dancers, and almost before the applause had started the second band -struck up “Kulloo.” - -Mirabelle was not especially happy. Her partner was the most correct of -dancers, but they lacked just that unity of purpose, that oneness of -interest which makes all the difference between the ill- and the -well-matched. - -“May we sit down?” she begged. “I am rather hot.” - -“Will the gracious lady come to the little hall?” he asked. “It is -cooler there, and the chairs are comfortable.” - -She looked at him oddly. - -“‘Gracious lady’ is a German expression—why do you use it, Lord -Evington? I think it is very pretty,” she hastened to assure him. - -“I lived for many years in Germany,” said Mr. Gurther. “I do not like -the German people—they are so stupid.” - -If he had said “German police” he would have been nearer to the truth; -and had he added that the dislike was mutual, he might have gained -credit for his frankness. - -At the end of the room, concealed by the floral decorations of the -bandstand, was a door which led to a smaller room, ordinarily separated -from the main hall by folding doors which were seldom opened. To-night -the annexe was to be used as a conservatory. Palms and banked flowers -were everywhere. Arbours had been artificially created, and there were -cosy nooks, half-hidden by shrubs, secluded seats and tables, all that -ingenuity could design to meet the wishes of sitters-out. - -He stood invitingly at the entrance of a little grotto, dimly -illuminated by one Chinese lantern. - -“I think we will sit in the open,” said Mirabelle, and pulled out a -chair. - -“Excuse me.” - -Instantly he was by her side, the chair arranged, a cushion found, and -she sank down with a sigh of relief. It was early yet for the loungers: -looking round, she saw that, but for a solitary waiter fastening his -apron with one eye upon possible customers, they were alone. - -“You will drinke wine . . . no? An orangeade? Good!” He beckoned the -waiter and gave his order. “You must excuse me if I am a little strange. -I have been in Germany for many years—except during the war, when I was -in France.” - -Mr. Gurther had certainly been in Germany for many years, but he had -never been in France. Nor had he heard a shot fired in the war. It is -true that an aerial bomb had exploded perilously near the prison at -Mainz in which he was serving ten years for murder, but that represented -his sole warlike experience. - -“You live in the country, of course?” - -“In London: I am working with Mr. Oberzohn.” - -“So: he is a good fellow. A gentleman.” - -She had not been very greatly impressed by the doctor’s breeding, but it -was satisfying to hear a stranger speak with such heartiness of her new -employer. Her mind at the moment was on Heavytree Farm: the cool parlour -with its chintzes—a room, at this hour, fragrant with the night scents -of flowers which came stealing through the open casement. There was a -fox-terrier, Jim by name, who would be wandering disconsolately from -room to room, sniffing unhappily at the hall door. A lump came up into -her throat. She felt very far from home and very lonely. She wanted to -get up and run back to where she had left Joan and tell her that she had -changed her mind and must go back to Gloucester that night . . . she -looked impatiently for the waiter. Mr. Gurther was fiddling with some -straws he had taken from the glass container in the centre of the table. -One end of the straws showed above the edge of the table, the others -were thrust deep in the wide-necked little bottle he had in the other -hand. The hollow straws held half an inch of the red powder that filled -the bottle. - -“Excuse!” - -The waiter put the orangeades on the table and went away to get change. -Mirabelle’s eyes were wistfully fixed on a little door at the end of the -room. It gave to the street, and there were taxicabs which could get her -to Paddington in ten minutes. - -When she looked round he was stirring the amber contents of her glass -with a spoon. Two straws were invitingly protruding from the foaming -orangeade. She smiled and lifted the glass as he fitted a cigarette into -his long black holder. - -“I may smoke—yes?” - -The first taste she had through the straws was one of extreme -bitterness. She made a wry face and put down the glass. - -“How horrid!” - -“Did it taste badly . . . ?” he began, but she was pouring out water -from a bottle. - -“It was most unpleasant——” - -“Will you try mine, please?” He offered the glass to her and she drank. -“It may have been something in the straw.” Here he was telling her the -fact. - -“It was . . .” - -The room was going round and round, the floor rising up and down like -the deck of a ship in a stormy sea. She rose, swayed, and caught him by -the arm. - -“Open the little door, waiter, please—the lady is faint.” - -The waiter turned to the door and threw it open. A man stood there—just -outside the door. He wore over his dinner dress a long cloak in the -Spanish style. Gurther stood staring, a picture of amused dismay, his -cigarette still unlit. He did not move his hands. Gonsalez was waiting -there, alert . . . death grinning at him . . . and then the room went -inky black. Somebody had turned the main switch. - -_Chapter X_ _When the Lights Went Out_ - -FIVE, ten minutes passed before the hall-keeper tripped and stumbled -and cursed his way to the smaller room and, smashing down the hired -flowers, he passed through the wreckage of earthen pots and tumbled -mould to the control. Another second and the rooms were brilliantly lit -again—the band struck up a two-step and fainting ladies were escorted -to the decent obscurity of their retiring rooms. - -The manager of the hall came flying into the annexe. - -“What happened—main fuse gone?” - -“No,” said the hall-keeper sourly, “some fool turned over the switch.” - -The agitated waiter protested that nobody had been near the switch-box. - -“There was a lady and gentleman here, and another gentleman outside.” He -pointed to the open door. - -“Where are they now?” - -“I don’t know. The lady was faint.” - -The three had disappeared when the manager went out into a small -courtyard that led round the corner of the building to a side street. -Then he came back on a tour of inspection. - -“Somebody did it from the yard. There’s a window open—you can reach the -switch easily.” - -The window was fastened and locked. - -“There is no lady or gentleman in the yard,” he said. “Are you sure they -did not go into the big hall?” - -“In the dark—maybe.” - -The waiter’s nervousness was understandable. Mr. Gurther had given him a -five-pound note and the man had not as yet delivered the change. Never -would he return to claim it if all that his keen ears heard was true. - -Four men had appeared in the annexe: one shut the door and stood by it. -The three others were accompanied by the manager, who called Phillips, -the waiter. - -“This man served them,” he said, troubled. Even the most innocent do not -like police visitations. - -“What was the gentleman like?” - -Phillips gave a brief and not inaccurate description. - -“That is your man, I think, Herr Fluen?” - -The third of the party was bearded and plump; he wore a Derby hat with -evening dress. - -“That is Gurther,” he nodded. “It will be a great pleasure to meet him. -For eight months the Embassy has been striving for his extradition. But -our people at home . . . !” - -He shrugged his shoulders. All properly constituted officials behave in -such a manner when they talk of governments. - -“The lady now”—Inspector Meadows was patently worried—“she was faint, -you say. Had she drunk anything?” - -“Orangeade—there is the glass. She said there was something nasty in -the straws. These.” - -Phillips handed them to the detective. He wetted his finger from them, -touched his tongue and spat out quickly. - -“Yes,” he said, and went out by the little door. - -Gonsalez, of course: but where had he gone, and how, with a drugged girl -on his hands and the Child of the Snake? Gurther was immensely quick to -strike, and an icy-hearted man: the presence of a woman would not save -Leon. - -“When the light went out——” began the waiter, and the trouble cleared -from Mr. Meadows’ face. - -“Of course—I had forgotten that,” he said softly. “The lights went -out!” - -All the way back to the Yard he was trying to bring something from the -back of his mind—something that was there, the smooth tip of it -tantalizingly displayed, yet eluding every grasp. It had nothing to do -with the lights—nor Gonsalez, nor yet the girl. Gurther? No. Nor -Manfred? What was it? A name had been mentioned to him that day—it had -a mysterious significance. A golden idol! He picked up the end of the -thought . . . Johnny! Manfred’s one mystery. That was the dust which lay -on all thought. And now that he remembered, he was disappointed. It was -so ridiculously unimportant a matter to baffle him. - -He left his companions at the corner of Curzon Street and went alone to -the house. There was a streak of light showing between the curtains in -the upstairs room. The passage was illuminated—Poiccart answered his -ring at once. - -“Yes, George and Leon were here a little time back—the girl? No, they -said nothing about a girl. They looked rather worried, I thought. Miss -Leicester, I suppose? Won’t you come in?” - -“No, I can’t wait. There’s a light in Manfred’s room.” - -The ghost of a smile lit the heavy face and faded as instantly. - -“My room also,” he said. “Butlers take vast liberties in the absence of -their masters. Shall I give a message to George?” - -“Ask him to call me at the Yard.” - -Poiccart closed the door on him; stopped in the passage to arrange a -salver on the table and hung up a hat. All this Meadows saw through the -fanlight and walking-stick periscope which is so easily fitted and can -be of such value. And seeing, his doubts evaporated. - -Poiccart went slowly up the stairs into the little office room, pulled -back the curtains and opened the window at the top. The next second, the -watching detective saw the light go out and went away. - -“I’m sorry to keep you in the dark,” said Poiccart. - -The men who were in the room waited until the shutters were fast and the -curtains pulled across, and then the light flashed on. White of face, -her eyes closed, her breast scarcely moving, Mirabelle Leicester lay on -the long settee. Her domino was a heap of shimmering green and scarlet -on the floor, and Leon was gently sponging her face, George Manfred -watching from the back of the settee, his brows wrinkled. - -“Will she die?” he asked bluntly. - -“I don’t know: they sometimes die of that stuff,” replied Leon -cold-bloodedly. “She must have had it pretty raw. Gurther is a crude -person.” - -“What was it?” asked George. - -Gonsalez spread out his disengaged hand in a gesture of uncertainty. - -“If you can imagine morphia with a kick in it, it was that. I don’t -know. I hope she doesn’t die: she is rather young—it would be the worst -of bad luck.” - -Poiccart stirred uneasily. He alone had within his soul what Leon would -call “a trace” of sentiment. - -“Could we get Elver?” he asked anxiously, and Leon looked up with his -boyish smile. - -“Growing onions in Seville has softened you, Raymondo mio!” He never -failed in moments of great strain to taunt the heavy man with his two -years of agricultural experiment, and they knew that the gibes were -deliberately designed to steady his mind. “Onions are sentimental -things—they make you cry: a vegetable _muchos simpatico_! This woman is -alive!” - -Her eyelids had fluttered twice. Leon lifted the bare arm, inserted the -needle of a tiny hypodermic and pressed home the plunger. - -“To-morrow she will feel exactly as if she had been drunk,” he said -calmly, “and in her mouth will be the taste of ten rank cigars. Oh, -senorinetta, open thy beautiful eyes and look upon thy friends!” - -The last sentence was in Spanish. She heard: the lids fluttered and -rose. - -“You’re a long way from Heavytree Farm, Miss Leicester.” - -She looked up wonderingly into the kindly face of George Manfred. - -“Where am I?” she asked faintly, and closed her eyes again with a -grimace of pain. - -“They always ask that—just as they do in books,” said Leon oracularly. -“If they don’t say ‘Where am I?’ they ask for their mothers. She’s quite -out of danger.” - -One hand was on her wrist, another at the side of her neck. - -“Remarkably regular. She has a good head—mathematical probably.” - -“She is very beautiful,” said Poiccart in a hushed voice. - -“All people are beautiful—just as all onions are beautiful. What is the -difference between a lovely maid and the ugliest of duennas—what but a -matter of pigmentation and activity of tissue? Beneath that, an -astounding similarity of the circulatory, sustentacular, -motorvascular——” - -“How long have we got?” Manfred interrupted him, and Leon shook his -head. - -“I don’t know—not long, I should think. Of course, we could have told -Meadows and he’d have turned out police reserves, but I should like to -keep them out of it.” - -“The Old Guard was there?” - -“Every man jack of them—those tough lads! They will be here just as -soon as the Herr Doktor discovers what is going forward. Now, I think -you can travel. I want her out of the way.” - -Stooping, he put his hands under her and lifted her. The strength in his -frail body was a never-ending source of wonder to his two friends. - -They followed him down the stairs and along the short passage, down -another flight to the kitchen. Manfred opened a door and went out into -the paved yard. There was a heavier door in the boundary wall. He opened -this slowly and peeped out. Here was the inevitable mews. The sound of -an engine running came from a garage near by. Evidently somebody was on -the look out for them. A long-bodied car drew up noiselessly and a woman -got out. Beside the driver at the wheel sat two men. - -“I think you’ll just miss the real excitement,” said Gonsalez, and then -to the nurse he gave a few words of instruction and closed the door on -her. - -“Take the direct road,” he said to the driver. “Swindon—Gloucester. -Good night.” - -“Good night, sir.” - -He watched anxiously as the machine swung into the main road. Still he -waited, his head bent. Two minutes went by, and the faint sound of a -motor-horn, a long blast and a short, and he sighed. - -“They’re clear of the danger zone,” he said. - -_Plop!_ - -He saw the flash, heard the smack of the bullet as it struck the door, -and his hand stiffened. There was a thudding sound—a scream of pain -from a dark corner of the mews and the sound of voices. Leon drew back -into the yard and bolted the door. - -“He had a new kind of silencer. Oberzohn is rather a clever old bird. -But my air pistol against their gun for noiselessness.” - -“I didn’t expect the attack from that end of the mews.” Manfred was -slipping a Browning back to his pocket. - -“If they had come from the other end the car would not have passed—I’d -like to get one of those silencers.” - -They went into the house. Poiccart had already extinguished the passage -light. - -“You hit your man—does that thing kill?” - -“By accident—it is possible. I aimed at his stomach: I fear that I hit -him in the head. He would not have squealed for a stomach wound. I fear -he is alive.” - -He felt his way up the stairs and took up the telephone. Immediately a -voice said, “Number?” - -“Give me 8877 Treasury.” - -He waited, and then a different voice asked: - -“Yes—Scotland Yard speaking.” - -“Can you give me Mr. Meadows?” - -Manfred was watching him frowningly. - -“That you, Meadows? . . . They have shot Leon Gonsalez—can you send -police reserves and an ambulance?” - -“At once.” - -Leon hung up the receiver, hugging himself. - -“The idea being——?” said Poiccart. - -“These people are clever.” Leon’s voice was charged with admiration. -“They haven’t cut the wires—they’ve simply tapped it at one end and -thrown it out of order on the exchange side.” - -“Phew!” Manfred whistled. “You deceived me—you were talking to -Oberzohn?” - -“Captain Monty and Lew Cuccini. They may or may not be deceived, but if -they aren’t, we shall know all about it.” - -He stopped dead. There was a knock on the front door, a single, heavy -knock. Leon grinned delightedly. - -“One of us is now supposed to open an upper window cautiously and look -out, whereupon he is instantly gunned. I’m going to give these fellows a -scare.” - -He ran up the stairs to the top floor, and on the landing, outside an -attic door, pulled at a rope. A fire ladder lying flat against the -ceiling came down, and at the same time a small skylight opened. Leon -went into the room, and his pocket-lamp located what he needed: a small -papier-mâché cylinder, not unlike a seven-pound shell. With this on his -arm, he climbed up the ladder on to the roof, fixed the cylinder on a -flat surface, and, striking a match, lit a touch-paper. The paper -sizzled and spluttered, there was a sudden flash and “boom!” a dull -explosion, and a white ball shot up into the sky, described a graceful -curve and burst into a shower of brilliant crimson stars. He waited till -the last died out; then, with the hot cylinder under his arm, descended -the ladder, released the rope that held it in place, and returned to his -two friends. - -“They will imagine a secret arrangement of signals with the police,” he -said; “unless my knowledge of their psychology is at fault, we shall not -be bothered again.” - -Ten minutes later there was another knock at the door, peremptory, -almost official in its character. - -“This,” said Leon, “is a policeman to summon us for discharging -fireworks in the public street!” - -He ran lightly down into the hall and without hesitation pulled open the -door. A tall, helmeted figure stood on the doorstep, notebook in hand. - -“Are you the gentleman that let off that rocket——” he began. - -Leon walked past him, and looked up and down Curzon Street. As he had -expected, the Old Guard had vanished. - -_Chapter XI_ _Gurther_ - -MONTY NEWTON dragged himself home, a weary, angry man, and let himself -in with his key. He found the footman lying on the floor of the hall -asleep, his greatcoat pulled over him, and stirred him to wakefulness -with the toe of his boot. - -“Get up,” he growled. “Anybody been here?” - -Fred rose, a little dazed, rubbing his eyes. - -“The old man’s in the drawing-room,” he said, and his employer passed on -without another word. - -As he opened the door, he saw that all the lights in the drawing-room -were lit. Dr. Oberzohn had pulled a small table near the fire, and -before this he sat bolt upright, a tiny chess-board before him, immersed -in a problem. He looked across to the new-comer for a second and then -resumed his study of the board, made a move . . . - -“Ach!” he said in tones of satisfaction. “Leskina was wrong! It is -possible to mate in five moves!” - -He pushed the chess-men into confusion and turned squarely to face -Newton. - -“Well, have you concluded these matters satisfactorily?” - -“He brought up the reserves,” said Monty, unlocking a tantalus on a side -table and helping himself liberally to whisky. “They got Cuccini through -the jaw. Nothing serious.” - -Dr. Oberzohn laid his bony hands on his knees. - -“Gurther must be disciplined,” he said. “Obviously he has lost his -nerve; and when a man loses his nerve also he loses his sense of time. -And his timing—how deplorable! The car had not arrived; my excellent -police had not taken position . . . deplorable!” - -“The police are after him: I suppose you know that?” Newton looked over -his glass. - -Dr. Oberzohn nodded. - -“The extradition so cleverly avoided is now accomplished. But Gurther is -too good a man to be lost. I have arranged a hiding-place for him. He is -of many uses.” - -“Where did he go?” - -Dr. Oberzohn’s eyebrows wrinkled up and down. - -“Who knows?” he said. “He has the little machine. Maybe he has gone to -the house—the green light in the top window will warn him and he will -move carefully.” - -Newton walked to the window and looked out. Chester Square looked -ghostly in the grey light of dawn. And then, out of the shadows, he saw -a figure move and walk slowly towards the south side of the square. - -“They’re watching this house,” he said, and laughed. - -“Where is my young lady?” asked Oberzohn, who was staring glumly into -the fire. - -“I don’t know . . . there was a car pulled out of the mews as one of our -men ‘closed’ the entrance. She has probably gone back to Heavytree Farm, -and you can sell that laboratory of yours. There is only one way now, -and that’s the rough way. We have time—we can do a lot in six weeks. -Villa is coming this morning—I wish we’d taken that idol from the -trunk. That may put the police on to the right track.” - -Dr. Oberzohn pursed his lips as though he were going to whistle, but he -was guilty of no such frivolity. - -“I am glad they found him,” he said precisely. “To them it will be a -scent. What shall they think, but that the unfortunate Barberton had -come upon an old native treasure-house? No, I do not fear that.” He -shook his head. “Mostly I fear Mr. Johnson Lee and the American, Elijah -Washington.” - -He put his hand into his jacket pocket and took out a thin pad of -letters. - -“Johnson Lee is for me difficult to understand. For what should a -gentleman have to do with this boor that he writes so friendly letters -to him?” - -“How did you get these?” - -“Villa took them: it was one of the intelligent actions also to leave -the statue.” - -He passed one of the letters across to Newton. It was addressed “Await -arrival, Poste Restante, Mosamedes.” The letter was written in a -curiously round, boyish hand. Another remarkable fact was that it was -perforated across the page at regular intervals, and upon the lines -formed by this perforation Mr. Johnson Lee wrote. - - “Dear B.,” the letter ran, “I have instructed my banker to cable - you £500. I hope this will carry you through and leave enough to - pay your fare home. You may be sure that I shall not breathe a - word, and your letters, of course, nobody in the house can read - but me. Your story is amazing, and I advise you to come home at - once and see Miss Leicester. - - “Your friend, - “JOHNSON LEE.” - -The note-paper was headed “Rath Hall, January 13th.” - -“They came to me to-day. If I had seen them before, there would have -been no need for the regrettable happening.” - -He looked thoughtfully at his friend. - -“They will be difficult: I had that expectation,” he said, and Monty -knew that he referred to the Three Just Men. “Yet they are mortal -also—remember that, my Newton: they are mortal also.” - -“As we are,” said Newton gloomily. - -“That is a question,” said Oberzohn, “so far as I am concerned.” - -Dr. Oberzohn never jested; he spoke with the greatest calm and -assurance. The other man could only stare at him. - -Although it was light, a green lamp showed clearly in the turret room of -the doctor’s house as he came within sight of the ugly place. And, -seeing that warning, he did not expect to be met in the passage by -Gurther. The man had changed from his resplendent kit and was again in -the soiled and shabby garments he had discarded the night before. - -“You have come, Gurther?” - -“Ja, Herr Doktor.” - -“To my parlour!” barked Dr. Oberzohn, and marched ahead. - -Gurther followed him and stood with his back to the door, erect, his -chin raised, his bright, curious eyes fixed on a point a few inches -above his master’s head. - -“Tell me now.” The doctor’s ungainly face was working ludicrously. - -“I saw the man and struck, Herr Doktor, and then the lights went out and -I went to the floor, expecting him to shoot. . . . I think he must have -taken the gracious lady. I did not see, for there was a palm between us. -I returned at once to the greater hall, and walked through the people on -the floor. They were very frightened.” - -“You saw them?” - -“Yes, Herr Doktor,” said Gurther. “It is not difficult for me to see in -the dark. After that I ran to the other entrance, but they were gone.” - -“Come here.” - -The man took two stilted paces towards the doctor and Oberzohn struck -him twice in the face with the flat of his hand. Not a muscle of the -man’s face moved: he stood erect, his lips framed in a half-grin, his -curious eyes staring straight ahead. - -“That is for bad time, Gurther. Nobody saw you return?” - -“No, Herr Doktor, I came on foot.” - -“You saw the light?” - -“Yes, Herr Doktor, and I thought it best to be here.” - -“You were right,” said Oberzohn. “March!” - -He went into the forbidden room, turned the key, and passed into the -super-heated atmosphere. Gurther stood attentively at the door. -Presently the doctor came out, carrying a long case covered with baize -under his arm. He handed it to the waiting man, went into the room, and, -after a few minutes’ absence, returned with a second case, a little -larger. - -“March!” he said. - -Gurther followed him out of the house and across the rank, weed-grown -“garden” towards the factory. A white mist had rolled up from the canal, -and factory and grounds lay under the veil. - -He led the way through an oblong gap in the wall where once a door had -stood, and followed a tortuous course through the blackened beams and -twisted girders that littered the floor. Only a half-hearted attempt had -been made to clear up the wreckage after the fire, and the floor was -ankle-deep in the charred shreds of burnt cloth. Near the far end of the -building, Oberzohn stopped, put down his box and pushed aside the ashes -with his foot until he had cleared a space about three feet square. -Stooping, he grasped an iron ring and pulled, and a flagstone came up -with scarcely an effort, for it was well counter-weighted. He took up -the box again and descended the stone stairs, stopping only to turn on a -light. - -The vaults of the store had been practically untouched by the fire. -There were shelves that still carried dusty bales of cotton goods. -Oberzohn was in a hurry. He crossed the stone floor in two strides, -pulled down the bar of another door, and, walking into the darkness, -deposited his box on the floor. - -The electric power of the factory had, in the old days, been carried on -two distinct circuits, and the connection with the vaults was -practically untouched by the explosion. - -They were in a smaller room now, fairly comfortably furnished. Gurther -knew it well, for it was here that he had spent the greater part of his -first six months in England. Ventilation came through three small -gratings near the roof. There was a furnace, and, as Gurther knew, an -ample supply of fuel in one of the three cellars that opened into the -vault. - -“Here will you stay until I send for you,” said Oberzohn. “To-night, -perhaps, after they have searched. You have a pistol?” - -“Ja, Herr Doktor.” - -“Food, water, bedding—all you need.” Oberzohn jerked open another of -the cellars and took stock of the larder. “To-night I may come for -you—to-morrow night—who knows? You will light the fire at once.” He -pointed to the two baize-covered boxes. “Good morning, Gurther.” - -“Good morning, Herr Doktor.” - -Oberzohn went up to the factory level, dropped the trap and his foot -pushed back the ashes which hid its presence, and with a cautious look -round he crossed the field to his house. He was hardly in his study -before the first police car came bumping along the lane. - -_Chapter XII_ _Leon Theorizes_ - -MAKING inquiries, Detective-Inspector Meadows discovered that, on the -previous evening at eight o’clock, two men had called upon Barberton. -The first of these was described as tall and rather aristocratic in -appearance. He wore dark, horn-rimmed spectacles. The hotel manager -thought he might have been an invalid, for he walked with a stick. The -second man seemed to have been a servant of some kind, for he spoke -respectfully to the visitor. - -“No, he gave no name, Mr. Meadows,” said the manager. “I told him of the -terrible thing which had happened to Mr. Barberton, and he was so upset -that I didn’t like to press the question.” - -Meadows was on his circuitous way to Curzon Street when he heard this, -and he arrived in time for breakfast. Manfred’s servants regarded it as -the one eccentricity of an otherwise normal gentleman that he invariably -breakfasted with his butler and chauffeur. This matter had been -discussed threadbare in the tiny servants’ hall, and it no longer -excited comment when Manfred telephoned down to the lower regions and -asked for another plate. - -The Triangle were in cheerful mood. Leon Gonsalez was especially bright -and amusing, as he invariably was after such a night as he had spent. - -“We searched Oberzohn’s house from cellar to attic,” said Meadows when -the plate had been laid. - -“And of course you found nothing. The elegant Gurther?” - -“He wasn’t there. That fellow will keep at a distance if he knows that -there’s a warrant out for him. I suspect some sort of signal. There was -a very bright green light burning in one of those ridiculous Gothic -turrets.” - -Manfred stifled a yawn. - -“Gurther went back soon after midnight,” he said, “and was there until -Oberzohn’s return.” - -“Are you sure?” asked the astonished detective. - -Leon nodded, his eyes twinkling. - -“After that, one of those infernal river mists blotted out observation,” -he said, “but I should imagine Herr Gurther is not far away. Did you see -his companion, Pfeiffer?” - -Meadows nodded. - -“Yes, he was cleaning boots when I arrived.” - -“How picturesque!” said Gonsalez. “I think he will have a valet the next -time he goes to prison, unless the system has altered since your days, -George?” - -George Manfred, who had once occupied the condemned cell in Chelmsford -Prison, smiled. - -“An interesting man, Gurther,” mused Gonsalez. “I have a feeling that he -will escape hanging. So you could not find him? I found him last night. -But for the lady, who was both an impediment and an interest, we might -have put a period to his activities.” He caught Meadows’ eye. “I should -have handed him to you, of course.” - -“Of course,” said the detective dryly. - -“A remarkable man, but nervous. You are going to see Mr. Johnson Lee?” - -“What made you say that?” asked the detective in astonishment, for he -had not as yet confided his intention to the three men. - -“He will surprise you,” said Leon. “Tell me, Mr. Meadows: when you and -George so thoroughly and carefully searched Barberton’s box, did you -find anything that was suggestive of his being a cobbler, let us say—or -a bookbinder?” - -“I think in his sister’s letter there was a reference to the books he -had made. I found nothing particular except an awl and a long oblong of -wood which was covered with pinpricks. As a matter of fact, when I saw -it my first thought was that, living the kind of life he must have done -in the wilderness, it was rather handy to be able to repair his own -shoes. The idea of bookbinding is a new one.” - -“I should say he never bound a book in his life, in the ordinary sense -of the word,” remarked Manfred; “and as Leon says, you will find Johnson -Lee a very surprising man.” - -“Do you know him?” - -Manfred nodded gravely. - -“I have just been on the telephone to him,” he said. “You’ll have to be -careful of Mr. Lee, Meadows. Our friend the snake may be biting his way, -and will, if he hears a breath of suspicion that he was in Barberton’s -confidence.” - -The detective put down his knife and fork. - -“I wish you fellows would stop being mysterious,” he said, half annoyed, -half amused. “What is behind this business? You talk of the snake as -though you could lay your hands on him.” - -“And we could,” they said in unison. - -“Who is he?” challenged the detective. - -“The Herr Doktor,” smiled Gonsalez. - -“Oberzohn?” - -Leon nodded. - -“I thought you would have discovered that by connecting the original -three murders together—and murders they were. First”—he ticked the -names off on his fingers—“we have a stockbroker. This gentleman was a -wealthy speculator who occasionally financed highly questionable deals. -Six months before his death he drew from the bank a very large sum of -money in notes. By an odd coincidence the bank clerk, going out to -luncheon, saw his client and Oberzohn driving past in a taxicab, and as -they came abreast he saw a large blue envelope go into Oberzohn’s -pocket. The money had been put into a blue envelope when it was drawn. -The broker had financed the doctor, and when the scheme failed and the -money was lost, he not unnaturally asked for its return. He trusted -Oberzohn not at all; carried his receipt about in his pocket, and never -went anywhere unless he was armed—that fact did not emerge at the -inquest, but you know it is true.” - -Meadows nodded. - -“He threatened Oberzohn with exposure at a meeting they had in -Winchester Street, on the day of his death. That night he returns from a -theatre or from his club, and is found dead on the doorstep. No receipt -is found. What follows? - -“A man, a notorious blackmailer, homeless and penniless, was walking -along the Bayswater Road, probably looking for easy money, when he saw -the broker’s car going into Orme Place. He followed on the off-chance of -begging a few coppers. The chauffeur saw him. The tramp, on the other -hand, must have seen something else. He slept the next night at Rowton -House, told a friend, who had been in prison with him, that he had a -million pounds as good as in his hand. . . .” - -Meadows laughed helplessly. - -“Your system of investigation is evidently more thorough than ours.” - -“It is complementary to yours,” said George quietly. “Go on, Leon.” - -“Now what happened to our friend the burglar? He evidently saw somebody -in Orme Place whom he either recognized or trailed to his home. For the -next day or two he was in and out of public telephone booths, though no -number has been traced. He goes to Hyde Park, obviously by -appointment—and the snake-bites! - -“There was another danger to the confederacy. The bank clerk, learning -of the death of the client, is troubled. I have proof that he called -Oberzohn on the ’phone. If you remember, when the broker’s affairs were -gone into, it was found that he was almost insolvent. A large sum of -money had been drawn out of the bank and paid to ‘X.’ The certainty that -he knew who ‘X.’ was, worried this decent bank clerk, and he called -Oberzohn, probably to ask him why he had not made a statement. On the -day he telephoned the snake man, that day he died.” - -The detective was listening in silent wonder. - -“It sounds like a page out of a sensational novel,” he said, “yet it -hangs together.” - -“It hangs together because it is true.” Poiccart’s deep voice broke into -the conversation. “This has been Oberzohn’s method all his life. He is -strong for logic, and there is no more logical action in the world than -the destruction of those who threaten your safety and life.” - -Meadows pushed away his plate, his breakfast half eaten. - -“Proof,” he said briefly. - -“What proof can you have, my dear fellow?” scoffed Leon. - -“The proof is the snake,” persisted Meadows. “Show me how he could -educate a deadly snake to strike, as he did, when the victim was under -close observation, as in the case of Barberton, and I will believe you.” - -The Three looked at one another and smiled together. - -“One of these days I will show you,” said Leon. “They have certainly -tamed their snake! He can move so quickly that the human eye cannot -follow him. Always he bites on the most vital part, and at the most -favourable time. He struck at me last night, but missed me. The next -time he strikes”—he was speaking slowly and looking at the detective -through the veriest slits of his half-closed eyelids—“the next time he -strikes, not all Scotland Yard on the one side, nor his agreeable -company of gunmen on the other, will save him!” - -Poiccart rose suddenly. His keen ears had heard the ring of a bell, and -he went noiselessly down the stairs. - -“The whole thing sounds like a romance to me.” Meadows was rubbing his -chin irritably. “I am staring at the covers of a book whilst you are -reading the pages. I suppose you devils have the A and Z of the story?” - -Leon nodded. - -“Why don’t you tell me?” - -“Because I value your life,” said Leon simply. “Because I wish—we all -wish—to keep the snake’s attention upon ourselves.” - -Poiccart came back at that moment and put his head in the door. - -“Would you like to see Mr. Elijah Washington?” he asked, and they saw by -the gleam in his eyes that Mr. Elijah Washington was well worth meeting. - -He arrived a second or two later, a tall, broad-shouldered man with a -reddish face. He wore pince-nez, and behind the rimless glasses his eyes -were alive and full of bubbling laughter. From head to foot he was -dressed in white; the cravat which flowed over the soft silk shirt was a -bright yellow; the belt about his waist as bright as scarlet. - -He stood beaming upon the company, his white panama crushed under his -arm, both huge hands thrust into his trousers pockets. - -“Glad to know you folks,” he greeted them in a deep boom of a voice. “I -guess Mr. Barberton told you all about me. That poor little guy! Listen: -he was a he-man all right, but kinder mysterious. They told me I’d find -the police chief here—Captain Meadows?” - -“Mister,” said the inspector, “I’m that man.” - -Washington put out his huge paw and caught the detective’s hand with a -grip that would have been notable in a boa constrictor. - -“Glad to know you. My name is Elijah Washington—the Natural History -Syndicate, Chicago.” - -“Sit down, Mr. Washington.” Poiccart pushed forward a chair. - -“I want to tell you gentlemen that this Barberton was murdered. Snake? -Listen, I know snakes—brought up with ’um! Snakes are my hobby: I know -’um from egg-eaters to ‘tigers’—_notechis sentatus_, moccasins, -copperheads, corals, mamba, _fer de lance_—gosh! snakes are just common -objects like flies. An’ I tell you boys right here and now, that there -ain’t a snake in this or the next world that can climb up a parapet, -bite a man and get away with it with a copper looking on.” - -He beamed from one to the other: he was almost paternal. - -“I’d like to have shown you folks a worse-than-mamba,” he said -regretfully, “but carrying round snakes in your pocket is just hot dog: -it’s like a millionaire wearin’ diamond ear-rings just to show he can -afford ’em. I liked that little fellow; I’m mighty sorry he’s dead, but -if any man tells you that a snake bit him, go right up to him, hit him -on the nose, and say ‘Liar!’” - -“You will have some coffee?” Manfred had rung the bell. - -“Sure I will: never have got used to this tea-drinking habit. I’m on the -wagon too: got scared up there in the backlands of Angola——” - -“What were you doing there?” asked Leon. - -“Snakes,” said the other briefly. “I represent an organization that -supplies specimens to zoos and museums. I was looking for a flying -snake—there ain’t such a thing, though the natives say there is. I got -a new kinder cobra—_viperidæ crotalinæ_—and yet not!” - -He scratched his head, bringing his scientific perplexity into the room. -Leon’s heart went out to him. - -He had met Barberton by accident. Without shame he confessed that he had -gone to a village in the interior for a real solitary jag, and returning -to such degree of civilization as Mossamedes represented, he found a -group of Portuguese breeds squatting about a fire at which the man’s -feet were toasting. - -“I don’t know what he was—a prospector, I guess. He was one of those -what-is-its you meet along that coast. I’ve met his kind most -everywhere—as far south as Port Nottosh. In Angola there are scores: -they go native at the end.” - -“You can tell us nothing about Barberton?” - -Mr. Elijah Washington shook his head. - -“No, sir: I know him same as I might know you. It got me curious when I -found out the why of the torturing: he wouldn’t tell where it was.” - -“Where what was?” asked Manfred quickly, and Mr. Washington was -surprised. - -“Why, the writing they wanted to get. I thought maybe he’d told you. He -said he was coming right along to spill all that part of it. It was a -letter he’d found in a tin box—that was all he’d say.” - -They looked at one another. - -“I know no more about it than that,” Mr. Washington added, when he saw -Gonsalez’ lips move. “It was just a letter. Who it was from, why, what -it was about, he never told me. My first idea was that he’d been -flirting round about here, but divorce laws are mighty generous and they -wouldn’t trouble to get evidence that way. A man doesn’t want any -documents to get rid of his wife. I dare say you folks wonder why I’ve -come along.” Mr. Washington raised his steaming cup of coffee, which -must have been nearly boiling, and drank it at one gulp. “That’s fine,” -he said, “the nearest to coffee I’ve had since I left home.” - -He wiped his lips with a large and vivid silk handkerchief. - -“I’ve come along, gentlemen, because I’ve got a pretty good idea that -I’d be useful to anybody who’s snake-hunting in this little dorp.” - -“It’s rather a dangerous occupation, isn’t it?” said Manfred quietly. - -Washington nodded. - -“To you, but not to me,” he said. “I am snake-proof.” - -He pulled up his sleeve: the forearm was scarred and pitted with old -wounds. - -“Snakes,” he said briefly. “That’s cobra.” He pointed proudly. “When -that snake struck, my boys didn’t wait for anything, they started -dividing my kit. Sort of appointed themselves a board of executors and -joint heirs of the family estate.” - -“But you were very ill?” said Gonsalez. - -Mr. Washington shook his head. - -“No, sir, not more than if a bee bit me, and not so much as if a wasp -had got in first punch. Some people can eat arsenic, some people can -make a meal of enough morphia to decimate a province. I’m -snake-proof—been bitten ever since I was five.” - -He bent over towards them, and his jolly face went suddenly serious. - -“I’m the man you want,” he said. - -“I think you are,” said Manfred slowly. - -“Because this old snake ain’t finished biting. There’s a graft in it -somewhere, and I want to find it. But first I want to vindicate the -snake. Anybody who says a snake’s naturally vicious doesn’t understand. -Snakes are timid, quiet, respectful things, and don’t want no trouble -with nobody. If a snake sees you coming, he naturally lights out for -home. When momma snake’s running around with her family, she’s naturally -touchy for fear you’d tread on any of her boys and girls, but she’s a -lady, and if you give her time she’ll Maggie ’um and get ’um into the -parlour where the foot of white man never trod.” - -Leon was looking at him with a speculative eye. - -“It is queer to think,” he said, speaking half to himself, “that you may -be the only one of us who will be alive this day week!” - -Meadows, not easily shocked, felt a cold shiver run down his spine. - -_Chapter XIII_ _Mirabelle Goes Home_ - -THE prediction that Leon Gonsalez had made was not wholly fulfilled, -though he himself had helped to prevent the supreme distress he -prophesied. When Mirabelle Leicester awoke in the morning, her head was -thick and dull, and for a long time she lay between sleeping and waking, -trying to bring order to the confusion of her thoughts, her eyes on the -ceiling towards a gnarled oak beam which she had seen before somewhere; -and when at last she summoned sufficient energy to raise herself on her -elbow, she looked upon the very familiar surroundings of her own pretty -little room. - -Heavytree Farm! What a curious dream she had had! A dream filled with -fleeting visions of old men with elongated heads, of dance music and a -crowded ball-room, of a slightly over-dressed man who had been very -polite to her at dinner. Where did she dine? She sat up in bed, holding -her throbbing head. - -Again she looked round the room and slowly, out of her dreams, emerged a -few tangible facts. She was still in a state of bewilderment when the -door opened and Aunt Alma came in, and the unprepossessing face of her -relative was accentuated by her look of anxiety. - -“Hullo, Alma!” said Mirabelle dully. “I’ve had such a queer dream.” - -Alma pressed her lips tightly together as she placed a tray on a table -by the side of the bed. - -“I think it was about that advertisement I saw.” And then, with a gasp: -“How did I come here?” - -“They brought you,” said Alma. “The nurse is downstairs having her -breakfast. She’s a nice woman and keeps press-cuttings.” - -“The nurse?” asked Mirabelle in bewilderment. - -“You arrived here at three o’clock in the morning in a motor-car. You -had a nurse with you.” Alma enumerated the circumstances in -chronological order. “And two men. First one of the men got out and -knocked at the door. I was worried to death. In fact, I’d been worried -all the afternoon, ever since I had your wire telling me not to come up -to London.” - -“But I didn’t send any such wire,” replied the girl. - -“After I came down, the man—he was really a gentleman and very -pleasantly spoken—told me that you’d been taken ill and a nurse had -brought you home. They then carried you, the two men and the nurse, -upstairs and laid you on the bed, and nurse and I undressed you. I -simply couldn’t get you to wake up: all you did was to talk about the -orangeade.” - -“I remember! It was so bitter, and Lord Evington let me drink some of -his. And then I . . . I don’t know what happened after that,” she said, -with a little grimace. - -“Mr. Gonsalez ordered the car, got the nurse from a nursing home,” -explained Alma. - -“Gonsalez! Not my Gonsalez—the—the Four Just Men Gonsalez?” she asked -in amazement. - -“I’m sure it was Gonsalez: they made no secret about it. You can see the -gentlemen who brought you: he’s about the house somewhere. I saw him in -Heavytree Lane not five minutes ago, strolling up and down and smoking. -A pipe,” added Alma. - -The girl got out of bed; her knees were curiously weak under her, but -she managed to stagger to the window, and, pushing open the casement -still farther, looked out across the patchwork quilt of colour. The -summer flowers were in bloom; the delicate scents came up on the warm -morning air, and she stood for a moment, drinking in great draughts of -the exquisite perfume, and then, with a sigh, turned back to the waiting -Alma. - -“I don’t know how it all happened and what it’s about, but my word, -Alma, I’m glad to be back! That dreadful man . . . ! We lunched at the -Ritz-Carlton. . . . I never want to see another restaurant or a -ball-room or Chester Square, or anything but old Heavytree!” - -She took the cup of tea from Alma’s hand, drank greedily, and put it -down with a little gasp. - -“That was wonderful! Yes, the tea was too, but I’m thinking about -Gonsalez. If it should be he!” - -“I don’t see why you should get excited over a man who’s committed I -don’t know how many murders.” - -“Don’t be silly, Alma!” scoffed the girl. “The Just Men have never -murdered, any more than a judge and jury murder.” - -The room was still inclined to go round, and it was with the greatest -difficulty that she could condense the two Almas who stood before her -into one tangible individual. - -“There’s a gentleman downstairs: he’s been waiting since twelve.” - -And when she asked, she was to learn, to her dismay, that it was -half-past one. - -“I’ll be down in a quarter of an hour,” she said recklessly. “Who is -it?” - -“I’ve never heard of him before, but he’s a gentleman,” was the -unsatisfactory reply. “They didn’t want to let him come in.” - -“Who didn’t?” - -“The gentlemen who brought you here in the night.” - -Mirabelle stared at her. - -“You mean . . . they’re guarding the house?” - -“That’s how it strikes me,” said Alma bitterly. “Why they should -interfere with us, I don’t know. Anyway, they let him in. Mr. Johnson -Lee.” - -The girl frowned. - -“I don’t know the name,” she said. - -Alma walked to the window. - -“There’s his car,” she said, and pointed. - -It was just visible, standing at the side of the road beyond the box -hedge, a long-bodied Rolls, white with dust. The chauffeur was talking -to a strange man, and from the fact that he was smoking a pipe Mirabelle -guessed that this was one of her self-appointed custodians. - -She had her bath, and with the assistance of the nurse, dressed and came -shakily down the stairs. Alma was waiting in the brick-floored hall. - -“He wants to see you alone,” she said in a stage whisper. “I don’t know -whether I ought to allow it, but there’s evidently something wrong. -These men prowling about the house have got thoroughly on my nerves.” - -Mirabelle laughed softly as she opened the door and walked in. At the -sound of the door closing, the man who was sitting stiffly on a deep -settee in a window recess got up. He was tall and bent, and his dark -face was lined. His eyes she could not see; they were hidden behind dark -green glasses, which were turned in her direction as she came across the -room to greet him. - -“Miss Mirabelle Leicester?” he asked, in the quiet, modulated voice of -an educated man. - -He took her hand in his. - -“Won’t you sit down?” she said, for he remained standing after she had -seated herself. - -“Thank you.” He sat down gingerly, holding between his knees the handle -of the umbrella he had brought into the drawing-room. “I’m afraid my -visit may be inopportune, Miss Leicester,” he said. “Have you by any -chance heard about Mr. Barberton?” - -Her brows wrinkled in thought. - -“Barberton? I seem to have heard the name.” - -“He was killed yesterday on the Thames Embankment.” - -Then she recollected. - -“The man who was bitten by the snake?” she asked in horror. - -The visitor nodded. - -“It was a great shock to me, because I have been a friend of his for -many years, and had arranged to call at his hotel on the night of his -death.” And then abruptly he turned the conversation in another and a -surprising direction. “Your father was a scientist, Miss Leicester?” - -She nodded. - -“Yes, he was an astronomer, an authority upon meteors.” - -“Exactly. I thought that was the gentleman. I have only recently had his -book read to me. He was in Africa for some years?” - -“Yes,” she said quietly, “he died there. He was studying meteors for -three years in Angola. You probably know that a very large number of -shooting stars fall in that country. My father’s theory was that it was -due to the ironstone mountains which attract them—so he set up a little -observatory in the interior.” Her lips trembled for a second. “He was -killed in a native rising,” she said. - -“Do you know the part of Angola where he had his observatory?” - -She shook her head. - -“I’m not sure. I have never been in Africa, but perhaps Aunt Alma may -know.” - -She went out to find Alma waiting in the passage, in conversation with -the pipe-smoker. The man withdrew hastily at the sight of her. - -“Alma, do you remember what part of Angola father had his observatory?” -she asked. - -Alma did not know off-hand, but one of her invaluable scrap-books -contained all the information that the girl wanted, and she carried the -book to Mr. Lee. - -“Here are the particulars,” she said, and laid the book open before -them. - -“Would you read it for me?” he requested gently, and she read to him the -three short paragraphs which noted that Professor Leicester had taken up -his residence in Bishaka. - -“That is the place,” interrupted the visitor. “Bishaka! You are sure -that Mr. Barberton did not communicate with you?” - -“With me?” she said in amazement. “No—why should he?” - -He did not answer, but sat for a long time, turning the matter over in -his mind. - -“You’re perfectly certain that nobody sent you a document, probably in -the Portuguese language, concerning”—he hesitated—“Bishaka?” - -She shook her head, and then, as though he had not seen the gesture, he -asked the question again. - -“I’m certain,” she said. “We have very little correspondence at the -farm, and it isn’t possible that I could overlook anything so -remarkable.” - -Again he turned the problem over in his mind. - -“Have you any documents in Portuguese or in English . . . any letters -from your father about Angola?” - -“None,” she said. “The only reference my father ever made to Bishaka was -that he was getting a lot of information which he thought would be -valuable, and that he was a little troubled because his cameras, which -he had fixed in various parts of the country to cover every sector of -the skies, were being disturbed by wandering prospectors.” - -“He said that, did he?” asked Mr. Lee eagerly. “Come now, that explains -a great deal!” - -In spite of herself she laughed. - -“It doesn’t explain much to me, Mr. Lee,” she said frankly. And then, in -a more serious tone: “Did Barberton come from Angola?” - -“Yes, Barberton came from that country,” he said in a lower voice. “I -should like to tell you”—he hesitated—“but I am rather afraid.” - -“Afraid to tell me? Why?” - -He shook his head. - -“So many dreadful things have happened recently to poor Barberton and -others, that knowledge seems a most dangerous thing. I wish I could -believe that it would not be dangerous to you,” he added kindly, “and -then I could speak what is in my mind and relieve myself of a great deal -of anxiety.” He rose slowly. “I think the best thing I can do is to -consult my lawyer. I was foolish to keep it from him so long. He is the -only man I can trust to search my documents.” - -She could only look at him in astonishment. - -“But surely you can search your own documents?” she said -good-humouredly. - -“No, I’m afraid I can’t. Because”—he spoke with the simplicity of a -child—“I am blind.” - -“Blind?” gasped Mirabelle, and the man laughed gently. - -“I am pretty capable for a blind man, am I not? I can walk across a room -and avoid all the furniture. The only thing I cannot do is to read—at -least, read the ordinary print. I can read Braille: poor Barberton -taught me. He was a schoolmaster,” he explained, “at a blind school near -Brightlingsea. Not a particularly well-educated man, but a marvellously -quick writer of Braille. We have corresponded for years through that -medium. He could write a Braille letter almost as quickly as you can -with pen and ink.” - -Her heart was full of pity for the man: he was so cheery, so confident, -and withal so proud of his own accomplishments, that pity turned to -admiration. He had the ineffable air of obstinacy which is the -possession of so many men similarly stricken, and she began to realize -that self-pity, that greatest of all afflictions which attends -blindness, had been eliminated from his philosophy. - -“I should like to tell you more,” he said, as he held out his hand. -“Probably I will dictate a long letter to you to-morrow, or else my -lawyer will do so, putting all the facts before you. For the moment, -however, I must be sure of my ground. I have no desire to raise in your -heart either fear or—hope. Do you know a Mr. Manfred?” - -“I don’t know him personally,” she said quickly. “George Manfred?” - -He nodded. - -“Have you met him?” she asked eagerly. “And Mr. Poiccart, the -Frenchman?” - -“No, not Mr. Poiccart. Manfred was on the telephone to me very early -this morning. He seemed to know all about my relationships with my poor -friend. He knew also of my blindness. A remarkable man, very gentle and -courteous. It was he who gave me your address. Perhaps,” he mused, “it -would be advisable if I first consulted him.” - -“I’m sure it would!” she said enthusiastically. “They are wonderful. You -have heard of them, of course, Mr. Lee—the Four Just Men?” - -He smiled. - -“That sounds as though you admire them,” he said. “Yes, I have heard of -them. They are the men who, many years ago, set out to regularize the -inconsistencies of the English law, to punish where no punishment is -provided by the code. Strange I never associated them. . . .” - -He meditated upon the matter in silence for a long while, and then: - -“I wonder,” he said, but did not tell her what he was wondering. - -She walked down the garden path with him into the roadway and stood -chatting about the country and the flowers that he had never seen, and -the weather and such trivialities as people talk about when their minds -are occupied with more serious thoughts which they cannot share, until -the big limousine pulled up and he stepped into its cool interior. He -had the independence which comes to the educated blind and gently -refused the offer of her guidance, an offer she did not attempt to -repeat, sensing the satisfaction he must have had in making his way -without help. She waved her hand to the car as it moved off, and so -naturally did his hand go up in salute that for a moment she thought he -had seen her. - -So he passed out of her sight, and might well have passed out of her -life, for Mr. Oberzohn had decreed that the remaining hours of blind -Johnson Lee were to be few. - -But it happened that the Three Men had reached the same decision in -regard to Mr. Oberzohn, only there was some indecision as to the manner -of his passing. Leon Gonsalez had original views. - -_Chapter XIV_ _The Pedlar_ - -THE man with the pipe was standing within half a dozen paces of her. -She was going back through the gate, when she remembered Aunt Alma’s -views on the guardianship. - -“Are you waiting here all day?” she asked. - -“Till this evening, miss. We’re to be relieved by some men from -Gloucester—we came from town, and we’re going back with the nurse, if -you can do without her?” - -“Who placed you here?” she asked. - -“Mr. Gonsalez. He thought it would be wise to have somebody around.” - -“But why?” - -The big man grinned. - -“I’ve known Mr. Gonsalez many years,” he said. “I’m a police pensioner, -and I can remember the time when I’d have given a lot of money to lay my -hands on him—but I’ve never asked him why, miss. There is generally a -good reason for everything he does.” - -Mirabelle went back into the farmhouse, very thoughtful. Happily, Alma -was not inquisitive; she was left alone in the drawing-room to -reconstruct her exciting yesterday. - -Mirabelle harboured very few illusions. She had read much, guessed much, -and in the days of her childhood had been in the habit of linking cause -to effect. The advertisement was designed especially for her: that was -her first conclusion. It was designed to bring her into the charge of -Oberzohn. For now she recognized this significant circumstance: never -once, since she had entered the offices of Oberzohn & Smitts, until the -episode of the orangeade, had she been free to come and go as she -wished. He had taken her to lunch, he had brought her back; Joan Newton -had been her companion in the drive from the house, and from the house -to the hall; and from then on she did not doubt that Oberzohn’s -surveillance had continued, until . . . - -Dimly she remembered the man in the cloak who had stood in the rocking -doorway. Was that Gonsalez? Somehow she thought it must have been. -Gonsalez, watchful, alert—why? She had been in danger—was still in -danger. Though why anybody should have picked unimportant her, was the -greatest of all mysteries. - -In some inexplicable way the death of Barberton had been associated with -that advertisement and the attention she had received from Dr. Oberzohn -and his creatures. Who was Lord Evington? She remembered his German -accent and his “gracious lady,” the curious click of his heels and his -stiff bow. That was a clumsy subterfuge which she ought to have seen -through from the first. He was another of her watchers. And the drugged -orangeade was his work. She shuddered. Suppose Leon Gonsalez, or whoever -it was, had not arrived so providentially, where would she be at this -moment? - -Walking to the window, she looked out, and the sight of the two men just -inside the gate gave her a sense of infinite relief and calm; and the -knowledge that she, for some reason, was under the care and protection -of this strange organization about which she had read, thrilled her. - -She walked into the vaulted kitchen, to find the kitchen table covered -with fat volumes, and Aunt Alma explaining to the interested nurse her -system of filing. Two subjects interested that hard-featured lady: crime -and family records. She had two books filled with snippings from country -newspapers relating to the family of a distant cousin who had been -raised to a peerage during the war. She had another devoted to the -social triumphs of a distant woman, Goddard, who had finally made a -sensational appearance as petitioner in the most celebrated divorce suit -of the age. But crime, generally speaking, was Aunt Alma’s chief -preoccupation. It was from these voluminous cuttings that Mirabelle had -gained her complete knowledge of the Four Just Men and their operations. -There were books packed with the story of the Ramon murder, arranged -with loving care in order of time, for chronology was almost a vice in -Alma Goddard. Only one public sensation was missing from her collection, -and she was explaining the reason to the nurse as Mirabelle came into -the kitchen. - -“No, my dear,” she was saying, “there is nothing about The Snake. I -won’t have anything to do with that: it gives me the creeps. In fact, I -haven’t read anything that has the slightest reference to it.” - -“I’ve got every line,” said the nurse enthusiastically. “My brother is a -reporter on the _Megaphone_, and he says this is the best story they’ve -had for years——” - -Mirabelle interrupted this somewhat gruesome conversation to make -inquiries about luncheon. Her head was steady now and she had developed -an appetite. - -The front door stood open, and as she turned to go into the dining-room -to get her writing materials, she heard an altercation at the gate. A -third man had appeared: a grimy-looking pedlar who carried a tray before -him, packed with all manner of cheap buttons and laces. He was a -middle-aged man with a ragged beard, and despite the warmth of the day, -was wearing a long overcoat that almost reached to his heels. - -“You may or you may not be,” the man with the pipe was saying, “but -you’re not going in here.” - -“I’ve served this house for years,” snarled the pedlar. “What do you -mean by interfering with me? You’re not a policeman.” - -“Whether I’m a policeman or a dustman or a postman,” said the patient -guard, “you don’t pass through this gate—do you understand that?” - -At this moment the pedlar caught sight of the girl at the door and -raised his battered hat with a grin. He was unknown to the girl; she did -not remember having seen him at the house before. Nor did Alma, who came -out at that moment. - -“He’s a stranger here, but we’re always getting new people up from -Gloucester,” she said. “What does he want to sell?” - -She stalked out into the garden, and at the sight of her the grin left -the pedlar’s face. - -“I’ve got some things I’d like to sell to the young lady, ma’am,” he -said. - -“I’m not so old, and I’m a lady,” replied Alma sharply. “And how long is -it since you started picking and choosing your customers?” - -The man grumbled something under his breath, and without waiting even to -display his wares, shuffled off along the dusty road, and they watched -him until he was out of sight. - -Heavytree Farm was rather grandly named for so small a property. The -little estate followed the road to Heavytree Lane, which formed the -southern boundary of the property. The lane itself ran at an angle to -behind the house, where the third boundary was formed by a hedge -dividing the farmland from the more pretentious estate of a local -magnate. It was down the lane the pedlar turned. - -“Excuse me, ma’am,” said the companion of the man with the pipe. - -He opened the gate, walked in, and, making a circuit of the house, -reached the orchard behind. Here a few outhouses were scattered, and, -clearing these, he came to the meadow, where Mirabelle’s one cow -ruminated in the lazy manner of her kind. Half hidden by a thick-boled -apple-tree, the watcher waited, and presently, as he expected, he saw a -head appear through the boundary hedge. After an observation the pedlar -sprang into the meadow and stood, taking stock of his ground. He had -left his tray and his bag, and, running with surprising swiftness for a -man of his age, he gained a little wooden barn, and, pulling open the -door, disappeared into its interior. By this time the guard had been -joined by his companion and they had a short consultation, the man with -the pipe going back to his post before the house, whilst the other -walked slowly across the meadow until he came to the closed door of the -barn. - -Wise in his generation, he first made a circuit of the building, and -discovered there were no exits through the blackened gates. Then, -pulling both doors open wide: - -“Come out, bo’!” he said. - -The barn was empty, except for a heap of hay that lay in one corner and -some old and wheelless farm-wagons propped up on three trestles awaiting -the wheelwright’s attention. - -A ladder led to a loft, and the guard climbed slowly. His head was on a -level with the dark opening, when: - -“Put up your hands!” - -He was looking into the adequate muzzle of an automatic pistol. - -“Come down, bo’!” - -“Put up your hands,” hissed the voice in the darkness, “or you’re a dead -man!” - -The watcher obeyed, cursing his folly that he had come alone. - -“Now climb up.” - -With some difficulty the guard brought himself up to the floor level. - -“Step this way, and step lively,” said the pedlar. “Hold your hands -out.” - -He felt the touch of cold steel on his wrist, heard a click. - -“Now the other hand.” - -The moment he was manacled, the pedlar began a rapid search. - -“Carry a gun, do you?” he sneered, as he drew a pistol from the man’s -hip pocket. “Now sit down.” - -In a few seconds the discomfited guard was bound and gagged. The pedlar, -crawling to the entrance of the loft, looked out between a crevice in -the boards. He was watching not the house, but the hedge through which -he had climbed. Two other men had appeared there, and he grunted his -satisfaction. Descending into the barn, he pulled away the ladder and -let it fall on the floor, before he came out into the open and made a -signal. - -The second guard had made his way back by the shortest cut to the front -of the house, passing through the garden and in through the kitchen -door. He stopped to shoot the bolts, and the girl, coming into the -kitchen, saw him. - -“Is anything wrong?” she asked anxiously. - -“I don’t know, miss.” He was looking at the kitchen windows: they were -heavily barred. “My mate has just seen that pedlar go into the barn.” - -She followed him to the front door. He had turned to go, but, changing -his mind, came back, and she saw him put his hand into his hip pocket -and was staggered to see him produce a long-barrelled Browning. - -“Can you use a pistol, miss?” - -She nodded, too surprised to speak, and watched him as he jerked back -the jacket and put up the safety catch. - -“I want to be on the safe side, and I’d feel happier if you were armed.” - -There was a gun hanging on the wall and he took it down. - -“Have you any shells for this?” he asked. - -She pulled open the drawer of the hall-stand and took out a cardboard -carton. - -“They may be useful,” he said. - -“But surely, Mr.——” - -“Digby.” He supplied his name. - -“Surely you’re exaggerating? I don’t mean that you’re doing it with any -intention of frightening me, but there isn’t any danger to us?” - -“I don’t know. I’ve got a queer feeling—had it all morning. How far is -the nearest house from here?” - -“Not half a mile away,” she said. - -“You’re on the ’phone?” - -She nodded. - -“I’m scared, maybe. I’ll just go out into the road and have a look -round. I wish that fellow would come back,” he added fretfully. - -He walked slowly up the garden path and stood for a moment leaning over -the gate. As he did so, he heard the rattle and asthmatic wheezing of an -ancient car, and saw a tradesman’s trolley come round a corner of -Heavytree Lane. Its pace grew slower as it got nearer to the house, and -opposite the gate it stopped altogether. The driver getting down with a -curse, lifted up the battered tin bonnet, and, groping under the seat, -brought out a long spanner. Then, swift as thought, he half turned and -struck at Digby’s head. The girl heard the sickening impact, saw the -watcher drop limply to the path, and in another second she had slammed -the door and thrust home the bolts. - -She was calm; the hand that took the revolver from the hall-table did -not tremble. - -“Alma!” she called, and Alma came running downstairs. - -“What on earth——?” she began, and then saw the pistol in Mirabelle’s -hands. - -“They are attacking the house,” said the girl quickly. “I don’t know who -‘they’ are, but they’ve just struck down one of the men who was -protecting us. Take the gun, Alma.” - -Alma’s face was contorted, and might have expressed fear or anger or -both. Mirabelle afterwards learnt that the dominant emotion was one of -satisfaction to find herself in so warlike an environment. - -Running into the drawing-room, the girl pushed open the window, which -commanded a view of the road. The gate was unfastened and two men, who -had evidently been concealed inside the trolley, were lifting the -unconscious man, and she watched, with a calm she could not understand -in herself, as they threw him into the interior and fastened the -tailboard. She counted four in all, including the driver, who was -climbing back to his seat. One of the new-comers, evidently the leader, -was pointing down the road towards the lane, and she guessed that he was -giving directions as to where the car should wait, for it began to go -backwards almost immediately and with surprising smoothness, remembering -the exhibition it had given of decrepitude a few minutes before. - -The man who had given instructions came striding down the path towards -the door. - -“Stop!” - -He looked round with a start into the levelled muzzle of a Browning, and -his surprise would, in any other circumstances, have been comical. - -“It’s all right, miss——” he began. - -“Put yourself outside that gate,” said Mirabelle coolly. - -“I wanted to see you . . . very important——” - -_Bang!_ - -Mirabelle fired a shot, aimed above his head, towards the old poplar. -The man ducked and ran. Clear of the gate he dropped to the cover of a -hedge, where his men already were, and she heard the murmur of their -voices distinctly, for the day was still, and the far-off chugging of -the trolley’s engine sounded close at hand. Presently she saw a head -peep round the hedge. - -“Can I have five minutes’ talk with you?” asked the leader loudly. - -He was a thick-set, bronzed man, with a patch of lint plastered to his -face, and she noted unconsciously that he wore gold ear-rings. - -“There’s no trouble coming to you,” he said, opening the gate as he -spoke. “You oughtn’t to have fired, anyway. Nobody’s going to hurt -you——” - -He had advanced a yard into the garden as he spoke. - -_Bang, bang!_ - -In her haste she had pressed butt and trigger just a fraction too long, -and, startled by the knowledge that another shot was coming, her hand -jerked round, and the second shot missed his head by the fraction of an -inch. He disappeared in a flash, and a second later she saw their hats -moving swiftly above the box. They were running towards the waiting car. - -“Stay here, Alma!” - -Alma Goddard nodded grimly, and the girl flew up the stairs to her room. -From this elevation she commanded a better view. She saw them climb into -the van, and in another second the limp body of the guard was thrown out -into the hedge; then, after a brief space of time, the machine began -moving and, gathering speed, disappeared in a cloud of dust on the -Highcombe Road. - -Mirabelle came down the stairs at a run, pulled back the bolts and flew -out and along the road towards the still figure of the detective. He was -lying by the side of the ditch, his head a mass of blood, and she saw -that he was still breathing. She tried to lift him, but it was too great -a task. She ran back to the house. The telephone was in the hall: an -old-fashioned instrument with a handle that had to be turned, and she -had not made two revolutions before she realized that the wire had been -cut. - -Alma was still in the parlour, the gun gripped tight in her hand, a look -of fiendish resolution on her face. - -“You must help me to get Digby into the house,” she said. - -“Where is he?” - -Mirabelle pointed, and the two women, returning to the man, half lifted, -half dragged him back to the hall. Laying him down on the brick floor, -the girl went in search of clean linen. The kitchen, which was also the -drying place for Alma’s more intimate laundry, supplied all that she -needed. Whilst Alma watched unmoved the destruction of her wardrobe, the -girl bathed the wound and the frightened nurse (who had disappeared at -the first shot) applied a rough dressing. The wound was an ugly one, and -the man showed no signs of recovering consciousness. - -“We shall have to send Mary into Gloucester for an ambulance,” said -Mirabelle. “We can’t send nurse—she doesn’t know the way.” - -“Mary,” said Alma calmly, “is at this moment having hysterics in the -larder. I’ll harness the dog-cart and go myself. But where is the other -man?” - -Mirabelle shook her head. - -“I don’t like to think what has happened to him,” she said. “Now, Alma, -do you think we can get him into the drawing-room?” - -Together they lifted the heavy figure and staggered with it into the -pretty little room, laying him at last upon the settee under the window. - -“He can rest there till we get the ambulance,” began Mirabelle, and a -chuckle behind her made her turn with a gasp. - -It was the pedlar, and in his hand he held the pistol which she had -discarded. - -“I only want you”—he nodded to the girl. “You other two women can come -out here.” He jerked his head to the passage. Under the stairs was a big -cupboard and he pulled the door open invitingly. “Get in here. If you -make a noise, you’ll be sorry for yourselves.” - -Alma’s eyes wandered longingly to the gun she had left in the corner, -but before she could make a move he had placed himself between her and -the weapon. - -“Get inside,” said the pedlar, and Mirabelle was not much surprised when -Aunt Alma meekly obeyed. - -He shut the door on the two women and fastened the hatch. - -“Now, young lady, put on your hat and be lively!” - -He followed her up the stairs into her room and watched her while she -found a hat and a cloak. She knew only too well that it was a waste of -time even to temporize with him. He, for his part, was so exultant at -his success that he grew almost loquacious. - -“I suppose you saw the boys driving away and you didn’t remember that I -was somewhere around? Was that you doing the shooting?” - -She did not answer. - -“It couldn’t have been Lew, or you’d have been dead,” he said. He was -examining the muzzle of the pistol. “It was you all right.” He chuckled. -“Ain’t you the game one! Sister, you ought to be——” - -He stopped dead, staring through the window. He was paralysed with -amazement at the sight of a bare-headed Aunt Alma flying along the -Gloucester Road. With an oath he turned to the girl. - -“How did she get out? Have you got anybody here? Now speak up.” - -“The cupboard under the stairs leads to the wine cellar,” said Mirabelle -coolly, “and there are two ways out of the wine cellar. I think Aunt -Alma found one of them.” - -With an oath, he took a step towards her, gripped her by the arm and -jerked her towards the door. - -“Lively!” he said, and dragged her down the stairs through the hall, -into the kitchen. - -He shot back the bolts, but the lock of the kitchen door had been -turned. - -“This way.” He swore cold-bloodedly, and, her arm still in his powerful -grip, he hurried along the passage and pulled open the door. - -It was an unpropitious moment. A man was walking down the path, a -half-smile on his face, as though he was thinking over a remembered -jest. At the sight of him the pedlar dropped the girl’s arm and his hand -went like lightning to his pocket. - -“When will you die?” said Leon Gonsalez softly. “Make a choice, and make -it quick!” - -And the gun in his hand seemed to quiver with homicidal eagerness. - -_Chapter XV_ _Two “Accidents”_ - -THE pedlar, his face twitching, put up his shaking hands. - -Leon walked to him, took the Browning from his moist grip and dropped it -into his pocket. - -“Your friends are waiting, of course?” he said pleasantly. - -The pedlar did not answer. - -“Cuccini too? I thought I had incapacitated him for a long time.” - -“They’ve gone,” growled the pedlar. - -Gonsalez looked round in perplexity. - -“I don’t want to take you into the house. At the same time, I don’t want -to leave you here,” he said. “I almost wish you’d drawn that gun of -yours,” he added regretfully. “It would have solved so many immediate -problems.” - -This particular problem was solved by the return of the dishevelled Alma -and the restoration to her of her gun. - -“I would so much rather you shot him than I,” said Leon earnestly. “The -police are very suspicious of my shootings, and they never wholly -believe that they are done in self-defence.” - -With a rope he tied the man, and tied him uncomfortably, wrists to -ankles. That done, he made a few inquiries and went swiftly out to the -barn, returning in a few minutes with the unhappy guard. - -“It can’t be helped,” said Leon, cutting short the man’s apologies. “The -question is, where are the rest of the brethren?” - -Something zipped past him: it had the intensified hum of an angry wasp, -and a second later he heard a muffled “Plop!” In a second he was lying -flat on the ground, his Browning covering the hedge that hid Heavytree -Lane. - -“Run to the house,” he called urgently. “They won’t bother about you.” -And the guard, nothing loth, sprinted for the cover of walls. - -Presently Leon located the enemy, and at a little distance off he saw -the flat top of the covered trolley. A man walked slowly and invitingly -across the gap in the hedge, but Gonsalez held his fire, and presently -the manœuvre was repeated. Obviously they were trying to concentrate his -mind upon the gap whilst they were moving elsewhere. His eyes swept the -meadow boundary—running parallel, he guessed, was a brook or ditch -which would make excellent cover. - -Again the man passed leisurely across the gap. Leon steadied his elbow, -and glanced along the sight. As he did so, the man reappeared. - -_Crack!_ - -Gonsalez aimed a foot behind him. The man saw the flash and jumped back, -as he had expected. In another second he was writhing on the ground with -a bullet through his leg. - -Leon showed his teeth in a smile and switched his body round to face the -new point of attack. It came from the spot that he had expected: a -little rise of ground that commanded his position. - -The first bullet struck the turf to his right with an angry buzz, sent a -divot flying heavenward, and ricochetted with a smack against a tree. -Before the raised head could drop to cover, Gonsalez fired; fired -another shot to left and right, then, rising, raced for the shelter of -the tree, and reached it in time to see three heads bobbing back to the -road. He waited, covering the gap, but the people who drew the wounded -man out of sight did not show themselves, and a minute later he saw the -trolley moving swiftly down the by-road, and knew that danger was past. - -The firing had attracted attention. He had not been back in the house a -few minutes before a mounted policeman, his horse in a lather, came -galloping up to the gate and dismounted. A neighbouring farm had heard -the shots and telephoned to constabulary head-quarters. For half an hour -the mounted policeman took notes, and by this time half the farmers in -the neighbourhood, their guns under their arms, had assembled in -Mirabelle’s parlour. - -She had not seen as much of the redoubtable Leon as she could have -wished, and when they had a few moments to themselves she seized the -opportunity to tell him of the call which Lee had made that morning. -Apparently he knew all about it, for he expressed no surprise, and was -only embarrassed when she showed a personal interest in himself and his -friends. - -It was not a very usual experience for him, and he was rather annoyed -with himself at this unexpected glimpse of enthusiasm and hero-worship, -sane as it was, and based, as he realized, upon her keen sense of -justice. - -“I’m not so sure that we’ve been very admirable really,” he said. “But -the difficulty is to produce at the moment a judgment which would be -given from a distance of years. We have sacrificed everything which to -most men would make life worth living, in our desire to see the scales -held fairly.” - -“You are not married, Mr. Gonsalez?” - -He stared into the frank eyes. - -“Married? Why, no,” he said, and she laughed. - -“You talk as though that were a possibility that had never occurred to -you.” - -“It hasn’t,” he admitted. “By the very nature of our work we are -debarred from that experience. And is it an offensive thing to say that -I have never felt my singleness to be a deprivation?” - -“It is very rude,” she said severely, and Leon was laughing to himself -all the way back to town as at a great joke that improved upon -repetition. - -“I think we can safely leave her for a week,” he reported, on his return -to Curzon Street. “No, nothing happened. I was held up in a police trap -near Newbury for exceeding the speed limit. They said I was doing fifty, -but I should imagine it was nearer eighty. Meadows will get me out of -that. Otherwise, I must send the inevitable letter to the magistrate and -pay the inevitable fine. Have you done anything about Johnson Lee?” - -Manfred nodded. - -“Meadows and the enthusiastic Mr. Washington have gone round to see him. -I have asked Washington to go because”—he hesitated—“the snake is a -real danger, so far as he is concerned. Elijah Washington promises to be -a very real help. He is afraid of nothing, and has undertaken to stay -with Lee and to apply such remedies for snake-bites as he knows.” - -He was putting on his gloves as he spoke, and Leon Gonsalez looked at -him with a critical admiration. - -“Are you being presented at Court, or are you taking tea with a -duchess?” - -“Neither. I’m calling upon friend Oberzohn.” - -“The devil you are!” said Leon, his eyebrows rising. - -“I have taken the precaution of sending him a note, asking him to keep -his snakes locked up,” said Manfred, “and as I have pointedly forwarded -the carbon copy of the letter, to impress the fact that another exists -and may be brought in evidence against him, I think I shall leave -Oberzohn & Smitts’ main office without hurt. If you are not too tired, -Leon, I would rather prefer the Buick to the Spanz.” - -“Give me a quarter of an hour,” said Leon, and went up to his room to -make himself tidy. - -It was fifteen minutes exactly when the Buick stopped at the door, and -Manfred got into the saloon. There was no partition between driver and -passenger, and conversation was possible. - -“It would have been as well if you’d had Brother Newton there,” he -suggested. - -“Brother Newton will be on the spot: I took the precaution of sending -him a similar note,” said Manfred. “I shouldn’t imagine they’ll bring -out their gunmen.” - -“I know two, and possibly three, they won’t bring out.” Gonsalez grinned -at the traffic policeman who waved him into Oxford Street. “That -Browning of mine throws high, Manfred: I’ve always had a suspicion it -did. Pistols are queer things, but this may wear into my hand.” He -talked arms and ammunition until the square block of Oberzohn & Smitts -came into sight. “Good hunting!” he said, as he got out, opened the -saloon door and touched his hat to Manfred as he alighted. - -He got back into his seat, swung the little car round in a circle, and -sat on the opposite side of the road, his eyes alternately on the -entrance and on the mirror which gave him a view of the traffic -approaching him from the rear. - -Manfred was not kept in the waiting-room for more than two minutes. At -the end of that time, a solemn youth in spectacles, with a little bow, -led him across the incurious office into the presence of the illustrious -doctor. - -The old man was at his desk. Behind him, his debonair self, Monty -Newton, a large yellow flower in his buttonhole, a smile on his face. -Oberzohn got up like a man standing to attention. - -“Mr. Manfred, this is a great honour,” he said, and held out his hand -stiffly. - -An additional chair had been placed for the visitor: a rich-looking -tapestried chair, to which the doctor waved the hand which Manfred did -not take. - -“Good morning, Manfred.” Newton removed his cigar and nodded genially. -“Were you at the dance last night?” - -“I was there, but I didn’t come in,” said Manfred, seating himself. “You -did not turn up till late, they tell me?” - -“It was of all occurrences the most unfortunate,” said Dr. Oberzohn, and -Newton laughed. - -“I’ve lost his laboratory secretary and he hasn’t forgiven me,” he said -almost jovially. “The girl he took on yesterday. Rather a stunner in the -way of looks. She didn’t wish to go back to the country where she came -from, so my sister offered to put her up for the night in Chester -Square. I’m blessed if she didn’t lose herself at the dance, and we -haven’t seen her since!” - -“It was a terrible thing,” said Oberzohn sadly. “I regard her as in my -charge. For her safety I am responsible. You, I trust, Mr. Newton——” - -“I don’t think I should have another uneasy moment if I were you, -doctor,” said Manfred easily. “The young lady is back at Heavytree Farm. -I thought that would surprise you. And she is still there: that will -surprise you more, if you have not already heard by telephone that your -Old Guard failed dismally to—er—bring her back to work. I presume that -was their object?” - -“My old guard, Mr. Manfred?” Oberzohn shook his head in bewilderment. -“This is beyond my comprehension.” - -“Is your sister well?” asked Manfred blandly. - -Newton shrugged his shoulders. - -“She is naturally upset. And who wouldn’t be? Joan is a very -tender-hearted girl.” - -“She has been that way for years,” said Manfred offensively. “May I -smoke?” - -“Will you have one of my cigarettes?” - -Manfred’s grave eyes fixed the doctor in a stare that held the older man -against his will. - -“I have had just one too many of your cigarettes,” he said. His words -came like a cold wind. “I do not want any more, Herr Doktor, or there -will be vacancies in your family circle. Who knows that, long before you -compound your wonderful elixir, you may be called to normal -immortality?” - -The yellow face of Oberzohn had turned to a dull red. - -“You seem to know so much about me, Mr. Manfred, as myself,” he said in -a husky whisper. - -Manfred nodded. - -“More. For whilst you are racing against time to avoid the end of a life -which does not seem especially worthy of preservation, and whilst you -know not what day or hour that end may come, I can tell you to the -minute.” The finger of his gloved hand pointed the threat. - -All trace of a smile had vanished from Monty Newton’s face. His eyes did -not leave the caller’s. - -“Perhaps you shall tell me.” Oberzohn found a difficulty in speaking. -Rage possessed him, and only his iron will choked down the flames from -view. - -“The day that injury comes to Mirabelle Leicester, that day you go -out—you and those who are with you!” - -“Look here, Manfred, there’s a law in this country——” began Monty -Newton hotly. - -“I am the law.” The words rang like a knell of fate. “In this matter I -am judge, jury, hangman. Old or young, I will not spare,” he said -evenly. - -“Are you immortal too?” sneered Monty. - -Only for a second did Manfred’s eyes leave the old man’s face. - -“The law is immortal,” he said. “If you dream that, by some cleverly -concerted coup, you can sweep me from your path before I grow dangerous, -be sure that your sweep is clean.” - -“You haven’t asked me to come here to listen to this stuff, have you?” -asked Newton, and though his words were bold, his manner aggressive, -there were shadows on his face which were not there when Manfred had -come into the room—shadows under his eyes and in his cheeks where -plumpness had been. - -“I’ve come here to tell you to let up on Miss Leicester. You’re after -something that you cannot get, and nobody is in a position to give you. -I don’t know what it is—I will make you a present of that piece of -information. But it’s big—bigger than any prize you’ve ever gone after -in your wicked lives. And to get that, you’re prepared to sacrifice -innocent lives with the recklessness of spendthrifts who think there is -no bottom to their purse. The end is near!” - -He rose slowly and stood by the table, towering over the stiff-backed -doctor. - -“I cannot say what action the police will take over this providential -snake-bite, Oberzohn, but I’ll make you this offer: I and my friends -will stand out of the game and leave Meadows to get you in his own way. -You think that means you’ll go scot-free? But it doesn’t. These police -are like bulldogs: once they’ve got a grip of you, they’ll never let -go.” - -“What is the price you ask for this interesting service?” Newton was -puffing steadily at his cigar, his hands clasped behind him, his feet -apart, a picture of comfort and well-being. - -“Leave Miss Leicester alone. Find a new way of getting the money you -need so badly.” - -Newton laughed. - -“My dear fellow, that’s a stupid thing to say. Neither Oberzohn nor I -are exactly poor.” - -“You’re bankrupt, both of you,” said Manfred quietly. “You are in the -position of gamblers when the cards have run against you for a long -time. You have no reserve, and your expenses are enormous. Find another -way, Newton—and tell your sister”—he paused by the door, looking down -into the white lining of his silk hat—“I’d like to see her at Curzon -Street to-morrow morning at ten o’clock.” - -“Is that an order?” asked Newton sarcastically. - -Manfred nodded. - -“Then let me tell you,” roared the man, white with passion, “that I take -no orders for her or for me. Got swollen heads since you’ve had your -pardon, haven’t you? You look out for me, Manfred. I’m not exactly -harmless.” - -He felt the pressure of the doctor’s foot upon his and curbed his -temper. - -“All right,” he growled, “but don’t expect to see Joan.” - -He added a coarse jest, and Manfred raised his eyes slowly and met his. - -“You will be hanged by the State or murdered by Oberzohn—I am not sure -which,” he said simply, and he spoke with such perfect confidence that -the heart of Monty Newton turned to water. - -Manfred stood in the sidewalk and signalled, and the little car came -swiftly and noiselessly across. Leon’s eyes were on the entrance. A tall -man standing in the shadow of the hall was watching. He was leaning -against the wall in a negligent attitude, and for a second Leon was -startled. - -“Get in quickly!” - -Leon almost shouted the words back, and Manfred jumped into the machine, -as the chauffeur sent the car forward, with a jerk that strained every -gear. - -“What on——?” began Manfred, but the rest of his words were lost in the -terrific crash which followed. - -The leather hood of the machine was ripped down at the back, a splinter -of glass struck Leon’s cap and sliced a half-moon neatly. He jammed on -the brakes, threw open the door of the saloon and leaped out. Behind the -car was a mass of wreckage; a great iron casting lay split into three -pieces amidst a tangle of broken packing-case. Leon looked up; -immediately above the entrance to Oberzohn & Smitts’ was a crane, which -had swung out with a heavy load just before Manfred came out. The steel -wire hung loosely from the derrick. He heard excited voices speaking -from the open doorway three floors above, and two men in large glasses -were looking down and gabbling in a language he did not understand. - -“A very pretty accident. We might have filled half a column in the -evening newspapers if we had not moved.” - -“And the gentleman in the hall—what was he doing?” - -Leon walked back through the entrance: the man had disappeared, but near -where he had been standing was a small bell-push which, it was obvious, -had recently been fixed, for the wires ran loosely on the surface of the -wall and were new. - -He came back in time to see a policeman crossing the road. - -“I wish to find out how this accident occurred, constable,” he said. “My -master was nearly killed.” - -The policeman looked at the ton of debris lying half on the sidewalk, -half on the road, then up at the slackened hawser. - -“The cable has run off the drum, I should think.” - -“I should think so,” said Leon gravely. - -He did not wait for the policeman to finish his investigations, but went -home at a steady pace, and made no reference to the “accident” until he -had put away his car and had returned to Curzon Street. - -“The man in the hall was put there to signal when you were under the -load—certain things must not happen,” he said. “I am going out to make -a few inquiries.” - -Gonsalez knew one of Oberzohn’s staff: a clean young Swede, with that -knowledge of English which is normal in Scandinavian countries; and at -nine o’clock that night he drifted into a Swedish restaurant in Dean -Street and found the young man at the end of his meal. It was an -acquaintance—one of many—that Leon had assiduously cultivated. The -young man, who knew him as Mr. Heinz—Leon spoke German remarkably -well—was glad to have a companion with whom he could discuss the -inexplicable accident of the afternoon. - -“The cable was not fixed to the drum,” he said. “It might have been -terrible: there was a gentleman in a motor-car outside, and he had only -moved away a few inches when the case fell. There is bad luck in that -house. I am glad that I am leaving at the end of the week.” - -Leon had some important questions to put, but he did not hurry, having -the gift of patience to a marked degree. It was nearly ten when they -parted, and Gonsalez went back to his garage, where he spent a quarter -of an hour. - -At midnight, Manfred had just finished a long conversation with the -Scotland Yard man who was still at Brightlingsea, when Leon came in, -looking very pleased with himself. Poiccart had gone to bed, and Manfred -had switched out one circuit of lights when his friend arrived. - -“Thank you, my dear George,” said Gonsalez briskly. “It was very good of -you, and I did not like troubling you, but——” - -“It was a small thing,” said Manfred with a smile, “and involved merely -the changing of my shoes. But why? I am not curious, but why did you -wish me to telephone the night watchman at Oberzohn’s to be waiting at -the door at eleven o’clock for a message from the doctor?” - -“Because,” said Leon cheerfully, rubbing his hands, “the night watchman -is an honest man; he has a wife and six children, and I was particularly -wishful not to hurt anybody. The building doesn’t matter: it stands, or -stood, isolated from all others. The only worry in my mind was the night -watchman. He was at the door—I saw him.” - -Manfred asked no further questions. Early the next morning he took up -the paper and turned to the middle page, read the account of the “Big -Fire in City Road” which had completely gutted the premises of Messrs. -Oberzohn & Smitts; and, what is more, he expected to read it before he -had seen the paper. - -“Accidents are accidents,” said Leon the philosopher that morning at -breakfast. “And that talk I had with the clerk last night told me a lot: -Oberzohn has allowed his fire insurance to lapse!” - -_Chapter XVI_ _Rath Hall_ - -IN one of the forbidden rooms that was filled with the apparatus which -Dr. Oberzohn had accumulated for his pleasure and benefit, was a small -electrical furnace which was the centre of many of his most interesting -experiments. There were, in certain known drugs, constituents which it -was his desire to eliminate. Dr. Oberzohn believed absolutely in many -things that the modern chemist would dismiss as fantastical. He believed -in the philosopher’s stone, in the transmutation of base metals to rare; -he had made diamonds, of no great commercial value, it is true; but his -supreme faith was that somewhere in the materia medica was an infallible -elixir which would prolong life far beyond the normal span. It was to -all other known properties as radium is to pitch-blende. It was -something that only the metaphysician could discover, only the patient -chemist could materialize. Every hour he could spare he devoted himself -to his obsession; and he was in the midst of one of his experiments when -the telephone bell called him back to his study. He listened, every -muscle of his face moving, to the tale of disaster that Monty Newton -wailed. - -“It is burning still? Have you no fire-extinguishing machinery in -London?” - -“Is the place insured or is it not?” asked Monty for the second time. - -Dr. Oberzohn considered. - -“It is not,” he said. “But this matter is of such small importance -compared with the great thing which is coming, that I shall not give it -a thought.” - -“It was incendiary,” said Newton angrily. “The fire brigade people are -certain of it. That cursed crowd are getting back on us for what -happened this afternoon.” - -“I know of nothing that happened this afternoon,” said Dr. Oberzohn -coldly. “You know of nothing either. It was an accident which we all -deplored. As to this man . . . we shall see.” - -He hung up the telephone receiver very carefully, went along the -passage, down a steep flight of dark stairs, and into a basement -kitchen. Before he opened the door he heard the sound of furious voices, -and he stood for a moment surveying the scene with every feeling of -satisfaction. Except for two men, the room was empty. The servants used -the actual kitchen at the front of the house, and this place was little -better than a scullery. On one side of the deal table stood Gurther, -white as death, his round eyes red with rage. On the other, the short, -stout Russian Pole, with his heavy pasty face and baggy eyes; his little -moustache and beard bristling with anger. The cards scattered on the -table and the floor told the Herr Doktor that this was a repetition of -the quarrel which was so frequent between them. - -“Schweinhund!” hissed Gurther. “I saw you palm the King as you dealt. -Thief and robber of the blind——” - -“You German dog! You——” - -They were both speaking in German. Then the doctor saw the hand of -Gurther steal down and back. - -“Gurther!” he called, and the man spun round. “To my parlour—march!” - -Without a word, the man strode past him, and the doctor was left with -the panting Russian. - -“Herr Doktor, this Gurther is beyond endurance!” His voice trembled with -rage. “I would sooner live with a pig than this man, who is never normal -unless he is drugged.” - -“Silence!” shouted Oberzohn, and pointed to the chair. “You shall wait -till I come,” he said. - -When he came back to his room, he found Gurther standing stiffly to -attention. - -“Now, Gurther,” he said—he was almost benevolent as he patted the man -on the shoulder—“this matter of Gonsalez must end. Can I have my -Gurther hiding like a worm in the ground? No, that cannot be. To-night I -will send you to this man, and you are so clever that you cannot fail. -He whipped you, Gurther—tied you up and cruelly beat you. Always -remember that, my brave fellow—he beat you till you bled. Now you shall -see the man again. You will go in a dress for-every-occasion,” he said. -“The city-clerk manner. You will watch him in your so clever way, and -you shall strike—it is permitted.” - -“Ja, Herr Doktor.” - -He turned on his heels and disappeared through the door. The doctor -waited till he heard him going up the stairs, and then he rang for -Pfeiffer. The man came in sullenly. He lacked all the precision of the -military Gurther; yet, as Oberzohn knew, of the two he was the more -alert, the more cunning. - -“Pfeiffer, it has come to me that you are in some danger. The police -wish to take you back to Warsaw, where certain unpleasant things -happened, as you well know. And I am told”—he lowered his voice—“that -a friend of ours would be glad to see you go, hein?” - -The man did not raise his sulky eyes from the floor, did not answer, or -by any gesture or movement of body suggest that he had heard what the -older man had said. - -“Gurther goes to-morrow, perhaps on our good work, perhaps to speak -secretly to his friends in the police—who knows? He has work to do: let -him do it, Pfeiffer. All my men will be there—at a place called -Brightlingsea. You also shall go. Gurther would rob a blind man? Good! -You shall rob one also. As for Gurther, I do not wish him back. I am -tired of him: he is a madman. All men are mad who sniff that white snuff -up their foolish noses—eh, Pfeiffer?” - -Still the awkward-looking man made no reply. - -“Let him do his work: you shall not interfere, until—it is done.” - -Pfeiffer was looking at him now, a cold sneer on his face. - -“If he comes back, I do not,” he said. “This man is frightening me. -Twice the police have been here—three times . . . you remember the -woman. The man is a danger, Herr Doktor. I told you he was the day you -brought him here.” - -“He can dress in the gentleman-club manner,” said the doctor gently. - -“Pshaw!” said the other scornfully. “Is he not an actor who has postured -and painted his face and thrown about his legs for so many marks a -week?” - -“If he does not come back I shall be relieved,” murmured the doctor. -“Though it would be a mistake to leave him so that these cunning men -could pry into our affairs.” - -Pfeiffer said nothing: he understood his instructions; there was nothing -to be said. - -“When does he go?” - -“Early to-morrow, before daylight. You will see him, of course.” - -He said something in a low tone, that only Pfeiffer heard. The shadow -who stood in stockinged feet listening at the door only heard two words. -Gurther grinned in the darkness; his bright eyes grew luminous. He heard -his companion move towards the door and sped up the stairs without a -sound. - - * * * * * - -Rath Hall was a rambling white building of two stories, set in the midst -of a little park, so thickly wooded that the house was invisible from -the road; and since the main entrance to the estate was a very -commonplace gate, without lodge or visible drive beyond, Gonsalez would -have missed the place had he not recognized the man who was sitting on -the moss-grown and broken wall who jumped down as Leon stopped his car. - -“Mr. Meadows is at the house, sir. He said he expected you.” - -“And where on earth is the house?” asked Leon Gonsalez, as he went into -reverse. - -For answer the detective opened the gate wide and Leon sent his car -winding between the trees, for close at hand he recognized where a -gravel drive had once been, and, moreover, saw the tracks of cars in the -soft earth. He arrived just as Mr. Johnson Lee was taking his two guests -in to dinner, and Meadows was obviously glad to see him. He excused -himself and took Leon aside into the hall, where they could not be -overheard. - -“I have had your message,” he said. “The only thing that has happened -out of the ordinary is that the servants have an invitation to a big -concert at Brightlingsea. You expected that?” - -Leon nodded. - -“Yes: I hope Lee will let them go. I prefer that they should be out of -the way. A crude scheme—but Oberzohn does these things. Has anything -else happened?” - -“Nothing. There have been one or two queer people around.” - -“Has he showed you the letters he had from Barberton?” - -To his surprise the inspector answered in the affirmative. - -“Yes, but they are worse than Greek to me. A series of tiny -protuberances on thick brown paper. He keeps them in his safe. He read -some of the letters to me: they were not very illuminating.” - -“But the letter of letters?” asked Leon anxiously. “That which Lee -answered—by the way, you know that Mr. Lee wrote all his letters -between perforated lines?” - -“I’ve seen the paper,” nodded the detective. “No, I asked him about -that, but apparently he is not anxious to talk until he has seen his -lawyer, who is coming down to-night. He should have been here, in fact, -in time for dinner.” - -They passed into the dining-room together. The blind man was waiting -patiently at the head of the table, and with an apology Leon took the -place that had been reserved for him. He sat with his back to the wall, -facing one of the three long windows that looked out upon the park. It -was a warm night and the blinds were up, as also was the middle window -that faced him. He made a motion to Mr. Washington, who sat opposite -him, to draw a little aside, and the American realized that he wished an -uninterrupted view of the park. - -“Would you like the window closed?” asked Mr. Lee, leaning forward and -addressing the table in general. “I know it is open,” he said with a -little laugh, “because I opened it! I am a lover of fresh air.” - -They murmured their agreement and the meal went on without any -extraordinary incident. Mr. Washington was one of those adaptable people -who dovetail into any environment in which they find themselves. He was -as much at home at Rath Hall as though he had been born and bred in the -neighbourhood. Moreover, he had a special reason for jubilation: he had -found a rare adder when walking in the woods that morning, and spent ten -minutes explaining in what respect it differed from every other English -adder. - -“Is it dead?” asked Meadows nervously. - -“Kill it?” said the indignant Mr. Washington. “Why should I kill it? I -saw a whole lot of doves out on the lawn this morning—should I kill -’em? No, sir! I’ve got none of those mean feelings towards snakes. I -guess the Lord sent snakes into this world for some other purpose than -to be chased and killed every time they’re seen. I sent him up to London -to-day by train to a friend of mine at the Zoological Gardens. He’ll -keep him until I’m ready to take him back home.” - -Meadows drew a long sigh. - -“As long as he’s not in your pocket,” he said. - -“Do you mind?” - -Leon’s voice was urgent as he signalled Washington to move yet farther -to the left, and when the big man moved his chair, Leon nodded his -thanks. His eyes were on the window and the darkening lawn. Not once did -he remove his gaze. - -“It’s an extraordinary thing about Poole, my lawyer,” Mr. Lee was -saying. “He promised faithfully he’d be at Rath by seven o’clock. What -is the time?” - -Meadows looked at his watch. - -“Half-past eight,” he said. He saw the cloud that came over the face of -the blind owner of Rath Hall. - -“It is extraordinary! I wonder if you would mind——” - -His foot touched a bell beneath the table and his butler came in. - -“Will you telephone to Mr. Poole’s house and ask if he has left?” - -The butler returned in a short time. - -“Yes, sir, Mr. Poole left the house by car at half-past six.” - -Johnson Lee sat back in his chair. - -“Half-past six? He should have been here by now.” - -“How far away does he live?” - -“About fifteen miles. I thought he might have come down from London -rather late. That is extraordinary.” - -“He may have had tyre trouble,” said Leon, not shifting his fixed stare. - -“He could have telephoned.” - -“Did anybody know he was coming—anybody outside your own household?” -asked Gonsalez. - -The blind man hesitated. - -“Yes, I mentioned the fact to the post office this morning. I went in to -get my letters, and found that one I had written to Mr. Poole had been -returned through a stupid mistake on my part. I told the postmaster that -he was coming this evening and that there was no need to forward it.” - -“You were in the public part of the post office?” - -“I believe I was.” - -“You said nothing else, Mr. Lee—nothing that would give any idea of the -object of this visit?” - -Again his host hesitated. - -“I don’t know. I’m almost afraid that I did,” he confessed. “I remember -telling the postmaster that I was going to talk to Mr. Poole about poor -Barberton—Mr. Barberton was very well known in this neighbourhood.” - -“That is extremely unfortunate,” said Leon. - -He was thinking of two things at the same time: the whereabouts of the -missing lawyer, and the wonderful cover that the wall between the window -and the floor gave to any man who might creep along out of sight until -he got back suddenly to send the snake on its errand of death. - -“How many men have you got in the grounds, by the way, Meadows?” - -“One, and he’s not in the grounds but outside on the road. I pull him in -at night, or rather in the evening, to patrol the grounds, and he is -armed.” He said this with a certain importance. An armed English -policeman is a tremendous phenomenon, that few have seen. - -“Which means that he has a revolver that he hasn’t fired except at -target practice,” said Leon. “Excuse me—I thought I heard a car.” - -He got up noiselessly from the table, went round the back of Mr. Lee, -and, darting to the window, looked out. A flower-bed ran close to the -wall, and beyond that was a broad gravel drive. Between gravel and -flowers was a wide strip of turf. The drive continued some fifty feet to -the right before it turned under an arch of rambler roses. To the left -it extended for less than a dozen feet, and from this point a path -parallel to the side of the house ran into the drive. - -“Do you hear it?” asked Lee. - -“No, sir, I was mistaken.” - -Leon dipped his hand into his side pocket, took out a handful of -something that looked like tiny candies wrapped in coloured paper. Only -Meadows saw him scatter them left and right, and he was too discreet to -ask why. Leon saw the inquiring lift of his eyebrows as he came back to -his seat, but was wilfully dense. Thereafter, he ate his dinner with -only an occasional glance towards the window. - -“I’m not relying entirely upon my own lawyer’s advice,” said Mr. Lee. “I -have telegraphed to Lisbon to ask Dr. Pinto Caillao to come to England, -and he may be of greater service even than Poole, though where——” - -The butler came in at this moment. - -“Mrs. Poole has just telephoned, sir. Her husband has had a bad -accident: his car ran into a tree trunk which was lying across the road -near Lawley. It was on the other side of the bend, and he did not see it -until too late.” - -“Is he very badly hurt?” - -“No, sir, but he is in the Cottage Hospital. Mrs. Poole says he is fit -to travel home.” - -The blind man sat open-mouthed. - -“What a terrible thing to have happened!” he began. - -“A very lucky thing for Mr. Poole,” said Leon cheerfully. “I feared -worse than that——” - -From somewhere outside the window came a “snap!”—the sound that a -Christmas cracker makes when it is exploded. Leon got up from the table, -walked swiftly to the side of the window and jumped out. As he struck -the earth, he trod on one of the little bon-bons he had scattered and it -cracked viciously under his foot. - -There was nobody in sight. He ran swiftly along the grass-plot, slowing -his pace as he came to the end of the wall, and then jerked round, gun -extended stiffly. Still nobody. Before him was a close-growing box -hedge, in which had been cut an opening. He heard the crack of a signal -behind him, guessed that it was Meadows, and presently the detective -joined him. Leon put his fingers to his lips, leapt the path to the -grass on the other side, and dodged behind a tree until he could see -straight through the opening in the box hedge. Beyond was a rose-garden, -a mass of pink and red and golden blooms. - -Leon put his hand in his pocket and took out a black cylinder, fitting -it, without taking his eyes from the hedge opening, to the muzzle of his -pistol. Meadows heard the dull thud of the explosion before he saw the -pistol go up. There was a scatter of leaves and twigs and the sound of -hurrying feet. Leon dashed through the opening in time to see a man -plunge into a plantation. - -“_Plop!_” - -The bullet struck a tree not a foot from the fugitive. - -“That’s that!” said Leon, and took off his silencer. “I hope none of the -servants heard it, and most of all that Lee, whose hearing is -unfortunately most acute, mistook the shot for something else.” - -He went back to the window, stopping to pick up such of his crackers as -had not exploded. - -“They are useful things to put on the floor of your room when you’re -expecting to have your throat cut in the middle of the night,” he said -pleasantly. “They cost exactly two dollars a hundred, and they’ve saved -my life more often than I can count. Have you ever waited in the dark to -have your throat cut?” he asked. “It happened to me three times, and I -will admit that it is not an experience that I am anxious to repeat. -Once in Bohemia, in the city of Prague; once in New Orleans, and once in -Ortona.” - -“What happened to the assassins?” asked Meadows with a shiver. - -“That is a question for the theologian, if you will forgive the -well-worn jest,” said Leon. “I think they are in hell, but then I’m -prejudiced.” - -Mr. Lee had left the dining-table and was standing at the front door, -leaning on his stick; and with him an interested Mr. Washington. - -“What was the trouble?” asked the old man in a worried voice. “It is a -great handicap not being able to see things. But I thought I heard a -shot fired.” - -“Two,” said Leon promptly. “I hoped you hadn’t heard them. I don’t know -who the man was, Mr. Lee, but he certainly had no right in the grounds, -and I scared him off.” - -“You must have used a silencer: I did not hear the shots fully. Did you -catch a view of the man’s face?” - -“No, I saw his back,” he said. Leon thought it was unnecessary to add -that a man’s back was as familiar to him as his face. For when he -studied his enemies, his study was a very thorough and complete one. -Moreover, Gurther ran with a peculiar swing of his shoulder. - -He turned suddenly to the master of Rath Hall. - -“May I speak with you privately for a few minutes, Mr. Lee?” he asked. -He had taken a sudden resolution. - -“Certainly,” said the other courteously, and tapped his way into the -hall and into his private study. - -For ten minutes Leon was closeted with him. When he came out, Meadows -had gone down to his man at the gate, and Washington was standing -disconsolately alone. Leon took him by the arm and led him on to the -lawn. - -“There’s going to be real trouble here to-night,” he said, and told him -the arrangement he had made with Mr. Johnson Lee. “I’ve tried to -persuade him to let me see the letter which is in his safe, but he is -like rock on that matter, and I’d hate to burgle the safe of a friend. -Listen.” - -Elijah Washington listened and whistled. - -“They stopped the lawyer coming,” Gonsalez went on, “and now they’re -mortally scared if, in his absence, the old man tells us what he -intended keeping for his lawyer.” - -“Meadows is going to London, isn’t he?” - -Leon nodded slowly. - -“Yes, he is going to London—by car. Did you know all the servants were -going out to-night?” - -Mr. Washington stared at him. - -“The women, you mean?” - -“The women and the men,” said Leon calmly. “There is an excellent -concert at Brightlingsea to-night, and though they will be late for the -first half of the performance, they will thoroughly enjoy the latter -portion of the programme. The invitation is not mine, but it is one I -thoroughly approve.” - -“But does Meadows want to go away when the fun is starting?” - -Apparently Inspector Meadows was not averse from leaving at this -critical moment. He was, in fact, quite happy to go. Mr. Washington’s -views on police intelligence underwent a change for the worse. - -“But surely he had better stay?” said the American. “If you’re expecting -an attack . . . they are certain to marshal the whole of their forces?” - -“Absolutely certain,” said the calm Gonsalez. “Here is the car.” - -The Rolls came out from the back of the house at that moment and drew up -before the door. - -“I don’t like leaving you,” said Meadows, as he swung himself up by the -driver’s side and put his bag on the seat. - -“Tell the driver to avoid Lawley like the plague,” said Leon. “There’s a -tree down, unless the local authorities have removed it—which is very -unlikely.” - -He waited until the tail lights of the machine had disappeared into the -gloom, then he went back to the hall. - -“Excuse me, sir,” said the butler, struggling into his greatcoat as he -spoke. “Will you be all right—there is nobody left in the house to look -after Mr. Lee. I could stay——” - -“It was Mr. Lee’s suggestion you should all go,” said Gonsalez briefly. -“Just go outside and tell me when the lights of the char-à-banc come -into view. I want to speak to Mr. Lee before you go.” - -He went into the library and shut the door behind him. The waiting -butler heard the murmur of his voice and had some qualms of conscience. -The tickets had come from a local agency; he had never dreamt that, with -guests in the house, his employer would allow the staff to go in its -entirety. - -It was not a char-à-banc but a big closed bus that came lumbering up the -apology for a drive, and swept round to the back of the house, to the -annoyance of the servants, who were gathered in the hall. - -“Don’t bother, I will tell him,” said Leon. He seemed to have taken full -charge of the house, an unpardonable offence in the eyes of -well-regulated servants. - -He disappeared through a long passage leading into the mysterious -domestic regions, and returned to announce that the driver had rectified -his error and was coming to the front entrance: an unnecessary -explanation, since the big vehicle drew up as he was telling the -company. - -“There goes the most uneasy bunch of festive souls it has ever been my -misfortune to see,” he said, as the bus, its brakes squeaking, went down -the declivity towards the unimposing gate. “And yet they’ll have the -time of their lives. I’ve arranged supper for them at the Beech Hotel, -and although they are not aware of it, I am removing them to a place -where they’d give a lot of money to be—if they hadn’t gone!” - -“That leaves you and me alone,” said Mr. Washington glumly, but -brightened up almost at once. “I can’t say that I mind a rough house, -with or without gun-play,” he said. He looked round the dark hall a -little apprehensively. “What about fastening the doors behind?” he -asked. - -“They’re all right,” said Leon. “It isn’t from the back that danger will -come. Come out and enjoy the night air . . . it is a little too soon for -the real trouble.” - -But here, for once, he was mistaken. - -Elijah Washington followed him into the park, took two paces, and -suddenly Leon saw him stagger. In a second he was by the man’s side, -bent and peering, his glasses discarded on the grass. - -“Get me inside,” said Washington’s voice. He was leaning heavily upon -his companion. - -With his arm round his waist, taking half his weight, Leon pushed the -man into the hall but did not close the door. Instead, as the American -sat down with a thud upon a hall seat, Leon fell to the ground, and -peered along the artificial skyline he had created. There was no -movement, no sign of any attacker. Then and only then did he shut the -door and drop the bar, and pushing the study door wide, carried the man -into the room and switched on the lights. - -“I guess something got me then,” muttered Washington. - -His right cheek was red and swollen, and Leon saw the tell-tale bite; -saw something else. He put his hand to the cheek and examined his -finger-tips. - -“Get me some whisky, will you?—about a gallon of it.” - -He was obviously in great pain and sat rocking himself to and fro. - -“Gosh! This is awful!” he groaned. “Never had any snake that bit like -this!” - -“You’re alive, my friend, and I didn’t believe you when you said you -were snake-proof.” - -Leon poured out a tumbler of neat whisky and held it to the American’s -lips. - -“Down with Prohibition!” murmured Washington, and did not take the glass -from his lips until it was empty. “You can give me another dose of -that—I shan’t get pickled,” he said. - -He put his hand up to his face and touched the tiny wound gingerly. - -“It is wet,” he said in surprise. - -“What did it feel like?” - -“Like nothing so much as a snake-bite,” confessed the expert. - -Already his face was puffed beneath the eyes, and the skin was -discoloured black and blue. - -Leon crossed to the fire-place and pushed the bell, and Washington -watched him in amazement. - -“Say, what’s the good of ringing? The servants have gone.” - -There was a patter of feet in the hall, the door was flung open and -George Manfred came in, and behind him the startled visitor saw Meadows -and a dozen men. - -“For the Lord’s sake!” he said sleepily. - -“They came in the char-à-banc, lying on the floor,” explained Leon, “and -the only excuse for bringing a char-à-banc here was to send the servants -to that concert.” - -“You got Lee away?” asked Manfred. - -Leon nodded. - -“He was in the car that took friend Meadows, who transferred to the -char-à-banc somewhere out of sight of the house.” - -Washington had taken a small cardboard box from his pocket and was -rubbing a red powder gingerly upon the two white-edged marks, groaning -the while. - -“This is certainly a snake that’s got the cobra skinned to death and a -rattlesnake’s bite ain’t worse than a dog nip,” he said. “Mamba nothing! -I know the mamba; he is pretty fatal, but not so bad as this.” - -Manfred looked across to Leon. - -“Gurther?” he asked simply, and Gonsalez nodded. - -“It was intended for me obviously, but, as I’ve said before, Gurther is -nervous. And it didn’t help him any to be shot up.” - -“Do you fellows mind not talking so loud?” He glanced at the heavy -curtains that covered the windows. Behind these the shutters had been -fastened, and Dr. Oberzohn was an ingenious man. - -Leon took a swift survey of the visitor’s feet; they wore felt slippers. - -“I don’t think I can improve upon the tactics of the admirable Miss -Leicester,” he said, and went up to Mr. Lee’s bedroom, which was in the -centre of the house and had a small balcony, the floor of which was -formed by the top of the porch. - -The long French windows were open and Leon crawled out into the darkness -and took observation through the pillars of the balustrade. They were in -the open now, making no attempt to conceal their presence. He counted -seven, until he saw the cigarette of another near the end of the drive. -What were they waiting for? he wondered. None of them moved; they were -not even closing on the house. And this inactivity puzzled him. They -were awaiting a signal. What was it to be? Whence would it come? - -He saw a man come stealthily across the lawn . . . one or two? His eyes -were playing tricks. If there were two, one was Gurther. There was no -mistaking him. For a second he passed out of view behind a pillar of the -balcony. Leon moved his head . . . Gurther had fallen! He saw him -stumble to his knees and tumble flat upon the ground. What did that -mean? - -He was still wondering when he heard a soft scraping, and a deep-drawn -breath, and tried to locate the noise. Suddenly, within a few inches of -his face, a hand came up out of the darkness and gripped the lower edge -of the balcony. - -Swiftly, noiselessly, Gonsalez wriggled back to the room, drew erect in -the cover of the curtains and waited. His hand touched something; it was -a long silken cord by which the curtains were drawn. Leon grinned in the -darkness and made a scientific loop. - -The intruder drew himself up on to the parapet, stepped quietly across, -then tiptoed to the open window. He was not even suspicious, for the -French windows had been open all the evening. Without a sound, he -stepped into the room and was momentarily silhouetted against the -starlight reflected in the window. - -“Hatless,” thought Leon. That made things easier. As the man took -another stealthy step, the noose dropped over his neck, jerked tight and -strangled the cry in his throat. In an instant he was lying flat on the -ground with a knee in his back. He struggled to rise, but Leon’s fist -came down with the precision of a piston-rod, and he went suddenly -quiet. - -Gonsalez loosened the slip-knot, and, flinging the man over his -shoulder, carried him out of the room and down the stairs. He could only -guess that this would be the only intruder, but left nothing to chance, -and after he had handed his prisoner to the men who were waiting in the -hall, he ran back to the room, to find, as he had expected, that no -other adventurer had followed the lead. They were still standing at -irregular intervals where he had seen them last. The signal was to come -from the house. What was it to be? he wondered. - -He left one of his men on guard in the room and went back to the study, -to find that the startled burglar was an old friend. Lew Cuccini was -looking from one of his captors to the other, a picture of dumbfounded -chagrin. But the most extraordinary discovery that Leon made on his -return to the study was that the American snake-charmer was his old -cheerful self, and, except for his unsightly appearance, seemed to be -none the worse for an ordeal which would have promptly ended the lives -of ninety-nine men out of a hundred. - -“Snake-proof—that’s me. Is this the guy that did it?” He pointed to -Cuccini. - -“Where is Gurther?” asked Manfred. - -Cuccini grinned up into his face. - -“You’d better find out, boss,” he said. “He’ll fix you. As soon as I -shout——” - -“Cuccini——” Leon’s voice was gentle. The point of the long-bladed -knife that he held to the man’s neck was indubitably sharp. Cuccini -shrank back. “You will not shout. If you do, I shall cut your throat and -spoil all these beautiful carpets—that is a genuine silken Bokhara, -George. I haven’t seen one in ten years.” He nodded to the soft-hued rug -on which George Manfred was standing. “What is the signal, Cuccini?” -turning his attention again to the prisoner. “And what happens when you -give the signal?” - -“Listen,” said Cuccini, “that throat-cutting stuff don’t mean anything -to me. There’s no third degree in this country, and don’t forget it.” - -“You have never seen my ninety-ninth degree.” Leon smiled like a -delighted boy. “Put something in his mouth, will you?” - -One of the men tied a woollen scarf round Cuccini’s head. - -“Lay him on the sofa.” - -He was already bound hand and foot and helpless. - -“Have you any wax matches? Yes, here are some.” Leon emptied a cut-glass -container into the palm of his hand and looked blandly round at the -curious company. “Now, gentlemen, if you will leave me alone for exactly -five minutes, I will give Mr. Cuccini an excellent imitation of the -persuasive methods of Gian Visconti, an excellent countryman of his, and -the inventor of the system I am about to apply.” - -Cuccini was shaking his head furiously. A mumble of unintelligible -sounds came from behind the scarf. - -“Our friend is not unintelligent. Any of you who say that Signor Cuccini -is unintelligent will incur my severest displeasure,” said Leon. - -They sat the man up and he talked brokenly, hesitatingly. - -“Splendid,” said Leon, when he had finished. “Take him into the kitchen -and give him a drink—you’ll find a tap above the kitchen sink.” - -“I’ve often wondered, Leon,” said George, when they were alone together, -“whether you would ever carry out these horrific threats of yours of -torture and malignant savagery?” - -“Half the torture of torture is anticipation,” said Leon easily, -lighting a cigarette with one of the matches he had taken from the -table, and carefully guiding the rest back into the glass bowl. “Any man -versed in the art of suggestive description can dispense with -thumbscrews and branding irons, little maidens and all the ghastly -apparatus of criminal justice ever employed by our ancestors. I, too, -wonder,” he mused, blowing a ring of smoke to the ceiling, “whether I -could carry my threats into execution—I must try one day.” He nodded -pleasantly, as though he were promising himself a great treat. - -Manfred looked at his watch. - -“What do you intend doing—giving the signal?” - -Gonsalez nodded. - -“And then?” - -“Letting them come in. We may take refuge in the kitchen. I think it -would be wiser.” - -George Manfred nodded. - -“You’re going to allow them to open the safe?” - -“Exactly,” said Leon. “I particularly wish that safe to be opened, and -since Mr. Lee demurs, I think this is the best method. I had that in my -mind all the time. Have you seen the safe, George? I have. Nobody but an -expert could smash it. I have no tools. I did not provide against such a -contingency, and I have scruples. Our friends have the tools—and no -scruples!” - -“And the snake—is there any danger?” - -Leon snapped his fingers. - -“The snake has struck for the night, and will strike no more! As for -Gurther——” - -“He owes you something.” - -Leon sent another ring up and did not speak until it broke on the -ceiling. - -“Gurther is dead,” he said simply. “He has been lying on the lawn in -front of the house for the past ten minutes.” - -_Chapter XVII_ _Written in Braille_ - -LEON briefly related the scene he had witnessed from the balcony. - -“It was undoubtedly Gurther,” he said. “I could not mistake him. He -passed out of view for a second behind one of the pillars, and when I -looked round he was lying flat on the ground.” - -He threw his cigarette into the fire-place. - -“I think it is nearly time,” he said. He waited until Manfred had gone, -and, going to the door, moved the bar and pulled it open wide. - -Stooping down, he saw that the opening of the door had been observed, -for one of the men was moving across the lawn in the direction of the -house. From his pocket he took a small electric lamp and sent three -flickering beams into the darkness. To his surprise, only two men walked -forward to the house. Evidently Cuccini was expected to deal with any -resistance before the raid occurred. - -The house had been built in the fifteenth century, and the entrance hall -was a broad, high barn of a place. Some Georgian architect, in the -peculiar manner of his kind, had built a small minstrel gallery over the -dining-room entrance and immediately facing the study. Leon had already -explored the house and had found the tiny staircase that led to this -architectural monstrosity. He had no sooner given the signal than he -dived into the dining-room, through the tall door, and was behind the -thick curtains at the back of the narrow gallery when the first two men -came in. He saw them go straight into the study and push open the door. -At the same time a third man appeared under the porch, though he made no -attempt to enter the hall. - -Presently one of those who had gone into the study came out and called -Cuccini by name. When no answer came, he went grumbling back to his -task. What that task was, Leon could guess, before the peculiarly acrid -smell of hot steel was wafted to his sensitive nostrils. - -By crouching down he could see the legs of the men who were working at -the safe. They had turned on all the lights, and apparently expected no -interruption. The man at the door was joined by another man. - -“Where is Lew?” - -In the stillness of the house the words, though spoken in a low tone, -were audible. - -“I don’t know—inside somewhere. He had to fix that dago.” - -Leon grinned. This description of himself never failed to tickle him. - -One of the workers in the library came out at this point. - -“Have you seen Cuccini?” - -“No,” said the man at the door. - -“Go in and find him. He ought to be here.” - -Cuccini’s absence evidently made him uneasy, for though he returned to -the room he was out again in a minute, asking if the messenger had come -back. Then, from the back of the passage, came the searcher’s voice: - -“The kitchen’s locked.” - -The safe-cutter uttered an expression of amazement. - -“Locked? What’s the idea?” - -He came to the foot of the stairs and bellowed up: - -“Cuccini!” - -Only the echo answered him. - -“That’s queer.” He poked his head in the door of the study. “Rush that -job, Mike. There’s some funny business here.” And over his shoulder, -“Tell the boys to get ready to jump.” - -The man went out into the night and was absent some minutes, to return -with an alarming piece of news. - -“They’ve gone, boss. I can’t see one of them.” - -The “boss” cursed him, and himself went into the grounds on a visit of -inspection. He came back in a hurry, ran into the study, and Leon heard -his voice: - -“Stand ready to clear.” - -“What about Cuccini?” - -“Cuccini will have to look after himself . . . got it, Mike?” - -The deep voice said something. There followed the sound of a crack, as -though something of iron had broken. It was the psychological moment. -Leon parted the curtains and dropped lightly to the floor. - -The man at the door turned in a flash at the sound. - -“Put ’em up!” he said sharply. - -“Don’t shoot.” Leon’s voice was almost conversational in its calmness. -“The house is surrounded by police.” - -With an oath the man darted out of the door, and at that instant came -the sound of the first shot, followed by desultory firing from the -direction of the road. The second guard had been the first to go. Leon -ran to the door, slammed it tight and switched on the lights as the two -men came from the study. Under the arm of one was a thick pad of square -brown sheets. He dropped his load and put up his hands at the sight of -the gun; but his companion was made of harder material, and, with a -yell, he leapt at the man who stood between him and freedom. Leon -twisted aside, advanced his shoulder to meet the furious drive of the -man’s fist; then, dropping his pistol, he stooped swiftly and tackled -him below the knees. The man swayed, sought to recover his balance and -fell with a crash on the stone floor. All the time his companion stood -dazed and staring, his hands waving in the air. - -There was a knock at the outer door. Without turning his back upon his -prisoners, Leon reached for the bar and pulled it up. Manfred came in. - -“The gentleman who shouted ‘Cuccini’ scared them. I think they’ve got -away. There were two cars parked on the road.” - -His eyes fell upon the brown sheets scattered on the floor and he -nodded. - -“I think you have all you want, Leon,” he said. - -The detectives came crowding in at that moment and secured their -prisoners whilst Leon Gonsalez and his friend went out on to the lawn to -search for Gurther. - -The man lay as he had fallen, on his face, and as Leon flashed his lamp -upon the figure, he saw that the snake had struck behind the ear. - -“Gurther?” frowned Leon. - -He turned the figure on its back and gave a little gasp of surprise, for -there looked up to the starry skies the heavy face of Pfeiffer. - -“Pfeiffer! I could have sworn it was the other! There has been some -double-crossing here. Let me think.” He stood for fully a minute, his -chin on his hand. “I could have understood Gurther; he was becoming a -nuisance and a danger to the old man. Pfeiffer, the more reliable of the -two, hated him. My first theory was that Gurther had been put out by -order of Oberzohn.” - -“Suppose Gurther heard that order, or came to know of it?” asked Manfred -quietly. - -Leon snapped his fingers. - -“That is it! We had a similar case a few years ago, you will remember, -George? The old man gave the ‘out’ order to Pfeiffer—and Gurther got -his blow in first. Shrewd fellow!” - -When they returned to the house, the three were seated in a row in -Johnson Lee’s library. Cuccini, of course, was an old acquaintance. Of -the other two men, Leon recognized one, a notorious gunman whose -photograph had embellished the pages of _Hue and Cry_ for months. - -The third, and evidently the skilled workman of the party, for he it was -whom they had addressed as “Mike” and who had burnt out the lock of -Lee’s safe, was identified by Meadows as Mike Selwyn, a skilful burglar -and bank-smasher, who had, according to his statement, only arrived from -the Continent that afternoon in answer to a flattering invitation which -promised considerable profit to himself. - -“And why I left Milan,” he said bitterly, “where the graft is easy and -the money’s good, I’d like you to tell me!” - -The prisoners were removed to the nearest secure lock-up, and by the -time Lee’s servants returned from their dance, all evidence of an -exciting hour had disappeared, except that the blackened and twisted -door of the safe testified to the sinister character of the visitation. - -Meadows returned as they were gathering together the scattered sheets. -There were hundreds of them, all written in Braille characters, and -Manfred’s sensitive fingers were skimming their surface. - -“Oh, yes,” he said, in answer to a question that was put to him, “I knew -Lee was blind, the day we searched Barberton’s effects. That was my -mystery.” He laughed. “Barberton expected a call from his old friend and -had left a message for him on the mantelpiece. Do you remember that -strip of paper? It ran: ‘Dear Johnny, I will be back in an hour.’ These -are letters,”—he indicated the papers. - -“The folds tell me that,” said Meadows. “You may not get a conviction -against Cuccini; the two burglars will come up before a judge, but to -charge Cuccini means the whole story of the snake coming out, and that -means a bigger kick than I’m prepared to laugh away—I am inclined to -let Cuccini go for the moment.” - -Manfred nodded. He sat with the embossed sheets on his knee. - -“Written from various places,” he went on. - -It was curious to see him, his fingers running swiftly along the -embossed lines, his eyes fixed on vacancy. - -“So far I’ve learnt nothing, except that in his spare time Barberton -amused himself by translating native fairy stories into English and -putting them into Braille for use in the blind school. I knew, of -course, that he did that, because I’d already interviewed his sister, -who is the mistress of the girls’ section.” - -He had gone through half a dozen letters when he rose from the table and -walked across to the safe. - -“I have a notion that the thing we’re seeking is not here,” he said. “It -is hardly likely that he would allow a communication of that character -to be jumbled up with the rest of the correspondence.” - -The safe door was open and the steel drawer at the back had been pulled -out. Evidently it was from this receptacle that the letters had been -taken. Now the drawer was empty. Manfred took it out and measured the -depth of it with his finger. - -“Let me see,” said Gonsalez suddenly. - -He groped along the floor of the safe, and presently he began to feel -carefully along the sides. - -“Nothing here,” he said. He drew out half a dozen account books and a -bundle of documents which at first glance Manfred had put aside as being -personal to the owner of Rath Hall. These were lying on the floor amidst -the mass of molten metal that had burnt deep holes in the carpet. Leon -examined the books one by one, opening them and running his nail along -the edge of the pages. The fourth, a weighty ledger, did not open so -easily—did not, indeed, open at all. He carried it to the table and -tried to pull back the cover. - -“Now, how does this open?” - -The ledger covers were of leather; to all appearance a very ordinary -book, and Leon was anxious not to disturb so artistic a camouflage. -Examining the edge carefully, he saw a place where the edges had been -forced apart. Taking out a knife, he slipped the thin blade into the -aperture. There was a click and the cover sprang up like the lid of a -box. - -“And this, I think, is what we are looking for,” said Gonsalez. - -The interior of the book had been hollowed out, the edges being left -were gummed tight, and the receptacle thus formed was packed close with -brown papers; brown, except for one, which was written on a large sheet -of foolscap, headed: “Bureau of the Ministry of Colonies, Lisbon.” - -Barberton had superimposed upon this long document his Braille writing, -and now one of the mysteries was cleared up. - -“Lee said he had never received any important documents,” said Manfred, -“and, of course, he hadn’t, so far as he knew. To him this was merely a -sheet of paper on which Braille characters were inscribed. Read this, -Leon.” - -Leon scanned the letter. It was dated “July 21st, 1912,” and bore, in -the lower left-hand corner, the seal of the Portuguese Colonial Office. -He read it through rapidly and at the end looked up with a sigh of -satisfaction. - -“And this settles Oberzohn and Co., and robs them of a fortune, the -extent of which I think we shall discover when we read Barberton’s -letter.” - -He lit a cigarette and scanned the writing again, whilst Meadows, who -did not understand Leon’s passion for drama, waited with growing -impatience. - - “Illustrious Senhor,” began Leon, reading. “I have this day had - the honour of placing before His Excellency the President, and - the Ministers of the Cabinet, your letter dated May 15th, 1912. - By a letter dated January 8th, 1911, the lands marked Ex. 275 on - the Survey Map of the Biskara district, were conceded to you, - Illustrious Senhor, in order to further the cause of science—a - cause which is very dear to the heart of His Excellency the - President. Your further letter, in which you complain, - Illustrious Senhor, that the incursion of prospectors upon your - land is hampering your scientific work, and your request that an - end may be put to these annoyances by the granting to you of an - extension of the concession, so as to give you title to all - minerals found in the aforesaid area, Ex. 275 on the Survey Map - of Biskara, and thus making the intrusion of prospectors - illegal, has been considered by the Council, and the extending - concession is hereby granted, on the following conditions: The - term of the concession shall be for twelve years, as from the - 14th day of June, 1912, and shall be renewable by you, your - heirs or nominees, every twelfth year, on payment of a nominal - sum of 1,000 milreis. In the event of the concessionnaire, his - heirs or nominees, failing to apply for a renewal on the 14th - day of June, 1924, the mineral rights of the said area, Ex. 275 - on the Survey Map of Biskara, shall be open to claim in - accordance with the laws of Angola——” - -Leon sat back. - -“Fourteenth of June?” he said, and looked up. “Why, that is next -week—five days! We’ve cut it rather fine, George.” - -“Barberton said there were six weeks,” said Manfred. “Obviously he made -the mistake of timing the concession from July 21st—the date of the -letter. He must have been the most honest man in the world; there was no -other reason why he should have communicated with Miss Leicester. He -could have kept quiet and claimed the rights for himself. Go on, Leon.” - -“That is about all,” said Leon, glancing at the tail of the letter. “The -rest is more or less flowery and complimentary and has reference to the -scientific work in which Professor Leicester was engaged. Five -days—phew!” he whistled. - -“We may now find something in Barberton’s long narrative to give us an -idea of the value of this property.” Manfred turned the numerous pages. -“Do any of you gentlemen write shorthand?” - -Meadows went out into the hall and brought back an officer. Waiting -until he had found pencil and paper, Leon began the extraordinary story -of William Barberton—most extraordinary because every word had been -patiently and industriously punched in the Braille characters. - -_Chapter XVIII_ _The Story of Mont d’Or_ - -“DEAR FRIEND JOHNNY,— - -“I have such a lot to tell you that I hardly know where to begin. I’ve -struck rich at last, and the dream I’ve often talked over with you has -come true. First of all, let me tell you that I have come upon nearly -£50,000 worth of wrought gold. We’ve been troubled round here with -lions, one of which took away a carrier of mine, and at last I decided -to go out and settle accounts with this fellow. I found him six miles -from the camp and planted a couple of bullets into him without killing -him, and decided to follow up his spoor. It was a mad thing to do, -trailing a wounded lion in the jungle, and I didn’t realize how mad -until we got out of the bush into the hills and I found Mrs. Lion -waiting for me. She nearly got me too. More by accident than anything -else, I managed to shoot her dead at the first shot, and got another pot -at her husband as he was slinking into a cave which was near our tent. - -“As I had gone so far, I thought I might as well go the whole hog, -especially as I’d seen two lion cubs playing round the mouth of the -cave, and bringing up my boys, who were scared to death, I crawled in, -to find, as I expected, that the old lion was nearly gone, and a shot -finished him. I had to kill the cubs; they were too young to be left -alone, and too much of a nuisance to bring back to camp. This cave had -been used as a lair for years; it was full of bones, human amongst them. - -“But what struck me was the appearance of the roof, which, I was almost -certain, had been cut out by hand. It was like a house, and there was a -cut door in the rock at the back. I made a torch and went through on a -tour of inspection, and you can imagine my surprise when I found myself -in a little room with a line of stone niches or shelves. There were -three lines of them on each side. Standing on these at intervals there -were little statuettes. They were so covered with dust that I thought -they were stone, until I tried to take one down to examine it; then I -knew by its weight that it was gold, as they all were. - -“I didn’t want my boys to know about my find, because they are a -treacherous lot, so I took the lightest, after weighing them all with a -spring balance, and made a note where I’d taken it from. You might think -that was enough of a find for one man in a lifetime, but my luck had set -in. I sent the boys back and ordered them to break camp and join me on -top of the Thaba. I called it the Thaba, because it is rather like a -hill I know in Basutoland, and is one of two. - -“The camp was moved up that night; it was a better pitch than any we had -had. There was water, plenty of small game, and no mosquitoes. The worst -part of it was the terrific thunderstorms which come up from nowhere, -and until you’ve seen one in this ironstone country you don’t know what -a thunderstorm is like! The hill opposite was slightly smaller than the -one I had taken as a camp, and between was a shallow valley, through -which ran a small shallow river—rapids would be a better word. - -“Early the next morning I was looking round through my glasses, and saw -what I thought was a house on the opposite hill. I asked my head-man who -lived there, and he told me that it was once the house of the Star -Chief; and I remembered that somebody told me, down in Mossamedes, that -an astronomer had settled in this neighbourhood and had been murdered by -the natives. I thought I would go over and have a look at the place. The -day being cloudy and not too hot, I took my gun and a couple of boys and -we crossed the river and began climbing the hill. The house was, of -course, in ruins; it had only been a wattle hut at the best of times. -Part of it was covered with vegetation, but out of curiosity I searched -round, hoping to pick up a few things that might be useful to me, more -particularly kettles, for my boys had burnt holes in every one I had. I -found a kettle, and then, turning over a heap of rubbish which I think -must have been his bed, I found a little rusty tin box and broke it open -with my stick. There were a few letters which were so faded that I could -only read a word here and there, and in a green oilskin, a long letter -from the Portuguese Government.” - -(It was at this point, either by coincidence or design, that the -narrative continued on the actual paper to which he referred.) - -“I speak Portuguese and can read it as easily as English, and the only -thing that worried me about it was that the concession gave Professor -Leicester all rights to my cave. My first idea was to burn it, but then -I began to realize what a scoundrelly business that would be, and I took -the letters out into the sun and tried to find if he had any relations, -hoping that I’d be able to fix it up with them to take at any rate 50 -per cent. of my find. There was only one letter that helped me. It was -written in a child’s hand and was evidently from his daughter. It had no -address, but there was the name—‘Mirabelle Leicester.’ - -“I put it in my pocket with the concession and went on searching, but -found nothing more. I was going down the hill towards the valley when it -struck me that perhaps this man had found gold, and the excuse for -getting the concession was a bit of artfulness. I sent a boy back to the -camp for a pick, a hammer and a spade, and when he returned I began to -make a cutting in the side of the hill. There was nothing to guide -me—no outcrop, such as you usually find near a true reef—but I hadn’t -been digging for an hour before I struck the richest bed of conglomerate -I’ve ever seen. I was either dreaming, or my good angel had at last led -me to the one place in the hill where gold could be found. I had -previously sent the boys back to the camp and told them to wait for me, -because, if I did strike metal, I did not want the fact advertised all -over Angola, where they’ve been looking for gold for years. - -“Understand, it was not a reef in the ordinary sense of the word, it was -all conglomerate, and the wider I made my cutting, the wider the bed -appeared. I took the pick to another part of the hill and dug again, -with the same result—conglomerate. It was as though nature had thrown -up a huge golden hump on the earth. I covered both cuttings late that -night and went back to camp. (I was stalked by a leopard in the low -bush, but managed to get him.) - -“Early next morning, I started off and tried another spot, and with the -same result; first three feet of earth, then about six inches of shale, -and then conglomerate. I tried to work through the bed, thinking that it -might be just a skin, but I was saved much exertion by coming upon a -deep rift in the hill about twenty feet wide at the top and tapering -down to about fifty feet below the ground level. This gave me a section -to work on, and as near as I can judge, the conglomerate bed is -something over fifty feet thick and I’m not so sure that it doesn’t -occur again after an interval of twenty feet or more, for I dug more -shale and had a showing of conglomerate at the very bottom of the -ravine. - -“What does this mean, Johnny? It means that we have found a hill of -gold; not solid gold, as in the story-books, but gold that pays ounces -and probably pounds to the ton. How the prospectors have missed it all -these years I can’t understand, unless it is that they’ve made their -cuttings on the north side of the hill, where they have found nothing -but slate and sandstone. The little river in the valley must be feet -deep in alluvial, for I panned the bed and got eight ounces of pure gold -in an hour—and that was by rough and ready methods. I had to be careful -not to make the boys too curious, and I am breaking camp to-morrow, and -I want you to cable or send me £500 to Mossamedes. The statuette I’m -bringing home is worth all that. I would bring more, only I can’t trust -these Angola boys; a lot of them are mission boys and can read -Portuguese, and they’re too friendly with a half-breed called Villa, who -is an agent of Oberzohn & Smitts; the traders and I know these people to -be the most unscrupulous scoundrels on the coast. - -“I shall be at Mossamedes about three weeks after you get this letter, -but I don’t want to get back to the coast in a hurry, otherwise people -are going to suspect I have made a strike.” - -Leon put the letter down. - -“There is the story in a nutshell, gentlemen,” he said. “I don’t, for -one moment, believe that Mr. Barberton showed Villa the letter. It is -more likely that one of the educated natives he speaks about saw it and -reported it to Oberzohn’s agent. Portuguese is the lingua franca of that -part of the coast. Barberton was killed to prevent his meeting the girl -and telling her of his find—incidentally, of warning her to apply for a -renewal of the concession. It wasn’t even necessary that they should -search his belongings to recover the letter, because once they knew of -its existence and the date which Barberton had apparently confounded -with the date the letter was written, their work was simply to present -an application to the Colonial Office at Lisbon. It was quite different -after Barberton was killed, when they learnt or guessed that the letter -was in Mr. Lee’s possession.” - -Meadows agreed. - -“That was the idea behind Oberzohn’s engagement of Mirabelle Leicester?” - -“Exactly, and it was also behind the attack upon Heavytree Farm. To -secure this property they must get her away and keep her hidden either -until it is too late for her to apply for a renewal, or until she has -been bullied or forced into appointing a nominee.” - -“Or married,” said Leon briskly. “Did that idea occur to you? Our -tailor-made friend, Monty Newton, may have had matrimonial intentions. -It would have been quite a good stroke of business to secure a wife and -a large and auriferous hill at the same time. This, I think, puts a -period to the ambitions of Herr Doktor Oberzohn.” - -He got up from the table and handed the papers to the custody of the -detective, and turned with a quizzical smile to his friend. - -“George, do you look forward with any pleasure to a two hundred and -fifty miles’ drive?” - -“Are you the chauffeur?” asked George. - -“I am the chauffeur,” said Leon cheerfully. “I have driven a car for -many years and I have not been killed yet. It is unlikely that I shall -risk my precious life and yours to-night. Come with me and I promise -never to hit her up above sixty except on the real speedways.” - -Manfred nodded. - -“We will stop at Oxley and try to get a ’phone call through to -Gloucester,” said Leon. “This line is, of course, out of order. They -would do nothing so stupid as to neglect the elementary precaution of -disconnecting Rath Hall.” - -At Oxley the big Spanz pulled up before the dark and silent exterior of -an inn, and Leon, getting down, brought the half-clad landlord to the -door and explained his mission, and also learned that two big cars had -passed through half an hour before, going in the direction of London. - -“That was the gang. I wonder how they’ll explain to their paymaster -their second failure?” - -His first call was to the house in Curzon Street, but there was no -reply. - -“Ring them again,” said Leon. “You left Poiccart there?” - -Manfred nodded. - -They waited for five minutes; still there was no reply. - -“How queer!” said Manfred. “It isn’t like Poiccart to leave the house. -Get Gloucester.” - -At this hour of the night the lines are comparatively clear, and in a -very short time he heard the Gloucester operator’s voice, and in a few -seconds later the click that told them they were connected with -Heavytree Farm. Here there was some delay before the call was answered. - -It was not Mirabelle Leicester nor her aunt who spoke. Nor did he -recognize the voice of Digby, who had recovered sufficiently to return -to duty. - -“Who is that?” asked the voice sharply. “Is that you, sergeant?” - -“No, it is Mr. Meadows,” said Leon mendaciously. - -“The Scotland Yard gentleman?” It was an eager inquiry. “I’m Constable -Kirk, of the Gloucester Police. My sergeant’s been trying to get in -touch with you, sir.” - -“What is the matter?” asked Leon, a cold feeling at his heart. - -“I don’t know, sir. About half an hour ago, I was riding past here—I’m -one of the mounted men—and I saw the door wide open and all the lights -on, and when I came in there was nobody up. I woke Miss Goddard and Mr. -Digby, but the young lady was not in the house.” - -“Lights everywhere?” asked Leon quickly. - -“Yes, sir—in the parlour at any rate.” - -“No sign of a struggle?” - -“No, sir, but a car passed me three miles from the house and it was -going at a tremendous rate. I think she may have been in that. Mr. Digby -and Miss Goddard have just gone into Gloucester.” - -“All right, officer. I am sending Mr. Gonsalez down to see you,” said -Leon, and hung up the receiver. - -“What is it?” asked George Manfred, who knew that something was wrong by -his friend’s face. - -“They’ve got Mirabelle Leicester after all,” said Leon. “I’m afraid I -shall have to break my promise to you, George. That machine of mine is -going to travel before daybreak!” - -_Chapter XIX_ _At Heavytree Farm_ - -IT had been agreed that, having failed in their attack, and their -energies for the moment being directed to Rath Hall, an immediate return -of the Old Guard to Heavytree Farm was unlikely. This had been Meadows’ -view, and Leon and his friend were of the same mind. Only Poiccart, that -master strategist, working surely with a queer knowledge of his enemies’ -psychology, had demurred from this reasoning; but as he had not insisted -upon his point of view, Heavytree Farm and its occupants had been left -to the care of the local police and the shaken Digby. - -Aunt Alma offered to give up her room to the wounded man, but he would -not hear of this, and took the spare bedroom; an excellent position for -a defender, since it separated Mirabelle’s apartment from the pretty -little room which Aunt Alma used as a study and sleeping-place. - -The staff of Heavytree Farm consisted of an ancient cowman, a cook and a -maid, the latter of whom had already given notice and left on the -afternoon of the attack. She had, as she told Mirabelle in all -seriousness, a weak heart. - -“And a weak head too!” snapped Alma. “I should not worry about your -heart, my girl, if I were you.” - -“I was top of my class at school,” bridled the maid, touched to the raw -by this reflection upon her intelligence. - -“It must have been a pretty small class,” retorted Alma. - -A new maid had been found, a girl who had been thrilled by the -likelihood that the humdrum of daily labour would be relieved by -exciting events out of the ordinary, and before evening the household -had settled down to normality. Mirabelle was feeling the reaction and -went to bed early that night, waking as the first slant of sunlight -poured through her window. She got up, feeling, she told herself, as -well as she had felt in her life. Pulling back the chintz curtains, she -looked out upon a still world with a sense of happiness and relief -beyond measure. There was nobody in sight. Pools of mist lay in the -hollows, and from one white farmstead, far away on the slope of the -hill, she saw the blue smoke was rising. It was a morning to remember, -and, to catch its spirit the better, she dressed hastily and went down -into the garden. As she walked along the path she heard a window pulled -open and the bandaged head of Mr. Digby appeared. - -“Oh, it’s you, is it, miss?” he said with relief, and she laughed. - -“There is nothing more terrible in sight than a big spider,” she said, -and pointed to a big flat fellow, who was already spinning his web -between the tall hollyhocks. And the first of the bees was abroad. - -“If anybody had come last night I shouldn’t have heard them,” he -confessed. “I slept like a dead man.” He touched his head gingerly. “It -smarts, but the ache is gone,” he said, not loth to discuss his -infirmities. “The doctor said I had a narrow escape; he thought there -was a fracture. Would you like me to make you some tea, miss, or shall I -call the servant?” - -She shook her head, but he had already disappeared, and came seeking her -in the garden ten minutes later, with a cup of tea in his hand. He told -her for the second time that he was a police pensioner and had been in -the employ of Gonsalez for three years. The Three paid well, and had, -she learned to her surprise, considerable private resources. - -“Does it pay them—this private detective business?” - -“Lord bless your heart, no, miss!” He scoffed at the idea. “They are -very rich men. I thought everybody knew that. They say Mr. Gonsalez was -worth a million even before the war.” - -This was astonishing news. - -“But why do they do this”—she hesitated—“this sort of thing?” - -“It is a hobby, miss,” said the man vaguely. “Some people run -race-horses, some own yachts—these gentlemen get a lot of pleasure out -of their work and they pay well,” he added. - -Men in the regular employ of the Three Just Men not only received a good -wage, but frequently a bonus which could only be described as colossal. -Once, after they had rounded up and destroyed a gang of Spanish bank -robbers, they had distributed £1,000 to every man who was actively -employed. - -He hinted rather than stated that this money had formed part of the loot -which the Three had recovered, and did not seem to think that there was -anything improper in this distribution of illicit gains. - -“After all, miss,” he said philosophically, “when you collect money like -that, it’s impossible to give it back to the people it came from. This -Diego had been holding up banks for years, and banks are not like -people—they don’t feel the loss of money.” - -“That’s a thoroughly immoral view,” said Mirabelle, intent upon her -flower-picking. - -“It may be, miss,” agreed Digby, who had evidently been one of the -recipients of bounty, and took a complacent and a tolerant view. “But a -thousand pounds is a lot of money.” - -The day passed without event. From the early evening papers that came -from Gloucester she learned of the fire at Oberzohn’s, and did not -connect the disaster with anything but an accident. She was not sorry. -The fire had licked out one ugly chapter from the past. Incidentally it -had destroyed a crude painting which was, to Dr. Oberzohn, more precious -than any that Leonardo had painted or Raphael conceived, but this she -did not know. - -It was just before the dinner hour that there came the first unusual -incident of the day. Mirabelle was standing by the garden gate, intent -upon the glories of the evening sky, which was piled high with red and -slate-coloured cumuli. The glass was falling and a wet night was -promised. But the loveliness of that lavish colouring held her. And then -she became dimly aware that a man was coming towards the house from the -direction of Gloucester. He walked in the middle of the road slowly, as -though he, too, were admiring the view and there was no need to hurry. -His hands were behind him, his soft felt hat at the back of his head. A -stocky-looking man, but his face was curiously familiar. He turned his -unsmiling eyes in her direction, and, looking again at his strong -features, at the tiny grey-black moustache under his aquiline nose, she -was certain she had seen him before. Perhaps she had passed him in the -street, and had retained a subconscious mental picture of him. - -He slowed his step until, when he came abreast of her, he stopped. - -“This is Heavytree Lane?” he asked, in a deep, musical voice. - -“No—the lane is the first break in the hedge,” she smiled. “I’m afraid -it isn’t much of a road—generally it is ankle-deep in mud.” - -He looked past her to the house; his eyes ranged the windows, dropped -for a moment upon a climbing clematis, and came back to her. - -“I don’t know Gloucestershire very well,” he said, and added: “You have -a very nice house.” - -“Yes,” she said in surprise. - -“And a garden.” And then, innocently: “Do you grow onions?” - -She stared at him and laughed. - -“I think we do—I am not sure. My aunt looks after the kitchen garden.” - -His sad eyes wandered over the house again. - -“It is a very nice place,” he said, and, lifting his hat, went on. - -Digby was out: he had gone for a gentle walk, and, looking up the road -after the stranger, she saw the guard appear round a bend in the road, -saw him stop and speak to the stranger. Apparently they knew one -another, for they shook hands at meeting, and after a while Digby -pointed down the road to where she was standing, and she saw the man -nod. Soon after the stranger went on out of view. Who could he be? Was -it an additional guard that the three men had put to protect her? When -Digby came up to her, she asked him. - -“That gentleman, miss? He is Mr. Poiccart.” - -“Poiccart?” she said, delighted. “Oh, I wish I had known!” - -“I was surprised to see him,” said the guard. “As a matter of fact, he’s -the one of the three gentlemen I’ve met the most. He’s generally in -Curzon Street, even when the others are away.” - -Digby had nothing to say about Poiccart except that he was a very quiet -gentleman and took no active part in the operations of the Just Men. - -“I wonder why he wanted to know about onions?” asked the girl -thoughtfully. “That sounded awfully mysterious.” - -It would not have been so mysterious to Leon. - -The house retired to bed soon after ten, Alma going the rounds, and -examining the new bolts and locks which had been attached that morning -to every door which gave ingress to the house. - -Mirabelle was unaccountably tired, and was asleep almost as soon as her -head touched the pillow. - -She heard in her dreams the swish of the rain beating against her -window, lay for a long time trying to energize herself to rise and shut -the one open window where the curtains were blowing in. Then came a -heavier patter against a closed pane, and something rattled on the floor -of her room. She sat up. It could not be hail, although there was a -rumble of thunder in the distance. - -She got out of bed, pulled on her dressing-gown, went to the window, and -had all her work to stifle a scream. Somebody was standing on the path -below . . . a woman! She leaned out. - -“Who is it?” she asked. - -“It is me—I—Joan!” There was a sob in the voice of the girl. Even in -that light Mirabelle could see that the girl was drenched. “Don’t wake -anybody. Come down—I want you.” - -“What is wrong?” asked Mirabelle in a low voice. - -“Everything . . . everything!” - -She was on the verge of hysteria. Mirabelle lit a candle and crossed the -room, went downstairs softly, so that Alma should not be disturbed. -Putting the candle on the table, she unbarred and unbolted the door, -opened it, and, as she did so, a man slipped through the half-opened -door, his big hands smothering the scream that rose to her lips. - -Another man followed and, lifting the struggling girl, carried her into -the drawing-room. One of the men took a small iron bottle from his -pocket, to which ran a flexible rubber tube ending in a large red cap. -Her captor removed his hands just as long as it took to fix the cap over -her face. A tiny faucet was turned. Mirabelle felt a puff on her face, a -strangely sweet taste, and then her heart began to beat thunderously. -She thought she was dying, and writhed desperately to free herself. - -“She’s all right,” said Monty Newton, lifting an eyelid for a second. -“Get a blanket.” He turned fiercely to the whimpering girl behind him. -“Shut up, you!” he said savagely. “Do you want to rouse the whole -house?” - -A woebegone Joan was whimpering softly, tears running down her face, her -hands clasping and unclasping in the agony of her mind. - -“You told me you weren’t going to hurt her!” she sobbed. - -“Get out,” he hissed, and pointed to the door. She went meekly. - -A heavy blanket was wrapped round the unconscious girl, and, lifting her -between them, the two men went out into the rain, where the old trolley -was waiting, and slid her along the straw-covered floor. In another -second the trolley moved off, gathering speed. - -By this time the effect of the gas had worn off and Mirabelle had -regained consciousness. She put out a hand and touched a woman’s knee. - -“Who is that—Alma?” - -“No,” said a miserable voice, “it’s Joan.” - -“Joan? Oh, yes, of course . . . why did you do it?—how wicked!” - -“Shut up!” Monty snarled. “Wait until you get to—where you’re going, -before you start these ‘whys’ and ‘wherefores.’” - -Mirabelle was deathly sick and bemused, and for the next hour she was -too ill to feel even alarmed. Her head was going round and round, and -ached terribly, and the jolting of the truck did not improve matters in -this respect. - -Monty, who was sitting with his back to the truck’s side, was smoking. -He cursed now and then, as some unusually heavy jolt flung him forward. -They passed through the heart of the storm: the flicker of lightning was -almost incessant and the thunder was deafening. Rain was streaming down -the hood of the trolley, rendering it like a drum. - -Mirabelle fell into a little sleep and woke feeling better. It was still -dark, and she would not have known the direction they were taking, only -the driver took the wrong turning coming through a country town, and by -the help of the lightning she saw what was indubitably the stand of a -race-track, and a little later saw the word “Newbury.” They were going -towards London, she realized. - -At this hour of the morning there was little or no traffic, and when -they turned on to the new Great West Road a big car went whizzing past -at seventy miles an hour and the roar of it woke the girl. Now she could -feel the trolley wheels skidding on tram-lines. Lights appeared with -greater frequency. She saw a store window brilliantly illuminated, the -night watchman having evidently forgotten to turn off the lights at the -appointed hour. - -Soon they were crossing the Thames. She saw the red and green lights of -a tug, and black upon near black a string of barges in mid-stream. She -dozed again and was jerked wide awake when the trolley swayed and -skidded over a surface more uneven than any. Once its wheels went into a -pothole and she was flung violently against the side. Another time it -skidded and was brought up with a crash against some obstacle. The -bumping grew more gentle, and then the machine stopped, and Monty jumped -down and called to her sharply. - -Her head was clear now, despite its throbbing. She saw a queer-shaped -house, all gables and turrets, extraordinarily narrow for its height. It -seemed to stand in the middle of a field. And yet it was in London: she -could see the glow of furnace fires and hear the deep boom of a ship’s -siren as it made its way down the river on the tide. - -She had not time to take observations, for Monty fastened to her arm and -she squelched through the mud up a flight of stone steps into a dimly -lit hall. She had a confused idea that she had seen little dogs standing -on the side of the steps, and a big bird with a long bill, but these -probably belonged to the smoke of dreams which the gas had left. - -Monty opened a door and pushed her in before him, and she stared into -the face of Dr. Oberzohn. - -He wore a black velvet dressing-gown that had once been a regal garment -but was now greasy and stained. On his egg-shaped head he had an -embroidered smoking-cap. His feet were encased in warm velvet slippers. -He put down the book he had been reading, rubbed his glasses on one -velvet sleeve, and then: - -“So!” he said. - -He pointed to the remains of a fire. - -“Sit down, Mirabelle Leicester, and warm yourself. You have come -quickly, my friend,”—he addressed Monty. - -“I’m black and blue all over,” growled Newton. “Why couldn’t we have a -car?” - -“Because the cars were engaged, as I told you.” - -“Did you——” began Newton quickly, but the old man glanced -significantly at the girl, shivering before the fire and warming her -hands mechanically. - -“I will answer, but you need not ask, in good time. This is not of all -moments the most propitious. Where is your woman?” - -He had forgotten Joan, and went out to find her shivering in the -passage. - -“Do you want her?” he asked, poking his head in the door. - -“She shall go with this girl. You will explain.” - -“Where are you going to put her?” - -Oberzohn pointed to the floor. - -“Here? But——” - -“No, no. My friend, you are too quick to see what is not meant. The -gracious lady shall live in a palace—I have a certain friend who will -no longer need it.” - -His face twitched in the nearest he ever approached to a smile. Groping -under the table, he produced a pair of muddy Wellingtons, kicked off his -slippers and pulled on the boots with many gasps and jerks. - -“All that they need is there: I have seen to it. March!” - -He led the way out of the room, pulling the girl to her feet, and Newton -followed, Joan bringing up the rear. Inside the factory, Oberzohn -produced a small hand torch from his pocket and guided them through the -debris till he came to that part of the floor where the trap was. With -his foot he moved the covering of rubbish, pulled up the trap and went -down. - -“I can’t go down there, Monty, I can’t!” said Joan’s agitated voice. -“What are you going to do with us? My God! if I’d known——” - -“Don’t be a fool,” said Newton roughly. “What have you got to be afraid -of? There’s nothing here. We want you to look after her for a day or -two. You don’t want her to go down by herself: she’d be frightened to -death.” - -Her teeth chattering, Joan stumbled down the steps behind him. Certainly -the first view of her new quarters was reassuring. Two little trestle -beds had been made; the underground room had been swept clean, and a new -carpet laid on the floor. Moreover, the apartment was brilliantly lit, -and a furnace gave almost an uncomfortable warmth which was nevertheless -very welcome, for the temperature had dropped 20° since noon. - -“In this box there are clothes of all varieties, and expensive to -purchase,” said Oberzohn, pointing to a brand-new trunk at the foot of -one of the beds. “Food you will have in plenty—bread and milk newly -every day. By night you shall keep the curtain over the ventilator.” On -the wall was a small black curtain about ten inches square. - -Monty took her into the next apartment and showed her the wash-place. -There was even a bath, a compulsory fixture under the English Factory -Act in a store of this description, where, in the old days, men had to -handle certain insanitary products of the Coast. - -“But how do we get out, Monty? Where do we get exercise?” - -“You’ll come out to-morrow night: I’ll see to that,” he said, dropping -his voice. “Now listen, Joan: you’ve got to be a sensible girl and help -me. There’s money in this—bigger money than you have ever dreamed of. -And when we’ve got this unpleasant business over, I’m taking you away -for a trip round the world.” - -It was the old promise, given before, never fulfilled, always hoped for. -But this time it did not wholly remove her uneasiness. - -“But what are you going to do with the girl?” she asked. - -“Nothing; she will be kept here for a week. I’ll swear to you that -nothing will happen to her. At the end of a week she’s to be released -without a hair of her head being harmed.” - -She looked at him searchingly. As far as she was able to judge, he was -speaking the truth. And yet—— - -“I can’t understand it,”—she shook her head, and for once Monty Newton -was patient with her. - -“She’s the owner of a big property in Africa, and that we shall get, if -things work out right,” he said. “The point is that she must claim -within a few days. If she doesn’t, the property is ours.” - -Her face cleared. - -“Is that all?” She believed him, knew him well enough to detect his rare -sincerity. “That’s taken a load off my mind, Monty. Of course I’ll stay -and look after her for you—it makes it easier to know that nothing will -happen. What are those baize things behind the furnace—they look like -boxes?” - -He turned on her quickly. - -“I was going to tell you about those,” he said. “You’re not to touch -them under any circumstances. They belong to the old man and he’s very -stuffy about such things. Leave them just as they are. Let him touch -them and nobody else. Do you understand?” - -She nodded, and, to his surprise, pecked his cheek with her cold lips. - -“I’ll help you, boy,” she said tremulously. “Maybe that trip will come -off after all, if——” - -“If what?” - -“Those men—the men you were talking about—the Four Just Men, don’t -they call themselves? They scare me sick, Monty! They were the people -who took her away before, and they’ll kill us—even Oberzohn says that. -They’re after him. Has he”—she hesitated—“has he killed anybody? That -snake stuff . . . you’re not in it, are you, Monty?” - -She looked more like a child than a sophisticated woman, clinging to his -arm, her blue eyes looking pleadingly into his. - -“Stuff! What do I know about snakes?” He disengaged himself and came -back to where Oberzohn was waiting, a figure of patience. - -The girl was lying on the bed, her face in the crook of her arm, and he -was gazing at her, his expression inscrutable. - -“That is all, then. Good night, gracious ladies.” - -He turned and marched back towards the step and waved his hand. Monty -followed. The girl heard the thud of the trap fall, the scrape of the -old man’s boots, and then a rumbling sound, which she did not -immediately understand. Later, when in a panic, she tried the trap, she -found that a heavy barrel had been put on top, and that it was -immovable. - -_Chapter XX_ _Gurther Reports_ - -DR. OBERZHON had not been to bed for thirty-five years. It was his -practice to sleep in a chair, and alternate his dozes with copious -draughts from his favourite authors. Mostly the books were about the -soul, and free will, and predestination, with an occasional dip into -Nietzsche by way of light recreation. In ordinary circumstances he would -have had need for all the philosophy he could master; for ruin had come. -The destruction of his store, which, to all intents and purposes, was -uninsured, would have been the crowning stroke of fate but for the -golden vision ahead. - -Villa, that handsome half-breed, had arrived in England and had been -with the doctor all the evening. At that moment he was on his way to -Liverpool to catch the Coast boat, and he had left with his master a -record of the claims that had already been pegged out on Monte Doro, as -he so picturesquely renamed the new mountain. There were millions there; -uncountable wealth. And between the Herr Doktor and the achievement of -this colossal fortune was a life which he had no immediate desire to -take. The doctor was a bachelor; women bored him. Yet he was prepared to -take the extreme step if by so doing he could doubly ensure his fortune. -Mirabelle dead gave him one chance; Mirabelle alive and persuaded, -multiplied that chance by a hundred. - -He opened the book he was reading at the last page and took out the -folded paper. It was a special licence to marry, and had been duly -registered at the Greenwich Registrar’s Office since the day before the -girl had entered his employment. This was his second and most powerful -weapon. He could have been legally married on this nearly a week ago. It -was effective for two months at least, and only five days separated him -from the necessity of a decision. If the time expired, Mirabelle could -live. It was quite a different matter, killing in cold blood a woman for -whom the police would be searching, and with whose disappearance his -name would be connected, from that other form of slaying he favoured: -the striking down of strange men in crowded thoroughfares. She was not -for the snake—as yet. - -He folded the paper carefully, put it back in the book and turned the -page, when there was a gentle tap at the door and he sat up. - -“Come in, Pfeiffer. March!” - -The door opened slowly and a man sidled into the room, and at the sight -of him Dr. Oberzohn gasped. - -“Gurther!” he stammered, for once thrown out of his stride. - -Gurther smiled and nodded, his round eyes fixed on the tassel of the -Herr Doktor’s smoking-cap. - -“You have returned—and failed?” - -“The American, I think, is dead, Herr Doktor,” said the man in his -staccato tone. “The so excellent Pfeiffer is also—dead!” - -The doctor blinked twice. - -“Dead?” he said gratingly. “Who told you this?” - -“I saw him. Something happened . . . to the snake. Pfeiffer was bitten.” - -The old man’s hard eyes fixed him. - -“So!” he said softly. - -“He died very quickly—in the usual manner,” jerked Gurther, still with -that stupid smile. - -“So!” said the doctor again. “All then was failure, and out of it comes -an American, who is nothing, and Pfeiffer, who is much—dead!” - -“God have him in his keeping!” said Gurther, not lowering or raising his -eyes. “And all the way back I thought this, Herr Doktor—how much better -that it should be Pfeiffer and not me. Though my nerves are so bad.” - -“So!” said the doctor for the fourth time, and held out his hand. - -Gurther slipped his fingers into his waistcoat pocket and took out a -gold cigarette-case. The doctor opened it and looked at the five -cigarettes that reposed, at the two halves of the long holder neatly -lying in their proper place, closed the case with a snap and laid it on -the table. - -“What shall I do with you, Gurther? To-morrow the police will come and -search this house.” - -“There is the cellar, Herr Doktor: it is very comfortable there. I would -prefer it.” - -Dr. Oberzohn made a gesture like a boy wiping something from a slate. - -“That is not possible: it is in occupation,” he said. “I must find a new -place for you.” He stared and mused. “There is the boat,” he said. - -Gurther’s smile did not fade. - -The boat was a small barge, which had been drawn up into the private -dock of the O. & S. factory, and had been rotting there for years, the -playing-ground of rats, the doss-house of the homeless. The doctor saw -what was in the man’s mind. - -“It may be comfortable. I will give you some gas to kill the rats, and -it will only be for five-six days.” - -“Ja, Herr Doktor.” - -“For to-night you may sleep in the kitchen. One does not expect——” - -There was a thunderous knock on the outer door. The two men looked at -one another, but still Gurther grinned. - -“I think it is the police,” said the doctor calmly. - -He got up to his feet, lifted the seat of a long hard-looking sofa, -disclosing a deep cavity, and Gurther slipped in, and the seat was -replaced. This done, the doctor waddled to the door and turned the key. - -“Good morning, Inspector Meadows.” - -“May I come in?” said Meadows. - -Behind him were two police officers, one in uniform. - -“Do you wish to see me? Certainly.” He held the door cautiously open and -only Meadows came in, and preceded the doctor into his study. - -“I want Mirabelle Leicester,” said Meadows curtly. “She was abducted -from her home in the early hours of this morning, and I have information -that the car which took her away came to this house. There are tracks of -wheels in the mud outside.” - -“If there are car tracks, they are mine,” said the doctor calmly. He -enumerated the makes of machines he possessed. “There is another matter: -as to cars having come here in the night, I have a sense of hearing, Mr. -Inspector Meadows, and I have heard many cars in Hangman’s Lane—but not -in my ground. Also, I’m sure you have not come to tell me of abducted -girls, but to disclose to me the miscreant who burnt my store. That is -what I expected of you.” - -“What you expect of me and what you get will be entirely different -propositions,” said Meadows unpleasantly. “Now come across, Oberzohn! We -know why you want this girl—the whole plot has been blown. You think -you’ll prevent her from making a claim on the Portuguese Government for -the renewal of a concession granted in June, 1912, to her father.” - -If Dr. Oberzohn was shocked to learn that his secret was out, he did not -show it by his face. Not a muscle moved. - -“Of such matters I know nothing. It is a fantasy, a story of fairies. -Yet it must be true, Mr. Inspector Meadows, if you say it. No: I think -you are deceived by the criminals of Curzon Street, W. Men of blood and -murder, with records that are infamous. You desire to search my house? -It is your privilege.” He waved his hand. “I do not ask you for the -ticket of search. From basement to attic the house is yours.” - -He was not surprised when Meadows took him at his word, and, going out -into the hall, summoned his assistants. They visited each room -separately, the old cook and the half-witted Danish girl accepting this -visitation as a normal occurrence: they had every excuse to do so, for -this was the second time in a fortnight that the house had been visited -by the police. - -“Now I’ll take a look at your room, if you don’t mind,” said Meadows. - -His quick eyes caught sight of the box ottoman against the wall, and the -fact that the doctor was sitting thereon added to his suspicions. - -“I will look in here, if you please,” he said. - -Oberzohn rose and the detective lifted the lid. It was empty. The -ottoman had been placed against the wall, at the bottom of which was a -deep recess. Gurther had long since rolled through the false back. - -“You see—nothing,” said Oberzohn. “Now perhaps you would like to search -my factory? Perhaps amongst the rafters and the burnt girders I may -conceal a something. Or the barge in my slipway? Who knows what I may -place amongst the rats?” - -“You’re almost clever,” said Meadows, “and I don’t profess to be a match -for you. But there are three men in this town who are! I’ll be frank -with you, Oberzohn. I want to put you where I can give you a fair trial, -in accordance with the law of this country, and I shall resist, to the -best of my ability, any man taking the law into his own hands. But -whether you’re innocent or guilty, I wouldn’t stand in your shoes for -all the money in Angola!” - -“So?” said the doctor politely. - -“Give up this girl, and I rather fancy that half your danger will be at -an end. I tell you, you’re too clever for me. It’s a stupid thing for a -police officer to say, but I can’t get at the bottom of your snake. They -have.” - -The old man’s brows worked up and down. - -“Indeed?” he said blandly. “And of which snake do you speak?” - -Meadows said nothing more. He had given his warning: if Oberzohn did not -profit thereby, he would be the loser. - -Nobody doubted, least of all he, that, in defiance of all laws that man -had made, independent of all the machinery of justice that human -ingenuity had devised, inevitable punishment awaited Oberzohn and was -near at hand. - -_Chapter XXI_ _The Account Book_ - -IT was five o’clock in the morning when the mud-spattered Spanz -dropped down through the mist and driving rain of the Chiltern Hills and -struck the main Gloucester Road, pulling up with a jerk before Heavytree -Farm. Manfred sprang out, but before he could reach the door, Aunt Alma -had opened it, and by the look of her face he saw that she had not slept -that night. - -“Where is Digby?” he asked. - -“He’s gone to interview the Chief Constable,” said Alma. “Come in, Mr. -Gonsalez.” - -Leon was wet from head to foot: there was not a dry square centimetre -upon him. But he was his old cheerful self as he stamped into the hall, -shaking himself free of his heavy mackintosh. - -“Digby, of course, heard nothing, George.” - -“I’m the lightest sleeper in the world,” said Aunt Alma, “but I heard -not a sound. The first thing I knew was when a policeman came up and -knocked at my door and told me that he’d found the front door open.” - -“No clue was left at all?” - -“Yes,” said Aunt Alma. They went into the drawing-room and she took up -from the table a small black bottle with a tube and cap attached. “I -found this behind the sofa. She’d been lying on the sofa; the cushions -were thrown on the floor and she tore the tapestry in her struggle.” - -Leon turned the faucet, and, as the gas hissed out, sniffed. - -“The new dental gas,” he said. “But how did they get in? No window was -open or forced?” - -“They came in at the door: I’m sure of that. And they had a woman with -them,” said Aunt Alma proudly. - -“How do you know?” - -“There must have been a woman,” said Aunt Alma. “Mirabelle would not -have opened the door except to a woman, without waking either myself or -Mr. Digby.” - -Leon nodded, his eyes gleaming. - -“Obviously,” he said. - -“And I found the marks of a woman’s foot in the passage. It is dried -now, but you can still see it.” - -“I have already seen it,” said Leon. “It is to the left of the door: a -small pointed shoe and a rubber heel. Miss Leicester opened the door to -the woman, the men came in, and the rest was easy. You can’t blame -Digby,” he said appealingly to George. - -He was the friend at court of every agent, but this time Manfred did not -argue with him. - -“I blame myself,” he said. “Poiccart told me——” - -“He was here,” said Aunt Alma. - -“Who—Poiccart?” asked Manfred, surprised, and Gonsalez slapped his -knee. - -“That’s it, of course! What fools we are! We ought to have known why -this wily old fox had left his post. What time was he here?” - -Alma told him all the circumstances of the visit. - -“He must have left the house immediately after us,” said Leon, with a -wide grin of amusement, “caught the five o’clock train for Gloucester, -taxied across.” - -“And after that?” suggested Manfred. - -Leon scratched his chin. - -“I wonder if he’s back?” He took up the telephone and put a trunk call -through to London. “Somehow I don’t think he is. Here’s Digby, looking -as if he expected to be summarily executed.” - -The police pensioner was indeed in a mournful and pathetic mood. - -“I don’t know what you’ll think of me, Mr. Manfred——” he began. - -“I’ve already expressed a view on that subject.” George smiled faintly. -“I’m not blaming you, Digby. To leave a man who has been knocked about -as you have been without an opposite number, was the height of folly. I -didn’t expect them back so soon. As a matter of fact, I intended putting -four men on from to-day. You’ve been making inquiries?” - -“Yes, sir. The car went through Gloucester very early in the morning and -took the Swindon road. It was seen by a cyclist policeman; he said there -was a fat roll of tarpaulin lying on the tent of the trolley.” - -“No sign of anybody chasing it in a car, or on a motor-bicycle?” asked -Manfred anxiously. - -Poiccart had recently taken to motor-cycling. - -“No, sir.” - -“You saw Mr. Poiccart?” - -“Yes, he was just going back to London. He said he wanted to see the -place with his own eyes.” - -George was disappointed. If it had been a visit of curiosity, Poiccart’s -absence from town was understandable. He would not have returned at the -hour he was rung up. - -Aunt Alma was cooking a hasty breakfast, and they had accepted her offer -gratefully, for both men were famished; and they were in the midst of -the meal when the London call came through. - -“Is that you, Poiccart?” - -“That is I,” said Poiccart’s voice. “Where are you speaking from?” - -“Heavytree Farm. Did you see anything of Miss Leicester?” - -There was a pause. - -“Has she gone?” - -“You didn’t know?” - -Another pause. - -“Oh, yes, I knew; in fact, I accompanied her part of the way to London, -and was bumped off when the trolley struck a refuge on the Great West -Road. Meadows is here: he has just come from Oberzohn’s. He says he has -found nothing.” - -Manfred thought for a while. - -“We will be back soon after nine,” he said. - -“Leon driving you?” was the dry response. - -“Yes—in spite of which we shall be back at nine.” - -“That man has got a grudge against my driving,” said Leon, when Manfred -reported the conversation. “I knew it was he when Digby described the -car and said there was a fat roll of mackintosh on the top. ‘Fat roll’ -is not a bad description. Do you know whether Poiccart spoke to Miss -Leicester?” - -“Yes, he asked her if she grew onions”—a reply which sent Leon into -fits of silent laughter. - -Breakfast was over and they were making their preparations for -departure, when Leon asked unexpectedly: - -“Has Miss Leicester a writing-table of her own?” - -“Yes, in her room,” said Alma, and took him up to show him the old -bureau. - -He opened the drawers without apology, took out some old letters, turned -them over, reading them shamelessly. Then he opened the blotter. There -were several sheets of blank paper headed “Heavytree Farm,” and two -which bore her signature at the bottom. Alma explained that the bank -account of the establishment was in Mirabelle’s name, and, when it was -necessary to draw cash, it was a rule of the bank that it should be -accompanied by a covering letter—a practice which still exists in some -of the old West-country banking establishments. She unlocked a drawer -that he had not been able to open and showed him a cheque-book with -three blank cheques signed with her name. - -“That banker has known me since I was so high,” said Alma scornfully. -“You wouldn’t think there’d be so much red-tape.” - -Leon nodded. - -“Do you keep any account books?” - -“Yes, I do,” said Alma in surprise. “The household accounts, you mean?” - -“Could I see one?” - -She went out and returned with a thin ledger, and he made a brief -examination of its contents. Wholly inadequate, thought Alma, -considering the trouble she had taken and the interest he had shown. - -“That’s that,” he said. “Now, George, _en voiture_!” - -“Why did you want to see the account book?” asked Manfred as they bowled -up the road. - -“I am naturally commercial-minded,” was the unsatisfactory reply. “And, -George, we’re short of juice. Pray like a knight in armour that we sight -a filling station in the next ten minutes.” - -If George had prayed, the prayer would have been answered: just as the -cylinders started to miss they pulled up the car before a garage, and -took in a supply which was more than sufficient to carry them to their -destination. It was nine o’clock exactly when the car stopped before the -house. Poiccart, watching the arrival from George’s room, smiled grimly -at the impertinent gesture of the chauffeur. - -Behind locked doors the three sat in conference. - -“This has upset all my plans,” said Leon at last. “If the girl was safe, -I should settle with Oberzohn to-night.” - -George Manfred stroked his chin thoughtfully. He had once worn a trim -little beard, and had never got out of that beard-stroking habit of his. - -“We think exactly alike. I intended suggesting that course,” he said -gravely. - -“The trouble is Meadows. I should like the case to have been settled one -way or the other, and for Meadows to be out of it altogether. One -doesn’t wish to embarrass him. But the urgency is very obvious. It would -have been very easy,” said Leon, a note of regret in his gentle voice. -“Now of course it is impossible until the girl is safe. But for -that”—he shrugged his shoulders—“to-morrow friend Oberzohn would have -experienced a sense of lassitude. No pain . . . just a little tiredness. -Sleep, coma—death on the third day. He is an old man, and one has no -desire to hurt the aged. There is no hurt like fear. As for Gurther, we -will try a more violent method, unless Oberzohn gets him first. I -sincerely hope he does.” - -“This is news to me. What is this about Gurther?” asked Poiccart. - -Manfred told him. - -“Leon is right now,” Poiccart nodded. He rose from the table and -unlocked the door. “If any of you men wish to sleep, your rooms are -ready; the curtains are drawn, and I will wake you at such and such an -hour.” - -But neither were inclined for sleep. George had to see a client that -morning: a man with a curious story to tell. Leon wanted a carburetter -adjusted. They would both sleep in the afternoon, they said. - -The client arrived soon after. Poiccart admitted him and put him in the -dining-room to wait before he reported his presence. - -“I think this is your harem man,” he said, and went downstairs to show -up the caller. - -He was a commonplace-looking man with a straggling, fair moustache and a -weak chin. - -“Debilitated or degenerate,” he suggested. - -“Probably a little of both,” assented Manfred, when the butler had -announced him. - -He came nervously into the room and sat down opposite to Manfred. - -“I tried to get you on the ’phone last night,” he complained, “but I got -no answer.” - -“My office hours are from ten till two,” said George good-humouredly. -“Now will you tell me again this story of your sister?” - -The man leaned back in the chair and clasped his knees, and began in a -sing-song voice, as though he were reciting something that he had -learned by heart. - -“We used to live in Turkey. My father was a merchant of Constantinople, -and my sister, who went to school in England, got extraordinary ideas, -and came back a most violent pro-Turk. She is a very pretty girl and she -came to know some of the best Turkish families, although my father and I -were dead against her going about with these people. One day she went to -call on Hymar Pasha, and that night she didn’t come back. We went to the -Pasha’s house and asked for her, but he told us she had left at four -o’clock. We then consulted the police, and they told us, after they had -made investigations, that she had been seen going on board a ship which -left for Odessa the same night. I hadn’t seen her for ten years, until I -went down to the Gringo Club, which is a little place in the East -End—not high class, you understand, but very well conducted. There was -a cabaret show after midnight, and whilst I was sitting there, thinking -about going home—very bored, you understand, because that sort of thing -doesn’t appeal to me—I saw a girl come out from behind a curtain -dressed like a Turkish woman, and begin a dance. She was in the middle -of the dance when her veil slipped off. It was Marie! She recognized me -at once, and darted through the curtains. I tried to follow her, but -they held me back.” - -“Did you go to the police?” asked Manfred. - -The man shook his head. - -“No, what is the use of the police?” he went on in a monotonous tone. “I -had enough of them in Constantinople, and I made up my mind that I would -get outside help. And then somebody told me of you, and I came along. -Mr. Manfred, is it impossible for you to rescue my sister? I’m perfectly -sure that she is being detained forcibly and against her will.” - -“At the Gringo Club?” asked Manfred. - -“Yes,” he nodded. - -“I’ll see what I can do,” said George. “Perhaps my friends and I will -come down and take a look round some evening. In the meantime will you -go back to your friend Dr. Oberzohn and tell him that you have done your -part and I will do mine? Your little story will go into my collection of -Unplausible Inventions!” - -He touched a bell and Poiccart came in. - -“Show Mr. Liggins out, please. Don’t hurt him—he may have a wife and -children, though it is extremely unlikely.” - -The visitor slunk from the room as though he had been whipped. - -The door had scarcely closed upon him when Poiccart called Leon down -from his room. - -“Son,” he said, “George wants that man trailed.” - -Leon peeped out after the retiring victim of Turkish tyranny. - -“Not a hard job,” he said. “He has flat feet!” - -Poiccart returned to the consulting-room. - -“Who is he?” he asked. - -“I don’t know. He’s been sent here either by Oberzohn or by friend -Newton, the general idea being to bring us all together at the Gringo -Club—which is fairly well known to me—on some agreeable evening. A bad -actor! He has no tone. I shouldn’t be surprised if Leon finds something -very interesting about him.” - -“He’s been before, hasn’t he?” - -Manfred nodded. - -“Yes, he was here the day after Barberton came. At least, I had his -letter the next morning and saw him for a few moments in the day. Queer -devil, Oberzohn! And an industrious devil,” he added. “He sets everybody -moving at once, and of course he’s right. A good general doesn’t attack -with a platoon, but with an army, with all his strength, knowing that if -he fails to pierce the line at one point he may succeed at another. It’s -an interesting thought, Raymond, that at this moment there are probably -some twenty separate and independent agencies working for our undoing. -Most of them ignorant that their efforts are being duplicated. That is -Oberzohn’s way—always has been his way. It’s the way he has started -revolutions, the way he has organized religious riots.” - -After he had had his bath and changed, he announced his intention of -calling at Chester Square. - -“I’m rather keen on meeting Joan Newton again, even if she has returned -to her normal state of Jane Smith.” - -Miss Newton was not at home, the maid told him when he called. Would he -see Mr. Montague Newton, who was not only at home, but anxious for him -to call, if the truth be told, for he had seen his enemy approaching. - -“I shall be pleased,” murmured Manfred, and was ushered into the -splendour of Mr. Newton’s drawing-room. - -“Too bad about Joan,” said Mr. Newton easily. “She left for the -Continent this morning.” - -“Without a passport?” smiled Manfred. - -A little slip on the part of Monty, but how was Manfred to know that the -authorities had, only a week before, refused the renewal of her passport -pending an inquiry into certain irregularities? The suggestion had been -that other people than she had travelled to and from the Continent armed -with this individual document. - -“You don’t need a passport for Belgium,” he lied readily. “Anyway, this -passport stuff’s a bit overdone. We’re not at war now.” - -“All the time we’re at war,” said Manfred. “May I sit down?” - -“Do. Have a cigarette?” - -“Let me see the brand before I accept,” said Manfred cautiously, and the -man guffawed as at a great joke. - -The visitor declined the offer of the cigarette-case and took one from a -box on the table. - -“And is Jane making the grand tour?” he asked blandly. - -“Jane’s run down and wants a rest.” - -“What’s the matter with Aylesbury?” - -He saw the man flinch at the mention of the women’s convict -establishment, but he recovered instantly. - -“It is not far enough out, and I’m told that there are all sorts of -queer people living round there. No, she’s going to Brussels and then on -to Aix-la-Chapelle, then probably to Spa—I don’t suppose I shall see -her again for a month or two.” - -“She was at Heavytree Farm in the early hours of this morning,” said -Manfred, “and so were you. You were seen and recognized by a friend of -mine—Mr. Raymond Poiccart. You travelled from Heavytree Farm to -Oberzohn’s house in a Ford trolley.” - -Not by a flicker of an eyelid did Monty Newton betray his dismay. - -“That is bluff,” he said. “I didn’t leave this house last night. What -happened at Heavytree Farm?” - -“Miss Leicester was abducted. You are surprised, almost agitated, I -notice.” - -“Do you think I had anything to do with it?” asked Monty steadily. - -“Yes, and the police share my view. A provisional warrant was issued for -your arrest this morning. I thought you ought to know.” - -Now the man drew back, his face went from red to white, and then to a -deeper red again. Manfred laughed softly. - -“You’ve got a guilty conscience, Newton,” he said, “and that’s half-way -to being arrested. Where is Jane?” - -“Gone abroad, I tell you.” - -He was thrown off his balance by this all too successful bluff and had -lost some of his self-possession. - -“She is with Mirabelle Leicester: of that I’m sure,” said Manfred. “I’ve -warned you twice, and it is not necessary to warn you a third time. I -don’t know how far deep you’re in these snake murders: a jury will -decide that sooner or later. But you’re dead within six hours of my -learning that Miss Leicester has been badly treated. You know that is -true, don’t you?” - -Manfred was speaking very earnestly. - -“You’re more scared of us than you are of the law, and you’re right, -because we do not put our men to the hazard of a jury’s intelligence. -You get the same trial from us as you get from a judge who knows all the -facts. You can’t beat an English judge, Newton.” - -The smile returned and he left the room. Fred, near at hand, waiting in -the passage but at a respectful distance from the door, let him out with -some alacrity. - -Monty Newton turned his head sideways, caught a fleeting glimpse of the -man he hated—hated worse than he hated Leon Gonsalez—and then called -harshly for his servant. - -“Come here,” he said, and Fred obeyed. “They’ll be sending round to make -inquiries, and I want you to know what to tell them,” he said. “Miss -Joan went away this morning to the Continent by the eight-fifteen. She’s -either in Brussels or Aix-la-Chapelle. You’re not sure of the hotel, but -you’ll find out. Is that clear to you?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -Fred was looking aimlessly about the room. - -“What’s the matter with you?” - -“I was wondering where the clock is.” - -“Clock?” Now Monty Newton heard it himself. The tick-tick-tick of a -cheap clock, and he went livid. “Find it,” he said hoarsely, and even as -he spoke his eyes fell upon the little black box that had been pushed -beneath the desk, and he groped for the door with a scream of terror. - -Passers-by in Chester Square saw the door flung open and two men rush -headlong into the street. And the little American clock, which Manfred -had purchased a few days before, went on ticking out the time, and was -still ticking merrily when the police experts went in and opened the -box. It was Manfred’s oldest jest, and never failed. - -_Chapter XXII_ _In the Store Cellar_ - -IT was impossible that Mirabelle Leicester could fail to realize the -serious danger in which she stood. Why she had incurred the enmity of -Oberzohn, for what purpose this man was anxious to keep her under his -eye, she could not even guess. It was a relief to wake up in the early -morning, as she did, and find Joan sleeping in the same room; for though -she had many reasons for mistrusting her, there was something about this -doll-faced girl that made an appeal to her. - -Joan was lying on the bed fully dressed, and at the sound of the -creaking bed she turned and got up, fastening her skirt. - -“Well, how do you like your new home?” she asked, with an attempt at -joviality, which she was far from feeling, in spite of Monty’s -assurances. - -“I’ve seen better,” said Mirabelle coolly. - -“I’ll bet you have!” Joan stretched and yawned; then, opening one of the -cupboards, took a shovelful of coal and threw it into the furnace, -clanging the iron door. “That’s my job,” she said humorously, “to keep -you warm.” - -“How long am I going to be kept here?” - -“Five days,” was the surprising answer. - -“Why five?” asked Mirabelle curiously. - -“I don’t know. Maybe they’ll tell you,” said Joan. - -She fixed a plug in the wall and turned on the small electric fire. -Disappearing, she came back with a kettle which she placed on top of the -ring. - -“The view’s not grand, but the food’s good,” she said, with a gaiety -that Mirabelle was now sure was forced. - -“You’re with these people, of course—Dr. Oberzohn and Newton?” - -“Mister Newton,” corrected Joan. “Yes, I’m his fiancée. We’re going to -be married when things get a little better,” she said vaguely, “and -there’s no use in your getting sore with me because I helped to bring -you here. Monty’s told me all about it. They’re going to do you no harm -at all.” - -“Then why——” began Mirabelle. - -“He’ll tell you,” interrupted Joan, “sooner or later. The old man, -or—or—well, Monty isn’t in this: he’s only obliging Oberzohn.” - -With one thing Mirabelle agreed: it was a waste of time to indulge in -recriminations or to reproach the girl for her supreme treachery. After -all, Joan owed nothing to her, and had been from the first a tool -employed for her detention. It would have been as logical for a convict -to reproach the prison guard. - -“How do you come to be doing this sort of thing?” she asked, watching -the girl making tea. - -“Where do you get ‘this sort of thing’ from?” demanded Joan. “If you -suppose that I spend my life chaperoning females, you’ve got another -guess coming. Scared, aren’t you?” - -She looked across at Mirabelle and the girl shook her head. - -“Not really.” - -“I should be,” confessed Joan. “Do you mind condensed milk? There’s no -other. Yes, I should be writhing under the table, knowing something -about Oberzohn.” - -“If I were Oberzohn,” said Mirabelle with spirit, “I should be hiding in -a deep hole where the Four Just Men would not find me.” - -“Four Just Men!” sneered the girl, and then her face changed. “Were they -the people who whipped Gurther?” - -Mirabelle had not heard of this exploit, but she gave them credit with a -nod. - -“Is that so? Does Gurther know they’re friends of yours?” she asked -significantly. - -“I don’t know Gurther.” - -“He’s the man who danced with you the other night—Lord—I forget what -name we gave him. Because, if he does know, my dear,” she said slowly, -“you’ve got two people to be extremely careful with. Gurther’s half mad. -Monty has always said so. He dopes too, and there are times when he’s -not a man at all but a low-down wolf. I’m scared of _him_—I’ll admit -it. There aren’t Four Just Men, anyway,” she went off at a tangent. -“There haven’t been more than three for years. One of them was killed in -Bordeaux. That’s a town I’d hate to be killed in,” said Joan -irreverently. - -An interval of silence followed whilst she opened an air-tight tin and -took out a small cake, and, putting it on the table, cut it into slices. - -“What are they like?” she asked. - -Evidently the interval had been filled with thoughts of the men from -Curzon Street. - -“Monty says they’re just bluff, but I’m not so sure that Monty tells me -all he thinks. He’s so scared that he told me to call and see them, just -because they gave him an order—which isn’t like Monty. They’ve killed -people, haven’t they?” - -Mirabelle nodded. - -“And got away with it? They must be clever.” Joan’s admiration was -dragged from her. “Where do they get their money?” - -That was always an interesting matter to Joan. - -When the girl explained, she was really impressed. That they could kill -and get away with it, was wonderful; that they were men of millions, -placed them in a category apart. - -“They’ll never find you here,” said Joan. “There’s nobody living knows -about this vault. There used to be eight men working here, sorting -monkey hides, and every one of them’s dead. Monty told me. He said this -place is below the canal level, and Oberzohn can flood it in five -minutes. Monty thinks the old man had an idea of running a slush factory -here.” - -“What is a slush factory?” asked Mirabelle, open-mouthed. - -“Phoney—snide—counterfeit. Not English, but Continental work. He was -going to do that if things had gone really bad, but of course you make -all the difference.” - -Mirabelle put down her cup. - -“Does he expect to make money out of me?” she said, trying hard not to -laugh. - -The girl nodded solemnly. - -“Does he think I have a great deal of money?” - -“He’s sure.” - -Joan was sure too. Her tone said that plainly enough. - -Mirabelle sat down on the bed, for the moment too astonished to speak. -Her own financial position was no mystery. She had been left sufficient -to bring her in a small sum yearly, and with the produce of the farm had -managed to make both ends meet. It was the failure of the farm as a -source of profit which had brought her to her new job in London. Alma -had also a small annuity; the farm was the girl’s property, but beyond -these revenues she had nothing. There was not even a possibility that -she was an heiress. Her father had been a comparatively poor man, and -had been supported in his numerous excursions to various parts of the -world in search of knowledge by the scientific societies to which he was -attached; his literary earnings were negligible; his books enjoyed only -a very limited sale. She could trace her ancestry back for seven -generations; knew of her uncles and aunts, and they did not include a -single man or woman who, in the best traditions of the story-books, had -gone to America and made an immense fortune. - -“It is absurd,” she said. “I have no money. If Mr. Oberzohn puts me up -to ransom, it will have to be something under a hundred!” - -“Put you up to ransom?” said Joan. “I don’t get you there. But you’re -rich all right—I can tell you that. Monty says so, and Monty wouldn’t -lie to me.” - -Mirabelle was bewildered. It seemed almost impossible that a man of -Oberzohn’s intelligence and sources of information could make such a -mistake. And yet Joan was earnest. - -“They must have mistaken me for somebody else,” she said, but Joan did -not answer. She was sitting up in a listening attitude, and her eyes -were directed towards the iron door which separated their sleeping -apartment from the larger vault. She had heard the creak of the trap -turning and the sound of feet coming down the stairs. - -Mirabelle rose as Oberzohn came in. He wore his black dressing-gown, his -smoking-cap was at the back of his head, and the muddy Wellington boots -which he had pulled over his feet looked incongruous, and would at any -other time have provoked her to laughter. - -He favoured her with a stiff nod. - -“You have slept well, gracious lady?” he said, and to her amazement took -her cold hand in his and kissed it. - -She felt the same feeling of revulsion and unreality as had overcome her -that night at the dance when Gurther had similarly saluted her. - -“It is a nice place, for young people and for old.” He looked round the -apartment with satisfaction. “Here I should be content to spend my life -reading my books, and giving my mind to thought, but”—he spread his -hands and shrugged—“what would you? I am a business man, with immense -interests in every part of the world. I am rich, too, beyond your -dreams! I have stores in every part of the world, and thousands of men -and women on my pay-roll.” - -Why was he telling her all this, she wondered, reciting the facts in a -monotonous voice. Surely he had not come down to emphasize the soundness -of his financial position? - -“I am not very much interested in your business, Mr. Oberzohn,” she -said, “but I want to know why I am being detained here. Surely, if -you’re so rich, you do not want to hold me to ransom?” - -“To ransom?” His forehead went up and down. “That is foolish talk. Did -she tell you?” He pointed at the girl, and his face went as black as -thunder. - -“No, I guessed,” said Mirabelle quickly, not wishing to get her -companion into bad odour. - -“I do not hold you to ransom. I hold you, lovely lady, because you are -good for my eyes. Did not Heine say, ‘The beauty of women is a sedative -to the soul’? You should read Heine: he is frivolous, but in his -stupidity there are many clever thoughts. Now tell me, lovely lady, have -you all you desire?” - -“I want to go out,” she said. “I can’t stay in this underground room -without danger to my health.” - -“Soon you shall go.” He bowed stiffly again, and shuffled across the -floor to the furnace. Behind this were the two baize-covered boxes, and -one he lifted tenderly. “Here are secrets such as you should not pry -into,” he said in his awkward English. “The most potent of chemicals, -colossal in power. The ignorant would touch them and they would -explode—you understand?” - -He addressed Mirabelle, who did not understand but made no answer. - -“They must be kept warm for that reason. One I take, the other I leave. -You shall not touch it—that is understood? My good friend has told -you?” He brought his eyes to Joan. - -“I understand all right,” she said. “Listen, Oberzohn: when am I going -out for a walk? This place is getting on my nerves already.” - -“To-night you shall have exercise with the lovely lady. I myself will -accompany you.” - -“Why am I here, Mr. Oberzohn?” Mirabelle asked again. - -“You are here because you are in danger,” said Oberzohn, holding the -green box under his arm. “You are in very great danger.” He nodded with -every word. “There are certain men, of all the most infamous, who have a -design upon your life. They are criminal, cunning and wise—but not so -cunning or wise as Dr. Oberzohn. Because I will not let you fall into -their hands I keep you here, young miss. Good morning.” - -Again he bowed stiffly and went out, the iron door clanging behind him. -They heard him climbing the stairs, the thud of the trap as it fell, and -the rumble which Joan, at any rate, knew was made by the cement barrel -being rolled to the top of the trap. - -“Pleasant little fellow, isn’t he?” said Joan bitterly. “Him and his -chemicals!” She glared down at the remaining box. “If I were sure it -wouldn’t explode, I should smash it to smithereens!” she said. - -Later she told the prisoner of Oberzohn’s obsession; of how he spent -time and money in his search for the vital elixir. - -“Monty thinks he’ll find it,” she said seriously. “Do you know, that old -man has had an ox stewed down to a pint? There used to be a king in -Europe—I forget his name—who had the same stuff, but not so strong. -Monty says that Oberzohn hardly ever takes a meal—just a teaspoonful of -this dope and he’s right for the day. And Monty says . . .” - -For the rest of that dreary morning the girl listened without hearing to -the wise sayings and clever acts of Monty; and every now and again her -eyes strayed to the baize-covered box which contained “the most potent -chemicals,” and she wondered whether, in the direst extremity, she would -be justified in employing these dread forces for her soul’s salvation. - -_Chapter XXIII_ _The Courier_ - -ELIJAH WASHINGTON came up to London for a consultation. With the -exception of a blue contusion beneath his right eye, he was none the -worse for his alarming experience. - -Leon Gonsalez had driven him to town, and on the way up the big man had -expressed views about snake-bite which were immensely interesting to the -man at the wheel. - -“I’ve figured it out this way: there is no snake at all. What happens is -that these guys have extracted snake venom—and that’s easy, by making a -poison-snake bite on something soft—and have poisoned a dart or a burr -with the venom. I’ve seen that done in Africa, particularly up in the -Ituri country, and it’s pretty common in South America. The fellow just -throws or shoots it, and just where the dart hits, he gets -snake-poisoning right away.” - -“That is an excellent theory,” said Leon, “only—no dart or burr has -ever been found. It is the first thing the police looked for in the case -of the stockbroker. They had the ground searched for days. And it was -just the same in the case of the tramp and the bank clerk, just the same -in the case of Barberton. A dart would stick some time and would be -found in the man’s clothing or near the spot where he was struck down. -How do you account for that?” - -Mr. Washington very frankly admitted that he couldn’t account for it at -all, and Leon chuckled. - -“_I_ can,” he said. “In fact, I know just how it’s done.” - -“Great snakes!” gasped Washington in amazement. “Then why don’t you tell -the police?” - -“The police know—now,” said Leon. “It isn’t snake-bite—it is nicotine -poisoning.” - -“How’s that?” asked the startled man, but Leon had his joke to himself. - -After a consultation which had lasted most of the night they had brought -Washington from Rath Hall, and on the way Leon hinted gently that the -Three had a mission for him and hoped he would accept. - -“You’re much too good a fellow to be put into an unnecessarily dangerous -position,” he said; “and even if you weren’t, we wouldn’t lightly risk -your blessed life; but the job we should ask you to do isn’t exactly a -picnic.” - -“Listen!” said Mr. Washington with sudden energy. “I don’t want any more -snakes—not that kind of snake! I’ve felt pain in my time, but nothing -like this! I know it must have been snake venom, but I’d like to meet -the little wriggler who brews the brand that was handed to me, and maybe -I’d change my mind about collecting him—alive!” - -Leon agreed silently, and for the next few moments was avoiding a street -car on one side, a baker’s cart on another, and a _blah_ woman who was -walking aimlessly in the road, apparently with no other intention than -of courting an early death, this being the way of _blah_ women. - -“Phew!” said Mr. Washington, as the car skidded on the greasy road. “I -don’t know whether you’re a good driver or just naturally under the -protection of Providence.” - -“Both,” said Leon, when he had straightened the machine. “All good -drivers are that.” - -Presently he continued: - -“It is snake venom all right, Mr. Washington; only snake venom that has -been most carefully treated by a man who knows the art of concentration -of its bad and the extraction of its harmless constituents. My theory is -that certain alkaloids are added, and it is possible that there has been -a blending of two different kinds of poison. But you’re right when you -say that no one animal carries in his poison sac that particular variety -of death-juice. If it is any value to you, we are prepared to give you a -snake-proof certificate!” - -“I don’t want another experience of that kind,” Elijah Washington warned -him; but Leon turned the conversation to the state of the road and the -problems of traffic control. - -There had been nothing seen or heard of Mirabelle, and Meadows’ -activities had for the moment been directed to the forthcoming inquest -on Barberton. Nowadays, whenever he reached Scotland Yard, he moved in a -crowd of reporters, all anxious for news of further developments. The -Barberton death was still the livliest topic in the newspapers: the old -scare of the snake had been revived and in some degree intensified. -There was not a journal which did not carry columns of letters to the -editor denouncing the inactivity of the police. Were they, asked one -sarcastic correspondent, under the hypnotic influence of the snake’s -eyes? Could they not, demanded another, give up trapping speeders on the -Lingfield road and bring their mighty brains to the elucidation of a -mystery that was to cause every household in London the gravest concern? -The Barberton murder was the peg on which every letter-writing faddist -had a novel view to hang, and Mr. Meadows was not at that time the -happiest officer in the force. - -“Where is Lee?” asked Washington as they came into Curzon Street. - -“He’s in town for the moment, but we are moving him to the North of -England, though I don’t think there is any danger to him, now that -Barberton’s letters are in our possession. They would have killed him -yesterday to prevent our handling the correspondence. To-day I should -imagine he has no special importance in the eyes of Oberzohn and -Company. And here we are!” - -Mr. Washington got out stiffly and was immediately admitted by the -butler. The three men went upstairs to where George Manfred was -wrestling with a phase of the problem. He was not alone; Digby, his head -swathed in bandages, sat, an unhappy man, on the edge of a chair and -answered Leon’s cheery greeting with a mournful smile. - -“I’m sending Digby to keep observation on Oberzohn’s house; and -especially do I wish him to search that old boat of his.” - -He was referring to an ancient barge which lay on the mud at the bottom -of Mr. Oberzohn’s private dock. From the canal there was a narrow -waterway into the little factory grounds. It was so long since the small -cantilever bridge which covered the entrance had been raised, that -locals regarded the bridge floor as part of the normal bank of the -canal. But behind the green water-gates was a concrete dock large enough -to hold one barge, and here for years a decrepit vessel had wallowed, -the hunting-ground of rats and the sleeping-place of the desperately -homeless. - -“The barge is practically immovable: I’ve already reported on that,” -said Leon. - -“It certainly has that appearance, and yet I would like a search,” -replied Manfred. “You understand that this is night duty, and I have -asked Meadows to notify the local inspector that you will be on duty—I -don’t want to be pulled out of my bed to identify you at the Peckham -police station. It isn’t a cheerful job, but you might be able to make -it interesting by finding your way into his grounds. I don’t think the -factory will yield much, but the house will certainly be a profitable -study to an observer of human nature.” - -“I hope I do better this time, Mr. Manfred,” said Digby, turning to go. -“And, if you don’t mind, I’ll go by day and take a look at the place. I -don’t want to fall down this time!” - -George smiled as he rose and shook the man’s hand at parting. - -“Even Mr. Gonsalez makes mistakes,” he said maliciously, and Leon looked -hurt. - -Manfred tidied some papers on his desk and put them into a drawer, -waiting for Poiccart’s return. When he had come: - -“Now, Mr. Washington, we will tell you what we wish you to do. We wish -you to take a letter to Lisbon. Leon has probably hinted something to -that effect, and it is now my duty to tell you that the errand is pretty -certain to be an exceedingly dangerous one, but you are the only man I -know to whom I could entrust this important document. I feel I cannot -allow you to undertake this mission without telling you that the chances -are heavily against your reaching Portugal.” - -“Bless you for those cheerful words,” said Washington blankly. “The only -thing I want to be certain about is, am I likely to meet Mr. Snake?” - -Manfred nodded, and the American’s face lengthened. - -“I don’t know that even that scares me,” he said at last, “especially -now that I know that the dope they use isn’t honest snake-spit at all -but a synthesized poison. It was having my confidence shaken in snakes -that rattled me. When do you want me to go?” - -“To-night.” - -Mr. Washington for the moment was perplexed, and Manfred continued: - -“Not by the Dover-Calais route. We would prefer that you travelled by -Newhaven-Dieppe. Our friends are less liable to be on the alert, though -I can’t even guarantee that. Oberzohn spends a lot of money in -espionage. This house has been under observation for days. I will show -you.” - -He walked to the window and drew aside the curtain. - -“Do you see a spy?” he asked, with a twinkle in his eye. - -Mr. Washington looked up and down the street. - -“Sure!” he said. “That man at the corner smoking a cigar——” - -“Is a detective officer from Scotland Yard,” said Manfred. “Do you see -anybody else?” - -“Yes,” said Washington after a while, “there’s a man cleaning windows on -the opposite side of the road: he keeps looking across here.” - -“A perfectly innocent citizen,” said Manfred. - -“Well, he can’t be in any of those taxis, because they’re empty.” Mr. -Washington nodded to a line of taxis drawn up on the rank in the centre -of the road. - -“On the contrary, he is in the first taxi on the rank—he is the driver! -If you went out and called a cab, he would come to you. If anybody else -called him, he would be engaged. His name is Clarke, he lives at 43, -Portlington Mews; he is an ex-convict living apart from his wife, and he -receives seven pounds a week for his services, ten pounds every time he -drives Oberzohn’s car, and all the money he makes out of his cab.” - -He smiled at the other’s astonishment. - -“So the chances are that your movements will be known; even though you -do not call the cab, he will follow you. You must be prepared for that. -I’m putting all my cards on the table, Mr. Washington, and asking you to -do something which, if you cannot bring yourself to agree, must be done -by either myself, Poiccart or Gonsalez. Frankly, none of us can be -spared.” - -“I’ll go,” said the American. “Snake or no snake, I’m for Lisbon. What -is my route?” - -Poiccart took a folded paper from his pocket. - -“Newhaven, Dieppe, Paris. You have a reserved compartment on the Sud -Express; you reach Valladolid late to-morrow night, and change to the -Portuguese mail. Unless I can fix an aeroplane to meet you at Irun. We -are trying now. Otherwise, you should be in Lisbon at two o’clock on the -following afternoon. He had better take the letter now, George.” - -Manfred unlocked the wall safe and took out a long envelope. It was -addressed to “Senhor Alvaz Manuel y Cintra, Minister of Colonies,” and -was heavily sealed. - -“I want you to place this in Senhor Cintra’s hands. You’ll have no -difficulty there because you will be expected,” he said. “Will you -travel in that suit?” - -The American thought. - -“Yes, that’s as good as any,” he said. - -“Will you take off your jacket?” - -Mr. Washington obeyed, and with a small pair of scissors Manfred cut a -slit in the lining and slipped the letter in. Then, to the American’s -astonishment, Leon produced a rolled housewife, threaded a needle with -extraordinary dexterity, and for the next five minutes the snake-hunter -watched the deft fingers stitching through paper and lining. So -skilfully was the slit sewed that Elijah Washington had to look twice to -make sure where the lining had been cut. - -“Well, that beats the band!” he said. “Mr. Gonsalez, I’ll send you my -shirts for repair!” - -“And here is something for you to carry.” It was a black leather -portfolio, well worn. To one end was attached a steel chain terminating -in a leather belt. “I want you to put this round your waist, and from -now on to carry this wallet. It contains nothing more important than a -few envelopes imposingly sealed, and if you lose it no great harm will -come.” - -“You think they’ll go for the wallet?” - -Manfred nodded. - -“One cannot tell, of course, what Oberzohn will do, and he’s as wily as -one of his snakes. But my experience has been,” he said, “that the -cleverer the criminal, the bigger the fool and the more outrageous his -mistakes. You will want money.” - -“Well, I’m not short of that,” said the other with a smile. “Snakes are -a mighty profitable proposition. Still, I’m a business man . . .” - -For the next five minutes they discussed financial details, and he was -more than surprised to discover the recklessness with which money was -disbursed. - -He went out, with a glance from the corner of his eye at the taximan, -whose hand was raised inquiringly, but, ignoring the driver, he turned -and walked towards Regent Street, and presently found a wandering taxi -of an innocuous character, and ordered the man to drive to the -Ritz-Carlton, where rooms had been taken for him. - -He was in Regent Street before he looked round through the peep-hole, -and, as Manfred had promised him, the taxi was following, its flag down -to prevent chance hiring. Mr. Washington went up to his room, opened the -window and looked out: the taxi had joined a near-by rank. The driver -had left his box. - -“He’s on the ’phone,” muttered Mr. Washington, and would have given a -lot of money to have known the nature of the message. - -_Chapter XXIV_ _On the Night Mail_ - -A MAN of habit, Mr. Oberzohn missed his daily journey to the City -Road. In ordinary circumstances the loss would have been a paralysing -one, but of late he had grown more and more wedded to his deep arm-chair -and his ponderous volumes; and though the City Road had been a very -useful establishment in many ways, and was ill replaced by the temporary -building which his manager had secured, he felt he could almost dispense -with that branch of his business altogether. - -Oberzohn & Smitts was an institution which had grown out of nothing. The -energy of the partners, and especially the knowledge of African trading -conditions which the departed Smitts possessed, had produced a -flourishing business which ten years before could have been floated for -half a million pounds. - -Orders still came in. There were up-country stores to be restocked; new, -if unimportant, contracts to be fulfilled; there was even a tentative -offer under consideration from one of the South American States for the -armaments of a political faction. But Mr. Oberzohn was content to mark -time, in the faith that the next week would see him superior to these -minor considerations, and in a position, if he so wished, to liquidate -his business and sell his stores and his trade. There were purchasers -ready, but the half a million pounds had dwindled to a tenth of that -sum, which outstanding bills would more than absorb. As Manfred had -said, his running expenses were enormous. He had agents in every central -Government office in Europe, and though they did not earn their salt, -they certainly drew more than condiment for their services. - -He had spent a busy morning in his little workshop-laboratory, and had -settled himself down in his chair, when a telegraph messenger came -trundling his bicycle across the rough ground, stopped to admire for a -second the iron dogs which littered the untidy strip of lawn, and woke -the echoes of this gaunt house with a thunderous knock. Mr. Oberzohn -hurried to the door. A telegram to this address must necessarily be -important. He took the telegram, slammed the door in the messenger’s -face and hurried back to his room, tearing open the envelope as he went. - -There were three sheets of misspelt writing, for the wire was in -Portuguese and telegraph operators are bad guessers. He read it through -carefully, his lips moving silently, until he came to the end, then he -started reading all over again, and, for a better understanding of its -purport, he took a pencil and paper and translated the message into -Swedish. He laid the telegram face downwards on the table and took up -his book, but he was not reading. His busy mind slipped from Lisbon to -London, from Curzon Street to the factory, and at last he shut his book -with a bang, got up, and opening the door, barked Gurther’s name. That -strange man came downstairs in his stockinged feet, his hair hanging -over his eyes, an unpleasant sight. Dr. Oberzohn pointed to the room and -the man entered. - -For an hour they talked behind locked doors, and then Gurther came out, -still showing his teeth in a mechanical smile, and went up the stairs -two at a time. The half-witted Danish maid, passing the door of the -doctor’s room, heard his gruff voice booming into the telephone, but -since he spoke a language which, whilst it had some relation to her own, -was subtly different, she could not have heard the instructions, -admonitions, orders and suggestions which he fired in half a dozen -different directions, even if she had heard him clearly. - -This done, Dr. Oberzohn returned to his book and a midday refreshment, -spooning his lunch from a small cup at his side containing a few fluid -ounces of dark red liquid. One half of his mind was pursuing his -well-read philosophers; the other worked at feverish speed, conjecturing -and guessing, forestalling and baffling the minds that were working -against him. He played a game of mental chess, all the time seeking for -a check, and when at last he had discovered one that was adequate, he -put down his book and went out into his garden, strolling up and down -inside the wire fence, stopping now and again to pick a flower from a -weed, or pausing to examine a rain-filled pothole as though it were the -star object in a prize landscape. - -He loved this ugly house, knew every brick of it, as a feudal lord might -have known the castle he had built, the turret, the flat roof with its -high parapet, that commanded a view of the canal bank on the one side -and the railway arches left and right. They were railway arches which -had a value to him. Most of them were blocked up, having been converted -into lock-up garages and sheds, and through only a few could ingress be -had. One, under which ran the muddy lane—why it was called Hangman’s -Lane nobody knew; another that gave to some allotments on the edge of -his property; and a third through which he also could see daylight, but -which spanned no road at all. - -An express train roared past in a cloud of steam, and he scanned the -viaduct with benignant interest. And then he performed his daily tour of -inspection. Turning back into the house, he climbed the stairs to the -third floor, opened a little door that revealed an extra flight of -steps, and emerged on to the roof. At each corner was a square black -shed, about the height of a man’s chest. The doors were heavily -padlocked, and near by each was a stout black box, equally weatherproof. -There were other things here: great, clumsy wall-plugs at regular -intervals. Seeing them, it might be thought that Mr. Oberzohn -contemplated a night when, in the exultation of achievement, he would -illuminate his ungainly premises. But up till now that night had not -arrived, and in truth the only light usable was one which at the moment -was dismantled in the larger of the four sheds. - -From here he could look down upon the water cutting into the factory -grounds; and the black bulk of the barge, which filled the entire width -of the wharf, seemed so near that he could have thrown a stone upon it. -His idle interest was in the sluggish black water that oozed through the -gates. A slight mist lay upon the canal; a barge was passing down -towards Deptford, and he contemplated the straining horse that tugged -the barge rope with a mind set upon the time when he, too, might use the -waterway in a swifter craft. - -London lay around him, its spires and chimneys looming through the thin -haze of smoke. Far away the sun caught the golden ball of St. Paul’s and -added a new star to the firmament. Mr. Oberzohn hated London—only this -little patch of his had beauty in his eyes. Not the broad green parks -and the flowering rhododendrons; not the majestic aisles of pleasure -where the rich lounger rode or walked, nor the streets of stone-fronted -stores, nor the pleasant green of suburban roads—he loved only these -God-forgotten acres, this slimy wilderness in which he had set up his -habitation. - -He went downstairs, locking the roof door behind him, and, passing -Gurther’s room, knocked and was asked to enter. The man sat in his -singlet; he had shaved once, but now the keen razor was going across his -skin for the second time. He turned his face, shining with cream, and -grinned round at the intruder, and with a grunt the doctor shut the door -and went downstairs, knowing that the man was for the moment happy; for -nothing pleased Gurther quite so much as “dressing up.” - -The doctor stood at the entrance of his own room, hesitating between -books and laboratory, decided upon the latter, and was busy for the next -two hours. Only once he came out, and that was to bring from the warm -room the green baize box which contained “the most potent of chemicals, -colossal in power.” - - * * * * * - -The Newhaven-Dieppe route is spasmodically popular. There are nights -when the trains to Paris are crowded; other nights when it is possible -to obtain a carriage to yourself; and it happened that this evening, -when Elijah Washington booked his seat, he might, if it had been -physically possible, have sat in one compartment and put his feet on the -seat in another. - -Between the two great branches of the Anglo-Saxon race there is one -notable difference. The Englishman prefers to travel in solitude and -silence. His ideal journey is one from London to Constantinople in a -compartment that is not invaded except by the ticket collector; and if -it is humanly possible that he can reach his destination without having -given utterance to anything more sensational than an agreement with some -other passenger’s comment on the weather, he is indeed a happy man. The -American loves company; he has the acquisitiveness of the Latin, -combined with the rhetorical virtues of the Teuton. Solitude makes him -miserable; silence irritates him. He wants to talk about large and -important things, such as the future of the country, the prospects of -agriculture and the fluctuations of trade, about which the average -Englishman knows nothing, and is less interested. The American has a -town pride, can talk almost emotionally about a new drainage system and -grow eloquent upon a municipal balance sheet. The Englishman does not -cultivate his town pride until he reaches middle age, and then only in -sufficient quantities to feel disappointed with the place of his birth -after he has renewed its acquaintance. - -Mr. Washington found himself in an empty compartment, and, grunting his -dissatisfaction, walked along the corridor, peeping into one cell after -another in the hope of discovering a fellow-countryman in a similar -unhappy plight. His search was fruitless and he returned to the carriage -in which his bag and overcoat were deposited, and settled down to the -study of an English humorous newspaper and a vain search for something -at which any intelligent man could laugh. - -The doors of the coach were at either end, and most passengers entering -had to pass the open entrance of Mr. Washington’s compartment. At every -click of the door he looked up, hoping to find a congenial soul. But -disappointment awaited him, until a lady hesitated by the door. It was a -smoking carriage, but Washington, who was a man of gallant character, -would gladly have sacrificed his cigar for the pleasure of her society. -Young, he guessed, and a widow. She was in black, an attractive face -showed through a heavy veil. - -“Is this compartment engaged?” she asked in a low voice that was almost -a whisper. - -“No, madam.” Washington rose, hat in hand. - -“Would you mind?” she asked in a soft voice. - -“Why, surely! Sit down, ma’am,” said the gallant American. “Would you -like the corner seat by the window?” - -She shook her head, and sat down near the door, turning her face from -him. - -“Do you mind my smoking?” asked Washington, after a while. - -“Please smoke,” she said, and again turned her face away. - -“English,” thought Mr. Washington in disgust, and hunched himself for an -hour and a half of unrelieved silence. - -A whistle blew, the train moved slowly from the platform, and Elijah -Washington’s adventurous journey had begun. - -They were passing through Croydon when the girl rose, and, leaning out, -closed the little glass-panelled door. - -“You should let me do that,” said Elijah reproachfully, and she murmured -something about not wishing to trouble him, and he relapsed into his -seat. - -One or two of the men who passed looked in, and evidently this annoyed -her, for she reached and pulled down the spring blind which partially -hid her from outside observation, and after the ticket collector had -been and had punched the slips, she lowered the second of the three -blinds. - -“Do you mind?” she asked. - -“Sure not, ma’am,” said Elijah, without any great heartiness. He had no -desire to travel alone with a lady in a carriage so discreetly -curtained. He had heard of cases . . . and by nature he was an extremely -cautious man. - -The speed of the train increased; the wandering passengers had settled -down. The second of the ticket inspections came as they were rushing -through Redhill, and Mr. Washington thought uncomfortably that there was -a significant look in the inspector’s face as he glanced first at the -drawn blinds, then from the lady to himself. - -She affected a perfume of a peculiarly pleasing kind. The carriage was -filled with this subtle fragrance. Mr. Washington smelt it above the -scent of his cigar. Her face was still averted; he wondered if she had -gone to sleep, and, growing weary of his search for humour, he put down -the paper, folded his hands and closed his eyes, and found himself -gently drifting to that medley of the real and unreal which is the -overture of dreams. - -The lady moved; he looked at her out of the corner of his half-closed -eyes. She had moved round so as to half face him. Her veil was still -down, her white gloves were reflectively clasped on her knees. He shut -his eyes again, until another movement brought him awake. She was -feeling in her bag. - -Mr. Washington was awake now—as wide awake as he had ever been in his -life. In stretching out her hand, the lady had pulled short her sleeve, -and there was a gap of flesh between the glove and the wrist of her -blouse, and on her wrist was hair! - -He shifted his position slightly, grunted as in his sleep, and dropped -his hand to his pocket, and all the time those cold eyes were watching -him through the veil. - -Lifting the bottom of the veil, she put the ebony holder between her -teeth and searched the bag for a match. Then she turned appealingly to -him as though she had sensed his wakefulness. As she rose, Washington -rose too, and suddenly he sprang at her and flung her back against the -door. For a moment the veiled lady was taken by surprise, and then there -was a flash of steel. - -From nowhere a knife had come into her hand and Washington gripped the -wrist and levered it over, pushing the palm of his hand under the chin. -Even through the veil he could feel the bristles, and knew now, if he -had not known before, that he had to deal with a man. A live, active -man, rendered doubly strong by the knowledge of his danger. Gurther -butted forward with his head, but Washington saw the attack coming, -shortened his arm and jabbed full at the face behind the veil. The blow -stopped the man, only for an instant, and again he came on, and this -time the point of the knife caught the American’s shoulder, and ripped -the coat to the elbow. It needed this to bring forth Elijah Washington’s -mental and physical reserves. With a roar he gripped the throat of his -assailant and threw him with such violence against the door that it -gave, and the “widow in mourning” crashed against the panel of the outer -corridor. Before he could reach the attacker, Gurther had turned and -sped along the corridor to the door of the coach. In a second he had -flung it open and had dropped to the footboard. The train was slowing to -take Horsham Junction, and the cat eyes waited until he saw a good fall, -and let go. Staring back into the darkness, Washington saw nothing, and -then the train inspector came along. - -“It was a man in woman’s clothes,” he said, a little breathlessly, and -they went back to search the compartment, but Mr. Gurther had taken bag -and everything with him, and the only souvenir of his presence was the -heel of a shoe that had been torn off in the struggle. - -_Chapter XXV_ _Gurther Returns_ - -THE train was going at thirty miles an hour when Gurther dropped on to -a ridge of sand by the side of the track, and in the next second he was -sliding forward on his face. Fortunately for him the veil, though torn, -kept his eyes free. Stumbling to his feet, he looked round. The -level-crossing gates should be somewhere here. He had intended jumping -the train at this point, and Oberzohn had made arrangements accordingly. -A signalman, perched high above the track, saw the figure and -challenged. - -“I’ve lost my way,” said Gurther. “Where is the level-crossing?” - -“A hundred yards farther on. Keep clear of those metals—the Eastbourne -express is coming behind.” - -If Gurther had had his way, he would have stopped long enough to remove -a rail for the sheer joy of watching a few hundred of the hated people -plunged to destruction. But he guessed that the car was waiting, went -sideways through the safety gates into a road which was fairly populous. -There were people about who turned their heads and looked in amazement -at the bedraggled woman in black, but he had got beyond worrying about -his appearance. - -He saw the car with the little green light which Oberzohn invariably -used to mark his machines from others, and, climbing into the cab (as it -was), sat down to recover his breath. The driver he knew as one of the -three men employed by Oberzohn, one of whom Mr. Washington had seen that -morning. - -The journey back to town was a long one, though the machine, for a -public vehicle, was faster than most. Gurther welcomed the ride. Once -more he had failed, and he reasoned that this last failure was the most -serious of all. The question of Oberzohn’s displeasure did not really -arise. He had travelled far beyond the point when the Swede’s -disapproval meant very much to him. But there might be a consequence -more serious than any. He knew well with what instructions Pfeiffer had -been primed on the night of the attack at Rath House—only Gurther had -been quicker, and his snake had bitten first. Dr. Oberzohn had no -illusions as to what had happened, and if he had tactfully refrained -from making reference to the matter, he had his purpose and reasons. And -this night journey with Elijah Washington was one of them. - -There was no excuse; he had none to offer. His hand wandered beneath the -dress to the long knife that was strapped to his side, and the touch of -the worn handle was very reassuring. For the time being he was safe; -until another man was found to take Pfeiffer’s place Oberzohn was -working single-handed and could not afford to dispense with the services -of this, the last of his assassins. - -It was past eleven when he dismissed the taxi at the end of the long -lane, and, following the only safe path, came to the unpainted door that -gave admission to Oberzohn’s property. And the first words of his master -told him that there was no necessity for explanation. - -“So you did not get him, Gurther?” - -“No, Herr Doktor.” - -“I should not have sent you.” Oberzohn’s voice was extraordinarily mild -in all the circumstances. “That man you cannot kill—with the snake. I -have learned since you went that he was bitten at the blind man’s house, -yet lives! That is extraordinary. I would give a lot of money to test -his blood. You tried the knife?” - -“Ja, Herr Doktor.” He lifted his veil, stripped off hat and wig in one -motion. The rouged and powdered face was bruised; from under the brown -wig was a trickle of dried blood. - -“Good! You have done as well as you could. Go to your room, -Gurther—march!” - -Gurther went upstairs and for a quarter of an hour was staring at his -grinning face in the glass, as with cream and soiled towel he removed -his make-up. - -Oberzohn’s very gentleness was a menace. What did it portend? Until that -evening neither Gurther nor his dead companion had been taken into the -confidence of the two men who directed their activities. He knew there -were certain papers to be recovered; he knew there were men to be -killed; but what value were the papers, or why death should be directed -to this unfortunate or that, he neither knew nor cared. His duty had -been to obey, and he had served a liberal paymaster well and loyally. -That girl in the underground room? Gurther had many natural explanations -for her imprisonment. And yet none of them fitted the conditions. His -cogitations were wasted time. That night, for the first time, the doctor -took him into his confidence. - -He had finished dressing and was on his way to his kitchen when the -doctor stood at the doorway and called him in. - -“Sit down, Gurther.” He was almost kind. “You will have a cigar? These -are excellent.” - -He threw a long, thin, black cheroot, and Gurther caught it between his -teeth and seemed absurdly pleased with his trick. - -“The time has come when you must know something, Gurther,” said the -doctor. He took a fellow to the weed the man was smoking, and puffed -huge clouds of rank smoke into the room. “I have for a friend—who? Heir -Newton?” He shrugged his shoulders. “He is a very charming man, but he -has no brains. He is the kind of man, Gurther, who would live in -comfort, take all we gave him by our cleverness and industry, and never -say thank you! And in trouble what will he do, Gurther? He will go to -the police—yes, my dear friend, he will go to the police!” - -He nodded. Gurther had heard the same story that night when he had crept -soft-footed to the door and had heard the doctor discuss certain matters -with the late Mr. Pfeiffer. - -“He would, without a wink of his eyelash, without a snap of his hand, -send you and me to death, and would read about our execution with a -smile, and then go forth and eat his plum-pudding and roast beef! That -is our friend Heir Newton! You have seen this with your own eyes?” - -“_Ja, Herr Doktor!_” exclaimed the obedient Gurther. - -“He is a danger for many reasons,” Oberzohn proceeded deliberately. -“Because of these three men who have so infamously set themselves out to -ruin me, who burnt down my house, and who whipped you, Gurther—they -tied you up to a post and whipped you with a whip of nine tails. You -have not forgotten, Gurther?” - -“_Nein, Herr Doktor._” Indeed, Gurther had not forgotten, though the -vacant smirk on his face might suggest that he had a pleasant memory of -the happening. - -“A fool in an organization,” continued the doctor oracularly, “is like a -bad plate on a ship, or a weak link in a chain. Let it snap, and what -happens? You and I die, my dear Gurther. We go up before a stupid man in -a white wig and a red cloak, and he hands us to another man who puts a -rope around our necks, drops us through a hole in the ground—all -because we have a stupid man like Herr Montague Newton to deal with.” - -“_Ja, Herr Doktor_,” said Gurther as his master stopped. He felt that -this comment was required of him. - -“Now, I will tell you the whole truth.” The doctor carefully knocked off -the ash of his cigar into the saucer of his cup. “There is a fortune for -you and for me, and this girl that we have in the quiet place can give -it to us. I can marry her, or I can wipe her out, so! If I marry her, it -would be better, I think, and this I have arranged.” - -And then, in his own way, he told the story of the hill of gold, -concealing nothing, reserving nothing—all that he knew, all that Villa -had told him. - -“For three-four days now she must be here. At the end of that time -nothing matters. The letter to Lisbon—of what value is it? I was -foolish when I tried to stop it. She has made no nominee, she has no -heirs, she has known nothing of her fortune, and therefore is in no -position to claim the renewal of the concession.” - -“Herr Doktor, will you graciously permit me to speak?” - -The doctor nodded. - -“Does the Newton know this?” - -“The Newton knows all this,” said the doctor. - -“Will you graciously permit me to speak again, Herr Doktor? What was -this letter I was to have taken, had I not been overcome by misfortune?” - -Oberzohn examined the ceiling. - -“I have thought this matter from every angle,” he said, “and I have -decided thus. It was a letter written by Gonsalez to the Secretary or -the Minister of the Colonies, asking that the renewal of the concession -should be postponed. The telegram from my friend at the Colonial Office -in Lisbon was to this effect.” He fixed his glasses, fumbled in his -waistcoat and took out the three-page telegram. “I will read it to you -in your own language— - - “‘Application has been received from Leon Gonsalez, asking His - Excellency to receive a very special letter which arrives in two - days. The telegram does not state the contents of the letter, - but the Minister has given orders for the messenger to be - received. The present Minister is not favourable to concessions - granted to England or Englishmen.’” - -He folded the paper. - -“Which means that there will be no postponement, my dear Gurther, and -this enormous fortune will be ours.” - -Gurther considered this point and for a moment forgot to smile, and -looked what he was in consequence: a hungry, discontented wolf of a man. - -“Herr Doktor, graciously permit me to ask you a question?” - -“Ask,” said Oberzohn magnanimously. - -“What share does Herr Newton get? And if you so graciously honoured me -with a portion of your so justly deserved gains, to what extent would be -that share?” - -The other considered this, puffing away until the room was a mist of -smoke. - -“Ten thousand English pounds,” he said at last. - -“Gracious and learned doctor, that is a very small proportion of many -millions,” said Gurther gently. - -“Newton will receive one half,” said the doctor, his face working -nervously, “if he is alive. If misfortune came to him, that share would -be yours, Gurther, my brave fellow! And with so much money a man would -not be hunted. The rich and the noble would fawn upon him; he would have -his lovely yacht and steam about the summer seas everlastingly, huh?” - -Gurther rose and clicked his heels. - -“Do you desire me again this evening?” - -“No, no, Gurther.” The old man shook his head. “And pray remember that -there is another day to-morrow, and yet another day after. We shall wait -and hear what our friend has to say. Good night, Gurther.” - -“Good night, Herr Doktor.” - -The doctor looked at the door for a long time after his man had gone and -took up his book. He was deep in the chapter which was headed, in the -German tongue: “The Subconscious Activity of the Human Intellect in -Relation to the Esoteric Emotions.” To Dr. Oberzohn this was more -thrilling than the most exciting novel. - -_Chapter XXVI_ _In Captivity_ - -THE second day of captivity dawned unseen, in a world that lay outside -the brick roof and glazed white walls of Mirabelle Leicester’s -prison-house. She had grown in strength and courage, but not so her -companion. Joan, who had started her weary vigil with an almost cheerful -gaiety, had sunk deeper and deeper into depression as the hours -progressed, and Mirabelle woke to the sound of a woman’s sobs, to find -the girl sitting on the side of her bed, her head in her wet hands. - -“I hate this place!” she sobbed. “Why does he keep me here? God! If I -thought the hound was double-crossing me . . . ! I’ll go mad if they -keep me here any longer. I will, Leicester!” she screamed. - -“I’ll make some tea,” said Mirabelle, getting out of bed and finding her -slippers. - -The girl sat throughout the operation huddled in a miserable heap, and -by and by her whimpering got on Mirabelle’s nerves. - -“I don’t know why _you_ should be wretched,” she said. “They’re not -after _your_ money!” - -“You can laugh—and how you can, I don’t know,” sobbed the girl, as she -took the cup in her shaking hands. “I know I’m a fool, but I’ve never -been locked up—like this before. I didn’t dream he’d break his word. He -swore he’d come yesterday. What time is it?” - -“Six o’clock,” said Mirabelle. - -It might as well have been eight or midday, for all she knew to the -contrary. - -“This is a filthy place,” said the hysterical girl. “I think they’re -going to drown us all . . . or that thing will explode”—she pointed to -the green baize box—“I know it! I feel it in my blood. That beast -Gurther is here somewhere, ugh! He’s like a slimy snake. Have you ever -seen him?” - -“Gurther? You mean the man who danced with me?” - -“That’s he. I keep telling you who he is,” said Joan impatiently. “I -wish we could get out of here.” - -She jumped up suddenly. - -“Come and see if you can help me lift the trap.” - -Mirabelle knew it was useless before she set forth on the quest for -freedom. Their united efforts failed to move the stone, and Joan was on -the point of collapse when they came back to their sleeping-room. - -“I hope Gurther doesn’t know that those men are friends of yours,” she -said, when she became calmer. - -“You told me that yesterday. Would that make any difference?” - -“A whole lot,” said Joan vehemently. “He’s got the blood of a fish, that -man! There’s nothing he wouldn’t do. Monty ought to be flogged for -leaving us here at his mercy. I’m not scared of Oberzohn—he’s old. But -the other fellow dopes, and goes stark, staring mad at times. Monty told -me one night that he was” she choked—“a killer. He said that these -German criminals who kill people are never satisfied with one murder, -they go on and on until they’ve got twenty or thirty! He says that the -German prisons are filled with men who have the murder habit.” - -“He was probably trying to frighten you.” - -“Why should he?” said the girl, with unreasonable anger. “And leave him -alone! Monty is the best in the world. I adore the ground he walks on!” - -Very wisely, Mirabelle did not attempt to traverse this view. - -It was only when her companion had these hysterical fits that fear was -communicated to her. Her faith was completely and whole-heartedly -centred on the three men—upon Gonsalez. She wondered how old he was. -Sometimes he looked quite young, at others an elderly man. It was -difficult to remember his face; he owed so much to his expression, the -smile in his eyes, to the strange, boyish eagerness of gesture and -action which accompanied his speech. She could not quite understand -herself; why was she always thinking of Gonsalez, as a maid might think -of a lover? She went red at the thought. He seemed so apart, so aloof -from the ordinary influences of women. Suppose she had committed some -great crime and had escaped the vigilance of the law, would he hunt her -down in the same remorseless, eager way, planning to cut off every -avenue of her escape until he shepherded her into a prison cell? It was -a horrible thought, and she screwed up her eyes tight to blot out the -mental picture she had made. - -It would have given her no ordinary satisfaction to have known how often -Gonsalez’s thoughts strayed to the girl who had so strangely come into -his life. He spent a portion of his time that morning in his bedroom, -fixing to the wall a large railway map which took in the south of -England and the greater part of the Continent. A red-ink line marked the -route from London to Lisbon, and he was fixing a little green flag on -the line just south of Paris when Manfred strolled into the room and -surveyed his work. - -“The Sud Express is about there,” he said, pointing to the last of the -green flags, “and I think our friend will have a fairly pleasant and -uneventful journey as far as Valladolid—where I have arranged for -Miguel Garcia, an old friend of mine, to pick him up and shadow him on -the westward journey—unless we get the ’plane. I’m expecting a wire any -minute. By the way, the Dieppe police have arrested the gentleman who -tried to bump him overboard in mid-Channel, but the man who snatched at -his portfolio at the Gare St. Lazare is still at liberty.” - -“He must be getting quite used to it now,” said Manfred coolly, and -laughed to himself. - -Leon turned. - -“He’s a good fellow,” he said with quick earnestness. “We couldn’t have -chosen a better man. The woman on the train, of course, was Gurther. He -is the only criminal I’ve ever known who is really efficient at -disguising himself.” - -Manfred lit his pipe; he had lately taken to this form of smoking. - -“The case grows more and more difficult every day. Do you realize that?” - -Leon nodded. - -“And more dangerous,” he said. “By the laws of average, Gurther should -get one of us the next time he makes an attempt. Have you seen the -papers?” - -Manfred smiled. - -“They’re crying for Meadows’ blood, poor fellow! Which shows the -extraordinary inconsistency of the public. Meadows has only been in one -snake case. They credit him with having fallen down on the lot.” - -“They seem to be in remarkable agreement that the snake deaths come into -the category of wilful murder,” said Gonsalez as they went down the -stairs together. - -Meadows had been talking to the reporters. Indeed, that was his chief -offence from the view-point of the official mind. For the first article -in the code of every well-constituted policeman is, “Thou shalt not -communicate to the Press.” - -Leon strolled aimlessly about the room. He was wearing his chauffeur’s -uniform, and his hands were thrust into the breeches pockets. Manfred, -recognizing the symptoms, rang the bell for Poiccart, and that quiet man -came from the lower regions. - -“Leon is going to be mysterious,” said Manfred dryly. - -“I’m not really,” protested Leon, but he went red. It was one of his -most charming peculiarities that he had never forgotten how to blush. “I -was merely going to suggest that there’s a play running in London that -we ought to see. I didn’t know that ‘The Ringer’ was a play until this -morning, when I saw one of Oberzohn’s more genteel clerks go into the -theatre, and, being naturally of an inquisitive turn of mind, followed -him. A play that interests Oberzohn will interest me, and should -interest you, George,” he said severely, “and certainly should interest -Meadows—it is full of thrilling situations! It is about a criminal who -escapes from Dartmoor and comes back to murder his betrayer. There is -one scene which is played in the dark, that ought to thrill you—I’ve -been looking up the reviews of the dramatic critics, and as they are -unanimous that it is not an artistic success, and is, moreover, wildly -improbable, it ought to be worth seeing. I always choose an artistic -success when I am suffering from insomnia,” he added cruelly. - -“Oberzohn is entitled to his amusements, however vulgar they may be.” - -“But this play isn’t vulgar,” protested Leon, “except in so far as it is -popular. I found it most difficult to buy a seat. Even actors go to see -the audience act.” - -“What seat did he buy?” - -“Box A,” said Leon promptly, “and paid for it with real money. It is the -end box on the prompt side—and before you ask me whence I gained my -amazing knowledge of theatrical technique, I will answer that even a -child in arms knows that the prompt side is the left-hand side facing -the audience.” - -“For to-night?” - -Leon nodded. - -“I have three stalls,” he said and produced them from his pocket. “If -you cannot go, will you give them to the cook? She looks like a woman -who would enjoy a good cry over the sufferings of the tortured heroine. -The seats are in the front row, which means that you can get in and out -between the acts without walking on other people’s knees.” - -“Must I go?” asked Poiccart plaintively. “I do not like detective plays, -and I hate mystery plays. I know who the real murderer is before the -curtain has been up ten minutes, and that naturally spoils my evening.” - -“Could you not take a girl?” asked Leon outrageously. “Do you know any -who would go?” - -“Why not take Aunt Alma?” suggested Manfred, and Leon accepted the name -joyously. - -Aunt Alma had come to town at the suggestion of the Three, and had -opened up the Doughty Court flat. - -“And really she is a remarkable woman, and shows a steadiness and a -courage in face of the terrible position of our poor little friend, -which is altogether praiseworthy. I don’t think Mirabelle Leicester is -in any immediate danger. I think I’ve said that before. Oberzohn merely -wishes to keep her until the period of renewal has expired. How he will -escape the consequences of imprisoning her, I cannot guess. He may not -attempt to escape them, may accept the term of imprisonment which will -certainly be handed out to him, as part of the payment he must pay for -his millions.” - -“Suppose he kills her?” asked Poiccart. - -For a second Leon’s face twitched. - -“He won’t kill her,” he said quietly. “Why should he? We know that he -has got her—the police know. She is a different proposition from -Barberton, an unknown man killed nobody knew how, in a public place. No, -I don’t think we need cross that bridge, only . . .” He rubbed his hands -together irritably. “However, we shall see. And in the meantime I’m -placing a lot of faith in Digby, a shrewd man with a sense of his -previous shortcomings. You were wise there, George.” - -He was looking at the street through the curtains. - -“Tittlemouse is at his post, the faithful hound!” he said, nodding -towards the solitary taxicab that stood on the rank. “I wonder whether -he expects——” - -Manfred saw a light creep into his eyes. - -“Will you want me for the next two hours?” Leon asked quickly, and was -out of the room in a flash. - -Ten minutes later, Poiccart and George were talking together when they -heard the street door close, and saw Leon stroll to the edge of the -pavement and wave his umbrella. The taxi-driver was suddenly a thing of -quivering excitement. He leaned down, cranked his engine, climbed back -into his seat and brought the car up quicker than any taxicab driver had -ever moved before. - -“New Scotland Yard,” said Leon, and got into the machine. - -The cab passed through the forbidding gates of the Yard and dropped him -at the staff entrance. - -“Wait here,” said Leon, and the man shifted uncomfortably. - -“I’ve got to be back at my garage——” he began. - -“I shall not be five minutes,” said Leon. - -Meadows was in his room, fortunately. - -“I want you to pull in this man and give him a dose of the third degree -you keep in this country,” said Leon. “He carries a gun; I saw that when -he had to get down to crank up his cab in Piccadilly Circus. The engine -stopped.” - -“What do you want to know?” - -“All that there is to be known about Oberzohn. I may have missed one or -two things. I’ve seen him outside the house. Oberzohn employs him for -odd jobs and occasionally he acts as the old man’s chauffeur. In fact, -he drove the machine the day Miss Leicester lunched with Oberzohn at the -Ritz-Carlton. He may not have a cabman’s licence, and that will make it -all the easier for you.” - -A few minutes later, a very surprised and wrathful man was marched into -Cannon Row and scientifically searched. Leon had been right about the -revolver; it was produced and found to be loaded, and his excuse that he -carried the weapon as a protection following upon a recent murder of a -cab-driver, had not the backing of the necessary permit. In -addition—and this was a more serious offence—he held no permit from -Scotland Yard to ply for hire on the streets, and his badge was the -property of another man. - -“Put him inside,” said Meadows, and went back to report to the waiting -Leon. “You’ve hit the bull’s-eye first time. I don’t know whether he -will be of any use to us, but I don’t despise even the smallest fish.” - -Whilst he was waiting, Leon had been engaged in some quick thinking. - -“The man has been at Greenwich lately. One of my men saw him there -twice, and I needn’t say that he was driving Oberzohn.” - -“I’ll talk to him later and telephone you,” said Meadows, and Leon -Gonsalez went back to Curzon Street, one large smile. - -“You have merely exchanged a spy you know for a spy you don’t know,” -said George Manfred, “though I never question these freakish acts of -yours, Leon. So often they have a trick of turning up trumps. By the -way, the police are raiding the Gringo Club in the Victoria Dock Road -to-night, and they may be able to pick up a few of Mr. Oberzohn’s young -gentlemen who are certain to be regular users of the place.” - -The telephone bell rang shrilly, and Leon took up the receiver, and -recognized Meadows’ voice. - -“I’ve got a queer story for you,” said the inspector immediately. - -“Did he talk?” asked the interested Leon. - -“After a while. We took a finger-print impression, and found that he was -on the register. More than that, he is a ticket-of-leave man. As an -ex-convict we can send him back to finish his unexpired time. I promised -to say a few words for him, and he spilt everything. The most -interesting item is that Oberzohn is planning to be married.” - -“To be married? Who is this?” asked Manfred, in surprise. “Oberzohn?” - -Leon nodded. - -“Who is the unfortunate lady?” asked Leon. - -There was a pause, and then: - -“Miss Leicester.” - -Manfred saw the face of his friend change colour, and guessed. - -“Does he know when?” asked Leon in a different voice. - -“No. The licence was issued over a week ago, which means that Oberzohn -can marry any morning he likes to bring along his bride. What’s the -idea, do you think?” - -“Drop in this evening and either I or George will tell you,” said Leon. - -He put the telephone on the hook very carefully. - -“That is a danger I had not foreseen, although it was obviously the only -course Oberzohn could take. If he marries her, she cannot be called in -evidence against him. May I see the book, George?” - -Manfred unlocked the wall safe and brought back a small ledger. Leon -Gonsalez turned the pages thoughtfully. - -“Dennis—he has done good work for us, hasn’t he?” he asked. - -“Yes, he’s a very reliable man. He owes us, amongst other things, his -life. Do you remember, his wife was——” - -“I remember.” Leon scribbled the address of a man who had proved to be -one of the most trustworthy of his agents. - -“What are you going to do?” asked Manfred. - -“I’ve put Dennis on the doorstep of the Greenwich registrar’s office -from nine o’clock in the morning until half-past three in the afternoon, -and he will have instructions from me that, the moment he sees Oberzohn -walk out of a cab with a lady, he must push him firmly but gently under -the wheels of the cab and ask the driver politely to move up a yard.” - -Leon in his more extravagantly humorous moods was very often in deadly -earnest. - -_Chapter XXVII_ _Mr. Newton’s Dilemma_ - -THE most carefully guided streaks of luck may, in spite of all -precautions, overflow into the wrong channel, and this had happened to -Mr. Montague Newton, producing an evening that was financially -disastrous and a night from which sleep was almost banished. He had had -one of his little card parties; but whether it was the absence of Joan, -and the inadequacy of her fluffy-haired substitute, or whether the wine -had disagreed with one of the most promising victims, the result was the -same. They had played _chemin de fer_, and the gilded pigeon, whose -feathers seemed already to be ornamenting the head-dress of Monty -Newton, had been successful, and when he should have been signing -cheques for large amounts, he was cashing his counters with a reluctant -host. - -The night started wrong with Joan’s substitute, whose name was Lisa. She -had guided to the establishment, via an excellent dinner at Mero’s, the -son of an African millionaire. Joan, of course, would have brought him -alone, but Lisa, less experienced, had allowed a young-looking friend of -the victim to attach himself to the party, and she had even expected -praise for her perspicacity and enterprise in producing two birds for -the stone which Mr. Newton so effectively wielded, instead of one. - -Monty did not resent the presence of the new-comer, and rather took the -girl’s view, until he learnt that Lisa’s “find” was not, as she had -believed, an officer of the Guards, but a sporting young lawyer with a -large criminal practice, and one who had already, as a junior, conducted -several prosecutions for the Crown. The moment his name was mentioned, -Monty groaned in spirit. He was, moreover, painfully sober. His friend -was not so favourably situated. - -That was the first of the awkward things to happen. The second was the -bad temper of the player, who, when the bank was considerably over -£3,000, had first of all insisted upon the cards being reshuffled, and -then had gone banquo—the game being baccarat. Even this contretemps -might have been overcome, but after he had expressed his willingness to -“give it,” the card which Monty had so industriously palmed, slipped -from his hand to the table, and though the fact was unnoticed by the -players, the lawyer’s attention being diverted at the moment, it was -impossible to recover that very valuable piece of pasteboard. And Monty -had done a silly thing. Instead of staging an artistic exhibition of -annoyance at remarks which the millionaire’s son had made, he decided to -take a chance on the natural run of the cards. And he had lost. On top -of that, the slightly inebriated player had decided that when a man had -won a coup of £3,000 it was time to stop playing. So Monty experienced -the mortification of paying out money, and accompanying his visitor to -the door with a smile that was so genial and so full of good-fellowship -that the young gentleman was compelled to apologize for his boorishness. - -“Come along some other night and give me my revenge,” said Monty. - -“You bet I will! I’m going to South Africa to-morrow, but I shall be -back early next year, and I’ll look you up.” - -Monty watched him going down the steps and hoped he would break his -neck. - -He was worried about Joan—more worried than he thought it was possible -for him to be about so light a girl. She was necessary to him in many -ways. Lisa was a bungling fool, he decided, though he sent her home -without hurting her feelings. She was a useful girl in many ways, and -nothing spoils a tout quicker than constant nagging. - -He felt very lonely in the house, and wandered from room to room, -irritated with himself that the absence of this feather-brained girl, -who had neither the education nor the breed of his own class, should -make such a big difference. And it did; he had to admit as much to -himself. He hated the thought of that underground room. He knew -something of her temperament, and how soon her experience would get on -her nerves. In many respects he wished he did not feel that way about -her, because she had a big shock coming, and it was probably because he -foresaw this hurt, that he was anxious to make the present as happy as -he could for her. - -After he had done what he was to do, there was no reason in the world -why they should be bad friends, and he would give her a big present. -Girls of that class soon forget their miseries if the present is large -enough. Thus he argued, tossing from side to side in his bed, and all -the time his thoughts playing about that infernal cellar. What she must -be feeling! He did not worry at all about Mirabelle, because—well, she -was a principal in the case. To him, Joan was the real victim. - -Sleep did not come until daybreak, and he woke in his most irritable -frame of mind. He had promised the girl he would call and see her, -though he had privately arranged with Oberzohn not to go to the house -until the expiry of the five days. - -By lunch-time he could stand the worry no longer, and, ordering his car, -drove to a point between New Cross and Bermondsey, walking on foot the -remainder of the distance. Mr. Oberzohn expected the visit. He had a -shrewd knowledge of his confederate’s mental outfit, and when he saw -this well-dressed man picking a dainty way across the littered ground, -he strolled out on the steps to meet him. - -“It is curious you should have come,” he said. - -“Why didn’t you telephone?” growled Newton. This was his excuse for the -visit. - -“Because there are human machines at the end of every wire,” said -Oberzohn. “If they were automatic and none could listen, but you and I, -we would talk and talk and then talk! All day long would I speak with -you and find it a pleasure. But not with Miss This and Miss That saying, -‘One moment, if you please,’ and saying to the Scotland Yard man, ‘Now -you cut in’!” - -“Is Gurther back?” - -“Gurther is back,” said the doctor soberly. - -“Nothing happened to that bird? At least, I saw nothing in the evening -papers.” - -“He has gone to Lisbon,” replied the doctor indifferently. “Perhaps he -will get there, perhaps he will not—what does it matter? I should like -to see the letter, because it is data, and data has an irresistible -charm for a poor old scientist. You will have a drink?” - -Monty hesitated, as he always did when Oberzohn offered him refreshment. -You could never be sure with Oberzohn. - -“I’ll have a whisky,” he said at last, “a full bottle—one that hasn’t -been opened. I’ll open it myself.” - -The doctor chuckled unevenly. - -“You do not trust?” he said. “I think you are wise. For who is there in -this world of whom a man can say, ‘He is my friend. To the very end of -my life I will have confidence in him’?” - -Monty did not feel that the question called for an answer. - -He took the whisky bottle to the light, examined the cork and drove in -the corkscrew. - -“The soda water—that also might be poisoned,” said Dr. Oberzohn -pleasantly. - -At any other time he would not have made that observation. That he said -it at all, betrayed a subtle but ominous change in their relationships. -If Monty noticed this, he did not say a word, but filled his glass and -sat down on the sofa to drink. And all the time the doctor was watching -him interestedly. - -“Yes, Gurther is back. He failed, but you must excuse failure in a good -man. The perfect agent has yet to be found, and the perfect principal -also. The American, Washington, had left Paris when I last heard of him. -He is to be congratulated. If I myself lived in Paris I should always be -leaving. It is a frivolous city.” - -Monty lit a cigar, and decided to arrive at the object of his visit by -stages. For he had come to perform two important duties. He accounted as -a duty a call upon Joan. No less was it a duty, and something of a -relief also, to make his plan known to his partner. - -“How are the girls?” he asked. - -“They are very happy,” said Dr. Oberzohn, who had not resumed his seat, -but stood in an attitude somewhat reminiscent of Gurther, erect, -staring, motionless. “Always my guests are happy.” - -“In that dog-hole?” said the other contemptuously. “I don’t want Joan to -be here.” - -The Herr Doktor shrugged. - -“Then take her away, my friend,” he said. “Why should she stay, if you -are unhappy because this woman is not with you? She serves no purpose. -Possibly she is fretting. By all means—I will bring her to you.” He -moved to the door. - -“Wait a moment,” said Monty. “I’ll see her later and take her out -perhaps, but I don’t want her to be away permanently. Somebody ought to -stay with that girl.” - -“Why? Am I not here?” asked Oberzohn blandly. - -“You’re here, and Gurther’s here.” Monty was looking out of the window -and did not meet the doctor’s eyes. “Especially Gurther. That’s why I -think that Mirabelle Leicester should have somebody to look after her. -Has it ever struck you that the best way out of this little trouble -is—marriage?” - -“I have thought that,” said the doctor. “You also have thought it? This -is wonderful! You are beginning to think.” - -The change of tone was noticeable enough now. Monty snapped round at the -man who had hitherto stood in apparent awe of him and his judgments. - -“You can cut that sarcasm right out, Oberzohn,” he said, and, without -preamble: “I’m going to marry that girl.” - -Oberzohn said nothing to this. - -“She’s not engaged; she’s got no love affairs at all. Joan told me, and -Joan is a pretty shrewd girl. I don’t know how I’m going to fix it, but -I guess the best thing I can do is to pretend that I am a real friend -and get her out of your cellar. She’ll be so grateful that maybe she -will agree to almost anything. Besides, I think I made an impression the -first time I saw her. And I’ve got a position to offer her, Oberzohn: a -house in the best part of London——” - -“My house,” interrupted Oberzohn’s metallic voice. - -“Your house? Well, _our_ house, let us say. We’re not going to quarrel -about terms.” - -“I also have a position to offer her, and I do not offer her any other -man’s.” - -Oberzohn was looking at him wide-eyed, a comical figure; his elongated -face seemed to stand out in the gloom like a pantomime mask. - -“You?” Monty could hardly believe his ears. - -“I, Baron Eruc Oberzohn.” - -“A baron, are you?” The room shook with Monty’s laughter. “Why, you -damned old fool, you don’t imagine she’d marry you, do you?” - -Oberzohn nodded. - -“She would do anythings what I tell her.” In his agitation his English -was getting a little ragged. “A girl may not like a mans, but she might -hate somethings worse—you understand? A woman says death is not’ing, -but a woman is afeard of death, isn’t it?” - -“You’re crazy,” said Monty scornfully. - -“I am crazy, am I? And a damned old fool also—yes? Yet I shall marry -her.” - -There was a dead silence, and then Oberzohn continued the conversation, -but on a much calmer note. - -“Perhaps I am what you call me, but it is not a thing worthy for two -friends to quarrel. To-morrow you shall come here, and we will discuss -this matter like a business proposition, hein?” - -Monty examined him as though he were a strange insect that had wandered -into his ken. - -“You’re not a Swede, you’re German,” he said. “That baron stuff gave you -away.” - -“I am from the Baltic, but I have lived many years in Sweden,” said -Oberzohn shortly. “I am not German: I do not like them.” - -More than this he would not say. Possibly he shared Gurther’s repugnance -towards his sometime neighbours. - -“We shall not quarrel, anyway,” he continued. “I am a fool, you are a -fool, we are all fools. You wish to see your woman?” - -“I wish to see Joan,” said Monty gruffly. “I don’t like that ‘your -woman’ line of yours.” - -“I will go get her. You wait.” - -Again the long boots came from under the table, were dragged on to the -doctor’s awkward feet, and Monty watched him from the window as he -crossed to the factory and disappeared. - -He was gone five minutes before he came out again, alone. Monty frowned. -What was the reason for this? - -“My friend,” panted Oberzohn, to whom these exertions were becoming more -and more irksome, “it is not wise.” - -“I want to see her——” began Monty. - -“Gently, gently; you shall see her. But on the canal bank Gurther has -also seen a stranger, who has been walking up and down, pretending to -fish. Who can fish in a canal, I ask you?” - -“What is he to do with it?” - -“Would it be wise to bring her in daylight, I ask you again? Do not the -men think that your—that this girl is in Brussels?” - -This had not occurred to Monty. - -“I have an idea for you. It is a good idea. The brain of old fool -Oberzohn sometimes works remarkably. This morning a friend sent to me a -ticket for a theatre. Now you shall take her to-night. There is always a -little fog when the sun is setting and you can leave the house in a car. -Presently I will send a man to attract this watcher’s attention, and -then I will bring her to the house and you can call for her.” - -“I will wait for her.” Monty was dogged on this point. - -And wait he did, until an hour later a half-crazy girl came flying into -the room and into his arms. - -Dr. Oberzohn witnessed the reunion unmoved. - -“That is a pretty scene for me,” he said, “for one to be so soon -married,” and he left them alone. - -“Monty, I can’t possibly go back to that beastly place to-night. She’ll -have to stay by herself. And she’s not a bad kid, Monty, but she doesn’t -know she’s worth a lot of money.” - -“Have you been talking to her?” he asked angrily. “I told you——” - -“No, I’ve only just asked her a few questions. You can’t be in a poky -hole like that, thrown together day and night, without talking, can you? -Monty, you’re absolutely sure nothing can happen to her?” - -Monty cleared his throat. - -“The worst thing that can happen to her,” he said, “is to get married.” - -She opened her eyes at this. - -“Does somebody want to marry her?” - -“Oberzohn,” he said. - -“That old thing!” she scoffed. - -Again he found a difficulty in speaking. - -“I have been thinking it over, honey,” he said. “Marriage doesn’t mean a -whole lot to anybody.” - -“It’ll mean a lot to me,” she said quietly. - -“Suppose I married her?” he blurted. - -“You!” She stepped back from him in horror. - -“Only just a . . . well, this is the truth, Joan. It may be the only way -to get her money. Now you’re in on this graft, and you know what you are -to me. A marriage—a formal marriage—for a year or two, and then a -divorce, and we could go away together, man and wife.” - -“Is that what he meant?” She jerked her head to the door. “About -‘married so soon’?” - -“He wants to marry her himself.” - -“Let him,” she said viciously. “Do you think I care about money? Isn’t -there any other way of getting it?” - -He was silent. There were too many other ways of getting it for him to -advance a direct negative. - -“Oh, Monty, you’re not going to do that?” - -“I don’t know what I’m going to do yet,” he said. - -“But not that?” she insisted, clinging to him by his coat. - -“We’ll talk about it to-night. The old man’s got us tickets for the -theatre. We’ll have a bit of dinner up West and go on, and it really -doesn’t matter if anybody sees us, because they know very well you’re -not in Brussels. What is that queer scent you’ve got?” - -Joan laughed, forgetting for the moment the serious problem which faced -her. - -“Joss-sticks,” she said. “The place got so close and stuffy, and I found -them in the pantry with the provisions. As a matter of fact, it was a -silly thing to do, because we had the place full of smoke. It’s gone -now, though. Monty, you do these crazy things when you’re locked up,” -she said seriously. “I don’t think I can go back again.” - -“Go back to-morrow,” he almost pleaded. “It’s only for two or three -days, and it means a lot to me. Especially now that Oberzohn has ideas.” - -“You’re not going to think any more about—about marrying her, are you?” - -“We’ll talk of it to-night at dinner. I thought you’d like the idea of -the graft,” he added untruthfully. - -Joan had to return to her prison to collect some of her belongings. She -found the girl lying on the bed, reading, and Mirabelle greeted her with -a smile. - -“Well, is your term of imprisonment ended?” - -Joan hesitated. - -“Not exactly. Do you mind if I’m not here to-night?” - -Mirabelle shook her head. If the truth be told, she was glad to be -alone. All that day she had been forced to listen to the plaints and -weepings of this transfigured girl, and she felt that she could not well -stand another twenty-four hours. - -“You’re sure you won’t mind being alone? - -“No, of course not. I shall miss you,” added Mirabelle, more in truth -than in compliment. “When will you return?” - -The girl made a little grimace. - -“To-morrow.” - -“You don’t want to come back, naturally? Have you succeeded in -persuading your—your friend to let me out too?” - -Joan shook her head. - -“He’ll never do that, my dear, not till . . .” She looked at the girl. -“You’re not engaged, are you?” - -“I? No. Is that another story they’ve heard?” Mirabelle got up from the -bed, laughing. “An heiress, and engaged?” - -“No, they don’t say you were engaged.” Joan hastened to correct the -wrong impression. There was genuine admiration in her voice, when she -said: “You’re wonderful, kid! If I were in your shoes I’d be quaking. -You’re just as cheerful as though you were going to the funeral of a -rich aunt!” - -She did not know how near to a breakdown her companion had been that -day, and Mirabelle, who felt stronger and saner now, had no desire to -tell her. - -“You’re rather splendid.” Joan nodded. “I wish I had your pluck.” - -And then, impulsively, she came forward and kissed the girl. - -“Don’t feel too sore at me,” she said, and was gone before Mirabelle -could make a reply. - -The doctor was waiting for her in the factory. - -“The spy has walked up to the canal bridge. We can go forward,” he said. -“Besides,”—he had satisfaction out of this—“he cannot see over high -walls.” - -“What is this story about marrying Mirabelle Leicester?” - -“So he has told you? Also did he tell you that—that _he_ is going to -marry her?” - -“Yes, and I’ll tell you something, doctor. I’d rather he married her -than you.” - -“So!” said the doctor. - -“I’d rather anybody else married her, except that snake of yours.” - -Oberzohn looked round sharply. She had used the word quite innocently, -without any thought of its application, and uttered an “Oh!” of dismay -when she realized her mistake. - -“I meant Gurther,” she said. - -“Well, I know you meant Gurther, young miss,” he said stiffly. - -To get back to the house they had to make a half-circle of the factory -and pass between the canal wall and the building itself. The direct -route would have taken them into a deep hollow into which the debris of -years had been thrown, and which now Nature, in her kindness, had hidden -under a green mantle of wild convolvulus. It was typical of the place -that the only beautiful picture in the grounds was out of sight. - -They were just turning the corner of the factory when the doctor stopped -and looked up at the high wall, which was protected by a _cheval de -frise_ of broken glass. All except in one spot, about two feet wide, -where not only the glass but the mortar which held it in place had been -chipped off. There were fragments of the glass, and, on the inside of -the wall, marks of some implement on the hard surface of the mortar. - -“So!” said the doctor. - -He was examining the scratches on the wall. - -“Wait,” he ordered, and hurried back into the factory, to return, -carrying in each hand two large rusty contraptions which he put on the -ground. - -One by one he forced open the jagged rusty teeth until they were wide -apart and held by a spring catch. She had seen things like that in a -museum. They were man-traps—relics of the barbarous days when trespass -was not only a sin but a crime. - -He fixed the second of the traps on the path between the factory and the -wall. - -“Now we shall see,” he said. “Forward!” - -Monty was waiting for her impatiently. The Rolls had been turned out in -her honour, and the sulky-looking driver was already in his place at the -wheel. - -“What is the matter with that chauffeur?” she asked, as they bumped up -the lane towards easier going. “He looks so happy that I shouldn’t be -surprised to hear that his mother was hanged this morning.” - -“He’s sore with the old man,” explained Monty. “Oberzohn has two -drivers. They do a little looking round in the morning. The other fellow -was supposed to come back to take over duty at three o’clock, and he -hasn’t turned up. He was the better driver of the two.” - -The chauffeur was apparently seeking every pothole in the ground, and in -the next five minutes she was alternately clutching the support of the -arm-strap and Monty. They were relieved when at last the car found a -metal road and began its noiseless way towards The Lights. And then her -hand sought his, and for the moment this beautiful flower which had -grown in such foul soil, bloomed in the radiance of a love common to -every woman, high and low, good and bad. - -_Chapter XXVIII_ _At Frater’s_ - -MANFRED suggested an early dinner at the Lasky, where the soup was to -his fastidious taste. Leon, who had eaten many crumpets for tea—he had -a weakness for this indigestible article of diet—was prepared to -dispense with the dinner, and Poiccart had views, being a man of steady -habits. They dined at the Lasky, and Leon ordered a baked onion, and -expatiated upon the two wasted years of Poiccart’s life, employing a -wealth of imagery and a beauty of diction worthy of a better subject. - -Manfred looked at his watch. - -“Where are they dining?” he asked. - -“I don’t know yet,” said Leon. “Our friend will be here in a few -minutes; when we go out he will tell us. You don’t want to see her?” - -Manfred shook his head. - -“No,” he said. - -“I’m going to be bored,” complained Poiccart. - -“Then you should have let me bring Alma,” said Leon promptly. - -“Exactly.” Raymond nodded his sober head. “I have the feeling that I am -saving a lady from an unutterably dreary evening.” - -There was a man waiting for them when they came out of the restaurant—a -very uninteresting-looking man who had three sentences to say _sotto -voce_ as they stood near him, but apparently in ignorance of his -presence. - -“I did not wish to go to Mero’s,” said Manfred, “but as we have the -time, I think it would be advisable to stroll in that direction. I am -curious to discover whether this is really Oberzohn’s little treat, or -whether the idea emanated from the unadmirable Mr. Newton.” - -“And how will you know, George?” asked Gonsalez. - -“By the car. If Oberzohn is master of the ceremonies, we shall find his -machine parked somewhere in the neighbourhood. If it is Newton’s idea, -then Oberzohn’s limousine, which brought them from South London, will -have returned, and Newton’s car will be in its place.” - -Mero’s was one of the most fashionable of dining clubs, patronized not -only by the elite of society, but having on its books the cream of the -theatrical world. It was situated in one of those quiet, old-world -squares which are to be found in the very heart of London, enjoying, for -some mysterious reason, immunity from the hands of the speculative -property owner. The square retained the appearance it had in the days of -the Georges; and though some of the fine mansions had been given over to -commerce and the professions, and the lawyer and the manufacturer’s -agent occupied the drawing-rooms and bedrooms sacred to the bucks and -beauties of other days, quite a large number of the houses remained in -private occupation. - -There was nothing in the fascia of Mero’s to advertise its character. -The club premises consisted of three of these fine old dwellings. The -uninitiated might not even suspect that there was communication between -the three houses, for the old doorways and doorsteps remained untouched, -though only one was used. - -They strolled along two sides of the square before, amidst the phalanx -of cars that stood wheel to wheel, their backs to the railings of the -centre gardens, they saw Oberzohn’s car. - -The driver sat with his arms folded on the wheel, in earnest -conversation with a pale-faced man, slightly and neatly bearded, and -dressed in faultless evening dress. He was evidently a cripple: one -shoulder was higher than the other; and when he moved, he walked -painfully with the aid of a stick. - -Manfred saw the driver point up the line of cars, and the lame gentleman -limped in the direction the chauffeur had indicated and stopped to speak -to another man in livery. As they came abreast of him, they saw that one -of his boots had a thick sole, and the limp was explained. - -“The gentleman has lost his car,” said Manfred, for now he was peering -short-sightedly at the number-plates. - -The theft of cars was a daily occurrence. Leon had something to say on -the potentialities of that branch of crime. He owned to an encyclopædic -knowledge of the current fashions in wrongdoing, and in a few brief -sentences indicated the extent of these thefts. - -“Fifty a week are shipped to India and the Colonies, after their numbers -are erased and another substituted. In some cases the ‘knockers off,’ as -they call the thieves, drive them straight away into the packing-cases -which are prepared for every make of car; the ends are nailed up, and -they are waiting shipment at the docks before the owner is certain of -his loss. There are almost as many stolen cars in India, South Africa -and Australia as there are honest ones!” - -They walked slowly past the decorous portals of Mero’s, and caught a -glimpse, through the curtained windows, of soft table lamps burning, of -bare-armed women and white-shirted men, and heard faintly the strains of -an orchestra playing a Viennese waltz. - -“I should like to see our Jane,” said Gonsalez. “She never came to you, -did she?” - -“She came, but I didn’t see her,” said Manfred. “From the moment she -leaves the theatre she must not be left.” - -Leon nodded. - -“I have already made that arrangement,” he said. “Digby——” - -“Digby takes up his duty at midnight,” said Manfred. “He has been down -to Oberzohn’s place to get the lie of the land: he thought it advisable -that he should study the topography in daylight, and I agreed. He might -get himself into an awkward tangle if he started exploring the canal -bank in the dark hours. Summer or winter, there is usually a mist on the -water.” - -They reached Frater’s theatre so early that the queues at the pit door -were still unadmitted, and Leon suggested that they make a circuit of -this rambling house of entertainment. It stood in Shaftesbury Avenue and -occupied an island site. On either side two narrow streets flanked the -building, whilst the rear formed the third side of a small square, one -of which was taken up by a County Council dwelling, mainly occupied by -artisans. From the square a long passage-way led to Cranbourn Street; -whilst, in addition to the alley which opened just at the back of the -theatre, a street ran parallel to Shaftesbury Avenue from Charing Cross -Road to Rupert Street. - -The theatre itself was one of the best in London, and although it had -had a succession of failures, its luck had turned, and the new mystery -play was drawing all London. - -“That is the stage door,” said Leon—they had reached the square—“and -those are emergency exits”—he pointed back the way they had -come—“which are utilized at the end of a performance to empty the -theatre.” - -“Why are you taking such an interest in the theatre itself?” asked -Poiccart. - -“Because,” said Gonsalez slowly, “I am in agreement with George. We -should have found Newton’s car parked in Fitzreeve Gardens—not -Oberzohn’s. And the circumstances are a little suspicious.” - -The doors of the pit and gallery were open now; the queues were moving -slowly to the entrances; and they watched the great building swallow up -the devotees of the drama, before they returned to the front of the -house. - -Cars were beginning to arrive, at first at intervals, but, as the hour -of the play’s beginning approached, in a ceaseless line that made a -congestion and rendered the traffic police articulate and occasionally -unkind. It was short of the half-hour after eight when Manfred saw -Oberzohn’s glistening car in the block, and presently it pulled up -before the entrance of the theatre. First Joan and then Monty Newton -alighted and passed out of view. - -Gonsalez thought he had never seen the girl looking quite as radiantly -pretty. She had the colouring and the shape of youth, and though the -more fastidious might object to her daring toilette, the most -cantankerous could not cavil at the pleasing effect. - -“It is a great pity,”—Leon spoke in Spanish—“a thousand pities! I have -the same feeling when I see a perfect block of marble placed in the -hands of a tombstone-maker to be mangled into ugliness!” - -Manfred put out his hand and drew him back into the shadow. A cab was -dropping the lame man. He got out with the aid of a linkman, paid the -driver, and limped into the vestibule. It was not a remarkable -coincidence: the gentleman had evidently come from Mero’s, and as all -London was flocking to the drama, there was little that was odd in -finding him here. They saw that he went up into the dress-circle, and -later, when they took their places in the stalls, Leon, glancing up, saw -the pale, bearded face and noted that he occupied the end seat of the -front row. - -“I’ve met that man somewhere,” he said, irritated. “Nothing annoys me -worse than to forget, not a face, but where I have seen it!” - -Did Gurther but know, he had achieved the height of his ambition: he had -twice passed under the keen scrutiny of the cleverest detectives in the -world, and had remained unrecognized. - -_Chapter XXIX_ _Work for Gurther_ - -GURTHER was sleeping when he was called for duty, but presented -himself before his director as bright and alert as though he had not -spent a sleepless night, nor yet had endured the strain of a midnight -train jump. - -“Once more, my Gurther, I send you forth.” Dr. Oberzohn was almost gay. -“This time to save us all from the Judas treachery of one we thought was -our friend. To-night the snake must bite, and bite hard, Gurther. And -out into the dark goes the so-called Trusted! And after that, my brave -boy, there shall be nothing to fear.” - -He paused for approval, and got it in a snapped agreement. - -“To-night we desire from you a _chef d’œuvre_, the supreme employment of -your great art, Gurther; the highest expression of genius! The -gentleman-club manner will not do. They may look for you and find you. -Better it should be, this time, that you——” - -“Herr Doktor, will you graciously permit me to offer a humble -suggestion?” said Gurther eagerly. - -The doctor nodded his head slowly. - -“You may speak, Gurther,” he said. “You are a man of intelligence; I -would not presume to dictate to an artist.” - -“Let me go for an hour, perhaps two hours, and I will return to you with -a manner that is unique. Is it graciously permitted, Herr Doktor?” - -“March!” said the doctor graciously, waving his hand to the door. - -Nearly an hour and a half passed before the door opened and a gentleman -came in who for even a moment even the doctor thought was a stranger. -The face had an unearthly ivory pallor; the black brows, the faint -shadows beneath the eyes that suggested a recent illness, the -close-cropped black beard in which grey showed—these might not have -deceived him. But the man was obviously the victim of some appalling -accident of the past. One shoulder was hunched, the hand that held the -stick was distorted out of shape, and as he moved, the clump of his club -foot advertised his lameness. - -“Sir, you desire to see me——?” began the doctor, and then stared -open-mouthed. “It is not . . . !” - -Gurther smiled. - -“Herr Doktor, are you condescendingly pleased?” - -“Colossal!” murmured Oberzohn, gazing in amazement. “Of all -accomplishments this is supreme! Gurther, you are an artist. Some day we -shall buy a theatre for you in Unter den Linden, and you shall thrill -large audiences.” - -“Herr Doktor, this is my own idea; this I have planned for many months. -The boots I made myself; even the coat I altered”—he patted his -deformed shoulder proudly. - -“An eyeglass?” - -“I have it,” said Gurther promptly. - -“The cravat—is it not too proper?” - -Gurther fingered his tie. - -“For the grand habit I respectfully claim that the proper tie is -desirable, if you will graciously permit.” - -The Herr Doktor nodded. - -“You shall go with God, Gurther,” he said piously, took a golden -cigarette-case from his pocket and handed it to the man. “Sit down, my -dear friend.” - -He rose and pointed to the chair he had vacated. - -“In my own chair, Gurther. Nothing is too good for you. Now here is the -arrangement . . .” - -Step by step he unfolded the time-table, for chronology was almost as -great a passion with this strange and wicked man as it was with Aunt -Alma. - -So confident was Gurther of his disguise that he had gone in the open to -speak to Oberzohn’s chauffeur, and out of the tail of his eye he had -seen Manfred and Gonsalez approaching. It was the supreme test and was -passed with credit to himself. - -He did not dine at Mero’s; Gurther never ate or drank when he was -wearing a disguise, knowing just how fatal that occupation could be. -Instead, he had called a taxi, and had killed time by being driven -slowly round and round the Outer Circle of Regent’s Park. - -Gurther was doing a great deal of thinking in these days, and at the -cost of much physical discomfort had curtailed his pernicious practices, -that his head might be clear all the time. For if he were to live, that -clear head of his was necessary. The prisoner in the cellar occupied his -thoughts. She had an importance for two reasons: she was a friend of the -men whom he hated with a cold and deadly malignity beyond description; -she represented wealth untold, and the Herr Doktor had even gone to the -length of planning a marriage with her. She was not to be killed, not to -be hurt; she was so important that the old man would take the risks -attendant upon a marriage. There must be an excellent reason for that, -because Dr. Oberzohn had not a very delicate mind. - -He seemed to remember that, by the English law, a wife could not give -evidence against her husband. He was not sure, but he had a dim notion -that Pfeiffer had told him this: Pfeiffer was an educated man and had -taken high honours at the gymnasium. - -Gurther was not well read. His education had been of a scrappy -character, and once upon a time he had been refused a leading part -because of his provincial accent. That fault he had corrected in prison, -under the tuition of a professor who was serving a life sentence for -killing two women; but by the time Gurther had been released, he was a -marked man, and the stage was a career lost to him for ever. - -Oberzohn possessed advantages which were not his. He was the master; -Gurther was the servant. Oberzohn could determine events by reason of -his vast authority, and the strings which he pulled in every part of the -world. Even Gurther had accepted this position of blind, obedient -servant, but now his angle had shifted, even as Oberzohn’s had moved in -relation to Montague Newton. Perhaps because of this. The doctor, in -curtailing one confidence, was enlarging another, and in the enlargement -his prestige suffered. - -Gurther was now the confidant, therefore the equal; and logically, the -equal can always become the superior. He had dreamed dreams of a life of -ease, a gratification of his sense of luxury without the sobering -thought that somewhere round the corner was waiting a man ready to tap -him on the shoulder . . . a white palace in a flowery land, with blue -swimming pools, and supple girls who called him Master. Gurther began to -see the light. - -Until he had taken his seat in the theatre, he had not so much as -glimpsed the man and the woman in the end box. - -Joan was happy—happier than she remembered having been. Perhaps it was -the reaction from her voluntary imprisonment. Certainly it was Monty’s -reluctant agreement to a change of plans which so exalted her. Monty had -dropped the thin pretence of an accommodation marriage; and once he was -persuaded to this, the last hindrance to enjoyment was dissipated. Let -Oberzohn take the girl if he wanted her; take, too, such heavy -responsibility as followed. Monty Newton would get all that he wanted -without the risk. Having arrived at this decision, he had ordered -another bottle of champagne to seal the bargain, and they left Mero’s -club a much happier couple than they had been when they entered. - -“As soon as we’ve carved up this money, we’ll get away out of England,” -he told her as they were driving to the theatre. “What about Buenos -Ayres for the winter, old girl?” - -She did not know where Buenos Ayres was, but she gurgled her delight at -the suggestion, and Monty expatiated upon the joys of the South American -summer, the beauties of B.A., its gaieties and amusements. - -“I don’t suppose there’ll be any kick coming,” he said, “but it wouldn’t -be a bad scheme if we took a trip round the world, and came back in -about eighteen months’ time to settle down in London. My hectic past -would have been forgotten by then—why, I might even get into -Parliament.” - -“How wonderful!” she breathed, and then: “What is this play about, -Monty?” - -“It’s a bit of a thrill, the very play for you—a detective story that -will make your hair stand on end.” - -She had all the gamin’s morbid interest in murder and crime, and she -settled down in the box with a pleasant feeling of anticipation, and -watched the development of the first act. - -The scene was laid in a club, a low-down resort where the least -desirable members of society met, and she drank in every word, because -she knew the life, had seen that type of expensively dressed woman who -swaggered on to the stage and was addressed familiarly by the club -proprietor. She knew that steady-eyed detective when he made his -embarrassing appearance. The woman was herself. She even knew the -cadaverous wanderer who approached stealthily at the door: a human wolf -that fled at the sight of the police officer. - -The three who sat in the front row of the stalls—how Leon Gonsalez -secured these tickets was one of the minor mysteries of the day—saw -her, and one at least felt his heart ache. - -Monty beamed his geniality. He had taken sufficient wine to give him a -rosy view of the world, and he was even mildly interested in the play, -though his chief pleasure was in the girl’s enchantment. He ordered ices -for her after the first interval. - -“You’re getting quite a theatre fan, kiddie,” he said. “I must take you -to some other shows. I had no idea you liked this sort of thing.” - -She drew a long breath and smiled at him. - -“I like anything when I’m with you,” she said, and they held hands -foolishly, till the house lights dimmed and the curtain rose upon a -lawyer’s office. - -The lawyer was of the underworld: a man everlastingly on the verge of -being struck off the rolls. He had betrayed a client with whom he had -had dealings, and the man had gone to prison for a long term, but had -escaped. Now the news had come that he had left Australia and was in -London, waiting his opportunity to destroy the man whose treachery was -responsible for his capture. - -Here was a note to which the heart of the girl responded. Even Monty -found himself leaning forward, as the old familiar cant terms of his -trade came across the footlights. - -“It is quite all right,” he said at the second interval, “only”—he -hesitated—“isn’t it a bit too near the real thing? After all, one -doesn’t come to the theatre to see . . .” - -He stopped, realizing that conditions and situations familiar to him -were novel enough to a fashionable audience which was learning for the -first time that a “busy” was a detective, and that a police informer -went by the title of “nose.” - -The lights up, he glanced round the house, and suddenly he started and -caught her arm. - -“Don’t look for a moment,” he said, averting his eyes, “then take a -glance at the front row. Do you see anybody you know?” - -Presently she looked. - -“Yes, that is the fellow you hate so much, isn’t it—Gonsalez?” - -“They’re all there—the three of them,” said Monty. “I wonder,”—he was -troubled at the thought—“I wonder if they’re looking for you?” - -“For me? They’ve nothing on me, Monty.” - -He was silent. - -“I’m glad you’re not going back to that place to-night. They’ll trail -you sure—sure!” - -He thought later that it was probably a coincidence that they were there -at all. They seemed to show no interest in the box, but were chattering -and talking and laughing to one another. Not once did their eyes come up -to his level, and after a while he gained in confidence, though he was -glad enough when the play was resumed. - -There were two scenes in the act: the first was a police station, the -second the lawyer’s room. The man was drunk, and the detective had come -to warn him that The Ringer was after him. And then suddenly the lights -on the stage were extinguished and the whole house was in the dark. It -was part of the plot. In this darkness, and in the very presence of the -police, the threatened man was to be murdered. They listened in tense -silence, the girl craning her head forward, trying to pierce the dark, -listening to the lines of intense dialogue that were coming from the -blackness of the stage. Somebody was in the room—a woman, and they had -found her. She slipped from the stage detective’s grasp and vanished, -and when the lights went up she was gone. - -“What has happened, Monty?” she whispered. - -He did not answer. - -“Do you think——” - -She looked round at him. His head was resting on the plush-covered ledge -of the box. His face, turned towards her, was grey; the eyes were -closed, and his teeth showed in a hideous grin. - -She screamed. - -“Monty! Monty!” - -She shook him. Again her scream rang through the house. At first the -audience thought that it was a woman driven hysterical by the tenseness -of the stage situation, and then one or two people rose from their -stalls and looked up. - -“Monty! Speak to me! He’s dead, he’s dead!” - -Three seats in the front row had emptied. The screams of the hysterical -girl made it impossible for the scene to proceed, and the curtain came -down quickly. - -The house was seething with excitement. Every face was turned towards -the box where she knelt by the side of the dead man, clasping him in her -arms, and the shrill agony in her voice was unnerving. - -The door of the box swung open, and Manfred dashed in. One glance he -gave at Monty Newton, and he needed no other. - -“Get the girl out,” he said curtly. - -Leon tried to draw her from the box, but she was a shrieking fury. - -“You did it, you did it! . . . Let me go to him!” - -Leon lifted her from her feet, and, clawing wildly at his face, she was -carried from the box. - -The manager was running along the passage, and Leon sent him on with a -jerk of his head. And then a woman in evening dress came from somewhere. - -“May I take her?” she said, and the exhausted girl collapsed into her -arms. - -Gonsalez flew back to the box. The man was lying on the floor, and the -manager, standing at the edge of the box, was addressing the audience. - -“The gentleman has fainted, and I’m afraid his friend has become a -little hysterical. I must apologize to you, ladies and gentlemen, for -this interruption. If you will allow us a minute to clear the box, the -play will be resumed. If there is a doctor in the house, I should be -glad if he would come.” - -There were two doctors within reach, and in the passage, which was now -guarded by a commissionaire, a hasty examination was made. They examined -the punctured wound at the back of the neck and then looked at one -another. - -“This is The Snake,” said one. - -“The house mustn’t know,” said Manfred. “He’s dead, of course?” - -The doctor nodded. - -Out in the passage was a big emergency exit door, and this the manager -pushed open, and, running out into the street, found a cab, into which -all that was mortal of Monty Newton was lifted. - -Whilst this was being done, Poiccart returned. - -“His car has just driven off,” he said. “I saw the number-plate as it -turned into Lisle Street.” - -“How long ago?” asked Gonsalez quickly. - -“At this very moment.” - -Leon pinched his lip thoughtfully. - -“Why didn’t he wait, I wonder?” - -He went back through the emergency door, which was being closed, and -passed up the passage towards the entrance. The box was on the -dress-circle level, and the end of a short passage brought him into the -circle itself. - -And then the thought of the lame man occurred to him, and his eyes -sought the first seat in the front row, which was also the seat nearest -to the boxes. The man had gone. - -As he made this discovery, George emerged from the passage. - -“Gurther!” said Leon. “What a fool I am! But how clever!” - -“Gurther?” said Manfred in amazement. “Do you mean the man with the club -foot?” - -Leon nodded. - -“He was not alone, of course,” said Gonsalez. “There must have been two -or three of the gang here, men and women—Oberzohn works these schemes -out with the care and thoroughness of a general. I wonder where the -management have taken the girl?” - -He found the manager discussing the tragedy with two other men, one of -whom was obviously associated with the production, and he signalled him -aside. - -“The lady? I suppose she’s gone home. She’s left the theatre.” - -“Which way did she go?” asked Gonsalez, in a sudden panic. - -The manager called a linkman, who had seen a middle-aged woman come out -of the theatre with a weeping girl, and they had gone down the -side-street towards the little square at the back of the playhouse. - -“She may have taken her home to Chester Square,” said Manfred. His voice -belied the assumption of confidence. - -Leon had not brought his own machine, and they drove to Chester Square -in a taxi. Fred, the footman, had neither heard nor seen the girl, and -nearly fainted when he learned of the tragic ending to his master’s -career. - -“Oh, my God!” he groaned. “And he only left here this afternoon . . . -dead, you say?” - -Gonsalez nodded. - -“Not—not The Snake?” faltered the man. - -“What do you know about the snake?” demanded Manfred sternly. - -“Nothing, except—well, the snake made him nervous, I know. He told me -to-day that he hoped he’d get through the week without a snake-bite.” - -He was questioned closely, but although it was clear that he knew -something of his master’s illicit transactions, and that he was -connected in business with Oberzohn, the footman had no connection with -the doctor’s gang. He drew a large wage and a percentage of profits from -the gaming side of the business, and confessed that it was part of his -duties to prepare stacks of cards and pass them to his master under -cover of bringing in the drinks. But of anything more sinister he knew -nothing. - -“The woman, of course, was a confederate, who had been planted to take -charge of the girl the moment the snake struck. I was in such a state of -mind,” confessed Leon, “that I do not even remember what she looked -like. I am a fool—a double-distilled idiot! I think I must be getting -old. There’s only one thing for us to do, and that is to get back to -Curzon Street—something may have turned up.” - -“Did you leave anybody in the house?” - -Leon nodded. - -“Yes, I left one of our men, to take any ’phone messages that came -through.” - -They paid off the taxi before the house, and Leon sprinted to the garage -to get the car. The man who opened the door to them was he who had been -tied up by the pedlar at Heavytree Farm, and his first words came as a -shock to Manfred: - -“Digby’s here, sir.” - -“Digby?” said the other in surprise. “I thought he was on duty?” - -“He’s been here since just after you left, sir. If I’d known where you -had gone, I’d have sent him to you.” - -Digby came out of the waiting-room at that moment, ready to apologize. - -“I had to see you, sir, and I’m sorry I’m away from my post.” - -“You may not be missing much,” said Manfred unsmilingly. “Come upstairs -and tell me all about it.” - -Digby’s story was a strange one. He had gone down that afternoon to the -canal bank to make a reconnaissance of ground which was new to him. - -“I’m glad I did too, because the walls have got broken glass on top. I -went up into the Old Kent Road and bought a garden hoe, and prised the -mortar loose, so that if I wanted, I could get over. And then I climbed -round the water-gate and had a look at that barge of his. There was -nobody about, though I think they spotted me afterwards. It is a fairly -big barge, and, of course, in a terrible state, but the hold is full of -cargo—you know that, sir?” - -“You mean there is something in the barge?” - -Digby nodded. - -“Yes, it has a load of some kind. The after part, where the bargee’s -sleeping quarters are, is full of rats and water, but the fore part of -the vessel is water-tight, and it holds something heavy too. That is why -the barge is down by its head in the mud. I was in the Thames police and -I know a lot about river craft.” - -“Is that what you came to tell me?” - -“No, sir, it was something queerer than that. After I’d given the barge -a look over and tried to pull up some of the boards—which I didn’t -manage to do—I went along and had a look at the factory. It’s not so -easy to get in, because the entrance faces the house, but to get to it -you have to go half round the building, and that gives you a certain -amount of cover. There was nothing I could see in the factory itself. It -was in a terrible mess, full of old iron and burnt-out boxes. I was -coming round the back of the building,” he went on impressively, “when I -smelt a peculiar scent.” - -“A perfume?” - -“Yes, sir, it was perfume, but stronger—more like incense. I thought at -first it might be an old bale of stuff that had been thrown out, or else -I was deceiving myself. I began poking about in the rubbish heaps—but -_they_ didn’t smell of scent! Then I went back into the building again, -but there was no smell at all. It was very strong when I returned to the -back of the factory, and then I saw a little waft of smoke come out of a -ventilator close to the ground. My first idea was that the place was on -fire, but when I knelt down, it was this scent.” - -“Joss-sticks?” said Poiccart quickly. - -“That’s what it was!” said the detective. “Like incense, yet not like -it. I knelt down and listened at the grating, and I’ll swear that I -heard voices. They were very faint.” - -“Men’s?” - -“No, women’s.” - -“Could you see anything?” - -“No, sir, it was a blind ventilator; there was probably a shaft -there—in fact, I’m sure there was, because I pushed a stone through one -of the holes and heard it drop some distance down.” - -“There may be an underground room there,” said Poiccart, “and somebody’s -burnt joss-sticks to sweeten the atmosphere.” - -“Under the factory? It’s not in the plans of the building. I’ve had them -from the surveyor’s office and examined them,” said George, “although -surveyors’ plans aren’t infallible. A man like Oberzohn would not -hesitate to break so unimportant a thing as a building law!” - -Leon came in at that moment, heard the story and was in complete -agreement with Poiccart’s theory. - -“I wondered at the time we saw the plans whether we ought to accept that -as conclusive,” he said. “The store was built at the end of 1914, when -architects and builders took great liberties and pleaded the exigencies -of the war.” - -Digby went on with his story. - -“I was going back to the barge to get past the water-gate, but I saw the -old man coming down the steps of the house, so I climbed the wall, and -very glad I was that I’d shifted that broken glass, or I should never -have got over.” - -Manfred pulled his watch from his pocket with a frown. They had lost -nearly an hour of precious time with their inquiries in Chester Square. - -“I hope we’re not too late,” he said ominously. “Now, Leon . . .” - -But Leon had gone down the stairs in three strides. - -_Chapter XXX_ _Joan a Prisoner_ - -DAZED with grief, not knowing, not seeing, not caring, not daring to -think, Joan suffered herself to be led quickly into the obscurity of the -side-street, and did not even realize that Oberzohn’s big limousine had -drawn up by the sidewalk. - -“Get in,” said the woman harshly. - -Joan was pushed through the door and guided to a seat by somebody who -was already in the machine. - -She collapsed in a corner moaning as the door slammed and the car began -to move. - -“Where are we going? Let me get back to him!” - -“The gracious lady will please restrain her grief,” said a hateful -voice, and she swung round and stared unseeingly to the place whence the -voice had come. - -The curtains of the car had been drawn; the interior was as black as -pitch. - -“You—you beast!” she gasped. “It’s you, is it? . . . Gurther! You -murdering beast!” - -She struck at him feebly, but he caught her wrist. - -“The gracious lady will most kindly restrain her grief,” he said -suavely. “The Herr Newton is not dead. It was a little trick in order to -baffle certain interferers.” - -“You’re lying, you’re lying!” she screamed, struggling to escape from -those hands of steel. “He’s dead! You know he’s dead, and you killed -him! You snake-man!” - -“The gracious lady must believe me,” said Gurther earnestly. They were -passing through a public part of the town and at any moment a policeman -might hear her shrieks. “If Herr Newton had not pretended to be hurt, he -would have been arrested . . . he follows in the next car.” - -“You’re trying to quieten me,” she said, “but I won’t be quiet.” - -And then a hand came over her mouth and pressed her head back against -the cushions. She struggled desperately, but two fingers slid up her -face and compressed her nostrils. She was being suffocated. She -struggled to free herself from the tentacle hold of him, and then -slipped into unconsciousness. Gurther felt the straining figure go limp -and removed his hands. She did not feel the prick of the needle on her -wrist, though the drugging was clumsily performed in the darkness and in -a car that was swaying from side to side. He felt her pulse, his long -fingers pressed her throat and felt the throb of the carotid artery; -propping her so that she could not fall, Herr Gurther sank back -luxuriously into a corner of the limousine and lit a cigar. - -The journey was soon over. In a very short time they were bumping down -Hangman’s Lane and turned so abruptly into the factory grounds that one -of the mudguards buckled to the impact of the gate-post. - - * * * * * - -It must have been two hours after the departure of her companion, when -Mirabelle, lying on her bed, half dozing, was wakened by her book -slipping to the floor, and sat up quickly to meet the apprising stare of -the man whom, of all men in the world, she disliked most cordially. Dr. -Oberzohn had come noiselessly into the room and under his arm was a pile -of books. - -“I have brought these for you,” he said, in his booming voice, and -stacked them neatly on the table. - -She did not answer. - -“Novels of a frivolous kind, such as you will enjoy,” he said, -unconscious of offence. “I desired the seller of the books to pick them -for me. Fiction stories of adventure and of amorous exchanges. These -will occupy your mind, though to me they would be the merest rubbish and -nonsense.” - -She stood silently, her hands clasped behind her, watching him. He was -neater than usual, had resumed the frock-coat he wore the day she had -first met him—how long ago that seemed!—his collar was stiffly white, -and if his cravat was more gorgeous than is usually seen in a man -correctly arrayed, it had the complementary value of being new. - -He held in his hand a small bouquet of flowers tightly packed, their -stems enclosed in silver foil, a white paper frill supplying an -additional expression of gentility. - -“These are for you.” He jerked out his hand towards her. - -Mirabelle looked at the flowers, but did not take them. He seemed in no -way disconcerted, either by her silence, or by the antagonism which her -attitude implied, but, laying the flowers on top of the books, he -clasped his hands before him and addressed her. He was nervous, for some -reason; the skin of his forehead was furrowing and smoothing with -grotesque rapidity. She watched the contortions, fascinated. - -“To every man,” he began, “there comes a moment of domestic allurement. -Even to the scientific mind, absorbed in its colossal problems, there is -this desire for family life and for the haven of rest which is called -marriage.” - -He paused, as though he expected her to offer some comment upon his -platitude. - -“Man alone,” he went on, when she did not speak, “has established an -artificial and unnatural convention that, at a certain age, a man should -marry a woman of that same age. Yet it has been proved by history that -happy marriages are often between a man who is in the eyes of the world -old, and a lady who is youthful.” - -She was gazing at him in dismay. Was he proposing to her? The idea was -incredible, almost revolting. He must have read in her face the thoughts -that were uppermost in her mind, the loathing, the sense of repulsion -which filled her, yet he went on, unabashed: - -“I am a man of great riches. You are a girl of considerable poverty. But -because I saw you one day in your poor house, looking, gracious lady, -like a lily growing amidst foul weeds, my heart went out to you, and for -this reason I brought you to London, spending many thousands of pounds -in order to give myself the pleasure of your company.” - -“I don’t think you need go any farther, Dr. Oberzohn,” she said quietly, -“if you’re proposing marriage, as I think you are.” - -He nodded emphatically. - -“Such is my honourable intention,” he said. - -“I would never marry you in any circumstances,” she said. “Not even if I -had met you under the happiest conditions. The question of your -age”—she nearly added “and of your appearance,” but her natural -kindness prevented that cruel thrust, though it would not have hurt him -in the slightest degree—“has nothing whatever to do with my decision. I -do not even like you, and have never liked you, Mr. Oberzohn.” - -“Doctor,” he corrected, and in spite of her woeful plight she could have -laughed at this insistence upon the ceremonial title. - -“Young miss, I cannot woo you in the way of my dear and sainted brother, -who was all for ladies and had a beautiful manner.” - -She was amazed to hear that he had a brother at all—and it was almost a -relief to know that he was dead. - -“Martyred, at the hands of wicked and cunning murderers, slain in his -prime by the assassin’s pistol . . .” His voice trembled and broke. “For -that sainted life I will some day take vengeance.” - -It was not wholly curiosity that impelled her to ask who killed him. - -“Leon Gonsalez.” The words in his lips became the grating of a file. -“Killed . . . murdered! And even his beautiful picture destroyed in that -terrible fire. Had he saved that, my heart would have been soft towards -him.” He checked himself, evidently realizing that he was getting away -from the object of his call. “Think over this matter, young lady. Read -the romantic books and the amorous books, and then perhaps you will not -think it is so terrible a fate to drift at moonlight through the canals -of Venice, with the moon above and the gondoliers.” - -He wagged his head sentimentally. - -“There is no book which will change my view, doctor,” she said. “I -cannot understand why you propose such an extraordinary course, but I -would rather die than marry you.” - -His cold eyes filled her with a quick terror. - -“There are worse things than death, which is but sleep—many worse -things, young miss. To-morrow I shall come for you, and we will go into -the country, where you will say ‘yes’ and ‘no’ according to my desire. I -have many—what is the word?—certificates for marriage, for I am too -clever a man to leave myself without alternatives.” - -(This was true; he had residential qualifications in at least four -counties, and at each he had given legal notice of his intended -marriage.) - -“Not to-morrow or any other day. Nothing would induce me.” - -His eyebrows went almost to the top of his head. - -“So!” he said, with such significance that her blood ran cold. “There -are worse men than the Herr Doktor,”—he raised a long finger -warningly,—“terrible men with terrible minds. You have met Gurther?” - -She did not answer this. - -“Yes, yes, you danced with him. A nice man, is he not, to ladies? Yet -this same Gurther . . . I will tell you something.” - -He seated himself on a corner of the table and began talking, until she -covered her ears with her hands and hid her white face from him. - -“They would have killed him for that,” he said, when her hands came -down, “but Gurther was too clever, and the poor German peasants too -stupid. You shall remember that, shall you not?” - -He did not wait for her answer. With a stiff bow he strutted out of the -room and up the stairs. There came the thud of the trap falling and the -inevitable rumble of the concrete barrel. - -He had some work to do, heavy work for a man who found himself panting -when he climbed stairs. And though four of his best and most desperate -men were waiting in his parlour drinking his whisky and filling the -little room with their rank cigar smoke, he preferred to tackle this -task which he had already begun as soon as night fell, without their -assistance or knowledge. - -On the edge of the deep hole in his grounds, where the wild convolvulus -grew amidst the rusty corners of discarded tins and oil barrels, was a -patch of earth that yielded easily to the spade. When the factory had -been built, the depression had been bigger, but the builders had filled -in half the hole with the light soil that they had dug out of the -factory’s foundations. - -He took his spade, which he had left in the factory, and, skirting the -saucer-shaped depression, he reached a spot where a long trench had -already been dug. Taking off his fine coat and waistcoat, unfastening -cravat and collar and carefully depositing them upon the folded coat, he -continued his work, stopping now and again to wipe his streaming brow. - -He had to labour in the dark, but this was no disadvantage; he could -feel the edges of the pit. In an hour the top of the trench was level -with his chin, and, stooping to clear the bottom of loose soil, he -climbed up with greater difficulty than he had anticipated, and it was -only after the third attempt that he managed to reach the top, out of -breath and short of temper. - -He dressed again, and with his electric torch surveyed the pit he had -made and grunted his satisfaction. - -He was keenly sensitive to certain atmospheres, and needed no -information about the change which had come over his subordinates. In -their last consultation Gurther had been less obsequious, had even -smoked in his presence without permission—absent-mindedly, perhaps, but -the offence was there. And Dr. Oberzohn, on the point of smacking his -face for his insolence, heard a warning voice within himself which had -made his hand drop back at his side. Or was it the look he saw on -Gurther’s face? The man was beyond the point where he could discipline -him in the old Junker way. For although Dr. Oberzohn contemned all -things Teutonic, he had a sneaking reverence for the military caste of -that nation. - -He left the spade sticking in a heap of turned earth. He would need that -again, and shortly. Unless Gurther failed. Somehow he did not anticipate -a failure in this instance. Mr. Monty Newton had not yet grown -suspicious, would not be on his guard. His easy acceptance of the -theatre ticket showed his mind in this respect. - -The four men in his room rose respectfully as he came in. The air was -blue with smoke, and Lew Cuccini offered a rough apology. He had been -released that morning from detention, for Meadows had found it difficult -to frame a charge which did not expose the full activities of the -police, and the part they were playing in relation to Mirabelle -Leicester. Evidently Cuccini had been reproaching, in his own peculiar -way and in his own unprincipled language, the cowardice of his three -companions, for the atmosphere seemed tense when the doctor returned. -Yet, as was subsequently proved, the appearance of discord was -deceptive; might indeed have been staged for their host’s benefit. - -“I’ve just been telling these birds——” began Cuccini. - -“Oh, shut up, Lew!” growled one of his friends. “If that crazy man -hadn’t been shouting your name, we should not have gone back! He’d have -wakened the dead. And our orders were to retire at the first serious -sign of an alarm. That’s right, doctor, isn’t it?” - -“Sure it’s right,” said the doctor blandly. “Never be caught—that is a -good motto. Cuccini was caught.” - -“And I’d give a year of my life to meet that Dago again,” said Cuccini, -between his teeth. - -He was delightfully inconsistent, for he came into the category, having -been born in Milan, and had had his early education in the Italian -quarter of Hartford, Connecticut. - -“He’d have tortured me too . . . he was going to put lighted wax matches -between my fingers——” - -“And then you spilled it!” accused one of the three hotly. “You talk -about us bolting!” - -“Silence!” roared the doctor. “This is unseemly! I have forgiven -everything. That shall be enough for you all. I will hear no other -word.” - -“Where is Gurther?” Cuccini asked the question. - -“He has gone away. To-night he leaves for America. He may return—who -knows? But that is the intention.” - -“Snaking?” asked somebody, and there was a little titter of laughter. - -“Say, doctor, how do you work that stunt?” Cuccini leaned forward, his -cigar between his fingers, greatly intrigued. “I saw no snakes down at -Rath Hall, and yet he was bitten, just as that Yankee was -bitten—Washington.” - -“He will die,” said the doctor complacently. He was absurdly jealous for -the efficacy of his method. - -“He was alive yesterday, anyway. We shadowed him to the station.” - -“Then he was not bitten—no, that is impossible. When the -snake-bites,”—Oberzohn raised his palms and gazed piously at the -ceiling—“after that there is nothing. No, no, my friend, you are -mistaken.” - -“I tell you I’m not making any mistake,” said the other doggedly. “I was -in the room, I tell you, soon after they brought him in, and I heard one -of the busies say that his face was all wet.” - -“So!” said Oberzohn dully. “That is very bad.” - -“But how do you do it, doctor? Do you shoot or sump’n’?” - -“Let us talk about eventual wealth and happiness,” said the doctor. -“To-night is a night of great joy for me. I will sing you a song.” - -Then, to the amazement of the men and to their great unhappiness, he -sang, in a thin, reedy old voice, the story of a young peasant who had -been thwarted in love and had thrown himself from a cliff into a -seething waterfall. It was a lengthy song, intensely sentimental, and -his voice held few of the qualities of music. The gang had never been -set a more difficult job than to keep straight faces until he had -finished. - -“Gee! You’re some artist, doctor!” said the sycophantic Cuccini, and -managed to get a simulation of envy into his voice. - -“In my student days I was a great singer,” said the doctor modestly. - -Over the mantelpiece was a big, old clock, with a face so faded that -only a portion of the letters remained. Its noisy ticking had usually a -sedative effect on the doctor. But its main purpose and value was its -accuracy. Every day it was corrected by a message from Greenwich, and as -Oberzohn’s success as an organizer depended upon exact timing, it was -one of his most valuable assets. - -He glanced up at the clock now, and that gave Cuccini his excuse. - -“We’ll be getting along, doctor,” he said. “You don’t want anything -to-night? I’d like to get a cut at that Gonsalez man. You won’t leave me -out if there’s anything doing?” - -Oberzohn rose and went out of the room without another word, for he knew -that the rising of Cuccini was a signal that not only was the business -of the day finished, but also that the gang needed its pay. - -Every gang-leader attended upon Mr. Oberzohn once a week with his -pay-roll, and it was usually the custom for the Herr Doktor to bring his -cash-box into the room and extract sufficient to liquidate his -indebtedness to the leader. It was a big box, and on pay-day, as this -was, filled to the top with bank-notes and Treasury bills. He brought it -back now, put it on the table, consulted the little slip that Cuccini -offered to him, and, taking out a pad of notes, fastened about by a -rubber band, he wetted his finger and thumb. - -“You needn’t count them,” said Cuccini. “We’ll take the lot.” - -The doctor turned to see that Cuccini was carelessly holding a gun in -his hand. - -“The fact is, doctor,” said Cuccini coolly, “we’ve seen the red light, -and if we don’t skip now, while the skipping’s good, there’s going to be -no place we can stay comfortable in this little island, and I guess -we’ll follow Gurther.” - -One glance the doctor gave at the pistol and then he resumed his -counting, as though nothing had happened. - -“Twenty, thirty, forty, fifty . . .” - -“Now quit that,” said Cuccini roughly. “I tell you, you needn’t count.” - -“My friend, I prefer to know what I am going to lose. It is a pardonable -piece of curiosity.” - -He raised his hand to the wall, where a length of cord hung, and pulled -at it gently, without taking his eyes from the bank-notes. - -“What are you doing? Put up your hands!” hissed Cuccini. - -“Shoot, I beg.” Oberzohn threw a pad of notes on the table. “There is -your pay.” He slammed down the lid of the box. “Now you shall go, if you -_can_ go! Do you hear them?” He raised his hand, and to the strained -ears of the men came a gentle rustling sound from the passage outside as -though somebody were dragging a piece of parchment along the floor. “Do -you hear? You shall go if you can,” said the doctor again, with amazing -calmness. - -“The snakes!” breathed Cuccini, going white, and the hand that held the -pistol shook. - -“Shoot them, my friend,” sneered Oberzohn. “If you see them, shoot them. -But you will not see them, my brave man. They will be—where? No eyes -shall see them come or go. They may lie behind a picture, they may wait -until the door is opened, and then . . . !” - -Cuccini’s mouth was dry. - -“Call ’em off, doctor,” he said tremulously. - -“Your gun—on the table.” - -Still the rustling sound was audible. Cuccini hesitated for a second, -then obeyed, and took up the notes. - -The other three men were huddled together by the fire-place, the picture -of fear. - -“Don’t open the door, doc,” said Cuccini, but Oberzohn had already -gripped the handle and turned it. - -They heard another door open and the click of the passage light as it -had come on. Then he returned. - -“If you go now, I shall not wish to see you again. Am I not a man to -whom all secrets are known? You are well aware!” - -Cuccini looked from the doctor to the door. - -“Want us to go?” he asked, troubled. - -Oberzohn shrugged. - -“As you wish! It was my desire that you should stay with me -to-night—there is big work and big money for all of you.” - -The men were looking at one another uneasily. - -“How long do you want us to stay?” asked Cuccini. - -“To-night only; if you would not prefer . . .” - -To-night would come the crisis. Oberzohn had realized this since the day -dawned for him. - -“We’ll stay—where do we sleep?” - -For answer Oberzohn beckoned them from the room and they followed him -into the laboratory. In the wall that faced them was a heavy iron door -that opened into a concrete storehouse, where he kept various odds and -ends of equipment, oil and spirit for his cars, and the little gas -engine that worked a small dynamo in the laboratory and gave him, if -necessary, a lighting plant independent of outside current. - -There were three long windows heavily barred and placed just under the -ceiling. - -“Looks like the condemned cell to me,” grumbled Cuccini suspiciously. - -“Are the bolts on the inside of a condemned cell?” asked Oberzohn. “Does -the good warden give you the key as I give you?” - -Cuccini took the key. - -“All right,” he said ungraciously, “there are plenty of blankets here, -boys—I guess you want us where the police won’t look, eh?” - -“That is my intention,” replied the doctor. - -Dr. Oberzohn closed the door on them and re-entered his study, his big -mouth twitching with amusement. He pulled the cord again and closed the -ventilator he had opened. It was only a few days before that he had -discovered that there were dried leaves in the ventilator shaft, and -that the opening of the inlet made them rustle, disturbingly for a man -who was engaged in a profound study of the lesser known, and therefore -the more highly cultured, philosophers. - -_Chapter XXXI_ _The Things in the Box_ - -HE heard the soft purr of engines, and, looking through the hall -window, saw the dim lights of the car approaching the house, and turned -out the hall lamp. There he waited in the darkness, till the door of the -limousine opened and Gurther jumped out. - -“I respectfully report that it is done, Herr Doktor,” he said. - -Oberzohn nodded. - -“The woman of Newton—where is she?” - -“She is inside. Is it your wish that I should bring her? She was very -troublesome, Herr Doktor, and I had to use the needle.” - -“Bring her in—you!” He barked to the chauffeur. “Help our friend.” - -Together they lifted the unconscious girl, but carried her no farther -than the steps. At this point Oberzohn decided that she must return to -the prison. First they sent the chauffeur away; the car was garaged at -New Cross (it was one of Oberzohn’s three London depots), where the man -also lived. After he had gone, they carried Joan between them to the -factory, taking what, to Gurther, seemed an unnecessarily circuitous -route. If it was unnecessary, it was at least expedient, for the nearest -way to the factory led past the yawning hole that the doctor had dug -with such labour. - -There was no mistaking Oberzohn’s arrival this time. The trap went up -with a thud, and Mirabelle listened, with a quickly beating heart, to -the sound of feet coming down the stone stairs. There were two people, -and they were walking heavily. Somehow she knew before she saw their -burden that it was Joan. She was in evening dress, her face as white as -chalk and her eyes closed; the girl thought she was dead when she saw -them lay her on the bed. - -“You have given her too much, Gurther,” said Oberzohn. - -Gurther? - -She had not recognized him. It was almost impossible to believe that -this was the dapper young man who had danced with her at the Arts Ball. - -“I had to guess in the dark, Herr Doktor,” said Gurther. - -They were talking in German, and Mirabelle’s acquaintance with that -language was very slight. She saw Gurther produce a small flat case from -his pocket, take out a little phial, and shake into the palm of his hand -a small brown capsule. This he dissolved in a tiny tube which, with the -water he used, was also extracted from the case. Half filling a minute -syringe, he sent the needle into Joan’s arm. A pause, and then: - -“Soon she will wake, with your kind permission, Herr Doktor,” said -Gurther. - -Mirabelle was not looking at him, but she knew that his hot eyes were -fixed on her, that all the time except the second he was operating, he -was looking at her; and now she knew that this was the man to be feared. -A cold hand seemed to grip at her heart. - -“That will do, Gurther.” Oberzohn’s voice was sharp. He, too, had -interpreted the stare. “You need not wait.” - -Gurther obediently stalked from the room, and the doctor followed. -Almost before the trap had fastened down she was by the girl’s side, -with a basin of water and a wet towel. The second the water touched her -face, Joan opened her eyes and gazed wildly up at the vaulted ceiling, -then rolling over from the bed to her knees, she struggled to her feet, -swayed and would have fallen, had not Mirabelle steadied her. - -“They’ve got him! They’ve got my boy . . . killed him like a dog!” - -“What—Mr.—Mr. Newton?” gasped Mirabelle, horrified. - -“Killed him—Monty—Monty!” - -And then she began to scream and run up and down the room like a thing -demented. Mirabelle, sick at heart, almost physically sick at the sight, -caught her and tried to calm her, but she was distracted, half mad. The -drug and its antidote seemed to have combined to take away the last -vestige of restraint. It was not until she fell, exhausted, that -Mirabelle was able to drag her again to the bed and lay her upon it. - -Montague Newton was dead! Who had killed him? Who were the “they”? Then -she thought of Gurther in his strange attire; white dress-front -crumpled, even his beard disarranged in the struggle he had had with the -overwrought woman. - -In sheer desperation she ran up the steps and tried the trap, but it was -fast. She must get away from here—must get away at once. Joan was -moaning pitiably, and the girl sat by her side, striving to calm her. -She seemed to have passed into a state of semi-consciousness; except for -her sobs, she made no sound and uttered no intelligible word. Half an -hour passed—the longest and most dreadful half-hour in Mirabelle -Leicester’s life. And then she heard a sound. It had penetrated even to -the brain of this half-mad girl, for she opened her eyes wide, and, -gripping Mirabelle, drew herself up. - -“He’s coming,” she said, white to the lips, “coming . . . the Killer is -coming!” - -“For God’s sake don’t talk like that!” said Mirabelle, beside herself -with fear. - -There it was, in the outer room; a stealthy shuffle of feet. She stared -at the closed door, and the strain of the suspense almost made her -faint. And then she saw the steel door move, slowly, and first a hand -came through, the edge of a face . . . Gurther was leering at her. His -beard was gone, and his wig; he was collarless, and had over his white -shirt the stained jacket that was his everyday wear. - -“I want you.” He was talking to Mirabelle. - -Her tongue clave to the roof of her mouth, but she did not speak. - -“My pretty little lady——” he began, and then, with a shriek, Joan -leapt at him. - -“Murderer, murderer . . . ! Beast!” she cried, striking wildly at his -face. With a curse, he tried to throw her off, but she was clinging to -him; a bestial lunatic thing, hardly human. - -He flung her aside at last, and then he put up his hand to guard his -face as she leapt at him again. This time she went under his arm and was -through the door in a flash. He heard the swift patter of her feet on -the stairs, and turned in pursuit. The trap was open. He stumbled and -tripped in the dark across the floor of the gaunt factory. Just as she -reached the open, he grabbed at her and missed. Like a deer she sped, -but he was fleeter-footed behind her; and suddenly his hand closed about -her throat. - -“You had better go out, my friend,” he said, and tightened his grip. - -As she twisted to avoid him, he put out his foot. There was a grating -snap, something gripped his legs, and the excruciating pain of it was -agonizing. He loosened his hold of her throat, but held her arm tightly. -With all his strength he threw her against the wall and she fell in a -heap. Then, leaning down, he forced apart the cruel jagged teeth of the -man-trap on to which he had put his foot, and drew his leg clear. He was -bleeding; his trouser leg was torn to ribbons. He stopped only long -enough to drag the girl to her feet, and, throwing her across his -shoulder as though she were a sack, he went back into the factory, down -the stairs, and threw her on to the bed with such violence that the -spring supports broke. It had a strange effect upon the dazed woman, but -this he did not see, for he had turned to Mirabelle. - -“My little lady, I want you!” he breathed. - -Blood was trickling down from his wounded calf, but he did not feel the -pain any more; felt nothing, save the desire to hurt those who hunted -him; wanted nothing but the materialization of crude and horrid dreams. - -She stood, frozen, paralysed, incapable of movement. And then his hand -came under her chin and he lifted her face; and she saw the bright, -hungry eyes devouring her, saw the thin lips come closer and closer, -could not move; had lost all sentient impressions, and could only stare -into the eyes of this man-snake, hypnotized by the horror of the moment. - -And then a raging fury descended upon him. Narrow fingers tore at his -face, almost blinding him. He turned with a howl of rage, but the -white-faced Joan had flown to the furnace and taken up a short iron bar -that had been used to rake the burning coals together. She struck at him -and missed. He dodged past her and she flung the bar at him, and again -missed him. The iron struck the green box, behind the furnace, there was -a sound of smashing glass. He did not notice this, intent only upon the -girl, and Mirabelle closed her eyes and heard only the blow as he struck -her. - -When she looked again, Joan was lying on the bed and he was tying one of -her hands to the bed-rail with a strap which he had taken from his -waist. Then Mirabelle saw a sight that released her pent speech. He -heard her scream and grinned round at her . . . saw where she was -looking and looked too. - -Something was coming from the broken green box! A black, spade-shaped -head, with bright, hard eyes that seemed to survey the scene in a -malignant stare. And then, inch by inch, a thick shining thing, like a -rubber rope, wriggled slowly to the floor, coiled about upon itself, and -raised its flat head. - -“Oh, God, look!” - -He turned about at the sight, that immovable grin of his upon his face, -and said something in a guttural tongue. The snake was motionless, its -baleful gaze first upon the sinking girl, then upon the man. - -Gurther’s surprise was tragic; it was as though he had been confronted -with some apparition from another world. And then his hand went to his -hip pocket; there was a flash of light and a deafening explosion that -stunned her. The pistol dropped from his hand and fell with a clatter to -the floor, and she saw his arm was stiffly extended, and protruding from -the cuff of his coat a black tail that wound round and round his wrist. -It had struck up his sleeve. The cloth about his biceps was bumping up -and down erratically. - -He stood straightly erect, grinning, the arm still outflung, his -astonished eyes upon the coil about his wrist. And then, slowly his -other hand came round, gripped the tail and pulled it savagely forth. -The snake turned with an angry hiss and tried to bite back at him; but -raising his hand, he brought the head crashing down against the furnace. -There was a convulsive wriggle as the reptile fell among the ashes. - -“Gott in himmel!” whispered Gurther, and his free hand went up to his -arm and felt gingerly. “He is dead, gracious lady. Perhaps there is -another?” - -He went, swaying as he walked, to the green box, and put in his hand -without hesitation. There was another—a bigger snake, roused from its -sleep and angry. He bit twice at the man’s wrist, but Gurther laughed, a -gurgling laugh of pure enjoyment. For already he was a dead man; that he -knew. And it had come to him, at the moment and second of his -dissolution, when the dread gates of judgment were already ajar, that he -should go to his Maker with this clean space in the smudge of his life. - -“Go, little one,” he said, grinning into the spade-face. “You have no -more poison; that is finished!” - -He put the writhing head under his heel, and Mirabelle shut her eyes and -put her hands to her ears. When she looked again, the man was standing -by the door, clinging to the post and slipping with every frantic effort -to keep himself erect. - -He grinned at her again; this man of murder, who had made his last kill. - -“Pardon, gracious lady,” he said thickly, and went down on his knees, -his head against the door, his body swaying slowly from side to side, -and finally tumbled over. - -She heard Oberzohn’s harsh voice from the floor above. He was calling -Gurther, and presently he appeared in the doorway, and there was a -pistol in his hand. - -“So!” he said, looking down at the dying man. - -And then he saw the snake, and his face wrinkled. He looked from -Mirabelle to the girl on the bed, went over and examined her, but did -not attempt to release the strap. It was Mirabelle who did that; -Mirabelle who sponged the bruised face and loosened the dress. - -So doing, she felt a hand on her shoulder. - -“Come,” said Oberzohn. - -“I’m staying here with Joan, until——” - -“You come at once, or I will give you to my pretty little friends.” He -pointed to the two snakes on the floor who still moved spasmodically. - -She had to step past Gurther, but that seemed easier than passing those -wriggling, shining black ropes; and, her hand in his, she stumbled up -the dark steps and eventually into the clean, sweet air of the night. - -He was dressed for a journey; she had noticed that when he appeared. A -heavy cloth cap was on his curious-shaped head, and he looked less -repulsive with so much of his forehead hidden. Though the night was -warm, he wore an overcoat. - -They were passing between the wall and the factory when he stopped and -put his hand before her mouth. He had heard voices, low voices on the -other side of the wall, and presently the scrape of something. Without -removing his hand from her face, he half dragged, half pushed her until -they were clear of the factory. - -She thought they were going back to the house, which was in darkness, -but instead, he led her straight along the wall, and presently she saw -the bulk of the barge. - -“Stay, and do not speak,” he said, and began to turn a rusty wheel. With -a squeak and a groan the water-gates opened inwards. - -What did he intend doing? There was no sign of a boat, only this old -dilapidated barge. She was presently to know. - -“Come,” he said again. - -She was on the deck of the barge, moving forward to its bow, which -pointed towards the open gate and the canal beyond. - -She heard him puff and groan as he strained at a rope he had found, and -then, looking down, she saw the front of the barge open, like the two -water-gates of a lock. Displaying remarkable agility, he lowered himself -over the edge; he seemed to be standing on something solid, for again he -ordered her to join him. - -“I will not go,” she said breathlessly, and turning, would have fled, -but his hand caught her dress and dragged at her. - -“I will drown you here, woman,” he said, and she knew that the threat -would have a sequel. - -Tremblingly she lowered herself over the edge until her foot touched -something hard and yet yielding. He was pushing at the barge with all -his might, and the platform beneath her grew in space. First the sharp -nose and then the covered half-deck of the fastest motor-boat that Mr. -Oberzohn’s money could buy, or the ingenuity of builders could devise. -The old barge was a boat-house, and this means of escape had always been -to his hand. It was for this reason that he lived in a seemingly -inaccessible spot. - -The men who had been on the canal bank were gone. The propellers -revolving slowly, the boat stole down the dark waters, after a short -time slipped under a bridge over which street-cars were passing, and -headed for Deptford and the river. - -Dr. Oberzohn took off his overcoat and laid it tenderly inside the -shelter of the open cabin, tenderly because every pocket was packed -tight with money. - -To Mirabelle Leicester, crouching in the darkness of that sheltered -space, the time that passed had no dimension. Once an authoritative -voice hailed them from the bank. It was a policeman; she saw him after -the boat had passed. A gas-lamp showed the glitter of his metal buttons. -But soon he was far behind. - -Deptford was near when they reached a barrier which neither ingenuity -nor money could pass; a ragged nightbird peered down curiously at the -motor-boat. - -“You can’t get through here, guv’nor,” he said simply. “The lock doesn’t -open until high tide.” - -“When is this high tide?” asked Oberzohn breathlessly. - -“Six o’clock to-morrow morning,” said the voice. - -For a long time he saw, stricken to inactivity by the news, and then he -sent his engines into reverse and began circling round. - -“There is one refuge for us, young miss,” he said. “Soon we shall see -it. Now I will tell you something. I desire so much to live. Do you -also?” - -She did not answer. - -“If you cry out, if you will make noises, I will kill you—that is all,” -he said; and the very simplicity of his words, the lack of all emphasis -behind the deadly earnestness, told her that he would keep his word. - -_Chapter XXXII_ _The Search_ - -“’WARE man-traps,” said Gonsalez. - -The white beam of his lamp had detected the ugly thing. He struck at it -with his stick, and with a vicious snap it closed. - -“Here’s one that’s been sprung,” he said, and examined the teeth. “And, -what’s more, it has made a catch! There’s blood here.” - -Manfred and Digby were searching the ground cautiously. Then Manfred -heard the quick intake of his breath, and he stooped again, picked up a -strip of braided cloth. - -“A man’s,” he said, and his relief betrayed his fear. “Somebody in -evening dress, and quite recent.” He looked at his finger. “The blood is -still wet.” - -Digby showed him the ventilator grating through which he had smelt the -incense, and when Leon stooped, the faint aroma still remained. - -“We will try the factory first. If that draws blank, we’ll ask Dr. -Oberzohn’s guidance, and if it is not willingly given I shall persuade -him.” And in the reflected light of the lamp George Manfred saw the hard -Leon he knew of old. “This time I shall not promise: my threat will be -infinitely milder than my performance.” - -They came to the dark entry of the factory, and Manfred splashed his -light inside. - -“You’ll have to walk warily here,” he said. - -Progress was slow, for they did not know that a definite path existed -between the jagged ends of broken iron and debris. Once or twice Leon -stopped to stamp on the floor; it gave back a hollow sound. - -The search was long and painfully slow: a quarter of an hour passed -before Leon’s lamp focussed the upturned flagstone and the yawning -entrance of the vault. He was the first to descend, and, as he reached -the floor, he saw, silhouetted in the light that flowed from the inner -room, a man, as he thought, crouching in the doorway, and covered him. - -“Put up your hands!” he said. - -The figure made no response, and Manfred ran to the shape. The face was -in the shadow, but he brought his own lamp down and recognized the set -grin of the dead man. - -Gurther! - -So thus he had died, in a last effort to climb out for help. - -“The Snake,” said Manfred briefly. “There are no marks on his face, so -far as I can see.” - -“Do you notice his wrist, George?” - -Then, looking past the figure, Gonsalez saw the girl lying on the bed, -and recognized Joan before he saw her face. Half-way across the room he -slipped on something. Instinctively he knew it was a snake and leapt -around, his pistol balanced. - -“Merciful heaven! Look at this!” - -He stared from the one reptile to the other. - -“Dead!” he said. “That explains Gurther.” - -Quickly he unstrapped Joan’s wrists and lifted up her head, listening, -his ear pressed to the faintly fluttering heart. The basin and the -sponge told its own story. Where was Mirabelle? - -There was another room, and a row of big cupboards, but the girl was in -no place that he searched. - -“She’s gone, of course,” said Manfred quietly. “Otherwise, the trap -would not have been open. We’d better get this poor girl out of the way -and search the grounds. Digby, go to——” - -He stopped. - -If Oberzohn were in the house, they must not take the risk of alarming -him. - -But the girl’s needs were urgent. Manfred picked her up and carried her -out into the open, and, with Leon guiding them, they came, after a trek -which almost ended in a broken neck for Leon, to within a few yards of -the house. - -“I presume,” said Gonsalez, “that the hole into which I nearly dived was -dug for a purpose, and I shouldn’t be surprised to learn it was intended -that the late Mr. Gurther should find a permanent home there. Shall I -take her?” - -“No, no,” said Manfred, “go on into the lane. Poiccart should be there -with the car by now.” - -“Poiccart knows more about growing onions than driving motor-cars.” The -gibe was mechanical; the man’s heart and mind were on Mirabelle -Leicester. - -They had to make a circuit of the stiff copper-wire fence which -surrounded the house, and eventually reached Hangman’s Lane just as the -head-lamps of the Spanz came into view. - -“I will take her to the hospital and get in touch with the police,” said -Manfred. “I suppose there isn’t a near-by telephone?” - -“I shall probably telephone from the house,” said Leon gravely. - -From where he stood he could not tell whether the door was open or -closed. There was no transom above the door, so that it was impossible -to tell whether there were lights in the passage or not. The house was -in complete darkness. - -He was so depressed that he did not even give instructions to Poiccart, -who was frankly embarrassed by the duty which had been imposed upon him, -and gladly surrendered the wheel to George. - -They lifted the girl into the tonneau, and, backing into the gate, went -cautiously up the lane—Leon did not wait to see their departure, but -returned to the front of the house. - -The place was in darkness. He opened the wire gate and went silently up -the steps. He had not reached the top before he saw that the door was -wide open. Was it a trap? His lamp showed him the switch: he turned on -the light and closed the door behind him, and, bending his head, -listened. - -The first door on the right was Oberzohn’s room. The door was ajar, but -the lamps were burning inside. He pushed it open with the toe of his -boot, but the room was empty. - -The next two doors he tried on that floor were locked. He went carefully -down to the kitchens and searched them both. They were tenantless. He -knew there was a servant or two on the premises, but one thing he did -not know, and this he discovered in the course of his tour, was that -Oberzohn had no bedroom. One of the two rooms above had evidently been -occupied by the servants. The door was open, the room was empty and in -some confusion; a coarse night-dress had been hastily discarded and left -on the tumbled bedclothes. Oberzohn had sent his servants away in a -hurry—why? - -There was a half-smoked cigarette on the edge of a deal wash-stand. The -ash lay on the floor. In a bureau every drawer was open and empty, -except one, a half-drawer filled with odd scraps of cloth. Probably the -cook or the maid smoked. He found a packet of cigarettes under one -pillow to confirm this view, and guessed they had gone to bed leisurely -with no idea that they would be turned into the night. - -He learned later that Oberzohn had bundled off his servants at ten -minutes’ notice, paying them six months’ salary as some salve for the -indignity. - -Pfeiffer’s room was locked; but now, satisfied that the house was empty, -he broke the flimsy catch, made a search but found nothing. Gurther’s -apartment was in indescribable disorder. He had evidently changed in a -hurry. His powder puffs and beards, crepe hair and spirit bottles, -littered the dressing-table. He remembered, with a pang of contrition, -that he had promised to telephone the police, but when he tried to get -the exchange he found the line was dead: a strange circumstance, till he -discovered that late that evening Meadows had decided to cut the house -from all telephonic communication, and had given orders accordingly. - -It was a queerly built house: he had never realized its remarkable -character until he had examined it at these close quarters. The walls -were of immense thickness: that fact was brought home to him when he had -opened the window of the maid’s room to see if Digby was in sight. The -stairs were of concrete, the shutters which covered the windows of -Oberzohn’s study were steel-faced. He decided, pending the arrival of -the police, to make an examination of the two locked rooms. The first of -these he had no difficulty in opening. It was a large room on the actual -ground level, and was reached by going down six steps. A rough bench ran -round three sides of this bare apartment, except where its continuity -broke to allow entrance to a further room. The door was of steel and was -fastened. - -The room was dusty but not untidy. Everything was in order. The various -apparatus was separated by a clear space. In one corner he saw a gas -engine and dynamo covered with dust. There was nothing to be gained -here. The machine which interested him most was one he knew all about, -only he had not guessed the graphite moulds. The contents of a small -blue bottle, tightly corked, and seemingly filled with discoloured swabs -of cotton-wool, however, revived his interest. With a glance round the -laboratory, he went out and tried the second of the locked doors. - -This room, however, was well protected, both in the matter of stoutness -of door and complication of locks. Leon tried all his keys, and then -used his final argument. This he carried in a small leather pouch in his -hip pocket; three steel pieces that screwed together and ended in a -bright claw. Hammering the end of the jemmy with his fist, he forced the -claw between door and lintel, and in less than a minute the lock had -broken, and he was in the presence of the strangest company that had -ever been housed. - -Four electric radiators were burning. The room was hot and heavy, and -the taint of it caught his throat, as it had caught the throat of the -Danish servant. He put on all the lights—and they were many—and then -began his tour. - -There were two lines of shelves, wide apart, and each supporting a -number of boxes, some of which were wrapped in baize, some of which, -however, were open to view. All had glass fronts, all had steel tops -with tiny air-holes, and in each there coiled, in its bed of wool or -straw, according to its requirements, one or two snakes. There were -cobras, puff-adders, two rattlesnakes, seemingly dead, but, as he -guessed, asleep; there was a South American _fer-de-lance_, that most -unpleasant representative of his species; there were little coral -snakes, and, in one long box, a whole nest of queer little things that -looked like tiny yellow lobsters, but which he knew as scorpions. - -He was lifting a baize cover when: - -“Don’t move, my friend! I think I can promise you more intimate -knowledge of our little family.” - -Leon turned slowly, his hands extended. Death was behind him, -remorseless, unhesitating. To drop his hand to his pocket would have -been the end for him—he had that peculiar instinct which senses -sincerity, and when Dr. Oberzohn gave him his instructions he had no -doubt whatever that his threat was backed by the will to execute. - -Oberzohn stood there, a little behind him, white-faced, open-eyed with -fear, Mirabelle Leicester. - -Digby—where was he? He had left him in the grounds. - -The doctor was examining the broken door and grunted his annoyance. - -“I fear my plan will not be good,” he said, “which was to lock you in -this room and break all those glasses, so that you might become better -acquainted with the Quiet People. That is not to be. Instead, march!” - -What did he intend? Leon strolled out nonchalantly, but Oberzohn kept -his distance, his eyes glued upon those sensitive hands that could move -so quickly and jerk and fire a gun in one motion. - -“Stop!” - -Leon halted, facing the open front door and the steps. - -“You will remember my sainted brother, Señor Gonsalez, and of the great -loss which the world suffered when he was so vilely murdered?” - -Leon stood without a quiver. Presently the man would shoot. At any -second a bullet might come crashing on its fatal errand. This was a -queer way to finish so full a life. He knew it was coming, had only one -regret; that this shaken girl should be called upon to witness such a -brutal thing. He wanted to say good-bye to her, but was afraid of -frightening her. - -“You remember that so sainted brother?” Oberzohn’s voice was raucous -with fury. Ahead of him the light fell upon a face. - -“Digby! Stay where you are!” shouted Leon. - -The sound of the explosion made him jump. He saw the brickwork above the -doorway splinter, heard a little scuffle, and turned, gun in hand. -Oberzohn had pulled the girl in front of him so that she afforded a -complete cover: under her arm he held his pistol. - -“Run!” she screamed. - -He hesitated a second. Again the pistol exploded and a bullet -ricochetted from the door. Leon could not fire. Oberzohn so crouched -that nothing but a trick shot could miss the girl and hit him. And then, -as the doctor shook free the hand that gripped his wrist, he leapt down -the steps and into the darkness. Another second and the door slammed. He -heard the thrust of the bolts and a clang as the great iron bar fell -into its place. Somehow he had a feeling as of a citadel door being -closed against him. - -Dr. Oberzohn had returned unobserved, though the night was clear. -Passing through the open water-gate he had tied up to the little quay -and landed his unwilling passenger. Digby, according to instructions, -had been making a careful circuit of the property, and at the moment was -as far away from the barge as it was humanly possible to be. -Unchallenged, the doctor had worked his way back to the house. The light -in the hall warned him that somebody was there. How many? He could not -guess. - -“Take off your shoes,” he growled in Mirabelle’s ear, and she obeyed. - -Whatever happened, he must not lose touch of her, or give her an -opportunity of escape. Still grasping her arm with one hand and his long -Mauser pistol in the other, he went softly up the steps, got into the -hall and listened, locating the intruder instantly. - -It all happened so quickly that Mirabelle could remember nothing except -the desperate lunge she made to knock up the pistol that had covered the -spine of Leon Gonsalez. She stood dumbly by, watching this horrible old -man fasten the heavy door, and obediently preceded him from room to -room. She saw the long cases in the hot room and shrank back. And then -began a complete tour of the house. There were still shutters to be -fastened, peep-holes to be opened up. He screwed up the shutters of the -servants’ room, and then, with a hammer, broke the thumb-piece short. - -“You will stay here,” he said. “I do not know what they will do. Perhaps -they will shoot. I also am a shooter!” - -Not satisfied with the lock that fastened her door, he went into his -workshop, found a staple, hook and padlock, and spent the greater part -of an hour fixing this additional security. At last he had finished, and -could put the situation in front of four very interested men. - -He unlocked the door of the concrete annexe and called the crestfallen -gunmen forth, and in a very few words explained the situation and their -danger. - -“For every one of you the English police hold warrants,” he said. “I do -not bluff, I know. This afternoon I was visited by the police. I tell -you I do not bluff you—me they cannot touch, because they know nothing, -can prove nothing. At most I shall go to prison for a few years, but -with you it is different.” - -“Are they waiting outside?” asked one suspiciously. “Because, if they -are, we’d better move quick.” - -“You do not move, quick or slow,” said Oberzohn. “To go out from here -means certain imprisonment for you all. To stay, if you follow my plan, -means that every one of you may go free and with money.” - -“What’s the idea?” asked Cuccini. “Are you going to fight them?” - -“Sure I am going to fight them,” nodded Oberzohn. “That is my scheme. I -have the young miss upstairs; they will not wish to do her any harm. I -intend to defend this house.” - -“Do you mean you’re going to hold it?” asked one of the staggered men. - -“I will hold it until they are tired, and make terms.” - -Cuccini was biting his nails nervously. - -“Might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb, boss,” he growled. “I’ve -got an idea you’ve roped us into this.” - -“You may rope yourself out of it!” snapped Oberzohn. “There is the -door—go if you wish. There are police there; make terms with them. A -few days ago you were in trouble, my friend. Who saved you? The doctor -Oberzohn. There is life imprisonment for every one of you, and I can -hold this house myself. Stay with me, and I will give you a fortune -greater than any you have dreamt about. And, more than this, at the end -you shall be free.” - -“Where’s Gurther?” - -“He has been killed—by accident.” Oberzohn’s face was working -furiously. “By accident he died,” he said, and told the truth -unconvincingly. “There is nothing now to do but to make a decision.” - -Cuccini and his friends consulted in a whisper. - -“What do we get for our share?” he asked, and Oberzohn mentioned a sum -which staggered them. - -“I speak the truth,” he said. “In two days I shall have a gold-mine -worth millions.” - -The habit of frankness was on him, and he told them the story of the -golden hill without reservations. His agents at Lisbon had already -obtained from the Ministry an option upon the land and its mineral -rights. As the clock struck twelve on June 14, the goldfield of Biskara -automatically passed into his possession. - -“On one side you have certain imprisonment, on the other you have great -monies and happiness.” - -“How long will we have to stay here?” asked Cuccini. - -“I have food for a month, even milk. They will not cut the water because -of the girl. For the same reason they will not blow in the door.” - -Again they had a hasty consultation and made their decision. - -“All right, boss, we’ll stay. But we want that share-out put into -writing.” - -“To my study,” said Oberzohn promptly, “march!” - -He was half-way through writing the document when there came a -thunderous knock on the door and he got up, signalling for silence. -Tiptoeing along the passage, he came to the door. - -“Yes—who is that?” he asked. - -“Open, in the name of the law!” said a voice, and he recognized Meadows. -“I have a warrant for your arrest, and if necessary the door will be -broken in.” - -“So!” said Oberzohn, dropped the muzzle of his pistol until it rested on -the edge of the little letter-slit and fired twice. - -_Chapter XXXIII_ _The Siege_ - -BUT Meadows had already been warned to keep clear of the letter-box, -and the bullets eventually reached one of the railway viaducts, to the -embarrassment of a road ganger who happened to be almost in the line of -fire. - -Meadows slipped down the steps to cover. Inside the wire fence a dozen -policemen were waiting. - -“Sergeant, go back to the station in the police car and bring arms,” he -said. “This is going to be a long job.” - -Gonsalez had made a very careful reconnaissance of the ground, and from -the first had recognized the difficulties which lay ahead of the -attacking party. The wall rose sheer without any break; such windows as -were within reach were heavily shuttered; and even the higher windows, -he guessed, had been covered. The important problem in his mind was to -locate the room in which the girl was imprisoned, and, making a mental -review of the house, he decided that she was either in the servants’ -apartment or in that which had held Gurther. By the light of the lantern -he made a rapid sketch plan of the floors he had visited. - -Meadows had gone away to telephone to police head-quarters. He had -decided to re-establish telephone connection with the doctor, and when -this was done, he called the house and Oberzohn’s voice answered him. - -The colloquy was short and unsatisfactory. The terms which the doctor -offered were such as no self-respecting government could accept. -Immunity for himself and his companions (he insisted so strongly upon -this latter offer that Meadows guessed, accurately, that the gang were -standing around the instrument). - -“I don’t want your men at all. So far as I am concerned, they can go -free,” said Meadows. “Ask one of them to speak on the ’phone.” - -“Oh, indeed, no,” said Oberzohn. “It is ridiculous to ask me that.” - -He hung up at this point and explained to the listening men that the -police had offered him freedom if he would surrender the gang. - -“As I already told you,” he said in conclusion, “that is not the way of -Dr. Oberzohn. I will gain nothing at the expense of my friends.” - -A little later, when Cuccini crept into the room to call police -head-quarters and confirm this story of the doctor, he found that not -only had the wire been cut, but a yard of the flex had been removed. Dr. -Oberzohn was taking no risks. - -The night passed without any further incident. Police reserves were -pouring into the neighbourhood; the grounds had been isolated, and even -the traffic of barges up and down the canal prohibited. The late -editions of the morning newspapers had a heavily head-lined paragraph -about the siege of a house in the New Cross area, and when the first -reporters arrived a fringe of sightseers had already gathered at every -police barrier. Later, special editions, with fuller details, began to -roll out of Fleet Street; the crowd grew in density, and a high official -from Scotland Yard, arriving soon after nine, ordered a further area to -be cleared, and with some difficulty the solid wedge of humanity at the -end of Hangman’s Lane was slowly pushed back until the house was -invisible to them. Even here, a passage-way was kept for police cars and -only holders of passes were allowed to come within the prohibited area. - -The three men, with the police chief, had taken up their head-quarters -in the factory, from which the body of Gurther had been removed in the -night. The Deputy Commissioner, who came on the spot at nine, and -examined the dead snakes, was something of a herpetologist, and -pronounced them to be veritable _fers-de-lance_, a view from which -Poiccart differed. - -“They are a species of African tree snakes that the natives call -_mamba_. There are two, a black and a green. Both of these are the black -type.” - -“The Zoo mamba?” said the official, remembering the sensational -disappearance of a deadly snake which had preceded the first of the -snake mysteries. - -“You will probably find the bones of the Zoo mamba in some mole run in -Regent’s Park—he must have been frozen to death the night of his -escape,” said Poiccart. “It was absolutely impossible that at that -temperature he could live. I have made a very careful inspection of the -land, and adjacent to the Zoological Gardens is a big stretch of earth -which is honeycombed by moles. No, this was imported, and the rest of -his menagerie was imported.” - -The police chief shook his head. - -“Still, I’m not convinced that a snake could have been responsible for -these deaths,” he said, and went over the ground so often covered. - -The three listened in polite silence, and offered no suggestion. - -The morning brought news of Washington’s arrival in Lisbon. He had left -the train at Irun, Leon’s agent in Madrid having secured a relay of -aeroplanes, and the journey from Irun to Lisbon had been completed in a -few hours. He was now on his way back. - -“If he makes the connections he will be here to-night,” he told Manfred. -“I rather think he will be a very useful recruit to our forces.” - -“You’re thinking of the snakes in the house?” - -Leon nodded. - -“I know Oberzohn,” he said simply, and George Manfred thought of the -girl, and knew the unspoken fears of his friend were justified. - -The night had not been an idle one for Oberzohn and his companions. With -the first light of dawn they had mounted to the roof, and, under his -direction, the gunmen had dismantled the four sheds which stood at each -corner of the parapet. Unused to the handling of such heavy metal, the -remnants of the Old Guard gazed in awe upon the tarnished jackets of the -Maxim guns that were revealed. - -Oberzohn understood the mechanism of the machines so thoroughly that in -half an hour he had taught his crew the method of handling and sighting. -In the larger shed was a collapsible tripod, which was put together, and -on this he mounted a small but powerful searchlight and connected it up -with one of the plugs in the roof. - -He pointed to them the three approaches to the house: the open railway -arches and the long lane, at the end of which the crowd at that moment -was beginning to gather. - -“From only these places can the ground be approached,” he said, “and my -little quick-firers cover them!” - -Just before eleven there came down Hangman’s Lane, drawn by a motor -tractor, a long tree-trunk, suspended about the middle by chains, and -Oberzohn, examining it carefully through his field-glasses, realized -that no door in the world could stand against the attack of that -battering-ram. He took up one of the dozen rifles that lay on the floor, -sighted it carefully, resting his elbow on the parapet, and fired. - -He saw the helmet of a policeman shoot away from the head of the -astonished man, and fired again. This time he was more successful, for a -policeman who was directing the course of the tractor crumpled up and -fell in a heap. - -A shrill whistle blew; the policemen ran to cover, leaving the machine -unattended. Again he fired, this time at the driver of the tractor. He -saw the man scramble down from his seat and run for the shelter of the -fence. - -A quarter of an hour passed without any sign of activity on the part of -his enemies, and then eight men, armed with rifles, came racing across -the ground towards the wire barrier. Oberzohn dropped his rifle, and, -taking a grip of the first machine-gun in his hand, sighted it quickly. -The staccato patter of the Maxim awakened the echoes. One man dropped; -the line wavered. Again the shrill whistle, and they broke for cover, -dragging their wounded companion with them. - -“I was afraid of that,” said Leon, biting his knuckles—sure evidence of -his perturbation. - -He had put a ladder against the wall of the factory, and now he climbed -up on to the shaky roof and focussed his glasses. - -“There’s another Maxim on this side,” he shouted down. And then, as he -saw a man’s head moving above the parapet, he jerked up his pistol and -fired. He saw the stone splinters fly up and knew that it was not bad -practice at four hundred yards. The shot had a double effect; it made -the defenders cautious and aroused in them the necessary quantity of -resentment. - -He was hardly down before there was a splutter from the roof, and the -whine and snap of machine-gun bullets; one slate tile shivered and its -splinters leapt high in the air and dropped beside his hand. - -The presence of the girl was the only complication. Without her, the end -of Oberzohn and his companions was inevitable. Nobody realized this -better than the doctor, eating a huge ham sandwich in the shelter of the -parapet—an unusual luxury, for he ate few solids. - -“This will be very shocking for our friends of Curzon Street,” he said. -“At this moment they bite their hands in despair.” (He was nearly right -here.) - -He peeped over the parapet. There was no policeman in sight. Even the -trains that had roared at regular intervals along the viaduct had ceased -to run, traffic being diverted to another route. - -At half-past twelve, looking through a peep-hole, he saw a long yellow -line of men coming down Hangman’s Lane, keeping to the shelter of the -fence. - -“Soldiers,” he said, and for a second his voice quavered. - -Soldiers they were. Presently they began to trickle into the grounds, -one by one, each man finding his own cover. Simultaneously there came a -flash and a crack from the nearest viaduct. A bullet smacked against the -parapet and the sound of the ricochet was like the hum of a bee. - -Another menace had appeared simultaneously; a great, lumbering, awkward -vehicle, that kept to the middle of the lane and turned its ungainly -nose into the field. It was a tank, and Oberzohn knew that only the -girl’s safety stood between him and the dangling noose. - -He went down to see her, unlocked the door, and found her, to his -amazement, fast asleep. She got up at the sound of the key in the lock, -and accepted the bread and meat and water he brought her without a word. - -“What time is it?” - -Oberzohn stared at her. - -“That you should ask the time at such a moment!” he said. - -The room was in darkness but for the light he had switched on. - -“It is noon, and our friends have brought soldiers. Ach! how important a -woman you are, that the whole army should come out for you!” - -Sarcasm was wasted on Mirabelle. - -“What is going to happen—now?” - -“I do not know.” He shrugged his shoulders. “They have brought a -diabolical instrument into the grounds. They may use it, to give them -cover, so that the door may be blown in. At that moment I place you in -the snake-room. This I shall tell our friends very quickly.” - -She gazed at him in horror. - -“You wouldn’t do anything so wicked, Mr. Oberzohn!” - -Up and down went the skin of his forehead. - -“That I shall tell them and that I shall do,” he said, and locked her in -with this comfortless assurance. - -He went into his study and, fastening the door, took two strands of wire -from his pocket and repaired the broken telephone connections. - -“I wish to speak to Meadows,” he said to the man who answered him—a -police officer who had been stationed at the exchange to answer any call -from this connection. - -“I will put you through to him,” was the reply. - -For a moment the doctor was surprised that Meadows was not at the -exchange. He did not know then that a field telephone line had been -organized, and that the factory head-quarters of the directing staff was -in communication with the world. - -It was not Meadows, but another man who answered him, and by his tone of -authority Oberzohn guessed that some higher police official than Meadows -was on the spot. - -“I am the doctor Oberzohn,” he barked. “You have brought a tank machine -to attack me. If this approaches beyond the wire fence, I shall place -the woman Leicester in the home of the snakes, and there I will bind her -and release my little friends to avenge me.” - -“Look here——” began the officer, but Oberzohn hung up on him. - -He went out and locked the door, putting the key in his pocket. His one -doubt was of the loyalty of his companions. But here, strangely enough, -he underrated their faith in him. The very mildness of the attack, the -seeming reluctance of the soldiers to fire, had raised their hopes and -spirits; and when, a quarter of an hour later, they saw the tank turn -about and go out into Hangman’s Lane, they were almost jubilant. - -“You’re sure that he will carry out his threat?” asked the police chief. - -“Certain,” said Leon emphatically. “There is nothing on earth that will -stop Oberzohn. You will force the house to find a man who has died by -his own hand, and——” He shuddered at the thought. “The only thing to -be done is to wait for the night. If Washington arrives on time, I think -we can save Miss Leicester.” - -From the roof Dr. Oberzohn saw that the soldiers were digging a line of -trenches, and sent a spatter of machine-gun bullets in their direction. -They stopped their work for a moment to look round, and then went on -digging, as though nothing had happened. - -The supply of ammunition was not inexhaustible, and he determined to -reserve any further fire until the attack grew more active. - -Looking over the top of the parapet to examine the ground immediately -below, something hot and vicious snicked his ear. He saw the brickwork -of the chimney behind him crumble and scatter, and, putting up his hand, -felt blood. - -“You’d better keep down, Oberzohn,” said Cuccini, crouching in the -shelter of the parapet. “They nearly got you then. They’re firing from -that railway embankment. Have you had a talk with the boss of these -birds?” - -“They are weakening,” said Oberzohn promptly. “Always they are asking me -if I will surrender the men; always I reply, ‘Never will I do anything -so dishonourable.’” - -Cuccini grunted, having his own views of the doctor’s altruism. - -Late in the afternoon, a flight of aeroplanes appeared in the west: five -machines flying in V formation. None of the men on the roof recognized -the danger, standing rather in the attitude and spirit of sightseers. -The machines were flying low; with the naked eye Cuccini could read -their numbers long before they came within a hundred yards of the house. -Suddenly the roof began to spout little fountains of asphalt. Oberzohn -screamed a warning and darted to the stairway, and three men followed -him out. Cuccini lay spread-eagled where he fell, two machine-gun -bullets through his head. - -The fighting machines mounted, turned and came back. Standing on the -floor below, Oberzohn heard the roar of their engines as they passed, -and went incautiously to the roof, to discover that the guns of flying -machines fire equally well from the tail. He was nearer to death then -than he had ever been. One bullet hit the tip of his finger and sliced -it off neatly. With a scream of pain he half fell, half staggered to -safety, spluttering strange oaths in German. - -The aeroplanes did not return. He waited until their noise had died away -before he again ventured to the roof, to find the sky clear. Cuccini was -dead, and it was characteristic of his three friends that they should -make a thorough search of his pockets before they heaved the body over -the parapet. - -Oberzohn left the three on the roof, with strict instructions that they -were to dive to cover at the first glint of white wings, and went down -into his study. The death of Cuccini was in some ways a blessing. The -man was full of suspicion; his heart was not in the fight, and the -aeroplane gunner had merely anticipated the doctor’s own plan. - -Cuccini was a Latin, who spoke English well and wrote it badly. He had a -characteristic hand, which it amused Oberzohn to copy, for the doctor -was skilful with his pen. All through the next three hours he wrote, -breaking off his labours at intervals to visit the guard on the roof. At -last he had finished, and Cuccini’s sprawling signature was affixed to -the bottom of the third page. Oberzohn called down one of the men. - -“This is the statement of Cuccini which he left. Will you put your name -to his signature?” - -“What is it?” asked the man surlily. - -“It is a letter which the good Cuccini made—what generosity! In this he -says that he alone was to blame for bringing you here, and nobody else. -Also that he kept you by threats.” - -“And you?” asked the man. - -“Also me,” said Oberzohn, unabashed. “What does it matter? Cuccini is -dead. May he not in his death save us all? Come, come, my good friend, -you are a fool if you do not sign. After that, send down our friends -that they may also sign.” - -A reluctant signature was fixed, and the other men came one by one, and -one by one signed their names, content to stand by the graft which the -doctor indicated, exculpating themselves from all responsibility in the -defence. - -Dusk fell and night came blackly, with clouds sweeping up from the west -and a chill rain falling. Gonsalez, moodily apart from his companions, -watched the dark bulk of the house fade into the background with an -ever-increasing misery. What these men did after did not matter—to -them. A policeman had been killed, and they stood equally guilty of -murder in the eyes of the law. They could now pile horror upon horror, -for the worst had happened. His only hope was that they did not know the -inevitability of their punishment. - -No orders for attack had been given. The soldiers were standing by, and -even the attack by the aeroplanes had been due to a misapprehension of -orders. He had seen Cuccini’s body fall, and as soon as night came he -determined to approach the house to discover if there was any other way -in than the entrance by the front door. - -The aeroplanes had done something more than sweep the roof with their -guns. Late in the evening there arrived by special messenger telescopic -photographs of the building, which the military commander and the police -chief examined with interest. - -Leon was watching the house when he saw a white beam of light shoot out -and begin a circular sweep of the grounds. He expected this; the meaning -of the connections in the wall was clear. He knew, too, how long that -experiment would last. A quarter of an hour after the searchlight began -its erratic survey of the ground, the lamp went out, the police having -disconnected the current. But it was only for a little while, and in -less than an hour the light was showing again. - -“He has power in the house—a dynamo and a gas engine,” explained -Gonsalez. - -Poiccart had been to town and had returned with a long and heavy steel -cylinder, which Leon and Manfred carried between them into the open and -left. They were sniped vigorously from the roof, and although the firing -was rather wild, the officer in charge of the operations forbade any -further movement in daylight. - -At midnight came the blessed Washington. They had been waiting for him -with eagerness, for he, of all men, knew something that they did not -know. Briefly, Leon described the snake-room and its contents. He was -not absolutely certain of some of the species, but his description was -near enough to give the snake expert an idea of the species. - -“Yes, sir, they’re all deadly,” said Washington, shaking his head. “I -guess there isn’t a thing there, bar the scorps, who wouldn’t put a -grown man to sleep in five minutes—ten minutes at the most.” - -They showed him the remains of the dead snake and he instantly -recognized the kind, as the zoological expert had done in the afternoon. - -“That’s mamba. He’s nearly the deadliest of all. You didn’t see a fellow -with a long bill-shaped head? You did? Well, that’s fer-de-lance, and -he’s almost as bad. The little red fellows were corals. . . .” - -Leon questioned him more closely. - -“No, sir, they don’t leap—that’s not their way. A tree snake will hang -on to something overhead and get you as you pass, and they’ll swing from -the floor, but their head’s got to touch the floor first. The poor -little fellow that killed Gurther was scared, and when they’re scared -they’ll lash up at you—I’ve known a man to be bitten in the throat by a -snake that whipped up from the ground. But usually they’re satisfied to -get your leg.” - -Leon told him his plan. - -“I’ll come along with you,” said Washington without hesitation. - -But this offer neither of the three would accept. Leon had only wanted -the expert’s opinion. There were scores of scientists in London, -curators of museums and keepers of snakes, who could have told him -everything there was to be known about the habits of the reptile in -captivity. He needed somebody who had met the snake in his native -environment. - -An hour before daylight showed in the sky, there was a council of war, -Leon put his scheme before the authorities, and the plan was approved. -He did not wait for the necessary orders to be given, but, with Poiccart -and Manfred, went to the place where they had left the cylinder, and, -lifting it, made their slow way towards the house. In addition, Leon -carried a light ladder and a small bag full of tools. - -The rays of the searchlight were moving erratically, and for a long time -did not come in their direction. Suddenly they found themselves in a -circle of dazzling light and fell flat on their faces. The machine-gun -spat viciously, the earth was churned up under the torrent of bullets, -but none of the men was hit; and, more important, the cylinder was not -touched. - -Then suddenly, from every part of the ground, firing started. The target -was the searchlight, and the shooting had not gone on for more than a -minute before the light went out, so jerkily that it was obvious that -one bullet at least had got home. - -“Now,” said Manfred, and, lifting up the cylinder, they ran. - -Poiccart put his hand on the fence wire and was hurled back. The top -wire was alive, but evidently the doctor’s dynamo was not capable of -generating a current that would be fatal. Leon produced an insulated -wire cutter and snipped off a six-foot length, earthing the broken ends -of the wire. They were now under the shadow of the wall of the house, -and out of danger so far as bullets were concerned. - -Leon planted his ladder against the window under which they stopped, and -in a second had broken the glass, turned the catch and sent up the sash. -From his bag he produced a small diamond drill and began to work through -the thick steel plate. It was a terribly arduous job, and after ten -minutes’ labour he handed over the work to Manfred, who mounted in his -place. - -Whatever damage had been done to the searchlight had now been repaired, -and its beam had concentrated on the spot where they had been last seen. -This time no fusillade greeted its appearance, and Oberzohn was -surprised and troubled by the inaction. - -The light came into the sky, the walls grew grey and all objects sharply -visible, when he saw the tank move out of the lane where it had been -standing all the previous day, turn into the field, and slowly move -towards the house. He set his teeth in a grin and, darting down the -stairs, flung himself against the door of the girl’s room, and his -agitation was such that for a time he could not find the keyhole of the -two locks that held the door secure. - -It opened with a crash, and he almost fell into the room in his -eagerness. Mirabelle Leicester was standing by the bed, her face white -as death. Yet her voice was steady, almost unconcerned, when she asked: - -“What do you want?” - -“You!” he hissed. “You, my fine little lady—you are for the snakes!” - -He flung himself upon her, though she offered no resistance, threw her -back on the bed and snapped a pair of rusty handcuffs on her wrists. -Pulling her to her feet, he dragged her from the room and down the -stairs. He had some difficulty in opening the door of the snake-room, -for he had wedged it close. The door was pushed open at last: the -radiators were no longer burning. He could not afford the power. But the -room was stiflingly hot, and when he turned on the lights, and she saw -the long line of boxes, her knees gave way under her, and she would have -fallen had he not put his arm about her waist. Dragging a heavy chair to -the centre of the room, he pushed her down into it. - -“Here you wait, my friend!” he yelled. “You shall wait . . . but not -long!” - -On the wall there were three long straps which were used for fastening -the boxes when it was necessary to travel with them. In a second one -thong was about her and buckled tight to the back of the chair. The -second he put under the seat and fastened across her knees. - -“Good-bye, gracious lady!” - -The rumble of the tank came to him in that room. But he had work to do. -There was no time to open the boxes. The glass fronts might easily be -broken. He ran along the line, hitting the glass with the barrel of his -Mauser. The girl, staring in horror, saw a green head come into view -through one opening; saw a sinuous shape slide gently to the floor. And -then he turned out the lights, the door was slammed, and she was left -alone in the room of terror. - -Oberzohn was no sooner in the passage than the first bomb exploded at -the door. Splinters of wood flew past him, as he turned and raced up the -stairs, feeling in his pocket as he went for the precious document which -might yet clear him. - -_Boom!_ - -He had not locked the door of the snake-room; Leon had broken the hasp. -Let them go in, if they wished. The front door was not down yet. From -the landing above he listened over the balustrade. And then a greater -explosion than ever shook the house, and after an interval of silence he -heard somebody running along the passage and shake at the snake-room -door. - -Too late now! He grinned his joy, went up the last flight to the roof, -to find his three men in a state of mutiny, the quelling of which was -not left to him. The glitter of a bayonet came through the door opening, -a khaki figure slipped on to the roof, finger on trigger. - -“Hands up, you!” he said, in a raucous Cockney voice. - -Four pairs of hands went upward. - -Manfred followed the second soldier and caught the doctor by the arm. - -“I want you, my friend,” he said, and Oberzohn went obediently down the -stairs. - -They had to pass Gurther’s room: the door was open, and Manfred pushed -his prisoner inside, as Poiccart and Leon ran up the stairs. - -“The girl’s all right. The gas killed the snakes the moment they touched -the floor, and Brother Washington is dealing with the live ones,” said -Leon rapidly. - -He shut the door quickly. The doctor was alone for the first time in his -life with the three men he hated and feared. - -“Oberzohn, this is the end,” said Manfred. - -That queer grimace that passed for a smile flitted across the puckered -face of the doctor. - -“I think not, my friends,” he said. “Here is a statement by Cuccini. I -am but the innocent victim, as you will see. Cuccini has confessed to -all and has implicated his friends. I would not resist—why should I? I -am an honest, respectable man, and a citizen of a great and friendly -country. Behold!” - -He showed the paper. Manfred took it from his hand but did not read it. - -“Also, whatever happens, your lady loses her beautiful hill of gold.” He -found joy in this reflection. “For to-morrow is the last day——” - -“Stand over there, Oberzohn,” said Manfred, and pushed him against the -wall. “You are judged. Though your confession may cheat the law, you -will not cheat us.” - -And then the doctor saw something and he screamed his fear. Leon -Gonsalez was fixing a cigarette to the long black holder he had found in -Gurther’s room. - -“You hold it thus,” said Leon, “do you not?” He dipped the cigarette -down and pressed the small spring that was concealed in the black -ebonite. “The holder is an insulated chamber that holds two small icy -splinters—I found the mould in your laboratory, Herr Doktor. They drop -into the cigarette, which is a metal one, and then . . .” - -He lifted it to his lips and blew. None saw the two tiny icicles fly. -Only Oberzohn put his hand to his cheek with a strangled scream, glared -for a second, and then went down like a heap of rags. - -Leon met Inspector Meadows on his way up. - -“I’m afraid our friend has gone,” he said. “He has cheated the hangman -of ten pounds.” - -“Dead?” said Meadows. “Suicide?” - -“It looks like a snake-bite to me,” said Leon carelessly, as he went -down to find Mirabelle Leicester, half laughing, half crying, whilst an -earnest Elijah Washington was explaining to her the admirable domestic -qualities of snakes. - -“There’s five thousand dollars’ worth dead,” he said, in despair, “but -there’s enough left to start a circus!” - -_Chapter XXXIV_ _The Death Tube_ - -LATER, Manfred explained to an interested police chief. - -“Oberzohn secured the poison by taking a snake and extracting his -venom—a simple process: you have but to make him angry, and he will -bite on anything. The doctor discovered a way of blending these venoms -to bring out the most deadly qualities of them all—it sounds fantastic, -and, from the scientist’s point of view, unlikely. But it is -nevertheless the fact. The venom was slightly diluted with water and -enough to kill a dozen people was poured into a tiny mould and frozen.” - -“Frozen?” said the chief, in astonishment. - -Manfred nodded. - -“There is no doubt about it,” he said. “Snake venom does not lose its -potency by being frozen, and this method of moulding their darts was a -very sane one, from their point of view. It was only necessary for a -microscopic portion of the splinter to pierce the flesh. Sufficient -instantly melted to cause death, and if the victim rubbed the place -where he had been struck, it was more certain that he would rub some of -the venom, which had melted on his cheek, into the wound. Usually they -died instantly. The cigarette holders that were carried by Gurther and -the other assassin, Pfeiffer, were blowpipes, the cigarette a hollow -metal fake. By the time they blew their little ice darts, it was in a -half-molten condition and carried sufficient liquid poison to kill, even -if the skin was only punctured. And, of course, all that did not enter -the skin melted before there could be any examination by the police. -That is why you never found darts such as the bushmen use, slithers of -bamboo, thorns from trees. Oberzohn had the simplest method of dealing -with all opposition: he sent out his snake-men to intercept them, and -only once did they fail—when they aimed at Leon and caught that -snake-proof man, Elijah Washington!” - -“What about Miss Leicester’s claim to the goldfields of Biskara?” - -Manfred smiled. - -“The renewal has already been applied for and granted. Leon found at -Heavytree Farm some blank sheets of note-paper signed with the girl’s -name. He stole one during the aunt’s absence and filled up the blank -with a formal request for renewal. I have just had a wire to say that -the lease is extended.” - -He and Poiccart had to walk the best part of the way to New Cross before -they could find a taxicab. Leon had gone on with the girl. Poiccart was -worried about something, and did not speak his mind until the -providential cab appeared on the scene and they were trundling along the -New Cross Road. - -“My dear George, I am a little troubled about Leon,” he said at last. -“It seems almost impossible to believe, but——” - -“But what?” asked Manfred good-humouredly, and knowing what was coming. - -“You don’t believe,” said Poiccart in a hushed voice, as though he were -discussing the advent of some world cataclysm—“you don’t believe that -Leon is in love, do you?” - -Manfred considered for a moment. - -“Such things happen, even to just men,” he said, and Poiccart shook his -head sadly. - -“I have never contemplated such an unhappy contingency,” he said, and -Manfred was laughing to himself all the way back to town. - - THE END - Printed in Great Britain by Butler & Tanner Ltd., Frome and London - - - - - TRANSCRIBER NOTES - -Misspelled words and printer errors have been corrected. 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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 three Just Men</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 #69790]</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 THREE JUST MEN ***</div> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='bold'>* A Distributed Proofreaders Canada eBook *</span></p> - -<p class='pindent'>This ebook is made available at no cost and with very few -restrictions. These restrictions apply only if (1) you make -a change in the ebook (other than alteration for different -display devices), or (2) you are making commercial use of -the ebook. If either of these conditions applies, please -contact a FP administrator before proceeding.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>This work is in the Canadian public domain, but may be under -copyright in some countries. If you live outside Canada, check your -country's copyright laws. IF THE BOOK IS UNDER COPYRIGHT -IN YOUR COUNTRY, DO NOT DOWNLOAD OR REDISTRIBUTE THIS FILE.</p> - -<div class='lgl' style=''> <!-- rend=';' --> -<p class='line'><span class='it'>Title:</span> The Three Just Men</p> -<p class='line'><span class='it'>Date of first publication:</span> 1926</p> -<p class='line'><span class='it'>Author:</span> Edgar Wallace (1875-1932)</p> -<p class='line'><span class='it'>Date first posted:</span> Jan. 4, 2017</p> -<p class='line'><span class='it'>Date last updated:</span> Jan. 4, 2017</p> -<p class='line'>Faded Page eBook #20170107</p> -</div> <!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'>This ebook was produced by: Al Haines, Cindy Beyer -& the online Distributed Proofreaders Canada team at http://www.pgdpcanada.net</p> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/cover.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0000' style='width:380px;height:auto;'/> -</div> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div class='lgc' style='margin-top:4em;'> <!-- rend=';fs:.8em;' --> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.9em;'>NOVELS BY</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:1em;'>EDGAR WALLACE</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>The Black Abbot</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>Sanders</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>The Door with Seven Locks</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>Penelope of the Polyantha</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>The Day of Uniting</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>We Shall See</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>The Four Just Men</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>The Yellow Snake</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>The Terrible People</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>The Three Just Men</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>The Mind of Mr. J. G. Reeder</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>The Gaunt Stranger</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>The Strange Countess</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>The Sinister Man</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>Double Dan</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>The Valley of Ghosts</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>The Green Archer</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>The Clue of the New Pin</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>The Crimson Circle</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>The Angel of Terror</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>The Law of the Four Just Men</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>HODDER AND</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>STOUGHTON</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:.8em;'>Ltd., London</p> -</div> <!-- end rend --> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div class='lgc' style=''> <!-- rend=';' --> -<p class='line' style='font-size:2em;font-style:italic;'>The</p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:3em;font-style:italic;'>Three Just Men</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:1em;font-style:italic;'>By EDGAR WALLACE</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line' style='margin-top:20em;font-size:1em;font-style:italic;'><span class='gesp'>Hodder and Stoughton</span></p> -<p class='line' style='margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1em;font-style:italic;'> Limited London </p> -</div> <!-- end rend --> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-top:2em;margin-bottom:20em;font-size:.7em;'>Made and Printed in Great Britain. Butler & Tanner Ltd., Frome and London</p> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:1em;'><span class='it'>Contents</span></p> - -<table id='tab1' summary='' class='center'> -<colgroup> -<col span='1' style='width: 4em;'/> -<col span='1' style='width: 20em;'/> -</colgroup> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>I</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch1'><span class='sc'>The Firm of Oberzohn</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>II</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch2'><span class='sc'>The Three Men of Curzon Street</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>III</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch3'><span class='sc'>The Vendetta</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>IV</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch4'><span class='sc'>The Snake Strikes</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>V</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch5'><span class='sc'>The Golden Woman</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>VI</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch6'><span class='sc'>In Chester Square</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>VII</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch7'>“<span class='sc'>Moral Suasion</span>”</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>VIII</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch8'><span class='sc'>The House of Oberzohn</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>IX</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch9'><span class='sc'>Before the Lights Went Out</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>X</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch10'><span class='sc'>When the Lights Went Out</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XI</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch11'><span class='sc'>Gurther</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XII</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch12'><span class='sc'>Leon Theorizes</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XIII</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch13'><span class='sc'>Mirabelle Goes Home</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XIV</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch14'><span class='sc'>The Pedlar</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XV</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch15'><span class='sc'>Two “Accidents”</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XVI</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch16'><span class='sc'>Rath Hall</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XVII</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch17'><span class='sc'>Written in Braille</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XVIII</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch18'><span class='sc'>The Story of Mont d’Or</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XIX</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch19'><span class='sc'>At Heavytree Farm</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XX</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch20'><span class='sc'>Gurther Reports</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XXI</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch21'><span class='sc'>The Account Book</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XXII</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch22'><span class='sc'>In the Store Cellar</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XXIII</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch23'><span class='sc'>The Courier</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XXIV</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch24'><span class='sc'>On the Night Mail</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XXV</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch25'><span class='sc'>Gurther Returns</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XXVI</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch26'><span class='sc'>In Captivity</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XXVII</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch27'><span class='sc'>Mr. Newton’s Dilemma</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XXVIII</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch28'><span class='sc'>At Frater’s</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XXIX</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch29'><span class='sc'>Work for Gurther</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XXX</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch30'><span class='sc'>Joan a Prisoner</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XXXI</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch31'><span class='sc'>The Things in the Box</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XXXII</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch32'><span class='sc'>The Search</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XXXIII</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch33'><span class='sc'>The Siege</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle0'>XXXIV</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle1'><a href='#ch34'><span class='sc'>The Death Tube</span></a></td></tr> -</table> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch1'></a><span class='it'>Chapter I</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>The Firm of Oberzohn</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<div class='blockquoter9'> - -<p class='pindent'> “£520 p.a. Wanted at once, Laboratory Secretary (lady). -Young; no previous experience required, but must have passed -recognized examination which included physics and inorganic -(elementary) chemistry. Preference will be given to one whose -family has some record in the world of science. Apply by letter, -Box 9754, <span class='it'>Daily Megaphone</span>. If applicant is asked to interview -advertiser, fare will be paid from any station within a hundred -and fifty miles of London.”</p> - -</div> - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>A</span> GOOD friend sent one of the issues containing -this advertisement to Heavytree Farm and circled -the announcement with a blue pencil.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle Leicester found the newspaper on the hall -settee when she came in from feeding the chickens, and -thought that it had been sent by the Alington land agent -who was so constantly calling her attention to the advertisers -who wished to buy cheap farms. It was a -practice of his. She had the feeling that he resented her -presence in the country, and was anxious to replace her -with a proprietor less poverty-stricken.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Splitting the wrapper with a dusty thumb, she turned -naturally to the advertisement pages, having the agent -in mind. Her eyes went rapidly down the “Wanted -to Buy” column. There were several “gentlemen requiring -small farm in good district,” but none that made -any appeal to her, and she was wondering why the parsimonious -man had spent tuppence-ha’penny on postage -and paper when the circled paragraph caught her eye.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Glory!” said Mirabelle, her red lips parted in excited -wonder.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Aunt Alma looked up from her press-cutting book, -startled as Mirabelle dashed in.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Me!” she said dramatically, and pointed a finger -at the advertisement. “I am young—I have no experience—I -have my higher certificate—and daddy was -something in the world of science. And, Alma, we are -exactly a hundred and forty miles from London town!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Dear me!” said Aunt Alma, a lady whose gaunt and -terrifying appearance was the terror of tradesmen and -farm hands, though a milder woman never knitted -stockings.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Isn’t it wonderful? This solves all our problems. -We’ll leave the farm to Mark, open the flat in Bloomsbury -. . . we can afford one or even two theatres a week . . .”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Alma read the announcement for the second time.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It seems good,” she said with conventional caution, -“though I don’t like the idea of your working, my dear. -Your dear father . . .”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Would have whisked me up to town and I should -have had the job by to-night,” said Mirabelle definitely.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But Alma wasn’t sure. London was full of pitfalls -and villainy untold lurked in its alleys and dark passages. -She herself never went to London except under protest.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I was there years ago when those horrible Four -Just Men were about, my dear,” she said, and Mirabelle, -who loved her, listened to the oft-told story. “They -terrorized London. One couldn’t go out at night with -the certainty that one would come back again alive . . . -and to think that they have had a free pardon! It is -simply encouraging crime.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My dear,” said Mirabelle (and this was her inevitable -rejoinder), “they weren’t criminals at all. They -were very rich men who gave up their lives to punishing -those whom the law let slip through its greasy old fingers. -And they were pardoned for the intelligence work they -did in the war—one worked for three months in the German -War Office—and there aren’t four at all: there are -only three. I’d love to meet them—they must be -dears!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When Aunt Alma made a grimace, she was hideous. -Mirabelle averted her eyes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Anyway, they are not in London now, darling,” she -said, “and you will be able to sleep soundly at nights.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What about the snake?” asked Miss Alma Goddard -ominously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Now if there was one thing which no person contemplating -a visit to London wished to be reminded about, -it was the snake.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Six million people rose from their beds every morning, -opened their newspapers and looked for news of the snake. -Eighteen daily newspapers never passed a day without -telling their readers that the scare was childish and a -shocking commentary on the neurotic tendencies of the -age; they also published, at regular intervals, intimate -particulars of the black <span class='it'>mamba</span>, its habits and its peculiar -deadliness, and maintained quite a large staff of earnest -reporters to “work up the story.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The black mamba, most deadly of all the African -snakes, had escaped from the Zoo one cold and foggy -night in March. And there should have been the end -of him—a three-line paragraph, followed the next day -by another three-line paragraph detailing how the snake -was found dead on the frozen ground—no mamba could -live under a temperature of 75° Fahrenheit. But the -second paragraph never appeared. On the 2nd of April -a policeman found a man huddled up in a doorway in -Orme Place. He proved to be a well known and apparently -wealthy stockbroker, named Emmett. He was -dead. In his swollen face were found two tiny punctured -wounds, and the eminent scientist who was called into -consultation gave his opinion that the man had died -from snake-bite: an especially deadly snake. The night -was chilly; the man had been to a theatre alone. His -chauffeur stated that he had left his master in the best -of spirits on the doorstep. The key found in the dead -man’s hand showed that he was struck before the car -had turned. When his affairs were investigated he was -found to be hopelessly insolvent. Huge sums drawn from -his bank six months before had disappeared.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>London had scarcely recovered from this shocking -surprise when the snake struck again. This time in the -crowded street, and choosing a humble victim, though -by no means a blameless one. An ex-convict named -Sirk, a homeless down-and-out, was seen to fall by a -park-keeper near the Achilles statue in Hyde Park. By -the time the keeper reached him he was dead. There -was no sign of a snake—nobody was near him. This -time the snake had made his mark on the wrist—two -little punctured wounds near together.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A month later the third man fell a victim. He was -a clerk of the Bank of England, a reputable man who -was seen to fall forward in a subway train, and, on being -removed to hospital, was discovered to have died—again -from snake-bite.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>So that the snake became a daily figure of fear, and its -sinister fame spread even so far afield as Heavytree -Farm.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Stuff!” said Mirabelle, yet with a shiver. “Alma, -I wish you wouldn’t keep these horrors in your scrap-book.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They are Life,” said Alma soberly, and then: “When -will you take up your appointment?” she asked, and the -girl laughed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We will make a beginning right away—by applying -for the job,” she said practically. “And you needn’t -start packing your boxes for a very long time!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>An hour later she intercepted the village postman and -handed him a letter.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And that was the beginning of the adventure which involved -so many lives and fortunes, which brought the -Three Just Men to the verge of dissolution, and one day -was to turn the heart of London into a battle-field.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Two days after the letter was dispatched came the -answer, typewritten, surprisingly personal, and in places -curiously worded. There was an excuse for that, for the -heading on the note-paper was</p> - -<p class='pindent'>On the third day Mirabelle Leicester stepped down -from a ’bus in the City Road and entered the unimposing -door of Romance, and an inquisitive chauffeur who saw -her enter followed and overtook her in the lobby.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Excuse me, madame—are you Mrs. Carter?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle did not look like Mrs. Anybody.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No,” she said, and gave her name.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But you’re the lady from Hereford . . . you live -with your mother at Telford Park . . . ?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man was so agitated that she was not annoyed -by his insistence. Evidently he had instructions to meet -a stranger and was fearful of missing her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You have made a mistake—I live at Heavytree -Farm, Daynham—with my aunt.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is she called Carter?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She laughed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Miss Alma Goddard—now are you satisfied?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then you’re not the lady, miss; I’m waiting to -pick her up.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The chauffeur withdrew apologetically.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The girl waited in the ornate ante-room for ten minutes -before the pale youth with the stiff, upstanding hair and -the huge rimless spectacles returned. His face was large, -expressionless, unhealthy. Mirabelle had noted as a -curious circumstance that every man she had seen in -the office was of the same type. Big heavy men who -gave the impression that they had been called away from -some very urgent work to deal with the triviality of her -inquiries. They were speechless men who glared solemnly -at her through thick lenses and nodded or shook their -heads according to the requirements of the moment. She -expected to meet foreigners in the offices of Oberzohn -& Smitts; Germans, she imagined, and was surprised -later to discover that both principals and staff were in -the main Swedish.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The pale youth, true to the traditions of the house, -said nothing: he beckoned her with a little jerk of his -head, and she went into a larger room, where half a dozen -men were sitting at half a dozen desks and writing furiously, -their noses glued short-sightedly to the books and -papers which engaged their attention. Nobody looked -up as she passed through the waist-high gate which -separated the caller from the staff. Hanging upon the -wall between two windows was a map of Africa with -great green patches. In one corner of the room were -stacked a dozen massive ivory tusks, each bearing a -hanging label. There was the model of a steamship in a -case on a window-ledge, and on another a crudely carved -wooden idol of native origin.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The youth stopped before a heavy rosewood door and -knocked. When a deep voice answered, he pushed open -the door and stood aside to let her pass. It was a gigantic -room—that was the word which occurred to her as most -fitting, and the vast space of it was emphasized by the -almost complete lack of furniture. A very small ebony -writing-table, two very small chairs and a long and narrow -black cupboard fitted into a recess were all the furnishings -she could see. The high walls were covered with a -golden paper. Four bright-red rafters ran across the -black ceiling—the floor was completely covered with a -deep purple carpet. It seemed that there was a rolled -map above the fire-place—a long thin cord came down from -the cornice and ended in a tassel within reach.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The room, with its lack of appointments, was so unexpected -a vision that the girl stood staring from walls -to roof, until she observed her guide making urgent signs, -and then she advanced towards the man who stood with -his back to the tiny fire that burnt in the silver fire-place.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was tall and grey; her first impression was of an -enormously high forehead. The sallow face was long, -and nearer at hand, she saw, covered by innumerable -lines and furrows. She judged him to be about fifty -until he spoke, and then she realized that he was much -older.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Miss Mirabelle Leicester?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His English was not altogether perfect; the delivery -was queerly deliberate and he lisped slightly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Pray be seated. I am Dr. Eruc Oberzohn. I am -not German. I admire the Germans, but I am Swedish. -You are convinced?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She laughed, and when Mirabelle Leicester laughed, -less susceptible men than Dr. Eruc Oberzohn had forgotten -all other business. She was not very tall—her -slimness and her symmetrical figure made her appear -so. She had in her face and in her clear grey eyes something -of the country-side; she belonged to the orchards -where the apple-blossom lay like heavy snow upon the -bare branches; to the cold brooks that ran noisily under -hawthorn hedges. The April sunlight was in her eyes -and the springy velvet of meadows everlastingly under -her feet.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>To Dr. Oberzohn she was a girl in a blue tailor-made -costume. He saw that she wore a little hat with a straight -brim that framed her face just above the lift of her -curved eyebrows. A German would have seen these -things, being a hopeless sentimentalist. The doctor was -not German; he loathed their sentimentality.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Will you be seated? You have a scientific training?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle shook her head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I haven’t,” she confessed ruefully, “but I’ve passed -in the subjects you mentioned in your advertisement.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But your father—he was a scientist?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She nodded gravely.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But not a great scientist,” he stated. “England -and America do not produce such men. Ah, tell me not -of your Kelvins, Edisons, and Newtons! They were -incomplete, dull men, ponderous men—the fire was not -there.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She was somewhat taken aback, but she was amused -as well. His calm dismissal of men who were honoured in -the scientific world was so obviously sincere.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now talk to me of yourself.” He seated himself -in the hard, straight-backed chair by the little -desk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m afraid there is very little I can tell you, Dr. -Oberzohn. I live with my aunt at Heavytree Farm in -Gloucester, and we have a flat in Doughty Court. My -aunt and I have a small income—and I think that is -all.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Go on, please,” he commanded. “Tell me of your -sensations when you had my letter—I desire to know your -mind. That is how I form all opinions; that is how I -made my immense fortune. By the analysis of the -mind.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She had expected many tests; an examination in -elementary science; a typewriting test possibly (she -dreaded this most); but she never for one moment dreamt -that the flowery letter asking her to call at the City -Road offices of Oberzohn & Smitts would lead to an -experiment in psycho-analysis.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I can only tell you that I was surprised,” she said, -and the tightening line of her mouth would have told -him a great deal if he were the student of human nature -he claimed to be. “Naturally the salary appeals to -me—ten pounds a week is such a high rate of pay that -I cannot think I am qualified——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You are qualified.” His harsh voice grew more -strident as he impressed this upon her. “I need a -laboratory secretary. You are qualified”—he hesitated, -and then went on—“by reason of distinguished parentage. -Also”—he hesitated again for a fraction of a second—“also -because of general education. Your duties shall -commence soon!” He waved a long, thin hand to the -door in the corner of the room. “You will take your -position at once,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The long face, the grotesquely high forehead, the -bulbous nose and wide, crooked mouth all seemed to work -together when he spoke. At one moment the forehead -was full of pleats and furrows—at the next, comparatively -smooth. The point of his nose dipped up and down at -every word, only his small, deep-set eyes remained steadfast, -unwinking. She had seen eyes like those before, -brown and pathetic. Of what did they remind her? -His last words brought her to the verge of panic.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, I could not possibly start to-day,” she said in -trepidation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“To-day, or it shall be never,” he said with an air of -finality.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She had to face a crisis. The salary was more than -desirable; it was necessary. The farm scarcely paid its -way, for Alma was not the best of managers. And the -income grew more and more attenuated. Last year the -company in which her meagre fortune was invested had -passed a dividend and she had to give up her Swiss holiday.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll start now.” She had to set her teeth to make -this resolve.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Very good; that is my wish.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was still addressing her as though she were a public -meeting. Rising from his chair, he opened the little -door and she went into a smaller room. She had seen -laboratories, but none quite so beautifully fitted as this—shelf -upon shelf of white porcelain jars, of cut-glass -bottles, their contents engraved in frosted letters; a -bench that ran the length of the room, on which apparatus -of every kind was arranged in order. In the centre -of the room ran a long, glass-topped table, and here, in -dustproof glass, were delicate instruments, ranging from -scales which she knew could be influenced by a grain -of dust, to electrical machines, so complicated that her -heart sank at the sight of them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What must I do?” she asked dismally.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Everything was so beautifully new; she was sure she -would drop one of those lovely jars . . . all the science -of the school laboratory had suddenly drained out of her -mind, leaving it a blank.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You will do.” Remarkably enough, the doctor for -the moment seemed as much at a loss as the girl. “First—quantities. -In every jar or bottle there is a quantity. -How much? Who knows? The last secretary was -careless, stupid. She kept no book. Sometimes I go -for something—it is not there! All gone. That is very -regrettable.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You wish me to take stock?” she asked, her hopes -reviving at the simplicity of her task.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There were measures and scales enough. The latter -stood in a line like a platoon of soldiers ranged according -to their size. Everything was very new, very neat. -There was a smell of drying enamel in the room as though -the place had been newly painted.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is all,” said the long-faced man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He put his hand in the pocket of his frock-coat and -took out a large wallet. From this he withdrew two -crisp notes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ten pounds,” he said briefly. “We pay already in -advance. There is one more thing I desire to know,” he -said. “It is of the aunt. She is in London?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle shook her head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, she is in the country. I expected to go back -this afternoon, and if I was—successful, we were coming -to town to-morrow.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He pursed his thickish lips; she gazed fascinated at -his long forehead rippled in thought.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It will be a nervous matter for her if you stay in -London to-night—no?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She smiled and shook her head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No. I will stay at the flat; I have often stayed -there alone, but even that will not be necessary. I will -wire asking her to come up by the first train.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Wait.” He raised a pompous hand and darted -back to his room. He returned with a packet of telegraph -forms. “Write your telegram,” he commanded. “A -clerk shall dispatch it at once.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gratefully she took the blanks and wrote her news -and request.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thank you,” she said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Oberzohn bowed, went to the door, bowed again, -and the door closed behind him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Fortunately for her peace of mind, Mirabelle Leicester -had no occasion to consult her employer or attempt to -open the door. Had she done so, she would have discovered -that it was locked. As for the telegram she had -written, that was a curl of black ash in his fire.</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch2'></a><span class='it'>Chapter II</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>The Three Men of Curzon Street</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>N</span>O. 233, Curzon Street, was a small house. Even -the most enthusiastic of agents would not, if he -had any regard to his soul’s salvation, describe its dimensions -with any enthusiasm. He might enlarge upon its -bijou beauties, refer reverently to its historical association, -speak truthfully of its central heating and -electric installation, but he would, being an honest man, -convey the impression that No. 233 was on the small -side.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The house was flanked by two modern mansions, -stone-fronted, with metal and glass doors that gave out -a blur of light by night. Both overtopped the modest -roof of their neighbour by many stories—No. 233 had the -appearance of a little man crushed in a crowd and unable -to escape, and there was in its mild frontage the illusion -of patient resignation and humility.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>To that section of Curzon Street wherein it had its -place, the house was an offence and was, in every but a -legal sense, a nuisance. A learned Chancery judge to -whom application had been made on behalf of neighbouring -property owners, ground landlords and the like, had -refused to grant the injunction for which they had pleaded, -“prohibiting the said George Manfred from carrying on -a business, to wit the Triangle Detective Agency, situate -at the aforesaid number two hundred and thirty-three -Curzon Street in the City of Westminster in the County -of Middlesex.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In a judgment which occupied a third of a column -of <span class='it'>The Times</span> he laid down the dictum that a private -detective might be a professional rather than a business -man—a dictum which has been, and will be, disputed to -the end of time.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>So the little silver triangle remained fixed to the door, -and he continued to interview his clients—few in number, -for he was most careful to accept only those who offered -scope for his genius.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A tall, strikingly handsome man, with the face of a -patrician and the shoulders of an athlete, Curzon Street—or -such of the street as took the slightest notice of -anything—observed him to be extremely well dressed -on all occasions. He was a walking advertisement for a -Hanover Street tailor who was so fashionable that he -would have died with horror at the very thought of advertising -at all. Car folk held up at busy crossings glanced -into his limousine, saw the clean-cut profile and the -tanned, virile face, and guessed him for a Harley Street -specialist. Very few people knew him socially. Dr. -Elver, the Scotland Yard surgeon, used to come up to -Curzon Street at times and give his fantastic views on -the snake and its appearances, George Manfred and his -friends listening in silence and offering no help. But -apart from Elver and an Assistant Commissioner of Police, -a secretive man, who dropped in at odd moments to -smoke a pipe and talk of old times, the social callers were -few and far between.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His chauffeur-footman was really better known than -he. At the mews where he garaged his car, they called -him “Lightning,” and it was generally agreed that this -thin-faced, eager-eyed man would sooner or later meet -the end which inevitably awaits all chauffeurs who take -sharp corners on two wheels at sixty miles an hour: -some of the critics had met the big Spanz on the road -and had reproached him afterwards, gently or violently, -according to the degree of their scare.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Few knew Mr. Manfred’s butler, a dark-browed foreigner, -rather stout and somewhat saturnine. He was a man -who talked very little even to the cook and the two housemaids -who came every morning at eight and left the house -punctually at six, for Mr. Manfred dined out most nights.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He advertised only in the more exclusive newspapers, -and not in his own name; no interviews were granted -except by appointment, so that the arrival of Mr. Sam -Barberton was in every sense an irregularity.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He knocked at the door just as the maids were leaving, -and since they knew little about Manfred and his ways -except that he liked poached eggs and spinach for breakfast, -the stranger was allowed to drift into the hall, and -here the taciturn butler, hastily summoned from his room, -found him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The visitor was a stubby, thick-set man with a brick-red -face and a head that was both grey and bald. His dress -and his speech were equally rough. The butler saw that -he was no ordinary artisan because his boots were of a -kind known as <span class='it'>veldtschoons</span>. They were of undressed -leather, patchily bleached by the sun.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I want to see the boss of this Triangle,” he said in -a loud voice, and, diving into his waistcoat pocket, brought -out a soiled newspaper cutting.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The butler took it from him without a word. It was -the <span class='it'>Cape Times</span>—he would have known by the type and -the spacing even if on the back there had not been printed -the bisected notice of a church bazaar at Wynberg. The -butler studied such things.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I am afraid that you cannot see Mr. Manfred without -an appointment,” he said. His voice and manner were -most unexpectedly gentle in such a forbidding man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve got to see him, if I sit here all night,” said the -man stubbornly, and symbolized his immovability by -squatting down in the hall chair.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Not a muscle of the servant’s face moved. It was -impossible to tell whether he was angry or amused.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I got this cutting out of a paper I found on the -<span class='it'>Benguella</span>—she docked at Tilbury this afternoon—and I -came straight here. I should never have dreamt of -coming at all, only I want fair play for all concerned. -That Portuguese feller with a name like a cigar—Villa, -that’s it!—he said, ‘What’s the good of going to London -when we can settle everything on board ship?’ But -half-breed Portuguese! My God, I’d rather deal with -bushmen! Bushmen are civilized—look here.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Before the butler realized what the man was doing, -he had slipped off one of his ugly shoes. He wore no -sock or stocking underneath, and he upturned the sole -of his bare foot for inspection. The flesh was seamed -and puckered into red weals, and the butler knew the -cause.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Portuguese,” said the visitor tersely as he resumed -his shoe. “Not niggers—Portugooses—half-bred, I’ll -admit. They burnt me to make me talk, and they’d -have killed me only one of those hell-fire American traders -came along—full of fight and fire-water. He brought me -into the town.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where was this?” asked the butler.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mosamades: I went ashore to look round, like a -fool. I was on a Woerman boat that was going up to -Boma. The skipper was a Hun, but white—he warned -me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And what did they want to know from you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The caller shot a suspicious glance at his interrogator.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Are you the boss?” he demanded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No—I’m Mr. Manfred’s butler. What name shall I -tell him?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Barberton—Mister Samuel Barberton. Tell him I -want certain things found out. The address of a young -lady by the name of Miss Mirabelle Leicester. And I’ll -tell your governor something too. This Portugoose got -drunk one night, and spilled it about the fort they’ve got -in England. Looks like a house but it’s a fort: he went -there. . . .”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>No, he was not drunk; stooping to pick up an imaginary -match-stalk, the butler’s head had come near the visitor; -there was a strong aroma of tobacco but not of drink.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Would you very kindly wait?” he asked, and disappeared -up the stairs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was not gone long before he returned to the first -landing and beckoned Mr. Barberton to come. The -visitor was ushered into a room at the front of the house, -a small room, which was made smaller by the long grey -velvet curtains that hung behind the empire desk where -Manfred was standing.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is Mr. Barberton, sir,” said the butler, bowed, -and went out, closing the door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sit down, Mr. Barberton.” He indicated a chair -and seated himself. “My butler tells me you have quite -an exciting story to tell me—you are from the Cape?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, I’m not,” said Mr. Barberton. “I’ve never -been at the Cape in my life.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man behind the desk nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now, if you will tell me——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m not going to tell you much,” was the surprisingly -blunt reply. “It’s not likely that I’m going to tell a -stranger what I wouldn’t even tell Elijah Washington—and -he saved my life!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred betrayed no resentment at this cautious attitude. -In that room he had met many clients who had -shown the same reluctance to accept him as their confidant. -Yet he had at the back of his mind the feeling that this -man, unlike the rest, might remain adamant to the end: -he was curious to discover the real object of the visit.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Barberton drew his chair nearer the writing-table and -rested his elbows on the edge.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s like this, Mr. What’s-your-name. There’s a -certain secret which doesn’t belong to me, and yet does -in a way. It is worth a lot of money. Mr. Elijah -Washington knew that and tried to pump me, and -Villa got a gang of Kroomen to burn my feet, but -I’ve not told yet. What I want you to do is to find -Miss Mirabelle Leicester; and I want to get her quick, -because there’s only about two weeks, if you understand -me, before this other crowd gets busy—Villa is certain -to have cabled ’em, and according to him they’re -hot!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Manfred leant back in his padded chair, the glint -of an amused smile in his grey eyes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I take it that what you want us to do is to find Miss -Leicester?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man nodded energetically.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Have you the slightest idea as to where she is to be -found? Has she any relations in England?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know,” interrupted the man. “All I know -is that she lives here somewhere, and that her father died -three years ago, on the twenty-ninth of May—make a -note of that: he died in England on the twenty-ninth of -May.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>That was an important piece of information, and it -made the search easy, thought Manfred.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And you’re going to tell me about the fort, aren’t -you?” he said, as he looked up from his notes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Barberton hesitated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I was,” he admitted, “but I’m not so sure that I -will now, until I’ve found this young lady. And don’t -forget”—he rapped the table to emphasize his words—“that -crowd is hot!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Which crowd?” asked Manfred good-humouredly. -He knew many “crowds,” and wondered if it was -about one which was in his mind that the caller was -speaking.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The crowd I’m talking about,” said Mr. Barberton, -who spoke with great deliberation and was evidently -weighing every word he uttered for fear that he should -involuntarily betray his secret.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>That seemed to be an end of his requirements, for -he rose and stood a little awkwardly, fumbling in his -inside pocket.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There is nothing to pay,” said Manfred, guessing his -intention. “Perhaps, when we have located your Miss -Mirabelle Leicester, we shall ask you to refund our out-of-pocket -expenses.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I can afford to pay——” began the man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And we can afford to wait.” Again the gleam of -amusement in the deep eyes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Still Mr. Barberton did not move.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s another thing I meant to ask you. You -know all that’s happening in this country?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not quite everything,” said the other with perfect -gravity.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Have you ever heard of the Four Just Men?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was a surprising question. Manfred bent forward -as though he had not heard aright.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Four——?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Four Just Men—three, as a matter of fact. -I’d like to get in touch with those birds.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think I have heard of them,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They’re in England now somewhere. They’ve got -a pardon: I saw that in the <span class='it'>Cape Times</span>—the bit I tore -the advertisement from.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The last I heard of them, they were in Spain,” -said Manfred, and walked round the table and opened -the door. “Why do you wish to get in touch with -them?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Because,” said Mr. Barberton impressively, “the -crowd are scared of ’em—that’s why.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred walked with his visitor to the landing.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You have omitted one important piece of information,” -he said with a smile, “but I did not intend your -going until you told me. What is your address?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Petworth Hotel, Norfolk Street.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Barberton went down the stairs; the butler was -waiting in the hall to show him out, and Mr. Barberton, -having a vague idea that something of the sort was usual -in the houses of the aristocracy, slipped a silver coin in -his hand. The dark-faced man murmured his thanks: -his bow was perhaps a little lower, his attitude just a -trifle more deferential.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He closed and locked the front door and went slowly -up the stairs to the office room. Manfred was sitting -on the empire table, lighting a cigarette. The chauffeur-valet -had come through the grey curtains to take the -chair which had been vacated by Mr. Barberton.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He gave me half a crown—generous fellow,” said -Poiccart, the butler. “I like him, George.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wish I could have seen his feet,” said the chauffeur, -whose veritable name was Leon Gonsalez. He spoke -with regret. “He comes from West Sussex, and there -is insanity in his family. The left parietal is slightly -recessed and the face is asymmetrical.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Poor soul!” murmured Manfred, blowing a cloud of -smoke to the ceiling. “It’s a great trial introducing -one’s friends to you, Leon.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Fortunately, you have no friends,” said Leon, reaching -out and taking a cigarette from the open gold case -on the table. “Well, what do you think of our Mr. -Barberton’s mystery?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>George Manfred shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He was vague, and, in his desire to be diplomatic, -a little incoherent. What about your own mystery, -Leon? You have been out all day . . . have you found -a solution?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gonsalez nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Barberton is afraid of something,” said Poiccart, -a slow and sure analyst. “He carried a gun between -his trousers and his waistcoat—you saw that?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>George nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The question is, who or which is the crowd? Question -two is, where and who is Miss Mirabelle Leicester? -Question three is, why did they burn Barberton’s feet -. . . and I think that is all.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The keen face of Gonsalez was thrust forward through -a cloud of smoke.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I will answer most of them and propound two more,” -he said. “Mirabelle Leicester took a job to-day at -Oberzohn’s—laboratory secretary!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>George Manfred frowned.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Laboratory? I didn’t know that he had one.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He hadn’t till three days ago—it was fitted in seventy-two -hours by experts who worked day and night; the -cost of its installation was sixteen hundred pounds—and -it came into existence to give Oberzohn an excuse -for engaging Mirabelle Leicester. You sent me out to -clear up that queer advertisement which puzzled us all -on Monday—I have cleared it up. It was designed to -bring our Miss Leicester into the Oberzohn establishment. -We all agreed when we discovered who was the advertiser, -that Oberzohn was working for something—I watched -his office for two days, and she was the only applicant -for the job—hers the only letter they answered. Oberzohn -lunched with her at the Ritz-Carlton—she sleeps -to-night in Chester Square.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a silence which was broken by Poiccart.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And what is the question you have to propound?” -he asked mildly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think I know,” said Manfred, and nodded. “The -question is: how long has Mr. Samuel Barberton to -live?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Exactly,” said Gonsalez with satisfaction. “You -are beginning to understand the mentality of Oberzohn!”</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch3'></a><span class='it'>Chapter III</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>The Vendetta</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>T</span>HE man who that morning walked without announcement -into Dr. Oberzohn’s office might have -stepped from the pages of a catalogue of men’s fashions. -He was, to the initiated eye, painfully new. His lemon -gloves, his dazzling shoes, the splendour of his silk hat, -the very correctness of his handkerchief display, would -have been remarkable even in the Ascot paddock on Cup -day. He was good-looking, smooth, if a trifle plump, -of face, and he wore a tawny little moustache and a -monocle. People who did not like Captain Monty Newton—and -their names were many—said of him that he -aimed at achieving the housemaid’s conception of a -guardsman. They did not say this openly, because he was -a man to be propitiated rather than offended. He had -money, a place in the country, a house in Chester Square, -and an assortment of cars. He was a member of several -good clubs, the committees of which never discussed -him without offering the excuse of war-time courtesies -for his election. Nobody knew how he made his money, -or, if it were inherited, whose heir he was. He gave -extravagant parties, played cards well, and enjoyed -exceptional luck, especially when he was the host and -held the bank after one of the splendid dinners he gave -in his Chester Square mansion.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good morning, Oberzohn—how is Smitts?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was his favourite jest, for there was no Smitts, and -had been no Smitts in the firm since ’96.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The doctor, peering down at the telegram he was -writing, looked up.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good morning, Captain Newton,” he said precisely.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Newton passed to the back of him and read the message -he was writing. It was addressed to “Miss Alma Goddard, -Heavytree Farm, Daynham, Gloucester,” and the -wire ran:</p> - -<div class='blockquoter9'> - -<p class='pindent'>“Have got the fine situation. Cannot expeditiously return -to-night. I am sleeping at our pretty flat in Doughty Court. -Do not come up until I send for you.—<span class='sc'>Miss Mirabelle -Leicester.</span>”</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>“She’s here, is she?” Captain Newton glanced at -the laboratory door. “You’re not going to send that -wire? ‘Miss Mirabelle Leicester!’ ‘Expeditiously -return!’ She’d tumble it in a minute. Who is Alma -Goddard?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The aunt,” said Oberzohn. “I did not intend the -dispatching until you had seen it. My English is too -correct.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He made way for Captain Newton, who, having taken -a sheet of paper from the rack on which to deposit with -great care his silk hat, and having stripped his gloves -and deposited them in his hat, sat down in the chair -from which the older man had risen, pulled up the knees -of his immaculate trousers, tore off the top telegraph -form, and wrote under the address:</p> - -<div class='blockquoter9'> - -<p class='pindent'>“Have got the job. Hooray! Don’t bother to come up, -darling, until I am settled. Shall sleep at the flat as usual. Too -busy to write. Keep my letters.—<span class='sc'>Mirabelle.</span>”</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s real,” said Captain Newton, surveying his -work with satisfaction. “Push it off.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He got up and straddled his legs before the fire.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The hard part of the job may be to persuade the -lady to come to Chester Square,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My own little house——” began Oberzohn.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Would scare her to death,” said Newton with a loud -laugh. “That dog-kennel! No, it is Chester Square or -nothing. I’ll get Joan or one of the girls to drop in -this afternoon and chum up with her. When does the -<span class='it'>Benguella</span> arrive?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This afternoon: the person has booked rooms by -radio at the Petworth Hotel.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Norfolk Street . . . humph! One of your men can -pick him up and keep an eye on him. Lisa? So much -the better. That kind of trash will talk for a woman. -I don’t suppose he has seen a white woman in years. -You ought to fire Villa—crude beast! Naturally the -man is on his guard now.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Villa is the best of my men on the coast,” barked -Oberzohn fiercely. Nothing so quickly touched the -raw places of his amazing vanity as a reflection upon -his organizing qualities.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How is trade?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Captain Newton took a long ebony holder from his -tail pocket, flicked out a thin platinum case and lit a -cigarette in one uninterrupted motion.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bat!” When Dr. Oberzohn was annoyed the purity -of his pronunciation suffered. “There is nothing but -expense!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Oberzohn & Smitts had once made an enormous -income from the sale of synthetic alcohol. They were, -amongst other things, coast traders. They bought rubber -and ivory, paying in cloth and liquor. They sold arms -secretly, organized tribal wars for their greater profit, -and had financed at least two Portuguese revolutions -nearer at home. And with the growth of their fortune, -the activities of the firm had extended. Guns and more -guns went out of Belgian and French workshops. To -Kurdish insurrectionaries, to ambitious Chinese generals, -to South American politicians, planning to carry their -convictions into more active fields. There was no country -in the world that did not act as host to an O. & S. agent—and -agents can be very expensive. Just now the world -was alarmingly peaceful. A revolution had failed most -dismally in Venezuela, and Oberzohn & Smitts had not -been paid for two ship-loads of lethal weapons ordered -by a general who, two days after the armaments were -landed, had been placed against an <span class='it'>adobe</span> wall and incontinently -shot to rags by the soldiers of the Government -against which he was in rebellion.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But that shall not matter.” Oberzohn waved bad -trade from the considerable factors of life. “This shall -succeed: and then I shall be free to well punish——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“To punish well,” corrected the purist, stroking his -moustache. “Don’t split your infinitives, Eruc—it’s -silly. You’re thinking of Manfred and Gonsalez and -Poiccart? Leave them alone. They are nothing!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Nothing!” roared the doctor, his sallow face instantly -distorted with fury. “To leave them alone, is it? Of -my brother what? Of my brother in heaven, sainted -martyr . . . !”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He spun round, gripped the silken tassel of the cord -above the fire-place, and pulled down, not a map, but a -picture. It had been painted from a photograph by an -artist who specialized in the gaudy banners which hang -before every booth at every country fair. In this setting -the daub was a shrieking incongruity; yet to Dr. Oberzohn -it surpassed in beauty the masterpieces of the Prado. -A full-length portrait of a man in a frock-coat. He -leaned on a pedestal in the attitude which cheap photographers -believe is the acme of grace. His big face, -idealized as it was by the artist, was brutal and stupid. -The carmine lips were parted in a simper. In one hand -he held a scroll of paper, in the other a Derby hat which -was considerably out of drawing.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My brother!” Dr. Oberzohn choked. “My sainted -Adolph . . . murdered! By the so-called Three Just -Men . . . my brother!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Very interesting,” murmured Captain Newton, who -had not even troubled to look up. He flicked the ash -from his cigarette into the fire-place and said no more.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Adolph Oberzohn had certainly been shot dead by -Leon Gonsalez: there was no disputing the fact. That -Adolph, at the moment of his death, was attempting to -earn the generous profits which come to those who engage -in a certain obnoxious trade between Europe and the -South American states, was less open to question. There -was a girl in it: Leon followed his man to Porto Rico, -and in the Café of the Seven Virtues they had met. Adolph -was by training a gunman and drew first—and died -first. That was the story of Adolph Oberzohn: the -story of a girl whom Leon Gonsalez smuggled back to -Europe belongs elsewhere. She fell in love with her -rescuer and frightened him sick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dr. Oberzohn let the portrait roll up with a snap, blew -his nose vigorously, and blinked the tears from his pale -eyes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, very sad, very sad,” said the captain cheerfully. -“Now what about this girl? There is to be nothing -rough or raw, you understand, Eruc? I want the thing -done sweetly. Get that bug of the Just Men out of your -mind—they are out of business. When a man lowers -himself to run a detective agency he’s a back number. -If they start anything we’ll deal with them scientifically, -eh? Scientifically!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He chuckled with laughter at this good joke. It was -obvious that Captain Newton was no dependant on the -firm of Oberzohn & Smitts. If he was not the dominant -partner, he dominated that branch which he had once -served in a minor capacity. He owed much to the -death of Adolph—he never regretted the passing of that -unsavoury man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll get one of the girls to look her over this afternoon—where -is your telephone pad—the one you write messages -received?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The doctor opened a drawer of his desk and took out -a little memo pad, and Newton found a pencil and wrote:</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='pindent'>“To Mirabelle Leicester, care Oberzohn (Phone) London. -Sorry I can’t come up to-night. Don’t sleep at flat alone. Have -wired Joan Newton to put you up for night. She will call.—<span class='sc'>Alma.</span>”</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>“There you are,” said the gallant captain, handing -the pad to the other. “That message came this afternoon. -All telegrams to Oberzohn come by ’phone—never -forget it!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ingenious creature!” Dr. Oberzohn’s admiration -was almost reverential.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Take her out to lunch . . . after lunch, the message. -At four o’clock, Joan or one of the girls. A select dinner. -To-morrow the office . . . gently, gently. Bull-rush -these schemes and your plans die the death of a dog.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He glanced at the door once more.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She won’t come out, I suppose?” he suggested. -“Deuced awkward if she came out and saw Miss Newton’s -brother!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have locked the door,” said Dr. Oberzohn proudly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Captain Newton’s attitude changed: his face went -red with sudden fury.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then you’re a—you’re a fool! Unlock the door -when I’ve gone—and keep it unlocked! Want to -frighten her?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was my idea to risk nothing,” pleaded the long-faced -Swede.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do as I tell you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Captain Newton brushed his speckless coat with the -tips of his fingers. He pulled on his gloves, fitted his -hat with the aid of a small pocket-mirror he took from -his inside pocket, took up his clouded cane and strolled -from the room.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ingenious creature,” murmured Dr. Oberzohn again, -and went in to offer the startled Mirabelle an invitation -to lunch.</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch4'></a><span class='it'>Chapter IV</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>The Snake Strikes</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>T</span>HE great restaurant, with its atmosphere of luxury -and wealth, had been a little overpowering. The -crowded tables, the soft lights, the very capability and -nonchalance of the waiters, were impressive. When her -new employer had told her that it was his practice to -take the laboratory secretary to lunch, “for I have -no other time to speak of business things,” she accepted -uncomfortably. She knew little of office routine, but -she felt that it was not customary for principals to drive -their secretaries from the City Road to the Ritz-Carlton -to lunch expensively at that resort of fashion and the -epicure. It added nothing to her self-possession that -her companion was an object of interest to all who saw -him. The gay luncheon-parties forgot their dishes and -twisted round to stare at the extraordinary-looking -man with the high forehead.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At a little table alone she saw a man whose face was -tantalizingly familiar. A keen, thin face with eager, -amused eyes. Where had she seen him before? Then -she remembered: the chauffeur had such a face—the -man who had followed her into Oberzohn’s when she -arrived that morning. It was absurd, of course; this -man was one of the leisured class, to whom lunching at -the Ritz-Carlton was a normal event. And yet the -likeness was extraordinary.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She was glad when the meal was over. Dr. Oberzohn -did not talk of “business things.” He did not talk at -all, but spent his time shovelling incredible quantities of -food through his wide slit of a mouth. He ate intently, -noisily—Mirabelle was glad the band was playing, and -she went red with suppressed laughter at the whimsical -thought; and after that she felt less embarrassed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>No word was spoken as the big car sped citywards. -The doctor had his thoughts and ignored her presence. -The only reference he made to the lunch was as they -were leaving the hotel, when he had condescended to -grunt a bitter complaint about the quality of English-made -coffee.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He allowed her to go back to her weighing and measuring -without displaying the slightest interest in her -progress.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And then came the crowning surprise of the afternoon—it -followed the arrival of a puzzling telegram from her -aunt. She was weighing an evil-smelling mass of powder -when the door opened and there floated into the room -a delicate-looking girl, beautifully dressed. A small -face framed in a mass of little golden-brown curls smiled -a greeting.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re Mirabelle Leicester, aren’t you? I’m Joan -Newton—your aunt wired me to call on you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you know my aunt?” asked Mirabelle in astonishment. -She had never heard Alma speak of the Newtons, -but then, Aunt Alma had queer reticences. Mirabelle -had expected a middle-aged dowd—it was amazing -that her unprepossessing relative could claim acquaintance -with this society butterfly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, yes—we know Alma very well,” replied the -visitor. “Of course, I haven’t seen her since I was -<span class='it'>quite</span> a little girl—she’s a dear.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She looked round the laboratory with curious interest.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What a nasty-smelling place!” she said, her nose -upturned. “And how do you like old—er—Mr. Oberzohn?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you know him?” asked Mirabelle, astounded at -the possibility of this coincidence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My brother knows him—we live together, my brother -and I, and he knows everybody. A man about town -has to, hasn’t he, dear?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Man about town” was an expression that grated a -little; Mirabelle was not of the “dearing” kind. The -combination of errors in taste made her scrutinize the -caller more closely. Joan Newton was dressed beautifully -but not well. There was something . . . Had -Mirabelle a larger knowledge of life, she might have -thought that the girl had been dressed to play the part -of a lady by somebody who wasn’t quite sure of the -constituents of the part. Captain Newton she did not -know at the time, or she would have guessed the dress -authority.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m going to take you back to Chester Square after -Mr. Oberzohn—such a funny name, isn’t it?—has done -with you. Monty insisted upon my bringing the Rolls. -Monty is my brother; he’s rather classical.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle wondered whether this indicated a love of -the Greek poets or a passion for the less tuneful operas. -Joan (which was her real name) meant no more than -classy: it was a favourite word of hers; another was -“morbid.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Half an hour later the inquisitive chauffeur put his -foot on the starter and sent his car on the trail of the -Rolls, wondering what Mirabelle Leicester had in common -with Joan Alice Murphy, who had brought so many rich -young men to the green board in Captain Newton’s -beautiful drawing-room, where stakes ran high and the -captain played with such phenomenal luck.</p> - -<hr class='tbk100'/> - -<p class='pindent'>“And there you are,” said Gonsalez complacently. -“I’ve done a very good day’s work. Oberzohn has -gone back to his rabbit-hutch to think up new revolutions—Miss -Mirabelle Leicester is to be found at 307, -Chester Square. Now the point is, what do we do to save -the valuable life of Mr. Sam Barberton?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred looked grave.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I hardly like the thought of the girl spending the -night in Newton’s house,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why allow her to remain there?” asked Poiccart -in his heavy way.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Exactly!” Leon nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>George Manfred looked at his watch.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Obviously the first person to see is friend Barberton,” -he said. “If we can prevail on him to spend the evening -with us, the rest is a simple matter——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The telephone bell rang shrilly and Leon Gonsalez -monopolized the instrument.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gloucester? Yes.” He covered the receiver with -his hand. “I took the liberty of asking Miss Alma -Goddard to ring me up . . . her address I discovered -very early in the day: Heavytree Farm, Daynham, near -Gloucester . . . yes, yes, it is Mr. Johnson speaking. -I wanted to ask you if you would take a message to Miss -Leicester . . . oh, she isn’t at home?” Leon listened -attentively, and, after a few minutes: “Thank you -very much. She is staying at Doughty Court? She -wired you . . . oh, nothing very important. I—er—am -her old science master and I saw an advertisement -. . . oh, she has seen it, has she?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He hung up the receiver.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Nothing to go on,” he said. “The girl has wired to -say she is delighted with her job. The aunt is not to -come up until she is settled, and Mirabelle is sleeping at -Doughty Court.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And a very excellent place too,” said Manfred. -“When we’ve seen Mr. Barberton I shouldn’t be surprised -if she didn’t sleep there after all.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Petworth Hotel in Norfolk Street was a sedate residential -hostel, greatly favoured by overseas visitors, especially -South Africans. The reception clerk thought Mr. Barberton -was out: the hall porter was sure.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He went down to the Embankment—he said he’d -like to see the river before it was dark,” said that confidant -of so many visitors.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred stepped into the car by Leon’s side—Poiccart -seldom went abroad, but sat at home piecing together -the little jigsaw puzzles of life that came to Curzon Street -for solution. He was the greatest of all the strategists: -even Scotland Yard brought some of its problems for his -inspection.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“On the Embankment?” Manfred looked up at the -blue and pink sky. The sun had gone down, but the -light of day remained. “If it were darker I should be -worried . . . stop, there’s Dr. Elver.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The little police surgeon who had passed them with -a cheery wave of his hand turned and walked back.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, Children of the Law”—he was inclined to be -dramatic—“on what dread errand of vengeance are you -bound?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We are looking for a man named Barberton to ask -him to dinner,” said Manfred, shaking hands.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sounds tame to me: has he any peculiarities which -would appeal to me?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Burnt feet,” said Leon promptly. “If you would -like to learn how the coastal intelligence department -extract information from unwilling victims, come -along.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elver hesitated. He was a man burnt up by the -Indian suns, wizened like a dried yellow apple, and he -had no interest in the world beyond his work.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll go with you,” he said, stepping into the car. -“And if your Barberton man fails you, you can have -me as a guest. I like to hear you talking. One cannot -know too much of the criminal mind! And life is dull -since the snake stopped biting!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The car made towards Blackfriars Bridge, and Manfred -kept watch of the sidewalk. There was no sign of Barberton, -and he signalled Leon to turn and come back. -This brought the machine to the Embankment side of -the broad boulevard. They had passed under Waterloo -Bridge and were nearing Cleopatra’s Needle when Gonsalez -saw the man they were seeking.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was leaning against the parapet, his elbows on the -coping and his head sunk forward as though he were -studying the rush of the tide below. The car pulled up -near a policeman who was observing the lounger thoughtfully. -The officer recognized the police surgeon and -saluted.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Can’t understand that bird, sir,” he said. “He’s -been standing there for ten minutes—I’m keeping an eye -on him because he looks to me like a suicide who’s thinkin’ -it over!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred approached the man, and suddenly, with a -shock, saw his face. It was set in a grin—the eyes were -wide open, the skin a coppery red.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Elver! Leon!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As Leon sprang from the car, Manfred touched the -man’s shoulder and he fell limply to the ground. In a -second the doctor was on his knees by the side of the still -figure.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Dead,” he said laconically, and then: “Good God!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He pointed to the neck, where a red patch showed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is that?” asked Manfred steadily.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The snake!” said the doctor.</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch5'></a><span class='it'>Chapter V</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>The Golden Woman</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>B</span>ARBERTON had been stricken down in the heart -of London, under the very eyes of the policeman, -it proved.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, sir, I’ve had him under observation for a quarter -of an hour. I saw him walking along the Embankment, -admiring the view, long before he stopped here.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Did anybody go near him or speak to him?” asked -Dr. Elver, looking up.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, sir, he stood by himself. I’ll swear that nobody -was within two yards of him. Of course, people have -been passing to and fro, but I have been looking at him -all the time, and I’ve not seen man or woman within -yards of him, and my eyes were never off him.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A second policeman had appeared on the scene, and -he was sent across to Scotland Yard in Manfred’s car, -for the ambulance and the police reserves necessary to -clear and keep in circulation the gathering crowd. These -returned simultaneously, and the two friends watched -the pitiable thing lifted into a stretcher, and waited until -the white-bodied vehicle had disappeared with its sad -load before they returned to their machine.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gonsalez took his place at the wheel; George got in -by his side. No word was spoken until they were back -at Curzon Street. Manfred went in alone, whilst his -companion drove the machine to the garage. When -he returned, he found Poiccart and George deep in discussion.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You were right, Raymond.” Leon Gonsalez stripped -his thin coat and threw it on a chair. “The accuracy -of your forecasts is almost depressing. I am waiting -all the time for the inevitable mistake, and I am irritated -when this doesn’t occur. You said the snake would -reappear, and the snake has reappeared. Prophesy -now for me, O seer!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Poiccart’s heavy face was gloomy; his dark eyes -almost hidden under the frown that brought his bushy -eyebrows lower.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“One hasn’t to be a seer to know that our association -with Barberton will send the snake wriggling towards -Curzon Street,” he said. “Was it Gurther or Pfeiffer?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred considered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Pfeiffer, I think. He is the steadier of the two. -Gurther has brain-storms; he is on the neurotic side. -And that nine-thonged whip of yours, Leon, cannot -have added to his mental stability. No, it was Pfeiffer, -I’m sure.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I suppose the whip unbalanced him a little,” said -Leon. He thought over this aspect as though it were -one worth consideration. “Gurther is a sort of Jekyll -and Hyde, except that there is no virtue to him at all. -It is difficult to believe, seeing him dropping languidly -into his seat at the opera, that this exquisite young man -in his private moments would not change his linen more -often than once a month, and would shudder at the sound -of a running bath-tap! That almost sounds as though -he were a morphia fiend. I remember a case in ’99 -. . . but I am interrupting you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What precautions shall you take, Leon?” asked -George Manfred.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Against the snake?” Leon shrugged his shoulders. -“The old military precaution against Zeppelin raids; the -precaution the farmer takes against a plague of wasps. -You cannot kneel on the chest of the <span class='it'>vespa vulgaris</span> and -extract his sting with an anæsthetic. You destroy his -nest—you bomb his hangar. Personally, I have never -feared dissolution in any form, but I have a childish -objection to being bitten by a snake.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Poiccart’s saturnine face creased for a moment in a -smile.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’ve no objection to stealing my theories,” he -said dryly, and the other doubled up in silent laughter.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred was pacing the little room, his hands behind -him, a thick Egyptian cigarette between his lips.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s a train leaves Paddington for Gloucester at -ten forty-five,” he said. “Will you telegraph to Miss -Goddard, Heavytree Farm, and ask her to meet the -train with a cab? After that I shall want two men to -patrol the vicinity of the farm day and night.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Poiccart pulled open a drawer of the desk, took out a -small book and ran his finger down the index.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I can get this service in Gloucester,” he said. “Gordon, -Williams, Thompson and Elfred—they’re reliable -people and have worked for us before.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Send them the usual instructions by letter. I -wonder who will be in charge of this Barberton case. -If it’s Meadows, I can work with him. On the other hand, -if it’s Arbuthnot, we shall have to get our information by -subterranean methods.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Call Elver,” suggested Leon, and George pulled -the telephone towards him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was some time before he could get into touch -with Dr. Elver, and then he learnt, to his relief, -that the redoubtable Inspector Meadows had complete -charge.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s coming up to see you,” said Elver. “As a -matter of fact, the chief was here when I arrived at the -Yard, and he particularly asked Meadows to consult with -you. There’s going to be an awful kick at the Home -Secretary’s office about this murder. We had practically -assured the Home Office that there would be no repetition -of the mysterious deaths and that the snake had gone -dead for good.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred asked a few questions and then hung up.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They are worried about the public—you never know -what masses will do in given circumstances. But you -can gamble that the English mass does the same thing—Governments -hate intelligent crowds. This may cost the -Home Secretary his job, poor soul! And he’s doing his -best.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A strident shout in the street made him turn his head -with a smile.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The late editions have got it—naturally. It might -have been committed on their doorstep.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But why?” asked Poiccart. “What was Barberton’s -offence?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“His first offence,” said Leon promptly, without -waiting for Manfred to reply, “was to go in search of -Miss Mirabelle Leicester. His second and greatest was -to consult with us. He was a dead man when he left the -house.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The faint sound of a bell ringing sent Poiccart down to -the hall to admit an unobtrusive, middle-aged man, who -might have been anything but what he was: one of the -cleverest trackers of criminals that Scotland Yard had -known in thirty years. A sandy-haired, thin-faced man, -who wore pince-nez and looked like an actor, he had been a -visitor to Curzon Street before, and now received a warm -welcome. With little preliminary he came to the object -of his call, and Manfred told him briefly what had happened, -and the gist of his conversation with Barberton.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Miss Mirabelle Leicester is——” began Manfred.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Employed by Oberzohn—I know,” was the surprising -reply. “She came up to London this morning -and took a job as laboratory assistant. I had no idea -that Oberzohn & Smitts had a laboratory on the premises.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They hadn’t until a couple of days ago,” interrupted -Leon. “The laboratory was staged especially for her.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Meadows nodded, then turned to Manfred.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He didn’t give you any idea at all why he wanted -to meet Miss Leicester?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>George shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, he was very mysterious indeed on that subject,” -he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He arrived by the <span class='it'>Benguella</span>, eh?” said Meadows, -making a note. “We ought to get something from the -ship before they pay off their stewards. If a man isn’t -communicative on board ship, he’ll never talk at all! -And we may find something in his belongings. Would -you like to come along, Manfred?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll come with pleasure,” said George gravely. “I -may help you a little—you will not object to my making -my own interpretation of what we see?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Meadows smiled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You will be allowed your private mystery,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A taxi set them down at the Petworth Hotel in Norfolk -Street, and they were immediately shown up to the -room which the dead man had hired but had not as yet -occupied. His trunk, still strapped and locked, stood on -a small wooden trestle, his overcoat was hanging behind -the door; in one corner of the room was a thick hold-all, -tightly strapped, and containing, as they subsequently -discovered, a weather-stained mackintosh, two well-worn -blankets and an air pillow, together with a collapsible -canvas chair, also showing considerable signs of usage. -This was the object of their preliminary search.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The lock of the trunk yielded to the third key which -the detective tried. Beyond changes of linen and two -suits, one of which was practically new and bore the -tab of a store in St. Paul de Loanda, there was very little -to enlighten them. They found an envelope full of papers, -and sorted them out one by one on the bed. Barberton -was evidently a careful man: he had preserved his -hotel bills, writing on their backs brief but pungent -comments about the accommodation he had enjoyed -or suffered. There was an hotel in Lobuo which was -full of vermin; there was one at Mossamedes of which -he had written: “Rats ate one boot. Landlord made -no allowance. Took three towels and pillow-slip.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“One of the Four Just Men in embryo,” said Meadows -dryly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred smiled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>On the back of one bill were closely written columns -of figures: “12/6, 13/15, 10/7, 17/12, about 24,” etc. -Against a number of these figures the word “about” -appeared, and Manfred observed that invariably this -qualification marked one of the higher numbers. Against -the 10/7 was a thick pencil mark.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There were amongst the papers several other receipts. -In St. Paul he had bought a “pistol automatic of precision” -and ammunition for the same. The “pistol -automatic of precision” was not in the trunk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We found it in his pocket,” said Meadows briefly. -“That fellow was expecting trouble, and was entitled to, -if it is true that they tortured him at Mosamodes.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Moss-<span class='it'>am</span>-o-dees,” Manfred corrected the mispronunciation. -It almost amounted to a fad in him that to -hear a place miscalled gave him a little pain.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Meadows was reading a letter, turning the pages -slowly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is from his sister: she lives at Brightlingsea, -and there’s nothing in it except . . .” He read a portion -of the letter aloud:</p> - -<div class='blockquoter9'> - -<p class='pindent'>“. . . thank you for the books. The children will appreciate -them. It must have been like old times writing them—but I can -understand how it helped pass the time. Mr. Lee came over and -asked if I had heard from you. He is wonderful.”</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>The letter was in an educated hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He didn’t strike me as a man who wrote books,” -said Meadows, and continued his search.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Presently he unfolded a dilapidated map, evidently -of Angola. It was rather on the small scale, so much so -that it took in a portion of the Kalahari Desert in the -south, and showed in the north the undulations of the -rolling Congo.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No marks of any kind,” said Meadows, carrying the -chart to the window to examine it more carefully. “And -that, I think, is about all—unless this is something.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This” was wrapped in a piece of cloth, and was -fastened to the bottom and the sides of the trunk by -two improvised canvas straps. Meadows tried to pull -it loose and whistled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gold,” he said. “Nothing else can weigh quite -as heavily as this.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He lifted out the bundle eventually, unwrapped the -covering, and gazed in amazement on the object that -lay under his eyes. It was an African <span class='it'>bête</span>, a nude, squat -idol, rudely shaped, the figure of a native woman.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gold?” said Manfred incredulously, and tried to -lift it with his finger and thumb. He took a firmer grip -and examined the discovery closely.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was no doubt that it was gold, and fine gold. -His thumb-nail made a deep scratch in the base of the -statuette. He could see the marks where the knife of -the inartistic sculptor had sliced and carved.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Meadows knew the coast fairly well: he had made -many trips to Africa and had stopped off at various ports -en route.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve never seen anything exactly like it before,” he -said, “and it isn’t recent workmanship either. When -you see this”—he pointed to a physical peculiarity of -the figure—“you can bet that you’ve got something that’s -been made at least a couple of hundred years, and probably -before then. The natives of West and Central -Africa have not worn toe-rings, for example, since the -days of the Cæsars.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He weighed the idol in his hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Roughly ten pounds,” he said. “In other words, -eight hundred pounds’ worth of gold.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was examining the cloth in which the idol had -been wrapped, and uttered an exclamation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Look at this,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Written on one corner, in indelible pencil, were the -words:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Second shelf up left Gods lobby sixth.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Suddenly Manfred remembered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Would you have this figure put on the scales right -away?” he said. “I’m curious to know the exact -weight.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why?” asked Meadows in surprise, as he rang the -bell.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The proprietor himself, who was aware that a police -search was in progress, answered the call, and, at the -detective’s request, hurried down to the kitchen and -returned in a few minutes with a pair of scales, which he -placed on the table. He was obviously curious to know -the purpose for which they were intended, but Inspector -Meadows did not enlighten him, standing pointedly by -the door until the gentleman had gone.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The figure was taken from under the cloth where it had -been hidden whilst the scales were being placed, and -put in one shallow pan on the machine.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ten pounds seven ounces,” nodded Manfred triumphantly. -“I thought that was the one!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“One what?” asked the puzzled Meadows.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Look at this list.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred found the hotel bill with the rows of figures -and pointed to the one which had a black cross against -it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“10/7,” he said. “That is our little fellow, and the -explanation is fairly plain. Barberton found some -treasure-house filled with these statues. He took away -the lightest. Look at the figures! He weighed them -with a spring balance, one of those which register up to -21 lbs. Above that he had to guess—he puts ‘about -24,’ ‘about 22.’ ”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Meadows looked at his companion blankly, but Manfred -was not deceived. That clever brain of the detective -was working.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not for robbery—the trunk is untouched. They -did not even burn his feet to find the idol or the treasure-house: -they must have known nothing of that. It -was easy to rob him—or, if they knew of his gold idol, -they considered it too small loot to bother with.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He looked slowly round the apartment. On the -mantelshelf was a slip of brown paper like a pipe-spill.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He picked it up, looked at both sides, and, finding the -paper blank, put it back where he had found it. Manfred -took it down and absently drew the strip between his -sensitive finger-tips.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The thing to do,” said Meadows, taking one final -look round, “is to find Miss Leicester.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is one of the things,” he said slowly. “The -other, of course, is to find Johnny.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Johnny?” Meadows frowned suspiciously. “Who -is Johnny?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Johnny is my private mystery.” George Manfred -was smiling. “You promised me that I might have -one!”</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch6'></a><span class='it'>Chapter VI</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>In Chester Square</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>W</span>HEN Mirabelle Leicester went to Chester Square, -her emotions were a curious discord of wonder, -curiosity and embarrassment. The latter was founded -on the extraordinary effusiveness of her companion, -who had suddenly, and with no justification, assumed -the position of dearest friend and lifelong acquaintance. -Mirabelle thought the girl was an actress: a profession -in which sudden and violent friendships are not of rare -occurrence. She wondered why Aunt Alma had not -made an effort to come to town, and wondered more -that she had known of Alma’s friendship with the Newtons. -That the elder woman had her secrets was true, -but there was no reason why she should have refrained -from speaking of a family who were close enough friends -to be asked to chaperon her in town.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She had time for thought, for Joan Newton chattered -away all the time, and if she asked a question, she either -did not wait for approval, or the question was answered -to her own satisfaction before it was put.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Chester Square, that dignified patch of Belgravia, -is an imposing quarter. The big house into which the -girl was admitted by a footman had that air of luxurious -comfort which would have appealed to a character less -responsive to refinement than Mirabelle Leicester’s. She -was ushered into a big drawing-room which ran from -the front to the back of the house, and did not terminate -even there, for a large, cool conservatory, bright with -flowers, extended a considerable distance.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Monty isn’t back from the City yet,” Joan rattled -on. “My dear! He’s awfully busy just now, what -with stocks and shares and things like that.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She spoke as though “stocks and shares and things -like that” were phenomena which had come into existence -the day before yesterday for the occupation of -Monty Newton.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is there a boom?” asked Mirabelle with a smile, -and the term seemed to puzzle the girl.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ye-es, I suppose there is. You know what the -Stock Exchange is, my dear? Everybody connected -with it is wealthy beyond the dreams of avarice. The -money they make is simply wicked! And they can -give a girl an awfully good time—theatres, parties, -dresses, pearls—why, Monty would think nothing of -giving a string of pearls to a girl if he took a liking to -her!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In truth Joan was walking on very uncertain ground. -Her instructions had been simple and to the point. -“Get her to Chester Gardens, make friends with her, -and don’t mention the fact that I know Oberzohn.” -What was the object of bringing Mirabelle Leicester to -the house, what was behind this move of Monty’s, she -did not know. She was merely playing for safety, -baiting the ground, as it were, with her talk of good -times and vast riches, in case that was required of her. -For she, no less than many of her friends, entertained a -wholesome dread of Monty Newton’s disapproval, which -usually took a definitely unpleasant shape.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle was laughing softly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I didn’t know that stockbrokers were so rich,” -she said dryly, “and I can assure you that some of them -aren’t!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She passed tactfully over the <span class='it'>gaucherie</span> of the pearls -that Monty would give to any girl who took his fancy. -By this time she had placed Joan: knew something of -her upbringing, guessed pretty well the extent of her -intelligence, and marvelled a little that a man of the -unknown Mr. Newton’s position should have allowed -his sister to come through the world without the benefit -of a reasonably good education.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come up to your room, my dear,” said Joan. “We’ve -got a perfectly topping little suite for you, and I’m sure -you’ll be comfortable. It’s at the front of the house, -and if you can get used to the milkmen yowling about -the streets before they’re aired, you’ll have a perfectly -topping time.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When Mirabelle inspected the apartment she was -enchanted. It fulfilled Joan’s vague description. Here -was luxury beyond her wildest dreams. She admired the -silver bed and the thick blue carpet, the silken panelled -walls, the exquisite fittings, and stood in rapture before -the entrance of a little bathroom, with its silver and -glass, its shaded lights and marble walls.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll have a cup of tea sent up to you, my dear. You’ll -want to rest after your horrible day at that perfectly -terrible factory, and I wonder you can stand Oberzohn, -though they tell me he’s quite a nice man. . . .”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She seemed anxious to go, and Mirabelle was no less -desirous of being alone.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come down when you feel like it,” said Joan at -parting, and ran down the stairs, reaching the hall in -time to meet Mr. Newton, who was handing his hat and -gloves to his valet.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, is she here?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She’s here all right,” said Joan, who was not at all -embarrassed by the presence of the footman. “Monty, -isn’t she a bit of a fool? She couldn’t say boo to a -goose. What is the general scheme?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was brushing his hair delicately in the mirror -above the hall-stand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What’s what scheme?” he asked, after the servant -had gone, as he strolled into the drawing-room before her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bringing her here—is she sitting into a game?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t be stupid,” said Monty without heat, as he -dropped wearily to a low divan and drew a silken cushion -behind him. “Nor inquisitive,” he added. “You -haven’t scared her, have you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I like that!” she said indignantly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She was one of those ladies who speak more volubly -and with the most assurance when there is a mirror in -view, and she had her eyes fixed upon herself all the -time she was talking, patting a strand of hair here and -there, twisting her head this way and that to get a better -effect, and never once looking at the man until he drew -attention to himself.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Scared! I’ll bet she’s never been to such a beautiful -house in her life! What is she, Monty? A typist -or something? I don’t understand her.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She’s a lady,” said Monty offensively. “That’s -the type that’ll always seem like a foreign language to -you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She lifted one shoulder delicately.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t pretend to be a lady, and what I am, you’ve -made me,” she said, and the reproach was mechanical. -He had heard it before, not only from her but from -others similarly placed. “I don’t think it’s very kind -to throw my education up in my face, considering the -money I’ve made for you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And for yourself.” He yawned. “Get me some tea.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You might say ‘please’ now and again,” she said -resentfully, and he smiled as he took up the evening -paper, paying her no more attention, until she had rung -the bell with a vicious jerk and the silver tray came in -and was deposited on a table near him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where are you going to-night?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His interest in her movements was unusual, and she -was flattered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You know very well, Monty, where I’m going to-night,” -she said reproachfully. “You promised to take -me too. I think you’d look wonderful as a Crusader—one -of them—those old knights in armour.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He nodded, but not to her comment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I remember, of course—the Arts Ball.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His surprise was so well simulated that she was deceived.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Fancy your forgetting! I’m going as Cinderella, -and Minnie Gray is going as a pierrette——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Minnie Gray isn’t going as anything,” said Monty, -sipping his tea. “I’ve already telephoned to her to say -that the engagement is off. Miss Leicester is going with -you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But, Monty——” protested the girl.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t ‘but Monty’ me,” he ordered. “I’m telling -you! Go up and see this girl, and put it to her that -you’ve got a spare ticket for the dance.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But her costume, Monty! The girl hasn’t got a -fancy dress. And Minnie——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Forget Minnie, will you? Mirabelle Leicester is -going to the Arts Ball to-night.” He tapped the tray -before him to emphasize every word. “You have a -ticket to spare, and you simply can’t go alone because -I have a very important business engagement and your -friend has failed you. Her dress will be here in a few -minutes: it is a bright green domino with a bright-red -hood.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How perfectly hideous!” She forgot for the -moment her disappointment in this outrage. “Bright -green! Nobody has a complexion to stand that!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Yet he ignored her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You will explain to Miss Leicester that the dress -came from a friend who, through illness or any cause -you like to invent, is unable to go to the dance—she’ll -jump at the chance. It is one of the events of the year -and tickets are selling at a premium.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She asked him what that meant, and he explained -patiently.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Maybe she’ll want to spend a quiet evening—have -one of those headaches,” he went on. “If that is so, -you can tell her that I’ve got a party coming to the house -to-night, and they will be a little noisy. Did she want -to know anything about me?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, she didn’t,” snapped Joan promptly. “She -didn’t want to know about anything. I couldn’t get her -to talk. She’s like a dumb oyster.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle was sitting by the window, looking down -into the square, when there was a gentle tap at the door -and Joan came in.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve got wonderful news for you,” she said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“For me?” said Mirabelle in surprise.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Joan ran across the room, giving what she deemed -to be a surprisingly life-like representation of a young -thing full of innocent joy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve got an extra ticket for the Arts Ball to-night. -They’re selling at a—they’re very expensive. Aren’t -you a lucky girl!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I?” said Mirabelle in surprise. “Why am I the -lucky girl?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Joan rose from the bed and drew back from her reproachfully.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You surely will come with me? If you don’t, I -shan’t be able to go at all. Lady Mary and I were -going together, and now she’s sick!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle opened her eyes wider.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But I can’t go, surely. It is a fancy dress ball, -isn’t it? I read something about it in the papers. -And I’m awfully tired to-night.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Joan pouted prettily.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My dear, if you lay down for an hour you’d be fit. -Besides, you couldn’t sleep here early to-night: Monty’s -having one of his men parties, and they’re a noisy lot -of people—though thoroughly respectable,” she added -hastily.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Poor Joan had a mission outside her usual range.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’d love to go,”—Mirabelle was anxious not to be -a kill-joy,—“if I could get a dress.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve got one,” said the girl promptly, and ran out -of the room.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She returned very quickly, and threw the domino on -the bed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s not pretty to look at, but it’s got this advantage, -that you can wear almost anything underneath.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What time does the ball start?” Mirabelle, examining -her mind, found that she was not averse to -going; she was very human, and a fancy dress ball -would be a new experience.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ten o’clock,” said Joan. “We can have dinner -before Monty’s friends arrive. You’d like to see Monty, -wouldn’t you? He’s downstairs—such a gentleman, -my dear!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The girl could have laughed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A little later she was introduced to the redoubtable -Monty, and found his suave and easy manner a relief -after the jerky efforts of the girl to be entertaining. -Monty had seen most parts of the world and could talk -entertainingly about them all. Mirabelle rather liked -him, though she thought he was something of a fop, -yet was not sorry when she learned that, so far from -having friends to dinner, he did not expect them to -arrive until after she and Joan had left.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The meal put her more at her ease. He was a polished -man of the world, courteous to the point of pomposity; -he neither said nor suggested one thing that could offend -her; they were half-way through dinner when the cry -of a newsboy was heard in the street. Through the -dining-room window she saw the footman go down the -steps and buy a newspaper. He glanced at the stop-press -space and came back slowly up the stairs reading. -A little later he came into the room, and must have -signalled to her host, for Monty went out immediately and -she heard their voices in the passage. Joan was uneasy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wonder what’s the matter?” she asked, a little -irritably. “It’s very bad manners to leave ladies in the -middle of dinner——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At that moment Monty came back. Was it imagination -on her part, or had he gone suddenly pale? Joan -saw it, and her brows met, but she was too wise to make -a comment upon his appearance.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Newton seated himself in his place with a word -of apology and poured out a glass of champagne. Only -for a second did his hand tremble, and then, with a -smile, he was his old self.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is wrong, Monty?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Wrong? Nothing,” he said curtly, and took up -the topic of conversation where he had laid it down -before leaving the room.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It isn’t that old snake, is it?” asked Joan with -a shiver. “Lord! that unnerves me! I never go to -bed at night without looking under, or turning the clothes -right down to the foot! They ought to have found it -months ago if the police——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At this point she caught Monty Newton’s eye, cold, -menacing, malevolent, and the rest of her speech died on -her lips.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle went upstairs to dress, and Joan would have -followed but the man beckoned her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re a little too talkative, Joan,” he said, more -mildly than she had expected. “The snake is not a -subject we wish to discuss at dinner. And listen!” -He walked into the passage and looked round, then came -back and closed the door. “Keep that girl near you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who is going to dance with me?” she asked petulantly. -“I look like having a hell of a lively night!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Benton will be there to look after you, and one of -the ‘Old Guard’——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He saw the frightened look in her face and chuckled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What’s the matter, you fool?” he asked good-humouredly. -“He’ll dance with the girl.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wish those fellows weren’t going to be there,” she -said uneasily, but he went on, without noticing her:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I shall arrive at half-past eleven. You had better -meet me near the entrance to the American bar. My -party didn’t turn up, you understand. You’ll get back -here at midnight.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So soon?” she said in dismay. “Why, it doesn’t -end till——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’ll be back here at midnight,” he said evenly. -“Go into her room, clear up everything she may have -left behind. You understand? Nothing is to be left.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But when she comes back she’ll——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She’ll not come back,” said Monty Newton, and -the girl’s blood ran cold.</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch7'></a><span class='it'>Chapter VII</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>“Moral Suasion”</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>“T</span>HERE’S a man wants to see you, governor.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was a quarter-past nine. The girls had -been gone ten minutes, and Montague Newton had settled -himself down to pass the hours of waiting before he -had to dress. He put down the patience cards he was -shuffling.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A man to see me? Who is he, Fred?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know: I’ve never seen him before. Looks -to me like a ‘busy.’ ”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A detective! Monty’s eyebrows rose, but not in -trepidation. He had met many detectives in the course -of his chequered career and had long since lost his awe of -them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Show him in,” he said with a nod.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The slim man in evening dress who came softly into -the room was a stranger to Monty, who knew most of the -prominent figures in the world of criminal detection. -And yet his face was in some way familiar.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Captain Newton?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is my name.” Newton rose with a smile.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The visitor looked slowly round towards the door -through which the footman had gone.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do your servants always listen at the keyhole?” -he asked, in a quiet, measured tone, and Newton’s face -went a dusky red.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In two strides he was at the door and had flung it -open, just in time to see the disappearing heels of the -footman.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Here, you!” He called the man back, a scowl on -his face. “If you want to know anything, will you come -in and ask?” he roared. “If I catch you listening at -my door, I’ll murder you!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man with a muttered excuse made a hurried -escape.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How did you know?” growled Newton, as he came -back into the room and slammed the door behind him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have an instinct for espionage,” said the stranger, -and went on, without a break: “I have called for Miss -Mirabelle Leicester.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Newton’s eyes narrowed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, you have, have you?” he said softly. “Miss -Leicester is not in the house. She left a quarter of an -hour ago.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I did not see her come out of the house?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, the fact is, she went out by way of the mews. -My—er”—he was going to say “sister” but thought -better of it—“my young friend——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Flash Jane Smith,” said the stranger. “Yes?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Newton’s colour deepened. He was rapidly reaching -the point when his sang-froid, nine-tenths of his -moral assets, was in danger of deserting him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who are you, anyway?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The stranger wetted his lips with the tip of his tongue, -a curiously irritating action of his, for some inexplicable -reason.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My name is Leon Gonsalez,” he said simply.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Instinctively the man drew back. Of course! Now -he remembered, and the colour had left his cheeks, -leaving him grey. With an effort he forced a smile.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“One of the redoubtable Four Just Men? What -extraordinary birds you are!” he said. “I remember -ten-fifteen years ago, being scared out of my life by the -very mention of your name—you came to punish where -the law failed, eh?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You must put that in your reminiscences,” said -Leon gently. “For the moment I am not in an autobiographical -mood.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But Newton could not be silenced.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I know a man”—he was speaking slowly, with quiet -vehemence—“who will one day cause you a great deal -of inconvenience, Mr. Leon Gonsalez: a man who never -forgets you in his prayers. I won’t tell you who he -is.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is unnecessary. You are referring to the admirable -Oberzohn. Did I not kill his brother . . . ? Yes, -I thought I was right. He was the man with the oxycephalic -head and the queerly prognathic jaw. An interesting -case: I would like to have had his measurements, -but I was in rather a hurry.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He spoke almost apologetically for his haste.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But we’re getting away from the subject, Mr. Newton. -You say this young lady has left your house by the -mews, and you were about to suggest she left in the -care of Miss—I don’t know what you call her. Why -did she leave that way?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon Gonsalez had something more than an instinct -for espionage: he had an instinct for truth, and he knew -two things immediately: first, that Newton was not -lying when he said the girl had left the house; secondly, -that there was an excellent, but not necessarily a sinister, -reason for the furtive departure.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where has she gone?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Home,” said the other laconically. “Where else -should she go?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She came to dinner . . . intending to stay the -night?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Look here, Gonsalez,” interrupted Monty Newton -savagely. “You and your gang were wonderful people -twenty years ago, but a lot has happened since then—and -we don’t shiver at the name of the Three Just Men. -I’m not a child—do you get that? And you’re not so -very terrible at close range. If you want to complain -to the police——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Meadows is outside. I persuaded him to let me -see you first,” said Leon, and Newton started.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Outside?” incredulously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In two strides he was at the window and had pulled -aside the blind. On the other side of the street a man -was standing on the edge of the sidewalk, intently surveying -the gutter. He knew him at once.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, bring him in,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where has this young lady gone? That is all I -want to know.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She has gone home, I tell you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon went to the door and beckoned Meadows; they -spoke together in low tones, and then Meadows entered -the room and was greeted with a stiff nod from the owner -of the house.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What’s the idea of this, Meadows—sending this -bird to cross-examine me?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This bird came on his own,” said Meadows coldly, -“if you mean Mr. Gonsalez? I have no right to prevent -any person from cross-examining you. Where is the -young lady?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I tell you she has gone home. If you don’t believe -me, search the house—either of you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was not bluffing: Leon was sure of that. He -turned to the detective.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I personally have no wish to trouble this gentleman -any more.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was leaving the room when, from over his shoulder:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That snake is busy again, Newton.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What snake are you talking about?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He killed a man to-night on the Thames Embankment. -I hope it will not spoil Lisa Marthon’s evening.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Meadows, watching the man, saw him change colour.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know what you mean,” he said loudly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You arranged with Lisa to pick up Barberton to-night -and get him talking. And there she is, poor girl, -all dressed to kill, and only a dead man to vamp—only -a murdered man.” He turned suddenly, and his voice -grew hard. “That is a good word, isn’t it, Newton—murder?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I didn’t know anything about it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As Newton’s hand came towards the bell:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We can show ourselves out,” said Leon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He shut the door behind him, and presently there -was a slam of the outer door. Monty got to the window -too late to see his unwelcome guests depart, and went -up to his room to change, more than a little perturbed -in mind.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The footman called him from the hall.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m sorry about that affair, sir. I thought it was -a ‘busy’ . . .”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You think too much, Fred”—Newton threw the -words down at his servitor with a snarl. “Go back to -your place, which is the servants’ hall. I’ll ring you -if I want you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He resumed his progress up the stairs and the man -turned sullenly away.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He opened the door of his room, switched on the light, -had closed the door and was half-way to his dressing-table, -when an arm like steel closed round his neck, he -was jerked suddenly backward on to the floor, and looked -up into the inscrutable face of Gonsalez.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Shout and you die!” whispered a voice in his -ear.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Newton lay quiet.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll fix you for this,” he stammered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The other shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think not, if by ‘fixing’ me you mean you’re -going to complain to the police. You’ve been under -my watchful eye for quite a long time, Monty Newton, -and you’ll be amazed to learn that I’ve made several -visits to your house. There is a little wall safe behind -that curtain”—he nodded towards the corner of the -room—“would you be surprised to learn that I’ve had -the door open and every one of its documentary contents -photographed?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He saw the fear in the man’s eyes as he snapped a -pair of aluminium handcuffs of curious design about -Monty’s wrists. With hardly an effort he lifted him, -heavy as he was, threw him on the bed, and, having -locked the door, returned, and, sitting on the bed, proceeded -first to strap his ankles and then leisurely to take -off his prisoner’s shoes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What are you going to do?” asked Monty in alarm.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I intend finding out where Miss Leicester has been -taken,” said Gonsalez, who had stripped one shoe and, -pulling off the silken sock, was examining the man’s -bare foot critically. “Ordinary and strictly legal inquiries -take time and fail at the end—unfortunately -for you, I have not a minute to spare.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I tell you she’s gone home.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon did not reply. He pulled open a drawer of -the bureau, searched for some time, and presently found -what he sought: a thin silken scarf. This, despite the -struggles of the man on the bed, he fastened about his -mouth.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In Mosamodes,” he said—“and if you ever say that -before my friend George Manfred, be careful to give its -correct pronunciation: he is rather touchy on the -point—some friends of yours took a man named Barberton, -whom they subsequently murdered, and tried -to make him talk by burning his feet. He was a hero. -I’m going to see how heroic you are.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“For God’s sake don’t do it!” said the muffled voice -of Newton.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gonsalez was holding a flat metal case which he had -taken from his pocket, and the prisoner watched him, -fascinated, as he removed the lid, and snapped a cigar-lighter -close to its blackened surface. A blue flame rose -and swayed in the draught.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The police force is a most excellent institution,” -said Leon. He had found a silver shoe-horn on the -table and was calmly heating it in the light of the flame, -holding the rapidly warming hook with a silk handkerchief. -“But unfortunately, when you are dealing with -crimes of violence, moral suasion and gentle treatment -produce nothing more poignant in the bosom of your -adversary than a sensation of amused and derisive contempt. -The English, who make a god of the law, gave -up imprisoning thugs and flogged them, and there are -few thugs left. When the Russian gunmen came to -London, the authorities did the only intelligent thing—they -held back the police and brought up the artillery, -having only one desire, which was to kill the gunmen -at any expense. Violence fears violence. The gunman -lives in the terror of the gun—by the way, I understand -the old guard is back in full strength?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When Leon started in this strain he could continue -for hours.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know what you mean,” mumbled Monty.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You wouldn’t.” The intruder lifted the blackened, -smoking shoe-horn, brought it as near to his face as he -dared.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I think that will do,” he said, and came slowly -towards the bed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man drew up his feet in anticipation of pain, -but a long hand caught him by the ankles and drew -them straight again.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They’ve gone to the Arts Ball.” Even through the -handkerchief the voice sounded hoarse.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Arts Ball?” Gonsalez looked down at him, -and then, throwing the hot shoe-horn into the fire-place, -he removed the gag. “Why have they gone to the -Arts Ball?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wanted them out of the way to-night.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is—Oberzohn likely to be at the Arts Ball?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oberzohn!” The man’s laugh bordered on the hysterical.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Or Gurther?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>This time Mr. Newton did not laugh.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know who you mean,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’ll go into that later,” replied Leon lightly, -pulling the knot of the handkerchief about the ankles. -“You may get up now. What time do you expect them -back?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know. I told Joan not to hurry, as I was -meeting somebody here to-night.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Which sounded plausible. Leon remembered that -the Arts Ball was a fancy dress affair, and there was -some reason for the departure from the mews instead -of from the front of the house. As though he were -reading his thoughts, Newton said:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was Miss Leicester’s idea, going through the back. -She was rather shy . . . she was wearing a domino.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Colour?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Green, with a reddish hood.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon looked at him quickly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Rather distinctive. Was that the idea?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know what the idea was,” growled Newton, -sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling on a sock. -“But I do know this, Gonsalez,” he said, with an outburst -of anger which was half fear: “that you’ll be -sorry you did this to me!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon walked to the door, turned the key and opened -it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I only hope that you will not be sorry I did not kill -you,” he said, and was gone.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Monty Newton waited until from his raised window -he saw the slim figure pass along the sidewalk and disappear -round a corner, and then he hurried down, with -one shoe on and one off, to call New Cross 93.</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch8'></a><span class='it'>Chapter VIII</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>The House of Oberzohn</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>I</span>N a triangle two sides of which were expressed by the -viaducts of converging railroads and the base by the -dark and sluggish waters of the Grand Surrey Canal, -stood the gaunt ruins of a store in which had once been -housed the merchandise of the O. & S. Company. A -Zeppelin in passing had dropped an incendiary bomb at -random, and torn a great ugly gap in the roof. The fire -that followed left the iron frames of the windows twisted -and split; the roof by some miracle remained untouched -except for the blackened edges about the hole through -which the flames had rushed to the height of a hundred -feet.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The store was flush with the canal towing-path; barges -had moored here, discharging rubber in bales, palm nut, -nitrates even, and had restocked with Manchester cloth -and case upon case of Birmingham-made geegaws of -brass and lacquer.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Oberzohn invariably shipped his spirituous cargoes -from Hamburg, since Germany is the home of synthesis. -In the centre of the triangle was a red-brick villa, more -unlovely than the factory, missing as it did that ineffable -grandeur, made up of tragedy and pathos, attaching to -a burnt-out building, however ugly it may have been in -its prime.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The villa was built from a design in Mr. Oberzohn’s -possession, and was the exact replica of the house in -Sweden where he was born. It had high, gabled ends -at odd and unexpected places. The roof was shingled -with grey tiles; there were glass panels in the curious-looking -door, and iron ornaments in the shape of cranes -and dogs flanking the narrow path through the rank nettle -and dock which constituted his garden.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Here he dwelt, in solitude, yet not in solitude, for two -men lived in the house, and there was a stout Swedish -cook and a very plain Danish maid, a girl of vacant -countenance, who worked from sun-up to midnight without -complaint, who seldom spoke and never smiled. The -two men were somewhere in the region of thirty. They -occupied the turret rooms at each end of the building, -and had little community of interest. They sometimes -played cards together with an old and greasy pack, but -neither spoke more than was necessary. They were lean, -hollow-faced men, with a certain physiognomical resemblance. -Both had thin, straight lips; both had round, -staring, dark eyes filled with a bright but terrifying -curiosity.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They look,” reported Leon Gonsalez, when he went -to examine the ground, “as if they are watching pigs -being killed and enjoying every minute of it. Iwan -Pfeiffer is one, Sven Gurther is the other. Both have -escaped the gallows or the axe in Germany; both have -convictions against them. They are typical German-trained -criminals—as pitiless as wolves. Dehumanized.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The “Three,” as was usual, set the machinery of the -law in motion, and found that the hands of the police -were tied. Only by stretching the law could the men -be deported, and the law is difficult to stretch. To all -appearance they offended in no respect. A woman, by no -means the most desirable of citizens, laid a complaint -against one. There was an investigation—proof was -absent; the very character of the complainant precluded -a conviction, and the matter was dropped—by the police.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Somebody else moved swiftly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>One morning, just before daybreak, a policeman patrolling -the tow-path heard a savage snarl and looked round -for the dog. He found instead, up one of those narrow -entries leading to the canal bank, a man. He was tied -to the stout sleeper fence, and his bare back showed marks -of a whip. Somebody had held him up at night as he -prowled the bank in search of amusement, had tied and -flogged him. Twenty-five lashes: an expert thought the -whip used was the official cat-o’-nine-tails.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Scotland Yard, curious, suspicious, sought out the -Three Just Men. They had alibis so complete as to be -unbreakable. Sven Gurther went unavenged—but he -kept from the tow-path thereafter.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In this house of his there were rooms which only -Dr. Oberzohn visited. The Danish maid complained to -the cook that when she had passed the door of one as the -doctor came out, a blast of warm, tainted air had rushed -out and made her cough for an hour. There was another -room in which from time to time the doctor had installed -a hotchpotch of apparatus. Vulcanizing machines, electrical -machines (older and more used than Mirabelle -had seen in her brief stay in the City Road), a liquid air -plant, not the most up-to-date but serviceable.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was not, curiously enough, a doctor in the medical -sense. He was not even a doctor of chemistry. His -doctorate was in Literature and Law. These experiments -of his were hobbies—hobbies that he had pursued from his -childhood.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>On this evening he was sitting in his stuffy parlour -reading a close-printed and closer-reasoned volume of -German philosophy, and thinking of something else. -Though the sun had only just set, the blinds and curtains -were drawn; a wood fire crackled in the grate, and the -bright lights of three half-watt lamps made glaring -radiance.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>An interruption came in the shape of a telephone call. -He listened, grunting replies.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So!” he said at last, and spoke a dozen words in his -strange English.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Putting aside his book, he hobbled in his velvet slippers -across the room and pressed twice upon the bell-push -by the side of the fire-place. Gurther came in noiselessly -and stood waiting.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was grimy, unshaven. The pointed chin and short -upper lip were blue. The V of his shirt visible above the -waistcoat was soiled and almost black at the edges. He -stood at attention, smiling vacantly, his eyes fixed at a -point above the doctor’s head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dr. Oberzohn lifted his eyes from his book.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wish you to be a gentleman of club manner to-night,” -he said. He spoke in that hard North-German -tongue which the Swede so readily acquires.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ja, Herr Doktor!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man melted from the room.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dr. Oberzohn for some reason hated Germans. So, -for the matter of that, did Gurther and Pfeiffer, the latter -being Polish by extraction and Russian by birth. Gurther -hated Germans because they stormed the little jail at -Altostadt to kill him after the dogs found Frau Siedlitz’s -body. He would have died then but for the green police, -who scented a Communist rising, scattered the crowd and -sent Gurther by-road to the nearest big town under escort. -The two escorting policemen were never seen again. -Gurther reappeared mysteriously in England two years -after, bearing a veritable passport. There was no proof -even that he was Gurther. Leon knew, Manfred knew, -Poiccart knew.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There had been an alternative to the whipping.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It would be a simple matter to hold his head under -water until he was drowned,” said Leon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They debated the matter, decided against this for -no sentimental or moral reason—none save expediency. -Gurther had his whipping and never knew how -near to the black and greasy water of the canal he had -been.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dr. Oberzohn resumed his book—a fascinating book -that was all about the human soul and immortality and -time. He was in the very heart of an analysis of eternity -when Gurther reappeared dressed in the “gentleman-club -manner.” His dress-coat fitted perfectly; shirt -and waistcoat were exactly the right cut. The snowy -shirt, the braided trousers, the butterfly bow, and winged -collar. . . .</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is good.” Dr. Oberzohn went slowly over -the figure. “But the studs should be pearl—not enamel. -And the watch-chain is demode—it is not worn. The -gentleman-club manner does not allow of visible ornament. -Also I think a moustache . . . ?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ja, Herr Doktor!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gurther, who was once an actor, disappeared again. -When he returned the enamel studs had gone: there were -small pearls in their place, and his white waistcoat had -no chain across. And on his upper lip had sprouted a -small brown moustache, so natural that even Oberzohn, -scrutinizing closely, could find no fault with it. The -doctor took a case from his pocket, fingered out three -crisp notes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Your hands, please?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gurther took three paces to the old man, halted, -clicked his heels and held out his hands for inspection.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good! You know Leon Gonsalez? He will be at -the Arts Ball. He wears no fancy dress. He was the -man who whipped you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He was the man who whipped me,” said Gurther -without heat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a silence, Dr. Oberzohn pursing his lips.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Also, he did that which brands him as an infamous -assassin . . . I think . . . yes, I think my dear Gurther -. . . there will be a girl also, but the men of my police -will be there to arrange such matters. Benton will give -you instructions. For you, only Gonsalez.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gurther bowed stiffly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have implored the order,” he said, bowed again -and withdrew. Later, Dr. Oberzohn heard the drone of -the little car as it bumped and slithered across the grass -to the road. He resumed his book: this matter of -eternity was fascinating.</p> - -<hr class='tbk101'/> - -<p class='pindent'>The Arts Ball at the Corinthian Hall was one of the -events of the season, and the tickets, issued exclusively to -the members of three clubs, were eagerly sought by society -people who could not be remotely associated with any -but the art of living.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When the girl came into the crowded hall, she looked -around in wonder. The balconies, outlined in soft lights -and half-hidden with flowers, had been converted into -boxes; the roof had been draped with blue and gold -tissue; at one end of the big hall was a veritable bower -of roses, behind which one of the two bands was playing. -Masks in every conceivable guise were swinging rhythmically -across the polished floor. To the blasé, there was -little difference between the Indians, the pierrots and the -cavaliers to be seen here and those they had seen a hundred -times on a hundred different floors.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As the girl gazed round in wonder and delight, forgetting -all her misgivings, two men, one in evening dress, -the other in the costume of a brigand, came from under -the shadow of the balcony towards them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Here are our partners,” said Joan, with sudden -vivacity. “Mirabelle, I want you to know Lord Evington.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man in evening dress stroked his little moustache, -clicked his heels and bent forward in a stiff bow. He -was thin-faced, a little pallid, unsmiling. His round, -dark eyes surveyed her for a second, and then:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m glad to meet you, Miss Leicester,” he said, in -a high, harsh voice, that had just the trace of a foreign -accent.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>This struck the girl with as much surprise as the -cold kiss he had implanted upon her hand, and, as if he -read her thoughts, he went on quickly:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have lived so long abroad that England and English -manners are strange to me. Won’t you dance? And -had you not better mask? I must apologize to you for -my costume.” He shrugged his shoulders. “But there -was no gala dress available.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She fixed the red mask, and in another second she -was gliding through the crowd and was presently lost to -view.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t understand it all, Benton.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Joan was worried and frightened. She had begun to -realize that the game she played was something different -. . . her part more sinister than any rôle she had yet -filled. To jolly along the gilded youth to the green -tables of Captain Monty Newton was one thing; but -never before had she seen the gang working against a -woman.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know,” grumbled the brigand, who was not -inaptly arrayed. “There’s been a hurry call for everybody.” -He glanced round uneasily as though he feared -his words might be overheard. “All the guns are here—Defson, -Cuccini, Jewy Stubbs . . .”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The guns?” she whispered in horror, paling under -her rouge. “You mean . . . ?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The guns are out: that’s all I know,” he said doggedly. -“They started drifting in half an hour before you -came.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Joan was silent, her heart racing furiously. Then -Monty had told her the truth. She knew that somewhere -behind Oberzohn, behind Monty Newton, was a force -perfectly dovetailed into the machine, only one cog of -which she had seen working. These card parties of -Monty’s were profitable enough, but for a long time she -had had a suspicion that they were the merest side-line. -The organization maintained a regular corps of gunmen, -recruited from every quarter of the globe. Monty -Newton talked sometimes in his less sober moments of -what he facetiously described as the “Old Guard.” How -they were employed, on what excuse, for what purpose, -she had never troubled to think. They came and went -from England in batches. Once Monty had told her that -Oberzohn’s people had gone to Smyrna, and he talked -vaguely of unfair competition that had come to the traders -of the O. & S. outfit. Afterwards she read in the paper of -a “religious riot” which resulted in the destruction by -fire of a great block of business premises. After that -Monty spoke no more of competition. The Old Guard -returned to England, minus one of its number, who had -been shot in the stomach in the course of this “religious -riot.” What particular faith he possessed in such a -degree as to induce him to take up arms for the cause, -she never learned. She knew he was dead, because -Monty had written to the widow, who lived in the -Bronx.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Joan knew a lot about Monty’s business, for an excellent -reason. She was with him most of the time; -and whether she posed as his niece or daughter, his sister, -or some closer relationship, she was undoubtedly the -nearest to a confidante he possessed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who is that man with the moustache—is he one?” -she asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No; he’s Oberzohn’s man—for God’s sake don’t -tell Monty I told you all this! I got orders to-night to -put him wise about the girl.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What about her . . . what are they doing with her?” -she gasped in terror.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Let us dance,” said Benton, and half guided, half -carried her into the throng.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They had reached the centre of the floor when, with -no warning, every light in the hall went out.</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch9'></a><span class='it'>Chapter IX</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>Before the Lights Went Out</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>T</span>HE band had stopped, a rustle of hand-clapping -came from the hot dancers, and almost before the -applause had started the second band struck up “Kulloo.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle was not especially happy. Her partner was -the most correct of dancers, but they lacked just that -unity of purpose, that oneness of interest which makes -all the difference between the ill- and the well-matched.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“May we sit down?” she begged. “I am rather hot.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Will the gracious lady come to the little hall?” -he asked. “It is cooler there, and the chairs are comfortable.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She looked at him oddly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“ ‘Gracious lady’ is a German expression—why do -you use it, Lord Evington? I think it is very pretty,” -she hastened to assure him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I lived for many years in Germany,” said Mr. Gurther. -“I do not like the German people—they are so stupid.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>If he had said “German police” he would have been -nearer to the truth; and had he added that the dislike -was mutual, he might have gained credit for his frankness.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At the end of the room, concealed by the floral decorations -of the bandstand, was a door which led to a smaller -room, ordinarily separated from the main hall by folding -doors which were seldom opened. To-night the annexe -was to be used as a conservatory. Palms and banked -flowers were everywhere. Arbours had been artificially -created, and there were cosy nooks, half-hidden by shrubs, -secluded seats and tables, all that ingenuity could design -to meet the wishes of sitters-out.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He stood invitingly at the entrance of a little grotto, -dimly illuminated by one Chinese lantern.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think we will sit in the open,” said Mirabelle, and -pulled out a chair.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Excuse me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Instantly he was by her side, the chair arranged, a -cushion found, and she sank down with a sigh of relief. -It was early yet for the loungers: looking round, she saw -that, but for a solitary waiter fastening his apron with one -eye upon possible customers, they were alone.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You will drinke wine . . . no? An orangeade? -Good!” He beckoned the waiter and gave his order. -“You must excuse me if I am a little strange. I have -been in Germany for many years—except during the war, -when I was in France.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Gurther had certainly been in Germany for many -years, but he had never been in France. Nor had he -heard a shot fired in the war. It is true that an aerial -bomb had exploded perilously near the prison at Mainz in -which he was serving ten years for murder, but that -represented his sole warlike experience.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You live in the country, of course?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In London: I am working with Mr. Oberzohn.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So: he is a good fellow. A gentleman.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She had not been very greatly impressed by the -doctor’s breeding, but it was satisfying to hear a stranger -speak with such heartiness of her new employer. Her -mind at the moment was on Heavytree Farm: the cool -parlour with its chintzes—a room, at this hour, fragrant -with the night scents of flowers which came stealing -through the open casement. There was a fox-terrier, -Jim by name, who would be wandering disconsolately -from room to room, sniffing unhappily at the hall door. -A lump came up into her throat. She felt very far from -home and very lonely. She wanted to get up and run -back to where she had left Joan and tell her that she had -changed her mind and must go back to Gloucester that -night . . . she looked impatiently for the waiter. Mr. -Gurther was fiddling with some straws he had taken -from the glass container in the centre of the table. One -end of the straws showed above the edge of the table, the -others were thrust deep in the wide-necked little bottle -he had in the other hand. The hollow straws held half -an inch of the red powder that filled the bottle.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Excuse!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The waiter put the orangeades on the table and went -away to get change. Mirabelle’s eyes were wistfully -fixed on a little door at the end of the room. It gave -to the street, and there were taxicabs which could get -her to Paddington in ten minutes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When she looked round he was stirring the amber -contents of her glass with a spoon. Two straws were -invitingly protruding from the foaming orangeade. She -smiled and lifted the glass as he fitted a cigarette into -his long black holder.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I may smoke—yes?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The first taste she had through the straws was one -of extreme bitterness. She made a wry face and put down -the glass.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How horrid!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Did it taste badly . . . ?” he began, but she was -pouring out water from a bottle.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was most unpleasant——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Will you try mine, please?” He offered the glass -to her and she drank. “It may have been something -in the straw.” Here he was telling her the fact.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was . . .”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The room was going round and round, the floor rising -up and down like the deck of a ship in a stormy sea. She -rose, swayed, and caught him by the arm.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Open the little door, waiter, please—the lady is -faint.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The waiter turned to the door and threw it open. -A man stood there—just outside the door. He wore over -his dinner dress a long cloak in the Spanish style. Gurther -stood staring, a picture of amused dismay, his cigarette -still unlit. He did not move his hands. Gonsalez was -waiting there, alert . . . death grinning at him . . . -and then the room went inky black. Somebody had -turned the main switch.</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch10'></a><span class='it'>Chapter X</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>When the Lights Went Out</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>F</span>IVE, ten minutes passed before the hall-keeper -tripped and stumbled and cursed his way to the -smaller room and, smashing down the hired flowers, he -passed through the wreckage of earthen pots and tumbled -mould to the control. Another second and the rooms -were brilliantly lit again—the band struck up a two-step -and fainting ladies were escorted to the decent obscurity -of their retiring rooms.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The manager of the hall came flying into the annexe.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What happened—main fuse gone?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No,” said the hall-keeper sourly, “some fool turned -over the switch.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The agitated waiter protested that nobody had been -near the switch-box.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There was a lady and gentleman here, and another -gentleman outside.” He pointed to the open door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where are they now?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know. The lady was faint.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The three had disappeared when the manager went -out into a small courtyard that led round the corner of -the building to a side street. Then he came back on a -tour of inspection.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Somebody did it from the yard. There’s a window -open—you can reach the switch easily.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The window was fastened and locked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There is no lady or gentleman in the yard,” he said. -“Are you sure they did not go into the big hall?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In the dark—maybe.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The waiter’s nervousness was understandable. Mr. -Gurther had given him a five-pound note and the man -had not as yet delivered the change. Never would he -return to claim it if all that his keen ears heard was -true.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Four men had appeared in the annexe: one shut -the door and stood by it. The three others were accompanied -by the manager, who called Phillips, the -waiter.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This man served them,” he said, troubled. Even -the most innocent do not like police visitations.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What was the gentleman like?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Phillips gave a brief and not inaccurate description.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is your man, I think, Herr Fluen?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The third of the party was bearded and plump; he -wore a Derby hat with evening dress.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is Gurther,” he nodded. “It will be a great -pleasure to meet him. For eight months the Embassy -has been striving for his extradition. But our people at -home . . . !”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He shrugged his shoulders. All properly constituted -officials behave in such a manner when they talk of -governments.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The lady now”—Inspector Meadows was patently -worried—“she was faint, you say. Had she drunk -anything?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Orangeade—there is the glass. She said there was -something nasty in the straws. These.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Phillips handed them to the detective. He wetted -his finger from them, touched his tongue and spat out -quickly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes,” he said, and went out by the little door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gonsalez, of course: but where had he gone, and how, -with a drugged girl on his hands and the Child of the -Snake? Gurther was immensely quick to strike, and -an icy-hearted man: the presence of a woman would -not save Leon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When the light went out——” began the waiter, and -the trouble cleared from Mr. Meadows’ face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Of course—I had forgotten that,” he said softly. -“The lights went out!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>All the way back to the Yard he was trying to bring -something from the back of his mind—something that -was there, the smooth tip of it tantalizingly displayed, -yet eluding every grasp. It had nothing to do with the -lights—nor Gonsalez, nor yet the girl. Gurther? No. -Nor Manfred? What was it? A name had been mentioned -to him that day—it had a mysterious significance. -A golden idol! He picked up the end of the thought . . . -Johnny! Manfred’s one mystery. That was the dust -which lay on all thought. And now that he remembered, -he was disappointed. It was so ridiculously unimportant -a matter to baffle him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He left his companions at the corner of Curzon Street -and went alone to the house. There was a streak of -light showing between the curtains in the upstairs room. -The passage was illuminated—Poiccart answered his ring -at once.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, George and Leon were here a little time back—the -girl? No, they said nothing about a girl. They -looked rather worried, I thought. Miss Leicester, I -suppose? Won’t you come in?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, I can’t wait. There’s a light in Manfred’s -room.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The ghost of a smile lit the heavy face and faded as -instantly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My room also,” he said. “Butlers take vast liberties -in the absence of their masters. Shall I give a message -to George?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ask him to call me at the Yard.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Poiccart closed the door on him; stopped in the -passage to arrange a salver on the table and hung up a -hat. All this Meadows saw through the fanlight and -walking-stick periscope which is so easily fitted and can -be of such value. And seeing, his doubts evaporated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Poiccart went slowly up the stairs into the little office -room, pulled back the curtains and opened the window -at the top. The next second, the watching detective -saw the light go out and went away.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m sorry to keep you in the dark,” said Poiccart.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The men who were in the room waited until the shutters -were fast and the curtains pulled across, and then the -light flashed on. White of face, her eyes closed, her -breast scarcely moving, Mirabelle Leicester lay on the -long settee. Her domino was a heap of shimmering green -and scarlet on the floor, and Leon was gently sponging -her face, George Manfred watching from the back of the -settee, his brows wrinkled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Will she die?” he asked bluntly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know: they sometimes die of that stuff,” -replied Leon cold-bloodedly. “She must have had it -pretty raw. Gurther is a crude person.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What was it?” asked George.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gonsalez spread out his disengaged hand in a gesture -of uncertainty.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If you can imagine morphia with a kick in it, it was -that. I don’t know. I hope she doesn’t die: she is -rather young—it would be the worst of bad luck.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Poiccart stirred uneasily. He alone had within his -soul what Leon would call “a trace” of sentiment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Could we get Elver?” he asked anxiously, and Leon -looked up with his boyish smile.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Growing onions in Seville has softened you, Raymondo -mio!” He never failed in moments of great -strain to taunt the heavy man with his two years of -agricultural experiment, and they knew that the gibes -were deliberately designed to steady his mind. “Onions -are sentimental things—they make you cry: a vegetable -<span class='it'>muchos simpatico</span>! This woman is alive!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Her eyelids had fluttered twice. Leon lifted the bare -arm, inserted the needle of a tiny hypodermic and pressed -home the plunger.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“To-morrow she will feel exactly as if she had been -drunk,” he said calmly, “and in her mouth will be the -taste of ten rank cigars. Oh, senorinetta, open thy -beautiful eyes and look upon thy friends!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The last sentence was in Spanish. She heard: the -lids fluttered and rose.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re a long way from Heavytree Farm, Miss -Leicester.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She looked up wonderingly into the kindly face of -George Manfred.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where am I?” she asked faintly, and closed her -eyes again with a grimace of pain.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They always ask that—just as they do in books,” -said Leon oracularly. “If they don’t say ‘Where am -I?’ they ask for their mothers. She’s quite out of -danger.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>One hand was on her wrist, another at the side of her -neck.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Remarkably regular. She has a good head—mathematical -probably.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She is very beautiful,” said Poiccart in a hushed -voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“All people are beautiful—just as all onions are -beautiful. What is the difference between a lovely maid -and the ugliest of duennas—what but a matter of pigmentation -and activity of tissue? Beneath that, an -astounding similarity of the circulatory, sustentacular, -motorvascular——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How long have we got?” Manfred interrupted him, -and Leon shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know—not long, I should think. Of course, -we could have told Meadows and he’d have turned out -police reserves, but I should like to keep them out of -it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Old Guard was there?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Every man jack of them—those tough lads! They -will be here just as soon as the Herr Doktor discovers -what is going forward. Now, I think you can travel. -I want her out of the way.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Stooping, he put his hands under her and lifted her. -The strength in his frail body was a never-ending source -of wonder to his two friends.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They followed him down the stairs and along the short -passage, down another flight to the kitchen. Manfred -opened a door and went out into the paved yard. There -was a heavier door in the boundary wall. He opened -this slowly and peeped out. Here was the inevitable -mews. The sound of an engine running came from a -garage near by. Evidently somebody was on the look -out for them. A long-bodied car drew up noiselessly -and a woman got out. Beside the driver at the wheel -sat two men.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think you’ll just miss the real excitement,” said -Gonsalez, and then to the nurse he gave a few words of -instruction and closed the door on her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Take the direct road,” he said to the driver. “Swindon—Gloucester. -Good night.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good night, sir.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He watched anxiously as the machine swung into the -main road. Still he waited, his head bent. Two minutes -went by, and the faint sound of a motor-horn, a long -blast and a short, and he sighed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They’re clear of the danger zone,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='it'>Plop!</span></p> - -<p class='pindent'>He saw the flash, heard the smack of the bullet as -it struck the door, and his hand stiffened. There was -a thudding sound—a scream of pain from a dark corner -of the mews and the sound of voices. Leon drew back -into the yard and bolted the door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He had a new kind of silencer. Oberzohn is rather -a clever old bird. But my air pistol against their gun -for noiselessness.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I didn’t expect the attack from that end of the -mews.” Manfred was slipping a Browning back to his -pocket.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If they had come from the other end the car would -not have passed—I’d like to get one of those silencers.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They went into the house. Poiccart had already extinguished -the passage light.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You hit your man—does that thing kill?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“By accident—it is possible. I aimed at his stomach: -I fear that I hit him in the head. He would not have -squealed for a stomach wound. I fear he is alive.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He felt his way up the stairs and took up the telephone. -Immediately a voice said, “Number?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Give me 8877 Treasury.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He waited, and then a different voice asked:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes—Scotland Yard speaking.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Can you give me Mr. Meadows?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred was watching him frowningly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That you, Meadows? . . . They have shot Leon -Gonsalez—can you send police reserves and an ambulance?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“At once.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon hung up the receiver, hugging himself.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The idea being——?” said Poiccart.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“These people are clever.” Leon’s voice was charged -with admiration. “They haven’t cut the wires—they’ve -simply tapped it at one end and thrown it out of order -on the exchange side.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Phew!” Manfred whistled. “You deceived me—you -were talking to Oberzohn?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Captain Monty and Lew Cuccini. They may or may -not be deceived, but if they aren’t, we shall know all -about it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He stopped dead. There was a knock on the front -door, a single, heavy knock. Leon grinned delightedly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“One of us is now supposed to open an upper window -cautiously and look out, whereupon he is instantly gunned. -I’m going to give these fellows a scare.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He ran up the stairs to the top floor, and on the landing, -outside an attic door, pulled at a rope. A fire ladder -lying flat against the ceiling came down, and at the same -time a small skylight opened. Leon went into the room, -and his pocket-lamp located what he needed: a small -papier-mâché cylinder, not unlike a seven-pound shell. -With this on his arm, he climbed up the ladder on to the -roof, fixed the cylinder on a flat surface, and, striking a -match, lit a touch-paper. The paper sizzled and spluttered, -there was a sudden flash and “boom!” a dull -explosion, and a white ball shot up into the sky, described -a graceful curve and burst into a shower of brilliant crimson -stars. He waited till the last died out; then, with -the hot cylinder under his arm, descended the ladder, -released the rope that held it in place, and returned to -his two friends.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They will imagine a secret arrangement of signals -with the police,” he said; “unless my knowledge of -their psychology is at fault, we shall not be bothered -again.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ten minutes later there was another knock at the door, -peremptory, almost official in its character.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This,” said Leon, “is a policeman to summon us for -discharging fireworks in the public street!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He ran lightly down into the hall and without hesitation -pulled open the door. A tall, helmeted figure stood on -the doorstep, notebook in hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Are you the gentleman that let off that rocket——” -he began.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon walked past him, and looked up and down Curzon -Street. As he had expected, the Old Guard had vanished.</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch11'></a><span class='it'>Chapter XI</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>Gurther</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>M</span>ONTY NEWTON dragged himself home, a weary, -angry man, and let himself in with his key. He -found the footman lying on the floor of the hall asleep, -his greatcoat pulled over him, and stirred him to wakefulness -with the toe of his boot.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Get up,” he growled. “Anybody been here?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Fred rose, a little dazed, rubbing his eyes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The old man’s in the drawing-room,” he said, and -his employer passed on without another word.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As he opened the door, he saw that all the lights in -the drawing-room were lit. Dr. Oberzohn had pulled a -small table near the fire, and before this he sat bolt -upright, a tiny chess-board before him, immersed in a -problem. He looked across to the new-comer for a second -and then resumed his study of the board, made a move . . .</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ach!” he said in tones of satisfaction. “Leskina -was wrong! It is possible to mate in five moves!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He pushed the chess-men into confusion and turned -squarely to face Newton.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, have you concluded these matters satisfactorily?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He brought up the reserves,” said Monty, unlocking -a tantalus on a side table and helping himself liberally -to whisky. “They got Cuccini through the jaw. Nothing -serious.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dr. Oberzohn laid his bony hands on his knees.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gurther must be disciplined,” he said. “Obviously -he has lost his nerve; and when a man loses his nerve -also he loses his sense of time. And his timing—how -deplorable! The car had not arrived; my excellent -police had not taken position . . . deplorable!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The police are after him: I suppose you know that?” -Newton looked over his glass.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dr. Oberzohn nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The extradition so cleverly avoided is now accomplished. -But Gurther is too good a man to be lost. I -have arranged a hiding-place for him. He is of many -uses.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where did he go?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dr. Oberzohn’s eyebrows wrinkled up and down.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who knows?” he said. “He has the little machine. -Maybe he has gone to the house—the green light in the -top window will warn him and he will move carefully.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Newton walked to the window and looked out. Chester -Square looked ghostly in the grey light of dawn. And -then, out of the shadows, he saw a figure move and walk -slowly towards the south side of the square.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They’re watching this house,” he said, and laughed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where is my young lady?” asked Oberzohn, who -was staring glumly into the fire.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know . . . there was a car pulled out of the -mews as one of our men ‘closed’ the entrance. She has -probably gone back to Heavytree Farm, and you can -sell that laboratory of yours. There is only one way now, -and that’s the rough way. We have time—we can do a -lot in six weeks. Villa is coming this morning—I wish -we’d taken that idol from the trunk. That may put the -police on to the right track.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dr. Oberzohn pursed his lips as though he were going -to whistle, but he was guilty of no such frivolity.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I am glad they found him,” he said precisely. “To -them it will be a scent. What shall they think, but -that the unfortunate Barberton had come upon an old -native treasure-house? No, I do not fear that.” He -shook his head. “Mostly I fear Mr. Johnson Lee and the -American, Elijah Washington.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He put his hand into his jacket pocket and took out -a thin pad of letters.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Johnson Lee is for me difficult to understand. For -what should a gentleman have to do with this boor that -he writes so friendly letters to him?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How did you get these?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Villa took them: it was one of the intelligent actions -also to leave the statue.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He passed one of the letters across to Newton. It -was addressed “Await arrival, Poste Restante, Mosamedes.” -The letter was written in a curiously round, -boyish hand. Another remarkable fact was that it was -perforated across the page at regular intervals, and upon -the lines formed by this perforation Mr. Johnson Lee -wrote.</p> - -<div class='blockquoter9'> - -<p class='pindent'>“Dear B.,” the letter ran, “I have instructed my banker to -cable you £500. I hope this will carry you through and leave -enough to pay your fare home. You may be sure that I shall not -breathe a word, and your letters, of course, nobody in the house -can read but me. Your story is amazing, and I advise you to -come home at once and see Miss Leicester.</p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:4em;'>“Your friend,</p> -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:1em;'>“<span class='sc'>Johnson Lee</span>.”</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>The note-paper was headed “Rath Hall, January -13th.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They came to me to-day. If I had seen them before, -there would have been no need for the regrettable happening.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He looked thoughtfully at his friend.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They will be difficult: I had that expectation,” -he said, and Monty knew that he referred to the Three -Just Men. “Yet they are mortal also—remember that, -my Newton: they are mortal also.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“As we are,” said Newton gloomily.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is a question,” said Oberzohn, “so far as I am -concerned.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dr. Oberzohn never jested; he spoke with the greatest -calm and assurance. The other man could only stare -at him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Although it was light, a green lamp showed clearly -in the turret room of the doctor’s house as he came within -sight of the ugly place. And, seeing that warning, he did -not expect to be met in the passage by Gurther. The man -had changed from his resplendent kit and was again in -the soiled and shabby garments he had discarded the -night before.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You have come, Gurther?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ja, Herr Doktor.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“To my parlour!” barked Dr. Oberzohn, and marched -ahead.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gurther followed him and stood with his back to the -door, erect, his chin raised, his bright, curious eyes fixed -on a point a few inches above his master’s head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Tell me now.” The doctor’s ungainly face was -working ludicrously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I saw the man and struck, Herr Doktor, and then -the lights went out and I went to the floor, expecting -him to shoot. . . . I think he must have taken the gracious -lady. I did not see, for there was a palm between us. -I returned at once to the greater hall, and walked through -the people on the floor. They were very frightened.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You saw them?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, Herr Doktor,” said Gurther. “It is not -difficult for me to see in the dark. After that I ran to -the other entrance, but they were gone.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come here.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man took two stilted paces towards the doctor -and Oberzohn struck him twice in the face with the flat -of his hand. Not a muscle of the man’s face moved: -he stood erect, his lips framed in a half-grin, his curious -eyes staring straight ahead.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is for bad time, Gurther. Nobody saw you -return?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, Herr Doktor, I came on foot.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You saw the light?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, Herr Doktor, and I thought it best to be here.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You were right,” said Oberzohn. “March!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He went into the forbidden room, turned the key, and -passed into the super-heated atmosphere. Gurther stood -attentively at the door. Presently the doctor came out, -carrying a long case covered with baize under his arm. -He handed it to the waiting man, went into the room, -and, after a few minutes’ absence, returned with a second -case, a little larger.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“March!” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gurther followed him out of the house and across the -rank, weed-grown “garden” towards the factory. A -white mist had rolled up from the canal, and factory -and grounds lay under the veil.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He led the way through an oblong gap in the wall -where once a door had stood, and followed a tortuous -course through the blackened beams and twisted girders -that littered the floor. Only a half-hearted attempt had -been made to clear up the wreckage after the fire, and the -floor was ankle-deep in the charred shreds of burnt cloth. -Near the far end of the building, Oberzohn stopped, put -down his box and pushed aside the ashes with his foot -until he had cleared a space about three feet square. -Stooping, he grasped an iron ring and pulled, and a -flagstone came up with scarcely an effort, for it was -well counter-weighted. He took up the box again and -descended the stone stairs, stopping only to turn on a -light.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The vaults of the store had been practically untouched -by the fire. There were shelves that still carried dusty -bales of cotton goods. Oberzohn was in a hurry. He -crossed the stone floor in two strides, pulled down the -bar of another door, and, walking into the darkness, -deposited his box on the floor.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The electric power of the factory had, in the old days, -been carried on two distinct circuits, and the connection -with the vaults was practically untouched by the explosion.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They were in a smaller room now, fairly comfortably -furnished. Gurther knew it well, for it was here that -he had spent the greater part of his first six months in -England. Ventilation came through three small gratings -near the roof. There was a furnace, and, as Gurther knew, -an ample supply of fuel in one of the three cellars that -opened into the vault.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Here will you stay until I send for you,” said Oberzohn. -“To-night, perhaps, after they have searched. -You have a pistol?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ja, Herr Doktor.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Food, water, bedding—all you need.” Oberzohn -jerked open another of the cellars and took stock of the -larder. “To-night I may come for you—to-morrow -night—who knows? You will light the fire at once.” -He pointed to the two baize-covered boxes. “Good -morning, Gurther.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good morning, Herr Doktor.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Oberzohn went up to the factory level, dropped the -trap and his foot pushed back the ashes which hid its -presence, and with a cautious look round he crossed the -field to his house. He was hardly in his study before -the first police car came bumping along the lane.</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch12'></a><span class='it'>Chapter XII</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>Leon Theorizes</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>M</span>AKING inquiries, Detective-Inspector Meadows -discovered that, on the previous evening at -eight o’clock, two men had called upon Barberton. The -first of these was described as tall and rather aristocratic -in appearance. He wore dark, horn-rimmed spectacles. -The hotel manager thought he might have been an invalid, -for he walked with a stick. The second man -seemed to have been a servant of some kind, for he spoke -respectfully to the visitor.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, he gave no name, Mr. Meadows,” said the -manager. “I told him of the terrible thing which had -happened to Mr. Barberton, and he was so upset that -I didn’t like to press the question.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Meadows was on his circuitous way to Curzon Street -when he heard this, and he arrived in time for breakfast. -Manfred’s servants regarded it as the one eccentricity of -an otherwise normal gentleman that he invariably breakfasted -with his butler and chauffeur. This matter had -been discussed threadbare in the tiny servants’ hall, -and it no longer excited comment when Manfred telephoned -down to the lower regions and asked for another -plate.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The Triangle were in cheerful mood. Leon Gonsalez -was especially bright and amusing, as he invariably was -after such a night as he had spent.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We searched Oberzohn’s house from cellar to attic,” -said Meadows when the plate had been laid.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And of course you found nothing. The elegant -Gurther?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He wasn’t there. That fellow will keep at a distance -if he knows that there’s a warrant out for him. -I suspect some sort of signal. There was a very bright -green light burning in one of those ridiculous Gothic -turrets.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred stifled a yawn.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gurther went back soon after midnight,” he said, -“and was there until Oberzohn’s return.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Are you sure?” asked the astonished detective.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon nodded, his eyes twinkling.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“After that, one of those infernal river mists blotted -out observation,” he said, “but I should imagine Herr -Gurther is not far away. Did you see his companion, -Pfeiffer?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Meadows nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, he was cleaning boots when I arrived.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How picturesque!” said Gonsalez. “I think he -will have a valet the next time he goes to prison, unless -the system has altered since your days, George?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>George Manfred, who had once occupied the condemned -cell in Chelmsford Prison, smiled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“An interesting man, Gurther,” mused Gonsalez. “I -have a feeling that he will escape hanging. So you -could not find him? I found him last night. But for -the lady, who was both an impediment and an interest, -we might have put a period to his activities.” He caught -Meadows’ eye. “I should have handed him to you, of -course.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Of course,” said the detective dryly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A remarkable man, but nervous. You are going -to see Mr. Johnson Lee?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What made you say that?” asked the detective in -astonishment, for he had not as yet confided his intention -to the three men.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He will surprise you,” said Leon. “Tell me, Mr. -Meadows: when you and George so thoroughly and -carefully searched Barberton’s box, did you find anything -that was suggestive of his being a cobbler, let us say—or -a bookbinder?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think in his sister’s letter there was a reference to -the books he had made. I found nothing particular -except an awl and a long oblong of wood which was -covered with pinpricks. As a matter of fact, when I -saw it my first thought was that, living the kind of life -he must have done in the wilderness, it was rather handy -to be able to repair his own shoes. The idea of bookbinding -is a new one.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I should say he never bound a book in his life, in -the ordinary sense of the word,” remarked Manfred; -“and as Leon says, you will find Johnson Lee a very surprising -man.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you know him?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred nodded gravely.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have just been on the telephone to him,” he said. -“You’ll have to be careful of Mr. Lee, Meadows. Our -friend the snake may be biting his way, and will, if he -hears a breath of suspicion that he was in Barberton’s -confidence.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The detective put down his knife and fork.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wish you fellows would stop being mysterious,” -he said, half annoyed, half amused. “What is behind -this business? You talk of the snake as though you -could lay your hands on him.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And we could,” they said in unison.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who is he?” challenged the detective.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Herr Doktor,” smiled Gonsalez.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oberzohn?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I thought you would have discovered that by connecting -the original three murders together—and murders -they were. First”—he ticked the names off on his -fingers—“we have a stockbroker. This gentleman was -a wealthy speculator who occasionally financed highly -questionable deals. Six months before his death he -drew from the bank a very large sum of money in notes. -By an odd coincidence the bank clerk, going out to -luncheon, saw his client and Oberzohn driving past in -a taxicab, and as they came abreast he saw a large blue -envelope go into Oberzohn’s pocket. The money had -been put into a blue envelope when it was drawn. The -broker had financed the doctor, and when the scheme -failed and the money was lost, he not unnaturally asked -for its return. He trusted Oberzohn not at all; carried -his receipt about in his pocket, and never went anywhere -unless he was armed—that fact did not emerge at the -inquest, but you know it is true.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Meadows nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He threatened Oberzohn with exposure at a meeting -they had in Winchester Street, on the day of his death. -That night he returns from a theatre or from his club, and -is found dead on the doorstep. No receipt is found. -What follows?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A man, a notorious blackmailer, homeless and penniless, -was walking along the Bayswater Road, probably -looking for easy money, when he saw the broker’s car -going into Orme Place. He followed on the off-chance -of begging a few coppers. The chauffeur saw him. The -tramp, on the other hand, must have seen something -else. He slept the next night at Rowton House, told a -friend, who had been in prison with him, that he had a -million pounds as good as in his hand. . . .”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Meadows laughed helplessly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Your system of investigation is evidently more -thorough than ours.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is complementary to yours,” said George quietly. -“Go on, Leon.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now what happened to our friend the burglar? -He evidently saw somebody in Orme Place whom he either -recognized or trailed to his home. For the next day or -two he was in and out of public telephone booths, though -no number has been traced. He goes to Hyde Park, -obviously by appointment—and the snake-bites!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There was another danger to the confederacy. The -bank clerk, learning of the death of the client, is troubled. -I have proof that he called Oberzohn on the ’phone. -If you remember, when the broker’s affairs were gone -into, it was found that he was almost insolvent. A large -sum of money had been drawn out of the bank and paid -to ‘X.’ The certainty that he knew who ‘X.’ was, -worried this decent bank clerk, and he called Oberzohn, -probably to ask him why he had not made a statement. -On the day he telephoned the snake man, that day he -died.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The detective was listening in silent wonder.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It sounds like a page out of a sensational novel,” -he said, “yet it hangs together.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It hangs together because it is true.” Poiccart’s -deep voice broke into the conversation. “This has -been Oberzohn’s method all his life. He is strong for -logic, and there is no more logical action in the world -than the destruction of those who threaten your safety -and life.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Meadows pushed away his plate, his breakfast half -eaten.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Proof,” he said briefly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What proof can you have, my dear fellow?” scoffed -Leon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The proof is the snake,” persisted Meadows. “Show -me how he could educate a deadly snake to strike, as -he did, when the victim was under close observation, as -in the case of Barberton, and I will believe you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The Three looked at one another and smiled together.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“One of these days I will show you,” said Leon. -“They have certainly tamed their snake! He can move -so quickly that the human eye cannot follow him. Always -he bites on the most vital part, and at the most -favourable time. He struck at me last night, but missed -me. The next time he strikes”—he was speaking -slowly and looking at the detective through the veriest -slits of his half-closed eyelids—“the next time he strikes, -not all Scotland Yard on the one side, nor his agreeable -company of gunmen on the other, will save him!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Poiccart rose suddenly. His keen ears had heard the -ring of a bell, and he went noiselessly down the stairs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The whole thing sounds like a romance to me.” -Meadows was rubbing his chin irritably. “I am staring -at the covers of a book whilst you are reading the -pages. I suppose you devils have the A and Z of the -story?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why don’t you tell me?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Because I value your life,” said Leon simply. “Because -I wish—we all wish—to keep the snake’s attention -upon ourselves.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Poiccart came back at that moment and put his head in -the door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Would you like to see Mr. Elijah Washington?” -he asked, and they saw by the gleam in his eyes that Mr. -Elijah Washington was well worth meeting.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He arrived a second or two later, a tall, broad-shouldered -man with a reddish face. He wore pince-nez, -and behind the rimless glasses his eyes were alive and -full of bubbling laughter. From head to foot he was -dressed in white; the cravat which flowed over the soft -silk shirt was a bright yellow; the belt about his waist as -bright as scarlet.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He stood beaming upon the company, his white -panama crushed under his arm, both huge hands thrust -into his trousers pockets.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Glad to know you folks,” he greeted them in a -deep boom of a voice. “I guess Mr. Barberton told you -all about me. That poor little guy! Listen: he was a -he-man all right, but kinder mysterious. They told me -I’d find the police chief here—Captain Meadows?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mister,” said the inspector, “I’m that man.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Washington put out his huge paw and caught the -detective’s hand with a grip that would have been notable -in a boa constrictor.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Glad to know you. My name is Elijah Washington—the -Natural History Syndicate, Chicago.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sit down, Mr. Washington.” Poiccart pushed -forward a chair.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I want to tell you gentlemen that this Barberton -was murdered. Snake? Listen, I know snakes—brought -up with ’um! Snakes are my hobby: I know -’um from egg-eaters to ‘tigers’—<span class='it'>notechis sentatus</span>, moccasins, -copperheads, corals, mamba, <span class='it'>fer de lance</span>—gosh! -snakes are just common objects like flies. An’ I tell you -boys right here and now, that there ain’t a snake in -this or the next world that can climb up a parapet, -bite a man and get away with it with a copper looking -on.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He beamed from one to the other: he was almost -paternal.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’d like to have shown you folks a worse-than-mamba,” -he said regretfully, “but carrying round snakes -in your pocket is just hot dog: it’s like a millionaire -wearin’ diamond ear-rings just to show he can afford -’em. I liked that little fellow; I’m mighty sorry -he’s dead, but if any man tells you that a snake bit -him, go right up to him, hit him on the nose, and say -‘Liar!’ ”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You will have some coffee?” Manfred had rung -the bell.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sure I will: never have got used to this tea-drinking -habit. I’m on the wagon too: got scared up there -in the backlands of Angola——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What were you doing there?” asked Leon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Snakes,” said the other briefly. “I represent an -organization that supplies specimens to zoos and museums. -I was looking for a flying snake—there ain’t such a thing, -though the natives say there is. I got a new kinder -cobra—<span class='it'>viperidæ crotalinæ</span>—and yet not!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He scratched his head, bringing his scientific perplexity -into the room. Leon’s heart went out to him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He had met Barberton by accident. Without shame -he confessed that he had gone to a village in the interior -for a real solitary jag, and returning to such degree of -civilization as Mossamedes represented, he found a group -of Portuguese breeds squatting about a fire at which the -man’s feet were toasting.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know what he was—a prospector, I guess. -He was one of those what-is-its you meet along that -coast. I’ve met his kind most everywhere—as far south -as Port Nottosh. In Angola there are scores: they go -native at the end.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You can tell us nothing about Barberton?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Elijah Washington shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, sir: I know him same as I might know you. -It got me curious when I found out the why of the torturing: -he wouldn’t tell where it was.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where what was?” asked Manfred quickly, and Mr. -Washington was surprised.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why, the writing they wanted to get. I thought -maybe he’d told you. He said he was coming right along -to spill all that part of it. It was a letter he’d found in -a tin box—that was all he’d say.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They looked at one another.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I know no more about it than that,” Mr. Washington -added, when he saw Gonsalez’ lips move. “It -was just a letter. Who it was from, why, what it was -about, he never told me. My first idea was that he’d -been flirting round about here, but divorce laws are -mighty generous and they wouldn’t trouble to get evidence -that way. A man doesn’t want any documents -to get rid of his wife. I dare say you folks wonder why -I’ve come along.” Mr. Washington raised his steaming -cup of coffee, which must have been nearly boiling, and -drank it at one gulp. “That’s fine,” he said, “the -nearest to coffee I’ve had since I left home.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He wiped his lips with a large and vivid silk handkerchief.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve come along, gentlemen, because I’ve got a -pretty good idea that I’d be useful to anybody who’s -snake-hunting in this little dorp.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s rather a dangerous occupation, isn’t it?” said -Manfred quietly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Washington nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“To you, but not to me,” he said. “I am snake-proof.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He pulled up his sleeve: the forearm was scarred -and pitted with old wounds.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Snakes,” he said briefly. “That’s cobra.” He -pointed proudly. “When that snake struck, my boys -didn’t wait for anything, they started dividing my kit. -Sort of appointed themselves a board of executors and -joint heirs of the family estate.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But you were very ill?” said Gonsalez.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Washington shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, sir, not more than if a bee bit me, and not so -much as if a wasp had got in first punch. Some people -can eat arsenic, some people can make a meal of enough -morphia to decimate a province. I’m snake-proof—been -bitten ever since I was five.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He bent over towards them, and his jolly face went -suddenly serious.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m the man you want,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think you are,” said Manfred slowly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Because this old snake ain’t finished biting. There’s -a graft in it somewhere, and I want to find it. But first -I want to vindicate the snake. Anybody who says a -snake’s naturally vicious doesn’t understand. Snakes -are timid, quiet, respectful things, and don’t want no -trouble with nobody. If a snake sees you coming, he -naturally lights out for home. When momma snake’s -running around with her family, she’s naturally touchy -for fear you’d tread on any of her boys and girls, but she’s -a lady, and if you give her time she’ll Maggie ’um and -get ’um into the parlour where the foot of white man -never trod.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon was looking at him with a speculative eye.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is queer to think,” he said, speaking half to himself, -“that you may be the only one of us who will be -alive this day week!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Meadows, not easily shocked, felt a cold shiver run -down his spine.</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch13'></a><span class='it'>Chapter XIII</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>Mirabelle Goes Home</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>T</span>HE prediction that Leon Gonsalez had made was -not wholly fulfilled, though he himself had helped -to prevent the supreme distress he prophesied. When -Mirabelle Leicester awoke in the morning, her head -was thick and dull, and for a long time she lay between -sleeping and waking, trying to bring order to the confusion -of her thoughts, her eyes on the ceiling towards -a gnarled oak beam which she had seen before somewhere; -and when at last she summoned sufficient energy -to raise herself on her elbow, she looked upon the very -familiar surroundings of her own pretty little room.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Heavytree Farm! What a curious dream she had had! -A dream filled with fleeting visions of old men with elongated -heads, of dance music and a crowded ball-room, -of a slightly over-dressed man who had been very polite -to her at dinner. Where did she dine? She sat up in -bed, holding her throbbing head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Again she looked round the room and slowly, out -of her dreams, emerged a few tangible facts. She was -still in a state of bewilderment when the door opened -and Aunt Alma came in, and the unprepossessing face -of her relative was accentuated by her look of anxiety.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Hullo, Alma!” said Mirabelle dully. “I’ve had -such a queer dream.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Alma pressed her lips tightly together as she placed a -tray on a table by the side of the bed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think it was about that advertisement I saw.” -And then, with a gasp: “How did I come here?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They brought you,” said Alma. “The nurse is -downstairs having her breakfast. She’s a nice woman -and keeps press-cuttings.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The nurse?” asked Mirabelle in bewilderment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You arrived here at three o’clock in the morning -in a motor-car. You had a nurse with you.” Alma -enumerated the circumstances in chronological order. -“And two men. First one of the men got out and -knocked at the door. I was worried to death. In -fact, I’d been worried all the afternoon, ever since I -had your wire telling me not to come up to London.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But I didn’t send any such wire,” replied the girl.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“After I came down, the man—he was really a gentleman -and very pleasantly spoken—told me that you’d -been taken ill and a nurse had brought you home. They -then carried you, the two men and the nurse, upstairs -and laid you on the bed, and nurse and I undressed you. -I simply couldn’t get you to wake up: all you did was -to talk about the orangeade.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I remember! It was so bitter, and Lord Evington -let me drink some of his. And then I . . . I don’t -know what happened after that,” she said, with a little -grimace.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mr. Gonsalez ordered the car, got the nurse from -a nursing home,” explained Alma.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gonsalez! Not my Gonsalez—the—the Four Just -Men Gonsalez?” she asked in amazement.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m sure it was Gonsalez: they made no secret -about it. You can see the gentlemen who brought -you: he’s about the house somewhere. I saw him in -Heavytree Lane not five minutes ago, strolling up and -down and smoking. A pipe,” added Alma.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The girl got out of bed; her knees were curiously -weak under her, but she managed to stagger to the -window, and, pushing open the casement still farther, -looked out across the patchwork quilt of colour. The -summer flowers were in bloom; the delicate scents -came up on the warm morning air, and she stood for a -moment, drinking in great draughts of the exquisite -perfume, and then, with a sigh, turned back to the waiting -Alma.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know how it all happened and what it’s -about, but my word, Alma, I’m glad to be back! That -dreadful man . . . ! We lunched at the Ritz-Carlton. . . . -I never want to see another restaurant or a ball-room or -Chester Square, or anything but old Heavytree!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She took the cup of tea from Alma’s hand, drank -greedily, and put it down with a little gasp.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That was wonderful! Yes, the tea was too, but -I’m thinking about Gonsalez. If it should be he!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t see why you should get excited over a man -who’s committed I don’t know how many murders.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t be silly, Alma!” scoffed the girl. “The -Just Men have never murdered, any more than a judge and -jury murder.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The room was still inclined to go round, and it was -with the greatest difficulty that she could condense the -two Almas who stood before her into one tangible individual.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s a gentleman downstairs: he’s been waiting -since twelve.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And when she asked, she was to learn, to her dismay, -that it was half-past one.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll be down in a quarter of an hour,” she said recklessly. -“Who is it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve never heard of him before, but he’s a gentleman,” -was the unsatisfactory reply. “They didn’t want -to let him come in.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who didn’t?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The gentlemen who brought you here in the night.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle stared at her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You mean . . . they’re guarding the house?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s how it strikes me,” said Alma bitterly. “Why -they should interfere with us, I don’t know. Anyway, -they let him in. Mr. Johnson Lee.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The girl frowned.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know the name,” she said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Alma walked to the window.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s his car,” she said, and pointed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was just visible, standing at the side of the road -beyond the box hedge, a long-bodied Rolls, white with -dust. The chauffeur was talking to a strange man, and -from the fact that he was smoking a pipe Mirabelle -guessed that this was one of her self-appointed custodians.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She had her bath, and with the assistance of the nurse, -dressed and came shakily down the stairs. Alma was -waiting in the brick-floored hall.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He wants to see you alone,” she said in a stage -whisper. “I don’t know whether I ought to allow it, -but there’s evidently something wrong. These men -prowling about the house have got thoroughly on my -nerves.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle laughed softly as she opened the door and -walked in. At the sound of the door closing, the man -who was sitting stiffly on a deep settee in a window -recess got up. He was tall and bent, and his dark face -was lined. His eyes she could not see; they were hidden -behind dark green glasses, which were turned in her -direction as she came across the room to greet him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Miss Mirabelle Leicester?” he asked, in the quiet, -modulated voice of an educated man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He took her hand in his.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Won’t you sit down?” she said, for he remained -standing after she had seated herself.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thank you.” He sat down gingerly, holding between -his knees the handle of the umbrella he had brought -into the drawing-room. “I’m afraid my visit may be -inopportune, Miss Leicester,” he said. “Have you by -any chance heard about Mr. Barberton?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Her brows wrinkled in thought.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Barberton? I seem to have heard the name.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He was killed yesterday on the Thames Embankment.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then she recollected.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The man who was bitten by the snake?” she asked -in horror.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The visitor nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was a great shock to me, because I have been a -friend of his for many years, and had arranged to call -at his hotel on the night of his death.” And then abruptly -he turned the conversation in another and a surprising -direction. “Your father was a scientist, Miss Leicester?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, he was an astronomer, an authority upon -meteors.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Exactly. I thought that was the gentleman. I -have only recently had his book read to me. He was -in Africa for some years?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes,” she said quietly, “he died there. He was -studying meteors for three years in Angola. You probably -know that a very large number of shooting stars -fall in that country. My father’s theory was that it -was due to the ironstone mountains which attract them—so -he set up a little observatory in the interior.” Her -lips trembled for a second. “He was killed in a native -rising,” she said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you know the part of Angola where he had his -observatory?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She shook her head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m not sure. I have never been in Africa, but -perhaps Aunt Alma may know.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She went out to find Alma waiting in the passage, -in conversation with the pipe-smoker. The man withdrew -hastily at the sight of her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Alma, do you remember what part of Angola father -had his observatory?” she asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Alma did not know off-hand, but one of her invaluable -scrap-books contained all the information that the girl -wanted, and she carried the book to Mr. Lee.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Here are the particulars,” she said, and laid the book -open before them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Would you read it for me?” he requested gently, -and she read to him the three short paragraphs which -noted that Professor Leicester had taken up his residence -in Bishaka.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is the place,” interrupted the visitor. “Bishaka! -You are sure that Mr. Barberton did not communicate -with you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“With me?” she said in amazement. “No—why -should he?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He did not answer, but sat for a long time, turning -the matter over in his mind.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re perfectly certain that nobody sent you a -document, probably in the Portuguese language, concerning”—he -hesitated—“Bishaka?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She shook her head, and then, as though he had not -seen the gesture, he asked the question again.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m certain,” she said. “We have very little correspondence -at the farm, and it isn’t possible that I -could overlook anything so remarkable.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Again he turned the problem over in his mind.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Have you any documents in Portuguese or in English -. . . any letters from your father about Angola?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“None,” she said. “The only reference my father -ever made to Bishaka was that he was getting a lot of -information which he thought would be valuable, and -that he was a little troubled because his cameras, which -he had fixed in various parts of the country to cover -every sector of the skies, were being disturbed by wandering -prospectors.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He said that, did he?” asked Mr. Lee eagerly. -“Come now, that explains a great deal!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In spite of herself she laughed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It doesn’t explain much to me, Mr. Lee,” she said -frankly. And then, in a more serious tone: “Did -Barberton come from Angola?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, Barberton came from that country,” he said -in a lower voice. “I should like to tell you”—he -hesitated—“but I am rather afraid.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Afraid to tell me? Why?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So many dreadful things have happened recently -to poor Barberton and others, that knowledge seems -a most dangerous thing. I wish I could believe that it -would not be dangerous to you,” he added kindly, “and -then I could speak what is in my mind and relieve myself -of a great deal of anxiety.” He rose slowly. “I -think the best thing I can do is to consult my lawyer. -I was foolish to keep it from him so long. He is the -only man I can trust to search my documents.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She could only look at him in astonishment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But surely you can search your own documents?” -she said good-humouredly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, I’m afraid I can’t. Because”—he spoke with -the simplicity of a child—“I am blind.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Blind?” gasped Mirabelle, and the man laughed -gently.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I am pretty capable for a blind man, am I not? -I can walk across a room and avoid all the furniture. -The only thing I cannot do is to read—at least, read the -ordinary print. I can read Braille: poor Barberton -taught me. He was a schoolmaster,” he explained, “at -a blind school near Brightlingsea. Not a particularly -well-educated man, but a marvellously quick writer of -Braille. We have corresponded for years through that -medium. He could write a Braille letter almost as -quickly as you can with pen and ink.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Her heart was full of pity for the man: he was so -cheery, so confident, and withal so proud of his own -accomplishments, that pity turned to admiration. He -had the ineffable air of obstinacy which is the possession -of so many men similarly stricken, and she began to -realize that self-pity, that greatest of all afflictions -which attends blindness, had been eliminated from his -philosophy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I should like to tell you more,” he said, as he held -out his hand. “Probably I will dictate a long letter -to you to-morrow, or else my lawyer will do so, putting -all the facts before you. For the moment, however, I -must be sure of my ground. I have no desire to raise -in your heart either fear or—hope. Do you know a -Mr. Manfred?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know him personally,” she said quickly. -“George Manfred?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Have you met him?” she asked eagerly. “And -Mr. Poiccart, the Frenchman?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, not Mr. Poiccart. Manfred was on the telephone -to me very early this morning. He seemed to -know all about my relationships with my poor friend. -He knew also of my blindness. A remarkable man, very -gentle and courteous. It was he who gave me your address. -Perhaps,” he mused, “it would be advisable if -I first consulted him.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m sure it would!” she said enthusiastically. -“They are wonderful. You have heard of them, of -course, Mr. Lee—the Four Just Men?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He smiled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That sounds as though you admire them,” he said. -“Yes, I have heard of them. They are the men who, -many years ago, set out to regularize the inconsistencies -of the English law, to punish where no punishment is -provided by the code. Strange I never associated -them. . . .”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He meditated upon the matter in silence for a long -while, and then:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wonder,” he said, but did not tell her what he -was wondering.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She walked down the garden path with him into the -roadway and stood chatting about the country and the -flowers that he had never seen, and the weather and such -trivialities as people talk about when their minds are -occupied with more serious thoughts which they cannot -share, until the big limousine pulled up and he stepped -into its cool interior. He had the independence which -comes to the educated blind and gently refused the -offer of her guidance, an offer she did not attempt to -repeat, sensing the satisfaction he must have had in making -his way without help. She waved her hand to the -car as it moved off, and so naturally did his hand go up -in salute that for a moment she thought he had seen -her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>So he passed out of her sight, and might well have -passed out of her life, for Mr. Oberzohn had decreed that -the remaining hours of blind Johnson Lee were to be few.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But it happened that the Three Men had reached -the same decision in regard to Mr. Oberzohn, only there -was some indecision as to the manner of his passing. -Leon Gonsalez had original views.</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch14'></a><span class='it'>Chapter XIV</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>The Pedlar</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>T</span>HE man with the pipe was standing within half -a dozen paces of her. She was going back through -the gate, when she remembered Aunt Alma’s views on -the guardianship.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Are you waiting here all day?” she asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Till this evening, miss. We’re to be relieved by -some men from Gloucester—we came from town, and -we’re going back with the nurse, if you can do without -her?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who placed you here?” she asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mr. Gonsalez. He thought it would be wise to have -somebody around.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But why?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The big man grinned.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve known Mr. Gonsalez many years,” he said. -“I’m a police pensioner, and I can remember the time -when I’d have given a lot of money to lay my hands on -him—but I’ve never asked him why, miss. There is -generally a good reason for everything he does.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle went back into the farmhouse, very thoughtful. -Happily, Alma was not inquisitive; she was left -alone in the drawing-room to reconstruct her exciting -yesterday.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle harboured very few illusions. She had read -much, guessed much, and in the days of her childhood -had been in the habit of linking cause to effect. The -advertisement was designed especially for her: that was -her first conclusion. It was designed to bring her into -the charge of Oberzohn. For now she recognized this -significant circumstance: never once, since she had -entered the offices of Oberzohn & Smitts, until the episode -of the orangeade, had she been free to come and go as -she wished. He had taken her to lunch, he had brought -her back; Joan Newton had been her companion in -the drive from the house, and from the house to the hall; -and from then on she did not doubt that Oberzohn’s -surveillance had continued, until . . .</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dimly she remembered the man in the cloak who had -stood in the rocking doorway. Was that Gonsalez? -Somehow she thought it must have been. Gonsalez, -watchful, alert—why? She had been in danger—was -still in danger. Though why anybody should have -picked unimportant her, was the greatest of all mysteries.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In some inexplicable way the death of Barberton had -been associated with that advertisement and the attention -she had received from Dr. Oberzohn and his creatures. -Who was Lord Evington? She remembered his German -accent and his “gracious lady,” the curious click of his -heels and his stiff bow. That was a clumsy subterfuge -which she ought to have seen through from the first. -He was another of her watchers. And the drugged -orangeade was his work. She shuddered. Suppose -Leon Gonsalez, or whoever it was, had not arrived so -providentially, where would she be at this moment?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Walking to the window, she looked out, and the sight -of the two men just inside the gate gave her a sense of -infinite relief and calm; and the knowledge that she, for -some reason, was under the care and protection of this -strange organization about which she had read, thrilled -her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She walked into the vaulted kitchen, to find the kitchen -table covered with fat volumes, and Aunt Alma explaining -to the interested nurse her system of filing. Two subjects -interested that hard-featured lady: crime and family -records. She had two books filled with snippings from -country newspapers relating to the family of a distant -cousin who had been raised to a peerage during the war. -She had another devoted to the social triumphs of a -distant woman, Goddard, who had finally made a sensational -appearance as petitioner in the most celebrated -divorce suit of the age. But crime, generally speaking, -was Aunt Alma’s chief preoccupation. It was from these -voluminous cuttings that Mirabelle had gained her complete -knowledge of the Four Just Men and their operations. -There were books packed with the story of the Ramon -murder, arranged with loving care in order of time, for -chronology was almost a vice in Alma Goddard. Only -one public sensation was missing from her collection, -and she was explaining the reason to the nurse as Mirabelle -came into the kitchen.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, my dear,” she was saying, “there is nothing -about The Snake. I won’t have anything to do with -that: it gives me the creeps. In fact, I haven’t read -anything that has the slightest reference to it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve got every line,” said the nurse enthusiastically. -“My brother is a reporter on the <span class='it'>Megaphone</span>, and he says -this is the best story they’ve had for years——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle interrupted this somewhat gruesome conversation -to make inquiries about luncheon. Her head -was steady now and she had developed an appetite.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The front door stood open, and as she turned to go -into the dining-room to get her writing materials, she -heard an altercation at the gate. A third man had -appeared: a grimy-looking pedlar who carried a tray -before him, packed with all manner of cheap buttons and -laces. He was a middle-aged man with a ragged beard, -and despite the warmth of the day, was wearing a long -overcoat that almost reached to his heels.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You may or you may not be,” the man with the -pipe was saying, “but you’re not going in here.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve served this house for years,” snarled the pedlar. -“What do you mean by interfering with me? You’re -not a policeman.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Whether I’m a policeman or a dustman or a postman,” -said the patient guard, “you don’t pass through -this gate—do you understand that?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At this moment the pedlar caught sight of the girl -at the door and raised his battered hat with a grin. He -was unknown to the girl; she did not remember having -seen him at the house before. Nor did Alma, who came -out at that moment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s a stranger here, but we’re always getting new -people up from Gloucester,” she said. “What does he -want to sell?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She stalked out into the garden, and at the sight of -her the grin left the pedlar’s face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve got some things I’d like to sell to the young -lady, ma’am,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m not so old, and I’m a lady,” replied Alma sharply. -“And how long is it since you started picking and choosing -your customers?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man grumbled something under his breath, and -without waiting even to display his wares, shuffled off -along the dusty road, and they watched him until he was -out of sight.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Heavytree Farm was rather grandly named for so small -a property. The little estate followed the road to Heavytree -Lane, which formed the southern boundary of the -property. The lane itself ran at an angle to behind the -house, where the third boundary was formed by a hedge -dividing the farmland from the more pretentious estate of -a local magnate. It was down the lane the pedlar turned.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Excuse me, ma’am,” said the companion of the man -with the pipe.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He opened the gate, walked in, and, making a circuit -of the house, reached the orchard behind. Here a few -outhouses were scattered, and, clearing these, he came to -the meadow, where Mirabelle’s one cow ruminated in the -lazy manner of her kind. Half hidden by a thick-boled -apple-tree, the watcher waited, and presently, as he -expected, he saw a head appear through the boundary -hedge. After an observation the pedlar sprang into the -meadow and stood, taking stock of his ground. He had -left his tray and his bag, and, running with surprising -swiftness for a man of his age, he gained a little wooden -barn, and, pulling open the door, disappeared into its -interior. By this time the guard had been joined by his -companion and they had a short consultation, the man -with the pipe going back to his post before the house, -whilst the other walked slowly across the meadow until -he came to the closed door of the barn.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Wise in his generation, he first made a circuit of the -building, and discovered there were no exits through -the blackened gates. Then, pulling both doors open -wide:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come out, bo’!” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The barn was empty, except for a heap of hay that -lay in one corner and some old and wheelless farm-wagons -propped up on three trestles awaiting the wheelwright’s -attention.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A ladder led to a loft, and the guard climbed slowly. -His head was on a level with the dark opening, when:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Put up your hands!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was looking into the adequate muzzle of an -automatic pistol.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come down, bo’!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Put up your hands,” hissed the voice in the darkness, -“or you’re a dead man!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The watcher obeyed, cursing his folly that he had come -alone.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now climb up.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>With some difficulty the guard brought himself up to -the floor level.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Step this way, and step lively,” said the pedlar. -“Hold your hands out.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He felt the touch of cold steel on his wrist, heard a -click.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now the other hand.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The moment he was manacled, the pedlar began a -rapid search.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Carry a gun, do you?” he sneered, as he drew a -pistol from the man’s hip pocket. “Now sit down.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In a few seconds the discomfited guard was bound -and gagged. The pedlar, crawling to the entrance of the -loft, looked out between a crevice in the boards. He was -watching not the house, but the hedge through which he -had climbed. Two other men had appeared there, and -he grunted his satisfaction. Descending into the barn, -he pulled away the ladder and let it fall on the floor, before -he came out into the open and made a signal.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The second guard had made his way back by the -shortest cut to the front of the house, passing through the -garden and in through the kitchen door. He stopped to -shoot the bolts, and the girl, coming into the kitchen, saw -him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is anything wrong?” she asked anxiously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know, miss.” He was looking at the kitchen -windows: they were heavily barred. “My mate has -just seen that pedlar go into the barn.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She followed him to the front door. He had turned -to go, but, changing his mind, came back, and she saw -him put his hand into his hip pocket and was staggered to -see him produce a long-barrelled Browning.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Can you use a pistol, miss?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She nodded, too surprised to speak, and watched him -as he jerked back the jacket and put up the safety catch.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I want to be on the safe side, and I’d feel happier -if you were armed.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a gun hanging on the wall and he took it -down.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Have you any shells for this?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She pulled open the drawer of the hall-stand and took -out a cardboard carton.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They may be useful,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But surely, Mr.——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Digby.” He supplied his name.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Surely you’re exaggerating? I don’t mean that -you’re doing it with any intention of frightening me, but -there isn’t any danger to us?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know. I’ve got a queer feeling—had it all -morning. How far is the nearest house from here?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not half a mile away,” she said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re on the ’phone?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m scared, maybe. I’ll just go out into the road -and have a look round. I wish that fellow would come -back,” he added fretfully.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He walked slowly up the garden path and stood for -a moment leaning over the gate. As he did so, he heard -the rattle and asthmatic wheezing of an ancient car, and -saw a tradesman’s trolley come round a corner of Heavytree -Lane. Its pace grew slower as it got nearer to the -house, and opposite the gate it stopped altogether. The -driver getting down with a curse, lifted up the battered -tin bonnet, and, groping under the seat, brought out a -long spanner. Then, swift as thought, he half turned -and struck at Digby’s head. The girl heard the sickening -impact, saw the watcher drop limply to the path, and -in another second she had slammed the door and thrust -home the bolts.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She was calm; the hand that took the revolver from -the hall-table did not tremble.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Alma!” she called, and Alma came running downstairs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What on earth——?” she began, and then saw the -pistol in Mirabelle’s hands.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They are attacking the house,” said the girl quickly. -“I don’t know who ‘they’ are, but they’ve just struck -down one of the men who was protecting us. Take the -gun, Alma.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Alma’s face was contorted, and might have expressed -fear or anger or both. Mirabelle afterwards learnt that -the dominant emotion was one of satisfaction to find -herself in so warlike an environment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Running into the drawing-room, the girl pushed open -the window, which commanded a view of the road. The -gate was unfastened and two men, who had evidently -been concealed inside the trolley, were lifting the unconscious -man, and she watched, with a calm she could -not understand in herself, as they threw him into the -interior and fastened the tailboard. She counted four -in all, including the driver, who was climbing back to -his seat. One of the new-comers, evidently the leader, -was pointing down the road towards the lane, and she -guessed that he was giving directions as to where the -car should wait, for it began to go backwards almost -immediately and with surprising smoothness, remembering -the exhibition it had given of decrepitude a few -minutes before.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man who had given instructions came striding -down the path towards the door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Stop!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He looked round with a start into the levelled muzzle -of a Browning, and his surprise would, in any other -circumstances, have been comical.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s all right, miss——” he began.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Put yourself outside that gate,” said Mirabelle -coolly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wanted to see you . . . very important——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='it'>Bang!</span></p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle fired a shot, aimed above his head, towards -the old poplar. The man ducked and ran. Clear of -the gate he dropped to the cover of a hedge, where his -men already were, and she heard the murmur of their -voices distinctly, for the day was still, and the far-off -chugging of the trolley’s engine sounded close at hand. -Presently she saw a head peep round the hedge.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Can I have five minutes’ talk with you?” asked -the leader loudly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was a thick-set, bronzed man, with a patch of -lint plastered to his face, and she noted unconsciously -that he wore gold ear-rings.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s no trouble coming to you,” he said, opening -the gate as he spoke. “You oughtn’t to have fired, -anyway. Nobody’s going to hurt you——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He had advanced a yard into the garden as he spoke.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='it'>Bang, bang!</span></p> - -<p class='pindent'>In her haste she had pressed butt and trigger just -a fraction too long, and, startled by the knowledge that -another shot was coming, her hand jerked round, and the -second shot missed his head by the fraction of an inch. -He disappeared in a flash, and a second later she saw -their hats moving swiftly above the box. They were -running towards the waiting car.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Stay here, Alma!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Alma Goddard nodded grimly, and the girl flew up -the stairs to her room. From this elevation she commanded -a better view. She saw them climb into the -van, and in another second the limp body of the guard -was thrown out into the hedge; then, after a brief space -of time, the machine began moving and, gathering speed, -disappeared in a cloud of dust on the Highcombe Road.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle came down the stairs at a run, pulled back -the bolts and flew out and along the road towards the -still figure of the detective. He was lying by the side -of the ditch, his head a mass of blood, and she saw that -he was still breathing. She tried to lift him, but it was -too great a task. She ran back to the house. The -telephone was in the hall: an old-fashioned instrument -with a handle that had to be turned, and she had not -made two revolutions before she realized that the wire -had been cut.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Alma was still in the parlour, the gun gripped tight -in her hand, a look of fiendish resolution on her face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You must help me to get Digby into the house,” -she said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where is he?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle pointed, and the two women, returning to -the man, half lifted, half dragged him back to the hall. -Laying him down on the brick floor, the girl went in search -of clean linen. The kitchen, which was also the drying -place for Alma’s more intimate laundry, supplied all that -she needed. Whilst Alma watched unmoved the destruction -of her wardrobe, the girl bathed the wound and the -frightened nurse (who had disappeared at the first shot) -applied a rough dressing. The wound was an ugly one, -and the man showed no signs of recovering consciousness.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We shall have to send Mary into Gloucester for an -ambulance,” said Mirabelle. “We can’t send nurse—she -doesn’t know the way.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mary,” said Alma calmly, “is at this moment having -hysterics in the larder. I’ll harness the dog-cart and go -myself. But where is the other man?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle shook her head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t like to think what has happened to him,” -she said. “Now, Alma, do you think we can get him -into the drawing-room?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Together they lifted the heavy figure and staggered -with it into the pretty little room, laying him at last -upon the settee under the window.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He can rest there till we get the ambulance,” began -Mirabelle, and a chuckle behind her made her turn with -a gasp.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was the pedlar, and in his hand he held the pistol -which she had discarded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I only want you”—he nodded to the girl. “You -other two women can come out here.” He jerked his -head to the passage. Under the stairs was a big cupboard -and he pulled the door open invitingly. “Get -in here. If you make a noise, you’ll be sorry for yourselves.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Alma’s eyes wandered longingly to the gun she had -left in the corner, but before she could make a move he -had placed himself between her and the weapon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Get inside,” said the pedlar, and Mirabelle was not -much surprised when Aunt Alma meekly obeyed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He shut the door on the two women and fastened the -hatch.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now, young lady, put on your hat and be lively!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He followed her up the stairs into her room and watched -her while she found a hat and a cloak. She knew only -too well that it was a waste of time even to temporize -with him. He, for his part, was so exultant at his success -that he grew almost loquacious.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I suppose you saw the boys driving away and you -didn’t remember that I was somewhere around? Was -that you doing the shooting?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She did not answer.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It couldn’t have been Lew, or you’d have been -dead,” he said. He was examining the muzzle of the -pistol. “It was you all right.” He chuckled. “Ain’t -you the game one! Sister, you ought to be——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He stopped dead, staring through the window. He -was paralysed with amazement at the sight of a bare-headed -Aunt Alma flying along the Gloucester Road. -With an oath he turned to the girl.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How did she get out? Have you got anybody here? -Now speak up.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The cupboard under the stairs leads to the wine -cellar,” said Mirabelle coolly, “and there are two ways -out of the wine cellar. I think Aunt Alma found one of -them.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>With an oath, he took a step towards her, gripped her -by the arm and jerked her towards the door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Lively!” he said, and dragged her down the stairs -through the hall, into the kitchen.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He shot back the bolts, but the lock of the kitchen -door had been turned.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This way.” He swore cold-bloodedly, and, her arm -still in his powerful grip, he hurried along the passage -and pulled open the door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was an unpropitious moment. A man was walking -down the path, a half-smile on his face, as though he was -thinking over a remembered jest. At the sight of him -the pedlar dropped the girl’s arm and his hand went like -lightning to his pocket.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When will you die?” said Leon Gonsalez softly. -“Make a choice, and make it quick!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And the gun in his hand seemed to quiver with homicidal -eagerness.</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch15'></a><span class='it'>Chapter XV</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>Two “Accidents”</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>T</span>HE pedlar, his face twitching, put up his shaking -hands.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon walked to him, took the Browning from his moist -grip and dropped it into his pocket.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Your friends are waiting, of course?” he said -pleasantly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The pedlar did not answer.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Cuccini too? I thought I had incapacitated him -for a long time.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They’ve gone,” growled the pedlar.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gonsalez looked round in perplexity.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t want to take you into the house. At the -same time, I don’t want to leave you here,” he said. “I -almost wish you’d drawn that gun of yours,” he added -regretfully. “It would have solved so many immediate -problems.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>This particular problem was solved by the return of -the dishevelled Alma and the restoration to her of her gun.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I would so much rather you shot him than I,” said -Leon earnestly. “The police are very suspicious of my -shootings, and they never wholly believe that they are -done in self-defence.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>With a rope he tied the man, and tied him uncomfortably, -wrists to ankles. That done, he made a few -inquiries and went swiftly out to the barn, returning in a -few minutes with the unhappy guard.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It can’t be helped,” said Leon, cutting short the -man’s apologies. “The question is, where are the rest -of the brethren?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Something zipped past him: it had the intensified -hum of an angry wasp, and a second later he heard a -muffled “Plop!” In a second he was lying flat on the -ground, his Browning covering the hedge that hid Heavytree -Lane.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Run to the house,” he called urgently. “They won’t -bother about you.” And the guard, nothing loth, -sprinted for the cover of walls.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Presently Leon located the enemy, and at a little -distance off he saw the flat top of the covered trolley. -A man walked slowly and invitingly across the gap in -the hedge, but Gonsalez held his fire, and presently the -manœuvre was repeated. Obviously they were trying -to concentrate his mind upon the gap whilst they were -moving elsewhere. His eyes swept the meadow boundary—running -parallel, he guessed, was a brook or ditch which -would make excellent cover.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Again the man passed leisurely across the gap. Leon -steadied his elbow, and glanced along the sight. As he -did so, the man reappeared.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='it'>Crack!</span></p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gonsalez aimed a foot behind him. The man saw -the flash and jumped back, as he had expected. In another -second he was writhing on the ground with a bullet -through his leg.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon showed his teeth in a smile and switched his -body round to face the new point of attack. It came -from the spot that he had expected: a little rise of ground -that commanded his position.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The first bullet struck the turf to his right with an -angry buzz, sent a divot flying heavenward, and ricochetted -with a smack against a tree. Before the raised -head could drop to cover, Gonsalez fired; fired another -shot to left and right, then, rising, raced for the shelter -of the tree, and reached it in time to see three heads -bobbing back to the road. He waited, covering the gap, -but the people who drew the wounded man out of sight -did not show themselves, and a minute later he saw the -trolley moving swiftly down the by-road, and knew that -danger was past.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The firing had attracted attention. He had not been -back in the house a few minutes before a mounted policeman, -his horse in a lather, came galloping up to the gate -and dismounted. A neighbouring farm had heard the -shots and telephoned to constabulary head-quarters. For -half an hour the mounted policeman took notes, and by -this time half the farmers in the neighbourhood, their -guns under their arms, had assembled in Mirabelle’s -parlour.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She had not seen as much of the redoubtable Leon -as she could have wished, and when they had a few -moments to themselves she seized the opportunity to tell -him of the call which Lee had made that morning. Apparently -he knew all about it, for he expressed no surprise, -and was only embarrassed when she showed a personal -interest in himself and his friends.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was not a very usual experience for him, and he -was rather annoyed with himself at this unexpected -glimpse of enthusiasm and hero-worship, sane as it -was, and based, as he realized, upon her keen sense of -justice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m not so sure that we’ve been very admirable -really,” he said. “But the difficulty is to produce at -the moment a judgment which would be given from a -distance of years. We have sacrificed everything which -to most men would make life worth living, in our desire -to see the scales held fairly.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You are not married, Mr. Gonsalez?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He stared into the frank eyes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Married? Why, no,” he said, and she laughed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You talk as though that were a possibility that had -never occurred to you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It hasn’t,” he admitted. “By the very nature of -our work we are debarred from that experience. And is -it an offensive thing to say that I have never felt my -singleness to be a deprivation?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is very rude,” she said severely, and Leon was -laughing to himself all the way back to town as at a -great joke that improved upon repetition.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think we can safely leave her for a week,” he reported, -on his return to Curzon Street. “No, nothing happened. -I was held up in a police trap near Newbury for exceeding -the speed limit. They said I was doing fifty, but I should -imagine it was nearer eighty. Meadows will get me out -of that. Otherwise, I must send the inevitable letter -to the magistrate and pay the inevitable fine. Have you -done anything about Johnson Lee?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Meadows and the enthusiastic Mr. Washington have -gone round to see him. I have asked Washington to go -because”—he hesitated—“the snake is a real danger, so -far as he is concerned. Elijah Washington promises to -be a very real help. He is afraid of nothing, and has -undertaken to stay with Lee and to apply such remedies -for snake-bites as he knows.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was putting on his gloves as he spoke, and Leon -Gonsalez looked at him with a critical admiration.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Are you being presented at Court, or are you taking -tea with a duchess?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Neither. I’m calling upon friend Oberzohn.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The devil you are!” said Leon, his eyebrows rising.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have taken the precaution of sending him a note, -asking him to keep his snakes locked up,” said Manfred, -“and as I have pointedly forwarded the carbon copy of -the letter, to impress the fact that another exists and -may be brought in evidence against him, I think I shall -leave Oberzohn & Smitts’ main office without hurt. If -you are not too tired, Leon, I would rather prefer the -Buick to the Spanz.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Give me a quarter of an hour,” said Leon, and went -up to his room to make himself tidy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was fifteen minutes exactly when the Buick stopped -at the door, and Manfred got into the saloon. There -was no partition between driver and passenger, and -conversation was possible.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It would have been as well if you’d had Brother -Newton there,” he suggested.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Brother Newton will be on the spot: I took the -precaution of sending him a similar note,” said Manfred. -“I shouldn’t imagine they’ll bring out their gunmen.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I know two, and possibly three, they won’t bring -out.” Gonsalez grinned at the traffic policeman who -waved him into Oxford Street. “That Browning of mine -throws high, Manfred: I’ve always had a suspicion it -did. Pistols are queer things, but this may wear into -my hand.” He talked arms and ammunition until the -square block of Oberzohn & Smitts came into sight. -“Good hunting!” he said, as he got out, opened the -saloon door and touched his hat to Manfred as he alighted.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He got back into his seat, swung the little car round -in a circle, and sat on the opposite side of the road, his -eyes alternately on the entrance and on the mirror which -gave him a view of the traffic approaching him from the -rear.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred was not kept in the waiting-room for more -than two minutes. At the end of that time, a solemn -youth in spectacles, with a little bow, led him across the -incurious office into the presence of the illustrious -doctor.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The old man was at his desk. Behind him, his debonair -self, Monty Newton, a large yellow flower in his buttonhole, -a smile on his face. Oberzohn got up like a man -standing to attention.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mr. Manfred, this is a great honour,” he said, and -held out his hand stiffly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>An additional chair had been placed for the visitor: -a rich-looking tapestried chair, to which the doctor waved -the hand which Manfred did not take.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good morning, Manfred.” Newton removed his -cigar and nodded genially. “Were you at the dance last -night?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I was there, but I didn’t come in,” said Manfred, -seating himself. “You did not turn up till late, they -tell me?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was of all occurrences the most unfortunate,” said -Dr. Oberzohn, and Newton laughed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve lost his laboratory secretary and he hasn’t -forgiven me,” he said almost jovially. “The girl he took -on yesterday. Rather a stunner in the way of looks. She -didn’t wish to go back to the country where she came -from, so my sister offered to put her up for the night in -Chester Square. I’m blessed if she didn’t lose herself at -the dance, and we haven’t seen her since!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was a terrible thing,” said Oberzohn sadly. “I -regard her as in my charge. For her safety I am responsible. -You, I trust, Mr. Newton——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t think I should have another uneasy moment -if I were you, doctor,” said Manfred easily. “The -young lady is back at Heavytree Farm. I thought that -would surprise you. And she is still there: that will -surprise you more, if you have not already heard by telephone -that your Old Guard failed dismally to—er—bring -her back to work. I presume that was their object?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My old guard, Mr. Manfred?” Oberzohn shook his -head in bewilderment. “This is beyond my comprehension.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is your sister well?” asked Manfred blandly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Newton shrugged his shoulders.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She is naturally upset. And who wouldn’t be? -Joan is a very tender-hearted girl.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She has been that way for years,” said Manfred -offensively. “May I smoke?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Will you have one of my cigarettes?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred’s grave eyes fixed the doctor in a stare that -held the older man against his will.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have had just one too many of your cigarettes,” -he said. His words came like a cold wind. “I do not -want any more, Herr Doktor, or there will be vacancies -in your family circle. Who knows that, long before you -compound your wonderful elixir, you may be called to -normal immortality?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The yellow face of Oberzohn had turned to a dull -red.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You seem to know so much about me, Mr. Manfred, -as myself,” he said in a husky whisper.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“More. For whilst you are racing against time to -avoid the end of a life which does not seem especially -worthy of preservation, and whilst you know not what -day or hour that end may come, I can tell you to the -minute.” The finger of his gloved hand pointed the -threat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>All trace of a smile had vanished from Monty Newton’s -face. His eyes did not leave the caller’s.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Perhaps you shall tell me.” Oberzohn found a -difficulty in speaking. Rage possessed him, and only his -iron will choked down the flames from view.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The day that injury comes to Mirabelle Leicester, -that day you go out—you and those who are with you!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Look here, Manfred, there’s a law in this country——” -began Monty Newton hotly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I am the law.” The words rang like a knell of fate. -“In this matter I am judge, jury, hangman. Old or -young, I will not spare,” he said evenly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Are you immortal too?” sneered Monty.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Only for a second did Manfred’s eyes leave the old -man’s face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The law is immortal,” he said. “If you dream that, -by some cleverly concerted coup, you can sweep me from -your path before I grow dangerous, be sure that your -sweep is clean.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You haven’t asked me to come here to listen to this -stuff, have you?” asked Newton, and though his words -were bold, his manner aggressive, there were shadows -on his face which were not there when Manfred had come -into the room—shadows under his eyes and in his cheeks -where plumpness had been.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve come here to tell you to let up on Miss Leicester. -You’re after something that you cannot get, and nobody -is in a position to give you. I don’t know what it is—I -will make you a present of that piece of information. -But it’s big—bigger than any prize you’ve ever gone -after in your wicked lives. And to get that, you’re prepared -to sacrifice innocent lives with the recklessness of -spendthrifts who think there is no bottom to their purse. -The end is near!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He rose slowly and stood by the table, towering over -the stiff-backed doctor.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I cannot say what action the police will take over -this providential snake-bite, Oberzohn, but I’ll make you -this offer: I and my friends will stand out of the game -and leave Meadows to get you in his own way. You -think that means you’ll go scot-free? But it doesn’t. -These police are like bulldogs: once they’ve got a grip -of you, they’ll never let go.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is the price you ask for this interesting service?” -Newton was puffing steadily at his cigar, his hands clasped -behind him, his feet apart, a picture of comfort and well-being.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Leave Miss Leicester alone. Find a new way of -getting the money you need so badly.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Newton laughed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My dear fellow, that’s a stupid thing to say. Neither -Oberzohn nor I are exactly poor.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re bankrupt, both of you,” said Manfred quietly. -“You are in the position of gamblers when the cards -have run against you for a long time. You have no -reserve, and your expenses are enormous. Find another -way, Newton—and tell your sister”—he paused by the -door, looking down into the white lining of his silk hat—“I’d -like to see her at Curzon Street to-morrow morning -at ten o’clock.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is that an order?” asked Newton sarcastically.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then let me tell you,” roared the man, white with -passion, “that I take no orders for her or for me. Got -swollen heads since you’ve had your pardon, haven’t -you? You look out for me, Manfred. I’m not exactly -harmless.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He felt the pressure of the doctor’s foot upon his and -curbed his temper.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“All right,” he growled, “but don’t expect to see -Joan.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He added a coarse jest, and Manfred raised his eyes -slowly and met his.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You will be hanged by the State or murdered by -Oberzohn—I am not sure which,” he said simply, and he -spoke with such perfect confidence that the heart of -Monty Newton turned to water.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred stood in the sidewalk and signalled, and the -little car came swiftly and noiselessly across. Leon’s -eyes were on the entrance. A tall man standing in the -shadow of the hall was watching. He was leaning against -the wall in a negligent attitude, and for a second Leon -was startled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Get in quickly!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon almost shouted the words back, and Manfred -jumped into the machine, as the chauffeur sent the car -forward, with a jerk that strained every gear.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What on——?” began Manfred, but the rest of his -words were lost in the terrific crash which followed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The leather hood of the machine was ripped down at -the back, a splinter of glass struck Leon’s cap and sliced -a half-moon neatly. He jammed on the brakes, threw -open the door of the saloon and leaped out. Behind the -car was a mass of wreckage; a great iron casting lay -split into three pieces amidst a tangle of broken packing-case. -Leon looked up; immediately above the entrance -to Oberzohn & Smitts’ was a crane, which had swung out -with a heavy load just before Manfred came out. The -steel wire hung loosely from the derrick. He heard excited -voices speaking from the open doorway three floors above, -and two men in large glasses were looking down and -gabbling in a language he did not understand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A very pretty accident. We might have filled half -a column in the evening newspapers if we had not -moved.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And the gentleman in the hall—what was he -doing?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon walked back through the entrance: the man -had disappeared, but near where he had been standing -was a small bell-push which, it was obvious, had recently -been fixed, for the wires ran loosely on the surface of the -wall and were new.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He came back in time to see a policeman crossing the -road.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wish to find out how this accident occurred, constable,” -he said. “My master was nearly killed.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The policeman looked at the ton of debris lying half -on the sidewalk, half on the road, then up at the slackened -hawser.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The cable has run off the drum, I should think.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I should think so,” said Leon gravely.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He did not wait for the policeman to finish his investigations, -but went home at a steady pace, and made no -reference to the “accident” until he had put away his -car and had returned to Curzon Street.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The man in the hall was put there to signal when -you were under the load—certain things must not happen,” -he said. “I am going out to make a few inquiries.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gonsalez knew one of Oberzohn’s staff: a clean young -Swede, with that knowledge of English which is normal -in Scandinavian countries; and at nine o’clock that night -he drifted into a Swedish restaurant in Dean Street and -found the young man at the end of his meal. It was an -acquaintance—one of many—that Leon had assiduously -cultivated. The young man, who knew him as Mr. Heinz—Leon -spoke German remarkably well—was glad to have -a companion with whom he could discuss the inexplicable -accident of the afternoon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The cable was not fixed to the drum,” he said. “It -might have been terrible: there was a gentleman in a -motor-car outside, and he had only moved away a few -inches when the case fell. There is bad luck in that -house. I am glad that I am leaving at the end of the -week.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon had some important questions to put, but he -did not hurry, having the gift of patience to a marked -degree. It was nearly ten when they parted, and Gonsalez -went back to his garage, where he spent a quarter of -an hour.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At midnight, Manfred had just finished a long conversation -with the Scotland Yard man who was still at -Brightlingsea, when Leon came in, looking very pleased -with himself. Poiccart had gone to bed, and Manfred -had switched out one circuit of lights when his friend -arrived.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thank you, my dear George,” said Gonsalez briskly. -“It was very good of you, and I did not like troubling -you, but——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was a small thing,” said Manfred with a smile, -“and involved merely the changing of my shoes. But -why? I am not curious, but why did you wish me to -telephone the night watchman at Oberzohn’s to be waiting -at the door at eleven o’clock for a message from the -doctor?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Because,” said Leon cheerfully, rubbing his hands, -“the night watchman is an honest man; he has a wife -and six children, and I was particularly wishful not to -hurt anybody. The building doesn’t matter: it stands, -or stood, isolated from all others. The only worry in -my mind was the night watchman. He was at the door—I -saw him.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred asked no further questions. Early the next -morning he took up the paper and turned to the middle -page, read the account of the “Big Fire in City Road” -which had completely gutted the premises of Messrs. -Oberzohn & Smitts; and, what is more, he expected to -read it before he had seen the paper.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Accidents are accidents,” said Leon the philosopher -that morning at breakfast. “And that talk I had with -the clerk last night told me a lot: Oberzohn has allowed -his fire insurance to lapse!”</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch16'></a><span class='it'>Chapter XVI</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>Rath Hall</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>I</span>N one of the forbidden rooms that was filled with -the apparatus which Dr. Oberzohn had accumulated -for his pleasure and benefit, was a small electrical furnace -which was the centre of many of his most interesting -experiments. There were, in certain known drugs, constituents -which it was his desire to eliminate. Dr. -Oberzohn believed absolutely in many things that the -modern chemist would dismiss as fantastical. He believed -in the philosopher’s stone, in the transmutation -of base metals to rare; he had made diamonds, of no -great commercial value, it is true; but his supreme -faith was that somewhere in the materia medica was an -infallible elixir which would prolong life far beyond the -normal span. It was to all other known properties as -radium is to pitch-blende. It was something that only -the metaphysician could discover, only the patient -chemist could materialize. Every hour he could spare -he devoted himself to his obsession; and he was in the -midst of one of his experiments when the telephone -bell called him back to his study. He listened, every -muscle of his face moving, to the tale of disaster that -Monty Newton wailed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is burning still? Have you no fire-extinguishing -machinery in London?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is the place insured or is it not?” asked Monty -for the second time.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dr. Oberzohn considered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is not,” he said. “But this matter is of such -small importance compared with the great thing which -is coming, that I shall not give it a thought.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was incendiary,” said Newton angrily. “The -fire brigade people are certain of it. That cursed crowd -are getting back on us for what happened this afternoon.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I know of nothing that happened this afternoon,” -said Dr. Oberzohn coldly. “You know of nothing -either. It was an accident which we all deplored. As -to this man . . . we shall see.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He hung up the telephone receiver very carefully, -went along the passage, down a steep flight of dark -stairs, and into a basement kitchen. Before he opened -the door he heard the sound of furious voices, and he -stood for a moment surveying the scene with every -feeling of satisfaction. Except for two men, the room -was empty. The servants used the actual kitchen at -the front of the house, and this place was little better -than a scullery. On one side of the deal table stood -Gurther, white as death, his round eyes red with rage. -On the other, the short, stout Russian Pole, with his heavy -pasty face and baggy eyes; his little moustache and -beard bristling with anger. The cards scattered on the -table and the floor told the Herr Doktor that this was -a repetition of the quarrel which was so frequent between -them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Schweinhund!” hissed Gurther. “I saw you palm -the King as you dealt. Thief and robber of the blind——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You German dog! You——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They were both speaking in German. Then the -doctor saw the hand of Gurther steal down and back.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gurther!” he called, and the man spun round. -“To my parlour—march!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Without a word, the man strode past him, and the -doctor was left with the panting Russian.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Herr Doktor, this Gurther is beyond endurance!” -His voice trembled with rage. “I would sooner live -with a pig than this man, who is never normal unless he -is drugged.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Silence!” shouted Oberzohn, and pointed to the -chair. “You shall wait till I come,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When he came back to his room, he found Gurther -standing stiffly to attention.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now, Gurther,” he said—he was almost benevolent -as he patted the man on the shoulder—“this matter of -Gonsalez must end. Can I have my Gurther hiding like -a worm in the ground? No, that cannot be. To-night -I will send you to this man, and you are so clever that -you cannot fail. He whipped you, Gurther—tied you -up and cruelly beat you. Always remember that, my -brave fellow—he beat you till you bled. Now you shall -see the man again. You will go in a dress for-every-occasion,” -he said. “The city-clerk manner. You will -watch him in your so clever way, and you shall strike—it -is permitted.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ja, Herr Doktor.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He turned on his heels and disappeared through the -door. The doctor waited till he heard him going up -the stairs, and then he rang for Pfeiffer. The man came -in sullenly. He lacked all the precision of the military -Gurther; yet, as Oberzohn knew, of the two he was the -more alert, the more cunning.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Pfeiffer, it has come to me that you are in some -danger. The police wish to take you back to Warsaw, -where certain unpleasant things happened, as you well -know. And I am told”—he lowered his voice—“that -a friend of ours would be glad to see you go, hein?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man did not raise his sulky eyes from the floor, -did not answer, or by any gesture or movement of body -suggest that he had heard what the older man had said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gurther goes to-morrow, perhaps on our good work, -perhaps to speak secretly to his friends in the police—who -knows? He has work to do: let him do it, Pfeiffer. -All my men will be there—at a place called Brightlingsea. -You also shall go. Gurther would rob a blind -man? Good! You shall rob one also. As for Gurther, -I do not wish him back. I am tired of him: he is a -madman. All men are mad who sniff that white snuff -up their foolish noses—eh, Pfeiffer?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Still the awkward-looking man made no reply.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Let him do his work: you shall not interfere, until—it -is done.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Pfeiffer was looking at him now, a cold sneer on his -face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If he comes back, I do not,” he said. “This man -is frightening me. Twice the police have been here—three -times . . . you remember the woman. The man -is a danger, Herr Doktor. I told you he was the day -you brought him here.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He can dress in the gentleman-club manner,” said -the doctor gently.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Pshaw!” said the other scornfully. “Is he not -an actor who has postured and painted his face and -thrown about his legs for so many marks a week?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If he does not come back I shall be relieved,” murmured -the doctor. “Though it would be a mistake to -leave him so that these cunning men could pry into our -affairs.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Pfeiffer said nothing: he understood his instructions; -there was nothing to be said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When does he go?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Early to-morrow, before daylight. You will see -him, of course.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He said something in a low tone, that only Pfeiffer -heard. The shadow who stood in stockinged feet listening -at the door only heard two words. Gurther -grinned in the darkness; his bright eyes grew luminous. -He heard his companion move towards the door and -sped up the stairs without a sound.</p> - -<hr class='tbk102'/> - -<p class='pindent'>Rath Hall was a rambling white building of two -stories, set in the midst of a little park, so thickly wooded -that the house was invisible from the road; and since -the main entrance to the estate was a very commonplace -gate, without lodge or visible drive beyond, Gonsalez -would have missed the place had he not recognized the -man who was sitting on the moss-grown and broken -wall who jumped down as Leon stopped his car.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mr. Meadows is at the house, sir. He said he expected -you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And where on earth is the house?” asked Leon -Gonsalez, as he went into reverse.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For answer the detective opened the gate wide and -Leon sent his car winding between the trees, for close -at hand he recognized where a gravel drive had once been, -and, moreover, saw the tracks of cars in the soft earth. -He arrived just as Mr. Johnson Lee was taking his two -guests in to dinner, and Meadows was obviously glad to -see him. He excused himself and took Leon aside into the -hall, where they could not be overheard.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have had your message,” he said. “The only -thing that has happened out of the ordinary is that the -servants have an invitation to a big concert at Brightlingsea. -You expected that?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes: I hope Lee will let them go. I prefer that they -should be out of the way. A crude scheme—but Oberzohn -does these things. Has anything else happened?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Nothing. There have been one or two queer people -around.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Has he showed you the letters he had from Barberton?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>To his surprise the inspector answered in the affirmative.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, but they are worse than Greek to me. A -series of tiny protuberances on thick brown paper. He -keeps them in his safe. He read some of the letters to -me: they were not very illuminating.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But the letter of letters?” asked Leon anxiously. -“That which Lee answered—by the way, you know that -Mr. Lee wrote all his letters between perforated lines?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve seen the paper,” nodded the detective. “No, -I asked him about that, but apparently he is not anxious -to talk until he has seen his lawyer, who is coming down -to-night. He should have been here, in fact, in time -for dinner.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They passed into the dining-room together. The -blind man was waiting patiently at the head of the table, -and with an apology Leon took the place that had been -reserved for him. He sat with his back to the wall, -facing one of the three long windows that looked out upon -the park. It was a warm night and the blinds were up, -as also was the middle window that faced him. He made -a motion to Mr. Washington, who sat opposite him, to -draw a little aside, and the American realized that he -wished an uninterrupted view of the park.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Would you like the window closed?” asked Mr. -Lee, leaning forward and addressing the table in general. -“I know it is open,” he said with a little laugh, “because -I opened it! I am a lover of fresh air.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They murmured their agreement and the meal went -on without any extraordinary incident. Mr. Washington -was one of those adaptable people who dovetail into any -environment in which they find themselves. He was as -much at home at Rath Hall as though he had been born -and bred in the neighbourhood. Moreover, he had a -special reason for jubilation: he had found a rare adder -when walking in the woods that morning, and spent ten -minutes explaining in what respect it differed from every -other English adder.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is it dead?” asked Meadows nervously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Kill it?” said the indignant Mr. Washington. -“Why should I kill it? I saw a whole lot of doves out -on the lawn this morning—should I kill ’em? No, sir! -I’ve got none of those mean feelings towards snakes. -I guess the Lord sent snakes into this world for some -other purpose than to be chased and killed every time -they’re seen. I sent him up to London to-day by train -to a friend of mine at the Zoological Gardens. He’ll -keep him until I’m ready to take him back home.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Meadows drew a long sigh.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“As long as he’s not in your pocket,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you mind?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon’s voice was urgent as he signalled Washington -to move yet farther to the left, and when the big man -moved his chair, Leon nodded his thanks. His eyes were -on the window and the darkening lawn. Not once did -he remove his gaze.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s an extraordinary thing about Poole, my lawyer,” -Mr. Lee was saying. “He promised faithfully he’d be at -Rath by seven o’clock. What is the time?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Meadows looked at his watch.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Half-past eight,” he said. He saw the cloud that -came over the face of the blind owner of Rath Hall.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is extraordinary! I wonder if you would mind——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His foot touched a bell beneath the table and his -butler came in.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Will you telephone to Mr. Poole’s house and ask -if he has left?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The butler returned in a short time.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, sir, Mr. Poole left the house by car at half-past -six.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Johnson Lee sat back in his chair.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Half-past six? He should have been here by now.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How far away does he live?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“About fifteen miles. I thought he might have -come down from London rather late. That is extraordinary.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He may have had tyre trouble,” said Leon, not shifting -his fixed stare.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He could have telephoned.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Did anybody know he was coming—anybody outside -your own household?” asked Gonsalez.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The blind man hesitated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I mentioned the fact to the post office this -morning. I went in to get my letters, and found that -one I had written to Mr. Poole had been returned through -a stupid mistake on my part. I told the postmaster -that he was coming this evening and that there was no -need to forward it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You were in the public part of the post office?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I believe I was.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You said nothing else, Mr. Lee—nothing that would -give any idea of the object of this visit?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Again his host hesitated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know. I’m almost afraid that I did,” he -confessed. “I remember telling the postmaster that I -was going to talk to Mr. Poole about poor Barberton—Mr. -Barberton was very well known in this neighbourhood.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is extremely unfortunate,” said Leon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was thinking of two things at the same time: -the whereabouts of the missing lawyer, and the wonderful -cover that the wall between the window and the floor -gave to any man who might creep along out of sight until -he got back suddenly to send the snake on its errand of -death.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How many men have you got in the grounds, by -the way, Meadows?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“One, and he’s not in the grounds but outside on -the road. I pull him in at night, or rather in the evening, -to patrol the grounds, and he is armed.” He said this -with a certain importance. An armed English policeman -is a tremendous phenomenon, that few have seen.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Which means that he has a revolver that he hasn’t -fired except at target practice,” said Leon. “Excuse -me—I thought I heard a car.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He got up noiselessly from the table, went round -the back of Mr. Lee, and, darting to the window, looked -out. A flower-bed ran close to the wall, and beyond that -was a broad gravel drive. Between gravel and flowers -was a wide strip of turf. The drive continued some -fifty feet to the right before it turned under an arch of -rambler roses. To the left it extended for less than a -dozen feet, and from this point a path parallel to the side -of the house ran into the drive.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you hear it?” asked Lee.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, sir, I was mistaken.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon dipped his hand into his side pocket, took out -a handful of something that looked like tiny candies -wrapped in coloured paper. Only Meadows saw him -scatter them left and right, and he was too discreet to -ask why. Leon saw the inquiring lift of his eyebrows -as he came back to his seat, but was wilfully dense. -Thereafter, he ate his dinner with only an occasional -glance towards the window.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m not relying entirely upon my own lawyer’s -advice,” said Mr. Lee. “I have telegraphed to Lisbon -to ask Dr. Pinto Caillao to come to England, and he may -be of greater service even than Poole, though where——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The butler came in at this moment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mrs. Poole has just telephoned, sir. Her husband -has had a bad accident: his car ran into a tree trunk -which was lying across the road near Lawley. It was -on the other side of the bend, and he did not see it until -too late.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is he very badly hurt?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, sir, but he is in the Cottage Hospital. Mrs. -Poole says he is fit to travel home.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The blind man sat open-mouthed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What a terrible thing to have happened!” he began.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A very lucky thing for Mr. Poole,” said Leon cheerfully. -“I feared worse than that——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>From somewhere outside the window came a “snap!”—the -sound that a Christmas cracker makes when it is -exploded. Leon got up from the table, walked swiftly -to the side of the window and jumped out. As he struck -the earth, he trod on one of the little bon-bons he had -scattered and it cracked viciously under his foot.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was nobody in sight. He ran swiftly along -the grass-plot, slowing his pace as he came to the end of -the wall, and then jerked round, gun extended stiffly. -Still nobody. Before him was a close-growing box hedge, -in which had been cut an opening. He heard the crack -of a signal behind him, guessed that it was Meadows, and -presently the detective joined him. Leon put his fingers -to his lips, leapt the path to the grass on the other side, and -dodged behind a tree until he could see straight through -the opening in the box hedge. Beyond was a rose-garden, -a mass of pink and red and golden blooms.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon put his hand in his pocket and took out a black -cylinder, fitting it, without taking his eyes from the -hedge opening, to the muzzle of his pistol. Meadows -heard the dull thud of the explosion before he saw the -pistol go up. There was a scatter of leaves and twigs -and the sound of hurrying feet. Leon dashed through the -opening in time to see a man plunge into a plantation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“<span class='it'>Plop!</span>”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The bullet struck a tree not a foot from the fugitive.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s that!” said Leon, and took off his silencer. -“I hope none of the servants heard it, and most of all -that Lee, whose hearing is unfortunately most acute, -mistook the shot for something else.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He went back to the window, stopping to pick up -such of his crackers as had not exploded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They are useful things to put on the floor of your -room when you’re expecting to have your throat cut in -the middle of the night,” he said pleasantly. “They -cost exactly two dollars a hundred, and they’ve saved -my life more often than I can count. Have you ever -waited in the dark to have your throat cut?” he asked. -“It happened to me three times, and I will admit that -it is not an experience that I am anxious to repeat. Once -in Bohemia, in the city of Prague; once in New Orleans, -and once in Ortona.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What happened to the assassins?” asked Meadows -with a shiver.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is a question for the theologian, if you will forgive -the well-worn jest,” said Leon. “I think they are -in hell, but then I’m prejudiced.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Lee had left the dining-table and was standing -at the front door, leaning on his stick; and with him an -interested Mr. Washington.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What was the trouble?” asked the old man in a -worried voice. “It is a great handicap not being able to -see things. But I thought I heard a shot fired.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Two,” said Leon promptly. “I hoped you hadn’t -heard them. I don’t know who the man was, Mr. Lee, -but he certainly had no right in the grounds, and I scared -him off.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You must have used a silencer: I did not hear the -shots fully. Did you catch a view of the man’s face?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, I saw his back,” he said. Leon thought it was -unnecessary to add that a man’s back was as familiar -to him as his face. For when he studied his enemies, his -study was a very thorough and complete one. Moreover, -Gurther ran with a peculiar swing of his shoulder.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He turned suddenly to the master of Rath Hall.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“May I speak with you privately for a few minutes, -Mr. Lee?” he asked. He had taken a sudden resolution.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Certainly,” said the other courteously, and tapped -his way into the hall and into his private study.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For ten minutes Leon was closeted with him. When -he came out, Meadows had gone down to his man at the -gate, and Washington was standing disconsolately alone. -Leon took him by the arm and led him on to the lawn.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s going to be real trouble here to-night,” he -said, and told him the arrangement he had made with -Mr. Johnson Lee. “I’ve tried to persuade him to let -me see the letter which is in his safe, but he is like rock -on that matter, and I’d hate to burgle the safe of a friend. -Listen.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elijah Washington listened and whistled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They stopped the lawyer coming,” Gonsalez went -on, “and now they’re mortally scared if, in his absence, -the old man tells us what he intended keeping for his -lawyer.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Meadows is going to London, isn’t he?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon nodded slowly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, he is going to London—by car. Did you know -all the servants were going out to-night?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Washington stared at him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The women, you mean?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The women and the men,” said Leon calmly. “There -is an excellent concert at Brightlingsea to-night, and -though they will be late for the first half of the performance, -they will thoroughly enjoy the latter portion of -the programme. The invitation is not mine, but it is -one I thoroughly approve.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But does Meadows want to go away when the fun -is starting?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Apparently Inspector Meadows was not averse from -leaving at this critical moment. He was, in fact, quite -happy to go. Mr. Washington’s views on police intelligence -underwent a change for the worse.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But surely he had better stay?” said the American. -“If you’re expecting an attack . . . they are certain -to marshal the whole of their forces?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Absolutely certain,” said the calm Gonsalez. “Here -is the car.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The Rolls came out from the back of the house at -that moment and drew up before the door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t like leaving you,” said Meadows, as he swung -himself up by the driver’s side and put his bag on the -seat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Tell the driver to avoid Lawley like the plague,” -said Leon. “There’s a tree down, unless the local -authorities have removed it—which is very unlikely.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He waited until the tail lights of the machine had -disappeared into the gloom, then he went back to the -hall.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Excuse me, sir,” said the butler, struggling into -his greatcoat as he spoke. “Will you be all right—there -is nobody left in the house to look after Mr. Lee. I could -stay——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was Mr. Lee’s suggestion you should all go,” -said Gonsalez briefly. “Just go outside and tell me -when the lights of the char-à-banc come into view. I -want to speak to Mr. Lee before you go.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He went into the library and shut the door behind -him. The waiting butler heard the murmur of his voice -and had some qualms of conscience. The tickets had -come from a local agency; he had never dreamt that, -with guests in the house, his employer would allow the -staff to go in its entirety.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was not a char-à-banc but a big closed bus that -came lumbering up the apology for a drive, and swept -round to the back of the house, to the annoyance of the -servants, who were gathered in the hall.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t bother, I will tell him,” said Leon. He seemed -to have taken full charge of the house, an unpardonable -offence in the eyes of well-regulated servants.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He disappeared through a long passage leading into -the mysterious domestic regions, and returned to announce -that the driver had rectified his error and was coming to -the front entrance: an unnecessary explanation, since the -big vehicle drew up as he was telling the company.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There goes the most uneasy bunch of festive souls -it has ever been my misfortune to see,” he said, as the -bus, its brakes squeaking, went down the declivity towards -the unimposing gate. “And yet they’ll have the -time of their lives. I’ve arranged supper for them at the -Beech Hotel, and although they are not aware of it, I -am removing them to a place where they’d give a lot of -money to be—if they hadn’t gone!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That leaves you and me alone,” said Mr. Washington -glumly, but brightened up almost at once. “I can’t -say that I mind a rough house, with or without gun-play,” -he said. He looked round the dark hall a little -apprehensively. “What about fastening the doors behind?” -he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They’re all right,” said Leon. “It isn’t from the -back that danger will come. Come out and enjoy the -night air . . . it is a little too soon for the real trouble.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But here, for once, he was mistaken.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Elijah Washington followed him into the park, took -two paces, and suddenly Leon saw him stagger. In a -second he was by the man’s side, bent and peering, his -glasses discarded on the grass.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Get me inside,” said Washington’s voice. He was -leaning heavily upon his companion.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>With his arm round his waist, taking half his weight, -Leon pushed the man into the hall but did not close the -door. Instead, as the American sat down with a thud -upon a hall seat, Leon fell to the ground, and peered -along the artificial skyline he had created. There was -no movement, no sign of any attacker. Then and only -then did he shut the door and drop the bar, and pushing -the study door wide, carried the man into the room and -switched on the lights.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I guess something got me then,” muttered Washington.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His right cheek was red and swollen, and Leon saw -the tell-tale bite; saw something else. He put his hand -to the cheek and examined his finger-tips.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Get me some whisky, will you?—about a gallon of -it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was obviously in great pain and sat rocking himself -to and fro.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gosh! This is awful!” he groaned. “Never had -any snake that bit like this!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re alive, my friend, and I didn’t believe you -when you said you were snake-proof.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon poured out a tumbler of neat whisky and held -it to the American’s lips.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Down with Prohibition!” murmured Washington, -and did not take the glass from his lips until it was empty. -“You can give me another dose of that—I shan’t get -pickled,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He put his hand up to his face and touched the tiny -wound gingerly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is wet,” he said in surprise.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What did it feel like?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Like nothing so much as a snake-bite,” confessed -the expert.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Already his face was puffed beneath the eyes, and -the skin was discoloured black and blue.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon crossed to the fire-place and pushed the bell, -and Washington watched him in amazement.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Say, what’s the good of ringing? The servants -have gone.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a patter of feet in the hall, the door was -flung open and George Manfred came in, and behind him -the startled visitor saw Meadows and a dozen men.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“For the Lord’s sake!” he said sleepily.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They came in the char-à-banc, lying on the floor,” -explained Leon, “and the only excuse for bringing a -char-à-banc here was to send the servants to that concert.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You got Lee away?” asked Manfred.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He was in the car that took friend Meadows, who -transferred to the char-à-banc somewhere out of sight -of the house.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Washington had taken a small cardboard box from -his pocket and was rubbing a red powder gingerly upon -the two white-edged marks, groaning the while.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is certainly a snake that’s got the cobra skinned -to death and a rattlesnake’s bite ain’t worse than a dog -nip,” he said. “Mamba nothing! I know the mamba; -he is pretty fatal, but not so bad as this.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred looked across to Leon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gurther?” he asked simply, and Gonsalez nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was intended for me obviously, but, as I’ve said -before, Gurther is nervous. And it didn’t help him any -to be shot up.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you fellows mind not talking so loud?” He -glanced at the heavy curtains that covered the windows. -Behind these the shutters had been fastened, and Dr. -Oberzohn was an ingenious man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon took a swift survey of the visitor’s feet; they -wore felt slippers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t think I can improve upon the tactics of -the admirable Miss Leicester,” he said, and went up to -Mr. Lee’s bedroom, which was in the centre of the house -and had a small balcony, the floor of which was formed -by the top of the porch.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The long French windows were open and Leon crawled -out into the darkness and took observation through the -pillars of the balustrade. They were in the open now, -making no attempt to conceal their presence. He counted -seven, until he saw the cigarette of another near the -end of the drive. What were they waiting for? he wondered. -None of them moved; they were not even -closing on the house. And this inactivity puzzled him. -They were awaiting a signal. What was it to be? -Whence would it come?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He saw a man come stealthily across the lawn . . . -one or two? His eyes were playing tricks. If there -were two, one was Gurther. There was no mistaking -him. For a second he passed out of view behind a pillar -of the balcony. Leon moved his head . . . Gurther -had fallen! He saw him stumble to his knees and tumble -flat upon the ground. What did that mean?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was still wondering when he heard a soft scraping, -and a deep-drawn breath, and tried to locate the noise. -Suddenly, within a few inches of his face, a hand came -up out of the darkness and gripped the lower edge of -the balcony.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Swiftly, noiselessly, Gonsalez wriggled back to the room, -drew erect in the cover of the curtains and waited. His -hand touched something; it was a long silken cord by -which the curtains were drawn. Leon grinned in the -darkness and made a scientific loop.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The intruder drew himself up on to the parapet, -stepped quietly across, then tiptoed to the open window. -He was not even suspicious, for the French windows -had been open all the evening. Without a sound, he -stepped into the room and was momentarily silhouetted -against the starlight reflected in the window.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Hatless,” thought Leon. That made things easier. -As the man took another stealthy step, the noose dropped -over his neck, jerked tight and strangled the cry in -his throat. In an instant he was lying flat on the ground -with a knee in his back. He struggled to rise, but Leon’s -fist came down with the precision of a piston-rod, and he -went suddenly quiet.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gonsalez loosened the slip-knot, and, flinging the man -over his shoulder, carried him out of the room and down -the stairs. He could only guess that this would be the -only intruder, but left nothing to chance, and after he -had handed his prisoner to the men who were waiting -in the hall, he ran back to the room, to find, as he -had expected, that no other adventurer had followed -the lead. They were still standing at irregular intervals -where he had seen them last. The signal was to -come from the house. What was it to be? he wondered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He left one of his men on guard in the room and went -back to the study, to find that the startled burglar was -an old friend. Lew Cuccini was looking from one of -his captors to the other, a picture of dumbfounded chagrin. -But the most extraordinary discovery that Leon made -on his return to the study was that the American snake-charmer -was his old cheerful self, and, except for his -unsightly appearance, seemed to be none the worse for -an ordeal which would have promptly ended the lives -of ninety-nine men out of a hundred.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Snake-proof—that’s me. Is this the guy that did -it?” He pointed to Cuccini.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where is Gurther?” asked Manfred.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Cuccini grinned up into his face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’d better find out, boss,” he said. “He’ll fix -you. As soon as I shout——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Cuccini——” Leon’s voice was gentle. The point -of the long-bladed knife that he held to the man’s neck -was indubitably sharp. Cuccini shrank back. “You -will not shout. If you do, I shall cut your throat and -spoil all these beautiful carpets—that is a genuine silken -Bokhara, George. I haven’t seen one in ten years.” He -nodded to the soft-hued rug on which George Manfred -was standing. “What is the signal, Cuccini?” turning -his attention again to the prisoner. “And what happens -when you give the signal?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Listen,” said Cuccini, “that throat-cutting stuff don’t -mean anything to me. There’s no third degree in this -country, and don’t forget it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You have never seen my ninety-ninth degree.” -Leon smiled like a delighted boy. “Put something in his -mouth, will you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>One of the men tied a woollen scarf round Cuccini’s -head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Lay him on the sofa.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was already bound hand and foot and helpless.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Have you any wax matches? Yes, here are some.” -Leon emptied a cut-glass container into the palm of -his hand and looked blandly round at the curious company. -“Now, gentlemen, if you will leave me alone for exactly -five minutes, I will give Mr. Cuccini an excellent imitation -of the persuasive methods of Gian Visconti, an excellent -countryman of his, and the inventor of the system I am -about to apply.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Cuccini was shaking his head furiously. A mumble -of unintelligible sounds came from behind the scarf.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Our friend is not unintelligent. Any of you who -say that Signor Cuccini is unintelligent will incur my -severest displeasure,” said Leon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They sat the man up and he talked brokenly, hesitatingly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Splendid,” said Leon, when he had finished. “Take -him into the kitchen and give him a drink—you’ll find -a tap above the kitchen sink.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve often wondered, Leon,” said George, when they -were alone together, “whether you would ever carry -out these horrific threats of yours of torture and malignant -savagery?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Half the torture of torture is anticipation,” said -Leon easily, lighting a cigarette with one of the matches -he had taken from the table, and carefully guiding the -rest back into the glass bowl. “Any man versed in the -art of suggestive description can dispense with thumbscrews -and branding irons, little maidens and all the -ghastly apparatus of criminal justice ever employed by -our ancestors. I, too, wonder,” he mused, blowing a ring -of smoke to the ceiling, “whether I could carry my -threats into execution—I must try one day.” He nodded -pleasantly, as though he were promising himself a great -treat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred looked at his watch.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What do you intend doing—giving the signal?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gonsalez nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And then?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Letting them come in. We may take refuge in the -kitchen. I think it would be wiser.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>George Manfred nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re going to allow them to open the safe?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Exactly,” said Leon. “I particularly wish that -safe to be opened, and since Mr. Lee demurs, I think -this is the best method. I had that in my mind all -the time. Have you seen the safe, George? I have. -Nobody but an expert could smash it. I have no -tools. I did not provide against such a contingency, -and I have scruples. Our friends have the tools—and -no scruples!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And the snake—is there any danger?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon snapped his fingers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The snake has struck for the night, and will strike -no more! As for Gurther——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He owes you something.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon sent another ring up and did not speak until -it broke on the ceiling.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gurther is dead,” he said simply. “He has been -lying on the lawn in front of the house for the past ten -minutes.”</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch17'></a><span class='it'>Chapter XVII</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>Written in Braille</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>L</span>EON briefly related the scene he had witnessed from -the balcony.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was undoubtedly Gurther,” he said. “I could -not mistake him. He passed out of view for a second -behind one of the pillars, and when I looked round he -was lying flat on the ground.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He threw his cigarette into the fire-place.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think it is nearly time,” he said. He waited until -Manfred had gone, and, going to the door, moved the -bar and pulled it open wide.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Stooping down, he saw that the opening of the door -had been observed, for one of the men was moving across -the lawn in the direction of the house. From his pocket -he took a small electric lamp and sent three flickering -beams into the darkness. To his surprise, only two men -walked forward to the house. Evidently Cuccini was -expected to deal with any resistance before the raid -occurred.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The house had been built in the fifteenth century, and -the entrance hall was a broad, high barn of a place. -Some Georgian architect, in the peculiar manner of his -kind, had built a small minstrel gallery over the dining-room -entrance and immediately facing the study. Leon -had already explored the house and had found the tiny -staircase that led to this architectural monstrosity. He -had no sooner given the signal than he dived into the -dining-room, through the tall door, and was behind the -thick curtains at the back of the narrow gallery when -the first two men came in. He saw them go straight -into the study and push open the door. At the same -time a third man appeared under the porch, though he -made no attempt to enter the hall.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Presently one of those who had gone into the study -came out and called Cuccini by name. When no answer -came, he went grumbling back to his task. What that -task was, Leon could guess, before the peculiarly acrid -smell of hot steel was wafted to his sensitive nostrils.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>By crouching down he could see the legs of the men -who were working at the safe. They had turned on all -the lights, and apparently expected no interruption. The -man at the door was joined by another man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where is Lew?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In the stillness of the house the words, though spoken -in a low tone, were audible.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know—inside somewhere. He had to fix -that dago.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon grinned. This description of himself never failed -to tickle him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>One of the workers in the library came out at this -point.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Have you seen Cuccini?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No,” said the man at the door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Go in and find him. He ought to be here.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Cuccini’s absence evidently made him uneasy, for -though he returned to the room he was out again in a -minute, asking if the messenger had come back. Then, -from the back of the passage, came the searcher’s voice:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The kitchen’s locked.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The safe-cutter uttered an expression of amazement.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Locked? What’s the idea?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He came to the foot of the stairs and bellowed up:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Cuccini!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Only the echo answered him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s queer.” He poked his head in the door of -the study. “Rush that job, Mike. There’s some funny -business here.” And over his shoulder, “Tell the boys -to get ready to jump.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man went out into the night and was absent some -minutes, to return with an alarming piece of news.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They’ve gone, boss. I can’t see one of them.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The “boss” cursed him, and himself went into the -grounds on a visit of inspection. He came back in a -hurry, ran into the study, and Leon heard his voice:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Stand ready to clear.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What about Cuccini?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Cuccini will have to look after himself . . . got it, -Mike?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The deep voice said something. There followed the -sound of a crack, as though something of iron had broken. -It was the psychological moment. Leon parted the curtains -and dropped lightly to the floor.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man at the door turned in a flash at the sound.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Put ’em up!” he said sharply.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t shoot.” Leon’s voice was almost conversational -in its calmness. “The house is surrounded by -police.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>With an oath the man darted out of the door, and at -that instant came the sound of the first shot, followed -by desultory firing from the direction of the road. The -second guard had been the first to go. Leon ran to the -door, slammed it tight and switched on the lights as the -two men came from the study. Under the arm of one -was a thick pad of square brown sheets. He dropped -his load and put up his hands at the sight of the gun; -but his companion was made of harder material, and, -with a yell, he leapt at the man who stood between him -and freedom. Leon twisted aside, advanced his shoulder -to meet the furious drive of the man’s fist; then, dropping -his pistol, he stooped swiftly and tackled him below -the knees. The man swayed, sought to recover his -balance and fell with a crash on the stone floor. All the -time his companion stood dazed and staring, his hands -waving in the air.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a knock at the outer door. Without turning -his back upon his prisoners, Leon reached for the -bar and pulled it up. Manfred came in.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The gentleman who shouted ‘Cuccini’ scared them. -I think they’ve got away. There were two cars parked -on the road.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His eyes fell upon the brown sheets scattered on the -floor and he nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think you have all you want, Leon,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The detectives came crowding in at that moment and -secured their prisoners whilst Leon Gonsalez and his -friend went out on to the lawn to search for Gurther.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man lay as he had fallen, on his face, and as Leon -flashed his lamp upon the figure, he saw that the snake -had struck behind the ear.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gurther?” frowned Leon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He turned the figure on its back and gave a little gasp -of surprise, for there looked up to the starry skies the -heavy face of Pfeiffer.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Pfeiffer! I could have sworn it was the other! -There has been some double-crossing here. Let me -think.” He stood for fully a minute, his chin on his -hand. “I could have understood Gurther; he was -becoming a nuisance and a danger to the old man. Pfeiffer, -the more reliable of the two, hated him. My first theory -was that Gurther had been put out by order of Oberzohn.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Suppose Gurther heard that order, or came to know -of it?” asked Manfred quietly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon snapped his fingers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is it! We had a similar case a few years ago, -you will remember, George? The old man gave the ‘out’ -order to Pfeiffer—and Gurther got his blow in first. -Shrewd fellow!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When they returned to the house, the three were -seated in a row in Johnson Lee’s library. Cuccini, of -course, was an old acquaintance. Of the other two men, -Leon recognized one, a notorious gunman whose photograph -had embellished the pages of <span class='it'>Hue and Cry</span> for -months.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The third, and evidently the skilled workman of the -party, for he it was whom they had addressed as “Mike” -and who had burnt out the lock of Lee’s safe, was identified -by Meadows as Mike Selwyn, a skilful burglar and -bank-smasher, who had, according to his statement, -only arrived from the Continent that afternoon in answer -to a flattering invitation which promised considerable -profit to himself.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And why I left Milan,” he said bitterly, “where the -graft is easy and the money’s good, I’d like you to tell -me!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The prisoners were removed to the nearest secure lock-up, -and by the time Lee’s servants returned from their -dance, all evidence of an exciting hour had disappeared, -except that the blackened and twisted door of the safe -testified to the sinister character of the visitation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Meadows returned as they were gathering together the -scattered sheets. There were hundreds of them, all -written in Braille characters, and Manfred’s sensitive -fingers were skimming their surface.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, yes,” he said, in answer to a question that was -put to him, “I knew Lee was blind, the day we searched -Barberton’s effects. That was my mystery.” He -laughed. “Barberton expected a call from his old friend -and had left a message for him on the mantelpiece. Do -you remember that strip of paper? It ran: ‘Dear -Johnny, I will be back in an hour.’ These are letters,”—he -indicated the papers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The folds tell me that,” said Meadows. “You may -not get a conviction against Cuccini; the two burglars -will come up before a judge, but to charge Cuccini means -the whole story of the snake coming out, and that means -a bigger kick than I’m prepared to laugh away—I am -inclined to let Cuccini go for the moment.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred nodded. He sat with the embossed sheets on -his knee.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Written from various places,” he went on.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was curious to see him, his fingers running swiftly -along the embossed lines, his eyes fixed on vacancy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So far I’ve learnt nothing, except that in his spare -time Barberton amused himself by translating native -fairy stories into English and putting them into Braille -for use in the blind school. I knew, of course, that he -did that, because I’d already interviewed his sister, who -is the mistress of the girls’ section.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He had gone through half a dozen letters when he rose -from the table and walked across to the safe.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have a notion that the thing we’re seeking is not -here,” he said. “It is hardly likely that he would allow -a communication of that character to be jumbled up -with the rest of the correspondence.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The safe door was open and the steel drawer at the -back had been pulled out. Evidently it was from this -receptacle that the letters had been taken. Now the -drawer was empty. Manfred took it out and measured -the depth of it with his finger.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Let me see,” said Gonsalez suddenly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He groped along the floor of the safe, and presently -he began to feel carefully along the sides.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Nothing here,” he said. He drew out half a dozen -account books and a bundle of documents which at first -glance Manfred had put aside as being personal to the -owner of Rath Hall. These were lying on the floor amidst -the mass of molten metal that had burnt deep holes in -the carpet. Leon examined the books one by one, opening -them and running his nail along the edge of the pages. -The fourth, a weighty ledger, did not open so easily—did -not, indeed, open at all. He carried it to the table and -tried to pull back the cover.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now, how does this open?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The ledger covers were of leather; to all appearance -a very ordinary book, and Leon was anxious not to disturb -so artistic a camouflage. Examining the edge carefully, -he saw a place where the edges had been forced -apart. Taking out a knife, he slipped the thin blade into -the aperture. There was a click and the cover sprang -up like the lid of a box.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And this, I think, is what we are looking for,” said -Gonsalez.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The interior of the book had been hollowed out, the -edges being left were gummed tight, and the receptacle -thus formed was packed close with brown papers; brown, -except for one, which was written on a large sheet of -foolscap, headed: “Bureau of the Ministry of Colonies, -Lisbon.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Barberton had superimposed upon this long document -his Braille writing, and now one of the mysteries was -cleared up.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Lee said he had never received any important documents,” -said Manfred, “and, of course, he hadn’t, so far -as he knew. To him this was merely a sheet of paper -on which Braille characters were inscribed. Read this, -Leon.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon scanned the letter. It was dated “July 21st, -1912,” and bore, in the lower left-hand corner, the seal -of the Portuguese Colonial Office. He read it through -rapidly and at the end looked up with a sigh of satisfaction.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And this settles Oberzohn and Co., and robs them -of a fortune, the extent of which I think we shall discover -when we read Barberton’s letter.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He lit a cigarette and scanned the writing again, whilst -Meadows, who did not understand Leon’s passion for -drama, waited with growing impatience.</p> - -<div class='blockquoter9'> - -<p class='pindent'>“Illustrious Senhor,” began Leon, reading. “I have this day -had the honour of placing before His Excellency the President, -and the Ministers of the Cabinet, your letter dated May 15th, 1912. -By a letter dated January 8th, 1911, the lands marked Ex. 275 -on the Survey Map of the Biskara district, were conceded to you, -Illustrious Senhor, in order to further the cause of science—a -cause which is very dear to the heart of His Excellency the -President. Your further letter, in which you complain, Illustrious -Senhor, that the incursion of prospectors upon your land is -hampering your scientific work, and your request that an end may -be put to these annoyances by the granting to you of an extension -of the concession, so as to give you title to all minerals found in the -aforesaid area, Ex. 275 on the Survey Map of Biskara, and thus -making the intrusion of prospectors illegal, has been considered -by the Council, and the extending concession is hereby granted, -on the following conditions: The term of the concession shall be -for twelve years, as from the 14th day of June, 1912, and shall be -renewable by you, your heirs or nominees, every twelfth year, -on payment of a nominal sum of 1,000 milreis. In the event of -the concessionnaire, his heirs or nominees, failing to apply for a -renewal on the 14th day of June, 1924, the mineral rights of the -said area, Ex. 275 on the Survey Map of Biskara, shall be open to -claim in accordance with the laws of Angola——”</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon sat back.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Fourteenth of June?” he said, and looked up. -“Why, that is next week—five days! We’ve cut it -rather fine, George.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Barberton said there were six weeks,” said Manfred. -“Obviously he made the mistake of timing the concession -from July 21st—the date of the letter. He must -have been the most honest man in the world; there was -no other reason why he should have communicated with -Miss Leicester. He could have kept quiet and claimed -the rights for himself. Go on, Leon.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is about all,” said Leon, glancing at the tail of -the letter. “The rest is more or less flowery and complimentary -and has reference to the scientific work in which -Professor Leicester was engaged. Five days—phew!” -he whistled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We may now find something in Barberton’s long -narrative to give us an idea of the value of this property.” -Manfred turned the numerous pages. “Do any of you -gentlemen write shorthand?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Meadows went out into the hall and brought back an -officer. Waiting until he had found pencil and paper, -Leon began the extraordinary story of William Barberton—most -extraordinary because every word had been -patiently and industriously punched in the Braille characters.</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch18'></a><span class='it'>Chapter XVIII</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>The Story of Mont d’Or</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>“D</span>EAR <span class='sc'>Friend Johnny</span>,—</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have such a lot to tell you that I hardly -know where to begin. I’ve struck rich at last, and the -dream I’ve often talked over with you has come true. -First of all, let me tell you that I have come upon nearly -£50,000 worth of wrought gold. We’ve been troubled -round here with lions, one of which took away a carrier -of mine, and at last I decided to go out and settle accounts -with this fellow. I found him six miles from the camp -and planted a couple of bullets into him without killing -him, and decided to follow up his spoor. It was a mad -thing to do, trailing a wounded lion in the jungle, and I -didn’t realize how mad until we got out of the bush into -the hills and I found Mrs. Lion waiting for me. She -nearly got me too. More by accident than anything -else, I managed to shoot her dead at the first shot, and -got another pot at her husband as he was slinking into a -cave which was near our tent.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“As I had gone so far, I thought I might as well go -the whole hog, especially as I’d seen two lion cubs playing -round the mouth of the cave, and bringing up my -boys, who were scared to death, I crawled in, to find, -as I expected, that the old lion was nearly gone, and a -shot finished him. I had to kill the cubs; they were -too young to be left alone, and too much of a nuisance -to bring back to camp. This cave had been used as a -lair for years; it was full of bones, human amongst -them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But what struck me was the appearance of the roof, -which, I was almost certain, had been cut out by hand. -It was like a house, and there was a cut door in the rock -at the back. I made a torch and went through on a -tour of inspection, and you can imagine my surprise when -I found myself in a little room with a line of stone niches -or shelves. There were three lines of them on each side. -Standing on these at intervals there were little statuettes. -They were so covered with dust that I thought they were -stone, until I tried to take one down to examine it; -then I knew by its weight that it was gold, as they all -were.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I didn’t want my boys to know about my find, -because they are a treacherous lot, so I took the lightest, -after weighing them all with a spring balance, and made a -note where I’d taken it from. You might think that was -enough of a find for one man in a lifetime, but my luck -had set in. I sent the boys back and ordered them to -break camp and join me on top of the Thaba. I called -it the Thaba, because it is rather like a hill I know in -Basutoland, and is one of two.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The camp was moved up that night; it was a better -pitch than any we had had. There was water, plenty -of small game, and no mosquitoes. The worst part of -it was the terrific thunderstorms which come up from -nowhere, and until you’ve seen one in this ironstone -country you don’t know what a thunderstorm is like! -The hill opposite was slightly smaller than the one I had -taken as a camp, and between was a shallow valley, -through which ran a small shallow river—rapids would -be a better word.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Early the next morning I was looking round through -my glasses, and saw what I thought was a house on the -opposite hill. I asked my head-man who lived there, -and he told me that it was once the house of the Star -Chief; and I remembered that somebody told me, down -in Mossamedes, that an astronomer had settled in this -neighbourhood and had been murdered by the natives. -I thought I would go over and have a look at the place. -The day being cloudy and not too hot, I took my gun -and a couple of boys and we crossed the river and began -climbing the hill. The house was, of course, in ruins; it -had only been a wattle hut at the best of times. Part -of it was covered with vegetation, but out of curiosity -I searched round, hoping to pick up a few things that -might be useful to me, more particularly kettles, for my -boys had burnt holes in every one I had. I found a -kettle, and then, turning over a heap of rubbish which -I think must have been his bed, I found a little rusty -tin box and broke it open with my stick. There were a -few letters which were so faded that I could only read a -word here and there, and in a green oilskin, a long letter -from the Portuguese Government.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>(It was at this point, either by coincidence or design, -that the narrative continued on the actual paper to which -he referred.)</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I speak Portuguese and can read it as easily as English, -and the only thing that worried me about it was that -the concession gave Professor Leicester all rights to my -cave. My first idea was to burn it, but then I began to -realize what a scoundrelly business that would be, and I -took the letters out into the sun and tried to find if he -had any relations, hoping that I’d be able to fix it up -with them to take at any rate 50 per cent. of my find. -There was only one letter that helped me. It was written -in a child’s hand and was evidently from his daughter. -It had no address, but there was the name—‘Mirabelle -Leicester.’</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I put it in my pocket with the concession and went -on searching, but found nothing more. I was going down -the hill towards the valley when it struck me that perhaps -this man had found gold, and the excuse for getting -the concession was a bit of artfulness. I sent a boy -back to the camp for a pick, a hammer and a spade, and -when he returned I began to make a cutting in the side -of the hill. There was nothing to guide me—no outcrop, -such as you usually find near a true reef—but I hadn’t -been digging for an hour before I struck the richest bed -of conglomerate I’ve ever seen. I was either dreaming, -or my good angel had at last led me to the one place in -the hill where gold could be found. I had previously -sent the boys back to the camp and told them to wait -for me, because, if I did strike metal, I did not want the -fact advertised all over Angola, where they’ve been looking -for gold for years.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Understand, it was not a reef in the ordinary sense -of the word, it was all conglomerate, and the wider I -made my cutting, the wider the bed appeared. I took -the pick to another part of the hill and dug again, with -the same result—conglomerate. It was as though nature -had thrown up a huge golden hump on the earth. I -covered both cuttings late that night and went back to -camp. (I was stalked by a leopard in the low bush, but -managed to get him.)</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Early next morning, I started off and tried another -spot, and with the same result; first three feet of earth, -then about six inches of shale, and then conglomerate. -I tried to work through the bed, thinking that it might -be just a skin, but I was saved much exertion by coming -upon a deep rift in the hill about twenty feet wide at the -top and tapering down to about fifty feet below the -ground level. This gave me a section to work on, and -as near as I can judge, the conglomerate bed is something -over fifty feet thick and I’m not so sure that it doesn’t -occur again after an interval of twenty feet or more, for -I dug more shale and had a showing of conglomerate at -the very bottom of the ravine.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What does this mean, Johnny? It means that we -have found a hill of gold; not solid gold, as in the story-books, -but gold that pays ounces and probably pounds -to the ton. How the prospectors have missed it all these -years I can’t understand, unless it is that they’ve made -their cuttings on the north side of the hill, where they -have found nothing but slate and sandstone. The little -river in the valley must be feet deep in alluvial, for I -panned the bed and got eight ounces of pure gold in an -hour—and that was by rough and ready methods. I -had to be careful not to make the boys too curious, and -I am breaking camp to-morrow, and I want you to cable -or send me £500 to Mossamedes. The statuette I’m bringing -home is worth all that. I would bring more, only I -can’t trust these Angola boys; a lot of them are mission -boys and can read Portuguese, and they’re too friendly -with a half-breed called Villa, who is an agent of Oberzohn -& Smitts; the traders and I know these people to -be the most unscrupulous scoundrels on the coast.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I shall be at Mossamedes about three weeks after -you get this letter, but I don’t want to get back to the -coast in a hurry, otherwise people are going to suspect I -have made a strike.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon put the letter down.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There is the story in a nutshell, gentlemen,” he said. -“I don’t, for one moment, believe that Mr. Barberton -showed Villa the letter. It is more likely that one of -the educated natives he speaks about saw it and reported -it to Oberzohn’s agent. Portuguese is the lingua franca -of that part of the coast. Barberton was killed to prevent -his meeting the girl and telling her of his find—incidentally, -of warning her to apply for a renewal of the concession. -It wasn’t even necessary that they should search his -belongings to recover the letter, because once they knew -of its existence and the date which Barberton had apparently -confounded with the date the letter was written, -their work was simply to present an application to the -Colonial Office at Lisbon. It was quite different after -Barberton was killed, when they learnt or guessed that -the letter was in Mr. Lee’s possession.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Meadows agreed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That was the idea behind Oberzohn’s engagement -of Mirabelle Leicester?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Exactly, and it was also behind the attack upon -Heavytree Farm. To secure this property they must get -her away and keep her hidden either until it is too late -for her to apply for a renewal, or until she has been bullied -or forced into appointing a nominee.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Or married,” said Leon briskly. “Did that idea -occur to you? Our tailor-made friend, Monty Newton, -may have had matrimonial intentions. It would have -been quite a good stroke of business to secure a wife and -a large and auriferous hill at the same time. This, I -think, puts a period to the ambitions of Herr Doktor -Oberzohn.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He got up from the table and handed the papers to -the custody of the detective, and turned with a quizzical -smile to his friend.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“George, do you look forward with any pleasure to a -two hundred and fifty miles’ drive?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Are you the chauffeur?” asked George.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I am the chauffeur,” said Leon cheerfully. “I have -driven a car for many years and I have not been killed -yet. It is unlikely that I shall risk my precious life and -yours to-night. Come with me and I promise never to -hit her up above sixty except on the real speedways.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We will stop at Oxley and try to get a ’phone call -through to Gloucester,” said Leon. “This line is, of -course, out of order. They would do nothing so stupid -as to neglect the elementary precaution of disconnecting -Rath Hall.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At Oxley the big Spanz pulled up before the dark and -silent exterior of an inn, and Leon, getting down, brought -the half-clad landlord to the door and explained his mission, -and also learned that two big cars had passed through -half an hour before, going in the direction of London.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That was the gang. I wonder how they’ll explain -to their paymaster their second failure?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His first call was to the house in Curzon Street, but -there was no reply.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ring them again,” said Leon. “You left Poiccart -there?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They waited for five minutes; still there was no reply.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How queer!” said Manfred. “It isn’t like Poiccart -to leave the house. Get Gloucester.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At this hour of the night the lines are comparatively -clear, and in a very short time he heard the Gloucester -operator’s voice, and in a few seconds later the click -that told them they were connected with Heavytree Farm. -Here there was some delay before the call was answered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was not Mirabelle Leicester nor her aunt who spoke. -Nor did he recognize the voice of Digby, who had recovered -sufficiently to return to duty.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who is that?” asked the voice sharply. “Is that -you, sergeant?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, it is Mr. Meadows,” said Leon mendaciously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Scotland Yard gentleman?” It was an eager -inquiry. “I’m Constable Kirk, of the Gloucester Police. -My sergeant’s been trying to get in touch with you, -sir.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is the matter?” asked Leon, a cold feeling -at his heart.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know, sir. About half an hour ago, I was -riding past here—I’m one of the mounted men—and I -saw the door wide open and all the lights on, and when I -came in there was nobody up. I woke Miss Goddard -and Mr. Digby, but the young lady was not in the -house.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Lights everywhere?” asked Leon quickly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, sir—in the parlour at any rate.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No sign of a struggle?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, sir, but a car passed me three miles from the -house and it was going at a tremendous rate. I think -she may have been in that. Mr. Digby and Miss Goddard -have just gone into Gloucester.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“All right, officer. I am sending Mr. Gonsalez down -to see you,” said Leon, and hung up the receiver.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is it?” asked George Manfred, who knew that -something was wrong by his friend’s face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They’ve got Mirabelle Leicester after all,” said Leon. -“I’m afraid I shall have to break my promise to you, -George. That machine of mine is going to travel before -daybreak!”</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch19'></a><span class='it'>Chapter XIX</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>At Heavytree Farm</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>I</span>T had been agreed that, having failed in their attack, -and their energies for the moment being directed to -Rath Hall, an immediate return of the Old Guard to -Heavytree Farm was unlikely. This had been Meadows’ -view, and Leon and his friend were of the same mind. -Only Poiccart, that master strategist, working surely -with a queer knowledge of his enemies’ psychology, had -demurred from this reasoning; but as he had not insisted -upon his point of view, Heavytree Farm and its occupants -had been left to the care of the local police and the -shaken Digby.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Aunt Alma offered to give up her room to the wounded -man, but he would not hear of this, and took the spare -bedroom; an excellent position for a defender, since it -separated Mirabelle’s apartment from the pretty little -room which Aunt Alma used as a study and sleeping-place.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The staff of Heavytree Farm consisted of an ancient -cowman, a cook and a maid, the latter of whom had -already given notice and left on the afternoon of the -attack. She had, as she told Mirabelle in all seriousness, -a weak heart.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And a weak head too!” snapped Alma. “I should -not worry about your heart, my girl, if I were you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I was top of my class at school,” bridled the maid, -touched to the raw by this reflection upon her intelligence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It must have been a pretty small class,” retorted -Alma.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A new maid had been found, a girl who had been -thrilled by the likelihood that the humdrum of daily -labour would be relieved by exciting events out of the -ordinary, and before evening the household had settled -down to normality. Mirabelle was feeling the reaction -and went to bed early that night, waking as the first -slant of sunlight poured through her window. She got -up, feeling, she told herself, as well as she had felt in her -life. Pulling back the chintz curtains, she looked out -upon a still world with a sense of happiness and relief -beyond measure. There was nobody in sight. Pools of -mist lay in the hollows, and from one white farmstead, -far away on the slope of the hill, she saw the blue smoke -was rising. It was a morning to remember, and, to catch -its spirit the better, she dressed hastily and went down -into the garden. As she walked along the path she heard -a window pulled open and the bandaged head of Mr. -Digby appeared.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, it’s you, is it, miss?” he said with relief, and -she laughed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There is nothing more terrible in sight than a big -spider,” she said, and pointed to a big flat fellow, who was -already spinning his web between the tall hollyhocks. -And the first of the bees was abroad.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If anybody had come last night I shouldn’t have -heard them,” he confessed. “I slept like a dead man.” -He touched his head gingerly. “It smarts, but the ache -is gone,” he said, not loth to discuss his infirmities. “The -doctor said I had a narrow escape; he thought there -was a fracture. Would you like me to make you some -tea, miss, or shall I call the servant?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She shook her head, but he had already disappeared, -and came seeking her in the garden ten minutes later, -with a cup of tea in his hand. He told her for the second -time that he was a police pensioner and had been in the -employ of Gonsalez for three years. The Three paid -well, and had, she learned to her surprise, considerable -private resources.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Does it pay them—this private detective business?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Lord bless your heart, no, miss!” He scoffed at -the idea. “They are very rich men. I thought everybody -knew that. They say Mr. Gonsalez was worth a -million even before the war.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>This was astonishing news.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But why do they do this”—she hesitated—“this -sort of thing?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is a hobby, miss,” said the man vaguely. “Some -people run race-horses, some own yachts—these gentlemen -get a lot of pleasure out of their work and they pay -well,” he added.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Men in the regular employ of the Three Just Men not -only received a good wage, but frequently a bonus which -could only be described as colossal. Once, after they -had rounded up and destroyed a gang of Spanish bank -robbers, they had distributed £1,000 to every man who -was actively employed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He hinted rather than stated that this money had -formed part of the loot which the Three had recovered, -and did not seem to think that there was anything improper -in this distribution of illicit gains.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“After all, miss,” he said philosophically, “when you -collect money like that, it’s impossible to give it back -to the people it came from. This Diego had been holding -up banks for years, and banks are not like people—they -don’t feel the loss of money.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s a thoroughly immoral view,” said Mirabelle, -intent upon her flower-picking.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It may be, miss,” agreed Digby, who had evidently -been one of the recipients of bounty, and took a complacent -and a tolerant view. “But a thousand pounds -is a lot of money.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The day passed without event. From the early evening -papers that came from Gloucester she learned of the -fire at Oberzohn’s, and did not connect the disaster with -anything but an accident. She was not sorry. The fire -had licked out one ugly chapter from the past. Incidentally -it had destroyed a crude painting which was, -to Dr. Oberzohn, more precious than any that Leonardo -had painted or Raphael conceived, but this she did not -know.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was just before the dinner hour that there came the -first unusual incident of the day. Mirabelle was standing -by the garden gate, intent upon the glories of the -evening sky, which was piled high with red and slate-coloured -cumuli. The glass was falling and a wet night -was promised. But the loveliness of that lavish colouring -held her. And then she became dimly aware that -a man was coming towards the house from the direction -of Gloucester. He walked in the middle of the road -slowly, as though he, too, were admiring the view and there -was no need to hurry. His hands were behind him, his -soft felt hat at the back of his head. A stocky-looking -man, but his face was curiously familiar. He turned -his unsmiling eyes in her direction, and, looking again -at his strong features, at the tiny grey-black moustache -under his aquiline nose, she was certain she had seen him -before. Perhaps she had passed him in the street, and -had retained a subconscious mental picture of him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He slowed his step until, when he came abreast of -her, he stopped.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is Heavytree Lane?” he asked, in a deep, -musical voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No—the lane is the first break in the hedge,” she -smiled. “I’m afraid it isn’t much of a road—generally -it is ankle-deep in mud.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He looked past her to the house; his eyes ranged the -windows, dropped for a moment upon a climbing clematis, -and came back to her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know Gloucestershire very well,” he said, -and added: “You have a very nice house.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes,” she said in surprise.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And a garden.” And then, innocently: “Do you -grow onions?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She stared at him and laughed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think we do—I am not sure. My aunt looks after -the kitchen garden.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His sad eyes wandered over the house again.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is a very nice place,” he said, and, lifting his hat, -went on.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Digby was out: he had gone for a gentle walk, and, -looking up the road after the stranger, she saw the guard -appear round a bend in the road, saw him stop and speak -to the stranger. Apparently they knew one another, for -they shook hands at meeting, and after a while Digby -pointed down the road to where she was standing, and -she saw the man nod. Soon after the stranger went -on out of view. Who could he be? Was it an additional -guard that the three men had put to protect -her? When Digby came up to her, she asked him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That gentleman, miss? He is Mr. Poiccart.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Poiccart?” she said, delighted. “Oh, I wish I had -known!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I was surprised to see him,” said the guard. “As a -matter of fact, he’s the one of the three gentlemen I’ve -met the most. He’s generally in Curzon Street, even -when the others are away.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Digby had nothing to say about Poiccart except that -he was a very quiet gentleman and took no active part -in the operations of the Just Men.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wonder why he wanted to know about onions?” -asked the girl thoughtfully. “That sounded awfully -mysterious.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It would not have been so mysterious to Leon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The house retired to bed soon after ten, Alma going -the rounds, and examining the new bolts and locks which -had been attached that morning to every door which -gave ingress to the house.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle was unaccountably tired, and was asleep -almost as soon as her head touched the pillow.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She heard in her dreams the swish of the rain beating -against her window, lay for a long time trying to energize -herself to rise and shut the one open window where the -curtains were blowing in. Then came a heavier patter -against a closed pane, and something rattled on the -floor of her room. She sat up. It could not be hail, -although there was a rumble of thunder in the distance.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She got out of bed, pulled on her dressing-gown, went -to the window, and had all her work to stifle a scream. -Somebody was standing on the path below . . . a woman! -She leaned out.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who is it?” she asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is me—I—Joan!” There was a sob in the voice -of the girl. Even in that light Mirabelle could see that -the girl was drenched. “Don’t wake anybody. Come -down—I want you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is wrong?” asked Mirabelle in a low voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Everything . . . everything!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She was on the verge of hysteria. Mirabelle lit a candle -and crossed the room, went downstairs softly, so that -Alma should not be disturbed. Putting the candle on -the table, she unbarred and unbolted the door, opened -it, and, as she did so, a man slipped through the half-opened -door, his big hands smothering the scream that -rose to her lips.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Another man followed and, lifting the struggling girl, -carried her into the drawing-room. One of the men took -a small iron bottle from his pocket, to which ran a flexible -rubber tube ending in a large red cap. Her captor removed -his hands just as long as it took to fix the cap over her -face. A tiny faucet was turned. Mirabelle felt a puff -on her face, a strangely sweet taste, and then her heart -began to beat thunderously. She thought she was dying, -and writhed desperately to free herself.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She’s all right,” said Monty Newton, lifting an eyelid -for a second. “Get a blanket.” He turned fiercely -to the whimpering girl behind him. “Shut up, you!” -he said savagely. “Do you want to rouse the whole -house?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A woebegone Joan was whimpering softly, tears running -down her face, her hands clasping and unclasping -in the agony of her mind.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You told me you weren’t going to hurt her!” she -sobbed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Get out,” he hissed, and pointed to the door. She -went meekly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A heavy blanket was wrapped round the unconscious -girl, and, lifting her between them, the two men went -out into the rain, where the old trolley was waiting, and -slid her along the straw-covered floor. In another second -the trolley moved off, gathering speed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>By this time the effect of the gas had worn off and -Mirabelle had regained consciousness. She put out a -hand and touched a woman’s knee.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who is that—Alma?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No,” said a miserable voice, “it’s Joan.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Joan? Oh, yes, of course . . . why did you do it?—how -wicked!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Shut up!” Monty snarled. “Wait until you get to—where -you’re going, before you start these ‘whys’ -and ‘wherefores.’ ”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle was deathly sick and bemused, and for the -next hour she was too ill to feel even alarmed. Her head -was going round and round, and ached terribly, and the -jolting of the truck did not improve matters in this -respect.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Monty, who was sitting with his back to the truck’s -side, was smoking. He cursed now and then, as some -unusually heavy jolt flung him forward. They passed -through the heart of the storm: the flicker of lightning -was almost incessant and the thunder was deafening. -Rain was streaming down the hood of the trolley, rendering -it like a drum.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle fell into a little sleep and woke feeling better. -It was still dark, and she would not have known the -direction they were taking, only the driver took the -wrong turning coming through a country town, and by -the help of the lightning she saw what was indubitably -the stand of a race-track, and a little later saw the word -“Newbury.” They were going towards London, she -realized.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At this hour of the morning there was little or no -traffic, and when they turned on to the new Great West -Road a big car went whizzing past at seventy miles an -hour and the roar of it woke the girl. Now she could -feel the trolley wheels skidding on tram-lines. Lights -appeared with greater frequency. She saw a store window -brilliantly illuminated, the night watchman having evidently -forgotten to turn off the lights at the appointed -hour.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Soon they were crossing the Thames. She saw the -red and green lights of a tug, and black upon near black -a string of barges in mid-stream. She dozed again and -was jerked wide awake when the trolley swayed and -skidded over a surface more uneven than any. Once -its wheels went into a pothole and she was flung violently -against the side. Another time it skidded and was -brought up with a crash against some obstacle. The -bumping grew more gentle, and then the machine stopped, -and Monty jumped down and called to her sharply.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Her head was clear now, despite its throbbing. She -saw a queer-shaped house, all gables and turrets, extraordinarily -narrow for its height. It seemed to stand -in the middle of a field. And yet it was in London: she -could see the glow of furnace fires and hear the deep boom -of a ship’s siren as it made its way down the river on the -tide.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She had not time to take observations, for Monty -fastened to her arm and she squelched through the mud -up a flight of stone steps into a dimly lit hall. She had a -confused idea that she had seen little dogs standing on -the side of the steps, and a big bird with a long bill, -but these probably belonged to the smoke of dreams which -the gas had left.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Monty opened a door and pushed her in before him, -and she stared into the face of Dr. Oberzohn.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He wore a black velvet dressing-gown that had once -been a regal garment but was now greasy and stained. -On his egg-shaped head he had an embroidered smoking-cap. -His feet were encased in warm velvet slippers. He -put down the book he had been reading, rubbed his -glasses on one velvet sleeve, and then:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So!” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He pointed to the remains of a fire.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sit down, Mirabelle Leicester, and warm yourself. -You have come quickly, my friend,”—he addressed -Monty.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m black and blue all over,” growled Newton. -“Why couldn’t we have a car?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Because the cars were engaged, as I told you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Did you——” began Newton quickly, but the old -man glanced significantly at the girl, shivering before the -fire and warming her hands mechanically.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I will answer, but you need not ask, in good time. -This is not of all moments the most propitious. Where -is your woman?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He had forgotten Joan, and went out to find her shivering -in the passage.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you want her?” he asked, poking his head in -the door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She shall go with this girl. You will explain.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where are you going to put her?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Oberzohn pointed to the floor.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Here? But——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, no. My friend, you are too quick to see what -is not meant. The gracious lady shall live in a palace—I -have a certain friend who will no longer need it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His face twitched in the nearest he ever approached -to a smile. Groping under the table, he produced a pair -of muddy Wellingtons, kicked off his slippers and pulled -on the boots with many gasps and jerks.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“All that they need is there: I have seen to it. -March!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He led the way out of the room, pulling the girl to -her feet, and Newton followed, Joan bringing up the -rear. Inside the factory, Oberzohn produced a small -hand torch from his pocket and guided them through the -debris till he came to that part of the floor where the -trap was. With his foot he moved the covering of rubbish, -pulled up the trap and went down.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I can’t go down there, Monty, I can’t!” said Joan’s -agitated voice. “What are you going to do with us? -My God! if I’d known——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t be a fool,” said Newton roughly. “What -have you got to be afraid of? There’s nothing here. We -want you to look after her for a day or two. You don’t -want her to go down by herself: she’d be frightened to -death.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Her teeth chattering, Joan stumbled down the steps -behind him. Certainly the first view of her new quarters -was reassuring. Two little trestle beds had been made; -the underground room had been swept clean, and a new -carpet laid on the floor. Moreover, the apartment was -brilliantly lit, and a furnace gave almost an uncomfortable -warmth which was nevertheless very welcome, for the -temperature had dropped 20° since noon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In this box there are clothes of all varieties, and -expensive to purchase,” said Oberzohn, pointing to a -brand-new trunk at the foot of one of the beds. “Food -you will have in plenty—bread and milk newly every -day. By night you shall keep the curtain over the ventilator.” -On the wall was a small black curtain about -ten inches square.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Monty took her into the next apartment and showed -her the wash-place. There was even a bath, a compulsory -fixture under the English Factory Act in a store of this -description, where, in the old days, men had to handle -certain insanitary products of the Coast.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But how do we get out, Monty? Where do we get -exercise?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’ll come out to-morrow night: I’ll see to that,” -he said, dropping his voice. “Now listen, Joan: you’ve -got to be a sensible girl and help me. There’s money -in this—bigger money than you have ever dreamed of. -And when we’ve got this unpleasant business over, I’m -taking you away for a trip round the world.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was the old promise, given before, never fulfilled, -always hoped for. But this time it did not wholly remove -her uneasiness.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But what are you going to do with the girl?” she -asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Nothing; she will be kept here for a week. I’ll -swear to you that nothing will happen to her. At the -end of a week she’s to be released without a hair of her -head being harmed.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She looked at him searchingly. As far as she was able -to judge, he was speaking the truth. And yet——</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I can’t understand it,”—she shook her head, and for -once Monty Newton was patient with her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She’s the owner of a big property in Africa, and -that we shall get, if things work out right,” he said. “The -point is that she must claim within a few days. If she -doesn’t, the property is ours.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Her face cleared.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is that all?” She believed him, knew him well -enough to detect his rare sincerity. “That’s taken a -load off my mind, Monty. Of course I’ll stay and look -after her for you—it makes it easier to know that nothing -will happen. What are those baize things behind the -furnace—they look like boxes?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He turned on her quickly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I was going to tell you about those,” he said. “You’re -not to touch them under any circumstances. They -belong to the old man and he’s very stuffy about such -things. Leave them just as they are. Let him touch -them and nobody else. Do you understand?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She nodded, and, to his surprise, pecked his cheek -with her cold lips.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll help you, boy,” she said tremulously. “Maybe -that trip will come off after all, if——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If what?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Those men—the men you were talking about—the -Four Just Men, don’t they call themselves? They scare -me sick, Monty! They were the people who took her -away before, and they’ll kill us—even Oberzohn says -that. They’re after him. Has he”—she hesitated—“has -he killed anybody? That snake stuff . . . you’re -not in it, are you, Monty?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She looked more like a child than a sophisticated -woman, clinging to his arm, her blue eyes looking pleadingly -into his.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Stuff! What do I know about snakes?” He disengaged -himself and came back to where Oberzohn was -waiting, a figure of patience.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The girl was lying on the bed, her face in the crook -of her arm, and he was gazing at her, his expression -inscrutable.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is all, then. Good night, gracious ladies.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He turned and marched back towards the step and -waved his hand. Monty followed. The girl heard the thud -of the trap fall, the scrape of the old man’s boots, and -then a rumbling sound, which she did not immediately -understand. Later, when in a panic, she tried the trap, -she found that a heavy barrel had been put on top, and -that it was immovable.</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch20'></a><span class='it'>Chapter XX</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>Gurther Reports</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>D</span>R. OBERZHON had not been to bed for thirty-five -years. It was his practice to sleep in a chair, -and alternate his dozes with copious draughts from his -favourite authors. Mostly the books were about the soul, -and free will, and predestination, with an occasional dip -into Nietzsche by way of light recreation. In ordinary -circumstances he would have had need for all the philosophy -he could master; for ruin had come. The destruction -of his store, which, to all intents and purposes, was -uninsured, would have been the crowning stroke of fate -but for the golden vision ahead.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Villa, that handsome half-breed, had arrived in England -and had been with the doctor all the evening. At -that moment he was on his way to Liverpool to catch the -Coast boat, and he had left with his master a record of -the claims that had already been pegged out on Monte -Doro, as he so picturesquely renamed the new mountain. -There were millions there; uncountable wealth. And -between the Herr Doktor and the achievement of this -colossal fortune was a life which he had no immediate -desire to take. The doctor was a bachelor; women -bored him. Yet he was prepared to take the extreme -step if by so doing he could doubly ensure his fortune. -Mirabelle dead gave him one chance; Mirabelle alive -and persuaded, multiplied that chance by a hundred.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He opened the book he was reading at the last page -and took out the folded paper. It was a special licence -to marry, and had been duly registered at the Greenwich -Registrar’s Office since the day before the girl -had entered his employment. This was his second and -most powerful weapon. He could have been legally -married on this nearly a week ago. It was effective for -two months at least, and only five days separated him -from the necessity of a decision. If the time expired, -Mirabelle could live. It was quite a different matter, -killing in cold blood a woman for whom the police would -be searching, and with whose disappearance his name -would be connected, from that other form of slaying he -favoured: the striking down of strange men in crowded -thoroughfares. She was not for the snake—as yet.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He folded the paper carefully, put it back in the book -and turned the page, when there was a gentle tap at the -door and he sat up.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come in, Pfeiffer. March!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The door opened slowly and a man sidled into the -room, and at the sight of him Dr. Oberzohn gasped.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gurther!” he stammered, for once thrown out of -his stride.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gurther smiled and nodded, his round eyes fixed on -the tassel of the Herr Doktor’s smoking-cap.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You have returned—and failed?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The American, I think, is dead, Herr Doktor,” said -the man in his staccato tone. “The so excellent Pfeiffer -is also—dead!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The doctor blinked twice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Dead?” he said gratingly. “Who told you -this?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I saw him. Something happened . . . to the snake. -Pfeiffer was bitten.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The old man’s hard eyes fixed him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So!” he said softly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He died very quickly—in the usual manner,” jerked -Gurther, still with that stupid smile.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So!” said the doctor again. “All then was failure, -and out of it comes an American, who is nothing, and -Pfeiffer, who is much—dead!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“God have him in his keeping!” said Gurther, not -lowering or raising his eyes. “And all the way back I -thought this, Herr Doktor—how much better that it -should be Pfeiffer and not me. Though my nerves are -so bad.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So!” said the doctor for the fourth time, and held -out his hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gurther slipped his fingers into his waistcoat pocket -and took out a gold cigarette-case. The doctor opened it -and looked at the five cigarettes that reposed, at the -two halves of the long holder neatly lying in their proper -place, closed the case with a snap and laid it on the -table.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What shall I do with you, Gurther? To-morrow -the police will come and search this house.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There is the cellar, Herr Doktor: it is very comfortable -there. I would prefer it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dr. Oberzohn made a gesture like a boy wiping something -from a slate.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is not possible: it is in occupation,” he said. -“I must find a new place for you.” He stared and mused. -“There is the boat,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gurther’s smile did not fade.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The boat was a small barge, which had been drawn -up into the private dock of the O. & S. factory, and had -been rotting there for years, the playing-ground of rats, -the doss-house of the homeless. The doctor saw what was -in the man’s mind.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It may be comfortable. I will give you some gas -to kill the rats, and it will only be for five-six days.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ja, Herr Doktor.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“For to-night you may sleep in the kitchen. One -does not expect——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a thunderous knock on the outer door. -The two men looked at one another, but still Gurther -grinned.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think it is the police,” said the doctor calmly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He got up to his feet, lifted the seat of a long hard-looking -sofa, disclosing a deep cavity, and Gurther -slipped in, and the seat was replaced. This done, the -doctor waddled to the door and turned the key.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good morning, Inspector Meadows.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“May I come in?” said Meadows.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Behind him were two police officers, one in uniform.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you wish to see me? Certainly.” He held the -door cautiously open and only Meadows came in, and -preceded the doctor into his study.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I want Mirabelle Leicester,” said Meadows curtly. -“She was abducted from her home in the early hours of -this morning, and I have information that the car which -took her away came to this house. There are tracks of -wheels in the mud outside.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If there are car tracks, they are mine,” said the -doctor calmly. He enumerated the makes of machines -he possessed. “There is another matter: as to cars -having come here in the night, I have a sense of hearing, -Mr. Inspector Meadows, and I have heard many cars in -Hangman’s Lane—but not in my ground. Also, I’m -sure you have not come to tell me of abducted girls, but -to disclose to me the miscreant who burnt my store. -That is what I expected of you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What you expect of me and what you get will be -entirely different propositions,” said Meadows unpleasantly. -“Now come across, Oberzohn! We know why -you want this girl—the whole plot has been blown. You -think you’ll prevent her from making a claim on the -Portuguese Government for the renewal of a concession -granted in June, 1912, to her father.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>If Dr. Oberzohn was shocked to learn that his secret -was out, he did not show it by his face. Not a muscle -moved.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Of such matters I know nothing. It is a fantasy, -a story of fairies. Yet it must be true, Mr. Inspector -Meadows, if you say it. No: I think you are deceived -by the criminals of Curzon Street, W. Men of blood and -murder, with records that are infamous. You desire to -search my house? It is your privilege.” He waved his -hand. “I do not ask you for the ticket of search. From -basement to attic the house is yours.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was not surprised when Meadows took him at his -word, and, going out into the hall, summoned his assistants. -They visited each room separately, the old cook -and the half-witted Danish girl accepting this visitation -as a normal occurrence: they had every excuse to do so, -for this was the second time in a fortnight that the house -had been visited by the police.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now I’ll take a look at your room, if you don’t -mind,” said Meadows.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His quick eyes caught sight of the box ottoman against -the wall, and the fact that the doctor was sitting thereon -added to his suspicions.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I will look in here, if you please,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Oberzohn rose and the detective lifted the lid. It was -empty. The ottoman had been placed against the wall, -at the bottom of which was a deep recess. Gurther had -long since rolled through the false back.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You see—nothing,” said Oberzohn. “Now perhaps -you would like to search my factory? Perhaps amongst -the rafters and the burnt girders I may conceal a something. -Or the barge in my slipway? Who knows what -I may place amongst the rats?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re almost clever,” said Meadows, “and I don’t -profess to be a match for you. But there are three men -in this town who are! I’ll be frank with you, Oberzohn. -I want to put you where I can give you a fair trial, in -accordance with the law of this country, and I shall resist, -to the best of my ability, any man taking the law into his -own hands. But whether you’re innocent or guilty, I -wouldn’t stand in your shoes for all the money in Angola!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So?” said the doctor politely.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Give up this girl, and I rather fancy that half your -danger will be at an end. I tell you, you’re too clever -for me. It’s a stupid thing for a police officer to say, -but I can’t get at the bottom of your snake. They have.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The old man’s brows worked up and down.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Indeed?” he said blandly. “And of which snake -do you speak?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Meadows said nothing more. He had given his warning: -if Oberzohn did not profit thereby, he would be -the loser.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Nobody doubted, least of all he, that, in defiance of -all laws that man had made, independent of all the -machinery of justice that human ingenuity had devised, -inevitable punishment awaited Oberzohn and was near at -hand.</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch21'></a><span class='it'>Chapter XXI</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>The Account Book</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>I</span>T was five o’clock in the morning when the mud-spattered -Spanz dropped down through the mist and -driving rain of the Chiltern Hills and struck the main -Gloucester Road, pulling up with a jerk before Heavytree -Farm. Manfred sprang out, but before he could -reach the door, Aunt Alma had opened it, and by the look -of her face he saw that she had not slept that night.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where is Digby?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s gone to interview the Chief Constable,” said -Alma. “Come in, Mr. Gonsalez.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon was wet from head to foot: there was not a -dry square centimetre upon him. But he was his old -cheerful self as he stamped into the hall, shaking himself -free of his heavy mackintosh.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Digby, of course, heard nothing, George.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m the lightest sleeper in the world,” said Aunt -Alma, “but I heard not a sound. The first thing I -knew was when a policeman came up and knocked at -my door and told me that he’d found the front door -open.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No clue was left at all?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes,” said Aunt Alma. They went into the drawing-room -and she took up from the table a small black -bottle with a tube and cap attached. “I found this -behind the sofa. She’d been lying on the sofa; the -cushions were thrown on the floor and she tore the -tapestry in her struggle.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon turned the faucet, and, as the gas hissed out, -sniffed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The new dental gas,” he said. “But how did they -get in? No window was open or forced?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They came in at the door: I’m sure of that. And -they had a woman with them,” said Aunt Alma proudly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How do you know?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There must have been a woman,” said Aunt Alma. -“Mirabelle would not have opened the door except to a -woman, without waking either myself or Mr. Digby.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon nodded, his eyes gleaming.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Obviously,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And I found the marks of a woman’s foot in the -passage. It is dried now, but you can still see it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have already seen it,” said Leon. “It is to the -left of the door: a small pointed shoe and a rubber -heel. Miss Leicester opened the door to the woman, the -men came in, and the rest was easy. You can’t blame -Digby,” he said appealingly to George.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was the friend at court of every agent, but this -time Manfred did not argue with him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I blame myself,” he said. “Poiccart told me——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He was here,” said Aunt Alma.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who—Poiccart?” asked Manfred, surprised, and -Gonsalez slapped his knee.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s it, of course! What fools we are! We ought -to have known why this wily old fox had left his post. -What time was he here?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Alma told him all the circumstances of the visit.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He must have left the house immediately after us,” -said Leon, with a wide grin of amusement, “caught the -five o’clock train for Gloucester, taxied across.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And after that?” suggested Manfred.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon scratched his chin.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wonder if he’s back?” He took up the telephone -and put a trunk call through to London. “Somehow I -don’t think he is. Here’s Digby, looking as if he expected -to be summarily executed.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The police pensioner was indeed in a mournful and -pathetic mood.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know what you’ll think of me, Mr. Manfred——” -he began.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve already expressed a view on that subject.” -George smiled faintly. “I’m not blaming you, Digby. -To leave a man who has been knocked about as you have -been without an opposite number, was the height of folly. -I didn’t expect them back so soon. As a matter of fact, -I intended putting four men on from to-day. You’ve been -making inquiries?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, sir. The car went through Gloucester very -early in the morning and took the Swindon road. It -was seen by a cyclist policeman; he said there was a -fat roll of tarpaulin lying on the tent of the trolley.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No sign of anybody chasing it in a car, or on a motor-bicycle?” -asked Manfred anxiously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Poiccart had recently taken to motor-cycling.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, sir.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You saw Mr. Poiccart?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, he was just going back to London. He said -he wanted to see the place with his own eyes.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>George was disappointed. If it had been a visit of -curiosity, Poiccart’s absence from town was understandable. -He would not have returned at the hour he was -rung up.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Aunt Alma was cooking a hasty breakfast, and they -had accepted her offer gratefully, for both men were -famished; and they were in the midst of the meal when -the London call came through.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is that you, Poiccart?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is I,” said Poiccart’s voice. “Where are you -speaking from?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Heavytree Farm. Did you see anything of Miss -Leicester?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a pause.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Has she gone?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You didn’t know?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Another pause.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, yes, I knew; in fact, I accompanied her part -of the way to London, and was bumped off when the -trolley struck a refuge on the Great West Road. Meadows -is here: he has just come from Oberzohn’s. He says he -has found nothing.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred thought for a while.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We will be back soon after nine,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Leon driving you?” was the dry response.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes—in spite of which we shall be back at -nine.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That man has got a grudge against my driving,” -said Leon, when Manfred reported the conversation. “I -knew it was he when Digby described the car and said -there was a fat roll of mackintosh on the top. ‘Fat roll’ -is not a bad description. Do you know whether Poiccart -spoke to Miss Leicester?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, he asked her if she grew onions”—a reply which -sent Leon into fits of silent laughter.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Breakfast was over and they were making their -preparations for departure, when Leon asked unexpectedly:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Has Miss Leicester a writing-table of her own?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, in her room,” said Alma, and took him up to -show him the old bureau.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He opened the drawers without apology, took out -some old letters, turned them over, reading them -shamelessly. Then he opened the blotter. There were -several sheets of blank paper headed “Heavytree -Farm,” and two which bore her signature at the -bottom. Alma explained that the bank account of -the establishment was in Mirabelle’s name, and, when -it was necessary to draw cash, it was a rule of the -bank that it should be accompanied by a covering -letter—a practice which still exists in some of the old -West-country banking establishments. She unlocked a -drawer that he had not been able to open and showed -him a cheque-book with three blank cheques signed with -her name.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That banker has known me since I was so high,” -said Alma scornfully. “You wouldn’t think there’d be -so much red-tape.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you keep any account books?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I do,” said Alma in surprise. “The household -accounts, you mean?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Could I see one?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She went out and returned with a thin ledger, and -he made a brief examination of its contents. Wholly -inadequate, thought Alma, considering the trouble she -had taken and the interest he had shown.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s that,” he said. “Now, George, <span class='it'>en voiture</span>!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why did you want to see the account book?” asked -Manfred as they bowled up the road.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I am naturally commercial-minded,” was the unsatisfactory -reply. “And, George, we’re short of juice. -Pray like a knight in armour that we sight a filling station -in the next ten minutes.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>If George had prayed, the prayer would have been -answered: just as the cylinders started to miss they -pulled up the car before a garage, and took in a supply -which was more than sufficient to carry them to their -destination. It was nine o’clock exactly when the car -stopped before the house. Poiccart, watching the arrival -from George’s room, smiled grimly at the impertinent -gesture of the chauffeur.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Behind locked doors the three sat in conference.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This has upset all my plans,” said Leon at last. -“If the girl was safe, I should settle with Oberzohn -to-night.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>George Manfred stroked his chin thoughtfully. He -had once worn a trim little beard, and had never got out -of that beard-stroking habit of his.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We think exactly alike. I intended suggesting that -course,” he said gravely.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The trouble is Meadows. I should like the case to -have been settled one way or the other, and for Meadows -to be out of it altogether. One doesn’t wish to embarrass -him. But the urgency is very obvious. It would have -been very easy,” said Leon, a note of regret in his gentle -voice. “Now of course it is impossible until the girl is -safe. But for that”—he shrugged his shoulders—“to-morrow -friend Oberzohn would have experienced a sense -of lassitude. No pain . . . just a little tiredness. Sleep, -coma—death on the third day. He is an old man, and -one has no desire to hurt the aged. There is no hurt -like fear. As for Gurther, we will try a more violent -method, unless Oberzohn gets him first. I sincerely -hope he does.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is news to me. What is this about Gurther?” -asked Poiccart.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred told him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Leon is right now,” Poiccart nodded. He rose from -the table and unlocked the door. “If any of you men -wish to sleep, your rooms are ready; the curtains are -drawn, and I will wake you at such and such an hour.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But neither were inclined for sleep. George had to -see a client that morning: a man with a curious story -to tell. Leon wanted a carburetter adjusted. They would -both sleep in the afternoon, they said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The client arrived soon after. Poiccart admitted him -and put him in the dining-room to wait before he reported -his presence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think this is your harem man,” he said, and went -downstairs to show up the caller.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was a commonplace-looking man with a straggling, -fair moustache and a weak chin.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Debilitated or degenerate,” he suggested.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Probably a little of both,” assented Manfred, when -the butler had announced him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He came nervously into the room and sat down opposite -to Manfred.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I tried to get you on the ’phone last night,” he -complained, “but I got no answer.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My office hours are from ten till two,” said George -good-humouredly. “Now will you tell me again this -story of your sister?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man leaned back in the chair and clasped his -knees, and began in a sing-song voice, as though he were -reciting something that he had learned by heart.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We used to live in Turkey. My father was a merchant -of Constantinople, and my sister, who went to school -in England, got extraordinary ideas, and came back a -most violent pro-Turk. She is a very pretty girl and -she came to know some of the best Turkish families, although -my father and I were dead against her going about -with these people. One day she went to call on Hymar -Pasha, and that night she didn’t come back. We went -to the Pasha’s house and asked for her, but he told us -she had left at four o’clock. We then consulted the -police, and they told us, after they had made investigations, -that she had been seen going on board a ship which -left for Odessa the same night. I hadn’t seen her for -ten years, until I went down to the Gringo Club, which is -a little place in the East End—not high class, you understand, -but very well conducted. There was a cabaret -show after midnight, and whilst I was sitting there, thinking -about going home—very bored, you understand, -because that sort of thing doesn’t appeal to me—I saw -a girl come out from behind a curtain dressed like a Turkish -woman, and begin a dance. She was in the middle -of the dance when her veil slipped off. It was Marie! -She recognized me at once, and darted through the -curtains. I tried to follow her, but they held me back.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Did you go to the police?” asked Manfred.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The man shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, what is the use of the police?” he went on -in a monotonous tone. “I had enough of them in -Constantinople, and I made up my mind that I would -get outside help. And then somebody told me of you, -and I came along. Mr. Manfred, is it impossible for you -to rescue my sister? I’m perfectly sure that she is being -detained forcibly and against her will.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“At the Gringo Club?” asked Manfred.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes,” he nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll see what I can do,” said George. “Perhaps -my friends and I will come down and take a look round -some evening. In the meantime will you go back to -your friend Dr. Oberzohn and tell him that you have -done your part and I will do mine? Your little story -will go into my collection of Unplausible Inventions!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He touched a bell and Poiccart came in.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Show Mr. Liggins out, please. Don’t hurt him—he -may have a wife and children, though it is extremely -unlikely.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The visitor slunk from the room as though he had -been whipped.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The door had scarcely closed upon him when Poiccart -called Leon down from his room.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Son,” he said, “George wants that man trailed.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon peeped out after the retiring victim of Turkish -tyranny.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not a hard job,” he said. “He has flat feet!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Poiccart returned to the consulting-room.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who is he?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know. He’s been sent here either by Oberzohn -or by friend Newton, the general idea being to bring -us all together at the Gringo Club—which is fairly well -known to me—on some agreeable evening. A bad actor! -He has no tone. I shouldn’t be surprised if Leon finds -something very interesting about him.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s been before, hasn’t he?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, he was here the day after Barberton came. -At least, I had his letter the next morning and saw him -for a few moments in the day. Queer devil, Oberzohn! -And an industrious devil,” he added. “He sets everybody -moving at once, and of course he’s right. A good -general doesn’t attack with a platoon, but with an army, -with all his strength, knowing that if he fails to pierce -the line at one point he may succeed at another. It’s -an interesting thought, Raymond, that at this moment -there are probably some twenty separate and independent -agencies working for our undoing. Most of them ignorant -that their efforts are being duplicated. That is Oberzohn’s -way—always has been his way. It’s the way he -has started revolutions, the way he has organized religious -riots.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>After he had had his bath and changed, he announced -his intention of calling at Chester Square.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m rather keen on meeting Joan Newton again, -even if she has returned to her normal state of Jane -Smith.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Miss Newton was not at home, the maid told him -when he called. Would he see Mr. Montague Newton, -who was not only at home, but anxious for him to call, -if the truth be told, for he had seen his enemy approaching.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I shall be pleased,” murmured Manfred, and was -ushered into the splendour of Mr. Newton’s drawing-room.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Too bad about Joan,” said Mr. Newton easily. -“She left for the Continent this morning.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Without a passport?” smiled Manfred.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A little slip on the part of Monty, but how was Manfred -to know that the authorities had, only a week before, -refused the renewal of her passport pending an inquiry -into certain irregularities? The suggestion had been -that other people than she had travelled to and from -the Continent armed with this individual document.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You don’t need a passport for Belgium,” he lied -readily. “Anyway, this passport stuff’s a bit overdone. -We’re not at war now.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“All the time we’re at war,” said Manfred. “May -I sit down?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do. Have a cigarette?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Let me see the brand before I accept,” said Manfred -cautiously, and the man guffawed as at a great joke.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The visitor declined the offer of the cigarette-case -and took one from a box on the table.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And is Jane making the grand tour?” he asked -blandly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Jane’s run down and wants a rest.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What’s the matter with Aylesbury?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He saw the man flinch at the mention of the women’s -convict establishment, but he recovered instantly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is not far enough out, and I’m told that there -are all sorts of queer people living round there. No, -she’s going to Brussels and then on to Aix-la-Chapelle, -then probably to Spa—I don’t suppose I shall see her -again for a month or two.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She was at Heavytree Farm in the early hours of -this morning,” said Manfred, “and so were you. You -were seen and recognized by a friend of mine—Mr. Raymond -Poiccart. You travelled from Heavytree Farm to -Oberzohn’s house in a Ford trolley.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Not by a flicker of an eyelid did Monty Newton betray -his dismay.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is bluff,” he said. “I didn’t leave this house -last night. What happened at Heavytree Farm?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Miss Leicester was abducted. You are surprised, -almost agitated, I notice.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you think I had anything to do with it?” asked -Monty steadily.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, and the police share my view. A provisional -warrant was issued for your arrest this morning. I -thought you ought to know.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Now the man drew back, his face went from red to -white, and then to a deeper red again. Manfred laughed -softly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’ve got a guilty conscience, Newton,” he said, -“and that’s half-way to being arrested. Where is -Jane?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gone abroad, I tell you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was thrown off his balance by this all too successful -bluff and had lost some of his self-possession.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She is with Mirabelle Leicester: of that I’m sure,” -said Manfred. “I’ve warned you twice, and it is not -necessary to warn you a third time. I don’t know how -far deep you’re in these snake murders: a jury will -decide that sooner or later. But you’re dead within six -hours of my learning that Miss Leicester has been badly -treated. You know that is true, don’t you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred was speaking very earnestly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re more scared of us than you are of the law, -and you’re right, because we do not put our men to the -hazard of a jury’s intelligence. You get the same trial -from us as you get from a judge who knows all the facts. -You can’t beat an English judge, Newton.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The smile returned and he left the room. Fred, near -at hand, waiting in the passage but at a respectful distance -from the door, let him out with some alacrity.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Monty Newton turned his head sideways, caught a -fleeting glimpse of the man he hated—hated worse than -he hated Leon Gonsalez—and then called harshly for -his servant.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come here,” he said, and Fred obeyed. “They’ll -be sending round to make inquiries, and I want you to -know what to tell them,” he said. “Miss Joan went -away this morning to the Continent by the eight-fifteen. -She’s either in Brussels or Aix-la-Chapelle. You’re not -sure of the hotel, but you’ll find out. Is that clear to -you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Fred was looking aimlessly about the room.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What’s the matter with you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I was wondering where the clock is.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Clock?” Now Monty Newton heard it himself. -The tick-tick-tick of a cheap clock, and he went livid. -“Find it,” he said hoarsely, and even as he spoke his eyes -fell upon the little black box that had been pushed beneath -the desk, and he groped for the door with a scream -of terror.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Passers-by in Chester Square saw the door flung open -and two men rush headlong into the street. And the -little American clock, which Manfred had purchased a -few days before, went on ticking out the time, and was -still ticking merrily when the police experts went in and -opened the box. It was Manfred’s oldest jest, and -never failed.</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch22'></a><span class='it'>Chapter XXII</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>In the Store Cellar</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>I</span>T was impossible that Mirabelle Leicester could fail -to realize the serious danger in which she stood. -Why she had incurred the enmity of Oberzohn, for what -purpose this man was anxious to keep her under his eye, -she could not even guess. It was a relief to wake up in -the early morning, as she did, and find Joan sleeping in -the same room; for though she had many reasons for -mistrusting her, there was something about this doll-faced -girl that made an appeal to her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Joan was lying on the bed fully dressed, and at the -sound of the creaking bed she turned and got up, fastening -her skirt.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, how do you like your new home?” she asked, -with an attempt at joviality, which she was far from -feeling, in spite of Monty’s assurances.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve seen better,” said Mirabelle coolly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll bet you have!” Joan stretched and yawned; -then, opening one of the cupboards, took a shovelful of -coal and threw it into the furnace, clanging the iron -door. “That’s my job,” she said humorously, “to keep -you warm.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How long am I going to be kept here?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Five days,” was the surprising answer.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why five?” asked Mirabelle curiously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know. Maybe they’ll tell you,” said Joan.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She fixed a plug in the wall and turned on the small -electric fire. Disappearing, she came back with a kettle -which she placed on top of the ring.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The view’s not grand, but the food’s good,” she -said, with a gaiety that Mirabelle was now sure was -forced.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re with these people, of course—Dr. Oberzohn -and Newton?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mister Newton,” corrected Joan. “Yes, I’m his -fiancée. We’re going to be married when things get a -little better,” she said vaguely, “and there’s no use in -your getting sore with me because I helped to bring you -here. Monty’s told me all about it. They’re going to -do you no harm at all.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then why——” began Mirabelle.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’ll tell you,” interrupted Joan, “sooner or later. -The old man, or—or—well, Monty isn’t in this: he’s -only obliging Oberzohn.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>With one thing Mirabelle agreed: it was a waste of -time to indulge in recriminations or to reproach the -girl for her supreme treachery. After all, Joan owed -nothing to her, and had been from the first a tool employed -for her detention. It would have been as logical for a -convict to reproach the prison guard.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How do you come to be doing this sort of thing?” -she asked, watching the girl making tea.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where do you get ‘this sort of thing’ from?” -demanded Joan. “If you suppose that I spend my life -chaperoning females, you’ve got another guess coming. -Scared, aren’t you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She looked across at Mirabelle and the girl shook her -head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not really.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I should be,” confessed Joan. “Do you mind condensed -milk? There’s no other. Yes, I should be -writhing under the table, knowing something about -Oberzohn.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If I were Oberzohn,” said Mirabelle with spirit, -“I should be hiding in a deep hole where the Four Just -Men would not find me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Four Just Men!” sneered the girl, and then her -face changed. “Were they the people who whipped -Gurther?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle had not heard of this exploit, but she gave -them credit with a nod.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is that so? Does Gurther know they’re friends of -yours?” she asked significantly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know Gurther.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s the man who danced with you the other night—Lord—I -forget what name we gave him. Because, if -he does know, my dear,” she said slowly, “you’ve got -two people to be extremely careful with. Gurther’s half -mad. Monty has always said so. He dopes too, and -there are times when he’s not a man at all but a low-down -wolf. I’m scared of <span class='it'>him</span>—I’ll admit it. There aren’t -Four Just Men, anyway,” she went off at a tangent. -“There haven’t been more than three for years. One -of them was killed in Bordeaux. That’s a town I’d hate -to be killed in,” said Joan irreverently.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>An interval of silence followed whilst she opened an -air-tight tin and took out a small cake, and, putting it -on the table, cut it into slices.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What are they like?” she asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Evidently the interval had been filled with thoughts -of the men from Curzon Street.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Monty says they’re just bluff, but I’m not so sure -that Monty tells me all he thinks. He’s so scared that -he told me to call and see them, just because they gave -him an order—which isn’t like Monty. They’ve killed -people, haven’t they?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And got away with it? They must be clever.” -Joan’s admiration was dragged from her. “Where do -they get their money?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>That was always an interesting matter to Joan.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When the girl explained, she was really impressed. -That they could kill and get away with it, was wonderful; -that they were men of millions, placed them in a category -apart.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They’ll never find you here,” said Joan. “There’s -nobody living knows about this vault. There used to be -eight men working here, sorting monkey hides, and every -one of them’s dead. Monty told me. He said this place -is below the canal level, and Oberzohn can flood it in -five minutes. Monty thinks the old man had an idea of -running a slush factory here.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is a slush factory?” asked Mirabelle, open-mouthed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Phoney—snide—counterfeit. Not English, but Continental -work. He was going to do that if things had -gone really bad, but of course you make all the -difference.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle put down her cup.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Does he expect to make money out of me?” she said, -trying hard not to laugh.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The girl nodded solemnly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Does he think I have a great deal of money?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s sure.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Joan was sure too. Her tone said that plainly enough.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle sat down on the bed, for the moment too -astonished to speak. Her own financial position was no -mystery. She had been left sufficient to bring her in a -small sum yearly, and with the produce of the farm had -managed to make both ends meet. It was the failure of -the farm as a source of profit which had brought her to -her new job in London. Alma had also a small annuity; -the farm was the girl’s property, but beyond these revenues -she had nothing. There was not even a possibility that -she was an heiress. Her father had been a comparatively -poor man, and had been supported in his numerous excursions -to various parts of the world in search of knowledge -by the scientific societies to which he was attached; his -literary earnings were negligible; his books enjoyed only -a very limited sale. She could trace her ancestry back -for seven generations; knew of her uncles and aunts, -and they did not include a single man or woman who, -in the best traditions of the story-books, had gone to -America and made an immense fortune.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is absurd,” she said. “I have no money. If -Mr. Oberzohn puts me up to ransom, it will have to be -something under a hundred!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Put you up to ransom?” said Joan. “I don’t -get you there. But you’re rich all right—I can tell -you that. Monty says so, and Monty wouldn’t lie to -me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle was bewildered. It seemed almost impossible -that a man of Oberzohn’s intelligence and sources of -information could make such a mistake. And yet Joan -was earnest.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They must have mistaken me for somebody else,” -she said, but Joan did not answer. She was sitting up -in a listening attitude, and her eyes were directed towards -the iron door which separated their sleeping apartment -from the larger vault. She had heard the creak of the -trap turning and the sound of feet coming down the -stairs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle rose as Oberzohn came in. He wore his -black dressing-gown, his smoking-cap was at the back -of his head, and the muddy Wellington boots which he -had pulled over his feet looked incongruous, and would -at any other time have provoked her to laughter.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He favoured her with a stiff nod.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You have slept well, gracious lady?” he said, and -to her amazement took her cold hand in his and kissed it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She felt the same feeling of revulsion and unreality -as had overcome her that night at the dance when Gurther -had similarly saluted her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is a nice place, for young people and for old.” -He looked round the apartment with satisfaction. “Here -I should be content to spend my life reading my books, -and giving my mind to thought, but”—he spread his -hands and shrugged—“what would you? I am a business -man, with immense interests in every part of the -world. I am rich, too, beyond your dreams! I have -stores in every part of the world, and thousands of men -and women on my pay-roll.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Why was he telling her all this, she wondered, reciting -the facts in a monotonous voice. Surely he had not -come down to emphasize the soundness of his financial -position?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I am not very much interested in your business, -Mr. Oberzohn,” she said, “but I want to know why I am -being detained here. Surely, if you’re so rich, you do not -want to hold me to ransom?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“To ransom?” His forehead went up and down. -“That is foolish talk. Did she tell you?” He pointed -at the girl, and his face went as black as thunder.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, I guessed,” said Mirabelle quickly, not wishing -to get her companion into bad odour.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I do not hold you to ransom. I hold you, lovely -lady, because you are good for my eyes. Did not Heine -say, ‘The beauty of women is a sedative to the soul’? -You should read Heine: he is frivolous, but in his -stupidity there are many clever thoughts. Now tell me, -lovely lady, have you all you desire?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I want to go out,” she said. “I can’t stay in this -underground room without danger to my health.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Soon you shall go.” He bowed stiffly again, and -shuffled across the floor to the furnace. Behind this were -the two baize-covered boxes, and one he lifted tenderly. -“Here are secrets such as you should not pry into,” he -said in his awkward English. “The most potent of -chemicals, colossal in power. The ignorant would touch -them and they would explode—you understand?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He addressed Mirabelle, who did not understand but -made no answer.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They must be kept warm for that reason. One I -take, the other I leave. You shall not touch it—that is -understood? My good friend has told you?” He -brought his eyes to Joan.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I understand all right,” she said. “Listen, Oberzohn: -when am I going out for a walk? This place is -getting on my nerves already.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“To-night you shall have exercise with the lovely -lady. I myself will accompany you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why am I here, Mr. Oberzohn?” Mirabelle asked -again.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You are here because you are in danger,” said Oberzohn, -holding the green box under his arm. “You are -in very great danger.” He nodded with every word. -“There are certain men, of all the most infamous, who -have a design upon your life. They are criminal, cunning -and wise—but not so cunning or wise as Dr. Oberzohn. -Because I will not let you fall into their hands I keep you -here, young miss. Good morning.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Again he bowed stiffly and went out, the iron door -clanging behind him. They heard him climbing the -stairs, the thud of the trap as it fell, and the rumble -which Joan, at any rate, knew was made by the cement -barrel being rolled to the top of the trap.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Pleasant little fellow, isn’t he?” said Joan bitterly. -“Him and his chemicals!” She glared down at the -remaining box. “If I were sure it wouldn’t explode, I -should smash it to smithereens!” she said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Later she told the prisoner of Oberzohn’s obsession; -of how he spent time and money in his search for the -vital elixir.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Monty thinks he’ll find it,” she said seriously. “Do -you know, that old man has had an ox stewed down to a -pint? There used to be a king in Europe—I forget his -name—who had the same stuff, but not so strong. Monty -says that Oberzohn hardly ever takes a meal—just a -teaspoonful of this dope and he’s right for the day. And -Monty says . . .”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For the rest of that dreary morning the girl listened -without hearing to the wise sayings and clever acts of -Monty; and every now and again her eyes strayed to -the baize-covered box which contained “the most potent -chemicals,” and she wondered whether, in the direst -extremity, she would be justified in employing these -dread forces for her soul’s salvation.</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch23'></a><span class='it'>Chapter XXIII</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>The Courier</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>E</span>LIJAH WASHINGTON came up to London for a -consultation. With the exception of a blue contusion -beneath his right eye, he was none the worse for -his alarming experience.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon Gonsalez had driven him to town, and on the -way up the big man had expressed views about snake-bite -which were immensely interesting to the man at the -wheel.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve figured it out this way: there is no snake at -all. What happens is that these guys have extracted -snake venom—and that’s easy, by making a poison-snake -bite on something soft—and have poisoned a dart or a -burr with the venom. I’ve seen that done in Africa, -particularly up in the Ituri country, and it’s pretty -common in South America. The fellow just throws or -shoots it, and just where the dart hits, he gets snake-poisoning -right away.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is an excellent theory,” said Leon, “only—no -dart or burr has ever been found. It is the first thing -the police looked for in the case of the stockbroker. -They had the ground searched for days. And it was just -the same in the case of the tramp and the bank clerk, just -the same in the case of Barberton. A dart would stick -some time and would be found in the man’s clothing or -near the spot where he was struck down. How do you -account for that?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Washington very frankly admitted that he couldn’t -account for it at all, and Leon chuckled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“<span class='it'>I</span> can,” he said. “In fact, I know just how it’s -done.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Great snakes!” gasped Washington in amazement. -“Then why don’t you tell the police?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The police know—now,” said Leon. “It isn’t snake-bite—it -is nicotine poisoning.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How’s that?” asked the startled man, but Leon -had his joke to himself.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>After a consultation which had lasted most of the -night they had brought Washington from Rath Hall, and -on the way Leon hinted gently that the Three had a -mission for him and hoped he would accept.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re much too good a fellow to be put into an -unnecessarily dangerous position,” he said; “and even -if you weren’t, we wouldn’t lightly risk your blessed -life; but the job we should ask you to do isn’t exactly -a picnic.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Listen!” said Mr. Washington with sudden energy. -“I don’t want any more snakes—not that kind of snake! -I’ve felt pain in my time, but nothing like this! I know -it must have been snake venom, but I’d like to meet the -little wriggler who brews the brand that was handed to -me, and maybe I’d change my mind about collecting him—alive!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon agreed silently, and for the next few moments -was avoiding a street car on one side, a baker’s cart on -another, and a <span class='it'>blah</span> woman who was walking aimlessly -in the road, apparently with no other intention than -of courting an early death, this being the way of <span class='it'>blah</span> -women.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Phew!” said Mr. Washington, as the car skidded -on the greasy road. “I don’t know whether you’re a -good driver or just naturally under the protection of -Providence.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Both,” said Leon, when he had straightened the -machine. “All good drivers are that.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Presently he continued:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is snake venom all right, Mr. Washington; only -snake venom that has been most carefully treated by a -man who knows the art of concentration of its bad and -the extraction of its harmless constituents. My theory is -that certain alkaloids are added, and it is possible that -there has been a blending of two different kinds of poison. -But you’re right when you say that no one animal carries -in his poison sac that particular variety of death-juice. -If it is any value to you, we are prepared to give you a -snake-proof certificate!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t want another experience of that kind,” -Elijah Washington warned him; but Leon turned the -conversation to the state of the road and the problems of -traffic control.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There had been nothing seen or heard of Mirabelle, -and Meadows’ activities had for the moment been directed -to the forthcoming inquest on Barberton. Nowadays, -whenever he reached Scotland Yard, he moved in a crowd -of reporters, all anxious for news of further developments. -The Barberton death was still the livliest topic in the newspapers: -the old scare of the snake had been revived and -in some degree intensified. There was not a journal which -did not carry columns of letters to the editor denouncing -the inactivity of the police. Were they, asked one sarcastic -correspondent, under the hypnotic influence of -the snake’s eyes? Could they not, demanded another, -give up trapping speeders on the Lingfield road and bring -their mighty brains to the elucidation of a mystery that -was to cause every household in London the gravest -concern? The Barberton murder was the peg on which -every letter-writing faddist had a novel view to hang, -and Mr. Meadows was not at that time the happiest -officer in the force.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where is Lee?” asked Washington as they came into -Curzon Street.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s in town for the moment, but we are moving -him to the North of England, though I don’t think there -is any danger to him, now that Barberton’s letters are -in our possession. They would have killed him yesterday -to prevent our handling the correspondence. To-day I -should imagine he has no special importance in the eyes -of Oberzohn and Company. And here we are!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Washington got out stiffly and was immediately -admitted by the butler. The three men went upstairs to -where George Manfred was wrestling with a phase of the -problem. He was not alone; Digby, his head swathed -in bandages, sat, an unhappy man, on the edge of a chair -and answered Leon’s cheery greeting with a mournful -smile.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m sending Digby to keep observation on Oberzohn’s -house; and especially do I wish him to search that old -boat of his.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was referring to an ancient barge which lay on -the mud at the bottom of Mr. Oberzohn’s private dock. -From the canal there was a narrow waterway into the little -factory grounds. It was so long since the small cantilever -bridge which covered the entrance had been raised, that -locals regarded the bridge floor as part of the normal bank -of the canal. But behind the green water-gates was a -concrete dock large enough to hold one barge, and here -for years a decrepit vessel had wallowed, the hunting-ground -of rats and the sleeping-place of the desperately -homeless.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The barge is practically immovable: I’ve already -reported on that,” said Leon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It certainly has that appearance, and yet I would -like a search,” replied Manfred. “You understand that -this is night duty, and I have asked Meadows to notify -the local inspector that you will be on duty—I don’t -want to be pulled out of my bed to identify you at the -Peckham police station. It isn’t a cheerful job, but you -might be able to make it interesting by finding your way -into his grounds. I don’t think the factory will yield -much, but the house will certainly be a profitable study -to an observer of human nature.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I hope I do better this time, Mr. Manfred,” said -Digby, turning to go. “And, if you don’t mind, I’ll -go by day and take a look at the place. I don’t want to -fall down this time!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>George smiled as he rose and shook the man’s hand -at parting.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Even Mr. Gonsalez makes mistakes,” he said maliciously, -and Leon looked hurt.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred tidied some papers on his desk and put them -into a drawer, waiting for Poiccart’s return. When he -had come:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now, Mr. Washington, we will tell you what we -wish you to do. We wish you to take a letter to Lisbon. -Leon has probably hinted something to that effect, and -it is now my duty to tell you that the errand is pretty -certain to be an exceedingly dangerous one, but you are -the only man I know to whom I could entrust this important -document. I feel I cannot allow you to undertake -this mission without telling you that the chances are -heavily against your reaching Portugal.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bless you for those cheerful words,” said Washington -blankly. “The only thing I want to be certain about is, -am I likely to meet Mr. Snake?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred nodded, and the American’s face lengthened.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know that even that scares me,” he said at -last, “especially now that I know that the dope they use -isn’t honest snake-spit at all but a synthesized poison. -It was having my confidence shaken in snakes that rattled -me. When do you want me to go?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“To-night.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Washington for the moment was perplexed, and -Manfred continued:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not by the Dover-Calais route. We would prefer that -you travelled by Newhaven-Dieppe. Our friends are -less liable to be on the alert, though I can’t even guarantee -that. Oberzohn spends a lot of money in espionage. -This house has been under observation for days. I will -show you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He walked to the window and drew aside the curtain.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you see a spy?” he asked, with a twinkle in his -eye.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Washington looked up and down the street.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sure!” he said. “That man at the corner smoking -a cigar——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is a detective officer from Scotland Yard,” said -Manfred. “Do you see anybody else?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes,” said Washington after a while, “there’s a -man cleaning windows on the opposite side of the road: -he keeps looking across here.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A perfectly innocent citizen,” said Manfred.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, he can’t be in any of those taxis, because -they’re empty.” Mr. Washington nodded to a line of -taxis drawn up on the rank in the centre of the road.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“On the contrary, he is in the first taxi on the rank—he -is the driver! If you went out and called a cab, he -would come to you. If anybody else called him, he would -be engaged. His name is Clarke, he lives at 43, Portlington -Mews; he is an ex-convict living apart from his wife, -and he receives seven pounds a week for his services, ten -pounds every time he drives Oberzohn’s car, and all the -money he makes out of his cab.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He smiled at the other’s astonishment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So the chances are that your movements will be -known; even though you do not call the cab, he will -follow you. You must be prepared for that. I’m putting -all my cards on the table, Mr. Washington, and asking -you to do something which, if you cannot bring yourself -to agree, must be done by either myself, Poiccart or Gonsalez. -Frankly, none of us can be spared.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll go,” said the American. “Snake or no snake, -I’m for Lisbon. What is my route?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Poiccart took a folded paper from his pocket.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Newhaven, Dieppe, Paris. You have a reserved -compartment on the Sud Express; you reach Valladolid -late to-morrow night, and change to the Portuguese mail. -Unless I can fix an aeroplane to meet you at Irun. We -are trying now. Otherwise, you should be in Lisbon at -two o’clock on the following afternoon. He had better -take the letter now, George.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred unlocked the wall safe and took out a long -envelope. It was addressed to “Senhor Alvaz Manuel -y Cintra, Minister of Colonies,” and was heavily sealed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I want you to place this in Senhor Cintra’s hands. -You’ll have no difficulty there because you will be expected,” -he said. “Will you travel in that suit?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The American thought.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, that’s as good as any,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Will you take off your jacket?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Washington obeyed, and with a small pair of -scissors Manfred cut a slit in the lining and slipped the -letter in. Then, to the American’s astonishment, Leon -produced a rolled housewife, threaded a needle with -extraordinary dexterity, and for the next five minutes -the snake-hunter watched the deft fingers stitching -through paper and lining. So skilfully was the slit -sewed that Elijah Washington had to look twice to make -sure where the lining had been cut.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, that beats the band!” he said. “Mr. Gonsalez, -I’ll send you my shirts for repair!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And here is something for you to carry.” It was a -black leather portfolio, well worn. To one end was -attached a steel chain terminating in a leather belt. “I -want you to put this round your waist, and from now on -to carry this wallet. It contains nothing more important -than a few envelopes imposingly sealed, and if you lose -it no great harm will come.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You think they’ll go for the wallet?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“One cannot tell, of course, what Oberzohn will do, -and he’s as wily as one of his snakes. But my experience -has been,” he said, “that the cleverer the criminal, the -bigger the fool and the more outrageous his mistakes. -You will want money.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, I’m not short of that,” said the other with -a smile. “Snakes are a mighty profitable proposition. -Still, I’m a business man . . .”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For the next five minutes they discussed financial -details, and he was more than surprised to discover the -recklessness with which money was disbursed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He went out, with a glance from the corner of his -eye at the taximan, whose hand was raised inquiringly, -but, ignoring the driver, he turned and walked towards -Regent Street, and presently found a wandering taxi of -an innocuous character, and ordered the man to drive -to the Ritz-Carlton, where rooms had been taken for -him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was in Regent Street before he looked round -through the peep-hole, and, as Manfred had promised -him, the taxi was following, its flag down to prevent -chance hiring. Mr. Washington went up to his room, -opened the window and looked out: the taxi had joined -a near-by rank. The driver had left his box.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s on the ’phone,” muttered Mr. Washington, and -would have given a lot of money to have known the nature -of the message.</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch24'></a><span class='it'>Chapter XXIV</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>On the Night Mail</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>A</span> MAN of habit, Mr. Oberzohn missed his daily -journey to the City Road. In ordinary circumstances -the loss would have been a paralysing one, but -of late he had grown more and more wedded to his deep -arm-chair and his ponderous volumes; and though the -City Road had been a very useful establishment in many -ways, and was ill replaced by the temporary building -which his manager had secured, he felt he could almost -dispense with that branch of his business altogether.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Oberzohn & Smitts was an institution which had grown -out of nothing. The energy of the partners, and especially -the knowledge of African trading conditions which the -departed Smitts possessed, had produced a flourishing -business which ten years before could have been floated -for half a million pounds.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Orders still came in. There were up-country stores -to be restocked; new, if unimportant, contracts to be -fulfilled; there was even a tentative offer under consideration -from one of the South American States for the -armaments of a political faction. But Mr. Oberzohn was -content to mark time, in the faith that the next week -would see him superior to these minor considerations, -and in a position, if he so wished, to liquidate his business -and sell his stores and his trade. There were purchasers -ready, but the half a million pounds had dwindled to a -tenth of that sum, which outstanding bills would more -than absorb. As Manfred had said, his running expenses -were enormous. He had agents in every central Government -office in Europe, and though they did not earn their -salt, they certainly drew more than condiment for their -services.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He had spent a busy morning in his little workshop-laboratory, -and had settled himself down in his chair, -when a telegraph messenger came trundling his bicycle -across the rough ground, stopped to admire for a second -the iron dogs which littered the untidy strip of lawn, and -woke the echoes of this gaunt house with a thunderous -knock. Mr. Oberzohn hurried to the door. A telegram -to this address must necessarily be important. He took -the telegram, slammed the door in the messenger’s face -and hurried back to his room, tearing open the envelope -as he went.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There were three sheets of misspelt writing, for the -wire was in Portuguese and telegraph operators are bad -guessers. He read it through carefully, his lips moving -silently, until he came to the end, then he started reading -all over again, and, for a better understanding of its -purport, he took a pencil and paper and translated the -message into Swedish. He laid the telegram face downwards -on the table and took up his book, but he was not -reading. His busy mind slipped from Lisbon to London, -from Curzon Street to the factory, and at last he shut -his book with a bang, got up, and opening the door, -barked Gurther’s name. That strange man came downstairs -in his stockinged feet, his hair hanging over his eyes, -an unpleasant sight. Dr. Oberzohn pointed to the room -and the man entered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For an hour they talked behind locked doors, and -then Gurther came out, still showing his teeth in a -mechanical smile, and went up the stairs two at a time. -The half-witted Danish maid, passing the door of the -doctor’s room, heard his gruff voice booming into the -telephone, but since he spoke a language which, whilst -it had some relation to her own, was subtly different, -she could not have heard the instructions, admonitions, -orders and suggestions which he fired in half a -dozen different directions, even if she had heard him -clearly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>This done, Dr. Oberzohn returned to his book and a -midday refreshment, spooning his lunch from a small cup -at his side containing a few fluid ounces of dark red -liquid. One half of his mind was pursuing his well-read -philosophers; the other worked at feverish speed, conjecturing -and guessing, forestalling and baffling the minds -that were working against him. He played a game of -mental chess, all the time seeking for a check, and when -at last he had discovered one that was adequate, he put -down his book and went out into his garden, strolling -up and down inside the wire fence, stopping now and -again to pick a flower from a weed, or pausing to examine -a rain-filled pothole as though it were the star object -in a prize landscape.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He loved this ugly house, knew every brick of it, as -a feudal lord might have known the castle he had built, -the turret, the flat roof with its high parapet, that commanded -a view of the canal bank on the one side and -the railway arches left and right. They were railway -arches which had a value to him. Most of them were -blocked up, having been converted into lock-up garages -and sheds, and through only a few could ingress be had. -One, under which ran the muddy lane—why it was called -Hangman’s Lane nobody knew; another that gave to -some allotments on the edge of his property; and a third -through which he also could see daylight, but which -spanned no road at all.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>An express train roared past in a cloud of steam, and -he scanned the viaduct with benignant interest. And -then he performed his daily tour of inspection. Turning -back into the house, he climbed the stairs to the third -floor, opened a little door that revealed an extra flight -of steps, and emerged on to the roof. At each corner -was a square black shed, about the height of a man’s -chest. The doors were heavily padlocked, and near by -each was a stout black box, equally weatherproof. There -were other things here: great, clumsy wall-plugs at -regular intervals. Seeing them, it might be thought that -Mr. Oberzohn contemplated a night when, in the exultation -of achievement, he would illuminate his ungainly -premises. But up till now that night had not arrived, -and in truth the only light usable was one which at the -moment was dismantled in the larger of the four sheds.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>From here he could look down upon the water cutting -into the factory grounds; and the black bulk of the -barge, which filled the entire width of the wharf, seemed -so near that he could have thrown a stone upon it. His -idle interest was in the sluggish black water that oozed -through the gates. A slight mist lay upon the canal; -a barge was passing down towards Deptford, and he -contemplated the straining horse that tugged the barge -rope with a mind set upon the time when he, too, might -use the waterway in a swifter craft.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>London lay around him, its spires and chimneys looming -through the thin haze of smoke. Far away the sun -caught the golden ball of St. Paul’s and added a new -star to the firmament. Mr. Oberzohn hated London—only -this little patch of his had beauty in his eyes. Not -the broad green parks and the flowering rhododendrons; -not the majestic aisles of pleasure where the rich lounger -rode or walked, nor the streets of stone-fronted stores, -nor the pleasant green of suburban roads—he loved only -these God-forgotten acres, this slimy wilderness in which -he had set up his habitation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He went downstairs, locking the roof door behind him, -and, passing Gurther’s room, knocked and was asked to -enter. The man sat in his singlet; he had shaved once, -but now the keen razor was going across his skin for the -second time. He turned his face, shining with cream, -and grinned round at the intruder, and with a grunt the -doctor shut the door and went downstairs, knowing that -the man was for the moment happy; for nothing pleased -Gurther quite so much as “dressing up.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The doctor stood at the entrance of his own room, -hesitating between books and laboratory, decided upon -the latter, and was busy for the next two hours. Only -once he came out, and that was to bring from the warm -room the green baize box which contained “the most -potent of chemicals, colossal in power.”</p> - -<hr class='tbk103'/> - -<p class='pindent'>The Newhaven-Dieppe route is spasmodically popular. -There are nights when the trains to Paris are crowded; -other nights when it is possible to obtain a carriage to -yourself; and it happened that this evening, when Elijah -Washington booked his seat, he might, if it had been -physically possible, have sat in one compartment and -put his feet on the seat in another.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Between the two great branches of the Anglo-Saxon -race there is one notable difference. The Englishman -prefers to travel in solitude and silence. His ideal -journey is one from London to Constantinople in a compartment -that is not invaded except by the ticket collector; -and if it is humanly possible that he can reach his -destination without having given utterance to anything -more sensational than an agreement with some other -passenger’s comment on the weather, he is indeed a -happy man. The American loves company; he has the -acquisitiveness of the Latin, combined with the rhetorical -virtues of the Teuton. Solitude makes him miserable; -silence irritates him. He wants to talk about large and -important things, such as the future of the country, the -prospects of agriculture and the fluctuations of trade, -about which the average Englishman knows nothing, and -is less interested. The American has a town pride, can -talk almost emotionally about a new drainage system -and grow eloquent upon a municipal balance sheet. The -Englishman does not cultivate his town pride until he -reaches middle age, and then only in sufficient quantities -to feel disappointed with the place of his birth after he -has renewed its acquaintance.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Washington found himself in an empty compartment, -and, grunting his dissatisfaction, walked along the -corridor, peeping into one cell after another in the hope -of discovering a fellow-countryman in a similar unhappy -plight. His search was fruitless and he returned to the -carriage in which his bag and overcoat were deposited, -and settled down to the study of an English humorous -newspaper and a vain search for something at which any -intelligent man could laugh.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The doors of the coach were at either end, and most -passengers entering had to pass the open entrance of -Mr. Washington’s compartment. At every click of the -door he looked up, hoping to find a congenial soul. But -disappointment awaited him, until a lady hesitated by -the door. It was a smoking carriage, but Washington, -who was a man of gallant character, would gladly have -sacrificed his cigar for the pleasure of her society. Young, -he guessed, and a widow. She was in black, an attractive -face showed through a heavy veil.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is this compartment engaged?” she asked in a low -voice that was almost a whisper.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, madam.” Washington rose, hat in hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Would you mind?” she asked in a soft voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why, surely! Sit down, ma’am,” said the gallant -American. “Would you like the corner seat by the -window?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She shook her head, and sat down near the door, turning -her face from him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you mind my smoking?” asked Washington, -after a while.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Please smoke,” she said, and again turned her face -away.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“English,” thought Mr. Washington in disgust, and -hunched himself for an hour and a half of unrelieved -silence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A whistle blew, the train moved slowly from the -platform, and Elijah Washington’s adventurous journey -had begun.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They were passing through Croydon when the girl -rose, and, leaning out, closed the little glass-panelled -door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You should let me do that,” said Elijah reproachfully, -and she murmured something about not wishing to -trouble him, and he relapsed into his seat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>One or two of the men who passed looked in, and -evidently this annoyed her, for she reached and pulled -down the spring blind which partially hid her from outside -observation, and after the ticket collector had been and -had punched the slips, she lowered the second of the three -blinds.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you mind?” she asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sure not, ma’am,” said Elijah, without any great -heartiness. He had no desire to travel alone with a lady -in a carriage so discreetly curtained. He had heard of -cases . . . and by nature he was an extremely cautious -man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The speed of the train increased; the wandering -passengers had settled down. The second of the ticket -inspections came as they were rushing through Redhill, -and Mr. Washington thought uncomfortably that there -was a significant look in the inspector’s face as he glanced -first at the drawn blinds, then from the lady to himself.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She affected a perfume of a peculiarly pleasing kind. -The carriage was filled with this subtle fragrance. Mr. -Washington smelt it above the scent of his cigar. Her -face was still averted; he wondered if she had gone to -sleep, and, growing weary of his search for humour, he -put down the paper, folded his hands and closed his eyes, -and found himself gently drifting to that medley of the -real and unreal which is the overture of dreams.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The lady moved; he looked at her out of the corner -of his half-closed eyes. She had moved round so as to -half face him. Her veil was still down, her white gloves -were reflectively clasped on her knees. He shut his eyes -again, until another movement brought him awake. She -was feeling in her bag.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mr. Washington was awake now—as wide awake as -he had ever been in his life. In stretching out her hand, -the lady had pulled short her sleeve, and there was a gap -of flesh between the glove and the wrist of her blouse, and -on her wrist was hair!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He shifted his position slightly, grunted as in his -sleep, and dropped his hand to his pocket, and all the -time those cold eyes were watching him through the -veil.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Lifting the bottom of the veil, she put the ebony -holder between her teeth and searched the bag for a match. -Then she turned appealingly to him as though she had -sensed his wakefulness. As she rose, Washington rose -too, and suddenly he sprang at her and flung her back -against the door. For a moment the veiled lady was taken -by surprise, and then there was a flash of steel.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>From nowhere a knife had come into her hand and -Washington gripped the wrist and levered it over, pushing -the palm of his hand under the chin. Even through the -veil he could feel the bristles, and knew now, if he had -not known before, that he had to deal with a man. A -live, active man, rendered doubly strong by the knowledge -of his danger. Gurther butted forward with his head, -but Washington saw the attack coming, shortened his arm -and jabbed full at the face behind the veil. The blow -stopped the man, only for an instant, and again he came -on, and this time the point of the knife caught the American’s -shoulder, and ripped the coat to the elbow. It -needed this to bring forth Elijah Washington’s mental -and physical reserves. With a roar he gripped the -throat of his assailant and threw him with such violence -against the door that it gave, and the “widow in mourning” -crashed against the panel of the outer corridor. -Before he could reach the attacker, Gurther had turned -and sped along the corridor to the door of the coach. In -a second he had flung it open and had dropped to the -footboard. The train was slowing to take Horsham Junction, -and the cat eyes waited until he saw a good fall, -and let go. Staring back into the darkness, Washington -saw nothing, and then the train inspector came along.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was a man in woman’s clothes,” he said, a little -breathlessly, and they went back to search the compartment, -but Mr. Gurther had taken bag and everything -with him, and the only souvenir of his presence was the -heel of a shoe that had been torn off in the struggle.</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch25'></a><span class='it'>Chapter XXV</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>Gurther Returns</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>T</span>HE train was going at thirty miles an hour when -Gurther dropped on to a ridge of sand by the side -of the track, and in the next second he was sliding forward -on his face. Fortunately for him the veil, though torn, -kept his eyes free. Stumbling to his feet, he looked round. -The level-crossing gates should be somewhere here. He -had intended jumping the train at this point, and Oberzohn -had made arrangements accordingly. A signalman, -perched high above the track, saw the figure and -challenged.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve lost my way,” said Gurther. “Where is the level-crossing?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A hundred yards farther on. Keep clear of those -metals—the Eastbourne express is coming behind.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>If Gurther had had his way, he would have stopped -long enough to remove a rail for the sheer joy of watching -a few hundred of the hated people plunged to destruction. -But he guessed that the car was waiting, went sideways -through the safety gates into a road which was fairly -populous. There were people about who turned their -heads and looked in amazement at the bedraggled -woman in black, but he had got beyond worrying about -his appearance.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He saw the car with the little green light which Oberzohn -invariably used to mark his machines from others, -and, climbing into the cab (as it was), sat down to recover -his breath. The driver he knew as one of the three men -employed by Oberzohn, one of whom Mr. Washington -had seen that morning.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The journey back to town was a long one, though the -machine, for a public vehicle, was faster than most. -Gurther welcomed the ride. Once more he had failed, -and he reasoned that this last failure was the most serious -of all. The question of Oberzohn’s displeasure did not -really arise. He had travelled far beyond the point when -the Swede’s disapproval meant very much to him. But -there might be a consequence more serious than any. He -knew well with what instructions Pfeiffer had been -primed on the night of the attack at Rath House—only -Gurther had been quicker, and his snake had bitten first. -Dr. Oberzohn had no illusions as to what had happened, -and if he had tactfully refrained from making reference -to the matter, he had his purpose and reasons. And this -night journey with Elijah Washington was one of them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was no excuse; he had none to offer. His hand -wandered beneath the dress to the long knife that was -strapped to his side, and the touch of the worn handle -was very reassuring. For the time being he was safe; -until another man was found to take Pfeiffer’s place -Oberzohn was working single-handed and could not -afford to dispense with the services of this, the last of -his assassins.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was past eleven when he dismissed the taxi at the -end of the long lane, and, following the only safe path, -came to the unpainted door that gave admission to Oberzohn’s -property. And the first words of his master told -him that there was no necessity for explanation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So you did not get him, Gurther?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, Herr Doktor.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I should not have sent you.” Oberzohn’s voice was -extraordinarily mild in all the circumstances. “That -man you cannot kill—with the snake. I have learned since -you went that he was bitten at the blind man’s house, -yet lives! That is extraordinary. I would give a lot -of money to test his blood. You tried the knife?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ja, Herr Doktor.” He lifted his veil, stripped off -hat and wig in one motion. The rouged and powdered -face was bruised; from under the brown wig was a trickle -of dried blood.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good! You have done as well as you could. Go -to your room, Gurther—march!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gurther went upstairs and for a quarter of an hour -was staring at his grinning face in the glass, as with -cream and soiled towel he removed his make-up.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Oberzohn’s very gentleness was a menace. What did -it portend? Until that evening neither Gurther nor his -dead companion had been taken into the confidence of -the two men who directed their activities. He knew -there were certain papers to be recovered; he knew there -were men to be killed; but what value were the papers, -or why death should be directed to this unfortunate or -that, he neither knew nor cared. His duty had been to -obey, and he had served a liberal paymaster well and -loyally. That girl in the underground room? Gurther -had many natural explanations for her imprisonment. -And yet none of them fitted the conditions. His cogitations -were wasted time. That night, for the first time, -the doctor took him into his confidence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He had finished dressing and was on his way to his -kitchen when the doctor stood at the doorway and called -him in.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sit down, Gurther.” He was almost kind. “You -will have a cigar? These are excellent.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He threw a long, thin, black cheroot, and Gurther -caught it between his teeth and seemed absurdly pleased -with his trick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The time has come when you must know something, -Gurther,” said the doctor. He took a fellow to the weed -the man was smoking, and puffed huge clouds of rank -smoke into the room. “I have for a friend—who? -Heir Newton?” He shrugged his shoulders. “He is a -very charming man, but he has no brains. He is the kind -of man, Gurther, who would live in comfort, take all we -gave him by our cleverness and industry, and never say -thank you! And in trouble what will he do, Gurther? -He will go to the police—yes, my dear friend, he will go -to the police!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He nodded. Gurther had heard the same story that -night when he had crept soft-footed to the door and had -heard the doctor discuss certain matters with the late -Mr. Pfeiffer.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He would, without a wink of his eyelash, without -a snap of his hand, send you and me to death, and would -read about our execution with a smile, and then go forth -and eat his plum-pudding and roast beef! That is our -friend Heir Newton! You have seen this with your -own eyes?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“<span class='it'>Ja, Herr Doktor!</span>” exclaimed the obedient Gurther.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He is a danger for many reasons,” Oberzohn proceeded -deliberately. “Because of these three men who -have so infamously set themselves out to ruin me, who -burnt down my house, and who whipped you, Gurther—they -tied you up to a post and whipped you with a -whip of nine tails. You have not forgotten, Gurther?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“<span class='it'>Nein, Herr Doktor.</span>” Indeed, Gurther had not forgotten, -though the vacant smirk on his face might suggest -that he had a pleasant memory of the happening.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A fool in an organization,” continued the doctor -oracularly, “is like a bad plate on a ship, or a weak link -in a chain. Let it snap, and what happens? You and -I die, my dear Gurther. We go up before a stupid man -in a white wig and a red cloak, and he hands us to another -man who puts a rope around our necks, drops us through -a hole in the ground—all because we have a stupid man -like Herr Montague Newton to deal with.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“<span class='it'>Ja, Herr Doktor</span>,” said Gurther as his master stopped. -He felt that this comment was required of him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now, I will tell you the whole truth.” The doctor -carefully knocked off the ash of his cigar into the saucer -of his cup. “There is a fortune for you and for me, -and this girl that we have in the quiet place can give it -to us. I can marry her, or I can wipe her out, so! If -I marry her, it would be better, I think, and this I have -arranged.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And then, in his own way, he told the story of the -hill of gold, concealing nothing, reserving nothing—all -that he knew, all that Villa had told him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“For three-four days now she must be here. At -the end of that time nothing matters. The letter to -Lisbon—of what value is it? I was foolish when I tried -to stop it. She has made no nominee, she has no heirs, -she has known nothing of her fortune, and therefore is in -no position to claim the renewal of the concession.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Herr Doktor, will you graciously permit me to -speak?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The doctor nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Does the Newton know this?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Newton knows all this,” said the doctor.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Will you graciously permit me to speak again, Herr -Doktor? What was this letter I was to have taken, had -I not been overcome by misfortune?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Oberzohn examined the ceiling.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have thought this matter from every angle,” he -said, “and I have decided thus. It was a letter written -by Gonsalez to the Secretary or the Minister of the -Colonies, asking that the renewal of the concession should -be postponed. The telegram from my friend at the -Colonial Office in Lisbon was to this effect.” He fixed -his glasses, fumbled in his waistcoat and took out the -three-page telegram. “I will read it to you in your own -language—</p> - -<div class='blockquoter9'> - -<p class='pindent'>“ ‘Application has been received from Leon Gonsalez, asking -His Excellency to receive a very special letter which arrives in two -days. The telegram does not state the contents of the letter, -but the Minister has given orders for the messenger to be received. -The present Minister is not favourable to concessions granted to -England or Englishmen.’ ”</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>He folded the paper.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Which means that there will be no postponement, -my dear Gurther, and this enormous fortune will be -ours.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gurther considered this point and for a moment forgot -to smile, and looked what he was in consequence: a -hungry, discontented wolf of a man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Herr Doktor, graciously permit me to ask you a -question?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ask,” said Oberzohn magnanimously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What share does Herr Newton get? And if you so -graciously honoured me with a portion of your so justly -deserved gains, to what extent would be that share?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The other considered this, puffing away until the room -was a mist of smoke.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ten thousand English pounds,” he said at last.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gracious and learned doctor, that is a very small -proportion of many millions,” said Gurther gently.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Newton will receive one half,” said the doctor, his -face working nervously, “if he is alive. If misfortune -came to him, that share would be yours, Gurther, my -brave fellow! And with so much money a man would -not be hunted. The rich and the noble would fawn -upon him; he would have his lovely yacht and steam -about the summer seas everlastingly, huh?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gurther rose and clicked his heels.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you desire me again this evening?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, no, Gurther.” The old man shook his head. -“And pray remember that there is another day to-morrow, -and yet another day after. We shall wait and -hear what our friend has to say. Good night, Gurther.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good night, Herr Doktor.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The doctor looked at the door for a long time after -his man had gone and took up his book. He was deep -in the chapter which was headed, in the German tongue: -“The Subconscious Activity of the Human Intellect in -Relation to the Esoteric Emotions.” To Dr. Oberzohn -this was more thrilling than the most exciting novel.</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch26'></a><span class='it'>Chapter XXVI</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>In Captivity</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>T</span>HE second day of captivity dawned unseen, in a -world that lay outside the brick roof and glazed -white walls of Mirabelle Leicester’s prison-house. She -had grown in strength and courage, but not so her companion. -Joan, who had started her weary vigil with an -almost cheerful gaiety, had sunk deeper and deeper into -depression as the hours progressed, and Mirabelle woke -to the sound of a woman’s sobs, to find the girl sitting -on the side of her bed, her head in her wet hands.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I hate this place!” she sobbed. “Why does he -keep me here? God! If I thought the hound was -double-crossing me . . . ! I’ll go mad if they keep me -here any longer. I will, Leicester!” she screamed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll make some tea,” said Mirabelle, getting out of -bed and finding her slippers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The girl sat throughout the operation huddled in a -miserable heap, and by and by her whimpering got on -Mirabelle’s nerves.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know why <span class='it'>you</span> should be wretched,” she said. -“They’re not after <span class='it'>your</span> money!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You can laugh—and how you can, I don’t know,” -sobbed the girl, as she took the cup in her shaking hands. -“I know I’m a fool, but I’ve never been locked up—like -this before. I didn’t dream he’d break his word. He -swore he’d come yesterday. What time is it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Six o’clock,” said Mirabelle.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It might as well have been eight or midday, for all she -knew to the contrary.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is a filthy place,” said the hysterical girl. “I -think they’re going to drown us all . . . or that thing -will explode”—she pointed to the green baize box—“I -know it! I feel it in my blood. That beast Gurther is -here somewhere, ugh! He’s like a slimy snake. Have -you ever seen him?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gurther? You mean the man who danced with -me?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s he. I keep telling you who he is,” said Joan -impatiently. “I wish we could get out of here.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She jumped up suddenly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come and see if you can help me lift the trap.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle knew it was useless before she set forth on -the quest for freedom. Their united efforts failed to -move the stone, and Joan was on the point of collapse -when they came back to their sleeping-room.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I hope Gurther doesn’t know that those men -are friends of yours,” she said, when she became -calmer.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You told me that yesterday. Would that make any -difference?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A whole lot,” said Joan vehemently. “He’s got -the blood of a fish, that man! There’s nothing he -wouldn’t do. Monty ought to be flogged for leaving us -here at his mercy. I’m not scared of Oberzohn—he’s -old. But the other fellow dopes, and goes stark, staring -mad at times. Monty told me one night that he was” -she choked—“a killer. He said that these German -criminals who kill people are never satisfied with one -murder, they go on and on until they’ve got twenty or -thirty! He says that the German prisons are filled with -men who have the murder habit.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He was probably trying to frighten you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why should he?” said the girl, with unreasonable -anger. “And leave him alone! Monty is the best in the -world. I adore the ground he walks on!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Very wisely, Mirabelle did not attempt to traverse this -view.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was only when her companion had these hysterical -fits that fear was communicated to her. Her faith was -completely and whole-heartedly centred on the three men—upon -Gonsalez. She wondered how old he was. Sometimes -he looked quite young, at others an elderly man. -It was difficult to remember his face; he owed so much -to his expression, the smile in his eyes, to the strange, -boyish eagerness of gesture and action which accompanied -his speech. She could not quite understand herself; why -was she always thinking of Gonsalez, as a maid might -think of a lover? She went red at the thought. He -seemed so apart, so aloof from the ordinary influences of -women. Suppose she had committed some great crime -and had escaped the vigilance of the law, would he hunt -her down in the same remorseless, eager way, planning -to cut off every avenue of her escape until he shepherded -her into a prison cell? It was a horrible thought, and -she screwed up her eyes tight to blot out the mental -picture she had made.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It would have given her no ordinary satisfaction to -have known how often Gonsalez’s thoughts strayed to the -girl who had so strangely come into his life. He spent a -portion of his time that morning in his bedroom, fixing -to the wall a large railway map which took in the south of -England and the greater part of the Continent. A red-ink -line marked the route from London to Lisbon, and he -was fixing a little green flag on the line just south of Paris -when Manfred strolled into the room and surveyed his -work.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Sud Express is about there,” he said, pointing -to the last of the green flags, “and I think our friend -will have a fairly pleasant and uneventful journey as -far as Valladolid—where I have arranged for Miguel -Garcia, an old friend of mine, to pick him up and shadow -him on the westward journey—unless we get the ’plane. -I’m expecting a wire any minute. By the way, the -Dieppe police have arrested the gentleman who tried to -bump him overboard in mid-Channel, but the man who -snatched at his portfolio at the Gare St. Lazare is still -at liberty.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He must be getting quite used to it now,” said Manfred -coolly, and laughed to himself.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon turned.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s a good fellow,” he said with quick earnestness. -“We couldn’t have chosen a better man. The woman -on the train, of course, was Gurther. He is the only -criminal I’ve ever known who is really efficient at disguising -himself.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred lit his pipe; he had lately taken to this form -of smoking.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The case grows more and more difficult every day. -Do you realize that?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And more dangerous,” he said. “By the laws of -average, Gurther should get one of us the next time he -makes an attempt. Have you seen the papers?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred smiled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They’re crying for Meadows’ blood, poor fellow! -Which shows the extraordinary inconsistency of the public. -Meadows has only been in one snake case. They credit -him with having fallen down on the lot.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They seem to be in remarkable agreement that the -snake deaths come into the category of wilful murder,” -said Gonsalez as they went down the stairs together.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Meadows had been talking to the reporters. Indeed, -that was his chief offence from the view-point of the -official mind. For the first article in the code of every -well-constituted policeman is, “Thou shalt not communicate -to the Press.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon strolled aimlessly about the room. He was -wearing his chauffeur’s uniform, and his hands were -thrust into the breeches pockets. Manfred, recognizing -the symptoms, rang the bell for Poiccart, and that quiet -man came from the lower regions.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Leon is going to be mysterious,” said Manfred dryly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m not really,” protested Leon, but he went red. -It was one of his most charming peculiarities that he -had never forgotten how to blush. “I was merely going -to suggest that there’s a play running in London that we -ought to see. I didn’t know that ‘The Ringer’ was a play -until this morning, when I saw one of Oberzohn’s more -genteel clerks go into the theatre, and, being naturally -of an inquisitive turn of mind, followed him. A play that -interests Oberzohn will interest me, and should interest -you, George,” he said severely, “and certainly should -interest Meadows—it is full of thrilling situations! It -is about a criminal who escapes from Dartmoor and comes -back to murder his betrayer. There is one scene which -is played in the dark, that ought to thrill you—I’ve been -looking up the reviews of the dramatic critics, and as -they are unanimous that it is not an artistic success, and -is, moreover, wildly improbable, it ought to be worth -seeing. I always choose an artistic success when I am -suffering from insomnia,” he added cruelly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oberzohn is entitled to his amusements, however -vulgar they may be.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But this play isn’t vulgar,” protested Leon, “except -in so far as it is popular. I found it most difficult to -buy a seat. Even actors go to see the audience act.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What seat did he buy?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Box A,” said Leon promptly, “and paid for it with -real money. It is the end box on the prompt side—and -before you ask me whence I gained my amazing knowledge -of theatrical technique, I will answer that even a child -in arms knows that the prompt side is the left-hand side -facing the audience.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“For to-night?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have three stalls,” he said and produced them from -his pocket. “If you cannot go, will you give them to -the cook? She looks like a woman who would enjoy a -good cry over the sufferings of the tortured heroine. The -seats are in the front row, which means that you can get -in and out between the acts without walking on other -people’s knees.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Must I go?” asked Poiccart plaintively. “I do not -like detective plays, and I hate mystery plays. I know -who the real murderer is before the curtain has been up -ten minutes, and that naturally spoils my evening.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Could you not take a girl?” asked Leon outrageously. -“Do you know any who would go?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why not take Aunt Alma?” suggested Manfred, and -Leon accepted the name joyously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Aunt Alma had come to town at the suggestion of the -Three, and had opened up the Doughty Court flat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And really she is a remarkable woman, and shows -a steadiness and a courage in face of the terrible position -of our poor little friend, which is altogether praiseworthy. -I don’t think Mirabelle Leicester is in any immediate -danger. I think I’ve said that before. Oberzohn merely -wishes to keep her until the period of renewal has expired. -How he will escape the consequences of imprisoning her, -I cannot guess. He may not attempt to escape them, may -accept the term of imprisonment which will certainly be -handed out to him, as part of the payment he must pay -for his millions.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Suppose he kills her?” asked Poiccart.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For a second Leon’s face twitched.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He won’t kill her,” he said quietly. “Why should -he? We know that he has got her—the police know. -She is a different proposition from Barberton, an unknown -man killed nobody knew how, in a public place. No, I -don’t think we need cross that bridge, only . . .” He -rubbed his hands together irritably. “However, we -shall see. And in the meantime I’m placing a lot of faith -in Digby, a shrewd man with a sense of his previous shortcomings. -You were wise there, George.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was looking at the street through the curtains.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Tittlemouse is at his post, the faithful hound!” -he said, nodding towards the solitary taxicab that stood -on the rank. “I wonder whether he expects——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred saw a light creep into his eyes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Will you want me for the next two hours?” Leon -asked quickly, and was out of the room in a flash.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Ten minutes later, Poiccart and George were talking -together when they heard the street door close, and saw -Leon stroll to the edge of the pavement and wave his -umbrella. The taxi-driver was suddenly a thing of quivering -excitement. He leaned down, cranked his engine, -climbed back into his seat and brought the car up quicker -than any taxicab driver had ever moved before.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“New Scotland Yard,” said Leon, and got into the -machine.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The cab passed through the forbidding gates of the -Yard and dropped him at the staff entrance.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Wait here,” said Leon, and the man shifted uncomfortably.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve got to be back at my garage——” he began.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I shall not be five minutes,” said Leon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Meadows was in his room, fortunately.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I want you to pull in this man and give him a dose -of the third degree you keep in this country,” said Leon. -“He carries a gun; I saw that when he had to get down -to crank up his cab in Piccadilly Circus. The engine -stopped.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What do you want to know?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“All that there is to be known about Oberzohn. I -may have missed one or two things. I’ve seen him outside -the house. Oberzohn employs him for odd jobs -and occasionally he acts as the old man’s chauffeur. In -fact, he drove the machine the day Miss Leicester lunched -with Oberzohn at the Ritz-Carlton. He may not have -a cabman’s licence, and that will make it all the easier -for you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A few minutes later, a very surprised and wrathful -man was marched into Cannon Row and scientifically -searched. Leon had been right about the revolver; it -was produced and found to be loaded, and his excuse that -he carried the weapon as a protection following upon a -recent murder of a cab-driver, had not the backing of the -necessary permit. In addition—and this was a more -serious offence—he held no permit from Scotland Yard -to ply for hire on the streets, and his badge was the -property of another man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Put him inside,” said Meadows, and went back to -report to the waiting Leon. “You’ve hit the bull’s-eye -first time. I don’t know whether he will be of any use -to us, but I don’t despise even the smallest fish.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Whilst he was waiting, Leon had been engaged in some -quick thinking.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The man has been at Greenwich lately. One of my -men saw him there twice, and I needn’t say that he was -driving Oberzohn.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll talk to him later and telephone you,” said -Meadows, and Leon Gonsalez went back to Curzon Street, -one large smile.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You have merely exchanged a spy you know for a -spy you don’t know,” said George Manfred, “though I -never question these freakish acts of yours, Leon. So -often they have a trick of turning up trumps. By the -way, the police are raiding the Gringo Club in the Victoria -Dock Road to-night, and they may be able to pick up a -few of Mr. Oberzohn’s young gentlemen who are certain -to be regular users of the place.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The telephone bell rang shrilly, and Leon took up the -receiver, and recognized Meadows’ voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve got a queer story for you,” said the inspector -immediately.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Did he talk?” asked the interested Leon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“After a while. We took a finger-print impression, -and found that he was on the register. More than that, -he is a ticket-of-leave man. As an ex-convict we can -send him back to finish his unexpired time. I promised -to say a few words for him, and he spilt everything. -The most interesting item is that Oberzohn is planning -to be married.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“To be married? Who is this?” asked Manfred, in -surprise. “Oberzohn?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who is the unfortunate lady?” asked Leon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a pause, and then:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Miss Leicester.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred saw the face of his friend change colour, and -guessed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Does he know when?” asked Leon in a different -voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No. The licence was issued over a week ago, which -means that Oberzohn can marry any morning he likes -to bring along his bride. What’s the idea, do you -think?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Drop in this evening and either I or George will tell -you,” said Leon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He put the telephone on the hook very carefully.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is a danger I had not foreseen, although it -was obviously the only course Oberzohn could take. If -he marries her, she cannot be called in evidence against -him. May I see the book, George?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred unlocked the wall safe and brought back -a small ledger. Leon Gonsalez turned the pages thoughtfully.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Dennis—he has done good work for us, hasn’t he?” -he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, he’s a very reliable man. He owes us, amongst -other things, his life. Do you remember, his wife -was——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I remember.” Leon scribbled the address of a man -who had proved to be one of the most trustworthy of -his agents.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What are you going to do?” asked Manfred.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve put Dennis on the doorstep of the Greenwich -registrar’s office from nine o’clock in the morning until -half-past three in the afternoon, and he will have instructions -from me that, the moment he sees Oberzohn -walk out of a cab with a lady, he must push him firmly -but gently under the wheels of the cab and ask the -driver politely to move up a yard.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon in his more extravagantly humorous moods was -very often in deadly earnest.</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch27'></a><span class='it'>Chapter XXVII</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>Mr. Newton’s Dilemma</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>T</span>HE most carefully guided streaks of luck may, in -spite of all precautions, overflow into the wrong -channel, and this had happened to Mr. Montague Newton, -producing an evening that was financially disastrous and -a night from which sleep was almost banished. He had -had one of his little card parties; but whether it was the -absence of Joan, and the inadequacy of her fluffy-haired -substitute, or whether the wine had disagreed with one -of the most promising victims, the result was the same. -They had played <span class='it'>chemin de fer</span>, and the gilded pigeon, -whose feathers seemed already to be ornamenting the -head-dress of Monty Newton, had been successful, and -when he should have been signing cheques for large -amounts, he was cashing his counters with a reluctant -host.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The night started wrong with Joan’s substitute, whose -name was Lisa. She had guided to the establishment, -via an excellent dinner at Mero’s, the son of an African -millionaire. Joan, of course, would have brought him -alone, but Lisa, less experienced, had allowed a young-looking -friend of the victim to attach himself to the party, -and she had even expected praise for her perspicacity and -enterprise in producing two birds for the stone which -Mr. Newton so effectively wielded, instead of one.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Monty did not resent the presence of the new-comer, -and rather took the girl’s view, until he learnt that -Lisa’s “find” was not, as she had believed, an officer of the -Guards, but a sporting young lawyer with a large criminal -practice, and one who had already, as a junior, conducted -several prosecutions for the Crown. The moment his -name was mentioned, Monty groaned in spirit. He was, -moreover, painfully sober. His friend was not so favourably -situated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>That was the first of the awkward things to happen. -The second was the bad temper of the player, who, when -the bank was considerably over £3,000, had first of all -insisted upon the cards being reshuffled, and then had -gone banquo—the game being baccarat. Even this -contretemps might have been overcome, but after he had -expressed his willingness to “give it,” the card which -Monty had so industriously palmed, slipped from his -hand to the table, and though the fact was unnoticed -by the players, the lawyer’s attention being diverted at -the moment, it was impossible to recover that very -valuable piece of pasteboard. And Monty had done a -silly thing. Instead of staging an artistic exhibition of -annoyance at remarks which the millionaire’s son had -made, he decided to take a chance on the natural run of -the cards. And he had lost. On top of that, the slightly -inebriated player had decided that when a man had won -a coup of £3,000 it was time to stop playing. So Monty -experienced the mortification of paying out money, and -accompanying his visitor to the door with a smile that -was so genial and so full of good-fellowship that the -young gentleman was compelled to apologize for his -boorishness.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come along some other night and give me my revenge,” -said Monty.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You bet I will! I’m going to South Africa to-morrow, -but I shall be back early next year, and I’ll -look you up.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Monty watched him going down the steps and hoped -he would break his neck.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was worried about Joan—more worried than he -thought it was possible for him to be about so light a girl. -She was necessary to him in many ways. Lisa was a -bungling fool, he decided, though he sent her home without -hurting her feelings. She was a useful girl in many -ways, and nothing spoils a tout quicker than constant -nagging.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He felt very lonely in the house, and wandered from -room to room, irritated with himself that the absence -of this feather-brained girl, who had neither the education -nor the breed of his own class, should make such -a big difference. And it did; he had to admit as much -to himself. He hated the thought of that underground -room. He knew something of her temperament, and -how soon her experience would get on her nerves. In -many respects he wished he did not feel that way about -her, because she had a big shock coming, and it was -probably because he foresaw this hurt, that he was -anxious to make the present as happy as he could for -her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>After he had done what he was to do, there was no -reason in the world why they should be bad friends, and -he would give her a big present. Girls of that class -soon forget their miseries if the present is large enough. -Thus he argued, tossing from side to side in his bed, and -all the time his thoughts playing about that infernal -cellar. What she must be feeling! He did not worry -at all about Mirabelle, because—well, she was a principal -in the case. To him, Joan was the real victim.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Sleep did not come until daybreak, and he woke in -his most irritable frame of mind. He had promised the -girl he would call and see her, though he had privately -arranged with Oberzohn not to go to the house until the -expiry of the five days.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>By lunch-time he could stand the worry no longer, -and, ordering his car, drove to a point between New Cross -and Bermondsey, walking on foot the remainder of the -distance. Mr. Oberzohn expected the visit. He had a -shrewd knowledge of his confederate’s mental outfit, -and when he saw this well-dressed man picking a dainty -way across the littered ground, he strolled out on the -steps to meet him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is curious you should have come,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why didn’t you telephone?” growled Newton. -This was his excuse for the visit.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Because there are human machines at the end of -every wire,” said Oberzohn. “If they were automatic -and none could listen, but you and I, we would talk and -talk and then talk! All day long would I speak with -you and find it a pleasure. But not with Miss This -and Miss That saying, ‘One moment, if you please,’ -and saying to the Scotland Yard man, ‘Now you cut -in’!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is Gurther back?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gurther is back,” said the doctor soberly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Nothing happened to that bird? At least, I saw -nothing in the evening papers.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He has gone to Lisbon,” replied the doctor indifferently. -“Perhaps he will get there, perhaps he will not—what -does it matter? I should like to see the letter, -because it is data, and data has an irresistible charm for -a poor old scientist. You will have a drink?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Monty hesitated, as he always did when Oberzohn -offered him refreshment. You could never be sure with -Oberzohn.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll have a whisky,” he said at last, “a full bottle—one -that hasn’t been opened. I’ll open it myself.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The doctor chuckled unevenly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You do not trust?” he said. “I think you are -wise. For who is there in this world of whom a man -can say, ‘He is my friend. To the very end of my life -I will have confidence in him’?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Monty did not feel that the question called for an -answer.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He took the whisky bottle to the light, examined the -cork and drove in the corkscrew.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The soda water—that also might be poisoned,” said -Dr. Oberzohn pleasantly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At any other time he would not have made that observation. -That he said it at all, betrayed a subtle but -ominous change in their relationships. If Monty noticed -this, he did not say a word, but filled his glass and sat -down on the sofa to drink. And all the time the doctor -was watching him interestedly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, Gurther is back. He failed, but you must -excuse failure in a good man. The perfect agent has yet -to be found, and the perfect principal also. The American, -Washington, had left Paris when I last heard of him. He -is to be congratulated. If I myself lived in Paris I should -always be leaving. It is a frivolous city.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Monty lit a cigar, and decided to arrive at the -object of his visit by stages. For he had come to -perform two important duties. He accounted as a -duty a call upon Joan. No less was it a duty, and -something of a relief also, to make his plan known to -his partner.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How are the girls?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They are very happy,” said Dr. Oberzohn, who had -not resumed his seat, but stood in an attitude somewhat -reminiscent of Gurther, erect, staring, motionless. “Always -my guests are happy.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In that dog-hole?” said the other contemptuously. -“I don’t want Joan to be here.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The Herr Doktor shrugged.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then take her away, my friend,” he said. “Why -should she stay, if you are unhappy because this woman -is not with you? She serves no purpose. Possibly she -is fretting. By all means—I will bring her to you.” He -moved to the door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Wait a moment,” said Monty. “I’ll see her later -and take her out perhaps, but I don’t want her to be -away permanently. Somebody ought to stay with that -girl.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why? Am I not here?” asked Oberzohn blandly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re here, and Gurther’s here.” Monty was looking -out of the window and did not meet the doctor’s -eyes. “Especially Gurther. That’s why I think that -Mirabelle Leicester should have somebody to look after -her. Has it ever struck you that the best way out of -this little trouble is—marriage?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have thought that,” said the doctor. “You also -have thought it? This is wonderful! You are beginning -to think.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The change of tone was noticeable enough now. Monty -snapped round at the man who had hitherto stood in -apparent awe of him and his judgments.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You can cut that sarcasm right out, Oberzohn,” he -said, and, without preamble: “I’m going to marry that -girl.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Oberzohn said nothing to this.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She’s not engaged; she’s got no love affairs at all. -Joan told me, and Joan is a pretty shrewd girl. I don’t -know how I’m going to fix it, but I guess the best thing -I can do is to pretend that I am a real friend and get her -out of your cellar. She’ll be so grateful that maybe -she will agree to almost anything. Besides, I think I made -an impression the first time I saw her. And I’ve got a -position to offer her, Oberzohn: a house in the best -part of London——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My house,” interrupted Oberzohn’s metallic voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Your house? Well, <span class='it'>our</span> house, let us say. We’re -not going to quarrel about terms.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I also have a position to offer her, and I do not offer -her any other man’s.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Oberzohn was looking at him wide-eyed, a comical -figure; his elongated face seemed to stand out in the -gloom like a pantomime mask.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You?” Monty could hardly believe his ears.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I, Baron Eruc Oberzohn.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A baron, are you?” The room shook with Monty’s -laughter. “Why, you damned old fool, you don’t -imagine she’d marry you, do you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Oberzohn nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She would do anythings what I tell her.” In his -agitation his English was getting a little ragged. “A -girl may not like a mans, but she might hate somethings -worse—you understand? A woman says death is not’ing, -but a woman is afeard of death, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re crazy,” said Monty scornfully.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I am crazy, am I? And a damned old fool also—yes? -Yet I shall marry her.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a dead silence, and then Oberzohn continued -the conversation, but on a much calmer note.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Perhaps I am what you call me, but it is not a thing -worthy for two friends to quarrel. To-morrow you shall -come here, and we will discuss this matter like a business -proposition, hein?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Monty examined him as though he were a strange -insect that had wandered into his ken.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re not a Swede, you’re German,” he said. “That -baron stuff gave you away.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I am from the Baltic, but I have lived many years -in Sweden,” said Oberzohn shortly. “I am not German: -I do not like them.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>More than this he would not say. Possibly he shared -Gurther’s repugnance towards his sometime neighbours.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We shall not quarrel, anyway,” he continued. “I -am a fool, you are a fool, we are all fools. You wish -to see your woman?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wish to see Joan,” said Monty gruffly. “I don’t -like that ‘your woman’ line of yours.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I will go get her. You wait.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Again the long boots came from under the table, were -dragged on to the doctor’s awkward feet, and Monty -watched him from the window as he crossed to the factory -and disappeared.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was gone five minutes before he came out -again, alone. Monty frowned. What was the reason for -this?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My friend,” panted Oberzohn, to whom these exertions -were becoming more and more irksome, “it is not -wise.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I want to see her——” began Monty.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gently, gently; you shall see her. But on the -canal bank Gurther has also seen a stranger, who has been -walking up and down, pretending to fish. Who can -fish in a canal, I ask you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is he to do with it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Would it be wise to bring her in daylight, I ask -you again? Do not the men think that your—that this -girl is in Brussels?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>This had not occurred to Monty.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have an idea for you. It is a good idea. The -brain of old fool Oberzohn sometimes works remarkably. -This morning a friend sent to me a ticket for a theatre. -Now you shall take her to-night. There is always a little -fog when the sun is setting and you can leave the house -in a car. Presently I will send a man to attract this -watcher’s attention, and then I will bring her to the -house and you can call for her.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I will wait for her.” Monty was dogged on this -point.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And wait he did, until an hour later a half-crazy girl -came flying into the room and into his arms.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dr. Oberzohn witnessed the reunion unmoved.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is a pretty scene for me,” he said, “for one to -be so soon married,” and he left them alone.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Monty, I can’t possibly go back to that beastly place -to-night. She’ll have to stay by herself. And she’s -not a bad kid, Monty, but she doesn’t know she’s worth -a lot of money.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Have you been talking to her?” he asked angrily. -“I told you——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, I’ve only just asked her a few questions. You -can’t be in a poky hole like that, thrown together day -and night, without talking, can you? Monty, you’re -absolutely sure nothing can happen to her?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Monty cleared his throat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The worst thing that can happen to her,” he said, -“is to get married.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She opened her eyes at this.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Does somebody want to marry her?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oberzohn,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That old thing!” she scoffed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Again he found a difficulty in speaking.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have been thinking it over, honey,” he said. “Marriage -doesn’t mean a whole lot to anybody.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’ll mean a lot to me,” she said quietly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Suppose I married her?” he blurted.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You!” She stepped back from him in horror.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Only just a . . . well, this is the truth, Joan. It -may be the only way to get her money. Now you’re in -on this graft, and you know what you are to me. A -marriage—a formal marriage—for a year or two, and -then a divorce, and we could go away together, man and -wife.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is that what he meant?” She jerked her head to -the door. “About ‘married so soon’?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He wants to marry her himself.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Let him,” she said viciously. “Do you think I -care about money? Isn’t there any other way of getting -it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was silent. There were too many other ways of -getting it for him to advance a direct negative.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, Monty, you’re not going to do that?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know what I’m going to do yet,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But not that?” she insisted, clinging to him by -his coat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’ll talk about it to-night. The old man’s got us -tickets for the theatre. We’ll have a bit of dinner up -West and go on, and it really doesn’t matter if anybody -sees us, because they know very well you’re not in Brussels. -What is that queer scent you’ve got?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Joan laughed, forgetting for the moment the serious -problem which faced her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Joss-sticks,” she said. “The place got so close and -stuffy, and I found them in the pantry with the provisions. -As a matter of fact, it was a silly thing to do, -because we had the place full of smoke. It’s gone now, -though. Monty, you do these crazy things when you’re -locked up,” she said seriously. “I don’t think I can go -back again.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Go back to-morrow,” he almost pleaded. “It’s -only for two or three days, and it means a lot to me. -Especially now that Oberzohn has ideas.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re not going to think any more about—about -marrying her, are you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’ll talk of it to-night at dinner. I thought you’d -like the idea of the graft,” he added untruthfully.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Joan had to return to her prison to collect some of -her belongings. She found the girl lying on the bed, -reading, and Mirabelle greeted her with a smile.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, is your term of imprisonment ended?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Joan hesitated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not exactly. Do you mind if I’m not here to-night?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle shook her head. If the truth be told, she -was glad to be alone. All that day she had been forced -to listen to the plaints and weepings of this transfigured -girl, and she felt that she could not well stand another -twenty-four hours.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re sure you won’t mind being alone?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, of course not. I shall miss you,” added Mirabelle, -more in truth than in compliment. “When will -you return?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The girl made a little grimace.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“To-morrow.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You don’t want to come back, naturally? Have -you succeeded in persuading your—your friend to let me -out too?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Joan shook her head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’ll never do that, my dear, not till . . .” She -looked at the girl. “You’re not engaged, are you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I? No. Is that another story they’ve heard?” -Mirabelle got up from the bed, laughing. “An heiress, -and engaged?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, they don’t say you were engaged.” Joan -hastened to correct the wrong impression. There was -genuine admiration in her voice, when she said: “You’re -wonderful, kid! If I were in your shoes I’d be quaking. -You’re just as cheerful as though you were going to the -funeral of a rich aunt!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She did not know how near to a breakdown her companion -had been that day, and Mirabelle, who felt stronger -and saner now, had no desire to tell her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re rather splendid.” Joan nodded. “I wish -I had your pluck.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And then, impulsively, she came forward and kissed -the girl.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t feel too sore at me,” she said, and was gone -before Mirabelle could make a reply.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The doctor was waiting for her in the factory.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The spy has walked up to the canal bridge. We can -go forward,” he said. “Besides,”—he had satisfaction -out of this—“he cannot see over high walls.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is this story about marrying Mirabelle Leicester?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So he has told you? Also did he tell you that—that -<span class='it'>he</span> is going to marry her?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, and I’ll tell you something, doctor. I’d rather -he married her than you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So!” said the doctor.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’d rather anybody else married her, except that -snake of yours.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Oberzohn looked round sharply. She had used the -word quite innocently, without any thought of its application, -and uttered an “Oh!” of dismay when she realized -her mistake.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I meant Gurther,” she said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, I know you meant Gurther, young miss,” he -said stiffly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>To get back to the house they had to make a half-circle -of the factory and pass between the canal wall and -the building itself. The direct route would have taken -them into a deep hollow into which the debris of years -had been thrown, and which now Nature, in her kindness, -had hidden under a green mantle of wild convolvulus. -It was typical of the place that the only beautiful picture -in the grounds was out of sight.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They were just turning the corner of the factory when -the doctor stopped and looked up at the high wall, -which was protected by a <span class='it'>cheval de frise</span> of broken -glass. All except in one spot, about two feet wide, -where not only the glass but the mortar which held it -in place had been chipped off. There were fragments of -the glass, and, on the inside of the wall, marks of some -implement on the hard surface of the mortar.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So!” said the doctor.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was examining the scratches on the wall.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Wait,” he ordered, and hurried back into the factory, -to return, carrying in each hand two large rusty contraptions -which he put on the ground.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>One by one he forced open the jagged rusty teeth -until they were wide apart and held by a spring catch. -She had seen things like that in a museum. They were -man-traps—relics of the barbarous days when trespass -was not only a sin but a crime.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He fixed the second of the traps on the path between -the factory and the wall.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now we shall see,” he said. “Forward!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Monty was waiting for her impatiently. The Rolls -had been turned out in her honour, and the sulky-looking -driver was already in his place at the wheel.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is the matter with that chauffeur?” she asked, -as they bumped up the lane towards easier going. “He -looks so happy that I shouldn’t be surprised to hear that -his mother was hanged this morning.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s sore with the old man,” explained Monty. -“Oberzohn has two drivers. They do a little looking -round in the morning. The other fellow was supposed -to come back to take over duty at three o’clock, and he -hasn’t turned up. He was the better driver of the two.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The chauffeur was apparently seeking every pothole -in the ground, and in the next five minutes she was alternately -clutching the support of the arm-strap and Monty. -They were relieved when at last the car found a metal road -and began its noiseless way towards The Lights. And -then her hand sought his, and for the moment this beautiful -flower which had grown in such foul soil, bloomed -in the radiance of a love common to every woman, high -and low, good and bad.</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch28'></a><span class='it'>Chapter XXVIII</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>At Frater’s</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>M</span>ANFRED suggested an early dinner at the Lasky, -where the soup was to his fastidious taste. Leon, -who had eaten many crumpets for tea—he had a weakness -for this indigestible article of diet—was prepared to dispense -with the dinner, and Poiccart had views, being a -man of steady habits. They dined at the Lasky, and -Leon ordered a baked onion, and expatiated upon the -two wasted years of Poiccart’s life, employing a wealth -of imagery and a beauty of diction worthy of a better -subject.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred looked at his watch.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where are they dining?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t know yet,” said Leon. “Our friend will be -here in a few minutes; when we go out he will tell us. -You don’t want to see her?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m going to be bored,” complained Poiccart.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then you should have let me bring Alma,” said Leon -promptly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Exactly.” Raymond nodded his sober head. “I -have the feeling that I am saving a lady from an unutterably -dreary evening.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a man waiting for them when they came -out of the restaurant—a very uninteresting-looking man -who had three sentences to say <span class='it'>sotto voce</span> as they stood -near him, but apparently in ignorance of his presence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I did not wish to go to Mero’s,” said Manfred, “but -as we have the time, I think it would be advisable to stroll -in that direction. I am curious to discover whether this -is really Oberzohn’s little treat, or whether the idea -emanated from the unadmirable Mr. Newton.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And how will you know, George?” asked Gonsalez.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“By the car. If Oberzohn is master of the ceremonies, -we shall find his machine parked somewhere in the neighbourhood. -If it is Newton’s idea, then Oberzohn’s -limousine, which brought them from South London, will -have returned, and Newton’s car will be in its place.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mero’s was one of the most fashionable of dining clubs, -patronized not only by the elite of society, but having on -its books the cream of the theatrical world. It was -situated in one of those quiet, old-world squares which -are to be found in the very heart of London, enjoying, -for some mysterious reason, immunity from the hands -of the speculative property owner. The square retained -the appearance it had in the days of the Georges; and -though some of the fine mansions had been given over -to commerce and the professions, and the lawyer and the -manufacturer’s agent occupied the drawing-rooms and -bedrooms sacred to the bucks and beauties of other days, -quite a large number of the houses remained in private -occupation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was nothing in the fascia of Mero’s to advertise -its character. The club premises consisted of three of -these fine old dwellings. The uninitiated might not even -suspect that there was communication between the three -houses, for the old doorways and doorsteps remained -untouched, though only one was used.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They strolled along two sides of the square before, -amidst the phalanx of cars that stood wheel to wheel, -their backs to the railings of the centre gardens, they saw -Oberzohn’s car.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The driver sat with his arms folded on the wheel, in -earnest conversation with a pale-faced man, slightly and -neatly bearded, and dressed in faultless evening dress. -He was evidently a cripple: one shoulder was higher -than the other; and when he moved, he walked painfully -with the aid of a stick.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred saw the driver point up the line of cars, and -the lame gentleman limped in the direction the chauffeur -had indicated and stopped to speak to another man in -livery. As they came abreast of him, they saw that one -of his boots had a thick sole, and the limp was explained.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The gentleman has lost his car,” said Manfred, -for now he was peering short-sightedly at the number-plates.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The theft of cars was a daily occurrence. Leon had -something to say on the potentialities of that branch -of crime. He owned to an encyclopædic knowledge of -the current fashions in wrongdoing, and in a few brief -sentences indicated the extent of these thefts.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Fifty a week are shipped to India and the Colonies, -after their numbers are erased and another substituted. -In some cases the ‘knockers off,’ as they call the thieves, -drive them straight away into the packing-cases which -are prepared for every make of car; the ends are nailed -up, and they are waiting shipment at the docks before -the owner is certain of his loss. There are almost as -many stolen cars in India, South Africa and Australia -as there are honest ones!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They walked slowly past the decorous portals of -Mero’s, and caught a glimpse, through the curtained -windows, of soft table lamps burning, of bare-armed -women and white-shirted men, and heard faintly the -strains of an orchestra playing a Viennese waltz.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I should like to see our Jane,” said Gonsalez. “She -never came to you, did she?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She came, but I didn’t see her,” said Manfred. -“From the moment she leaves the theatre she must not -be left.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have already made that arrangement,” he said. -“Digby——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Digby takes up his duty at midnight,” said Manfred. -“He has been down to Oberzohn’s place to get the lie -of the land: he thought it advisable that he should -study the topography in daylight, and I agreed. He -might get himself into an awkward tangle if he started -exploring the canal bank in the dark hours. Summer or -winter, there is usually a mist on the water.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They reached Frater’s theatre so early that the queues -at the pit door were still unadmitted, and Leon suggested -that they make a circuit of this rambling house of entertainment. -It stood in Shaftesbury Avenue and occupied -an island site. On either side two narrow streets flanked -the building, whilst the rear formed the third side of a -small square, one of which was taken up by a County -Council dwelling, mainly occupied by artisans. From -the square a long passage-way led to Cranbourn Street; -whilst, in addition to the alley which opened just at the -back of the theatre, a street ran parallel to Shaftesbury -Avenue from Charing Cross Road to Rupert Street.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The theatre itself was one of the best in London, and -although it had had a succession of failures, its luck had -turned, and the new mystery play was drawing all London.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is the stage door,” said Leon—they had reached -the square—“and those are emergency exits”—he -pointed back the way they had come—“which are -utilized at the end of a performance to empty the theatre.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why are you taking such an interest in the theatre -itself?” asked Poiccart.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Because,” said Gonsalez slowly, “I am in agreement -with George. We should have found Newton’s car -parked in Fitzreeve Gardens—not Oberzohn’s. And the -circumstances are a little suspicious.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The doors of the pit and gallery were open now; -the queues were moving slowly to the entrances; and -they watched the great building swallow up the devotees -of the drama, before they returned to the front of the -house.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Cars were beginning to arrive, at first at intervals, -but, as the hour of the play’s beginning approached, in -a ceaseless line that made a congestion and rendered the -traffic police articulate and occasionally unkind. It was -short of the half-hour after eight when Manfred saw Oberzohn’s -glistening car in the block, and presently it pulled -up before the entrance of the theatre. First Joan and -then Monty Newton alighted and passed out of view.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gonsalez thought he had never seen the girl looking -quite as radiantly pretty. She had the colouring and -the shape of youth, and though the more fastidious -might object to her daring toilette, the most cantankerous -could not cavil at the pleasing effect.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is a great pity,”—Leon spoke in Spanish—“a -thousand pities! I have the same feeling when I see a -perfect block of marble placed in the hands of a tombstone-maker -to be mangled into ugliness!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred put out his hand and drew him back into -the shadow. A cab was dropping the lame man. He -got out with the aid of a linkman, paid the driver, and -limped into the vestibule. It was not a remarkable -coincidence: the gentleman had evidently come from -Mero’s, and as all London was flocking to the drama, -there was little that was odd in finding him here. They -saw that he went up into the dress-circle, and later, when -they took their places in the stalls, Leon, glancing up, -saw the pale, bearded face and noted that he occupied -the end seat of the front row.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve met that man somewhere,” he said, irritated. -“Nothing annoys me worse than to forget, not a face, but -where I have seen it!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Did Gurther but know, he had achieved the height of -his ambition: he had twice passed under the keen -scrutiny of the cleverest detectives in the world, and had -remained unrecognized.</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch29'></a><span class='it'>Chapter XXIX</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>Work for Gurther</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>G</span>URTHER was sleeping when he was called for duty, -but presented himself before his director as bright -and alert as though he had not spent a sleepless night, -nor yet had endured the strain of a midnight train jump.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Once more, my Gurther, I send you forth.” Dr. -Oberzohn was almost gay. “This time to save us all -from the Judas treachery of one we thought was our -friend. To-night the snake must bite, and bite hard, -Gurther. And out into the dark goes the so-called -Trusted! And after that, my brave boy, there shall be -nothing to fear.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He paused for approval, and got it in a snapped agreement.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“To-night we desire from you a <span class='it'>chef d’œuvre</span>, the supreme -employment of your great art, Gurther; the highest -expression of genius! The gentleman-club manner will -not do. They may look for you and find you. Better -it should be, this time, that you——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Herr Doktor, will you graciously permit me to offer -a humble suggestion?” said Gurther eagerly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The doctor nodded his head slowly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You may speak, Gurther,” he said. “You are a -man of intelligence; I would not presume to dictate to -an artist.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Let me go for an hour, perhaps two hours, and I -will return to you with a manner that is unique. Is it -graciously permitted, Herr Doktor?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“March!” said the doctor graciously, waving his -hand to the door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Nearly an hour and a half passed before the door -opened and a gentleman came in who for even a moment -even the doctor thought was a stranger. The face had -an unearthly ivory pallor; the black brows, the faint -shadows beneath the eyes that suggested a recent illness, -the close-cropped black beard in which grey showed—these -might not have deceived him. But the man was -obviously the victim of some appalling accident of the -past. One shoulder was hunched, the hand that held -the stick was distorted out of shape, and as he moved, -the clump of his club foot advertised his lameness.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sir, you desire to see me——?” began the doctor, -and then stared open-mouthed. “It is not . . . !”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gurther smiled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Herr Doktor, are you condescendingly pleased?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Colossal!” murmured Oberzohn, gazing in amazement. -“Of all accomplishments this is supreme! -Gurther, you are an artist. Some day we shall buy a -theatre for you in Unter den Linden, and you shall thrill -large audiences.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Herr Doktor, this is my own idea; this I have -planned for many months. The boots I made myself; -even the coat I altered”—he patted his deformed shoulder -proudly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“An eyeglass?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have it,” said Gurther promptly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The cravat—is it not too proper?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gurther fingered his tie.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“For the grand habit I respectfully claim that the -proper tie is desirable, if you will graciously permit.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The Herr Doktor nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You shall go with God, Gurther,” he said piously, -took a golden cigarette-case from his pocket and handed -it to the man. “Sit down, my dear friend.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He rose and pointed to the chair he had vacated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In my own chair, Gurther. Nothing is too good for -you. Now here is the arrangement . . .”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Step by step he unfolded the time-table, for chronology -was almost as great a passion with this strange and -wicked man as it was with Aunt Alma.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>So confident was Gurther of his disguise that he had -gone in the open to speak to Oberzohn’s chauffeur, and -out of the tail of his eye he had seen Manfred and Gonsalez -approaching. It was the supreme test and was passed -with credit to himself.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He did not dine at Mero’s; Gurther never ate or drank -when he was wearing a disguise, knowing just how fatal -that occupation could be. Instead, he had called a taxi, -and had killed time by being driven slowly round and -round the Outer Circle of Regent’s Park.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gurther was doing a great deal of thinking in these -days, and at the cost of much physical discomfort had -curtailed his pernicious practices, that his head might -be clear all the time. For if he were to live, that clear -head of his was necessary. The prisoner in the cellar -occupied his thoughts. She had an importance for two -reasons: she was a friend of the men whom he hated -with a cold and deadly malignity beyond description; -she represented wealth untold, and the Herr Doktor had -even gone to the length of planning a marriage with her. -She was not to be killed, not to be hurt; she was so -important that the old man would take the risks attendant -upon a marriage. There must be an excellent reason for -that, because Dr. Oberzohn had not a very delicate mind.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He seemed to remember that, by the English law, a -wife could not give evidence against her husband. He -was not sure, but he had a dim notion that Pfeiffer had -told him this: Pfeiffer was an educated man and had -taken high honours at the gymnasium.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gurther was not well read. His education had been -of a scrappy character, and once upon a time he had -been refused a leading part because of his provincial -accent. That fault he had corrected in prison, under the -tuition of a professor who was serving a life sentence for -killing two women; but by the time Gurther had been -released, he was a marked man, and the stage was a -career lost to him for ever.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Oberzohn possessed advantages which were not his. -He was the master; Gurther was the servant. Oberzohn -could determine events by reason of his vast authority, -and the strings which he pulled in every part of the world. -Even Gurther had accepted this position of blind, obedient -servant, but now his angle had shifted, even as Oberzohn’s -had moved in relation to Montague Newton. Perhaps -because of this. The doctor, in curtailing one confidence, -was enlarging another, and in the enlargement his prestige -suffered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gurther was now the confidant, therefore the equal; -and logically, the equal can always become the superior. -He had dreamed dreams of a life of ease, a gratification -of his sense of luxury without the sobering thought that -somewhere round the corner was waiting a man ready to -tap him on the shoulder . . . a white palace in a flowery -land, with blue swimming pools, and supple girls who -called him Master. Gurther began to see the light.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Until he had taken his seat in the theatre, he had -not so much as glimpsed the man and the woman in the -end box.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Joan was happy—happier than she remembered having -been. Perhaps it was the reaction from her voluntary -imprisonment. Certainly it was Monty’s reluctant agreement -to a change of plans which so exalted her. Monty -had dropped the thin pretence of an accommodation marriage; -and once he was persuaded to this, the last hindrance -to enjoyment was dissipated. Let Oberzohn take -the girl if he wanted her; take, too, such heavy responsibility -as followed. Monty Newton would get all that -he wanted without the risk. Having arrived at this -decision, he had ordered another bottle of champagne -to seal the bargain, and they left Mero’s club a much -happier couple than they had been when they entered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“As soon as we’ve carved up this money, we’ll get -away out of England,” he told her as they were driving -to the theatre. “What about Buenos Ayres for the -winter, old girl?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She did not know where Buenos Ayres was, but she -gurgled her delight at the suggestion, and Monty expatiated -upon the joys of the South American summer, -the beauties of B.A., its gaieties and amusements.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t suppose there’ll be any kick coming,” he -said, “but it wouldn’t be a bad scheme if we took a trip -round the world, and came back in about eighteen -months’ time to settle down in London. My hectic past -would have been forgotten by then—why, I might even -get into Parliament.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How wonderful!” she breathed, and then: “What -is this play about, Monty?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s a bit of a thrill, the very play for you—a detective -story that will make your hair stand on end.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She had all the gamin’s morbid interest in murder -and crime, and she settled down in the box with a pleasant -feeling of anticipation, and watched the development of -the first act.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The scene was laid in a club, a low-down resort where -the least desirable members of society met, and she -drank in every word, because she knew the life, had seen -that type of expensively dressed woman who swaggered -on to the stage and was addressed familiarly by the club -proprietor. She knew that steady-eyed detective when -he made his embarrassing appearance. The woman was -herself. She even knew the cadaverous wanderer who -approached stealthily at the door: a human wolf that -fled at the sight of the police officer.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The three who sat in the front row of the stalls—how -Leon Gonsalez secured these tickets was one of the minor -mysteries of the day—saw her, and one at least felt his -heart ache.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Monty beamed his geniality. He had taken sufficient -wine to give him a rosy view of the world, and he was -even mildly interested in the play, though his chief -pleasure was in the girl’s enchantment. He ordered ices -for her after the first interval.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re getting quite a theatre fan, kiddie,” he said. -“I must take you to some other shows. I had no idea -you liked this sort of thing.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She drew a long breath and smiled at him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I like anything when I’m with you,” she said, and -they held hands foolishly, till the house lights dimmed -and the curtain rose upon a lawyer’s office.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The lawyer was of the underworld: a man everlastingly -on the verge of being struck off the rolls. He -had betrayed a client with whom he had had dealings, -and the man had gone to prison for a long term, but had -escaped. Now the news had come that he had left -Australia and was in London, waiting his opportunity -to destroy the man whose treachery was responsible for -his capture.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Here was a note to which the heart of the girl responded. -Even Monty found himself leaning forward, as the old -familiar cant terms of his trade came across the footlights.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is quite all right,” he said at the second interval, -“only”—he hesitated—“isn’t it a bit too near the -real thing? After all, one doesn’t come to the theatre -to see . . .”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He stopped, realizing that conditions and situations -familiar to him were novel enough to a fashionable -audience which was learning for the first time that a -“busy” was a detective, and that a police informer went -by the title of “nose.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The lights up, he glanced round the house, and suddenly -he started and caught her arm.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t look for a moment,” he said, averting his eyes, -“then take a glance at the front row. Do you see anybody -you know?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Presently she looked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, that is the fellow you hate so much, isn’t it—Gonsalez?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They’re all there—the three of them,” said Monty. -“I wonder,”—he was troubled at the thought—“I -wonder if they’re looking for you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“For me? They’ve nothing on me, Monty.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was silent.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m glad you’re not going back to that place to-night. -They’ll trail you sure—sure!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He thought later that it was probably a coincidence -that they were there at all. They seemed to show no -interest in the box, but were chattering and talking and -laughing to one another. Not once did their eyes come -up to his level, and after a while he gained in confidence, -though he was glad enough when the play was resumed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There were two scenes in the act: the first was a -police station, the second the lawyer’s room. The man -was drunk, and the detective had come to warn him that -The Ringer was after him. And then suddenly the lights -on the stage were extinguished and the whole house was -in the dark. It was part of the plot. In this darkness, -and in the very presence of the police, the threatened -man was to be murdered. They listened in tense silence, -the girl craning her head forward, trying to pierce the -dark, listening to the lines of intense dialogue that were -coming from the blackness of the stage. Somebody was -in the room—a woman, and they had found her. She -slipped from the stage detective’s grasp and vanished, -and when the lights went up she was gone.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What has happened, Monty?” she whispered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He did not answer.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you think——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She looked round at him. His head was resting on -the plush-covered ledge of the box. His face, turned -towards her, was grey; the eyes were closed, and his -teeth showed in a hideous grin.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She screamed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Monty! Monty!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She shook him. Again her scream rang through the -house. At first the audience thought that it was a woman -driven hysterical by the tenseness of the stage situation, -and then one or two people rose from their stalls and -looked up.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Monty! Speak to me! He’s dead, he’s dead!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Three seats in the front row had emptied. The screams -of the hysterical girl made it impossible for the scene -to proceed, and the curtain came down quickly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The house was seething with excitement. Every face -was turned towards the box where she knelt by the -side of the dead man, clasping him in her arms, and the -shrill agony in her voice was unnerving.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The door of the box swung open, and Manfred dashed -in. One glance he gave at Monty Newton, and he needed -no other.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Get the girl out,” he said curtly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon tried to draw her from the box, but she was a -shrieking fury.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You did it, you did it! . . . Let me go to him!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon lifted her from her feet, and, clawing wildly at -his face, she was carried from the box.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The manager was running along the passage, and -Leon sent him on with a jerk of his head. And then a -woman in evening dress came from somewhere.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“May I take her?” she said, and the exhausted girl -collapsed into her arms.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gonsalez flew back to the box. The man was lying -on the floor, and the manager, standing at the edge of -the box, was addressing the audience.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The gentleman has fainted, and I’m afraid his friend -has become a little hysterical. I must apologize to you, -ladies and gentlemen, for this interruption. If you will -allow us a minute to clear the box, the play will be -resumed. If there is a doctor in the house, I should be -glad if he would come.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There were two doctors within reach, and in the -passage, which was now guarded by a commissionaire, -a hasty examination was made. They examined the -punctured wound at the back of the neck and then looked -at one another.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is The Snake,” said one.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The house mustn’t know,” said Manfred. “He’s -dead, of course?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The doctor nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Out in the passage was a big emergency exit door, -and this the manager pushed open, and, running out into -the street, found a cab, into which all that was mortal of -Monty Newton was lifted.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Whilst this was being done, Poiccart returned.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“His car has just driven off,” he said. “I saw the -number-plate as it turned into Lisle Street.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How long ago?” asked Gonsalez quickly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“At this very moment.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon pinched his lip thoughtfully.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why didn’t he wait, I wonder?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He went back through the emergency door, which -was being closed, and passed up the passage towards the -entrance. The box was on the dress-circle level, and -the end of a short passage brought him into the circle -itself.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And then the thought of the lame man occurred to -him, and his eyes sought the first seat in the front row, -which was also the seat nearest to the boxes. The man -had gone.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As he made this discovery, George emerged from the -passage.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gurther!” said Leon. “What a fool I am! But -how clever!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gurther?” said Manfred in amazement. “Do you -mean the man with the club foot?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He was not alone, of course,” said Gonsalez. “There -must have been two or three of the gang here, men -and women—Oberzohn works these schemes out with the -care and thoroughness of a general. I wonder where the -management have taken the girl?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He found the manager discussing the tragedy with -two other men, one of whom was obviously associated -with the production, and he signalled him aside.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The lady? I suppose she’s gone home. She’s left -the theatre.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Which way did she go?” asked Gonsalez, in a -sudden panic.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The manager called a linkman, who had seen a middle-aged -woman come out of the theatre with a weeping -girl, and they had gone down the side-street towards the -little square at the back of the playhouse.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She may have taken her home to Chester Square,” -said Manfred. His voice belied the assumption of confidence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon had not brought his own machine, and they -drove to Chester Square in a taxi. Fred, the footman, -had neither heard nor seen the girl, and nearly fainted -when he learned of the tragic ending to his master’s career.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, my God!” he groaned. “And he only left -here this afternoon . . . dead, you say?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gonsalez nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not—not The Snake?” faltered the man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What do you know about the snake?” demanded -Manfred sternly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Nothing, except—well, the snake made him nervous, -I know. He told me to-day that he hoped he’d get -through the week without a snake-bite.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was questioned closely, but although it was clear -that he knew something of his master’s illicit transactions, -and that he was connected in business with Oberzohn, -the footman had no connection with the doctor’s gang. -He drew a large wage and a percentage of profits from -the gaming side of the business, and confessed that it -was part of his duties to prepare stacks of cards and pass -them to his master under cover of bringing in the drinks. -But of anything more sinister he knew nothing.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The woman, of course, was a confederate, who had -been planted to take charge of the girl the moment the -snake struck. I was in such a state of mind,” confessed -Leon, “that I do not even remember what she looked -like. I am a fool—a double-distilled idiot! I think I -must be getting old. There’s only one thing for us to -do, and that is to get back to Curzon Street—something -may have turned up.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Did you leave anybody in the house?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I left one of our men, to take any ’phone messages -that came through.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They paid off the taxi before the house, and Leon -sprinted to the garage to get the car. The man who -opened the door to them was he who had been tied up by -the pedlar at Heavytree Farm, and his first words came -as a shock to Manfred:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Digby’s here, sir.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Digby?” said the other in surprise. “I thought -he was on duty?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s been here since just after you left, sir. If I’d -known where you had gone, I’d have sent him to you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Digby came out of the waiting-room at that moment, -ready to apologize.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I had to see you, sir, and I’m sorry I’m away from -my post.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You may not be missing much,” said Manfred unsmilingly. -“Come upstairs and tell me all about it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Digby’s story was a strange one. He had gone down -that afternoon to the canal bank to make a reconnaissance -of ground which was new to him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m glad I did too, because the walls have got broken -glass on top. I went up into the Old Kent Road and -bought a garden hoe, and prised the mortar loose, so that -if I wanted, I could get over. And then I climbed round -the water-gate and had a look at that barge of his. There -was nobody about, though I think they spotted me -afterwards. It is a fairly big barge, and, of course, in a -terrible state, but the hold is full of cargo—you know -that, sir?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You mean there is something in the barge?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Digby nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, it has a load of some kind. The after part, -where the bargee’s sleeping quarters are, is full of rats -and water, but the fore part of the vessel is water-tight, -and it holds something heavy too. That is why the -barge is down by its head in the mud. I was in the -Thames police and I know a lot about river craft.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is that what you came to tell me?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, sir, it was something queerer than that. After -I’d given the barge a look over and tried to pull up some -of the boards—which I didn’t manage to do—I went -along and had a look at the factory. It’s not so easy to -get in, because the entrance faces the house, but to get -to it you have to go half round the building, and that -gives you a certain amount of cover. There was nothing -I could see in the factory itself. It was in a terrible mess, -full of old iron and burnt-out boxes. I was coming round -the back of the building,” he went on impressively, “when -I smelt a peculiar scent.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A perfume?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, sir, it was perfume, but stronger—more like -incense. I thought at first it might be an old bale of -stuff that had been thrown out, or else I was deceiving -myself. I began poking about in the rubbish heaps—but -<span class='it'>they</span> didn’t smell of scent! Then I went back into -the building again, but there was no smell at all. It -was very strong when I returned to the back of the -factory, and then I saw a little waft of smoke come out -of a ventilator close to the ground. My first idea was -that the place was on fire, but when I knelt down, it was -this scent.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Joss-sticks?” said Poiccart quickly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s what it was!” said the detective. “Like -incense, yet not like it. I knelt down and listened at -the grating, and I’ll swear that I heard voices. They -were very faint.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Men’s?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, women’s.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Could you see anything?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, sir, it was a blind ventilator; there was probably -a shaft there—in fact, I’m sure there was, because -I pushed a stone through one of the holes and heard it -drop some distance down.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There may be an underground room there,” said -Poiccart, “and somebody’s burnt joss-sticks to sweeten -the atmosphere.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Under the factory? It’s not in the plans of the -building. I’ve had them from the surveyor’s office and -examined them,” said George, “although surveyors’ plans -aren’t infallible. A man like Oberzohn would not hesitate -to break so unimportant a thing as a building -law!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon came in at that moment, heard the story and -was in complete agreement with Poiccart’s theory.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wondered at the time we saw the plans whether we -ought to accept that as conclusive,” he said. “The store -was built at the end of 1914, when architects and builders -took great liberties and pleaded the exigencies of the -war.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Digby went on with his story.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I was going back to the barge to get past the water-gate, -but I saw the old man coming down the steps of -the house, so I climbed the wall, and very glad I was -that I’d shifted that broken glass, or I should never -have got over.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred pulled his watch from his pocket with a frown. -They had lost nearly an hour of precious time with their -inquiries in Chester Square.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I hope we’re not too late,” he said ominously. “Now, -Leon . . .”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But Leon had gone down the stairs in three strides.</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch30'></a><span class='it'>Chapter XXX</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>Joan a Prisoner</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>D</span>AZED with grief, not knowing, not seeing, not -caring, not daring to think, Joan suffered herself -to be led quickly into the obscurity of the side-street, -and did not even realize that Oberzohn’s big limousine -had drawn up by the sidewalk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Get in,” said the woman harshly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Joan was pushed through the door and guided to a -seat by somebody who was already in the machine.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She collapsed in a corner moaning as the door slammed -and the car began to move.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where are we going? Let me get back to him!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The gracious lady will please restrain her grief,” -said a hateful voice, and she swung round and stared -unseeingly to the place whence the voice had come.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The curtains of the car had been drawn; the interior -was as black as pitch.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You—you beast!” she gasped. “It’s you, is it? -. . . Gurther! You murdering beast!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She struck at him feebly, but he caught her wrist.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The gracious lady will most kindly restrain her -grief,” he said suavely. “The Herr Newton is not dead. -It was a little trick in order to baffle certain interferers.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re lying, you’re lying!” she screamed, struggling -to escape from those hands of steel. “He’s dead! -You know he’s dead, and you killed him! You snake-man!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The gracious lady must believe me,” said Gurther -earnestly. They were passing through a public part of -the town and at any moment a policeman might hear her -shrieks. “If Herr Newton had not pretended to be hurt, -he would have been arrested . . . he follows in the next -car.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re trying to quieten me,” she said, “but I won’t -be quiet.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And then a hand came over her mouth and pressed -her head back against the cushions. She struggled desperately, -but two fingers slid up her face and compressed -her nostrils. She was being suffocated. She struggled to -free herself from the tentacle hold of him, and then -slipped into unconsciousness. Gurther felt the straining -figure go limp and removed his hands. She did not feel -the prick of the needle on her wrist, though the drugging -was clumsily performed in the darkness and in a car that -was swaying from side to side. He felt her pulse, his -long fingers pressed her throat and felt the throb of the -carotid artery; propping her so that she could not fall, -Herr Gurther sank back luxuriously into a corner of the -limousine and lit a cigar.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The journey was soon over. In a very short time -they were bumping down Hangman’s Lane and turned -so abruptly into the factory grounds that one of the mudguards -buckled to the impact of the gate-post.</p> - -<hr class='tbk104'/> - -<p class='pindent'>It must have been two hours after the departure of -her companion, when Mirabelle, lying on her bed, half -dozing, was wakened by her book slipping to the floor, and -sat up quickly to meet the apprising stare of the man -whom, of all men in the world, she disliked most cordially. -Dr. Oberzohn had come noiselessly into the room and -under his arm was a pile of books.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have brought these for you,” he said, in his booming -voice, and stacked them neatly on the table.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She did not answer.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Novels of a frivolous kind, such as you will enjoy,” -he said, unconscious of offence. “I desired the seller -of the books to pick them for me. Fiction stories of -adventure and of amorous exchanges. These will occupy -your mind, though to me they would be the merest rubbish -and nonsense.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She stood silently, her hands clasped behind her, -watching him. He was neater than usual, had resumed -the frock-coat he wore the day she had first met him—how -long ago that seemed!—his collar was stiffly white, -and if his cravat was more gorgeous than is usually seen -in a man correctly arrayed, it had the complementary -value of being new.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He held in his hand a small bouquet of flowers tightly -packed, their stems enclosed in silver foil, a white paper -frill supplying an additional expression of gentility.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“These are for you.” He jerked out his hand towards -her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle looked at the flowers, but did not take them. -He seemed in no way disconcerted, either by her silence, -or by the antagonism which her attitude implied, but, -laying the flowers on top of the books, he clasped his -hands before him and addressed her. He was nervous, -for some reason; the skin of his forehead was furrowing -and smoothing with grotesque rapidity. She watched -the contortions, fascinated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“To every man,” he began, “there comes a moment -of domestic allurement. Even to the scientific mind, -absorbed in its colossal problems, there is this desire for -family life and for the haven of rest which is called -marriage.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He paused, as though he expected her to offer some -comment upon his platitude.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Man alone,” he went on, when she did not speak, -“has established an artificial and unnatural convention -that, at a certain age, a man should marry a woman of -that same age. Yet it has been proved by history that -happy marriages are often between a man who is in the -eyes of the world old, and a lady who is youthful.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She was gazing at him in dismay. Was he proposing -to her? The idea was incredible, almost revolting. He -must have read in her face the thoughts that were uppermost -in her mind, the loathing, the sense of repulsion -which filled her, yet he went on, unabashed:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I am a man of great riches. You are a girl of considerable -poverty. But because I saw you one day in -your poor house, looking, gracious lady, like a lily growing -amidst foul weeds, my heart went out to you, and for -this reason I brought you to London, spending many -thousands of pounds in order to give myself the pleasure -of your company.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t think you need go any farther, Dr. Oberzohn,” -she said quietly, “if you’re proposing marriage, -as I think you are.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He nodded emphatically.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Such is my honourable intention,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I would never marry you in any circumstances,” -she said. “Not even if I had met you under the happiest -conditions. The question of your age”—she nearly -added “and of your appearance,” but her natural kindness -prevented that cruel thrust, though it would not -have hurt him in the slightest degree—“has nothing -whatever to do with my decision. I do not even like -you, and have never liked you, Mr. Oberzohn.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Doctor,” he corrected, and in spite of her woeful -plight she could have laughed at this insistence upon the -ceremonial title.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Young miss, I cannot woo you in the way of my -dear and sainted brother, who was all for ladies and had -a beautiful manner.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She was amazed to hear that he had a brother at -all—and it was almost a relief to know that he was -dead.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Martyred, at the hands of wicked and cunning -murderers, slain in his prime by the assassin’s pistol . . .” -His voice trembled and broke. “For that sainted life I -will some day take vengeance.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was not wholly curiosity that impelled her to ask -who killed him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Leon Gonsalez.” The words in his lips became the -grating of a file. “Killed . . . murdered! And even -his beautiful picture destroyed in that terrible fire. Had -he saved that, my heart would have been soft towards -him.” He checked himself, evidently realizing that he -was getting away from the object of his call. “Think -over this matter, young lady. Read the romantic books -and the amorous books, and then perhaps you will not -think it is so terrible a fate to drift at moonlight through -the canals of Venice, with the moon above and the -gondoliers.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He wagged his head sentimentally.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There is no book which will change my view, doctor,” -she said. “I cannot understand why you propose such -an extraordinary course, but I would rather die than -marry you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His cold eyes filled her with a quick terror.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There are worse things than death, which is but -sleep—many worse things, young miss. To-morrow I shall -come for you, and we will go into the country, where you -will say ‘yes’ and ‘no’ according to my desire. I have -many—what is the word?—certificates for marriage, for -I am too clever a man to leave myself without alternatives.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>(This was true; he had residential qualifications in -at least four counties, and at each he had given legal -notice of his intended marriage.)</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not to-morrow or any other day. Nothing would -induce me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>His eyebrows went almost to the top of his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So!” he said, with such significance that her blood -ran cold. “There are worse men than the Herr Doktor,”—he -raised a long finger warningly,—“terrible men with -terrible minds. You have met Gurther?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She did not answer this.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, yes, you danced with him. A nice man, is he -not, to ladies? Yet this same Gurther . . . I will tell -you something.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He seated himself on a corner of the table and began -talking, until she covered her ears with her hands and -hid her white face from him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They would have killed him for that,” he said, -when her hands came down, “but Gurther was too clever, -and the poor German peasants too stupid. You shall -remember that, shall you not?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He did not wait for her answer. With a stiff bow -he strutted out of the room and up the stairs. There -came the thud of the trap falling and the inevitable -rumble of the concrete barrel.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He had some work to do, heavy work for a man who -found himself panting when he climbed stairs. And -though four of his best and most desperate men were -waiting in his parlour drinking his whisky and filling the -little room with their rank cigar smoke, he preferred to -tackle this task which he had already begun as soon as -night fell, without their assistance or knowledge.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>On the edge of the deep hole in his grounds, where -the wild convolvulus grew amidst the rusty corners of -discarded tins and oil barrels, was a patch of earth that -yielded easily to the spade. When the factory had been -built, the depression had been bigger, but the builders -had filled in half the hole with the light soil that they -had dug out of the factory’s foundations.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He took his spade, which he had left in the factory, -and, skirting the saucer-shaped depression, he reached -a spot where a long trench had already been dug. Taking -off his fine coat and waistcoat, unfastening cravat and -collar and carefully depositing them upon the folded -coat, he continued his work, stopping now and again to -wipe his streaming brow.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He had to labour in the dark, but this was no disadvantage; -he could feel the edges of the pit. In an -hour the top of the trench was level with his chin, and, -stooping to clear the bottom of loose soil, he climbed up -with greater difficulty than he had anticipated, and it -was only after the third attempt that he managed to -reach the top, out of breath and short of temper.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He dressed again, and with his electric torch surveyed -the pit he had made and grunted his satisfaction.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was keenly sensitive to certain atmospheres, and -needed no information about the change which had come -over his subordinates. In their last consultation Gurther -had been less obsequious, had even smoked in his presence -without permission—absent-mindedly, perhaps, but the -offence was there. And Dr. Oberzohn, on the point of -smacking his face for his insolence, heard a warning voice -within himself which had made his hand drop back at -his side. Or was it the look he saw on Gurther’s face? -The man was beyond the point where he could discipline -him in the old Junker way. For although Dr. Oberzohn -contemned all things Teutonic, he had a sneaking reverence -for the military caste of that nation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He left the spade sticking in a heap of turned earth. -He would need that again, and shortly. Unless Gurther -failed. Somehow he did not anticipate a failure in this -instance. Mr. Monty Newton had not yet grown suspicious, -would not be on his guard. His easy acceptance -of the theatre ticket showed his mind in this respect.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The four men in his room rose respectfully as he came -in. The air was blue with smoke, and Lew Cuccini -offered a rough apology. He had been released that -morning from detention, for Meadows had found it difficult -to frame a charge which did not expose the full activities -of the police, and the part they were playing in relation -to Mirabelle Leicester. Evidently Cuccini had been -reproaching, in his own peculiar way and in his own unprincipled -language, the cowardice of his three companions, -for the atmosphere seemed tense when the doctor returned. -Yet, as was subsequently proved, the appearance of -discord was deceptive; might indeed have been staged -for their host’s benefit.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve just been telling these birds——” began Cuccini.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, shut up, Lew!” growled one of his friends. -“If that crazy man hadn’t been shouting your name, we -should not have gone back! He’d have wakened the -dead. And our orders were to retire at the first serious -sign of an alarm. That’s right, doctor, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sure it’s right,” said the doctor blandly. “Never -be caught—that is a good motto. Cuccini was caught.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And I’d give a year of my life to meet that Dago -again,” said Cuccini, between his teeth.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was delightfully inconsistent, for he came into -the category, having been born in Milan, and had had -his early education in the Italian quarter of Hartford, -Connecticut.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’d have tortured me too . . . he was going to put -lighted wax matches between my fingers——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And then you spilled it!” accused one of the three -hotly. “You talk about us bolting!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Silence!” roared the doctor. “This is unseemly! -I have forgiven everything. That shall be enough for -you all. I will hear no other word.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where is Gurther?” Cuccini asked the question.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He has gone away. To-night he leaves for America. -He may return—who knows? But that is the intention.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Snaking?” asked somebody, and there was a little -titter of laughter.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Say, doctor, how do you work that stunt?” Cuccini -leaned forward, his cigar between his fingers, greatly -intrigued. “I saw no snakes down at Rath Hall, and -yet he was bitten, just as that Yankee was bitten—Washington.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He will die,” said the doctor complacently. He -was absurdly jealous for the efficacy of his method.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He was alive yesterday, anyway. We shadowed -him to the station.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then he was not bitten—no, that is impossible. -When the snake-bites,”—Oberzohn raised his palms and -gazed piously at the ceiling—“after that there is nothing. -No, no, my friend, you are mistaken.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I tell you I’m not making any mistake,” said the -other doggedly. “I was in the room, I tell you, soon -after they brought him in, and I heard one of the busies -say that his face was all wet.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So!” said Oberzohn dully. “That is very bad.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But how do you do it, doctor? Do you shoot or -sump’n’?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Let us talk about eventual wealth and happiness,” -said the doctor. “To-night is a night of great joy for -me. I will sing you a song.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then, to the amazement of the men and to their great -unhappiness, he sang, in a thin, reedy old voice, the -story of a young peasant who had been thwarted in -love and had thrown himself from a cliff into a seething -waterfall. It was a lengthy song, intensely sentimental, -and his voice held few of the qualities of music. The gang -had never been set a more difficult job than to keep -straight faces until he had finished.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gee! You’re some artist, doctor!” said the sycophantic -Cuccini, and managed to get a simulation of -envy into his voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In my student days I was a great singer,” said the -doctor modestly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Over the mantelpiece was a big, old clock, with a -face so faded that only a portion of the letters remained. -Its noisy ticking had usually a sedative effect on the -doctor. But its main purpose and value was its accuracy. -Every day it was corrected by a message from Greenwich, -and as Oberzohn’s success as an organizer depended upon -exact timing, it was one of his most valuable assets.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He glanced up at the clock now, and that gave Cuccini -his excuse.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’ll be getting along, doctor,” he said. “You -don’t want anything to-night? I’d like to get a cut at -that Gonsalez man. You won’t leave me out if there’s -anything doing?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Oberzohn rose and went out of the room without another -word, for he knew that the rising of Cuccini was a -signal that not only was the business of the day finished, -but also that the gang needed its pay.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Every gang-leader attended upon Mr. Oberzohn once -a week with his pay-roll, and it was usually the custom -for the Herr Doktor to bring his cash-box into the room -and extract sufficient to liquidate his indebtedness to -the leader. It was a big box, and on pay-day, as this -was, filled to the top with bank-notes and Treasury bills. -He brought it back now, put it on the table, consulted the -little slip that Cuccini offered to him, and, taking out a -pad of notes, fastened about by a rubber band, he wetted -his finger and thumb.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You needn’t count them,” said Cuccini. “We’ll -take the lot.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The doctor turned to see that Cuccini was carelessly -holding a gun in his hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The fact is, doctor,” said Cuccini coolly, “we’ve -seen the red light, and if we don’t skip now, while the -skipping’s good, there’s going to be no place we can -stay comfortable in this little island, and I guess we’ll -follow Gurther.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>One glance the doctor gave at the pistol and then -he resumed his counting, as though nothing had happened.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Twenty, thirty, forty, fifty . . .”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now quit that,” said Cuccini roughly. “I tell you, -you needn’t count.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My friend, I prefer to know what I am going to lose. -It is a pardonable piece of curiosity.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He raised his hand to the wall, where a length of -cord hung, and pulled at it gently, without taking his -eyes from the bank-notes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What are you doing? Put up your hands!” hissed -Cuccini.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Shoot, I beg.” Oberzohn threw a pad of notes on -the table. “There is your pay.” He slammed down the -lid of the box. “Now you shall go, if you <span class='it'>can</span> go! Do -you hear them?” He raised his hand, and to the -strained ears of the men came a gentle rustling sound -from the passage outside as though somebody were -dragging a piece of parchment along the floor. “Do you -hear? You shall go if you can,” said the doctor again, -with amazing calmness.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The snakes!” breathed Cuccini, going white, and -the hand that held the pistol shook.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Shoot them, my friend,” sneered Oberzohn. “If -you see them, shoot them. But you will not see them, -my brave man. They will be—where? No eyes shall -see them come or go. They may lie behind a picture, -they may wait until the door is opened, and then . . . !”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Cuccini’s mouth was dry.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Call ’em off, doctor,” he said tremulously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Your gun—on the table.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Still the rustling sound was audible. Cuccini hesitated -for a second, then obeyed, and took up the notes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The other three men were huddled together by the -fire-place, the picture of fear.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t open the door, doc,” said Cuccini, but Oberzohn -had already gripped the handle and turned it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They heard another door open and the click of the -passage light as it had come on. Then he returned.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If you go now, I shall not wish to see you again. -Am I not a man to whom all secrets are known? You -are well aware!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Cuccini looked from the doctor to the door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Want us to go?” he asked, troubled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Oberzohn shrugged.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“As you wish! It was my desire that you should -stay with me to-night—there is big work and big money -for all of you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The men were looking at one another uneasily.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How long do you want us to stay?” asked Cuccini.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“To-night only; if you would not prefer . . .”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>To-night would come the crisis. Oberzohn had realized -this since the day dawned for him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We’ll stay—where do we sleep?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For answer Oberzohn beckoned them from the room -and they followed him into the laboratory. In the wall -that faced them was a heavy iron door that opened into -a concrete storehouse, where he kept various odds and -ends of equipment, oil and spirit for his cars, and the little -gas engine that worked a small dynamo in the laboratory -and gave him, if necessary, a lighting plant independent -of outside current.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There were three long windows heavily barred and -placed just under the ceiling.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Looks like the condemned cell to me,” grumbled -Cuccini suspiciously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Are the bolts on the inside of a condemned cell?” -asked Oberzohn. “Does the good warden give you the -key as I give you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Cuccini took the key.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“All right,” he said ungraciously, “there are plenty -of blankets here, boys—I guess you want us where the -police won’t look, eh?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is my intention,” replied the doctor.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dr. Oberzohn closed the door on them and re-entered -his study, his big mouth twitching with amusement. He -pulled the cord again and closed the ventilator he had -opened. It was only a few days before that he had -discovered that there were dried leaves in the ventilator -shaft, and that the opening of the inlet made them rustle, -disturbingly for a man who was engaged in a profound -study of the lesser known, and therefore the more highly -cultured, philosophers.</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch31'></a><span class='it'>Chapter XXXI</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>The Things in the Box</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>H</span>E heard the soft purr of engines, and, looking -through the hall window, saw the dim lights of -the car approaching the house, and turned out the hall -lamp. There he waited in the darkness, till the door of -the limousine opened and Gurther jumped out.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I respectfully report that it is done, Herr Doktor,” -he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Oberzohn nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The woman of Newton—where is she?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She is inside. Is it your wish that I should bring -her? She was very troublesome, Herr Doktor, and I -had to use the needle.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bring her in—you!” He barked to the chauffeur. -“Help our friend.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Together they lifted the unconscious girl, but carried -her no farther than the steps. At this point Oberzohn -decided that she must return to the prison. First they -sent the chauffeur away; the car was garaged at New -Cross (it was one of Oberzohn’s three London depots), -where the man also lived. After he had gone, they -carried Joan between them to the factory, taking what, -to Gurther, seemed an unnecessarily circuitous route. If -it was unnecessary, it was at least expedient, for the -nearest way to the factory led past the yawning hole that -the doctor had dug with such labour.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was no mistaking Oberzohn’s arrival this time. -The trap went up with a thud, and Mirabelle listened, -with a quickly beating heart, to the sound of feet coming -down the stone stairs. There were two people, and they -were walking heavily. Somehow she knew before she -saw their burden that it was Joan. She was in evening -dress, her face as white as chalk and her eyes closed; -the girl thought she was dead when she saw them lay her -on the bed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You have given her too much, Gurther,” said Oberzohn.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gurther?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She had not recognized him. It was almost impossible -to believe that this was the dapper young man who had -danced with her at the Arts Ball.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I had to guess in the dark, Herr Doktor,” said -Gurther.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They were talking in German, and Mirabelle’s acquaintance -with that language was very slight. She -saw Gurther produce a small flat case from his pocket, -take out a little phial, and shake into the palm of his -hand a small brown capsule. This he dissolved in a tiny -tube which, with the water he used, was also extracted -from the case. Half filling a minute syringe, he sent the -needle into Joan’s arm. A pause, and then:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Soon she will wake, with your kind permission, Herr -Doktor,” said Gurther.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Mirabelle was not looking at him, but she knew that -his hot eyes were fixed on her, that all the time except -the second he was operating, he was looking at her; -and now she knew that this was the man to be feared. -A cold hand seemed to grip at her heart.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That will do, Gurther.” Oberzohn’s voice was sharp. -He, too, had interpreted the stare. “You need not -wait.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gurther obediently stalked from the room, and the -doctor followed. Almost before the trap had fastened -down she was by the girl’s side, with a basin of water -and a wet towel. The second the water touched her -face, Joan opened her eyes and gazed wildly up at the -vaulted ceiling, then rolling over from the bed to her knees, -she struggled to her feet, swayed and would have fallen, -had not Mirabelle steadied her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They’ve got him! They’ve got my boy . . . killed -him like a dog!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What—Mr.—Mr. Newton?” gasped Mirabelle, horrified.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Killed him—Monty—Monty!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And then she began to scream and run up and down -the room like a thing demented. Mirabelle, sick at heart, -almost physically sick at the sight, caught her and tried -to calm her, but she was distracted, half mad. The drug -and its antidote seemed to have combined to take away -the last vestige of restraint. It was not until she fell, -exhausted, that Mirabelle was able to drag her again to -the bed and lay her upon it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Montague Newton was dead! Who had killed him? -Who were the “they”? Then she thought of Gurther -in his strange attire; white dress-front crumpled, even -his beard disarranged in the struggle he had had with the -overwrought woman.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In sheer desperation she ran up the steps and tried -the trap, but it was fast. She must get away from here—must -get away at once. Joan was moaning pitiably, -and the girl sat by her side, striving to calm her. She -seemed to have passed into a state of semi-consciousness; -except for her sobs, she made no sound and uttered no -intelligible word. Half an hour passed—the longest -and most dreadful half-hour in Mirabelle Leicester’s life. -And then she heard a sound. It had penetrated even to -the brain of this half-mad girl, for she opened her eyes -wide, and, gripping Mirabelle, drew herself up.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s coming,” she said, white to the lips, “coming . . . -the Killer is coming!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“For God’s sake don’t talk like that!” said Mirabelle, -beside herself with fear.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There it was, in the outer room; a stealthy shuffle -of feet. She stared at the closed door, and the strain -of the suspense almost made her faint. And then she -saw the steel door move, slowly, and first a hand came -through, the edge of a face . . . Gurther was leering at -her. His beard was gone, and his wig; he was collarless, -and had over his white shirt the stained jacket that was -his everyday wear.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I want you.” He was talking to Mirabelle.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Her tongue clave to the roof of her mouth, but she did -not speak.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My pretty little lady——” he began, and then, with -a shriek, Joan leapt at him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Murderer, murderer . . . ! Beast!” she cried, striking -wildly at his face. With a curse, he tried to throw -her off, but she was clinging to him; a bestial lunatic -thing, hardly human.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He flung her aside at last, and then he put up his -hand to guard his face as she leapt at him again. This -time she went under his arm and was through the door -in a flash. He heard the swift patter of her feet on the -stairs, and turned in pursuit. The trap was open. He -stumbled and tripped in the dark across the floor of the -gaunt factory. Just as she reached the open, he grabbed -at her and missed. Like a deer she sped, but he was -fleeter-footed behind her; and suddenly his hand closed -about her throat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You had better go out, my friend,” he said, and -tightened his grip.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As she twisted to avoid him, he put out his foot. There -was a grating snap, something gripped his legs, and the -excruciating pain of it was agonizing. He loosened his -hold of her throat, but held her arm tightly. With all -his strength he threw her against the wall and she fell -in a heap. Then, leaning down, he forced apart the cruel -jagged teeth of the man-trap on to which he had put his -foot, and drew his leg clear. He was bleeding; his -trouser leg was torn to ribbons. He stopped only long -enough to drag the girl to her feet, and, throwing her -across his shoulder as though she were a sack, he went -back into the factory, down the stairs, and threw her on -to the bed with such violence that the spring supports -broke. It had a strange effect upon the dazed woman, -but this he did not see, for he had turned to Mirabelle.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My little lady, I want you!” he breathed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Blood was trickling down from his wounded calf, -but he did not feel the pain any more; felt nothing, save -the desire to hurt those who hunted him; wanted nothing -but the materialization of crude and horrid dreams.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She stood, frozen, paralysed, incapable of movement. -And then his hand came under her chin and he lifted -her face; and she saw the bright, hungry eyes devouring -her, saw the thin lips come closer and closer, could not -move; had lost all sentient impressions, and could -only stare into the eyes of this man-snake, hypnotized -by the horror of the moment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And then a raging fury descended upon him. Narrow -fingers tore at his face, almost blinding him. He turned -with a howl of rage, but the white-faced Joan had flown -to the furnace and taken up a short iron bar that had -been used to rake the burning coals together. She struck -at him and missed. He dodged past her and she flung -the bar at him, and again missed him. The iron struck -the green box, behind the furnace, there was a sound of -smashing glass. He did not notice this, intent only -upon the girl, and Mirabelle closed her eyes and heard -only the blow as he struck her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When she looked again, Joan was lying on the bed -and he was tying one of her hands to the bed-rail with -a strap which he had taken from his waist. Then Mirabelle -saw a sight that released her pent speech. He heard -her scream and grinned round at her . . . saw where -she was looking and looked too.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Something was coming from the broken green box! -A black, spade-shaped head, with bright, hard eyes that -seemed to survey the scene in a malignant stare. And -then, inch by inch, a thick shining thing, like a rubber -rope, wriggled slowly to the floor, coiled about upon itself, -and raised its flat head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, God, look!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He turned about at the sight, that immovable grin -of his upon his face, and said something in a guttural -tongue. The snake was motionless, its baleful gaze first -upon the sinking girl, then upon the man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gurther’s surprise was tragic; it was as though he -had been confronted with some apparition from another -world. And then his hand went to his hip pocket; -there was a flash of light and a deafening explosion that -stunned her. The pistol dropped from his hand and fell -with a clatter to the floor, and she saw his arm was stiffly -extended, and protruding from the cuff of his coat a -black tail that wound round and round his wrist. It -had struck up his sleeve. The cloth about his biceps -was bumping up and down erratically.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He stood straightly erect, grinning, the arm still outflung, -his astonished eyes upon the coil about his wrist. -And then, slowly his other hand came round, gripped -the tail and pulled it savagely forth. The snake turned -with an angry hiss and tried to bite back at him; but -raising his hand, he brought the head crashing down -against the furnace. There was a convulsive wriggle as -the reptile fell among the ashes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Gott in himmel!” whispered Gurther, and his free -hand went up to his arm and felt gingerly. “He is dead, -gracious lady. Perhaps there is another?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He went, swaying as he walked, to the green box, -and put in his hand without hesitation. There was -another—a bigger snake, roused from its sleep and angry. -He bit twice at the man’s wrist, but Gurther laughed, -a gurgling laugh of pure enjoyment. For already he was -a dead man; that he knew. And it had come to him, -at the moment and second of his dissolution, when the -dread gates of judgment were already ajar, that he should -go to his Maker with this clean space in the smudge of -his life.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Go, little one,” he said, grinning into the spade-face. -“You have no more poison; that is finished!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He put the writhing head under his heel, and Mirabelle -shut her eyes and put her hands to her ears. When -she looked again, the man was standing by the door, -clinging to the post and slipping with every frantic effort -to keep himself erect.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He grinned at her again; this man of murder, who -had made his last kill.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Pardon, gracious lady,” he said thickly, and went -down on his knees, his head against the door, his body -swaying slowly from side to side, and finally tumbled -over.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She heard Oberzohn’s harsh voice from the floor -above. He was calling Gurther, and presently he appeared -in the doorway, and there was a pistol in his -hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So!” he said, looking down at the dying man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And then he saw the snake, and his face wrinkled. -He looked from Mirabelle to the girl on the bed, went -over and examined her, but did not attempt to release -the strap. It was Mirabelle who did that; Mirabelle -who sponged the bruised face and loosened the dress.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>So doing, she felt a hand on her shoulder.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come,” said Oberzohn.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m staying here with Joan, until——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You come at once, or I will give you to my pretty -little friends.” He pointed to the two snakes on the -floor who still moved spasmodically.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She had to step past Gurther, but that seemed easier -than passing those wriggling, shining black ropes; and, -her hand in his, she stumbled up the dark steps and -eventually into the clean, sweet air of the night.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was dressed for a journey; she had noticed that -when he appeared. A heavy cloth cap was on his curious-shaped -head, and he looked less repulsive with so much -of his forehead hidden. Though the night was warm, -he wore an overcoat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They were passing between the wall and the factory -when he stopped and put his hand before her mouth. He -had heard voices, low voices on the other side of the wall, -and presently the scrape of something. Without removing -his hand from her face, he half dragged, half pushed -her until they were clear of the factory.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She thought they were going back to the house, which -was in darkness, but instead, he led her straight along -the wall, and presently she saw the bulk of the barge.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Stay, and do not speak,” he said, and began to -turn a rusty wheel. With a squeak and a groan the -water-gates opened inwards.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>What did he intend doing? There was no sign of -a boat, only this old dilapidated barge. She was presently -to know.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come,” he said again.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She was on the deck of the barge, moving forward to -its bow, which pointed towards the open gate and the -canal beyond.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She heard him puff and groan as he strained at a -rope he had found, and then, looking down, she saw the -front of the barge open, like the two water-gates of a -lock. Displaying remarkable agility, he lowered himself -over the edge; he seemed to be standing on something -solid, for again he ordered her to join him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I will not go,” she said breathlessly, and turning, -would have fled, but his hand caught her dress and dragged -at her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I will drown you here, woman,” he said, and she -knew that the threat would have a sequel.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Tremblingly she lowered herself over the edge until -her foot touched something hard and yet yielding. He -was pushing at the barge with all his might, and the -platform beneath her grew in space. First the sharp -nose and then the covered half-deck of the fastest motor-boat -that Mr. Oberzohn’s money could buy, or the ingenuity -of builders could devise. The old barge was a -boat-house, and this means of escape had always been to -his hand. It was for this reason that he lived in a seemingly -inaccessible spot.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The men who had been on the canal bank were gone. -The propellers revolving slowly, the boat stole down the -dark waters, after a short time slipped under a bridge -over which street-cars were passing, and headed for Deptford -and the river.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dr. Oberzohn took off his overcoat and laid it tenderly -inside the shelter of the open cabin, tenderly because every -pocket was packed tight with money.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>To Mirabelle Leicester, crouching in the darkness of -that sheltered space, the time that passed had no dimension. -Once an authoritative voice hailed them from the -bank. It was a policeman; she saw him after the boat -had passed. A gas-lamp showed the glitter of his metal -buttons. But soon he was far behind.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Deptford was near when they reached a barrier which -neither ingenuity nor money could pass; a ragged nightbird -peered down curiously at the motor-boat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You can’t get through here, guv’nor,” he said simply. -“The lock doesn’t open until high tide.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When is this high tide?” asked Oberzohn breathlessly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Six o’clock to-morrow morning,” said the voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For a long time he saw, stricken to inactivity by the -news, and then he sent his engines into reverse and began -circling round.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There is one refuge for us, young miss,” he said. -“Soon we shall see it. Now I will tell you something. -I desire so much to live. Do you also?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She did not answer.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If you cry out, if you will make noises, I will kill -you—that is all,” he said; and the very simplicity of his -words, the lack of all emphasis behind the deadly earnestness, -told her that he would keep his word.</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch32'></a><span class='it'>Chapter XXXII</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>The Search</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>“ ’W</span>ARE man-traps,” said Gonsalez.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The white beam of his lamp had detected -the ugly thing. He struck at it with his stick, and with -a vicious snap it closed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Here’s one that’s been sprung,” he said, and examined -the teeth. “And, what’s more, it has made a catch! -There’s blood here.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred and Digby were searching the ground cautiously. -Then Manfred heard the quick intake of his -breath, and he stooped again, picked up a strip of braided -cloth.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A man’s,” he said, and his relief betrayed his fear. -“Somebody in evening dress, and quite recent.” He -looked at his finger. “The blood is still wet.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Digby showed him the ventilator grating through -which he had smelt the incense, and when Leon stooped, -the faint aroma still remained.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We will try the factory first. If that draws blank, -we’ll ask Dr. Oberzohn’s guidance, and if it is not willingly -given I shall persuade him.” And in the reflected light -of the lamp George Manfred saw the hard Leon he knew -of old. “This time I shall not promise: my threat -will be infinitely milder than my performance.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They came to the dark entry of the factory, and Manfred -splashed his light inside.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’ll have to walk warily here,” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Progress was slow, for they did not know that a definite -path existed between the jagged ends of broken iron and -debris. Once or twice Leon stopped to stamp on the -floor; it gave back a hollow sound.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The search was long and painfully slow: a quarter -of an hour passed before Leon’s lamp focussed the upturned -flagstone and the yawning entrance of the vault. -He was the first to descend, and, as he reached the floor, -he saw, silhouetted in the light that flowed from the -inner room, a man, as he thought, crouching in the doorway, -and covered him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Put up your hands!” he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The figure made no response, and Manfred ran to -the shape. The face was in the shadow, but he brought -his own lamp down and recognized the set grin of the -dead man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gurther!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>So thus he had died, in a last effort to climb out for -help.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Snake,” said Manfred briefly. “There are no -marks on his face, so far as I can see.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you notice his wrist, George?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then, looking past the figure, Gonsalez saw the girl -lying on the bed, and recognized Joan before he saw -her face. Half-way across the room he slipped on something. -Instinctively he knew it was a snake and leapt -around, his pistol balanced.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Merciful heaven! Look at this!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He stared from the one reptile to the other.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Dead!” he said. “That explains Gurther.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Quickly he unstrapped Joan’s wrists and lifted up -her head, listening, his ear pressed to the faintly fluttering -heart. The basin and the sponge told its own story. -Where was Mirabelle?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was another room, and a row of big cupboards, -but the girl was in no place that he searched.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She’s gone, of course,” said Manfred quietly. “Otherwise, -the trap would not have been open. We’d better -get this poor girl out of the way and search the grounds. -Digby, go to——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He stopped.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>If Oberzohn were in the house, they must not take the -risk of alarming him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But the girl’s needs were urgent. Manfred picked -her up and carried her out into the open, and, with -Leon guiding them, they came, after a trek which almost -ended in a broken neck for Leon, to within a few yards -of the house.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I presume,” said Gonsalez, “that the hole into which -I nearly dived was dug for a purpose, and I shouldn’t be -surprised to learn it was intended that the late Mr. Gurther -should find a permanent home there. Shall I take her?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, no,” said Manfred, “go on into the lane. Poiccart -should be there with the car by now.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Poiccart knows more about growing onions than -driving motor-cars.” The gibe was mechanical; the -man’s heart and mind were on Mirabelle Leicester.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They had to make a circuit of the stiff copper-wire -fence which surrounded the house, and eventually -reached Hangman’s Lane just as the head-lamps of the -Spanz came into view.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I will take her to the hospital and get in touch with -the police,” said Manfred. “I suppose there isn’t a -near-by telephone?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I shall probably telephone from the house,” said Leon -gravely.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>From where he stood he could not tell whether the -door was open or closed. There was no transom above -the door, so that it was impossible to tell whether there -were lights in the passage or not. The house was in complete -darkness.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was so depressed that he did not even give instructions -to Poiccart, who was frankly embarrassed by the -duty which had been imposed upon him, and gladly surrendered -the wheel to George.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They lifted the girl into the tonneau, and, backing -into the gate, went cautiously up the lane—Leon did not -wait to see their departure, but returned to the front of -the house.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The place was in darkness. He opened the wire gate -and went silently up the steps. He had not reached -the top before he saw that the door was wide open. -Was it a trap? His lamp showed him the switch: he -turned on the light and closed the door behind him, and, -bending his head, listened.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The first door on the right was Oberzohn’s room. -The door was ajar, but the lamps were burning inside. -He pushed it open with the toe of his boot, but the room -was empty.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The next two doors he tried on that floor were locked. -He went carefully down to the kitchens and searched -them both. They were tenantless. He knew there -was a servant or two on the premises, but one thing he -did not know, and this he discovered in the course of -his tour, was that Oberzohn had no bedroom. One of -the two rooms above had evidently been occupied by the -servants. The door was open, the room was empty -and in some confusion; a coarse night-dress had been -hastily discarded and left on the tumbled bedclothes. -Oberzohn had sent his servants away in a hurry—why?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was a half-smoked cigarette on the edge of a -deal wash-stand. The ash lay on the floor. In a bureau -every drawer was open and empty, except one, a half-drawer -filled with odd scraps of cloth. Probably the -cook or the maid smoked. He found a packet of cigarettes -under one pillow to confirm this view, and guessed they -had gone to bed leisurely with no idea that they would -be turned into the night.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He learned later that Oberzohn had bundled off his -servants at ten minutes’ notice, paying them six months’ -salary as some salve for the indignity.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Pfeiffer’s room was locked; but now, satisfied that -the house was empty, he broke the flimsy catch, made -a search but found nothing. Gurther’s apartment was -in indescribable disorder. He had evidently changed in -a hurry. His powder puffs and beards, crepe hair and -spirit bottles, littered the dressing-table. He remembered, -with a pang of contrition, that he had promised to telephone -the police, but when he tried to get the exchange -he found the line was dead: a strange circumstance, till -he discovered that late that evening Meadows had decided -to cut the house from all telephonic communication, and -had given orders accordingly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was a queerly built house: he had never realized -its remarkable character until he had examined it at -these close quarters. The walls were of immense thickness: -that fact was brought home to him when he had -opened the window of the maid’s room to see if Digby -was in sight. The stairs were of concrete, the shutters -which covered the windows of Oberzohn’s study were -steel-faced. He decided, pending the arrival of the -police, to make an examination of the two locked rooms. -The first of these he had no difficulty in opening. It -was a large room on the actual ground level, and was -reached by going down six steps. A rough bench ran -round three sides of this bare apartment, except where its -continuity broke to allow entrance to a further room. -The door was of steel and was fastened.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The room was dusty but not untidy. Everything -was in order. The various apparatus was separated by a -clear space. In one corner he saw a gas engine and -dynamo covered with dust. There was nothing to be -gained here. The machine which interested him most -was one he knew all about, only he had not guessed the -graphite moulds. The contents of a small blue bottle, -tightly corked, and seemingly filled with discoloured -swabs of cotton-wool, however, revived his interest. -With a glance round the laboratory, he went out and -tried the second of the locked doors.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>This room, however, was well protected, both in the -matter of stoutness of door and complication of locks. -Leon tried all his keys, and then used his final argument. -This he carried in a small leather pouch in his hip pocket; -three steel pieces that screwed together and ended in a -bright claw. Hammering the end of the jemmy with -his fist, he forced the claw between door and lintel, and -in less than a minute the lock had broken, and he was -in the presence of the strangest company that had ever -been housed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Four electric radiators were burning. The room was -hot and heavy, and the taint of it caught his throat, -as it had caught the throat of the Danish servant. He -put on all the lights—and they were many—and then -began his tour.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There were two lines of shelves, wide apart, and each -supporting a number of boxes, some of which were -wrapped in baize, some of which, however, were open -to view. All had glass fronts, all had steel tops with -tiny air-holes, and in each there coiled, in its bed of wool -or straw, according to its requirements, one or two snakes. -There were cobras, puff-adders, two rattlesnakes, seemingly -dead, but, as he guessed, asleep; there was a South -American <span class='it'>fer-de-lance</span>, that most unpleasant representative -of his species; there were little coral snakes, and, in one -long box, a whole nest of queer little things that looked -like tiny yellow lobsters, but which he knew as scorpions.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was lifting a baize cover when:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Don’t move, my friend! I think I can promise -you more intimate knowledge of our little family.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon turned slowly, his hands extended. Death was -behind him, remorseless, unhesitating. To drop his -hand to his pocket would have been the end for him—he -had that peculiar instinct which senses sincerity, and -when Dr. Oberzohn gave him his instructions he had -no doubt whatever that his threat was backed by the -will to execute.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Oberzohn stood there, a little behind him, white-faced, -open-eyed with fear, Mirabelle Leicester.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Digby—where was he? He had left him in the grounds.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The doctor was examining the broken door and grunted -his annoyance.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I fear my plan will not be good,” he said, “which -was to lock you in this room and break all those glasses, -so that you might become better acquainted with the -Quiet People. That is not to be. Instead, march!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>What did he intend? Leon strolled out nonchalantly, -but Oberzohn kept his distance, his eyes glued upon -those sensitive hands that could move so quickly and -jerk and fire a gun in one motion.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Stop!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon halted, facing the open front door and the -steps.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You will remember my sainted brother, Señor -Gonsalez, and of the great loss which the world suffered -when he was so vilely murdered?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon stood without a quiver. Presently the man -would shoot. At any second a bullet might come crashing -on its fatal errand. This was a queer way to finish so -full a life. He knew it was coming, had only one regret; -that this shaken girl should be called upon to witness -such a brutal thing. He wanted to say good-bye to her, -but was afraid of frightening her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You remember that so sainted brother?” Oberzohn’s -voice was raucous with fury. Ahead of him the light -fell upon a face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Digby! Stay where you are!” shouted Leon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The sound of the explosion made him jump. He saw -the brickwork above the doorway splinter, heard a little -scuffle, and turned, gun in hand. Oberzohn had pulled -the girl in front of him so that she afforded a complete -cover: under her arm he held his pistol.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Run!” she screamed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He hesitated a second. Again the pistol exploded -and a bullet ricochetted from the door. Leon could -not fire. Oberzohn so crouched that nothing but a trick -shot could miss the girl and hit him. And then, as the -doctor shook free the hand that gripped his wrist, he -leapt down the steps and into the darkness. Another -second and the door slammed. He heard the thrust of -the bolts and a clang as the great iron bar fell into its -place. Somehow he had a feeling as of a citadel door -being closed against him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dr. Oberzohn had returned unobserved, though the -night was clear. Passing through the open water-gate -he had tied up to the little quay and landed his unwilling -passenger. Digby, according to instructions, had been -making a careful circuit of the property, and at the -moment was as far away from the barge as it was humanly -possible to be. Unchallenged, the doctor had worked -his way back to the house. The light in the hall warned -him that somebody was there. How many? He could -not guess.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Take off your shoes,” he growled in Mirabelle’s ear, -and she obeyed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Whatever happened, he must not lose touch of her, -or give her an opportunity of escape. Still grasping her -arm with one hand and his long Mauser pistol in the -other, he went softly up the steps, got into the hall and -listened, locating the intruder instantly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It all happened so quickly that Mirabelle could remember -nothing except the desperate lunge she made to -knock up the pistol that had covered the spine of Leon -Gonsalez. She stood dumbly by, watching this horrible -old man fasten the heavy door, and obediently preceded -him from room to room. She saw the long cases in the -hot room and shrank back. And then began a complete -tour of the house. There were still shutters to be fastened, -peep-holes to be opened up. He screwed up the shutters -of the servants’ room, and then, with a hammer, broke -the thumb-piece short.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You will stay here,” he said. “I do not know -what they will do. Perhaps they will shoot. I also am -a shooter!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Not satisfied with the lock that fastened her door, he -went into his workshop, found a staple, hook and padlock, -and spent the greater part of an hour fixing this additional -security. At last he had finished, and could put the -situation in front of four very interested men.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He unlocked the door of the concrete annexe and -called the crestfallen gunmen forth, and in a very few -words explained the situation and their danger.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“For every one of you the English police hold warrants,” -he said. “I do not bluff, I know. This afternoon -I was visited by the police. I tell you I do not -bluff you—me they cannot touch, because they know -nothing, can prove nothing. At most I shall go to prison -for a few years, but with you it is different.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Are they waiting outside?” asked one suspiciously. -“Because, if they are, we’d better move quick.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You do not move, quick or slow,” said Oberzohn. -“To go out from here means certain imprisonment for -you all. To stay, if you follow my plan, means that -every one of you may go free and with money.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What’s the idea?” asked Cuccini. “Are you going -to fight them?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sure I am going to fight them,” nodded Oberzohn. -“That is my scheme. I have the young miss upstairs; -they will not wish to do her any harm. I intend to -defend this house.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do you mean you’re going to hold it?” asked one -of the staggered men.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I will hold it until they are tired, and make terms.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Cuccini was biting his nails nervously.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb, boss,” -he growled. “I’ve got an idea you’ve roped us into -this.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You may rope yourself out of it!” snapped Oberzohn. -“There is the door—go if you wish. There are -police there; make terms with them. A few days ago -you were in trouble, my friend. Who saved you? The -doctor Oberzohn. There is life imprisonment for every -one of you, and I can hold this house myself. Stay with -me, and I will give you a fortune greater than any you -have dreamt about. And, more than this, at the end you -shall be free.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where’s Gurther?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He has been killed—by accident.” Oberzohn’s -face was working furiously. “By accident he died,” he -said, and told the truth unconvincingly. “There is -nothing now to do but to make a decision.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Cuccini and his friends consulted in a whisper.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What do we get for our share?” he asked, and -Oberzohn mentioned a sum which staggered them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I speak the truth,” he said. “In two days I shall -have a gold-mine worth millions.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The habit of frankness was on him, and he told them -the story of the golden hill without reservations. His -agents at Lisbon had already obtained from the Ministry -an option upon the land and its mineral rights. As the -clock struck twelve on June 14, the goldfield of Biskara -automatically passed into his possession.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“On one side you have certain imprisonment, on the -other you have great monies and happiness.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How long will we have to stay here?” asked Cuccini.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have food for a month, even milk. They will not -cut the water because of the girl. For the same reason -they will not blow in the door.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Again they had a hasty consultation and made their -decision.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“All right, boss, we’ll stay. But we want that share-out -put into writing.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“To my study,” said Oberzohn promptly, “march!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was half-way through writing the document when -there came a thunderous knock on the door and he got -up, signalling for silence. Tiptoeing along the passage, -he came to the door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes—who is that?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Open, in the name of the law!” said a voice, and -he recognized Meadows. “I have a warrant for your -arrest, and if necessary the door will be broken in.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So!” said Oberzohn, dropped the muzzle of his -pistol until it rested on the edge of the little letter-slit -and fired twice.</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch33'></a><span class='it'>Chapter XXXIII</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>The Siege</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>B</span>UT Meadows had already been warned to keep clear -of the letter-box, and the bullets eventually reached -one of the railway viaducts, to the embarrassment of a -road ganger who happened to be almost in the line of -fire.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Meadows slipped down the steps to cover. Inside -the wire fence a dozen policemen were waiting.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sergeant, go back to the station in the police car -and bring arms,” he said. “This is going to be a long -job.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gonsalez had made a very careful reconnaissance of -the ground, and from the first had recognized the difficulties -which lay ahead of the attacking party. The -wall rose sheer without any break; such windows as -were within reach were heavily shuttered; and even the -higher windows, he guessed, had been covered. The -important problem in his mind was to locate the room -in which the girl was imprisoned, and, making a mental -review of the house, he decided that she was either in -the servants’ apartment or in that which had held Gurther. -By the light of the lantern he made a rapid sketch plan -of the floors he had visited.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Meadows had gone away to telephone to police head-quarters. -He had decided to re-establish telephone -connection with the doctor, and when this was done, he -called the house and Oberzohn’s voice answered him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The colloquy was short and unsatisfactory. The -terms which the doctor offered were such as no self-respecting -government could accept. Immunity for -himself and his companions (he insisted so strongly upon -this latter offer that Meadows guessed, accurately, that -the gang were standing around the instrument).</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t want your men at all. So far as I am concerned, -they can go free,” said Meadows. “Ask one -of them to speak on the ’phone.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, indeed, no,” said Oberzohn. “It is ridiculous -to ask me that.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He hung up at this point and explained to the listening -men that the police had offered him freedom if he would -surrender the gang.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“As I already told you,” he said in conclusion, “that -is not the way of Dr. Oberzohn. I will gain nothing -at the expense of my friends.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A little later, when Cuccini crept into the room to call -police head-quarters and confirm this story of the doctor, -he found that not only had the wire been cut, but a yard -of the flex had been removed. Dr. Oberzohn was taking -no risks.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The night passed without any further incident. Police -reserves were pouring into the neighbourhood; the -grounds had been isolated, and even the traffic of barges -up and down the canal prohibited. The late editions of -the morning newspapers had a heavily head-lined paragraph -about the siege of a house in the New Cross area, -and when the first reporters arrived a fringe of sightseers -had already gathered at every police barrier. Later, -special editions, with fuller details, began to roll out of -Fleet Street; the crowd grew in density, and a high -official from Scotland Yard, arriving soon after nine, -ordered a further area to be cleared, and with some -difficulty the solid wedge of humanity at the end of -Hangman’s Lane was slowly pushed back until the house -was invisible to them. Even here, a passage-way was -kept for police cars and only holders of passes were allowed -to come within the prohibited area.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The three men, with the police chief, had taken up their -head-quarters in the factory, from which the body of -Gurther had been removed in the night. The Deputy -Commissioner, who came on the spot at nine, and examined -the dead snakes, was something of a herpetologist, -and pronounced them to be veritable <span class='it'>fers-de-lance</span>, a view -from which Poiccart differed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They are a species of African tree snakes that the -natives call <span class='it'>mamba</span>. There are two, a black and a green. -Both of these are the black type.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Zoo mamba?” said the official, remembering -the sensational disappearance of a deadly snake which -had preceded the first of the snake mysteries.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You will probably find the bones of the Zoo mamba -in some mole run in Regent’s Park—he must have been -frozen to death the night of his escape,” said Poiccart. -“It was absolutely impossible that at that temperature -he could live. I have made a very careful inspection of -the land, and adjacent to the Zoological Gardens is a -big stretch of earth which is honeycombed by moles. -No, this was imported, and the rest of his menagerie -was imported.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The police chief shook his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Still, I’m not convinced that a snake could have -been responsible for these deaths,” he said, and went -over the ground so often covered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The three listened in polite silence, and offered no -suggestion.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The morning brought news of Washington’s arrival -in Lisbon. He had left the train at Irun, Leon’s agent -in Madrid having secured a relay of aeroplanes, and -the journey from Irun to Lisbon had been completed in -a few hours. He was now on his way back.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If he makes the connections he will be here to-night,” -he told Manfred. “I rather think he will be a very -useful recruit to our forces.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re thinking of the snakes in the house?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I know Oberzohn,” he said simply, and George Manfred -thought of the girl, and knew the unspoken fears -of his friend were justified.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The night had not been an idle one for Oberzohn and -his companions. With the first light of dawn they had -mounted to the roof, and, under his direction, the gunmen -had dismantled the four sheds which stood at each -corner of the parapet. Unused to the handling of such -heavy metal, the remnants of the Old Guard gazed in awe -upon the tarnished jackets of the Maxim guns that were -revealed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Oberzohn understood the mechanism of the machines -so thoroughly that in half an hour he had taught his -crew the method of handling and sighting. In the -larger shed was a collapsible tripod, which was put -together, and on this he mounted a small but powerful -searchlight and connected it up with one of the plugs in -the roof.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He pointed to them the three approaches to the house: -the open railway arches and the long lane, at the end -of which the crowd at that moment was beginning to -gather.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“From only these places can the ground be approached,” -he said, “and my little quick-firers cover them!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Just before eleven there came down Hangman’s Lane, -drawn by a motor tractor, a long tree-trunk, suspended -about the middle by chains, and Oberzohn, examining -it carefully through his field-glasses, realized that no -door in the world could stand against the attack of that -battering-ram. He took up one of the dozen rifles that -lay on the floor, sighted it carefully, resting his elbow -on the parapet, and fired.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He saw the helmet of a policeman shoot away from -the head of the astonished man, and fired again. This -time he was more successful, for a policeman who was -directing the course of the tractor crumpled up and fell -in a heap.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A shrill whistle blew; the policemen ran to cover, -leaving the machine unattended. Again he fired, this -time at the driver of the tractor. He saw the man -scramble down from his seat and run for the shelter of -the fence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A quarter of an hour passed without any sign of -activity on the part of his enemies, and then eight men, -armed with rifles, came racing across the ground towards -the wire barrier. Oberzohn dropped his rifle, and, taking -a grip of the first machine-gun in his hand, sighted it -quickly. The staccato patter of the Maxim awakened -the echoes. One man dropped; the line wavered. -Again the shrill whistle, and they broke for cover, dragging -their wounded companion with them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I was afraid of that,” said Leon, biting his knuckles—sure -evidence of his perturbation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He had put a ladder against the wall of the factory, -and now he climbed up on to the shaky roof and focussed -his glasses.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s another Maxim on this side,” he shouted -down. And then, as he saw a man’s head moving above -the parapet, he jerked up his pistol and fired. He saw -the stone splinters fly up and knew that it was not bad -practice at four hundred yards. The shot had a double -effect; it made the defenders cautious and aroused in -them the necessary quantity of resentment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He was hardly down before there was a splutter from -the roof, and the whine and snap of machine-gun bullets; -one slate tile shivered and its splinters leapt high in the -air and dropped beside his hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The presence of the girl was the only complication. -Without her, the end of Oberzohn and his companions -was inevitable. Nobody realized this better than the -doctor, eating a huge ham sandwich in the shelter of the -parapet—an unusual luxury, for he ate few solids.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This will be very shocking for our friends of Curzon -Street,” he said. “At this moment they bite their hands -in despair.” (He was nearly right here.)</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He peeped over the parapet. There was no policeman -in sight. Even the trains that had roared at regular -intervals along the viaduct had ceased to run, traffic -being diverted to another route.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At half-past twelve, looking through a peep-hole, he -saw a long yellow line of men coming down Hangman’s -Lane, keeping to the shelter of the fence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Soldiers,” he said, and for a second his voice quavered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Soldiers they were. Presently they began to trickle -into the grounds, one by one, each man finding his -own cover. Simultaneously there came a flash and a -crack from the nearest viaduct. A bullet smacked -against the parapet and the sound of the ricochet was -like the hum of a bee.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Another menace had appeared simultaneously; a -great, lumbering, awkward vehicle, that kept to the middle -of the lane and turned its ungainly nose into the field. -It was a tank, and Oberzohn knew that only the girl’s -safety stood between him and the dangling noose.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He went down to see her, unlocked the door, and -found her, to his amazement, fast asleep. She got up at -the sound of the key in the lock, and accepted the bread -and meat and water he brought her without a word.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What time is it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Oberzohn stared at her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That you should ask the time at such a moment!” -he said.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The room was in darkness but for the light he had -switched on.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is noon, and our friends have brought soldiers. -Ach! how important a woman you are, that the whole -army should come out for you!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Sarcasm was wasted on Mirabelle.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is going to happen—now?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I do not know.” He shrugged his shoulders. “They -have brought a diabolical instrument into the grounds. -They may use it, to give them cover, so that the door -may be blown in. At that moment I place you in -the snake-room. This I shall tell our friends very -quickly.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>She gazed at him in horror.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You wouldn’t do anything so wicked, Mr. Oberzohn!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Up and down went the skin of his forehead.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That I shall tell them and that I shall do,” he said, -and locked her in with this comfortless assurance.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He went into his study and, fastening the door, took -two strands of wire from his pocket and repaired the -broken telephone connections.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wish to speak to Meadows,” he said to the man -who answered him—a police officer who had been stationed -at the exchange to answer any call from this connection.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I will put you through to him,” was the reply.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For a moment the doctor was surprised that Meadows -was not at the exchange. He did not know then that -a field telephone line had been organized, and that the -factory head-quarters of the directing staff was in communication -with the world.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was not Meadows, but another man who answered -him, and by his tone of authority Oberzohn guessed that -some higher police official than Meadows was on the spot.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I am the doctor Oberzohn,” he barked. “You -have brought a tank machine to attack me. If this -approaches beyond the wire fence, I shall place the -woman Leicester in the home of the snakes, and there I -will bind her and release my little friends to avenge me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Look here——” began the officer, but Oberzohn -hung up on him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He went out and locked the door, putting the key -in his pocket. His one doubt was of the loyalty of his -companions. But here, strangely enough, he underrated -their faith in him. The very mildness of the attack, the -seeming reluctance of the soldiers to fire, had raised -their hopes and spirits; and when, a quarter of an hour -later, they saw the tank turn about and go out into -Hangman’s Lane, they were almost jubilant.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’re sure that he will carry out his threat?” -asked the police chief.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Certain,” said Leon emphatically. “There is nothing -on earth that will stop Oberzohn. You will force the -house to find a man who has died by his own hand, and——” -He shuddered at the thought. “The only thing -to be done is to wait for the night. If Washington -arrives on time, I think we can save Miss Leicester.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>From the roof Dr. Oberzohn saw that the soldiers -were digging a line of trenches, and sent a spatter of -machine-gun bullets in their direction. They stopped -their work for a moment to look round, and then went -on digging, as though nothing had happened.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The supply of ammunition was not inexhaustible, and -he determined to reserve any further fire until the attack -grew more active.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Looking over the top of the parapet to examine the -ground immediately below, something hot and vicious -snicked his ear. He saw the brickwork of the chimney -behind him crumble and scatter, and, putting up his hand, -felt blood.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You’d better keep down, Oberzohn,” said Cuccini, -crouching in the shelter of the parapet. “They nearly -got you then. They’re firing from that railway embankment. -Have you had a talk with the boss of these birds?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They are weakening,” said Oberzohn promptly. -“Always they are asking me if I will surrender the men; -always I reply, ‘Never will I do anything so dishonourable.’ ”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Cuccini grunted, having his own views of the doctor’s -altruism.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Late in the afternoon, a flight of aeroplanes appeared -in the west: five machines flying in V formation. None -of the men on the roof recognized the danger, standing -rather in the attitude and spirit of sightseers. The -machines were flying low; with the naked eye Cuccini -could read their numbers long before they came within -a hundred yards of the house. Suddenly the roof began -to spout little fountains of asphalt. Oberzohn screamed -a warning and darted to the stairway, and three men -followed him out. Cuccini lay spread-eagled where he -fell, two machine-gun bullets through his head.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The fighting machines mounted, turned and came -back. Standing on the floor below, Oberzohn heard the -roar of their engines as they passed, and went incautiously -to the roof, to discover that the guns of flying machines -fire equally well from the tail. He was nearer to death -then than he had ever been. One bullet hit the tip of -his finger and sliced it off neatly. With a scream of -pain he half fell, half staggered to safety, spluttering -strange oaths in German.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The aeroplanes did not return. He waited until their -noise had died away before he again ventured to the -roof, to find the sky clear. Cuccini was dead, and it was -characteristic of his three friends that they should make -a thorough search of his pockets before they heaved the -body over the parapet.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Oberzohn left the three on the roof, with strict instructions -that they were to dive to cover at the first glint -of white wings, and went down into his study. The -death of Cuccini was in some ways a blessing. The man -was full of suspicion; his heart was not in the fight, and -the aeroplane gunner had merely anticipated the doctor’s -own plan.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Cuccini was a Latin, who spoke English well and -wrote it badly. He had a characteristic hand, which it -amused Oberzohn to copy, for the doctor was skilful -with his pen. All through the next three hours he wrote, -breaking off his labours at intervals to visit the guard -on the roof. At last he had finished, and Cuccini’s sprawling -signature was affixed to the bottom of the third page. -Oberzohn called down one of the men.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is the statement of Cuccini which he left. Will -you put your name to his signature?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is it?” asked the man surlily.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is a letter which the good Cuccini made—what -generosity! In this he says that he alone was to blame -for bringing you here, and nobody else. Also that he -kept you by threats.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And you?” asked the man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Also me,” said Oberzohn, unabashed. “What does -it matter? Cuccini is dead. May he not in his death -save us all? Come, come, my good friend, you are a fool -if you do not sign. After that, send down our friends -that they may also sign.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A reluctant signature was fixed, and the other men -came one by one, and one by one signed their names, -content to stand by the graft which the doctor indicated, -exculpating themselves from all responsibility in the -defence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dusk fell and night came blackly, with clouds sweeping -up from the west and a chill rain falling. Gonsalez, -moodily apart from his companions, watched the dark -bulk of the house fade into the background with an -ever-increasing misery. What these men did after did -not matter—to them. A policeman had been killed, and -they stood equally guilty of murder in the eyes of the -law. They could now pile horror upon horror, for the -worst had happened. His only hope was that they did -not know the inevitability of their punishment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>No orders for attack had been given. The soldiers -were standing by, and even the attack by the aeroplanes -had been due to a misapprehension of orders. He had -seen Cuccini’s body fall, and as soon as night came he -determined to approach the house to discover if there -was any other way in than the entrance by the front -door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The aeroplanes had done something more than sweep -the roof with their guns. Late in the evening there -arrived by special messenger telescopic photographs of -the building, which the military commander and the -police chief examined with interest.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon was watching the house when he saw a white -beam of light shoot out and begin a circular sweep of the -grounds. He expected this; the meaning of the connections -in the wall was clear. He knew, too, how long that -experiment would last. A quarter of an hour after the -searchlight began its erratic survey of the ground, the -lamp went out, the police having disconnected the current. -But it was only for a little while, and in less than an hour -the light was showing again.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He has power in the house—a dynamo and a gas -engine,” explained Gonsalez.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Poiccart had been to town and had returned with a -long and heavy steel cylinder, which Leon and Manfred -carried between them into the open and left. They -were sniped vigorously from the roof, and although the -firing was rather wild, the officer in charge of the operations -forbade any further movement in daylight.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At midnight came the blessed Washington. They -had been waiting for him with eagerness, for he, of all -men, knew something that they did not know. Briefly, -Leon described the snake-room and its contents. He was -not absolutely certain of some of the species, but his -description was near enough to give the snake expert an -idea of the species.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, sir, they’re all deadly,” said Washington, shaking -his head. “I guess there isn’t a thing there, bar the -scorps, who wouldn’t put a grown man to sleep in five -minutes—ten minutes at the most.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They showed him the remains of the dead snake and -he instantly recognized the kind, as the zoological expert -had done in the afternoon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s mamba. He’s nearly the deadliest of all. -You didn’t see a fellow with a long bill-shaped head? -You did? Well, that’s fer-de-lance, and he’s almost as -bad. The little red fellows were corals. . . .”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon questioned him more closely.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, sir, they don’t leap—that’s not their way. A -tree snake will hang on to something overhead and get -you as you pass, and they’ll swing from the floor, but -their head’s got to touch the floor first. The poor little -fellow that killed Gurther was scared, and when they’re -scared they’ll lash up at you—I’ve known a man to be -bitten in the throat by a snake that whipped up from -the ground. But usually they’re satisfied to get your -leg.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon told him his plan.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ll come along with you,” said Washington without -hesitation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But this offer neither of the three would accept. Leon -had only wanted the expert’s opinion. There were scores -of scientists in London, curators of museums and keepers -of snakes, who could have told him everything there was -to be known about the habits of the reptile in captivity. -He needed somebody who had met the snake in his native -environment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>An hour before daylight showed in the sky, there was -a council of war, Leon put his scheme before the authorities, -and the plan was approved. He did not wait for -the necessary orders to be given, but, with Poiccart and -Manfred, went to the place where they had left the cylinder, -and, lifting it, made their slow way towards the house. -In addition, Leon carried a light ladder and a small -bag full of tools.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The rays of the searchlight were moving erratically, -and for a long time did not come in their direction. -Suddenly they found themselves in a circle of dazzling -light and fell flat on their faces. The machine-gun spat -viciously, the earth was churned up under the torrent of -bullets, but none of the men was hit; and, more important, -the cylinder was not touched.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then suddenly, from every part of the ground, firing -started. The target was the searchlight, and the shooting -had not gone on for more than a minute before the light -went out, so jerkily that it was obvious that one bullet -at least had got home.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now,” said Manfred, and, lifting up the cylinder, -they ran.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Poiccart put his hand on the fence wire and was hurled -back. The top wire was alive, but evidently the doctor’s -dynamo was not capable of generating a current that -would be fatal. Leon produced an insulated wire cutter -and snipped off a six-foot length, earthing the broken -ends of the wire. They were now under the shadow of -the wall of the house, and out of danger so far as bullets -were concerned.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon planted his ladder against the window under -which they stopped, and in a second had broken the glass, -turned the catch and sent up the sash. From his bag he -produced a small diamond drill and began to work through -the thick steel plate. It was a terribly arduous job, -and after ten minutes’ labour he handed over the work -to Manfred, who mounted in his place.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Whatever damage had been done to the searchlight -had now been repaired, and its beam had concentrated -on the spot where they had been last seen. This time -no fusillade greeted its appearance, and Oberzohn was -surprised and troubled by the inaction.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The light came into the sky, the walls grew grey and -all objects sharply visible, when he saw the tank move -out of the lane where it had been standing all the previous -day, turn into the field, and slowly move towards the -house. He set his teeth in a grin and, darting down the -stairs, flung himself against the door of the girl’s room, -and his agitation was such that for a time he could not -find the keyhole of the two locks that held the door -secure.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It opened with a crash, and he almost fell into the -room in his eagerness. Mirabelle Leicester was standing -by the bed, her face white as death. Yet her voice was -steady, almost unconcerned, when she asked:</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What do you want?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You!” he hissed. “You, my fine little lady—you -are for the snakes!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He flung himself upon her, though she offered no resistance, -threw her back on the bed and snapped a pair of -rusty handcuffs on her wrists. Pulling her to her feet, -he dragged her from the room and down the stairs. -He had some difficulty in opening the door of the snake-room, -for he had wedged it close. The door was pushed -open at last: the radiators were no longer burning. He -could not afford the power. But the room was stiflingly -hot, and when he turned on the lights, and she saw the -long line of boxes, her knees gave way under her, and she -would have fallen had he not put his arm about her waist. -Dragging a heavy chair to the centre of the room, he -pushed her down into it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Here you wait, my friend!” he yelled. “You shall -wait . . . but not long!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>On the wall there were three long straps which were -used for fastening the boxes when it was necessary to -travel with them. In a second one thong was about -her and buckled tight to the back of the chair. The -second he put under the seat and fastened across her -knees.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Good-bye, gracious lady!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The rumble of the tank came to him in that room. -But he had work to do. There was no time to open the -boxes. The glass fronts might easily be broken. He -ran along the line, hitting the glass with the barrel of -his Mauser. The girl, staring in horror, saw a green -head come into view through one opening; saw a sinuous -shape slide gently to the floor. And then he turned out -the lights, the door was slammed, and she was left alone -in the room of terror.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Oberzohn was no sooner in the passage than the first -bomb exploded at the door. Splinters of wood flew past -him, as he turned and raced up the stairs, feeling in his -pocket as he went for the precious document which might -yet clear him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='it'>Boom!</span></p> - -<p class='pindent'>He had not locked the door of the snake-room; Leon -had broken the hasp. Let them go in, if they wished. -The front door was not down yet. From the landing -above he listened over the balustrade. And then a -greater explosion than ever shook the house, and after -an interval of silence he heard somebody running along -the passage and shake at the snake-room door.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Too late now! He grinned his joy, went up the last -flight to the roof, to find his three men in a state of -mutiny, the quelling of which was not left to him. The -glitter of a bayonet came through the door opening, a -khaki figure slipped on to the roof, finger on trigger.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Hands up, you!” he said, in a raucous Cockney -voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Four pairs of hands went upward.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred followed the second soldier and caught the -doctor by the arm.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I want you, my friend,” he said, and Oberzohn -went obediently down the stairs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They had to pass Gurther’s room: the door was open, -and Manfred pushed his prisoner inside, as Poiccart and -Leon ran up the stairs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The girl’s all right. The gas killed the snakes the -moment they touched the floor, and Brother Washington -is dealing with the live ones,” said Leon rapidly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He shut the door quickly. The doctor was alone for -the first time in his life with the three men he hated -and feared.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oberzohn, this is the end,” said Manfred.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>That queer grimace that passed for a smile flitted across -the puckered face of the doctor.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think not, my friends,” he said. “Here is a statement -by Cuccini. I am but the innocent victim, as you -will see. Cuccini has confessed to all and has implicated -his friends. I would not resist—why should I? I am -an honest, respectable man, and a citizen of a great and -friendly country. Behold!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He showed the paper. Manfred took it from his hand -but did not read it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Also, whatever happens, your lady loses her beautiful -hill of gold.” He found joy in this reflection. “For -to-morrow is the last day——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Stand over there, Oberzohn,” said Manfred, and -pushed him against the wall. “You are judged. Though -your confession may cheat the law, you will not cheat -us.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>And then the doctor saw something and he screamed -his fear. Leon Gonsalez was fixing a cigarette to the -long black holder he had found in Gurther’s room.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You hold it thus,” said Leon, “do you not?” He -dipped the cigarette down and pressed the small spring -that was concealed in the black ebonite. “The holder is -an insulated chamber that holds two small icy splinters—I -found the mould in your laboratory, Herr Doktor. -They drop into the cigarette, which is a metal one, and -then . . .”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He lifted it to his lips and blew. None saw the two -tiny icicles fly. Only Oberzohn put his hand to his cheek -with a strangled scream, glared for a second, and then -went down like a heap of rags.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Leon met Inspector Meadows on his way up.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m afraid our friend has gone,” he said. “He has -cheated the hangman of ten pounds.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Dead?” said Meadows. “Suicide?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It looks like a snake-bite to me,” said Leon carelessly, -as he went down to find Mirabelle Leicester, half laughing, -half crying, whilst an earnest Elijah Washington was -explaining to her the admirable domestic qualities of -snakes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s five thousand dollars’ worth dead,” he said, -in despair, “but there’s enough left to start a circus!”</p> - - - <div class='center' style='margin-top:4em;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'> - <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="triple" width="100%"> - <tr> - <td align='left'><a id='ch34'></a><span class='it'>Chapter XXXIV</span></td> - <td align='center'></td> - <td align='right'><span class='it'>The Death Tube</span></td> - </tr> - </table> - </div> - - -<p class='noindent'><span style='float:left; clear: left; margin:0 0.1em 0 0; padding:0; line-height: 1.0em; font-size: 200%;'>L</span>ATER, Manfred explained to an interested police -chief.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oberzohn secured the poison by taking a snake and -extracting his venom—a simple process: you have but -to make him angry, and he will bite on anything. The -doctor discovered a way of blending these venoms to -bring out the most deadly qualities of them all—it -sounds fantastic, and, from the scientist’s point of -view, unlikely. But it is nevertheless the fact. The -venom was slightly diluted with water and enough -to kill a dozen people was poured into a tiny mould and -frozen.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Frozen?” said the chief, in astonishment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred nodded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There is no doubt about it,” he said. “Snake -venom does not lose its potency by being frozen, and this -method of moulding their darts was a very sane one, -from their point of view. It was only necessary for a -microscopic portion of the splinter to pierce the flesh. -Sufficient instantly melted to cause death, and if the -victim rubbed the place where he had been struck, it -was more certain that he would rub some of the venom, -which had melted on his cheek, into the wound. Usually -they died instantly. The cigarette holders that were -carried by Gurther and the other assassin, Pfeiffer, were -blowpipes, the cigarette a hollow metal fake. By the -time they blew their little ice darts, it was in a half-molten -condition and carried sufficient liquid poison to kill, even -if the skin was only punctured. And, of course, all that -did not enter the skin melted before there could be any -examination by the police. That is why you never found -darts such as the bushmen use, slithers of bamboo, -thorns from trees. Oberzohn had the simplest method of -dealing with all opposition: he sent out his snake-men -to intercept them, and only once did they fail—when -they aimed at Leon and caught that snake-proof man, -Elijah Washington!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What about Miss Leicester’s claim to the goldfields -of Biskara?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred smiled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The renewal has already been applied for and granted. -Leon found at Heavytree Farm some blank sheets of -note-paper signed with the girl’s name. He stole one -during the aunt’s absence and filled up the blank with a -formal request for renewal. I have just had a wire to -say that the lease is extended.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He and Poiccart had to walk the best part of the way -to New Cross before they could find a taxicab. Leon -had gone on with the girl. Poiccart was worried about -something, and did not speak his mind until the providential -cab appeared on the scene and they were trundling -along the New Cross Road.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My dear George, I am a little troubled about Leon,” -he said at last. “It seems almost impossible to believe, -but——”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But what?” asked Manfred good-humouredly, and -knowing what was coming.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You don’t believe,” said Poiccart in a hushed voice, -as though he were discussing the advent of some world -cataclysm—“you don’t believe that Leon is in love, -do you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Manfred considered for a moment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Such things happen, even to just men,” he said, and -Poiccart shook his head sadly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have never contemplated such an unhappy contingency,” -he said, and Manfred was laughing to himself -all the way back to town.</p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-top:3em;margin-bottom:10em;font-size:.8em;'>THE END</p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:2em;font-size:.7em;'>Printed in Great Britain by Butler & Tanner Ltd., Frome and London</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 THREE JUST MEN ***</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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