Show 4 sir ig jau h fg m d the efte adventures of a mobilized demobilized De BY cyril mcneile officer who found peace dull sapper copyright by 0 geo H M doran oo co CHAPTER X continued is IB hugh walked to title tot top of blie alto jit airs A grin spreng over his two BB as he be saw halt half a dozen familiar fact fahys t in ili tho the hall and he bo hailed cheerily f like old union boyr he laughed chews W heros tho the driver lorry efa Thil ts me sir air one of them k stopped forward good said hugh mike your bua ten miles bivin there then drop that crowd one by one coo on the riad as an you ou KO go along you can an take tt from nie that none nona ot of em will bay anything about it oven even when they wako valre up then taku tako her beck to your garage jm 1111 sou see you ou litter inter now went on oil augh as be ly heard ille aho sound of tha departing lorry we got to set oe alie scene for or to morning me glanced t ills just eleven how long will it taw take rno me to get the old buzz ho c to towers To wera hataley La taley towers ll i what awant oo clio devil tire you yaw going thearo for I 1 i 1 11 I just ant cant hear bear to be parted front fronc 1 aenry for or ono one commit longer than linn necessary caid qu and ahenry la Is ahmo IH in it a worthy endeavor deavor to lift the du duchessi chesi 1 dear tear henry I 1 ills two fists Aon penciled chod and the amerlan Ainer lwi looking ot at ts to face laughed glied softly S put it was only for a modept that Indulge tl in the plea ires I 1 of all ah tint that could swe awlie fitter after and nd just now there were other things 0 A ho be dono many others ot liere tf jf arents morning were to go as they ShO should 1114 take etione two into file ho center cwm ho he crini cried incidentally theras tl terea it fi lead dead blocho on the floor lut but liell hell come in very cry mindy in my little och ocholee olne A A dead Il ochol intimidated gave a frightened squeak good heavens heaven sl I 1 you ruffian tills this la ili a joke blugh looked nt at him coldly j find it beyond it a joke you little rat lie said quietly it if yu speak to me ino ilke that ito ile laughed nt as tho the other shrank past him three or of you boys in there lie ho or derel der cd briskly hr lakly I 1 rad and if either of glies gives tho the slightest trouble clip film clorer over the head now lets havo hato the arst rest of tile the crowd in hero here peter 11 f they carno canto in anti and blugh dived a cheery hand in greeting goes it you fellows ho cried bilth with his infectious grin like it conic com powwow pow wow before popping the 1 1 parapet and its a bigger I 1 show time boys vian any youve ahad ad over the water gather round lad and listen to roc me for minutes lie ho spoke and its ills audience nodded delightedly apart i from their lovo love for drummond and out or of every four of them knew and onea once again the am american laughed ched softly at tile the look on his HI face lim him personally it was a scheme which tickled them to death anti anil lie ho was careful A reful to tell them hem t just enough of 0 tho the st eln nister lster design of the ho master to make them theiu realize the bigness of the ithe issue Tl iata all clear then auld drum rising now ln im ot off toby 1 I 11 want you to come too we ought to be there by mian midnight theres only ono one point captain remarked the american na as tho the group began to Ella perse that iirth safe sn tand and tha ledger ile he fambles in lite lila pocket and produced a small antall india bottle ivo ive got the soup soul he bere rogel gel ignite lie he explained its as lie ho saw tho the look on the others face 1 I reck oiled it might come I 1 n handy alto allo ft fusa NJ and detonator sat sald hugh splendid youre nn an acquisition mr air jmj nry eit ea Ji ciering erIng bilut J ut I 1 think I 1 think thia m first oil yoa yo most undoubtedly glenry Is still and once again the Anteri cuti laughed softly at on its face CHAPTERS CHAPTER 1 aln in which his HI lat last coup ONE Toly ilvo got it I 1 horrid feeling that the ho hunt la Is over 1 alth avith a rf regretful sigh bugh swung of the to own wit 0 of Gud alining in the direction cut iLal 1 dley towers lalle after tillee dropped tir 0 plied smoothly behind the I 1 two tint and still ivore a loov look of resigned sadness verv henrly over lie ho re markol inan agnan and then once moro more the ahe odium of respectability stares n Us in the face tie getting married old loean murmured bohy hopefully leor a moment ahls aird up true 0 king lite hc answer answered vil dat it will vt anso tho the situation somewhat at it j least I 1 supposal q allut think of ailt toby roly no Laki ngum tie no Pet ersoll antall to pay vw and leep one amused youre very certain tala A kgb 11 avith n elmost of wandw glar iced nt at tho the aivaro bawel ugly promo beside him htwe Tt we i maicy it a slip blip iafe aay bear old wan v drummond theres heres only one eure cure gor cor alo dispose idolo bof salts ili hi the morning for ft A white they raced OH Ji rough the garip sum idys alight jn ii Afi allence lence and it was wa ewt tit they hey were within a mile of beir deRd that cinclair spoke agal fl Kalu ll what firs you fou going to do with Il them willell lell hugh who pur carl and nj little henry drummond grinned gently eliy why I 1 think mink that carl and I 1 will part of conrao lie gives wo tuo any trouble and ns as for enking ton well have linao to sea about enking ton the alio grin ended front froni fits face ns as he spoke well have to boo about pur our little henry lio lie repent repented ed softly and icart I cant help feeling toby unit that between us wo shall and find a of ridding the lie earth or of such tt a thoroughly fellow 11 you menu menti to kill 1111 him grunted tile tho other just that and no more etiore tomorrow morning na as ever Is nut but lies hes going to get the shock of f ills his young lite life before it happens ile ho pulled the he cur car up silently in tile deep shadows KliR dows of 0 sonic trees and tho file two met inen got out now old boy you anko her back to tilo tho El elms lils allut hut confound it till nil spluttered splutter ed toby sinclair dont dollt yu you wants want ino to kielp alp you yon J 1 I do hy by taking tile alio buzz box buck back tills this little show Is my shout for a moment or two thigh hugli stood watching the cur car ns as it disappeared town down the lie rond road along which ehdy alidy tint luid just cuino come while hla his thoughts turned to the girl now safety asleep in III ills ids flat in III london another week per hap a fort fortnight bu but t tio no more not it tiny more and so delightful ans tho the train ot of thought thus conjured up unit that for n while feterson Ve terson find and La kIngton were forgotten the roseado of the young about to to wed have been known to net act IX before I 1 wherefore to tile sold soldiers lers tivo second nature trained alneil tr in ili the war and sharpened by ills his grini grim duel with the gang must ho riven tile ho c credit of 0 preventing prevent lag tle the ringing of the wedding bells being postponed for good the snap or of a twig close by tile sharp hiss of n coin pressed al aar r rille seemed simultaneous with hugh hurling himself flat on his face behind it sheltering bush in ili realley there liters was that frile fraction tion of 0 a second between tile actions which allowed till owed tile bullet to pass harmlessly oyer over its hta body instead of finishing ills his career there anti then hen ile he heard it go zipping tipping through tile the undergrowth as lie ho lay jay motionless on oil the lie ground then very cautiously ho he turned ills his liend and au peered ed nebout A shrub was slinking a n few yards awny and m it hugh fixed ills his halt half closed eyes if he lay quite sit still tile tho man no lie was would probably assume the shot find taken effect effet and como come and investigate thep things would be easier as two ho pr had discovered to their cost in ili daya dad coile by for two minutes he saw no ong then very slowly tho the brandts hes ond and tho white alte face of 0 a man peered through it was tho who usually drove the kolla royce and lie seemed unduly anxious to satisfy himself that nit nil was well before cornin corning ing nearer eilf fane fame of blugh drum mond had bad spread abroad amongst the ot of peterson at last lie ho to make up hi his mind and came out into the open stoll step by step ho he advanced toward tho the motionless fleisc hla his weapon held in readiness to hoot kohoot nt at tho faintest movement hut but the lay brawling and inert and by tho the auti thit tile clin bad retied him blia there was wa I 1 no doubt in ili that worthya wor thys mind that hint lit fit lust last tilts tills wretched meddler with things that conc concerned emed lilt him 13 not find been laid by the heels which was its n unfortunate for tile chauffeur ns it lind had been for unwary huns in tile ho past contemptuously lie rolled drummond over then noting the relaxed muscled and inert limbs lie he laid ills hla g run n on the ground preparatory to running victims pockets and the fact that such nn an action was a little moro foolish than offering it a man mail eating tiger a peppermint lozenge did not trouble the chauffeur in fact nothing troubled tiou bled him film again lie ho got out one gasping cry of ter lor as lie realized his mistake then he had a blurred consciousness of the world upside down and everything was over it was most dangerous if throw irow carried out by gripping tile lie victims wrists and hurling fits body over oer by a heave of tile the legs and nine out of ten the result was it neck this was one of tile the nine mor cikor a while the soldier stared at the boody frowning thoughtfully to have tot lloil the chauffeur was inconvenient but since it had happened it necessitated a little rearrangement of his filis the rhe moon was setting and the night would become darker so there ah SL mood chance that La kington would not recognize that the driver of ills car mad changed and if he did well it would be necessary ts forego the tha Amme what theatrical entertainment tain ment nent lie he tod lad staged for his benefit nt at the elms binding over the dead man lie he removed remo removed vex his long grey daiv ing coat and capi cap then without a sound ho he threaded ills his way through uw bushes in ili search of the car ua ito found it about a lit hundred indred yards nearer earler the house so well pit hidden in A amat space off the road that he was almost on top of it before he realized the filet to ills his relief it was wag empty and placing its his own cap in a under flie tio sent seat he put on the driving cont coat of his fits predecessor then with n quick gl glance itrice round to ensure that everything wag in readiness for the afie immediate and rapid departure such ns as tie lie Ining imagined ined La kington would desire lie ho turned and crept stealthily toward tile the house TWO laidley towers was en fete the duchess determined that every conceivable cei cel vable stunt should bo be carried out which flitch would make for the entertain ampt of her guests had spared no iio pains to moke make the evening a success the duke bored to extinction had been live five times routed out of ills study by ids fits indefatigable spouse and vas tiow now nt at tile moment hugh first arst cattle came in III sight of tile house engaged in it shaking shaki I 1 I 1 1 ands with a tall tail aristocratic imming indian jaqw dy do lie murmured vacantly what Whitt did you oa say the deim fellahs fellars fel lahs kainu was my dear lie whispered in ili a hoarse undertone to tile the ducheny du chesy who ho stood beside ill bilm welcoming the distinguished foreigner were vore so glad ion could come sir etain dar ked tile he duchess nf bably everyone Ie la so looking forward to your wonderful entertainment hound her neck were mere tile lils ills torte pearls and as the indian bowed low over iter her oW outstretched stretched hand tit os eyes gleat nekI for tt a second it had licen been the inart marquis luls of haldley 11 linsell lc who haid suggested getting told hold of tills this most celebrated perform er cr who had apparently never neer been tit in before and since the marquis of Lal haldley dley 9 coming of ngo was the cause of the whole entertainment ills his suggestion lind had been with acclamation how flow lie ho had heard about the indian nit and front from whom were points about which lie he was very ery vague but since lie he was ana at a very vogue young mon tile the filet fact elicited no comment tile the iraln thing wo waa that hero here in the test llesh was n dark mysterious performer of tile occult anti what more could a house party parts require and in ili the general excitement hugh drummond crept closer to the open window suddenly ills jaw tightened arnin had entered tile room with young luliley Lul dley do you want anything done mr rain llam dart darl naked tho the duches tho aptha lights down or the window SIMI shut no 1 1 I thank you returned tho the indian 1 I am ready who first IV will 11 learn of tho the things that are written oa the of vatel fate and it was at that moment that tile the intent watcher outside tho the window to shako with silent mirth for the faco was tho the faco face of tho indian etain pur dar but tile tho voice was tho the voice of it struck him that the next ten minutes or so might be wull worth while the problem of re moving kovl tho the pearls from tho the duchess neck before such nn an assembly seemed to present a certain amount of diali culty even to such ouch nn expert ns an henry and hugh crept a little nearer tho thi window so as to miss alsa nothing tho scene was now set 4 alio props evere in position and hugh hufh waited with growing tm int nat for tho the principal orvelt but ilie principal performer seemed tilt t lip flurry in tact lait in his dry wn wa lne furton wais VH thoroughly enjoying film self an ali intimate inside knottiest knott iest of the skeletons eliat I mottled holies bones in ili the cup bird 1 I of 0 most of f elioso choso enabled tile gods godi to speak with disconcerting nc curney mid os as each victim on oil coille body new aitho sands came from beyond file lie mountains tile performance for mance likely to last ended lit lithely tely at last it i sudden delighted burst of applause from tile group nn nil the discomfiture of yet another finest find and with it Lil kington seemed to tire of the amu amusement rement lit grossed Kross cil lie was in ili the he file main item which was ana still to be staged drummond could not but admire the extraordinary accuracy of tie im study not a deball lind had been overlooked not a single flaw lu in could lie he notice it was SQ an indian who stood there and when a hugh returned her pearls to ito aitho for a lonn long time allther alic nor her husband would believe illint alain dar had hadi been heen an disguised and tills this was what happened ns its seen been by the fascinated onlooker near the window wilde W A lislie rulx ably the indian after a short patter to hold lie attention of af the audience stalked to the die open window with arms anns lie dared into the darkness to gather strength from the whom lie be served do your cars cairs dot hear tle ings of the MOO he life rustling in the leavea debah y a NIS where did the protector of the poor obtain the sacred cabinet of the chow kings through the grasses an and suddenly he throw threw back his head bend laughed it fierce mocking bocking noc king laugh then hen lie he swung round and faced the room loom for it a while IQ lie he stood motionless lesi nil and hugh from tho the shelter ot of the bushes wondered whether the two quick flashes that had roine come front from ills his robe as he be spoke flashes such buell na as a small electric torch porch 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