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Show ' i V'-'- k r , , he said; and with that permission, he left her. Both had spoken so that the man above could not have heard; and Harriet now noticed that, as her companion hurried ahead, he went almost Yes," 15he lindMaisi) Eyej BY WILUAMMacHARGEDWIN b c Illustrations by Y Continued. 13 She halted suddenly in her dressing, Iler father perplexed and troubled. bad sent Eaton to the country club with Avery; there Avery, plainly, had forced Eaton Into the polo game. By Instructions? Clearly fathers ber there seemed to have been purpose In what had been done, and purpose which bad not been confided to herself either by her father or Avery. For how could they have suspected Eaton would betray himself In the fame unless they had also suspected that he had played polo before? To suspect that, they must at least have ome theory as to who Eaton was. Hut her father had no such theory; he had been expending unavalllngly, so far, every effort to ascertain Eaton's CYmnectlons. So her thoughts led her only Into deeper and greater perplexity, but with them came sudden and resentment unaccountable against Avery. At seven Harriet went in to dinner with her father. The blind mini was lce; he hail been awnltlng her, and they were served at once. All through the dinner she was nervous nnd moody; for she knew she was going to do something she had never done before: she was going to conceal something from her father. She told of Eatons reception at the country dub, and of his taking part In the polo practice and playing badly; but of her own Impression that Eaton knew the game and her present conviction thnt Donald Avery had seen even more than that, she said nothing. She watched her fathers face, but she could see there no consciousness that ahe was omitting anything In her account. An hour later, when after reading aloud to him for a time, he dismissed her, she hesitated before going. "Youve seen Donald? she asked. Yes." What did he tell you? The same as you have told, though not quite so fully." She was outside the door and In the hall before realization came to ber that her fathers reply could mean only that Donald, like herself, hnd concealed his discovery of Eaton's ability to play polo. Why Donald had cot told, she could not Imagine; the only conclusion she could reach was that Donalds silence In some way menaced Eaton ; for suddenly now Tt came to her what this must mean to Eaton. All that he had been so careful to hide regarding himself nnd his connections must be obtainable by Avery now, and Avery, for some purpose of his own, was withholding betrayal to make use f It as he might i R.H. Livingstone IITTLI, BROWN, AND COMPANY CHAPTER XV i balmer. j to be definite, before a quarwatch) ter of eleven." Why should I do this?" lie came close to her and faced her. "What do you think of me now, Miss Santolne? "Why" are certain now, are you not, had nothing to do with the atAn your father that is, In any other connection than that the attack might he meant for me. I denied yesterday that the men in the automobile meant to run me down ; you did not accept that denial. I may as well adroit to you that I know perfectly well they meant to kill me. They are likely to try ngnin to kill me." We recognize that too, she answered. The men on watch about the house are warned to protect you as well as watch you." You thut tack I I appreciate that." "But are they all you have to fear, Mr. Eaton?" She was thinking of Donald Avery. He seemed to recognize what was In her mind; his eyes, as he gazed Intently at her, clouded, then darkened still more with some succeeding thought. "No, not all." And It will aid you to to protect yourself If you see your friend tonight? Yes. "But why should not one of Fathers men be with you?" "Unless I were alone, my friend would not appear. "I see. He, moved away from her, then came back ; the Importance to him of what he was asking wus very plain to her he was slinking nervously with It. Miss Santolne, he said Intently, you do not think lmdly of me now. I do not hnve to doubt that; 1 can see It; you have wanted me to see It. I ask you to trust me for a few minutes tonight. I cannot tell you whom I wish to see or why, except that the man conies to do nie a service and to endanger no one except those trying to Injure me." She herself wns trembling with her desire to help him, but recollection of her father held her back ; then swiftly there came to her the thought of Gabriel Warden: because Warden had 5 t t V stairs. ' She looked hurriedly about for Avery. She did not find hint, nor at first did she find Eaton either. She discovered him presently In the music room with Blatchford. Blatchford at once excused himself, tired evidently of his task of watching over Eaton. Harriet caught herself together and controlled herself to her usual manner. "What shall It be this evening. Mr. Raton?" she asked. "Music, billiards? Billiards, If you like, he responded. They went up to the billiard room, end for an hour pla'yed steadily; but her mind was not upon the game nor. she saw, was his. Finally, as they ended a game, he put his cue buck In the rack and faced her. Miss Suntolne," he said, "I want to ask a favor." What Is It?" I want to go out unaccompanied. Why? I wish to speak to a friend who will he waiting for me." IIow do you know? He got word to me at the country dub today. Excuse me I did not mean to Inform on Mr. Avery; he wns really most vigilant. I believe he only made one slip. He was not the only one observing you." "I suppose not. In fact, I was certain of it. However, I received a message which was undoubtedly authentic and had not been overseen." But you were not able to make reply." I w as able to receive all that was Bccessary." She -- onsldered for a moment. "What lo you want me to do?" Either because of my presence or bcause of what has happened or perhaps normally you have at least tour men about the grounds, two of whom seem to oe constantly on duty to observe anyone who may approach. ( wish 70U to older them to let me iu8 and go to i place perhaps ten minutes' walk jfrom here. If you do o, I will ret turn at the latest within balf to hour' (be glanced at hie 1 The Fight In the Study. Eaton dismissed the man who had been waiting In his rooms for him ; he locked the door and carefully drew down all the window shades. Then he put his overcoat, folded as he had been carrying it uuder his arm, on the writing table In the center of the room, and from Its folds and pockets took a "breast-drillsuch as Iron fit. i Yes." "What did he tell you? I mean what Is wrong that you did not expect ? Site heard his breath come fast. "Nothing," he denied. "No; you must tell me! Cant you trust me? "Trust you 1" he cried. lie turned You to her and seized her hands. ask me to trust you! Yes; Ive trusted you. Cant you believe as much In me?" "Believe In you, Miss Santolne He crushed her fingers In his grasp, "Oh, my God, 1 wish I could "You wish you could? she echoed. The tone of It struck her like a blow, and she tore her hands away. "What do you mean by that? lie made no reply but stood staring We must at her through the dark. "Youre he said queerly. go hack, cold." She did not answer but started back up the puth to the house. lie seemed to have cuught himself together against some Impulse that stirred him "The man out there who strongly. saw us? lie will report to your fahe asked unther, Miss Santoiue? steadily. "lleports for Father are first made to me. I see." He did not ask her what she was going to do ; if he was assuming that her permission to exceed his set limits bound her not to report to her father, she did not accept that assumption, though she would not report to the blind man tonight, for she knew he must now be asleep. But she felt that Eaton was no longer thinking of this. As they entered the house and he helped her lay oft her cape, he suddenly faced her. We are In a strange relation to each other. Miss Santolne stranger than you know," he said unevenly. She waited for him to go on. "When the time comes that you comprehend what our actual relation ls; I I want you to know that I understand that whatever you have done was done because you believed It might bring about the greater good. I I have seen In you In your father only kindness, high honor, sympathy. If I did not know She started, gazing at him, what he said had absolutely no meaning for her. "Wlmt Is It that you know? she demanded. He did not reply; his hand went out to hers, seized It, crushed It, and he started away. As he went up the stairs still, In his absorption, carrying cap and overcoat she stood staring after him In perplexity. CHAPTER XVI She moved once more to return to her father; again she stopped; then, swiftly, she turned and went down- i noiselessly. She stood still, shivering a little now In the cold; and she listened, she no longer heard his footsteps. What she had done was done; then Just as she was telling herself that It must be many moments before she would know whether he was coming back, she heard him returning; at some little distance, he spoke her nume so as not to frighten her. She knew at once it was he, but a change in the tone surprised her.' She stepped forward to meet him. "You found your friend? " "Its All Right, Willis, " She Said Qul etly. tried to help him in some way .nd for some reason which she did not know Warden hhd been killed. And feeling that in helping him there might be danger to herself, she suddenly and eagerly welcomed that danger, and made her decision. "You'll promise, Mr. Eaton, not to try to leave? "Yes." "Let us go out," she said. She led the way downstairs and. In the hall, picked up a cape; he threw it over her shoulders and brought his overcoat and cap. But In his absorption he forgot to put them on until, as they went out Into the garden together, she reminded him ; then he put on the cap. The night was clear and cool, and no one but themselves seemed to be about the house. "Which wny do you want to go?' she asked. He turned toward the forested acres of the grounds which ran down to a ravine at the bottom of which a little stream trickled toward the lake. As they approached the side of this ravine, a man apfenred and Investigated them. He recognized the girls figure and halted. "Its all right. WLUj," she said quietly. Yes, ma'am." They passed the man and went down the path Into the ravine and up the tiny valley. Eaton halted. "You dont mind waiting here a few moments for me? "No," she said. "You will return here?" workers use In drilling steel, nn automatic pistol with three clips of cartridges, an electric flashlight and a He little bottle of nitroglycerin. loaded the pistol and put It In his pocket ; then he carefully Inspected the other things. He raised a shade and window, and The night was snt In the dark. cloudy and very dark. He gazed at the south wing of the house; the windows of the first floor were closed nnd the curtains drawn; hut tonight there was no light In the room. Then in the dark he moved to the table where he had left his overcoat, and distributed In his pockets and within his clothing the articles he had brought; and now he felt again In the overcoat nnd brought out a short, strong bar of steel curved and flattened at one end a Jimmy" for forcing the windows. Eaton slipped off his shoes and went to his room door; he opened the door and found the hall dark and quiet. He stepped out, closing his door carefully behind him, and with great caution he descended the stairs. lie went to a window in the drawing room which was set In a recess and so placed that It was not visible front He other windows In the house. opened this window and let himself down upon the lawn. He gained the south corner of the wing, unobserved or at least without sign that he had been seen, and went on around It. He stopped at the first high French window on the south. As he tried to slip his Jimmy under the bottom of the sash, the window, to his amazement, opened silently upon Its hinges; It had not been locked. The heavy curtains within hung Just In front of him; he put out his hand and parted them. Then he started back In astonishment and crouched close to the ground ; Inside the room was a man moving about, flashing an electric torch before him and then exploring an instant in darkness and flashing hts torch again. Eaton had not been at all prepnred for this; now he knew suddenly that ha ought to have been prepared for It. If the man within the room was riot the one who had attacked him with the motor, he was closely allied with that man, and what he was after now was the same thing Eaton was after. He drew his pistol, and loosing the safety, he made It ready to fire; with his left hand, he clung to the short, heavy Jimmy. He stepped Into tha great room through the curtains, and treading noiselessly in his stocking feet, he advanced upon the man, moving forward In each period of darkness between the flashes of tha electric torch. Now, at the further side of the room, another electric torch flashed out. There were at least two men In the room, working together or rather, one was working, the other super vising; for Eaton heard now a steudy, almost inaudible grinding noise as the Eaton halted second man worked. again and waited ; if there were two, there might be others. Ills pulses were beating faster and hotter, and he felt the blood rushing to his head and his hands growing cold with his excitement; but he was conscious of no fear, lie crouched and crept forward noiselessly again. No other light appeared In the room, and there was no sound elsewhere from the darkness; but the man who supervised hnd moved closer to tha had noise The other. grinding stopped ; it was followed by a sharp click; the men, side by side, were bending over something; and the light of the man who had been working, for a fraction of a second shot Into the face of the other. He muttered some short, hoarse Imprecation,, but before Eaton heard the voice, he had stopped as If struck, and his breath had gone from him. His Instants glimpse of that faca astounded, stunned, stupefied him. He could not have seon that man ! The He must have fact was Impossible been mad ; his mind must have become unreliable to let him even Imagine It Then came the sound of the voice the voice of the man whose face he had seen I It was hel And, In place of the paralysis of the first Instant now a wild, savage throe of passion seized Eaton; his pulses leaped so it seemed they must burst his veins, and he gulped and choked. He had not filled In with Insane fancy the features of the man whom he had seen; the voice witnessed too that the man in the dark by the wall was he whom Eaton if he could have dreamed such a fact as now had been disclosed would have circled the world to cetch and destroy; yet now with the destruction of that man In his power for he had but to aim and empty his automatic pistol at five paces such destruction at this moment could not suffice ; mere shooting that man would be petty. Ineffectual. Eatons fingers tightened on the handle of his pistol, but he held It now not as a weapon to fire but as a dull weight with which to strike. The grip of his left hand clamped onto the short steel bar, and with lips parted breathing once, It seemed, for each heartbeat and yet choking, suffocating he leaped forward. At the same Instant so that he could not have been alarmed by Ea; tons leap the man who had been working moved his torch, and the light fell upon Eaton. Look out 1" the man cried In alarm to his companion; with the word the torch vanished. The man toward whom Eaton rushed did not have time to switch off his light; he dropped It Instead; and as Eaton sprang for him, he crouched. Eaton, as he struck forward, found nothing; but below his knees, Eaton felt a mans powerful arms tackling him; as he struggled to fre himself, a swift, savage lunge lifted him from his feet ; he was thrown and hurled backward. Eaton ducked his head forward and struggled to turn, as he went dowi so thnt a shoulder and not his head or back would strike the floor first. He succeeded In this, though In his effort he dropped the Jimmy. He clung with his right hand to the pistol, and as he struck the floor, the pistol shot off; the flash of flame spurted toward the ceiling. Instantly the grip below his knees wns loosed; the man who had tackled him and hurled him back had recoiled In the darkness. Eaton got to his feet but crouched and crept about behind a table, aiming his pistol over it in the direction In which he supposed the other men must be. The sound of the shot had censed to roar through the room; the gases from the powder only made the air heavier. The other two men In the room also waited, Invisible and silent. The only light, in the great curtained room, came from the single electric torch lying on the floor. This lighted the legs of a chair, a corner of a desk and a circle of books In the cases on the wall. As Eatons eyes beenme more accustomed to the darkness, he could see vague shapes of furniture. If a man moved, he might he made out; but If he stayed still, probably he would remain Indistinguishable. The other men seemed also to have recognized this; no one moved In the room, and there wns complete silence. (TO PE CONTINUED.) The Lady Wae Right. 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