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Show Orme had had a revolver, be would now have drawn It. Yet he knew that this was not a case for firearms. Obviously, Ob-viously, If he used a dangerous weapon In these men's rooms atd was afterward after-ward caught. It would fare hard with him, for the real facts would be sup- pressed and he would be sentenced as an ordinary housebreaker, perhaps with some clemency due to bis personal person-al standing. A quick Intuition told him that he , would not escape lightly If they fairly got their hands on him. The two Japanese had hitherto shown much patience pa-tience with bim. Their desire seemed to have bee n to avoid hurting hltn any more than was necessary. Hut there ' Is a limit to Japanese patience. .The scuttling words of the Japanese minister minis-ter must still be burning In Arima's brain. And Maku, who had controlled himself while Orme was following him through the streets of the North side, I no longer bail a diplomatic reason for restraining his rage against the man who had struck bim down. In any event, the eyes of Arlma and Maku glittered angrily, and Orme realized that he could expect no mercy. lie caught up a chair and raised It over his bend, prepared to bring It down on Arima, who was only a few feet from hltn and coming fast. The Japanese raised his arms to fend the expected blow. With sudden , Inspiration, Orme hurled the chair at his opponent's feet. There was a crash. 1 Arlma sprawled headlong. Maku, who ! was close behind, tried to leap over 1 Arlma, but his feet went through the , rungs of the chair, and he, too, crashed i to the floor. As be threw the chair, Orme leaped back. I'.efore the Japanese could get 1 out of their tangle, he bad Jump-'d over the window sill and was running ; up the fire escape. Madam Alia was ut 1 her window, a look of startled Inquiry . on her face. She stepped back as he - crow di d Into the room. "Quick!" he said. "They'll e after nie. Hide me somewhere." I "Come!" She took his sleeve and pulled hltn to a corner. There she . pushed aside the dingy hanging and I Orme saw that the wall was covered I with a wainscoting that ran from floor , to ceiling. The medium looked at him with I blight eyes. "You're the real sort," t she whispered, and a wave of color , In her cheeks brought back the sug-I sug-I gestion of girlish beauty. "I saw that , scrap there through a hole In the floor. You're the goods." She pressed , his arm almost affectionately, then. with her free hand, she pushed against , the paneling. Noiselessly a section of , It turned Inward, disclosing a dark cav-I cav-I Ity. "Get In!" I Orme quickly slipped Into the dark-nesB. dark-nesB. the panel closed, and he heard t the swish of the hanging as It dropped , against the board. It was not too soon. Two soft thuds . told him that the Japanese had dropped . over the sill Into the room. He heard the woman give a well-1 well-1 feigned scream of surprise. "'Sense us. miss" It was Arima's Voice "we looking for sneak thief. He 1 come In here." "He off with you. I've Just come from the front room there, and there wasn't a soul rnme in." "We saw him." "He must have gone out to the hall, then." The woman's voire hud a note of mollification as though she had suddenly recognized the right of the two Japanese to enter the apartment. "I didn't hear him." A few words ofIapanese colloquy; then Arlma: "I look around. My friend go to ball." A door closed; evi denily Maku had gone out; and then Orme heard steps. After this there I was a long wait, while the Japanese examined the other rooms, the woman evidently offering him her aid. At last they returned. "Well. I go back," said Aiima. "I saw bim come In the window My friend will know. See you later" 1 Presently the woman raised the j hanging and whispered through the boards: "He went back down the fire escape. His friend's In the hall. He'll j find out you haven't went down, and then he'll come back " ( "I'll try the roof," whispered Orme ; "Perhaps I can get on to another house that way." "Walt till I see " She walked away but soon returned. "No use," he heard her say. "Th;it Jap's a sitting on the fire escape watching. watch-ing. He grinned when I looked down " Orme pondered. "He'p me out of this," be whispered, "and there'll be something In It for you " She moved impatiently. "Cut it nut' I don't want nothing You're a good spurt, that's all." She pausid ' Not that I d mind having a present Hut I don't want no money. ' Orme caught the distinction "I'll remember." he said. "And what shall' I do now ?" "You'll have to stay In there a while. ! I guess." "I simply must get away and with In an hour or two." 'Til manage that," se answered con fldently. "Hut how?" "You'll see Just leate It to me" Orme smiled to himself, there In the darkness. Of course, be would leave It to her; but he did not see how she was to rid bim of the watchful Japanese. "There's Just one thing," he whls pered. "Whatever is done, will have to be done without help from outside. This Is not a matter for the police." "I understand, Why can't you just leave It to me? I don't believe you trust me a little bit !" "Hut I do," he protested. "I am ah solulely in your bunds." He heard her sigh faintly. "I'm going to put down the window now," she said. "It ain't safe for me to stand here talking to you uuIosh I do. That Arlma follow mlc.ht pop up the fire escape any time " She was back In a few moments. He had heard the window creak down, and slipped past Mm in the closet, and be had wondered whether the action would add to Aiiiua's suspicion "If be comes up now," she explained In an undertone, the glare on the outside out-side of the window will keep him from seeing In very plain '' After that she did not speak for some time, but the occasional move tni'tits of her body, as she leaned against the panel, were audible to Orme. lie found himself wondering nlioul Iiit- how she had happeui'd lo take up the career of fortune telling She must have hecn a handsome woman; even now she was not uuiit tractive. The delay grew mere and more Irk some. It seemed to Orme' as though he hnd been behind the panel for hours. After a while he asked: "What time is It?" "About two o'clock. Ain't you hungry?" Orme laughed softly. "I hadn't thought about it." "Walt u minute." She moved away. Wlli'll she returned she pulled up the hanging ami ope-ned the panel. In 1ht hand was a thiek sandwich. "I was just going to eat my own lunch when you came back thioiigh the window." she explained. He took the sandwich. She looki-d at him boldly lie was standing close to her In the opening. There was an expression that was almost defiant ir her eyes "I I want my present." "You shall have It, Madam Alia," he said. "You ain't my kind and It won' make no difference to yon." Her volet faltered and her eyes dropped. "I wan you to kiss me." Orme looked at her, and understood He put bis arms around her and klssei her gently on the lips. There was nc disloyalty In It. He was simply satis fylng the craving of this poor woman' soul a craving for a tribute to which she could always revert as the symbol of a high frienilline'ss. She felt that he was of a different world; he knew that the world was all one. though partitioned par-titioned off by artificial barriers, but he could not correct her view. She dung to Mm for a moment after his lips left hers, then released herself from his clasp and moved back Into the room, her face averted. Was It to hide a blush? Orme did not ask himself, him-self, but respecting her reticence of spirit, silently cloned the panel and was again In darkness. For a time he stood the-re quietly. His back was against the wall his hands easily touched the paneling thai shut hltn off from the room. He wondered won-dered what this secret place was for. and taking a match from his pocket be lighted it. The Ineiosure seemed to extend all the way across the side of the room Farther along, lying on the floor ami standing against the wall, were contrivances contri-vances of which at first he could make nothing poles, plec-a of tin. anil were those masks, heaped in the corner? cor-ner? From a row of pegs hung long robes while and blacc The truth flashed Into Orme's mind He was in Madam Alias ghost closet! CHAPTER XII. Power of Darkness. To Orme the next half hour was very long. He seated himself upon the fliMjr of the 1 lose t and ate the sand wb h whic h the c lairvoyant hnd lnoimht him. Occasionally he could bear her moving about the- apartment. "Poor charlatan''' be thought. "She is herself a 'good sort.' I suppose she excuses the sham of he-r ptofeit Inn on she ground that it dee-e-lves many p r Minn into happiness." He struck iino'hcr match nml looked 1 again lit the g !,! ly paraph'Ttiaha about him. Niar bun hung a black robe with a large bond He rrushi-d one of the folds in his hands and was surprir-ed to discover bow thin It wh ; and In') ) small spa"' it e ceild to-compressed. to-compressed. Not far away stood s'-v eral pairs of large slippers of soft black felt. The whl'e robes w r also I of Ihlnnest gossamer - flimsy stuff that 'swayed like smoke when be breathed 1 toward It. Hy the light of a third match he looked more ear-fully sr the other apparatus. ap-paratus. There was a large pair of ' sitgel wlngi. of the conventional hai-e The assortment of masks was sufficiently suffi-ciently varied for the representation of many types of men and women of different ages. The match burned down to bis fingers, fin-gers, and again he tat In darkness, wondering at the elalorateneot of the |