Show BANNER SERIAL FICTION FICTION- r She Painted Her Bel HerA race Face A Ii dotty r fate acid CU l Py YATES O Yale Yolo Some SYNOPSIS Richard Ichard Exon a poor young joung English English- n befriends elderly Matthew Gering at his death gives him a statement ring he he Gering is Rudolph Elbert U. U U Count of Brief of ancient Aus Aus- nobility who was betrayed 20 years t by his twin brother Ferdinand whose sentence for forgery he himself served Ferdinand appropriated his ti title tI tie tle property and daughter Before Detore he idles dies Gering Cering tells teUs Exon there is a family secret known only to the head of the r house ouse to be found in the great tower at Brief by a doorway none can ean ever find Exon Inherits his uncles uncle's fortune and sets out to right Goings Going's wrongs t CHAPTER 1 Continued l I 2 2 J If II I did not like Percy's portrait the moment I saw him that evening I liked him less Not at all re reo re- re resembling his uncle he was a tall dark man overdressed and scented old for his age I had been something surprised that such a man as he should choose a hotel but I saw that he sat at atthe atthe atthe the table of one of the residents a a quiet sad faced old fellow whose name I knew to be Inskip who used to go up to London twice in the week The two spoke hardly at all and d I had no doubt that business was to be done When Winter called me that morn morn- morning morning ing I asked him if it he could tell me what Inskip's profession was and he said at once that he was a dia dia- diamond mond merchant and added that he had heard say that he was a very big man Winter was the valet who always attended to me He was an excel excellent lent servant quick and deft and willing and very quiet He did for forme forme forme me much that could not be called his duty and because he was so pleasant I had come to know him better than anyone else I had met since Gering died That day I went to London myself with with a vague idea of engaging a private detective to shadow Percy Virgil and follow him out to Brief but instead I purchased some Aus Aus- maps and then on a sudden into a mo mo- motor motor tor can ca deale rand bought a Rolls Royce ia l y v F o this lt will be seen that I Its ts good g as half way to leaving r- r Brief i-Brief r Erie Brief myself And then another thing happened Winter did i not call me next morn morn- for ing-i-for ing foi for tho firS lor nearly six months life man who had taken his pla e leave the room room- Wi ter I said Hes not Hes gone sir He left last night Gone said I. I I right sir He's Hes left Hes left the hotel botel After Ater breakfast I asked the porter for Winters Winter's address and fifty min min- minuses uses ules later I ran my y friend to earth at his sisters sister's home When I asked him why he had left he looked distressed I lost my temper sir sn sir That's one of the things a servants servant's paid not to do In a sense it wasn't my fault but the manager couldn't pass it If Id I'd been placed like him I wouldn't have passed it myself I bade him tell me the facts It was that foreign gentleman sir Mr Virgil I think was his name He was to have left this morn morn- morning ing I 1 expect hes he's gone He's Hes Hes He's he's hes not a nice way with servants I waited upon him as well as ever I could but but well well I dont don't think he fancied me and I really believe he set out to twist my tail He rang for me seven times in the same half Do this hed he'd say and stand there and watch me do it and when I was through Do that And at last I turned Do it yourself I Isaid Isaid 4 said and be damned for the cad you look I dont don't blame you ou at all I said Would you like to be my servant Im I'm goin goin abroad broad I took with me the maps I had bought and two powerful binoculars and a h certain Bank Dank in Innsbruck was ready to honor my checks And that I think was all all except except that I carried two pistols in case of acci acci- dents I crossed the Channel by night and before the next day was over had come to Basle There I lay at ata ata ata a well known house bouse on the banks of the Rhine and liking the look of the place decided to spend a day there before going on I could speak no language except my own My helplessness shook me In this uneasy mood I presently I repaired to the garage in which the Rolls was bestowed to have nave a word with Winter Winter Winter-to to whom I may say the curse of Dabel Babel seemed to be matter for mirth mirth and and see sec that the car was no worse for her full days day's run rim As s I walked Into the place I saw nice looking n fellow sitting hall on one c e wing of a Lowland with his 5 f fI tat dt on the back of his head He I was very plainly English and might have been thirty five his merry was face face fac Was belying his Injured air The moment he saw me he smiled and put up a hand h md Then he touched the proprietors proprietor's arm rm and pointed to mc mC There you arc he said using 4 ii English The hour produces the man Recognizing me the proprietor bowed and smiled and f i stood still and waited to know what was want wanted ed of me The Thc other went straight to to the point I desire your ruling he said Will you be so very good as to say what wha t this Lowland is worth And put it as low as you dare You see sec Im I'm inclined to buy her but Mr here is asking me too much She's in hi perfect order two years old and has done miles I raised my eyebrows and took a alook alook alook look at the car The others watched me in silence At length length- I think shed she'd be cheap said I at pounds Im much obliged said HerrIck fi f II r. r r 1 Z r P 1 f 91 iiiI t L i I Announced That We Were Lost to to give him his name Well W ll what about it The garage proprietor sighed What will you he said I go goto goto goto to make out a check checkAs As he made his way to the office office- I beg said Herrick that you will lunch with me If IS you hadn't appeared when you did I should now be the poorer by exactly one onehundred onehundred onehundred hundred pounds But I thought thought- I know I was selling the car carnot car car- carnot carnot not I asked him pounds and he wouldn't go beyond two Ten minutes later we entered a looking good cafe where he was plainly known for the host himself conducted us up some stairs and gave us a table beside an open win window win win- window dow commanding an agreeable prospect of lawns and trees Now isn't that nice said Her Her- Herrick rick regarding the pretty scene Sit down with Madam Nature and your meal however humble be becomes comes a repast Of course you must have fine weather A picnic in the rain can provoke more downright misery than anything I know I envy you going to Innsbruck I had a stomachache stomach there in 1912 I Eating too many figs I think And the country round is superb Then again the people are charming charming- the peasants I mean Since I was accustomed to keep no company the entertainment he offered was like some gift from rom the gods and I found myself talking and laughing as I had not done since I left Oxford three Oxford three years before It was when they had brought the coffee that Herrick spoke of him bun self Im really a tout tout he said at least cast I was Employed by a firmin firm firmIn firmin In England to sell their stuff over here I sometimes think I was meant for better beller things but when you come comedown comedown comedown down to concrete a double blue at Cambridge is about as much good goodin in the City as the art of elocution would be to a Trappist monk As Asit AsIt Asit it was wa my French and German got me the job And its it's not been too bad you know But the English company's failed Thanks to you my dear Exon I can now discharge all my debts and travel back to England In that degree of comfort which an Insolent flesh demands And then said I. I Herrick considered his brandy I shall take a new Job he said Between you ou and me it wont won't be for very long My uncle Lord Nase Nase- Naseby Naseby by is falling failing and Im I'm his heir He lie hates the sight of me me-a me a family quarrel or something I dont don't know what But Dut he cant can't do me out of the money money money-he he would if he could I got to my feet Thank you very much for the last two hours Will you dine with me tonight Im I'm not going to dress I I 1 will with pleasure said Her Her- Heri Herx I I x l H 1 rick Lets say nine But long before then I resolved to obey my impulse and made up my mind to offer John Herrick a Job It was when we wc had dined that night night and were sitting above the river which hereabouts seemed to tobe tobe tobe be a gigantic race that I told him Gering's story and gave him the statements to read Then I spoke of Percy Virgil and finally of the busi busi- business business ness which I had set out to do doAnd doAnd doAnd And now I concluded we wo come to the I need a companion in this an Englishman who can speak German a man that I can talk to who's willing to work with me if it theres there's work to be done In a word I want you A hand went up to his brow Im Imon on of course Ill I'll love it And Im I'm greatly grea Impressed by this business More than an impressed Im I'm dazed You see I know something of Gering In fact I was a page at athis athis his wedding His wife the Count Count- Countess ess Rudolph was one of my moth mothers mother's mothers mothers ers er's best friends And Ive I've stayed at Brief BrIe I was only twelve at the I time and Ive I've never been back But ButI I still remember the house and the seven turrets staircase-turrets which led to the upper floors But I never was in the great tower it was holy ground CHAPTER II Now my idea had been to dis discover dis- dis discover cover some village not very far from Brief at which we could take up our quarters for as long as we meant to stay From there we could make mak such approaches as circum circumstances stances seemed to permit Herrick approved these plans plans plans-if if indeed they deserve the name and after two nights at Innsbruck we left that city at six o'clock in the morning traveling cast easL At nine o'clock we had breakfast some 25 miles mUes from Brief and after that we wc set out to prove the country working of course by the map and aiming at finding a reasonably com com- comfortable comfortable lodging which was neither too near nor too far I must confess that the country through which we ran was some of I the very finest I ever saw On all I sides forest clad ri s with I neighboring streams and pastures and delicate woods It was past half five that evening and we were beginning to wonder where we should spend the night when for the fifth or sixth time we lost our way We paused for a n few moments then for more than a mile we threaded a dark green forest of ot set close-set firs tics and then we passed over some ridge and began to go godown godown godown I down between meadows of very fine fino grass And then on a sudden there appeared a fork In the road As I set a foot on the brake I threw a glance at Herrick to see sec him asleep and after a moments moment's reflection I switched to the left I confess that the way to the right was the better beller road but that climbed up once more while that to the left led on down and to tell the truth I was more for the comfort of ot coun country try that man administered than the proud domain which was ruled by Nature alone Before halt half a mile mUe had gone by I had an uneasy feeling that we were making the most of some private road but since I could not turn turnaround turnaround turnaround around there was nothing to do but go on Another two furlongs proved my suspicion just and I rounded a abend abend abend bend to see our way swallowed up by the shade of two mighty chest chestnuts nuts which were standing like Gog and Magog before a substantial farm Now I could not turn the Rolls I round without driving past the chestnuts and so right up to the house and since if we were ob observed ob- ob observed served we could scarcely withdraw without excusing ourselves it seemed to me that we might as aswell aswell aswell well ask where we were and then endeavor to find the farm on the map The doors and windows were open but no one was to be bc seen and andI I saw at once that here was more than a farm for the house was more important than any of those we had passed As Winter opened my door a pleasant looking woman appeared at atthe atthe atthe the head of the steps I had no hat to take off but I bowed and smiled Then I pointed to the map in my hand and speak speaking ing for some absurd reason reason in hi what I believed to be French announced that we were lost and requested the name of the house TO DC nE CONTINUED |