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Show 1 6ABMEIITS OF VEWGEAH6EI Reveals tit Operations of a Modern JfawriOM Mc nte Crislo at He Matches lis Wits Agains! a trip af fcjfMi Criwiwtt in High lajcirty. Ru linDrilf I ABIIfa copyniSMT nti av THI alio ty ftiiPBiiti uwmnui iatio niwwahm, limited lips, trying to reak. but so words came. Markkas Pilot turned as thev went out of too door. lie saw kar still sit ting, staring at tbs bank book. 81a had not pat oat a hand to take it when the door closed behind them. "Ton have most extraordinary war of doing things, Mr. Waife. " he said, is tbe waiting reus ' You bad hotter. bo tamed to tk maid, "go ia to your mistress, fee may aood you. ' ' Tbsa be looked In frankly open at-tonisbmeat at-tonisbmeat at this man wbo flung fortunes about la this extraordinary way. "I wished vou to see it." was Nelson Nel-son Wei re's simple explanation. "I wished you to understand through all tbe future that that money belonged to that woman. I wished It to be clear to yea that she knew nothing of it, that her services were not bought. Sbe learns test a brother was tbe victim of a dreadful wrong. She does ber duty, without bone of reward, in bringing restitution. Now cone." Nelson Wei fa opened a door and mo tioned that bit companion should precede pre-cede blm. Markham Flint found himself la a small room wbieb bold hardly more than a deab and a chair. At the deeb sat a voung man writing. He turned and rose as Nelson Waife came in. "Will tou please Co into tbe inner room. Mr. Wilkin"." said Nelson Waife, "and speak over the wiret Would you mind sitting down, Mr. Flint, and putting tbe instrument to your earf "Oh, I'm quite satisfied," said Ifarkbsm Flint But Nelson Waife shook his head. "I ask t hat every Uak in tbe chain should be complete," he said. "1 wish you to know personally that the voices came from the instrument you have lust seea ' I i "But the result, Mr. Waife? You do not seem to care. You bring in these trifling detail" " "Trifling details? " repeated Nelson Waife. "Oh, no. If we have learned anything. I wish it to come to yon in its most complete and final form. It mast be convincing. It must compel yoa to act." "I have promised nothing, yoa know, Mr. Waife. Only my great consideration considera-tion for my cousin aad for your Paris friends has brought me, here today. Yeu have' nut on me the most uapleas- A . 1- Li .V V k.J "Will too act now" Said Nelson Waife, ia Vis usual let plosive veiee. "Tea, if you will give me aa adequate ade-quate reason why you should have mads vou relf an avenger. " "The victim,'7 replied Nelson Waife, "was my mother." CHAPTER L. Bankruptcy. "Billy,! say, Billy." Billy Drummond, walking along the Bue de la Pair, toned at these words. He smiled at the advancing girl and held oat his baud, bat his cheerful blinking eyes betrayed him. "Think me over aad be sure yoa pronounce pro-nounce my name right," she cried, gripping his head ia open pleasure. "Panline,'' be exclaimed, after aa instaatr "I kaow yon by your disorderly disor-derly hair." He stood back and looked the hoviso figure up aad down. "You're jost the same old Billy, she cried, "hut I have changed. "I'm grown up now." . . , Little Miss c'arwardine checked her cheerful grin aad tried to make her charming oval face express a high responsibility. re-sponsibility. "You may lot like me so much, sbe said, "bat I shall do you more good. I can keep you in order now. Come and walk with me. I am sent away for aa hour while father and Mr. Warbourne bore one another." Together they , trolled along tbe pavement, picking up instantly the threads winch had been snapped three years before. Every Sunday for one winter Billy Drummond hid hid tea ia the school room with this irreeponrble Toxrng girl aad the brothers aad sisters of his friend John CreeweU. Pauline Carwardiue hid always spent her Sunder afternoons with her inti-mate inti-mate school frierfa, Mabel Cresswell. Thin she had come to adore tUU Blllv Drummond, who. by common consent, was acknowledged to be mueh more adventurous ad-venturous and daring than any one of his juniora. ' ' They discussed, with cheerful laughter, laugh-ter, each and every one of their friends pf the earlier davs. Then Pauline poured a fire of curious questions into Blllv Drummond about himself. "What," sbe cried, turning her bright eves on him. "You the secretary secre-tary of Nelson Waife. You really workf How can you possibly be useful use-ful to aavbodvf" course yoa dsmanded aai exTrianatina. ThegshookherTead. "There was silence"' she said. "Whieb was the more transfixed I eonlda't ten yoa. Then I saw somebody coming a long, way off. ! These 's somebody coming, I cried. That was the only word I said, Billy. Not a word of greeting, lot a question; I jost felt shivery all over with mystery, for all it was so hot. I realised that (be didn't want to be known. ' "How clerer!" exclaimed Billy with aa ironies, laugh. "Yoa may sneer at me," she said, "bot it shows you I didn't lose my head. Sbe looked scared, mother did. Now. I had never seen thst before. I ought by rights to hive been frightened fright-ened to death. I just polled myself together to-gether for the emergency. I tell vou, Billy, 1 behaved splendidly." "I can see it," criod Billy. "I am proud- of you. " "Mother lust "aid. 'Not a word, not to anybodv,' and she turned and did a bolt through the trees. Fancy mother bolting. I stood ind stired. 1 didn t try to follow. I just curled myself up on the beech, root and tried to look as though nothing hsd happened. "Well, who should come along but Nelson Waife. He had a pair of field glasses. He shouted out something at me, but he didn 't stop. I jumped up ami watched him till he disappeared in the tree. Imagine my excitement. a race between my mother and Nelson Waife.. My head was swimmiaf. He was bound to overtake her, yet I didn 't dare to follow. ' It seemed hoars before I saw him coming back. "I sat down aad preteaded to be en reading. He came up to me. 'I wis looking for 1 woman in black,' he raid. My heart was in my mouth. I don't know kow I managed to speak; but T seemed to get it out ill right. I pre tended at flrst tbit I didn t know whit he wis talking ibout. He eat down by my side and looked me straight in the eye. He told me that I had dragged ber veil from her face. "That started me off, Billy. I spun a most frightful yarn. Oh, I tell you, I had Ananias beaten to a standstill. I never flinched, I never stopped. I talked faeter than I ever did to von " "Impossible," cried Billy Drummond. Drum-mond. ' ' But go on. I am frightfully interested.' "I thought you would be. He prac ticillv told me I wis fibbing. He ll CHAPTER TT.TT Aa Aaaqusto Reason. Lady Hanmland Smith groped blindly for the handle of tbe door "Beet a minute," said Nelson Waife. He caught her fumbling hand and led her unresisting to a seat. The maid came with a glass of water. Lady Har-miland Har-miland .Smith pushed up her veil and drank it down. Her hand waa shaking so that the noise of the glass striking against her teeth could be heard through the room. "I remember," continued Nelson Waife, "how you jumped up at Beste that night, when I flrst came in. You saw that there would be thirteen at table. ta-ble. You take all these things very seriously. se-riously. Lady Harmiland Smith. Now I -come sometimes to have my hand read, but I look on it all only as a little amusing fad." He went on talking; in this strain for a little time, thus giving her the chance to recover. She soon obtained sufficient control of herself to speak. ' ' The room was very close, ' ' she slid. "I have not felt very well lately. It is nothing else. I am all right bow." She rose to her feet, but all the while her eyes were flxed on Nelson Waife 's face la the fiaeimtion of feir. She seemed wildly anxious to get iwsy, ind yet she lingered. "I im very surprised to see yon 1884. You helped her in the bouse. Yonr brother's wife lived rroee by, ind was one of several who combined to commit i crime whieb involved the shameful deception of your brother. All this i true!" "It is true," answered Karma Blst ma. "I suspected nothing at the time. My mother vaguely hinted afterward from time to time. When, vou told me what had been done. Mr. Waife. I wis ble to see that it waa all truth." "Vou have played a part with thie lady today," said Mark ham Flint, "because "be-cause you felt that a wrong had beea done to your brother f Are Too re ceiving any reward from Mr Waifef" "We did not speak of monev." cried Karma Blatma indignantly. "I have never heard from my brother. My mother never heard after his wife went away from Burkstowe. " "Lady Rente," said Nelson Waife ia his unruffled, compelling voice, "waa brought unconscious to Hilltop. Were you allowed to nurse herf" "I never eatered the sickroom. Sbe died, they say, without coming to her self.'' The voice trembled, but Neleon Waife held up n warning finger. "Who nursed herf" "Dr. Smith and her ladyship's companion com-panion Miss Travers. " "Did you go to the chemist 'e in Bucksiowe with any prescriptions'! ' ' '! Yes. for sleeping draughts. Dr. fvmjtb said morphia the chemist said. He talked a lot to me, of course. Everybody Every-body .,-ii.J : t meet ordered me to tell him. He charged this woman in black with sacrilege. sac-rilege. Fincy that, Billy, my mother committing sacrilege. It waa all about some flowers on toe tomb of a little baby that had been drowned ages ago. "Well, I bad no idea I would pitch yarns like I did then, but I knew tbit be was suspicious. So afterwards, after 1 had had time to think, I pitched him another tale, rather neat, I think. That put him oil. Billy. I could tell that be wee satisfied. So I pulled mother through." "Aad what did the say about it afterward aft-erward 1 ' ' "The simplest explanation you ever heard," laid Pauline. "She had known the Lord Beste that died in ifeypt, she aid. and she couldn't stand any of the present lot. Every year sbe sent or took i wreath; but she couldn't do it openly, beciuse sbe wouldn't meet tbe present people. It sounds funny, my telling it; but tbe made it all quite clear. sfj "She was indignant when 1 spoke of sacrilege; Mid thit was absurd, of course. She seemed to tike mi quite into her confidence; but I'm euro she did not tell me everything. There must hive been some little sentiments feeling feel-ing somehow about that Lord Beste who died in Egypt. Fancy mother being be-ing sentimental. "Oh, but you wouldn't understand; of course, you don't know her. Billy, I got a jolly good reward for not lot- 11 I'm not." said Billy, laxily; "I only pretend to be. ' ' "I could believe that." laughed the girl, "if vour boss wae anybody but Nelson Waife. Nobody hat ever fooled him but me." Sherhuekled. "Tou need not look at me like that," sbe cried. "I did." "I didn't know you hsd ever teen him or heard of him." said Billv Drummond. His eyes looked with approval ap-proval over the smsrtly dressed girl who walked so alertly by his tide. The "flapper" with whom he had romped In the schoolroom -had improved almost al-most beyong recognition. "He wis it reet when I was,.' the exclaimed. "As for bearing of aim, I am doing tbit ill the time. It wis it Beste thit T fooled him." She Inugbed again and threw a provocative pro-vocative glance at sbe lifted her roundel chin. "It was awfully funny. I'm jutt dying to tell yoa, and yet I oughtn't to." "Tell me, Pauline," wheedled Billy, "and then I'll tell you whether yon ouerht to or not." "Telling vou trv thing. " she cried, "ll just the time aa not telling you. Ton are safe.'' "I am the grave of teerett," he declared. de-clared. "It wis hot thit dev." she tud. "It wu so seorehing tbit I ein feel It now. Everybody neglected me; everybody every-body always does. " "I never did," protested the young man. j -, -. .m. i.hiiuui. i remember re-member hit mentioning drugs. I did not know what it meant at the time." . !.?" vou een Mite Travert lately late-ly 1 "It was tbe lady who hat jutt left here. ' ' "You recognized her, madamf" asked Markham Flint. "Yes. Perhaps I should not have known her if I had met her accidental I v. I knew that the bad married Dr. Smith. I knew, of course, that the wis coming here today." "Tou have no doubt it wat thet" asked Nelson Waife. "I recognised her absolutely." And did the know yoof" atked Markham Flint. "I am ture sbe did not." I will remind yors," said Nelson waife, turning to bit companion, "that if Lady Beste had recovered in time to ee the body of tbe dead child this eon-"Piracy eon-"Piracy mutt have failed. Tou have, then, the motive for keeping Ladv Beste under opiates." "I understand,'' answered Markham Flint. "And how did vou bring thit lady here, madamf" In an instant the door swung open by Itself snd the maid appeared. Karma Blatma had touched the bell push b nesth her foot. iS&jFl briD tD P"-' of the circular!" she asked. In another minute a moet beautifully engraved circular, headed with raysteri ous designs, was placed in th. k.nd nni vans ruiiu na r . r , i-. . form. I cannot escape the eonvietion that I am aiding a man who it most vindictive. Why should you pursue these people after all tbeee years! Yet, vee, I ran hear you quite distinctly. That's quite enough, thank you. ' ' "You forget," said Nelson Waife. "You cannot speak to kim. You have beea talking in the air." "Quite so, T forgot." Markham Flint dropped the receiver and stood op. "You got my voice, sir!" asked the young mnn as he came ia. "Yet, quite clearly, thank you." "Have you nearly finished transcribing!" transcrib-ing!" asked Nelson Wiife. "Yes, sir." He looked puzzled, but be mide no comment on the aiture of the conversation which he had recorder!. re-corder!. "When you have finished," eaid Nelson Waife, "I wish yoa to read it over to Mine. Blatma. If she iwreet thit it it absolutely correct, yon lad she will then sign it and make a declaration declar-ation before 1 commissioner for oaths, whom I shall now send here. Ton will hive your transcript annexed to the declaration. The commissioner will re-reive re-reive instruction to rend no line of roar transcript. He will hind you a fee of 20 guineas." "O, tir, that't quite too much." "It is to pay a responsible man for holding his tongue," eaid Neleon Waife. "You may eruat me. sir.." "There is only one further point. Mr. nere, sne riiterea. i ne persisieui oyes peered through the veil, lakiae; always a question to whieb the calm, unruffled features which she studied gave bo answer an-swer Waa his presence really the accident ac-cident which it teemed to be "We ill hive our little fads," laid Neleon Waife. My weakness it to be lieve in the occult. sometimes. They tell me thit Karma Blatma done extraordinary extraor-dinary things.'' Lady Harmiland-Smith, completely recovered for the moment, shrugged her shouldere and forced 1 smile. She looked about the room. Only one other ' 1 client ' ' was there waiting, a tall man wbo stood over at the window. "She didn't quite hit It with me," the said in a low voice. "How much do you really think there is in itt Do you suppose they hive inv reel power!" "I listen." mid Nelson Waife. "pay my money and go away. The next day I have forgotten what they said." Lady Harmi land-Smith opened her bag and took out her puree. "I should have forgotten to pay," she said. She called the maid passing through aad handed over the guinea. "I am so gild that yon have recovered. recov-ered. Mr. Waife," abe said, suddenly remembering what had happened. "We were greatly shocked. Mr husband was but yon know all about that, of course." "I am not sore." said Nelson Waife. "many things have happened of which I do not know." "He went down to yog at Uoldney rUH." "They did not tail me," said Nelson Waife. "How very kind of him "He felt It a duty he said. He ran down immediately. He taw you. He came bark shaking hit head; he bid no hope. Tbit wis why I was so surprised when I taw you here. It quite upset me." "Others.," waa Nelton Waife s an swer, "hive thought they saw a ghost alto; but I'm very much ilive, thinks to 1 good constitution ' "Will yon express to vour hinahand .Markhain Flint. out said Karma Blatma. "It went to Lady Harmiland Smith. It was ar ringed thit if she eime i Inter appointment ap-pointment wat to be made, and a telephone tele-phone message wat to be tent to Mr. waife. She came jutt at I expected he would. She .poke of the circular, asked how many had been tent out evidently feired to be recognized." Mirk?.; rt,.'d 'he .."A Mmprstitlou woman.'' niw.rarl ing my bead. Mother doubled my allowance." al-lowance." "And thoroughly earned, too, commented com-mented Billy Drummond. "If yon talked to Nelson Waife as well as you have told it to me, yoo pulled the wool completely over hit eyes Yon have a right to, be proud of that." "I did, I'm ture I did," the cried. "I am the only person in the world who's ever fooled bim. Of course it waa horrid to have to tell so man-howler", man-howler", but I eouldn 't help it, could XI It was frightfully interesting to me when they met. "He came to see us at Garnet. I watched him st mother held out her hand. I laughed to myself aad wondered won-dered what he would think if he knew that he was shaking hinds with the womsn in black whom he hid i barged with sacrilege." "T ahould have watched your mother," said Billy, "the knew." "I knew better than to watte a glance," exclaimed Pauline. "Mother never changes. Not the slightest hint to him, remember. Mother dislike, him, of course. She slid he had no right ti question me as be did. Billy, what was it vou used to call that long faced boy that put a damper on us slways when he eamef" "You mean the little Scot eh mint Oh, yes Hoodoo, thit't the nine, I think, for Jonih or anybody that brings bad luck. ' ' "Well, Billy " the cried, "I'm aw fully sorry I have to say it of your bossr"but Nelson Waife'e a hoodoo." "Yeu are wrong," he cried, instant in defense. "He is very eold and distant. dis-tant. He's had a frightful struggle in life. That makes bim seem hard to some people, but you 've no idea of tbe kind things he't alwivt doing." "He's hoodoo," nertitted the girl sxsw "He came down to Reite, and everything every-thing seemed upset I never thought of It at tbe time, but looking back I tan teeit. Some mysterious cloud came over the house "You would now, " she said with conviction, "if you were in a big house and there were lots of other girls T am too old to hold yeu bv force. I am too inexperienced He broke into a shout of laughter. "It s no laughing matter," the protested. pro-tested. "Well. I crept away that hot day. I went off with a book. I wasn 't going to read. I wat going to brood over the miseriet of life. "And was there no one to sympathize sympa-thize with tout' smiled Drummond. "Not soul. You hive never met my mother, hive vou. Billy f" "He shook hit heed. "Well. he more i duchess than anv duchess you ever saw. She's very beautiful ind very hauirhty. She walks like this even on a kot summer afternoon after-noon in our own garden.'' Billy Drummond looked at the drawn in chin, at the braced shoulders. "If vou did it," he taid, "you'd look twice at well. X have beard that Lady Carwardine ia very stately and vcrv handsome. " "I'm very proud of ber," said Pauline. "Well, I waa bunched up on i beech root thit diy, near path tbit I thought nobody used. I wis dimp raff, steaming in the heat. I looked up and saw i stuffy old dime coming ilong. Sbe made me feel hotter hot-ter thin ever, she wis dressed ill in bliek. and she hid 1 heavy veil on. "I resented anybodv beiatT wrapped up like tkit on sm-h i diy. She was wiiklug much too fast, too; that in-noved in-noved me." " Wbnt 1 trving person," cried Billy Drummond, with deep sympathy. "I hope vou told ber whit you thought of her. " "Billy, on honor, this is ibtolutely between ourselves! " "On honor." he said in a solemn sol-emn voice. "Well, this woman came along and didn t see me until eiie was close bv. She slopped short and gave a little kind of anitest T iii'nned un and stared into her I Flint, " isld Nelton Wiife. "I ahould hive thought you hid covered cov-ered everything." Mirkhira Flint answered. an-swered. Nelson Waife turned again to the young man. "When you gathered that this lady had left the inner room," he said, "did you follow my instruct ions? "Yet, tir, I opened this door quietly for an Instant. heard the lad,v speaking speak-ing to you. It wat tbe voice which came to me over the wire." "I shall expect the documents brought to inr personally at tbe Carlton It soon is they ire ready," aiid Nelson Nel-son Waife is be left the room." . "Billy Drummond." ssid Flint, as they walked down Bond street together, "tells me that you are the most extraordinary ex-traordinary chap be ever met. I don 't wonder he' ssya that. Mr. Waife. You leave without knowing whether your trap hn sprung or not. " "I wish you to see it in blick. ind white, not to heir it from statements of subordinates," wis Nelson Wiife i inswer. ' ' I hive wilted miny veers, Mr. Pl'nt to learn the truth. I can wait two hours longer. Will you come with mef " "Of course. I mutt tee this thing through. Have vou reason to -oppose, Mr. Wiife, thit this doctor knows sou ire on kis traekf " "I think perhaps he mav have an idea." answered Nelson Waife. "I think ir he his it at ill. it it vigue. 1 have purpoiel left it so. He livet in constant fear that a blow will fall from some source. A vigue. indefinite feir, Mr. Flint, is harder to endure thin any ci.-rtatity. " At tbe hotel tbey tat in a corner of the palni room, but nothing could obscure tbe distinctive figure of Mark ham Flint. Half-a-dozen enme and spoke to him. lesdies. drinking tea. waved greetings to him. He was preoccupied; his usual cheer fnl manner Was clouded He felt that my appreciation of hit kindneee in inquiring in-quiring in person'- "I'm afraid I cannot carry that message," mes-sage," she taid smiling. "You tee, he does not approve of my coming to these people. " "I quite understand." taid Nelton Waife. "I will not give yoa away." Sbe held out her hind, asking him at the same time to call. "I am off to Parit tomorrow," he said, "and I don't know when I shall be haek." He held the door open for her. bowing low as the pasted. She west, eoivioeed that thit meeting meet-ing had been purelv accidental; but when her taxirab drew up la front of her house she wae found in a dead faint No sooner bad the left the anteroom than the maid waa at Nelton Waife s side. ' ' Madam will see you now. ' ' the said "Come, Mr. Flint,' said N.lson Waife. turning. They went together into tbe black draped room Karma Rlatma tat Jutt as she had tat while Lady Htrmiland Smith wat there, bait the made up face wat no longer a maak of marble. She wae evidently checking high excite ment with diffleultv. Markham Flint stared ahont the room, hit brows tlightly raited, a tmile hidden beneath tbe heavy grav mustache. mus-tache. It finished almost is it rime, for his errand waa most distasteful to him. He hoped that the experiment had Nelson Waife, "who bat a crime to o-iceal, and who believes in thit kind of thing, would with to move, secretly. Cn.U7T' ' th,re ".vthing else vou would like to ask Miss Thomatf " " u. i h"iJ "t learned the raeult." -Markhnni flmt showed some eurprite hi saying this. Nelsou Wiife', manner had iii.licitid that the mitter wis ended end-ed so far is Karma Blatma was eon- m;.'.1 -?iould "ot Mk you o "Iv on miss Thomas memory for this worn- "i? fiT'i' a.' nii N' W'f- "We shall find those recorded elsewhere." How do vou meant" asked Markham Mark-ham Flint, perplexed. xr ',' WilL-vou "Pli'i. Miss Thomatf" Nelson Waife atked. "Thit woman sat here," said Karma Blttma, pointing to the ehair. "I examined ex-amined her hind. I obtained a control over her. It ia easy for me to do that with nervous women of her sort. I hT every detail of the crime fixed in mv mind I had had these from Mr. Waife. I knew exactly what to say and how to reach my point. "I touched the subject vagaely as I looked into her palm. Nothing "of importance im-portance wat said then, nothing in recorded. re-corded. At the proper moment I took the crystal from its box." She lifted K out is she spoke. "You see that the side falls down ard exposes this disc. It it a transmitter. Vou see thst the wire runs out of the box on the other aid " 1 1 1 pi . i'jP,'?f?' do u" u Mi been mSik Thomas," was Nelson 25? J '"""o to the Mark draped tibvl of the crystal. "kail learn that elsewhere. I smb Mr. Flint to know who vos are, ? A rei. 1 ou ,r? lauirhter of tgm heto Thomas our mother wis house keener at Hilltop. ne.r Buck.iowe in Hh lifted the wire as sbe spoke "Her mouth was not a foot away from It when she spoke." she continued, "sud I suppose thai etervthiag we both said was dearie beard." " I'pon mv word. Mr. Waife." Markham Mark-ham Flint e "eiiroed. "vou leave noth-ins noth-ins to chance. Vou have indeed .jot this iMior ladv in a trip from which there is no escape." "I do not think of this ladv ." raid I Nelson Waife, In his somber voice. "I think of the unconscious victim sent to her death without mercy." Markham Flirt turned away, bending Ibis heed. "I thsnk vou terv much. Mine Thorn as." raid Nelson Waife. "Vou have !not failed in vour part. Po vou know I thie bs n.l w riting ' ' I He took from his tsneketbook a worn 'and crumbled vellow frarment of na-per. na-per. almost drowning to pieces. "It is mv brother 'sj' said Karma Blatlra. "Thit letter," said Neleon Waife. "wae riven to me in Alaska bv yonr brother in the hour of his death. He had never answered it. for the wrong of which it told him. done to him be a faithless wife, broke hit life. TTi wealth wis be foundation of mv fortune. for-tune. Miss Thomas. You are his onlv living e'ttive. To rou belongs, as a matter of right, a great sum of money. "I have kept always a separate ac- eeDwt ef his share. Here is a bank book. 7 I are deposited in rour nme. in 'his hank, the sum of f 451 .000. " Ksms B's'tno sat starin'. first a the letter end the haek book, then a Nelsou Waif-. Twice) she opened her he had shared in an unrcrupulous attempt at-tempt to wring secrets from a brokeu woman, ret knew that he must go ou until he had learned what that eavesdropping eaves-dropping disc had recorded. He w as revolted at the bitter viadic tiveuess of the man by whose tide he sat. Once or twice he --Inner 1 et lhrt' sfill. expressionleaa face, but could read no sign of excitemeat or of impatience as the slow moments dragged by. "If this statement should prove what I fear it will prove." said Nelson Wai'r ia a moment in which they were alone top-ether, "will von do what I atkf" "1 mutt." wit the reluctant answer, "if ttrn things are cleared up. If Billy Drummond can rive me a good reason for dismissing this doctor at midnight 1 "O. I did not hear of that," inter runted Nelson Waife. "He did. He wrote end told me. I went down and warned him, I felt bound to after what yen had said, at sons aa 1 learned that the doctor had left London Tor (loldney. "If something more than mv warn Ing made Billv pack the doctor off pf course, that puts the thought of mercy awav. Bet " Nelson Wsife rose, that th ttenog richer whom hi hid seea come in. might find him. Pe took the raspers and hsnded tkem to hfarknam Flint Tke latter tore onen the enveloiie and hastily scanned ' n stteeeesive sheets. His fare grew i 9 crave as be read the lest Use. "Abe denies her own eiiilt." h- o-ia -'owlv. "b"t charge Vr h-iehend. Her words practically confess that she was aa accessory " ae). " "This gels interesting." said Billy. "Yon reeoguixed the squealf" "No. but there was something familiar fa-miliar about her. and I saw her boots, too: They were dusty, but they didn 't fit ia with the old black dress, nor ! -rit h the basket sbe carried on her nrm. I could not tell von now whether I knee exactly what it waa or whether 1 even suspected. It wis ill to quick. I put out a hand ree, I did and dragged her veil right iwav. "What is it tbev say in hooks when vou're simplv flabbergattedf Paralysed Par-alysed f No traatfixed. Tlist's it. Billv. I was transfixed. Whs do von think it waef " "Tbe uueeof" he ventured. "Be serious.'' the exclaimed, fthe had never hewn nble to confide this story to anyone. Time hnd gone by; Billy Drummond. outside of her circle, had romr along. The mention of Nelson Waife 's oime hid brought up the memory. mem-ory. She eould not resin the impulse. "It was mv mother." trhe said ia a thrilling whisper, glancing about with s affection of fear. "I don't wonder yon were transfixed. trans-fixed. " said Bil'v Drummond. with an immense pretense' of mystery. The girl looked up at him from under her wide shading hat, aad they nodded simnltaneoutlv. both pliving ia this brilliant, thronged Rue de la Pali at j childhood 's gim of mikehelievc. 44 1 -ourkt to hive told vou." the cred. "Mother wssn '1 there with un. iflbe arnr suptoeed to he in London. "I "Thai utiles it nil tbe more thrill iag." cried Billy with fervor. "Of' "He had hardly left Girnet when sreird people come and ttrange. horrid things happen. Father's seared to death of him. I hear him talking to mother about monev, and nlwars the name of Nelson Waife comes in. .Mother frowns whenever abe heart him spoken of. . "Tbiv blame hiin unjustly. Paul me. raid Billy Driiiumond. "I know what all that's about. Mr. Waife fo. lows bard rules, but they're fair rules I. "i, awfully sorry your father it hard hit. , ..w'J!' IfltTWty.' atd Pauline 1 loreet whether you have ever met "SrA.,.Bi."'i.' JU 'Jhook ni h'l 1 4. v ',1,1l,, 1 od bit lately late-ly Mo has mother Vou never would believe how dull it is dowa there at darnet. I never see a soul. Father corne down everr other week end, but he looks older every time he romes He took mother off three weeks jylVv somewhere. Thev abeohitely left me all alone i the ho'iee I got aeirly desperate with only tbe servants to talk to. Thev were pone two weeks, aad ther woulda t even tell me where tbey hid been. If hid not done either of them ''But whrtn Tir brothtrf f Ti "dkbro;'her4.,-H uu a "r """it turn." the taid. "1 to ""father for lunch at the fate "e hss been awav for some weeks aow TTeV en awfrine good 3 r on V now' I iften raid thaLxHdn't If" (To be continued.) j |