Show I THE KING versus W ARGRA VE Alfred L 1 A. A Knopf Inc Ino 1924 by I B By y J J. J S S. S FLETCHER Published Copyright January 1924 Second printing February 1924 Continued from yesterday Jackl he exclaims Did you ever hear or see such ouch a pair of ot fossils fos tos- ails sils ba back lc k numbers antediluvian logs thrown up by oh by-oh oh I could have kicked all from out of the windows Talk Talk Talk-talk-talk- talk talk and nothing done donet I Youve got sot something to do old chap remarks Dr Herbert gravely gravel grave grave- l Iy ly More lore perhaps perba s than you you bargain bargain bar bar- gain for I 1 know Im I'm not underestimating ing it But But Ill Ill I'll do it Ive I've got an incentive Ive I've Ive got determination and thank God Ive I've got money If It Ottilia is alive Ill I'll find her And you Jack do what you can can here Those DI Dl they they ought to be traced But But I I must think of ot my myown myown myown own Job which is to find this girl Now Sow I must pack some things and go to the bank and then Ill I'll be off oft After all Italy if It Ottilia Ottilla is in lri it is is- not ot such a very big place So when the boat train ran out of Qt Charing Cross that afternoon it carried away Adrian Graye in search of ot one unit hidden amongst many millions CHAPTER IV The Photograph I It was not until Adrian Graye found himself standing in the sparsely furnished waiting room room of ot ofa ofa ota a hospital in Naples aples that he realized the difficulties of ot the task tul which he had taken upon himself The task seemed all the greater when he turned to the window and looked out Upon upon- the wide spreading city which lay at his feet teet Immediately beneath him lay th the little little- littleport port and rocky promontory crowned by Its Us castle of ot Santa Lucia in the middle distance Naples stretched Inland a afar afar afar far thrown town of ot palaces churches museums hotels Beyond it ever flinging a volume of ot gray smoke to the blue sky rose Vesuvius Vesuvius Vesuvius vius over which the previous evening a canopy of ot bright flame had hung as he paced along the front of the harbor watching and I thinking and planning It was al almost almost almost al- al most Inconceivable that he should find any trace Of Ottilia Ottilla Morro at this hospital Had they not told Lady Wargrave years before that Ot Ottilia had gone How then should they remember net hex now now how how i if they did help him t td find her Once outside the walls and gates of ot the hospital Ottilia would mingle with the hundreds of ot thousands of ot other folk who make Naples one of the most densely populated cities of Europe He thought instinctively of ot the remark which Mr Baggs Daggs had made about seeking the needle Inthe in inthe inthe the of ot hay And nd yet what he had undertaken was the only thing to be done and he seemed the only person who could do it And the preliminary inquiry at a place where Ottilia Ottilla was known to have been though so many years had I. I elapsed since since- her being there was the first step stet to take Graye ad spent evry e y moment of ot his waking time sinCe sinie leaving London In in learning so much colloquial colloquial collo collo- Italian as he could get from two or three phase and conversation books hastily picked up on his way WilY to Charing Cross and he had acquired acquired acquired ac ac- ac- ac sufficient knowledge of the language to be able abl to make himself himself himself him him- self understood by the porters at atthe the hospital Then to his great Joy he had found that there were sisters sisters sis sis- sis sis- tars there who spoke his own tongue He lIe was now waiting to see one of them of-them- them And when she came a pleasant faced middle aged wo woman Wp- Wp vo man of wh whose nationality there could be small doubt he felt Cs as though many of ot his difficulties had been swept swept aside lIe He turned eagerly eagerly eagerly eager eager- ly to her You are English sister L am English Eng Dr Graye she answered glancing a at the card which he had given to the porter But she added with a smile it itis itis ItIs is many years years' since I saw England England En En- gland You have been here long I have been here fifteen If teen years years' Graye felt felta a new sense of Ot f relief Fifteen years years then then she would she must tem remember events of ot six years previously I am here to make some in inquiries inquiries in Int into a matter of ot six years ago he said The reasons for making these inquiries are of the utmost seriousness and I will go straight to tv the point Do you re remember remember ni- ni re- re member ember a patient of this hospital an inmate of about six years ago who b bOre re th the name name nam of Ottilia i Morro 2 The sisters sister's eyes suddenly sparkled She nodded iter ler head Quite well She was was- suffering from a curious form of general debility le- le de debility but she left here perfectly cured cured quite quite restored Dr Di Graye You do not know where she went off ott when she left I l person personally lly don don t. t. t Some of the sisters or the superior you know It Is Ottilia Morro that I am seeking Do you remember that she was ever er visited by y any English friends Yes There was an Englishman I will think of his name In a min mm- ute Yes Sir Robert Wargrave a middle-aged middle man and his young youn wife came to see Ottilia Morro several sev aey era eral times But the wife Lady Wargrave War War- grave was an Italian Yes Now I must take you into my confidence sister Sir Robert Wargrave argraVe Is dead some dead some time ago And Lady Wargrave is at this moment moment moment mo mo- ment being tried for murder The Te sister lifted her hands Not Not his ot his murCer No o. o but for tor the the- murder of her grandfather an old Italian gentleman gentleman gentle genUe man with whom as a girl she lived In London It Is of course a wicked and absurd charge continued continued contin contin- Graye Indignantly But most unfortunately there is some ground for tor It And this Ottilia will be a a. valuable witness if she can be found You know nothing of her since she left the Hospital Nothing But I will make in inquiries In in- q r Come again in an hour Graye Grayc left the hospital an and 1 wandered wandered wandered wan wan- dered about the heights of St St. Elmo wondering what was to be done Ithe II It he got no news of Ottilia He had no idea ides where to turn or what to todo do Ottilia might be dead she might have gone far away it was a strange thing considering how close a bond there had been between Gemma and herself that she had never corresponded with her old 1 friend He began to feel eel despondent despond despond- ent and his despondency increased when on rejoining the sister In the the waiting waiting- room she shook her head as a preliminary I 1 have not been afele aIle to hear anything of ot Ottilia Morro she said No o one knows anything about her Many lany of the sisters rem remember r ber her but none of ot them have any recollection recollection recollection lection that she ever said anything as to where she was going All that the superior knows is that when Ottilia left she made a handsome handsome hand hand- some gift gUt to the funds funds' of the hos hos- pital She was therefore apparently apparently well off as regards money That is all we can tell you Dr Graye But we will make further Inquiry where we can can we we may be beable beable beable able to come across some little news th that t will help Graye thanked her and went away puzzled and almost despairing despair despair- ing ingin in spite of ot the fact tact that he was wash wass wasat wasat at the h very outset s of his I task s and that a he e had known it would be one I of ot great difficulty He lie went down downto to to- the heart of the city wondering what to do next Then remembering remember remember- ing that there might be letters awaiting him at the postoffice he went there and pre prevented his card and while he exercised exercise his patience In waiting the pleasure of ot the clerk who took it It continued to ponder on hIs next step Surely there must be some means of tracing Ottilia Ottilla Morro The p police the police the lice the hotels the hotels the lodging houses the houses the press The press lI He lie suddenly remembered the r remark mark of ot Mr Ir Baggs Daggs as to the advisability of advertising in the Times It had seemed fatuous enough heard there ther in the prim and chilly atmosphere o of the Bedford Bedford Bedford Bed Bed- ford Row office but was it a as fatuous fatuous fatuous fatu fatu- ous as it appeared Certainly it would do no good to advertise in inthe Inthe inthe the Tim but it might do much good to advertise in the principal Italian papers Ill do that today mused Graye cheering up at the thought of ot doing something definite and active Ill draft the advertisement at once and get hold of ot a press list if It there is ft A. thin And J I I. I tt f th A letter for r the signor Graye turned to the little wicket at which he had lingered and took the missive which which- the clerk of ot the handed to to him It was a packet of ot some size containing containing containing contain contain- ing something stiff and square and was addressed in a handwriting obviously obviously obviously ob ob- ob- ob acquired under the tuition of some County Council Instructor of ot Cockney youth And on the back In a shaped lozenge-shaped shield was the indorsed stamp of Kenrick Baggs Baggs and Kenrick Graye went aside to a quiet corner of ot the hallin hall nail hallin in which he sto lJ and cut the stout envelope open open to to draw out a typewritten typewritten typewritten type type- written letter and a photograph He lie looked first at the photograph which he was quick to observe na nad 1 been tal taken en in Genoa and was a little faded It showed a girls girl's face facea a. a a typical Italian face with beautiful beautiful beautiful beau beau- features s large lustrous eyes a wealth of dark hair coiled colled beneath beneatha a twisted kerchief in which small coins and beads were intertwined On the strip of blank cardboard beneath it was written In a delicate Italian hand the words Gemma from Ottilia Ottilla Holding the letter In his hand Graye looked at the photographed face long and earnestly This of course was Ottilia Ottilla Morros Morro's portrait Well Ven she was very beautiful beautiful beautiful-as as beautiful quite as Gemma herself But why was the expression so full Jull of haunting sadness a strange wistfulness He felt as he looked that had he come suddenly across across' this photograph anywhere he would have said This Is the pro trait of a wOman woman woman wo wO- wo- wo man who has had great sorrow and who rarely If ever smiles And he began to speculate on the reason why there was so much Indication of sorrow about the mouth and nd the great eyes which he knew would long hauht him Putting the photograph back In Inthe inthe inthe the envelope Graye turned his at attention attention attention at- at to the letter Glancing althe al at atthe t the signature he saw It to be that of Mr Kenrick Dear Sir wrote the solicitor since sine you left for tor Naples I I have seen my client Lady Wargrave V and have her of your mission Lady dy Wargrave ve desires me to express express ex ex- press her deep gratitude gratitude- to you and trusts to eventually be able to ex extend ex cx- tend her personal thanks to to you un under un- un der fler more propitious conditions than those in which sh she Is at present un un- un- un unI fortunately placed Before Defore learning of your departure departure departure depar depar- ture for Italy Lady Wargrave at once caused to be procured from her residence in Park Lane and conveyed to my office the enclosed photograph of ot her friend Otillia Morro lorro which was taken at Genoa very soon oon after Miss 1 Morro and Lady Wargrave left England She thinks it may mar be of considerable use to you in prosecuting the search which you ou have ha so generously un Having duly considered all th the information which I possess in re respect respect re re- to Miss Morro namely that she had followed the profession of ofa ofa ofa a vocalist upon the public stage of ot places of amusement corresponding correspond correspond- ing as I understand the matter to our music halls I beg to suggest that you may obtain news or of her herrom from rom the managers or directorate of such places it being in my opinion exceedingly probable that she re returned returned re re- turned to the practice of her pro pro- upon leaving the hospital to which Lady Wargrave referred us With my best wishes for forthe the success success suc sue cess of your endeavors I am dear sir Yours truly MA MATTHIAS P. P KENRICK Graye Grae put the letter Into compa company y with the photograph and strode out into the sunshine feeling much heartened In spite of ot his primness and his powers KenricK isn't t by any m means ans a. a a fool ho said a good notion about the music halls hails Now what is an Italian music-hall music Anyhow know now at t the hotel As a result of his at the theoffice theoffice theoffice office of his hotel Graye set out into the city again furnished with the names of ot the managers of ot half halt halfa a dozen places of amusement ent And at the he very first he came to he struck a clue lIe Ho was moreover fortunate In that the manager into whose presence he was Introduced spoke a smattering of ot English This gentleman exclaimed loudly and spread his arms around when Graye laid the photograph before him You know that Signor Signer asked Graye Grave Know It it But quite well yes welt yes See there signor and he pulled out a drawer and showed Graye half halt halfa a dozen photographs photographs' of Ottilia Ottilla a dozen great and small but every everyone one of them possessing the same sense of wistful sorrow Ah yes here she Is again and again and again again- many many times Sh She signs herself herself her hex self sel on your picture Ottilia signor signer her her stage name for or the theone one short season she was here with me was what her real Adelina dl di Bramante what name n me is was who knows or cares But see there what a quietly sad face this is signor signor always always was so in private life lite Yet on the stage what life vivacity fire it was as asIf asif asif if she were transformed Yes one ne short sea season seaon on of a great triumph and then then then-nh ah she is gone like this puff of smoke from my my cigar You do not know where she Is Isnow now then signor No more than I know the names of those who lie He beneath Pompeii yonder She finished her he contract and and disappeared Six years ago that Is is No I do not even know where she went She was a very quiet woman and lived like a a. hermitt her- her mitt But sh she lo 10 lodged in this city with a woman to whom I can direct you you she she may know of ot her whereabouts whereabouts where where- But Dut I recall what she said to me on the last night of ot her engagement en en- She said Signor I have sung my last song what a pity For that season I had paid her much more mor than a thousand thousand thousand thou thou- sand pounds in your money Signor Doctor Graye took the address address- and went to the lodging indicated There he found an all elderly woman who made out so little of his feeble Italian that he was obliged ed to procure the The Th Theman Theman services o of an interpreter man listened gravely to the In it And Graye listening c fully tuBy was able to make out her i pf t Signor there then Js s but one P e who knows where the Is is and he is an old priest at the the presbytery of San Lc Lor LorHe l He e is 18 called t the Abbate te pa Pare CHAPTER V. V The Pocketbook went away from from fron proceedings at y Bo Street i state o of sore perplexity He ha ha- belief in the guilt of Lady 5 |