| Show ahe RETURN CHAPTER VI continued 14 1 must leave this bouse at once abe exclaimed he recognized me he Is bere to rob and if I 1 tell mrs grant be faill revenge himself you gee 1 dare not remain but where was he taking you fahy did be chloroform you ebe gripped arm as though the ears which had passed in their most jirld form were again taking posses glon of her do yon see that attle amov ing gently it 1 tramp steamer he bas chartered he was to carry me down to south america with him I 1 ss to bare been held there until tomorrow night tomorrow he Is go ing to rob the house and make his it la all planned they fear the fine weather 1 going to break cp nd if be delays later than tomorrow be cannot escape by water from bere he felt her sli udder at the afon of her narrow escape 1 I hope I 1 ve broker his d d neck trent muttered his arm was about her waist and head rested on his shoulder she sighed a little bitter ly she supposed that a woman such a she bad no to expect ciappi nes 1 I cannot tell you more now she said rising 1 I am still halt stupefied the chloroform but where are you going he asbed the first policeman you met would arrest you 1 I care not stay here 1 I ve an excellent plan he said cheerfully 1 I have a secluded apartment and a dear old housekeeper ho 1 absolutely reliable take yon to her now you can stay there for twenty years if you want to 11 find another guest tn natica grants husband whose money bought all this luxury ie s hiding there till I 1 can make the world safe for him ion must not run into danger on my account she said it will be more dangerous for both of us if you are denounced by ked alch who will get tree some time the butler may feel he baa to tell his employer that you and I 1 know one another and alien 1 shall be invited to say why you sent letters to me and I 1 sent to you our safety depends on your getting away immediately but how there are no trains or trolleys at this hour and the men in the garage would hear you dehing your car out ot with ordinary luck he as gored her 1 can roll her down the grady to the street I 1 shan t need to mart the motor till then trent had a garage ley and rolled ont car so noiselessly that none heard him wrapper selle dupin in a heavy fur coat and farther colored goggles ave got to male time he said as the began to hum rhythms call and I 1 daren t be arrested for speeding this cool night air will blow those fumes away pretty soon when you can tell me just what happened she told him what had occurred since entered her room 1 I hope I 1 shall never smell that tabac maryland again ever have I 1 felt so alone and hopeless how could I 1 know that the cigarettes he was throwing from the window would save met once on board that tp and there would have been no aare help for me in this world he get himself to banish these memories ton will it in your new be reminded lier you will be with two of my dear and faithful friends dont forget by the way to ate a note to mrs grant saying you ere suddenly called away from jersey city be telephoned to wa we shall be expected he said climbing back into the car and you ul cod yourself at home coring the few minutes of the ferry trip he told her why she would a sutton there he will think this trouble of mine MS interfered with what you were being to do for him ebe said con tritely then hell be wrong ive plans all capped out for antton to a woman ft mrs kinney s type there was something not a little alara tug n being called from her embers at such in hour but dur E the years she had been with him the had come to repose implicit faith trant she wished she wild see him bapp llly married if a man his equal might be found be gaw as the floor opened a tall o 0 distinguished feature ie nf trent introduced aono uffe airn kinney disapproved of e unfashionable dresa she wore ia wa one who should be splendid tf laplain aly beautiful knew he was and had rather the grand manner with her dupan trent declared la going to stay here anell ber affairs are settled 1 I owe life to ur trent she said simply tonight I 1 was in very grave peril and he saved me its a habit with him sutton said ajea engaged in now saving me captain sutton Is a profound exaggerator agge trent laughed let us hava some coffee let me arrange hair first mademoiselle dupin said looking to a mirror 1 I am bedraggled while ashes gone trent said youve got to copy these pleasing communications in your own hand writing he passed a paper to the captain on which a half dozen para graphs died of a few lines each were pen sutton saw that they were rather melodramatic threats addressed to payson grant 1 I dont understand he said be wll dered he will when he gets them trent laughed these are necessary to the complete destruction of 1 morale when sutton had written each paragraph on a piece of plain paper trent put them in pocket good he exclaimed 1 I cant tell yon much now but 1 be back in a few days with everything outlined just a word about miss cupin ashes la just as much danger you are she must not be encouraged to do more than look out of the window you cant mean that girl been outside the law sutton was aston dished one of the cleverest and nerviest ner of them all trent said sutton she Is the only person I 1 have met in my career who fooled me and got awa with it and ashes as much through with that sort of life as I 1 am shifted a little uneasily on his chair 1 I wonder what sort of a d d fool you think me for talking like this 1 sup pose you think my nerve has gone perhaps it has button touched the others arm tb a swift sudden motion of affection trent he said you know we men never can say in our hearts because we feel ashamed of showing anything deeper than the or binary loa lost your nerve yon haven t lost anything you ve found something perhaps they were both glad when mademoiselle dupin came into the room she had arranged her hair in a manner so much more becoming thai it seemed to trent ehe had wrought a miracle there was nn mention of the graer events of the night it nag arents trents aim to leave her in a mood before I 1 go tie said and I 1 ten minutes left write out your formal alle mademoiselle dupin was att the escritoire he walked to abe kitch en where mrs kinney bad gone you told me one you had been S dressmaker he began three years she said tie took out a roll of notes and put them in oer hand take miss dupin s measurements as well as you can letting her know it and go to a good store and buy something mutable su table for her to wear for some reasons I 1 can i ex plain shea doing penance ashes done enough of it 1 can t bear to see her dressed as ahe Is now I 1 hare known her a long time and 1 have never seen a romeu hetter turned out than she used to be destroy those things she so she simply must wear better ones after a time shell get happier mrs kinney never asked for am instructions 1 I understand perfectly she albl she will probably want to bati yea do to the house let her it abi and her mope good don t let her rit alone bhea trent returned to the big mademoiselle dupin bad written a note her hurried departure and informing mrs grant that she could be addressed at the general delivery san diego california this pleasant city had the advantage ot being only seventeen atlea from the mexican border trent left the two prisoner in so light hearted that they were assured of his ultimate triumph outside the door bis face lost something of its confidence so tar as he knew he had brought the countess to the city unseen and unsuspected cut he had no means of knowing that some prying eyes had not observed him it was light when he came in sight of the big white palace by the sea he brought his car up the slight as cent almost without noise ue saw none about and no face peering oni any window on the table in the hall he placed the letter mademoiselle dupin had written next he ascended with the utmost caution to the deserted top floor which was off the servants quarters in the rear it was well he had thought to make the room tidy furniture was upset and flow ers fallen from their vases were on the floor there was such obvious evidence of a severe struggle that he wondered none had beard he gaab ered up what of belongings be could see and stuffed them into a grip mrs grant might be resentful at the sudden depasture depa iture of her teach er but she need not cow fear violence and call in officials there was another thing to do before he took the rest be craved un dei the door of anson grants room trent thrust one of the letters sutton bad written blindly he could sv without fear of error that the coming day would be an exciting one CHAPTER VII the letter from nowhere albert thorpe abe butler was the first in the house to awaken since mrs grant had ordered him to obey beatman implicitly he slept buncom fort ably on a camp bed drawn across abe door of the footmen s room and might not even rebuke them for anor ing since his errand was a secret one at daylight be considered himself tree to go downstairs and mix him self a little stimulant be took a handful of sweet crackers from a sliver box and opened a door leading to the terrace here every morn ing the airedales alre dales were wont to wait tor the biscuits and hear the jovial sort of talk dogs love they were in their accustomed place this morning but not again would they prance about their friend and show their affection the man saw instantly that they bad come to their end through poison for all his stately airs and commanding prea ence the butler had a soft heart where dogs were concerned tears filled his eyes and the desire for vengeance inflamed his heart after all the detective bad been right in his precaution if mistaken tn his methods thorpe immediately sought out beatman obviously a search of the premises must be made under the detectives leadership mr yeatman was not in bis room his bed had not been slept tn it was in another sort of bed he bad passed a night full of alarms cramps and the intrusion of inquisitive rodents when he came to consciousness in the cold hour of dawn he found himself so securely bound that movement was impossible and so well gagged that he could utter no sound did not doubt that his assail ant no amateur n violence was a confederate of the woman he had so nearly abducted he had been inbred ably stupid to be 30 rash it had al ways been with him that a woman made him banish ills caution there was tie male attitude to damje the woman which had been his ruin ere this saw before him only immitigable disaster while be was lying amid the hous was being robbed which he had been engaged to protect he would be blamed for being a bad detective athen he had desired to be a successful thief thorpe called up regan at the ga rage the two dogs have been poisoned he announced and it s my belief burglars did it you d better search the grounds while I 1 go through the house TO BE CONTINUED |
