Show TW the adventures of a mobilized demobilized De cyril p I 1 mcneile by officer 01 who found peace dull sapper copyright h by n qc IL tt doran tvan co vt CHAPTER IV continued 7 A fixed fired determination to know what lay tri lit that lint sinister brain replaced ills his temporary indecision events up to date had moved so quickly that lie ho lind find i hardy hardly had time to got get tits his bearings I 1 even now the last twenty four hours seemed almost a dream and ns as he looked nt at the brond broad back and Inus sive hoad biond of tho the roan man pit at tho the window and from him to tho the girt girl idly kingon abe tee so affa fahe he sullied smiled a little grittily grimly lie ile had just remembered the thumbscrew of the preceding evening assuredly tho the de mobilized officer who found peace dull wn was getting hla his moneys worth and aad drummond had it A shrewd that the entertainment was i only just beginning A sound bound outside in the gar den enado him took look up aulcy My lie w the white glenin of a shirt front and the next moment a man p pushed bushed open the window and came unsteadily into the room it was mr denton and quite obviously lie he had been seeking consolation in the bottle have you IOU got hiral him ho he demanded thickly steadying himself a hand on petersons arm 1 I have not said peterson shortly eyeing tile the swaying figure in front of him contemptuously for he heavens averill A mke sit alt down mun man before you fall f llomis docu ile he pushed benton roughly into a cli chair and resumed it his to imps alve stare into tile the darkness the girl took not the slightest notice of the ne new arrival who gazed stupidly sit at drummond across tho table we seem final to bo moving in tin nn atmosphere mo sphere of cross purposes mr ben to ton in 8 aid the soldier affably 1 I hope your daughter la Is quite well br lr arquite quite thank you muttered the other tell tier her will you that flint I 1 propose propone to call on tier her before returning to low lon don tomorrow with hla his hands in tits lila pockets peter non BOD was regarding drummond from froin the window you propose leaving us tomorrow do youlie youl he sald said quietly drummond stood up i ordered my car for ton tin welock he ha answered 1 I 1 nm am bulto sure that I 1 sh shall allba arf morn useful to sir mr son ae large than I 1 rill nm cooped up lip here I 1 might even lend lead liliu hill to tilts this hidden trea treasure kure which lie he thinks ive got ot i you will do flint all right re inar marked iced peterson Ieter aon hut but at the nn mo i I 1 wits wondering whether a ut lobnow now might not give me all tile tho I 1 require more 1 quickly and with less ler trouble A fleeting vision of a mangled thumb lashed across hugh ili mind once again he heard that little ous oua cry cry half animal halt human which had echoed through liroi iRh the dark ness the preceding night and for an instant hla hIs breath came ti it little faster then lie ho sint smiled led and shook tits his hend head 1 I think you ore are rather too good it a judge of human nature 0 to o try anything ao B foolish he said thoughtful thoughtfully lj you we see unless you kill hill vie mo which I 1 dont I 1 think would suit your book yo you u might find explanations a iligio dilli difficult cult to morrow for a while there was silence in the room broken ut at length by a short front from peterson Ip terRon forn for a young man mail truly your yolar per Is great lie he remarked ir mn ts Is the blue room ready kady it if so tell luigi to show captain drummond to it 1 I will show him arse myself if she bile an all rising hush hugh raw nw a took look ot of annoyance pass over Pe Peter cons face as be turned to follow t the he girt girl and it struck him that that gentleman was not best befit pleased at tho the turn urn of events then bedoor he w door closed ond and lie follow Ml hla hill palde up the he stairs the girl opened the door vt of a room nikl switched on oil the hie light then she faced him si rilling anti and hugh nt at her steadily tell fit you ugly inan slie she murmured why you yon are such filch a n fool 11 hugh lilt and its B has hn been ell raid plaid before hughs stalle transformed his face 1 I must remember that opening lie he sell it establishes ft A basis of in ili money at once III it I 1 she swayed a little toward him and then before lie realized tier her intention lia tile put a hand on an ills his der dont you understand silio she whispered fiercely that L kill 1111 coill you she peered buist him half fearfully and then turned to jilin again 00 oo 0 you idiot go while theres time a get et out of 0 iago abroad do anything but dont fool round here it teems seems a t cheerful household remarked hugh with a smile may 1 ii ask asic why youre nil all so concerned about me your father gnu gave me ino tile the bilime morning dont ask why she feverishly ly because I 1 bennt tell you only you must that I 1 fifty la Is the hyou you mint its lust just possible flint if you go now flow olid and tell them where youve hidden alia anical can cali ile be till all right hut but it if you dont tier her hand dropped to tier lier fildo suddenly breakfast will ile ho nt at nino nine my iny hugh until then nu no revoir ile ho turned na As she elie left tile the room dooin a little puzzled by tier her change of tone standing nt at the top of the lie stairs was peterson watching thern both in ili fali 61 TWO in the days when dratin mond hit had d been a platoon commander lie ho ha luid d done jnnny dangerous filings lings ti till tho ordinary joys of the file infantry subalterns subal terns life such us as going over the top anti carry carrying ng out raids hall hail not PrO TIll sufficient clent sufficient for his hie appetite ile he had specialized in peculiar stunts of his own stunts over which he was pin pill reU reticent cent stunts over which hl his men formed their own find him accordingly hut but drummond was wa no fool and he had realized the vital importance ot of fitting himself for these shunta to the best ot hit ability 10 normous physical i strength Is a great asset but it t carries with it cartain natural in the first place its poe possessor sessor to la frequently clumsy hugh had practiced in france till he could move over ground without a single blade of gra grass s rustling van dyck dych a dutch ta ernp pcr had first shown show nhim him the trick by which a man goc forward on his elbows like it a snake anti la Is here one ciment and gone the next ineat with no orto one thew the wiser lr again its possessor Is 16 frequently low hush had practiced in france till I 1 he could kill kolln a roan man with tits his baro bare hands handi in a second dinki tj a japa japanese had first taught him two or three of the secrets of his trade and in the intervals of resting behind the lines lie had perfected them until it was waa even money whether tho the jap or lie ho would win in 10 1 practice bout and there were nights lu in no mans allana land when ills his men would hear strange ti rounds bounds find knowing that hat drummond wits was abroad on oil ilia his wanderings would 0 I 1 tell me MB you ugly man she mur mure aured d why you vou ar are such a fool peer pec r eagerly oyer over the parapet into the deso desolate inte torn up in front lilt hut they never saw anything even when the green ghostly nores went Ills hissing sing up into the and shadows danced fantastically all ans silent and still tho sudden shrill waa ivas not repeated Perli perhaps tips n patrol coming bacle would mould report a eying hud liei in shell hellhole hole with no arnit of it i wound but only oaly a broulim perhaps the patrol never found anything but whatever the rep report pirt hugh Drum drummond Drummo moud tid only and saw to his breakfast which la Is why there are in englund today quite a number of civi civilians linns who acknowledge only two rulers the king and hugh drum dauro ilond and they would willingly die die for either the result on drummond was not surprising ia as nearly till n a man ile be tie lie was without fear and when the idon idea came to hini ns as lie he ant on the aldge of ills his bed thoughtfully pulling off ills his snow no question of the po pos suile risk entered into his mind to explore tits the house seemed tile lie most natural thing in the he world and with characteristic bre brevity vity lie he summed up till ihu situation flu ns its it struck him 1 they suspect me ind anyhow tit in flicht net if flioy ey know I 1 took potts therefore even eun if they catch nl me e passage creeping im no worst worse off vion I 1 nm am now and I 1 might find something of interest therefore curry carry on oil brave heart it if was dark lit in the passage outside ns as lie to opened the door of ills his room find crept toward tile the top of the stairs tile the coller of tits ills brown lounge cont coat was turned up tit find ills stocking feet made no sound on oil the heavy pile carpet like n huge sandow lie he vanis liel antly nto tile the blackness feeling his way forward w with lilt the instinct flint comes from froin much practice every now and then lie paused and listened intently but tile the ticking of tho the clock below and the alie occasional creak of a board alone broko broke the lie sti liness to the left lay the room in which he lind spent the lilt evening find drummond Dru inmond turned to tile the right As lie ho had gone up to bell bed tie lie had noticed ti a door screened by a heavy curtain which he thought might be the room phyllis benton hall had spoken of the room where henry La kington kept tits hia ill gotten treasures lie he felt his way along the wall and at length ills his hand touched tile the curtain only to drop it again at once from close beside him had come a sharp angry hiss ile he stepped back a pace find and stood rigid staring at the spot from which th the e sound 50 u 11 d had seemed to coroi com but he fie could see nothing then lie he leaned forward mid and once more moved the curtain instantly it ca came me figal again sharper slid and angrier than b before hugh passed a hand over his forehead and found it dump damp germans he knew and things on two logs legs bul what was this that eliat hissed ac 60 viciously in itic dark at length he determined to risk it und and drew from his pocket a tiny electric torch holding it well away from tile hla body he switched on tile the light in the tha center of the beam bett iii swaying gracefully to and fro wits was a snake for a moment lie ile watched it fascinated as it spat at tho the light angrIly he saw the flat howl hood where ther the vicious head was waft set on the upright body then he switched off tile the torch and retreated rather faster then than he alad conic come A convivial household he muttered to himself through lips that were ft a little ary A hooded cobra Is nn nil pet I 1 hugh had just determined to recon recoil the curtained d doorway again to see if it was waa possible to circumvent tile tho snake when a low chuckle come distinctly to tits his enra ears from the lant landing ling labove lie ile flushed angrily angilly in the darkness abero was no doubt whatever as to the human origin of that tough gild ani hugh aiu 1 l suddenly realized flint lie he was making the lie most profound iro found rooi fool or of himself to bo laughed nt at by some dirty hom lie could strangle in ili half fair it 11 w q impossible ills ansti aul clenched clem bcd and lie he swore softly under ills breath brent li then us its silently as aa ile he had conio conic down tie lie commenced to the stairs again lie ile hall had a hazy idea boult lie he would like ike to lilt hit some phlim hard there were nine stairs lit in tile tho first half of hie light flight find it was as lie le I 1 stood on oil tile the fifth that lie he again ngali henard the tow chuckle at the same game instant soni something ething past ills hend head ao an low flint it almost touched his hl s hair haar and there was a clang on tile wall vall he side him lie ie ducked instinctively title nik i of noise raced up tip tho the remaining stairs on oil till nil fours ills jim ani set like it vise also ills eyes were blazing in ili fact hush ii drummond ummond Pr wai ml ile he patis rid when alien he reached the top crouching in the darkness nose close to him ha h rould could feel some one elso else ond and holding his ht breath lie he listened thep then if lie heard the roan man only tile the very dentt faintest sound bound but bill it was ns enough vilious VIli out it seconds thought lie he ang tits his hands blinds closed on himin biesh lie ho laughed gently then he fought in wence ills opponent was wai strong above the hut but after n minute lie he was like n child chila in hughs grasp ita ha choked once or twice and muttered soni something ethIng then hugh slipped his tight bond gently onto the mans throat tits ilia angera moved slowly round ills thumb numb adjusted itself toy lov exly and the man felt lils ills hend head henr forced linck irresistibly ile he gave one Arting strangled leill cry rind then hen tile tho pressure ore brif aich more ny gentle hu iio hugh whisperer whispered in his er ir anti and yur your neck would have been lilii ii lii As it Is jt 4 will be cleri vr stiff in for moine days alii A another oliue dont inch iss dangerous alien like u m he hed along the passage lit in alib tl of lila 1113 own owl room THREE at tight the rexi morning a burly looking brought in some boine hot water end and a cup of tell an he pulled up lip the blinds the light fell full on his battered rugged face and slid nd denly hugh tut sat up tip in bed and stared tit at him flood lord I 1 lie cried arent you loin jem Srul th the ninn man swung round like it a flash find gailred nt the bed wot the tie ell us its lint flint got to 0 o 10 lo do aly you oua lie snarled and then his face why strike me pink it it aint young oung drummond huch grinned erl nned llight in if one jew jem vital in the name of f fortune ore are you doing in ili tills this outfit olven ohen up the game it give lve me cowhen up ft lien that cross cros l eyed son on of a gun young baxter fought that cross dew down n nt oxton I 1 it if I 1 could ket get the swane jagt once again mo me id words failed the ex brul bruiser ser lie could only mut mutter teri sullied smiled lly ily the way may lins has anyone kt got a stiff neck in the house till this morning stiff neck ill echoed the man strike ike me pink if blint aint funny k he laughed gently then he H fought in silence your tithing asking I 1 mean the blokes sit ung tins up tip in Is bed swearing awful cant move la is end ead at all and who might I 1 ask Is the he bl bloke okli said drummond Drumm onu why peterson W 0 course 00 oo loo else breakfast at nine the door closed behind him and hugh lit a cigarette thoughtfully most assuredly lie ho was starting in style Laking tons jaw one night ret pet ertons neck the second seemed a sufficiently energetic opening to tile the game caroe for the verlest glutton then cheerful optimism which was the envy of ills friends asserted itself id MUNI hilled ero em lie he murmured aured ag aghast liast just juat Rup why tile the bally show would have been over and id have had to nd advertise vertise again 11 only peterson wast wan in the dining room when hugh came down lie ho hall had examined examine tile the stairs on ills way but lie ho could see unusual which would account for the tiling thing which had whizzed past his head anti and clang danged dunged pill sullenly against the wall nor wits waa there any sign of tile he cobra ll 11 by thu the door merely peterson IP torson standing in a sunny aenny room behind a bubbling coffee machine mach lne ite ile turned macly politely MH cly toward ills his host find and paused in dismay di sinay good ilea heavens veils mr peterson le lenon Is your neck hurting hurling you it IR s all |