Show ii BANNER SERIAL FICTION She Painted Her Bel race Pace I Ii 4 ewe d itu YATES O C Dornford Yates Yato Service I SYNOPSIS Richard Exon a poor young oung En Englishman English English- lish man befriends elderly Matthew Goring Coring who at his death elves gives him a statement claiming he Gering Is Rudolph Elbert Virgil Count of Brief of ancient Austrian Austri Austri- an nobility who was betrayed 20 years before by his twin brother Ferdinand whose sentence for lor forgery he himself served Ferdinand appropriated his ti title ti tie lIe property and daughter Before he dies Goring Gering tells Exon there Is a family secret known only to the bead head of the tho house to tobe be found In the great tower at Brief by a n doorway none can ever find Exon Inherits his uncles uncle's fortune and sets seta out to right Gering's wrongs En route he be encounters Percy Elbert Virgil VirgO son of the villainous Ferdinand and sees secs him himIn himin himin In conference with InskIp a diamond merchant He engages a n valet Winter who hates Percy and md meets by chance at a n garage John Herrick who Is a linguist and who as a youth served as asa asa a n page at Gorings Goring's wedding and had visited vis vis- vis fled Brief HerrIck agrees to aid Exon They establish headquarters at Bren da cia Revokes Revoke's farm at Raven a few y miles from Brief and make their plans They find the castle almost Inaccessible They see a closed car Clr occupied by Percy Virgil 11 a chauffeur and a woman Hearing Hearing Hear Hear- ing a 8 dog scream they see the chauffeur chauffeur leur flogging It it Just as a horse with a 8 girl astride bounds along the path and andIs andis andis Is felled by a strung wire The girl unconscious unconscious un un- un conscious Is picked up carelessly by the chauffeur and woman who then thea run runaway runaway runaway away alter after dropping her Exon rescues the girl and carries her to his waiting car He lIe Identifies the thc girl irI as Elizabeth ElIiabeth daughter of the disowned GerIng tells her of her cousins cousin's plot to abduct her herand herand herand and takes her to Raven where he tells her the story of her father and promises to go the limit to help her right her fathers father's wrongs Incredulous at nt first Elizabeth gradually wins faith In her benefactor Percy Virgil brings the police po lice to Raven announcing that two strangers strangers stran stran- gers are arc being sought for the of Elizabeth J CHAPTER IV IY IV Continued 7 1 7 The sergeant swallowed and Virgil Virgil Virgil Vir Vir- gil put in his oar You may be strangers he said I but that doesn't put you above the I law of the land Nor I trust said Herrick beyond beyond beyond be yond the traditional courtesy of its inhabitants What Is your rank Inthe in inthe inthe the police t Virgil flushed I am not in the police he said Then why said Herrick did didI L I you OU presume to address me i My name is is It I III have no desire said Herrick to hear your name He returned to the police You were saying that the matter was serious f f Virgil looked ready to burst but the sergeant went straight to the If point I will ill be plain he said A lady t. t has been abducted abducted- a lady of high r degree She was early this morning upon her fathers father's estate estate es es- es I tate tate at Brief some ten miles from here He held up our map I think you will hardly deny that you know where that is I have known where Brief was said Herrick for 23 years The others stared Then Then- We Ve are arc dealing with the present present pres pres- ent said Virgil Herrick raised his eyebrows Allow me to suggest he said that you should keep to yourself t r such er discoveries as you may make He turned again to the po po- po- po lice Yes gentlemen The sergeant cleared his throat In view sir of what has occurred occurred oc- oc r I must ask you to explain the markings upon this map With pleasure said Herrick And I sincerely advise you to tell the truth You will find said Herrick that we have nothing to hide He fingered his chin I stayed at Brief as a child in 1912 My mother moth moth- t er and the Countess Rudolph were t L very close elos friends Happening to be beat at Innsbruck a week ago I felt a r. r strong desire to visit the castle I again For various vario reasons I did r not wish to leave cards Much has happened you know lenow in 23 years t My mother the Count of Brief and the Countess Rudolph have died the Lady Elizabeth has been born bornand and worst of all Im I'm told that a vulgar blackguard the son of ot an uncle of hers has the run of the j I place A ghastly silence succeeded these moving words the police regarding the gravel with goggling eyes and Virgil dark r red d in the face tace surveying surveying sur sur- Herrick with the glare of a baited beast Herrick continued agreeably We therefore came here from Innsbruck on Sunday last On Mon day we started out to try to discover discover dis dis- dis cover some spot from which we could view the castle without going going go go- ing into the grounds We only found one and that was was too too far tar away Determined not to be beaten we tried for the next three days with days with the aid of at that map And all in vain Last night we reviewed the position and found it this this that that II we must either trespass or else go 10 empty away Now I do not like trespassing b but l neither I frankly rankly confess do I like going empty away And In the end we decided to rise very early this morning enter the park from the north and have a good look at atthe atthe atthe the castle before anybody was up And so we did For a moment I thought that Virgil Virgil Virgil Vir Vir- gil was going to faint All the color was out of ot his face lace which looked peaked and ald thin and he did not iscem to oe De brea breathing U ng but might have been turned to stone Then a a. a shiver ran through him and nod a hand went up to his mouth But the police had no eyes for tor him The two were staring at Herrick Herrick Her Her- Her I rick as though they would read his I soul At what times said the sergeant sergeant sergeant ser ser- ser ser- geant did you enter and leave the estate We entered at four tour and we left about half past six There was an electric silence Then Then Then- I I am bound to Worm inform you said the sergeant that what you have just admitted makes your position most grave The outrage was committed committed committed com com- this morning at six o'clock Perhaps said Herrick it was not committed by us The sergeant shrugged his dersI dersI doraI ders dora I shall have to toI toI to- to I think it Is clear said Virgil that this gentleman is telling the truth The two police stared upon him as though he were out of his mind I r mean if 11 he were guilty he would scarcely have made an J V J. J il n JJ A I I. I That Eve Evening W We e S Spoke poke of the P Past Fast ast and P Present resent admission which put the rope round his neck As soon as he could speak speak- But sir cried the sergeant a ua rope round the neck is harmless unless ss it is tight If It every rogue was believed because he told such truths as could do him no harm harm- These gentlemen said Virgil have not the appearance of rogues It only remains for you to beg their pardon and make a fresh cast east Good God man when time is so precious do you propose to waste it in prying into two strangers' strangers private affairs With a manifest effort the sergeant sergeant sergeant ser ser- ser ser- geant controlled his voice Sir he said if you do not wish to wait you must leave us here I have a sow by the ear and until I know its it's the wrong one I will not let go With that he returned to Herrick You have said too much or too little You were at Brief this morning from four tour until half past six Kindly relate what you did there there from from first to last With very great pleasure said Herrick folding his arms We left our car at the mouth of the northern drive drive alter after instructing our chauffeur chauffeur first to seek some petrol and then to wait in a wood a little way off ff You will understand that we did not wish to be seen Is your chauffeur here said the sergeant He is If It you would like to see ace him him him- Proceed if it you please Before we had walked very far we heard a car coming behind us using the drive At once we lay down in the bracken until it had passed His face tace like a mask Virgil took out his case and selected a cIgarette cigarette ciga elga rette but I saw a bead of sw s cat fall taU fallon fallon on the gold It was not your car said the sergeant plainly impressed Producing a notebook his fellow lellow made r ready rady to write It Ii was v not our car said Her Her- rIck Others were abroad this morning within the confines of Brief BrIel Describe this car if you please It was closed and its blinds were drawn m its plate number-plate was obscured obscured-I I imagine with oil and dust The sergeant turned to his fellow pencil kf hi hand Have you got that down The other nodded and Herrick resumed resumed re reo his tale relating how the car had been met and had then been backed down the drive and Into the track There three people got out and the man who had met them came up Would you know them again sir asked the sergeant I III should As the answer went down I saw Virgil wipe his face tace One of the three said Herrick was a woman She had a a dog on ona ona ona a lead ead A dog cried the police pollee er A white black longhaired long dog a mongrel about that size Struggling with his emotion emotion- Sir cried the sergeant I Ul beg that you will forgive me if I have seemed something short I have to todo todo todo do my duty and your interest In Brief seemed strange But now I 1 know that you are telling the truth The dog you describe was found at large in the park Respectfully t thanking Herrick and handing him back our map the sergeant sergeant sergeant ser ser- geant begged that he would describe the delinquents you so providentially providentially providen providen- saw saw and and Herrick complied compiled with a gusto which did my heart good His picture of Percy Virgil was actually taken from life ife Lazily surveying surveying surveying sur sur- his victim he drew a merciless merciless merci merci- less portrait of that unprincipled man nina and I find it hard to believe I that a rogue was ever so trounced Virgil's tormentor then repeated the horribly damning words which Virgil had said to his creatures before before be be- fore tore they had entered the wood and when the sergeant seemed puzzled puzzled puzzled about the use of the wire suggested that it might have been used to trip a galloping horse Protesting their gratitude the sergeant sergeant sergeant ser ser- ser ser- geant requested our names and while Herrick was writing t these down turned and exhorted Virgil to enter and start the car If you'll oulI take us to Gabble sir I can cnn get on to Innsbruck from there and in less than two hours from now every police station in Austria will vill be alive with orders to search for the people we want Splendid said Virgil somehow He turned to Herrick and bowed Please believe that I shall not forget forget torget for tor- get today and that I am a aman aman aman man who invariably pays his debts Is that a threat said Herrick I saw the police pollee open their eyes and Virgil in desperation let himself g go Its a warning he snarled I III Ido Ido do not believe your tale of the numberless numberless numberless num num- berless car That you saw a dog this morning proves nothing at all all all- except that you were at hand when the outrage was done And who would think of so using a coil of wire except a n man who had planned to employ It that way Come come sir said the ser ser- ser ser- geant You said yourself just now that these gentlemen gentlemen- I have changed my mind spat Virgil as you have changed yours I have just remembered said Herrick that one of the men was called Max Not the leader the lender the burly man who got out of the car The leader was sharp with him as ns indeed with them all I think that If Li you could find them they might give the leader away And the name of the leader sneered Virgil Quite sure you didn't hear that Herrick raised his eyebrows before before before be be- fore he returned to the police pollee You would not believe me me- me he be said if U I told you the leaders leader's name And so I prefer that you should apply to Max But Ill I'll tell teU you what I 1 will do Ill I'll write it down for tor you and Ill I'll seal it up And when Max has opened his mouth you may break the seaL Thus I shall corroborate him and he will corroborate m me I Sir cried the sergeant I uI beseech beseech beseech be be- you to tell it us now I will write it down said Her Her- rick Or better still Mr Exon shall write it down You will observe observe observe ob ob- ob- ob serve that I 1 have not mentioned the name yet he will go off and write it which it-which which goes to show that he knows it as well as I. I With that he turned to me and asked me todo as he said When I returned to the drive Virgil Virgil Virgil Vir Vir- gil was back In his car ear beside himself himself him him- self sell with passion and shouting down the sergeant who seemed very much surprised And if you choose he concluded ed to take your cue from a couple of lying hounds who if it yo you had done your duty would now be under arrest arrest arrest ar ar- ar- ar rest you can take it alone With that he started his engine let letin letin letin in his clutch and swung the car violently violently violently vio vio- round With storming gears it squirted between the chestnuts and on to the road of approach The police stared after the fellow tellow with open mouths then they turned to see Herrick with a hand to his chinI chinI chin I r gather he said that you find his behavior strange I r cant can't understand it said the sergeant Ten minutes ago ago ago- Quite so said Herrick In fact tact ten minutes ago he did his very best to get you away because away because when he heard the hour at which we had entered entered entered en en- the park he did not wish you to hear what I might have to tell He took the envelope from me andI and I held it out You may open that now if it you please and read the name of the leader whom Max will betray After Alter that you shall have some tea and then well we'll drive you to Gabble to take what action you please The sergeant ripped the envelope open and he and his fellow together peered at the sheet Percy Elbert Virgil I thought they wo would ld never look up When at last they did they seemed dazed and Herrick Herrick- call called d for Brenda and told her to give them some tea It was strange to sit down to supper supper supper sup sup- per later on with Lady Elizabeth taking the head of the board but she seemed so glad to be with usand us usand usand I and fell so naturally into the ways I we kept that for tor my part I soon I forgot how she came to be there and began to accept a relation which I seemed too fair to be true I Enough is as good goodas as a feast and after supper that evening we spoke of the past and present but left the I future alone TO BE CONTINUED I |