Show CLUE f i AVENUE I I l I. I l 1 J WYNDHAM t j I I MARTYN COPYRIGHT t UNITED STATES SERA ICE J CHAPTER VII Continued VII Continued 14 14 There are other crumbs of ot comfort He smiled Milman took ou tot for r you from hi his pocketbook a page of notepaper note- note with his fine distinct paper aper p covered Distinct writing J g. g This be he went on OD Is a COpy ropy of a conversation with Loddon At t that time Loddon had done me the honor to consider me dead and burled i a harmless recluse 8 Ignorant of ot what I I be De he was talking He was able to talk Indiscreetly confident that not a aI breath of ot what he lie said would ever be beI I I translated Into words by his listener I I I will read rend It to you I Theres one headed big million million- It ire alre manufacturer who thinks he owns hew rew York state above the Westchester line that has a big Jolt coming his way woy Some day hell he'll go into my friends friend's office looking six feet high and weighing around two When he be beI I f J comes out hell he'll look a dwarf dwart and weigh as a bantamweight I tell you fir Mr Milman when a man has brains and IDd no scruples he can get to VashI Washington Washington Wash Wash- I ington any time at all nil j You think he was talking about Baxon and s said id Nita eagerly I J I am certain of it Undoubtedly expects experts to be United States I r senator from New York It is conceded con con- conceded i ceded eded he deserves this honor If forces him out of ot the race Itcan it itcan itcan can only be because he has some mysterious mysterious mys- mys and find powerful hold over him You Yon must not forget torget that for tor years I Ibare have hare been collecting all sorts of ot scraps of knowledge about him Why the girl asked what That Is so curious to me It seems so 80 coincidental that Just at a n moment he ruined you Indirectly you ou have all thIs this knowledge to use against him 1 It t was through Mr Bradney he admitted You guessed that I gave hIm bin the hundred thousand dollars I I believe in him His lecture which fired me brought the donation Then suddenly I found he had been dis dis- missed I had his successor interviewed inter inter- viewed a lesser man and an envious one He was frankly against Brad- Brad ne ney That's how it began I bought Mr lie Malet's wonderful group because I thought we In America had at last lasta it a sculptor worthy to rank with the worlds world's greatest I was Interested In iu hit hIs eclipse I found only when Loddon spoke of Malet i But my father tather she Insisted I How did you find out about him I j It began at a dinner table Someone Some- Some one ODe mentioned the Saratoga affair You know Nita we are distant confections connections connections con con- and I have a family pride I that Is as strong as It Is illogical Even then I did not see eee Baron in the i affair until Loddon sodden port told me tte that his patron never forgave Then came Instances of ot this vengeful vengeful- neS ness Among them was a mention of j a society clety horseman who had thrown this patron of Loddon's Loddon s into the sea k I J employed investigators Many of ot them Jem hem The first would get facts I then dismissed him and engaged a second second sec sec- ond Cad to build on this structure I did not not want any private detectives to get it at at my real purpose I warned Brewer Against against him But at that time Hazen t Seemed emed so BO Immeasurably more power- power tul than the unknown that he laughed at my advice I I owe you an apology said the ctrL L I bad had no idea 3 you you had been so thorough gli I see exactly what Im I'm to do Im I'm to find out what hold R axon i as on tuber Yes Mil Milman man assented I want to USe th the then same Raton weapon against as he employs against Mc- Mc KImber Its it's It 8 a glorious adventure she cried Theres There's one thing which makes maltes me he admitted It Is In sending send- send ing DI yoU U to a house T owned by a man of of I sort sort- He has the power to create tt te the illusion of ot truth and sincerity sin Bin hath both o when en In ln reality he lie laughs at Good V d w Women omen have loved him as well as bad Peter Tm Im not exactly a child Uncle she Bhe reminded him In In soa sodY so- so a afraid ety Y one meets DU ull types types- I am not nott t father I can n never for forget get the life my b to but ut Jn for tor f might have been leading now of What him I l shall never be lea ashamed we are going to do She Sheat ed at him Lets Let's go Into the and 11 hear the e p whole hole eat daddy lay laying down duty of ot footmen CHAPTER VIII vita Ita Barn Barnes I G Crest at Rock es fitted Into the life at ath hate hage h very quickly She would Ue the trouble I e later Inter on she decided three Raron girls whose f ages The They gefrom from twelve to eighteen years tat l-tat Were attractive In a rather see Bec- 1 e Way fay ay The eldest girl was Br Brou Brerly erly Rn n y or- or rn ed to letting Agatha mix that mth alth the guests She saw o on her lIer r tta nat merits she h had d no chance t a th stranger Since Miss l t tn for 4 ii carried ed th lh the e day and appeared table tuble admirably Downed I 1 the girls determined to force torce her out Paul walking leisurely up his drive one day was amazed to see sec two strapping men alight from a taxi outside the house and carry suitcases In is as though they had come to stay As they had gone bone to the back entrance entrance en en- trance he supposed they were menservants men menservants menservants servants hired by the social secretary It had not until this moment occurred occurred occurred oc oc- oc- oc to him that to have strange men In the house might be dangerous There was a new butler expected That made three Suspicious and crafty saw that he might have three spies here for all he lie knew Neeland Barnes looking fifteen years younger without his big mustache mustache mustache mus mus- tache was giving his tell fellow ow footman a few last words of advice when a blase cynical man pushed open th the thedoor thedoor door of ot their common sitting room t tHe tt t He Received Paul With Re Re- serve Never before had Fleming Bradney seen the man who had disgraced him In a sense the sight of was a shock He seemed of ot a refined t type pe intelligent and superior to what Bradney Bradney Bradney Brad Brad- ney had expected Barnes was a better Judge of man man- kind He saw In is a cruel and vindictive man Indomitable and not notto notto notto to be swayed MAllo Allo said Barnes genially your name Sneed It Is not said frowning Sneed That was wal Peter Milman's man He had heard It more than once from Loddon Who are you My name is Iggins said Barnes When you know me well enough you youcan youcan youcan can call me Enry Im I'm the new foot foot- man This This' he he pointed to Bradney whose beardless beardless' face had a certain childish wistfulness about it It It this Is Alfred Budd also a footman to the swell who owns this place If It you arent aren't Sneed who are you I 1 happen to be the swell who owns I this place said He had no doubt about the bona fides tides of these I men Tall London footmen by the look of them agitation amused him Enry was heard to say that his last employer Lord would not so demean himself as to enter his footman's roomI roomI roomI room I do as I please said cold cold- ly He left them as he supposed wrapped In embarrassment I have seen the footmen he lie said to his wife do Let me mc be told when the new butler comes comes Hes hore here said Mrs I hope hes he's satisfactory He has the best references He was with Mr Peter Milman for years years A few minutes later Inter Sneed bowed respectfully X X 0 X X X X X X X X X X X Why did cUd you 1011 leave lava Mr lIr Sidman h ho be was asked There was a certain reticence about the man It seemed he hardly liked to say Mr Milman wa was vcr very good to me he began but of ot late it got ot to bevery be bevery very hard there sir In what way wayT Im afraid poor Mr Peter Is losing his mind Hes He's had some Bome money losses I understand sir and hes he's actIng acting actIng act- act Ing queer Its It's my belief bellet hes he's danger danger- ous Hes He's cut down on the food so there Isn't enough to eat Hes He's been beena a good employer to me but when aman a aman aman man dont don't get his wages or his meals he has hils to look out for himself Quite right Ive I've seen your our two new footmen One One of them Enry he culls calls h himself seems Inclined to be Im im- im Check that Impudent 1 1 Sneed was lous Why Mr they have the highest references On duty sir you'll find no fault with them I dont don't know what's come corne over servants house-servants of ot late Mr When ot off duty they seem to think themselves as good goodas as anyone else said nothing His dismissal was a nod He was satisfied that Miss 1 Agatha Brown knew her Job She had I brought In three ex excellent ellent men and I Ithe the colon colony of ot Sw Swedish dIsh women help I seemed thoroughly capable He found himself wondering how ho It was so much intelligence energy and I beauty could be united In a n girl who I was now only one of his help It had been Paul Barons Baron's Idea to make a hit with her by his knowledge of furni ture tore He had flung open the door of ofa ofa ofa a lofty apartment with the simple exclamation exclamation exclamation ex ex- My Louis Seize room What makes you think so Miss Brown returned after one brief glance She pointed out what she declared declared were forgeries She went from piece to piece criticizing here and there until until un un- til his pride of ot possession fled I know very little about French furniture she said Bald simply When Iwas I Iwas Iwas was at Horsham abbey Viscount i Raoul de Guillain often stayed there I You ou know of ot course that he Is the supreme authority O Oddly ly enough I l hear he Is In New York If It you would like him to see your things Im I'm sure hed he'd be delighted If It youve you've lots of ot people coming next week It might be to weed some of ot these out One hates to be laughed at in that sort of ot thing I r suppose this viscount has a regu regu- regular lar mar fee 7 He Be would want to fight a duel with you If you even suggested It He Is quite a rich man and often gives his services to museums to det detect ct for geries gerles I wonder how I could get hold ol ot him Im almost sure he would accept an Invitation to dine If it I reminded him about Horsham abbey Shall I write I Ill Ii l tell teU you what well we'll do said Give me a letter of ot Introduction tion and Ill I'll call tomorrow when Ishall I Ishall Ishall shall be In New York Find out where he Is staying and let me know A few hours later Viscount Raoul de duly warned by a telegram telegram telegram tele tele- gram In French dispatched from a distant office moved m ved Into the RItz He received Paul with reserve It was only when he learned that Agatha Brown was a guest at Great Rock that he consented to go He was affable enough to agree to stay there a week When he arrived the admirable Sneed was In the hall and a footman Immediately carried his suitcases t ta to l his room The whole gangs gang's here now said suld Enry wringing his hand Hows Howa good old Peter More hopeful than ever Malet seemed a trifle nervous He fingered his small mustache and imperial In doubt Do you think I can carry this through If one Is suspected all are suspected Of course you can Even Alf Is s getting a firm touch He had stage stage- fright at his first dinner but hes he's training on splendidly Enry sat In Inthe inthe the most comfortable chair he could find and lighted a cigarette the mystery about l Is he here yet He comes tomorrow with wife and son The eldest girl Is highly excited What Is there to that old Peter Is s anxious to know his bIs every move Im In the dark too Peter says Im I'm under NUa's Nita's orders and she will tell us what to do Youre all right youre you're a guest Enry remarked Im only a poor honest footman and have bave to be ordered ordered or- or dered around j I Youve not had any run In with I ITO TO BE CONTINUED I I IX II X X X X X X X X X X X X |