Show the czor rhea io of clif et a silent lovo lovell L ovo ovell by Clie chevalier valler WILLIAM LE QUEUX author of the closed book etc copyright by the ib smart sol publishing co trel r CM li 1 I 11 his HI britannic Maj MaJe tty service thero there was w 0 o a mysterious affair last night signore au oil ohl I 1 exclaimed anything that interests us yes signore elg noro replied the tall thin italian consular clerk speaking with a strong accent an english steam yacht ran aground on the meloria about ten miles out and was discovered by a fishing boat that brought the lie news to harbor the admiral sent cent out two torpedo boats which managed after ft a lot of difficulty to bring in the yacht safely but the captain captai ii of the port has a suspicion that the crow crew were trying to make away with the vessel to lose tier her you moan mean francesco Pran cesco nodded sounds curious I 1 remarked since the consul went away on leave things have been humming two stabbing nf af frays frayn eight drunken seamen beamen locked up a mutiny on a tramp ramp steamer and now a yacht being cast awaya away a fairly decent listl and yet et some stay at home people com coin plain that list british consuls are only paid to he bo orna ornamental they should fiend a week hero here at leghorn and tt lYd boon alter their opinion yes yea they would signore responded the thill lipped old fellow with a grin as lie he twisted ilia his fierce gray mustache franceso Cardu cel was a well known character in leghorn an ho honest liest good hearted easygoing easy going fol fel low who for twenty years had occupied the panic position under halt half a doyen different consuls my old friend prank ills his britannic maje vice consul at the port of leghorn was away on leave in england his duties being relegated to 0 o young oung bertram Iler tram the proconsul the latter however had gone lawn down witha bad touch of malaria and 1 the only other englishman in leghorn had been asked by the consul general beneral in Flor florence price to act as pro con eul but until Hutch esons return it was mid bild july and tire the weather was blazing in fit the glaring sun aun blanched mediterranean town it if you know leghorn you probably know tho consulate a large handsome suite of huge air airy offices facing the cathedral the legend p painted upon tile the door office hours 10 to 3 gives one the idea of an easy appointment butruch but such Is certainly not the alie case for a consuls life at a port ot of discharge must necessarily bo be a n very active one Carduc carducci cl had left me to the ills correspondence spon apon dence for a halt half an hour or so no when lie he re reentered entered there is an all english signore waiting to see you who Is he hez 1 I dont know him lie ho will give no name but wants to see the signore console all right show him in I 1 said lazily and a few later a tall dressed middle aged englishman entered and bowing inquired whether hether I 1 was tile tho british consul when ho he had seated himself I 1 exi bained my position whereupon lie ho cald ill id 1 I make much out of your clerk ile ho speaks so BO brokenly and 1 1 d I 1 dont know a word 0 of italian 1 atut 1 ut perhaps I 1 ought to first introduce fily myself sly lly frame Is philip hornby and lie he handed me it a card bearing tile tho name with tile tie addresses woodcroft park somerset Som erFet brooks then lie he added 1 I 1 am cruising on board my yacht tho the lola iola I ola and last night we unfortunately went aground on the tha meloria Mp lorla very vary fortunately for us a fishing bont boat saw our plight and gave the alarm at vort port tito the admiral sent out two torpedo boats and a tug and after about three hours they managed to get us off and you are now in harbor yes gut but the reason ive called la is to ask you ou to do mea me a favor and write me ma a letter of thanks in fit italian to the and one to tho the captain of the port polite letters that I 1 can copy und and send to them you know the kind of 0 thing certainly I 1 replied the more interested te in him on account of at the curious suspicion that the port jt horl ties ates seemed to entertain ile he wari evidently a gentleman and after I 1 had been with him ten minutes I 1 scouted the idea that lie had endeavored to cast away the lola I 1 scribbled thi drafts of two letters forty I loiti aly I 1 left my wife in england or she would have been terribly frightened lie remarked presently there was a nas nasty ty wind blowing all night and the tha tool fool of at a captain seemed to add to our peril by every or order derlie io gave gaie I 1 examined him critically as he sat facing me lla lie was about forty five with a merry round od natured face red with the sou sun blue eyes and a short fair beard ills ilia speech was refined and cultivated cultivates nd as aa we chatted lid be gave me the impression pres slon hat bat as an enthusiastic loer of the sta sea he had cruised the ble mediterranean many times from gibraltar up to smyrna rna lie he had however never before put into leghorn arter after we had arranged that his cap wu hla come to me in the after I 1 ojik hd make junks ft a formal report of the accident wo vo went vent out together across tho the white sunny piazza to casts we shall be bore quite a week I 1 suppose he said as art we wore taking our vermouth were on our way down to tho the greek island aland as aa my friend chater wants to see them the engineer says aya theres something strained that wo we must get mended but by the way lie be added why dont you line with us on board tonight do wo we can give you a few english things that may be a change to you this invitation I 1 gladly accepted for two reasons one wits was because tho the suspicions of the captain of 0 tile the port had find aroused my curiosity and the other was because I 1 had honestly speaking taken a great fancy to tho the captain of tile the lola a short thickset scotsman from dundee with a barely heated healed across his left cheek called at the consulate at two and made his report which appeared to me to bo bd a very lame lama one lie ile struck mo me as being unworthy his certificate for he was evidently entirely out of his bearings when the accident occurred the owner and his friend chater chaler were in their berths asleep when suddenly he discovered that the vessel was making no headway they had in fit fact run upon tile tha dangerous shoat shoal without being aware of it A strong sea eoa was running with a WIT stiff breeze and although his son aea ma manship was poor lie he was capable enough to recognize at once that they were in a very perilous position very fortunate it more serious sir ho he added after telling roe me his story which I 1 wrote at ills his dictation for the ultimate benefit of the board of trade you ou send up signals of distress I 1 inquired no sir clr never thought of it and yet you knew that you might t be lost I 1 remarked with re recurring currin g suspicion the canny scot whose name was ma mackintosh ck intosh hesitated afew a few moments then answered well sir air you see the fishing boat had sighted us and we saw her turning back to port to f fetch help illow how long have you been in mr service I 1 inquired six months sir air was tile ane mans reply before he engaged me I 1 was with tile the wilsons of hull running up the baltic ive held my mas masters lers certificate ti these fifteen years sir air I 1 wa was a with tile the bibbus bibbys before the wll wil sons botia and before that with the general stearn steam I 1 did eight years in the mediterranean with them when I 1 was chief mate and youve never been into leghorn before never sir air I 1 dismissed tho the captain with a distinct impression that he had not told tile me the whole truth was it possible that an attempt had fiad actually been made to cast away the yacht acht and that it had been frustrated by the master of the felucca who had sighted the lie vessel aground how I 1 wondered had tile the captain received that very ugly wound across the cheek check I 1 was half to inquire of him that evening when the fiery suit nun was sinking in its crimson glory I 1 took a cab along the old sea road to the port where within tile the inner harbor harbar I 1 found tile the lola one of the most magnificent private vessels I 1 had ever seen tier her dimensions surprised me sho iio was painted dead white with shining brass everywhere every where at tho the tern stern hung limply tho british flag at ilio tho masthead tho the ensign of tile the royal yacht squadron on stepping on deck hornby came forward to greet me and took me along to the storn stern where lying in a long wicker deck chair beneath tile the awning was a tall dark eyed clearl clean shaven man of about forty ills his keen face gave one the impression that he be was a barrister my friend hylton chater mr gordon gregg he said introducing us and the tha clean shaven man exclaimed smiling pleasantly glad to 10 make your acquaintance mr grogg gregg you are not a stranger by any means to or myself indeed weve got a couple of at your books on board but I 1 had no idea you lived out here at ardenza ardelza Ar denza I 1 said three miles along tha the sea shore share tomorrow I 1 hope both coins coine and dine with nio delighted im sure declared hornby and abon wo we began chatting about the peril of ct the previous night hornby telling me how he had copied the two letters of thanks in italian and sent them to their respective addresses well you certainly did the right thing to thank the admiral I 1 said iab its very unusual tor for him to send out torpedo boats to help a vessel in distress that la Is generally left to tho the harbur tug yes yea I 1 feel that it was most kind of him why I 1 took all the trouble to write I 1 dont understand a word of italian neither does chater chafer hut but you havo bavo italians on board I 1 remarked the two sailors who rowed me out are genoese train their accent hornby florally and chater exchanged exchange glances glances ot at distinct uneasy ness I 1 thought then the owner of the lola said yes they are useful for making arrangements range ments mento and buying alit bilings in italian ports we have a spaniard a greek and a syrian Byrl tin all of whom act as interpreters in different places and make a handsome thing in the way of secret commissions I 1 suppose I 1 laughed of course dut but to cruise in earn corn tort fort one roust must pay and bo be pleasant declared hornby did you have any trouble with the customs here I 1 inquired they visit us he said with a smile and at the same time he rubbed tits his thumb and finger together tho the action of feeling paper money this increased my surprise for I 1 happened to know that the leghorn customs officers were not at all given to the acceptance of bribes they were too well watched by their superiors per peri lors ors if tho the yacht had really escaped a search then it was a most unusual thing besides Des ldes what motive could Ilor riby have in eluding the customs visit they would of course seat seal up his wines and liquors but oven even it if they did they would leave him out sufficient Bum clont for the consumption of himself and his friends no philip had some strong motive in paying a heavy bribe to avoid the visit of the dogana bogana it he really had bad paid he must have paid very heavily of that I 1 was convinced was waa it possible that some mystery was hidden on board that splendidly appointed craft presently the gong sounded and we e went below into the elegantly fitted saloon ft where hero was spread a table that sparkled with cut glass and shone with silver everywhere it was apparent that none but an extremely wealthy man could afford such agag a magnificent ent craft took the head of the table and we ate abne one of the choicest and best cooked dinners it has ever been my lot to taste chater and I 1 drank wine at 0 a brand which only a millionaire could keep in his cellar while our host apparently a most abstemious man took only a glass of at teed iced aln clano water from ills his remarks I 1 discerned that contrary to my first impression llyl hylton chater was an experienced yachtsman lie owned a craft called the alicia and was a member of the cork yacht club lie ile lived in london he told me but gave me no information as to his profession it might be the law as I 1 had surmised youve seen our ass of at a captain mr gregg ho he remarked presently what do you think of him well I 1 said rather hes hesitatingly I 1 ta tingly to tell the truth I 1 dont think very C 41 C it wait wa an armory crammed with rifles and ammunition much of at big bl nor will the board of at trade when hla his report reaches them ahl ah exclaimed 1 I was waa a tool fool to engage him from tho the very first I 1 mistrusted him only my wife somehow took a fancy to the fellow and as you know it you want peace you ou must always please the women in this case however lio wever her choice almost cost me ine thy the vessel and perhaps our lives into the bargain the captain seems to have had a nasty cut across the cheek I 1 remarked whereupon my two companions again exchanged quick apprehensive glances ile he fell down the other day explained chater with a rather sickly smile I 1 thought ills ilia face caught the edge of an iron stair in the engine room and caused a nasty gash I 1 smiled within myself for I 1 knew too well that tho the ugly wound in the captains face hafl had never naver been inflicted indicted by falling on the edge of a stair dut but I 1 remained fil ellent lent being content that they hey should ea endeavor deavor to mislead gift in after dessert desert hea had been termed served wo we rose roce and in the th simmer summer twilight when all the ports port were opened took me m over the vessel As AB lie he was waa con ducting me from his hi own cabin to the boudoir wo we passed a door that had been blown open by the wind and which he b bute nied to close not however before I 1 had bad time to glance within to my surprise lur prise I 1 discovered that it was an armory crammed with rifles revolvers and ammunition it had not been intended that I 1 should see that interior and the reason why the customs officers had bad been bribed was now apparent I 1 passed on without remark making bellevo believe that I 1 had not discerned anything unusual and we w entered the boudoir having gone back to the saloon to i obtain cigars the dainty little chamber bore bare everywhere the trace of at having been arranged by bya a womans comans hand band although no lady passenger was on board just as aa we had entered and I 1 w wa admiring the dainty nest of luxury chater shouted to his bis host asking for the keys of the cigar cupboard and Ifor riby turned back along tho the gongway gangway to hand them to his friend leaving me alone for a few moments I 1 stood glancing around and as aa I 1 did ald so BO my eyes fell upon a quantity of photographs framed and unframed that wore were scattered about eviden evidently tl portraits of friends upon a small side table however stood a heavy oxidized silver frame but empty while lying on the floor beneath a couch was tho the phot photograph ogra h it had contained which had apparently been taken hastily out torn first in halt and then in halt half again and cast away curiosity prompted me to stoop pick up the four pieces and place them together when I 1 found them to form the cabinet portrait of a sweet looking and extremely pretty english girl of eighteen or nineteen with a bright smiling expression and wearing a fresh morning blouse of white pique about the expression of the pictured face was Bo thing which I 1 c annot describe a curious look in the eyes which was at the same time both attractive end and mysterious in that brief moment tho the eirls features feature 11 were indelibly impressed in memory emor Y I 1 looked at the back of the torn photograph |