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Show 1 . THE RETURN of I f ANTHONY TRENT f By WYNDHAM MARTYN I CoprrlIt fcr Pnrso 4 Hopkins - WNU Service j CHAPTER XIV Continued 28 "It's worth a half-million dollars toilny," Trent wont on. "Tliore nre many big:-'" stones worth half that, (mt Done hns the blue-white flame of' (Iris. It Is too famous a diamond to irv to sell. You know that as well as ( Bis voice sank, "There's an old , diamond-cutter who has done work for me at Zwanenburger street In Amsterdam, He would cut It in half (or a price and forget all about It. If i,e did that no expert dare swear that lie knew the stone. We ought to renl-,ze renl-,ze at least a hundred thousand apiece for each half. Think what that would mean to us. I could loaf about the world comfortably and you could go somewhere and find peace and freedom free-dom from the strain you are enduring endur-ing dow. What about it?" She rose to her feet, her face colorless. color-less. "Ion have been so good to me," she said quietly, "that I have come to think of you as the best man 1 have eve known, the most gentle and chivalrous. chiv-alrous. Perhaps because I so much wished to believe it, I -thought you bad in reality put your old life behind you as sincerely a.- I have done. ADd, too, I thought you believed in me." "1 do," he said. She shook her head. "Xo. If you had you could never nave ouereu me mat. cue pointed to tie scintillant temptation. "You have shown me 1 did not know you and that you thought me a hypocrite." She realized that this was the most bitter moment of her life. Not until now had the consciousness of her love for Anthony Trent forced itself so strongly upon her. She. had admired him at first for his skill and audacity, audac-ity, for the insolent coolness with which he had worked alone and laughed at authority. Then she had come to see the finer side of his complex com-plex character, the generosity which distinguished him and the absence of pettiness. These characteristics she saw now she had idealized until she had reared upon their structure an Anthony Trent who did not exist. The leopard had not changed its spots. "You mean you won't use any of , the money 1 can realize for you on ' ' this stone? Think well before you answer." an-swer." "My mind was made up long ago. I need no time for consideration." "Well," he said, after a pause, "if so, what will you do?" "That I cannot say yet, definitely. Mrs. Kinney thinks she can get me work. I have some skill in fine sewing sew-ing and the mendiug of old lace ; it was taught me at my convent." "How loDg will your eyes stand that strain?" he demanded. "The idea is ludicrous. You propose to pass the rest of your life as a working woman because of this silly prejudice. I can get you something better than sewing." sew-ing." "Already 1 am too much In your debt to accept more." Gone was the pleasant intimacy of a few minutes earlier. Be could see almost a horror in her face. She regarded re-garded him as one who had seer the light for a little while and then, at adversity's first breath, gone back to the old and easier ways. "Don't look at me like that," he said, "try to forget what 1 said." She shook her head. "That would be Impossible." She could not understand how in a moment such as this he could regard re-gard her with a whimsical smile. Had he oo intuition to warn him that his defection had wounded her irremedia-blf irremedia-blf That he should think her repentance re-pentance only a matter of words stowed her how ill she had Judged kin. "I' you have made up your mind," e said, "I suppose there is no more " be said." ' Nothing," she answered. "1 can-Mi can-Mi repay you for all you have done me. i am afraid I shall never be to do that. I am leaving here to-uv to-uv n,i u m . .. uuuu-oy, iur. irent. 'Not tonight," he said earnestly, T'ease do me one fevor. I am leav-! leav-! town tonight and shan't he back ""Friday. Wait till then." ' Prefer to go tonight." If you won't do it as a favor 1 Put It In another way. I'm aid It Win soun rat)er brutal -ademoiselle Dupin, you are under 'tain obligations to me. Apparent Hhey weigh rather heavily on youi lE ' Yu can repay me by remain here until I return. At the out-j;e" out-j;e" will be forty-eight hours. It n,uch to ask, Is it?" tmt0r'. we"'" sllfi answered, reluc-Si) reluc-Si) "1 will wait forty-eight hours." s" I'd not understand how he could smile at her. What a nature of l Mictions was his I ne question before I go. You tiw 'i0'0 me sevenl1 t,mes that tlie authorities were still seeking . "I'.v particularly should they , Jon?' ne hp(i up the Muam's I ;ni!- ",,u,se or tins?- . s- shtf answered. "Particularly "f that" vv''' ,e asked. i':il'.'"S' ''" govern merit was 1 ":'"'-"-'-a::s-.! by its loss. Yt-U -w wtur;$j do not kuow that before the United S ates went Into the war a certain illustrious royal personage who Is oddly enough, very popular here, made a secret visit In a battleship n order to hasten this country's entrance Into the war. He was here as a secret guest of the government. Absolute secrecy was preserved. Only once did be leave his fast cruiser and come by night to meet olllcinl Washington, let that night the Nizam's diamond which he carried as his bringer of fortune, his talisman, his good luck stone, was stolen. His own government govern-ment thought It unwise to allow It to be known he was here and your own dare not advertise the loss. Now do you understand what a satisfaction It would he to catch the woman who took It?" Evidently the memory of the affair was unpleasant "You will excuse me," she said, and ignored his outstretched hand. Her refusal to take it was not crudely done. Except that he divined her purpose he might have seen in the incident merely an oversight. "Why don't you give me your hand?" he asked. "If any two people In this troubled world ought to be friends they are you !.nd I." "In the life I have chosen there will not be room for friendships like that I shall work to forget" "And I'm to be one of the forgot- Pl " "I Shall Work to Forget." ten. Somehow you give me the impression im-pression that I've disappointed you." "Disappointed !" she cried, her :iands pressed against her heart, "if that were only the word." Quickly she went from the room. Trent looked after her and he was still smiling. "She wouldn't shake hands," he murmured as he walked down the stairway. Mrs. Kinney came to the side of the woman whose sobbing distressed ber immeasurably. She had grown to experience ex-perience sincere affection for this mysterious1 mys-terious1 and lovely visitor. "What is it, my poor dear?" she whispered. "I did not know one's heart could break twice." Mademoiselle Dupin cried wildly. For a long while the shrewd housekeeper house-keeper had watched her visitor's increasing in-creasing interest in Anthony Trent. Ot her employer's attitude Mrs. Kinney Kin-ney was in no doubt whatever. She supposed there had been some dreadful dread-ful quarrel which seemed tragic now but which would pass over as other storms end. "It will be ull right," she said, com I forting her. "Never, never In this life!' sobbed Mademoiselle Dupin. ,. Trent's destination was Washington and his mission to see a cabinet otfi cer of wide influence who had for merly been ambassador to the Court of St. James. Anthony Trent had met him in London under circumstances so far out ot the ordinary that he did not think he would have difficulty in recalling himself to Sir. HilL Cabinet officers are not easy of access. ac-cess. From bis room at the New Wil-lard Wil-lard Trent sought to speak to him over the telephone. This proved to be impossible. The cabinet officer was protected from telephonic assaults by a private secretary whose manners were too brusque to suit Anthony Trent The secretary after learning that Trent would not tell him why he desired de-sired to see Mr. Hill said it was idle to continue the conversation. Half an hour later Trent came face to- face with the secretary. He found htm a big, overbearing youth who was holding his position during the recovery recov-ery from an automobile accident of the real incumbent of the situation. "I can t ask Mr. Hill to see you unless un-less I know what it's about," he said bluntly. "It is private business," Trent re-' turned, "I cannot discuss it with you." ' "Then you won't discuss it with the chief," said the other. "I came from New York to see Mr. Hill and I'm going to see him. Also, I am not going to satisfy your curiosity." "He's dated ahead for three days." Trent looked about him. He was In an ante-room with a big davenport and some comfortable chairs. "I shall pass the time agreeably enough," he said. "I have slept on the hard ground, and that davenport is luxury." "You can't sleep here," the secretary secre-tary cried. "I shan't allow It." "I'm afraid you take yourself too seriously," said Trent lighting a cigarette. cig-arette. The secretary knew that in less than un hour Mr. Hill would pass through the ante-room. In that case the victory vic-tory would go to Trent "We'll see you tomorrow afternoon," he said. "At four." " 'We?' " Trent retorte,d. "I'm afraid I must deny myself the pleasure of your presence at the interview. I'll remain here until four tomorrow." lie had a shrewd idea that Mr. Hill must pass along sooner or later. "Give me your card," said the secretory secre-tory scowling. In two minutes he returned. "Three-thirty tomorrow," he said crossly. "The chief will give you just two minutes. "Try again," said Trent pleasantly. "What do you mean?" the other asked. "1 vaulted over this tvi-o-foot barrier bar-rier and looked through the crack of the door. I saw you sit down, light a cigarette, read a letter through twice and then come back. You didn't even go into Mr. Hill's room. Listen. I'm here to see Mr. Hill now. Go back-there back-there at once." "I will not," said the other flushing. He saw the danger signal In the intruder's in-truder's eyes. The secretary was overbearing over-bearing but he was not courageous. For a moment he thought Trent was about to leap the barrier. "I'll give you twenty seconds," said Trent. "After that I shall surprise you." "There's a man outside," said the secretary, speaking to the cabinet officer, offi-cer, fifteen seconds later, "who says you've got to see him. I don't like the looks of him at all. If I were you, sir, I'd have him thrown out." "Only the President can say I've 'got' to see him," said Hill frowning. "I'm much too busy today anyway. What was the name?" "I didn't get it," the secretary lied. "Can't you read?" snapped Mr. Hill, lie took the card from the other's fingers. "Anthony Trent! Is he waiting?" wait-ing?" "Yes, he wouldn't lake a hint." The j secretary was sullen. I (TO BE CONTINUED.) j ) |