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Show Be CZARS SPY The Mystery of a SilenHove $rQwtin WILLIAM 11 QUL'UX 4 AUTHOR ofmi aoorD DO OK" ETC- x??WS ILLUSTRATIONS C-D-IfflODESfPl w w w w oHpgg SYNOPSIS, The yacht Lola narrowly escapes wreck In Leghorn harbor. Gordon GreB. locum tenens for the British consul, Is called tjvn by Hornby, the Lola's owner, and dines aboard with him and his friend, Hlton Chater. Aboard the yacht he accidentally ac-cidentally sees a room full of arms and ammunition and a torn photopraph of a youns girl. That night the consul's safe t, rubbed and the Lola puts suddenly to M. The police find that Hornby is a fraud and the Lola's name a faise one. Gretr visits Capt. Jack Durnford of the marines aboard his vessel, and Is surprised sur-prised to learn that Durnford knows, but will not reveal, the mystery of the Lola. "It concerns a woman." In London Lon-don Greeg Is trapped nearly to his death bv a former servant, Ollnto, who repents ji time to save him, but not to (rive a reason rea-son for his treachery. Vlsitlns In Dumfries Dum-fries Gresg meets Muriel Leithcourt, who Is strangely affected at the mention of the Lola. Hornby appears. Muriel Introduces In-troduces Hornby as Martin Woodroffe, btr father's friend. CHAPTER IV. Continued. "Of course. They've been engaged nearly a year, but he's been abroad until un-til quite lately. He is rather close about his own affairs, and never talks ibout his travels and adventures, although al-though one day Mr. Leithcourt declared de-clared that his hairbreadth escapes would make a most exciting book If ever written." "Leithcourt and he are evidently most intimate friends." "Oh, quite Inseparable!" she U-fhed. "And the other man who is jjways with them is that short, stout, red faced old fellow standing over there with the lady in pale blue, Sir ffhtred Gardner. Mr. Woodroffe has nicknamed him 'Sir Putrid." And we both laughed. "Of course, don't say I said so," she whispered. "They don't !1 him that to his face, but it's so easy to make a mistake in his name when he's not within hearing. We women don't care for him, so the nick-tame nick-tame just fits." And she gossiped on, telling me E':ch that I desired to know regarding the ne tenant of Rannoch and his tr ends, and u ore especially of that can who had first introduced himself to me In the consulate at Leghorn. Kal! an hour later my uncle's carriage car-riage was announced, and I left with the distinct impression that there was some deep mystery surrounding the Urhcourts. Whatever the reason, I tad become filled with grave apprehensions. appre-hensions. The mystery grew deeper day by day, and was inexplicable. During the week that followed I eoigit to learn all I could regarding the new people at the castle. "They are taken up everywhere," declared my aunt when I questioned 'er "Of course, we knew very little of them, except that they had a shoot P near Fort William two years ago, M that they have a town house in Green street. They are evidently Wher smart folks. Don't you think to?" "Judging from their house party, res," 1 responded. "They are about as &y a crowd as one could find north ' Carlisle just at present." 1 "Exaxctly. There are some well-hown well-hown people among them, too," said . By aunt. "I've asked them over to-I to-I Borrow afternoon, and they've accepted." ac-cepted." ) "Excellent!" I exclaimed, for I want- an opportunity for another chat "ta the dark-eyed girl who was en-?'Sed en-?'Sed to the man whose alias was j Hmby. I particularly desired to ascertain as-certain the reason of her fear when I r; m mentioned the Lola, and whether 'e Possessed any knowledge of Hyl- 0 ton Chater. 9 The opportunity came to me in due s curse, for next afternoon the Rannoch 0 Iarty drove over in two large brakes, with other people from the neigh-4 neigh-4 whcod and a band from Dumfries, my 'cats grounds presented a gay and wimated scene. A I expected, Woodroffe did not ac-! ac-! company the party. Mrs. Leithcourt, a j5 '"Shtly fussy little woman, apologized fi ,wlli8 absence, explaining that he had ee recalled to London suddenly a fi days before, but was returning to j4 annoch again at the end of the week. "We couldn't afford to lose him," " declared to my aunt. "He is so mlly humorous his droll sayings ,(1 antics keep us In a perfect roat jo ca n'ght at dinner. He's such a per-te per-te " mimic." if MritUrne1 away and 8trolled witn h ' P,ead'ng an excuse to show , m uncle's beautiful grounds, not J"1' les8 picturesque than those of 'castle, and perhaps rather better 'Pt. if. t 1 ony heard yesterday of your en-"eernent. en-"eernent. Miss Leithcourt," I . re-red re-red presently when we were alone. Allow me to offer my best congratulations. congratula-tions. When you introduced me to Mr. Woodroffe the other day I had no Idea that he was to be your husband." She glanced at me quickly, and I saw in her dark eyes a look of suspicion. Then she flushed slightly, and laughing laugh-ing uneasily said, in a blank, hard voice: "It's very good of you, Mr. Gregg, to wish me all sorts of such pleasant things." "And when is the happy event to take place?" "The date is not exactly fixed early next year, I believe," and I thought she sighed. "And you will probably spend a good deal of time yachting?" I suggested, sug-gested, my eyes fixed upon her In order or-der to watch the result of my pointed remark. But she controlled herself perfectly. "Mr. Woodroffe has gone up to town, your mother says." "Yes. He received a wire, and had to leave immediately. It was an awful bore, for we had arranged to go for a picnic to Dundrennan abbey yesterday." yester-day." "But he'll be back here again, won't he?" "I really don't know. It seems quite uncertain. I had a letter this morning morn-ing which said he might have to go over to Hamburg on business, instead of coming up to us again." There was disappointment in her voice, and yet at the same time 1 could not fail to recognize how the man to whom she was engaged had fled from Scotland because of my presence. pres-ence. As we passed along those graveled walks it somehow became vividly impressed im-pressed upon me that her marriage was being forced upon her by her parents. par-ents. Her manner was that of one who was concealing some strange and terrible secret which she feared might be revealed. There was a distant look of unutterable terror in those dark eyes as though she existed in some constant and ever-present dread. Of HIP The Picture Was That of a Young Girl. course she told me nothing of her own feelings or affections, yet I recognized in both her words and her bearing a curious apathy a want of the real enthusiasm en-thusiasm of affection. Woodroffe, much her senior, was her father's friend, and It 'therefore seemed to me more than likely that Leithcourt was pressing a matrimonial alliance upon his daughter daugh-ter for some ulterior motive. She was perplexed; she longed to confide and seek advice of someone, yet by reason of some hidden and untoward circumstance circum-stance ber lips were sealed. I tried to question her further regarding re-garding Woodroffe, of what profession he followed and of his past, but she evidently suspected me, for I had unfortunately un-fortunately mentioned the Lola. Martin Woodroffe did not rejoin the house party at Rannoch. Although I remained the guest of my uncle much longer than I intended, indeed right through the shooting season, in order to watch the Leithcourts, yet as far as we could judge they were extremely well-bred people and very hospitable. We exchanged a good majy visits and dinners, and while my uncle several times invited Leithcourt and his friends to his shoot with al fresco luncheon, which the ladies joined, the tenant of Rannoch always invited us back in return. , j Thus 1 gained many opportunities of talking with Muriel, and of watching her closely. I had the reputation of being a confirmed bachelor, and on account ac-count of that it seemed that she was in no way averse to my companionship. companion-ship. She could handle a rook rifle as well as any woman, and was really a very fair shot. We often found ourselves our-selves alone tramping across the wide open moorland, or along those delightful delight-ful glens of the Nlthsdale, glorious in the autumn tints of their luxurious foliage. Her father, on the other hand, seemed to view me with considerable suspicion, and I could easily discern that I was only asked to Rannoch because be-cause it was impossible to invite my uncle without including myself. His pronounced antipathy towards me caused me to watch him surreptitiously, surrepti-tiously, and more closely than perhaps I should otherwise have done. He was a man of gloomy mood, and often he would leave his guests and take walks alone, musing and brooding. On several sev-eral occasions I followed him in secret, and found to my surprise that although he made long detours In various directions, direc-tions, yet he always arrived at the same spot at the same hour five o'clock. The place where he halted was on the edge of a dark wood on the brow of a hill about three miles from Rannoch. Ran-noch. Leithcourt never went there direct, di-rect, but always so timed his walks that he arrived Just at five, and remained re-mained there smoking cigarettes until half-past, as though awaiting the arrival ar-rival of some person he expected. In my youth I had sat many a quiet hour there in the darkening gloom and knew the wood well, and was able to watch the tenant of Rannoch from points where he least suspected the presence of another. Once, when I was alone with Muriel, I mentioned her father's capacity for walking alone, whereupon she said: "Oh, yes, he was always fond of walking. He used to take me with him when we first came here, but he always went so far that I refused to go any more." She never once mentioned Woodroffe. Wood-roffe. I allowed her plenty of opportunity oppor-tunity for doing so, chaffing her about her forthcoming marriage in order that she might again refer to him. But never did his name pass her lips. 1 understood that he had gone abroad that was all. Often when alone I reflected upon my curious adventure on that night when I met Olinto, and of my narrow escape from the hands of my unknown enemies. I wondered if that ingenious and dastardly attempt upon my life had really any connection with that strange incident at Leghorn. As day succeeded day, my mind became filled by Increasing suspicion. Mystery surrounded sur-rounded me on every hand. Indeed, by one curious fact alone it was increased in-creased a hundredfold. Late one afternoon, when I had been out shooting all day with the Rannoch party, I drove back to the castle in the Perth cart with three other men, and found the ladies assembled in the great hall with tea ready. A welcome log fire was blazing in the huge old grate, for in October it is chilly and damp in Scotland and a fire Is pleasant at evening. Muriel was seated upon the high padded fender like those one has at clubs which always formed a cozy spot for the ladies, especially after dinner. When I entered, she rose quickly quick-ly and handed me my cup, exclaiming as she looked at me: "Oh, Mr. Gregg! Whiat a state you are in!" "Yes, I was after snipe, and slipped into a bog," I laughed. v'But it was early this morning, and the mud has dried." "Come with me, and I'll get you a brush," she urged. And I followed her through the long corridors and upstairs up-stairs to a small sitting-room which was her own little sanctum, where she worked and read a cozy little place with two queer old windows in the colossal wall, and a floor of polished oak, and great black beams above. As my eyes wandered around the room they suddenly fell upon an object which caused me to start with profound pro-found wonder a cabinet photograph In a frame of crimson leather. The picture was that of a young girl a duplicate of the portrait I had found torn across and flung aside on board the Lola! The merry eyes laughed out at me as I stood staring at it in sheer bewilderment. be-wilderment. "What a pretty girl!" I exclaimed quickly, concealing my surprise. "Who Is she?" My companion was silent a moment, her dark eyes meeting mine with a strange look of inquiry. "Yes," Bhe laughed, "everyone admires ad-mires her. She was a schoolfellow of mine Elma Heath." "Heath!" I echoed. "Where was she at school wltlv jig;' "At Cbichesteir - Tl ij 1 "Long ago?" "A little over two years ago." "''Slie's very beautiful!'; I declared, taking hp the photograph and discovering discov-ering that It bore the name of the same well-known photographer in New Bond street as that I had found on the carpet car-pet of the Lola in the Mediterranean. "Yes. She's really prettier than her photograph. It hardly does her justice." jus-tice." "And where is she now?" "Why are you so very inquisitive, Mr. Gregg?" laughed the handsome girl. "Have you actually fallen in love with her from her picture?" "I'm hardly given to that kind of thing, Miss Leithcourt," I answered with mock severity. "I don't think even my worst enemy could call me a flirt, could she?" "No. I will give you your due," she declared. "You never do flirt. That is why I like you." "Thanks for your candor, Miss Leithcourt," Leith-court," I said. "Only," she added, "you seem smitten smit-ten with Elma's charms." "I think she's extremely pretty," I remarked, with the photograph still in my hand. "Do you ever see her now?" "Never," she replied. "Since the day I left school we have never met. She was several years younger than myself, and I heard that a week after I left Chichester her people came and took her away. Where she is now I have no idea. Her people lived somewhere some-where in Durham. Her father was a doctor." "Then you have heard absolutely nothing as to her present position or whereabouts whether she is married, for instance?" ' "Ah!" she cried mischievously. "You betray yourself by your own words. I Listened, Trying to Distinguish the Words Uttered. You have fallen in love with her, I really believe, Mr. Gregg. If she knew, she'd be most gratified or at least, she ought to be." At which I smiled, preferring that she should adopt that theory in preference pref-erence to any other. She spoke frankly, as a pure honest girl would speak. She was not jealous, but she neverthless resented as women wom-en do resent such things that I should fall in love with a friend's photograph. There was a mystery surrounding that torn picture; of that I was absolutely abso-lutely certain. The remembrance of that memorable evening when I had dined on board the Lola arose vividly before me. Why had the girl's portrait por-trait been so ruthlessly destroyed? Hour by hour the mystery surrounding the Leithcourts became more inscrutable, inscrut-able, more intensely absorbing. I hafi searched a copy of the London directory direc-tory at the Station hotel at Carlisle, and found that no house in Green street was registered as occupied by the tenant of Rannoch; and, further, when I came to examine the list of guests at the castle, I found that they were really persons unknown in society. so-ciety. Leithcourt seemed to possess a long pocket and smiled upon those parasites, officers of doubtful commission com-mission and younger sprigs of the pseudo-aristocracy who surrounded him, while his wife, keen-eyed and of superb bearing, was punctilious concerning con-cerning all points of etiquette, and at the same time indefatigable that her mixed set of guests should enjoy a really good time. Next day I shot with the Carmlchaels of Crossburn, and about four o'clock, after a good day, took leave of the party in the Black Glen, and started off alone to walk home, a distance of about six miles. It was already growing grow-ing dusk, and would be quite dark, I knew, before I reached my uncle's house. My most direct way was to follow the river for about two miles and then strike straight across the large dense woods, and afterwards 1 over a wide moor' full of treacherous bogs and pitfalls for the unwary. My gun over my shoulder, I had walked on for about three-quarters of an hour, and had nearly traversed the wood, at that hour so dark that I had considerable difficulty in finding my way, when of a sudden I fancied I distinguished voices. I halted. Yes. Men were talking In low tones of confidence, and In that calm stillness of evening they appeared nearer to me than they actually were. I listened, trying to distinguish the words uttered, but could make out nothing. They were moving slowly together, to-gether, in close vicinity to myself, for their feet stirred the dry leaves, and I could hear the boughs cracking as they forced their way through them. Of a sudden, while standing there not daring to breathe lest I should betray be-tray my presence, a strange sound fell upon my eager ears. Next moment I realized that I was at that place where Leithcourt so persistently persist-ently kept his disappointed tryst, having hav-ing approached it from within the wood. The sound alarmed me, and yet It was neither an explosion of fire arms nor a startling cry for. help. . One word reached me in the darkness dark-ness one single word of bitter and withering reproach. Heedless of the risk I ran and the peril to which I exposed myself, I dashed forward with a resolve to penetrate pene-trate the mystery, until I came to the gap in the rough stone wall where Leithcourt's habit was to halt each day at sundown. There, in the falling darkness, the sight that met my eyes at the spot held me rigid, appalled, stupefied. In that instant I realized the truth a truth that was surely the strangest ever revealed to any man. CHAPTER V. , Contains Certain Confidences. As I dashed forward to the gap in. the boundary wall of the wood, I nearly near-ly stumbled over a form lying across the narrow path. So dark was it beneath the trees that at first I could not plainly make out what it was until I bent and my hands touched the garments of a woman. wom-an. Her hat had fallen off, for I felt it beneath my feet, while the cloak was a thick woolen one. Was she dead, -I wondered? That cry that single word of reproach sounded in my ears, and it seemed plain that she had been struck down , ruthlessly after an exchange of angry words. I felt In my pocket for my vestas, but unfortunately my box was empty. Yet just at that moment my strained ears caught a sound the sound of someone moving stealthily among the fallen leaves. Seizing my gun, I demanded de-manded who was there. There was, however, no response. The instant I spoke the movement ceased. It seemed evident that a tragedy had occurred, and that the victim at my feet was a woman. But who? Of a sudden, while I stood hesitating, hesitat-ing, blaming myself for being without matches, I heard the movement repeated. re-peated. Someone was quickly recedingescaping reced-ingescaping from the spot. I sprang through the gap, straining my eyes into the gloom, and as I did so could just distinguish a dark figure receding quickly beneath the wall of the wood. .... In an instant I dashed after it. Down the steep hill to the Scarwater I followed fol-lowed the fugitive, crossing the old footbridge near Penpont, and then up a wild winding glen towards the Cairnmore of Deugh. For a couple of miles or more I was close behind, until, un-til, at a turn in the dark wooded glen where it branched in two directions, I lost all trace of the person who flew from me. Whoever it was they had very cleverly gone into hiding in the undergrowth of one or other of the two glens which, I could not decide. I stood out of breath, the perspiration perspira-tion pouring from me, undecided how to act. '' c . ' ' Was it Leithcourt himself , whom I v: .,'. had surprised? That idea somehow became impressed im-pressed upon- me, and I suddenly resolved re-solved to go boldly across to Rannoch and ascertain for myself. Therefore, with the excuse that I was belated on my walk home, I turned back down the glen, and half an hour afterward entered the great well-lighted hall of the castle where the guests, ready dressed, were assembling prior to dinner. din-ner. I was welcomed warmly, and just then Leithcourt himself joined his guests, ready dressed in his dinner jacket, having just descended from his room. "Hulloa, Gregg ! " be exclaimed heartily, heart-ily, holding out his hand. "Had a long day of ' it, evidently. Good sport with Carmichael eh?" "Very fair," I said. "I remained longer with him than I ought to have done, and have got belated on my way home, so looked in for a refresher." "Quite right," he laughed merrily. "You're always welcome, you know. I'd have been annoyed if I knew you had passed without coming in." (TO BE CONTINUED.) |