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Show m cms spy The Mystery of a Silent! Love .dH'lwalier WILLIAM LI QUEUX ? 'CC AUTHOR a"Ttir CLOSED DOOR," ETC ILLUSTRATIONS C-DTfflODCSA COPrXCMT BY rC SMART 5T PUBLISH frff CO XJf W W W W OlPSfe SYNOPSIS. 13 Gordon Grecs, dining aboard with Hornby, Horn-by, the yacht Ixilu's owner, a (.-of den tally seva a torn phmoprupli of a young ntrl. That nUht the consul's safe is rohh-d. The police find that Hornby is a fraud and the Lola's name a false one. In I xndon GrvgK Is trapped nearly to his ; death by a former servant, Olinto. Visit- ! ing in ' Dumfries Gregg meets Muriel Leithcourt. Hornby appears and Muriel introduces him as Martin Wood ruffe, her father's friend. Gregg sees a copy of the lorn photograph on the T,ola and finds that the young girl is Muriel's friend. Woodroffe disappears. Gregg discovers the body of a murdered woman in Han-noch Han-noch wood. The body disappears and In Its place is found the body of Olinto. Muriel and Gregg search Rannoch wood together, and find the body of Armida, Dllnto's wife. When the police go to the wood the body has disappeared. In London Lon-don Gregg meets Olinto. alive and well. Gregg traces the young girl of t lie torn photograph, and finds that she is Elma Heath, niece of Baron Oberg. who lias taken her to Abo. Finland, and that she holds a secret affecting Woodroffe. On his return to Rannoch Gregg finds the leithcourts fled from Hylton Chater. who had called there. He goes to Abo, and after a tilt with the police chief, is conducted con-ducted to Kajana. where he finds Elma in prison. A surgical operation has made her deaf and dumb. He escapes with her. Pursuers overtaking them, Elma escapes into the forest and Gregg is taken to Abo, where he Is released and finds that the baron is using every effort to arrest Elma. He calls on Baron Oberg and accuses ac-cuses him of silencing and Imprisoning Elma to prevent her from telling of his secret misdeeds. CHAPTER XIII Continued. A long silence had fallen between us, and it now occurred to me to take advantage of his hesitation. I said in a firm voice, in French: "I think, baron, our interview is at an end, is it not? Therefore I wish , you good-day." He turned upon me suddenly with an evil flash in his dark eyes, and a snarling imprecation in Russian upon ' his lips. His hand still held the order committing me to the fortress. "But before I leave you will destroy that document. It may fall into other hands, you know' and I walked toward him with quick determination. 'I shall do nothing of the kind!" he snapped. Without further word I snatched the paper from his thin, white fingers and (ore it up before his face. His countenance coun-tenance went livid. I do not think I have- ever seen a man's face assume I 1 1 II 1 11 ill 4fi Without Further Words I Snatched the Paper From His Thin, White Fingers. such an expression of fiendish vindic-.tiveness. vindic-.tiveness. It was as though at that instant hell had been let loose within his heart. But I turned upon my heel and went out: ; I had escaped by means of my own diplomacy and firmness. The. czar's representative the man v. ho ruled that country feared me, and for that Teason did not hold me prisoner. Yet when I recalled that evil look of revenge re-venge on my departure, I could not help certain feelings of grave apprehension appre-hension arising within me. I took the midnight train back to Abo, arriving at the hotel next morning. morn-ing. After an hour's rest I set out anxiously in search of Felix, the dros-ky dros-ky driver. I found him in his log-' '!:t house in the Ludno quarter, and when he nsked me in I saw,, from his face, that he had news to impart. Well?" 1 inquired. "And what of the lady? Has she been found?" "Ah! your excellency. It is a pity you were not here yesterday," he said with a sigh. Why? Tell me quickly. What has happened?" "I have been assisting the police as spy, excellency, aB 1 often do, and 1 have seen her." "Seen her! Where?" I cried In quirk anxiety. "Here, in Abo. She arrived yesterday yester-day morning from Tammerfors accompanied accom-panied by an Englishman. She had changed her dress, and was all in black. They lunched together at the Restaurant du Nord opposite the landing land-ing stage, and an hour later left by steamer for Petersburg." "An Englishman!" I cried. "Did you not inform the chief of police, Bo-ranski?" Bo-ranski?" "Yes, your excellency. But he saiiL. that their passports being in order, it was better to allow the lady to proceed. pro-ceed. To delay her might mean her rearrest in Finland," he added. "Then their passports were viseed here on embarking?" I exclaimed. "What was the name upon that of the English man?" "I have it here written down, excellency. excel-lency. I cannot pronounce your difficult diffi-cult English names." And he produced pro-duced a scrap of dirty paper whereon was written in a Russian hand the name "Martin Woodroffe." CHAPTER XIV. Spoiling the Spoiler. I went to the railway station, and from the time table gathered that if I left Abo by rail at noon I could be in Petersburg an hour before noon on the morrow, or about four hours before be-fore the arrival of the steamer by which the silent girl and her companion compan-ion were passengers. This I decided upon doing, but before leaving I paid a visit tQ my friend, Boranskl, who, to my surprise and delight, handed me my wallet with the czar's letter intact, saying that it had been found upon a German thief who had been arrested ar-rested at the harbor on the previous night. The fellow had, no doubt, stolen it from my pocket believing I carried my paper money in a flap. "The affair of the English lady is a most extraordinary one," remarked the chief of police, toying with his pen as he sat at his big table. "She seems to have met this Englishman up at Tammerfors. or at some place farther north, yet it is curious that her passport pass-port should be in order even though she fled so precipitately from Kajana. There is a mystery connected with he'r disappearance from the wood cutter's cut-ter's hut that I confess I cannot fathom." "Neither can I," I said. "I know the man who is with her, and cannot help fearing that he is her bitterest enemy that he is acting in concert with the baron." "Then why is he taking her to the capital beyond the jurisdiction of the governor general?" "I am going straight to Petersburg to ascertain," I said. "I have only come to thank you for your kindness in this matter. Truth to tell, I have been somewhat surprised that" you should have interested yourself on my behalf," I added, looking straight at the uniformed official. "It is not on yours, but on hers," he answered, somewhat enigmatically. "I know something of the affair, but it was my duty as a man to help the poor girl to escape from that terrible place. She has, I know, been unjustly condemned for the attempted assassi nation of the wife of a general condemned con-demned with a purpose, of course. Such a thing is not unusual in Finland." Fin-land." "Abominable!" 1 cried. "Oberg is a veritable fiend." But the man only shrugged his shoulders, saying "Ths orders of his excellency the governor general have to be obeyed, whatever they are. We often regret but we dare not refuse to carry them out." "Russian rule is a disgrace to our modern civilization," I declared hotly. "I have every sympathy with those who are fighting for freedom." "Ah, you are not alone in that," he sighed, speaking in a low whisper, and glancing around. "His majesty would order reforms and ameliorate the con dition of his people, If only It were possible. But he, like his officials, is powerless. Here we speak of the great uprising with bated breath, but we, alas! know that it must come one day very soon and Finland will be first to endeavor to break her bonds and the Baron Oberg first to fall." For nearly an hour I sat with him. surprised to find how, although his exterior ex-terior was so harsh and uncouth, yet his heart really bled for the xxr, starving people he was so constantly forced to oppress. "1 have ruined this town of Abo," he declared, quite frankly. "To my own knowledge five hundred innocent persons per-sons have gone to prison, and another two hundred have been exiled to Siberia. Si-beria. Yet what 1 have done is only at direct orders from Helsingfors orders that are stern, pitiless and unjust. un-just. Men have been torn from their families and sent to the mines, -women have been arrested for no offense and shipped off to Saghalien, aud mere children have been cast into prison on charges of political conspiracy with their elders in order to russify the province! Only," he added anxiously, "I trust you will never repeat what I tell you. Y'ou have asked me why I assisted the English mademoiselle to escape from Kajana, and I have ex plained the reason." We ate a hearty meal in company at the Sampalinna, a restaurant built like a Swiss chalet, and at noon I entered en-tered the train on the first stage of my slow, tedious journey through the great, silent forests and along the shores of the lakes of southern Finland, Fin-land, by way of Tavestehus and Vi-borg, Vi-borg, to Petersburg. At four o'clock next day I was out upon the quay In that city, straining my eyes seaward for any sign of smoke, but could see nothing. It was after ten o'clock when a light shone afar off, and the movement of the police and porters on the quay told me that it was the vessel. Then after a further anxious quarter of an hour it came, amid great shouting and mutual imprecations, slowly alongside the quay, and the passengers at last began to disembark in the pelting rain. Suddenly I caught sight of two figures fig-ures one a man in a big tweed traveling trav-eling coat and a golf cap, and the other the slight figure of a woman in a long, dark cloak and a woolen tam-o'-shanter. The electric rays fell upon them as they came up the wet gangway together, and there once again I saw the sweet face of the silent woman whom I had grown to love- with 6uch fervent desperation. The man behind her was the same who had entertained me on board the Lola the man who was said to be the lover of the fugitive Muriel Leithcourt. Without betraying my presence, 1 watched them pass through the pass port office and custom house, and then, overhearing the address which Martin Woodroffe gave the ishvost-chik, ishvost-chik, I stood aside, wet to the skin, and saw them drive away. At eleven o'clock on the following day 1 found myself installed in the Hotel de Paris, a comfortable hostelry in the Little Morskaya. I was beneath the same roof as Elma, although 6he was in ignorance of my presence. Anxious to communicate commu-nicate with her without Woodroffe's knowledge, I was now awaiting my opportunity. op-portunity. He had, it appeared, taken for her a pleasant front room with sitting sit-ting room adjoining, on the first floor, while he himself occupied a room on the third floor. As far as I could gather from the French waiter whom I judiciously tipped, he appeared to treat her with every consideration and kindness. "Has the Englishman received any visitors?" I asked. "One man a Russian an official of police, I think." "If he receives anyone else, let me know," I said. "And I want you to give mademoiselle a letter from me in secret." "Bien, m'sieur." I turned to the little writing table and scribbled a few hasty lines to my love, announcing my presence, and asking her to grant me an interview in secret as soon as Woodroffe was absent. I also warned her of the search for her instigated by the baron, and urged her to send me a line in reply. The note was delivered into her hand, but although I waited in suspense sus-pense nearly all' day she sent no reply. While Woodroffe was in the hotel I dared not show myself lest he should recognize me, therefore I was compelled com-pelled to sham indispf .tion and to eat my meals alone in my room. For several hours I sat at my win-daw win-daw watching the life and movement down in the street below, my mind full of wonder and dark forebodings. Was Martin . Woodroffe playing her false? Just' aftpr half-past six o'clock the waiter entered, and handing me a note on a salver, said: "Mademoiselle has, I believe, only this moment been able to write in secret." I tore it open and read as follows: Donr Friend I nm 80 surprised. I IhoiiKht you wore still In Alio. Woodroffe lma an Hppoint merit at eltfht o'clock on the other side of the city, therefore come lo me lit 8:15. T must see you, and at once. 1 am in peril. ELMA HEATH. My love was in peril! It was just as I had feared. I thanked Providence that 1 had been sent to help her and extricate her from that awful fate to which "The Strangler of Finland" bad consigned her. At the hour she named, after the waiter had come to me and announced the Englishman's departure, I descended de-scended to1 her sitting room and entered en-tered without rapping, for if I had rapped she could not, alas! have heard. The apartment was spacious and comfortable, thickly carpeted, with heavy furniture and gilding. From her low lounge chair a slim, wan figure sprang up quickly and came forward to greet me, holding out both her hands and smiling happily. I took her hands in mine, and held them tightly in silence for some mo ments, as I looked earnestly Into those wonderfully brilliant eyes of hers. She turned away laughing, a slight flush rising to her cheeks in her confusion. Then she led me to a chair, and motioned mo-tioned me to be seated. Ours was a silent meeting, but her gestures and the expression of her eyes were surely more eloquent than j snSfji r .,:.,! " III! ! She Touched Her Red Lips With the Tip of Her Forefinger. mere words. I knew well what pleasure pleas-ure that re-encounter caused her equal pleasure with that it gave to me. Until that moment I had never really loved. I had admired and flirted with women. What man has not? Indeed, I had admired Muriel Leithcourt. But never until now had I experienced in my heart the real flame of true, burning burn-ing affection. The sweetness of her expression, the tender caress of those soft, tapering hands, the deep, mysterious mys-terious look in those magnificent eyes, and the incomparable grace of all her movements, combined to render her the most perfect woman I had ever met perfect in all, alas! save speech and hearing, of which, with such dastard das-tard wantonness, she had been deprived. de-prived. She touched her red lips with the tip of her forefinger, opened her hands and shrugged her shoulders with a sad gesture of regret. Then turning quickly to some paper on the table at her side she wrote something with a gold pencil and handed it to me. It read: . "Surely Providence ha.j sijpt you here! Mr. Woodroffe miitst have followed fol-lowed you from England. He is my enemy. You must take me from here and hide me. They inter d. to send me into exile. Have you ever been in Petersburg before? Do you know anyone any-one here?" Then when I had read, tie handed me her pencil and below : wrote: "1 will do my best, dear friend. I have been once in Petersburg. But is it not best that we ahould escape at once from Russia?" "Impossible at present," she wrote. "We should both be arrested at the frontier. It would be best to go into hiding' here in Petersburg. I believed Woodroffe to be my friend, but I have found only this day that he is my enemy. en-emy. He knew that I was in Kajana. and was in Abo when he learned of my escape. He went with two other men in search of us, and discovered us that night when we sought shelter at the wood cutter's hut. Without making his presence known, he waited outside until you were asleep, and then he came and looked in at my window At first I was alarmed, but quickly I saw that .he was a friend. He told me that the police were in the vicinity I and Intended to raid the hut, thereArSi I fled with him, first down to Tammei fors and then to Abo, and on here. A that time I did not see the dastardl; trap be had laid In order to get mi out of the baron's clutches and wrint from me my secret. If I confess, hi intends to give me up to the police who will send me to the mines." "Does your secret concern him?" ! asked in writing. "Yes," she wrote in response. "It would be equally in his interests ai well as those of Baron Oberg if 1 were sent to Saghalien and my iden tity effaced. I am a Russian subject as 1 have already told you, therefor with a ministerial order against mi I am in deadliest peril." "Trust in me," I scribbled quickly. "I will act upon any suggestion you make. Have you any female friend in whom you could trust to hide yon until this danger is past?" "There is one friend a true friend. Will you take a note to her?" she wrote, to which I instantly nodded i" the affirmative. Then rising, she obtained some tlt arid pen and wrote a letter, the ccl tents of which she did not show tlQ Before she sealed it. I watched her write the superscription superscrip-tion upon the envelope: "Madame Olga Stassulevitch, modiste, Scredni Prospect, Pros-pect, 231, Vaslll Ostroff." I knew that the district was on the opposite side of the city, close to the Little Neva. "Take a drosky at once, see her, and await a reply. In the meantime. I will prepare to be ready when you return," she wrote. "If Olga is not at home, ask to see the Red Priest in Russian,' Krasny-pastor." Return quickly, quick-ly, as I fear W'oodroffe may come back, if. so, I am lost." I assured her I would not lose a single instant, and five minutes later I was tearing down the Morskaya in a drosky along the canal and across the Nicholas bridge to the address upon the envelope. The house was, I found, somewhat smaller than its neighbors, but not let out in flats as the others. Upon the door was a large brass plate bearing bear-ing the name, "Olga Stassulevitch: Modes." 1 pressed the electric button, and in answer a tall, clean-shaven Russian servant opened the door. "Madame is not home," was his brief reply to my inquiry. "Then I will see the Red Priest," 1 said in a lower tone. "I come from Elma Heath." Thereupon, without further word, the man admitted nj into the long, dark hall and close4 the door with an apology that the gad was not lighted. But, striking a matcbv he led me up the broad staircase and into a small, cosy, well-furnished rootti on the second floor, evidently the sitting sit-ting room of some studious person, judging from the books and critical reviews lying about. For a few minutes I waited there, until the door reopened, and there entered en-tered a man of medium height, with a shock of long, snow-white hair and almost patriarchal beard, whose dark eyes that age had dimmed flashed out at me with a look of curious inquiry, and whose movements were those ol a person not quite at his ease. "I have called on behalf of Mademoiselle. Mademoi-selle. Elma Heath,, to give this letter to Madame Stassulevitch, or If she is absent to place it in the hands of the Red Priest," I explained in my best Russian. "Very well, sir," the old man responded re-sponded in quite good English. "I am the person you seek," and taking th letter he opened it and read it through. I saw by the expression on his furrowed fur-rowed face that its contents caused him the utmost consternation. His countenance, already pale, blanched to the lips, while in his eyes there shot a fire of quick apprehension. The thin, almost .transparent hand holding the letter trembled visibly. "Y'ou know mademoiselle eh?" he asked in a hoarse, strained voice as he turned to me. "You will help 'j&r to escape?" "I will risk my own life io orde: 3 ; sav hers,'' 1 declared. "And your devotion to her is proi ,"V ed by what?" he inquired suspiciously. . wp.s silent for a moment. Then I cc-jfessed the truth. "My'affection." "Ah!" he sighed deeply. "Poor young lady! She, who has enemies on every hand, sadly needs a friend. But can we trust you have you no fear?" "CI what?" "Of being implicated in the coming . revolution in Russia? Remember, I am the Red Friest. Have you never heard of me? My name is Otto Kampf." Otto Kampf! (TO BE CONTINUED.) : |