Show 2 CO ca 13 SYNOPSIS at a private view of the chat personal per soral estate to be sold at auction the chatsworth chatworth Chat hat worth ting known as the crew idol mysteriously disappear disappears harry cressy who was present describes the rin ring g tc to his fiancee flora gilsey and her c chap hap eron mrs clara britton as being I 1 ke a heat en tod iod with a beautiful sapphire set n the head flora meets mr kerr an Ing 1 englishman ng lishman at the club in dis cushing the d arance of the ring the capio ts of an english thief parrel farrell wani wan I 1 are ere recalled I 1 1 flora has a f fancy that ha ra r and kerr know something ab ut tl e mystery kerr tells fla flora thai he has met harry somewhere but cannot place h in 0 WO reward Is offered 01 the ret rn of the ring harry adm ts to I 1 lora that he dial kes kerr harry takes FI flora ra to a chinese goldsmith s to buy an enragement enoa engagement gement ring an site sapphire set in a hoop of brass Is selected harry urges I 1 er not to wear it until it is reset the possession of the ring seems to cast a spell over flora she becomes uneasy and apprehensive flora n beets kerr at a box party she Is startled by the effect on him when he gets a glimpse ot of fhe the sapphire the I 1 ty that tl ti e stone ie is part of the crew idol causes flora much anxiety unseen flora d clara ransacking her dressing room P flora lora refuses to g give ive or sell the stone to kerr and suspects him of being the th et ef floras s interest in kerr increases she decides to return the ring to harr but he tel te s her to keep it for a day or t two alia buller tells I 1 lora that clara Is let ting her cap for her father ju jua I 1 e buller I 1 lora bel eves harry suspects kerr CHAPTER XV continued B t J dge buller has already ed for that man she said quick iv I 1 so he must be all right lerr inclined his bead head to her with a smile buller Is easily taken in said harry calmly under the direct the insolent meaning of his look felt her face grow hot her hands cold harry could sit there taunting thia this man hitting him over another man s back and kerr could not resent it he ile could only sit his bead head a lit tie canted forward looking at harry with the traces of a dry smile upon his lips she thought thoi the next moment every thing would be declared declared she sprang up and with an impulse tor for rescue went to the door of the smoking room judge buller duller she called there was a sudden cessation of talk a movement of forms dimly seen in the thick blue element and then through wreaths of smoke the judges face dawned damned upon her like a sun through fog well nell well miss aliss flora he wanted to know to what bad action of mine do I 1 owe this good fortune 7 bhe she retreated beckoning him to the miallo of the room you owe it to the bad action of another she said gayly byoir f i lends are being dered harry made a movement as if it he would have stopped her and the ex of Us his face in its alarm was comic but she paid no heed she laid her hand on harry s arm mr kerr Is just about to accuse us of be lag ing impostors she announced she iliad robbed the situation of its peril tty iby gayly turning it exactly inside out L ahe jud judge judi I blinked puzzled at this extraordinary statement clarry if wag as dil disconcerted concerted but kerr showed an as ment that amazed her a con rein that she could pot at understand he lie turned at her aen then he laughed rather shakily as he turned to her with a arock gallant bow women impose upon us ma dam dala and as for mr cress cres he fixed harry with a look I 1 could not accuse him of being an all imi full ostor since we have met in the sacred limits of st james the tv a glances that crossed be fore floras watchful eyes were keen as thrust and parry of rapiers harry bowed stiffly I 1 believe for a tact fact we me did not bitet c but I 1 think I 1 saw you ou there once at some embassy ball the words rang to ilora s ears as it if they had been shouted from the housetop hous lious etoi etol s in the speaking pause that fol to a v ved ed there was audible an un known hortatory voice aiom the king room I 1 tell you its a damn fool wiy way to n an anage ange ge it what s the good of awen ty thousand dollars rewards flora mora cl ached nervously at the back of her 10 she seemed to see the danger of dis discovery disc avery comery piling up above kerr I 1 ke ile a n buntain fhe a judge chuckled chuck led rou see what you saved me from they ve been at it hammer and tongs all the even ing every nian man in town has his idea on that subject for to stance what Is that one onea p kerr s casual voice wag was in contrast to his guarded eyes the judge looked pleased that one onea why my own was at least half an hour ago you S see ee about that twenty thousand dollar they moved nearer to him they stood the four around the red velvet covered table like people to be served tha the trouble Is right bare said the judge emp emphasis hasi ing with blunt forefinger the crook has a pal that a probable isn sa t if harry nodded flora fel hari litt r 9 eyes upon her brutshe but abe could not 1001 y at him and we see the thing Is at a ded dea lock don t we well now the ju julge ige went on triumphantly we know if any one person had the a hole whole ring it would be turned in by this time that hat f is the wea spot in the reward 14 po icy they didn dian t reckon on things being split split no really do you think possible 7 kerr inquired and caught a glimmer of irony in voice well can you sea see one of the trusting the other with more than of ita the judge was scornful a fellow needs a whole ring it if he after a reward he rolled his waggishly oh I 1 could hae hane been crook myself he chuckled but was the only smiling face in party for kerr s was pale schooled to rigid self control and harry s was crimson and len as it if with a sudden rush of blood his ellb twitching hands his sullen eyes responded to judge duller bullers s last as if it had been an ac accusation 7 bation it makes me damned sick the you fellows talk as if it was the easi east est thing in the world to ha he off it was such a tone loose and uncontrolled as made shrink As it if he ae sensed that movement her he turned upon her furlo furto ily well are we going to stand all night he ile took her by the arm she felt as it if he had struck her buller m was as staring at him but 1 had opened the door through she had entered and now turning back upon harry silently her out bhe she had a moments tear fear that har rys ry s grasp even then t go indeed for a moment he clutching her as if now that his bad had spent itself she m was as the thing he could hold to then she his fingers loosen he ile stood alone looking with his great bulk ind and his great strength and abashed bewilderment rather pa but that aspect reached her dimly for the fear of him was uppermost her arm still guined where he grasped it she moved away him toward the door kerr had for her she passed from the of the crimson room into the dark the passage some one followed and closed the door some one step with her it was kerr he ile his dark head to speak low I 1 don t know why you ou did it quixotic child but ou must not ex 1 lose oae 3 in this way for any rea bon u what whatsoever bener 1 ahe he light of the crowded eded rooms burst upon them again oh she turned to him beseech angly cant can t you get me awaya surely his manner was as nothing had happened his ills smile was reassuring III call our carriage and and mrs britton flora came down aiom the dressing dressin groom room rhe he found clara al ready in the car carriage and kerr herr mount ing 9 giard aard in the nail hall As he hand ed her in clara leaned forward is mr air she in he sent his apologies kerr ex exi he ile Is I 1 not able to get away aw a just now flora lay back in the carnage she was dimly aware of caras ara s presence beside her but for the moment clara had ceased to be a factor the shape that filled all the foreground of her thought was harry he ile loomed alarm ing to her imagination all the moie so since for the moment he had seemed to lose his grip that was another thing she could not quite un der stand that burst of violent irn tation following as it had judge bul but lers words if kerr had been the aspea speaker er it would have been natural enough since all through this inter view harrys harry s evident antagonism had seen ed strained to the snapping po nt but poor judge biller iller had been ha enough he had been mere ly ng but dut wait walt she made so sharp a movement that alaia looked at her the judge judges s theory might be close to facts that harry was co cognizant nazant of for herself she had had no way of find ng out hov ho v the sapphire had got adrift but hadn haan it harry had R it he followed ip that singular sin sing gilar ilar scene with the blueeyes blue eyed chinaman by other visits to the goldsmiths shop 9 why yesterday when he was supposed to be in burlingame clara had been him in chinatown the idea burst upon then harry was after the whole m hole ring he lie counted the part she held aheady his and for the rest he was groping in chinatown he wis was trying it the imperturbable I 1 atle goldsmith but he had not leached it yet and she could read his irritation at his failure in his violent outburst when judge buller so mno inno gently flung the difficulties in his face she knew as much now as she could beir if harry did not suspect kerr it would be strange but harry wait mait ing to make sure of a rem regard ard before he unmasked a thief it was an fugl thought and would he wait for the rest now low now that the situation was so gall ing to him might alight not he j de cne clue to take the sapphire a ad nd with be lie evidence of that risk his putting Ms is hand on the idol when hen he grasped the thiefs the carriage was stopping clara aas as making ready to get out she braced herself to face clara in the light with a casual exterior but when she bad had reached her own rooms she ank in a heap in the chair before defore her writing table and laid ter head upon the table between her arms in her wretchedness wretched nebs she found her aj JL 15 b ax V 6 M IP 1 VM v t J I 1 mean it I 1 mean it lie assured her self turning to kerr how s he had endured it all though it must have borne on him most heavily how kind he had been to her herf he ile had not even spoken of himself though he must have known the shadows were closing over his head in the gray hours of the morning she wrote him she dared not put the perils into wolds but she im plied them she vaguely and she implored him to go ao ano ding dint them all herself more than any and quaking at the possibility that he might after all overcome her she de dared that before he went she would not see him min again abe he closed with I 1 the forbidden statement that whether I 1 he lie stayed or went at the end of three days she would make a sure disposal et of the ring she put all this in reck lesa black and ml wate ite and sen it by tha hand of shima then she waited bhe she waited matted la in h her little isolation with tait afi sapphire always hung about her neck waited visited with phat antl anti cipa tion of may elous resul avowals av ewals ideal farewells or possibly siw te in credible transformation of the grim face of the business and the answer was silence CHAPTER XVI the heart of the D lemma there is in the heart of each gale of eventa a storm center of quiet it is the very deadlock of contending forces in which the individual has space for breath and apprehension into this lull flora tell fell panting from her last experience more frightened by the false calm than by the whirl wind that had bad landed her there now she had time to mark the echoes of the storm about her and to realize her position from the middle of her calm she baw aw many inexplicable appearances she aw them everyll ere from the small round of clara claras s movement to the larger wheel of the public aspect clara 1 was mas taking tea with tle tl e bullers and the papers bad had ceased to mention the crew idol it had not even been a nine days wonder it had not dwindled it had simply dropped from headlines head lines to nothing and after the first murmur of astonishments at this strange van dishing after ater a little vain nain conjecture as to the reason of it the subject dropped a it of the public mouth the silence was mas so sudden it was like a sion to flora mora it shadowed some forces working marking so secretly so surely that they had eating bushed the light of cit city they must be going on with concentrated and terrible ac libity in cycles which perhaps had not yet torched toi ched her so seeing maj purdie among the ro at some one s afternoon w here where she was pouring tea she looked up at his cheerful face and high hald bald dome with a passionate curiosity he knew y the press had been extinguished ind and what they were doing in the dark she knew where the was md and where m here the culpi it was to be found nd to think that they could tell tel each leach ther other za f they would each a tale the ther other hardly dare believe appearances how tar far away 10 v foreign from the facts they cov red but maj purdie had the best f it he ile at least was do ng his duty ie was as standing stiffly on one side sl e hesitated between betm een trying er t to push kerr out of sight before she dared uncover the jewel but he wouldn t move in spite of al she had done he wouldn t across the room that very after noon she caught the twinkle of his re smile he had had her lettel letter then foy for two days and still he had come here though hed he d been bidder bidden to stay away though he had been varned to kepp keep away from all places where she or these people around ner might find nim though he had been implored to go finally as far away as the round surface of the would let him by dy what he had heard and seen in the red room that night he must I 1 now her warning had not been ridic ridle ulous and there was another threat less apparent on the surface 0 f things but evident enoa to her ber it was the change in clara gara after she had begun her attack on the bullers her appear ance of being busy with something absorbed abs with intent upon something which if she had nat not secured it bet et at least she had well in reach ard ata that thing suppose it had to do ue crew idol and suppose clara pla into harrys bands bandi bott arr s escape flora mora bad vad beffi holding hoa ding the ring ting fighting off events and yet et all ih while she had not wanted to lose the sight of him well now when she bad had ii fide up apler 1 er mind finally to resign aeryk ta tip the deearl ness of that might he abt at least have done his part 0 of it and decently disappeared so much he dign have done tor for her he ile wai playing her own trick oi 01 her but her chances for getting at him again were fewer than his had been with her she could not besiege him in his abode and in the places where they met large houses crowded with people the eye of the world was upon her for how long had she for gotten it ft she who had been all her lier life so deferential toward it even now she remembered it only because it interfered with what she wanted to do for the eye of at her small society w was as very keenly upon kerr she re all at once that he had be come a personage and then by smiles by lifted eyebrows by glances rhe he gathered tl at her name was wag being linked with his hi she was aston dished how now could their luncheon to gether at the firdies pur Fur dies the r words that night in the opera box bar their few minutes talk in the shop have crys zed into this gossipy it vexed her alarmed her how it had got about when sa s1 ale e had seen him so seldom had known him scarcely moe mo e than a week it was wag simply in the air it was in her attitude and in his but how far it had gone she did not dream until irr the dense |