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Show SHEEP'S CLOTHING I u'l fu n! n 1 By LOU!S JOSEPH VANCE 1 in nl in )'( '! 1 r -- WHEN THE CUSTOMS INSPECTORS DISCOVER THAT MRS. MERRILEES HAS BROUGHT IN A LOT OF IMITATION JEWELS THEY SUSPECT HER CF TRYING TO PLAY A SMUGGLING TRICK Synopsis Lydia Craven, traveling as Lucy Carteret, runs away from her English home to go to her father, Thaddeus Craven, in Now J York, whom she hasn't seen for live years. Three days out on board the steamer Alsatia, she runs plump into Craven, making love to Mrs. Merrilees, a young widow, engaged to marry him. Later Craven explains ex-plains his mysterious conduct and supposed bachelorhood by telling Lydia lie is a British secret service agent in America. She is attacked at night and a small box containing supposed valuable documents, which he has given her to keep for him, is stolen. This is recovered for her by Quoin, an amateur detective. When the party lands at New York, Lydia, carrying the small box, has no trouble passing the customs inspection. When Mrs. Merrilees declares a ?(50.000 necklace, the inspector in-spector tells her it is worth about $oU0 just an imitation. This information infor-mation astounds them and Mrs. Merrilees raises a row. abruptly to turn and examine ilie deputy with the eye of disfavor. "Yes?" she asked brusquely. The deputy introduced himself. "The inspector has just informed me of this er unfortunate matter." he pursued. "And I thought I might possibly be able to help straighten it out." "Kind of you, I'm sure." But the tone of Mrs. Merrilees completely belied be-lied this statement. "Have you anything any-thing to propose?" "If I might have the privilege of a word in private " the deputy suggested suggest-ed blandly. Quoin made as if to withdraw. "Wait, please. This is Mr. Quoin. You may have heard of him." "Who hasn't?" the deputy returned pleasantly. "Proud to meet yon. sir." "Mr. Quoin has kindly volunteered to help me in this outrage. Anything you wish to say he may hear." "As you please, madam, but " The glance of the deputy veered significantly significant-ly to Peter and Lvdia. CHAPTER X. 11 The silence was short-lived ; but while it lasted a power of scorn played like lightning round the devoted de-voted head of the appraiser. As for Lydia and Peter (who had just joined the group), they gaped in open amazement ; while the inspector looked sorry for Charlie. After lightning, thunder, .remote, maestoso, "Are you mad?" "Me? No, ma'am, not a bit. It's nothing to me, you know." "Don't quibble, if you please. I J want to know whether or not you're daft. You know perfectly well that necklace is worth ninety sixty thousand thou-sand dollars. Look at the bill. Inspector, In-spector, be good enough to show this person Cottier's bill." The appraiser examined the receipt with ostensible astonishment. "I don't understand this, ma'am," he faltered. "Nor I!" "Cottier's don't deal in imitations, I know," he pursued with greater confidence. con-fidence. "All the same, I'll stake my job that those are fish-skin pearls, paste brilliants, and well, the settings, set-tings, I admit, are genuine." "Then your job is as good as lost. I shall file a complaint and have you discharged for incompetence." "If you'll pardon me. I don't believe be-lieve you will, M'-s. Merrilees." "Easy, Betty!" Peter Traft interposed. inter-posed. "Perhaps he's right, after all." "Be quiet, Peter. When I want your advice, I'll let you know. Certainly I ought to know when I paid for that collar " "Then you have been shamefully her, a regard somehow faintly reminiscent remi-niscent of their parting subsequent to her adventure of the night before last. She favored him with her shadowy, enigmatic smile, now vaguely tinted with solicitude. Nodding briefly, with a thoughtful air, Quoin returned his consideration to Peter and the article de Paris. "I simply cannot understand it!" Betty declared, abandoning the puzzle as hopeless. Then, catching sight of the detective, she hailed him. "Quoin, do come here at once !" and immediately, immedi-ately, heedless of bystanders, . began to detail her perplexity in a high, querulous voice. After a moment or two Lydia rose and joined Peter Traft. "Poor dear !" she said gently, with a slight nod to correct any possible misconception as to the object of her sympathy. "I'm so sorry for her !" "Well," said Peter, impressively judgmatical, "of course Betty can afford af-ford to lose these trinkets by the gross ; but, granted she isn't faking, it's a pretty puzzle, isn't it?" "Faking!" Lydia echoed resentfully. "Now don't get huffy please ! Betty's a darling, and everything like that; but she's got no conscientious scruples about smuggling none that you'd notice and I don't mind telling you she isn't above turning a trick like this acting up to it too. She's one wonderful young comedienne, if you don't know it." " 'Turn a trick like this !' What does that mean" Lydia demanded stiffly. "Have her dog collar duplicated in paste and fish scales, substitute it for "No!" Mrs. Merrilees insisted warmly. warm-ly. "You can have nothing to say that any of my friends may not hear." "Then, madam permit me to advise you, in all deference " "Well?" "It will save you a great deal of trouble to produce the original collar, pay the duty on it, and " "Quoin!" Betty exclaimed in a tone of irritated perplexity. "What can this person mean?" Quoin was silent. "I don't mean," the deputy pursued, unabashed, "to be offensive; but the inference is unavoidable. You are known to have purchased a valuable pearl collar in Faris " "I believe I declared it!" ; "But upon examination you produce only a comparatively worthless imitation, imita-tion, and assert that you have been robbed of the original." "I assert! I have asserted nothing." Mrs. Merrilees drew a long breath, closed her teeth with a vindictive sua), and reopened them to observe with withering distinctness, "Go away! You1 are insolent! You presume oh, you annoy me ! Do go before I forget myself!" my-self!" "We can't assess an imitation at the value of the real necklace, of course, and yet we know that the original is coming into this country by this boat." "Then permit me to recommend the other passengers to your attention." "We'll do our best to overhaul them all, I promise you. But if the goods don't turn up. we'll feel reluctantly compelled to make a thorough search, not only of your luggage but of yourself your-self as well, Mrs. Merrilees." "Quoin!" Mrs. Merrilees appealed. The investigator shook his head.' "It's too bad ; but I really don't see what's ttt be done about it. These people peo-ple have the power to make things mighty unpleasant for you unless " "What, you too?" she hissed, with vast dramatic expression. . "No, no!" Quoin protested hastily. "Don't misunderstand me. I'm only afraid that, unless the necklace shows up, you'll have to submit." "Very well!" Willi a shrug or defiance, de-fiance, Mrs. Merrilees showed Quoin an uiigru ious back. To I he depuly she addej with blighting disdain, "Go ahead. And while you're finding nothing noth-ing in my trunks you may as well send for a female inspeelor to search me. But every one of you will suffer for this or I'll know the reason why!" "I'm sorry, madam." But there wasn't much uneasiness betrayed in the deputy collector's manner man-ner iis lie signed to the Inspeelor to do his hateful duty. Kill cheated, Mrs. Merrilees," the inspector inspec-tor put in. "Quite impossible. I know real gems from articles de Paris, and I examined ex-amined this necklace with the greatest great-est care before I purchased it. Since then it has never left this box, which hasn't been out of my care an instant except when in the purser's safe." "I'm sorry, but I know what I know. If you're the judge you think yourself, ma'am, I can only suggest that you take this to the light and here, I'll lend you my magnifying glass." "Thank you, I sha'n't require it." With a gesture of rage, Mrs. Merrilees Merri-lees snatched the case from the appraiser's ap-praiser's hands and moved toward the patch of sunlight. Before she had reached it, studying the collar attentively atten-tively on the way, Lydia saw her slacken pace and falter. One short minute in that strong glare sufficed. As pale in mystification mystifica-tion as she had previously been with wrath, Mrs. Merrilees returned. "I owe you an apology," she informed in-formed the appraiser in a shaking voice. "It's n palpable imitation." The box .'lipped from her grasp and went to the fijor with a bump, spilling its trashy contents, and Mrs. Merrilees Merri-lees flopped incontinently to a convenient con-venient trunk Lyuia's ready arm round her shoulders. "But, my dear!" Betty wailed. "It's perfectly preposterous :" The appraiser looked at once bored and dubious. Peter Tiaft batted bewildered be-wildered eyes, then with a helpful air picked uji the box an-1 replaced its contents. The inspector sv. ung sharply sharp-ly round and made oft, wiih every evidence evi-dence of inspired haste, toward a distant dis-tant quarler of the pier. "Let me think!" Mrs. Morrih'es said in o stilled voice. Indenting her lower lip with a knuckle, she fastened an abstracted stare on the polished tips, of her shoes. Lydia. at a loss, found nothing to say. She eot'ldn't decently express too great concern over the disappear-i ance of something that had 1m en dedicated dedi-cated to Iter on her v. odding day however remote that event. Yet she was gravely if unintelligibly distressed. dis-tressed. Beneath her ready sympathy stirred a qua'm of peculiar uneasiness. Distracted by the ruiihie of men's voices, she looked up, to find that Quoin had added himself to the group and was studiously attending to Petri's Pe-tri's !i Ullt of 111,. OOUtHlTteit' collnr. 1 ,--.r eyes pr- -eto;y. and Lydia n .-.! .;: 1 ' t!i.- i:e Lc:.t I.)s.i!i The three friends of Mrs. Merrilees, on the other hand, were acutely uncomfortable uncom-fortable Quoin in disgrace, I'eli r Traft (irmly convinced that the deputy was right .and consequently nfraid to meet Betty's eyes, and Lydia not only sore (lislt ( s,.(l wlili misgivings, but re-pell'-d by Betty's at.liludc. And this was the phase of (he affair disclosed to Graven when be bustled up. aglow with satisfaction. "Hello, people! I'm all clear. Had (he deuce of a tinn the silly ass wanted want-ed to rook ut" for duds I brought in as long ceo as ll'OS; but Whtil's the row?" This hist was in ;i tone radically changed, and tit the same iiis::n,t ,js fiancee decided to acknowledge Jiiiu on probation, however rigidly she might elect, to (ie'iy the rest r.f b 'una : ! y. So she unheal enough to beckon ldm with a nod; ami Graven hurried on to got iiis answer from the on,, n,,,,.) concerned. con-cerned. What b your solution of the I myjtc-iy? Do you think that Mrs. Merrilees is trying to put over a trick? Seme mirjhty queer happenings hap-penings are described in the next installment. i'I'i i.e. cu.vn.vi'i.u, "Then You Have Been Shamefully Cheated, Mrs. Merrilees," the Inspector Inspec-tor Put In. the original article, and pretend she's bo"n jockied like one o'clock. Mind you, I don't say she has done that ; but the little devil's got it in her." "I don't believe you !" "Th. re!" I'eter complained. "Now you're son;. Didn't I tell you the other day the foolishest thing a chap could do was to take things seriously, especially es-pecially out loud?" "You'r" horrid !" ( The adjective was childish; but Lydia wasn't in a mood to search for one more dignified. She turned a frosty shoulder to the young man; but fbe seed of suspicion had been planted i:i the mi'id of one , ho couldn't forget how lightly Petty had confessed to prior exploits in the gcntlewonianly art. of smuggling, and lo r laughing confession con-fession that noihing hut sheer fright would prevent her attempting again to outwit the custom house. And even while (his memory was troubling her the affair took a turn to fix doubt of Betty firmly in Lydia's mind. It began with the return of the inspector, in-spector, accompanied by the custom house official in charge of the pier a middle-aged man, this one, with a rather consequential manner, gold-rimiii'Ml gold-rimiii'Ml eyegiasscs, and a not unkindly eXpres:on. "Mrs. ;.;..rrdees, I believe?" lie as! - i;h iirs-!! urbanity. j Mrs. i-rilees inteirupied Iic-v. i |