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Show Iho RETURN -q TRENT v iff! 7 WYNDHAM j COPYRIGHT 6y BARJE MOPKINJ W.N.U. 5E R.VICE """V1 crook. "Such a gang would have great haul here," he announced. "Not a chance," Bald Payson Grant, "I've burglar alarms, watchdogs and take every possible precaution. I'm willing to bet there isn't a house on the Jersey coast so carefully guarded as this." "Why?" Trent asked. "Are yon expecting ex-pecting burglars?" "Not for a moment," Grant said hastily, "but one has to take precautions. precau-tions. There were some robberies at Spring Lake last week." Sutton believed that some member of Grant's household would be engaged en-gaged to protect bim from the Imminent Immi-nent assault of a vengeful convict Sometimes such operatives were Introduced In-troduced as guests. The three men-servants men-servants Trent had seen seemed to be merely highly trained people of their clas3. He had seen many such. As to the guests, they seemed what lign and slow-moving fate had chosen Just such punishment for him as this when his former life was given up and he was performing a purely unselfish un-selfish aclion for h man to whom he fell the utmost friendship. He smiled a little ruefully as he realized that at least the function of dinner was permitted him. He must leave this Italian palace on shores Jer seyan before the stroke of twelve There was something melodramatic about the midnight touch. But whereas, where-as, before the receipt of this note his fellow guests had seemed, colorless, without Interest and the meal a pros peel of boredom. It was now a function func-tion of desperate intensity. Trent did not doubt that amongst these guests was the man or woman who asserted knowledge of his purpose. He found himself- pbiced on the right hand of his hostess. On her left sat a tall, thin old man. whose wrin kled and sunbaked neck eluded on all i !Jji f I w lie might have expected to find, well-fed, well-fed, hearty men of money. The dinner dragged its weary length along until ten. Anthony Trent thus had two hours in which to unmask his enemy or leave the house defeated. As he rose from the table be felt convinced con-vinced that the writer of tl- i note bad not been one of his fellow diners. He was aware, ere half the meal was over, that the sense of imminent danger dan-ger was removed. Slipping away to his rooms, Trent scanned again the list prepared by David More. Connor, Dempsey, Miller, Mil-ler, Davis, Mennon, Dupin, Applegate, Warner and Thompson. With the three men and Miss Brewen, the housekeeper, these made up the indoor in-door help. Outside were Regan and his two men, Ropes and Sage. Th3 gardeners lived in Asbury Park and had no business within the house. Trent rang his bell and informed a footman that be wished to speak with the butler. Albert Thorpe had been Informed by Grant, who in turn had dragged it from Swithin Weld, that the young American had been an honored guest in the household of the earl of Rose-carrel. Rose-carrel. Thorpe was profoundly anxious anx-ious to serve. He wai- reassur.'d when Trent nodded curtly. "I sent for you," said Trent, "because "be-cause you must know about the maids, their references and so on." Thorpe bowed with dignity. "I'll tell you what I want to know," Trent went on. "I have reason to ba-lieve ba-lieve that some one here desires to blackmail me for a youthful Indiscretion. Indis-cretion. Now, I don't propose to submit sub-mit to that sort of tiling, and I am equally anxious to keep it concealed from my hostess. I am telling you this because you have seen life and understand." "Indeed I do, sir," said Thorpe eagerly. "How can I belp you, sir?" . "I want to find out if there is anyone any-one here whose writing is like this." Trent tore a line from the note. It read "after dinner, and before midnight, mid-night, you will . . ." Thorpe looked at his watch. It was half-past ten. "How long can you give me?" "Not more than an hour. 1 must go downstairs now. If you have found out anything come and interrupt me. no matter what I'm doing. Say that Mr. Swithin Weld wants me on the long distance and won't give a cues-sage. cues-sage. 1 am in the habit of paying for any services, and I am sure you are discreet." Never had a fourth at auction bridge been less ready for his favorite favor-ite game than Trent. It was while he was dummy that Albert Thorpe approached, ap-proached, suave ami discreet. "Mr. Swithin Weld on the long distance," dis-tance," lie said in a voice all might hear. -"He won't give a message, sir. He says he must speak to you per sonally." Excusing hiuisell Trent walked to a telephone booth made from a Sedan chair which stood in the hall. Lest prying eyes should be on him, he entered en-tered it, closed the door, and pretend ed to listen. If Thorpe had no com fort to offer, this fake call would lend color to any excuse he might he allsd upon to account for an unpremeditat-d unpremeditat-d departure. When a reasonable amount "of time dad elapsed he came out and saw the butler place a letter on a nearby chair. Pinned to it was the line he had torn from the mysterious message. mes-sage. The lettet was written, a month earlier, to Mrs. Payson Grant. The sender, Marie Dupin. was apparently a teacher of the Kreneh language, and had been employed in households of rank and fashion. The writing of the two documents was identical. j Anthony Trent was sure hp had never heard ot Mademoiselle Dupin and doubted if he had seen her writing writ-ing before. And vet she had threatened threat-ened him. (TO BE CONTINUED.) I I STORY FROM THE START Anthony Trent, once master criminal, now reformed, returns to New York after four years' absence. lie learns his friend, (.'apt. Frank Sutton, Is In King Sing. Trent Is surprised to find his Now York apartment occupied occu-pied by a stranger, Campbell Sutton, Sut-ton, who represents himself as the brother of Frank Sutton. Trent Is asked by Campbell to foroe a confession from Payson Grant, whom he accuses of having hav-ing crookedly obtained all of Frank Sutton's property and then married the latter's wife. Trent starts on a campaign to accomplish accom-plish the downfall of Grant. He learns that Captain Sutton has escaped from Sing Sing and later, to his surprise, finds that Camp-hell Camp-hell Is really Frank Sutton. Trent takes his place In society as thfi opening gun tn his campaign cam-paign against Grant. He becomes be-comes popular at once. To be Invited as a guest at the Grant home Is his first objective. CHAPTER V Continued 9 The butler was Albert Thorpe, who had taken service only with the bluest blood in his native land and the longest long-est purses In the country of his adoption, adop-tion, lie had come to the Grants' from one of the great houses in Newport. New-port. The two footmen, John Sprowston and William Carrow, had pedigrees which spoke of well-tilled hours oi .easy toil. The women servants were as easy to classify, and he could not suppose for-, a moment that he had ever seen any of them. Mary Connor was the cook. Other names meant nothing to him. He noted that Natica Grant had a French maid named Du pin. She had a room at the top of the house, and took her meals wiu Miss lirewen, the housekeeper. The guests, who had said unanl-irously unanl-irously that they were glad to meet 111 m, were rich business men. None of them aimed at any higher society than that among which he found himself. him-self. Most of them had ceased to work, but none of them had yet learned to play. - So far as he knew, Trent had begun be-gun his adventure with every favoring favor-ing wind of fortune. He had no suspicion sus-picion to overcome, no character to enact hut the one they desired him to be. And he knew that the Grants wuuld be delighted if he stayed with tlifin a month instead of a week. It was at this moment, when he felt himself absolutely safe, that Anthony Trent, turning from the balcony, perceived per-ceived some one had thrust a note under the door. In all the years ol his illicit adven turing, iu all those desperate situations situa-tions when capture seemed imminent, he had never been so conscious of the bitterness of impending disaster as when he stared at the note. Some forewarning oppressed him with the certainty that here was what would turn his dreams of victory into posi live defeat. It was addressed simply to "Anthony Trait," and the writing was, possibly, disguised. Yet it was the writing of an educated man or woman ; which, for the moment he could not tell. What guest in the Grant household would want to send him a letter in such a fashion as this? Cutting the envelope, he drew out a letter of a few lines written on plain, cream stationery. There was no signature. sig-nature. "Some one in this bouse knows you and the purpose for which you are here. "Unless you find some excuse to go away after dinner, and before mid nii.lit, you will be denounced to Mr Uraiil. It you take this warning and ml promptly upon It you will uot be in- tested. If you ignore it you will be handed over to the police." it was worse even than he had an tii ipated Some one here had either i-riognized li I in or had private information infor-mation concerning hi, errand. In any ca e utter rout must be his lot. it was dillicult to gather from the lot i er ol how much the writer was fiwarp. The definite statement that I purpose was known did not sat i 'y Trent, although the threat was iciently unequivocal. There was m much more be desired to learn Whether, for instance, the writer bad merely meant that it was Trent's desire de-sire to avenge Sutton which had brought about this warning. And the other Interpretation was vastly more disturbing. Conceivably, he could abandon his task and go back to Sut ton and admit defeat. This would he bitter enough to a man so sure of himself as Anthony Trent But In sucn a case Sutton would be the only loser. If, however, the unknown writer Intended In-tended to convey the Impression that Trent's past offenses were known, he would never again have a peaceful cilunlu Perhaps, after all, some ma- Thorpe Entered, Profoundly Anxious to Serve. sides the encircling collar. He was introduced as Mr. Gimbert, a great traveler, and now devoted to the development de-velopment of Texas oil fields. He had a direct way. of staring at one and au uncompromising manner ot speech He announced, and Trent could not be sure the remark was not aimed at him. that he either liked a man on sight or hated him ; If he liked a man that fortunate individual could have the Gimbert shirt. If he hated him, Gimbert Gim-bert would have the detested one's shirt. It was this man, gimlet-eyed and talkative, who most Interested An tliony Trent. He' declared, for the benefit of those who cared to listen, that his memory for faces was Infal libie. He seemed eager to talk to Trent The trouble was that Trent was not able to know whether Gim bert was in a shirt-giving or shirt taking mood. The lady on Trent's right, a Mrs I'Tsher, plunged presently into the sub ject of jewel robberies, it was a sub ject which unloosened every tongue Trent listened attentively. A dark corpulent man at the other side of the table assumed that the recent Weld robbery had neen committed by a gang of experts. "1 wouldn't wonder " he said, "but it was the same gang which took the great Mount Aubyo ruby from m dear friend. Jerome Dangerfield. some years ago. That was a mysterious crime, if you like." Anthony Trent listened eagerly to an account of one ot his own ex ploits. The dark man held that at least three had been involved in It From this he passed on to discuss with grudging admiration, what quali ties were needed for the perfect |