| Show The Czars Czar Spy By William J LeQueni Copyright 1905 by William I S Cli CIL CHAPTER PT H I. I I Continued I. Was as as it possible that lint the thieves had bath be been n after aCer the lie admiralty and foreign office ciphers copies of ot which the chancelleries of or certain European powers were over ever endeavoring to obtain ob oh- ala tain I smiled within m myself when I realized how biter bitterly disappointed the burglars must have ha c been ben for Cor a n British consul when he goes oes on leave to England always takes tn es his ciphers with wilh him hint and amid nd deposits them at the foreign office for Cor son n had of course coulEe taken his accordIng accordIng accord- accord Ing hug to the regulations enough h. h however the door of the consulate antI and the safe eCe hail had been opened with wih the thc Ie keys s 's which my friend had hat left heft In m my charge In In- In deed the small smal bunch still remained in the safe door In an Instant tho the recollection flashed Cashed across m my mind that I 1 had felt tel tho iho keys kes in my while hlo at nt dinner hinner on board the Lola Lola Had I IS lost them on r my homeward drive or S had bind m my pocket been picked Carducci with wilh nn an Italians Italian's t ty commenced to hurl Imprecations upon the heads of tho ho unknown sons Eons of dogs dog who dared to tamper with his masters master's safe anti and while we wo were wih S engaged In putting lutting the tho scattered papers papers pa pa- pers in order the door bell bel rang and anti S the Iho clerk cleric went to attend to tho the caller cler In Imi a few moments moment he lie returned S saying The English yacht left sudden suddenly S last at night signore and anti tho captain L of the port ort has sent ent to Inquire whether er el you ou know to what port sho is ii u bou bound ml Left LCt I gasped In amazement S Why h I thought her engines were dis dis- dis abed A quarter of oC an nn hour later I was wa u sitting in the lie private office of or the i shrewd haired gray functionary who whit I had sent this messenger to lo me Do you ou know Sign SIgnor 0 Commenda- Commenda tore lore he lie Imo y said some mystery surrounds sur SUI rounds that vessel She Is Js not the m Lola for tOl or yesterday we wo telegraphed lo to I Lloyds Lloyd's Lloyt's In London and anti this morning I received a reply that no such yacht acht L appears appeals on their register resist cr and that the name namo Is un unknown Time The police poUce have also tele telegraphed to lo your English po lice Inquiring about the owner SIgnor Hornby with wih a lil like o resul result There I Is S Sno no such place as Park In it 1 Somerset antI and no member of ot Brooks Brook's 3 club dumb of or the name namo of or Hornby 1 sat s-at st staring star at tho lie official too toc amazed to utter a word Certainly u- u they had not allowed the thc grass t to grow row beneath their feet Unfortunately the telegraphic re replies replies re- re plies ples from noun England ae are arc only to hand hanc I this morning he went on because S lust before two o'clock this morning the harbor police whom I specially or 01 dered ed to watch the vessel vesel saw a boat boa t come to the wharf containing a man mai i ui woman The palm pair pai were pu put ashore and walked awa away Into the thu town tho the woman seeming to lo wal walk with wih considerable The boat boa t returned and an al hour after to the thu i complete surprise of or the two detec detec- tives steam was suddenly got up am and I Ithe the yacht acht turned and went wen t tout out to sea sea Leaving Jn the man maui and the woman Leaving them of coure course rhe They Thel p pare are nrc probably still in iii the town toun Tin The are aro now searching for tor traces of or them 1 5 5 5 5 f r I 4 rt nn m h ld hot ou I I Ithe the vessel vesel I ot Suggested Of course had hurt I T I known I T cou t d I have forbidden her departure HU Bu But Butas t ta a s a-s 3 her bet owner had presented himself i at the tho Consulate an and was recognized I as a respectable pel peton son I felt fel that I could not noi interfere without some somi 3 tangible information information and and and that ul alas has come conic too late ate The hc vessel is a t swift one and has ha alread already seven sever i hours start of us Ive I've c 1 asked the thu Admiral to send end out a couple of ot torpedo torpedo tor ton boats hoat after aCer he her hut but unfortunately nale this Is impossible as us the flotilla 1 Is sailing sing In an hour to attend the hi naval review re at Spezia I told him how the Consuls Consul's safe sati I had been opened during the thc night and he sat gat listening with wih wide open 1 e eyes es You dined with wih them them last night he said at nt last They have ha ast he ma may surreptitiously sur sur- stolen your I keys cys They ma may was m my answer Probably the they did cUd But with wih what L motive The Captain of o the Port elevated i his shoulders exhibited his palms paints and declared declared- The Tho whole affair front from beginning to end l I is a complete antI and profound mystery S CHAPTER II I That runt ay Oay was an al active ono one in n I or 0 police office olilee olce of Leghorn Detectives Detect cs called examined th safe aCe and sagely declared it I to lo tl U be i proof burglar had not nol the tho thieves u possessed the ke key The rho Foreign Office Of Of- S uS lice fice know that lint for or they supply all ni tho ho safes afe to the Consulates Consulate abroad in I IS thor order that the precious ciphers shall S bo be kept from prying eyes of foreign spies The rho of or chief of or po 0 lice Was of opinion that If it was wag th S ciphers S of ot which h the thieves h had bc beer been l t In search und aunt was wu much relieved cd to te I hear that tho they were in safekeeping fat far faraway away In Iii Downing street sired street His HII conjecture was the same as us mown m my own namely that the rea son reason on of ol Hornby's call cal upon me mc was wa to ascertain ascer ascer- tain Lain the situation of or tho ho Consulate and amid the thc whereabouts of the llio safe tc which ant S by ly th the wa way stood tood In a corner of or the Consuls Consul's private room Captain Mack Mack- intosh too had ink on his bearing earIng S Santi and anti probably while I sat t at dinner on board the Lola Loa my keys had been stolen and anti passed on 01 to the lie scat scarred Scotsman who hail had prompt promptly gone onu a ashore holo and anti ransacked while I had remained i with is master ing lug and But what was wa tho motive Why h S had they ransacked all those Uey al conf- conf papers My 1 own Idea wa was that the they were not In search of ot the ciphers at ut all al but bul either wanted some SOle blank form torm or 01 other othel or else ese they desired to make use of ot the Consular seal Tho Timo latt lat latter r r. r however er still remained on the floor noor near the safe UK rue though It i had rolled out and been left eft unheeded As far sin ns a Francesco and anti I r could ascertain s nothing whatever had b been en taken Therefore we re arranged the tue run papers per s. I I locked re-locked the safe and und resolved not to telegraph to lo Hutcheson and unduly disturb disturb him as u In iii a n few days he tas ta's would i return from court England and there would be time enough then to explain tho lie remarkable story One tact fact act however we established The detective on dut duty at the railway station elation distinctly recollected a thin l I a middle middle-acred ed man mart accompanied by a lady In deep black passing pasing tho the barnor harrie bar har- nor rier rie and entering the tho train trin which left at rut three o'clock for Colic lee to Join the Rome nome express Cole The They were foreigners therefore he did lid not take the same Amo notice of the them l a as though thc they had hail lieU hen Italians Inquiries a nt the tho office booking otee showed ti however cl that no pa passengers passenger had booked direct to Rome I by the train in question T To 0 Gros Gro tto to Cecina and the lie other ther places in il tho time pass pass- engers had taken alcen tickets but bul not ono ormo had lad been booked ed bool to any of or the great cat towns towns owns Therefore It I was wa apparent that hat the lie mysterious pair pall who ha had COI conic omo ashore Just prior to tho sailing of f the yacht hall hail merely meroy taken for fOI or a false destination and hail had re revoked rebooked re- re booked at ColIc Collo Colo tho the Junc- Junc ton lout lon with wih that Jong long main line Bno which connects Genoa with ui-ili wih Rome nome The Tho ho police were puzzled The two n fishermen hermen who sl sighted the Lola and first gave the lie alarm of or her hel danger declared red that when the they drew threw alongside alongside along along- side and anti proffered assistance the cup cap ruin ain threatened to shoot tho the first frt man who came caine aboard They he English remarked tho the sturdy faced brown-faced toilers of oC the Iho s a. a grinning knowingly And tho thu English Eng Eng- lish when the thc they drink their cognac know know not what they lucy do reward for returnIng return return- Did Old you ou get an any log Ing ng to harbor and reporting I asked Reward echoed one ono of or tho the men the elder of the pair poll Not a n sokho sodo The To English only cur cursed el us for tor Inter Inter- fering tring That is why we believed that the they were trying to make away Iway wIth wilh wih the lie vessel The Tho description of or Iho tho Lla Lola Us its Is own own- er or I his guest Auest and tho the captain were circulated el by the thc police to nil ni the Iho MedIterranean ports with wih a request that the yacht acht should be detained Yet I If the tho vessel were really ono one of mystery as os It I seemed to be its ls owner would no doubt go acro across to somo quiet anchorage on the thc lie Algerian coast out of the lie track truck of ot the vessels and calmly ml proceed to repaint rename and disguise his craft so tO that It would not be recognized In Marseilles Naples Na Na- pies ples Smyrna or al any of ot the tho ports where yachts habitually call private atc cl I Thus Thus from rom the very first It I seemed to lo me that Horb Hornby and his friends had vcr very cleverly cc tricked me for fOI somo and autti afterwards mysterious Pu purpose evaded their watchers and ingeniously e thel anc got clean cean away j i Had lIati the Italian admiral admirl been ablo able to send a torpedo boat or two after tho the fugitives they would no doubt soon have been heen overhauled yet circumstances circum stances had prevented tl this and Ind the Iho Lola had consequently escaped For purposes of their theil own the time police po- po lice leC kent cent keut tho affair out of the paper and nd when Frank Hutcheson stepped slopped out of o the tho tH sleeping ear er from Paris Farms on uit onto to tn the thE platform at Pisa Pim a few nl nights ht Afterward I 1 related to him the lie ex extraordinary ox- ox tory story The he scoundrels wanted the these e. e that's thal's c hi h ho responded holding ui lip 11 time the small strong leather hand bag he mc was wa carrying anti and which contained hI his jealously guarded ciphers B By Jove jo he lie laughed how cd eti they thy mu must t have ha been been It I ma may b be so so 50 I 1 s said a ns as we MI- MI mm- mm 1 ic trell the midnight ht for tor Leghorn But nut my own theol theory Is Il that lint they searching for some gome paper or other that lint hat you ou pose possess What hat can m my papers concern them Item exclaimed the Jovial round round- rund- rund faced con consul ul a n man who whoso whose e courtesy Is I known to every ery e skipper s trailing trading up imp ond down clown th time the Mediterranean an and anel who rl us perhaps one of or the most cultured and popular men In the British consular consular con con- COI- COI sular service I dont don't keep keel bank banknotes banknotes banknotes notes in that safe afe you know Wo o 0 fellows in the service sel dont don't roll rol in ingold gold Kold to think as IC our public at homo home appears n n 5 l m l t 1 I m In In which ml h be bo of or value 10 to them Youre You're often otsui the Ulc e keeper o of valuable al val val- documents belonging to lo Englishmen English English- m men n abroad you ou know no Certain Certainly I But Butt theres there's nothing in itt II there Just now except perhaps tho Limo of births manages and deaths of British subjects and the papers pa Ia m- m pers per concerning a board of or trade In In- In quiT No m my dear leal Gordon upon It that thai the time yacht running ashore Avas as all al a blind They did it so as t ti to nc ne able to get ge the run of or the time consulate late dote secure the and sail sl merrily mol mol- mer mor- rily away with wih them It I seems cems to tome me ne however tha that the they gave o you ou a n jolly good dinner and go got nothing in l return S The They ml might ht very err have o hl carried carried car car- ried vied me oft off or too I 1 declared S Perhaps it I would have been beon better lr It if they had liati You'd at at least have ha e lell had the lie satisfaction of or knowing what their little game me really was But Dut the lie man and anti the woman who loft heft ler the yacht acht an hour before sho she sail sail- sald sal sal- ed CI d und anti who slipped away nw nui y into lute tho tutu country somewhere I wonder who ushio the they were Hornby Horby distinctly told mo me that thai he lie and nm-ni Clinton were nil yet et there was evidently a lady Jady and a on board I guessed lady thC thorn there n was vas a woman there thele from rom the wa way the time boudoir und and ladies ladies' saloon WITO Arranged and certain certainly no 10 mans man's han 1 decorated a dinner tabo as that was decorated Yes Yc That's decidedly funn funny unity re- re mar boil tho the consul thol thoughtfully The They went to Colic Salvetti you say IY They Timey he ehan changed ell there of course E Ex Fx- 1 presses call there 01 one going oln north anti and the other othol south within u it I quarter of f an arm hour after the train arrives from rom Leghorn They showed a lot ot of In- In i otherwise they'd thod have havo o ha gono direct to PI n. n S t I I I I t r Ingenuity I 1 should think so Tho whole a affair was iva most cleverly elly tul 1 plan plan- neil ned Hornby would have deceived even en you ou my dear lear old chap Ho lie hul the te air all of or a n perfect gentleman and n u glance over the yacht acht convinced mithat mi- mi that he was a wealthy man a traveling tom lor 01 pleasure tra eJI mory 4 You Id said something about an nl- nl ar as- I Yes there thero were Maxims slowed S SI awa away In one ammo of tIme Iho cabins to cc They 1 llY aroused m my suspicions They would not liar have aroused ha mine replied m my friend Ilene carry arms for 11 crl I prot protection In ninny many oases cases OH especially If IC the they aro cu going orn to Lit tl cruise along uncivilized coasts re coats tho they must land for lo ions as water or 11 i provis 1 told lold him hint of or Ito tho torn I photograph Which caused 1 him Mm some somo deep ren robe robe- ion tion c- c I wonder wh why the picture had harl hn boon been n torn pm rn up Had there been u a row on I. I I a oard a a quarrel or something It I hud had been destroyed I think PI Pity you didn't pocket the frag- frag ments We 1 could perhaps have ills ills- covered from the lie photographer ha c 11 tho time identity o of tho the orl original Ah h h I sighed re regretfully I 1 nev ne I r thought of ot that I recollect the of the the firm how er however namo Jamo I shall havo have to hal the report to London Jt-cl Jt whole occurrence as a British sill Huh said aiti are arc under suspicion ui Well el see sou ee whether Scotland Vard knows knis la any anything abou thinE y or ur Chater |
