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Show b3- Hidden Were p - Bv FREDERIC R VAN DE WATELft Agatha had been on the threshold. Nothing in her face gave us a clue. ihe rolled into the room and spoke crisply: "It's bad enough to be a refuge for all my family's grief-smitten, without posing as aunt to the New York City police. Captain Shannon has been telephoning. Lyon Ferri-ter Ferri-ter escaped from the Babylon last night." "How long," I asked suddenly, "did he stay after I left?" There was a glitter in her eyes. "About a quarter-hour," she informed in-formed me, "and I'd be quite content, con-tent, David, if you'd confine your criminal investigations for the present pres-ent to my own ancestry." "Yes, Miss Paget," I said with meekness that made her chuckle. I know now she had heard at least the conclusion of my talk with her niece. She turned to Aliegra. "Lunch in a half-hour, my dear," she said, and the girl left the room. David Mallory. in search of newspaper work In New York. Is forced to accept a Job as switch-board operator In a swank apartment house, managed by officious Timothy HlgKlns. There David meets Miss ARatha Paget, a crippled old ladv and her charming niece, Allegra One day, talking with Higglns in the lobby David Is alarmed by a piercing scream' David finds the scream came from the Ferrlter apartment, not far from the Pagets. The Ferrlters Include Lyon and Everett, and their sister. lone. Everett a genealogist, Is helping Agatha Paget write a book about her blue-blooded ancestors. an-cestors. Inside the apartment they find a black-bearded man dead. No weapon can be found. The police arrive. Hlg-gins, Hlg-gins, who actively dislikes David Informs In-forms him that he Is fired. David Is called to the Paget apartment. Agatha Paget ofTers him a Job helping write her family history which will unearth a few family skeletons. He accepts the offer. Meanwhile, police suspect Lyon Ferrlter of the murder. Jerry Cochran of the Press offers David a Job helping solve the murder. David accepts. He is to keep on working for Miss Paget. Later David meets Grosvenor Paget. Allegra's brother. Then, that night. David sees Grosvenor prowl through the Ferrlter apartment. David confronts Grosvenor with the story. He is told to mind his own business. Then David goes to Hlg-gins' Hlg-gins' basement flat to retrieve his luggage. lug-gage. In the darkness he brushes against an unknown person, and In attempting to capture him. falls over his own suitcase David's landlady tells him that a woman had called upon him. The mysterious lady would leave no message or name. CHAPTER Vin Continued 10 When I looked up from my work again, Allegra stood in the doorway. "HeUo." "Good morning." I scrambled to my feet and speech left me again. I saw the quick rise and fall of her breast beneath the tweed cloak. There was something in the silence that disturbed both of us. She broke it. "Is there soot on my nose?" she asked a little wildly. "No," I said and cleared my throat "I was just I was just realizing real-izing what a beautiful person your aunt must have been." She came in and sat down, with B ghost of Miss Agatha's chuckle. "Thanks," she told me. "That is, if I follow you. I can believe that your sister-in-law is very, very lovely, love-ly, too. Is she also a good liar?" Her mouth was merry but her eyes were grave. I managed to meet them. "What?" "You heard the first time. You can drop the pose of deafness or is it dumbness?" Her voice sank. Little gloved hands were locked in her lap. "Grove," Allegra said, "has told me everything." I kept my face. "I see." "Grove," she said, "is in love with lone Ferriter." That opened up new avenues of surmise. I did not turn toward them. I asked: "He seemed pleased," I replied " to see me and my bag spread all over the floor." The old lady started to follow and paused: "David," said she, "I hope your head is stronger than I've any reason rea-son to think it is." "I hope it's stronger than I think it is," I answered. She lingered an instant and then nodded. "Perhaps," she comforted, "it's better than either of us thinks," and trundled herself away. The door opened. Allegra looked In find another escort for the opera tonight." to-night." The girl nodded without expression and for an instant her eyes strayed to lone who asked the old lady: "You don't go, Miss Paget?" The composure in her rich voice once more mocked my suspicion. Miss Agatha shook her head. "My dear," said she, "I was reared in the Paget tradition. I went to the opera as regularly as I went to church. Being a cripple, I had no conflicting engagements. I went. I still have my father's seats. Allegra and Grove pretend to like it I grew tired long ago of hearing nonsense sung in one language by folks who speak another, to people who don't understand either." "As a rule," Lyon said, "operas could stand a deal of editing." "Extermination," Miss Agatha told him, "is the better word." I laughed and so did he, and catching catch-ing my eye, he asked: "By the way, were you coming out of the cellar last night when I left?" Once more my spine prickled I thought that a hidden something lurked beneath that easy question. Out of the murk a new theory suddenly sud-denly jumped at me. Perhaps the prostrated Everett after all had been my basement antagonist. I gathered gath-ered my wits and tried to drive into the open whatever fear hid behind be-hind Lyon's query. "Yes." He smiled. "After I passed, I thought it had been you. At the moment I imagined imag-ined that it was just another detective de-tective following me around. I haven't dared look under the table this noon, Miss Paget, for fear of finding one." "I can vouch for this company," Miss Agatha said dryly, "unless David Da-vid is one in disguise." I wondered what she meant but Allegra asked, mockingly: "Just a social call oh Casanova?" Out of an eye corner, I saw that lone held her fork motionless above her salad. "No," I said. "I went to get my suitcase. I didn't see Higgins till later." "Later?" lone repeated. I looked at her, but her make-up might have been a mask. "You see," I told her, "the helpful help-ful Higgins had left the suitcase in the basement hall. I fell over it, which pleased him, I think." "The swine," said Lyon and his calm disappointed me. "That's how you hurt yourself, eh?" He nodded at my trampled left hand. I shook my head, weighing the merits of reticence and complete exposure. I chose the former and merely said: "No. Someone else gave me that." "I hope," said Miss Agatha and bit that invisible thread, "that you skinned it on Timothy's jaw." "He seemed pleased," I replied, "when he came out and turned on the lights, to see me and my bag spread all over the floor." With the others, I followed Miss Agatha's chair into the living room and looked at my watch. "It's time," I told the old lady, "that I stopped being a guest and became an employee." lone, bright and exotic as a tropic bird, smiled at me as I backed toward to-ward the hall door. Lyon's right hand went through the movements of the sword salute. "Oh, I say," he checked me as I turned to leave, "why not stop in when you leave this afternoon? I'd really like to have you see my collection col-lection of blades, if you'd be interested." inter-ested." "Thanks," I said, finding no way to refuse without seeming churlish, "I'd be glad to." "Splendid. At what time?" "Between five and six?" "Right. I'll be looking for you. I wish there were room for us to fence a bit, but I'm afraid that's impossible." impos-sible." "I'm glad there isn't," I told him; "I'm very rusty," and went back to the workroom. It was five when I finished and, under Annie's convoy, took the completed com-pleted copy to my employer. She sat in the living room at her version of afternoon tea solitaire, a cigarette ciga-rette and a highball. I waited while she read the script slowly and without expression. When she had laid the last page aside, she said: "You're very able as well as willful. will-ful. You've done it exactly as I should if I had your gift Will you take Allegra to the opera this evening?" eve-ning?" The question, flung at me while I was a little unsettled by her approval approv-al I had not had much praise in the last few weeks was like a punch in the stomach. I gasped. She chose to misread my confusion. "A purely business proposition. Allegra was going with Grove. All the other young men she knows have engagements. She can't very well go by herself and if you'll escort her " "I can send in my bill tomorrow?" tomor-row?" I asked. "No, Miss Paget I'm busy this evening." "There are times, David Mallory, when I could slap you," Miss Agatha Aga-tha said and sat very straight in her wheel chair. "That goes double," I answered. She chuckled. She liked defiance. (TO BE COMISIED) "A message from Miss Paget," she said with mock gravity. "There is an extra place at the table this noon that she wishes you would occupy. oc-cupy. Mr. Everett Ferriter is indisposed in-disposed again." CHAPTER IX Linen's frosty glow, the cool glitter glit-ter of silver and china were like friends long absent. They lifted my morale. I caught Allegra's glance as Lyon helped her Into the chair beside his, and grinned. I sat between be-tween lone and Miss Agatha with Ferriter opposite, on her right hand, and I selected the bouillon spoon boldly, because I thought they might wonder if I could. I found myself disliking the scent lone wore and her as well, for no clear reason other than that I objected ob-jected to sultry brunettes. My neighbor said in her husky voice: "I haven't thanked you, Mr. Mallory, Mal-lory, for what you did that awful night." "I wondered if it were only the shock of that evening that harried her now. "Thank me," I asked, "for treating treat-ing you rough?" "Exactly. I needed it. I don't usually fall apart like that." Lyon spoke with the odd devotion devo-tion in his eyes he reserved for his sister. "She really doesn't. She wintered with me in Alaska, but that, after all, isn't preparation for finding" He checked himself and turned to Miss Agatha with an apologetic movement of his hands. "I beg pardon. There is no excuse ex-cuse for dragging" "Nonsense," the old lady cut in. "My dear man, closets are the worst possible places for skeletons. It's far more wholesome to leave them out in the air. If you can stand it." "We have to," he said a little grimly. "Until the police get the idea that people who weren't there could not have done it." I had wished, a half-hour earlier, that I might be included among Miss Paget's guests. Now I was unhappy unhap-py I knew too much and suspected too much more. I was tense and saw portents in actions outwardly innocent. For a moment, I had thought Ione's seizure had concealed terror. Now the sanity of the well-ordered well-ordered lunch, the calm beauty of the room, the decorous speech of its occupants jeered at my suspicions. The talk veered away to less intense in-tense matters. The meal was closing clos-ing when Miss Agatha said suddenly' sudden-ly' "Allegra, Grove called up while you were dressing. He .won't be nome till late. You will have to "And you don't like it?" "It, or her. She's older." "That," I said, "isn't necessarily fatal. So was Mrs. Browning and Mrs. Disraeli and Mrs. Mary of Scotland and Mrs. Oedipus and" "Skip the Phi Bete erudition," she broke in, but her eyes were less tragic. "Grove is an infant and always al-ways will be. He's all the family I've got. I don't want him hurt but he will be. Grove won't listen to me. He doesn't care what I think any more." "It's just possible, isn't it, that lone loves him? Does your aunt know?" i She smiled and shook her head. "She knows, I think. But Grove is supposed to be adult and Agatha's religion is minding her own business. I can't speak to her about it. I promised Grove I wouldn't, but he said last night I could explain to you why he was in Ione's fiat." "And, sooner or later, you're going go-ing to?" ; The girl looked at me and smiled. "Meaning," she interpreted, "that I talk too much. Grove's had a Ferriter latchkey for a month. He's been meeting lone there." She stopped and looked at the window win-dow and the smile had left her face. I waited. "I wish," she said slowly, "that I could like her. Up to now, we've always liked the same things, Grove and I. I'm not jealous. I know what they're doing. They're keeping this thing under cover until after Grove's birthday, next week. You see, if Grove marries without Agatha's and my Uncle Stanley's consent, they could hold up his inheritance. That's in my father's will." I told her: "You haven't yet explained ex-plained why he was in " She said impatiently: "Oh, he had the idea that maybe he could find some clue the police had ignored something that would clear the Fer-riters. Fer-riters. That's the sort of a mind he has." I said: "One doesn't love a person for his brains." "All the aphorisms are edifying," she told me with a flash of her aunt's spirit, "but they don't solve anything." "You could have saved yourself a lot of wear and tear," I answered, "by telling me in the first place what you wanted solved." Allegra looked at me hard and then smiled. "All right, Admiral Crichton. Find out who killed that man." "Yes, ma'am." I told her, "it's as good as done." She held out her hand toward me. Then she turned. Neither of us knew how long Miss |