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Show tyvVYNDHAM J ' 3 10PYRI6KT by 8ARSE A MOPKINJ W N.U. S ERV clT ""V r71 ll STORY FROM THE START Anthony Trent, once master criminal, now reformed, returns to New fork after four years' absence. He learns his friend, Capt Frank Sutton, is In Sing Slngr. Trent Is surprised to find his New 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 force 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 i learns that Captain Sutton has t escaped from Sing Sing and later. i. to his surprise, finds that Camp- bell Is really Frank Sutton Trent takes his place In society as the opening gun of his campaign cam-paign against Grant. He be-; be-; comes a house guest of the Grants. Trent discovers in Mademoiselle Ma-demoiselle Dupln, Natlca's French Instructor, a friend of the old criminal days. She is now going Btralght. Trent Is suspicious of a man known as Yeatman, ostensibly osten-sibly in the Grant household as a detective. t: 1 CHAPTER V Continued 12 "Don't think for a moment that this man Is going to bother you or search your trunks. He is here to watch," slie remarked. Mrs. Grant took up the dainty telephone tele-phone instrument which matched the boudoir furniture. "Thorpe," she commanded, when a voice answered ber, "send Mr. Yeatman to me at once." She turned to the unhappy Mademoiselle Dupin. "You have seen the world, tell me what you think of him." For the moment the "Countess" could not be sure that Mrs. Grant had not prepared the visit of the detective de-tective as a trap. It had been brought about so easily, so naturally, that she felt suspicion was justifiable. To eek to evade the man would be, transparently, an evidence of fear. There was a knock at the door and the man who was known as Mr. Yeatman Yeat-man entered. It was through the mirror mir-ror that Mademoiselle Dupin first saw lilm. She had turned her back on him with a caution born of many harrowing harrow-ing Interviews. For one fraction of a moment she caught his black eyes bent on her mirrored reflection. It was enough for her to feel a pang of fear. For the moment she could not remember how or where she had met bim; but she was certain that she bad. And she did not think be was on the side of the law. Eagerly she listened for his voice. When he spoke It deepened the Impression Im-pression of previous knowledge of bim, but brought Identification no nearer. "You are keeping an eye on him?" Mrs. Grant queried. "He is rarely out ol my sight, ma dame," he answered. "You have, perhaps, per-haps, new instructions for me?" "No more than I have already given you." With a nod of her head she dismissed hira. "What do you think of him?" Mrs. Grant asked. "It was not a favorable Impression You are satisfied that he is genuine?" "Oh, yes. The creature lias bis name in the New York telephone directory, di-rectory, an ollice, a stenographer, and all the rest of It. I weut In to see him myself. There Is so much Ingenuity In-genuity In the world of crime thai one can't be too careful." "So one hears," murmured Made moiselle Dupin. She knew that soou she would be able to place him. It was like going through an old trunk for a misplaced letter. She had known this man and be had been associated with some one of those many Incidents outside the law which had made up her life. Lie bad been ot the police or a confeder-nte confeder-nte of those for whom she worked All that had been required of her In those early days In the guy capitals of Europe was that she should look young, remain beautiful, and never lose her heart. The danger ot meeting meet-ing former confederates was as perilous peril-ous to her now as meeting an agent of police. It was hardly possible that n quick glance through a mirror would reveal her as the brilliantly lovely girl of eight years before, who had passed as a great heiress In the Riviera. CHAPTER VI Mademoiselle Dupin Realizes Her Peril. "Yeatman Is t lie lesser of two evils." Trent told Mademoiselle Dupin. "He Is here to steal, and not to denounce you. I don't see any reason for sup posing he knows you are In .inicrlca miuli less In this particular house hold II m-i(j even he thai he Is legit Imately a detective now. Twt things you must not do. One Is not to be seen with me, and another Is not to run the risk of meeting him. These people with their jewels won't be here more than a week, and then, I suppose, sup-pose, he will go." "1 don't know," she said doubtfully. doubtful-ly. "Mrs. Grant has a succession of these house parties planned. When do you leave?" "I don't want to go until I know you're safe," he answered. "And that means I shall stay until Yeatman gets out The trouble Is that we can'l yet tell certainly which side he Is on now. I'm not one to be able to cast stones. He, too, may have changed." "No, no 1" she cried. "One has to catch but a glimpse of his face to know he Is evil. It was something of violence that I half remember about him." "Take what precautions you can," he reminded her as she rose to go to' her lesson, "and remember you can communicate with me ' through the butler. After all, If it' comes to the worst, I don't suppose two more resourceful re-sourceful people than you and 1 are to be found. "T'm not going to see you "Now It Will :Cost .Enormously.'? frightened or hurt by anyone. Remember Re-member that I am fighting for you. and my position here is a strongly entrenched en-trenched one. If anything goes badly, send for me, give me a lead, and I swear I'll get you-out of this house with all the honors of , war, even Lf I have to mobilize the Welds and Bent-leys Bent-leys to do it." "I do not think I have ever had a friend like you," she said simply. "In other days, when 1 seemed to have money and position, It was different, but now, when 1 am nothing at all your goodness brings tears -.to. -my eyes." .... .. ' . '",. ,-, ''- She went hurriedly from the room. Always when she had been talking to Anthony Trent she, was filled with courage and hope. . Mademoiselle Dupin knew that whilii Mrs. Grant needed her for Instruction In-struction In French she chiefly was anxious to learn the etiquette of these old French families which do nnt welcome wel-come foreigners in their midst. In the long talks Natica Grant discussed her ambitions freely. She felt she could speak freely, as her teacher had none with whom to gossip. One of her chief grievances against Captain Cap-tain Sutton was that he had not let her know ot his enormous wealth until un-til he was about to leave for France. "And because 1 lid not know," she wailed, "I lived In the wrong places, knew the wrong sort ot people and did the wrong sort of things. I could have been received In Newport If he had encouraged me. It would have been ensy when I first married. Now It will cost enon.iously, and 1 shall need all my cleverness and scheming." Natica Grant tired her out. Even the housekeeper noticed It at the meal they took together. "She's a hard woman to work for," Miss ISrewen remarked. "I don't wonder won-der Mr. Grant drinks, although that Isn't the reason, lie's afraid Captain Frank may come back and kill him, as he swore be'd do at the trial." When Mademoiselle Dupin went to her room, stealthily, fearing to encounter en-counter Yeatman, she was In possession posses-sion of many useful facts which placed Natica Grant In a less favorable light. Now that she was alone she tried to read, so that the hours before sleeping might pass quickly. The printed pages were not able to bold her attention. She was vaguely uneasy. un-easy. Anthony Trent hud told ber he would help; but ue was downstairs, while she was alone In this upper corridor. She turned out her lights and gazed for almost an hour out at sea. Her ears seemed to catch a hundred hun-dred harrowing noises In the pr.ssage outside. But her nerves grew taut and the fading courage returned when, out of these vague, confused sounds, there came the dettnile tapping of hands on her door. "It has come," she murmured. Then she turned on the lights and flung open the door. I The man who passed by the name of Yeatman stood there. She clung to the hope that he might have come to ask her a few questions which, as a detective, he might find hrmself expected ex-pected to do! "You have something to ask me?" she said, with admirable self-possession. "Not so loud," said Mr. Yeatman, putting his" fingers to his lips. ''I have my reputation to think of." Without appearance of Ill-will he pushed past her, closed the door and then crossed to a cliair by the window. win-dow. He lighted a Maryland cigarette ciga-rette and turned to Mademoiselle uupin. "You do not recognize me?" he demanded, de-manded, In French. He was smiling. The changed Intonation and the altered al-tered face brought back Ms name In a flash. "Pierre Redlich!" she cried. Vividly Vivid-ly she called him to mind now. Perhaps Per-haps she had seen him no more than twice, but they had talked much of bim, the men with whom she had long ago been associated. This was the Pierre Redlich who had been a sort ot outside man for them. It was his work to warn of the approach of the police. It had been Redllch's misfortune misfor-tune to engage In combat a gendarme with a singularly thin skull. It was cracked like an egg, and Redlich was sent to work for life on a breakwater. "You do not remember me as I remember re-member you," said Pierre Redlich, breaking the silence. "What was I to you then? Nothing at all. Something Some-thing not to be considered. If mademoiselle made-moiselle remembers, she was Madame la Princesse Sonioffsky that season." "Did you come tier to look for me?" There was that perfect command of herself in the moment of danger for which she had been famous. No longer long-er was there fear or hesitation. "I did not know even that you were here. No. That was the luck which fools call coincidence. We are going to exchange confidences, you and I, and you shall hear why It is 1 am here speaking English perfectly who was condemned to life imprisonment knowing only Freuch and my native Flemish." - lie took the orange package of Maryland, cigarettes and placed it on the white wicker table by the window. win-dow. Then he removed his coat. "It is good to be where there Is no part to play," he commented. "Here, with a friend, 1 can be myself." ' -'-..".Why should you . call me friend?" "I ought to have said rival." "Even that would not be true." "You may lie, but It does not deceive de-ceive me. Why should you be Id a house like this if not to rob?" "I am here earning my living honestly. hon-estly. Are you not here for that purpose pur-pose ?" Pierre Itedlich laughed as he tossed a cigarette-end from the window. "What a woman 1" he said admiringly. admiring-ly. "I am, indeed, an honest business man and can show you testimonials. But I have waited two years for a chance like tills. It has been weary work. And then, when It comes, I find I have a rival. Now, mademoiselle, mademoi-selle, lf you were a man I should have killed you. I am at a stage where I will have no other person come between me and what I want. But you are a woman and a beautiful one." He looked at her with burning burn-ing eyes. (TO BE CONTINUED.) |