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Show mutbny OF THE T EY WYNDHAM ' MARTYN" COPYRIGHT INTMPU5. W.N. U. 5 RVIC t ; THE STORY Floyd Unwln and Howard J nettlnKton tnke dinner with an old colleKo chum, Alfred Gibbons, I financial magnate. Unwin pro- duoes a written pledge taken by I the three at college to help each other tn adversity, explaining that he needs financial asRist-i asRist-i ance to educate hla aon Bob and and daughter Mary. Gibbons agrees to make a place for the daughter in his organization. Mary Unwin la stenographer to a wealthy debauchee, EIrut Rad-i Rad-i way. Calling- at Gibbons' otTlce, as arranged, Mary la asked to betray her employer's secrets and refuses. Radway plana an ocean j voyage to recover from the ef-i ef-i fects of dissipation. Mary is to go as aecretary, her brother to accompany her. Bettlnpton, ' painting on the Maine coast, is kidnaped, and taken aboard Rad-way'a Rad-way'a yacht. His clothes are found by Glbbs, a fugitive from t JuBttce, who dons them and goes to Bettlngton's studio, and there falls to hla death. Bettington Is questioned by a man known as the "Boss." He Is shown an account ac-count of Gibbs' death, the body being Identified as Bettfngton. I The "Boss" Intends to hold Hadway Had-way for $1,000,000 ransom. Bettington Bet-tington Is told he will b forced to assist. il I CHAPTER VI Continued "It was a very serious blow to me, mid It's an amnzing coincidence that the master can finish what the pupil began. I was In luck there. Listen, Onne. At a word I can send you back for that sentence which will end only when you die. Furthermore, I am not putting myself In your power. You may never know my real name. I i could look calmly at the very detectives detec-tives who had spent years looking for nie because I gaze at them with a different face. I will wager that you have seen the face 1 wore for years. When my bank failed, with such disastrous dis-astrous results, I was In every paper where Illustrations are found. Yes, you know the real me! But Clements the man you are looking at is only a year old and his past is blameless. It took Beardsley a year to re-create me nnd it will take you a few minutes min-utes probably, to rectify one mistake." Bettlngton had heard, often enough, of the comparatively new branch of surgery which devoted itself to the face. He had associated it with beauty ' parlors and quackery in general. iJs'ow, suddenly, he was convinced that what Clements said was true. But to find that he was expected to .undertake some of it was horrifying. ''He shrank from the Idea, but would not permit Clements to see it. "Beardsley must have cut a nerve, for suddenly I found myself with this damnable smile. It never leaves me. Orme, I haunt myself. . . . Sometimes Some-times I think I cannot go on living, unless the curse Is removed from me. I thought everything was well done. I had finished with Beardsley before I knew." Bettlngton wondered what was the cause of Beardsley's death. "He died of pneumonia," said Clements, Clem-ents, as though he had read the doubt in his companion's mind. "It was a Bad blow to me." "He was never strong," Bettington found himself saying, with gravity. Reluctantly Clements rose and put on the steward's livery coat. "In this drawer," he said, "you will find some of the most remit books on operative surgery. They may refresh your memory. Take them to your room." They proved of no benefit to Howard How-ard Bettington. Their idioms were beyond his comprehension. He put the books aside and went out on deck. Mrs. Radway was sitting in a chaise longue, writing letters. Se looked up at Bettington and smiled as he passed. "I am driven to writing letters to. people I have almost forgotten. I'm afraid this is going to be a very dull month, doctor." "Dull !" he 6aid to himself, as he took a seat and looked out at the placid ocean. "If she only guessed !" Never, he supposed, in the history of yachting had such a company been assembled by the design of one man. He was tempted to cross the deck to Todd and tell him to wireless wire-less to the government what was afoot. If any accident happened to him, what could save Evelyn Radway and Cnwin's children? "The other night," Mrs. Radway began, be-gan, "It was as a friend I spoke to you. I felt you were friendly to me." "Indeed, you were right," he said earnestly. "Now it's to the doctor I am speaking." speak-ing." He hoped his face did not show his alarm and disappointment. "It's nbout Mr. Radway. I am horribly disappointed dis-appointed in hit behavior. He came here to get himself into good physical condition and he has given way to absinthe. Doctor Waite, you must help me." "How?" he demanded. Hp was overcome over-come with the layman's feeling of hopelessness In the presence of Illness. "After all, you are a physician, aren't you?" "Yes," he found himself forced to say. It seemed horrible to have to tell her a deliberate lie. "Then It Is your duty to go to him and tell him he's killing himself. And couldn't you see that that horrible Clements offered him drinks all the time?" She sighed. "It Isn't very pleasant to have to confess that my warnings or pleadings have no longer any effect." "You wish me to go now?" "If you would." "I'm afraid there Is very little I can do," he said rising. "I have no sort of authority except what he gives me. If warning him Is any good. I'll certainly do that." He went below and then to the bow of the boat, feeling he was going on a useless errand. Radway looked up as though he had been expecting such a visit. Except that a purple hue was spread over his face more deep than anything Bettington Betting-ton had ever seen on human visage, he had no air of intoxication. Years before in Paris. Bettington had noted how absinthe acts. It is a curious property of the spirit that its effects vary with the individual. It gave Radway Rad-way the delusion of incredible powers and predisposed him to acts of physical physi-cal violence. "I should like to have them all down here," he said in mordant tone. "I am not sure that a man has lived unless he has actually squeezed the life out of the throats of men he hates." "What particular lives do you want to end?" Bettington asked. "The Gibbous gang. Alfred Gibbons first. He and his group have tried for years to hate me to death ; it's quite possible." "They're succeeding apparently," Bettlngton replied, and pointed to the bottle of absinthe in the rack. "Have you ever thought that they may all be concentrating on you to drink this stuff? I don't know any surer way of death. You better lie down, you look all In." "It's my constant headache that knocks me out," Radway returned, and pressed his temples as though in pain. "Sometimes it is so bad, I actually am blinded. . . . It's their concentrated concen-trated hate." Bettington turned away in disgust. The spectacle of this wreck, drifting toward destruction and blaming others for his disaster, seemed pitiful. "Don't go," Radway said querulously. querulous-ly. "Stay here." Bettington paid no heed to him. Mrs. Radway was waiting for him anxiously. She could not rid herself of the feeling that this voyage was to end in tragedy. "Were you able to do anything?" she demanded eagerly. For the moment he did not answer. He wanted to ask her a question and did not desire her to feel the humiliation humili-ation of having to endure his gaze as he asked it. "Have you any reason," he said gently, "to fear physical violence from him in this state?" There was a perceptible pause before be-fore she answered. "The possibility exists, but it's most remote." "If you like," he said, "I'll take one of these forward staterooms to be near him." He hoped she would construe this to mean that he was merely exhibiting the physician's readiness to be at his patient's side in danger. He did not want her to realize that Radway's safety meant nothing to him. He felt she would be frightened to learn that his only concern was to protect her from the violence of a "man almost insane. "I think there Is no need for that," she returned gratefully, "in fact. It might anger him if he found it out. He has a hatred of being spied upon, as he calls it." Mary Unwin came up at this moment mo-ment with Crosby Todd. Mary smiled pleasantly, but the wireless operator paid no attention to the ship's surgeon. sur-geon. Bettinglon watched Mary with the artist's admiration as she went off with Todd. She seemed to embody youth. "I hardly realized the child was so beautiful," he muttered. "She's in love," said Mrs. Radway. "I don't think she has ever been in love before. She has found a new heaven and a new earth." Clements passed by. "There's the man Captain Halletl particularly dislikes," Mrs. Radway said, when he had gone. "Don't you?" Bettington demanded. Mrs. Radway hesitated. "I'm never quite sure. He Is so courteous and has such an agreeable voice . . . and yet, I sometimes feel afraid. Perhaps It is that settled smile which prejudices pre-judices one. His features are good. Yes, it must be that smile." Bettington wondered what the real Clements had been like. The voice had been cultivated to avert suspicion that the face gave rise to. And now the face was gone and one had been created to match the voice. "Why do you sigh?" Mrs. Radway asked curiously. She noticed that there was a look of sadires.s, almost of despair, on his face. He was far too good looking, she had often told herself, her-self, to have escaped the attentions of her sex. "Something has upset you, doctor," she exclaimed. He realized suddenly that he was nervous. Suppose the role he had set out to play was one beyond his ability or courage. He thought of Sam and Mctzger and I.eary, and the lesser men they controlled, glimehow he felt that Clements was only money-mad money-mad and could be satisfied only with money. But Metzger and Sam! Metz-ger Metz-ger who liked what he called "class," and Sam who loved youth. Even at this moment Sam, enormously broad, prodigiously strong, and In his heart free from all sentiments of pity, was crossing the deck slowly, watching Crosby Todd leaning over the side talking to Mary. Bettington wondered if there could be a better example of a beautiful woman, beautifully, gowned and exquisitely ex-quisitely cared for. than the lovely fell M mm M: I i "You'd Better Ll Down You Look All In." Mrs. Radway. She had never been deprived of the luxuries of her class and country. Everything about her. was beautiful and rare. What a morsel for Metzger 1 Bettington was musing on this when he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Sam. Sam was looking in the direction direc-tion of Todd. His great flat face was distorted with rage. "I seen him kissing my gal," Sam growled. Bettington shook himself free of the sailor's grasp. "He's young and good looking, and you're not." Sam paid no attention to this. He was still glaring at the retreating wireless operator. If murder looked out of human eyes it was focused on Todd then by the deep-chested sailor. Bettlngton was glad he had an excuse ex-cuse to get away from the, angry brute. "I must change my clothes for dinner," he said. They had to wait for Radway. Bet- tington hoped that the owner would not come to dinner. Mary Unwin was plainly nervous. Mrs. Radway showed no fear at all. She was playing a bright little dance by Chaminade when Radway came in. His face was still highly congested. con-gested. Clements met him with the inevitable cocktail. It was toward the end of dinner that Radway made his one remark. It was addressed to Bettington. There was a mocking politeness in his voice. "Is it part of your contract to dine with your employer V "Unfortunately it is," Bettington returned re-turned instantly. There was silence until Mrs. Radway Rad-way anil Mary left. Bettington, who had risen when the la'lies did, dropped In his chair again and stared at the financier, tie felt he had never detested de-tested any living being so much. This was the man who had uiarried beautiful beauti-ful Evelyn Whitoburn and had made her miserable. This was the man who hail promised her so much and had done so little. He wondered what violent passages there had been In their lives. She had admitted that there was u puS-sihiiily of danger for her when he was In this state; and It was no new thing for him to be as he was now. He watched itadway rise, this time not steadily, and go to his quarters. Bettington made his way to the after quarter deck. It was Clements who Interrupted his unhappy meditations. Clements presented pre-sented aD unusual appearance of haste. "it's Radway," he cried, "you'd better bet-ter come at once. I don't know what's the matter." Itadway was lying on the floor insensible. in-sensible. "No wonder after what he's drunk this week," Clements said. "Absolutely "Abso-lutely dead to the world." He watched Bettington stoop down and carry Radway to the bed. "By Jingo, but you're strong!" he said. "1 don't think this is drink alone," Bettington said. "1 don't like it at all." Clements had no suspicion that Bettington Bet-tington was not a skilled physician. It chanced that Harrowgate, the celebrated cele-brated painter, had .just such a seizure as this In the studio he shared with Bettlngton in Rome. The doctor who attended him put Harrow-gate's feet in hot mustard and water and applied ice to his head. Clements saw Bettington Betting-ton loosen the senseless man's clothing cloth-ing and then begin the treatment. After a while Radway opened his eyes. "I remember falling," he said presently. pres-ently. "I must have knocked myself my-self out. I'll be all right in the morning." morn-ing." In a sense he dismissed them peremptorily. They heard him bolt the door when they were outside It. "Clements," Bettington said with conviction, "you've helped him to kill himself. That man's very ill." "Nonsense," Clements said. "You're a surgeon and this sort of thing isn't your line at all. It's like asking a racehorse to pull a huckster's van. As for my helping him to kill himself, that's absurd. What that man has wanted he has taken. The whole world , knows that." "I suppose so," Bettington admitted. ad-mitted. After all, neither he nor a steward had any control over Radway's Rad-way's . appetites. "I want you to meet the other men," Clements said. "I've seen them already," Bettington Betting-ton returned. "You are to meet them on a different dif-ferent footing this time. They feel you have no right to be supercilious. There is only one boss among them, and I'm he. They are to be in my stateroom within a few minutes. For your own good, I advise you to seek their goodwill." Bettington looked at him squarely. "If you think I'm going to make a bosom, friend of men like Sam and that hangdog Hamner, you are mistaken. mis-taken. I did not elect to come on this trip and I shall behave as I choose. I signed on as ship's surgeon. Very well, I'll play the part, but whenever did you know of a ship's surgeon making mak-ing a companion of a deck hand?" They traversed the length of the ship in silence. Bettington felt certain cer-tain that Clements was enraged at what he supposed to be Insubordination. Insubordina-tion. "I will not have my plans imperiled," Clements said. In the safety of his stateroom. "You must he careful not to risk any quarreling with them. They are hot-headed and feel you are reveling in luxury, while they work hard." "You are thinking of Metzger?" "Particularly of him. He is a jealous brute, as ready with a knife as with his tongue. He complains that you glare at him offensively. " "And shall continue to do so." "Do you mean to defy me? Have you forgotten that I hold your life in my hand?" "Have you forgotten that the master of Beardsley will some day hold your life in his?" There was a subtle change In Clements' Clem-ents' bearing. "We must not misunderstand one another. Yes, 1 depend on you ; I admit ad-mit it. We are using these swine for our own purposes, but we must not let them know it nor get out of baud. I think 1 hear them outside now. For the success of the venture unbend to them." The cook, who walked majestically and had the air of one who has cooked but for kiugs, was introduced as Antonio An-tonio Pereira. "A very skilled user of the knife," Clements said. "He would be in a palace kilefcen now but for it He has all the villainy of the world at his fingertips." Antonio Pereira bowed as one might who laid been introduced as the greatest great-est musician of his time. "Graumann," Clements went on, "Is the greatest 'peteman' out of Jail. I have uses for him later, among the ports of South America. Kenzie has no special attributes except his skill as an engineer and a preference for. crooked paths. Krause" he Indicated a blond man, almost bald "Krause has the newspaper instinct He Is an expert at listening posts. As a news gatherer he has few equals. These four men, doctor, know their jobs." Bettington bowed to them amiably. He longed to transfer their faces to canvas. Each one a different type and yet each wholly villainous. The cook was the most picturesque; Hamner the one he most disliked. Graumann looked like a wolf without disguise. The meeting resolved itself into a kind of committee meeting in which accounts of the past week's business was demanded by the chairman. There was no wild, incendiary talk. When the others had gone Bettlngton Bettlng-ton turned to the steward. "I'm anxious anx-ious to know when you plan to let Radway discover how things are." "Not for a long time. It will be two weeks more, let us say." CHAPTER VII An Ocean Tragedy Bettington was glad when he entered en-tered the main saloon next morning for breakfast that Radway was not there. He rather dreaded that false, pre-prandial heartiness and he was not anxious to have to be amiable toward a man whose qualities he despised. "Radway isn't up yet." It was Clements' Clem-ents' voice. He had not seen the steward steal to his side. "He doesn't answer when I knock." Bettington put down his cup. He could swear trouble brooded In the other's eyes. "Think it's anything serious?" "You know you were frightened of his condition last night, doctor. I think you'd better find out if any-thing's any-thing's wrong." Radway's door was locked, but Clements had a master key. Bettington Betting-ton closed the door behind him. He had seen enough in one brief glance. Elgar Radway was dead. It was plain, even to Bettington, that he had been dead many hours. The two men looked at one another and said nothing. noth-ing. To Eettington the thing seemed the hand of Providence. It meant that the Albatross must put about and run for New York. It meant that the two women would never know the peril in which they had been placed. Evelyn was now doubly safe. Safe from the violence and cruelties of the dead man. as well as from the lusts of Clements' crime crew. "This means ruin," Clements said slowly. Bettington shrugged his shoulders. "What will be, will be." "A- fool's creed !" cried Clements. "Was that what you felt in San Quentin? You know it wasn't or you would never have killed a guard in order to escape. The only death which will ever beat me will be my own." "Mrs. Radway must know," Bettington Betting-ton reminded him. Clements nodded. "All right. It comes better from you." Bettington found her on deck. "Have you seen Mr. Radway?" she asked. He thought there was an air of coldness about her, an aloofness that was strange. Evelyn Radway, although all vestige of affection for her husband had long since disappeared, was actuated by what she felt to be duty to him. She had realized with a start that her life on board would have been unutterably dreary without Doctor Waite., She ! was conscious of a quickening of her pulses when he was1 with her and a loneliness when he was away. Even after schooling herself to be cool, indifferent in-different and aloof, she could not help being glad when Howard Bettington came to her side. Few girls marry their ideais; she had not. But she recognized In the ' ship's surgeon,- as one sees an old and almost forgotten face, the man she had idealized before she set ambition above love. "It is about him I want to speak." "You mean he is ill?"' she cried. He bowed his head. "Oh," she cried. "You mean he Is dead !" Without a woid she followed lilm to the forward stateroom. Clements withdrew as he heard her coming. She glanced in a little fearfully. For a few seconds she stood In the doorway. Then she turned to Betting- ton. j (TO BE CONTINUED) 1 |