Show ikic 0 N by SYNOPSIS leila left ston young and beautiful and an expert on paintings Is 19 commissioned to go eo over the collection 0 of paintings in the home of the wealthy kellers in yew new york where a ri party arty Is in progress from her window she AvIt nesses a man in another room strike a woman short ly after mrs heliar sends up word ask ing her to join the party at dinner leila hastily dresses and goes down dow n she Is seated between mr deck a cri critic 1 I c and monty mitchell itchell bl a noted lawyer CHAPTER I 1 continued 2 mr air mitchell liell the ex plana tion nos hes gone up to see how ills 1111 cifes headache Is she come N down 1 1 I know I 1 said though I 1 know at till all iby hy I 1 acome down id have made th irleen 1 1 it Is important that I 1 remember tile F dinner in the right Inte internals nals at least it Is important to my story I 1 belleve believe it was only a very few moments u when hen mr harraden Har riden came hack back tie ile sold said quite loudly 1 I think sites slee sleeping pInt the hie room was dark so I 1 t disturb her and I 1 recall that alin alan deck looked don doin toward him intent ly as if ol dening him fl a moment I 1 wondered if deck were interested in nora Ilar riden if ahe he hid bad been the lady lie ho vias ns expecting in the gallery and if lie he nils nas waiting wailing now for news to know if there was any chance fot for him ahlm that evening after flint I 1 alli ered red courage and addies wd cd liim hill awi aai he tilled talked quite asinsin amusingly ly with ills suggestion of oc a dra adril 1 of a net new linol bonk shut but all the time I 1 had bad a that lie be was only playing off nit fit the top lop or of in hi mind and the under pint pait of it wa deeply brooding on sonic some inner afi suddenly I 1 said what does mis look like then I 1 had ills his attention lie he looked lat at me as if asking what I 1 meant by that youe never seen her lie bald sl ottly ly not unless I 1 saw her coming in there was one lovely boman in gold pajamas I 1 saw nith lark dark eyes E yes that was nora he said 4 r then for the second time a diew annu left the lie table anil this time it was I 1 hiklan alan deck lie looked at ills his I 1 P atchi exclaimed Miar ply anti and loudly SJ jove ove ive got to put in a call I 1 and falth another word to ills his lin hostess stess tool took on off lie was rone gone longer than ur Ilar riden lud had been gone per caps it only seemed so to me but others thought so too afterwards I 1 know alow that n lien illen lie was away there was a S a constraint about that lahe laie ie the talk went on but as it 1 it frere lvere forced and I 1 thought that peo pie were hatching ehing mr air flar riden fur s were nere they thinking as I 1 was ahat alan deck had gone up for tile the liance hance of a 1 I few words alone iab aitu nora orn Ilar riden of chirse I 1 might he be rong it night not be mrs Ilar hanides ilden in whom je was as interested but looking about hat bat table I 1 did not fee ee who else it auld he be I 1 got the chatty sir air mil alit lell hell to tell ell me iho tile the others were here were six of us women MM alra eller ond and her sister mrs crane too id d I 1 thought for alan dock deck anil and abere ere vas as miss aliss van alstyn who might je e the one but who did not seem to lick somehow and there was a red unaired aired little piece mrs watkins who as on her second honeymoon I 1 arned that seemed too soon for an J interest that rande tour four and I 1 was five and ie e princess francini Ran ciril was the sixth bod it though the princess was lovely in na statuesque way what mitchell con fled ded of 0 her P exaggerated jealousy of ie prince did not indicate much time oer er for or personal distractions with of aft young youg critic file still cne clie never knew it ir not mrs harraden Har riden it was glicr the abe princess or miss aliss an n alstn 11 ll had a strong feeling that people uita out alint table only makin making till alan deck cam came lck ck I 1 had begun to wonder if lie he ere ever coming when lie he entered lid I 1 1 d something about the rotten nde we and sat down 1 almost immediately as if aware lat at ills conduct had given rise to uni elcome come speculation lie he began to talk roe me did you see the picture he want to know you forgot I 1 left them to you Jel reminded minded him ah so you did you urn t no ill see sec them in the moraln morning rhen ilien suddenly he said no an astound I 1 thing 1 I sty 1 I want aou ou to do something me will ou after this infer ii 1 I weal meal Is over oer slip up tip and see sec nora widen vin you I 1 demurred 1 I dont know mrs tell tier you come from nie me he d decisively tell her to take no I 1 MS pa remember that take no SOPS till ive seen her say etc Jug ht it over to take no EP 9 U ashell shell think hink t I 1 began weakly WF ave got to reach tier he said raid bid somehow his bis voice affected me lipply it was so desperate so ur dt at 1 I cant trust a servant I 1 at nt write she answer tier her m phone I 1 beg you I 1 of course I 1 will I 1 said quickly my beath for him was an unreason s thing at the HIP clitie time I 1 felt r queer pang it was nora liar riden whom 1 he I ill as interested I 1 71 fallom D dont n t let tin tile others see sec you he nad e estril till try not but which bich Is her la m second leond floor on the I 1 its Is mary hastings bradley copyright by D appleton century co inc service next to the last to the north this dining room Is south you know my aly mind flashed hack back the next to the list last to the north why that hint was the lighted window I 1 had stared in it was norn nora Ilar rIden then who hn was hiding biding her marked face now ncik CHAPTER II 11 I 1 conid hardly rait lilt for that ineil to be over cuffee nas in the drawing room I 1 let myself be last in the doorway then tinned and hurdled up the broad central centra stairs turning to tile the right brand branch at the door that hild had been designated designate cl I 1 knocked softly no one answered there was no sound within the room then feeling an urgent need not tr to fill fall in that mission laid upon me I 1 pushed open the door the room illumined hy by one shaded light was empty the beil bed aus ready fur for the lie night lie rosy silk coN ellets mined down a gossamer ip ili i p of lace 1 ice an and hilton laid out I 1 looked climit there doors in blendy behind which slie she might be I 1 mew to and no sound them I 1 went loicl and nin tile didd another door ibe lie hut hilt flint was ag locked I 1 1 slip hp kept sables aind it matter f P 4 I 1 q J 5 it 0 14 arp i N fit I 1 I 1 I 1 V i I 40 1 ag gal er she there I 1 murmured she certainly in a locked closet another door half open led to the dressing room and bath and these were untenanted too reeling peeling like a thief in tile the night I 1 came out and saw miss hiss van alstyn in tile the liall hall we passed I 1 smiling confusedly and she with a ague shallow glance I 1 hurried downstairs instantly as if he had been watching alan deck came up tip my cup of coffee in his hands she there I 1 murmured not there no I 1 looked everywhere bath and all she simply there lip he stood by me staring oddly then lie he gave a sort of jerk and started for the stalls thanks very much lie he said as he passed me I 1 watched him go up tip and a queer hard bard hostility to nora Har harridan riden burned in me ne ile know other women were liing now lie was looking for her a some place ile he had just thought of I 1 remember thinking this while I 1 made a little conversation with mrs airs crane about tile the pictures and then I 1 found myself next nest to mr air IIa Har ilden lie ile was abig a big man but not stout he was hard boned flad and spare fleshed he looked as it if he be might be merciless then as the princess Ranc lill was moving past us to the tables being formed for bridge he caught her quickly by the elbow paula run up and see my wife will III you I 1 think she ought to see a doctor she wont for me you talk her over tile the princess turned on him bet lovely face in which no surprise was apparent she is III then ashes cuckoo said her husband briskly bru neres she ought to have something quieting nut but she was quite all right it at tea was she said Har harraden rIden grimy ile he added in lils ills tone of accustomed command allun up and see how she Is anyway see it if she wont see a n doctor id only stir her up the princess smiled and moved obediently to the staircase suddenly I 1 felt sorry for her husband ile he had blurted out his own helplessness so honest honestly lyl 1 I 1 could surmise better than the princess the reason tor for that helplessness that slap 1 in the face he had given tier her I 1 imagined nora would not soon forgive that and I 1 wondered what it was all about jealousy of course and jealousy I 1 imagined of alan deck ilar riden had the reputation of being madly in ili love with his wife and lob In duely juely jealous of tier glicr beauty watching the stairs I 1 felt uneasy till 1 I saw deck return and g go 0 I 1 into to the th draing draw ing room miss van alstyn was already down then for a moment moui ent I 1 forgot the Har harraden riden affair in my bother aver the bridge playing I 1 was letting myself be to a table when the princess entered Hair blen and mrs keller were standing together she went to them and said something I 1 hoard heard Har reply why absurd where can slip be mrs ichler answered something she sent a man to ask a maid evidently for a maid came in for a moment and denied inan having seen mrs flar about tho the house of OC course mrs flar rIden could have come out without vit hout her knowledge you ask the others mrs keller said and there was a curious moment of Indech indecision don the wave toward the card tables was stayed in midair mid air people debated with each other if she had a headache she might go out mald maid mi might know it if sites put on a diess or wrap for outside said mis ills crane practically she bring her ber mald maid 1 I told her slie was vas a I 1 fool said Har harraden rIden about the house was a general bustle of running feet and voices evidently the start staff was hurrying from floor to floor alan deck drew near me ine its odd I 1 find tier her elther either lie he sabi simply presently as it if by mutual consent no ic all drifted up the stairs to mrs vacant room as it we could get a clue from eying its abrl bright ht emptiness its queer Ilar ilden kept saying staring starin about under frowning brons lie ile went nent on oil she nas as lang on the bed lien hen I 1 wont down sald said she hal had a headache she had certainly had a cai caise e ties dos when I 1 came up lit during dinner I 1 opened the door not the hall door but the one be weed ta een our rooms very gently and her room axas ns dark and still so I 1 thought slie site was asleep and I 1 had better not disturb tier her shed complained so of pain in her ber head that I 1 began to norry and just now DOW I 1 asked paula to run up mrs watkins suddenly raised her rather shrill young young voice you sou see her by any chance when you were up alan no not a glimpse he said 1 I went to my room for my phone call suddenly keller took charge of the rather scattering conjectures ue ile was a short stout energetic man with a ruddy face and keen heen blue eyes see here lie he salt said this Is our house and nora seems scorns to have vanished from it IL either ashes out about the grounds walking oft off her headache or whatever cr row you had there was a sudden titter of intimate laughter or she has cut and run to town now lets find out she get out of the grounds without going out the gate and locked and shed haie hae to apply to the lodge keeper well phone him I 1 remembered the high walls and the forbidding iron gates that opened for me that afternoon but the lodge keeper heeper being phoned to stated that no one had applied either tor for admission or departure that settles that slie she gone to town but there are boats I 1 went on harraden Har rIden gave a bar bark of laughter see nora running a launch 1 or paddling a shiff the boatman lives over the boathouse there said keller well phone him film but the boatman said he seen any one and lie reported al tile the boats present bave you any theory dan mrs keller demanded ile he appeared to hesitate ue he gave a quick look at all our curious faces clustered about and I 1 suddenly felt sorry for him it was indecent this public exposure of the mans secret wretchedness wed had a row he said slowly as if the words were dragged from him 4 slie she she tas as hysterical she blip S she he threatened a good many things if 1 I well never mind anyway after id found her sleeping I 1 began to be afraid of an overdose of some sleeping stuff just dramatics iou ou know but anyway I 1 asked paula to go up I 1 vas ivas uneasy somehow slowly he added ashes been like this before but this was a bit worse well theres no good talking here keller told us nora Is probably out walking off a headache down one of the paths wed better start out and find her since therell be no peace till ashes found ill get tile the men started lie ile went to the room phone mrs keller said slowly if we knew what slie she had bad on had she undressed dan he hesitated no I 1 dont think thin 11 so arent you sure when you came down to dinner was she in negligee neall ee 1 I dont think she had changed she was in those pajamas well site she cant have gone walking in them can the mrs keller move moved toward the dressing room call anson and see if she picked them up she directed tier her husband anson the pretty maid who had been summoned downstairs appeared promptly tind and reported that the room had been dark and empty when she came in to open the bed she said that it looked as it if some one had been lying on the bed without taking the covers off but mrs Har harraden rIden as not anywhere about and there were no gold pajamas ashes quite alte capable of walking out in them under a coat suid said mrs crans crane dryly perhaps they are in the closet mrs watkins suggested and mrs kl kel ler lioves to the closet door Th ills cil odd lil said mrs airs shale ing the knob nora usually locks her jewelry up ranora said d Har harraden riden when lien her maid lie liere r e to do it for her I 1 doubt it if tha pajamas are there she hana bang them tip ip they lie in the dressing room 11 well we can have it opened and see sec call the housekeeper anson why bother said Har harraden riden gruffly were wasting time we ought to ba out in the bounds toun ds at least if ashes still in the pajamas she on tier her way to town said raid I 1 mrs keller and as the housekeeper appeared with her passkey pass key she took it from her and turned the lock Ilar rIden for all his disbelief of the pajamas being put up there was quick to step inside as the lights sprang on as if lie he wanted no hand but his I 1 thought a little sentimentally to lian handle ills his cifes things they certainly arent here he salil said his bis voice muffled by the closet I nothing but coats and dresses lie ile added ner her gold slippers arent here either she may be hiding somewhere to be dramatic harraden IIa Har riden said gruffly I 1 tho thought how bow the words must hurt liim wed better go through the house more th thoroughly 0 roughly and then the grounds so people were vere detailed to go co over the house with guards ou the stairs so that each floor as it was searched might he be kept from reentry I 1 thought then that I 1 had really the solution that the had quarreled over alan anil and that slip site was biding out in some Deur neurotic otle extravagance to spite tier her husband for his blow ile he certainly admitted that they had had a row and that she was wrought up and wanted to pay him off no one was discovered in the house ashes either gone away or been abducted mrs keller summed up in her way there |