Show t It Continued from Page Twelve I i BY ry w lv S pr CHARTER CHAPTER Continued pf Bah Bali dont mention that word to tonO nO again I am sick of or your our hypocrisy h i You Toti dont deceive decele mo let me mo toll toli you ou ouI I Your plea pica of or cowardice Is a convenient subterfuge o Every fact Tact points to your I being In league with these adventurers A coward havo taken talen I the tho risks you ou have taken You saw tho the man hiding In hi tho stairway you ou ouI I saw saVo him about to fire on a I helpless girl sirl and you yem raided no hand Am I talking plainly plaIn enough I J looked Into Lockes Lackos eyes eos glaring with rage rag and contempt and I laughed aloud It was as actually a relief to have my Dl weakness exalted to tho piano plane of or deliberate villainy Laugh my 01 friend but hut I am not nol to tobe tobe tobe be deceived by a laugh And now that I stand abased in my ny H naked nahed deviltry I give you ou minutes to make male a ai i full and confession It if J at atthe atthe atthe the end of five tho minutes you still re rc refuse reL L fuse fusa I shall Rhall have ha 0 you OU promptly arrest arrested ed for being boing a partner in rn the intrigues of the Countess for masquerading masqueradIng masquerading ading as ai Sir Mortimer Brett and aid for being an accomplice nc in the murder murdo of oC Miss Brett Brott Five minutes The time was not nol long I knew Locke Loeko would keep his word but more marc than limn ever over I r was stub stubbornly stubbornly resolved to refuse taking him Into my confidence Could I tell him my ray reasons for act acting acting Ct N ing as a I had done Could I tell him hImI I that I had bad set out on the tho romantic f quest of oC saving a life lICo for fOI the lifo ilfe that thatA thatA A had boon been lost Would he ho believe bellew that At least without appealing to the wom worn woman an nn who had set mo that task To drag in her name was Impossible The Tho minutes passed swiftly So was the tho end of my 01 task Disgrace end and Imprisonment I had warned Helena that might be tho the case I looked across the valley at the pin pinnacles pinnacles pinnacles of the th Castle of or Happiness What a fool I have been Your time is js almost up said Locke grimly looking at the watch he heI I had bad placed on his knee And Miss Brett Is 18 walking in the garden arden over there Do you ou wish her to see you ou marched oft off to prison On the contrary It was sho she who must set net me free I would put her he h r to toI top I p tho supreme mo test Now if she trusted me as she had promised I might yet et I escape from the awkward dilemma I rose roso to my feet feel i 1 called to lo her I r V Miss Brett BrettI I I She Sho camo came to us My h maneuver so completely astonished Locke that he stared at me speechless Miss Brett Brott I said quietly Mr t r Locke has taken upon himself tho the task of bringing mo me to justice He finds I mo me guilty guill of or complicity In tho the in intrigues intrigues of Madame do He re refuses fuses to believe that I am acting in 44 your our behalf I cannot blame blamo him for fornis nis suspicions The facts fact are aro almost wholly against me metho methe tho surface facts 1 I do not even deny den most of them But Buthe Buthe Buthe he has hns woefully misconstrued my m mo motives motives tives thes In every evor case I refuse absolute absolutely ly Iy to tell him what those motives are arc arcHe areBe He Be has threatened mo me with arrest un unless 3 less I make mako to him a full Cull and complete i confession without delay Mr Locke I as ns I have haY said is acting on the behalf p of or your our mother and yourself Person Personally Personally ally he Has tas no right whatever to make any complaint against mo Miss Brett will bo be the tho last person I I you rou from punishment when she knows the truth Interrupted I 9 Locke bewildered at my audacity In appealing to her Among other things Miss Brott Brett BrettI I I continued eagerly ho accuses me of i being an accomplice in your our attempted I murder in tho the stairway i There Thero are aro facts more tangible than I I that funt said Locko Locke significantly But I refuse to listen to them themI I said aid reassuring mo with a p quiet glanco glance I am 1111 not so Ignorant of o these fats facts lB perhaps as you ou imag imagine I toe ine Mr Locke I 1 have havo every ey I confidence confidence i dence in you ou Mr Haddon As to to caus causing c causI us usi i I i I lug ing your arrest that Is IB absurd Thank Than you I returned with I a n pas las passion s i I sion slon of gratitude In my 01 heart You I t I will hear hoar from mo me before midnight If H Hat at the ond end of or that thal timo you y do not I Ii II I i I think It would bo well for you ou to con consult cont coni i I sult t Mr Locke Ho knows a great I I deal of or which you are aro 1 I Bo Be sure suro of this sir I shall not wait walt j I I until to enlighten Miss Brett cried Locko Locke his face faco I I with anger aDJer and chagrin Mr Locke lot us understand each I I other said Helena Helenn and wen oven Locke I felt feit that her decision was wag Irrevocable Mr Haddon IH is my m friend I refuse to believe him guilty of o dishonor much i lOos l ht fJ of deliberate crime I refuse and andI my mother mothel will refuse refuge to pross press any an I I charge chargo against him Moro More than that we wo trust him to holp holl us In Ia our dif die I Locke ke closed the face of his watch with a snap If I you ou havo have come to that decision ho he said with assumed carelessness s thero Is nothing more to be said If If I 1 can bo be of service to you you Y ii win will find mo me at tho the hotel at midnight as ae the th chivalrous Mr Haddon has sug aug gen tod We were alone But Heien was of or orno no mind to receive my thanks or m ray that I had been absolutely absolute I ignorant that Locke Locko or any other ther had been In the stairway Until 12 tonight she said Un 1 12 tonight I repeated I r lifted my 01 hat and and walked Co Coward o n oward ward the tho chateau CHAPTER Tho The Secret Staircase Wo trust him to help leli us in our dif dlf difficulties Those were tho the words Helena He ena had I spoken she sho trusted me who had been called coward to accomplish what the cleverest and bravest man must have hae hesitated at promising For ono one can cannot cannot not nol promise with reason to attempt successfully the unknown It was waG the tho vagueness of my mission that made It Il so 50 perplexing Ono One cannot tear apart lover 1001 from lover loer as one ono tears ears a piece of paper And yet If Sir Mortimer were we living and still enamored of his mistress I J had promised to attempt even cwm that If on tho the other hand Sir Mortimer were cre dead I was to essay a It duty even een more difficult to rescue his great name from dishonor Before midnight then there thero were two things to be accomplished I must know the truth from Madame ladame de IC concerning Sir Mortimer Brett Brell whether ho lie were vere living lIing or dead I must rescue Captain Forbes It was to be a double duel The first H l 1 t t v 1 If 1 j I II V j l j I I i l d I I I I Until Twelve ToNight She Said to be bo fought was Madame de do tho the weapons to bo be of her choosing cunning and wit the second Dr Star va 3 and he ho had already shown me mo what weapons he lie preferred To arm myself for my fight with him himI I supposed would be bo a simple matter But when I made inquiries for a gun gunsmiths gunsmiths smiths shop I learned to my m dismay that there was wan none In I Iwas Iwas Iwas was compelled to lo return to tho the cha clia chateau empty empt handed The terrace was deserted I crossed it tp to the castle walls I intend intended ed cd if I possible 11 to enter the hall unobserved unobserved served by br the little door under the winding staircase through which I had followed Dr I 1 looked cau cautiously Into tho the great groat room through one of tho the windows No Noone Noone one ono was about Once within the tho cha chateau chateau lia and tho the door locked I gained my room and rang ran the bell for the tho servant Jacques the tho lackey who had shown mo me to my m room tho the night be before before I fore foro answered the call It Il is 15 half past one I T cried impatiently Is Iii Madame de do not ready read for luncheon The man looked his surprise Luncheon has boon been waiting wailIng for your our Excellency I came carne to your our room some somo time ago but there thero was no an answer answer sV r when I knocked 1 I had been wandering about tho the chateau I replied carelessly So luncheon Is ready I hope hOlle 1 have havo not nol nolI kept I pt Madame do de waiting too long Madam begs to bo he excused Lunch Luncheon eon Is IE served for Dr and your yourself our self I 1 followed tho the man to tho the room where wo we 0 had od dined not at all pleased at the tho seclusion that she sho affected I Iwas Iwas Iwas was impatient for action Nearly Nearl 12 hours were to elapse before midnight but hut there thero was much to bo be done then thon And If she persisted In not no see sec seeing seeing I ing mo me 1 I wondered how I WUK vL to i my m presence pre ence on her In Irl the meanwhile I must attempt to learn I something of oC Captain Forbess ds tl cn n I lunched alone and well The ah lu luG G nce of Dr was only to lo Even so brazen a n villain maIn as ho lit would hesitate to meet mo with un unconcern unconcern Unconcern concern During the struggle in the porters lodge no word had been spoken by b eIther cither of us UP but certainly he could not have havo been Ignorant of my m identity any more moro than was I of his When we again met tact therefore It would be bo as avowed enemies Frankly I did not look 1001 forward to that meeting with pleasure The fate of or Captain Forbes pointed too obvious a n moral I had put myself m self deliberately in power by br my return to tho the I chateau If I 1 were unmolested it would bo 10 because my services were India Indis Indispensable I J I had lighted my mr cigarette Jacques was noiselessly gathering up tip tho lie I things 1 had bad determined to lo take lake him I into my in 10 confidence I believed it was he who had brought me mo the note I I suspected that he was not Ignorant of oC I my leaving the chateau Ho lIo had ac nc accepted accepted my m lU excuse too readily At any an rate 1 believed tho tIm fellow could bo be bribed I demanded carelessly And Aud Dr Stana Is 18 he too con confined confined fined to his room The Tho man shrugged his shoulders Evidently he held Dr DI Stana in no great greal consideration One knows know nothing of him h Ho is mysterious this Dr StAra I looked at al the man nina keenly The Tho adjective was significant Everything about this chateau is mysterious It seems to lo me mo I Ire re remarked remarked marked cheerfully Last night for Instance I could have havo sworn I heard tho tue th shout of one In distress Is ls It possible monsieur And dAnd when I retired I found a note on my pillow I J would give a n hundred francs to the man who shio placed it il there If I could find him Thero There is nothing too loo difficult to lo be discovered with wilh diligence d your our Excel Excellency Excellency lency he lie said softly his crafty eyes oyes cast down So you ou were tho the faithful faith fill messen messenger mess n ner ger er I took look out my 01 A little letter is a simple thing and aud since it was not sealed scaled I knew that madam would not object t Ho greedily on the notes that I had laid 1 on ou the table I Ah you ou aro are loyal to Madame ladame do doVa Va Very Vory loyal monsieur ho lie returned with perfect seriousness I r Intended to test this admirable loyalty I was forgetting Captain Forbes I proceeded cautiously Am I tho the only guest of the cha chia chateau I demanded toying to with the notes noles Thoro There Is Dr Stana as your our Excel Excellency Excellency lency lenc knows And he lie Is a man of mystery you Oll tell t 11 me mo I r suppose it not impossible lc that ho has his friends Friends he asked and he ho gave sae to the word a strange note of or uncertainly Did not nol one call on him last night just before I retired 1 I have havo understood so And Ii has come to the chateau as Dr own guest Certainly Dr friends havo have visited him hero occasionally The chateau is 16 ii so Immense that ono one would find Ond it difficult to be he sure suro that one knew tho the whereabouts of all Its rooms If I might take nice the liberty I should say sa that thal your Excellency would be ln n ii nt t In making an inspection of tho the chateau The Tho view from the tho tow towers towers towers ers Is It superb And these lowers towers aro arc readily ac accessible |