| Show i I II I II I It t H I II I i l j I N CHAPTER I Open the th Safe Sf It It fA I true she BhO murmured It Is la I truo ruo and too horrible Do Do not I sald obstinate obstinately I ly y It is i U Can Con Can ono deny a n fact tact Am I a child chUd 4 eo o be bo solaced with smooth words I II I hare soon seen I must bellove bell eye though God GodI knows tho the truth makes mo me wish a hun hunI I I times that I lay beside my poor disgraced brother i t It Is always painful to see sea eo one ono whom I T L we respect the prey of ot an emotion un uncontrolled unIt Unu u I controlled It was doubly for forme forme 1 me to eco oco this strong woman whoso 1 i dominant quality was courage and 1 calm writhe under the blow that de do deprived 1 her for tor tho the moment of all IL i to think coherently I dared fl tot not ol tell her my belief that I hold bold tho the thol combination of ot tho safe and that be before beI I l fore many minutes were passed I II might have the papers In my posses possession I sion elan I i i j The woman oman who tortured us both haul I tood at tho the threshold of tho little room oom Helena had Just lust loft a malaya malevolent lent Jent figure guro In her hour of oC triumph I I tAft lAn I looked toward her tempted to ex cx expel pel pol Ol her hor brutally from that room and If Jr I my ny surmise was false to force from rota her ber oven by violence If it necessary tho combination of the safe ate she with withdrew I drew draw hastily leaving Helena and my m l solf Sol alone alono It was then that I feared I the tho worst Sho had appealed to Hel Hal Helena Helena HalI I ena ena na Sho She was confident confidant of her suc cess coss cossI I 1 j I Still I hold hands tightly In inI mine nine I r wished to give back bacle to her hor boror herp I p hor or poise her bor calm courage Mr Haddon sho she whispered pres presently presently I I nUy do you think Is It Jt possible I to do this thin thing thIns I It Is IE possible but It would bo be the thep tact of ot o a madman and a liar I said p gon gently I J You say sa It Is possible She Sho with withdrew withdrew I drew her ber hands almost roughly Her Hor was monotonous and harsh I Then you will save sao us mother and myself from Croci this deep deop disgrace I There Thoro is no service that I would I not Hot do for tor you ou Miss MIBs Brett that would bring you peace pence and happiness I Peace Happiness she Ahe interrupt interrupted ed e with fierce fi remonstrance I do donot donot doI I t not not look Jook for tor peace or happiness Hon Honor or Cr Itself and tho the motto of or the tho Bretts Is Js Honor My Sword can no longer longert t ho be our proud boast banaL But If It silence can be bo purchased it must bo boo I daro dare not r let Jet my brothers name be bo held In re ro reproach reproach roI I I 1 dare not I cannot for tor his mothers sake let et It bo be known that ho hohas hohas 1 T t has beon been false to lo England II 4 We Wo may yet save him if IC I Yes she broke In with a n strange exultancy that was even oven more dread dreadful I 1 ful Cui to me mo than her despair and It is isyou Isyou you fOU whom I have hao despised that Is to pave avo us A life lICe for Cor a life those were the words I said to you at Lucerne I t Now It Is to be dishonor for dishonor I 1 am asking you y a terrible sacrifice I Iam Iam It t am dragging you with me mo to tho the thet t depths But there is no other to help US Say that you will I Your grief you jou ou of oC your our rea ran ranI Eon on I 1 said gently Escape is not nol to tobe tobe toI I I be found in that way It is the last hope of a desperate and unscrupulous adventuress who has herself little g hope of success It Is her last lust card cardi i and she will lose nothing by playing Jt t 1 But wt w you OU and I wo risk every evory r th In a I I Ah Ak Ah you refuse refuGe You ou aro are afraid of oC r the risks I might have known you 1 would be afraid That woman said that it Jt was hopeless to ask a service I 1 00 po o heroic hernia from one who was a proven I Oh Ob forgive me I 1 did not mean to I cay that I Miss Brett I think there thero is no gi grace I would not gladly endure to toj j help you I swore to rescue your yourS our S brothers honor If it were possible If H I 1 could do so now though I sacrificed j myself I tell you I would More lIlore than I i i I that though every ever instinct tells me mo meI j I I I that I should fall fail I will do what you I 1 ask even now i Heaven bless bleBs youl yoU I She Sho cried I 1 k brokenly i I But first of ot all aU I want you to realize I clearly just Juet what you are asking I II I want you to be quito quite sure suro that you are I not adding dishonor to th dishonor in i I asking me to do this thing No it Is 18 i not that I am afraid I 1 have hae not that i kind of oC a fear tear But I 1 think that neither t i of ot us should be bo so BO cowardly as to yield I I to ito o this womans demands t In the tho ora oratory tory yonder lies your brother Ask w when you see him If It it is 18 I merely barely the merciful hand of bf death that I S i has hai smoothed his forehead or whether the calm and serenity is that of ot a 0 man ma n nI ii who held tho motto of ot his house Hon Honor Honl i l i I I or My Sword i I I I j This appeal was wan perhaps not wholly 4 f I i I I sincere One cannot deny facts bo boo Ii J caUBO one wishes to It still seemed I I I to th me that It Jt must be truo that Sir I I 1 was wa proven guilty of ot taking J t T bribes c I I Nor did I dare daro toll tell Helena now of oC my wild conjecture I dared not raise ralso ber her hopes at lt tho the risk riak of ot a speedy dis disillusionment I Once tho the papers were I I I in n my possession together we wo could I I defy Madame do de And If dis die disappointment disappointment I appointment was to be mine I hoped I I that by tho bier of ot her brother Helena 1 would recover her courage and clear vision Again I was vas alone atone But Madame M damo dc dei who had awaited the result rosult of oC intercession to toward toward ward me rot f aw W with willi a thrill of thank thankfulness that tho door of the room of tho the safe cafe was not closed You Vou told mo ma that It would be bo for her to decide sho she said confidently I know that she has decided And I your own decision Does Docs your reso resolution resolution lution falter faltor You are mistaken I began to pace the floor with rapid steps ad advancing nearer and nearer to the room of oC the safe She has not yet et do de decided I believe with all my heart that sho she will refuse She Is 15 In your our oratory orator there thore Sho She will gain aln strength from the presence of the tho dead to defy you Perhaps sneered the tho woman Sho She seated herself near noar the tho table slightly turned from the tho room she had loft left An Instant and I had bad gained it t and drawn the tho bolt Another and I 1 was on my m knees my fingers tremblingly whirling about the tho shining surface of ot the little knob that controlled the com corn combination combInation COWARD I whirled It this way and that thon pulled at the tho handle It resisted my efforts A cold per perspiration perspiration broke out on my forehead I had been a victim of ot my own madness But again I moved tho the knob this time slowly with infinite care caro with tho the calmness that comes with despair I c A II L A S COWARD I heard the woman without call caB my mr name In a frenzy of rago rage her hor hands beating against the thc door Once more I turned the handle It yielded to my mj touch The safe saCe was open I 1 saw no papers of any sort In tho the large compartment It was empty with the exception of oC a Jewel case caso J I slipped out a drawer tho the only ono one In Inthe inthe I the safe sao Two T o packets were there I seized them greedily I was about to Open p n them whoa when a shadow foil across the room There was a light step behind me I 1 looked up the pa po pop papers pors pers p rs In my hand Captain Forbes was standing by bj my side He had made mado his entrance through tho open window evening Sir Mortimer I rose to my mj feet staring at him stupefied I am sorry If It mj my abrupt and un unceremonious unceremonIous unceremonious ceremonious entrance has alarmed you ou he said mockingly and regarded mo me with a cold smile You have havo managed to escape I stammered Exactly jand and I 1 hope I do not in inconvenience convenience you With your permission sion sIan sir I 1 will withdraw the bolt This little room reminds me too well of the theono theono theone ono one I have bave Just left It Ills is too loo cramped for tor mj my taste I Ho brushed brush d by me brusquely and I drew the bolt I thrust the tho papers in ray my breast pocket With oue one motion I closed tho the safe softly and turned the tho knob CHAPTER CHAP A Trapped Tr Captain Forbes passed Into tho the larger room I followed him slowly Ah bettor ho sighed Now sardonic 1 I am among amons friends Ills smile took In hi h do and an myself who had not yet ret recovered from our astonishment Indeed it was wan rather embarrass embarrassment mont ment that held mo mu speechless Pres Pros Presently Presently enthy ho would know that It Il was not Dot Sir Mortimer whom he ha had surprised at nt the safe And knowing that it was Inevitable that ho he mistake me for or one ODe of oC tho the conspirators First of at all nil ut at I had taken dispatches from his hand baud Had I Indeed boon been really under tho the Influence of or an opiate I might have urged that as the tho reason I could have hae said that 1 I was not con conscious of oC any deception I was waa simply a U victim of Dr and Madame do and not responsible for my m acts But not only had I not Dot taken the tho opiate but Madame de do knew that I had not and oven had I wished to tell the tho lie He she would have ba C contra contradicted contradicted me tao And now no he had caught mo red handed banded at tho tito safe He would draw his conclusions swiftly swim It would be bo absurd to suppose that I should know the combination of oC the safe Bale merely merel as Madame de do guest A hostess does not vouchsafe to her bar guest the key ke of her strong box boc If I 1 were ware not Sir Mortimer I must be In league longue with Madame de dc arnier and Dr That was the conclusion he lie must ar nr arrive arrivo rive rivo at To tell him the absolute truth that by ono chance out of ot ten tea thou thousand thousand thousand sand I had stumbled on tho the combination tion would only deepen his conviction lion Ion as ns to my guilt And Helena What would sho she think Would her faith in me be so strong that she sho would bellevo me Had Captain Forbes not surprised me meat ment meat at nt this moment my mr guessing of oC the rid riddle riddie riddie die dle of the tho safe sate would have havo seemed miraculous indeed but the fact that I had the tho papers and could place them In her hands to bo be destroyed would support my mr story readily enough But I dare not give to hor her those these papers before beloro Captain Forbes and Madame de It seemed to me mo that the kings messenger of all per J sons must not know of oC Sir Mortimers guilt For though the papers the tho proof was as in Ia our possession the tho fact remained And Aud if Captain Forbes knew Ime that I was not Sir Mortimer Mortimor Brett but an Impostor would life lie b not demand those thoo papers pa lers And having ha Ing them would ho he not read thorn And Madame do To ro what extremes would she not go In her herrage herrage herrage rage Now Kow she believed that In some somo someway someway way 1 I had beon been cognizant of or Captain Forbes escape and had bad gono gone to the room containing the lie safe safo to give him I assistance But when sue site knew as she must presently that I had bad taken taIa the papers from train tho the safe I could not doubt that she Bho would not submit meek meekly ly Ir Sho She would have her revenge both bothon bothon on Helena and on myself She Sho would Insist on tolling telling Captain Forbes of Sir j I Mortimers guilt He would demand from Crom me mo the pa papers papers papers pers and my mj cleverness would have gone one for nothing For the mind of Forbes moved In an channel Duty Dut to him was a n soldiers first Im lot Impulse pulse In doing what he thought his duty ho he would all Not Hel ITel enas tears nor my own entreaties would prevent him Wm from hurrying back to Downing street with tho the proofs of Sir Moi Mortimers timers guilt gunt guntor For or some seconds after alter we wo had reached tho the largo large anteroom the tho three of us Stool stood lIke so many man wax figures Each of or us had ample reason to feel Ill III at ease I have tho the honor to report to your our Excellency said Forbes at al length In Ina Ina ina a voice that lint was admirably controlled despite his Indignation that tho thio sec second end ond dispatch a dispatch of profound Importance as I warned your our Excel Excellency honey lency at was stolen from me last night May I express tho the hope that your our Excellency has han received It itT No I said calmly It wan ivan time to put an end ond to this game of oC poses Then possibly madam can enlighten I you as to Its lt whereabouts I your Excellency Etc Oh no She Sho swept mo me a mocking courtesy courtes I am amnot am amnot amnot not so 50 deeply in your counsel My patience Sir Mortimer cried Forbes breaking into direct speech has its limits I BOO sc you OU at Lucerne Lucerno only with the greatest difficulty I warn you of oC the tho grave rao purport of of a dispatch which I am to deliver to you OU because of oC your condition The Tho next morning when I would woul see you you rou have hue disappeared again I trace you hero here with difficulty When for Cor the third time I attempt to deliver this dispatch I am arn held captive the dis dispatch patch Is 18 forcibly taken from rein me When I 1 ask you ou If It you OU have received r It you give me mo an Indifferent answer I daro dare not believe bellevo that you are aro so 80 far lost to your sense ense of duty that you rou counte count countenance nance mince these theDe violent acts of a II bandit But I must insist He Ho paused abruptly I thought It because he realized that his anger had carried him too far tar But when w I looked where ho he looked I saw Helena Holena Brott Brett Miss Mss Brett Brettl he ho exclaimed In pained surprise I am sorry to see you here And I am Infinitely relieved though bewildered to find you Captain Forbes She extended him her hand smiling wanly But you will help me rae to malta make your brother realize tho ho danger of further misunderstanding he said gently his anger ancer at my Indifference vanishing at I sight of oC her pale palo and haggard counte countenance countenance nance My h brother Captain Forbes Is dead He lies in that room she sho an answered answered answered firmly though her lips trem tram trembled trembled bled She had made her decision Sho She too was determined at all hazards not notto notto notto to act a lie Ho lieAs lieAs As for Captain Forbes he be was dumb with astonishment His eyes oes widened with dismay and concern But though he ho did not speak his startled glance dwelt on mo me Ir Haddon is my mj loyal Inane said Helena Interpreting his look At Atthe Atthe the tho same Bame time she reassured me with witha a quiet smile that more than her words expressed express d hor her trust trustA trustA A slow flush of angor anger mounted to tho the temples of the kings messenger He Ho H towered over me menacingly You have havo dared tamper with his business you ou have tricked ono one of his servants By Heaven you ou will rue It dearly Captain Forbes II Helena laid her hor hand on his sleeve in her distress Madam II He lie turned on her In Indignantly Indignantly This man has deliberate deliberato deliberately ly Iy passed himself off ore as your brother He tricked me Into tate |
