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Show QHumphs of Ok MJonqjaelle M h$ Melvtlle Davison Post & icm NEA Service, lnc THE MAN WITH STEEL FINGERS THE MAN WITH STEEL FINGERS. Tho great drawing room through which Monsieur Jonquejle advanced was empty. But It was not ullent. A vague music, like some weird conception of TachSlkowSky, seemed to feel about the room, extending Itaeif S thing that crept blindly and disturbed dis-turbed as though It would escape I from something that followed it tirelessly and 'nvlslbly. It required the fingers of a master, 1 on tho board of a keyed Instrument, to produce theso soundn They camo from the room beyond. a recond drawing room looking out on tho Bois do Boulogne Monsieur Jonrjulle had not allowed al-lowed the servant to announce him. "Ono Is not permitted to illstirb Ijord Valleys at thtu hour." the servant had said. Monsieur Jonquelle's card had added to the mans perplexity One waa also not permitted to deny an entrance, onywhere. at any hour to the Prefect of Police of Paris. The r.ian had made a hopeless westur.'. like one resigning himself to the inevitable-Monsieur Jonquelle, after the door had closed behind hlni. remained re-mained for some moments quite motionless mo-tionless In the eddy, as one might write It, of this Ftiange. weird DlUBic, 1 In which there was alwavs a not I of ruthless vigor a note of barbaric 1 vigor, harsh and determined. Monsieur Jonquelle could not place the music In any remembered composition com-position It was not the work of any master that he knew. Jt was an lm"-provlsjitlon lm"-provlsjitlon of the fingers that pro-' pro-' duced It, Presently he advanced into the room from which the music Issued He pjiused a moment In tbt- doorway watching the figure with white nimble f1nge- hard as mh Then tie spoke. "Your pardon, monsieur," said the I Prefect of Police. -j am desolated to disturb you." The man ot the piano sprang up; and turned swiftly as though his body accomplished the act with a slnglo motion TO the eye, the man was strange Ills shoulders were ;nrv broad and stooped: his face was wide massive --the f.ice of a Slav. His hair was thick, close and heavy, but It was not long, and affected no manner-' lams. The man war very careful l -lreH.se, l efter the English fashion and with Its well-bred restraint. But! the Impression hi cove one v.as de-oldedly de-oldedly not English, Tt was that of a Slav adapted to an English aspect. , The eyes one did not soe. One' I rarely saw th 'm. They seemed to be hidden by heavy lids like curtained cur-tained windows Asd there v.aa no expression ln the face. The f u ;e was j a mask. It bemed alwaya in repose re-pose The big nose, the square, brutal Jaw, and the wid-.- planes of the face, wore white ns with u sort of pallor.. Monsieur Jonquelle had a sudden, swift impression The man Ler.n.' him was either the greatest criminal or the greatest genius that he hadl ever seen. lonquello had also a further lm- I preaalon of caiiure. He had meant In atartb liH n::in observ.. wSinl j followod. Anil l;.- had startle. I him. but untrue to every experience, there was nothing to ODiervei The man's face remained without an expression; he. was behind it hidden from every Sys It w;ls a maK tnat could not I ue ih meed by the will of another. , Monsieur Jonquelle wondered in what 'manner It would change at the will i of the man that It so admirably ob-I ob-I ecured It was a thing ho was not I interested to discover. It was only for an instant that tho' man was without expression Then I be smiled and came forward Into thi room The amlle began with n queer Mining of tho hp and extended vague ly with but a slight changing or th- man'.i features EUs votce, whon he spoke, was low. ! well modulated and composed His 'manner was enav nnd er.irlons "Ah!" ho salit, 'It la Monsieur j Jonquelle the Prefect of Police of ! Paris. I am honored." Monsieur Jonquelle removed his gloves- he sat a moment twisting I them In his fingers like one In a eer- tain embarrassment, His host, also seated, regarded htm with the va-Uf 4mlle which appeared now as a sort of background on the mask of his face. The Prefect of Poll, hesitated "Monsieur." he said. "I have called upon you for an opinion upon a problem prob-lem which has always perplexed me Jt la a problem upon which the opinions of persons without experience experi-ence are wholly without value, ami unfortunately all those who hsve had experience and were, therefore able to give me an opinion, have been always al-ways persons lacking ln a certuln element of intelligence. I have not had the opinion of a man of Intelligence, Intelli-gence, who was also a man of experience, experi-ence, upon this problem." He paused. Tho man before him did not reply Ho waited as In a profound courtesy for Monsieur Jonquelle Jon-quelle to complete the subject with which he had opened his discourse. He had taken a small hair, and ho sat ln It as a man of greut strength and vigor and of an unusual bulk rests hie weight upon something which he s uncertain will support it Tie did not move. but the expression ex-pression in his fa- changed slightly. His eyebrows lifted as ln a courteous Inquiry. Monsieur Jonquelle went on. Ho seemed not entirely at ease. "T shall not pretend at Irnorance of your affairs, monsieur The law-courts law-courts of England are brutal and divert They have no consideration fop anyone, and the press of (ose Islands has a less restraint "When one is charged with a crime Ul r.il,mn'i, .Jim I..IIOH3 IIHO 118 I OUllS. no humiliation is neglected That one Is Innocent moans nothing: thnt this Inoi i nee Is presently demonstrated flow not prepf-ri-o ono. In the event precoedlng such a verdict, from every imaginable humiliation." Monsieur Jonquollo continued to hosITate. But he went on. Monsieur," he bald, out of this unfortunate un-fortunate experience you will have .orne, I feel, with a certain opinion upon tho problem which disturbs nie And 1 am sure, monsieur, you will not dftnv me the benefit of that opinion Tho 1'rerect of Police looked up llko ono who wlih hesitation Fequests a favor from annthsr. Iord Valleys replied Immediately. 1 thall bo vory glad to giv you ny opinion upon ony point In fh.-matter," fh.-matter," ho aald. ' Huroly I huve been spared little. I have hail every "ipertonce of humiliation, The criminal crim-inal law of England Ih s bungling and cruel device. Those v. hu find thamselvuH concerned with It, r profoundly pro-foundly pity, "There is no consideration of fam-j ily or culture that In any way mitt-j ftatu its severity or in any illrcotlon prbtorveu una from odium, onco the. machinery of a criminal oourr of England Is on Its way. The expnrl-meo expnrl-meo of It Is a horror to me, monnlour; but if it can result ln any benefit to you or to another, I am' willing to rooaTl it. What Is the problem. mon- siour, upon whliih you would have ny opinion?'' "H Is th!9, monslt-ur," replied the Prefect o? Poflee, 'Is it your con ilusloii, upon (bis Mxperii-nco of life, I :hat there is a Pifidenee t Oou that undfrtakoa to adjust the affairs of mankind to assist tho helpHSb and to acquit, the Innocent or do you hoiiovp that it Is the Intelligent of man that ac omplishoa this result? re-sult? . . . What la it. monsieur, that moves behind the machinery of the world chance, luck, fortune or some sort of Providence " Lord Valleys teemed to reflect i wh lie the Profoct of Police was speaking;, speak-ing;, and he now replied with little hesitation. "Chance, monsieur." he raid. " Is unquestionably the greatest and most The .Man ot the Piano Sprang i p aud Turned swirtiy. mysterious factor In all human affairs, af-fairs, but it Is modified and diverted' bv the human will. . . . Human intelligence, in-telligence, monsieur, and chance are; the two factors." The Prefect of Police continued to1 look down at his hands. ' T have been of a different opinion,' Txrd Valleys.' he said "I think there Is an Intention behind events, a sort of will to Justice, to righteousness, as one has said It Is not rhann rn -eve usually define the word, und the hu-man hu-man will cannot circumvent It It Is strange. a 1 soe !t. i,ord Valleys' i "This thing we call human Intelli gence seems to he able to aid. to assist, to advance the vague. Immense perslctent impulse behind events, and to delay and to disturb It but not ultimately ul-timately to defeat it. "Take tho extraordinarv events that have happened to you. lrd Valleys, and tell me, if you can. how they could have arrived by chance' Tour uncle. Lord' Wlnton. f-rnk the title Hnd the whole properties of vour family by the accident of birth Your father, the Becond wn. having no title und no fortune, entered the diplomats service and was allotted to one of the little courts of southeastern south-eastern Ruvopo. Ho married - qui mother there, and you were bom nnd grew up In tho atmosph.--. of '-rh1a. "There waa little chance that you' 'would ev-r huvit fortune o,- tlti j Txrd Wlnton hu-1 two eons on of I thorn married an American; the other romalned unmarried, There were three lives betwoen you and this title onn Its Immense e.staten In Eng land. . , . What chance wn8 thcr monsieur, that thyo persona should he removed und the ben'!tM 'loji-e.n.1 to you?" Th paused. "But they w-ru removed, mor.eleur. and the benefit have descended The war appeared. Both ioiu of Lord-' Wlnton lost their lives ln It- Lord Wlnton Is himself murdered; and you i eme monsieur. from a pnupered king- i dom of aouth eastern Europe to be I peer of England with an immense' estate Even tho Amorloan grand daughter of Ixird Wint-.n takes noth uik under this exiraordlnary EnirlUh; law of ontttU. Would you 011 tva lord Valleys found no difficulty at all with the inquiry. He replied directly. bfoneleur," he said, "it was all 'clearly chance except the murder of Lord Wlnton. That was, of course, 1 design " Vnoth r Installment fu this thrilling thrill-ing detective story will nppenr In our next Issue. 00 |