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Show We QMS 5PY The Nys i cry of a Silent I,o vg Chevalier WILLIAM LI QIJIUX (J AUTHOR of "THE CLOSED BOOK," ETC- ILLUSTRATIONS C-D-RriODD,M j COPrXIGO- BY rC SMART SET PLI&LliMXj CO V5?"V W W W W SYNOPSIS. -12- ! Gordon Cree::?. dining aboard with Horn-ny, Horn-ny, the yacht Lola's owner, accidentally s-ea a torn photograph of a younir girl, i That night the consul's safe is robbed. The p-.iioe find that Hornby is a fraud And the Lola's name a false one. In lxindo.n Gr.-gg ts trapped nearlv to his leath by a former servant. Olip.to. Visiting Visit-ing in Dumfries Gregg meets Muriel ! l-elthoourt. Hnrntiv appears and Muriel introduce him as Slartin WocxirotTe. her rallit-r's friend. Gregg sees a copy of the ;orn pinittigraph on the Lola and rinds that the your.g girl is Murit I s friend oodrorTe d.sappears. Gregg discovers the body of a niuruered woman in Kan-noeh Kan-noeh wood. The bodv disappears and in Us place is found the b..dv of Ollnto. Muriel and Gregg search Rannoch wood together, and find the bedv of Armida. "linlo's wife When the police go to the wood the body has disappeared. In London Lon-don Gregg meets Olinto. alive and well. Gregg traces the voung girl of the torn phoR.graph. and finds that she Is Elrna Heath. r,e.e of Baron Oberg. who has taken her to Abo. Finland, and that she houts a secret affecting WoodrorTe. On j Is return to Rannoch Gregg finds th. '.ehheouns fled from Hyllon dialer, wile had called there. He goes to Abo. and after a tilt with the police chief, is conducted con-ducted to Kajana. where he finds Elma. mpr:soned. A surgical operation has made 'jfr deaf and dumb. He escapes wit'n her Pursuers overtaking them. F.lma esear.es Into the forest and Gregg is taken to Abo CHAPTER XII Continued. "The prisoner, your excellency, de sired to be brought here to you be fore being taken to Helsingfors. He s?.id you would be aware of the facts.' 'And so I am," remarked Boransk: with a smile. "There is no conspiracy ou must at once release this gentle man and the other two prisoners." "But. excellency, the governor gen eral has issued orders for the prison er's arrest and deportation to Helsing fors." "That may be. But I am chief m police in Abo, and 1 release him." The officer looker! at me in such blank astonishment that I could not resist smiling. "I em well aware of the reason o; this Englishman's visit to the North," added Eeranski. "More need not be said. Ka the lady been arrested?" "No, your excellency. Every effort is being made to find her. Colonel Smirnoff has already been relieved of his pest as governor cf Kajana. and many of the guards are under arrest for complicity in the plot to allow the woman to escape." "Ah. yes. I see from the dispatches that a reward is offered for her re-rapture." re-rapture." "The governor general is deter-mined deter-mined that she shall not escape," remarked re-marked the other. "She is probably hidden in the for' est. somewhere or other." "Of course. They are making a thorough thor-ough search over every verst of it If she is there, the will most certainly b found." "No doubt," remarked Boranskl. Wirrte back in his padded chair and iookn.g at me meaningly across the litters lit-ters u table. "And now I wish to speak to this Englishman privately, so please leave us. Also inform the other two prisoners that they are at liberty." "But your excellency does this upon bis own responsibility," he said anxiously. anx-iously. "Remember that I brought them to you under arrest." "And I release them entirely at my own discretion," he said. "As chief of police of this province. I am permitted per-mitted to use my jurisdiction, and 1 exercise it in this matter. You are at liberty to report that at Flelsing fors, if you so desire, but I should sug pest that you say nothing unless absolutely ab-solutely obliged you understand?" The manner in which Boranski spoke apparently decided my captor, for after a moment's hesitation he taid. saluting: "If that is really your wish, then I will obey." ALd he left. "Ex'-ellency!" exclaimed the chief of polite, rising quickly and walking towards me as soon as the door was closed and we were alone, "you have had a very narrow escape very. 1 did my best to assist you. 1 succeeded in bribing the water guards at Kaj.iiia in order that you might secure the lady's release. But it seems that Just at the very moment when you were abort to g"t away one of the guard? turned informer and roused the governor gov-ernor of ; lie castle, with the result that you all three nearly lost your l;ves The whole matter has been reported re-ported to me officially, and." he added with a etim smile, "my men are now tea robing everywhere for von." "But why Is Baron Oberg so ex trctiieh anxious to recapture .Miss Heath?" I asked arnf-stly. "I have no idea." was his reply TV" ferret order from Helsingfors to e aie to arrest her at all haz ;: lis -Mi', o or dead "' ' V.'h.tii means that, the baron would not regret If she were dead." 1 remarked, re-marked, in response to which he nod ded in II. e affirmaihe. 1 Mid him of the faithful services of Felix, the ritilaii'lor. whereupon he mil simply: "1 told you that you in I it tit trust him Implicitly." "But now that you have shown your-telf your-telf my friend," I said, "you will an fnt Mint Heath to escape tliiH man. v. ho desires to hold her prisoner In that awful pbee? They are driving her n.cl." I wlil do my bt-r.t," he answered, but thoklng bin b;ad dubiously. "But you must recollect that Baron Oberg is governor general of Finland, with all the powers of the czar himself." "And if Elma Heath again falls into his unscrupulous hands, she will die," 1 declared. "Ah!" tie sighed. looking me straight In the face, "I swear that w hat you say is only too true. She evidently evi-dently holds some secret which he fears she will reveal. He wishes to rearrest her in order well " he added in a low tone, "in order to close her lips. It would not be the first' time that ersons have been silenced in secret at Kajana. Many fatal accidents acci-dents take place in that fortress, you know." CHAPTER XIII. 'The Strangler." Where was Elma? What was the cause of her inexplicable disappearance disappear-ance into the gloomy forest while we had slept? 1 returned to the hotel where I had stayed on my arrival, a comfortable place called the Phoenix, and lunched :here alone. Both Felix, the Finn, ind my host, the wood cutter, had re-eived re-eived their douceurs and left, but to he last-named I had given instruc-ions instruc-ions to return home at once and re-ort re-ort by telegraph any new s of my lost ne. A thousand convicting thoughts -.rose within me as 1 sat in that crowd-d crowd-d salle a manger filled with a gobbling gob-bling crowd of the commercial men of bo. I had. I recognized, now to deal vith the most powerful man in that country, and 1 suffered a distinct disadvantage dis-advantage by being in ignorance of ti e reason he held that sweet English air! a prisoner. The tragedy of the dastardly manner in which she had been willfully maimed caused my blood to boil within me. I had never believed that in this civilized twentieth twen-tieth century such things could be. ' Why she had disappeared without warning I was at loss to imagine, yet I could only surmise that her flight i had been compulsory. Another very ! curious feature in the affair was the j sudden manner in which Michael Boranski Bo-ranski had exacted his' power and in- f.uence in order to render me that service. j There was, I felt convinced, some hidden motive In all that sudden and ! marked friendliness. That he really hated the English I had seen plainly i w hen we had first met, and I had only I compelled him to serve me by present-I present-I ing the order signed by the emperor, which made me his guest within the Russian dominions. Even that document docu-ment did not account for the length he had gone to secure the release of j the woman I now loved in secret. , 1 eould not bring myself to leave j Finland, and allow Elma to fall into the clutches of that high official who so persistently sought her end. No. 1 1 would go to him and face him. I was anxious to see what manner of man was "The Strangler of Finland." That same evening I left Abo, and traveled by rail to Helsingfors. At noon I descended from a drosky lii.f,-iro 9 lonp ernv maoiivo hiii'Mint. over the big doorway of which was a large escutcheon bearing the Russian arms emblazoned in gold, and on entering en-tering where a sentry stood on either aide, a colossal concierge in livery of bright blue and gold came forward to meet me. Following bis directions, I crossed a great, bare courtyard, and. ascending ascend-ing a wide stone staircase, was confront, con-front, d by a sen ant, who took my card to Colonel Luganski. who he informed in-formed me was the baron's private secretary. After ten mlniit-s or so the man returned, sa ving : "The colonel will see you if you will please step this way." and conducted me into the richly furnished private apartments of the palace, across a treat hall filled with fine paintings, and thorn up a long, thickly carpeted passage io a small, elegant room, v here a tall, baldheaded man In military mil-itary uniform stood awaiting me. j "Your name Is M'sieur Grgg," he j exclaimed in very good French, "and 11 undi i hi and you desire audience of his excellency, the governor general j I retrret, however, that be never gives I audience to strangers." "The matter upon which 1 desire lo see his c xcclleney is of a purely private pri-vate bihI confidential na'.ure." 1 said. , for. used as I was to the ways of foreign for-eign officialdom, I spoke with the same j firm courtesy as himself. "If I write the nature of my business busi-ness and Inclose It In an envelope, will you then take it to him?" 1 suggested. He hesitated for a short time, twlnt-itig twlnt-itig his mustache, and then replied with great reluctance: "Well, If you are so determined, you may write your business upon your card." I therefore took out one, and on the back In French: "To give Information regarding Miss F.lma Heath." Kinging a bell, he handed It to the rootman who appeared. The response came in a few minutes. "His excellency will give audience to the English m'sleu." The apartment of the governor general gen-eral was splendidly decorated, and In the center of the parquet floor, with his back to the light, was the thin, wiry figure of an elderly man in a funereal frock coat, in the lapel of which showed the red and yellow ribbon rib-bon of the Order of St. Anne. His hands were behind his back, and he stood purposely in such a position that , when 1 entered I could not at first I see his face against the strong, gray j light behind. But when the footman had bowed and retired and we were alone, he lurneu sngntiy, ana i men saw mat his bony face, with high cheek bones, slight gray side whiskers, hard mouth and black eyes set closely together, was of one who could act w ithout any compunction and without regret. Truly one would not be surprised at any cruel, dastardly action of a man with such a face the face of an oppressor. op-pressor. "Well?" he snapped in French In a high-pitched voice. "You want to see me concerning that mad English girl? What picturesque lies do you intend to tell me concerning her?" "1 have no intention oi telling any untruths concerning her." was my quick response, as 1 faced him unflinchingly. un-flinchingly. "She has told me sufficient suffi-cient to " His eyes met mine, and I saw by his drawn face and narrow brows that my words were causing him the utmost i consternation. My object was to make j him be!ieve that 1 knew more than I j really did to hold him in fear, in fact "Perhaps the man whom some know ! as Hornby, or Y oodrorTe, could tell ' an interesting story." I went on. "He will, no doubt, when he meets Elma Heath, a'nd finds the terrible affliction of which she has been the victim." His thin, bony countenance was bloodless, his mouth twitched and bis gray brows contracted quickly. "I haven't the least idea what you mean, my dear sir," he stammered. "All that you say is entirely enigmat-! enigmat-! ical to me. What have I to do with , this mad Englishwoman's affairs?" i "Only that you kntw her. Remem-ber. Remem-ber. baron, that your secret is mine." ; I said in a clear voice full of meaning "Very well. You know better thau myself," he laughed. "T) offense for J which she was condemned to confine- He Turned Slightly. I Then Saw His Bony Face. merit in a fortress was the attempted assassination of Madame VakurofT, ' wife of the general commanding the ! Cleaborg military division." ' "Assassination!" I said. "Have you j actually sent her to prison as a murderess?" mur-deress?" "I have not. The criminal court of Abo did so," he said dryly. "The of-J of-J fense has since been proved to have I been the outcome of a political conspiracy, con-spiracy, and the minister of the Interior Inte-rior in Petersburg last week signed an order for the prisoner's transportation to the island of Saghalien." "Ah!" I remarked with set teeth "Because you fear lest she shall w rite down your secret." "You are insulting! You evidently i do not know what you are saying." he j exclaimed resentfully, j "1 know what 1 am saying quite j well. You have requested her removal I to Saghalien In order that the truth shall never be known. But. Baron Oberg," I added with mock politeness, "you may do as vou will, you may send Elma Heath to her grave, you may hold me prisoner if you dare, but fhere are still witnesses of your crime that will rise against you." In an instant he went ghastly pale and I knew that my shot had struck its mark. The man heTore me was guilty of some crime, but what it was only Elma herself could tell. "I merely wish to impress upon you the fact that I have not the slightest interest wbalsoevcr In the person In question," he said coldly. "You seem to have formed some romantic attachment attach-ment towards this young woman who utlempfeil to poison Madame Vaku rofT, and to have succeeded In rescuing rescu-ing her from Kajana You afterwards disregard the fact that you are liable to a long term of iniprisoiin:""t yourself, your-self, ami actually have the audacity to seek audience of me and make all aorta of hints and suggest ions that I have held the woman a prisoner for my own ends!" "Not only do 1 repeat that. Baron Oberg," 1 said quickly. "But 1 also allege that it was at your Instigation that In Siena the operation was performed per-formed upon the unfortunate girl which deprived her of speech and hearing." He laughed again, but uneasily, a forced laugh, and leaned against the edge of the big writing table near the window. "Well, what next?" he inquired, pretending pre-tending to be interested in my allegations. allega-tions. "What do you want of me?" "I desire you to give Mademoi selle Heath her complete freedom," I said "But her future is not in my hands. The minister in Petersburg has decreed de-creed her removal to Saghalien as a person dangerous to the state." "Y"ou have posed in England as the uncle of Elma Heath, and yet you here hold her a prisoner. For what reason?" I demanded. "She is held prisoner by the state for conspiracy against Russian rule not by herself personally." "Who enticed her here? Why, you, yourself. Who conspired to throw the guilt of this attempted murder of the general's wife upon her? 'ou you. the man whom they call 'The Strangler Stran-gler of Finland!" But I will avenge the cruel and abominable affliction you have placed upon her. Her secret se-cret your secret. Baron Oberg shall be published to the world. You are her enemy and therefore mine!" "Very well." he growled between : his teeth, advancing towards me I thi-eateninglv. his fists clenched in his rage. "Recollect, m'sieur, that you have Insulted me. Recollect that I am governor general of Finland." "If you were czar himself, I should not hesitate to denounce you as the tyrant and mutilator of a poor, defenseless de-fenseless woman." "And to whom, pray, will you tell j this romantic story of yours?"' he i lauehed hoarsely. "To your prison ' walls below the lake of Kajana? Y'es, M'sieur Gregg, you will go there, and ! once within the fortress you shall never again see the light of day. You I threaten me the governor general of i Finland!" he laughed in a strange. ! high-pitched key as he threw him-! him-! self into a chair and scribbled something some-thing rapidly upon paper, appending tllS Slguaiuie iu ilia email, ciauueu handwriting. "I do not threaten," I said in open defiance. "1 shall act." "And so shall I." he said with an : evil grin upon his bony face as he blotted what he had written and took it up. adding: "In the darkness and silence of your living tomb you can tell whatever strange stories you like concerning me. They are used to idiots where you are going." he added grimly. "Oh! And where am I going?" "Back to Kajana. This ordej- con signs you to confinement there as a dangerous political conspirator, as one who has threatened me it consigns you to the cells below the lake for life!" I laughed aloud, and my hand sought my wallet, wherein was that all-powerful document the order of the emperor em-peror which gave me, as an imperial guest, immunity from arrest. I would , produce it as my trump card. Next second, however, I held my : breath, and I think 1 must have turned 1 pale. My pocket was empty! My wallet had been stolen! Entirely and helplessly I had fallen into the hands : of the tyrant of the czar. We faced each other, and I looked 1 straight into his gray, bony face, and I answered in a tone of defiance: "Ah! you surely do not think that 1. after ten years' service in the British diplomatic service, would dare to come to Finland upon this quest would dare to face the rotten and corrupt officia Itloni which Russia has placed within this country without first tak ing some adequate precaution? No. I baron. Therefore 1 defy you. and I I leave Helsingfors tonight." ; "You will not. You are unoVr r rest." I I laughed heartily and snapped mv I fingers, saying: "Before you give me j over to your police, first telegraph to i your minister of finance. Monsieur de Wine and inquire of him who and what 1 am." "I don't understand you." "Y'ou have merely to send my name and description to the minister and ask for a reply," I said. "He will give you Instructions or. if ou so desire ask his majesty yourself." "And why. pray, docs his majesn concern himself about you?" he asked, at once puzzled. "Y'ou will learn later, after I air. confined in Kajann and your secret Is j known in Petersburg." I "What do you mean?" "I mean," I said. "1 mean that 1 have taken all the necessary steps to be forearmed against you. The day I am incarcerated by your order the whole truth will be known I shall not be ; the sufferer- but you will." j My words, purposely enigmatical. ; mitled him. lie saw (he drift of my j argument, and being of course una i ware of how much I knew, he was still In fear of me. My only uncertainty was of the actual fale of poor Elma My wallet had been stolen with a purpose, without a doubt for the thief bad deprived me of that most Im portnnt of all documents, the open sesame to every closed door, the ukase of the czar. "You defy me!" hp said hoarsely, turning l"'"k ' ",! wlruirivp with the written order for my imprisonment as a political still In bis hand. "But we shall see." "You rule Finland," I said in a hard tone, "but you have no power over Cordon Gregg. " "I have power, and intend to exert it." "For your own ruin," I remarked with a self-confident smile. "The czar mav be your patron, and you his favorite, fa-vorite, but his majesty has no tolerance toler-ance of officials who are entity of what you are guilty of. You talk of arresting me!" I added with a smile. "Why, you ought rather to go on your knees nd beg my silence," He went white with rage at my cutting cut-ting sarcasm. He literally boiled over, for he saw that I was quite cool and had no fear of him or of the terrible punishment to which he Intended to consign me. Besides which, he was filled with wonder regarding the exact amount of information which Elma had imparted to me. "Arrest me if you like. Denounce , me by means of any He that arises to , your lips, but remember that the truth j is known beyond the confines of the ; Russian empire, and for that reason traces will be sought of me and full , explanation demanded. I have taken precaution, Xavier Oberg," 1 added. "therefore do your worst. I repeat . again that I defy you!" I He paced the big room, his thin, j clawlike hands still clenched, his yel- j low teeth grinding, his dark, deep-set j eyes fixed straight before him. If he ! had dared he would have struck me j down at his feet. But he did not dare, j I saw too plainly that even though my w allet w as gone 1 still held the trump card that he feared me. I had led him to believe that I knew everything, and that his future was in my hands, while be, on his part, was anxious to hold me prisoner, and yet dared not do so. The harnn had halted, and was look ing through one of the great windows j down upon the courtyard below, where sentries were pacing. The palace was I for him a gilded prison, for he dared j not go out for a drive in one or other : of the parks or for a row on the wa- i ter across to Hogholmen or Dagcro, j being compelled to remain there for months without showing himself pub- licly. People in Abo had told me that j when he did go out into the streets of J Helsingfors it was at night, and he i usually disguised himself in the uni- i form of a private soldier of the ! guard, thus escaping recognition by I those who, driven to desperation by j injustice, sought his life. i (TO BE CONTINUED.) |