Show BANNER SERIAL FICTION her aiace saw dw ca 4 ax sw aad aw 0 dornford Dorn lord yat caloa service lc SYNOPSIS richard exon a poor young english an fn befriends elderly matt matthew liew gering I 1 an i his death gives elves him a state statement ment b gering is rudolph r lbert elbert he claiming count coun of brief ot of ancient austri virgil m nobility who ho was betrayed 20 years in twin drother brother ferdinand by his Is wore S sentence for forgery he himself ved ferdinand ferdinand appropriated his title served before he dies siy S iy and daughter property arine tells exon there Is a family secret geraw r only to the head of 0 the house to known ans found in the great tower at brief by a be none can ever find exon inherits doorway acles uncles fortune and sets out to right his en route he encounters wrongs percy gerlings Ge sercy rings elbert virgil son of the vill villainous a inous ferdinand tw dinand and sees him in conference with inskip a diamond merchant he engages a islet let winter who hates percy and meets by chance at a garage john herrick Herr lck who ii a linguist and who as a youth served as I 1 page at Ge gennis rings wedding and had visited a brief herrick agrees to aid exon they establish headquarters at brenda revokes Re okes farm at raven a few miles from brief and make their plans they find the castle almost inace inaccessible tessible they see a dosed closed car occupied by percy virgil a chauffeur and a woman oman hearing a dog scream they see the chauffeur flogging it with girl astride bounds lust just as a horse a along the path and Is felled celled by a strung unconscious is picked up wr wire the girl care carelessly ei asly by the chauffeur and woman who then run away after dropping he her exon rescues the girl and carries her to his waiting car he identifies the girl as mabeth elizabeth daughter of 0 the disowned ger gering i ng tells her of her cousins plot to abduct her and takes her to raven where he tells her the story of her father and promises to go the limit to help her right her fathers wrongs elizabeth wins faith in her benefactor percy virgil brings the police to raven announcing that two strangers are a re being sought tor for the of elizabeth herrick discomfits virgil tells of the mornings adventure names a man called max and hands the police a sealed envelope with the name of the leader in the abduction percy virgil virga CHAPTER IV continued simply lady elizabeth told us her story a grim corroboration of the statement her father had made she could not remember the time when her cousin had not been at brief it was his home as much as hers and though she was given precedence he was used as the son of the house the count had done much for him but little or nothing for her and again and again she had had to fight for her rights but for these she would have been gone to make her own life for the house of brief was divided against itself she hated the count and her cousin they hated her back and the count was afraid of percy and percy despised the count by the terms of her mothers will she received 1000 pounds a year this income the count had received until she was twenty one and when she had come of age he had done his best to retain the half for himself but she had gone to the lawyers and forced his hand since then he had continually complained that he could not meet the expenses to which he was put while percy and he were always at variance the former demanding money or moneys rao worth and the latter declaring with oaths that he had not the wherewithal to maintain the estate her mothers will also directed that when she was twenty one she was to be given possession of all her er mothers jewels and these she told id us frankly were very valuable and where are they said herrick rc k in england they were being cleaned 1 and reset when my mother was killed and ever since then e 11 lain in the jewelers safe I 1 could have had them out three years ago s SO but what was the good besides I 1 was afraid to have them they ey might have been stolen by someone within the house times without number urged me to have them out percy offered to get them at last and actually wrote out ut a letter for me to sign authorize ing B the jewelers to hand them over to him thanks very much I 1 said out but id rather they stayed where they ey were but ill lend you five pounds to go on with if any good for once he had no answer he get round the truth that hat was six weeks ago A sudden apprehension stabbed at tny y mind ill lay a 1 I I 1 cried monkey gone r lady elizabeth started and herck frowned to why ayou say that said the former finer shamefacedly I 1 told her of inskip the itie very big diamond mer hat anant whose company virgil was keep face fa tog 18 when first I 1 had seen his fl but 81 hed never ever dare she cried tay hand 1 I 1 mean if held hed forged he would have said herrick rising 8 a 1 very ft pressing pg reason for putting you out of the way there was s a deathly silence which reckless I 1 tongue employed in cursing my lady elizabeth sighed 1 right ight she said slowly H right you know its painfully clear that he is his fathers son the next day I 1 drove her to buy some clothes in salzburg a very long way but shop any nearer she dared not because she was too well known brenda came with us to help her because she had so much to buy and in view of the miles before us herrick was more than content to be left behind for most of the day I 1 drove and she sat by my side and before we got back that night I 1 think I 1 had told her all that ever I 1 did it was a dull enough record but have it she would because said she for two years you played the part which I 1 should have played you cared for my poor father and I 1 cannot know enough of the man who did that we held the first of our councils the following day by the side of the stream in the meadows before II 11 I 1 said what I 1 had to say first by elizabeths wish to my way of thinking w weve eve only one object in view and that is to expose the man who for 2 22 2 years has passed as the count of brief it if we can bring this about we shall kill two birds with one stone we shall not only bring him down but put elizabeth up in her proper place the only way to expose him is to make him expose himself admit officially that what we allege is true and that he will never do unless we can force his hand if we can hold above him some threat sufficiently grim the man will do as we wish what we need is some information from which we can forge a weapon which we can use jAnd And that will be hard to come by it might not have been so hard 20 years ago but the sources we might have turned to have almost certainly failed still were not in the hopeless e position of not knowing where to begin because we have one clew which if we can follow it up may lead us straight to a source which is still alive it is I 1 think a promising clew because it concerns a secret of whose existence the head of the house should know and elizabeth knows of its existence but her uncle does not she knows of its existence I 1 say she does not yet know what it is but she knows where it is roughly the great tower of brief the great tower there is a doorway there which no one would ever find you must go up counting your steps and when you have one thing more elizabeth may not like the line I 1 suggest the secret whatever it is has been most jealously guarded for hundreds of years it may be something that no outsider should know ann u ashes the slightest feeling against our doing our utmost to find it out well she knows that ashes only to say so for me to drop this line and never touch it again my imy dear said elizabeth quietly my father tried to give it to you it may be that you can use it those were his words do you think I 1 would revoke his bequest why he never even charged you to tell me never mind of course right that doorways our youre only chance ive no idea what is is behind it no more than you but I 1 think it may lead to something which as you put it will give us the we need As for looking weapon to be well have for the doorway careful of course but that hard As a rule brief be ba very y like to sound and if I 1 sleeps very return when brief is asleep she held up a yale key it will let us into the turret key my which leads to my rooms my and the rooms give to a landing and landing banding will lead to the tower the rooms nobody lives t there here now are I 1 just L as they were when my not are died but they ather granda grandfather really occupied its rather a pity except fr for the stairs between they make a delightful suite said of consist what does it herrick 1 I never saw it you know it bedroom and two sitting rooms do you ask why bathroom suit if 1 I was wondering herrick 6 J just f for or 48 us said hours you know I 1 mean this search will take time and it would be so very convenient to be on the spot I 1 stared at him openmouthed open mouthed but elizabeth threw up her head and began to laugh augh youre true to type she said the jesters counsel was near nearly ly always the best and why ant brenda come too she can look aft alter us all and wait upon me though the tower was unoccupied its apartments were aired and dusted twice in the week every monday and thursday these things were done and since the day was sunday we determined to take possession the following night in this way for 52 hours we should have the tower to ourselves that sunday afternoon brenda and winter were told the most of the truth for though I 1 am sure that both would have trusted us blindly and would have done without question whatever we wd asked it would have been unfair as unwise to make such demands upon such fidelity you see I 1 said to winter we e attempt such a show un unless there was someone outside not only who knew where we were but with whom we could keep in touch all tuesday and wednesday I 1 want you to watch the castle es especially ally of course the great tower I 1 shall signal to you if I 1 want you and what I 1 want you to do we aeu arrange a code later on our slight preparations were made the following day we bought some torches and knapka knapsacks acks and food for two days was put up madame revoke was told that we were going to stay at some hunting lodge to which her guests of the summer had two or three times repaired and though she wa was s something surprised that we should travel by night instead of by day lady elizabeth virgil could do no wrong in her eyes for the search itself I 1 could not think what to take I 1 could hardly believe that we should have to use force yet things which have lain undisturbed for a number of years are apt to get stiff or clogged as the case may be in the end after m much uch reflection I 1 decided on a mallet and chisel some oil and two measuring rules if what we found were to show that this rather meager equipment was not enough we should have to withdraw and return with the stuff we required that afternoon we rested to save our energy for the work to come and at hall past eleven that night winter set us down at the mouth of the entrance drive he was not to return to raven but to berth the rolls where he could in the country beyond the foothills foot hills which rose to the south of brief and then at dawn he would make his way over those foothills and down to the belvedere half an hour later we saw the castle before us a shadowy mass without form charged on the sable field of the woods behind so dark was the night rb that at had there been sentries posted bout about the house they could not have seen us moving five paces away and since elizabeth said that no watch was kept we followed her boldly up to the foot of the pile because we were shod with rubber we made but the slightest sound elizabeth skirted the wall s and we passed three staircase turrets to come to a fourth and there she stopped before a door or postern set in its base 1 I who was next behind her m moved oved to her side 1 I want you to pass me she breathed as soon as ive opened the door turn to your YOU r right up the steps and wait till I 1 come ill shut the door when youre in I 1 passed the word to brenda brend a who gave it to herrick in turn then elizabeth used her ke key y but the door stayed shut in desperation she set her heir weight to the oak then she took her key from the latch my god she said its bolted what shall w we e doa do somewhere close by I 1 whispered per d where we can talk she led us away from the turret and presently down some steps listen I 1 said there must be windows left open a night like this there one I 1 can climb to elizabeth shook her head break your neck she said and if you could get in some where never find your way down to open to us then what ot of the tower itself there any way 1 I can get into that once inside the tower I 1 go wrong and its doors in the courtyard it elizabeth shrugged her shoulders theres a window s she h e s said a i d but its heavily barred 1 its t s 0 on the northern side not ver very y high up its a chance in a million but one of those bars might be loose elizabeth led us back to the castle wall there she turned to the left and we followed her as we h had a d come then she turned to the rig right h t and we passed the mouth of the archway which led to the small courtyard and after a little she turned to the right again some 13 feet up I 1 made out what looked like a cage sticking out of the wall straining my eyes I 1 counted four vertical bars not flush with the wall but projecting which meant of course that the casement which they were guarding was made to open outwards into the air hopeless said elizabeth quietly 1 I thought it was lower than that 1 I think I 1 can make it I 1 said from herricks shoulders of bourse course and it if theres nothing doing ive only to drop I 1 took off my knapsack and jacket and rolled up my sleeves can I 1 use a torch with safety to look at the bars elizabeth nodded but do be careful she said herrick spoke out of the darkness im prepared to contribute he said be sure of that but im no acrobat im willing to try and carry your 15 stone but as soon as you feel me going better jum jump p and how ayou propose to begin are you going to run rim up me or something I 1 made him take off his knapsack and stand to the wall and I 1 begged him to hold his peace because if he ha made me laugh we might both come down then I 1 turned again to my lady once im up there I 1 said we shant be able to talk yet there may be something I 1 find that I 1 want to say in that case ill drop my handkerchief it if I 1 do that will you climb on to herricks shoulders and ill lean down and tell you whatever it is yes indeed but richard you will be careful supposing those bars arent sound 1 I promise to test them I 1 said before I 1 go up A moment later I 1 was standing on herricks shoulders with my chisel and a torch in my pockets and both my hands on the bars these were in good condition and when I 1 had tried them once I 1 drew myself up by inches until i I 1 had a foot in the cage within this the window was open if I 1 could displace but one bar the trick would be done As I 1 have said the cage was made of four bars all four were sunk in the stone above and below the window f they were to protect but the outer two were also tied by crossbars to the windows iamba jambs it was of course hopeless to try to move e either of these for each was held at six points but the two middle bars were held at two points only where top and bottom were bedded into the stone TO BE CONTINUED |