The evening world. Newspaper, April 16, 1915, Page 27

The Evening World Daily Magazine, Friday. April 16, 1915 By Robert Minor | POOLE LE OLLLE LE VOLE EIEN AS EY Te Aysery 0 Lun Deorme | Ramanee of the “Men Who Could Sen Through Wats” By Guy de Teramond | CHAPTER XI. The Dead Whom We Kill. “ 1, Georgette,” be auld, “If you knew how 1 love Ht love you dearly, toa. Lucien, but.” she cont ed, remembering what she had told Nam IT should love you #till more, if you would take off thowe frightful Boxgles you always wear, you would look so much better without them! What is your idea in putting suen Pieces of glans on your nose? Aro You wo near-sighted Hut Lucien siowly shook his head, Georgett he said, “don't ase What is lnpossibie 1 cannot give Jou ny explanation on this subject— only t cann ny glasses; my eyes, my poor eyes could not endure it! it would be too horrible for met" “1 don't understand you. What is there so exteaurdinary in being neare wixhted ? 1 ain not near-sighted, Ge but a singular a a superhuman facu Stopping abruptly, he passed hin ross his brow with a gesture weltes nt, by giving me yioee he sald, “1 will explain all thi later, and 1 will tell you some things that will amaze you! cried the girl, atamping her ngrily, “ulways these mys terie: But Lucien drew her gently toward im: “Georgette,” he murmured, “why do you have this perpetual curiosity, Qnd what cause ha you to question me In this wuy so constantly?” “Why.” she answered couxingly, “because 1 love you, Nothing thi concerns you ix 4 matter of indift ence to me, And I notice that you answer what I ask with big word! mystery—miracle—phenomenon! Are not you a man like every other man, Lucie! “No,” he anawered in a atificd tone, “Tam a being unlike any other in the world.” Then as if fearing he had already said too much, he instantly went on: Inlike—for no one else can love as I love you!" Suddenly in the silence of the street & hoarse voice called: . “Flowers—buy my pretty flowers! 4ook, Lucien, It's a poor old woman. Go and buy her stock, Never mind if her flowers are « little faded. It will bring us luck to be charital and it is so pleasant when we aro happy ‘And as she signed to the woman to come nearer, Lucien obeyed. Hut, as he left the private room, the change of air covered his glasses with a light mist. He was oblixed to take them off, and while cleaning them with his handkerchief, he turned mechanically toward the door he had just closed. “Dear little girl!” he murmured tenderly. Suddenly a cry of amazzement was stifled in hiy throat . large drops of cold perspiration stood on his forehead, his limbs tottered under him and he had to cling to the ban- ister of the staireage to save himselg from falling. He suw Georgette leave the window, go to the table, draw from her waist & little metal vial, and pour its con- tents into his glass. ‘Turning away in horror, his & fell pn the old flower woman, and he cried alov nd: The Hindoo!" . Under the rags with which Nam wus covered, through the flowers in the basket he was carrying, he had just seon the bullet, the famous bullet which had remained in the murdere jeg, and which denounced bim lke tlie brand on a galley slave. Now Lucien understood all. Pushing past the flower woman and springing into the street, he fled along the quay, like a madman, before the astonished eyes of Juliette, who leaned out of the window, vainly trying to orstand What was happenings She returned to the Comte, and » held a council of war, Nam di ell go back to his hotel. The hunted animal calways seeks its To-morrow morning he will ko out, to-morrow he'll return to Bu, to-morrow he'll lodge a complaint against his assailints; but this eve- ning he will return home from the instinctive need of seclusion and rest.” “Phat is very possible,” said tho Comte. “And then, what do you ex- pect to do? “Go, this very moment, to the Rue des Apennins and ask for a room in the Hotel des Nouvelles- Hebrides; then, in the middle of the night, when everybody will be asleep, silently en- ter his chamber, and with a good dag ger-stroke between the shoulders sup- press forever a person Whose life 1s a perpetual menace over our heads,” ‘An hour later the Hindoo presented Himself at the Hotel des Nouvellos= Hebrides, with a Lite valise in his hand, wearing a duster and the trav~ éling cap he had bought In Ku The landlady herself showed him {nto the room he Was to occupy and, while ving her down the passage on the second story, he smiled con- tented! A pair of shoes outside the door of No, 9 showed that Lucien De- lorme wis there, At midnight the Hindoo crept softly ato Lucien’s room, crept to the bed, end @rowe hin keen knife opine verte heert New ae eorape CHAPTER XI. An incomprehensible Murder | ue { morning, on enter- sie @ Abagell Viewo ae foom, carrying on 6 silver or the smoking tor binds weet up te the bed and 4 quieuy *F me Delorme will troubie Then what had b in the Mt Mla detect ue mo more i during the night art, the chief of the deteo- bureau,” be added, “wishes to police officer, apoiog! on account of an undrese ceiving b hour, 1m eu we utters who ove that we have at last @ good Sustly es- tonished. “Your maid! “Juliette?” erted the Comte, start- ing up. “Yes, We have the most sertous rea- sons for believing that she ts asso- ated with @ band of criminals.” . By carefully shadow- have discovered certain which opened our eyes to e Do you know, M. le Comte, what your maid does several times @ week, toward nightfall? “Really, I never asked hi Iam very liberal to my @ervanta, When they have done their work, as I am at home very little, 1 give them their Nberty."* “Well, your matd rushes into a moving picture theatre on the boule- vard, You will aay," he hastened to add, seeing the amile which his lis- ener could not prevent, “that love for this sort of ertainment could have no connection with her guflt? Hut wait, The moat curious thing about it is that after having once entered the place she never comes out of it.” “How is that?" asked the comte, trying to understand. “IT mean that after having followed her from the time she nets foot out- side of your apartment we always se track of her as soon as she hi gone into the building. How dor she pass out? We do not know. We have never seen her come out. She disappears, And as the manager has told us that there was no secret door through which she could leave un- ceremontously we don't know what to think. But what is to be inferrad from all this, except that your maid has very serious motives for evading any indiscreet shadowing and, if she takes so many precautions, it in to prevent having us reach, through her, accomplices whom she Is deeplv interested in not betraying, Call her, if you please.” “Very well," replied the Comte, miiout the quiver of a muscle in his mace, Rising, he went to the mantelpiece und pressed the button of the bell. An instant later Nam entered, ¢ “Is Jutlette in?” “T think so, sir.” “Send her here immediately.” yes, M. le Comte.” When he had gone the comte turned to the police official, exclaiming in a tone of utter consternation: “It Js inconceivable! Jultette a thiet! Juliette in league with an as- sociation of criminals! Jullette going in disguise to a moving picture thea- tre!” . “Lin pomaibl oh," replied M. Clamart quietly, you haven't reached the én4 of your surprist the investigation will doubtless have many others in store for ui He had scarcely finished speaking Nam But when wind vulse rushed in like a whirl his features wore cons looked wild. His and his violent emotion almost prevented him from speaking At last he made an effort to control himself, and stammered: “M. le Comte—Jullette--murdered!”” Both men sprang to thelr feet at the same moment. “Where?” asked the detective. “In the kitchen!" ‘They both ran after the Hindoo. The kitchen was at the other end of the apartment, opening upon a@ lit- tle courtyard, with a long passege leading to it. When the Comte and his companion entered a terrible eight presented it~ self. Juliette was lying In the middle of the room, her face toward the floor, and her arms extended In the form of a cross, Between her shoulders protruded the handle of a@ knife, whose blade disappeared entirely within the wound, and the blood which had gushed out made a red pool which was gradually extending over the tiled floor While the comnte had thrown bim- self beside the poor girl, to Hsten for beating of her heart, and the po- official Was rapidly examining the & professional eye, Nam in a choked voice » wasn't In the linen room—so I 1 for her her look found and coming in here I then 1 ran at down quickly," M. Clamart or- , “and tell my inspector, who ts waiting in the auto in front of the house, to come up. Then let the jani- tor shut the house door and allo} one to go out-—though,” he added, murderer must be a long distance off already!" Then, asked “Well?” “She is dead," murmured the other. And he let himself drop into a chalr, ing desperate efforts not to burat s0DS. Jullette dead = everything erumbling around him And he could say nothing! It wi not even possible for him to abandon himself to bis grigf, from the fear of (ia turning to the comte, he i jone, thie Lucien | he quickly told the onal Detraying himself—and he was com- pelled to look with an indifferent eye at the body of the woman he loved, without being able to press one last kiss upon her brow, whose warmth atill lingered! “Ab!"" sighed the police office: ing his d, “here is our clus it’s alwaye th think ourselv: thing crumb! what an extraordinary coincidence it same thin, is! At the moment I was going to ar- rest this woman, she is remov ‘Wouldn't one think that ¢! ui ors had divined my intention?” CHAPTER XIV. Little Lighte in the Darkness. HAVING hia inapector to fin- ish the investigations with the aid of the Hindoo, M. saa Clamert took leave of Comte ‘Aazoll-Vieoosa &nd returned to his office. A subordin- ate accosted him there. “The chief of police of Epinettes,” he said, “wishes to see M. Clamart, to make an urgent communication.” “Show him in!” And, as the next inetant the door opened upon the offical, the chief of dectectives exclaimed cordially: “Good-morning, Riedale, what good wind blows you here?” “M. Clamart,” replied the visitor, “I need your insight to unravel a com- plicated matter which h. Just oc- curred in my quarter.” . t “I was summoned this morning to investigate a murder committed dur- ing the night in the Hotel des Nou- vellea-Hebrides, Rue dea Apennina, ‘We found a man in bed, his face Erpees into his pillow, and a knife tween his shoulders. There was no trace of a struggle or breaking in. The waiter told ua that the oc- cupant of thia room was « certain Iacien Delorme . . .” M. Clamart, who, while lHstening, ‘was signing some papers placed on his desk, atarted up at this name 0g, Jooning, at the speaker, cried: the other re- peated, ‘Profession. student. Re- sides at Bu (Lower Seine) according te the information furnished by th it i@ really he!” murmured M, Clamart, between hia teeth. “But go on with your atory, Risdal “After a fow brief inquiries, I gent for the legal doctor and was going to withdraw after saying that noth- Ing must be touched, when the land- lady of the hotel ran toward me in Great agitation. ‘I have been robbed Madame? ai eats, poor jatet died yesterday mornin dertuker’s men ha’ that?’—'The bed |e body has disppeared! head-—such a robbery seemed very traordinary, “While the good woman was lament- ing, saying that it was her fault, ahe ought to have watched all night, a audden thought entered my inind. 1 took her to room No. 9, where the crime had been committed, ‘Turn that man over!’ I ordered. The land- lady and the waiter uttered a cry in the same breath: ‘Why, that isn’t M, Delorme; it's M. Boistet!’ Bo it a dead man who had been mur- a dead man placed in the bed of another guest!” “However that may be," M. Clam- art interposed, ‘from the first day I had the impression that this Lucten Delorme was connected with the band which I have aince vainly pursued, wondering if it Is not to make game of me that he imagines crimes, feigns sulcides, and murders corpses! Why, my dear Risdale, a few weeks ago he hunted me up in my office to tell me that Comte d'Abaaoll-Viscusa had tried to shut bim up in his safe to ‘ : Look Out, Lamb! it him starve to death, aud that his indow servant strangled peuple with &@ steel wire!” He had not finished speaking when @ome one knocked at the door of his office and the attendant appeared on ite threshold. é “Baron Plucke would like to speak to M. Clamart. “That's what would be called just in the nick of time,” exclaimed M, Clamart; “show him in.” the details; you probably remember them?" “I followed it closely and recollect the particulars perfectly.” Briefly the baron outlined the story of his engaging Lucien Delorme to work on the case and his reason for #0 doing. “At the moment he seemed to be on the right clue,” finished Plucke, “he Killed himeelf. It is very atrang “And ¢ more #0, 4! cried M. Clamart, “because this man never Hie himeelf. His sulcide was a mn Baron Plucke, bewildered by what he had heard, remained silent an in- stant, then he continue: ‘But I did not come to speak to you about Lucien Delorme. Allow me to go on in regular order and tell you the whole ator: Since yesterday | have obtained a new fact which will perhape give the investigation a new direction, While looking over some old family papers which I wanted to arrange I found something especially interesting, and I now have # clue, though a very slight one, that perhaps will enable us to lay our hands upon “Among the diamon rried away by the criminals was one marked in a spectal way which would enable it to be recognized among all the res It had been given by my great-grandfather to tis promised wife, and by a process of which | am j@norant the diamond cutter had found means to engrave microscopi- cally on the lower facet their own ine itlals, A and F, Andre and Frederic, whose interlacing bore testimony to the eternity of their vows of love, So {t will suffice to seek for this diamond, and then it will be easy, from pur- chaser to purchaser, to reach the first seller, that in, one of my uncle's as- “Yea,” murmured the chief of bag shaking bis head, “only * ‘Either this , in the course of three years, will have passed through @o many hands that it seems to me impoaaible to follow its track or, sup- posing that it should have remained in the hands of its first possessor, It may easily happen that the pecullar- ity you describe would not have been noticed.” y not fortune at last favor us’ ‘Granted, but it would be necessary to send confidential circular to all the jewollers in Paris, In the provinces, and even in foreign countries, and I do not wish to conceal that this would be very burdensome for the result which I anticipate.” “If that's all [ will bear the entire cost, for wince this is my last card I desire all the more to play ttt" “Very well!” sald Clamart; “to-mor- Tow @ notice will be drawn up and sent broadcast. Let us hope that it will prove of some service.” “T have a presentiment that tt will, But,” he continued, “have you no in- formation to ask of me?" “You have already given it, alr. 1 merely wikhed to learn what you knew of this young inan who had been in your employ for some time. What you have told me led to inter esting conclusions. Logically, as ! had always supposed, thia person must belong to the band who mur dered Mra, Tankery, How else could he have known all the details of this crime? And, without suspecting It, you yourself aided tix plans by com ing the next morning to offer him the opportunity to pursue the tnves- tigation on your behalf, This wasan excellent way for him to keep in ‘ touch with ing that we were doing without attracting attention, and the possibility of warding off the dangers that might threaten hie ao- complices, That is hd the other day, he had the incredible audacity to come into my office to accuse of the murder of Mrs. Tanke! mt ‘Then, as by a sign, Baron Plucke intimated that he was unable to guess, the official added: “The representative of the Mahara- Pandukurrah!” cried the other in a choked tone, “Ion't it? business association wit! @'Abazoli-Viscosa?” “Certainly. And I consider him an honorable man, incapable of the least unscrupulous action, To accuse him of such a crime ia inconceivable! And,” he continued, “you are certain, M. Clamart, that this young man can know nothing about my poor uncle's murderera?” yeu “Nothing at all—except what you have told him! He was Gagountediy trying to humbug you—only" .. A Clamart thoughtfully scretched ear, wi only I am trying to discover the meaning of his sham suicide on the Qual de Javel? Had he swindled you? Had you threatened to have him arrested? In short, had he not any reason whatever for suddenly disappearing?” “None, I will also tell you that I should never have had an idea that this reserved, diffident fellow, with his excellent manners and gor- rect appearance, could be a criml- mh in thege.days nothing distin= guishes murderers from nen of the world; we are often deceived our- elves! * While speaking M. Clamart had taken up the papers which the chief of police of Epinettes had laid on his table and was looking mechanically at the portrait of the woman !n its e rough copper fram: Wttdents hen interrupted himself, exclaiming “What Was I saying?” Examining the photograph an in- stant, he pressed the button of the Comte 1 c r al red. The aoprueeper: ppeeren. went te air.” “Tell him to come in he continued, holdin fx the officer enter this person?” The. other examined it carefully in his turn, “Why,” he cried, @'Abazoll-Viscosa's maid, murdered this morning.” “that's Comte who was “Murdered! exclaimed Baron Plucke, who waa watching the whole scone with astonishment. ‘T felt certain that this girl must be the accomplice of the robbers who had been operating In the Comte’s &partment, and to-day, while search- ing Lucien Delorme's chamber, her photograph was found. What do you infer from that?" A “That she is his accomplice! “So henceforth we have the proof that Lucien Delorme was mixed up in the sensational robbery in the Rue Veselay!" “But, then," erted the baron, as It a light was suddenly entering his brain, “I understand the whole! That is why he asked me so many questions ubout my negotiations with the comte on the subject of the pur. hase of the famous jewels! And, aa had confidence in him, I artleaaly wave the information! And now | think of something else: It was he who, knowing that I was going to the Rue Vezelay, telephoned that very morning that the appointment was deferred, for tf I had gone that day and taken away the jewels, the operation planned for the same night would have failed.” “Ty Jove! replied Clamart, ne whele story links together admirably You the interest that Lucien Delorme had in introducing bimaselt ™, over I have barely into your house! aim imagining improbabl semblances between the murd Mrs. Tankery and your unfortunate uncle's, If there had been the small- est connection we should have de- tected it at once! This will teach you, my dear sir,” be added, “not to try to walk in oup footsteps; ama- teur detectives, belfove me, are good only in novele! But reality is very @ifferent; each man should stick to bis trade.” “If only I had known!” murmured the bewildered baron. CHAPTER XV. The Engraved Diamond. WEEK before all these eventa @ young man, A Gtessed in fashionadle style, with a email valise im hie hand, left the ex- press train from Boulogne, whieh ar- rives at the Gare du Nord a little be- fore 10 o'clock in the evening, and made his way through the crowd Pressing behind the bara waiting for the travellers coming from England, It was Anatole, nicknamed Ziz1-! Mouche. When he was in the atrest he called @ taxi, and entering gave the addreas: “2, Avenue Rachel!” Five minutes after the auto atopped. The traveller got out of the car and paid the chauffeur; then, when the man had gone, he, too, made a half turn, passed around the corner of the Boulevard de Clichy and, with ® rapid step, went toward a little cafe of modest appearance, situated not far off, whose front illumined the ha equare of light, and entered. Several customera were quietly playin: game of billlarda, Dut at his entra no one even looked tn his direction, At the end of the room a man was reading the illustrated papers, Anatole went atraight up to him “How are you?” The other asked: “And you aro satiefiedt" “Batiafied—how could one ever be with those English robbers? Of the 200,000 franca’ worth of jewels I took t back 80,000 franos. What sort of work ta that? Yet we may consider ourselves lucky. They quote the difficulties they en- counter in getting rid of them, the bad state of trade, the riske they run, all eorts of good reasons. What's to be sald?” ‘The two men, as may be supposed, were talking about the affair in the Rue Jadin, #0 brilliantly executed by band, during the Krakowska ." Augustus answered, “you dis- posed of everything?” “Everything .. .” The y added; “Except Comte d'Abasoli-Viscosa's ring. I am very much puasied about that and have been thinking it over during my entire journey, The off he mude, you remember, to buy it of me at a much higher price than I could get for it anywhere alse shows that ita value was certainly tempt- ing.” He remained ailent an instant, and then continued: “At any rate, prudence, as @ prov- erb says, ‘will save ua from the de- tective bureau.’ I've made up my mind. I will not offer the comte an opportunity to buy back his ring as he requested. I'll take the atone out of its setting, and go to an honest Jeweller in the Boulevard Barbes whom I know. A diamond |s easily sold; it is almost cash Ly trouble in getting rid of “after all," murmured Augustus, who had listened to his companton tn silence, “perhaps you are right. And now go home, you must need rest: I will tell Antoine the result of your Journey. To-morrow we will settle our accounts, Goodby.” “Goodby.” The éwo men shook hands and Ane- Ceere oerenn m ewrnerereeres tren EXT WEEK'S COMPLETE OWE, (THE EVENENG WORLD iLittle Comrade By Burten & a he erinine sy bie ware at a ie, iit ad what in it rr ina 4 epectal anark, and sake those fw hands it May have fallen ters “And! aahed Anatole Jengual curiosity, "what (ere \h facet 4 the stone, be added, one of my fellow have been more fort | Mut, while the other was speak \@ sudden thought mind, nd, without comte seemed tt did not seem to him outs domain of possibilities that, during Comte dAbssoll- Vivcoaa’s life, there might have been «a murder fullowed y remained thoughtful, the hed jowelle $ “What can I neil Then he answ: ou to-day? “Oh! I want to make a friend a litde gift. . alarm cloek that won't be too ive, Will you show me one He had gradually appre dd the counter om which, a fow minutes be- M fore, the Jeweler had laid Cla. mart’s circular and, while the latter, with his back t , Was taking & i few alarm clocks from his show win- dow to bring him, he adroitly seiged and noiselesmy slipped it into the pocket of his coat, “Here's one at guaranteed for five years, nothing better at the pric “Tt rely on you—there, I like that one in red copper, Wrap it for me, an errand, will stop back.” nix francs fifty, ‘There's ery well Zisi left the shop, muttering to himself: "Six franca fifty? Not if I know it! We'll see each other again for the alarm clock, Hut,” Be. added, winking, “thank you all the same for the information!” wo minutes after, in a nelghbor- ing Street, he took from hia pocket the precious paper. “Ah,” he murmured, “here are the Additional details | needed-—if I had urged the point the old rogue would Rave been quite capable of suspect- ing something—#o it's better to get our information for ourselves!" Then, glancing at the paper he had unfolded, he began to laugh as he read the word standing out in large characters in one corner: confidential “Don't worry, Detective Service! he exciaimed in a low tone, “I shall not ory it on the house tops! Come, no’ he added: “an A and an F interlaced — good . muvder in the Avenue d'Antin—y . Baron Plucke-Strohe at the request of Baron Plucke-Strohe's helr . . . I don't remember that,” he inter- rupted himself, “but I'll speak of it to Augustus that fellow has a wonderful memory.’ He quickened h to return home, “I don't know why this diamond keeps running #o in my head,” On reaching his room ho rum- maged in a drawer and took out a magnifying glases such as watch. makers put in their eyes to examine the movement of watches, Then he looked at the stone in- tently a moment, and suddenly cried out: “Weill, I declare!" He had just discovered on the low facet of Comte d’Abagoli- Visco diamond the two interlaced letters mentioned in the circular, thunderbolt falling at his fret would not have caused him more amazement, “Lt had a anepicion of it, he mut- tered to himself, “It is he and he alone who committed the murder in the Avenue d’Antin. I knew that under the exterior of a fasblonable society man he was capable of any- thing,” he added, not without secret adm! . Then he interrupted himeeif. "I shall not denounce him to the police, most certainly. Those thinga @re not done among colleagues; only now @ him! I don't know whether, in offering to repurchase his ring, he intended to play me a trick of his own, but he must behave himself, and,” he added, rubbing his hands gleefully, “behave himself he shall! “Meanwhile, here is an extremely dangerous gem. [f it should ever be found in my hands there would be trouble. What am I going to do wi! it? Trust it to Antoine or Augustu Equally dangerous combination! Put it in a safe in the Bank of France? To do that one would need to have one & # & of having fo to see It, better!" He went to the window and ex amined ita moment, The little strips of wood separating th wormn-eaten and almost all the putty had fallen out. So he slipped @ knife blade under the one at the right and, with a trifling pressure, mado it spring out Then, in an instant, he made with a gimlet « little hole in which he placed the diamond without diMfeulty and restored the beading to its place. fastening it with a little strong glue “LE probably couldn't have stuffed @ pearl necklace In there,” he mur mured, laughing. "But it's a exce! lent hiding place for a Never would any one sear room have an Idea of going there, and unless a glagier” * * But he fad already taken bis hat, and Was going rapidly downstairs. He soon reached the Rue des Dames and, passing in froat of & d pace, in @ hurry some ingulaltive person Let us find something besides, there's the risk , Stevenson ‘ whistles 1 oe Legere, atte siorere. he Avenue @ wd * pe pelent and . ve which he bad dinap orn hear hoe d be aw ured faction, vy Aumustus and 14 cafe om the janded o had © \fetonte Wad pameed person, whe was @x- entered th® cafe whieh, tremely at this was empty down ata table near them an to a pa q sphear to know hin » but he did not lose a word conversat bending hia heal forward if in approval It wae Antoine —— CMAPTER XVI. Face to Face. ‘T wan 7 o'clock when, on that day, Comte d'Abasoll-Vie+ cona returned from his club, Going to his office be called Nam “Lay out my dress coat and my white cravat. I'm going to treat litte Montcerf at the cabaret. It seems that this chap has an old auntin the provinces, @ rich woman whe lives almoat alone in @ lonely chateau, and whose senile im from time to time, aa have sume additional information, and there's nothing like a good Burgandy the soogee nawbred In a low tone, become interesting; Fve always told you that old families were full of resources!" Suddenly the tel e bell began to ring furtously, ssi ‘The comte unhooked one receiver and held out the other to the Hindoo, Signing to him to prepare to answer, Hello,” said a voice, “is this Comte q@Abaxoll-Viscosa’s residence?” “Yen, sir.” “Is he at home? ?™ “L don't know sir, I will see, Who in peaking, please?” My name doesn't matter, Tell simply that itds about his ring.” apile brightened the "Somte'a ce. . “Ll knew it." he murmured: “one can always come to an underat with honoat ple of that sort!” And, by @ sign, he informed hie valet that he would answer himself the stranger who was at the other end of the wire, tere in M. le Comte,” said Nam, “Hello!” sald the latter in his turn at the end of an instant, “do you wish to i oak to re Lae “Yeu,” replied the voles, my not giving my name, but youn readily understand the motive, .' Do you still wish to get po ion ofthe ring that stolen from you im the Jadin rtainly, ‘And what price do you expect te for it? Whatever I am asked." Inder those circumstances it will be easy for us to come to an od standing, Where can I meet you “Here, if you wish," “t would prefer another place,” rib name it yourself.” “ne you agree, this evening . In the Champs-Elysees.’ the Concert des Am! We can talk quietly there, Ti be ther The Comte hung up the re and, turning toward the East Indias, asked “What do you say to it, Nam?” “Nothing,” replied the other. “You are robbed of a you buy it bact, What can ‘nore natural?” # nurmu the Comte thougstfully, “L do specially value that ring. now tha Julleite ts gone, Te FY aeons if, because I wag to {ton her finger on our wedding day, it Was now a remembrance ‘Oe her. Oh! Nam," he sighed sorrowfully, “why did you kill the woman loved?" “Tt wag absolutely necessary,” re plied the Hindoo coldly, "It Tad not done it L wouldn't give mush for our heads at this time! How could {help it, my poor friend? It eo battle for I!fe. When we confroat wer we can’t indulge ip sentl- ity at ite risk." as the Comte silently shook his head, not denying that he might not be entirely wrong, he asked: Did you notice anything in the conversation you have just fad? "What was it? “That this person {s singulart simple to ask the victim to be tem certain spot at a fixed time, without ying an (dew of falling into an ame bush “Perhaps so, men ce murmured the comte 1 attracted his ate lips of one of the But, if according to he added, “It is simple. to have considered this you are no less so, I think, ving that he has taken all ions In case of alarm,” hatis possible , . .” act in the most loyal manner go to meet him with three thousand fri , which T wilh give him in exchange for tho rin Puree thousand franca!" m, fairly choking. Certainly! Only,” ve hy if, and he reassured and contd Watching accomplices, meets some scoundrel who nolsclessiy plants @ knife between his vuiders and quickly fors the bank bills from, his victim's pocket into his own, 3 hot consider myself in any wap responsible!” (To Be Continued.) .S— eet oe eee ao ee. | 4 i el a