The Portland daily press., 1898-04-20
sly WILLIAM LIE QUEUx.
WILLIAM LIE QUEUX.

oroiudry CuaraCber. sonia nau WdInou
me that she was my enemy, and this fact
was now indeed wildly apparent.
How she had become possessed of the
stolen treaty was inexplicable. Full we'll
she knew all the terrible anxiety its loss
had caused me, and the sensation that its
revelation had created throughout Europe
Times without number had mentioned
TO her how anxious my chief was to re-
cover the original, SO that our enterpris-
ing friends in ST. Petersburg could have
no tangible proof that it had actually
existed, yet She had given no sign that
she knew anything of it, much less that
1t actually reposed in my own drawing
room. did not fail in those moments of
my despair, to recollect that she had been
on the mosG.intimate terms with Dudley
Ogle, the man suspected to have been in
the service of the Czar's Government, and
as | sat in wonderment it became grad
ually impressed upon me that through
those many months I had been basely
trlcked, and that Ella herself. charming
and ingenious as she seemed, was actually
a secret agant of the enemies of England.
Several facts that I recollected COM
bined to produce this startling belief.
Because of my confidential position as
secretary to the Earl of Warnharn it was
apparent that Ella. with the assistance of
my whllom friend Dudley and the en-
couragement of her mtother, had con-
splred to hold me beneath her spell. She
had become my wife, not because she had
ever loved me, but because she could
felgn affection or hatred with equal i'm
purity, and had some Interior motive in
obtaining my confidence Her firm re-
solve to ascertain the true facts regard ing
Dudley's mysterious end showed plainly
that ii they were not lovers they had
acted in complete accord, and what was
more likely than that he, having stolen
the secret convention, had on that memor
able night at the Nook handed it to her,
the instigator of the ingenious theft. Yet
an hour or SO later he died from some
cause that neither doctors nor police had
been able to determine.
10 her, the tragic occurrence was
msytery, as to all, and her refusal to rem
der me any explanation of her suspicious
actions was, now saw, quite natural.
Held beneath the iron thraldom of her
masters in St. Petersburg, she dared not
utter one word; hence had remained in
the outer darkness of doubt and ignor-
anc9.
However it might be, one thing was
certain. She had been unexpectedly parted
from me. either by choice or compulsion.
Perhaps it was that to pose as my wife
was no longer necessary; yet if she were
actually spy, was it not curious that in
departing she should overlook this docu-
erSburg were so anxious to possess them
selves
Again, as sat alone before the cheer
less CRATE, I reflected that if she were in
the pay Of Russia, surely N. Grodekoff,
the Ambassador would have been ao-
quainted with her, Besides, what reason
could Renouf have had in making such
blioudovitch discredit the truths uttered
by Sonia and urge me to marry the
woman loved? Nevertheless if, as /
supposed, my position in the Foreign
Ofnce had caused me to be the victim of
clever and deeply-conoeived conspiracy,
it was scarcely surprising that the Cars
representative should disclaim all knowl-
edge OF the sweet-faced agent, OR that
Paul lad praised her and cast oblopuy
upon Sonia in order that their plans,
whatever they were. should be achieved.
Of the actions of Renouf, and his strange
disregard for detection, could form no
satisfactory conclusion. All knew was
that Elias career had been an unscrupu.
lous and inglnrious one, and that she had
cast me aside as soon as her infamous
ends had been attained.
The only person who could elucidate
the mystery was Sonia, the pretty girl
who had been denounced by Renouf as
murderess, and who was now in hiding
in far-oM Russia. in some out-of-t the
world place where could never hope to
find her. If she were clever enough to
tective force of Europe, as undoubtedly
she had done, there was but little hope
that could ever run her to earth.
The mystery had by Ella's flight, been
increased rather than explained, for the
more pondered the more deeply-rooted
became the conviction that she had de-
camped because she had cause to fear
nor cf1so Il oIor,,
lead to her exposure and shame.
All ter time l reused myself, and tax
ing from the broken escritoire the other
letters it contained, five in number, ex-
amined them eagerly beneath the light.
All were in the same hand, heavy
masculine one, written evidently with q
quill. One by one I read them, finding
that they contained appointments which
fully bore out her maids suspicious.
my dear Ella one ran. "To morrow
| shall DO on the departure platform at
Kings Cross Station at 11.3O. 1 have
good news for you. Come.-X."
Another regretted the writer's inability
to keep an appointment as he had been
called unexpectedly to Paris and was
compelled to leave by the night mail from
Charing Cross He, however, promised to
return in three days, and gave her the
Grand Hotel as mis- address if she found it
necessary to telegraph.
Strangely enough the letters contained
no endearing terms either at their COM
mencement or conclusion. Formal and
brief, they all related to appointments at
various places in London where two per-
sons might meet unnoticed by the crowd,
and all were signed ny the single mysteri-
GUS initial. I stood with them in my
hand for long time, puzzled and hest
tating, then placing them carefully in
my pocket, together with the secret docu-
ment had SO unexpectedly unearthed, l
crammed on my hat and hastily drove to
Point street.
The house was in darkness, save tor a
light in the basement, and in answer to
my summons, after lapse of some
minutes, tall gaunt woman in rusty
black appeared in the area below.
l was surprised at being thus met by
stranger, but inquired for Mrs. Laing.
Mrs. Laing amt at 'ome, sir, an
swered the woman, looking up and speak
ing with strong Cockney twang.
Not at homer" exclaimed, surprised
Where is she?''
"She's gone abroad somewheres, but 1
don't know where" the woman an
swered. She's sold all her valuables, dis
charged the servants, and left me 'ers as
'ousekeeper.''
when did she posD asked