The Iola register., 1902-06-20


turning toward Gordon, and at that in
slant he heard one of the officers whis-
per to the spokesman of their party,
''rhe ladies are Nine. Gordon and Mile.
Lorrimer, Americans"
Mrs. Gordon also overheard these
words, and she said Instantly:
Robert will take Miss Lorrimer and
you, II these men will give us the nec-
essary information"
To this the leader of the detectives
replied that his orders were to ask
Mr.. Darrell to accompany him to the
station on the Rue Gluck, beside the
opera house. If he should not be there
when Mr.. Gordon should arrive, there
would be no difficulty in learning
where he had gone.
Darrell did not wait for further
words. He gave his hand to Vera and
the Gordons and then hurried away,
attended by the officers who were kind
enough to avoid giving the affair the
appearance of an arrest.
There was a four seated cab outside.
and 1t conveyed the party to the sta
tion on the Rue Gluck He could ex-
tort no information from his compan-
ions upon the way, and, indeed, he
made no great effort to do so, being sat
isfed in advance that 1t would be fu-
tile. In fact, he was OF the opinion
ttat the time could be better passed in
thinking than in talking.
Undoubtedly Ladislov had made
some sort Of complaint, probably for
assault. The purpose Of the action
must be the recapture of Vera, for La
dislov was not the man to ask the law
to right any personal wrong so long as
swords and pistols or even bludgeons
continued to be procurable for money.
Darrell had no fear either of the public
or the private vengeance of "the pi-
rate" He was prepared to Justify his
own conduct II necessary, but his first
concern must be to shield Vera. 1t
would have pleased him to do this
boldly-to tell the story Of the nights
adventure precisely as 1t had occurred
and then TO defy the czar's agents and
all other persons to do their level
worst. He did not believe that there
was any law in France by which she
could be taken from the Gordons'
house, but he was forced to admit, with
the utmost dellcacy, that that might
depend upon the lady herself.
Obviously her business in Paris was
secret, for otherwise she would have
mentioned II. There was too much rea-
son TO believe that II might be nihilism
under another name. But whatever it
was, she evidently desired to conceal
it. She was not ready to come out into
the open.
"Such being the case" said Darrell
TO himself when he had reached this
stage of his meditations, 81 am In n
place that is well defined by the usages
of polite society. / am called upon to
lie and lie good and hard by all the
principles of honor. / don't like lying
for it's own sake. but will do II for
her sake, and l will make a workman
like job Of IT,"
When he had purchased the costumes
of the two Americans, it had come into
DarrelPs mind that they might be of
more important service than merely TO
permit of Vera's entering the hall in
stead of waiting in the carriage II
amounted TO n personation, since the
costumes must have been noticed by
many persons, including the secret po-
lice scattered about through the as
sembly. Yet there was little chance
that the faces of the wearers would
be remembered. The monks hood was
nearly as good as a mask, and the stain
Of beer on the fawn colored domino
was more distinctive than anything
that could be noted OF the lady's actual
personality. AS means for confusing
any possible pursuers, the gown and
the domino might have served well,
though Darrell had not foreseen that
they would be needed as the matter Of
. claim OF alibi
As to their value In this regard, Oar
rel resolved upon a test. He had a
theory about the three men in the cap
with him. The one who had conducted
the arrest" might be an agent of the
district commissary Of police, but Dar-
rell suspected him or connection with
the central bureau de la surete (the
detective bureau of Paris. The second
was man from the precinct In which
Darrell and the Gordons lived. and he
was there for purposes of identitica-
tion. 1t was he who had said that the
ladies were Mrs. Gordon and Miss Lor-
rimer, the latter Of whom Darrell now
blessed for her hasty and almost secret
flight from the house. The Paris police
arc sure, but slow, though their mill
tary discipline and unquestloning ODE,
dience, combined with excellent organ.
ization, sometimes give them the delu-
sive aspect of rapidlty. 1t might take
them week or even fortnight to dis.
cover that Vera had replaced Miss Lor'
rimer, despite the rigid supervision to
which strangers are subjected.
40 much for Doliceman No and his