The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-20
By a Hairs Breadth Nd; 20 s Co. .
Tale gwthL in
Copyrisht by
Dodd.
Mead ca CO.
By III G a d on Hill

he know that he was the direct cause of
this particular dear reader getting her
chance as very practical sort of heroine.
So absorbing was the book that the half
hour was multiplied by four before Laura
put it down-to find that IL was past -.
and also that she was singularly wakeful.
Whether it was that the exciting incidents
in the novel had fired her imagination. or
that some hidden power was leading this
plain-spoken, open-hearted English girl
into the thick ot as dangerous a plot as
was ever Matched in Europe the effect was
the same. She fell to thinking-colloquially
as was her habit-of 1.-The Yank whom she
had chucked out" and from thinking she
got to wondering whether he might not
really have been up to no good
HE didn't look like a nice man. yet he
took his Cruel very kindly" she unused. 1T
almost seemed as If he didn't mind going a
bit. Can it have been because he had done
the trick. whatever it was, already, and
was glad of the reason for getting awayY
Perhaps l saved him from having to hatch
up an excuse of his own"
And then she recalled the unwonted grav-
ity of Fortescue's manner towards her
when he suggested the possible results OF
allowing Delaval to remain at the Won
Lindberg mansion.
Leaving aside the question of outrages,'
were the words with which Spencer began
his homiy," she said TO herself That's
diplomatic for meaning that an outrage
was just what he expected. for my coming
ambassador simply reeks of caution. Let
me see; the Yank was alone in his bedroom
for over half an hour. 1 think I'll have a
private Guy Faux inspection before 1 go to
bed
Quietly opening the door, she stepped out
into the passage and stood listening. Not
sound was to be heard and beyond the
range of the wax candle which she had
taken from her dressing table everything
was in darkness. The house was an oblong
block. with no intricate winnings, and she
knew just where to find the room that had
been allotted to the American-at the end
of the passage farthest from her own. With
Laura Metcalf to decide was to act and
half minute later she stood in the center
of Colonel Delavars deserted apartment,
holding her candle high over her head
After the first glance round. which re-
vealed nothing but ancient furniture. faded
hangings, and huge canopied bed. Laura
nearly laughed aloud at the thought that
pected to find. The room had evidently been
tided up since its brief occupation This
was an operation which the temporary
guest would certainly have foreseen, and
however sinister his designs. he would
hardly have left what Laura thought of as
''gunpowder and things" strewn about to be
swept up by the impending housemaid. IL
did not appear that he had left so much as
bosr
lodgings was solidly intact, and obviously
no attempt had been made to burrow
through the gloomy fireplace in the middle
of It,
Having come so far, Laura was not the
girl to go back without a thorough search.
and IL was not till she had looked under
the bed. opened a worm-eaten clothes press,
and tried all the drawers that she stood
taking a last look round preparatory to de-
parture. And then, suddenly in the stiffness
of the night, an unexplained sound fell upon
her Somewhere close at hand a clock
was ticking family. yet in the room no
timepiece of any kind was visible.
The absence of a clock she had already
noticed. but she verified il by another tour
round the furniture. and then stood still
again to listen. There was no doubt about
clockwork was in motion. In that deathly
stiffness the regular tick-tack was distinct
ly audible. though in the daytime. with the
traffic rolling outside. II would have passed
unnoticed So dull and muffied was the
sound that il only by changing her po-
sition several times that she was at all able
to locate its direction, and when she did fix
the spot where she heard IL loudest there
was nothing 10 account for IL. IL there could
be such a thing as the ghost OF a clock she
would have imagined that there was one
ticking spectrally the mantelpiece over
the great cavernous fireplace.
And then fash of enlightenment came
TO her The clock was up the chimney. For
the first time in her life her knees trembled
a little-not at the quick suggestion OF an
Internal machine but at the sudden i'm
portance her midnight excursion had really
assumed The feeling did not deter her from
prompt action. In a moment she kneel-
ing before the CRATE and peering up the
chimney by the light OF her candle at
portmanteau. size smaller than those
which Delaval had taken away. damned
about three feet ~. Louder and clearer
now she could hear the ticking-undoubt-
eddy from the interior OF the portmanteau.
Lauras first instinct on rising Was 10
alarm the house and leave the RESPONSE
bilty OF subsequent action with the Baron-
ess Won Lindberg. whose plain course q