The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-07-16

New let's hear how you fell into his clutches" said l briskly, for I was as anxious to hear as he seemed to tell me, only for my part I could have waited until we were safe in the flat:
 q do want to get it off my Schest, Bunny" old Rallies admitted, land yet hardly can tell you after all followed your friends with the velvet eyes. l fol- lowed him all the way here. Of course I , came up to have good look at the house
 when he'd let himself in. and dam me if he hadn't left the door ajarl Who could | resist that? I had pushed 1t half open. | and had just ore foot on the mat when
 l got such a crack on the head as I hope
 never to get again. When came to my
 wits they were hauling me up to that l ring-bolt by the hands, and old Corbucci
 himself was lowing to me. but how he
 got here don't know yet.'
 T can tell you that" said I. and told how had seen the Count for myself on | the pavement underneath our windows. l Moreover" I continued, q saw him spot l you, and five minutes after in Earfs | Court road I was told he'd driven off in
 cab He would see you following his man,
 drive home ahead and catch you by hav-
 ing the door left open in the way you de- scribe
 We'll" said Rallies, The reserved to | catch me somehow, for he'd come from l Naples on purpose, ruler and all, and the I ring-holts were ready fixed and even | this house taken furnished for nothing I ese He meant catching me before he'd done and scoring me off in exactly the | same way that I scored off him, only go- | ing one better, of course. He told me so himself. sitting where I am sitting now. at 8 o'clock this morning, and smoking
 a most abominable cigar that I've smelled
 ever since. It appears he sat twenty
 fo,. T I.f+ I.t.x
 but he said twelve would content him In
 my case. as there was certain death at
 the end of them, and I mightnt have life enough left to appreciate my end if he made 1t longer. But I wouldn't have
 trusted him if he could have got the clock to twice round without firing off the pistol He explained the whole me- chanism of that to me. He had thought 1t all out on the vineyard told you about, and then he asked if remembered what he had promised me in the name of the Camorra. I only remembered some vague threats but he was good enough to give me so many particulars of that institu- ton that could make European repn-
 tation by exposing the whole show if it wasn't for my unfortunate resemblance to that internal rascal Rallies. Do you
 think they would know me at the Yard,
 Bunny, after all this time? Upon my soul, I've a good mind to risk iti'
 
 could 1t interest me then? But interested I was in Rallies; never more so in my life. He had been tortured all night and half a day, yet he could sit and talk like this the moment we cut him down. He had been within minute of his death yet he was as full of life as ever; ill- treated and defeated at the best, he could still smile through his blood as though the boot were on the other leg. l had imagined that I knew my Rallies at last. I was not likely so to fiatter myself again.
 "But what has happened to these vil- lains?" I burst out, and my indignation was not only against them for their cruel ty, but also against their vic/hn for his phlegmatic attitude towards them. It was difficult to believe that this was Rallies
 ''Oh," said he, "they were to go off to Italy instanter: they should be crossing now But do listen to what l am telling you; It's interesting my dear man. This old sinner corbucci turns out to have been no end of boss In the Camorra- says so himself One of the capi paranze, my boy, no less; and the velvety Johnny giovano onorato, Anglice. fresher. This fellow here was also In 1t, and I've sworn to protect him from them evermore; and it S just as l said, half the organ grinders in London belong, and the whole lot of them were put on my tracks by secret instructions. This excellent youth manu- factures iced poison on Saffron Hill when he's at home"
 And why on earth didn't he come to
 me quicker?"
 "Because he couldn't talk to you; he could only fetch you. and it was much as his life was worth to do that before our friends had departed. They were going by the Il o'clock from Victoria, and that didn't leave much chance, but he certain
 ly oughtn't to have run 1t as fine as he did. Still. you must remember that had to fix things up with him in the few
 est possible words in a single minute that the other two were indscreet enough to leave us alone together"
 The ragamuffin in question was watch ins us with all his solitary eye, ns
 though he knew that we were discussing
 him. Suddenly he broke out in agonized
 accents, his hands clasped and face so full of fear that every moment I ex-
 pected to see him on his knees. But Rsf- 1es answered kindly, reassuringly, could tell from his tone, and then turned to me with compassionate shrug.
 ''IIe says he couldn' find the mansions
 Bunny, and really it's not to be wonder ed at. had only ti.1e to tell him to hunt you up and bring you here by hook or crook before 12 today, and after all he has done that But now the poor devil thinks you're riled with him, and that we'll give him away to the Comorra."
 "Oh, it's not with him I'm riled," I said frankly, ''but with those other black guards, and-and with you, old chap, for taking it all as you do, while such in- famous scoundrels have the last laugh and are safely on their way to Francep'
 Rallies looked up at me with Q curious1y open eye-an eye that never saw when he was not in earnest I fancied he did not like my last expression but one. After all 1t was no laughing matter to him.
 "But are they?" said he. I'm mot so sure"