The sun. (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1906-06-16


mas, rs we were idling in the American
bar Of the hotel, my friend told me that
Murj"l had invited us to tea at her cou-
sins that afternoon, and accordingly we
went there in company.
The drawing-room into which we were
ushered was familiar to me as the apart
ment wherein had told Muricl of the
attempt upon her lovers life.
Az we stood together Muriel, O smart
figure in pale blue gown, poured tea
for us and chatted more merrily,
thought, than ever before. She seemed
quicb and nervous and yet full of happi-
ness. as she should indeed have been, for
Jack Durnford was one of the best fell
lows in the world, and his restoration to
health little short of miraculous.
"fiordon," he said to me with a sud-
den seriousness when tea had ended and
we had placed down our cups. 81 want
to tell you Notwithstanding I've
been longing always to tell you, and now
have got dear Muriels consent. I
went to tell you about her father and
his friends"
sand about Elma, too?" l said in
quick eagerness. eyes, tell me every.
thing"
"No, rot everything, for don't know
it myself, But what 1 know I will ex.
plain as ! riefy as can, and leave you
to form your own conclusions. It u.s."
he went IN, "a strange-most amazing
story. When / myself became first cog
infant of the mystery | was on board
the flagsb Up the Renown, under Admiral
Sir John Fisher. We were lying in
Malta when there arrived the English
yacht Iri. owned by Mr.. Philip Leith
court, and among those. on board cruis-
ing for pleasure were Mr.. Martin Wood
roffe, Mr.. Hylton Chatter, and the own
er's wife and daughter Muriel.
"Muriel and I met first at tennis
party, and afterwards frequently at
various houses in Malta, for anyone who
goes there and entertains is soon enter
tanned in return. A mutual attachment
sprang up between Muriel and myself"
he said, placing his hand tenderly upon
hers and smiling, "and we often met in
secret and took long walks, until quite
suddenly Leithcourt said that it was
necessary to sail for Smyrna to pick up
some friends who had been travelling in
Palestine. The night they sailed great
CONSERVATION was caused on the island
by the news that the SAFE in the Ad-
miral Superintendent's office had been
opened by expert safe-breakers, and GER
tain most important secret documents
stolen"
"Well?" I asked, much interested.
"Again, two months 'ater, when the
villa of the Prince of Montevachi, at
Palmero, was broken into and the whole
of the famous jewels of the Princess
stolen, it was very strange fact that
the Iris was at the moment in that port.
But it was not until the third occasion,
when the yacht was at Villefranche, and
our squadron being at Toulon, got four
days leave to 60 along the Riviera, that
my suspicious were aroused, for at the
very hour when I was dining at the Lon.
don House at Nice with Muriel and a
schoolfellow of hers, Elma Heath-whO
was spending the winter there with a
lady who was Baron Oberg's cousin
that great robbery was committed in
one of the big hotels up at Cimiez, the
wife of an American millionaire losing
jewels valued at thirty thousand pounds.
Then the robberies, coincident with the
visit of the yacht, aroused my strong
suspicion. l remarked the nature of
those documents stolen from Malta, and
recognized that they could only be of SER
vice to foreign government. Then
came the Leghorn incident of which you
told me. The yachts name had been
changed to the Lola, and she had been
reprinted. made searching inquiry,
and found that on the evening she was
purposely run aground in order to strike
up friendship at the Consulate, Rus
sian g,inboat was lying in the vicinity.
The COnsul's safe was rined and the
scheme certainly was to transfer any.
thing obtained from it to the Russian