Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-08-05

message was iacomprehensible. Field i, ing only laughed and gave the man a sovereign. The message was abso, lutely correct, he declared. He told me afterward that whenever he was speculating he always coded his mes. sages, and it seemed perfectly reason able."
 Spencer nodded.
 Just sor' he murmured. This morning." Lord Runton con. tinued, 'Mr. Fielding rather upset our plans. We were all to have spent the day at the dukes and dined there There was big shoot for the men. as you know. At breakfast time, however MT. Fielding announced that he had a man coming over with a motor car from Norwich for them to try and beg ged to be excused. So we had to go without them.
 De Rothe was staying with me, as you know, and just before we started he had a telegram that messenger from the embassy was on bis way down. He hesitated for some time as to whether he ought not to stay at home so as to be here when he ar. rived, but we persuaded him to come with us and promised to send him back after luncheon. When we got to Ches- tow, however, the wind had become a gale, and 1t was impossible to shoot decently. De Rothe was little un- easy all the time, could see, so he and and few of the others returned here, and the rest went up to Chestow. Just as we arrived Fielding passed us in a great motor car, with his daughter behind. When we got to the house De Rothe inquired for the messenger. He was told that he was in MT. Fielding's sitting room, but when we got there we found the door locked. and through the key hole we could hear man grooming. We broke the door in and found De Rothe's messenger half un- conscious and a rified dispatch box upon the floor. He has given us no coherent account of what has happen ed yet, but it is quite certain that he was attacked and robbed by Mir. Field ing"
 "what was stolenT' Spencer asked. ''Aloney%
 "No; a letter." Lord Runton answer cd. "De Rothe says very little, but l never saw a man so broken up. He has left for London tonight"
 "The matter is in the hands of the police, of course?" Spencer asked.
 Lord Runton shook his head.
 De Rothe took me into his room and locked the door few minutes aft CT we had discovered what had hap pened. He implored me to keep the whole affair from the press and from publicity in any form. His whole ca reer was at stake, he said, and very much more than bis career. All that we could do was to follow MT. Fielding and drag him back by force if we could. Even then be had little hope of recovering the letter. We did our best, but of course we had no chance. Mir. Fielding and hls daughter simply drove of. De Rothe is dealing with the af- fair in his own way"
 Tt is a most extraordinary story" Spencer said quietly.
 Lord Runton turned toward him.
 T have treated you with confidence, Mir. Spencer" he said twill you tell me now why you called at my house to see Mir. Fielding todayT
 Spencer hesltated. but only for mo ment..
 Certainly" be said. "I came be- cause I knew that Mfr. Fielding was halfway to America and hIs daughter in Russia. Some friends of mine were curious to know whom your guests could be"
 Pelham raised his head
 You lied to me, then- he exclaimed.
 'T had as much right to lie to you" Spencer answered calmly. ''as you had to ssk me questions I had--
 He stopped short in the middle of his sentence. The faces of the three men were a study in varying expressions. From some other part of the house there came to them the sound of wo- mans sudden cry of terr0r-the cry of a woman who had awakened suddenly to look Into the fsce of death. Dun combe's uplIfted glass fell with crash upon the table The red wine trickied across the tablecIoth-