Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-03


she said to him. and Miss Dome and the Count
can go on fast they like for they both good
walkers. l am sure you must be great walker,
she added turning to the Russian
He smiled blandly and bent his head little, as
if acknowledging compliment.
Van Torp looked at him quietly. n should have
thought you were more Used to riding, SAID the
American.
All. yes." The indifferent answer came in a
peculiarly oily tone, though the pronunciation was
perfect. Il was in the cavalry before began to
travel. But l walked over two thousand miles IN
Central Asia and none the worse tor IT.
Margaret that she was not going to like
him. she moved on with him by her side; and
Van Torp, walking with Mrs Rushmore, was quite
certain that he Long Legged Levi who had
herded cattle with him for six months very long ago
CHAPTER TX.
7 OGOTHETI reached his lodgings in St. James S
- Place at six o'clock in the evening OF the day
which he had promised to dine with Van Torp,
and the latter's note of excuse was gwen to HIM
at once He read it. looked out of the window,
glanced at it again, and threw it into the waste paper
basket without another thought, He did not care
in the least about dining with the American million
aire In fact he had looked forward to it rather
as a bore than pleasure Then he looked through
his letters to see if there was one from Margaret
but there only colored postcard from Bayreuth.
with the word greetings scrawled beside the
address in her large hand
Next to the card, however. there was thick
letter addressed in commercial writing 1t was
from Pinnev the ieweer and contained full
and conscientious account of the whole affair OF
the theft from the moment when Logotheti and
Van Torp had gone out together till Pnney had
locked up the stone in his safe again, and Baraka
and Spiro had been lodged in Holloway jail. The
envelop contained also cutting from the news
paper similar to the Margaret had received from
Lady Maud.
Logothet laid the letter the table and looked
at his watch. 1t was now quarter past SIX, and
old fashioned shops like Pnneys close rather early
in the dark season. when few customers are to be
expected and the days not so long as they have
been In the latter part of August, in London, the
sun sets soon after seven o'clock, and LogothetI
realized that he had no time to lose.
AS he drove quickly toward Bond-st., he over
the circumstances in his mind, and came to the
conclusion that Baraka had probably been the vic
tim of trick, though he did not exclude the bare
possibility that she might be guilty. With all her
cleverness and native she might be little more
than a savage who had picked up European manners
in Constantinope, where you can pick up any man
you like, Eastern or Western The merchant
that had given her letter tor Logothet1 knew only
what she had chosen to tell him. and connlved IN
her deception by speaking of her a and she
might have told him anything to account for having
valuable precious stones to dispose OF. But on
the other hand. she might not be Tartar at all
Anyone, from the Bosporus to the Amur, may speak
Tartar and pretend to understand anything else
She might be nothing but clever half-bred Levantne
from Smyrna, who had fooled them ALL and really
knew French, and even English. All the rest was
Barakas story, and Logotheti really knew
of nothing in her favor beyond his intimate con-
viction that she innocent. Against that stood
fact that the stolen ruby had been found secreted
on her person within little more than half an hour
of her having had chance to take it from Pinney
shop.
OGOTHETI found Pinney himself in the act of
IL turning the disks of the safe before going home
and leaving his shopman to shut up the place. He
tered.
Il was hoping to see you. SIR" he said. 81