Evening star., 1909-05-29

''But. no-naturally, when you took
them all to the same place. think you
said to the same place, IL l remember
rightly:''
Had he said so? Or was it only the
pump handle in another guise? And yet
there are those who imagine 1t is easier
to lie than to tell the truth! He mois-
tened the roof Of his mouth. "Oh, no-no,
they were different. The china place was
quite near, though-in the same block. at
the corner"
"Oh. quite 50. Then you'll remember it,
in any case? fear I may be bothering
you a trife, Mr.. Carter. But one likes
to feel sure about such things. doesn't {
one?"
He mopped himself again. Really. II
don't believe I-you see It was Mrs Car
ter who took out the china" He could
at least rest for moment on that yard
of solid ground.
''Mrs. Carter?'
''Yes. or course. don't often let her
do those things for me. But as she just
happened to be going over in that direc-
tion one day"
"Oh, then you did know Of the place
yourself? No doubt you mean you had
heard some one speak Of it?'
Once more the pump handle was en-
hola - -; Y{o feI1
over themselves in his haste to get away
from It. mo. oh no! 1 believe-the truth
is, we found 1t in Baedecker." He knew
that their Baedecker was safe in the inner
chamber with GwendoIyn.
why" said Miss Pastonbury. that
makes It perfectly easy. then. She crossed
to her bookcase. and. reaching behind the
upper tier. took out her own fat. red
guide book.
In Baedecker's list there were mentioned
no members OF china or polishers Of metal
whatever.
He gagged. "Heh! I suppose in that
case, we must have got it from the di-
ICCIOIy-tAC OHC O. eilC PoSI oiASo. NDus
were there directories at the post Office
in France?) "Or. no, I remember now
quite we'll We saw It when we were
taking out the silver" Again he could
for a moment loosen his grip upon his
chair arm.
"Oh, yes. precisely So And it really
doesn't signify. does it. Mr. Carter?'
mo, not at all' He felt quite clearly
that she was merely rearranging him upon
the spit.
but, just before 1t slips me she had
Monsieur Lajeunesse. You were saying
he came the morning after he went
away?'
"Yes. Yes. think it was the morning
after"
"And that must have been more than
seven weeks ago-a few days after you
moved in. The-the china's been out for
quite a while. then. hasn't it?''
He made no answer at all.
"And the silver-but. OF course, you
sent that out only little while ago. when
it had become so dull and tarnished?'
She eyed him with kind of grim. rap
torial satisfaction as the net frightened
Eyes, believe 1t was last Friday. It's
to be returned tomorrow morning" 1t
now came quite automatically.
Precisely so, Mr.. Carter. / had under
stood, though. that you found the china
place when you were taking out the sill
ver?"
He was still standing somewhere near
him. "Oh. Morton-Morton. dear-even
II you want to, I'll never let you
forgive me! And might Just have known
that it'd be like that! For no matter
how clever you MAY be at inventing
things, II you can't make the other per-
son say the things to fit in. too! The old
old gargoyle! Why couldn't have been
there to take care of her, But, don't
you see. if / had come out 1t would have
made it look as If you hadn't been telling
the TRUTH
II. for the time. Miss Pastonbury had
controlled her natural emotions, and con-
fined herself almost wholly to cross-ex-
animation. 1t was not that she regarded
the loss Of some OF her most valuable pos
sessions merely as the chance for an ex-
ercise Of inductive dialectics. 1t was
only that-in Mr.. Carter's odious Yankee
phrase-she wanted to be dead sure"
With Mrs. Gloyden behind her. she rang
their bell at quarter to 10.
Mrs. Carter opened to her. Upon the
mantel shelf stood the Dresden shepherd.
In the center Of the mantel was the
Sevres bowl. One Of the Gouda vases,
still half wrapped In an Indianapolis
Journal. lay upon the lounge. And be-
side it on the lounge gaped a pumpkin
colored club bag.
Mr.. Morton Carter was standing with
belathered face within the closed portal
OF the dressing room. It had been his in
tention. when at last he got his morning 8
shave. to send Gwendolyn out to the
Louvre, and with heroism, await the is
sue alone. Now. as he stood there, power
less to stoD it what ha heard from the