Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-03-27
By E. PHILLIPS OPPENHEIN,
Author of"The Master Nummer" "A Prince OF Sinners
Sabin." -Anna the Adventures" Etc.


sooner or later it must be done.
"You are quite sure that you will
not have anything else" he asked.
absolutely, thanks! I have never
enjoyed myself so much in my life"
He glanced at his watch. 1t was
half past II.
! II am afraid" he said, that I am
going to be a nuisance to you. but
ones friends often are that. l want
to be your friend. l want to prove
myself such. / am not an inquisitive
person by any means. but fate has de-
clared that l should be your inquisitor.
! There are some questions which l am
bound to ask you"
| Her face grew suddenly grave.
There is so little" she murmured,
(which can tell you"
Eve shall see" he answered. I'm
| the first place, Lord Runton has been
here. He is one of my oldest friends
| and a very good fellow He came to
tell me that De Rothe had been robbed
| in his house of some valuable papers.
He came partly to ask my advice. All
the time l was sitting opposite to him
with those papers in my pocket"
She looked at him strangely.
Perhaps" she said quietly, "you
gave them up TO him"
81 did not" lie answered. "You know
very we'll that did not
1T was your duty" she said in a low
! tone.
perhaps so. On the other hand" he
| continued, you trusted me. The pa
pers are safe"
Does he know that you have them?"
she asked
HE knows nothing"
She looked at '.im steadfastly-not
with any appearance of doubling his
| word, and yet as though she were re-
volving something in her mind con-
! corning him.
81 am thinking" she said, chow much
better it would have been for both of
us if we had never met
| THE fates thought otherwise" he
| answered. Il searched Paris for you
only to find You at my gates. The fates
meant you to be my friend. We must
be careful not to disappoint them"
She shook her head little wistfully
! "Iou have been very good to me-"
she said. but you don't understand
"Precisely!' he interrupted. II don't
/ understand. want to, To begin with.
] What in this world induced you to
throw in your lot even for an hour with
| The man who called himself Fielding?''
| II can answer no questions concern
ing myself" she said sadly.
He smiled.
Come he said. sit isn't so serious
as all that, is it? Sooner or later your
friends are sure to find you, and they
will not be content with such a state
ment as that. You were summoned
one day to Paris by or on behalf OF
your brother, who had unaccountably
disappeared there. You Immediately
appear to have followed suit You hat
no friends in Paris. Neither, l think
had he. / believe / am correct in say
ing that you had neither of you evel
been there before. If your brother ha!
fallen into bad hands, and if thos,
same people are trying to work upol
your fears by leading you into this SCR
of thing-well, | have friends who ar,
powerful enough to bring you safel.
out of any den of thieves in the world
You are in an impossible situation, m,
dear young lady. Nature never mean
necessity for you to become one. VIII.
do you look at me like that?"
There was terror in her face. H
had hoped to reassure her, to give he
courage On the contrary, every wor,
he spoke only seemed to increase he
distress.
ooh, am afraid she murmured. &c
wish l had taken my chance. l ough
not to have burdened you for a me
ment with my affairs. I have givel
you the right to ask me question
which cannot answer"
He was perplexed.
eff you have given promises to thes
people he began.
"Oh, there is no question of prom
ises." she interrupted. II am here o
my own free will. 1 refuse to answe
any questions. / pray only If yo
would be generous that you ask m
none, that you keep me until tomol
row and let me go not only from thi
place, but out of your life. Then in
deed / will be grateful to YOU"
He took her hand in his. She yield
ed it without any attempt at resist
ance but it lay in his palm cold, dea
thing.
II am only concerned for your good,
he said gently. 1T is your happines
only that am anxious for. You wer
not born or trained for life of lie
and crime. l want to save you from
> before 1t Is too late"
? what / do" she said slowly, II d
q of my own free WILL"
f mot quite, 1 think" he answered
f ''but let that pass. Listen! If you wi
e not talk to me about these things, wi
S you talk to my friend, Jarvis Spencer
He is gentleman and journalist b
profession, but he is also one of th
cleverest amateur detectives in Eng
land"
ri She held up her hands with a littl