Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-25
CHAPTER XIV.

Naturally 1t occurred to Val that the
trail Of Cadwallader Hunter must have
reached as far as the Beverly household !;
and almost he found it in his heart to re-
spect a man with executive ability to &C
complish SO swift, so sweeping, SO secret
a revenge.
1.-THE old fellow must have had a busy
day" Loveland thought, half amused on
top of hunger and encouragement. He
pictured the major running 1ithely about
since the snub at lunch time, up to the
last moment before dressing for dinner.
prejudicing all the friends made on board
the Mauretania against the Englishman
to whom he had proudly introduced them.
And besides, one must grant q certain
cleverness to a brain able to weave
grounds OF prejudice against a person
nay, a personage-important and unim-
peachable. as Loveland considered him
self to be. How Cadwallader Hunter had
done it Val could not imagine: but that
the mysterious thing which had been
done was the majors work he did not
doubt. AS for the bother with the bank.
of course that was another matter, g. CO.
incidence uncOnnected with the annoy
ances which had followed. for Cad
wallader Hunter could not have known
anything about the letter Of credit or
where 1t was to be presented. And though
the spiteful old thing was apparently &C
quainted with Mr.. van Cotter. who had
been one of the Coolidge party. he could
scarcely have read clairvoyantly all the
names on the letters OF introduction, even
II he knew the people.
AS Val asked himself forlornly what
was left for him to do next this last
argument brought consolation. and a well
come new idea at the same time. AS the
major had got hold or the Coolidges.
the Millions and Beverlys, why not go
and throw himself on the mercy OF some
of Jim Harboroughs friends?
Loveland had conscientiously distributed
all the letters in the afternoon, and had
put the Waldorf Astoria Hotel as a New
York address on his visiting cards. Now,
owing to unforeseen circumstances IAN
other name for the majors vindictive-
ness) that address was his no longer.
When people called, as, no doubt, they
would do tomorrow. they were likely to
find that he had vanished into space. Yes.
without doubt. the best thing he could do
was to call tonight at one Of the houses
where he had alighted in the afternoon.
He would walk to the nearest one: but
now he came to think OF 1t, which was
the nearest. and Of which was he certain
that he could remember the street and
number?
Val had not charged his mind with the
addresses on the letters, SO sure had he
been that the recipients would lose no
time in calling. Now, he went over the
eight or nine names in his head. and
thought that he had kept them all
| straight: but to save his life he could not
say which number, which street, apper-
tanned to which person.
This was dilemma, almost a calamity.
But one address seemed to stand out be-
fore his eyes-a number in 9th avenue:
and he thought 1t was a Mrs. Arson who
lived there. The house was q handsome
one, at q corner. He had admired it;
and as it was not far uptown he would
not have more than a mile to travel. He
could still make his visit and tell his pitt
full tale before 10 o'clock.
He walked fast and 1t was by an effort
that the man Of the shadows kept him
in sight for Walls legs were long and his
were not. But he did contrive to cling
close enough to see tall figure slowly
descend q fight of stone steps climbed
earlier
This time there was a discouraged
droop of the head and shoulders and q
dragging hesitation in the gait which
seemed to show that the wanderer did not
know what his next move ought to be.
At last the watcher decided that he had
waited long enough. The Englishman
had come to the end Of his tether. He
was tired out and sick at heart; in fact.
had been patiently expecting.
Loveland walked away from the house
where Mrs. Arson was giving q dinner
party and regretted that she was unable
to receive visitors Jim Harborough's
friend! Could 1t be that Cadwallader
Hunters tentacles had wormed them
selves round this ladys sympathies Also
or was the dismissal another coincidence,
like that of the bank? Loveland did not
know. but he did know that the sole pos
sessions left him were q great hunger
which he might not satisfy, and great
longing 10 have somewhere to lay his
head.
Good evening"" said the man. who had