Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-19
CHAPTER IX.-Continued.

Loveland seemed to hear these words
spoken by an unknown voice, as If they
had been uttered by a stranger, and In
stantly he accepted them as the solution
Of the mystery.
That was 1t! Foxham had robbed him.
Foxham had not gone mad. Foxham was
simply q scoundrel.
There was too much method In the
planning Of this trick even for madness.
The careful arrangement of the cabin
luggage. with all the right things In the
right places, except for the jewel case,
containing tie pins. sleeve links and shirt
studs. which for five days Loveland had
believed to have been slowed away some
where else by mistake; the packing OF
the portmanteau and boxes with nice
judgment as to their proper weight and
the neatness of top layers: all this was
too we'll thought out to be the work OF a
lunatic.
wages in arrear No wonder he suddenly
developed a defunct grandfather with ar
eccentric will. From the moment he
heard of the proposed trip to America he
must have been quietly planning this
coup. a coup worth making for the sake
Of the brand-new wardrobe. to say moth
ing of the jewelry. And hot with rage
Loveland ran over In his mind the con
tents Of that missing jewel box. The
pearl studs which Lady Kitty Manning
had given him on his last birthday-eacf
one Of the three worth fifty pounds. if il
was worth a shilling. How he wished he
had sold the things. as he had beer
tempted to do. and would have done. il
they had not been the gift of pretty
woman! The diamond and enamel sleeve
links, too. and the sapphire buttons; a
hundred pounds more in F'oXham's pocket
Then the cravat pins. in two long rows
on a white velvet ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
could see them, as he had seen them last
"a cherished collection representing no,
only so many golden sovereigns. but sc
many queens Of beauty, the charming
givers.
What rogue to send his master off to
a strange country, stripped practically
naked: and how the master longed to
have the rogue within kicking distance
instead Of safe across the sea.
Forgotten faults of Foxham's flashed
back into his memory; small slynesses
winked at or condored; rumored airs
assumed in the servants ha at country
houses; fbs found out and overlooked.
because no other valet had Foxham'
skill and resourcefulness. St'l. - who
would have expected such depravity?
If this blow had fallen on some other
man Loveland would have laughed and
chaffed him: but he was far from seeing
his own predicament as laughing mat
having journeyed to far land to joust
for a great prize, finds himself robbed OF
his armor. How was he to fight on the
fitting ground of society and bear away
a millionairess, when his sole possessions
consisted of what he stood up In. and the
contents of suit case and cabin
trunk?
Luckily Foxham had not been able to
annex his masters letter of credit: but
Val had uses for the hundred and fifty
pounds other than buying a new outfit.
How he wished now that he had not
played bridge quite SO often on board
ship, emptying his pockets Of spare cash.
The scrape he was in was as hard to win
out of as a black London fog; and while
cropping for light a mild question from the
hotel valet did not sweeten his temper.
Am l really to carry all these things
away, sir?'
''oh. go to the devil and take them
with your
The servant-lest he remember that he
had been born a man and retaltate-
bolted toward safety, with a leaning
tower Of Foxham's garments on his arm.
1t was nobody's business how he meant
to dispose o, them; and second later he
would have passed the danger line had
not q page boy selected that identical in
slant to knock at Lord Loveland's door.
Man ard youth co lided. The top-heavy
pile of clothing crumb ed into ruin. Fox
ting out the threshold. What the valet
said long habits of servitude rendered m
audible. but what Loveland said might
have been heard at the end of the cor
ridor. And there were listeners nearer
Maj. Cadwallader Hunter and a COM
panion, who represented one Of New
York leading newspapers.