Evening star., 1911-05-28
SUNDAY MAGAZINE FOR MAY 70. 1911

for the Russian having hung up the receiver, had
crossed the room.
Once he stood in front of the mirror placidly
and contemplatively stroking his beard There
something suggestive of house cat in both his ex
preston and the movement itself. He stood there
purringSkeel felt that "purrng the and only
word for tpurring with sort of smiling and impassve
contentment which was as odous to the eavesdropper
that sleek and scented beard that still Haunted
like pennant of patrarchal self suicency. The purr
ing stranger for mysterious reason seemed well
satisfied with himself. The mild eyed youth
silently studying his movements could not help wonder
ing to the nature and of the canary that had
been swallowed front of that telephone transmitter
Skeel he continued to squint out at the stranger
him slowly his dresscoat, step to a door
directly opposite the bathroom door, and disappear in
side. He emerged moment later, thrusting his arms
through the sleeves of dressing jacket This garment
soft and rough and it seemed to be made of caels
hair with facngs and frogs OF silk. Its paSseda
large white hand approvngy down the side of it, stood
for moment in thought and then took ring of keys
from his pocket.
Then he stepped to cabinet the right of the
bureau, cabinet that at first glance looked very much
like large sized gramophone case With one of the
keys he unlocked the polished mahogany doors that
covered the face of this cabinet.
Skeel, watching him closely could see him stoop low
over what proved be nothing more than steel safe
'front.' moment later he could hear the ring and click
of metal against metal He surmised that the Russian
work the combination lock of the inner safe
doors. This surmise confirmed moment later,
when those narrow doors themselves swung open
and the STOPPING reaching apparently into drawer
at the top of the safe interior his feet with
puff of relief Then he swung the doors shut again,
locking the safe and giving the nckeled dial careless
spin.
Skeel gasped little as he became of the fact
that the Russian was holding revolver in his hands,
a silver plated pearl handled revolver with uncom-
monty long barrel, exotic looking the beard that
bent it. Then the stranger dropped the revolver
into the side pocket of his camelhar Jacket, medita-
lively stroked his beard and moved once in front
of the mirror, where he stood purring
tentedly and triumphanty at his reflection.
THIS tableau interrupted by sudden light tap
the outer door of the 1t sud-
denly, out of the utter quieness that Skeel again
the subject of those elegraphc disturbances heraldng
the ah1iction known goosefesh. Whether the Rus
sian answered to that knock Skeel could be quite
He could however, that it had neither startled
nor discounted the man in the outer room; for the
placid and purring look still his face the door
swung open and woman dressed in black stepped
quickly inside.
This woman Skeel noticed, did not advance into the
room. The moment the door closed she stood
against it, apparently with one hand still resting the
knob and with the green velour portiere swinging
against of her shoulders. Her face itself he could
not clearly see; tor she wore VEIL But he found him.
self held by suggestion of ensity of concealed and
uncomprehended drama, in the stately and somber
figure with its eyes fixed intenty the face of the
Russian.
So appealing this figure, suggestive was it of
dramatic possibilities, that wave of disappointment
swept through Skee she started to speak the
calmly regarding her from the bureau edge where he
stood; for her words in tongue unknown to the
secret listener, the Russ ans calm and gruff
noted retorts Skeel could see, however that she
speaking under intense excitement. He not
conscious of the emotional appeal in her voice This
emotional appeal was deepened when with
hand she thrust the veil from her face and he caught
sight of the well modelled chin the thin and high brdged
the lustrous and overaert eyes set wide apart
under the white brow made whittier by the of
dark hair behind it. She too had touch of the exotic
Skee could detect it in each fluent and passionate
gesture, each line of the thin face in each
of the 1.-THE body with its constant and reiteratve up
thrust of shoulder and futterng outthrust of hand.
She tOO he surmlsed, Russian. And again he