The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-02-15

have their meetings. AZ for Alessandro.
with him It has come to this-he scarcely
dares to show his face in the street for
fear of the police. know. and he knows
I know. It 10 partly because he knows
that he 20 wishes to make me his wife.
He thinks to shut my mouth: but now
that they have killed Emilio will open
1t to It's widest. care not what they do
to mel No, no, care not.''
7 do not remember to have ever before
seen any one in such whlriwind Of pas
sion. None the less. she had her wits
about her Suddenly. with a gesture. she
requested silence.
There are footsteps on the stairs. Who
Is IT coming?'
There are two OF them. Alessandro is
one: I think Gaspare is the other. but I
am not sure Whoever II is. I hit him
with this poker
To my amazement she stopped and
whipped cleaning blade out Of her
stocking. 1 foresaw lively times ahead.
Some one without tried the handle
When IT was found that the door would
not yield soft voice demanded. In the
broadcast argot of Naples:
"Lucrezia. what have you against the
door? Don't fool. open at once
The girl said nothing. She beckoned
me to the other side Of the room.
Throwing back a door which was COW
cred with the same paper as the wall. she
disclosed an aperture behind. THAT Is q
door at the back; it % locked; they do
not think have the key. but have"
While she took key from some curl
GUS hiding place in her corsets she burst.
as il were. into a sudden flood Of ex-
PLANTATION.
This house is very old. 1t belongs to
the Mana; II is their headquarters In
London. The polire-they guess-but
have no proof.
Meanwhile she had been unlocking that
door. At last it stood open-just as the
door Of her bedroom yielded TO the vigor-
Gus attack which was being made on IT
from without. As passed through the
door at the back Of the cupboard I saw
Alessandro rush into the bedroom. and
behind him Gaspare- thought they
would catch the girl. but she was too
quick for them. With surprising speed
she had whipped tho key out of the
r.. - "a
and was lockins II again on the other
side. The closing of the door had left US
in pitch darkness
Where are we?' I asked. 81 can see
nothing
This lie a recess-here IL another door;
Il is not locked" She opened II. but II
did not make things much clearer. These
steps lead down into the restaurant. Be
careful. they are steep"
Those steps were certainly steep. ]
went down backward. as down a ladder.
In the darkness it was not easy. The
girls voice as she followed came from
above.
"kt the bottom is doo-. They think II
is locked, but 1t is not. 1 am not so sim
pie as they suppose
was not locked-it yielded to a turn of the
her arm. Her voice seemed less conf
dent.
This Is the restaurant. 1 do not know
what We can do now. Ths door into the
street is certainly locked and shattered.
| promise you I will use my knife. Have
you a knife?''
II want no knife told her, nor must
you use yours. We shall not improve
matters by making bad worse. Besides,
the police are coming"
She stopped suddenly.
what do you mean by the police are
coming? Who has told them
II sent a message to a friend of mine
at Scotland Yard-throush the telephone"
The telephone! Then-you have been
in that room?''
IT don't know what you mean by that
ROOM
There is only one apartment in the
house in which there is a telephone, and
that Is the one which belongs to the CHIEF
of the Malta He is there sometimes for
days without any one knowing he is in
the house-or, fancy, even in England.
Here's a knife for YOU"
She thrust something into my hand.
which refused to take.
Thank you, would rather do without
1t. Inspector Ellis promised that the po-
lice should be here within ten minutes.
They'will be here before any harm can be
done to u.s."
You think so? We shall see. Gaspare
and Alessandro move quickly-they will
hide us where the police WIN never find
US. ] have a knife. and I will use it. II
you are wise you will take this one and
use IL Also
still refused to take the knife, though
there was that. both in her tone and in
her words. which grated on my nerves.
When. presently, door at the back
opened. I was more than ever disposed
to wish that my adventurous spirit had
not lured me into the Restaurant Ma
politain.
did not need the girl to tell me what
the opening of that door portended; I
knew it for myself; but she did tell me.
You see now they are coming: We
shall soon know which It is to be-us or
them. Down behind my desk"
We were standing behind the sort Of
counter which served as buffet and caisse
combined. She drew me down as the door
opened. but I peepe. round the corner.
Alessandro came In. and behind him Gas
pare. Alessandro held an electric torch
above his head.
It was Gaspare who whispered first:
They are not here" His glance trav-