The Delta independent., 1915-10-15

TRY your hand on it, Tom" said the
superior officer. I'm a free-lanct
here" he explained somewhat super
fiuously to the others. as Tom applied
himself to the lock in one mahogany
door. Mans been drinking. l should
say. He'd better be careful, because
l don't take to him, drunk or sober
I'm not surprised at his master not
trusting him. It's just possible that
the place was open-he might have
been getting out his cigars before
dinner-but l can't say think there's
much in it, Mr.. Cazalet"
1t was open again-broken open
before many minutes; and certainly
there was not much in II, to be seen
except cigars. Boxes of these were
stacked on what might have been
meant for a shallow desk (the whole
place was shallow as the wardrobe
that the doors suggested, but lighter
high up at one end by little barred
window of it's OWN and according
to Cazalet a desk it had really been.
His poor father ought never to have
been a business man; he ought to
have been a poet. Cazalet said this
now as simply as he had said it to
Hilton Toye on board the Kaiser Fritz.
Only he went rather further for the
benefit of the gentlemen from Scot
land Yard, who took not the faintest
Interest in the late Mr.. Cazalet, be-
yond poking their noses into his d.
minutive sanctum and duly turning
them up at what they saw.
never left in peace on Saturdays and
Sundays, which of course were his
only quiet times for writing" said the
son, celebrating his tale with flial
piety. so once when I'd been trying
| to die of scarlet fever, and my mother
brought me back from Hastings after
| she'd had me there some time. the
old governor told us he'd got place
where he could disappear from the
| district at moments notice and yet
be back in another moment II we rang
the gong. l fancy he'd got to tell her
whore 1t was. pretty quick; but ! only
found out for myself by accident.
Years afterward he told me he'd got
the idea from Jean Ingelow's place in
Italy somewhere"
Its in Florence" said Blanche,
laughing. I've been there and seen
it, and it's the exact same thing. But
you mean Michael Angelo, Sweep"
"Oh, do ~" he said serenely. We'll.
I shall never forget how found out
its existence"
mo more shall l. You told me all
about 1t at the time. as terrific Sc
cret, and I may tell you that I've kept
It from that day to this!'
You would" he said simply. But
think of having the nerve to pull up
the governors floor! 1t only shows
what a boy will do. / wonder II the
holes there still"
Now all the time the planetary de.
tective had been watching his satel-
| lite engaged in an attempt to render
the damage done to the mahogany
doors a little less conspicuous. Nei
ther appeared to be taking any further
interest in the cigar cupboard, or pay
ing the slightest attention to GAIA
| let's "reminiscences. But Mr.. Drink
water happened to have heard every
word, and in the last sentence there
was one that caused him to prick up
his expert ears instinctively.
whats that about a hole?" said
he, turning round.
81 was reminding Miss Macnair how
the place first came to be"
"Yes, yes But what about some
hole in the fioor?"
Il made one myself with ane of
those knives that contain all sorts Of
OF things, including saw. II was one
Saturday afternoon in the summer hoi-
idayc. | came in here from the gar.
den as my father went out by that
door into the hall, leaving one of
these mahogany doors open by mis-.
take. II was the chance of my life; ;
In | slipped to have a look. He came
back for something, saw the very door
you've broken standing ajar, and shut
It without looking in. So there 1 was
in a nice old trap! ! simply darent
call out and give myself away There
was bit of loose oilcloth ON the
floor"
There is still" said the satellite,
pausing in his task.
Il moved the oilcloth, in the end ;
hawked up one end of the board luck-
lily they weren't groove and tongue)
sawed through the next one to 1t, had
II up, too, and got through into the
foundations leaving everything much
as | had found it. The place Is 30
small that the oilcloth was obliged to
fall in place II 1t fell anywhere. But