The evening world., 1915-02-06
"Not the least little hint Of black

mot the least little hint Of black
mail?"'
MOT a word or q sign Of anything
OF the sort. except that he asked me
to forgive him for the other tune, aud
OF course l did" W. "
"Of course you would, though he
actually robbed you under arms!"
Wont you take him in hand again.
Doctor, and try to cure himf"
where Is he?" asked Dollar. In
sudden suspicion.
Walking UP and down outside"
Until we call him int"
III only you will let met"
She was on her feet. to take him at
his word as soon as spoken: but no
said that was Barton's Job. and,
wondering aloud how Barton would
like 1t, went out presumably to see.
He was not gone long, and In an
other minute Alfred Croucher was
crinsing before them like q beaten
cur.
But few ours whine az this one did
that morning, while the crime doctor
listened and their little lady WINGED.
She was right about one thing. He
did look i'll; his cough was not alto
gether put on. He had been "tret
somefink crool," he declared. but
without entering into particulars. for
which Dollar did not press: but on
the character of Mostyn Scarth there
were no such reservations. Croucher
denounced that monster with the
white hatred Of holy warrior. cast
Ing up his eyes with all manner of
passionate and pious invocations.
"Only take me away from i'm. be-
fore it's too late!" he implored. re-
luctant murder In the whites of his
rolling eyes. "'E's a bad man. very
bad man e is! The 'appiest days O.
me life was wot l spent in ERE eigh-
teen munf ago. 1t seems moro like
eighteen years-'ard. / never should
we quit but for Shod, wots got good
long stretch for is pines. Els another
bad man: but for i'm you 'ad me In
the 'oller Of yer and. and might We
made n man o. me In no time"
"All right" snapped Dollar. Il
never did think you were more than
a second murderer. Croucher!"
"Wot's that?"
"Only q technical expression,
Croucher. meaning the minor male
factor"
asked Vera, when Croucher had de-
parted to get his luggage.
81 hope 30: but i shall be very glad
to have him back, even II fail again"
II shall be all the better able to
watch Scarth's latest move" he said.
Over against the back windows of q
nice new street of tall red houses. be-
yond the high red wall inclosing their
common strip of shrubs and gravel,
runs a humber row of windows In
a news. Most of the windows have
muslin curtains. and in some the
lights are on all night Last October
there was only one without any kind
Of covering. except a newspaper stuck
across a broken pane.
Il was the scandal OF the row; a
battered billycock lay rotting on the
roof above; strange fragments OF song
within, as of a gentleman roisterins
in his sleep, and at times a bristly
countenance would roll red eyes over
the backs OF the red houses. begin
ming and ending with the mats at the
bottom Of the street. II a dark. hand
some face appeared simultaneously
at a top nat window. the chances were
that both would vanish, but 1t would
have been difficult to detect the ex-
change OF actual signals.
shaven and collarod. from the audience
in Welbeck Street, he went 30 far as
to wink and wave from the window
that disgraced the news to the one
that crowned the flats. His rolling
eyes sill had their whites about them
his wrists were still in unaccustomet
cuffs; and Mostyn Scarth was at his
elbow before 1t could be lifted with the
bottle brought In to celebrate the &C.
caslon.
"Just onsi" sd Cseuohss. PITCHING
- moaersl vaAn: n ths ksy q cons:
e40oQoGnnm. leooevs IN -