The Washington herald., 1915-09-19

and STOPPING to recover it. Then he
moved like a quick leaping animal.
Ihere was a sharp metallic "ClickI
Shckt frightened scream from
Mrs Glossop. a half-indignant, who'll
ly excited roar from the captain: and
tne duke, .glancing toward them, saw
tnat they both had got to their feet in
a sort OF panic and were standing
there, white, quaking. and handcuffed
together.
Good heavens~ began the duke.
Look here. Mr.. Narkom, say. This
IDIOTS out of his head"
More than out of itp swung in
the captain furiously. ITO people in
our position. l can stand a fool as
far as any man can, Mr.. Narkom. but
when 1t comes to this Look here
you Mr.. Woodhead or Thickhead. or
whatever your internal name IS"
Call a spade spade, my dear CAD
tain. The name is Cleek, if YOU can't
remember my other"
"Cleek" The duke repeated !. with
sort of gulp. The captain snat II
out as though it were something red
hot, and the captains wife merely
murmured it. and tainted
Yes. captain, Cleek. Oh. I've got
you, my friend-got you foulp' said
Cleek in reply. "All but ruined by
the failure of the Gold Reefs and the
milling and mining companies last
autumn, weren't you, and have been
playing a bluff game and living on
your credit ever sinceo A pretty lit
tie scheme you two beauties hatched
up between you to get the old duchess
into your clutches, to rob her of the
silva Stones and to have Mrs. Clos
sop and your Hindoo ally slip over
to India with them and claim the re-
ward before the truth of. your fnan-
cial condition leaked out! And, cap
tain, I've got something more as welli
I've got the place where the panel
slides IN the striped wall paper and
leads to the wardrobe with the false
back in your own room. I've got
your private papers, I've got the
safety razor blade, and-I've got the
hiding place of the silva Stones, as
Well. Humph, Fain:cd-like any
other human brute when he's pushed
to the wall! That's right, Hammond
call the constable in from outside
and take the pair of them away. Oh,
don't waste any pity on them, your
grace"-as the duke moved impul-
sively toward the stricken and de-
feated pair. And all for a pair OF
rose-pink diamonds that are red
enough now, GOO knows. What's
that? Where are they, Where you
must get surgeon to abstract them,
for l wouldn't touch them for mil
lions, duke. Hidden in the body it
self, imbedded in the flesh, jammed
out of sight through those cuts in the
arms and embedded under the mus
clesw
Good heavens, how horrible"
"Yes-isn't it, Oh, they laid their
plans well. those two, and they laid
them together. The body would not
be put under ground for long, long
time, and when it was the silva Stones
would not go to earth with it. There
was the specially constructed vault
at Brompton on their private prop
erty. They would get the stones
while the body lay there, and nobody
would be a whit the wiser. Ring for
a glass of wine. duke, and after you
have steadied your nerves I'll take
you upstairs and show you some
thing. There's a wardrobe in the
captains room which has a false
back, and behind that is sliding pan
el. its joining hidden by the stripes
of the wall paper. which leads into
the old duchess bedroom. That is
how they got in and got out again
and left every door and window
locked on the inside. When they had
finished their work they lit the can
- n,,I-o
if there is anything to joy over in
this appalling affair. find it in this
fact: | am convinced that the dow
agcr duchess died intestate. That be-
ing so. and she having no other hv-
ing relatives, it will no doubt be di-
vidcd equally by order OF the crown
between three persons-yourself for
one and those two poor homeless
creatures, Tom Spender and his sis
ter, for the others. And as it
amounts to several millions sterling,
dark days are over for you and for
them forever
How did l find it OUT" said
Clcek, answering Narkom's question
as they drove home through the sha-
dows OF evening together Well. I
think | first got a suspicion OF the
Captain and his wifc whcu you told
me about the cut bell rope; because.
you see, 1t is hardly likely that any
body could get into the room and
cut that without dist, rbing the old
lady; and as she didn't cry out. 7
came to the conclusion that that
somebody must certainly be some
one she knew and trusted. and whose
presence in the room would not be
That at once suggested
Mrs. Glossop, and the possibility OF
the lady saying that she had heard A
noise. and had come up and found
the door unlocked The captain, who
would make his entrance unheard
while they were talking, would cut
the rope. throw the moose round the
victims neck while she was off
guard. and-the rest would follow
easily. But. | could find no motive,
and could get no actual clew. until I
looked at the lady's rings. Clearly.
the putting of them on was an at
tempt to accentuate the presumed
fact of their great wealth BY exhib-
ting open evidence of how richly the
lady was lowered with Jewels and
how little she need covet those of
others. | got upon the trail of the