Mountain advocate., 1916-06-09
CHAPTER XIX.
En- Route.


bly, rewarded his effrontery, Lanyard's
mind was far from easy during that
hour which he devoted to lodging,
ducking, and doubling across Paris and
back again before attempting to rejoin
Lucy Shannon. He hoped to confuse
and confound any jackals of the Pack
that might have picked up his trail as
adventitiously as Ekstrom had.
His delight, indeed, in dlscountenanc.
ing his dupe and enemy was quite
chilled by an apprehension that 1t
were madness, simply because the spy
had proved unexpectedly tractable, to
consider the Ekstrom affair closed. In
the very fact of that docility inhered
something strange and ominous, con.
temptation of which distilled q potent
premonition of evil hardly mitigated
by Lanyards relief on finding the girl
awaiting him, as per program, safe and
sound under the wing Of madame la
concierge, in the little court Of private
stables wherein he rented space for
his car, off the Rue des Acacias.
Monsieur lie concierge, 1t appeared,
was from home, and madame, thick
witted, warm-hearted, simple body that
she was, discovered a phase OF beam
ing incuriosity most grateful to the ad-
venturor, enabling him as II did to dis
pense with more embarrassing men
dacity in support of his original lie as
to their relations and to whisk the girl
away as soon as he liked.
This last was just "a speedily as per
sonal examination had treasured him
with respect to his utomobile-super-
hcially an ordinary motor.cab of the
better grade, but with an exceptionally
powerful engine hidden beneath its
hood. a car Of such character pass
ing readily as the town car Of any fam
lily in modest circumstances, or else as
what Paris calls voiture dc remise
"a hackney ear without taximeter-
was a tremendous convenience, en-
ablins its proprietor to scurry at will
about cab.ridden Paris without excit-
ing comment; but it couldn't be left
STANDING in public places at odd hours
or for long, without attracting the in
terest of the police, and so was useless
to Lanyard at present. But he
entertained a shrewd suspicion that
his plans might all miscarry and
tho command of a fast.traveling
car ere long become necessity
to his salvation. so he cheer.
fully devoted a fair half-hour to
putting the motor in prime trim for
the road.
With this accomplishment the
fact established through discreet OBJ
liQue interrogation of madame Ia con-
cierge that conditions In that quarter
were normal; that no inquiries had
been made after the Whereabouts OF
Pierre Lamier. and no strange or other
wise questionable characters had been
seen lettering in the neighborhood OF
late-he was ready for his first true
step toward rehabilitation.
Thus it was past one in the morning
when, with the girl on his arm. he t.
sued forth into the dark and drowsy
Rue des Acacias, moving swiftly,
crossed the Avenue de la Grande Ar
NEE. and thereafter avoiding main.
Travelled highways, struck southwark
through tangled side streets to the
aristocratic quarter of Passy.
Here, skirting the boulevards OF the
Notifications, they approached the pri-
vate park of La Muette.
The home OF that wealthy and ami
able eccentric. Nine. Helene Omber,
was souvenir of those days when
Passy had been suburban. A survival
OF the revolution. vast, dour pile that
had known few changes since the days
OF Its construction, it occupied large.
unkempt park, irregularly triangular
In shape, bounded by two streets and
an avenue, and rendered private by
high walls crowned with broken glass
Carrlage-gatcs opened on the avenue,
guarded by porter's lodge. while of
the three posterns that pierced the
walls on the side streets one only was
In general use by the servants OF the
establishment; the other two were
presumed to be permanently sealed.
Lanyard. however, knew better.
When they had turned of from the
avenue he slackened pace and moved
at caution. examining the prospect
narrowly.
On the one hand he had the wall of
the private park. topped by naked.
soughing limbs OF neglected trees. On
the other, across the way, block of
tall old buildings, withdrawn behind
Jealous garden walls. showing-at that
hour at least-stupid, sleepy faces and
lightless eyes to passers.by.
Within the perspective of the street
but three shapes stirred-Lanyard and
the girl In the shadow of the wall. and
q disconsolate misprized cat that
promptly ON their appearing vanished
like terror-stricken ghost.
Overhead the sky was breaking.
showing ebon patches and infrequent
stars through wind-harried wrack OF
cloud. The night had grown sensibly
colder and noisy with the rushing