Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1916-01-26
CHAPTER II.
Return.

since the death of Bourke, came t
pass at length almost purely as an a
fair Of impulse.
He had come through from Londo
by the afternoon service-via Bo,
logne-traveling light, with nothin
but brace of handbags and his lif
in his hands. Two coups to his c-edi
since the previous midnight had mad
the shift advisable, though only on
OF them, the later, rendered it urgent
Scotland Yard would, he reckoned
require at least twenty-four hours t.
unlimber for action on the Omber al
fair; but the other, the Disappearance
of the Huysman plans, although no
set the chancelleries of at least three
powers by the ears before Lanyard
was fairly entrained at Charing Cross
Now his opinion of Scotland Yar(
was low; its emissaries must operate
gingerly to keep within the laws they
serve. But the agents of the various
continental secret services have a way
OF making their own laws as they &C
along-and for these Lanyard enter
tanned respect little short Of pro
found
He would not have been surprised
had he run foul of trouble on the pier
at Folkestone. Boulogne, as we'll, fig.
ured in his Imagination as a crucial
point-its harbor lights, heaving up
over the grim, gray waste, peered
through the deepening violet dusk to
find him on the packets deck. re-
spending to their curious stare with
one no less mistakenly inquiring. But
1t wasn't until he reached the Care du
Nord itself that he found anything
to shy at
Dropping from train to platform, he
surrendered his luggage to ready
facteur and followed the fellow
through the crush, elbowed and shout
dered, offended by the pervasive reek
OF chilled steam and coal gas and
idazzled by the brilliant glare of the
,overhanging electric arcs.
Almost the first face he saw turned
his way was that Of Roddy.
The man from Scotland Yard was
stationed at one side of. the platform
gates. Opposite him stood another
decorative official from the prefecture
de police. Both were scanning mar
rowly every face in the tide that
churned between them.
Wondering if through some fatal
freak Of fortuity these were acting
under late telegraphic advices from
London, Lanyard held himself well in
hand. The first indication of an in
tent to hinder him would have proved
the signal for spectacular demon
stration Of the ungentle art Of not get
ting caught with the goods.
And for twenty seconds, while the
crowd milled slowly through the mar
row exit, he was as near to betraying
himself as he had ever been-nearer,
for he had marked down the point on
would fall and just where to plant a
coup de savate most surely to in
capacitate the minion of the prefec-
ture; and all the while he was look
ing the two over with manner of the
most calm and impersonal curiosity.
But beyond an almost imperceptib1e
narrowing of Roddy's eyes when they
met his own, as If the Englishman
were struggling with faulty memory,
neither police agent betrayed a sign
OF recognition.
And then Lanyard was outside the |
station, his porter introducing him to
q ramshackle taxicab.
'Troyon's!" he told the cocher.
When at length his conveyance drew
up at the historic corner Lanyard,
alighting, could have rubbed his eyes
to see the windows of Troyon's all
bright with electric light.
Somehow, and most unreasonab1y,
he had always believed the place
would go to the hands of the house |.
wrecker unchanged.
A smart porter ducked out, seized
his luggage and held an umbrella.
Lanyard composed his features to i'm
mobility as he entered the hotel, Of
no mind to let the least flicker OF rec
ognition be detected in his eyes when
they should encounter familiar faces.
And this was quite as well-for
again the first he saw was Roddy's!
The man from Scotland Yard had
Just surrendered hat, coat and um-
brella to the porter in the lobby, and
was turning through swinging doors
to the dining room. Again taking in
Lanyard, his glance seemed devoid of
any sort Of ineligible expression;
and before quitting the lobby Roddy
paused long enough to order a fire
laid in his room.
So he was stopping at Troyon's-
and didn't care who knew it.! 1
His doubts altogether dissipated by
this discovery, Lanyard followed his
enemy into the dining room
with an air as devil-may-care as one
could wish and so impressive that the
naitre dhotel abandoned the detec.
Tive to the mercies Of one of his cap {
tains and himself fastened to seat s
Lanyard and take his order. I
This last disposed of, Lanyard sur.
himself to new Impressions
Of which the first proved a bit dis. t
leartening.
However impulsively he hadn't 1
sought Troyon's without definite in. l