Evening star., 1917-08-19
MISSING: PAGE THIRTEEN.

some choice liquor. Finding his mas
ter fixed in one of his strange moods. he
set the tray down. and, pointing to one
of the glasses, said:
That is for Mr.. Van Broeck1yn. 1t
contains his usual quieting powder.
And. urging the gentlemen to help
themselves. he quietly left the room.
s.
Mr.. Upjohn lifted the glass nearest
him. and Mr.. Cornell seemed about to
do the same. when he suddenly reached
forward. and. catching up one farther
off. started for the room. in which Mr..
Spielhagen had so deliberately secluded
himself
Why he did all this-why. above all
things, he should reach across the tray
for glass instead of taking the one
under his hand, he can no more explain
than why he has followed many an
other unhappy impulse. Mr.. Van
glancing down at the tray placed very
near his hand. remarked in some sur
prise: "Dobbs seems to have forgotten
me-" Then. indeed, the unfortunate
Mr.. Cornell realized what he had done.
1t was the glass intended for his host
which he had caught up and carried
into the other room-the glass which
he had been told contained a drug. or
what folly he had been guilty. and how
tame would be any effort at excuse.
Mr. Spielhagen is in here consulting
his thesis. When your man brought in
the cordial ] was awkward enough to
catch up your glass and carry 1t In to
Mr.. Spielhagen. He drank 1t, and Il
am anxious to see II it did him any
harm.
This left him for moment out Of the
range of every eye. during which ne
says he simply stood in a state Of shock
at seeing Mr.. sptelhagen still sitting
head fallen forward and eyes closed:
dead. asleep or-he hardly knew what.
the sight so paralyzed him. Mr.. Van
Broecklyn protested that there was no
Spielhagen would be all right II left to
wake naturally and without shock
However. his present attitude was
one of great discomfort, they decided
to carry him back and lay him on the
library lounge. But before doing this
Mr. Upjohn drew from his haccid grasp
the precious manuscript, and. carrying
it into the larger room. placed 1t on a
remote table, where 1t remained undis-
turbed till Mr.. Spielhagen. suddenly
coming to himself at the end of some
fifteen minutes. missed the sheets from
his hand, and. bounding up. crossed the
room to repossess himself Of them
His face, as he lifted them up and
rapidly ran through them with ever
accommodating anxiety, told them what
they had to expect
The page containing the formula was
gone.
Violet now saw her problem.
There was no doubt about the loss I
have mentioned: all could see that page
IS was not there.
The adjoining small room offered no
facilities for hiding a cigar end. much
less a square of shining white paper
Bare walls. a bare floor and q single
chair for furniture comprised all that
was to be seen in this direction. Nor
stood be thought to hold it. unless it
was on the person Of some one of
them. Could this be the explanation
of the mystery? No man looked his
doubts. but Mr.. Cornell. possibly di-
to Mr.. Van Broecklyn and in cool
voice, but with the red burning hotly
on either cheek. said. SO as to be heard
by every one present:
IT demand to be searched-at once
and thoroughly"
A moments silence. then the common
cry;
'Is Mr.. Spielhagen sure that the
missing page was with the others when
he sat down in the adjoining room to
read his thesis?" asked their perturbed
host.
Very sure" came the emphatic re-
ply. Indeed. was just going through
the formula itself when 1 fell asleep"
You are ready to assert this
II am ready to swear it,
Mr.. Cornell repeated his request.
Il demand that you make a thorough
search of my person. l must be
cleared. and instantly. of every sus-
can marry Miss Digby tomorrow"
After that there was no further hesi
tation. One and all subjected them
selves to the ordeal suggested: even
futile as the rest. The lost page was
not found.
What were they to think? What
were they to do?
do. and yet some further attempt must
be made toward the recovery Of this
important formula. Mr.. Cornelfs mar
riage and Mr.. Spielhagen's business
success both depended upon it's being
in the latter's hands before in the
morning. when he was engaged to hand
it over to a certain manufacturer SAIL
ing for Europe on an early steamer
Suddenly Mr.. Upjohn remembered
how at an extraordinary crisis in his
own life he had been helped and an
equally difficult problem settled by a
little lady secretly attached to a pri-
vate detective agency. If she could
only be found ana hurr1ed mere DeIOTc
morning all might yet be well. He
would make the effort. Such wild
schemes sometimes work. He tele-
phoned to the office and
Was there anything else Miss Strange
would like to know?
Miss Strange, thus appealed to. asked
where the gentlemen were now.
She was told that they were still all
together in the library, the ladies had
been sent home.
Then let US go to them" said Violet.
SO much that was tragic and heart
rending had occurred here. The Van
Broecklyn history, above all the Van
Broecklyn tradition. which made the
house unique in the country's annals
fof which more hereafter). all made an
appeal TO her imagination. and CEN
tered her thoughts on what she saw
about her. There was a door which no
man ever opened-had never opened
since revolutionary times-should she
see it? Should she know it il she did
see it2
Mr.. Van Broecklyn was man Of more
than ordinary attraction. His features
were fine and his figure impressive. He
might have been the cynosure of all
eyes had he chosen to enter crowded
dra wing-rooms or even to frequent
public assem- blages. but having turned
his back upon everything of the kind
in his youth he had found 1t impos-
sible to alter his habits with advancing
years; nor was he now expected to. The