Evening star., 1917-09-30

ton Conybear should be the captive O.
a band of criminals. Yet these las
two things had come to pass. And il
seemed that the first had, also.
Are you sure that Miss Morel will b.
there? Has Madge heard from her to-
day."
Ten minutes before I phoned-ant
that was half an hour ago-Madge hat
her on the phone at the Plutonia. Why
Phil Waring. you old hider-out in tn,
tall grass, have you seen Miss Sorel
Do you know her."
"Why-er-maybe do" said warins
stammeringly. It'd better run home
and dress and"
Not tonight. This is informal to the
last notch. l made Madge promise that
it would be on my first night homo with
her in months. You come as you are
and You come now. dive hear?"
L hear" said Waring.
They left the club and TAXED directly
TO the Slnsabaugh mansion, Waring
hardly hearing, on the short ride, any
thing that Sinsabaugh said. For his
mind. bewildered enough. had still
more amazement to contend with. How
house be going out to dine this even
ing. after the events of the past few
hours? How was it possibleo How
could she have been at the Plutonia
half or three-quarters of an hour ago
She had been at the Camp avenue
house at that time. And there could
not be two Peter Randalls living in
Paris. each with niece named Claire.
That was stretching coincidence too
far to believe that And the "P R."
who had written the note that waring
had found on Carvajal must be Peter
Randall. for ''P. r." had sent Carvajal
to Bergson. and the Claire of the Camp
avenue house had said that her uncle
had Intended to send a man to the
chief of the mysterious menacing so
ciety.
But he could not unriddle. these per
plexities now. He would meet Miss
until then
Upstairs. in Sinsabaugh's study, War
ing asked permission to use the tele-
phone. An explanation of his absence
from the apartment was really due
Mike, his Japanese. Also it would be
just as well to give Mike hint. neces-
sarfly vague because of Sinsabaugh's
presence. as to the use of discretion
should any inquiries be made for Mr..
Philip Waring.
could not raise his apartment, and
Waring, after final futile protest as
to his daytime garb, descended to the
drawing~room with Billy.
Madge Sinsabaugh and young wo-
man were awaiting them. Waring heard
himself introduced; he felt himself bow
ing over the hand that the young wo-
man who answered to the name of Miss
Sorel extended toward him. He knew
that he was uttering some common
place, but what the words were he
could not have told.
For he had convinced himself that
Miss Sorel and the girl whom he had
last seen in the company of Simon
Bergson must be the same person. 1t
was thoroughly incredible that it should
prove otherwise. Coincidence was
to the last notch If there
were two Peter Randalls and two
nieces named Claire.
Keyed up, firmly of the belief that ten
minutes alone with Claire would solve
the mystery. would free Conybear,
would round up Bergson, would restore
him his pilfered fortune. reaction was
too great. For the tall girl with the
bloom Of youth gone from her was not
his Claire.
ing room. Seated, he rallied himself.
Mrs. Willy Sinsabaugh was nothing IL
not open. She threw the two at each
others heads without n pretense at dis
guising her matchmaking intentions.
And big, blundering Sinsabaugh, who
was SO clever at business but such
puppet in the hands of his butterfly
wife, yielded to Madge's desire. He
began telling her of his trip to Chicago.
and Waring eyed the girl across the ta-
BILE from him 1t was not Mrs. Willy's
Intention to make the conversation gen.
eral. and though Waring could have
spanked his hostess. she was,
after all. his hostess.
You have been in New York some
time, Miss Sorel?" he said.
mot of recent years." she answered.
"You gee, / have been in a convent so
many years in France"
More coincidence! The Claire that
knew had been brought up in
a French convent!
Indeed" said Waring-
Yes. Had it not been for my great
good fortune in meeting Mrs. Sinsa-
baugh, some months ago. in Paris,
should not have an acquaintance in this
country"
mo relatives?"
distant And not near New York"
70