The Washington times., 1918-10-01
CHAPTER CXLIII.
After the Storm.

One afternoon a few days later
Lillian and Esther were seated to-
gether in the boudoir of the latter's
house. Esther was now completely
well. Her attack had been short
and sharp, but DR.. Brooke had been
unremitting in his attention, and
the corner once turned, her recov-
cry was rapid.
OF Harold there was no news.
He had vanished and no one could
say where he had gone. Holm re-
manned in the charge OF caretakers,
and the Madison avenue house was
without master or mistress.
Was he at Adderley? Had he
been at the Poison House on the
night of the raid? These were
questions to which no reply was
available. He was not wanted by
the police, who had no knowledge
of any connection between the Bor-
radales and the Valenski gypsies,
and Swan did not see At. for va
rious reasons-but more especially
for the sake of Esther-to enlighten
them on the point His object was
the arrest of Valensli. the foun-
Gain-head of the mischief. II Mr..
Borradale was involved. in the sub
sequent revelations it could not be
helped.
But valenskf had disappeared
absolutely and utterly AS before.
when there had been a threat Of po-
lice interference, the tribe Of gyp-
sizes had broken up and scattered.
Here and there among little bands
of nomads isolated members had
been discovered, but naturally they
professed absolute Ignorance of the
doings of their chiefs, and as there
was nothing against them person
ally they could not be detained. As
a gypsy, Valenski seemed but
name, so the police turned their at
tention to the Count Won SchOn-
helm, who had made himself known
in fashionable New York.
They discovered much about his
antecedents, and the city rang with
details of his extraordinary life.
The Hungarian, who had forced
himself into society, was indeed a
man of ancient lineage, connected
with a Magyar family of some
worth and reputation, but his
branch had long been outcast and
unacknowledged. For a couple Of
centuries at least they had lived
the wild, nomadic life of gypsies,
their headquarters a castle. now
falling TO ruins, in one Of the re-
hottest valleys OF the Carpathians.
The Won Schonheims Of this branch
had allied themselves with the
Valenskis, who had terrorized these
valleys from the remotest times.
The widest rumors concerning
the Poison House were circulated
though, as a matter of fact, in this
particular instance truth was even
more remarkable than fiction.
The inquest upon the unhappy
policeman. Green, had produced
revelations which Mortified and as
founded the public. The mechanic
ally working skeleton which had
caused the mans death became an
absolute bogy, and in many quar-
ters obtained the credit Of being
controlled by supernatural agen-
cies-
Probyn still lay in the hospital
IN a sorry state. and unable to give
any account of the manner by
which he had received his wound.
1t was hopeless to expect recovery,
so the doctors said, but there was
always the chance that the patient
might be able to make a statement.
More than once he had tried to
speak, but the effort had exhaust
ed him. and II was necessary TO
forbid the attempt. He had re-
ceiVed a severe wound in the left
side, beneath the heart, and he
had lost much blood before the de-
tective had discovered his place of
concealment.
The only. actual arrest was that
OF the Chinaman, who was accused
of being accessory to the abduc-
ton OF the Meyer children, now
happily restored to their guard
ian, Mrs. Willoughby. And luck
lily for the latter-as well as for
GIE-the question OF the parent