Evening star., 1918-05-19


out of 1t by spending pleasant even
Ing with the captain and his daugh-
ter. A room had been made ready
for HMM fact, although he did not
know it. Miss Morrison had given
him hers and had herself gone to a
less attractive one-and in due time
he prepared to turn in for the night.
AS they parted. Miss Morrison, in a
bantering spirit. picked up the belt
and handed 1t to him, remarking that
riage he might some time be glad to
creep into the house unseen. In the
same bantering spirit he had replied
that he had better begin learning how
the thing worked in case of necessity,
and. taking the belt. clasped it round
into the room prepared for him. Miss
Morrison and her father heard him
close the door and pull down the
blind. and that was the last that was
seen or heard of him.
I'm the morning his bed was found
undisturbed. his locked bag on a chair
and in the middle Of the floor the
blue leather belt; but of the man
himself not one trace to be found.
There. that's the story. Cleek. Now.
what do you make Of it?"
.I shall be able to tell you better
cerned. - said Cleek after a moments
pause. You have brought your mo-
tor. of course? Let us step into it..
then. and whiz round to Capt. Morri-
sons house. What's that? Oh. un-
doubtedly a case of foul play. Mr..
Narkom. But as to the motive and
the matter Of who is guilty it is i'm
possible to decide until.I have looked
further into the evidence. Do me a
favor. will you? After you have left
me at the captains house phone up
the Yard and let me have the secret
cable code with the East; also. If
you can. the name of the chief of
the Persian police
my dear chap, you can't really
place any credence in that absurd as
can't possible think that Abdul ben
Meerza really did send the thing?"
mo. 1 can't" said Cleek in reply
Because. to the best of my belief, it
is impossible for a dead man to senA
anything: and. IL my memory doesn't
papers accounts Of the big Talk rising
at Khotour couple Of months ago that
the leader, one Abdul ben Meerza, a rich
but exceedingly miserly merchant Of
the province of Elburz, was by the
shah's command bastinadoed within
an inch OF his life and then publicly
beheaded."
by Jove! I believe you are right.
my dear fellow" asserted Narkom
Il thought the name had a familiar
sound as IL had. somewhere. heard
It before. l suppose there is no like
skinfiint could have lived up to his
promise and left poor Carboys some-
thing. after all. Cleek? Because, you
know. II he did"
Capt. Morrison would. as heir at
law, inherit it," supplemented Cleek.
dryiy. Get out the motox Mr.. Mar.
com. and let's spin round arfd see him.
/ fancy l should like a few minutes
conversation with the captain. And
Mr.. Narcom?"
"Yes?"
Wen stick to the name. George
Headland' II you please. When you
are out for birds 10 doesn't do to
frighten them of beforehand"
1t did not take more than five min
utes to cover the distance between
Sunnington Crescent and the modest
little house where Capt Morrison and
his daughter lived; SO in a very brief
time Cleek had the satisfaction of in
terviewing both.
Narcom's assertion that Miss Morri-
son was half out Of her mind over
the distressing affair" had prepared
him to encounter weeping, red-eyed,
heart-broken creature of the most ex-
citable type. He found instead pale,
serious faced. undemonstrative girl of
somewhat uncertain age. sweet of
voice, soft Of step. quiet of demeanor,
who was either one of those persons
who repress all external evidence of
internal fires and bear their crosses
in silence or was as cold blooded as
a fish and as heartless as a statue,
He found the father the exact antith-
esis of the daughter-a nervous, fret
full, irritable individual (gout had
him by the heels at the time), who
was as full Of "yaps" and snarls as
any Irish terrier and as peevish and
fussy as a ult-finding old woman.
Added to this. he had a way of
glancing all round the room and
avoiding the eye of the person to
whom he was talking. And IL Cleek
had been like the generality of people
and hadn't known that some Of the
best and ''straightest" men in the
world had been aflicted in this man
ner and some of the worst and Crook
edest" could look you straight in the
eyes without turning a hair. he might
have taken this for a bad sign. Then,
too. he seemed to have a great many
more wrappings and swaddling about
his gouty foot than appeared to be