Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-05-29
AND HERE 1T CONTINUES


down quickly.
AND HERE 1T CONTINUES
r STOPPED dead instinctively and
i looked at this bleak mansion mar
rowly. At the angle from which | had
approached the front I could see the
blind go down quite plainly, but it was
impossible to get even glimpse into
the room behind it.
"What the devil" murmured.
And then l told myself that l was
really getting too suspicious. 1t must
be a lady's bedroom obviously. The
ground floor near the front door seemed
an odd place for such an apartment.
Still, one never knows what lady's
fancy may be. In any case, there was'
nothing to be achieved by standing
there staring, so l resumed my rCsOund-
ing progress across the pebbles.
/ was at the front door and just
going to ring when round the corner
of the house, right ahead of me. ap-
peared a gentleman, and my spirits fell
still further.
/ can't exactly say that this was a
face l disliked, but it was decidedly not
one 1 took to. He had eyes set some
what close together, a welltrimmed
short black beard, and an expression
in which 1 seemed to read impudence
and certainly read suspicion. He stop
ped at the sight of me and looked me
up and down at least as curiously as
studied him. Only l trust l con-
Quoted my inspection less obviously.
"Mr. Rendall?' | inquired, and
though l had come here meaning to con-
fide in him, l found myself instinctively
putting in a touch of accent; not with
wet brush as l did for the Scollays'
benefit, still l threw in little, and, as
say, quite without intending it.
Curiously enough l saw his face clear
the moment ! spoke.
'Oh," said he, with an air of relief
it's the doctor you're wanting, is it,
Well, he's at home. Come in
So the laird was doctor? OF which
sort, wondered; medical Z theological
or what?
'I'm Mr.. O'Brien," added my new
acquaintance as he opened the front
door for me. You're quite sure its
not me you're wanting?' .
l had noticed more than a trace oi
accent in his own voice when he spoke
and there was no doubt now what il
was Il very palpable Irish brogue. A!
he asked this question he looked at III,
with a curious mixture of humor anC
defiance. 1t seemed to me that tn,
humor was assumed and the defianc,
genuine, but that may have been sim
ply because the man impressed me un
favorably.
NO" l replied with continenta
bow, Il am not so fortunate.
And then suddenly a thought fashe,
across me. Ought l to have answere,
in very different key? But we wer
In the hall now and the next momen
another gentleman appeared.
Here's Doctor Kendall" said Mr.
O'Brien, and bowed again.
My name is Mr.. Roger Merton"
explained. II have taken the libert
of calling upon you"
Come into my study, Mr.. Merton,
said Doctor Kendall.
He spoke in a friendly enough voice
but IL there was not a trace of suspi
cion in his eye, too, i am greatly mis-
taken. And in both cases it seemed {
me that it was suspicion tinged wit
apprehension, rather than the suspicio
j was so deliberately cultivating. In
u deed, I had not intended to cultivat
any suspicion at all in this house, bl
fortunately Il think l simply actt
automatically.
Taking him altogether, Doctor Rer
dali was decidedly more prepossessin,
looking man than O'Brien. In fact,
was rather good looking, with gray ha
and mustache, face of deep bronze r,
hue and very blue eyes.
He was well set up, and quite W,
dressed, too, in rough tweeds, and L
only thing against him was that lo
in his eye as we exchanged our fir
sentences.
My wits were very wide awake
this time; / carried a picture of t
outside of the house distinctly in L
head as we turned out of the ha
and when we entered the study | kn,
IL for the room where the blind h
shut down.
SIS Mrs. Kendall at homer" i
quired.
O'Brien laughed.
''There are no ladies in this hou
but just the doctor and mel" said h
So no modest matron or maid h
pulled the blind down. 1t had bt
Doctor RendalPs study blind, whipI
down obviously by the doctor hims
the instant he heard a strange 10,
step, and now raised again. W
had 1t been dropped? What had
hidden? In the look of the room its
there was not a suggestion of an q
swer TO either question. 1t was j
an ordinary mans study, a cross
tween a smoking room and libra
a much more comfortable room than
outside of that house promised.
people do not suddenly pull down bli
In the middle of the forenoon for