Evening star., 1920-02-08

one OF your inspired moments. Fran
Gle. but for which should have test
ed the truth of your teachings. As 1t
is. am still on the right side of life.
do not deserve 1t. possibly. for 1
asked for trouble. My first visit to
the house at Hampstead showed me.
in the persons Of the present tenants
the very Jewel sharks l was fishing
for"
Tredways sat down wearedly.
They took the place over. furnished,
when Mrs. Harbord went to Italy,
he continued. ut seems daring, but
was really a good stroke If the police
meant to look widely about for the
Lady Of Sharon. The woman is un-
known to me. but l spotted the man.
He is an Austrian who plotted to rob
the Green Vaults at Dresden. went
out there just to see him. for the
scheme scintillated with genius. He
was tall man, with a dark mus
tache."
"How is that?" questioned. "Miss
Bassett distinctly said he was short
stumpy. with long. fair mustache?"
"Oh. she said so." answered Tired
ways. easily But Miss Bassett lied"
What" I almost shouted.
Lied Were you so readily gulled
by that charming female. Francie?
Did you not really see that she came
to me with most palpable inven-
tion?"
For few moments speech failed me-
l was never so astonished. do you
mean to say that she hasn't a fiance
who is just out of prison." 1t SAM
mered
"Certainly she has. And Arthur
Wrayson his name. But he was not
duped by the other two. He was one
of them So was Hilda Bassett, have
not the least doubt. Only he was
luckless enough to get himself
pinched.'
Good heavens" gasped.
Bless you, Francie." continued
Tredways in a very tired voice. II
suspected her from the start. The
story she pitched us wouldn't hold
water. That kind of thing rarely
happens Why, il it had really oc-
Cured in a house filled with visitors
it must have been attended with
certain amount of noise. to say the
least. A drama like that couldn't
have gone on downstairs without
waking somebody. 1t was probably
true merely in that Wrayson was
sent off by his two confederates stay
ing as guests in the house, with the
Jewels. That idea Of splitting up the
booty was. very cute. 1t directed the
hue and cry after wrayson. In the
meantime the others very ingeniously
concealed the Sharon"
But although you knew that Hilda
Bassett was in the scheme. yet you
allowed her to see that you suspected
the others-her conferedates?'
"True. / did not want her to think
fne alotogether fool. Besides. I was
playing with her. 1t had its amusing
side" 49,. =, -: -; :,
Good hea~ensr' I could only repeat.
1sN4t also helpea me to beat her" went
on my friend. with chuckle. ut Ii
more than likely. too. that she meant
me to suspect wrayson had been
duped. She knew that that would send
mo to the house at Hampstead. For
she badly wanted me to 90 there. That
was part Of the game she was playing
with the tenants there"
But why did they want you there?"
"A leading question, Francie. Why?
In the first place, I rather think that
they must have some grudge against
me. Possibly / have been q thorn in
one of their sides before now, and
they needed revenge. I went because
wanted to be sure Of my birds: and
then / found the situation brimming
with fascination. In the second place,
they wanted me out Of my rooms here
for short time. They wanted to
spend some uninterrupted minutes
here-or one of their agents did. So
they sent q man named Bennett. If
you had admitted him you might have
Jared very badly at his hands. He
called. found you in the way and tele-
phoned to my charming host and
hostess at the Hamstead house. They
demonstrated with me. They remon-
strated by placing the business end
Of pistol against my head. was
compelled by that gentle persuasion to
send you the telegram, adding that