The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1920-11-05

Screed. you'll see where you are in
! a moment"
We went down to the angle of the
stairs, and into deep recess there.
Then understood. We were in No. 5,
and from this recess looked down upon
the door of my chambers. Screeds
arm pressed me back against the wall
and we waited in silence.
was growing stiff, and think I
must have dozed off in my upright
position before anything happened.
Screed gave me warning touch, and
l heard stealthy steps on the stairs
below. A man came to the door of
my chambers, put a Key in the lock,
apparently, without the slightest hest
tation, and entered. He did not quite
close the door after him, and 1 saw
the light of an electric torch flash
within. Then came a short exclama-
ton, and almost Immediately he came
out. Evidently something was not as
he had expected and he closed the
door quietly, moving even more
stealthily than he had done before.
For an instant he flashed the light
down the stairs, and Screed, fearing,
no doubt, that he would flash it up
wards, pressed me back against the
wall of the recess. In that instant l
had recognized the intruder. He was
the young man who had looked for
Mr.. Wicklow in No. IA, and had seen
me rush after the girl in the fur coat.
Apparently it was only from below he
feared pursuit, for he came up toward
uu without flashing the light, passed,
and before I had quite realized the
fact, had disappeared through the mar
row door on to the roof.
Interesting, Ell, Mr.. Yates? He was
surprised to find that hole in your
floor open and empty
What was there?" I asked.
"That is one of the things I want
to find out" he answered.
we WOuI uOWA LhO otdAlo anu AOAC
by Palm Tree Court. Just beyond the
tunnel, by the door where the porter
had his room, policeman was stand
ing.
Been and gone, sir" he replied in
answer to Screed's question. Il ex-
planned that it was his night Off"
The time had seemed much longer
than it really was. We were back in
the police station long before mid
night.
1 was brought up again only to be
discharged and receive apologies for
the mistake which had been made.
Tie young man who had entered my
chambers and was present in court
seemed surprised, and when the por-
ter was brought in between two con-
stables he became suddenly excited. I
suppose he thought the porter had
betrayed him, and before anyone
could interfere, he had whipped out
revolver and fired, wounding the por-
ter in the arm. He was seized and
overpowered before he could fire a
second time, which he evidently in
tended to do.
"Take a good look at him, Mr..
Yates" said Screed. "We shall have
talk about him in day or two when
we have got little more out of the
porter"
It was in a retired teaship in a
turning off Chancery Lane that this
conversation took place.
Regular haunt of mine," Screed ex'
plained. know me here and ask no
questions whatever do. Make use OF
them at times, too. Often get infor-
nation. 1t is run by lady, Betty
Cameron. Introduce you to her before
we leave. Charming. You'll like her.
Now for tea and business"
1t was a long story, made longer
by Jeremy Screed's desire to impress
his personality upon me. I will be
more concise. 1t was impossible to
say how many people were concerned
in the gang of thieves, but Anderson
was one, the porter another, and also
the young man who was a French
man, born in England. His real name
was probably LIE Maitre, but he had
dozen others. For months Anderson
had been on the continent, his address
and appearance being a great asset to
the gang. His chambers in Palm
Tree Court, always under the eye of
the porter, were the London center of
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