The Pulaskian., 1920-11-04

 .hink he was perfectly satisfied, but he wasn't at all. By seeming to De satisfied he learned all about the de tells of the plan. and he knew that Brown. to avoid pursuit, intended to take the way to Norwich.
 "IIe knew that if Brown went through Norwich he would stop for several drinks. He would need them if he was disappointed. He would have to have them if he had the manuscript aad was excited by it. So Dravada went to Norwich. It all worked out, and when Brown got to the village. he found Dravada Then he telephoned to the fellow Sim to let me go. was perfectly harmless. It was an inter- esting situation"
 T could wish Dravada had tortured you" I said to Jed. "He has the meSns now, through you, to torture this family"
 "I said I knew Dravada had the manuscript" said Jed. q did that for effect. What I ought to have said was that I knew he thought he had the manuscript. If I had no more than the intelligence you credit me with, doctor, I could not have conducted this affair so long. What Dravada has is not the diary of Mir Sidney"
 Until I felt the relief following Jeds explanation that the blackmailers had stolen oEly a dec0y, I did not fully realize into what despondency our predicament up to that time had thrust me. If Mir Sidney's diary wate being read by interruptions men, we might expect anything.
 The lawyer, whose shrewdness and lSck of morals made him formidable was dead. The Spaniard would soon discover his disappointment and would be furious. I thought the physical danger to Jed was greater than ever and found some pleasure in telling him so.
 He was convinced of that himself and was not happy.
 "Why don't you end your raseality?" I urged him. "Why don't you give the manuscript to Mrs. Sidney and allow her to make whatever disposition she wants of it? Then your conscience will be easy-your position in this house will for the first time be tolera- ble to a decent man. and your physi- cal security will be promoted"
 He would not. He seemed to hesi- tate for a moment, but his purpose was too long fixed and too much a part of his life.
 He no longer was surly with me- and I seemed to have lost my ability to enrage him. We parted with my telling him that there would be no possible truce or peace between us unless he respected the women of the household. He bowed.
 Anything else, sir?" he asked; and then he departed as the servant.
 Mrs. Sidney's relief to find that the robbery had proved only hoax on the robbers was such as would come from escape from tangible horrors The lady had been keeping control of herself, as was necessary to protect her husband and daughter from her own agony of mind and to keep the household from finding significance in what could be passed over as a triv- ial piece of robbery.
 When she learned that the alarm was over, she relaxed Imply in her chair, and I feared that she might collapse; but in a moment she had struggled back to command of herself. Then she excused herself and went into her bedroom-for prayer, knew.
 Mir. Sidney's joy at the return of Jed was robust, and Jed went to bed very tipsy with two bottles of wine in him. l found him in the hall as I went my rounds of the house. He was singing.
 I knew we'd hear again and soon from Dravada, but not in what man. her. Naturally I was apprehensive, and no doubt Jed was more so, al- though to save himself from my con- tempt she tried to conceal his fears.
 The Spaniard could not be expected to accept his failure as final. He would try again. That expectation was fulfilled in a disconcerting fash ion.
 Thus far we had been dealing with chance, with separations and threats. We now came to deal with inevitabil- ity. Our experiences had been disa- greeable. but they had not presented unacceptable consequence. We had a choice of ways. Now we entered way from which there was no es- cape.
 Four days after Jed's return man came to Hartley house and inquired for me. He was a detective. His name was Morgan; he was the head of the Morgan Metropolitan Detective agency. I thought on first seeing him while yet wondering what his busi- ness with us could be, and yet know ing instinctively that it had to do with Dravada-that this newcomer had more than a suggestion of shrewd malevolenee in his face.
 Before he was through his inter-