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

an idea that, having waved, she would
linger and give me chance of catch
ing her, and l was disappointed.
hurried into Fleet Street, glanced
westwards and citywards, and it
seemed as if fur coats and toques
were no longer being worn. There was
not girl in sight who was so dressed.
Then walking quickly along Fleet
Street as far as Mitre Court, l went
through to Kings Bench Walk, and
was rewarded She must have waited
somewhere after all, and was now 60
ing in the direction of the gateway
which leads into Tudor Street. There
is little of the bold Lothairo about me,
and it never occurred to me that she
would resent my having followed her.
That wave of her hand had been an
invitation to do so; the spring in the
March morning was an excuse for I'M
Hearing me close be-
hind her she stopped and turned.
"Are you following me?" she asked.
mo, that isl beg your pardon"
I am not sure whether she smiled,
but if she did there was no invitation
to continue the adventure. She was
handsome rather than pretty and on
closer inspection she appeared to lack
something which she seemed to pos
sess when viewed from my third floor
window. Only distance and the angle
had lent her piquancy. She did not
look like girl in whose blood there
was a tingling for adventure. After
looking at me steadily for a moment
she went toward Tudor Street, and
took out cigarette and tried not to
look like the fool 1 felt. Two or three
men were crossing Kings Bench
Walk, but 1 came to the conclusion
that none of them had taken any
notice of the encounter
walked slowly back into Fleet
Street, remembering, now it was too
late, how much more effectively /
might have answered her question.
Why had she waved to me? Had
been a little holder the encounter
might have ended differently, yet
somehow I was not altogether sorry
it had not done so. I had been at
tracted by the girl thought she was
not by the girl herself, and it was the
girl of my fancy which kept the spirit
of adventure alive in me, making
return to the seclusion of my cham
bers impossible at present.
Iunched up west, at a little 3D.
hemian place in Soho, and drank half
a bottle of wine to try and convince
myself that I was grasping enjoyment.
I do not suppose any girl in brown
fur coat escaped my scrutiny, for
kind of obsession possessed me that
the girl l had fancied must material
ize. was out for adventure, was pre-
nared for it, and not ghost OF one
came over my horizon to disturb the
About 4 o'clock l went
tn Palm Tree Court in state OF de-
lection.
entered the Court through the
tunnel. almost running into lolterer
there as I did so. I saw two men at
omen windows, and horrible suspi-
zion came to me that the girl OF the
morning had been waving to someone
else, and that the Court gossip had al
ready proclaimed that 1 had maze ah
ass of myself. Old Sir John Saunders
was on his doorstep, and to avoid be-
ing drawn into conversation by him
pretended 1 was in a hurry.
entered my rooms, pushed the
door to behind me, and then stoou
staring into corner. The carpet hao
been turned back, and a bit OF the
flooring was missing. Someone hao
been there during my absence and
What the devil had be been doing? l
went and looked into the hole. 1t was
some sort of secret hiding place. maze
for the purpose. and was empty save
for a. few scraps of paper, a piece oi
cloth and a small strip of leather.
"By Jove! Here is adventure ai'er
ALL" l said aloud.
"Mr. Burford Yates, l think
swung round, suddenly conscious
of danger. A man was standing by
the door into my bedroom, and recos-
nized something familiar about him.
An instant later I knew he was the
man l had met on the stairs tna'
morning.
Eyes, my name is Yates, but VINO
the devil are you?"
"Screed-Jeremy Screed," was the
answer.
And what the deuce have you been