The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1920-11-12

D6rS III rain Tree SOul L. OlNO luO
your key, slip it into my side pocket
quietly ebcause it is possible we are
being watched. When we get into
Fleet Street call taxi and drive to
your club-the Oriental, isn't it I'll
send your bag along to you there.
What shall throw into it,"
1 told him and suggested that he
should put in my revolver as we'll.
eff you like, but you won't need it."
II shall feel safer and more adven-
turous," answered.
drove to the Oriental, dfneG there,
and in due course left to catch the
boat train. Screed had of course omit
ted to put in half the things 1 told
him, but he had included my revolver,
which slipped into my hip pocket.
Of course as soon as Screed had
left me I remembered all sorts of
questions l should like to have asked
him. During dinner 1 realized how
little he had told me, and also how
futile the whole affair seemed. 1 also
specialized whether hewas not jealous
and sent me to Paris to keep me out
of Bettys teashop for a few days.
imagine this idea did not take very
deep root, because I begun to take
note of my fellow travellers as soon
as I got to Charing Cross. 1 did not
see the Bohemian, but there were two
men who attracted my attention. One
stood at the door of first class car
riage apparently waiting for late ar
rival. I noticed him because his face
seemed familiar. The other was
foreigner, a rough, bullying kind of
man, the kind who stands in the mid
die of the platform with his legs apar
his hands clasped behind his back, and
does't move for anybody. l could not
determine his nationality, and I lost
sight of him before the train started
l did not see the foreigner on the
boat, but almost the first person met
as went down the gangway was the
Bohemian. Screed's description had
been Photographic. The man whose
face was familiar to me, had passed
along the gagway just nfront of me,
he glanced at the Bohemian, then
turned toward me. 1t seemed that it
was deliberately done to attract my
attention. Where had 1 seen him be-
fore? Was he the man Screed had
said might try and get into converse
ton with me?
He walked away without making
any attempt to do so, and following
my instructions, got as far away as
possible from the Bohemian, whose
interest in me was unmistakable. He
deliberately moved to a point of van
tage from which he could watch MY
movements.
At calais the platform was crowded,
and it was evident the train would be
full. 1 was Off the boatbefore the
Bohemian and made at once for a car
rage. If he intended to travel in the
same compartment I should soon be
aware of the fact, and have ample
time to change my seat. He was close
at my heels, but he went further up
the train, convinced, suppose, there
was no room for him in my carriage.
The available seats were quickly Sc
cured. The man whose face l knew
had taken the one opposite mine, and
the one at the far end was taken by
the bullying foreigner, who suddenly
pushed his way through the crowd
and, having stumbled over our feet,
surveyed us one after the other as if
we had no right to be there. The man
opposite to me smiled and we began
to talk. He was not inquisitive. Our
conversation was of a very ordinary
kind, nothing Illuminating in it, moth
ing in it interesting enough to reepat.
l came to the conclusion he could not
be the man Screed had expected
would speak to me.
The bully, after period Of quies-
cence, during which he seemed in
clined to sleep and snore, began to
make himself objectional. He made
some remarks abusive of things in
general in very cultural French, and
then interferred with the man next to
him because he was taking too much
elbow room. This little quarrel hav-
ing subsidized he persisted in talking to
another man who wanted to go to
sleep. The would-be sleeper was
quickly irritable, and he and the bully
were quickly abusing each other. The
language became forceful, and an
other passenger entered into the dis
cussion with a request to know why
the bully had got into a first-class car
riage.