Evening star., 1921-06-30
THE AVENGER
BY E PHILLIPS OPPENHEIM
A Tale of Political Intrigue and Private
Revenge.
tcpyright. ~ Ntsia. 1rswa 4 o.

For some reason or other she
seemed dissatisfied. She pointed to-
ward the baroness.
what is she doing here?' she
"She is a friend Of the woman who
wrote those letters" Wrayson an.
| swered. Il want her to see them de-
! stroyed"
| There was silence for several nc
ments. The girls fingers closed .upol
the packet. . She turned round ano
more particularly wrayson.
You are wondering why I hest
tate. she said slowly. Augustus said
destroy the packet, and I suppose
| ought to do it,"
..1ay. by Goo; s,dk you % shan: shan,t~ Sydney
didn't know that should be here to
| look after things"
| She waited until he had finished
but she seemed to take very little, If
any, notice Of his Intervention.
~. 1T isn't" she continued. that
have to go to work somewhere, l
| suppose, but it isn't that. I want to
| know" she leaned a little forward
Il want to know who it is that has
robbed me of my husband. I don't
care what he was to other people! He
| was very good to me, and I loved
him. I should like to see the, person
| who killed him hanged"
Wrayson for moment, was dis
| composed
But that" he said, ''has nothing to
do with obeying your husbands direc-
| tions about that packet"
She looked at him with tired eyes and
changeless expression
Hasn't it?" she asked. IT am not so
sure. You have explained about these
letters. 1t is quite certain that my
hrrSfN RI I'LL ~sAI-
or the enemies Of the woman who wrote
| these letters. 1 think that if take this
packet to the police it will help them to
find the murderer"
Her new attitude was a perplexfns
one, Wrayson glanced at the baroness
| ward and laid her hand upon the girrs
There is one thing which you must
not forget. Mrs. Barnes" she said
! quietly. 'Your husband knew that he
these letters and making living out Of
! them. His letter to you shows that he
was perfectly aware Of it OF course, it
is very terrible. very inexcusable
thing that he should have been killed.
| IN danger. Can't you sympathize a little
with the poor woman whose life he
made so miserable? Let her have her
letters back. You will not find her un-
1
The girl turned slowly around and
faced the baroness. They might in
deed have represented the opposite
poles In femininity. From the tips of
! her perfectly manicured fingers to the
crown of her admirably coiffured hair,
| the baroness stood for all that was ele-
CANT and refined in the innermost cir
cles Of her sex. Agnes would have
looked more il place behind the refresh
! ment bar from which Morris Barnes had
brought her: Her dress Of cheap shiny
silk was i'll fitting and hopeless. her hat
with its faded flowers and crushed shape
an atrocity. boots and gloves, and brooch
OF artificial gems-a1l were shocking.
Little was left Of her pale faced pretti-
! ness. The tragedy which had stolen into
faced the baroness without finching.
She seemed sustained by the suppressed
emotion of the moment
He was my man." she said fiercely,
~and no one had any right to take him
and he was brutaliy murdered. You ten
me that 1 must give up the letters for
! the sake Of the woman who wrote them!
What do I care about her! Is she aa
unhappy as !! am. wonder? I will not
give up the letters" she added claspfng
them in her hand, Exception one
'Tf it is reasonable one" the baron
ess said. smiling. there will be no dim
Guilty.
Agnes faced her little defantly,
1T depends upon what you cali rea-
sonable she said. Find out for me
who it was that killed my husband, you
or any, one Of you. and you shall have
the letters"
Sydney Barnes smiled. and LETT of
nervously tugging at his monstache. II
this was not exactly according to his
own ideas, it was, at any rate, q step in
the right direction. Wrayson was eii-
IDENTIFY perplexed. Tho baroness adopted
. persuasive attitude.
my dear girl" she edd. "we dmt
tany Of VI know who killsd 1ow buD-
Il II terribly SD. Of course, but he
c4nt be brought back to life again.
You have yourself to think Of, and how
you are to live in the future Give me
the packet. | will destroy !: t"F.-..
your eyes, and :,-oasise .'os that u