Evening star., 1921-07-03

Just beyond the turn to Brendon. He
| found the place. There was a loosen
| ing of the road. as If heavy car
| had been brought up sharply or made
! violent swerve. He walked to and fro
/ scanning the ground. Another of those
| foreign matches.
He was just picking 1t up when q
| motor car stopped a few yards away.
Two men jumped out and came to-
ward him. One was middle aged and
| other had a youthful and very jaunty
air, and it was only when he came
near that Reggie saw the fellow was
! old enough to be his father. An act
| ors face. with that look Of calculated
, expression. an actors way of dress
! ing. a trihe too emphatic. His present
part was the gay young fellow.
| "Dr. Fortune. I Think" He smiled
| all over his face.
Il am DR.. Fortune"
demonstrating the crime, eh? On,
you needn't be discreet. I'm Lomas-
| Stanley Lomas-criminal investiga-
! tion department. don't you know? Sir
| Lawson Hunter came round to me
| last night. Patients doing well. see.
| That's providential.. Just a moment
j from Reggie to his companion, and
| they went over the ground. But Reg
| gle thought them very superficial.
! Lomas skipped back again. HE didn't
bleed. then. The other man did,
! though-the man you found"
"In the middle of the road. And I
found him dead in the gutter
! "It's quaint what the criminal don't
I think Of. I'm surprised every time.
; Did you find anything here?'
| Reggie held out his match. There
were two.m more like that by the other
Lomas turned it over. belgian
make. You buy them all over the con-
| tinent, don't you know
| 1.-THE archduchess carries them"
Now. that's very interesting. II
| you don't mind Til walk up to the
| house with you" Upon the way he
praised the beauties of nature and the
quality of the morning air.
X X X X
| IS they came to the door of Boldre-
n wood a big car passed them with
, the archduchess driving alone. Lo-
| mas put up his eyeglass. She's not
overcome with grief what?"
mot quite"
Might be bravado. don't you
know"
| II don't know.
1T takes some Of them that way"
Lomas said pensively. He turned on
| the steps Of the house and looked
after the car as it wound in and out
among the beeches. striking woman.
Yes. I'll come up to your room. il
| you don't mind"
| II thought you wanted to say some-
thing" Reggie said.
! Lomas did not answer till they were
upstairs. We'll. no. Not to say any,
thing" hef resumed, and lit a cigar
| ette II want another opinion. as you
fellows say. Sir Lawson Hunter has
made up his mind"
| "Oh, he alwaysAdoes that"
! Lomas lifted an eyebrow. well,
look at it, Somebody in a car laid for
our archduke. The other poor devil
was cut down by mistake. And the
somebody had nerve enough to go on.
That's striking. The archduchess
comes of pretty wild stock In hose
trifie. You find her matches by each
body. You find hatpin in the arch.
duke That's blunder, what? Yes,
but it's a woman's b1under. She finds
he isn't quite dead after all her trou-
BILE. she is desperate. and-voila." He
made a gesture Of stabbing.
$50 you've made up your mind, too,
Mr. Lomas?"
Lomas blew smoke rings. I'm
wasting your time. doctor. want to
know-has 1t occurred to you-the
archduchess and the Archduke Leo-
pold-working it together? If she's
J fallen in love with Leopold. That
straightens it out, don't you know"
| Guess again." Reggie said.
| Lomas lit another cigarette. "'Well.
| that's what I want to know. You saw
| them together 5ust after the crime"
He lifted an eyebrow.
Nothing doing" said Reggie.
| 'sI'm afraid so. I'm afraid 20. IT'S
a disturbing case. doctor. Nothing
doinx, as you say. II had all the