Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-07-28

something important. Besides, shes
moi in a class with anyone else. She's
a rare girl no nonsense in her-full
of a deep. strong sense of things
lie forced himself from thoughts OF
Lucie. forced himself from her per-
sorality, and returned to his reports
with an effort of concentration.
When Gramont went to bed that
night it was with a startling and auda-
cious scheme well defined in his brain
a scheme whose first conception
seemed ludicrous and impossible, yet
which, on second consideration, APP
peared in a very different light. 1t de-
served serious thOught-and Gramont
had made his decision before he went
to sleep.
The following day was Tuesday
Nardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday, the last
day before Lent began, and the a
eliminating day of carnival. Henry
Gramont. however, was destined to
find little in its beginning Of much
personal pleasure.
At eleven in the morning Hammond
drove him to the LedanOis home,
where Gramont was admitted by one
of the colored servants and shown into
the parlor. A moment later Lucie her
self appeared. At first glance her
smiling greeting removed the half
sensed apprehensions of Gramont. Al
most Immediately a~fterward, however,
he noted a perceptible change in her
manner. as she led him toward the
rear of the room, and gestured toward
a mahogany tilt-top table which stood
In a corner
"Come over here, please. I have
something which 1 wish to show you"
She needed to say no more. Ora
mont. following her, found himself
staring blankly down at the symbol of
CONSERVATION which overwhelmed him.
For upon that table lay all those
boxes which he himself had packed
with the loot of the Midnight Masquer
the identical boxes, apparently I'M
opened, which had been stolen from
his automobile by the supposed thief
Chdcherre!
Fol a moment Gramont found HIM
self unable to speak. He was thur
derstruck by the sight of those unmis-
taxable boxes. A glance at the calm
features of the girl showed him that
there was nothing to be concealed
from her. even had he wished it. He
was further stunned by this realiza-
ton. He could not understand how
the packages had come here. Recov-
ering his voice with an effort, he a
aged TO break the heavy silence.
"Well? l suppose you know what
is in those parcels?'
She nodded. Eyes. One of them
was opened, and the note inside was
discovered. OF course, it gave a gen
eral explanation. Win you sit down.
please? l think that we had better
talk it over quietly and calmly"
Gramont obeyed. and dropped into a
chair.
He was ahsurdly conscious of his
own confusion. How had Lucie CONF
lnto ehe affair? This staggered hin
.i.o oil else. Was she behind the
theft Of the lootf It must be. How
long had she suspected him, then? He
had thought joachim Fell the sole dan
ger pofnt-he had never dreamed that
this gray-eyed Athene could be tracing
down the Masquer! He tried to WIS.,
ualize the situation more clearly and
his brain whirled. He knew, Of course,
that she was fairly intimate with Fell,
but he vas not aware of any particu-
lar connection
He glanced up at her suddenly, and
surprised a CLINT of laughter in her
eyes as she watched him.
"You seem to be rather astonished,"
she observed.
II am" Gramont drew a deep
breath. "You-do you know that
those boxes were taken from my
carr"
She nodded again. Certainly. They
were brought to me-"
"Then you had someone on my
trailr' Gramont flushed a little as
he put the question to her.
mo. I have been chosen to settle
affairs with you, that is all. 1t has
been learned from the note in the
opened box that you were not criminal
In what you did,
She leaned forward, her deep eyes
searching him with a steady scrutiny.
"Tell me, Henry Gramont, what mad
impulse brought you to all this? Was
1t a silly, boyish effort to be roman
tic-was 1t a mere outburst Of bra
vado? 1t was not for the sake of rob-
berry, as the note explained very clear
ly. But why, then? Why? There
must have been a definite reason In
your mind. You would not have taken
such dangerous chances unless you
had something to gain!"
Gramont nodded slightly. A slight
smile touched his lips. You're not
going to send me to prison, l trustT'
81 ought toi" The girl broke into
a laugh. "Why, l can hardly yet be-