The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1922-10-02
(]EI3s,l!leonoW}f
- ~ b LOUIS
9wtS Joseph Vance
H Louis
Joseph Vance


Seated IN an easy chair, IN thu
tempered iirht Of an awninged win.
dow which stood open ON the ter
rasse. nothing IN her pcse--sha was
waiting quietly. hands folded In her
lsp-and nothing In her counte-
nance. In tho unlined brow. the
crave. serene eyes. lent any color
20 his spprehensions. And yet IN
hiz heart he had known that he
would find her thus. and alone. no
matter what had happened
Her profound reverls disturbed by
his approach. she rose quickly, ad.
vareing to meet Duchemin with
both hands offered IN sympathy.
My dear frisndl You are sue
fsrfnK--r''
he met this with . smiling dental.
Not now AZ FIRST. yes. but since
my bath and coffee. TN as right
AZ trivet. And you. madamer''
"A little weary. monsieur. cther>
wise quite we'll"
She resumed her chair, signing
70 puehemin 20 take one nearby.
lie drew Il closer before sltting
down.
But madame 10 not dressed cor
her 'ourney~
No. monsieur. have postponed
H." q slight pause prefaeed one
more Indefinitely"
AZ this confirmation Of the fears
which had been haunting him.
Duchemin nodded siixhtiy.
"But the men sent here BY your
bankers
They have not Pct arrived: We
may expect them At any moment
now
Il ses.- said Duchsnuin thought.
fuiiys ard thsn--''May I suggest
that we continue our conversation
In English. Ono never kao~s who
may overhesr -
Her eyebrows nted a iittis. but
she adopted tho suggestion without
other demur.
The servsnssY~
He nodded: -Or anybody
Then you have Guesxed--s-
Broadly speaking. everything. 4
fancy. Not Ia any detail. naturally.
But one puts two and two together
:. may ~ well tell you 10 begin
with: I was wakefui last night. and
finding no olgarsts In my room.
came down hsrs to get some I
left my candle on the tsbie---shsr..
A. soon A. my back wac turned.
somsoody took IL away and put n
out A few minutes later. while
was trying 70 steal out OF tho
rcoul ran into . fist -
Yes she ssid thoughtfuily: and
with some hesitation added Il, too.
found n not easy 10 sleep. But I
heard nothing I'll that chair
crashed Then I got up 80 investl.
gate ana found you lying there.
ssnssisss- In falling y>ur head
must have struck the We of the
table
~You came down hsrs--alonss-
4 listened first heard no sound
sAw ne iishsi but I had 10 knew
what the noise meant -
-ssni. Sou came aevnssairs
nut naturazsy. nssnsssur.s
\ den's bs'isv~- saiA pueh~nin
ancsrsiy. -shs world holds . won
"A your pear for courage
i Or surfosityr- shs iausnsA -Asl
N svsutA found you. bat could
DO nothing TO rouse you 90 4
called Jean. and he hsipsd me ret
you upstairs Again.
Where does yean sisepr
In the ssrvantr quarters. On ne
Third floor. In The rear Of the
houss..
1 II must hAvs taken IVA some
time :.
Several minutes. fancy. Jean
sleeps soundiy."
when you came hack with him
--or a. any tirns--did you sss or
| hear"
Nothing out Of the ncruai--no-
body. Indeed. a. first believed
you had somehow managed 10 over.
exert yourself and had faintsd--or
had fripped on somsshing and. fall
ing. hurt your head
/ Later. then. you found rvason
to- revise that theoryrs
Not TN early this morning.
"Pieass tell me -
We'll. you see II all seemed
20 strange. couldn't steep when I
went back 70 bed. lay awake. pux-
ried. unsasy. II was broad day.
iishs before ! noticed that the
screen which stands In front Of my
safe was out of place. Ths safe
L. bulit into the solid wall. you
know. got up then. and found
the safe door an inch or 70 a,ar.
| Whonysr op>ued II last nfrhs rfo..s