Evening star., 1922-04-30

First.sh took taxi to Piccadilly
and made some purchases at a well
known grocer's. These were packed
she drove to Charlotte street, turn
ing off the Tottenham Court road.
She stopped before tall, frowsy-
looking house. the curtains Of which
were yellow with London CRIME.
There she dismissed the taxi and
knocked at the door
A slatternly girl. wearing a torn
apron. admitted her, and the door
closed behind her.
|. From a respectable distance
watched the house. 1t certainly was
not a neighborhood into which an
imperial princess would be expected
to penetrate, being the abode OF
aliens. many Of whom were, undesir-
abIes. 1 noted the house we'll. II
had two stories and a basement, with
iron railings in front. In the win
dow of the sitting room was an
artificial palm in a green art pot, the
only attempt at artistic decoration
The doorsteps had been recently
hearthstoned. and the knob Of the
door was bright and we'll kept, show
ing that some cleanly person dwelt
therein.
The princess remained there for
over an hour, when she suddenly
emerged without the parcel and,
walking to the Totteneham Court
road, took taxi back to Claridge's.
/, however, remained. and. entering
a small Italian restaurant few
doors off, ordered a meal and half
flask Of Chianti. Then ] began to
chat in italian with the short. stout
Tuscan who was the proprietor.
Presently, when we had exchanged
ideas of Italy and her tangled poll
tics, I asked him il he happened to
know who lived at the house which
I indicated.
"Oh, the one with the palm in the
window, Ell? Well, Mrs. Weather
ley lives there. She has an invalid
daughter. Poor girl, she's a cripple
and her mother takes her out in a
bath chair sometimes. Her mother
lets apartments, I think"
Now, look here, Signor Luigi"
said in confidence. ITO tell you the
truth, I'm very anxious to find out
the names of all the people living in
that house. Could you do that fol-
me-and I will mako it\right with
you?"
"Ah! You are a detective" he ex-
claimed quickly in italian.
OF aoonrnd hfpo
only want to know out Of sheer idle
curiosity. 1t concerns lady"
"very we'll, signor," he said. 'Tll
do my best. If you call tomorrow
about this time I may know some
thing
NEEDLESS to say. that in great
anxiety returned on the follow
ing day, and there being other Gus
toners in the tiny restaurant, he
took me into his own little den.
'T have found out, signo-, that Mrs
Weatherley and her daughter have
one maid, girl named Andrews. The
two dodgers are young girls who work
in city offices. There is no man >liv-
ing there" Then he added: "You
mentioned a lady. Is that the lady
who is so kind to the crippled grip
I hesitated for a moment.
Perhaps it Is" said. But are
you quite sure that no man is living
there?"
There is no man there just now.
Mrs. Weatherley's nephew used to
live there, but he does not live there
now"
That latter fact further aroused
my curiosity, and therefore I kept
watch upon the house. Within the
next week I passed its uninviting ex-
terror several times One fact !
thought strange was that on some
occasions the artificial palm was in
the window; ON other occasions 1t
was not. Once, it was there when ]
passed about 4 o'clock in the after
noon, but at 5 it had been removed.
/ watched 1t daily, and came to the
conclusion that 1t wss put there as a
sign of warning .tc, some one.
The princess. guile nnsusDtcions Of