Evening star., 1922-08-27

door in the dim light Of the gas jet
that burned feebly. lighting the hall
behind him.
LIE made a vague gesture. lifting
IL one of his hands softly from the
arm of the chair.
Here, monsieur. chance or my in
telligence failed me. IL I had re-
| manned a moment--if, in fact, I had
! looked back as went down the
stairway at the end of the hall. I
should have seen Lord Winton's
assassin"
The project of police made no com
| ment. and Lord Valleys continued:
After some little difficulty. finally
| found the door to the wine cellar,
opened it and entered. 1t was very
| old-one Of those huge stone cells
| which the early English built in their
houses in which to store the choice
| wines of France.
at seemed to me that this wine
cellar had not been entered for long
time was mistaken in this i'm
preston. Fortunately for me. it had
from time to time. been looked into
by Lord Winton's manservant. I have
said fortunately because this man.
servant. Staley. was able to confirm
my statement.
''The whole of the low vault was
cluttered with straw, piled and heaped
| with it. like a farmers rick. 1t was
| this aspect Of the place that gave me
the impression that it had not been
entered for long time. and it was
| true that 1t had not been disturbed
| for long time. The walls and the
floor Of this cellar were stone; the
ceiling was of wood crossed with
beams dried out like timber, and
the bins. as have said, were heaped
with the straw in which innumera BILE
wine cases had been packed.
Lord Winton had described the
wine which he wished so that I could
not mistake it. But he was not GER
tain in which bin it was to be found.
and had to make a search Of very
nearly the whole Of the cellar This
did not disturb me, for Lord Winton
had fixed an hour as the length OF
the visit of the person whom he ex-
pected. and who. in fact. had arrived.
And I was not to return until that
time. 1t was. as nearly as can de-
termine, about eleven o'clock of the
night when I went down the steps to
the wine cellar" -:
The man remained silent a MON ent
as if in some contemplation. Finally
he continued:
AN unfortunate accident. occurred
In rising from a bin over which I
had been stopped the candle touched
wisp Of straw hanging from above,
and Immediately the dried-out. half
rotton wood Of the beamed ceiling
flashed into flame"
He paused again.
IT was-appalled, but I did not lose
my sense Of necessity. I undertook
to put the fire out. made . des-
perats effort against 1t, there in that
underground cell. for I knew the
house must burn II this whole wood
ceiling took hre. The place filled
with smoke. It became very neGrly
impossible to breathe, but did not
give up the fight against the fre.
Finally, when I was blinded, choked
and very nearly unconscious, broke
open the door leading from the base
ment OF the house and ran out into
the street 1t seemed that should
never breathe, and I continued to run.
"You know what followed. was
taken up by one Of the metropolitan
police, the burning house was en-.
tered. and Lord Wfnton brought out.
He was dead! The small blade. Of a
knife had been driven into his body
low down on the right. side, The
wound. rfp-'-,-ss onward. wrs deer