Evening star., 1923-06-30
Continued from yesterday

pagne for dinner at night and are
congratulated by your friends be-
devil to cheat the law, while all the
time you know perfectly well, and
= SO do your high minded friends, that
>your whole attitude during those two
hours of elOquence has been lie.
That is what first attracted me to
you, Mr.. Ledsam."
II am sorry to hear it," Francis COM
mented coldly. The ethics of my
profeSSion--"
His host stopped him with little
wave of the hand.
Spare me that" he begged. while
I'VE are on the subject. though, have
question TO ask you. My lawyer
told me. directly after he had briefed
you. that. although 1t would make no
real difference to your pleading, it
would be just as well for ME TO Keep
up my bluff of being innocent, even
in private conversation with you.
Why was that"
For the very obvious reason"
Francis told him, that we are not all
such rogues and vagabonds as you
seem to think. There is more salts
faction to me. at any rate. in saving
an innocent mans life than a guilty
ones"
Hilditch laughed as though amused.
Come he threatened, II am go
ang to be ill-natured. You have
shown signs of smugness. a quality
which I detest l am going to rob
faction. OF course | killed Jordan
killed him in the very chair in
which you are now sitting.
There was a moments intense 81
1ence. The woman was still tanning
herself lazily. Francis leaned for
ward in his place.
Il do not wish to hear this" he
exclaimed harshly.
Don't be foolish" his host replied.
rising to his feet and strolling across
the room. You know the whole
trouble of the. prosecution They
couldn't discover the weapon. or any
thing like it, with which the deed
was done Now. III show you some
thing ingenious"
Francis collowed the others move
lnents with fascinated eyes. The
woman scarcely turned her head
Hilditch paused at the farther end
of the room, where there were a cou-
pie of gun cases. some fishing rods
and a bag of golf clubs. From the
latter he extracted a very ordinary
looking putter. and with it in his hands
strolled back to them.
DO you play golf. Ledsam?" he
asked. What do you think of that?
Francis took the putter into his
hand. 1t was a very ordinary club,
which had apparently seen good
deal of service, so much, indeed, that
. The leather wrapping at the top was
commencing TO unroll. The makers
name was on the back of the blade,
from whom it had been purchased.
Francis swung the implement me
chanically with his wrists.
There seems TO be nothing ex-
traordnary about the club" he pro-
nounced. ut is Very much like u
cleek 1 putt with myself"
Yet it contains secret which
would most certainly have hanged
me-" Oliver Hilditch declared pleas
He held the shaft firmly In one
hand and bent the blade away from
1t. In a moment or two it yielded
and he commenced to unscrew 1T.
little exclamation escaped from Fran
cis's lips. The woman looked on
with tired eyes.
The join in the steel" Hilditch
pointed out. 'is so fine as to be in
distinguishable by, the naked eye
Yet when the blade comes off. like
this, you see that although the
| weight is absolutely adjusted. the in
side is hollow. The dagger itself is
incased in this cotton wool to avoid
a hurry the last time l used it, and
as you see I forgot to clean it
Francis staggered back and gripped
at the mantelpiece. His eyes were
filled with horror. Very slowly, and
with the air of one engaged upon
some interesting task, Oliver Hill
ditch had removed the blood-stained
sheath of cotton wool from around
ing stiletto. on which was also long
stain of incrusted blood.
There is a handle" he went on,
(which is perhaps the most ingepi-
Gus thing of all. You touch a spring
here, and behold
He pressed down the two tiny sup
ports which opened upon hinges
about four inches from the top of
the handle. There was now COM
plete hilt.
with this little weapon" he ex-
j plained, the point is so sharpened
and the steel so wonderful that it
Is not necessary to stab. 1t has the
perfection of surgical instrument
You have only to lean it against a
certain point in a mans anatomy,
lunge ever SO little and the whole
thing is done. Come here, Mr.. Led
sam, and I will show you the exact
spot"
Francis made no movement. His
eyes were fixed upon the weapon.
IF I had only known he NUT.
Ny dear fellow. If you had" the
other protested soothingly. you
know perfectly well that it would
not have made the slightest differ
ence. Perhaps that little break in
your voice would not have come quite
so naturally, the little sweep of your
arm toward me, the man whom a
moments thoughtlessness might
sweep into eternity would have been
would still have done your best and
YOU would probably still have sue
ceeded You don't care about trifiing
with eternity, eh? Very well. ] will
= find the place for you"
Hilditch's fingers strayed along his
shirt front until he found Il certain
spot, Then he leaned the dagger
against it. his forefinger and second
finger pressed against the hilt His
eyes were fixed upon his guests.
He seemed genuinely interested.
Francis. glancing away for a mo-
ment, was suddenly conscious of a
new horror. The woman had leaned
a little forward in her easy chair
Auntil size had attained almost a
Erouching position. Her eyes seemed
TO be measuring the distance from
where she sat to that quivering
thread of steel.
You see. Ledsam," his host went
on, that point driven now at that
angle would go clean through the
vital part of my heart. And it needs
no force, either-just the slow pres
sure of these two fingers. What did
4 you say. Margaret" he inquired,
- breaking off abruptly.
The woman was seated upon the
very edge of her chair, her eyes
riveted upon the dagger. There was
no change in her face, not a tremor
in her tone.
IT said nothing" she replied. ct
did not speak at all. 1 was just
watching"
Hilditch turned back to his guest.
These two fingers he repeated,
"and q flick of the wrist-very little
more than would be necessary for a
thirty-yard put right across the
green."