The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-11-23

ment, stood beside him.
"All right. he said, answering Cheeks
inquiriHg glance. 81 headed the taxi off
and set Dollops to work as you suggested
and blessed coed thing I did, teo."
''There were footsteps, them"
Footsteps? Great Scott, yes-heaps of
them; the absolute continuation of those
which led me and my men to this house.
Two lines Of shem, old chap--lene going and
the other returning and both passing by the
gate of this house. By it, and never once
turning in: yet in the garden we have found
marks that correspond with them to the
fraction of hair, and we know positively
that the fellow did come in here. It ticks
me, Cleek-it positively ticks me. It's be-
You'd all reason"
yes admitted Cleek, thinking of the
green satin dress. "I've got something to
tell you, something that this poor chap did
manage to tell me. A w8man--a lady-was
out there on the common tonight and paid
him not to disclose the fact. The lady IN
question wore understand, gown Of very
pale-green satin with what l take to have
cersage; Furthermore, q delicate but very
distinct odor Of violets hung about her.
''(1eod Lord! Lady Clavering!"
''Whew-w! The hestess?"
Yes Sir Philips wife-yeung Geoffs
steprnother; enc of the sweetest, gentlest,
most womanly women that ever lived. 1t
couldn't have happencd-it simply couldn't,
Cleek. Why, man, her ladyship was there
at the close-when left. 1t was she who
put that jewel into my hand and asked me
to leave it at Wutherfng Grange when
He stopped, biting his words off short
and laying a nervous grip on Cheeks arm;
and Cleek, facing about abruptly, leaned
forward into the mist and darkness, listen
ing.
For of a sudden, babble of angry
voices, mingled with the sounds of a scuffle,
had risen from the road beyond the gates,
and hard on the heels of it there rang forth
sharply the shill tones of Dollops crying
out at the top of his voice:
sNone, O. yer largs, now! Got yer! Gov
ner! Mr.. Narkom"
The tive men sped down the drive and out
into the lane. The sound of scuffling feet
and of wrangling voices guided them and
they came presently upon an amazing PIC
ture
Two figures struggled together, the one
in vain endeavor to free himself, the other
intent on bringing him to the ground, on
which lay the drawings Doliops had evident
~ been making.
The light Of the torches revealed his
prisoner to be a sturdy, fair-hai1ed young
man. 1t hardly needed Mr.. Na1khom's start
led exclamation, "Geoff?' to tell the detec-
tive that this was indeed the son ana helr
of Sir Philip Clavering. But the exclama-
ton had far-reaching effect upon Dol
lop's prisoner, for he ceased struggling at
once.
"Hulle Mr.. Narkhom!' he exclaimed.
''This is stroke of good luck and no mis-
take! If had known that his yeHs were
likely to bring you upon the scene, l GER
tainly shouldn't have gone to the length
of getting my clothes in this awful mess.
Cleek made mental tally of that remark
and set alongside of it the circumstance that
Dollops, when he first called out, had most
distinctly mentioned Mr.. Narkom by name.
81 say, Mr.. Narkom," exclaimed Dollops'
"don't you be took in by none of the gam
mon of this ere person. Actin suspicious
and creepin' along in the dark he was when
'opped up and copied him, sir"
''Dollops, let the gentleman co. ordered
Narkom.
Doilops gave o swift glance at M. Georges
de Desparre,s face, then sullenly relin-
ouished his hold on his prisoner, and. with
a knowing wink, busted himself with pick
ing up his scattered and muddled papers.
s'Perhaps Mr.. Clavering has already
heard of the crime,7 suggested Cleek, sand
that it what is accountable for his pres
ence."
In his heart he knew that there was no