Evening star., 1925-09-24

| invited them both. 1t would be too
| sickening! Even if Pan--Miss Haste
were still in prison protesting her
guilt, l couldn't do that. I'm afraid.
! She'll be cleared in any case
I'm not SO dead sure of that
| Dagon cut in.
You must clear her-whiie she
, keeps out of harms way" Wells
flung at him. with sudden challenge.
I'D like to clear her--mighty well.
But told you Miss Haste had 'es-
capped. That wasn't quite accurate.
according to my view. I believe she
was drugged. and kidnapped"
"Heavens!" the other stared at him.
What makes you think that?'
Because her cell Smelled of an
anesthetic. and as she was searched
by the wardress last night she can
have had none with her. 1t WASH
an ordinary anesthetic. The smell
was the same as that on handker-
chief of Mrs Hastes which the young
lady handed to Anson. She said she d
had the stuff from you, as a sample
Of an invention of yours, some time
ago, and kept 1t ever since.
my anesthetic in Pans cell. Do
you suspect me of abducting her as
well as Mrs. Haste?'
II suspect you-at presenter
tive. but as for what Miss Haste
said about the handkerchief, If she's
merely sacrificing herself to save you,
that was rather clever ard thoughtful
for a young girl, wasn't ito pre-
tend that she'd had some of the stuff
invented by you, and had kept 1t by
her.
Heart -breakingly clever sroaned
Wells. with visible shudder. But
what are you leading up to?"
ITO asking you some other imperti.
nent questions, if you'll let me- said
Dagon, for your good and for hers.
For instance, why did you regret tell
ing me that your cousin knew you
were coming down to this house last
night?"
Wells caught his lip between his
teeth. He did not speak for a few sec
onds, and the Canadian saw him
sharply draw in his breath. Then he
said, mo doubt there'n be many ques-
tions 1 shall gratefully answer. Mr..
Dagon. But that-isn't one Of them.
II has nothing to do with the affair.
Instantly Dagon was convinced-he
could not have told why-that this
small, insignificant circumstance had
everything to do with the affair.
Pandora had a long and intricate
dream about a thousand things. Some
of these things were vaguely horrible.
At last she thought that Fanny Gil
lett was determined she should not
tell a secret which it was most neces-
sary to tell in order to save some
body's life. To prevent her CRYING
out, Fanny sat heavily down on her
face. Struggling. gasping, the girl
woke up.
The dream Of Fanny Gillett slipped
slowly away into dimness. But in its
place a recollection that Eve Carroll
Eve Haste-was dead. tragically dead,
writhed in the girls brain like a liv-
ing monster. Eve dead, and Rawdon
no, she, Pandora-accused OF muir
der,
"Oh. but that's only part of the
dream. 1t isn't true" Pan heard
herself say out loud.
She opened her eyes. and stared
dazedlv up at a ceiling. What cell
ing? Where was she, at home in
London, Or
1t was a low ceiling, and the room
wherever 1t was-seemed dark with
a curious green darkness like what 1t
must be under the sea. Pandora re-
membered an aquarium where she d
been taken by Ken. as a treat. when
she was a child. The same greenness
had been there.
1t had seemed very mysterious to
her, and she had insisted upon talking
in whispers, because the aquarium
had felt like a place of silence"
This also felt like a place of silence.
Maybe she was dreaming, too. Most
likely she wasn't really awake yet.
But, oh, what a comfort that the
awful dream about Eve and Don and
herself wasn't true! 1t couldn't
couldn't be true. Yet was It? Details
trooped back so vividly now, a hideous
swarm of them. like poison bees try.
ing to sting her to death. And that
call in the police station-why, it was
real, at least, and she had gone to
sleep there!
With this thought Pan sat up sud.
denly and stared round her.
The Echo.
What a, strange ceiling this seemed
to be, But it wasn't a ceiling at ALL
1t was water-green water. There
were fish in 1t, swimming. Yet-she
was in a room. Oh, certainly it was
n dream There couldn't he room,