Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-03-05
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
0fJane Smith 3, s1rx RI, ~, vssrros1a
Continued from Yesterdays Star ,
CHAPTER XVI.

brought rain with 1t. A southwest gale
drove against the dripping window
panes and covered the sea with crests
of foam.
Jane, rather pale, wrote a neat let
ter to the Misses Kent, Hermione
street, South Kensington, mentioning
that she would be much obliged II
they would send her patterns of jumper
wool by return. She hesitated. and
then underlined the last two words
II always think big shops do bet
ter" was Lady Heritage's comment,
and Mr.. Ember added, do you knit,
Miss Renata? I thought you were the
only girl in England who didn't''-to
which Jane replied, II want to learn"
1t was after the letter had been
posted that she found Henry's second
message, Hope to see you today, Fri
day." She could have cried for pure
joy.
At intervals during the day the
thought occurred to her that Henry
was a solid comfort. She wasn't In
love with him, of course, but undoubt-
eddy he was a comfort. She had plenty
of time to think, for she spent the en-
tire day by herself. Sir William had
gone to town for three or four days.
Lady Heritage disappeared into the
north wing at IL o'clock, and very
shortly after Mr.. Ember followed her.
Neither of them appeared again
until dinner time. Jane went
to sleep over a book and awoke re-
freshed, and with strong desire for
exploration.
If only last nights mysterious hap
penings had taken place anywhere
but in the hall! The dark corner
from which Raymond had emerged
and into which Mr.. Ember had van
ished drew her like magnet, but
not until every one was In bed and
asleep would she dare to search for
the hidden door.
IF 1 were just sitting here and
reading" she thought to herself,
probably no one would come into the
hall for hours; but II 1 were to look
for a secret passage, all the servants
would begin to drift in and out, and
the entire neighborhood would come
and call"
When the lights had been turned
on, she wandered round, looking at
the Luttrell portraits. This. she
thought, was safe enough, and IL not
the rose. 1t was at least near it.
Willoughby Luttrelrs picture hung
perhaps five feet from the ground
and about halfway between the hall
door and the corner. Jane had al
ways noticed it particularly because
Henry undoubtedly resembled this
18th century uncle.
Mr. willoughby Luttrell had been
painted in a court suit of silver-gray
satin He wore Mechlin ruf1es and
diamond shoe buckles. He had the
air of being convinced that the court
of st. James could boast no brighter
ornament, but his face was the face
of Henry March, and Henry's gray
eyes looked down at Jane from be-
meath Families wig.
After an interval Jane stopped
looking at Mr.. Luttrelis eyes, and re-
feoted that the click which she had
heard the night before came from a
point nearer the corner. She did not
dare go near enough to feel the wall,
and no amount of staring at the
paneling disclosed any clue to the
secret.
Jane went back to her book.
BY sunset the rain had ceased to
fall, or, rather, to be driven against
the land. The wind, lightened Of its
burden of moisture, kept coming in
land in great gusts, fresh and soff
with the freshness and softness o.
the Spring. The entire sky wal
thickly covered with clouds which
moved continually across its face,
swept on by the currents of the up
per air, but these clouds were very
high up. Any one coming out of an in
would have received an impression of
extraordinary freedom, movement and
space.
Henry March received such an i'm
preston as he turned a pivoting
stone block and came out of the
small, sheltering cave behind the seat
on the headland above Luttren
Marches. At the first buffet of the
gale he took off his cap and stuffed
it down into the pocket of the light
ulster which he wore and stood
bareheaded. looking out to sea. His
eyes showed him blackness and con-
fused motion, and his ears were
filled with the strange singing sound
of the wind and the endless crash and
recoil of the waves against shingiy
beach.
He stood quite still for a time and
then turned his wrist and glanced at
the luminous dial of the watch upon
it, after which he passed again be-
hind the stone seat, and was about to
re-enter the blacker shadows when
tall figure emerged
Have you been here long?" said
voice.
mo. I've only just come. How are
you, Tony?"
"All right 1 didn't think you'd be
down here again 50 soon. 1t was
touch and go whether I could get
here"
"Piggy's orders" said Henry, Look
here, Tony, don't let's go inside. It's
topping night, and that passage
I've lust come along smells like
triple extract of vaults--perfectly
beastly. I don't suppose our friend
Ember is addicted to being out late:
He doesn't strike me as that sort OF
bird somehow"
"All right" said Anthony Luttrell.
He sat down on the stone seat as
he spoke and Henry followed, his
example.
piggy sent you down, did he?
What for?"
Henry was silent 1t seemed like
ouite a long time before he said:
TONY, who knows about the pas
sages beside you and me?
mo one" said Anthony, shortly.
sUncle James told me when he
thought the boche had done you in.
He said then that no one knew ex-
cept he and l. He drew out a plan
of all the passages and made me
learn II by heart. When L could ora"
it with my eyes shut we burnt every
SCRAP of paper 1 had touched. I've
been into the passages exactly three
times-once the same week to test
my knowledge, again the other day,
and tonight. I'll swear no one saw
me go in or come out, and I'll swear
I've never breathed a word to SOUL
Are you rehearsing your auto
biogra phy?" inquired Anthony Lut-
trell, with more than a hint of sar-
casm.
mo, I'm not. / want to know who
else knows about the passages,
And I have told you"
.'Tony. IT is no good had my sus-
picions the other night, but tonight
I've got proof. The passages have
been made use of. Unfortunately,
THERE'S no doubt about 1t at all. /