Evening star., 1925-03-19
Continued from Yesterdays Star3

the well, by the headland exit anC
halfway down the steps to the
beach. He came slowly back along
the main passage and stood for some
time with his light focused on the
sand which he had spread at the foot
or the stair. There was no footmark
upon 1T, but he was prepared to swear
that 1t was not as he had left it
He had scattered the sand loosely
and IT was pressed down and toe
smooth. He thought that 1t had been
smoothed by a hand passing over it
He mounted the first two steps. The
thread of cotton which he had fas-
tened across the stairway was still
there. He bent beneath it, came to
the top and threw his light full upon
the back of the paneled door. The
second piece of cotton was gone.
He flashed the ray upon the floor
once-twice. The third time he found
what he was looking for. a fine black
thread lying across the thre shold. 1t
ran out of sight under the door.
Some one had gone out that way
since Mr.. Ember had come in. Who?
Not Molloy-impossibl that it could
have been Molloy.
Ember passed through the panel,
closed 1T behind him and walked d
slowly and meditattvely along the
corridor TO the library, still pursuing
his train of thought Molloy would
have blundered through that first
piece Of cotton without ever feeling
it at all, Just as MolIoy's foot in its
heavy boot would have been una
ware of the sand. If 1t was a woman
who had passed-now who would
have used a candle in the passages?
Not RAYMOND. She had more than
one electric torch which she used
OIL R,f
Renata, the little soft-spoken stupid
mouse of a thing, If she had a fancy
to go spying. she'd take a candle
yes, and let IL gutter, too.
Mr.. Ember's instinct for danger had
always reacted to this question of
Renata Molloy. Over and over again
there had been the tremor. the re-
sponse, the warning prick. An ex-
treme regret that he had not ar
ranged for a convenient accident to
overtake Renata possessed Jeffrey
Ember. The omission. he decided,
should be rectified with as little de-
lay as possible. He locked the Ii
brary door and went to the telephone.
1t took him half an hour to get the
number that he wanted, but he be-
trayed no impatience. When at last
a mans voice came to him along the
wire he inquired in the Bavarian
dialect, rs that you, Number Five?"
The voice said Yes" whereupon
Ember gave a password and waited
until he had received the counter
sign. He then began to issue orders,
using an unhurried voice. Every
now and then he shivered a little in
the early morning cold and shrugged
his coat higher about his ears.
You are promoted. You go up to
Four and come on to the council. I
will notify you of the next meeting.
Number Three is traitor. He left
here last night with copies of lists
containing names OF all agents. 1t
is believed that 1t is his design to
sell us. He has secreted a large
sum Of money, the property of the
council. Before he Is eliminated he
must be made to hand this over. Take
down the following addresses-he
may be at any one of them. Put Six
and Seven on to finding and dealing
with him Immediately" He read out
the addresses and paused while they
were repeated. He then continued
speaking:
I shall require the motor boat off
tonight, and without fail. A change
of base Is imperative. Proceed first
to he gave another ad-
dress-"and communicate also with
Ten. If Belcovitch has arrived tell
him that he Is promoted to Three,
and bring him with you. The council
can then meet, as No. is here"
A very slight CLEAN of something
hard to define broke for a moment
the dull impassivity of Ember's voice
as he pronounced the last words.
Then he added:
Repeat my instructions"
He listened atentively whilst the
voice reproduced his own words. Then
he said:
THAT is all. We shall meet to-
night" and rang off
He had breakfast alone with Jane.
and ate it with a good appetite. He
talked very pleasantly, too. Jane
wondered why every succeeding mo-
ment left her more afraid. She had
been up all night, of course. 1t must
be that, yes, of course, it must be that.
She faltered in the middle OF some
inane sentence and stopped. En-
bsrs eyes were fixed on her with an
entire lack of expression, yet behind
those blank windows she felt that
there were strange guests. 1t was
like looking at the windows OF a
haunted house, quite blank and empty,
and yet at any moment out of them
might look some unimaginable hor-
ror
You seem a little tired this morn
ing, Miss Renata," said Ember gently
Why didn't you follow Lady Herit-
ages example and have your break
fast upstairs? You don't look to me
as if you had had much sleep. You
haven't been walking in your sleep
again by any chance, have you?
Jane cIenched her foot in Renata's
baggy shoe.
"Oh, I hope 1 haven't" she said. Il
don't always know when I've been
doing 1t. What made you think Of
ito"
TT just crossed my mind" said
Ember Its very dangerous habit,
Miss Renata.'
Jane pushed her chair back and
rose.
I'm going into the garden" she
said: this room is too hot for any
thing It's like" A little devil
suddenly Communicated her tongue.
She reached the door, opened 1t and
flung over her shoulder:
IT'S like the snake house at the
ZOO" Mr.. Ember."
She ran straight out into the gar
den after that and stayed there. She
had the feeling that it was safer to be
in the open. She wanted to keep
away from walls, and doors and pas
sages. She saw no one all the morn
ing and came back to lunch with her
nerve steadier. AS soon as lunch was
over she went out again. The hour
in the house had brought her fears
back with reinforcements. She be-
gan to count the hours before Henry
could arrive. 1t was only half-past 2,
and perhaps he would not come till
midnight.
The thought of the dark hours after
sunset was like black clOud coming
nearer and nearer. If she could hide
if she could only get away and hide
until Henry came. She felt as IL 1t
was nuite heYnnd her to GO hack into