Evening star., 1925-04-17
THE SEVEN SLEEPERS
By FRANCIS BEEDNC
(cspznrht. 1875. BY 1lttl., Brvv, = ce.

Il
The journey took about half an hour.
We drove back to the end of the lake
at Geneva, crossing the Pont du Mont
Blanc, of famous memory, and then
skirted the lake on the other side un-
til we arrived al small village on It's
edge, containing a few houses and a
restaurant with a terrace command :
ing the lake.
Here 1 dismissed my car. and, in
quiring from small boy the where
abouts of the Villa Mortmain, was d.
rected a few hundred yards down an
old. disused road, which ended in a
modern villa of fair proportions, but
badly in need of paint. The name
'Mortmain" was written on the gate
posts.
I took cover in the wooded garden
and carefully reconnoitered the new
headquarters OF the gang. It was the
ordinary type of Swiss villa, of indif-
ferent architecture, with a verandah
shading long windows running right
around the ground floor. 1 could see
no sign of activity in the house. and,
after remaining for some 10 minutes
or so in the garden. l decided to ef-
feet an entry, in order to discover
what was happening inside, and, If
possible, to take a hand in the pro-
French friends.
/ slipped from cover and crossed the
garden at A run, reaching the shelter
of the verandah, where l was secure
from the observation of any one un-
less he happened to be at the window
which commanded that particular sec.
ton.
After a further cautious examination
of the house, 1 approached long
French window with a curtain
on either side Of it, which.
proved to he half-latched and gave
upon an empty room. With the blade
of my pocketknife, I pushed up the
fastening on the inside. The window
swung open and l stepped into the
room.
1t was an ordinary Swiss sitting
room. On the farther side. opposite
the windows, was a pair of folding
doors. which I cautiously approached,
my pistol cooked. With infinite care.
l pushed them and, fortunately being
we'll oiled, they slid apart almost
without a sound.
] entered second room and found
myself in what was evidently labora-
tory. There were shelves, with re-
torts and test tubes and chemicals
In bottles, lining the walls, and in the
middle there were two square deal
tables and several. Bunsen burners
with other apparatus. At the farther
end Of the room was a pair of heavy
curtains covering what I took to be
a kind of alcove. I listened intently,
but could hear nothing. / accordingly
tip-toed across the room and, reach
ing the curtains, I peered between
them. They covered, as / had
thought, an alcove containing a
couch and several chairs.
1t was then that saw Beatrice
She was lying on the couch full
length, asleep, unconscious or dead,
could not tell which, and seated on
either side of her, in close attendance,
were the professor and Schrecker-
mann.
II think we are now ready to be-
gin, the professor was saying.
I do not know what it was in my
mind to do in that fr1ghtful moment,
but feel pretty sure that I should
have been unable to restrain myself
from some kind Of immediate inter
vention. I only know that I had al
ready, with gesture almost mechani-
cal, raised my pistol in order to cover
the professor, when raucous,
screaming voice shrieked out suddenly
above my head, II spy strangers, !
spy strangersr' And then it gave a
piercing whistle.
/ looked up. startled out of con-
troll by that eerie voice which stabbed
at me from the air, to see, perched
on the curtain rail above my head,
a green parrot of maleovolent ap-
pearance. 1t was gazing at me with
Its beady eyes, its cunning head
cooked on one side.
Then, before could recover my
wits, i felt my arms gripped roughly
from the rear, and, at the same
instant, a blow behind the knees
stretched me helplessy on my back.
ruApTER MT