Evening star., 1925-02-17
Observation-Disclosures
0fJQneSmith .;, BY s11se,4 r., :. .,'a rsmrosrn

| cigarette. Obviously Molloy's fare
| well was not to be said in private.
| Jane looked at him with some curl
| osity-a tail man, strongly built, with
a bold air and florid complexion.
| 1t was he who had opened the door
and he stood still, holding the handle
and looking. not at Jane, but over
her shoulder. For this she felt CRATE
! full.
| We'll. well, then, I'm off," said Mol
| 10y You'll be a good girl and do
as you're bid, and I'll be having you
out to keep house for me in less than
| no time"
From what she had seen of Renata
Jane fancied that a sob would meet
the occasion. She therefore sobbed
| and pressed her handkerchief to her
eyes.
There, there" said Molloy, hastily.
He bent and deposited an awkward
KISS upon the top of her head. Then
| he took his hand from the door and
| was gone.
, The lift gate changed, and Jane
| realized that the real adventure had
begun
The man by the window threw the
| END OF his cigarette into the fireplace
| and came toward her
/
| thing, isn't 1t, Miss Renata? Suppose
we have some breakfast"
A meal, proper meal, enough to
eat! AS she passed into the dinin e
room and beheld a ham, coffee, and
boiled eggs, Jane felt as If she could
confront any one or anything. Be
sides, the first trick was hers.
In the full light of day, and under
those cold, pale eyes, she had passed
as Renata
She allowed herself to sigh and dab
| her eyes, and then-oh, how good was
the rather stale bread. the Lon
don egg, and the Indifferent ham.
The man watched her quizzically.
AS she finished her second cup of
coffee, he remarked that she had a
good appetite. and there was some
thing In his tone that cast chill
upon the proceedings
Jane pushed back her chair
I've finished" she said.
We'll, then" said the man. II think
we must talk. Yes, sit down again,
please. 1 won't keep you very long"
Jane did as she was told.
We'll. Molloy's gone he said. "You
know what that means? He's washed
his hands of you. Just in case--just
in case, you've been relying on Mol
10y, I would like to point out to you
that his own position is none to Sc
cure. The firm he works for has not
been entirely satisfied with him for
some time. 1t is, therefore, quite out
of the question that he should infu-
ence any decision that may be come
| to with regard to yourself. His going
off like this shows that he realizes
the position and accepts it. Self-pres-
ervation is Molloy's trump suit, first
last and all the time. I shouldn't ad-
wise you to count upon trifles like
parental devotion, or anything of that
sort. In word-he can't help YOU
but l can"
spoke. and a sudden smile changed
his features
Just be frank" he went on. Tell
me what you really heard, ahd I'll see
you through"
Jane let her eyes meet his. That
smile had puzzled her: it was so spon-
taneous and charming, but it did not
reach his eyes.
She looked and found them cold and
Opaque, and as she looked, she saw
the pupils narrow, expand, and then
narrow again.
He got up from his chair. walked to
the mantlepiece, stopped for a light to
his cigarette. and came back again
with thin blue haze of smoke about
him.
Perhaps I haven't been altogether
frank with you" he said. That little
romance of mine about a firm of
chemists who employ your father
you really didn't believe it? No. 7
thought not. The fact is, that first
night I took you for just a schoolgirl,
and one can't tell schoolgirls every
thing. But now, now I'm talking to
you as woman. I can't tell you
everything, even SO, but 7 can tell you
this. It's Government matter. a
most important one, and it is vital
that ] should know just what you
overhear rd.'
Jane looked down
Il don't understand" she said in a
low voice. IT was dreaming and T
walked up suddenly. There was a
screen in front of me, and some one
on the other side of the screen called
out very loud, The door, the door,
That's what / heard"
She felt the pale eyes upon her face
Then with an abrupt movement the
man came over to her.
stand up" he said.
Jane stood up.
Look at me-"
Jane looked at him.
After what seemed like a very
long time, he threw out his hand with
an impatient gesture. 1t struck the
table edge with a sharp rap. the
spring that held his wrist watch
gave. and the watch On it's gold curb
flew off and fell on the floor behind
Jane.
She turned, glad of an excuse to
turn, and bent to pick 1t up. The
back of the watch was open; her fin
gers caught it and closed 1T instantly,
but not for nothing had she told
Henry that she had gimlet eyes. The
back of the watch contained a photo
graph, and Jane had seen the photo
graph before. Henry's voice sounded
in her ears. 1T was done from
Amory's portrait of her. in 1915-the
year of her marriage"
Number Two, the man in the fur
coat, Renata's worst of them ALL
had in the back of his watch a pho
tograph of Lady HeritageI
Jane laid the watch on the table
without giving it second glance
CHAPTER VI.
AS the watch slid back into its
place beneath his shirt cuff, the man
spoke with an entire change of man.
ner.
We'll, Miss Renata, that was all
| very stiff and businesslike. You
| mustn't hold it up against me, because
hope We're going to be friends.
Don't you want to know your plans ?''
Jane looked at him with a little
| frown.
My plans?"
What is going to happen to you.
| Oh, please, don't look so grave! It's
nothing very dreadful. You have
heard of Sir William Carr -Magnus?' ?''
Yes, of course" said Jane. She
hoped that she looked innocent and
surprised.