Evening star., 1925-04-10
Continued from Yesterdays starr


General" ] began.
Lavelle interrupted me.
My dear chap" he said, In great
distress, I'VE haven't time for this
The secretary general personally took
the view that, if you were really my
old friend, Mr.. Thomas Preston, II
was only necessary for you to 60
round to police headquarters and es-
tablish the fact. Officially. he con-
sidered that if the warrant were In
order it would be highly improper
for him to resist the police IN the
performance of their duties, seeing
that YOU were not yourself a MEM
ber of the secretariat. so he de-
cfded to waive the privilege which
attaches to this building, and to sur
render YOU II the warrant were foCnd
to be genuine / thought 1t best, III
the circumstances, to accept the ue-
cision without any more ado. After
all. Il doesn't make matters very
much worse I'll keep the document
safe and decipher it this evening.
Meanwhile. you can either go TO 'he
police station. where you VIII at any
rate be safe, or show ciean pair Oh
heels before they arrive
I thought hard for about hVe sec
onds.
'f,avelle." I said, what was the
policeman like?'
"There were two. One OF them was
tall, with cuts on his race the
other"
Never mind the other. The tall
one is Fritz"
"Incredible,"
ION the contrary, it couldn't posi-
nIy he ANYBODY else. The Genevese
n Thomas
TON. The gang have followed me
hero with a false warrant were
they in Uniform
NO"
Did you see their papers.
Their pauers are at this moment
being examined by the legal secuoh'
And If they are in order
IF they're in order, l shall be IN
structed TO receive the police IN TINS
room and formally invite 'Hei'' W
perform their duty. 49,.
Then you must go back TO t,e
secretary general at once anu
lenge their identity.
THAT will be merely one OF your
Incredible tales
But he can ring up the ponce anu
corroborate your statement.
Iavelle seized the telephone.
"Tll do that at once. If the ponce
deny that any of their of1cers na'
come to the seer etariat, IL VII W
proof positive that Fritz Is lh'pef
sonating.' .,,. .oo1, nm
breathed again as l'avelie tooA up
the telephone. c,,
"a the most efficient in the world
and in less than a quarter OF MN
vte Lavelle was speaking TO ponce
headquarters. Ma,
lie asked whether any one had oeen
sop+ IN the secretariat to erect the
arrest of Kari Won Emmerich' aIIas
Thomas Preston, for murder. ms
expression changed to one OF l.
completest amazement as ne hs'eeN
to the answer.
He hung up the receiver.
mo- Dieu" he cried. "Ces mes
sieurs sont epatants.
The police?' r.,
NO. your friends of the Rue Ell
enne Dumont. They leave nothlhs "
chance The superintendent OF ponce
tells me that they We're warheu ~
minutes ago by telephone OF the pres
ence at the secretariat OF Kari Won
Emmerich, wanted in Au[lch toi i,,u
der and now passing under the name
OF Thomas Preston, British subject.
Two genuine policemen were at once
dispatched to effect the arrest.
VERY WELL" I said coolly. We've
only TO delay the proceedings d niue
and the real police will arrive just
in time to unmask my ingenious
uncles."
IavelIe shook his head.
II wouldn't risk 1t If 1 were you'
he said, with shrug.
What do you mean?
MY dear fellow, a gang which ls
sufficiently ingenious to warn the po-
lice at the very moment when two or
its members are actually imperson-
ating two of their officers isn't likely
TO be defeated by their arrival at an
inconvenient moment
"You mean
Il mean that the real policemen are
yroba bly, at this moment being firmly,
but let US hope gently. detained py
some of these gentlemen who guard
bridges and drive powerful motor
cars at express speed through the
forecourt of the score tariat. Why, my
dear chap, they would have been
here at least 10 minutes ago IL they
had not been intercepted. I doubt IL
Fritz would even have started till he
had them safely detained"
But can't you explain all this to
the secretary general|'
TT would be hopeless. Fritz will
ct once suggest telephoning to the
police to ask whether they have sent
10 make the arrest. The secretary
general will be informed Immediately
that two men have been dispatched
Am 7 to suggest that the real police-
snen have been detained by the friends
OF the false policemen? The secre-
tary general would infer either that
was stark mad or that l was pull
sng his leg A man in his official
position couldn't possibly risk accept
ing such a story even for five min
Ntes in the presence of officers who
are prima facie genuine government
officials
Lavelle had not for nothing served
for three years in the French 1ntelli-
gerce Service. I admired his quick
diagnosis of the position and his de-
cfded view as to what was likely to
happen. / had little doubt as he fin
Ished that If I stayed in the secre-
tariat l should very probably leave
il under duress in the company of
Fritz. and that the green car would
shortly be taking me for the last ex-
cursion of my life.
The telephone bell rang as Lavelle
concluded and he had already taken
the receiver.
Eyes" he said "Lavelle speaking.
Very well Yes, I'll receive them
here"
He hung up the receiver.
mot a moment to lose" he said.
sThe legal director informs me that
the warrant is in order and that the
police are coming up at once to ar
rest you. My instructions are to in
troduce you TO the officers and not to
obstruct them in the discharge of
their duty"
He turned to Beatrice, who had
followed our conversation with anx-
iOus concern.