Evening star., 1927-05-05

MR.. HOLBROOK, YOU'RE FALL
mot pleasant, eh? Imagine them
held to YOUR eyelids-that makes Won
feel bad? Listen" The spurious ami
ability left his voice. There's moth
ing 1 will not do to make you carry
out my wishes. I'll blind you-do you
understand that? I'll shut off from
you the chief joy of life-your vision!
Am 1 to be checked at the moment of
my success by dog of a tradesman?"
His voice rose shrilly, the hands
that held the tongs were trembling.
"At the very edge of fortune, shall
hesitate"
Rap, rap, rap!
Somebody was knocking at the
door. He half turned.
who's there?" he called.
Rap, rap, rap!
"Who is it?' The man in purple
almost screamed the question.
"Open, in the name of the Kingr'
said a voice on the other side of the
door-the voice of Inspector Bullotti
CHAPTER XII.
The Woman With the jug.
The door shook under heavy blow,
and the prior stood momentarily para.
lyZed with terror and CONSERVATION.
"Openl"
Pawter, too, had recognized the
voice of Inspector Bullott, and he
drev long sigh. In another second
the prior had lifted the lantern and
blown out the light; there was the rat
tie of kev in a door, and a sound of
creaking hinges; then followed a thud,
as a door closed.
He was escaping through the small
er door, and he had hardly left the
room before Pawter heard the sound
of voices outside, the snap of a lock,
and in another instant Bullott had
dashed into the room, an c'~~tric torch
in his hand.
Where is he?" he asked.
Pawter nodded toward the small
postern...
rs there key to this?" cried Bull
lott sharply.
Blaekwood came into the cell, bear
ing a bunch of keys, his red face un-
usually pale. Five minutes We're lost
before the key was discovered. Bull
lott then found himself in smaller
stone lobby: From this led a door,
which, when it was opened, he dis
covered to be the postern gate through
which the grand prior was admitted
to the building. There was no sign of
the man, nor was a search possible,
for it opened on to the wild moor,
now in complete darkness, and it
would have required a battalion to
have Continued the search.
The inspector returnt to the priory
and conducted close examination of
the priors. He came to the room into
which Pawter had been ushered, with
story of failure.
Nba nd a To,
have gone," he said, land whoever the
prior may be, he is not Left Stone"
Seeing that a search that night
would be wasted labor, Bullott re-
turned to the room which had been
allotted to Pawter. Here he inter-
rupted the publicity man in the midst
of his recital. A further and more
systematic search of the priory led
to no discovery of value and at /
o'clock in the morning the search
marty was withdrawn, to the relief of
the ruff1ed priors.
II don't know what action the Sec
retary of state will take now that this
matter of the draw has been brought
to his notice." said Bullott, "but sug-
gese, Mr.. Pawter, that until you learn
the wishes of the members Of your
order you had better take up the du-
ties of the chief prior
To his surprise, Pawter offered no
objection to adopting this course. for
apparently he had already decided
What action he would take.
Il don't suppose for one moment
that our friend will return" he said,
but If he does l can promise you
that / will place him Immediately in
your hands. AS to taking control of
the order, that has already been pro.
ysA AA6 fAN H. H.,
Mr.. Stone authorizing me to take
charge if anything happened to him.
did you recognize his voice?"
Pawter shook his head.
mo, though III swear it was not
Mr.. Stone"
Blackwood, the seneschal, was close.
ly questioned, and added something to
the detectives knowledge. He remem.
bered the night that Betty had been
brought to the prior, though he
swore that she had not come through
the main gates. The other priors Were
| unanimous that she had come there
of her own free will, n pardonable
error, for she had, apparently, walked
to her chair unassisted; they had not
been informed as to the meaning OF
the strange scene they had witnessed
All they knew was that the grand
prior had addressed them an hour be
| fore the girl was brought in and had
| told them that he was receiving a
divine visitor" Nor did they know
who were the two brethren who had
stood L either side of her when the
| book was placed upon her knees. AS
| to the book, that was as much of a
| mystery to them as it had been to the
girl.
| The grand prior was in the building
| the next morning. He seldom jour
neyed by day, left as rule just before
midnight, and drove his own car
which was kept in sL.all garage that
| had been built on the north side Of the
| priory wall.
Bullott went to inspect this building
and found, as he had expected, that il
was empty. Further, the seneschal
could not assist them, for he seldom
saw the prior himself, except on ex
traordinary occasions, and he did not
know how many days the head of the
order had been at the priory before
the startling events of that night.
The party drove back the way they
had come, and nearing Two Bridges
Pawter, who accompanied them, re
membered the old waiter who had 8
cottage on the moor.
THAT must be the place." he said
pointing to the little dwelling visible
in the light of the motor lamps.
AS the car stopped before the door
it opened and Pawter saw the servant
He was a little tremulous at sight oi
- many people at such an hour Of the
night, but he had a tale to tell of g
machine that had dashed past an hour