Evening star., 1927-10-25
from Yesterdays Star.)
CHAPTER XXXV.
The Third Code.

TOR a moment after Marriott had
l. spoken the room whirled before
Janet's eyes and his gravely
i compa ssionate face became
blur before her. Then as her
vision cleared she felt that her knees
were giving way and sank Imply back
In her chair once more.
Her father--vanished, Gone from
the face of the earth. A wave of desc.
lation such as she had never known
before swept over her. for Mariotts
tone rang with conviction and some
how she knew that his protestation
was true: he would not lie to her.
She was alone in all the world
But she must not, would not. break
down. at least until she had learned
more, Fighting to keep back the
tears. she said tremblngly:
Mr. Marriott. I'm sure that you
haven't lied to me. and that your
not telling me this from any motive
except kindness TO me. It's a sort of
truce. isn't it?"
I'm way" he nodded
Then. in the same spirit, I'm going
to ask YOU to tell me all you know,
all you can. that is: Just as you would
tell any girl who cared for her father
very dearly"
There is nothing to tell. nothing
definite except that one fact.
We. the faction / represent.
have agents everywhere. as you
may have guessed. watching your
people and Norman's crowd and
every possible outlet for the thing we
want We knew what was going for
ward almost from its inception and
we had heen watching your father
here and his friends. On Wednesday,
two weeks ago today. guests began to
arrive at Daneholm for A house party
and your father was seen occasionally
until Saturday. or Friday night. to he
exact. when our agents obtained the
last glimpse of him. We know--how
we discovered it and when doesn
matter-that your friends and his do
not know where he is and have had
no word from him: Norman's crowd
appear to he equally in the dark; our
agents have watched for him in vain
abroad and on the liners. That is
why | say that he has dropped from
the face of the earth"
Janet listened with parted lips and
Quickened breath and when he had
finished she said quietly:
Thank you. If you don't mind I
think | will so to my room now.
appreciate Your having told me, but
II should like to be alone for a
little'
In her sitting room she paced the
floor. turning what he had told her
over and over in her mind, and as she
thought it came to her slowly that
perhaps he was mistaken after all.
He and his people were adversaries
and. although they might be powerful.
they were not omnipotent; because he
had succeeded in evading them did
not necessarily imply that he had dis
appeared and surely some of the pack
of the Black Joker would have told
her If they could not locate her father,
Philip Marriott had told her in good
faith, she did not doubt, but he placed
too much confidence in the ability and
opinions of his associates.
Nevertheless. lurking fear that he
might he right after all remained to
torture her. and. declining dinner. she
walked the floor until far into the
night with this new anxiety tugging
at her heart.
With the morning. however, came
new strength aud added determina-
ton. If her father had indeed van
ished. he would reappear and she
would not cease her vigilance; reso-
lutely forcing hack the dread signifi.
cance that disappearance" had come
to mean tc her in the past fortnight,
she told herself that he must not re-
turn to his friends to- find that they
had failed. and here in the enemy's
house she must carry on and learn
what she could.
All day she wandered about the
house like an unQuiet little ghost. To
her knowledge no callers nor messen.
gers had come and she had not once
heard a telephone ring: she meant to
find auf a what hours the mail came
and try to get a glimpse OF it before
Marriott did, yet one thing troubled
her. She had asked him on the after
noon before If truce existed between
them for the time being and he had
replied I'm way" Now. she wanted
to be sure that that truce was ended
and wondered how to determine that
without arousing his suspicious of
possible plan on her part
AS it happened the initiative came
from him. for Janet had settled her.
self in the library trying TO concen-