Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-03
The cAmazing Chance
By Patricia Wentworth
Copyright y J. b.

Copyright. 1922. BY J. b. Lippencou Co.

prickings Of conscience He must
write at once to Sir Cotterell. But
after sitting and frowning Ions
time at a blank sheet Of paper. he
got up and made his way to the
telephone exchange.
1t was Manning who answered MS
"Hullo!"
"I'm speaking from town." said
Laydon. abruptly. and heard manning
suppress an exclamation.
well. so long as you are speaking:
I don't mind telling you that Sir Cot
terrell was good deal peeved at your
going off"
strained; ,,
yes, I was afraid he wouldn't like
1t. Monkey. l had to go
"H'm--Evelyn had to so, too.
| Evelyn" :.
Had to go. too. Is the line bad
at your end? l can say 1t louder II
you'd like me to-
Silence. Then Manning again:
| "Hullo! Are you there?"
| Eyes. Monkey-why did she go?"
| "Why did you so. for the matter
Of that? shouldn't wonder if-no.
never mind. Yes. I want another
three minutes Hullo. Laydon. don't
| let them cut us off-tell the lady at
your end that you'll so the limit.
"Hullo. You are there, aren't you?
Well. we've had another nice little
family party down here-Cotty and
Sophy. and statement signed by
the versatile Miss Palliser all com.
plete. You were well out Of it,"
"A statement! What statement"
'Oh. the lady said you We're her
hushand-that's all-her husband,
~ ~
Monkey, what's this nonsense?
Evelyn didn't"
MY dear chap. Evelyn up and cast
bomb into our midst and. having
cast it. departed. The last any one
saw OF her was the back Of her car
heading for town at about a hundred
miles an hour
I.aydon's hand clenched on the re.
ceiver.
what happened?" he said. slowly.
"She cast her bomb and went.
We're still picking up the pieces
here"
What did she do?"
YOU'D better ask her. And look
here. old man, here's a bit Of good
advice for you-don't be a mug"
Laydon heard the click of the re.
ceiver. The line went dead. He
door behind him.
Evelyn reached her fiat to fnd
Jessica Summing out. She went to
her room, took of her things, changed
| into something thin and cool and
sat down empty-handed to wait. She
seemed to have come to a place where
everything left of.
Fear. doubt, emotion. pain-every-
| thing had come to an end. It was
as IL she had been wandering in a
maze. led first this way and then
| that. until a sudden turn had brought
| her to the center.
| She remembered wandering once in
| such a maze. and she remembered
the blank feeling with which she had
come out upon the little open patch
| OF grass In the middle. This was
the feeling that possessed her now
darkness. a sense Of having come
| to the end
She sat quite still, her head thrown
back against a dark cushion. her
| hands lying loosely in her lap palm
upward. Time seemed to flow by her
like the flowing Of a stream whose
| murmur is so much one with con-
seriousness that 1t is no longer
| needed.
She heard the door open. The
| sound seemed to come from a long
way of. II it was Jessica. II did not
matter. If 1t was Ponson. she would
| go away again: she did not matter
| either. The door was closed
Evelyn lifted her eyelids and saw
Laydon standing at the far end OF the
| room. She saw him as one sees some
| one in A dream.
She was go much at the end of
| everything that she could look at him
| like that. AS she looked. she was
vaguely aware of how much he had
| altered in the last few weeks. even
| in the last few hours.
| The unnatural pallor where cheek
| and chin had been covered with the
| thick beard was gone, merged into
the general tan. The heavy peasant
| mask was gone.
Layton, watching. felt his heart
| contract He said, Evelyn" And at
| the sound of his voice. sharp with
anxiety. she woke a little from her
| strange mood and smiled.
How did you known"
| Monkey told me-"
| Monkey"
II rang up. He said you'd gone"
Did he say anything else?"
He came nearer. and stood looking
down on her. one big shoulder just
touching the white mantelpiece.
He said there's been a scene"
Yes. / suppose there was a scene. :"