Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-09
NsTALLNHENT XVIII.


his eyes. Beside him stood
Guilfoyle, smirlSing triumphantly..
Vance was annoyed and took no
pains to hide the fact.
"Tell your efiicient bloodhound 10
wait outside, will you, sergeantP"
20. K" Heath looked commissioning
" at Guilfoyle. "Out on the cement
Gull" he ordered. And don't ask any
questions. This amt a murder case
it's q Halloween party In q pug mouse 40
Bliss lifted his eyes. He was a de-
jected- looking figure. His face was
flushed and apprehension and humllla-
ton were written on his sunKen lea
Now, 1 suppose" he said in a quay-
ering voice, you'll arrest me Tor TINS
heinous murder. But-oh, my Co.,
gentlemenl-I assure you
Vance had stepped toward MN.
Just q moment, DOCTOR, ne proke
in. Don't upset yourself. We're not
going to arrest you, but we would IKE
an explanation Of your amazin' action
why should you, II you are innocent
attempt to leave the country"
"Why whyP" The man was
nervous and excited. ST was afraid
that's why. Everything is against
me. All the evidence points toward
me. There's some one mere VINO
hates me and wants me out OF Inc
way. It's only too obvious. Inc plant
ing of my scarab pin beside poor Kyle
body and that financial report found
in the murdered mans hand, and those
terrible footprints leading to my study,
don't YOU think I know what 1t all
meansS It means that must pay the
price-I, l." He struck his chest
weakly. And other things VIII De
found: the person who killed Kyle
won't rest content until I'm behind
the bars-or dead. know i'll know
it, know It'll :. That's why !
tried to get away. And now you've
brought me back to living oeatn-Uo
a fate more awful than the one Inat
befell my old benefactor.
His head dropped forward and q
shudder ran through his body.
"StilI. it was foolish to attempt 70
escape. DOCTOR" Markham said gently.
"YoiI might have trusted us. assure
Won no injustice will be done you. We
have learned many things in the course
of our investigation, and we have rea-
son to believe that you were drugged
with powdered opium during the period
of the crime
Powdered opiuml" Bliss almost
leapt out of his chair. That's what !
ter with the coffee this morning-it had
a curious flavor At first 1 thought
Brush hadn't made it the way I'd in
structed him. Then I got drowsy and
forgot all about it. OptumI know
the taste. once had dysentery in
Egypt and took opium and capsicum."
His mouth sagged open, and he gave
Markham a look of terrified appeal.
Poisoned in my own housel' Sud-
denly a grim vindicttveness shone in
his eyes. you're right, sir" he said,
with metallic hardness. II shouldn't
have attempted to run away. My place
Is here, and nv duty is to help you-''
Eyes, yes, doctor" Vance was PAL
pably bored. Regrets are very COM
fortfn', but we're tryin' to deal with
facts. And thus far you haven't been
very helpful i. say, who had charge
of the medical supplies?" He put the
question abruptly.
why why let me see -
Bliss avered his eyes and began fdget-
ing with the crease in his trousers.
a resigned gesture. Maybe you're
willing to tell us how well Mrs. Bliss
knows Egyptian hieroglyphs"
Bliss looked surprised, and 1t took
him several moments to regain his
equanimity.
"She knows them practically as well
as do" he answered at length. Her
father, Abercrombie, taught her the old
Egyptian language when she was a
years in the deciphering of inscrip-
tons
"And Hani?"
"Oh, he has smattering of hero
glyhic writing-nothing unusual. He
lacks the trained mind"
And how well does Mr.. Salveter
know Egyptian?"
Fairly well. He's weak on gram
NAUTICAL points, but his knowledge of
extensive. He has studied Greek and
Arabic; and, I believe, he had year or
two of ASsyrian. Coptic, too. The
usual linguistic foundation for an arch
eologiSt. Scarlet, on the other hand,
is something Of wizard, though he's a
loyal adherent of Budge's system-like
many amateurs. And Bulge, of course,
is antiquated. Don't misunderstood me.
Bulge is a great man-his contribu-
tons to Egyptology are invaluable; and
his publication OF the Book of the
Dead"
ct know" Vance nodded with i'm
patience. His Index makes it possible
to find almost any passage in the
Papyrus of Ami. :"
"Just So" Bliss had begun to reveal
q curious animation: his scientific en-
thusiasm was manifesting itself. "But
Alan Gardiner is the true modern
scholar. His Egyptian Grammar is a
profound and accurate work. The most
important opus on Egyptology, however,
is the Erman-Grapow 'Worterbuch der
aegyptischen Sprache' :"
Vance had become suddenly inter-
ested.
Does Mr.. Salveter use the Erman-
Grapow 'WoFterbuch'?" he asked
Certainly. I insisted upon 1t. I
ordered three sets from Leipzig-one for
myself, and one each for Salveter and
Scarlet"
"The signs differ considerably, be-
lieve, from the Theinhardt type used by
Bulge"
"Oh, yes" Bliss removed his hat and
threw it on the floor. 1.-THE consonant
transliterated u by Budge-the quail
chick-appears as W in the 'Worterbuch'
and every other modern work. And, Of
course, there's the cursive spiral sign
which is also the hieroglyphic adapta-
ton of the hieratic abbreviated form
of the quail. :"
THANK you, doctor" Vance took out
his cigarette case, saw he had only one
Reggie left, and returned it to his pocket.
It understand that Mr.. Scarlet. before
leaving the house this afternoon, went
upstairs. rather thought, don't y
know, that he dropped In to see you"
Eyes" Bliss sank back IN his chair.
"A very sympathetic fellow, Scarlett."
'FWhat did he say to ycu?"
Nothing Of any Importance. He
wished me good 1uck-said he'd stand
by, In case I wanted him. That sort
Of thing"
"How long was he with youP"
"a minute or so. He went away i'm
mediately. Said he was going home"
zone more question, DOCTOR" Vance
said, after several moments pause.
"VVhn i'm this house would have any