Evening star., 1934-12-10

lOG VI IlOllty-tllOuBll
to travel where I liked and pay for
any help or information I wanted to
get.
II felt almost sure that Osborne
would go to England. I knew, of
course, that it would be a terribly
difficult business to find him, but I
had got just one tiny little clue which
gave me a certain amount of hope.
Twice, when he had been at our
house, I had heard him mention
place called Aubreys. He said both
times that it was the best and
CheerieSt restaurant in London, and
I guessed that if he ever found him.
self back home he would be certain
to look in there, if only for the sake
of old times.
We'll, I came over as soon as
could get away, and I took a bed
room at small private hotel which
was almost next door to this place.
Every day used to lunch and dine
there on the chance of seeing him,
and at laSt-at last one evening !
did
He came in with some one else
a tall, looking man with white
hair They sat at a table in the
other end of the room and, although
! kept my back to them so that he
shouldn't recognize me, was able
to watch them in a looking glass.
They seemed to be talking very Seri-
ously, as if they were discussing busi-
ness
When they got up to leave I
followed them out The tall man
had a car waiting for him and went
off in it, then I saw Osborne call
taxi and give some address which I
couldn't hear. l got into another
and told the man to stick as close to
the one in front as he could, and
when it pulled up to drive on slowly
past it.
IT didn't know London at all well,
and I had no idea where we we're
until we came to Osborne's house.
My man put me down at the next
corner. Then I walked back and
made note of the number and the
road
looked at her admiringly. Women
are wonderful" I remarked. I've
always thought they'd make much
better detectives than men"
That part was easy enough; the
difficult thing to decide was what I
should do next I had no actual
proof that Osborne had taken the
paper, and, although the police at
home had tried to help me, didn't
believe for a moment that they would
go so far as to ask for his extradi-
ton.
Besides, 1t was the formula I
wanted, and knew that directly he
thought he was in any real danger
his first idea would be to hide 1t or
destroy it. I spent all the next day
thinking things over.
"At last I decided that there was
only one plan which would be any
good at all. I should have to get
somebody to help me. I should have
to find some man whom I could
trust, and who at the same time would
have enough pluck to take the law
into his own hands.
If between us, we couldn't force
Osborne to give it up" She
broke off with queer mirthless little
laugh. When I opened my news
pdpCl lllc lOuIlQ lUHL
he had been murdered"
And as soon as they arrested me
you quite naturally jumped to the
conclusion that Id got your formula?"
She nodded. What else could
believe? 1 thought that he'd prob
ably taken you into his confidence
and that you'd killed him in order to
steal it. 1t was only when I went
to the trial that I began to have
my doubts. In the first place you
didn't look bit like a murderer"
Thanks" I said gratefully "I
was under that impression myself
but it's nice to have it confirmed"
Then there was the way you gave
your evidence. 1 don't know whether
I am really good Judge of people,
but it seemed to me all along as
though you were speaking the truth.
I couldn't make up my mind at first
whether I oughtn't to come forward
and tell them my story. 1 knew
II l did it would be bad for you, be-
cause then they'd be able to suggest
that you had much stronger reason
for killing him."
Il should have been hanged for
a certainty" I said. The weakness
OF the motive was what saved me.
After all, fairly successful sculptor
doesn't 60 about battering out peo-
Piles brains for a few hundred
pounds"
That's what felt and so kept
quiet. You see, whether you'd done
1t or not, I wanted you to be let off.
If you had, it only served Osborne
right, and, besides, in that case there
was still chance that I might be
able to get back the formula. If
you hadn't"-she paused-"well, I
had an idea that you were exactly
the sort of man who might be ready
to help me-"
I threw away the cigarette I had
been smoking and sat down on the
sofa. Tell me-" I said, "how did
you get in here, and what did you
intend to do if those chaps hadn't
turned up?"
II meant to find out the truth one
way or the other. 1 was determined
to see you as soon as the trial was
over, and I thought that the best
chance would be to wait for you at
your own studio. I knew where it
was because there had been such a
lot about you in the newspapers, so
one morning, a few days ago, came
along to have a look at 1t.
Then I discovered that the place
next door was to let. I went to the
agents straight away, and, as I had
a good reference from my bank in
New Orleans, they didn't make the
least difficulty about giving ME a
lease. I took it for year and paid
them six months in advance"
You certainly do things pretty