Evening star., 1938-12-29

~ o~S\0 ~ ~
RID DICTATOR |
movement at Rud's appearance. the
police stood still for q moment ano
some one cried, "Speech!" Rud helc
up q reassuring hand to the inspec.
tor.
Nothing more doing tonight
Thank you for joining us and thank
you for giving us hearing. II ]
may suggest something - three
cheers for unity. And three cheer.
for the common man everywhere
and may God help him to his own
Thank you. That's ALL"
He moved back from the window
Not a cheer for yourself?" sale
1rwell. "You can't be modest as 6
leader. You had your chance then
Shall tell emp"
Rud half turned toward him ane
said something Chiffan was neve,
to forget.
I am the common man." said Rud
In Possession.
Rud turned about end SURVEYED
the room before him.
The Purple House, 1t should be
explained. consisted at that time OF
. couple Of big stucco houses with
porticos, in that region Of large
white, later Georgian mansions be-
tween Kensington and Paddington
Bohun had wanted to paint it an
imperial purple, but the police and
the ground landlord had opposed
this idea, and so it had the normal
dingy pallor of its neighbors, re-
lieved only by purple front doors
now greatly faded, and with tar
nished gilt knockers, purple painted
ironwork and black blinds. Behind
these two houses were garages, one
mysteriously locked up, and the
other devoted to a store of banners
and the bands stuff. with a baga-
telle table, table tennis, cask OF
beer and other reliefs to the tedium
OF the adherents ION duty"
One house, No. II, was reserved fol-
his lordship and its door yielded only
to his latch key, but an internal
communication had been made with
No. 16 by an opening between the
halls. No. Is was the common en-
trance and there was guard room
on the ground floor in which three
or four bored young louts, were US
ually ION duty"-rather vaguely con-
ceived. The most definite obligation
was smart salute for the boss O,
Comdr. Hoggin or Mai. Smike.
The first floor was common as
sembly room reaching from front
to back Of the house, capacious and
furnished only with plain chairs and
q few occasional tables. Along one
side OF the back portion was q trestle
board bearing q tea-urn, Jugs o1
lemonade and cakes.
Most Of the stalwarts had produced
virile pipes and lusty great pouches
'They were standing about In knots
ana talking uneasily. Much Of the
afternoons happenings had been
lncomprehensible to them. In q way
1t had seemed "all right" and In
some ways it had seemed odd ,
They were puzzled about the an
partition of Rud. They wanted tc
Know more about him. Was he eoina
to be the new favorite?
Sense Of Grievance,
The tall young man "in control,
was one Of Lord Horatio's later dis
cover1es. It was among his lordship's
nttie weaknesses to turn against
MS men who began to know toe
much and to introduced inexperi.
ence and incapacity as new blood ,
So that all his officials were insecure
OF their positions and there was q
long and growing list of men he hao
turned down, ready to turn up again
Bodisham had been establishinc
touch with these scattered reject,
Tor some time. He was forming Their
lnto What he called his reserve ;
And the Purple House itself wa,
smoldering with uncertainties. re-.
sentiments and suppressions from
roof to cellar.
The tall young man was slowly
developing q sense of grievance. a,
the exhilaration of an unusually
effective meeting passed of.
But what's your uouble?" asked
Rogers. Aeo
What I complain of is the want
OF system-of orders. I ought r.
have o. KID him before he sale
single word. And Hoggin ought
TO have O. KID him."
We'll. didn't he speak we'll,
DIDN'T he get them?"
But did Lord Horatio send him .,
Bodisham hesitated and then ha6
all inspiration. He glanced at Rud
as II to make sure he was not be-
ing overheard, and then he leant
forward to the tall young man and
spoke IN confidential undertone
I'm not sure" he said. II dom
know-exactly-myself-what rela.
tlonship there is between them"
Inc tall young man contemplated
Vuu. you mean?"
I don't know enough to mean
anything precisely"
But you feel -"
Bodisham reflected. He sale
nothing, but he nodded repeated,
IN a confidential and deeply sic.
nificant manner.
Made to Look Like Fool.
But didn't you come with him?'
"Steenhold brought him. Ant
Steenhold's been in the organiza.
tion on and on, for years."
I see. All the same I think ]
was let down about that fellow
On that platform I was made tt
look-well-a bit of a fool. I didnt
know-what. I was taken by sur.
I~A