ANNEXATION SOCIETY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 52, 1 March 1916, Page 10

ANNEXATION SOCIETY.

0 i j> By J. S. FLETCHKR. s c

RIGHTS RESERVED.) f

: '..'..".'. ha - , CHAPTER XXII. | sn THE MESSAGE FROM THE TIIEATKE. I fu The recognition had come:from Seraye. He bad taken the scrap of paper out of . Jimmic's lingers with an obvious start !- teof surprise: Jimmie, watching him ~c keenly, could have sworn that ho was on tn the very point of proclaiming knowledge rii of tho handwriting. But just as suddenly t" the' expression in eyes and on lips ln changed to one of careless indifference; dc it was as if a mask had been instan- ar taneously fitted over a face to conceal what it was not just then convenient to t show. It was all over in a fraction of of time that could not be reckoned in parts of a second —but Jimmie knew "1 that his first instinct was right. Seraye, ni lie was positive; had recognised the hand- ca writing, and had suddenly determined — to keep his recognition to- himself. dc This second fact helped Jimmie to make upuhis mind "on a point which until then al he.bad left undecided. He had not boon sure that he would tell these two of his c * recent discoveries; Seraye's action with sc regard to the scrap of paper made him decide to speak. He must know why m Seraye professed ignorance; also he must ,0 sret his knowledge of that in his own m way. I He turned to :Paeke, who in his turn, lo had possessed himself of the fragment, and was looking curiously at it. ( "Snow it, Packe?" he asked. Packe shook his head and handed the " paper back. J* "No," he replied, "all i see is that it's ki a corner of letter-paper, and that tho C writing is of that big, bold type which j so many women affect now-a-davs. What o ot 2V" ; 1 see more than that." observed tl Jimmie. " 1 see part of a date, and part b of. an address." v, took the paper again and looked m at -it half-earelcssly. " . . . . nham fl Manor," he said. "Now—l should think that might apply to a lot of oountrv b houses. Let mc see—l can think o"f c; several myself. Yes—Aldennam Manor, it Ooodenham Manor. Wickenbam Manor, si Clierrenham Manor—those are all real p places; enham is a common termination." D , "What significance do you attach to this scrap of. paper, Trickett?" asked r , Seraye. half carelessly. "Ts it a clue to something?" " May be. and mayn't." replied Jimmie, drawing up a chair between them. " I'll tell you how I found it; in fact. I'm go- t - ing to tell you of my doings since "we , parted rft Dover." " " "Ah. so you've been going on with— things?" said Seraye. " P been going' on - with—things." ° answered Jiminie. cheerfully. '• Here's theistory oTThehf. Take it "all in." v The two men listened in_silence until n Jimmie had made an end oK'his narra- c tire: now and then they lq'fiked at ea-ch a othor.~-- : Ser»ye_ was first; to;speak after Jinimie-had■ "finished*.- -- ~ •»- t "For—anything yon know, that scrap, " of [paper, may 'have been in that-.grate * for. some days before this man "visited ' your hotel." he'said: :"The.■termination ( of the-date is er." "That may mean'Oetb- - bor— or. two ago. But ."it may ( mean September." --;- "Xo," replied Jimmie. "He had a fire ' in 3iis bedroom the night he stayed I there. 1 had sense enough to ascertain that. And I argue, from that that this r scrap was thrown into that lire, either ' tliatliightw'ncxt'Tnotnin'T:'''-"-- •*— : "And you intend to do—what?—with " this-scrap of paper, I mean?" asked i Seraj'e. ii "Don't know." said Jimmie. "It may n lead to something. I want to know a what particular ' manor this is, anil whose writing this is " "Supposing you find,all that .out?" in- c - terrupted Scrave. - - >- fi "Then I think [''shall have found one * of the people concerned in this affair," il responded Jimmie. "That's all —and a T good deal, too." "You are not sure. yet. that the man tl whom you know as Curtis bad anything cto do with the exchange of the postal g packets-,'" observed Seraye. "You haven't fi positive proof." '•'• p Packe. who had' been silent for a c while, took his pipe out of his month., g: and turned to.the other: h "I think there's little doubt on that point," he remarked slowly. "I'm satis- h hod, at any Tate, that Curtis substituted d the dummy packet for the real one. What's more, I think I know how the n difficulty about the ' address was got I] over." Jimmie turned eagerly in his chair. si "How? How?" he demanded. "That's v what I haven't been able to make out. a •How was it dono, Packe?" r. "Probably in this way." replied c i Packe. "Two men received instructions from Paris. One' Curtis, took up his V quarters at your hotel and surveyed the ground in order to see- what could bo done. The-other man took up bis. quarters at -another-! hotel close, by—there are severaV'areh't there?" " Half a dozen within a minute's 1 walk,'Vsajd'.3immie.. _._'_', d " Just so. The dummy parcel was l sentjo ihe .second man. The instant he c received-it -he took out the name of the hotel from the brown paper wrap- 8 ping, with chemicals, and substituted 3 the name of yours. Then he went out, f met Curtis, and gave him the dummy I packet. Curtis werithack t'o.ydur place. - and exchanged the packet. A clever trick. Nothing could spoil it—except _ one thing." "What?" asked Jimmie. "It- would have been spoiled, of- , course if your man, Kentover'.-'liad come down Tor your .letters' as soon'as the mail' was delivered." They took the sporting chance of that. They probably argued that ten. twenty, thirty minutes' grace might be Tclied .upon. And the first man would, of course, be a i quick worker, and have everything in readiness for his operations on the packet." " As to that." observed Seraye, "do you moan to say that he could take out certain words from an address and sub- - stitutc others?" c I'aeke got leisurely out of his easy | * chair and wont over to a bureau, from ! c which ho took some small phials, a ' a piece of uponj-c. a rag of flannel, anil a l small iron. He set the iron on the to>j * har of the fire grate, anad began to rum- i ( mage in a waste-paper basket. • , "I'll c-how you," he said. "It's nnt j t long sinr'c f was experimenting in this . very matter: I wanted to know if it was I really possible to take, certain words • out of a document and •substitute others. 1 Xow. here's a brown paper wrapper J with my n.ime and address in ordinary ' writing—we'll take the address out, and you'll see that the paper is left absolutely clean and clear. It's a simple af- : {

uir—l got the Eeeret from a friend of line wiio dabbles in experimental cheniitry." The others looked on • with eager interst while Packe made his experiment. t seemed indeed ma he had said, a imple affair —a mere squeezing of liquid j ipon the paper from the sponge, a more , living of the scrap of flannel upon th.: atiirated surface, then the application Q] f the hot iron to the flannel, and—when ( he flannel was removed —the writing _ ad disappeared and the paper remained a , mooth, clear, and ready to receive any ;,' urther operation of pen or pencil. _. "There, you sec —three minutes is suf- fj icient for that," said Packe. "Simple, G tn't it? And effective, very. That's 2iow the thing's been done, Jimmie-- F here was no risk about it. The only £ isk there was was the one I've mon- T ioned—the sporting chance of exchang- n ng the packets before Kentovcr came p !own for your letters. They took that— s: nd it came off." P "You're proving." observed Seraye, A 'that these people are full of all sorts 1' if resource." ( ' "So they arc I" exclaimed Jimmie. <-' 'People engaged in an affair of this ° nagnitude need all the resource they . ■an get together. Oh, they're clever " —infernally clever. But—l'll run 'em c [ lown yet!" ■' Seraye dropped into his chair again md looked fixedly at Jimmie. n ' '"Let mc ask a plain question, Trick?tt," he said. "Why are you—you!—' ; , io intent on tracking this out?" "I'll answer you plainly," replied Jimr.ic. "It's this way. "I've fallen in ove with Miss Walsdcn. I mean to •*. narry her—if she'll only have mc. And '. don't believe that she's safe while this ot's at large. That's why!" "But—why is she not safe?" asked 3craye. "Because they probably consider that i: ;he knows too* much." said Jimmie ( promptly. "Just think!" he continued, _ with a sudden access of emphasis. "They enow that she was with Madame Charles for some considerable time. - They know that she must have a fund ] of information about—well, the people who went to the hat-shop. They knowthat she knows a good deal about the branch shop in Paris. And—they also " know that she was the innocent cause of my getting hold of those things stolen I from you and your friends." "But don't you think that you will . bring danger on her by your interfer- J ence?" asked Seraye. "If that warning . in tbe "Times" was meant seriously, it seemed to indicate that if you did not pursue this matter further, there would be no meddling with you." Jimmie shook his head. He had already made up his mind, and he was hot . inclined to allow himself to bo argued out of the course he had decided to adopt." "1 shall never feel any certainty until these people are detected and brought to justice," he said. Packe eanie back to the hearth from putting away his chemicals: That's a good word, jimmie—that word peop|*," he said dryly. "You forget that you re up against—people. It's not one-criminal, nor 'two, nor three; it's what Schmidt called" it—a combine. Mind, what you're about." "■'."■ "What I should like to know." retorted Jimmie, a little impatiently, "is —what are you about? Remember, these people have once more possessed.,; themselves of your cross, Seraye. and of that old book, and of the old chain. Are you going •'•to- let all .that slide, or " "I understood that we bad decided that it was best to lie quiet and let the police, have a turn," interrupted Seraye. "The end of this South Molton Street murder hasn't been got at yet, you know." -"And up to now," eaid Jimmie. quietly, "nobody has suggested to the police that there was a strong motive for it which is known to you and to Packe. and to— mc. However, at present, I shan't say anything; I'll go on in ray own way." "You mean to do that?" asked Seraye. "For the reason I stated, I do," declared Jimmie. "I want to live a peaceful married life, and if 1 sec danger to , that peace, I'm either going to Temovc it or let it remove mc in the attempt; That's flat!" He went away unceremoniously, leaving the other two looking doubtfully at each ether, and returned to his rooms before going to fetch his aunt and her charge from the theatre. He had had no opportunity of asking Kentover about his ■ errand to the booksellers in quest of the sazetted. The thought of that reminded him of the scrap of paper. "Seraye did recognise that writing!" be muttered. "He did! Now, why the donee did he pretend he didn't?" In the ante-room of his suite, Jimmie found Kentover at the telephone. He turned as his master entered. "Mrs. By water wants to speak to you, sir," he said. "She's just called you up. She's at the Byzantium Theatre. ?.nd she wants to know if you could stop round and meet her there, in the dress circle saloon at once." "Then answer," said Jimmie, "that I'm on my way." (To be continued daily.) ' .