A Race With Rogues

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 104, 1 May 1920, Page 21

A Race With Rogues

■ *> ■ I j. By BEN BOLT. j

CHAPTER V. |Sa " I know Charmouth," said Sir Harry, th lowly. " 1 have a liousc three miles "' rom the place. We can see the vil- '•' age from my windows. But I do not ! [now anyone with a Russian name in the kc ldgWbourhooci." " Possibly ray correspondent is a visi- II or there: or more possibly posted the j otter there to mislead.' , I j n " Very likely. " But you must be at •areful. Miss Fofcheringham. This wo- m nan has a Russian name, and the man J rtlio sent the telegram to Randling! ' was also Russian. I can assure you that Si you are moving in very deep waters; and the whole business may be but a trap to get you into the hande of those who h: hold your brother." a! "Have you discovered something?" st "A very little; but I have been led to fo conjecture a great deal. In addition, bi uiy life has been attempted " fsc -Your life!" Ibi There was consternation in the girl's m tones, acute distress in her face as she j cried, the words. And as he noted these p things Sir Harry was conscious of ai quick exultation. I jj "Yes! On the boat coming over. The men who made the attempt were in the ■ pay of SarnnofT. unless 1 am mistaken." The jjirl did not trouble to conceal her anxiety. "You must have nothing further to do with mc," she said. ''You must " I T "I wouldn't give up your for a kingdom!" | •'But you ddn't understand, Sir r< Harry. The men with whom my bro- j» ther is associated are very desperate." *' Sho broke oft" abruptly as a bowing waiter confronted her with a card on a ; silver salver. r< '•A lady wishes to see you, madam." a. Nora Fotheringham took the card, li glanced at it, then rose swiftly from her chair. ' "She has come at last!" she said to Thirlmere, her eyes bright with excite- p ment. ' * "'Who?" a "Katrina Vertcheff! She is here." t She turned to the waiter. "Take mc to l) her." v "Without another word, she turned a and, accompanied by the hotel servant, I left the lounge. For the fraction of a c minute Sir Harry hesitated. "He did not o wish to spy upon the girl; and yet in I her own interest He swallowed his c scruples suddenly. Marching from the lounge he was just in time to see Nora I Fotheringham enter the lift. With her was a woman, young, elegantly attired, I and i strikingly handsome, whose whole person seemed to indicate a tremendous vitality. Then the lift glided out of s sight, "and ho heaTd a voice at his side, i "If Amos Randling had bren one of ] twins, I "Teckon you'd have made the second of the pair, Sir Harry." < Thirlmere swung round. Standing close t>y him was the man who had been i at Nora Fotheringham's table when he himself hid entered the restaurant in 1 search of her —the blackmailer. "Indeed!" he said, frostily. "I don/t ] think I know you, and as for your Amos i Ranaiing "' He shrugged his shoulders and, turning his back upon the man, < walked away. A MYSTERIOUS RUSSIAN. "What does that woman want with,; Xora?" - As Sir Harry Thirlmere asked himself this question, he was conscious of acute anxiety. Her name ijeenaed vaguely familiar to him; but lie could not recall wherejhe had heard it before; but that she was some confederate of Saranoff's he had not the slightest doubt, and he could think of only two ■ tilings that might, account foT her visit to the girl. The first was that she had come to betray Saranoff and to assist Nora to get in touch with her brother, according to the girl's oVvn statement; and the second was that, using Jier brother as the lure, an attempt was being made to get hold of 'Nora herself. Which alternative was -the likeliest? \ It did not take Sir Hairy long to decide in favour of the second. Recalling the Broadway waiter's inquiry about the girl, he was quite sure that, behind this ; visit of the woman with the Russian name was some scheme of v that kind, and the reason for it was not far to seek. Nora Fotheringham was rich. Her fortune would be of immense help to a revolutionary organisation. With her brother's freedom as the lure, Saranoff ' and his associates might be working to 6eeure control of it. The seeming improbalities of such a i "project he immediately dismissed from his mind. He was sufficiently acquainted with the operations of the Mafia in ' Sicily and of the Black Hand in , America to know that anything was i possible in a secret society such as that of which Saranoff appeared to be the ' head, and the more he thought over the matter, the more was he convinced that 1 this was the explanation of Katrina Verteheff's appearance on the scene, i With the formation of this conviction his anxiety changed to alarm. If, in her ; anxiety for her brother's welfare, Nora r was persuaded to place herself in Sara- . noffs hands, anything was possible. That ; must be prevented at all costs. The girl I must be warned, and immediately! i Going to a writing-table, he penned a i short note, begging her, no matter what > her visitor might reveal, to take no steps ■ without consulting him first, and imploring her, above all, not to leave the I hotel without giving him an opportunity / for further speech. Placing it in an \ envelope, he wrote Nora's registered alias on the outside, and went into the hall to find a messenger. \ As he did so, a woman passing out of f the revolving glass door caught his eye. He could not see her face, but he recognised the tall figure at once. It was that •of Nora's visitor. He turned towards the • door to obtain a better glimpse, and, ' doing so, became aware of the girl herself " attired for out-of-doors about to enter a 1 closed automobile. He made a sharp ' movement towards the door. Two visi- ' tors passing out were-before him. and ' delayed him tliree or four seconds. Short ' as the delay was, it sufficed to defeat his purpose, for when he passed through the ■ door to the glass-covered approach, the t Russian woman had entered the vehicle also, and it was in motion. He looked hastily about for a taxi that he might follow" them. There was but one in the approach, and a man in evening dress was already stepping into it. Before he could do anything the door of the taxi crashed to, and the vehicle began to move in the wake of the automobile containing the Russian woman and Nora. A man put liis head out of the window, grinned maliciously, a"nd waved him a mocking farewell, 'it was the American who had tried to blackmail Nora, and whom he himself had so coldly rebuffed. Thirlmere stared after the two vehicles with chagrined eyes. The thing he had feared appeared to be in process of consummation, and he was helpless to hinder it. Returning to the smoke-room, he

- I sat for a full hour absorbed in thought, } then strolled to his club in Piccadilly b) with seven demons of anxiety torturing j n his hoTirt. i o j When he reached his club the hall- tc keeper stepped forward. tli '■Gentleman waiting to see yeu, Sir di Harry, in the smoke-room." Thirl Mere stopped doubtfully. He was ni in no mood for the affability that an °' acquaintance might demand, and lie was more than half-inclined to beat a retreat. rt ; ( "Who is lie, Johnson?" "Appears to be an American gentleman, „ Sir Harry. Name of Drayson." "Drayson I" - " Thirlmere's irresolution vanished. ~ In half a minute lie had disposed of his hat and coat and was moving up the broad a staircase. Kntering the smoke-room, he found it empty except for a party of |° j rsor Drayson, who was half-buried in a . big eliair near the fireplace. The baronet moved to him quickly. V' i "1 hope you haven't been waiting long, U] Professor ?" j I '"Jlalf an hour, moro or less," answered . j ' the American. Thought you might show ' 0 up if I waited. I had an idea of having Ij t a word with you." TIIE MYSTERIOUS RUSSIAN. " "Very glad you waited," said Sir Harry v I Thirlmrre. "I've been wondering how a you were getting on." j h ■ "I, have not much news!" the Professor \ replied. "I followed your waiter up here, and to his destination, without f, trouble." j s "Where is he?" it "For the present in a greasy little n restaurant aown in Stepney, Proprietor s a Kugdian, with a passion for Kussian literature." s "How do you know?" asked ThirlmeTe, in surprise. "Well, having folio-wed him to the ,] place, I supped there last night and dined t there to-day, among Russian furriers " and shoemakers. The Italian waits | there, as he waited on Broadway; but) in slack moments he sits down and yarns ! r with the customers. Proprietor sits at r . a little'desk near the door—an elderly, , Anglicized Russian, apparently poring over a book, but keeping a sharp eye , on all who enter or leave the restaurant. , i He spotted mc at once, and on my sec- ' v i ond visit spoke to mc. \\ • " ' You'll like iiiy eating-house, com- '. t i rade?' j "'That,' said I, speaking in awkward] , Russian, 'is why I come.' : "'You like the Russian cookery?' i "'I adore all things Russian,' I an- i f swered, and thereby perjured my im- , . mortal soul, 'from cookery to literature.' ,j E Ho thrust the book towards mc. I : "'Perhaps you have read this work , of art? , * ] ; "I looked at the book. It was Dos- .. i toevsky's 'The Idiob' '! - " 'Yes,' said , I, 'and . "The House of < i the Dead" also.' N i, "At that the man grew rhapsodical. ,j t He would have embraced mc but for the , 3 desk between us. I took up the book \ ' and began to turn over the pages, de- . i, scanting on ite merits. "But half-way through my discourse 1 was brought up short by a name in . jj Russian characters written on the fly- . -('leaf of the book. It was that of Ivan 3 SaranofT,"' \ "SaranofT!" j "No less! You could have knocked mc . down with a cornstalk. Talk about the \ long arm of coincidence! For the mo-j { ment I was fairly gravelled, and stood 0 there staring at the name, almost un- £ able to 'believe my eyes. The old man j saw what had thrown mc out of my t stride. His manner changed instantly. r He became watchful and suspicious. . " 'You have seen that name before, ~ comrade?' he asked, in purring Russian, g "I recovered myself, and shook my h head. 'No; 'but a few years back, be-i fore the Great War, I had the honour .. to meet a man of that name.! g It wasj at a college in California.,' c The man I am thinking of Lad; is just made the escape from Siberia. A n flashing sort of man, with a brain made 1, for action. I only saw him that once, ] o and he impressed mc greatly. i ■i "' That is to 'be understood,' retorted a the Kussian, in a worshipful voice. ir 'Saranoff is a great man.' ff ' '"He is still alive, then?' I asked. 'I 0 am speaking of some years ago—that is, if this Ivan Saranoff is the same as a mine." n "'I think there is no doubt~of that,' d answered the fellow, easily. 'There is n but one Saranoff, and he still lives. He | n cannot die, though there are men in is Russia—many men—who would slay him, it if Jhey had half a-chance.' ie " Then I made the mistake of a direct ie inquiry. 'Where is Ivan Saranoff now?' tt I asked. That did it. The fellow's man- > a ncr changed once more. j "'How should I knowt I, who keep ,n a house where people come to eat?' he !r growled. a " I looked at the book with Saranoffs 1_ name in it. The fellow caught my lt glance and explain*! surlily. r l '"Oh, that! It was thus that Ivan paid mc for a dinner when he was * hungry and out of finds. , lt " I did not believe him; but what ,s could I do? I did not want to awaken a " the man's suspicions. I tried to look as "j if I accepted his statement and dismissed J the subject as casually as I could. 'I n was in hope_that yoii would know of Ms 1 whereabouts',' I said. ''Then there tame an interruption. The ){ desk, as I told you, was just inside the 6 doorway, and suddenly the door swung r ' open, and a couple of women entered. 'l They were not the kind of>.women you ie would expect to find in a workmen's j eating house down in Stepney. The If Carlton or the Astoria were more fitting a places for them." p "Describe them, Drayson!" broke in i_ Sir Harry, quickly. (j "Well; that is not easy, Thirlmere; for •t you must understand that I had no is more than a glance at them. .Both of ie them were young and expensively [c dressed, and had a Fifth Avenue or Ie Bond Street stamp upon them. One of d them was taller than the other, a very it handsome woman, with the suggestion of ie tremendous energy about her that one is could not help noticing. The other was ie very different, a trifle younger than her ;i companion, but surpassing ncr in sheer c ibeauty. Her eyes, which met mine as g she passed, were blue." n "That will do. Tell mc what Happened d after?" cr j " Well, wiiat nappenett was mat the c disciple of Dostoevsky shut up like a pair of scissors. ' You*must excuse mc, , s comrade,' he said, ' I have business.' And d getting up from his seat, he followed the ~ two ladies. I watched all three disap-t i. pear behind a curtained doorway at the ie far end of the room."

A RESTAURANT EPISODE. r: As Professor Drayson paused in his arrative, Sir Ilarrv Thirlmcre leaned orward. '"Yes, yes, Drayson! What else? For leaven's sake, hurry, man. This is very inportant." " Well," continued the Professor, | [uietlr, " as there seemed nothing else 0 do, I turned to leave the place, and >lundcred straight ii. tt n man in evenng dress, who was cmcring in tie deuce if a hurry. He offered no apology, and ook no notice of mine. His eyes swept he room, and then a look of savugo lisappointment came on his face. '*" See two ladies come in here just iowV he asked, in the cultured accent ""* )f my native land. "" Sure,' I answered and I saw the ■elief jump into his eyes. '"'Oh, he said, looking at mc hard. ■Like myself—one of Uncle Sam's boys, g, jlad to meet you, but haven't time just g now to introduce myself. Those lady friends of mine " '•'They went through that doorway! it the other end there,' I explained. • " 'Then I guess I'm going too. Much ; jbliged to you, stranger.' " He turned and began to hurry between the tables. Being curious, 1 j stayed to watch. He did not pass the curtained doorway. Just as he reached it, the Broadway waiter intervened, thrusting himself between the fellow and the door, My compatriotsifrxplained, but the Italian shook his head, a.ni when the O' other tried to force his way, expostu- st lated volubly. It was no use. The Ameri- *' can held him off with one hand whilst with the other he dragged the curtain aside and tried the door. It was locked. When he found that, he let Antonio go, and, seating himself at a table, took out his watch and addressed the waiter. What he said I do not know; but certainly it couldn't be pleasing to Antonio, for a 'black look came on his face, and I shouldn't be surprised if there's a countryman of mine found one of these fine mornings with a stiletto between his shoulders." "He'll deserve it!" said Thirlmerc, sharply. "That's so? You know him, then?" " I think so." Thirlmere gave a quick - description of the man who had mistaken him for Handling, and asked: i " That your man?" " ■' Xo doubt of it." " He's a blackguard—trying to black- \ mail Miss Fotheringham for Handling's r> murder in New York." v "Phew!" " And the women— —" "Yes, the women? It seems I know ~ very little, after all. But I can guess _ who one of them is—Xora Fothering- " ham. The other is beyond my divination. "Who " " Her name is Katrina Vertcheff." "Katrina Vertcheff!" Drayson whistled again. "You don't say?" "But I do. Who is she, Drayson? You seem to know her, but, though her name seems familiar to mc, I can't place her, try as 'hard as I will." " Oh, it's familiar enough to any man who reads the foreign news in the papers. Katrina Vertcheff is one of the stormy jpetrels of Russian politics. Her father was a Kiihilist noble who died in Siberia. She herself was banished from Russia 'under the late regime. She has 'been in every revolutionary movement since she was a child at school; and she is suspected of having' shot Paulinsky, who was Minister of the Interior £ year or two 'before the war. "Do you think that she would be likely to join a movement such as £ara- ; noff " "That's her destiny, like that of many another clever woman in Russia." -Thirlmere rose abruptly from his chair and crossed to a bell. When the waiter appeared-he gave, him instructions. 1 "Get mc a taxi, Dixon, as soon as you .can." Yes, sir." "Going out?" askWl Drayson, as soon as the waiter had departed. '" Yes, down to Stepney. I want you to come with mc to that restaurant." " Well, if I must. But I shall decline to eat there again.. Twice in one . day would be the death of mc. I shall j stick to tea or vodka." I " It's no jesting matter, Drayson. I ■am afraid for Miss Fotheringham." |" "All! You think that the Wack- | mailer " " No. He can be disregarded, or bought 'off for a little time, till it suits us to I tackle him. . It is SaranofT that I am afraid of. You said thafr the door behind the curtain was locked?" •"Uuqueetionably. I caw my ehady countryman try it." " And knowing now that one of these two women was Miss Fotheringham, does not that locked door strike you as a little ominocs?" "]t ie certainly not exactly reassuring. You think that the literary i restaurant proprietor is a tool of Saranofra?" "You have yourself furnished the proof that he is. That inscribed book— the fellow's change of manner when you recognised Saranoff's name, and again when you made your inquiry of the fellow's' whereabouts.' Further, the presence of Antonio there is itself a eigniI ficant thing. The sooner we are at I Stepney the better." I "Upon my -word," said Drayson, "I begin to believe you. But you have not told mc anything , yet. You have seen Miss Fotheringham, I. gather?" * "Yes, I " "The taxi is waiting, sir." Thirlmere nodded to the waiter, then looked at the Professor. "We will start at once, Drayeon. You know the place, land we can talk going down." "Yes." (To be continued Saturflay next.)