THE GREAT PEARL SECRET.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 290, 4 December 1920, Page 21

THE GREAT PEARL SECRET.

I By C. N. ant A. lU. WILUAMSON. I I i HAPTKK XXII. — iConcluded.. i Again Put called. Sh« realised that ;he v .is in tlie room opposite, and in less | than a minute she >vas with him—in a | "rev room where a pale Tat lay on a i squalid bed. He sat vp —a Strang.*-, tinkempt tipurt-; the immaculate I lare--1 managa unshaven, his smooth hair rumpled: a tern shirt open at the j throat, instead vi those smart «ilk I pyjamas in 'futurist"' coUuirn which i she'd often laughed at and admired! j She n:.-lieil into his arm?. He was i strong onougii to elnsp her tight. "(111. my Pat. my dearest one!" she sobbed. i"1 haie yen again! Say \-.u're nol going tn die. ■*•»>■ volt still love mcl" I "I adore you. Ann i'm not going to 'die. Perhaps 1 came near it. 1 don't know. Hut tins is new life. And Juliet I—l've got back the pearls tor you." j "Oh—the pearl*! I'd forgotten I them." I "I hadn't. You fH-. it meant a lot to mc to prove to yen that it wasn't ; I iviio talked off with them. Darling. 1 ' suppose you wouldn't le here noiv if ; you didn't know how 1 got to tnis ■ place:" "I know partly. 1 Know you went at night to 'The Inner Circle' office to punish that Beast. And the horrible London man Piggot. his brother-in-law—struck you ir._i behind" ""Was it like that? T wasn't Mire .what happened, and I don't know yet where I am. But since I woke up to I things. I've lain still. and listened when they thought I was nothing but a 10-». 1 wa— "t strong enough Ito do" uiu'-li. I had to He low! i Hut there was a row aixuit | the pearis. MarkotT was here h.Jinf*. 1 think. How these people -jot the pearls ■ 1 haven't made out. They had them, j though—and Markoff tried to steal them ! 1 instead of buying as he'd promised. He '. • fell in a fit or something and die.!. I : heard a doctor talking - —a pal of the .people here. The n'izht Markoff died it hey were squabbling over the pearl*— ~» woman and two men in the next room. I 1 heard them say where they were kept j —in the room w*iere they'd put Mar- | koit's body till they could get rid of it. I They'd no idea I'd come alive! At : last', to-day, when they were all out. .And the coast clear —it can't have been I two hours ago—l struggled up and got Ithe pearls—bpneath a loose h-iard in j the floor under the carpet. They're inside thin mattreßs now. I was plan- | ning how to make my 'getaway' when 1 hpard your voice. .love! This has r;een a bad dream. But thank Rod it's over for us both. You'll hare to believp in mc when I give you the pearls." "Give mc ynur love —yjur foririrenees." 1 beeped Juliet. "I want nothirtr. else." j ''You'll have tn take the lot!" Pat almost laughed. "But as to forgiveness —why. darling one, there's nothing to I forgive!"

I Leon Defasquelie'o look when he saw 'Sunders instead of the Frenchwoman . i!one. was in itself a confession. He knew he was trapped. His dark, pouth- , <-m face faded tn the yellow jfreeti of -pa-srr-knesß. Sppeohlsss. anxious-eyed .a-* ? ki.-kcd dog, lie would have backed 'to the donr. bu* SannT? was ready for 'that move. He stepped between him ianu thp hope nf escape. "It's all up. my friend." the detective said, in his quiet voice "Then rpmembpring that Defasquell" had little Engli=h. he went ! on in half-forgotten French, a ' little slanrj* thrown in from norels he'd read. , "Your ohere amie has split on ynu. Xo | good getting out thp pi=tr,| from your pnekpt. Nothing doing in that line?" j (He shnwed his Browning. 1 "We can j settle this business without hlood it j you've got comr—onsen**;." "Tha* woman—that devil ha= tnld I her side of the story!" Defasquellc I raged, with a look that longed to kill. ."Now you shall have mine. She was •the tertiptres-*. She has ruined mc."" I "Liar!" shrilled Simone. 'Toward and 'deceiver! You have a fiancee in Mnrs°il|lw. You l"t mc think you'd marry vie!'' "You threatened to betray! I had to .defend myeeif. Ynu made mc a thief!" " Mi. accuse mcl" j "Because you are guilty.'" It was thus that Sander? heard the story, bit by bit. And patching to|gether these torn rags of recrimination. I he got the pattern of the cloth. Simone had scraped acquaintance , with her countryman. He had comnf thp Puke's carelessness and ! lack of consider—ion in refusing 11 I break the seal.; of the packet. Then a | daj-ii'.? idea had enme to Pimor.e. The j packet. Defasquellc said, had been flung ; info a wall-safe. Simone knew al! about that safe! She knew also where 'the Duchess 'as carel-s in some ways ' a« the Duke) kept the combination ; jotted _ow non a bit of paper. DefasI quelle could not be suspected (she (pointed out), as he had earnestly im- . ploTed the Dnke to open the par-hajo in I his presence. Xnr was there the least 'danger to herself. She wa*« completely ! trust—. It would be tempting ProviI denee not to seize such an opportunity | of fortune. As for "stealinjr.'' that wa*= | not the word. These pear!* didn't properly belong-to the Clar-trtanaghs. They should have been returned to the Russ.an (Crown. Now, there was no Russian Crown. The pearls belonged to no one— unless to those with pluck enough to I take them. [ According to Defasquelle, th— c were I Simeone's argument-. And he saw, too 'late, that she'd drawn him into the in--1 trigue instead of managing it alone, so | as to haye him in her power—and get a [husband at the sword's jicint: He, in his

he_rt. had thought nf the girl at Marseilles. The one objection was. his lack of money. The father acc-.i.-.-d him of presenting his prospects in too rosy roicmrs. If the pearls could be disposed of as M.-id-n.ii.s--i!- v.-»ed they could 'even known as tliey were, over the world, the future wrul-I !»• ideal.

Simone l.ad opened :'n-- -at.- v;t • t... aid of her mistress' me**i."ir.in.!i ;ir. T. their surprise they ha."! found —on the same shelf with the packet—a rope >.f great blue p _rls. At r"ir*t Defasquelle had taken them for thp genuine ones, though tho seals on the packet appeared intact. B;;t 'tn rre "a* .<:, expert in pearl-, like the Dnelie-*.*. A simple test had shown that t-V- rope was a copy. As for the clasp, neither thought of (h-* difference in tne watching eve: and it seemed to h.v.ii that tlie

"find" was nlnin?.t n mirarlo in tlif-ir ffivour—R mirarlp fcr w,. i. > .rvr.p <ni''! , ! s * >r l. tliey mn-t tiinn!' '.i.- VnlnsUa. Thp Duchf>s= —ariri-i - mitk - irr.*: unlikely to =u c p"."t h -!>?titutir>n. Pile wnnld not tost th<> p*-arl~. ant! might vt—r them for mnntu. 07 ;• -ir- wit'nnut thpv wprn't -enuinc . Meanv.-liilo. Pimonr would Ira,-,, her «>r- | vir-p. and never need tn take a (.la.-r----arrnin. She would r-n li>.me tn France ; and lire on her phnre. from tin- sal;- of the pearl.. Th» Puke li«iiitr nut. and th- l)ue'ie=«l ton. sli!' and Defa.nuell" rould wr.rl; safely in the -tu.h. 'imnne ha i ura* red sealii's?" hx : and the Duke'c fninnus rinir lav nn the de°k where he'd left it 1 displaying the de=i'.'n t» Maynn"' >imeniip iiad tlini'g-ht nf pverythin?—oven In a pair ol rulmer cloves whirh slip iiswl u-Jien i-lp.iiiine lur mi=(reF S ' rjold toilet thinr?. Tl.ese rrlrliec a|]p hssi put ..ii '..-f..r-- tnueliing I tr.-- s-.ife. ti.e v..,.■!-•..t. ..r tie =enl rinir. - \-i ! ii.iving . prr.ed t!..- pa.k.-t slu- had -nd ■ Deiii-oiielle =rnlc« r„, nf the DuU-r'a =perial i.rand nf . i-jarPt'e? tn 1 -r.„t t ],,, l,an<lU-erelli.".f v,r.ip..e,l r,„ind . '.lie jewel ease. li -.vr.r-t ram" tn worst.. nnd stistiie; -11 -■ re o\. : *e,l, let it fall ! iiri.-n flic Iln',.- himself. and 1 ,da V-•»-■„«' Then, tl.i: very nipht. -uspiiinn i.ad t'nl!.-!i! j c.Mt.'ie* -." talk '..'"..v-.h-i ,p : ppi| :iie I Duke, an-1 it '■■! i well lat.-r t--1 -lention \"d!r-'Ua'-. vi.lt i. .-rd-- t'-s: r>inn : nir. Ai=r- >;.«-.r.e i:,i.l i«lt '.x. <11>!to o-ive ti.e «•:„.'.> -:,-.rv -.. 'T'..- irr.- - I r >.'" Ti.e l)u-e a„i 1) . .c,- i.a.i ' rjiiarre'.- !. -~ , i.y n it " ! ''-le nf lie- "ir-t thi-H-hle .11 l"> lllls'vl T. - w-: iii t'll. peari= ««. ', r> hint in ti... ..t*io» a; iinvinrj ~-.- ire.l » r-rea' tri-a-ure, t- 1 I =ell for a rommrm veiv i.-w pr. -. I: ] ti.e Invisible editor to ti.e hair. •>- ---' .Sim.me :iope,| he mi. '-. -!,»• nniild i.c 1 _w-d in,:. .. trn::l>!e and .lan-j.- : :il-=o - >c jooni.i have protei-timi in rjs- ..:' irenii]". . = he iiad beei! ritjiit aboui ti..- b.iit: 1 '.it once -iie wa- i:i ii'r* power the mar. put on fiie =err». ar.d. tno lale, ariivini: to '. 'm. Tie forflllte s'.ie had visioned dwindled to a few ! tiiousan 1 *]--ii.\r«. wliiih ivere all "The j Inner <" irrle" r.-->i would par for •"'stolen j.rnnertr." Th"- wa* maddpn'mr , beeßH=p the f>"*fun« w.uild _--. to liiem. ' Tiipre wa- n.ih i.rj ... d>. h i.vever. sire i c-.nsenf. It w.i* '.-,■ l;-".i-.|:-,e.'ie"- - ,_:2e=!...ii -'irn.n- vowed, thai *':ie i«eiit in innnym."-!!* ifte- ..i ti"- 11 ike. memii.-ning an ho'ir when t'le .-iu.-ive editor could he to.-nd. ar-i at r ; .e an;, i mc warning the editor liim— o::" t .->- -. ~.ieme might he exoeeted. If t .- Duke were "sina--':?.! up" tiiere would he jiwt half ti.e danger tn tare in luture: nnd iter'a--Jii-.el!e nwpi liim a prndge for iaiig.iiiig nt iiis req.;.-.>t Sn tii-re. in it* patched .'ei'gn. the _reat pearl «*-.Tft lav crpos--d! Kitted in with tin- forced confessions from the *ide of "The Inner t'in-le " and «iiai ( laremanngh had ov> rhr-ard. it «ar- - ..-mT.ief c. What tn .l.i »i: ; i the g liity r.j»e* v.a- * ihe nevt i-.n. San'ler". be r.z a private detective. v.»t' a men'.'ber of t ie po] cc. he consid-'red that iii* nbliirntii.n ■«< to i.i* employer* riot to the public. He was going to leave the dcr- : - : r.ri tn '".ir-tai:i Manner* an-I :!ie I)jfhrs*c. w'.in were paying l-r hi.--ervi..„. And when !.- liarned by telephone from Manner* w'-iat iiad iinr-pened in "The Inner Cir-'le" Ir.til'in*r. he 1.1 not change hi* micd. He nbp-ed instru '- >r« nnd ordered tlie Duchess' car tn gn there at once. Fortunately, night had fallen end the Duke, in any *-ort of toilet. >■ mid ea-.il-- oe «mvf—led home. "(""laremnnagh has the pea-1-." 'phoned •Tap*'. '".And he''i sonn he fit aga n the two principle things. Tne-c hiig.iterhave j.->f a dead •.->«?. "ictp -Mark-fT hut they're a doctor's rertif-cate ;e > f ir.g that he r-.ied nt" fail-ire Arrangpr.ienis have nr-n ms let.. h-.t-y ''m tn-merrnw. W'j tlrnV on trc whole, that the de_>d ra=t had ben bury it* .lead, too!" "Right:" ?and?r« *ai 1. "Th i-.igj i" --eems a pity t'"a; - ; - -d 'Inn"r - "rcle - .h-iul.l get oft -nt free." "Ob. I forgot to tell you. It -von't T*nt not only 'ound 'he near"-., b-tt n-er ''ear.i stic'i a 'or he's n n r-- v.vn t> turn blackmailer. "tr'-. i-i i ur- th rotter*. T'.ir-.'.-e ":".id to -gn r> nsne- = wear:ng 'n mend t'leir wnv*. l."-.vnlr = is one of them: there's nn Tr:«'nm.*in compatr'.-t of p»-**- from a London ne. who sluegcd . '-r. And :'.;» editor *>ut to be. A I'.ig.er ;*■•*. n-.an t'"a[.owndosi" "'Bii* I know!" -.ai." the det-rtiv*-. ""\Vp". rnvhow. he's or r; to tra---*orm 'The Innpr t'ir-'e' into a s-rt '' 'Innr-r Shrinp' if he ker--)* h : - pr-ni'se Lord! AVon't the next nuin'ncr i>e a sensation*" •Tack la'.-.ghed joyfully— hi* nr*t hap?" , Iruifrh for we —«. And then, even fr-m '"■at unM-st nltce—the flit of Ma lam* "V'eno—he eo-.il' not ( nrr .'ailing U, l.vda at her hous?. ?he was there, .-.nd a*_ wered. , ' , " > ' I'm thankful tn hear your voice. I- a ; . well with the Duchess?" "Yes. also with the __-€."' I "He's four— *" "Yes. And the pearl*. = o _!"s-well with everyone —PTcoeot m--. "Why not w : *h you?" "Hnw can it be til. you give mc that promise V" "But—since those thing* have an nened it's yours alrcadv. And *-o r.-n 1., You are the man. 1 am the woman! "My goddes.--!" cried Jack thror-c'.i the unconsenial ts?leohope. "I'm fm.r: t- ' you the instant I'm free. .Tuliet ard Pntj eenl *-oti their love. You've got a.v mine."' I