THE GIRL IN THE PURPLE MASK.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 15, 19 January 1926, Page 16

THE GIRL IN THE PURPLE MASK.

By BOLAND VAJTE, Author of "Butterffy or mc Catiaret," "Serat tlie Sheik," etc.

CHAPTER XXXVin. The Re-appearance of Quilter. "You've chosen wisely. Then there's to be a truce between us—until I've pot the money for these jewels and cleared from Paris. You'll give mc ■ three days, and then you can do as you i like. la that correct?" Barrowby was standing in the room iby the door. Marion was back by the window. She nodded as he finished speaking. "And you quite understand that after those three days it's war to the death ; between us?" she said. Barrowby laughed. "My dear Marion, you are feeling j sorry about Woodward just now, but when he has worn off, you will forget ! these melodramatic ideas of yours. However, just to please you, I accept your declaration of war." "And what do you propose to do now? When will you leave Paris?" "If things turn out as I expect, I ] will leave Paris this very night," Barrowby answered. "I have an appoint- ( ment this evening, and I hope that my I business might be satisfactorily accom- ! plished.' , j "And what do you propose to do with j mc?" she asked. "Leave mc here?" "I had thought of that, but there are j several drawbacks to that." "There are," Marion aaid. "The first j one is that you might forget about the two thousand pounds I have to have." He laughed as she mentioned the sum. Actually, Marion had not the slightest J desire to take the money, but she had a deeper reason for mentioning , it. She was certain that Barrowby was to meet Quilter that night, and she wanted to know the latter's haunts. Consequently she wanted Barrowby to take her with him that evening. "You needn't worry about the money," Barrowby answered. "I was i thinking of what might happen if I left ! you in this house. You might attract I the attention of a passer-by, and then j that of the police. Perhaps you had better come with mc. You will give your word to stick by your bargain ?" "I will stick by my agreement to give you three clear days," she said. "Then follow mc," he said, stooping and picking up the suitcase which he had placed on the floor of the room when they first entered. "Just to assure you that I shan't try any tricks, I will go first." He did so. Carrying the suitcase he went down the stairs of the house, and was let out into the street by the old Frenchwoman. Marion followed him, leaving her dresscase behind in the house. Out in the street she fell into step, alongside him. There was no danger of him attempting to attack her now.

Barrowby, as a matter of fact, seemed very pleased with himself. To the end of the street they walked in silence, and then, after darting down several other streets, they came across a busier thoroughfare. Barrowby hailed a passing taxi. This time it was to the Montmartre district they drove. It was getting dark now, and the lights of Paris were beginning to flash forth. The nightlife was starting, and Marion, aa she gazed through the windows of the taxi, saw the many dance halls and cabarets preparing for their evening visitors. But it was to the quiet, almost deserted, streets beyond the city of lights to which they drove. At a corner they stopped and alighted. Barrowby paid the driver and then led Marion through. a labyrinth of narrow streets. Eventually he stopped outside a dirty little drinking den. "I'm sorry my rendezvous is not a particularly elaborate one," he said with a grin. "Still, you must put up with it. This way." Into the drinking shop he led the way. There were a few villainouslooking men seated at the tables which were scattered about, and these scrutinised the newcomers carefully. Another man, evidently the proprietor of the place, hurried forward to meet Barrowby. They conversed for a while in low tones. Marion could not quite understand what was said, hut she gathered that, whoever it was Barrowby was to meet, he had not arrived. The proprietor, however, was quite willing that they should wait until the other came. Bowing, he turned and thrust aside a dingy curtain which covered a door leading to the back of the premises. Along a dark passage he led them, to show them at last to an. ill-furnished room, lighted by an oil lamp. Then after setting a bottle of brandy and two glasses on the table, he left. Barrowby poured himself out a glass of brandy. Marion refused the one he was going to pour out for her. "Just as you like," he said. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Marion, but you won t have to wait much longer. You'll get your two thousand, and I'll leave Pans this very night/ Marion did "not reply, and Barrowby did not seem to be in the mood for talk, for he poured himself out another glass of brandy and chuckled to him"So you have come?" The words, in a harsh voice, broke upon the ears of both Barrowby and Jo ar nnd th Wl fi th one r° rd *»"««*, to find the figure of Quilter standing in the doorway of the ill-lio-hted poverty-stricken room' "gated, "Quilter!" Marion voiced the name a3 ahe ■ jumped to her feet. Barrowby Whrf at her surprise. Quilter himself mere !y motioned with his hand for Marion to be seated again. on ro "Sit down," he said in hi h roice-a voice which, Marion imaged She sat down. There was something commanding m Quilter'e tone There seemed something very curious about him to-night, also She put it down to the shadows which chased each other across his face as the cheap oil lamp - flickered. ' ' Quilter turned to Barrowby "Got the stuff?" he demanded Barrowby nodded. "Let's see it then!" Barrowby, putting his suitcase on the table in the centre of the room, threw it open. Then, with a dexterous jerkhe emptied out all the clothing it contained. His fingers ran lightly round the side of the case, there was a click and the bottom of the seitcaae came' open, revealing a tunning' double bottom which could never be suspected at the ordinary Customs examination It was in this double-bottomed case that Barrowby had brought the gems into France, and there they had remained until now.

They made a wonderful show as they lay on the table, with the Limp-light glinting on them. Quitter's eyes sparkled. He moved to the table. But, at that very moment, an interruption came. The proprietor of the drinking den came rushing in. "The police!" he cried excitedly in French. "They are coming , , messieurs! You must hide! Come. I will show you.' , "The police!" Barrowby's face had gone bloodless. ; His hands dived into the pile of jewels which lay on the table. They must not lie left there! "Help mc, Quilter!' , he cried. "Take some of them in your pocket." Wondering why Quilter did not take a hand he looked vp — To rind himself gazing into the muzzle of a revolver held in the master-crook's hand: CHAPTER XXXIX. Diamond Cut Diamond. "What —what is the meaning of this?" gasped Barrowby. "Quilter, you're not double-crossing mc?" A laugh came from the man with the revolver. "Up with your hands, sharp!" he saM. Then he repeated his command in French for the benetit of the proprietor of the place. Barrowby and the man obeyed. There was nothing else to do. Quilter motioned them over to a corner of the room. Marion, during this time, had gazed on in utter bewilderment. But the next moment the man with the revolver spoke to her. "And now, my dear Marion, I think you had better collect up those jewels." That voice! It was no longer the croaking voice of Quilter —but the voice of Harvey Woodward! "Harvey!" she cried. -'Not dead?"' "Very much alive and kinking." he answered. "But I'll tell you all about it later, dear. Don't take my attention off this pair of beauties. Ah, here come the police."

There was a tramping of fppt in the corridor as he spoke. Then the forma of several gendarmes appeared in the doorway, and two men in civilian clothes. One was obviously a Frenchman; the other—"Barrowby started when he saw him—was none other than Ferraby of Scotland Yard. "Your prisoner. Ferraby," said Woodward. "You needn't worry about Miss Scarborough. I'll be responsible for her." Ferraby smiled as he snapped a pair of handcuffs on to Barrowby'a wrists. "You're still wanted, you know. Miss Scarborough," he explained. "But you needn't worry, we've got all the evidence we want—and the men we want, too. Now come along. Mr. Barrowby. and don't look so annoyed. You're going off on a nice long holiday.' , Barrowby, with a gendarme on either side of him, moved to the door. He halted there and turned his gaze upon Woodward, who was even then removing the wig and grease-paint which, in that ill-lighted place, had allowed him to pose as Quilter. "I'll pay you out for this, Woodward," he said, '"I'll be even with you.' , "I'm afraid you'll wait some considerable time before you do," was the answer he gc-t, as Woodward calmly proceeded with the task of removing his make-up. Then Barrowby wa.a marched out to the police van which was waiting outside. "But Harvey, tell mc all —the whole story." "There's not much to tell." said Harvey Woodward, shrugging his shoulders. He and Marion were seated in deck chairs on the lee side of a cross-Channel vessel. In front of them twinkled the lights .of home. In a short space of time they would be back in England. "I told you how I got off that barge and ran into Quilter at the hotel." Woodward went on. "I went for him straight away. There was a fearful row in the hotel, and the police were called in. It was a good job they were, for Quilter was getting the better of mc. Anyway. I denounced Quilter and told them he was wanted by the English police. They decided to make inquiries, and when they marched us ofr to the station, they found that I had spoken the truth, and that Quitter's description and finger prints tallied with those sent out from Scotland Yard." "'And the rest of Mrs. Samuels' diamonds were found in his baggage?" queried Marion. "Things were-just dead against Quilter, so the police held him. He'd gone to Vienna to meet Barrowby. Biit after those arrangements had been made, Barrowby found out about mc, decided to have mc put out r>f the way. and cleared off to Paris with you. leaving a mpssage to Quilter saying when* he'was going. Quilter arrived at Vienna just "after Barrowby left.' , "But how did you get on the trark at Paris;" , asked Marion. ' "Simplest job of thp lot," Woodward said. "I was in Paris when yr>u and Barrowby were still coming along by train. I took place the aeroplane, you sep. and was in Paris lonobefore you were even r, n French tory. I was in communication with Ferraby in London before you could say Jack Robinson, and we watched the station for the arrival of the train from Vienna. Why. you and Barrowby were driven to the house l.y a French detective!

"I sent a cable to Barrowby in Quilter's name," Woodward went nn. "We α-ot the address of the house in which he intended to stay from the message which he left in Vienna for Quilter, .and -which Quilter did not destroy. I told Barrowbv that I would meet him here as I was following him to Paris immediately. He fell into

the trap. and. well, it won't be long before both he and Quilter stand their trials, while you are absolutely cleared." "Harvey," said Marion, laying a hand on his arm. '"What about Richards— you know —the man who took on the blame of having stolen the pearls?" "You needn't worry about him," said Woodward. "They kept on remanding him and remanding him. He'll be discharged, of course, as soon as Ferraby gets back." A silence fell on them for a while. That part of the deck was deserted. Marion got to her feet and crossed to the rail. .She stared out to where the flashing lights of a lighthouse showed the approach to an English, harbour. She was going home no longer an outcast! She was delivered from the net that had" threatened to close around her. And her name was clearedoh, it was good to know that! But she knew that,, alone, she could never have cleared her name. The forces that were at work against her were too strong for her. Things might have been different. Barrowby might heve succeeded in his plans to make her his dupe. She might have become a "society crackswoman!" if it had not been for one tiling. And that thing had happened when first she met Harvey Woodward! Her eyes were suspiciously moist. Howgood he had been to her, and what he had gone through for her sake! She could not keep bank the tears that glistened on her eyelids. "Marion!" She looked up as she heard ] her name whispered, and felt the touch of a hand on her arm. "Why are you crying?" Woodward was alongside her. His arm encircled her, and he drew her near to him. She looked up into his strong, manly face. "How how can I ever thank you, Harvey, dear?" she asked. "By giving mc the answer I want to hear from your lips," he answered. "Marion, when first I saw you, I knew that there was no other woman in the world for mc. Will —will you become my wife, darling?" "You you didn't even need to ask mc, Harvey. , ' she said slowly, "but I love you all the more for it!" Their lips met in a kiss of love. "And. darling, he whispered to her as they gazed over the waters towards England. "We'll spend our honeymoon at Monte Carlo, where first I fell in love with the Girl in the Purple Mask!" (The End.)