THE IS OF SEPTIMUS CREWE

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 275, 21 November 1927, Page 18

THE IS OF SEPTIMUS CREWE

I!! • BY |f I KENNAWAY JAMES Ijj tAuthor of " Tk* Milting Mannequin," Etc.) j|:

CHAPTER XXIII

A Surprise For Captain Merrier.

When Viola found the letter from Vivian, she was so astounded that for several minutes she scarcely believed her senses. Again and again she read the brief lines. As often she told herself that this was the handwriting of John Vivian, and none other. Her heart beat furiously at the thought that John Vivian, her Jack, had actually beep on board that vessel, nay, had actually been in that cabin only a short hour ago. She seemed to be much nearer tho world because Jack had been there. "In all the difficulties that surrounded her present position, it was good to feel that Jack was near, had sought her, and though he had not found her he was not, he could not be, far away.

Then she thought of her present position, and what effect this letter was to have on it. Should she try to get into touch with Crewe or Jack by wireless? In that event, she was entirely dependent on the captain. Could he possibly allow her to send a cable to either Crewe or Jack? Of course he could not. If it was to be done at all, it must be dono secretly. Another mysterious feature was the fact that Jack had asked her to wire either S.C. or the yacht Norma. She could understand the latter, because Jack was aboard, but why ask her to wire Crewe ? Could it possibly be that Jack and Crewe were working together? She dismissed that suggestion as being altogether too fantastic to treat seriously. Then why wire to Crewe? The letters S.C. could stand for no one else known to both Jack and herself Oh I yesj that was it.

She felt she had solved the mystery. Jack was working with the police" They had instructed him to try to get her to communicate with Crewe, so that she might betray Crewe. Jack would imagine that with Crewe's downfall she would be free. She could not explain the position fully to Jack. She Was pledged not to, or else he would have understood that her interests and Crewe's were one, and if Crewe fell, her position was more dangerous than ever. She felt very kindly towards Crewe. He had protected her again and again. She felt he was a good friend, she felt that ho had involuntarily introduced her into all this trouble, and was anxious to save her from the consequences. Betray him? Never.

Then the pleasure that she found in the proximity of Jack Vivian was qualified Dy the fact that he had kept probing into this affair, disregarding her earnestly expressed wishes. She felt some resentment for that. Finally, what about the old captain? How was she to treat him in the light of tho letter? He had not deceived her. He had s.i id he did not know John Vivian, and of course he did not, and also he had not been able to see clearly the men who iioarded his ship. Was she now to treat him as a gaoler? To make her escape when she could, and dispatch a message. It might be difficult to escape, but was she to have that objcct always In view ? Viola revolted from the whole prospect. She positively shuddered at the thought of starting another intrigue in her life. Whatever happened, she would not betray Crewe, and 6he would not betray the "old captain.

6he would take this letter quite openly, and show it to the captain. Having arrived at this decision, Viola began to attend to her dressing, for she had bccome amusingly ruffled and dusty in the cupboard. As she dressed, she felt much happier for her resolve to be perfectly straight with the old captain. In a very short time, the small gong that the cabin boy used to announce meals, sounded, anil Viola proceeded to the little saloon, where she found the good old captain already waiting for her. "Now, hiy dear," he began, "we're just to have a little celebration." Looking at the table, Viola saw the old silver and the best glass laid out. A bottle Of champagne Stood encircled by a snowwhite napkin, and before each of tho two chairs a menu had been printed laboriously by Wang, the Chinese cook. "We are going to celebrate our escape." The old chap was in excellent spirits, and Wang* had excelled Wraself. The little dinner was too good tt be spoilt by her bad news, Viola felt, so she waited until the table had been cleared; then, she produced her letter. "1 didn't want anything to spoil the celebration," she laughingly began, "so t waited Until you had lighted your cigar, Captain, to show you this, which I found stuck in the mirror of my cabin "

The captain looked in surprise at the letter, then after reading it once or twice he considered it gravely for some time before he spoke. After a short cough he saidt "Well, my dear, this ex* plains itself. 6f course, John Vivian was present on the yacht, and probably viaited here with the boarding party and left this for you. Now, what uo you feel about it?"

"Oh, I have already made up my mind what to do," Viola replied quickly. '1 am going to do nothing. I ant sorry that this should come between Jack and me, and It may all straighten out after' wards, but in the meantime he simply doesn't understand. He fights on the side of the police, t am bound to be oh the defensive where the police are con* eerned. Until all this mystery ie cleAred up, I am far safer out of England, and, besides, I have your assurance that 1 am with friends."

As she spoke the captain felt a great relief, fie searched her eyes a second with his keen but kindly eyes, and was Satisfied that he found nothing there but pure honesty. "I am very glad, little girt, was all he aaid, but viola knew from his accents that he Was very Conscious of the trust She placed in him.

Aboard the steam yacht Norma, deep depression reigned. After MTttlftiag for two days, they hud sighted the sailing snip Ming, and repeated the process td which they hftd Slibjedtfed the flamingo. They had found her carrying arms to China. Part of the cargo was apparently covered by Government permits, but the main part WaS not. They had Worked for Six hours pulling the cargo about, without avail, No trace of Viola was fouiid. The captain seemed opetaly Incredulous when they told him they searched for a girL When the Search had proceeded some Way, ahd he law that apparently they were searching for a girl, his relief was manifest, ahd he ordered his crew to help them to move the heavy rifle cases about. They left

with expressions of goodwill on both sides, t.ie captain of the Ming loud in his pious hope of their finding Viola. Jack Vivian felt the hopelessness of his position. He had been entrusted with the search, and he had failed. He talked the position over with Captain Fratson, who was also keenly sensitive of their failure.

"I can't help but retain a lurking suspicion that the girl was on the Flamingo all the time, cunningly hid," the captain said.

"Well, I wish you had undertaken the search instead of me, that's all," said Vivian.

"Oh, I don't think for a moment I would have been any more successful than you were," returned tho other, "but that fellow Murgatroyd is a real human bloodhound, he got on to the scent of some woman."

"Yes," replied Vivian, "but we searched, and searched, and searched all to no purpose." Just then a boy entered with a cable which he handed to Vivian. Vivian decoded it and read: "Serious developments that necessitate immediate conference—return top speed immediately Southampton—ear will wait. Crewe." Jack handed tho wire on to the captain, who, with a muttered word, left tlie saloon immediately to put the new sailing orders into effect. Having dispatched the cable recalling John Vivian, Crewe had his secretary brought in. "Have you carried out my instruf tions?" he asked.

"Yes, your. Excellency," Teplied the secretary, "I have doubled the sentries, and arranged for three times the number of men in permanent establishment at the wharf."

"You have, of course, seen to it that the necessary amount of work is there to make the numbers employed seem natural?"

"Oh, yeß, Excellency," the secretary quietly explained. "As a matter of fact We have two ships and three lighters moored at the wharf, end the loading of them, Judiciously arranged, could spread over three weeks."

"Prepare the weekly dispatches for the Continent and .America," ordered Crewe, rising. "I am going down to look at the wharf."

Crewe crossed t6 the cupboard in the walli but just before he entered it to pass through a secret passage into the next house, he added to the departing secretary: "You are perfectly clear that an absence of si* hours on my part would be the signal for your putting the emergency instructions into effect.' "Yes, Excellency," quickly replied the secretary, who bowei and Withdrew.

CreWe passed through the wall into the hestt ntnlse, and presently departed therefrom disguised as the old professor. Keenly he looked in every direction, and twice he spotted men watching his house. One form neat the comer was obviously a plain-clothes policeman. The other Was a Chinaman, ostensibly selling feather dusters from door to door opposite. Neither of them paid any attention to the old professor departing in hie rusty black clothes from No. 21.

Taking a tasi at the corner, he made his usual call at South Kensington Museum. Thett hft proceeded by another taxi to Liverpool Street, and, dismissing the cab near the station, Walked to the Russian Jew'* tobacco Bhop where he always made his change into seafarins Clothes prior to Visiting the docks. With a Word or bo to the obsequious little proprietor he left, wearing the peaked cap and biue pea-jacket, and drove down to docks. Arriving at the Wharf he noticed that two half-caste Chinese stood at the gate, and ohly admitted him after careful scrutiny, then they challenged him as he passed through the Wicketgate let ih the main gates, and he gave the countersign of the day and passed on. The wharf was a scene of great

activity. An unusually large number of men were at work, moving boxes of ginger and bags of ric« from one of the two sailing ships moored alongside, whilst others were loading the other sailing ship with bales of Manchester cotton goods. The light&rt were also engaging the attention of a number of men. As Crewe passed among the men, who were all either Chinese or halfcastes, it was quite apparent that he waa to tlivm a figure of great importance.

Someone whom they not only respected, but in some degree feared. Even those men who were bearing the heavy boxes and bales continued to bow or to make soma indication of humility as he passed.

Satisfied with his survey Crewe turned towards the offices, and was met at tho door by tho manager, Ah Lee. Ah Lee was a remarkable looking man—tall and sinewy, rather broad in the shoulders. His face was the face of a typical Cantonese, but his frame was far bigger than the average native of that province. Ah Lee stood Oft lin in his socks. He bowed gravely as Crewe approached, then preceded him into the inner office. The house in which the offices were situated was one of the old buildings which had escaped recent demolition and reconstruction. It was an old substantial Georgian building, shabby and dingy on the outside, but inside tho walls were very thick, and a general air of solidity was about the high rooms and the corridors.

The room in which Ah Lee and Crewe sat was simply but comfortably furnished. A huge desk stood in the centre of the room. A fire burned in the oldfashioned grnte. Three large leather armchairs stood on the faded old Brussels carpet, and half n dozen pictures of sailing ships hung 011 the walls in old-fashioned mahogany frames. "Well," said Crewe, addressing Ah Lee—"it's come."

For a single second Ah Lee raised his eyebrows, then regained the perfect placidity of the Orient. Without a word he looked interrogatively at Crewe for him to continue.

"Wah-Sen-Li called on me in person, breathing all the fire of the old Mountain Lion himself, and without making any bones about it, cursed me pretty freely, breathed the undying hatred of his Chief, and demanded Fu-Chi-Chien by to-morrow night." Again Ah Lee bowed. "Wali-Sen-Li himself, cr?" lie said. "Yes," said Crewe. "Xow, of course, the crisis is approaching. We must act." Ah Lee bowed again and waited. Glancing round, as it were, involuntarily, Crewe asked in a lowered tone: "How is he?"

"Improving still," replied Ah Lee. Crewe paced the room for several moments in silence, then he seemed to arrive at a decision.

"I will see Fu-Clii-Chien," he said,

Ah Lee bowed, and led the way from tho room to a corridor to a flight of cellar steps.

(To bo continued daily.)