The House of Silence

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 90, 17 April 1929, Page 21

The House of Silence

By J. R. WILMOT (Author of "Zora, the Invisible/*' etc.).

CHAPTER XXIV T , The Encounter.

An hours solemn and equally profound thought iiad not contributed any inipio\ement to the .situation so tar as iliilip was concerned, but there was one question which persistently recurred. \\ hat was their object in putting him out of action"? What harm was he doin.u lhe thing was absurd; grotesque. W h\, lie did not even know what their game was, and if a smart young fellow like -.Mathers, whose job in life was crime and tlio criminal, didn't know, why should they have pitched on him'/ It was 110 sop to his pride as an amateur detective that they should have thought him of sufficient importance as to be a danger to their plans. There could be only one explanation. He had made a blunder in recognising old Phipps and thus, to some extent, spoiling the elaborate alibi that had been put up. but there, again, Philip had done so at the instigation of .Mathers himself.

It. was a strange business, and Philip wished to heaven lie could understand just a little hit of it. There was Jan. She was still in danger—probably much the same danger as lie was himself. It was an unpleasant thought; just as unpleasant as it was to think of the enigmatie waters of the Seine below. How well situated was this house for a crime of silence!

Philip felt more like himself again. The effect of the pungent drug had worn oIF, and he sat down again on the floor.

Yet if they had wanted to dispose of him completely why had they iibt done so. i hat was certainly something' to be said in their favour. While there was life— \

The hours dragged by, and Philip began to feel not only uneasy, hut hungry into the bargain. His la-t. meal was exactly twenty-four hours old. Did this neglect mean that they intended to starve liini to death?

Philip took a chance and bellowed at the top of his voice, but no one came. Then, a few minutes later, lie thought he heard a faint tupping noise coming from somewhere below him. The young man was puzzled. It might, of course, have been nothing more helpful than a rat. Still the tapping continued, and I'hTlip. taking off hi* bout, returned the knock more as a matter of courtesy than for any other reason that seemed logical ill his sight.

ft must have been nearly 10 o'clock when, without warning, the lower pane! in the door of the room shot back, and. turning. Philip saw an arm come through the aperture —and in the hand attached thereto was a mug of steaming liquid. The arm withdrew itself and reappeared with a plate upon which were two slices of rather coarse-looking bread, such as the French peasantry with gastronomic fortitude still continue to consume. The arm was being withdrawn for a second time when Philip cried: "Ilcy. there! What the devil do vim liiean bv this'.'"

The ann disappeared, and in its place appeared li e face ol a man l>y 110 means [food In look ii] >i>ii. ilis nose had apparently lieen broken so often that it was a mere travesty of Nature, ilis face was L;rea-y and "rimy. and the thick iips puckered into a ymvl as lie ejaculated in French. The mail must have heen down on his knees, for the sliding panel was lews than a foot from the lloor. "Don't, you ask too many quest ions." he told Philip. "I've pot my orders and I carry them out. and if you don t want your breakfast just say the word and pass it out a;jain."' Philip licnt down to catch somelhinp more of a pliiiipx- of thi ~ terrifying •nature, lie was also thinking quickly, I ' M "! don't feel ill the mood for any-Miii-p," r-aid Philip, suddenly. "You'd ii.-tter take the stuff away." The man's face withdrew and the arm r< appeared to reach the cup and the plate. Philip had heen waiting for that, and he took his oppurt uni I y <piickly. With one bound he was ;l cro-s the room and brought one foot down heavily upon the man's out -<t ret died wrist. Tlio-e holinailed convict, hoots nihjiit. have heen specially designed for such maltreatment. The man outside the door uttered a piercinp yell and tried desperately to withdraw his arm. hut the more he pulled the worse became the apoiiy. Jiis wrist have been in a Meel \ ice. Then, finding that his prisoner had no intention of releasing liiiu. and the pain becoming;' unbearable, he beuan to whine like a whipped dop. If only Philip would raise his foot there was nothing he would liot do. "You si ill have one hand free." said Philip, relentlessly; "take the key of this door from your pocket and pa-s it into the room.'' "The keys are below," muttered the man. in apony. "Then your wrist, remain* here until you comply," was Philip's answer. The man continued to writhe and scream, but at. length Philip heard the jiiiL'le of metal. The next moment, after some painful physical contortions, a key dropped on to the lloor close to the pinioned hand. "No, not yet." smiled Philip, primly, as the man made another attempt to drair his wrist free from the younp man's boot. "1 want to make quite sure that this key (its the lock. - '

Without releasing liis. pressure on the mini's hand. Philip stooped, picked up the key and inserted it in the lock. Slowly he turned it and had tin; satisfaction of hearing Hie lock snap hack. Hut no one realised better than Philip that the battle was not yet over. That face he had seen told him lie was up against a man who would stop at noth-

It was to he now or never. If he failed in what he had planned to dothere was the river below lapping like a. great greyhound against the steps that led down to it below.

Removing his foot Philip at the same time* wrenched open the door. As lie did so the man—a lithe giant he proved to be—sprang from his crouching attitude on the landing. Hut as he sprang so did Philip. He had not been chosen to represent his country in Rugby football for nothing. He knew how to tackle, and his opponent must have realised that as soon as the young man's arms clasped him. Philip knew that the man must lie. to some extent, incapacitated in one arm at least. The force with which Philip's heavy hoot had landed 011 the man's hand had been sufficient to break every bone.

Vet the man fought like a madman, at the same time pouring out a torrent of ]• rench oaths which, had Philip had time to remember them all. would have added considerably to his vocabulary of the language.

Bcyond the man, Philip saw a flight of narrow wooden stairs protected immediately in front of where they stood locked together by a light balustrading.

The man was stronger than anyone Philip had ever tackled before. In spite of jus injury his fingers seemed to be eating into Philip's shoulders and lie felt himself being forced back once again towards the open door of the room. Philip realised that he must make a super-human effort to prevent this man gaining the mastery of him. To this end he resorted to an old trick he hau often tried with success on the held of play. For one moment he relaxed his grip, making the other feel that, his opponent had -weakened. This sudden relaxation enabled Philip to swerve his body slightly, and as lie did so lie bent down and tackled a little lower than lie had been able to do at first.

No sooner had his arms gripped the man's thighs than lie exerted all his weight forward and helped the movement by a deft push of his right foot against the jamb of the door immediately behind him.

The movement took the Frenchman by surprise. With another oath he tried to resist the impetus, but he could not, recover his balance. He felt himself being shot backwards. Came a crash, a splintering of wood, and the next moment, still locked together, the two men hurtled through the balustrading and down 011 to the creaking stairs below.

To Philip it was a desperate nunc, but he knew that his adversary must inevitably get the worst of the crash. Together they landed on to the stairs and rolled down 011 to the landing below. As they hit the wooden lloor Philip became conscious that the man was limp and lifeless. Jlis head had struck the wall opposite in their fall. Philip extricated himself from the other man's arms. One leg felt curiously numb, and his left shoulder pained him as he straightened himself. For safety's sake he knelt down again and felt tile man's heart. It. was still beating, but Philip knew that he could not afford to take any further risks. Descending the stairs he came upon a room at the back which apparently had been used by his gaoler. There was a bed ill one corner, a table and a cupboard. Quickly he searched the place and at length discovered a piece of stout cord.

As quickly ns his bruised condition would allow, he returned to the landmir above and made a careful job of trussing the man up securely. For a. moment or two he paused, wondering what his next move should be. Flight from this place oeciiricd to him, but that he knew was impossible. His convict clothes would not. permit him to go very far. and he had read only the day previously that a prisoner had escaped from .Marseilles Prison. Philip argued that as he had no passport and no possible means nf identifying hiniseif with Phiiip Strode the slow officialdom of French police methods, even if tiny were convinced that the story he nouhi tell tlieni was a true one, would delay matters long enough for Phipps a>d liurni-h to be warned. To take this man's clot lies would be a risky liu~iucs-. for there was no knowing when he miidit not recover the possession of his '.'acuities. and. game though he was. i'iiilin felt, in no mood for further combat.

Tim protect i\<• ill- 1 i;h• L came to Philip's :i id. illlil 111' bent (Inwil 1o search (In; man's po-'kets fur another key- particularly I In* one whi. it lilted Ihe front door lie Jn i- - sess. His search was ri'ivunii'd. and he found himself with four keys. Dragging tiir man out of sigh! of the door below, l'!iili|i went down and locked tlii' outer door. A search of the 1i \ i s;-« room revealed no wardrobe beyem! a greasy raincoat. hopelessly inade pi.tie completely to I'incr up his pri on gain. Then. to his surprise. lie licarl once again the curious lapping he had h'-ard in the room almve. Someone else wain this house lie-ide himself and tile still, inert form above. (Quickly Philip reai'hi'd the landing again and pau-ed. Vc-l The tapping was clearly distinct, and once he thought lie heard the ,-oniid of a man's voice coming from a door a short di.-tance away. One after another he in-•.*r t•• ! the keys until, at last, one of them tun.eil in 1 lie lock. Cautiously iio pushed the door open, a little at first and then wider. Kir the moment I'lli lip could scarcely credit his own eves, tor. seated on the edg. l oi a low camp lied in the far corner of the room, was f.'ideoti Barnisli, who stared at him tiniccognisinglv.

(To lie ciiiitiuiu'd diiilv.'i