THE DAY: OR, THE PASSING OF A THRONE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15900, 24 April 1915, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE DAY: OR, THE PASSING OF A THRONE.

BY FEED M. WHITE, Author of "The Nether Millstone." " Tho Corner House," " The Slave of Silence." "Craven Fortune." "The Scales of Justice," etc., etc.

(COPYRIGHT.) - CHAPTER XVII.-(Continuod.) The speaker dropped her voice to a whisper, she gazed eagerly and ardently into Garzia's face. ''It could not be done," the latter said.

"Oh, yes, it could. Tho greatest genius we ever had in our Espionage Department was Karl Werner. It was ho

who taught me all I know, to him I owe everything. Not long before ho died ho showed me some amazing plans. They were entrusted to mo to deposit with the authorities at Berlin. I was a great fool not to keep them, but it is too late to regret that now. At any rate, amongst thoso plans was one for the destruction of the Tower Bridge. I have no doubt that Werner said something about this business to Lamburg. I have been thinki ing a good deal about it the last hour or so. My idea was to get Lamburg out of the way. Ho has been supplanting us at Berlin and getting in our way generally. I thought if wo could lay him by the heels we should have a clear course in future. So when the trouble broke out to-night I went down to the tower with tho full intention of giving tho whole game away and betraying Lamburg into tho hands of tho police." The confession was raado coolly enough, for there was no false shame between these two, and their dangerous work was purely a matter of business. They would have betrayed their employers to-morrow had they benefited to the extent of a solitary five-pound note. "That was a good idea," Garzia said. "Go on." " Well, I went down there in the car to soo what I could do. I was going to lock Lamburg and his assistants in the machine-room under the bridge, and get the police at the nearest call office.. But all that trouble was saved me. I had

barely started before I saw some 'police officers, headed by one or two civilians, dashing across the road. I was lucky enough to conceal myself in the darkness, pleased to find that I had been forestalled, and I had the satisfaction of see-

ing our friend safely handcuffed." "Grand! Fine!"' Garzia said. "Any more?"

"No; the rest is not quite so satisfactory," Lady Loxton confessed. "I suppose I was in too much of a hurry to get away in the car; anyway,, I was spotted, and they fired at me. ' I had to pull up, of course, and I was not pleased to find myself face to face with Mr. Stuart Hallett."

Garzia growled uneasily. He had no particular reason for being fond of Hallett. And it was rather alarming to find that the latter knew so much, and had gone unerringly to the right spot. Still, there was consolation in the knowledge that a powerful rival was out of the way, and that Berlin could not afford to bo quite so independent in the future. " It is good news on the whole," Garzia admitted. "But I should feel more

satisfied if we could get Hallett out of the way, too. That fellow is the very devil. He must have put at least a dozen of our best men out of action in

the last three months. And if he once begins to suspect you and me—" Lady Loxton laughed aloud. "My dear Pedro, yon\are getting nervous," she said. " Who would suspect tho great Spanish musician, and who would dream that the patriotic Lady Loxton were in the pay of Germany? Why, Hallett and myself are the best of friends."

But Garzia was not altogether convinced. And he had not yet got over his disappointment in the matter of Rosslyn and the missing aeroplane. For the last day or two he had been making all sorts of cautious inquiries, but he had learnt nothing; indeed, he could not, gather anything as to Rosslyn's whereabouts.

"I cannot see what you are driving at still," lie said. "To get Lamburg out of the way was a fine stroke of business, but it does not leave us any nearer to a fat cheque. Now, if wo could have got hold of that aeroplane it would havo been quite another matter. I could havo been in Berlin by this time, and all our worries would have been over for months to come."

" Why cry over spilt milk ?" Lady Loxton asked. " I think I can show you a much bigger thing than that. Lot me tell you that Rosslyn'a disappearance is as much a. mystery to Stuart Hallett as it is to you and me. I saw Hallett yesterday, and managed to get from him the information that ho lias not the least idea where Rosslyn is to be found. He and his aeroplane seem to have disappeared without leaving the slightest trace behind them."

" But somebody must know," Garzia said impatiently. "Precisely," Lady Loxton smiled demurely. " Now, you are a man wise in the ways of the world, and will probably agree with me when I suggest that when a young and attractive man disappears, leaving no trace behind him, to say nothing of injuring his career, there is invariably a woman at the bottom of the mystery. I happen to know that Paul Rosslyn is most infatuated with that dear little innocent French girl who lives in tho flat below. I am speaking of Vera Leroux. It was only a few days ago that I interrupted the lovers in the midst of an impassioned scena, and, well, Rosslyn has not been seen since. Therefore, you can draw your own conclusions. For myself I have not the slightest doubt that Vera Leroux has a pretty fair idea as to where Paul Rosslyn is to be found. Vera's father is away from home just now, and I have invited the girl to lunch with me to-morrow. Before sho leaves me I shall know everything there is to know. It is therefore possible that wo shall commandeer the aeroplane after all. Patience, my trusted friend, patience. Meanwhile, I start for Berlin to-morrow night." " Why do you go there ?' Garzia asked. "I go to Berlin to see those papers Werner deposited wjth me. I go to prepare the way for a grand stroke which means a fortune to us. You heard what I said just now. When I come back I shall have the full details of Werner's scheme for depriving London of her water supply. Ah, if we can manage that, then wo can retire from business, and lead a respectable life in the future." "Excellent," Garzia cried. "Let us have one glass of champagne, and drink success to the venture."

• CHAPTER XVIII. TOWARDS THE NORTH. Garzia had been quite right when he cynically said that London would forget the Zeppelin outrage within a. week. There had been a certain amount of indignation and wrath on the part of the Londoners at the cowardly attack upon an unfortified town, but then the civilised peoples of the world had grown quite accustomed to Germany's barbarous methods. They had been warned of the possibility of a Zeppelin raid, but this warning had been more or less disregarded, because lately the Huns barf been less savage in their methods. They appeared to have learnt something from the knowledge that they had not a friend in the world and that their hopes of gaining the _ ear of the United States had proved a dismal failure. And now, after the first outbreak of anger and contempt, London was moving on its placid way, the streets were thronged and the theatres and places of amusement were filled nightly. London asked itself no questions; it was good to know that the authorities were alert and vigorous, and that the scoundrels who had laid themselves out to destroy the Towor Bridge were laid by the heels. But Hallett, at any rate, was far from contented. lie knew that there was some deep-seated conspiracy here in London that was apparently beyond his reach. Nor was he altogether satisfied with Lady Loxton and her ingenious excuse for being in the vicinity of the Tower- Bridge on the

night of the attempted outrage. He had no grounds for suspecting her at all; he had never doubted that alio was the Irish widow of a well-known peer, and he had never found her capable of taking the slightest interest in politics. But this was a time to suspect everybody, and Hallett made up his mind to keep his eye on Lady Loxton for the future. Again he was worried by the amazing disappearance of Paul Rosslyn. He ha.d the most implicit faith in the honour and integrity of his junior, and the idea that there had been any treachery on Rosslyn's part was absolutely unthinkable. It was just possible that Rosslyn had suddenly found himself in possession of news of some urgent danger and had gone off hot foot upon the track. It was possible, too, that ho was the victim of foul play, a thought that worried Hallett exceedingly, for more than one of his trusted subordinates had met with disast-3r lately at the hands of an unseen foe that did not hesitate at murder itself. But there was one person in London who might possibly be in a position to throw light upon the mystery, and that person was Vera Leroux.

On this point Hallett had come to the same conclusion as Lady Loxton. He knew perfectly well what Rosslyn's feel- ; ings were so far as the girl was concerned and ho had been inclined to envy his junior in his good fortune. At any rate, it would be no harm to call at Mcdhurst Gardens and see what could be learnt. I It was something of a coincidence that Hallett walked round to Medhurst Gardens about mid-day on the Monday and an hour or so before Vera was to lunch with Lady Loxton. Rhe explained that her father was away in France on business for a. day or two and that she was absolutely alone. She was looking not quite herself, Hallett thought, for she was palo and anxious and altogether lacked her usual charm and vivacity. She was gay and fitful from time to time, with occasional lapses into absent-mindedness, indeed it seemed to Hallett that she did not hear half he said.

" I won't detain you many minutes," he said politely. "By the way, do you know what has become of Paul Rosslyn?" He put the question abruptly, for he wanted to take the girl off her guard. He saw her face grow pale, then tho vivid pink came back again into Vera's cheeks. She looked at Hallett with something like terror in her eyes. "No," she said. "He has not been here for two or three days. I hopo that nothing has happened to him because— because—"

Hallett waited eagerly for Vera to go on. But she was recovering from his Sudden attack now, and her courage had come back to her.

" Perhaps I had better be candid," she said. " The last time I saw Mr, Rosslyn we had a misunderstanding, a foolish one, perhaps, more my fault than his. Oh, I do hope that nothing has happened to him. We were such good friends—" "Nothing more than friends?" Hallet asked audaciously. Vera's brown eyes met those of Hallett frankly. " That is a question that no one has a right to ask." she said coldly. "So far as the world is concerned wo are merely friends. But I don't mind telling you that we were something more than that. Mr. Rosslyn asked mo questions which I could not answer and we parted without saying good-bye. I am dreadfully troubled and grieved about it, but this is a matter that concerns ourselves alone. Don't you think you nro rather cruel to come and question me like this, Mr. Hallett?"

> For once the astute Hallett was at a loss for a reply. He could not fail to recognise that this cross-examination was i both vulgar and impertinent and he hast- ' ened to apologise. " Believe me," he said. " I had not tho , least intention of being unkind. To tell you tho truth, Rosslyn lias disappeared and I am greatly concerned about him. I camo here hoping that you would be able to give me some due — Vera rose to her feet and looked meaningly at tho clock. "And so I will," she interrupted. "I firmly believe that Paul is not in tho least danger. I am sure you will hear from him before long. Now please don't ask mo to say any more* Besides, I am going out. I am lunching with Lady Loxton at ono o'clock, and it is now a few minutes to tho hour. Good-bye." HaJlett accepted his dismissal with the , best grace ho could. Ho murmured his I apologies and went away with a curious J feeling of mingled relief and annoyance. He would very much like to havo been present at that little luncheon parly, lor lie had a. shrewd suspicion that he might have learnt something there. And meanwhile he had his work to do; ho had to civo his final instructions to Montagu and Pascoe, who were starting that evening on their scouting excursion along the east const. After 01 good deal of anxious thought it bad been decided to take Lieutenant von Kemp along. They had satisfied themselves that he was to he 'trusted and that he was quite sincere in his desire to do anything to frustrate the designs of I Prussia and to forward the interests of the German Republic. Meanwhile, with feelings just as mixed, Vera was making her way up the stairs in the direction of Lady Loxton's fiat. • Sho had expected to find the usual cheery noisy luncheon party gathered there, and was somewhat relieved when sho realised that she was the only guest. Lady Loxton met her affectionately enough and [kissed her on either cheek.

" I did not feel in the mood for company to-day," she explained. , "So I made an excuse to put tho others off, and we shall lie quite alone. Let us go into the dining-room and wait upon ourselves. 1 never like to-have a lot of servants in the room."

It was a dainty little lunch, and Lady Loxton was, if possible, moro sparkling than usual. For tho time being Vera forgot all her troubles, she found herself laughing at her hostess's witty sallies until suddenly Lady Loxton grew grave and her eyes became tender and sympathetic. "Oh, dear," she sighed. " How thoughtless I am. It is not that I am really hard-hearted. And yet I am running on like this just as if Paul Rosslyn were still alive."

" But he is," Vera cried startled out of herself. "At tho present moment Mr. Rosslyn is in Ber— "

Lady Loxton gave a sudden exclamation of annoyance, her champagne, glass had slipped through her fingers and broke upon a plate. It was quite characteristic of her that this little incident should for a moment occupy her attention to the exclusion of everything else. But she had heard the fatal words {all from Vera's lips and her heart was dancing gaily with triumph. She did not wish to hear any more, she was too subtle and clever to follow up her first success. And almost immediately Vera was on her guard again. Naturally she had no suspicion of what was passing in the mind of her hostess, who, as a matter of fact, she rather do spised. But she had como near to be traying the secret and she was annoyed with herself accordingly. " How stupid of me," Lady Loxton said testily. "If there is one tiling I hate more than others it is clumsiness. I cannot stand a clumsy servant about me. What was I saying, dear? Oh, I know. Such a sad thing about Paul Rosslvn. You must feel it terribly. I have thought for somo time that you wero something more than friends. Not that I wish to bo curious, it would be in such wretched tasto just now. They say that poor Rosslyn started out some days ago with an aeroplano and that ho has not been seen since."

"I would rather not discuss it, if you don't mind," Vera said simply. "It is too sad to think about." Lady Loxton was all tenderness and sympathy. But there was a quiet smile of triumph in her eyes and a hard curva about her lips as she sat smoking a cigarette at tho table long after her guest had gone. She was sitting there when Garzia arrived. "Well,'.' he asked. "Is there any news The most strange and startling," Lady Loxton said. " The child was like wax in my hands. It was all too easy. And where do you suppose Rosslyn and his motor are at the present moment ? Why, in Berlin. Yes, I thought I should astonish you. And the best of it is that dear little Vera hasn't tho least idea that she told me. If anyone accused her of doing so I am sure she would deny it most indignantly. Now what is Rosslyn doing in Berlin ? It sounds like carrying the war into the enemy's country with a vengeance. I shall most certainly make it my business to find out."

"You mean to go to Berlin, then?" Garzia asked. "I am going to-night," Lady Loxton said. "Now go off at once anil get the line all clear for me."

CHAPTER XIX. THE CHARTERED VAGABONDS. It was all very well, as Hallett pointed out to his assistants, for the Home Office to announce that the German spy system in England had been broken up and' thus allay publio uneasiness, but this did not mean that the evil was stamped out altogether, and nobody knew better than Hallett that there were many dangerous organisations still flourishing, and any small success on their part was handsomely recognised in Berlin. For instance, there had been one or two exceedingly unpleasant incidents along the East Coast both ashore and afloat, and these "accidents" had got to be stopped. For instance, a submarine had been lost, several mines had exploded, and a destroyer had gone ashore in consequence of a mistake in connection with a signal light. These incidents had been reported to Berlin, and had been magnified by tho German press into brilliant naval victories. This was the task that lay before Montagu and the others.

" I have made it as easy for you as I can," Hallett explained. "You are atI tached to the Service Department of the Field Telegraph Corps. As a matter of fact this department has no existence, but your caps will look like authority, and I will see that the police up and down the coast give you every assistance. You will travel in a caravan and pretend to bo very busy, so that no clever amateur detective will interfere with you. You v. ill find your van at Filey, and the sooner you got in contact with Inchcliffe tho better. I don't think I need detain you any longer." A day or two later Montagu and Pascoo, together with von Kemp, set out upon their errand, They were made up to look like workmen, they vore army caps with a conspicuous-looking badge. The weather was mild and clean" as they pottered down the coast keeping _a sharp cyo open for anything suspicious, aud, truth to tell, a little uncertain as to how to begin. But there was one thing that had struck Pascoe and Montagu from the first, and that was von Kemp's amazing and intimate knowledge of every cliff and bay and village along the route. They rallied him over it as they sat outside the caravan eating the lunch which they had cooked over an oil stove.

"It was part of my duty," von Kemp said quietly. " All, those were the days when I believed Germany to be ordained by God to lead the world on to the new Jerusalem. Honestly 1 believed it. I had steeped myself in the doctrines of Nietzscho and the rest of them. 1 was ready to swallow open-mouthed anything that the German professors wrote and said. I did not know then that they were no moro than professional journalists."

"Oh, come," Pascoe smiled. "Your professors are far the most profound writers in Europe." Von Kemp spat contemptuously on tho grass.

"Bah," he cried. "Bosh! We are the nation of shopkeepers— are what you were in that respect. We arc too prosperous and too fond of pleasure to think. Can you give me the name of one great scientist, poet, painter, artist, or musician that Germany has produced in the last thirty years? I tell you philosophy does not pay, there is no money in its publications. " But there is money in flattering tho vanity of a war-mad nation and pandering to the Kaiser. Ah, our philosophers found that out. And now they sell their books by the thousands and spend their winters at Monte Carlo. It's only gutter journalism under another name. I shall live to see all those books publicly burnt by order of the German Republic." They pushed on presently coming in contact, with coastguards now and again until tho pretty town of Filey loomed in the distance some ten miles away. It was past four o'clock and the light was beginning to fade, when von Kemp suggested a halt and the advisability of pitching camp for tho night. There was a fire and suppressed excitement about him that his comrades did not fail to notice. Ho shook bis head at the suggestion of tea, and asked Montagu if there were such a thing as an electric torch amongst the equipment . " Half a dozen,'' Montagu said. " But why 'i" " i am going to show you," ron Kemp said. " Now you see that house 011 the cliffs about half a mjlo away. It is a charming and delightful place, and belongs to a wealthy colonial gentleman, who is an enthusiastic yachtsman and passes most of his time deep sea flailing. All of which I gathered from the coast patrol a little while ago. It is a very nice tiring, my friends, to be a rich, colonial who* can afford to gratify his expensive tastes. In this England of yours it is no part of anybody's business* to inquire where his neighbour's money comes from. Now out of all the rich men you know can you teil mo the source of income of one of them ? Ah, I thought not. A new neighbour conies along, ho takes a nice house, ho is open-hearted and hospitable, and a good sportsman. Tho rest can go to the devil. You are blindfolded, you English." " Is there anything tho matter with the house?" Pascoo asked. By way of reply von Kemp demanded the electric torch and proceeded to lead the way down a little cliff path which was so cunningly hidden that it could not be seen from the top of the cliff. Von Kemp pushed on till ho came at length to a small cavo that looked like a mere gash in the rock, tho walls of which were covered with mussels and seaweed. The guide groped with his hand in tho slimy mass, then tho back of tho cave soemed to open, disclosing a narrow passage that seemed to lead into tho bowels of the earth. " Como along," von Kemp said. "We are perfectly safe for the time being. I could sue from the position of tho flag floating over our colonial friend's house that ho is not prepared 10 receive visitors for tho moment. If your police were half sharp that flagstaff would have-been down long ago. This is an old smuggler's cave, the existence of which has been forgotten by the fishermen here. It used to load at one time to an old farmhouse that stood where tho colonial gentleman's residence is to-day." Von Kemp volunteered no further information, but pushed steadily on along the throat of the tunnel. Presently they began to rise again, toiling upwards until they saw overhead a wooden trap door, which von Kemp proceeded to lift cautiously. A moment later and the three adventurers were standing in a little sum-mer-house fringed by shrubs, which it was possible to see through and thus get a clear view of the lawns surrounding tho house and in the background the house itself. A tall man, brown and lean and athletic looking, and dressed in a sort of fisherman's kit, was standing there with a handsome woman by his side. Her tailormade costume was covered with a large linen apron, and she appeared to be feeding a flock of Indian pheasants from a basket of corn.

j Next to the pheasants and fighting for their food was a flock of herring-gulls, big, fierce-looking adult birds without the suggestion of timidity or fear about them. They dashed in and out amongst the pheasants, indeed they seemed so tame that the big man standing there handled them as if they had been so many pigeons. There was a queer smile on von Kemp's face as he watched. "Quite an interesting sight," Montagu murmured. " And especially if you know what it means," von Kemp said drily. _" In this queer old world of ours there is nothing that pays like audacity. If yon want to deceive a man, play some trick, the simpler the better, under his verv eyes, and he won't see it. I need hardly tell you that our colonial friend is a German spy, who passed years in Australia, and so escaped suspicion. Tt .was he who found out all about this underground passage, and persuaded the German intelligence department to build this house for him years ago. Ah, we will have some fun with our spy presently. But not yet, he must not bo alarmed. If we hang about this neighbourhood for a day or two and watch him carefully. I shall be greatllv astonished if we don't get some valuable information. I have no doubt the man yonder could tells us exactly how and why l certain naval disasters have hannened." (To bo continued on Wednesday next.)