THE HEART OF A DANCER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20086, 25 October 1928, Page 22

THE HEART OF A DANCER.

BY JOSEPH HOCKING

CHAPTER XIV. I "Suffering Jehosophat!" ejaculated . Burke. "What gave you that tool idea? 1 still think a lot of Daphne, old man, but my idea is to save her distress. I'm not in love with her now. As a matter of fact, old chap, I'm engaged to be. marlied to Betty Pryde. She accepted inn last night. Now, about those papers. Ihe Ilosche chap said lie got them from—-what's-his-namo —the other fellow lie said owed him money—the chap you said was in gaol—and they'd bo worth hundreds of yotjnds to you. It appears this fellow and Zivpoff—or some name like that—have fallen out, and—Great Scott! ■what's the matter now?" Clinton ha 1 uttered a sudden exclamation arid sprung to his feet, his grey eyes blazing in sudden excitement. "J'm saved, Burke! I'm saved!" he

cried, "It must have been the German who shot Zivintof last night in order to get possession of the papers." "Shot Zivintof?" repeated Burke in bewilderment.

He had not heard of the hagedy. and thought Clinton had taken leave of his senses. Quickly Clinton explained tlio situation, and light dawned upon his bewildered mind.

"I say, I've done you a better turn than I thought, old man," exclaimed, quite thrilled. "I had no idea you were in such a mess. Can I do anything else to help you ?" "Yes," Clinton answered, his brain acting quickly now. "Come with me at once to Scotland Yard —no, on second thoughts we'll go and see my pal at tlio Foreign Office, and tell him everything. He will advise me what to do. Come along. Mv car is at the door." Within a quarter of an hour they were rloseted with Clinton's friend in the Secret Service branch, and Clinton .was pouring the whole tragic story into his sympathetic cars. Clinton's friend wasted no time in superfluous comments. He busied himself immediately with indexes after asking a few questions jibout the appearance of the mysterious uerman.

'"ls this the man ?" he inquired, pro during a dossier with a photograph at tached.

"Yes—(liaf's tho chap!" exclaimed Burke. "Jove!—l never knew our Secret Service was so wonderful!" "Simon Hertzmann, been in the country a little over a month, arrived in company of Boris Zivintof, presumably from Berlin," said Clinton's friend, reading the dossier rapidly. "Nothing known about him, but had been seen in the company of shady aliens. . . . Yes, seems to ho your man all right. He picked tip the telephone; "Put me through to Chief-Superin-tendent X. . . . That you, Super? BY speaking. Give orders to watch all stations and ports for Simon Hertzmann, passport No. ." lie gave numbers and an official description of the wanted man. I have information that he may have been concerned in the murder of Boris Zivintof at Hampstead last night I'll come, round at once with evidence. Meanwhile, do the needful. Thank vou!"

He rose, picked up the dossier relating to Hertzmann, and pocketed it. together with the papers Clinton had given him relating to Irma Zivintof. "You and your friend had better come with me, Wallace." he. said. "ChiefSuperintendent X. may want, to ask you both some questions." The. superintendent had already set the machinery of the law in motion by the time thev reached Scotland Yard. Plain clothes men had been sent to scour the Soho haunts in which Hertzmann had last been seen; detectives wero hastening to the London railway termyii, and messages had been flashed to all cross-Chan-nel ports. But the superintendent had many questions to ask, nevertheless, and took copious notes. "An interesting case," he commented. l"Material here for a novelist." He touched a bell as he spoke. '"See if DetectiveSergeant Barker is in the office, and if so, tell him I wish to speak to him," he said to the clerk who appeared at the door. "If he is not in the office, leave orders that he is to report to me immediately he returns." Ho turned to Clinton, regarding him quite sympathetically. "You appear to have been experiencing a very difficult time, Mr. Wallace," he remarked. "It is a great pity you did not, tell everything to vour friend here in the first instance. There are ways and means of dealing with dangerous parasites like Zivintof and Hertzmann without damaging the reputations-of their victims. Scotland Yard is regarded as a ruthless] machine, but I assure you we can be very, j verv human on occasion." , "f appreciate that now. sir." said Clinton. "T am still in a very difficult position, Even it I am cleared of all suspicion of having wilful]v committed a crime, this case is sure to cause; a great sensation. Mv wife, Pavlovina, Serge Romanoff, Sir Ronald Bell, and T. myself, will all suffer, and T shall probably bo ruined professionally in consequence." "You take too gloomy a view of tho matter. Mr. Wallace." the chief responded. "It may not be essential to make all tho facts public in order to establish the guilt of Simon Hertzmann—assuming he is the guilty party."

There was a knock at the floor, and Barker appeared.

"You wish to sec inc. sir?" lip said, and darted a surprised glance at Clinton. "Yes. sergeant, about 1 his Harripstoad murder." said the chief. "Have yrni verified the statements ATr. Clinton Wallace made this morning ?" "Yes, sir, as far as possible," Barker answered promptly. "I have traced the taximan who drovo liirn to the 'Spaniards,' and the householder who gave him shelter and telephoned for a car for him later." "Did you make inquiries {is to the state of Zivintof's clothes when the hodv was discovered 1" "Yes, sir. The clothes were wet, hut rot very. The man could not have been shot either before or during the heavy thunderstorm." "So that seems to clear you. Mr. Wal lace," said the chief. "T need not dolain you further. You can leave us to flea 1 with the case. And developments "will be reported to you in due course. (!ood afternoon."

I would advise you to say nothing shout this affair to anyone at present." said Clinton's friend, as they loft the police headquarters. " Tell Romanoff and Dougloff to keep silence also. .And 1 nin pure your friend. Mr. Burke, will not talk."

I'll he as mum as an oyster." .Alan Uurke assured liiin. " (lad ! This is like heing a character in a sensational novel! I wonder what tlic next development will be"'"

The next, development came more swiftly "than any of them could possibly have expected. Within a few hours Simon Hertziriarin v.*,'is arrested at, Dover, as lie was about to board the cross-channel steamer, and confessed it, was he who had shot, avintof. He asserted that Zivintof had e layed him, borrowed large sums of money from him, pretending that, ho could T , notm 0 rT )San *1 f'" om people in «n Z Hamn^^ B u Cl, u rrar,Kefl fo ,nef ' t Ilim «nsued when VilintoVl.oVMm' 1 ho T 1 Wen unable to get the money unci hi trick T'n ha ? P V f : Police 07, ,bo r v ~ thought, Zivintof was blufrm.r W thought ho h;u j decoyed h ' £ ! ho id ™ of murderto atta k'himT 1 Rpfi med about his vtb , b T p r shot him dead and rifled I (kets. Ho explained further that

FINE STORY OF SWIFT ACTION AND ROMANCE.

(CorrniGnr.)

lie had sold tlio papers ho look from Zivintof's pockets to a gentleman who had previously given him money for information supplied lo him by Zivintof. That was not all. Having made full confession. Simon Hcrtzmann, an hour later, suddenly wrenched himself free from the detective, who was bringing him back to London from Dover, leapt through the window of the express train, and was later found dead and mangled beside the permanent way.

A down must jest for his living though his heart be breaking; a surgeon or physician cannot allow his personal troubles to react on his patients. Clinton Wallace had many patients to attend to during the afternoon, and an operation to perform at a nursing home afterwards. He had as if were, again to sink the man in the surgeon, and in trying to cure the ills of suffering humanity forget his own. He had the gift of concentration, that genius for dismissing from (ho mind everything except tho task before him, and lie had need of it that afternoon. Not until he had finished at the nursing home and assured himself that his patient was comfortable, did he allow his mind to revert to bis own troubles.

" I'd better go to the hospital now, and call 011 Serge Romanoff and Dougloff to find out if they have fieen interrogated by the police," lie decided, lighting a cigarette after be had divested himself of his surgeon's sterilised over-garments and rubber gloves and got into ordinary outdoor dress. " I wonder what it is Pavlovina has to tell about Baileff and Gogol." He drove to the hospital first, and was surprised to find Dougloff awaiting him in the entrance hall. And he was still more astonished and disconcerted when Dougloff threw his great arms around him. hugged him like a bear, and kissed him ou both cheeks.

"Have you gono crazy?" he asked, hastily disengaging himself from the fat Russian's embrace.

"Pardon, moil ami! Yes, yes, lam crazy with happiness," Dougloff answered. " I have been waiting, waiting to (ell you*the glad news. Serge is with Pavlovina. We were permitted (o see her when she awoke. You had said that we might, and—and I—l am beside myself with joy. All is well, my friend: Yotir troubles they have vanish like a pricked bubble."

Again he made a movement as if to embrace Clinton, but the latter avoided him.

"When you have sufficientlv recovered (o explain yourself lucidly, I shall be glad (o learn the eauso of your excitement." said Clinton impatiently. " Pardon !" said Dougloff again. " I have allowed myself to be carried away. Now, I promise you I shall be as calm as any Englishman. Conduct mo to a, place, please, where we can talk in private." Clinton led the way into a private room and closed the door. Well ?" he asked.

" es, indeed, all is well, as I have told you," said Dougloff, drawing a great breath. " Pavlovina now remembers everything, and I find that you and Serge have been torturing yourselves needlessly. Monsieur Wallace, Pavlovina was never your wife, nor was Irrna Zivintof—and they are one and the same."

Ho paused dramatically—it was his nature to make every situation either dramatic or comic—but Clinton was too worried to have patience with lam. " Explain yourself briefly, and have done. Monsieur Dougloff," he exclaimed impatiently.

Pardon, I forgot (hat I am keeping you in suspense. You know that Pavlovina. then known as Olga Gogol, eloped as a girl with a dancing master named Baileff. discovering afterwards that he was a married man ?"

Romanoff told me so. .1 did not know it when I married her."

" ?so, her people kept (he news from you, as Pavlovina did. Now I come to the point. After she had pone through the ceremony of marriage with you, Pavlovina discovered that Baileff's' wife was dead when she eloped with him and that the marriage to him which she thought as a mockery was therefore legal and binding. Baileff was separated from his wife, and he meant to deceive, Pavlovina. and he did not know his wife was dead So her marriage to you was no marriage at all! She has confessed everything to Serge and me."

" Let me get the hang of this," said Clinton, sitting down heavily, his brain in a whirl. " Correct me if I have misunderstood you. Before she met inc, Irma Zivintof had eloped with a man named Baileff, gone through a ceremonv of marriage with him, and left him oil discovering he was already married and had a wife living. Afterwards she discovered that when she eloped with him bis wite was dead. Therefore our marriage was illegal."

Void and illegal." agreed Dougloff. Apart from any religious considerations —and Pavlovina's church does not acknowledge a marriage with a member of another faith—the marriage was no marriage at all in the eyes of the law. So you are legally married to your own wife—to the ('harming Mees Beli. Pavlovina has proof of what I have (old you she says." " Thauk God for that!" said Clinton fervently, after a silence. " But what of Sergei Romanoff?" " Baileff was killed in (ho rebellion before Serge married Pavlovina, so his marriage also is legal. Serge is like a man transported into the seventh heaven. Now Pavlovina waits to see you to bog your forgiveness. You will forgive, monsieur? She, too, has suffered." " I will forgive her and bless tic from the bottom of rn.v heart," said Clinton rising. " It, is as if a great burden has been lifted from me when I was almost spent. . . ." As be left, the room on his way (o visit Pavlovina, an official hurried from the office of tlio hospital. You are wanted on the telephone, sir," lie said to Clinton. " A gentleman at the Foreign Oflice wishes to speak to you, and says if, is very important." "That you, Wallace?" asked Clinton's friend at the Foreign Office. " I've been trying repeatedly to get you on the 'phone at your house, and your secretary told me I might find you here. I've got news for you. Hcrtzmann was arrested at Dover and confessed to shooting Zivintof." He proceeded to give the details of the tragedy already recorded, and Clinton listened as in a dream. " You needn't worry now, old man," said his friend, after Clinton had told hi in of Pavloviria's confession., "As the chief superintendent told you, Scotland Yard can be very human at times. T think you will find that, at the inquest your name will not be mentioned, and it will merely bo stated by the authorities that Zivintof, to their knowledge, had been attempting to blackmail prominent men in England." He was right. At the inquest the names of Clinton Wallace and Serge Romanoff were not mentioned, nor was the factdisclosed that Boris Zivintof was Pavlovina's uncle. So the clouds of fear and t misery and doubt were swept away. " God has been very good to us. Clinton darling," Daphne whispered to her husband, after her baby was born. " More good to us than you will ever know, beloved," Clinton answered, as ho bent to kiss her brow reverently. THE END.