THE BADGE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20244, 2 May 1929, Page 22

THE BADGE.

BY BEN BOLT.

CHAPTER XXVll.—(Continued.) The figure in tho yard disappeared from Dorrington's view but presently reappeared moving rather noisily, and looking down he saw that tho man, was burdened with tho ladder tha other had asked for. The man below sot the ladder against the lighted window and withdrew again, but shortly came back and pub something against the wall. Then ho whispered hoarsely: " Tho spade is against the ladder—it is a good spade, clean and sharp." " Good! Now just watch the man and the woman who—Hark! What is thaft ?"

Dorrington himself listened. Plainly through the night sounded what might have been the distant rattle of a machinegun, but which was indeed tho noisy explosions of a motor-engine on the hill. " A motor-cycle, my friend. Someone comes. Never have I known so much traffic on the road since the end of the .war."

"Then quick! Into the house. One does not know whom it brings. Watch that pair." Tho innkeeper hurried away. An instant later the light in the room abovo tho ladder was extinguished, and then followed a noiso ot scrambling, and of feet descending the ladder-rungs. Tho descending man reached the yard. His steps sounded clearly on the qpbbles, and Dorrington waited anxiously. Would the man move tho ladder or not?"

Then he laughed silently to himself. The man had apparently forgotten it or was leaving it for the innkeeper. In a twinkling he slipped out. of his room to the door of the one which the other had vacated, and as silently as possible lifted the latch, then put his shoulder to the door and pressed. It was not locked or bolted, and in no time at all he was stumbling to the window. Throwing his legs over the sill he felt for the ladder. !As he found it, the tuck-tuck of the motorcycle approaching the inn sounded very clearly. L had no interest for him, however. All h's thoughts were for the man who had left the inn-yard with the tpade over his shoulder, and he descended the ladder swiftly. When h 9 reached the cobbles he looked round. There was a gate that gave egress from the yard. He could see it quite clearly against the moonlight which shone brightly outside the shadows thrown by the outbuildings. He moved toward it swiftly, and silently gained it, as he was sure he was unobserved, and slipped into the stack-yard behind. Beyond that was a field from which he would be able to work his way to the Dauvray road, and so to the trail of the man whom he was following. There was a second gate leading from the stack-yard, and he made for it. As he thrust it open, he heard the motorcycle stop as he guessed at the front of the inn. He heard the innkeeper ejaculate something, caught imperfectly "the tone of an English voice, and laughed silently.

. " Another war pilgrim!" he whispered; and then took his way across the field in tiie direction of the Chateau Dauvray. CHAPTER XXVHI. In the private room, after Dorrington had withdrawn, the Major sipped his wine, and smoking watched the crack of the door, his ears strained to catch every sound. The tinker and Bishop having unearthed a pack of cards, sat engrossed in some game of their own, and he was able to foliow his reflections and to keep an alert eye for the door .without any sort of interruption. He heard the landlord descend the stairs and pass outside, and strained his ears for what might follow. He heard nothing, but as he thought of the two men upstairs not for a moment did he relax his vigilance, though anyone looking at him would have thought of him as a man musing and Mnoking through an idle hour. The clock had made the hour when from

outside there came the totally unexpected sound approaching car, which presltly halted outside the auberge. Like Dorrington, he heard the landlord fervently protesting that his inn was fall, and caught the reply in a feminine voice, which struck a familiar note in his ears, though for the life of him he could not place it. Ho followed the woman's ouestions closely, but not until, she asked about the tall man—with eagle face and eyes did his memory serve him. " Marie Grothe!" he whispered sharply. " And t-ho second one will be the man Carver. ' "What's that, sir?" asked Bishop. " Nothing, except that two more people have arrived at the inn, who will not be glad to see us, and whom the man whom we found here will not be glad to see." Bishop chuckled. "The more the merrier, say I, sir. Are we likely to go into action soon 1" " I don't know," answered the Major dubiously. " Depends on circumstances entirely. If Mr. Dorrington sounds the whistle we may have to move very quickly." " I'm ready any moment, sir. An' so is the tinker, I'll swear." "Yessir!" confirmed Tinker Dick. •" Just waiting the word." The Major nodded. " It's not. given yet. We have just got to wait patiently—which is a wearying business." The time went slowly by without anything of note happening. No sound from the upper region of the nouse came to the Major's alert ears, and he made no attempt to communicate the news of the new arrivals to his friend. It was, he thought quite certain that Dorrington had heard the arrival of the pair and had realised their identity even more quickly than himself. That he had given no sign was nothing. For the moment Mallinson was his chief concern and these newcomers, hostile to the chief scoundrel as they appeared to be, were of comparatively little importance. But the woman might be of greater importance to Dorrington than the latter knew. If she and her companion had been the victims of Mabinson's duplicity, as seemed likely from their late arrival at Le Coq d'Or, (hen if she were the Marie Grothe whom he had met long ago, she would bo a tigeress, and willing for anything that would help her to achieve vengeance. He realised that quite well, and was trying to devise some plan by which that tigerishness might be exploited for Dorrington's welfare, when suddenly the tinker spoke. " Something on the road, comin' this way." "Yes!" said Bishop. "Motor-bike. Wonder if he's coming here. . . . No. He's going past. No, he isn t. He s stopping. This auberge seems to do a tidy trade in spite of its loneliness. Wonder who the Johnny is?' Darling also wondered, but when he caught the voice of the latest arrival at the inn, he ceased to wonder and almost jumped with eagerness. " Ci'eat Harry!" he ejaculated. " We're in luck. It is a friend. A good man for a tight corner, if one comes." " Who *" began the tinker, but i*ot no further. The colloquy at the house-door ended, a man's firm step- came up the passage, followed by one of a more shuffling nature, then the landlord's voice sounded. "This room, monsieur; there are others here, but my inn is full." The door opened and a man in the dress customarily affected by motor-cyclists, wearing a shock helmet and goggles, stepped into the room. Darling gave him a single glance and laughed. , "Well, Walton, "so you join the merry throng." Inspector Walton gave no responding Jatigh. He unbottoned his motoring tunic, took off his Helmet aijd the goggles, then ho spoke, tersely..

BRILLIANT ROMANCE OF BURIED TREASURE.

(COPYRIGHT.j

" Anyone here ?" The major nodded. " Mallirjson!" "Good! No others. " Yes. Tho Grothe woman and a man —Carver for a guess. They're in an adjoining room." " The whole boiling. It will be a scoop worth making. I guessed they would bo hereabouts." "What's happened to-day?" " Followed the trio from England. Mallinson had chartered an aeroplane, and with the others went straight to Lanson. I got his destination from the Croydon office and followed as fast as I could. Had engine trouble and was forced to alight seven miles from Lanson, which I had to make on foot and so lost time. When I got there I heard a pretty story. An aeroplane had arrived about noon, and three people, two men and a woman, had descended and gone to the village auberge. They had been there no more than an hour, when one of the men disappeared, and when they found he'd gone, the other two made a great to-do and began to hunt for him. There was, I gather, something of a hue-and-cry in the village, and it came out that the man in question had been seen running in the direction of the field where tho 'plane had descended.

" As soon as they heard that, the pair who had been left, lot themselves go a bit. The man swore roundly and the woman's language seems to have been picturesquo. They didn't waste much time that way though, but started to run for tho field. Before they reached the place with a crowd of excited and interested villagers at their heels, the 'plane was drumming its way upward, and while the deserted pair stood shouting vain objurgations, turned southward. Then the woman got busy. There wasn't a garage in the villago nor anywhere within four miles, as I knew for I had to borrow that motor-bike from a private owner, but in no time at all she'd got hold of a car from somewhere, and was overheard giving the driver, instructions to make Dauvray as fast as he could. And they went off leaving a nine-days' wonder behind them. I got the news at the auberge four hours afterwards, borrowed the bike on a deposit twice its value, and came along just as fast as I dare, hoping I should be in time.

"As you are," answered the major crisply. " Dorrington is upstairs keeping an .eye on Mallinson, and that pair are in the room across the passage. . . .

What's your line of procedure ?" "Mallinson first! He's the big game in this busines. The Yard has made things right with the Surete so far as warrants are concerned. There'll be extradition proceedings and that sort of thing after; but they don't matter a button so'long as I secure him." " He will be dangerous." . " Certain —to me first, to himself afterwards. But I don't want a dead man, and I've got to get him by surprise." -" A little difficult, I expect. The landlord here knows him or has been wellpaid to serve him, I'll swear. He was listening at the door there a little while ago, and if he suspected anything he will have warned Mallinson. . . . Then there are the other two. They may join forces again with Mallinson." "No fear of that! By the accoant I heard the worn in is absolutely tigerish. She'll do anything before helping Mallinson now, I'll vow." " Then the first thing is to warn Dorrington. I'll go up and see him." " The sooner the better. I'm spoiling to get handcuffs on Tabac-Mallinson." The major moved from the room and began to ascend the "stairs. As he did so the innkeeper came hurrying from the kitchen. " Monsieur desires his loom ?" " No, not yet. But the room of my friend."

" The door opposite the stairs, monsieur. That is the one."

"Thank you!" Darling continued his ascent, reached the door mentioned and finding it ajar thrust it open and passed inside. Instantly he realised that it was empty. The moonlight outside revealed the open window and without pause he hurried to it, and leaning forward looked into the yard. A very brief examination revealed the ladder leaning against the sill of a .ieighbouring window, and in a flash he guessed something very like the truth. He hurried from Dorrington's room to the other one and knocked sharply on the door.-' He expected no answer and he received none. Without delay he thrust the door open, looked swiftly round the room, and going to the window, looked down on the ladder. Unquestionably the man ivho had been lodging in this room had left it surreptitiously by the ladder. "And Dorrington?" As he asked himself the question tho answer seemed plain. His friend's absence indicated that he had followed Mallinson. Doubtless the latter, aware, perhaps, of the identity of Dorrington and himself, had fled this way, and Dorrington, on the alert, had observed his flight and had gone forth at his heels. But where would Mallinson make for? Again the answer leapt to his mind. " Chateau Dauvray." Unless he had already secured the prize for which he had risked so much,' unquestionably he would make for the chateau in a last, desperate attempt to gather the spoil, and Dorrington would follow. Perhaps even now the two had met, and— He did not finish the thought. A second later he was ■fumbling down the stairs. In the passage below was the innkeeper, plainly watchful. Darling, seeing him, had an inspiration. The fellow knew something, perhaps far more than might, be guessed. If he could be made to speak it might save time. Accordingly, as he reached tho door of the room, where Walton and the others waited him, he made a sharp movement, and jerked the astonished innkeeper inside before he could so much as cry out. " Silence!" he said terselv, and produced a pistol to give emphasis to the word, (To be continued daily.)