THE WHITE CARD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20846, 13 April 1931, Page 14

THE WHITE CARD.

By JAMES RONALE

CHAPTER XXlV.—(Continued). Tho typewriter was di|ippointing. was a standard sized machine, of u woi famous make. Norman found a/ slieefc paper, and typed a, few words on i tliero was some rescmblaneo in tho foi of tho typo to that in tho blackrnaili letters, but tho resemblance was ;i supi ficial one. Then a pieco of crumpled pap caught his eye—evidently tho beginnii of a lettei which Cam found uiisat factory. It was dated " Friday." " J\fy dear Mrs. Brayd," it re " This is just a lino to remind you that shall expect your contribution to H current expenses by Saturday mornin as I informed you this morning. By t way, you left too abruptly for mo gather how you regarded a certainhero tho letter ended abruptly. " Now I wonder,'! said Norman slow! " just why you put quotation mar round tho word 'Mrs?' Why did you' " Keep on wondering," snarled Car " I'm not giving away any information Norman nodded slowly. " No, selling it is more in your line he retorted. "At all events, Mr. Jeren Cam, I'm going to take you into custoc on a c targe of extorting money by me aces from Mrs. Brayd." Tho other's face, already disfigured 1 a black eye, twisted in a sneer. " You can't provo it," ho snarlci " And when the reporters see my fac you'll get a little unsavoury publicit; Third degreo methods don't go in th country." Norman took the other's arm. " I'll tako a chance," ho snappei " Come on."

When lie reported the arrest to ] chief, Sir Frederick smiled. "If wo pulled in all tho suspects this case, we'd have several jails full ho remarked. " Still, I think wo c; prove a caso oil Cam as far as blac mailing Mrs. Brayd is concerned. I' inspected his record, and he's served t\ terms already for demanding money vvi menaces. Now, you can run and pull two more of our little playmates." Norman stared at him. " Not—not—" Sir Frederick smiled, and lit a frci cigar. " Not your little friend, Miss Waring, he assured him. "On this occasion want Mr. Sydney Martin, and yoi aunt's coloured manservant. Wo fir that they've both had their passpor 4 O.K.'ed ' for a trip to the Belgian Coi go!" Norman was staggered. "Good Lord! then—" Sir Frederick shrugged his shoulders. " Let us not jump to hasty coi elusions," ho replied smoothly; " a though, when ono finds a man who is su Eected of murder preparing to leave f< larkest Africa, ono may quite justifiab! be suspicious!"

CHAPTER XXV. , ELSA EXPLAINS HER SECRET. Arresting a playmate of his booyhooi on suspicion of the crime of murder i one of the least pleasant tasks which cai fall to a policeman's lot. Yet, it is sadl] true that the children with whom on plays " Robbers and 'tecs" as a chili sometimes translate the gaino into rcalit; when they grow up. Norman had chosen to play the real-lif part of detective, and Sydney—well, tin thought that Sydney was playing on tin other side was not a pleasant one. He put the thought from him, but i was nob easy to exclude it from his mine when he was on the way to Miss Brown rigg's Kensington house to arrest Sydnej Martin. Much of the evidence against hi: boyhood friend could bo discounted, o course, since it pointed equally to others but there was the damning fact that without a word to any of them, Sydney had quietly made his preparations t.( leave for Africa. That spelt flight—anc flight spelt guilt! To arrest Sydney Martin on the ordei of a superior was one thing; to feel thai ho was guilty was a much worso thing, and Norman had that feeling about Byd nev. It was not a pleasant feeling. 1 When he arrived at his aunt's house, il was with something like relief that lit learned that Sydney was out. His in formant was Miss Brownrigg's prim maid servant, and after she had given him tlit information, he stood in the hall for f moment, undecided whether to wait foi Sydney's return or to come back later. His mind was made up for him by Elsa who slowly descended the slairs. She looked more white and worn than he hac ever seen her before. Her lips trembler' when she greeted him. and the little banc: she gave him was cold. He drew her into the drawing room Snd closed tho' door behind them. They sat in two big armchairs drawn close to gelher and for a moment neither of thenspoke. That little sympathetic silence sair more between them than-a thousand words could have done. At last

" I'vo stumbled blindly upon the trntli of your secret, my dear," ho said. 1 arrested Jeremy Cam an hour ago." " You arrested him? " The words came with difficulty. She had been crying and her voice was hoarse, " For blackmailing Mrs. Brayd," re plied Norman. " A scrap of paper in liif flat told mo Iho truth—or rather enougl of it to guess the rest. For one awfu moment I thought that .you were the vie tim of his dirty game. I saw you leavi his flat this morning, you see." Sho shrugged her shoulders hopelessly I went to pay him somo money, oi behalf of my aunt —lie has been bleedin? her for years," Elsa said tonelessly. "Shi was foolish to pay him a penny, but he whole life would have been broken uj if lie told what lie knew." Sho made a little gesture. " You may as well know tho wliol story. She was his wife—ho married be for some money an aunt had left her and when it was gone lie deserted he with the cowardly lie that tho marring had been a false one. She believed him and when my unclb proposed to her, sh married him. Carn found out arid toll her that ho lied —that her marriage t my undo was bigamy. What could sh do? My undo led her a dog's life, bu respectability means a lot to a woman Sho couldn't afford to bo dragged throng tho mire, so she paid." There was a silence, then Norman loo! her hand in his. " It must all come out now." ho sai slowly. " But Carn will get his desert; and she'll be rid of him for ever." " He—he is tho ' Dark Angel ' ? "- Norman shook his head. " I don't think so." " His letters to my aunt were t-ypi written," she said wearily. They sceme similar to tho ono Miss Brownrigg receive —tho paper was identical, and the tyr was about tho same size. I thought—— Norman's grip on her hand tightened. v " What you thought gave me sever; bad moments. I knew you were innocei of anything wrong—but I couldn't explai even to myself why I was so sure." She gavo him a little smile of gra'tituc for his faith in her. " Imagine how I felt," sho continue! " My aunt had sworn mo to secrecy, thought Carn was tho ' Dark Angel,' bi I had to keep silence. That awful tin when it seemed certain that Miss Brow: rigg would die " Norman soothed her*

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BAFFLING STORY OF A SILENT SYMBOL OF CRIME

Let's fourth what's past,," he said. L " We'vo been blundering along in a maze of self-deception." ' She shivered. f "Do you know they suspect my aunt of ; murdering my uncle ? " sho whispered. ' Norman nodded quietly. " They say that her typewriter has been 3 identified as tho ono oil which the black* - mailing loiters wcro done," she went on. "There are two Tiien waiting to question Iter now. If sho hadn t been ill—tho doctor is with her—they'd prob- ? ably havo arrested her! " Norman shook his head. •" They won't, not yet, at least. Don t. . you realise, Elsa, that there is more proof against oven you and mo than against 1 Mrs. Brayd ? Tho principal evidence y against her is tho typewriter, and theie may bo some explanation of it." ' Elsa smiled ruefully. e "I might have used it," she suggested. 0 Norman winced. «' Don't—l can't laugh at a joko like that." . " I know she didn't kill him. Sho ' couldn't," said Elsa. s Norman might havo replied that the ' law takes little stock in such "knowledge, ' but he did not. There was another soothj ing little silence. A key grated in tlio lock of tho front door. It brought them back to earth and ' earthly troubles with a start. ( -"That's Sydney," Elsa said. ' lou want to seo him, don't you ! " f " Yes," replied Norman slowly. ' 1 ■ want to seo him." He drew Elsa to her feet. " After all this is over—" he began. f Somehow the sentence was never finished. There was no need to finish if. . She knew tho things which were in his mind. There was cue blissful moment. iney ' were in each otl/u-'s arms, and their lips clung together. Man lives his allotted span for such a moment. . . . There was a knock at the door. "You want to seo me?" asked Sydnev. Elsa had crossed to the fireplace, where she stood watching these two men, whose - eyes met so squarely. 5 VI havo been instructed to lake you to Scotland Yard," said Norman quietly. 1 " Sorry—old chap."

CHAPTER XXVI. A DISTRESSING DISCOVERY- " Admitting that I am a suspected person," said Sydney Martin dryly, ' and admitting, as you must, that there are at least half-a-dozen other suspects, on what grounds do you single me out for a private inquisition at Scotland Yard, my dear Sir Frederick?" Seated in Sir Frederick Stanley's office at Scotland Yard wcro Sir Frederick, Sydney Martin, Norman Brownrigg and the negro odd-job man. We havo passed over the strained little moment when Norman asked Sydney to accompany him to Scotland yard, and tho journey which the two while men and tho negro made to that grim building. There is no need to stress these things. They were not pleasant. Sir Frederick pulled hard on his inevitable cigar before replying to Sydney Martin's question. When ho spoke his tone was smooth. " When I find a man in whom I am —well—interested, preparing to leave the country," he replied, " without so much as a farewell, it is not surprising that I wish to seo him for the purpose of clearing up one or two matters just bofore he goes."

Sydney leaned forward in his chair. " I had my passport put in order for a trip to tho Congo before Peter Brayd was murdered, or even threatened," he pointed out'. s Sir Frederick nodded. 1 " And also before tho authorities were expecting such a move," he remarked ? suavely. For tho first time in years, Norman saw Sydney annoyed. "You arc suggesting—?" he began. B Sir Frederick shook his head. B "I am merely pointing out tho interpretation that a suspicious-minded person t, would put upon your actions." I Ho made a little, meaningless scrawl . with the pencil on tho pad before him. r Suddenly he looked up. ; " Quelle heure cst-il?" he said sharply, f addressing the negro. The. tiegro fumbled in a pocket and ( withdrew a large silver watch. Then his j eyes met Sir Frederick's quizzical gaze, -> and he slowly put it away again. 1 "So you understand French!" commented Sir Frederick. " Somehow I r thought you did! According to your t passport, you mndo a trip to France a > week ago, indbed. Was it significant—- " or merely a coincidence —that about that time tho money which Sir Montgomery Bulger paid to the blackmailer was put 5 into circulation in Paris? I wonder!"

Tho negro's expression was immobili Sir Frederick turned to Sydney again. " Your coloured friend has one or t\s things to explain, too," he said pie: santly. "Ho is not quite so devoi of guile as lie appears." Sydney shrugged his shoulders. " I know nothing about his trip f Paris, or about Bulger's money," he ri torted. . Sir Frederick smiled. " Even if you do." he pointed ou "von will scarcely admit, it." Sydney looked thoughtful. He seemc to be turning something over in his mine " Look here," ho said at last, I' fell you the reason I'm going to f|Congo—and it, isn't what you think. Fc some years I've been studying every coi ceivnblo scrap of memoranda left by m father. The result is that I've a fair] complete record of his life over a ce i tain period. " Tfe left a map, when he died, yc see, of a cache lie had made durin that period, and just sufficient informs tion about the cache to mako me sm that it. was pretty valuable—probabl diamonds. Unfortunately, although tl 1 map is a well-drawn contour plan i a fairly small locality, that locality is m identified on it. Find the locality—an tho directions are so implicit that yo can't fail to find tho cache." (To bo continued daily.)