THE PURPLE DIAMOND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21110, 18 February 1932, Page 16

THE PURPLE DIAMOND.

By RALPH TREVOR. Author of "Under Suspicion," "The Deputy Avenger, etc.

A STORY OF THRILLING ADVENTURE.

CHAPTER XXI. —(Continued.) The two ushered Antiss into a room and there, with his back to the fire, stood Prince Paulparatus. He smiled as lie caught sight of Antiss. " A-aha!" -lie cried. " 1 regret any inconvenience you may have been caused, Your Majesty," ho mocked. " 1 assure you it is seldom these humble apartments are graced by such distinguished patronage. Please sit down. We are not yet ready to begin the programme for the evening."

Clement Antiss felt that (he present was no occasion for words—even light ones, and he felt that perhaps an even greater purpose might be served by silence. " I hope that your lloyal responsibilities have not .robbed you of your power of expression, my dear Antiss," sneered Paul. "Eh ? Well, if Your Majesty prefers to remain dumb, that is no affair of mine." He turned to Joacim and Metrovitch. "You had no difficulty this time?" " None, Your Highness," bowed Joacim. " The information we received was quite reliable, and when we found that His Majesty was journeying alone it was so much easier."

Antiss listened intently and the import of the conversation came to him quickly. In some way lie had been betrayed. Only Garcia and Stolicquaram were, he was certain, aware of his intention to walk through the capital that night. llis already suspicious mind leapt instantly to Garcia. Garcia had promised to meet him—to conduct hi in around the city: and Garcia had not been at the postern. Could it be that Garcia . . . ? Antiss could not wholly bring himself to believe that Garcia, the pardoned Prigand Chief, was a man who would do anything so utterly mean and despicable. Stolicquarain he was more sure of. The little count was loyalty itself, yet. these conspirators against the throne of Karonia had been apprised of his leaving the palace; they knew he would be alone to-night. It was all very perplexing, but with the palace full of spies, as he was certain it, was, there wore,few who might not be the culprits. The prince was still speaking. "You'd better tell our dear ally Villanoff that His Majesty will be delighted to see him again to congratulate him on his excellent escape from the dungeon." Joacim disappeared and returned with the escaped Prime Minister, who entered the room with a scowl of suppressed rage distorting his already unpleasant features. " >So they've got you, eh ?" he snarled. " Well, it's my turn now. You'd have me dismissed, would you ? Well, there's going to be a rather different dismissal ceremony to-night, Your Majesty," fie continued, in heavily accented English. "We are going".'to have the unique task of dismissing the King of Karonia. We don't want kings here. They're an expensive luxury that Karonia has decided to do without." For answer His Majesty merely smiled, and lie could not have done anything better calculated to arouse the ex-Prime Minister's rage. You smile, eh ?" he screamed. " Well, keep on smiling, you imposter. And when we've finished with you we'll pay our respects to Stolicquaram—little worm—although T think it a pity to pollute the good river with either of you." Prince Paul was evidently enjoying this littlo passage. He lighted a long cigar and was standing by the fire again smiling broadly. He looked just what he was —the master of an intriguing situation. Once having got rid of this new King of Karonia—once having subtly exposed this common imposter. Prince Paul had high hopes of establishing the Karonian Republic and placing himself in a much stronger position than he ever could have hoped bad he gained possession of the purple diamond and ascended the throne himself. Now he would bo a Dictator. He would make what laws he pleased and be beholden to none.

T think it would nrlrl to our gaiety while we are waiting for the others if we were 1o show His Majesty the river," suggested Prince Paul. " Lead the way, Villanoff—this is your show." Villanoff smiled broadly. He was enjoying himself, too. Metrovitch dragged the protesting monarch from his chair, and he and Joacim hustled His Majesty out of the room and down a flight of stone steps that smelt clank and musty. At the bottom they found themselves in a cellar, on the walls of which tallow torches burned and cast a strange orange glow over the'danip, evil-smelling place. Prince Paul brought up the rear of the party.

Villanoff personally superintended the lifting of the great stone trap in the centre of the cellar, and at a word of command His Majesty was bustled forward to the edge of the gaping black abyss. Antiss peered down into the well of darkness, and to his ears came the sound of rushing water as the river ran through a culvert beneath the house. He shuddered. unmistakably. " Twenty feet down," rumbled Villanoff. ■" Quite a dramatic exit for Your Majesty. And there are rats—large, hungry rats. The rats of Kasana are far famed for their enormous appetites." The late Prime Minister chuckled over his unpleasant joke and was joined in tihe chuckle by His Highness.

Still Clement Antiss made no reply. He was thinking harder than he had ever thought before, and on the way back to the room above he felt a chill descending upon him. These people, despite their silly taunts, were in desperate and deadly earnest. They meant to murder him. He. was a danger to them. Under less difficult circumstances Clement Antiss would have felt a warm surge of flattery at the suggestion. But the outlook was indeed grim. No matter how he looked at, the situation there seemed no avenue of escape open to him. He could even believe that they were not joking about those rats. How he had always hated rats! Onco they had tumbled him down that dark hole in the cellar tjie world Mould say adieu to Clement Antiss, and to King Clement of Karonia. Yet he was determined that lie would not let them know how anxious ho felt as to his fate—how terrified he really was. When they regained the apartment above there were three other men in the room. There was old Vladimir, with a smile of triumph struggling for expression through the tangled growth of his grey beard; there was Brisser, the stolid Teuton, looking more implacable and inscrutable than ever, and a man—thin and cadaverous—whom Antiss never remembered having seen before. Well," drawled His Highness, " the party seems to be complete. Is there any reason why we should riot, begin to-night's entertaining proceedings ? " " I fancy there is, Your Highness," came a voice from the doorway. Prince Paul swung round quickly and stared. Antiss followed his gaze, and there stood Garcia, revolver in hand, smiling blandly on the amazed company. I shouldn't advise anyone to move," went on the brigand, brandishing his weapon dangerously. " You have heard of mv reputation as a marksman." Villanoff's hand went swiftly to bis pocket, but he was too late. Garcia's guti barked like an angry dog and the inan dropped to the floor, clutching his wounded shoulder with a howl of pain. The next instant the room seemed to be a, seething mass of infuriated humanity, and when His Majesty's brain cleared of the stunning surprise, it was to realise

(COPIBIGHTJ

that Garcia's men were in charge of the situation. His Highness and his men weie lined up against the farther wall, their hands held high above their heads, their faces inflamed with passion and outraged dignity while they were searched for weapons. Garcia approached Antiss and bowed. "What is Your Majesty's wish?" he asked, relinquishing Karonian for broken English. Clement Antiss leapt to his feet and held out his hand to his saviour.

" Thank you, Garcia, I was beginning to feel that you had forgotten me." Garcia smiled. •" But 110, 1 our Majesty, Garcia always endeavour to keep promise. " There's a nice little hole down in the cellar, smiled His Majesty, watching the horrified expressions flash into the faces of the helpless conspirators. " I have examined it a few minutes ago and it seems an ideal spot." " Tf Your Majesty wish 1 "No!" screamed Villanoff. "1 beseech you, Your Majesty—anything but that." Prince Paul's face was deathly white, but pride prevented his making any sign of disapproval. Antiss. seoing this, decided against such a course, lie did not feel like having these men's lives on his conscience. " I think we will leave them here, Garcia," ho decided. Garcia looked amazed, but. he said nothing, and a look of intense relief came into the eyes of the men along the wall. " Wo will now return to the palace," announced the Kinp. " Your men—as many as are necessary—may remain on guard here for one hour by the clock. At the end of that time let them depart." Half-an-hour later King Clement, was back again safely at the palace and found Stolicquaram awaiting him. " Your Majesty is safe? " he cried, and Antiss was surprised to set! tears in the little Count's eyes. " Thanks t<s Garcia—yes." smiled (he King, who looked white and drawn after his experience, for the reaction of the past two hours was beginning to take its toll. Garcia, comprehending thai, he was being praised, smiled an acknowledgement. " Hut lell me, Garcia, why were you not at the postern ? " " I was there, Your Majesty." he answered. "Your Majesty, gave rne alms." " The beggar! " cried the King. " But why ? " " I had an idea what was going to happen," Garcia explained. You remember you instructed me to keep an eye on His Highness? Well, T deliberately let, it gel. abroad in that quarter that Your Majesty had a mind to walk through the oity after dark. That was enough. I laid my plan's and now, if I am not mistaken, we will have broken the back of the conspiracy completely. It was I who arranged for Yillanoff's escape. I hope Your Majestv will pardon me." Tho Count, who had interpreted Garcia's story, turned to His Majesty. " I think Garcia acted very cleverly," he smiled, " although 1 must admit that the daring of his plan gave me many moments of apprehension. I may say that I am certain that by the morning none of our friends will be in Karonia. They dare not stay now. They have been discovered plotting against the life of the King. We have only to let our worthy friend Monsieur Dialog publish an account of to-night's episodes in his journal and the people would demand the expulsion of Prince Paul and his associates from Karonia for ever." Antiss smiled in comprehension. He saw now that his tribulations of the night had not been in vain. They had made him more secure. And in the morning it was reported that Prince Paul and his satellites had vanished, and no one knew where they had gone. CHAPTER XXII. A SHOCK FOR. MABEL. In her little London suburban house .Mabel Antiss was living a new life. Her sister from Clapham had come to stay with her. This had been Mr. Towers' suggestion. Ho felt that to allow her to remain alone in the house would have been disastrous, for Mabel was taking Clement's disappearance very much to heart. Mabel never realised so much as she did now how much Clement had meant to her all these years. She felt that* she had taken him far too much for granted; she had been too easy-going. It'was not that she had neglected him, but she liad got into a rut. Life had seemed so safe, so pleasant, so uneventful. If she had had any children she felt it would have been different, but they had not been so blessed, and Mabel had settled herself down with a sort of resigned complacency. But witli Clement's unexpected and quite' mysterious disappearance life had changed. It had changed so drastically for her that nothing seemed tho same, and she could scarcely believe it. She knew now how much Clement, really did mean. She missed him. Life had suddenly developed a blank spot that no one but Clement could fill.

Her sister, Helen Bannister, had never married, but she seemed to understand Mabel's distress with a sure instinct. Helen had always liked Clement, despite the fact that she had sometimes chided him for his lack of ambition, and when Kendrick Towers had suggested that 6he come up and stay with Mabel for a while, she was only too pleased to agree.

She had heard all Mabel's fears, but she did not subscribe to them. Although she had never had a husband of her own she did not believe that Clement's disappearance was due to his association with a woman. Mabel was more relieved than she cared to show when she heard her sister's opinion, and now that lvendrick Towers believed that he had got a clue, as he termed it, her heart was more expectant.

Towers had repeatedly put forward the theory that Clement had been working much too hard at the office and that, as a result of the strain, he had suffered a temporary lapse of memory. Ho pointed out that there were hundreds of such cases; the medical profession were quite inured to the phenomena, and had put forward the explanation that the complications of modern life and conditions had not a little to do with such a state.

So gradually Mabel had grown more resigned and at the same time more hopeful. Gone were those first few days of panic, when she had been almost prone to hysterics, and she was glad, too, that the mysterious disappearance of her husband had ceased to be a news topic for the newspapers. Mabel was one of those unaffected folk who find no joy in publicity, and it- had only been in the hope that by so doing she would assist in the restoration of Clement safe and sound that she had consented to the publication of his photograph. Mabel visited Kendrick Towers regularly for news. had been a real friend to her in her distress. He had comforted her as no one else could. He was so reliable; so masterful. And it was when she began to take stock of these things she realised that Clement had been masterful, too, in his own , quiet way, although she had not paid much attention to it at the time. (To be eontifiued daily.)