THE WHITE ANGEL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21910, 20 September 1934, Page 19

THE WHITE ANGEL

A SENSATIONAL MYSTERY STORY

CHAPTER XVlll.—(Continued) Davidson nodded.

Vera shook her head

" We know all that," he conceded, " but that is just where Lawson proves his brain-power. For all we know, Gregery may be just a red herring across the trail, or he may carry the original himself. We do not know. We cannot say. No one knows but the Premier himself, and he will play his last card at Washington. ... As for the document, that is just as big a mystery as; anything else. No one knows what is inside the document. It is written in a secret code, and the translation can only be made by one other individual. That individual is at the White House." Vera felt her brain in a whirl.

Then a thought occurred to her. " And ' The White Angel ' ? " she queried. " What of that? What does that mean?" Davidson shdfck his head.

" That is a password," he confessed, " but I cannot give you the other part of it. Not until Lawson sanctions me. at least. ... As a matter of truth, you know too much already, but I know we can depend on you. I feel that in my bones." There was a little silence.

" But why all these journeyings ? " Vera demanded. " Why does the bearer of the document not go to Washington direct ? "

Davidson's smile was enigmatic. " Don't you understand," he said gently, " that we are up against tremendous forces? McGrath has stupendous influence. Ho is head of a vast organisation, with agents all over the world, and all are pledged to carry out his commands. This document is so important that he has to superintend its capture himself. That is why he is in a ferment of activity. There are no flies on the Opposition Leader. It takes a man like Lawson to stand up to him."

Vera leaned forward. " And what would happen if McGrath secured the document? " she asked.

Davidson groaned. " We know that civilisation would be hurled back another decade," he answered. " Lawson has assured us it would mean another world-war." Vera shivered.

" I begin to understand," she said slowly. " I begin to realise why Gregory allowed himself to be persuaded, why Lawson had such tremendous influence over him. . . Oscar, do you think I could hes? " Davidson shrugged his shoulders. "In what way? " he asked blankly. " Lawson never trusts a woman. He has practically ordered you back to Londoij. When Gregory returns from Berlin, I'm afruid it is going to mean the end of your holiday." Vera leaned across and whispered something. •#*• • # • Once again a car glided down the magnificent, tree-lined Avenue des Champs Elvsees, then moved into the road, having the Petit Palais on the left and the Grand Palais on the right, with the gilded dome of Les Invalides straight ahead. Davidson was at the steering-wheel, but a few minutes later he pulled the car up before an unpretentious house in the Rue St. Vincent. It was No. 24 to be exact, and Davidson remained at the steering-wheel. To all intents and purposes, he was an ordinary chauffeur. A young lady left the car and rang the bell without hesitation. Instantly the door opened, and, as if obeying some previous instruction, the footman showed the young lady into the second room on the ground floor, the door of which was slightly screened off with blue curtains.

The young lady was Vera Auckland, and she gazed round the modest apartment with distinct curiosity. There was something home-like about the room, a feminine touch that appealed. She criticised thd pictures on the wall, saw they were all obviously French, then stared at the furniture and American desk. Yes, she liked the room. It gave her a feeling of immediate security. When the door opened at last she rose at once to her feet. The man she confronted was the Prime Minister of England. Lawson made no attempt to shake hands. He merely extended his visitor a courtly bow, then asked her to be seated. Afterwards he made his way across to the chair oppositp, seated himself with great dignity and leaned back.

" I see Davidson has brought you here in his car," he said curtly. " He sent me a 'phone message, Miss Auckland, that you had an important communication to make to me, but he left me speculating as to the nature of it. That is unfortunate, for I am a busy man and can only spare you a few minutes. I understand you wish to see mo about something connected with the Foreign Office? What is it, please? " Vera was somewhat prepared for this reception. She remembered how she had hated the man before her; how the thought that possibly he had planned the death ofjtier father had crept into her mind, and a wave of remorse swept over her. She must have done Lawson a vast injustice. Somehow, as he sat there before her, she was conscious of a great feeling o# pity. " Sir. Lawson," she said slowly, " 1 have a most important suggestion to make to you, but before doing so, I think it is necessary to mention something else. 1 believe 1 owe you an apology." Lawson raised his eyebrows.

He was studying this young girl closely, noting her remarkable beauty, her fascination and charm, those wonderful blue eyes that seemingly held unseen depths. Yes, small wonder that Gregory had succumbed to the machinations of this young woman. " Tn what way? " he said slowly. Vera paused. She wanted every word to sink in with full effect. " You know my father was brutally shot in the Grafton Cafe. London?" Lawson inclined his head. , I knew Sir John Auckland quite well," he replied. " I was deeply horrified to learn of that murder. What of it, please? " Vera waited. She was not in the slightest hurry. " Since that murder," she continued, " 1 have dedicated my life to one purpose. Call it a vendetta if you like, but the man who shot my father must pay the penalty of his crime. I have sworn that."

1/awKon gav« an interested nod. He was doing his best to seem polite, but obviously the interview was boring him tremendously. " Perhaps that is only natural," he admitted. " But why not leave the matter in the hands of the Yard ? Surely those men are the best hounds of justice in England. They make mistakes, but they do get their man."

(COPYRIGHT)

By JAMES CORBETT Author of " Murder at Red Grange," " The Wlnterton Hotel Mystery," " The Merrivale Mystery," " The Death Diamonds," etc., etc.

(To be continued daily)

" Please do not interrupt," she bogged. " 1 want to say something else. Mr. Lawson, 1 must make you understand everything, otherwise you will do me a vast injustice. I obtained an appointment as secretary to Mr. Felix Gregory, and for one definite reason. I thought I might aid him in the search for my father's assailant, and when I first saw him 1 was under the impression he had taken up the case."

" Well? " Lawson queried. " When Mr. Gregory suggested coming to Paris, I asked if I might accompany him as secretary. He consented to that plan; and, to take you fully into confidence, he has fallen in love with me."

Lawson never moved. There was something dramatic about his statuesque pose. " So T believe," he said quietly. " It a pity, doesn't it? " The cruel indifference of the words stung Vera to fury, but she restrained herself with an effort.

" Why do you say that? " she asked. " Because you may be taking Mr. Gregory's mind off important work on which he is engaged." Vera tapped her foot impatiently. " Mr. Lawson," she said, " 1 came here to make you understand everything. 1 have had an interview with Mr. Stephen McGrath, the man you call the Leader of the Opposition, and I have discovered that Mr. Gregory is acting for you in a singular capacity. He is a dispatcli bearer. He carries an important document, and owing to the tremendous issue at stake, the Auckland murder is but a secondary consideration at present." Lawson moved uneasily. " You have discovered a lot," he muttered. " McGrath has certainlyplayed a bold card. What reward have you promised him in return? " Once again Vera restrained herself. She battled hard for self-control. " 1 can never betray the man I love," she said steadily. " McGrath wanted me to betray my employer. He wanted information about the document, and in return he promised me the name of the man who was concerned in the Auckland crime. I could not —I tell you—be untrue to the man I love. Gregory is more important to me than vengeance. Gregory is dearer even than life itself. T found that out last night."

The words rang true. A slight change n assef ' orer son's face. Was he softening? " Dear me," he said a little helplessly, " we are making a romance out of • this business. . . . But you know, Miss Auckland, I disapprove of Gregory being a partner in this romance. That is why I have sent him on to Berlin. That is why I am sending you back to England." Vera laughed in his face. "My dear man," she said, " you have no power to send mo anywhere." " Perhaps not," he admitted, " but I—think Gregory will act on my suggestion when he returns to Paris. He must never take you to Washington. I should never allow it." Vera leaned forward. " Mr. Lawson," she said quietly, "1 have not learned all I should like to know about ' The White Angel,' but has it ever occurred to you that I might help? " The Premier started. He looked Vera straight in the eyes. " One moment," he begged. " You have just mentioned ' The White Angel.' You may not be aware of it, but those words for me possess a certain significance. A significance indeed more vast and potential than ever you can dream. May I ask if you ever allowed an outsider to hear them ? . . ■ McGrath, for instance? " " Never," Vera murmured earnestly. " Gregory and Davidson are in the secret —no one else. Those two men know where I overheard those words. They were used by my father before he was murdered. My father was something more than a Member of Parliament. He was steeped in foreign diplomacy, and 1 am his daughter. I have wondered if you, or the Foreign Office, were responsible for that murder. I know now that such a suspicion was absurd. . . . But perhaps if I could be initiated like the rest — if I could be employed as another red herring—it might lead me farther along the path of my goal. 1 might, in the end, find the man who shot my father."

The Prime Minister laughed somewhat brutally. " You forget one thing," he said quietly. " What is that?" Vera rose to her feet. " J never trust a woman." " What about the Duchess?" she queried. The Prime Minister rose also. " That is the only blunder I have made, and one I am not likely to repeat," he answered.