THE GREAT LAROCHE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22818, 27 August 1937, Page 18

THE GREAT LAROCHE

THRILLING DRAMA OF SECRET SERVICE

t CHAPTER Vl.—(Continued) In the act of putting on her everyday clothes, Susan pondered. Her first thought had been to run back to lior aoroplane—which she had left in a field half-a-milo or so away—and speed with the disturbing news to London. But then she realised with a certain sinking of the heart that she might bo too late. What was it that fiend of a man had said? "Time is going and time is very valuable." She had not waited very long after that. The sinister import of the throat —for such it had been —had turned her almost sick with worry. Poor old Peter! But what was she doing here, when, perhaps, she might bo of some use back at the seat of action? Hastily stripping to her bathing costume (it was fortunate she had brought that along, but, then, a girl Secret Service agent had to be prepared for any eventuality), again she took one last glance backward toward the field which represented the means of escape, and then carefully started on her return journey to the houseboat. There must be some way in which sho could be of use. • # * * .* "Can nothing be done?" Elsie Norris, looking into Renton's face, pleaded desperately. "Nothing for tlio moment, I am afraid," was the reply. "I "wish to heaven those devils hadn't taken away my cigarettes." Sho stamped her foot. "Can you think of nothing but your own selfish pleasures?" she cried. "Steady now!" replied the young Englishman. Ho did not know whether to be startingly rude to this girl verbally or to threaten to put her over his knee and smack her if sho misbehaved again. "We are in a tough spot, and jiothing can bo gained by losing our tempers," he told her. • "I haven't lost my temper yet, . the girl rejoined. "I am merely trying to get you to understand that wo are all in a terrible position—especially mj uncle; and he is the one to be considered." . , . , ~ "No one realises that better tlian myself. Miss Norris—but you seem to think I am an enemy instead of a friend." . -•N Woman-like, she was illogical. "But it was you who got us into this trouble." . Decidedly he would have to smack, her before long. "I hate to be ungallant, but L must say in reply to that statement that you had no business on this trip at all. It was very foolish of you, M. Marve, to have brought her with you. Your niece being hero complicates the situation appallingly. However, she is here and nothing can now be dono about it." The inventor spoke for the first time since the three of them had been brought back to their prison. "They can torture me and I will not speak," he said, "but if they touch my niece then " "I understand," replied Peter, feeling that the speaker had hit several nails on the head with one blow of the hammer. That was the crux of the whole situation; Laroche knew that in the girl he held what corresponded to the ace of trumps. Why the deuce had Marve been such a crass fool as to bring her along? Come to that, there was another small mystery: why had the ex-priest decided to postpone the torture business? Why had he not got on with the job at once instead of giving Marve up to midnight to make up his mind? It looked very much as though Laroche was expecting someone higher up in the llonstadtian Secret Service. Be that as it might, the whole thing was a nice kettle of fish. He meditatively chewed his upper lip as ho thought what Bellamy would be saying. The Mole would be pacing up and down his room raising Cain generally. Then, breaking the tense stillness of the room, there came the sound of tapping. . . His nerves keyed up to straining point, Peter recognised the sound immediately. Someone outside the house-boat was sending him a message —in Morse. With an imperious wave of his hand ho urged the other two prisoners to remain quiet.

CHAPTER VII. THE MESSAGE It was a tense moment. Whoever the unknown might bo on the other side of that strange, below-the-water room, lie was a friend; or, at least, it would appear so. Poter, after listening, almost gave a shriek of joy. It was his sister! For this was the message he "decoded" from the morse taps: "This is Susan. I have been keeping track of you all day in my Moth. I heard all that Laroche said and I am now going away to get help. Keep your pecker up, old son. Love Sue." Sue! But how in the douce had she got there? What was she doing so flagrantly disobeying orders like that? For some timo she had been itching, he knew, to be put on to "something worth while," to uso her own words, but Bellamy—aiul quito rightly so — had refused to listen to her. Sho wasn't old enough for 0110 thing; a mere kid. As a matter of fact, ho had done his best to put Susan off the idea of joining the department in any capacity at all, but it was no good; sho just had to get a kick out of life (henco tin* Moth machine); and when he had remonstrated with her she had merely smiled back and said: "Greedy boy, do you want to hoc all tho fun?" Tho tapping had ceased for some seconds before either of his two companions spoke. Then: "What was tho meaning of those taps?" asked the girl. Peter turned to look at her. "It was a message from a friend—another member of tho British Intelligence. Our Secret Service isn't composed entirely of fools like myself, you know." Tho taunt went home. "I havo beon sorry over since I said that ; Mr. Ronton; I hope you will forgivo me." "Gladly!" ho replied, and thought, if tho circumstances had been different, how easy it would have beon for him to try to make her forgot all her other worries. But in tho meantime . . . "Has your colleague gone to got help?" asked Marve, "and if so will ho bo in time?" "Of course!" was tho answer. It was his duty, as ho saw it, to keep up tho party's spirit. *.*# • • » Iu tho meanwhile, Susan went on her way through the darkness. It was a very unpleasant journey: sho felt numbed to tho marrow and thoroughly uncomfortable in many other respects, [f this was working for Q. 1., then sho wished the other members of tho department joy of thoir job. A momont later she was reproaching herself for harbouring such sentiments. Sho had asked for excitement, hadn't she? Vei-y well, then, what was tho good of grousing now that it had boon thrust in her way I

(COPYRIGHT)

By SYDNEY HORLER Author of "Tiger Standlah." "The Evil Chateau," etc., etc.

Besides, thero was no time to be lost in self-reproach; her brother and the man who meant so much to England were close prisoners in that horrible below-the-wator place and the sooner they were got out the better it would be for everyono concerned. Sho had to get back first of all to her clothes and then to her machine. Unless, of course, sho was fortunate enough to run across a telephone in the meanwhile. But that seemed extremely unlikely. Sho had covered perhaps half the distanco between the houseboat and the spot where she had left her clothes when she pulled herself up short. What was that noise behind ? Someone appeared to bo following her. Good Lord! If that was so, sho would havo to hurry 1 Then a sense of strategy took the place of this first resolution. Stopping, she slithered to tho ground and remained still. As a reward for this, sho heard something or someone crashing heavily past at a distance of not more than six feet. Who was it? Someone from tho house-boat? Had sho been seen? .She realised quite well that a man liko Larpche, especially in tho present circumstances, when ho had so much at stake, was not likely 'to stand, on ceremony. If she were captured—then she would share tho same fate as tho others; or perhaps a worse one . .. . It all came back to this; she must get to her clothes as quickly as possible. Cautiously raising her head, she listened for further interruptions—but nono came. Then, she reassured herself; the man who had walked past was just somo country yokel Rojng homo and choosing tho river bank instead of the highroad. Yes, that must bo it. Three minutes later she had reached tho dip where she had left her clothes and, with a maximum of hasto and a minimum of care, she was putting them on. All the while a message was hammering itself through her brain. It was this: "Be quick! Be quick! Your brother may be dead ... I" Now she was out on the road that ran alongside the river bank. Away over thero to the. right was the fiojd in which she had descended. tho Moth bo all right? Had some fool meddled with it in any way ? Her heart beating wildly, she started to run. But she was not able to get very far. From behind thero came a sound of running footsteps; on that lpnely country road they took on a menace that was positively sinister. Half turning, she saW that three men were pursuing her —and that the ono in front was holding a revolver. It was this man who called. " Stop, you fool, or I'll plug you, wore his words. Stop? when everything depended on her. No 1 Instead, sho swerved violently in case the man should carry out his threat and shoot, but in doing so her right foot tripped over a stone m the road, and tho very speed at which she had been travelling sent her crashing.to the ground. The "force of the impact, indeed, knocked all tho breath out of her momentarily. And, before she could scramble to her feet, tho pack were on her. The man holding the revolver regarded her sardonically while his two companions occupied themselves with holding her arms. , " Been doing a bit of listening in, eh 9 " His tone was rough and had a cruel edge to it. " Well, we have a very good way of dealing with listeners in ! . So, my dear," as she glared defiance at him, "you are not going back to tho house-boat, although 1 m thinking it would do you a lot of good to see what is going to happen to your brother. You are coming somewhere else —with me!" A disfiguring leer accompanied the final words. Susan's splendid nerves enabled her to reply; " I liopo you realise what you are doing? This sort of thing is punished rather severely in England, you know. He leered at her again. " Now I'll tell you something," was tho reply; " you are old enough to have heard tho saying ' first catch your haro I suppose?" , _ , , Sho continued to look at him. He had a hard, bestial type of face; she could expect no consideration from this man. That was evident. What position he occupied in the Laroche organisation sho did not know, of course—but one thing was evident; ho was the master spy's confidante and had sufficient power to act on his own authority. " Here is tho car," announced one of the other men. Coming nearer was the sound of a powerful car being driven at a high speed. Another few seconds and it came into sight round the corner. It drew up with a grinding of brakes and stopped opposite the group. . " I am afraid we shall bo obliged to put some handcuffs on you, Miss Ronton," announced the leader. The next moment Susan felt her wrists cruelly imprisoned. ■ Sho wanted to struggle, but know it would bo useless; tho only thing to be done now was to submit to fate and to wait until tho luck might change. But as she thought how near sho had been to victory a choking sob rose into her throat. " Into the car, wo must get away!" ordered the man in charge. Sho was hustled into tho back seat of a big limousine and then the car started off at a terrific speed.

CHAPTER VIII AT Q.l. Meanwhile, consternation prevailed in a certain room in a cul-de-sac off Whitehall. A small gathoring of very distinguished people had been called; Sir Harker Bellamy was acting as an unwilling host , to the Minister for War, the Foreign Secretary, and the Prime Minister, in addition to several lessor State officials. Brian Hathaway, His Majesty's Secretary of Stato for War, broke the silence which had fallen on the group by looking across at the chief of Q.L and indulging in another tirade. " But surely to Heavens, Bellamy, something can bo done? Don't you understand what must have happened?" The Prime Minister coughed, but his younger colleague refused to bo restrained. " This disappearance can mean only ono thing," continued Hathaway, Bellamy cut in. " I'm not quite such a damn fool as you seem to think," he said icily. " It means of course that Paul Mnrvo is in the hands of the Bonstadtian Sccrot Service." "Exactly," said Hathaway. There was another silenco. This was more significant than any of tlio talk that had gone before. Every man proscnt was thinking of the awful potentialities that lay at the back of Bellamy's admission. They had met there to bo presented to tho man whoso invention was declared to be the most terrible war weapon that the world had over known. Onco this was in tha possession of Kuhnreich, tho Dictator of Eonstadt, all modern civilisation was in peril; indeed, it was true what Grayston, tho Foreign Secretary had said a few minutes before: "Tho entire world might-go up in flanges." .(To bo continued daily).