THE JOSS:

Otago Witness, Issue 2451, 6 March 1901, Page 57

THE JOSS:

A REVERSION OF THE STRANGE FORTUNE OF POLLIE BLYTH; THE STORY OF A CHINESE " GOD."

By RICHARD MARSH,

Author of "The Goddess," "In Full Cry,"

•• The Beetle : A Mystery," " The Crime and the Criminal, ' &c, &c.

[Copyright.]

BOOK I.— UNCLE BENJAMIN. (MARY BLYTH TELLrS THE STOPiY.)

CHAPTER I.— FIRANDOLO'S.

HAD had an aggravating day. In everything luck had been against me. I had got down late, and been fined for that. Then when I went into the shop I found I had forgotten my cuffs, and Mr Broadley, who walks the fancy department, marked me sixpence for

that. Just as I was expecting my call for dinner an old lady came in who keptf me fussing about till my set came vp — and only spent three and two after all ; so when I did go down alone there was nothing left ; and what was lett was worse than cold. Though I was as hungry as I very well could be I could scarcely swallow as much as a mouthful ; lukewarm boiled mutton cased in solidified fat is not what I care for.

Directly after I came up, feeling hungrier than ever, Miss Patten did me out ot the sale of a lot of sequin trimming on which there was a ninepenny spiff. I was showing it to a customer, and before I had had half a chance she came and took it clean out of my hands, and sold it right away. It made me crosser than ever. To crown it all, I missed three sales. One lady wanted a veil, and because we had not just the sort she wanted, she walked out of the shop, and Mr Broadley seemed to think it was my fault. He said he would mark me. When some people -want a triangular spot you cannot put them off with a round one. It is no use your saying you can. And so I as good as told him. Not 20 minutes afterwards a girl came in — a mere chit — who wanted some passementerie — beaded. She had brought a pattern. Somehow directly I saw it I thought there would be trouble. I hunted through the stock and found the thing exactly, only there were blue beads where there ought to have been green. As there were a dozen different coloured beads it did not reallj matter, especially as ours were a green blue, and hers were a blue green. But that child would not see it. She would not admit that it was a match. When I called Mr Broadley, and he pointed out to her that the two were so much alike that, at a little distance, you could not tell one from the other, she was quite short. She caught up her old pattern and took herself away.

Then Mr Broadley gave it to me hot. He reminded me that that was two sales I had missed, and that three, on one day, meant dismissal. I did not suppose they would go as far as that, but I did expect that, if I missed again, it would cost me half-a-crown at least. So, of course, there was I, as it were, on tenterhooks, resolved that rather than let anyone else go without a purchase I would force some elevenpence three-farthing thing on them, if I had to pay for it myself. And there was Mr Broadley hanging about just by my stand, watching me so that I felt I should like to stick mv scissors into him.

But I was doomed to be done. Luck was clean against me. Just as we were getting ready to close in came an old woman — one of your red-faced sort, with her bonnet a little me one side of her head. She wanted some torchon lace. Now, strictly speaking, lace is not in my

department ; but a-s we are all supposed to serve through, and most of the others were engaged — it is extraordinary how, some nights, people will crowd into the shop just as we are getting ready to close — Mr Broadley planted her on to me. She was a nice old party. She did not know herself what she wanted, but seemed to think I ought to. So far as I could make out, what she really did want was a four-shilling lace at fourpence — which we could not exactly supply. At last I called Mr Broadley, to see if he could make her out. On which she actually turned huffy ; and declaring that I would not take the trouble to show her anything at all, in spite of all that we could do or say she marched straight out. Then I had a wigging. Broadley let himself go, before them all. I could have eried — and almost did.

I was three-quarters of an h.Q.^r late before I got into the street. Emily Purvis was tired of waiting, and Tom Cooper was in a red-hot rage. "My dear," began Emily, she saw me, "1 hope you haven't hurjied. We're only frozen to the bone." "That's an right," said Tom. "It's just the sort of night to hang about this confounded corner.

It was disagreeable weather. There was a nasty east wind, which seemed to cut right into one, and the pavements were wet and slimy. It all seemed of a piece. I knew Tom's overcoat was not too thick, nor Emily's jacket too warm either. When I saw Tom dancing about to keep himself warm, all at once something seemed to go over me, and I had to cry. Then there was a pretty fuss. "Pollie!" exclaimed Emily. "Whatever is the matter with you now?" And there, in the open street, Tom put his arm about my waist. I told them all about it. You should have heard how they went on at Broadley. It did me good to listen, though I knew it would make no difference to him. They had not had the best of luck, either. It seemed that it had been one of those days on which everything goes wrong with everyone. Emily had not got one single spiff, and Tom had had a quarrel with young Clarkson, who had called him Ginger to Irs face — the colour of his hair is a frightfully delicate point with Tom. Tom had threatened to punch his head when they went upstairs. I begged and prayed "him not to, but there was a gloomy a'r ahonL him which showed that he would have to do something to relieve his feelings. I felt that punching young Clarkson s head might do him good, and Clarkson no particular harm.

I do not think that either of us was particularly happy. The streets were nearly deserted. It was bitterly cold. Every now and then a splash of rain was driven into our faces.

"This is, for us, the age pf romance." declared Emily}- "You mightn't think so, but it is. At our age the world should be alive with romance. We should be steeped in its atmosphere ; drink it in with every breath. It should colour both our sleeping and our waking hours. And, instead of that, here we are, shivering in this filthy horrid street."

That was the way she was fond of talking. She was a very clever girl, was Emily, and could use big words more easily than I could little ones. She would have it that romance was the only thing worth living for, and that, as there was no romance in the world to-day, it was not worth while one's living. I could not quite make out her argument, but that was what it came to, so far as I could understand. 1 wished myself that there was a little more fun about. I was tired of the drapery.

"Shivering!" said Tom. "I'm not only shivering — I'm hungry, too — boiled mutton days I always am." "Hungry!" I cried. "I'm starving. I've had no dinner or tea, and I'm ready to drop." "No! You don't mean that?"

I did mean it, and so I told him. What with having had nothing to eat, and being tired and worried and cold, it was all I could do to drag one foot after another. I just felt as if I weie going to be ill. I could have kept on crying all the time. "Have either of you got any money?" asked Tom. Neither Emily nor I had a penny. "Then I'll tell you what I'll do ; we'll all three of us go into Firandolo'3, and I'll stand Sam."

I knew he had only enough money to take him home on Sunday, because he had told me so himself the day before. Cardew and Blobbs's is not the sort of place where they encourage you to S|>end Sunday in. He had been in last and to stop in two Sundays running was to get yourself disliked ; I have spent many a Sunday, loitering about the parks and the streets, and living on a coupie of buns, rather than go in to what they called dinner. And I knew that if we once set foot in Firandolo's we should spend all he nad. Yet I was so faint and hungry that I did not want much pressing. I could not find it in my heart to refuse.

Firandolo's is something like a restaurant. Including vegetables, and sweets, and cheese, I have counted 67 dishes on the bill of fare at one time ; so that you have plenty of choice. For a shilling you can get a perfectly splendid dinner. And for sixpence j r ou can get soup, and bread and cheese and butter ; and they bring you the soup in a silver basin which is full to the brim.

At night it is generally crowded, but it was perhaps because the weather was so bad that there were only a few persons in the place when we went in. Directly after we entered somecme else came in. He was a big man, and wore a reefer coat and a bowler hat. Seating himself at a table immediately opposite ours, and taking off his hat, he wiped his forehead with an old bandanna handkerchief ; though what there was to make him warm on a night like that was more than I could say. He had a fringe of iron-grey hair all round his head on a level with his ears. It stood cut stiffly, like a sort of crown. Above and below it he was bald. He wore a bristly moustache, and his eyes were almost bidden by the bushiest; eyebrows I

had ever seen. I could not help noticing him, because I had a kind of fancy that he had been following us for some time. Unless I was mistaken he had parsed me just as I had come out of Cardew a.nd .Blobbs's ; and ever since, whenever I looked round, I saw him somewhere behind us, as if he were keeping us in sight. I said noting about it to the others, but I wondered, all the same. I did not lkie his looks at all. He seemed to me to be both sly and impudent ; and though he pretended not to- be watching us, I do not believe he took his eyes off us for a single moment. I do not know what he had ; he took a long time in choosing it, whatever it was. We had soup. It was lovely. Hot and tasty ; just the very thing I wanted. It made me feel simply pounds better. But, after we had finished, something dreadful happened The bill came altogether to one and three ; we each of us had an extra bread. Tom felt in his pocket for the money. First in one, then in another. Emily and I soon saw that something wos wrong, because he felt in every pocket he had. And he looked so queer. " This is a bit of all right !'" he gasped, just as we were beginning to wonder if he was all pockets. "Blest if I have a single copper on me. I remember now that I left it in my box, so that I shouldn't spend it-"

Hs looked at us, and we looked at him, and the waiter stood close by, looking at us all. And behind him was the proprietor, also with an observant eye Emily and I were dumbfounded. Tom seemed as if he had not another word to say. Just as the proprietor was beginning to come closer, the stranger who had been following us got up and came to us across the room, all the time keeping his eyes on me. " Pardon me if I uike a liberty, but might I ask if I'm speaking to Miss Blyth?" An odd voice he had ; as if he were endeavouring to overcome its natural huskiness by speaking in a whisper. Of course my name is Blyth, and so I told him. But who he was I did not know from Adam. ,1 certainly had never set eyes on him before. He explained, in a fashion, though his explanation came to nothing, after all. "I knew a — a relative of yours. A pal, he was, of mine : great pals was him and me. So I naturally take an interest in a relative of his." He turned to Tom. "If so be, sir, as you've left your purse at home, which is a kind of accident which might happen to any gentleman at any time, perhaps I might be allowed to pay your little bill." F *

Tom had to allow him, though he liked it no more than I did. But we none of us wanted to be sent to prison for obtaining soup on false pretences, which I have been given to understand might have happened. Though, for my part, I would almost as soon have done that as be beholden to that big, bald-headed creature, who spoke as if he had lost his voice and was doing all he knew to find it. When he had paid the one and three — and what were Tom's feelings at seeing him do so was more than I could think, because I know his pride— the stranger came out with something else. "And now, ladies, might I offer you a little something on my own. What do you say to a dozen oysters each, and a bottle of champagne? I believe they're things ladies are fond of."

He smiled — such a smile. It sounded tempting. I had never tasted oysters and champagne ; though, of course, I had read of them ir books, heaps of times. And it is my opinion that Emily would have saui yes, if I had given her a chance. But nor me. I stood up directly. " Thank you, but I never touch oystei3 and champagne at this time of night." " Might I — might I be allowed to offer a little something else? A Welsh rarebit, shall we say?" Now, as it happens, a Welsh rarebit is a thing that I am fond of, especially when eaten with a glass of stout. I was still hungry, and my mouth watered at the prospect of some real, nice hot toasted cheese. It needed some resolution to decline. But I did. Hungry as I was, I felt as if I had had more than enough of his already. "I am obliged to you, but I want nothing else. I have had all that I require." It was not true, but it seemed to me that it was a case in which truth vrould not exactly meet the situation. The stranger came close to me, actually whispering in mv ear :

"May I hope, Miss Blyth, that you'll remember me when — when you want a friend?"

I was as standoffish as I could be. " I don't see how I can remember you when I don't even know your name." He spoke to me across the back of his hand :

" My name is Rudd — Isaac Rudd ; known to mv friends, of whom, the Lord be praised, I've many, as Covey. It's a— a term of endearment, so tc sneak Miss Blvth."

That anyone could apply a term of endearment to such a man as he seemed to be was more than I believed to be possible. "If you will let me take your address, Mr Rudd, I will see that you have your one and three." "My address? Ah ! Now there you have me. I don't happen to have an — an address just now. In fact, I'm — I'm moving."

We were going towards the door. I was beginning to fear that he intended to accompany us home. Nor did I see how we could prevent him, since he was at liberty to take such measures as he chose which would ensure the return of the money he had paid for us. But as we drew near the entrance, he started back ; and his demeanour changed ir the most extraordinary way. Good night," he stammered, retreating farther and farther from us. "Don't — * don't let me keep you, not — not for another moment."

We went out. Directly we were in th.6 open air Tom drew a long breath. "A nice scrape I nearly got you in, and myself, as well. A pretty hole we should have been in if that fellow hadn't turned up! in the very nick of time. He's the sort J call a friend in need with a vengeance." Emily struck in. "Pollie, why wouldn't you let us sampla

his oysters and champagne? Considering he's a friend of yours, you seemed pretty short with him."

"Mt dear, he's not a friend of mine, nor ever could be ; and as for his oysters knd. champagne, they'd have choked me if Td touched them. ' 'Ijhey wouldn't have choked me, I can tell you that. There is some romance in ioysters and champagne, an 3, as you know areiy well, romance is wfiat I live for. jXhere'e precious little comes my way ; it jseems hard it should be snatched from my fips just as I have a chance of tasting it." f "Hullo! Who on earth "

lit was from Tom the exclamation came. JHe stopped short, wit£ his sentence uncompleted. I turned to see what had paused him to speak — to find myself face ifco face with the most singular-looking individual I had ever seen^P CHAPTER H.— LOCKED OUT.

r HLt first I could not make out if it was fc man or woman, or what it was. But (at last I decided that it was a man. ►I never saw such clothes. Whetnoc it wras the darkness, or his costume, or what

at was, I cannot say, but he teerus'l to *ne to be surprisingly tall. And then !

Iftjid old! Nothing less than a Walking skeleton he seemed to me — the cheekbones

ere starting through his skin, which was

fehireiled and yellow with age. He wore jwhat looked to me, in that light, like a \jjwhole length piece of double width yellow fcanvas cloth. It was wrapped round and round him, as, I am told, it is round mummies. A fold was drawn up over his bead, so as to make -a kind of hood, and from under this his face looked out. j Fancy coming on such a figure, on a dark night, all of a sudden, in front of Clapbam Junction, and you can guess what my feelings were. I thought I should have dropped. I had to catch tight hold of Horn's arm.

"Tom," I gasped, "what — whatever is it?" , "Come on," he muttered. "Let's get tout of this. Looney, he looks to me." i Lunatic or not, he did not mean that we tehould get away from him quite so easily. He took Emily by the shoulder — you 'should have heard bhe scream she gave ; if jit had been louder it would have frighiitened the neighbourhood. But the lunaj/fcic, or whatever the creature was, did not feeem to' be in the least nut out. He meld her with both his hands, one on Neither shoulder, and turned her round to Itiim, and stared at her in the most dis({graceful way. He put his face so close l*o hers that I thought he was going to bite •fcer, or something awful. But no ; all at once he thrust her aside as if she were nothing at all.

"It is not she," he murmured, half to inmself, as it seemed, and half to us.

And before I could guess what he was going to do, lie laid his hands on me. It was a -wonder I did not faint right then *nd there. He gripped my shoulders so tight that I felt as \i he had me screwed in a vice ; and for days after my skin was i>lack and blue. He thrust his face so close to mine that I felt his breath upon any cheeks. There was an odd smell about it which made me .dizzy. He had little eyes, which were set far back in his head. I had a notion they were short-sighted ; he seemed to have to peer so long aud closely. At last his lips moved.

"It is she!" he said, in the same halfstifled voice in which he had spoken before. He had a queer accent. There was no mistaking what he said, but it •was certain that his tongue was not an Englishman's. "You will see me aga'n, — yes! — soon! You will Temember me?"

Remember him? I should never forget him — never! Not if I lived to be as old as Methuselah. That hideous, hollowcheeked, saffron-hued face would haunt me in my dreams. Ido have dreams ; pretty bad ones, sometimes. I should see him in them many a time. My head whirled round. The next thing I knew I was in Tom's arms. He was holding me up against Firandolo's window. He spoke to me.

"It's all right now ; he's gone. '

I sighed, and looked round. The wretch had vanished. What had become of him [ did not ask, or care to know. It was sufficient for me that he had vanished. As I drew myself up I glanced round towards the restaurant door. Mr Isaac Rudd's face was pressed against the glass. Unless I was mistaken, when he perceived I saw him he drew back quickly. I j-hpy:i my arm through Tom's. |

"Let s get away from here ; let's hurry home as fact as we can." I

Off we went, we three. Emily began to talk. Tom and I were silent. It was still as much as I could do to walk ; . I fancy Tom was thinking. j "It is a wonder I didn't faint as well

as you ; if you hadn't I should. But when you went I felt that it would never do for two of us to go, so I held myself tight in. Did you ever see anything ;

f like that awful man? I don't believe he was alive ; at least I shouldn't if it wasn't I for the way in which he pinched my shoulders. I shall be ashamed to look at them when I've got my dress off, I know I shall. My skin's so delicate that the least mark shows. What was he dressed in? And who could the creature be? I believe he was something supernatural ; there was nothing natural about him that I could see. Then his eye! He looked a thousand years old if he looked a day. She ceased. She glanced behind her once or twice. She drew closer to Tom. When she spoke again it was in a lower tone of voice. "Mr Cooper, do you mind my taking your arm? There's — there's someone following us now." Tom looked round. As he did so, two men came past us, one by me ,the other one by Emily. The one who passed me was so close that his sleeve brushed mine ; as he went he turned and stared at me with might and main. He was short, but very fat. He was shabbily dressed, and wore a cloth cap slouched over his eyes. When he had gone a yard or two the other man fell in at his side. They talked together as they slouched along ; we could not but see that, while both of them were short, one was as thin as the other was stout. " Are you sure they've been following us?" whispered Tom to Emily. " Certain. They've been sticking close at our heels ever since we came away from Firandolo's." The fact was put beyond dispute before we had gone another fifty yards. The two men drew up close in front of us in such a way that it would have been difficult for us to pass without pushing them aside. " Which of you two ladies is Miss Blyth?" asked the stout man, in the most impudent manner. Of a sudden I was becoming^the object of undesired attentions which I did not at all understand, and liked, if possible, still less. The fellow looked us up and down, as if we had been objects offered for sale. " What has it to do with you ?" returned Tom. "Who are you, anyhow?" The thin man answered ; the stout man had spoken in a shrill squeaky treble ; he had the deepest possible bass.

" We're the young lady's friends ; her two friends. Ain't that gospel, Sam?" "It's that, William ; it's gospel truth. Truer friends than us she'll never have, nor none what's more ready to do" her a good turn." " Not if she was to spend the rest of her days sailing round the world looking for 'em, she'd never find 'em, that she wouldn't. All- we ask is for her to treat us as her friends." The thin man spat upon the pavement, "Now, then, out with it ; which of you two ladies is Miss Blyth?" " I'm not," cried Emily. Which I 'thought was distinctly mean of her, because, of course, it was as good as saying that I was. Once more the stout man looked me up and down. "You're her, are you? So I thought. The other's too pretty, by chalks. You're a chip of the old block ; and there wasn't no beauty thrown away on him. Plain he was, as ever I saw a man — and plainer." The fellow was ruder than ever. I am aware that Emily Purvis is a beauty, and that I am not, but at the same time one does not expect to be stopped and told so by two perfect strangers, at that hour of the night. " For goodness sake," I said to Tom, "let's get away from these dreadful persons as fast as we possibly can." I made him come. The fat man called after us, in his squeaky treble : "Dreadful, are we? Maybe you'll change your mind before you've done. Don't you be so fast in judging of your true friends ; it don't become a young woman. There's more dreadful persons than us about, as perhaps you'll find." "It is to be hoped," I observed to Tom, and paying no attention whatever to Emily Purvis, who I^knew was smiling on the other side of him, "that we shall jneet no more objectionable characters before we get safely in." "They're friends of yours, my dear." This was Emily. " I don't see how you make that out. seeing that I never saw them before, and never want to again." " Some of us have more friends than we know, my love." Her love! '"We've seen fcur of yours already ; I shouldn't be surprised if we saw another still before we're

As it happened, in a manner of speaking, it turned out that she was right ; though, of course, to speak of the creature we encountered, even sarcastically, as a friend of mine, would be absurd. We were going along the Falcon road- As we were passing a street which branched off upon our right, there popped out of it, for all the world as if he had been waiting for us to come along, a man in a long black coat,

reaching nearly to his heels, and a felt hat, which was crammed down so tight that it almost covered his face as well as his head.

I thought at first he was a beggar, or some object of the tramp kind, because he fell in at our side, and moved along with us, as some persistent beggars will do. But one glance at what could be seen of his features was sufficient to show that he was something more out of the common than that. He had a round face ; almondshaped eyes which looked out of narrow slits ; a flat nose ; a mouth which seemed to reach from ear to ear. There was no 1 mistaking that this was a case of another ugly foreigner. The consciousness that he was near made me shudder, and as he trudged along beside us I went uncomfortable all over.

"Go away! Make him go away!" I said to Tom.

Tom stood still.

"Now, then, off you go ! We've nothing for you. The' sooner you try it off on somebody else, the less of your valuable time you'll waste." Tom took him for a beggar. But he was wrong, and I was right ; the man was not a beggar.

"Which is little lady?"

I don't pretend that I was exactly what he said. Thank goodness, I am English, and know no language but my own, and that is quite enough for me, so it would be impossible for me to reproduce precisely a foreign person's observations ; but that is what he 'meant. Tom was angry. "Little lady? What little lady? There's no lady here, big or little, who 1 has anything to do with you ; so, now then, you just clear off."

But the man did nothing of the kind. He hopped to Emily, and back again to me, peering at us both out of his narrow eyes.

"Which of you is Missee Blyth?" "Miss Blyth! Is the whole world, all at once, on the look-out for Miss Blyth? What is the meaning of this little game? You, there, hook it!"

But instead of hooking it, to use Tom's own language, and gentlemen will use slang, the man grew more and more insistent. He must have gone backwards and forwards between Emily and me half a dozen times.

"Quick ! Tellee me ! Which is Missee Blyth? Quick! quick! Tellee me! I have something to give to Missee Blyth."' "I am Miss Blyth." I did not suppose for an instant that he really had anything to give me. But the man seemed to be in such a state of agitation that I felt that perhaps the best way to put an end to what was becoming a painful situation would be fo-Jme to declare myself without delay. However, to my surprise, hardly were the words out of my mouth than the man came rushing to me, thrusting something into my hand. From what I could feel of it, it appeared to be " something small and hard, wrapped in a scrap of paper. But I had no chance of discovering anything further, because, before I had a chance of even peeping, the tw T o short men, the fat and thin one, came rushing up, goodness only knows from where, and I heard the thin one call out, in his deep bass voice, to the other :

"He's given it her — I saw him! At her, Sam, before she has a chance of pouching it."

The stout man caught me by the wrist, gave it a twist, which hurt me dreadfully, and, before I could say Jack Robinson, he had the little packet out of my hand. It was like a conjurer's trick, it all took place so rapidly, and before I had the least notion of what was going to happen. The foreign person, however, seemed to understand what had occurred better than I did. Clearly, he did not want courage. With a sort of snarl he spi'ang at the stout man, and, with both hands, took him by the throat, as, I have heard, bulldogs have a way of doing. The stout man did not relish the attack at all.

"Pull him off me, William." he squeaked

The thin man endeavoured to do what he was told, and in a moment out in the open street there the most dreadful fight was going on. What it was all about I had not the faintest idea, but they attacked each other like wild beasts. The foreign person did not seem to be at all dismayed by the odds of two to one. He assailed them with frightful violence. Plainly it would be as much as they could do to deal with him between them. I certainly expected every second to see someone killed. Emily went off her head with terror. ' She rushed, screaming, up the street. Tom dashed after her — whether to stop her or not I could not tell ; and, of course, I rushed after Tom. And the three men were left alone to fight it out together.

Emily never drew breath till we w-ere quite close to Cardew and Blobbs's. Then the church clock rang out. It struck the half-hour. It might have struck her, she stopped so suddenly.

"Half-past 11 !" she cried. "My gracious ! whatever shall we do-?"

It was a rule of the firm that the assistants were to be in by half-past 10. Between the half-hour and the quarter, there was a fine of sixpence, and between the quarter and the hour one of halt-a-crown. After 11 no one was admitted at all. The doors had been closed for more than half an hour! We stood, panting for breath, staring at one another. Emily began to cry.

"I daren't stop out in the streets all night — I daren't!"

"I know a trick worth two of that." declared Tom. "There's a way in which is known to one or two of us ; I've had to use it before, and I daresay I can use it again."

"It's all very well for you," cried Emily, "but we can't climb windows ; and, if we could, there are no windows for us to climb."

Tom hesitated. I coiixd see he did not like to leave us in the lurch. The gentlemen slept right up at the other end of the building ; there was no connection between his end and ours. I had heard of what Tom hinted at before ; but then things are always different with gentlemen. As Emily said, for the ladies there was no way in but the door. Somehow I felt that, after all we had gone through, I did not mean tc be trampled on. "You go, Tom, and get in as best you can. Emily and I will get in too, or I'll know the reason why.

Away went Tom ; and off started Emily and Ito try our luck. She was not sanguine. "They'll never Jet us in — never !"

"We'll see about that."

I gritted my teeth, as I have a trick of doing when lam in earnest. I was in earnest then. It is owing to the firm's artfulness that there are no bells or knockers on the doors leading to the assistants' quarters. When they are open you can get in ; when they are closed there are no means provided to call attention to the fact that you require They had been unloading some packing-cases. I picked up two heavy pieces of wood which had been left lying about ; with them I started to hammer at the door. How I did hammer ! I kept it up ever so long ; but no one paid the slightest heed. I began to despair. Emily was crying all the while. I felt like crying with her. Instead, I gritted my teeth still more, and I Lammered and hammered At last a window was opened overhead, and the housekeeper, Mrs Galloway, put her head out.

"Who's that making that disgraceful noise at this hour of the niijht?"

"It's Miss Purvis and Miss Blyth. Come down and let us in ; we've been nearly robbed and murdered."

"I daresay. You don't enter this house to-night ; you know the rules. And if you don't take yourselves off this instant, I'll send for the police. "Send for the police. That's what we want you to do. The police will soon see if you won't let us in."

Mrs Galloway's head disappeared ; the window was banged. Emily cried louder than ever. "I told you she'd never let us in."

"We'll see if she won't."

Off I started again to hammer. Presently steps were heard coming along the passage. Mrs Galloway's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Stop that disgraceful noise ! Go away ! Do you' hear me? Go away !"

"It we do it will be to fetch the police. They'll soon show you if you can keep us out in the streets all night, when we've been nearly robbed and murdered."

The door was opened perhaps three inches — as I believed, upon the chain. 1 knew Mrs Galloway's little tricks. But if it was upon the chain what occurred was odd. Someone came hurrying up the steps behind us. To my amazement it was the dreadful old man in the yellow canvas cloth. I was too bewildered to even try to guess where he had come from ; I had never supposed that he or anybody else was near. He pointed to the door. "Open!" he said, in that queer, halfstifled voice in which he -ad spoken to me before.

The door was opened wide — though how the housekeeper had had time to remove the chain, if it was chained^ was more than I could understand. Emflv and I marched into the passige — sneaked, I daresay, wou'i) have been the better word. As I wnt the stranger slipped something into my hand — a hard something, wrapped in a scrap of paper.

(To be continued.)

— There is a land crab in Cuba that can rival the ostrich in speed and go much faster than a horse.

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