The White Glove

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 438, 6 July 1915, Page 3

The White Glove

Author of " The Room of Secre

CHAPTER XXVII.— (Continued.) MORE REVELATIONS.

They went on to talk about the wedding after that, and Doris became ecstatic on the subject of her trousseau and of Winifred Hamlyn's dress. Cecil, sittiug apart, had become engrossed in a paper with latest news about the war, and when Doris suddenly tugged at his sleeve he looked up with a vacant expression. "Why don't you say something; give some 'opinion or other?" she exclaimed, pretending to be pettish. "I Relieve that you haven't heard a word that we've been saying. What are you reading so industriously, dear?" "You are right; I haven't heard a word for the last ten minutes. And as for what I have been reading, would you be surprised to hear that old Shaxby is suspected of spying in this country in the interest of Germany? There is a long paragraph about him in this paper, and about an electric gun that he invented two years ago, and last year sold to the Kaiser's Government."

I-I« road the paragraph aloud. "Provided this report is accurate," he said, when he had done, "Shaxby has been working in this country in the interests of Germany for years past, and we. know already that Sir Somers Gcthen. had dealings with Germany of the same nature. That would now seem to account for the two men's close, intimacy. It may also he an important reason for Shaxby's anxiety to become possessed of Alwyn's electrical apparatus, for, according to this report, Shaxby is one of the cleverest 'electric scientists,' as they call him here, of the day. He had, you see, an interest in a large Arm in Brcslau. There was evidently more than we supectcd in his visits to the Brussels Electrical Exhibition, where Soares met him first." "Where is he now?" Winifred Hamlyn asked. "Isn't he under arrest siuce that night you surprised him t with the woman in the house next to Doris's?" "He ought to be, but our precious authorities let him out on bail, and I am told he has disappeared. As likely as not J-• is in Germany. But all his apparatus l?s been seized, or as much of it as the po> ec could find. By the way, Doris, what lias become of .Taek D«ighton? I've not seen him for quite a long time, and' I'm told he hasn't been to the club for a fortnight." "I've no idea. Why——" She stopped abruptly. "Well, what?"

"Oh, nothing," she said carelessly. "But there is something," he exclaimed. "Tell me what it is, dear. What has happened to .lack? Where is he?

"In Brcslau. I have just remembered. That pretty cousin he is about with so much told me >a week ago that she had a letter from him there. She didn't say why lie had gone to Germany, but maintained that he had said that lie didn't wish her to tell anybody. However, she told me, as she said, 'in confidence.' I think that now there can be no harm in my telling you 'in confidence,'" she ended with a laugh. s "Deighton is something of an amateur detective, you know," Mylne said, after a pause. "I shouldn't be surprised if he suspected Shaxby of some trickery of that kind- had followed him to Germany to watch his movements. He has been keeping an eye on him for some time."

In point of fact that was what Deighton had done. /Circumstances had mt!«!» him extremely suspicious of the old man, and without even disguising. himself—knowing Shaxby to be very short-sighted —he had sailed on the same boat with him, keeping always sufficiently far from him to avoid recognition. From Brcslau' he had followed him to Dusseldorf, thence to Badeu-Baden, and thence"" to Berlin, ascertaining his movements in each town and discovering the names of his associates in each, being himself an excellent linguist. And he had not been surprised, knowing what he did, to find that often Shaxby appeared to be on terms of intimacy with several of the leading German military authorities.

As so often happens, within an hour after speaking about Deighton, Mylne met him in the street. He overtook him at the entrance to the club, and they went.in together.

"The very man I wanted to see," Mylne said, -when they had settled themselves comfortably in the smoking-room. "Where oil earth have you been during these last weeks,' Jack? Doris was inquiring for you less than an hour ago." "In Germany," his companion answered seriously. "I returned only this morning, and lucky I was to get away safely. To cut a long story short, I've been shadowing Shaxby there, and have every reason to believe him to be a German spy, or, rather, an Englishman hi the pay of the German Government. I had suspected this for a long time, and now I am practically sure of it. *He ought never ot have ben released on bail after his arrest in Cromwell Road." And then 1 he told him what he had discovered. Briefly it was to. the effect that the old man had not wasted a minute of his time in Germany, and that he had spent three hours one day, and two hours on the day following, in the company of a man of notorious repute in Berlin, inasmuch as he.was known to be chief of a great agency with branches the world over, an agency notoriously opposed to the British Empire. "But Shaxby—where is he now?" Mylne interrupted, impatiently. "I was going to tell you," Deightou answered, and then, bending forward, he spoke in a low tone into Mylne's ear.

"You don't say so!" his companion exclaimed.

"It's there that the gang is being watched by the police for the purpose of a raid. I have arranged with the police that they are to ring me up here at this time on the day they decide to raid that place, and give me particulars of their plans. lam going to join that raid- yon had better do the same."

"Nothing I should like better. From what you tell me the gang are probably only awaiting Shaxby's return; then they will at meet. But the raid may be dillicult to carry out now that war lias been declared."

While they were still talking Mylne was called to the telephone. "That's probably Scotland Yard," he said, as he rose quickly. "You won't go before I return'.'"

Left alone, Delghlon grew strangely excited. All that Mylne had'jusl told him fitted in exactly with what be had seen and heard. More than ever before, it now seemed to him, the murderer of Alwyn Courtney and "Lady Codrington" must uuickly lie discovered. In his public life Courtney had ever been a strong and insistent advocate for precaution being taken against men and women living in (ireat Britain and believed to be employed in communicating information to the German Government, and more than once Dcighton had suspected the alleged friendship or Sir Sinners Gethen for Alwyn Courtney. Twice, indeed, he had hinted as much to Courtney, who had laughed the idea to scorn.

"My dear fellow," he had exclaimed on one occasion -Dcighton remembered it well —"you are emotional and unpractical. Gethen is an Englishman through and through, and could have no reason whatever for being in sympathy with any foreign country likely to become an enemy. You must dismiss that notion from your mind at once." Ten mi' l "' ' •--*-"'• -•..• lvl •" i.i ::.:

BY WILLIAM LE QUEUX

ts," The Mystery of X.'' &c, &c.

evening paper Avhich had just been brought in, had for the moment forgotten about his friend. Suddenly he looked up at the clock. "Has Mr Mylne gone out?" he enquired of a passing waiter. "He went to the telephone 20 minutes ago, and said he would return at once."

The waiter went out to make enquiries. When he came back he said that apparently nobody had seen Mr Mylne. So far as they knew he had not spoken on the telephone. Deighton went up to the billiards room and into the cardrooms, but in vain. Mylne had not been there, ho was told, nor had any of the members there seen him since the previous day. He was coming down the stairs again when a taxi drew up at the door and Mylne jumped out. A moment later he was in the hall.

"Ah, Jack," he exclaimed, "there you arc! I have just come back to fetch you. Conic with me at once. We haven't a minute to spare." .He took his friend by the arm, when Deighton had got his hat and coat, and walked with him quickly out of the club, enquiring of the hall porter, on the way if anybody' bad called to enquire for him or rung him up. In the taxi he spoke rapidly. "The raid is to take place to-night," he said, "between midnight and 2 o'clock. We are both to accompany the police, but before then there is much to* be done. Doris is in a terrible state of nerves. I have just seen her, but nothing will calm her. That confounded woman, Ethel Mockridge, had the insolence to call to see her this morning, and the maid, not having received orders to the contrary, admitted her. Doris wont tell me what she said, but whatever it was it has upset her very much. I have sent the doctor *to her, and he is with her now. By the way, you had better take a pistol of some sort with you to-night, Jack. The police have advised me to; they say that the gang are a desperate lot, who will stick at nothing when they find themselves cornered. Have you a pistol?" '

"Yes, a Browning; and I can make pretty good practice with it. Where shall 'we meet, and at what time?" ."With all I have to attend to before tonight, 1 can't meet you before 11 at the earliest. Be at my rooms, then, and don't forget the pistol. I want you to come with me now to Scotland yard to identify three portraits if you can. They are" of people thought to be British, and believed to be working in this country in the interests of Germany—two women and a man." . ' . .'

Some hours later Mylnc and Jack Deighton were in the former's chambers in the Albany. Dressed in rough ■ lounge suits, and each with a pistol in his pocket, they sat quietly finishing their cigars and coffee. Punctually at half-past 11 Mylne's servant entered.

"Your car is waiting, sir, with Inspector Vincent," he said.

The two men rose at once. Some minutes later the car was passing rapidly up Bond Street. At Oxford Circus the three alighted, and proceeded at a leisurely walk eastward. At various points plain-clothes policemen noticed them, and followed in the same direction, acting on a pre-arranged plan.

At the corner of a narrow street off Berners Street the men, 18 in all, met as if by accident and walked briskly iir the direction of a tall, well-built house, which .stood a little way from the pavement, and was flanked by iron railings.

CHAPTER XXrX.—THE HOUSE OF MYSTERIES.

A corner house at the junction of two narrow, high-shouldered streets, there was nothing about the building to attract attention, least of all suspicion. It had four floors, and, though the blinds of all the windows were pulled down, there were lights in five windows on one side and in three on the other, in addition to a narrow streak of light which percolated from a

low, narrow window above the front door, on the first floor—apparently a staircase light. The door had been newly painted a dull, slate-grey, and above the letter-box a brass plate requested that nobody should ring unless an answer were required. Three stone steps led up to the door, which stood In a foot or two under a brick arch. The police, also Mylne and Dcighton, worc\ boots with rubber soles, and as they moved swiftly about, Hashing a light hero and a light there for a brief moment, they looked almost like spectres. Nobody else was in either street, but at intervals a taxi could be seen Hashing across the end of the street which led into Berners Street. Presently the inspector snapped his fingers. At once two constables stepped quickly up to the door, and, while the remainder kept out of sight, one of them pressed the bell three times quickly, then twice at longer intervals, ending with five short, sharp rings. A latch clicked, and the door opened immediately. Both men stepped into the dimly-lit ball, and the door shut noiselessly behind them. A minute passed, during which nobody moved. The door opened again a little way, and three more constables, followed by Mylne and Dcighton, entered; the door shut again, and onca more all was stillness. There was nothing unusual in the appearance of the small hall in which the seven men now stood. A low oak tabic and at long oak chest stood on one side, close to the wall. On the other side were several chairs, some coat-pegs, and a hat rack, but no coats or hats. Mylne, looking about him curiously, noticed that a wire connected to a chain operated the door-latch. There was n» staircase, but there were two doors, on» facing the front door they had "come in by, the other a narrow door to the right. The inspector pointed to the latter, and two policemen and Mylne and Deighton went over to it. Then they saw that it had no handle, and apparently no lock. For several moments one of the, constables flashed the light of his lantern up and down it and to left and right. He pressed it at several "points with his thumb and fingers, but nothing happened,. The door had no projection of any kind, and no panels. But for its colour, a light fawn, it might have been part of the wall. (To be continued.) . .