CHAPTER XII.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13798, 2 November 1908, Page 6

CHAPTER XII.

THE ACT OF A KNAVE. Three questions were uppermost in Nick Carter's mind while be was in pursuit of the veiled woman: Was she, indeed, going to tin* room oi Adolph Vernol? What possible relations could exist between these two? Was Chick Carter right, after all, in his conjecture that Vernol had been fooling the detectives, and was himself guilt\ of the murder of Doctor Cardiff 9 These questions flashed through Nick--- brain while he mounted the first flii'lit of stairs. He did not look back. His onl\ cure, that alone for which he felt am need existed, was to guard against detection by the woman preceding him.

When he reached Ihe second ball, he s.,\\ her |ea\r the stall- at the thud , li* t 11111 lin the dilection he . M-«'i te<t Daitmg qmckl\ up to p< .•!• .tiouni! li. tolliei ol the wall, he (list o\ ere.l lie! standing at Vernol's door, as it she bud nist knocked on it. Her bai k was mined towaid him. and Nick was still watching her when the door «« k opened. . . Then the dr\ , rasping voice ot \< i noi sounded through the hall. ••Ha"' he exclaimed, and Nick note; the thrill of exultation that imbued his tones. "So sou're hoie. Mistiess, Annette. It's well \ou --" ,{ '•l)r\ up. üm tool, and let me m Would \on shout m> iiaine and minion troin the housetops?" The \<>iee <>f the woman, who na<» quickly interrupted, was as haul. cold, and sharp as a kniie-blade. She ibnisl Yernol back into the room while spi-ak- ,„.. entering also, and Nick then heard the door dosed and the Ley turned m lh V..S:tlo, ehr" he mutter^. «ith h,ce «.ro\\n grim aiwl dark. So 1 bit le nail «... the head, as n-^rcU that name Nannie. This is the jade who wrote the Hanlon letter, that's a c.nch- \ French girl, too, without a doubt. One whose viciousness i. lar above he ! av.'iage. judging by her voice and ndliet. She's here for busines-. too, 1 M.H "Nicf'w'as not idle while he thus measured the g.rl and the situation. He -lanced back, but tho hgure croucnmg'under a turn of the stairs was out ol his view. Then he stole quic kh through tho hall, winch was light e(i only dimly by an oil-lamp on one o the; wal"ls, and crouched at Yernol s door. The Ley closed the keyhole, obstruct-, in-- any \"io\v, of the room. Nick listened intently for several moments, and could faintly hear the sound ol voices, but could distinguish nothing that was said, nor one voice from another. "There may be. for all 1 know hall a dozen persons in there, he^ said to himself, irritated by his inability either to see or hoar. "1 might as well be on Mrooklyn Bridge, as tor anything 1 in learning by crouching here. i must better my chances In hook or erooL. Sheltered in the same place I nun which Nick had seen Annette enter the room, Devlin was now watching the detective, with one hand resting on the top stair and the other gripping tinrevolver in his side pocket. One would have needed only a glance at his face to have known that he was ready lor any desperate deed. The slight flapping of a curtain lell upon Nick's strained ears. ■'By Jove, the side window in thenis open a little," he menially exclaimed, recalling that he had looked up to tliose in front and saw that the\ wire closed. Then he suddenh remembered, as men do when the mind is stimulated by any gp-at emergency, tint he hud seen a rope hre-escape banging on the wall in \ eruol's room when he called on him that morning. "There may be one in the room above," thought Nick, quick both to see the opportunity it would ol'ier, and to ignore the danger that must be embraced. "It's the only way and well worth trying." He took advantage of the front stairway, it being the nearer to Yernoi's room, and so misled discovering Devlin on the side stairs. The latter, already guessing Nuk's design, cautiously followed him. (To be continued.) * I ' "