THE HOUSE OF EVIL

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18045, 4 January 1927, Page 16

THE HOUSE OF EVIL

“ STAR’S” NEW SERIAL.

By

WILLIAM LE QUEUX.

CHAPTER XV. About a fortnight later. T.vdon had the news confirmed from another quarter. Gloria,received a letter from her uncle, in which was the following paragraph: “I have got some news for you. Zillah Mayhew is married to a very charming young man. named Edwards. She has been a very sly little puss about it all. It appears from a sofnewhat belated confession to her uncle, my dear old friend John Whitehouse, they have known each other for some four or five years. They met again during her recent visit to Paris and were married there. Edwards is a man possessed of considerable means and moves in good society. They kept the marriage secret for a little time on account of family reasons connected with the husband. lam very glad that Zillah has done so well.” The letter then proceeded to state other things, some of which Lydon, to whom his sweetheart read the epistle, had already heard from Grewgus. The married couple had taken and furnished a house in Curzon Street, where Zillah proposed to entertain. Zillah had led a retired life when in England, did not know many people. But her husband had heaps of friends and acquaintances, and would soon fill the house. They proposed to give a big reception shortly. Stormont and his sister would attend it. And Zillah insisted that Gloria, her father and mother, and her fiance should be her guests on such a special occasion. Innocent Gloria read out all this to her fiance, and the young man made certain inward comments as she went along. It was very unlikely the couple had been married on .Zillah’s last visit to Paris. Grewgus had been watching the woman, Simmons the man till the eve of their disappearance. If there had been any marriage ceremony, they would have known of it. If they were husband and wife, they had been married long ere now, and had lived apart, the better to pursue their nefarious ends. Gloria, woman like, was interested in what appeared to be a real romance. "I am so glad,” she said enthusiastically. “Zillah is such a delightful, charming girl, she deserves a good husband. I am surprised that she has not been married long before this. Uncle Howard speaks well of him, doesn’t he? And I think he is a very shrewd judge of character. We must certainly go to that party to see for ourselves. .You agree, I am sure.” Yes, Lydon certainly agreed. Of course, he could not as yet give a hint to the unsuspecting girl of his reasons. lie would dearly like to observe the adventuress and Edwards at close quarters. In London the next day he found time to run round to Grewgus and inform him of what Howard Stormont had written. “Well, you will keep your eyes open when you are there,” said the detective. “I wish you could take me with you, but that, I suppose, is impossible. I'm a master of disguise, you know; I could go as something quite different from Grewgus. I might spot something that would escape you. I am ver}' curious as to the game they have got on; it must be something big, or else they wouldn’t go to this considerable expense. Of course, that account of the recent marriage in Paris is all bunkum.” Lydon would dearly have liked to take the detective with him as an old friend, to obtain a card for him through Stormont. But he saw it was too risky. Sormont was a man of diabolical ingenuity and cunning. He would smell a rat at once. Later on, he might be able to work him into the Curzon Street menage. “By the way, I have never shown you the snapshot of Edwards that Simmons.took in Paris, have I?” asked the detective presently. He opened a drawer in his writingtable, extracted a photograph and handed it to his client. Lydon gave a cry of astonishment as he looked at it. “Well, of all the strange things that have ever happened ! This man is a member of my own club, the Excelsior.” “What do you know about him?” asked Grewgus in an excited voice. “Well, almost next to nothing. The Excelsior is a big club, you know, and there are dozens of different sets. He mixes rather amongst the fast lot. I have heard that he is a man of good family, a public school and Cambridge man, and has considerable private means.” “Do you know him to speak to?” asked Grewgus eagerly. “T may have exchanged a dozen words with him since I have belonged to the club. We both joined it about the same time, three years ago. 1 should rather say I knew him to nod to.” “T think we might classify him as a typical specimen of the aristocratic crook,” remarked Grewgus.' “Wellborn. well-educated, gifted with brains of the wrong sort, who has taken to evil career either from natural inclination. or because he dislikes honest work. Well, Mr Lydon, this is very interesting and T may say very fortunate. To think we have been scouring London for him, and not hit upon the Excelsior Club. You must certainly go to that party, take diligent notes, and report to me what you have observed.” In due course, formal cards arrived for the big reception. An afternoon one from four to seven, to the Jasper Stormonts, Gloria and Lydon. The banker and his wife sent their excuses. They were a stavat-home couple and had no desire, to rub shoulders with a lot of strangers who knew nothing about them and about whom they knew nothing. “Except Gloria and myself, and my brother and sister, we .should not meet a soul we knew,” said Gloria's father. “The. hostess is a most delightful young woman, my daughter tells me; but she will be too busy to pay any attention to a couple of old fogies like ourselves. Of course, Howard will be in his element amongst a crowd; in a lesser degree, it is possible my sister will also be happv. I and my wife will remain here while you young people are disporting yourselves in society.'’ Howard Stormont had written to say that Gloria had better spend the rest, of the day with them, driving down to Effington after the reception was over. If Lydon wished, he could drive down with them, have dinner and stay the night. But the young man got

out of this. He would meet Gloria in London and take her back to Brighton the day after instead. He wished to be in Howard Stormont's company as little as possible. * The day after he had received the card he strolled into the club of which both he and Edwards were members. Tt was a big establishment, situated in Piccadilly, and had a large clientele —stockbrokers, barristers, a few actors, artists and authors, and several wealthy business men. Almost the first person he saw was an elderly barrister named Joyce, a member of the committee, who had recently retired from practice. This gentleman was a very gregarious person, a great gossip, and supposed to know more about the private history of his fellow-members than anybody else in the club. To Mr Joyce he at once addressed himself: “I’ve had a card for a big reception from Mrs Edwards, the wife of our member. Although a common name, he is the only Edwards in the club. T don’t think I owe it to him, for we are hardly on more than nodding terms, but his wife is a great friend of a man F know, Stormont, to whose niece I am engaged. Of course, they were bound to ask my fiance, and they have A’ery kindly included me.” The elderly barrister rose to the bait at once. He was quite ready to talk about Edwards; he was quite ready to talk about anybody with whom he was acquainted. “I have had a card, too; going to be a rather big thing, I am told. About half a dozen of us here have been asked. Edwards doesn't mix very freely with the members; rather keeps himself to himself. As a matter of fact, he doesn’t come here very often, travels abroad a lot.” 1 “No, I haven’t often met him,” said Lydon in a careless tone. “Who is he, and what is he? I suppose you know?" Mr Joyce smiled; he was very proud of his general knowledge, which he acquired by his assiduous attendance at the club. “I know as much as anybody else, I think, but there doesn’t seem very much to know about him. He talks very little abotit himself. He is a Cambridge man. comes, 1 believe, of a good old Sussex family, follows no profession or occupation, has private means.” The information was decidedly meagre; but it was certain that if this was all Mr Joyce knew, nobody knew any more. “Rather a surprise this marriage, isn’t it?” asked Lydon after a pause. “I learn from Stormont that they were married a very short time ago abroad, I think he said- in Paris.” “Quite right,” confirmed the barrister. “We knew nothing about it here until quite But you see that is not to be wondered at. Nobody of the half-dozen who have received invitations is more than just a club acquaintance. I suppose they really want to fill the rooms. He rushed in here about a week ago, told me what you know that he was recently married had taken a house in Curzon Street, and they were going to hold a reception, sort of house-warming. lie was going to send cards to a few of the members. Would I pass on to them what he had told me, as he might not be in the club again before the party came off?” After lunch Lydon took a taxi down to Craven Street, and imparted to him the result of his interview with Joyce, both men agreeing that what he had learned from that gentleman was practically no more than what they knew already. The party was a week hence. Grewgus was still very bent upon going, but he recognised the impossibility of getting there. “ If I could get a chance. T would go as a waiter,” he said. “ Well, it's no use thinking about it. You say that you will be leaving about seven. I’ll be hanging about outside from halfpast six—there’s sure to be the usual staring crowds outside. If you've nothing better to do, look out for me and follow me. When we are well out of view, we can go into some place and you can tell me anything that you think may be useful to us.” On the day appointed, Leonard went to Curzon Street. His afternoon had been a pretty busy one, and he did not arrive there till close upon six. The rooms were quite full and it was a little time before he met his hostess, who had abandoned her position at the door some time ago. She greeted him cordially, and after a few words with her he passed on. Presently lie found the Stormont party. The portly Howard was looking very happy and radiant. “ A thorough success,” he whispered to the young man. “ Zillah's a born hostess and seems immensely admired. Most of the people here are the husband's friends; she lias been so seldom in London that she doesn’t know many people yet. But it won’t be long before she does. I’m delighted it is going off so well. J’m very fond of Zillah; she's such a sweet girl.” Lydon thought grimly that- the unfortunate Calliard had said the. same thing. He inquired if Mr Whitehouse was there. “ No,” was the answer. “He was awfully disappointed he could not be here to witness her triumph. But he was prevented by important business. I believe he is dining with them after the show.” The mother was not there. Well, her parents were supposed to be dead and the uncle was absent. No doubt, Mrs Edwards had her own good rea sons for not having her own family round her. Casually he said to Stor mont: “I've just caught a glimpse of Edwards: he hasn't seen ttv* vet. Do you know he's a member of my club, the Excelsior?” Was it fancy, or did he. detect a rather shifty look in Stormont's eyes as he replied to him? “ \ es, he told . me when T first mentioned vour name. What, a small place the world is, eh?” “It came as a surprise to vott all. Gloria told me. Did you or her uncle now anything of Edwards before she married him?” “ Never set eyes on him." came the prompt, answer. “ Zillah has been a. very sly little puss over it,, they seem to have met abroad first. But he's a delightful fellow with lots of money. There's no doubt, she has done wonderfully well for herself. And he knows heaps of good people. As you know, J don’t go about in London, but this seems to me decidedly a smart party.” (To be Continued.)