THE COLONEL'S ENEMY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3127, 2 March 1909, Page 2

THE COLONEL'S ENEMY.

BY WINTHROP B. HARLAND. Author of "Lady Elgin's Secret," "A Harvest of Shame," "The Elder Son," "Lord Ashton's Heir," Etc.

CHAPTER X.—Continued,

"Then we have to face the worst," said Lugard. "St. Hilary has been decoyed away, and Crombie's name was the bait that lured him from the hotel where he was waiting for Mr Dacre and me." The elderly clerk repeated the story the major had told him, and Mr Fletcher listened as he had listened to a hundred others, as strange and as complicated, without a change of countenance; and nis first words proved that he was by no means prepared to believe the worst. "The person who called upon the colonel, and used our name," he said, "answers very well to the description of a man we had to dismiss just about the time we received the colonel's letter. His name is Harvey, and we dismissed another for the gravest offense than can be committed in our profession—breach of fai tli; they betrayed one of our clients to the very people they were set to watch. , Harvey was one of our most confidential agents, thoroughly well acquainted with the names of our clients; and I know that he and Moss, th*> man discharged with him, have been trying to form a connection of their own." "Then you tnink that, in going to St. Hilary, he may have been trying to forestall?" "There is just that possibility. He is th 3 kind of man who would steal a upon us if he could; but whether it yt&i he who used our name, yesterday, is a point on which I can be certain one way or the other within twentyfour hours." "That is a long while to wait," said the major, doubtfully. "We need not be idle in the meantime, sir; that is, if you wish to place the case in our hands." "If I do so, it will not interfere with any other course of action I may take." "That is as you please, sir; but if you will kindly look through a few of these testimonials, you will find that you ne d not doubt our ability or integrity. Of course, the exact natuieofthe services rendered are not mentioned, but you will see than in every case we solved the mystery satisfactorily, and some of them were m jch more, difficulty than this of the olonel's "disappearance. The signatures are authentic, and we can refer you personally to the writers the letters." The major did not doubt him. A glance thr -ugh a few of the testimonials, u:isoli n 't d apparently, convinced him that they were genuine, and the signatures werp those, in many cases, of the highest people in the land. "It appears by these," he said, that you have a large staff at your disposal." "It is practically unlimited. We have agents of every known nationality, and correspondents in every country on the globe. We employ people of all ages, all ranks, and both sexes; and linguists who can speak any language or dialect, from Arabic to the back slang of the Whitechapel ccstermonger. If the colonel can be found by human means, we can find him." "I believe you, and I place the case in your hands." Lugard said. "Lose no time and spare no expense. Thousands of pounds are not ao much to me now as hundreds were a f>w months ago; and t would give every shilling I possess to bring the dear old colonel bnck."

"We shall do our best, sir, you may depend on that; the regular detectives are at work already, and of course, if they find him first, wu can claim no payment or I'eward. Now, sir, you must help us with the most minute description of his personal appearance it is in your power to give. We should like his photograph if you have one. And I wish we knew exactly what clothes he was wear'•l can get his phoiograpb from Miss St. Hihry, and my man can give you an exact description of his clothes. I engaged my man last night. He was a waiter at the Cornwallis, and I brought him to London with me." "Nothing cculd be better. We shall find your man very useful. If you had engaged him only for this special purpose, it would have been well worth your while. Can we see the letter the colonel left for you?" "It was left for Air Dacre, not for me, and he has it I wonder he has not been here before. He knew how important it was to hear from you, whether the stranger was your agent or not." "He may have gone on another track," Fletcher suggested. "Possibly. He went out very early, between six and seven, it must have been." "Perhaps he went to Scotland Yard, as he knew our offiae would not be open so early as that. Have you been to the Yard?" "Not yet. lam going when I leave here." "Then I think it very likely he called there, and he may have heard some news. Mr Darlington told you that the colonel left Crewe yesterday afternoon?" "Yes; and could have bsen in London by eight in the evening." "He has sent that information to the Yard long before this," said Mr Fletcher. "Darlington is one of the best men in the force, and would lose no time. If Mr Dacre called at the Yard, thsy would tell him what they had heard, and send a man with him to follow in the colonel's footsteps, We had better go and see. They know me there, and don't mind helping me, tnough they will not do it for everybody engaged in the same line." They want to Scotland Yard. It was not far away, and Mr Fletcher stated their business while the major stood rthntively near. He felt that ba han been unjust in thinking Mr Dacre neglectful when he heard what the inspector said.

"Yes, we heard from Darlington of Liverpool," the urbane official informed them; "he told us that the colonel and tfie man with him left Crewe' for London yesterday afternoon, and asked us to do what we could to make sure it was really he, or only somebody like him; and we had a gentleman here this morning on the tame subject—a Mr Dacre." "At what time?" the major asked. "Soon after seven. He wanted us to send a man with him at once and make inquiries, but there was no one in just then. He came again about half-past nine, and we let him have or.e. I advised Mr Dacre to go home and wait till he heard fron> us, but he was too anxious for that." "As he certainly would be." "But his anxiety helps nobody," said the practical inspector; "and though we hardly like to say so, a gentleman is only in the way; he hampers our men, and attracts attention, when we want to be as quiet as we can over what we are doing; and he was dead beat, too, worn out with want of sleep and fatigue, but he pulled himself together in a wonderful way, and said he was ready to go to the end of the world, if necessary.". "He has extraordinary energy for a man of his years," the major said, "and his affection for Miss St. Hilary would give him strength. He nas had no rest since some hours before this time yesterday; and, to my thinking ne is only chasing a will-o'-the-wisp." "In what way, sir?" "I believe they are following the wrong man; it is not for a moment credible, to me, that if St. Hilary left Crewe yesterday, and was in London iast night, he would have neglected the opportunity of ending the terrible suspense he knows we must be enduring." "As for that," the inspector said, "some people, who are sensible, apparently, do the strangest things, without the slightest motive; and, when a gentleman's mind is set on cne particular purpose he is apt to forget the trouble he may be causirg his friend^." "It is so entirely Ike the colonel," Lugard said; "and I cannot rid my mind of the idea that there has been foul play. The worst feature in it i 3, that the man he went away with was a stranger, who had no right to use the name of Fletcher & Wyman's firm." "That does look ugly, certainly," ihe inspector admitted. "Still, as Fletcher says, he may have been one of f.heir discarded employees, doing a bit of business on his own acconnt. Anyhow, he must have been well acquainted with what was going on." "That is why the case looks so black to us," the major said. "Even had he been a discarded employee, looking up the matter on his own account, he would not have kept the colonel from sending a letter or a telegram to apprise us of his movements." [to be continued.]