"An Innocent Adventuress,"

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 45, Issue 13850, 5 June 1919, Page 7

"An Innocent Adventuress,"

By CHAELES PKOCTEE. Author of "The Dice of God," "What Shall It Profit a Man!" "At Dead of Night, ,, etc., etc. (COPYEIGHT.)

CHAPTER XXTJl.—Continued.

PUBLISHED BT SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT.

Alighting at the entry to his chambers, Hector sent the taxi driver away rejoicing with a tip of half a sovereign over his fare, and went quickly up to his rooms. ■ He felt stiff and sore now, Jis a result of his struggle with Cramer and his accomplices, and his iirst action was to change his clothes and brace himself up with a nip of brandy, then he threw himself down in his favourite chair to think. . ''Perhaps it, would only cause needless trouble if 1 explain everything to the authorities immediately," he soliloquised, ''and they might decline to believe our story. Better leave that part oi the business over until 1 have Been Elsie again and told her everything, but meanwhile 1 think Kramer should be laid by the heels, lie may have official papers which should not be allowed to leave the country in his possession, and 1 certainly should be neglecting my duty if I allow him to go free. I wonder if I can find Bertram?'* He rose from his chair and went to Ihe telephone, and was fortunate- enough to get through to Bertram's house immediately. It was a servant who answered his call, and informed him that he believed Mr Bertram had just gone out, but would enquire. Hector "held the line," and a minute or two later heard Bertram's voico over the wire.

"Hullotf That you, Hector?" asked the Under-Secretary. "1 was just going out when the servant caught me. Anything wrong.'' * "Yes; about our conversation this morning, Cyril," said Hector, coining to the point at onec. "Jleinrich Kramer, the foreign agent, and Otto Stanislas Cramer, the American, are one and the same person.- , / '•Eh! What's that? .How do you know ''' "Miss Laurier —Miss Cramer, you know —Cramer's adopted daughter— found it out and told me. She lias left them, after they forced her to send a message asking me to come .to the house." He gave some details of the attempt to rob him, without, however, mentioning that Cramer had previously attempted to force him to give up the secret plans. "Have you told the police?" asked Bertram. "Not yet. I thought I would communicate with 3'ou first and ask for instructions. It occurred to me that possibly you would not want the matter made public." "Quite right, Hector. I will get through to Scotland Yard myself and give 'them instructions. I hope they (•;iu-h the beggar. To tell the truth, I half-suspected that Cramer was Kramer, but the idea seemed so absurd, and we had a cable from our man in New York stating that Otto Stanislas Cramer, of Newport, was well known there, :so L concluded everything was all right. : You say Miss Cramer —what's her right : name.' —-Laurier —Miss Laurier never suspected the true state of affairs?'" i ""So, shio was horritied when she found out the truth." ! "Ah, so she can't have been helping Kramer by inducing our men to give her papers, like the woman who tempted Ambrose. Do you know that Ambrose has made a clean breast of everything? Ho has given the name of the .woman and all details." ' "Who is she?" asked Hector eagerly, half angry with himself, for his heart had seemed to miss a beat, i "A little French actress called Cle- ' inent, who is supposed to be in the pay of a Belgian named Yerron. But I must get on to Scotland Yard at once, Hector. Come, and see me to-morrow and tell me all about it. Hope you're not hurt, old chap?" i "No, I'm all right. Only stiff. Goodbye, •'•' returned Hector, and rang off. i "Well, the fat's in the lire now!" ho muttered, picking up his pipe, "if they catch Kramer ho may tell his story abo"ut Phyllis and myself being implicated in the murder, out of spite, and even if he does not, Elsie may do so. "Well, I'm going to face the thing, and if Elsie cuts up rough when 1 explain matters, I'll go to the police myself and tell them everything. 1 sincereIly hope that Elsie will be reasonable, will accept the position, and will understand that Phyllis is not in any way to blame, if she won't, and carries out her threat, and the police won't believe ! Phyllis and me —well—!" CHAPTER XXIV. A_\ r AlilfEST. Lady Elsie Tatfersall paced up and down the morning roum in a perfect fever of impatience, twisiing a. handkerchief in her slim white hands and starting at every sound. Hector had sent a brief note to say that he would call at eleven o'clock, and although the hour had not yet struck, Lady Elsie had already been at the window at least a dozen times, and was fretting at what she imagined to be the delay. The ormolu clock on the mantelshelf i chimed the hour at last, and barely a minute later Hector was shown into , the room. Lady Elsie looked at him closely as she shook hands, noted that he looked exceptionally grave, and that there was a troubled look in his steadfast eyes, but his expression gave her no indication of what she wished to know. Hector, for his part, saw that his cousin was very pale, that her eyes were feverishly bright, and that she seined to be experiencing some difficulty in controlling her nerves, and his heart sank at the prospect of trying ito conciliate an excited woman.

"You are not looking well, Elsie," he remarked tentatively, trying to appear quite at his ease and failing miserably. "No, 1 am not well.-' Lady Elsie's voice was quite harsh as sho answered. "The strain is unbearable. I haven't been able to sleep. How can I feel well until I know that you are safe —until " Bho stopped abruptly, and sat down, biting her under-lip. "Hector, I feel quite unnerved," she said in altered tones, after a pause. "Don't let us beat about the bush. Tell me, have you made up your mind?" '' Yes, Elsie, I have fully made up my mind, and I am afraid you may be hurt when you hear my decision," replied Hector steadily. "Much has happened since I saw you yesterday, and I want you to bear with me for a few minutes and hear what I have to Hay."

Lady Elsie's face ilushcd for a moment, then she compressed her thin lips tightly as if to keep back the flood of passionate words that she would fain let loose.

"I am listening," she said with forced calmness, after a pause, and clasped her hands together in her lap. Hector plunged at onco into explanation, relating the incidents of the ;provious night, how Phyllis had been forced by torture to send the mossage, how ho had fallen into the trap and been

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(To ba Continued.}

rescued in the nick of time. Lady FAsie's eyes gleamed as she listened, but sho spoke no word and asked no questions, until Hector had finished his story, then she broke into a scornful, high-pitched laugh. " L>o you actually mean to tell me that you are simple enough to believe the woman's explanation?'' she asked, as Hector stared at her in resentful surprise. ''Knowing what you do, and after all that has happened, do you mean to say that you credit this absurd and impossible explanation, and are foolish enough to believe that she, is innocent ?'' ''Yes, 1 do, Elsie,'-' replied Ifector iirmly. "1 know she has told me the truth, and 1 fully believe in her innocence. I am surprised that you should doubt her even now when you know everything.'' '•I am not blindly infatuated!'' ejaculated his cousin bitterly. ■'Can't you realise that the woman is still fooling you, tliat she was sharp enough to realist' that the game was up, and she had come to the end of her tether? 1 see it all! JShe had fallen out with her confederates, the Cramers, and thought she would l>e safe for a time if she battened on yuii. yhe realised that you had t'ouml out the truth about her, so she trumped up this ingenious explanation of her connection with Jenkins, assumed the pose oi ! the injured innocent — and you were taken in. Are you mvd — blind, Hector , ? Can't you see that the woman is a daring adventuress, a vampire who will bring about your ruin if you persist in this folly'? , ' "It is not I who am blind, but you, Elsie,' , retorted Hector quietly. ''You are blinded by prejudice and jealousy, and see evil where no evil exists. 1 have told you everything, and 1 expected that when you knew the truth you would recognise that you have been wronging Miss Laurier and would sympathise with her. She has been deceived, first by Jenkins, then by the Cramers, victimised and placed in a falso position, and now you know the true state of affairs you persist in your unreasoning prejudice and still denounce her as a criminal and an adventuress. Klsie. have you hist all sense of justice? "• "I decline to be lectured, Hector," 1 Lady Klsie responded witli forced calmness. " Xothiag you can say will persuade me that the woman is anything else but a. common adventuress, and 1 am not going to be hoodwinked by any l'ar-t'etc.hed story. As for justice, if the woman who has deceived you so completely Lrot her deserts she would be in nrison. •''