“The Other John Smith,”

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 46, Issue 14118, 12 May 1920, Page 7

“The Other John Smith,”

(By LEWIS EAMSDEN). Author of “Prisoners of the Council,” “My Lady of the Car,” “The Golden Casket,” “The Word of a Somerl eigh,” etc., etc.

PUBLISHED BY BPHCIAL ASSKANGEMKNT.

(COPYBIGHT.)

CHAPTEI XXXTX. 1 AM AGAIN TEAPPEP. This sense that 1 had somewhere been wanting, had somehow missed a clue, was upon me when I dismissed the motor car at my hotel. As I was walking up the steps another car came up and stopped by the. pavement 1 had just left. “I beg your pardon, sir,” a voice sounded at niv elbow. “I hoped to overtake your car, but could not. Monseigneur thought of a point of great importance directly you had left, and begs that you will return with me to Bromsgrove House. ’ ’ The man wore the gold and blue livery of the House of Aurant, and I remembered having seen him amongst the servants of the royal household. This was no mistaken impression, because his subsequent • disappearance proved him to have been one of the spies whose presence in Bromsgrove House had been suspected. ..Without hesitation, therefore, I entered the closed car which had drawn up. 1 wondered what could be the important matter of which Charles had thought, and about which lie seemed to be urgently desirous of consulting me. I thought it might possibly have to do with the problem which was impressing itself upon my thoughts. My mind was so occupied by the impression, so vague, yet so persistent, which forced itself upon me, that not the slightest suspicion of possible trickery entered my head; neither did T take any notice of the route by. which I was travelling. I only remember that the ear seemed to be darting in and out of the traffic at a- great rate for a little while, and that we then reached a quieter way.

At last it did begin to dawn upon ray consciousness that our speed was reckless, and we had just been taking a number of sharp turns, but just then tiie car slowed suddenly, again gave a turn, then stopped, and I knew we were in a covered place of some sort, and 1 heard big doors slam behind.

Then there flashed into my mind Pliilomene’s question which she had asked me when I hud told her of Gaston s loss —• • What kind of easel” That was what put the possibility into my head. And I had promised her I would ask Gaston if I thought of it. Of course, I had not thought of it during that hurried rush to Herne Bay, and the crossing to Elbium. But now — Supposing the kind of case should be a pencil case? Mv hand shook as I took from my watch chain the bijou pencil case that 1 had picked upon the morning I had seen the Other John Smith kidnapped in,Hyde Park. The reader will remember how I had seen it fall from the door of the supposed taxi cab when -the struggle (which I had thought to be a merely playful one), was takipg place, and how I had followed the car for a little distance for the purpose of restoring the golden trilie. WJiat if it was then that Gaston had lost his precious possession, instead of in the little mishap on leaving his hotel, as lie had believed? With lingers still shaking I unscrewed the small gold top, in which was set a piece of crystal. It was almost a relief when I found that the space in which the leads are generally kept was void, and contained no tightly rolled photograph. J was screwing the top on again when another idea occurred to me, and I once more took it off and examined it more carefully. Then, with a smothered exclamation I put .the thing to my eye and held it up to the light. And there was the copy of the secret treaty! Those who remember the once popular fashion of reduffing the Lord’s Prayer, or views of some pleasure resort, to microscopic dimensions, on the back of a tiny piece of magnifying glass, which was then set in the top of

Instantly I now knew, of course, that something was wrong, but the knowledge came too late. Lights flashed out in the covered space, and I could see in a moment where I was — iu the big private garage behind the bouse in Berrow street. The door of the ear was thrown open, armed men were ready to receive me, and evidently prepared to shoot if I showed any signs of resistance. Several of the men I recognised as my acquaintances of the Imperial Secret Police.

“'Guicn abend, Mccster Smooth, or, as I find I may still call you, Herr Marquis. ’’ “Good evening, Excellency,” I answered, for the speaker was the Imperial Ambassador, the Count Von Heyden himself, and I made an effort to appear as much at ease as he was. “I am afraid you have caught me napping. The fact is, I thought the need for this kind of nonsense was over.”

“.Ta wo hi. But this is merely breeautionary measure, and is, in fact, to you a great gombilment.” “Very good of you, Count, I am sure; and though I take your word for it I don’t quite see where the compliment comes in.”

“Nein?’-’ be laughed. “Then I will exblain. In twenty-four hours the Elbian madder will bo settled, iu three days our arrangements will be gombletp. You hat* zo much trouble given us that we fear you may yet übset our blans, and we haf decided to keep you out of ze way for ze three days.”

“Not in that confounded vault again, though, I hope, Count?”

“It must be zo. But all that is bossible will be done for your gomfort, and at the end of the few days you will be free.” So I was marched through the garden and covered by the pistols of my captors was made to descend the underground chamber, which was fastened upon me.

This time, however, there was no terror of darkness. A table and chair had been placed there, and a paraffin lamp with a drum of oil for refilling, and sufficient plain food to last for several days. Thus the place was habitable, even if not, as the Ambassador had said, comfortable.

“Who could have thought that I should find myself in this place again?” I said, as 1 made a survey of the vault. “What a confounded ass I was not to have stuck to that key! ” Then I thought of how I had reminded Phil omen e of her possesion of the key, and of how I had twice jocularly''spoken of the possibility of my being again imprisoned there, little thinking that I had been uttering a prophecy. Would Justine and Philomene remember what I had said, and would they induce anyone to act upon it when they found I had disappeared, or would they, and my friends, be satisfied by the plausible false message which my captors would no doubt send.

More than of my own position, however, 1 was thinking of Elbium, and of how the sands of her freedom were now running out. In twenty-four hours, the Count had said, the matter would be settled; that is, the Imperial Government would have everything ready beyond the power of interference. And with this thought returned that strange conviction that.here was something yet to be done, something to which Providence had led me, and which I had failed to do. Yet what could there be, I asked myself in despair. What could I possibly do in this place? CHAPTER XL. THE FINDING OF THE DOCUMENT COPY. I walked up and down, the vaulted cell trying to shake off what seemed to be a mental hallucination. Had I failed in some way? Ought I perhaps to have initiated a search for the document copy which the Other John Smith had lost; the photographic copy which he had put into a case?

a penholder, or any other little knickknack, will understand how this document copy was preserved in the same way. There it was, every word clear, of the brief agreement which sealed Elbium’s fate and secured Philippe in his ignominious royalty. There appended were the seals and signatures of the Emperor and of the King. It was a cunning device for carrying the document copy safely, though so obvious, now I had discovered it, tha,t I was amazed I had hot thought of it before. And to think that all the while I had the very thing in my possession; that the enemy had it in his possession, too, when they had taken it from me at Knightston Towers, and that they had actually given it back to me. To be Concluded.