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I ---- .- answers to.the only que4stions% put `to him in, cross-examination crbated something of a sensation." mks! n1I`pa:` LL- ._.-------L`3-~ -A i i CHAPTER xxm. A Missing Detective. A Two hours later Dick Wenslade was receiving the congratulations of his friends `on his triumphant ae- quittal. The- verdict of Not Guilty had followed swift and sure on the brief summing-up of the Judge. which was indeed la. plain direction to the only possible nding. fl'*I- ,1 9 atfesafe, cheap and convenient. _Th`e'y are payable free oficharge. , at all banks in {except in.th'e Yukon District). T The Money`Orders issued by this_Bank are alsopayable free or a charge in the principal cities of the United States, and at the "' rate of $4.90 to the :5 sterling in Great Britain and Ireland. They can obtained at any office of the Bank on application. . -, ._,___." at t `[3 `El ._ 7 _-`~-_ .,,_,___,.`,A f\`>.`,V...`. .l _ `A _ 4`, I -. : r .7 _ ~ > K . .- . V *. ,4. . . _ -'2\,,~- -. .e. ._- ` - :.`. ~,`; L. .`.g-_" I ` - * a ' ` ` .~ . A_. v , - . K V ` '\-` . . . ' ' ` " . A . - , , `. . . % F VCOMMER CE ram-m?cA1>mu., $1o;,ooo,ooo mauve ruNn,. sun EDMUND wALKER.{ c.v.`o.; ' L'L.o;,.} o. c. L. Pneaineuf ALEXANDER A LAIRD, Geuanin. `MANAGER BANK MONEY ORDERS JBARRIEBRANCH T % J. GRASETT. ilfjanager. At` vth ` end of. half. an hour, nothing having been heard or seen of the Sergeant, the party setout in Major Wil~braham s car for gthe"_ Priory- Dick 'and.`` the Major, Elisha ;jCro:we_ ~ and Inspector Pear_man.- A. But here s lain `hey._1net. with a h__eck, -_LQrd ' onks11ver' had ..j.ustr`ereturnedw .l_a_I_d `save ~th111:.`Vn.,!e; fcilityfi.-fi' ,in _1knge.'o-the servants; siding "thefa_n.jyvithF `A an~,.aelm0.ste-pbieshe L-wa&*a1lin`bff 1 ....4 _ I . _`: . [C CS. ' . The only other Wif9Ss called `for the dfem.=e; was Ym.n.9.;VWho. told '9? C9-t.rh9 .'?..;3*1` A M (be h'a_d- 9ntr!_{ed=i sag; durihs" v-_-.--=v v. gnvvocn-.6: The suggestion was adopted, the Chief Constable utilising the inter- val in sending out plain-clothes men to inquire if either Ravenscar or Scott had .been.seen in the town. The investigation was not without an ominous result, The manager of one of the banks was able to state. that just before they closed [Raven- scar~- had'"'_'comeI in and drawn out nearly the whole of his balance?-a very considerable sum. `NNo`[one"ap'- 1 peared to _ha;v.-_-noticed-` Scott, `which was ,not,remarlBl`e;' since`_t_he_ ' don detectwe s face was "not" familiar j_ in theftown._` ; :3 . A, a. 3. C 3.. . V` J . 4 in " "A. '4 - - J I shouldn't wait longer than half an hour, _ he said.` Then. we must |try to pick up the `trail for oursel- v_es,v and the best place to begin would beat the Priory at Beacon Audley. I don't think he anticapted defeat, and if -he had not completed preparations for` ight he may. have gone there. "to -' get money "and a i change of clothing. i ` ` Elisha was lookiing very fragile and .W0'rn.. The reaction `after ,.t_he` ' strain `was telling on him,Ithe _'n"1'ore_ [so as in spite of his public triumph lhe was -conscious of failure`. He" g felt that he should never hold up hisl head again if anythiing happened to Iphyahs Vaughan through his `discom- ture of Ravenscar. He blamed him- self for`fai'ling to trace the girl be- fore he struck the nal pblow. The r idea of her at theemercy of a man ~baled and hunted, who. would not iknow how to dispose of her with (slafetg to. himself, lled him with red . .~ ` - .. . ; No, he said,- looking up, No %message by telephone; telegram; or `hand has come in. Curious. `as it's two hours since Ravenscar left the court. I suppose we can only! wait. What do you - say, _Mr. Crowc? ' 1 He spoke through 4h`e, tu_be " into _the police-ofce below, his face Vgvriowmg graver as he `listened -tothe r.ep1y. h % ~ ' ` ' VV GD LIIV I UPI J` y The Chief IConstab'le s ofce was. under the same `roof. as. the Assize Court, in another wing of the ornate town hall that Was; Wroxford s pride. In the barely. furnished apartment, where the question of D`ick s guilt lhad first been mooted, they found Elisha Crowe and_Inspector Pear- man, the latter a little awkward in shyly proffered hand. `Elisha had already received his first meed of V thanks downstaii-s--the: instalment of a debt which Dick felt. itpwould take ' a lifetime to repay. - ' ! Now we have done with ;senti- ment till*we ve caught Mr. Carter F Ravenscarf .said ~Wilb1-aham `briskly. rW'ith `Sergeant Scott at his --heels that ouight to be done as _s0_0n _aS. the Sergeant noties us where he `is. Probably -they have news of him al-, ready. Scottpromised to .take every` opportunity of coyrntnunicating "witli his hearing till Dick had shaken his I I31-I IVIIVIIDIUIII , _ ` f j 'The `High She1_-iff signed one the emmute after the Jury returned their verdict, but come up to my room,A was the reply. Th (`L:A IFAmnLnL'I-,_ -1__ _-_-.. hand-shaking and cheering, for`-it had speedily become known that the plucky girl had played a` `stronger part in the defence than-had -come out in evidence. Amongthe crowd the Chief Constable hovered , near his divinity and in response to his whispered question: I "played fair, didn t I? received a sunny. smile that made him a happy man till Dick plucked him by` thesleeve. . Look here, Major, said the ex- risoner, this is all very well, but et s get out of it. `There is Miss Vaughan to nbe thought of `before everything.` Yvonne is going to take Mother and Lord Monksilver home so I am free to lend a hand. Have` you got a warrantfor Ravenscar s ' ap`m-ehension?. `The `High Sheri signed one +119 ..-AW v-sun waxed be_mnd him`, He W t - ` ' ::*:*;.s::.:e..:*:`*s % ~.-Q.-'.=.`.:3=-.`v.".i:%!.".`=;%.;1"_ V avouiiol Ill \ls[CD' ` *0 5`. ;.<. abandoned thefzidea that he 7'. 59138" 5011owed, 1` for .,ajt.er ~on` ._9l : Blce. and dovfrq the . s'_trfei.-.t' Itjivuhn."-J-lm`; -. I..._t.....-..$1..} -` 4.1.. .'=`.`. ,. - - % L%FLiSxiin in no haste, he made `but .1'_ 3y I Q_PV1 08t_'S8,.f and ;-;.he `appeared `I0 hnvie"`1'ahnndn`naA Vi-`i`g"f_ :bI4"_.` 4.I.;.a. 1.... uavcuavai yuun LU tue street again. ' recognized Lord Monl s late No one would at` first sight have private secretary in the dirty-look- ing tramp `wh`o `went shambling down the streeti; Never an` attractive per- soxzalifty,-;- l;e was positivl repulsive `in the false beard and wl`:iskerjs_ un- der .__hicl1'he hadeoncealed all of his` hairless face but _the `sombre eyes. `Of, his f5thfe_s all that" were vxsiiblerunder `an 914 brown overcoat` procured Train. the-,_ barber "1;ve`;-e V a, ` `air j of ra_ gged_;qtrouse1`s and broken 94.; r8tik1l.ca\rried ` his" _ sh_9`u1d;er_'wa` slung a bundle. -igtghahblyf _`:-;cbi1;tairung his 9 own .. gare ` * mgts` ' t6 "j:' iprcguxixned. on A __oc_-_ _ way .a marine - store-dealer s shop, Easting abouthfor the means, `he perceived on the ._0pp_0s1te side of the from the window of which he would be able to keep his eye on the bar- ber s while he, eected what change he couldiin his `appearance. Boldly taking the dealer into his condence by showing him his `Scotland Yard ofcial card, he-enlisted the man s interest with the result that he" was- not only furnished with a muchwo;-n set of sailor _s. .slops,_ but was pro- vided with a razor with which he re- moved his ',beard and moustache, He ngust have been more expeditious than ` his rival` quick.-change artist over the way, for he, had completed his disguise a good half-hour when l ~Rayenscar7t,ook to -the street again. '1Nn' nne-uinnlA"' -.1-ll:-..-4. ..:....l. 1.---.. - uu cuuy -us ulc IIILIS UL I_.uuc, Wroxford is a seaport on a small scale, and` the course taken by pur- sued andpursuer led them into the labyrinths of slums round `the har- bour. Scott began to think that Rav- enscar contemplated boarding some vessel that might been the point of departure, and he was holding him- self in readiness to resort to arrest as the only means of preventing the escape of his man, when the latter ,disposed of` that necessity for the [present by diving _ into a doorway, revealed by the arti-colored pole overhead as a bar er s shop. He s- after disguising. himself, the detective-01-'cer muttered, Bless- ed if I don t think I d stand a bet- ter chance if I took a leaf out of his hog]: and did a bit of a fake my- se . * - ~ [N__43__ c .' . . -- ` soquvaytllwlg , . , `-As he passedout into the corridor in the wake of his quarry he remem- bered that he was probably handi- capped by being known by sight to Ravenscar, who,` though he had not been called at the trial, would cer- tainly have noticed him at the in- quest. He was therefore precluded from following too closely. It was `all lain sailing along the crowded Hig .'Str_eet as far as the bank--a eall,which drew` a grim smile to Scott s `dogged face--but the `chase became more difficult in the network of quiter`thoroughfares into which Ravenscar 'immed' tely plunged on - coming out of -t e bank. He was evidently apprehensive of being; shad- owed, looking over his shoulder fre- quently,. and- several times Scott only escaped -notice` by darting into an entry .in the nick of time, :- - ..'nn.-;\..L A _ _..-_1' -g_ uu wag, as tux. 1a.I.Lc1 accuacu (U DC on the point of giving him the slip altogether. _ . I !A. L- _--_-.1._,,. !,,.- .6`, -v .Th'e'plan, unofcially concerted with the Chief Constable after Elisha -Crowe"s revelateions, was _. to keep Ravenscar in sight` in the event of his bolting afterthe disclosure of the defence, and . he was to take every opportunity of preserving touch -with police headquarters at '( 4 'Wa'oxford so that an arrest might be affected as soon as a warrant had been applied for and signed by a` ma`- gistrate": That could not be till a verdict had been recorded in Dick Wens1ade. s favour, which would `not be forsome hours after the hasty rexodus. Onlyras a last -resort was he to incur th responsibility of_ laying hands on t e fugitive--that 1s_ to say, if the `latter seemedto b I'II`I uI\cv|L A: _....-..._. L3--- A.` CHAPTER xxxv. A ' A Stern Chase. W-hen Ravenscar made his hurried exit from the Assize Court `Sergeant Scott .lost not amoment in taking up the pursuit, `He started under the disadvantage of having no pow- er to arrest the fugitive, it having beentechnically i-mpossible for him to arm himself with a warrant while another man was being tried for the `crime, the consequences of which Ravenscar was obviously trying to av 9`i`d., ' ' ` ' .. . ,\.nuu.u.Cu. Luc tau UI tne (IOCK. "` V So far as the spectators were con- cerned, however, the fate of Phyllis; ' wassoon forgotten in the interest raised by the re-calling of" Lords l Monksilver as a witness` for.the de- ':..,ie_nce. V Elisha Crowe had kept to himself the secret of his" thieving; propensities, so that theoldlpeer; was, g_fa`ble ..to comport himself with dig-) t,.nity,. and very cleverly to: le_ave_ealn,; giinpression on the minds of` his hear- :;'V7V,i_th Mr. Crowe in xummagin "7..the.~ earsthfat he had `acted in concert 1:;-_i2ra=iver'in. his s.e'cre'tary s_ ,de`s_ for. _ rftncriminating articles. 'zc|`z&."':nLl--._ ---L.. ` -- 'I| 1- 0': V9. uw..vul. In IIU UIIIC. ' So _-they stood under the portico and watched the. diminutive gure of theold detective fade into the gath- eringgloom of _night. To their sur- prise he left the broad sweep of the avenue and struek into a path .across the park which would take him out on to theiclis. ' any: n. IIIC 1.11!-uy was uu tut: Luc- phonez and being answered `in the af-s rmatzve expressed the intention of returning to headquarters at Wr0x- ford, so as to_ be on hand in case any newsefronia. `Scott came in. If Elisha shad anythmg to report ,it would be telephoned on__to him and he would beout 1n`no txme. C- a.I.-__ _;.--,~| ,_,1 . 'm5st lriiji` ..`fa;t"x}.'r. {:1 'the::_ situi: tion, said. t e Major.I_a_'t last. "-`It looks as -' if _they hadome`to grips and that scoundrelhad proved him` self top dog. " I-IA 1'.` an `nnnalriuo nucc-no-|:|... 4-`ant n IIBVV IVgV3 ""\-I 5'9?`-ill, cl UQIC IIVL D)- ,. Don't t i~y[_to`-say it, Elisha cut him short pleadingly. `.`Don t let us give up hop_e yet. If you gentlemen will -excuse me for a while there '8 an experiment `I should wish to make in this business. It s growing dark, t-and the darker therbetter. I may be ;.gone some hours. \ IE. ......`I (`-4 -._-...1 .._--- 93 _-:1 11721 1Ii'1 you wait for me her? Eli- sha asked. ` T % _"Th _1}'Ijor inguired of Lord_ Mof1_k- ll I355`-\u\lo _Th Major inquired Lord Moi_1k- snlver if the Prxory was on the tele- f\i!I\I1B Q91!` noun-..n..p..I 1.. LL- -1 EVIL guy UV` may have'given the Sergean t the lslip, hazardcd Dick; `.`To me --the most terrible thing -{is that Phyllis may be in his power `somewhere, and ` that to prevent her speaking he may ; have resorted to--eoh, I dare not say." TWA.-. L (L.-. "I\ nan. It 7 `II.`l2-`l.... Aal- ue is_ so "beastly eunnixig that he! ` Ull{C IIULII. 3- Go and Godspeed you, said Wil- vbrahain heartily. Only, iake -care that you dOn t do_the vanishing trick ; as we'll. - ICI.-II ,,-,, ___AS. 9 1 lnh qua. 3.--a-vs vv vu:uv.:; ucuvul. IICTI IUVCYY; ` "`Not wxghngly, replied _ Elisha, wxth meamng. I do not thank that` `for some time past she has been .a grave peril. ' free agent. She may T even. be in A rrlcuooovuq-.. -no. LL_'..-.~__I- .1 , - L ly . eve;-y on,eg9.f. which ;.was a pub?` 1ic-house. faced the ha.>ur+~:T-Enter-s ving one of " the_s_ ,h0s_t'_l}-16$; apparent}-L .ly_ at`ha;3hazr(f,'1he~[3E8 fur the;_ tiis `1ost<.to:v:e- F ~ %%ourse%Y<>u Can Buy A W;/:% EMPRESS S E EL RAN GE We sell on easy terms. We charge 7 per cent. per annum more on, a_credit than cash basis. If you need a range your credit is good with us. To impress upon you the Actual Value `of this range you must not be content with anything short of a carefulinspection of its numerous advantages, to enable you to apprecgiatewhat is meant by the advent of the New Empress Steel Range. ' _..,._._._.u_. uu _ more than a minute to :5 -etfapgew before he also walk ' _v 'oird9_d:_ 39; fgu1smelling tap-room ni .il<.i.wef no .`Iu'.`.'--'_ L _ p ` Factories Ollawa and Broc.vz'/le. SIIIVU ycl II- .A murmur ran thrbugh the, VC0lV.1l't at this statement, and it wgs noticed that the pnsoner, growmg p_a)_e; clutched the rail of the doc gr. `Clan an GL1; .._-`J--5---- -AA-`A-A ` " more .- L- ' than? minute to GA Ilinmg I. <. 4-5-9.9; who only r g5=n9I;gh4 to` justify his ;-W8'.~a"? glass of ale. 3 (To be conti ' 7 'is gd cloves _ _I-A.L-- The various uses to which Concrete may be protably put, on the farm, are plainly `and simply in our 160-page book, which shows how the following farm buildings and utilities can be constructed of concrete:-- `What the Farmer Can _ Do With Concrete" LES 0! ate. continued). {- _.u av-cu uy x cu1'uuuIg.' 4 _*But surely, pursued Counsel, "in the face of the publicity given to this case she would not absent herself, willingly, knowing that the evidence she could give `about the pistol would -benet her lover? _ Not willingly," replied Elisha , with mnanina T An ant 4-L:..I- LL-In placed impart a ` `XI.K` ant `remained s entry by long drink- ` , I910- ieu neacon Aualey` under a cloud?l `_`In the first place, replied Elisha rinly, because I wished to remove` that cloud, which I believe gwas. wholly undeserved. But still" more because -I believed, and still believe,` that _she was the pivot on which the whole of the tragedyof the Rectory hangs. I believe that she was per-l suaded to run away, for some; quixotic reason which she alone can "explain, inorder to bring about the T quarrel on` which _`Ravenscar relied for throwing a semblance of guilt on: the prisoner. She Wasicertainvlyg not influenced by selsh considerations, for being innocent. `she had nothing to fear by remaining. i "RII* Ql1'I'A'Ir , a\nIlanA.` I`;-_--._-'I uaggcu a U1ucuuug U1 3 sensauon.' .l .Wh}',`` asked the prosecuting }"1S1. were you so anxious` to nd this young woman who apparently left Beacon Audley` under cloud? I11 fh G1-cf \`ot-A 4 anAnn`:o.` '[.`I:..L.. . -- V---. "-'4 3" ' " ' V ' ' ` ` ' f`"D' The verdict was as good as assur-.l ed a-t the outset of Elisha. Crowe s evidence, `when hendescribed his dis-' covery in the Rectory study of trac- es of the pistol having been automa- tically red. The old man admitted Qthat he -had g-one there with a pre- conceived notion of something of th e,kind, inspired by the use of the hair-trigger pistol. The discovery of the singed book-mark and of the screw behind the Josephus had confirmed the surmise, though he a had been for a time at a -loss to ac- count for the singeing, and had been unable to discover the means used to destroy all traces of the material with which the weapon had been held in position. The point had, however, at once become clear to him on his seeing Lord Monksilver take a roll of magnesium "ribbon from Ravenscar s desk only the day b_f.1'- " . = : t '.=: 2 -.1i7ei'.e.-.3 - 'But__ before he brought his evi-' dence ._up to date Elisha narrated the dawn .'of hisjrst suspicions of Rav-; enscar s complicity in Phyllis Vaugh-. an s disappearance, and the journey` to.London, when he had met such: a facer at Raphael s shop. 'gHe.rais- ed some sympathetic.laugh_ter by] describing frankly the deadlock in: whih his quest, for the mi sing girl 'had'i}_l.a'nded him, 3 and he .b re with becoming.-meekne_ss the rebuke, ad- mimster,ed by the judge with -a twjkle in his"eY..~..for not impart- ing. to the police the` knowledge he had acquired about the duplicate pistol. -re