The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

osglwluisks; 7 OR. THE HOUSE IN THE CHAPTER XIII.â€"(Cont’d) “I rang the bell and promptly put my ear to the keyhole. It seemed to me that a Couple of doors were hastily closed, and then some one slowly approached. The outer door was opened and a man’s head ap- peared. I could see his face and a portion of his left shoulder, because the chain was on the door, and the ' opening was not more than eight or ten inches. Speaking in broken English he saidâ€"‘Vat you want’l’ His accent showed that he was a Frenchman. “I answered in my best French, ‘I wish to see madame, your mis- tress, at onee.’ “ ‘It is impossible,’ he said in the same language, and simultaneously he tried .to shut the door in my face. I shoved my feet against the jam and prevented him. At the same instant my own servant and Iâ€"â€"as, if there was to be trouble, I thought it best to keep the others out of itâ€"applied our utmost force to the door and succeeded in snap- ping the chain. It might have been a tough job, as you know that to force a way through anything that yields slightly and yet holds fast is much more diliicult than to smash a lock or a couple of bolts. Luckily the flats were jerry built, so the chain broke, and so suddenly that the Frenchman was pitched violent- lv backwards. We nearly fell after him. The (ax-policeman was a splendid chap. His first idea was to jump towards the switch of the electric lights and turn on every lamp in the place. “I shouted, ‘Talbot, are you there? It is I, Fairholme.’ “I got no answer, but a woman dart-ed out of a room which proved to be the kitchen, screaming some- thing which I could not catch, and handed a revolver to the French- man, who was just struggling to his feet. That was where my prize- fighting butler came in useful. Be- fore you could say ‘Wink’ he gave the man an upper-cut that settled him effectually for the next minute. Almost with the same movement he caught the woman a slap over the ear that upset her nerves consid- erably. She had a revolver in her hand too. It fell to the floor, and Smith, your servant, seized both weapons. _ “The ex-policeman called outâ€"â€" ‘I do not think we are making any mistake, sir. ‘They would not" act after this manner if they were on the square.’ “I must say it seemed to me that so far it was we who had been act- ing in an extraordinary way, but 'there was no time to discuss the ethics of the case then. Whilst my RUE BARBETTE to release Talbot, and what do you think his first words were when he slowly sat up in bed and tried if his leg would bend “I” v - “I cannot guess,” said Brett. “He said: ‘Have they got the diamonds ?’ ” “I answered ‘Yes. “ ‘But it was impossible,’ he said. ‘They could not have mastered all g those policemen.’ ” ' “ ‘But they did,’ I replied, and then and 'there, before he would Ibudge an inch, he made me tell him the whole story. Just as I had ended we heard a scuffle in the pas- sage. We went out, though Jack was hardly able to walk at first. It was Smith wrestling with the wo- man, who was a regular wild cat, and he would, even then, have done us any mischief in her power. There was nothing for it but to tie [her .hands behind her back, and then I l ’!1 fasten her securely in a chair. After this was done we took coun- sel as to our next movements.” “Wait a little,” said Brett. “How many rooms were there in the flat? You have accounted for four.” “I forgot,” said Fairholme. “The place had six rooms. The small apartment in which Jack was con- ifined was a sort of dressing-room, l and the bedroom beyond looked out into the well of the block of flats. iThey had carefully nailed the blind of this dressing-room, so that not even a chance puff of wind could [blow it aside‘and reveal its secret ’to any one in the flats on the op- posite story or higher. The remainâ€" ing room was empty. Your frlen-d the policeman subsequently search- ed the place from top to toe, but ,he found nothing. The only docu- ‘ment of any importance was an address on a card which he discov- ered in the Frenchman’s pocket.” “Ah,” said that address?” “Here it is.” , The earl produced a small piece Iof pasteboard on which was scrib- lbled, “Monsieur Jean Beaujolais, chez Mensieur Henri de Lisle, 41, Rue Bonnerie, Paris.” “That is important,” said the barrister. “Why did you not wire it to me last night?” “I had a reason,” said the earl eagerly, “but that comes in with Jack’s part of the story.” . And he turned towards Talbot, who. thus summoned to the stage, began to explain matters. “I understand, Mr. Brett,” he |said, “that you are accuratelyac- quainted with all that transpired :until the moment when I entered ,i the Albert Gate mansion on that re- ;markable night?” l “That is so,” said Brett. l “Well, when Inspcctor Sharpe Brett, _ “what was- butlcr and Smith took care of the; met me at the door on my arrival couple, .VPUY assistant and I hast~l he told me that his Excellency Me- lly examltned thmfze rooms.“ They' hemet Ali,lwi}ll;h three strange gen:f were emp .V. save 01' a sma quan-, tlemen ant t e Junior mem ers o titv of furinture. The fourth door: the commission, awaited me in the resrsted our efforts, so, of course,; diningâ€"room. I went in and. was we burst it open. And the first; surprised to find the three Visitors, thing that met our eyes was poorl for during the preceding month not old Jack lying on lllS back on the: a single stranger Iliad eptelrethhe bed, and glaring at us in a way‘ house save a mom er 0 tie ovâ€" that made me think at first he was ernmcnt and one or two‘important mad.” ' . officialsof the Foreign Oflice,_ who “I should think so," interrupted; came with me out of sheer curmsrty Talbot. “I would like to see your“ to see a colltction of remarkable face if you were trussed up as I diamonds. wasâ€"not able to speak a worclâ€" “The strangers bowed politely and a fiendish row going on in the when I was iiiti‘iduce%. TRIO of s' .” . . k neit er renc nor pals‘sYldgiia iibtiiddgagged,” questioned}Fhriigxllisli?ob1€it the third man spoke Brett, “and your ivrists and ankles French fluently. He had, by the were secured to the four cornersi way. a somewhat peculiar accent, of the bed, your limbs being dis-g different from that to which I was tended in the form of an X?” accustomed in the Turks. It was Fairbolme glanced around admir-- softer, more sibilant, and impress- ingly. “Of course,” he cried de-l ed me as that of a man who was lightedly, “I knew you would guess, accustomed to speak Italian. He it. That is the pleasant way these' was a good-looking chap, about my Turks have of securing their prls- height and build. and were it not oners.” for his brown skin, one would not "It is anTaigfully ugcomfortable: halve rfclgardfcd him a; a 'Il‘urk. Onde one,” said al ot. “i y Jomts are: sue 0 us ace was ecp y scarre still stiff at the mere recollectionl with a sword cut. but, if anything, of it. I have lain 1in thlat way, ban; this did not Idetract from hils ap- Brett, for countess iours. c-' pearance, anc it gave a man y as- casionallv the brutes would allowl pect- to an Otllel'WISC effemmate me to change my posture, but the! face.” ' . moment any one came to the door! Brett clould not help smiling in- I was strapped up in an instant' vo nntarz y. . and a gag slipped into my mouth. “Are you sure it was a sword What used to make me so furious: out?” i. ' was the knowledge that if only I “It certainly looked like one.” got the chance of a second I ‘could “And his skin was very brown ’1” have broken ‘ that Frenchman‘s ‘ “Oh, quite. Indeed it was a‘ shade ‘neck and escaped,.but he and his- deeper than that of'most Turks. wife always tool: such precautions- I have seen very many of them. Al- that I never had the liberty to do though dark-featured, they are more than reach with some d‘fi‘i-l often pallid enough in reality. and cultv the food that they gave me. , their deep-hired complexion is due However. I must not interrupt.” imoro to their black hair and eye- "I really have not much more to ' brows than to the mere color of say," went on ,Fairliolme. “Yer. the skin.” Brett smiled again. may be sure it did not take me long . ,"I think,” he said, “I Wlll show you the same gentleman in a some- what different aspect. But pro- ceed.” “The explanation given to me by Mehemet Ali was both extraordin- ary and disconcerting, especially at such a late hour. He told me that the three gentlemen to whom I had been introducedâ€"I am sorry by the way, thatIcannot remember ther names, as they were all Mo- hammeds, or Rasuls, or Ibrahims, and the dramatic events of the night subsequentlp drove them from my mindâ€"had been sent post haste from Constantinople on a special mission. They had only reached London that night, and they bore with them a special man- date, signed by the Sultan himself, directing Mehemet Ali to hand over the diamonds to their charge. and at once to return with his assistâ€" ants to Yildiz Kiosk. ' “There could be no questioning the authenticity of the Sultan’s inâ€" struct-ions. The document was in his own handwriting, was endorsed with his private'seal, and convey- ed other distinguishing marks which rendered his Excellency assured on this important point. He told me that he was compelled to obey im- plicitly, and were it possible he' would have started from London’ that night. This, however, was outl of the question, but he had not lost a moment in sending for me and acquainting me with his Majesty’s wishes. “You will readily. perceive that the affair placed me in an awkward predicament. I was, so to speak, representing the British Govern- ment in the matter, and the For- eign Office had pledged. itself, through our Ambassador at Uon stantinople, to undertake all the precautions for safeguarding the‘ diamonds with which you are ac- quainted. It seemed to me that notwithstanding the urgency ofthe Sultan’s order, I should not be do- ing my duty to permit the transfer. to be‘ made in such an irregular manner. So I said quite plainly that the matter could not be set- tled that night. They must all; wait until the morning, when I: would consult my Department and; Mehemet Ali, together with his aides, could leave for Constanti- nople by the evening train, after my superiors had been acquainted with the Sultan’s wishes. ’ “Turks are difficult people to un- derstand. It seemed to me that my decision gave some satisfaction to Mehemet Ali, who was undoubt- manner in which he had been de- posed from his important trust. At once an animated discussion took place.” ‘ ”In French '2” interrupted Brett. “No; in Turkish.” “Did the gentleman with the sabreâ€"cut on his face take any part therein 'l” “Not in the least. He sat and smoked cigarettes in the most un- conscious manner possible, leaving his two associates to carry on the conversation.’ ’ As the barrister appeared to have no further question to ask at the Which is Your Chalice fl Sloppy, leaky wooden troughs, or clean, durable Concrete P Wooden drinking troughs are about as reliable as the weather. They are short-lived and require re- ,' placing every few years-â€"not to mention caflada continual patching to keep them in repair... The best of wood cannot withstand, edly very much upset by the queer’ ; stlpation. The mild, sensible, reliable remedy l empties the bowels without the moment, Talbot continuedâ€" “Several times Mehemet Ali ap- pealed to mete change my mind and formally ratify the transfer at once. I was quite firm in my re- fusal, and did not hesitate to de-. scribe the Sultan’s demands as ri- diculous. I was rendered more determined, if anything, in this atâ€" titude by a growing certainty in my mind that' his Excellency himself approved of my attitude. Ulti- mawly, it seems, they hit upon a compromise. The whole party would remain together all night in a sort of dual control, and then the lchange of guardianship would, take place next day in accordance with my views as to what was right and proper. I must admit I was in- tensely relieved when this decisâ€" ion was arrived at. Looking back now over the events of the night, Headaches â€"- nausea ; indigestion-muddy complexionâ€"pimples;- bad breathâ€"these are some of the effects of con- dlscovcred and best cvacuanl known, which lurblng the rest of the system. Constantly increased doses are not necessary. 25:. a box. If your drugglsl has not yet stocked them. send 25c. and we wlll mall them. 25 National Drug and Chemical Company of Canada, Limited. '1 ~ 1 "lfi'fis’fll’filt’ln.3i‘Juiikirig'fii’dfziéT‘1'1".“‘5‘ -'T_-"4.".‘.;1:n‘.-“;1« 7':'.&’-?§"‘v":t1"?b$\£‘r slightest discomfort and without (its. Montreal. JVNI-‘(z‘r‘sétfi :n‘mimtaw‘rws fay-4am. Aw. ; ‘ . m-ent the gang who effected the murders and the robbery had me‘ in their power, for they had com- pletely succeeded in allaying my suspicious, and I can only plead in extenuation of my shortsighted- mess that Mehemet Ali himself, and the other gentlemen with whom I had been acquainted during the past month, were willing accessor- ies to the arrangement.” “I do not see,” said Brett, ”that- you have the slightest cause to re- proach yourself. You acted quite properly throughout, and I am sure that when all the facts are known your status at the Foreign Office will be improved rather than di- minished by this incident.” ~ (To be continued.) é; - Fortunately the average man is unable to realize how homely he v‘ I can perceive that from that m0- is. investments mendation. 308 McKinnon Building, TORONTO, I .II . 0' l9 721; Mm" " .3 a l M - a“ .4/ ////e K FIVE quarts TESTIREONKAI. International Stock Food Co. 'l'urnnto. Ont. . FIVE“. .1 g j Elev “76' have to ofi‘cr several first-class bond investments yielding 6 per cent. net, carrying our unqualified recom- VVRITE FOR FULL DETAILS CANADA SECURlTlES GGRPQREAHON, LllVl'lTED I79 James Street. Montreal. agFo cnvr STOCK FOOD will keep horses in better condition than _.Z" INTERNATIONAL STOCK FOOD will make your cows "’1 Hayfield Sta. Mnu.. Nov. 15, 1911. Dear filmâ€"I want to any that y , . our Stool: Food ls nll rlght. I “ ° haw: a c°Py Of our 33-000 Stocx ‘l'H'IJ liadinore cod from its use than any otlicrklnd I cvur used, , address, and tell us the number of head and do not two to start winter of stock you own. as: $3331? ‘3; clll‘ltlt“l‘v‘ltl§ lNTERNllTlGHAl. STOCK r093 ca. Limited m . llA Cornhlll, LONDON, ENGLAND amass awe.- tint-Cited: This is all it costs you to keep your stock in prime condition with the world s most famous animal tonicâ€"â€" retirees? international Stock Food Every cent invested in this wonderful health- giver. brings back dollars in strong, healthy horses, cows, sheep and hogs. Careful tests show that 4 quarts of cats and i": the regular feed of INTERNATIONAL .Jr' of oats without it. ,ain 1 lo 4 uarts of milk pc: clay. “-2. [I‘lolhing like INTERNATIONAL ~‘__, STOCK FOOD to fatten animals for T. Lu], market. Your hogs need it. Ask your , "' dealer for it. ‘ Book for you. Send us your name and very truly (nlgnud) Joux Rooms To “01““; oxrnuno llama): 'ruis Pun. ”A". - "" ‘ ”~' i' r “ "N’s" ' r‘rlr‘sfiitdf.$$7£7m¥£d31k??-Emilie":1-2355?fififil‘l‘fiffif‘i‘iflvfi‘lfifiifi?Warsaw«fr!v The dampness which destroys lumber only intensifies the strength and hardness of Concrete. ’ ' You can impair a Wooden trough with comparatively little use; but it takes a powerful explosive to put a Concrete water tank out of business. ' Which IS your choiceâ€"~expcnsc-producing Wood, ' or money-savmg Concrete? We’d be glad to Send a copy of our book, "What the Farmer Can Do V/ith Concrete,"â€"-Freeâ€"if you'll ask for it. It tells the many uses of Concrete in plain, simple languageâ€"tells how to make Barns Clctema Dalrlcc Dlpplng Tank: Stables Stall-l Hens' Neat: Hltchlng Packs Horse Blocks Stalls House: Steps Foundatlona Poultry Houm Tank- Fence Posts Root Cellars Trough. Feedlng Floors Sllos VValkc Gutters Shelter Walla Wall Curb. Cement Co. Limited “ 30-33 National Blank Building, Montreal for long, constant dampness and soaking. Its tendency to rapid decay soon shows itself in leaks and stagnant pools of water around trough. Contrast with this the , durabilitYQ'. cleanliness“'and WellÂ¥ordered appearance of Concrete. . s -i ll 2‘. - ." tat?*~”’mk~flt‘ti"'-'.r‘f,’;s',_}\ a 7 AF: 3s“? 143%;5559 ; «. ‘ comm " "Ww‘fakegwimz«~«‘,.,»*i;‘::,’_:f_ ‘W" ,, . e I. i l , ..