Adventure, August 3, 1919 — page 77: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ba a te in Cragcastle. - success of which hung on the next few hours. Throughout, I reflected, I had been for- tunate; things had worked out very much as I had planned and expected. My first motive in the affair had been almost com- pletely satisfied; only one question re- mained unanswered—that of the cause of Hardridge’s hatred of John Maxon. There remained my awakened desire to serve Miss Maxon, and in that I hoped that Fate—it is my egotistic conceit to some- times regard myself as Fate’s co-con- _ spirator—would help me. As for Miss Maxon, she would have been either more or less than the very natural woman she was had she not felt fear in those hours. Indeed, she had no tangible reason for placing confidence in me— rather the reverse. Tt was largely because of that fact that I had urged her to stay Sometimes I thought it was partly because of that fact that she had stayed. Perhaps she wanted to be on hand at the finding of the sapphire— if it were found. Well, my wish corre- sponded. If it were not found, I wanted her to know it and be sure of it. Thad, in sn a remarkably strong desire to stand well in the estimation of Miss Maxon. And I was meditating upon this and also upon the problems connected with the Ko Lao Hui when we both heard quick, nervous steps coming up the gravel path in front of the house. I whispered a wholly unnecessary warning to Miss Maxon to keep quiet. Neither of us made a sound, but both were on our feet when the key of the newcomer Hence in the lock of the front door. WHEN—after the front door had ? opened and closed again—the hall lights were switched on by some one oe seemed perfectly familiar with their surroundings, I was standing just within the dining-room door, with Miss Maxon perhaps a pace behind me. As the man for whom we had waited started down the hall, I heard the slightest stirring in the closet, which indicated that Hard- ridge was also alert. The visitor, however, passed the door of the closet without pausing and came on unhesitatingly down the hall. The parlor and the reception-room he had already pase; Bete, aac but two possible es at - ae. Rogues’ End objectives, the library and the room wherein Miss Maxon and I watched. That he should turn into the latter had been a chance I had been compelled to take; if he did, the adventure would be apt to end speedily and crudely. But great jewels, I had reasoned, are not often concealed in dining-rooms. Yet, as the girl and I held our breaths, he passed our door, too, without a glance at the obscurity beyond it. Though he could hardly have seen us had he looked our way, he was fully re- vealed by the hall light. The one look I had of him was hardly reassuring for the success of the game I had in mind. If we had ever looked alike, then I owed it to my self-respect to believe that Maxon had changed greatly. But, indeed, I suppose he had, for lifé stamps every face with life’s own mark, and Maxon’s face had become a danger ‘signal of vice and coward- ice. Now I was very glad I hadn’t worn my borrowed identity long. There was now only one door into which Maxon could turn, and he entered the library ,across the hall without hesitation, like one sure of his objective. I felt a touch on my arm and looked around into Miss Maxon’s eyes, very close. They seemed to flash me at once a warning and question, and I shook my head reas- suringly. There was no chance of Maxon’s passing out except by the front door. To a man of his temperament nothing could be less attractive than the gloom and desolation of the black ‘rocks that flanked the rear exit. The sound of Maxon’s movements had — ceased. He had only been feeling for the _ Switch, for now, peering obliquely down “ the hall, I saw the library lights flash on. It seemed that he crossed the room; there was another moment of silence and then a sort of rending, scraping sound. Which sound was, we afterward learned, the spring-impelled opening of a small door in the library wall and the tearing of the wall-paper that had been put on over it. Behind which door was a small vault, of which I suppose only John Maxon, Sr., had the knowledge and the key until he had — passed it on to his son. Maxon had the sapphire—I knew so : much from his low exclamation of - Hardridge must have heard it, too, for h he Miss stirred | uneasily i in his tae room. | # < , ee ‘ a +e is i Qs , + iw © —) - ia Ar ee ee ce te ._ = c “ 28 foal - = ~ comicbooks.com