THE HOUSE OF WHISPERS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 374, 1 July 1911, Page 3

THE HOUSE OF WHISPERS.

Being a Strange Cftropicle from the' Note-book of John Lyon, Elucidator, Known as t;he " Lion of the Law."

Bj S. H. Agnew, Author of "The Castle Mystery," etc.

PART 3. CHAPTER IV. LO, 'TWAS A GALA NIGHT J Surprises camb swiftly. "Lyon led the way to the claret-draped room &nd without halting made straight tor the screen which concealed the murdered masquers. As he peered round, a short, sharp cry passed his set teeth

" They have gone," he ejaculated, turning upon the others as- he kicked the screen away. " The murderers must have found time to carry them 3ff, I suppose. Slythe, I think it is time the police were informed. We shall be blamed for letting the plotters get away if we waste any more time."

" I pity the person who tries to explain this ajßair to an ordinary nonstable," groaned, the-stout worthy lelplessly. "He would get pulled in lor a lunatic, old feller. The best plan would be to 'phone to the police station if there is such a thing arailable. Jove ; X feel absolutely worn out —ab-so-lutely." "Go and get on to headquarters chen ; and if any of those fellows in :he garden have recovered, send them In," the elucidator snapped. " The place is so rambling that it will take half the night to search it. Git !" Slythe, who had responded unhesitatingly to his rival's leadership, trotted away. Lyon turned to the other two as the sound of his adipose detective's footsteps died on the gravel. He was once more alert and confiient, and every nerve and fibre in nis body was bent to the task of solving the mystery that encompassed them.

" We must not wait until the police aave trampled everything down," he said. " I know you are. a good hand it a trail, Flemingson, and Westcott ought to know something about it. We must search the rest of the house hurriedly and then see if we can trail those murderous scoundrels to theii lair."

" Not for me," Westcott responded, bluntly. " I'm not making any money out of this, and I'll see you further before I go creeping through a 3trange place at midnight. I've oeen up since morning, anyway."

" And I scarcely feel the thing," Flemingson muttered, shame-facedly. " I don't want to seem to leave you m the lurch, Lyon, but—" • " You shirk it," interrupted the elucidator cuttingly. " Good-bye. I will send you along a feather bed if [ come across one."

Laughing shortly he bounded up the stairs,l his energy unimpaired by theii ießertion. As he had surmised the remainder of the premises but little scrutiny. The bedrooms and upper apartments were entirely unfurnished and empty, saving for a few scattered garments. In fifteen minutes Lyon had satisfied himself that nothing was to be gained by remaining, and he descended the stairs again to find that most of the detectives who had been under the anaesthetic had recovered, and were seated about the hall. Penrudiock Slythe was still absent, and no other representative of the law had put in'" an Appearance. The latter fact was 'the less surprising when the retired position of Lonesome was sonsidered ; the trees rendered it practically impervious to outward observation.

Lyon had descended to the drive when a loud shout called him back. The happenings of the night had rendered him callous to sensations, and he swung back almost impatiently. Westcott came clattering aeross the hall as* he did so, mouth and eyes agape with an abandonment of amazement.

" Don't go," he roared, beckoning the elucidator with quivering finger. " Ob, Lord, I shall go mad if this continues." " What now ?"

" Under the table —in the diningroom. Scores of people—all in motley dress—drugged, stores of them !" Lyon waited to hear no more. Shouldering the stupefied Westcott aside without ceremony, he made for the ballroom at a run, followed by several of the other detectives, who were beginning to take interest in life again. A dozen of the candles in the dining-room had been kindled, and the spear-shaped flames shed a weirdly feeble illumination # on the scene. One corner of the talblecloth looped back gave a glimpse of human arms and faces, enwrapped by rainbow folds of silk and lace and velvet, and the elucidator whistled .softly under his breath as he beheld them. It did not need a keen eye to discern that the victims were no common class; they had been , drawn from the verj cream of society. Rapidly he turned the cloth back, flinging it over upon the glass and plate, careless of damage. His mystification deepened with, every second at -the sight that met his gaze. Forty people had been laid in the concealment of the table, and every one, was in fancy dress. There were jesters lying cheek by jowl with kings, Juliets touching curls with goose girls, monks snoring with pierrots, golliwogs reclining on the blue and white silk of shepherdesses. All wore black velvet vizards, and all were so drugged that it might be twelve or more aours before they stirred. The sense of the uncanny almost overwhelmed Lyon as he stared at the motley slumberers. He could imagine such a scene in a story by Poe, but it seemed beyond the bounds of possibility in real life. He had the feeling of a man who knows he dreams and yet is unableto wake up. ■ "I believe I can solvsthifl caw for

you, " fie saia at xast, suddenly taking a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it with an air of satisfaction. " These people have supplied a clue from which I have worked out a theory." The others listened eagerly. Lyon's powers, of deduction were famous, and they were in, no mood to feel jealousy. \ *' There are marks on the fingers, ears and. dresses these unfortunates which show. them , to have been wearing jewellery very recently," the elucidator continued calmly. " I believe we are face to face with a jewel robbery of unexampled audacity and colossal extent. A gang numbering a dozen persons or N more has in some way become known to a large circle of wealths people, who have been inveigled here for some kind of masked festivity, the result of which we see. The theory may sound impossible, but I challenge any gentleman to produce a more plausible one." He paused, glancing from face to face. There was a peculiar quality of suppressed triumph in his visage that gave vague warning of some surprise in prospect. The bewildered detectives maintained silence; for a minute ; then one broke out with an expressive oath. )' " Pshaw ! Don't talk of plausibility in connection with a case like this," he added, irritably. "The whole thing is beyond the bound? of reason. You talk very cleverly, Mr. Lyon, but I defy you to say why we were all invited down here, who whispered to us —" The Lion of the Law blew a pungent cloud of tobacco smoke. In contrast to his former restless activity, he had become indolent and quizzical in manner. He seated himself upon the table-edge as he interrupted. " The thing is simple, my dear Quinnian. There is a traitor in the camp—probably a woman. She wished to give the show away on the night of the robbery, but feared the demonical cleverness of the gang. She therefore made assurance doubly certain by sending for every detective who had his name in the directory. Probably the mas .at. the gate, who let us in, thought we were more guests." " Then why were we all shown into one room, and—" " They put us out of the way while they removed the swag. The drugging was over by the time we arrived. Probably our being placed with those two dead masquers was an accident. The whole scheme was so colossal that there is little wonder at a few faux pas." A few incredulous grunts punctuated the silence as the elucidator ceased speaking and drew at his cigarette. "As for the whispers, the traitress —or traitor—and a speaking-tube would account for that," he resumed. " Perhaps her plot was discovered, and she sought to warn us without incriminating herself ; we cannot fill in all these details with any certainty. However, I wouldn't mind wagering that my idea is a correct one."

" And I'll wager a hundred guineas it isn't !" snouted an eagle-beaked man named Foster, notorious for his smart and somewhat shady work in divorce cases. John Lyon's answer to this challenge was a strange one. Flinging his cigarette away, he strode over to the door which he closed and locked. Then he stooped casually to the table and tapped one of the sleepers, a man in the garb of a cavalier, on the shoulder. " It's no go, Laurendau," he said, sharply. " I've recognised you and your gang of crooks amongst this crowd. The police are below and you will get a stretch for this night's work, even if you don't swing !" Before the amazed detectives could realise what had happened, tlie cavalier had bounded lo his feet and dashed both his fists in Lyon's face. The elucidator, however, dodged with the celerity of a prize-fighter and the next instant' his own fist had caught the jaw hurling him back stunned and nearly senseless. "The whole gang are here, disguised in fancy dress," he said hurriedly, as he recovered himself. "It is a cute wheeze. Probably the swag is buried in the garden, and they would have seized the first opportunity to escape. The two murdered people are amongst these, too. Fortunately I recognised the leader—a a well-known • society jewel thief." There was no time for more. Slythe had arrived with a strong detachment of police, and they were already. adding to the turmoil by thundering on the locked door. Suffice.it to . say that Lyoirt* exposure proved correct in every detail, and an hour later Laurendau and his fellow-con-spirators were on their way to Glasgow police station. The .sensation of the v trial ma,y be better imagined than' described. In the .course of the evidence it was proved that Paul Laurendau and his wife had hatched the scheme which, had been put into action at Monte Carlo and Ostend, where they had posed as foreign celebrities, and by various audacious subterfuges insinuated themselves into the highest society, carefully choosing as their victims rich and powerful parvenus of a daring nature, and ending with an invitation to their bal -masque, to be given on a certain date as the christening of their new house in Scotland.

That their scheme was so widely successful is not extraordinary, when human credulity is considered. The house known as Lonesome had been taken by Laurendau a week before the event, and the necessities brought from far and near, under cover of the night, by means of motors. The Invitations having been duly confirmed they had nought , to do but await their victims, who were evidently called to drink a toast in drugged wine and then robbed. The spoil Iras found cunningly buried in a pit A W»n*r-houße, Md

it was ot an extent that would mv« made the plotters rich almost beyond the dreams of avarice, all their victims having been chosen with an eye to their love of over-ostentatious display. . Probably the scheme would have succeeded had not the wife of one ot the conspirators turned traitor and summoned the army of detectives who came so near to being added tc the victims of the outrage. As it was, one of the most incredible swindles of the century was nipped, not in the bud, but in the full flower. Paul Laurendau, convicted of the murder of two unfortunates who stumbled upon the guilty secret suffered the full penalty of the law. The others were all sent up for lengthy periods, and the magistrate—for the fiftieth time in bis career —made a tew trenchant remarks on the folly of accepting foreign noblemen at theii own valuation. And so ended the rase which John Lyon named the Sensation of Glasgow, and docketed as the strangest in his whole career. The End.