"THE WEB."

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8550, 8 October 1907, Page 2

"THE WEB."

[All Eights Reserved.]

CHAPTER IV.—Continued. An idea suddenly occurred to Strangways. He had paid for his bed at the hotel, and there was inbrod into him, something of a Yorkshiremau'ri desire to have what he had paid for :.t all times, despite the fact that ha had always possessed plenty of money. But it was a pity to waste the accommodation here, and moreover he wanted to see more of this man. If he were to carry out his mission he must have assistance, and it was dawning upon him that he might make it worth this man's while to forego his official position and take ssrvice with him. Impulsively, he explained his idea to the officer, and'as ihe men listened he seemed not disinclined to consider it. The public service has its ups and downs, and promotion was slow. There was always the chance of making a blunder and losing everything, and like everybody else he had heard of the almost fabulous wealth of this Yorkshire millionaire's son. Perceiving that he had made an impression, Jack tried to clinch the bargain.

"At any rate," he said, "you can do a job for me to-night. Remain in possession here and meet me in the morning after you have had a sleep over it. You can occupy the bed they hav2 made up for me." Without waiting for the man to change his mind, Jack accepted the situation as he himself had made it, and rushing down the stairs without waiting for the lift he drove off in a cab to the Inns of Court. He had not slept in such a comfortable bed for a long time, but he did not rest much. His brain was too occupied with the all-absorbing mission of his life.

He set out from the hotel the following morning as soon as he could reasonably expect the waiters to breakfast him. The freshness of London streets at that early hour lent additional zeal to his over-night resolution. It was many a day since he had seen a great city with the cleanliness of morning upon it, His early morning experiences in the old days were slightly in advance of this hour by the clock, but" they were the tag-ends of the night, and not the beginning of a new day. "Morninj, Jenkins!" he said jauntily as he ran against the porter. "Good Heaven?, man, what's the matter. I hops you and my new valet have not been punishing my whisky all night. You look as though you hadn't slept for a week." Jenkins stared at him vacantly for a moment, and then ejaculating in,an awestruck whisper, "it's his ghost!" bolted for the basement.

Jack was now sure the man had been taking liberties' with his sideboard, and laughing indulgently to himself in the supposition that the good man had been celebrating his release, he dispense! with the lift, and tripped upstairs. Slipping his latchkey in, he opened the door, and shouted without waiting to look for his man:

"Well, 1" suppose you've made up your mind on the right side. Hi! Where are you? Where have you got to? Not up yet? Ah,' I think I've discovered your secret from the porter." With this he kicked open the bedroom door, and the next instant at the sight which met him he staggered back into the arms of the porter who, emboldened by the presence of a third man in tall hat and black coat had summoned, up courage to follow him into the room.

"It's flQ3h and blood, sure enough, and no gho3t," shouted the man. "Than, for the love of Heaven, who is the other?"

CHAPTER V. "Now then, don't talk twaddle, just bear a hand. Pull those blinds up. Be sharp and keep your wit 3 about you." The black-coated man having given the porter something to do, took hold of a recumbent figure on the floor and signalling to Strangways to help him, lifted the .'detective on to the sofa under the window. A blazing dressing gown had been thrown over him.which accounted for the porter's mistake. Jenkins had let himself in with the master-key according to custom to clean up the beakfast room, and had seen through the open door of the bedroom what he thought; was Mr Strangways' body lying dead on the floor.

The doctor made a hasty examination, and then a more careful one. "Get me some brandy," he said brusquely, and then, muttering to himself in a relieved tone, he added: "Not quite clever enough, though dangerously clever." Just in the same position as they had found old Strangways exhibiting the same symptoms, obviously the work of the same hand, was Tom Medhurst.. One of the most promising officers in the detective force, a man of hug ; strength whom the most desperat. in London had time and a . : n failed to beat physically or iii'itally, had been smitten down by this unknown hand. He possessed a recuperative force in his youth which old Strangways had long outlived, and with professional gratification. the doctor watched him slowly open his eyes. It was some time before he could 5..-cak, ami then the elector would not allow him to talk. Fortunately, the. first impulse of'the porter's wife had been to run for a doctor or it would have been too late. As for the porter himself, his experience on a former occasion had led him to jump to the immediate conclusion that the man was dead. It seemed that he had heard Jack go downstairs late the previous night, and without coming out to see, had taken it for granted that it was the policQ officer who,

By PAUL URQUHART.

[Published By Special Arrangement.]

having handed over possession, was leaving the buildings to got back to his ordinary duty. Jack had arrived that morning just at the very moment when he was standing on the doorstep after his wife had slipped to the corner for the doctor and fortunately met him just coming in from another early morning visit. When Medhurst was able to speak, he explained that finding be could not catch his train to the suburbs he decided to sleep at the flat. He sat up a little while after Mr Strangways went, thinking over the suggestion he had made to him. He couldn't quite say how long it was except that he might have dozed off, but on' recovering himself at the sound of people passing the door on their way up, he put out the light in the sitting-room and made his way into the bedroom. Full of the offer that had been made him, he sat down on the side of the bed, and very slowly undressed himself, thinking all the. time. Then again he stopped for a while, and coming to the conclusion that he had better have another smoke or he wouldn't sleep, he reached down a dressing-gown that happened to be hanging on the bottom of the bed, and wrapped it round him. "It was a bit rude of me, I admit, sir," he added, turning to Jack, "but I did not want to dress again, and to tell you the truth I was so puzzled about what I ought to do with your offer that I didn't hardly stop to think about anything else." "Oh, that's all right, only I'm afraid the garment brought you no luck," said Jack. /"Don't worry yourself about these little things now. We've got to find out the ruffian who brought you down." Medhurst'a square jaw set hard as he replied: "Yes, sir, and next time he won't find the job so easy. It's a new tvick to me, and that's saying something. I've had a few played on me in the five years I've been at this work, not to mention what I went through when I was on street duty for the first bit of my service in the Force." "They caught you unawares, then?" "Yes, sir, as I was saying I'd put on this gown thinking perhaps it was a blanket or something. I didn't look particularly at it in the dark until 1 turned up the light. Just then 1 heard somebody very softly open the door of the other room. And I'll say this for whoever the artist is that he knows how to work a latch better than any one I've ever struck. There isn't one man in a thousand in this city that would have heard him come in. The door was about halfshut between the two rooms, and I didn't see his face, and besides I slipped off the light in an instant, thinking I would find out what his little game was. He came along as smoothly as a cat after a sparrow, and I felt that he was making for the bed. I waited just a second too long and he was down on the floor and around my knees like a flash of lightning. Thinking he meant to throw me I laid myself out to fall ! on top of him and collar him, but just at that moment slipped in and I got this." Medhurst pointed to a mark on his temple, and closing his eyes with a shudder added, "and after that I was useless."

"And you haven't the slightest idea as to the identity of the people who attacked you?" "Not one little bit, sir. But lam certain of this that you didn't kill your father." "You mean then that last night you " "Well, I'll be honest with you. I had a sort of doubt, indeed, I will say I had more than a doubt about you, and that's the reason I didn't accept your offer because I don't want to take any man's brass if I can't do my best for him. Last night's experience has opened my eyes, and I only wish all Our eyes had been opened sooner. And now if your offer holds good, I am with you." Medhurst's strong constitution quickly pulled him round now that he had recovered from the first effects of the blow, and the instinct of the chase upon him he was soon discussing ways and means with his new employer. first thing to be done," he said, speaking slowly, thinking as he went, "is to get you away somewhere out of London. There is too much cover for them here until we know a bit; more of their game. I haven't got them classified, so to speak. They are not in any of the ordinary criminal classes or I would know pretty well where to get my finger on them. If we can lure them where I can get a sight of them I shall know better what to do. Meantime we must not .be seen together." (To be Continued.)