THE SOLUTIONS OF RADFORD SHONE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8987, 23 November 1907, Page 2

THE SOLUTIONS OF RADFORD SHONE.

[PUBLISHED I'v Sj.|.;r!\!. A ii!'.' A N'i "! I v\l I'.NT. ! [All Eioiits Hi'kkkn Ki'.l

CHAPTER 11.--Continued. Glancing hastily round, I ai-t> missed Phil Lancaster from the phii-;-which, as second oflicer, he usual!y occupied at the head of the third tabh\ when not on duty on i.hc bridge. I knew that he had conn- oil' watch at six o'clock, and was free till four in the morning—in fact. 1 had been looking forward to a chat with him during the evening. I v.;is beginning to wonder what his absence portended when there was a commotion at the door of the saloon, and Shone's stout young friend rushed in, labouring under the wildest excitement.

Ignoring the implied invitation of H elene de Mericourt, who had drawn her skirts together to make room for him at her side, he pushed his way to the head of the table, and whispered in the ear of the captam, who rose hurriedly and accompanied him out of the saloon. Guessing xhat the supreme moment had come, I, too, slipped out and followed them, the chase leading me, as I had expected, down to the main deck, along a corridor, to the closed door of the bullion room.

There, under an electric lamp, stood Radford Shone, his dexter fingers pointing dramatically to the iron door.

"Got your key, captain?" he said. "Yes; why?" stammered the blunt old sailor, who was shaking all over with apprehension. "Because the thief is inside. I have suspected him from the first, but I trod*his heels so closely that he put off his attempt to the last night," replied Shone, who was evidently not going to lose one jot of his triumph. "I shadowed him here just before aimer, and, finding the door ajar, pulled it to and shut him in." Captain Smithers fumbled with a steel chain at his neck and produced a key from the inner regions of his underclothing. With this, having set the letter combination, he unlocked the door and dragged it open. There, in the dim interior, with his back to a pile of bullion cases, stood Phil Lancaster, scowling defiance. "I knew the brute would have me," he said, shooting at Shone a glance that would have slain. "I didn't quite see how, except that he carries too many guns for me. What are you going to do with me, sir?" "Clap you in irons, my lad, and take you back to England," said the captain sadly, for Lancaster had been one of his favourite officers. ***** During the next few days the downfall of Phil Lancaster, though not effaced from my memory, was driven into the background of my thoughts by the official routine I hatl to undergo in New York for taking over my prisoner, "Flash Taylor." This was at last satisfactorily concluded in time for us to take berths in the Petunia on her return trip, and we boarded the steamer at the Flower Line dock in North River ten minutes before she cast off. i had purposely cut it fine, to give my gentleman no chance of making a dash for liberty. Not till we were out in mid-river, heading for Sanciy Hook, was I able lo relax my vigilance, after coming to a clear understanding with MiTaylor. As long as he behaved himself he was free to come and go on deck as he pleased till we touched at Queeustown, when I should have to ask him to retire to our cabin while the steamer was in communication with the shore. Thus my only rislfe of losing him would be if he jumped overboard during the voyage—a risk which, as a student of human nature, I was fully prepared to take. Flash Taylor was the sort of rascal who, when out of prison, enjoyed life far too thoroughly to want to end it by suicide.

These preliminaries amicably settled, we were on the best of terms with each other, and together we amused ourselves by taking stock of the other passengers. They were, of course, a different set from those on the outward voyage, and I soon found that the chief interest centred in that young and popular peer, Lord Ravensbury, who was taking home bis American bride, nee Miss Vander-bilt-Waldorf, the daugh'er of the multi-millionaire. The young couple had engaged what was known as "the honeymoon suite," and their appearance or otherwise in the saloon for meals was being freely canvassed by the loungers in our vicinity on the promenade deck. "I am in a position to inform you, ladies and gentlemen, that his lordship and the countess will certainly take their places at the table. The obstacle that might, have prevented it has been happily removed," said a well-remembered voice. "Oh /tell us! do tell us" came the chorus from every one within earshot. Radford Shone, his clerical attire abandoned in favour of a suit of grey tweed, and with Mr Samuel Mai'tl ) at his elbow, stood forth, and, i -hing loth, took up his parable. "It was a little matter of Lady Ravcusbury's million-dollar tiara, her father's wedding present," he announced sententiously. "They were reluctant to let it out of their sight, and equally reluctant to deposit it in the bullion-room on account of certain robberies therefrom on previous voyages. But they have now consented to entrust this priceless treasure to the ship's stronghold, since the captain was able to assure them that it would be as safe there as in the vaults of the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street:. lam a modest man, and cannot tell you why."

"lean, though," Mr Samuel Martin blurted out, blushing furiously. •'This is the celebrated Mr Radford Shone, the greatest detective of the

BEING NARRATIVES' BY 0!-'l'u h'i;s . •;•■ ■;■..• i; ( :; i ■.;; -.A!, t\ \ i,s • tr..\ I :i >\ DEPARTMENT, AND OP THE Vi;< >\ ; '•.: 'I \. i'U,U|-, in i ; , (-: DEAUNGS WITH THE E\MVi-;x: :•, % :■( ,:;':\ ...Ii: i;.\i'f-'i!i;;> .^:i"NE.

i ; (; :- t Hr i\'!M.<;hl liv '■.:■.>:■> :)\\ J.e | A I Mr,;-: i.-t' i <<>u v. .•■;:. v. in I llio laid.-U ••(' \vl:u:U /liorr ;.<-.!; .'^.r----i (ii:'f. :!Vi!i ro'.iL'hiv :m;(! -.:i'!.rd Mm j ;.;■, ~* :.(!.is't'h :!!. r.ny--,i /■; ;;;•• ;<;> laj (hii!. ! A ~.(•-! .■!,.!!■.:■:!;■ :■!. n,'/ .-id<- t.i.v-ed j ii:" u; iiii-i! in "Khisii Taylor." My |pr if-ti: r'- .]i.-.:-inrt!v'd An-e wa: ;<>iij vuls<-:! will; ,-ir;Mi>;c j "W.,n!!i \v;,Un;:t; oivr that tiara?" I I eluili'dt him. ! "N", ir. wasn't ti.at. I'm no I crai'! -;.-rn. v.i}<\ ii wouldn't be much joi ;> ■;•:.!!:f with you aboard, Mr j Royd.\ " 'l'uyinr r-plied affably— for i he w.-ss a gonial logue who bore me jno nm'iif. ''l was just thinking what funny fools there are in the world. When I've done my little bit I'm blessed if I don't setjup as an expert investigator. Set a thief to catch a thief, don't you know." There seemed to be a cryptic meaning in this utterance, which I was too wary to try to extract on the spur of the moment. The more so as the bombastically devised selfadvertisement of Shone had sent my thoughts back to the other captive who was making the voyage home under such infinitely harder conditions than my stoical professional friend. I could picture to myself the dull misery of the young sailor, eating his heart out in the bowels of the ship, that was bearing him to justice. Yet, would it be justice if he was called on to expiate his unauthorised presence in the bullion-room? He had put forward no defence, nor uttered a word of explanation, preserving a sullen silence in face of Shone's triumphant accusation and the captain's acceptance of the same. He had seemed to acquiesce in the situation, as though the fact of his being found in the bullion-room was proof of guilty intent; and in a way it was so, for it wa3 a strict rule of the ship that except in the case of a fire or wreck neither he nor the captain should enter till the end of the voyage, and then only in the presence ol the other. Yet for all that, it was against the grain to believe Phil Lancaster a thief —one, too, who, if he was a thief at all, must have worked systematically. As this passed through my mind, my gaze strayed after the author of Lancaster's undoing, and I observed that Shone and his henchman had reached the stern-most limits'of the promenade deck, and that, having wheeled round* they would shortly pass us again. At the same moment a suppressed exclamation from Taylor caused me to shift my eye:; in the other direction —to the head of the stairs leading up from the,deck below. To my astonishment the Due de Vionville and his charming daughter, whom I had naturally supposed to be in New York, had just mounted to the promenade deck and were strolling aft. In a few seconds they would meet Shone and his friend; and, as it happened, the meeting, took place exactly opposite to where Taylor and I were lounging against the rails. I watched it closely, eager to see how the French grandees would compart themselves under the altered conditions now prevailing between them and their former cronies. The / Due and the Yiscomtesse were deep f in conversation, and did not appear j to recognise Radford Shone ''ill he: stopped; thsn they greeted him with raised eyebrow?, as though surprised at his effrontery in making overtures.

"This is indeed a pleasant and unexpected rencontre," Shor.e simpered. "I had thought that your Grace was making a longer stay than three days in America.''

"Oh, ah! It is our friend the detective," said De Vionviiie with haughty condescension. "Yes, we decided to return at once, to take advantage of any development:; that may follow your clever piece of work on the out.vard voyage. If my daughter's necklace is recovered through your agency, Mr •Radford Shone, you will not rind me remiss as a paymaster, but you will understand that as there can no logger bo any need for the intimacy which doubtless served its turn on the outward voyage, that intimacy must now cease."

Shone bit his lip and passed on, Martin following with a hopelessly unrequited glance of admiration at the Vicomtesse de Mericourt. And then once more my attention was diverted to my prisoner by the sotto voice - "Am I on m> head or my heels?" "Nonsense, man; there's no motion. We're not in the open sea yet,". I replied, affecting to misunderstand him. I had not forgotten his exclamation of two minutes ago on first seeing the Due do Vionviiie, but it was not my cue to put leading questions to one of his type. "Come clown to the cabin, Mr Royds," he breathed earnestly in my ear. "You have treated me like a gentleman, and JMI do the same by you." (To be Continued.)