THE COLONEL'S ENEMY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3155, 5 April 1909, Page 2

THE COLONEL'S ENEMY.

CHAPi'ER XXVlll.—Continued. "You do not think it possible, or . likely?" the inspector said. "And . yet if I wished to hide away, or was 'wanted,' London is the very place I ■would choose for it. People take very little notice ot their neighbours after tha first few days. They are curious at the outset. , A stranger takes a house, and the people, on either side and over the way taks sly peeps from behind their window curtain to see what kind of furniture he has. where the van comes from, and what the man and his family are like; then, in a few weeks they know all about himgoodness knows how—and after he has been six months in the same street, he might keep an illicit still or coin bad money with perfect impunity so far as they are concerned." y '- "That might be true of ordinary men, but it could not be true of such a man as Crombie," De Vigne observed. "From what 1 have heard ,of bim he bas a very distinct individuality." "To a certain extent that may be true, sir; but there was never such, a thing as a man who was not like anybody else. Every man is one of a few or one of a many. The whole scheme of creation is against the idea of a solitary speci- * men of anything, whether it's a flower or a fish, an animal 'or a human being. Bring me the most uncommon kind of man you like, and somewhere in the world I will find you somebody, who might have been his twin brother." "That I admit, and I 'see that you have given the subject a great deal of consideration; and I certainly think it possible, but not likely, that Crombi2, if living, may be in London, where he could not possibly escape recognition." "I must beg your pardon, sir," the inspector said, "and if you want to get on the right track, you will have to dismiss .from your mind any doubt about Crombie being alive. You say, 'if living.' I say he is' Jiving; under what. disguise, or name, or where; J cannot say at present; but that I shall ultimately find him, 1 am sure as I am that we are here in this very pleasant room with as good a glass of wine as I ever hope to taste." "I must confess," said De Vigne, 'that your manner convinces me, in spite of my previous impressions. Yours is not a.theory built up without a basis.!'

"My bases are facts, sir. I did not mean to Fay so much before you, as a third party, although you were introduced as the major's friend; but you are a gentleman I would trust on your own account." "You may," said Lu?ard, as the doctor bowed. "Dr. De Vigne is more than my Iriend, he is almost a relative of mine, so you .may trust him as you would me." "I am not so sure that I should," the inspector said; "the doctor and you are two very different gentlemen; and jf I were not sure that he is, with us, as anxious to find Col. St. Hilary as we are, I should be sorry to utter the disclosure 1 am going to make." "He is quite as anxious," the major said, "and has as isuch at stake, so now for your disclosure." "Well, gentleman, it's this way: Ever since that mornjng when you, major, came down to Liverpool and found the colonel gone, it's been on my mind; it's a Liverpool case, you see and I did not want to be outdone by Scotland Yard or private agencies. I followed it up as closely did, and when I learned we were being led away from the trail, I came to the conclusion that there was a very strong and a very cunning hand pulling the strings against us." "Yes," the major assented. "When I had satisfied myself that the colonel's absence was not voluntary, I took and sifted the whole concensus, of opinion as to the motive and the moans employed for getting him out of th* way. Scotland Yard, and Fletcher, and you even, were agreed that Crombie's name had been used as a bait by some one who knew of his old grudge against Crombie. and were aware that Crombie was dead." "That w?.; my opinion," the major said, "when no other seemed possible." "It was not mine. I went back to the man's history. I remembered what a subtle and daring villian he had been, how fertile in resouces, who ready to turn any accident to his own advantage. I remembered that at he time of his reported death the London papers devoted editorial articles to Mm as a man who had in his exile tried to atone by boundless charity and ample restitution for the cne error of bis life. % Now, I happen to know that newspaper editors can be imposed upon as easily as other people, lind articles of that kind can be so artfully worked up as to make the article itself absolutely necessary to gratify the public mind." "You think, then, that those articles were prompted by Crombie faimsef?" iJ'Think!" was the emphatic response. "5 "I am sure of it."

CHAPTER XXIX. A SOLEMN*WARNING. The Liverpool inspector was showing himself in a new light, even to a gentleman who knew him well, as the major did. He had always looked upon Darlineton as a man of superior intelligence, though he was aware that a high order of intelligence among police inspectors is by' no means rare; but he had not been prepared for the instinctive insight and constructive ability his stalwart

By WINTHROP B. HARLAND. Author of "Lady Elgin's Secret," "A Harvest of Shame," "The Elder Son," "Lord Ashton'e Heir," Etc.-—-

visitor had brought to bear upon the case so far. "I was sure of it because it was just what he would do if it became necessary for him to efface himself." Mr Darlington went on. '"He knew that there were some relentless enemies who would not be satisfied with his extravagant and spurious philanthropy, or the tardy restitution made, when he had obtained money by some fresh swindle. He knew that he need not expect mercy from Col. St. Hilary- for one. and as there may have been others like the colonel, he had a report of his death carefully spread abroad." "But there can be no doubt," the major said, "that a man, identified as Crombie, did die, and was butvied at Buenos Ayres." "Wo* the slightest doubt," said the inspector, dryly. "Mr Fletcher went to the spot and saw the certificate of death. He died of lever, and was buried, as the custom is in South America, with'n twenty-four hours; but had Mr Fletcher carried his investigations a little further, he would have discovered that Dallas Crombie was not the only man of that name who had found that free and easy part of the woild a convenient place of residence. The man who died was Crombie's brother, who went out some years before. He resigned a position of trust in Glasgow, and went out for the sake of his health; That is one version of it."

"There is another version, then?" said De Vigne. "Yes, sir. The other is that he would have been ['prosecuted for fraud had he been on British ground another day; but the /matter was' hushed up by Dallas influence and money." "This mar/, then," said Lugard, 'the brother, had bsen living in South America under another name?" "Under half-a-dozen. But they were easily traced, though some confusion did occur in consequence of a precaution Dallas took. He and his brother used each other'saliases i.i different towns, and the | strong resemblance between them, enabled thum to baffle inquiry. The identity of one at Santiago became the identity of the'other at Panama, Buenos Ayres, or any of che large town on the Plata, where they carried on their transactions." "They purposely, in fact," said De Vigne, "created a confusion of identity." "Just so, sir, and succeeded wonderfully well. The brother, who had gained a high reputation as a wealthy adn respected citizen, was buried as Dallas—under the alias,, that is to say, by which Dailas had been knuwn and Dallas, realising his property, it was something like a million in English sterling, disappeared, i*; was supposed for the United States; but I say for England!" ,-,•.,'. "Why should you say for England?" [to be continued.]