7
The Story of Amaroff the Pole
(Concluded)
MAGAZINE SECTION
About the end of August there began,
lie continued, a duel of wits between the
two men, Amaroff and Nieolin, the rea
6 ms and causes of which did not, if he
might be permitted to say, concern us.
Nicolin's career was dependent on his
success. For him, failure spelt perma
nent disgrace. Yet it was Amaroff who
was playing with his opponent as a cat
with a mouse, confusing and surprising
him at every turn, driving him, indeed,
when time grew pressing, into desperate
measures. At the last he formed a plan,
did Nieolin, a scheme worthy of his most
cunning brain.
"This, then, he did," ended the poor
caretaker. "He came to me I who had
so great love and honor for Amaroff,
my friend, I whom he had turned from
crime and aided to earn a wage in hon
esty he came to me and he says: 'Kroll,
in my pocket is a warrant that will send
you back to the snow places in the East ;
do you fear me, my good Kroll?' And I
feared him. 'See, now,' he said, 'we de
sire to see your friend Amaroff for a
little talk. We cannot harm him here in
this mad country. Contrive a trick,
bring him Into your private room be
hind the bar. (live us the key of the
yard door that we may come secretly to
him and afterward you will hear no
more of Siberia from me. Do you con
sent?' "Gentlemen, I believed him, also hav
ing fear of the snow places; and I con
sented. "So Amaroff answered my call, and
with some excuse I left him in this room.
It was at a time when few members were
in the club about seven of the clock.
And that, as I live, is all I have to tell.
I waited at my seat behind the bar. I
saw nothing, beard nothing and at last
when I went to my room, behold it was
empty! I tried to suspect no wrong
but I did not sleep that night. In the
morning I saw in the papers that Ama
roff, my friend, was dead, and how he
died I could not tell."
"So Nieolin won the game," sug
gested Peace, softly. "And there will
be no regrettable incident when the C.nr
enters Paris the day after tomorrow."
"Of that I have no knowledge," said
Greatma-n; but I saw a sudden resolu
tion shine in his face that seemed to
put new heart Into the man.
"Well, Mr. Phillips," said the inspec
tor, turning upon me with a warning
quiver of the left eyelid, "it is time we
were on the move. If we are to meet
Nieolin at the studio by seven tomor
row morning, we must get to bed early."
"Certainly," I said. I was rather out
of my depth, but I take myself this
credit that I did not show it.
"Then do you search the studio to
morrow?" asked Great man.
"Yes it has been arranged."
"But will you not first arrest this
Nieolin, this murderer?"
"My dear Mr. Greatman," said the
inspector, "you have told us your story,
and I thank you for your confidence.
Hut I advise you now to leave things
alone. I will see justice done don't be
afraid about that. For the rest, please
to keep a silent tongue in your head it
will be safer. There is still Sileria for
Ivan Kroll just as there may be dangers
from your friends in the club yonder for
Julius Greatman, who arranged so indis
creet a meeting in his private room.
Good night to you."
The caretaker did not reply, but open
ing the door, bowed us into the passage
that led to the big room. We had not
taken half a dozen steps when I looked
back over my shoulder, expecting to see
him behind us. lint he had vanished.
"He's gone," I whisicred, gripping my
companion by the arm.
"I know, I know. Keep quiet."
As we stood there listening, I heard
t he sudden clatter of boots upon a stair
way, anil then silence.
"It appears to me that we shall have
an interesting evening," said Addington
Peace.
A twist in the passage, a turn through
a door, and we were rattling down the
back stairs and out into a moonlit yard.
In the denser darkness under the walls I
made out a double row of big barrows,
from which there came a subtle aroma in
which stale fish predominated. From
amongst them a tall shadow arose and
came slipping to our side.
"He's off, sir," said the sergeant, for it
was he. "Hushed by, shaking his fist
and talking to himself like a madman.
Where has he gone, do you think?"
"To Amaroff8 studio; and we must
get there before him. The nearest cab
rank, if you please, Jackson."
We ran through the yard, hustled up
the narrow streets, lost ourselves, as far
as I was concerned, in a maze of alleys,
and finally shot out into a roaring thor
oughfare, crowded with a strolling popu
lation. No cab was in sight. Opposite
the lamps of the underground station the
inspector stopped us.
"It would Ik- quicker," he said, with
a jerk of the head, and we turned into
the booking-office and galloped down the
btairs. Luck was with us, and we tum
bled into a carriage as the train moved
away.
We were not alone, and we journeyed
in silence. Station after station slipped
by, until at last we were in the south
western district again. My excitement
increased as we fled up the stairs of the
South Kensington station. Here was a
new sensation, keen, virile, natural; here
was a race worth the trouble it involved.
I did not understand ; but I knew that on
our speed much depended. Indeed, I
could have shouted aloud, but for the
influence of those two quiet, unemotional
figures that trotted on either hand.
I regretted nothing an hour of this
was worth a year of artistic contempla
tion. At the corner we found a hansom, and
soon were rattling down the King's
Road. When the cab stopped, to the
insjtector's order, it was not, as I ex
pected, at the corner of Harden Place,
but a street preceding it. Down this
we walked quickly until we came upon
a seedy-looking fellow with a red muffler
about his neck, leaning ugainst the wall.
I was surprised when we halted In
front of him.
"Good evening, Harrison," said the in
spector. "Anything to report?"
"They're there, sir. They came about
ten minutes ago. Job and Turner are
watching the door in Harden Place, and
I came here."
"They didn't see any of you?"
"No, sir; 1 am sure of it."
"You had better Join the others In
Harden Place. Keep within hearing, and
if I whistle, kick in the side door of the
studio it can be done. There is a man
who I fancy will have a key to the door
that is due in about five minutes. If I
have not whistled before he arrives, let
Iii tit through. You understand?"
"Yes, sir."
The detective faded discreetly into the
darkness, while the inspector turned to
me.
"There may be complications Mr.
Phillips, and no slight danger. I must
ask you to go home."
"I shall do nothing of the sort."
"Mutiny," he said; but I could see
that he was smiling. "You are rather a
fraud, Mr. Phillips rather a fraud, you
know. There is more of a fighter than
a dilictante in you, after all. Come,
then, over you go."
A jump, a scramble, and all three of
us were over the wall, dropping into a
ragged shrubbery of laurel. We grojel
and stumbled our way through the
growth of bushes until we emerged on a
grass plot. Then I understood. We
were at the back of Amaroffs studio.
On one side where we stood was the
outhouse, its sloping roof reaching up to
the long windows under the eaves the
upper lights, as sculptors call them. And
even as I looked there came through these
windows a flicker of light, an eye that
winked in the darkness and was gone.
We crept softly forward until we
reached the shadow of the outhouse. It
was roofed with rough tiles, which came
ti within seven feet of the ground. For
tunately, they did not project out from
the wall of the building.
"You must help us up, Jackson,"
Peace whisjercd, "and then go round to
the door, which I see at the back there.
If they make a bolt that way, blow your
whistle. If I whistle, start hammering
fin the door as if you were a dozen men.
Now then, take me on your shoulders."
He scrambled to the roof like a cat.
Lying flat he thrust out a hand. A
hoist from the sergeant, and I landed
beside him. We waited a few moments,
and then commenced to work our way
up the roof. From its upiicr angle I
found that the greater part of the in
terior of the studio was within our ob
servation. The moonlight that drifted through
the opposing panes fliMided the center
of the studio with soft light, in the midst
of which the bust in bronze rose darkly
upon its pedestal. A minute, and then
the eye of light winked out, flickered,
explored the mmi1s of shadow, and finally
steadied on the wall as three men moved
from the room beneath us, following one
by one. A second lantern came into
play, and In-fore our eyes commenced a
search such as I could have hardly cred
ited, so swift, methodical and thorough
were its methods. The cushions were
probed with long pins, the cracks of
bare boards, and the nails that held them
in position were studied each in turn, the
plastered walls were sounded inch by
inch, the locks of desk and drawer were
picked with the ease of mechanical
knowledge.
We heard it before the men below,' the
faint patter, patter on the road outside
of a runner in desjterate haste. The
footsteps grew silent, and in the pause
there must have come a sound, audible to
them though not to us, for the lantern
slides were shut down like the snapping
o.' teeth, and the men vanished into the
gloom. Only the moonlight remained,
bathing the Nero In its gentle beams.
I glanced at Peace. His expression was
one of beatific enjoyment, but his whistle
was at his lips.
I could not see the entrance door, so
that the struggle was well-nigh over he
fore I knew it was begun. The stranger
fought hard, as I judged from the scuf
fling thuds, yet he raised no cry of help.
Then the eyes of the lanterns glowed
again and they led him into the center
of the studio with the glint of steel
marking the handcuffs on his wrists. It
was Greatman the fox that had run
into the den of the wolves!
"And so, mon ami, you piny a double
game."
It was not until he 8oke that I real
ized that I could hear what went for
ward within. The big' ventilators above
me were open, and Nieolin for it was
he did not modulate his voice.
"It is you that killed him," cried the
prisoner, raising his fettered hands. "You
that have betrayed me. Murderer and
liar that you are."
His frail body shook to the fury that
was on him; but the Hussian laughed
in his black lxard, stroking it with his
hands.
"I had almost forgotten," he said. "It
may be that you have some cause of com
plaint against me. Hut now that you are
here, you will doubtless be kind enough
to save us trouble. Where, my good
Kroll, are the bombs hidden?"
"Di you think I shall tell you?"
"Remember, Amaroff is dead. They
will not go to Paris now. Do not he
foolish. Show me the hiding place, and
no harm shall come to you."
"No."
"Then you will return to Russia. The
Odessa forgery will carry you there by
Knglish law but, remember, it Is for
something more than forgery that you
will have to answer when you arrive."
There was a silence, and then Nieolin
spoke again two words.
"Sagalicn Island."
"I shall not go there," said the pris
oner, simply. "I shall not go there
Nieolin the spy, Nieolin the murderer
and liar!"
"Then you will achieve a miracle. For,
as the Czar rules. In-fore a week is out
you will be on the sea, and within a
month stop him, stop him!"
He had sprung from thrni with a
bound like that of a wild beast, and with
his fettered hands had gripx-d the shaft
of the bust of Nero, swinging it high
above his head. For a part of a second,
as a film might seize the photograph, I
saw him stand in the moonlight with
that cruel face in bronze rocking above
his own white face in flesh and blood
below; yet, as I remember it, there was
neither fear nor anger In his expression.
And then, as it were, the shutter clicked,