We Pelham Affair Jy- touts' Jracif • nviiwiiura uom ■ cm rrtla t ,) "And—next time—I really think you should be accompanied by your legal adviser, to whom you can give a full Account of all that passed this morn ing.” "Very well. But what does all this lead to?” "Some exceedingly grave chargee, obviously, if these statements are substantiated.” “The only serious witness is Poiice Captaln Sheridan. What does he al lege against Karl von Helding?" "I prefer to go through my notes carefully before advancing another inch. I am sure that is the best course for all concerned." The baronet rose. “Look here," he said impressively, "I'll keep my word, and remain at your disposal for a week—no longer." He strode to the door, which Pri deuux opened. "Let me guide you to your car,” he said. "I really don't think I need your assistance.” “But you do, most urgently." As they passed together , along an echoing corridor, Sir Arthur looked at the little man with a flicker of amusement on his face. “Cahdidly," he said, "you fellows have altered all my preconceived opinions of Scotland Yard. You strike me as being what Corporal Jenkins would describe as blamy on the crum pet.” "We are,” agreed Prldeatix. "Too ck>se association with eminent male factors is not good for any man. Kven you, who are superb, have dis covered that.” "What the devil aro you driving at now?” “Here is the lift. We can't talk shop now. For Instance, those peo ple In the reception-room stuck to lawn-tennis while we were there, but you ought to have heard their tongues wagging after we left.” "Indeed. Who were they?” "Three were officers of Sir Arthur Pelham'* battalion during the first two years of the war, one was his house-master at Eton, and the lady ^Aks dame during the dear boy’s res idence. You have a marvelous mem ory for names—although you affected not to be able to remember Somers.'s or mine—and a perfectly uncanny fac ulty for assimilating useful data, but it Is quite impossible that you should recognise complete strangers unless they wear lahels.” The baronet was pulling on his gloves. He attended solely to that op eration until the two were standing In the courtyard, and Tomlinson had brought the car up. He was think ing intently, and hardly noticed that Prideaux had ushered him into the limousine with marked politeness. When he was Inside, the detective leaned through the window. “I may never see you again," he said, still in the most oordlaJ tone, "so I want to congratulate you on the magnificent way in which you car ried off today's ordeal.” i'Are you quitting this case, then?” Cmt other could not help asking. “No. It will continue to absorb me Ibr many days, If not weeks.” “I wish you would stop speaking in enigmas. I have enough to worry me without trying to disentangle your meaning from your words." “I'll endeavor to be as direct and plain-spoken as the Judge who will sentence you to penal servitude for ife. Raymond Carre ruined you when he murdered Lady Pelham. You cer tainly should not have bolted to Scot land that morning. No one should ever go to Scotland without the best of reasons. The outcome was that I had many uninterrupted hours In which to search Lady Pelham’s rooms. That oid German woman, despite the racial ohsesBlon which permitted her to recognise you as her dead son, was nevertheless a mother. When her hands were forced by the agents of the Hauptquartlerstah, she gathered •*•11 the photographs of her son, rang ing from babyhood to his guards' cap taincy, and locked them away. Sho also made some remarkable memor anda—In case of future trouble. In a word, she meant to keep the whlp hnnd over you while she lived. She was a conceited, dogged Teuton, and tried to force you to marry Elsa, some girl from Nuremberg. You, thinking more broadly, saw that marriage with i sure-enough frauleln would be,fool Absolutely Pure unponea POMPEIAN OLIVE OIL mini the ‘—f ♦ delicious mayonnaise and French \dressing as the right kind of wife. You were quite right. I suppose you felt safe in committing! bigamy, but surely ish, and you picked on Phyllis Daunt you must have felt a sinking in the stomach when Sherldsn walked In. and you realized that he could, and will, produce the wife and child you deserted in Chicago in 1914." The eyes of the two men met in a soul-searching glance. Tomlinson, waiting for orders, gat like a block of wood. At last von Heldlng broke a silence of nearly a minute. 'Why do you tell me these things?" he said, and his full, reasonant voice showed no tremors. "Because you are. at least, a brave man, and one respects that quality even In an enemy.” "Suppose I insist on seeing the dep uty commissioner?" "You will be arrested at once. I had a devil of a job t° secure you this chance." "Chance!" "Of course. What else is it?" “Come with me. Let us talk mat ters over." “Absolutely useless. I have gone much too far as it is. By the way, give me that little black book as a souvenir." "No. Kindly tell Tomlinson to drive up Whitehall.” "Prideaux obeyed, though never taking his eyes off the man in the limousine. Von Heldlng noticed this, and smiled. "What good would it be? It's too late, anyhow.” he said. Then Prideaux did a strange thing. He actually lifted his hat to one who hud cost Kngland more in blood and treasure than any other German. He watched the car swing out of the courtyard, and turn in the direction of Whitehall. Some specks of matter which resembled burnt paper flutter ed through a window. The detective swore vexedly: “Hacre nom d'un pipe!" he growled. “He's destroying that poeketbook page by page. But I had to sacrifice something. It would make a terrific case, and every sob-sister in Great Britain would have believed in him. Besides, one can never trust the law!" A motorcyclist whirred by. He, also, had business In Whitehall. He remained fifty yards or more behind von Helding's car, and he, too, saw black fragments eddying In the breeze. Suddenly there was a noise slightly more strident than the back firing of a cylinder, and Tomlinson brought the car sharply to a standstill by the kerb outside the old admiralty offices. He alighted, and went to the door. The motorcyclist dAshed up, Hnd clung to the opposite window. The two men, peering in. met each other's eyes. “Don't make a fuss!" said the cyc list. ''I’m a detective. Close the door again, and drive straight to Charing Gross Hospital. Turn just beyond the station. The accident entrance faces you then!" The suicide of Sir Arthur Pelham gave London a new thrill. Some of the newspapers attributed It to grief for the death of his mother, to whom he was devotedly attached. More over, it was suggested by a well-dis posed coroner that the haronet might havp sustained undetected Injuries to the brain when wounded by a shell at Loos. Prideaux received the telephone message from the hospital, and dashed with the news to the deputy commis sioner. who was still discussing the strange case with Somers and Sheri dan. Of course, it was shocking that any man should take his own life, but the deputy commissioner was philosophical. "It Is better so," he said. "We would have been compelled to arrest him next time, and the time and trouble needed to secure a conviction would be simply Incalculable.” "It was a great etunt!” sighed Sheridan. "Gee! 1 was countin' on another four thousand miles’ run to the trial.” "I suppose there Is no doubt that von Halding Is actually dead?" com mented the deputy commissioner. "Sheldon says he blew the top of his head off, sir.” Somers gave Prideauv a weighing undertook. They went out together. "llld you say much to him, Charles?" he almost whispered. "Just the few necessary words. He took the verdict like a white man.” Somers drew a deep breath. ‘‘Well, I'm glad It’s over,” he said. “Our nice young deputy was scared stiff. He's positively frightened of 'luestlon-tlme In the House of Com incr ■-.However, one must eat i hough the heavens fall. I wonder If those soldier-boys are at their club?” "Of course, they are! Let’s walk, along Whitehall and through the Park.” The chief sought no reasons for laklng that particular route. Neither man spoke again until they were crossing the horse guards' parade. "Will you explain to Pelham?-" Give Travel Goods! I FATHER Traveling Hags, 8uit Cases, Fitted Suit Cases, Dressing Cases, ^ Brief Cases, Portfolios, Music Rolls— stylos and prices that will at once command your attention. Omaha Printing Company Thirteenth Luggage Department Atlantic 77931 he began, but Prideaux cried fiercely: "1 will not. I've done mjk bit for thut young man. Try the acheme adopted in the Californian mining camp when Flanagan was killed by a fall of rock. The most tactful person available was chosen to break the news to Mrs. Flanagan, so he knocked at the door of the hut, and, when the lady ap peared, said pleasantly: 'Does the Widow Flanagan live here?’ Anyhow, cheer up, old scout, it isn't your fun eral." Pelham hurried to the entrance hall when their names were sent in. "This is quite an agreeable sur prise," he said. "We thought that, perhaps, you would like to see us, Sir Arthur,” said Somers. Something in the manner of the two men warned the other that the use of the title was no heavy-handed bit of humor. "More fragedy?" he murmured. "Yes. The late Sir Arthur Pelham met with a fatal accident in White hall half an hour ago, and was dead before he could be taken to the Char ing Cross hospital." "Is that the whole story?" "Not by five acts,” broke in Pri deaux. "But.it will carry you safely through lunch. The chief is starving. Look at him!" Prideaux's active wits were run ning far ahead of events. As they climbed the stairs to find Drummer and Jameson, he linked a hand in Pel ham's arm. “There Is only one thing I wish to see now." he chirped. “I want to be present when the family lawyers hear of this mlxup. 1 don't suppose the estate will be out of the courts for twelve solid months, so the faces of two or three worthy gentlemen will present a fine blend of anxious thought with a preliminary estimate of the total cost*." • • a Phyllis Daunt positively refused to allow her prospective husband to do other than take formal possession of Cedar Lodge, "I wouldn’t live there again if the walls were solid gold," she vowed, "unless, that Is, I was allowed to pull them down and build hospitals with the proceeds. That house will ever be a place of ghosts, and nasty ghosts, too.” They were discussing matters in the Woods' garden at Lyndhurst. As Prideaux foresaw, the legal complica tions were interminable. The estate, was not entailed, but I^ady Pelham had a life interest with tiie remainder to her son, and a judge in chambers took some convincing that the astounding story told by Pelham's lawyers was true. This meant that Slavinski and Pascart (the woman was of no account) became important wit nesses once more, so the police treat ed them leniently, and when they 9 111 I I III I I I'l I I I I I I I I III I'l were no lunger useful, hail them sent ■ nut of the country us undesirable aliens. Arthur married his Phyllis towards the end of July, at Lyndhurnt, of course. He obtained the court's per mission to call with his bride and the orange-growing syndicate to South Africa a month later They were be coming quite attached to their plants tion when a cablegram from the solic itors in April brought them home. Cedar Lodge was sold, and paid the succession duty, which the Treasury had grabbed three times in seven years. On reaching London, Pel ham, who would not have assumed the baronetcy but for his wife's sake, drew his first big check and promptly sent her shopping. He took a plebeian taxi to Abney Park cemetery, to stand by his moth er's grave once more, and muse on the strange vicissitudes of his life during the past 10 months. Karl von fielding was buried near the first Lady Pelham, but under ills proper name. The following evening the young couple entertained the chief and Pri deaux to dinner. They (the host and hostess) wanted to give each of the detectives a runabout car, but th« present wps declined with thanks. Pelham, however, had secured a thousand first-class Havanas and a ruby and diamond pin, and Phyllis handed gome of the cigars, with a storage receipt and In a nice case, to Prideaux, and the pin to Somers. The little man's dismay was com ical, since he could not express his feelings with adequate forte in front of a lady. She, poor girl, blushed very prettily, hut her husband put matters right. Naturally, they were dining at Bucc'l's, and the third baro net proposed a brief toast when the champagne was served. "We four should remain friends all our lives," he said. "You two brought us two together, and the four of us, in combination, defeated the most successful inheritance swindle known to the law. There may have been others even more remarkable, but they were never detected. Arid, just think of it—the whole fabric of crime col lapsed from the Instant ex-Cnrporal Jenkins met my train at Victoria. Suppose, to avoid speech-making, we all join In drinking his health! Luck ily, he has a taste for poultry-rearing, so he is now being trained to look after a farm my wife will buy in the New Forest. Henry Wood arranged this and other things for us ffcr Christ mas. Long may Jenkins flourish!” "May his eggs he the biggest and his pullets the fattest in Hampshire!" added Prideaux. "I say nothing about cockerels in the presence of my re spected Chief, whose crow will be heard as far away as Chicago at the police conference next October " "No, no," said Somers hastily. "I hnve recommended the commissioner to send you as a delegate." "You fat lump!” shrilled Prideaux. "You bulbous adiposity! Why, every gigantic cop in the United States Those who are looking for the real home spirit when they return from their holiday vacations and appreciate family comforts, service, ex clusiveness and protection of the most ideal home life, combined with the convenience of the modern hotel, will find them all at the El Beudor Apartment Hotel “Home for Home Folks” Apartments Completely Furnished Kitchenettes Combination Tub and Shower Bath Rental Includes Light, Heat, Gas and Maid Service Special Monthly Rates to Permanent Guests MANAGEMENT MR. AND MRS. L. H. 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