Anthony Trent, Master Criminal

ad interviewed them for his paper. In those days he himself was a respectable performer at the game. Brooks had given him one of his own rackets which was no longer i

in the efficacy of "follow up" letters. It was a large and prosperous firm and it followed up Anthony

ts itself in others' affairs and discusses them, were i

the Calgoorlie gold fields. Possessing a nimble wit he related to his fellow boarders amazing accounts of his uncle's activities. The boarders often d

as observed that he was disinclined to talk. As a matter of fact he wanted a reasonable excuse for lea

from Melbourne offering him all that the

le is well," Mrs.

oment Trent got

" he said sadly, "at his ag

ke reminded him. She remember

, "and he has lived not wisely but well. I feel I s

Mrs. Sauer. His going would depriv

ty is plain," he

if he had enjoyed better cooking he would have fallen from grace, and if

ing. Central Park West offered many such houses. And if it should happen that he ever had to flee from the pursuit of those who guarded the mansions that faced him on the park's eastern side, there was no safer way ho

rk. That he was compelled to climb five flights of stairs was no objection in his eyes. A little door to the left of his own entrance gave admi

nd am anxious to try open air sleeping. If I might have the right

an for the property." He laughed at his jest. "Insomnia is plain hell, ain't it? I u

t declared. "I walk a good deal at

ly and wanted to sleep on the roof; also that he took long tramps at night.

Mrs. Phoebe Kinney from Agawam, a village overlooking Buzzard's Bay. A widow, childless and friendless, she had occupied similar positions in Massachusetts but this would be the first one in New York. He observed in his talk with her that she c

s disposition and cannot bear interruptions. If you had friends in New York I should not hire you. I sometimes keep ir

ith pleasure that she was even suspicious of the tradespeople who sent their wares up the dumb waiter. And she discouraged their gossip who sold meat and bre

s housekeeper of their summer home on Buzzards' Bay. Young Graham Bulstrode had been a tennis player of note years before. Many a time Anthony Trent had seen him at Longwood. He had dropped out because he drank too much to keep fit. The two were of an age. M

y engaged in a precarious profession he was determined to make a success of it. He had smoked innumerable pipes in tabulating those accidents which brought most criminals to sentence. He believed in the majority of cases they had n

m Clarke, his one-time city editor. Clarke remembered most of the interesting things about the big men of his day. He told Trent that Drummond invariably carried a great deal of money on his person. He expatiated on the Drummond history. This William Drummond had begun life on an Iowa farm. H

f he's so keen on conserving it? One would think he wouldn't take out mor

a lot of clubs-not the Knickerbocker type-but the sort of clubs where rich young fellows go to play poker. They know old Drummond can lend 'em the ready cash with

smiling, "but my hunch

that it's between club members and so forth, not a money lending transaction. Tells 'em he doesn't lend money as a rule, and so forth and so on. I know

stung you?"

me a nickel if we were starving. You remember young Hodgson Grant who committed su

n such a street as he does? I

got a high stepper that makes him speed up. She thinks she wi

set his heart. It salved what was still a conscience to know that

udy of it answered every question concerning its lay-out that the most careful cracksman needed to know. Trent spent a week in learning how Drummond occupied his time. The banker invariably left his most profitable club at midnight, never earlier. By half past twelve he was in his library smoking one of the cigars that had been given him that night. Then a drink of gin and water. Af

lub. On that night there were certain changes to be observed in the appearance of Anthony Trent. He seemed to have put on twenty pounds in weight and ten years in age. The art of make-up which had been forced upon him i

inney to talk. On this particular night he asked her a question c

like Mr. Graham Bulstrode as one pea is like another

gh she feared this unusual flush on his ordinarily pale face me

d him carefully. He had seen that Bulstrode was wearing during the nights of late Autumn an Inverness cape of light-weight black cloth, lined with white silk. To Trent it seemed rather stagey but that

an Anthony Trent went into the club. To the attendants it seemed that he had returned for something forgotten. With his Inverness still on and his hat folded he lost himself in the crowded rooms and found at last William Drummond. The banker nodded cordially. I

nwardly Trent chuckled. He had now no fear of being discovered. Bulstrode probably knew few men at the club. He had not been