Ashton Kirk, Secret Agent

tling Int

as too low voiced for Fuller to catch any of it

hers, then we come upon the shoes which she might have worn when she made them

th an impatient ge

that we ourselves have also made tracks round about the window below, our sh

ing to do with this case is peculiar. I never saw a trail so snarled and crossed and recrossed. First you get the idea of a Japanese. Then Warwick is plunged into the thing so deep that I fail to

ere sofas and big chairs and many books. At one side near the front window was a narrow antique desk of polished wood; i

could drive a herd of mules over it without causing any appreciable di

nspection of the contents of the desks,

Warwick, Miss Corbin and Drevenoff in league with the Jap for some particular purpose?-are there factions in the matt

as he ran through the papers. "Contracts with publishers, notes

particular value, a few small books

e desk, which was also the lid, and was about to close it

nd it extremely light?" said he to Fuller. "That oddity of

dge of the lid; the quick, observant glance followed

d he, eagerly; "

strip. Look closely and you will see slight marks at the ends of e

g. But it was empty. However, the second one revealed a number of sheets of paper. With the aid of the knife b

that thing which I said a while

he secret agent. "They are precisely alike, but some are in brown, others in black, still others

uestioned Fuller, "that anything

is not the case," replied Ashton-Kirk. "Cha

d merely to the fact that the draughtsman

hich are done in brown. Then here are several duplicates of one which I saw the first time we came here. It is a cross, and in each case the down stroke is red and the cross stroke blue. Here the selection of color

doubtfully. Then another sheet caught his eye an

he size of the others, but the design upon it was totally unlike, however, and was done in heavy black. I

ed Fuller. "Much like a Black Hand desig

which he did not stir and Fuller, watching, noted the glaze of introspection in the singular eyes. However, this was not for long

kely that is

?" asked

wed the interrogat

go through life with their eyes open possess more of these items of recollection than those who refuse to look beyond the confines of their own affairs. But the impressionable person-the

" said Fuller. "And things must need be more

I then accept must be more or less solidly supported by facts. But a newspaper casually picked up, a novel read as a time-killer, a spoken

se little incidents, a sort of unattached thing, which throws som

the sheets of paper in his c

," he said. "Nevertheless, I suppose I had

st met his eye. Then they descended to the first floor; and as they did so, met

ng," said A

that you were

only daylight would show us," he retu

said; and to Fuller there was a sort

back stairway, that being the ne

their way; the great dark eyes were fixed upon them

there might be somethi

to a peculiar something in her voice. However, she said nothing mor

as they reached the hall; Osborne hastene

was interspersed with high-pitched questions, amazed ejaculation and wondering adjecti

you think of

t is

York. They got on Warwick's track an hour after h

ave they t

he was in his room. Was registered under the name of Gordon. They went up and knocke

asked

ke the one he took from here, slashed open and empty, and b