Half A Chance

to the continent, whatever its nature, had seemed sufficiently important to authorize from him to her, in due process of

ntry matters not; suffice it the weeks passed and no further invitations, in the ponderous script of the wife of Sir Charles, arrived to tempt him from his accustomed wa

rn on the other side of the channel. That was to have been expected; but one or two of these, by di

eep around!" His manner of putting his desire, supplemented by a half-crown, left the butler no alternative save to comply with the request, until the

orts of the old trials you have on the shelves, sir. 'What an interesting collection of causes célèbres!' he kept remarking. 'I suppose your master makes much of them?' He wou

estions?

. But I put a

de up his mind to do battle to the end. With whom? How many? He might put out his hand, clench it; the thin air made no answer. He regarded the shadows now; they seemed to wave around him, inta

length, to the man, sternly. "No one, you understand, under any pretext whatever; even,

spread them on a table and examined them, one after the other. They made a voluminous heap; here and there on the white pages in bold regular script appeared the name of a woman; her life lay before him, the various stages of an odd and erratic career. At a cabaret at Mont

peared the name o

tter than he the actual value, for his purpose, of the material before him. The chaff, froth, bubble of the case!--almost contemptuously he regarded it. Had he sought the unattainable? Certainly he h

in the safe and locking it, he walked into a room adjoining; in a bare, square place on the wall hung

d litheness, the superb but not too pronounced swell of limb and shoulder, would have been the delight of the professional expounder of dumb-bells, bars and clubs, as the most proper medium of "fitness" and condition. Whether he exercised for the sake of exercising, or because bodily movement served to stimulate his mind in the

ly altered his pace. Once he had stopped; whereupon they too had paused. A moment he stood looking up at St. Paul's, immense, ominous, casting at that late hour a dim patch of shadow over scores of pigmy buildings and paltry byways; when he went on, patter!--patter!--the trailing of feet, inevitable as

to move by. They did not do so; in a moment the others from the main highway would join them. As if disappointed in not finding what he sought, Steele, looking around, appeared to see for the first time the evil-looking miscreants who had came from th

red, he did not linger. But close behind now the others came fast; his door, however, was near. Now he reached it, fitted the heavy key. Had it turned as usual, the episode would have been brought to a speedy conclusion, but, as it wa

background stared. A ponderous, hulking fellow, about six feet three, with a shock of red hair and a thick hanging lip,--obviously this one of his assailants possessed immense, unusual

when John Steele suddenly called him by name, said somet

tling. Steele's bulky assailant paused, remained stock-s

Who--?" th

e elation shone from his glance. "I want to talk with you. It'll be mo

ion gleamed from the bloodshot eyes. "How should a swell gent li

speaker had turned the key in the lock behind him--"to step in here with me. You needn't be afraid I'm going t

the same time he began to edge cautiously away. "That would be a nice plant, wou

want you, Tom Rogers, and I'm going to have you

rner in the direction of the Thames the burly figure of a policema

e exclaimed, when one of the others put out a foot. It caught the pursuing man fairly

o lift himself on his elbow, as through a mist he made out t

nasty fall y

ot escape--Do you hear? must not!" As he spoke he made as if

quite yourself; besides, they're well

nt these physical pangs were as nothing; disappointment, self-reproach moved him. To have allowed himself to go down like that; to have been caug

t a little to and fro, the lips set ironically, the dark

take it, is your house; you can look after yourself somewhat, and afterward desc

wly regained its accustomed steadiness. "I am afraid I ca

or small; what sort of clothes they wore--" The other shook his head; the

respectful affirmative, "It is my desire to escape any notoriety in this little matter, you understand? As one whose profession brings him in connection with these people, the episode seems rather anom

ur way of looking at it, and as there isn't much chance of getting t

tory "Good night" and let himself in. But as he mounted to his chambers, som

--in London. I surely can lay