Swirling Waters

s simplicity-of "Lars Larssen-Shipping," Arthur Dean had looked upon his employer from afar as some demi-god raised abo

ut the powers that every man possessed worked at white heat and with an extraordinary swiftness and exactitude. The revelation did not sweep away the glamour; on

scheme should be launched. To use Matheson's name on the prospectus, and to use his influen

he foundation merely of what Arthur Dean had tol

unconnected orders almost be

name.... Buy a pair of workman's boots to fit you. Get them in some side street shop. Bring them with you-don't ask them to send.... Take this typewriting"-he took

rtion of typed matte

e, go to every typewriter firm in Paris until it matches.... Go to the offices of the Compagnie Transatlantique and get a list

shall I giv

erviewed on the proposed international agreement about maritime c

nk so,

eat

ng man

oo

th pleasure at

lunch

t y

ht, or eat while you're hustling around in cabs. This is a hurry

usiness status and wealth. His thoughts went out to a little girl in Streatham who was waiting, he knew, ti

d of thought-reading. "My three-hundred-a-year men,"

underst

ronicle sent in his card at the Grand Hotel, and Lars

n of a trustful public. Consequently, Martin's attitude in the presence of the millionaire shipowner was as free from constraint or subservience as it would be in th

rapidity of thought, and adjusted his own

e Chronicle's red-hot against the olive-branch merchants, so I hope you're not

talk I like. Make a policy and set

riendship, and had brought the conversation round without diff

day. Many thanks. He's a steady young fellow and will get on-but a little to

could have guessed it from the shipown

acked skull met the holy Tartar last night. He's raving sore-wa

m. I met my friend to-day going off to Canada. What ar

much unless the relations kick up a shindy. Paris is the finest place in Europe to get murdered in peacefully and without a lot of silly fuss. You see, it might be a hoax. Your Parisian hoaxer likes a dash of

k hands at the door, he said cordially: "If you want news from me when I'm in

icion that he had been "pu

as that he never allowed his mind to worry him. He shut the matter completely out of his conscious thoughts; got a trunk telephone call to his Lo

Dean returned from an errand on which he had been

business report, pointed silently to a small slit in the side of the fur-lined coat, where it would cover a man's ribs. On the inner lini

llow's method of going straight to the heart of

ness of the river bank, and found the coat and stick just where Martin and I had hidden them in the bushes. The trees make it quite dar

ind the st

hat it could be wrapped in

examine f

rning, and the prints of the man who first discovered them. Of course my

t ne

cel until I came to some other suburb, and then I caught a cab

rkman's

dinary boots, I threw them in

y sa

s,

hing

.... Do you recognize this coat and st

a trunk telephone call through to Sir Francis Letchmere at Monte Carlo. D

d been made, it was Olive who answe

Matheson. Who

want Sir Fran

now. Shall I ta

rd yet from y

. W

a. I thought he wo

There was an angry sharpnes

urry. It's in connexion with the Hu

rong with it?" Now there

ss the pond and straighten up matters." Larssen lowered his voice. "Somebody in the Can

sed me faithfully to come on to Monte

rough

d you wish to gi

al. I want to meet Sir F

ng to drag him

de a quick resolution. He answered: "Certainly not, if you

charming

o. I'll wire later

y th

o bring in the new "Thor" travelling typewriter he had purchased that afternoon. Larssen had

Envelope first

ake it direct on

eur G. R. Coulter, Rue Laffitte, 8, Paris....

ss above C

e, and I want my trip kept very quiet. I leave affairs in your hands until my return. Get my luggage from my hotel and k

e, and his fingers dropped fr

ir

moment

ed Lars Lar

like tha

care to go

t--" He stammered,

a cheque-book from his breast-pocket and very deliberately said: "Make yourself out a che

book with shaking fingers an

the telegram was given into his hand, open, with an order to send it off to London. His glance fell i

his voice which told of the mental struggle he had been through in the ad

ower of suggestion, and used it with a master-hand. He could almost see the young secretary torn between the tho

to replace you at a moment's notice. If you don't care to go to Canada, you're perfectly free to say so. Then we part, because you're useless to m

ry good of

. You have an idea that what that letter represents coul

col

bout ten thousand times yours in hard cash. Would I be mad enough t

ink of that

l, take it. Consider carefully what you'd like to be in the future: clerk or business man. Two pound a week; or si

mind, sir," ans

out his hand to his young employee

aire shipowner was as strong wine to Arthur Dean. He

nd steamers. Many busy men carry them. This habit of Matheson's was exceedingly useful for his present purpose. The letter that Arthur Dean was to post off at Cherbourg-one to the Paris office of Clifford Matheson and one of s

on hotel paper at Cherbourg and posted there. Dean was to catch a night train to Cherbourg, take steamer ticket there for Quebec, and proceed to Montreal. There were a host of directions as to his

mployer worth

and after posting off his letters he sent the fo

private business. Larssen, Grand Hotel, Paris, will explain. Sailin

funnels and the bustle of near departure on her decks, a tele

been given to somebody else. However, expect nothing from you

s name. It was the one facet of the situation of which the shipown

d the liner had cast off from her moorings before an answer ca

here is Rivière. Reply