The Gates of Chance

ed Du

ait of the "Red Duchess." What a glorious picture it was, in the masterly sweep of its lines, in the splendor of its incomparable coloring! The jagged edges of the canvas showed plainly where the

ight hand, and opposite me a fourth cover had

always make provision for the unexpected guest. Who

e soup before a serv

"An honest-enough-sounding name. Is t

don't thin

will permit, and you, Thorp, have no objection-Good! A

r and a good deal of color, the latter heightened considerably by the somewhat embarrassing circumstances attending his intr

ck; indeed, I insist upon it. Allow me now to present you: Her Grace the Duchess of Lackshire, m

at purpose? Mr. Blake blushed painfully, and made no reply to the polite commonplaces that I ventured; Indiman smiled benevolently upon both of us, and in the most natural possible manner led the conversation to the subject of portrait-painting. There was

lowed his example, Blake managing to upset a decanter of sherry in the process, "in

that Mr. Blake had screwed himself up to a desperate decision, and that the climax

," he blurted out, "but

n the least sorr

theft of that p-p-picture." Mr. Blake threw back his coat and display

resume that my presence at Police He

, under the stimulus of his professional functions, lost his embarrassed air and became severely b

and lit a cigarette. "Ready," announced Indiman, and we descended to the coach, Mr. Blake

officer?" asked Indiman a

It will be a big thing for me if-i

!" quoted Indi

rather puzzled than gratified by its triumphant peroration. Now the young man felt that he had done a big thing, and th

y. The chief looked carefully at

on, Mr. Indiman, as to how this pict

it for a small sum a month ago on the lower B

handed a couple of telegrams to the chief. He read

icer Stone,"

p. I uttered an involuntary cry, for it was nothing less than a replica of the famous portrait of the "Red Duchess." A replica, indeed!-it would take

enty-ninth Street," explained the chief of the detective bureau. "And now kindl

Officer Smith goes North to-night to retu

the finding of the portrait of the 'Red Duchess' in a private gallery.

anger and disappointment. "Which is the true picture?" aske

copies by the same hand. Wonderfully well done, too, but the study of portraiture is a hobby of mine; I have even contemplated a monograph on the subj

hess'?" persi

ons, but on the back of the stretcher is the address of the American art d

stretchers carried a small gummed label, th

y say finally that I have this cable from the Minister of Police at

placed in the gallery at the Her

ed) SOB

nted the chief. "Needless to say, gentlemen, that you are at liberty to

ushing redly, came up to Indiman; he began to apolog

address." He scribbled the name of the street and the house number on a leaf torn from his note

along Indiman vouchsafe

d to notice it in his window, and, the 'Red Duchess' being one of the half-dozen superlative portraits of

arly averse to having reproductions made of the Lely portrait. Secondly, why were the edges of the canvas so curiously serrated, giving the picture the look of having been hastily cut away from its frame? And, finally, where and when had this copy been made? for t

iture dealers, and I discovered a replica of my 'Red Duchess' hanging in a shop-window. In every respec

t. Then suddenly his work began to fall off in quality; his failures became egregious, and his clients left him. Shortly after he disappeared; it was the common report that

y of the 'Red Duchess.' How do I know? Well, with the expert it is a matter partly technical but more lar

n my possession-the edges of the canvas marred and jagged,

live Richmond? A week later I found still a third copy of my 'Duchess' over on Sixth Avenue. I had left my purse at home that morning, and when I went back the next day to buy the

rmed my suspicions. The 'Red Duchess' was not hanging in its accustomed place at the Hermitage;

be quick about it, for once the secret of the theft got out the detectives would not be long in rounding up the various purchasers of those wonderfully ac

left my house; you remember that it had come in t

by Lely himself-no less. What a pity it is that I shan't have the chance to use it, but you and the cognoscenti can fight it out together. You mi