The Rayner-Slade Amalgamation

nufacturer of dress goods, alighted at the Central Station in that city from an express which had just arrived from Manchester, where he had spent the day on business. He had scarcely set foot

ced. "There's a telegram in it that came at four o'clock this afternoon-she couldn'

out the telegram, and stepped beneath the near

rd SS.

Spurn Point, 2.15

otel there for night on way to London. Will you come on at o

AM

folded it up, slipped it into his pocket, and with a sw

w long would it take us

no surprise at this q

ears, and was well ac

Howden. About sixty miles in a straight line, but there's a good bit of in

erdyke, turning down the platform. "Ther

" answered Gaffney

," commanded Allerdyke. "You'll find a couple of Thermos f

l. When the chauffeur joined him there a few minutes later he was giving orders for a supply of freshly-

e said. "Get some sandwiches, or some bread a

ed himself greatly with various business speculations in Northern Europe, and especially in Russia. He had just been over to St. Petersburg in order to look after certain of his affairs in and near that city, and he was returning home by way of Stockholm and Christiania, in each of which towns he had other ventures to inspect. But Marshall Allerdyke was quite sure that his cousin did not wish to see him about any of these matter

o sleep whenever he pleased, and he went to sleep now. He was asleep as Gaffney went through Leeds and its suburbs; he slept all along the country roads which led to Selby and thence to Howden. But in the silent streets of Howden he woke with a start, to

asked, letting down his

there's two ferries close by-one at Booh, the other at Langrick-but there'll be nobody to work th

here," answered the driver. "This lady wants to ca

the full moon shone full on her, and Allerdyke lifted his cap to a pretty, alert-l

ice?" asked Allerdyke.

l, that if I motored across country I would get a train at some station on the Great North

s to follow this road to Selby, and then to York. All the London expresses stop there, but they don't al

g at her driver, "you will go on to York-that is-how far?" she

answered Gaffney for his

two cars parted company. And Allerdyke stopped Gaffney a

style, Gaffney. We'll have something to eat and drink. Queer thing, eh, for anyb

red Gaffney, taking a handful of sandwiches. "They'll get one a

u'll have a bit of uphill work over the edge of the Wo

nd he only awoke when the car stopped at the hotel door in Hu

Allerdyke. "I'll let you know when I want you." He turned to the night-porter. "You've a Mr. James A

he way into the hotel,

rrival. "The gentleman left a card for you; I w

e man produced from a letter rack, and re

e straight up to my room-263-and rouse

rd into his pocket and t

st show me the way. Do you happen to know what time he got in l

ere several of 'em came in last night-she got into the river about eigh

went back to the

the middle of the night?" he asked, out of

d a room, and went to it all right, and then at half-past twelve down she came and said she wanted to get on, and as there weren't no trains she'd have a motor-car and drive to catch an

d Allerdyke laconically. "Was

rt," answered the night-porter. "Sort that would ha

halfway down a long corridor in the centre of

your friend's a light sleeper, for there's some of 'em'll have

r the sound of some movement in the room: "Knock again," he said, when a minute

gh to wake any ordinary sound sleeper. But no sound came from within the room, and afte

eepers I ever knew. If he's in there, there's something wrong. L

rter. "But there's a master-key to all these

away, wondering what this soundness of sleep in his cousin meant. James Allerdyke was not a man w

s he marched up and do

an unusually thick crop of hair and with a huge beard. He stared at Allerdyke half angrily, half sulkily; then he closed his door as qu

or was

ric light should be. He lifted a hand, found the switch, and turned the light on. And as it flooded the room, he pulled himself up to a