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He held the telegram in front of her face. "Read," he said.
He held the telegram in front of her face. "Read," he said.
BOOK ONE CHAPTER I. A Life for Sale CHAPTER II. The Purchase CHAPTER III. A Family Affair CHAPTER IV. A Murder CHAPTER V. A Debt Incurred CHAPTER VI. An Imperious Demand CHAPTER VII. Love or Interest? CHAPTER VIII. An Awful Responsibility CHAPTER IX. Winifred Rowan CHAPTER X. At the Theatre CHAPTER XI. An Appeal CHAPTER XII. Ruby Sinclair CHAPTER XIII. An Informal Tea-Party CHAPTER XIV. An Unexpected Visitor CHAPTER XV. The Effect of a Storm CHAPTER XVI. A Reprieve CHAPTER XVII. A New Danger CHA
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A LIFE FOR SALE
A LIFE FOR SALE
The contrast in personal appearance between the two men, having regard to their relative positions, was a significant thing. The caller, who had just been summoned from the waiting-room, and was standing before the other's table, hat in hand, a little shabby, with ill-brushed hair and doubtful collar, bore in his countenance many traces of the wild and irregular life which had reduced him at this moment to the position of suppliant. His complexion was pale almost to ghastliness, and in his deep-
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THE PURCHASE
THE PURCHASE
Deane looked across the room towards his secretary. "Give me five minutes alone, Ellison," he said,—"you and Miss Ansell there. See that I am not interrupted." The young man got up at once and left the room, followed by the typist. Deane waited until the door was closed. Then he turned once more to his visitor. "Listen, Rowan," he said. "Do I understand you rightly? Do you mean that you would be willing to undertake a commission which you would certainly find unpleasant, and perhaps dangerous?"
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A FAMILY AFFAIR
A FAMILY AFFAIR
A few hours later, Stirling Deane sat at a small round dining-table, side by side with the father of the girl to whom he had been engaged for exactly three days. His hostess, the Countess of Nunneley, and her daughter, Lady Olive, had only just left them. It had been a dinner absolutely en famille . "Draw up your chair, Deane, and try some of this port," Lord Nunneley said. "Thank you," replied Deane, "I'll finish my champagne, if I may." "Just as you like," his host answered. "I notice you are
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A MURDER
A MURDER
Deane, with the air of one who was an habitué to the house, found his way to the drawing-room, where Lady Olive was seated before the piano, playing softly. She rose as he entered, and came to meet him. "I have barely a quarter of an hour, Stirling," she said. "It was too absurd of you to be sitting there talking to father all the time. Come and say nice things to me. Mother has gone upstairs to put on her tiara." He held her at arm's length for a moment, looking at her. She was not very tall, b
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A DEBT INCURRED
A DEBT INCURRED
A little stream of people came suddenly out from the dark, forbidding-looking building into the sun-lit street. The tragedy was over, and one by one they took their several ways, and were swallowed up in the restless life of the great city. Yet there was not one of them who did not carry in his face some trace of those hours of gloomy excitement, some reminiscent shadow of the tragedy which had spread itself out into passionate life before their eyes. The most callous was conscious of a few minu
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Lady Olive came slowly forward to meet him.
Lady Olive came slowly forward to meet him.
"Mr. Deane is going to make the usual excuses, I know," she declared. "Let us anticipate him, and say nothing about our wait. We won't even ask whether it was a directors' meeting, or a message from the governor of the Bank of England. Stirling, this is my cousin, Mary Elstree, and her husband, Major Elstree—Mr. Deane! The others are somewhere about. What a tiresome person Julia is! She has drifted away over there with a lot of people whom I don't know. That is the worst of taking Julia anywhere
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AN IMPERIOUS DEMAND
AN IMPERIOUS DEMAND
There was a little murmur of interest. On the whole, although the result of the trial had seemed fairly certain, everyone was surprised. "Guilty of murder or manslaughter?" Major Elstree asked. "Of murder," answered Deane. "There was not even a recommendation to mercy." Lady Olive looked reproachfully at him. "My dear Stirling, you really shouldn't have told us at luncheon time. If I hadn't been so very hungry, I am sure it would have taken my appetite away. He was such a good-looking fellow, an
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LOVE OR INTEREST?
LOVE OR INTEREST?
Deane found his little party drinking their coffee in the palm lounge. Lady Olive greeted him with upraised eyebrows. "My dear Stirling!" she exclaimed. "Have you been telephoning to the other end of the world?" "I am so sorry," he answered, taking the vacant chair by her side. "I came away from the office feeling that I had forgotten something, and it took me quite a long time to straighten things out. Tell me, what are you all going to do this afternoon?" "We are going down to Ranelagh," said
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AN AWFUL RESPONSIBILITY
AN AWFUL RESPONSIBILITY
John Hardaway, although he was a solicitor in a very busy practice, did not keep his friend waiting for a moment. "Come in, Deane, old chap," he said. "Is this business or friendship?" "Mostly business," declared Deane. Hardaway glanced at the clock. "Twelve minutes, precisely," he said. "Fire away, there's a good fellow. You are not going to give me the affairs of the Incorporated Gold-Mines Association to look after, I suppose?" "Not I," Deane answered. "They need a more subtle brain than your
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WINIFRED ROWAN
WINIFRED ROWAN
The clerk who brought in the little slip of paper was both timid and apologetic. He felt himself between two fires. The young lady outside had been a little more than insistent. The man into whose presence he had come was one who never forgave a mistake. "You will pardon me, sir," he said. "I hope that I have not done wrong. The young lady outside positively declined to go away until she had seen you. I thought that I had better at least bring you in her name. I remembered that a few weeks ago y
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AT THE THEATRE
AT THE THEATRE
The door had barely closed upon his visitor when Deane was back once more in the throes of business, answering questions, giving quotations, receiving offers. The telephone was reconnected, and rang out its impatient summons every few seconds. He signed half-a-dozen drafts, deputed an understudy to receive some of his visitors who were weary of waiting, and dictated several important letters. When once more the pressure had abated, and the telephone had ceased to ring, he leaned back in his chai
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AN APPEAL
AN APPEAL
A morning paper, apparently in lack of a new sensation, suddenly took up the cause of Basil Rowan. An evening paper, conducted under the same auspices, promptly followed suit. This was a case, they both declared, of obvious manslaughter. The evidence clearly pointed to a quarrel between the two men. A prominent criminal lawyer allowed his name to be associated with what rapidly grew to be an agitation. Petitions began to appear. The Home Secretary was bombarded with documents. Everywhere people
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RUBY SINCLAIR
RUBY SINCLAIR
Twenty-four hours later, Deane walked upon a wilderness of marshy sands, glittering here and there with the stain of the sea, blue in places with the delicate flush of sea lavender. In the background, a village of red-tiled roofs. Before him, an empty sea. Behind and around, nothing but this stretch of bare, flat country, empty even of the sea until the tide should come and thrust its long arms of glittering silver up into the heart of the land. A few wandering gulls screamed overhead. From inla
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AN INFORMAL TEA-PARTY
AN INFORMAL TEA-PARTY
After all, the element of unconventionality was absent from Deane's tea-party. About four o'clock, looking landwards from a little sandy knoll just in front of his strange abode, he saw two figures coming along the dyke path. A few minutes later, Ruby Sinclair and her companion came across the last little strip of shingle, and approached the spot where Deane was waiting for them. "My uncle would like to make your acquaintance, Mr. Deane," she said. Deane held out his hand and welcomed his visito
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AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR
AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR
Mr. Sarsby, like most men of his stamp, when brought in touch with larger things than his world knew of, was nervous and helpless. He seemed to throw the whole weight of further action upon this stranger at whose instigation he had commenced the search. The reading-room was empty except for these two men. Deane was sitting in the little bow window, looking down with apparent interest into the narrow, tortuous street. Sarsby, with a pile of torn and crumpled newspapers in front of him, was still
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THE EFFECT OF A STORM
THE EFFECT OF A STORM
Deane was never quite sure how it had happened. The sudden crash of the storm, the vivid play of the lightning in the darkened room, the curious exultation which any outburst of nature seems to kindle in the forgotten places, had somehow generated a curious excitement—something electrical, incomprehensible, yet felt by both of them. His hands were still about her for a moment after she was in the room. It was perhaps a harmless instinct enough which caused her to draw a little nearer still to hi
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A REPRIEVE
A REPRIEVE
Morning dawned upon a land still as though from exhaustion. The long waves, sole remnant of the storm, came gliding in with a slow, lazy motion, and broke noiselessly upon the firm sands. The sky was blue. Of wind there was none at all. Inland, the flood-tide was still high. Only the tops of the dykes were visible. Everywhere the sea had found its way into unexpected places. Little patches of the marsh from which it had just receded shone with a new glory—a green glitter like the sparkle of emer
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A NEW DANGER
A NEW DANGER
Deane was shown into what was apparently the morning-room of the Sarsby domicile by an open-mouthed and very country-looking domestic, who regarded him all the time with unaffected curiosity. Mr. Sarsby was sitting in an easy-chair, reading the Times . Directly he recognized his visitor he showed signs of nervousness. "Ah, Mr. Deane!" he said, rising. "How do you do, Mr. Deane?" Deane shook hands. His host did not ask him to sit down, nor did he himself resume his seat. "I looked in," Deane expl
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AN EXPENSIVE KEY
AN EXPENSIVE KEY
It was three o'clock in the morning when Deane softly opened the door of his bedroom in the Hotel Universal, and looked up and down the side corridor. There was no one in sight, no sound of any one passing in the main corridor, a few yards away. For several moments he stood and listened intently. Then he moved a few yards to the left, and stopped opposite another door. He scrutinized the number,—27. It was the number he sought. He felt in his pocket for the keys which he had collected from vario
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THE SEARCH
THE SEARCH
Deane remembered afterwards, with a painful exactness, every step which he took in his stockinged feet down the dimly-lit corridor. Only one of the electric lights had been left burning, and that one was encased in a shade of red glass, and was set in the wall facing him. A few seconds ago he had heard Big Ben strike four o'clock. For the last two hours he had sat in his room and waited. Time seemed to have stood still. In that two hours he had seen himself stripped of all his possessions, disho
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IN DOUBT
IN DOUBT
Punctually at seven o'clock next morning Deane rang his bell. Once more the fat old lady entered, with her amiable smile and slow movements. "Some tea, sir?" she asked. Deane looked at her for a moment without speaking. "When does the other chambermaid come on duty?" he asked. "She ought to be on now," was the answer, "but she hasn't come. I've just sent the 'boots' up to her room." Deane ordered some hot water and lay still for half-an-hour. Then he rang the bell again. The same woman came. "Wo
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RUBY IS DISAPPOINTED
RUBY IS DISAPPOINTED
The solicitor hung up his silk hat, motioned his two visitors to seats, and took his accustomed place in front of his writing-table. "I am afraid," he said, turning toward Mr. Sarsby, but in reality addressing his niece, "that your visit to town has been, in some respects, a disappointment to you, especially," he continued, "bearing in mind the letter which you, my dear young lady, have just shown me. Still, there is no getting away from facts. We have carefully examined every paper and every po
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FREE TO DIE
FREE TO DIE
At about quarter past ten in the morning, a man, still young, but deathly pale, with hollow cheeks and receding eyes, stood on the edge of the pavement outside a great and gloomy-looking building. A nail-studded door had just been opened and closed to let him pass. The attendant, who wore prison livery, leaned forward curiously to look at him as he walked out with uncertain footsteps. The prison doctor stood by his side and called a four-wheel cab. "You are sure," he said, "that you have somewhe
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A LAPSE OF MEMORY
A LAPSE OF MEMORY
Deane sat at his desk, immersed once more in the affairs of his great business. His cheeks were bronzed with the sun and heather-scented wind. His eyes were clear and bright. All traces of the unsettlement of those few nervous weeks seemed to have passed away. One thing only occasionally disturbed him—the non-appearance of Winifred Rowan. Since those few seconds of tremulous excitement when they had stood face to face in the darkened room of the hotel, he had neither seen nor heard from her. He
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A PAINFUL INTERVIEW
A PAINFUL INTERVIEW
Rowan sat still in his corner, and although the hotel could not be called fashionable—perhaps, in these later days, scarcely luxurious—the little ebb and flow of life upon which he looked seemed tinged with a peculiar bitterness. His hollow eyes followed each group of these men and women, so full of vivacity, of happiness, of affairs. The envy in his heart was like a real and passionate thing. It was an envy scarcely founded upon comparisons. For them was life,—for him was none! In front of him
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A QUESTION
A QUESTION
Winifred came slowly into the room. It seemed to Deane, watching her curiously, that she had been steeling herself to defiance. There was no change in her expression, and her lips seemed tighter drawn than ever. She went at once to her brother's side. "You have been talking too much, Basil," she said. "You know that it is not good for you." He leaned across to the little table which stood by his side and helped himself to brandy. He was indeed looking terribly ill. The lines under his eyes seeme
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MUTUAL INFORMATION
MUTUAL INFORMATION
The girl was sitting in the middle of a hard horsehair sofa, her elbows upon her knees, her head resting in her hands. She looked across the dreary apartment and out of the ill-cleaned windows, with dull, despairing eyes. This, then, was to be the end of her dreams. She must go back to the life which she felt to be intolerable, or she must throw herself headlong into the maelstrom. There was one other occupant of the room, and, curiously enough, his attitude appeared to be a somewhat similar one
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AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL
AN OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL
With his feet to the sea, and his head pillowed by many cushions, Rowan lay in a long invalid chair at the edge of the little strip of shingle which separated the tower of Rakney from the sea. Every limb was at rest, every nerve seemed lulled into quiescence. The sun and wind had left their traces upon his hollow cheeks. It seemed, indeed, as though Death had lifted her hand from his forehead. It was only when one looked closer that one realized his terrible weakness, realized how slender, indee
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HEFFEROM IS OPTIMISTIC
HEFFEROM IS OPTIMISTIC
Ruby Sinclair leaned forward and touched her companion's back as they flew through the village of Rakney. "Look," said she. "You see that cottage we are just passing? That is where I have lived for the last four years." Hefferom followed her outstretched finger. He saw the little grove of bare trees, and the marshland stretching out beyond to the bare sea. "Winter and summer?" he asked. "Winter and summer." He nodded. "About time you went fortune-hunting!" he said. No other word passed between t
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A BOLD MOVE
A BOLD MOVE
Hefferom was over sanguine. It was three days before he was able to see Stirling Deane. During that three days he had lived on a few shillings, spent mostly in drinks. He swaggered into Deane's office, an untidy, dissolute-looking creature. His efforts to seem at his ease were almost ludicrous. "A bit different, this, to the Newey Valley," he remarked, as he sat down without waiting for an invitation. "Things have gone pretty well with you, eh, Deane? Slap-up offices you've got, and the chink of
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LORD NUNNELEY IS FRANK
LORD NUNNELEY IS FRANK
"I asked you to lunch at the club, Deane," said Lord Nunneley, "because I thought that we could talk here without being interrupted. If you came to Cavendish Square, Olive would walk you right away from the table, and if I asked to have a chat with you alone, there would be a perfect avalanche of questions to face." Deane looked up a little curiously. For the first time he realized that this was not simply a casual invitation. His prospective father-in-law had really something to say to him. "Th
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"There was some matter which you wished to discuss, then?" Deane asked.
"There was some matter which you wished to discuss, then?" Deane asked.
Lord Nunneley passed his cigarette-case across the table. They were nearing the end of a very excellent luncheon. "Well," he said, "there were a few things I wanted to say to you. You see, Deane, the city is no longer a mythical place to us idlers. We meet people whose life is centred in money-making, every day. I have friends, friends beside yourself, who come from Lombard Street, and one hears things, gossip, I mean, and stray talk." Deane seemed suddenly to recede into himself. His host notic
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A BROKEN ENGAGEMENT
A BROKEN ENGAGEMENT
Even after the door had closed upon Lord Nunneley, and Deane was alone with his fiancée, words did not seem to come easily to either of them. Lady Olive was sitting back in the corner of a low couch. Deane was standing upon the hearthrug, his hands behind him, his face a little wrinkled with perplexity. "I suppose," he said thoughtfully, "you would like me, Olive, to explain exactly how this claim came about?" "On the contrary," she answered, "I do not wish you to do anything of the sort." He lo
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BITTER WORDS
BITTER WORDS
From the pit of the world—from the Law Courts, hot and crowded, where the atmosphere was heavy with strife,—the modern battleground, where the fighting was at least as dramatic over the souls of men as on those other fields, reddened with their blood, Deane escaped to find himself, after a few hours' journey, in this strangest of churchyards upon the bare hillside. The church itself, squat, square-towered, and tumbling into decay, stood out like a watch-tower upon the cliff. The churchyard, bord
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A STRANGE BETROTHAL
A STRANGE BETROTHAL
Southward, through the country lanes whose hedges were still wreathed with late honeysuckle, on to the great mainroad, Deane's car was driven through the night,—always southward, till the lights of the great city flared before them up into the sky. Deane himself, for hour after hour, had sat back in his corner, buried in thought. His companion was even more invisible, but as the end of the journey drew near he roused himself with an effort, turned on the electric light which hung down from the r
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DESPERATION
DESPERATION
The curtain had fallen upon the first act of this little drama in Deane's life. Hefferom was committed for trial. Deane had walked into the court a few minutes late, as though the whole affair was one which interested him only indirectly. He had gone into the witness box without hesitation, and his story had been so perfectly rational and straightforward that people began to wonder whether, indeed, any defence was possible. Cross-examination only amused him. Hefferom, who went into court expecti
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AN AFTERNOON'S SHOPPING
AN AFTERNOON'S SHOPPING
Deane found a singular interest, an interest which amounted almost to fascination, in watching the demeanor and general deportment of his companion. Her adaptability was little short of marvellous. She smiled at the right moment at the obsequious maître d'hôtel , and exhibited just the proper amount of interest in the luncheon which Deane ordered. The restaurant was somewhat crowded, but there was no one who attracted more notice than Deane and the girl who sat opposite him,—slim, and elegantly
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A FRIEND
A FRIEND
A man in the city, who was an old friend of Lord Nunneley, stopped the latter as he was on the point of entering his club. "By the bye, Nunneley," he said, "did I understand—I think I saw it in the papers—that the marriage between your daughter and Stirling Deane was off?" "The engagement has been broken off," answered Lord Nunneley, a little stiffly. "Why?" "That's all right," said the man. "The only thing was that as I was one of the people you came to, to ask about Deane, I felt that if it wa
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PASSION
PASSION
She came to him in a few moments, dressed in a fascinating negligée gown,—came to him with a rustle of silk and a faint expression of surprise upon her upraised eyebrows. "I did not expect you until this evening," she remarked. He nodded. "I took the liberty of coming here to ask you a question." She smiled as she sat down upon the sofa. "Oh, the paper is quite safe." "How did you know what I came for?" he asked, a little startled. "My dear friend," she said, shrugging her shoulders, "as I have
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"I hate him!" she declared to herself. "I hate him now more than ever!"
"I hate him!" she declared to herself. "I hate him now more than ever!"
Winifred talked more than usual at the short dinner which they had at a famous café close to the Opera House. Deane, a little weary with the strain of the day, was at first irresponsive, but gradually he forgot himself in the interest of playing his new part. She was wearing a dress of black velvet, a rope of pearls which had been sent for her inspection only that afternoon, and pearl earrings, concerning which she gravely asked his opinion. There was something a little un-English-looking about
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A DESPAIRING CALL
A DESPAIRING CALL
The great lawyer whom the telephone message from Deane had summoned sat in a comfortable easy-chair adjoining Deane's writing-table. His manner was serious, but not discouraging. "You see, Deane," he said, "after all, it depends very much upon this alleged document. The whole case practically hinges upon it. If the defendants are unable to procure it, or a copy of it, or witnesses who can swear to it, I do not think that they can do us much harm, especially if we take the course which I have alr
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WINIFRED IS TRAPPED
WINIFRED IS TRAPPED
Deane followed his guide up two flights of stairs,—on the landing of the third she paused. "I do not usually interfere with the comings and goings of my lodgers," she said. "They pay for their rooms. That is all I ask. You see the door opposite you?" "Yes!" Deane answered quickly. "That room is tenanted by a young woman who called herself Montague, but received letters under the name of Sinclair. She had a visitor this afternoon who might be the young person of whom you are in search. You had be
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MISS SINCLAIR'S OFFER
MISS SINCLAIR'S OFFER
Miss Rowan had left two hours ago, and had taken all her luggage and paid her bill. Apparently she had no idea of returning,—at any rate, she had not reserved any rooms. The hall-porter of the little hotel looked at Deane with some curiosity as he answered his rapid questions. The manageress came rustling out of her office and beamed on Deane, who had once stayed there for several weeks. She confirmed the information which he had already received, and supplemented it with a few further details.
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THROUGH THE MILL
THROUGH THE MILL
Deane stood at last on the other side of those long, dragging months of unspeakable weariness. Day after day, in the close atmosphere of the Courts, week after week of what seemed to him unnecessary repetitions and delays,—so the great machine of the law moved on its slow and stately way, and the case of Sinclair v. The Incorporated Gold-Mines Association crept on toward the end. One thing at least Deane had gained. His examination and cross-examination—and he was in the witness box altogether f
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ALL AS IT SHOULD BE
ALL AS IT SHOULD BE
There was one person in London who knew Deane's whereabouts, and from him there came no word. To Deane himself there seemed something unreal about the long hours which he spent in solitude, wandering along the sea front, following the sands left by the receding tide—himself a lonely figure on the great gray plain. A storm of rain once blew in from the sea, but mostly the day was still and colorless. To Deane, after the long hours in the crowded courts, his directors' meetings, his self-imposed m
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PASSERS-BY By ANTHONY PARTRIDGE Author of "The Kingdom of Earth," etc. "Mystery upon mystery"
PASSERS-BY By ANTHONY PARTRIDGE Author of "The Kingdom of Earth," etc. "Mystery upon mystery"
Has the merit of engaging the reader's attention at once and holding it to the end.— New York Sun. It is exciting, is plausibly and cleverly written, and is not devoid of a love motive.— Chicago Examiner. It can be heartily recommended to those who enjoy a novel with a good plot, entertaining characters, and one which is carefully written.— Chicago Tribune. One of the most fascinating mystery stories of recent years, a tale that catches the attention at the beginning and tightens the grip of its
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THE DISTRIBUTORS By ANTHONY PARTRIDGE An absorbing novel of a great London mystery
THE DISTRIBUTORS By ANTHONY PARTRIDGE An absorbing novel of a great London mystery
A story of decided dramatic power.— Chicago Journal. Written in striking brilliant style.— New York World. A good mystery story which is worth reading.— Detroit News. The story is developed with much cleverness.— New York Times. A remarkable novel of fashionable English life.— New York Bookseller. One of the season's most fascinating books. Almost every character is unusual.— Cleveland Town Topics. A peculiar but fascinating novel. The author wields a powerful pen and this story will produce a p
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THE KINGDOM OF EARTH By ANTHONY PARTRIDGE Illustrated by A. B. Wenzell. A dashing tale of love and adventure
THE KINGDOM OF EARTH By ANTHONY PARTRIDGE Illustrated by A. B. Wenzell. A dashing tale of love and adventure
The characters are strongly drawn and there is an absorbing love theme.— Pittsburg Post. Reaches thrilling climaxes and always keeps the reader's interest whetted to a razor's edge.— Chicago Inter-Ocean. A swinging, dashing story full of the excitement that keeps the reader on the qui vive.— Cincinnati Commercial Tribune. With a distinctly novel and ingenious plot, one involving enough of intrigue and adventure to satisfy the most exacting.— San Francisco Argonaut. Full of adventure, this dashin
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