Part 12 (1/2)

Horser's face hardened.

”Not one cent!” he declared fiercely. ”Only if I fail it might be unpleasant for me next time I crossed.”

”I don't know!” Mace declared weakly. ”I don't know what to do. It's twelve hours, Horser, and the charge is ridiculous.”

”You have me behind you.”

”I can't tell them that at Was.h.i.+ngton,” Mace said.

”It's a fact, all the same. Don't be so d.a.m.ned nervous.”

Mace dismissed his clerk, and found his other guests, too, on the point of departure. But the last had scarcely left before a servant entered with another despatch.

”Release Souspennier.”

Mace handed it to his companion.

”This settles it,” he declared. ”I shall go round and try and make my peace with the fellow.”

Horser stood in the way, burly, half-drunk and vicious. He struck his host in the face with clenched fist. Mace went down with scarcely a groan. A servant, hearing the fall, came hurrying back.

”Your master is drunk and he has fallen down,” Horser said. ”Put him to bed--give him a sleeping draught if you've got one.”

The servant bent over the unconscious man.

”Hadn't I better fetch a doctor, sir?” he asked. ”I'm afraid he's hurt.”

”Not he!” Horser answered contemptuously. ”He's cut his cheek a little, that's all. Put him to bed. Say I shall be round again by nine o'clock.”

Horser put on his coat and left the house. The morning sunlight was flooding the streets. Away down town Mr. Sabin was dozing in his high-backed chair.

CHAPTER IX

Felix, after an uneventful voyage, landed duly at Liverpool. To his amazement the first person he saw upon the quay was Mr. Sabin, leaning upon his stick and smoking a cigarette.

”Come, come, Felix!” he exclaimed. ”Don't look at me as though I were a ghost. You have very little confidence in me, after all, I see.”

”But--how did you get here?”

”The Campania, of course. I had plenty of time. It was easy enough for those fellows to arrest me, but they never had a chance of holding me.”

”But how did you get away in time?”

Mr. Sabin sighed.

”It was very simple,” he said. ”One day, while one of those wonderful spies was sleeping on my doormat I slipped away and went over to Was.h.i.+ngton, saw the English Amba.s.sador, convinced him of my bonafides, told him very nearly the whole truth. He promised if I wired him that I was arrested to take my case up at once. You sent the despatch, and he kept his word. I breakfasted on Sat.u.r.day morning at the Waldorf, and though a great dray was driven into my carriage on the way to the boat, I escaped, as I always do--and here I am.”

”Unhurt!” Felix remarked with a smile, ”as usual!”

Mr. Sabin nodded.

”The driver of my carriage was killed, and Duson had his arm broken,”