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PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL AftRANGEMBNT. £ ———— {WHATSOEVER A MAN SOWETH. BY WILLIAM LE QUEUX, 4-Utii->r of "Who Giveth This Woman?" llonee of the Wicked." The Idol of the Town," Fairest Among Women," Whoso Findeth a Wife," &.C., &c. [COPYRIGHT.] CHAPTER XVII.—IS EXTRAORDINARY. The agony was excruciating. A burning bub- bling seothed in my brain, as though my skull veiv rilled with molten metal. My mouth was par bed. my neck stiff, and my jaws were fixed vhei [ ope iod my eyes and found myeelf in a chasm of cavernous darkness. How long I had lain there I have no idea. The thunder of rolling, rearing waters deafened my lower limbs were so benumbed that at fiist I unable to move them. I felt my; leg. and then discovered the reason. Wet to the skin. [ wa6 lying half in water, my head alone being on some slightly higher ground—a for- ti n;iU> circumstance that had certainly saved me from being drowned. Where was I ? lor fully ten minutes—minutes that seemed hours. I was utterly unable to mov ■. but presently I managed by dint of supreme effort to struggle to ray feet and about me unsteadily, at last finding a STtiCTi li arched wall. I lifted my hand above nay beau and found that I could touch the roof. In hat pitch darkness with the roaring torrent at my side. I dare not move two paces, lest I might lose my foothold. I felt frantically in my pocket, and my heart leapt when t tound that t still possest-ed a box 01 wax vestas. The silver box was water-tight. One of these T struck quickly, but its light was lost in t hat cavernous blackness. It only showed me the bricked walls, high to the roof, wet and slimy, and revealed to me that I was in one of the main sewers of London At my side the great black torrent. Howed on towards the outfall with deafening roar in that long inter- minable tunnel beneath the Metropolis. U;1¡- hundreds of them, grey and scuttling, ran helter-skelter on seeing the fickle light: but I motionless leaning against the wall and gazing around at my weird surroundings untit the match went out. My head reeled. I feared to walk lest I should s1 agger into the Stygian stream. Knowledge of where I was gave me courage, liew<-ver. head was very painful with strange- fancies dancing through my imagination. I think that the blow had unbalanced my brain. hich way should I turn To right or leHP Was mortal man ever in such a predicament:' I recognised the truth. I remembered one appal- ling fact. The scoundrels had sent me through irio that deadly place, knowing that even if the fall did not kill me outright, I must be drowned wlJ"lI. at regular intervals, the sewer was auto- matically flushed, and my body washed out to the Thames estuary. I had seen the walls still wet to the roof from the last flushing, and as I recognised my awful peril, my blood ran cold. At any moment might rnme that gigantic flood to prweep me away into eternity in an instant. Somewhere, higher up, was that mechanism which at certain hours of day and night automatically let loese the great sweeping wave throrgh the long black tunnel sweeping to the tiie clenn-ing of London. My only hope- was to find safety somewhere, therefore in fra-ific hasfr-, all forgetful of the pain I was suffering. I turned to the right and groped along the wall by aid of a match, tne* 1iht of which was not sufficient to show the true dimensions of the sewer. On. on. I went. how far. I have no idea. It seemed to be miles. My matches burned only dimly, so bad was the air. Time after time I came to side channels, small arches b'i< hing forth their black stream into the roaring torrent like tributaries of a river, until I suddenly saw something white upon the wall, and, raising my match. discerned the painted words: "Poland Street." Then I knew that I was beneath Poland Street, close to Oxi'oivl Street. I was in search of a man-hole by which to ascend to the roadway, but, alas' could not dis- cover one. A great terror seized ma lest the flush should come before I could gain a place of safety. I was in the act of striking another match, in order to proceed more quickly, when 1 felt mv head f"o.pling-, and in clutching at the wall for support th" match-box fell from my nerveless finders into the water. My disa-ter was thus complete. Without light how could I find a place in which to raise myself above the level of the flood? My heart stood still. In that moment the .e- collection of all the sequence of strange and startling events of the past few weeks passed ill rapid review before me. My enemies had en- trapped me, and I now knew that I was doom ed. Enc'-j shout of defiance, followed by that groan and shriek, still rang in mv ears, but, most tantalising of all. I had no idea where the- house to which I had been enticed was situated. It was somewhere off Recent Street, but further than that I had no knowledge. I 8;IW how cleverly the whole affair had been arranged; Low the man introduced to me as Humphreys had met us by appointment in the vestibule of the Empire, and how knowing my interest in antiques, the bait had been so cleverly placed. I had now no doubt that Ellice Winsloe was an •nlvrmturer. therefore my eager desire was to reveal tc Scar-cliff the astounding truth. And yet fhis was actually the man who had the audacity to propose marriage to Sybil, and she had contemplated accepting him To old Lady Scarcliff the fellow had po-ed as a gentleman of means, and had so ingratiated liunself with lhat the pair had become in- separable. The situat ion was really monstrous. Jn sheer despe.-ation I groped forward slowly and carefully, my face to the black sliiuv wall feeliug it forward with my hands. It I stumbled the force- of (lie torrent, would, I knew, take me eft my teei a ad 1 ,hould most pi-obably meet with an ;"wtul death, ( autiousty T crepi along, how far I cannot: tell, Kach moment seemed an hour, and each step a mile, until of a sudden the wall ended Only the black, swilt 1 v-flowing Hood lay be- fore me. I pin out my hand in the darkness, but; only grasped Ihe air. Next, moment. Iiowwer, r diseoveied that the sewer took a sudden turn, almost at right angles, and that [ had come to the corner. Yes. The wall continued So L groped on and all. my hands travelling over bricks worn smooth by the action of the cleansing flood- T hoped to encounter one of those men whom I had often seen descend from the street in high boots and carrying a miner's lamp, but 1 was alone. The very absence of the workmen told me the terrible truth. It was the time for the automatic flushing! On I groped in frantic haste, the rats scuttling from my path, the darkness complete; the noise of the black waters deafening. I recol- lected that as we had driven fmm the Kmpire it had commenced to rain, and thus was the torrent accounted for. Of a sudden. I discerned before me something. W hat it was I could not distinguish. I crept on, and eaw that it was like a small patch of faint grey. Then, approaching nearer, I found that it was a single ray of taint daylight which, pene- trating from far above, fell upon the' black waters. It was day. I had been in that grue- some place all night. My heart leapt within me as I wenf forward to it. finding that above was a round well-like shaft, which led to the surface, while in the wall were iron loot Itold. I gained the bottom, and grasping the small, rusted iron rails, commenced a slow and difficult ascent. Not an instant too soon, however, for ere I had placed my foot upon the first rung of the ladder a nois" like thunder sounded from the tunnel, and the black waters rose angrily to meet me, washing about my legs as I climbed higher up. and filling the sewer to its roof. For a few moments the wafer remained at that In.,1, an(1 then the torrent slowly receded to ita original height as the flushing wave rushed on [toward*- the outfall. A cold perspiration broke out upon me. I saw how I had been within an ace of death, and shuddered as I glanced below. Then. ascending as quickly as mv shattered nerves and swimming head would allow, I found above me a closed grating, through which I could hear the roar of the London traffic above. I shouted, but could attract no attention. To push up i lie iron was impossible, for I saw that it was locked. A woman passed flose by. and I shouted to her. She turned and looked in an opposite direc- tion, surprised to see no one. She never sus- pected anyone being beneath the roadway. An omnibus rumbled over me. and I saw that it waA a green T>:> vs water," from which con- cluded that T must be beneath Oxford Street. Again and again I shouted for help, but could attract My position was far from secure, compelled to cling on to those iron foot- holds in the brickwork. At last I »&w a newsbos cloee to m&. My startbd him, hut when lie discerned my lace beneath the bars he came closer, and asked: 'Alloa.' guv'nor What's up?" < I'm a pri&cner here," I explained. Go and fetch a policeman." "My gum!" exclaimed the urchin in his sur- prise, "It's the first time I've ever 'ea'd of a. bloke gettin' locked down the sewer." And he went off at omce to call a constable. The officer came quickly, and after a brief explanation he Sriit the lad somewhere to the fcouse of one of the sewer-men, I think, tor the key. Meanwhile, a small crowd quickly collected around the grating, and I was subjected to a good deal of good-humoured banter nntil the man came with the key, and I once again found myself at the surface a dirty, dishevelled, pitiable-look- ing object in evening I was in Oxford Street, at the corner of Hart Street, Rloomsbury. Both constable and sewer-nian were curious to know how I got in. whereupon I explained that I had been the victim of a plot in some hoaise, of the exact situation of which I was unaware. The two men exchanged glances—meaning glances I saw them to be. "Was it anywhere near Portland Placer" asked the big fellow in blue jersey and sea-bo-ots. I don't know. I saw Poland Street written Hp. Why Well. I>ecause there's something mysterious goes on in a hou-e sonvwhere near here. Only a mouth ago we found the body of a young woman drowned in the main sewer at the corner of Charing Cross tfoad. and the affair is a mvstery. The police 'ave kept it out of the papers while they make inquiries. We're trying to find out what house has direct communicatio-n with the sewpr. but up to the present we've not been successful. It's a good job," he added, "that you weren't caught by the flush, for it must just be going down at this time." I explained how narrowly I had escaped death, and then in reply to the constable described the dastardly plot of which I had been the victim. If Of course, you won't mind making a full statement at the police station. will you?" officer said. "The discovery of the poor woman in the sewer the other day has shown that there is some house in which people mysteriously dis- appear. It is evidently to that house yen were invited. You will be able to assist us to identify it." I shook my 11r,1(1. ,yillg: "I fear that I'll never be able- u> r. cognise it again, for 1 really took no notice of it, exterior. It lies some- where east cf Kegent Street, that is all I know." "Depend upon if that more than one JKMTSOU has been swept down by the flush." declared the newer-man. A man's body was found down at the outfall at Beckinn about three months ago, He was in evening dress, and evidently a gentle- man. our foreman said, but when1 he came from was a complete mystery. My own idea is that the house has no direct communication with the eewer, for if it had, we should have discovered if. You say, sir. that you fell through a hole in the stair*.?" I replied in the affirmative. Exactly. You dropped down into- a cellar or somewhere in the basement, and then, while you were insensible, they put you into the eewer-fhrough some manhole perhaps, of which they have a duplicate key. The lionise must be near a manhole. That's my belief." "Then you don't think that I fell plumb into the sewer-" "Certainty not. You were thrown into the eewer while insensible down a manhole, without a doubt. It's lucky you just escaped the flush. The villain evidently knew that the flush is at eight o'clock in the morning, and that we don't go down till afterwards. And when we go. well the victim has. of course, disappeared. By sir," added the big muscular man. standing astride in his big high boots. "You've had a. narrow shave, and no mistake." admitted I had. I was forced to repeat my explanation to a brown-bearded, good-humoured inspector who came up. and who afterwards gave me his name as Pickering. The officer was most interested, therefore promising to can at the Tottenham Court Road police station later I gave him a card, and took a hansom back to Bolton Street. CHAPTER XVTII.—AROUSES SUSPICIONS REGARDING SYBIL. Ellice WTinsloe believed me dead. There was no doubt about that. And knowing what I now did, I intended that he should re- main secure in that belief. Domville had not returned, a fact which caused me the gravest apprehensions. I recol- lected that defiant voice in the night. Had he also fallen a victim? Jiudd. called in any doctor, who dressed the wound in my head. and carefully bandaged it. He was curious to know the cause, but I merely explained that I had sustained a rather had fall. Perhaps he attributed it to-too much wine Oil the previous night—probably he did. "You'll have to rest for a day or two," he said, "you had a nasty blow." But I was uncommunicative, therefore he soon afterwards left. Budd was. of course, inquisitive, but my ex- planation was that I had had an accident, and had fallen in the mud. My clothes were, of course, ruined, my hands grazed and torn, and across my eye was a nasty gash where I must have struck a sharp stone. My brain was awhirl. and after the doctor's departure I swallowed some brandy and lay down on the bed awaiting Eric. Had he shared the same fate? If so. to try and find him in the sewer was useless. The flush had passed, and would sweep him away to his death. Of couitse. I had no real proof that he had been in that house, other than overhearing his voice. I recalled every word, and now. more than evel", was I convinced that he had been be- hind that closed door, held by enemies. from Budd 1 learned that ray friend had gone cut about two o'clock, and had not returned. He had. however, left me a message to say that I was not to be alarmed by his absence. He was still making inquiries. I supposed. What I had related regarding the strange affair at Sydenham Hill had puzzled him greatly. Perhaps he had gcn., down there. [ gave my man strict instructions to say to everyone that I. too. was absent from homo. "Tell everybody that I went out to dinner last night and have not yet returned," I said. "Express surprise and anxiety. I want to pretend to be missing—you understand, Budd?" Yes. sir," was the man's prompt response. "You exnecr somebody will call and inquire, and to everyone I am to know nothing." I went out to the club last night and haven't been seen since." I quite understand, sir. But what about the dor-tor "Hedoesn't matter. The person whom T wish to believe in my absence does not know the doctor. I shall remain indoors for a day or two. Mind noliody knows I'm here." I shall take good care of that, sir," was the man's reply; and I knew that I could trust him. I scribbled a line to Ins per-tor Pickering ex- plaining my inability to make the statement on account of my injured head, but promising to call in a few days. I urged him not to send to me. as my chambers were probably watched. This note I sent by express messenger. Then thoroughly exhausted I dropped off to sleep. It was evening when T awoke, but Eric had not made his appearance. I was now thoroughly alarmed. Who were the men whom he had defied in that house of mystery? He always carried a revolver, and was a dead shot; but what is a weapon against such black treachery as that to which I had been subjected? He was fearless, and would fight to the last: yet after my experience in that house I was appre- hensive lest he should, like myself, have fallen a victim. Many a man and woman disappears in this roaring metropolis of ours and is never again heard of; many an undiscovered crime takes place within a stone's-throw of the great London thoroughfares: and many a death-cry is unheard in the hum of traffic and unheeded in the bustle of our everyday life. The London sewers hold many a secret, and the London chimneys have 1 smoked with the cremated remains of many an innocent victim. I wrote to Tibbie an affectionate letter explain- ing that my absence was due to the fact that I had fallen and met with a slight accident to the head, and signed it "Willie" in order that, if necessary, she might show it her landlady. It was strange to write to her with so much affec- tion when inwardly I was aware of her terrible secret. Yet had I not promised to save her? Had I not given her that foolish pledge which had been the cause of all my exciting adventures and my narrow escape from death? Night came. I sat alone in the armchair before the fire listening for my old friend's footstep, but all in vain. Something had happened, but what the something was, I feared to contemplate. I unlockxl a drawer in my old-fashioned bureau, a quaint old piece of Queen Anne furni- ture from Netherdene. and took out the paper with the cabalistic jumble of figures and letters which I had found on the body of the dead man in Charlton Wood. For a long while I sat and studied the cipher and its key. finding it very ingeniously con- trived—evidently a secret code established for some evil purpose, a code that had been given to the dead man to enable him to have secret communication with some persons who desired to remain unseen and unknown. My curiosity aroused, my eye changed to fall upon the morning's waper anid I took it 11 erd faruA to tbe &amz colmasfl.' 1 saw seve-ral cipher advertisements. One of tfcem I endeavoured to read by the-aid of the dead man's key, but was unable. Therefore I tried tfce second, and afterwards the third. The*latter only consisted of two lines of a meaning lees. jumble of letters and numerals. b"#fc takiag a pencil I commenced to write down the equiva- lent of the cipher in plain English. In a few moments my heart gave a bound. I had deciphered the first word of the message, namely: "White." Very carefully, and after considerable search and calculation, I presently transcribed the secret message thus:— White Feather reports W. H. gone home. Nothing to fear." That was all. But wag it not very significant? The initials were my own, and did not the announcement that I had "gone home" mean that I had gone to my death. There was noth- ing to fear, it was plainly stated. They therefore had feared iis, and that was the motive of their ingenious crime. For whose eyes was that curious advertise- ment intended, I wondered. Who was "White Feather"? \h! If I could only discover, then I should obtain a clue to the mystery that was now puzzling me and driving me to despair. At two o'clock E't-' c was still absent, therefore I turned in. My head troubled me. It was very painful, and the horrors of that past night ever- rose before me. while my unbalanced brain was distracted by wonder at the reason of that desperate attempt npoit my life. Man-of-tlie- world that I was. I knew well enough that there was some deep motive. They feared me—but why ? Next morning, there being no word from Eric, my anxiety was greatly increased. yly friend might have shared the same fate as myself and remained unconscious till the flood had over- whelmed him. If so. then all trace of him might have disappeared and his body was now floating slowly out, to sea. Those hard defiant words of his still rajig in my ears. What did he mean? Who were the persons who held him in their power? To remain inactive was impossible. Every moment I remained increased the danger of my discovery by Winsloe and his companions. I could, of course, have gone forth to King-st., with a. constable and given him in charge for the attempt upon me. Indeed that was my first impulse, yet on reflection I saw that by adopt- ing such a course I might imperil Sybil. With- out a. doubt the fellow knew her secret, and for that reason was in such active search of her. Therefore I decided to remain patient and watchful. Winsloe believed that I was dead, and perhaps it was as well, for I should now ho afforded an opportunity of watching his move- ments. For three whole days I wag competed to remain a prisoner on account of my annoying bandages, which were too conspicuous to allow me to go forth. I had several callers, including Jack and Lord Wyticombe, but to everyone Budd replied that hoth his master and Air. Domville were absent, where, he had no idea. My anxiety for Eric increased hourly, yet what could 110; The doctiu*. at my request, removed the ban- dages so that my wound was hidden when I wore a golf-cap. and about eleven o'clock that samo night, dressed in my working clothes I crept forth into Bolton Street unseen, and in Piccadilly mingled with the crowd, homeward bound from the theatre. I went mto Regent Street confident in my ex- cellent disguise and taking one of the streets to the right, wandered on and on in search of the house with the fatal stairs. On that disastrous night flu- vill ainotis pair had engaged me deeply 1 n conversation as we drove along, in order to take my attention off the route we were traversmg, therefore I own that I was absolutely withwt any landmark. All I knew was that we had turned off Regent-Street about half-way up and that the house was situated in a quiet, rather dark street, an old-fashioned house of three storeys. Eagerly in search of the place from which I had so narrowly escaped with my life I waa- dercd in the night up and down those narrow t hcioughfares, that puzzling maze of streets that lie between Regent Stree-t and Soho Square— Brewer Street, Bridle Lane, Lexington Street, Poland Street and Berwick Street. I could not. however, find any house answering to the very vague impression I retained of it, though I went on and on until far into the night. Fearing to return to Bolton Street, L-took a bed at an obscure hotel in the Euston Road, and next morning went, over to Camberwell where Tibbie warmly welcomed me. I attributed the cut on my head to a fall on the kerb, and when we sat tc-sether I saw how thoroughly resigned she had become to her strange surroundings. With womanly enthusiasm she told me of the kindness of the landlady who would not allow her to mope there alone- She had taken her out to see her friends, wives of working men like herself, and they had gossiped, had high tea and discussed the affairs of the neighbourhood. TI said presently, after we had been chatting some time. "I am compelled to leave London, and f. confess I am very apprehensive on your behalf." "Leave London?" exclaimed. "Why?" If is imperative. Winsloe is watching me, and is doing all he can to discover you. Every time I come here I run a great risk." "I know," she said, frowning. "His spies are no doubt dogging your footsteps every- where." Then your position here is unsafe. You would do better to, escape from London now, and hide in the country—say in one of the larger towns in the north." Yes; but the pol ice are in search of me. re- member. The mater and Jack have raised a hue and cry. They think I've met with foul play." "Then all the more reason why you should slip cut of L-Gudm. The country police a.re slower, and you will stand less chance of recogni- tion." Site sighed, exclaiming: Ali. Wiift-itil It in cruel—cruel of them to hunt me down as they are now doing. Where shall I g-o; Where do you intend going?" Anywhere—out of London. What. about Leeds ? Neither of us know anyone there." She was silent a moment. Then said "I am in your hands entirely, Wilfrid, and will, go to Leeds if you think I can travel without being recognised. "If I anticipated any risk I would not allow you to undertake it," I said. "We will go this evening by the 5-45 from King's Cross—' Oswin's train,' as they call it, because he is the caterer for the dining-car." "Very well," she answered. "As yom wish. But before we go will you do me a favour? Go to the 'Daily Telegraph' office and put in, au advertisement for me." A advertisement!" I exclaimed in surprise. "Yes," she laughed, rather nervously. "I want to—I meant it. is necessary that I should communicate with a friend." I said nothing, but stood watching her as she tonk out half a sheet of note-paper and com- menced to print three lines of jumbled capitals and numerals-an advertisement apparently in the cipher which I had taken from the dean unknown. Her action astounded me. but I managed to remain as though interested but ignorant. "Why in this cipher-" I asked, when she handed it to me, requesting me to go to Fleet Street after our mid-day dinner. Because—well, because I don't wish it to be read by other people. It is for the eye of one person, only." I placed it in my pocket without further com- ment, and after we had eaten together I went out to do her bidding. While seated in the tramcar in the Old Kent Road I took out the mystic message she had written, and with the key which I had fortu- nately carried away with me from Bolton Street I deciphered the words she had penned. They read To NcllD.-Will make appointment when safe for us to meet. Note that Eric is in Paris. I still trust you.—S." I sat staring at the paper like a man in a dream. Was Tibbie, the woman I had promised to save, and for whose sake I was sacrificing everything, reputation, honour, even my life, actually play- in, mc, How did she know that Eric was in Was that r all y t rue? And who was Nello to whom she sent that message of trust? (To be Continued.)

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