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THE PURPLE CURTAIN,

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THE PURPLE CURTAIN, BY I FRED M. WHITE. I PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS AND I INCIDENTS. lORN DUGDALE, who ha-s seen life in South I Africa, and who is down on his luck. I PAUL QUENTIN, a. polished scoundrel. UiiiiJN Ax>tJS. Quenun 0 secretary. RACHEL VARNA, an expert in Oriental china., who takes a great interest in Antonio Bassano. MARY PEARSON, owner of Silverdale, j. admired by Dugdale. DR.. HARPER, family physician at Silver- dale. DR. PRINCE. a pseudo-doctor. I LORD PASSMORE. a connoisseur of china. THEO ISIDORE, a financier, and proprietor of the Marlborough Magazine." ANTONIO BASSANO, an artist, and an un- willing tool in Quentin's hands. VISCOUNT D'EYNCOURT, son of Lady Sun- ningdale. SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS. Dugdale dines at the Blenheim Hotel on an invitation from Theo Isidore, who dees i not turn up. Dugdale has no money, but receives help from another diner. He learns his rescuer is Paul Quentin. Later. he sees Grenadus, who bears a resemblance to his chief, and who offers Dugdale a reward if he finds the Dragon Vase. Rachel Varna j (whose father is a dealer in antiques) tells him that the vase has a flaw in the .over. Dugdale sets out to find a place c-aliect Silverdale, where in the drawing-room is a lady, Mary Pearson, and a man addressed by her as Dr. Prince, who appears to be a lunatic. A terrific fight ensues, with the result that Prince is locked up in a bed- room. In another room i) g (I a I e comes upon a young man dressed as a livery servant, to all appearances, dead.' On a atard near the window is the Dragon Vase Mary Pearson and Dugdale. walking in the park after dinner, observe two men in the rounds of an adjoining house. They are Lord Passmore and Theo Isidore. who subsequently call to view a picture in the library, where Passmore sees the Dragon Vase, and declares it is a foi ery. After the visitors have left Dugdale hears the sound cf glass. In the conservatory he finds a man—Grenadus, with a cut on his; face. who expia ns that he was on his way to visit Lord P.\ jsTiiore. but had lost his way. Dugdale follows him, and overhears He saw the light of day stealing through tne window. a conversation with Bassano (whom he had previously seen as a workman in Varna's shop). Returning to Silverdale. Dugdale finds that the lunatic, Prince, has escaped by way of the cerise r-v at-ory. Next ing Mary Pearson introduces to Dugdalfc a Miss Marna, in whom he recognises a like- ness to the young servant who was injured, and. later, that it is Rachel Varna. Lord Passmore ag-ain calls, and to prove to DUg-I dale that the Dragon Vase is a forgery. says he will bring over the maker of it- I Antonio Bassano. Dugdale accepts an invitation from Lord Passmore, and there meets Bassano. A card is brought in. on which is the name Paul Quentin." Bas- sano implores Lord Passmore to send him away. Quentin states that he wishes to buy some diamonds belonging to Lady, Sunningdale, for whom Lord Passmore is acting as agent. Quentin. on hearing that Bassano is there, wishes to see him. Bas- sano gives him a murderous look when he enters his workroom. Quentin. picking up the lid of a large vase, asks him if it is his work. Bassano acknowledges it. and says it is for a customer who has lost the lid of a vase, and that he intends posting it Dugdale forms the theory that Bassano has not done so. He goes fishing in the lake, where he finds the lid. At dinner Dugdale appears to be very clumsy 111 opening a bottle, and the fluid trickles down Quentin's face An ugly scar stands out on his temple. Quentin ag-rees to buy the diamonds. but fancies th-ere is a flaw I in one of them. and asks Dugdale to I fetch a glass of water. While he is away Passmore has a feeling of faintness. Quentin receives a telegram to say tliail his secretary has met with an accident. and leaves at once. After' the diamonds are put in the safe Dngdple aprs Pass- more to see the key. nO) finds it sticky. as if some wax had been nuplied to it. The same evening Mary reason and Rachel Varna pay a visit to Lord ?;8- more's house. Viscount D'Eyncourt calls and informs Passmore that his mother has no right to dispose of the diamonds, as they are heirlooms. Later. Rachel Varna beckons Dugdale aside, and incredulous as it seems. tells him that the real diamonds j are in the possession of her father. Dug- dale shows Bassano the lid he has found in the lake, and ask: him if the Dragon Vase at Silverdale is a forgery or net. CHAPTER XXXIV. j CONFESSION, Bassano's gla-nce wandered from the ceil-I ing to the floor, and back again. He seemed j eager to speak, yet looked as if a sense of shame held him voiceless. Dugdale, contemptuous an;i impatient-, could not but feel Sorry for the man whom he was inviting ,to proclaim himself a criminal. He was not without sympathy for the Italian artist. The man's mind was to a certain extent perverted. He regarded himself as a being I with a. mission, justified in employing what- eyer means would promote his cause. There are people like -,his-people in many ways I sincere and honest, who contrive to approve of wrong doing, provided good come of it. Ba?s?.no \1' this sort of visionary. Dugdale read h.im like a book and put a curb upon his impatience. "Let ?ne explain." he said. "You wouldn't do such a thin? merely to put money in your pocket. You wouldn't be guilty of a vulgar crime so '.hat you might live an idle and luxurious life." "1 ivould net," bassano burst out eagerly. "I have a call. I feel sure that it. was ordained that I should do this thing—no& fo:' myself, ch. dear no, but because I might have it in my power to leave the world batter and purer than I found it. L may be a fatalist :i(xl a dreamer, but I am not Wen. that is a very nice point." Dugdalej said drily. And a jurlg-e and jury might need a lot of convincing. Still, you have done nothing as yet likely to land you in I "erious tron bie. and I am disposed to be your friend, if you are prepared to prevent this matter from going any further. You will have to make amends, and in return I promise to he silent about this indiscretion of your?. I may find some other way to help you. Tt will not be mv fault if you don't become famous. But you must tell the truth." i I will do no." Bassano said quietly. "You are a clever man, signor, far too clever for me. It is even as you say. The thing came to me one night in the light of an inspiration. It is a degrading confession to make, but more than onoe I have manufac- tured pieces of china knowing that thoy were to be passed off as antiques. Of course. ( was never deliberately told so. and I might have saved my reputation by protesting my innocence. But all the while I knew. The money tempted me. I have no tastes and no extravagances; I can live as cheaply as one of your agricultural labourers. But money with me vanishes in the must mys- terious way. Therefore, when the great scheme came to me, I did not fight against it. The very thought of it swept me clean off my feet. I walked on air. My head was in the clouds. I should amass a large for- tune. I would found a college for the encouragement of all that is good and true in art. I would place Europe on the same l"vel as Greece was in the rge of Praxiteles. I could see no other point of view, and it was all so perfectly simple, too. I had made one copy of the Dragon Vase so perfect that the man who gave me the commission was filled with admiration. He showed it to one or two experts as a genuine article, and they could find no flaw in it. What became of it I don't know. Probably it is now in America in the collection of some rich ignoramus. When I learned that the reaj Dragon Vase stood in Miss Pearson's drawing-room the ohance of my life had come. I knew that Miss Pearson had no great love for such things. I knew that I could find my way into the house easily if I wanted to. And just at that moment temptation and opportunity arrived together. I was working for Joseph Varna at the time, and into my hands came the genuine lid of the genuine vase. If I had hesitated before, I could do so no longer. It would have been almost like flying in the face of Providence. All I had to do was to make a copy of the lid and keep the genuine one. In making a copy of the lid I impressed my private mark upon it, and I impressed my,priva4,?e e!i, when Lord Pass- the thing was done. Then, when Lord Pass- more introduced the subject, I had only to declare that the vase was a forgery and that it was the work of my hands. Was not my private mark on the lid to prove what I éa jd? Lord Passmore could not know that the genuine lid had ever been in my hands. I convinced him that what I said was true; I would have gone before a board of experts and made them believe the same thing. All I had to do was to wait until I ord Passmore persuaded Miss Pearson to put the vase aside. Then I could have bought it at my own price. I could have done this through an agent. 1 could have taken the vase across the Atlantic and disposed of it for a fortune. You may heap reproaches upon my head, but there are thousands of men supposed to be honest and straightforward who would i have done the same thing. You see, to I a certain extent. I have been living in an atmosphere of deceit all my life- time. I know scores of dealers who have boasted of the tricks they have played upon collectors. I can name you a score of artists who make a living by such dubious means. And always before me was the col- lege I was going to found. But that is a dream. I have been found out. and there is an end of it. I will tell Lord Passmore if you like. You are quite at liberty to inform him what has taken place between us. Show him the two lids, and he will see at once that you are speaking the truth." 1. I am glad to bear you talk like this," Dugdale said. There is very little more to be said. On one matter. however, I should like some enlightenment. What does Paul Quentin know about the Dragon Vase?" Bassano shook his head in perplexity. I am not sure." he "aieL" For some time it his been a pusalo to me. From what you have told me. it yotr mission to dis- cover the hiding-place of the Dragon Vase. I suppose Quentin -zot upon the track of it through that drawing in the Marlborough Magazine.' He selected you as his agent in the matter. Is not this so, signor?" "That's right enough." Dugdale said. "Of course, it was no business of mine. At first it seemed to me that a,ll I could do was to find the vase and then report matters to my employer. But on that hearl there is a good deal to be said. I suppose Paul Quentin docs not regard the vase as a forgery?" "I should say not. signor. He has never said anything to me about it. He is an excellent judge of such things. Probably he 'ntends to steal the vase. I should not be surprised to learn that such is the case. But the Dragon Vase is a difficult thing to handle, and it will tax his ingenuity to the uttermost. Don't ask me what I think of Paul Quentin. The man is a mystery beyond my grasp altogether. And now. signor, as it is getting late, perhaps you will excuse me." was' no need to detain Bassano. Dugdale had ascertained all he wanted to know. he began to see his way to the end and wanted to oe alone. He bade the Italian good-night, dropped into his chair. and began to ruminate upon the events of the evening. It seemed plain sailing now. He had solved the mystery of the Dragon Vase and ha.d saved Miss Pearson from a serious loss. he would be grateful when she knew every- thing. Dugdale would have rendered her a service and repay the kindness he had received from her. But. on the other hand, within a few hours his mission would be finished. He would have to go away, and might see Mary Pearson no more. She would forget him in rime. She would marry a man of her own wealth, and might give an occasional thought to Dugdale, when he was engaged in the struggle for existence. The thought was not pleasant, and Dugdale hastened to pat it out of his mind. He had other things to occupy his attention, too-the mystery of the Sunningdale diamonds for one. This part of the problem puzzled Dugdale exceedingly. He knew that it belonged to the same plot, but for the life of him he could not see how itfitterl in. Neither could he doubt what Rachel Varna bad said. He would tell Lord Passmore in the morning and advise him to examine the gems by the strong light of day. It would be easy to ascertain whether they had been tampered with or not. By natural sequence this train of events carried Dugdale to the conclusion that an attempt would be •nade upon Lord Passmore's safe this very night. It would be impossible for the thieves to postpone the matter for another day, seeing that the diamonds would be in London within a tey; hours, and in any case Paul Q ientin had not taken the impression of Lord Passmore's safe-key for mere amusement. Dugdale set himself grimly to watch till daylight. He propped the door of the library open. extinguished the light, and sat motionless in his chair. He had plenty to think about, plenty to keep him awake. His brain was active enough, and he had not the least desire for sleep. But. after all, he wasted his time. He heard the clock in the room ticking steadily, he heard the hours chiming, he saw the light cf day stealing through the windows. He slumbered for a moment lightly, and when I he opened his eyes again the morning glory was there and the birds were singing outside. Then Dugdale crept up softly to his bedroom. (TO BE CONTINUED TO-MORROW.)

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