E. Phillips Oppenheim

“ A white dressing-gown hung loosely upon her; she was still wearing her black mask. Her eyes were fixed upon Mr. Cray.
“You must come,” she begged, speaking very softly yet with almost singular distinctness. “You must please come. They will not let me sleep. They call for you all the time.”
“I am sorry,” was the hasty response, “but I'm just off for home.”
Mr. Cray rose his feet with determination. His host followed his example.
“Mina,” the latter protested, “you really must not worry Mr. Cray now. You are quite mistaken in him. He's as much outside all this business as I am.” ”

“ Tomorrow she'll telephone to some of these spook lunatics, and they'll haunt the house for days till Mina is herself again.”
MR. CRAY turned his cigar round and round in his fingers, sipped his whisky-and-soda and pondered. Just inside the room, the kit-bag which they had brought from the Albert Hall had burst one of its fastenings, and a glitter of red, the same color as the flaming costume of Mephistopheles, showed itself. He opened his lips to ask a question, but decided to postpone it. Major Hartopp was not in the least the type of a Mephistopheles. ”

“ They say that she must have got away with a quarter of a million pounds' worth of diamonds from New York alone.”
“You're not taking any stock from the fact that she called herself a medium, I suppose?”
The monk scratched his chin.
“Men like you and me, Mr. Cray, sir,” he said, “who take an interest in crime, are bound to be materialists. Still, I've learned in my profession never to be obstinate about anything. There are a good many intelligent and well-informed people who believe in spooks, and I am telling you frankly that this Christine Saboa had, without doubt, some exceptional gifts. ”

“ The officer stepped forward almost eagerly.
“If you could give my wife and me a lift far as Moon Street, Chelsea,” he said, “it would be awfully good of you. I ordered a taxicab, but I'm afraid it's gone off with some one else. My wife's terribly tired, too.”
“Step right in,” Mr. Cray invited hospitably “Tell the chauffeur your number, Captain. Let me give you a cushion, madam; pretty tiring— My God!”
They were all three in the car now, the officer with his head out of the window, directing the chauffeur. ”

“ They seem to have a taste for revelry, too. One of them always weighs in if we are going to a dance or anything of that sort. Christine Saboa turned up at eight o'clock this evening, just as we were settling down to dinner. Completely spoiled the whole pleasure of the dance for me. I hate spooks.”
Mr. Cray studied Major Hartopp for several moments with half-closed eyes. He was to all appearance the perfect prototype of the well-bred, simple minded, moderately intelligent young British soldier. ”

“ The manager glanced at the check, frowned in a puzzled manner, and stood for a few seconds with the air of one stricken dumb with astonishment.
“Have a look at it yourself, Mr. Cray,” Major Hartopp continued. “It's a silly business, I admit, but my wife got the idea last night that you were a strong unbeliever. As you know, I'm a bit that way myself, but if that's really your signature, this Christine Saboa is a dangerous sort of a spook.”
The three men gazed at the check. It was clearly enough a check for one sovereign, made out to Christine Saboa or bearer.
“It can't be my writing,” Mr. ”

“ Neither had the kit-bag, with its incriminating gleam of scarlet, been removed.
“Not your bag, is it?” Major Hartopp asked carelessly.
“I hadn't any grip at all,” Mr. Cray answered. “Isn't it yours?”
Major Hartopp shook his head,
“Mine was practically empty. All it took in it was a couple of bottles of champagne. I set it down on the steps of the Albert Hall while we were waiting and must have picked up this one by mistake. I'll send it back presently.... Jove, isn't the air good!” he added, as he opened the front door and let in a little of the cold breeze. “So long! Look us up some day. ”

“ Hartopp are on the continent. Their house in Chelsea has been taken furnished for a month by a man and woman wanted very badly by the American police. The man is a great sleight-of-hand thief and one of the most dangerous adventurers in America. The woman has robbed New York of over fifty thousand pounds on this spook game.”
THE manager suddenly stooped down, picked up a strip of paper underneath the counter and held it out.
“A check for a thousand pounds!” ”

“ I'm not a great performer, but I guess there are others.”
She looked at him sadly. Her fingers still rested in his comfortable hand.
“I can only dance with one,” she sighed, “and you are not he.”
“That's too bad,” he protested, “especially on a night like this. Husband, eh? Lover?” ”