Bat Wing

cretary, had placed before him for signature. Only one more remained to be passed, but it was a long, confidential report upon a certain matter, which Harley had prepared

nly a few minutes,

quite content to sit an

eld no official post, some of the most momentous problems of British policy during the past five years, problems imperilling inter-stat

was in the confidence of some who guided the destinies of the Empire. Paul Harley's work in Constantinople during the feverish months preceding hostilities with Turkey, although unknown

perhaps there was a quality in the atmosphere of the office which would have told a more sensitive visitor that it was the apartment of no ordinary man of business.

mark of the tropics. His clean-cut features had that hint of underlying bronze which tells of years spent beneath a merciless sun, and the touch of gray at his temples only added to the eager, almost fierce vitality of th

s ended, and glancing at me with a triumphant smile, he stood up. His office was a part of a residential suite, but although, like some old-time burgher of the city, he lived on the premises, the shutt

further, is there

if you have passed t

ey laughe

"a tedious and thankless job, Innes. It is the fi

le. "This is the Rokeby affair," he said. "I have d

e as he took it from the basket. "I see you have t

d to that distressed nobleman that this is a business office and that a laundry is the proper place to tak

tire staff of the office, came in at that moment, a card in her hand. Harley

"Cavendish Club," and glanced reflecti

red Innes; "the name

thought the decks were clear. Is it something really interesting, or does he want a woman watched?

ays of Spain. His complexion was extraordinarily dusky, whilst his hair, which was close cropped, was iron gray. His heavy eyebrows and curling moustache with its little points were equally black, so that his large teeth gleamed very f

and his black derby hat I thought hardly as suitable as a sombre

mile was Mephistophelean, there was much about

ise, "I feel somewhat ill at ease to-how do you say it?-appropriate your ti

s frequent interpolation of such expressions as "how do you say?"-a sort of nervous mannerism-one might have supposed him to be a Bri

ly, my working day is ended, I admit, but if you have no objection to the

in a way a

" he added, "I must beg you to excuse me for fourteen da

n a big leathern armchair which Harley had pushed forward. "If I intrude I am sorry, but indeed my business is

ace with an expression of peculi

Knox has been with me in some of the most delicate cases which I have ever handled, and you may rel

r; "you see, I rarely smoke

his coat pocket, he brought out a portion of tobacco, laid it in the paper, and almost in the twinkling of an eye had made, rolle

rfect, is it not s

hilst I studied him with increasing interest. Some dread, real or imaginary, w

be disposed to regard what I have to tell you rather as a symptom of w

. "Do I understand you to suspect that some

dez slowly no

meaning,"

r to bodi

, emphat

cabinet beside him he began in leisurely manner to load a

trouble you. Yet, even now that I have compelled myself to come here, I

rown face, and now Colonel Menendez paused and was

nderstand." As a matter of fact, he probably thought, as I did, that this was a familiar case of a man of possibly blameless lif

or inhale

f expression. "These are so scanty, I fear, of so, shall I say, phantom a kind, that even when they are in your possession you will consider me

ceived was exactly what he had anticipated, and merely tend

ainly

ually see th

"if I had seen him, so much would have been made clear, so much! I have ne

leaning back in his chair a

and looking across the lawn from my window I have observed

sha

ncealed beneath a tree. When he moved

deceived by a

speak of a still

tramp," suggested Harley. "I gather th

it was not. I wish to God I could believe it had been. T

as I had perceived, that the manner of the speaker differed from that of the

evidence of this

t about, yes, I will admit it, by apprehension

did not

his

ha

. "Of this, at least, I can give you the certain facts. Whoever it was had obtained access through a kitchen window, ha

did yo

ient to alarm the midnight visitor, for I had never a glimpse of him. Only, as he went swiftly back in the direc

. "Very strange, indeed. T

ing a

d momentarily, and glance

do you say blur?-and

aid Harl

smoke into the air, "I come now to the

deeply and was si

s stolen?"

ng wha

ue was lef

indow and two open doors which had been lo

and in no way connected with the surveillance of which you complain. I mean that th

amed-stands a case containing presentation gold plate. The moonlight of which I have spoken was shini

arley, quietly, "that t

ed the Colonel, "to believe that my

than suspicions," agreed Harley; "but may I sugges

held public office

suggest again that the

ing the look unflinchingly with his large dark eyes, was un

e with the other, if you understand, but both these so-shall I say remote?-from my life,

mote it may appear to be. It is sometimes the seemingly remote

difficult for me to explain. I mentioned the attempted burglary, if so I may term it, in order to clear your mind of the idea that my fears were a myth. The next point which I have

, "there must be some data in your possession which sug

nd. I should tell you, then, that although of pure Spanish blood, I was born in Cuba. The greater part of my life has been spent in the West Indies, where prior to '98 I held an appointment under the Spanish Government. I have property, no

d restless by his reflections, he stood up and began to pace the floor, a tall but curiously graceful figure. I noticed the bulldog tenacity of his chin, the intense pride in his bearing, and I wondered what kind of menace ha

lonel Menendez," said Harley, "

sitated curiously-"of health motives, I leased a proper

ere afraid of somethin

ed in a flash, glarin

an in my life, Mr. Ha

y are yo

first cigarette in an ash tray and l

orgive me. Yet what I said wa

cabinet, resting one hand upon his hip.

nything of Voo

h and stared at the speaker silently for a mome

act

ience. But since I have lived much in the East, I am prepared to learn that Voodoo may not be a negligible quan

is true

almost fiercely across

, "that the danger which you believe to

e when all the facts shall be in your

t confess that I am

rley. I have somet

some flat, irregularly shaped object wrapped in a piece of tissue paper. Unfolding the paper, he st

brown colour, some five or six inches long, and appeared to consist of a kind o

I said; "some

nto the dark face of the Spanish c

olonel Menendez, grimly. "But tell me

credulity, wonder, and something else, as, co

he wing