E. PHILLIPS OPPENHEIM
Capyrigbt ky LlttU, Btwi iW Cmimb*
V
'v )
->
"NO, REMORSE"
SYNOPSIS. ? Francis Ledsam de
fends Oliver Hildltch, a business
man, in a murder case and suc
ceeds in rettUiff him off. only to
be told by a young:, prepossessing
woman, who* says that she is
Oliver Hlldltch's wife, that Hil
dltch Is an arch-crlminal and
that Ledsam has turned loose a
dangerous man to resume his
preying upon society. Ledsam
dines with his best friend. An
drew Wllmore*meets Hilditch and
his wife.
;
V
CHAPTER II? Continued.
?2 ?
Wilmore was puzzled.
"Put she passed you just now with
out even -a glance of recognition, and I
thought you told me at the club this
afternoon that all your knowledge of
his evil ways came from her. Besides,
she looks at least twenty years younger
than he does."
/"I can only tell you what I know,
Andrew." he said, as he set ddwn his
enipty glass. "The woman who is with
him now is the woman who spoke to
we outside the Old Bailey this after
"I Have Never Listened to So Hor
rible a Recital in My Life."
noon. We went to a tea-shop together.
She told me the story of his career. I
have never listened to so horrible a
recital in my life."
"And yet they are here together, din
ing tete-a-tete, on a night when it must
have needed more than ordinary cour
age for either of them to have been
seen in public at ail." Wilmore pointed
V out. 4 .
"It is as astounding to me as it Is to
you," Francis confessed. "From the |
way she spoke, I should never have
dreamed that they were living to
gether."
"And from his appearance," Wilmore |
remarked, as he called the waiter to
bring some cigarettes, "I should never I
have imagined that he was anything
else save a high-principled, well-bora
straightforward sort of chap. I never
saw a less criminal type of face."
They each in turn glanced at the sub
ject of their discussion. Oliver HII
ditch's good looks had been the subject
of many press comments during the
last few days. They were certainly
undeniable." His face was a little lined,
but his hair was thick and brown. His
features were regular, his forehead
high and. thoughtful, his mouth a trifle
thin but straight and shapely. Francis j
gazed at him like a man entranced.
The hours seemed to have slipped
away. He was back in the tea-shop,
listening to the woman who spoke of
terrible things. He felt again his shiv
ering abhorrence of her cold, clearly
narrated story. Again he shrank from
the horrors from which with merciless
fingers she had stripped the coverings.
He seemed to see once more the agony
in her white face, to hear the eternal
pain aching and throbbing in her mo
notonous tone. He rose suddenly to
his feet. .
"Andrew," he begged.^!t?ll the fel
low to bring the bill ^utshlg. We'll
have our coffee and liqueurs ftoere."
Wilmore acquiesced willingly enough,
but even as they turned towamls the
door Francis realized what was in
store for him. Oliver Hildltch had
risen to his feet. With a courteous
little gesture he Intercepted the pass
erby. Francis found himself standing
side by side with the man for whose
life he had pleaded that afternoon,
within a few feet of the woman whose
terrible story seemed to have poisoned
the very atmosphere he breathed, to
hnve shown him a new horror in life,
to have temporarily, at any rate, Un
dermined every joy and ambition he
possessed. . *
"Mr. Ledsam," Hildltch said, speak
ing with quiet dignity, "I hope that
you will forgive the liberty I take in
?peaking to you here. I looked for
you the moment I was free this after
noon. but found that you had left the
court. I owe you my f?>od nnine, prob
ably my life. Thanks are poor thing*
but they must be spoken."
"Ton owe me nothing at all." Fran
els replied. In a tone which even he
found harsh. "I had a brief before
me and a cause to plead. It was a
chapter out of my doily work."
#
"That work can be well done or 111,"
the other reminded gently. "In your
case, my presence 'here prove? how
' well It waa done. I wish to present
you to my wife, who shares my grati
tude." X
Francis bowed to the woman, who
now, at her husband's words, raised
her, eyes. For the first time he sow
her' smile. It seemed to him that the
effort made her less beautiful.
"Your pleading was very wonderful,
Mr. Ledsani;" she said, a very subtle
note of mockery fnlntly apparent in
her tone. "We poor mortals find It
difficult to understand that with you
all that show of passionate earnest
ness Is merely ? what did -.you call ltx
? a chapter In your day's work? It Is
a great gift t?N? able to argue from
tlK* brain nnd plead as though from
the heart." w
"We will not detain Mr. Ledsani,'
Oliver Hilditch Interposed, a little
hastily. "He perhaps does uot care
to be addressed In public by a client
who still carries with him the atmos
phere of the prison. My wife and 1
wondered,' Mr. Ledsani, whether you
would be good enough to dine with
us one night. I think J could interest
you by telling you more about my case
than you know at present, and It
would give us a further opportunity,
and a more seemly one, for expressing
our gratitude." '
Francis had recovered himself by
this time. He knew very well that
the idea of that dinner would be hor
rible to him. He also knew that he
would willingly cancel every engage
ment he had rather than miss It.:
"You are very kind," he murmured.
"Are we fortunate enough to find
you disengaged." Hilditch suggested,
?tomorrow evening?"
"1 am quite free," was the ready
response.
"That suits you, Margaret?" Hilditch
asked, turning courteously to his wife.
For a single moment her eyes were
fixed upon those of her prospective
guest. He read their message which
pleaded for his^Tefusal, and he denied
It.
"Tomorrow evening will suit me as
well as any other," she acquiesced,
after a brief pause.
"At eight o'clock, then-Miumber 10
b, Hill Street," Hilditch concluded.
Francis bowed and turned away
with a murmured word of polite as
sent. Outside, he found Wilmore deep
in tnc discussion of the merits of va
rious old brandies with an Interested
maitre d'hotel.
"Any choice, Francis?" his host In
quired. , .
"None whatever," was the prompt
reply, "only, for God's sake, give me
a double one quickly !"
The two men were on the point of
departure when Oliver Hilditch and
his wife left the restaurant. As
though conscious that they had become
the subject of discussion, as Indeed
was the case, thanks to the busy
whispering of the various waiters, they
passed without lingering through the
lounge into the entrance hall, where
Francis and Andrew Wilmore were al
ready waiting for a taxicab. Almost
as !they appeared, a new arrival was
ushered through the main entrance,
followed by porters carrying luggage.
He brushed past Francis so closely
that the latter looked into his face,
half attracted and half repelled by
the waxen-like complexion, the pierc
ing eyes, and the dignified carriage of
the man whose arrival seemed to be
creating some stir in the hotel. A re
ception clerk and a deputy manager
had already hastened forward. The
newcomer waved them back for a
moment. Bareheaded, he had taken
Margaret Hildltch's hands in his and
raised them to his lips.
"I came as quickly as I could." he
said. "There was the usual delay, of
course, at Marseilles, and the trains
on were terrible. So all Jjas ended
well."
Oliver Hilditch, standing by, re
mained speechless. It seemed for a
moment as though his self-control
were subjected to a severe strain.
"I had the good fortune," he inter
posed, in a low tone, "to be wonder
fully defended. Mr. Ledsam here ? ".
He glanced around. Francis, with
some idea of what was coming, obeyed
an imaginary summons from the head
porter, touched Andrew Wilmore upon
the shoulder, and hastened without a
backward glance through the swing
doors. Wilmore turned up his coat
collar and looked doubtfully up at
the rain.
"I say. old chap," he protested, "you
don't really mean to walk?"
Francis, thrust his hand through his
friend's arm and wheeled him round
into Davis street. <>,
"I don't care what the mischief we
do. Andrew,." he confided, "but couldn't
you see what was going to happen?
Oliver Hilditch was going to introduce
me as his preserver to the man who
had just arrived!"
"Are you afflicted with modesty, all
of a sudden?" Wilmore grumbled.
"No, remorse," was the terse re
ply.
CHAPTER III
I
Indecision had never been one of
Francis Ledsam's faults, but four
times during the following day he
wrote out a carefully worded telegraph
ic message to Mrs. Oliver Hilditch,
10 b, HIU Street, regretting hit InnMI
Ity to dine that night,' ami each time
he destroyed It. He carried the flrat
message around Richmond golf couree
with him, Intending to dlapvtch hla
caddy with It Immediately on the con
elusion of the roudd. The freah air.
however, and the concentration re
quired by the game, seemed to dlxpel
the nervous apprehensions with which
he had anticipated hla visit, and over
| an aperitif In the club har he tore the
; telegram into small pieces and found
himself even able to derive a cetrnln
half-fearful pleasure from the thought
of meeting again the woman who, to
gether with her terrible story, had
never for one moment been out of
his thoughts. Andrew Wilmore, who
had observed his action, spoke of It
as they settled down to luncli.
"So you are going to keep your en
gagement tonight. Francis?" he ob
served.
The latter nodded.
4 "After all, why not?" 'he asked, a lit
tle defiantly. ^ "It ought to be Interest
ing." ? (
f'Weil, there's nothing of the sordid
criminal, at any rate, about Oliver
Hilditch," Wilmore declared. "Neither.
If one comes to think of it? does his
wife appear to be the prototype of
suffering virtue. I wonder If you are
wise to go, Francis?"
"Why not?" the man who had asked
himself that question a dozen times
already, demanded.
"Because,'' Wilmore replied coolly,
"underneath that steely hardness of
manner for which your profession is
responsible, you have a vein of senti
ment, of chivalrous sentiment, I should
say, which some day or other is bounds
to get you infd trouble. The woman
is beautiful enough to turn any one's
head. As a matter of fact, I believe
that you are more than half in love
with her already."
Francis Ledsam sat where the sun
light fell upon his strong, forceful
face, shone, too. upon the table with
its simple, but pleasant appointments,
upon the tankard of beer by his side,
upon the plate of roast beef to which
he was already doing ample Justice.
He laughed with the easy confidence
of a man awakened from some haunt
ing nightmnre, relieved to find his
feet once more firm upon the ground.
"I have been a fool (.to take the
whole matter so seriously, Andrew,"
he declared. "I expect to walk back
to Clarges street tonight, disillusioned.
The man will probably present me with
a gold pencil case, and the woman ? **
"Well, what about the woman?" Wil
more asked, after a brief pause.
"Oh, I don't know!" Francis de
clared, a little impatiently. "The wom
an Is the mystery, of course Prob
ably my brain w^s a little over-excited
when I came out of court, and what
I Imagined to be an epic was nothing
more than a tissue of exaggerations
from a disappointed wife. However,
I'm sure I'm doing the right thing to
go there."
The two men returned to town to
gether afterwards, Wilmore to the
club and Francis to his rooms in
Clarges street to prepare for dinner.
At a few minutes to eight he rang the
bell of number 10 b. Hill street, and
found his host and hostess awaiting
him in the small drawing-room into
width he was ushered. It seemed to
him that the woman, still colorless,
again marvelously gowned, greeted
him coldly. His host, however, was
almost too effusive. There was no
other guest, but the prompt announce
ment of dinner dispelled what might
have been a few moments of embar
rassment after Oliver Hildltch's almost
too cordial greeting. The woman laid
her fingers upon her guest's coat
sleeve. The trio crossed the little
hall almost in silence. ^
Dinner was served in a small white
Georgian dining room, with every ap
purtenance of almost sybaritic luxury.
The only light In the room was thrown
upon the table by two purple-shaded
electric lamps, and the servants who
waited seemed to pass backwards and
forwards like shadows in some mys
terious twilight? even the faces of the
three diners themselves were out of
the little pool of light until they leaned
forward. The dinner was chosen with
?taste and restraint, the wines were
not only costly but rare. A watchful
butler, attended now and then by a
trim parlor maid, superintended the
service. Only once, when she ordered
a bowl of flowers removed from the
table, did their mistress address either
of them. Conversation after the first
few amenities speedily became almost
a monologue. One man talked whilst
the others listened, and the man who
talked was Oliver Hilditch. He pos
sessed the rare gift of Imparting color
and actuality In a few phrases to the
strange places of which he spoke, of
bringing the very thrill of strange hap
penings into the shadowy room. It
seemed that there was scarcely a coun
try of the world which he had not vis
ited, a country, that Is to gay, where
men congregate, for he admitted from
the flrat that he was a city worshiper,
that the empty places possessed no
charm for hhn. j
"I am not even a sportsman." he con
fessed once, half apologetically, in re
ply to a question from his guest. My
only desire has been to reach the next
place where men and women were.
Some day we will talk of them."
"Tell me," Francis asked his boat,
\ * 4 ? ?
\ . * ?
: i> -
during on. of th. brief pen*. to th.
ConYMMtlOO, H ?? X?? ^
... .n.ivc* this Interest of yours in
huirtan beings and crowded cMm. this
hatred of solitude and empty spaces?
Oliver Hlldltch smiled th0?Jh^?1.^;
nnd Rated at a salted almond wMch
h e waa Just balancing between the tlp?
of his nngers.
"I think." he said simply, It ?
cnuae I have no soul."
The three diners lingered for only
a short time over their dfessert. _ Arte -
wards, they passed '
very delightful library. Hlldltch ex
eused himself for a moment.
"I have some cigars which I keep
In my dressing room," he explained,
"and which I am anxious for you to
,rv. There Is an electric stove there
and I can regulate the temperature.
He departed, closing the door behind
him Francis came a little further
into the room. His hostess, who had
subsided Into an easy chair and was
holding ? screen .between her face and
the lire, motioned him to seat himself
opposite. He did so without words.
He felt curiously and ridiculously
tongue-tied. He fell to studying the
woman Instead of attempting the ba
nality of pointless speech. From the
smooth gloss of her burnished hair,
to the aalntlness of her low, black
brocaded shoes, ,she represented, so
far as her physical and outward self
were concerned, absolute perfection.
No ornament was amiss, no line or
curve of her figure other than perfect
ly graceful. Yet even the fires glow
which she had seemed to dread brought
no tlush of color to her cheeks. Her
appearance of complete lifelessness
remained. It was as though some sort
of crust had formed about her being,
a condition which her very physical
perfection seemed to render the more
incomprehensible?
"You are surprised to see me here
living with my husband, after what
I told you yesterday afternoon? she
said calmly, breaking at last the si
lence which had reigned between them.
"1 am," he admitted.
"It seems unnatural to you, I sup
pose?"
"Entirely."
"You still believe all that I tola
you?" r .
"I must."
She looked at the door and raised
her head a little, as though either
listening or adjudging the time be
fore her husband would return. Then
she glanced across at him once more.
"Hatred." she said, "does not always
drive away. Sometimes It attracts.
Sometimes the person who hates can
scarcely bear the other out of his
sight. That is where hate and love
are somewhat alike."
The room was warm, but Francis
was conscious of shivering. She
raised her finger warningly. It seemed
tvplcal of the woman, somehow, that
the message could not be conveyed by
any glance or gesture.
"He Is coming," she whispered.
Oliver Hildltch reappeared, carrying
cigars wrapped in a gold foil, which he
had brought with him from Cuba, the
tobacco of which was a revelation to |
"Sometimes the Person Who Hates
Can Scarcely Bear the Other Out of
' His Sight."
his guest. The two men smoked and
sipped their coffee and brandy. The
woman sat with half-closed eyes. It
was obvious that Hildltch was still
in the mood for speech.
"I will tell you, Mr. Ledsam," he
said, "why I am so happy to have you
here this evening. In the first place,
I desire to tender you once more my
thanks for your very brilliant efforts
on my behalf. The very fact that I
am able to offer you hospitality at
all Is without a doubt due to these."
"I only did what I was paid to do,"
Francis insisted, a HtHe harshly. "You
must remember that these things come
in the day's work with us."
His host nodded. -
"Naturally," he murmured. "There
was another reason, too, why. I was
i^nxiouB to meet you. Mr. Ledsam," he
continued. "You have gathered al
ready that I am something of a crank.
I have a profound detestation of all
sentimentality and affected morals. It
? ' \
ome
is a relief to me to come into contact
with a man who is free from that bour
geois Incubus to modern enterprise ?
a conscience."
"Is that your estimate of me V Fran
cis asked. ; > \ .
"Why not? Ton practice your pro
fession in the criminal courts, do you
not?" .
"That is well-known," was the brief
reply.
"What measure of conscience can
a nfan have," Oliver Hilditch argued
blandly, "who pleads for the innocent
and guilty alike with the same simu
lated fervor? Confess, now, Mr. Led
aam ? there is no object In being hypo
critical in this matter ? have you not
often pleaded for the guilty as though
you believed them innocent T
"That has sometimes been my duty,"
Francis acknowledged.
Hilditch laughed scornfully.
"It is all part of the great hypocrisy
of society," he proclaimed. "You have
an extra gloss of champagne for din
ner at night .and are congratulated by
your friends because you have helped
some poor devil to cheat the law, while
all the time you know perfectly well,i j
and so do your high-minded friends,
that your whole attitude during those
two hours of eloquence has been a lie.
That is what first attracted me to
you, Mr. Ledsam."
"I am sorry to hear It," Francis com
mented coldly. "The ethics of my pro
fession ? "
His host stopped him with a little
wave of the hand.
"Spare me that A he begged. "While
we are on the subject, though, I have
a question to ask you. My lawyer
told me, directly after he had retained
you, that, although it would make no
real difference to your pleading. It
would be just as well for me to keep
up my bluff of being innocent, even in
private conversation with you. Why
was that?"
"For the very obvious reason," Fran
cis told him, "that we are not all such
rogues and vagabonds as you seem to
think. There is more satisfaction to
me, at any rate, in saving an Inno
cent man's life than a guilty one|s."
Hilditch laughed as though amused.
"Come," he threatened, "I am going
to be ill-natured. You have shown
signs of smugness, a quality which I
detest. I am going to rob you of
some part of your self-satisfaction. Of
course I killed Jordan. I killed him
in the very chair in which you are
now sitting."
There was a moment's intense si
lence. The woman was still fanning
herself lazily. Francis leaned forward
in his place.
"I do not wish to liear this !" he
exclaimed harshly.
"Don't be foolish," his host replied,
rising to his feet and strolling across
the room. "You know the whole trou
ble of the prosecution. They couldn't
discover the weapon, or anything like
it, with which the deed was done.
Now I'll ihow you something ingeni
ous."
Francis followed the other's move
ments with fascinated eyes. The wom
an scarcely turned her head. Hilditch
paused at the further end of the room,
where there were a couple of gun
cases, some fishing rods and a bag of
golf clubs. From the latter he ex
tracted a very ordinary-looking put
ter, and with it in his hands strolled
back to them.
"DO you play golf, Ledsam?" he
asked. "What do you think of that?"
Fraiicis took the putter into his hand.
It was a very ordinary club, which had
apparently seen a good deal of serv
ice, so much, Indeed, that the leather
wrapping at the top was commencing
to unroll. The maker's name was on
the back of the blade, also the name
of the professional from whom It had
been purchased. Francis swung the
implement mechanically with his
wrists. ,
"There seems to be nothing extra
ordinary about the club," he pro
nounced. "It is very much like a cleek
I putt with myself."
"Yet It contains a secret which would
most certainly have hanged me," Ol
iver Hilditch declared pleasantly
"See!" ; '
He held the shaft firmly in one hand
and bent the blade away from It. In *
a moment or two It yielded and lie :
commenced to unscrew It. A little i
exclamation escaped from Francis' '
lips. Thp woman looked on with tired j
eyes. , '
"The Join In the steel," Hilditch
pointed out, "is so fine as to be un
distingulshnhle by the naked eye. Yet
when the blade conies off, like this,
you see that although the weight is
absolutely adjusted, the Inside Is hoi- j
low. The dagger Itself is encased in
this cotton wool to avoid any rattling
I put It away In rather a hurry the *
last time I used It, and as you see I '
forgot to clean It" j
Francis staggered back and gripped
at the mantelpiece. His eyes were
filled with horror. Very slowly, and
with the nlr of one engaged upon some
Interesting task, Oliver Hilditch had
removed the blood-gained sheath of,
cotton wool from around the thin blade
of a marvelous-looking stiletto, on
which Vas also a long stain of en
crusted blood.
'There Is a handle," he went on,
"which is perhaps the most ingenious
thing of all. You touch aspring here,
and behold!"
He pressed down two tiny supports
which opened upon hinges about four
Inches from the top of the handle.
There was now a complete hUt.
"My dsath is the one thing
in the world which would make
my wife happy."
(TO SB CONTINUED.)
it.*
So much pursuit of happiness turn*
oat to be Just kllU&c time.
H?g
Can You Hear?
jT am. Yw should bear
r S6 iftcW Doct a rinrn* ln
oars prortot jow proper h?4nnta .
. LEONARD EAR Oil ,
? fcw*t in BMlrila.
For Sal* EvwywheTa.
fitenitinj dbac rtphv fold,,
?? at upon roqvft.
A.O.LEOHARD. Uc.
70 Kd> At*
NmYtA
CHERRY-GLYCERIHE
COMPOUND
FOR
COUGHS; COLD!
BRONCHITIS
AND THROAT AFFECTIONS
FOR SALE BY ALL DEALER;
PBt'.??RKO ?? Y
JAMES BAILV & SON
BALTIMORE, M.O. J
?
PARKER'S
HAIR BALSAM
BaoMiwwDMMimff-stoptHnjFi!
Restores Color ud
B? nty to Gray and Faded Hi
CO e. and 11.00 at iTnrrUu^
H?*eox Chcm. Wki I'Mctu* 0f * T
HINDERCORN8 Rwnorea Cnnu, (m
louses, ste^ Hop# all pain, ensures coBfortio tw
niklrafl ?alkhkv MM* lfto. h* mm, l ^
? ? ?? - ? w i , w ? <-w ? ? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ? - ti'Miun to
feet, make* walk tar eauy. tto. by mm or itrw
imltti Works, Patchorn#, If.
rlsta HlseozCbml
Obliging
"What do you do when one of joq|
oil companies peters out?" '
"Oh, we keep swapping thecust<te|
ere' shares in new companies until the; I
get tired of paying postage."
THAT CON IS ONE
, i :?
Gel Rid of It by Taking Cheneys
Before It Turns Into Some
thing Worse ^
Does that hacking couph wofry yoi
because it hangs on so? Really It 1st
cause' for worry, for if you don't g?
rid of it you may find yourself the vic
tim of a far more Serious malady.
Thus it would be worse than foo!-|
lsh to let it go on, getting worse anij
worse, without taking the eas.est aid
quickest method of putting an end t
the trouble and so save yourself fros
what might turn out to be a very seri
ous complication.
Suppose you go to the drug stow|
and get a bottle of Cheney's Expec
torant and begin taking a teaspoonfui
every two hours. Keep it up and yonTJ
find that by tomorrow the cough will
have almost entirely disappeared and
In a few days will be completely go at
? The time to get the best of a conji
is right at the beginning ? when jot
first notice It. Each day you negled
It only makes it more difficult to pr
loose its hold on you. The sooner j*
begin treatment the sooner you fill
get over the trouble. Begin now.
Sold by all druggists and in smafltJ
towns by general merchants in 410c ui
60c bottles. ? Advertisement.
Anxious
Sambo ? Look here. Yuh ain't even
payin' me interest on dat five dollahs
i
yuh owes me.
Rastus ? Ah knows it, man.
am worryln' 'bout it.
But Ah
DEMAND ^BAYER" ASPIRIH
Take Tablets Without Fear if You
See the Safety "Bayer Crow."
Warning ! Unless you see the nan"
"Bayer" on package or on tablets yon
are not getting the genuine Bayer
Aspirin proved safe by millions and
prescribed by physicians for 23 yean
Say "Bayer" when you buy Aspirin
Imitations may prove dangerous.? AdT.
Clay Pipes and Cancer
The old short clay pipe Is disappe?r'
Ing and cancer of* the Hps lias prreatly
decreased in Great Britain, ac'ortM
to a famous surgeon.
One application of Roman Eye BalJ*]
w'll prove how good It Is for sore eyes. CojJ
only 35 cenU. 372 Pearl St.. N. T. AaT
Unfair
It is unfair that a dumb creatrre lU"
a cat should have nine lives, while &
Intelligent pedestrian has Only one.
Sure Relief
FOR INDIGESTION
6 Bcu-ans
Hat water
Sure Relief
ELL-ANS
. 10 75* PACKAGES EVERYWHERE
\Zm
W.M.HI