ho
less than four hours ago had stood before them in the full flower of
health and strength and life.

"Good God!" gasped Hammond, laying a shaking hand upon Narkom's arm.
"You see who it is, don't you, sir? It's the Austrian gent who was at
Clavering Close to-night-- Count Whats-his-name!"

"De Louvisan--Count Franz de Louvisan," supplied Narkom agitatedly. "The
last man in the world who _should_ have shown himself in the home of the
man whose sweetheart he was taking away, despite the lady's own desires
and entreaties! And to come to such an end--to-night--in such a place as
this--after such an interview with the two people whose lives he was
wrecking.... Good God!"

A thought almost too horrible to put into words lay behind that last
excited exclamation, for his eyes had fallen on a thin catgut halter--a
violoncello string--thus snatched from its innocent purpose, and through
his mind had floated the strains of the music with which Lady Katharine
Fordham had amused the company but a short time before. He turned
abruptly to his men and had just opened his mouth to issue a command
when the darkness and silence without were riven suddenly by the hooting
of a motor horn and the voice of Lennard shouting.

"Stop!" commanded Narkom, as the men made an excited step toward the
door. "Search this house--guard it--don't let any one enter or leave it
until I come back. If any living man comes near it, arrest him, no
matter who or what he is. But don't leave the place unguarded for a
single instant--remember that. There's only one man in the world for
this affair. Stop where you are until I return with him."

Then he flung himself out of the room, out of the house, and ran as fast
as he could fly in the direction of the tooting horn. At the point where
the branching arm of the "Y" joined the main portion of Mulberry Lane,
he caught sight of two huge, glaring motor lamps coming toward him
through the mist and darkness. In a twinkling the limousine had halted
in front of him, and Lennard was telling excitedly of that startling
experience back there by the old railway arch.

"A woman, sir--a young and beautiful woman! And she must have had
something to do with this night's business, gov'ner, or why should she
be wandering about this place at such a time? Hop in quick, sir, and
I'll run you back to the spot where I saw her."

At any other time, under any other circumstances, Narkom might, probably
would, have complied with t