title: No other way,
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Ml' s » * / ^ 5 K \ , V * 0 IK X v 0 V - s X ' ^/ C\k V /A, % $ » Mf?£k r * <■& ° A^ V "^V c “l{/ \K ■* V <i, h; ' i o> ^ ^ ,0 > t 0 N <, # t* % *• r- * .v o •/ „ _ . ^ .,0 < ' l b o? c 0 N ’• * , J C, 0 .W.', NO OTHER WAY By GORDON HOLMES A MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE THE ARNCLIFFE PUZZLE THE LATE TENANT BY FORCE OF CIRCUMSTANCES THE DE BERCY AFFAIR THE HOUSE OF SILENCE NO OTHER WAY NO OTHER WAY BY GORDON HOLMES f ■ ■ ■ Author of “A Mysterious Disappearance,” “The House of Silence,” Etc. New York Edward J. Clode Publisher I Copyright, 1912, by EDWARD J. CLODE Entered at Stationers’ Hall £ Cl. A 3 2 0 1 3 2 4% > \J CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. The Open Door 1 II. Showing How the Door Was Closed 18 III. Wherein a Detective Is Puzzled and Admits It 35 IV. Suicide — or Murder? . . .55 V. Showing how Mrs. Delamar Received a Shock 72 VI. The Chief Takes a Hand in the Game 91 VII. Wherein Steingall Is Staggered . 108 VIII. Close Quarters 126 IX. Husband and Wife . . . .144 X. A Turn of the Screw — and Two Turns of the Wheel . . . 163 XI. An Official Conspiracy . . .179 XII. Showing How the Net Was Spread 198 XIII. Waverton Shows Fight . . .216 XIV. Mrs. Delamar’s Ordeal . . . 233 XV. A Reshuffling of the Pack . . 252 XVI. The Only Way 271 XVII. Wherein the “Waverton Case” Collapses 291 NO OTHER WAY NO OTHER WAY CHAPTER I THE OPEN DOOR “A PPLY for an adjournment? Draw back now? after all the horror and ignominy of the last year? Why should I?” The woman’s pale features flushed with indigna- tion, and the brown tint in her eyes kindled into flame. Mr. Mowlem, of Mowlem & Wrench, bent his gray head again over a newspaper lying open on his office table. “ In the circumstances, it seems rather hard,” he murmured, half in plea, half in apology. Indeed, at that moment he was thinking, “ Why couldn’t the idiot have been content — at any rate, discreet? No man in New York to-day has a prettier wife.” “Hard!” Mrs. Waverton fastened on the word almost fiercely. Young as she was, and dainty in figure and costume as a bit of rare Chelsea, she had suffered so much at the hands of her scapegrace hus- band that endurance was at an end. “ You say it is hard that I should secure my freedom because this cruel man has met with an accident. If you and I were living in an earlier age, we should admit rather 1 No Other Way that he had been punished by Providence for some of the wrong and injustice he has inflicted on others. What of my long-drawn-out torture, the sneers, the shrugs, the malicious whisperings of society? Do you know what people are saying? 4 Oh, Curly Wa- verton isn’t half bad — shouldn’t wonder if that little New England Puritan of a wife of his doesn’t make his life miserable.’ I imagine you keep aloof from the shallow people in our set, Mr. Mowlem ; but they form some part of my world, and that is how they talk. 4 Poor Curly ! a real good fellow if you take him the right way.’ Never a word for the weep- ing, outraged wife! Never a thought for the sweet little girl who, some day in years to come, will wring my heart by asking why she has never seen her father! Oh, the bitterness and wickedness of it all! And now, because his mischievous life is checked by a mis- hap, probably the direct outcome of his evil ways, the pity goes only to the man and is withheld from the woman ! ” Tears glistened in the brown eyes, and the in- censed voice broke. Mowlem adjusted his spectacles, sat back in his chair, and lifted both hands in mild protest against the storm he had raised so unwittingly. 44 My dear Mrs. Waverton — ” he began. 44 1 am not your dear Mrs. Waverton, or you would never even hint at a withdrawal of my suit! It is only common fairness that I should demand justification in the eyes of the world! ” The Open Door “ Believe me, I meant nothing of the sort. I — er — suggested a postponement. The courts are al- ways open to a reasonable laxity in procedure when one of the parties to a suit can be shown to be prevented by illness or serious injury from putting in an appearance.” “But I have been given to understand that this case would be undefended.” “ True — quite true, my dear lady. There is, there can be, no defense. Unhappily, and I use the word solely in its application to you, Mr. Waverton seems to have welcomed rather than evaded the petition. His lawyers have accepted service, and there the mat- ter rests. I assure you I am thinking wholly of your interests, and of your position in that very world of gossip and slander which cares so little for the rights and wrongs of these domestic upheavals. Come, now — take a calm view of the facts l Mr. Waverton is lying at Palm Beach with a sprained wrist and a severe scalp wound, the outcome of an automobile smash. His condition will certainly be mentioned in court, and in any event it will be referred to by the newspapers. It is an unfortunate occurrence at this crisis in your affairs; but I should fail in my duty if I did not point out that you risk the loss of public sympathy, whatever its value may be, by appearing against him this week.” Doris Waverton sighed. Such outbursts of emo- tion as that with which she had momentarily over- whelmed the lawyer were not habitual. Usually she 3 No Other Way was self-contained and reserved, — there was an ele- ment of truth in the description, “ a pretty New England Puritan,” given her by some of her ac- quaintances, — but to-day, when the ordeal for which she had nerved herself threatened to be deferred, the hidden springs of her being had risen in revolt. “ What is the alternative?” she asked, after a pause. “ An application to a Judge to hold over the pro- ceedings until some later date — say, October. And — there is one other argument. To a man of Claude Waverton’s habits, an accident of this kind is likely to be more serious than if he lived a regular and temperate life. In addition to his other injuries, he is suffering from a shock to the system. He may die.” “ Such men do not die. They live to plague others.” “We lawyers train ourselves to disregard senti- ment in these matters. On general principles, your husband is not a good subject to be pitched headlong into a dry watercourse.” Mrs. Waverton rose and went to the window. She looked out over Trinity churchyard, where trees and shrubs were expanding their spring buds in the beams of a bright sun. “ I have not heard the exact details,” said the woman at last, and her voice was weary and broken. “ What does it say in the newspaper? ” 4 The Open Door Mr. Mowlem coughed, and readjusted his spec- tacles. “ Generally speaking — ” he began. “ Forgive me, but I wish to hear the exact text.” She spoke over her shoulder, and did not notice that the man’s deeply lined, legal face showed some hint of perplexity. Evidently, he did not wish to peruse the item just as it stood; but he seemed to obey his client’s demand instantly. “ A Palm Beach correspondent telegraphs under date of yesterday,” he read: “Mr. Claude G. Waverton, well known in sporting circles in the United States and Europe, met with a serious accident last night when motoring from Boynton to Palm Beach. “ It seems that Mr. Waverton had been spending the even- ing at a house near Boynton, an establishment where roulette and stud poker are not unknown. His chauffeur happened to be ill; so Waverton was alone in the car when he began the return journey at midnight, and, as he has the repute of being a daring driver, he was urged to take the old coast road, which is safer, though somewhat longer, than the new road skirting the lakes. He appears, however, to have dis- regarded this advice, because his overturned car was found at daybreak this morning, close to the railroad track, where the lakes road crosses it some five miles from Palm Beach. Near the car was lying the dead body of a man, apparently some wayfarer who had been run over, while Waverton him- self was stretched unconscious in a small canon, some thirty feet below a retaining wall. Were it not for a guava tree breaking his fall, and becoming entangled with his clothing, he would have slipped into a sink-hole, as the descent at this point is almost precipitous. “Waverton, it is rumored, had won a large sum of money at roulette during the evening, and it was assumed at first that he had been attacked and robbed. The police, however, discovered notes to the value of twenty-five thousand dollars 5 No Other Way in his pocketbook, and this, it is estimated, would be approxi- mately the amount of his winnings. “By a singular coincidence, yesterday was Waverton’s birthday. He then became thirty-three years old, and he backed that number heavily when a Florida millionaire took the bank. Curiously enough, 33 turned up nine times in thirty-three coups — in one freak run it came three times in succession. There was a good deal of excitement in the house during this singular run of luck, which took place between ten p.m. and ten-forty-five p.m., and Mr. Edgar O. Schwartz, the host, was much annoyed because of the high betting be- tween Waverton and the banker, both of whom must have arranged to play roulette that evening, and came well fixed with cash.” After another slight cough, and a pause, the law- yer went on: “The man whose dead body was found near Claude G. Waverton’s car has been identified as Charles B. Scott, an American tutor in the family of Don Miguel Santander, of Rosala, in the Argentine. By a sad fatality, it appears that Don Santander and his wife, with their household, had arranged to leave Palm Beach for New York to-day, and the tutor would have accompanied them. It was his habit to take long walks late at night. “The Coroner’s theory of the accident is that Waverton tried to avoid hitting the pedestrian, whom he would come on suddenly in the worst section of an awkward curve, but that the automobile either swerved or skidded on some wet leaves. The dead man had evidently been driven with fearful force against a telegraph pole, as medical examination showed that his skull was fractured and his neck broken.” The lawyer’s quiet voice dropped, with the man- ner of one who had come to the end of a paragraph, and Mrs. Waverton turned from the window. “ Is that all ? ” she asked. “ Practically all.” 6 The Open Door “ But nothing definite is said there concerning my — concerning Claude’s injuries?” “ Oh, it gives a few details — those I have already told you of.” Mr. Mowlem was a precise man. He disliked subterfuge, and was noted for his avoidance of the lawyer-like inexactitudes known as legal fictions. Something in his air caught Doris Waverton’s trou- bled glance. And she was unquestionably a bright and intelligent creature, — little more than a girl in years, but a woman in sad experience. “ I think I ought to know all the facts, Mr. Mow- lem, before making a decision which may have a far-reaching effect in the future,” she said quietly. There was no escape for the lawyer. He might still have juggled with words; but he realized that his client would surely learn the truth before many hours had elapsed, and he could not assume the onus of actually misleading her. He picked up the newspaper again and read : “Waverton was taken to Asphodel House, Palm Beach, where he was attended by Drs. Bentley and Mercier. He was badly shaken and bruised, and had lost a good deal of blood from scalp wounds in addition to sustaining a nasty sprain of his right wrist; but he has recovered consciousness, and will probably regain his buoyant good health. It is stated, how- ever, that he is still somewhat confused, and suffering from shock, so he can give no clear account of the accident.” “ Asphodel House!” said Mrs. Waverton, and the lawyer knew at once that the wife who was about to yield had become hard as flint. 7 No Other Way “ Yes.” “ That woman, Mrs. Delamar, lives there, does she not?” “ Yes.” “ Claude will be nursed carefully, I am sure. The suit must proceed, Mr. Mowlem. There cannot be any adjournment.” “ As you please, Mrs. Waverton.” The whole thrilling sequel of tragedy and passion rested on that slight foundation. If a zealous news- paper correspondent at Palm Beach had omitted to state the name of the residence to which the wounded man had been conveyed, Claude Waverton’s wife would have accepted the lawyer’s advice, and the suit of Waverton vs. Waverton would drop out of the divorce list — for a time, at any rate. As it was, the law took its course. There could be only one result. “ Curly ” Waverton had con- ducted himself like a scoundrel. Within a year of the wedding he had already so ill treated his charm- ing bride that she was compelled to take refuge in her sister’s house. Time and again had she gone back, until her misery could find no sure outlet save by the public way of a dissolution of the marriage. Doris Waverton announced that, with the sanc- tion of the court, in the future she would revert to her maiden name. Although a rich woman in her own right, she insisted that her daughter’s interests should be safeguarded, and with that object Mowlem & Wrench exacted the last dollar in the shape of settle- 8 The Open Door ments and alimony. No difficulties were raised; it almost seemed as if the respondent’s lawyers were instructed to settle at any price. Meanwhile, Claude Waverton had been removed from Asphodel House to a secluded hotel at Palm Beach. Thence, when able to travel, he was taken to a sanatorium in Tennessee. Some three or four months later he came to New York, and the day after his arrival found him in the office of the family lawyers on Wall Street, where certain trust deeds and other documents awaited his signature. The head of the firm, Mr. Curtis, of Curtis & Lamb, received him with the gravely paternal air which elderly legal advisers are wont to assume in the presence of wealthy prodigals. He saw at a glance that Waverton had gone through a good deal more than the newspapers had stated. He looked older and thinner. The scars across his forehead, though healed now, had obviously been wounds of size and depth, and he still carried his right arm in a sling. The curly brown hair w r hich had suggested his familiar nickname was sheared off closely, and there were traces of other cuts on the top and back of his head. But, more noticeable than any .of these minor evils, which time would assuage and almost efface, was the new expression in Waverton’s eyes and mouth. In the old days he was seldom or never absolutely sober, and his air of vacuous good humor and thorough enjoyment of life had deceived people into crediting 9 No Other Way him with qualities he either did not possess or could conceal most effectually where his wife was con- cerned. Now, it was a cold, self-contained man who met the lawyer’s polite inquiries as to his convales- cence, and he spoke in a straightforward manner which Curtis found positively surprising. Waverton seemed to become aware of a scrutiniz- ing glance. 44 I am a somewhat changed person since my accident, Mr. Curtis,” he said. 44 It has left its mark on me, as you have seen for yourself, no doubt. I mean to look into my affairs, put everything in order, and go away for a long rest. Will it matter if I sign papers with my left hand ? ” 44 Not in the least, provided your signature is at- tested. But, may I ask — ” 44 Yes, my right wrist was sprained and dislocated, and that is far worse than a break, as everybody knows. Can you come with me to my bank? I called at the bank this morning, and the teller explained that he had seen so little of me in the past that my illiterate scrawl needed some explanation. Of course, I don’t blame him; but this matter should be put right.” 44 Certainly. I had no idea you were so knocked about. I am sorry now, Mr. Waverton, that we did not appeal to your wife’s sense of fair play — ” 44 Great Scott, man! on what plea? ” 44 The proceedings might have been delayed. There is no knowing what might have happened in the new conditions.” 10 The Open Door “ But I wished no obstacles whatever to be im- posed. I telegraphed my explicit instructions.” “ Of course, of course. I acted on them without reserve.” “ Has not everything been for the best? I am free, and Mrs. Waverton is free, and I gather from your last letter that she will receive nearly ten thou- sand dollars a year from the trustees. She has nothing to grumble at now, surely ? ” Curtis was still more puzzled ; but he did not want to quarrel with a good client. “ Your wife — ” he began. Waverton broke in curtly. “ Please remember that she has ceased to be my wife.” “ Well, then, the former Mrs. Waverton is a very charming woman, and it might have been pos- sible for both of you to make a fresh start in life.” “Not a bit of it! No more charming women for me! Who succeeds to the property? This divorce complicates matters a bit, doesn’t it? ” The lawyer lifted his hands in pained astonish- ment. “ Obviously, the estate is yours absolutely,” he said, “ yours to do with as you will, subject to — er — the provision made by the court for Mrs. Waver- ton and the child. Your cousin, were he alive, would have to be considered, perhaps ; but, since he is dead, its disposition rests with you. Yet, a young man like you need not be seriously perplexed about your suc- cessor. You have had a sufficiently narrow escape 11 No Other Way on this occasion to warrant immunity from further mishap for a long time.” “But how about my will?” “ As you are aware, the disposition made on your marriage created a trust for Mrs. Waverton and her children — if any.” “ Does that hold good now? ” “ Assuredly, until you alter it. Shall I take fresh instructions? ” “ No.” The lawyer dropped the pen he had taken in his hand by force of habit. “ You mean that the old will is to stand?” he said, genuinely bewildered. “ Yes, of course. I may be a scamp ; but I don’t intend to rob that infant. The child succeeds to everything, I take it, with a life interest for her mother ? ” “ Exactly. You will not be angry with me if I say that you have a closer grasp of affairs now than — er — before your accident, Mr. Waverton.” “ The actual fact is that my head is in a whirl. I forget things. I don’t know my own belongings sometimes. I told you I was conscious of a change, and, for the most part, it takes that shape, forget- fulness. At any rate, I am not bemused with drink, and that counts for something. Now, how soon can I escape from New York, — a week, a fortnight? ” “ I shall use all expedition. By the way, may I acquaint Mrs. Waverton’s lawyers with your ex- traordinarily generous decision? ” 12 The Open Door “ Why?” “ Candidly, I think she ought to know.” “ Again, why? ” “ Because — well, I must out with it — people who have been divorced have agreed to get married again. Such a thing is not unknown.” A shadow crossed Waverton’s worn face, in which the bronze of open-air life was now merged in the pallor of several weeks of close confinement and in- action. “ If that is the only reason, I wish Mrs. Waverton to remain in ignorance of my intention.” “ Suppose she thinks of marrying some other man?” pressed the lawyer, who was persuaded that two lives were being wrecked needlessly. We shall deal with that development when it arises.” So there was nothing more to be said ; but a good deal remained to be done, and it was the middle of July before Claude Waverton left his house on 64th Street, and, accompanied only by his English valet, took a train for Narragansett Pier. He glanced casually through recent entries in the hotel register before signing his own name. The hotel did not appear to be crowded, and he found that he could have his choice of several suites. He selected a sitting-room and bedroom on the first floor at the southeast corner, and thereby marked himself as one who could not only discriminate but pay; yet the clerk seemed to hesitate somewhat when he learned 13 No Other Way his guest’s name. Nothing was said, however, and Waverton went out into the sunshine, leaving his man to make the rooms habitable. Filled with a sudden longing to renew an old love for the clean, cold, steel-gray Atlantic, which differs as greatly from the lazy ocean that laps the Florida sand dunes as the prairie differs from a trim lawn, he made straight for the seafront. The tide was high, and a strong swell was breaking against the promen- ade; but there were boats out in plenty, and a few adventurous persons were bathing. He started to walk along the shore, breathing in the clean, pure air. A few hundred yards from the hotel are great rocks that rise out of the sea, which, in a measure, take the place of the pier from which the resort got its name. The pier was de- stroyed some thirty-odd years ago. On the rocks were two women and a Normandy nurse, the latter holding in her arms a delightful little maid, who was much interested in watching the maneuvers of a little sloop that was tacking back and forth in lively fashion. Something caused one of the women to turn her head at the very instant Waverton was passing. Her face, already highly colored, owing to the splen- did breeze, grew crimson, and she uttered a gasp of amazement which brought her companion’s eyes quickly round. One of them, it was never known which, moved involuntarily, and caught the nurse’s arm with her elbow; but all that Waverton 14 * saw The Open Boor was the outward leap of the child, which fell into the sea. Now, Claude Waverton might be a wicked man and a libertine, but he had the quick eye and sure judgment of one who had dwelt far from cities. Even w T hile the first wild screams of all three women were ringing in his ears, he sped across to the rocks and with one moment of poise while he noted the whereabouts of the white frock in the depths of the churning water, had leaped twenty feet down into the sea. He was so prompt and fearless in acting that, once in the water, he had no further difficulty. Al- though practically one-armed, being hampered by bandages, he seized the child’s frock in his teeth, thrust his left arm through a buoy, and simply kicked out with his feet to keep away from the rocks until the men in a sloop came to the rescue. It was near the hour when all of Narragansett turns toward the bathing beach. The screams of the women attracted a crowd that seemed to spring from nowhere, and it was eager for excitement. After dragging Waverton and the child on board, the sloop sailed to a nearby landing float. The man slipped ashore, carrying the frightened and scream- ing but unharmed child in his arms, to be met by a cheering crowd that hurried to the float. So many hands were stretched out to help him that he de- manded with rather a scowl: “Where is the child’s mother, or nurse?” 15 No Other Way A buxom bonne , wearing the coif and cloak of her calling, struggled through the throng on the beach, and the little one recognized her with a loud cry of “ Nana ! ” “ Oh, Monsieur Claude, what is it that I should say, me ? 55 sobbed the. woman in French, as she re- ceived her dripping charge with a reassuring hug. Waver ton was so taken aback by her recognition that he could not answer ; but he became aware that the nurse joined the two women he had seen on the pier, and the trio hurried off, though one of them walked so unsteadily that she had to be assisted by her friend. “ Well, did you ever see the like of that? ” said an indignant girl in the crowd. “ With never a word of thanks to the man who saved her child ! ” cried another. “ Such people are not fit to be trusted with a baby,” declared a third. At last, followed by an enthusiastic escort, Wa- verton reached the hotel, and was glad to gain its sheltering porch. The manager met him in the hall. “ What a won- derful thing, Mr. Waverton ! ” he said, his eyes kindling with enthusiasm. “ No one has done anything wonderful,” said Waverton tartly. “ Would you mind sending a page to show me my rooms ? ” “ I’ll come myself, with pleasure. This way. Now, boy, quick with that elevator!” 16 The Open Door As they walked along the upper corridor, Waver- ton realized that the hotel manager had become un- accountably silent. “ Do you know whose child it was that fell into the sea ? ” he asked. “ Of course I do,” came the surprised answer. “ Is the mother staying at this hotel?” “ Yes.” “ Oh, the deuce take it ! Who is she ? ” “ Her name is given as Mrs. Elstead.” Waverton put his left hand to his head as though in an effort to touch some chord of memory stirred by the name. “ Mrs. Waverton chose to be known by that name, sir,” went on the man, with the sympathetic voice of one forced by circumstances to be unpleas- antly explicit. u Mrs. Waverton ! ” and that gasp of amazement was convincing. “ Yes, sir. Haven’t you realized that you have saved the life of your own little girl? That is why I said it was wonderful. I have never known such a thing — Never! You might have been brought here by Providence! Here is your room, sir. Shall I send you anything, — a little brandy, or a stiff cocktail? You need a stimulant of some kind, Mr. Waverton.” n CHAPTER II SHOWING HOW THE DOOR WAS CLOSED “ No. No brandy, thank you.” Waverton paused in front of the door of his suite with the air of a man who was collecting his scattered thoughts. 44 I suppose the other lady who accompanied Mrs. Waverton was her sister, Mrs. Daunt?” he said. Then, noticing that the manager was genuinely per- plexed, he added, 44 You don’t know, of course, that I did not chance to see either of the ladies. I had a vague notion that there were two of them, with a nurse and a baby, when suddenly the youngster fell into the sea. After that there was no time for gaz- ing at anybody.” 44 It was marvelous, sir, marvelous ! A gentleman sitting on the balcony was looking directly at you through a telescope, and saw the whole thing. It was he who called me out and told me of it. Yes, the other lady is Mrs. Daunt. They have been here a fortnight, and, I think I ought to mention it, their rooms are on this floor.” Waverton laughed rather pleasantly. His some- what hard and severe features changed their ex- pression most markedly when he smiled. Then it was difficult to believe that he could possibly be the 18 Showing How the Door Was Closed man depicted in lurid language by that rhetorical lawyer, Hector J. Hickory, in his “ opening ” on behalf of the petitioner in “ Waverton vs. Wa- verton.” “ I shall not trouble them long by my presence in Narragansett,” he said. “ If the opportunity serves, you might give them a hint that I shall be off on Monday to some less popular resort. Mean- while, I want all meals served in my room. Will you kindly have some strong tea sent up now P ” He turned the handle and entered the sitting- room. The place was in a litter of clothes, linen, and shoes; for the valet was unpacking his master’s belongings, and thought he had a clear hour at his disposal. He was beginning to apologize for the disorder of chairs and tables, when his trained eye traveled over Waverton’s costume, and a horrified glance spoke volumes. “ It’s all right, Rice. I have only been in the sea. No damage done; though I lost my hat — the same one I wore that night at Palm Beach, eh? I hope I have seen the last of it. I seem to find trouble when I don that particular chapeau.” There was a knock at the door, and a page en- tered, bearing a green Homburg hat. He began explaining that a fisherman had brought it. The boy was flustered when Waverton laughed and Rice grinned discreetly. “ Tell him to take it, with my compliments, and here’s a dollar to go with it,” said Waverton. “ Now, 19 No Other Way Rice, help me off with these wet clothes, and get me a fresh rig.” 44 Shall I give you a good rubdown, sir? ” 44 Yes, please do ; but go easy. I am still sore at the base of my neck and about the lumbar region.” Rice was not sure where the lumbar region was; but he had been surprised that his skill as a rubber was not in demand of late, because Waverton, in preaccident days, kept his limbs supple by frequent massage. Despite seven years of almost continuous residence in the United States, Rice remained incur- ably- British in language and manner. 44 My word, sir ! ” he said, when his deft hands were busy with sponge and towel, 44 your illness did take it out of you, an’ no mistake ! ” 44 Why, don’t you think I am as fit as I was ? ” 44 You must have lost pounds and pounds, sir. Your muscles show up a bit better, for all that. I shouldn’t be surprised, sir, if you ain’t a better man when your arm gets right. Effect of proper diet an’ nursing, sir.” 44 Now, Rice, be candid. It’s the effect of less rum, isn’t it? ” 44 Well, Mr. Claude, if you put it like that — ” 44 Steady there ! My ribs won’t bear pressing. Thanks, I’ll rub my breast myself. Look here, Rice, you fellows generally hear all the news below stairs. Why didn’t you tell me Mrs. Waverton had gone to Narragansett? ” 44 You don’t mean to say, sir — ” 20 Showing How the Door Was Closed “ So you didn’t know ? Moreover, she is in this very hotel, with Mrs. Daunt — and the baby.” 64 Miss Kathleen, sir? ” 44 Yes. I have just fished Miss Kathleen out of the Atlantic. She fell in from the end of the rocks.” The valet did then forget himself, and emitted a short, sharp whistle between his teeth. 44 1 guessed that would make you blow off steam,” laughed Waverton. 44 If Mrs. Delamar were to show up now I should run out of the hotel, call the first cab, and tell the man to drive in a bee- line for the next five days.” 44 1 wish you’d never seen that lady, Mr. Claude,” smid Rice, with unusual earnestness. 44 I’ll tell you honestly, I don’t like her. When you were brought in for dead to Asphodel House she wouldn’t let me go near your room — no, not for days. I don’t want to speak uncharitable of anybody, but I couldn’t help thinkin’ of the money you had won at Mr. Schwartz’s place, sir. It was in everybody’s mouth next day. A maid showed it to me in the Palm Beach newspaper. Never was I so glad of any think as when you sent for me an’ said we was off to the hotel.” 44 Do you find a great change in me, Rice? ” 44 Change, Mr. Claude ? Why, it’s a miracle, that’s w’at it is ! ” The man was conscious instantly that he had said a little too much; but Waverton passed the slip 21 No Other Way without comment — or, rather, he appeared to mis- understand its underlying cause. 46 1 came rather near eternity that night, Rice,” he said quietly. 44 And the few days I was forced to remain in bed and live on slops gave me time for thought. Mrs. Delamar was not exactly my good angel; but she was kind enough while I was ill. Anyhow, we don’t want her anywhere near Nar- ragansett. No, I’ll not dress for dinner. A blue serge, please. I’m going out again, and I don’t wish to be mobbed as a hero as I stroll along the front. I shall avoid the beach and casino. You need not sort out all those things now. We leave early on Monday.” Rice was taking the wet clothes to be dried, when he met Celestine, the nurse, whom he had not set eyes on during many months. She hailed him ex- citedly, and had sufficient English to recite the afternoon’s occurrences. A little later she sent a page to bring him out into the corridor, and then informed him that Mrs. Waver ton wished to see him. Now, Rice admired his former mistress greatly, and had always regarded Waverton as the biggest fool in Christendom in respect to his treatment of a very attractive wife. Indeed, Rice himself was on the lookout for another situation at the time of the accident in Florida, and he was puzzled to account for the undoubted fact that he got on much better with his employer since the latter’s illness. Three months earlier, if put on the witness stand, he would Showing How the Boor Was Closed have testified unhesitatingly in Mrs. Waverton’s be- half ; but, for some occult reason, which he would have failed completely to explain, he was now half inclined to believe that, bad as 44 Mr. Claude ” had unquestionably been, his wife might have used more tact with him, and not have shunned him during the last year as if he were a leper. These things were running through his head as he passed along the corridor with Celestine and was admitted to a sitting-room in which he found Mrs. Waverton and her sister. Kneeling in the depths of a big sofa, and wholly engrossed by the pink eyes of a Teddy bear, was the golden-haired child who had been snatched from death little more than an hour ago. Rice bowed. Seldom at a loss for words, he now congratulated Mrs. Waverton on Miss Kathleen’s escape. 44 1 understand that Mr. Waverton arrived here only this morning,” began Doris rather nervously. 44 Mr. Claude didn’t even wait to see his own suite, ma’am. He just stood in the hall for a min- ute, told me to put his things tidy, an’ walked out. From what I have heard since, ma’am, he must have gone straight along the shore — he was brought there by Providence, I do believe.” So Rice and the hotel manager evidently thought that supernatural attention was being devoted to Narragansett that day. Mrs. Waverton — or Mrs. Elstead, as she figured on the hotel register — was 23 No Other Way pale enough now, and her eyes were downcast. She did not check the valet’s enthusiasm; but her utter- ance was still halting when she explained why she had sent for him. “ You are the only person in the hotel, Rice, whom I can take into my confidence,” she said. “ I shall be quite outspoken. Do you think Mr. Waverton would come and see me if I sent him a note? Mrs. Daunt and I have been discussing matters, and I — I feel that I ought to thank him for saving Kathleen’s life.” Mrs. Daunt, some three years older than her sis- ter, and so happily married to a New York banker that she was already crystallizing into sedate matron- hood, shook her head. “ Of course we are profoundly grateful for Claude’s action, and we cannot help admiring his gallantry; but my own view is that it would be best to say these things in a letter,” she declared. The valet, a veritable Solomon in settling dis- putes below stairs, was conscious of a problem that called for careful handling. Like most men of his class, he was intensely loyal, even to a bad master, and Waverton, though vicious and dissolute, had never been ungenerous. Then, he was sorry for Mrs. Waverton, and would be proud and glad if the un- happy couple were reunited. Finally, there was Mrs. Daunt, who represented all that he thought most fitting and seemly in family life. He touched his clean-shaved upper lip with the tips of the fingers 24 Showing How the Door Was Closed of his right hand, and the left hand went to the small of his back. The staff at 64th Street or The Dene, the Waverton estate on Lake Champlain, would have known instantly that a judicial pro- nouncement was imminent. It came — he rejected Mrs. Daunt’s counsel summarily. “ It ’ud be a fine thing, ma’am, if you an’ Mr. Claude could meet an’ have a friendly talk,” he said. Mrs. Daunt smiled, — not unkindly; for she liked and respected Rice, — but the younger woman raised her beautiful eyes and looked at him fixedly. 66 Are you saying this because of my baby’s rescue, or for other reasons? ” she asked wistfully. Up went Rice’s right hand again: the left had not moved. “ Mr. Claude is greatly changed since his accident, ma’am,” he said. 