TO ALL THOSE WHO LEAD MONOTONOUS LIVES IN THE HOPE THAT THEY MAY EXPERIENCE AT SECOND HAND THE DELIGHTS DANGERS OF ADVENTURE PROLOGUE It was 2 p.m. on the afternoon of May 7, 1915. The Lusitania had been struck by two torpedoes in succession and was sinking rapidly, while the boats were being launched with all possible speed. The women and children were being lined up awaiting their turn. Some still clung desperately to husbands and fathers; others clutched their children closely to their breasts. One girl stood alone, slightly apart from the rest. She was quite young, ...Read More

CHAPTER II. MR. WHITTINGTON’S OFFER Tuppence turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption. She hesitated. As if he read her thoughts, the man said quickly: “I can assure you I mean no disrespect.” Tuppence believed him. Although she disliked and distrusted him instinctively, she was inclined to acquit him of the particular motive which she had at first attributed to him. She looked him up and down. He was a big man, clean shaven, with a heavy ...Read More

CHAPTER III. A SET BACK The moment was not quite so triumphant as it ought to have been. To with, the resources of Tommy’s pockets were somewhat limited. In the end the fare was managed, the lady recollecting a plebeian twopence, and the driver, still holding the varied assortment of coins in his hand, was prevailed upon to move on, which he did after one last hoarse demand as to what the gentleman thought he was giving him? “I think you’ve given him too much, Tommy,” said Tuppence innocently. “I fancy he wants to give some of it back.” ...Read More

CHAPTER IV. WHO IS JANE FINN? The next day passed slowly. It was necessary to curtail expenditure. Carefully husbanded, pounds will last a long time. Luckily the weather was fine, and “walking is cheap,” dictated Tuppence. An outlying picture house provided them with recreation for the evening. The day of disillusionment had been a Wednesday. On Thursday the advertisement had duly appeared. On Friday letters might be expected to arrive at Tommy’s rooms. He had been bound by an honourable promise not to open any such letters if they did arrive, but to repair to the National Gallery, where ...Read More

CHAPTER V. MR. JULIUS P. HERSHEIMMER “Well,” said Tuppence, recovering herself, “it really seems as though it were meant be.” Carter nodded. “I know what you mean. I’m superstitious myself. Luck, and all that sort of thing. Fate seems to have chosen you out to be mixed up in this.” Tommy indulged in a chuckle. “My word! I don’t wonder Whittington got the wind up when Tuppence plumped out that name! I should have myself. But look here, sir, we’re taking up an awful lot of your time. Have you any tips to give us before we clear out?” ...Read More

CHAPTER VI. A PLAN OF CAMPAIGN A veil might with profit be drawn over the events of the next Suffice it to say that no such person as “Inspector Brown” was known to Scotland Yard. The photograph of Jane Finn, which would have been of the utmost value to the police in tracing her, was lost beyond recovery. Once again “Mr. Brown” had triumphed. The immediate result of this set-back was to effect a rapprochement between Julius Hersheimmer and the Young Adventurers. All barriers went down with a crash, and Tommy and Tuppence felt they had known the young ...Read More

CHAPTER VII. THE HOUSE IN SOHO Whittington and his companion were walking at a good pace. Tommy started in at once, and was in time to see them turn the corner of the street. His vigorous strides soon enabled him to gain upon them, and by the time he, in his turn, reached the corner the distance between them was sensibly lessened. The small Mayfair streets were comparatively deserted, and he judged it wise to content himself with keeping them in sight. The sport was a new one to him. Though familiar with the technicalities from a course of ...Read More

CHAPTER VIII. THE ADVENTURES OF TOMMY Taken aback though he was by the man’s words, Tommy did not hesitate. audacity had successfully carried him so far, it was to be hoped it would carry him yet farther. He quietly passed into the house and mounted the ramshackle staircase. Everything in the house was filthy beyond words. The grimy paper, of a pattern now indistinguishable, hung in loose festoons from the wall. In every angle was a grey mass of cobweb. Tommy proceeded leisurely. By the time he reached the bend of the staircase, he had heard the man below ...Read More

CHAPTER IX. TUPPENCE ENTERS DOMESTIC SERVICE When Tommy set forth on the trail of the two men, it took Tuppence’s self-command to refrain from accompanying him. However, she contained herself as best she might, consoled by the reflection that her reasoning had been justified by events. The two men had undoubtedly come from the second floor flat, and that one slender thread of the name “Rita” had set the Young Adventurers once more upon the track of the abductors of Jane Finn. The question was what to do next? Tuppence hated letting the grass grow under her feet. Tommy ...Read More

CHAPTER X. ENTER SIR JAMES PEEL EDGERTON Tuppence betrayed no awkwardness in her new duties. The daughters of the were well grounded in household tasks. They were also experts in training a “raw girl,” the inevitable result being that the raw girl, once trained, departed elsewhere where her newly acquired knowledge commanded a more substantial remuneration than the archdeacon’s meagre purse allowed. Tuppence had therefore very little fear of proving inefficient. Mrs. Vandemeyer’s cook puzzled her. She evidently went in deadly terror of her mistress. The girl thought it probable that the other woman had some hold over her. ...Read More

CHAPTER XI. JULIUS TELLS A STORY Dressed appropriately, Tuppence duly sallied forth for her “afternoon out.” Albert was in abeyance, but Tuppence went herself to the stationer’s to make quite sure that nothing had come for her. Satisfied on this point, she made her way to the Ritz. On inquiry she learnt that Tommy had not yet returned. It was the answer she had expected, but it was another nail in the coffin of her hopes. She resolved to appeal to Mr. Carter, telling him when and where Tommy had started on his quest, and asking him to do ...Read More

CHAPTER XII. A FRIEND IN NEED Friday and Saturday passed uneventfully. Tuppence had received a brief answer to her from Mr. Carter. In it he pointed out that the Young Adventurers had undertaken the work at their own risk, and had been fully warned of the dangers. If anything had happened to Tommy he regretted it deeply, but he could do nothing. This was cold comfort. Somehow, without Tommy, all the savour went out of the adventure, and, for the first time, Tuppence felt doubtful of success. While they had been together she had never questioned it for a ...Read More

CHAPTER XIII. THE VIGIL Sir James brushed past Julius and hurriedly bent over the fallen woman. “Heart,” he said “Seeing us so suddenly must have given her a shock. Brandy—and quickly, or she’ll slip through our fingers.” Julius hurried to the washstand. “Not there,” said Tuppence over her shoulder. “In the tantalus in the dining-room. Second door down the passage.” Between them Sir James and Tuppence lifted Mrs. Vandemeyer and carried her to the bed. There they dashed water on her face, but with no result. The lawyer fingered her pulse. “Touch and go,” he muttered. “I wish that ...Read More

CHAPTER XIV. A CONSULTATION Nothing was more surprising and bewildering to Tuppence than the ease and simplicity with which was arranged, owing to Sir James’s skilful handling. The doctor accepted quite readily the theory that Mrs. Vandemeyer had accidentally taken an overdose of chloral. He doubted whether an inquest would be necessary. If so, he would let Sir James know. He understood that Mrs. Vandemeyer was on the eve of departure for abroad, and that the servants had already left? Sir James and his young friends had been paying a call upon her, when she was suddenly stricken down ...Read More

CHAPTER XV. TUPPENCE RECEIVES A PROPOSAL Julius sprang up. “What?” “I thought you were aware of that.” “When did leave?” “Let me see. To-day is Monday, is it not? It must have been last Wednesday—why, surely—yes, it was the same evening that you—er—fell out of my tree.” “That evening? Before, or after?” “Let me see—oh yes, afterwards. A very urgent message arrived from Mrs. Vandemeyer. The young lady and the nurse who was in charge of her left by the night train.” Julius sank back again into his chair. “Nurse Edith—left with a patient—I remember,” he muttered. “My God, ...Read More

CHAPTER XVI. FURTHER ADVENTURES OF TOMMY From a darkness punctuated with throbbing stabs of fire, Tommy dragged his senses back to life. When he at last opened his eyes, he was conscious of nothing but an excruciating pain through his temples. He was vaguely aware of unfamiliar surroundings. Where was he? What had happened? He blinked feebly. This was not his bedroom at the Ritz. And what the devil was the matter with his head? “Damn!” said Tommy, and tried to sit up. He had remembered. He was in that sinister house in Soho. He uttered a groan and ...Read More

CHAPTER XVII. ANNETTE The troubles of the future, however, soon faded before the troubles of the present. And of the most immediate and pressing was that of hunger. Tommy had a healthy and vigorous appetite. The steak and chips partaken of for lunch seemed now to belong to another decade. He regretfully recognized the fact that he would not make a success of a hunger strike. He prowled aimlessly about his prison. Once or twice he discarded dignity, and pounded on the door. But nobody answered the summons. “Hang it all!” said Tommy indignantly. “They can’t mean to starve ...Read More

CHAPTER XVIII. THE TELEGRAM Baffled for the moment, Tommy strolled into the restaurant, and ordered a meal of surpassing His four days’ imprisonment had taught him anew to value good food. He was in the middle of conveying a particularly choice morsel of Sole à la Jeanette to his mouth, when he caught sight of Julius entering the room. Tommy waved a menu cheerfully, and succeeded in attracting the other’s attention. At the sight of Tommy, Julius’s eyes seemed as though they would pop out of his head. He strode across, and pump-handled Tommy’s hand with what seemed to ...Read More

CHAPTER XIX. JANE FINN “My train got in half an hour ago,” explained Julius, as he led the way of the station. “I reckoned you’d come by this before I left London, and wired accordingly to Sir James. He’s booked rooms for us, and will be round to dine at eight.” “What made you think he’d ceased to take any interest in the case?” asked Tommy curiously. “What he said,” replied Julius dryly. “The old bird’s as close as an oyster! Like all the darned lot of them, he wasn’t going to commit himself till he was sure he ...Read More

CHAPTER XX. TOO LATE In the street they held an informal council of war. Sir James had drawn a from his pocket. “The boat train to Holyhead stops at Chester at 12.14. If you start at once I think you can catch the connection.” Tommy looked up, puzzled. “Is there any need to hurry, sir? To-day is only the 24th.” “I guess it’s always well to get up early in the morning,” said Julius, before the lawyer had time to reply. “We’ll make tracks for the depot right away.” A little frown had settled on Sir James’s brow. “I ...Read More

CHAPTER XXI. TOMMY MAKES A DISCOVERY For a moment or two they stood staring at each other stupidly, dazed the shock. Somehow, inexplicably, Mr. Brown had forestalled them. Tommy accepted defeat quietly. Not so Julius. “How in tarnation did he get ahead of us? That’s what beats me!” he ended up. Tommy shook his head, and said dully: “It accounts for the stitches being new. We might have guessed....” “Never mind the darned stitches. How did he get ahead of us? We hustled all we knew. It’s downright impossible for anyone to get here quicker than we did. And, ...Read More

CHAPTER XXII. IN DOWNING STREET The Prime Minister tapped the desk in front of him with nervous fingers. His was worn and harassed. He took up his conversation with Mr. Carter at the point it had broken off. “I don’t understand,” he said. “Do you really mean that things are not so desperate after all?” “So this lad seems to think.” “Let’s have a look at his letter again.” Mr. Carter handed it over. It was written in a sprawling boyish hand. “DEAR MR. CARTER, “Something’s turned up that has given me a jar. Of course I may be ...Read More

CHAPTER XXIII. A RACE AGAINST TIME After ringing up Sir James, Tommy’s next procedure was to make a call South Audley Mansions. He found Albert discharging his professional duties, and introduced himself without more ado as a friend of Tuppence’s. Albert unbent immediately. “Things has been very quiet here lately,” he said wistfully. “Hope the young lady’s keeping well, sir?” “That’s just the point, Albert. She’s disappeared.” “You don’t mean as the crooks have got her?” “They have.” “In the Underworld?” “No, dash it all, in this world!” “It’s a h’expression, sir,” explained Albert. “At the pictures the crooks ...Read More

CHAPTER XXIV. JULIUS TAKES A HAND In his suite at Claridge’s, Kramenin reclined on a couch and dictated to secretary in sibilant Russian. Presently the telephone at the secretary’s elbow purred, and he took up the receiver, spoke for a minute or two, then turned to his employer. “Some one below is asking for you.” “Who is it?” “He gives the name of Mr. Julius P. Hersheimmer.” “Hersheimmer,” repeated Kramenin thoughtfully. “I have heard that name before.” “His father was one of the steel kings of America,” explained the secretary, whose business it was to know everything. “This young ...Read More

CHAPTER XXV. JANE’S STORY Her arm through Jane’s, dragging her along, Tuppence reached the station. Her quick ears caught sound of the approaching train. “Hurry up,” she panted, “or we’ll miss it.” They arrived on the platform just as the train came to a standstill. Tuppence opened the door of an empty first-class compartment, and the two girls sank down breathless on the padded seats. A man looked in, then passed on to the next carriage. Jane started nervously. Her eyes dilated with terror. She looked questioningly at Tuppence. “Is he one of them, do you think?” she breathed. ...Read More

CHAPTER XXVI. MR. BROWN Sir James’s words came like a bomb-shell. Both girls looked equally puzzled. The lawyer went to his desk, and returned with a small newspaper cutting, which he handed to Jane. Tuppence read it over her shoulder. Mr. Carter would have recognized it. It referred to the mysterious man found dead in New York. “As I was saying to Miss Tuppence,” resumed the lawyer, “I set to work to prove the impossible possible. The great stumbling-block was the undeniable fact that Julius Hersheimmer was not an assumed name. When I came across this paragraph my problem ...Read More

CHAPTER XXVII. A SUPPER PARTY AT THE SAVOY The supper party given by Mr. Julius Hersheimmer to a few on the evening of the 30th will long be remembered in catering circles. It took place in a private room, and Mr. Hersheimmer’s orders were brief and forcible. He gave carte blanche—and when a millionaire gives carte blanche he usually gets it! Every delicacy out of season was duly provided. Waiters carried bottles of ancient and royal vintage with loving care. The floral decorations defied the seasons, and fruits of the earth as far apart as May and November found ...Read More

CHAPTER XXVIII. AND AFTER “That was a mighty good toast, Jane,” said Mr. Hersheimmer, as he and his cousin being driven back in the Rolls-Royce to the Ritz. “The one to the joint venture?” “No—the one to you. There isn’t another girl in the world who could have carried it through as you did. You were just wonderful!” Jane shook her head. “I don’t feel wonderful. At heart I’m just tired and lonesome—and longing for my own country.” “That brings me to something I wanted to say. I heard the Ambassador telling you his wife hoped you would come ...Read More