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o . Prince Buper ’s llin 3 OR, THE HOUSE OF THE SILENT SORROW. CHAPTER XXV. Chris crossed the corridor like one who walks in a dream. She examined the spot on the wall where the Rembrandt had been. A sharp cutting instrument, probabâ€" ly a pair of steel pliers with a lev- er attachment, had been. applied to the head of the four stays, and the flat heads had been pinched off as clean as if they had been string. After that it was merely necessary to remove the frame, and a child could have done the rest. She saw through Henson’s plot in a. moment and realized how easily she had”'bcen trapped. While he was pretending to be in danger the man with the mashed thumb had stolen the print. And Henson would use her to prove an alibi. Chris forced a smile to her sad face as a maid came along. “Allen,” she ask-ed, “are there man owls about here?” “Never one as I know, miss,” the maid responded confidently. “I’ve been here for eleven years, and I never heard of such a thing.” So the cry of the owl had been a. signal of success. Henson came up to bed heavily, as one who is utterly worn out. At the same time he looked perfectly satisfied with himself. Meanwhile, the conference in the dining-room proceeded. Lord Lit- timer had received his guest-with frigid politeness, to which Bell had responded with an equally cold courtesy. “I have come to prove that I have not stolen your Rembrandt,” said Bell. “Indeed? I should like to know how you propose to do that?” “I shall prove it at once. 'You were under the impression that you possessed the only copy of the ‘Crimson Blind’ in existence. When you lost yours and a copy of the picture was found in my posses- sion, you were perfectly justified in believing that I was the thief.” “I did take that extreme view of the matter,” Littimer said. “You were absolutely wrong, be- cause there were two copies of the picture. Yours was stolen by an enemy of mine to discredit me in your eyes, and the other was con- cealed amongst my belongings. It was no loss to the thief, because subsequently the stolen oneâ€"~my own one being restored to youâ€" could have been exposed and disâ€" posed of as a new find.” “My lord, what do you say to this?” Bell took the roll of paper from his pocket, and giavely flattened it out on the table before him. Lit< timer was a fine study of openâ€" mouthed surprise. He could only stand there gaping, touching the stained paper with his fingers and breathing heavily. “Here is a facsimile of your trea- sure,” Bell went on. “There is no- thing of forgery about the engrav- ing.” v “Good heavens, no,” Littimer snapped. “I begin to think that I have done you a great injustice, but, under the circumstances, I don’t see how I could have done anything else. Look at that pic- ture. It is exactly the same as mine. There is exactly the same discoloration in the margin in ex- actly the same place.” “Probably they lay flat on the top of one another for scores of years.” “Possibly. But before I believe the evidence of my sensesâ€"and I have had cause to doubt them more than onceâ€"~I should like to compare this print with mine. \Vill you fol- low me to the gallery?” Littimer took up the treasure from the table and led the way to. the gallery, where he turned up the light. Chris listened breathlessly. Lit- timer paused and glanced at Bell, the latter looked round the alcove as if seeking for something. “I cannot see the picture here,” he said. Littimer stood looking at the speaker with eyes like blazing stars. Just for a moment or two he was speechless with indignation. lsent,” said Chris. and have the matchless audacity to pass it off for a second one. Man alive, if it were earlier I would have you flogged from the house like the ungrateful dog that you are.” Chris checked down the cry that Hound She saw, as in a rose to her lips. flash of lightning, the brilliancy and simplicity and cunning of Henson’s lctest and most masterly scheme. 95 $6 * * After the first passionate out- burst of scorn Lord Littimer look- ed at his visitor quietly. “I confess,” Bell said, at length, “I confess that I am utterly taken by surprise. And yet I need not be so astonished when I come to think of the amazing cunning and audacity of my antagonist. He has more foresight than myself.” “Cr-edulous as 1 may be, I am not credulous enough to believe that my picture would be stolen again at the very time that you found yours,” said Littimer. “Why, I don’t believe you could bring a solitary witness to prove that yon- der picture was yours.” “You are mistaken, my lord. Two nights ago, 'for instance, I showed the very picture lying beâ€" fore you to a lady of your acâ€" quaintance, Miss Enid Henson. I couldn’t have had your picture two nights ago. could 1?” “Why do you insult me by menâ€" tioning that name?” Littimer said, hoarsely. His face was very pale, and sombre anger smouldered in his eyes. “Tell me you showed the thing to my wife next.” “I did,” said Bell, coolly. “Lady Littimer was in her room at the time.” Something like a groan escaped from Littimer’s pallid lips. The smouldering light in his eyes flash- ed into flame. He advanced upon Bell with uplifted arm. Chris slip- ped swiftly out of the shade and stood between the two men. “Dr. Bell speaks the truth,” she said. “And I am going to prove it.” Littimer dropped into a chair and gave way to silent laughter. “I beg to remark that I have never seen Dr. Bell before,” she said. "The Rembrandt was stolen some time before Dr. Bell arrived here, and in due course I will show you the thief.” ' Bell looked eagerly at the speakâ€" er a‘é “I have not the remotest notion who this young lady is,” he said, l“but I am greatly obliged to her.” “My secretary, Miss Lee,” Litâ€" timer murmured; “an American from Boston. Miss Lee, if you know anything, I implore you to speak.” “Not here,” Chris said, firmly. “Stone walls have ears. I tell you the Rembrandt was stolen just beâ€" fore Dr. Bell reached the house. Also I tell you it is imperative that nobody but ourselves the fact for the present. me, Lord Littimer?” “I trust you as implicitly as I do anybodyf’ “You recall Reginald Henson’s informal call the other night?” “I suppose you expected him,” suggested Littimer. “I did,” Chris said, coolly. “I had a telegram to warn me. And why am I interested? Because it happens that Reginald Henson has greatly injured someone I cared for deeply. Well, I fastened up the picture*he came. He sneaked in like the thief that he was because his accomplice and tool had failed to save him the trouble. “Not that I blame that accomâ€" You trust 'plice; he could not help himself. Ah, when the whole truth comes to be told, what a black business it will be. Well, Henson came to Steal the picture and I caught him in the act. Then he pretended that it was all done for a jest and as a warning to Lord Littimer. And Lord Littimer allowed it to pass.” “I couldn’t see what he had to gain,” Littimer pleaded. “I don’t now, as a matter of fact.” “Neither will you for the preâ€" “Still, you will came and went by the cliff,” said Chris. “I think it possible he threw away the frame, saving the print. If we could find the frame I could prove Dr. Bell did not take the pic- ture.” “By Jove, I’m just in the mood to Carry this business a stage or two farther. Bell, there are two or three cycle lamps in the gunâ€"room. What do you say to a "hunt whilst the house is quiet?” Bell assented eagerly. Chris waited with what patience she could command till daylight began to show faintly and redly in the east. Then she heard the sound of voices outside, and Littimer and Bell staggered in carrying the frame. . “Got it,” Littimer exclaimed, with the triumphant exultation of a schoolboy who has successfully looted a rare bird’s nest. “We it halfway down the cliff. Now, Miss Wiseaore, perhaps you will fulfill your promise of convinc- ing me that yonder Rembrandt canâ€" not possibly belong to me.” “I am going to do so,” Chris said, quietly. “You told 1_\3 you had to cut the margin of your print by an inch or so round to fit that quaint old frame. So far as I can see, the print before you is quite intact. Now, if it is too large for the frame~â€"” Littimer nodded eagerly. Bell fitted the dingy paper to the back of the frame and smiled. There Was an inch or more to spare all round. Nobody spoke for a mo- ment. 1 “You could make it smaller, but you couldn’t make it bigger,” Lit- timer said. “Bell, when I have sufâ€" ficiently recovered I’ll make a humâ€" ble and abject apology to you. And now, wise woman from the West, what is the next act in the play?” CHAPTER XXVI. “For the present I fancy we have done enough,” she said. “I want to go to bed now. Also I shall be glad if you will come down in the morning as if nothing had happen- ed. Tell Reginald Henson casualâ€" ly that you have been convinced that you have done Dr. Bell a grave injustice, and give no kind of par- ticulars. And please treat Mr. Henson in the same fashion as beâ€" fore. There is only one other thing.” _ -' i “Name it, and it is yours,” Lit- timer cried. “Well, cut the margin off that print, or at any rate turn the marâ€" gin down, fit it into the frame, and hang it up as if nothing had hapâ€" pened.” - Littimer looked at Chris with a puzzled expression for a moment, and then his features relaxed into a satyrlike grin. I “Capital,” he said. “I quite un- derstand what you mean. And I must be there to see it. eh ?â€"yes, I must be there to see. I would not miss it.” 511170b’e C (1 ?lckly uops coudhl. leea co do. heal. I o throat and [undo 23 Cents. l must know ' _“You charlatun,” he said hoarscâ€" | be 30 £10”)! 3'3 ’00 assume the same ly. “You barel'accd trickster. YoulhOSPitalltY and courtesy towards wanted to be cleared. You wanted ’ HFDSOH 88 YOU QXCGDU at present." to bcfool me again. You come hercl “I daresay I can manage it,” said in some infernally cunning fashion, 1Littimer cynically. you steal my picture from the {Ia-moi “I happen to know the» real thief l l free, to any farmer who will fill out and send to us the coupon below. CANADA CEMENT COMPANY, Limited National Bank Building. Montreal Best Material _ g . ~ -â€"from every standpointâ€"where~ With to bmld things about the farm. This recently-published book, "What the Farmer Can Do With Concrete." will prove to you the superiority and “in-the-long-run" economy of “CONCRETE ” as a Building ‘Material You, as a progressive farmer, owe it to yourself to read this book before you attempt any further improvements. The retail price of the hook is 50 centsâ€"â€"but we will send it, absolutely stipation. The mlld, sensible. reliable remedy is ‘ National Drug on -”Li‘.‘:‘.’r m . ,s a“. e. -. 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Cut shows how to poulthO throats. Our free Bookletgives everything. Largest sollm horse remedya WHOLESAL . Chemists and Bacteriologlsts, Goshen, Ind., U. 8. Ag. in existenceâ€"16 years. Distributorsâ€"A DRUGGISTS. The thing was done and the pic- ture restored to its place. Bell was 11p early the next morn- ing and he hurried to the terrace, where Chris was already walking, a great cluster of red and yellow roses in her hand. “Well, Dr. Bell, have you made fresh discoveries?” “I have discovered that Henson is going to take his breakfast in bed,” Bell said gravely. ' “Also that he requires a valet at half-past ten. At that time I hope to be in the corridor with Lord Littimer and yourself. Also I have made a fur-l ther discovery.” “And what is that, Dr. Bell?” “That you and I have met beâ€" fore. Dr. Walker was present.” The roses fell from Chris’s hands to the path. “Dr. Bell,” she gasped, “do you â€"â€"Henson, for instance? And I im- him I’ ’ Bell smiled meaningly. “I don’t think you need have the slightest anxiety on that score,” he said. “You see, Henson is comforâ€" tably assured that you are dead and buried.” suppose that anybody else knows- agine-d that I had utterly deceived g “Tell me,” said Bell eagerly, “how was the Rembrandt stolen? Littinier’s, I mean?” Chris explained all. “And let me tell you, sir, that I have the thief and the lost Rembrandt in the hollow of my hands. Before the day is out I shall make good my boast. And there’s the breakfast bell.” I It looked quite natural some time later for the three conspirators to be lounging about the gallery when Henson emerged from his bedâ€" room. He appeared bright and smiling, and most of the bandages had been removed from his throat. All the same he was not pleased to see Bell there; he gazed uneasily at the doctor and from him to Littiâ€" mer. “You know Bell,” the latter said, Concrete is the You may send me a copy of your book. “What the Former Can Do With Concrete." Name oouovlloCoIIIoIo-oc-oougelatinous-oloolofioo Address ......................................u. carelesslyf “Fact is, there’s been a great mistake.” Bell offered him his hand heart- ily. It cost him a huge effort, but the slimy scoundrel had to be fought with his own weapons. Henson shook his head with\ the air of a iman extending a large and generous meed of forgiveness. He sought in vain to read Bell’s eyes, but there was a steady, almost boyish, smile in them. “I indeed rejoice,” he said, unc- tuously, “I indeed rejoice-re- joice!” He repeated the last word help~‘ lessly; he seemed to have lost all his backbone, and lapsed into a flabby, jellified mass of quivering white humanity. His vacant, fishy, eyes were fixed upon the Rem-" brandt in a kind of dull, sleepy term ror. 3 “I’m not well,” he gasped. “Not so strong as I imagined. I’llâ€"I’ll o and lie down again. Later on I shall want a dogcart to drive me to Moreton Wells. 1â€"” l He paused again, glanced at the picture, and passed heavily to his room. Littimer smiled. l “Splendid,” he said. “It was Worth thousands just to see his; face.” * *- 9:, as (To be continued.) â€" ._ ‘-*‘_ HIS INSATIABLE ‘ ‘CURIOSITY” One day, after he had asked his' mother several million questions, she said to him: “Jimmy, for. pity’s sake, stop asking questions. You drive me frantic. Don’t you know that curiosity killed a cat?” Jimmy was crushed, and for a long time was silent. At last he went to hil mother and asked: “Ma what did that cat want to know?” 511170113 6mg qulckly slop! con In. cum- colds. he [he throat and Inn I. I - - 5 cent. 7:.“ ,1