FIRST INSTALLMENT
“8ANF0RD QUEST, CRIMINOLO
GIST.”
The young man from the West had
arrived in New York only that after
«oon, and his cousin, town born and
red, had already embarked upon the
task of showing hint the grea' city.
They occupied a table in a somewhat
insignificant corner of one of New
York’s most famous roof garden res
taurants. The place was crowded
with diners. There were many nota
bilities to be pointed out. The town
young man was very busy.
“Tell me," the country cottsin in
quired, “who is the man at a table by
himself? The waiters speak to him !
as though he were a little god. Is he
a millionaire, or a judge, or what?”
“You’re in luck, Alfred,” the New
Yorker declared. "That’s the most in
teresting man in New York—one of
the most interesting in the world.
That’s Sanford Quest.”
“Who’s he?”
“Sanford Quest is the greatest mas
ter in criminology the world has ever
known. He is a magician, a scientist,
the Pierpont Morgan of his profes
sion."
bay, do you mean that he is a de
tective?”
“Yes,” he said simply, "you can call
him that—just in the same way that
you could call Napoleon a soldier or
Lincoln a statesman. He Is a detec
tive, if you like to call him that, the
master detective in the world ”
When Sanford Quest entered his
house an hour later he glanced into
two of the rooms on the ground floor,
in which telegraph and telephone op
erators sat at their instruments.
Then, by means of a small lift, he as
cended to the top story and entered
a large apartment wrapped in gloom
until, as he crossed the threshold, he
touched the switches of the electric
lights. One realized then that this
was a man of taste. Quest drew up
an easy chair to the wide-flung win
dow, touching a bell as he crossed the
room. In a few moments the door was
opened and closed noiselessly. A
young woman entered with a bundle
of papers.
The criminologist glanced through
the papers quickly. “No further in
quiries, Laura?”
She left the room almost noiselessly.
“THE TENEMENT HOUSE MYS
TERY.”
CHAPTER I.
"This habit of becoming late for
breakfast,” Lady Ashleigh remarked,
as she Bat down the cofTee pot, “is
growing upon your father. Any news,
dear?”
Elia glanced up from a pile of cor
respondence through which she had
been looking a little negligently.
"None at all, mother. My corre
spondence is juBt the usual sort of rub
bish—invitations and gossip. Such a
lot of invitations, by the bye.”
“At your age,” Lady Ashleigh de
clared, "that is the sort of correspond
ence which you should find interest
ing.”
“You know I am not like that, moth
er,” she protested. "My music is really
the only part of life which absolutely
appeals to me. Oh, why doesn't Dela
rey make up his mind and let father
ktiow, as he promised! . . . Here
comes daddy, mum.”
Lora Ashleigh loitered for a mo
ment to raise the covers from the
dishes upon a side table. Afterwards
'he seated himself at the table.
"I heard this morning,” he said,
"from your friend Delarey, Ella. He
went into the matter very fully. The |
substance of it is that for the first
year of your musical training he ad
vises New York.
* . have not finished yet. This cable
gram,” he went on, drawing a little
slip of blue paper from his pocket,
“was brought to tne this morning—”
He smoothed it out before him and
read:
To T,ord Ashlcigh, Hamblin House, Dor
set. England: I And a magnificent pro
gram arranged for at Metropolitan Dpcra
house this year. Have taken box for
ymir daughter, engaged the best profes
sor in the world, and secured an apart
ment at the Deland, our most select and
comfortable residential hotel. Understand
your brother Is still In South America, re
turning early spring, but will do our best
to make your daughter's year of study as
ipleasant as possible. Advise her sail on
Saturday by Mauretania.
“On Saturday?” Ella almost
screamed.
* “I shall now,” Lord Ashlelgh said,
"leave you to talk over and discuss .
this matter for the rest of the day.
At dinner time tonight you can tell me
your decision, or rather we will dis-,
cuss it together.”
CHAPTER II.
"I am to take it, I believe,*; Lord
Ashlelgh began after dinner than^ve
ring' “that you have finally decided,
Ella, to embrace our friend Delarey’s
suggestion and to leave us Saturday?"
“If you please,” Ella murmured,
.with glowing eyes.
"You will take your own maid with
you, of course,” Lord Ashleigh contin
lied. "Lriiora is a pood girt and I am
sure she will look after you quite well,
but 1 have decided to supplement Le
nora's surveillance over your comfort
by sending with you, also, a sort of
courlei and general attendant—whom
do you think? Well, Macdougal. He
has lived in New York for some years,
and you will doubtless find this a
great advantage, Ella."
Ella glanced over her shoulder at
the two servants who were standing
discreetly in the background. Her
eyes rested upon the pale, expression
less face of the man who during the
last few years had enjoyed her fa
ther’s confidence.
For a moment a queer sense of ai>
pr-' ension troubled her. Was it true
she wondered, that she did not like the
man? She banished the thought al
most as soon as it was conceived.
"You are spoiling me, daddy,” Ella
sighed.
"If you think so now,” he remarked,
"I do not know what you will say to
me presently.”
He laid upon the table a very fa
miliar morocco case, stamped with a
coronet.
"Our diamonds!” Ella exclaimed
"The Ashleigh diamonds!”
The necklace lay exposed to view,
the wonderful stones flashing in the
subdued light.
"In New York,” Lord Ashleigh con
tinned, "it is the custom to wear jew
elry in public more, even, than in this
country. Allow me!”
He leaned ferward. With long, capa
ble fingers he fastened the necklace
around his daughter’s neck.
"It is our farewell present to you,”
Lord Ashleigh declared.
Elh», impelled by some curious im
pulse which she could not quite un
demand, glanced quickly around to
where the manservant was standing
For once she saw something besides
"Our Diamonds!” She Exclaimed. “The
Ashleigh Diamonds!”
the perfect automaton. His eyes. In
stead of being fixed at the back of his
master’s chair, were simply riveted
upon the stones. A queer little feeling
of uneasiness disturbed Ella for the
moment. It passed, however, as in
glancing away her attention was once
more attracted by the sparkle of the
jewels upon her bosom.
CHAPTER III*
The streets of New York were cov
ered with a thin, powdery snow as the
very luxurious car of Mrs. Delarey
drew up outside the front of the Ice
land hotel, a little after midnight. Ella
leaned over and kissed her hostess.
“Thank you, dear, ever so much,
for your delightful dinner," she ex
claimed, "and for bringing me home.
As for the music, well, I can’t talk
about it. I am just going upstairs
into my room to sit and think.”
The ear rolled off. Ella, a large
umbrella held over her head by the
doorkeeper, stepped up the little strip
of drugget which led into the softly
warmed hall of the Leland. Behind
her came her maid, Lenora, and Mac
dougal, who had been riding on the
box with the chauffeur. He paused
for a moment to wipe the snow from
his clothes as Ella crossed the hall to
the left. Lenora turned toward him.
He whispered something in her ear.
For a moment she shook. Then she
turned away and followed her mis
tress upstairs.
Arrived in her apartment, Ella
threw herself with a little sigh of con
tent into a big easy-chair before the
fire and gave herself up for a few mo
ments to reverie.
A log stirred upon the fire. She
leaned forward lazily to replace It and
then stopped short. Exactly opposite
to her was a door which opened on
to a back hall. 1} was used only by
the servants. Just as she was in the
act of leaning forward Ella became
conscious of a curious hallucination.
“Lenora, come here at once.”
The maid hurried in from the next
room. Ella pointed to the door.
‘‘Lenora, look outside. See it any
one is on that landing. 1 fancied that
the door opened.’
Lenora crossed the room and tried
the handle. Then she turned towards
her mistress in triumph.
“It is locked, my lady," she re
ported.
“Go down and ask Macdougal to
come up. 1 am going to have this
thing explained.”
Something of her mistress’ agita
tion seemed to have become commu
nicated to Lenora.
She w-alked quickly to the back part
of the hotel and ascended to the wing
in which the servants' quarters were
situated. Here she made her way
along a corridor until she reached
Macdougal's room. She knocked, and
knocked again. There was no answer. |
She tried the door and found it was 1
locked. Then she returned to the lift
and descended once more to the floor |
upon which her mistress' apartments
were situated. She opened the door
of the suite without knocking and
turned at once to the sitting room.
“I am sorry, my lady—” she began
Then she stopped short. The lift
hoy who had had a little trouble with
his starting apparatus and had not as
yet descended, heard the scream
which broke from her lips, and a fire
man in an adiacent corridor came run
ning up almost at the same moment.
Lenora was on her knees by her mis
tress’ side. Ella was still lying in the
easv-chair in which she had been
seated, hut her head was thrown back
In an unnatural fashion. There was
a red mark just across her throat.
Lenora shrieked. “She's fainted'
And the diamonds—the diamonds have
gone!"
A doctor, hurriedly summoned, had
just completed a hasty examination
when a police inspector, follow ed by a
detective, entered
“This is your affair, gentlemen not
mine,” the doctor said gravely. “The
young lady is dehd. She has been
cruelly strangled within the last five
or ten minutes.”
The inspector made a careful exam
(nation of the room.
"Tell me.” he inquired "is this the
young lady who owned the wonderful
Ashleigh diamonds?”
"They’ve gone!” Lenora shrieked
“They’ve been stolen! She was wear
Ing them when I left the room!”
The inspector turned to the tele
phone.
“Mr. Marsham,” he said, "I am
afraid this will be a difficult affaii I
am going to take the liberty of calling
in an expert. That you, exchange? I
want number one. New York city—
Mr. Sanford Quest.”
CHAPTER IV.
There seemed to be nothing at all
original in the methods pursued by
the great criminologist when con
fronted with this tableau of death and
’•obbery. His remarks to the inspec
tor tvere few and perfunctory. He
asked only a few languid questions of
Macdougal and Lenora. who were
summoned to his presence
Macdougal then turned to leave the
room. Lenora wTas about to follow
but Quest signed to her to remain.
“I should like to have a little con
versation with you about your mis
tress,” he said to her pleasantly. “If
you don’t mind, I will ask you to ac
company me in my car. I will send
the man hack with you.”
They descended in the lift together
and Quest handed the girl into his car
They dreve quickly through the silent
streets.
In a few minutes Lenora v>.? in
stalled in an easy cha’r in Quest’s. ' bi
ting-room
“Lean back and make yourself com
fortable,” Quest invited, as he took a
chair opposite to her. “I must just
look through these papers."
The gir> (jjj a8 sile was told. She
opened h'*r coat. The room was de
lightfully v 'rin, almost overheated. A
sense of rest Tept over her. She was
conscious that Quest had laid down
the letters which he had been pre
tending to read. His eyes were fixed
upon her. There was a queer new
look in them, a strange new feeling
creeping through her veins.
Quest’s voice broke an unnatural
silence
You are anxious to telephone some
one,” he said. “You looked at both
the booths as we came through the
hotel. Then you remembered. I think,
that he would not be there yet. Tele
phone now. The telephone is at your
right hand. You know the number.”
She obeyed almost at once.
“Number 700, New YorV city.”
“You will ask,” Quest continued,
"whether he is all right whether the
jewels are safe.”
There was a brief silence then the
girl’s voice.
“Are you there, James? . . . Yes.
1 am Lenora. Are you safe? Have
you the jewels? . . . Where? . . .
You are sure that you are safe? . . .
No, nothing fresh has happened.”
“You are at the hotel,” Quest said
softly. "You are going to him."
“1 cannot sleep,” she continued. “I
am coming to you.”
She set down the receiver. Quest
leaned a little more closely over her.
“You know where the jewels are
hidden," he said “Tell me where?”
Her lips quivered. She made no an
swer.
“Very good,” Quest concluded. “You
need not tell me. Only remember this:
At nine o’clock tomorrow morning you
will bring those jewels to this apart
ment. . . . Rest quietly now. 1
want you to go to sleep.”
She obeyed without hesitation.
Quest watched, for a moment her
regular breathing. Then he touched
a bell by his side. Laura entered a!
most at once.
I
Togethei tlie> carried the sleeping
sir' oat ol the room into a argei
apartment. A single electric light was
burning on the top ot a square mirroi
fixed upon an easel. Towards thiF i
tbe> carried the gir. ano laid hei in an
easy chaii almost opposite to it
“The battery is just on the left,'
Laura whispered.
Quest nodded.
"(live me the band. ’
She turned away toi a moment and
disappeared in the shadows. When
site returned, she carried a curved
band ol flexible steel. Quest took it
from her attached it by means oi a
coil ol wire to the battery and with
firm, soft fingers slipped it on to
Lenora s forehead. Then he stepped
back
“She’s a subject Laura—I'm sure
of it: Now foi oui gteat experiment!"
They watched Lenora intently,
“l^enora, ’ Quest ea.d, slowly and
firmly, “your mind is ill ot one sub
ject. You see your mislrejs m tier
chair by the fireside. She is to., mg
with her diamonds, ixiok again. She
lies there dead! Who was it entered
the room, Lenora? Look! Ixiok:
Gaze into that mirror. What do you
see there?’’
The girl’s eyes had opened. They
were fixed now upon the mirror—dis
tended, full ot unholy tilings
‘Try harder, Lenora, he muttered
his own breath laboring “It is there
in your brain! Look!
For a single second the smooth sur
face of the mirror was obscured. A
room crept dimly like a picture into
being, a fire upon the hearth, a girl
leaning back in her chair. A door
in the background opened. A man
stole out. He crept nearer to the girl
—his eyes fixed upon the diamonds, a
thin, silken cord twisted round his
wrist. Suddenly she saw him—-too
late! His hand was upon her lips,
his face seemed to start almost from
the mirror—then blackness! . . .
Lenora opened her eyes She was
still in the easy-chair before the fire.
"Mr. Quest!” she faltered.
He looked up from some letters
which he had been studying
”1 am so sorry,' he said politely “1
really had forgotten that you were
here. But you know—that you have
been to sleep?”
“Can I go now?” she asked.
“Certainly,” Quest replied. "To tell
you the truth, 1 find that I shall not
need to ask you those questions, after
all. A messenger from the police sta
t ’ " ■■ ■ .." —
der bruised his head swimming a lit
tie. Suddenly a gleam 01 light shone
down A trapdoor above bis oeao
was slid s tew mcheF back. The flare
01 an electric torch shone upon bis
lace, a man's voice addressed him.
"Not the great Sanford Quest? This
surely cannot be the greatest detec
tive in the world walking so easily in
to the spider’s web!"
‘‘Any chance ot getting out?" Quest
asked laconically.
"None!” was the bitter reply.
“You've done enough mischief. You’re
there to rot!”
"Why this animus against me, my
friend Maedougal?" Quest demanded i
"You and i have nevei come up I
against one another before. J didti t '
like the life you led In New York ten i
years ago. or youi friends, but you ve
suffered nothing through me.
"If i let you go,’ once more came
the man s voice, ’) know very well in
what ehaii i shall be sitting before
a month has passed. I am .lames Mac
dotigai, Mi Santord Quest, and I have
got thr Ashleigh diamouds, and 1 have
settled an old grucfge. it not oi my own,
ot one greater than you. That’s all.
A pleasant night to you!"
The door went down with a bang.
“A perfect oubliette, he remarked
to himselt, as be beld a match ovei
his head a moment or two later, "built
for the purpose. It must be the house
we failed to find which Hill Taylor
used to keep before he was shot.
Smooth brick walls smooth brick floor,
only exit twelve feet above one’s bead.
Human means apparently are useless.
Science, you have been my mistress all
my days. You must save my life now
or lose an earnest disciple. ’
Quest felt in his overcoat pocket
and drew out the small, hard pellet.
He gripped it in his fingers, stood
as nearly as possible underneath the
spot from which he had been project
ed coolly swung his arm back, and
flung the black pebble against the
sliding door. The explosion which fol
lowed shook the very ground under
his feet. For minutes afterwards
everything around him seemed to
rock Then Sanford Quest emerged,
dusty but unhurt, and touched a con
stable on his arm
“Arrosrt me, ’ he ordered. "I am San
ford Quest. I must be taken at once
to headquarters.”
They found a cab without much dif
Acuity. It wms five o’clock when they
reached the central police station.
Inspector French happened to be just
L
"What About the v'oung Woman?" the Inspector Asked.
lion has been horn. up says thoy
have come to the conclusion that a
very well-known gang of New York
criminals are in this tiling. We know
how to track them down all right.’
“1 may go now, then?" she repeated,
with immense relief.
Quest escorted the girl downstairs,
opened the front door, blew his whis
tle and his car pulled up at the door.
“Take this young lady," he ordered,
"wherever she wishes, flood-night!'
The girl drove off. Quest watched
the car disappear around the corner.
Then he turned slowly and made prep
arations for his adventure. . . .
"Number 700, New York,” he mut
tered, half an hour later, as he left
his house. "Beyond Fourteenth street
—a tough neighborhood.”
He hesitated for a moment, feeling
thi articles in his overcoat pocket—a
revolver in one, a small piece of hard
substance in the other. Then he
stepped into his car, which had just
returned
“Where did you leave the young
lady?’ he asked the chauffeur.
“In Broadway, sir She left me and
boarded a cross-town car.”
Quest nodded approvingly.
"No finesse,” he sighed.
CHAPTEP V.
Sanford Quest was naturally a per
son unaffected by presentiments or
nervous fears of any sort, yet, having
advanced a couple ot yards along the
hallway of the house which he had
just entered without difficulty, he came
to a standstill, oppressed with the ;
sense ot impending danger.
“Anyone here?" he asked, raising
his voice.
There was no d!rect response, yet
from somewhere upstairs he heard the
half-suiolhered cry of a woman. He
gripped his revolver in his fingers. He j
took a quick step forward The floor
gave way beneath him. He was fall
ing into blackness. . . .
The fall itself was scarcely a dozen j
feet. He picked himself up, his shoul
going off duty. Ho recognized Quest
with a little exclamation.
“Got your man to bring me here,'’
Quest explained "so as to get away
from the mob
“Say. you've been in trouble!” the
inspector remarked, leading the way
into his room.
“Bit of an explosion, that’s all,”
Quest replied “1 shall be all right
when you’ve lent me a clothesbrush.’
“The Ashleigh diamonds, eh?” the
inspector asked eagerly.
“I shall have them at nine o'clock
this morning,” Sanford Quest prom
ised, “and hand you over the mur
derer somewhere around midnight.”
»•****
Quest slept for a couple of hours,
had a hath and made a teisurely toilet.
At a quarter to nine he sat down to
breakfast in his rooms.
"At nine o’clock,” he told his serv
ant, “a young lady will call. Bring
her up.”
The door was suddenly opened. Le
nora walked in. Quest glanced in sur
prise at the clock.
“My fault!” he exclaimed. “We are
slow. Good morning, Miss Lenora!”
She came straight to the table. She
laid a little packet upon the table.
Quest opened it coolly. The Ashleigh
diamonds flashed up at him. He
Jed Lenora to a chair and rang a bell.
“Prepare a bedroom upstairs,” he i
ordered. "Aek Miss Roche to come '
here . . . Laura,” he added, as his j
secretary entered, “will you look after '
this young lady?”
A few minutes later Inspector |
French was announced. Quest nodded !
in a friendly manner.
“Some coffee, inspector?”
“I'd rather have those diamonds!"
Queslthrew them lightly across the
table,
The inspector whistled.
“And how, French, will you be here,
please, at midnight, with three men, ,
armed *”
“Here’’" the mspector repeated.
Quest nodded.
Out friend," he said, ‘ig going tf
be mad enough to walk into heli
even, when he finds out what ht
thinks has happened.”
“It wasn’t any ot Jimmy’s lot?”
Sanford Quest shook his head.
“French,” he said, “keep mum buti<
was the elderly family letainer, Mac
dougal. j felt restless about him
He has lost the girl—he was marriec
to hei, by the bye—and the jewels
No fear of his slipping away. 1 sha)
“You've Had a Rough Time, Lenora.'
have him here at the time l told
you.”
“You’ve a way of your own of (loins
these things, Mr Quest,’ the Inspec
tor admitted grudgingly.
“Mostly lucky,” Quest replied. “Take
a cigar, and so long, inspector. They
want me to talk to Chicago on an
other little piece of business.” . . .
It was a few minutes before mid
night when Quest parted the curtains
of a room on the ground floor of his
house in Georgia square and looked
out into the snow-white street. Then
he turned around and addressed the
figure lying as though asleep upon the
sofa by the fire
“Uenora," he said, “I am going out.
Stay here, If you please, until I re
turn.”
He left the room. For a few mo
ments there was a profound silence.
Then a white face was pressed against
the window. There was a crash of
glass. A man covered wdth snow
sprang Into the apartment. He moved
swTftly to the sofa, and something
black and ugly swayed in his hand.
“So you’ve deceived me, have you?’
he panted. “Handed over the jewmls,
chucked me, and given me the double
crons! Anything to say?”
Macdougal leaned forward, his
white face distorted with passion. The
life-preserver bent and quivered be
hind him, cut the air with a swish
and crashed full upon the head.
The man staggered back. The
wpapon fell from his fingers. For a
moment he was paralyzed. There was
no blood upon his hand, no cry—
silence inhuman, unnatural! He
looked again. Then the lights (lashed
out all around him. There were two
detectives in thp doorway, their re
volvers covering him—Sanford Quest,
with Lenora in (he background. In
the sudden illumination MacdougalV
horror turned almost to hysterical
rage. He had wasted his fury upon a
dummy!
“Take hlin, men," Quest ordered,
"Hands up, Macdougal. Your number’s
up.”
The handcuffs were upon him be
fore lie could move.
“What about the young woman1''
the inspector ashed.
Lenora stood In an atlitude of de
spair, her head downcast. She had
turned a little away from Maedougal.
Her hands were outstretched. It was
as though she were expecting the
handcuffs.
"You can let her alone,” Sanford
Quest said quietly. “A wife cannot
give evidence against her husband,
and besides, I need her. She is going
to work for me.”
Maedougal was already at the door,
between the two detectives. He swung
around. His voice was calm, almost,
clpar—calm with concentration of
hatred.
"You are a wonderful man, Mr.
Sanford Quest," he said. “Slake tho
most of your triumph. Your time Is
nearly up, there is one coming whoso
wit and cunning, science and skill aro
all-conquering. He will brush you
away, Sanford Quest, like a fly. Wait
a few weeks.”
“You Interest me." Quest mur
mured “Tell me some more about
this great master?"
“I shall tell you nothing,’ Macdoug
al replied. “You will hear nothing,
you will know nothing. Suddenly you
will find yourself opposed Yon will
struggle-—and then the end. It is cer
tain.” . •
They led him away. Only Lenora
remained, sobbing. Quest went up
to her.
“You’ve had a rough time, Lenora.”
he said, with strange gentleness,
“Perhaps the brighter days are com.
lng.”
(TO BE CONTINUE©.)