Adventure, December 1914 — page 119: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A Man With Nine Lives “T don’t quite know what to do,” he told that gentleman. “TI don’t want to go toa hotel, for various reasons; I don’t see my- self in a house all alone; I think it will have to be rooms—nice rooms, in some pleasant residential quarter.” “What are you going to do about the business? Even if you propose to attend every day, you ought to have some one in charge who is capable of representing you.”’ This conversation took place in Mr. Fos- ter’s chambers. There was a piece of white cardboard on the table which Mr. Adair annexed. He made free with the lawyer’s ~ pens and ink. Presently he held up the piece of cardboard with this legend in- scribed on it in large characters: OUT FOR THE DAY. BUSINESS SUSPEND- ED. CALL AGAIN. “Tm going to sport the oak in old Creed’s chambers, and I’m going to hang that up outside. Letters may be passed through the opening intended for them; callers can’t. When I choose to go there I shall, when I don’t I shan’t. The business be hanged!” The lawyer regarded him with inqusitive eyes. “‘What’s the idea? The business is a val- uable asset. Why should you throw away all that money when by paying a man, say, a hundred and fifty a year you need do nothing of the kind?” | “Foster, I’m very much obliged to you for your very kind advice. Once more, to avoid any possibility of future misunder- standing—do I gather that Mr. Jerning- ham Creed left me everything he had to do with as I please?” “Precisely.” “Then that’s how it is.” Mr. Adair, ris- ing from his seat, held the piece of card- board out in front of him. “T’ll fasten this to the oak with my own hands, to make sure that it’s there; then I’ll seek fresh quarters.” SOME days passed. One after- noon, still in quest of the sort of habitation he required, Mr. Adair found himself in Putney, in a lane opening on to BarnesCommon. Some of the houses were big ones—what mght fairly be called mansions. Presently he came to one which was little more than a cottage. The walls were cov- Y, SOe 117 ered with ivy; the roof was tiled; there was a little garden, an old-fashioned hedge in front; and in one of the windows was a card— APARTMENTS This card caught Mr. Adair’s eye. He paused to study it. Then he opened the gate, went to the front door, and rang the bell. Some time passed and no one an- swered. “It looks as if no one were at home,” was his comment. “T’ll ring again.” He did; still no sign that any heard. “It will be a nuisance if every one is out. T’ll try again.” He rang a third time. After another in- terval his attentive ear caught what seemed to him to be sounds within. ““There’s some one moving; some one is at home. Is it a case of being stone deaf?” He sounded another peal; clearly this time he had been heard. Some one was un- locking and opening the door from within. “Considering that they’ve got ‘Apart- ments’ in the window they seem to take precious good care to guard themselves against intrusion. Probably some ancient creature is the sole inhabitant. As from the outside the house promises just the sort of thing I want, that will be a pity. I wonder who is going to open the door.” When the door was opened, and a girl stood looking out at him, apparently his wonder grew. As the door was opened wider—which it was by inches, as if the person who held the handle was reluctant to open it at all—and he began to perceive more clearly who was on the other side, judging from his demeanor, instead of a creature of flesh and blood, he might have been confronted by some terrifying phan- tom. And yet the person who stood inside the partially opened door was nothing but a girl. And a very prepossessing specimen of her kind, with nice hair, nice eyes, and what was of almost more importance, a nice mouth— with, as her half opened lips revealed, nice, small, white teeth beyond. There was cer- tainly nothing in her appearance calculated to alarm the average man; yet that she had a very remarkable and unusual effect upon the man of six feet two was clear. The odd part of it was that she seemed almost as much perturbed as he. They stared at each other for some MICLOOOLK C©@