1954-10-12 — Page 4

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THE CHINA-MAIL, TUESDAY, OCTOBER.

Geoffrey Household makes his bow as the second of five famous authors who are writing this new China Mail serial

THE STORY

SO FAR

ENID COCKBURN attacked by a man who tries to dope her and steal a mysterious scaled envelope which she is to give to her brother Gerald, A research Ichemist. But George Lan- ning comes to the rescue and bente off her avallant.

The girl refuses ( › cali In the police so Lanning volunteers to help deliver the letter, En route to her brother's Richmond flat their car is chased, but George cludes his parsuers by a ruse.

They eventually reach but it Gerald's flat,

appears to be empty.

Then George finds the occupant lying in a pecu. Har position on the chesterfield drunk or dend... 7

W

HEN Lanning had taken two swift steps towards the man on the

Sequence

happened to appear again in the pretentiousness of a slick, suburban flat.

There was every sign that the murderer had cleared off the instant after strik- ing his blow. The weapon had been flung down on the chesterfield. It was a full, stout, quart bottle of light ale. There Was a strong suggestion that it had been used in self-defence, for just beneath the dangling and fingers of the corpse half-hleiden by his shoe was a .32 pistol.

He went back to the cor- ridor and shut the door of the living-room.

Sinister

"Then we'll have to get all a bit clearer, at once," said.

it

he

. "I'll answer any questions you

in

he

"Why did your brother leave this envelope with you Berkshire?"

"To keep it safe, I suppose." "But why with you?” insisted. "He could drop it at his bank or pop it into the safe ot Oliphants hido it here. When did

leave it with

"Two days ago."

"Could you come?" he you?"

asked.

Enid Cockburn appeared chesterfield he saw that the instantly, her comb still in hend which rested Ho her hand, alarmed by the naturally had no back to it, unnatural steadiness of his and that the pattern of the voice. Rupporting cushion was not, as at first he had thought, of red and cream flowers.

Relief

"Your brother..." he began,

She rushed past him, opened the door and stopped dead, questioning him with eyes In which relief was the dominant emotion,

He had to remind himself that this was not the first time he had scen a death of brutal untidiness. He as sured himself, trying to control an unpleasant feeling of nausea and incompetence,

shouldn't be so he said. that one influenced by time and place. It was absurd to be sight affected because which you would more or less have taken for granted under enemy artillery fire

a

8

Headaches BAYER

Toothaches Colds

are quickly overcome by

CAFASPIN®

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Odd visit

"He came down to the cottage Just for that?"

"No. At least I don't think 60. But he may have done. I've never boen good at through him.”

seeing

"But you get on well?" "Ho's the dearest elder brother anyone could have,” she answered.

the

He looked at her, so eager

trying to control all three them with his one gun.

of might as well leave three

corpses there instead of one."

"Never heard of "ernt" sto Interrupted.

He had decided nothing when Enid returned. It wouldn't have done him much good if he had. "They are in the hall,” sho said. "I had no chance to speak to the porter."

"Did they see you?"

"No. I heard the porter tell them that Mr Cockburn

WBS out, but that his sister was up. stairs."

"

Lanning crossed to the window. There was no balcony, no, possible' route for escape. Outside, on the carefully mown lawn, was the man in the green velvet slocks; he was watching that window, and their eyes met.

he

"Let's get out of hére? said. "They'll guess what we've done, but. It can't be, helped."

They shut the fat and tip tood rapidly up the stairs

to the top floor.

"But shouldn't We

"You would not have done, Madame. Until recently we only served

the Court at Brussels, We are making a collection of fashions that would have been worn at the coronation of Queen Victoria-"

"Of His Majesty

Enid VII," Edward Interrupted.

King quickly

"Of course! And offering free seats for this Coronation to those few people who-crimcan supply us with perfect examples of Edwardian-er-garments.

"Come in, young people" "God bless you! exclaimed Lanning.

.

The old lady appeared a little hesitant. Mesars Lantille, & Strongbow would certainly see that their employees were churchgoers, but such fervent plety seemed out of place.

--He stood-looking idly out of the window, and then jumped back to the shelter of the cur- tain. There were two men on the roof opposite, their heads and shoulders appearing and ro- appearing ag they searchod among chimney stacks and tanks.

Two on the roof. At least one must be ́hanging "about at the front door, or chreling the building. That left only one for duty outside Cockburn's flat.

Enid ́and Mrs: Bonday were in the bedroom, looking at heaven know what treasure! finery, Enid's bag with the Ant keys in It was on the tabló in the hall. Yes, a very neat plan of campaign. Risky, but un- likely to fail so long, just so long, as those two determined thugs spent another couple of minutes on the roof..

Tip-toed out

Ho tip-toed out of the fat, taking Enid's keys on the way. and leaving the door unlocked. Then he strode down the stairs at a normal, careless pace as if he were a respectable tenant from one of the top floors.

Lanning thought it unlikely that the watcher outside Cock-:

he wore burn's flat-unless green velvet trousers-would be sure of his face. The party, after all, had only trailed his

car.

Well, it wasn't velvet panis, only a vaguely foreign-looking Deemed to have type who bought his revolting clothes in América or Shaftesbury Avenue, He looked at Lanning suspici- ously and made as if to bar the londing, but hesitated,

Lanning went straight and savagely for his throat, for he couldn't risk noise or a rough- "People have been so rude to house. The man panic-stricken, have us," Enid explained.

loro at his hands and then folded up. Lanning unlocked the door of the flat and heaved him inside, praying that he had left him something

to breath with and the ability to do it.

and delicate. The brother must stayed?" she whispered."

"In that case," said the old "It's not your brother, then," surely be a masculine edition of "Stayed. my fool! If the lady, shutting the door behind

build. That made porter comes sume

up with them them, "I do not think your firm things easier to understand.

they'll have ULA run In for can have supplied you with "Is he a small man?" Lanning they can get in without him they may have been decisive, but it murder. And if he doesn't and proper addresses. My generation

"No. It's no one I've ever seen,"

asked.

"Yes. So he would have had

Lanning made for the tele- phone. He wonted a drink and he wanted the police--large no other chance, you see." quantities af solid, comforting pollee. None of your twenty- year-old specialists in parking offences, trying to look im- passive under father's helmet.

"Not yet," she begged. "Let's think for a moment. Please, not yet!"

It was the second time ahe had prevented him from calling the police. This young woman couldn't be taken on trust at all. Good heavens, and only five minutes ago he hadn't a thought In the world but the alluring line from hip to ankle as blue linen stepped from scarlet car!

Too hasty

Lovely of course she was but, when you came to think of it, she had shown mighty little evidence of anything elsel

All the same It was a clean- His cut, spiritual little face. impulse to hand over respons sibility at the earliest possible moment was perhaps a trifle in- this decent. One needn't drop once delightful subject with the haste of a tom-cat about to be run over by a bus.

DESIGNS

SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

ART DEPARTMENT specialists in publicity

STREET HONG KONG

Her frank reply at once won him over. She had missed none of the evidence, and was brave enough to admit it. No, Gerald Cockburn would have had no other chance against that hulk- ing tough on the chesterfield except to suggest a drink, offer the tray meekly to sitting man and to strike with all his force when the gun was lowered.

to the

"And you haven't any · Idea why this gang should have taken such risks--holding him here by force, and meanwhile trying to nobble you in a public library?" "None. But why don't we look?"

not, Indeed? That enve-

lope

e should certainly be handed to the police intact. But feminine curiosity to know the contents of any sealed envelope couldn't be long resisted. And that was a handy excuse for his own.

The secret

She tore it open. Inside were half a dozen sheets of thick foolscap paper, all blank except for a single remark in bold handwriting upon the outside fold:

The compliments of Gerald Cockburn, and you can go to hell.

“I told you you would like him,” she said,

Geoffrey Household

Today's Author

Today GEOFFREY HOUSE- HOLD carries on the most astonishing thrill idea of the year.

He takes over MICHAEL CRONIN'S two earlier chapters, adds two of his own and then hands over in turn to LAURENCE MEYNELL, DENNIS WHEATLEY and L. P. HARTLEY.

The clever plot of "Sequence Sinister" contains as many surprises for its five authors as it does for you. They found it an Intriguing experience. We think YOU will, too.

party

.

.........

Speed. That was the essential. Speed enough to be ready for the other two who might be al- roady on their way down. He deposited the gentleman he had reluctantly strangled on Cock- burn's bed.

Poker cosh

And now-blast the follow!-- he was very much coming round after all. It was so dimeult to 'keep healthy man quietly tick- ing over on the ice unless you came out armed with pads of ether or something.

He frantically grabbed Cock- burn's poker from the living- room, wrapped a sock round it and gave the chap a hearty top on the back of the skull. After that treatment he oughtn't to bo much good for anything for the rest of the week.

was never rude. Come with me, my deart Young man, you may sit in the dining-room if you wish to smoke, or in the draw-Heavens, ing-room if you do not.”

the

Leaning cautiously over the staircase well they heard the

He jumped for the flat door below them ring and

and left it tantalisingly ajar. and the steps were knock at the Cockburn fat. Then one of them went down

already coming down the stairs, again to the ground floor.

Where to ambush 'em? All Lanning decided that it would

let it right,

be the kitchen. "As soon as he has talked be in character if he showed

dattened

himself against to green trousers," Lanning said, himself shocked at the idea of With the poker in his hand he "he'll know

that either we're smoking on, so delicate a mis- wall between corridor and· inside the flat or up the stairs, sion, and retired to the drawing kitchen, facing Into the acute where we are."

angle of the half-open kitchen door.

He heard an astonished clamation as the two found the flat door open. They closed it carefully.

"The roof?" she suggested.

TOOM.

Their saviour's flat was evidently, one of the cheapest

no

ax-

Number One dashed straight

"A dead end, probably. In the block. The so-called They'd like nothing better," drawing-room was about eight feet by ten, and looited on to The possibilities tumbled the small 'central courtyard. through his mind-clever com- There was really secure up the passage to the living- binations of lift and stairs, and place for a long-legged man to room with a gun in his hand. all hopeless, The lift was slow alt among so many tiddly bits Number Two, more cautious, and open in front.

of furniture, and so many stopped to investigate • thổ allver-framed photographs of kitchen. Guards officers in top hats and German princelings in uniform, inscribed to Dear Adela,or Mrs Adela Bondoy,

They heard the steps coming back again from the ground

She hadn't told him anything of the kind. Sul, it had perhaps been implied. And she

Wan, floor, perfectly right, of course.

Where do you suppose he is now?" he asked.

1

་

"As soon as he ... got free,

he would have gone to the

library to finit me."

"We'll have to take a chance,” he said. "We can't bo caught here."

Only hope

:

the

"You know the porter here? Good! Nip down, and find out Impulsively he pressed what time your brother left. I. bell of the nearest flat. He promise not to telephone. or hoped vaguely that the door anything while you're away." would, bo opened by song We're in this together."

man of his own type, some

TOMORROW : Geoffrey Household continues with his second thrilling' chapter.

THE STRATOSPHERE

ROCKET

Cummings

THE "RIBING PRICE. BURGES EVER UPWARDS

WHILE DOWN BELOW FAR-REACHING MEASURES ARE PREPARED TO BRING IT DOWN TO EARTH. AF

London Expresa

IT'S THE CAN-CAN AGAIN

By JAMES WICKENDEN

London. boys have their sessions, down at closing time fest that is coming back after

in the night.S

music halls during the thirtles,

"In what together?" he asked sporting-looking chap who ISC enthusiasts himself as soon as she had gone. would let them in first and D. Music tom strange stond hand radio dealers

buy stage-prop shops, and pin-up enthusiasts pinch- it losing appeal In: Britain's Gerald Cockburn might be a Histen to their story after-

mere excitable fool where his wards. Instead, they found places these days: from Now'á now sight in many

privata emotions were concern themselves being meticulously

These are the places, atk ed, and perfectly capable of examined by a thin and formid-points as far apart as tribal of its half-tragic and half which, the seasoned West Why bashing a man unnecessarily able Indy in her lato seventies Africa and Ball,

exciting streets is the Ender pauses, gives

"version"

over the head. But he didn't think so.

Sardonic

with a high collar supporting the lizard-like folds of her Curiously, though, there English mauve and Fallow, neck, de ak

nowe

of the lug amile and passes

"I don't want to buy any one place, right in the French night spot, out to is too clever to pay thing at the sale centre of the world; which catch the tourist, tradothe nose for

The interior of the block of la missed out. I mean Ple flats was cool and silent, Hecadilly, could hear the low voices of B

Cockburn sounded like a cool, andonte little scientist, who the men three floors beneath. The bright-lit square mile... would be far too civilised to At any moment they were going or so that is called-1 kill unless he were confident of to run up the stairs to mak clearing himself and his moliver, i mire: That airy Cockburn and West End is rich Why not leave him to deal with her unknown ris

the police and meanwhile stiut

thing from borscht

to faviolisande

WEARY BOMP BOMP

awashe

of them are upŝa