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| commit -- "What does it all mean' "Tt means," said Brett, {'that if the Blue Bell has another yard of tied up to a Ww small' AO harbor of 'in her 'engines we shall need | ¢ all. It perhaps will make no ma- diff | difference in the long run, as a mere matter of pride I should like to reach Palermo before ros Jean. If I remember rightly, : Jaton is six hours from Messina : by al... gan we do it?" the chief engineer, was consulted. Of course, he would not himself. aye will try darned ha-r-rd," he said. gy And with this emphatic resolve | the Blue Bell sped onwards through the sunlit sea until, late in the ev- ening, the 'Ganges was hull down on her quarted. Macpherson came on deck to fake @ last look at the P. and O "It will be a gr-reat race,' he announced, "and 1 may have to kill a stoker. But--' Then he dived below again, The Blue Bell ran merrily on until the small hours of morning, 'when everybody on board was suddenly awakéned by the stoppage of the screw. The passengers on board the Blue Bell one and all found some pretext $0 gain the deck in their eagerness to find out why the vessel had slowed down. The answer was a seassuring one. ' She 'had burnt a flare for a pilot, and quickly an an- swering gleam came 'from afar out of the darkness ahead. The pilot was soon on board. He was an Italian, but, like most mem- bers of his profession doing busi- ness in these waters, he spoke French fluently. Brett asked him how long, with the north-easterly breeze then blow- ing, & small sailing vessel, such as & sohoonér-rigged fishing-smack, would take to reach Palermo from Marseilles. "It is a trip not often made, monsieur," he said. "Fishing ves- gels from Marseilles are frequently compelled to take shelter under the Jea of Corsica or even Sardinia, but tere--in Bicily--why = should they come here?' "Oh, I don't mean a schooner en- gaged in the fishing trades but ra- ther a small vessel chartered for pleasure, taking the place, as it were, of a private yacht." "Ah," said the Italian, "that ex- lains it. Well, monsieur, with this reeze I should i imagine they would set their course round by the north of Corsica in order to avoid beat- ing through the. Btraits of Bonifa- cio. . That would make the run about 650 knots, and a smart little vessel carrying all her sails and properly ballasted, might reach Palermo i in a few hours over three "Thank you,"': said Brett: nsieur. There is deep -- on und here, no shoals, |4 and but tow isolated rocks, which are all well known. The 'only thin to guard 'against is the hang cufrent, Brett smiled. {1t would be an "ignoble corclus to the chase if the Belles "Ts: Palmeso. a difficult port to make P14: bridge, whence she had a magn ot iow of the sunrise beautiful city that stands on thea Conea d'Ora, or 'Golden Shell~the smiling and luxuriant' plain' that seems to be provided by Nature for man's habitation. Naturally Fairholme was drawn to |: her side. "Italy is a fine country;" he re- marked. "Yet thers are more mur- ders to. the square inch there than in any other place on earth." Edith laughed. 'Really, Bobby,' she pouted, 'you are becoming sen- timental, I half expect to find you break out into verse.' "I pan do that, too,"' she said, {though 'it is not my own. Hasn' $ Heber got a hymn hich tells vs of a place where Every prospect pleases, And only man is vile. I forget the rest of it." Miss Talbot faced him rapidly, "Bobby, what is the matter with you! .I never knew you in such a melting mood before." '*How can TI help it?' he hali- whispered, laying his hand on her shoulder. '"We haye never been to- gether so much before in our lives. Don't you realize, Edith, what 'it means to us if Mr. Brett discovers those diamonds within the next few hours or days?' He bent closer towards her and his hand passed from her shoulder round her neck. "When we return to England, if' youcare willing, we can be married within a week."' A bright flush suffused her beau- tiful face. She bent her head and was silent. It is quite certain that Fairholme would have kissed her had not Daubeney shouted-- "Look here, you two, flirting on the bridge is strictly forbidden. You will '"demoralize "the whole crew. Even the pilot cannot keep his eyes off you." They laughed and giggled like a couple of children caught stealing gooseberries. Yet the incident and the words were fraught with a solemn significance which often came back to their minds in sther. days. The party breakfasted on board and then set out to survey the ho- tels, Brett's first care was to as- certain the scheduled hours of the train service between Messina and Palermo. To his joy be discovered that neither Winter nor the gang he was shadowing could possibly reach the city' until a quarter to four in the afternoon. They decid- ed in favor of the Hotel de France as being most modern in its sppear- ance and centrally situated. The: next thing to do was 'vide an efficient; watch on 'all soon, $ quite. bho dog 3 -- a ged smack to enter P out attracting his notice. By approaching the yo thorities and requ | operation, and also using. ' Jean and the Turks as a stalking: horse, Brett felt tolerably certain that the time would soon arrive when Dubois and he would, stand face to face. In making these manifold pre- parations the morning passed rapid- ly. The barrister insisted companions should go for a drive whilst he busied himself with the necessary details, and they should meet at 'the hotel for the midday meal. out Sir Hubert for his personal share in the pursuit, 'You know Mr. Winter 7' he said to the baronet. '"Yes, IT remember him perfectly." "In that case I wish you to go to the station and meet the 3:45 p.m. train on arrival. You will probably see the Turks and Gros Jean, but pay no attention to them. Keep a bright lookout for Mr. Win. | 33° "7 Walk up 'quite openl and | Pras Sor to him, and the probability is that should Gros Jean have become suspicious of 'this Englishman. who follows in the same track as him- self, your presence on the platform will convince him that he 'was mis- taken in' imagining the slightest connection "between Winter' 8. jour- ney and his own." "That is good," said the major: general. curred to me. Any other gorn- "None save this," Brett, smiling at the old' soldier's eagerdess to obey Smplioitly o an; in structions given to you meet Winter, tell him if. ho sible so to direct his movements as to find out Gros Jean's destination, if it oan be done without giving: Frenchman the slightest cause for uneasiness. Otherwise the matter is of no 'consequence. I have al- ready interviewed the chief of pos lice here, and it will only be a ques- tion of an hour's delay before the local detectives' effectually locate his | It 'was then that he Mingle E QuickLy ators ¢ MEALS THE SPAR, SU "You know,"' hes was saying, 1 oonldn't see a woman stand up while 1 was sitting down." "So You gave her your seat?' 'No, I gltet 9 eyes and gesuended ta'be} i asleep." ie [LOW GOLONIST RORsT, TO THE rari via Shisags and and Nort Norah 2% Sif pafue' in a raisers with. oO "It 'would never have oc- |. contintied| crank as well as top Jever, Red Cypress Tub and the whole top opens is the easiest day of you wash with the Maxwell "High {} Champion, the quarters occupied h Gros Jean : and the Turks.' Po CHAPTER XX. 3 Sir Hubert w was all 'eagerness tol undertake his mission, «He reached the station at least, half an hour : "the train arrived. To 3 rbert's delight, he at once ca d | 8ight of Gros Jean and the Tur) p< | whom, of Sours; he: io iden | fied as to the Joy xious 'to. some ey who & were oom Marseilles. on a fishing smack 3 otha were wrecked swith her valu- possibl able Sargo. 1 mosh. devoutly pray," rémote chance = ; gnition ros Jean, so Ci 1f for Speed" 18 Jot 'what you. need'Tor your. kitchen, 80' much 'easier, quicker and miore convenient than cutting up ; meat, etc. with a knife, "Jewel" is superior in every way