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THE1
GREEN KILLER.
CARLTON DAWE.
WARD,. LOCK & CO., LIMITED,
LONDON AND MELBOURNE.
CHAPTER VIII.-(Continued.)
"You wouldn't know it, though as a
mutter of fact it's Robinson."
"'Yes, I have heard tlhat name," he said.
frowning at me through his steel-rimmed
spectacles..
f'But not as a serious contributor to the
economo: problems of the day. oBy the
way, are you Mr. Jenkwin?" He nodded.
"Then it's like this Mr. Jenkwin, my
articles undergo sudh a' magling at the
hands of, unsympathetic editors that they
become absolutely valueless, You know,
all the biting stuff cut out and the things
that don't matter left in. There must be
a cause for this,"
"You think so?"'
"Can there be a doubt of it? There
fore I am determined to publish indepen
dently of them.. Now .what would you
eharge to print a pamphlet of, say,'a dozen
pages?" .
"The number of copies, please?"
"Oh, about a hundred."
"Then if you, will submit the: manu
script I will forward an estimate. 'The
address, please." He dipped, a dirty pen
in a dirty inkstand.
This was an' awkward r one, and as I
hesitated it seemed to me thlatthe glhost
of a smile played round his bearded lips.
t'Thlat'll be all right," I replied lightly;
"I'll send it along with the mniuscript.
But first I must be assured of absolute
seerecy."
"That I. fear will be impossible." Here
lie gravely wagged his beard.
"But don't you see the opinions ex
pressed may give offence in certain quar.
tersi."
"In that case,"' he replied definitely,
"I ucan he of no service to you.: Nothing
leaves this placnee 'without 'my imprint.
Perhaps you will find somneone to oblige"
"But it's not dangerous, inflammatory,
or seditious."
"No, please; I think we shall not do
business. But if you. have any. poetry,
iow, that you would like to send to your
friends, I will gladly quote an estimate."
"How did you know I wrote poetry?"
"It is in your. eyes," lie said, not with
out a suggestion of mockery.
"And will you please shut the door after
you. .
CHAPTEIR IX.'
AMONG FRIENDS.L
Possibly an item to' be entered on the
debit side "of the ledger. Had I moved
too swiftJy, too injudiciously, or woo
Mr. .Jenkwin :by nature cautioos and
prone to snspicion?' Though unable to
deny that I had precipitated matters,
I yet consoled myself with the reflec
tion that the credit side of the account
was not entirely void of interest. Two
items in particular stood out clearly:
the 'first,. that myy cominunistic friend
had business dealings with R. Jenkwin,
printer; of IBcclestonc-road: the second.
that the green lorries of the' Transport
Coinmpany were involved in the affair.
One other thing I also thought was clear:
if Mr. Jenkwin had been in the habit
of secretly printing sedition literature
tlhere wna likely to hbe a pause: in his
activities.
On the other hand, lie may have been
a perfectly honcnt man, and;my cnm
munist's visit to his ~sho due to a law
fiul trade trananction. True, the pres
ence of the rcen' lorry did not support
this supposition; or was I, anxious that
it should Ioat? The green lorries be.
longed to a carrying cotnpany, and such
companies do not always know the nature
of lthe glods they cat'y.
enllfwhile, I decided 1ot to report the'
"incident at, headquarters,. which wohld
hnve been succeeded by 'a- system of
espionnge on Air. Jenkwin,. not compnt
ible with a fceling of security 'on his
part, orsan ch asn': I hoped to' e?colurge.
Indeed q?ite the contrary effect mighlt
ie antic?pnted: whereas if .he were left
eeverely alone, much of. his alarm might
grndtuallh smside if not entirely vanish.
At nor rate I hoped this mtight be the
case. Without further causee for sus,
pichein It would be difficult to continue
suspicious, aul for the present I-had no
iutentiona of Mspplying him with thalt
ituneessary' stimnlut at.
Thlis d?'ei, n alsno lapplied' to I+lrry
Sandcr nod the offiei of the Quick Trans.
port Colopony in Camberwell Green . It
would have been pleasant': to renew' mY
icuntaintanco with Fred of the phnpl?'
for whose sharpness I ntaturally reinceivo
a profound regard, but possibly still more
interesting to interview that person whomi
ho: hadalluded to ns.the '"ar'lor," anod
niho presided, deity-like, hehind t.lhe door
marked" "pi'iaiteito. Doulltles even this
ivouhl come in time, and quickly too,'*u
less the Transport's; lorry drivers exer
cised .exceptionail. cren., Somehow ' I
thought they, would. Thlugh the danily
onanilties by motor troafie continue un
abated,, and are gradually coming, to? he
recurded as ineidental to life in the streets.
it might eventually arolse sasnnicion if
one onlpany claimed a monopoly of the
killing? business, .Someo might :even think!
that a now form' ofmurder had been in
vented... : ".
lleawhll eI was keeping In close tooeh
with Sir ~Elmond, Penton, who appeared
anlxious to ~ know how mlyy investigations
wereLprogremsigl. iOnce hi invited me to
tIea with him' on'. tile: 'Terrace of the
IIouse of: Cominons, and 'onc lie cailed
nn:' m' in ' Cork-street; lhappening by
haonce to be .in the vicinity. Oa. the
first occasion I found him still ardent in
oursit, of our 'task, and eager to learn
if 1lhndaddeveloped a plan of campaignll.
But wlien he called at Cork-strret, some
three dayso later, much of his ardour
hlid evaporated, If not exactly peasimiai
tie. ho:cofivoyed the imoression that tlh
task 'we had set ourselves to accomplish
waso almost insnerable. Besides, lie
liolieved the e nemy was getting scared,
or lying low wIth some sinister purpo?l
Certainly tlere fad been a cessation of
oetivity 'on his part. 'oPerhaps after all
the madmen ,were realininu the futility
of their, hopefi, What, sanli erson eolll
apossibly conceive the thought of reveli
ilon, i this country, except by. conaitul
tlonal methodsf There wasv no political'
alffervaconce of the continental ,type in
Elanland. We; did not assassjnate oullr
ruloars; however lamentably they blun.
loraed: instead we voted them out of
cower. Into the Ioluse of Lords. At this
ulip ho chuelled n al.n oked if I didn't
think lie was right. I agreed, but added
there were fanatica in on"rv enmmunity,
and maniny borlder-line cases among the
population wahich should be undeor lone
observation, a fact whlch no one would
Iknow better than he
He admitted such was the aone, ond
rlused soie nastonishment Iv rattling, olf
a row of bewildering statistics in support
of Ifns contenltlon " '
"Indeed," in n osured me, r"oitlir tile
ledical professon no one lins thle least
hden of the number of mental diefectiven
there nre at large, and every one ai potel.
tial, if not 111 autlual criminal,,. Bll,, of
course, I can't tell you anytlhieg lllbou
hat.," he snil with a elrious lItiltato
nmile. "We, have both 'eon lifo in the
raw, Colonel, and sometimes I. think tnalt
hlavoe 'regnrdedl it nwitll horror,"
'Yet r ialnteresting if painful study."
I iuglested.
"Liable to send one cnreoring over hile
lorder.line If too incesnaltly pursuledl. For
tiunately I abandloed thie pursuit ill tihnme
"To the loss of the COmIIunIty, Sir
'"If I luadnl't I should now be veae
atine, amounl many of my patiollts. i ut
one day 'I hope to hnve a further talk
vith yol ol this lsubjet, painful as the
nemlory of it still is; that is, If youl are
interested."
"TntenRely," I nemlred him,
"The mind." lie mused, "that divine
part of an, rendered worse than blannk by
the anapping of an infiniteimal thread.."
Ie lookned extremely rlave for a moment,
lhen with a sbrug of the shoullers lmiled.
Bulit I must 1hrry bnek to the Tollae,
And, ohn. by tlle way, i few friends are
ining with me on Sundln nliht. If not
otherwise enanuled I shall be delighted
If, you will omoe long.
(Tp be Continued,)
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