The Golden Face A Great 'Crook' Romance   By: William Le Queux (1864-1927)

A GREAT "CROOK" ROMANCE

BY

WILLIAM LE QUEUX

AUTHOR OF "MADEMOISELLE OF MONTE CARLO," "THE STRETTON STREET AFFAIR"

NEW YORK

THE MACAULAY COMPANY

COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY

THE MACAULAY COMPANY

Printed in the United States of America

[Illustration: I slipped the pendant into Lady Lydbrook's soft hand as she stood in déshabille at the half opened door of her bedroom.]

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I PRIVATE AND PERSONAL 1

II ROOM NUMBER 88 16

III THE MAN WITH THE HUMP 30

IV THE FOUR FALSE FINGERS 43

V CONCERNS MR. BLUMENFELD 59

VI AT THREE EIGHTEEN A.M. 73

VII LITTLE LADY LYDBROOK 87

VIII THE CAT'S TOOTH 99

IX LOLA IS AGAIN SUSPICIOUS 113

X THE PAINTED ENVELOPE 127

XI THE GENTLEMAN FROM ROME 140

XII THE SILVER SPIDER 151

XIII ABDUL HAMID'S JEWELS 170

XIV THE VENGEANCE OF TAI K'AN 186

XV OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY 201

XVI THE MAN WHO WAS SHY 215

XVII THE SIGN OF NINETY NINE 232

THE GOLDEN FACE

CHAPTER I

PRIVATE AND PERSONAL

In order to ease my conscience and, further, to disclose certain facts which for the past year or two have, I know, greatly puzzled readers of our daily newspapers, I have decided to here reveal some very curious and, perhaps, sensational circumstances.

In fact, after much perplexity and long consideration, I have resolved, without seeking grace or favor, to make a clean breast of all that happened to me, and to leave the reader to judge of my actions, and either to condemn or to condone my offenses.

I will begin at the beginning.

It has been said that service in the Army has upset the average man's chances of prosperity in civil life. That, I regret, is quite true.

When I, George Hargreave, came out of the Army after the Armistice, I found myself, like many hundreds of other ex officers, completely at a loose end, without a shilling in the world over and above the gratuity of between two and three hundred pounds to which my period of commissioned service entitled me.

Grown accustomed during the war, however, to fending for myself and overcoming difficulties and problems of one sort and another, I at once set to work to look about for any kind of employment for which I fancied I might be fitted. After answering many advertisements to no purpose, I one day happened upon one in The Times which rather stirred my curiosity.

It stated that a gentleman of good position, who had occasion to travel in many parts of the world, would like to hear from a young man with considerable experience in motor driving. The applicant should not be over thirty, and it was essential that he should be a gentleman and well educated, with a knowledge of foreign languages if possible; also that he should be thoroughly trustworthy and possessed of initiative. The salary would be a very liberal one.

Application was to be made by letter only to a certain box at the office of The Times .

I wrote at once, and received some days later a reply signed " per pro Rudolph Rayne," asking me to call to see the advertiser, who said he would be awaiting me at a certain small hôtel de luxe in the West End at three o'clock on the following afternoon.

I arrived at the highly aristocratic hotel at five minutes to three, and was conducted to a private sitting room by a page who, on ushering me in, indicated a good looking, middle aged man seated near the window, reading a newspaper and smoking a cigar.

The gentleman looked up as I approached, then put down his paper, rose, and extended his hand.