DOUBLE CROSSED
BY
W. DOUGLAS NEWTON
AUTHOR OF “LOW CEILINGS,” “GREEN LADIES,”
“WESTWARD WITH THE PRINCE OF WALES,” ETC.
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY
NEW YORK :: 1922 :: LONDON
COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
TO
GLADYS AND JOE
DOUBLE CROSSED
CHAPTER I
I
A little, knuckly man bounded into Clement Seadon’s cabin with anindia-rubber violence. He snapped the door closed, and faced thestartled young man.
“You’re Clement Seadon,” he cried; “I’m Hartley Hard.”
The young man stopped unpacking.
“I don’t think I know you,” he said.
“You needn’t think. You don’t know. I’m a complete stranger to you—inthe flesh. But don’t talk. I haven’t much time.”
Clement glanced at the umbrella and obvious shore rig of the boundinglittle man.
“In fact,” he said, in the other’s manner, “you have no time at all.‘All ashore’ was called two minutes ago.”
“Oh, don’t talk,” panted the little man. “This thing is terriblyimportant. I mustn’t lose a moment telling you. You know Heloise Reys?”
“Not at all,” said Clement dryly. He began again to unpack.
“For heaven’s sake, don’t quibble, man. You[Pg 2] know her. You came fromLondon to Liverpool in the same carriage as Heloise Reys.”
“Oh, that was Heloise Reys,” said the young man, dropping hisdress-shirts and looking up with interest. “The Gorgon woman with hercalled her Loise.”
“Nickname,” said the little man breathlessly. “Her name is reallyHeloise—What I mean to say is, you do know her.”
“Not really,” said Clement with exasperating (and, one is afraid,deliberate) casualness. “A mere chance acquaintance.”
He refused to tell the little man that, having encountered her in theC.P.R. office, he had determinedly looked out for her on the boat train.
The little man danced about in a fury of anxiety.
“Please do remember that I have the barest possible time to tell youwhat I must tell you. Don’t interrupt. Don’t quibble. You know her. Sheis good looking.”
“Very good looking,” said Clement, staring at the little man inamazement.
“She is a charming girl,” urged the little man.
“Perfectly charming,” said Clement.
“Of very good family, too,” snapped the little man.
“Probably,” said Clement. “But I didn’t find that out.”
“Don’t have to, take it from me. Very good family. No father, nomother.”
“That,” said Clement, “I shall have to take from you.”
His astonishment had given way to a sort of guarded amusement. He wasof the genial type of young man, one who could see the humorous side ofthings quickly.
The little bouncy man waved his umbrella in excitement.
“Do take it from me,” he cried. “No mother, no fath