The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Paternoster Ruby, by Charles Edmonds Walk

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Title: The Paternoster Ruby

Author: Charles Edmonds Walk

Illustrator: J. V. McFall

Release Date: August 1, 2007 [EBook #22212]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PATERNOSTER RUBY ***

Produced by Al Haines

[Frontispiece: The gem lay between them, a splash of crimson flame]

The Paternoster Ruby

_By_ CHARLES EDMONDS WALK

Author of "The Silver Blade," "The Yellow Circle," etc.

WITH FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOR

BY J. V. McFALL

A. L. BURT COMPANY

PUBLISHERS

NEW YORK

COPYRIGHT

A. C. McCLURG & CO.

1910

Published, October 22, 1910

Entered at Stationers' Hall, London, England

TO

M. H. W.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I THE SHERIDAN PARK MYSTERY
II THE PRIVATE SECRETARY
III SOME DISCOVERIES
IV THE RUBY
V THE HIDDEN SAFE
VI AN EXTRAORDINARY ERRAND
VII HOW THE ERRAND ENDED
VIII MAILLOT'S EXPERIENCE
IX TRACKS IN THE SNOW
X THE SECOND STORY
XI A PACT
XII THE CIPHER
XIII DISCLOSURES
XIV RIDDLES
XV A WOMAN'S SCREAM
XVI THE FACE IN THE ALCOVE
XVII PRISON DOORS
XVIII A FIGHT IN THE DARK
XIX BELLE
XX GENEVIEVE'S MISSION
XXI SHADOWS
XXII ASHES OF OLD ROMANCE
XXIII BURKE UNBOSOMS
XXIV CONFESSION
XXV "THIMBLE, THIMBLE--"
XXVI THE CIPHER SOLVED

ILLUSTRATIONS

The gem lay between them, a splash of crimson flame . . . _Frontispiece_

Diagram of second floor

The door opened a few inches, to reveal the figure of Alexander Burke

Cipher

Cipher (repeated)

"I'll shoot," she announced in a tense tone, "so help me, I'll shoot"

"Uncle, Uncle, sit up! Don't go to pieces this way"

Cipher (repeated)

THE PATERNOSTER RUBY

CHAPTER I

THE SHERIDAN PARK MYSTERY

With a screaming of brakes, the elevated train on which I happened to be
jerked to a stop, and passengers intending to disembark were catapulted
toward the doorways--a convenience supplied gratis by all elevated roads,
which, I have obse