The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Secret House, by Edgar Wallace

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Title: The Secret House

Author: Edgar Wallace

Release Date: August 3, 2008 [EBook #26176]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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THE SECRET HOUSE

By EDGAR WALLACE

[Illustration: Publisher's logo]

A. L. BURT COMPANY
Publishers New York

Printed in U. S. A.

Copyright, 1919
BY SMALL, MAYNARD & COMPANY
(INCORPORATED)

Second Printing, August, 1919

THE SECRET HOUSE

CHAPTER I

A man stood irresolutely before the imposing portals of Cainbury House,
a large office building let out to numerous small tenants, and
harbouring, as the indicator on the tiled wall of the vestibule
testified, some thirty different professions. The man was evidently
poor, for his clothes were shabby and his boots were down at heel. He
was as evidently a foreigner. His clean-shaven eagle face was sallow,
his eyes were dark, his eyebrows black and straight.

He passed up the few steps into the hall and stood thoughtfully before
the indicator. Presently he found what he wanted. At the very top of the
list and amongst the crowded denizens of the fifth floor was a slip
inscribed:

"THE GOSSIP'S CORNER"

He took from his waistcoat pocket a newspaper cutting and compared the
two then stepped briskly, almost jauntily, into the hall, as though all
his doubts and uncertainties had vanished, and waited for the elevator.
His coat was buttoned tightly, his collar was frayed, his shirt had seen
the greater part of a week's service, the Derby hat on his head had
undergone extensive renovations, and a close observer would have noticed
that his gloves were odd ones.

He walked into the lift and said, "Fifth floor," with a slight foreign
accent.

He was whirled up, the lift doors clanged open and the grimy finger of
the elevator boy indicated the office. Again the man hesitated,
examini