{"product_id":"2940148777731","title":"The Riddle and the Ring","description":"Contents:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTHE LITTLE MAN IN BLACK.\u003cbr\u003eAN AMAZING OFFER.\u003cbr\u003ePANIC.\u003cbr\u003eTHE EMERALD RING.\u003cbr\u003eTHE POWER OF AVARICE.\u003cbr\u003eAS IN A DREAM.\u003cbr\u003eNEW GRACE AND DIGNITY.\u003cbr\u003eTHE GATES OF CHANCE.\u003cbr\u003eA WOMAN IN DISTRESS.\u003cbr\u003eSHIRLEY RIVES.\u003cbr\u003eHIDE AND SEEK.\u003cbr\u003ePUZZLED.\u003cbr\u003eTHE WHEEL OF FORTUNE.\u003cbr\u003eFOLLOWED.\u003cbr\u003eTHE GIRL WHO VANISHED.\u003cbr\u003eANOTHER WOMAN.\u003cbr\u003eBEYOND BELIEF.\u003cbr\u003eCHAOS.\u003cbr\u003ePROTECTIVE MEASURES.\u003cbr\u003eTHE MAN WHO LOST.\u003cbr\u003eIN THE NEXT COMPARTMENT.\u003cbr\u003eTHE TOUCH Of COLD STEEL.\u003cbr\u003eBY FORCE OF ARMS.\u003cbr\u003eTHE EMPTY HOUSE.\u003cbr\u003eTHE FACE IN THE CANDLELIGHT.\u003cbr\u003eTHE HAND OF FATE.\u003cbr\u003eTHE LETTER.\u003cbr\u003eTHE HOUSE ON THE AVENUE.\u003cbr\u003eLAWRENCE PLEADS.\u003cbr\u003eTHE TANGLED WEB.\u003cbr\u003eDESPAIR.\u003cbr\u003eAN EXTRAORDINARY INTERVIEW.\u003cbr\u003eGONE!\u003cbr\u003eTHE PUZZLE GROWS.\u003cbr\u003eTHE ASTONISHING MRS. WILMERDING.\u003cbr\u003eTAKING UP THE TRAIL.\u003cbr\u003eTWO SHEETS OF PAPER.\u003cbr\u003eIN CAPITALS OF RED.\u003cbr\u003eHAMERSLEY TAKES A HAND.\u003cbr\u003eTHE OPEN DOOR.\u003cbr\u003eAT CROSS-PURPOSES.\u003cbr\u003eTHE MAN IN THE MIRROR.\u003cbr\u003eHIS SECOND HALF.\u003cbr\u003eTHE RIDDLE SOLVED.\u003cbr\u003eTHE GIFT OF THE RING.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER I.\u003cbr\u003eTHE LITTLE MAN IN BLACK.\u003cbr\u003eIt was the second time the man had passed the bench, and, as their eyes met for an instant before the stranger swiftly averted his head and walked on, Barry Lawrence frowned with quick suspicion. Was it possible that the intolerable persecution had begun again? For more than three weeks he had been left in peace, and it seemed the irony of fate that now, at a moment when he was tasting the bitter dregs of life, the harassing should begin again.\u003cbr\u003eThe next moment he shrugged his shoulders resignedly. After all, what did it matter? They could get nothing from him now—he had nothing to give. If they had indeed returned, they must soon discover that.\u003cbr\u003eThe massive façade of the Pennsylvania Station had caught his eye, and brought new hope to his numbed brain. Here at least would be comparative warmth, and they could not very well turn him out. He could pretend that he was waiting for a train, and might sit for hours in the waiting room. After that—— Well, he did not wish to think of afterward.\u003cbr\u003eHe was only just beginning to recover from the stupefying cold which had numbed and chilled him to the marrow, and driven him into the great station to keep from dropping in the icy, wind-swept street.\u003cbr\u003eHe fancied that the passing porters looked at him curiously. When the announcer strolled near him, he felt impelled to turn toward the news stand in the corner. At least he could afford a paper. It was about the only thing he could buy now, and with it he could retire to the waiting room with some semblance of naturalness.\u003cbr\u003eIt was as he turned away from the stand that his eyes met, for the first time, those of the little man in black. Lawrence did not notice his appearance particularly then, but averted his eyes, and strode toward the men's waiting room. Here it was much warmer. The benches were well filled, but he found a seat facing the door, spread out his paper, and began to read.\u003cbr\u003ePerhaps five minutes later he happened to glance up in time to see that same short, slim, precise figure pass the bench on which he sat. Of course, there might have been nothing more than a coincidence in it—people are constantly walking about a station while waiting for a train, and one frequently notices the same face half a dozen times in the space of a few minutes.\u003cbr\u003eStill, Lawrence felt annoyed. His recent experience of having been followed and spied upon had so worn on his nerves that he constantly found himself suspicious of even the most casual glance. A frown furrowed his wide forehead, and, though his eyes dropped again to the printed sheet before him, he could not seem to dismiss the commonplace stranger from his mind.\u003cbr\u003eThus it happened that, when the man passed the bench again, Lawrence threw back his head swiftly, and caught the pale, grayish eyes fixed on his face with a stealthy, but unmistakably intent, scrutiny. The lids drooped instantly, and the stranger continued his pacing without a pause, Barry's glance followed him suspiciously.\u003cbr\u003eThis man did not look at all like the others who had made his life miserable for months. He seemed so insignificant, with his slight, spare form, his pale eyes, and rather weak face. He looked more like a bookkeeper or clerk, grown old and sedate in the service of some long-established banking house, than anything Lawrence could think of; though that did not seem to fit him exactly.\u003cbr\u003eNow the man had turned and was coming back, and Barry, noticing his face intently, found himself wondering whether he was really old or not. After all, he might easily have been thirty-five or so; it was his iron-gray hair and curiously set expression which made him seem older.\u003cbr\u003eThe young fellow's eyes dropped to the paper, and he waited for the stranger to pass on. The latter did not pass, however. Instead, he approached the bench, and quietly took the seat on Barry's left.","brand":"Lost Leaf Publications","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47079327662320,"sku":"2940148777731","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940148777731_p0.jpg?v=1763714127","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940148777731","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}