CAPTAINS OF SOULS By EDGAR WALLACE A. L. BURT COMPANY Publishers New York Printed in U. S. A. Copyright, 1922 BY SMALL, MAYNARD & COMPANY (Incorporated) Printed in the United States of America Dedicated to "Tookie" Contents Book the First Book the Second Book the Third Book the Fourth Captains of Souls _BOOK THE FIRST_ I Beryl Merville wrote: "_Dear Ronnie_: We are back from Italy, arriving this afternoon. Daddy thought you would be there to meet us, and I was so disappointed to find nobody but Mr. Steppe. Oh, yes! I know that he is a most important person, and his importance was supported by his new car; such an impressive treasure, with a collapsible writing-table and cigar-lighter and library--actually a library in a cunning little locker under one of the seats. I just glanced at them. I am a little afraid of Mr. Steppe, yet he was kindness itself, and that bull voice of his, bellowing orders to porters and chauffeur and railway policemen was comforting in a way. Daddy is a little plaintive on such occasions. I thought he was looking unusually striking--Steppe I mean. People certainly do look at him, with his black, pointed beard and his bristling, black eyebrows. You like him, don't you? Perhaps I should too, only--he is very magnetic; a commanding person, he frightens me, I repeat. And I have met another man, I don't think you know him, he said he had never met you. Daddy knows him rather well, and so does Mr. Steppe. Such a queer man, Ronnie! He arrived after Daddy had gone to his club, to collect some correspondence. The maid came and told me there was a strange man in the hall who said Dr. Merville had sent for him; so I went down to see him.