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diff --git a/44984-0.txt b/44984-0.txt index 3d2c71f..f70390d 100644 --- a/44984-0.txt +++ b/44984-0.txt @@ -1,38 +1,4 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Mystery Girl, by Carolyn Wells - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Mystery Girl - -Author: Carolyn Wells - -Release Date: March 19, 2014 [EBook #44984] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MYSTERY GIRL *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Mardi Desjardins and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net -(This book was produced from scanned images of public -domain material from the Google Print project.) - - - - - - - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 44984 *** THE MYSTERY GIRL @@ -8820,362 +8786,4 @@ Detective, displays his remarkable ingenuity for unravelling mysteries_ End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Mystery Girl, by Carolyn Wells -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MYSTERY GIRL *** - -***** This file should be named 44984-0.txt or 44984-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/4/9/8/44984/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Mardi Desjardins and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net -(This book was produced from scanned images of public -domain material from the Google Print project.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Mystery Girl - -Author: Carolyn Wells - -Release Date: March 19, 2014 [EBook #44984] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MYSTERY GIRL *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Mardi Desjardins and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net -(This book was produced from scanned images of public -domain material from the Google Print project.) - - - - - - - - - - THE MYSTERY - GIRL - - - BY - CAROLYN WELLS - _Author of "Vicky Van," "Raspberry Jam," &c._ - - - PHILADELPHIA AND LONDON - J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY - 1922 - - COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY - PRINTED BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY - AT THE WASHINGTON SQUARE PRESS - PHILADELPHIA, U. S. A. - - - TO - HUBER GRAY BUEHLER - A GRAVE AND REVEREND SEIGNEUR WHO - POSSESSES THE ADDED GRACE OF A RARE - TASTE IN MYSTERY STORIES - - - - - CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I. A President-elect 9 - II. Miss Mystery Arrives 28 - III. Thirteen Buttons 47 - IV. A Broken Teacup 65 - V. The Tragedy 84 - VI. An Incredible Case 103 - VII. The Volume of Martial 121 - VIII. Where is Nogi? 140 - IX. A Love Letter 158 - X. Who is Miss Mystery? 176 - XI. The Spinster's Evidence 193 - XII. Maurice Trask, Heir 212 - XIII. The Truesdell Eyebrows 231 - XIV. A Proposal 250 - XV. Fleming Stone Comes 269 - XVI. Miss Mystery's Testimony 287 - XVII. Planning an Elopement 305 - XVIII. Miss Mystery no Longer 322 - - - - - THE MYSTERY GIRL - - - - - CHAPTER I - A PRESIDENT-ELECT - - -Quite aside from its natural characteristics, there is an atmosphere -about a college town, especially a New England college town, that is -unmistakable. It is not so much actively intellectual as passively aware -of and satisfied with its own intellectuality. - -The beautiful little town of Corinth was no exception; from its -tree-shaded village green to the white-columned homes on its outskirts it -fairly radiated a satisfied sense of its own superiority. - -Not that the people were smug or self-conceited. They merely accepted the -fact that the University of Corinth was among the best in the country and -that all true Corinthians were both proud and worthy of it. - -The village itself was a gem of well-kept streets, roads and houses, and -all New England could scarce show a better groomed settlement. - -In a way, the students, of course, owned the place, yet there were many -families whose claim to prominence lay in another direction. - -However, Corinth was by all counts, a college town, and gloried in it. - -The University had just passed through the throes and thrills of one of -its own presidential elections. - -The contest of the candidates had been long, and at last the strife had -become bitter. Two factions strove for supremacy, one, the conservative -side, adhering to old traditions, the other, the modern spirit, -preferring new conditions and progressive enterprise. - -Hard waged and hard won, the battle had resulted at last in the election -of John Waring, the candidate of the followers of the old school. - -Waring was not an old fogy, nor yet a hide-bound or narrow-minded back -number. But he did put mental attainment ahead of physical prowess, and -he did hold by certain old-fashioned principles and methods, which he and -his constituents felt to be the backbone of the old and honored -institution. - -Wherefore, though his election was an accomplished fact, John Waring had -made enemies that seemed likely never to be placated. - -But Waring's innate serenity and acquired poise were not disturbed by -adverse criticism, he was a man with an eye single to his duty as he saw -it. And he accepted the position of responsibility and trust, simply and -sincerely with a determination to make his name honored among the list of -presidents. - -Inauguration, however, would not take place until June, and the months -from February on would give him time to accustom himself to his new -duties, and to learn much from the retiring president. - -Yet it must not be thought that John Waring was unpopular. On the -contrary, he was respected and liked by everybody in Corinth. Even the -rival faction conceded his ability, his sterling character and his -personal charm. And their chagrin and disappointment at his election was -far more because of their desire for the other candidate's innovations -than of any dislike for John Waring as a man. - -Of course, there were some who candidly expressed their disapproval of -the new president, but, so far, no real opposition was made, and it was -hoped there would be none. - -Now, whether because of the exigencies of his new position, or merely -because of the irresistible charms of Mrs. Bates, Waring expected to make -the lady his wife before his inauguration. - -"And a good thing," his neighbor, Mrs. Adams, observed. "John Waring -ought to've been somebody's good-looking husband long ago, but a bachelor -president of Corinth is out of all reason! Who'd stand by his side at the -receptions, I'd like to know?" - -For certain public receptions were dearly loved by the citizens of -Corinth, and Mrs. Adams was one of the most reception-loving of all. - -As in all college towns, there were various and sundry boarding houses, -inns and hotels of all grades, but the boarding house of Mrs. Adams was, -without a dissenting voice, acclaimed the most desirable and most -homelike. - -The good lady's husband, though known as "Old Salt," was by no means a -seafaring man, nor had he ever been. Instead, he was a leaf on a branch -of the Saltonstall family tree, and the irreverent abbreviation had been -given him long ago, and had stuck. - -"Yes, indeed," Mrs. Adams asserted, "we've never had a bachelor president -of Corinth and I hope we never will. Mrs. Bates is a nice sweet-spoken -lady, a widow of four years standing, and I do say she's just the one for -Doctor Waring's wife. She has dignity, and yet she's mighty human." - -Emily Bates was human. Not very tall, a little inclined to plumpness, -with fair hair and laughing blue eyes, she was of a cozy, home-loving -sort, and her innate good nature and ready tact were unfailing. - -At first she had resisted John Waring's appeal, but he persisted, until -she found she really liked the big, wholesome man, and without much -difficulty learned to love him. - -Waring was distinguished-looking rather than handsome. Tall and -well-made, he had a decided air of reserve which he rarely broke through, -but which, Emily Bates discovered, could give way to confidences showing -depths of sweetness and charm. - -The two were happily matched. Waring was forty-two and Mrs. Bates half a -dozen years younger. But both seemed younger than their years, and -retained their earlier tastes and enthusiasms. - -Also both were bound up, heart and soul, in the welfare of the -University. Mrs. Bates' first husband had been one of its prominent -professors and its history and traditions were known and loved by the -cheery little lady. - -Perhaps the only person in Corinth who was not pleased at the approaching -nuptials of John Waring and Emily Bates was Mrs. Peyton, Waring's present -housekeeper. For it meant the loss of her position, which she had -faithfully filled for ten years or more. And this meant the loss of a -good and satisfactory home, not only for herself, but for her daughter -Helen, a girl of eighteen, who lived there also. - -Not yet had Waring told his housekeeper that she was to be dethroned but -she knew the notice would come,--knew, too, that it was delayed only -because of John Waring's disinclination to say or do anything unwelcome -to another. And Mrs. Peyton had been his sister's school friend and had -served him well and faithfully. Yet she must go, for the incoming -mistress needed no other housekeeper for the establishment than her own -efficient, capable self. - -It was a very cold February afternoon, and Mrs. Peyton was serving tea in -the cheerful living-room. Emily Bates was present; an indulgence she -seldom allowed herself, for she was punctilious regarding conventions, -and Corinth people, after all, were critical. Though, to be sure, there -was no harm in her taking tea in the home so soon to be her own. - -The two women were outwardly most courteous, and if there was an -underlying hostility it was not observable on the part of either. - -"I came today," Emily Bates said, as she took her tea cup from the -Japanese butler who offered it, "because I want to tell you, John, of -some rumors I heard in the town. They say there is trouble brewing for -you." - -"Trouble brewing is such a picturesque phrase," Waring said, smiling -idly, as he stirred his tea. "One immediately visions Macbeth's witches, -and their trouble brew." - -"You needn't laugh," Emily flashed an affectionate smile toward him, -"when the phrase is used it often means something." - -"Something vague and indefinite," suggested Gordon Lockwood, who was -Waring's secretary, and was as one of the family. - -"Not necessarily," Mrs. Bates returned; "more likely something definite, -though perhaps not very alarming." - -"Such as what?" asked Waring, "and from what direction? Will the freshmen -make me an apple-pie bed, or will the seniors haze me, do you think?" - -"Be serious, John," Mrs. Bates begged. "I tell you there is a movement on -foot to stir up dissension. I heard they would contest the election." - -"Oh, they can't do that," Lockwood stated; "nor would anybody try. Don't -be alarmed, Mrs. Bates. I'm sure we know all that's going on,--and I -can't think there's any 'trouble brewing' for Doctor Waring." - -"I've heard it, too," vouchsafed Mrs. Peyton. "It's not anything -definite, but there are rumors and hints, and where there's smoke, -there's bound to be fire. I wish you'd at least look into it, Doctor." - -"Yes," agreed Emily Bates, "do look into it, John." - -"But how can I?" Waring smiled. "I can't go from door to door, saying -'I've come to investigate a rumor,' can I?" - -"Oh, don't be absurd!" Mrs. Bates' plump little hands fluttered in -protest and then fell quietly to rest in her lap. "You men are so -tactless! Now, Mrs. Peyton or I could find out all about it, without any -one knowing we were making inquiry." - -"Why don't you, then?" asked Waring, and Mrs. Peyton gave a pleased smile -as the guest bracketed their names. - -"I will, if you say so." Emily spoke gravely. "That is what I wanted to -ask you. I didn't like to take up the matter with any one unless you -directly approved." - -"Oh, go ahead,--I see no harm in it." - -"But, Doctor Waring," put in Lockwood, "is it wise? I fear that if Mrs. -Bates takes up this matter she may get in deeper than she means or -expects to, and--well, you can't tell what might turn up." - -"That's so, Emily. As matters stand, you'd best be careful." - -"Oh, John, how vacillating you are! First, you say go ahead, and then you -say stop! I don't mind your changing your opinions, but I do resent your -paying so little attention to the matter. You toss it aside without -thought." - -"Doctor Waring thinks very quickly," said Mrs. Peyton, and Emily gave her -a slight stare. - -It was hard for the housekeeper to realize that she must inevitably lose -her place in his household, and the thought made her a little assertive -while she still had opportunity. - -"Yes, I know it," was the reply Emily gave, and went on, addressing -herself to the two men. - -"Persuade him, Mr. Lockwood. Not of his duty, he never misapprehends -that, but of the necessity of looking on this matter as a duty." - -"What a pleader you are, Emily," and Waring gave her an admiring bow; "I -am almost persuaded that my very life is in danger!" - -"Oh, you won't be good!" The blue eyes twinkled but the rosy little mouth -took on a mutinous pout. "Well, I warn you, if you don't look out for -yourself, I'm going to look out for you! And that, as Mr. Lockwood hints, -may get you into trouble!" - -"What a contradictory little person it is! In an effort to get me out of -trouble, you admit you will probably get me into trouble. Well, well, if -this is during our betrothal days, what will you do after we are -married?" - -"Oh, then you'll obey me implicitly," and the expressive hands indicated -with a wide sweep, total subjection. - -"You'll find him not absolutely easy to manage," Mrs. Peyton declared, -and though Emily Bates said no word, she gave a look of superior managing -power that brought the housekeeper's thin lips together in a resentful -straight line. - -This byplay was unnoticed by large-minded John Waring, but it amused -Lockwood, who was an observer of human nature. - -Unostentatiously, he watched Mrs. Peyton, as she turned her attention to -the tea tray, and noted the air of importance with which she continued -her duties as hostess. - -"Bring hot toast, Ito," she said to the well-trained and deferential -Japanese. "And a few more lemon slices,--I see another guest coming." - -She smiled out through the window, and a moment later a breezy young chap -came into the room. - -"Hello, folkses," he cried; "Hello, Aunt Emily." - -He gave Mrs. Bates an audible kiss on her pretty cheek and bowed with -boyish good humor to Mrs. Peyton. - -"How do you do, Uncle Doctor?" and "How goes it, Lock?" he went on, as he -threw himself, a little sprawlingly into an easy chair. "And here's the -fair Helen of Troy." - -He jumped up as Helen Peyton came into the room. "Why, Pinky," she said, -"when did you come?" - -"Just now, my girl, as you noted from your oriel lattice,--and came -running down to bask in the sunshine of my smiles." - -"Behave yourself, Pinky," admonished his aunt, as she noted Helen's quick -blush and realized the saucy boy had told the truth. - -Pinckney Payne, college freshman, and nephew of Emily Bates, was very -fond of Doctor Waring, his English teacher, and as also fond, in his -boyish way, of his aunt. But he was no respecter of authority, and, now -that his aunt was to be the wife of his favorite professor, also the -President-elect of the college, he assumed an absolute familiarity with -the whole household. - -His nickname was not only an abbreviation, but was descriptive of his -exuberant health and invariably red cheeks. For the rest, he was just a -rollicking, care-free boy, ring leader in college fun, often punished, -but bobbing up serenely again, ready for more mischief. - -Helen Peyton adored the irrepressible Pinky, and though he liked her, it -was no more than he felt for many others and not so much as he had for a -few. - -"Tea, Mrs. Peyton? Oh, yes, indeed, thank you. Yes, two lemon and three -sugar. And toasts,--and cakies,--oh, what good ones! What a tuck! Alma -Mater doesn't feed us like this! I say, Aunt Emily, after you are -married, may I come to tea every day? And bring the fellows?" - -"I'll answer that,--you may," said John Waring. - -"And I'll revise the answer,--you may, with reservations," Mrs. Bates -supplemented. "Now, Pinky, you're a dear and a sweet, but you can't annex -this house and all its affairs, just because it's going to be my home." - -"Don't want to, Auntie. I only want you to annex me. You'll keep the same -cook we have at present, won't you?" - -He looked solicitously at her, over a large slice of toast and jam he was -devouring. - -"Maybe and maybe not," Mrs. Peyton spoke up. "Cooks are not always -anxious to be kept." - -"At any rate, we'll have a cook, Pinky, of some sort," his aunt assured -him, and the boy turned to tease Helen Peyton, who was quite willing to -be teased. - -"I saw your beau today, Helen," he said. - -"Which one?" she asked placidly. - -"Is there a crowd? Well, I mean the Tyler person. Him as hangs out at Old -Salt's. And, by the way, Uncle President,--yes, I am a bit previous on -both counts, but you'll soon have the honor of being both President and -my uncle,--by the way, I say, Bob Tyler says there's something in the -wind." - -"A straw to show which way it blows, perhaps," Waring said. - -"Perhaps, sir. But it's blowing. Tyler says there's a movement on foot to -make things hot for you if you take the Presidential chair with your -present intentions." - -"My intentions?" - -"Yes, sir; about athletics, and sports in general." - -"And what are my so-called intentions?" - -"They say, you mean to cut out sport--" - -"Oh, Pinckney, you know better than that!" - -"Well, Doctor Waring, some seem to think that's what you have in mind. If -you'd declare your intentions now,--" - -"Look here, Pinky, don't you think I've enough on my mind in the matter -of marrying your aunt, without bringing in other matters till that's -settled." - -"Going to be married soon, Uncle Doc?" - -"We are. As soon as your aunt will select a pleasant day for the -ceremony. Then, that attended to, I can devote my mind and energies to -this other subject. And meanwhile, my boy, if you hear talk about it, -don't make any assertions,--rather, try to hush up the subject." - -"I see,--I see,--and I will, Doctor Waring. You don't want to bother with -those things till you're a settled down married man! I know just how you -feel about it. Important business, this getting married,--I daresay, -sir." - -"It is,--and so much so, that I'm going to take the bride-elect off right -now, for a little private confab. You must understand that we have much -to arrange." - -"Run along,--bless you, my children!" Pinky waved a teacup and a sandwich -beneficently toward the pair, as they left the room and went off in the -direction of the Doctor's study. - -The house was a large one, with a fine front portico upheld by six -enormous fluted columns. - -One of the most beautiful of New England doorways led into a wide hall. -To the right of this was the drawing-room, not so often used and not so -well liked as the more cozy living-room, to the left as one entered, and -where the tea-drinking group now sat. - -Behind these two rooms and hall, ran a cross hall, with an outer door at -the end back of the living-room and a deep and wide window seat at the -other end, behind the drawing-room. - -Further back, beyond the cross hall, on the living-room side, was the -dining-room, and beside it, back of the drawing-room was the Doctor's -study. This was the gem of the whole house. The floor had been sunken to -give greater ceiling height, for the room was very large, and of fine -proportions. It opened on to the cross hall with wide double doors, and a -flight of six or seven steps descended to its rug covered floor. - -Opposite the double doors was the great fireplace with high over-mantel -of carved stone. Each side of the mantel were windows, high and not -large. The main daylight came through a great window on the right of the -entrance and also from a long French window that opened like doors on the -same side. - -This French window, giving on a small porch, and the door that opened -into the cross hall of the house were the only doors in the great room, -save those on cupboards and bookcases. - -On the other side of the room, opposite the French window was a row of -four small windows looking into the dining-room. But these were high, and -could not be seen through by people on the sunken floor of the study. - -The whole room was done in Circassian walnut, and represented the ideal -abode of a man of letters. The fireside was flanked with two facing -davenports, the wide window seat was piled with cushions. The French -window-doors were suitably curtained and the high windows were of truly -beautiful stained glass. - -The spacious table desk was in the middle of the room, and bookcases, -both portable and built in, lined the walls. There were a few good busts -and valuable pictures, and the whole effect was one of dignity and repose -rather than of elaborate grandeur. - -The room was renowned, and all Corinth spoke of it with pride. The -students felt it a great occasion that brought them within its walls and -the faculty loved nothing better than a session therein. - -Casual guests were rarely entertained in the study. Only especial -visitors or those worthy of its classic atmosphere found welcome there. -Mrs. Peyton or Helen were not expected to use it, and Mrs. Bates had -already declared she should respect it as the sanctum of Doctor Waring -alone. - -The two made their way to the window seat, and as he arranged the soft -cushions for her, Waring said, "Don't, Emily, ever feel shut out of this -room. As I live now, I've not welcomed the Peytons in here, but my wife -is a different proposition." - -"I still feel an awe of the place, John, but I may get used to it. -Anyway, I'll try, and I do appreciate your willingness to have me in -here. Then if you want to be alone, you must put me out." - -"I'll probably do that, sometimes, dear, for I have to spend many hours -alone. You know, I'm not taking the presidency lightly." - -"I know it, you conscientious dear. But, on the other hand, don't be too -serious about it. You're just the man for the place, just the character -for a College President, and if you try too hard to improve or -reconstruct yourself, you'll probably spoil your present perfection." - -"Well nothing would spoil _your_ present perfection, my Emily. I am too -greatly blest,--to have the great honor from the college,--and you, too!" - -"Are you happy, John? All happy?" - -Waring's deep blue eyes fastened themselves on her face. His brown hair -showed only a little gray at the temples, his fine face was not touched -deeply by Time's lines, and his clear, wholesome skin glowed with health. - -If there was an instant's hesitation before his reply came, it was none -the less hearty and sincere. "Yes, my darling, all happy. And you?" - -"I am happy, if you are," she returned. "But I can never be happy if -there is a shadow of any sort on your heart. Is there, John? Tell me, -truly." - -"You mean regarding this trouble that I hear is brewing for me?" - -"Not only that; I mean in any direction." - -"Trouble, Emily! With you in my arms! No,--a thousand times no! Trouble -and I are strangers,--so long as I have you!" - - - - - CHAPTER II - MISS MYSTERY ARRIVES - - -Anyone who has arrived at the railroad station of a New England village, -after dark on a very cold winter night, the train late, no one to meet -him, and no place engaged for board and lodging, will know the desolation -of such a situation. - -New England's small railroad stations are much alike, the crowds that -alight from the trains are much alike, the people waiting on the platform -for the arriving travelers are much alike, but there came into Corinth -one night a passenger who was not at all like the fellow passengers on -that belated train. It was a train from New York, due in Corinth at -five-forty, but owing to the extreme cold weather, and various untoward -freezings occasioned thereby, the delays were many and long and the train -drew into the station shortly after seven o'clock. - -Tired, hungry and impatient, the travelers crowded out of the train and -stamped through the snow to the vehicles awaiting them, or footed it to -their nearby homes. - -The passenger who was unlike the others stepped down from the car -platform, and holding her small suitcase firmly, crossed the track and -entered the station waiting room. She went to the ticket window but found -there no attendant. Impatiently she tapped her little foot on the old -board floor but no one appeared. - -"Agent," she called out, rapping with her knuckles on the window shelf, -"Agent,--where are you?" - -"Who's there? What d'y' want?" growled a surly voice, and a head appeared -at the ticket window. - -"I want somebody to look after me! I'm alone, and I want a porter, and I -want a conveyance and I want some information." - -"Oh, you do! Well, I can't supply porters nor yet conveyances; but -information I may be able to give you." - -"Very well then," and a pair of big, dark eyes seemed to pierce his very -brain. "Then tell me where I can find the best accommodations in -Corinth." - -The now roused agent looked more interestedly at the inquirer. - -He saw a mere slip of a girl, young, slender, and very alert of manner. -Her dark, grave little face was oval, and her eyes had a strange uncanny -way of roving quickly about, and coming suddenly back, greatly -disconcerting the stolid ticket agent. - -This agent was not unused to girls,--a college town is often invaded by -hordes of smart young women, pretty girls and gay hoydens. Many Junes he -had sold tickets or given information to hundreds of feminine inquirers -but none had ever seemed quite like this one. - -"Best accommodations?" he repeated stupidly. - -"You heard me, then! About when do you propose to reply?" - -Still he gazed at her in silence, running over in his mind the various -boarding houses, and finding none he thought she'd like. - -"There's a rule of the Railroad Company that questions must be answered -the same day they're asked," she said, witheringly, and picking up her -suitcase she started for the door, feeling that any one she might find -would know more than this dummy. - -"Wait,--oh, I say, miss, wait a minute." - -"I did," she said coolly, proceeding to the door. - -"But,--oh, hold on,--try Old Salt Adams,--you couldn't do better." - -"Where is it?" she deigned to pause a moment, and he replied quickly: - -"He's right outside,--hurry up out,--you can catch him!" - -Here was something she could understand, and she hurried up out, just in -time to see an old man with long white beard jump into his sleigh and -begin to tuck fur robes about him. - -"He sprang to his sleigh,--to his team gave a whistle,--" she quoted to -herself, and then cried out, "Hey, there, Santa Claus, give me a lift?" - -"You engaged for our house?" the man called back, and as she shook her -head, he gathered up his reins. - -"Can't take any one not engaged," he called back, "Giddap!" - -"Wait,--wait! I command you!" The sharp, clear young voice rang out -through the cold winter air, and Old Saltonstall Adams paused to listen. - -"Ho, ho," he chuckled, "you command me, do you? Now, I haven't been -commanded for something like fifty years." - -"Oh, don't stop to fuss," the girl exclaimed, angrily. "Don't you see I'm -cold, hungry and very uncomfortable? You have a boarding house,--I want -board,--now, you take me in. Do you hear?" - -"Sure I hear, but, miss, we've only so many rooms and they're all -occupied or engaged." - -"Some are engaged, but as yet unoccupied?" The dark eyes challenged him, -and Adams mumbled,--"Well, that's about it." - -"Very well, I will occupy one until the engager comes along. Let me get -in. No, I can manage my suitcase myself. You get my trunk,--here's the -check. Or will you send for that tomorrow?" - -"Why wait? Might's well get it now--if so be you're bound to bide. 'Fraid -to wait in the sleigh alone?" - -"I'm afraid of nothing," was the disdainful answer, and the girl pulled -the fur robes up around her as she sat in the middle of the back seat. - -Shortly, old Salt returned with the trunk on his shoulder, and put it in -the front with himself, and they started. - -"Don't try to talk," he called back to her, as the horses began a rapid -trot. "I can't hear you against this wind." - -"I've no intention of talking," the girl replied, but the man couldn't -hear her. The wind blew fiercely. It was snowing a little, and the drifts -sent feathery clouds through the air. The trees, coated with ice from a -recent sleet storm, broke off crackling bits of ice as they passed. The -girl looked about, at first curiously, and then timidly, as if frightened -by what she saw. - -It was not a long ride, and they stopped before a large house, showing -comfortably lighted windows and a broad front door that swung open even -as the girl was getting down from the sleigh. - -"For the land sake!" exclaimed a brisk feminine voice, "this ain't Letty! -Who in the earth have you got here?" - -"I don't know," Old Salt Adams replied, truthfully. "Take her along, -mother, and give her a night's lodging." - -"But where is Letty? Didn't she come?" - -"Now can't you see she didn't come? Do you s'pose I left her at the -station? Or dumped her out along the road? No--since you will have it, -she didn't come. She _didn't_ come!" - -Old Salt drove on toward the barns, and Mrs. Adams bade the girl go into -the house. - -The landlady followed, and as she saw the strange guest she gazed at her -in frank curiosity. - -"You want a room, I s'pose," she began. "But, I'm sorry to say we haven't -one vacant--" - -"Oh, I'll take Letty's. She didn't come, you see, so I can take her room -for tonight." - -"Letty wouldn't like that." - -"But I would. And I'm here and Letty isn't. Shall we go right up?" - -Picking up her small suitcase, the girl started and then stepped back for -the woman to lead the way. - -"Not quite so fast--_if_ you please. What is your name?" - -As the landlady's tone changed to a sterner inflection, the girl likewise -grew dignified. - -"My name is Anita Austin," she said, coldly. "I came here because I was -told it was the best house in Corinth." - -"Where are you from?" - -"New York City." - -"What address?" - -"Plaza Hotel." - -By this time the strange dark eyes had done their work. A steady glance -from Anita Austin seemed to compel all the world to do her bidding. At -any rate, Mrs. Adams took the suitcase, and without a further word -conducted the stranger upstairs. - -She took her into an attractive bedroom, presumably made ready for the -absent Letty. - -"This will do," Miss Austin said, calmly. "Will you send me up a tray of -supper? I don't want much, and I prefer not to come down to dinner." - -"Land sake, dinner's over long ago. You want some tea, 'n' bread, 'n' -butter, 'n' preserves, 'n' cake?" - -"Yes, thank you, that sounds good. Send it in half an hour." - -To her guest Mrs. Adams showed merely a face of acquiescence, but once -outside the door, and released from the spell of those eerie eyes, she -remarked to herself, "For the land sake!" with great emphasis. - -"Well, what do you know about that!" Old Salt Adams cried, when, after -she had started him on his supper, his wife related the episode. - -"I can't make her out," Mrs. Adams said, thoughtfully. "But I don't like -her. And I won't keep her. Tomorrow, you take her over to Belton's." - -"Just as you say. But I thought her kinda interesting looking. You can't -say she isn't that." - -"Maybe so, to some folks. Not to me. And Letty'll come tomorrow, so that -girl'll have to get out of the room." - -Meanwhile "that girl" was eagerly peering out of her window. - -She tried to discern which were the lights of the college buildings, but -through the still lightly falling snow, she could see but little, and -after a time, she gave up the effort. She drew her head back into the -room just as a tap at the door announced her supper. - -"Thank you," she said to the maid who brought it. "Set it on that stand, -please. It looks very nice." - -And then, sitting comfortably in an easy chair, robed in warm dressing -gown and slippers, Miss Anita Austin devoted a pleasant half hour to the -simple but thoroughly satisfactory meal. - -This finished, she wrote some letters. Not many, indeed, but few as they -were, the midnight hour struck before she sealed the last envelope and -wrote the last address. - -Then, prepared for bed, she again looked from the window, and gazed long -into the night. - -"Corinth," she whispered, "Oh, Corinth, what do you hold for me? What -fortune or misfortune will you bring me? What fortune or misfortune shall -I bring to others? Oh, Justice, Justice, what crimes are committed in thy -name!" - -The next morning Anita appeared in the dining-room at the breakfast hour. - -Mrs. Adams scanned her sharply, and looked a little disapprovingly at the -short, scant skirt and slim, silken legs of her new boarder. - -Anita, her dark eyes scanning her hostess with equal sharpness, seemed to -express an equal disapproval of the country-cut gingham and huge white -apron. - -Not at all obtuse, Mrs. Adams sensed this, and her tone was a little more -deferential than she had at first intended to make it. - -"Will you sit here, please, Miss Austin?" she indicated a chair next -herself. - -"No, thank you, I'll sit by my friend," and the girl slipped into a -vacant chair next Saltonstall Adams. - -Old Salt gave a furtive glance at his wife, and suppressed a chuckle at -her surprise. - -"This is Mr. Tyler's place," he said to the usurper, "but I expect he'll -let you have it this once." - -"I mean to have it all the time," and Anita nodded gravely at her host. - -"All the time is this one meal only," crisply put in Mrs. Adams. "I'm -sorry, Miss Austin, but we can't keep you here. I have no vacant room." - -The entrance of some other people gave Anita a chance to speak in an -undertone to Mr. Adams, and she said; - -"You'll let me stay till Letty comes, won't you? I suppose you are boss -in your own house." - -As a matter of fact almost any phrase would have described the man better -than "boss in his own house," but the idea tickled his sense of irony, -and he chuckled as he replied, "You bet I am! Here you stay--as long as -you want to." - -"You're my friend, then?" and an appealing glance was shot at him from -beneath long, curling lashes, that proved the complete undoing of -Saltonstall Adams. - -"To the death!" he whispered, in mock dramatic manner. - -Anita gave a shiver. "What a way to put it!" she cried. "I mean to live -forever, sir!" - -"Doubtless," Old Salt returned, placidly. "You're a freak--aren't you?" - -"That isn't a very pretty way of expressing it, but I suppose I am," and -a mutinous look passed over the strange little face. - -In repose, the face was oval, serene, and regular of feature. But when -the girl smiled or spoke or frowned, changes took place, and the mobile -countenance grew soft with laughter or hard with scorn. - -And scorn was plainly visible when, a moment later, Adams introduced -Robert Tyler, a fellow boarder, to Miss Austin. - -She gave him first a conventional glance, then, as he dropped into the -chair next hers, and said, - -"Only too glad to give up my place to a peach," she turned on him a -flashing glance, that, as he expressed it afterward, "wiped him off the -face of the earth." - -Nor could he reinstate himself in her good graces. He tried a penitent -attitude, bravado, jocularity and indifference, but one and all failed to -engage her interest or even attention. She answered his remarks with -calm, curt speeches that left him baffled and uncertain whether he wanted -to bow down and worship her, or wring her neck. - -Old Salt Adams took this all in, his amusement giving way to curiosity -and then to wonder. Who was this person, who looked like a young, very -young girl, yet who had all the mental powers of an experienced woman? -What was she and what her calling? - -The other boarders appeared, those nearest Anita were introduced, and -most of them considered her merely a pretty, new guest. Her manners were -irreproachable, her demeanor quiet and graceful, yet as Adams covertly -watched her, he felt as if he were watching an inactive volcano. - -The meal over, he detained her a moment in the dining-room. - -"Why are you here, Miss Austin?" he said, courteously; "what is your -errand in Corinth?" - -"I am an artist," she said, looking at him with her mysterious intent -gaze. "Or, perhaps I should say an art student. I've been told that there -are beautiful bits of winter scenery available for subjects here, and I -want to sketch. Please, Mr. Adams, let me stay here until Letty comes." - -A sudden twinkle in her eye startled the old man, and he said quickly, -"How do you know she isn't coming?" - -That, in turn, surprised Anita, but she only smiled, and replied, "I saw -a telegram handed to Mrs. Adams at breakfast--and then she looked -thoughtfully at me, and--oh, well, I just sort of knew it was to say -Letty couldn't come." - -"You witch! You uncanny thing! If I should take you over to Salem, they'd -burn you!" - -"I'll ride over on a broomstick some day, and see if they will," she -returned, gleefully. - -And then along came Nemesis, in the person of the landlady. - -"I'm sorry, Miss Austin," she began, but the girl interrupted her. - -"Please, Mrs. Adams," she said, pleadingly, "don't say any thing to make -me sorry, too! Now, you want to say you haven't any room for me--but that -isn't true; so you don't know what to say to get rid of me. But--why do -you want to get rid of me?" - -Esther Adams looked at the girl and that look was her undoing. - -Such a pathetic face, such pleading eyes, such a wistful curved mouth, -the landlady couldn't resist, and against her will, against her better -judgment, she said, "Well, then, stay, you poor little thing. But you -must tell me more about yourself. I don't know who you are." - -"I don't know, myself," the strange girl returned. "Do we, any of us know -who we are? We go through this world, strangers to each other--don't we? -And also, strangers to ourselves." Her eyes took on a faraway, mystical -look. "If I find out who I am, I'll let you know." - -Then a dazzling smile broke over her face, they heard a musical ripple of -laughter, and she was gone. - -They heard her steps, as she ran upstairs to her room, and the two -Adamses looked at each other. - -"Daffy," said Mrs. Adams. "A little touched, poor child. I believe she -has run away from home or from her keepers. We'll hear the truth soon. -They'll be looking for her." - -"Perhaps," said her husband, doubtfully. "But that isn't the way I size -her up. She's nobody's fool, that girl. Wish you'd seen her give Bob -Tyler his comeuppance!" - -"What'd she say?" - -"'Twasn't what she said, so much as the look she gave him! He almost went -through the floor. Well, she says she's a painter of scenery and -landscapes. Let her stay a few days, till I size her up." - -"You size her up!" returned his wife, with good-natured contempt. "If she -smiles on you or gives you a bit of taffy-talk, you'll size her up for an -angel! I'm not so sure she isn't quite the opposite!" - -Meanwhile the subject of their discussion was arraying herself for a -walk. Equipped with storm boots and fur coat, she set out to inspect -Corinth. A jaunty fur cap, with one long, red quill feather gave her -still more the appearance of an elf or gnome, and many of the Adams house -boarders watched the little figure as she set forth to brave the icy -streets. - -Apparently she had no fixed plan of procedure, for at each corner, she -looked about, and chose her course at random. The snow had ceased during -the night, and it was very cold, with a clear sunshiny frostiness in the -air that made the olive cheeks red and glowing. - -Reaching a bridge, she paused and stood looking over the slight railing -into the frozen ravine below. - -Long she stood, until passers-by began to stare at her. She was unaware -of this, absorbed in her thoughts and oblivious to all about her. - -Pinckney Payne, coming along, saw her, and, as he would have expressed -it, fell for her at once. - -"Don't do it, sister!" he said, pausing beside her. "Don't end your young -life on this glorious day! Suicide is a mess, at best. Take my advice and -cut it out!" - -She turned, ready to freeze him with a glance more icy even than the -landscape, but his frank, roguish smile disarmed her. - -"Freshman?" she said, patronizingly, but it didn't abash him. - -"Yep. Pinckney Payne, if you must know. Commonly called Pinky." - -"I don't wonder," and she noticed his red cheeks. "Well, now that you're -properly introduced, tell me some of the buildings. What's that one?" - -"Dormitories. And that," pointing, "is the church." - -"Really! And that beautiful colonnade one?" - -"That's Doctor Waring's home. Him as is going to be next Prexy." - -"And that? And that?" - -He replied to all her questions, and kept his eyes fastened on her -bewitching face. Never had Pinky seen a girl just like this. She looked -so young, so merry, and yet her restless, roving eyes seemed full of -hidden fire and tempestuous excitement. - -"Where you from?" he said, abruptly. "Where you staying?" - -"At Mrs. Adams," she returned, "is it a good house?" - -"Best in town. Awful hard to get into. Always full up. Relative of hers?" - -"No, just a boarder. I chanced to get a room some one else engaged and -couldn't use." - -"You're lucky. Met Bob Tyler?" - -"Yes." - -"You don't like him! I see that. Met Gordon Lockwood?" - -"No; who's he?" - -"He's Doctor Waring's secretary, but he's mighty worthwhile on his own -account. I say, may I come to see you?" - -"Thank you, no. I'm not receiving callers--yet." - -"Well, you will be soon--because I'm coming. I say my aunt lives next -door to Adams'. May I bring her to call on you?" - -"Not yet, please. I'm not settled." - -"Soon's you say the word, then. My aunt is Mrs. Bates, and she's a love. -She's going to marry Doctor Waring--so you see we're the right sort of -people." - -"There are no right sort of people," said the girl, and, turning, she -walked away. - - - - - CHAPTER III - THIRTEEN BUTTONS - - -Apparently Miss Austin's statement that there were no right sort of -people was her own belief, for she made no friends at the Adams house. -Nor was this the fault of her fellow-boarders. They were more than -willing to be friendly, but their overtures were invariably ignored. - -Not rudely, for Miss Austin seemed to be a girl of culture and her -manners were correct, but, as one persistent matron expressed it, "you -can't get anywhere with her." - -She talked to no one at the table, merely answering a direct question if -put to her. She retained the seat next Old Salt, seeming to rely on him -to protect her from the advances of the others. Not that she needed -protection, exactly, for Miss Anita Austin was evidently quite able to -take care of herself. - -But she was a mystery--and mysteries provoke inquiry. - -The house was not a large one, and the two-score boarders, though they -would have denied an imputation of curiosity, were exceedingly interested -in learning the facts about Miss Mystery, as they had come to call her. - -Mrs. Adams was one of the most eager of all to know the truth, but, as he -did on rare occasions, Old Salt Adams had set down his foot that the girl -was not to be annoyed. - -"I don't know who she is or where she hails from," he told his wife, "but -as long as she stays here, she's not to be pestered by a lot of gossiping -old hens. When she does anything you don't like, send her away; but so -long's she's under my roof, she's got to be let alone." - -And let alone she was--not so much because of Adams' dictum as because -"pestering" did little good. - -The girl had a disconcerting way of looking an inquisitor straight in the -eyes, and then, with a monosyllabic reply, turning and walking off as if -the other did not exist. - -"Why," said Miss Bascom, aggrievedly relating her experience, "I just -said, politely, 'Are you from New York or where, Miss Austin?' and she -turned those big, black eyes on me, and said, 'Where.' Then she turned -her back and looked out of the window, as if she had wiped me off the -face of the earth!" - -"She's too young to act like that," opined Mrs. Welby. - -"Oh, she isn't so terribly young," Miss Bascom returned. "She's too -experienced to be so very young." - -"How do you know she's experienced? What makes you say that?" - -"Why," Miss Bascom hesitated for words, "she's--sort of -sophisticated--you can see that from her looks. I mean when anything is -discussed at the table, she doesn't say a word, but you can tell from her -face that she knows all about it--I mean a matter of general interest, -don't you know. I don't mean local matters." - -"She's an intelligent girl, I know, but that doesn't make her out old. I -don't believe she's twenty." - -"Oh, she is! Why, she's twenty-five or twenty-seven!" - -"Never in the world! I'm going to ask her." - -"Ask her!" Miss Bascom laughed. "You'll get well snubbed if you do." - -But this prophecy only served to egg Mrs. Welby on, and she took the -first occasion to carry out her promise. - -She met Anita in the hall, as the girl was about to go out, and smilingly -detained her. - -"Why so aloof, my dear," she said, playfully. "You rarely give us a -chance to entertain you." - -As Mrs. Welby was between Anita and the door, the girl was forced to -pause. She looked the older woman over, with an appraising glance that -was not rude, but merely disinterested. - -"No?" she said, with a curious rising inflection, that somehow seemed -meant to close the incident. - -But Mrs. Welby was not so easily baffled. - -"No," she repeated, smilingly. "And we want to know you better. You're -too young and too pretty not to be a general favorite amongst us. How old -are you, my dear child?" - -"Just a hundred," and Miss Austin's dark eyes were so grave, and seemed -to hold such a world of wisdom and experience that Mrs. Welby almost -jumped. - -Too amazed to reply, she even let the girl get past her, and out of the -street door, before she recovered her poise. - -"She's uncanny," Mrs. Welby declared, when telling Miss Bascom of the -interview. "I give you my word, when she said that, she looked a -hundred!" - -"Looked a hundred! What do you mean?" - -"Just that. Her eyes seemed to hold all there is of knowledge, yes--and -of evil--" - -"Evil! My goodness!" Miss Bascom rolled this suggestion like a sweet -morsel under her tongue. - -"Oh--I don't say there's anything wrong about the girl--" - -"Well! If her eyes showed depths of evil, I should say there _was_ -something wrong!" - -The episode was repeated from one to another of the exclusive _clientele_ -of the Adams house, until, by exaggeration and imagination it grew into -quite a respectable arraignment of Miss Mystery, and branded her as a -doubtful character if not a dangerous one. - -Before Miss Austin had been in the house a week, she had definitely -settled her status from her own point of view. - -Uniformly correct and courteous of manner, she rarely spoke, save when -necessary. It was as if she had declared, "I will not talk. If this be -mystery, make the most of it." - -Old Salt, apparently, backed her up in this determination, and allowed -her to sit next him at table, without addressing her at all. - -More, he often took it upon himself to answer a remark or question meant -for her and for this he sometimes received a fleeting glance, or a ghost -of a smile of approval and appreciation. - -But all this was superficial. The Adamses, between themselves, decided -that Miss Austin was more deeply mysterious than was shown by her -disinclination to make friends. They concluded she was transacting -important business of some sort, and that her sketching of the winter -scenery, which she did every clear day, was merely a blind. - -Though Mrs. Adams resented this, and urged her husband to send the girl -packing, Old Salt demurred. - -"She's done no harm as yet," he said. "She's a mystery, but not a wrong -one, 's far's I can make out. Let her alone, mother. I've got my eye on -her." - -"I've got my two eyes on her, and I can see more'n you can. Why, Salt, -that girl don't hardly sleep at all. Night after night, she sits up -looking out of the window, over toward the college buildings--" - -"How do you know?" - -"I go and listen at her door," Mrs. Adams admitted, without -embarrassment. "I want to know what she's up to." - -"You can't see her." - -"No, but I hear her moving around restlessly, and putting the window up -and down--and Miss Bascom--her room's cornerways on the ell, she says she -sees her looking out the window late at night 'most every night." - -"Miss Bascom's a meddling old maid, and I'd put her out of this house -before I would the little girl." - -"Of course _you_ would! You're all set up because she makes so much of -you--" - -"Oh, come now, Esther, you can't say that child makes much of me! I wish -she would. I've taken a fancy to her." - -"Yes, because she's pretty--in a gipsy, witch-like fashion. What men see -in a pair of big black eyes, and a dark, sallow face, I don't know!" - -"Not sallow," Old Salt said, reflectively; "olive, rather--but not -sallow." - -"Oh you!" exclaimed Mrs. Adams, and with that cryptic remark the subject -was dropped. - -Gordon Lockwood, secretary of John Waring, had a room at the Adams house. -But as he took no meals there save his breakfasts, and as he ate those -early, he had not yet met Anita Austin. - -But one Saturday morning, he chanced to be late, and the two sat at table -together. - -An astute reader of humanity, Lockwood at once became interested in the -girl, and realized that to win her attention he must not be eager or -insistent. - -He spoke only one or two of the merest commonplaces, until almost at the -close of the meal, he said: - -"Can I do anything for you, Miss Austin? If you would care to hear any of -the College lectures, I can arrange it." - -"Who are the speakers?" - -She turned her eyes fully upon him, and Gordon Lockwood marveled at their -depth and beauty. - -"Tonight," he replied, "Doctor Waring is to lecture on Egyptian -Archaeology. Are you interested in that?" - -"Yes," she said, "very much so. I'd like to go." - -"You certainly may, then. Just use this card." - -He took a card from his pocket, scribbled a line across it, and gave it -to her. Without another word, he finished his breakfast, and with a mere -courteous bow, he left the room. - -Miss Austin's face took on a more scrutable look than ever. - -The card still in her hand, she went up to her room. Unheeding the maid, -who was at her duties there, the girl threw herself into a big chair and -sat staring at the card. - -"The Egyptian Temples," she said to herself, "Doctor John Waring." - -The maid looked at her curiously as she murmured the words half aloud, -but Miss Austin paid no heed. - -"Go on with your work, Nora, don't mind me," she said, at last, as the -chambermaid paused inquiringly in front of her. "I don't mind your being -here until you finish what you have to do. And I wish you'd bring me a -Corinth paper, please?' There is one, isn't there?" - -"Oh, yes, ma'am. Twice a week." - -Nora disappeared and returned with a paper. - -"Mr. Adams says you may have this to keep. It's the newest one." - -The girl took it and turned to find the College announcements. The -Egyptian Lecture was mentioned, and in another column was a short article -regarding Doctor Waring and a picture of him. - -Long the girl looked at the picture, and when the maid, her tasks -completed, left the room, she noticed Miss Austin still staring at the -fine face of the President-elect of the University of Corinth. - -After a time, she reached for a pair of scissors, and cut out the -portrait and the article which it illustrated. - -She put the clipping in a portfolio, which she then locked in her trunk, -and the picture she placed on her dresser. - -That night she went to the lecture. She went alone, for Gordon Lockwood -did not reappear and no one else knew of her going. - -"Shall I have a key, or will you be up?" she asked of Mrs. Adams, as she -left the house. - -"Oh, we'll be up." The round, shrewd eyes looked at her kindly. "You're -lucky to get a ticket. Doctor Waring's lectures are crowded." - -"Good night," said Miss Austin, and went away. - -The lecture room was partly filled when she arrived, and her ticket -entitled her to a seat near the front. - -Being seated, she fell into a brown study, or, at least, sat motionless -and apparently in deep thought. - -Gordon Lockwood, already there, saw her come in, and after she was in her -place, he quietly arose and went across the room, taking a seat directly -behind her. - -Of this she was quite unaware, and the student of human nature gave -himself up to a scrutiny of the stranger. - -He saw a little head, its mass of dark, almost black hair surmounted by a -small turban shaped hat, of taupe colored velvet, with a curly ostrich -tip nestling over one ear. - -Not that her ears were visible, for Miss Austin was smartly groomed and -her whole effect modish. - -She had removed her coat, which she held in her lap. Her frock was taupe -colored, of a soft woolen material, ornamented with many small buttons. -These tiny buttons formed two rows down her back, from either shoulder to -the waist line, and they also formed a border round the sailor collar. - -They were, perhaps, Lockwood decided, little balls, rather than buttons, -and he idly counted them as he sat watching her. - -He hoped she would turn her head a trifle, but she sat as motionless as a -human being may. - -He marveled at her stillness, and impatiently waited for the lecture to -begin that he might note her interest. - -At last Doctor Waring appeared on the platform, and as the applause -resounded all over the room, Lockwood was almost startled to observe Miss -Austin's actions. - -She clasped her hands together as if she had received a sudden shock. -She--if it hadn't seemed too absurd,--he would have said that she -trembled. At any rate she was a little agitated, and it was with an -effort that she preserved her calm. No one else noticed her, and Lockwood -would not have done so, save for his close watching. - -Throughout the lecture, Miss Austin's gaze seemed never to leave the face -of the speaker, and Lockwood marveled that Waring himself was not drawn -to notice her. - -But Waring's calm gaze, though it traveled over the audience, never -rested definitely on any one face, and Lockwood concluded he recognized -nobody. - -"Miss Mystery!" Gordon Lockwood said to himself. "I wonder who and what -you are. Probably a complex nature, psychic and imaginative. You think it -interesting to come up here and pretend to be a mystery. But you're too -young and too innocent to be--I'm not so sure of the innocent, -though,--and as to youth,--well, I don't believe you're much older than -you look any way. And you're confoundedly pretty--beautiful, rather. -You've too much in your face to call it merely pretty. I've never seen -such possibilities of character. You're either a deep one or your looks -belie you." - -Lockwood heard no word of the lecture, nor did he wish to; he had helped -in the writing of it, and almost knew it by heart anyway. But he was -really intrigued by this mysterious girl, and he determined to get to -know her. - -He had been told, of course, of the futile attempts of the other boarders -to make friends with her, but he had faith in his own attractiveness and -in his methods of procedure. - -Pinky Payne, too, had told of the interview he had on the bridge. His -account of the girl's beauty and charm had first roused Lockwood's -interest, and now he was making a study of the whole situation. - -Idly he counted the buttons again. There were thirteen across the collar. -The vertical rows he could not be sure of as the back of the seat cut off -their view. - -"Thirteen," he mused; "an unlucky number. And the poor child looks -unlucky. There's a sadness in her eyes that must mean something. Yet -there's more than sadness,--there's a hint of cruelty,--a possibility of -desperate deeds." - -And then Lockwood laughed at himself. To romance thus about a girl to -whom he had not said half a dozen sentences in his life! Yet he knew he -was not mistaken. All that he had read in Anita Austin's face, he was -sure was there. He knew physiognomy, and rarely, if ever, was mistaken in -his reading thereof. - -After the lecture was over, Miss Austin went home as quickly as possible. - -Lockwood would have liked to escort her, but he had to remain to report -to Doctor Waring, who might have some orders for him. - -There were none, however, and after a short interview with his employer, -Gordon Lockwood went home. - -As he went softly upstairs to his room in the Adams house, he passed the -door of what he knew to be Miss Austin's room. He fancied he heard a -stifled sob come from behind that closed door, and instinctively paused -to listen a moment. - -Yes, he was not mistaken. Another sob followed, quickly suppressed, but -he could have no doubt the girl was crying. - -For a moment Lockwood was tempted to go back and ask Mrs. Adams to come -and tap at the girl's door. - -Then he realized that it was not his affair. If the girl was in sorrow or -if she wanted to cry for any reason, it was not his place to send someone -to intrude upon her. He went on to his own room, but he sat up for a long -time thinking over the strange young woman in the house. - -He remembered that she had paid undeviating attention to the lecture, -quite evidently following the speaker with attention and interest. He -remembered every detail of her appearance, her pretty dark hair showing -beneath her little velvet toque,--the absurd buttons on the back of her -frock. - -"That will do, Gordon, old man," he told himself at last. Better let her -alone. She's a siren all right, but you know nothing about her, and -you've no reason to try to learn more. - -And then he heard voices in the hall. Low of tone, but angry of -inflection. - -"She threw it away!" Miss Austin was saying; "I tell you she threw it -away!" - -"There, there," came Mrs. Adams' placating voice, "what if she did? It -was only a newspaper scrap. She didn't know it was of any value." - -"But I want it! Nora has no business to throw away my things! She had no -reason to touch it; it was on the dresser--standing up against the mirror -frame. What do you suppose she did with it?" - -"Never mind it tonight. Tomorrow we will ask her. She's gone to bed." - -"But I'm afraid she destroyed it!" - -"Probably she did. Don't take on so. What paper was it?" - -"The Corinth Gazette." - -"The new one?" - -"I don't know. The one she brought me this afternoon." - -"Well, if she has thrown it away, you can get another copy. What was in -it that you want so much?" - -"Oh,--nothing special." - -"Yes, it was." Mrs. Adams' curiosity was aroused now. "Come, tell me what -it was." - -"Well, it was only a picture of Doctor Waring, the man who lectured -tonight." - -"Such a fuss about that! My goodness! Why, you can get a picture of him -anywhere." - -"But I want it now." - -An obstinate note rang in the young voice. Perhaps Miss Austin spoke -louder than she meant to, but at any rate, Lockwood heard most of the -conversation, and he now opened his door, and said: - -"May I offer a photograph? Would you care to have this, Miss Austin?" - -The girl looked at him with a white, angry face. - -"How dare you!" she cried; "how dare you eavesdrop and listen to a -conversation not meant for your ears? Don't speak to me!" - -She drew up her slender figure and looked like a wrathful pixie defying a -giant. For Lockwood was a big man, and loomed far above the slight, -dainty figure of Miss Mystery. - -He smiled good-naturedly as he said, "Now don't get wrathy. I don't mean -any harm. But you wanted a picture of Doctor Waring, and I've several of -them. You see, I'm his secretary." - -"Oh,--are you! His private secretary?" - -"Yes--his confidential one,--though he has few confidences. He's a public -man and his life is an open book." - -"Oh, it is!" The girl had recovered her poise, and with it her ability to -be sarcastic. "Known to all men, I suppose?" - -"Known to all men," repeated Lockwood, thinking far more of the girl he -was speaking to than of what he was saying. - -For, again he had fallen under the spell of her strange personality. He -watched her, fascinated, as she reached out for the picture and almost -snatched at it in her eagerness. - -Mrs. Adams yawned behind her plump hand. - -"Now you've got your picture, go to bed, child," she said with a kind, -motherly smile. "I'll come in and unhook you, shall I?" - -Obediently, and without a word of good night to Lockwood, Anita turned -and went into her room, followed by Mrs. Adams. The good lady offered no -disinterested service. She wanted to know why Miss Austin wanted that -picture so much. But she didn't find out. After being of such help as she -could, the landlady found herself pleasantly but definitely dismissed. -Outside the door, however, she turned and reopened it. Miss Mystery, -unnoticing the intruder, was covering the photograph with many and -passionate kisses. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - A BROKEN TEACUP - - -"I'll tell her you're here, but I'm noways sure she'll see you." - -Mrs. Adams stood, her hand on the doorknob, as she looked doubtfully at -Emily Bates and her nephew. - -"Why not?" asked Mrs. Bates, in astonishment, and Pinky echoed, "Why not, -Mrs. Adams?" - -"She's queer." Mrs. Adams came back into the room, closed the door, and -spoke softly. "That's what she is, Mrs. Bates, queer. I can't make her -out. She's been here more'n a week now, and I do say she gets queerer -every day. Won't make friends with anybody,--won't speak at all at the -table,--never comes and sits with us of an afternoon or evening,--just -keeps to herself. Now, that ain't natural for a young girl." - -"How old is she?" - -"Nobody knows. She looks like nineteen or twenty, but she has the ways of -a woman of forty,--as far's having her own way's concerned. Then again, -she'll pet the cat or smile up at Mr. Adams like a child. I can't make -her out at all. The boarders are all fearfully curious--that's one reason -I take her part. They're a snoopy lot, and I make them let her alone." - -"You like her, then?" - -"You can't help liking her,--yet she is exasperating. You ask her a -question, and she stares at you and walks off. Not really rude,--but just -as if you weren't there! Well, I'll tell her you're here, anyway." - -It was only by his extraordinary powers of persuasion that Pinky Payne -had won his aunt's consent to make this call, and, being Sunday -afternoon, the recognized at-home day in Corinth, they had gone to the -Adams house unannounced, and asked for Miss Austin. - -Upstairs, Mrs. Adams tapped at the girl's door. - -It was opened slowly,--it would seem, grudgingly,--and Anita looked out -inquiringly. - -"Callers for you, Miss Austin," the landlady said, cheerily. - -"For me? I know no one." - -"Oh, now, you come on down. It's Mrs. Bates, and her nephew, Pinky Payne. -They're our best people--" - -"What makes you think I want to see your best people?" - -"I don't say you do, but they want to see you,--and--oh, pshaw, now, be a -little sociable. It won't hurt you." - -"Please say to Mrs. Bates that I have no desire to form new -acquaintances, and I beg to be excused from appearing." - -"But do you know who she is? She's the lady that's going to marry Doctor -Waring, the new President. And Pinckney Payne, her cousin, is a mighty -nice boy." - -Mrs. Adams thought she detected an expression of wavering on the girl's -face, and she followed up her advantage. - -"Yes, he's an awfully nice chap and just about your age, I should judge." - -"I'll go down," said Miss Austin, briefly, and Mrs. Adams indulged in a -sly smile of satisfaction. - -"It's Pinky that fetched her," she thought to herself. "Young folks are -young folks, the world over." - -Triumphantly, Mrs. Adams ushered Anita into the small parlor. - -"Mrs. Bates," she said, "and Mr. Payne,--Miss Austin." - -Then she left them, for Esther Adams had strict notions of her duties as -a boarding-house landlady. - -"Mrs. Bates?" Anita said, going to her and taking her hand. - -"Yes, Miss Austin,--I am very glad to know you." - -But the words ceased suddenly as Emily Bates looked into the girl's eyes. -Such a depth of sorrow was there, such unmistakable tragedy and a hint of -fear. What could it all mean? Surely this was a strange girl. - -"We have never met before, have we?" Mrs. Bates said,--almost -involuntarily, for the girl's gaze was too intent to be given to a -stranger. - -"No," Anita said, recovering her poise steadily but slowly,--"not that I -remember." - -"We have," burst forth the irrepressible Pinky. "I say, Miss Austin, -please realize that I'm here as well as my more celebrated aunt! Don't -you remember the morning I met you on the bridge,--and you were just -about to throw yourself over the parapet?" - -"Oh, no, I wasn't," and a delightful smile lighted the dark little face. -The lips were very scarlet, but it was unmistakably Nature's own red, and -as they parted over even and pearly teeth, the smile transformed Miss -Austin into a real beauty. - -It disappeared quickly, however, and Pinky Payne thenceforward made it -his earnest endeavor to bring it back as often as possible. - -"Of course you weren't," agreed Mrs. Bates, "don't pay any attention to -that foolish boy." - -"I'm a very nice boy, if I am foolish," Pinky declared, but Miss Austin -vaguely ignored him, and kept her intent gaze fixed on Emily Bates. - -"We thought perhaps you would go with us over to Doctor Waring's for -tea," Mrs. Bates said, after an interval of aimless chat. "It would, I am -sure be a pleasant experience for you. Wouldn't you like it?" - -"Doctor Waring's?" repeated Anita, her voice low and tense, as if the -idea was of more importance than it seemed. - -"Yes; I may take you, for the Doctor is my fiance,--we are to be married -next month." - -"No!" cried the girl, with such a sharp intonation that Mrs. Bates was -startled. - -"Sure they are," put in Pinky, anxious to cover up any eccentricity on -the part of this girl in whom he took an increasing interest. "They're as -blissful as two young turtle-doves. Come on, Miss Austin, let's go over -there. It's a duck of a house to go to, and jolly good people there. The -view from the study window is worth going miles to see. You're an -artist,--yes?" - -"I sketch some," was the brief reply. - -"All right; if you can find a prettier spot to sketch on this terrestrial -globe than the picture by the Waring study window, I'll buy it for you! -Toddle up and get your hat." - -His gay good nature was infectious and Anita smiled again as she went for -her hat and coat. - -The walk was but a short one, and when they entered the Waring home they -found a cheery group having tea in the pleasant living room. - -Doctor Waring was not present and Mrs. Peyton was pouring tea, while -Helen and Robert Tyler served it. The capable Ito had always Sunday -afternoon for his holiday, and while Nogi, the Japanese second man, was -willing enough, his training was incomplete, and his blunders frequent. -He was a new servant, and though old Ito had hopes of educating him, Mrs. -Peyton was doubtful about it. However, she thought, soon the -responsibilities of the Waring menage would be hers no longer, and she -resolved to get along with the inexperienced Nogi while she remained. - -Mrs. Peyton was very regretful at the coming change of affairs. - -She had looked upon John Waring as a confirmed bachelor, and had not -expected he would ever marry. Now, she declared, he was marrying only -because he thought it wiser for a College President to have a wife as a -part of his domestic outfit. - -Helen disagreed with her mother about this. She said Doctor Waring had -begun to take a personal interest in the attractive Mrs. Bates before he -had any idea of becoming President of the University. - -But it didn't matter. The wedding was imminent, and Mrs. Peyton had -received due notice that her services would be no longer needed. - -It was a blow to her, and it had made her depressed and disconsolate. -Also, a little resentful, even spiteful toward Emily Bates. - -The housekeeper greeted Miss Austin with a cold smile, and then -disregarded her utterly. - -Helen was frankly curious, and met the newcomer with full intention of -finding out all about her. - -For Helen Peyton had heard of Miss Mystery from her friend and admirer, -Robert Tyler, who, however, did not report that the girl had snubbed him -more than once. - -One or two other guests were present and, having been told of Mrs. Bates' -arrival Doctor Waring and his secretary came from the study and joined -the others at tea. - -With a welcoming smile, John Waring greeted his fiancee, and then Mrs. -Bates turned to the girl she had brought. - -"Miss Austin," she said, "let me present Doctor Waring. John,--Miss Anita -Austin." - -At that very moment Helen Peyton offered Waring a cup of tea, and he was -in the act of taking it from her hand when Mrs. Bates made the -introduction. - -The cup and saucer fell to the floor with a crash, and those nearest saw -the Doctor's face blanch suddenly white, and his hand clench on a nearby -chair. - -But with a sudden, desperate effort he pulled himself together, and gave -a little laugh, as he directed Nogi to remove the wrecked teacup. - -"Pick up the four corners, and carry it all off at once," he ordered, -pointing to the small rug on which the cup had fallen, and Nogi, a little -clumsily, obeyed. - -"Pardon the awkwardness, Miss Austin," he said, turning to smile at the -girl, but even as he did so, his voice trembled, and he turned hastily -away. - -"What is it, John?" asked Emily Bates, going to his side. "Are you ill?" - -"No,--no, dear; it's--it's all right. That foolish teacup upset my -nerves. I'll go off by myself for a few moments." - -Somewhat abruptly, he left the room and went back to his study. - -Listening intently, Mrs. Bates heard him lock the door on the inside. - -"I'm sorry," she said, turning to Anita, "but I know you'll forgive -Doctor Waring. He is under so much strain at present, and a foolish -accident, like the broken teacup, is enough to give him a nervous shock." - -"I know," said the girl, sympathetically. "He must be very busy and -absorbed." - -She spoke, as she often did, in a perfunctory way, as if not interested -in what she was saying. Her glance wandered and she bit her red lower -lip, as if nervous herself. Yet she was exceedingly quiet and calm of -demeanor, and her graceful attitudes betokened only a courteous if -disinterested guest. - -Gordon Lockwood immediately followed his chief and tapped at the locked -study door. - -"All right, Lockwood," Waring recognized the knock. "I don't want you -now. I'll reappear shortly. Go back to the tea room." - -Willingly, Lockwood went back, hoping to have a chance for conversation -with Miss Mystery. - -She was chatting gayly with Helen Peyton, Pinky and Mrs. Tyler. - -To Lockwood's surprise, Miss Austin was really gay and merry and quite -held her own in the chaff and repartee. - -Yet as Lockwood noted her more closely, his quick perception told him her -gayety was forced. - -The secretary's ability to read human nature was almost uncanny, and he -truly believed the girl was making merry only by reason of her firm -determination to do so. - -Why? He wondered. - -Gordon Lockwood was a rare type of man. He was possessed of the most -impassive face, the most immobile countenance imaginable. He never -allowed himself to show the slightest excitement or even interest. This -habit, acquired purposely at first, had grown upon him until it was -second nature. He would not admit anything could move him, could stir his -poise or disturb his equanimity. He heard the most gratifying or the most -exasperating news with equal attention and equal lack of surprise or -enthusiasm. - -Yet, though this may sound unattractive, so great was Lockwood's -personality, so responsive and receptive his real nature beneath his -outer calm, that all who really knew him liked him and trusted him. - -Waring depended on him in every respect. He was more than a secretary to -his employer. He was counselor and friend as well. - -And Waring appreciated this, and rated Lockwood high in his esteem and -affection. - -Of course, with his insight, Gordon Lockwood could not be blind to the -fact that both Mrs. Peyton and her daughter would be pleased if he could -fall a victim to the charms of the fair Helen. Nor could he evade the -conviction that Mrs. Peyton herself had entertained hopes of becoming -mistress of the Waring home, until the advent of Emily Bates had spoiled -her chances. - -But these things were merely self-evident facts, and affected in no way -the two men concerned. - -The Peytons were treated with pleasant regard for both, and that ended -the matter so far as they were concerned. - -The subject had never been alluded to by Waring or Lockwood, but each -understood, and when the Doctor's marriage took place, that would -automatically end the Peytons' incumbency. - -And now, Gordon Lockwood smiled patronizingly at himself, as he was -forced to admit an unreasonable, inexplicable interest in a slip of a -girl with a dark, eerie little face and a manner grave and gay to -extremes. - -For Anita was positively laughing at some foolishness of Pinky Payne's. -Still, Lockwood concluded, watching her narrowly, yet unobserved, she was -laughing immoderately. She was laughing for some reason other than -merriment. It verged on hysterical, he decided, and wondered why. - -He joined the group of young people, and in his quiet but effective way, -he said: - -"You've had enough foolery for the moment, Miss Austin,--come and talk to -me." - -And to the girl's amazement, he took her hand and led her to a davenport -on the other side of the room. - -"There," he said, as he arranged a pillow or two, "is that right?" - -"Yes," she said, and lapsed into silence. - -She sat, looking off into vacancy, and Lockwood studied her. Then he -said, softly: - -"It's too bad, isn't it?" - -"Yes," Anita sighed, and then suddenly; "what do you mean? What's too -bad?" - -"Whatever it is that troubles you." The deep blue eyes met her own, but -there was no sign of response or acquiescence on the girl's face. - -"Good-by," she said, rising quickly, "I must go." - -"Oh, no,--don't go," cried Pinky, overhearing. "Why, you've only just -come." - -"Yes, I must go," said Miss Mystery, decidedly. "Good afternoon, Mrs. -Bates, and thank you for bringing me. Good afternoon, Mrs. Peyton." - -Including all the others in a general bow of farewell, the strange girl -went to the front door, and paused for the attendant Nogi to open it. - -Door-tending the assistant butler understood, and he punctiliously waited -until Miss Austin had buttoned her gloves and had given an adjusting pat -to her veil, after a fleeting glance in the hall mirror. - -Then he opened the door with an obsequious air, and closed it behind her -departing figure. - -But it was immediately flung open again by Pinky Payne, who ran through -it and after the girl. - -"Wait a minute, Miss Austin. How fast you walk! I'm going home with you." - -"Please not," she said, indifferently, scarcely glancing at him. - -"Yep. Gotto. Getting near dusk, and you might be kidnapped. Needn't talk -if you don't want to." - -"I never want to talk!" was the surprising and crisply spoken retort. - -"Well, didn't I say you needn't! Don't get wrathy--don't 'ee, don't -'ee--now,--as my old Scotch nurse used to say." - -But Miss Mystery gave him no look, although she allowed him to fall into -step beside her, and the two walked rapidly along. - -"How'd you like the looks of the Doctor?" Pinky asked, hoping to induce -conversation. - -"I scarcely saw him." - -"Oh, you saw him,--though you had small chance to get to know him. -Perfect old brick, but a little on edge of late. Approaching matrimony, I -suppose. Did you notice his ruby stickpin?" - -"Yes; it didn't seem to suit him at all." - -"No; he's a conservative dresser. But that pin,--it's a famous gem,--was -given him by his own class,--I mean his graduating class, but long after -they graduated, and he had to promise to wear it once a week, so he -usually gets into it on Sundays. It's a corking stone!" - -"Yes," said Miss Austin. - -On reaching the Adams house, the girl said a quick good-by, and Pinky -Payne found himself at liberty to go in and see the other members of the -household, or to go home, for Miss Austin disappeared into the hall and -up the staircase with the rapidity of a dissolving view. - -Young Payne turned away and strolled slowly back to the Waring home, -wondering what it was about the disagreeable young woman that made him -pay any attention to her at all. - -He found her the topic of discussion when he arrived. - -"Of all rude people," Mrs. Peyton declared, "she was certainly the -worst!" - -"She was!" Helen agreed. "I couldn't make her out at all. And I don't -call her pretty, either." - -"I do," observed Emily Bates. "I call her very pretty,--and possessed of -great charm." - -"Charm!" scoffed Helen; "I can't see it." - -"She isn't rude," Pinky defended the absent. "I'm sure, Mrs. Peyton, she -made her adieux most politely. Why should she have stayed longer? She -didn't know any of us,--and, perhaps she doesn't like any of us." - -"That's it," Gordon Lockwood stated. "She doesn't like us,--I'm sure of -that. Well, why should she, if she doesn't want to?" - -"Why shouldn't she?" countered Tyler. "She's so terribly superior,--I -can't bear her. She acts as if she owned the earth, yet nobody knows who -she is, or anything about her." - -"Are we entitled to?" asked Lockwood. "Why should we inquire into her -identity or history further than she chooses to enlighten us?" - -"Where is Miss Austin?" asked Doctor Waring, returning, quite composed -and calm. - -"She went home," informed Mrs. Bates. "Are you all right, John?" - -"Oh, yes, dear. I wasn't ill, or anything like that. The awkward accident -touched my nerves, and I wanted to run away and hide." - -He smiled whimsically, looking like a naughty schoolboy, and Emily Bates -took his hand and drew him down to a seat beside her. - -"What made you drop it, John?" she said, with a direct look into his -eyes. - -He hesitated a moment, and his own glance wandered, then he said, "I -don't know, Emily; I suppose it was a sudden physical contraction of the -muscles of my hand--and I couldn't control it." - -Mrs. Bates didn't look satisfied, but she did not pursue the subject. -Then the discussion of Anita was resumed. - -"How did you like her looks, Doctor Waring?" Helen Peyton asked. - -"I scarcely saw her," was the quiet reply. "Did you all admire her?" - -"Some of us did." Mrs. Bates answered; "I do, for one. Did you ever see -her before, John?" - -Doctor Waring stared at the question. - -"Never," he declared. "How could I have done so?" - -"I don't know, I'm sure," Mrs. Bates laughed. "I just had a sort of an -impression--" - -"No, dear, I never saw the girl before in my life," Waring reasserted. - -"And you need never want to see her again," Robert Tyler informed him. -"She's sulky, silly and supercilious. She's a mystery, they say, but I -say she merely wants to be thought a mystery to make a little sensation. -I can't abide that sort." - -Helen Peyton heard this with undisguised satisfaction, for she had quite -enough girls in her life to be jealous and envious of, without adding -another to the list. Also, she especially wanted to retain the admiration -of Robert Tyler, and was glad to know it was not newly endangered. - -"Miss Austin is very beautiful," Gordon Lockwood declared, in his usual -way of summing up a discussion and announcing his own opinion as final. -"Also, she is a mystery. I live in the same boarding house--" - -"So do I," put in Tyler, "and she snubs us both." - -"She hasn't snubbed me," said Lockwood, simply. - -"Never mind, Oscar, she will!" returned Tyler, and then laughed -immoderately at his own would-be wit. - - - - - CHAPTER V - THE TRAGEDY - - -That same Sunday evening the Waring household dined alone. Oftener than -not there were guests, but tonight there were only the two Peytons, -Lockwood and John Waring himself. - -Ito, the butler, had holiday Sunday afternoon and evening, and Nogi, the -second and less experienced man, was trying his best to satisfy the -exactions of Mrs. Peyton as to his service at table. - -Helen Peyton was in a talkative mood and commented volubly on the caller -of the afternoon, Miss Austin. - -She met little response, for her mother was absorbed in the training of -the Japanese, and the two men seemed indisposed to pursue the subject. - -"Don't you think she's odd looking?" Helen asked, of Doctor Waring. - -"Odd looking," he repeated; "I don't know. I didn't notice her -especially. She seemed to me a rather distinguished type." - -"Distinguished is the word," agreed Lockwood. "What about the lecture -tomorrow night, Doctor? Will Fessenden take care of it?" - -"No; I must lecture myself tomorrow night. I'm sorry, for I'm busy with -that book revision. However, I'll look up some data this evening, and I -shall be ready for it." - -"Of course you will," laughed Mrs. Peyton. "You were never caught unready -for anything!" - -"But it means some work," Waring added, as he rose from the table. - -He went into the study, followed by Lockwood, whose experience made him -aware of what books his chief would need, and he began at once to take -them from the shelves. - -"Right," Waring said, looking over the armful of volumes Lockwood placed -on the desk and seating himself in the swivel chair. - -"Bring me Marcus Aurelius, too, please, and Martial." - -"The classic touch," Lockwood smiled. - -"Yes, it adds dignity, if one is a bit shy of material," Waring admitted, -good-naturedly. "That's all, Lockwood. You may go, if you like." - -"No, sir. I'll stay until eleven or so. I'm pretty busy with the reports, -and, too, some one may call whom I can take care of." - -"Good chap you are, Lockwood. I appreciate it. Very well, then, don't -bother me unless absolutely necessary." - -The secretary left the room and closed the study door behind him. - -This door gave on to the end of the cross hall, and the hall ended then, -in a roomy window seat, and also held a book rack and table; altogether a -comfortable and useful nook, frequently occupied by Gordon Lockwood. The -window looked out on the beautiful lake view, as did the great study -window, and it also commanded a view of the highroad on which stood, not -far away, the Adams boarding-house. - -Lockwood lodged there, as being more convenient, but most of his waking -hours were spent in his employer's home. A perfect secretary he had -proved himself to be, for his prescience amounted almost to clairvoyance, -and his imperturbability was exceedingly useful in keeping troublesome -people or things away from John Waring. - -So, he determined to stay on guard, lest a chance caller should come to -disturb the Doctor at his work. - -But Lockwood's own work was somewhat neglected. Try as he would to -concentrate upon it, he could not entirely dismiss from his mind a -certain mysterious little face, whose meaning eluded him. For once, -Gordon Lockwood, reader of faces, was baffled. He couldn't classify the -girl who was both rude and charming, both cruel and pathetic. - -For cruelty was what this expert read in the knowing eyes and firm little -mouth of Miss Mystery. And because of this indubitable element in her -nature, he deemed her pathetic. Which shows how much she interested him. - -At any rate he thought about her while his work waited. And, then, he -thought of other things--for he had troubles of his own, had this -supercilious young man. And troubles which galled him the more, that they -were sordid--money troubles, in fact. His whole nature revolted at the -mere thought of mercenary considerations, but if one is short of funds -one must recognize the condition, distasteful though it be. - -At nine-thirty, Nogi came with a tray bearing water and glasses. Under -the watchful eye of Mrs. Peyton the Japanese tapped at the study door -and, in response to the master's bidding, went in with his tray. He left -it punctiliously on the table directed, and with his characteristic bow, -departed again. - -At ten-thirty, Mrs. Peyton and Helen went upstairs to their rooms, the -housekeeper having given Nogi strict and definite instructions, which -included his remaining on duty until the master should also retire. - -And the night wore on. - -A clear, cold night, with a late-rising moon, past the full, but still -with its great yellow disk nearly round. - -It shone down on what seemed like fairyland, for the sleet storm that had -covered the trees with a coating of ice, and had fringed eaves and fences -with icicles, had ceased, and left the glittering landscape frozen and -sparkling in the still, cold air. - -And when, some hours later, the sun rose on the same chill scene its rays -made no perceptible impression on the cold and the mercury stayed down at -its lowest winter record. - -And so even the stolid Japanese Ito, shivered, and his yellow teeth -chattered as he knocked at Mrs. Peyton's door in the early dawn of Monday -morning. - -"What is it?" she cried, springing from her bed to unbolt her door. - -"Grave news, madam," and the Oriental bowed before her. - -"What has happened? Tell me, Ito." - -"I am not sure, madam--but, the master--" - -"Yes, what about Doctor Waring?" - -"He is--he is asleep in his study." - -"Asleep in his study! Ito, what do you mean?" - -"That, madam. His bed is unslept in. His room door ajar. I looked in the -study--through from the dining-room--he is there by his desk--" - -"Asleep, Ito--you said asleep!" - -"Yes--madam--but--I do not know. And Nogi--he is gone." - -"Gone! Where to?" - -"That also, I do not know. Will madam come and look?" - -"No; I will not! I know something has happened! I knew something would -happen! Ito, he is not asleep--he is--" - -"Don't say it, madam. We do not know." - -"Find out! Go in and speak to him." - -"But the door is locked. I tried it." - -"Locked! The study door locked, and Doctor Waring still in there? How do -you know?" - -"I peeped from the dining-room window--and I could see him, leaning down -on his desk." - -"From the dining-room window! What do you mean?" - -"The small little inside windows. Madam knows?" - -The study had been added to the Waring house after the house had been -built for some years. Wherefore, the dining-room, previously with a lake -view from its windows, was cut off from that view. But, the windows, -three small, square ones, remained, and so, looked into the new study. - -However, the study, a higher ceiling being desired, had its floor sunken -six feet or more, which brought the windows far too high to see through -from the study side, but one could look through them from the -dining-room. The original sashes had been replaced by beautiful stained -glass, opaque save for a few tiny transparent bits through which a -persistent and curious-minded person might discern some parts of the -study. - -The stained glass sashes were immovable, and were there more as a -decoration than for utility's sake. - -And it was through these peepholes that Ito had discovered the presence -of Doctor Waring in his study at the unusual hour of seven o'clock in the -morning. - -The Japanese, true to his tribal instinct, showed no agitation, and his -calm demeanor helped to soothe Mrs. Peyton. But as she hastily dressed -herself, she decided upon her course of action. - -Her first impulse was to call her daughter, but she concluded not to -disturb the girl. Instead, she telephoned to Gordon Lockwood, and asked -him to come over as soon as he possibly could. - -Old Salt took the message, and transmitted it to the secretary. - -"What's the matter over there?" asked Lockwood. - -"Don't know. Mrs. Peyton seemed all on edge, 's far's I could judge from -her voice--but she only said for you to come over." - -"All right, I'll go as soon as I can get dressed." - -Once out of doors, Lockwood couldn't fail to be impressed with the beauty -of the morning landscape. One of the most beautiful bits of New England -scenery, it was newly lovely in its sheath of ice. - -Lockwood's hasty steps crunched through the crusted snow, and he hurried -over to the Waring house. - -Ito opened the door for him and Mrs. Peyton met him in the hall. - -"Something has happened to Doctor Waring," she said at once; "he stayed -in the study all night." - -"Why? What do you mean?" asked the secretary. - -"Just that. His room door is still open, and his bed hasn't been slept -in. Also, Ito says he can see him in the study, through the dining-room -window. I--I haven't looked--" - -"Why don't you go in?" - -"The study door is locked." - -"Locked! And Doctor Waring still in there?" - -"Yes; I think he must have had a stroke--or, something--" - -"Nonsense! He's just asleep. He's overworked of late, anyway." - -"Well, I'm glad you're here." And Mrs. Peyton looked relieved. "You see -about it, Mr. Lockwood, won't you?" - -The secretary went first to the study door. He rapped, and then he tried -the door, and then rapped again, very loudly. But no response came, and -Lockwood returned to the dining-room. - -"Can you see through that glass?" he asked in surprise, noting the thick, -leaded mosaic of pieces. - -"Yes, sir, through this corner," Ito directed him, and, peering through, -Lockwood discerned the figure of John Waring. He sat at his desk, his -body fallen slightly forward, and his head drooped on his breast. - -"Sound asleep," said Lockwood, but his tone carried no conviction. - -Mrs. Peyton well knew the man's disinclination to show any emotion, and -in spite of his calm, she was almost certain he shared her own belief -that John Waring was not merely asleep. - -"We must get to him," Lockwood said, after a moment's pause. "Can you get -through one of these windows, Ito, and unbolt the door?" - -"No, sir; these windows do not open at all." - -"Not open? Why not?" - -Save to remark the beauty of their color and design, Lockwood had never -before noticed the windows, especially, and was genuinely surprised to -discover that they could not be opened at all. - -"Of what use are they?" he mused, aloud; "They give very little light." - -"They were outside windows before the study was built," Mrs. Peyton told -him, "and when the stained glass was put in, it was merely for decoration -and the panes were not made movable." - -"Well, we must get in," said Lockwood, almost impatiently. "How shall we -do it? You, Ito, must know how." - -"No, sir, there is no way. Unless, the long window is unfastened." - -The long French window--really a double door--was on the other side of -the study, exactly opposite the useless high windows that gave into the -dining-room. - -To reach it one must go out and around the house. - -"It is very bad snow--" Ito shrugged. - -"You heathen!" Lockwood exclaimed, scornfully, and himself dashed out at -the front door and around to the side of the house. - -Mrs. Peyton started to follow, but the secretary bade her go back lest -she take cold. - -He reached the French window only to find it locked on the inside. He -could not see in through its curtained panes, and impulsively he raised -his foot and kicked through the glass at a point high enough to allow of -his putting in a hand and turning back the latch. - -He went into the room, and after the briefest glance at the man by the -desk he went on and unbolted the door to the hall. - -Helen had joined her mother and Ito, and the three stood cowering on the -threshold. - -"He is dead," Gordon Lockwood said, in a calm, unemotional way. "But not -by a stroke--he has killed himself." - -"How do you know?" Mrs. Peyton cried, her eyes staring and her face -white. - -"Go away, Helen," Lockwood said; "go back into the living-room, and stay -away." - -And willingly the girl obeyed. - -"Come in, Mrs. Peyton," Lockwood went on. "You must see him, though it -will shock you. See, the flow of blood is dreadful. He stabbed or shot -himself." - -Conquering her aversion to the sight, Mrs. Peyton, from a sense of duty, -drew nearer, and as Lockwood had said, the condition of the body was -terrible indeed. - -Wounded, apparently in the side of the head, Waring had fallen forward in -such a way that the actual wound was concealed, but the fact was only too -apparent that he had bled to death. The blotter on the desk and many of -the furnishings were crimsoned and there was a large and dark stain on -the rug. - -"He is positively dead," said Lockwood, in cool, even tone, "so I advise -that we do not touch the body but send at once for Doctor Greenfield. He -will know best what to do." - -"Oh, you cold-blooded wretch!" Mrs. Peyton burst forth, uncontrollably. -"Have you no feelings whatever? You stand there like a wooden image, when -the best man in the world lies dead before you! And you, Ito!" She turned -on the awe-struck butler. "You're another of those impassive, unnatural -creatures! Oh, I hate you both!" - -The housekeeper ran from the room, and was soon closeted with her -daughter, who, at least showed agitation and grief at the tragedy that -had occurred. - -The two she had called impassive, stood regarding one another. - -"Who did it, Master?" inquired the Japanese, calmly. - -"Who did it!" Lockwood stared at him. "Why, he did it himself, Ito." - -Otherwise immovable, the Oriental shook his head in dissension, but -Lockwood was already at the telephone, and heeded him not. - -Doctor Greenfield consented to come over at once, and Lockwood going to -the living room, advised the Peytons to have breakfast, as there was a -terrible ordeal ahead of them. - -"I'll have some coffee with you, if I may," he went on. "Brace up, Helen, -it's pretty awful for you, but you must try to be a brave girl." - -A grateful glance thanked him for the kindness, and Lockwood returned -quickly to the study. - -"What are you doing?" he said sternly, as he saw Ito bending over the -dead man. - -"Nothing, sir," and the butler straightened up quickly and stood at -attention. - -"Leave the room, and do not return here without permission. Serve -breakfast to the ladies. Where is Nogi?" - -"He is gone, sir." - -"Gone where?" - -"That I do not know. Last night he was here. Now he is gone. I know no -more." - -"You don't know anything. Get out." - -"Yes, sir." - -Left to himself, Gordon Lockwood gazed thoughtfully about the room. He -did not confine his attention to the bent figure of his late employer, -nor even to the desk or its nearby surroundings. He wandered about -looking at the windows, the floor, the furniture. - -One chair, standing rather near the desk, he looked at intently. An -expression of bewilderment came into his face, followed by a look of -dismay. - -Then, after a cautious almost furtive glance about him, he passed his -hand quickly over the plush back of the chair, rubbing it hard, with a -scrubbing motion. - -Then he looked about the room even more eagerly and carefully, and -finally sat down in the same plush chair, to await the Doctor's arrival. - -Helen Peyton came timidly to the door to ask him to come to breakfast. - -"No, Helen," he answered. "My place is here until the Doctor comes. Eat -your breakfast, child, and try to throw off your distress. It will do you -no good to brood over it. You can be of real help if you keep brave and -calm, but it will be quite otherwise if you get hysterical." - -He did not see the adoring glance she gave him, nor did he realize how -much effect his words had on her subsequent behavior. For Helen Peyton -was suffering from shocked nerves, and only Lockwood's advice would have -been heeded by her. - -She returned to the dining room, saying, quietly, "Gordon will come after -a while. Let us eat our breakfast, mother, and try to be brave and -strong." - -It was not more than fifteen minutes later that Lockwood joined them. - -He took his seat at the table and as he shook out his breakfast napkin he -said, - -"Doctor Greenfield is there now. He says Doctor Waring was stabbed not -shot. He says the instrument was round and pointed--not flat, like a -knife." - -"Who did it?" asked Helen, wide-eyed. - -"It must have been suicide, Helen, for, as you know, the room was locked. -How could any one get in or out?" - -"But how absurd to think of Doctor Waring killing himself!" The girl -looked more amazed than ever. - -"He never killed himself," stated Mrs. Peyton. "Why, you know that man -had everything to live for! Just about to be married, just about to be -President of the College--full of life and enthusiasm--suicide! -Nonsense!" - -"I'm only telling you what the doctor said. And you know yourselves, the -room was all locked up." - -"Yes, that's so. Ito, leave the room!" - -Mrs. Peyton spoke sharply to the butler, who was quite evidently drinking -in the conversation. - -"He must not hear all we say," she observed after the butler had -disappeared. - -"What's this about Nogi being gone?" asked Lockwood, suddenly. - -"Yes, he's gone," Mrs. Peyton said, "and I can't understand it. I didn't -think he'd stay, he didn't like the duties at all--you know he's just -learning to be a butler--but queer he went off like that. His wages are -due for three weeks." - -"He'll be back, then," surmised Lockwood. "Now, what shall we do first? -The faculty must be notified of this tragedy and also, Mrs. Bates must be -told. Which of you two will go and tell Mrs. Bates about it?" - -"You go, Helen," said her mother after a moment's thought. "I ought to be -here to look after the house, and anyway, dear, you can do it wisely and -gently. Mrs. Bates likes you, and after all, it can be soon told." - -"Oh, I can't!" cried Helen, dismayed at the thought of the awful errand. - -"Yes, you can," and Lockwood looked at her with a firm kindliness. "You -want to be of help, don't you Helen? Well, here's one thing you can do -that will be of great assistance to your mother and to me. For on us two -must fall most of the sad duties of this day." - -"But what can I say? What can I tell her?" - -"Just tell her the facts as far as you know them yourself. She will guess -from your own agitation that something has happened. And then you will -tell her, as gently as you can. Be a true woman, Helen, and remember that -though your news must break her heart, yet she'd far rather hear it from -you than from some less sympathetic messenger." - -"I'll do it," said Helen, struggling bravely to keep her tears back. - -"That's a good girl. Run right along, now, for ill news flies fast, and -rumors may get to her before you reach there." - -"Now about that Nogi," Lockwood said, thoughtfully. "Call Ito back, -please, Mrs. Peyton." - -"When did you see Nogi last?" the secretary asked of the butler. - -"When I came home last night, sir. Sunday is my holiday. I returned about -ten, and as I found Nogi with his duties all properly done, and at his -post, I went to bed. I found this morning that he had not been in his bed -at all. His clothes are gone, and all his belongings. I think he will not -come back." - - - - - CHAPTER VI - AN INCREDIBLE CASE - - -When Lockwood returned to the study, he found the Medical Examiner and -Doctor Greenfield in consultation. - -The Examiner was a large, pompous-looking man, with an air of authority. -He looked at Gordon Lockwood from beneath his heavy brows, and demanded, -"What do you know of this?" - -The younger man resented the tone but he knew the question was justified, -and so he replied, respectfully: - -"Nothing more than you can see for yourself, sir. I broke in at that -glass door, being unable to get in any other way, and I found Doctor -Waring--as you see him now." - -"There was some other way, though, to get in and out," Examiner Marsh -stated. - -"Positively not," Lockwood repeated. - -"Don't contradict me! I tell you there must have been--for this man was -murdered." - -"Impossible, sir," and Lockwood's eyes met the Examiner's with a gaze -fully as calm and insistent as his own. - -"Very well, then, how came he by his death?" - -"I am not the Examiner," the Secretary said, and he folded his arms and -leaned against the corner of the great mantelpiece; "but since you ask -me, I will repeat that there was no way of ingress into this room last -night, and that necessarily, the case is a suicide." - -"Just so; and, granting that, will you suggest what may have become of -the weapon that was used?" - -"What was the weapon?" Lockwood asked, not so disturbed by the question -as the Examiner had expected him to be. - -"That is what puzzles me," returned Doctor Marsh. "As you can clearly see -the wound was inflicted with a sharp instrument. The man was stabbed just -below his right ear. The jugular vein was pierced, and he bled to death. -A plexus of nerves was pierced also, and this fact doubtless rendered the -victim unconscious at once--I mean as soon as the stab wound was made, -though he may have been alive for a few minutes thereafter." - -Gordon Lockwood gazed imperturbably at the speaker. He had always prided -himself on his unshakable calm, and now he exhibited its full -possibilities. It annoyed Doctor Marsh, who was accustomed to having his -statements accepted without question. He took a sudden dislike to this -calm young man, who presumed to differ from his deductions. - -"I must say," observed the mild-mannered Doctor Greenfield, "I knew -Doctor Waring very well, and he was surely the last person I would expect -to kill himself. Especially at the present time--when he was looking -forward to high honors in the College and also expected to marry a -charming lady." - -"That isn't the point," exclaimed Doctor Marsh, impatiently. "The point -is, if he killed himself, where is the weapon?" - -"I admit it isn't in view--and I admit that seems strange," Lockwood -agreed, "but it may yet be discovered, while a way of getting into a -locked room cannot be found." - -"All of which is out of your jurisdiction, young man," and Marsh looked -at him severely. "The police will be here soon, and I've no doubt they -will learn the truth, whatever it may be. What instrument do you deduce, -Doctor Greenfield?" - -"That's hard to say," replied Greenfield, slowly. "You see the aperture -it made is a perfectly round hole. Now, most daggers or poniards are -flat-bladed. I'm not sure a real weapon is ever round. The hole is much -too large to have been made by a hatpin--it is as big as a--a--" - -"Slate pencil," suggested the Examiner. - -"Yes, or a trifle larger--but not so large as a lead-pencil." - -"A lead-pencil could hardly accomplish the deed," Marsh mused. "A -slate-pencil might have--but that is a most unusual weapon." - -"How about a bill-file?" asked Doctor Greenfield. "I knew of a man killed -with one." - -"Yes, but where is the bill-file?" asked Marsh. "There's one on the desk, -to be sure, but it is full of papers, and shows no sign of having been -used for a criminal purpose. If, as Mr. Lockwood insists, this is a -suicide case, the victim positively could not have cleaned that file and -restored the papers after stabbing himself!" - -"He most certainly could not have done that!" declared Doctor Greenfield. - -Marsh examined the file carefully. It was an ordinary affair consisting -of a steel spike on a bronze standard. It would without doubt make an -efficacious implement of murder, but it was difficult to believe it had -been used in that way. For the bills and memoranda it contained were, to -all appearance, just as they had been thrust on the sharp point--and -surely, had they been removed and replaced, they would have shown traces -of such moving. - -"Anyway," Doctor Greenfield said, after another examination, "the hole in -the side of Waring's neck seems to me to have been made with an -instrument slightly larger than that file. Surely, there are round -stilettos, are there not?" - -"Yes, there are," said Lockwood, "I have seen them." - -"Where?" demanded the Examiner, suddenly turning on him. - -"Why--I don't know." For once, the Secretary's calm was a trifle shaken. -"I should say in museums--or in private collections, perhaps." - -"Are you familiar with so many private collections of strange weapons -that you can't remember where you have seen a round-shaped blade?" - -Examiner Marsh stared hard at him and Lockwood became taciturn again. - -"Exactly that," he conceded. "I have sometime, somewhere, seen a -round-bladed stiletto--but I cannot remember where." - -"Better brush up your memory," Marsh told him, and then the police -arrived. - -The local police of Corinth were rather proud of themselves as a whole, -and they had reason to be. Under a worthwhile chief the men had been well -trained, and were alert, energetic and capable. - -Detective Morton, who took this matter in charge, went straight to work -in a most business-like way. - -He examined the body of John Waring, not as the medical men had done, but -merely to find possible clues to the manner of his death. - -"What's this ring on his forehead?" he asked, looking at the dead man's -face. - -"I don't know--that struck me as queer," said Greenfield. "What is it, -Doctor Marsh?" - -The Examiner peered through his glasses. - -"I can't make that out, myself," he confessed, frankly. - -Morton looked more closely. - -There was a red circle on Waring's forehead, that looked as if it had -been put there of some purpose. - -A perfect circle it was, about two inches in diameter, and it was red and -sunken into the flesh, as if it might have been done with a branding -iron. - -"Not a very hot one, though," Morton remarked, after suggesting this, -"but surely somebody did it. I'll say it's the sign or seal of the -murderer himself. For a dead man couldn't do it, and there's no sense in -assuming that Doctor Waring branded himself before committing suicide. -Was it done before or after death?" he asked of the two doctors present. - -"Before, I should say," Doctor Greenfield opined. - -"Yes," concurred Marsh, "but not long before. I'm not sure it is a -brand--such a mark could have been made with, say, a small cup or -tumbler." - -"But what reason is there in that?" exclaimed Morton. "Even a lunatic -murderer wouldn't mark his victim by means of a tumbler rim." - -Absorbedly, he picked up a tumbler from the water tray, and fitted it to -the red mark on Waring's forehead. - -"It doesn't fit exactly," he said, "but it does almost." - -"Rubbish!" said Gordon Lockwood, in his superior way. "Why would any one -mark Doctor Waring's face with a tumbler?" - -"Yet it has been marked," Morton looked at the secretary sharply. "Can -you suggest any explanation--however difficult of belief?" - -"No," Lockwood said. "Unless he fell over on some round thing as he -died." - -"There's nothing here," said Morton, scanning the furnishings of the desk -"The inkstand is closed--and it's a smaller round, anyway. There's no one -of these desk fittings that could possibly have made that mark. -Therefore, since it was made before death, it must have been done by the -murderer." - -"Or by the suicide," Lockwood insisted firmly. - -Morton, looking at the secretary, decided to keep an eye on this cool -chap, who must have some reason for repeating his opinion of suicide. - -"Now," the detective said, briskly, "to get to business, I must make -inquiries of the family--the household. Suppose I see them in some other -room--" - -"Yes," agreed Lockwood, with what seemed to Morton suspicious eagerness. -Why should the secretary be so obviously pleased to leave the -study--though, to be sure, it was a grewsome place just now. - -"Wait a minute," Morton said, "how about robbery? Has anything been -missed?" - -Lockwood looked surprised. - -"I never thought to look," he said; "assuming suicide, of course robbery -didn't occur to me." He looked round the room. "Nothing seems to be -missing." - -"Stay on guard, Higby," the detective said to a policeman, and then asked -the secretary where he could interview the housekeeper and the servants. - -Lockwood took Morton to the living-room, and there they found Mrs. Bates -as well as the two Peytons. - -Though her eyes showed traces of tears, Emily Bates was composed and met -the detective with an appealing face. - -"Do find the murderer!" she cried; "I don't care how much that room was -locked up, I know John Waring never killed himself! Why would he do it? -Did ever a man have so much to live for? He couldn't have taken his -life!" - -"I'm inclined to agree with you, Mrs. Bates," Morton told her, "yet you -must see the difficulties in the way of a murder theory. I'm told the -room was inaccessible. Is not that right, Mrs. Peyton?" - -Flustered at the sudden question the housekeeper wrung her hands and -burst into tears. "Oh, don't ask me," she wailed, "I don't know anything -about it!" - -"Nothing indicative, perhaps," and Morton spoke more gently, "but at -least, tell me all you do know. When did you see Doctor Waring last?" - -"At the supper table, last evening." - -"Not after supper at all?" - -"No; that is, I didn't _see_ him. I am training a new servant, and I -watched him as he took a tray of water pitcher and glasses into the -study, but I didn't look in, nor did I see the doctor." - -"Did you hear him?" - -"I don't think I heard him speak. I heard a paper rustle, and I knew he -was there." - -"The servant came right out again?" - -"Yes; my attention was all on him. I told him exactly what to do during -the evening." - -"What were those instructions?" - -"To attend to his dining-room duties, putting away the supper dishes and -that, and then to stay about, on duty, until Doctor Waring left his study -and went to bed." - -"This servant had done these things before?" - -"Not these things. He arrived but a few days ago, and Ito the butler, -attended to the Doctor. But Sunday afternoon and evening Ito has off, so -I began to train Nogi." - -"And this Nogi has disappeared?" - -"Yes; he is not to be found this morning. Nor has his bed been -disturbed." - -"Then we may take it he left in the night or early morning. Now the -doctors judge that Doctor Waring died about midnight. We must therefore -admit the possibility of a connection between the Jap's disappearance and -the Doctor's death." - -At this suggestion, Gordon Lockwood looked interested. Whereas he had -preserved a stony calm, his face now showed deep attention to the -detective's words and he nodded his head in agreement. - -"You think so, too, Mr. Lockwood?" Morton asked, in that sudden and often -disconcerting way of his. - -"I don't say I think so," the secretary returned, quietly, "but I do -admit a possibility." - -"It would seem so," Mrs. Peyton put in, "if Nogi could have got into the -study. But he couldn't. You know it was locked--impossible, Mr. -Lockwood?" - -"Yes," Gordon returned. "I heard Doctor Waring lock his door." - -"When was that?" asked the detective, sharply. - -"I should say about ten o'clock." - -"Where were you, then?" - -"Sitting in the window nook outside the study door." - -"Could you not, then, hear anything that went on in the study?" - -"Probably not. The walls and door are thick--they were made so for the -doctor's sake--he desired absolute privacy, and freedom from interruption -or overhearing. No, I could not know what was taking place in that -room--if anything was, at that time." - -"At what time did you last see the doctor?" - -"After supper I went with him to the study. I looked after his wants, -getting him a number of books from the shelves, and selecting from his -files such notes or manuscript as he asked for. Those are my duties as -secretary." - -"And then?" - -"Then he practically dismissed me, saying I might leave for the night. -But I remained in the hall window until eleven o'clock." - -"Why did you do this?" - -"Out of consideration for my employer. He was exceedingly busy and if a -caller came, I could probably attend to his wants and spare the doctor an -interruption." - -"Did any one call?" - -"No one." - -"Yet you remained until eleven?" - -"Yes; I was doing some work of my own, and it was later than I thought, -when I decided to go home." - -"And you spoke to the Doctor before leaving?" - -"As is my custom, I tapped lightly at the door and said good-night. This -is my rule, when he is busy, and if he makes no response, or merely -murmurs good-night, I know there are no further orders till morning, and -I go home." - -"Did he respond to your rap last night?" - -"I--I cannot say. I heard him murmur a good-night but if he did, it was -so low as to be almost inaudible. I thought nothing of it. Since he did -not call out. 'Come in, Lockwood,' as he does when he wants me, I paid -little attention to the matter." - -"And you reached home--when?" - -"Something after eleven. It's but a few steps over to the Adams house, -where I live." - -"Now," summed up the detective, "here's the case. You, Mr. Lockwood, are -not sure Doctor Waring responded to your good-night. You did not see or -hear him when Nogi took in the water tray?" - -"No; I did not." - -"Mrs. Peyton did not see him then, either--though she imagined she heard -a paper rustle. Nogi is gone--he cannot be questioned. So, Mr. Lockwood, -the last person whom we know definitely to have seen John Waring alive, -is yourself when, as you say, you left him at about--er--what time?" - -"About half-past eight or nine," said Lockwood, carelessly. - -"Yes; you left him and sat in the hall window. Now, we have no positive -evidence that he was alive after that." - -"What!" Lockwood stared at him. - -"No positive evidence, I say. Nogi went in, but no one knows what Nogi -saw in there." - -"Come now, Detective Morton," Lockwood said, coldly, "you're romancing. -Do you suppose for a minute, that if there had been anything wrong with -Doctor Waring when Nogi went in with the water, that he would not have -raised an alarm?" - -"I suppose that might have easily have been the case. The Japanese are -afraid of death. Their one idea is to flee from it. If that Japanese -servant had seen his master dead, he would have decamped, just as he did -do." - -"But Nogi was here when I went home. He handed me my overcoat and hat, -quite with his usual calm demeanor." - -"You must remember, Mr. Lockwood, we have only your word for that." - -Gordon Lockwood looked at the detective. - -"I will not pretend to misunderstand your meaning," he said, slowly and -with hauteur. "Nor shall I say a word, at present, in self defence. Your -implication is so absurd, so really ridiculous, there is nothing to be -said." - -"That's right," and Morton nodded. "Don't say anything until you get -counsel. Now, Mrs. Bates--I'm mighty sorry to bother you--but I must ask -you a few questions. And if I size you up right, you'll be glad to tell -anything you can to help discover the truth. That so?" - -"Yes," she returned, "yes--of course, Mr. Morton. But I can't let you -seem to suspect Mr. Lockwood of wrong-doing without a protest! Doctor -Waring's secretary is most loyal and devoted--of that I am sure." - -"Never mind that side of it just now. Tell me this, Mrs. Bates. Who will -benefit financially by Doctor Waring's death? To whom is his fortune -willed? I take it you must know, as you expected soon to marry him." - -"But I don't know," Emily Bates said, a little indignantly. "Nor do I see -how it can help you to solve the mystery to get such information as that. -You don't suppose anybody killed him for his money, do you?" - -"What other motive could there be, Mrs. Bates? Had he enemies?" - -"No; well, that is, I suppose he had some acquaintances who were -disappointed at his election to the College Presidency. But I'd hardly -call them enemies." - -"Why not? Why wouldn't they be enemies? It's my impression that election -was hotly contested." - -"It was," Mrs. Peyton broke in. "It was, Mr. Morton, and if Doctor Waring -was murdered--which I can't see how he was--some of that other faction -did it." - -"But that's absurd," Gordon Lockwood protested; "there was disappointment -among the other faction at the result of the election, but it's -incredible that they should kill Doctor Waring for that reason!" - -"The whole case is incredible," Morton returned. "What is it, Higby, what -have you found?" - -"The doctor," Higby said, coming into the living room, "they have just -noticed that although there is a pinhole in Doctor Waring's tie, there is -no stickpin there. Did he wear one?" - -"Of course he did," Mrs. Bates cried. "He had on his ruby pin yesterday." - -"He did so," echoed Mrs. Peyton. "That ruby pin was worth an immense sum -of money! That's why he was killed, then, robbery!" - -"He certainly wore that pin last night," said Lockwood. "Are you sure -it's missing? Hasn't it dropped to the floor?" - -"Can't find it," returned Higby, and then all the men went back to the -study. - -"Anything else missing?" asked Morton, who was deeply chagrined that he -hadn't noticed the pin was gone himself. - -"How about money, Mr. Lockwood?" said Doctor Marsh. "Any gone, that you -can notice?" - -With an uncertain motion, Gordon Lockwood pulled open a small drawer of -the desk. - -"Yes," he said, "there was five hundred dollars in cash here last -night--and now it is not here." - -"Better dismiss the suicide theory," said Detective Morton, with a quick -look at the secretary. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - THE VOLUME OF MARTIAL - - -The Medical Examiner, Doctor Marsh, the Detective Morton, and the -Secretary of the late John Waring, Gordon Lockwood, looked at one -another. - -Without any words having been spoken that might indicate a lack of -harmony, there yet was a hint of discord in their attitudes. - -Doctor Marsh was sure the case was a suicide. - -"You'll find the stiletto somewhere," he shrugged, when held upon that -point. "To find the weapon is not my business--but when a man is dead in -a locked room, and dead from a wound that could have been -self-administered, I can't see a murder situation." - -"Nor I," said Lockwood. "Has the waste-basket been searched for the thing -that killed him?" - -Acting quickly on his own suggestion, Gordon Lockwood dived beneath the -great desk. - -Like a flash, Morton was after him, and though the detective was not -sure, he thought he saw the secretary grasp a bit of crumpled paper and -stuff it in his pocket. - -"Now, look here, I'll make that search," Morton exclaimed, and almost -snatched the waste-basket from the other's grasp. - -"Very well," and Lockwood put his hands in his pockets and stood looking -on, as Morton fumbled with the scraps. - -He emptied the basket on the floor, but there were only a few torn -envelopes and memoranda, which were soon proved to be of no indicative -value to the searchers. - -"I'll save the stuff, anyway," Morton declared, getting a newspaper and -wrapping in it the few bits of waste paper. - -"Did you take a paper from this basket and put it in your pocket?" the -detective suddenly demanded. - -Lockwood, without moving, gave Morton a cold stare that was more negative -than any words could be, and was, moreover, exceedingly disconcerting. - -"Look here, Mr. Morton," he said, "if you suspect me of killing my -employer, come out and say so. I know, in story-books, the first one to -be suspected is the confidential secretary. So, accuse me, and get it -over with." - -The very impassivity of Lockwood's face seemed to put him far beyond and -above suspicion, and the detective, hastily mumbled, - -"Not at all, Mr. Lockwood, not at all. But you don't seem real frank, -now, and you must know how important it is that we get all the first hand -information we can." - -"Of course, and I'm ready to tell all I know. Go on and ask questions." - -"Well, then, what do you surmise has become of that five hundred dollars -and that ruby stickpin? Doesn't their disappearance rather argue against -suicide?" - -Lockwood meditated. "Not necessarily. If they have been stolen--" - -"Stolen! Of course they've been stolen, since they aren't here! I don't -see any safe." - -"No, Doctor Waring had no safe. There has been little or no robbery in -Corinth, and Doctor Waring rarely kept much money about." - -"Five hundred dollars is quite a sum." - -"That was for housekeeping purposes. Whenever necessary, I drew for him -from the bank that amount, and he kept it in that drawer until it was -used up. He always gave Mrs. Peyton cash to pay the servants and some -other matters as well as her own salary. His tradesman's bills were paid -by check." - -"Was the money in bills?" - -"I invariably brought it to him in the same denominations. Two hundred in -five dollar bills, two hundred in ones, and a hundred in silver coins." - -"In paper rolls?" - -"Yes; it may have been injudicious to keep so large a sum in his desk -drawer, but he always did. Though, to be sure, he often paid out a great -deal of it at once. Sometimes he would cash checks for some one or give -some to the poor." - -"Drawer never locked?" - -"Always locked. But both the Doctor and I carried a key. He was not so -suspicious of me as you are, Mr. Morton." The speaker gave his cold -smile. - -"And as to the ruby pin, Mr. Lockwood?" Morton went on. "Are you willing -we should search your effects?" - -Lockwood started and for a moment he almost lost his equipoise. - -"I am not willing," he said, after an instant's pause, "but if you say it -is necessary, I suppose I shall have to submit." - -Morton looked at him uneasily. He had no appearance of a criminal, he -looked too proud and haughty to be a culprit, yet might that not be sheer -bravado? - -Discontinuing the conversation, Morton turned his attention to the table -in the window in the hall where the secretary so often sat. - -He examined the appurtenances, for the table was furnished almost like a -desk, and he picked up a silver penholder. - -It was round and smooth and without chasing or marking of any sort, save -for the initials G. L. - -"This yours?" he asked, and Lockwood nodded assent. - -"I ask you, Doctor Marsh," Morton turned to the Examiner, "whether that -wound which is in Doctor Waring's neck could have been made with this -penholder." - -Startled, Marsh took the implement and carefully scrutinized it. Of usual -length, it was tapering and ended in a point. The circumference at the -larger end was just about the circumference of the wound in question. - -"I must say it could be possible," Marsh replied, his eyes alternately on -the penholder and on the dead man. "Yes, it is exactly the size." - -"And it is strong enough and sharp enough, and it is round," summed up -Morton. "Now, Mr. Lockwood, I make no accusation. I'm no novice, and I -know there's a possibility that this might have been the weapon used, and -yet it might not have been used by you. But I will say, that I have much -to say to you yet, and I advise you not to try to leave town." - -"I've no intention of leaving town or of trying to do so," Lockwood -asserted, "but," he went on, "would you mind telling me, if I killed the -man I was devoted to, how I left the room locked behind me?" - -"Those locked rooms bore me," said Morton, "I've read lots of detective -stories founded on that plot. Invariably the locked room proves to be -vulnerable at some point. I haven't finished examining the doors and -windows myself as yet." - -"Proceed with your examinations, then," said Lockwood; "if you can find a -secret or concealed entrance, it's more than I can do." - -"More than you will do, perhaps, but not necessarily more than you can -do." - -"Don't forget that vanished Japanese," prompted Marsh. "I've small faith -in Orientals, and if there is a way to get in and out secretly, I'd -question the Jap before I would Mr. Lockwood here." - -"So should I," declared the impassive secretary himself. "And another -thing don't forget, Morton, after the Private Secretary, the next person -to be suspected is the butler--that is in fiction, which I gather you -take as your manual of procedure." - -Lockwood's sarcasm drove Morton frantic, but he was too wise to show his -annoyance. - -"I shall neglect no possible suspect," he said, with dignity. - -And then two men came from the police, who said they were photographers -and desired to take some pictures, at the Chief's orders. - -Lockwood left them, and went to the living-room where the household and a -few neighbors were assembled. - -"I'm glad to get out of that detective atmosphere," he said, relaxing in -an easy chair. "It's bad enough to have the man dead, without seeing and -hearing those cold-blooded police bungling over their 'clues' and -'evidences.'" - -"Tell me a little of the circumstances," asked Mrs. Bates, who was -present. "I can bear it from you, Gordon, and I must know." - -"Apparently, Doctor Waring was sitting at his desk, reading," Lockwood -began, with a faraway look, as if trying to reconstruct the scene. "He -must have been reading Martial--for the volume was open on the desk--and -the pages were blood-stained." - -Mrs. Bates gave a little cry, and shuddered, but Lockwood went unmovably -on. - -"There were other books about, some open, some closed, but Martial was -nearest his hand--quite as if he were reading up to the last moment." - -"When the murderer came!" Mrs. Bates breathed softly, her eyes wide with -horror. - -"It couldn't have been murder," Lockwood said, in a positive way, "you -see, Mrs. Bates, it just couldn't have been. That Morton detective is -trying to trump up a way the assassin could have entered that locked -room--but he can't find any way. I know he can't. So it must have been -suicide. Much as we dislike to admit it, it is the only possible theory." - -"But they say there was robbery," Mrs. Peyton put in. "The ruby pin is -gone and the money from the drawer." - -"But, perhaps," Gordon said, "they were taken by a robber who did not -also murder his victim. Nogi, now--" - -"Of course!" cried Helen Peyton, quickly; "I see it! I never could abide -Nogi, with his stealthy ways. He stole the things, and then he ran away, -and later, Doctor Waring killed himself!" - -"Because of the robbery!" exclaimed Emily Bates. - -"Oh, no!" Lockwood returned. "Certainly not for that. Indeed, the motive -is the greatest mystery of all. We could perhaps imagine a motive for -murder--whether it was robbery, or some brute of 'the other faction' or -some old enemy of whom we know nothing. But for suicide, though I am sure -it was that, I can think of no motive whatever." - -"Nor I," said Mrs. Bates. "I knew him better than any of you, and I -know--I know for a certainty, that he was a happy man. That he looked -forward eagerly to his marriage with me, that he was happy in the thought -of his Presidency--that he hadn't a real trouble in the world." - -"The other faction," began Mrs. Peyton. - -"No," said Mrs. Bates, firmly. "He knew he was doing his duty, upholding -the principles and tradition of his College, and the other faction did -not worry him. He was too big-minded, too broad-visioned to allow that to -trouble him." - -"I think you're quite right, Mrs. Bates," Lockwood agreed; "but granting -it was suicide, what do you think was the cause?" - -"That's just it," she declared; "I don't think it was suicide, I know it -couldn't have been. He was too happy, too good, too fine, to do such a -thing, even if he had had a reason. And then, what did he do it with?" - -"Morton imagines a secret entrance of some sort," said Lockwood. "If -there is one, the robber could have come in afterward, and could have -carried off the weapon--" - -"Hush, Gordon," said Mrs. Bates, sternly. "That's too absurd! If it had -been suicide--which it wasn't--why under heaven would a burglar coming in -later, take away the weapon?" - -"To save himself," said Lockwood, shortly. "So he wouldn't be suspected -of the greater crime." - -"Nonsense!" said Mrs. Peyton, irately; "I never heard such rubbish! And, -in the first place, there's no secret entrance to the study. I haven't -swept and dusted and vacuum-cleaned that place all these years without -knowing that! Yes, and had the room redecorated and refloored, and--Oh, I -know every inch of it! There's no possible chance of a secret entrance. -Who built it and when and why? Not Doctor Waring. His life's always been -an open book. Never has he had any secret errands, any callers whom I -didn't know, any matters on which he was silent or uncommunicative. Until -his engagement to Mrs. Bates, he hadn't a ripple in his quiet life, and -that he told me about as soon as it occurred." - -Mrs. Peyton looked squarely at Doctor Waring's fiancee, as if to imply a -complete knowledge of the courtship, as well as an intimate knowledge of -the Doctor's life. - -"That's true," Lockwood said. "He was a man without secrets. He was -always willing I should open his mail, and there was never a letter that -I did not know about." - -Yet even as he spoke, the man remembered the crumpled paper he had taken -from the waste basket, and he felt it in his pocket, though he made no -sign. - -"Oh, people, is my aunt here?" - -It was Pinky Payne, who, all excitement, came running in. - -"I've just heard, and I want to see Aunt Emily." - -"Here I am, dear. Come here, my boy," and she drew him down beside her on -the sofa. - -"What do they say, Pinky? What's the talk in town?" Lockwood asked. - -"Oh, the place is in a turmoil. There are the wildest reports. Some say -it's a--a--that he killed himself, you know, and some say--he didn't. -Which was it?" - -The boy's lip quivered as he looked about at the silent people. - -"Tell him, Gordon," begged Mrs. Bates, and Lockwood told the principal -details of the mystery. - -"Never a suicide! never!" Pinckney Payne declared. "I know Doc Waring too -well for that. Suicide means a coward--and he was never that! No, Aunt -Emily, it was murder. Oh, how terrible," and the boy almost lost control -of himself. "You were at the bottom of it, Auntie. I'm sure it was either -one of those men you refused when you took up with Doc Waring." - -"Why, Pinckney! How dreadful of you! Don't say such a thing!" - -"But I know it. If you'd heard Jim Haskell and Philip Leonard talk--I -felt sure they meant to kill Doctor Waring." - -"Pinky, I forbid you--" - -"But it's true, Auntie. And if it's true, you want them shown up, don't -you, whichever one it was?" - -"Hush, Pinky--hush!" - -"Yes, shut up, Pink," Lockwood spoke sternly. "What you suggest is highly -improbable, but even if there's suspicion of such a thing, don't babble -about it. That's the detective's work." - -"Yes--and who's your detective? Old blind-as-a-bat Morton, I'll bet, who -can't see a hole through a ladder! I'll show him now--" - -"Pinky, I beg of you, hush," said his Aunt, losing her self-control. - -"There, Auntie, dear, don't cry. I didn't mean to worry you, but -something must be done--" - -"Something will be done, Pinky," Lockwood assured him. "But I tell you -right now, if you try to stick your inexperienced finger in this pie, -you'll make trouble for us all--from your aunt down. Now, behave -yourself. Try to be a man, not a foolish boy." - -"That's what I'm doing! And I don't propose to lie down on the job, -either. I tell you, Gordon. I know a lot about detective work--" - -"Cut it out, Pink," said Helen, and her words seemed to have an effect on -the irrepressible youth. "To read detective stories is one thing--to -solve a real, live mystery is quite another." - -"That's right, Helen," and Lockwood nodded approval. "Many a person -thinks he has a bit of detective instinct, when all he has is curiosity -and imagination." - -Helen, pleased at this appreciation went on to lay down the law for -Pinckney Payne. - -She was interrupted by the entrance of Morton who wanted to learn more of -the departed Japanese, Nogi. - -"What other servants are there?" he asked Mrs. Peyton. - -"Only the two Japanese," she replied. "They do all the cooking and -serving at table; all the cleaning of the house; and the rest, my -daughter and myself attend to." - -"There is a chauffeur?" - -"Yes, but the garage is a few blocks away, and the chauffeur lives at -home." - -"You had Nogi but a short time?" - -"Only a few days." - -"He came well recommended?" - -"He had very fine written recommendations, but from people I did not -know, and too far away to inquire of. I took him on trial." - -"He seemed honest and faithful?" - -"He seemed so--but he was silent and moody--a man one could scarcely -understand." - -"Can you imagine his killing his master--granting the opportunity?" - -Mrs. Peyton considered. "I can imagine it," she said, "but I shouldn't -like to say I would suspect him of it. He was soft-footed, and went about -with a sort of stealthy manner, but I'm not prepared to say he was wrong -in any way." - -"Call in Ito, the other one." - -Ito came, and stood stolidly by. His impassive demeanor was not unlike -that of Gordon Lockwood. Waring had sometimes remarked this in a chaffing -way to his secretary. - -"You knew this Nogi?" asked Morton. - -"Only since he came here," answered the butler, in perfect English. - -"You liked him?" - -"Neither yes nor no. He knew little of his duties, but he was willing to -learn. He was respectful to me, and friendly enough. I had no reason to -dislike him." - -Morton didn't seem to get anywhere with this man. - -"Well, what do you think of his character?" he said. "Would you say he -was capable of killing his employer?" - -"All men are capable of crime," said the Jap, in a low, even voice, "but -he could not kill Doctor Waring and go away leaving the study locked on -the inside." - -"Why did he go away, then?" - -"That I do not know. It may be he tired of the place here." - -"But there was money due him." - -"Yes; that makes it hard to understand." - -Morton had an uncomfortable feeling that the Japanese was scornful of -him, and, worse still, that the other listeners were also. - -"You may go," he told Ito, and then, turning to Lockwood, he said, a -little belligerently, "Who is in charge here? To whom do I make my -report?" - -The question was like a bombshell. All were silent, until Mrs. Bates -said, "I suppose I am what might be called in charge. You may report to -me." - -"To you, ma'am?" Morton was, clearly, surprised. - -"Yes; as Doctor Waring's affianced wife, and as his heir, I feel I am in -authority. And also, I wish all reports made to me, as I am the one most -deeply interested in learning the identity of the murderer." - -"If he was murdered," supplemented Mrs. Bates. - -And Mrs. Peyton broke in, "You needn't think, Mr. Morton, that there's -such a thing as a secret entrance or secret passage in this house, for I -know there is not." - -"Yet there are other theories, other possibilities," the detective said, -his air a little less important than it had been. "Suppose, now, that -Nogi had robbed and murdered his master, when he carried in the water -tray. Just suppose that, and suppose that, with his Japanese cunning he -had devised a way to lock the door behind him--or, say, he had gone out -by the glass door, and had locked that behind him." - -"How?" cried Pinckney, his eyes wide with excitement. - -"Say he had previously removed a pane of glass--they are not large panes. -Say, he reached through, locked the door inside--the French window, I -mean--and then had put in the pane, reputtied it, and gone away." - -"Gee!" cried the boy. "That could be!" - -"Of course it could. And there are other ways it might have been -accomplished. Now, we don't say that did happen, but what I want to know -is, who is at the head of this investigation?" - -"I can't feel that Mrs. Bates is," Mrs. Peyton said, a little sullenly. -"She was not married yet, and therefore, as resident housekeeper, I feel -rather in authority myself." - -"But you say you are the heir, Mrs. Bates?" the detective inquired. - -"Perhaps I ought not to have told that," Emily Bates spoke regretfully. -"But Doctor Waring's lawyer will tell you, it is true I am the principal -heir. It is so designated in his will, which you will find in a secret -drawer in his desk." - -"You know where this drawer is?" - -"I do." - -"Later on, I will ask you to show us. If you are the heir, there is no -further question of your authority here." - -And Detective Morton left the room. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - WHERE IS NOGI? - - -Twenty-four hours later Cray, the District Prosecuting Attorney, stood in -the Waring study. - -The body of the master had been removed, and to Cray's regret he had not -seen it before the embalmer's work had removed the red ring on the -forehead. - -"It was a sign," he said to Morton, who was moodily listening. "A sign -like that, left by the murderer, always means revenge." - -"You agree to murder, then?" Morton spoke eagerly, glad to have his -theory corroborated. - -"What else? Look here, Morton; it's got to be either murder or suicide, -hasn't it? Yes? Well, then, to which of the two do the greater number of -clues point? Sum up. For suicide we have only the locked room argument. I -admit I don't know how any one could get in or out of this study, but, as -I say, that's the only sign of suicide. Now, for murder we have the -absence of the weapon, the robbery of the money and the ruby, and sign of -a circle on the dead man's forehead. Wish I'd seen that. It wasn't burnt -on, for it disappeared after the embalmers took care of it." - -"Oh, no, it wasn't as deep as a burn. More like an impression left by a -ring of cold metal or the edge of a glass tumbler." - -"Very strange, and decidedly an important clue. For, here's the queer -part. The doctors declare the mark must have been made while the man was -alive--now, how can that be explained?" - -"Give it up. It's too much for me. But it was too small a circle to have -been made by the tumbler on the water tray. I measured it." - -"I know; that's why I think it was a sign of revenge. Suppose the motive -was revenge and the reason for revenge had something to do with a quarrel -in which a small glass or cup figured. That's the idea, though, of -course, it needn't have been a glass or cup at all, but something with a -ring-like edge. Thus, there was a reason for the sign on the dead man's -face." - -"I see; though I never could have doped it out like that." - -"Oh, I don't say it's exactly what happened, but there must have been -something of the sort, for what other hypothesis fits the case at all? We -can't imagine Doctor Waring branding his own forehead, and then killing -himself, can we?" - -"No; and if he had, where's the branding iron--to call it that--and -where's the dagger?" - -"That's right. Now, I propose to treat the matter as a murder case, and -look for the criminal first, and then find out how he entered the locked -room afterward." - -"Pooh! those locked rooms--" - -"You're 'way off, Morton, when you sneer at a 'locked room.'" - -"It was locked--I mean impenetrably locked. There is no secret -passage--of that I'm sure. Your ingenious idea of removing and replacing -a whole pane of glass was clever, I grant, but we've seen that not a pane -has been lately reputtied. They're all framed in old, dried, hard, and -even painted putty." - -"I know it. But some other such way might have been devised." - -"Can't think of any. We've examined all the window sashes and door -frame--oh, well, so far as I can see the room was absolutely unenterable. -But, notwithstanding, I'm going to work on a murder basis. Because -inexplicable as that seems, there are even more insurmountable -difficulties in the way of the suicide theory. Now, I suppose you've had -the finger print expert in?" - -"No--I haven't--not yet." - -"Good Lord! What kind of a detective are you? Well, get him, and put him -to work. What about footprints?" - -"Inside the room?" - -"Or outside, either. But inside, I suppose has been trampled by a score -of people!" - -"You can't get footprints on a thick rug," the discomfited Morton -grumbled. - -"Sometimes you can. And a polished floor will often show marks. What have -you done, anyway?" - -"There was enough to do, Mr. Cray," Morton flared back at him. "I have -been busy every minute since I began, except for a few hours sleep." - -"Over twenty-four hours since the alarm was given. You've put in at least -twelve, then. What have you done?" - -"A lot. I've found out, to my own satisfaction, that--if it is a -murder--Gordon Lockwood knows all about it." - -"You suspect him?" - -"Either of the deed, or of guilty knowledge." - -"And his motive?" - -"Money. That young man is over head and ears in debt." - -"To whom?" - -"To shops--jewelers, florists, restaurants. All the debts a gay young -blade would incur." - -"You amaze me, Morton. Lockwood isn't that sort." - -"Isn't he? You're deceived, like every one else, by that icy calm of his. -He stares haughtily, and appears above and beyond ordinary mortals, but -he's deep. That's what he is, deep." - -"Well, how did he do it?" - -"With his penholder. A smooth, sharp silver penholder. And he took the -money and the ruby." - -"And how did he leave the room?" - -"Don't ask me that! That's his secret. But, I've a notion he was in -cahoots with that new Jap, the one that vamoosed. I theorize," Morton -waxed important as he noted the Prosecutor's attention, "that the Jap had -some grudge against Waring, and it was he who branded his forehead, and -who contrived a way to leave the room locked behind him. Why, I read a -story the other day, where a key was turned from the other side of a door -by means of a slender steel bar through the key handle, and a string from -the bar, leading down and under the door. Once outside, the murderer -pulled the string, the bar turned the key in the lock, the bar fell to -the floor and he dragged it under the door by means of the string." - -"Ingenious! but it implies a door raised from the floor." - -"I know. And this one isn't. But it all goes to prove that there can be -some way--some diabolically clever way to do the trick. And the Japanese -are diabolically clever. And so is Lockwood. And if the two worked -together they could accomplish wonders. Then Lockwood with his wooden -face, could disarm suspicion. The Jap, let us say, couldn't, so Lockwood -packed him off." - -"Interesting--but all theory." - -"To be proved or disproved, then." - -"Yes, but meantime, you are losing time on more practical investigation. -Let's look outside for footprints--I mean for any one coming or going -from this side entrance." - -"The French window? Nobody comes or goes that way in this weather; the -path isn't even shoveled. That's used mostly in summer time." - -"Nevertheless," Cray opened the window door, "somebody has been here." - -Morton looked out and stared hard. How had he come to neglect a matter of -such importance. There were two plainly visible lines of footprints in -the snow, one quite obviously coming toward the house and one going away -from it. - -"There's your murderer," said Cray, quietly. - -"Oh, no," but Morton wriggled uneasily. "It couldn't be. No murderer is -going to walk through crusted snow, to and from the scene of his crime, -leaving definite footprints like those!" - -"That's no argument. He might have come here with no intent of crime, and -afterward, might have been so beside himself he couldn't plan safely." - -"Oh, well, get what you can from them," said Morton, pettishly. "I -suppose you deduce a tall man, with blue eyes and two teeth missing." - -"Don't be cheap, Morton. And, on the contrary, I deduce a small man. They -are small footprints, and close together. The Japanese are small men, -Morton." - -"Well, these prints are more than twenty-four hours old, and they're not -clear enough to incriminate anybody." - -"They haven't changed an iota from the moment they were made. This cold -snap has kept everything frozen solid. Look at the frost still on the -panes, the icicles still on the window sashes, the ice coating still on -all the trees and branches. In fact it has grown steadily colder since -night before last, and until it begins to thaw we have these footprints -as intact evidence. I will have them photographed." - -"They are small," Morton agreed after further examination. "And as you -say, too close together for an ordinary sized man. It looks like the -Jap." - -"Beginning to wake up, are you? You've sure been asleep at the switch, -Morton." - -"Nothing of the sort, Mr. Cray. But I ought to have help. I've had all I -could tackle, making the necessary first inquiries, and getting the facts -straightened out." - -"That business could have waited better than these other things. Now, -there's Crimmins, the lawyer arriving. Let's interview him. But not in -the study. Keep that clear." - -They met Crimmins in the hall, and took him to the living room. - -The matter of the will was immediately taken up, and Mrs. Bates was asked -to tell which desk drawer it was in. - -Accompanied by the lawyer and the secretary, Mrs. Bates indicated the -drawer, and Lockwood opened it with his key. - -There were a few papers in it but no will. - -Nor could further search disclose any such document. - -"Who took it?" said Mrs. Bates, blankly. - -But no one could answer her. The others came thronging in, Cray's urgent -requests to keep out of the study being entirely ignored. - -"I knew it," declared Mrs. Peyton, triumphantly. "Now, I guess you won't -be so cocky, Emily Bates--you or your 'authority!'" - -Mrs. Bates looked at her. "I am the heir," she said haughtily. "I assert -that--but I cannot prove it until the will is found. It isn't in your -possession, Mr. Crimmins?" - -"No; Doctor Waring preferred to keep it himself. I cannot understand its -disappearance." - -"A lot of paper has been burned in this fireplace," said Helen Peyton who -was poking the ashes around. - -Morton hastened to look, for it seemed to him as if everybody was -stealing his thunder. - -"Nothing that can be identified," he said, carelessly. - -"No?" demurred Cray. "At any rate, it looks as if some legal papers were -destroyed. This bit of ash is quite evidently the remainder of several -sheets folded together." - -But no definite knowledge could be gained outside the fact that much -paper had been burned there. As no fire had been made since the discovery -of the tragedy, it stood to reason the papers were burned by Doctor -Waring himself or by his midnight intruder, if there were such a one. - -"Well," Cray demanded of the lawyer, "if no will can be found, then who -inherits the property of Doctor Waring? And is it considerable?" - -"Yes; Doctor Waring had quite a fortune," Crimmins told them. "As to an -heir, he has a distant cousin--a second cousin, who, I suppose would be -the legal inheritor, in the absence of any will. But, I know he made a -will in Mrs. Bates' favor, and it included a few minor legacies to the -members of this household and some neighbors." - -"I know it," Mrs. Bates said. "I'm perfectly familiar with all the -bequests. But where is the will? It must be found! It can't have been -burnt!" - -"We've no right to assume that those paper ashes are the will, but I -confess I fear it," Crimmins announced, his face drawn with anxiety. "I -should be deeply sorry, if it is so, for the cousin I speak of is a ne'er -do well young man, and not at all a favorite of his late relative. His -name is Maurice Trask and he lives in St. Louis. I suppose he must be -notified in any case." - -"Yes," said Cray, "that must be done. But, please, all go out of this -room, for the finger print experts and the photographers are coming soon, -and every moment you people stay here, you help to cloud or destroy -possible clues." - -Impressed by his sternness, they filed out and gathered in the -living-room. - -There they found a neighbor, Saltonstall Adams, awaiting them. - -"I came over," he said, with scant preliminary greetings, "because I have -something to tell. You in charge, Mr. Cray?" - -"Yes, Salt, what do you know?" - -"This. I was awake late, night before last--the night Doc Waring died, -and I was looking out my window, and it was pretty light, with the snow -and the moonlight and all, and I saw a man--a small man, creeping along -sly like. And I watched him, he went along past my house down toward the -railroad tracks. He had a bag with him, and a bundle beside. I wouldn't -have noticed him probably, but he skulked along so and seemed so fearful -that somebody'd see him." - -"Nogi?" said Gordon Lockwood, calmly, looking at the speaker. - -"Don't say it was, and don't say it wasn't. But I went down to the -station and the station master told me that that Jap of Waring's went off -on the milk train." - -"He did!" cried Morton, "what time does that train go through?" - -"'Bout half past four. The fellow passed my house 'long about half past -twelve, I should say--though I didn't look, and he must have waited -around the station all that time till the milk train came along." - -"Is the station master sure it was Nogi?" asked Mrs. Peyton, greatly -excited. - -"Said he was, and there's mighty few Japs in Corinth, all told." - -"Of course it was Nogi," said Lockwood, and Morton snapped him up with, -"Why are you so sure?" - -Lockwood treated the detective to one of his most disconcerting stares, -and said, - -"You, a detective, and ask such a simple question! Why, since there are -but a very few Japanese in this town, and since one of them left on that -milk train, and since all the rest are accounted for, and only Nogi is -missing--it doesn't seem to me to require superhuman intelligence to -infer that it was Nogi who took his departure." - -"And who was mixed up in the murder of Doctor John Waring?" cried Morton, -exasperated beyond all caution by the ironic tone of Lockwood. "And, -unless you can explain some matters, sir, you may be considered mixed in -the same despicable deed!" - -"What matters?" Gordon Lockwood asked, but his already pale face turned a -shade whiter. - -"First, sir, you have a large number of unpaid bills in your possession." - -The secretary's face was no longer white. The angry blood flew to it, and -he fairly clenched his hands in an effort to preserve his usual calm, nor -even then, could he entirely succeed. - -"What if I have?" he cried, "and how do you know? You've searched my -rooms!" - -"Certainly," said Morton, "I warned you I should do so." - -"But, in my absence!" - -"The law is not always over ceremonious." - -"Now, Mr. Lockwood," Cray began, "don't get excited." - -Gordon Lockwood almost laughed. For him to be told not to get excited! -He, who never allowed himself to be even slightly ruffled or perturbed! -This would never do! - -"I'm not excited, Mr. Cray," he said, and he wasn't, now, "but I am -annoyed that my private papers should be searched without my knowledge. -Surely I might--" - -"Never mind the amenities of life, Mr. Lockwood," Cray went on; "your -effects were searched on the authority of a police warrant. Now, -regarding these bills--" - -"I have nothing to say. A man has a right to his unpaid bills." - -"But he has not a right to steal five hundred dollars in cash and a ruby -pin, in order to be able to pay them!" This from Morton, and instead of -replying to the detective in any way, Lockwood ignored the speech -utterly, quite as if he had not heard it, and addressed Cray. - -"Was anything further found to incriminate me?" he asked. - -"Was there anything else to be found?" said Cray, catching at the implied -suggestion. - -"That's for your sleuths to say. I know of nothing." - -"Well, there's your round, sharp penholder. And the fact that you had -keys to all desk drawers. Also the fact that only you and the Jap are -known to have been in that part of the house that night. These things -were not learned from the search of your rooms; but your pecuniary -embarrassment, which was discovered, all go together to make a web of -circumstances that call for investigation." - -"Don't beat about the bush!" exclaimed Lockwood, his lips set, and his -eyes staring coldly at the District Attorney. "I'd far rather be accused -definitely than have it hinted that I am responsible for this crime." - -"But we haven't sufficient evidence, Mr. Lockwood, to accuse you -definitely, that's why we must question you." - -"Sufficient! You haven't any evidence at all!" - -"Oh, we have some." With a turn of his head, Cray summoned a man who -stood at the hall door. - -The man came in, and handed Cray a report. - -"H'm," the attorney scanned the paper. "We find, Mr. Lockwood, fresh -finger prints on the chair which stood near Doctor Waring's desk. Facing -the Doctor's chair, in fact, as if some one had sat there talking to him. -Did you?" - -"No; I never sat down and talked to him. I was always waiting on him in -the matter of bringing books or taking letters for transcription, and in -any case, I either stood, or sat at my desk, never in that chair you -speak of." - -"This man will take the finger prints of all present," the Attorney -directed, and one and all submitted to the process. - -Old Salt Adams was greatly interested. - -"But you can't get the prints of Friend Jap," he said. "Like's not, he'd -be of more importance than all of us put together. Me, now, I can't see -where I come in." - -Yet, after time enough had passed to complete the processes, it was -learned that the finger prints on the shiny black wood of the chair under -discussion were indubitably those of Gordon Lockwood. Also, there were -other prints there, slightly smaller, that Cray immediately assumed to be -those of the missing Japanese. - -Lockwood looked more supercilious than usual, if that were possible. - -"How can you identify the prints of a man not here?" he asked with an -incredulous look. - -"Supposition not identification," said Cray, gravely. "But we're -narrowing these things down, and we may yet get identification." - -"Get the Jap back," advised Old Salt Adams. "That's your next move, Cray. -Get him, check up his finger prints and all that, and best of all get his -confession. There's your work cut out for you." - -"Find Doctor Waring's will," Mrs. Bates lamented. "There's your work cut -out for you. I am not unduly mercenary, but when I know how anxious -Doctor Waring was that I should inherit his estate, when I realize what -it meant that he drew this will before our marriage, so urgent was his -desire that all should be mine, you must understand that I do not -willingly forego it all in favor of a distant relative, whom, Mr. -Crimmins tells us, Doctor Waring did not care for at all." - -"I should say not!" and Crimmins looked positive. "It will be an outrage -if Mr. Trask inherits the estate already willed to Mrs. Bates. I stand -ready to do all I can to see justice done in this matter." - -"But justice, as you see it, can only result from finding the will," said -Cray. - -"Yes," agreed Crimmins, "and the whole matter opens up a new train of -thought. May not the distant cousin, this man Trask be in some way -responsible for the destruction of the will and the death of the -decedent?" - -"It is a new way to look," Cray agreed, with a thoughtful air; "and we -will look that way, you rest assured. We will at once get in touch with -this cousin, you will give us his address, and learn where he was and how -employed on the night of Doctor Waring's death. We still have to face the -problem of an outsider's exit from a locked room, and though it seems -more explicable in the case of a member of the household, yet a new -suspect brings fresh conditions, and perhaps fresh evidence, which may -show us where to look. At any rate, we must speedily find Mr. Maurice -Trask." - - - - - CHAPTER IX - A LOVE LETTER - - -"Look here, Esther," said old Salt to his wife, "that's a mighty curious -case over at Waring's." - -"How you do talk! I should think that to you and me, knowing and loving -John Waring as we did, you'd have no doings with the curious part of it! -As for me, I don't care who killed him. He's dead, isn't he? It can't -bring him back to life to hang his murderer. And to my mind it's -heathenish--all this detectiving and evidencing--or whatever they call -it. Whom do they suspect now? You?" - -Adams looked at his wife with a mild reproach. "Woman all over! No sense -of justice, no righteous indignation. Don't you know the murderer must be -found and punished? That is if it was a murder." - -"Of course it was! That blessed man never killed himself! And he about to -marry Emily Bates--a lady, if ever there was one!" - -"Well, now you listen to me, Esther, and whatever you do, don't go -babbling about this. They say the Jap, who vamoosed from the Waring -house, made a line of foot tracks in the snow. The snow's crusted over, -you know, and those footprints are about as clear now as when they were -made." - -"Huh! footprints! Corinth is full of footprints." - -"Yes, but these--listen, Esther--these lead straight from the Waring -house, over to this house. And back again." - -"How can they?" Mrs. Adams looked mystified. "That Japanese didn't come -over here." - -"You can't say that he didn't. And, look here, Esther, where's Miss -Austin? What's she doing?" - -"Miss Austin? She's in her room. She hasn't been quite up to the mark for -a day or two, and she's had her meals upstairs." - -"What's the matter with her?" - -"A slight cold, she says. I can't make her out, Salt. What's she doing -here, anyway?" - -"Don't pester her, my dear. How you and Bascom do love to pick at that -girl! Why does she have to do anything?" - -"It's queer, though. And I hate a mystery." - -"Well, she is one--I grant you that. Have you told her about Doctor -Waring? Though I daresay it wouldn't interest her." - -"And I daresay it would! Why, that girl cut his picture out of the paper, -and she did have one stuck up on her dresser, till I looked at it sort of -sharp like, and she put it away." - -"Poor child! Can't even have a newspaper cutting, if she wants it! You're -a tyrant, Esther! Don't you ever try to boss me like that!" - -The good-natured smile that passed between them, proved the unlikelihood -of this, and Old Salt went on. "I wish you'd tell her, wife, about the -tragedy. Seems like she ought to know." - -Mrs. Adams stared at him. "I'll tell her, as a matter of course, but I -don't know why you're so anxious about it." - -"Good morning, Miss Austin," the good lady said, soon after, "better this -morning?" - -"Yes, thank you. My cold is almost entirely well." - -The girl was sitting by the window, in an easy chair. She had on a -Japanese dressing gown of quilted silk, embroidered with chrysanthemums, -and was listlessly gazing out across the snow covered field opposite. - -The Adams house was on the outskirts of the little town, and separated by -a wide field from the Waring place. - -"Heard the news about Doctor Waring?" Mrs. Adams said, in a casual tone, -but watching the girl closely. - -"No; what is it?" - -The words were simple, and the voice steady, but Miss Austin's hands -clutched the arms of the chair, and her face turned perfectly white. - -"Why, what ails you? You don't know the man, do you?" - -"I--I heard him lecture, you know. Tell me--what is the--the news?" - -"He's dead." Mrs. Adams spoke bluntly on purpose. She had felt in a vague -way, that this strange person, this Miss Mystery, had more interest in -Doctor Waring than she admitted, and the landlady was determined to find -out. - -To her own satisfaction she did find out, for the girl almost fainted. -She didn't quite lose consciousness, indeed it was not so much a faint as -such a desperate effort to regain her poise, that it unnerved her. - -"Now, now, Miss Austin, why do you take it so hard? He was a stranger to -you, wasn't he?" - -"Yes--yes, of course he was." - -"Why are you so disturbed then?" - -"He was such a--such a fine man--" the girl's stifled sobs impeded her -speech. - -"Well, somebody killed him." - -At that, Miss Austin seemed turned to stone. "Killed him!" she whispered, -in accent of terror. - -"Yes--or else he killed himself--they don't feel sure." Mrs. Adams, once -embarked on the narrative, told all she knew of the circumstances, and in -the exciting recital, almost forgot to watch the effect of the tale on -her listener. - -But this effect was not entirely unnoted. At the partly open door, Old -Salt Adams, stood, eavesdropping, but with a kindly, anxious look on his -face, that boded no ill to any one. - -And he noticed that the girl's attention was wandering. She was pitifully -white, her face drawn and scared, and soon she exclaimed, with a burst of -nervous fury, "Stop! please stop! Leave the room, won't you?" - -It was not a command but an agonized entreaty. Mrs. Adams fairly jumped, -and alarmed as well as offended, she rose and started for the door, only -to meet her husband entering. - -"Go downstairs, Esther," he said, gravely, "I want to speak to Miss -Austin myself." - -Staring at one then at the other, and utterly routed by this unbelievable -turn of affairs, Mrs. Adams went. - -Old Salt closed the room door, and turned to the trembling girl. - -"Miss Austin," he said kindly, "I like you, I want to help you--but I -must ask you to explain yourself a little. The people in my house call -you Miss Mystery. Why are you here? Why are you in Corinth at all?" - -For a moment the girl seemed about to respond to his kindly, gentle -attitude and address. Then, something stayed her, and she let her lovely -face harden to a stony blankness, as she replied, "It is a bit intrusive, -but I've no reason not to tell. I am an art student, and I came here to -paint New England winter scenery." - -"Have you done much?" - -"I haven't been here quite a week yet--and I've been picking out -available bits--and for two days I've had a cold." - -"How did you get cold?" The voice was kind but it had a definite note, as -if desirous of an accurate answer. - -Miss Mystery looked at him. - -"How does any one get cold?" she said, trying to smile; "perhaps sitting -in a draught--perhaps by means of a germ. It is almost well now." - -"Perhaps by walking in the snow, and getting one's feet wet," Mr. Adams -suggested, and the girl turned frightened eyes on him. - -"Don't," she breathed; "Mr. Adams, don't!" Her voice was piteous her eyes -implored him to stop torturing her. - -"Why, what's the harm in my saying that?" he went on, inexorably. "You -wouldn't go anywhere that you wouldn't want known--would you--Miss -Mystery?" - -He spoke the last two words in a meaning way, and the great dark eyes -faced him with the look of a stag at bay. - -Then again, by a desperate effort the girl recovered herself, and said, -coldly, - -"Please speak plainly, Mr. Adams. Is there a special meaning in your -words?" - -"There is, Miss Austin. Perhaps I have no right to ask you why--but I do -ask you if you went over to Doctor Waring's house, late in the -evening--night before last?" - -"Sunday night, do you mean?" - -Miss Mystery controlled her voice, but her hands were clenched and her -foot tapped the floor in her stifled excitement. - -"Yes, Sunday night." - -"No; of course I did not go over there at night. I was there in the -afternoon, with Mrs. Bates and Mr. Payne." - -"I know that. And you then met Doctor Waring for the first time?" - -"For the first time," she spoke with downcast face. - -"The first time in your life?" - -"The first time in my life," but if ever a statement carried its own -denial that one seemed to. The long dark lashes fell on the white cheeks. -The pale lips quivered, and if Anita Austin had been uttering deepest -perjury she could have shown no more convincing evidence of falsehood. - -Yet old Salt looked at her benevolently. She was so young, so small, so -alone--and so mysterious. - -"I can't make you out," he shook his head. "But I'm for you, Miss Austin. -That is," he hedged, "unless I find out something definite against you. I -feel I ought to tell you, that you've enemies--yes," as the girl looked -up surprised, "you've made enemies in this house. Small wonder--the way -you've acted! Now, why can't you be chummy and sociable like?" - -"Chummy? Sociable? With whom?" - -"With all the boarders. There's young Lockwood now--and there's young -Tyler--" - -"Yes, yes, I know. I will--Mr. Adams--I will try to be more sociable. -Now--as to--to Doctor Waring--why did he kill himself?" - -Old Salt eyed her narrowly. "We don't know that he did," he began. - -"But Mrs. Adams told me all the details"--she shuddered, "and if that -room he was in was so securely locked that they had to break in, how -could it be the work of--of another?" - -"Well, Miss Austin, as they found a bad wound in the man's neck, just -under his right ear, a wound that produced instant unconsciousness and -almost instant death, and as no weapon of any sort could be found in the -room, how could it have been suicide?" - -"Which would you rather think it?" the strange girl asked, looking -gravely at him. - -"Well, to me--I'm an old-fashioned chap--suicide always suggests -cowardice, and Doc Waring was no coward, that I'll swear!" - -"No, he was not--" - -"How do you know?" - -Miss Mystery started at the sudden question. - -"I heard him lecture, you know," she returned; "and, too, I saw him in -his home--Sunday afternoon--and he seemed a fine man--a fine man." - -"Well, Miss Austin," Old Salt rose to go, "I'm free to confess you're a -mystery to me. I consider myself a fair judge of men--yes, and of women, -but when a slip of a girl like you acts so strange, I can't make it out. -Now, I happen to know--" - -He paused at the panic-stricken look on her face, and lamely concluded; - -"Never mind--I won't tell." - -With which cryptic remark he went away. - -"Well, what you been saying to her?" demanded his aggrieved spouse, as -the Adamses met in their own little sitting-room. - -"Why, nothing," Old Salt replied, and his troubled eyes looked at her -pleadingly. "I don't think she's wrong, Esther." - -"Well, I do. And maybe a whole lot wrong. Why, Saltonstall, Miss Bascom -says she _saw_ Miss Austin traipsing across the field late Sunday night." - -"She didn't! I don't believe a word of it! She's a meddling old maid--a -snooping busybody!" - -"There, now, you carry on like that because you're afraid we will -discover something wrong about Miss Mystery." - -"Look here, Esther," Adams spoke sternly; "you remember she's a young -girl, without anybody to stand up for her, hereabouts. Now, you know what -a bobbery a few words can kick up. And we don't want that poor child's -name touched by a breath of idle gossip that isn't true. I don't believe -Liza Bascom saw her out on Sunday night! I don't even believe she thought -she did!" - -"Well, I believe it. Liza Bascom's no fool--" - -"She's worse, she's a knave! And she hates little Austin, and she'd say -anything, true or false, to harm the girl." - -"But, Salt, she says she saw Miss Austin, all in her fur coat and cap -going cross lots to the Waring house Sunday evening--late." - -"Can she prove it?" - -"I don't know about that. But she saw her." - -"How does she know it was Miss Austin? It might have been somebody who -looked like her." - -"You know those footprints." - -"The Jap's?" - -"You can't say they're the Jap's. Miss Bascom says they're the Austin -girl's." - -"Esther!" Old Saltonstall Adams rose in his wrath, "you ought to be -ashamed of yourself to let that girl's name get into the Waring matter at -all. Even if she did go out Sunday night, if Miss Bascom did see her, you -keep still about it. If that girl's wrong, it'll be discovered without -our help. If she isn't, we must not be the ones to bring her into -notice." - -"She couldn't be--be implicated--could she, Salt?" - -"No!" he thundered. "Esther, you astound me. That Bascom woman has turned -your brain. She's a viper, that's what _she_ is!" - -He stormed out of the room, and getting into his great coat, tramped down -to the village. - -Gordon Lockwood was in his room. This was much to the annoyance of -Callie, the impatient chambermaid, who wanted to get her work done. - -Lockwood was himself impatient to get over to the Waring house, for he -had much to do with the mass of incoming mail and the necessary -interviews with reporters and other callers. - -Yet he tarried, in his pleasant bedroom at Mrs. Adams', his door securely -locked, and his own attitude one of stupefaction. - -For the hundredth time he reread the crumpled paper that he had taken -from the study waste-basket under the very nose of Detective Morton. - -Had that sleuth been a little more worthy of his profession he never -would have allowed the bare-faced theft. - -And now that Lockwood had it he scarce knew what to do with it. - -And truly it was an astonishing missive. - -For it read thus: - -My darling Anita: - -At the first glance of your brown eyes this afternoon, love was born in -my heart. Life is worth living--with you in the world! And yet-- - -That was all. The unfinished letter had been crumpled into a ball and -thrown in the basket. Had another been started--and completed? Had Anita -Austin received it--and was that why she kept to her room for two days? -Was she a--he hated the word! a vamp? Had she secretly become acquainted -with John Waring during her presence in Corinth, and had so charmed him -that he wrote to her thus? Or, had they known each other before? What a -mystery! - -There was not the slightest doubt of the writing. Lockwood knew it as -well as he knew his own. And on top of all the other scraps in the -waste-basket it must have been the last missive the dead man wrote--or, -rather the last he threw away. - -This meant he had been writing it on the Sunday evening. Then, Lockwood -reasoned, knowing the routine, if he had written another, which he -completed and addressed, it would, in natural course, have been put with -the letters for the mail, and would have been posted by Ito that next -morning. - -What an oversight, never to have asked Ito about that matter. - -It was an inviolable custom for the butler to take all letters laid on a -certain small table, and put them in the pillar box, early in the -morning. - -Had Ito done this? It must be inquired into. - -But far more absorbing was the actual letter before him. How could it be -possible that John Waring, the dignified scholar, the confirmed bachelor, -should have loved this mystery girl? - -Yet, even as he formulated the question, Gordon Lockwood knew the answer. -He knew that from his own point of view it would not be impossible or -even difficult for any man with two eyes in his head to love that -fascinating, enchanting personality. - -And as he pondered, he knew that he loved her himself. Yes, had loved her -almost from the moment he first saw her. Certainly from the time he sat -behind her at the lecture, and counted the queer little ball fringes in -the back of her dainty gown. - -Those fringes! Lockwood gave a groan as a sudden thought came to him. - -He jumped up, and with a determined air, set about burning the -inexplicable letter that John Waring had written and thrown away. - -In the empty fireplace of the old-fashioned room, Lockwood touched a -match to the sheet and burned it to an ash. - -Then he went over to the Waring house. - -It was an hour or so later that Callie reported to Miss Bascom. - -"Queer goin's on," the girl said, rolling her eyes at her eager listener, -"Mr. Lockwood, now, he burnt some papers, and Miss Austin, too, she burnt -some papers." - -"What's queer about that?" snapped Miss Bascom, who had hoped for -something more sensational. - -"Well, it's sorta strange they're both burnin' paper at the same time. -And both so sly about it. Mr. Lockwood he kep' lookin' back at the -fireplace as he went outa the door, and Miss Austin, she jumped like she -was shot, when I come in suddenly an' found her stoopin' over the -fireplace. An' too, Miss Bascom, whatever else she burnt, she burnt that -picture she had of Doctor Waring." - -"Did she have his picture?" - -"Yep, one Mr. Lockwood guv her, after Nora carried off the one she cut -out of a paper." - -"What in the world did that girl want of Doctor Waring's picture?" - -"I dunno, ma'am. What they call hero-worship, I guess. Just like I've got -some several pictures of Harold Massinger, that man who plays Caveman in -the Movies! My, but he's handsome!" - -"And so Miss Austin burned a photograph of John Waring?" - -"Yes, ma'am. And you know they're kinda hard to burn. Anyways, she was a -kneelin' by the fireplace an' the picture was smokin' like everything." - -"'Lemme help you miss,' I says, as polite as could be--"and watcha think, -she snatched back, and says, 'You lemme lone. Get outahere!' or somethin' -like that. Oh, she was mad all right." - -"She has a high temper, hasn't she?" - -"Yes'm, there's no denyin' she has. Then again, she's sweet as pie, and -nice an' gentle. She's a queer makeup, I will say." - -"There, Callie, that will do; don't gossip," and Miss Bascom, sure she -had learned all the maid had to tell, went downstairs to tell it to Mrs. -Adams. - -The landlady seemed less receptive than usual, being still mindful of her -husband's admonitions. But Miss Bascom's story of the burnt photograph -roused her curiosity to highest pitch. - -"There's something queer about that girl," Mrs. Adams opined, and the -other more than agreed. - -"Let's go up and talk to her," Miss Bascom suggested, and after a -moment's hesitation, Mrs. Adams went. - -The landlady tapped lightly at the door, but there was no response. - -"Go right in," the other whispered, and go in they did. - -Miss Mystery lay on the couch, her eyes closed, her cheeks still wet with -tears. She did not move, and after a moment's glance to assure herself -the girl was sound asleep, Miss Bascom audaciously opened one of the -small top drawers of the dresser. - -Mrs. Adams gasped, and frantically made motions of remonstrance, but -swiftly fingering among the veils and handkerchiefs, Miss Bascom drew out -a large roll of bills, held by an elastic band. - -Anita Austin's eyes flew open, and after one staring glance at the -intrusive woman, she jumped from the couch and flew at her like a small -but very active tiger. - -"How dare you!" she cried, snatching the money from Miss Bascom's hand, -even as that elated person was unrolling it. - -And from inside the roll, down on the painted floor, fell a ruby -stickpin. - - - - - CHAPTER X - WHO IS MISS MYSTERY? - - -Mrs. Adams fell limply into a chair, her round eyes staring in horror. - -Miss Bascom had taken upon herself the rôle of dictator and with an -accusing finger pointed at Miss Mystery she said: - -"What have you to say for yourself?" - -"Nothing," replied Anita Austin, coolly, "except to insist that you leave -my room." - -"Leave your room, indeed! I am only too glad to! And I know where to go, -too." - -Miss Bascom's determined air as she strode out of the door gave a hint of -her desperate intention and within five minutes she was out on the road -toward the village. - -Mrs. Adams, still almost speechless with surprise and dismay, looked -sorrowfully at Anita. Something in the girl's face stayed the kindly -words the woman meant to say, and, instead, she broke out: - -"You must leave this house! What are you anyway? A thief--and a -murderer?" - -"Oh! Don't!" Anita put up her hand as if to ward off a physical blow. - -Then, as if the cruel words had stung her to a quickened sense of her own -danger, she cried, piteously: - -"Oh, Mrs. Adams, help me--protect me--won't you? I don't know what to -do--I'm all alone--so alone--" - -She sank into a chair and buried her face in her hands. - -Esther Adams was uncertain what course to pursue. Should she protect this -guilty girl, of whom she really knew nothing, or should she dismiss her -at once from her house, in the interests of her other boarders, who must -be considered? - -Surely, her first duty was to the others--the people she had known so -long, and who looked upon her house as a home and a safeguard. - -"You must go," she said, though her voice wavered as she saw the pathetic -face Anita raised to look at her. - -"Oh, no! Don't send me away! Where could I go? Even the Inn people -wouldn't take me!" - -"Of course they wouldn't! Go home! Haven't you a home? Who are you, -anyway? But I don't care who you are--you must get out of this house -today--this morning. Do you hear?" - -Meantime Miss Bascom, on her virtuous errand had trotted quickly to the -office of the Prosecuting District Attorney. - -There, however, she was told that Mr. Cray was over at the Waring house, -and she concluded to go there. Nor did this displease her. She longed to -be in the limelight, and the tale she had to tell would surely give her -the right to be there. - -Mrs. Peyton received her coldly, for the two were not friends. - -"I came to see Mr. Cray," Miss Bascom announced, "on important business." - -"Oh, very well," the housekeeper returned, "take a seat and I'll ask him -to see you." - -Miss Bascom waited in the living-room, secure in her knowledge of the -importance of her news. - -The attorney welcomed her cordially for he saw at once that she brought -news of value. - -And, expressed in emphatic language, and interspersed with many and -unfavorable personal opinions, Liza Bascom told of the incident of -finding the money and the ruby in Miss Austin's bureau drawer. - -"Astonishing!" commented Cray. "Who is she?" - -"Nobody knows, that's the queer part. We call her Miss Mystery." - -"Where did she come from?" - -"Nobody knows. She just appeared." - -"Don't the Adamses know?" - -"No, they don't." - -"A young girl, you say?" - -"She appears to be very young--but you never can tell with those sly -things. I daresay she makes herself look several years younger than she -really is." - -"Did she know Doctor Waring?" - -"How do I know? She came over to this house late Sunday night--for I saw -her--" - -"Good heavens! Are you sure?" - -"Well, it was fairly light, with the moon, and the snow all over the -ground, you know, and I saw her, all wrapped up in her fur coat, sneaking -away from the house--" - -"How late?" - -"Oh--after everybody had gone upstairs and the lights were all out at the -Adamses." - -"You saw her come back?" - -"No; I didn't think much about it at the time--she's a crazy piece -anyway--and--" - -"What do you mean by a crazy piece?" - -"Why, she's queer--not like other folks. She won't have anything to do -with any of us over there--" - -"That doesn't make her out crazy." - -Miss Bascom shrugged impatiently. "I don't mean insane or demented. I -only mean sly and secretive. She never speaks to anybody at the -table--and though she makes eyes at Gordon Lockwood, she snubs Mr. Tyler, -who is just as good a young man. They both admire her--anybody can see -that, but she treats them like the dust under her feet." - -"Not an adventuress, then?" - -"I don't know. But I do know she's a thief--or how did she get that money -and the ruby?" - -"Perhaps Doctor Waring gave them to her?" - -"Then she is a wrong one! Why should he give a strange girl such things?" - -"If he was in love with her--" - -"Now, look here, Mr. Cray, do try to show ordinary common sense! Doctor -Waring was about to marry Mrs. Bates, a sweet, dear woman, of suitable -age. Is he going to have a little flibbertigibbet coming to see him late -at night, for any romantic reasons?" - -Cray hesitated to speak his mind, but he ruminated that he had heard of -such things, in the course of his life. Miss Bascom, he thought was an -unsophisticated old maid, but there was certainly a new condition to be -investigated, and the case of Miss Anita Austin must be carefully -considered. - -"Now, Miss Bascom," he said, diplomatically, "I'll have to ask you to -keep this whole matter quiet for a time. You must see that we can't work -successfully if we take the whole town into our confidence. Or even this -entire household." - -"Don't you try to bamboozle me, Stephen Cray! I know your sort. You want -to keep this matter quiet because you want to get that girl off scotfree! -I know you men! Just because she has a pair of big, dark eyes and a slim -little shape you are ready to hide her guilt and let her off easy. I -won't have it! That girl stole those things, or else she got them from -poor John Waring in a way no decent woman would--" - -"What are you talking about, Liza Bascom?" - -Mrs. Peyton appeared in the doorway, and though she asked the question, -it was fairly evident that she knew the answer, and had been listening. - -"Yes," she went on, "I've been listening at the door, and I'm glad I did. -First of all, I won't have Doctor Waring's name traduced, and next, if -there's a girl implicated in the matter, the whole truth about her has -got to come out! I know the girl, she was here Sunday afternoon, and a -more brazen-faced, bold-mannered chit, I never want to see!" - -"She was here?" asked the bewildered Cray. "You know her?" - -"I know all I want to know of her," Mrs. Peyton declared. "Yes, she was -here--came over with Emily Bates and Pinky. Wouldn't condescend to be -really one of us, but just acted offish and seemed to me about -half-witted." - -"Don't be silly," put in Miss Bascom. "That's the last thing to say of -her! Whatever that girl may be she's got all her wits about her! I can -see that for myself." - -"Was Doctor Waring present when Miss Austin was here?" asked Cray, -thinking hard. - -"Yes," replied Mrs. Peyton, "and that's a strange thing. When he first -saw her--unexpectedly, you know--he dropped his teacup." - -"Because of the meeting?" asked Cray. - -"I don't know," Mrs. Peyton said. "He declared afterward he had never -seen the girl before--but--oh--I can't believe she came back here that -night!" - -"Of course she didn't," Cray said. "How could she get in, unless someone -admitted her." - -"There's the French window in the study," Mrs. Peyton suggested, -uncertainly. "Doctor Waring could have let her in that way--" - -"Well, he didn't!" Miss Bascom declared. "Land! I've known John Waring -all my life, and he's not the kind of man that had anything to do with -flirtatious young women." - -Of a truth, Liza Bascom had known Waring for many years and had spent a -number of them in desperate efforts to persuade him to renounce -bachelorhood in her favor. - -Yet her words carried little weight with Attorney Cray, who fancied that -he knew men better than the insistent spinster possibly could. - -"Miss Bascom," he said, after further thought, "and Mrs. Peyton, too, I'm -going to ask you--I'm going to instruct you to keep this matter quiet -until after the funeral of Doctor Waring. That occurs tomorrow, and I -want a day or so to look into this thing quietly. We would gain nothing -by rushing matters. I will see Miss Austin, of course, and rest assured, -if she is guilty of any wrong doing, she shall not escape. But it is a -serious matter to accuse a suspect without giving any chance for -explanation--" - -"There's no explanation of that ruby pin and all that money, that is not -incriminating to that girl!" Miss Bascom exclaimed. - -"Nevertheless, I am in authority, and I forbid you to discuss the -connection of Miss Austin with the case at all." - -Cray knew how to impress belligerent women, and he even added a hint of -their making trouble for themselves unless they obeyed his explicit -command. - -He returned to the study, where Gordon Lockwood was going over the -morning's mail. - -The secretary was a busy man, for his late employer had had a number of -diversified interests and every mail brought letters, catalogues, -circulars and newspapers that required careful attention. John Waring had -been a collector of rare books, and other curios, and was interested in -several literary enterprises. - -To many of these correspondents Lockwood could merely send a statement of -the Doctor's death. But others involved careful and wise judgment, and -Lockwood conscientiously discharged his duties. - -The study had been put in order, and all traces of the tragedy had been -removed. The books that had been on the desk, including the blood-stained -copy of Martial, Lockwood had, after consideration, restored to their -places on the shelves. - -Although it gave him a thrill of horror, Lockwood had nerved himself to -appropriate Waring's desk, for it meant far greater convenience in his -work. - -He sat there as Cray entered, and raised his impassive face to note the -attorney's excitement. - -"By Jove, Lockwood," Cray, exclaimed, as he closed the door behind him, -"there's a new way to look, which seems to promise to straighten out a -lot of things. Do you know that little piece over at your boarding house, -named Austin?" - -"I know her slightly. What about her?" - -From Lockwood's voice no one would suspect that his heart was pounding -desperately. - -"Well, she was here late Sunday night! What do you know about that?" - -"I don't know anything about it," returned Lockwood, coldly, "and I don't -believe it. For if she had been here I should have known about it. I was -here myself, just outside the study door, until eleven. You don't mean -later than that, do you?" - -"Dunno. The Bascom spinster tells the story--" - -"Then don't bank on it. With all due deference to Miss Bascom, I know she -is not always a reliable source of information." - -"But she says she saw the girl coming over here late that night--" - -"She didn't! It's not true! What under the heavens would she have come -for?" - -"What does any girl visit a man for?" Cray gave an unpleasant wink, and -Lockwood with difficulty controlled an insane desire to spring at his -throat. "And, beside, she is even now in possession of the missing five -hundred dollars and the ruby pin." - -"I don't believe it!" - -"See here, Mr. Lockwood, it doesn't matter to anybody whether you believe -these things or not. Miss Austin has the valuables, and I'm going over -there now to inquire how she got them. Also, it just occurs to me that -those small footprints leading across the field, are directed toward the -Adams house, and may have been made by a woman as likely as by our -hypothetical small-footed man." - -"Those are Nogi's footprints." - -"How do you know?" - -"Common sense. Even if Miss Austin did come over here for any reason she -would have come by the street, not across the snowy field." - -"Apparently she chose the field. So I'm going to ask her why." - -"All right, Cray, but you must admit you're illogical, inconsequent and -inconsistent. You think I killed Doctor Waring, because I have a sharp, -round penholder, and owe some large bills. Then, because a gossiping old -maid comes over here and babbles, you fly off at a tangent and accuse an -unprotected girl of absurd and unbelievable crime." - -"Oho! Interested in the siren yourself, eh?" - -"No; I'm not--if you mean Miss Austin. That is, not personally." - -Few men could have told this lie with such a convincing manner but -Lockwood's phlegmatic calm stood him now in good stead, and his air of -obvious indifference carried conviction. - -"But," he went on, "I am sorry for her. It's nobody's business who or -what she is, yet those women over at the Adams house are one and all -possessed to find out something against her. I only want to advise you, -Cray, if you talk to anybody over there, get Old Salt himself. He's more -fair minded than his wife or the other women." - -"Men are apt to be--where a pretty girl is concerned," said Cray, drily, -and Lockwood ground his teeth in rage, as the Attorney went away. - -His demand to see Miss Austin was listened to by Old Salt Adams, who had -seen him coming and opened the door for him. - -"Well, Cray," said the old man, as he ushered him into the sitting room -and shut the door. "I know what you're after--and I just want to say, go -slow. That's all--go slow." - -"All right, Salt. Will you send Miss Austin down here--also, I must -interview her alone." - -"Yes--I understand. But don't be led away now, by circumstantial -evidence. You know yourself, it isn't always dependable." - -"Go along, Salt, don't try to teach me my business. Have you talked to -the girl?" - -"Not a word. My wife has, but she didn't learn much." - -Adams went away, and in a few moments Anita Austin came into the room. - -A first glance showed Cray's experienced eye that the girl was what he -called a siren. - -Her oval, olive face was sad and sweet. The pale cheeks were not touched -up with artificial color, and the scarlet lips were, even to his close -scrutiny, also devoid of applied art. She wore a smart little gown of -black taffeta, with crisp, chic frills of finely plaited white organdie. - -Whether this was meant as mourning wear or not, Cray could not determine. - -The frock was fashionably short, showing thin silk stockings and black -suede ties. - -But Miss Mystery seemed wholly unconscious of her clothes, and her great -dark eyes were full of wondering inquiry as she looked at the attorney, -and then a little diffidently offered a greeting hand. - -The little brown paw touched Cray's with a pathetic, hopeful clasp, and -he looked up quickly to find himself looking into a pair of hopeful eyes, -that, without a word, expressed confidence and trust. - -He shrugged his shoulders a trifle and secretly admonished himself to -keep a tight rein on his sympathy. - -Then relinquishing the lingering hand, he sat down opposite the chair she -had chosen to occupy. - -"Miss Austin," he began, and paused, for the first time in his life -uncertain what tack to take. - -"Yes," she said, as the pause grew longer, and her soft, cultured voice -helped him not at all. - -How could he say to this lovely small person that he suspected her of -wrong doing? - -"Go on, Mr. Cray," she directed him, meantime looking at him with eyes -full of a haunting fear, "what is it?" - -Cray had a sudden, insane feeling that he would give all he was worth for -the pleasure of removing that look of fear, then commanding himself to -behave, he said, - -"I am sorry, Miss Austin, but I must ask you some unpleasant questions." - -"That's what I'm here for," she said, with the ghost of a smile on her -curved red lips, and, smoothing down her taffeta lap, she demurely -clasped her sensitive little hands and waited. - -Those hands bothered Cray. Though they lay quietly, he felt that at his -speech they would flutter in anxiety--even in fear, and he was loath to -disturb them. - -Because of this hesitancy, he plunged in more abruptly than he meant to -do. - -"Where do you come from, Miss Austin?" - -"New York City," she said, a brighter look coming to her face, as if she -thought the ordeal would not be so terrible after all. - -"What address there?" - -"One West Sixty-seventh Street." - -"You told some one else the Hotel Plaza." - -"Yes; I have lived at both addresses. Why?" - -The "why" was disconcerting. After all, Cray thought, he was not a census -taker. - -He gave up getting past history, and said, briefly, - -"Were you at Doctor Waring's house Sunday evening?" - -"Not evening," she returned, looking thoughtful. "I was there Sunday -afternoon." - -"And went back again, late in the evening--to see Doctor Waring, in his -study." - -"Why do you say that?" she asked quietly, but a small red spot showed on -either olive cheek. - -"Because I must. How well do you--did you know the Doctor?" - -"Know Doctor Waring? Not at all. I never saw him in my life until I came -here to Corinth." - -"You are sure of that?" - -"Almost sure--oh, why, yes--that is, I am quite sure." - -"Yet you went over there Sunday evening, and came back to this house in -possession of Doctor Waring's valuable pin, and a large sum of money." - -"Oh, no, Mr. Cray, I didn't do any such thing!" - -"Then can you explain your possession of those articles?" - -"You mean, I suppose the roll of bills that Miss Bascom put into my top -bureau drawer?" - -"Miss Bascom put in the drawer!" - -"Yes--that is, she must have done so, or--how else could they have been -found there? You know yourself, now, don't you, Mr. Cray, that I'm not a -burglar--or a bandit or a sneak thief? You know I never went in to Doctor -Waring's study and took those things! So, as I say, isn't it the only -plausible theory, that Miss Bascom, who found the valuables so readily, -first put them there herself?" - - - - - CHAPTER XI - THE SPINSTER'S EVIDENCE - - -"That matter can easily be settled," Cray said, and going to the door he -asked Mrs. Adams to send Miss Bascom to them. - -With an important air the spinster entered the room. - -Holding herself very erect and even drawing aside her skirts as she -passed Miss Austin, she took a seat on the other side of the room. - -"Now, Miss Bascom," Cray began at once, "what made you think of looking -in this lady's bureau drawer for that money?" - -"I didn't look for it, Mr. Cray. I merely felt that she had done wrong -and I thought perhaps some evidence would be hidden away in her room. And -a top drawer is the place a woman oftenest hides things." - -Cray gave a short laugh. "Rather clever of you, I admit. But Miss Austin -says she did not put that money there, herself--that it was a plant." - -"A plant?" Miss Bascom looked puzzled at the word. - -"Yes; she thinks some in-disposed person put it there to implicate her, -falsely." - -"Oh, I see. Well, Mr. Cray, let her say who did it, and who could have -got that money to do it with." - -The hard old face took on a look that was almost malignant in its -accusation, and little Anita Austin gave a low cry as she saw it, and hid -her face in her hands. - -"Take her away," she moaned, "oh, take that woman away." - -"You hear her," Miss Bascom went on, unrelentingly. "Now, Mr. Cray, I'm a -bit of a detective myself, and while you've been down here talking to -Miss Mystery, I've been searching her room more carefully, and I've found -a few more things, of which I should like to tell you." - -Cray was nonplused. His sympathies were all with the poor little girl, -who, clinging to the arms of her chair, seemed about to go to pieces, -nervously, but was bravely holding on to herself. Yet, if the Bascom -woman was telling the truth, he must beware of the "poor little girl." - -"I'm not sure you're within your rights, Miss Bascom," he began, but he -was interrupted with: - -"Rights! Indeed, the rights of this matter are above your jurisdiction! -The blood of John Waring calls from the ground! I am the instrument of -justice that has been chosen by an over-ruling Providence to discover the -criminal. She sits before you! That girl--that mysterious wicked girl is -both thief and murderess!" - -"Oh, no!" Anita cried, putting up her arm as if to ward off a physical -blow. - -Then she suddenly became quiet--almost rigid in her composure. - -"That is a grave accusation, Miss Bascom," she said, "you must prove it -or retract it." - -Cray stared at the girl in astonishment. Her agonized cry had been human, -feminine, natural--but this sudden change to stony calm, to icy hauteur -was amazing--and, to his mind, incriminating. - -Miss Bascom, however, was in no way daunted. - -"Prove it I will!" she said, sternly. "In another drawer, Mr. Cray, I -found the rolls of silver coin--exactly one hundred dollars worth--that -we have been told were in the desk with the roll of bills. The ruby pin, -you know about. And so, these thefts are proved. Now, as to the murder--I -admit, it seems impossible that a girl should commit the awful crime--but -I do say that I have found the weapon, with which it was done, hidden in -Miss Austin's room." - -Again that short, low cry--more like a hurt animal than a human being. -And then, Anita Austin, the girl of mystery fell back into the depths of -her chair, and closed her eyes. - -"You needn't faint--or pretend to," admonished Miss Bascom, brutally; -"you're caught red-handed, and you know it, and you may as well give up." - -"I didn't--I didn't--" came in low moans, but the girl's bravery had -deserted her. Limp and despairing, she turned her great eyes toward Cray -for help. - -With an effort, he looked away from her pleading face, and said: - -"What is the weapon? Where did you find it?" - -"It is a stiletto--an embroidery stiletto--and I found it tucked down in -the crevice between the back and seat of a stuffed chair in Miss Austin's -room. Did you put it there?" - -She turned on the girl and fired the question at her with intentional -suddenness, and though Anita uttered a scared, "No," it was a palpable -untruth. - -"She did," Miss Bascom went on. "You can see for yourself, Mr. Cray, she -is lying." - -"But even if she is, Miss Bascom, I must ask you to cease torturing her! -I can't stand for such cruelty!" - -Cray's manhood revolted at the methods of the older woman who was causing -such anguish to the poor child she accused. - -"You are not a legal inquisitor, Miss Bascom," he went on; "it is for me -to establish the truth or falsity of your suspicions." - -"Yes, you! You're like all the other men! If a girl is pretty and -alluring, you would believe her statement that white is black!" - -"I believe no statements that cannot be proved to my satisfaction. Miss -Austin, do you own an embroidery stiletto?" - -"Yes," was the hesitating answer, and the dark eyes swept him a -beseeching glance that made Miss Bascom fairly snort with scorn. - -"Where is it?" - -"I--I fear I must admit that it is just where Miss Bascom says it -is--unless she has removed it. Tell me, Mr. Cray," and Miss Mystery -suddenly resumed her most independent air, "must I submit to this? I -thought accused people were entitled to a--oh, you know, counsel--a -lawyer, or somebody to take care of them." - -"Wait, Miss Austin. You're not accused yet--that is, not by legal -authority." - -"Oh, am I not? Then--" and she gave Miss Bascom a glance of unutterable -scorn, "I have nothing to say." - -"Nothing to say!" the spinster almost shrieked. "Nothing to say! Of -course she hasn't! She kills a man, takes his valuables, and then -declares she has nothing to say." - -"Now, now, Miss Bascom, be careful! Why did you put your stiletto in such -a place, Miss Austin?" - -"I don't know." - -The dark eyes gave him a gaze of childlike innocence, and Cray couldn't -decide whether he was looking at a deep-dyed criminal or a helpless -victim of unjust suspicion. - -"And where did you get the money and the ruby pin?" - -"I don't know--I mean I don't know how they got in my room. This lady -says she found them there--that's all I know about them." - -An indifferent shrug of the slim shoulders seemed to imply that was all -Miss Mystery cared, either, and Cray asked: - -"Then, if the valuables--the pin and the money are not yours, you are, of -course, ready to relinquish possession of them." - -"Of course I am not! Since I am accused of stealing them, I propose to -retain possession until that accusation is proved or disproved! Perhaps -Miss Bascom wishes to take them herself." - -"You know, Miss Austin," Mr. Cray spoke very gravely, "you are making a -mistake in treating this matter flippantly. You are in danger--real -danger, and you must be careful what you say. Do you want a lawyer?" - -"I don't know," the girl suddenly looked helpless. "Do you think I ought -to have one?" - -"Have you funds?" - -"Yes. I am not a rich girl--but, neither am I poor. However, I think I -shall ask advice of some one before I decide upon any course." - -"Of whom? Perhaps no one can advise you better than I can." - -"What is your advice, Mr. Cray?" - -The sweet face looked at him hopefully, the curved red lips quivered a -little as the speaker added, "I am very alone." - -Again Miss Bascom sniffed. Unattractive, herself, she resented with a -sort of angry jealousy the appealing effect this girl had on men. She -knew intuitively that Cray would sympathize with and pity the lonely -girl. - -"My advice is, Miss Austin, first, that you dispel this mystery that -seems to surround you. Tell frankly who you are, what is your errand in -Corinth, how you came into possession of Doctor Waring's ruby, and why -you hid your stiletto, if it is merely one of your sewing implements." - -Miss Mystery hesitated a moment, and then said, quietly: - -"Your advice is good, Mr. Cray. But, unfortunately, I cannot follow it. -However, I am willing to state, upon oath, that I did not kill Doctor -Waring with that stiletto." - -"I'm afraid your oath will be doubted," Miss Bascom intervened sharply. -"And, too, Mr. Cray, even if this girl did not strike the fatal blow, she -well knows who did! She is in league with the Japanese, Nogi. That I am -sure of!" - -"Nogi!" exclaimed Anita. - -"Yes, Nogi," Miss Bascom went on, positively. "You came here only a day -or two after he did. You have a Japanese kimono, and several Japanese -ornaments adorn your room. You went to the Waring house that night, Nogi -let you in and out, and though the Japanese doubtless committed the -murder, you stole the money and the ruby, and then, your partner in crime -departed for parts unknown." - -Miss Bascom sat back in her chair with a look of triumph on her plain, -gaunt face. - -Clearly, she was rejoiced at her denunciation of the girl before her, and -pleased at the irrefutable theory she had promulgated. - -"And how did Miss Austin or the Jap, either, leave the room locked on the -inside?" propounded Cray, his own opinions already swayed by the -arraignment. - -"That," said Miss Bascom, with an air of finality, "I can't explain -definitely, but I am sure it was an example of Japanese jugglery. When -you remember the tales of how the Japanese can do seemingly impossible -tricks, can swallow swords and get out of locked handcuffs, it is quite -within the realm of possibility that one could lock a door behind him, -and give it the appearance of having been locked from the inside." - -Now, Cray had already concluded that the door had been cleverly locked by -some one, but he hadn't before thought of the cleverness of the Japanese. - -He rose almost abruptly, and said, "I must look into some of these -matters. Miss Austin, you need not attempt to leave town, for you will -not be able to do so." - -"I most certainly shall not attempt to leave--as you express it--if I am -asked not to. But, I may say, that when I am entirely at liberty to do -so, I propose to go away from Corinth." - -Her dignity gave no effect of a person afraid or alarmed for her own -safety, merely a courteous recognition of Cray's attitude and a frank -statement of her own intentions. - -Miss Bascom sniffed and said: - -"Don't worry, Mr. Cray. I'll see to it, that this young woman does not -succeed in evading justice, if she tries to do so." - -At which Miss Mystery gave her a smile that was so patronizing, even -amused, that the spinster was more irate than ever. - -"And, now, Miss Austin," the attorney said, "I'll take your finger -prints, please, as they may be useful in proving what you did not do." - -He smiled a little as the girl readily enough gave her consent to the -procedure. - -"And," he went on, more gravely, "I will ask you for one of your -shoes--one that you wore on Sunday." - -Surprised into a glance of dismay, Miss Mystery rose without a word and -went upstairs for the shoe. - -She returned with the dainty, pretty thing, and merely observed, "I'd -like to have it back, when you are through with it." - -Putting the shoe in his overcoat pocket, Cray went away. - -"Miss Bascom," Anita said, turning to her enemy, "may you never want a -friend as much as I do now." - -"The nerve of her!" Liza Bascom muttered to herself, as Miss Mystery went -upstairs to her own room. - -"There's a very deep mystery here!" Cray soliloquized, as he returned to -the Waring house. "But I'm getting light on it." - -Cray was far from lacking in ingenuity, and he proceeded at once to -compare the finger prints he had of Anita Austin with the prints on the -small black-framed chair that had been found drawn up to the desk chair -of John Waring. - -They were identical and Cray mused over the fact. - -"That girl was here that night," he decided; "there's no gainsaying -that." He called the butler to him. - -"Ito," he began, "did you let in any one late Sunday night--after you -came home?" - -"No, sir," the imperturbable Jap declared, thinking the question foolish, -as all the inquirers knew the details of his Sunday evening movements. - -"Do you remember seeing this chair, Monday morning?" - -"Distinctly. I saw Mr. Lockwood smoothing its back." - -"Smoothing its back! What do you mean?" - -"I looked through from the dining-room window, to see if Mr. Lockwood was -coming to breakfast, and I perceived him carefully smoothing the plush of -the little chair, sir." - -Cray meditated. Here was a point of evidence. Lockwood was not the sort -to absent-mindedly paw over a chair back. He was doing it on purpose. For -what reason? What reason could be, save to erase some evidence? - -Cray examined the chair. It had a frame of shiny black wood, while seat -and back were covered with a dark plush of a fine soft quality. - -Cray drew his fingers across the back. They left a distinct trail of -furrows in the fabric. - -Ito, watching, nodded his head, gravely. - -"Not finger-prints," Cray said to himself--"but, maybe finger-marks. -Whose?" - -"You surely saw this, Ito?" - -"Yes, sir; and Miss Peyton also saw. She was then in the doorway, asking -Mr. Lockwood to come to breakfast." - -Cray went in search of Helen and put the question to her suddenly. - -"What was Gordon Lockwood doing, when you went to call him to breakfast, -Monday morning?" - -"He was--I don't remember." - -"Speak the truth--or it may be mean trouble for you and him, too." - -"He was--he seemed to be dusting off a chair." - -"With a duster?" - -"No; just passing over it with his hand." - -"That isn't dusting it." - -"Well, I don't know what you call it! Perhaps he was merely pushing the -chair into place." - -"It isn't his custom to push the study furniture into place. He was -erasing indicative marks on that plush chair back--that's what he was -doing." - -"Absurd!" Helen cried; "what marks could there be?" - -"I don't know. Come and let us see." - -Cray took Helen to the study, and asked her to sit in the chair. - -"Lean back," he directed. "Now, get up." - -The girl obeyed, and there was plainly seen on the plush the faint but -unmistakable imprint of the beaded design that adorned the back of the -frock she wore. - -"I told you so!" Cray said, in triumph. "That plush registers every -impress, and when Lockwood rubbed it smooth it was to erase a damaging -bit of testimony." - -"Rather far-fetched, Mr. Cray," said Gordon Lockwood himself, who had -come in and had heard and seen the latter part of the detective's -investigation. - -"Not so very, Mr. Lockwood, when you learn that the finger prints on the -chair frame are your own and those of a certain young person who is -already under suspicion." - -Gordon Lockwood, as always under a sudden stress, became even more -impassive, and his eyes glittered as he faced the attorney. - -"Don't be too absurd, Mr. Cray," he advised, coldly. "I suppose you mean -Miss Austin--I prefer to have no veiled allusions. But the finding of her -finger prints on a chair in this room, and mine also, does not seem to me -to be in any way evidence of crime." - -"No?" Cray gave him scorn for scorn. "Perhaps then, you can explain Miss -Austin's presence here that night." - -"I don't know that she was here--and I most certainly could not explain -any of her movements. But I do deny your right to assume her guilty from -her presence." - -"Ah, you tacitly admit her presence, then. Indeed, one can scarcely doubt -it, when it is shown that this little shoe of hers," he took it from his -pocket, "exactly fits the prints that cross the field of snow between -here and the Adams house." - -"To measure footprints--after all this time!" and Lockwood's lip curled. - -"The prints are exactly as they were made, Mr. Lockwood. The unchanging -cold weather has kept them intact. I tried this shoe, and the prints are -unmistakable. Moreover, the short stride is just the measure of the -natural steps of Miss Austin. The footprints lead from the Adams house -over here and back again. The returning prints occasionally overlap the -ones that came this way, showing that the trip away from this house was -made latest. Miss Austin was seen to come over in this direction--well, -none but a half-wit would be blind to the inevitable conclusions!" - -"None but a half-wit would read into this evidence what you pretend to -see," retorted Lockwood, almost losing his calm. - -"That's my business," Cray said, sharply: "now, Mr. Lockwood, why did you -smooth off that chair back? Careful, now, two witnesses saw you do it." - -"I'm not denying it"--Lockwood smiled in a bored, superior way, "but if I -did it, I was--and am unconscious of it. One often touches a piece of -furniture in passing with no thought of doing so." - -"That won't go down. Both the butler and Miss Peyton saw you definitely -and deliberately rub over the back of that chair. Why did you do it?" - -Cray was inexorable. - -But the impassive secretary merely shrugged his shoulders. - -"I can't answer you, Mr. Cray. I can only repeat it must have been an -unconscious act on my part, and it has no sinister significance. I may -have been merely pushing the chair out of my way, you know." - -"Look here, Mr. Lockwood, you are a man of honor. Do you, upon oath, -declare that you did not purposely smooth that chairback, for the reason -that it showed some incriminating impress?" - -"I am not under oath. I have stated that I did not do what you accuse me -of, and I have nothing further to say on the subject." - -Lockwood drew himself up and leaned with folded arms against the -mantelpiece. - -Cray dropped the subject, but his snapping eyes and compressed lips -seemed to show he had not finally dismissed it. - -"At what time," he said, abruptly, "did Doctor Waring lock his study -door?" - -"About ten o'clock," the secretary replied. - -"And you heard nothing from the room after that? No sound of voices? -Nobody coming in at the French window?" - -"No," replied Lockwood. - -"Then we are forced to the conclusion that whoever entered did so very -quietly, that it was with the knowledge and permission of Doctor Waring -himself, that the visitor was the person whose footprints lead straight -to the door, and whose finger prints are on the chair that stood near the -Doctor's own chair. We are borne out in this view by the fact that the -same person now possesses the money and the ruby pin which we know Doctor -Waring had in his room with him, and we know that the person is here in -Corinth for unexplained reasons, and is, in fact, so peculiar that she is -known as--Miss Mystery. Just why, Mr. Lockwood, are you arguing against -these obvious inferences, and why do you undertake to free from suspicion -one against whom everything is so definitely black?" - -"Because," Lockwood spoke very quietly, but his jaw was set in a stubborn -way, "the lady you call Miss Mystery, is a young and defenseless girl, -without, so far as I know, a friend in this town. It is unfair to accuse -her on the strength of this fantastic story and it is unfair to condemn -her unheard." - -"Not unheard," said the attorney, "but what she says only incriminates -her more deeply." - - - - - CHAPTER XII - MAURICE TRASK, HEIR - - -The funeral services of John Waring were solemn and impressive. No -reference was made to the manner of his taking-off, save to call it -mysterious, and the encomiums heaped upon him by the clergy and the -college faculty were as sincere as they were well-deserved. - -There were two members of the great audience who were looked at with -curiosity by many. - -One of these was Miss Mystery, the girl who, it was vaguely rumored was -in some way connected with the tragedy. - -To look at her, this seemed impossible, for a sweeter face or a gentler -manner could scarce be imagined. - -Anita Austin sat near the front, on one of the side aisles. She wore a -gown of taupe-colored duvetyn, and a velvet toque of the same color. Her -olive face was pale, and now and then her small white teeth bit into her -scarlet lower lip, as if she were keeping her self-control only by -determined effort. - -A close observer might note that she paid no heed to the utterance of the -able men who gave tribute to John Waring's character, but her troubled -eyes rested on the flower-covered casket, and the rising tears overflowed -as she stifled an occasional sob. - -And then, fairly clenching her hands in a determination to show no -emotion, this strange girl would straighten up, and stare blankly ahead -of her as if in utter oblivion of the scene. - -Directly behind her was Helen Peyton, who had chosen that place with the -intention of watching Miss Mystery. Mrs. Peyton was by her daughter's -side, but her whole attention was on the funeral services, and she -thought of little else. - -Not far off was Gordon Lockwood, and with him were Mrs. Bates and her -nephew, Pinckney Payne. Of this trio only the secretary let his gaze -wander now and then to the sad little face that was rapidly becoming the -dearest thing in life to him. As the church filled, and the -flower-scented atmosphere grew oppressive, Miss Austin let her coat fall -from her shoulders, and Lockwood noted with a start that she wore the -same gown she had worn to the lecture at which he first saw her. Again he -counted the queer little buttons that edged the sailor collar. He shook -his head, and a great feeling of compassion filled his heart. - -"Poor child," he said to himself, "what does it all mean?" - -The other magnet for strangers' eyes was Maurice Trask, the relative of -John Waring, who had come from his home in St. Louis, to take possession -of his inheritance. - -For, in the absence of any will, he had proved himself the next of kin, -and had gladly, even eagerly, taken the reins of government of the -affairs and home of the dead man. - -He was the son of John Waring's cousin, and though the two men had never -met, the credentials and records brought by Maurice Trask left no -possible doubt as to his heirship. - -Trask was not prepossessing of appearance, though he was well-mannered -and moderately well-dressed. His lack was that of sophistication, and he -seemed ignorant of the finer conventions of life. He was what is known as -a self-made man, and men of home manufacture require some sterling -qualities to start with if they are to turn out a satisfactory product. - -These qualities Trask didn't have, and a first glance at the -sharp-featured face gave an impression of greed and shrewdness. - -There was also a slight air of bravado, which was quite evidently caused -by an uneasy feeling of inferiority. He seemed to say, "I am as good as -you are," because his conviction of that fact needed some such assertion -to bolster it up. - -In his seat as chief mourner, he was decorum itself. His black garb was -very black, and if it betrayed a provincial cut or fit, such an effect -was more in keeping with the man than correct apparel would have been. - -His grief might have seemed a trifle ostentatious to one who remembered -he had never seen his cousin, but on the whole Maurice Trask was accepted -by those whose curiosity led to criticism, as a satisfactory heir to the -Waring estate. - -Nor was this an inconsiderable matter, for John Waring, beside his -profession, had written several successful books, and possessed in all a -goodly fortune. - -Moreover, there was no mystery about Trask. His life was an open book, -the lawyers had said; his family tree was of correct record and his claim -to the estate clear and true. - -While as to that minx, Miss Mystery, nobody knew or could find out where -she came from, what she was doing in Corinth, or who she was, anyway. -Clearly she was mixed up with Doctor Waring in some unconventional -way--that is, if the reports were true that she visited him in his study -without the knowledge of his household. No shadow of blame was attached -to John Waring for this--although it would seem that the man was old and -wise enough to ward off an attack from such a small vampire. - -"That's what she is," Helen Peyton concluded, to herself, as she mused on -the girl who sat in front of her. "She just plain vamped poor Doctor -Waring--and she got into the study--and, now, I can prove it!" - -After the funeral, the chief mourners went back to the Waring home to -discuss matters. Mrs. Peyton had tea served in the living-room, for all -who came, and many neighbors, drawn by curiosity, accepted her -hospitality. - -Trask, rubbing his hands involuntarily, slipped easily into his new rôle -of host, and rather overdid his part. - -"Yes," he would say, "yes, yes. I learned from the addresses how fine a -man my cousin was--yes, yes, a noble character. Now, I can't expect to -take his place in your community all at once--but I'll get there! I'll -get there! And you'll all help me, won't you?" he beamed on them. "Yes, -yes, you'll all help me to become one of the first citizens of -Corinth--one of the first citizens of your lovely, tree-decked town. Yes, -yes." - -Plate and cup in hand, he moved around among his guests, a little -awkwardly but full of amiability and good cheer. His sentiment was quite -evidently, "the king is dead; long live the king," and he wanted to get -settled on his throne at once. - -But the cousin of John Waring had another side to him. - -This was shown when, later on, he met a few people in the study. - -Cray was there, by invitation, and Morton also. Lockwood and the two -Peytons. - -"Just a few words at the outset," Trask began, and he was noticeably more -at ease in this executive session than he had been in the social -atmosphere. - -"I want to maintain this household, for a time at least, as I find it. I -shall be glad, Mrs. Peyton, if you will continue to keep house for me, -and I should like you, Mr. Lockwood, to remain as secretary, if you are -willing. There is, of course, much to be done in settling the estate, and -your knowledge would be invaluable. Also, if you will, Mrs. Peyton, I'd -like you to engage servants--or keep the ones you have. In fact, please -look after the house matters entirely. For, here is what I want to do -first. Find the man who killed my cousin. I never shall feel right in -taking and using his home and his money unless I do everything in my -power to discover his murderer." - -"It may be a case of suicide," suggested Attorney Cray, who was narrowly -watching the speaker. - -"No-sir-ee! First place, as near as I can figure it out, my cousin was -not the man to take his own life. Also, he was on the eve of taking a -fine position as College President--also he was about to marry a -beautiful lady. Why worry? And too--and this is to me the strongest -argument against the suicide theory--I've read lots of detective -stories--you needn't sniff, Mr. Cray, those stories are often founded on -fact--and many of them hinge on the mystery of a sealed room. Often a -book starts out with a situation just like this; man found dead. Room -locked up. No weapon about. Murder or suicide? And, listen here; -invariably the solution is murder. Yes, sir--invariably! Why? 'Cause -suicide is a mighty scarce article. You don't find Human Nature putting -an end to itself very often. That is, not worthwhile Human Nature. Your -suicides are weak men, down and outers, ignorant, half-baked chaps. Not -fine, upstanding men such as John Waring was. You know that, Mr. Cray?" - -"Yes," the attorney nodded. "That's certainly so, Mr. Trask. And, anyway, -if you're going to make investigations, you have to start on the theory -of murder." - -"Just that exactly," Trask agreed. "Then if we run up against -proof--actual proof of suicide, why then, we know where we're at." - -Lockwood looked at Trask and listened to him with interest. He was a new -type to the secretary, who with all his knowledge of characterization -couldn't quite place him. - -At first, Lockwood had felt an instinctive dislike, the newcomer had been -so patently pleased with his inheritance, and so evidently insincere in -his mourning. But this sensible, straightforward insistence on avenging -his cousin's murder--if it were murder--raised Trask in Lockwood's -estimation, and he concluded to remain as secretary, for a time, at -least. - -"You have the case in charge, Mr. Cray," Trask went on, "and I want you -to push it--push it, sir. Get help if you want--get some hifalutin -detective, if that's the proper caper--but, get results. Results, that's -what I'm after! Here's my idea. Get busy, and do all you can as quick as -you can. Don't dawdle. Put things through. And then--if you can't find -the criminal, after due effort, then, we'll give up the hunt. That's my -idea. Do all you can--and then quit." - -"Very well, Mr. Trask," Cray replied; "I understand, and I'll do as you -say. When you have the time to devote to it, I'll give you a history of -the case." - -"The time is now, Mr. Cray. And your history must be put in a nutshell. -The circumstances of John Waring's death, I know. Also, I know whom I -suspect as the murderer. So tell me your decisions to date." - -"I fear we have made no decision, Mr. Trask. As a matter of fact the -evidence to date points in a most painful direction." - -"What! You're deterred from justice because evidence points in a painful -direction! My stars, Cray! is that the way you detect in New England!" - -"But evidence may be false, and it is unwise to accuse without -certainty--" - -"I have some certain evidence," said Helen Peyton, and all turned to look -at the girl, who spoke hesitatingly and in a low tone. - -"Yes, I wouldn't tell it--but--I think I ought to. I just found it out -today." - -"Of course you must tell it, Miss Peyton," Trask said, dictatorially. -"Out with it!" - -"Well," Helen spoke to Cray, "you know Mr. Lockwood rubbed off some marks -from this chair the morning after--after we found Doctor Waring." - -"Yes, they were without doubt indicative marks. What do you know about -them?" Cray looked at her earnestly, for he had great interest in that -act of the secretary's. - -"They were the marks made by the buttons on the back of the dress Miss -Austin wore today." - -For a moment Gordon Lockwood's calm almost deserted him. It was but a -fleeting instant, yet Cray's sharp eyes caught the look of utter dismay -that crossed the impassive face of the secretary. Immediately the usual -hauteur returned and the grave eyes met Cray's without a tremor. - -"How do you know?" Cray was all alertness. - -"I sat behind her at the funeral. She took off her coat and I couldn't -help noticing a certain arrangement of buttons. It struck me, because I -noticed the marks on the chair back, and they were just the same design." - -"Absurd," Lockwood said, quietly, but with a deep scorn in his tone. "As -if you could identify the trimming on a lady's gown!" - -"But I did," Helen persisted, spurred by Lockwood's manner. "I noticed it -on the chair, a clear pattern of the trimming of the collar, and two rows -down the back. And then I saw Mr. Lockwood rub it off of the chairback -with utmost care. And today, when I saw Miss Austin's dress, I recognized -it at once. She was here that night--Mr. Lockwood knew it--and he erased -the marks--" - -"Helen, don't be too ridiculous!" Lockwood spoke now in a soft drawl, -that made Helen flush with anger. - -"I'm not ridiculous! Am I, Mr. Cray? It's evidence, isn't it? It proves -that girl was here--doesn't it? And Gordon did rub it off--Ito saw him -too, and I saw him. He was rubbing the chair when I came to call him to -breakfast--he can't deny it!" - -"I do deny it," Lockwood said, quietly. "Miss Peyton is excited and -doesn't remember accurately." - -"Nothing of the sort!" blazed Helen. "It's all true. Gordon won't admit -it because--" - -"Helen, hush!" Gordon's look stopped her at once. "Don't say things -you'll regret." - -"But I don't regret them," put in Cray. "All this is important. Mr. -Lockwood, do you deny obliterating these marks in question?" - -"Of course I do," Lockwood smiled slightly. "If I was moving the chair or -touching it, when Miss Peyton came to call me to breakfast I don't -remember it. At any rate, it was with no intention of removing evidence." - -Gordon Lockwood told these falsehoods with as calm an air as he would -have shown in making truthful statements. He was not only deeply in love -with Anita Austin, but he did not and would not believe her guilty of -crime, or of any connection with a crime. Wherefore, he was ready and -willing to tell any number of lies to save or shield her. - -And from his manner none could guess he was saying other than absolute -truth. - -"But look here," spoke up Maurice Trask. "This won't do, you know. Are -you people accusing a girl of Doctor Waring's murder? A _girl_!" - -"Not accusation yet," Cray told him, "but we want to know more about the -young lady in question. In fact, she's been dubbed Miss Mystery, because -so little is known about her." - -"Miss Mystery, eh? And she came here to see the Doctor the night he -died?" - -"She did not!" Lockwood asserted, calmly. "Had she done so, I should have -known it." - -"Of course you would," Trask looked at him shrewdly. "Of course. But the -impress of her clothing was left on the chairback? Is that it?" - -"That's it," said Helen, sharply. "And when forty-leven other things -prove her presence here that evening, I don't know why Mr. Lockwood so -positively denies it. He must have a deep interest in the young lady!" - -Helen's spitefulness was undisguised, and her mother looked pained and -regretful. Both these women had hoped that Gordon Lockwood's affections -might turn toward Helen, and the older one realized that such speeches as -this would in no way further their plans. - -But Helen was thoroughly jealous of Miss Mystery, for more reasons than -one, and she let her unbridled tongue expose her feelings. - -Cray knew all this, and therefore took Helen's statements with a grain of -salt. And yet, he soliloquized, she would scarcely make up that rigmarole -of the dress trimming. He fancied it was true. And why shouldn't it be? -The evidence of Anita Austin's presence in John Waring's study that fatal -night was far too strong to be ignored. Moreover, the girl's possession -of the money and the ruby pin had yet to be satisfactorily explained. It -was unthinkable that anyone should have stolen these things and "planted" -them in Miss Austin's bureau drawer! - -"I'd like to see this young woman," said Trask, suddenly. - -"I'm going over to see her now, come along," invited Cray, who was a -little impressed by the perspicuity of this stranger. - -"I'm going, too," declared Helen Peyton, and as Lockwood couldn't keep -away, they all went over to the Adams house. - -In the cosy sitting-room they congregated, and Mrs. Adams went upstairs -to summon Anita. - -She found the room locked. When, in response to a repeated summons, the -door was opened, Mrs. Adams faced a tearful, sad-faced girl, who asked -indifferently what was wanted. - -"You'll have to come down stairs," the landlady said; "Mr. Cray is there, -and--and some others. They want to see you." - -"I won't go down. I don't want to see anybody." - -"I guess you'll have to." Mrs. Adams spoke a little crisply. "It's a--a -summons. You've got to come." - -"Oh." Miss Austin's manner changed. "Well, I will, then. Wait till I -bathe my face." - -Mrs. Adams came in, closed the door and waited. She felt sorry for Miss -Mystery, but she also felt suspicious of her. Perhaps the mystery would -now be cleared up. - -The good woman was about to speak kindly to her strange boarder but as -she watched, she lost the desire to help her. - -For, to Mrs. Adams' primitive notions, the girl was doing dreadful -things. - -Having bathed her tear-stained face, Miss Mystery proceeded to powder it -lightly, and, horror of horrors, she added the merest flick of rouge to -her pale cheeks. And not content with such baseness she stooped to -further degradation and touched her pale lips with some heathenish -contraption that made them just a little redder! - -No, Mrs. Adams had no sympathy for a girl who would do such awful things, -and she waited in a grim and stony silence. - -Then Miss Mystery fluffed out her pretty dark hair a little more over her -ears, settled her sailor collar, with its row of tiny buttons for -trimming, and with a critical glance at her shoes, signified her -readiness to go down stairs. - -Still in disapproving silence, Mrs. Adams marched by her side, and they -went together to face the visitors. - -The attitude of the girl as she entered the room was a triumph of -perfection. - -Her beauty, which usually needed no artificial aid, was striking, and her -large dark eyes rested on each in turn with an air of innocent wonder, -quickly followed by a pathetic, beseeching little smile that touched the -heart of several auditors, even though they deemed it disingenuous. - -Maurice Trask, shrewd and calculating, sized her up, as he would have -expressed it. - -And his sizing up was decidedly complimentary. So much so, in fact, that -he almost concluded to take her part against all comers. - -"I'm for her," he said to himself, "and yet," he added, to the same -confidant, "she's nobody's fool! That girl knows what she's about--and by -jingo, if she wanted to kill a man, she could kill him! I'll say she -could!" - -It was Miss Austin's dress that caught every one's eye. Not a person -present, among the visitors, but wanted to say, "turn around--oh, do!" - -But the girl sank into a low chair beside Saltonstall Adams and quietly -awaited developments. - -"May I present Mr. Trask," Cray said, a little awkwardly, for it was not -easy to be casual under the glance of those pathetic eyes. - -Anita bowed courteously if coldly, and then there was an embarrassing -silence. - -"Well," Trask remarked, at last, "you people are not very talkative, -guess I'll take the helm myself. Miss Austin, will you be good enough to -get up and turn around?" - -The request was so simply made, that, almost without thinking of its -strangeness, Anita did exactly as she was asked. - -Sure enough, there were two rows of buttons down the back of her bodice, -and another row across the sailor collar. - -At a nod from Trask she sat down again, and then the storm broke. - -"I told you so!" cried Helen Peyton. "That's the very dress that made the -marks on that chair back! Dare you deny, Miss Austin, that you were in -Doctor Waring's study that night he died?" - -The dark eyes of Miss Mystery opened wide in horror. She seemed fairly -paralyzed with fright, and glanced wildly from one face to another. - -Maurice Trask's showed only frank admiration. He looked at the girl as if -he had never before seen any one so attractive. - -Gordon Lockwood's face betrayed no emotion of any sort. Had he been -indifferent to Miss Mystery instead of loving her, as he did, he could -have shown no less expressive countenance. - -And all the others present showed definite and decided suspicion, scorn -and hatred. - -Except one. Old Salt looked kindly at the agitated girl. He even held out -a protective hand, and with a gentle inflection, said: - -"Tell the truth, dear child. _Did_ you know Doctor Waring?" - -Slowly Miss Mystery's eyes traveled round the room. Looking at each face -in turn, her own expression became more and more hard and stubborn. Then, -seeing the kindness on the face of Old Salt, she broke down utterly and -sobbed out. "Oh, he's dead--he's dead! what shall I do?" - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - THE TRUESDELL EYEBROWS - - -Maurice Trask looked at Miss Mystery with rapidly growing interest and -curiosity. She seemed so young and helpless and she was so pretty and so -pathetic that he immediately decided she could not be mixed up in any -wrong-doing. He also decided, for he was a man of quick conclusions, that -this was the girl for him. Having his new fortune, he wanted a wife to -help him enjoy it, and where could he find a more utterly desirable girl -than Miss Austin? - -Straightforwardly he asked: - -"Did Doctor Waring make love to you? Did you love him?" - -The others looked aghast at these suggestions, and then Mrs. Adams said, - -"Yes, she did! I saw her one night, kissing Doctor Waring's picture." - -Cray turned on Anita. - -"Did you love that man?" he asked, sternly. "If you did, you surely -didn't kill him." - -"Of course she didn't kill him," Old Salt put in. "Impossible to imagine -such a thing! Speak up, little girl. Why did you kiss the picture of a -man you had never seen?" - -Several of those listening waited breathlessly for a response. - -Gordon Lockwood, for one, could scarce control his impatience to hear the -answer. For, only too well he remembered the letter he had found in the -Doctor's waste-basket. The words were graven in his brain. - -Darling Anita: At the first glance of your brown eyes love was born in my -heart. Life is worth living--with you in the world. - -If love at first sight had been born in the man's heart, must it not have -found response in the girl's? Or, even if not, could she have killed a -man who felt thus toward her? Truly she was a mystery. For, the very fact -that Waring had fallen in love with her, made possible, even plausible, -her clandestine visit to him, and her possession of the money and jewel. - -Could it be that the pretty little thing was merely a sly adventuress? -That she cajoled Waring into giving her the valuables, and then-- - -No, Gordon Lockwood could not and would not believe any evil of the girl -he loved. Even though she should admit her love for Waring, he would not -lose faith in her. - -"Answer me," Cray demanded. "Answer this direct question directly. Did -you love Doctor Waring?" - -Almost like one hypnotized, Miss Mystery gave a helpless glance at her -inquisitor and murmured a low, almost inaudible "yes." - -"Then why did you kill him?" Cray stormed at her. - -"I--I didn't." - -"You were there, in his study the night he--he died." - -"N--no, I wasn't." - -"You were! It's been proved. You went over from this house, across the -snow field, and you went in the study and you sat on the plush chair, -near the desk. Didn't you?" - -The great dark eyes seemed unable to tear themselves from Cray's face, -and again the half-breathed whisper was, "yes." - -"I protest!" said Trask. "That girl shall not be tortured. Whether she's -guilty or not, she's entitled to fairer treatment. You can't make her say -those things that may be used against her! Quit it, Cray. I forbid it." - -"That's right, Cray," Lockwood said, quietly. "You've no right to bait -Miss Austin--you make her admit things through sheer fright." - -And it was true. Miss Mystery was trembling, and her face was white, save -for the delicate flush on her cheeks and lips that she had placed there -herself. - -Her great eyes, beneath their heavy dark brows flew from one face to -another, and she did not fail to notice the fact that every man in the -room, Cray perhaps excepted, was in sympathy with her, while every woman -was against her. - -This must have comforted her, for she looked about, a faint smile dawning -in her eyes. - -"Is that true?" she said, "may I be excused from this questioning until I -can get counsel? I don't know what to say--myself--" - -Her pretty distress and helplessness again appealed to the masculine -sympathy, and, realizing this, she ignored the other sex. - -A puzzled expression crossed the face of Maurice Trask. - -"Who in the world can she be?" he thought. "That last flash of those -eyes, as she drew her heavy eyebrows into a straight line surely reminded -me of somebody. By heavens! the Truesdell brows!" - -Again he scanned the oval little face. He shook his head in uncertainty, -but again declared to himself, "The Truesdell eyebrows!" - -"Now look here, all of you," Old Saltonstall Adams said, "I don't believe -this child is guilty of anything really wrong. If she caught the fancy of -Doctor Waring, it may seem pretty awful to us old fogies, but a pretty -girl like Miss Austin can't help charming the menfolks. I don't want to -discuss that, but I do say that it's no crime to go to see a man in the -evening, and too, she may have had some errand we know nothing about. Did -Doctor Waring give you that money of his own free will, Miss Austin?" - -"Yes," said Anita, involuntarily, and then bit her lip as she added, "I -told you he didn't give it to me." - -"There, there, don't say any more, you only contradict yourself. I had no -business to ask that. Now, Mr. Cray, from now on, I take Miss Austin -under my personal care. I'll be responsible for her appearance when you -want her. And," he looked at his wife, "Mrs. Adams will back me up. She -too will shelter and care for Miss Austin--" - -"Unless she is proved guilty," Esther Adams broke in. "In that case--" - -"Wait until she is," Old Salt said, in his calm way. "I don't guarantee -her innocence--I only want to prevent injustice to her. Have you funds to -engage a lawyer, Miss Austin?" - -Again that frightened look made the girl seem anything but innocent. - -"Would I have to tell a lawyer--everything?" she asked. - -"Yes, yes--to be sure," Trask broke in. "But what of that? I'll bet -you've nothing to tell him incriminating to yourself. You exaggerate your -connection with this matter. I'll bet you were there that night on some -perfectly innocent errand--at least so far as Doctor Waring's death is -concerned." - -"Oh, I was!" Anita said, and then, as quickly, "But I wasn't there at -night--it was in the afternoon." - -Lockwood groaned in spirit. Everything this girl said made her more of a -prevaricator, even though she might be innocent of crime. Surely she was -mixed up in the matter, and must know who gave the fatal stab--if she -didn't do it herself. If only Nogi could be found. He, of course, was -implicated. - -"I'll get a lawyer for you, if you'll let me, Miss Austin," Lockwood -said, unable to resist his impulse to help her. - -"I am a lawyer," said Maurice Trask, "I here and now offer my services to -Miss Austin. If you'll accept, my dear young lady, I promise to use my -best efforts to do all that can be done for you." - -"But do I have to tell you--" again Anita began, perplexedly--her brows -straight. - -Trask gazed at her fixedly, and then he said, "That will be between us. -You will decide when we talk things over, what to tell me and what not." - -He spoke as to a fractious child, and his voice was kind and helpful even -though his inflections were not cultured. - -Lockwood looked at him uneasily. Might not this man's kindness and -assistance to the distressed girl lead her to feel such gratitude that it -would be no hard matter for Trask to win more than gratitude? Lockwood -was nervously sensitive to the interest Trask took in Anita, and well -knew his state of mind toward the little beauty. - -And, instead of being lessened by the trend of suspicion toward Anita, -Lockwood's own infatuation deepened with every glance he allowed himself -at the lovely face. - -The countenance of Miss Mystery was ever changing. Now, she was a -wistful-eyed child, and in a flash she was an inscrutable young -woman--only to change the next instant to a wrongly accused and innocent -martyr. - -Anyway, Lockwood told himself, he meant to win her, and if Trask stood in -his way, Trask must be set aside, that was all. An indomitable will ought -to be able to conquer the intents of a self-made, unattractive man of -Trask's type. And, too, a love like his own, surging more fully every -moment must appeal to the girl, once he could get a chance to declare it. - -Lockwood was by no means a conceited man, but he had a true sense of -value and he knew that he was a fitter mate for Miss Mystery than Trask, -if the girl could know them both. - -"I know a lawyer," Lockwood began, "here in Corinth. Might he not be a -better man for you, Miss Austin, than a stranger in the town?" - -"Just why?" Trask said, his eyes coldly scanning Lockwood's face. - -"Because he would have known Doctor Waring, and--and all the -circumstances," Lockwood concluded a little lamely. - -"Not much of an argument," Trask dismissed the suggestion. "Also, I -promise not to cost the lady as much as any other counsel would." - -This speech was accompanied by an admiring glance that was so nearly a -smirk that Lockwood with difficulty kept his hands off Trask's throat. - -Mrs. Peyton, who with Helen had sat almost wordless through the whole -session, now rose to go. - -"Come, Helen," she said, "we are of no use here, and I'd rather take you -away." - -Her implication that the presence of Miss Mystery was contaminating was -too plain to be mistaken, and mother and daughter left the room. - -"Well," Cray said, "I've pretty much made up my mind in this matter. I -make no arrest now, since you're going to be responsible, Mr. Adams, for -Miss Austin's presence when desired. But, I think I see it all. I think I -can reconstruct the whole case, and I think there will be decided -developments very soon." - -"You do," was Trask's response to this speech, and as one by one all -present rose to go, Trask remained, and asked that he might see Miss -Austin alone. - -"Guess I'll stand by," said Old Salt, and something in the grim but -kindly old face made Trask give tacit consent. - -Straightforwardly the man set about his inquiries. - -"Now, first of all, Miss Austin," Trask said, "where is your home?" - -An obstinate look came into her eyes, and she hesitated a moment. Then, -with a sudden change of expression, she said, "Indianapolis." - -"Address?" - -"Six-twenty-seven Jackson Street." - -Trask's eyebrows went up at this, and he gave her a searching look, but -Miss Mystery showed no embarrassment. - -"Sure of the number?" he said, "I know Indianapolis pretty well." - -"I'm sure," was the cool reply, and Trask went on. - -"Know Doctor Waring before you came here?" - -"No." - -"Never saw him before?" - -"Never, to my knowledge." - -"You didn't kill him?" - -Anita only shook her head slowly, but Trask did not press her for a -verbal answer. - -"Yet you were there that night. Now, it's useless to deny it, for the -prints of those doodads on the back of that very frock you have on now -were on the plush back of the chair you sat in. Young Lockwood smoothed -them away--Lord knows why! He must suspect you, I should say, and tried -to shield you that way." - -"Could he?" asked Miss Mystery, hopefully. - -"Could he shield you? No, my child, he couldn't, but I can. You just -trust yourself to me, and you'll have no trouble, no trouble at all. -You've got Mr. Saltonstall, here, and me for friends. Something tells me -you won't need anybody else. We'll pull you through, eh, Old Salt?" - -Though accustomed to the nickname from the townspeople, Mr. Adams didn't -relish it from this stranger, and he merely said, "I'm Miss Austin's -friend, be sure of that." - -"So'm I," Trask declared. "Now, little lady, you needn't tell all you -know, but some things you must tell me. Anybody among your relatives -named Truesdell?" - -Only a quick eye could have caught a fleeting look of dismay on her face, -as Anita promptly responded, "No--not that I know of." - -"Falsehood number one," said Trask to himself. "What the deuce is she up -to?" - -But aloud, he only said, - -"All right. Now, why did you come to Corinth?" - -"To sketch," said Anita glibly, and smiling at him. "I'm an artist, you -see--I paint water-colors." - -"Yes--I see. Now, just why did you hide that stiletto of yours?" - -"I was frightened. I was afraid they would think I killed Doctor Waring." - -"Why did you fear that?" - -"Oh, I don't know." She was almost flippant now. "Those detectives are so -queer, they're likely to suspect anybody. And they said the weapon used -was a round, sharp instrument, so--so I hid the thing." - -"You didn't use that to kill him?" - -"Oh, no!" - -"What did you use?" - -"I didn't kill him." - -"Who did?" - -"I think he killed himself." - -"Mr. Adams," Trask turned to the old man, "please leave us two alone for -a few moments. I ask you as a personal favor." - -Without a word Old Salt left the room. - -"Now, look here, Miss Austin," Trask said, in a determined tone, "I know -you killed that man as well as I know you're here. Also, I know why. Or, -at least, I don't know exactly why, but I have knowledge that will lead -straight to a revelation of the whole affair. I know you are related to -the Truesdells--though perhaps you don't know that yourself. Now, here's -my proposition. I'm a lawyer, and I'm known as a shrewd one. Many a time -I've made black appear white--and I can do it in your case. But--if -you'll marry me, I'll get you off. Wait a minute--don't speak yet. I'm -not bad-looking, I'm kind-hearted and, by my cousin's death, I'm a rich -man. You may not love me yet--but I'll guarantee I can win your -affection. I fell in love with you, the very minute I saw you and I want -you for my wife. You needn't marry me now--wait as long as you say--but -give me your promise, and I'll clear you of all suspicion in this -terrible affair. On the other hand--" - -There was a pause, and then Anita said: - -"On the other hand?" - -"I shall tell what I know about you--and, well, you know yourself what -chance you will have then of getting off scotfree!" - -"A threat?" and Miss Mystery flung up her proud little head. - -"No; don't misunderstand. Not a threat. But I admit, a bribe. Marry me, -and I'll free you. Say no--and I don't have to do a thing. The law will -do it all. You simpleton! Do you suppose you can keep your secret once -the law really begins to hound you? Cray is only just opening his eyes to -your connections with the case. Lockwood has realized that you must be -guilty, though he's trying hard not to believe it. Old Salt only -befriends you because you're helpless and pretty--not because he thinks -you're innocent--any more than his wife does. The two Peytons hate -you--for reasons of their own--probably because you snared Lockwood away -from the lovely Helen. But none of those things will matter if you take -up with my offer. I'll carry you through with flying colors. You'll be -not only freed from suspicion but eulogized and beloved by all who know -you, and as my wife, you'll have a proud and enviable position." - -Miss Mystery gave the speaker a look that not only took him in from head -to foot but seemed to penetrate his very soul, and in a quiet, even tone, -she said: - -"Rather than marry you--I would face the electric chair." - -The scorn in her voice, even more than the scathing words themselves, -enraged Trask. - -"Oh," he said, with ill-repressed fury, "you would, would you? Have your -own way, then, Miss Mystery--and soon your mystery will be known and you -may have your desire, and--face the electric chair!" - -The girl rose, and stood, waiting. - -"Go," she said, without glance or gesture. - -And in a white heat of anger, Trask went. - -"Now, dearie," Mrs. Adams said, coming in, "I don't want you to tell me -anything. My husband bids me befriend you--and I will, so long as your -case is uncertain. But if you're proved to be guilty, I--" - -"Oh, don't fail me," and Miss Mystery threw herself into the other's -arms. "I am so lonely and so friendless--" - -"Why are you? Where's your folks?" - -Then Miss Mystery drew herself up, with a forlorn little attempt at -dignity, and said, "I'd like to go to my room now, please." - -Upstairs she went, slowly, and as she neared her own room Lockwood met -her in the hall. - -"Count me your friend," he said, simply, and held out his hand. - -"I will," she replied, putting her little hand in his, and then, with one -deep glance, each knew of the other's love. - -Lockwood's was written plain on his face, and his eyes, usually so calm -and cold, were lighted with the intensity of his passion. - -This Anita read, and her own response was quick and involuntary. - -Perhaps it was a rebound from the awful proposals of Maurice Trask; -perhaps it was a heart finding its mate--perhaps, remembering Miss -Mystery's ways, it was mere coquetry, but the glances were exchanged and -they knew. - -Anita went on to her room, and throwing herself into a chair, sat long in -thought. - -"What shall I do?" she asked herself over and over again. "What can I do? -If only I hadn't taken the money--and the pin. Why did I do it? And he -said Truesdell! How did he know? My eyebrows, I suppose. That awful man! -And he'll tell--oh, yes, he'll surely tell--and that will poison Gordon's -mind against me--oh, was anybody ever in such trouble as I?" - -A tap at her door announced the maid with a note. - -Alone again, Anita read it. It was from Lockwood and begged an interview. - -"Please let me see you alone," it said; "I don't know how best to manage -it. Will you go for a walk with me now? There's time for a short stroll -before dark." - -Hurriedly Anita flung on hat and coat, and opened her door. - -Lockwood was on the stair. - -"Going out?" he said, casually, "may I walk with you?" - -"Please do," said Anita, and they started out together. - -"I'm sorry enough to do anything that seems clandestine," said Lockwood -as they walked, "but that feline lady, Miss Bascom, is watching your -every move, and I can't let her get anything to criticise you for." - -A grateful look rewarded him, and then Gordon went on: "Tell me, did I -read your eyes aright? Do you, can you care to know how I love you? How I -have loved you from the moment I first saw you. Do you care, Anita? May I -love you?" - -"But you don't know me," she said, in a soft little voice. "And you do -know dreadful things about me." - -"I don't care for any of those things. If they're dreadful, they're not -true." - -"Yes--they are true--some of them. And there are more dreadful things to -know--that you don't even suspect--Gordon." - -The last word, spoken in the lowest, tenderest of voices, completed -Lockwood's infatuation. Had she not said that, he might have been -deterred by her statements, but that softly-breathed name, stirred his -pulses, and in the deepening dusk he found her hand and said: - -"Anita, I want you--I love you--none of these things count. I know you -are in no way guiltily connected with this crime--if you are mixed up -with it, it is through force of circumstances, and anyway, I don't care -who or what you are--I love you, I believe in you and I want you." - -"But it's all so dreadful--and I can't tell--" - -"Don't tell anything you don't want to--" - -"But that man will tell. That terrible Trask man." - -Lockwood didn't waver in his fealty or loyalty but it was a blow to learn -that Trask knew something of Anita's secrets. - -"I don't care," he said, firmly, "I love you." - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - A PROPOSAL - - -Maurice Trask took up his reins of government with a firm hand. He left -all housekeeping and domestic matters to Mrs. Peyton, but the business -affairs of Doctor Waring, he concluded to clean up as rapidly as -possible. - -"It's astonishing," he said to Lockwood, "what a lot of varied interests -my cousin had. This morning's mail brings all sorts of things from Rare -Book Catalogues to Mining Prospectuses. By the way, I think I shall have -an auction of his rare books. Such things don't interest me, and I -believe they have a big money value." - -"Some of them have," Lockwood returned, indifferently. - -He could not bring himself to like his new employer, but as he had agreed -to stay with him for a time, he did his best to meet requirements. - -"Take this lot, now," and Trask indicated a bookcase full of old volumes -of the classics. "They mean nothing to me--I can't read Latin or Greek, -and wouldn't if I could. My good heavens! Look at this one!" - -Trask had taken down the volume that had been on Doctor Waring's desk the -night of his death. As he flipped over the pages, two were stuck -together, and the ghastly red stains showed only too clearly that they -were the spilled blood of the dying man. - -"Ugh!" he said, holding out the volume to Lockwood, "burn that up. How -could anyone have put it back on the shelf? Never let me see it again!" - -The secretary took it, noting that it was a copy of Martial, to which -Doctor Waring had been greatly attached. Indeed, it had, to Lockwood's -knowledge, been lying on the Doctor's desk for a week or more before his -death. - -Laying the stained volume aside in his own desk, Lockwood proceeded to -assist in the examination of the books. - -He was not at all surprised to find Trask discarding the ones he would -have retained and keeping the most worthless--though there was little -that could really be called trash in the Waring library. - -"Where are the story books?" the new owner grumbled. "No detective -stories? No spicy novels? No joke-books?" - -"Doctor Waring was serious-minded," Lockwood reminded him. "He cared -little for lighter reading. He was a scholar." - -"He sure was--to judge from these old dry-as-dust tomes. But, I'll fire a -lot of the poky old stuff, and so make room for more entertaining books. -You see, Lockwood, I hope--and I expect to get me a wife before long." - -Gordon's heart seemed to contract, for he divined what was coming. - -"Yeppy, that's so. Little Old Maurice wants a wifie--and--who do you -suppose has caught my fancy?" - -"Who?" was the mechanical response. - -"Why, none other than the little Miss Mystery. Oh, yes, I know she is -under a cloud--but I can get her off--I'm a bird of a lawyer, you -know--and we'll fix up all that. Then, I'll elevate that little nonentity -to the elevated position of the missus of Maurice Trask. Hey, my boy, -how's that?" - -Had Lockwood's calm not been habitual with him, he could scarcely have -maintained it through this scene. As it was, he was a boiling, seething -furnace inside him, but his judgment told him that any exhibition of -surprise or annoyance would only irritate the other man without doing any -good. - -Moreover, if Trask were really a shrewd lawyer, and if he knew something -that would make any trouble for Anita--and she had hinted that he -did--then, Lockwood argued, he must keep friendly with Trask, at least -until he found out more of the matter. - -So he said, lightly, "Has the lady agreed?" - -"Well--not yet; but--I say, Lockwood, you're hit in that same direction, -eh?" - -"I admire Miss Austin very much, yes." - -"Well--you keep off--do you hear?" - -"I hear," said Lockwood, in his imperturbable way, but when Trask looked -up and caught the cold stare of his secretary, he dropped the subject and -returned to the books. - -Since Doctor Waring's death, Lockwood had formed the habit of going back -to the Adams house for his luncheon. This, of course, in the hope of -seeing something of Anita, and also, because his new employer preferred -it that way. - -At luncheon, Trask took occasion to eulogize Miss Austin. - -Helen Peyton stood it as long as she could, and then broke out with: "I -don't see what you can find to admire in that thin, sallow little thing! -And, beside, she is a wicked girl. I think she killed Doctor Waring, but -even if she didn't, she came over here to see him, secretly, late at -night, and if that isn't wrong-doing, I don't know what is! But just -because she puts up a helpless bluff, all the men fall for her!" - -"Jealous, Miss Peyton?" and Trask looked at her shrewdly. - -"No," Helen tossed her head. "I've no reason to be. That girl is nothing -to me, and the sooner she gets out of Corinth the better. If the police -will let her go!" - -"Now then, Miss Peyton," Trask began, in his most emphatic manner, "and -Mrs. Peyton, too, once for all, I will hear no word against Miss Austin -in my house. Put any meaning you like into that, but remember it. One -word against Anita Austin, and the speaker of it goes out of my door -never to return. Am I clear?" - -"Clear? Yes; but I can tell you--" - -"Hush, Helen," said her mother. "We want to stay here, don't we? Well, -then, as Mr. Trask is evidently much in earnest, I insist that you obey -his wishes--as I shall." - -"That's right, Mrs. Peyton. And if your daughter forgets my hints I trust -to you to keep her reminded. That's all about that." - -In this fashion Maurice Trask settled every question that arose. His word -was law, and he spoke no unnecessary words. - -The servants could obey or leave. The housekeeper had been told the same, -and the secretary understood it, too. - -Returning to the library after luncheon, Trask sat at the desk in deep -thought. - -"Got to get the girl," he told himself. "Plenty to hold over her -head--but she's skittish, that's plain to be seen. Also, she's in love -with Lockwood. Got to get him out of town. Nothing doing while he's -around. Now, how? Morton hinted of his being deeply in debt. If so, he's -got some past history, guess I can get something on him--got to, whether -I can or not. H'm. Wonder if the little girl did do the sticking. Hard to -believe it, and yet that kid's got it in her. She sure has! And she's a -Truesdell all right. Nobody ever had those beetling brows, almost joining -above those dark eyes, in that level line--why, if she's a Truesdell--! -Good Lord, I've got to marry her! I'll have to scare her into it! Now, -Maurice, my boy, get in some of your finest work." - -Clapping on his hat, he started for the Adams house. - -As luck would have it, he met Anita and his secretary walking toward him. - -"Playing truant?" he called out gaily to Lockwood. - -"I'm just on my way to your house," Gordon returned, coldly. - -"You too, Miss Mystery?" and Trask gave her a wide smile. - -"No; I'm going to the post-office." - -"Ah, I see. Then, on your way, Lockwood--and I'll step along with Miss -Austin." - -There was no good way out of this arrangement, so it obtained, and Trask -fell into step with the girl, as Lockwood turned off toward the Waring -house. - -"Now, my dear young lady," Trask began, unheeding her look of aversion, -"you may as well understand me first as last. I've got the whip hand--or, -as that isn't a very graceful expression, let us say, I hold the trumps. -I know all about you, you see. I know why you went to the doctor's -library that night, and--I know what happened there." - -"You don't," said Anita, coolly. "You're bluffing, and I know it." - -"No, I'm not bluffing--not entirely, anyway. True, there are some things -I don't know yet, but--I soon will! Don't think you can keep anything -from me! I'm going to take a week for investigation. Also, to give you -your chance. If I find out what I fully expect to find out I shall make -it all public--how will you like that?" - -A great fear showed in Anita's eyes, and she murmured, brokenly: - -"Don't--oh, Mr. Trask, don't!" - -"Hah! Scared, are you? I thought you'd be! Now, you know my price. You -marry me--promise to marry me, that is, and I'll get you through this -thing with bells on. No shadow of suspicion shall remain attached to -you--or, to any one you care for." - -"I heard you were not going to rest until you learned who killed Doctor -Waring," Anita temporized. - -"Yes, yes; but that was before I saw you. Now, I don't care if you have -killed half the people in Corinth, I want you all the same. You've -bewitched me. You, a silly little slip of a girl, with no particular -claim to beauty, except your big, mournful eyes, and your peach of a -mouth! I'll bring the smiles to that sad little face. Oh, Anita, I'm not -a brute, and I do love you so. Give up your foolish fancy for Lockwood, -for it is only a passing attraction. And he hasn't any money, and he's -deeply in debt, and oh, I'm a thousand times a better catch!" - -"If you knew how you damaged your cause by talking like that--" the girl -began, her eyes cold with scorn. - -"Then I won't talk like that," Trask said, humbly. "Only take me, Anita, -and you can make me over to suit yourself. I'll do whatever you say. I'll -read the books you want me to, I'll get cultured and refined--and all -that." - -Anita almost laughed. "You are so funny," she said. - -But this was a little too much for Trask's self-love. - -"Funny, am I?" he stormed. "Funny! You'll see how funny I am when I tell -the police why you killed that man! You'll see if I'm funny when I refuse -the evidence that might help you out. When I keep still instead of -speakin' out in meetin'! You look here, Anita Austin, I hold you in the -hollow of my hand, and don't you forget it! You've got a deep dark -secret--and though I don't know quite all of it--I'll know it soon. What -M. Trask sets out to find out, he finds out. See? Now, do you want to -tell me who you are--or not? Want to tell me who your father was? Your -mother was a Truesdell--I'll bet on that!" - -Miss Mystery's face fell. Abject despair was written on every line of it. -She glanced at Trask, and his own determined expression showed her that -she could hope for nothing from him save on his own terms. - -And those terms were too hard for her. Just aware of loving Lockwood, -just learning to know what love meant and how sweet it could be, just -realizing, too, the awfulness of her own position, the dire necessity for -secrecy, the terrible result of Trask's revelations, should they be made, -altogether Miss Mystery faced a dangerous crisis. - -"You say you'll give me a week?" she said, at last, grasping at a hope of -reprieve. - -Trask looked at her with curiosity. - -"What good'll that do you? Better put yourself under my protection at -once. Every day you lose is that much nearer discovery." - -"All right, I'll dare it! They won't--won't condemn me, anyhow." - -"Ho, ho. Banking on your sex to save you! Well, honestly, I don't really -think they'd send a pretty girl like you to the chair, but a trial would -convict you in the eyes of the world, even if twelve men were too -soft-hearted to see you electrocuted. And there'd be imprisonment--" - -"Oh, hush! Mr. Trask, have you no pity?" - -"Plenty for the girl that is to be my wife. None for any other. And -especially none for a girl who scorns me and throws me over for my own -secretary. I'm a red-blooded man, I am, and you can't play fast and loose -with me and get away with it!" - -"I don't mean to play fast and loose with you, if by that you mean -changing my mind. But, I do ask for a few days to think it over. That's -not unreasonable, is it?" - -Miss Mystery's little smile was cajoling, and Trask couldn't resist it. - -"All right," he said, as he looked hungrily at her bewitching face, "take -a coupla days, then. But, only on condition that you don't let Lockwood -make love to you. Promise me that for the forty-eight hours, you won't -see that man alone." - -"How can I promise that?" - -"You'll have to, whether you can or not." - -"All right, I promise." - -He looked at her sternly. - -"And you'll keep that promise, or you'll be sorry! I haven't much opinion -of your promises, you're not the sort to keep faith. But, remember I'm a -power. Maurice Trask can do whatever he sets out to do. And if you forget -that, you're mighty apt to regret it." - -"I gave you a promise," Anita said, looking at him coldly, "and I fully -intend to keep it. It's not such a very hard one to keep." - -Her lip curled, and though he guessed the tumult in her heart, there was -no sign of it on her face. - -Trask accompanied her to the postoffice, and then, bidding him a careless -good afternoon, Anita went into a large drygoods shop and he made no -attempt to follow her. - -He would have been interested, however, had he noted her proceedings. For -she went straight to a telephone booth, and called up the Waring house. -Ito answered and when she asked to be connected with Mr. Lockwood, the -butler gave the connection without question. - -"Gordon?" came the soft little voice. "This is Anita." - -And then she told him quickly but fully all that had passed between her -and Trask. - -"So you see," she concluded, "I do want these two days to think things -out, and I mustn't see you alone, for he's sure to know of it." - -"All right," Lockwood said, "We'll do our courting over the telephone. -Let me see, I'll go down town this evening and telephone you--" - -"No, that won't do. I can't talk to you in the Adams front hall! Here's a -better plan. Tomorrow, when Mr. Trask goes out, you call me up there, and -I'll go out to a pay station and call you up where you are now. And the -day after tomorrow the time will be up." - -"Yes, and what are you going to do then?" - -"I don't know," said the girl, her voice suddenly losing its brightness. -"I'm going to think it out. Good-by." - -"Oh, wait a minute. I'll see you at dinner, shan't I?" - -"Oh, yes; and this evening, I suppose, but only with others present." - -And after a few more words Anita left the booth and walked slowly home. - -When Trask returned to his library he said to Lockwood, "Get busy on -those old books at once, will you? I want the shelves cleared for some of -my own books that I've sent for." - -"Very well," returned the secretary, thinking of the probable difference -between the expected books and those they would replace. - -"Do you mind, Mr Trask, if I take a few of these old ones myself? I'll -pay you whatever price a first class dealer sets on them." - -"Oh, take what you want, without pay. I'm in a good humor today, -Lockwood, better take advantage of it. Help yourself from the shelves." - -"Thank you, I'll not impose on your kindness and generosity." - -Nor did he, but among the few volumes he chose was the crimson stained -copy of Martial's Epigrams. - -Distasteful though it was, Lockwood looked at the book with a feeling of -reverence and opened the volume at the page that had last held the -interest of its owner's scholarly mind. - -The crimson stain completely obscured the print, but Lockwood gazed long -at the defaced page. - -"I wonder," he said to himself, "if a crack detective could get anything -from this. There's that Stone, Mercer is always raving over--I suppose -he's terribly expensive--yet this strange case might intrigue him--and -yet--there's Anita to be considered. If it should turn the tide against -her--" - -Later that afternoon, Trask went out again and Lockwood seized his -chance. - -Calling Anita at the Adams house, he said, "Listen, dear, you needn't say -anything but yes or no, and then no one will understand." - -"All right," came the reply. - -"I've just about come to the conclusion I'll get a clever detective and -put him on the case. I mean a real detective--in fact, Fleming Stone." - -"Oh, no!" Anita's voice was one of utter dismay. - -"Why not?" - -"I--I can't tell you this way! You said--" - -"So I did. Well, here, I'll ask questions. Don't you want me to do this?" - -"No!" very emphatically. - -"You'd rather I wouldn't?" - -"Very much rather." - -"Because you fear ill effects to yourself?" - -"Yes." - -"You are sure you're not overestimating the danger of that?" - -"I am sure." - -"Then there's no more to be said. Good-by." - -Lockwood hung up the receiver, and turned around to see Trask frowning at -him. - -"So that's the way you and Miss Austin whip the devil around the stump!" - -"That's the way," returned Lockwood, coolly. - -"She promised not to see you alone--is this how she keeps the letter of -her promise and breaks it in spirit?" - -"Leave her out of this. I called her up, she did not call me." - -"All the same. Now, I gather from the interesting talk I overheard that -Miss Austin does not wish to have Fleming Stone take up this case." - -"You are at liberty to gather anything you choose." - -"See here, Lockwood, you make a mistake when you try to antagonize me. -I'd be a better friend to you than an enemy." - -"I've no reason to want you for either." Lockwood was by no means -impertinent, he merely spoke indifferently. Trask noted this, and went -on, more suavely: - -"Now, my dear Lockwood, what I propose to do now, is to employ Fleming -Stone myself." - -Lockwood was astounded. At first he was glad, for he felt sure Stone -could solve the whole mystery. But, then, suppose it incriminated Anita, -and though Lockwood was sure of her innocence, he was just enough so to -realize that his surety was largely because of his affection for her. -Suppose Stone should prove her to be the criminal! - -It couldn't be--and yet-- - -He looked up to find Trask smiling broadly. - -"You've the reputation of being of an impassive countenance, Lockwood, -but to me your face is as an open book! However, it's only because you -are up against a difficult problem. You want Stone to come, yet you're -afraid he'll find out that Miss Austin is pretty deep in this murder -mystery. But I've made up my mind, and I think you'll see that any -attempt on your part to change my decision would look bad for Miss -Austin." - -"You let her name alone, Trask, or I'll reason with you myself." - -"Have you any real right to tell me to leave her name alone?" - -"Yes, I have." - -"Are you and she engaged?" - -"So far as I am concerned, we are. Miss Austin prefers to wait until -later to announce it, but I can answer for her to you in confidence." - -"Oh, it's in confidence, all right. Don't fear I'll breathe the news. -For, you see, I've made up my mind to marry Anita Austin myself; and if -Fleming Stone proves that she is a murderess, I'll marry her all the -same. She'll escape punishment--what woman doesn't?" - -"Then, look here," Lockwood's manner changed. "If you're going to get -Stone anyway, why can't we work with each other and not at odds? Whatever -else we think or feel we both want to save Miss Austin all the trouble or -distress we can. Let's be friends, then, and talk things over with Stone, -and then--" - -"I'm on! Then if we see things are going against her, shut him off!" - -"Well, yes, if we can." - -"Of course we can. I've money enough for anything--even to buy off -Fleming Stone. No man's too big to be bought." - -"I don't mean all this exactly as you do, but I do mean this: if Stone -can solve the mystery and clear Anita, let him do it. If he finds her -implicated, let it be understood by him beforehand, he is to cease -investigations." - -Trask thought a minute. - -"That goes," he said; "I agree." - - - - - CHAPTER XV - FLEMING STONE COMES - - -"Terence." - -"Yes, sir." - -"We're off for New England." - -"New England it is." - -"Start this afternoon, stay a few days, maybe a week among the classic -shades of Corinth." - -"Corinth it is." - -This somewhat laconic conversation was all that was necessary for Fleming -Stone's assistant and general factotum to make preparations for the trip, -achieve tickets, and arrive, with his chief, at the train gate at the -proper time. - -Terence McGuire, sometimes called Fibsy, because of a certain tendency to -mendacity, had begun as Stone's office boy, and, by virtue of his general -aptitude for detective work and his utter devotion to Stone, had become a -worthwhile and much appreciated assistant. Not only did the lad look -after all details of their trips as well as taking care of the offices, -but many times his ingenious mind so stimulated or aided Stone's own, -that more often than not they were practically colleagues. - -They had a compartment to themselves at the end of the car, and they were -no sooner started than Stone began to discuss the case with the boy. - -"I don't know all the details, of course," he began, "but it's a setting -after my own heart." - -"Then I can guess it," put in the wise Fibsy. "Man found dead in sealed -room." - -"You're a wizard! What made you think of that?" - -"'Cause that's the problem you like best, F. Stone. Wise me up some -more." - -"It's further interesting, because the victim is a great and good man, in -fact, the President-elect of the University of Corinth." - -"My! Somebody didn't want him for president? That the idea?" - -"Apparently not. Nothing in the letter about that." - -"Who wrote the letter?" - -"The relative who inherits the whole estate." - -"He do the job?" - -"No reason as yet to think so. But the criminal mustn't be guessed at. -The point is, the locked room." - -"How was the killing done?" - -"Stabbed. No weapon found and no way to get in or out of the locked room. -Fine problem." - -"Yes--if we don't find a secret stairway--or, a lying servant. Such cases -generally fizzle out that way." - -"Fibs, you're a Boy Cassandra." - -"What's that?" - -Stone explained, for it was his habit to supplement McGuire's very scant -education by bits of information now and then, when time served. - -"But, there's a queer clause in the arrangement," Stone went on, "if we -find the evidence leading in a certain direction, the chase is to cease." - -"That won't do." - -"Of course not, and I'll soon make that clear. But I can't think it will -lead in the given direction as that implicates a young girl, and rarely -indeed, have I found a criminal answering to that description." - -"'Tisn't usual--but, you know, F. Stone, since the war, girls are so -independent and so cocky that there's no telling what they'll do. Me for -the girl--as a suspect." - -"Fibsy, you're a fool." - -"No, sir. I don't admit it. See here, sir, if they're so 'fraid s'picion -will turn to that girl, there's reason for it. Yet, as you can guess, if -she didn't do it, they want her skirts entirely cleared." - -"Pretty good deduction so far. But we can't judge rationally until we -know the facts." - -The facts were told them, when, some hours later, they sat, alone with -Maurice Trask in the room where John Waring breathed his last. - -"I'm a plain man," Trask said, for he didn't care to pose unduly before -an astute detective. "I've come into this estate of my cousin's--my -second cousin, he was, and I started out with a firm determination to -find the villain who killed him. But, there is some cause for suspicion -of the young lady I expect to marry. And here's the situation. If you can -solve the mystery of Doctor Waring's death, and free that girl from any -taint of blame, go ahead. But if your investigation leads to her--stop -it. I want to marry her just the same, whether she killed anybody or not. -But if she didn't do it, I want to know it." - -"Can't you learn the truth from the young lady herself--if she is your -fiancee?" asked Stone. - -"Oh, she says she didn't do it, of course. But there's such an -overwhelming mass of evidence--or, apparent evidence against her, that -it's the deepest sort of a mystery." - -"Main facts first. Where was the body found?" - -"In that desk chair, seated at his desk, as he often was evenings. -Reading in a Latin book, so you see, he wasn't looking for trouble." - -"Found dead in the morning? Been dead all night?" - -"Yes, to both those questions. And locked in his room. Had to break in." - -"And no weapon about?" - -"Not a sign of any--" - -"Then that cuts out all suicide idea." - -"It does and it doesn't. You may as well say the locked up room cuts out -all idea of a murder." - -"But it must be one or the other. And isn't it more plausible to look for -some way that the murderer could have gone away and left the room locked, -than to think up a way that the suicide could have disposed of this -weapon?" - -"Yes, that's so, but I want you to investigate both possibilities. You -see, if you could prove a suicide, that would free Miss Austin at once. -And--if things go against her--I want you to--oh, hang it, it's hard to -put into words--" - -"I'll do that," said Fibsy, "if things go against Miss Austin, you want -Mr. Stone to frame up suicide, and declare it the truth." - -"Exactly that," and Trask looked relieved at the thought all his cards -were on the table. "I don't want Miss Austin suspected, but I do want to -know if she's innocent." - -"Any other suspects?" asked Stone. - -"Not definite ones. There's the Japanese who absconded that same night, -and of course, there's the secretary, Gordon Lockwood. I'd like to -suspect him, all right, and he has a round silver penholder that just -fits the wound that killed Waring. But it doesn't look like he did it, he -never would have left the penholder in evidence, and he would have -arranged matters to look more like a suicide. Then, too, how could he -lock the door behind him?" - -"That question must be answered first of all," said Stone. "I'll examine -the room, of course, but after the local police and detectives have done -that, I doubt if I find anything enlightening. So far as I can see, this -whole affair is unique, and I think we will find some surprising evidence -and soon. Tell me more of this Miss Austin. Who is she?" - -"Nobody knows. In fact, they call her Miss Mystery, because so little is -known of her. She appeared here in Corinth from nowhere. She knew no one, -and as she began to make acquaintances somebody brought her over here. -She met Doctor Waring, and inside of twenty-four hours had so bewitched -him that it would seem he had her visiting him in his study late at -night. She said at first, she wasn't here, but as she left the impress of -her dress trimmings on that chair-back, and as she has a ruby pin and a -lot of money that were in the Doctor's possession, it looks, one might -say, a bit queer." - -"Weren't the valuables planted on her?" put in Fibsy. - -"That's what she says--or rather, that's one of the things she said. The -girl contradicts herself continually. She says one thing one day and -another the next." - -"Is she pretty?" This from Fibsy. - -"Pretty as the devil! And that's not so bad as a description. She has -great big dark eyes, with straight black brows that almost meet. She has -a jaunty little face, that can be roguish or scornful or merry or -pathetic as the little rascal chooses. She has completely bowled me over, -and I'd be glad to have her on any terms and whatever her past history. -But, there it is. If she has a clean slate in this murder business, I -want to know it." - -"And if she hasn't?" - -"Then I don't want anybody else to know it. If you find, Mr. Stone, real -evidence that Anita Austin killed John Waring, or if she confesses to the -deed, then you whip around and prove a suicide, and I'll double your -charge. You needn't do anything wrong, you know. Just sum up that all -indications point to a suicide, and let it go at that. Nobody will arrest -Miss Austin if you say that." - -"You must be crazy, Mr. Trask," returned Stone, coldly. "I don't conduct -my business on any such principles as those. I can't perjure myself to -save your lady love from a just condemnation." - -"You haven't seen her yet." Trask nodded his sagacious head. "Wait till -you do." - -"Give me all the points against her," the detective suggested. - -"I will. I'd rather you knew them from me. Not that I'll color -them--they're facts that speak for themselves, but other people might -exaggerate them. Well, to begin with, this girl, a day or so after she -arrived here was seen kissing the picture of Doctor Waring which she had -cut from a newspaper. I tell you this, 'cause you'll hear it anyway, and -the gossips think it shows a previous acquaintance between the two. But I -hold that as girls have matinee idols and movie heroes, this girl might -easily have adored the scholarly man, though she had never seen him." - -"It is possible," Stone agreed, "but not very probable. She denies they -were acquainted?" - -"Yes. Vows she never saw him until one night she went to his lecture, -soon after her arrival here." - -"What is she in Corinth for?" - -"To sketch--she's an artist." - -"Go on." - -"Well, as I said, she must have come here that Sunday night, for one of -the boarders at the house she lives in saw her cross the snowy field. -Also, the footprints just fitted her shoes. Also, the tracks led right up -on the side porch here to that long French window. And led right back -again to the Adams house." - -"Whew!" Fibsy exploded, "aren't you rubbing it in?" - -"Well, that's what they tell me--" Trask asserted, doggedly, "and I want -you to know it all, Mr. Stone, before the other people tell you a garbled -version." - -"Go on." - -"Then, they say, the girl left marks of her dress trimming on that chair, -and Lockwood, the secretary, rubbed them off next morning, as soon as the -body was discovered. We have the word of two witnesses for this episode." - -"Who are the witnesses?" - -"Ito, the Japanese butler, and Miss Peyton, who lives in this house." - -"Go on." - -"Well, then, ever since the tragedy, Miss Austin has acted queer. Queer -in all sorts of ways. She is sad and desolate one minute, and saucy and -independent the next. I can't make her out at all. And she is more than -half in love with this Lockwood. I have to cut him out, you see. And I -figure, if you prove the case against Miss Austin, and if I agree to -marry her and hush up the whole matter, and make it seem a suicide--" - -"You figure that she'll throw over the secretary for you," cried Fibsy, -his eyes aghast at the man's plan. - -"Exactly that. You see, Mr. Stone, I don't try to deceive you. While I -have a natural sorrow at my cousin's death, yet remember that I never -knew him in life, and that, while I want to avenge his death in any case -but one, I do not want to if it implicates Anita Austin." - -"I understand," said Stone, seemingly not so shocked at the conversation -as his assistant was. - -"There's another queer thing," said Trask. "They tell me that when the -body was found there was the impress of a ring on the forehead." - -"A seal ring?" - -"Oh, no. Not a finger ring, but a circle, about two inches across, a red -mark, as if it had been made as a sign or symbol of some sort." - -"It remained on the flesh?" - -"Until the embalming process took place. That removed it. I didn't see -it, but I'm told it was a clearly defined circle, quite evidently -impressed with some intent." - -"Sounds like a sign of a secret society," Fibsy suggested, but Stone paid -no heed. - -"Let's reconstruct the case," he said; "Waring sat at his desk his -secretary outside in that hall?" - -"Yes; the Japanese, the other one, the one that disappeared, brought in -water, and then Doctor Waring closed the door and locked it." - -"Immediately?" - -"I don't know that, but anyway, no one that we know of saw him again -alive. Nogi is under no suspicion, for after he came out of the room, the -Doctor rose and locked the door. Lockwood can't be suspected, as he heard -the door locked, and couldn't get in. He _is_ more or less suspected -because of his penholder, but much as I should like to think him the -criminal, I know he isn't." - -"You're very honest, Mr. Trask." - -"Yes, because I want the truth. Can you get it?" - -"I think so." - -"You still eliminate suicide?" - -"I can't see how I can think it, with no weapon. You say that death was -instantaneous--?" - -"Yes; the doctors agree that it was. Positively he had no chance to hide -or dispose of the instrument of death." - -"And why should he? Suicides never make their death seem a murder, though -often a murderer tries to simulate a suicide." - -"Yet that wasn't done in this case, or the murderer would have left the -weapon." - -"That may be the very point he neglected. Now, how did the murderer get -out? Get busy, Fibs." - -For nearly half an hour, the three men searched the room. Had there been -any secret exit, or any concealed passage, it must have been found. -Fleming Stone's knowledge of architecture would not let him overlook any -thing of the sort, and Fibsy's alert eyes and quick wits would have found -anything out of the ordinary. - -"No way out," Stone concluded, finally; "and no way of locking a door or -a window after departure from the room. Looks as if the murder theory was -as untenable as the other. No chance of a natural death?" - -"With a round hole in his jugular vein? No, sir. The doctors here won't -stand for that. Try again." - -"I shall. I don't know when I've had such a baffling, intriguing case, as -this appears to be at first sight. It may resolve itself into a simple -problem, but I can't think so now. Even if it were the work of your Miss -Austin--how did she get in and out?" - -"Oh, she got in, all right. Waring let her in, at the French window. -Probably that's when he locked his door. But--say she killed him--how did -she get out and lock the room behind her?" - -"She couldn't. The window locks are bolts, and could not be shot from -outside. For the moment I see no explanation. It is blank, utter mystery. -When can I see Miss Austin?" - -"Too late tonight, tomorrow morning will have to do. But she won't run -away. The police won't let her." - -"Yet they can't hold her." - -"They are doing so. They claim she was the last one to see the victim -alive--" - -"Does she admit that?" - -"Not she! She admits nothing. You'll get nothing out of that little -Sphinx!" - -"All right, then, Mr. Trask, if you've finished your tale, suppose you -leave me here to ruminate over this thing, and I'll go up to my room when -I wish." - -Trask went off to bed, and Stone and his young assistant sat and looked -at each other. - -"Up against it, F. Stone?" - -"I certainly am, Fibs. And yet, the thing is so absolutely impossible -that there must be a solution within easy reach. It can't be suicide, -with the weapon gone, and it can't be murder with the room locked up. -Now, as it must be either suicide or murder, then it follows, that either -the weapon isn't gone, or the room isn't locked up." - -"Wasn't, you mean." - -"Yes, wasn't. But I don't yet think that any one disturbed the conditions -purposely. For why would the secretary take away the weapon to make it -seem a suicide--" - -"He would if he did it." - -"He didn't do it. Trask sees that. The man Trask is a sharp one. He sees -all there is to see, and since there's practically nothing to see that -solves the mystery, he sent for me. It would be a good one on me, -Terence, if I have to give the thing up as unsolvable." - -"That won't happen, F. Stone, but I'm free to confess, I can't see any -way to look." - -The next morning, Maurice Trask went over to the Adams house, and brought -Miss Mystery back with him. - -She came willingly enough, and the interview with the detective took -place in the room of the tragedy itself. - -Stone noticed that the girl showed no horror or distaste of the scene, -and even sat in the chair he placed for her, which was the same -plush-covered one that had received the tell-tale imprints. - -Fleming Stone regarded Miss Austin curiously. Not only was her beauty all -that Trask had described it, but there was an added quality of fineness, -a trace of high mentality, that naturally enough Maurice Trask quite -overlooked. - -At first glance, Stone's thought was--"That child commit murder? Never!" -But a few moments later, he was not quite so sure of his negation. - -Fibsy just sat and looked at her. He had no occasion to speak, unless -addressed, so, in silence he merely let his eyes feast on the piquant -face with its ever changing expressions. - -After casual questions, Stone said directly, "Did you know Doctor Waring -before you came to Corinth, Miss Austin?" - -"No," she said, a little hesitantly; "I had heard of him, but I had never -before seen him." - -"How had you heard of him?" - -"There was much in the papers about his election." - -"And that interested you?" - -"Not specially," she said, with a sudden accession of hauteur. - -And thereupon, she became a most unsatisfactory witness. She listened to -Stone's questions with an absent-minded air, answered in monosyllables, -or by a movement of her head. She even gave a side smile to Fibsy, which, -though it amazed him, also filled him with a strange exultant joy, and -made him her abject slave at once. - -Stone went on, drawling out a string of unimportant questions in a -monotonous voice, and at length, he said, in the same unimportant way, - -"And when you saw Doctor Waring that night, was there a red ring on his -forehead?" - -"No," said Miss Austin, and then, suddenly awakening to what she had -done, she cried impetuously, "I mean, I don't know. I wasn't here." - -Stone smiled gravely. "You were here," he said. "Now let us talk about -what happened during your visit." - -An interruption was caused by a tap at the closed door. - -Impatiently, Trask rose and went to the door. It was Ito, bringing a -telegram for Miss Austin. It had arrived at the Adams house, and had been -sent over. - -Miss Mystery read it, with great difficulty controlled her agitation, as -she quickly went to the blazing log fire and dropped the paper in. - -"Skip over to the Telegraph office and get a copy," said Stone quietly, -and Fibsy obeyed. - -Then to Miss Austin's continued distress, Stone read the message aloud. -It was from San Francisco, and it said: - -"Better own up and tell the whole truth. I have annexed Carl." It was -signed merely "A" and apparently it was of dire import to its recipient. -Miss Mystery sat silent, and wide-eyed in desperation, as she looked -hopelessly from one to another. - -"Don't you think," said Stone, not unkindly, "that you'd better follow -A's advice and make a clean breast of the whole matter?" - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - MISS MYSTERY'S TESTIMONY - - -Miss Mystery looked from Stone's impassive face to Fibsy's eager boyish -countenance. Then she looked at Maurice Trask. - -The latter showed deepest sympathy and interest but Trask also had a wary -air, as if ready to interrupt any disclosures that might be damaging to -the girl. - -"First of all," Stone said, "who sent you that telegram from San -Francisco?" - -"I don't know." The calm little face was as expressionless as Stone's -own, and she made her statement as straightforwardly as if it had been -true. - -"Miss Austin," Stone spoke severely now, "it's to your own advantage to -adopt a more amenable manner. You will not help your cause by -prevarication or evasion. Unless you will answer my questions truly, I -must find out these things for myself. I can do it." - -"If you can find out who sent that telegram, go ahead," she flared at -him. "I tell you I don't know who sent it, and I don't know who 'A' is." - -"I know who she is," said Fibsy, and then Anita's quick, startled glance -proved to the boy that his little ruse was successful and he had at least -guessed the sex of the sender. - -"A woman," the astute lad mused, "and she has annexed Carl. Maybe Carl is -another name for that escaped Japanese. But it's all so far away. How can -they conduct operations between here and California!" - -"Miss Austin," Stone tried to win her confidence, "believe me I am most -anxious to help you. Please tell me why you came over here that Sunday -night. It is utterly useless to deny that you did come, now tell me why." - -Anita looked baffled, but after a moment's pause, she said, "Do you think -I killed Doctor Waring?" - -"I know you didn't," broke in Fibsy, with enthusiasm. "Now, come across, -Miss Austin, and I'll bet you F. Stone can dope out the whole game." - -"I know most of the circumstances already," Stone smiled, and followed up -the small advantage he had gained. "You came over here late, secretly, -across the snowy field. Doctor Waring let you in?" - -"Yes," Anita breathed the word, and her starry eyes never left Stone's -face. She seemed almost hypnotized. - -"Then you sat down in the chair you're in now, and he locked the -door--why did he do that?" - -"I don't know--he didn't! Stop! You have no right to torment me like -this! I have counsel--Mr. Trask here is my lawyer. Let him tell me what -to do!" - -Her nerves were tense, and her little fingers were continually twisting -round themselves. Her face was agonized, and Stone felt as if he were -guilty of utter cruelty. But he must go on. - -"Mr. Trask cannot tell what he does not know," he said, coldly. "I am in -authority, you must answer me. Did Doctor Waring give you the money and -the ruby pin?" - -"Yes, he did." - -"Why?" - -"As gifts. Why does any one give presents?" - -"Because he loved you?" - -"Yes." Anita's voice dropped to a softer tone, her eyes had a faraway -look, and her sensitive little mouth quivered. - -"Yet you had known him but a few days! You had never seen him before you -came to Corinth?" - -"Never." - -"Isn't that a strange admission? How could he become so infatuated in so -short a time?" - -"Have you never heard of such a thing?" the face was almost roguish now, -and the dark eyes showed a hint of smile. - -Stone was baffled. He gazed at this strange young person, who was either -fooling him to the top of her bent or was a helpless, harassed child. - -"Was Doctor Waring related to you?" he asked, with a sudden new idea. - -"Oh, no. He was no relation. I tell you I never met him before I came -here." - -"And he gave you the valuables?" - -"He did. I'll swear to that--though I have no witness to prove it." - -"And you accepted them! Accepted a large sum of money and a pin set with -a precious stone from a man you scarcely knew! A man engaged to be -married! A man of twice your own age! You must admit this calls for -explanation." - -"Why does it? Hadn't he a right to give me those things if he chose?" - -"Wait a minute, Miss Austin. You loved him?" - -"Maybe." - -"Then, if you did, do you want his name stained, his memory blotted by an -act that is, to say the least, questionable?" - -"But he did give them to me." - -"Unless you can say more clearly why he did so I'm not sure I can believe -you. Did you ask for them?" - -"Oh, no!" - -Her disclaimer sounded true, but Stone began to think she was a -consummate little actress as well as a clever falsifier. - -"Well," he said, after a short pause, "I may as well tell you, Miss -Austin, that I am here to solve this mystery. That I am not at all -satisfied that you are telling me the truth; that, therefore, I shall -have to seek the truth elsewhere. I will tell you, too, that I don't want -to implicate you, that I should much prefer to keep your name out of it -all, but that you leave me no choice but to go ahead with my -investigations wherever they may lead. A few more questions and you may -go. What was Doctor Waring doing when you came?" - -"He--he was sitting at his desk." She looked troubled at Stone's speech -and seemed half inclined to be more friendly. - -"You saw him through the French window, before you came in?" - -"Yes; the window has a silk curtain, but I saw him between the edge of -the silk and the window sash." - -"Was he reading?" - -"No; there were books on the desk, but he was not reading." - -"He rose and let you in?" - -"Yes." - -"He had sent for you?" - -"No--that is, yes." - -"You spoke truly the first time. He did not send for you and you came of -your own accord. Was he surprised to see you?" - -"He didn't say so." - -"What did he say? What was his first word?" - -"Why--I don't know. He said--'Anita! You!'--or something like that." - -"And kissed you?" - -"Yes." And then a sudden wave of crimson spread over the scared little -face. It was evident she had not voluntarily made the admission. It had -slipped out as her memory was busy with the scene. - -"I won't stand it!" she cried, "I can't stand it! Mr. Trask, save me from -this terrible man!" - -Maurice Trask sitting near her, held out his hand, and Miss Mystery took -it. It seemed to reassure her, and she said, "Remember, you're my lawyer. -Don't let him question me any more. Tell him things yourself--" - -"But he doesn't know things--" said Stone, gravely. - -"Then let him make them up! I refuse to stand this persecution. I didn't -kill that man--" - -"Wait a moment, Miss Austin," Stone feared if he let her go now, he would -lose his chance, "since you are admittedly the last person who is known -to have seen Doctor Waring alive, you cannot avoid, or evade the -strictest questioning. You were here," he spoke very gravely, "late at -night. Next morning he was found dead. There are no footprints in the -snow but your own. There was no other way into the room. Therefore, you -are responsible for his death or--you know who is." - -"Must I--must I be convicted?" - -Her tone was heartbroken, her strained little face piteous in its appeal. -But Stone did not believe in her. He had concluded she was entirely -capable of pulling wool over her questioners' eyes, and he watched her -keenly. - -"I don't say you must," he returned deliberately, "but I say you may." - -"Never," declared Trask. "You know what I told you, Mr. Stone." - -"And you know that I refused to accept your terms. I shall carry this -matter through to the end. I do not say I think Miss Austin guilty of -crime, but I do say she knows all about the death of Doctor Waring and -she must be made to tell." - -"Suppose I say I--he killed himself," she said, "will you believe me?" - -"With your stiletto?" asked Stone, quickly. - -"Y--Yes." - -"And then you took the stiletto home and hid it?" - -"Yes." - -"What for?" - -"To shield his memory. Suicide is a coward's act." - -"Rubbish!" Fibsy exploded, unable to keep quiet any longer. "I say, Miss -Mystery, you _are_ a mystery! Why don't you tell what you know. It's up -to you. Here you were with the victim, shortly before his death, you -probably know all about what happened. By the way, how did you get out?" - -"Out the same way I came in." - -"And bolted that window-door behind you?" - -"Oh--no--well, you see--" - -"I see you are not to say another word, Miss Austin," Trask decreed. "I'm -very sorry I asked Mr. Stone to take up this case. However, I shall take -you home now, then I'll come back and I hope I can persuade Mr. Stone to -discontinue his work. If I'd had any idea of these disclosures you've -made, I never should have engaged his services. Come, Anita, I will take -you home. Mr. Stone, await my return. I shan't be long." - -The two went, and Stone, pacing up and down the long room said musingly, -"All centers round that girl." - -"Righto," said Fibsy, "but she didn't kill the man." - -"The trouble is, Terence, your saying that doesn't make it so." - -"No, but its being so makes me say it." - -Gordon Lockwood came in, his face full of anxiety. - -"I'm glad to see you alone for a moment, Mr. Stone," he said. "I saw -Trask taking Miss Austin home. Now, tell me, please, can you get at the -truth about that girl?" - -"I haven't as yet. She's as great a mystery as the death of Doctor -Waring." - -"She is. But I have every faith in her. She is the victim of some -delusion--" - -"Delusion?" - -"Yes; I mean she's under a mistaken sense of duty to somebody, or--" - -"State your meaning more definitely, will you?" - -"I'm not sure that I can. But I'm positive--" - -"Ah, now, Mr. Lockwood," this from Fibsy, "you're positive the young lady -is an angel of light, because you're head over heels in love with her. -That's all right, and I don't blame you--but, take it from me, you'll -prove your case quicker, better and more surely, if you investigate the -secret of Miss Mystery, than if you just go around babbling about her -innocence and purity." - -Lockwood looked at the boy, ready to resent his impudence. But Fibsy's -serious face and honest eyes carried conviction and the secretary at once -took him for an ally. - -"You're right, McGuire," he said; "and, I for one am not afraid of the -result of a thorough investigation of Miss Austin's affairs." - -"You've reason to be, though," Stone observed. "I can't be sure, of -course, but many stray hints and bits of evidence, to my mind point to -Miss Austin's close connection with the whole matter." - -"What is your theory as to the death, Mr. Stone," Lockwood asked. -"Suicide or murder?" - -"Honestly, I don't know. I'm quite ready to form an opinion when I get -some real evidence. I'm through questioning Miss Austin--I shouldn't have -let her go otherwise. I want next to do a lot of further questioning. And -I'd very much like to get hold of that servant, Nogi." - -"You think he's implicated?" Lockwood stared. - -"Why else would he run away? He must be found. He is probably the key to -the whole situation." - -"Guilty?" - -"Maybe and maybe not. If he and Miss Austin were in collusion--" - -"I beg your pardon, Mr. Stone, but I cannot have any thing said in my -presence that reflects on that young lady's good name. We are engaged to -be married--that is, I consider myself bound to her, and hope to win her -full consent." - -"But I understood--I thought, Trask--" - -"Mr. Trask wants to marry her, but I hardly think his suit will succeed. -The lady must decide, of course, but I have reason to hope--" - -"Gee, Mr. Lockwood, 'course she'll take you," Fibsy informed him, "now, -let's you and me get busy to find out Miss Mystery's mystery. You ought -to know it, if you're going to marry her--and too, you can't believe -there's anything that can't stand the light." - -"What can it be?" Lockwood asked, helplessly. "How can a young girl like -that have a real secret that so pervades and surrounds her whole life -that she will give no hint of it? Who is she? What is she? Why is she -here? I don't believe she came here merely to sketch in water colors." - -"No," agreed Stone. "If that were all, why the mystery about her home and -family? I understand she has given several contradictory statements as to -where she really lives." - -"She has," assented Lockwood. "But may it not be just a twist of her -humorous nature? I assure you she is roguishly inclined--" - -"No; it isn't a joke," Fibsy said, frowning at the thought. "She's got a -real secret, a mystery that means a whole lot to her,--and prob'ly to -other people. Well, F. Stone, I guess it's up to me to go out and seek -her people." He sighed deeply. "I hate to leave the seat of war, but I -gotta do it. Nobody else could ever ferret out the antecedents and -general family doings of Miss Mystery but Yours Truly. And this is no -idle boast. I'm going out for the goods and I'll fetch home the bacon." - -He looked glum at the prospect, for it looked like no easy or simple -matter that he proposed to undertake. - -"You see," he went on, "that girl is stubborn--my, but she's stubborn. -You'll have a handful, Mr. Lockwood. But if so be's you're willing to -face the revelations, I'll go and dig 'em up." - -"Where do you think you'll go, Terence?" asked Stone. - -"To California, F. S., of course. Didn't that telegram come from there? -All I've got to do is to find 'A' and the 'Carl' that she 'annexed' and -there's your mystery of the young lady solved. But the death of the -Doctor--that's another thing." - -"Do you really mean this?" Lockwood said, staring at Fibsy. "How can you -find a needle in a haystack, like that?" - -"I can't--but I've gotta." - -"But it's so much simpler to get the information from Miss Austin -herself." - -"You call that simple!" Fibsy looked at him. "Well, it isn't. It's easier -to go to Mars, I should say, than to get any real information out of that -little scrap of waywardness." - -"No, nothing can be learned from her," said Stone. - -"Then, shall I be off?" asked Fibsy. - -"Wait twenty-four hours, my lad, and then if we're no further along, I -suppose you'll have to go. Nogi must be found." - -"I'm glad Mr. Trask called you in, Mr. Stone," Lockwood said, slowly, -"but I do hope you won't associate any thought of Miss Austin with the -crime. She could no more commit crime than a small kitten could." - -"I fancy you're right," and Stone, half absent-mindedly, "but opinions as -to what people can or can't do, are of not much real use." - -"Have you a theory?" - -"Yes, I have a theory, but the facts don't fit it--and it seems as if -they could not be made to. Yet it's a good theory." - -"You don't care to tell it to me?" - -"Why, I'm willing to do so. My theory is that John Waring committed -suicide, but I can't make any facts bear me out. You see, it's not only -the absence of a weapon, but all absence of motive, and even of -opportunity." - -"Surely he had opportunity--in here alone." - -"It can't be opportunity if he had no implement handy. And nothing can -explain away the missing weapon, and the locked room, on the suicide -theory." - -"What can explain the locked room, on a murder theory?" Lockwood asked. - -"I haven't thought of anything as yet. What book was Doctor Waring -reading that night?" - -"There were several on his desk, but the one that was found nearest the -body, the one stained with blood, is a copy of Martial's Epigrams." - -"May I see it, please?" - -Lockwood brought the book and Fleming Stone examined it carefully. It was -not a rare or finely bound edition, it seemed more a working copy or a -book for reference. It was printed in Latin. - -"He was fond of Martial?" asked Stone. - -"He was a reader of all the classics. He preferred them, of course, in -their original Latin or Greek. He was also a modern linguist." - -Stone opened the volume to the stained page, which was numbered 87. He -studied it closely. - -"It's all Greek to me," he said, frowning, "even though it's Latin, but I -hoped to read something on the page beside the printed text." - -However, the irregularly shaped red blur gave him no clue, and he -returned the book to Lockwood. - -"Had the Doctor any private accounts?" the detective asked suddenly. - -"Not that I know of," replied the secretary. "He was a man of singularly -few secrets, and I was always at liberty to open all letters, and had -free access to his desk and safe. I never knew him to hide or secrete a -paper of any sort." - -"No harm in looking," Stone said, and began forthwith to search the desk -drawers and compartments. - -The search was fruitless, until at length, a small checkbook was found. - -And a curious revelation it gave them. For of its blank checks but one -had been torn out, and the remaining stub gave the information that it -was a check for ten thousand dollars drawn to the order of Anita Austin. - -Those who looked at it stared incredulously. - -"It is dated," Stone said, "the date that Doctor Waring died." - -It was. Had this too, been given to the strange young woman, whom Stone -was beginning to designate to himself by the title of adventuress? Was it -possible that young girl, who seemed scarce more than a child, had some -how maneuvered to get all this from a man whom she had deliberately -fascinated and infatuated? - -It was incredible--yet what else could be assumed? - -Gordon Lockwood looked deeply distressed. His lips set in a tight line, -and he said, through his clenched teeth: - -"I don't care! Nothing can shake my faith in that girl! She is blameless, -and only these misleading circumstances make you think otherwise, Mr. -Stone." - -The detective looked at him as one might regard a hopeless lunatic. - -But young McGuire's face was a study. - -He looked horror-stricken and then dazed. Then he had an inspiration -apparently, for he smiled broadly--only to lapse again into a profound -gloom. - -"If it ain't the beatin'est!" he said, at last. "Whatcha make of it, F. -Stone?" - -"I'm completely staggered for the moment. Fibs," the detective returned, -"but these cumulative evidences of Miss Mystery's--er--acquisitive -disposition, seem--I say _seem_ to lead to a suspicion of her undue -influence over Doctor Waring, at least, as to obtaining money." - -"Oh, she didn't!" Lockwood fairly groaned. "Don't blame her! Perhaps -Waring fell a victim to her beauty and grace, and perhaps he urged these -gifts upon her--" - -"Perhaps," Fibsy said; "perhaps he threatened to kill her if she didn't -accept his checks and coin and rubies!--and maybe she had to kill him in -self-defense--" - -"Self-defense!" Lockwood cried, grasping at any straw. "Could it have -been that?" - -"No," Stone said; "be rational, man, whatever made Anita Austin kill -Doctor Waring, it wasn't a case of self-defense." - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - PLANNING AN ELOPEMENT - - -There was some sort of telepathy or some subconscious impulse that made -Anita Austin open her bedroom door in response to a light tap, although -she had resolved to talk to nobody just then. - -But when she saw Gordon Lockwood she was glad she had, and, without -waiting for an invitation he stepped inside the room and closed the door. - -He looked at her with a face full of compassion and love, but he spoke as -one who must attend to an important business. - -"Anita," he said, speaking very low, "the crisis has come. They have -learned of the check Doctor Waring gave you that night, and it is the -last straw. Stone is already, I think, convinced of your guilt, and that -young chap, McGuire, will get at the bottom of everything, I'm sure." - -"Check? What do you mean?" Miss Mystery said, with a blank look on her -face. - -"Don't equivocate with me, dear." Lockwood laid his hand gently on hers. -"There's no time now to tell you of my love, as I want to tell it. Now, -we can only assume that it is all told, that we are engaged, and that we -are to be married at once. We are going to elope, Anita." - -"Elope!" she stared at him, but her eyes grew soft and her pale cheeks -flushed. "What _do_ you mean?" - -"It isn't a pretty word," Gordon smiled, "but it's the only thing to do, -you see. If you stay here, you'll be arrested. If you go, I go with you. -So--we both go, and that makes it an elopement." - -"But, Gordon--" - -"But, Anita--answer me just one question--do you love me?" - -"Yes," with an adorable upward glance and smile. - -"More than you loved Doctor Waring?" - -Their eyes met. Lockwood's usually inscrutable face was desperately -eager, and his deep eyes showed smouldering passion. He held her by the -shoulders, he looked steadily at her, awaiting her answer. - -"Yes," she said, at last, her lovely lips quivering. - -"That's all I want to know!" he whispered, triumphantly, as he kissed the -scarlet lips, and drew the slender form into his embrace. - -"You must know more--" she began, "and--and I can't tell you. Oh, -Gordon--" - -She hid her face on his broad shoulder, and he gently stroked her hair, -as he said: - -"Don't tell me anything now, dearest. Don't ever tell me, unless you -choose. And, anyway, I know it all. I know you had never known the Doctor -before, and I'll tell you how I know. I found in his scrap basket a note -to you--" - -"A note to me!" Fresh terror showed in the dark eyes. - -"Yes--don't mind. No one else ever saw it. I burned it. But it said, -'Darling Anita. Since you came into my life, life is worth living'--or -something like that--" - -"When--when did he write that?" - -"Sometime on that fatal Sunday. I suppose after he met you in the -afternoon, and before you came that evening. Remember, Sweetheart, if -ever you want to tell me all about that late visit to him, do so. But, if -not, I never shall ask or expect you to. But that's all in the -future--our dear future, which we shall spend together--together, Anita! -Are you glad?" - -"Oh, so glad!" and the soft arms crept round his neck and Miss Mystery -gave him a kiss that thrilled his very soul. "Will you take care of me, -Gordon?" - -"Take care of you, my little love! Take care of you, is it? Just give me -the chance!" - -"You seem to have a pretty big chance, right now," a smiling face reached -up to his. "But--" she seemed suddenly to recollect something, "about a -check--he didn't give me a check--" - -Lockwood laid a hand over her mouth. - -"Hush, dearest. Don't tell me things that aren't--aren't so. I saw the -stub--a check for ten thousand dollars--made out to Anita Austin, and -dated that very Sunday. Now, hush--" as she began to speak, "we've no -time to talk these things over. I tell you the police are on your track. -They will come here, they will arrest you--try to get that in your head. -I am going to save you--first, for your own sweet sake, and also for my -own." - -"But, Gordon, wait a minute. Do you believe I killed John Waring?" - -Lockwood looked at her. - -"Don't ask me that, Anita. And, truly, I don't know whether I believe it -or not. I know you have told falsehoods, I know you were there that -night, I know of his letter to you, of the check and of the ruby pin and -the money. But I--no, I do not know that you killed him. There are many -other theories possible--there's Nogi--but, my darling, it all makes no -difference. I love you, I want you, whatever the circumstances or -conditions of your life, or your deeds. I love you so, that I want you -even if you are a criminal--for in that case, I want to protect and save -you. Now, don't tell me you did or didn't kill the man, for--" he gave -her a whimsical smile, "I couldn't believe you in either case! I've not -much opinion of your veracity, and, too, it's too big a matter to talk -about now. Of course I don't believe you killed him! You, my little love! -And yet, the evidence is so overpowering that I--believe you did kill -him! There, how's that for a platform? Now, let all those things be, and -get ready to go away with me. I tell you we're going to elope and mighty -quickly too. The difficulty is, to get away unseen. But it must be done. -Pack a small handbag--a very small one. I'll plan our way out--and if we -can make a getaway under the noses of Stone and his boy, we'll soon be -all right. I've a friend who will motor us to a nearby town, where a dear -old minister, who has known and loved me from boyhood, will marry us." - -"Doesn't he know about--about me?" - -"My little girl, leave all the details of this thing to me. Don't bother -your lovely head about it. It will be all right--trust me--if we can -escape." - -"Is it right for me to go? Oughtn't I stay and--what do they call it? -give myself up?" - -"Anita, if I didn't love you so, I'd scold you, hard! Now, you obey your -future lord and master, and get ready for a hurry-up wedding, I'm sorry -that you can't have bridesmaids and choir boys--but, you'll pardon me, I -know, if I remind you that that isn't my fault." - -Miss Mystery looked up and broke into laughter. Truly, she was a mystery! -Her gayety was as spontaneous and merry as if she had never heard of -crime or tragedy. - -Lockwood gazed at her curiously, and then nodded his handsome head, as he -said, "You'll do, Anita! You're a little bit of all right." - -But in a moment her mood changed. - -"Gordon, we can't," she said, slowly. "We never can get away from this -house--let alone the detectives. Miss Bascom is on continual watch and -Mrs. Adams--" - -"I know, dear. That's it. I thought if you could manage that part, I'd -see to evading the Stone faction. Can't you think up a plan?" - -"Love will find a way," she whispered, and unable to resist the inviting -smile, Gordon again caught her in his arms, and held her close in an -ecstasy of possession. - -"You are so sweet," he murmured, with an air of saying something -important. "Oh, my Little Girl, how I love you! The moment I first saw -you--" - -"When was that?" - -"That night at--at the Doctor's lectures. I sat behind you, I changed my -seat to do so--and I counted the buttons on your dear little gray -frock--that was one way I discovered your presence in the study that -night." He spoke gravely now. "And there was another way. I heard you -talking. Yes, I heard your blessed voice--remember, I loved you then--and -I heard Waring talking to you. I could make out no word--I didn't -try--but now I wish I had--for it might help you." - -"I wish you had, Gordon," she returned, solemnly, "it would have helped -me." - -"But you can tell me, dear, tell me all the conversation. Surely you -trust me now." - -"I trust you--but--oh, as you say, there's no time. It's a long story--a -dreadful story--I don't want to tell you--" - -"Then you shan't. I've promised you that, you know. Not until you want to -tell me, will I ask for a word of it." - -"Now, here's another thing," and Anita blushed, deeply, "if we go -away--as you say--what about--about money?" - -Lockwood stared at her. "I have money," he said; "why do you ask that?" - -"But--but the awful detective people--said you--you were terribly in -debt." - -"Brave little girl, to say that. I know you hated to. Well, my darling, -those precious bills that those precious detectives dug up in my desk, -are old bills that were owed by my father--his name was the same as -mine--" - -"The same as yours! How queer!" - -"Oh, not a unique instance. Anyway, those bills I am paying off as I can. -I'm not legally responsible for them, but I want to clear my dad's name, -and all that. Now, all that can wait--while I take unto me a wife, and -arrange for her comfort and convenience. But, is there--now remember, I'm -not prying--is there any one whose permission you must ask to marry me?" - -"No, I'm twenty-one--that's of age in any state." - -"Why, you aged person! I deemed you about eighteen." - -"Do you mind?" - -"No; you goosie! But--your mother, now?" - -"Oh--my mother. She doesn't care what I do." - -"And your father? Forgive me, but I have to ask." - -"My father is dead." - -"Then come along. Let's begin to get ready to go." - -"Wait a minute--Gordon--to get married--must I--must I tell my real -name?" - -His eyes clouded a trifle. - -"Yes, dear heart," he said, very gently, "yes, you must." - -"Then I can't get married, Gordon." - -Miss Mystery sat down and folded her little hands in her lap, her whole -attitude that of utter despair. - -"But, Sweetheart, no one need know except the minister and witnesses--" - -"And you?" - -"Yes--and I--" - -"Oh, I can't marry you, anyway. I can't marry anybody. I can't tell who I -am! Oh, let them take me away, and let them arrest me and I hope they'll -convict me--and--" - -"Hush, my precious girl, hush." Lockwood took her in his arms, and let -her stifle her sobs on his breast. He was bewildered. What was the truth -about this strange child? For in her abandonment of grief, Anita seemed a -very child, a tortured irresponsible soul, whose only haven was in the -arms now around her. - -"You will go with me, anyway, Anita," he said, with an air of authority. -"I must take care of you. We will go, as I planned. The minister I told -you of, is a great and good man, he will advise you--" - -"Oh, no, I don't want to talk to a minister!" - -"Yes, you do. And his wife is a dear good woman. They will take you into -their hearts and home--and then we can all decide what to do. At any -rate, you must get away from here. Come, now, pack your bag--and would -you mind--Anita--if I ask you not to take the--the money and the ruby -pin--" - -"But he gave them to me! I tell you, Gordon, John Waring gave me those of -his own free will--" - -"Because of his affection for you?" - -"Yes; for no other reason! I will keep the pin, anyway--I will!" - -"Anita, have you any idea how you puzzle me? how you torture me? Well, -take what you like. Will you get ready now, and I will let you know as -soon as I can, how and when we can start." - -A loud rap was followed by an immediate opening of the door, and Mrs. -Adams came into the room. - -She stared at Lockwood, but made no comment on his presence there. - -"Miss Austin," she began, "I do not wish you to stay in my house any -longer. I have kept you until now, because my husband was so sorry for -you, and refused to turn you out. Nor am I turning you out, but--I wish -you would leave us alone, Mr. Lockwood." - -Gordon started to speak, but Anita interrupted him. - -"Go, please," she said, quietly, and Lockwood obeyed. - -"I cannot blame you, Mrs. Adams," Miss Mystery said; "I daresay you have -to consider your other boarders, and I thank you for your kindness and -forbearance you have shown me so far." - -The tears were in the big dark eyes, and even as they moved Mrs. Adams to -sympathy, she also wondered if they were real. "A girl who would redden -her lips would be capable of any deceit and duplicity," Esther Adams -reasoned. - -But she went on, calmly. - -"I come now, Miss Austin, to tell you that Mr. Trask is down stairs and -wants to see you. He wants you to go to his house to stay. The Peytons -are there, of course, and he offers you the shelter of his roof and -protection until this dreadful matter is settled up." - -"Mr. Trask!" Anita looked her amazement. - -"Yes; now don't be silly. You very well know he is mad about you, and he -hopes to get you freed and then marry you." - -"Oh, he does!" It was the old, scornful Miss Mystery who spoke. "Well, -will you please tell him from me--" - -"Now, don't you be too hoity-toity, miss! You're mighty lucky to have a -home offered you--" - -"Yes, that's quite true. Well, Mrs. Adams, will you go down, then and say -I'll be down in a moment or two. Give me time to freshen my appearance a -bit." - -"Yes, with paints and powders and cosmetics!" Esther Adams grumbled to -herself, as she went down the stairs. - -As a matter of fact she quite misjudged the girl. Very rarely did Anita -resort to artificial aid of that sort, but when she so desired, she used -it as she would any other personal adornment. - -"She's coming down," Mrs. Adams announced, as she returned to Trask and -they waited. - -But when the minutes grew to a quarter of an hour, and then nearly to a -half, Mrs. Adams again climbed the stairs to hasten proceedings. - -This time she found the room empty. - -The absence, too, of brushes and combs, the disappearance of a small -suitcase, and the fact that her hat and coat were gone all pointed -unmistakably to the assumption that the girl had fled. - -"Well!" Mrs. Adams reported, "she's lit out, bag and baggage." - -"Gone!" exclaimed Trask in dismay. - -"Well, she isn't in her room. Her trunk is locked and strapped and her -suitcase is missing. Her hat and coat's gone, too, so you can make your -own guess." - -But Maurice Trask didn't stay there to make his guess. - -He went back home as fast as he could and told Fleming Stone the news. - -"Run away, has she?" said Stone. "I rather looked for that." - -"You did! And took no steps to prevent it! You're a nice detective, you -are. Well, if you're so smart, where'd she go?" - -"Where's Lockwood?" was Stone's laconic response. - -"Lockwood!" exclaimed Trask. "Wherever he is, he hasn't run off with -Anita Austin! If he has--by Jove, I'll break every bone in his body!" - -"You'll have to catch him first," smiled the detective. - -"I'll catch him! I'll set you to do it. And, looky here, if she's gone -off with that man, you can go ahead and catch her, catch them both, and -then go ahead and prove her guilty." - -"Is she?" - -"Is she? You bet she is! And I know it." - -"How do you know?" - -"I'll tell you. I know her eyebrows!" - -"So do I know her eyebrows. But they don't tell me she's a murderer." - -"Well, they tell me that! It's this way. Her eyebrows, are not only heavy -and dark, but they almost meet over the bridge of her nose." - -"Darling nose!" put in Fibsy, who was interested in Anita but not in -Trask's deductions. - -"Does your knowledge of physiognomy tell you that those meeting eyebrows -are a sign of a criminal?" asked Stone. - -"Nothing of that sort. But they are the Truesdell brows." - -"The Truesdell brows?" Stone raised his own. "Sounds like a proprietary -article. Not artificial, are they?" - -"Now, see here, Mr. Stone, I'm in no mood to be guyed. Those eyebrows are -frequently seen in the Truesdell family. My grandfather's brother married -a Truesdell." - -"Your grandfather's brother married a Truesdell. And your own grandfather -didn't?" - -"No; I haven't those brows." - -"Well, you're not entitled to them, having no Truesdell blood in your -veins." - -"But that girl has." - -"Indeed! Interesting, is it not?" - -"Aw, come off that line o' talk, F. S.," said Fibsy, knitting his brows, -which were not Truesdellian. "I'm seein' a chink o' light. The brother of -your grandfather, now, Mr. Trask, he was named--?" - -"Waring, of course. Henry Waring. My grandfather was James Waring." - -"And this Henry Waring--he was the father of Doctor John Waring?" - -As Fibsy said this, Stone sat upright, and gazed hard at Trask. - -"Yes, John Waring's father was Henry, and my grandfather was Henry's -brother James. That's how I'm related. And being the only one, that's why -I'm the heir here. But, don't you see, Doctor Waring's mother was a -Truesdell--" - -"And Miss Austin is a relative of hers--a connection of the Truesdell -family somehow--" exclaimed the now excited Fibsy, "and she found out -about it, and came here and--" - -"Yes," Trask said, "and tried to get some money from John Waring on the -ground of relationship." - -"What relation could she be?" - -"Maybe a niece of Doctor Waring--or a cousin. Maybe the same relation to -Doctor Waring's mother that I am to his father. Then, that would explain -his giving her money and the pin--and maybe she burnt the will! and then -she--" - -"But it complicates everything," said Stone, who was thinking quickly. -"However, if Miss Austin is connected with the Truesdell family it gives -us a way to look to learn her history." - -"Well, learn it," said Trask, abruptly. "I'm not afraid of losing my -inheritance for I'm in the direct Waring line and she can't be." - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - MISS MYSTERY NO LONGER - - -Trask, helped along by Fleming Stone, investigated the family tree of the -Warings. But they ran up against a blank wall. As far as they could learn -Doctor Waring never had brother or sister. His mother, who was a -Truesdell, had also been an only child. But of course, Miss Mystery could -be of the Truesdell family, and could, as Trask observed, be the same -relation to John Waring's mother that Trask was to John Waring's father. -Which relation was that of second cousin. - -"It gives a reason for the girl's presence here," Stone said, "and as -it's the only reason we can think of, it must be followed up." - -"And I'll follow it up," Trask said, "if I once get hold of that girl. -Where can she be, Mr. Stone?" - -"Not very far away, I think, as all the stations and routes out of town -are watched. She'd have trouble to leave Corinth." - -"She could get out in a motor car." - -"Who'd take her?" - -"Lockwood, of course." - -But just then, Gordon Lockwood came into the Waring study. His usual calm -was entirely gone, his eyes wildly staring and his voice quivered as he -said, "She's gone! Anita's gone!" - -"Yes, I know it--I thought you went with her!" and Stone stared in turn. - -"No, I didn't!" Lockwood said, quite unnecessarily. "Find her, Mr. -Stone--you can, can't you?" - -"I can find her," said Fibsy, "if you'll tell me one thing, Mr. Lockwood, -right straight out." - -"What is it? I'll tell you anything. I'm afraid--" - -"You're afraid she's killed herself," said Fibsy, calmly. "Well you tell -me this. Are you two--aw--you know--" - -The boy blushed, and Stone smiled a little as he said: - -"McGuire is a bit shy of romantic matters. He means are you and Miss -Austin lovers?" - -"We are," said Lockwood, emphatically. "She is my fiancee--" - -"All right," said Fibsy, "then I'll find her. She hasn't done anything -rash, in that case." - -He wagged his wise little head. - -"Where is she?" Stone asked, confident that the boy could tell. He knew -of Fibsy's almost clairvoyant powers of divining truth in certain -situations. - -"Want her here?" he asked, laconically. - -"Yes." - -"I'll get her." - -Snatching his cap, he darted from the house, but he was closely followed -by Maurice Trask. Lockwood would have stopped Trask, but Stone said: - -"Let him go. This thing is coming to a crisis--Trask will help it along." - -Fibsy went toward the Adams house, but stopped at the house next door to -it. This was the home of Emily Bates. - -Ringing that lady's doorbell, Fibsy asked to see her. - -"Mrs. Bates," he said, politely, while Trask listened, "we want to see -Miss Austin, please." - -"Anita!" said Mrs. Bates, flurriedly; "why--she--she isn't--" - -"Oh, yes, she is here," said the boy, patiently, rather than rudely. "We -have to see her, you see." - -"Here I am," said Miss Mystery, coming in from the next room. "I think," -she said turning to Mrs. Bates, "I think, as you advised me, I'll tell -all." - -"Don't tell it here!" cried Fibsy. "Please, Miss Austin--don't spill your -yarn here--oh, I mean, don't--don't divulge--" - -The unusual word nearly choked the excited boy, who always in moments of -strong emotion lapsed into careless English, but who tried not to. - -"Now, look here," Maurice Trask put in. "Here's where I take hold. Miss -Austin, you have told your story to Mrs. Bates?" - -"Yes," said, Anita, looking very sad, but determined. - -"Then you tell it to me. I'm heir to the Waring estate, and so I have a -right to know all you know about--the family." - -His knowing look proved to Anita that he assumed also her right to be -classed with "the family" and she looked at him in astonishment. - -"You know?" she cried. - -"Yes--I know," he spoke very sternly. "And I insist upon a private -interview with you, before you tell your story to any one else." - -"You shall have it, then," she said, and her eyes grew grave. "Mrs. -Bates, will you and Terence leave us alone for ten minutes. That will be -long enough, and then, I'll go to see Mr. Stone--if necessary." - -"Now, look here," Trask said, as the door closed after the others, "I -know who you are." - -"I don't believe it," and Miss Mystery looked at him straight from -beneath the "Truesdell brows." - -"Well, anyway, I know you are a Truesdell connection." - -"Yes, I am. Go on." - -"I don't know just what branch," he went on, a little lamely. - -"But it's a branch strong enough to hold me--and also to interfere with -this heirship of yours." - -"Can't be. There's no Truesdell so close to John Waring as I am." - -"You think so? Then listen." - -As Miss Mystery told him her story, the man's face fell, he sat, almost -petrified with astonishment, and when she had finished the short but -amazing recital, he said: - -"My heavens! What are you going to do?" - -"I don't know what to do." - -"If you tell--I--" - -"Of course you do." - -"And if you don't tell--then John Waring's name is left unstained--" - -"There is no shadow of stain on John Waring's name! What do you mean?" - -"Now, look here, Miss Austin, you keep quiet about all this, will you? -I'll call off those sleuths and I'll arrange to close up and cover up the -whole matter. Then, you marry me--there's only a distant cousinship -between us--and I'll put up the biggest memorial to Waring you ever heard -of." - -"Omit the clause about my marrying you," she returned, "and I may agree -to your plans. I haven't quite decided what to do--and beside, Mr. Trask, -who killed my--Doctor Waring?" - -"Never mind who killed him. Call it suicide--it must have been anyway--" - -"No--I'm not sure it was--oh, I don't know what to do." - -"Time's up," called Fibsy through the closed door. "And, I say, Miss -Austin, you take my tip, and come along and tell your story to F. Stone. -It'll be your best bet in the long run." - -Perhaps it was the boy's speech, perhaps it was the gleam of disappointed -greed that Anita saw in Trask's eyes, but she rose, with a sudden -decision, and said, as she opened the door: - -"That's just what I'll do. Come with me, Mrs. Bates--or, would you rather -not?" - -"Oh, I can't," said Emily Bates, "don't ask me, Anita, dear." - -"No, you stay here. I'll come back soon." - -And so Miss Mystery again walked across the snow-covered field to the -Waring house, this time to remove all occasion for using her nickname. - -"You found her?" said Stone, as the trio came into the study, where he -and Lockwood still sat. - -"Yes," said Fibsy. "I just thought where would a poor, hunted kid go? And -I said to myself, she'd go to the nearest and nicest lady's house she -knew of. And of course, that was Mrs. Bates' and sure enough there she -was. And--she's going to tell all!" - -Fibsy was melodramatic by nature, and his gesture indicated an important -revelation. - -"I am," said Anita, quietly. - -She went straight to Lockwood's side, and he took her hand calmly, and -led her to a seat on the wide davenport, then sat beside her. - -Her hand still in his, she told her story. - -"I am of Truesdell blood," she began, "as Mr. Trask surmised. But, also, -I am of Waring blood. Doctor John Waring was my father." - -No one spoke. The surprise was too great. In his wildest theories, -Fleming Stone had never thought of this. - -Fibsy's great astonishment was permeated with the quick conviction, "then -she didn't kill him!" - -Gordon Lockwood was conscious of a rapturous reassurance that he had no -rival as a lover. - -Trask, already knowing the truth, sat gloomily realizing he was not the -heir. - -Anita, her beautiful face sad, yet proud to acknowledge her ancestry, -went on: - -"This is his story. When John Waring was twenty years old, he met a young -woman--an actress--who so infatuated him that he married her. They were -absolutely uncongenial and unfitted for one another, and after a few -weeks, they agreed to separate. There was no question of divorce, they -merely preferred to live apart. He sent her money at stated intervals but -he pursued his quiet, studious life, and she her life of gayety and -sport. She was a good woman--she _is_ a good woman--she is my mother." - -Another silence followed this disclosure. Is, she had said--not was. And -John Waring her father! - -Gordon Lockwood held her hand closely. He was content to listen. Whatever -she could say could not lessen his love and adoration. - -"I tell you this, for her sake and--my father's also. There is no stigma -to be attached to either, they were merely so utterly opposite in -character and disposition that they could not live together. - -"As I said, after a few weeks they separated, and--my father did not know -of my birth. My mother would not let him know, lest he come back to her. -She was a light-hearted, carefree girl, and while she loved me, she did -not love my father. Later on--when I was about four, I think, she caused -a notice of her death to be sent to my father. This was because she -wanted to sever all connection, and take no chance of ever meeting him -again. She was at that time a successful actress, and earned all the -money she wanted. She adored me, she had no love affairs, she lived only -for me and her art. Though a good actress, she was not widely renowned, -and in California, where she had chosen to make her home, she was liked -and respected. The climate just suited her love of ease, freedom and -indolence--as a New England life of busy activity would have been -impossible to her. I want you to understand my mother. She was--she is, a -mere butterfly, caring only for trifles and simple gayety. Her home is -charming, her personality, that of a delightful child. But her -temperament is one that cannot stand responsibilities and chafes at -demands. However, all that matters little. The facts are that John -Waring, learning of his wife's death, devoted himself utterly to his -books and his study. - -"When my mother saw in the papers he was about to marry, she was -appalled. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't let him marry another -woman, unaware of her existence. She couldn't raise a question of divorce -for she knew that would tend to reflect unpleasantly on his past. - -"And, too, at last, she was beginning to feel as if she might like to -resume her position as his wife, now that he was prominent and wealthy. -She told me the whole story--of which I had been utterly ignorant, and -she sent me here. I was to see Doctor Waring and use my own judgment as -to when and how I should tell him all this. - -"I came here, with a feeling of dislike and resentment toward a father -who had been no father to me. Mother exonerated him, to be sure, but it -was all such a surprise to me, that I accepted the errand in a spirit of -bravado and was prepared to make trouble if necessary. - -"But when I saw John Waring--when I realized that splendid man was my -father--I knew that all my love, all my allegiance was his, and that my -mother was as nothing to me, compared with my wonderful father! - -"Except for what Mr. Trask calls the Truesdell brows, I look exactly like -my mother. Also she resumed her maiden name of Anita Austin after they -separated. So you may imagine the shock when Doctor Waring first heard -the name, and first saw the living image of his wife, whom, you must -remember, he supposed dead. - -"But I had my mission to perform--and so, I came here, that Sunday -night." - -The audience sat motionless. Lockwood, holding her hand, felt every -tremor of her emotion as the girl told her story. Fleming Stone, -realizing that he was hearing the most dramatic revelation of his career, -listened avidly. Fibsy, with staring eyes and open mouth, clenched his -fists in enthralled interest, and Maurice Trask heard it all with ever -growing conviction that he must give up his supposed inheritance. - -As Anita began to tell of that Sunday night, the situation became even -more tense. - -"I came to the French window, and tapped lightly. Doctor Waring let me -in, and I sat by him in that plush chair. - -"The conversation I had with my father I shall not detail. It is my most -sacred and beloved memory. We were as one in every way. We loved each -other from the first word. We proved to be alike in our tastes and -pursuits. Oh, if he could have lived! I told him of my mother and myself, -and he was crushed. I wanted to spare him, but what could I do? He had to -know--although the knowing meant the ruining of his career. He said, at -once, he could not take the Presidency of the College, with the story of -his past made public, nor could he honorably suppress it. He couldn't -marry Mrs. Bates--nor could he instal my mother as mistress here. - -"He had done no real wrong, in making that early and ill-advised -marriage, but it seemed to him a blot on his scutcheon, and an indelible -one. - -"He would sit and brood over these fearful conditions, then, suddenly he -would realize my existence afresh, and rejoice in it. He loved me at once -and deeply--and I adored him. Never father and daughter, I am sure, -crowded a lifetime of affection into such a few moments." - -Bravely Anita went on, not daring to pause to think. Her hand, tightly -clasped in Lockwood's, trembled, but her voice was steady, for it was her -opportunity to clear her father's name, and she must neglect no slightest -point. - -"At last, he told me I must go away, and he would think out what he could -do. He gave me the money, for he was afraid I hadn't sufficient cash with -me, and he gave me the ruby pin, saying I must keep it forever as my -father's first gift to me. With infinite gentleness he bade me good-by, -and softly opened the glass door for me. I went away and he closed the -door. - -"I went home to the Adams house, making, of course, those footprints in -the snow. It was a very cold night, I remember the clear shining stars, -but I thought of nothing but my father--my splendid, wonderful father. -And I hoped, oh, how I hoped, that some way would be found that he and I -could spend our lives together. I didn't know what he would do--but I -prayed to God that some way out might be found. - -"The rest you know. Of the manner of my father's death, I know nothing at -all. Of Nogi, I have no knowledge. I kept all this secret at first, -because I hoped to shield my father's name better that way. But I think -now, it's better told. I couldn't live under the weight of such a secret. - -"One more word as to my mother. She has had an admirer for many years, -named Carl Melrose. She has kept him at a distance, but, as you know from -the telegram she sent me, she has already either married him or promised -to. Also, she advised me to tell the whole truth. I have done so." - -Unheeding the others, Lockwood put his arm round the exhausted girl as -she fell over toward him. His wonderful calm helped her, and his gentle -yet firm embrace gave her fresh courage to endure the strain. - -"Thank you, Miss Austin," and Stone spoke almost reverently. "You have -shown marvelous wisdom and bravery and I congratulate you on your entire -procedure. You are an exceptional girl, and I am proud to know you." - -This was a great deal for Fleming Stone to say, and Anita acknowledged it -with a grateful glance. - -Fibsy, his eyes streaming with unchecked tears, came over and knelt -before her. - -"Oh, Miss Austin!" he sobbed, "Oh, Miss Anita!" - -Trask alone remained unmoved, and sat with folded arms and frowning face. - -But little attention was paid him, and Stone said, thoughtfully: - -"Our problem of the mystery of Doctor Waring's death is as great as -ever." - -"It is," agreed Lockwood, "but I am sure now, Mr. Stone, that it was a -suicide. The motive is supplied, for I knew Doctor Waring so well, I knew -the workings of his great and good mind, and I am sure that he felt there -was no other course for him. I can see just how he decided that the -exposure of all this would react against the reputation of the College. -That the sensation and scandal that would fill the papers would harm the -standing of the University of Corinth, and that--and that alone--caused -his decision. I know him so well, that I can tell you that never, never -would he take his life to save himself trouble or sorrow, but for others' -sake--and I include Mrs. Bates--he made the sacrifice. - -"I can see--and I am sure of what I say--how he realized that the press -and the public would forgive and condone a dead man, when, if he lived, -the brunt of the whole matter would fall on his beloved College and on -the woman he loved and respected. - -"Now--as I feel sure he foresaw--such of this story as must be made -public will have far less weight and prominence, than if he were alive. -_I_ know all this is so--for, I knew John Waring as few people knew him." - -A grateful glance from John Waring's daughter thanked him for this -tribute. - -"That ten thousand dollar check?" Trask said, suddenly, for his mind was -still concerned with the financial side. - -"I think that must have been sent to my mother," said Anita. "She, as I -told you, returned to the use of her maiden name, and during our -interview, my father told me he should write her at once and send her -money. I feel sure he did do so--" - -"Without doubt," Lockwood said; "and if so, the letter would have been -mailed with the collection next morning. The returning voucher will -show." - -"Also the letter he wrote my mother will corroborate all I have told -you," said Anita, and both her assertion and Gordon's, later came true. - -"I felt," Anita said, by way of further explanation, "that Mrs. Bates -ought to know all. So, when Mrs. Adams practically put me out of her -house, and I had no wish to accept Mr. Trask's invitation to come over -here, nor," she smiled affectionately at Lockwood, "could I fall in with -your crazy plans--I just went next door and told Mrs. Bates all about it. -She was very dear and sweet to me, and now, if you please, I will go back -there. I am weary and exhausted--I cannot stand any more. But when you -want me, I can be found at Mrs. Bates'. I leave all matters to be decided -or settled, in the hands of Mr. Lockwood and Mr. Stone. Fibsy, dear, will -you escort me home?" - -With a suddenly acquired dignity, Fibsy rose, and stood by her side, and -in a moment the two went away together. - -When the boy returned the others were absorbed in the discussion of the -mysterious death of John Waring. - -"I'm inclined to give it up," Fleming Stone said, thinking deeply. - -"Don't do it, F. Stone," Fibsy said, earnestly. "It's better to find out. -You never have gave up a case." - -"No. Well, Fibs, which way shall we look?" - -A strange embarrassment came over the boy's face, and then he said, -diffidently: - -"Say, gentlemen, could I be left alone in this room for a little while? I -don't say I kin find out anythin'--but I do wanta try." - -The lapse into careless enunciation told Stone how much in earnest his -young colleague was, and he rose, saying, "You certainly may, my boy. The -rest of us will have a conference in some other room, as to what part of -Miss Austin's story must be made public." - -Left to himself, Fibsy went at once to the bookcase that held the defaced -copy of Martial, that John Waring had been reading the night he died. - -Opening the volume at the blood-stained page, the unlettered boy eagerly -read the lines. Tried to read them, rather, and groaned in spirit because -he knew no Latin. - -Small wonder that he was nonplused, for this was all he read: - - MARTIAL'S EPIGRAMS - - Liber IV, Epigram XVIII - - Qua vicina pluit Vipsanis porta columnis - Et madet assiduo lubricus imbre lapis, - In iugulum pueri, qui roscida tecta subibat, - Decidit hiberno praegravis unda gelu: - Cumque peregisset miseri crudelia fata, - Tabuit in calido vulnere mucro tener. - Quid non saeva sibi voluit Fortuna licere? - Aut ubi non mors est, si iugulatis aquae? - -His chin in his hands, he pored over the Latin in utter despair, and -rising, started for the door. - -Then he paused; "I must do it myself--" he murmured: "_I must._" - -So he hunted the shelves until he found a Latin Dictionary. - -He was not entirely unversed in the rudiments of the language, for Stone -had directed his education at such odd hours as he could find time for -study. - -And so after some hard and laborious digging, Fibsy at last gathered the -gist of the Latin stanza. - -His eyes shone, and he stared about the room. - -"It ain't possible--" he told himself, "and yet--gee, there ain't nothing -else possible!" He rose and looked out at every window, he noted -carefully the catches--he paced from the desk to the small rear windows -of the room, and back again. - -"It's the only thing," he reiterated, "the _only_ thing. Oh, gee! _what_ -a thing!" - -He went in search of Stone, and found the three men shut in the living -room and with them was Nogi. - -Stone's persevering efforts, by advertisements and circulars had at last -succeeded, and the impassive and non-committal Japanese was there, and -quite willing to tell all he knew. - -Fibsy interrupted his story. - -"Go back," he directed, "to the beginning. Let me hear it all. It's O. -K., F. S." - -"I was attending to my dining-room duties," Nogi said, "and I had taken -the water tray to the study. I was weary and hoped the master would soon -retire. So, I occasionally peeped through the small window from the -dining-room. I saw a lady come and make a visit, and then I saw her and I -heard her go away. Then I hoped the master would go to bed. But, no--he -was very busy. He wrote letters, he burned some papers, he moved about -much. He was restless, disturbed. Then he sat at his desk and read his -book." - -"This one?" cried Fibsy, excitedly waving the Martial. - -"I think so--one like that, anyway." - -"This was the one! Go on." - -"Then--oh, it was strange! Then the master got up, went to the small -window at the back of the room--" - -"Which one?" - -"The one by the big globe, and he opened it. But for a moment--" - -"Did he put his hand out?" Fibsy cried. - -"Yes, I suppose to see if it rained. Yes, he put his hand out for a -moment, then he closed the window." - -"And locked it?" asked Fibsy. - -"It locks itself, with a snap catch. Then--ah, here is the strange thing! -Then he went back, sat at his desk, and in a moment he fell over and the -blood spurted out." - -"Didn't he stab himself?" Fibsy asked. - -"I don't know. He didn't seem to do anything but scratch his ear, and -over he fell! Such a sight! I was afraid, and I ran away--fast." - -"All very well," said Stone, "but what became of the weapon?" - -"I know," Fibsy almost screamed, in his excitement. "Oh, F. Stone--I -know!" - -"Well, tell us, Terence--but steady, now, my boy. Don't get too excited." - -"No, sir," and the lad grew suddenly quiet. "But I know. Wait just a -minute, sir. Where are the photographs of the house that the detectives -took the day after?" - -"I'll get them," Lockwood said, and left the room. - -He returned, and Fibsy found a magnifying glass and looked carefully at -certain pictures. - -"It proves," he said, solemnly. "F. Stone, you have solved your greatest -case!" - -It was characteristic of the boy, that although the solution was his own, -his deference to Stone was sincere and un-self-conscious. - -"Please," he said, "I don't know Latin, but you will find the explanation -of Doctor Waring's death on that red stained page. He was reading -Martial, as we know, and--" he pointed to the Epigram on the page in -question, "as he read that, he found a way out." - -The grave statement was impressive, and Stone took the book. - -"Shall I translate, or read the Latin aloud?" he asked the others. - -"Wait a minute, I'll get a Martial in English," Lockwood said, out of -consideration for Trask's possible ignorance of the dead language. - -"What number is the Epigram?" he asked, returning. - -Stone told him, and Lockwood found the place, and passed the English -version to Stone. Aloud, the detective read this: - - TRANSLATION - - Book IV, Epigram 18 - - On a youth killed by the fall of a piece of ice. - - Just where the gate near the portico of Agrippa is always dripping with - water, and the slippery pavement is wet with constant showers, a mass - of water, congealed by winter's cold, fell upon the neck of a youth who - was entering the damp temple, and, when it had inflicted a cruel death - on the unfortunate boy, the weapon melted in the warm wound it had - made. What cruelties does not Fortune permit? Or where is not death to - be found, if you, the waters, turn cut-throats. - -"And so you see," Fibsy broke the ensuing silence, "he decided to stab -himself with an icicle, and he did. He did!" he repeated, triumphantly, -"he went to that window back by the big globe and got one--and here's the -proof! Look through the glass, F. S." - -Stone did so, and without doubt, the fringe of icicles that hung from -that particular window sash showed one missing! It was the very window -that Nogi stated Waring had opened, and had put his hand out of for a -moment. - -Clearly, he had broken off an icicle, strong and firm on that freezing -night, had returned to his chair, and inspired by the story of the youth -under the portico of Agrippa, had stabbed his own jugular vein with the -sharp, round point, and had fallen unconscious. - -The icicle, melting in the wound, had disappeared, and death had followed -in a moment or two. - -They went to the study, and Nogi was made to imitate the movements he saw -Doctor Waring make. It left no doubt of the exact facts and the mystery -was solved. - -"Do you suppose he meant to make it seem a murder?" asked Stone, -thoughtfully. - -"He did not!" defended Lockwood. "That is he did not mean to implicate -anybody. He was a man amenable to sudden suggestion, and apt to follow -it. I am certain the idea came to him, as he read his book, and in the -impulse of the moment he rose, got the implement and did the deed. It was -like him to read that book after his talk with his daughter. He often -resorted to reading for a time to clear his mind for some important -decision. Had he not read that very page, he would in all probability not -have taken his life at that time." - -"There can be no doubt of it all," said Stone. "Fibsy, the credit of the -discovery is yours. You did a great piece of work." - -Fibsy blushed with delight at Stone's praise, which he cared for more -than anything else in life, but he said: - -"Aw, I just chanced on it. But I found out another thing! While I was -workin' on that translatin' business, the telephone rang. I answered, but -somebody took it on an extension, so I hung up. - -"But I was waitin' quite a few minutes, and, what do you think? I -happened to rest my forehead on the telephone transmitter, and--" - -"The red ring!" cried Stone. "Of course!" - -"Of course," Fibsy repeated. "Pokin' around for a Latin Dictionary, I -passed a lookin' glass, and there on me noble forehead I saw a red ring, -about two inches across. It's gone now." - -"Yes," Stone said. "Without doubt, Doctor Waring was telephoning--or -perhaps was answering a call and he rested his head on the instrument." - -"He often did that," said Lockwood, "but I never noticed a ring left." - -"In life," Stone said, "it would disappear quickly. But if it happened -just before he died, rigor mortis would preserve the mark. Any way it -must have been that." - -The solution of the mystery, so indubitably the true one, was accepted by -the police. - -The matter was given as little publicity as possible, for Anita and Mrs. -Bates, the two most deeply concerned both wished it so. No stigma of -cowardice rested on John Waring's name, for all who knew him knew that -his act was the deed of a martyr to circumstances and was prompted by a -spirit of loyalty to his College and unwillingness to let his own -misfortunes in any way redound to its disparagement. - -He trusted, they felt sure, that the truth would never be discovered and -that the tragedy of his death would preclude blame or censure. - -Himself, he never thought of, in his unselfish life or equally unselfish -death. - -Trask, perforce, resigned all claim to the estate, and Anita and her -mother arranged matters between themselves. - -The assumption was that John Waring's will, which he burned, had been -made in Mrs. Bates' favor, but on learning of his nearer heirs, he -destroyed it. - -"Anita Waring," Lockwood murmured softly when at last they were alone -together. - -"I love the name," she said, "and it is really mine." - -"But it will be yours so short a time, it's scarcely worth while to use -it," Gordon returned. "It will be a short time, won't it, sweetheart?" - -"Yes, indeed! I want to go away from Corinth forever. I love my father's -memory, but I can't stand these scenes. I am tired of mystery in name and -in deed. I just want to be--Anita Lockwood." - -Whereupon Gordon lost his head entirely. - - - - - _CAROLYN WELLS'_ - _Baffling detective stories in which Fleming Stone, the great American -Detective, displays his remarkable ingenuity for unravelling mysteries_ - - - THE MYSTERY OF THE SYCAMORE - RASPBERRY JAM - THE DIAMOND PIN - VICKY VAN - THE MARK OF CAIN - THE CURVED BLADES - THE WHITE ALLEY - ANYBODY BUT ANNE - THE MAXWELL MYSTERY - A CHAIN OF EVIDENCE - THE CLUE - THE GOLD BAG - - EACH WITH FRONTISPIECE IN COLOR - 12MO. CLOTH - - PTOMAINE STREET - A Rollicking Parody on a Famous Book. - - - - - Transcriber's Notes - - ---Copyright notice provided as in the original--this e-text is public - domain in the country of publication. - ---Moved promotional material to the end of the book. - ---Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and - dialect unchanged. - ---Provided an original cover image, for free and unrestricted use with - this Distributed Proofreaders eBook. - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Mystery Girl, by Carolyn Wells - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MYSTERY GIRL *** - -***** This file should be named 44984-8.txt or 44984-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/4/9/8/44984/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Mardi Desjardins and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net -(This book was produced from scanned images of public -domain material from the Google Print project.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Mystery Girl - -Author: Carolyn Wells - -Release Date: March 19, 2014 [EBook #44984] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MYSTERY GIRL *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Mardi Desjardins and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net -(This book was produced from scanned images of public -domain material from the Google Print project.) - - - - - - -</pre> +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 44984 ***</div> <div class="img"> <img id="coverpage" src="images/cover.jpg" alt="The Mystery Girl, by Carolyn Wells" width="580" height="780" /> @@ -8814,382 +8777,6 @@ Lockwood.”</p> <li>Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and dialect unchanged.</li> <li>Provided an original cover image, for free and unrestricted use with this Distributed Proofreaders eBook.</li></ul> - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Mystery Girl, by Carolyn Wells - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MYSTERY GIRL *** - -***** This file should be named 44984-h.htm or 44984-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/4/9/8/44984/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Mardi Desjardins and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net -(This book was produced from scanned images of public -domain material from the Google Print project.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - - - -</pre> - +<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 44984 ***</div> </body> </html> diff --git a/44984.txt b/44984.txt deleted file mode 100644 index b8c910c..0000000 --- a/44984.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9195 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Mystery Girl, by Carolyn Wells - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Mystery Girl - -Author: Carolyn Wells - -Release Date: March 19, 2014 [EBook #44984] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MYSTERY GIRL *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Mardi Desjardins and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net -(This book was produced from scanned images of public -domain material from the Google Print project.) - - - - - - - - - - THE MYSTERY - GIRL - - - BY - CAROLYN WELLS - _Author of "Vicky Van," "Raspberry Jam," &c._ - - - PHILADELPHIA AND LONDON - J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY - 1922 - - COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY - PRINTED BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY - AT THE WASHINGTON SQUARE PRESS - PHILADELPHIA, U. S. A. - - - TO - HUBER GRAY BUEHLER - A GRAVE AND REVEREND SEIGNEUR WHO - POSSESSES THE ADDED GRACE OF A RARE - TASTE IN MYSTERY STORIES - - - - - CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I. A President-elect 9 - II. Miss Mystery Arrives 28 - III. Thirteen Buttons 47 - IV. A Broken Teacup 65 - V. The Tragedy 84 - VI. An Incredible Case 103 - VII. The Volume of Martial 121 - VIII. Where is Nogi? 140 - IX. A Love Letter 158 - X. Who is Miss Mystery? 176 - XI. The Spinster's Evidence 193 - XII. Maurice Trask, Heir 212 - XIII. The Truesdell Eyebrows 231 - XIV. A Proposal 250 - XV. Fleming Stone Comes 269 - XVI. Miss Mystery's Testimony 287 - XVII. Planning an Elopement 305 - XVIII. Miss Mystery no Longer 322 - - - - - THE MYSTERY GIRL - - - - - CHAPTER I - A PRESIDENT-ELECT - - -Quite aside from its natural characteristics, there is an atmosphere -about a college town, especially a New England college town, that is -unmistakable. It is not so much actively intellectual as passively aware -of and satisfied with its own intellectuality. - -The beautiful little town of Corinth was no exception; from its -tree-shaded village green to the white-columned homes on its outskirts it -fairly radiated a satisfied sense of its own superiority. - -Not that the people were smug or self-conceited. They merely accepted the -fact that the University of Corinth was among the best in the country and -that all true Corinthians were both proud and worthy of it. - -The village itself was a gem of well-kept streets, roads and houses, and -all New England could scarce show a better groomed settlement. - -In a way, the students, of course, owned the place, yet there were many -families whose claim to prominence lay in another direction. - -However, Corinth was by all counts, a college town, and gloried in it. - -The University had just passed through the throes and thrills of one of -its own presidential elections. - -The contest of the candidates had been long, and at last the strife had -become bitter. Two factions strove for supremacy, one, the conservative -side, adhering to old traditions, the other, the modern spirit, -preferring new conditions and progressive enterprise. - -Hard waged and hard won, the battle had resulted at last in the election -of John Waring, the candidate of the followers of the old school. - -Waring was not an old fogy, nor yet a hide-bound or narrow-minded back -number. But he did put mental attainment ahead of physical prowess, and -he did hold by certain old-fashioned principles and methods, which he and -his constituents felt to be the backbone of the old and honored -institution. - -Wherefore, though his election was an accomplished fact, John Waring had -made enemies that seemed likely never to be placated. - -But Waring's innate serenity and acquired poise were not disturbed by -adverse criticism, he was a man with an eye single to his duty as he saw -it. And he accepted the position of responsibility and trust, simply and -sincerely with a determination to make his name honored among the list of -presidents. - -Inauguration, however, would not take place until June, and the months -from February on would give him time to accustom himself to his new -duties, and to learn much from the retiring president. - -Yet it must not be thought that John Waring was unpopular. On the -contrary, he was respected and liked by everybody in Corinth. Even the -rival faction conceded his ability, his sterling character and his -personal charm. And their chagrin and disappointment at his election was -far more because of their desire for the other candidate's innovations -than of any dislike for John Waring as a man. - -Of course, there were some who candidly expressed their disapproval of -the new president, but, so far, no real opposition was made, and it was -hoped there would be none. - -Now, whether because of the exigencies of his new position, or merely -because of the irresistible charms of Mrs. Bates, Waring expected to make -the lady his wife before his inauguration. - -"And a good thing," his neighbor, Mrs. Adams, observed. "John Waring -ought to've been somebody's good-looking husband long ago, but a bachelor -president of Corinth is out of all reason! Who'd stand by his side at the -receptions, I'd like to know?" - -For certain public receptions were dearly loved by the citizens of -Corinth, and Mrs. Adams was one of the most reception-loving of all. - -As in all college towns, there were various and sundry boarding houses, -inns and hotels of all grades, but the boarding house of Mrs. Adams was, -without a dissenting voice, acclaimed the most desirable and most -homelike. - -The good lady's husband, though known as "Old Salt," was by no means a -seafaring man, nor had he ever been. Instead, he was a leaf on a branch -of the Saltonstall family tree, and the irreverent abbreviation had been -given him long ago, and had stuck. - -"Yes, indeed," Mrs. Adams asserted, "we've never had a bachelor president -of Corinth and I hope we never will. Mrs. Bates is a nice sweet-spoken -lady, a widow of four years standing, and I do say she's just the one for -Doctor Waring's wife. She has dignity, and yet she's mighty human." - -Emily Bates was human. Not very tall, a little inclined to plumpness, -with fair hair and laughing blue eyes, she was of a cozy, home-loving -sort, and her innate good nature and ready tact were unfailing. - -At first she had resisted John Waring's appeal, but he persisted, until -she found she really liked the big, wholesome man, and without much -difficulty learned to love him. - -Waring was distinguished-looking rather than handsome. Tall and -well-made, he had a decided air of reserve which he rarely broke through, -but which, Emily Bates discovered, could give way to confidences showing -depths of sweetness and charm. - -The two were happily matched. Waring was forty-two and Mrs. Bates half a -dozen years younger. But both seemed younger than their years, and -retained their earlier tastes and enthusiasms. - -Also both were bound up, heart and soul, in the welfare of the -University. Mrs. Bates' first husband had been one of its prominent -professors and its history and traditions were known and loved by the -cheery little lady. - -Perhaps the only person in Corinth who was not pleased at the approaching -nuptials of John Waring and Emily Bates was Mrs. Peyton, Waring's present -housekeeper. For it meant the loss of her position, which she had -faithfully filled for ten years or more. And this meant the loss of a -good and satisfactory home, not only for herself, but for her daughter -Helen, a girl of eighteen, who lived there also. - -Not yet had Waring told his housekeeper that she was to be dethroned but -she knew the notice would come,--knew, too, that it was delayed only -because of John Waring's disinclination to say or do anything unwelcome -to another. And Mrs. Peyton had been his sister's school friend and had -served him well and faithfully. Yet she must go, for the incoming -mistress needed no other housekeeper for the establishment than her own -efficient, capable self. - -It was a very cold February afternoon, and Mrs. Peyton was serving tea in -the cheerful living-room. Emily Bates was present; an indulgence she -seldom allowed herself, for she was punctilious regarding conventions, -and Corinth people, after all, were critical. Though, to be sure, there -was no harm in her taking tea in the home so soon to be her own. - -The two women were outwardly most courteous, and if there was an -underlying hostility it was not observable on the part of either. - -"I came today," Emily Bates said, as she took her tea cup from the -Japanese butler who offered it, "because I want to tell you, John, of -some rumors I heard in the town. They say there is trouble brewing for -you." - -"Trouble brewing is such a picturesque phrase," Waring said, smiling -idly, as he stirred his tea. "One immediately visions Macbeth's witches, -and their trouble brew." - -"You needn't laugh," Emily flashed an affectionate smile toward him, -"when the phrase is used it often means something." - -"Something vague and indefinite," suggested Gordon Lockwood, who was -Waring's secretary, and was as one of the family. - -"Not necessarily," Mrs. Bates returned; "more likely something definite, -though perhaps not very alarming." - -"Such as what?" asked Waring, "and from what direction? Will the freshmen -make me an apple-pie bed, or will the seniors haze me, do you think?" - -"Be serious, John," Mrs. Bates begged. "I tell you there is a movement on -foot to stir up dissension. I heard they would contest the election." - -"Oh, they can't do that," Lockwood stated; "nor would anybody try. Don't -be alarmed, Mrs. Bates. I'm sure we know all that's going on,--and I -can't think there's any 'trouble brewing' for Doctor Waring." - -"I've heard it, too," vouchsafed Mrs. Peyton. "It's not anything -definite, but there are rumors and hints, and where there's smoke, -there's bound to be fire. I wish you'd at least look into it, Doctor." - -"Yes," agreed Emily Bates, "do look into it, John." - -"But how can I?" Waring smiled. "I can't go from door to door, saying -'I've come to investigate a rumor,' can I?" - -"Oh, don't be absurd!" Mrs. Bates' plump little hands fluttered in -protest and then fell quietly to rest in her lap. "You men are so -tactless! Now, Mrs. Peyton or I could find out all about it, without any -one knowing we were making inquiry." - -"Why don't you, then?" asked Waring, and Mrs. Peyton gave a pleased smile -as the guest bracketed their names. - -"I will, if you say so." Emily spoke gravely. "That is what I wanted to -ask you. I didn't like to take up the matter with any one unless you -directly approved." - -"Oh, go ahead,--I see no harm in it." - -"But, Doctor Waring," put in Lockwood, "is it wise? I fear that if Mrs. -Bates takes up this matter she may get in deeper than she means or -expects to, and--well, you can't tell what might turn up." - -"That's so, Emily. As matters stand, you'd best be careful." - -"Oh, John, how vacillating you are! First, you say go ahead, and then you -say stop! I don't mind your changing your opinions, but I do resent your -paying so little attention to the matter. You toss it aside without -thought." - -"Doctor Waring thinks very quickly," said Mrs. Peyton, and Emily gave her -a slight stare. - -It was hard for the housekeeper to realize that she must inevitably lose -her place in his household, and the thought made her a little assertive -while she still had opportunity. - -"Yes, I know it," was the reply Emily gave, and went on, addressing -herself to the two men. - -"Persuade him, Mr. Lockwood. Not of his duty, he never misapprehends -that, but of the necessity of looking on this matter as a duty." - -"What a pleader you are, Emily," and Waring gave her an admiring bow; "I -am almost persuaded that my very life is in danger!" - -"Oh, you won't be good!" The blue eyes twinkled but the rosy little mouth -took on a mutinous pout. "Well, I warn you, if you don't look out for -yourself, I'm going to look out for you! And that, as Mr. Lockwood hints, -may get you into trouble!" - -"What a contradictory little person it is! In an effort to get me out of -trouble, you admit you will probably get me into trouble. Well, well, if -this is during our betrothal days, what will you do after we are -married?" - -"Oh, then you'll obey me implicitly," and the expressive hands indicated -with a wide sweep, total subjection. - -"You'll find him not absolutely easy to manage," Mrs. Peyton declared, -and though Emily Bates said no word, she gave a look of superior managing -power that brought the housekeeper's thin lips together in a resentful -straight line. - -This byplay was unnoticed by large-minded John Waring, but it amused -Lockwood, who was an observer of human nature. - -Unostentatiously, he watched Mrs. Peyton, as she turned her attention to -the tea tray, and noted the air of importance with which she continued -her duties as hostess. - -"Bring hot toast, Ito," she said to the well-trained and deferential -Japanese. "And a few more lemon slices,--I see another guest coming." - -She smiled out through the window, and a moment later a breezy young chap -came into the room. - -"Hello, folkses," he cried; "Hello, Aunt Emily." - -He gave Mrs. Bates an audible kiss on her pretty cheek and bowed with -boyish good humor to Mrs. Peyton. - -"How do you do, Uncle Doctor?" and "How goes it, Lock?" he went on, as he -threw himself, a little sprawlingly into an easy chair. "And here's the -fair Helen of Troy." - -He jumped up as Helen Peyton came into the room. "Why, Pinky," she said, -"when did you come?" - -"Just now, my girl, as you noted from your oriel lattice,--and came -running down to bask in the sunshine of my smiles." - -"Behave yourself, Pinky," admonished his aunt, as she noted Helen's quick -blush and realized the saucy boy had told the truth. - -Pinckney Payne, college freshman, and nephew of Emily Bates, was very -fond of Doctor Waring, his English teacher, and as also fond, in his -boyish way, of his aunt. But he was no respecter of authority, and, now -that his aunt was to be the wife of his favorite professor, also the -President-elect of the college, he assumed an absolute familiarity with -the whole household. - -His nickname was not only an abbreviation, but was descriptive of his -exuberant health and invariably red cheeks. For the rest, he was just a -rollicking, care-free boy, ring leader in college fun, often punished, -but bobbing up serenely again, ready for more mischief. - -Helen Peyton adored the irrepressible Pinky, and though he liked her, it -was no more than he felt for many others and not so much as he had for a -few. - -"Tea, Mrs. Peyton? Oh, yes, indeed, thank you. Yes, two lemon and three -sugar. And toasts,--and cakies,--oh, what good ones! What a tuck! Alma -Mater doesn't feed us like this! I say, Aunt Emily, after you are -married, may I come to tea every day? And bring the fellows?" - -"I'll answer that,--you may," said John Waring. - -"And I'll revise the answer,--you may, with reservations," Mrs. Bates -supplemented. "Now, Pinky, you're a dear and a sweet, but you can't annex -this house and all its affairs, just because it's going to be my home." - -"Don't want to, Auntie. I only want you to annex me. You'll keep the same -cook we have at present, won't you?" - -He looked solicitously at her, over a large slice of toast and jam he was -devouring. - -"Maybe and maybe not," Mrs. Peyton spoke up. "Cooks are not always -anxious to be kept." - -"At any rate, we'll have a cook, Pinky, of some sort," his aunt assured -him, and the boy turned to tease Helen Peyton, who was quite willing to -be teased. - -"I saw your beau today, Helen," he said. - -"Which one?" she asked placidly. - -"Is there a crowd? Well, I mean the Tyler person. Him as hangs out at Old -Salt's. And, by the way, Uncle President,--yes, I am a bit previous on -both counts, but you'll soon have the honor of being both President and -my uncle,--by the way, I say, Bob Tyler says there's something in the -wind." - -"A straw to show which way it blows, perhaps," Waring said. - -"Perhaps, sir. But it's blowing. Tyler says there's a movement on foot to -make things hot for you if you take the Presidential chair with your -present intentions." - -"My intentions?" - -"Yes, sir; about athletics, and sports in general." - -"And what are my so-called intentions?" - -"They say, you mean to cut out sport--" - -"Oh, Pinckney, you know better than that!" - -"Well, Doctor Waring, some seem to think that's what you have in mind. If -you'd declare your intentions now,--" - -"Look here, Pinky, don't you think I've enough on my mind in the matter -of marrying your aunt, without bringing in other matters till that's -settled." - -"Going to be married soon, Uncle Doc?" - -"We are. As soon as your aunt will select a pleasant day for the -ceremony. Then, that attended to, I can devote my mind and energies to -this other subject. And meanwhile, my boy, if you hear talk about it, -don't make any assertions,--rather, try to hush up the subject." - -"I see,--I see,--and I will, Doctor Waring. You don't want to bother with -those things till you're a settled down married man! I know just how you -feel about it. Important business, this getting married,--I daresay, -sir." - -"It is,--and so much so, that I'm going to take the bride-elect off right -now, for a little private confab. You must understand that we have much -to arrange." - -"Run along,--bless you, my children!" Pinky waved a teacup and a sandwich -beneficently toward the pair, as they left the room and went off in the -direction of the Doctor's study. - -The house was a large one, with a fine front portico upheld by six -enormous fluted columns. - -One of the most beautiful of New England doorways led into a wide hall. -To the right of this was the drawing-room, not so often used and not so -well liked as the more cozy living-room, to the left as one entered, and -where the tea-drinking group now sat. - -Behind these two rooms and hall, ran a cross hall, with an outer door at -the end back of the living-room and a deep and wide window seat at the -other end, behind the drawing-room. - -Further back, beyond the cross hall, on the living-room side, was the -dining-room, and beside it, back of the drawing-room was the Doctor's -study. This was the gem of the whole house. The floor had been sunken to -give greater ceiling height, for the room was very large, and of fine -proportions. It opened on to the cross hall with wide double doors, and a -flight of six or seven steps descended to its rug covered floor. - -Opposite the double doors was the great fireplace with high over-mantel -of carved stone. Each side of the mantel were windows, high and not -large. The main daylight came through a great window on the right of the -entrance and also from a long French window that opened like doors on the -same side. - -This French window, giving on a small porch, and the door that opened -into the cross hall of the house were the only doors in the great room, -save those on cupboards and bookcases. - -On the other side of the room, opposite the French window was a row of -four small windows looking into the dining-room. But these were high, and -could not be seen through by people on the sunken floor of the study. - -The whole room was done in Circassian walnut, and represented the ideal -abode of a man of letters. The fireside was flanked with two facing -davenports, the wide window seat was piled with cushions. The French -window-doors were suitably curtained and the high windows were of truly -beautiful stained glass. - -The spacious table desk was in the middle of the room, and bookcases, -both portable and built in, lined the walls. There were a few good busts -and valuable pictures, and the whole effect was one of dignity and repose -rather than of elaborate grandeur. - -The room was renowned, and all Corinth spoke of it with pride. The -students felt it a great occasion that brought them within its walls and -the faculty loved nothing better than a session therein. - -Casual guests were rarely entertained in the study. Only especial -visitors or those worthy of its classic atmosphere found welcome there. -Mrs. Peyton or Helen were not expected to use it, and Mrs. Bates had -already declared she should respect it as the sanctum of Doctor Waring -alone. - -The two made their way to the window seat, and as he arranged the soft -cushions for her, Waring said, "Don't, Emily, ever feel shut out of this -room. As I live now, I've not welcomed the Peytons in here, but my wife -is a different proposition." - -"I still feel an awe of the place, John, but I may get used to it. -Anyway, I'll try, and I do appreciate your willingness to have me in -here. Then if you want to be alone, you must put me out." - -"I'll probably do that, sometimes, dear, for I have to spend many hours -alone. You know, I'm not taking the presidency lightly." - -"I know it, you conscientious dear. But, on the other hand, don't be too -serious about it. You're just the man for the place, just the character -for a College President, and if you try too hard to improve or -reconstruct yourself, you'll probably spoil your present perfection." - -"Well nothing would spoil _your_ present perfection, my Emily. I am too -greatly blest,--to have the great honor from the college,--and you, too!" - -"Are you happy, John? All happy?" - -Waring's deep blue eyes fastened themselves on her face. His brown hair -showed only a little gray at the temples, his fine face was not touched -deeply by Time's lines, and his clear, wholesome skin glowed with health. - -If there was an instant's hesitation before his reply came, it was none -the less hearty and sincere. "Yes, my darling, all happy. And you?" - -"I am happy, if you are," she returned. "But I can never be happy if -there is a shadow of any sort on your heart. Is there, John? Tell me, -truly." - -"You mean regarding this trouble that I hear is brewing for me?" - -"Not only that; I mean in any direction." - -"Trouble, Emily! With you in my arms! No,--a thousand times no! Trouble -and I are strangers,--so long as I have you!" - - - - - CHAPTER II - MISS MYSTERY ARRIVES - - -Anyone who has arrived at the railroad station of a New England village, -after dark on a very cold winter night, the train late, no one to meet -him, and no place engaged for board and lodging, will know the desolation -of such a situation. - -New England's small railroad stations are much alike, the crowds that -alight from the trains are much alike, the people waiting on the platform -for the arriving travelers are much alike, but there came into Corinth -one night a passenger who was not at all like the fellow passengers on -that belated train. It was a train from New York, due in Corinth at -five-forty, but owing to the extreme cold weather, and various untoward -freezings occasioned thereby, the delays were many and long and the train -drew into the station shortly after seven o'clock. - -Tired, hungry and impatient, the travelers crowded out of the train and -stamped through the snow to the vehicles awaiting them, or footed it to -their nearby homes. - -The passenger who was unlike the others stepped down from the car -platform, and holding her small suitcase firmly, crossed the track and -entered the station waiting room. She went to the ticket window but found -there no attendant. Impatiently she tapped her little foot on the old -board floor but no one appeared. - -"Agent," she called out, rapping with her knuckles on the window shelf, -"Agent,--where are you?" - -"Who's there? What d'y' want?" growled a surly voice, and a head appeared -at the ticket window. - -"I want somebody to look after me! I'm alone, and I want a porter, and I -want a conveyance and I want some information." - -"Oh, you do! Well, I can't supply porters nor yet conveyances; but -information I may be able to give you." - -"Very well then," and a pair of big, dark eyes seemed to pierce his very -brain. "Then tell me where I can find the best accommodations in -Corinth." - -The now roused agent looked more interestedly at the inquirer. - -He saw a mere slip of a girl, young, slender, and very alert of manner. -Her dark, grave little face was oval, and her eyes had a strange uncanny -way of roving quickly about, and coming suddenly back, greatly -disconcerting the stolid ticket agent. - -This agent was not unused to girls,--a college town is often invaded by -hordes of smart young women, pretty girls and gay hoydens. Many Junes he -had sold tickets or given information to hundreds of feminine inquirers -but none had ever seemed quite like this one. - -"Best accommodations?" he repeated stupidly. - -"You heard me, then! About when do you propose to reply?" - -Still he gazed at her in silence, running over in his mind the various -boarding houses, and finding none he thought she'd like. - -"There's a rule of the Railroad Company that questions must be answered -the same day they're asked," she said, witheringly, and picking up her -suitcase she started for the door, feeling that any one she might find -would know more than this dummy. - -"Wait,--oh, I say, miss, wait a minute." - -"I did," she said coolly, proceeding to the door. - -"But,--oh, hold on,--try Old Salt Adams,--you couldn't do better." - -"Where is it?" she deigned to pause a moment, and he replied quickly: - -"He's right outside,--hurry up out,--you can catch him!" - -Here was something she could understand, and she hurried up out, just in -time to see an old man with long white beard jump into his sleigh and -begin to tuck fur robes about him. - -"He sprang to his sleigh,--to his team gave a whistle,--" she quoted to -herself, and then cried out, "Hey, there, Santa Claus, give me a lift?" - -"You engaged for our house?" the man called back, and as she shook her -head, he gathered up his reins. - -"Can't take any one not engaged," he called back, "Giddap!" - -"Wait,--wait! I command you!" The sharp, clear young voice rang out -through the cold winter air, and Old Saltonstall Adams paused to listen. - -"Ho, ho," he chuckled, "you command me, do you? Now, I haven't been -commanded for something like fifty years." - -"Oh, don't stop to fuss," the girl exclaimed, angrily. "Don't you see I'm -cold, hungry and very uncomfortable? You have a boarding house,--I want -board,--now, you take me in. Do you hear?" - -"Sure I hear, but, miss, we've only so many rooms and they're all -occupied or engaged." - -"Some are engaged, but as yet unoccupied?" The dark eyes challenged him, -and Adams mumbled,--"Well, that's about it." - -"Very well, I will occupy one until the engager comes along. Let me get -in. No, I can manage my suitcase myself. You get my trunk,--here's the -check. Or will you send for that tomorrow?" - -"Why wait? Might's well get it now--if so be you're bound to bide. 'Fraid -to wait in the sleigh alone?" - -"I'm afraid of nothing," was the disdainful answer, and the girl pulled -the fur robes up around her as she sat in the middle of the back seat. - -Shortly, old Salt returned with the trunk on his shoulder, and put it in -the front with himself, and they started. - -"Don't try to talk," he called back to her, as the horses began a rapid -trot. "I can't hear you against this wind." - -"I've no intention of talking," the girl replied, but the man couldn't -hear her. The wind blew fiercely. It was snowing a little, and the drifts -sent feathery clouds through the air. The trees, coated with ice from a -recent sleet storm, broke off crackling bits of ice as they passed. The -girl looked about, at first curiously, and then timidly, as if frightened -by what she saw. - -It was not a long ride, and they stopped before a large house, showing -comfortably lighted windows and a broad front door that swung open even -as the girl was getting down from the sleigh. - -"For the land sake!" exclaimed a brisk feminine voice, "this ain't Letty! -Who in the earth have you got here?" - -"I don't know," Old Salt Adams replied, truthfully. "Take her along, -mother, and give her a night's lodging." - -"But where is Letty? Didn't she come?" - -"Now can't you see she didn't come? Do you s'pose I left her at the -station? Or dumped her out along the road? No--since you will have it, -she didn't come. She _didn't_ come!" - -Old Salt drove on toward the barns, and Mrs. Adams bade the girl go into -the house. - -The landlady followed, and as she saw the strange guest she gazed at her -in frank curiosity. - -"You want a room, I s'pose," she began. "But, I'm sorry to say we haven't -one vacant--" - -"Oh, I'll take Letty's. She didn't come, you see, so I can take her room -for tonight." - -"Letty wouldn't like that." - -"But I would. And I'm here and Letty isn't. Shall we go right up?" - -Picking up her small suitcase, the girl started and then stepped back for -the woman to lead the way. - -"Not quite so fast--_if_ you please. What is your name?" - -As the landlady's tone changed to a sterner inflection, the girl likewise -grew dignified. - -"My name is Anita Austin," she said, coldly. "I came here because I was -told it was the best house in Corinth." - -"Where are you from?" - -"New York City." - -"What address?" - -"Plaza Hotel." - -By this time the strange dark eyes had done their work. A steady glance -from Anita Austin seemed to compel all the world to do her bidding. At -any rate, Mrs. Adams took the suitcase, and without a further word -conducted the stranger upstairs. - -She took her into an attractive bedroom, presumably made ready for the -absent Letty. - -"This will do," Miss Austin said, calmly. "Will you send me up a tray of -supper? I don't want much, and I prefer not to come down to dinner." - -"Land sake, dinner's over long ago. You want some tea, 'n' bread, 'n' -butter, 'n' preserves, 'n' cake?" - -"Yes, thank you, that sounds good. Send it in half an hour." - -To her guest Mrs. Adams showed merely a face of acquiescence, but once -outside the door, and released from the spell of those eerie eyes, she -remarked to herself, "For the land sake!" with great emphasis. - -"Well, what do you know about that!" Old Salt Adams cried, when, after -she had started him on his supper, his wife related the episode. - -"I can't make her out," Mrs. Adams said, thoughtfully. "But I don't like -her. And I won't keep her. Tomorrow, you take her over to Belton's." - -"Just as you say. But I thought her kinda interesting looking. You can't -say she isn't that." - -"Maybe so, to some folks. Not to me. And Letty'll come tomorrow, so that -girl'll have to get out of the room." - -Meanwhile "that girl" was eagerly peering out of her window. - -She tried to discern which were the lights of the college buildings, but -through the still lightly falling snow, she could see but little, and -after a time, she gave up the effort. She drew her head back into the -room just as a tap at the door announced her supper. - -"Thank you," she said to the maid who brought it. "Set it on that stand, -please. It looks very nice." - -And then, sitting comfortably in an easy chair, robed in warm dressing -gown and slippers, Miss Anita Austin devoted a pleasant half hour to the -simple but thoroughly satisfactory meal. - -This finished, she wrote some letters. Not many, indeed, but few as they -were, the midnight hour struck before she sealed the last envelope and -wrote the last address. - -Then, prepared for bed, she again looked from the window, and gazed long -into the night. - -"Corinth," she whispered, "Oh, Corinth, what do you hold for me? What -fortune or misfortune will you bring me? What fortune or misfortune shall -I bring to others? Oh, Justice, Justice, what crimes are committed in thy -name!" - -The next morning Anita appeared in the dining-room at the breakfast hour. - -Mrs. Adams scanned her sharply, and looked a little disapprovingly at the -short, scant skirt and slim, silken legs of her new boarder. - -Anita, her dark eyes scanning her hostess with equal sharpness, seemed to -express an equal disapproval of the country-cut gingham and huge white -apron. - -Not at all obtuse, Mrs. Adams sensed this, and her tone was a little more -deferential than she had at first intended to make it. - -"Will you sit here, please, Miss Austin?" she indicated a chair next -herself. - -"No, thank you, I'll sit by my friend," and the girl slipped into a -vacant chair next Saltonstall Adams. - -Old Salt gave a furtive glance at his wife, and suppressed a chuckle at -her surprise. - -"This is Mr. Tyler's place," he said to the usurper, "but I expect he'll -let you have it this once." - -"I mean to have it all the time," and Anita nodded gravely at her host. - -"All the time is this one meal only," crisply put in Mrs. Adams. "I'm -sorry, Miss Austin, but we can't keep you here. I have no vacant room." - -The entrance of some other people gave Anita a chance to speak in an -undertone to Mr. Adams, and she said; - -"You'll let me stay till Letty comes, won't you? I suppose you are boss -in your own house." - -As a matter of fact almost any phrase would have described the man better -than "boss in his own house," but the idea tickled his sense of irony, -and he chuckled as he replied, "You bet I am! Here you stay--as long as -you want to." - -"You're my friend, then?" and an appealing glance was shot at him from -beneath long, curling lashes, that proved the complete undoing of -Saltonstall Adams. - -"To the death!" he whispered, in mock dramatic manner. - -Anita gave a shiver. "What a way to put it!" she cried. "I mean to live -forever, sir!" - -"Doubtless," Old Salt returned, placidly. "You're a freak--aren't you?" - -"That isn't a very pretty way of expressing it, but I suppose I am," and -a mutinous look passed over the strange little face. - -In repose, the face was oval, serene, and regular of feature. But when -the girl smiled or spoke or frowned, changes took place, and the mobile -countenance grew soft with laughter or hard with scorn. - -And scorn was plainly visible when, a moment later, Adams introduced -Robert Tyler, a fellow boarder, to Miss Austin. - -She gave him first a conventional glance, then, as he dropped into the -chair next hers, and said, - -"Only too glad to give up my place to a peach," she turned on him a -flashing glance, that, as he expressed it afterward, "wiped him off the -face of the earth." - -Nor could he reinstate himself in her good graces. He tried a penitent -attitude, bravado, jocularity and indifference, but one and all failed to -engage her interest or even attention. She answered his remarks with -calm, curt speeches that left him baffled and uncertain whether he wanted -to bow down and worship her, or wring her neck. - -Old Salt Adams took this all in, his amusement giving way to curiosity -and then to wonder. Who was this person, who looked like a young, very -young girl, yet who had all the mental powers of an experienced woman? -What was she and what her calling? - -The other boarders appeared, those nearest Anita were introduced, and -most of them considered her merely a pretty, new guest. Her manners were -irreproachable, her demeanor quiet and graceful, yet as Adams covertly -watched her, he felt as if he were watching an inactive volcano. - -The meal over, he detained her a moment in the dining-room. - -"Why are you here, Miss Austin?" he said, courteously; "what is your -errand in Corinth?" - -"I am an artist," she said, looking at him with her mysterious intent -gaze. "Or, perhaps I should say an art student. I've been told that there -are beautiful bits of winter scenery available for subjects here, and I -want to sketch. Please, Mr. Adams, let me stay here until Letty comes." - -A sudden twinkle in her eye startled the old man, and he said quickly, -"How do you know she isn't coming?" - -That, in turn, surprised Anita, but she only smiled, and replied, "I saw -a telegram handed to Mrs. Adams at breakfast--and then she looked -thoughtfully at me, and--oh, well, I just sort of knew it was to say -Letty couldn't come." - -"You witch! You uncanny thing! If I should take you over to Salem, they'd -burn you!" - -"I'll ride over on a broomstick some day, and see if they will," she -returned, gleefully. - -And then along came Nemesis, in the person of the landlady. - -"I'm sorry, Miss Austin," she began, but the girl interrupted her. - -"Please, Mrs. Adams," she said, pleadingly, "don't say any thing to make -me sorry, too! Now, you want to say you haven't any room for me--but that -isn't true; so you don't know what to say to get rid of me. But--why do -you want to get rid of me?" - -Esther Adams looked at the girl and that look was her undoing. - -Such a pathetic face, such pleading eyes, such a wistful curved mouth, -the landlady couldn't resist, and against her will, against her better -judgment, she said, "Well, then, stay, you poor little thing. But you -must tell me more about yourself. I don't know who you are." - -"I don't know, myself," the strange girl returned. "Do we, any of us know -who we are? We go through this world, strangers to each other--don't we? -And also, strangers to ourselves." Her eyes took on a faraway, mystical -look. "If I find out who I am, I'll let you know." - -Then a dazzling smile broke over her face, they heard a musical ripple of -laughter, and she was gone. - -They heard her steps, as she ran upstairs to her room, and the two -Adamses looked at each other. - -"Daffy," said Mrs. Adams. "A little touched, poor child. I believe she -has run away from home or from her keepers. We'll hear the truth soon. -They'll be looking for her." - -"Perhaps," said her husband, doubtfully. "But that isn't the way I size -her up. She's nobody's fool, that girl. Wish you'd seen her give Bob -Tyler his comeuppance!" - -"What'd she say?" - -"'Twasn't what she said, so much as the look she gave him! He almost went -through the floor. Well, she says she's a painter of scenery and -landscapes. Let her stay a few days, till I size her up." - -"You size her up!" returned his wife, with good-natured contempt. "If she -smiles on you or gives you a bit of taffy-talk, you'll size her up for an -angel! I'm not so sure she isn't quite the opposite!" - -Meanwhile the subject of their discussion was arraying herself for a -walk. Equipped with storm boots and fur coat, she set out to inspect -Corinth. A jaunty fur cap, with one long, red quill feather gave her -still more the appearance of an elf or gnome, and many of the Adams house -boarders watched the little figure as she set forth to brave the icy -streets. - -Apparently she had no fixed plan of procedure, for at each corner, she -looked about, and chose her course at random. The snow had ceased during -the night, and it was very cold, with a clear sunshiny frostiness in the -air that made the olive cheeks red and glowing. - -Reaching a bridge, she paused and stood looking over the slight railing -into the frozen ravine below. - -Long she stood, until passers-by began to stare at her. She was unaware -of this, absorbed in her thoughts and oblivious to all about her. - -Pinckney Payne, coming along, saw her, and, as he would have expressed -it, fell for her at once. - -"Don't do it, sister!" he said, pausing beside her. "Don't end your young -life on this glorious day! Suicide is a mess, at best. Take my advice and -cut it out!" - -She turned, ready to freeze him with a glance more icy even than the -landscape, but his frank, roguish smile disarmed her. - -"Freshman?" she said, patronizingly, but it didn't abash him. - -"Yep. Pinckney Payne, if you must know. Commonly called Pinky." - -"I don't wonder," and she noticed his red cheeks. "Well, now that you're -properly introduced, tell me some of the buildings. What's that one?" - -"Dormitories. And that," pointing, "is the church." - -"Really! And that beautiful colonnade one?" - -"That's Doctor Waring's home. Him as is going to be next Prexy." - -"And that? And that?" - -He replied to all her questions, and kept his eyes fastened on her -bewitching face. Never had Pinky seen a girl just like this. She looked -so young, so merry, and yet her restless, roving eyes seemed full of -hidden fire and tempestuous excitement. - -"Where you from?" he said, abruptly. "Where you staying?" - -"At Mrs. Adams," she returned, "is it a good house?" - -"Best in town. Awful hard to get into. Always full up. Relative of hers?" - -"No, just a boarder. I chanced to get a room some one else engaged and -couldn't use." - -"You're lucky. Met Bob Tyler?" - -"Yes." - -"You don't like him! I see that. Met Gordon Lockwood?" - -"No; who's he?" - -"He's Doctor Waring's secretary, but he's mighty worthwhile on his own -account. I say, may I come to see you?" - -"Thank you, no. I'm not receiving callers--yet." - -"Well, you will be soon--because I'm coming. I say my aunt lives next -door to Adams'. May I bring her to call on you?" - -"Not yet, please. I'm not settled." - -"Soon's you say the word, then. My aunt is Mrs. Bates, and she's a love. -She's going to marry Doctor Waring--so you see we're the right sort of -people." - -"There are no right sort of people," said the girl, and, turning, she -walked away. - - - - - CHAPTER III - THIRTEEN BUTTONS - - -Apparently Miss Austin's statement that there were no right sort of -people was her own belief, for she made no friends at the Adams house. -Nor was this the fault of her fellow-boarders. They were more than -willing to be friendly, but their overtures were invariably ignored. - -Not rudely, for Miss Austin seemed to be a girl of culture and her -manners were correct, but, as one persistent matron expressed it, "you -can't get anywhere with her." - -She talked to no one at the table, merely answering a direct question if -put to her. She retained the seat next Old Salt, seeming to rely on him -to protect her from the advances of the others. Not that she needed -protection, exactly, for Miss Anita Austin was evidently quite able to -take care of herself. - -But she was a mystery--and mysteries provoke inquiry. - -The house was not a large one, and the two-score boarders, though they -would have denied an imputation of curiosity, were exceedingly interested -in learning the facts about Miss Mystery, as they had come to call her. - -Mrs. Adams was one of the most eager of all to know the truth, but, as he -did on rare occasions, Old Salt Adams had set down his foot that the girl -was not to be annoyed. - -"I don't know who she is or where she hails from," he told his wife, "but -as long as she stays here, she's not to be pestered by a lot of gossiping -old hens. When she does anything you don't like, send her away; but so -long's she's under my roof, she's got to be let alone." - -And let alone she was--not so much because of Adams' dictum as because -"pestering" did little good. - -The girl had a disconcerting way of looking an inquisitor straight in the -eyes, and then, with a monosyllabic reply, turning and walking off as if -the other did not exist. - -"Why," said Miss Bascom, aggrievedly relating her experience, "I just -said, politely, 'Are you from New York or where, Miss Austin?' and she -turned those big, black eyes on me, and said, 'Where.' Then she turned -her back and looked out of the window, as if she had wiped me off the -face of the earth!" - -"She's too young to act like that," opined Mrs. Welby. - -"Oh, she isn't so terribly young," Miss Bascom returned. "She's too -experienced to be so very young." - -"How do you know she's experienced? What makes you say that?" - -"Why," Miss Bascom hesitated for words, "she's--sort of -sophisticated--you can see that from her looks. I mean when anything is -discussed at the table, she doesn't say a word, but you can tell from her -face that she knows all about it--I mean a matter of general interest, -don't you know. I don't mean local matters." - -"She's an intelligent girl, I know, but that doesn't make her out old. I -don't believe she's twenty." - -"Oh, she is! Why, she's twenty-five or twenty-seven!" - -"Never in the world! I'm going to ask her." - -"Ask her!" Miss Bascom laughed. "You'll get well snubbed if you do." - -But this prophecy only served to egg Mrs. Welby on, and she took the -first occasion to carry out her promise. - -She met Anita in the hall, as the girl was about to go out, and smilingly -detained her. - -"Why so aloof, my dear," she said, playfully. "You rarely give us a -chance to entertain you." - -As Mrs. Welby was between Anita and the door, the girl was forced to -pause. She looked the older woman over, with an appraising glance that -was not rude, but merely disinterested. - -"No?" she said, with a curious rising inflection, that somehow seemed -meant to close the incident. - -But Mrs. Welby was not so easily baffled. - -"No," she repeated, smilingly. "And we want to know you better. You're -too young and too pretty not to be a general favorite amongst us. How old -are you, my dear child?" - -"Just a hundred," and Miss Austin's dark eyes were so grave, and seemed -to hold such a world of wisdom and experience that Mrs. Welby almost -jumped. - -Too amazed to reply, she even let the girl get past her, and out of the -street door, before she recovered her poise. - -"She's uncanny," Mrs. Welby declared, when telling Miss Bascom of the -interview. "I give you my word, when she said that, she looked a -hundred!" - -"Looked a hundred! What do you mean?" - -"Just that. Her eyes seemed to hold all there is of knowledge, yes--and -of evil--" - -"Evil! My goodness!" Miss Bascom rolled this suggestion like a sweet -morsel under her tongue. - -"Oh--I don't say there's anything wrong about the girl--" - -"Well! If her eyes showed depths of evil, I should say there _was_ -something wrong!" - -The episode was repeated from one to another of the exclusive _clientele_ -of the Adams house, until, by exaggeration and imagination it grew into -quite a respectable arraignment of Miss Mystery, and branded her as a -doubtful character if not a dangerous one. - -Before Miss Austin had been in the house a week, she had definitely -settled her status from her own point of view. - -Uniformly correct and courteous of manner, she rarely spoke, save when -necessary. It was as if she had declared, "I will not talk. If this be -mystery, make the most of it." - -Old Salt, apparently, backed her up in this determination, and allowed -her to sit next him at table, without addressing her at all. - -More, he often took it upon himself to answer a remark or question meant -for her and for this he sometimes received a fleeting glance, or a ghost -of a smile of approval and appreciation. - -But all this was superficial. The Adamses, between themselves, decided -that Miss Austin was more deeply mysterious than was shown by her -disinclination to make friends. They concluded she was transacting -important business of some sort, and that her sketching of the winter -scenery, which she did every clear day, was merely a blind. - -Though Mrs. Adams resented this, and urged her husband to send the girl -packing, Old Salt demurred. - -"She's done no harm as yet," he said. "She's a mystery, but not a wrong -one, 's far's I can make out. Let her alone, mother. I've got my eye on -her." - -"I've got my two eyes on her, and I can see more'n you can. Why, Salt, -that girl don't hardly sleep at all. Night after night, she sits up -looking out of the window, over toward the college buildings--" - -"How do you know?" - -"I go and listen at her door," Mrs. Adams admitted, without -embarrassment. "I want to know what she's up to." - -"You can't see her." - -"No, but I hear her moving around restlessly, and putting the window up -and down--and Miss Bascom--her room's cornerways on the ell, she says she -sees her looking out the window late at night 'most every night." - -"Miss Bascom's a meddling old maid, and I'd put her out of this house -before I would the little girl." - -"Of course _you_ would! You're all set up because she makes so much of -you--" - -"Oh, come now, Esther, you can't say that child makes much of me! I wish -she would. I've taken a fancy to her." - -"Yes, because she's pretty--in a gipsy, witch-like fashion. What men see -in a pair of big black eyes, and a dark, sallow face, I don't know!" - -"Not sallow," Old Salt said, reflectively; "olive, rather--but not -sallow." - -"Oh you!" exclaimed Mrs. Adams, and with that cryptic remark the subject -was dropped. - -Gordon Lockwood, secretary of John Waring, had a room at the Adams house. -But as he took no meals there save his breakfasts, and as he ate those -early, he had not yet met Anita Austin. - -But one Saturday morning, he chanced to be late, and the two sat at table -together. - -An astute reader of humanity, Lockwood at once became interested in the -girl, and realized that to win her attention he must not be eager or -insistent. - -He spoke only one or two of the merest commonplaces, until almost at the -close of the meal, he said: - -"Can I do anything for you, Miss Austin? If you would care to hear any of -the College lectures, I can arrange it." - -"Who are the speakers?" - -She turned her eyes fully upon him, and Gordon Lockwood marveled at their -depth and beauty. - -"Tonight," he replied, "Doctor Waring is to lecture on Egyptian -Archaeology. Are you interested in that?" - -"Yes," she said, "very much so. I'd like to go." - -"You certainly may, then. Just use this card." - -He took a card from his pocket, scribbled a line across it, and gave it -to her. Without another word, he finished his breakfast, and with a mere -courteous bow, he left the room. - -Miss Austin's face took on a more scrutable look than ever. - -The card still in her hand, she went up to her room. Unheeding the maid, -who was at her duties there, the girl threw herself into a big chair and -sat staring at the card. - -"The Egyptian Temples," she said to herself, "Doctor John Waring." - -The maid looked at her curiously as she murmured the words half aloud, -but Miss Austin paid no heed. - -"Go on with your work, Nora, don't mind me," she said, at last, as the -chambermaid paused inquiringly in front of her. "I don't mind your being -here until you finish what you have to do. And I wish you'd bring me a -Corinth paper, please?' There is one, isn't there?" - -"Oh, yes, ma'am. Twice a week." - -Nora disappeared and returned with a paper. - -"Mr. Adams says you may have this to keep. It's the newest one." - -The girl took it and turned to find the College announcements. The -Egyptian Lecture was mentioned, and in another column was a short article -regarding Doctor Waring and a picture of him. - -Long the girl looked at the picture, and when the maid, her tasks -completed, left the room, she noticed Miss Austin still staring at the -fine face of the President-elect of the University of Corinth. - -After a time, she reached for a pair of scissors, and cut out the -portrait and the article which it illustrated. - -She put the clipping in a portfolio, which she then locked in her trunk, -and the picture she placed on her dresser. - -That night she went to the lecture. She went alone, for Gordon Lockwood -did not reappear and no one else knew of her going. - -"Shall I have a key, or will you be up?" she asked of Mrs. Adams, as she -left the house. - -"Oh, we'll be up." The round, shrewd eyes looked at her kindly. "You're -lucky to get a ticket. Doctor Waring's lectures are crowded." - -"Good night," said Miss Austin, and went away. - -The lecture room was partly filled when she arrived, and her ticket -entitled her to a seat near the front. - -Being seated, she fell into a brown study, or, at least, sat motionless -and apparently in deep thought. - -Gordon Lockwood, already there, saw her come in, and after she was in her -place, he quietly arose and went across the room, taking a seat directly -behind her. - -Of this she was quite unaware, and the student of human nature gave -himself up to a scrutiny of the stranger. - -He saw a little head, its mass of dark, almost black hair surmounted by a -small turban shaped hat, of taupe colored velvet, with a curly ostrich -tip nestling over one ear. - -Not that her ears were visible, for Miss Austin was smartly groomed and -her whole effect modish. - -She had removed her coat, which she held in her lap. Her frock was taupe -colored, of a soft woolen material, ornamented with many small buttons. -These tiny buttons formed two rows down her back, from either shoulder to -the waist line, and they also formed a border round the sailor collar. - -They were, perhaps, Lockwood decided, little balls, rather than buttons, -and he idly counted them as he sat watching her. - -He hoped she would turn her head a trifle, but she sat as motionless as a -human being may. - -He marveled at her stillness, and impatiently waited for the lecture to -begin that he might note her interest. - -At last Doctor Waring appeared on the platform, and as the applause -resounded all over the room, Lockwood was almost startled to observe Miss -Austin's actions. - -She clasped her hands together as if she had received a sudden shock. -She--if it hadn't seemed too absurd,--he would have said that she -trembled. At any rate she was a little agitated, and it was with an -effort that she preserved her calm. No one else noticed her, and Lockwood -would not have done so, save for his close watching. - -Throughout the lecture, Miss Austin's gaze seemed never to leave the face -of the speaker, and Lockwood marveled that Waring himself was not drawn -to notice her. - -But Waring's calm gaze, though it traveled over the audience, never -rested definitely on any one face, and Lockwood concluded he recognized -nobody. - -"Miss Mystery!" Gordon Lockwood said to himself. "I wonder who and what -you are. Probably a complex nature, psychic and imaginative. You think it -interesting to come up here and pretend to be a mystery. But you're too -young and too innocent to be--I'm not so sure of the innocent, -though,--and as to youth,--well, I don't believe you're much older than -you look any way. And you're confoundedly pretty--beautiful, rather. -You've too much in your face to call it merely pretty. I've never seen -such possibilities of character. You're either a deep one or your looks -belie you." - -Lockwood heard no word of the lecture, nor did he wish to; he had helped -in the writing of it, and almost knew it by heart anyway. But he was -really intrigued by this mysterious girl, and he determined to get to -know her. - -He had been told, of course, of the futile attempts of the other boarders -to make friends with her, but he had faith in his own attractiveness and -in his methods of procedure. - -Pinky Payne, too, had told of the interview he had on the bridge. His -account of the girl's beauty and charm had first roused Lockwood's -interest, and now he was making a study of the whole situation. - -Idly he counted the buttons again. There were thirteen across the collar. -The vertical rows he could not be sure of as the back of the seat cut off -their view. - -"Thirteen," he mused; "an unlucky number. And the poor child looks -unlucky. There's a sadness in her eyes that must mean something. Yet -there's more than sadness,--there's a hint of cruelty,--a possibility of -desperate deeds." - -And then Lockwood laughed at himself. To romance thus about a girl to -whom he had not said half a dozen sentences in his life! Yet he knew he -was not mistaken. All that he had read in Anita Austin's face, he was -sure was there. He knew physiognomy, and rarely, if ever, was mistaken in -his reading thereof. - -After the lecture was over, Miss Austin went home as quickly as possible. - -Lockwood would have liked to escort her, but he had to remain to report -to Doctor Waring, who might have some orders for him. - -There were none, however, and after a short interview with his employer, -Gordon Lockwood went home. - -As he went softly upstairs to his room in the Adams house, he passed the -door of what he knew to be Miss Austin's room. He fancied he heard a -stifled sob come from behind that closed door, and instinctively paused -to listen a moment. - -Yes, he was not mistaken. Another sob followed, quickly suppressed, but -he could have no doubt the girl was crying. - -For a moment Lockwood was tempted to go back and ask Mrs. Adams to come -and tap at the girl's door. - -Then he realized that it was not his affair. If the girl was in sorrow or -if she wanted to cry for any reason, it was not his place to send someone -to intrude upon her. He went on to his own room, but he sat up for a long -time thinking over the strange young woman in the house. - -He remembered that she had paid undeviating attention to the lecture, -quite evidently following the speaker with attention and interest. He -remembered every detail of her appearance, her pretty dark hair showing -beneath her little velvet toque,--the absurd buttons on the back of her -frock. - -"That will do, Gordon, old man," he told himself at last. Better let her -alone. She's a siren all right, but you know nothing about her, and -you've no reason to try to learn more. - -And then he heard voices in the hall. Low of tone, but angry of -inflection. - -"She threw it away!" Miss Austin was saying; "I tell you she threw it -away!" - -"There, there," came Mrs. Adams' placating voice, "what if she did? It -was only a newspaper scrap. She didn't know it was of any value." - -"But I want it! Nora has no business to throw away my things! She had no -reason to touch it; it was on the dresser--standing up against the mirror -frame. What do you suppose she did with it?" - -"Never mind it tonight. Tomorrow we will ask her. She's gone to bed." - -"But I'm afraid she destroyed it!" - -"Probably she did. Don't take on so. What paper was it?" - -"The Corinth Gazette." - -"The new one?" - -"I don't know. The one she brought me this afternoon." - -"Well, if she has thrown it away, you can get another copy. What was in -it that you want so much?" - -"Oh,--nothing special." - -"Yes, it was." Mrs. Adams' curiosity was aroused now. "Come, tell me what -it was." - -"Well, it was only a picture of Doctor Waring, the man who lectured -tonight." - -"Such a fuss about that! My goodness! Why, you can get a picture of him -anywhere." - -"But I want it now." - -An obstinate note rang in the young voice. Perhaps Miss Austin spoke -louder than she meant to, but at any rate, Lockwood heard most of the -conversation, and he now opened his door, and said: - -"May I offer a photograph? Would you care to have this, Miss Austin?" - -The girl looked at him with a white, angry face. - -"How dare you!" she cried; "how dare you eavesdrop and listen to a -conversation not meant for your ears? Don't speak to me!" - -She drew up her slender figure and looked like a wrathful pixie defying a -giant. For Lockwood was a big man, and loomed far above the slight, -dainty figure of Miss Mystery. - -He smiled good-naturedly as he said, "Now don't get wrathy. I don't mean -any harm. But you wanted a picture of Doctor Waring, and I've several of -them. You see, I'm his secretary." - -"Oh,--are you! His private secretary?" - -"Yes--his confidential one,--though he has few confidences. He's a public -man and his life is an open book." - -"Oh, it is!" The girl had recovered her poise, and with it her ability to -be sarcastic. "Known to all men, I suppose?" - -"Known to all men," repeated Lockwood, thinking far more of the girl he -was speaking to than of what he was saying. - -For, again he had fallen under the spell of her strange personality. He -watched her, fascinated, as she reached out for the picture and almost -snatched at it in her eagerness. - -Mrs. Adams yawned behind her plump hand. - -"Now you've got your picture, go to bed, child," she said with a kind, -motherly smile. "I'll come in and unhook you, shall I?" - -Obediently, and without a word of good night to Lockwood, Anita turned -and went into her room, followed by Mrs. Adams. The good lady offered no -disinterested service. She wanted to know why Miss Austin wanted that -picture so much. But she didn't find out. After being of such help as she -could, the landlady found herself pleasantly but definitely dismissed. -Outside the door, however, she turned and reopened it. Miss Mystery, -unnoticing the intruder, was covering the photograph with many and -passionate kisses. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - A BROKEN TEACUP - - -"I'll tell her you're here, but I'm noways sure she'll see you." - -Mrs. Adams stood, her hand on the doorknob, as she looked doubtfully at -Emily Bates and her nephew. - -"Why not?" asked Mrs. Bates, in astonishment, and Pinky echoed, "Why not, -Mrs. Adams?" - -"She's queer." Mrs. Adams came back into the room, closed the door, and -spoke softly. "That's what she is, Mrs. Bates, queer. I can't make her -out. She's been here more'n a week now, and I do say she gets queerer -every day. Won't make friends with anybody,--won't speak at all at the -table,--never comes and sits with us of an afternoon or evening,--just -keeps to herself. Now, that ain't natural for a young girl." - -"How old is she?" - -"Nobody knows. She looks like nineteen or twenty, but she has the ways of -a woman of forty,--as far's having her own way's concerned. Then again, -she'll pet the cat or smile up at Mr. Adams like a child. I can't make -her out at all. The boarders are all fearfully curious--that's one reason -I take her part. They're a snoopy lot, and I make them let her alone." - -"You like her, then?" - -"You can't help liking her,--yet she is exasperating. You ask her a -question, and she stares at you and walks off. Not really rude,--but just -as if you weren't there! Well, I'll tell her you're here, anyway." - -It was only by his extraordinary powers of persuasion that Pinky Payne -had won his aunt's consent to make this call, and, being Sunday -afternoon, the recognized at-home day in Corinth, they had gone to the -Adams house unannounced, and asked for Miss Austin. - -Upstairs, Mrs. Adams tapped at the girl's door. - -It was opened slowly,--it would seem, grudgingly,--and Anita looked out -inquiringly. - -"Callers for you, Miss Austin," the landlady said, cheerily. - -"For me? I know no one." - -"Oh, now, you come on down. It's Mrs. Bates, and her nephew, Pinky Payne. -They're our best people--" - -"What makes you think I want to see your best people?" - -"I don't say you do, but they want to see you,--and--oh, pshaw, now, be a -little sociable. It won't hurt you." - -"Please say to Mrs. Bates that I have no desire to form new -acquaintances, and I beg to be excused from appearing." - -"But do you know who she is? She's the lady that's going to marry Doctor -Waring, the new President. And Pinckney Payne, her cousin, is a mighty -nice boy." - -Mrs. Adams thought she detected an expression of wavering on the girl's -face, and she followed up her advantage. - -"Yes, he's an awfully nice chap and just about your age, I should judge." - -"I'll go down," said Miss Austin, briefly, and Mrs. Adams indulged in a -sly smile of satisfaction. - -"It's Pinky that fetched her," she thought to herself. "Young folks are -young folks, the world over." - -Triumphantly, Mrs. Adams ushered Anita into the small parlor. - -"Mrs. Bates," she said, "and Mr. Payne,--Miss Austin." - -Then she left them, for Esther Adams had strict notions of her duties as -a boarding-house landlady. - -"Mrs. Bates?" Anita said, going to her and taking her hand. - -"Yes, Miss Austin,--I am very glad to know you." - -But the words ceased suddenly as Emily Bates looked into the girl's eyes. -Such a depth of sorrow was there, such unmistakable tragedy and a hint of -fear. What could it all mean? Surely this was a strange girl. - -"We have never met before, have we?" Mrs. Bates said,--almost -involuntarily, for the girl's gaze was too intent to be given to a -stranger. - -"No," Anita said, recovering her poise steadily but slowly,--"not that I -remember." - -"We have," burst forth the irrepressible Pinky. "I say, Miss Austin, -please realize that I'm here as well as my more celebrated aunt! Don't -you remember the morning I met you on the bridge,--and you were just -about to throw yourself over the parapet?" - -"Oh, no, I wasn't," and a delightful smile lighted the dark little face. -The lips were very scarlet, but it was unmistakably Nature's own red, and -as they parted over even and pearly teeth, the smile transformed Miss -Austin into a real beauty. - -It disappeared quickly, however, and Pinky Payne thenceforward made it -his earnest endeavor to bring it back as often as possible. - -"Of course you weren't," agreed Mrs. Bates, "don't pay any attention to -that foolish boy." - -"I'm a very nice boy, if I am foolish," Pinky declared, but Miss Austin -vaguely ignored him, and kept her intent gaze fixed on Emily Bates. - -"We thought perhaps you would go with us over to Doctor Waring's for -tea," Mrs. Bates said, after an interval of aimless chat. "It would, I am -sure be a pleasant experience for you. Wouldn't you like it?" - -"Doctor Waring's?" repeated Anita, her voice low and tense, as if the -idea was of more importance than it seemed. - -"Yes; I may take you, for the Doctor is my fiance,--we are to be married -next month." - -"No!" cried the girl, with such a sharp intonation that Mrs. Bates was -startled. - -"Sure they are," put in Pinky, anxious to cover up any eccentricity on -the part of this girl in whom he took an increasing interest. "They're as -blissful as two young turtle-doves. Come on, Miss Austin, let's go over -there. It's a duck of a house to go to, and jolly good people there. The -view from the study window is worth going miles to see. You're an -artist,--yes?" - -"I sketch some," was the brief reply. - -"All right; if you can find a prettier spot to sketch on this terrestrial -globe than the picture by the Waring study window, I'll buy it for you! -Toddle up and get your hat." - -His gay good nature was infectious and Anita smiled again as she went for -her hat and coat. - -The walk was but a short one, and when they entered the Waring home they -found a cheery group having tea in the pleasant living room. - -Doctor Waring was not present and Mrs. Peyton was pouring tea, while -Helen and Robert Tyler served it. The capable Ito had always Sunday -afternoon for his holiday, and while Nogi, the Japanese second man, was -willing enough, his training was incomplete, and his blunders frequent. -He was a new servant, and though old Ito had hopes of educating him, Mrs. -Peyton was doubtful about it. However, she thought, soon the -responsibilities of the Waring menage would be hers no longer, and she -resolved to get along with the inexperienced Nogi while she remained. - -Mrs. Peyton was very regretful at the coming change of affairs. - -She had looked upon John Waring as a confirmed bachelor, and had not -expected he would ever marry. Now, she declared, he was marrying only -because he thought it wiser for a College President to have a wife as a -part of his domestic outfit. - -Helen disagreed with her mother about this. She said Doctor Waring had -begun to take a personal interest in the attractive Mrs. Bates before he -had any idea of becoming President of the University. - -But it didn't matter. The wedding was imminent, and Mrs. Peyton had -received due notice that her services would be no longer needed. - -It was a blow to her, and it had made her depressed and disconsolate. -Also, a little resentful, even spiteful toward Emily Bates. - -The housekeeper greeted Miss Austin with a cold smile, and then -disregarded her utterly. - -Helen was frankly curious, and met the newcomer with full intention of -finding out all about her. - -For Helen Peyton had heard of Miss Mystery from her friend and admirer, -Robert Tyler, who, however, did not report that the girl had snubbed him -more than once. - -One or two other guests were present and, having been told of Mrs. Bates' -arrival Doctor Waring and his secretary came from the study and joined -the others at tea. - -With a welcoming smile, John Waring greeted his fiancee, and then Mrs. -Bates turned to the girl she had brought. - -"Miss Austin," she said, "let me present Doctor Waring. John,--Miss Anita -Austin." - -At that very moment Helen Peyton offered Waring a cup of tea, and he was -in the act of taking it from her hand when Mrs. Bates made the -introduction. - -The cup and saucer fell to the floor with a crash, and those nearest saw -the Doctor's face blanch suddenly white, and his hand clench on a nearby -chair. - -But with a sudden, desperate effort he pulled himself together, and gave -a little laugh, as he directed Nogi to remove the wrecked teacup. - -"Pick up the four corners, and carry it all off at once," he ordered, -pointing to the small rug on which the cup had fallen, and Nogi, a little -clumsily, obeyed. - -"Pardon the awkwardness, Miss Austin," he said, turning to smile at the -girl, but even as he did so, his voice trembled, and he turned hastily -away. - -"What is it, John?" asked Emily Bates, going to his side. "Are you ill?" - -"No,--no, dear; it's--it's all right. That foolish teacup upset my -nerves. I'll go off by myself for a few moments." - -Somewhat abruptly, he left the room and went back to his study. - -Listening intently, Mrs. Bates heard him lock the door on the inside. - -"I'm sorry," she said, turning to Anita, "but I know you'll forgive -Doctor Waring. He is under so much strain at present, and a foolish -accident, like the broken teacup, is enough to give him a nervous shock." - -"I know," said the girl, sympathetically. "He must be very busy and -absorbed." - -She spoke, as she often did, in a perfunctory way, as if not interested -in what she was saying. Her glance wandered and she bit her red lower -lip, as if nervous herself. Yet she was exceedingly quiet and calm of -demeanor, and her graceful attitudes betokened only a courteous if -disinterested guest. - -Gordon Lockwood immediately followed his chief and tapped at the locked -study door. - -"All right, Lockwood," Waring recognized the knock. "I don't want you -now. I'll reappear shortly. Go back to the tea room." - -Willingly, Lockwood went back, hoping to have a chance for conversation -with Miss Mystery. - -She was chatting gayly with Helen Peyton, Pinky and Mrs. Tyler. - -To Lockwood's surprise, Miss Austin was really gay and merry and quite -held her own in the chaff and repartee. - -Yet as Lockwood noted her more closely, his quick perception told him her -gayety was forced. - -The secretary's ability to read human nature was almost uncanny, and he -truly believed the girl was making merry only by reason of her firm -determination to do so. - -Why? He wondered. - -Gordon Lockwood was a rare type of man. He was possessed of the most -impassive face, the most immobile countenance imaginable. He never -allowed himself to show the slightest excitement or even interest. This -habit, acquired purposely at first, had grown upon him until it was -second nature. He would not admit anything could move him, could stir his -poise or disturb his equanimity. He heard the most gratifying or the most -exasperating news with equal attention and equal lack of surprise or -enthusiasm. - -Yet, though this may sound unattractive, so great was Lockwood's -personality, so responsive and receptive his real nature beneath his -outer calm, that all who really knew him liked him and trusted him. - -Waring depended on him in every respect. He was more than a secretary to -his employer. He was counselor and friend as well. - -And Waring appreciated this, and rated Lockwood high in his esteem and -affection. - -Of course, with his insight, Gordon Lockwood could not be blind to the -fact that both Mrs. Peyton and her daughter would be pleased if he could -fall a victim to the charms of the fair Helen. Nor could he evade the -conviction that Mrs. Peyton herself had entertained hopes of becoming -mistress of the Waring home, until the advent of Emily Bates had spoiled -her chances. - -But these things were merely self-evident facts, and affected in no way -the two men concerned. - -The Peytons were treated with pleasant regard for both, and that ended -the matter so far as they were concerned. - -The subject had never been alluded to by Waring or Lockwood, but each -understood, and when the Doctor's marriage took place, that would -automatically end the Peytons' incumbency. - -And now, Gordon Lockwood smiled patronizingly at himself, as he was -forced to admit an unreasonable, inexplicable interest in a slip of a -girl with a dark, eerie little face and a manner grave and gay to -extremes. - -For Anita was positively laughing at some foolishness of Pinky Payne's. -Still, Lockwood concluded, watching her narrowly, yet unobserved, she was -laughing immoderately. She was laughing for some reason other than -merriment. It verged on hysterical, he decided, and wondered why. - -He joined the group of young people, and in his quiet but effective way, -he said: - -"You've had enough foolery for the moment, Miss Austin,--come and talk to -me." - -And to the girl's amazement, he took her hand and led her to a davenport -on the other side of the room. - -"There," he said, as he arranged a pillow or two, "is that right?" - -"Yes," she said, and lapsed into silence. - -She sat, looking off into vacancy, and Lockwood studied her. Then he -said, softly: - -"It's too bad, isn't it?" - -"Yes," Anita sighed, and then suddenly; "what do you mean? What's too -bad?" - -"Whatever it is that troubles you." The deep blue eyes met her own, but -there was no sign of response or acquiescence on the girl's face. - -"Good-by," she said, rising quickly, "I must go." - -"Oh, no,--don't go," cried Pinky, overhearing. "Why, you've only just -come." - -"Yes, I must go," said Miss Mystery, decidedly. "Good afternoon, Mrs. -Bates, and thank you for bringing me. Good afternoon, Mrs. Peyton." - -Including all the others in a general bow of farewell, the strange girl -went to the front door, and paused for the attendant Nogi to open it. - -Door-tending the assistant butler understood, and he punctiliously waited -until Miss Austin had buttoned her gloves and had given an adjusting pat -to her veil, after a fleeting glance in the hall mirror. - -Then he opened the door with an obsequious air, and closed it behind her -departing figure. - -But it was immediately flung open again by Pinky Payne, who ran through -it and after the girl. - -"Wait a minute, Miss Austin. How fast you walk! I'm going home with you." - -"Please not," she said, indifferently, scarcely glancing at him. - -"Yep. Gotto. Getting near dusk, and you might be kidnapped. Needn't talk -if you don't want to." - -"I never want to talk!" was the surprising and crisply spoken retort. - -"Well, didn't I say you needn't! Don't get wrathy--don't 'ee, don't -'ee--now,--as my old Scotch nurse used to say." - -But Miss Mystery gave him no look, although she allowed him to fall into -step beside her, and the two walked rapidly along. - -"How'd you like the looks of the Doctor?" Pinky asked, hoping to induce -conversation. - -"I scarcely saw him." - -"Oh, you saw him,--though you had small chance to get to know him. -Perfect old brick, but a little on edge of late. Approaching matrimony, I -suppose. Did you notice his ruby stickpin?" - -"Yes; it didn't seem to suit him at all." - -"No; he's a conservative dresser. But that pin,--it's a famous gem,--was -given him by his own class,--I mean his graduating class, but long after -they graduated, and he had to promise to wear it once a week, so he -usually gets into it on Sundays. It's a corking stone!" - -"Yes," said Miss Austin. - -On reaching the Adams house, the girl said a quick good-by, and Pinky -Payne found himself at liberty to go in and see the other members of the -household, or to go home, for Miss Austin disappeared into the hall and -up the staircase with the rapidity of a dissolving view. - -Young Payne turned away and strolled slowly back to the Waring home, -wondering what it was about the disagreeable young woman that made him -pay any attention to her at all. - -He found her the topic of discussion when he arrived. - -"Of all rude people," Mrs. Peyton declared, "she was certainly the -worst!" - -"She was!" Helen agreed. "I couldn't make her out at all. And I don't -call her pretty, either." - -"I do," observed Emily Bates. "I call her very pretty,--and possessed of -great charm." - -"Charm!" scoffed Helen; "I can't see it." - -"She isn't rude," Pinky defended the absent. "I'm sure, Mrs. Peyton, she -made her adieux most politely. Why should she have stayed longer? She -didn't know any of us,--and, perhaps she doesn't like any of us." - -"That's it," Gordon Lockwood stated. "She doesn't like us,--I'm sure of -that. Well, why should she, if she doesn't want to?" - -"Why shouldn't she?" countered Tyler. "She's so terribly superior,--I -can't bear her. She acts as if she owned the earth, yet nobody knows who -she is, or anything about her." - -"Are we entitled to?" asked Lockwood. "Why should we inquire into her -identity or history further than she chooses to enlighten us?" - -"Where is Miss Austin?" asked Doctor Waring, returning, quite composed -and calm. - -"She went home," informed Mrs. Bates. "Are you all right, John?" - -"Oh, yes, dear. I wasn't ill, or anything like that. The awkward accident -touched my nerves, and I wanted to run away and hide." - -He smiled whimsically, looking like a naughty schoolboy, and Emily Bates -took his hand and drew him down to a seat beside her. - -"What made you drop it, John?" she said, with a direct look into his -eyes. - -He hesitated a moment, and his own glance wandered, then he said, "I -don't know, Emily; I suppose it was a sudden physical contraction of the -muscles of my hand--and I couldn't control it." - -Mrs. Bates didn't look satisfied, but she did not pursue the subject. -Then the discussion of Anita was resumed. - -"How did you like her looks, Doctor Waring?" Helen Peyton asked. - -"I scarcely saw her," was the quiet reply. "Did you all admire her?" - -"Some of us did." Mrs. Bates answered; "I do, for one. Did you ever see -her before, John?" - -Doctor Waring stared at the question. - -"Never," he declared. "How could I have done so?" - -"I don't know, I'm sure," Mrs. Bates laughed. "I just had a sort of an -impression--" - -"No, dear, I never saw the girl before in my life," Waring reasserted. - -"And you need never want to see her again," Robert Tyler informed him. -"She's sulky, silly and supercilious. She's a mystery, they say, but I -say she merely wants to be thought a mystery to make a little sensation. -I can't abide that sort." - -Helen Peyton heard this with undisguised satisfaction, for she had quite -enough girls in her life to be jealous and envious of, without adding -another to the list. Also, she especially wanted to retain the admiration -of Robert Tyler, and was glad to know it was not newly endangered. - -"Miss Austin is very beautiful," Gordon Lockwood declared, in his usual -way of summing up a discussion and announcing his own opinion as final. -"Also, she is a mystery. I live in the same boarding house--" - -"So do I," put in Tyler, "and she snubs us both." - -"She hasn't snubbed me," said Lockwood, simply. - -"Never mind, Oscar, she will!" returned Tyler, and then laughed -immoderately at his own would-be wit. - - - - - CHAPTER V - THE TRAGEDY - - -That same Sunday evening the Waring household dined alone. Oftener than -not there were guests, but tonight there were only the two Peytons, -Lockwood and John Waring himself. - -Ito, the butler, had holiday Sunday afternoon and evening, and Nogi, the -second and less experienced man, was trying his best to satisfy the -exactions of Mrs. Peyton as to his service at table. - -Helen Peyton was in a talkative mood and commented volubly on the caller -of the afternoon, Miss Austin. - -She met little response, for her mother was absorbed in the training of -the Japanese, and the two men seemed indisposed to pursue the subject. - -"Don't you think she's odd looking?" Helen asked, of Doctor Waring. - -"Odd looking," he repeated; "I don't know. I didn't notice her -especially. She seemed to me a rather distinguished type." - -"Distinguished is the word," agreed Lockwood. "What about the lecture -tomorrow night, Doctor? Will Fessenden take care of it?" - -"No; I must lecture myself tomorrow night. I'm sorry, for I'm busy with -that book revision. However, I'll look up some data this evening, and I -shall be ready for it." - -"Of course you will," laughed Mrs. Peyton. "You were never caught unready -for anything!" - -"But it means some work," Waring added, as he rose from the table. - -He went into the study, followed by Lockwood, whose experience made him -aware of what books his chief would need, and he began at once to take -them from the shelves. - -"Right," Waring said, looking over the armful of volumes Lockwood placed -on the desk and seating himself in the swivel chair. - -"Bring me Marcus Aurelius, too, please, and Martial." - -"The classic touch," Lockwood smiled. - -"Yes, it adds dignity, if one is a bit shy of material," Waring admitted, -good-naturedly. "That's all, Lockwood. You may go, if you like." - -"No, sir. I'll stay until eleven or so. I'm pretty busy with the reports, -and, too, some one may call whom I can take care of." - -"Good chap you are, Lockwood. I appreciate it. Very well, then, don't -bother me unless absolutely necessary." - -The secretary left the room and closed the study door behind him. - -This door gave on to the end of the cross hall, and the hall ended then, -in a roomy window seat, and also held a book rack and table; altogether a -comfortable and useful nook, frequently occupied by Gordon Lockwood. The -window looked out on the beautiful lake view, as did the great study -window, and it also commanded a view of the highroad on which stood, not -far away, the Adams boarding-house. - -Lockwood lodged there, as being more convenient, but most of his waking -hours were spent in his employer's home. A perfect secretary he had -proved himself to be, for his prescience amounted almost to clairvoyance, -and his imperturbability was exceedingly useful in keeping troublesome -people or things away from John Waring. - -So, he determined to stay on guard, lest a chance caller should come to -disturb the Doctor at his work. - -But Lockwood's own work was somewhat neglected. Try as he would to -concentrate upon it, he could not entirely dismiss from his mind a -certain mysterious little face, whose meaning eluded him. For once, -Gordon Lockwood, reader of faces, was baffled. He couldn't classify the -girl who was both rude and charming, both cruel and pathetic. - -For cruelty was what this expert read in the knowing eyes and firm little -mouth of Miss Mystery. And because of this indubitable element in her -nature, he deemed her pathetic. Which shows how much she interested him. - -At any rate he thought about her while his work waited. And, then, he -thought of other things--for he had troubles of his own, had this -supercilious young man. And troubles which galled him the more, that they -were sordid--money troubles, in fact. His whole nature revolted at the -mere thought of mercenary considerations, but if one is short of funds -one must recognize the condition, distasteful though it be. - -At nine-thirty, Nogi came with a tray bearing water and glasses. Under -the watchful eye of Mrs. Peyton the Japanese tapped at the study door -and, in response to the master's bidding, went in with his tray. He left -it punctiliously on the table directed, and with his characteristic bow, -departed again. - -At ten-thirty, Mrs. Peyton and Helen went upstairs to their rooms, the -housekeeper having given Nogi strict and definite instructions, which -included his remaining on duty until the master should also retire. - -And the night wore on. - -A clear, cold night, with a late-rising moon, past the full, but still -with its great yellow disk nearly round. - -It shone down on what seemed like fairyland, for the sleet storm that had -covered the trees with a coating of ice, and had fringed eaves and fences -with icicles, had ceased, and left the glittering landscape frozen and -sparkling in the still, cold air. - -And when, some hours later, the sun rose on the same chill scene its rays -made no perceptible impression on the cold and the mercury stayed down at -its lowest winter record. - -And so even the stolid Japanese Ito, shivered, and his yellow teeth -chattered as he knocked at Mrs. Peyton's door in the early dawn of Monday -morning. - -"What is it?" she cried, springing from her bed to unbolt her door. - -"Grave news, madam," and the Oriental bowed before her. - -"What has happened? Tell me, Ito." - -"I am not sure, madam--but, the master--" - -"Yes, what about Doctor Waring?" - -"He is--he is asleep in his study." - -"Asleep in his study! Ito, what do you mean?" - -"That, madam. His bed is unslept in. His room door ajar. I looked in the -study--through from the dining-room--he is there by his desk--" - -"Asleep, Ito--you said asleep!" - -"Yes--madam--but--I do not know. And Nogi--he is gone." - -"Gone! Where to?" - -"That also, I do not know. Will madam come and look?" - -"No; I will not! I know something has happened! I knew something would -happen! Ito, he is not asleep--he is--" - -"Don't say it, madam. We do not know." - -"Find out! Go in and speak to him." - -"But the door is locked. I tried it." - -"Locked! The study door locked, and Doctor Waring still in there? How do -you know?" - -"I peeped from the dining-room window--and I could see him, leaning down -on his desk." - -"From the dining-room window! What do you mean?" - -"The small little inside windows. Madam knows?" - -The study had been added to the Waring house after the house had been -built for some years. Wherefore, the dining-room, previously with a lake -view from its windows, was cut off from that view. But, the windows, -three small, square ones, remained, and so, looked into the new study. - -However, the study, a higher ceiling being desired, had its floor sunken -six feet or more, which brought the windows far too high to see through -from the study side, but one could look through them from the -dining-room. The original sashes had been replaced by beautiful stained -glass, opaque save for a few tiny transparent bits through which a -persistent and curious-minded person might discern some parts of the -study. - -The stained glass sashes were immovable, and were there more as a -decoration than for utility's sake. - -And it was through these peepholes that Ito had discovered the presence -of Doctor Waring in his study at the unusual hour of seven o'clock in the -morning. - -The Japanese, true to his tribal instinct, showed no agitation, and his -calm demeanor helped to soothe Mrs. Peyton. But as she hastily dressed -herself, she decided upon her course of action. - -Her first impulse was to call her daughter, but she concluded not to -disturb the girl. Instead, she telephoned to Gordon Lockwood, and asked -him to come over as soon as he possibly could. - -Old Salt took the message, and transmitted it to the secretary. - -"What's the matter over there?" asked Lockwood. - -"Don't know. Mrs. Peyton seemed all on edge, 's far's I could judge from -her voice--but she only said for you to come over." - -"All right, I'll go as soon as I can get dressed." - -Once out of doors, Lockwood couldn't fail to be impressed with the beauty -of the morning landscape. One of the most beautiful bits of New England -scenery, it was newly lovely in its sheath of ice. - -Lockwood's hasty steps crunched through the crusted snow, and he hurried -over to the Waring house. - -Ito opened the door for him and Mrs. Peyton met him in the hall. - -"Something has happened to Doctor Waring," she said at once; "he stayed -in the study all night." - -"Why? What do you mean?" asked the secretary. - -"Just that. His room door is still open, and his bed hasn't been slept -in. Also, Ito says he can see him in the study, through the dining-room -window. I--I haven't looked--" - -"Why don't you go in?" - -"The study door is locked." - -"Locked! And Doctor Waring still in there?" - -"Yes; I think he must have had a stroke--or, something--" - -"Nonsense! He's just asleep. He's overworked of late, anyway." - -"Well, I'm glad you're here." And Mrs. Peyton looked relieved. "You see -about it, Mr. Lockwood, won't you?" - -The secretary went first to the study door. He rapped, and then he tried -the door, and then rapped again, very loudly. But no response came, and -Lockwood returned to the dining-room. - -"Can you see through that glass?" he asked in surprise, noting the thick, -leaded mosaic of pieces. - -"Yes, sir, through this corner," Ito directed him, and, peering through, -Lockwood discerned the figure of John Waring. He sat at his desk, his -body fallen slightly forward, and his head drooped on his breast. - -"Sound asleep," said Lockwood, but his tone carried no conviction. - -Mrs. Peyton well knew the man's disinclination to show any emotion, and -in spite of his calm, she was almost certain he shared her own belief -that John Waring was not merely asleep. - -"We must get to him," Lockwood said, after a moment's pause. "Can you get -through one of these windows, Ito, and unbolt the door?" - -"No, sir; these windows do not open at all." - -"Not open? Why not?" - -Save to remark the beauty of their color and design, Lockwood had never -before noticed the windows, especially, and was genuinely surprised to -discover that they could not be opened at all. - -"Of what use are they?" he mused, aloud; "They give very little light." - -"They were outside windows before the study was built," Mrs. Peyton told -him, "and when the stained glass was put in, it was merely for decoration -and the panes were not made movable." - -"Well, we must get in," said Lockwood, almost impatiently. "How shall we -do it? You, Ito, must know how." - -"No, sir, there is no way. Unless, the long window is unfastened." - -The long French window--really a double door--was on the other side of -the study, exactly opposite the useless high windows that gave into the -dining-room. - -To reach it one must go out and around the house. - -"It is very bad snow--" Ito shrugged. - -"You heathen!" Lockwood exclaimed, scornfully, and himself dashed out at -the front door and around to the side of the house. - -Mrs. Peyton started to follow, but the secretary bade her go back lest -she take cold. - -He reached the French window only to find it locked on the inside. He -could not see in through its curtained panes, and impulsively he raised -his foot and kicked through the glass at a point high enough to allow of -his putting in a hand and turning back the latch. - -He went into the room, and after the briefest glance at the man by the -desk he went on and unbolted the door to the hall. - -Helen had joined her mother and Ito, and the three stood cowering on the -threshold. - -"He is dead," Gordon Lockwood said, in a calm, unemotional way. "But not -by a stroke--he has killed himself." - -"How do you know?" Mrs. Peyton cried, her eyes staring and her face -white. - -"Go away, Helen," Lockwood said; "go back into the living-room, and stay -away." - -And willingly the girl obeyed. - -"Come in, Mrs. Peyton," Lockwood went on. "You must see him, though it -will shock you. See, the flow of blood is dreadful. He stabbed or shot -himself." - -Conquering her aversion to the sight, Mrs. Peyton, from a sense of duty, -drew nearer, and as Lockwood had said, the condition of the body was -terrible indeed. - -Wounded, apparently in the side of the head, Waring had fallen forward in -such a way that the actual wound was concealed, but the fact was only too -apparent that he had bled to death. The blotter on the desk and many of -the furnishings were crimsoned and there was a large and dark stain on -the rug. - -"He is positively dead," said Lockwood, in cool, even tone, "so I advise -that we do not touch the body but send at once for Doctor Greenfield. He -will know best what to do." - -"Oh, you cold-blooded wretch!" Mrs. Peyton burst forth, uncontrollably. -"Have you no feelings whatever? You stand there like a wooden image, when -the best man in the world lies dead before you! And you, Ito!" She turned -on the awe-struck butler. "You're another of those impassive, unnatural -creatures! Oh, I hate you both!" - -The housekeeper ran from the room, and was soon closeted with her -daughter, who, at least showed agitation and grief at the tragedy that -had occurred. - -The two she had called impassive, stood regarding one another. - -"Who did it, Master?" inquired the Japanese, calmly. - -"Who did it!" Lockwood stared at him. "Why, he did it himself, Ito." - -Otherwise immovable, the Oriental shook his head in dissension, but -Lockwood was already at the telephone, and heeded him not. - -Doctor Greenfield consented to come over at once, and Lockwood going to -the living room, advised the Peytons to have breakfast, as there was a -terrible ordeal ahead of them. - -"I'll have some coffee with you, if I may," he went on. "Brace up, Helen, -it's pretty awful for you, but you must try to be a brave girl." - -A grateful glance thanked him for the kindness, and Lockwood returned -quickly to the study. - -"What are you doing?" he said sternly, as he saw Ito bending over the -dead man. - -"Nothing, sir," and the butler straightened up quickly and stood at -attention. - -"Leave the room, and do not return here without permission. Serve -breakfast to the ladies. Where is Nogi?" - -"He is gone, sir." - -"Gone where?" - -"That I do not know. Last night he was here. Now he is gone. I know no -more." - -"You don't know anything. Get out." - -"Yes, sir." - -Left to himself, Gordon Lockwood gazed thoughtfully about the room. He -did not confine his attention to the bent figure of his late employer, -nor even to the desk or its nearby surroundings. He wandered about -looking at the windows, the floor, the furniture. - -One chair, standing rather near the desk, he looked at intently. An -expression of bewilderment came into his face, followed by a look of -dismay. - -Then, after a cautious almost furtive glance about him, he passed his -hand quickly over the plush back of the chair, rubbing it hard, with a -scrubbing motion. - -Then he looked about the room even more eagerly and carefully, and -finally sat down in the same plush chair, to await the Doctor's arrival. - -Helen Peyton came timidly to the door to ask him to come to breakfast. - -"No, Helen," he answered. "My place is here until the Doctor comes. Eat -your breakfast, child, and try to throw off your distress. It will do you -no good to brood over it. You can be of real help if you keep brave and -calm, but it will be quite otherwise if you get hysterical." - -He did not see the adoring glance she gave him, nor did he realize how -much effect his words had on her subsequent behavior. For Helen Peyton -was suffering from shocked nerves, and only Lockwood's advice would have -been heeded by her. - -She returned to the dining room, saying, quietly, "Gordon will come after -a while. Let us eat our breakfast, mother, and try to be brave and -strong." - -It was not more than fifteen minutes later that Lockwood joined them. - -He took his seat at the table and as he shook out his breakfast napkin he -said, - -"Doctor Greenfield is there now. He says Doctor Waring was stabbed not -shot. He says the instrument was round and pointed--not flat, like a -knife." - -"Who did it?" asked Helen, wide-eyed. - -"It must have been suicide, Helen, for, as you know, the room was locked. -How could any one get in or out?" - -"But how absurd to think of Doctor Waring killing himself!" The girl -looked more amazed than ever. - -"He never killed himself," stated Mrs. Peyton. "Why, you know that man -had everything to live for! Just about to be married, just about to be -President of the College--full of life and enthusiasm--suicide! -Nonsense!" - -"I'm only telling you what the doctor said. And you know yourselves, the -room was all locked up." - -"Yes, that's so. Ito, leave the room!" - -Mrs. Peyton spoke sharply to the butler, who was quite evidently drinking -in the conversation. - -"He must not hear all we say," she observed after the butler had -disappeared. - -"What's this about Nogi being gone?" asked Lockwood, suddenly. - -"Yes, he's gone," Mrs. Peyton said, "and I can't understand it. I didn't -think he'd stay, he didn't like the duties at all--you know he's just -learning to be a butler--but queer he went off like that. His wages are -due for three weeks." - -"He'll be back, then," surmised Lockwood. "Now, what shall we do first? -The faculty must be notified of this tragedy and also, Mrs. Bates must be -told. Which of you two will go and tell Mrs. Bates about it?" - -"You go, Helen," said her mother after a moment's thought. "I ought to be -here to look after the house, and anyway, dear, you can do it wisely and -gently. Mrs. Bates likes you, and after all, it can be soon told." - -"Oh, I can't!" cried Helen, dismayed at the thought of the awful errand. - -"Yes, you can," and Lockwood looked at her with a firm kindliness. "You -want to be of help, don't you Helen? Well, here's one thing you can do -that will be of great assistance to your mother and to me. For on us two -must fall most of the sad duties of this day." - -"But what can I say? What can I tell her?" - -"Just tell her the facts as far as you know them yourself. She will guess -from your own agitation that something has happened. And then you will -tell her, as gently as you can. Be a true woman, Helen, and remember that -though your news must break her heart, yet she'd far rather hear it from -you than from some less sympathetic messenger." - -"I'll do it," said Helen, struggling bravely to keep her tears back. - -"That's a good girl. Run right along, now, for ill news flies fast, and -rumors may get to her before you reach there." - -"Now about that Nogi," Lockwood said, thoughtfully. "Call Ito back, -please, Mrs. Peyton." - -"When did you see Nogi last?" the secretary asked of the butler. - -"When I came home last night, sir. Sunday is my holiday. I returned about -ten, and as I found Nogi with his duties all properly done, and at his -post, I went to bed. I found this morning that he had not been in his bed -at all. His clothes are gone, and all his belongings. I think he will not -come back." - - - - - CHAPTER VI - AN INCREDIBLE CASE - - -When Lockwood returned to the study, he found the Medical Examiner and -Doctor Greenfield in consultation. - -The Examiner was a large, pompous-looking man, with an air of authority. -He looked at Gordon Lockwood from beneath his heavy brows, and demanded, -"What do you know of this?" - -The younger man resented the tone but he knew the question was justified, -and so he replied, respectfully: - -"Nothing more than you can see for yourself, sir. I broke in at that -glass door, being unable to get in any other way, and I found Doctor -Waring--as you see him now." - -"There was some other way, though, to get in and out," Examiner Marsh -stated. - -"Positively not," Lockwood repeated. - -"Don't contradict me! I tell you there must have been--for this man was -murdered." - -"Impossible, sir," and Lockwood's eyes met the Examiner's with a gaze -fully as calm and insistent as his own. - -"Very well, then, how came he by his death?" - -"I am not the Examiner," the Secretary said, and he folded his arms and -leaned against the corner of the great mantelpiece; "but since you ask -me, I will repeat that there was no way of ingress into this room last -night, and that necessarily, the case is a suicide." - -"Just so; and, granting that, will you suggest what may have become of -the weapon that was used?" - -"What was the weapon?" Lockwood asked, not so disturbed by the question -as the Examiner had expected him to be. - -"That is what puzzles me," returned Doctor Marsh. "As you can clearly see -the wound was inflicted with a sharp instrument. The man was stabbed just -below his right ear. The jugular vein was pierced, and he bled to death. -A plexus of nerves was pierced also, and this fact doubtless rendered the -victim unconscious at once--I mean as soon as the stab wound was made, -though he may have been alive for a few minutes thereafter." - -Gordon Lockwood gazed imperturbably at the speaker. He had always prided -himself on his unshakable calm, and now he exhibited its full -possibilities. It annoyed Doctor Marsh, who was accustomed to having his -statements accepted without question. He took a sudden dislike to this -calm young man, who presumed to differ from his deductions. - -"I must say," observed the mild-mannered Doctor Greenfield, "I knew -Doctor Waring very well, and he was surely the last person I would expect -to kill himself. Especially at the present time--when he was looking -forward to high honors in the College and also expected to marry a -charming lady." - -"That isn't the point," exclaimed Doctor Marsh, impatiently. "The point -is, if he killed himself, where is the weapon?" - -"I admit it isn't in view--and I admit that seems strange," Lockwood -agreed, "but it may yet be discovered, while a way of getting into a -locked room cannot be found." - -"All of which is out of your jurisdiction, young man," and Marsh looked -at him severely. "The police will be here soon, and I've no doubt they -will learn the truth, whatever it may be. What instrument do you deduce, -Doctor Greenfield?" - -"That's hard to say," replied Greenfield, slowly. "You see the aperture -it made is a perfectly round hole. Now, most daggers or poniards are -flat-bladed. I'm not sure a real weapon is ever round. The hole is much -too large to have been made by a hatpin--it is as big as a--a--" - -"Slate pencil," suggested the Examiner. - -"Yes, or a trifle larger--but not so large as a lead-pencil." - -"A lead-pencil could hardly accomplish the deed," Marsh mused. "A -slate-pencil might have--but that is a most unusual weapon." - -"How about a bill-file?" asked Doctor Greenfield. "I knew of a man killed -with one." - -"Yes, but where is the bill-file?" asked Marsh. "There's one on the desk, -to be sure, but it is full of papers, and shows no sign of having been -used for a criminal purpose. If, as Mr. Lockwood insists, this is a -suicide case, the victim positively could not have cleaned that file and -restored the papers after stabbing himself!" - -"He most certainly could not have done that!" declared Doctor Greenfield. - -Marsh examined the file carefully. It was an ordinary affair consisting -of a steel spike on a bronze standard. It would without doubt make an -efficacious implement of murder, but it was difficult to believe it had -been used in that way. For the bills and memoranda it contained were, to -all appearance, just as they had been thrust on the sharp point--and -surely, had they been removed and replaced, they would have shown traces -of such moving. - -"Anyway," Doctor Greenfield said, after another examination, "the hole in -the side of Waring's neck seems to me to have been made with an -instrument slightly larger than that file. Surely, there are round -stilettos, are there not?" - -"Yes, there are," said Lockwood, "I have seen them." - -"Where?" demanded the Examiner, suddenly turning on him. - -"Why--I don't know." For once, the Secretary's calm was a trifle shaken. -"I should say in museums--or in private collections, perhaps." - -"Are you familiar with so many private collections of strange weapons -that you can't remember where you have seen a round-shaped blade?" - -Examiner Marsh stared hard at him and Lockwood became taciturn again. - -"Exactly that," he conceded. "I have sometime, somewhere, seen a -round-bladed stiletto--but I cannot remember where." - -"Better brush up your memory," Marsh told him, and then the police -arrived. - -The local police of Corinth were rather proud of themselves as a whole, -and they had reason to be. Under a worthwhile chief the men had been well -trained, and were alert, energetic and capable. - -Detective Morton, who took this matter in charge, went straight to work -in a most business-like way. - -He examined the body of John Waring, not as the medical men had done, but -merely to find possible clues to the manner of his death. - -"What's this ring on his forehead?" he asked, looking at the dead man's -face. - -"I don't know--that struck me as queer," said Greenfield. "What is it, -Doctor Marsh?" - -The Examiner peered through his glasses. - -"I can't make that out, myself," he confessed, frankly. - -Morton looked more closely. - -There was a red circle on Waring's forehead, that looked as if it had -been put there of some purpose. - -A perfect circle it was, about two inches in diameter, and it was red and -sunken into the flesh, as if it might have been done with a branding -iron. - -"Not a very hot one, though," Morton remarked, after suggesting this, -"but surely somebody did it. I'll say it's the sign or seal of the -murderer himself. For a dead man couldn't do it, and there's no sense in -assuming that Doctor Waring branded himself before committing suicide. -Was it done before or after death?" he asked of the two doctors present. - -"Before, I should say," Doctor Greenfield opined. - -"Yes," concurred Marsh, "but not long before. I'm not sure it is a -brand--such a mark could have been made with, say, a small cup or -tumbler." - -"But what reason is there in that?" exclaimed Morton. "Even a lunatic -murderer wouldn't mark his victim by means of a tumbler rim." - -Absorbedly, he picked up a tumbler from the water tray, and fitted it to -the red mark on Waring's forehead. - -"It doesn't fit exactly," he said, "but it does almost." - -"Rubbish!" said Gordon Lockwood, in his superior way. "Why would any one -mark Doctor Waring's face with a tumbler?" - -"Yet it has been marked," Morton looked at the secretary sharply. "Can -you suggest any explanation--however difficult of belief?" - -"No," Lockwood said. "Unless he fell over on some round thing as he -died." - -"There's nothing here," said Morton, scanning the furnishings of the desk -"The inkstand is closed--and it's a smaller round, anyway. There's no one -of these desk fittings that could possibly have made that mark. -Therefore, since it was made before death, it must have been done by the -murderer." - -"Or by the suicide," Lockwood insisted firmly. - -Morton, looking at the secretary, decided to keep an eye on this cool -chap, who must have some reason for repeating his opinion of suicide. - -"Now," the detective said, briskly, "to get to business, I must make -inquiries of the family--the household. Suppose I see them in some other -room--" - -"Yes," agreed Lockwood, with what seemed to Morton suspicious eagerness. -Why should the secretary be so obviously pleased to leave the -study--though, to be sure, it was a grewsome place just now. - -"Wait a minute," Morton said, "how about robbery? Has anything been -missed?" - -Lockwood looked surprised. - -"I never thought to look," he said; "assuming suicide, of course robbery -didn't occur to me." He looked round the room. "Nothing seems to be -missing." - -"Stay on guard, Higby," the detective said to a policeman, and then asked -the secretary where he could interview the housekeeper and the servants. - -Lockwood took Morton to the living-room, and there they found Mrs. Bates -as well as the two Peytons. - -Though her eyes showed traces of tears, Emily Bates was composed and met -the detective with an appealing face. - -"Do find the murderer!" she cried; "I don't care how much that room was -locked up, I know John Waring never killed himself! Why would he do it? -Did ever a man have so much to live for? He couldn't have taken his -life!" - -"I'm inclined to agree with you, Mrs. Bates," Morton told her, "yet you -must see the difficulties in the way of a murder theory. I'm told the -room was inaccessible. Is not that right, Mrs. Peyton?" - -Flustered at the sudden question the housekeeper wrung her hands and -burst into tears. "Oh, don't ask me," she wailed, "I don't know anything -about it!" - -"Nothing indicative, perhaps," and Morton spoke more gently, "but at -least, tell me all you do know. When did you see Doctor Waring last?" - -"At the supper table, last evening." - -"Not after supper at all?" - -"No; that is, I didn't _see_ him. I am training a new servant, and I -watched him as he took a tray of water pitcher and glasses into the -study, but I didn't look in, nor did I see the doctor." - -"Did you hear him?" - -"I don't think I heard him speak. I heard a paper rustle, and I knew he -was there." - -"The servant came right out again?" - -"Yes; my attention was all on him. I told him exactly what to do during -the evening." - -"What were those instructions?" - -"To attend to his dining-room duties, putting away the supper dishes and -that, and then to stay about, on duty, until Doctor Waring left his study -and went to bed." - -"This servant had done these things before?" - -"Not these things. He arrived but a few days ago, and Ito the butler, -attended to the Doctor. But Sunday afternoon and evening Ito has off, so -I began to train Nogi." - -"And this Nogi has disappeared?" - -"Yes; he is not to be found this morning. Nor has his bed been -disturbed." - -"Then we may take it he left in the night or early morning. Now the -doctors judge that Doctor Waring died about midnight. We must therefore -admit the possibility of a connection between the Jap's disappearance and -the Doctor's death." - -At this suggestion, Gordon Lockwood looked interested. Whereas he had -preserved a stony calm, his face now showed deep attention to the -detective's words and he nodded his head in agreement. - -"You think so, too, Mr. Lockwood?" Morton asked, in that sudden and often -disconcerting way of his. - -"I don't say I think so," the secretary returned, quietly, "but I do -admit a possibility." - -"It would seem so," Mrs. Peyton put in, "if Nogi could have got into the -study. But he couldn't. You know it was locked--impossible, Mr. -Lockwood?" - -"Yes," Gordon returned. "I heard Doctor Waring lock his door." - -"When was that?" asked the detective, sharply. - -"I should say about ten o'clock." - -"Where were you, then?" - -"Sitting in the window nook outside the study door." - -"Could you not, then, hear anything that went on in the study?" - -"Probably not. The walls and door are thick--they were made so for the -doctor's sake--he desired absolute privacy, and freedom from interruption -or overhearing. No, I could not know what was taking place in that -room--if anything was, at that time." - -"At what time did you last see the doctor?" - -"After supper I went with him to the study. I looked after his wants, -getting him a number of books from the shelves, and selecting from his -files such notes or manuscript as he asked for. Those are my duties as -secretary." - -"And then?" - -"Then he practically dismissed me, saying I might leave for the night. -But I remained in the hall window until eleven o'clock." - -"Why did you do this?" - -"Out of consideration for my employer. He was exceedingly busy and if a -caller came, I could probably attend to his wants and spare the doctor an -interruption." - -"Did any one call?" - -"No one." - -"Yet you remained until eleven?" - -"Yes; I was doing some work of my own, and it was later than I thought, -when I decided to go home." - -"And you spoke to the Doctor before leaving?" - -"As is my custom, I tapped lightly at the door and said good-night. This -is my rule, when he is busy, and if he makes no response, or merely -murmurs good-night, I know there are no further orders till morning, and -I go home." - -"Did he respond to your rap last night?" - -"I--I cannot say. I heard him murmur a good-night but if he did, it was -so low as to be almost inaudible. I thought nothing of it. Since he did -not call out. 'Come in, Lockwood,' as he does when he wants me, I paid -little attention to the matter." - -"And you reached home--when?" - -"Something after eleven. It's but a few steps over to the Adams house, -where I live." - -"Now," summed up the detective, "here's the case. You, Mr. Lockwood, are -not sure Doctor Waring responded to your good-night. You did not see or -hear him when Nogi took in the water tray?" - -"No; I did not." - -"Mrs. Peyton did not see him then, either--though she imagined she heard -a paper rustle. Nogi is gone--he cannot be questioned. So, Mr. Lockwood, -the last person whom we know definitely to have seen John Waring alive, -is yourself when, as you say, you left him at about--er--what time?" - -"About half-past eight or nine," said Lockwood, carelessly. - -"Yes; you left him and sat in the hall window. Now, we have no positive -evidence that he was alive after that." - -"What!" Lockwood stared at him. - -"No positive evidence, I say. Nogi went in, but no one knows what Nogi -saw in there." - -"Come now, Detective Morton," Lockwood said, coldly, "you're romancing. -Do you suppose for a minute, that if there had been anything wrong with -Doctor Waring when Nogi went in with the water, that he would not have -raised an alarm?" - -"I suppose that might have easily have been the case. The Japanese are -afraid of death. Their one idea is to flee from it. If that Japanese -servant had seen his master dead, he would have decamped, just as he did -do." - -"But Nogi was here when I went home. He handed me my overcoat and hat, -quite with his usual calm demeanor." - -"You must remember, Mr. Lockwood, we have only your word for that." - -Gordon Lockwood looked at the detective. - -"I will not pretend to misunderstand your meaning," he said, slowly and -with hauteur. "Nor shall I say a word, at present, in self defence. Your -implication is so absurd, so really ridiculous, there is nothing to be -said." - -"That's right," and Morton nodded. "Don't say anything until you get -counsel. Now, Mrs. Bates--I'm mighty sorry to bother you--but I must ask -you a few questions. And if I size you up right, you'll be glad to tell -anything you can to help discover the truth. That so?" - -"Yes," she returned, "yes--of course, Mr. Morton. But I can't let you -seem to suspect Mr. Lockwood of wrong-doing without a protest! Doctor -Waring's secretary is most loyal and devoted--of that I am sure." - -"Never mind that side of it just now. Tell me this, Mrs. Bates. Who will -benefit financially by Doctor Waring's death? To whom is his fortune -willed? I take it you must know, as you expected soon to marry him." - -"But I don't know," Emily Bates said, a little indignantly. "Nor do I see -how it can help you to solve the mystery to get such information as that. -You don't suppose anybody killed him for his money, do you?" - -"What other motive could there be, Mrs. Bates? Had he enemies?" - -"No; well, that is, I suppose he had some acquaintances who were -disappointed at his election to the College Presidency. But I'd hardly -call them enemies." - -"Why not? Why wouldn't they be enemies? It's my impression that election -was hotly contested." - -"It was," Mrs. Peyton broke in. "It was, Mr. Morton, and if Doctor Waring -was murdered--which I can't see how he was--some of that other faction -did it." - -"But that's absurd," Gordon Lockwood protested; "there was disappointment -among the other faction at the result of the election, but it's -incredible that they should kill Doctor Waring for that reason!" - -"The whole case is incredible," Morton returned. "What is it, Higby, what -have you found?" - -"The doctor," Higby said, coming into the living room, "they have just -noticed that although there is a pinhole in Doctor Waring's tie, there is -no stickpin there. Did he wear one?" - -"Of course he did," Mrs. Bates cried. "He had on his ruby pin yesterday." - -"He did so," echoed Mrs. Peyton. "That ruby pin was worth an immense sum -of money! That's why he was killed, then, robbery!" - -"He certainly wore that pin last night," said Lockwood. "Are you sure -it's missing? Hasn't it dropped to the floor?" - -"Can't find it," returned Higby, and then all the men went back to the -study. - -"Anything else missing?" asked Morton, who was deeply chagrined that he -hadn't noticed the pin was gone himself. - -"How about money, Mr. Lockwood?" said Doctor Marsh. "Any gone, that you -can notice?" - -With an uncertain motion, Gordon Lockwood pulled open a small drawer of -the desk. - -"Yes," he said, "there was five hundred dollars in cash here last -night--and now it is not here." - -"Better dismiss the suicide theory," said Detective Morton, with a quick -look at the secretary. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - THE VOLUME OF MARTIAL - - -The Medical Examiner, Doctor Marsh, the Detective Morton, and the -Secretary of the late John Waring, Gordon Lockwood, looked at one -another. - -Without any words having been spoken that might indicate a lack of -harmony, there yet was a hint of discord in their attitudes. - -Doctor Marsh was sure the case was a suicide. - -"You'll find the stiletto somewhere," he shrugged, when held upon that -point. "To find the weapon is not my business--but when a man is dead in -a locked room, and dead from a wound that could have been -self-administered, I can't see a murder situation." - -"Nor I," said Lockwood. "Has the waste-basket been searched for the thing -that killed him?" - -Acting quickly on his own suggestion, Gordon Lockwood dived beneath the -great desk. - -Like a flash, Morton was after him, and though the detective was not -sure, he thought he saw the secretary grasp a bit of crumpled paper and -stuff it in his pocket. - -"Now, look here, I'll make that search," Morton exclaimed, and almost -snatched the waste-basket from the other's grasp. - -"Very well," and Lockwood put his hands in his pockets and stood looking -on, as Morton fumbled with the scraps. - -He emptied the basket on the floor, but there were only a few torn -envelopes and memoranda, which were soon proved to be of no indicative -value to the searchers. - -"I'll save the stuff, anyway," Morton declared, getting a newspaper and -wrapping in it the few bits of waste paper. - -"Did you take a paper from this basket and put it in your pocket?" the -detective suddenly demanded. - -Lockwood, without moving, gave Morton a cold stare that was more negative -than any words could be, and was, moreover, exceedingly disconcerting. - -"Look here, Mr. Morton," he said, "if you suspect me of killing my -employer, come out and say so. I know, in story-books, the first one to -be suspected is the confidential secretary. So, accuse me, and get it -over with." - -The very impassivity of Lockwood's face seemed to put him far beyond and -above suspicion, and the detective, hastily mumbled, - -"Not at all, Mr. Lockwood, not at all. But you don't seem real frank, -now, and you must know how important it is that we get all the first hand -information we can." - -"Of course, and I'm ready to tell all I know. Go on and ask questions." - -"Well, then, what do you surmise has become of that five hundred dollars -and that ruby stickpin? Doesn't their disappearance rather argue against -suicide?" - -Lockwood meditated. "Not necessarily. If they have been stolen--" - -"Stolen! Of course they've been stolen, since they aren't here! I don't -see any safe." - -"No, Doctor Waring had no safe. There has been little or no robbery in -Corinth, and Doctor Waring rarely kept much money about." - -"Five hundred dollars is quite a sum." - -"That was for housekeeping purposes. Whenever necessary, I drew for him -from the bank that amount, and he kept it in that drawer until it was -used up. He always gave Mrs. Peyton cash to pay the servants and some -other matters as well as her own salary. His tradesman's bills were paid -by check." - -"Was the money in bills?" - -"I invariably brought it to him in the same denominations. Two hundred in -five dollar bills, two hundred in ones, and a hundred in silver coins." - -"In paper rolls?" - -"Yes; it may have been injudicious to keep so large a sum in his desk -drawer, but he always did. Though, to be sure, he often paid out a great -deal of it at once. Sometimes he would cash checks for some one or give -some to the poor." - -"Drawer never locked?" - -"Always locked. But both the Doctor and I carried a key. He was not so -suspicious of me as you are, Mr. Morton." The speaker gave his cold -smile. - -"And as to the ruby pin, Mr. Lockwood?" Morton went on. "Are you willing -we should search your effects?" - -Lockwood started and for a moment he almost lost his equipoise. - -"I am not willing," he said, after an instant's pause, "but if you say it -is necessary, I suppose I shall have to submit." - -Morton looked at him uneasily. He had no appearance of a criminal, he -looked too proud and haughty to be a culprit, yet might that not be sheer -bravado? - -Discontinuing the conversation, Morton turned his attention to the table -in the window in the hall where the secretary so often sat. - -He examined the appurtenances, for the table was furnished almost like a -desk, and he picked up a silver penholder. - -It was round and smooth and without chasing or marking of any sort, save -for the initials G. L. - -"This yours?" he asked, and Lockwood nodded assent. - -"I ask you, Doctor Marsh," Morton turned to the Examiner, "whether that -wound which is in Doctor Waring's neck could have been made with this -penholder." - -Startled, Marsh took the implement and carefully scrutinized it. Of usual -length, it was tapering and ended in a point. The circumference at the -larger end was just about the circumference of the wound in question. - -"I must say it could be possible," Marsh replied, his eyes alternately on -the penholder and on the dead man. "Yes, it is exactly the size." - -"And it is strong enough and sharp enough, and it is round," summed up -Morton. "Now, Mr. Lockwood, I make no accusation. I'm no novice, and I -know there's a possibility that this might have been the weapon used, and -yet it might not have been used by you. But I will say, that I have much -to say to you yet, and I advise you not to try to leave town." - -"I've no intention of leaving town or of trying to do so," Lockwood -asserted, "but," he went on, "would you mind telling me, if I killed the -man I was devoted to, how I left the room locked behind me?" - -"Those locked rooms bore me," said Morton, "I've read lots of detective -stories founded on that plot. Invariably the locked room proves to be -vulnerable at some point. I haven't finished examining the doors and -windows myself as yet." - -"Proceed with your examinations, then," said Lockwood; "if you can find a -secret or concealed entrance, it's more than I can do." - -"More than you will do, perhaps, but not necessarily more than you can -do." - -"Don't forget that vanished Japanese," prompted Marsh. "I've small faith -in Orientals, and if there is a way to get in and out secretly, I'd -question the Jap before I would Mr. Lockwood here." - -"So should I," declared the impassive secretary himself. "And another -thing don't forget, Morton, after the Private Secretary, the next person -to be suspected is the butler--that is in fiction, which I gather you -take as your manual of procedure." - -Lockwood's sarcasm drove Morton frantic, but he was too wise to show his -annoyance. - -"I shall neglect no possible suspect," he said, with dignity. - -And then two men came from the police, who said they were photographers -and desired to take some pictures, at the Chief's orders. - -Lockwood left them, and went to the living-room where the household and a -few neighbors were assembled. - -"I'm glad to get out of that detective atmosphere," he said, relaxing in -an easy chair. "It's bad enough to have the man dead, without seeing and -hearing those cold-blooded police bungling over their 'clues' and -'evidences.'" - -"Tell me a little of the circumstances," asked Mrs. Bates, who was -present. "I can bear it from you, Gordon, and I must know." - -"Apparently, Doctor Waring was sitting at his desk, reading," Lockwood -began, with a faraway look, as if trying to reconstruct the scene. "He -must have been reading Martial--for the volume was open on the desk--and -the pages were blood-stained." - -Mrs. Bates gave a little cry, and shuddered, but Lockwood went unmovably -on. - -"There were other books about, some open, some closed, but Martial was -nearest his hand--quite as if he were reading up to the last moment." - -"When the murderer came!" Mrs. Bates breathed softly, her eyes wide with -horror. - -"It couldn't have been murder," Lockwood said, in a positive way, "you -see, Mrs. Bates, it just couldn't have been. That Morton detective is -trying to trump up a way the assassin could have entered that locked -room--but he can't find any way. I know he can't. So it must have been -suicide. Much as we dislike to admit it, it is the only possible theory." - -"But they say there was robbery," Mrs. Peyton put in. "The ruby pin is -gone and the money from the drawer." - -"But, perhaps," Gordon said, "they were taken by a robber who did not -also murder his victim. Nogi, now--" - -"Of course!" cried Helen Peyton, quickly; "I see it! I never could abide -Nogi, with his stealthy ways. He stole the things, and then he ran away, -and later, Doctor Waring killed himself!" - -"Because of the robbery!" exclaimed Emily Bates. - -"Oh, no!" Lockwood returned. "Certainly not for that. Indeed, the motive -is the greatest mystery of all. We could perhaps imagine a motive for -murder--whether it was robbery, or some brute of 'the other faction' or -some old enemy of whom we know nothing. But for suicide, though I am sure -it was that, I can think of no motive whatever." - -"Nor I," said Mrs. Bates. "I knew him better than any of you, and I -know--I know for a certainty, that he was a happy man. That he looked -forward eagerly to his marriage with me, that he was happy in the thought -of his Presidency--that he hadn't a real trouble in the world." - -"The other faction," began Mrs. Peyton. - -"No," said Mrs. Bates, firmly. "He knew he was doing his duty, upholding -the principles and tradition of his College, and the other faction did -not worry him. He was too big-minded, too broad-visioned to allow that to -trouble him." - -"I think you're quite right, Mrs. Bates," Lockwood agreed; "but granting -it was suicide, what do you think was the cause?" - -"That's just it," she declared; "I don't think it was suicide, I know it -couldn't have been. He was too happy, too good, too fine, to do such a -thing, even if he had had a reason. And then, what did he do it with?" - -"Morton imagines a secret entrance of some sort," said Lockwood. "If -there is one, the robber could have come in afterward, and could have -carried off the weapon--" - -"Hush, Gordon," said Mrs. Bates, sternly. "That's too absurd! If it had -been suicide--which it wasn't--why under heaven would a burglar coming in -later, take away the weapon?" - -"To save himself," said Lockwood, shortly. "So he wouldn't be suspected -of the greater crime." - -"Nonsense!" said Mrs. Peyton, irately; "I never heard such rubbish! And, -in the first place, there's no secret entrance to the study. I haven't -swept and dusted and vacuum-cleaned that place all these years without -knowing that! Yes, and had the room redecorated and refloored, and--Oh, I -know every inch of it! There's no possible chance of a secret entrance. -Who built it and when and why? Not Doctor Waring. His life's always been -an open book. Never has he had any secret errands, any callers whom I -didn't know, any matters on which he was silent or uncommunicative. Until -his engagement to Mrs. Bates, he hadn't a ripple in his quiet life, and -that he told me about as soon as it occurred." - -Mrs. Peyton looked squarely at Doctor Waring's fiancee, as if to imply a -complete knowledge of the courtship, as well as an intimate knowledge of -the Doctor's life. - -"That's true," Lockwood said. "He was a man without secrets. He was -always willing I should open his mail, and there was never a letter that -I did not know about." - -Yet even as he spoke, the man remembered the crumpled paper he had taken -from the waste basket, and he felt it in his pocket, though he made no -sign. - -"Oh, people, is my aunt here?" - -It was Pinky Payne, who, all excitement, came running in. - -"I've just heard, and I want to see Aunt Emily." - -"Here I am, dear. Come here, my boy," and she drew him down beside her on -the sofa. - -"What do they say, Pinky? What's the talk in town?" Lockwood asked. - -"Oh, the place is in a turmoil. There are the wildest reports. Some say -it's a--a--that he killed himself, you know, and some say--he didn't. -Which was it?" - -The boy's lip quivered as he looked about at the silent people. - -"Tell him, Gordon," begged Mrs. Bates, and Lockwood told the principal -details of the mystery. - -"Never a suicide! never!" Pinckney Payne declared. "I know Doc Waring too -well for that. Suicide means a coward--and he was never that! No, Aunt -Emily, it was murder. Oh, how terrible," and the boy almost lost control -of himself. "You were at the bottom of it, Auntie. I'm sure it was either -one of those men you refused when you took up with Doc Waring." - -"Why, Pinckney! How dreadful of you! Don't say such a thing!" - -"But I know it. If you'd heard Jim Haskell and Philip Leonard talk--I -felt sure they meant to kill Doctor Waring." - -"Pinky, I forbid you--" - -"But it's true, Auntie. And if it's true, you want them shown up, don't -you, whichever one it was?" - -"Hush, Pinky--hush!" - -"Yes, shut up, Pink," Lockwood spoke sternly. "What you suggest is highly -improbable, but even if there's suspicion of such a thing, don't babble -about it. That's the detective's work." - -"Yes--and who's your detective? Old blind-as-a-bat Morton, I'll bet, who -can't see a hole through a ladder! I'll show him now--" - -"Pinky, I beg of you, hush," said his Aunt, losing her self-control. - -"There, Auntie, dear, don't cry. I didn't mean to worry you, but -something must be done--" - -"Something will be done, Pinky," Lockwood assured him. "But I tell you -right now, if you try to stick your inexperienced finger in this pie, -you'll make trouble for us all--from your aunt down. Now, behave -yourself. Try to be a man, not a foolish boy." - -"That's what I'm doing! And I don't propose to lie down on the job, -either. I tell you, Gordon. I know a lot about detective work--" - -"Cut it out, Pink," said Helen, and her words seemed to have an effect on -the irrepressible youth. "To read detective stories is one thing--to -solve a real, live mystery is quite another." - -"That's right, Helen," and Lockwood nodded approval. "Many a person -thinks he has a bit of detective instinct, when all he has is curiosity -and imagination." - -Helen, pleased at this appreciation went on to lay down the law for -Pinckney Payne. - -She was interrupted by the entrance of Morton who wanted to learn more of -the departed Japanese, Nogi. - -"What other servants are there?" he asked Mrs. Peyton. - -"Only the two Japanese," she replied. "They do all the cooking and -serving at table; all the cleaning of the house; and the rest, my -daughter and myself attend to." - -"There is a chauffeur?" - -"Yes, but the garage is a few blocks away, and the chauffeur lives at -home." - -"You had Nogi but a short time?" - -"Only a few days." - -"He came well recommended?" - -"He had very fine written recommendations, but from people I did not -know, and too far away to inquire of. I took him on trial." - -"He seemed honest and faithful?" - -"He seemed so--but he was silent and moody--a man one could scarcely -understand." - -"Can you imagine his killing his master--granting the opportunity?" - -Mrs. Peyton considered. "I can imagine it," she said, "but I shouldn't -like to say I would suspect him of it. He was soft-footed, and went about -with a sort of stealthy manner, but I'm not prepared to say he was wrong -in any way." - -"Call in Ito, the other one." - -Ito came, and stood stolidly by. His impassive demeanor was not unlike -that of Gordon Lockwood. Waring had sometimes remarked this in a chaffing -way to his secretary. - -"You knew this Nogi?" asked Morton. - -"Only since he came here," answered the butler, in perfect English. - -"You liked him?" - -"Neither yes nor no. He knew little of his duties, but he was willing to -learn. He was respectful to me, and friendly enough. I had no reason to -dislike him." - -Morton didn't seem to get anywhere with this man. - -"Well, what do you think of his character?" he said. "Would you say he -was capable of killing his employer?" - -"All men are capable of crime," said the Jap, in a low, even voice, "but -he could not kill Doctor Waring and go away leaving the study locked on -the inside." - -"Why did he go away, then?" - -"That I do not know. It may be he tired of the place here." - -"But there was money due him." - -"Yes; that makes it hard to understand." - -Morton had an uncomfortable feeling that the Japanese was scornful of -him, and, worse still, that the other listeners were also. - -"You may go," he told Ito, and then, turning to Lockwood, he said, a -little belligerently, "Who is in charge here? To whom do I make my -report?" - -The question was like a bombshell. All were silent, until Mrs. Bates -said, "I suppose I am what might be called in charge. You may report to -me." - -"To you, ma'am?" Morton was, clearly, surprised. - -"Yes; as Doctor Waring's affianced wife, and as his heir, I feel I am in -authority. And also, I wish all reports made to me, as I am the one most -deeply interested in learning the identity of the murderer." - -"If he was murdered," supplemented Mrs. Bates. - -And Mrs. Peyton broke in, "You needn't think, Mr. Morton, that there's -such a thing as a secret entrance or secret passage in this house, for I -know there is not." - -"Yet there are other theories, other possibilities," the detective said, -his air a little less important than it had been. "Suppose, now, that -Nogi had robbed and murdered his master, when he carried in the water -tray. Just suppose that, and suppose that, with his Japanese cunning he -had devised a way to lock the door behind him--or, say, he had gone out -by the glass door, and had locked that behind him." - -"How?" cried Pinckney, his eyes wide with excitement. - -"Say he had previously removed a pane of glass--they are not large panes. -Say, he reached through, locked the door inside--the French window, I -mean--and then had put in the pane, reputtied it, and gone away." - -"Gee!" cried the boy. "That could be!" - -"Of course it could. And there are other ways it might have been -accomplished. Now, we don't say that did happen, but what I want to know -is, who is at the head of this investigation?" - -"I can't feel that Mrs. Bates is," Mrs. Peyton said, a little sullenly. -"She was not married yet, and therefore, as resident housekeeper, I feel -rather in authority myself." - -"But you say you are the heir, Mrs. Bates?" the detective inquired. - -"Perhaps I ought not to have told that," Emily Bates spoke regretfully. -"But Doctor Waring's lawyer will tell you, it is true I am the principal -heir. It is so designated in his will, which you will find in a secret -drawer in his desk." - -"You know where this drawer is?" - -"I do." - -"Later on, I will ask you to show us. If you are the heir, there is no -further question of your authority here." - -And Detective Morton left the room. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - WHERE IS NOGI? - - -Twenty-four hours later Cray, the District Prosecuting Attorney, stood in -the Waring study. - -The body of the master had been removed, and to Cray's regret he had not -seen it before the embalmer's work had removed the red ring on the -forehead. - -"It was a sign," he said to Morton, who was moodily listening. "A sign -like that, left by the murderer, always means revenge." - -"You agree to murder, then?" Morton spoke eagerly, glad to have his -theory corroborated. - -"What else? Look here, Morton; it's got to be either murder or suicide, -hasn't it? Yes? Well, then, to which of the two do the greater number of -clues point? Sum up. For suicide we have only the locked room argument. I -admit I don't know how any one could get in or out of this study, but, as -I say, that's the only sign of suicide. Now, for murder we have the -absence of the weapon, the robbery of the money and the ruby, and sign of -a circle on the dead man's forehead. Wish I'd seen that. It wasn't burnt -on, for it disappeared after the embalmers took care of it." - -"Oh, no, it wasn't as deep as a burn. More like an impression left by a -ring of cold metal or the edge of a glass tumbler." - -"Very strange, and decidedly an important clue. For, here's the queer -part. The doctors declare the mark must have been made while the man was -alive--now, how can that be explained?" - -"Give it up. It's too much for me. But it was too small a circle to have -been made by the tumbler on the water tray. I measured it." - -"I know; that's why I think it was a sign of revenge. Suppose the motive -was revenge and the reason for revenge had something to do with a quarrel -in which a small glass or cup figured. That's the idea, though, of -course, it needn't have been a glass or cup at all, but something with a -ring-like edge. Thus, there was a reason for the sign on the dead man's -face." - -"I see; though I never could have doped it out like that." - -"Oh, I don't say it's exactly what happened, but there must have been -something of the sort, for what other hypothesis fits the case at all? We -can't imagine Doctor Waring branding his own forehead, and then killing -himself, can we?" - -"No; and if he had, where's the branding iron--to call it that--and -where's the dagger?" - -"That's right. Now, I propose to treat the matter as a murder case, and -look for the criminal first, and then find out how he entered the locked -room afterward." - -"Pooh! those locked rooms--" - -"You're 'way off, Morton, when you sneer at a 'locked room.'" - -"It was locked--I mean impenetrably locked. There is no secret -passage--of that I'm sure. Your ingenious idea of removing and replacing -a whole pane of glass was clever, I grant, but we've seen that not a pane -has been lately reputtied. They're all framed in old, dried, hard, and -even painted putty." - -"I know it. But some other such way might have been devised." - -"Can't think of any. We've examined all the window sashes and door -frame--oh, well, so far as I can see the room was absolutely unenterable. -But, notwithstanding, I'm going to work on a murder basis. Because -inexplicable as that seems, there are even more insurmountable -difficulties in the way of the suicide theory. Now, I suppose you've had -the finger print expert in?" - -"No--I haven't--not yet." - -"Good Lord! What kind of a detective are you? Well, get him, and put him -to work. What about footprints?" - -"Inside the room?" - -"Or outside, either. But inside, I suppose has been trampled by a score -of people!" - -"You can't get footprints on a thick rug," the discomfited Morton -grumbled. - -"Sometimes you can. And a polished floor will often show marks. What have -you done, anyway?" - -"There was enough to do, Mr. Cray," Morton flared back at him. "I have -been busy every minute since I began, except for a few hours sleep." - -"Over twenty-four hours since the alarm was given. You've put in at least -twelve, then. What have you done?" - -"A lot. I've found out, to my own satisfaction, that--if it is a -murder--Gordon Lockwood knows all about it." - -"You suspect him?" - -"Either of the deed, or of guilty knowledge." - -"And his motive?" - -"Money. That young man is over head and ears in debt." - -"To whom?" - -"To shops--jewelers, florists, restaurants. All the debts a gay young -blade would incur." - -"You amaze me, Morton. Lockwood isn't that sort." - -"Isn't he? You're deceived, like every one else, by that icy calm of his. -He stares haughtily, and appears above and beyond ordinary mortals, but -he's deep. That's what he is, deep." - -"Well, how did he do it?" - -"With his penholder. A smooth, sharp silver penholder. And he took the -money and the ruby." - -"And how did he leave the room?" - -"Don't ask me that! That's his secret. But, I've a notion he was in -cahoots with that new Jap, the one that vamoosed. I theorize," Morton -waxed important as he noted the Prosecutor's attention, "that the Jap had -some grudge against Waring, and it was he who branded his forehead, and -who contrived a way to leave the room locked behind him. Why, I read a -story the other day, where a key was turned from the other side of a door -by means of a slender steel bar through the key handle, and a string from -the bar, leading down and under the door. Once outside, the murderer -pulled the string, the bar turned the key in the lock, the bar fell to -the floor and he dragged it under the door by means of the string." - -"Ingenious! but it implies a door raised from the floor." - -"I know. And this one isn't. But it all goes to prove that there can be -some way--some diabolically clever way to do the trick. And the Japanese -are diabolically clever. And so is Lockwood. And if the two worked -together they could accomplish wonders. Then Lockwood with his wooden -face, could disarm suspicion. The Jap, let us say, couldn't, so Lockwood -packed him off." - -"Interesting--but all theory." - -"To be proved or disproved, then." - -"Yes, but meantime, you are losing time on more practical investigation. -Let's look outside for footprints--I mean for any one coming or going -from this side entrance." - -"The French window? Nobody comes or goes that way in this weather; the -path isn't even shoveled. That's used mostly in summer time." - -"Nevertheless," Cray opened the window door, "somebody has been here." - -Morton looked out and stared hard. How had he come to neglect a matter of -such importance. There were two plainly visible lines of footprints in -the snow, one quite obviously coming toward the house and one going away -from it. - -"There's your murderer," said Cray, quietly. - -"Oh, no," but Morton wriggled uneasily. "It couldn't be. No murderer is -going to walk through crusted snow, to and from the scene of his crime, -leaving definite footprints like those!" - -"That's no argument. He might have come here with no intent of crime, and -afterward, might have been so beside himself he couldn't plan safely." - -"Oh, well, get what you can from them," said Morton, pettishly. "I -suppose you deduce a tall man, with blue eyes and two teeth missing." - -"Don't be cheap, Morton. And, on the contrary, I deduce a small man. They -are small footprints, and close together. The Japanese are small men, -Morton." - -"Well, these prints are more than twenty-four hours old, and they're not -clear enough to incriminate anybody." - -"They haven't changed an iota from the moment they were made. This cold -snap has kept everything frozen solid. Look at the frost still on the -panes, the icicles still on the window sashes, the ice coating still on -all the trees and branches. In fact it has grown steadily colder since -night before last, and until it begins to thaw we have these footprints -as intact evidence. I will have them photographed." - -"They are small," Morton agreed after further examination. "And as you -say, too close together for an ordinary sized man. It looks like the -Jap." - -"Beginning to wake up, are you? You've sure been asleep at the switch, -Morton." - -"Nothing of the sort, Mr. Cray. But I ought to have help. I've had all I -could tackle, making the necessary first inquiries, and getting the facts -straightened out." - -"That business could have waited better than these other things. Now, -there's Crimmins, the lawyer arriving. Let's interview him. But not in -the study. Keep that clear." - -They met Crimmins in the hall, and took him to the living room. - -The matter of the will was immediately taken up, and Mrs. Bates was asked -to tell which desk drawer it was in. - -Accompanied by the lawyer and the secretary, Mrs. Bates indicated the -drawer, and Lockwood opened it with his key. - -There were a few papers in it but no will. - -Nor could further search disclose any such document. - -"Who took it?" said Mrs. Bates, blankly. - -But no one could answer her. The others came thronging in, Cray's urgent -requests to keep out of the study being entirely ignored. - -"I knew it," declared Mrs. Peyton, triumphantly. "Now, I guess you won't -be so cocky, Emily Bates--you or your 'authority!'" - -Mrs. Bates looked at her. "I am the heir," she said haughtily. "I assert -that--but I cannot prove it until the will is found. It isn't in your -possession, Mr. Crimmins?" - -"No; Doctor Waring preferred to keep it himself. I cannot understand its -disappearance." - -"A lot of paper has been burned in this fireplace," said Helen Peyton who -was poking the ashes around. - -Morton hastened to look, for it seemed to him as if everybody was -stealing his thunder. - -"Nothing that can be identified," he said, carelessly. - -"No?" demurred Cray. "At any rate, it looks as if some legal papers were -destroyed. This bit of ash is quite evidently the remainder of several -sheets folded together." - -But no definite knowledge could be gained outside the fact that much -paper had been burned there. As no fire had been made since the discovery -of the tragedy, it stood to reason the papers were burned by Doctor -Waring himself or by his midnight intruder, if there were such a one. - -"Well," Cray demanded of the lawyer, "if no will can be found, then who -inherits the property of Doctor Waring? And is it considerable?" - -"Yes; Doctor Waring had quite a fortune," Crimmins told them. "As to an -heir, he has a distant cousin--a second cousin, who, I suppose would be -the legal inheritor, in the absence of any will. But, I know he made a -will in Mrs. Bates' favor, and it included a few minor legacies to the -members of this household and some neighbors." - -"I know it," Mrs. Bates said. "I'm perfectly familiar with all the -bequests. But where is the will? It must be found! It can't have been -burnt!" - -"We've no right to assume that those paper ashes are the will, but I -confess I fear it," Crimmins announced, his face drawn with anxiety. "I -should be deeply sorry, if it is so, for the cousin I speak of is a ne'er -do well young man, and not at all a favorite of his late relative. His -name is Maurice Trask and he lives in St. Louis. I suppose he must be -notified in any case." - -"Yes," said Cray, "that must be done. But, please, all go out of this -room, for the finger print experts and the photographers are coming soon, -and every moment you people stay here, you help to cloud or destroy -possible clues." - -Impressed by his sternness, they filed out and gathered in the -living-room. - -There they found a neighbor, Saltonstall Adams, awaiting them. - -"I came over," he said, with scant preliminary greetings, "because I have -something to tell. You in charge, Mr. Cray?" - -"Yes, Salt, what do you know?" - -"This. I was awake late, night before last--the night Doc Waring died, -and I was looking out my window, and it was pretty light, with the snow -and the moonlight and all, and I saw a man--a small man, creeping along -sly like. And I watched him, he went along past my house down toward the -railroad tracks. He had a bag with him, and a bundle beside. I wouldn't -have noticed him probably, but he skulked along so and seemed so fearful -that somebody'd see him." - -"Nogi?" said Gordon Lockwood, calmly, looking at the speaker. - -"Don't say it was, and don't say it wasn't. But I went down to the -station and the station master told me that that Jap of Waring's went off -on the milk train." - -"He did!" cried Morton, "what time does that train go through?" - -"'Bout half past four. The fellow passed my house 'long about half past -twelve, I should say--though I didn't look, and he must have waited -around the station all that time till the milk train came along." - -"Is the station master sure it was Nogi?" asked Mrs. Peyton, greatly -excited. - -"Said he was, and there's mighty few Japs in Corinth, all told." - -"Of course it was Nogi," said Lockwood, and Morton snapped him up with, -"Why are you so sure?" - -Lockwood treated the detective to one of his most disconcerting stares, -and said, - -"You, a detective, and ask such a simple question! Why, since there are -but a very few Japanese in this town, and since one of them left on that -milk train, and since all the rest are accounted for, and only Nogi is -missing--it doesn't seem to me to require superhuman intelligence to -infer that it was Nogi who took his departure." - -"And who was mixed up in the murder of Doctor John Waring?" cried Morton, -exasperated beyond all caution by the ironic tone of Lockwood. "And, -unless you can explain some matters, sir, you may be considered mixed in -the same despicable deed!" - -"What matters?" Gordon Lockwood asked, but his already pale face turned a -shade whiter. - -"First, sir, you have a large number of unpaid bills in your possession." - -The secretary's face was no longer white. The angry blood flew to it, and -he fairly clenched his hands in an effort to preserve his usual calm, nor -even then, could he entirely succeed. - -"What if I have?" he cried, "and how do you know? You've searched my -rooms!" - -"Certainly," said Morton, "I warned you I should do so." - -"But, in my absence!" - -"The law is not always over ceremonious." - -"Now, Mr. Lockwood," Cray began, "don't get excited." - -Gordon Lockwood almost laughed. For him to be told not to get excited! -He, who never allowed himself to be even slightly ruffled or perturbed! -This would never do! - -"I'm not excited, Mr. Cray," he said, and he wasn't, now, "but I am -annoyed that my private papers should be searched without my knowledge. -Surely I might--" - -"Never mind the amenities of life, Mr. Lockwood," Cray went on; "your -effects were searched on the authority of a police warrant. Now, -regarding these bills--" - -"I have nothing to say. A man has a right to his unpaid bills." - -"But he has not a right to steal five hundred dollars in cash and a ruby -pin, in order to be able to pay them!" This from Morton, and instead of -replying to the detective in any way, Lockwood ignored the speech -utterly, quite as if he had not heard it, and addressed Cray. - -"Was anything further found to incriminate me?" he asked. - -"Was there anything else to be found?" said Cray, catching at the implied -suggestion. - -"That's for your sleuths to say. I know of nothing." - -"Well, there's your round, sharp penholder. And the fact that you had -keys to all desk drawers. Also the fact that only you and the Jap are -known to have been in that part of the house that night. These things -were not learned from the search of your rooms; but your pecuniary -embarrassment, which was discovered, all go together to make a web of -circumstances that call for investigation." - -"Don't beat about the bush!" exclaimed Lockwood, his lips set, and his -eyes staring coldly at the District Attorney. "I'd far rather be accused -definitely than have it hinted that I am responsible for this crime." - -"But we haven't sufficient evidence, Mr. Lockwood, to accuse you -definitely, that's why we must question you." - -"Sufficient! You haven't any evidence at all!" - -"Oh, we have some." With a turn of his head, Cray summoned a man who -stood at the hall door. - -The man came in, and handed Cray a report. - -"H'm," the attorney scanned the paper. "We find, Mr. Lockwood, fresh -finger prints on the chair which stood near Doctor Waring's desk. Facing -the Doctor's chair, in fact, as if some one had sat there talking to him. -Did you?" - -"No; I never sat down and talked to him. I was always waiting on him in -the matter of bringing books or taking letters for transcription, and in -any case, I either stood, or sat at my desk, never in that chair you -speak of." - -"This man will take the finger prints of all present," the Attorney -directed, and one and all submitted to the process. - -Old Salt Adams was greatly interested. - -"But you can't get the prints of Friend Jap," he said. "Like's not, he'd -be of more importance than all of us put together. Me, now, I can't see -where I come in." - -Yet, after time enough had passed to complete the processes, it was -learned that the finger prints on the shiny black wood of the chair under -discussion were indubitably those of Gordon Lockwood. Also, there were -other prints there, slightly smaller, that Cray immediately assumed to be -those of the missing Japanese. - -Lockwood looked more supercilious than usual, if that were possible. - -"How can you identify the prints of a man not here?" he asked with an -incredulous look. - -"Supposition not identification," said Cray, gravely. "But we're -narrowing these things down, and we may yet get identification." - -"Get the Jap back," advised Old Salt Adams. "That's your next move, Cray. -Get him, check up his finger prints and all that, and best of all get his -confession. There's your work cut out for you." - -"Find Doctor Waring's will," Mrs. Bates lamented. "There's your work cut -out for you. I am not unduly mercenary, but when I know how anxious -Doctor Waring was that I should inherit his estate, when I realize what -it meant that he drew this will before our marriage, so urgent was his -desire that all should be mine, you must understand that I do not -willingly forego it all in favor of a distant relative, whom, Mr. -Crimmins tells us, Doctor Waring did not care for at all." - -"I should say not!" and Crimmins looked positive. "It will be an outrage -if Mr. Trask inherits the estate already willed to Mrs. Bates. I stand -ready to do all I can to see justice done in this matter." - -"But justice, as you see it, can only result from finding the will," said -Cray. - -"Yes," agreed Crimmins, "and the whole matter opens up a new train of -thought. May not the distant cousin, this man Trask be in some way -responsible for the destruction of the will and the death of the -decedent?" - -"It is a new way to look," Cray agreed, with a thoughtful air; "and we -will look that way, you rest assured. We will at once get in touch with -this cousin, you will give us his address, and learn where he was and how -employed on the night of Doctor Waring's death. We still have to face the -problem of an outsider's exit from a locked room, and though it seems -more explicable in the case of a member of the household, yet a new -suspect brings fresh conditions, and perhaps fresh evidence, which may -show us where to look. At any rate, we must speedily find Mr. Maurice -Trask." - - - - - CHAPTER IX - A LOVE LETTER - - -"Look here, Esther," said old Salt to his wife, "that's a mighty curious -case over at Waring's." - -"How you do talk! I should think that to you and me, knowing and loving -John Waring as we did, you'd have no doings with the curious part of it! -As for me, I don't care who killed him. He's dead, isn't he? It can't -bring him back to life to hang his murderer. And to my mind it's -heathenish--all this detectiving and evidencing--or whatever they call -it. Whom do they suspect now? You?" - -Adams looked at his wife with a mild reproach. "Woman all over! No sense -of justice, no righteous indignation. Don't you know the murderer must be -found and punished? That is if it was a murder." - -"Of course it was! That blessed man never killed himself! And he about to -marry Emily Bates--a lady, if ever there was one!" - -"Well, now you listen to me, Esther, and whatever you do, don't go -babbling about this. They say the Jap, who vamoosed from the Waring -house, made a line of foot tracks in the snow. The snow's crusted over, -you know, and those footprints are about as clear now as when they were -made." - -"Huh! footprints! Corinth is full of footprints." - -"Yes, but these--listen, Esther--these lead straight from the Waring -house, over to this house. And back again." - -"How can they?" Mrs. Adams looked mystified. "That Japanese didn't come -over here." - -"You can't say that he didn't. And, look here, Esther, where's Miss -Austin? What's she doing?" - -"Miss Austin? She's in her room. She hasn't been quite up to the mark for -a day or two, and she's had her meals upstairs." - -"What's the matter with her?" - -"A slight cold, she says. I can't make her out, Salt. What's she doing -here, anyway?" - -"Don't pester her, my dear. How you and Bascom do love to pick at that -girl! Why does she have to do anything?" - -"It's queer, though. And I hate a mystery." - -"Well, she is one--I grant you that. Have you told her about Doctor -Waring? Though I daresay it wouldn't interest her." - -"And I daresay it would! Why, that girl cut his picture out of the paper, -and she did have one stuck up on her dresser, till I looked at it sort of -sharp like, and she put it away." - -"Poor child! Can't even have a newspaper cutting, if she wants it! You're -a tyrant, Esther! Don't you ever try to boss me like that!" - -The good-natured smile that passed between them, proved the unlikelihood -of this, and Old Salt went on. "I wish you'd tell her, wife, about the -tragedy. Seems like she ought to know." - -Mrs. Adams stared at him. "I'll tell her, as a matter of course, but I -don't know why you're so anxious about it." - -"Good morning, Miss Austin," the good lady said, soon after, "better this -morning?" - -"Yes, thank you. My cold is almost entirely well." - -The girl was sitting by the window, in an easy chair. She had on a -Japanese dressing gown of quilted silk, embroidered with chrysanthemums, -and was listlessly gazing out across the snow covered field opposite. - -The Adams house was on the outskirts of the little town, and separated by -a wide field from the Waring place. - -"Heard the news about Doctor Waring?" Mrs. Adams said, in a casual tone, -but watching the girl closely. - -"No; what is it?" - -The words were simple, and the voice steady, but Miss Austin's hands -clutched the arms of the chair, and her face turned perfectly white. - -"Why, what ails you? You don't know the man, do you?" - -"I--I heard him lecture, you know. Tell me--what is the--the news?" - -"He's dead." Mrs. Adams spoke bluntly on purpose. She had felt in a vague -way, that this strange person, this Miss Mystery, had more interest in -Doctor Waring than she admitted, and the landlady was determined to find -out. - -To her own satisfaction she did find out, for the girl almost fainted. -She didn't quite lose consciousness, indeed it was not so much a faint as -such a desperate effort to regain her poise, that it unnerved her. - -"Now, now, Miss Austin, why do you take it so hard? He was a stranger to -you, wasn't he?" - -"Yes--yes, of course he was." - -"Why are you so disturbed then?" - -"He was such a--such a fine man--" the girl's stifled sobs impeded her -speech. - -"Well, somebody killed him." - -At that, Miss Austin seemed turned to stone. "Killed him!" she whispered, -in accent of terror. - -"Yes--or else he killed himself--they don't feel sure." Mrs. Adams, once -embarked on the narrative, told all she knew of the circumstances, and in -the exciting recital, almost forgot to watch the effect of the tale on -her listener. - -But this effect was not entirely unnoted. At the partly open door, Old -Salt Adams, stood, eavesdropping, but with a kindly, anxious look on his -face, that boded no ill to any one. - -And he noticed that the girl's attention was wandering. She was pitifully -white, her face drawn and scared, and soon she exclaimed, with a burst of -nervous fury, "Stop! please stop! Leave the room, won't you?" - -It was not a command but an agonized entreaty. Mrs. Adams fairly jumped, -and alarmed as well as offended, she rose and started for the door, only -to meet her husband entering. - -"Go downstairs, Esther," he said, gravely, "I want to speak to Miss -Austin myself." - -Staring at one then at the other, and utterly routed by this unbelievable -turn of affairs, Mrs. Adams went. - -Old Salt closed the room door, and turned to the trembling girl. - -"Miss Austin," he said kindly, "I like you, I want to help you--but I -must ask you to explain yourself a little. The people in my house call -you Miss Mystery. Why are you here? Why are you in Corinth at all?" - -For a moment the girl seemed about to respond to his kindly, gentle -attitude and address. Then, something stayed her, and she let her lovely -face harden to a stony blankness, as she replied, "It is a bit intrusive, -but I've no reason not to tell. I am an art student, and I came here to -paint New England winter scenery." - -"Have you done much?" - -"I haven't been here quite a week yet--and I've been picking out -available bits--and for two days I've had a cold." - -"How did you get cold?" The voice was kind but it had a definite note, as -if desirous of an accurate answer. - -Miss Mystery looked at him. - -"How does any one get cold?" she said, trying to smile; "perhaps sitting -in a draught--perhaps by means of a germ. It is almost well now." - -"Perhaps by walking in the snow, and getting one's feet wet," Mr. Adams -suggested, and the girl turned frightened eyes on him. - -"Don't," she breathed; "Mr. Adams, don't!" Her voice was piteous her eyes -implored him to stop torturing her. - -"Why, what's the harm in my saying that?" he went on, inexorably. "You -wouldn't go anywhere that you wouldn't want known--would you--Miss -Mystery?" - -He spoke the last two words in a meaning way, and the great dark eyes -faced him with the look of a stag at bay. - -Then again, by a desperate effort the girl recovered herself, and said, -coldly, - -"Please speak plainly, Mr. Adams. Is there a special meaning in your -words?" - -"There is, Miss Austin. Perhaps I have no right to ask you why--but I do -ask you if you went over to Doctor Waring's house, late in the -evening--night before last?" - -"Sunday night, do you mean?" - -Miss Mystery controlled her voice, but her hands were clenched and her -foot tapped the floor in her stifled excitement. - -"Yes, Sunday night." - -"No; of course I did not go over there at night. I was there in the -afternoon, with Mrs. Bates and Mr. Payne." - -"I know that. And you then met Doctor Waring for the first time?" - -"For the first time," she spoke with downcast face. - -"The first time in your life?" - -"The first time in my life," but if ever a statement carried its own -denial that one seemed to. The long dark lashes fell on the white cheeks. -The pale lips quivered, and if Anita Austin had been uttering deepest -perjury she could have shown no more convincing evidence of falsehood. - -Yet old Salt looked at her benevolently. She was so young, so small, so -alone--and so mysterious. - -"I can't make you out," he shook his head. "But I'm for you, Miss Austin. -That is," he hedged, "unless I find out something definite against you. I -feel I ought to tell you, that you've enemies--yes," as the girl looked -up surprised, "you've made enemies in this house. Small wonder--the way -you've acted! Now, why can't you be chummy and sociable like?" - -"Chummy? Sociable? With whom?" - -"With all the boarders. There's young Lockwood now--and there's young -Tyler--" - -"Yes, yes, I know. I will--Mr. Adams--I will try to be more sociable. -Now--as to--to Doctor Waring--why did he kill himself?" - -Old Salt eyed her narrowly. "We don't know that he did," he began. - -"But Mrs. Adams told me all the details"--she shuddered, "and if that -room he was in was so securely locked that they had to break in, how -could it be the work of--of another?" - -"Well, Miss Austin, as they found a bad wound in the man's neck, just -under his right ear, a wound that produced instant unconsciousness and -almost instant death, and as no weapon of any sort could be found in the -room, how could it have been suicide?" - -"Which would you rather think it?" the strange girl asked, looking -gravely at him. - -"Well, to me--I'm an old-fashioned chap--suicide always suggests -cowardice, and Doc Waring was no coward, that I'll swear!" - -"No, he was not--" - -"How do you know?" - -Miss Mystery started at the sudden question. - -"I heard him lecture, you know," she returned; "and, too, I saw him in -his home--Sunday afternoon--and he seemed a fine man--a fine man." - -"Well, Miss Austin," Old Salt rose to go, "I'm free to confess you're a -mystery to me. I consider myself a fair judge of men--yes, and of women, -but when a slip of a girl like you acts so strange, I can't make it out. -Now, I happen to know--" - -He paused at the panic-stricken look on her face, and lamely concluded; - -"Never mind--I won't tell." - -With which cryptic remark he went away. - -"Well, what you been saying to her?" demanded his aggrieved spouse, as -the Adamses met in their own little sitting-room. - -"Why, nothing," Old Salt replied, and his troubled eyes looked at her -pleadingly. "I don't think she's wrong, Esther." - -"Well, I do. And maybe a whole lot wrong. Why, Saltonstall, Miss Bascom -says she _saw_ Miss Austin traipsing across the field late Sunday night." - -"She didn't! I don't believe a word of it! She's a meddling old maid--a -snooping busybody!" - -"There, now, you carry on like that because you're afraid we will -discover something wrong about Miss Mystery." - -"Look here, Esther," Adams spoke sternly; "you remember she's a young -girl, without anybody to stand up for her, hereabouts. Now, you know what -a bobbery a few words can kick up. And we don't want that poor child's -name touched by a breath of idle gossip that isn't true. I don't believe -Liza Bascom saw her out on Sunday night! I don't even believe she thought -she did!" - -"Well, I believe it. Liza Bascom's no fool--" - -"She's worse, she's a knave! And she hates little Austin, and she'd say -anything, true or false, to harm the girl." - -"But, Salt, she says she saw Miss Austin, all in her fur coat and cap -going cross lots to the Waring house Sunday evening--late." - -"Can she prove it?" - -"I don't know about that. But she saw her." - -"How does she know it was Miss Austin? It might have been somebody who -looked like her." - -"You know those footprints." - -"The Jap's?" - -"You can't say they're the Jap's. Miss Bascom says they're the Austin -girl's." - -"Esther!" Old Saltonstall Adams rose in his wrath, "you ought to be -ashamed of yourself to let that girl's name get into the Waring matter at -all. Even if she did go out Sunday night, if Miss Bascom did see her, you -keep still about it. If that girl's wrong, it'll be discovered without -our help. If she isn't, we must not be the ones to bring her into -notice." - -"She couldn't be--be implicated--could she, Salt?" - -"No!" he thundered. "Esther, you astound me. That Bascom woman has turned -your brain. She's a viper, that's what _she_ is!" - -He stormed out of the room, and getting into his great coat, tramped down -to the village. - -Gordon Lockwood was in his room. This was much to the annoyance of -Callie, the impatient chambermaid, who wanted to get her work done. - -Lockwood was himself impatient to get over to the Waring house, for he -had much to do with the mass of incoming mail and the necessary -interviews with reporters and other callers. - -Yet he tarried, in his pleasant bedroom at Mrs. Adams', his door securely -locked, and his own attitude one of stupefaction. - -For the hundredth time he reread the crumpled paper that he had taken -from the study waste-basket under the very nose of Detective Morton. - -Had that sleuth been a little more worthy of his profession he never -would have allowed the bare-faced theft. - -And now that Lockwood had it he scarce knew what to do with it. - -And truly it was an astonishing missive. - -For it read thus: - -My darling Anita: - -At the first glance of your brown eyes this afternoon, love was born in -my heart. Life is worth living--with you in the world! And yet-- - -That was all. The unfinished letter had been crumpled into a ball and -thrown in the basket. Had another been started--and completed? Had Anita -Austin received it--and was that why she kept to her room for two days? -Was she a--he hated the word! a vamp? Had she secretly become acquainted -with John Waring during her presence in Corinth, and had so charmed him -that he wrote to her thus? Or, had they known each other before? What a -mystery! - -There was not the slightest doubt of the writing. Lockwood knew it as -well as he knew his own. And on top of all the other scraps in the -waste-basket it must have been the last missive the dead man wrote--or, -rather the last he threw away. - -This meant he had been writing it on the Sunday evening. Then, Lockwood -reasoned, knowing the routine, if he had written another, which he -completed and addressed, it would, in natural course, have been put with -the letters for the mail, and would have been posted by Ito that next -morning. - -What an oversight, never to have asked Ito about that matter. - -It was an inviolable custom for the butler to take all letters laid on a -certain small table, and put them in the pillar box, early in the -morning. - -Had Ito done this? It must be inquired into. - -But far more absorbing was the actual letter before him. How could it be -possible that John Waring, the dignified scholar, the confirmed bachelor, -should have loved this mystery girl? - -Yet, even as he formulated the question, Gordon Lockwood knew the answer. -He knew that from his own point of view it would not be impossible or -even difficult for any man with two eyes in his head to love that -fascinating, enchanting personality. - -And as he pondered, he knew that he loved her himself. Yes, had loved her -almost from the moment he first saw her. Certainly from the time he sat -behind her at the lecture, and counted the queer little ball fringes in -the back of her dainty gown. - -Those fringes! Lockwood gave a groan as a sudden thought came to him. - -He jumped up, and with a determined air, set about burning the -inexplicable letter that John Waring had written and thrown away. - -In the empty fireplace of the old-fashioned room, Lockwood touched a -match to the sheet and burned it to an ash. - -Then he went over to the Waring house. - -It was an hour or so later that Callie reported to Miss Bascom. - -"Queer goin's on," the girl said, rolling her eyes at her eager listener, -"Mr. Lockwood, now, he burnt some papers, and Miss Austin, too, she burnt -some papers." - -"What's queer about that?" snapped Miss Bascom, who had hoped for -something more sensational. - -"Well, it's sorta strange they're both burnin' paper at the same time. -And both so sly about it. Mr. Lockwood he kep' lookin' back at the -fireplace as he went outa the door, and Miss Austin, she jumped like she -was shot, when I come in suddenly an' found her stoopin' over the -fireplace. An' too, Miss Bascom, whatever else she burnt, she burnt that -picture she had of Doctor Waring." - -"Did she have his picture?" - -"Yep, one Mr. Lockwood guv her, after Nora carried off the one she cut -out of a paper." - -"What in the world did that girl want of Doctor Waring's picture?" - -"I dunno, ma'am. What they call hero-worship, I guess. Just like I've got -some several pictures of Harold Massinger, that man who plays Caveman in -the Movies! My, but he's handsome!" - -"And so Miss Austin burned a photograph of John Waring?" - -"Yes, ma'am. And you know they're kinda hard to burn. Anyways, she was a -kneelin' by the fireplace an' the picture was smokin' like everything." - -"'Lemme help you miss,' I says, as polite as could be--"and watcha think, -she snatched back, and says, 'You lemme lone. Get outahere!' or somethin' -like that. Oh, she was mad all right." - -"She has a high temper, hasn't she?" - -"Yes'm, there's no denyin' she has. Then again, she's sweet as pie, and -nice an' gentle. She's a queer makeup, I will say." - -"There, Callie, that will do; don't gossip," and Miss Bascom, sure she -had learned all the maid had to tell, went downstairs to tell it to Mrs. -Adams. - -The landlady seemed less receptive than usual, being still mindful of her -husband's admonitions. But Miss Bascom's story of the burnt photograph -roused her curiosity to highest pitch. - -"There's something queer about that girl," Mrs. Adams opined, and the -other more than agreed. - -"Let's go up and talk to her," Miss Bascom suggested, and after a -moment's hesitation, Mrs. Adams went. - -The landlady tapped lightly at the door, but there was no response. - -"Go right in," the other whispered, and go in they did. - -Miss Mystery lay on the couch, her eyes closed, her cheeks still wet with -tears. She did not move, and after a moment's glance to assure herself -the girl was sound asleep, Miss Bascom audaciously opened one of the -small top drawers of the dresser. - -Mrs. Adams gasped, and frantically made motions of remonstrance, but -swiftly fingering among the veils and handkerchiefs, Miss Bascom drew out -a large roll of bills, held by an elastic band. - -Anita Austin's eyes flew open, and after one staring glance at the -intrusive woman, she jumped from the couch and flew at her like a small -but very active tiger. - -"How dare you!" she cried, snatching the money from Miss Bascom's hand, -even as that elated person was unrolling it. - -And from inside the roll, down on the painted floor, fell a ruby -stickpin. - - - - - CHAPTER X - WHO IS MISS MYSTERY? - - -Mrs. Adams fell limply into a chair, her round eyes staring in horror. - -Miss Bascom had taken upon herself the role of dictator and with an -accusing finger pointed at Miss Mystery she said: - -"What have you to say for yourself?" - -"Nothing," replied Anita Austin, coolly, "except to insist that you leave -my room." - -"Leave your room, indeed! I am only too glad to! And I know where to go, -too." - -Miss Bascom's determined air as she strode out of the door gave a hint of -her desperate intention and within five minutes she was out on the road -toward the village. - -Mrs. Adams, still almost speechless with surprise and dismay, looked -sorrowfully at Anita. Something in the girl's face stayed the kindly -words the woman meant to say, and, instead, she broke out: - -"You must leave this house! What are you anyway? A thief--and a -murderer?" - -"Oh! Don't!" Anita put up her hand as if to ward off a physical blow. - -Then, as if the cruel words had stung her to a quickened sense of her own -danger, she cried, piteously: - -"Oh, Mrs. Adams, help me--protect me--won't you? I don't know what to -do--I'm all alone--so alone--" - -She sank into a chair and buried her face in her hands. - -Esther Adams was uncertain what course to pursue. Should she protect this -guilty girl, of whom she really knew nothing, or should she dismiss her -at once from her house, in the interests of her other boarders, who must -be considered? - -Surely, her first duty was to the others--the people she had known so -long, and who looked upon her house as a home and a safeguard. - -"You must go," she said, though her voice wavered as she saw the pathetic -face Anita raised to look at her. - -"Oh, no! Don't send me away! Where could I go? Even the Inn people -wouldn't take me!" - -"Of course they wouldn't! Go home! Haven't you a home? Who are you, -anyway? But I don't care who you are--you must get out of this house -today--this morning. Do you hear?" - -Meantime Miss Bascom, on her virtuous errand had trotted quickly to the -office of the Prosecuting District Attorney. - -There, however, she was told that Mr. Cray was over at the Waring house, -and she concluded to go there. Nor did this displease her. She longed to -be in the limelight, and the tale she had to tell would surely give her -the right to be there. - -Mrs. Peyton received her coldly, for the two were not friends. - -"I came to see Mr. Cray," Miss Bascom announced, "on important business." - -"Oh, very well," the housekeeper returned, "take a seat and I'll ask him -to see you." - -Miss Bascom waited in the living-room, secure in her knowledge of the -importance of her news. - -The attorney welcomed her cordially for he saw at once that she brought -news of value. - -And, expressed in emphatic language, and interspersed with many and -unfavorable personal opinions, Liza Bascom told of the incident of -finding the money and the ruby in Miss Austin's bureau drawer. - -"Astonishing!" commented Cray. "Who is she?" - -"Nobody knows, that's the queer part. We call her Miss Mystery." - -"Where did she come from?" - -"Nobody knows. She just appeared." - -"Don't the Adamses know?" - -"No, they don't." - -"A young girl, you say?" - -"She appears to be very young--but you never can tell with those sly -things. I daresay she makes herself look several years younger than she -really is." - -"Did she know Doctor Waring?" - -"How do I know? She came over to this house late Sunday night--for I saw -her--" - -"Good heavens! Are you sure?" - -"Well, it was fairly light, with the moon, and the snow all over the -ground, you know, and I saw her, all wrapped up in her fur coat, sneaking -away from the house--" - -"How late?" - -"Oh--after everybody had gone upstairs and the lights were all out at the -Adamses." - -"You saw her come back?" - -"No; I didn't think much about it at the time--she's a crazy piece -anyway--and--" - -"What do you mean by a crazy piece?" - -"Why, she's queer--not like other folks. She won't have anything to do -with any of us over there--" - -"That doesn't make her out crazy." - -Miss Bascom shrugged impatiently. "I don't mean insane or demented. I -only mean sly and secretive. She never speaks to anybody at the -table--and though she makes eyes at Gordon Lockwood, she snubs Mr. Tyler, -who is just as good a young man. They both admire her--anybody can see -that, but she treats them like the dust under her feet." - -"Not an adventuress, then?" - -"I don't know. But I do know she's a thief--or how did she get that money -and the ruby?" - -"Perhaps Doctor Waring gave them to her?" - -"Then she is a wrong one! Why should he give a strange girl such things?" - -"If he was in love with her--" - -"Now, look here, Mr. Cray, do try to show ordinary common sense! Doctor -Waring was about to marry Mrs. Bates, a sweet, dear woman, of suitable -age. Is he going to have a little flibbertigibbet coming to see him late -at night, for any romantic reasons?" - -Cray hesitated to speak his mind, but he ruminated that he had heard of -such things, in the course of his life. Miss Bascom, he thought was an -unsophisticated old maid, but there was certainly a new condition to be -investigated, and the case of Miss Anita Austin must be carefully -considered. - -"Now, Miss Bascom," he said, diplomatically, "I'll have to ask you to -keep this whole matter quiet for a time. You must see that we can't work -successfully if we take the whole town into our confidence. Or even this -entire household." - -"Don't you try to bamboozle me, Stephen Cray! I know your sort. You want -to keep this matter quiet because you want to get that girl off scotfree! -I know you men! Just because she has a pair of big, dark eyes and a slim -little shape you are ready to hide her guilt and let her off easy. I -won't have it! That girl stole those things, or else she got them from -poor John Waring in a way no decent woman would--" - -"What are you talking about, Liza Bascom?" - -Mrs. Peyton appeared in the doorway, and though she asked the question, -it was fairly evident that she knew the answer, and had been listening. - -"Yes," she went on, "I've been listening at the door, and I'm glad I did. -First of all, I won't have Doctor Waring's name traduced, and next, if -there's a girl implicated in the matter, the whole truth about her has -got to come out! I know the girl, she was here Sunday afternoon, and a -more brazen-faced, bold-mannered chit, I never want to see!" - -"She was here?" asked the bewildered Cray. "You know her?" - -"I know all I want to know of her," Mrs. Peyton declared. "Yes, she was -here--came over with Emily Bates and Pinky. Wouldn't condescend to be -really one of us, but just acted offish and seemed to me about -half-witted." - -"Don't be silly," put in Miss Bascom. "That's the last thing to say of -her! Whatever that girl may be she's got all her wits about her! I can -see that for myself." - -"Was Doctor Waring present when Miss Austin was here?" asked Cray, -thinking hard. - -"Yes," replied Mrs. Peyton, "and that's a strange thing. When he first -saw her--unexpectedly, you know--he dropped his teacup." - -"Because of the meeting?" asked Cray. - -"I don't know," Mrs. Peyton said. "He declared afterward he had never -seen the girl before--but--oh--I can't believe she came back here that -night!" - -"Of course she didn't," Cray said. "How could she get in, unless someone -admitted her." - -"There's the French window in the study," Mrs. Peyton suggested, -uncertainly. "Doctor Waring could have let her in that way--" - -"Well, he didn't!" Miss Bascom declared. "Land! I've known John Waring -all my life, and he's not the kind of man that had anything to do with -flirtatious young women." - -Of a truth, Liza Bascom had known Waring for many years and had spent a -number of them in desperate efforts to persuade him to renounce -bachelorhood in her favor. - -Yet her words carried little weight with Attorney Cray, who fancied that -he knew men better than the insistent spinster possibly could. - -"Miss Bascom," he said, after further thought, "and Mrs. Peyton, too, I'm -going to ask you--I'm going to instruct you to keep this matter quiet -until after the funeral of Doctor Waring. That occurs tomorrow, and I -want a day or so to look into this thing quietly. We would gain nothing -by rushing matters. I will see Miss Austin, of course, and rest assured, -if she is guilty of any wrong doing, she shall not escape. But it is a -serious matter to accuse a suspect without giving any chance for -explanation--" - -"There's no explanation of that ruby pin and all that money, that is not -incriminating to that girl!" Miss Bascom exclaimed. - -"Nevertheless, I am in authority, and I forbid you to discuss the -connection of Miss Austin with the case at all." - -Cray knew how to impress belligerent women, and he even added a hint of -their making trouble for themselves unless they obeyed his explicit -command. - -He returned to the study, where Gordon Lockwood was going over the -morning's mail. - -The secretary was a busy man, for his late employer had had a number of -diversified interests and every mail brought letters, catalogues, -circulars and newspapers that required careful attention. John Waring had -been a collector of rare books, and other curios, and was interested in -several literary enterprises. - -To many of these correspondents Lockwood could merely send a statement of -the Doctor's death. But others involved careful and wise judgment, and -Lockwood conscientiously discharged his duties. - -The study had been put in order, and all traces of the tragedy had been -removed. The books that had been on the desk, including the blood-stained -copy of Martial, Lockwood had, after consideration, restored to their -places on the shelves. - -Although it gave him a thrill of horror, Lockwood had nerved himself to -appropriate Waring's desk, for it meant far greater convenience in his -work. - -He sat there as Cray entered, and raised his impassive face to note the -attorney's excitement. - -"By Jove, Lockwood," Cray, exclaimed, as he closed the door behind him, -"there's a new way to look, which seems to promise to straighten out a -lot of things. Do you know that little piece over at your boarding house, -named Austin?" - -"I know her slightly. What about her?" - -From Lockwood's voice no one would suspect that his heart was pounding -desperately. - -"Well, she was here late Sunday night! What do you know about that?" - -"I don't know anything about it," returned Lockwood, coldly, "and I don't -believe it. For if she had been here I should have known about it. I was -here myself, just outside the study door, until eleven. You don't mean -later than that, do you?" - -"Dunno. The Bascom spinster tells the story--" - -"Then don't bank on it. With all due deference to Miss Bascom, I know she -is not always a reliable source of information." - -"But she says she saw the girl coming over here late that night--" - -"She didn't! It's not true! What under the heavens would she have come -for?" - -"What does any girl visit a man for?" Cray gave an unpleasant wink, and -Lockwood with difficulty controlled an insane desire to spring at his -throat. "And, beside, she is even now in possession of the missing five -hundred dollars and the ruby pin." - -"I don't believe it!" - -"See here, Mr. Lockwood, it doesn't matter to anybody whether you believe -these things or not. Miss Austin has the valuables, and I'm going over -there now to inquire how she got them. Also, it just occurs to me that -those small footprints leading across the field, are directed toward the -Adams house, and may have been made by a woman as likely as by our -hypothetical small-footed man." - -"Those are Nogi's footprints." - -"How do you know?" - -"Common sense. Even if Miss Austin did come over here for any reason she -would have come by the street, not across the snowy field." - -"Apparently she chose the field. So I'm going to ask her why." - -"All right, Cray, but you must admit you're illogical, inconsequent and -inconsistent. You think I killed Doctor Waring, because I have a sharp, -round penholder, and owe some large bills. Then, because a gossiping old -maid comes over here and babbles, you fly off at a tangent and accuse an -unprotected girl of absurd and unbelievable crime." - -"Oho! Interested in the siren yourself, eh?" - -"No; I'm not--if you mean Miss Austin. That is, not personally." - -Few men could have told this lie with such a convincing manner but -Lockwood's phlegmatic calm stood him now in good stead, and his air of -obvious indifference carried conviction. - -"But," he went on, "I am sorry for her. It's nobody's business who or -what she is, yet those women over at the Adams house are one and all -possessed to find out something against her. I only want to advise you, -Cray, if you talk to anybody over there, get Old Salt himself. He's more -fair minded than his wife or the other women." - -"Men are apt to be--where a pretty girl is concerned," said Cray, drily, -and Lockwood ground his teeth in rage, as the Attorney went away. - -His demand to see Miss Austin was listened to by Old Salt Adams, who had -seen him coming and opened the door for him. - -"Well, Cray," said the old man, as he ushered him into the sitting room -and shut the door. "I know what you're after--and I just want to say, go -slow. That's all--go slow." - -"All right, Salt. Will you send Miss Austin down here--also, I must -interview her alone." - -"Yes--I understand. But don't be led away now, by circumstantial -evidence. You know yourself, it isn't always dependable." - -"Go along, Salt, don't try to teach me my business. Have you talked to -the girl?" - -"Not a word. My wife has, but she didn't learn much." - -Adams went away, and in a few moments Anita Austin came into the room. - -A first glance showed Cray's experienced eye that the girl was what he -called a siren. - -Her oval, olive face was sad and sweet. The pale cheeks were not touched -up with artificial color, and the scarlet lips were, even to his close -scrutiny, also devoid of applied art. She wore a smart little gown of -black taffeta, with crisp, chic frills of finely plaited white organdie. - -Whether this was meant as mourning wear or not, Cray could not determine. - -The frock was fashionably short, showing thin silk stockings and black -suede ties. - -But Miss Mystery seemed wholly unconscious of her clothes, and her great -dark eyes were full of wondering inquiry as she looked at the attorney, -and then a little diffidently offered a greeting hand. - -The little brown paw touched Cray's with a pathetic, hopeful clasp, and -he looked up quickly to find himself looking into a pair of hopeful eyes, -that, without a word, expressed confidence and trust. - -He shrugged his shoulders a trifle and secretly admonished himself to -keep a tight rein on his sympathy. - -Then relinquishing the lingering hand, he sat down opposite the chair she -had chosen to occupy. - -"Miss Austin," he began, and paused, for the first time in his life -uncertain what tack to take. - -"Yes," she said, as the pause grew longer, and her soft, cultured voice -helped him not at all. - -How could he say to this lovely small person that he suspected her of -wrong doing? - -"Go on, Mr. Cray," she directed him, meantime looking at him with eyes -full of a haunting fear, "what is it?" - -Cray had a sudden, insane feeling that he would give all he was worth for -the pleasure of removing that look of fear, then commanding himself to -behave, he said, - -"I am sorry, Miss Austin, but I must ask you some unpleasant questions." - -"That's what I'm here for," she said, with the ghost of a smile on her -curved red lips, and, smoothing down her taffeta lap, she demurely -clasped her sensitive little hands and waited. - -Those hands bothered Cray. Though they lay quietly, he felt that at his -speech they would flutter in anxiety--even in fear, and he was loath to -disturb them. - -Because of this hesitancy, he plunged in more abruptly than he meant to -do. - -"Where do you come from, Miss Austin?" - -"New York City," she said, a brighter look coming to her face, as if she -thought the ordeal would not be so terrible after all. - -"What address there?" - -"One West Sixty-seventh Street." - -"You told some one else the Hotel Plaza." - -"Yes; I have lived at both addresses. Why?" - -The "why" was disconcerting. After all, Cray thought, he was not a census -taker. - -He gave up getting past history, and said, briefly, - -"Were you at Doctor Waring's house Sunday evening?" - -"Not evening," she returned, looking thoughtful. "I was there Sunday -afternoon." - -"And went back again, late in the evening--to see Doctor Waring, in his -study." - -"Why do you say that?" she asked quietly, but a small red spot showed on -either olive cheek. - -"Because I must. How well do you--did you know the Doctor?" - -"Know Doctor Waring? Not at all. I never saw him in my life until I came -here to Corinth." - -"You are sure of that?" - -"Almost sure--oh, why, yes--that is, I am quite sure." - -"Yet you went over there Sunday evening, and came back to this house in -possession of Doctor Waring's valuable pin, and a large sum of money." - -"Oh, no, Mr. Cray, I didn't do any such thing!" - -"Then can you explain your possession of those articles?" - -"You mean, I suppose the roll of bills that Miss Bascom put into my top -bureau drawer?" - -"Miss Bascom put in the drawer!" - -"Yes--that is, she must have done so, or--how else could they have been -found there? You know yourself, now, don't you, Mr. Cray, that I'm not a -burglar--or a bandit or a sneak thief? You know I never went in to Doctor -Waring's study and took those things! So, as I say, isn't it the only -plausible theory, that Miss Bascom, who found the valuables so readily, -first put them there herself?" - - - - - CHAPTER XI - THE SPINSTER'S EVIDENCE - - -"That matter can easily be settled," Cray said, and going to the door he -asked Mrs. Adams to send Miss Bascom to them. - -With an important air the spinster entered the room. - -Holding herself very erect and even drawing aside her skirts as she -passed Miss Austin, she took a seat on the other side of the room. - -"Now, Miss Bascom," Cray began at once, "what made you think of looking -in this lady's bureau drawer for that money?" - -"I didn't look for it, Mr. Cray. I merely felt that she had done wrong -and I thought perhaps some evidence would be hidden away in her room. And -a top drawer is the place a woman oftenest hides things." - -Cray gave a short laugh. "Rather clever of you, I admit. But Miss Austin -says she did not put that money there, herself--that it was a plant." - -"A plant?" Miss Bascom looked puzzled at the word. - -"Yes; she thinks some in-disposed person put it there to implicate her, -falsely." - -"Oh, I see. Well, Mr. Cray, let her say who did it, and who could have -got that money to do it with." - -The hard old face took on a look that was almost malignant in its -accusation, and little Anita Austin gave a low cry as she saw it, and hid -her face in her hands. - -"Take her away," she moaned, "oh, take that woman away." - -"You hear her," Miss Bascom went on, unrelentingly. "Now, Mr. Cray, I'm a -bit of a detective myself, and while you've been down here talking to -Miss Mystery, I've been searching her room more carefully, and I've found -a few more things, of which I should like to tell you." - -Cray was nonplused. His sympathies were all with the poor little girl, -who, clinging to the arms of her chair, seemed about to go to pieces, -nervously, but was bravely holding on to herself. Yet, if the Bascom -woman was telling the truth, he must beware of the "poor little girl." - -"I'm not sure you're within your rights, Miss Bascom," he began, but he -was interrupted with: - -"Rights! Indeed, the rights of this matter are above your jurisdiction! -The blood of John Waring calls from the ground! I am the instrument of -justice that has been chosen by an over-ruling Providence to discover the -criminal. She sits before you! That girl--that mysterious wicked girl is -both thief and murderess!" - -"Oh, no!" Anita cried, putting up her arm as if to ward off a physical -blow. - -Then she suddenly became quiet--almost rigid in her composure. - -"That is a grave accusation, Miss Bascom," she said, "you must prove it -or retract it." - -Cray stared at the girl in astonishment. Her agonized cry had been human, -feminine, natural--but this sudden change to stony calm, to icy hauteur -was amazing--and, to his mind, incriminating. - -Miss Bascom, however, was in no way daunted. - -"Prove it I will!" she said, sternly. "In another drawer, Mr. Cray, I -found the rolls of silver coin--exactly one hundred dollars worth--that -we have been told were in the desk with the roll of bills. The ruby pin, -you know about. And so, these thefts are proved. Now, as to the murder--I -admit, it seems impossible that a girl should commit the awful crime--but -I do say that I have found the weapon, with which it was done, hidden in -Miss Austin's room." - -Again that short, low cry--more like a hurt animal than a human being. -And then, Anita Austin, the girl of mystery fell back into the depths of -her chair, and closed her eyes. - -"You needn't faint--or pretend to," admonished Miss Bascom, brutally; -"you're caught red-handed, and you know it, and you may as well give up." - -"I didn't--I didn't--" came in low moans, but the girl's bravery had -deserted her. Limp and despairing, she turned her great eyes toward Cray -for help. - -With an effort, he looked away from her pleading face, and said: - -"What is the weapon? Where did you find it?" - -"It is a stiletto--an embroidery stiletto--and I found it tucked down in -the crevice between the back and seat of a stuffed chair in Miss Austin's -room. Did you put it there?" - -She turned on the girl and fired the question at her with intentional -suddenness, and though Anita uttered a scared, "No," it was a palpable -untruth. - -"She did," Miss Bascom went on. "You can see for yourself, Mr. Cray, she -is lying." - -"But even if she is, Miss Bascom, I must ask you to cease torturing her! -I can't stand for such cruelty!" - -Cray's manhood revolted at the methods of the older woman who was causing -such anguish to the poor child she accused. - -"You are not a legal inquisitor, Miss Bascom," he went on; "it is for me -to establish the truth or falsity of your suspicions." - -"Yes, you! You're like all the other men! If a girl is pretty and -alluring, you would believe her statement that white is black!" - -"I believe no statements that cannot be proved to my satisfaction. Miss -Austin, do you own an embroidery stiletto?" - -"Yes," was the hesitating answer, and the dark eyes swept him a -beseeching glance that made Miss Bascom fairly snort with scorn. - -"Where is it?" - -"I--I fear I must admit that it is just where Miss Bascom says it -is--unless she has removed it. Tell me, Mr. Cray," and Miss Mystery -suddenly resumed her most independent air, "must I submit to this? I -thought accused people were entitled to a--oh, you know, counsel--a -lawyer, or somebody to take care of them." - -"Wait, Miss Austin. You're not accused yet--that is, not by legal -authority." - -"Oh, am I not? Then--" and she gave Miss Bascom a glance of unutterable -scorn, "I have nothing to say." - -"Nothing to say!" the spinster almost shrieked. "Nothing to say! Of -course she hasn't! She kills a man, takes his valuables, and then -declares she has nothing to say." - -"Now, now, Miss Bascom, be careful! Why did you put your stiletto in such -a place, Miss Austin?" - -"I don't know." - -The dark eyes gave him a gaze of childlike innocence, and Cray couldn't -decide whether he was looking at a deep-dyed criminal or a helpless -victim of unjust suspicion. - -"And where did you get the money and the ruby pin?" - -"I don't know--I mean I don't know how they got in my room. This lady -says she found them there--that's all I know about them." - -An indifferent shrug of the slim shoulders seemed to imply that was all -Miss Mystery cared, either, and Cray asked: - -"Then, if the valuables--the pin and the money are not yours, you are, of -course, ready to relinquish possession of them." - -"Of course I am not! Since I am accused of stealing them, I propose to -retain possession until that accusation is proved or disproved! Perhaps -Miss Bascom wishes to take them herself." - -"You know, Miss Austin," Mr. Cray spoke very gravely, "you are making a -mistake in treating this matter flippantly. You are in danger--real -danger, and you must be careful what you say. Do you want a lawyer?" - -"I don't know," the girl suddenly looked helpless. "Do you think I ought -to have one?" - -"Have you funds?" - -"Yes. I am not a rich girl--but, neither am I poor. However, I think I -shall ask advice of some one before I decide upon any course." - -"Of whom? Perhaps no one can advise you better than I can." - -"What is your advice, Mr. Cray?" - -The sweet face looked at him hopefully, the curved red lips quivered a -little as the speaker added, "I am very alone." - -Again Miss Bascom sniffed. Unattractive, herself, she resented with a -sort of angry jealousy the appealing effect this girl had on men. She -knew intuitively that Cray would sympathize with and pity the lonely -girl. - -"My advice is, Miss Austin, first, that you dispel this mystery that -seems to surround you. Tell frankly who you are, what is your errand in -Corinth, how you came into possession of Doctor Waring's ruby, and why -you hid your stiletto, if it is merely one of your sewing implements." - -Miss Mystery hesitated a moment, and then said, quietly: - -"Your advice is good, Mr. Cray. But, unfortunately, I cannot follow it. -However, I am willing to state, upon oath, that I did not kill Doctor -Waring with that stiletto." - -"I'm afraid your oath will be doubted," Miss Bascom intervened sharply. -"And, too, Mr. Cray, even if this girl did not strike the fatal blow, she -well knows who did! She is in league with the Japanese, Nogi. That I am -sure of!" - -"Nogi!" exclaimed Anita. - -"Yes, Nogi," Miss Bascom went on, positively. "You came here only a day -or two after he did. You have a Japanese kimono, and several Japanese -ornaments adorn your room. You went to the Waring house that night, Nogi -let you in and out, and though the Japanese doubtless committed the -murder, you stole the money and the ruby, and then, your partner in crime -departed for parts unknown." - -Miss Bascom sat back in her chair with a look of triumph on her plain, -gaunt face. - -Clearly, she was rejoiced at her denunciation of the girl before her, and -pleased at the irrefutable theory she had promulgated. - -"And how did Miss Austin or the Jap, either, leave the room locked on the -inside?" propounded Cray, his own opinions already swayed by the -arraignment. - -"That," said Miss Bascom, with an air of finality, "I can't explain -definitely, but I am sure it was an example of Japanese jugglery. When -you remember the tales of how the Japanese can do seemingly impossible -tricks, can swallow swords and get out of locked handcuffs, it is quite -within the realm of possibility that one could lock a door behind him, -and give it the appearance of having been locked from the inside." - -Now, Cray had already concluded that the door had been cleverly locked by -some one, but he hadn't before thought of the cleverness of the Japanese. - -He rose almost abruptly, and said, "I must look into some of these -matters. Miss Austin, you need not attempt to leave town, for you will -not be able to do so." - -"I most certainly shall not attempt to leave--as you express it--if I am -asked not to. But, I may say, that when I am entirely at liberty to do -so, I propose to go away from Corinth." - -Her dignity gave no effect of a person afraid or alarmed for her own -safety, merely a courteous recognition of Cray's attitude and a frank -statement of her own intentions. - -Miss Bascom sniffed and said: - -"Don't worry, Mr. Cray. I'll see to it, that this young woman does not -succeed in evading justice, if she tries to do so." - -At which Miss Mystery gave her a smile that was so patronizing, even -amused, that the spinster was more irate than ever. - -"And, now, Miss Austin," the attorney said, "I'll take your finger -prints, please, as they may be useful in proving what you did not do." - -He smiled a little as the girl readily enough gave her consent to the -procedure. - -"And," he went on, more gravely, "I will ask you for one of your -shoes--one that you wore on Sunday." - -Surprised into a glance of dismay, Miss Mystery rose without a word and -went upstairs for the shoe. - -She returned with the dainty, pretty thing, and merely observed, "I'd -like to have it back, when you are through with it." - -Putting the shoe in his overcoat pocket, Cray went away. - -"Miss Bascom," Anita said, turning to her enemy, "may you never want a -friend as much as I do now." - -"The nerve of her!" Liza Bascom muttered to herself, as Miss Mystery went -upstairs to her own room. - -"There's a very deep mystery here!" Cray soliloquized, as he returned to -the Waring house. "But I'm getting light on it." - -Cray was far from lacking in ingenuity, and he proceeded at once to -compare the finger prints he had of Anita Austin with the prints on the -small black-framed chair that had been found drawn up to the desk chair -of John Waring. - -They were identical and Cray mused over the fact. - -"That girl was here that night," he decided; "there's no gainsaying -that." He called the butler to him. - -"Ito," he began, "did you let in any one late Sunday night--after you -came home?" - -"No, sir," the imperturbable Jap declared, thinking the question foolish, -as all the inquirers knew the details of his Sunday evening movements. - -"Do you remember seeing this chair, Monday morning?" - -"Distinctly. I saw Mr. Lockwood smoothing its back." - -"Smoothing its back! What do you mean?" - -"I looked through from the dining-room window, to see if Mr. Lockwood was -coming to breakfast, and I perceived him carefully smoothing the plush of -the little chair, sir." - -Cray meditated. Here was a point of evidence. Lockwood was not the sort -to absent-mindedly paw over a chair back. He was doing it on purpose. For -what reason? What reason could be, save to erase some evidence? - -Cray examined the chair. It had a frame of shiny black wood, while seat -and back were covered with a dark plush of a fine soft quality. - -Cray drew his fingers across the back. They left a distinct trail of -furrows in the fabric. - -Ito, watching, nodded his head, gravely. - -"Not finger-prints," Cray said to himself--"but, maybe finger-marks. -Whose?" - -"You surely saw this, Ito?" - -"Yes, sir; and Miss Peyton also saw. She was then in the doorway, asking -Mr. Lockwood to come to breakfast." - -Cray went in search of Helen and put the question to her suddenly. - -"What was Gordon Lockwood doing, when you went to call him to breakfast, -Monday morning?" - -"He was--I don't remember." - -"Speak the truth--or it may be mean trouble for you and him, too." - -"He was--he seemed to be dusting off a chair." - -"With a duster?" - -"No; just passing over it with his hand." - -"That isn't dusting it." - -"Well, I don't know what you call it! Perhaps he was merely pushing the -chair into place." - -"It isn't his custom to push the study furniture into place. He was -erasing indicative marks on that plush chair back--that's what he was -doing." - -"Absurd!" Helen cried; "what marks could there be?" - -"I don't know. Come and let us see." - -Cray took Helen to the study, and asked her to sit in the chair. - -"Lean back," he directed. "Now, get up." - -The girl obeyed, and there was plainly seen on the plush the faint but -unmistakable imprint of the beaded design that adorned the back of the -frock she wore. - -"I told you so!" Cray said, in triumph. "That plush registers every -impress, and when Lockwood rubbed it smooth it was to erase a damaging -bit of testimony." - -"Rather far-fetched, Mr. Cray," said Gordon Lockwood himself, who had -come in and had heard and seen the latter part of the detective's -investigation. - -"Not so very, Mr. Lockwood, when you learn that the finger prints on the -chair frame are your own and those of a certain young person who is -already under suspicion." - -Gordon Lockwood, as always under a sudden stress, became even more -impassive, and his eyes glittered as he faced the attorney. - -"Don't be too absurd, Mr. Cray," he advised, coldly. "I suppose you mean -Miss Austin--I prefer to have no veiled allusions. But the finding of her -finger prints on a chair in this room, and mine also, does not seem to me -to be in any way evidence of crime." - -"No?" Cray gave him scorn for scorn. "Perhaps then, you can explain Miss -Austin's presence here that night." - -"I don't know that she was here--and I most certainly could not explain -any of her movements. But I do deny your right to assume her guilty from -her presence." - -"Ah, you tacitly admit her presence, then. Indeed, one can scarcely doubt -it, when it is shown that this little shoe of hers," he took it from his -pocket, "exactly fits the prints that cross the field of snow between -here and the Adams house." - -"To measure footprints--after all this time!" and Lockwood's lip curled. - -"The prints are exactly as they were made, Mr. Lockwood. The unchanging -cold weather has kept them intact. I tried this shoe, and the prints are -unmistakable. Moreover, the short stride is just the measure of the -natural steps of Miss Austin. The footprints lead from the Adams house -over here and back again. The returning prints occasionally overlap the -ones that came this way, showing that the trip away from this house was -made latest. Miss Austin was seen to come over in this direction--well, -none but a half-wit would be blind to the inevitable conclusions!" - -"None but a half-wit would read into this evidence what you pretend to -see," retorted Lockwood, almost losing his calm. - -"That's my business," Cray said, sharply: "now, Mr. Lockwood, why did you -smooth off that chair back? Careful, now, two witnesses saw you do it." - -"I'm not denying it"--Lockwood smiled in a bored, superior way, "but if I -did it, I was--and am unconscious of it. One often touches a piece of -furniture in passing with no thought of doing so." - -"That won't go down. Both the butler and Miss Peyton saw you definitely -and deliberately rub over the back of that chair. Why did you do it?" - -Cray was inexorable. - -But the impassive secretary merely shrugged his shoulders. - -"I can't answer you, Mr. Cray. I can only repeat it must have been an -unconscious act on my part, and it has no sinister significance. I may -have been merely pushing the chair out of my way, you know." - -"Look here, Mr. Lockwood, you are a man of honor. Do you, upon oath, -declare that you did not purposely smooth that chairback, for the reason -that it showed some incriminating impress?" - -"I am not under oath. I have stated that I did not do what you accuse me -of, and I have nothing further to say on the subject." - -Lockwood drew himself up and leaned with folded arms against the -mantelpiece. - -Cray dropped the subject, but his snapping eyes and compressed lips -seemed to show he had not finally dismissed it. - -"At what time," he said, abruptly, "did Doctor Waring lock his study -door?" - -"About ten o'clock," the secretary replied. - -"And you heard nothing from the room after that? No sound of voices? -Nobody coming in at the French window?" - -"No," replied Lockwood. - -"Then we are forced to the conclusion that whoever entered did so very -quietly, that it was with the knowledge and permission of Doctor Waring -himself, that the visitor was the person whose footprints lead straight -to the door, and whose finger prints are on the chair that stood near the -Doctor's own chair. We are borne out in this view by the fact that the -same person now possesses the money and the ruby pin which we know Doctor -Waring had in his room with him, and we know that the person is here in -Corinth for unexplained reasons, and is, in fact, so peculiar that she is -known as--Miss Mystery. Just why, Mr. Lockwood, are you arguing against -these obvious inferences, and why do you undertake to free from suspicion -one against whom everything is so definitely black?" - -"Because," Lockwood spoke very quietly, but his jaw was set in a stubborn -way, "the lady you call Miss Mystery, is a young and defenseless girl, -without, so far as I know, a friend in this town. It is unfair to accuse -her on the strength of this fantastic story and it is unfair to condemn -her unheard." - -"Not unheard," said the attorney, "but what she says only incriminates -her more deeply." - - - - - CHAPTER XII - MAURICE TRASK, HEIR - - -The funeral services of John Waring were solemn and impressive. No -reference was made to the manner of his taking-off, save to call it -mysterious, and the encomiums heaped upon him by the clergy and the -college faculty were as sincere as they were well-deserved. - -There were two members of the great audience who were looked at with -curiosity by many. - -One of these was Miss Mystery, the girl who, it was vaguely rumored was -in some way connected with the tragedy. - -To look at her, this seemed impossible, for a sweeter face or a gentler -manner could scarce be imagined. - -Anita Austin sat near the front, on one of the side aisles. She wore a -gown of taupe-colored duvetyn, and a velvet toque of the same color. Her -olive face was pale, and now and then her small white teeth bit into her -scarlet lower lip, as if she were keeping her self-control only by -determined effort. - -A close observer might note that she paid no heed to the utterance of the -able men who gave tribute to John Waring's character, but her troubled -eyes rested on the flower-covered casket, and the rising tears overflowed -as she stifled an occasional sob. - -And then, fairly clenching her hands in a determination to show no -emotion, this strange girl would straighten up, and stare blankly ahead -of her as if in utter oblivion of the scene. - -Directly behind her was Helen Peyton, who had chosen that place with the -intention of watching Miss Mystery. Mrs. Peyton was by her daughter's -side, but her whole attention was on the funeral services, and she -thought of little else. - -Not far off was Gordon Lockwood, and with him were Mrs. Bates and her -nephew, Pinckney Payne. Of this trio only the secretary let his gaze -wander now and then to the sad little face that was rapidly becoming the -dearest thing in life to him. As the church filled, and the -flower-scented atmosphere grew oppressive, Miss Austin let her coat fall -from her shoulders, and Lockwood noted with a start that she wore the -same gown she had worn to the lecture at which he first saw her. Again he -counted the queer little buttons that edged the sailor collar. He shook -his head, and a great feeling of compassion filled his heart. - -"Poor child," he said to himself, "what does it all mean?" - -The other magnet for strangers' eyes was Maurice Trask, the relative of -John Waring, who had come from his home in St. Louis, to take possession -of his inheritance. - -For, in the absence of any will, he had proved himself the next of kin, -and had gladly, even eagerly, taken the reins of government of the -affairs and home of the dead man. - -He was the son of John Waring's cousin, and though the two men had never -met, the credentials and records brought by Maurice Trask left no -possible doubt as to his heirship. - -Trask was not prepossessing of appearance, though he was well-mannered -and moderately well-dressed. His lack was that of sophistication, and he -seemed ignorant of the finer conventions of life. He was what is known as -a self-made man, and men of home manufacture require some sterling -qualities to start with if they are to turn out a satisfactory product. - -These qualities Trask didn't have, and a first glance at the -sharp-featured face gave an impression of greed and shrewdness. - -There was also a slight air of bravado, which was quite evidently caused -by an uneasy feeling of inferiority. He seemed to say, "I am as good as -you are," because his conviction of that fact needed some such assertion -to bolster it up. - -In his seat as chief mourner, he was decorum itself. His black garb was -very black, and if it betrayed a provincial cut or fit, such an effect -was more in keeping with the man than correct apparel would have been. - -His grief might have seemed a trifle ostentatious to one who remembered -he had never seen his cousin, but on the whole Maurice Trask was accepted -by those whose curiosity led to criticism, as a satisfactory heir to the -Waring estate. - -Nor was this an inconsiderable matter, for John Waring, beside his -profession, had written several successful books, and possessed in all a -goodly fortune. - -Moreover, there was no mystery about Trask. His life was an open book, -the lawyers had said; his family tree was of correct record and his claim -to the estate clear and true. - -While as to that minx, Miss Mystery, nobody knew or could find out where -she came from, what she was doing in Corinth, or who she was, anyway. -Clearly she was mixed up with Doctor Waring in some unconventional -way--that is, if the reports were true that she visited him in his study -without the knowledge of his household. No shadow of blame was attached -to John Waring for this--although it would seem that the man was old and -wise enough to ward off an attack from such a small vampire. - -"That's what she is," Helen Peyton concluded, to herself, as she mused on -the girl who sat in front of her. "She just plain vamped poor Doctor -Waring--and she got into the study--and, now, I can prove it!" - -After the funeral, the chief mourners went back to the Waring home to -discuss matters. Mrs. Peyton had tea served in the living-room, for all -who came, and many neighbors, drawn by curiosity, accepted her -hospitality. - -Trask, rubbing his hands involuntarily, slipped easily into his new role -of host, and rather overdid his part. - -"Yes," he would say, "yes, yes. I learned from the addresses how fine a -man my cousin was--yes, yes, a noble character. Now, I can't expect to -take his place in your community all at once--but I'll get there! I'll -get there! And you'll all help me, won't you?" he beamed on them. "Yes, -yes, you'll all help me to become one of the first citizens of -Corinth--one of the first citizens of your lovely, tree-decked town. Yes, -yes." - -Plate and cup in hand, he moved around among his guests, a little -awkwardly but full of amiability and good cheer. His sentiment was quite -evidently, "the king is dead; long live the king," and he wanted to get -settled on his throne at once. - -But the cousin of John Waring had another side to him. - -This was shown when, later on, he met a few people in the study. - -Cray was there, by invitation, and Morton also. Lockwood and the two -Peytons. - -"Just a few words at the outset," Trask began, and he was noticeably more -at ease in this executive session than he had been in the social -atmosphere. - -"I want to maintain this household, for a time at least, as I find it. I -shall be glad, Mrs. Peyton, if you will continue to keep house for me, -and I should like you, Mr. Lockwood, to remain as secretary, if you are -willing. There is, of course, much to be done in settling the estate, and -your knowledge would be invaluable. Also, if you will, Mrs. Peyton, I'd -like you to engage servants--or keep the ones you have. In fact, please -look after the house matters entirely. For, here is what I want to do -first. Find the man who killed my cousin. I never shall feel right in -taking and using his home and his money unless I do everything in my -power to discover his murderer." - -"It may be a case of suicide," suggested Attorney Cray, who was narrowly -watching the speaker. - -"No-sir-ee! First place, as near as I can figure it out, my cousin was -not the man to take his own life. Also, he was on the eve of taking a -fine position as College President--also he was about to marry a -beautiful lady. Why worry? And too--and this is to me the strongest -argument against the suicide theory--I've read lots of detective -stories--you needn't sniff, Mr. Cray, those stories are often founded on -fact--and many of them hinge on the mystery of a sealed room. Often a -book starts out with a situation just like this; man found dead. Room -locked up. No weapon about. Murder or suicide? And, listen here; -invariably the solution is murder. Yes, sir--invariably! Why? 'Cause -suicide is a mighty scarce article. You don't find Human Nature putting -an end to itself very often. That is, not worthwhile Human Nature. Your -suicides are weak men, down and outers, ignorant, half-baked chaps. Not -fine, upstanding men such as John Waring was. You know that, Mr. Cray?" - -"Yes," the attorney nodded. "That's certainly so, Mr. Trask. And, anyway, -if you're going to make investigations, you have to start on the theory -of murder." - -"Just that exactly," Trask agreed. "Then if we run up against -proof--actual proof of suicide, why then, we know where we're at." - -Lockwood looked at Trask and listened to him with interest. He was a new -type to the secretary, who with all his knowledge of characterization -couldn't quite place him. - -At first, Lockwood had felt an instinctive dislike, the newcomer had been -so patently pleased with his inheritance, and so evidently insincere in -his mourning. But this sensible, straightforward insistence on avenging -his cousin's murder--if it were murder--raised Trask in Lockwood's -estimation, and he concluded to remain as secretary, for a time, at -least. - -"You have the case in charge, Mr. Cray," Trask went on, "and I want you -to push it--push it, sir. Get help if you want--get some hifalutin -detective, if that's the proper caper--but, get results. Results, that's -what I'm after! Here's my idea. Get busy, and do all you can as quick as -you can. Don't dawdle. Put things through. And then--if you can't find -the criminal, after due effort, then, we'll give up the hunt. That's my -idea. Do all you can--and then quit." - -"Very well, Mr. Trask," Cray replied; "I understand, and I'll do as you -say. When you have the time to devote to it, I'll give you a history of -the case." - -"The time is now, Mr. Cray. And your history must be put in a nutshell. -The circumstances of John Waring's death, I know. Also, I know whom I -suspect as the murderer. So tell me your decisions to date." - -"I fear we have made no decision, Mr. Trask. As a matter of fact the -evidence to date points in a most painful direction." - -"What! You're deterred from justice because evidence points in a painful -direction! My stars, Cray! is that the way you detect in New England!" - -"But evidence may be false, and it is unwise to accuse without -certainty--" - -"I have some certain evidence," said Helen Peyton, and all turned to look -at the girl, who spoke hesitatingly and in a low tone. - -"Yes, I wouldn't tell it--but--I think I ought to. I just found it out -today." - -"Of course you must tell it, Miss Peyton," Trask said, dictatorially. -"Out with it!" - -"Well," Helen spoke to Cray, "you know Mr. Lockwood rubbed off some marks -from this chair the morning after--after we found Doctor Waring." - -"Yes, they were without doubt indicative marks. What do you know about -them?" Cray looked at her earnestly, for he had great interest in that -act of the secretary's. - -"They were the marks made by the buttons on the back of the dress Miss -Austin wore today." - -For a moment Gordon Lockwood's calm almost deserted him. It was but a -fleeting instant, yet Cray's sharp eyes caught the look of utter dismay -that crossed the impassive face of the secretary. Immediately the usual -hauteur returned and the grave eyes met Cray's without a tremor. - -"How do you know?" Cray was all alertness. - -"I sat behind her at the funeral. She took off her coat and I couldn't -help noticing a certain arrangement of buttons. It struck me, because I -noticed the marks on the chair back, and they were just the same design." - -"Absurd," Lockwood said, quietly, but with a deep scorn in his tone. "As -if you could identify the trimming on a lady's gown!" - -"But I did," Helen persisted, spurred by Lockwood's manner. "I noticed it -on the chair, a clear pattern of the trimming of the collar, and two rows -down the back. And then I saw Mr. Lockwood rub it off of the chairback -with utmost care. And today, when I saw Miss Austin's dress, I recognized -it at once. She was here that night--Mr. Lockwood knew it--and he erased -the marks--" - -"Helen, don't be too ridiculous!" Lockwood spoke now in a soft drawl, -that made Helen flush with anger. - -"I'm not ridiculous! Am I, Mr. Cray? It's evidence, isn't it? It proves -that girl was here--doesn't it? And Gordon did rub it off--Ito saw him -too, and I saw him. He was rubbing the chair when I came to call him to -breakfast--he can't deny it!" - -"I do deny it," Lockwood said, quietly. "Miss Peyton is excited and -doesn't remember accurately." - -"Nothing of the sort!" blazed Helen. "It's all true. Gordon won't admit -it because--" - -"Helen, hush!" Gordon's look stopped her at once. "Don't say things -you'll regret." - -"But I don't regret them," put in Cray. "All this is important. Mr. -Lockwood, do you deny obliterating these marks in question?" - -"Of course I do," Lockwood smiled slightly. "If I was moving the chair or -touching it, when Miss Peyton came to call me to breakfast I don't -remember it. At any rate, it was with no intention of removing evidence." - -Gordon Lockwood told these falsehoods with as calm an air as he would -have shown in making truthful statements. He was not only deeply in love -with Anita Austin, but he did not and would not believe her guilty of -crime, or of any connection with a crime. Wherefore, he was ready and -willing to tell any number of lies to save or shield her. - -And from his manner none could guess he was saying other than absolute -truth. - -"But look here," spoke up Maurice Trask. "This won't do, you know. Are -you people accusing a girl of Doctor Waring's murder? A _girl_!" - -"Not accusation yet," Cray told him, "but we want to know more about the -young lady in question. In fact, she's been dubbed Miss Mystery, because -so little is known about her." - -"Miss Mystery, eh? And she came here to see the Doctor the night he -died?" - -"She did not!" Lockwood asserted, calmly. "Had she done so, I should have -known it." - -"Of course you would," Trask looked at him shrewdly. "Of course. But the -impress of her clothing was left on the chairback? Is that it?" - -"That's it," said Helen, sharply. "And when forty-leven other things -prove her presence here that evening, I don't know why Mr. Lockwood so -positively denies it. He must have a deep interest in the young lady!" - -Helen's spitefulness was undisguised, and her mother looked pained and -regretful. Both these women had hoped that Gordon Lockwood's affections -might turn toward Helen, and the older one realized that such speeches as -this would in no way further their plans. - -But Helen was thoroughly jealous of Miss Mystery, for more reasons than -one, and she let her unbridled tongue expose her feelings. - -Cray knew all this, and therefore took Helen's statements with a grain of -salt. And yet, he soliloquized, she would scarcely make up that rigmarole -of the dress trimming. He fancied it was true. And why shouldn't it be? -The evidence of Anita Austin's presence in John Waring's study that fatal -night was far too strong to be ignored. Moreover, the girl's possession -of the money and the ruby pin had yet to be satisfactorily explained. It -was unthinkable that anyone should have stolen these things and "planted" -them in Miss Austin's bureau drawer! - -"I'd like to see this young woman," said Trask, suddenly. - -"I'm going over to see her now, come along," invited Cray, who was a -little impressed by the perspicuity of this stranger. - -"I'm going, too," declared Helen Peyton, and as Lockwood couldn't keep -away, they all went over to the Adams house. - -In the cosy sitting-room they congregated, and Mrs. Adams went upstairs -to summon Anita. - -She found the room locked. When, in response to a repeated summons, the -door was opened, Mrs. Adams faced a tearful, sad-faced girl, who asked -indifferently what was wanted. - -"You'll have to come down stairs," the landlady said; "Mr. Cray is there, -and--and some others. They want to see you." - -"I won't go down. I don't want to see anybody." - -"I guess you'll have to." Mrs. Adams spoke a little crisply. "It's a--a -summons. You've got to come." - -"Oh." Miss Austin's manner changed. "Well, I will, then. Wait till I -bathe my face." - -Mrs. Adams came in, closed the door and waited. She felt sorry for Miss -Mystery, but she also felt suspicious of her. Perhaps the mystery would -now be cleared up. - -The good woman was about to speak kindly to her strange boarder but as -she watched, she lost the desire to help her. - -For, to Mrs. Adams' primitive notions, the girl was doing dreadful -things. - -Having bathed her tear-stained face, Miss Mystery proceeded to powder it -lightly, and, horror of horrors, she added the merest flick of rouge to -her pale cheeks. And not content with such baseness she stooped to -further degradation and touched her pale lips with some heathenish -contraption that made them just a little redder! - -No, Mrs. Adams had no sympathy for a girl who would do such awful things, -and she waited in a grim and stony silence. - -Then Miss Mystery fluffed out her pretty dark hair a little more over her -ears, settled her sailor collar, with its row of tiny buttons for -trimming, and with a critical glance at her shoes, signified her -readiness to go down stairs. - -Still in disapproving silence, Mrs. Adams marched by her side, and they -went together to face the visitors. - -The attitude of the girl as she entered the room was a triumph of -perfection. - -Her beauty, which usually needed no artificial aid, was striking, and her -large dark eyes rested on each in turn with an air of innocent wonder, -quickly followed by a pathetic, beseeching little smile that touched the -heart of several auditors, even though they deemed it disingenuous. - -Maurice Trask, shrewd and calculating, sized her up, as he would have -expressed it. - -And his sizing up was decidedly complimentary. So much so, in fact, that -he almost concluded to take her part against all comers. - -"I'm for her," he said to himself, "and yet," he added, to the same -confidant, "she's nobody's fool! That girl knows what she's about--and by -jingo, if she wanted to kill a man, she could kill him! I'll say she -could!" - -It was Miss Austin's dress that caught every one's eye. Not a person -present, among the visitors, but wanted to say, "turn around--oh, do!" - -But the girl sank into a low chair beside Saltonstall Adams and quietly -awaited developments. - -"May I present Mr. Trask," Cray said, a little awkwardly, for it was not -easy to be casual under the glance of those pathetic eyes. - -Anita bowed courteously if coldly, and then there was an embarrassing -silence. - -"Well," Trask remarked, at last, "you people are not very talkative, -guess I'll take the helm myself. Miss Austin, will you be good enough to -get up and turn around?" - -The request was so simply made, that, almost without thinking of its -strangeness, Anita did exactly as she was asked. - -Sure enough, there were two rows of buttons down the back of her bodice, -and another row across the sailor collar. - -At a nod from Trask she sat down again, and then the storm broke. - -"I told you so!" cried Helen Peyton. "That's the very dress that made the -marks on that chair back! Dare you deny, Miss Austin, that you were in -Doctor Waring's study that night he died?" - -The dark eyes of Miss Mystery opened wide in horror. She seemed fairly -paralyzed with fright, and glanced wildly from one face to another. - -Maurice Trask's showed only frank admiration. He looked at the girl as if -he had never before seen any one so attractive. - -Gordon Lockwood's face betrayed no emotion of any sort. Had he been -indifferent to Miss Mystery instead of loving her, as he did, he could -have shown no less expressive countenance. - -And all the others present showed definite and decided suspicion, scorn -and hatred. - -Except one. Old Salt looked kindly at the agitated girl. He even held out -a protective hand, and with a gentle inflection, said: - -"Tell the truth, dear child. _Did_ you know Doctor Waring?" - -Slowly Miss Mystery's eyes traveled round the room. Looking at each face -in turn, her own expression became more and more hard and stubborn. Then, -seeing the kindness on the face of Old Salt, she broke down utterly and -sobbed out. "Oh, he's dead--he's dead! what shall I do?" - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - THE TRUESDELL EYEBROWS - - -Maurice Trask looked at Miss Mystery with rapidly growing interest and -curiosity. She seemed so young and helpless and she was so pretty and so -pathetic that he immediately decided she could not be mixed up in any -wrong-doing. He also decided, for he was a man of quick conclusions, that -this was the girl for him. Having his new fortune, he wanted a wife to -help him enjoy it, and where could he find a more utterly desirable girl -than Miss Austin? - -Straightforwardly he asked: - -"Did Doctor Waring make love to you? Did you love him?" - -The others looked aghast at these suggestions, and then Mrs. Adams said, - -"Yes, she did! I saw her one night, kissing Doctor Waring's picture." - -Cray turned on Anita. - -"Did you love that man?" he asked, sternly. "If you did, you surely -didn't kill him." - -"Of course she didn't kill him," Old Salt put in. "Impossible to imagine -such a thing! Speak up, little girl. Why did you kiss the picture of a -man you had never seen?" - -Several of those listening waited breathlessly for a response. - -Gordon Lockwood, for one, could scarce control his impatience to hear the -answer. For, only too well he remembered the letter he had found in the -Doctor's waste-basket. The words were graven in his brain. - -Darling Anita: At the first glance of your brown eyes love was born in my -heart. Life is worth living--with you in the world. - -If love at first sight had been born in the man's heart, must it not have -found response in the girl's? Or, even if not, could she have killed a -man who felt thus toward her? Truly she was a mystery. For, the very fact -that Waring had fallen in love with her, made possible, even plausible, -her clandestine visit to him, and her possession of the money and jewel. - -Could it be that the pretty little thing was merely a sly adventuress? -That she cajoled Waring into giving her the valuables, and then-- - -No, Gordon Lockwood could not and would not believe any evil of the girl -he loved. Even though she should admit her love for Waring, he would not -lose faith in her. - -"Answer me," Cray demanded. "Answer this direct question directly. Did -you love Doctor Waring?" - -Almost like one hypnotized, Miss Mystery gave a helpless glance at her -inquisitor and murmured a low, almost inaudible "yes." - -"Then why did you kill him?" Cray stormed at her. - -"I--I didn't." - -"You were there, in his study the night he--he died." - -"N--no, I wasn't." - -"You were! It's been proved. You went over from this house, across the -snow field, and you went in the study and you sat on the plush chair, -near the desk. Didn't you?" - -The great dark eyes seemed unable to tear themselves from Cray's face, -and again the half-breathed whisper was, "yes." - -"I protest!" said Trask. "That girl shall not be tortured. Whether she's -guilty or not, she's entitled to fairer treatment. You can't make her say -those things that may be used against her! Quit it, Cray. I forbid it." - -"That's right, Cray," Lockwood said, quietly. "You've no right to bait -Miss Austin--you make her admit things through sheer fright." - -And it was true. Miss Mystery was trembling, and her face was white, save -for the delicate flush on her cheeks and lips that she had placed there -herself. - -Her great eyes, beneath their heavy dark brows flew from one face to -another, and she did not fail to notice the fact that every man in the -room, Cray perhaps excepted, was in sympathy with her, while every woman -was against her. - -This must have comforted her, for she looked about, a faint smile dawning -in her eyes. - -"Is that true?" she said, "may I be excused from this questioning until I -can get counsel? I don't know what to say--myself--" - -Her pretty distress and helplessness again appealed to the masculine -sympathy, and, realizing this, she ignored the other sex. - -A puzzled expression crossed the face of Maurice Trask. - -"Who in the world can she be?" he thought. "That last flash of those -eyes, as she drew her heavy eyebrows into a straight line surely reminded -me of somebody. By heavens! the Truesdell brows!" - -Again he scanned the oval little face. He shook his head in uncertainty, -but again declared to himself, "The Truesdell eyebrows!" - -"Now look here, all of you," Old Saltonstall Adams said, "I don't believe -this child is guilty of anything really wrong. If she caught the fancy of -Doctor Waring, it may seem pretty awful to us old fogies, but a pretty -girl like Miss Austin can't help charming the menfolks. I don't want to -discuss that, but I do say that it's no crime to go to see a man in the -evening, and too, she may have had some errand we know nothing about. Did -Doctor Waring give you that money of his own free will, Miss Austin?" - -"Yes," said Anita, involuntarily, and then bit her lip as she added, "I -told you he didn't give it to me." - -"There, there, don't say any more, you only contradict yourself. I had no -business to ask that. Now, Mr. Cray, from now on, I take Miss Austin -under my personal care. I'll be responsible for her appearance when you -want her. And," he looked at his wife, "Mrs. Adams will back me up. She -too will shelter and care for Miss Austin--" - -"Unless she is proved guilty," Esther Adams broke in. "In that case--" - -"Wait until she is," Old Salt said, in his calm way. "I don't guarantee -her innocence--I only want to prevent injustice to her. Have you funds to -engage a lawyer, Miss Austin?" - -Again that frightened look made the girl seem anything but innocent. - -"Would I have to tell a lawyer--everything?" she asked. - -"Yes, yes--to be sure," Trask broke in. "But what of that? I'll bet -you've nothing to tell him incriminating to yourself. You exaggerate your -connection with this matter. I'll bet you were there that night on some -perfectly innocent errand--at least so far as Doctor Waring's death is -concerned." - -"Oh, I was!" Anita said, and then, as quickly, "But I wasn't there at -night--it was in the afternoon." - -Lockwood groaned in spirit. Everything this girl said made her more of a -prevaricator, even though she might be innocent of crime. Surely she was -mixed up in the matter, and must know who gave the fatal stab--if she -didn't do it herself. If only Nogi could be found. He, of course, was -implicated. - -"I'll get a lawyer for you, if you'll let me, Miss Austin," Lockwood -said, unable to resist his impulse to help her. - -"I am a lawyer," said Maurice Trask, "I here and now offer my services to -Miss Austin. If you'll accept, my dear young lady, I promise to use my -best efforts to do all that can be done for you." - -"But do I have to tell you--" again Anita began, perplexedly--her brows -straight. - -Trask gazed at her fixedly, and then he said, "That will be between us. -You will decide when we talk things over, what to tell me and what not." - -He spoke as to a fractious child, and his voice was kind and helpful even -though his inflections were not cultured. - -Lockwood looked at him uneasily. Might not this man's kindness and -assistance to the distressed girl lead her to feel such gratitude that it -would be no hard matter for Trask to win more than gratitude? Lockwood -was nervously sensitive to the interest Trask took in Anita, and well -knew his state of mind toward the little beauty. - -And, instead of being lessened by the trend of suspicion toward Anita, -Lockwood's own infatuation deepened with every glance he allowed himself -at the lovely face. - -The countenance of Miss Mystery was ever changing. Now, she was a -wistful-eyed child, and in a flash she was an inscrutable young -woman--only to change the next instant to a wrongly accused and innocent -martyr. - -Anyway, Lockwood told himself, he meant to win her, and if Trask stood in -his way, Trask must be set aside, that was all. An indomitable will ought -to be able to conquer the intents of a self-made, unattractive man of -Trask's type. And, too, a love like his own, surging more fully every -moment must appeal to the girl, once he could get a chance to declare it. - -Lockwood was by no means a conceited man, but he had a true sense of -value and he knew that he was a fitter mate for Miss Mystery than Trask, -if the girl could know them both. - -"I know a lawyer," Lockwood began, "here in Corinth. Might he not be a -better man for you, Miss Austin, than a stranger in the town?" - -"Just why?" Trask said, his eyes coldly scanning Lockwood's face. - -"Because he would have known Doctor Waring, and--and all the -circumstances," Lockwood concluded a little lamely. - -"Not much of an argument," Trask dismissed the suggestion. "Also, I -promise not to cost the lady as much as any other counsel would." - -This speech was accompanied by an admiring glance that was so nearly a -smirk that Lockwood with difficulty kept his hands off Trask's throat. - -Mrs. Peyton, who with Helen had sat almost wordless through the whole -session, now rose to go. - -"Come, Helen," she said, "we are of no use here, and I'd rather take you -away." - -Her implication that the presence of Miss Mystery was contaminating was -too plain to be mistaken, and mother and daughter left the room. - -"Well," Cray said, "I've pretty much made up my mind in this matter. I -make no arrest now, since you're going to be responsible, Mr. Adams, for -Miss Austin's presence when desired. But, I think I see it all. I think I -can reconstruct the whole case, and I think there will be decided -developments very soon." - -"You do," was Trask's response to this speech, and as one by one all -present rose to go, Trask remained, and asked that he might see Miss -Austin alone. - -"Guess I'll stand by," said Old Salt, and something in the grim but -kindly old face made Trask give tacit consent. - -Straightforwardly the man set about his inquiries. - -"Now, first of all, Miss Austin," Trask said, "where is your home?" - -An obstinate look came into her eyes, and she hesitated a moment. Then, -with a sudden change of expression, she said, "Indianapolis." - -"Address?" - -"Six-twenty-seven Jackson Street." - -Trask's eyebrows went up at this, and he gave her a searching look, but -Miss Mystery showed no embarrassment. - -"Sure of the number?" he said, "I know Indianapolis pretty well." - -"I'm sure," was the cool reply, and Trask went on. - -"Know Doctor Waring before you came here?" - -"No." - -"Never saw him before?" - -"Never, to my knowledge." - -"You didn't kill him?" - -Anita only shook her head slowly, but Trask did not press her for a -verbal answer. - -"Yet you were there that night. Now, it's useless to deny it, for the -prints of those doodads on the back of that very frock you have on now -were on the plush back of the chair you sat in. Young Lockwood smoothed -them away--Lord knows why! He must suspect you, I should say, and tried -to shield you that way." - -"Could he?" asked Miss Mystery, hopefully. - -"Could he shield you? No, my child, he couldn't, but I can. You just -trust yourself to me, and you'll have no trouble, no trouble at all. -You've got Mr. Saltonstall, here, and me for friends. Something tells me -you won't need anybody else. We'll pull you through, eh, Old Salt?" - -Though accustomed to the nickname from the townspeople, Mr. Adams didn't -relish it from this stranger, and he merely said, "I'm Miss Austin's -friend, be sure of that." - -"So'm I," Trask declared. "Now, little lady, you needn't tell all you -know, but some things you must tell me. Anybody among your relatives -named Truesdell?" - -Only a quick eye could have caught a fleeting look of dismay on her face, -as Anita promptly responded, "No--not that I know of." - -"Falsehood number one," said Trask to himself. "What the deuce is she up -to?" - -But aloud, he only said, - -"All right. Now, why did you come to Corinth?" - -"To sketch," said Anita glibly, and smiling at him. "I'm an artist, you -see--I paint water-colors." - -"Yes--I see. Now, just why did you hide that stiletto of yours?" - -"I was frightened. I was afraid they would think I killed Doctor Waring." - -"Why did you fear that?" - -"Oh, I don't know." She was almost flippant now. "Those detectives are so -queer, they're likely to suspect anybody. And they said the weapon used -was a round, sharp instrument, so--so I hid the thing." - -"You didn't use that to kill him?" - -"Oh, no!" - -"What did you use?" - -"I didn't kill him." - -"Who did?" - -"I think he killed himself." - -"Mr. Adams," Trask turned to the old man, "please leave us two alone for -a few moments. I ask you as a personal favor." - -Without a word Old Salt left the room. - -"Now, look here, Miss Austin," Trask said, in a determined tone, "I know -you killed that man as well as I know you're here. Also, I know why. Or, -at least, I don't know exactly why, but I have knowledge that will lead -straight to a revelation of the whole affair. I know you are related to -the Truesdells--though perhaps you don't know that yourself. Now, here's -my proposition. I'm a lawyer, and I'm known as a shrewd one. Many a time -I've made black appear white--and I can do it in your case. But--if -you'll marry me, I'll get you off. Wait a minute--don't speak yet. I'm -not bad-looking, I'm kind-hearted and, by my cousin's death, I'm a rich -man. You may not love me yet--but I'll guarantee I can win your -affection. I fell in love with you, the very minute I saw you and I want -you for my wife. You needn't marry me now--wait as long as you say--but -give me your promise, and I'll clear you of all suspicion in this -terrible affair. On the other hand--" - -There was a pause, and then Anita said: - -"On the other hand?" - -"I shall tell what I know about you--and, well, you know yourself what -chance you will have then of getting off scotfree!" - -"A threat?" and Miss Mystery flung up her proud little head. - -"No; don't misunderstand. Not a threat. But I admit, a bribe. Marry me, -and I'll free you. Say no--and I don't have to do a thing. The law will -do it all. You simpleton! Do you suppose you can keep your secret once -the law really begins to hound you? Cray is only just opening his eyes to -your connections with the case. Lockwood has realized that you must be -guilty, though he's trying hard not to believe it. Old Salt only -befriends you because you're helpless and pretty--not because he thinks -you're innocent--any more than his wife does. The two Peytons hate -you--for reasons of their own--probably because you snared Lockwood away -from the lovely Helen. But none of those things will matter if you take -up with my offer. I'll carry you through with flying colors. You'll be -not only freed from suspicion but eulogized and beloved by all who know -you, and as my wife, you'll have a proud and enviable position." - -Miss Mystery gave the speaker a look that not only took him in from head -to foot but seemed to penetrate his very soul, and in a quiet, even tone, -she said: - -"Rather than marry you--I would face the electric chair." - -The scorn in her voice, even more than the scathing words themselves, -enraged Trask. - -"Oh," he said, with ill-repressed fury, "you would, would you? Have your -own way, then, Miss Mystery--and soon your mystery will be known and you -may have your desire, and--face the electric chair!" - -The girl rose, and stood, waiting. - -"Go," she said, without glance or gesture. - -And in a white heat of anger, Trask went. - -"Now, dearie," Mrs. Adams said, coming in, "I don't want you to tell me -anything. My husband bids me befriend you--and I will, so long as your -case is uncertain. But if you're proved to be guilty, I--" - -"Oh, don't fail me," and Miss Mystery threw herself into the other's -arms. "I am so lonely and so friendless--" - -"Why are you? Where's your folks?" - -Then Miss Mystery drew herself up, with a forlorn little attempt at -dignity, and said, "I'd like to go to my room now, please." - -Upstairs she went, slowly, and as she neared her own room Lockwood met -her in the hall. - -"Count me your friend," he said, simply, and held out his hand. - -"I will," she replied, putting her little hand in his, and then, with one -deep glance, each knew of the other's love. - -Lockwood's was written plain on his face, and his eyes, usually so calm -and cold, were lighted with the intensity of his passion. - -This Anita read, and her own response was quick and involuntary. - -Perhaps it was a rebound from the awful proposals of Maurice Trask; -perhaps it was a heart finding its mate--perhaps, remembering Miss -Mystery's ways, it was mere coquetry, but the glances were exchanged and -they knew. - -Anita went on to her room, and throwing herself into a chair, sat long in -thought. - -"What shall I do?" she asked herself over and over again. "What can I do? -If only I hadn't taken the money--and the pin. Why did I do it? And he -said Truesdell! How did he know? My eyebrows, I suppose. That awful man! -And he'll tell--oh, yes, he'll surely tell--and that will poison Gordon's -mind against me--oh, was anybody ever in such trouble as I?" - -A tap at her door announced the maid with a note. - -Alone again, Anita read it. It was from Lockwood and begged an interview. - -"Please let me see you alone," it said; "I don't know how best to manage -it. Will you go for a walk with me now? There's time for a short stroll -before dark." - -Hurriedly Anita flung on hat and coat, and opened her door. - -Lockwood was on the stair. - -"Going out?" he said, casually, "may I walk with you?" - -"Please do," said Anita, and they started out together. - -"I'm sorry enough to do anything that seems clandestine," said Lockwood -as they walked, "but that feline lady, Miss Bascom, is watching your -every move, and I can't let her get anything to criticise you for." - -A grateful look rewarded him, and then Gordon went on: "Tell me, did I -read your eyes aright? Do you, can you care to know how I love you? How I -have loved you from the moment I first saw you. Do you care, Anita? May I -love you?" - -"But you don't know me," she said, in a soft little voice. "And you do -know dreadful things about me." - -"I don't care for any of those things. If they're dreadful, they're not -true." - -"Yes--they are true--some of them. And there are more dreadful things to -know--that you don't even suspect--Gordon." - -The last word, spoken in the lowest, tenderest of voices, completed -Lockwood's infatuation. Had she not said that, he might have been -deterred by her statements, but that softly-breathed name, stirred his -pulses, and in the deepening dusk he found her hand and said: - -"Anita, I want you--I love you--none of these things count. I know you -are in no way guiltily connected with this crime--if you are mixed up -with it, it is through force of circumstances, and anyway, I don't care -who or what you are--I love you, I believe in you and I want you." - -"But it's all so dreadful--and I can't tell--" - -"Don't tell anything you don't want to--" - -"But that man will tell. That terrible Trask man." - -Lockwood didn't waver in his fealty or loyalty but it was a blow to learn -that Trask knew something of Anita's secrets. - -"I don't care," he said, firmly, "I love you." - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - A PROPOSAL - - -Maurice Trask took up his reins of government with a firm hand. He left -all housekeeping and domestic matters to Mrs. Peyton, but the business -affairs of Doctor Waring, he concluded to clean up as rapidly as -possible. - -"It's astonishing," he said to Lockwood, "what a lot of varied interests -my cousin had. This morning's mail brings all sorts of things from Rare -Book Catalogues to Mining Prospectuses. By the way, I think I shall have -an auction of his rare books. Such things don't interest me, and I -believe they have a big money value." - -"Some of them have," Lockwood returned, indifferently. - -He could not bring himself to like his new employer, but as he had agreed -to stay with him for a time, he did his best to meet requirements. - -"Take this lot, now," and Trask indicated a bookcase full of old volumes -of the classics. "They mean nothing to me--I can't read Latin or Greek, -and wouldn't if I could. My good heavens! Look at this one!" - -Trask had taken down the volume that had been on Doctor Waring's desk the -night of his death. As he flipped over the pages, two were stuck -together, and the ghastly red stains showed only too clearly that they -were the spilled blood of the dying man. - -"Ugh!" he said, holding out the volume to Lockwood, "burn that up. How -could anyone have put it back on the shelf? Never let me see it again!" - -The secretary took it, noting that it was a copy of Martial, to which -Doctor Waring had been greatly attached. Indeed, it had, to Lockwood's -knowledge, been lying on the Doctor's desk for a week or more before his -death. - -Laying the stained volume aside in his own desk, Lockwood proceeded to -assist in the examination of the books. - -He was not at all surprised to find Trask discarding the ones he would -have retained and keeping the most worthless--though there was little -that could really be called trash in the Waring library. - -"Where are the story books?" the new owner grumbled. "No detective -stories? No spicy novels? No joke-books?" - -"Doctor Waring was serious-minded," Lockwood reminded him. "He cared -little for lighter reading. He was a scholar." - -"He sure was--to judge from these old dry-as-dust tomes. But, I'll fire a -lot of the poky old stuff, and so make room for more entertaining books. -You see, Lockwood, I hope--and I expect to get me a wife before long." - -Gordon's heart seemed to contract, for he divined what was coming. - -"Yeppy, that's so. Little Old Maurice wants a wifie--and--who do you -suppose has caught my fancy?" - -"Who?" was the mechanical response. - -"Why, none other than the little Miss Mystery. Oh, yes, I know she is -under a cloud--but I can get her off--I'm a bird of a lawyer, you -know--and we'll fix up all that. Then, I'll elevate that little nonentity -to the elevated position of the missus of Maurice Trask. Hey, my boy, -how's that?" - -Had Lockwood's calm not been habitual with him, he could scarcely have -maintained it through this scene. As it was, he was a boiling, seething -furnace inside him, but his judgment told him that any exhibition of -surprise or annoyance would only irritate the other man without doing any -good. - -Moreover, if Trask were really a shrewd lawyer, and if he knew something -that would make any trouble for Anita--and she had hinted that he -did--then, Lockwood argued, he must keep friendly with Trask, at least -until he found out more of the matter. - -So he said, lightly, "Has the lady agreed?" - -"Well--not yet; but--I say, Lockwood, you're hit in that same direction, -eh?" - -"I admire Miss Austin very much, yes." - -"Well--you keep off--do you hear?" - -"I hear," said Lockwood, in his imperturbable way, but when Trask looked -up and caught the cold stare of his secretary, he dropped the subject and -returned to the books. - -Since Doctor Waring's death, Lockwood had formed the habit of going back -to the Adams house for his luncheon. This, of course, in the hope of -seeing something of Anita, and also, because his new employer preferred -it that way. - -At luncheon, Trask took occasion to eulogize Miss Austin. - -Helen Peyton stood it as long as she could, and then broke out with: "I -don't see what you can find to admire in that thin, sallow little thing! -And, beside, she is a wicked girl. I think she killed Doctor Waring, but -even if she didn't, she came over here to see him, secretly, late at -night, and if that isn't wrong-doing, I don't know what is! But just -because she puts up a helpless bluff, all the men fall for her!" - -"Jealous, Miss Peyton?" and Trask looked at her shrewdly. - -"No," Helen tossed her head. "I've no reason to be. That girl is nothing -to me, and the sooner she gets out of Corinth the better. If the police -will let her go!" - -"Now then, Miss Peyton," Trask began, in his most emphatic manner, "and -Mrs. Peyton, too, once for all, I will hear no word against Miss Austin -in my house. Put any meaning you like into that, but remember it. One -word against Anita Austin, and the speaker of it goes out of my door -never to return. Am I clear?" - -"Clear? Yes; but I can tell you--" - -"Hush, Helen," said her mother. "We want to stay here, don't we? Well, -then, as Mr. Trask is evidently much in earnest, I insist that you obey -his wishes--as I shall." - -"That's right, Mrs. Peyton. And if your daughter forgets my hints I trust -to you to keep her reminded. That's all about that." - -In this fashion Maurice Trask settled every question that arose. His word -was law, and he spoke no unnecessary words. - -The servants could obey or leave. The housekeeper had been told the same, -and the secretary understood it, too. - -Returning to the library after luncheon, Trask sat at the desk in deep -thought. - -"Got to get the girl," he told himself. "Plenty to hold over her -head--but she's skittish, that's plain to be seen. Also, she's in love -with Lockwood. Got to get him out of town. Nothing doing while he's -around. Now, how? Morton hinted of his being deeply in debt. If so, he's -got some past history, guess I can get something on him--got to, whether -I can or not. H'm. Wonder if the little girl did do the sticking. Hard to -believe it, and yet that kid's got it in her. She sure has! And she's a -Truesdell all right. Nobody ever had those beetling brows, almost joining -above those dark eyes, in that level line--why, if she's a Truesdell--! -Good Lord, I've got to marry her! I'll have to scare her into it! Now, -Maurice, my boy, get in some of your finest work." - -Clapping on his hat, he started for the Adams house. - -As luck would have it, he met Anita and his secretary walking toward him. - -"Playing truant?" he called out gaily to Lockwood. - -"I'm just on my way to your house," Gordon returned, coldly. - -"You too, Miss Mystery?" and Trask gave her a wide smile. - -"No; I'm going to the post-office." - -"Ah, I see. Then, on your way, Lockwood--and I'll step along with Miss -Austin." - -There was no good way out of this arrangement, so it obtained, and Trask -fell into step with the girl, as Lockwood turned off toward the Waring -house. - -"Now, my dear young lady," Trask began, unheeding her look of aversion, -"you may as well understand me first as last. I've got the whip hand--or, -as that isn't a very graceful expression, let us say, I hold the trumps. -I know all about you, you see. I know why you went to the doctor's -library that night, and--I know what happened there." - -"You don't," said Anita, coolly. "You're bluffing, and I know it." - -"No, I'm not bluffing--not entirely, anyway. True, there are some things -I don't know yet, but--I soon will! Don't think you can keep anything -from me! I'm going to take a week for investigation. Also, to give you -your chance. If I find out what I fully expect to find out I shall make -it all public--how will you like that?" - -A great fear showed in Anita's eyes, and she murmured, brokenly: - -"Don't--oh, Mr. Trask, don't!" - -"Hah! Scared, are you? I thought you'd be! Now, you know my price. You -marry me--promise to marry me, that is, and I'll get you through this -thing with bells on. No shadow of suspicion shall remain attached to -you--or, to any one you care for." - -"I heard you were not going to rest until you learned who killed Doctor -Waring," Anita temporized. - -"Yes, yes; but that was before I saw you. Now, I don't care if you have -killed half the people in Corinth, I want you all the same. You've -bewitched me. You, a silly little slip of a girl, with no particular -claim to beauty, except your big, mournful eyes, and your peach of a -mouth! I'll bring the smiles to that sad little face. Oh, Anita, I'm not -a brute, and I do love you so. Give up your foolish fancy for Lockwood, -for it is only a passing attraction. And he hasn't any money, and he's -deeply in debt, and oh, I'm a thousand times a better catch!" - -"If you knew how you damaged your cause by talking like that--" the girl -began, her eyes cold with scorn. - -"Then I won't talk like that," Trask said, humbly. "Only take me, Anita, -and you can make me over to suit yourself. I'll do whatever you say. I'll -read the books you want me to, I'll get cultured and refined--and all -that." - -Anita almost laughed. "You are so funny," she said. - -But this was a little too much for Trask's self-love. - -"Funny, am I?" he stormed. "Funny! You'll see how funny I am when I tell -the police why you killed that man! You'll see if I'm funny when I refuse -the evidence that might help you out. When I keep still instead of -speakin' out in meetin'! You look here, Anita Austin, I hold you in the -hollow of my hand, and don't you forget it! You've got a deep dark -secret--and though I don't know quite all of it--I'll know it soon. What -M. Trask sets out to find out, he finds out. See? Now, do you want to -tell me who you are--or not? Want to tell me who your father was? Your -mother was a Truesdell--I'll bet on that!" - -Miss Mystery's face fell. Abject despair was written on every line of it. -She glanced at Trask, and his own determined expression showed her that -she could hope for nothing from him save on his own terms. - -And those terms were too hard for her. Just aware of loving Lockwood, -just learning to know what love meant and how sweet it could be, just -realizing, too, the awfulness of her own position, the dire necessity for -secrecy, the terrible result of Trask's revelations, should they be made, -altogether Miss Mystery faced a dangerous crisis. - -"You say you'll give me a week?" she said, at last, grasping at a hope of -reprieve. - -Trask looked at her with curiosity. - -"What good'll that do you? Better put yourself under my protection at -once. Every day you lose is that much nearer discovery." - -"All right, I'll dare it! They won't--won't condemn me, anyhow." - -"Ho, ho. Banking on your sex to save you! Well, honestly, I don't really -think they'd send a pretty girl like you to the chair, but a trial would -convict you in the eyes of the world, even if twelve men were too -soft-hearted to see you electrocuted. And there'd be imprisonment--" - -"Oh, hush! Mr. Trask, have you no pity?" - -"Plenty for the girl that is to be my wife. None for any other. And -especially none for a girl who scorns me and throws me over for my own -secretary. I'm a red-blooded man, I am, and you can't play fast and loose -with me and get away with it!" - -"I don't mean to play fast and loose with you, if by that you mean -changing my mind. But, I do ask for a few days to think it over. That's -not unreasonable, is it?" - -Miss Mystery's little smile was cajoling, and Trask couldn't resist it. - -"All right," he said, as he looked hungrily at her bewitching face, "take -a coupla days, then. But, only on condition that you don't let Lockwood -make love to you. Promise me that for the forty-eight hours, you won't -see that man alone." - -"How can I promise that?" - -"You'll have to, whether you can or not." - -"All right, I promise." - -He looked at her sternly. - -"And you'll keep that promise, or you'll be sorry! I haven't much opinion -of your promises, you're not the sort to keep faith. But, remember I'm a -power. Maurice Trask can do whatever he sets out to do. And if you forget -that, you're mighty apt to regret it." - -"I gave you a promise," Anita said, looking at him coldly, "and I fully -intend to keep it. It's not such a very hard one to keep." - -Her lip curled, and though he guessed the tumult in her heart, there was -no sign of it on her face. - -Trask accompanied her to the postoffice, and then, bidding him a careless -good afternoon, Anita went into a large drygoods shop and he made no -attempt to follow her. - -He would have been interested, however, had he noted her proceedings. For -she went straight to a telephone booth, and called up the Waring house. -Ito answered and when she asked to be connected with Mr. Lockwood, the -butler gave the connection without question. - -"Gordon?" came the soft little voice. "This is Anita." - -And then she told him quickly but fully all that had passed between her -and Trask. - -"So you see," she concluded, "I do want these two days to think things -out, and I mustn't see you alone, for he's sure to know of it." - -"All right," Lockwood said, "We'll do our courting over the telephone. -Let me see, I'll go down town this evening and telephone you--" - -"No, that won't do. I can't talk to you in the Adams front hall! Here's a -better plan. Tomorrow, when Mr. Trask goes out, you call me up there, and -I'll go out to a pay station and call you up where you are now. And the -day after tomorrow the time will be up." - -"Yes, and what are you going to do then?" - -"I don't know," said the girl, her voice suddenly losing its brightness. -"I'm going to think it out. Good-by." - -"Oh, wait a minute. I'll see you at dinner, shan't I?" - -"Oh, yes; and this evening, I suppose, but only with others present." - -And after a few more words Anita left the booth and walked slowly home. - -When Trask returned to his library he said to Lockwood, "Get busy on -those old books at once, will you? I want the shelves cleared for some of -my own books that I've sent for." - -"Very well," returned the secretary, thinking of the probable difference -between the expected books and those they would replace. - -"Do you mind, Mr Trask, if I take a few of these old ones myself? I'll -pay you whatever price a first class dealer sets on them." - -"Oh, take what you want, without pay. I'm in a good humor today, -Lockwood, better take advantage of it. Help yourself from the shelves." - -"Thank you, I'll not impose on your kindness and generosity." - -Nor did he, but among the few volumes he chose was the crimson stained -copy of Martial's Epigrams. - -Distasteful though it was, Lockwood looked at the book with a feeling of -reverence and opened the volume at the page that had last held the -interest of its owner's scholarly mind. - -The crimson stain completely obscured the print, but Lockwood gazed long -at the defaced page. - -"I wonder," he said to himself, "if a crack detective could get anything -from this. There's that Stone, Mercer is always raving over--I suppose -he's terribly expensive--yet this strange case might intrigue him--and -yet--there's Anita to be considered. If it should turn the tide against -her--" - -Later that afternoon, Trask went out again and Lockwood seized his -chance. - -Calling Anita at the Adams house, he said, "Listen, dear, you needn't say -anything but yes or no, and then no one will understand." - -"All right," came the reply. - -"I've just about come to the conclusion I'll get a clever detective and -put him on the case. I mean a real detective--in fact, Fleming Stone." - -"Oh, no!" Anita's voice was one of utter dismay. - -"Why not?" - -"I--I can't tell you this way! You said--" - -"So I did. Well, here, I'll ask questions. Don't you want me to do this?" - -"No!" very emphatically. - -"You'd rather I wouldn't?" - -"Very much rather." - -"Because you fear ill effects to yourself?" - -"Yes." - -"You are sure you're not overestimating the danger of that?" - -"I am sure." - -"Then there's no more to be said. Good-by." - -Lockwood hung up the receiver, and turned around to see Trask frowning at -him. - -"So that's the way you and Miss Austin whip the devil around the stump!" - -"That's the way," returned Lockwood, coolly. - -"She promised not to see you alone--is this how she keeps the letter of -her promise and breaks it in spirit?" - -"Leave her out of this. I called her up, she did not call me." - -"All the same. Now, I gather from the interesting talk I overheard that -Miss Austin does not wish to have Fleming Stone take up this case." - -"You are at liberty to gather anything you choose." - -"See here, Lockwood, you make a mistake when you try to antagonize me. -I'd be a better friend to you than an enemy." - -"I've no reason to want you for either." Lockwood was by no means -impertinent, he merely spoke indifferently. Trask noted this, and went -on, more suavely: - -"Now, my dear Lockwood, what I propose to do now, is to employ Fleming -Stone myself." - -Lockwood was astounded. At first he was glad, for he felt sure Stone -could solve the whole mystery. But, then, suppose it incriminated Anita, -and though Lockwood was sure of her innocence, he was just enough so to -realize that his surety was largely because of his affection for her. -Suppose Stone should prove her to be the criminal! - -It couldn't be--and yet-- - -He looked up to find Trask smiling broadly. - -"You've the reputation of being of an impassive countenance, Lockwood, -but to me your face is as an open book! However, it's only because you -are up against a difficult problem. You want Stone to come, yet you're -afraid he'll find out that Miss Austin is pretty deep in this murder -mystery. But I've made up my mind, and I think you'll see that any -attempt on your part to change my decision would look bad for Miss -Austin." - -"You let her name alone, Trask, or I'll reason with you myself." - -"Have you any real right to tell me to leave her name alone?" - -"Yes, I have." - -"Are you and she engaged?" - -"So far as I am concerned, we are. Miss Austin prefers to wait until -later to announce it, but I can answer for her to you in confidence." - -"Oh, it's in confidence, all right. Don't fear I'll breathe the news. -For, you see, I've made up my mind to marry Anita Austin myself; and if -Fleming Stone proves that she is a murderess, I'll marry her all the -same. She'll escape punishment--what woman doesn't?" - -"Then, look here," Lockwood's manner changed. "If you're going to get -Stone anyway, why can't we work with each other and not at odds? Whatever -else we think or feel we both want to save Miss Austin all the trouble or -distress we can. Let's be friends, then, and talk things over with Stone, -and then--" - -"I'm on! Then if we see things are going against her, shut him off!" - -"Well, yes, if we can." - -"Of course we can. I've money enough for anything--even to buy off -Fleming Stone. No man's too big to be bought." - -"I don't mean all this exactly as you do, but I do mean this: if Stone -can solve the mystery and clear Anita, let him do it. If he finds her -implicated, let it be understood by him beforehand, he is to cease -investigations." - -Trask thought a minute. - -"That goes," he said; "I agree." - - - - - CHAPTER XV - FLEMING STONE COMES - - -"Terence." - -"Yes, sir." - -"We're off for New England." - -"New England it is." - -"Start this afternoon, stay a few days, maybe a week among the classic -shades of Corinth." - -"Corinth it is." - -This somewhat laconic conversation was all that was necessary for Fleming -Stone's assistant and general factotum to make preparations for the trip, -achieve tickets, and arrive, with his chief, at the train gate at the -proper time. - -Terence McGuire, sometimes called Fibsy, because of a certain tendency to -mendacity, had begun as Stone's office boy, and, by virtue of his general -aptitude for detective work and his utter devotion to Stone, had become a -worthwhile and much appreciated assistant. Not only did the lad look -after all details of their trips as well as taking care of the offices, -but many times his ingenious mind so stimulated or aided Stone's own, -that more often than not they were practically colleagues. - -They had a compartment to themselves at the end of the car, and they were -no sooner started than Stone began to discuss the case with the boy. - -"I don't know all the details, of course," he began, "but it's a setting -after my own heart." - -"Then I can guess it," put in the wise Fibsy. "Man found dead in sealed -room." - -"You're a wizard! What made you think of that?" - -"'Cause that's the problem you like best, F. Stone. Wise me up some -more." - -"It's further interesting, because the victim is a great and good man, in -fact, the President-elect of the University of Corinth." - -"My! Somebody didn't want him for president? That the idea?" - -"Apparently not. Nothing in the letter about that." - -"Who wrote the letter?" - -"The relative who inherits the whole estate." - -"He do the job?" - -"No reason as yet to think so. But the criminal mustn't be guessed at. -The point is, the locked room." - -"How was the killing done?" - -"Stabbed. No weapon found and no way to get in or out of the locked room. -Fine problem." - -"Yes--if we don't find a secret stairway--or, a lying servant. Such cases -generally fizzle out that way." - -"Fibs, you're a Boy Cassandra." - -"What's that?" - -Stone explained, for it was his habit to supplement McGuire's very scant -education by bits of information now and then, when time served. - -"But, there's a queer clause in the arrangement," Stone went on, "if we -find the evidence leading in a certain direction, the chase is to cease." - -"That won't do." - -"Of course not, and I'll soon make that clear. But I can't think it will -lead in the given direction as that implicates a young girl, and rarely -indeed, have I found a criminal answering to that description." - -"'Tisn't usual--but, you know, F. Stone, since the war, girls are so -independent and so cocky that there's no telling what they'll do. Me for -the girl--as a suspect." - -"Fibsy, you're a fool." - -"No, sir. I don't admit it. See here, sir, if they're so 'fraid s'picion -will turn to that girl, there's reason for it. Yet, as you can guess, if -she didn't do it, they want her skirts entirely cleared." - -"Pretty good deduction so far. But we can't judge rationally until we -know the facts." - -The facts were told them, when, some hours later, they sat, alone with -Maurice Trask in the room where John Waring breathed his last. - -"I'm a plain man," Trask said, for he didn't care to pose unduly before -an astute detective. "I've come into this estate of my cousin's--my -second cousin, he was, and I started out with a firm determination to -find the villain who killed him. But, there is some cause for suspicion -of the young lady I expect to marry. And here's the situation. If you can -solve the mystery of Doctor Waring's death, and free that girl from any -taint of blame, go ahead. But if your investigation leads to her--stop -it. I want to marry her just the same, whether she killed anybody or not. -But if she didn't do it, I want to know it." - -"Can't you learn the truth from the young lady herself--if she is your -fiancee?" asked Stone. - -"Oh, she says she didn't do it, of course. But there's such an -overwhelming mass of evidence--or, apparent evidence against her, that -it's the deepest sort of a mystery." - -"Main facts first. Where was the body found?" - -"In that desk chair, seated at his desk, as he often was evenings. -Reading in a Latin book, so you see, he wasn't looking for trouble." - -"Found dead in the morning? Been dead all night?" - -"Yes, to both those questions. And locked in his room. Had to break in." - -"And no weapon about?" - -"Not a sign of any--" - -"Then that cuts out all suicide idea." - -"It does and it doesn't. You may as well say the locked up room cuts out -all idea of a murder." - -"But it must be one or the other. And isn't it more plausible to look for -some way that the murderer could have gone away and left the room locked, -than to think up a way that the suicide could have disposed of this -weapon?" - -"Yes, that's so, but I want you to investigate both possibilities. You -see, if you could prove a suicide, that would free Miss Austin at once. -And--if things go against her--I want you to--oh, hang it, it's hard to -put into words--" - -"I'll do that," said Fibsy, "if things go against Miss Austin, you want -Mr. Stone to frame up suicide, and declare it the truth." - -"Exactly that," and Trask looked relieved at the thought all his cards -were on the table. "I don't want Miss Austin suspected, but I do want to -know if she's innocent." - -"Any other suspects?" asked Stone. - -"Not definite ones. There's the Japanese who absconded that same night, -and of course, there's the secretary, Gordon Lockwood. I'd like to -suspect him, all right, and he has a round silver penholder that just -fits the wound that killed Waring. But it doesn't look like he did it, he -never would have left the penholder in evidence, and he would have -arranged matters to look more like a suicide. Then, too, how could he -lock the door behind him?" - -"That question must be answered first of all," said Stone. "I'll examine -the room, of course, but after the local police and detectives have done -that, I doubt if I find anything enlightening. So far as I can see, this -whole affair is unique, and I think we will find some surprising evidence -and soon. Tell me more of this Miss Austin. Who is she?" - -"Nobody knows. In fact, they call her Miss Mystery, because so little is -known of her. She appeared here in Corinth from nowhere. She knew no one, -and as she began to make acquaintances somebody brought her over here. -She met Doctor Waring, and inside of twenty-four hours had so bewitched -him that it would seem he had her visiting him in his study late at -night. She said at first, she wasn't here, but as she left the impress of -her dress trimmings on that chair-back, and as she has a ruby pin and a -lot of money that were in the Doctor's possession, it looks, one might -say, a bit queer." - -"Weren't the valuables planted on her?" put in Fibsy. - -"That's what she says--or rather, that's one of the things she said. The -girl contradicts herself continually. She says one thing one day and -another the next." - -"Is she pretty?" This from Fibsy. - -"Pretty as the devil! And that's not so bad as a description. She has -great big dark eyes, with straight black brows that almost meet. She has -a jaunty little face, that can be roguish or scornful or merry or -pathetic as the little rascal chooses. She has completely bowled me over, -and I'd be glad to have her on any terms and whatever her past history. -But, there it is. If she has a clean slate in this murder business, I -want to know it." - -"And if she hasn't?" - -"Then I don't want anybody else to know it. If you find, Mr. Stone, real -evidence that Anita Austin killed John Waring, or if she confesses to the -deed, then you whip around and prove a suicide, and I'll double your -charge. You needn't do anything wrong, you know. Just sum up that all -indications point to a suicide, and let it go at that. Nobody will arrest -Miss Austin if you say that." - -"You must be crazy, Mr. Trask," returned Stone, coldly. "I don't conduct -my business on any such principles as those. I can't perjure myself to -save your lady love from a just condemnation." - -"You haven't seen her yet." Trask nodded his sagacious head. "Wait till -you do." - -"Give me all the points against her," the detective suggested. - -"I will. I'd rather you knew them from me. Not that I'll color -them--they're facts that speak for themselves, but other people might -exaggerate them. Well, to begin with, this girl, a day or so after she -arrived here was seen kissing the picture of Doctor Waring which she had -cut from a newspaper. I tell you this, 'cause you'll hear it anyway, and -the gossips think it shows a previous acquaintance between the two. But I -hold that as girls have matinee idols and movie heroes, this girl might -easily have adored the scholarly man, though she had never seen him." - -"It is possible," Stone agreed, "but not very probable. She denies they -were acquainted?" - -"Yes. Vows she never saw him until one night she went to his lecture, -soon after her arrival here." - -"What is she in Corinth for?" - -"To sketch--she's an artist." - -"Go on." - -"Well, as I said, she must have come here that Sunday night, for one of -the boarders at the house she lives in saw her cross the snowy field. -Also, the footprints just fitted her shoes. Also, the tracks led right up -on the side porch here to that long French window. And led right back -again to the Adams house." - -"Whew!" Fibsy exploded, "aren't you rubbing it in?" - -"Well, that's what they tell me--" Trask asserted, doggedly, "and I want -you to know it all, Mr. Stone, before the other people tell you a garbled -version." - -"Go on." - -"Then, they say, the girl left marks of her dress trimming on that chair, -and Lockwood, the secretary, rubbed them off next morning, as soon as the -body was discovered. We have the word of two witnesses for this episode." - -"Who are the witnesses?" - -"Ito, the Japanese butler, and Miss Peyton, who lives in this house." - -"Go on." - -"Well, then, ever since the tragedy, Miss Austin has acted queer. Queer -in all sorts of ways. She is sad and desolate one minute, and saucy and -independent the next. I can't make her out at all. And she is more than -half in love with this Lockwood. I have to cut him out, you see. And I -figure, if you prove the case against Miss Austin, and if I agree to -marry her and hush up the whole matter, and make it seem a suicide--" - -"You figure that she'll throw over the secretary for you," cried Fibsy, -his eyes aghast at the man's plan. - -"Exactly that. You see, Mr. Stone, I don't try to deceive you. While I -have a natural sorrow at my cousin's death, yet remember that I never -knew him in life, and that, while I want to avenge his death in any case -but one, I do not want to if it implicates Anita Austin." - -"I understand," said Stone, seemingly not so shocked at the conversation -as his assistant was. - -"There's another queer thing," said Trask. "They tell me that when the -body was found there was the impress of a ring on the forehead." - -"A seal ring?" - -"Oh, no. Not a finger ring, but a circle, about two inches across, a red -mark, as if it had been made as a sign or symbol of some sort." - -"It remained on the flesh?" - -"Until the embalming process took place. That removed it. I didn't see -it, but I'm told it was a clearly defined circle, quite evidently -impressed with some intent." - -"Sounds like a sign of a secret society," Fibsy suggested, but Stone paid -no heed. - -"Let's reconstruct the case," he said; "Waring sat at his desk his -secretary outside in that hall?" - -"Yes; the Japanese, the other one, the one that disappeared, brought in -water, and then Doctor Waring closed the door and locked it." - -"Immediately?" - -"I don't know that, but anyway, no one that we know of saw him again -alive. Nogi is under no suspicion, for after he came out of the room, the -Doctor rose and locked the door. Lockwood can't be suspected, as he heard -the door locked, and couldn't get in. He _is_ more or less suspected -because of his penholder, but much as I should like to think him the -criminal, I know he isn't." - -"You're very honest, Mr. Trask." - -"Yes, because I want the truth. Can you get it?" - -"I think so." - -"You still eliminate suicide?" - -"I can't see how I can think it, with no weapon. You say that death was -instantaneous--?" - -"Yes; the doctors agree that it was. Positively he had no chance to hide -or dispose of the instrument of death." - -"And why should he? Suicides never make their death seem a murder, though -often a murderer tries to simulate a suicide." - -"Yet that wasn't done in this case, or the murderer would have left the -weapon." - -"That may be the very point he neglected. Now, how did the murderer get -out? Get busy, Fibs." - -For nearly half an hour, the three men searched the room. Had there been -any secret exit, or any concealed passage, it must have been found. -Fleming Stone's knowledge of architecture would not let him overlook any -thing of the sort, and Fibsy's alert eyes and quick wits would have found -anything out of the ordinary. - -"No way out," Stone concluded, finally; "and no way of locking a door or -a window after departure from the room. Looks as if the murder theory was -as untenable as the other. No chance of a natural death?" - -"With a round hole in his jugular vein? No, sir. The doctors here won't -stand for that. Try again." - -"I shall. I don't know when I've had such a baffling, intriguing case, as -this appears to be at first sight. It may resolve itself into a simple -problem, but I can't think so now. Even if it were the work of your Miss -Austin--how did she get in and out?" - -"Oh, she got in, all right. Waring let her in, at the French window. -Probably that's when he locked his door. But--say she killed him--how did -she get out and lock the room behind her?" - -"She couldn't. The window locks are bolts, and could not be shot from -outside. For the moment I see no explanation. It is blank, utter mystery. -When can I see Miss Austin?" - -"Too late tonight, tomorrow morning will have to do. But she won't run -away. The police won't let her." - -"Yet they can't hold her." - -"They are doing so. They claim she was the last one to see the victim -alive--" - -"Does she admit that?" - -"Not she! She admits nothing. You'll get nothing out of that little -Sphinx!" - -"All right, then, Mr. Trask, if you've finished your tale, suppose you -leave me here to ruminate over this thing, and I'll go up to my room when -I wish." - -Trask went off to bed, and Stone and his young assistant sat and looked -at each other. - -"Up against it, F. Stone?" - -"I certainly am, Fibs. And yet, the thing is so absolutely impossible -that there must be a solution within easy reach. It can't be suicide, -with the weapon gone, and it can't be murder with the room locked up. -Now, as it must be either suicide or murder, then it follows, that either -the weapon isn't gone, or the room isn't locked up." - -"Wasn't, you mean." - -"Yes, wasn't. But I don't yet think that any one disturbed the conditions -purposely. For why would the secretary take away the weapon to make it -seem a suicide--" - -"He would if he did it." - -"He didn't do it. Trask sees that. The man Trask is a sharp one. He sees -all there is to see, and since there's practically nothing to see that -solves the mystery, he sent for me. It would be a good one on me, -Terence, if I have to give the thing up as unsolvable." - -"That won't happen, F. Stone, but I'm free to confess, I can't see any -way to look." - -The next morning, Maurice Trask went over to the Adams house, and brought -Miss Mystery back with him. - -She came willingly enough, and the interview with the detective took -place in the room of the tragedy itself. - -Stone noticed that the girl showed no horror or distaste of the scene, -and even sat in the chair he placed for her, which was the same -plush-covered one that had received the tell-tale imprints. - -Fleming Stone regarded Miss Austin curiously. Not only was her beauty all -that Trask had described it, but there was an added quality of fineness, -a trace of high mentality, that naturally enough Maurice Trask quite -overlooked. - -At first glance, Stone's thought was--"That child commit murder? Never!" -But a few moments later, he was not quite so sure of his negation. - -Fibsy just sat and looked at her. He had no occasion to speak, unless -addressed, so, in silence he merely let his eyes feast on the piquant -face with its ever changing expressions. - -After casual questions, Stone said directly, "Did you know Doctor Waring -before you came to Corinth, Miss Austin?" - -"No," she said, a little hesitantly; "I had heard of him, but I had never -before seen him." - -"How had you heard of him?" - -"There was much in the papers about his election." - -"And that interested you?" - -"Not specially," she said, with a sudden accession of hauteur. - -And thereupon, she became a most unsatisfactory witness. She listened to -Stone's questions with an absent-minded air, answered in monosyllables, -or by a movement of her head. She even gave a side smile to Fibsy, which, -though it amazed him, also filled him with a strange exultant joy, and -made him her abject slave at once. - -Stone went on, drawling out a string of unimportant questions in a -monotonous voice, and at length, he said, in the same unimportant way, - -"And when you saw Doctor Waring that night, was there a red ring on his -forehead?" - -"No," said Miss Austin, and then, suddenly awakening to what she had -done, she cried impetuously, "I mean, I don't know. I wasn't here." - -Stone smiled gravely. "You were here," he said. "Now let us talk about -what happened during your visit." - -An interruption was caused by a tap at the closed door. - -Impatiently, Trask rose and went to the door. It was Ito, bringing a -telegram for Miss Austin. It had arrived at the Adams house, and had been -sent over. - -Miss Mystery read it, with great difficulty controlled her agitation, as -she quickly went to the blazing log fire and dropped the paper in. - -"Skip over to the Telegraph office and get a copy," said Stone quietly, -and Fibsy obeyed. - -Then to Miss Austin's continued distress, Stone read the message aloud. -It was from San Francisco, and it said: - -"Better own up and tell the whole truth. I have annexed Carl." It was -signed merely "A" and apparently it was of dire import to its recipient. -Miss Mystery sat silent, and wide-eyed in desperation, as she looked -hopelessly from one to another. - -"Don't you think," said Stone, not unkindly, "that you'd better follow -A's advice and make a clean breast of the whole matter?" - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - MISS MYSTERY'S TESTIMONY - - -Miss Mystery looked from Stone's impassive face to Fibsy's eager boyish -countenance. Then she looked at Maurice Trask. - -The latter showed deepest sympathy and interest but Trask also had a wary -air, as if ready to interrupt any disclosures that might be damaging to -the girl. - -"First of all," Stone said, "who sent you that telegram from San -Francisco?" - -"I don't know." The calm little face was as expressionless as Stone's -own, and she made her statement as straightforwardly as if it had been -true. - -"Miss Austin," Stone spoke severely now, "it's to your own advantage to -adopt a more amenable manner. You will not help your cause by -prevarication or evasion. Unless you will answer my questions truly, I -must find out these things for myself. I can do it." - -"If you can find out who sent that telegram, go ahead," she flared at -him. "I tell you I don't know who sent it, and I don't know who 'A' is." - -"I know who she is," said Fibsy, and then Anita's quick, startled glance -proved to the boy that his little ruse was successful and he had at least -guessed the sex of the sender. - -"A woman," the astute lad mused, "and she has annexed Carl. Maybe Carl is -another name for that escaped Japanese. But it's all so far away. How can -they conduct operations between here and California!" - -"Miss Austin," Stone tried to win her confidence, "believe me I am most -anxious to help you. Please tell me why you came over here that Sunday -night. It is utterly useless to deny that you did come, now tell me why." - -Anita looked baffled, but after a moment's pause, she said, "Do you think -I killed Doctor Waring?" - -"I know you didn't," broke in Fibsy, with enthusiasm. "Now, come across, -Miss Austin, and I'll bet you F. Stone can dope out the whole game." - -"I know most of the circumstances already," Stone smiled, and followed up -the small advantage he had gained. "You came over here late, secretly, -across the snowy field. Doctor Waring let you in?" - -"Yes," Anita breathed the word, and her starry eyes never left Stone's -face. She seemed almost hypnotized. - -"Then you sat down in the chair you're in now, and he locked the -door--why did he do that?" - -"I don't know--he didn't! Stop! You have no right to torment me like -this! I have counsel--Mr. Trask here is my lawyer. Let him tell me what -to do!" - -Her nerves were tense, and her little fingers were continually twisting -round themselves. Her face was agonized, and Stone felt as if he were -guilty of utter cruelty. But he must go on. - -"Mr. Trask cannot tell what he does not know," he said, coldly. "I am in -authority, you must answer me. Did Doctor Waring give you the money and -the ruby pin?" - -"Yes, he did." - -"Why?" - -"As gifts. Why does any one give presents?" - -"Because he loved you?" - -"Yes." Anita's voice dropped to a softer tone, her eyes had a faraway -look, and her sensitive little mouth quivered. - -"Yet you had known him but a few days! You had never seen him before you -came to Corinth?" - -"Never." - -"Isn't that a strange admission? How could he become so infatuated in so -short a time?" - -"Have you never heard of such a thing?" the face was almost roguish now, -and the dark eyes showed a hint of smile. - -Stone was baffled. He gazed at this strange young person, who was either -fooling him to the top of her bent or was a helpless, harassed child. - -"Was Doctor Waring related to you?" he asked, with a sudden new idea. - -"Oh, no. He was no relation. I tell you I never met him before I came -here." - -"And he gave you the valuables?" - -"He did. I'll swear to that--though I have no witness to prove it." - -"And you accepted them! Accepted a large sum of money and a pin set with -a precious stone from a man you scarcely knew! A man engaged to be -married! A man of twice your own age! You must admit this calls for -explanation." - -"Why does it? Hadn't he a right to give me those things if he chose?" - -"Wait a minute, Miss Austin. You loved him?" - -"Maybe." - -"Then, if you did, do you want his name stained, his memory blotted by an -act that is, to say the least, questionable?" - -"But he did give them to me." - -"Unless you can say more clearly why he did so I'm not sure I can believe -you. Did you ask for them?" - -"Oh, no!" - -Her disclaimer sounded true, but Stone began to think she was a -consummate little actress as well as a clever falsifier. - -"Well," he said, after a short pause, "I may as well tell you, Miss -Austin, that I am here to solve this mystery. That I am not at all -satisfied that you are telling me the truth; that, therefore, I shall -have to seek the truth elsewhere. I will tell you, too, that I don't want -to implicate you, that I should much prefer to keep your name out of it -all, but that you leave me no choice but to go ahead with my -investigations wherever they may lead. A few more questions and you may -go. What was Doctor Waring doing when you came?" - -"He--he was sitting at his desk." She looked troubled at Stone's speech -and seemed half inclined to be more friendly. - -"You saw him through the French window, before you came in?" - -"Yes; the window has a silk curtain, but I saw him between the edge of -the silk and the window sash." - -"Was he reading?" - -"No; there were books on the desk, but he was not reading." - -"He rose and let you in?" - -"Yes." - -"He had sent for you?" - -"No--that is, yes." - -"You spoke truly the first time. He did not send for you and you came of -your own accord. Was he surprised to see you?" - -"He didn't say so." - -"What did he say? What was his first word?" - -"Why--I don't know. He said--'Anita! You!'--or something like that." - -"And kissed you?" - -"Yes." And then a sudden wave of crimson spread over the scared little -face. It was evident she had not voluntarily made the admission. It had -slipped out as her memory was busy with the scene. - -"I won't stand it!" she cried, "I can't stand it! Mr. Trask, save me from -this terrible man!" - -Maurice Trask sitting near her, held out his hand, and Miss Mystery took -it. It seemed to reassure her, and she said, "Remember, you're my lawyer. -Don't let him question me any more. Tell him things yourself--" - -"But he doesn't know things--" said Stone, gravely. - -"Then let him make them up! I refuse to stand this persecution. I didn't -kill that man--" - -"Wait a moment, Miss Austin," Stone feared if he let her go now, he would -lose his chance, "since you are admittedly the last person who is known -to have seen Doctor Waring alive, you cannot avoid, or evade the -strictest questioning. You were here," he spoke very gravely, "late at -night. Next morning he was found dead. There are no footprints in the -snow but your own. There was no other way into the room. Therefore, you -are responsible for his death or--you know who is." - -"Must I--must I be convicted?" - -Her tone was heartbroken, her strained little face piteous in its appeal. -But Stone did not believe in her. He had concluded she was entirely -capable of pulling wool over her questioners' eyes, and he watched her -keenly. - -"I don't say you must," he returned deliberately, "but I say you may." - -"Never," declared Trask. "You know what I told you, Mr. Stone." - -"And you know that I refused to accept your terms. I shall carry this -matter through to the end. I do not say I think Miss Austin guilty of -crime, but I do say she knows all about the death of Doctor Waring and -she must be made to tell." - -"Suppose I say I--he killed himself," she said, "will you believe me?" - -"With your stiletto?" asked Stone, quickly. - -"Y--Yes." - -"And then you took the stiletto home and hid it?" - -"Yes." - -"What for?" - -"To shield his memory. Suicide is a coward's act." - -"Rubbish!" Fibsy exploded, unable to keep quiet any longer. "I say, Miss -Mystery, you _are_ a mystery! Why don't you tell what you know. It's up -to you. Here you were with the victim, shortly before his death, you -probably know all about what happened. By the way, how did you get out?" - -"Out the same way I came in." - -"And bolted that window-door behind you?" - -"Oh--no--well, you see--" - -"I see you are not to say another word, Miss Austin," Trask decreed. "I'm -very sorry I asked Mr. Stone to take up this case. However, I shall take -you home now, then I'll come back and I hope I can persuade Mr. Stone to -discontinue his work. If I'd had any idea of these disclosures you've -made, I never should have engaged his services. Come, Anita, I will take -you home. Mr. Stone, await my return. I shan't be long." - -The two went, and Stone, pacing up and down the long room said musingly, -"All centers round that girl." - -"Righto," said Fibsy, "but she didn't kill the man." - -"The trouble is, Terence, your saying that doesn't make it so." - -"No, but its being so makes me say it." - -Gordon Lockwood came in, his face full of anxiety. - -"I'm glad to see you alone for a moment, Mr. Stone," he said. "I saw -Trask taking Miss Austin home. Now, tell me, please, can you get at the -truth about that girl?" - -"I haven't as yet. She's as great a mystery as the death of Doctor -Waring." - -"She is. But I have every faith in her. She is the victim of some -delusion--" - -"Delusion?" - -"Yes; I mean she's under a mistaken sense of duty to somebody, or--" - -"State your meaning more definitely, will you?" - -"I'm not sure that I can. But I'm positive--" - -"Ah, now, Mr. Lockwood," this from Fibsy, "you're positive the young lady -is an angel of light, because you're head over heels in love with her. -That's all right, and I don't blame you--but, take it from me, you'll -prove your case quicker, better and more surely, if you investigate the -secret of Miss Mystery, than if you just go around babbling about her -innocence and purity." - -Lockwood looked at the boy, ready to resent his impudence. But Fibsy's -serious face and honest eyes carried conviction and the secretary at once -took him for an ally. - -"You're right, McGuire," he said; "and, I for one am not afraid of the -result of a thorough investigation of Miss Austin's affairs." - -"You've reason to be, though," Stone observed. "I can't be sure, of -course, but many stray hints and bits of evidence, to my mind point to -Miss Austin's close connection with the whole matter." - -"What is your theory as to the death, Mr. Stone," Lockwood asked. -"Suicide or murder?" - -"Honestly, I don't know. I'm quite ready to form an opinion when I get -some real evidence. I'm through questioning Miss Austin--I shouldn't have -let her go otherwise. I want next to do a lot of further questioning. And -I'd very much like to get hold of that servant, Nogi." - -"You think he's implicated?" Lockwood stared. - -"Why else would he run away? He must be found. He is probably the key to -the whole situation." - -"Guilty?" - -"Maybe and maybe not. If he and Miss Austin were in collusion--" - -"I beg your pardon, Mr. Stone, but I cannot have any thing said in my -presence that reflects on that young lady's good name. We are engaged to -be married--that is, I consider myself bound to her, and hope to win her -full consent." - -"But I understood--I thought, Trask--" - -"Mr. Trask wants to marry her, but I hardly think his suit will succeed. -The lady must decide, of course, but I have reason to hope--" - -"Gee, Mr. Lockwood, 'course she'll take you," Fibsy informed him, "now, -let's you and me get busy to find out Miss Mystery's mystery. You ought -to know it, if you're going to marry her--and too, you can't believe -there's anything that can't stand the light." - -"What can it be?" Lockwood asked, helplessly. "How can a young girl like -that have a real secret that so pervades and surrounds her whole life -that she will give no hint of it? Who is she? What is she? Why is she -here? I don't believe she came here merely to sketch in water colors." - -"No," agreed Stone. "If that were all, why the mystery about her home and -family? I understand she has given several contradictory statements as to -where she really lives." - -"She has," assented Lockwood. "But may it not be just a twist of her -humorous nature? I assure you she is roguishly inclined--" - -"No; it isn't a joke," Fibsy said, frowning at the thought. "She's got a -real secret, a mystery that means a whole lot to her,--and prob'ly to -other people. Well, F. Stone, I guess it's up to me to go out and seek -her people." He sighed deeply. "I hate to leave the seat of war, but I -gotta do it. Nobody else could ever ferret out the antecedents and -general family doings of Miss Mystery but Yours Truly. And this is no -idle boast. I'm going out for the goods and I'll fetch home the bacon." - -He looked glum at the prospect, for it looked like no easy or simple -matter that he proposed to undertake. - -"You see," he went on, "that girl is stubborn--my, but she's stubborn. -You'll have a handful, Mr. Lockwood. But if so be's you're willing to -face the revelations, I'll go and dig 'em up." - -"Where do you think you'll go, Terence?" asked Stone. - -"To California, F. S., of course. Didn't that telegram come from there? -All I've got to do is to find 'A' and the 'Carl' that she 'annexed' and -there's your mystery of the young lady solved. But the death of the -Doctor--that's another thing." - -"Do you really mean this?" Lockwood said, staring at Fibsy. "How can you -find a needle in a haystack, like that?" - -"I can't--but I've gotta." - -"But it's so much simpler to get the information from Miss Austin -herself." - -"You call that simple!" Fibsy looked at him. "Well, it isn't. It's easier -to go to Mars, I should say, than to get any real information out of that -little scrap of waywardness." - -"No, nothing can be learned from her," said Stone. - -"Then, shall I be off?" asked Fibsy. - -"Wait twenty-four hours, my lad, and then if we're no further along, I -suppose you'll have to go. Nogi must be found." - -"I'm glad Mr. Trask called you in, Mr. Stone," Lockwood said, slowly, -"but I do hope you won't associate any thought of Miss Austin with the -crime. She could no more commit crime than a small kitten could." - -"I fancy you're right," and Stone, half absent-mindedly, "but opinions as -to what people can or can't do, are of not much real use." - -"Have you a theory?" - -"Yes, I have a theory, but the facts don't fit it--and it seems as if -they could not be made to. Yet it's a good theory." - -"You don't care to tell it to me?" - -"Why, I'm willing to do so. My theory is that John Waring committed -suicide, but I can't make any facts bear me out. You see, it's not only -the absence of a weapon, but all absence of motive, and even of -opportunity." - -"Surely he had opportunity--in here alone." - -"It can't be opportunity if he had no implement handy. And nothing can -explain away the missing weapon, and the locked room, on the suicide -theory." - -"What can explain the locked room, on a murder theory?" Lockwood asked. - -"I haven't thought of anything as yet. What book was Doctor Waring -reading that night?" - -"There were several on his desk, but the one that was found nearest the -body, the one stained with blood, is a copy of Martial's Epigrams." - -"May I see it, please?" - -Lockwood brought the book and Fleming Stone examined it carefully. It was -not a rare or finely bound edition, it seemed more a working copy or a -book for reference. It was printed in Latin. - -"He was fond of Martial?" asked Stone. - -"He was a reader of all the classics. He preferred them, of course, in -their original Latin or Greek. He was also a modern linguist." - -Stone opened the volume to the stained page, which was numbered 87. He -studied it closely. - -"It's all Greek to me," he said, frowning, "even though it's Latin, but I -hoped to read something on the page beside the printed text." - -However, the irregularly shaped red blur gave him no clue, and he -returned the book to Lockwood. - -"Had the Doctor any private accounts?" the detective asked suddenly. - -"Not that I know of," replied the secretary. "He was a man of singularly -few secrets, and I was always at liberty to open all letters, and had -free access to his desk and safe. I never knew him to hide or secrete a -paper of any sort." - -"No harm in looking," Stone said, and began forthwith to search the desk -drawers and compartments. - -The search was fruitless, until at length, a small checkbook was found. - -And a curious revelation it gave them. For of its blank checks but one -had been torn out, and the remaining stub gave the information that it -was a check for ten thousand dollars drawn to the order of Anita Austin. - -Those who looked at it stared incredulously. - -"It is dated," Stone said, "the date that Doctor Waring died." - -It was. Had this too, been given to the strange young woman, whom Stone -was beginning to designate to himself by the title of adventuress? Was it -possible that young girl, who seemed scarce more than a child, had some -how maneuvered to get all this from a man whom she had deliberately -fascinated and infatuated? - -It was incredible--yet what else could be assumed? - -Gordon Lockwood looked deeply distressed. His lips set in a tight line, -and he said, through his clenched teeth: - -"I don't care! Nothing can shake my faith in that girl! She is blameless, -and only these misleading circumstances make you think otherwise, Mr. -Stone." - -The detective looked at him as one might regard a hopeless lunatic. - -But young McGuire's face was a study. - -He looked horror-stricken and then dazed. Then he had an inspiration -apparently, for he smiled broadly--only to lapse again into a profound -gloom. - -"If it ain't the beatin'est!" he said, at last. "Whatcha make of it, F. -Stone?" - -"I'm completely staggered for the moment. Fibs," the detective returned, -"but these cumulative evidences of Miss Mystery's--er--acquisitive -disposition, seem--I say _seem_ to lead to a suspicion of her undue -influence over Doctor Waring, at least, as to obtaining money." - -"Oh, she didn't!" Lockwood fairly groaned. "Don't blame her! Perhaps -Waring fell a victim to her beauty and grace, and perhaps he urged these -gifts upon her--" - -"Perhaps," Fibsy said; "perhaps he threatened to kill her if she didn't -accept his checks and coin and rubies!--and maybe she had to kill him in -self-defense--" - -"Self-defense!" Lockwood cried, grasping at any straw. "Could it have -been that?" - -"No," Stone said; "be rational, man, whatever made Anita Austin kill -Doctor Waring, it wasn't a case of self-defense." - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - PLANNING AN ELOPEMENT - - -There was some sort of telepathy or some subconscious impulse that made -Anita Austin open her bedroom door in response to a light tap, although -she had resolved to talk to nobody just then. - -But when she saw Gordon Lockwood she was glad she had, and, without -waiting for an invitation he stepped inside the room and closed the door. - -He looked at her with a face full of compassion and love, but he spoke as -one who must attend to an important business. - -"Anita," he said, speaking very low, "the crisis has come. They have -learned of the check Doctor Waring gave you that night, and it is the -last straw. Stone is already, I think, convinced of your guilt, and that -young chap, McGuire, will get at the bottom of everything, I'm sure." - -"Check? What do you mean?" Miss Mystery said, with a blank look on her -face. - -"Don't equivocate with me, dear." Lockwood laid his hand gently on hers. -"There's no time now to tell you of my love, as I want to tell it. Now, -we can only assume that it is all told, that we are engaged, and that we -are to be married at once. We are going to elope, Anita." - -"Elope!" she stared at him, but her eyes grew soft and her pale cheeks -flushed. "What _do_ you mean?" - -"It isn't a pretty word," Gordon smiled, "but it's the only thing to do, -you see. If you stay here, you'll be arrested. If you go, I go with you. -So--we both go, and that makes it an elopement." - -"But, Gordon--" - -"But, Anita--answer me just one question--do you love me?" - -"Yes," with an adorable upward glance and smile. - -"More than you loved Doctor Waring?" - -Their eyes met. Lockwood's usually inscrutable face was desperately -eager, and his deep eyes showed smouldering passion. He held her by the -shoulders, he looked steadily at her, awaiting her answer. - -"Yes," she said, at last, her lovely lips quivering. - -"That's all I want to know!" he whispered, triumphantly, as he kissed the -scarlet lips, and drew the slender form into his embrace. - -"You must know more--" she began, "and--and I can't tell you. Oh, -Gordon--" - -She hid her face on his broad shoulder, and he gently stroked her hair, -as he said: - -"Don't tell me anything now, dearest. Don't ever tell me, unless you -choose. And, anyway, I know it all. I know you had never known the Doctor -before, and I'll tell you how I know. I found in his scrap basket a note -to you--" - -"A note to me!" Fresh terror showed in the dark eyes. - -"Yes--don't mind. No one else ever saw it. I burned it. But it said, -'Darling Anita. Since you came into my life, life is worth living'--or -something like that--" - -"When--when did he write that?" - -"Sometime on that fatal Sunday. I suppose after he met you in the -afternoon, and before you came that evening. Remember, Sweetheart, if -ever you want to tell me all about that late visit to him, do so. But, if -not, I never shall ask or expect you to. But that's all in the -future--our dear future, which we shall spend together--together, Anita! -Are you glad?" - -"Oh, so glad!" and the soft arms crept round his neck and Miss Mystery -gave him a kiss that thrilled his very soul. "Will you take care of me, -Gordon?" - -"Take care of you, my little love! Take care of you, is it? Just give me -the chance!" - -"You seem to have a pretty big chance, right now," a smiling face reached -up to his. "But--" she seemed suddenly to recollect something, "about a -check--he didn't give me a check--" - -Lockwood laid a hand over her mouth. - -"Hush, dearest. Don't tell me things that aren't--aren't so. I saw the -stub--a check for ten thousand dollars--made out to Anita Austin, and -dated that very Sunday. Now, hush--" as she began to speak, "we've no -time to talk these things over. I tell you the police are on your track. -They will come here, they will arrest you--try to get that in your head. -I am going to save you--first, for your own sweet sake, and also for my -own." - -"But, Gordon, wait a minute. Do you believe I killed John Waring?" - -Lockwood looked at her. - -"Don't ask me that, Anita. And, truly, I don't know whether I believe it -or not. I know you have told falsehoods, I know you were there that -night, I know of his letter to you, of the check and of the ruby pin and -the money. But I--no, I do not know that you killed him. There are many -other theories possible--there's Nogi--but, my darling, it all makes no -difference. I love you, I want you, whatever the circumstances or -conditions of your life, or your deeds. I love you so, that I want you -even if you are a criminal--for in that case, I want to protect and save -you. Now, don't tell me you did or didn't kill the man, for--" he gave -her a whimsical smile, "I couldn't believe you in either case! I've not -much opinion of your veracity, and, too, it's too big a matter to talk -about now. Of course I don't believe you killed him! You, my little love! -And yet, the evidence is so overpowering that I--believe you did kill -him! There, how's that for a platform? Now, let all those things be, and -get ready to go away with me. I tell you we're going to elope and mighty -quickly too. The difficulty is, to get away unseen. But it must be done. -Pack a small handbag--a very small one. I'll plan our way out--and if we -can make a getaway under the noses of Stone and his boy, we'll soon be -all right. I've a friend who will motor us to a nearby town, where a dear -old minister, who has known and loved me from boyhood, will marry us." - -"Doesn't he know about--about me?" - -"My little girl, leave all the details of this thing to me. Don't bother -your lovely head about it. It will be all right--trust me--if we can -escape." - -"Is it right for me to go? Oughtn't I stay and--what do they call it? -give myself up?" - -"Anita, if I didn't love you so, I'd scold you, hard! Now, you obey your -future lord and master, and get ready for a hurry-up wedding, I'm sorry -that you can't have bridesmaids and choir boys--but, you'll pardon me, I -know, if I remind you that that isn't my fault." - -Miss Mystery looked up and broke into laughter. Truly, she was a mystery! -Her gayety was as spontaneous and merry as if she had never heard of -crime or tragedy. - -Lockwood gazed at her curiously, and then nodded his handsome head, as he -said, "You'll do, Anita! You're a little bit of all right." - -But in a moment her mood changed. - -"Gordon, we can't," she said, slowly. "We never can get away from this -house--let alone the detectives. Miss Bascom is on continual watch and -Mrs. Adams--" - -"I know, dear. That's it. I thought if you could manage that part, I'd -see to evading the Stone faction. Can't you think up a plan?" - -"Love will find a way," she whispered, and unable to resist the inviting -smile, Gordon again caught her in his arms, and held her close in an -ecstasy of possession. - -"You are so sweet," he murmured, with an air of saying something -important. "Oh, my Little Girl, how I love you! The moment I first saw -you--" - -"When was that?" - -"That night at--at the Doctor's lectures. I sat behind you, I changed my -seat to do so--and I counted the buttons on your dear little gray -frock--that was one way I discovered your presence in the study that -night." He spoke gravely now. "And there was another way. I heard you -talking. Yes, I heard your blessed voice--remember, I loved you then--and -I heard Waring talking to you. I could make out no word--I didn't -try--but now I wish I had--for it might help you." - -"I wish you had, Gordon," she returned, solemnly, "it would have helped -me." - -"But you can tell me, dear, tell me all the conversation. Surely you -trust me now." - -"I trust you--but--oh, as you say, there's no time. It's a long story--a -dreadful story--I don't want to tell you--" - -"Then you shan't. I've promised you that, you know. Not until you want to -tell me, will I ask for a word of it." - -"Now, here's another thing," and Anita blushed, deeply, "if we go -away--as you say--what about--about money?" - -Lockwood stared at her. "I have money," he said; "why do you ask that?" - -"But--but the awful detective people--said you--you were terribly in -debt." - -"Brave little girl, to say that. I know you hated to. Well, my darling, -those precious bills that those precious detectives dug up in my desk, -are old bills that were owed by my father--his name was the same as -mine--" - -"The same as yours! How queer!" - -"Oh, not a unique instance. Anyway, those bills I am paying off as I can. -I'm not legally responsible for them, but I want to clear my dad's name, -and all that. Now, all that can wait--while I take unto me a wife, and -arrange for her comfort and convenience. But, is there--now remember, I'm -not prying--is there any one whose permission you must ask to marry me?" - -"No, I'm twenty-one--that's of age in any state." - -"Why, you aged person! I deemed you about eighteen." - -"Do you mind?" - -"No; you goosie! But--your mother, now?" - -"Oh--my mother. She doesn't care what I do." - -"And your father? Forgive me, but I have to ask." - -"My father is dead." - -"Then come along. Let's begin to get ready to go." - -"Wait a minute--Gordon--to get married--must I--must I tell my real -name?" - -His eyes clouded a trifle. - -"Yes, dear heart," he said, very gently, "yes, you must." - -"Then I can't get married, Gordon." - -Miss Mystery sat down and folded her little hands in her lap, her whole -attitude that of utter despair. - -"But, Sweetheart, no one need know except the minister and witnesses--" - -"And you?" - -"Yes--and I--" - -"Oh, I can't marry you, anyway. I can't marry anybody. I can't tell who I -am! Oh, let them take me away, and let them arrest me and I hope they'll -convict me--and--" - -"Hush, my precious girl, hush." Lockwood took her in his arms, and let -her stifle her sobs on his breast. He was bewildered. What was the truth -about this strange child? For in her abandonment of grief, Anita seemed a -very child, a tortured irresponsible soul, whose only haven was in the -arms now around her. - -"You will go with me, anyway, Anita," he said, with an air of authority. -"I must take care of you. We will go, as I planned. The minister I told -you of, is a great and good man, he will advise you--" - -"Oh, no, I don't want to talk to a minister!" - -"Yes, you do. And his wife is a dear good woman. They will take you into -their hearts and home--and then we can all decide what to do. At any -rate, you must get away from here. Come, now, pack your bag--and would -you mind--Anita--if I ask you not to take the--the money and the ruby -pin--" - -"But he gave them to me! I tell you, Gordon, John Waring gave me those of -his own free will--" - -"Because of his affection for you?" - -"Yes; for no other reason! I will keep the pin, anyway--I will!" - -"Anita, have you any idea how you puzzle me? how you torture me? Well, -take what you like. Will you get ready now, and I will let you know as -soon as I can, how and when we can start." - -A loud rap was followed by an immediate opening of the door, and Mrs. -Adams came into the room. - -She stared at Lockwood, but made no comment on his presence there. - -"Miss Austin," she began, "I do not wish you to stay in my house any -longer. I have kept you until now, because my husband was so sorry for -you, and refused to turn you out. Nor am I turning you out, but--I wish -you would leave us alone, Mr. Lockwood." - -Gordon started to speak, but Anita interrupted him. - -"Go, please," she said, quietly, and Lockwood obeyed. - -"I cannot blame you, Mrs. Adams," Miss Mystery said; "I daresay you have -to consider your other boarders, and I thank you for your kindness and -forbearance you have shown me so far." - -The tears were in the big dark eyes, and even as they moved Mrs. Adams to -sympathy, she also wondered if they were real. "A girl who would redden -her lips would be capable of any deceit and duplicity," Esther Adams -reasoned. - -But she went on, calmly. - -"I come now, Miss Austin, to tell you that Mr. Trask is down stairs and -wants to see you. He wants you to go to his house to stay. The Peytons -are there, of course, and he offers you the shelter of his roof and -protection until this dreadful matter is settled up." - -"Mr. Trask!" Anita looked her amazement. - -"Yes; now don't be silly. You very well know he is mad about you, and he -hopes to get you freed and then marry you." - -"Oh, he does!" It was the old, scornful Miss Mystery who spoke. "Well, -will you please tell him from me--" - -"Now, don't you be too hoity-toity, miss! You're mighty lucky to have a -home offered you--" - -"Yes, that's quite true. Well, Mrs. Adams, will you go down, then and say -I'll be down in a moment or two. Give me time to freshen my appearance a -bit." - -"Yes, with paints and powders and cosmetics!" Esther Adams grumbled to -herself, as she went down the stairs. - -As a matter of fact she quite misjudged the girl. Very rarely did Anita -resort to artificial aid of that sort, but when she so desired, she used -it as she would any other personal adornment. - -"She's coming down," Mrs. Adams announced, as she returned to Trask and -they waited. - -But when the minutes grew to a quarter of an hour, and then nearly to a -half, Mrs. Adams again climbed the stairs to hasten proceedings. - -This time she found the room empty. - -The absence, too, of brushes and combs, the disappearance of a small -suitcase, and the fact that her hat and coat were gone all pointed -unmistakably to the assumption that the girl had fled. - -"Well!" Mrs. Adams reported, "she's lit out, bag and baggage." - -"Gone!" exclaimed Trask in dismay. - -"Well, she isn't in her room. Her trunk is locked and strapped and her -suitcase is missing. Her hat and coat's gone, too, so you can make your -own guess." - -But Maurice Trask didn't stay there to make his guess. - -He went back home as fast as he could and told Fleming Stone the news. - -"Run away, has she?" said Stone. "I rather looked for that." - -"You did! And took no steps to prevent it! You're a nice detective, you -are. Well, if you're so smart, where'd she go?" - -"Where's Lockwood?" was Stone's laconic response. - -"Lockwood!" exclaimed Trask. "Wherever he is, he hasn't run off with -Anita Austin! If he has--by Jove, I'll break every bone in his body!" - -"You'll have to catch him first," smiled the detective. - -"I'll catch him! I'll set you to do it. And, looky here, if she's gone -off with that man, you can go ahead and catch her, catch them both, and -then go ahead and prove her guilty." - -"Is she?" - -"Is she? You bet she is! And I know it." - -"How do you know?" - -"I'll tell you. I know her eyebrows!" - -"So do I know her eyebrows. But they don't tell me she's a murderer." - -"Well, they tell me that! It's this way. Her eyebrows, are not only heavy -and dark, but they almost meet over the bridge of her nose." - -"Darling nose!" put in Fibsy, who was interested in Anita but not in -Trask's deductions. - -"Does your knowledge of physiognomy tell you that those meeting eyebrows -are a sign of a criminal?" asked Stone. - -"Nothing of that sort. But they are the Truesdell brows." - -"The Truesdell brows?" Stone raised his own. "Sounds like a proprietary -article. Not artificial, are they?" - -"Now, see here, Mr. Stone, I'm in no mood to be guyed. Those eyebrows are -frequently seen in the Truesdell family. My grandfather's brother married -a Truesdell." - -"Your grandfather's brother married a Truesdell. And your own grandfather -didn't?" - -"No; I haven't those brows." - -"Well, you're not entitled to them, having no Truesdell blood in your -veins." - -"But that girl has." - -"Indeed! Interesting, is it not?" - -"Aw, come off that line o' talk, F. S.," said Fibsy, knitting his brows, -which were not Truesdellian. "I'm seein' a chink o' light. The brother of -your grandfather, now, Mr. Trask, he was named--?" - -"Waring, of course. Henry Waring. My grandfather was James Waring." - -"And this Henry Waring--he was the father of Doctor John Waring?" - -As Fibsy said this, Stone sat upright, and gazed hard at Trask. - -"Yes, John Waring's father was Henry, and my grandfather was Henry's -brother James. That's how I'm related. And being the only one, that's why -I'm the heir here. But, don't you see, Doctor Waring's mother was a -Truesdell--" - -"And Miss Austin is a relative of hers--a connection of the Truesdell -family somehow--" exclaimed the now excited Fibsy, "and she found out -about it, and came here and--" - -"Yes," Trask said, "and tried to get some money from John Waring on the -ground of relationship." - -"What relation could she be?" - -"Maybe a niece of Doctor Waring--or a cousin. Maybe the same relation to -Doctor Waring's mother that I am to his father. Then, that would explain -his giving her money and the pin--and maybe she burnt the will! and then -she--" - -"But it complicates everything," said Stone, who was thinking quickly. -"However, if Miss Austin is connected with the Truesdell family it gives -us a way to look to learn her history." - -"Well, learn it," said Trask, abruptly. "I'm not afraid of losing my -inheritance for I'm in the direct Waring line and she can't be." - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - MISS MYSTERY NO LONGER - - -Trask, helped along by Fleming Stone, investigated the family tree of the -Warings. But they ran up against a blank wall. As far as they could learn -Doctor Waring never had brother or sister. His mother, who was a -Truesdell, had also been an only child. But of course, Miss Mystery could -be of the Truesdell family, and could, as Trask observed, be the same -relation to John Waring's mother that Trask was to John Waring's father. -Which relation was that of second cousin. - -"It gives a reason for the girl's presence here," Stone said, "and as -it's the only reason we can think of, it must be followed up." - -"And I'll follow it up," Trask said, "if I once get hold of that girl. -Where can she be, Mr. Stone?" - -"Not very far away, I think, as all the stations and routes out of town -are watched. She'd have trouble to leave Corinth." - -"She could get out in a motor car." - -"Who'd take her?" - -"Lockwood, of course." - -But just then, Gordon Lockwood came into the Waring study. His usual calm -was entirely gone, his eyes wildly staring and his voice quivered as he -said, "She's gone! Anita's gone!" - -"Yes, I know it--I thought you went with her!" and Stone stared in turn. - -"No, I didn't!" Lockwood said, quite unnecessarily. "Find her, Mr. -Stone--you can, can't you?" - -"I can find her," said Fibsy, "if you'll tell me one thing, Mr. Lockwood, -right straight out." - -"What is it? I'll tell you anything. I'm afraid--" - -"You're afraid she's killed herself," said Fibsy, calmly. "Well you tell -me this. Are you two--aw--you know--" - -The boy blushed, and Stone smiled a little as he said: - -"McGuire is a bit shy of romantic matters. He means are you and Miss -Austin lovers?" - -"We are," said Lockwood, emphatically. "She is my fiancee--" - -"All right," said Fibsy, "then I'll find her. She hasn't done anything -rash, in that case." - -He wagged his wise little head. - -"Where is she?" Stone asked, confident that the boy could tell. He knew -of Fibsy's almost clairvoyant powers of divining truth in certain -situations. - -"Want her here?" he asked, laconically. - -"Yes." - -"I'll get her." - -Snatching his cap, he darted from the house, but he was closely followed -by Maurice Trask. Lockwood would have stopped Trask, but Stone said: - -"Let him go. This thing is coming to a crisis--Trask will help it along." - -Fibsy went toward the Adams house, but stopped at the house next door to -it. This was the home of Emily Bates. - -Ringing that lady's doorbell, Fibsy asked to see her. - -"Mrs. Bates," he said, politely, while Trask listened, "we want to see -Miss Austin, please." - -"Anita!" said Mrs. Bates, flurriedly; "why--she--she isn't--" - -"Oh, yes, she is here," said the boy, patiently, rather than rudely. "We -have to see her, you see." - -"Here I am," said Miss Mystery, coming in from the next room. "I think," -she said turning to Mrs. Bates, "I think, as you advised me, I'll tell -all." - -"Don't tell it here!" cried Fibsy. "Please, Miss Austin--don't spill your -yarn here--oh, I mean, don't--don't divulge--" - -The unusual word nearly choked the excited boy, who always in moments of -strong emotion lapsed into careless English, but who tried not to. - -"Now, look here," Maurice Trask put in. "Here's where I take hold. Miss -Austin, you have told your story to Mrs. Bates?" - -"Yes," said, Anita, looking very sad, but determined. - -"Then you tell it to me. I'm heir to the Waring estate, and so I have a -right to know all you know about--the family." - -His knowing look proved to Anita that he assumed also her right to be -classed with "the family" and she looked at him in astonishment. - -"You know?" she cried. - -"Yes--I know," he spoke very sternly. "And I insist upon a private -interview with you, before you tell your story to any one else." - -"You shall have it, then," she said, and her eyes grew grave. "Mrs. -Bates, will you and Terence leave us alone for ten minutes. That will be -long enough, and then, I'll go to see Mr. Stone--if necessary." - -"Now, look here," Trask said, as the door closed after the others, "I -know who you are." - -"I don't believe it," and Miss Mystery looked at him straight from -beneath the "Truesdell brows." - -"Well, anyway, I know you are a Truesdell connection." - -"Yes, I am. Go on." - -"I don't know just what branch," he went on, a little lamely. - -"But it's a branch strong enough to hold me--and also to interfere with -this heirship of yours." - -"Can't be. There's no Truesdell so close to John Waring as I am." - -"You think so? Then listen." - -As Miss Mystery told him her story, the man's face fell, he sat, almost -petrified with astonishment, and when she had finished the short but -amazing recital, he said: - -"My heavens! What are you going to do?" - -"I don't know what to do." - -"If you tell--I--" - -"Of course you do." - -"And if you don't tell--then John Waring's name is left unstained--" - -"There is no shadow of stain on John Waring's name! What do you mean?" - -"Now, look here, Miss Austin, you keep quiet about all this, will you? -I'll call off those sleuths and I'll arrange to close up and cover up the -whole matter. Then, you marry me--there's only a distant cousinship -between us--and I'll put up the biggest memorial to Waring you ever heard -of." - -"Omit the clause about my marrying you," she returned, "and I may agree -to your plans. I haven't quite decided what to do--and beside, Mr. Trask, -who killed my--Doctor Waring?" - -"Never mind who killed him. Call it suicide--it must have been anyway--" - -"No--I'm not sure it was--oh, I don't know what to do." - -"Time's up," called Fibsy through the closed door. "And, I say, Miss -Austin, you take my tip, and come along and tell your story to F. Stone. -It'll be your best bet in the long run." - -Perhaps it was the boy's speech, perhaps it was the gleam of disappointed -greed that Anita saw in Trask's eyes, but she rose, with a sudden -decision, and said, as she opened the door: - -"That's just what I'll do. Come with me, Mrs. Bates--or, would you rather -not?" - -"Oh, I can't," said Emily Bates, "don't ask me, Anita, dear." - -"No, you stay here. I'll come back soon." - -And so Miss Mystery again walked across the snow-covered field to the -Waring house, this time to remove all occasion for using her nickname. - -"You found her?" said Stone, as the trio came into the study, where he -and Lockwood still sat. - -"Yes," said Fibsy. "I just thought where would a poor, hunted kid go? And -I said to myself, she'd go to the nearest and nicest lady's house she -knew of. And of course, that was Mrs. Bates' and sure enough there she -was. And--she's going to tell all!" - -Fibsy was melodramatic by nature, and his gesture indicated an important -revelation. - -"I am," said Anita, quietly. - -She went straight to Lockwood's side, and he took her hand calmly, and -led her to a seat on the wide davenport, then sat beside her. - -Her hand still in his, she told her story. - -"I am of Truesdell blood," she began, "as Mr. Trask surmised. But, also, -I am of Waring blood. Doctor John Waring was my father." - -No one spoke. The surprise was too great. In his wildest theories, -Fleming Stone had never thought of this. - -Fibsy's great astonishment was permeated with the quick conviction, "then -she didn't kill him!" - -Gordon Lockwood was conscious of a rapturous reassurance that he had no -rival as a lover. - -Trask, already knowing the truth, sat gloomily realizing he was not the -heir. - -Anita, her beautiful face sad, yet proud to acknowledge her ancestry, -went on: - -"This is his story. When John Waring was twenty years old, he met a young -woman--an actress--who so infatuated him that he married her. They were -absolutely uncongenial and unfitted for one another, and after a few -weeks, they agreed to separate. There was no question of divorce, they -merely preferred to live apart. He sent her money at stated intervals but -he pursued his quiet, studious life, and she her life of gayety and -sport. She was a good woman--she _is_ a good woman--she is my mother." - -Another silence followed this disclosure. Is, she had said--not was. And -John Waring her father! - -Gordon Lockwood held her hand closely. He was content to listen. Whatever -she could say could not lessen his love and adoration. - -"I tell you this, for her sake and--my father's also. There is no stigma -to be attached to either, they were merely so utterly opposite in -character and disposition that they could not live together. - -"As I said, after a few weeks they separated, and--my father did not know -of my birth. My mother would not let him know, lest he come back to her. -She was a light-hearted, carefree girl, and while she loved me, she did -not love my father. Later on--when I was about four, I think, she caused -a notice of her death to be sent to my father. This was because she -wanted to sever all connection, and take no chance of ever meeting him -again. She was at that time a successful actress, and earned all the -money she wanted. She adored me, she had no love affairs, she lived only -for me and her art. Though a good actress, she was not widely renowned, -and in California, where she had chosen to make her home, she was liked -and respected. The climate just suited her love of ease, freedom and -indolence--as a New England life of busy activity would have been -impossible to her. I want you to understand my mother. She was--she is, a -mere butterfly, caring only for trifles and simple gayety. Her home is -charming, her personality, that of a delightful child. But her -temperament is one that cannot stand responsibilities and chafes at -demands. However, all that matters little. The facts are that John -Waring, learning of his wife's death, devoted himself utterly to his -books and his study. - -"When my mother saw in the papers he was about to marry, she was -appalled. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't let him marry another -woman, unaware of her existence. She couldn't raise a question of divorce -for she knew that would tend to reflect unpleasantly on his past. - -"And, too, at last, she was beginning to feel as if she might like to -resume her position as his wife, now that he was prominent and wealthy. -She told me the whole story--of which I had been utterly ignorant, and -she sent me here. I was to see Doctor Waring and use my own judgment as -to when and how I should tell him all this. - -"I came here, with a feeling of dislike and resentment toward a father -who had been no father to me. Mother exonerated him, to be sure, but it -was all such a surprise to me, that I accepted the errand in a spirit of -bravado and was prepared to make trouble if necessary. - -"But when I saw John Waring--when I realized that splendid man was my -father--I knew that all my love, all my allegiance was his, and that my -mother was as nothing to me, compared with my wonderful father! - -"Except for what Mr. Trask calls the Truesdell brows, I look exactly like -my mother. Also she resumed her maiden name of Anita Austin after they -separated. So you may imagine the shock when Doctor Waring first heard -the name, and first saw the living image of his wife, whom, you must -remember, he supposed dead. - -"But I had my mission to perform--and so, I came here, that Sunday -night." - -The audience sat motionless. Lockwood, holding her hand, felt every -tremor of her emotion as the girl told her story. Fleming Stone, -realizing that he was hearing the most dramatic revelation of his career, -listened avidly. Fibsy, with staring eyes and open mouth, clenched his -fists in enthralled interest, and Maurice Trask heard it all with ever -growing conviction that he must give up his supposed inheritance. - -As Anita began to tell of that Sunday night, the situation became even -more tense. - -"I came to the French window, and tapped lightly. Doctor Waring let me -in, and I sat by him in that plush chair. - -"The conversation I had with my father I shall not detail. It is my most -sacred and beloved memory. We were as one in every way. We loved each -other from the first word. We proved to be alike in our tastes and -pursuits. Oh, if he could have lived! I told him of my mother and myself, -and he was crushed. I wanted to spare him, but what could I do? He had to -know--although the knowing meant the ruining of his career. He said, at -once, he could not take the Presidency of the College, with the story of -his past made public, nor could he honorably suppress it. He couldn't -marry Mrs. Bates--nor could he instal my mother as mistress here. - -"He had done no real wrong, in making that early and ill-advised -marriage, but it seemed to him a blot on his scutcheon, and an indelible -one. - -"He would sit and brood over these fearful conditions, then, suddenly he -would realize my existence afresh, and rejoice in it. He loved me at once -and deeply--and I adored him. Never father and daughter, I am sure, -crowded a lifetime of affection into such a few moments." - -Bravely Anita went on, not daring to pause to think. Her hand, tightly -clasped in Lockwood's, trembled, but her voice was steady, for it was her -opportunity to clear her father's name, and she must neglect no slightest -point. - -"At last, he told me I must go away, and he would think out what he could -do. He gave me the money, for he was afraid I hadn't sufficient cash with -me, and he gave me the ruby pin, saying I must keep it forever as my -father's first gift to me. With infinite gentleness he bade me good-by, -and softly opened the glass door for me. I went away and he closed the -door. - -"I went home to the Adams house, making, of course, those footprints in -the snow. It was a very cold night, I remember the clear shining stars, -but I thought of nothing but my father--my splendid, wonderful father. -And I hoped, oh, how I hoped, that some way would be found that he and I -could spend our lives together. I didn't know what he would do--but I -prayed to God that some way out might be found. - -"The rest you know. Of the manner of my father's death, I know nothing at -all. Of Nogi, I have no knowledge. I kept all this secret at first, -because I hoped to shield my father's name better that way. But I think -now, it's better told. I couldn't live under the weight of such a secret. - -"One more word as to my mother. She has had an admirer for many years, -named Carl Melrose. She has kept him at a distance, but, as you know from -the telegram she sent me, she has already either married him or promised -to. Also, she advised me to tell the whole truth. I have done so." - -Unheeding the others, Lockwood put his arm round the exhausted girl as -she fell over toward him. His wonderful calm helped her, and his gentle -yet firm embrace gave her fresh courage to endure the strain. - -"Thank you, Miss Austin," and Stone spoke almost reverently. "You have -shown marvelous wisdom and bravery and I congratulate you on your entire -procedure. You are an exceptional girl, and I am proud to know you." - -This was a great deal for Fleming Stone to say, and Anita acknowledged it -with a grateful glance. - -Fibsy, his eyes streaming with unchecked tears, came over and knelt -before her. - -"Oh, Miss Austin!" he sobbed, "Oh, Miss Anita!" - -Trask alone remained unmoved, and sat with folded arms and frowning face. - -But little attention was paid him, and Stone said, thoughtfully: - -"Our problem of the mystery of Doctor Waring's death is as great as -ever." - -"It is," agreed Lockwood, "but I am sure now, Mr. Stone, that it was a -suicide. The motive is supplied, for I knew Doctor Waring so well, I knew -the workings of his great and good mind, and I am sure that he felt there -was no other course for him. I can see just how he decided that the -exposure of all this would react against the reputation of the College. -That the sensation and scandal that would fill the papers would harm the -standing of the University of Corinth, and that--and that alone--caused -his decision. I know him so well, that I can tell you that never, never -would he take his life to save himself trouble or sorrow, but for others' -sake--and I include Mrs. Bates--he made the sacrifice. - -"I can see--and I am sure of what I say--how he realized that the press -and the public would forgive and condone a dead man, when, if he lived, -the brunt of the whole matter would fall on his beloved College and on -the woman he loved and respected. - -"Now--as I feel sure he foresaw--such of this story as must be made -public will have far less weight and prominence, than if he were alive. -_I_ know all this is so--for, I knew John Waring as few people knew him." - -A grateful glance from John Waring's daughter thanked him for this -tribute. - -"That ten thousand dollar check?" Trask said, suddenly, for his mind was -still concerned with the financial side. - -"I think that must have been sent to my mother," said Anita. "She, as I -told you, returned to the use of her maiden name, and during our -interview, my father told me he should write her at once and send her -money. I feel sure he did do so--" - -"Without doubt," Lockwood said; "and if so, the letter would have been -mailed with the collection next morning. The returning voucher will -show." - -"Also the letter he wrote my mother will corroborate all I have told -you," said Anita, and both her assertion and Gordon's, later came true. - -"I felt," Anita said, by way of further explanation, "that Mrs. Bates -ought to know all. So, when Mrs. Adams practically put me out of her -house, and I had no wish to accept Mr. Trask's invitation to come over -here, nor," she smiled affectionately at Lockwood, "could I fall in with -your crazy plans--I just went next door and told Mrs. Bates all about it. -She was very dear and sweet to me, and now, if you please, I will go back -there. I am weary and exhausted--I cannot stand any more. But when you -want me, I can be found at Mrs. Bates'. I leave all matters to be decided -or settled, in the hands of Mr. Lockwood and Mr. Stone. Fibsy, dear, will -you escort me home?" - -With a suddenly acquired dignity, Fibsy rose, and stood by her side, and -in a moment the two went away together. - -When the boy returned the others were absorbed in the discussion of the -mysterious death of John Waring. - -"I'm inclined to give it up," Fleming Stone said, thinking deeply. - -"Don't do it, F. Stone," Fibsy said, earnestly. "It's better to find out. -You never have gave up a case." - -"No. Well, Fibs, which way shall we look?" - -A strange embarrassment came over the boy's face, and then he said, -diffidently: - -"Say, gentlemen, could I be left alone in this room for a little while? I -don't say I kin find out anythin'--but I do wanta try." - -The lapse into careless enunciation told Stone how much in earnest his -young colleague was, and he rose, saying, "You certainly may, my boy. The -rest of us will have a conference in some other room, as to what part of -Miss Austin's story must be made public." - -Left to himself, Fibsy went at once to the bookcase that held the defaced -copy of Martial, that John Waring had been reading the night he died. - -Opening the volume at the blood-stained page, the unlettered boy eagerly -read the lines. Tried to read them, rather, and groaned in spirit because -he knew no Latin. - -Small wonder that he was nonplused, for this was all he read: - - MARTIAL'S EPIGRAMS - - Liber IV, Epigram XVIII - - Qua vicina pluit Vipsanis porta columnis - Et madet assiduo lubricus imbre lapis, - In iugulum pueri, qui roscida tecta subibat, - Decidit hiberno praegravis unda gelu: - Cumque peregisset miseri crudelia fata, - Tabuit in calido vulnere mucro tener. - Quid non saeva sibi voluit Fortuna licere? - Aut ubi non mors est, si iugulatis aquae? - -His chin in his hands, he pored over the Latin in utter despair, and -rising, started for the door. - -Then he paused; "I must do it myself--" he murmured: "_I must._" - -So he hunted the shelves until he found a Latin Dictionary. - -He was not entirely unversed in the rudiments of the language, for Stone -had directed his education at such odd hours as he could find time for -study. - -And so after some hard and laborious digging, Fibsy at last gathered the -gist of the Latin stanza. - -His eyes shone, and he stared about the room. - -"It ain't possible--" he told himself, "and yet--gee, there ain't nothing -else possible!" He rose and looked out at every window, he noted -carefully the catches--he paced from the desk to the small rear windows -of the room, and back again. - -"It's the only thing," he reiterated, "the _only_ thing. Oh, gee! _what_ -a thing!" - -He went in search of Stone, and found the three men shut in the living -room and with them was Nogi. - -Stone's persevering efforts, by advertisements and circulars had at last -succeeded, and the impassive and non-committal Japanese was there, and -quite willing to tell all he knew. - -Fibsy interrupted his story. - -"Go back," he directed, "to the beginning. Let me hear it all. It's O. -K., F. S." - -"I was attending to my dining-room duties," Nogi said, "and I had taken -the water tray to the study. I was weary and hoped the master would soon -retire. So, I occasionally peeped through the small window from the -dining-room. I saw a lady come and make a visit, and then I saw her and I -heard her go away. Then I hoped the master would go to bed. But, no--he -was very busy. He wrote letters, he burned some papers, he moved about -much. He was restless, disturbed. Then he sat at his desk and read his -book." - -"This one?" cried Fibsy, excitedly waving the Martial. - -"I think so--one like that, anyway." - -"This was the one! Go on." - -"Then--oh, it was strange! Then the master got up, went to the small -window at the back of the room--" - -"Which one?" - -"The one by the big globe, and he opened it. But for a moment--" - -"Did he put his hand out?" Fibsy cried. - -"Yes, I suppose to see if it rained. Yes, he put his hand out for a -moment, then he closed the window." - -"And locked it?" asked Fibsy. - -"It locks itself, with a snap catch. Then--ah, here is the strange thing! -Then he went back, sat at his desk, and in a moment he fell over and the -blood spurted out." - -"Didn't he stab himself?" Fibsy asked. - -"I don't know. He didn't seem to do anything but scratch his ear, and -over he fell! Such a sight! I was afraid, and I ran away--fast." - -"All very well," said Stone, "but what became of the weapon?" - -"I know," Fibsy almost screamed, in his excitement. "Oh, F. Stone--I -know!" - -"Well, tell us, Terence--but steady, now, my boy. Don't get too excited." - -"No, sir," and the lad grew suddenly quiet. "But I know. Wait just a -minute, sir. Where are the photographs of the house that the detectives -took the day after?" - -"I'll get them," Lockwood said, and left the room. - -He returned, and Fibsy found a magnifying glass and looked carefully at -certain pictures. - -"It proves," he said, solemnly. "F. Stone, you have solved your greatest -case!" - -It was characteristic of the boy, that although the solution was his own, -his deference to Stone was sincere and un-self-conscious. - -"Please," he said, "I don't know Latin, but you will find the explanation -of Doctor Waring's death on that red stained page. He was reading -Martial, as we know, and--" he pointed to the Epigram on the page in -question, "as he read that, he found a way out." - -The grave statement was impressive, and Stone took the book. - -"Shall I translate, or read the Latin aloud?" he asked the others. - -"Wait a minute, I'll get a Martial in English," Lockwood said, out of -consideration for Trask's possible ignorance of the dead language. - -"What number is the Epigram?" he asked, returning. - -Stone told him, and Lockwood found the place, and passed the English -version to Stone. Aloud, the detective read this: - - TRANSLATION - - Book IV, Epigram 18 - - On a youth killed by the fall of a piece of ice. - - Just where the gate near the portico of Agrippa is always dripping with - water, and the slippery pavement is wet with constant showers, a mass - of water, congealed by winter's cold, fell upon the neck of a youth who - was entering the damp temple, and, when it had inflicted a cruel death - on the unfortunate boy, the weapon melted in the warm wound it had - made. What cruelties does not Fortune permit? Or where is not death to - be found, if you, the waters, turn cut-throats. - -"And so you see," Fibsy broke the ensuing silence, "he decided to stab -himself with an icicle, and he did. He did!" he repeated, triumphantly, -"he went to that window back by the big globe and got one--and here's the -proof! Look through the glass, F. S." - -Stone did so, and without doubt, the fringe of icicles that hung from -that particular window sash showed one missing! It was the very window -that Nogi stated Waring had opened, and had put his hand out of for a -moment. - -Clearly, he had broken off an icicle, strong and firm on that freezing -night, had returned to his chair, and inspired by the story of the youth -under the portico of Agrippa, had stabbed his own jugular vein with the -sharp, round point, and had fallen unconscious. - -The icicle, melting in the wound, had disappeared, and death had followed -in a moment or two. - -They went to the study, and Nogi was made to imitate the movements he saw -Doctor Waring make. It left no doubt of the exact facts and the mystery -was solved. - -"Do you suppose he meant to make it seem a murder?" asked Stone, -thoughtfully. - -"He did not!" defended Lockwood. "That is he did not mean to implicate -anybody. He was a man amenable to sudden suggestion, and apt to follow -it. I am certain the idea came to him, as he read his book, and in the -impulse of the moment he rose, got the implement and did the deed. It was -like him to read that book after his talk with his daughter. He often -resorted to reading for a time to clear his mind for some important -decision. Had he not read that very page, he would in all probability not -have taken his life at that time." - -"There can be no doubt of it all," said Stone. "Fibsy, the credit of the -discovery is yours. You did a great piece of work." - -Fibsy blushed with delight at Stone's praise, which he cared for more -than anything else in life, but he said: - -"Aw, I just chanced on it. But I found out another thing! While I was -workin' on that translatin' business, the telephone rang. I answered, but -somebody took it on an extension, so I hung up. - -"But I was waitin' quite a few minutes, and, what do you think? I -happened to rest my forehead on the telephone transmitter, and--" - -"The red ring!" cried Stone. "Of course!" - -"Of course," Fibsy repeated. "Pokin' around for a Latin Dictionary, I -passed a lookin' glass, and there on me noble forehead I saw a red ring, -about two inches across. It's gone now." - -"Yes," Stone said. "Without doubt, Doctor Waring was telephoning--or -perhaps was answering a call and he rested his head on the instrument." - -"He often did that," said Lockwood, "but I never noticed a ring left." - -"In life," Stone said, "it would disappear quickly. But if it happened -just before he died, rigor mortis would preserve the mark. Any way it -must have been that." - -The solution of the mystery, so indubitably the true one, was accepted by -the police. - -The matter was given as little publicity as possible, for Anita and Mrs. -Bates, the two most deeply concerned both wished it so. No stigma of -cowardice rested on John Waring's name, for all who knew him knew that -his act was the deed of a martyr to circumstances and was prompted by a -spirit of loyalty to his College and unwillingness to let his own -misfortunes in any way redound to its disparagement. - -He trusted, they felt sure, that the truth would never be discovered and -that the tragedy of his death would preclude blame or censure. - -Himself, he never thought of, in his unselfish life or equally unselfish -death. - -Trask, perforce, resigned all claim to the estate, and Anita and her -mother arranged matters between themselves. - -The assumption was that John Waring's will, which he burned, had been -made in Mrs. Bates' favor, but on learning of his nearer heirs, he -destroyed it. - -"Anita Waring," Lockwood murmured softly when at last they were alone -together. - -"I love the name," she said, "and it is really mine." - -"But it will be yours so short a time, it's scarcely worth while to use -it," Gordon returned. "It will be a short time, won't it, sweetheart?" - -"Yes, indeed! I want to go away from Corinth forever. I love my father's -memory, but I can't stand these scenes. I am tired of mystery in name and -in deed. I just want to be--Anita Lockwood." - -Whereupon Gordon lost his head entirely. - - - - - _CAROLYN WELLS'_ - _Baffling detective stories in which Fleming Stone, the great American -Detective, displays his remarkable ingenuity for unravelling mysteries_ - - - THE MYSTERY OF THE SYCAMORE - RASPBERRY JAM - THE DIAMOND PIN - VICKY VAN - THE MARK OF CAIN - THE CURVED BLADES - THE WHITE ALLEY - ANYBODY BUT ANNE - THE MAXWELL MYSTERY - A CHAIN OF EVIDENCE - THE CLUE - THE GOLD BAG - - EACH WITH FRONTISPIECE IN COLOR - 12MO. CLOTH - - PTOMAINE STREET - A Rollicking Parody on a Famous Book. - - - - - Transcriber's Notes - - ---Copyright notice provided as in the original--this e-text is public - domain in the country of publication. - ---Moved promotional material to the end of the book. - ---Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and - dialect unchanged. - ---Provided an original cover image, for free and unrestricted use with - this Distributed Proofreaders eBook. - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Mystery Girl, by Carolyn Wells - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MYSTERY GIRL *** - -***** This file should be named 44984.txt or 44984.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/4/9/8/44984/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Mardi Desjardins and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net -(This book was produced from scanned images of public -domain material from the Google Print project.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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