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diff --git a/old/68679-0.txt b/old/68679-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 2f3c805..0000000 --- a/old/68679-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8206 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The unseen ear, by Natalie Sumner -Lincoln - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The unseen ear - -Author: Natalie Sumner Lincoln - -Release Date: August 3, 2022 [eBook #68679] - -Language: English - -Produced by: D A Alexander and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team - at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images - generously made available by University of California - libraries) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE UNSEEN EAR *** - - - - - - THE UNSEEN EAR - - - BY NATALIE SUMNER LINCOLN - - AUTHOR OF _“I Spy,” “The Moving Finger,” “The Nameless Man,” - “The Red Seal,” “The Three Strings,” etc._ - - WITH FRONTISPIECE - - A. L. BURT COMPANY - Publishers New York - - Published by arrangement with D. Appleton & Company - - Printed in U. S. A. - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1921, BY D. APPLETON AND COMPANY - - Copyright, 1920, by Street and Smith - PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - - - - -[Illustration: DROPPING ON HER KNEES, SHE TURNED THE DIAL [page 249]] - - - - - TO - MY MOTHER - WHOSE UNFLAGGING INTEREST HAS - STIMULATED MY LITERARY WORK, THIS - LATEST BOOK IS LOVINGLY INSCRIBED. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I THROUGH THE PORTIÈRES 1 - II IDENTIFIED 6 - III THEORIES 23 - IV LOST: A MEMORANDUM 41 - V MORE THEORIES 57 - VI SPECULATION 77 - VII THE KNAVE OF HEARTS 94 - VIII PRO AND CON 113 - IX HALF A SHEET 123 - X BELOW STAIRS 140 - XI THE THREAT 153 - XII THE THEFT 169 - XIII “MIZPAH” 182 - XIV SUSPICION 193 - XV THE PUSH BUTTON 209 - XVI LINKS IN THE CHAIN 225 - XVII THE DANCING SILHOUETTES 242 - XVIII EDGED TOOLS 252 - XIX THE UNSEEN EAR 270 - XX RUN TO COVER 279 - - - - -THE UNSEEN EAR - - - - -CHAPTER I - -THROUGH THE PORTIÈRES - - -THE bedroom door opened and closed on its oiled hinges without a -sound, and a man walked over to the closet. With methodical care he -hung his coat on its accustomed peg before moving deliberately over -to his bureau. On its highly polished top he laid down a soiled scrap -of paper. His quiet, orderly actions gave no indication of the rage -consuming him. As he raised his head his eyes traveled upward and he -started back involuntarily at the face contemplating him in the mirror. -His face--but was that distorted countenance his face? With a shudder -he glanced over his shoulder and about the room; then slowly, fearfully -he turned to face his other self mirrored in the glass before him. - - * * * * * - -Judith Richards poked the fire into a brighter blaze, then leaned back -in her chair with a little sigh of content and idly turned over the -pages of the book she had been reading. The happy ending recorded in -the romance reflected her own mood. Two months a bride! Her lips parted -in a tender smile as events of her happy married life recurred to her, -and dropping the book in her lap, she rested her head against the -tufted chair and watched the burning logs in dreamy contemplation. She -was not conscious of the lateness of the hour or of the fact that she -was no longer alone in the large library. - -The newcomer who had entered noiselessly through the portières hanging -before the doorway leading from the library into the dining room, moved -cautiously forward to obtain a better view of Judith. Satisfied that -he had not disturbed her reverie, he sidled stealthily over to a large -safe, which stood near a mahogany desk, and dropped on his knees before -it. - -Without rising from his crouching position, he pushed forward a chair -until its broad proportions completely sheltered his movements should -Judith turn around and glance in his direction; then, losing no further -time, he twirled the dial of the safe around with practiced fingers, -and as the massive door finally swung open he went systematically -through each compartment of the safe. Fully twenty minutes passed and -the man moistened his dry lips. Was his search to go unrewarded? - -As he felt about in the last compartment to be examined his fingers -encountered a piece of paper caught apparently in a crevice. With -infinite care he pulled it loose, and rising, walked over to the -electric-light bracket on the wall by the door through which he had -entered the library. One of the bulbs was burning, and as he bent his -head to examine the piece of paper, his eyes caught the flash of steel -as it darted through the portières, and he instinctively recoiled--but -too late to avoid the thrust. With a whimpering cry he fell face -downward, his blood staining the handsome rugs. - -Judith stirred and sat up, then after a comfortable stretch of her -stiffened muscles, she replaced her book on the table, and with a -glance at the mantel clock, paused to warm her hands at the smoldering -embers. - -It was much later than she had supposed--one o’clock. With a faint -shiver she pulled her dainty warm wrapper more closely about her -slender figure before leaning over to switch off the reading lamp. -Picking up her large sewing bag she walked across the library intending -to press the wall button which controlled the electric side lights. -But her intention was forgotten as her sleepy eyes caught sight of the -crumpled figure lying in front of the entrance to the dining room. - -A cry broke from her and slowly her shocked wits took in the -significance of the ever widening red stain creeping across the rugs -and floor. For long seconds she stood staring, too terrified to move. -Gradually gathering courage, she advanced and, placing one trembling -hand on the man’s shoulder, rolled him over until his face was exposed -to view. With a bound she regained her feet, her hands raised to her -throbbing temples, while the sewing bag tumbled unheeded to the floor. - -She was unaware of the passing time as she gazed at the face before -her, a face scarcely less gray in death than her own, from which every -ray of color had been stricken. Slowly, slowly she took in every detail -of the man’s appearance, then with numb, clumsy fingers she jerked a -long pair of steel shears from her sewing bag and, kneeling down once -more by the dead man, she hacked and tore at his watch chain until she -had loosened a small locket. - -Slipping the locket inside her belt and clutching the sewing bag, she -staggered to her feet and made her way into the large central hall as a -key turned in the front door and a man stepped inside the house. - -“Joe! Thank God!” Judith’s low cry ended abruptly, and her husband was -just in time to catch her as she fell unconscious to the floor. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -IDENTIFIED - - -DETECTIVE FERGUSON laid an impatient finger on the bell of the front -door of the Hale residence and, removing his hat, fanned himself -vigorously. Coroner Penfield’s message had been imperative and, the -Headquarters’ car having been out on an errand, he had commandeered -a “bike” which a patrolman had left in the outer hallway, and had -pedaled uptown as rapidly as possible. The unwonted exertion, as well -as his intense curiosity, had both served to excite him. What untoward -circumstances had required his immediate presence at three in the -morning at the home of Robert Hale, eminent scientist and respected -citizen of the National Capital? - -The detective’s wonderment grew as the front door flew back and he -stepped over its threshold into the semidarkness of the large central -hall of the house. The stillness was broken by a low-voiced direction, -and Ferguson, peering around, saw a man, his presence partly concealed -behind the open front door, watching him. The man shut the door with -such care that it made no sound. - -“Come this way,” he repeated, and Ferguson, with an instinctive bow, -realized he was addressed by a member of the household and not a -servant. Checking his impulse to ask questions, the detective followed -his guide across the hall and into a brilliantly lighted room. The -sudden transition from semidarkness caused Ferguson to blink owlishly, -and he paused abruptly on hearing the faint click of the folding doors, -through which they had entered, being closed behind them. - -“Coroner Penfield is over there,” stated his guide, and Ferguson, grown -more accustomed to the light, looked in the direction indicated just -as Penfield rose from his stooping position and turned toward him. The -coroner’s expression changed at sight of the detective and he beckoned -him to approach. An instant later and Ferguson was staring down at the -figure of a man lying partly turned upon his back. Penfield pointed to -the small wound over the heart and to the ashen cheeks and staring eyes. - -“Dead,” he said, tersely. “Stabbed.” - -Ferguson whistled low, shot one questioning look at the coroner, and -then turned his attention to the dead man and the room. With minute -care he examined the body and then scanned the library. There was no -indication of a struggle having taken place, no chairs or tables were -overturned. Ferguson paused in perplexity--the orderly appearance of -the room surprised him; his eyes ran up and down the book-lined walls, -over the handsome curtains drawn across the deep window alcoves, and -the drawn portières--the furnishing of the library was a key to the -wealth and good taste of its owner, but as the background for the scene -of a tragedy it failed lamentably to give any clew to it or answer his -yet unasked questions. - -“Well, doctor,” he turned to the coroner, “who’s the dead man and who -stabbed him?” - -Instead of replying, Penfield addressed the third man in the library -who, since admitting the detective, had remained a silent witness of -their investigations. - -“Major Richards,” he began, “kindly repeat just what you told me on -my arrival,” and seating himself at a convenient table, he drew out a -fountain pen and a memorandum pad. “Major Joseph Richards,” he added by -way of explanation, “is Mr. Hale’s son-in-law, Ferguson.” - -Richards acknowledged the detective’s jerky bow at mention of his name -with a grave inclination of his head. - -“The information I can give you is meager,” he stated, and Ferguson, -sensitive to first impressions, grew conscious of an undercurrent of -agitation admirably controlled by Richards’ deliberation of speech; -only a longer acquaintance would tell whether such was characteristic -of him. “I returned from the club about twenty minutes past one, found -my wife”--his hesitation was almost imperceptible--“indisposed, and on -coming in here later to look for a bottle of bromide which she had left -on the library table, I discovered”-- - -He stopped, and an eloquent gesture completed his sentence. - -“You found the room occupied,” supplemented the coroner practically. -“Was the man dead or alive?” and the look he shot at Richards under his -shaggy brows was penetrating. - -“The man was dead.” Richards’ eyelids flickered somewhat. “At least I -judged so from my superficial knowledge of medical matters. I certainly -did not kill him.” - -Penfield let pass a certain flippant hardness which had crept into -Richards’ manner, and Ferguson, who had worked with the coroner in -many criminal cases, followed his cue. - -“What was your next action, Major Richards?” Penfield inquired. - -“I returned to my wife and gave her the medicine, then slipped -downstairs and called you up,” was the concise reply. “You came and -instructed me to send for Detective Ferguson, and after doing so, I -awaited his arrival and brought him here.” - -“Did you inform your wife of your gruesome discovery in the library?” -inquired Penfield. - -“I did not.” - -“Why not?” - -“My wife was already in a highly nervous state, and I feared she would -become ill if further excited,” Richards explained. - -Penfield frowned at his note pad. “What had made her nervous?” - -“A motor accident in the early afternoon,” quietly. “Her electric was -run into by a taxicab, and while no one was hurt, she suffered from -fright and shock.” - -“Too bad,” commented Penfield, his manner somewhat sympathetic, and -would have added more, but Detective Ferguson, tired of the rôle of -listener, broke in brusquely. - -“Who is the dead man, Major Richards?” he demanded. - -“I do not know.” The low-spoken answer was firm and Richards’ gaze did -not waver before their stares. The detective was the first to look away. - -“I see, a case of ordinary burglary,” he said, moving to the dead man. -“He’s wearing a dark suit, good quality cloth, however, and rubber -heeled shoes.” He transferred his gaze to the safe, only partly visible -from where he stood owing to the position of a large, tufted lounging -chair. “Ah,” striding over to it, he laid his hand on the levers and -the door swung open without resistance. “It’s unlocked; evidently the -burglar got it open before--” He checked his hasty speech and faced -Richards who had watched his rapid movements with interest. “Who owns -this safe?” - -“Mr. Robert Hale.” - -“Is it usually left unlocked?” - -“I believe not.” - -“You believe not”--the detective caught him up quickly. “Are you not -familiar with Mr. Hale’s habits?” - -“No,” regarding him steadily. “My wife and I returned from our wedding -journey only two weeks ago. We are at present the guests of her -parents, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hale. During our visit I have not,” with -quiet emphasis, “familiarized myself, as you put it, with Mr. Hale’s -habits, but I once overheard him tell his wife that he never left the -safe unlocked.” - -Ferguson stooped down and examined the safe with careful attention. - -“The lock’s not been forced,” he muttered. “It looks like the job of an -expert safe cracker, or”--with an upward glance at Richards--“some one -familiar with the combination.” - -“The Rogues’ Gallery will aid in identifying the dead man if he is a -‘regular,’” broke in Coroner Penfield. “But who killed the burglar?” He -looked across at Richards. “Who is in this house besides you and your -wife?” - -“Mr. and Mrs. Hale have residing with them, besides my wife and myself, -Mr. Hale’s younger brother, John Hale,” Richards answered. “There are a -number of servants who also sleep in the house.” - -Penfield consulted his note pad. “Did you go for Mr. Hale or his -brother on finding the dead man?” he questioned. - -“Mrs. Hale and her brother-in-law are at a reception given by the -French Ambassador and his wife,” responded Richards. “They have not -yet returned.” - -“And Mr. Robert Hale--?” - -“Is ill in bed,” Richards perched himself on the arm of a chair. “When -I rushed upstairs with the medicine for my wife I went first to Mr. -Hale’s bedroom and, on finding him asleep, withdrew as quietly as -possible.” - -“Didn’t you summon the servants?” asked Penfield. - -“I did not.” Observing the look of surprise on their faces, he added, -“The servants are women. I did not wish to terrify them with this -sight,” and he waved his hand in the direction of the dead man. - -Penfield reflected a moment, and in the brief interval Ferguson took -mental note of Major Richards’ fine physique and strongly molded -features. He did not look the man to lose his head in an emergency; on -the contrary, his self-possession and poise made a favorable impression -on both the men watching him so intently. Richards was about to speak -again when Penfield held up his hand. - -“Just a moment,” he cautioned. “Let me get this straight. You reached -this house about twenty minutes after one this morning; Mrs. Hale and -her brother-in-law are still at the French Embassy reception, leaving -at home Mr. Hale, ill in bed, your wife, and the female servants. An -unidentified man enters the house in your absence and upon your return -you find him dead in the library. Did you hear voices or retreating -footsteps when you came in the front door?” - -“No.” - -“Did you meet any one when on your way to your wife’s room?” - -“No.” Richards’ eyes did not falter in their direct gaze at the -coroner. He confined his replies to monosyllables. - -“Strange!” Penfield walked back and stood looking down at the dead -man. “Very strange. I have made only a superficial examination, -Major Richards, but I’ll stake my reputation that that wound was -not self-inflicted. The man was stabbed”--he paused and his voice -deepened--“murdered.” - -The lines in Richards’ face showed more plainly as he set his square -jaw at a determined angle. “The killing of a burglar is generally -considered justifiable homicide,” he said sternly. “It is one’s right -to protect one’s property from midnight marauders.” - -“Who protected Mr. Hale’s home in this instance?” demanded Ferguson. - -“I cannot tell you that,” responded Richards. “But, Mr. Coroner, until -you know further details of how this man came to his death, you cannot -proclaim it a murder committed by an inmate of this household.” - -“I proclaim nothing,” denied Penfield. “On the contrary, I am first -most anxious to question the servants, Mr. Hale, and your wife--the -only people, according to your statement, at home when this man was -killed--and find out if possible what transpired here in your absence.” - -“You cannot do that now,” interposed Richards hastily. “Mr. Hale and my -wife are not in condition to be interviewed at this hour--later in the -day, perhaps”--Ferguson gave a gesture of dissent. - -“And in the meantime,” he interposed harshly, “the murderer will slip -through our fingers, and every clew grow cold.” - -“Not necessarily,” replied Richards warmly. “You are at liberty to -examine this floor and the basement at the present time, only I must -insist that you do not disturb either my wife or Mr. Hale.” - -“Very well, sir.” Ferguson turned toward the folding doors leading to -the central hall. “Where are the servants’ bedrooms?” - -“On the third floor.” At the words the detective vanished. - -Richards rose from his perch on the chair arm and paced slowly up and -down the library. Penfield, paying no attention to his movements, knelt -down by the dead man and with infinite care went through his pockets. -His search produced some loose change, a bill-folder containing nearly -a hundred dollars, and a bunch of keys. - -“Not much help for identification purposes,” he remarked dryly, as -Richards halted by his side. “He was a handsome fellow; women rave over -that type of beauty in a man. He looks a gentleman--high-bred, and all -that.” - -“He could not have been in destitute circumstances,” commented -Richards, pointing to the Treasury bills. - -“Hm--yes,” Penfield looked thoughtful. “It might be that he rifled this -money from Mr. Hale’s safe.” He wheeled suddenly on Richards. “What did -Mr. Hale keep in his safe?” - -“You will have to ask Mr. Hale,” answered Richards composedly. “I am -ignorant of his affairs.” - -Penfield stroked his chin slowly; Richards as a source of information -was a disappointment. Should he not insist upon seeing Mr. Hale, -illness or no illness, unconventional hour or not? Valuable time was -slipping away and he was no nearer vital information than at the moment -of his arrival--over an hour had elapsed since receiving his hasty -summons. Penfield stood up. - -“By the way, Major,” he began, “as you are a stranger in Washington and -did not ask the advice of others”--with a quick side-long scrutiny of -which Richards appeared unaware--“how did it happen that you called me -on the telephone first and not the police?” - -For answer Richards strode over to the table near the fireplace and, -picking up the evening newspaper which lay spread across it, pointed to -a column of news bearing display type. - -“I had been reading earlier in the evening this account of the Fuller -inquest,” he explained. “Your name is given, Coroner Penfield, and it -also stated that the body of the dead woman could not be moved until -you had arrived on the scene; therefore,” calmly, “I judged that you -would be of more immediate aid than the police. It was a simple matter -to find your number in the telephone directory.” - -“True.” Penfield considered a moment, then moved restlessly over to -the safe. Without removing the contents of its compartments he took -careful note of such papers and objects as came within his view. He was -still gazing steadily at them when the portières before the dining room -parted and Ferguson stepped again into the room. - -“Every window on this floor and the basement is locked on the inside,” -he announced. “And I also examined those on the landings of the stairs -and the hall of the second floor.” - -“You went upstairs?” Richards moved toward him, his jaw set at an angry -angle. “After what I told you?” - -“Yes.” There was open defiance in the detective’s manner. “I looked -only in the rooms where the doors were open,” he turned and addressed -Penfield. “So far as I could discover, there is no trace of the -burglar’s having gained entrance through forcing a window or door.” - -“No trace of any one’s lurking downstairs?” demanded Penfield. - -“None.” - -“Found any weapon?” - -“No.” Ferguson’s tone was glum. His gaze, shifting about the room, -happened to light on Richards and he saw him start and stiffen in a -listening attitude. - -Ferguson’s eyes brightened, and he checked further speech. Suddenly he -caught the sound of a soft footfall and, as Richards started forward, -he interposed his bulky form between him and the folding doors as they -were pushed apart and Judith Richards stepped into the library. With a -shove which sent the detective sprawling, Richards gained his wife’s -side. - -“Why have you come down, dearest?” he asked tenderly, bending his head -until his mouth almost touched her ear. - -She shook her head, as her hand crept into his and leaned her weight on -his protecting arm. - -“I came down to find,” she commenced, and her soft voice, though -low-pitched, reached the two listening men, then she stopped in fright -as, moving slightly forward, she caught a glimpse over Richards’ -shoulder of Penfield regarding her. “Joe--who is that?” - -“Ah, eh--” Richards stammered, then caught himself up. “It is Mr. -Penfield, dearest.” She raised her eyes and regarded him closely, and -more slowly he repeated, “Dr. Penfield.” - -She shook her head in bewilderment, and drew her silk wrapper more -closely about her; the movement brought into view the large sewing bag -suspended by its cord from her wrist. - -“I came down to find,” she commenced again---- - -“I know,” broke in Ferguson from his seat on the floor where his -encounter with Richards’ muscular figure had landed him. His tumble had -disarranged the rug and under its lifted folds he had caught the gleam -of light on metal. With impetuous fingers he drew out a pair of long -steel shears and held them aloft. “You left a dead man here and came -back to find your bloodstained shears.” - -An oath ripped from Richards and he made a step forward, but Judith’s -clinging hand detained him. She reeled against him as she caught sight -of the shears, and he held her closely; his voice, though low, vibrated -with passion. - -“You--Ferguson!” he gasped. - -“Stop!” commanded the detective. “I am not interested in your -statements, Major Richards; let your wife answer my last remark.” - -“Answer!” Richards choked; then spoke more clearly. “You ---- fool! My -wife has not heard a word you said--she is stone deaf.” - -Ferguson and Coroner Penfield stared dumfounded at husband and wife. -The latter was the first to break the strained silence. - -“I am sorry, gentlemen,” she said, and her deprecating look, as well -as charming voice, conveyed an apology, “I cannot understand what you -are saying.” She raised her eyes and gazed perplexedly at her husband. -“Joe, I came down to get my ear trumpet.” - -Penfield recovered from his surprise. “It is here, madam,” he exclaimed -and hurrying to the safe picked up the instrument from one of the -compartments and handed it to Judith. With quick deft fingers she -adjusted it to her ear and then Ferguson addressed her. - -“Now, madam, perhaps you will explain--don’t interfere, Major -Richards--I must have an explanation--” - -“And so must I.” The interruption came in an unexpected quarter, and -both Penfield and the detective wheeled toward the hall door. “What is -the meaning of this scene in my house, gentlemen?” Mrs. Hale, tossing -her ermine cape on the nearest chair, advanced to the little group, -followed by her brother-in-law, John Hale. - -Penfield spoke before the others. - -“A crime has been committed here to-night, madam, in your absence,” he -began. - -“A crime?” She interrupted in her turn, her eyes leaving her daughter’s -blanched face for the first time. “A crime--?” - -“Yes; a burglar forced an entrance and was murdered----” - -“A burglar!” John Hale pushed past his sister-in-law to the center of -the room. His manner was rough and domineering. “What the devil are you -talking about?” - -Without answering, Ferguson wheeled about and, walking over to the -motionless figure on the floor, signed to Hale to approach. - -“Here’s the burglar--and he’s dead,” he announced concisely, then -held up the shears, “and here’s the weapon--from a workbag,” casting -a significant glance at the bag still suspended from Judith’s icy -fingers. Richards’ furious retort was checked by a cry of horror from -John Hale. - -With staring eyes and ghastly face he gazed down at the dead man. - -“A burglar!” he cried. “Austin--my son!” and pitched headlong to the -floor. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -THEORIES - - -MRS. HALE rattled her coffee cups and looked over the top of her silver -urn at Joe Richards; he had asked for a third cup of coffee and he -drank it clear. Mrs. Hale was shocked. But the remonstrance on the tip -of her tongue died unspoken as she studied his clear-cut profile and -observed the dogged set to his determined jaw. She took silent note of -his unusual pallor, the dark circles under his eyes, and his continued -silence. Mrs. Hale felt resentful; she was of a talkative disposition -and had welcomed an opportunity to discuss the mystery surrounding -Austin Hale’s death with her handsome son-in-law, but instead of -following her lead he had answered in monosyllables. A less persistent -woman would have given up the attempt. - -“Did you ask Judith if she saw a light in Austin’s bedroom?” she -inquired, for at least the sixth time. “Your suite of rooms is -directly under his, poor boy,” and she sought refuge behind her damp -handkerchief. She emerged a moment later to add, “Austin must have gone -to his room, for his overcoat and suit case were there when I went -upstairs after that distressing scene in the library--dear me, was it -only this morning?” - -“It was.” Richards’ tone was grim and did not invite further remarks. -For a moment there was silence. - -“You haven’t answered my question, my dear boy,” prompted Mrs. Hale -plaintively, “nor have you touched your breakfast!” in shocked surprise -as Anna, the waitress, removed his plate. - -“I--I cannot eat.” With an effort Richards suppressed a grimace at -sight of the untasted eggs and bacon. “I have no appetite. Dear Mrs. -Hale, do not distress yourself on my account.” - -Mrs. Hale regarded him in suspicious silence; she was not quite certain -what prompted his sudden change of manner. Was he poking fun at her? -But as she met his unwavering gaze she dismissed the idea as unworthy, -and returned valiantly to the task of eliciting information. - -“What questions _did_ you ask Judith?” she demanded. - -“I have not questioned Judith.” Richards drew out his cigarette case. -“May I smoke?” And hardly waiting for her permission, he added, -“Judith, as you know, does not feel well and is breakfasting in her -boudoir. I do not believe,”--Richards paused and his speech gained -added deliberation--“I do not believe Judith can supply any information -as to the events of last night, nor any clew to the unfortunate murder -of her cousin. Her deafness----” - -“I know,” broke in Mrs. Hale hastily--any allusion to Judith’s -infirmity cut her mother love. “I cannot think why, when Austin reached -home, he did not at once tell Judith that he was in the house--he knew -she could not _hear_ him enter. It is most surprising!” and Mrs. Hale -shook a puzzled head. - -Richards considered her thoughtfully. “Have you found out how and when -Austin returned last night?” he asked. - -“Of course.” Mrs. Hale brightened; Richards was at last expanding -to the extent of asking questions--what had made him so morose? “I -interviewed the servants immediately after leaving the library.” She -did not add that she had scurried upstairs in dire haste so as to be -the first person to go to their rooms and personally question each and -every one--thereby upsetting Detective Ferguson’s well-laid plans, and -depriving the servants of any sleep during the remainder of the night. -“Not one of them,” impressively, “knew of his return.” - -“Then how did he get in?” persisted Richards. - -“With his latchkey, of course,” somewhat surprised by Richards’ manner. -“Oh, I forgot, you did not know Austin, and perhaps we have not -mentioned that he has always made his home with us since his adoption.” - -“His what?” Richards’ voice rose in astonishment; and Mrs. Hale’s -complacent smile reflected her gratification; she had at last aroused -Richards’ interest. “Do you mean--was he not John Hale’s son?” - -“No, only his stepson,” she explained. “John married a widow, Cora -Price, much older than himself, when he was but twenty-four--in fact -just out of college. John is only forty-seven now, ten years my -husband’s junior. Dear me, where was I?” and Mrs. Hale pulled up short, -conscious that she had wandered from the point. - -“You were speaking of Austin’s adoption,” Richards reminded her gently. - -“Oh, yes. Cora had a boy by her first husband, and when she died within -the year of their marriage, she left him, then about five years of -age, to John to bring up, and he legally adopted him, giving him our -name. John,” she added, “is very kind-hearted, if somewhat hasty in his -actions.” - -Reminded of his cigarette by his burned fingers, Richards dropped the -stub in his coffee cup and started to light another just as Maud, the -parlor maid, appeared in the dining room. - -“Detective Ferguson has called to see Mr. John,” she announced, -addressing Mrs. Hale. “Do you know when he will return, ma’am?” - -“I do not,” Mrs. Hale pushed back her chair and rose with alacrity. -“Where is the detective?” - -“In the library, ma’am.” - -“Show him into the drawing-room,” Mrs. Hale directed, and not giving -Richards an opportunity to pull back the portières before the entrance -to the large room which adjoined the dining room on the west, she swept -majestically away. - -“Maud!” The parlor maid halted as Richards’ low voice reached her. “Did -my wife eat her breakfast?” - -“Yes, sir, a little.” Maud’s sympathetic smile blossomed forth as she -caught Richards’ pleased expression. She lingered before speeding -on her errand to the waiting detective. “Miss Judith has brightened -considerable since I gave her Miss Polly’s answer.” - -Richards’ strong hand caressed his clean-shaven chin. “And what was the -answer?” he questioned. “Verbal?” - -“Oh, yes, sir; James brought back word that Miss Polly would be right -over, and so I told Miss Judith.” - -“Thank you, Maud,” and the parlor maid felt rewarded by Richards’ -charming smile. - -Richards had become a favorite with the servants, who idolized “Miss -Judith,” as they still persisted in calling her. They had awaited -with interest the arrival of the bride and groom two weeks before, -an interest intensified by the storm which had arisen on receipt of -Judith’s cablegram to her father telling of her marriage in far-away -Japan to Joseph Richards. - -Robert Hale had made no attempt to conceal or modify his fury while -Mrs. Hale, deeply hurt by what she termed her “unfilial conduct,” -had promptly made the best of the situation and endeavored to -persuade her husband to accept the inevitable and cable Judith their -forgiveness. Hale, anxious to return to his scientific experiments, -finally succumbed to her arguments, backed up by those of his brother -John, and, going a step further than his wife had expected, added an -invitation to return to the paternal roof. - -Richards had borne himself well under the inspection of his wife’s -family, and Hale had grudgingly admitted to his wife that perhaps he -wasn’t such a bad lot after all, to which Mrs. Hale, who had been won -by Richards’ charm of manner and handsome presence, had indignantly -responded that Judith had been most fortunate in her selection of a -husband. Hale’s only response had been a sardonic grin. - -As the parlor maid hurried down the hall, Richards paused in thought; -Mrs. Hale had not invited him to go with her to the drawing-room, -but--with bent head he meditatively paced up and down, his steps -involuntarily carrying him nearer and nearer the portières; as he -paused irresolutely before them, Mrs. Hale’s voice came to him clearly. - -“Detective Ferguson, I must insist on an answer to my question.” - -Richards jerked the portières aside and without ceremony entered the -drawing-room. Ferguson turned at sound of his footsteps and bowed -to him before answering Mrs. Hale who was regarding him with fixed -attention. - -“I can’t tell you anything, Mrs. Hale,” he protested. “I came here to -get information.” - -“What information?” Mrs. Hale had frowned at sight of Richards, then, -her momentary displeasure gone, addressed herself to the detective. She -enjoyed the rôle of inquisitor. - -“I wanted to talk with Mr. John Hale.” - -“He is out.” - -“So your maid said.” Ferguson fingered the table ornaments with -restless fingers; he was getting nowhere and time was slipping away. -“Where’s he gone?” - -Richards answered the question. “To the cemetery, I understood him to -say.” He glanced at his watch. “Mr. Hale should be back in a very short -time.” - -“Then I’ll wait, Major,” and Ferguson, who had secretly resented Mrs. -Hale’s discourtesy in not asking him to be seated, jerked forward a -chair and threw himself into it. “Can I see your husband, madam?” - -“You cannot.” Mrs. Hale rapped out the reply, and Richards shot a quick -look of inquiry in her direction. “My husband is under Dr. McLane’s -care, and until the doctor gives permission he cannot be interviewed.” - -“Dr. McLane,” repeated Ferguson, and his face brightened. “The doctor -came in just before I did. Will you please send him word that I would -like to see him before he leaves?” - -Mrs. Hale considered for a brief second, then turned to Richards who -was standing near the mantel. “Please touch the bell for Maud,” and as -he did so, she again spoke to Ferguson. - -“Why do you desire to see my husband?” she asked, and her manner had -regained its usual suavity. - -“To question him regarding the occurrences of last night,” answered -Ferguson. “Have you already done so?” and he eyed her keenly. - -Mrs. Hale shook her head, but before she could otherwise reply, Maud -came into the room. - -“Ask Dr. McLane to come here before he leaves,” she directed. “Tell -him that Detective Ferguson and I both wish to see him,” and Maud -vanished. Mrs. Hale settled herself back in her chair and regarded -Ferguson attentively. There was a bull-dog air about the detective that -warned her he was not to be trifled with. In spite of her haphazard -characteristics and total lack of tact, she recognized determination in -the opposite sex, though never giving in to her own. - -“What did you ask me, Mr. Ferguson?” she inquired sweetly. - -“Have you told your husband of the death of Austin Hale?” Ferguson put -the direct question with quiet emphasis, and she answered it in kind. - -“I have not,” adding before he could speak, “My husband was asleep when -I went to our rooms after my interview with you this morning, and when -he awoke two hours ago he complained of feeling feverish, so I forbore -breaking the news to him until after Dr. McLane’s visit.” - -Ferguson scrutinized her narrowly; he was not prepossessed in her -favor and from the little he had seen of her wondered that she should -have refrained from telling her husband of the tragedy of the early -morning, for he judged her to be the type of woman who must talk -at all costs. That she had not told her husband implied---- The -detective’s cogitations were interrupted by the entrance of John Hale -and a companion whom Ferguson instantly recognized from the frequent -publication of his photograph in the local papers. - -Francis Latimer, senior member of the firm of Latimer and House, -stockbrokers, was one of the popular bachelors of Washington. Inclined -to embonpoint, of medium height, a little bald, and wearing round, horn -spectacles, he resembled in his fastidiousness of dress and deportment -a Pickwick in modern attire. At the moment his face, generally round -and rosy with an ever present smile, wore an unusual seriousness of -expression as he greeted Mrs. Hale and Richards. He glanced inquiringly -at Ferguson and returned that official’s bow with a courteous -inclination of his head. - -“Detective Ferguson has been waiting to see you, John,” explained Mrs. -Hale, as the men stood for a second in silence. - -Ferguson stepped forward. “You told me to call at ten o’clock, Mr. -Hale,” he reminded him, and John nodded. - -“So I did,” he acknowledged. “Sorry to have kept you waiting, but I -had to see the superintendent of the cemetery,” he stopped and cleared -his voice. “Latimer and I have just returned from making arrangements -for the funeral services. Have you,” again a slight huskiness in his -usually clear voice slurred his words, “have you heard, Ferguson, the -result of the autopsy?” - -“No, Mr. Hale, but it was held----” Ferguson looked over his shoulder -on hearing footsteps behind him and saw Leonard McLane walk between the -portières of the folding doors, held back by the attentive waitress, -Anna. - -“Dr. McLane,”--the detective gave no one an opportunity to greet -the busy surgeon--“you were present with Coroner Penfield at the -post-mortem examination of young Hale, were you not?” - -“Yes.” McLane took the hand Mrs. Hale extended to him and gave it a -reassuring squeeze; he judged from her unaccustomed pallor that she was -much upset. “Yes, well?” and he looked inquiringly at the detective. - -“Tell us the result, doctor,” urged Ferguson, and added as McLane -hesitated, “You will be betraying no confidences, because the coroner -telephoned me to stop and see him about it when I leave here.” - -“Go ahead, McLane,” broke in John Hale. “I am entitled to know what -caused Austin’s death--don’t keep me in suspense any longer,” and -McLane, looking at him closely, saw that tiny beads of sweat had -gathered on Hale’s forehead. - -John Hale, who measured six feet two in his stocking feet, presented -a striking contrast to Frank Latimer as they stood side by side, -a contrast Washington society had laughed at and grown accustomed -to. Their Damon and Pythias friendship had commenced when they were -students at Harvard University and, continued through the years of -their separation when John Hale was in Mexico, was cemented again -upon the latter’s return to make his home permanently in the National -Capital. Hale was the elder by two years. His healthy out-of-door life -showed in the breadth of his shoulders and deep chest, and he was -seldom credited with being forty-seven years of age. For the first time -McLane became aware of the crow’s-feet discernible under his eyes as -John Hale moved nearer him. - -“Coroner Penfield’s examination,” McLane stated, “proved that Austin -died as the result of a wound in the chest. The weapon penetrated the -right ventricle of the heart, and death was due to internal hemorrhage.” - -A heavy sob broke from Mrs. Hale. “Oh, poor Austin!” she lamented. “Oh, -why did he do so mad an act?” - -“Explain your meaning, madam,” insisted Ferguson quickly, and held up a -cautioning hand as John Hale was about to interrupt her. - -“Why, kill himself,” asserted Mrs. Hale. “To commit suicide _is_ a mad -act,” she added a trifle defiantly and gazed at her silent companions. - -“Was the wound self-inflicted, doctor?” questioned Ferguson, and Mrs. -Hale grew conscious of the strained attention of her companions as they -waited in silence for McLane’s answer. - -The surgeon answered with a question. - -“Was any weapon found by the body?” - -Ferguson took from his pocket a package wrapped in oilskin. Removing -the wrapping, he exhibited a pair of long slender shears. One blade was -covered with bloodstains. - -“These shears were lying near the body,” he announced. - -“And under a rug,” Richards broke his long silence. “I distinctly -recall seeing you pick them up, Ferguson, and remember the position -they were in when you found them.” - -“They were not under a rug,” retorted Ferguson. “The edge of the rug -was turned back and covered them. Don’t touch the steel, sir,”--as -Richards stepped to his side and studied the shears--“I’ve had -impressions made for possible finger marks. You haven’t answered my -question, doctor; was it suicide?” - -“Possibly.” - -“But not probably?” quickly. - -“Have a care, Ferguson.” Richards spoke with sternness. “Don’t impute -a meaning to Dr. McLane’s words; let him put his own construction on -them.” Abruptly he turned to the surgeon. “Could the wound have been -accidentally inflicted?” - -McLane stared at him. “I don’t quite catch your meaning?” - -“Could Austin have tripped or stumbled and fallen on the shears?” - -“He could have tripped or stumbled, certainly; but if he had fallen -on the shears both blades would have penetrated his chest--” McLane -pointed to them. “Only one blade is bloodstained.” - -“Quite sure they are bloodstains and not rust?” As he put the question, -Richards again scrutinized the shears. - -Ferguson smiled skeptically. “The stains have already been subjected to -chemical tests,” he said. “It is human blood. Another thing, Major, if -Austin Hale fell on these shears and, improbable as it may seem, was -stabbed by only one blade, that blade would have remained in the wound, -would it not, doctor?” - -“Yes.” - -“Then we can dismiss the theory of accidental death,” argued Ferguson, -“and there remain homicide or suicide. Come, doctor, could Austin have -pulled out the shears’ blade after stabbing himself?” - -McLane shook his head dubiously. “Death resulted almost -instantaneously,” he answered. - -Richards, who had thrust his hands into his trousers’ pockets, clenched -them until the nails dug into the flesh, while Detective Ferguson, with -a covert smile, rolled up the shears once again in the piece of oilskin -and replaced them in his pocket. - -“Suicide is then out of the question,” he commented gravely. “It leaves -us face to face with homicide. What motive inspired Austin Hale’s -murder, gentlemen?” - -A low moan escaped Mrs. Hale. “There _could_ be no motive,” she -stammered. “Austin had no enemies, and this was his home; he was -surrounded only with relatives----” - -“And he was murdered,” Ferguson’s lips parted in a dangerous smile, as -he swung on John Hale. “Come, sir, have you no facts to disclose, no -aid to offer in tracking down your son’s murder?” - -John Hale regarded him for a moment in grim silence. - -“I give you a free hand to follow every clew,” he affirmed, “and offer -a reward of five thousand dollars for the apprehension and conviction -of his murderer.” - -Detective Ferguson buttoned his coat and picked up his hat which he had -brought with him into the drawing-room; then he turned to McLane. - -“Can I see your patient, Mr. Robert Hale?” he asked. - -“Not now.” McLane addressed Mrs. Hale. “I have given your husband a -sedative,” he said. “Keep all excitement from him when he awakens; I -will call later.” - -“But see here, doctor,” objected Ferguson, “I must interview Mr. Hale,” -and in his earnestness he laid a persuasive hand on the surgeon’s coat -sleeve. - -“So you can, shortly,” answered McLane. “Come with me, Ferguson, I’ll -take you to the coroner’s,” and there was that about McLane which -deterred the detective from pressing the point. With a bow to the -others McLane hurried away, Ferguson in his wake. Mrs. Hale gazed in -dead silence at her three companions, then found relief in tears. - -“Hush, Agatha,” exclaimed her brother-in-law, as her sobs grew in -volume. “Calm yourself.” - -John Hale’s strong voice carried some comfort, and she looked up a few -minutes later as the gong over the front door rang loudly. Through her -tear-dimmed eyes she had a fleeting glimpse of a familiar, slender -figure hurrying past the portières and through the central hall to the -circular staircase. Mrs. Hale’s tears burst out afresh. - -“Oh!” she gasped. “I just can’t break the news of Austin’s death to -Polly Davis--they were engaged----” - -“You don’t know what you are talking about!” John Hale spoke with rough -vehemence. “Polly and Austin were not engaged,” and turning on his heel -he stamped his way out of the drawing-room. - -Mrs. Hale gazed in bewilderment at Richards and Latimer; the former -answered her unspoken question. - -“Weren’t you aware of the situation?” he asked, and there was mockery -in his tone. “John Hale and Austin, his stepson, were both madly in -love with Polly--your husband’s secretary.” - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -LOST: A MEMORANDUM - - -ANNA, the waitress, took one more comprehensive look around the -prettily furnished boudoir to make sure that she had not overlooked the -sugar bowl; it was certainly nowhere in sight. Anna paused on her way -to the door leading to Judith’s bedroom, turned back and, picking up -the breakfast tray, departed to her domain below stairs. - -Judith, totally unaware that she had disturbed her mother’s excellent -waitress by walking off in a moment of absent-mindedness with the -sugar bowl, saw reflected in her long cheval glass the closing of the -boudoir door, and crossing her bedroom, made certain, by a peep inside, -that Anna had gone. With a quick turn of her wrist she shut the door -and locked it. The suite which she and her husband occupied consisted -of three rooms, the boudoir, their bedroom, and beyond that a large -dressing room and bath. There was but one entrance to the suite--by way -of the boudoir, which rendered their quarters absolutely private. - -Judith perched herself on one of the twin beds, and, feeling underneath -her pillow, pulled out a gold locket from which dangled the broken link -of a gold chain. There was nothing extraordinary in the appearance of -the locket, nothing to distinguish it from many other such ornaments, -yet it held Judith’s gaze with the power of a snake-charmer. Twice she -looked away from it, twice dropped it under the folds of the tossed -back bedclothes, only to pick it up each time and tip it this way and -that in the pink palm of her hand. Three times she crooked her fingers -over the spring, but the pressure needed to open the locket was not -forthcoming. - -Suddenly Judith raised her eyes and scanned the bedroom--the -glass-topped dressing table with its tortoise-shell, gold-initialed -toilet set; the tall chiffonnier on which lay her husband’s military -hair brushes and a framed photograph of Judith; the _chaise longue_ -with its numerous soft pillows, the comfortable chairs--Judith passed -them over with scant attention, and gazed at the pictures on the walls, -the draperies over the bow window and its broad seat, which added much -to the attractiveness of her room, and lastly at a small leather box -resembling a Kodak. The box was perched precariously near the edge of -the mantel shelf. Judith walked over to it, jerked up the clasps and -lifted the lid. She pushed aside the contents of the box and placed the -locket underneath several coils of wire, then closing the box, set it -behind the mantel clock. An inspection of the dial showed her that the -hour hand was about to register ten o’clock. - -The next moment Judith was seated before her dressing table and -unbraiding her hair. It fell in a shower about her shoulders, the -winter sunshine picking out the hidden strains of gold in its rich -chestnut. A deep, deep sigh escaped Judith as she stared at her -reflection in the mirror. It was a very lovely face that confronted -her, not one to call forth a sigh from the observer. The delicately -arched eyebrows, the tender, sensitive mouth, the brilliancy of the -deep blue eyes--but enhanced by the shadows underneath them,--the long -lashes, and the small shapely head all combined to win for Judith the -title of “belle” when introduced three years before to Washington -society. - -Judith’s popularity had been a matter of unbounded gratification to her -mother, whose ambition for a titled son-in-law was thereby encouraged -and dinned into her husband’s ears, to his intense disgust, but in -spite of his gruff reception of her suggestions, Robert Hale had seen -to it that only the most eligible bachelors were invited to their home. -Judith had signally failed to encourage any one of her many attentive -cavaliers, and when taken to task by her mother, had responded that no -man should be handicapped by a deaf wife and that she did not intend to -marry; a statement which, in its quiet determination, had staggered her -mother. - -Judith had thrown herself heart and soul into war work, and though -not accepted for service overseas on account of her deafness, she had -won, through her efficiency and knowledge of languages, a position in -the Department of State carrying great responsibilities, and she had -retired from it, after the Armistice, with the commendation of the -Department’s highest officials. - -The hard work, the long hours, and the close confinement indoors to one -accustomed, as Judith had been, to a life in the open, had resulted -in a nervous collapse, and Doctor McLane, their family physician, had -advised a complete change of environment. The medical dictum had come -on the heels of a letter from the United States Consul at Tokio and his -wife, asking Judith to make them a long promised visit, and within -forty-eight hours all details of her trip across the continent with -friends returning to their home in San Francisco after two years’ war -work in Washington, had been arranged, and a cable was sent to Mr. -and Mrs. Noyes in Tokio, notifying them to expect Judith on the next -steamer. - -And in Tokio, two weeks after her arrival, Judith had met Joseph -Richards, major of the --th Regiment, invalided home from arduous -service in Siberia with the A. E. F., and bearing on his broad breast -ribbons denoting Russian, Japanese, and British decorations awarded for -valor. - -Richards had received a warm welcome in the Noyes’ home, and his -hostess, a born matchmaker, was quick to observe his infatuation for -Judith, and did everything within her power to aid his courtship. - -Judith strove to steel her heart to his ardent pleading, but all to no -purpose--youth called to youth in a language familiar to every age, -and in the romantic background of the Land of the Chrysanthemum they -pledged their troth. A week later they were married in the American -Consulate by a United States Navy chaplain, and Mr. and Mrs. Noyes, -looking backward over their own well-ordered wedded life, wished them -Godspeed on their road to happiness. - -Happy days had followed, happier than any Judith had known, for in -spite of her brave attempt to ignore her deafness and to show only a -contented front to the world, that very deafness had built a barrier of -reserve which even Judith’s parents had never penetrated. But Richards, -whose deep love was a guide to a sympathetic understanding of her shy -and sensitive nature, gained a devotion almost akin to worship as the -days sped on, and then came the summons home. - -With a faint shiver Judith straightened herself in her chair, put down -her hair brush and took up the slender wire (in shape like those worn -by telephone operators, but much lighter and narrower) attached to the -earpiece of the “globia-phone,” and slipped it over her head. It took -but a second to adjust the earpiece, and with deft fingers she dressed -her hair low on her neck and covering her ears. The style was not only -extremely becoming, but completely hid the little instrument held so -snugly against her ear. It took but a moment to complete her dressing, -and slipping the small battery of the “globia-phone” inside her belt, -she adjusted the lace jabot so that its soft folds concealed but did -not obscure the sound-gathering part of the earphone, and with one -final look in the glass to make sure that her becoming costume fitted -perfectly, she turned away just as a loud knock sounded on the boudoir -door. Judith laid her hand involuntarily on the back of her chair, -then, squaring her shoulders, she walked across the room and unlocked -the door and faced her father’s secretary. - -“Polly!” The ejaculation was low-spoken and Judith cast one searching -look about the boudoir before pulling the girl inside her bedroom and -closing the door. “Have you just come?” - -“Yes, I came right up here.” Polly Davis, conscious that her knees -were treacherously weak, sank into the nearest chair, and Judith, in -the uncompromising glare of the morning sunlight, saw in the girl’s -upturned face the haggard lines which care had brought overnight. -Judith dropped on her knees beside Polly and threw her arm protectingly -about her. They had been classmates at a fashionable private school -until the death of Polly’s father had brought retrenchment and, later, -painful economies in its wake, so that she was obliged to forsake her -lessons for a clerkship. - -The change from affluence to poverty had produced no alteration in the -affection the two girls bore each other, an affection on Judith’s part -tempered with responsibility, as Polly, her junior by a few months, -came frequently to her for advice--which she seldom if ever followed. -Polly’s contact with the world had borne fruit in an embittered outlook -on life which in some degree alienated her from her former friends, -and she had turned to Judith with the heart-hunger of a nature thrown -upon itself for woman’s companionship. Polly’s dainty blond beauty and -bright vivacity had gained her lasting popularity with men, but with -her own sex she was generally classed as “catty.” - -Judith was the first to speak. “Polly--what can I say?” she stammered. -“How comfort you?” - -For answer the yellow head was dropped on Judith’s shoulder and dry, -tearless sobs racked her slender body. - -“Hush! Hush!” exclaimed Judith, alarmed by her agony. “Polly, Polly, -remember----” - -“Remember!” Polly sat up as if stabbed. “Oh, if I could only forget!” -A violent shudder shook her. Regaining her composure by degrees, she -finally straightened up. “There, the storm is over,” and she dashed her -hand across her eyes. “Never allude to this again--promise me.” She -spoke with vehemence, and Judith laid a quieting hand on hers. - -“I give you my word never to speak of the subject,” she pledged. - -“Not even to your husband?” - -“No, not even to Joe.” Her answer, although prompt, held a note of -reluctance. - -Polly’s smile was twisted. Opening her vanity box, she inspected her -face in its tiny mirror. A faint shriek escaped her. - -“I’m a fright!” she ejaculated, and rising, went over to Judith’s -dressing table and proceeded to powder her nose. Drawing out a box of -rouge, Polly applied some of it to her cheeks. “There, that’s better.” -She turned briskly and looked at Judith. “Do you think your father will -discover it is not natural bloom?” she asked flippantly. - -Judith’s answer was a stare; Polly’s transition from grief to pert -nonchalance was startling. - -“Father is not very well,” she replied slowly. “Joe went to inquire for -him just before breakfast was announced, and Mother said he was asleep -and could not be disturbed.” - -Polly contemplated herself in the mirror. “I am sorry,” she remarked, -but her tone was perfunctory and a brief silence followed. “Gracious, -it is nearly eleven o’clock. Judith, I must fly; for your father left a -pile of correspondence in the den----” - -“Wait, Polly.” Judith, who had followed her across the bedroom, laid -her hand against the door. “There is a question you must answer. Were -you--did you,” she stumbled in her speech, “did you know that Austin -was to return here last night?” - -The rouge on Polly’s cheeks showed up plainly against the dead -whiteness of her skin. - -“I fail to see what business it is of yours if I knew or did not know -of Austin’s contemplated return,” she replied, and before Judith -guessed her intention she had slipped under her arm and bolted through -the boudoir into the hall, leaving Judith staring after her. - -The thick carpet deadened Polly’s flying footsteps as she hurried to -the den, a room set aside for Robert Hale’s exclusive use. It adjoined -his bedroom, and there the scientist spent many hours going carefully -over his manuscripts and statistical research work. It was in one sense -a labor of love for, thanks to the timely death of a relative, he had -inherited a large estate which brought in its train a handsome income; -he was, therefore, not dependent upon a salaried position and could -indulge his whims and vagaries. And these same whims and vagaries had, -mingled with an unbridled temper, made the post of secretary to the -eminent scientist no sinecure. Polly Davis had secured the position -through Judith’s influence, and she had remained longer than the -majority of her predecessors, a fact which had won sarcastic comments -from Robert Hale and--nothing more. - -Polly paused on reaching the middle of the den and stared at the man -seated with his back to her, bending over Robert Hale’s flat-topped -desk. With infinite care he went over paper after paper, and as he -lifted his hands Polly saw that he was wearing rubber gloves. With the -instinct which seems to warn of another’s presence, he partly turned in -his chair and gazed at the motionless figure behind him. A constrained -silence followed, which John Hale was the first to break. - -“Why did you not go to Baltimore?” he asked. - -Her reply was slow in coming. - -“I have altered my plans,” she stated, and, crossing to her own desk, -she dropped into the revolving chair standing before it. - -John Hale watched her for an instant, and not a detail of her -appearance escaped him. There was an ominous tightening of his lips, -and he lowered his gaze that she might not read its telltale message. -Without further comment he removed his gloves, rolled them into a ball -and stuffed them in his pocket. In the lengthening silence Polly’s eyes -strayed to a pile of papers and she swung the typewriter on its iron -supporting-frame, which was attached to her desk, toward her. - -“Pardon me if I go on with my work.” Her voice was cold and formal. -Slowly John Hale rose to his feet, and the bigness of the man filled -the small room. Polly looked only at her typewriter. - -“I am sorry I detained you.” His voice matched hers in tone and quality. - -Polly raised her eyes and contemplated him. “Did you find what you were -looking for in your brother’s desk, Mr. Hale?” she inquired. - -Hale’s answer was indirect. “Mr. Hale,” he repeated. “Why not--John?” - -“No.” - -The finality of the monosyllable brought an angry flush to John Hale’s -bronzed cheeks, and without another word he swung on his heel, only to -pause at the door and again address her. - -“Austin’s funeral will take place to-morrow,” he announced, and the -next second he was gone. - -Many minutes passed before Polly moved, then rising, she walked over -to Robert Hale’s desk and went feverishly through his drawers, one -question uppermost in her mind--what had John Hale been looking for? -She had about completed her self-imposed task when a voice over her -shoulder caused her to catch her breath. - -“Why are you searching among my husband’s papers?” asked Mrs. Hale. - -Polly swung around in Robert Hale’s comfortable chair. - -“How you startled me!” she confessed, with a faint tinkling laugh, a -laugh which had irritated Mrs. Hale in the past. “Dear Mrs. Hale, how -noiselessly you move.” - -“Do I?” tartly. - -“I never heard you enter the room.” Polly moved back to her own desk. -“Your husband must find you a perfect treasure when you are attending -him during his illness.” - -Mrs. Hale flushed and promptly forgot to utter the sympathetic -platitudes she had prepared when on her way to find Polly. Austin Hale -ever engaged to such a chit of a girl? The idea was unbelievable. And -John, her staid, solemn brother-in-law, in love with her! Mrs. Hale -snorted. Joe Richards should be given a piece of her mind for putting -such ideas in her head; she would even speak to Judith about it. - -“Why were you going through my husband’s papers?” she asked, and her -manner in putting the question was anything but agreeable. “I insist -upon an answer.” - -Polly’s eyes opened innocently. “Surely, Mrs. Hale, the matter is not -secret. I was looking for a memorandum which your husband left for -me. It was about so square,”--demonstrating with her fingers,--“on -yellowish paper.” - -Polly, when moving her hands, dislodged a package of papers and they -fell to the floor. In stooping to pick them up, she missed seeing Mrs. -Hale’s quick start and sudden change of color. When she raised her -head, she found Mrs. Hale’s cold blue eyes were regarding her with -disconcerting intensity. - -“Was John in here a moment ago?” she asked, and Polly was conscious of -flushing hotly; the question was unexpected. - -“Didn’t you see him leave, Mrs. Hale?” she asked sweetly, and this time -it was Mrs. Hale who flushed. There were occasions when she actively -disliked her husband’s accomplished secretary. - -“I met him in the hall,” she explained coldly. “But I was not sure -whether he had just left here or my husband’s bedroom. Please remember, -Polly, that Mr. Hale is ill and that the sound of your typewriter -carries into the next room.” - -“In that case”--Polly drew her chair closer to her desk with a -businesslike air and picked up her pen--“I will write answers in long -hand to these business communications, unless you wish something -further”--and she waited in polite expectancy. - -“I want nothing”--Mrs. Hale drew herself up. “Kindly make as little -noise as possible, Polly. Above all, don’t let that telephone ring,” -pointing to the instrument which stood almost at the girl’s elbow. - -“I shall be as quiet as possible,” Polly promised, and Mrs. Hale, -satisfied that she had made Polly understand that she was capable of -issuing orders in her husband’s absence, walked toward the hall door. -Polly’s voice halted her as she was on the point of leaving the room. - -“Is Mr. Hale very ill?” she asked. - -“No, oh, no,” Mrs. Hale spoke with positiveness. “But Dr. McLane said -that he was under the effects of a sedative. I was in our bedroom a -moment ago and Robert was sound asleep. Polly,”--she hesitated and -fingered her hand bag--“if you come across a memorandum bearing my -name, be _sure_ to let me see it,” and with a whisk of her skirts she -hastened away. - -Polly stared at the highly glazed surface of Robert Hale’s expensive -stationery and then at her penholder. Suddenly she pitched the latter -from her and, rising, methodically searched the entire room, taking -care that her movements made no noise. - -In his comfortable four-post bed in the darkened room adjoining his -den, Robert Hale smiled to himself as he dragged the eider-down quilt -up about his ears and lay still. His daughter Judith had not inherited -his acute hearing. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -MORE THEORIES - - -RAIN and snow followed by sleet had reduced the traffic in the streets -of the Capital City to venturesome taxicabs and occasional delivery -cars. Few Washingtonians, not required by necessity to venture out of -doors, were so unwise as to risk a fall on the slippery pavements, -and the generally gay thoroughfares of the fashionable Northwest were -deserted. Weather-forecasters had announced in the morning press that a -decade had passed since such a combination of ice and sleet had visited -the city so late in the winter. - -The small procession of automobiles returning from Oak Hill Cemetery -coasted its way with care down the steep hills of Georgetown and along -the ice-covered asphalt. John Hale, the occupant of the foremost car, -pulled out his handkerchief and mopped his face, which, in spite of the -biting north wind and the zero weather, was damp with perspiration. - -“Thank God!” he muttered rather than spoke. “That is over.” He turned -and scowled at his companion. “Well, Frank, haven’t you anything to -say?” - -Frank Latimer, who had been studying his friend in silence, roused -himself. - -“It was a trying ordeal,” he remarked gravely, “and like you, I am -relieved that the funeral is over. Poor Austin!” - -John Hale winced. “Don’t!” he exclaimed. “Suppose we leave the--the -laments to my sister-in-law, Agatha.” - -Latimer nodded sympathetically. “She made an exhibition of herself in -the chapel,” he acknowledged. “I had no idea that she was so attached -to Austin. In fact,”--Latimer lowered his voice to confidential -tones--“I’ve always understood that she opposed a marriage between -Judith and Austin.” - -“And quite rightly,” Hale’s voice rang out sharply. “Judith is a -splendid type of young womanhood, while----” He checked his impetuous -speech. “I opposed the match, also.” - -“So I recall.” Latimer offered his cigarette case to his friend. His -chubby face wore a troubled expression. “Agatha Hale is a bit of a -trial, old man; let’s forget her.” - -“I wish I could,” with gloomy fervor. “Why Robert ever picked out such -a piece of contrariness I never could understand; one moment your -friend, the next against you--and emotional!” His tone spoke volumes. -“While Robert----” He smiled wryly and Latimer finished the sentence. - -“Is the most unemotional of men,” he agreed. “Judith is more like you, -John, than like either of her parents.” - -Hale moved uneasily and changed the conversation with some abruptness -as the car drove up to the curb and stopped before his brother’s -residence. - -“I’m much obliged to you, Frank, for bringing me home,” he said, -preparing to spring out as the chauffeur opened the door. “I don’t -think I could have stood driving back in the same car with Agatha and -Judith. Won’t you come in with me?” - -“I can’t, thanks; I have an appointment,” Latimer responded. “I’ll see -you later perhaps at the club. Eh, what the----” - -The ejaculation was wrung from him by John Hale’s sudden clutch on his -arm and before he quite realized what was happening he found himself -propelled out of the car. Once on the sidewalk the little stockbroker -turned to his big companion in wrathful bewilderment. The explanation -John Hale offered for his precipitous action was given under his -breath, and Jackson, the chauffeur, failed to hear it as he climbed -back in his seat and, obedient to a signal from his employer, shut off -his engine. - -“That damn bounder from Police Headquarters is waiting for an -interview, Frank.” John Hale indicated one of the library windows -overlooking the street where Latimer saw a man peering out from behind -the curtains. “I had entirely forgotten that Detective Ferguson -telephoned and asked me to see him this afternoon. I want you to be -present.” - -The urgency of his tone silenced Latimer’s objections, and without a -word he accompanied him into the house, Anna, the waitress, holding -the front door hospitably open for them. Almost tossing his fur-lined -overcoat and hat into the servant’s arms, John Hale strode at once into -the library, and Latimer, pausing only long enough to put down his hat -and cane on the hall table, followed him, forgetting in his interest -that he had not removed his overcoat. - -At the sound of their footsteps Detective Ferguson stepped away from -the window-alcove where he had been a witness of their arrival. John -Hale’s curt greeting and Latimer’s short nod caused him to redden; -he was not accustomed to such outward display of contempt, for so he -interpreted their manner. - -“What can I do for you, Ferguson?” asked John Hale, signing to the -detective to draw up a chair as he threw himself down on a lounge. -“Sit down, Frank,” and he turned again to the detective, as the latter -remained silent, with an impatient “Well?” - -“You can answer a few questions, sir,” replied Ferguson. - -John Hale lifted his broad shoulders in a contemptuous shrug. - -“I have already shown great patience in that line,” he remarked dryly. - -“Pardon me; you have answered a few questions most impatiently,” -retorted Ferguson. His temper was rising and rapidly overcoming -discretion. Instead of an angry rejoinder, John Hale gave a short laugh. - -“Well, go on, what are your questions?” he asked. “Remember that we -have just come from my stepson’s funeral, and,”--he cleared his throat -before continuing--“I--have been under a severe strain.” - -“True, sir; I promise not to be long.” Ferguson hitched his chair -nearer the two men. “It is in regard to the funeral that I desire to -speak. I was told by Coroner Penfield that you had requested that -Austin Hale’s body be cremated.” - -“Well?” questioned John Hale as Ferguson paused. - -“Why did you make that request, Mr. Hale?” - -“Because I believe in cremation,” promptly. - -“Were you not aware that Austin’s body could not be cremated until -after the mystery of his murder had been solved?” - -“No, I am not a lawyer.” - -“One does not have to be a lawyer to know that such a request would be -refused,” replied Ferguson. - -Again John Hale shrugged his shoulders. “The request was perfectly -reasonable,” he declared. - -“Under normal conditions, yes,” dryly. “Why did you make it?” - -John Hale’s raised eyebrows indicated annoyance at the detective’s -persistence. “I have already told you,” he stated. “It is hardly -necessary to repeat that I believe in cremation.” - -“And the absolute destruction of the body, so that no further medical -examination could be made if the need arose?” Ferguson smiled -skeptically. “Now, honestly, did you really think such a request would -get by?” - -John Hale controlled his temper with an effort. “An autopsy had already -been held and the cause of Austin’s death determined,” he pointed out, -and then, addressing his silent companion, “What was McLane’s exact -definition, Frank?” - -Latimer took out his notebook and turned its pages until he came to an -entry. - -“Dr. McLane stated that Austin died as the result of a chest wound, and -that death was instantaneous, as the weapon penetrated to the heart, -or words to that effect,” he added and replaced the notebook in his -pocket, as John Hale again addressed the detective. - -“You see, Ferguson, the autopsy told the cause of death; therefore my -request was not only natural, believing, as I do, in cremation, but -reasonable.” He leaned back and regarded the detective with candid -eyes. “That it was not granted was the unreasonable feature of the -case.” - -Ferguson was slow in replying. “That you were advised to have the body -placed in the receiving vault at the cemetery shows how your request -was regarded by the authorities, Mr. Hale,” he remarked, and Latimer -broke into the discussion. - -“Come, come,” he remonstrated. “You go too far in your zeal, Ferguson. -The ground is hard frozen and no graves can be dug; therefore all -bodies are being placed in the receiving vaults until the weather -moderates.” - -“Maybe so,” Ferguson’s smile was non-committal. “But--your request came -very pat, Mr. Hale, and--it didn’t make a hit with Headquarters.” - -John Hale straightened his powerful figure. “I don’t care a damn -how it hit Headquarters!” he declared, and his voice rose in angry -accents. “If this is all you wish with me, we may as well cut short our -interview; my time is valuable.” - -“And so is mine, sir,” retorted Ferguson with equal heat. “How much -longer am I going to be prevented from seeing your brother, Mr. Robert -Hale?” - -“Depends on how long it takes you to turn your head,” remarked a voice -back of the three men, and with one accord they spun around. Robert -Hale was occupying his favorite chair and he met their stares with one -of mild surprise. - -“How long have you been in the room?” demanded John Hale. - -His brother looked at the clock on the mantel. “A bare thirty seconds,” -he answered. “You were so absorbed in conversation that I hesitated to -interrupt you. When this gentleman”--with a motion of his hand toward -Ferguson--“asked in such impassioned tones for a sight of me, I could -not refrain from announcing my presence.” - -“But”--John Hale bent forward and stared earnestly at his brother--“Dr. -McLane said that you were to remain in bed, that you were too weak----” - -Hale interrupted him with a snap of his fingers. “That for McLane’s -diagnosis,” he said. “I am a bit weak, but staying in bed won’t cure -that complaint, so I dressed myself and came downstairs. Where is -Agatha?” - -“She’s out,” tersely. - -“So Anna informed me when I met her in the hall.” Hale swung his chair -around to the left so as to face them more directly. “Anna also said -that Judith was out and that Polly Davis was not in the house? Why is -every one out? Why”--with a quick impatient gesture--“is there such a -funereal air about the house?” - -John Hale groaned inwardly and wasted a bitter ejaculation on his -sister-in-law. Why had Agatha postponed telling her husband of -Austin’s death? What if McLane had advised keeping the tragic news -from him--if he was strong enough to dress himself unassisted and walk -about the house, he had been strong enough to be told of the events -of the past forty-eight hours. But it had now fallen to his lot to do -so--it was generally his lot to be the harbinger of bad news in the -family. John Hale’s mouth set in grim lines. - -“There has been a funeral in the house,” he announced with -characteristic bluntness. “Austin died Tuesday night.” - -“Austin!” Hale sat bolt upright and regarded his brother; suddenly he -sank back in his chair and his head sagged forward on his chest. - -“Good Lord!” John Hale leaped to his feet but Latimer was before him in -reaching his brother’s side. - -“Some water--wine!” he called, and Ferguson bolted from the room in -search of Anna, the waitress. He found her polishing silver in the -dining room and at his breathless request she filled a glass with ice -water and thrust it in his hand. Ferguson reached the library just as -Latimer forced some cognac between Hale’s bloodless lips. - -“He will revive in a minute,” he said, laying down the flask which -John Hale, recovering his dazed wits, had taken from a cabinet in one -corner of the library where his brother kept some wine secreted. “His -pulse is better now--there,” as the powerful stimulant took effect. “He -is coming to. Here, take a sip of this,” and Latimer snatched the glass -of water out of Ferguson’s hand. Hale, his eyelids fluttering, drank -slowly as Latimer tilted the glass gently against his lips. - -With an effort Hale jerked himself erect and then leaned back, pushing -aside, as he did so, Latimer’s supporting hand. - -“I’m all right,” he protested weakly. “Just over-estimated my -strength--wait.” - -In the ensuing silence Detective Ferguson studied Robert Hale -attentively; it was the first time he had seen the scientist at close -quarters. There was something effeminate in Hale’s good looks and, in -spite of his gray hair, Ferguson put him down in his estimation as -belonging to the “pretty boy type.” The impression was enhanced by -the stalwart appearance of John Hale; the brothers were in striking -contrast, both in physical build and in mental equipment--one had -achieved fame in his chosen profession, while the other had made a bare -living as the result of hard work. Ferguson’s lips curled in contempt; -the small, slight, middle-aged man was hardly an impressive figure. - -Suddenly Robert Hale reached for the flask and Latimer gave it to him. -Tilting his head backward, Hale took a long swallow, then laid the -flask carefully on the table within easy reach. - -“Now, John,” he began, “tell me of Austin.” - -“I should have broken the news more gently,” John Hale spoke with -contrition. “I should have remembered that you and Austin were great -pals.” - -His brother passed his hand across his lips. “We were--” He paused -abruptly and did not complete his sentence. “Come, don’t be afraid, I -have myself in hand; tell me the details.” - -John Hale looked dubiously at Latimer and the latter nodded his -encouragement. “Go ahead, tell him the whole story,” he advised. “It’s -worse to keep him in suspense.” - -“Austin died on Tuesday night,” John Hale stated, choosing his words -with care, “to be exact, some time on Wednesday morning. He was stabbed -to death.” - -“Stabbed!” Hale’s hand stole toward the flask, then was withdrawn. -“Stabbed by whom?” - -“We don’t know.” - -“Oh!” Robert Hale’s color was returning slowly. “Where was Austin -murdered?” - -“Here.” - -“Here?” The repetition was parrotlike. - -“Yes, here.” Ferguson took a step forward and for the first time joined -in the conversation. - -Hale turned and regarded him in silence, then looked inquiringly at -Latimer. - -“This is Detective Ferguson of the Central Office,” he explained. “He -is detailed to investigate the mystery surrounding Austin’s death.” - -Hale placed his elbow on the table and leaned his head on his hand. - -“And what have you discovered, Inspector?” he asked. - -“Nothing.” Ferguson, flattered by the title, spoke with courteous -promptness. “I have been waiting to interview you, Mr. Hale, as to what -transpired here on Tuesday night.” - -“Tuesday?” Hale reflected a moment. “Let me see, I was taken ill with -the ‘flu’ last Friday, and I have not been up and about until this -morning. You will have to ask others in my household for information.” - -“I have,” Ferguson made no effort to conceal his disappointment over -his failure to elicit news. “And every one declares nothing out of the -ordinary was either heard or seen.” - -“Tuesday night,” repeated Robert Hale thoughtfully. “Tuesday -night--why, John, you went in my stead with Agatha to the French -Embassy reception; did Judith accompany you?” - -“No, she stayed at home,” John Hale explained. “She said she had a -headache.” - -“And her husband?” inquired his brother. - -“Major Richards? Oh, he had a business engagement at the club.” John -Hale pulled forward a chair and sat down, the interview threatened to -grow protracted. “It was Joe who found Austin on his return.” - -“Joe found him!” Robert Hale glanced upward and Latimer started at the -sudden flash in his dark eyes--eyes which until that moment had seemed -dull, almost dead, in their lusterless expression. “Well, what then?” - -“Joe called in the police,” John Hale continued. “And to-day we are no -nearer detecting the criminal or discovering the motive for the crime -than we were at that hour.” - -“Give us a chance, Mr. Hale,” protested Ferguson. “This is the first -time I’ve seen you,” turning to the elder brother. “There’s some -information you must give, if Mr. John Hale won’t.” - -“Play fair, Ferguson,” objected John Hale. “I have never refused----” - -“Be quiet, John.” Robert Hale spoke with authority. “As the head of the -house I will attend to this investigation.” - -He was interrupted by a slight scream from the hall. The next instant -the portières were pulled aside and Mrs. Hale hurried toward him. - -“Robert, you are really downstairs--and Anna did not lie,” she -commenced incoherently. “Do you not know that you are jeopardizing----” - -“Quiet, Agatha”--Robert Hale let his wife clasp his hand in both -of hers, and Detective Ferguson, watching the scene with interest, -was again impressed with the quality of his voice. Rich in tone, -softly modulated, it almost caressed the ear, and Hale’s faultless -pronunciation added to the soothing effect. “Where is Judith?” - -“Taking off her wraps. She will be here shortly.” Mrs. Hale seldom -completed her sentences when excited. “We have just returned from--” - -“I can guess”--Hale eyed her mourning and her reddened eyelids. -“John has told me of Austin’s death.” He patted her hand gently, -sympathetically; then before she could speak, addressed the detective. -“You said you wished to question me; kindly do so.” - -Ferguson pushed forward a chair for Mrs. Hale near her husband and, -drawing out his notebook, chose a seat near the table. - -“When did you last see Austin Hale?” he asked. - -“Before he left for New York six weeks ago.” - -“Did you expect him to return on Tuesday night?” - -“No.” - -“Was Austin in financial difficulties?” - -“Not to my knowledge.” Robert Hale addressed his brother. “How about -it, John?” - -“I never heard of his having financial difficulties,” the latter -replied, his attention partly diverted by Mrs. Hale; she had an -annoying habit of biting her nails whenever perturbed in mind, and the -gnawing sound, slight as it was, was getting on her brother-in-law’s -nerves. She met his glare with a fixed stare, totally unconscious of -the cause of his wrath. - -“Was Austin in love?” inquired Ferguson, his fountain pen flying over -the paper, jotting down questions and answers. - -Robert Hale laughed faintly. “Does a kitten play?” he asked. “John, -you are better qualified to answer that question than I; Austin was -your”--he paused--“stepson.” - -“And my adopted son, as well,” John Hale amplified his brother’s -statement. “If Austin intended to marry, I was not his confidant, and, -therefore, am unable”--his manner grew stiff and formal--“to give you -any information on the subject.” - -Ferguson frowned in perplexity. The antagonism between the brothers was -plainly discernible and Frank Latimer, instinctively aware of which -way the detective’s thoughts were turning, grew uncomfortably warm and -conscious that he was still wearing his heavy overcoat. - -Had Ferguson learned of the frequent disputes between the brothers, -which had at different times kept their Washington friends in constant -dread of their quarrels developing into actual conflict? - -“Is it your custom to keep your safe unlocked, Mr. Hale?” asked -Ferguson, breaking the short silence. - -“No.” - -“Are you aware that it was open on Tuesday night?” - -Hale picked up the flask of cognac, eyed it a moment, then laid it down -again before answering. - -“No.” - -“Has any one besides you the combination?” - -“No.” - -The detective watched Hale closely. Was his use of monosyllables due to -physical weakness, to a naturally taciturn disposition, or to a desire -to conceal information? Ferguson sighed impatiently and resumed his -examination with the point still undecided in his mind. - -“Mr. Hale,”--he spoke with growing impressiveness--“I found Austin Hale -lying dead in this room on Wednesday morning--he was lying within a few -feet of your open safe. The door had not been forced; therefore it must -have been opened by some one having the combination.” He paused and the -silence lengthened; abruptly he broke it. “Please examine your safe, -Mr. Hale, and see if any money or documents are missing.” - -“Wait, Robert.” The caution came from Mrs. Hale, and her husband looked -at her with marked displeasure. For the moment he had forgotten her -presence. “You must not overexert yourself,” she continued. “Let me -look in the safe?” - -Robert Hale was on his feet before she had finished speaking. - -“Don’t worry about me,” he exclaimed tartly. “I know what I am about, -Agatha,” and he walked somewhat unsteadily over to the safe, the others -following until they grouped themselves about him as he knelt down. -There was a distinct pause as he fumbled with the dial. - -Mrs. Hale’s anxiety grew--would her husband never get the door open? -She was again about to intercede as she noted the paleness of his face -and his heavy breathing, but the door suddenly swung open and the -remonstrance remained unspoken. - -Pushing his heavy gray hair off his forehead, Hale moved closer to the -safe, and without haste examined every compartment, then, supported by -his attentive wife, he rose painfully to his feet and dropped into a -chair. - -“My papers and my wife’s jewelry are intact,” he stated. - -Ferguson replaced his fountain pen and memorandum pad in his pocket. - -“That settles it,” he declared. “Robbery was not the motive. The -murder of Austin Hale was an inside job----” - -“You are wrong,” John Hale’s voice rang out loudly and echoed through -the large room. “Robbery was the motive.” - -“Indeed!” Ferguson’s eyes snapped with excitement. Was he to learn -something tangible at last. “What was stolen?” - -“Austin owned a valuable antique watch.” John Hale spoke slowly, -impressively, checking off each word on his finger. “He always carried -it--it was almost a fetish with him. The watch is missing.” - -Concealed by the portières, Judith Richards leaned limply against the -door-jamb of the library and only Anna, the waitress, passing through -the hall, heard her astounded gasp, followed by a low moan. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -SPECULATION - - -IT was lacking twenty minutes of noon and Polly Davis frowned -discontentedly as she consulted her wrist-watch. She was under positive -instructions from Robert Hale to complete the compilation of data given -to her the week before. Hale’s cramped and peculiar style of penmanship -was difficult to read at any time, and with her thoughts wandering far -afield, Polly found her task more irksome than usual. - -Swiftly her fingers moved over the familiar typewriter keys and with -mechanical exactness she copied--copied, pausing now and then to -decipher a nearly unintelligible paragraph, until she came to the end -of the manuscript notes. But her sigh of relief changed to a swift, -disgusted ejaculation as, dragging the last sheet out of the typewriter -she discovered that she had carelessly reversed the carbon and that -the second copy, intended for Hale’s files, was blank. The impression, -which should have been on it, was stamped, instead, on the back of the -top sheet. - -With a gesture of rage she crumpled the sheet in her hand and hurled -it into the scrap basket. In its flight the paper ball just missed -striking Anna, the waitress, whose noiseless entry a second before had -escaped her attention. At sight of the servant Polly lowered her hand, -still raised after flinging the paper ball, and her features relaxed to -their wonted expression. - -“I did not mean to bombard you, Anna,” she apologized. “Would you mind -moving the scrap basket over here where it will be more handy? Thanks,” -as the servant complied with her request. “Any letters for Mr. Hale?” - -“The postman hasn’t brought the second mail yet, Miss Polly.” Anna -unfolded a small card table and stood it in front of Polly. “I hope -you don’t mind having your luncheon a little earlier to-day, miss. The -Madam gave me this afternoon off to go to the movies.” - -“Mind? Well, hardly, I’m ravenous,” and Polly brightened as Anna put a -well-laden tray before her. “You are quite a movie fan, Anna; what are -you going to see to-day?” - -“‘The Official Chaperon.’” Anna poured out a steaming cup of tea and -deftly supplied the proper amount of cream and sugar. “They say it is a -thriller.” - -“The title is a little more sedate than ‘Without Sin,’” acknowledged -Polly laughing. “I believe that was the last movie you told me of -seeing; perhaps the new one won’t give you a nightmare.” - -Anna colored. She was sensitive about the scene she had created ten -days before when her screams had awakened the household from sound -slumber and brought forth a severe scolding from Mrs. Hale on the -subject of attending trashy plays. Robert Hale had interfered in time -to prevent Anna, whose red hair was indicative of her hasty temper, -from giving notice, to the relief of the other members of the family -who liked the silent, well-trained servant. - -“‘The Official Chaperon’ is a dandy,” she declared stoutly. “’Least so -the papers say. It’s about a society girl who is under the hypnotic -influence of a rascal, miss, a regular rascal--he even makes her commit -murder.” - -Anna brought out the last word with such intensity that Polly actually -jumped. - -“I see you are in for another nightmare,” she said, but the smile -accompanying her banter was fleeting. “Isn’t Mr. Austin’s murder -terrible enough without harrowing your soul with further tragedies?” - -Before replying Anna removed the cover of the toast dish and placed -its tempting contents almost directly under Polly’s nose. - -“It’s terrible, miss; so terrible that I want to forget it.” - -Polly’s laugh did not ring quite true. “You take an odd way to do so,” -she remarked. “However, Anna, go and see the hypnotic movie murder, and -my blessings go with you.” - -Anna regarded the tray critically for an instant without moving. “You -are not eating, miss,” she remonstrated. “I don’t know what I’ll do -with you and Miss Judith.” - -Polly laid down her fork. She had been merely toying with the salad on -the plate before her. - -“Has Miss Judith lost her appetite?” she asked. - -“Yes, miss.” Anna stepped nearer and spoke more rapidly. “Miss Judith -appears sort of--of in a trance, like.” - -“Trance!” Anna had no occasion to complain of inattention. Polly was -regarding the girl’s comely face with deep interest. For the first -time she observed the dark lines under the large eyes and saw that the -soft cream-tint of Anna’s perfect complexion, which she had frequently -envied in the past, was an unhealthy white. “Trance,” she repeated. -“What do you mean, Anna?” - -“Exactly that, miss.” Anna spoke with positiveness. “She moves as if -she was in a dream. She don’t eat, don’t talk, and I don’t believe she -sleeps.” - -“Dear me!” Polly bit viciously into a piece of chocolate cake. “Well, -it is not surprising, Anna, that Miss Judith is upset. She and Mr. -Austin were very fond of each other.” - -“Until he wished to marry her,” was Anna’s shrewd retort. “Oh, we -servants aren’t blind, miss.” - -“No, worse luck!” The low-spoken ejaculation escaped Polly unawares, -and she bit her lip. Apparently it was not overheard, for Anna made no -comment, and Polly asked in haste, “How did you know that Mr. Austin -desired to marry Miss Judith? You were not here at that time.” - -“No, miss; but when the cablegram came telling of Miss Judith’s -unexpected marriage to Major Richards, cook told me all about Mr. -Austin’s courtship, and how Mr. Hale encouraged him. It was common -gossip, miss, not only below stairs but in society as well.” Seeing -that Polly had about completed her hastily eaten meal, Anna rearranged -the tray, preparatory to carrying it away. “You weren’t here then -either, miss, were you?” - -“N--no.” Polly folded her napkin in its exact creases with due regard -to detail. “Don’t worry about Miss Judith, she will be all right as -soon as the shock of Mr. Austin’s death wears off.” - -“Will she, miss?” Anna’s tone expressed doubt. She lifted the tray, -thought a moment, replaced it, and walked to Polly’s side. “Do you -think Miss Judith’s quite happy in her marriage?” - -“What!” Polly stared at her questioner in blank astonishment “She and -her husband are ideally happy.” - -“Are they, miss?” Anna shook a puzzled head, then bent until her -lips almost touched Polly’s ear. “Major Richards came home from Mr. -Austin’s funeral just in time for dinner, and went out immediately -after--and--he didn’t return until about six this morning.” - -“How do you know?” demanded Polly. Her voice was sharp. - -“I let him in, miss.” Anna picked up the tray and poised for flight. -“The Major said he had mislaid his latchkey.” - -Polly regarded the waitress as she crossed the room, with critical -eyes. In spite of the heavy glass-topped tray, Anna walked with ease, -her fine upright carriage had frequently been commented upon admiringly -by Mrs. Hale’s dinner guests. - -Polly turned back to her typewriter with renewed distaste. A glance -at her watch showed that it was after one o’clock. For some minutes -she sat in indecision. Then, tossing her papers into the drawer, she -covered her machine and went home. - -She had been gone a bare ten minutes when the door opened and Robert -Hale stepped into the den. On catching sight of the empty chair in -front of the typewriter, he frowned, and, going over to the machine, -lifted its leather cover. A glance at its empty roll brought a shrug of -the shoulders, which was repeated when he looked at his watch. Without -sitting down he scanned the furniture and the scrap basket finally -caught his eye. - -Dropping into Polly’s chair, he picked up the basket and examined the -pieces of torn envelopes, then the ball of paper claimed his attention -and he smoothed it out. He read the typewritten words listlessly at -first, then with slowly increasing interest, and finally folded the -sheet with care and slipped it inside his pocket. Five minutes later -he was smoking placidly in his favorite chair in the library. - -Judith’s lack of appetite which had so distressed Anna, the waitress, -persisted, and during luncheon she partook of only one hot roll and -sipped a cup of tea. Mrs. Hale, loquacious as ever, paid no attention -to the curt responses of both her husband and daughter, and carried on -a lengthy conversation, much to her own satisfaction and the secret -enjoyment of Maud, the parlor maid, who, in Anna’s absence, was serving -luncheon unaided. - -Mrs. Hale’s volatile nature had thrown off the depression of the past -two days and, after the funeral services in the mortuary chapel of Oak -Hill Cemetery, she had recovered from her inclination to hysteria and -was, to all intents and purposes, her normal self again. At least, so -the servants had concluded from her excessive interest in housekeeping -affairs. - -Not waiting for the dessert to be passed, Judith pushed back her chair -and rose. - -“If you will excuse me, Mother,” she said, “I will try to get a nap; I -did not sleep very well last night.” - -Her father regarded her with concern. “My dear child!” he exclaimed, -startled by her pallor, “you look completely used up. Agatha, what do -you mean by permitting Judith to get up this morning? She needs entire -rest.” - -“Well, really, Robert,”--Mrs. Hale flushed; her husband seldom -addressed her in that tone--“Judith has a husband to look after her; -I,” primly, “don’t interfere.” - -The carmine rose in Judith’s white cheeks, then receded, leaving them -whiter than before. There was a perceptible pause before she spoke. - -“There is no cause for interference, Mother,” she protested. “Joe -insisted upon my remaining in bed to-day, but I disobeyed him.” - -Robert Hale laid down the cigar he was about to light and again -regarded her. - -“Where was Joe last night?” he inquired, and at the question Judith -stiffened. - -“He had to motor to Baltimore on business,” she explained. “In -returning, his chauffeur drove recklessly and they met with an -accident, so that Joe never reached home until about six o’clock this -morning.” - -“So Anna told me.” Hale was looking at his cigar and not at his -daughter. “Hard on Joe to be sleepless for three nights running. When -he comes in ask him to look me up.” - -“Yes, Father.” Judith had taken a few steps toward the entrance to the -central hall, when her mother’s shrill voice reached her. - -“Why isn’t Joe here for luncheon?” she asked. - -“He is lunching with friends at the Alibi Club.” Judith laid one hand -on the portière nearest her and, turning, faced her parents. “Why are -you so interested in Joe’s whereabouts?” - -“What a question?” Hale laughed lightly. “We are interested in -everything which concerns you, Judith; and surely your husband is of -paramount importance. Run along, dearest, and get that needed sleep,” -and, rising, Hale crossed the room and kissed her. The lips which -Judith barely touched to his were cold, and without another word she -hastened to her room. - -Hale stood in the doorway gazing thoughtfully into space; and his -expression gained in seriousness. “_The_ Alibi,” he muttered. “Bah! -_an_ alibi.” - -Once in her bedroom, Judith locked the communicating door between it -and her boudoir; thus secured from interruption, she paced up and down -her room, her footfall on the heavy carpet making no sound. Back and -forth, back and forth--utter physical fatigue finally caused her to -drop into a chair. - -But while soft upholstery brought rest to her tired body, it gave no -mental relief. What had come over her to lie--lie--lie--she, who had -been brought up by her New England grandmother to abominate even the -“delicate” white lie of society. And she had lied, not to an outsider, -but to her father and mother, and lied about her husband. - -Judith drew a long breath. She had “explained” Richards’ absence by -drawing on her imagination. In reality she had no knowledge where he -had gone after dinner the night before. She had pretended to be asleep -when he came in at nearly seven in the morning and thrown himself on -the outside of the bed. He had slept the sleep of utter exhaustion, -and she had forborne to wake him, had forborne to question him when -he finally awoke--and he had volunteered no explanation. He had not -returned for luncheon, having left her with the remark that a stroll -down town would freshen him up--and that was all. - -A few bitter tears forced themselves under Judith’s closed eyelids; it -was the first rift in their happy married life. His manner had been -affectionate, tender, but---- - -Judith dashed her hand across her eyes and rose. It took her but a -short time to change her house gown for a becoming suit. She was about -to leave the room when a thought struck her. Going over to the mantel, -she opened the small leather box and took from under its coiled wires -the locket which had so engrossed her attention on Wednesday morning. -She balanced the locket in her hand in indecision, then, closing the -box, she went to her bureau and from its upper drawer took out a jewel -box, opened it, and dropped the locket among the other pieces of -jewelry the box contained, locked it, and put the box back in place -inside the drawer. - -On her way to the front door Judith encountered her mother and was -promptly stopped. - -“Judith!” Mrs. Hale’s accents indicated a crescendo of astonishment. -“My dear, didn’t you hear your father say that you were to go to bed?” - -“Now, Mother, please”--Judith placed her finger lightly against Mrs. -Hale’s rouged lips. “Not another word. As you said at luncheon, I am -a married woman now, and--I know best.” Before Mrs. Hale could frame -another remonstrance, she had run out of the front door and sprung into -her electric car and driven off. - -Traffic regulations prevented Judith from parking her car in front -of the tall office building where “Latimer and House,” had their -stock-brokerage office, and she was obliged to walk almost a block, -a distance which she covered in record time and arrived, somewhat -breathless, in the anteroom of that firm. At her request to see the -senior partner, she was at once taken to Frank Latimer’s private -office. With characteristic directness she plunged at once into her -errand. - -“I have come to see you on business, Frank,” she began, taking the -chair his clerk placed for her. “Confidential business.” - -Latimer signed to his clerk to withdraw and then turned to her. - -“Anything I can do?” he asked. “I am entirely at your service, Judith.” - -“Thanks.” Judith’s quick smile enhanced her beauty, and Latimer -regarded her with admiration. He and her Uncle John had been her pals -since the days when she wore short frocks. “I want your advice about -some bonds, Frank.” - -“Surely.” Latimer drew a pad and pencil toward him. “Have you decided -on your investment?” - -“I am not going to buy--I wish to sell.” - -“Oh!” Latimer showed his surprise, but she gave him no opportunity to -say anything further. - -“How much would ten one hundred dollar bonds of the Troy Valve Company -bring?” she asked. - -Latimer again glanced at her in surprise. “They are selling above par,” -he said. “Wait”--and he consulted a printed table of figures--“to be -exact, 125-1/2--they fell off a point in yesterday’s market.” - -“Let me see”--Judith did a sum in mental arithmetic--“that would net me -about $1250.” - -“A little more than that,” Latimer completed his memorandum. “If you -hold the bonds for forty-eight hours they will recover--industrials are -in great demand now.” - -“But I want the money.” - -“But Judith,” he remonstrated, “don’t sacrifice your bonds. Why not ask -your father for a loan?” - -“No,”--Judith tempered the refusal--“Father wouldn’t understand. I need -the money for--for an emergency.” - -“Well, see here, Judith,”--Latimer pulled out his check book--“won’t -you let me help out?” - -Judith flashed him a look of gratitude. “Don’t think I am -unappreciative of your generous offer,” she exclaimed, “if I decline -it.” - -“All right, Judith,” and Latimer returned his check book to the desk -drawer. “But don’t sell your bonds. You can raise a thousand at any -bank by giving them as collateral with your note.” - -Judith’s expression altered. “I hadn’t thought of that,” she exclaimed. -“Perhaps that would be better.” - -“Then if it will be of assistance to you I’ll arrange it at the bank.” -Judith nodded a vigorous assent. “Will one thousand be enough?” - -Judith considered a second. “Yes, I believe so.” - -“Have you the bonds with you?” - -“No, they are in our safe at home.” Judith glanced at her wrist-watch -and saw that it was half-past two. “I’ll bring the bonds to-morrow -morning; that will be time enough. I have the numbers here, however,” -and drawing out her bank book from her bag, she turned to its back -pages. “They run from 37982 to 37991.” She was on her feet before -Latimer had laid down his pencil. “I must hurry, Frank.” Impulsively -she clasped his hand in both of hers. “I can’t begin to thank you.” - -“Nonsense!” Latimer patted her gently on the shoulder. “I am only too -glad, Judith, to be of service. How is your father?” - -“Oh, he is all right again.” Judith could not restrain her impatience -to be off. “Mother’s rather fidgety; so are we all”--and an -involuntary sigh accompanied the words. “Austin’s death was a shock we -have not recovered from. It’s--it’s numbed us”--hunting about for a -word. - -“I understand,” and Latimer looked sympathetically at her as he -escorted her through his private entrance into the corridor and to the -elevator shaft. “The newspapers said there were no new developments in -the case. Are you still annoyed by the police?” - -“Not to-day,” Judith stopped at the stairs. “I can’t wait for the -elevator; it’s only a few flights, so good-by.” And waving her hand, -she almost ran down the steps. - -As Latimer reëntered his private office he found his head clerk -standing by his desk with a number of papers in his hand. - -“These bonds have just been offered,” he explained, extending the -papers and Latimer glanced at them. The next second he snatched up his -memorandum pad and compared the figures noted thereon with the numbers -engraved on the Troy Valve bonds--37982. With quickened interest -Latimer turned over the bonds--each of the ten numbers tallied with -those on the memorandum pad. - -“Where did you get these Valve bonds?” he demanded. - -“One of our new customers--I forget his name--has just sold them to -cover his margins.” - -Latimer stared at his clerk. “Is the customer still here?” - -“Yes, sir; at least he was a few minutes ago.” - -Latimer strode to the outer office door and opened it slightly; over a -dozen men and women were grouped about the ticker at the other end of -the room. - -“Which is the customer?” he demanded, keeping his voice low. - -The clerk peered over his shoulder. - -“There--that’s him,” he exclaimed; Latimer’s excitement, though -subdued, had communicated itself to him and his grammar went astray. -“There, he’s going out of the front door.” - -And Latimer, looking eagerly across the office, was just in time to -recognize the clear-cut features and the straight soldierly figure. -Joseph Richards had disposed of the ten bonds owned by his wife--which -Judith desired to sell--to cover his margins in stock speculations. - -Latimer sat down in the nearest chair conscious of a feeling of -faintness for the first time in his life. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE KNAVE OF HEARTS - - -THE death of Austin Hale under mysterious circumstances had created a -veritable sensation in Washington, and the residents of the National -Capital read with avidity every newspaper account. To the indignation -of the city editors and the staffs of newspaper men few details were -forthcoming from either Police Headquarters or the Hale residence. Thus -thrown upon their own resources, imagination played a large part in -their “write-ups” of the tragedy which, headed by display type of the -most sensational character, had but served to whet the appetite of the -reading public. - -Robert Hale and his family occupied a prominent position, both in the -scientific world and in society, and young Austin Hale, who had been -petted and indulged by his hosts of friends, was genuinely mourned, and -Anna, the waitress, detailed Maud, the parlor maid, to remain at the -front door and receive the visiting cards bearing the message, “With -sincere sympathy,” or perfumed notes of condolence addressed to Mrs. -Hale, Judith, and John Hale. - -Mrs. Hale looked with dismay at the formidable pile of notes which Maud -had handed to her with a flourish at the close of dinner. - -“I shall have to borrow Polly Davis to acknowledge these messages of -sympathy for me, Robert,” she remarked, laying aside her lorgnette and -addressing her husband who, occupied with a game of solitaire, sat at a -near-by table in the library. - -Robert Hale considered the Knave of Hearts before discarding it. - -“Very well, if you need Polly’s services you can have her,” he said, -drawing another card from the pack. “But it is for a limited time only, -recollect Polly is behind in my work.” - -Judith, knitting industriously in her corner of the big divan, stopped -her busy needles for a moment. - -“Polly isn’t looking very well, Father,” she stated slowly. “Don’t give -her additional work; she is not very strong.” - -Hale looked displeased. “I am not giving her additional work,” he -protested. “Polly is behindhand, and it is entirely her own fault. She -has been giving too much attention to society and too little to her -duties as my secretary.” - -“Tut, Judith,” Mrs. Hale promptly took exception to the implied -criticism of her husband. “Your father is quite right, he has been most -lenient with Polly and her flirtations.” - -“I hardly think it is our place to judge Polly.” Judith spoke with -increasing earnestness. “The girl tries hard to keep up with her work, -and your manuscript is not always easy, Father. You ought to recollect, -also, Mother, that she has led a colorless life until this winter. She -has a mother entirely dependent upon her, and they are cruelly poor.” - -“All the more reason for attending strictly to her work,” grunted Hale, -but his voice had softened, as it always did when Judith was a special -pleader and that his daughter was much in earnest was plainly evident. -“Can’t you manage those notes yourself, Agatha?” - -“Let me answer them for you,” broke in Joe Richards, and, rising from -his seat under a standing lamp where he had been reading an evening -newspaper, he walked over to the divan. “My penmanship used to be -pretty fair, and if Judith will dictate what to say--” - -“Of course I will,” Judith’s blue eyes flashed him a grateful message. -“Now, Father, if you will consent, I wish to give Polly a--a vacation.” - -Hale raised his head and contemplated her in surprise. “A vacation?” -he echoed. “Come, Judith, that is a different matter; I am willing -not to give Polly additional work, but she must complete her regular -secretarial duties.” - -Richards looked from father to daughter. “Can’t I help out there, also, -Mr. Hale?” he asked. - -“You cannot,” was the prompt response, and under his tan Richards -felt his color rise. Hale’s manner to him could never be termed -ingratiating. If Judith caught the undercurrent of dislike in her -father’s abrupt refusal she gave no sign of it, as she went placidly on -with her knitting. - -“I will see that you are supplied with a secretary in Polly’s place,” -she explained. “And if you consent, Father, I plan to give her and her -mother a trip to Atlantic City.” - -“Bless my soul, Judith!” Mrs. Hale dropped the note she was reading and -stared at her. “I think such generosity is quite unnecessary.” - -“Please”--Judith laid aside her knitting and her voice was soft and -winning. “Please, dear, let me have my way in this. You, Father, will -benefit.” - -Hale, in gathering up his playing cards, dropped half of them on the -floor, and he was some seconds in collecting them, with the assistance -of Richards. - -“How shall I benefit?” he asked, acknowledging Richards’ courtesy with -a nod of his head. - -“By getting more efficient work,” Judith explained. “Polly is on the -point of a nervous breakdown. Rest and sea breezes will put her on -her feet again; whereas if she is forced to leave you on account of -illness, you will still be obliged to fill her place--perhaps for an -indefinite time.” - -Hale stacked the cards neatly before him and rising, put the small -table back against the wall in its customary place. “I’ll think over -your plan, Judith,” he agreed. “But mind you, I can’t promise. Well, -Agatha,”--as his wife, seeing he was about to leave the library, rose -also, a bundle of papers in her hand--“what is it? Do you wish to go on -a vacation, also?” - -“No, indeed!” Mrs. Hale took her courage in both hands. “Here are some -bills--they have just come in,” hastening to forestall objections. -But, contrary to her expectations, Hale did not indulge in his usual -sarcastic comments regarding her efforts to keep household accounts -systematically--the word “system” was not in Mrs. Hale’s vocabulary. - -“Bring the bills to my den,” he suggested, “and I will go over them. -Don’t stay up too late, Judith,” he cautioned, turning back from -the door as Mrs. Hale, much relieved, hastily gathered together her -cherished account books, which never balanced, and scurried out of -the library ahead of him in some trepidation lest he might change his -mind. Hale looked first at Judith and then at her husband. “Don’t let -Judith overtire herself, Joe; we cannot have that.” Wheeling around, he -followed his wife upstairs. - -Judith looked up from her knitting as Richards paused by the side of -the divan and regarded her. - -“Do you feel ill, dearest?” he asked, and the concern in his tone -brought a touch of color to her wan cheeks. - -“No, only--” Judith hesitated. “Father is right, I am very tired--I -couldn’t sleep last night.” Her usually clear voice quivered; another -second and Richards’ arms were around her and her head was pillowed on -his broad shoulder. - -“My dear, dear love,” he murmured. “Judith, don’t cry, my darling, -don’t”--in distress, as her self-control gave way. The storm of tears -ceased almost as abruptly as it started, and Judith met her husband’s -tender glance with a brave little smile. - -“I am not often inclined to hysterics,” she whispered. “Forgive me, -dear.” - -“Forgive you!” Richards laughed softly. “Always, dear heart. -Judith”--and his clasp tightened--“you have no idea how precious -you are to me; how I worship you”--his strong voice grew rough with -emotion. “I am not half worthy of you.” - -“Hush!” Judith placed a tender finger across his lips. “Don’t say -that, Joe. The world never held such happiness for me until I met you, -and there has been no shadow until”--she faltered a minute--“until -yesterday.” - -“Until yesterday?” Richards’ astonishment was plain. “You mean Austin’s -funeral?” - -“No.” Judith colored warmly. “I mean your leaving after dinner last -night without saying anything to me and--and--your getting back so -late, or rather, so early this morning.” - -“Good gracious, Judith!” Richards chuckled, then grew grave. “John -asked me to go to the club, and I left word with your father--didn’t he -give you the message?” - -“No; Father felt badly early in the evening and went to bed without my -seeing him. Did you stay at the club all night?” again she colored. “I -was awake when you came in this morning.” - -“You were!” Richards smiled wryly. “And I thought you asleep and did my -best not to awaken you. At the club I met Sandy Nichols, and he asked -me to run over to Baltimore and try out his new Pierce Arrow--he was -my pal in the A. E. F., you know,” he interpolated. “We expected to be -back before midnight, but we first lost our way owing to a detour, and -then the car broke down on the return trip. I tried to telephone, but -Central declared the house would not answer.” - -“Mother had the phone disconnected; she insisted it disturbed Father.” -Judith’s spirits were returning, and the glance she gave him was full -of mischief. “You have no idea how worried I was.” - -“Judith!” Richards held her face between his hands and gazed straight -into her eyes. “Judith, you weren’t jealous?” - -Slowly, slowly her eyes fell before his ardent look and the rich color -mantled almost to her brow. “Yes, I was,” she confessed, and holding -her in close embrace, he kissed her tenderly. - -“Judith,” he said, “never doubt my loyalty to you--my devotion.” -He stopped, hesitated, and his voice grew even lower. “You are my -life--my religion.” - -“Joe!” Startled by the intensity of his manner, Judith stood up. “You -must not exalt me. I am an ordinary mortal, subject to error.” - -“No.” Richards rose and faced her, his hands resting lightly on her -shoulders. “In my eyes you can do no wrong.” - -Richards stood tall and straight before her, his six feet two of sturdy -manhood matched by her slender willowy figure, for Judith was above -the usual height for women. Maud, the parlor maid, who had come in -search of Mrs. Hale, felt a sympathetic thrill as she noted the rapt -expression of the lovers and stole away without disturbing them. - -“Joe,”--Judith slipped her hand inside his and gave it a gentle -squeeze--“this is the first really happy moment I have known since I -regained my senses in my boudoir on Tuesday night, or rather Wednesday -morning. I do not understand how I came to faint.” - -Richards glanced at her for an instant. Then his gaze traveled across -the room and rested on the spot where Austin Hale’s body had lain that -fateful Wednesday morning. - -“You had reached the limit of endurance, dearest,” he declared. “Tell -me,”--and again his eyes sought hers--“you heard nothing--no sound of a -struggle, no scream?” - -Judith shook her head and the pathetic look which Richards had grown to -know crept into her eyes. “I am deaf.” - -“But with this, dear,” and he touched the earpiece of the -“globia-phone” which she was wearing. “Surely you could hear something.” - -“I did not have it on Tuesday night,” she explained. “My head ached -and when I braided my hair I took it off, for even the slight weight -of the instrument intensified the pain. And you must remember that the -walls of this house are sound-proof; I could not hear, even when I was -wearing this earphone, anything transpiring downstairs while I was in -our boudoir.” - -“In our boudoir!” The words slipped mechanically from Richards. “Don’t -you recollect, dearest, that I found you unconscious in the front hall -downstairs?” - -“In the front hall?” Judith faltered and dropped her eyes. “Why--I--I -thought you found me in our boudoir. I revived there.” - -“I carried you upstairs.” Richards bit his lip as a faint “Oh!” broke -from Judith. She made no other comment, and he continued, “How did it -happen that your earphone was in your father’s safe?” - -“I suppose he picked it up and absent-mindedly put it there.” - -“But, Judith,”--Richards glanced away from her--“your father stated -that he was taken ill with the ‘flu’ on Friday a week ago, and that he -did not come downstairs until yesterday. How then could he have put the -earphone in the safe on Tuesday night?” - -“I did not say he put it there Tuesday night,” Judith spoke a bit -sharply. “It may have been there for days and I never would have missed -it, for I have about every ear instrument ever invented. Father is -always buying some new invention, and you will find them scattered all -over the house, much to Mother’s annoyance.” Judith had spoken with -unusual rapidity and she came to a breathless pause. - -“Judith,”--Richards hesitated a brief second--“what brought you -downstairs on Tuesday night?” - -“I was looking for you,” she confessed. “You said that you would return -early”--with faint reproach. - -“Did you see Austin?” The question came with marked reluctance, and in -the deepening silence Richards caught the tick-tock of the clock over -the fireplace. His hands tightened their clasp and he grew conscious -that hers had grown cold. - -“I had no knowledge of Austin’s presence in the house,” she stated and -winced. “Don’t, Joe, you are hurting me”--and Richards awakened to the -fact that he had pressed her hands with such force that her wedding -ring had cut into the delicate flesh. - -“Forgive me,” he murmured, and, raising her hands, pressed them to his -lips. - -“Joe,”--Judith had grown singularly pale and the hand she disengaged -from his and laid on his arm was not quite steady--“believe me, dear, -when I say that I heard nothing on that Tuesday night preceding or -following Austin’s death.” - -“You heard nothing,” Richards repeated; neither looked at the other. -“I believe you, sweetheart.” He kissed her gently. “You must not worry -so, Judith; you will make yourself ill, and I fear I have kept you up -talking much too long,”--in deep contrition as the dock chimed ten. -“Come, dear.” And with his arm thrown protectingly about her shoulders, -he strolled with her to the door. - -As they passed the card table Judith caught sight of a playing card -lying on the rug and her orderly instinct caused her to stoop and pick -it up just as the portières parted and Mrs. Hale dashed breathlessly -into the library. - -“You haven’t gone upstairs!” she exclaimed, much relieved. “The most -dreadful thing has happened.” - -“What?” demanded Judith and her husband in unison. - -“Anna has fallen and sprained her ankle.” - -“Is that all?” Judith’s relief took the form of a short laugh. - -“All? Good gracious, to have a waitress laid up is serious enough, -without having that waitress, Anna,” Mrs. Hale spoke in scandalized -disapproval. “Anna is the most useful person in the house.” - -“I know she is,” agreed Judith. “I spoke in haste, Mother, but you -frightened me; I thought something had happened to--to Father.” - -“Let me call a doctor,” suggested Richards practically and walked -toward the desk phone. But Mrs. Hale stopped him. - -“I have already telephoned,” she explained. “McLane is detained at the -hospital with a serious case and can’t come, but he gave me explicit -directions over the phone, and I shall carry them out.” Mrs. Hale had -unbounded confidence in her medical knowledge, a confidence, however, -not shared by the members of her family. “But I find that we have no -arnica in the medicine chest.” - -“Let me go for it,” volunteered Richards and, not waiting for Mrs. -Hale’s voluble thanks, he started for the door, pausing only to call -to Judith. “Run upstairs, Judith, don’t wait for me.” Snatching up his -hat and overcoat, he disappeared out of the house, in his haste never -hearing Mrs. Hale’s parting injunction. She turned with a worried air -to her daughter. - -“I declare, Judith, I forgot to ask him to get bandages.” - -“I have some.” Judith slipped her arm inside her mother’s. “Come up to -my boudoir and then I will go with you to see Anna.” - -Three quarters of an hour later, the arnica applied and the swollen -ankle neatly bandaged, Judith came downstairs in quest of a decanter of -whiskey which her father kept carefully secreted in the dining room. -Anna had expressed a desire for a “nightcap” and Mrs. Hale had begged -Judith to prepare it for her. - -Judith poured out a liberal portion of Scotch, replaced the decanter -in its recess behind the sideboard, and then hastened toward the door, -intending to add the hot water when she reached Anna’s bedroom. As she -passed the drawn portières across the entrance to the library, her -eyes caught a ray of light showing between its folds. Judith halted in -surprise and, parting the portières, looked inside the library. Seated -in her father’s favorite chair was her uncle, John Hale. By his side -stood Frank Latimer, both with their backs partly turned toward her. -Her uncle’s raised voice reached her in the stillness and she caught -the mention of her husband’s name. - -“I know very little about Joe Richards’ antecedents,” John Hale stated. -“He seems a good fellow, whole-souled, well-set-up--educated. We knew -nothing of Judith’s marriage until her cable came.” - -“How about Richards’ financial standing?” - -“Why do you ask, Frank?” John Hale regarded his friend in surprise. - -Latimer moved nearer. “The question is prompted by our long friendship, -John, by my affection for Judith.” The gravity of his manner startled -the listening girl. “I had to see you to-night; I could not rest until -I did.” Latimer polished his round spectacles and adjusted them with -care. “What we say is in confidence. It is imperative that I get some -information about Richards, particularly as to his financial standing. -Has he money?” - -“He appears to have plenty of ready cash,” admitted John Hale slowly. -“I heard to-day that he has applied for a position with the Ludlow -Locomotive Works.” He paused. “Tuesday Richards went to our bank and -asked for a loan, offered to supply bonds as collateral, and gave us as -references--that is how I learned of the transaction.” - -“Did the bank make the loan?” - -“Not yet; the treasurer consulted me, and has the matter under -advisement.” Again he paused. “It greatly depends upon the bonds he -offers.” - -Latimer stared at his companion. “Good Lord!” he groaned, and again -wiped his glasses. “Listen, John, and don’t breathe a word of what I -say, d’ye hear?” - -“I won’t,” and the pledge rang out clearly. - -“Judith came to my office this afternoon and asked me to sell ten bonds -of the Troy Valve Company. I advised her to borrow from her bank, -offering them as collateral, and before she left she gave me the bond -numbers, 37982 to 37991. She hadn’t been gone five minutes when my -clerk brought me in ten bonds of the Troy Valve Company bearing those -identical numbers. See for yourself,” and he laid a bundle of papers in -John Hale’s hand. “The bonds had been sold to us not ten minutes before -to cover margins in stock speculations when the market fell to-day.” - -“Well, go on,” urged John Hale. - -“The speculator and the man who sold the bonds are one and the same -person--Joseph Richards. Now, how did Richards get hold of Judith’s -bonds which, mind you, she expected to bring to me to-morrow?” - -John Hale, who had followed Latimer’s slow speech with absorbed -attention, answered almost automatically. - -“Robert confided to me this evening that on careful examination of -the contents of his safe to-day, he found that Judith’s bonds were -missing.” He stopped, then added, “We have not told Judith.” - -As the full meaning of her uncle’s words dawned on Judith she swayed -upon her feet and in desperation clutched the glass and prevented it -from slipping through her shaking fingers. Very softly she tiptoed -through the dining room and out into the central hall. At the -stairs she paused and, raising the glass, swallowed some of Anna’s -“nightcap.” She was hardly conscious of the fiery undiluted liquor -which burned her tongue and throat, but under the false strength it -engendered she hurried up the staircase and came face to face with her -husband on the top landing. - -His face cleared at sight of her. “I was hurrying to find you,” he -explained, and took the glass from her. “Your mother told me that she -had sent you for this. I’ll take it to Anna. Go to bed, dearest.” And -he sped away as Judith turned into their boudoir. - -With slow, uncertain steps Judith made her way to her dressing table -and fell rather than sat in the chair standing before it. - -Her bonds had been stolen--Joe had sold them to Latimer to cover losses -in speculation. The words rang their changes--but their distinct -meaning beat itself against her brain and, with a low moan of anguish, -she bowed her head upon her arms, thereby displacing the playing card -which she had picked up earlier that evening in the library and flung -unheeded on her dressing table. The red of it caught and held her eye, -and suddenly she laughed loudly--unrestrainedly. - -“The Knave of Hearts!” she gasped between her bursts of merriment. - - * * * * * - -As Judith’s hysterical laughter echoed through the open door into the -boudoir, a figure just entering it, paused, listened a moment, then -with bent head, retreated cautiously into the hall and stole silently -away. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -PRO AND CON - - -AT sight of John Hale towering head and shoulders above the others in -the outer office of Latimer and House, Stockbrokers, the senior partner -hastily excused himself from several persistent clients and sent his -messenger to bring John Hale into his private office. - -“Well?” he demanded without further greeting. “Well, has the night -brought counsel?” - -John Hale tipped the revolving chair he was occupying back to its limit -before replying. - -“The night brought nothing but sleeplessness,” he groaned. “Whichever -way you look at it, Frank, it’s a damnable situation. Judith’s bonds -missing from her father’s safe and discovered in her husband’s -possession, and Austin found stabbed to death within a few feet of -the opened safe in which her bonds were kept. My God! Frank,”--he -bent nearer and Latimer saw the beads of perspiration standing on his -brow,--“do you realize all that that implies?” - -“You mean that Joe Richards opened the safe, stole the bonds and, -caught in the act by Austin, killed him?” asked Latimer. - -“Yes, that’s about it.” John Hale twirled his walking stick about. -“Well, it tallies, doesn’t it?” and only by an effort of will did he -hide a touch of eagerness. - -Latimer pondered a moment before replying. “Yes, it tallies,” he -agreed, “but you have no evidence to substantiate it. For instance, to -open the safe Richards had to know the combination.” - -“Well, he might have picked it up.” - -“True, he might have, but you will have to prove that he did.” - -“I prove it?” John Hale’s heavy brows met in a scowl. “That’s the -detective’s job, not mine.” - -“I used the pronoun to imply the prosecution, and not in its personal -application,” Latimer explained. “Where was Richards on Tuesday night?” - -“Playing billiards at the club.” - -“Have you proof of the exact time he left there?” - -“No, but I’ll get it,” and John Hale’s tone implied grim determination. - -“Then suppose you make inquiries at the club,” suggested Latimer; “but -be guarded, John. Every one’s attention is focused on Austin’s murder -and you might start an ugly scandal.” - -John Hale reddened. “Well, what if I do?” he grumbled. “The situation -couldn’t be much worse than it is to-day,”--shooting a defiant look at -his friend. “Austin murdered under mysterious circumstances, and the -police haunting our house, not to mention the morbid sight-seers who -gather about it. I cannot stir out of the place without encountering -curious glances. Even at the club there’s excitement whenever I -appear--and the newspaper men!” He struck the desk a resounding blow -with his clenched fist. “Damn it! If Richards murdered Austin he’ll -swing for it--I don’t care if he’s married Judith a dozen times over.” - -“Easy, easy,” cautioned Latimer. “Cool down, John, and let us discuss -this matter rationally. What have we discovered against Richards?” - -“That he was playing the market, that he was in need of funds, and -that he had in his possession bonds belonging to Judith which had been -stolen on Tuesday night from my brother’s safe, near which we found -Austin’s body in the small hours of Wednesday morning.” John Hale -moderated his excited manner. “Pretty damning evidence.” - -“As far as it goes,” agreed Latimer. “Now, to make it conclusive you -must prove: first, that Richards was at your house between Tuesday -midnight and one A. M. Wednesday; and secondly, that he knew the -combination of your brother’s safe. Recollect, it was not forced open.” - -“I’ll make it my business to find out.” John Hale reached for his hat -and his gloves which he had tossed on the desk. “I am also going to -have inquiries made regarding Richards’ career.” - -“An excellent idea,” exclaimed Latimer. “But you had better employ a -private detective agency, John, rather than the local police. Try the -Burroughs Company, they handled some work for our firm when Johnston, -the bank cashier, hypothecated stock belonging to us.” - -“Where’s their office?” asked John Hale, jotting down the name on the -back of an envelope. - -“In the Fendall Building, corner of John Marshall Place.” - -John Hale completed the address and replaced the envelope in his breast -pocket. - -“Listen, Frank,” he began. “Austin’s murder was unpremeditated--the -weapon used proves that. No man would deliberately kill another with a -pair of shears.” - -Latimer shook his head in doubt. “You are taking a great deal for -granted,” he protested. - -“Not a bit of it,” vigorously. “Austin caught Richards going through -the safe and Richards grabbed the first thing handy--Judith’s shears.” -Latimer said nothing, and after a brief pause John Hale continued. -“The crime was committed by some one familiar with the habits of our -household--the police claim that. No better time could have been -selected for rifling Robert’s safe. He was ill in bed, and Agatha and I -were attending the French Embassy reception and, by the way, we decided -to go only at the last moment--that’s an important point.” - -“You mean----” - -“Richards was present when I told Agatha that I would take her to the -reception, and he left the house immediately afterward.” John Hale was -becoming excited again. “Thus, Richards knew that the coast would be -clear.” - -“Hold on, he was aware that Judith was at home, and the servants, -also,” objected Latimer. - -“Sure, and he knew that our servants retire early. Anna sees to the -closing of the house, and she is very strict with the other servants.” -John Hale rose abruptly and emphasized his words by striking his cane -against the floor. “And Richards knew that Judith would not be likely -to hear him, and if she did--” - -“Well, what then?” as John Hale paused. - -“He probably had a plausible excuse handy. Oh, he could have -manufactured some story which Judith would have swallowed,” retorted -John Hale. “Remember, they haven’t been married long.” - -Latimer frowned. “Who is going to tell Judith about the theft of her -bonds?” he asked, rising also. - -“It’s up to you.” John Hale moved uneasily and glanced away from his -companion. “Judith came to you about her bonds.” - -“Dash it all, John!” Latimer spoke with temper. “I’m damned if I will. -Don’t you realize that Judith worships her husband?” - -“Well, it’s not the first time a woman has been deceived in a man,” -replied Hale cynically. “What did she marry for in such an all-fired -hurry? I am sorry for Judith, but she must ‘dree her weird.’” - -Whatever reply Latimer intended making was interrupted by the entrance -of a clerk. - -“This special delivery letter has just come for you, sir,” he -explained handing it to Latimer. Then, with a polite bow to John Hale, -of which the latter took not the slightest notice, the clerk departed. - -Latimer tore open the envelope and ran his eyes down the written page -to the signature. An exclamation escaped him. - -“It is from Judith,” he said. “Listen:” - - DEAR FRANK: - - I gave my Valve bonds to Joe to use as he saw fit, and he tells me - that he took the shares to you and you were kind enough to arrange the - business for him, so I shall not need the $1,000 after all. - - Please don’t tell the family that I’ve become a bit of a gambler; Joe - doesn’t quite approve of a woman speculating, but--he’s dear about it. - - Thanks for all your kindness. - - Faithfully, - JUDITH RICHARDS. - -Latimer and John Hale stared at each other. - -“Let me see that letter,” the latter demanded, and he read it twice -before handing it back to Latimer. “What do you make of it?” - -Latimer laughed heartily. “Thank God I shan’t have to break any -unpleasant news to her,” he exclaimed. “But the inconsistency of women! -To come to me for advice and then get her husband to do exactly what I -advised her not to.” - -“What was your advice?” - -“To use the bonds as collateral at a bank and not sell them.” - -John Hale studied him in thoughtful silence for a minute. - -“When did Richards bring the bonds here, Frank?” he asked. “Was it some -time after Judith left?” - -“No; come to think of it, he must have been in the outer office when -Judith was talking to me,” responded Latimer, and his face grew grave -once again. - -“And Judith states”--John Hale picked up his niece’s letter--“‘I gave -my Valve bonds to Joe to use as he saw fit and he tells me that he took -the bonds to you--’ Did Judith mention to you where she had the bonds?” - -“Now that you speak of it, she did say that they were in her father’s -safe.” Latimer eyed John Hale sharply. “What are you driving at?” - -“Simply this, that if Richards was in your front office with the -bonds in his possession, they could not have been where Judith -thought them--in her father’s safe. Secondly,”--and John Hale’s voice -deepened--“there was no time for Judith to return home, get the bonds -and give them to Richards _before_ he sold them to your clerk here in -your outer office. Isn’t that right?” - -“Yes.” Latimer’s worried look returned. “By Jove, you think--?” - -“That Judith has discovered that her bonds are missing.” - -“Do you suppose your brother told her?” - -“I hardly think so, for he swore me to secrecy,” replied John Hale. -“No, Judith must have gone to get the bonds and found them missing from -the safe.” - -“But, good Lord! How did she know that her husband had brought the -bonds to me?” demanded Latimer. - -“Ask me something easy.” Hale swung his cane around and stepped briskly -to the door. “But depend on it, Frank, I’ll find an answer to that -question before I’m many hours older.” And he banged out of the door. - -Latimer strode thoughtfully up and down his office, then reseated -himself at his desk. - -“What’s come over John?” he muttered. “He seemed anxious,”--he -paused--“no, more than anxious,--determined,--to fix the guilt on Joe -Richards.” - -He leaned forward and eyed Judith’s letter, reading it slowly, conning -over the words, and when he straightened up there was a gleam of frank -admiration in his eyes. - -“You are a loyal woman, Judith,” he exclaimed, unconscious that he -spoke aloud. “As well as ‘a bit of a gambler.’” - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -HALF A SHEET - - -POLLY DAVIS closed the vestibule door of her home in C Street with a -veritable slam and proceeded up the street oblivious of greetings from -several of her neighbors. The street, celebrated in its day for having -among the occupants of its stately old-fashioned brick houses such -personages as John C. Fremont, John C. Calhoun, and General Winfield -Scott, was chiefly given over to modern business enterprises, and only -a few “Cave-dwellers” (the name bestowed upon Washingtonians by an -earnest “climber” to its exclusive resident circles) still occupied the -homes of their ancestors. - -Polly slackened her swift walk into a saunter as she turned the corner -from C Street into John Marshall Place. On reaching D Street she -accelerated her speed somewhat on catching sight of an approaching -street car, but it did not stop to take on passengers, and Polly walked -back to the curb with an uncomplimentary opinion of the service of -one of Washington’s public utilities. She waited in indecision on -the corner, then opening her hand bag, took from it a scrap of paper -and consulted the name written thereon. After studying the paper for -a minute, she turned and eyed the large, red brick and stone trimmed -office building standing on the southeast corner facing the District -Court House. She had seen the Fendall Building innumerable times since -her childhood days, but never before had it held her interest. - -There was a certain set air to Polly’s shoulders, which, to one -acquainted with her characteristics, indicated obstinacy, as she -crossed the street and entered the Fendall Building. She paused in the -lobby in front of the floor directory and then continued to the second -story. At the far end of the corridor she stopped before a closed door -bearing on its ground glass the title, in gold lettering: - - =Burroughs Detective Agency= - ALFRED BURROUGHS, _Prop._ - -Polly returned to her hand bag the scrap of paper which she still held -tightly between the fingers of her left hand, took out a visiting card, -and stepped inside the office. There was no one in the room, and, -with a surprised glance about her, Polly crossed to a door evidently -leading to an inner office. The door was only partly closed, and -through the opening a familiar voice floated out to her: - -“I depend upon your discretion, Mr. Burroughs. Remember, my name must -not be mentioned in connection with your employment in the case--” The -grating sound of chairs being pushed back followed, and any answer was -drowned thereby. - -The hand which Polly had extended to knock against the panel of the -door fell nerveless to her side. With eyes distended to twice their -normal size, she retraced her footsteps out of the office and the -building. - -When Polly reached the Hale residence she was admitted by the parlor -maid instead of the ever smiling Anna. - -“Mr. Hale left word, Miss Polly, that you were to go to Mrs. Hale,” -Maud announced, helping Polly off with her coat and hat. - -“Oh,” Polly paused. “Where is Mrs. Hale?” - -“I don’t rightly know, miss.” Maud emerged from the depths of the hall -closet where she had hung Polly’s wraps. “Mrs. Hale came in not three -minutes ago. I think she has gone to her bedroom. Will you have some -lunch now, miss, or a little later?” - -“A little later, thanks”--Polly regarded the hall clock. “I had no idea -it was nearly noon. You will find me with Mrs. Hale, Maud.” - -“Very good, miss,” and they separated, the maid going to her pantry, -and Polly in search of Mrs. Hale. She found that energetic matron just -crossing the hall toward Judith’s boudoir. At the sound of Polly’s hail -she faced around. - -“Is it you, Polly!” Mrs. Hale frequently asked the obvious. “My dear, -aren’t you very late to-day?” - -Polly blushed at the emphasis on the adjective. “A little later than -ordinary,” she answered good-naturedly. “I will make up the time, Mrs. -Hale, and your husband’s manuscript will be completed without delay. -Maud said that your husband left word that I was to report to you.” - -“Did he?” Mrs. Hale regarded her in some perplexity. “Why, last night -he decided that you were not strong enough to aid me in answering my -letters; he must have changed his mind, for he wouldn’t have sent you -to me for anything else.” - -Polly’s attention had been caught by one phrase and the rest of Mrs. -Hale’s speech went unheeded. - -“Your husband said I was not strong?” she questioned. “I am quite well. -What made him think otherwise?” - -“Judith put the idea in his head.” Mrs. Hale led the way into the -boudoir as she spoke and selected a chair near her daughter’s desk, on -which were piled the notes of condolence, in anticipation of Richards’ -answering them under Judith’s supervision. “Judith is very much worried -about your health, my dear.” - -“That is very kind of Judith.” Polly slipped into the seat before -Judith’s desk at a sign from Mrs. Hale. “But your daughter is mistaken. -I am not in the least ill.” - -“I am delighted to hear it.” Mrs. Hale looked at her husband’s -pretty secretary with approval. “Judith is always so positive in her -statements. I could not see that you looked run down, but she insisted -that you needed a change, and arranged with Mr. Hale to give you a -vacation.” - -“Indeed!” The frigid exclamation escaped Polly unwittingly, but Mrs. -Hale apparently was oblivious of the girl’s chilly reception of -Judith’s plans. - -“I am glad you don’t require a vacation,” she went on. “Mr. Hale is -particularly in need of your services, and it would be most unkind to -leave him in the lurch.” - -“I have no intention of doing so, Mrs. Hale,” declared Polly with -some warmth. “Aside from the question of my not being able to afford -a vacation, gratitude to Mr. Hale, alone, would prevent me from going -away just now.” She passed one restless hand over the other. “What -possessed Judith to wish to get rid of me?” - -“Now, my dear,”--Mrs. Hale held up a protesting hand--“don’t get such -a notion in your head. Judith is devoted to you; we all are, but she -imagined--you know Judith greatly depends upon her imagination--she is -so, so,”--hunting about for a word--“so shut in with her deafness, and -she is forever imagining things about people.” - -“And what does she imagine about me?” asked Polly, as Mrs. Hale came to -a somewhat incoherent pause. - -“That you were on the point of nervous prostration--” - -Polly laughed a bit unsteadily. “Only the wealthy can afford -nervous ‘prosperity,’ and I am not in that class,” she said. “I -must work--work!” She spoke with nervous vehemence; Mrs. Hale’s -surprised expression checked her; and with an effort she regained her -self-control. “What can I do for you?” - -“Answer these notes,” and Mrs. Hale laid her hand on them. “Take this -black-edged note paper,” holding out a box she had brought with her. - -Mrs. Hale’s powers of observation were wool-gathering as she dictated -her answers, first reading each letter in a monotone--in itself -enough to try the steadiest nerves--before composing its answer; -then losing her place and having to be prompted, which added to her -already confused state of mind. Every expression of sympathy in the -notes brought tears in its train, and if the steady application of -Mrs. Hale’s handkerchief proved an additional barrier to the speedy -completion of her task, it also prevented her perceiving the wavering -writing of Polly’s swiftly moving pen. - -“Austin was very much beloved,” she remarked. “I cannot understand, as -I told my husband over and over, I cannot understand who would have a -motive for killing him. It is beyond me.” - -“Yes,” murmured Polly. She laid down her pen and rubbed her stiff -fingers. There still remained numerous notes to answer. “Dear Mrs. -Hale, let me finish answering these later on. You must be exhausted.” - -“No, they must be completed now,” Mrs. Hale spoke with firmness, and -Polly, hiding her unsteady fingers under pretense of searching for -another pen among Judith’s papers, resigned herself to the situation. -“Judith suggested that I order an engraved card of acknowledgment, but -I desire an individual letter sent to each of our friends. It will -not take much more of your time,” observing Polly’s eyes stray to her -wrist-watch. - -“Will you let me complete the letters this afternoon?” Polly asked. “I -have not touched my regular work for your husband, and it is nearly -your luncheon hour.” - -“Luncheon will be half an hour later to-day,” responded Mrs. Hale. -“Anna is laid up and Maud asked for more time. She is not very quick at -her work, you know.” - -“Anna ill! That is too bad,” exclaimed Polly. “I hope it is nothing -serious.” - -“A sprained ankle.” Mrs. Hale leaned back in her chair and relaxed; -she felt the need of a little gossip, for in spite of her insistence -on completing her letters, the steady application was commencing to -wear upon her. “When anything goes wrong with Anna the whole house is -upset.” - -“She is certainly a domestic treasure,” agreed Polly. “How many years -has she been with you?” - -Mrs. Hale considered before answering. “She came to us at the time -Austin had typhoid fever; the trained nurse wanted a helper--what did -she call Anna?” - -“Nurse’s aide?” suggested Polly. - -“That was it,” and Mrs. Hale smiled. “We persuaded her to stay on as -waitress.” - -“How did you manage it, Mrs. Hale?” asked Polly. Another glance at her -watch showed her that the announcement of luncheon must shortly occur, -and she wished above all not to resume answering letters of condolence. -“It has always struck me that Anna was very much above the regular -servant class.” - -“So she is, my dear,” Mrs. Hale was launched on her favorite topic. -“But Mr. Hale offered her such high wages, really ridiculous wages at -the time, that it wouldn’t have been in human nature to resist his -offer. I must say for Anna that she has earned every cent we pay her. -Lately”--Mrs. Hale hesitated and surveyed the boudoir to make sure -that the hall door was closed--“lately, Anna has appeared so--so -absent-minded. Do you suppose it can be a love affair?” - -“The most natural supposition in the world,” smiled Polly. “Anna is a -remarkably pretty girl.” - -“So she is,” Mrs. Hale nodded her head in agreement. “I suspect it -is that new clerk in the drug store. I meet them quite often walking -together, and I called Austin’s attention to them when he was last -in Washington, just six weeks ago to-day.” Mrs. Hale looked at the -calendar hanging near Judith’s desk to be sure of her facts. “Polly, if -I tell you something will you promise to hold your tongue about it?” - -Polly stared at Mrs. Hale--the latter’s tone had completely changed and -her customary irresponsible manner had become one of suppressed anxiety. - -“Certainly, Mrs. Hale,” she replied, and her manner reflected the -other’s seriousness. “I will consider whatever you say as confidential.” - -“First, answer this, on your word of honor,”--and Polly’s wonderment -grew as Mrs. Hale hitched her chair nearer, and her voice gained in -seriousness. “Have you come across a small piece of yellow paper; it -is folded and has the word ‘Copy’ as a watermark?” Seeing Polly’s -uncomprehending stare, she added impatiently, “The kind reporters use -in newspaper offices. Have you seen such a paper among my husband’s -correspondence?” - -“No, Mrs. Hale; not as you describe it,” Polly shook a puzzled head. “I -may not have noticed the word ‘Copy,’ though. Was there anything else -to identify it?” - -Mrs. Hale thought a minute, then came to a decision. “It is no matter,” -she said brusquely. “Forget I mentioned it; there is a more pressing -matter”--from her silver mesh purse she drew out a much creased letter. -“Read that,” she directed, and held it almost under Polly’s nose, “but -not aloud, read it to yourself.” - -Obediently Polly took the paper and, holding it at the proper focus, -read: - - DEAR AUNT AGATHA: - - I started for San Francisco on the midnight train, so forgive this - hasty scrawl in answer to your long letter. I will see the happy bride - and groom on my return. Sorry Uncle Robert doesn’t like Richards. I - found on inquiry that Richards---- - -Polly turned the letter over--the second sheet was missing. The young -girl looked in bewilderment at Mrs. Hale. - -“Have you the end of the letter?” she asked. - -“No, that is all there is to it.” - -“This”--Polly turned it over again. “Why, it is not even signed.” - -“But it is in Austin Hale’s handwriting,” asserted Mrs. Hale. “You know -it is, Polly.” - -Polly again inspected the clear, distinctive writing. She had seen it -too often to be mistaken in identifying the chirography. - -“It looks like Austin’s writing,” she qualified. “When did you receive -the letter and what does it mean?” - -“Mean? We’ll come to that later,” Mrs. Hale lowered her voice to a -confidential pitch. “You see the date there,” indicating it, and Polly -nodded. “The letter was begun on Tuesday in New York, and Austin was -murdered between Tuesday midnight and one A. M. Wednesday _here in -Washington_.” - -“He was----” - -“Of course he was.” Patience was never Mrs. Hale’s strong point. “Now, -Polly, let us dissect this letter. On Tuesday in New York Austin states -that he is to take the midnight train for San Francisco; instead of -that he comes to Washington. Why?” And having propounded the conundrum, -Mrs. Hale sat back and contemplated Polly. There was a distinct pause -before the girl replied. - -“I cannot answer your question, Mrs. Hale.” Polly avoided raising her -eyes as she turned the letter over once again and looked at the blank -side. It was a small-sized sheet of note paper of good quality, and -Austin’s large writing completely filled the first page. Polly held the -letter nearer Mrs. Hale. - -“The back sheet has been torn off,” she pointed out. “See, the edges -are rough and uneven.” - -“So I observed.” Mrs. Hale was a trifle nonplussed. She had anticipated -more excitement on Polly’s part, and the girl’s composure was a -surprise. That Polly was maintaining her composure through sheer will -power, Mrs. Hale was too obtuse to detect. She was convinced, however, -that Polly had been more than ordinarily attracted by Austin Hale’s -good looks and his marked attention to her charming self. It was not -in human nature, Mrs. Hale argued, that a young and penniless girl -would refuse a wealthy young man, especially not in favor of a man of -John Hale’s age. It was absurd of Joe Richards to insinuate that her -brother-in-law might have supplanted Austin in Polly’s affections. -Having once gotten an idea in her head no power on earth could -dislodge it, and Mrs. Hale, to prove her viewpoint, had decided to -investigate the mystery of Austin’s death to her own satisfaction. Mrs. -Hale thought over Polly’s conduct for several minutes, then changed her -tactics. - -“Had you heard recently from Austin?” she asked, and at the direct -question Polly changed color. - -“Not since this letter to you,” she replied calmly and Mrs. Hale, -intent on framing her next question, failed to analyze her answer. - -“Did he make any reference to coming to Washington?” - -“Only in a general way,” and before Mrs. Hale could question her -further, she added, “His letter of ten days ago said that he might be -here in April.” - -“Ah!” Mrs. Hale felt that she had scored a point. “That goes to prove -that Austin’s trip here Tuesday was unexpected.” - -“So unexpected that he never even wired you,” supplemented Polly, and -Mrs. Hale eyed her sharply. - -“True,” she replied. “It must have been something frightfully urgent -that brought him here--to his death.” - -Polly shivered slightly and laid down the letter. - -“When did Austin mail this letter to you?” - -“I don’t know.” - -Polly glanced at her in surprise. “Was there no postmark on the -envelope?” - -“There was no envelope.” - -“What!” Polly half rose then dropped back in her seat. “No envelope? -Then how did you get the letter?” - -Mrs. Hale looked carefully around to make sure that no one had entered -the boudoir or was within earshot. Her next remark ignored Polly’s -question. - -“I have not shown Austin’s letter to my husband,” she began. “Mr. -Hale does not always view matters from my standpoint, and he might be -displeased at my having mentioned to Austin that he was disappointed in -Judith’s choice of a husband. Therefore, Polly, you will say nothing to -him.” - -“Certainly not,” agreed Polly. “But about the letter--” - -“Nor mention the letter to Judith,” pursued Mrs. Hale, paying no -attention to Polly’s attempt to question her. “I shall not discuss it -with Judith, for she might readily resent my writing Austin to find -out something about her husband’s career before he entered the army in -1917. This letter”--Mrs. Hale picked it up, refolded it, and replaced -it in her purse--“must remain a secret between you and me.” - -“But, Mrs. Hale,”--Polly stopped her as she was about to rise--“where -did you get the letter and who tore off the last sheet?” - -“It is for us to find out who tore it off and what became of it,” -declared Mrs. Hale. At last Polly was roused out of herself, and the -older woman observed with interest the two hectic spots of color in her -cheeks. “And why the sheet was torn off.” - -The opening of the boudoir door caused Polly to start nervously, a -start which, in Mrs. Hale’s case became a jump, as Richards addressed -them from the doorway. - -“Maud is looking for you, Mrs. Hale,” he announced. “Luncheon is -waiting for you.” - -“Thanks, yes; we will come at once.” Mrs. Hale was conscious of her -flurried manner and her ingratiating smile was a trifle strained as she -faced her handsome son-in-law. “Where is Judith?” - -“She telephoned that she was lunching at the Army and Navy Club.” -Richards gave no sign that he was aware of Mrs. Hale’s agitation. “Your -husband is waiting for you.” - -“Run down, Joe, and tell him not to wait for me.” Mrs. Hale laid her -hand on Polly’s shoulder and gave her a slight push. “Go also, my dear.” - -But Polly hung back. “Wait, Mrs. Hale,” she whispered feverishly. -“There, Major Richards is downstairs by now. Tell me quickly who gave -you Austin’s letter?” - -“No one.” - -“Then where did you get it?” - -Mrs. Hale paused and looked carefully around--they had the boudoir to -themselves, but before she spoke Mrs. Hale took the precaution to close -the boudoir door. - -“I found the letter this morning,” she stated, “in the leather pocket -of Judith’s electric car.” - - - - -CHAPTER X - -BELOW STAIRS - - -ANNA, the waitress, found the time lagging in spite of the game of -solitaire she was playing to wile away the tedium of her enforced -idleness. She cast a resentful glance at her swollen ankle before -shuffling the cards for the thirtieth time since she had eaten her -midday meal. She had discarded the morning newspaper, and refused to -find entertainment in the cheap paper novel which the cook had brought -to her early in the morning, so her last and only solace was the pack -of playing cards. - -Mrs. Hale, a New Yorker by birth, until her marriage had spent her -life in the North, and while she had quickly succumbed to the spell -which the Capital City casts over those who come to its hospitable -doors, she had never taken kindly to employing negro servants. She did -not understand the African character, and her one attempt to adjust -herself to the conditions then prevailing in domestic service in the -District of Columbia had proved a dismal failure. With her husband’s -hasty approval she had sent to New York and engaged French and English -servants. - -Aside from her eccentricities, Mrs. Hale was a kind and thoughtful -mistress, and the servants remained long in her employ. Even during -the chaotic war-time conditions in Washington, with the influx of -war-workers and deserters from the domestic field, her servants -had loyally remained with her in preference to seeking Government -“positions” as elevator women and messengers. - -It required a person in Anna’s state of mind to find fault with the -large, cozily furnished bedroom in which she sat. A coal fire on the -hearth added its cheerful glow, and at her elbow was an electric -reading lamp ready for instant service when the winter afternoon drew -to a close. - -Anna scowled at her reflection in the mirrored paneling of the door -leading to the bathroom which she and “cook,” a Swede, shared with -Maud, the parlor maid. For nearly twenty-four hours she had been kept -captive inside the four walls of her bedroom, and her restless spirit -rebelled. Fate, in the guise of a treacherous high-heeled slipper, had -given her an ugly tumble down the kitchen stairs on her way to bed the -night before, and Dr. McLane’s assurance that she had had a lucky -escape did not assuage Anna’s sense of personal grievance nor deaden -the pain of her physical injury. - -Footsteps and the clatter of dishes, as a tray was brought in slight -contact with the stair turning, came distinctly through the open door -leading to the hall. Anna’s downcast look vanished. Seizing the cards, -she was intent on laying out her favorite solitaire when Maud entered, -bearing a tray loaded with appetizing dishes. - -“I’m a bit late,” she explained apologetically, as Anna swept the -playing cards into her lap to make a place on the table for the tray. -“But there’s been a pile of coming and going in and out of the house, -and it keeps a body moving.” - -“Sit down and have a cup of tea with me,” suggested Anna, on whom the -extra cup and saucer on the tray had not been lost. Maud had evidently -anticipated the invitation, judging also from the amount of cinnamon -toast and thin slices of bread and butter. “I am sorry, Maud, to have -more work thrown on you just now; perhaps I can hobble downstairs -to-morrow. Dr. McLane seemed to think I might.” - -“Now, you rest easy,” advised Maud earnestly. “I can handle the work -all right, and Mr. Hale said he would come down handsome for it.” - -“He did!” Anna’s eyes had narrowed to thin slits, but Maud, intent on -consuming as much tea and toast as was humanly possible in a given -time, was oblivious of her facial contortions. “Mr. Hale is a generous -gentleman; you stick by _him_, Maud.” - -“You bet. What he says goes,” Maud nodded enthusiastically. “Funny -household, ain’t it? A dead easy one if you are in the ‘know,’” and -she chuckled. “Let me pour you out another cup, Miss Anna,” and, not -waiting for permission, she replenished Anna’s tea, at the same time -refilling her own cup. “My, don’t cook make good toast! No wonder Major -Richards is so partial to it.” - -“Is he?” Anna’s tone was dry. - -“Yes, ma’am, and he’s partial to a good deal more besides.” Maud -relished an opportunity of airing her views to so superior a person as -Anna, for it was not often that she had her undivided attention. “Major -Richards knows a good-looking woman when he sees one.” - -“Is that so?” indifferently, helping herself to more sugar. - -“Yes, ma’am,” with emphasis. “Didn’t I see the look and smile he gave -you yesterday?” - -“Tut, tut! None of that.” Anna spoke with severity. “Major Richards is -Miss Judith’s husband, a nicely spoken gentleman.” - -“Sure he is.” Maud smiled broadly, nothing daunted by Anna’s frown. -“And say, ain’t Miss Judith mashed on him? That cold kind always flops -the worst when they fall in love.” - -“Miss Judith isn’t the cold kind,” retorted Anna warmly. “She has -plenty of temper about her, but I will say it’s tempered with proper -pride.” - -“I wonder if it was proper pride which made her quarrel so with Mr. -Austin?” Maud’s snicker always grated on Anna, and again the waitress -frowned. “Say, wasn’t his death awful?” - -“Yes.” Anna sat back with a shiver. “Terrible!” - -“And they dunno who done it,” pursued Maud with relish, her somewhat -nasal voice slightly raised. “Leastways that is what Detective Ferguson -told me this afternoon.” - -“Was he at the house again?” - -“Yes, three times.” Maud looked regretfully at the empty toast dish. “I -asked him if he wanted a bed made up for his convenience, and he was -real peevish. My, but he asks a lot of questions!” - -“What about?” inquired Anna. - -“Oh, where we were on Tuesday night, and if we heard anything unusual,” -answered Maud with careless candor. “Didn’t seem to believe that we -had all gone to bed the same as usual. I told him if we’d a known Mr. -Austin was to have been murdered, o’ course we’d have waited up for it, -so as to supply the police with details. That settled him for a time -and then he wanted to know when I last saw Miss Judith Tuesday night.” - -“So?” Anna leaned out of her chair and took up a box of candy from the -bureau. “Help yourself, Maud. What did you say to Ferguson?” - -Maud received the candy with eyes which sparkled as Anna put the box -conveniently in front of her. Her craving for sweets had frequently -earned her a reprimand from Mrs. Hale when that dame caught her in the -act of purloining candy from the stock kept in the dining room. - -“I told Ferguson that Miss Judith was undressing in her bedroom when I -went upstairs.” Maud’s speech was somewhat impeded by a large caramel. -“Then he wanted to know when we first heard o’ the murder--silly -question, wasn’t it?” - -“Very,” agreed Anna. “Considering he came upstairs and joined us just -after Mrs. Hale had broken the news of Mr. Austin’s death. Men are -silly creatures.” - -“Some of ’em are,” amended Maud. “I never would call Mr. Robert Hale -silly. Say, Miss Anna,”--and Maud hitched her chair close to the -waitress--“do you s’pose he knows anything about the courting that went -on between Miss Polly and his brother?” - -“There isn’t anything that escapes Mr. Hale’s notice,” Anna responded -dryly. - -“But Miss Polly was mighty sly about it,” argued Maud. “Mr. Austin -caught her once, though, and my, didn’t he flare up!” Her eyes grew -bigger at the recollection. “I wonder if he was smart enough to know -Miss Polly, for all her appearing frankness, was playing father and son -off against each other.” - -“Men never know anything where a pretty woman’s concerned,” replied -Anna scornfully. “Miss Judith knew what was going on though, and”--she -lowered her voice to confidential tones--“it’s my belief that her Uncle -John used his influence with the family to get her sent on that visit -to Japan.” - -“And there she met Major Richards.” Maud selected another piece of -candy. “My, ain’t Fate funny sometimes!” Her companion agreed, and Maud -munched the milk chocolates with silent enjoyment. Then her active mind -went off on a tangent as she caught sight of the playing cards still -reposing in a disorderly heap in Anna’s lap. “Mr. Hale got in one of -his tantrums this morning.” - -“He did?” Anna put down her cup from which she had been slowly sipping -her strong black tea. “What about?” - -“He said one of his playing cards was missing from the pack he keeps -in the library, and he just as much as asked me if I had stolen it.” -Maud sniffed. “If he hadn’t been so nice about my wages and my room -wasn’t so comfortable, and you and cook being so agreeable, I’d a given -notice.” - -“Oh, pshaw! Mr. Hale doesn’t mean half he says,” Anna hastened to -smooth down Maud’s ruffled feelings. “He forgets the cause of his -tantrums ten minutes afterward. What’s the use of paying attention to -them? His wife never does.” - -“I ain’t his wife,” objected Maud. “And he didn’t forget this tantrum, -though it was about such a measly little thing, but came right back -after lunch and asked me had I found the card in any one’s room. He -was put out when I told him no.” - -“It is too bad, Maud,” exclaimed Anna, who had followed her story with -gratifying attention. “Mr. Hale shouldn’t worry you when you have extra -work with me laid up here. Why not speak to Mrs. Hale?” - -“Not me!” broke in Maud hastily. “I ain’t hankering to start a family -ruction. Don’t you worry, Miss Anna, I fixed it,” Maud smiled slyly. -“I went up to Miss Judith’s boudoir with the C. & P. man to mend her -branch telephone this afternoon, and I just happened to see a pack o’ -playing cards lying on Major Richards’ dresser; their backs were just -the same as Mr. Hale’s pack in the library, so I sneaked out the Knave -o’ Hearts. After the telephone man left, I gave the card to Mr. Hale. -And say, what do you s’pose he did?” - -Anna shook her head. “I can’t guess. Do go on.” - -“Well, first he gave that funny giggle o’ his, then he slips the card -in his pocket, and asks me where I got it.” Maud paused dramatically. -“When I said I found it on Major Richards’ dresser he looked at me -kinda funny and”--a violent sneeze interrupted the recital--“then he -gave me a raise in wages.” - -“Bless me!” Anna ejaculated admiringly. “That was smart work, Maud.” - -Her companion smiled deprecatingly. “’Tain’t nothing to what I can -do when I set my mind to it,” she replied. “I just happened on Major -Richards’ cards. How’s your ankle?” - -The waitress started at the abruptness of the question. - -“It is not so painful,” she said, and glanced significantly at the -clock on the mantel. “Isn’t it ’most time for you to see about setting -the table for dinner?” - -“No; the family’s dining out to-night,” rejoined Maud, “so that me -and cook can rest up. Mrs. Hale is pretty much of a fool, but she -is considerate of us. There are times,” added Maud in a burst of -confidence, “when I feel darn sorry for her.” - -“Don’t let your sympathies get the better of your judgment,” warned -Anna. “Mr. and Mrs. Hale are--well, you might say ‘discordantly’ happy.” - -Maud wrinkled her brows. “If you are hinting they like to fuss, you are -dead right,” she acknowledged. “There’s one thing odd I’ve noticed -to-day”--She paused to contemplate herself in the mirrored door with -inward satisfaction; the simple black dress on her slight, trim figure -and neat white collar and cuffs, which Mrs. Hale insisted should be -worn by her servants, was becoming. - -“What were you noticing to-day?” asked Anna, growing impatient as the -pause became prolonged. - -“That Mrs. Hale and Miss Polly Davis were getting as thick as thieves,” -explained Maud. “I ain’t never seen them so loving.” - -“Is that so?” Anna stroked her cheek reflectively. “Mrs. Hale feels -Miss Judith’s marriage more than she is willing to allow, I believe, -and she’s just looking ’round to find somebody to ‘mother.’” - -“It’s a funny deal her picking on Miss Polly for that,” laughed Maud as -she arranged the tea dishes on the tray preparatory to departure. “D’ye -know, as poor as I am, I’d give a month’s wages to know who had a hand -in killing Mr. Austin.” She paused and placed her lips against Anna’s -right ear. “Them bloody shears Mr. Ferguson is forever exhibiting never -belonged to Miss Judith,” she whispered, “but Miss Polly’s are missing -from her desk.” - -Down in Robert Hale’s den Polly Davis stopped transcribing his -manuscript notes to stare at three letters which she spread before her. -She read them in rotation for at least the seventh time, then settled -back in her chair and, resting her weight on its arms, contemplated the -notes. - -The first was but a scrawl: - - DEAREST: - - You must dine with me to-night. I will not take a refusal and will call - at the usual hour. - - Your devoted lover, - JOHN. - -The second letter was from Judith: - - Do not hesitate to use the enclosed check for your contemplated trip. - Return the loan at your convenience, and let me know if you should need - more. - - Ever, dear Polly, faithfully yours, - - JUDITH. - -“My contemplated trip,” quoted Polly softly. The haggard lines in her -face were accentuated by the merciless electric light which beat down -from a lamp but a few feet above her typewriter desk. “Judith, are you -mad!” - -Slowly her eyes turned to the third note. It had no commencement other -than the words: - - In recognition of your valuable services I am increasing your salary - fifty dollars per month. Please arrange to give me additional hours - daily. - - Yours, etc., - ROBERT HALE. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -THE THREAT - - -FROM their corner table Judith watched, with total lack of interest, -the gay throng which filled the public dining room at Rauscher’s, -although the scene was one to arrest attention. The smartly gowned -women, the foreign attachés in their gay uniforms in contrast to the -khaki-clad army officers and the somber evening dress of numerous -civilians, formed an attractive center for the mirrored walls and -shaded lights. Judith’s inattention was a source of displeasure to her -mother whose efforts to sustain the conversation had failed. - -“Really, Judith,” she remonstrated, “it is very annoying of you to make -me repeat my remarks.” - -“I beg your pardon, Mother.” Judith awoke from dreary thoughts. “I -did not mean to be rude, but our--our mourning”--glancing down at her -black dress--“seems so incongruous here. We should have found a less -conspicuous place to dine.” - -“Tut! you are supersensitive; we must eat and why not here? We are not -giving a dinner.” Mrs. Hale paused to bow to an acquaintance. “Robert -and your husband went to the club so that we would not have even an -appearance of a party. Why, there is Frank Latimer. Wave to him, -Judith.” - -Not waiting for her suggestion to be followed, Mrs. Hale signaled -vigorously with her fan and succeeded in catching the eye of the -attentive major-domo who, guessing her meaning, directed Latimer’s -attention to her table. Mrs. Hale greeted the stockbroker with a -cordial smile. - -“Join us, Frank,” she exclaimed, as their waitress placed a chair for -him. Latimer cast a doubtful eye at an adjoining table. - -“That is my habitual place,” he explained. “I dine here every night.” - -“Fortunate man, with no domestic problems,” sighed Mrs. Hale. -“Really, Anna could not have selected a more unfortunate time to fall -downstairs--or was it upstairs, Judith?” - -“I don’t know, Mother.” Judith had changed color at Latimer’s approach -as memory of her interview in his office, the conversation she had -overheard the night before, and her letter explaining the bond -transaction recurred to her. “Anna is so seldom ill that we can -forgive her this once.” She raised grave eyes to Latimer. “Do dine with -us, Frank.” - -Latimer had only opportunity to murmur his thanks as Mrs. Hale took -possession of the situation and claimed his undivided attention. -As the meal progressed he stole a look now and then at Judith. Her -preoccupation was evident and the furtive glances she cast about the -big dining room were indicative of her nervous condition. Latimer’s -anxiety grew. Would Mrs. Hale never give him a chance for a private -word with Judith? After the receipt of her note that morning he had -tried to write an answer, but, after a vain attempt to crystallize his -thoughts into black ink, he had thrown down his pen and applied to that -mixed blessing, the telephone, only to be told that Judith was not at -home. - -If Judith divined his desire to talk with her she gave no sign of it. -Latimer’s anxiety was tinged with vexation. Was Judith deliberately -avoiding every effort he made to drag her into the conversation? His -hot temper was gaining the upper hand when Mrs. Hale unconsciously gave -him the opening he had been hoping for. - -“How is the stock market?” she asked, and not waiting for an answer, -added, “Did you purchase those Liberty Bonds Robert spoke of last -week?” - -“Yes.” Latimer turned determinedly to Judith. “Your husband sold your -Troy Valve bonds at somewhat of a sacrifice.” - -Mrs. Hale caught the words and looked at her daughter in open -consternation. - -“Judith! You haven’t parted with the bonds your grandfather left you?” -she exclaimed. - -“Yes.” Judith tossed down her napkin and pushed back her chair. “Joe -and I decided that this was the time to invest in Liberty Bonds.” Her -charming smile disarmed criticism. “Besides, industrials are dangerous -investments.” - -“Fiddlesticks!” ejaculated Mrs. Hale with indignant emphasis. “You -know what General Hale thought of his Valve bonds and how carefully he -portioned them out among us in his will. Your father will be seriously -displeased, Judith.” - -“Not when I tell him that the bonds are already depreciating in value,” -responded Judith quietly. “They are depreciating, Frank, are they not?” -Her emphasis on the verb arrested Latimer’s attention and quickly he -caught his cue. - -“Liberty Bonds are a better investment,” he stated, “especially just -now. You”--he smiled at Mrs. Hale--“are putting your money in Liberty -Bonds.” - -But Mrs. Hale was not appeased. “I am not selling valuable bonds,” she -retorted. “The money I invest in Liberty Bonds is the income from other -sources. What did you realize on your bonds, Judith?” - -Judith’s brow wrinkled in thought, then she turned to Frank. “I have a -poor head for figures,” she admitted softly. “What did Joe get for the -bonds, Frank?” - -Latimer eyed her thoughtfully. “We paid Joe $1,275, less commission. -The bonds bring $125 each.” - -“Is that all!” And Mrs. Hale’s eyebrows rose in displeasure. “What -a wretched time to sell. I shall remonstrate with your husband for -permitting you to part with the bonds.” - -“You will do nothing of the sort.” The girl’s tone brought a hot flush -to her mother’s cheeks, but there was that in Judith’s expression -which checked her angry rejoinder. “Please, Mother, remember that I am -independent as far as my fortune is concerned, and am my own mistress.” - -Mrs. Hale considered her for a minute, then to Latimer’s horror, -for he had a shy man’s distaste of scenes, her lower lip quivered -suggestively, while her pale blue eyes grew moist. - -“What a way to address your mother, Judith,” she said reproachfully. -“I, who have your best interests at heart. It is most unkind.” - -“I had no intention of being unkind.” Judith laid her hand for a second -gently on her mother’s shoulder. “Only, please do not discuss my -affairs with my husband; he also”--she looked squarely at Latimer--“has -my best interests at heart and I can rely upon his honest judgment.” - -Latimer bowed. “Joe is no fool,” he remarked dryly. “Don’t worry, -Mrs. Hale, I guarantee that Judith is quite right in the stand she is -taking, and”--again he bowed--“I admire her for it.” - -“You have always approved of woman suffrage,” grumbled Mrs. Hale, as -she rose and led the way down the aisle to the entrance to the dining -room. “But take a word of advice from an older woman, Judith; it is not -the wife who asserts her independence who gains her wishes, it is she -who concedes the little things of life who controls the big issues. To -rule, a woman must never show she rules.” - -She paused to speak a complimentary word to the major-domo, and Judith, -striding ahead down the short staircase, discovered that Latimer was -keeping step with her. Before he could voice his thoughts, she had -formulated her line of action. - -“If you have any stock deals,” she said in an undertone, “do tip me -off. Hush, not a word; I don’t wish Mother to know I am playing the -market, here she comes.” - -His ideas in a whirl, Latimer assisted them into their limousine just -as a touring car drove up to the curb and stopped with a grinding of -brakes which echoed down the street. A second more and John Hale had -flung himself out of the car and dashed over to the limousine. A rapid -survey showed him that the only occupants of the car were Mrs. Hale and -Judith. - -“Where have you left Polly?” he demanded. - -“Left her?” Mrs. Hale’s voice showed her astonishment. “Nowhere; Polly -has not been with us.” - -“Not with you?” Her brother-in-law stared at her. “Didn’t she dine with -you?” - -“She did not,” tartly. “What gave you that impression?” - -“Mrs. Davis told me that Polly telephoned she was with you.” Hale -turned almost savagely toward Judith. “Where is she?” - -“I do not know.” Judith eyed him in wonderment. It was not often that -she saw him discomposed in manner. He moved slightly and the light -from the limousine’s lamps showed his features more clearly. “Surely, -Uncle John, you are not worried about her whereabouts?” - -John Hale passed a nervous hand over his chin. “Polly was to dine -with me,” he explained. “I waited at her home, and finally her mother -returned from dining with a neighbor and gave me Polly’s message. I -remembered you were to dine here, so chased you up. You are sure you -don’t know where she is?” - -“Of course we don’t,” chimed in Mrs. Hale. “Bless me, John, why worry? -Polly is quite old enough to take care of herself, and she is not -likely to get lost in Washington.” - -“Lost? Of course not,” with rough emphasis. “I have a message for Polly -which must be delivered. Have you any idea where she is dining, Judith?” - -Judith thought a moment before replying. “Possibly she is with the -Wards in Chevy Chase,” she suggested. “I recall Polly had a telephone -talk with Kate this afternoon.” - -“Thanks.” John Hale swung around and caught Latimer by the shoulder. -Until that moment he had ignored the presence of the little -stockbroker. - -“Drive out to Chevy Chase, Frank,” he urged. “Come, man, don’t keep -me waiting,” and, not heeding Latimer’s remonstrances, he hurried him -toward his car. Then, as the latter hung back with the reiterated -statement that he had an important business engagement, he interrupted -him with an oath. - -“Cut it out, Frank,” John Hale spoke between clenched teeth. “I’ll -explain later; jump in.” Scarcely waiting for Latimer to do so, he -climbed in behind the wheel and, turning the car up Connecticut Avenue, -he speeded up that thoroughfare. - -Latimer rode in perturbed silence, occasionally stealing a glance at -his companion’s set, stern features. He had followed John Hale in his -college days with doglike fidelity, and the habit had clung through -their years of faithful friendship. As the car left the city limits -behind and tore along the road leading to the fashionable suburb of -Chevy Chase, Latimer broke the protracted silence. - -“What’s to pay, John?” he asked. - -John Hale waited until they had overtaken a trolley, then slowed down -the car’s speed almost to a crawl. - -“God knows!” he responded, and his voice was not quite steady. “Frank, -I--I’m miserable--miserable,” and Frank, after one glance at his face, -forebore to question further. - - * * * * * - -Mrs. Hale, from the window of her limousine, watched John Hale’s abrupt -departure with astonishment not unmixed with resentment. - -“Upon my word, Judith, your uncle grows more impossible every day,” she -remarked, and, meeting with no comment from her daughter, she picked up -the speaking tube and called to her chauffeur, “Home.” - -On reaching there, Mrs. Hale changed her mind with characteristic -suddenness. - -“I’ll run down to the club and pick up your father,” she said as she -hopped back into the limousine. “I remember now that he left word we -were to call for him. Won’t you come, Judith?” - -Judith, halfway up the steps leading to the front door, shook her head. - -“No thanks, Mother, I have several letters to write,” and with a wave -of her hand she hurried inside the house. Maud, who had waited in some -uncertainty until she saw the limousine drive off with Mrs. Hale seated -in it, closed the front door. - -“Can I do anything for you, Mrs. Richards?” she asked, as Judith paused -to look at several notes lying on the hall table. None was addressed -to her and she laid them back again. - -“No, Maud, not a thing,” she replied. “Has Major Richards returned?” - -“Not yet, ma’am.” Maud, catching a furtive look at herself in the long -mirror on the wall, rearranged her cap to a more becoming angle. “Is -it too early to take your pitcher of ice water to your boudoir, ma’am? -Anna said you had one generally.” - -“It is not too early.” Judith turned toward the circular staircase. -“How is Anna?” - -“Much better, ma’am; she practiced walking around after dinner and got -on first rate,”--Maud lingered a moment--“not but what I warned her to -be careful; ’tain’t any use of taking chances with a banged-up ankle.” - -“True,” agreed Judith absently, and, unloosening her coat, she went -upstairs. Instead of going at once to her boudoir she hurried down the -hall to her father’s den, and as she entered it Polly Davis looked up -from the manuscript she was copying and stopped her machine. - -“You--here!” Judith halted abruptly. - -“Yes.” Polly pushed her chair away from the typewriter. “Why not?” The -question was put with studied insolence and Judith’s eyes widened. “I -am working on your father’s manuscript.” - -“But at this hour--” - -“I am working overtime.” Polly flipped a note in her direction. “Your -father here asks me to give him ‘additional service.’” She smiled and -shrugged her shoulders. “Any objections?” - -“Objections? No.” Judith’s manner retained its old friendliness, and -she ignored the girl’s manifest hostility. - -“Then why question my presence here?” - -“I do not question your right to be here.” Judith chose a chair near -Polly. “I have just seen Uncle John--” - -“Well?” as Judith stopped. - -“Uncle John was told by your mother that you were dining with us.” - -“Pardon me,”--Polly’s interruption was curtly spoken, although the -words chosen were politeness itself--“Mr. Hale was informed that I was -with you.” - -“But you were not.” - -“In one sense, yes; in another I am with you while working in this -household.” Again Polly shrugged her shoulders. “Of course I am not -responsible for whatever interpretation you and he put on my message to -my mother.” - -Judith regarded her for a moment in silence. - -“What is your object in splitting straws?” she inquired. “Wait--Uncle -John understood you were to dine with him, then thought you were with -us, and he now believes you are with the Wards in Chevy Chase and is -motoring there, and--on returning home, I find you here.” - -“Your uncle asked me to dine with him, but I never accepted his -invitation,” replied Polly. “Frankly, I preferred to wait here and see -you.” - -“Why didn’t you tell me, Polly, and I would have remained at home,” -exclaimed Judith. “Have you had any dinner?” with a hasty glance about -in quest of a tray. - -“I dined at the Pastry Shop.” Polly leaned back in her chair and -watched Judith. “I asked for you before I left this afternoon, but you -had not returned from your drive, and so I came back an hour ago. What -was your object in writing this note?” and leaning forward Polly placed -Judith’s note and check in her lap. - -Judith did not touch the papers. - -“The note is self-explanatory,” she stated. “I hope the vacation will -restore your health.” - -“My health is quite robust, thank you,” dryly. “Let us have done with -camouflage, Judith, and be honest with each other. What is your object -in wishing to get rid of me?” - -“I have no such desire.” - -Polly’s lip curled in scorn. “You wish to get me away from Washington, -away from this house,” she charged. “Why?” - -The two girls contemplated each other, but while Judith was pale, a -feverish color heightened the sparkle in Polly’s over-bright eyes. When -Judith spoke it was with deliberation. - -“I suggested that you go on a vacation,” she said, “for your own good.” - -“Indeed!” Polly’s laugh ended in a sneer. “Are you quite sure your -consideration is not misdirected?” - -“Quite sure.” Judith’s temper was gaining the upper hand in spite of -her endeavor to keep it under control. “Once before you ignored my -advice; you know with what results.” She paused. “Austin’s death--” - -“Well?” Polly leaned forward, both hands on the arms of her chair. - -Instead of completing her sentence Judith placed the note and her check -on Polly’s typewriter. - -“You had better arrange to leave to-morrow,” she said softly. - -“I won’t.” Polly’s voice rang out clearly. “I don’t know whom you are -trying to shield, but you shan’t drive me away--you shan’t--you shan’t!” - -“Polly,”--Judith’s manner compelled the hysterical girl to gain some -hold on the remnant of her self-control--“you have forced this scene; I -have tried to avoid it by supplying you with a way out.” She pointed to -the check. “I was the first person to find Austin’s body--” - -“Ah! You admit it.” Polly’s voice rose almost to a scream. “Why haven’t -you told that to the police?” - -“Because of my desire to shield you,” Judith stated calmly. - -“To shield me!” Polly half rose, resting her weight on the arms of her -chair. - -“Exactly.” Judith stood up and pulled her coat about her shoulders. “In -addition to my silence, I took from Austin’s body a trinket--” - -“Yes, go on”--Polly watched her fascinated, as she took a step toward -the door. - -“Your conduct to-night forces me to use a threat.” Judith spoke in a -monotone and slowly the color ebbed from Polly’s cheeks. “Unless you -leave Washington within twenty-four hours, I shall give the trinket to -the police.” - -“What--” Polly moistened her parched lips. “What is the trinket?” - -“A Mizpah locket. Good-night,” and without a backward glance Judith -hurried away. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -THE THEFT - - -JUDITH had not inherited her mother’s fondness for being waited -upon and therefore she had never employed a personal maid. After -her interview with Polly she went immediately to her bedroom and it -required but a brief time to put away her coat and scarf. In removing -the latter from around her neck, its delicate mesh caught in the -diamond horseshoe pin, her only ornament, which she wore in the front -of her evening dress. In striving to free the scarf she discovered to -her dismay that one of the diamonds was missing from the horseshoe. - -The pin had been her husband’s wedding gift. Throwing down the scarf, -Judith bent anxiously and peered at the carpet, but it was difficult -to see so small an object against its soft coloring. Dropping to her -knees, she felt about until her fingers touched a hard substance. A -look at it disclosed the missing diamond, and with an exclamation of -pleasure and relief Judith rose, folded the stone in a piece of tissue -paper and placed it with the diamond pin in her jewelry box. In doing -so she caught sight of a gold locket safely ensconced in the bottom -of the box under several bracelets and chains. Judith considered the -locket gravely, then closed and locked the jewelry box just as her name -was called in the boudoir. With heightened color, she hastened across -the bedroom and joined her husband. - -“I did not hear you enter, Joe,” she exclaimed as he held out both -hands to her. “How does it happen that you returned so early? I thought -you planned to run in and see Dr. McLane about that troublesome cough -of yours?” - -“Oh, that can wait until morning,” lightly. “I came back to be with -you.” He placed a morris chair for her before the hearth, where a coal -fire burned fitfully, and perched himself on the chair’s broad mahogany -arm. “I haven’t seen you alone to-day.” His voice was tinged with -reproach. - -Judith slipped a hand inside his. “I did not mean to neglect you,” -she said. “But Mother and certain business matters claimed a lot of -attention. Why,”--turning her head as it rested against the cushion of -the high-backed chair--“why did you volunteer to dine with Father at -the club and not come with us to Rauscher’s?” - -“It was your mother’s plan, not mine.” Richard laughed softly. “My -first impressions of your mother have radically changed.” - -“In what way?” - -“I thought her all fuss and feathers, but underneath it she has a will -of iron.” Richards’ smile grew rueful. “Does your father ever oppose -her wishes?” - -It was Judith’s turn to smile. “Not if he can help it,” she admitted. -“Father is something of a diplomat as far as Mother is concerned. -Perhaps you have noticed it.” - -“Yes.” Richards stared into the fire; he had become grave. “Somehow, -dearest, I do not believe your father likes me. Oh, he’s been polite -enough,”--as she was about to speak--“but there is something in his -manner,--well,”--with another rueful smile--“it couldn’t by any stretch -of the imagination be termed cordial at any time, and lately”--he -hesitated--“the dislike is more apparent.” - -Judith’s pretty color, which had come when she found him waiting for -her in the boudoir, had waned. “Lately?” she queried. “Do you mean -within the last few days?” - -“Yes; to be exact, since Austin’s Hale’s mur--death,” he caught himself -up. “Don’t mind, darling,” observing the shadows which had gathered in -her eyes. “I am sorry I mentioned the subject. Your father, like the -rest of us, is upset by the tragedy--we will all return to normal when -the mystery is solved.” - -“When?” Judith contemplated her well-fitting suède slipper and the -embroidered silk stockings just peeping beneath her skirt. “Have the -police advanced any new theories?” - -“Only that the crime was premeditated.” - -Judith looked up. “Premeditated? Then some one must have known of -Austin’s plans to come here Tuesday night.” She drew in her breath -sharply. “Some bitter enemy.” She again looked directly up at Richards -and found him gazing in the fire. “What is your theory?” - -“My theory? I hardly knew--know anything of Austin, therefore it is -difficult for me to form a theory.” Judith took silent note of his -quickly covered confusion, and her hand, still resting in his, moved -uneasily. “Was Austin the type of man to have an implacable enemy?” - -“N--no,” Judith drawled out the word. “He sometimes had a nasty way of -speaking, which used to annoy Uncle John; but he was generally very -agreeable, and some people found him fascinating.” - -“Meaning women?” Judith did not reply at once, and Richards’ eyes -narrowed. “You think that Austin was killed on impulse?” - -“So it appears to me,” she confessed and suppressed a shudder. - -There was a brief silence, then Richards roused himself. “I agree with -you,” he said. “The nature of the weapon used proves that.” - -“The shears?” Judith glanced up and then looked quickly away. “You -think Austin was stabbed with the shears?” - -“Evidently, for there was no other weapon.” - -“No other weapon has been found,” Judith corrected him softly. “The -murderer may have carried it off with him.” - -“True,” acknowledged Richards, “but then how came the shears to have -blood on them? For what purpose were they used?” - -Judith’s breathing seemed suspended for an infinitesimal second, and -several minutes elapsed before she spoke. - -“I am not good at solving problems.” She twirled his seal ring, which -she had given him, about on his finger. “Have you heard Uncle John’s -theory that Austin was killed by a burglar?” - -Richards regarded her fixedly for a minute. “Is that so!” he -exclaimed. “And what leads him to suspect a burglar?” - -“Austin’s gold watch is missing.” Judith felt his arm slip down about -her shoulders, and his weight rested against the cushioned back of her -chair. “Also, Father found some papers missing from his safe.” - -“He did--when?” The question shot from Richards. - -“Sometime Thursday. I don’t know exactly when.” Judith caught his -intent gaze, and while her heart beat a bit more rapidly, she continued -to look directly at him. - -“Has he notified the police?” - -“I presume so. He was talking to Detective Ferguson yesterday just -before dinner.” Judith’s voice sounded a trifle strained in her own -ears, but apparently Richards took no notice. His gaze had shifted -again to the fireplace. - -“When Mr. Hale first examined the safe he declared that its contents -were intact,” he remarked. “Your news is surprising, Judith. It may -be that poor Austin found a burglar rifling the safe and was killed -by him--it is a reasonable hypothesis in the light of your father’s -discovery. You said something else was missing--” - -“Yes, Austin’s watch. It was a valuable heirloom inherited from his -grandfather, and he always carried it with him. The watch has not been -found either on his body or in his room.” - -“But, Judith, it may be among his effects in New York,” Richards -suggested. “Your mother told me that he had quarters at the Yale Club -and kept a trunk there.” - -Judith shook her head. “Uncle John talked to the steward of the club on -the long distance telephone, and a search was made, but the watch could -not be found.” Abruptly she changed the subject. “Will you please hand -me a glass of water, Joe?” - -Richards had started for the door when she called him back. “Don’t -go downstairs, the ice water is here,” she looked about the boudoir. -“There, Maud put it over by the bedroom door.” - -Richards filled a glass for her and replacing it a moment later on the -table, he poured out a glass for himself and almost gulped it down. -Crossing the room, he again seated himself on the arm of Judith’s chair. - -“Judith,” he began, “a strange thing happened to-day and I want to tell -you about it.” - -“Yes, dear,” she prompted gently, as he paused. “Go on.” - -But Richards evidently found some difficulty in continuing, for -several seconds elapsed before he spoke again. - -“The treasurer of the Metropolis Bank called me up this afternoon and -asked me to stop in and see him,” he went on. “And when I reached the -bank I was informed that ten thousand dollars had been placed to my -credit.” - -“Good gracious!” Judith clapped her hands. “Why, Joe!” - -“Exactly--_why_?” dryly. “Why should any one do such a thing? I have -no near relatives, no one under obligation to me, and so I told the -bank treasurer, but he refused to disclose the donor’s name or by whose -authority the bank had acted. He did assure me that it was perfectly -proper for me to use the money, stating that it was a gift without a -string tied to it and that the money is legally mine.” - -“But that is splendid!” exclaimed Judith. “Are you not elated?” - -“No, only puzzled,” Richards admitted slowly. “I have racked my brain, -Judith, to find out where that money could have come from, and”--he -held her close to him, his eyes scanning her face. “Did _you_ give it -to me?” - -Slowly her eyes fell before his ardent look and a telltale blush -mantled her cheeks. - -“Yes,” she murmured, and for a second clung to him, then pushed -him gently from her. Suddenly he raised her hands and kissed them -passionately. - -“Judith,”--he steadied his voice before continuing--“I can never thank -you, never. Therefore it is all the harder to tell you that I cannot -take your money.” - -“But you must!” she exclaimed in alarm. “Dear, I am wealthy in my own -right and this money is some I had lying idle in a savings bank. It is -no sacrifice for me to give it to you.” - -“I would like to think that it is,” he murmured wistfully. “Tell me, -dearest, what put it into your head to make me so generous a present?” - -“I--eh--” Judith’s native honesty would not permit an evasion. “I heard -that you had met with reverses in business, Joe.” - -Richards looked at her long and intently. “You heard?” he repeated. -“Where?” - -Judith raised a protesting finger. “‘Ask me no questions--’” she -quoted, “you know the old saw, Joe”; and before he had time to frame -another question, she asked reproachfully. “Why did you not come to me -at once, Joe? I would gladly have helped.” - -A dull red flush mounted almost to Richards’ forehead and he averted -his eyes from her steady gaze. - -“I can’t borrow from a woman, Judith--even the very best and dearest -woman in the world,” he confessed. “Keep your money, sweetheart. My -financial embarrassment was only temporary, but”--his voice deepened -with emotion--“I prize your loyalty above all earthly things. Judith, I -shall strive to be worthy of you,” and dropping on one knee he kissed -her hand with fervor. - -Judith saw his shapely head and fine features through a mist of tears. -Her faith in him should stand all tests. In spite of what she had -learned of the stolen bonds, he must be innocent--he was worthy of her -trust, her love. Impulsively she leaned nearer and he caught her in -passionate embrace. - -The clock had ticked away fully an hour when Judith awoke to the time. - -“It is almost midnight,” she exclaimed reproachfully and rose in haste. -As she walked across the boudoir her attention was attracted by a -package of addressed and stamped envelopes. “Oh, I forgot to give these -to Maud to mail first thing in the morning, and they are important.” - -“Let me have them.” Richards snatched them up. “There is a post box in -front of the house; I’ll be right back.” And he hastened down the hall -to the circular staircase. - -Not waiting to lower any of the lights, Judith went into her bedroom -and started to undress. It took but a moment to slip on her wrapper, -and she was about to comb her hair when the disorderly appearance of -her dressing table startled her. Her toilet articles were tossed hither -and yon. - -Judith’s hand sought her jewelry box; the key was already turned in the -lock. Tossing back the lid, she gazed inside--the box was empty. - -A half-strangled cry escaped from her white lips and Richards heard it -as he entered the boudoir; a second more and he was by her side. - -“See--my jewels--they are gone,” she gasped. “Your horseshoe, even, -Joe.” - -“Hush, my darling, I’ll find it or get you another.” Alarmed by her -pallor, he picked up a bottle of smelling salts which stood on the -dressing table and held it open before her. “I will replace the -jewelry.” - -“You can’t replace the locket.” - -“The locket!” Richards changed color. “Have you lost the locket?” - -In her agitation she failed to catch his question. - -“My jewelry was here, every piece, and the locket, when I went in to -speak to you, Joe,” she declared. “I added the horseshoe just before -you called me.” - -Richards gazed at her in dumfounded silence. “What is that?” he asked. -“You left your jewelry in that box when you came in to talk to me in -the boudoir a little while ago?” - -“Yes; I can swear to it.” - -Richards sped to the closet door and flung it open. Only wearing -apparel rewarded his search. A glance at the windows showed that they -were closed and locked on the inside, the bathroom and dressing room -beyond were empty! Convinced of that, he turned back to Judith who had -sunk into the chair before the dressing table. - -“Was any one with you in this room?” he asked. - -“No, I was alone.” Judith passed her hand dazedly before her eyes, then -again inspected the empty box. “Every piece of jewelry is gone,” she -stated, “and the box was full two hours ago.” - -“Are you sure, Judith?” - -“Absolutely certain--the jewelry was stolen within the last two hours.” - -Richards looked first at her and then at the empty box. - -“How can that be?” he asked. “There is no entrance to this bedroom -except through the boudoir--and you and I, Judith, have been in the -boudoir for the past two hours.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -“MIZPAH” - - -DETECTIVE FERGUSON completed his tour of the suite of three rooms and -bath which Judith and her husband occupied and took up his station -in the boudoir. At Richards’ earnest solicitation she had notified -Police Headquarters of the robbery and Ferguson had been detailed to -investigate it. He was followed into the room an instant later by -Judith who watched him inspect her empty jewelry box with the aid of a -magnifying glass. Quickly he made his test for finger prints, but she -judged from the negative shake of his head and his puzzled frown that -the results were barren. - -“About what hour did the robbery occur last night?” - -Judith started at the abrupt question, for Ferguson, recalling her -deafness and forgetful of the cleverly concealed earphone which she -wore continually, raised his voice almost to a bellow. - -“It must have been between half-past nine and half-past eleven last -night,” she answered. “You need not speak so loudly, Mr. Ferguson; I -can hear quite well if you use your ordinary tone.” - -“Beg pardon, I’m sure,” and Ferguson sunk his voice to its normal -pitch. “When did you last see your jewelry?” - -“Just after taking off my wraps upon my return from dining at -Rauscher’s,” Judith explained, “I opened the box to put away the -diamond horseshoe pin which I had been wearing.” - -“And your other jewelry was then in the box?” - -“Yes.” - -“Where were you between half-past nine and half-past eleven?” - -“Here, in this boudoir.” - -“Any one with you?” - -“My husband, Major Richards.” - -“Any one else?” - -“No.” - -Ferguson blinked at her solemnly for a minute, then rising, stepped to -the bedroom door and glanced inside. - -“This is the only entrance to your bedroom,” he remarked, turning to -the silent girl. “How could a thief enter your room while you and your -husband were here, and you remain unaware of it?” - -“I am sure I don’t know.” Judith shook her head in bewilderment. “I lay -awake nearly all night puzzling over the enigma.” - -Ferguson surveyed the boudoir from every angle before again addressing -her. - -“Where were you sitting?” he inquired. - -Judith crossed the boudoir toward the fireplace and wheeled the morris -chair forward until it stood in the exact spot of the night before. - -“I sat here,” she explained, “and my husband was perched on the chair -arm.” - -Ferguson walked over and sat down in the chair. - -“I presume you and Major Richards were absorbed in conversation,” he -grumbled, and not giving her an opportunity to answer, continued, “But -you both had a good view of the boudoir door leading into the hall, -through which every one has to enter. Any one entering last night would -have had to come directly in your line of vision. Was the door open or -closed?” - -“Open.” - -“All the way open?” he persisted. - -“The door stood just as it is now,” declared Judith, after studying it -a moment. A look outside convinced Ferguson that a person in the hall -would be unable to see what was transpiring in the boudoir at the angle -at which the door stood ajar. - -“A person could enter without having to push it farther open,” he -announced. “Does the door squeak?” Springing to his feet he answered -his own question by moving the door to and fro. “Nary a squeak,” he -commented, and drawing out his memorandum book sat down near Judith. -“Now, madam, was it your custom to keep the jewelry box on your -dressing table?” - -“When I was in my bedroom or in here, yes,” replied Judith. “At other -times I kept it in the drawer of my bureau.” - -“Was the key in the lock of the box?” - -“Yes.” Observing his smile, Judith frowned. “I do not usually leave the -key in the lock, but my husband called to me and I joined him here, -leaving the box standing on my dressing table.” - -“I see.” Ferguson stared reflectively at her for a few seconds. “Ever -had anything stolen before?” - -“Never any jewelry,” Judith spoke with unusual rapidity. “Nor any -money,” she added. - -Ferguson pursed his lips and tapped them with his pencil. - -“Odd!” he exclaimed. “Were the servants aware that you had this jewelry -box?” - -“They may have been, for while I do not have a personal maid, Anna, -the waitress, and Maud sometimes assist me in dressing for evening -entertainments.” Judith wondered when Ferguson would go. She desired -most heartily to be alone and thresh out her problems by herself. -“It is probable that both the girls have seen the jewelry box on my -dressing table,” she added after a brief pause. - -“Where were the servants last night?” asked the detective. - -“Anna was in her bedroom suffering from a sprained ankle”--Judith’s -foot was keeping up an incessant tattoo. “Maud let me in; after that -I did not see her again. They have both been here for years and are -excellent servants--they are English.” - -Ferguson made a slight grimace. “That Maud is a nice she-devil,” -he exclaimed below his breath; Maud’s scathing remarks about the -inefficiency of the detective force in general and Ferguson in -particular still rankled. “I’d like to”--he checked himself and again -addressed Judith. - -“How much approximately was your jewelry worth, Mrs. Richards?” - -Judith took a paper from her mesh bag. “Here is a list of the articles -in the jewelry box,” she explained. “Major Richards suggested that I -prepare it for you.” - -“That’s fine.” Ferguson reached eagerly for the paper and scanned the -items with increasing interest. “I see you estimate the jewelry at -four thousand five hundred dollars,” he remarked. “A pretty haul for -any thief. Fortunately your initials are on every piece,” running his -eye down the list in which Judith had inserted a minute description of -the jewelry. “Hold on, here’s one item, a locket--with nothing checked -against it--has the locket any distinguishing mark?” - -Footsteps behind Judith caused her to whirl around, and she saw -Richards stop behind her chair. - -“I couldn’t get away any sooner,” he explained. “Your mother detained -me in the dining room. Good-morning, Ferguson; has my wife told you of -the disappearance of her jewelry?” - -“Yes, Major, and I was just asking her for details to aid in -identifying it at the pawn shops,” Ferguson again referred to the list -he was holding. “What about that locket, Mrs. Richards?” - -Judith closed her mesh bag with a snap and the quick tilt upward of her -chin indicated to Richards, who had grown to know each mood and tense, -that she had reached a sudden decision. - -“The locket bore the word ‘Mizpah,’ in raised lettering,” she stated. -“Otherwise it is insignificant in appearance.” - -“Do you attach any particular value to it?” questioned Ferguson. - -“No money value,” she responded quietly, and the detective looked -sharply at her. - -“I see; you mean it is a trinket of importance from sentiment only,” he -commented. - -It was Major Richards who answered and not his wife. “You’ve hit it,” -he laughed. “I presume Mrs. Richards values the locket more highly than -rubies.” - -Judith looked at him oddly before turning to the detective. “I have a -request to make of you, Mr. Ferguson,” she began, without preface. “It -is that you make no mention of the loss of my jewelry to any one. I -am convinced that if we conduct the search in secrecy, the thief will -betray himself.” - -Ferguson stroked his cheek thoughtfully. “I don’t like the idea,” he -objected. “I am a believer in publicity myself.” - -“You have had plenty of publicity in the Austin Hale case,” Richards -pointed out dryly. “I cannot see that it has advanced you very far.” - -Ferguson reddened. “We haven’t told the public all we know,” he -admitted. “There are a few cards up our sleeve.” - -“For instance?” and Richards’ smile was tantalizing. - -“As to the nature of Hale’s wound”--the detective paused abruptly--“but -that will come out in the medical evidence at the inquest.” - -“And when will the inquest be held?” demanded Richards. - -“When we lay our hands on a material witness necessary before we can -present the case,” Ferguson spoke with provoking slowness. “You will -learn all the facts in good time, Major; at present certain clews -cannot be divulged.” - -“I thought you were an advocate of publicity,” Richards remarked, and -again Ferguson flushed. - -“You’ve got me,” he acknowledged with a show of good nature. “All -right, Mrs. Richards, I’ll conduct this investigation as quietly as -possible. But how are you going to prevent your family’s knowing that -you have lost your jewelry? Won’t they comment when you don’t wear it?” - -“If they do I shall say that I have put it in my safe deposit box,” -was Judith’s ready response. “My father has frequently urged me to do -so in the past and with Austin’s death and the theft of his watch, -what’s more likely than that I should place my jewelry in a safe place?” - -Ferguson nodded his approval. “That is a wise argument,” he said. “No -one can dispute it. Now, about Mr. Hale’s watch,”--he turned back the -pages of his memorandum book until he came to a certain entry--“can you -describe it?” - -“In a general way,” Judith spoke with some hesitation. “I have seen the -watch often, but I am not very observant.” - -Ferguson considered her for some seconds in silence. He disagreed with -her statement--Judith, in his opinion, was not the heedless type; her -detailed description of her jewelry, safely tucked away in his pocket, -proved that. - -“What was the watch like, Mrs. Richards?” he asked for the second time. - -“It was an antique, made before the Revolution, so family tradition has -it,” she stated, “an open-faced watch, wound with a key and the dial -has an American eagle beautifully etched upon it.” - -Ferguson took down her words, closed his notebook and rose. - -“I am greatly obliged,” he said. “It should not be difficult to trace -young Hale’s watch and also your jewelry if the thief tries to dispose -of it. But that,” he stared at her, “presupposes it was the work of an -ordinary thief.” - -“And what leads you to think otherwise?” asked Judith swiftly. - -Ferguson took several steps toward the door and hesitated in some -uncertainty. “Your jewelry was stolen by some one familiar with your -habits and familiar with the arrangement of these rooms,” he stated -gravely. “There is no possible way of entering your bedroom save -through this boudoir, as all your windows were found locked on the -inside. How the thief stole by you and your husband unobserved while -you sat here, we have yet to discover. But, take it from me, the thief -was a member of this household. Good-morning.” Not pausing for reply, -the detective vanished. - -“A member of this household,” repeated Richards thoughtfully. “Judith, -have you no suspicion--no clew?” and his eyes searched her face -anxiously. - -Judith leaned back in her chair and gradually her tense muscles relaxed. - -“I have no clew,” she replied. “But--tell me, when you got that glass -of water for me, did you glance at all into our bedroom?” - -Richards pressed down the tobacco in his pipe and hunted through his -pockets for a match. - -“Did I look into our bedroom?” he asked. “I may have looked, but I -can’t swear to it.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -SUSPICION - - -A DOOR slammed and hasty footsteps sounded down the corridor, then a -figure blocked the doorway to the sitting room of Latimer’s bachelor -apartment. - -“She’s gone!” - -Latimer dropped the Sunday newspaper he had been reading and stared at -John Hale. For a moment he had not recognized his friend’s voice--it -was hoarse, discordant. - -“She--who?” he exclaimed, springing to his feet. - -“Polly.” John Hale swayed slightly, then lunged for the nearest chair -and dropped into it. Latimer wasted no words, but poured out a liberal -pony of brandy and placed it in his hand. - -“Feel better?” he asked, watching the color steal back into John -Hale’s white cheeks as he put the empty brandy glass on the mantel. -Not receiving an answer to his query, he busied himself about the room -which served as library and office. A colored factotum who “went with -the apartment” served his breakfasts; the other meals Latimer took at -his club or at Rauscher’s. His two rooms, bath, and kitchenette were -unusually large, owing to the building having been, before the World -War, a private residence. The architect, in remodeling it, had been -generous in his allotment of space. - -At the end of ten minutes John Hale pulled himself together and signed -to Latimer to draw up a chair. - -“Sorry I made such a fool of myself,” he began, “but I’m hard hit.” - -Latimer looked at him in distress. “What is wrong?” he asked. - -“Polly’s gone.” - -“So you stated before. Where has she gone?” - -“I can’t find out.” John Hale drummed his fingers nervously up and down -his walking stick to which he still clung. “You know I called up Mrs. -Davis after our fruitless trip to Chevy Chase. She said Polly had come -in and gone to bed.” - -“Well, it was pretty late when we got back,” Latimer pointed out. - -“Yes, thanks to that traffic cop.” John Hale frowned angrily. “I’d have -seen Polly if he hadn’t insisted on taking us to the police station.” - -“Your previous record for speeding was against you, John,” remarked -Latimer mildly. “But what about Polly?” - -“This morning I ran over to see her; found her mother in tears, and a -trained nurse looking after her and--” John Hale stopped and pulled out -a crumpled note--“here, read for yourself,” and tossed it to him. - -Latimer scanned the few lines: - - DEAR MOTHER: - - Nurse Phelps will spend a few days with you in my absence. Have run off - for that promised change. Don’t worry, darling. - - POLLY. - -“Well?” he asked as he returned the note. - -“Mrs. Davis told me that she had wished Polly to take a vacation -for some time and visit their cousin, Mrs. Paul Davis, at Markham, -Virginia. She believed Polly had gone there.” John Hale paused. “I’ve -just talked with Mrs. Paul Davis on the long distance telephone. Polly -is not with her, and not expected.” - -Latimer regarded John Hale in bewilderment. “Then where has she gone?” -he questioned. - -“I have no idea.” Again John Hale played with his walking stick. - -Latimer considered him gravely. “What am I to infer?” he asked. “That -Polly has disappeared?” - -“Yes.” - -“But, my heavens, man! Why?” - -John Hale shifted his walking stick from one hand to the other. -“Overwork,” he said briefly; “unbalanced.” - -“Good Lord!” Again Latimer considered him. “Polly did not look ill.” - -“But she was,” fiercely. “Any fool could have seen it.” - -“Possibly so,” agreed Latimer quietly. “I haven’t seen Polly as -frequently as you or Austin.” - -John Hale’s strong white teeth snapped viciously at his under lip. - -“Leave Austin’s name out of it”--his manner was dictatorial in the -extreme and Latimer flushed. - -“I will, with pleasure, but”--he hesitated, then disregarding John -Hale’s glare, continued steadily--“are you quite sure that Austin’s -tragic death has not had something to do with Polly’s--as you -claim--mental condition?” - -John Hale compressed his lips ominously. “No,” he declared. “Get such -an idea out of your head at once.” - -“I can’t,” Latimer confessed frankly. “Austin and Polly were engaged.” - -“Were? Quite so.” John Hale’s laugh was mirthless. “The engagement was -broken by Polly before his death.” - -“How soon before his death?” - -“Damn! What business is it of yours?” John Hale turned on him savagely. - -Latimer rose. “None of my business--now,” he said. “You were the first -to bring up the discussion. You are of course at liberty to express -your views; I reserve the right to hold my own opinion. Good-morning.” - -“Here, wait--” John Hale pushed Latimer back in his chair. “I spoke -hastily--without thought--and I apologize. I’m a bit unhinged.” - -Latimer regarded him with concern. - -“Have you had any breakfast?” he asked. - -“No--yes--coffee and rolls; all I wanted,” John Hale moved restlessly. -“I must find Polly.” - -“Have you reported her disappearance to the police?” - -“No, certainly not; we must have no scandal,” John Hale frowned. “You -and I must find Polly.” - -“Willingly--but how are we to go about it?” - -“For one thing, you can call on Mrs. Davis under pretense of wishing -to engage Polly as your stenographer, and she will probably give -you her present address. You may get more out of her than I did. -Frankly,”--John Hale gave an embarrassed laugh--“Mrs. Davis’ manner to -me has been very peculiar lately. To-day she appeared almost to resent -my questions regarding Polly’s whereabouts.” - -Latimer whistled. “So!” he exclaimed. “She may be aiding Polly to avoid -you.” - -“That hadn’t occurred to me,” John Hale admitted. “But why? She knows I -am Polly’s best friend.” - -Latimer took out his cigarette case and offered it to his companion. -With his left hand he indicated the box of matches on the smoking stand -at Hale’s elbow. - -“Have you and Polly quarreled?” he asked. - -It took a few seconds for John Hale to light his cigarette. “No,” he -said between puffs. Then, removing his cigarette, he looked straight at -Latimer. “Polly is everything to me,” he stated solemnly. “I will never -give her up. She shall be my wife,” and his clenched fist struck the -arm of his chair a resounding blow. “Austin, dead or alive, shall not -come between us.” - -Latimer looked at him and then away. In the glance he had detected a -glimpse of the man he had never seen before--he had never suspected. In -that instant a naked soul had been bared in all its human frailties. - -“Austin has always been a disappointment to me,” John Hale -continued--he spoke almost as if communing with himself and forgetful -of Latimer’s presence. “For his mother’s sake I condoned his wild -habits while at college, his affairs with women,”--his voice rasped -through the room--“then he dared to play fast and loose with Polly.” - -“He did?” Latimer looked up, startled. “Good Lord, you don’t -suppose--?” he winced under John Hale’s iron grip and stopped speaking. - -“I suppose nothing,” John Hale spoke with fierce intentness. “Austin -had enemies, but Polly was not one of them--she had taken his measure -and ceased to care.” - -Latimer broke the ensuing silence. - -“Then why has Polly bolted?” he asked. - -John Hale winced and tapped his cane against his shoe. - -“Polly is ill from overwork,” he insisted doggedly. “Come, we are -wasting time. Suppose I run you down to Polly’s house and you can -question Mrs. Davis. You are not busy, are you?” with a quick look -about the room. - -“No; I’ll be with you in a minute,” and Latimer, true to his word, kept -him waiting only long enough to get his overcoat and hat. - -Fifteen minutes later Latimer was mounting the high steps of the -old-fashioned mansion on C Street where Polly and her mother eked out -a small and steadily shrinking income by taking “paying guests,” a -profitable business during the World War, but one that had grown less -so with the departure of the army of war-workers who had transformed -Washington from a city of leisure into one of volcanic activity and -unpleasant congestion. It was not until Latimer’s patience had grown -threadbare with repeated rapping and long intervals of waiting that a -small, neatly dressed colored girl, seemingly not over fifteen years of -age, opened the door and invited him to walk inside. - -“Magnolia,” called a voice from the direction of the back stairs. “Show -the gentleman into the parlor.” - -“Yassam,” Magnolia’s expansive smile disclosed a row of perfect teeth. -“Dis hyar way, suh; de madam will be long d’reckly. Who did you say, -suh?” evidently impressed with his stylish frock coat and neatly -creased trousers. “Miss Polly done gone away.” - -“I wish to see Mrs. Davis,” and Latimer handed her a visiting card. - -“Yas, suh, sutenly, suh.” Magnolia, meeting his friendly smile, grinned -from ear to ear, then bolted with astonishing rapidity out of the room. -She was totally oblivious of the fact that her youthful, penetrating -voice, raised to a pitch to reach Mrs. Davis standing on the top stair -landing, carried her words to Latimer’s ears. - -“Dar’s a splendiferous lookin’ gentle’um in his Sunday clothes waitin’ -ter see yo’; no, ma’am, he didn’t arsk fo’ Miss Polly, jes’ fo’ -you’--he’s got on great big spectacles and a top hat. What dat--you -wish de gentle’um’s cyard? Laws, ’scuse me, I done forgot”--and with -a loud snicker, Magnolia raced up the steps and pushed the pasteboard -into Mrs. Davis’s outstretched hand. - -Latimer had met Mrs. Davis a number of times at Mrs. Hale’s and she had -chaperoned a number of parties given in Polly’s honor by John Hale. She -looked extremely pretty, with her soft gray hair becomingly dressed, -her cheeks, unwrinkled in spite of multiplied cares, held a deeper -touch of color as she entered the parlor and greeted Latimer. He -admired her gentle manner and her air of breeding which no contact with -the rough workaday world had the power to efface. - -“I trust I have not disturbed you by selecting this unconventional -hour to call,” he began, seating himself somewhat gingerly on the edge -of a rickety antique chair which had been the pride of Polly’s great -grandfather. “Your maid said that Miss Polly was out, and as my errand -is somewhat urgent, I asked to see you.” - -Mrs. Davis’s brilliant color receded somewhat and her left hand played -nervously with her chain of coral from which was suspended a gold -locket. - -“You are always welcome,” she said, “no matter what your errand.” - -“Thanks,” and Latimer, much touched, smiled with equal cordiality. “I -am in immediate need of a first class stenographer, and I wondered if I -could persuade Miss Polly to forsake Robert Hale and come to me. I will -double her present salary.” - -Mrs. Davis drew in her breath. “That is a handsome offer,” she -exclaimed. “Of course I cannot answer for Polly, but, as she has -already resigned her position with Robert Hale--” - -“She has resigned, then?” - -“Yes.” Mrs. Davis looked her surprise at the abruptness of the -question. “I--I did not approve of her working so late at night. Mr. -Hale is kind in his way, but he is most exacting. The idea of keeping -her out until long after midnight on Tuesday, and night before last, -and then letting her come home in the street cars! He might at least, -have sent her home in his limousine.” Mrs. Davis came to an indignant -pause and Latimer looked his sympathy. - -“Miss Polly will have no night work to do for me,” he said. “And the -office hours are not long--the Stock Exchange closes early, you know, -and not much business is transacted after that.” - -Mrs. Davis nodded her head wisely. “I realize that,” she agreed. “The -stock market appears a bit more lively just now, Mr. Latimer. Tell -me,”--and she lowered her voice to a confidential pitch--“how are the -Troy Valve bonds rated now?” - -“They have picked up five points.” Latimer regarded her in some -surprise. “I did not know you took an interest in the stock market, -Mrs. Davis.” - -She colored painfully. “In former years we were large stockholders,” -she said; “now, alas, our securities have shrunk to these of Valve -bonds. I must tell Polly what you say. It is always well to sell on a -rising market, isn’t it?” - -“If you wish to sell, yes,” dryly. Latimer, conscious of the passing -time, was having difficulty concealing his uneasiness as he thought of -John Hale waiting a block away in his car. In his impatience he might -forget the rôle he had cast for Latimer and, instead of awaiting the -latter’s return, walk in at any moment and, by incautious questions, -betray his own plot to discover Polly’s whereabouts. “How soon will -Miss Polly be in?” - -“Oh, she is at Markham, Virginia, with my cousin, Mrs. Paul Davis,” she -responded easily. “You had best write to her there or, if you prefer, I -will write and tell her of your offer.” - -“That is kind of you.” Latimer had some difficulty schooling his voice -to the proper pitch of enthusiasm for his rôle. “But I must have Miss -Polly’s answer to-day. Can we not call her up on the long distance? I -see your telephone is in that corner”--and he stepped toward it. - -Mrs. Davis stopped him with a gesture. “No use, Mrs. Paul Davis has no -telephone,” she stated calmly. “I can send my letter special delivery -and she will get it to-day and wire to-morrow morning when the -telegraph office is open.” - -“That would perhaps be best.” Latimer made no effort, however, to -conceal his disappointment. “Is there any chance of Miss Polly’s -returning this afternoon?” - -“Hardly,” Mrs. Davis smiled in open amusement. “She left for Markham -only this morning.” - -“In that case it looks as if I shall have to wait until to-morrow,” -Latimer’s voice was rueful. “I wish that I had asked John Hale to tell -Miss Polly last night that I wished to engage her as my secretary.” - -“John did not see Polly last night.” A faint hardness crept into -Mrs. Davis’s softly modulated tone. “She worked very late at the -Hales’”--she hesitated, looked up, and caught his sympathetic -expression. “Oh, Mr. Latimer, I cannot help feeling that Polly sees too -much of the Hales--thinks too much of them and their interests--they -are so cold-blooded--so calculating. I wish”--and her voice choked with -feeling--“I wish that she had been dead before she ever saw John Hale.” - -Latimer regarded Mrs. Davis steadily. “John is a good fellow,” he -protested, “a loyal friend and a devoted admirer of your daughter.” He -studied her covertly. “Much more so than Austin--” - -“Ah, there you are wrong”--Mrs. Davis stopped and cast a frightened -look about the room. “Poor Austin, I cannot realize that he has gone -from us. He was so full of life, so anxious to succeed--his death is a -tragedy.” - -“And a mystery,” supplemented Latimer dryly. - -“A mystery indeed.” Mrs. Davis raised a small perfumed handkerchief -to her dry eyes. “My heart goes out to the Hales, they have much to -endure.” Latimer stared--she was expressing somewhat contradictory -views about the Hale family almost in one breath. She moved closer to -him. “Have the police discovered any fresh clews?” - -“Not to my knowledge.” Latimer edged toward the hall door. He dared -not linger, every extra moment might bring John Hale in search of him. -“Suppose you write to your daughter, Mrs. Davis, and I will also send -her a note within the hour. If you have word from her will you promise -to let me know at once?” - -“Certainly.” Mrs. Davis accompanied him to the front door. “I feel sure -Polly will gladly accept your offer. How soon would you wish her to -commence work?” - -“Immediately.” - -“Oh!” Mrs. Davis looked taken aback. “She really needs rest and -recreation, Mr. Latimer. Remember, she has just started on her -vacation.” - -Latimer thought a moment. “She might come to me for a few weeks, just -over this month, then go on another vacation, or rather, continue this -one, with pay.” - -“I will write that to Polly.” She shook his hand warmly. “I appreciate -your kindness and I am confident that Polly will come to you if she is -physically able.” - -“Then I am fortunate,” laughed Latimer. Mrs. Davis’s smile was -infectious. - -“Just a moment.” Mrs. Davis detained him as he was about to run down -the steps. Her pretty coaxing manner reminded him of Polly--mother and -daughter were much alike in appearance; only to Latimer’s fastidious -taste, Mrs. Davis was the more attractive. There was a certain -aggressiveness about Polly, in spite of her good looks, which always -repelled him. “Please treat what I said just now about John Hale as -strictly confidential.” - -“Certainly, madam,” and Latimer returned the pressure of her hand, -then he continued down the steps, her parting hail ringing in his ears: - -“Remember, not a word!” - -When Latimer rounded the corner into Pennsylvania Avenue where John -Hale had agreed to wait for him, his face was grave. He said nothing as -he climbed into the car and dropped down beside his friend, but as the -car continued up the avenue, he broke his silence. - -“I failed,” he admitted honestly, and a groan of disappointment broke -from John Hale. “Don’t worry, I’ll get Polly’s address to-morrow. Mrs. -Davis thinks I called to engage Polly as my secretary.” - -Had either Latimer or John Hale turned his head and looked backward -he could not have failed to see a woman standing under a tree at the -corner of John Marshall Place. Their car was lost in the traffic before -Mrs. Davis, recovering from a feeling of breathlessness produced by the -unusual exertion of running, turned slowly homeward. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -THE PUSH BUTTON - - -MRS. HALE contemplated Anna, the waitress, with marked disapproval. - -“You should not attempt to exert yourself until Dr. McLane gives you -permission,” she announced, with severity. - -“Dr. McLane told me to walk about as much as possible, madam.” Anna’s -manner was respectful almost to the point of servility. “He promised -to be here this afternoon. Indeed, Mrs. Hale, I’ll be careful. Don’t -worry, madam.” - -“I suppose the doctor knows what he is about”--Mrs. Hale, however, -looked extremely doubtful as she spoke. Her own attacks of illness were -distinct trials to every member of her family, as her chronic objection -to following the doctor’s orders or taking his medicines generally -retarded her recovery and produced a wish that “the Old Scratch” would -get her, that opinion having been voiced by a long-suffering trained -nurse, whose training had not included a course in insults. - -“Dr. McLane is sometimes inclined to error,” Mrs. Hale continued after -a slight pause. “Don’t take his directions too literally, Anna. Modify -them. If he said walk about for an hour, cut it to one half. And never -take a full dose of anything prescribed, reduce it by one half.” - -“Yes, madam; thank you,” and Anna executed a bob of a courtesy in spite -of her injured ankle. “Is there anything I can do for you?” - -“No, I think not. Now, mind what I say, don’t overexert yourself.” - -“Yes, madam,” and Anna started for the door only to be called back by -Mrs. Hale. - -“As you go downstairs please tell Maud that Mr. Latimer will lunch -with us--that is, I think he will, but he hasn’t answered my telephone -message.” Mrs. Hale thought a minute. “Maud can put a place for him.” - -“Very well, madam.” - -“Wait, there’s one thing more.” Mrs. Hale laid aside her knitting bag, -preparatory to rising. “See that the table is properly set, Anna, -please. Maud is--eh--not particular, and I am.” - -“I will set the table myself, madam.” - -“No, no, that is too much exertion for you, Anna.” - -“But, madam, I am strong again, see”--and Anna stepped across the -room. Her limp was slight. Mrs. Hale heaved a sigh of relief. - -“You have had a remarkable recovery,” she exclaimed. “My remedies can -be relied on to effect a quick cure. By the way,”--the thought of -luncheon uppermost for the moment--“if there is time enough, please -make an apple salad.” - -“Certainly, madam. Is there anything else?” - -“No, I can think of nothing.” Mrs. Hale wrinkled her brow, but no new -ideas came to her active brain. “Where is Miss Judith?” - -“In her boudoir, madam.” Anna, who had taken several steps toward the -door, paused. “Maud told me just now that Miss Judith and Detective -Ferguson have been holding a long”--Anna hesitated--“conference.” - -“Conference!” Mrs. Hale’s tone expressed astonishment. “Oh!” and she -stared at the waiting servant. “That is all, Anna,” and the waitress -made her escape. - -Mrs. Hale crossed the drawing-room and stood before the large -gilt-framed wall mirror which gave her a full length view of her -figure. It took several minutes to rearrange a bow of ribbon and -several pieces of jewelry, after which Mrs. Hale proceeded leisurely -to the third floor. She did not often climb to that height, and, on -reaching the head of the stairs, she paused to take breath, then, -passing down the broad hall, she turned the knob of a closed door and -entered a semidarkened room. - -It took her several seconds to pull up the Holland shades of the dormer -windows and flood the bedroom with sunlight. When she turned around she -saw a man sitting on the edge of the bed watching her. A slight scream -broke from her and she swayed dizzily. With a bound the man gained her -side. - -“Don’t be frightened, Mrs. Hale. It is only I, Detective Ferguson,” he -explained. “I thought you saw me when you first entered the room.” - -Mrs. Hale shook her head as she sank into the chair he placed for her. - -“Dear me,” she exclaimed, “I declare you gave me quite a turn. I had -no idea I should find any one in Austin’s bedroom.” Resentment against -its cause conquered her fright in some measure and she whirled on him. -“What are you doing here?” - -“I might ask the question of you,” he retorted coolly seating himself -opposite her. - -“Upon my word!” Mrs. Hale continued to stare at him. Then, as he -evinced no desire to address her, her manner changed. “I heard you -were in the house,” she began, ignoring his question as he had hers; -“and I intended to ask you not to leave until I had seen you.” - -“Indeed?” - -“Yes.” Mrs. Hale’s manner was graciousness itself. “And I am glad to -have this opportunity for a private interview.” - -“Yes?” Ferguson resorted to brevity while striving to divine a reason -for her sudden change of manner. - -“I have wanted so much to question you,” she announced. “Have you made -any progress in solving the mystery of Austin’s death?” - -“It depends on what you term ‘progress,’” he responded dryly. - -“Have you discovered any clew to his--his murderer?” she hesitated -over the last word. “Now, don’t put me off with stupid evasions,” she -added. “How do you know, if we talk over details _together_,” with -marked emphasis, “that I may not be able to detect some point of vital -importance which _you_ may have overlooked?” - -Ferguson gazed at her reflectively. There was something in what -she said. Was she really the fool he had taken her for all along? -If she was, and she held some knowledge which would aid him in -elucidating the Hale mystery, it would be to his advantage to win her -confidence--if necessary, with a show of confidence on his part. - -“That is not a bad idea,” he acknowledged. “I’ve handled many puzzling -cases, but this one,”--he paused--“this one has taken the lead”; then, -as she started to interrupt him, he added, “Here are the facts so far -known,”--he smiled--“publicly. Young Austin Hale--by the way, what was -his exact relationship to you?” - -“A nephew by adoption, at which time Austin assumed the name of -Hale,” was her concise reply, so unlike her usual flowery style of -conversation that it drew a smile from the detective. “His proper name -was Payne--Austin Payne.” - -“I see.” Ferguson was watching her as a cat watches a mouse. He had -maneuvered his chair so that his back was to the light while she faced -the sun’s merciless rays. “Austin returns to this house unexpectedly on -Tuesday night, is found by your son-in-law, Major Richards, stabbed to -death, and not a soul in your house knows anything about the tragedy.” -Ferguson’s gesture was expressive. “No weapon to be found but a pair -of shears, no motive for the crime but the theft of a more or less -valuable antique watch--a watch whose very ownership would lead to an -arrest on suspicion. There was no trace of a burglar’s having broken -into the house. Therefore the crime must have been committed by an -inmate of your house, Mrs. Hale.” - -“No, no!” she protested vehemently, and he detected the whitening of -her cheeks under the delicately applied rouge. - -“And every member of your household has an excellent alibi,” he went -on, not heeding her interruption. “There must be a flaw somewhere; -there has to be one.” And he lent emphasis to his words by striking his -clenched fist in the palm of his left hand. “Now, where is the flaw?” - -Mrs. Hale looked away from him, then back again. “I wish I knew,” she -wailed, and two large tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’ve racked my -brain trying to find a solution to the mystery, and at last I came up -here--” - -“For what?” - -“To see if Austin dropped any paper--any note paper, so big”--and she -demonstrated an approximate size while Ferguson listened eagerly. -“Austin must have had some reason for returning so unexpectedly.” - -“Of course he did,” agreed Ferguson. “And you think there may be a clew -tucked away in this bedroom. Well, we think alike in that. It is the -same line of reasoning which brought me up here.” Mrs. Hale winked away -her tears and brightened visibly; she was easily influenced by flattery -and Ferguson’s tone of comradeship tinged with admiration completely -won her. “This room has been thoroughly searched.” - -“But something may have been overlooked,” she interrupted eagerly. - -“Exactly--suppose we look,” and, rising, Ferguson aided her in her -rapid investigation of the bureau drawers. They were rewarded by -finding only a few articles of wearing apparel. Her ardor somewhat -dampened, Mrs. Hale accompanied the detective to the closet and stepped -inside its commodious depths. - -“This is evidently the overcoat and hat Austin was wearing on Tuesday -night,” Ferguson pointed out, holding them up for her inspection. “And -here is the coat of his suit,” removing it from the hook as he spoke. - -Mrs. Hale shrank back, then shaking off her slight feeling of -repugnance she deliberately searched every pocket--to find a silk -handkerchief and a gold card case in which were Austin’s visiting cards. - -“Austin must have come direct to his bedroom on reaching here Tuesday -night,” Ferguson remarked as he replaced the coat. “Why he went -downstairs in his vest and shirt sleeves, I cannot imagine.” - -“Perhaps he was in the midst of dressing and was called downstairs,” -suggested Mrs. Hale and her voice indicated pleased surprise at her own -astuteness. - -“Who called him?” - -“I haven’t the faintest idea”--she did not lower her eyes before -Ferguson’s penetrating gaze. - -“If it had been a woman,” mused Ferguson, “he surely would have stopped -to put on his coat.” - -“Not if he was urgently needed downstairs.” - -“But who could have ‘urgently needed him’?” questioned Ferguson -swiftly. “Your daughter--” - -“Was unaware of his presence in the house,” haughtily. “She stood in no -need of Austin’s assistance--put that idea out of your head instantly.” - -“You misunderstood me,” he protested. “I was only going to say that -your daughter was the only woman on the next floor.” - -“So we suppose.” - -Ferguson caught her up. “Do you suspect another woman was here?” he -demanded. “If so who was it--one of your servants?” - -“No, they were asleep in their rooms.” Mrs. Hale resumed her seat. She -was commencing to feel fatigued. “You have assured yourself of that.” - -“Yes,” acknowledged Ferguson. “We can eliminate them. I am, however, -considering all the women who _might_ have been here. You--” - -“I?” Although Mrs. Hale laughed heartily in amusement, there was -a false note in her somewhat high-pitched voice. “You surely do -not suspect _me_? Why, my dear man, I was at the French Embassy -reception; there are plenty of friends to testify to that besides my -brother-in-law, John Hale, who took me to the reception and brought me -home. You were here when we both arrived.” - -Ferguson laughed with her. “I was just running over the people who -belong in this house,” he explained. “Your husband was ill--” - -“And in bed,” she interpolated. - -“The servants in their quarters; Mrs. Richards in her room--at -least”--with a sharp look at her. “She was in her room, was she not?” - -“Certainly. She has a suite of rooms on the floor below.” - -“I was just in there.” Ferguson paused, then went back to what he had -been saying. “Major Richards was at the Metropolitan Club on Tuesday -night.” - -“So he told us.” Mrs. Hale raised her hands and dropped them with a -hopeless gesture. “Every person is accounted for--we are just where we -started.” - -“Not quite.” Ferguson hesitated and glanced about the room. Mrs. Hale, -upon entering, had closed the door behind her, and there seemed no -likelihood of their conversation’s being overheard. “I found on further -inquiry at the Metropolitan Club that Major Richards was last seen -there about midnight. The doorman on duty Tuesday night declares he did -not see him leave the club, and does not know the hour of his departure -for home.” - -“Well, what of that?” questioned Mrs. Hale, as he stopped. - -“This: according to Major Richards, he reached this house about -twenty minutes past one o’clock in the morning and he was last seen -in the club a little before midnight. It leaves an hour of his time -unaccounted for, and it was during that hour that Austin Hale was -murdered.” - -Mrs. Hale sat speechless for a minute. “Preposterous!” she exclaimed -hotly, recovering from her surprise “Why should Major Richards kill a -man he does not know?” - -Ferguson glanced uneasily at her and came to a quick decision. - -“Suppose Major Richards came home and found Austin talking to his wife -and became jealous--” - -Mrs. Hale bounced out of her chair. “How dare you insinuate that -Judith was having an affair with Austin?” she demanded. “You are most -insulting--I shall inform Major Richards--” - -“My dear madam, pray, calm yourself,” Ferguson begged, appalled by the -storm he had provoked. “I thought we agreed to talk over all aspects of -the Hale murder--it was your own suggestion.” - -“Certainly it was, but I did not expect--” Mrs. Hale sniffed. “If you -ask Major Richards to account for all his time Tuesday night he will do -so, I am convinced. A man of his temperament and record--” - -“Where is his record?” broke in Ferguson. “What is his record? I cannot -learn anything about him.” - -“His record is on file in the War Department.” - -“His army record, yes.” Ferguson pulled out his watch and jumped to his -feet “Pardon me, Mrs. Hale, but I have a consultation at my office and -must leave at once.” - -“Tell me before you go,”--Mrs. Hale detained him with a gesture--“did -you find anywhere among Austin’s belongings either here or in New York -a railroad ticket?” - -“A ticket? No.” Ferguson eyed her sharply. “Why?” - -“I was wondering if he had just stopped over a train on his way south,” -she explained glibly. “It was just an idea--don’t let me detain you -longer.” - -Ferguson halted in indecision; however, his engagement brooked no -further delay if he was to be on time for it. He could question Mrs. -Hale later in the day. - -“I will return,” he said. “But if you desire me at any time, please -telephone, Mrs. Hale. Good-morning.” - -Left to her own resources, Mrs. Hale diligently searched the room. She -had about decided to stop, disgusted with her lack of results when on -feeling about in the depths of the top drawer of Austin’s bureau she -touched a small book, and pulled it out. On its leather cover she saw -stamped in gold the insignia of a Senior secret society at Yale. - -Mrs. Hale turned over several of the leaves and glanced down the -pages, hesitated a moment then, placing the book in her convenient -knitting bag, she proceeded to the dining room to make certain that -Maud had properly set the luncheon table. She was particular about -small household details. As she passed the door of Judith’s boudoir she -failed to see Richards standing somewhat in its shadow regarding her. -Richards was still gazing after her retreating figure when Judith, who -was in their bedroom dressing for luncheon, called to him. - -“Please ring for Maud,” she asked as he appeared, and obediently he -returned to the boudoir and reached for the push button. The act was -mechanical, and it was not until he had made three attempts to ring the -bell that he realized that the small object he was fingering was not -the push button. - -Richards stepped back and surveyed the boudoir walls. The bell he -sought was on the other side of the door leading into their bedroom. -After pressing the button he walked back and examined the little object -on the opposite wall. To all intents and purposes it resembled an -electric push button, hanging just below an enlarged photograph of -Mrs. Hale. - -Richards’ strong sensitive fingers felt behind the framed photograph -until they encountered a tiny wire. It wound in and out along the -picture wire until it encountered the wires of the branch telephone. He -stood in deep thought for some minutes, then walked into the bedroom. - -“Can I be of service, dear?” he asked his wife. “Maud hasn’t answered -the bell.” - -Judith, wrestling with a refractory hook, shook her head. “Thanks, but -Maud’s clever fingers are needed to disentangle this mess,” she said. -“Do you mind running downstairs and telling her to come to me? The bell -must be out of order.” - -“I’ll have her here in a jiffy,” Richards answered, but, once in the -hall, his footsteps lagged. - -No one was in sight, and getting down on his knees he felt along the -telephone wire which ran on top of the wall board. The same fine wire -was fastened in place alongside it. Step by step Richards traced the -two wires running side by side until they crossed the door-jamb of Mr. -and Mrs. Robert Hale’s bedroom. They were old-fashioned in their ideas -and occupied the same room. - -Richards tapped, first gently, then more loudly, on the partly -opened door and getting no response, he walked inside. It was a large -room filled with handsome mahogany furniture, the carved four-post -bedstead taking up the greater space. But Richards had eyes for but -one object standing on a table in an obscure corner of the room, with -a soft typewriter cover partly concealing the receivers and earpieces -from view. Walking over to it, Richards lifted the cover and examined -the instrument. When he laid the cover down his expression indicated -incredulity and a dawning horror. - -With what object had Robert Hale or his wife, or both, placed a -dictograph in Judith’s boudoir? - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -LINKS IN THE CHAIN - - -ANNA, the waitress, answered Robert Hale’s persistent ring of the front -bell with all the speed her strained ankle would permit. At sight -of her, Hale restrained an outburst of temper and with a mumbled, -“Thanks,” stamped past her into the central hall of his home. - -“Is my brother in the house, Anna?” he inquired, tossing down his -overcoat and hat on the first chair he came to. - -“Yes, sir, I believe so.” Anna closed the front door as an icy current -of air blew her becoming cap at right angles. “His hat and cane are -here on the coat stand, and I heard him ask Mr. Latimer to go to his -room with him as they left the dining room after luncheon.” - -Hale paused on his way to the library. “Who lunched here?” - -“Mrs. Hale, Miss Judith, Major Richards, Mr. Latimer, and Mr. John, -sir,” Anna explained in detail. “Mrs. Hale complained of a headache -and the Major volunteered to take her for a run in Miss Judith’s -electric.” - -“Did Miss Judith accompany them?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -Hale looked at the pretty waitress. It was the first time that he had -seen her since her injury to her ankle. Contrary to expectations, he -had not returned for luncheon but had remained at the club. - -“How are you feeling, Anna?” he asked kindly. “Not overdoing it by -being about too soon, are you?” - -“No, sir.” Anna flushed with pleasure. Hale seldom addressed her, much -less took an interest in her welfare, and she had some ado to conceal -her surprise. “I’m feeling fine, sir. Is there anything I can do for -you, sir, before I go upstairs?” - -“You are going upstairs?” Hale halted. “Then please stop at Mr. John’s -room and tell him that I would like to see him alone in the den.” - -“Very good, sir,” and Anna sought the back stairs and limped her way to -the third floor. - -John Hale’s bedroom was almost directly opposite that occupied by his -stepson Austin. As Anna came down the hall she was greeted by tobacco -smoke which drifted through the open transom over John Hale’s door. In -response to her knock he came into the hall. - -“If you please, Mr. John, your brother wishes to see you alone in the -den,” she said. - -“Now?” - -“Yes, sir, I suppose so. Mr. Hale just said that he would like to see -you,” and having delivered her message, Anna executed her bob of a -courtesy and went her way. - -John Hale walked back into his bedroom with a scowling face, and over -to the divan where Frank Latimer lounged, smoking his inevitable -cigarette. - -“Robert’s sent for me,” he stated. “What do you suppose he is up to?” - -Latimer dropped his cigarette in the smoking stand and stood up. - -“Mrs. Davis told me, you recollect, that Polly had resigned her -position as his secretary,” he reminded him. “Probably your brother has -just received a note from her.” - -“By Jove!” John Hale’s scowl vanished. “The note may give Polly’s -address. Come on, Frank,” and he made for the door, followed in a more -leisurely fashion by his companion. - -“Didn’t your brother send word that he wished to see you alone?” he -asked. “I thought I heard Anna tell you so.” - -“She did, that’s true”--John Hale paused at the head of the staircase. -“Wait for me, will you? I won’t be long. And then, if there is no -address on Polly’s note, we’ll motor to Markham and see for ourselves -if Polly is there or not.” - -“But, look here--” - -“No ‘buts,’” John Hale slapped him on the back. The prospect of action -had brought back his spirits. “You’ve got to see me through this, -Frank, for the sake of ‘auld lang syne.’ You’ve kept me out of trouble -before, remember that”--and he gripped Latimer’s hand and wrung it. - -“It looks as if I had contracted for a big job,” groaned Latimer, -expanding his fingers which tingled from John Hale’s pressure. “I’ll -gladly turn you over to Polly with my blessings. I’ll wait for you in -the library, but don’t be long.” - -“All right,” and the two friends parted on the second floor. - -John Hale did not go at once to his brother’s den. Instead, he watched -Latimer disappear down the circular staircase, then very slowly crossed -the hall and looked inside Judith’s boudoir. It was empty. With -indecision written plainly on his face, he turned about and sought the -den. Robert Hale looked up from his desk, where he was writing with -feverish speed, as his brother entered. - -“Close the door, John,” he directed, and waited in silence until his -brother had crossed the room and stood by the fireplace, in which a gas -log burned. “Sit down.” - -John Hale regarded his brother with no friendly eyes. He had always -resented what he termed “Robert’s elder brother act,” and his -dictatorial manner generally grated, besides which their natures were -too diametrically opposed ever to agree on any subject. John’s height -and commanding figure had always been a source of envy to his delicate -brother, while the latter’s scientific achievements and financial -prosperity had served to widen the breach between them. - -“I can stay only a minute,” John announced, lounging against the -mantel. “What do you wish to see me about?” - -Hale’s thin lips tightened into a straight line. “Sit down first,”--his -manner was a bit more courteous--“and I will explain. No, take that -chair where you can face me,” and John, against his wishes, dropped -into a seat facing not only his brother but the full glare of light -from the window. - -“Well, what is it?” he asked, as his brother volunteered no remark. - -“Can you tell me the present whereabouts of my secretary, Polly Davis?” -asked Hale. - -“Why do you ask?” - -“Because she has sent me her resignation, and I desire to find out -where she has gone and why she has skipped.” - -“Skipped?” There was instant anger in John’s loud tone. “What d’ye -mean, ‘skipped’?” - -“Run away, if you like it better.” It was impossible to mistake Hale’s -sneering manner. With a curse, John started from his chair. - -“You--” he began. - -“Quiet, John,” cautioned Hale suavely. “Hear what I have to say before -you lose your temper.” - -John dropped back in his chair. “Go on,” he shouted, “but don’t try me -too far; keep a civil tongue when you speak of Polly--she is pure and -sweet and I’ll not have her character defiled.” - -“And she met Austin here on Tuesday night,” Hale commented dryly. “You -know Austin’s reputation--sit down!” as John again started to his feet. -“Either hear me to the end or leave now,” and Hale threw himself back -in his seat. “I will not be interrupted every second.” - -With difficulty the younger brother mastered his rage. At all cost he -felt that he must get information about Polly, and he could do so only -by maintaining self-control. He knew his brother too well to doubt that -if Hale awoke to the fact that John desired such information he would -withhold it from sheer deviltry. - -“I am listening,” he said sullenly. “Only remember, my time is -valuable.” - -Hale smiled with his lips only. “Let us face the situation,” he -remarked. “Polly met Austin here on Tuesday night--” - -“How do you know she did?” John demanded hotly. - -“I saw her,” calmly. - -“You--” John stared at him. “You were ill in bed.” - -“I was ill--but not in bed,” corrected Hale. “Anna had forgotten to put -a glass of ice water on my bed table and, becoming thirsty, I got up, -walked down the hall and helped myself from the pitcher and glasses -which always stand there at night.” He paused. “I started to return -when I thought I heard a woman crying and I took several steps down the -circular staircase--” - -“Well?” prompted John, as his brother stopped to take breath. -“Continue.” - -“You are interested?” A mocking gleam shone for an instant in Hale’s -deep-set eyes. “I glanced over the bannister into the central hall and -saw Polly Davis come out of the library.” - -The silence in the den grew oppressive. Suddenly John Hale raised both -hands and tugged at his collar as if for air. Then, just as suddenly, -his hands fell to his sides. - -“What followed?” he asked, and Hale wondered at the moderation of his -tone. He had expected a tongue-lashing at the least, if not a physical -encounter--his taut muscles relaxed and he assumed an easier position. - -“Polly stood clinging to the portières for an instant, then before I -could call to her, she ran to the front door and dashed outside,” Hale -continued. - -“Did you go downstairs?” questioned John. - -“No, I did not feel equal to the exertion,” Hale explained. “I returned -to bed.” - -“What? Without going to see what Polly was doing here and why she -should be crying?” asked John incredulously. - -Hale smiled cynically. “I have been brought up on woman’s tears,” he -remarked. “Agatha has let loose the floodgates so often that I am -schooled to indifference. I supposed Polly had been with Judith in -the library, and it was not until I was told of Austin’s death that I -ascribed another reason for her presence here after midnight.” - -John looked at him with bloodshot eyes. “Don’t try me too far,” he -warned. “It wouldn’t take much to kill you,” and he extended his -powerful hands, fingers distended as if to grip their prey. - -His brother watched him unmoved. - -“It is easy to kill a man--witness Austin’s murder,” he commented. “But -it is unpleasant to swing for the crime. I am glad Polly has bolted.” - -“You jump to conclusions,” retorted John. “Because _you_ saw Polly -coming out of the library it does not prove that she killed Austin, nor -does it prove that she knew he was here, nor that she talked with him.” - -“That is true,” agreed Hale; “but in addition to seeing her leave the -library I know that she had borrowed Agatha’s latchkey. I know she -expected to see Austin--” - -“Prove it,” John shouted. “I demand proof.” - -Hale unlocked his desk drawer, took out a crumpled sheet of -typewriting, and, still retaining a firm hold on the sheet, extended it -so that his brother could read the words. “This is a page copied from -my manuscript,” he explained. “Polly spoiled the sheet by reversing -the carbon,”--he turned it over and showed the impression on the other -side--“but before she did so she indicated where her thoughts were -straying by this”--and his finger pointed to the typed lines, repeated -several times at the bottom of the sheet: - -“Saw Austin 10-t-b-53-76c.” - -“What gibberish is that?” asked John scornfully. - -“Not gibberish,” calmly, “but the combination of my safe.” - -The striking of the clock as the hands registered three sounded like a -knell in John Hale’s ears. His brother was the first to speak. - -“These links in the chain of evidence considered separately are weak,” -he admitted candidly, “but taken together, they are strong.” - -“I don’t believe it,” protested John. “It is all circumstantial -evidence--” - -“To which Polly has lent substance by her disappearance,” retorted -Hale: “Had she stayed here and continued as my secretary, attention -would not have been attracted to her.” - -John did not reply at once and Hale, watching him, noted his changed -expression with bated interest. - -“To sum up,”--Hale’s voice cut the silence and scraped afresh John’s -raw nerves--“Polly was engaged to Austin--can you deny it?” Receiving -no reply, he went on, “Polly knew he would be here Tuesday night, -witness her presence in the house at midnight; she supplied him with -the combination of my safe; she was seen leaving the library at the -very time he must have been murdered, and his body was found lying near -the _open_ safe--” - -“Hold on, she may have been here and all that,” John broke in with -rough vehemence, “but some one else may have killed Austin even in her -presence--” - -“Then why has she not told the police?” John remained silent, and his -brother continued speaking. “I hoped Polly would brave it out here, -and to reduce her anxieties--for I know how pushed she is for money--I -increased her salary and held my tongue.” - -John stared at him long and intently before again addressing him. - -“Why have you kept silent and not informed the police of your -suspicions?” he asked, curiously. “Charity is not usually one of your -virtues.” - -“Austin deserved what he got,” Hale answered slowly. “And--I was always -fond of a sporting chance. Therefore, John, find Polly and I will aid -you to finance a trip to a country where extradition is not enforced.” - -John’s face flamed scarlet. Slowly his color ebbed and his hands -unclenched, and when he spoke his voice was low and measured. - -“Where am I to find Polly?” - -Hale took a letter from his desk. “Polly writes that she is called out -of town and, not knowing the date of her return, fears that she will be -unable to continue as my secretary, and with every good wish, begs to -remain faithfully mine.” Hale shrugged his shoulders by way of comment, -and added: “The letter is dated this morning, has no street address -on it, and was sent to my club. See for yourself,” and he tossed the -letter to him. - -John read the familiar writing several times, then folding the sheet, -tucked it in his pocket and rose. - -“Is there anything else you wish to see me about?” he asked. - -“No.” Hale turned carelessly back to his desk. “Take a fool’s advice -and do not procrastinate in your search for Polly.” - -John walked in silence to the door. Once there, he looked back and -addressed his brother. - -“Some day I’ll wring your damn neck!” he exclaimed, and his brother’s -mocking laughter was still ringing in his ears as he went down the -circular staircase. - -The sound of voices at the front door aroused him from his thoughts, -and, looking in that direction, he saw Maud, the parlor maid, -conversing with a District messenger boy. She was in the act of signing -a receipt when an oblong package on which she was trying to write, -slipped from her awkward fingers and struck with a resounding thud on -the marble floor of the vestibule. There was a tinkle of broken glass -as the tissue paper covering burst. The messenger, scenting trouble, -snatched the receipt out of her hand and bolted down the steps, while -Maud, with a loud exclamation, stooped and picked up the package. - -“Look at that, now!” she gasped in tragic tones, as John Hale stopped -beside her. “What’ll I do? I’ve broken the crystal of Major Richards’ -watch.” And tearing off the remains of the tissue paper, she held the -piece of jewelry before him. - -John Hale scarcely heard her words, his attention was entirely centered -on the open-faced watch. Small bits of crystal still clung to its face, -but the dial had not been injured and the hands were intact. - -“Where did the watch come from?” he asked, and at the eagerness in his -voice Maud looked up. - -“It’s Major Richards’!” she explained. “Jennings, the watchmaker on -Fourteenth Street, sent word by the boy that he couldn’t get it over -last night as promised, so he sent it this afternoon. What will the -Major say to me?” and Maud’s distress found vent in a subdued sniff -presaging a burst of tears. - -“Don’t worry, Maud; I’ll explain to Major Richards that the accident -was unavoidable. Let me have the watch,” and as Maud expressed voluble -thanks, he sped into the library, the watch dangling from its chain. - -“Frank,” he cried. “Hurry, man, I’ve found”--he checked himself at -sight of Judith sitting on the lounge talking to Latimer. - -Judith turned her head at his abrupt entrance and looked at him, then -her eyes wandered from his excited face to the watch which he held at -arm’s length as he advanced toward them. - -“See!” he exclaimed, and rested the watch on the tufted side of the -lounge, where both Judith and Latimer had a close view of its antique -beauty. Judith bent closer and when she straightened up her face was -flushed. - -“It is Austin’s watch!” she declared. “I can swear to it.” - -“You need not swear--it is Austin’s watch,” John Hale’s tone was cold -and cutting. “But you can explain how the watch came in the possession -of your husband, Major Richards.” - -Judith’s bright color faded. “It is in your possession, and not in the -possession of my husband,” she retorted. “Had you not better do the -explaining?” - -“Willingly--the watch has been in my hands just about four -minutes.” John lifted the paper tag attached to the chain. “Listen, -Judith--‘Major J. C. Richards--repair broken link in chain and return -immediately.’ Your husband left the watch and chain with Jennings and -he has returned it.” John Hale moderated his rapid speech and spoke -with impressiveness. “Austin was murdered and his watch stolen--that -watch has turned up ticketed with your husband’s name. Kindly explain -it.” - -Judith was conscious of the intent watchfulness of her uncle and Frank -Latimer as they waited for her reply, and with all her will power she -strove to steady her voice. - -“My husband is out just now,” she stated clearly. “When he returns he -will explain everything to our satisfaction.” - -“Will he?” John Hale’s high temper had slipped control. “I see it all -now. Your father knows your husband killed Austin, and to save family -scandal has plotted evidence against Polly Davis, even buying her -silence and providing funds to have her disappear.” - -“Have you taken leave of your senses?” demanded Judith, breaking into -his torrent of words. - -“No, on the contrary, every faculty is on the alert,” retorted John -Hale. “By God, to think of Robert’s trying to shield Richards by making -an innocent girl appear guilty. It’s an outrage and I’ll expose every -rotten one of you--” - -“Steady, John!” Latimer stepped in front of him. “Go easy! You shan’t -insult Judith in my presence.” - -“Don’t you interfere. Judith shall learn the truth about her rascally -husband”--he waved the watch in front of the white-faced girl. -“Richards took this watch from Austin as he took your Valve bonds from -your father’s safe. I’ve got the goods on him, and he’ll swing for -Austin’s murder.” - -“He will not!” Judith’s voice rose, clear and strong, and silenced even -her overwrought uncle. Her eyes glowed with passionate anger as she -faced him. “You dare to threaten me, Uncle John?” - -“I dare to protect Polly Davis from underhand, blackguardly treatment,” -he replied. “It is a frame-up.” - -“Is it?” Judith’s smile was dangerous. “Go back to Polly and take her -that watch. Tell her there is a link missing in the chain you are -trying to forge and I have it, although she may have the Mizpah locket. -Go, both of you!” - -John Hale started as if stung. Then, without a word he pocketed the -watch and, seizing Latimer’s arm, dragged him out of the room. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -THE DANCING SILHOUETTES - - -ON hearing the slam of the front door behind her uncle and Frank -Latimer, Judith went to the windowed alcove of the library overlooking -the street on which their house faced and, concealed from the view of -passers-by, she watched John Hale and his companion enter the former’s -touring car and drive off. Not until the car had turned the corner did -she relax her vigilant attitude, then, turning, she paced up and down -the floor. She could not keep still. Her nerves were aquiver, her brain -on fire. - -How had Austin’s antique watch come into her husband’s possession? -Again and again her lips framed the same question--with but the one -answer. Richards must have taken it from Austin’s dead body. But -why--why? Austin was wearing the watch when murdered; that she could -swear to. Had she not taken the Mizpah locket from its chain in that -awful moment when she had first discovered his body and left the watch -with its dangling broken chain in his pocket? - -What was it her husband had told her? She pressed her fingers against -her throbbing temples in an effort to remember. He had returned just -as she reached the hall, had carried her unconscious to their boudoir, -revived her, gone downstairs for a bottle of bromides and discovered -Austin lying murdered in the library. She whitened to the lips. Had he -seized the opportunity to rifle her father’s safe, the door of which -was open, before sending for the coroner and police? - -He had sold Valve bonds belonging to her which had disappeared that -night from the safe, and now--Judith raised her hands in silent, -passionate protest--if Joe, in dire need of money, had yielded to -sudden overwhelming temptation and taken her bonds, why--why had he -stolen Austin’s watch? It could bring him no money return, for the -first attempt to sell it would focus suspicion upon him. - -If he had been so mad as to steal the watch as well as the bonds, why -had he been so foolhardy as to send it to a watchmaker to have the -chain repaired, trusting to any messenger to return it to him unknown -to others? - -Judith stopped short in her restless walk as a sudden idea occurred -to her. Was her husband a kleptomaniac? Had he yielded to an insane -impulse to steal? Judith racked her brain to remember what she had -heard of kleptomania--that it was a recognized mental derangement, -an irresponsible and irresistible propensity to steal, and that the -kleptomaniac cared nothing for the objects stolen as soon as the craze -to steal was gratified. But Joe had cared enough to sell her Valve -bonds. That might have been a sane act, Judith acknowledged to herself -bitterly, but to take a useless watch which would surely involve him in -another and greater crime was the act of insanity. - -_Would involve_ him--it _had already involved_ him. Judith’s breath -came faster and perspiration appeared in beads on her forehead. She -knew John Hale’s stubborn will, his passionate affection for Polly -Davis--he would move heaven and earth to convict her husband. What more -likely than that he was already at Police Headquarters swearing out a -warrant for his arrest? - -Judith’s loyalty to her husband was instantly in arms. He might be a -kleptomaniac,--if so, he was to be pitied and protected,--but he was -not a murderer--Judith’s faith remained unshaken. With all her woman’s -wit she would prove him worthy of her trust and devotion, and clear -him of any suspicion of complicity in Austin’s murder. - -But how to go about it? The locket had disappeared while she and her -husband were sitting in the boudoir through which the thief had to pass -to enter the bedroom. There was but one person to her knowledge to -whom the locket was of vital importance--Polly Davis. And she, Judith, -had informed Polly that it was in her possession only a short time -before its disappearance. But the only living persons who had had an -opportunity to steal her jewelry were--herself or her husband. - -Judith shuddered--had Joe’s thieving propensities caused him to take -her jewelry? Her back had been toward him when he went to get her glass -of water, but even if there had been time for him to slip into their -bedroom and get the jewelry, where had he hidden it without her seeing -him? Judith stared dully at the opposite wall, despair tugging at her -heartstrings. - -“Hello, Judith,” called a cheery voice from the doorway, and Judith, -whirling around with a violent start, saw Dr. McLane, black bag in -hand, looking at her. “I have just been upstairs treating Anna’s ankle -and I stopped in here on my way out to see if any one was at home.” - -“Come in, doctor,” she exclaimed. “You have arrived in answer to my -thoughts.” - -As he took her extended hand in greeting he glanced quickly at her--her -palm was dry and hot to the touch. Instantly his fingers sought her -pulse. - -“Come, Judith, this won’t do,” he remonstrated gravely. “Your pulse is -pounding like a millrace. I have cautioned you before--” - -“Please, doctor, don’t scold,” she pleaded. “It is only caused by -momentary excitement. I’ll calm down after a talk with you.” - -“Will you?” doubtfully. “Well, fire away.” - -Judith wheeled a chair around. “Do sit down,” she coaxed, “I can’t -think of a thing to say while you stand with that air of bolting away.” - -McLane laughed as he followed her wishes, placing the black bag within -reach. “I am all attention,” he declared. “Go ahead.” - -“Can kleptomania be cured?” - -McLane stared at her; the question was unexpected. - -“Not permanently,” he replied, and Judith, who was toying with a fan -which was attached to a silk cord about her neck, raised it to her lips -to hide their trembling. - -“What are its symptoms?” she asked. - -“Symptoms?” The surgeon was distinctly puzzled by her questions. “It -is a mental derangement usually found among the wealthy class, for -the craze lies in the _act_ of stealing, and the article stolen is -of indifference to the genuine kleptomaniac and is often of no value -whatever. A thief steals for gain for himself or another.” - -“I see.” Judith paused, and a moment later Dr. McLane, who had been -openly studying her--though she was unconscious of it--roused her from -her bitter thoughts. - -“Where are your mother and Major Richards?” he inquired. - -“They have gone to Walter Reed Hospital to see Major LeFevre,” she -explained. “I did not feel equal to the long trip and had them leave me -here after a short turn on the speedway.” - -“It would have been better had you stayed out in the fresh air,” -commented McLane frankly. “You are brooding too much, Judith. I -fear”--with a keen glance at her--“Austin’s death has upset you more -than you realize.” - -“We are all upset,” she admitted. “And the suspense--not knowing who is -guilty of the crime is terrible.” She paused a moment. “Could it have -been suicide?” - -McLane shook his head. “Impossible, judging from the nature of the -wound,” he insisted. “The autopsy proved that.” - -Judith straightened up. “You were present at the autopsy, were you not?” - -“Yes.” - -“Doctor,”--Judith’s hesitation was perceptible as she toyed with her -fan--“do you believe that Austin was stabbed with a pair of shears?” - -“That is a difficult question to answer offhand, Judith,” he replied -gravely. “Austin’s death was caused by a punctured wound. These wounds, -Judith, are generally smaller in circumference than the weapon used, -for the skin is stretched and yields to a certain extent. Therefore the -wound might have been inflicted with long, slender shears.” - -Judith considered his answer in silence, a silence which seemed endless -to the busy surgeon. Finally, with a glance at her and another at the -dial of the clock, he rose and picked up his bag. - -“I must go, Judith,” he said. “Take my advice, child, and lie down for -a while. If you don’t you will be added to my list of patients. Please -do as I ask you.” - -Few could resist McLane’s charming smile, and Judith’s “I will” was -prompt. She experienced a strange reluctance to have him go, and only -an exertion of her self-control prevented her from calling him back as -she closed the front door on his retreating figure. In her room Judith -did her best to comply with McLane’s request, but she could not lie -still on the bed. Finally, unable longer to control her desire for -motion, she got up and wandered into the boudoir. From there she went -to her father’s den. He was not there, and Judith with a glance into -his bedroom, closed the door, and, going over to his desk, she sat down -before it and went carefully through his papers. - -It was dusk, the early dusk of a winter afternoon when Judith again -entered the library. Anna, the waitress, had not performed her usual -duties of turning on the electric lights, and Judith contented herself -with switching on the lamp nearest her father’s safe. Dropping on her -knees before it, she propped a playing card on a stool beside her, and, -placing her hand on the knob of the steel door, turned the dial. It was -slow, laborious work and perspiration trickled into Judith’s eyes. She -saw but dimly the Knave of Hearts--the red of the playing card alone -showed up plainly. A last twist of her wrist and the heavy steel door -swung backward, and Judith sank down in a crouching position to rest -her cramped muscles. - -She was still looking directly inside the safe when a handkerchief -was drawn across her eyes and a hand detached the wire connecting her -earphone and the little electric battery which she wore tucked inside -her belt. Completely taken by surprise and too paralyzed to move, -Judith sat motionless as the hand, having completed its mission, slid -around and covered her mouth. Then, before she could scramble to her -feet, hands dragged her backward until she felt herself resting against -a table leg. It took but a moment to tie her to it; the next instant a -handkerchief gag replaced the hand across her mouth. - -For what seemed an eternity Judith sat without motion, cut off from -sound, from sight-- - -Surely the distorted silhouettes dancing before her vision were -creatures of her imagination! Or could it be the shadows of real people -seen through the folds of the handkerchief? - -Bound, blindfolded, gagged, deprived of her earphone, and her hearing -deadened by nature, Judith’s heart was beating with suffocating -rapidity. She must get aid--aid before she fainted. Instinctively she -bit and worried her gag, and the handkerchief, insecurely tied, parted -finally. Judith filled her lungs with air, moistened her parched lips, -and tried to call for help. - -The whispered cry reached only to the confines of the room. To Judith’s -ears no sound penetrated, and she waited in agony. Had her shout -carried beyond the library? Surely the maids, her father--some one must -hear her? - -She opened her mouth for another attempt, and an oblong object was -thrust between her teeth and lashed around her head. Once again she was -left to herself. The excruciating pain produced by the new gag caused -Judith to clench her teeth against it so as to relieve the pressure on -the strained flesh. - -Judith had lost all track of time when suddenly she felt the cords, -binding her to the table leg, loosened, and, as consciousness left her, -she was lifted upward, a dead weight. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -EDGED TOOLS - - -ROBERT HALE crossed the central hall and entered the library with -characteristic haste. On finding only a solitary light burning, he -stopped and switched on the other lamps until the library was flooded -with light. - -“Hello!” he exclaimed, catching sight of Major Richards standing in -front of the fireplace. “Glad you are ready for dinner. It never fails, -Joe, if I am hungry, Mrs. Hale is always late. She never has a well -regulated appetite.” - -Richards laughed. “Your wife told me not to change into a dinner coat,” -he explained, glancing apologetically at his sack suit. “She said we -were so late in getting back from Walter Reed Hospital that there was -not time.” - -“Beastly bore changing for dinner.” Hale wandered aimlessly about the -library. “Agatha insists upon it, so”--a shrug completed the sentence. -“See that you imbue Judith with the idea that you are master, and you -will enjoy future peace of mind.” - -“I cannot conceive of Judith’s ever requiring a master,” retorted -Richards, a trifle heatedly, and Hale laughed. - -“You are young and you haven’t been married long,” he remarked -indulgently. “Where’s Judith?” - -“She hasn’t come down yet.” Richards removed his foot from the brass -fire iron and stood with his back to the mantel. “I plan to take Judith -to Palm Beach on Thursday.” - -“You do, eh?” and Hale looked taken aback. - -“Yes,” steadily. “Judith is not strong.” - -Hale did not reply. Instead, he scrutinized his son-in-law from his -well shod foot to the top of his short cropped hair. There was an air -of distinction, of courage, in Richards’ carriage and in his firm chin -and clear eyes, eyes which did not waver before Hale’s piercing glance. - -“That is not a bad plan of yours,” Hale remarked finally. “Perhaps -Agatha and I will follow you in a week or two. The fact is”--he -selected a chair near Richards--“Austin’s death and the mystery -surrounding it are getting on every one’s nerves. It is demoralizing -the household. The police--bah! they are incompetents. They never see -the obvious.” - -“And what is the obvious, Mr. Hale?” - -Hale hesitated and cast a doubtful look at his son-in-law. - -“The curious behavior of a certain female--” - -Richards bent forward and stared at him, waiting for the sentence to be -completed. - -“What female do you allude to?” he demanded impatiently, breaking the -pause. - -The portières were pulled aside, and Anna, the waitress, appeared, -silver salver in hand. - -“Beg pardon, Mr. Hale, but here is a telegram for Miss Davis,” and she -extended it to him. “The messenger refused to take it to her house -address.” - -“Very well, I will see that it is forwarded.” Hale put on his glasses, -inspected the Western Union envelope and its address, then laid the -telegram on the table. “Has Mr. John returned, Anna?” - -“No, sir,” and Anna limped away to the pantry by way of the dining room -as Mrs. Hale stepped between the portières in front of the doorway -leading to the central hall. - -“Now, don’t say I am late, Robert,” she began. “I have lost no time, -and I do believe I am down before Judith,” with a quick glance about -the library. “What did you do with yourself this afternoon?” - -“Took a walk,” laconically. Hale drummed his fingers on the chair, and -Richards wondered for the second time what made him so restless. He had -always an alertness of manner, but to Richards it now appeared almost -furtive. Hale pointed to the clock. “Why do we have to wait for Judith -and John?” he demanded. “Suppose we go in to dinner.” - -Richards left his place by the mantel. “I’ll go for Judith,” he -volunteered. “I would have done so before, Mrs. Hale; I but stopped in -here on our return, thinking she would come in every minute.” - -As he crossed the library, a door slammed in the distance and heavy -footsteps approached just as Richards reached the portières. They were -dragged aside and he came face to face with John Hale whose labored -breathing indicated haste or excitement, or both combined. - -“So you are here!” John Hale exclaimed in high satisfaction, and called -over his shoulder, “Come in, Ferguson. No, you don’t,” as Richards, who -had stepped back courteously to permit him to advance into the library, -started for the hall. “You’ll stay here and face the music,” and he -thrust out his hand to push him back. - -“Take your hands off my shoulder,” commanded Richards, his anger rising -both at his words and action. “What do you wish with me?” - -“I wish you to explain in the presence of witnesses”--John Hale -cast a triumphant look at his brother and sister-in-law before -continuing--“how you obtained this watch,” and, drawing it out of his -pocket, he swung it before Richards. - -Richards looked first at the watch and then at his questioner. - -“It would be just as well if you first explained how it came into your -possession,” he remarked quietly, and John Hale crimsoned. - -“Don’t take that tone with me,” he exclaimed. “I have the law behind -me.” - -“If the law is represented in the person of Detective Ferguson, it is -loitering directly back of you,” broke in his brother who, with Mrs. -Hale, had drawn closer to the two angry men. “Come in, Ferguson, don’t -stand on the outskirts. My brother is not really so formidable as he -appears.” - -Ferguson, who had purposely remained in the background, an interested -spectator of the scene, flushed at Hale’s mocking tone and entered the -library with some precipitancy. Hale watched him in open amusement, -then he turned to his brother. - -“Continue your remarks, John,” he directed. “We are waiting.” - -“I am addressing Major Richards and not you,” retorted his brother. -“Well, sir, what about the watch?” - -“I am waiting for an answer to my question, Mr. Hale,” responded -Richards. - -“How I got the watch doesn’t concern you.” John Hale spoke with more -deliberation. “How you obtained possession of Austin’s watch does -concern--the police.” - -“Austin’s watch!” gasped Mrs. Hale. “Good heavens!” She leaned nearer -and inspected it, taking care not to touch the watch. “Where did it -come from?” - -“That is what I am asking Major Richards. Perhaps he will be more -courteous and answer your question, as it is addressed by a woman”--and -John Hale looked scornfully at Richards. - -“The gibe is unnecessary,” retorted the latter. “As the watch is in -your possession and not in mine, it is up to you to explain how you got -it.” - -Hale laughed outright. “He has you there, John,” he chuckled. “Have -you an answer ready?” - -Ignoring his brother, John Hale addressed himself exclusively to -Richards. - -“Austin’s watch was sent to this house by Jennings, the watchmaker, -with whom you left it to have the chain repaired. See, it bears your -name,” and he displayed the label still attached to the watch. Richards -read the words on it with interest. - -“Well, what have you to say?” demanded John Hale, as he made no remark. - -“That the watch bears my name does not prove that I left the watch with -this man, Jennings,” Richards stated, and John Hale turned triumphantly -to the detective. - -“There, didn’t I tell you he would take that attitude?” he cried. “It -won’t do, Richards. Ferguson and I have just seen Jennings and he -described you accurately in giving an account of the man who left the -watch with him on Wednesday--mind you, later in the same morning on -which Austin was found murdered. How did you get possession of Austin’s -watch?” - -Richards looked steadily at the excited man before him, at the -others--noting instantly the serious expression of Mrs. Hale’s -countenance, her husband’s intent interest, and Ferguson’s keen -attention. Then, slowly, he glanced around the library--Judith was not -present. He drew a long breath. - -“I decline to answer your question, Mr. Hale,” he said. - -Ferguson stepped forward. “It would be best, Major, if you did,” he -suggested. “That is a bit of friendly advice.” - -“Thanks,” dryly. “Had you not better warn me that anything I say will -be used against me?” - -Hale chuckled, then grew serious. “Come, John, what does this scene -mean?” he demanded of his brother. “What are you trying to prove?” - -“That Major Richards has a guilty knowledge of, or is guilty of, -Austin’s murder,” he replied, and at his words a cry broke from Mrs. -Hale and she collapsed in the nearest chair. - -Richards looked at John Hale in silence for a brief second. - -“So that is it,” he exclaimed. “I congratulate you on your acumen. Now, -perhaps you will tell me why I murdered a man whom I had never seen?” - -“Oh, don’t say that, don’t,” wailed Mrs. Hale. “I found your name in -Austin’s membership book of his Senior secret society at Yale.” - -Richards regarded her in surprise. “Certainly my name is in the book; -but I graduated at Yale before Austin’s freshman year.” - -John Hale smothered an oath. “Whether you knew Austin or not is -immaterial. When a man is caught in the act of burglarizing a safe -he doesn’t need an introduction to the man who detects him--he kills -him--as you murdered Austin.” - -Richards shrugged his shoulder. “You will have it that way,” he -spoke with studied indifference, as he again stole a look about the -room--where was Judith? “Has it ever occurred to you that Austin might -have been rifling Mr. Hale’s safe and was killed in the act--” - -“By whom?” gasped Mrs. Hale; her face was ashen in color. - -“I leave that conundrum to the police,” replied Richards. “It was but a -suggestion.” - -“Which carries no weight,” retorted John Hale. “This watch isn’t the -only thing we have on you, Richards.” He turned to his brother. “What -was stolen from your safe on Tuesday night?” - -Mrs. Hale’s sudden start was lost on her husband. Hale looked at -Richards queerly, thought a minute, then answered with brevity. - -“Ten bonds of the Troy Valve Company belonging to Judith.” - -“And those bonds, Richards, you sold to cover your losses in -speculation,” declared John Hale. - -Richards contemplated the two brothers in thunderstruck silence. - -“You say that Judith had Valve bonds in your safe which were stolen on -Tuesday night, Mr. Hale?” he demanded of the elder brother. - -“Yes.” - -“So it was your wife’s bonds which you first stole and then sold”--John -Hale was enjoying himself. He had caught the hunted look in Richards’ -eyes. Turning, he winked at Ferguson, and when he again faced Richards, -the latter had himself well in hand. - -“You have stated twice now that I sold Valve bonds,” Richards began. -“It is up to you to prove it.” - -“And I can”--wheeling around, John Hale seized the desk telephone and -repeated a number. A second more and he called into the instrument: - -“John Hale speaking, Frank. Come over to the house as quickly as you -can. Polly--what about Polly?--I don’t catch that--tell me when you -get here,” and he banged up the receiver, then turned to the others in -the library. “It won’t take Latimer five minutes to reach here.” - -“And why is his presence required?” questioned Richards. “It strikes me -that this scene has been prolonged unnecessarily.” - -“Possibly, from your viewpoint.” John Hale’s smile was not pleasant. -“Don’t get nervous at this stage of the game.” - -Richards’ eyes blazed and he made a quick step in his direction--to -find the way blocked by Detective Ferguson. - -“None o’ that,” he exclaimed hastily. “Remember, Mrs. Hale is present.” - -Richards pulled himself together and his right arm dropped to his side. - -“I quite understand that Mr. John Hale is aware that he has the -protection of a woman’s presence,” he remarked. Again Robert Hale -chuckled faintly, while his brother, coloring hotly, had difficulty -in curbing his unruly tongue. The latter turned abruptly to his -sister-in-law. - -“Agatha, suppose you leave us,” he suggested. - -“I will not,” and Mrs. Hale, whose eyes were twice their usual size, -squared herself in her seat. “I gather, John, I am needed here to keep -you in order.” - -“Quite right, my dear,” and her husband patted her approvingly on the -back, before turning to his brother. “Now, John, if you have any more -remarks to address to Major Richards, omit all personalities or”--his -voice deepened--“I shall have to request you to leave the room.” - -Ferguson caught the look that John Hale shot at his brother and stepped -gamely into the breach. He had divined earlier in the investigation -that it took little to arouse the smoldering animosity between the -brothers. - -“Major Richards,” he commenced, “you told Coroner Penfield that you -spent Tuesday evening at the Metropolitan Club. At what hour did you -leave the club for home?” - -Richards considered the question. “It was just midnight,” he stated. “I -am positive as to the time for the clocks were chiming when I left the -building, and I waited and counted the strokes--twelve of them.” - -The detective consulted a page in his notebook. “You also told the -coroner that you reached here about twenty minutes past one on -Wednesday morning. Where did you stop between here and the club?” - -“Nowhere.” - -Ferguson eyed him intently. “The club is about fifteen minutes walk -from here, at the outside,” he declared. “Do you contend that it took -you over an hour to reach this house?” - -“Yes,” quietly. “Your circles and avenues are confusing and I lost my -way.” - -John Hale laughed aloud. “A great alibi,” he sneered. “Austin was -murdered between Tuesday midnight and one A. M. Wednesday--thus you had -ample time to reach here, kill him, leave the house and return a few -minutes after one o’clock.” - -“You think so?” Richards shrugged his shoulders disdainfully. “Well, -prove it.” - -“I will.” John Hale waved his walking stick which he had brought with -him into the library in his haste to encounter Richards. “And here’s -one link in the chain now,” as Frank Latimer was ushered in by Anna, -the waitress, whose curious glance at the excited group escaped notice. -“Frank, did Major Richards sell ten bonds of the Troy Valve Company in -your office on Friday afternoon?” - -“He did.” The little stockbroker stared at each in turn, and the -gravity of their expression was reflected in his manner. - -“Did Judith call there that same afternoon?” Richards’ violent start -was seen by all, and John Hale’s eyes gleamed viciously as he -continued his questions. “Did she tell you that she owned ten bonds of -the Troy Valve Company, numbering from 37982 to 37991?” - -“Yes.” - -“And did those numbers correspond with the numbers on the bonds sold -you by Major Richards?” - -“They did.” - -John Hale turned to his brother. “You have a memorandum of Judith’s -bonds which were stolen from your safe on Tuesday night,” he stated. -“Repeat the numbers.” - -There was a slight hesitation in Hale’s manner before he complied with -his brother’s abrupt request. Opening his leather wallet, he found a -memorandum and ran his eye down it. - -“The numbers are the same,” he said, and replaced his wallet. - -“Well, Richards, have you anything to say?” demanded John Hale, and -edged nearer him. - -“Nothing--to you,” and John Hale flushed at his cutting tone. - -“Perhaps you’ll have something to say to me, Major,” broke in Detective -Ferguson. “Will you tell us how you got those bonds?” - -Richards eyed the little group; his gaze rested longest on Robert -Hale, then he turned to Ferguson, as the detective repeated his -question. - -“No,” he responded. “I will not tell you.” - -Mrs. Hale leaned forward and placed a trembling hand on his arm. - -“Did Judith give you the bonds?” she asked timidly. - -“No, Mrs. Hale, she did not,” and Richards, catching her pitying -look, felt a sudden tightening of his heartstrings. It was the first -expression of sympathy vouchsafed him. Where--where was Judith? - -Ferguson broke the brief pause. - -“Major Richards,” he began, and Mrs. Hale clutched her chair in her -excitement. Her head felt heavy, her breathing stifled--Dr. McLane had -warned her about a weak heart. “You have heard Mr. Latimer, a reputable -witness, testify that you sold bonds belonging to your wife, and Mr. -Hale, your father-in-law, has stated that those bonds were stolen from -his safe on Tuesday night. You declare that you left the Metropolitan -Club on Tuesday at midnight, and that you lost your way and spent an -hour walking about the streets before reaching this house at twenty -minutes past one o’clock on Wednesday morning. Can you substantiate -that statement with witnesses?” - -“I cannot.” Richards’ gaze was unwavering and his voice firm, but his -face was white and strained. “I met no one while walking home. That was -the chief reason for my delay, because I had no opportunity to ask the -right direction to take. I have no sense of locality.” - -“Humph, very pretty!” commented John Hale, and Detective Ferguson -scowled at him. - -“I’m handling this case, Mr. Hale.” He spoke harshly, and John Hale -showed instant resentment by returning the scowl as the detective again -addressed Richards. “You left the watch belonging to the murdered man, -Austin Hale, with Jennings to repair. That is conclusive evidence that -the watch had been in your possession.” - -“So you claim”--and Richards smiled politely. “Don’t let me interrupt -your little romance, Ferguson. Go on.” - -Ferguson swallowed his wrath. “I am stating facts, Major, facts which -have been proved. Once more I’ll give you a chance to state your -version of how Austin’s watch came into your possession, and the Valve -bonds as well.” - -“Thanks.” Richards’ brows were knit in a deep frown. “Do I understand -that I am your prisoner?” - -Ferguson drew out a legal document. “I have this warrant for your -arrest,” he admitted. - -“Then I will reserve what I have to say until I see a lawyer.” - -“But, Major--” - -“No, Ferguson,” firmly. “A prisoner’s right to consult a lawyer is -a constitutional right.” - -“Prisoner!” Mrs. Hale started from her chair. “Robert--” - -Robert Hale stepped forward. “Sit down, Agatha.” He pushed her gently -back in her chair before turning to Ferguson. “Who swore out that -warrant?” - -“Your brother, Mr. John Hale.” - -“So”--Hale faced his brother. “Have you forgotten our conversation -early this afternoon?” - -“I have not.” John Hale shouldered Latimer to one side as he stepped -nearer the center of the room. “You tried to fasten Austin’s murder -on an innocent girl to shield your daughter’s husband.” - -“An innocent girl!” Hale’s mocking smile brought his brother’s rage -to fever heat. “So innocent that when she quarreled with her lover at -their midnight meeting she killed him with her shears--shears which I -had bought for her the week before.” Swiftly he turned to Ferguson. -“Release Major Richards and arrest the real criminal, Polly Davis.” - -An oath broke from John Hale, and in blind fury he twirled his walking -stick. His brother, by a dexterous twist only, avoided the thrust. -As the steel point of the sword cane came to rest directly under the -powerful light from a standing reading lamp, a scream escaped Mrs. Hale. - -“Look, look!” she cried. “It’s covered with blood.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -THE UNSEEN EAR - - -AS if hypnotized, John Hale stared at his sword cane, raising it -slowly, very slowly, then as slowly dropped the point and gazed at his -brother. - -“It _is_ blood,” he gasped. “But you are unhurt?” - -“Yes.” Robert Hale’s voice was not quite steady. “You did not reach me.” - -“Then where did this blood come from?” demanded John Hale. “It’s--it’s -not _fresh_,” and there was a growing horror in the look he cast at his -companions. - -Ferguson, who had followed every act and word with rapt attention, -picked up the bamboo cane casing which John Hale had tossed to the -floor when he drew the concealed weapon and lunged at his brother. -Stepping up to the dazed man, the detective took the sword from his -unresisting hand and examined it with interest. - -“Austin Hale was killed by a rapier-like thrust,” he stated slowly. -“The autopsy proved that the wound was greater in depth than in -length. Is this your cane, Mr. Hale?” - -John Hale wet his dry lips. “It is,” he muttered, and looked dumbly at -his silent, motionless companions. - -“You carry it always?” asked Ferguson with dogged persistence. - -“When I go out, yes.” - -“Who knows that this ordinary-appearing bamboo cane conceals a rapier?” - -“My brother.” John Hale avoided looking at them, his eyes were still on -the sword cane. - -“Any one else?” - -“N--no.” - -“Quite sure?” and Ferguson tried to meet his eye. - -“No--yes.” With an effort John Hale recovered some semblance of his -usual manner. “I may have spoken of the cane but I don’t recall doing -so. I bought it from an antique dealer and it’s been a fad of mine to -carry it.” - -“I see.” Ferguson considered him steadily for a moment. “Where were you -on Tuesday night?” - -“At the French Embassy reception.” - -“Mrs. Hale,”--the detective spoke her name with such sharpness that she -jumped involuntarily--“was your brother-in-law with you at the Embassy -between midnight Tuesday and one o’clock Wednesday morning?” - -Mrs. Hale looked at no one in particular and wrung her hands. - -“Must I answer?” she begged, turning imploringly to her husband and, as -she caught his expression, exclaimed: “No, I refuse to.” - -“Don’t put yourself out for me, Agatha.” There was a sudden utter -weariness in John Hale’s tone, and Richards started and looked at him -intently. What did it portend? “I will answer your question, Ferguson. -I was not at the French Embassy during that time.” - -“Where were you?” - -There was a tense silence. When John Hale answered he spoke hardly -above a whisper. - -“I had returned to this house to meet my stepson, Austin.” - -Mrs. Hale collapsed. “Oh, dear! oh, dear, I’ve feared it all along,” -she wailed, and burst into tears. “Oh, Polly, Polly, you have a lot to -answer for!” - -“Have I?” asked a strained voice, and Polly Davis, who had been a -stunned witness of the scene, advanced a few steps further into the -room, Anna, the waitress, peering over her shoulder with wide, curious -eyes. “Well, I am here to face the consequences.” - -John Hale, who had not taken his eyes from her ghastly face, sprang to -her side. - -“No!” he exclaimed vehemently. “No. Go home.” - -“Presently,” she silenced him with an imperative gesture, before -turning to the detective. - -“Whom do you accuse of the murder of Austin Hale?” she asked. - -Ferguson scratched a bewildered head. “I did believe Major Richards -guilty,” he admitted slowly. “But seeing that Mr. Hale states he came -back here to meet his stepson, that Austin was killed at that time with -a rapier thrust, and that Mr. Hale’s sword cane has bloodstains on -it--” He paused. “Well, taking all that into consideration and with the -knowledge that he and Austin were not on good terms--I guess--it looks -as if Mr. Hale killed him.” - -Polly drew a long, painful breath. “Wait,” she cautioned. “I was here -on Tuesday night.” - -“Hush!” commanded John, a look of agony on his strong face. - -“No, I must speak.” Polly partly turned from him and addressed the -others. “I wrote Austin on Saturday breaking our engagement, but as -Monday was Washington’s Birthday he never received the letter until -Tuesday morning. In answer I had a wire from Austin stating that he -would get here Tuesday about midnight. I”--her voice quivered a bit, -then steadied--“it was imperative that I see him without delay, so I -came, admitting myself with Mrs. Hale’s latchkey which I had borrowed -one day last week. I walked into the library”--she caught her breath. - -“Stop, Polly,” pleaded John Hale. “Stop. You don’t know what you are -saying.” Seeing that she paid no attention to his words, he appealed to -the detective. “For God’s sake tell her to stop--it’s not fair--it’s -cruel--she shall not convict herself.” - -“What are you insinuating?” cried Polly. “Convict myself? Are you mad? -Austin was stabbed before I entered this house.” - -The five men eyed each other in silence, then concentrated their -attention upon her, forgetful of Mrs. Hale, of Anna--waiting for her to -continue. - -“I saw Austin lying on the floor,” she went on, her voice husky with -emotion. “The shock made me cry out, then my whole impulse was to run, -to hide. I reached the central hall and paused to gather strength; a -faint noise on the staircase caused me to look in that direction and I -made out dimly a man peering at me over the bannisters”-- She paused. -“Mr. Robert Hale, why are you using a dictograph in this house?” - -Hale looked at her in dumb surprise--twice he opened his lips to speak -and twice closed them with the words unspoken. Richards, standing -somewhat in the background, bent forward in a listening attitude. - -“What’s that noise?” he demanded. “Listen!” - -Through the silence came a faint drumming, it grew louder, then died -away, to break out again a little louder, more insistently. - -“By heavens, it comes from the alcove!” exclaimed Richards, and racing -across the room, he dashed aside the heavy red satin curtains pulled -across it. A horrified exclamation escaped him, and he recoiled at -sight of Judith, bound and gagged, lying on the window seat. Her body -had slipped down the piled up sofa cushions and her right foot just -touched the paneled wall and with it she was beating the devil’s tattoo. - -“Good God!” gasped Richards, then recovering himself, tore at her -fastenings. Ferguson, more clear-headed than the other, slashed at the -clothes’ line which bound her with John Hale’s sword cane, and aided -him in carrying her to a chair by the table. - -“Chafe her arms and ankles so that the blood will circulate,” he -advised, while his nimble fingers untied the cord holding the fan, -which had been thrust into her mouth as a gag. - -Judith, who had watched their efforts in silent agony, raised her -cramped arms and massaged the stiffened muscles of her mouth and jaw; -then she replaced the wires connecting her earphone and its battery. - -“In God’s name who has treated you so, Judith?” demanded Richards, his -eyes were blazing with rage. “Who has dared to--” and he choked. - -“Fetch my smelling salts,” Judith spoke with some difficulty and paused -eagerly to drink the water offered her by Frank Latimer. “No, don’t go, -Anna,” placing her hand on the waitress’ shoulder as she knelt at her -side chafing her ankles. “Ring for Maud.” - -Her father complied with her request, then returned to Judith. For the -first time he looked old and haggard. - -“What’s the meaning of all this?” he demanded, with a return of his -domineering manner. - -Judith looked at her husband for a fleeting second, then addressed -Detective Ferguson whose attention was focused on her. - -“I have a confession to make to you,” she began. “You recall finding -the bloodstained shears near Austin’s body?” - -“Yes,” he said, as she paused. - -“I used them.” - -“Judith!” Richards sprang forward with an imploring gesture, but for -once his wife ignored him. - -“I used them,” she reiterated, “to remove a locket from Austin’s watch -chain when I found him lying dead in this library. That locket,” she -paused to take the smelling salts which Maud who had hurriedly entered -a second before handed to her,--“that locket Polly Davis stole from my -bedroom last night with other jewelry.” - -No one spoke, and Judith, resting one hand on Anna’s shoulder and the -other on Maud’s arm, rose stiffly to her feet. - -“Late this afternoon,” Judith continued, “I was examining Father’s -safe,”--Hale started violently--“when some one stole behind me, -blindfolded me, disconnected my earphone, and gagged me.” - -“Well, well, go on,” urged Detective Ferguson, forgetting, in his -interest, his usual respectful manner. - -“I was gagged,” repeated Judith, “with my fan. The thief did not know -that this fan”--she raised it as she spoke--“is an ear trumpet which -when pressed against my teeth enables me to hear distinctly.” - -Her right hand moved upward with a sweeping motion, and Maud, the -parlor maid, was shorn of her cap and wig. - -Ferguson recovered from his stupefaction in time to trip and catch the -flying figure. - -“Jim Turner,” he gasped, as the handcuffs slipped over the wrists of -the erstwhile maid. “I’ve been looking for you for five years.” - -“And you have found the murderer of Austin Hale,” ended Judith. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -RUN TO COVER - - -IN stunned silence the little group eyed Detective Ferguson and -his prisoner. Slowly the latter rose from his hands and knees, the -handcuffs clinking musically as he knocked against Ferguson’s left -wrist to which he was secured. - -“Easy,” cautioned Ferguson, and the revolver in his right hand menaced -the murderer. “You’ll get no chance to escape now, Jim,” with emphasis, -then with reluctant admiration as he scanned Turner’s good-looking -effeminate features and his slight trim figure in its woman’s costume. -“Say, but you are a pretty girl. I never once suspected you, never.” - -“And I’d have kept you fooled,” retorted Turner, “except for you,” -addressing Judith. “You were one too many for me with those cursed -unseen ears,” and he cast a look of baffled fury at her fan. “I thought -you were practically dead to the world when I disconnected that blamed -earphone and blindfolded you.” - -“You put too much confidence in your own cleverness,” Judith responded. -“It would have been wiser if you and your confederate had ransacked -Father’s safe in silence, instead of discussing your desperate need, on -account of Austin’s murder, of getting away--and thus giving me a clew -to your identity.” - -“Who is your confederate?” demanded Ferguson. A scowl was his only -answer. “Oh, well, you’ll talk more later,” with significant emphasis, -“in the Death House.” - -Turner’s face was distorted with rage. “To think I’ll have to swing for -that hound, Austin Hale!” he stormed. “He welshed on every one, the -yellow dog.” - -“What was your motive for killing him?” asked Robert Hale, recovering -from his stupefied surprise at the course of events. - -Turner looked at him in silence for a minute, then at the others in the -library. Their concentrated regard fanned his inordinate vanity and--in -spite of Ferguson’s words, the Death House seemed remote. - -“Why did I kill Austin Hale? Because he penetrated my disguise.” He -paused, then continued more rapidly. “It must have been shortly before -midnight when I was going to bed--every one else had retired and I -could hear Anna and the cook snoring in their rooms,”--Anna’s face -was a study as she glared at the man she had known as “Maud”--“and I -supposed I had locked my bedroom door. I was shaving--had to do it at -dead of night,” he interpolated, “when in the glass I saw the hall -door open a little way and Austin Hale peered into the room. I was too -paralyzed to turn round and he stared at my reflection in the glass, -then, collecting himself, he softly closed the door and silently stole -away.” - -No one cared to break the silence as Turner ceased speaking, a second -more and he had resumed his statement. - -“I wiped the shaving lather off my face, straightened my wig and crept -down the hall. I heard Austin moving about in his room and I went back, -but I could not stay there. I don’t know now what brought Austin to my -door at that hour, unless he wanted me to aid him in seeing Miss Polly -Davis, but he had raised the devil in me. It wouldn’t take him long to -establish my identity and then would follow exposure, and that meant, -with my record, doing fully fifteen years in the penitentiary.” - -“Better that than swinging for murder,” commented Ferguson dryly. - -“Not as I felt then,” retorted Turner. “My brain was on fire as I -stole downstairs and trailed him to the library. On the way I saw Mr. -John Hale’s sword cane in the umbrella stand. I’d seen him open it -once or twice to show to Miss Polly.” Ferguson shot a look at Polly -and John Hale. They had drawn close to each other and stood listening -breathlessly to Turner’s story. - -“So some one beside your brother knew about your sword cane, Mr. Hale,” -Ferguson remarked with a quizzical smile, and John Hale nodded. - -“Go ahead, Turner,” he said, and the prisoner, with a resentful glare -at Detective Ferguson, again addressed them, confining his remarks -almost exclusively to Judith. - -“I knew how to work the spring of the sword cane, for I had played -with it several times when Mr. John left it behind, and so I picked up -the cane on Tuesday night and stole into the dining room.” In spite of -himself, Turner’s voice was not quite steady. It quivered and deepened -as he lived over again the events of that fateful night. - -“I intended to peek through the portières into the library, for not -hearing a sound in there puzzled me. The portières were parted a wee -bit and I made out Miss Judith sitting at the far end before the -fireplace with her back partly turned toward me. Then”--his voice -changed, holding a note of horror--“Austin Hale loomed up before me, -right under the sidelight. I could have touched his shirt-bosom, -instead--My God! I lunged and the sword cane struck home.” - -“I heard Austin fall,” Turner resumed after a tense pause, “and -instinctively tiptoed to the pantry and crouched there in the dark. I -heard you come in, Major, and Miss Judith call to you. Then after what -seemed an interminable time I crept out into the central hall, found it -deserted, and replaced the cane in the umbrella stand.” - -“Didn’t you go at all into the library?” demanded Robert Hale harshly. - -“Yes, after Miss Polly had been there.” He cast a vicious look in the -girl’s direction. “I heard some one sobbing in the library as I started -to leave the pantry and peeked in again in time to see you wringing -your hands over Austin’s body--you are a weak sister to sob over the -man who threatened you with exposure.” - -“You--” John Hale started forward, but Major Richards’ tall figure -blocked him. “Get out of my way, I’ll throttle that fellow.” - -“Not here, you won’t,” interposed Ferguson. “Keep quiet, Mr. Hale, -until Turner completes his confession.” - -“Tell him to speak more respectfully of Miss Davis--or not mention her -at all,” thundered John Hale. - -“What happened next?” demanded his brother. “Shut up, John,” and he -waved him back. “What did Miss Davis do next, Turner?” - -“Cleared out,” succinctly, “first taking a look at the sword cane -standing so innocently in the umbrella stand.” Turner’s chuckle was -unpleasant. “That left the coast clear for me and I slipped into the -library. There the open safe attracted me,” with a side-long glance at -Hale. “I had picked up my rubber gloves, used in my house work, when -in the pantry and I put ’em on. The open safe was too good a chance -to overlook, but I only had time to grab a few bonds and a memorandum -which Austin had been looking at”--a gasp escaped Mrs. Hale--“then I -beat it up the back stairs to my room, for I heard some one coming -down. I guess it was you, Major.” - -“It was,” acknowledged Richards. He cast a hesitating look at Judith -before continuing. “I did lose my way, as I have already stated, when -walking home, and I entered the front door just in time to catch -Judith as she fainted. I immediately carried her upstairs and laid -her on the couch in our boudoir. I had some cognac there and quickly -revived her.” He paused for a second. “The reading lamp was burning in -the boudoir and I concluded that Judith had come downstairs feeling -faint and in search of some medicine which, I recalled, had been left -in the library. When she revived, she said nothing to me about having -gone downstairs, and when I asked her if she needed her medicine, she -replied that she did.” - -“Please wait, Joe,” Judith interrupted him quickly. “I was -dazed--completely unnerved. In fact I had at the time no recollection -of fainting in the hall. I thought, until you questioned me the other -night, that you had found me unconscious in the boudoir, so I never -mentioned that after Mother and Uncle John left for the French Embassy -I went down into the library to read and wait for you, Joe.” - -“Your silence confused me, puzzled me,” Richards confessed. “In -fact--well, you will understand when I tell you that a gold locket fell -out of your belt when I unloosened it. As I picked up the locket and -placed it by your side on the couch I saw that a gold link fastened to -its ring had been forced apart. A few minutes later I went into the -library and discovered Austin lying dead on the floor.” He turned to -Mrs. Hale. “In stating that I did not know Austin, I told the truth, -but I had seen a photograph of him that morning on Judith’s dressing -table and the photograph bore his autograph. I was horrified at finding -his dead body, and that horror was intensified when, on bending closer, -I discovered that a link in his watch chain was bent and twisted--and -the link attached to the locket tucked in Judith’s belt had come -unmistakably from that chain.” - -“Merciful heavens!” Judith gazed at him in horror. “Then you thought--” - -“The obvious,” responded Richards. “Your mother had told me that there -had been a boy and girl affair between you, that they confidently -expected an engagement on your return from Japan--” - -“Mother!” Mrs. Hale quailed under Judith’s anger. - -“Upon my soul, Judith, you need not take that tone with me,” she -objected. “The first intimation we had of your marriage to Joe was a -cable announcing it. A nice way to treat parents who had indulged every -whim.” - -“Need we go into that again, Mother?” protested Judith. - -“No; but I was hurt, deeply hurt, and I did not take kindly to having -a son-in-law thrust on us.” - -“And so you took it out on him by repeating a lot of nonsense,” -exclaimed her husband indignantly. “Well, Richards, I suppose you -concluded that Judith and Austin quarreled and she had stabbed him, and -reached the hall in a fainting condition just as you entered the house?” - -“Exactly, sir; Judith’s silence about Austin--for that she had seen him -either dead or alive was proved by her possession of the locket, led me -to fear a frightful tragedy,” admitted Richards. “In my agony of mind I -did the only thing that occurred to me, I took the watch and chain out -of Austin’s vest pocket before sending for the coroner, for I knew it -was a clew the police would trace to the bitter end.” - -“But why did you send the watch to Jennings?” asked Hale. “It was -courting discovery.” - -“As it turned out, yes; but my idea was that if the chain was repaired -no one would suspect a locket had been wrenched from it,” explained -Richards. “Then it would not have mattered where the watch was found.” - -Hale shook his head. “You laid yourself open to grave suspicion,” he -said. “I now understand your actions and your constrained manner, -but--” He stopped. “I missed a playing card out of my solitaire pack -several days ago, a Knave of Hearts, to be exact, on which I had -scratched the combination of my safe.” - -“Robert!” The ejaculation came from Mrs. Hale and her husband turned to -her testily. - -“I am troubled with amnesia,” he said. “It is just a touch, but I am -sensitive about having it known or suspected, and so occasionally I jot -down figures and numbers. I play solitaire so continuously that I am -never without the safe-combination; but on Friday I missed the card and -the next day asked Maud, or shall we say Jim Turner,”--and he indicated -the pseudo-maid--“if she had seen the card. She brought it to me later, -stating that she had found it on your dresser, Richards, and it led me -to believe that you had a hand in Austin’s murder.” - -“Is that why you put a dictograph in our boudoir?” asked Richards. - -“Yes,” Hale admitted. “I went to the Burroughs Agency, explained my -suspicions, and they installed it.” - -Polly Davis broke her long silence. “I heard you talking to Mr. -Burroughs,” she explained. “I went to the detective agency to ask them -to undertake an investigation for me, but your presence, Mr. Hale, -frightened me away.” She paused and looked at Judith and her father. -“From having seen you on the stairs Tuesday night, Mr. Hale, I began to -suspect that you might have killed Austin. I knew that you and he had -often quarreled in the past--” - -“How about John’s scenes with his stepson?” inquired Hale dryly, and -Polly changed color, but she ignored his question as she went bravely -on. - -“Your offer to increase my salary and your unsolicited loan, Judith, -increased my suspicion,” she stated. “I thought that you were trying to -bribe me. Then your threat about the locket--” - -“What was in the locket?” asked Richards and his father-in-law -simultaneously. - -Polly looked swiftly at John Hale and then away. She was deadly white. - -“Last week,” she began, “I had a letter from Austin in which he said -that rumors had reached him of my infatuation for”--she stammered, then -went bravely on--“for his stepfather, that if I permitted John to make -love to me he would show him a letter I had written. It was a piece of -sheer folly, but”--her voice trembled--“the letter was compromising. -Austin stated that he kept the letter in a locket I had given him and -would bring them both to Washington.” - -“What followed?” asked Mrs. Hale, more absorbed in Polly’s tale than in -all else. - -“I wrote Austin that I did not fear his threat and broke our -engagement.” The girl paused. “I have already told you that Austin -wired he would be here Tuesday night. I heard that Mrs. Hale and John -were going to the French Embassy, I knew that Mr. Hale was ill in bed, -and so I came here that night on impulse, trusting to chance to see -Austin alone and persuade him to destroy the letter. The murderer,” she -shuddered, “has testified that I entered the house after he had killed -Austin.” She turned abruptly to Judith. “What was your object in taking -the locket?” - -“My desire to shield you,” Judith answered. “Austin wrote me at the -same time he did you, telling of the existence of such a letter, and -that he carried it in a locket to have it in instant readiness. I had -no idea that he would be here Tuesday night, and when I found his body -as I started to leave the library, I jumped to the conclusion, Polly, -that you had killed him and in terror had run away without securing the -locket.” - -“Would it not have been easier for you to have taken the watch and -chain as well?” asked Richards. - -“I feared that if the watch were missing search would be made for it,” -she explained. “Whereas, if only Polly and I knew about the locket it -would not be missed. I had Polly’s shears in my sewing bag, having -picked them up when in Father’s den early Tuesday afternoon. I dropped -them after securing the locket, and afterwards came down into the -library to get them and found Joe talking to Coroner Penfield and Mr. -Ferguson.” - -“Polly,”--Robert Hale’s sudden pronouncement of her name made the girl -start nervously--“why did you supply Austin with the combination of my -safe?” - -“I did not give it to him,” she denied indignantly. - -“Indeed? Then why did you write this cryptic message, ‘Saw -Austin-10-t-b-53-76c,’ over and over on a page of copied manuscript?” -and Hale held out the sheet he had shown his brother earlier that day. - -Polly stared at it. “My mind was far from my work,” she stammered. “I -wrote mechanically on the typewriter any silly sentences that came into -my head. I did know your safe-combination, for you had me write it -down for you once and the figures dwelt in my memory; but indeed I did -not repeat them to Austin.” - -“You did not need to,” broke in Mrs. Hale. “I had Austin once open -the safe for me, Robert, in your absence. I needed my jewelry, and I -supposed he remembered the combination or--” - -“Or jotted it down for future use,” Turner interrupted her brusquely. -“I found a soiled bit of paper with several numbers torn off on -Austin’s bureau when I slipped in his bedroom on my way to bed. He must -have refreshed his memory before going down to the library by studying -the paper.” - -“What was he searching for in the safe?” asked Hale. - -“I know,” volunteered Mrs. Hale. She stared anywhere but at her -husband. “Austin had very wheedling ways, and sometimes when he was -hard pressed for money, he persuaded me to lend it to him.” - -“Agatha!” - -“I know, Robert, it was foolish.” Mrs. Hale’s voice trembled with -a suspicion of tears. “The sum finally totaled four thousand seven -hundred and eighty-two dollars.” - -“Good Lord!” and Hale eyed her in dismay. - -“I had his memorandum of his indebtedness,” she went on, paying no -attention to her husband. “I wrote reminding him of it, and that I -had placed it in your safe intending to show it to you, Robert--” -Hale groaned dismally and his wife burst into tears. “I dared not ask -outright about the memorandum as I feared it might be suspected that -Austin and I had quarreled over it.” - -Judith broke in upon any reproaches her father might have made. - -“It was to solve Austin’s reason for opening your safe, Father, that -caused me to search it this afternoon in hopes of finding a clew,” she -said. - -“Where did you get the combination?” - -“From your playing card,” she explained. “I knew your absent-minded -habits and recalled seeing some pin scratches on the Knave of Hearts -which, by the way, I picked up in this library Friday night and later -placed on top of my husband’s pack, thinking, as the back of the cards -were similar, it belonged to him. So this afternoon after Dr. McLane -left I could not rest, the card recurred to me, and I searched my -husband’s pack. Not finding it, I went to your den and discovered it -among your papers. I had just opened the safe when Maud”--catching -herself up--“that man, blindfolded me.” - -“And what induced you to tempt providence again, Turner?” demanded -Ferguson turning to his prisoner. “You might have escaped detection but -for that.” - -“Perhaps,” was the sullen answer. “I knew Mr. Hale had deposited -negotiable bonds and a large sum of money there over Sunday--” - -Judith interrupted him with an exclamation. “Did you steal my Valve -bonds on Tuesday night?” - -Turner nodded. “It was all I did get.” His bitter chuckle was brief. -“I was well scared after the murder but I dared not bolt for fear of -centering suspicion upon me, and then I had no money. I nosed around -everywhere looking for something I could steal to raise ready cash. I -was afraid to dispose of Miss Judith’s bonds because it might have been -traced to me. In my search I found Miss Polly had brought some bonds in -an envelope and when she was with Mrs. Hale I sneaked it out.” - -“You did?” Polly looked at him in round-eyed surprise. “But I found the -bonds there.” - -“Sure you did,” again Turner chuckled, “but they weren’t _your_ -Valve bonds, but Miss Judith’s. I noticed they were the same, so I -substituted hers in your envelope, knowing that I could sell yours -without danger of the numbers’ being traced to Austin’s murder.” - -“But--but,” Polly turned in perplexity to Richards. “Then the Valve -bonds I asked you to sell for me Friday afternoon were Judith’s?” - -“Yes, evidently,” Richards addressed Frank Latimer. “I gave Miss Polly -my check for her bonds before going to your brokerage office where I -sold the bonds to you and put up the cash to cover my margins with -you.” Before the stockbroker could answer him, Richards looked at Polly -searchingly. “Tell us, Miss Polly, how you contrived to steal the -jewelry out of Judith’s bedroom last night when she and I were sitting -in the boudoir--the only entrance to the inner room?” - -The girl was slow in answering. “After Judith left me last night, I was -desperate,” she admitted finally. “I feared the locket would be used -to entangle me in the murder, if not convict me of the crime, and I -decided to steal it at all costs. I took all your jewelry--which, by -the way, has been mailed back to you registered post, Judith--thinking -that the theft would then be attributed to an ordinary sneak thief. -As to how I passed you unobserved in entering your bedroom”--for the -first time Polly smiled--“some scientific detectives would describe -it as a case of psychological invisibility, where the physical eye -sees, but the brain fails to record the eye’s message, but”--again she -smiled--“you and Major Richards were so absorbed in each other that you -never noticed me when I slipped through the boudoir and out again.” - -A rich color suffused Judith’s cheeks. “Did the locket contain your -letter, Polly?” she asked. “Or was Austin’s threat an idle one? -I”--with a quick proud lift of her head--“never examined the locket.” - -Polly opened her hand bag to which she had clung ever since entering -the library, and took out the locket. She held it up that all might see -the slightly raised lettering of the word “Mizpah,” then without a word -she pressed a spring and from the locket took a many folded thin sheet -of note paper. She spread it open and laid it in John Hale’s hand. - -“This is a letter of a foolish, indiscreet girl, longing for a little -attention, a little of this world’s fun,” she said soberly. “I was -caught by the dross, and it was not until I grew to know you, John, -that I found pure gold.” - -John Hale looked at her and then at the letter. - -“Austin telephoned me from New York to meet him here on Tuesday at -midnight and to say nothing to any one of his expected arrival,” he -stated. “He intimated that he had an important disclosure to make about -you. I left Agatha at the French Embassy, and I had just reached the -corner when I saw you, Polly, dash down the steps and go up the street. -I started to overtake you, then turned back. I could not make up my -mind to face Austin then, for I knew I would kill him,” John’s hands -clenched and unclenched spasmodically. “Finally, I returned to the -Embassy for Agatha and when we walked in here I was confronted with -Austin’s dead body. I imagined you had seen him, Polly, and goaded by -threats had stabbed him, for I recognized the shears as ones I had seen -on your desk in Robert’s den.” - -John stopped speaking and looked down at the letter still clutched in -his extended hand, then striding swiftly to the fireplace he threw the -unread letter on the blazing wood. As it ignited and flared into a -blaze, he turned with outstretched hands to Polly who had watched him -in an agony of suspense. - -“Polly,” he began, and his voice quivered with emotion, “will you take -me, for better, for worse?” - -Polly’s eyes were blinded with tears, but winking them away, she looked -bravely up at him. - -“Will _you_ take a repentant, adoring fool?” she asked, and John Hale’s -low cry of happiness found echo in her heart as, regardless of the -others, he slipped his arm about her and led her from the library. - -Mrs. Hale watched the lovers disappear, and with mixed feelings, -searched hastily for a dry handkerchief. But all she dragged to light -out of her bag was a half sheet of note paper. - -“Bless me!” she exclaimed. “Here’s that note from Austin to me saying -he was going to San Francisco--what did you do with the last page, my -dear?” turning to Judith. - -“The last page?” echoed Judith; she looked as puzzled as she felt, and -Jim Turner answered the question for her. - -“I found that paper in Austin’s bedroom, also,” he volunteered. “It -was just the half-sheet. Why he brought it with him I don’t know, but -anyway I thought it a good plant and slipped the page in the pocket -of Miss Judith’s electric, knowing some one would find it.” He turned -to Mrs. Hale who had moved a trifle nearer. “I have your memorandum -of Austin’s indebtedness to you; I kept it for blackmailing purposes, -but”--he stopped abruptly, conscious that his voice was a bit shaky. - -“How’d you happen to disguise yourself as a woman?” asked Ferguson. - -“I used to play in amateur theatricals, and on account of my small -size, effeminate appearance and voice was generally cast for a girl’s -part,” Turner explained. “I had to lay low after that Shield’s -affair--it meant fifteen years in the ‘pen’ if caught. Well,”--with -his free hand he dashed away the moisture which had gathered on his -forehead and felt his closely shaven head--“I’d rather be hung than -endure a living death. Come on, Ferguson,” and without a backward -glance he departed in charge of the detective. - -Mrs. Hale dropped down on the divan and her expression caused her -husband to hurry to her side. - -“Are you going to faint, Agatha?” he asked anxiously. - -She looked at him vacantly before answering. - -“I don’t know,” she said, “how I shall ever get over having my -confidential maid turn out to be a man,” and a burst of tears relieved -her overcharged feelings. - -Richards left husband and wife together and turned to speak to Judith, -only to find her gone. A look in the dining room showed that she was -not there, and racing upstairs two steps at a time, he dashed into -their boudoir. Judith turned from the fireplace and looked at him -inquiringly. - -“Judith,” his pent-up worship of her spoke in eye and voice, “what can -I say to you, my darling, my best beloved? Your faith, your loyalty--” - -“Are surpassed by yours,” she answered softly, “dear heart of mine.” - - - - -Popular Copyright Novels - -_AT MODERATE PRICES_ - -Ask Your Dealer for a Complete List of A. L. Burt Company’s Popular -Copyright Fiction - - - =Adventures of Jimmie Dale, The.= By Frank L. Packard. - =Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.= By A. Conan Doyle. - =Affinities, and Other Stories.= By Mary Roberts Rinehart. - =After House, The.= By Mary Roberts Rinehart. - =Against the Winds.= By Kate Jordan. - =Ailsa Paige.= By Robert W. Chambers. - =Also Ran.= By Mrs. Baillie Reynolds. - =Amateur Gentleman, The.= By Jeffery Farnol. - =Anderson Crow, Detective.= By George Barr McCutcheon. - =Anna, the Adventuress.= By E. Phillips Oppenheim. - =Anne’s House of Dreams.= By L. M. Montgomery. - =Anybody But Anne.= By Carolyn Wells. - =Are All Men Alike, and The Lost Titian.= By Arthur Stringer. - =Around Old Chester.= By Margaret Deland. - =Ashton-Kirk, Criminologist.= By John T. McIntyre. - =Ashton-Kirk, Investigator.= By John T. McIntyre. - =Ashton-Kirk, Secret Agent.= By John T. McIntyre. - =Ashton-Kirk, Special Detective.= By John T. McIntyre. - =Athalie.= By Robert W. Chambers. - =At the Mercy of Tiberius.= By Augusta Evans Wilson. - =Auction Block, The.= By Rex Beach. - =Aunt Jane of Kentucky.= By Eliza C. Hall. - =Awakening of Helena Richie.= By Margaret Deland. - - =Bab: a Sub-Deb.= By Mary Roberts Rinehart. - =Bambi.= By Marjorie Benton Cooke. - =Barbarians.= By Robert W. Chambers. - =Bar 20.= By Clarence E. Mulford. - =Bar 20 Days.= By Clarence E. Mulford. - =Barrier, The.= By Rex Beach. - =Bars of Iron, The.= By Ethel M. Dell. - =Beasts of Tarzan, The.= By Edgar Rice Burroughs. - =Beckoning Roads.= By Jeanne Judson. - =Belonging.= By Olive Wadsley. - =Beloved Traitor, The.= By Frank L. Packard. - =Beloved Vagabond, The.= By Wm. J. Locke. - =Beltane the Smith.= By Jeffery Farnol. - =Betrayal, The.= By E. Phillips Oppenheim. - =Beulah.= (Ill. Ed.) By Augusta J. Evans. - =Beyond the Frontier.= By Randall Parrish. - =Big Timber.= By Bertrand W. Sinclair. - =Black Bartlemy’s Treasure.= By Jeffery Farnol. - =Black Is White.= By George Barr McCutcheon. - =Blacksheep! Blacksheep!.= By Meredith Nicholson. - =Blind Man’s Eyes, The.= By Wm. Mac Harg and Edwin Balmer. - =Boardwalk, The.= By Margaret Widdemer. - =Bob Hampton of Placer.= By Randall Parrish. - =Bob, Son of Battle.= By Alfred Olivant. - =Box With Broken Seals, The.= By E. Phillips Oppenheim. - =Boy With Wings, The.= By Berta Ruck. - =Brandon of the Engineers.= By Harold Bindloss. - =Bridge of Kisses, The.= By Berta Ruck. - =Broad Highway, The.= By Jeffery Farnol. - =Broadway Bab.= By Johnston McCulley. - =Brown Study, The.= By Grace S. Richmond. - =Bruce of the Circle A.= By Harold Titus. - =Buccaneer Farmer, The.= By Harold Bindloss. - =Buck Peters, Ranchman.= By Clarence E. Mulford. - =Builders, The.= By Ellen Glasgow. - =Business of Life, The.= By Robert W. Chambers. - - =Cab of the Sleeping Horse, The.= By John Reed Scott. - =Cabbages and Kings.= By O. Henry. - =Cabin Fever.= By B. M. Bower. - =Calling of Dan Matthews, The.= By Harold Bell Wright. - =Cape Cod Stories.= By Joseph C. Lincoln. - =Cap’n Abe, Storekeeper.= By James A. Cooper. - =Cap’n Dan’s Daughter.= By Joseph C. Lincoln. - =Cap’n Erl.= By Joseph C. Lincoln. - =Cap’n Jonah’s Fortune.= By James A. Cooper. - =Cap’n Warren’s Wards.= By Joseph C. Lincoln. - =Chinese Label, The.= By J. Frank Davis. - =Christine of the Young Heart.= By Louise Breintenbach Clancy. - =Cinderella Jane.= By Marjorie B. Cooke. - =Cinema Murder, The.= By E. Phillips Oppenheim. - =City of Masks, The.= By George Barr McCutcheon. - =Cleek of Scotland Yard.= By T. W. Hanshew. - =Cleek, The Man of Forty Faces.= By Thomas W. Hanshew. - =Cleek’s Government Cases.= By Thomas W. Hanshew. - =Clipped Wings.= By Rupert Hughes. - =Clutch of Circumstance, The.= By Marjorie Benton Cooke. - =Coast of Adventure, The.= By Harold Bindloss. - =Come-Back, The.= By Carolyn Wells. - =Coming of Cassidy, The.= By Clarence E. Mulford. - =Coming of the Law, The.= By Charles A. Seltzer. - =Comrades of Peril.= By Randall Parrish. - =Conquest of Canaan, The.= By Booth Tarkington. - =Conspirators, The.= By Robert W. Chambers. - =Contraband.= By Randall Parrish. - =Cottage of Delight, The.= By Will N. Harben. - =Court of Inquiry, A.= By Grace S. Richmond. - =Cricket, The.= By Marjorie Benton Cooke. - =Crimson Gardenia, The, and Other Tales of Adventure.= By Rex Beach. - =Crimson Tide, The.= By Robert W. Chambers. - =Cross Currents.= By Author of “Pollyanna.” - =Cross Pull, The.= By Hal. G. Evarts. - =Cry in the Wilderness, A.= By Mary E. Waller. - =Cry of Youth, A.= By Cynthia Lombardi. - =Cup of Fury, The.= By Rupert Hughes. - =Curious Quest, The.= By E. Phillips Oppenheim. - - =Danger and Other Stories.= By A. Conan Doyle. - =Dark Hollow, The.= By Anna Katharine Green. - =Dark Star, The.= By Robert W. Chambers. - =Daughter Pays, The.= By Mrs. Baillie Reynolds. - =Day of Days, The.= By Louis Joseph Vance. - =Depot Master, The.= By Joseph C. Lincoln. - =Destroying Angel, The.= By Louis Joseph Vance. - =Devil’s Own, The.= By Randall Parrish. - =Devil’s Paw, The.= By E. Phillips Oppenheim. - =Disturbing Charm, The.= By Berta Ruck. - =Door of Dread, The.= By Arthur Stringer. - =Dope.= By Sax Rohmer. - =Double Traitor, The.= By E. Phillips Oppenheim. - =Duds.= By Henry C. Rowland. - - =Empty Pockets.= By Rupert Hughes. - =Erskine Dale, Pioneer.= By John Fox, Jr. - =Everyman’s Land.= By C. N. & A. M. Williamson. - =Extricating Obadiah.= By Joseph C. Lincoln. - =Eyes of the Blind, The.= By Arthur Somers Roche. - =Eyes of the World, The.= By Harold Bell Wright. - - =Fairfax and His Pride.= By Marie Van Vorst. - =Felix O’Day.= By F. Hopkinson Smith. - =54-40 or Fight.= By Emerson Hough. - =Fighting Chance, The.= By Robert W. Chambers. - =Fighting Fool, The.= By Dane Coolidge. - =Fighting Shepherdess, The.= By Caroline Lockhart. - =Financier, The.= By Theodore Dreiser. - =Find the Woman.= By Arthur Somers Roche. - =First Sir Percy, The.= By The Baroness Orczy. - =Flame, The.= By Olive Wadsley. - =For Better, for Worse.= By W. B. Maxwell. - =Forbidden Trail, The.= By Honoré Willsie. - =Forfeit, The.= By Ridgwell Cullum. - =Fortieth Door, The.= By Mary Hastings Bradley. - =Four Million, The.= By O. Henry. - =From Now On.= By Frank L. Packard. - =Fur Bringers, The.= By Hulbert Footner. - =Further Adventures of Jimmie Dale.= By Frank L. Packard. - - =Get Your Man.= By Ethel and James Dorrance. - =Girl in the Mirror, The.= By Elizabeth Jordan. - =Girl of O. K. Valley, The.= By Robert Watson. - =Girl of the Blue Ridge, A.= By Payne Erskine. - =Girl from Keller’s, The.= By Harold Bindloss. - =Girl Philippa, The.= By Robert W. Chambers. - =Girls at His Billet, The.= By Berta Ruck. - =Glory Rides the Range.= By Ethel and James Dorrance. - =Gloved Hand, The.= By Burton E. Stevenson. - =God’s Country and the Woman.= By James Oliver Curwood. - =God’s Good Man.= By Marie Corelli. - =Going Some.= By Rex Beach. - =Gold Girl, The.= By James B. Hendryx. - =Golden Scorpion, The.= By Sax Rohmer. - =Golden Slipper, The.= By Anna Katharine Green. - =Golden Woman, The.= By Ridgwell Cullum. - =Good References.= By E. J. Rath. - =Gorgeous Girl, The.= By Nalbro Bartley. - =Gray Angels, The.= By Nalbro Bartley. - =Great Impersonation, The.= By E. Phillips Oppenheim. - =Greater Love Hath No Man.= By Frank L. Packard. - =Green Eyes of Bast, The.= By Sax Rohmer. - =Greyfriars Bobby.= By Eleanor Atkinson. - =Gun Brand, The.= By James B. Hendryx. - - =Hand of Fu-Manchu, The.= By Sax Rohmer. - =Happy House.= By Baroness Von Hutten. - =Harbor Road, The.= By Sara Ware Bassett. - =Havoc.= By E. Phillips Oppenheim. - =Heart of the Desert, The.= By Honoré Willsie. - =Heart of the Hills, The.= By John Fox, Jr. - =Heart of the Sunset.= By Rex Beach. - =Heart of Thunder Mountain, The.= By Edfrid A. Bingham. - =Heart of Unaga, The.= By Ridgwell Cullum. - =Hidden Children, The.= By Robert W. Chambers. - =Hidden Trails.= By William Patterson White. - =Highflyers, The.= By Clarence B. Kelland. - =Hillman, The.= By E. Phillips Oppenheim. - =Hills of Refuge, The.= By Will N. Harben. - =His Last Bow.= By A. Conan Doyle. - =His Official Fiancee.= By Berta Ruck. - =Honor of the Big Snows.= By James Oliver Curwood. - =Hopalong Cassidy.= By Clarence E. Mulford. - =Hound from the North, The.= By Ridgwell Cullum. - =House of the Whispering Pines, The.= By Anna Katharine Green. - =Hugh Wynne, Free Quaker.= By S. Weir Mitchell, M.D. - =Humoresque.= By Fannie Hurst. - - =I Conquered.= By Harold Titus. - =Illustrious Prince, The.= By E. Phillips Oppenheim. - =In Another Girl’s Shoes.= By Berta Ruck. - =Indifference of Juliet, The.= By Grace S. Richmond. - =Inez.= (Ill. Ed.) By Augusta J. Evans. - =Infelice.= By Augusta Evans Wilson. - =Initials Only.= By Anna Katharine Green. - =Inner Law, The.= By Will N. Harben. - =Innocent.= By Marie Corelli. - =In Red and Gold.= By Samuel Merwin. - =Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu, The.= By Sax Rohmer. - =In the Brooding Wild.= By Ridgwell Cullum. - =Intriguers, The.= By William Le Queux. - =Iron Furrow, The.= By George C. Shedd. - =Iron Trail, The.= By Rex Beach. - =Iron Woman, The.= By Margaret Deland. - =Ishmael.= (Ill.) By Mrs. Southworth. - =Island of Surprise.= By Cyrus Townsend Brady. - =I Spy.= By Natalie Sumner Lincoln. - =It Pays to Smile.= By Nina Wilcox Putnam. - =I’ve Married Marjorie.= By Margaret Widdemer. - - =Jean of the Lazy A.= By B. M. Bower. - =Jeanne of the Marshes.= By E. Phillips Oppenheim. - =Jennie Gerhardt.= By Theodore Dreiser. - =Johnny Nelson.= By Clarence E. Mulford. - =Judgment House, The.= By Gilbert Parker. - - =Keeper of the Door, The.= By Ethel M. Dell. - =Keith of the Border.= By Randall Parrish. - =Kent Knowles: Quahaug.= By Joseph C. Lincoln. - =Kingdom of the Blind, The.= By E. Phillips Oppenheim. - =King Spruce.= By Holman Day. - =Knave of Diamonds, The.= By Ethel M. Dell. - - =La Chance Mine Mystery, The.= By S. Carleton. - =Lady Doc, The.= By Caroline Lockhart. - =Land-Girl’s Love Story, A.= By Berta Ruck. - =Land of Strong Men, The.= By A. M. Chisholm. - =Last Straw, The.= By Harold Titus. - =Last Trail, The.= By Zane Grey. - =Laughing Bill Hyde.= By Rex Beach. - =Laughing Girl, The.= By Robert W. Chambers. - =Law Breakers, The.= By Ridgwell Cullum. - =Law of the Gun, The.= By Ridgwell Cullum. - =League of the Scarlet Pimpernel.= By Baroness Orczy. - =Lifted Veil, The.= By Basil King. - =Lighted Way, The.= By E. Phillips Oppenheim. - =Lin McLean.= By Owen Wister. - =Little Moment of Happiness, The.= By Clarence Budington Kelland. - =Lion’s Mouse, The.= By C. N. & A. M. Williamson. - =Lonesome Land.= By B. M. Bower. - =Lone Wolf, The.= By Louis Joseph Vance. - =Lonely Stronghold, The.= By Mrs. Baillie Reynolds. - =Long Live the King.= By Mary Roberts Rinehart. - =Lost Ambassador.= By E. Phillips Oppenheim. - =Lost Prince, The.= By Frances Hodgson Burnett. - =Lydia of the Pines.= By Honorè Willsie. - =Lynch Lawyers.= By William Patterson White. - - =Macaria.= (Ill. Ed.) By Augusta J. Evans. - =Maid of the Forest, The.= By Randall Parrish. - =Maid of Mirabelle, The.= By Eliot H. Robinson. - =Maid of the Whispering Hills, The.= By Vingie E. Roe. - =Major, The.= By Ralph Connor. - =Maker of History, A.= By E. Phillips Oppenheim. - =Malefactor, The.= By E. Phillips Oppenheim. - =Man from Bar 20, The.= By Clarence E. Mulford. - =Man from Bitter Roots, The.= By Caroline Lockhart. - =Man from Tall Timber, The.= By Thomas K. Holmes. - =Man in the Jury Box, The.= By Robert Orr Chipperfield. - =Man-Killers, The.= By Dane Coolidge. - =Man Proposes.= By Eliot H. Robinson, author of “Smiles.” - =Man Trail, The.= By Henry Oyen. - =Man Who Couldn’t Sleep, The.= By Arthur Stringer. - =Marqueray’s Duel.= By Anthony Pryde. - =Mary ’Gusta.= By Joseph C. Lincoln. - =Mary Wollaston.= By Henry Kitchell Webster. - =Mason of Bar X Ranch.= By E. Bennett. - =Master Christian, The.= By Marie Corelli. - =Master Mummer, The.= By E. Phillips Oppenheim. - =Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.= By A. Conan Doyle. - =Men Who Wrought, The.= By Ridgwell Cullum. - =Midnight of the Ranges.= By George Gilbert. - =Mischief Maker, The.= By E. Phillips Oppenheim. - =Missioner, The.= By E. Phillips Oppenheim. - =Miss Million’s Maid.= By Berta Ruck. - =Money Master, The.= By Gilbert Parker. - =Money Moon, The.= By Jeffery Farnol. - =Moonlit Way, The.= By Robert W. Chambers. - =More Tish.= By Mary Roberts Rinehart. - =Mountain Girl, The.= By Payne Erskine. - =Mr. Bingle.= By George Barr McCutcheon. - =Mr. Grex of Monte Carlo.= By E. Phillips Oppenheim. - =Mr. Pratt.= By Joseph C. Lincoln. - =Mr. Pratt’s Patients.= By Joseph C. Lincoln. - =Mr. Wu.= By Louise Jordan Miln. - =Mrs. Balfame.= By Gertrude Atherton. - =Mrs. Red Pepper.= By Grace S. Richmond. - =My Lady of the North.= By Randall Parrish. - =My Lady of the South.= By Randall Parrish. - =Mystery of the Hasty Arrow, The.= By Anna K. Green. - =Mystery of the Silver Dagger, The.= By Randall Parrish. - =Mystery of the 13th Floor, The.= By Lee Thayer. - - =Nameless Man, The.= By Natalie Sumner Lincoln. - =Ne’er-Do-Well, The.= By Rex Beach. - =Net, The.= By Rex Beach. - =New Clarion.= By Will N. Harben. - =Night Horseman, The.= By Max Brand. - =Night Operator, The.= By Frank L. Packard. - =Night Riders, The.= By Ridgwell Cullum. - =North of the Law.= By Samuel Alexander White. - - =One Way Trail, The.= By Ridgwell Cullum. - =Outlaw, The.= By Jackson Gregory. - =Owner of the Lazy D.= By William Patterson White. - - =Painted Meadows.= By Sophie Kerr. - =Palmetto.= By Stella G. S. Perry. - =Paradise Bend.= By William Patterson White. - =Pardners.= By Rex Beach. - =Parrot & Co.= By Harold MacGrath. - =Partners of the Night.= By Leroy Scott. - =Partners of the Tide.= By Joseph C. Lincoln. - =Passionate Pilgrim, The.= By Samuel Merwin. - =Patricia Brent, Spinster.= By Anonymous. - =Patrol of the Sun Dance Trail, The.= By Ralph Connor. - =Paul Anthony, Christian.= By Hiram W. Hayes. - =Pawns Count, The.= By E. Phillips Oppenheim. - =Peacemakers, The.= By Hiram W. Hayes. - =Peddler, The.= By Henry C. Rowland. - =People’s Man, A.= By E. Phillips Oppenheim. - =Peter Ruff and the Double Four.= By E. Phillips Oppenheim. - =Poor Man’s Rock.= By Bertrand Sinclair. - =Poor Wise Man, A.= By Mary Roberts Rinehart. - =Portygee, The.= By Joseph C. Lincoln. - =Possession.= By Olive Wadsley. - =Postmaster, The.= By Joseph C. Lincoln. - =Prairie Flowers.= By James B. Hendryx. - =Prairie Mother, The.= By Arthur Stringer. - =Prairie Wife, The.= By Arthur Stringer. - =Pretender, The.= By Robert W. Service. - =Price of the Prairie, The.= By Margaret Hill McCarter. - =Prince of Sinners, A.= By E. Phillips Oppenheim. - =Promise, The.= By J. B. Hendryx. - - =Quest of the Sacred Slipper, The.= By Sax Rohmer. - - =Rainbow’s End, The.= By Rex Beach. - =Rainbow Valley.= By L. M. Montgomery. - =Ranch at the Wolverine, The.= By B. M. Bower. - =Ranching for Sylvia.= By Harold Bindloss. - =Ransom.= By Arthur Somers Roche. - =Real Life.= By Henry Kitchell Webster. - =Reclaimers, The.= By Margaret Hill McCarter. - =Re-Creation of Brian Kent, The.= By Harold Bell Wright. - =Red and Black.= By Grace S. Richmond. - =Red Mist, The.= By Randall Parrish. - =Red Pepper Burns.= By Grace S. Richmond. - =Red Pepper’s Patients.= By Grace S. Richmond. - =Red Seal, The.= By Natalie Sumner Lincoln. - =Rejuvenation of Aunt Mary, The.= By Anne Warner. - =Restless Sex, The.= By Robert W. Chambers. - =Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu, The.= By Sax Rohmer. - =Return of Tarzan, The.= By Edgar Rice Burroughs. - =Riddle of the Frozen Flame, The.= By M. E. and T. W. Hanshew. - =Riddle of Night, The.= By Thomas W. Hanshew. - =Riddle of the Purple Emperor, The.= By T. W. and M. E. Hanshew. - =Rider of the King Log, The.= By Holman Day. - =Rim of the Desert, The.= By Ada Woodruff Anderson. - =Rise of Roscoe Paine, The.= By Joseph C. Lincoln. - =Rising Tide, The.= By Margaret Deland. - =Rocks of Valpré, The.= By Ethel M. Dell. - =Room Number 3.= By Anna Katharine Green. - =Rose in the Ring, The.= By George Barr McCutcheon. - =Round the Corner in Gay Street.= By Grace S. Richmond. - - =St. Elmo.= (Ill. Ed.) By Augusta J. Evans. - =Second Choice.= By Will N. Harben. - =Second Latchkey, The.= By C. N. & A. M. Williamson. - =Second Violin, The.= By Grace S. Richmond. - =Secret of the Reef, The.= By Harold Bindloss. - =Secret of Sarek, The.= By Maurice Leblanc. - =See-Saw, The.= By Sophie Kerr. - =Self-Raised.= (Ill.) By Mrs. Southworth. - =Shavings.= By Joseph C. Lincoln. - =Sheik, The.= By E. M. Hull. - =Shepherd of the Hills, The.= By Harold Bell Wright. - =Sheriff of Dyke Hole, The.= By Ridgwell Cullum. - =Sheriff of Silver Bow, The.= By Berton Braley. - =Sherry.= By George Barr McCutcheon. - =Side of the Angels, The.= By Basil King. - =Sight Unseen and The Confession.= By Mary Robert Rinehart. - =Silver Horde, The.= By Rex Beach. - =Sin That Was His, The.= By Frank L. Packard. - =Sixty-first Second, The.= By Owen Johnson. - =Slayer of Souls, The.= By Robert W. Chambers - =Son of His Father, The.= By Ridgwell Cullum. - =Son of Tarzan, The.= By Edgar Rice Burroughs. - =Speckled Bird, A.= By Augusta Evans Wilson. - =Spirit of the Border, The.= (New Edition.) By Zane Grey. - =Spoilers, The.= By Rex Beach. - =Steele of the Royal Mounted.= By James Oliver Curwood. - =Still Jim.= By Honoré Willsie. - =Story of Foss River Ranch, The.= By Ridgwell Cullum. - =Story of Marco, The.= By Eleanor H. Porter. - =Strange Case of Cavendish, The.= By Randall Parrish. - =Strawberry Acres.= By Grace S. Richmond. - =Sudden Jim.= By Clarence B. Kelland. - =Sweethearts Unmet.= By Berta Ruck. - - =Tales of Secret Egypt.= By Sax Rohmer. - =Tales of Sherlock Holmes.= By A. Conan Doyle. - =Talitha Cumi.= By Annie J. Holland. - =Taming of Zenas Henry, The.= By Sara Ware Bassett. - =Tarzan of the Apes.= By Edgar Rice Burroughs. - =Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar.= By Edgar Rice Burroughs. - =Tempting of Tavemake, The.= By E. Phillips Oppenheim. - =Tess of the D’Urbervilles.= By Thomas Hardy. - =Texan, The.= By James B. Hendryx. - =Thankful’s Inheritance.= By Joseph C. Lincoln. - =That Affair Next Door.= By Anna Katharine Green. - =That Printer of Udell’s.= By Harold Bell Wright. - =Their Yesterdays.= By Harold Bell Wright. - =Thieves’ Wit.= By Hulbert Footner. - =Thirteenth Commandment, The.= By Rupert Hughes. - =Three Eyes, The.= By Maurice Leblanc. - =Three of Hearts, The.= By Berta Ruck. - =Three Strings, The.= By Natalie Sumner Lincoln. - =Tiger’s Coat, The.= By Elizabeth Dejeans. - =Tish.= By Mary Roberts Rinehart. - =Tobias O’ the Light.= By James A. Cooper. - =Trail of the Axe, The.= By Ridgwell Cullum. - =Trail to Yesterday, The.= By Charles A. Seltzer. - =Trailin’.= By Max Brand. - =Trap, The.= By Maximilian Foster. - =Treasure of Heaven, The.= By Marie Corelli. - =Triple Mystery, The.= By Adele Luehrmann. - =Triumph, The.= By Will N. Harben. - =Triumph of John Kars, The.= By Ridgwell Cullum. - =T. Tembarom.= By Frances Hodgson Burnett. - =Turn of the Tide.= By Author of “Pollyanna.” - =Turnstile of Night, The.= By William Allison. - =Twenty-fourth of June, The.= By Grace S. Richmond. - =Twins of Suffering Creek, The.= By Ridgwell Cullum. - =Two-Gun Man, The.= By Charles A. Seltzer. - - =Under Handicap.= By Jackson Gregory. - =Under the Country Sky.= By Grace S. Richmond. - =Underwood Mystery, The.= By Charles J. Dutton. - =Uneasy Street.= By Arthur Somers Roche. - =Unpardonable Sin, The.= By Major Rupert Hughes. - =Untamed, The.= By Max Brand. - =Up from Slavery.= By Booker T. Washington. - - =Valiants of Virginia, The.= By Hallie Ermine Rives. - =Valley of Fear, The.= By Sir A. Conan Doyle. - =Valley of the Sun, The.= By William M. McCoy. - =Vanguards of the Plains.= By Margaret Hill McCarter. - =Vanished Messenger, The.= By E. Phillips Oppenheim. - =Vashti.= By Augusta Evans Wilson. - =Virtuous Wives.= By Owen Johnson. - =Voice of the Pack, The.= By Edson Marshall. - - =Waif-o’-the-Sea.= By Cyrus Townsend Brady. - =Wall Between, The.= By Sara Ware Bassett. - =Wall of Men, A.= By Margaret H. McCarter. - =Watchers of the Plains, The.= By Ridgwell Cullum. - =Way Home, The.= By Basil King. - =Way of an Eagle, The.= By E. M. Dell. - =Way of the Strong, The.= By Ridgwell Cullum. - =Way of These Women, The.= By E. Phillips Oppenheim. - =We Can’t Have Everything.= By Major Rupert Hughes. - =Weavers, The.= By Gilbert Parker. - =West Wind Drift.= By George Barr McCutcheon. - =When a Man’s a Man.= By Harold Bell Wright. - =Where the Trail Divides.= By Will Lillibridge. - =Where There’s a Will.= By Mary R. Rinehart. - =White Moll, The.= By Frank L. Packard. - =Who Goes There?= By Robert W. Chambers. - =Why Not.= By Margaret Widdemer. - - - - -TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES: - -On page 11, dectective has been changed to detective. - -On page 115, con’t has been changed to don’t. - -On page 224, dictagraph has been changed to dictograph. - -In the list of the publisher’s catalog, the following changes have -been made: - “Cabbage and Kings” became “Cabbages and Kings”; - “Erskine Dale Pioneer” became “Erskine Dale, Pioneer”; - “Honorè Willsie” became “Honoré Willsie”. - -All other spelling and hyphenation has been left as typeset. - -Minor silent changes have been make conform to standard punctuation -usage. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE UNSEEN EAR *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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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