T1TE SUNDAY OREGOXIA PORTLAND. SEPTEMBER IT, 1911.
3
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f J YELLOW
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pHERLOCK HOLMES was a mn
who sldoro took exercise for xer
else's rake. Few men wer capable
r-f greater muscular effort, and ha was
undoubtedly one of the finest boxers of
hla weight that I have ever en: but
h looked upon almlesa bodily exertion
aa a ( of energy, and ho seldom be.
stirred hlmaelf sav where there waa
ome professional object to be served
.Then ha waa absolutely untiring and
Indefatigable. That he ahould hare
kept hlmaelf In training under uch cir
cumstances la remarkable, but hla diet
waa uaually of the sparest, and hla
habita were almpla to the verse of
austerity. Fav for the occasional u
of cocaine, ha had no vlrea. and he only
turned to the drug aa a protest against
the monotony of existence when raaes
a era scanty and the papers uninterest
ing.
One day in early Spring he had so
far relaxed aa to go to' a walk with
me In the. park, where the first faint
snoots of green were breaking out upon
the elms, and the stlrkr spearheads of
the chestnut were Just beginning to
burst Into their five-fold leaves. For
two hours we rambled about together.
In alienee for the moat part, aa befits
two men who know each other intl
mately. It was nearly 6 o'clock before
we were back In Baker street once
more.
"Beg pardon, sir." said our page-boy,
as be opened the door. "There's been a
gentleman here asking Tor you. sir.
Holmes glanced reproachfully at me.
"So murh for afternoon walks!" said
he. "Has this gentleman gone, then?"
"Tea. sir."
"Didn't you ask him In?"
"Yes, sir; he came In."
"How long did he wait?"
"Half an hour. sir. Ha was a very
restless gentleman, sir, a-wa!kln and
a-stampln' all the time he was here, f
was walttn' outside the door. sir. and I
could hear him. At last he out 'Into
the passage, and he cries. 'Ia that man
never goln' to come?" Thosa were hla
very words, sir. 'You'll only need to
watt a little longer,' says I. Then I'll
wait In the open air. for I feel half
choked." says he. 'I'll be back before
long.' And with that he upa and he
outs, and all I could say wouldn't hold
him back."
"Well. well, you did your best." said
Holme, as we walked Into our room.
'Iti very annoying, though. Watson. I
was badly In need of a case, and this
looks, from the man's Impatience, as If
It were of Importance. Hullo! that's
not your pip on the table. He must
have left bis behind him. A nlca old
brier with a good long stem of. what
the tobacconlsta call amber. I wonder
how manv real amber mouthpieces there
arc In London? Some people think that
a fly In It la a sign. Well, he must
bava been disturbed In his mind to
leave a pipe behind him which he evi
dently values hla-hly."
"How do you know that he values It
hla-hly?" I asked.
"Well. I should put the original cost
of the pipe at seven and sixpence. Now
It has. you see. been twice mended,
once In the wooden stem and once In the
amber. Each of these mends, done, as
you observe, with silver bands, must
have cost more than the pip did orig
inally. The man must value the pipe
highly when he prefers to patch It
up rather than buy a new on with the
urns money."
"Anything else?" I asked, for Hotmes
was turning the pip about In his
hand, and staring at It In hla peculiar
pensive way.
He held It up and tapped on It with
Ms long, thin forefinger, as a pro
fessor might who was lecturing on a
bone.
"Pipes a re occasionally of extraor
dinary Interest." said he. "Nothing
has mor Individuality, sav perhaps
watches and bootlaces. The Indications
here, however, ar neither very marked
nor very Important. Th owner Is ob
viously a muscular man. left-handed,
with an excellent set of teeth, careless
In hi habits, and with no need to prac
tice economy."
My friend threw out th Information
In a very off-hand way. but I aaw that
he cocked his eye at me to see If I had
followed his reasoning.
"Tou think a man must be well-to-do
If ha smokes a seven-shilling pipe,"
said I.
"This Is Grosvenor mixture at eight
pence an ounce." Holmes answered,
knocking a litis out on his palm. "A
h might get an excellent smoke for
half the price, ha has no need to prac
tice economy."
"H has been In the habit of lighting
Ms pip at lamps and gas-jets. Tou
ran se that It la quite charred all
down on side. Of course a match
could not have don that. Why ahould
a man hold a match to the side of his
pipe? But yon cannot light It at a
lamp without getting the bowl charred.
And It Is ail on th right side of the
pipe. From that I Bather that he I a
left-handed man. Tou hold your own
pipe to the lamp, and se how naturally
you. being right-handed, hold the left
side to the flame. Tou might do It
one th other way. but not aa a con
stancy. This haa always been held so.
Then he has bitten through his amber.
It take a muscular, energetic fellow,
and one with a good set of teeth, to do
that. Put If I am not mistaken I hear
htm upon th atalr. so we shall have
omething more Intereetlng than his
pip to study."
An Instant later our door opened, and
a tall young man entered the room.
H waa wall but quietly dressed In a
dark gray suit, and carried a brown
wideawake In his hand. I should hav
put him at about Srt. though he was
really sore years older.
"I beg your pardon." said he. with
tons embarrassment; "I suppose I
should hav knocked. The fact la that
I am a llttl upset, and you must put
It all down to that." II passed his
hand over hla forehead like a man who
Is half dazed, and then fell rather than
sat down upon a chair.
"I can ae thai you have not slept
for a night or two." sail Holmes, in
his easy, genial way. "That tries a
man's eerves mor than work, and mor
even than pleasure. May I ask how I
can help you?"
"I wanted your advice, air. I don't
know what to do. and try who: life
seems to have gone to pieces."
"Tou wish to employ m as a con
sulting detective?"
"Not that only. I want your opinion
as a Judicious man as a man of the
world. I want to know what T ought
t do next. I hope to God you'll be
as! to tell me."
He spok In little, sharp. Jerky out
bursts, and It seemed to me that to
speak at all was verv painful to him.
aad that hi wit all through was over
riding hla Inclinations.
"It s a very delicate thlnr." said he.
"One does not Ilk to speak of one's
domestic affair to strancers. It seems
dreadful to discuss the conduct of one's
wif with two men whom I have never
een before. It's horrible to hav to do
It. But Fv got to the end of my
tether, and I must have advl-."
"My dear Mr. Grant Slunro " be
gan Holmes.
Our visitor sprang from hla chair.
"What!" ho cried, "you know my
name?"
"If you wish to preserve your Incog
nito." said Holmes, smiling. "I would
suagest that you cease to write your
name upon the lining of your hat. or
else that you turn the crown towards
the person whom you are addressing.
I waa about to say that my friend and
I have listened to a good many strange
secrets In this room, and that we hav
had the good fortune to bring peace to
many troubled souls. I trust that we
may do as much for you. Might I beg
you. as time may prove to be of Im
portance, to furnish me with the facts
of your case without further delay?"
Our visitor again passed hia hand
over his forehead, aa If he found It bit
terly hard. From every geeture and
expression I could see that he was a
reserved, self-contained man. with a
dash of prlrle In his nature, more likely
to hide his wounds than to expose them.
Then suddenly, with a fierce gesture of
his closed hand, like one who throws
reserve to the winds, he beiran.
"The fart are these. Mr. Holmes."
said lie. "I am a married man. and
have been so for three years. During
that time my wife and I have loved
flip vm'
each other as fondly and lived as hap
pily as any two that ever were Joined.
We have not had a difference, not one.
In thought or word or deed. And now.
sine last Monday, there has suddenly
sprung up a barrier between us. and I
find that there la something In her lire
and In her thoughts of which I know
aa llttl as If she were th woman who
brushes by me In the street- We ar
estranged, and I want to know why.
"Now there Is on thing that I want
to Impress upon you befor I go any
further. Mr. Holmes. Effle loves me.
Don't let there be any mistake about
that. She loves me with her whole
heart and soul, and never more than
now. I know It. I feel It. I don't
want to argue about that. A man can
tell easily enough when a woman loves
him. But there's this secret between
us. and w can never be th same until
It is cleared."
"Kindly let me hav th facta. Mr.
Munro." said Holmes, with soma Impa
tience. "I'll tell you what I know about
Effie'a history. She was a widow when
I met her first, though quite young
only li. Her name then was Mrs.
Hebron. She went out to America when
she was young, and lived in the town
of Atlanta, where she married this
Hebron, who was a lawyer with a good
practice. They had one child, but the
yeltow fever broke out badly In the
place, and both husband and child died
of It. I hav seen bis death certificate.
This sickened her of America, and she
came back to live with a maiden aunt
at Pinner. In Middlesex. I may men
tion that her husband had left her com
fortably off. and that she hsd a capital
of about four thousand five hundred
pounds, which had been so well Invest
ed by him that It returned an averag
of 7 per cent. Sh had only been six
months at Pinner when I met her: w
tell In love with each other, and we
married a few weeks afterwards.
"I am a hop merchant myself, and as
J have an Income of seven or eight
hundred, we found ourselves comfort
ably off. and took a nice elght-pound-a-year
villa at Norbury. Our little
place was very countrified, considering
that It was so clos to town. W had
an Inn and two houses a little above us.
and a single cottage at th other side
of the field which faces us, and except
those there wer no houses until you
got half way to th station. My busi
ness took me Into town at certain sea
son, but In Summer I had less to do,
and then In our country horn my wlf
and I wr Just as happy s could b
wished. I tell you that ther never
was a shadow between us until this
accursed affair began.
"There's one thing I ought to tell you
befor I go further. When we married,
my wife made over all her property to
me rather against my will, for I saw
how awkward it would be If my busi
ness affairs went wrong. However, ah
would hav It o, and It was done.
Welt about six weeks ago sh cam to
me.
-Jack. said she. "when you took
my money you said that If ever I
wanted any I was to ask you for it.'
"Certainly." said I. "It's all your
own." .
- Well.' said she. "I want a hundred
pounds.'
-I was a bit staga-ered at this, for I
had Imagined It was simply a new
dress or something of th kind that
she wss after.
-What on earth for?" I asked.
-Oh.' s. I she. in her playful way.
vou said that you war only my bank
er, and bankers never questions,
you know."
- If you really mean It. of course you
shall have th money.' eald I.
"Oh. yes. I really mean It.
"And you won't tell m what you
want It for?"
-'Some day. perhaps, but not Just at
present. Jack."
"So I had to be content with that,
though It was th first tim that ther
had ever been any secret between us,
I gav her a check, and I never thought ,
any more of the matter. It inay nave
nothing to do with what came after
wards, but I thought It only right to
mention It.
"Well, I told you Just now that there
Is a cottage not far from our house.
There Is Just a field between us. hut
to reach It you have to go along the
road and then turn down a 'ane. Just
beyond It Is a nice little grove of Scotch
firs, and I used to be very fond of
strolling down there, for trees are al
ways a neighborly kind of things. The
cottage hsd been standing empty this
right months, and it was a pity, for It
was a pretty two-storied place, with an
old-fashioned porch and honeysuckle
about It. I have stood many a time
and thought what a neat little home
stead It would make.
"Well, Iwt Monday evening I was
taking a stroll down that way, when I
met an empty van coming up the lane,
and saw a pile of carpets and things
lying about on the grass-plot beside
the porch. It was clear that the cot
tage had at last been let. I walked
past It. r.nd then stopping, as an ldl
man might. I ran my eye over It, and
wondered what sort of folk they were
who had come to live so near us. And
as I looked I suddenly became aware
that a face was watching ma out of one
of the upper windows.
- I don't know what ther was about
that face, Mr. Holmes, but It seemed to
send a chill right down my back,
waa some little way off. so that
could not make out the features, but
there was something unnatural and In
human about the face. That was the
Impression that I had, and I moved
quickly forwards to get a nearer view
of the person who was watching me.
But as I did so the face suddenly dis
appeared, so suddenly that It seemed
to have been plucked away Into the
darkness of the room. I stood for five
minutes thinking th business over, and
trylnar to analyse my Impressions. I
could not tell if the face were that of a
man or a woman. It had been too far
from me for that. But Its color was
what had Impressed me most. It wai
of a livid chalky white, and with some
thing set and rigid about it which was
hocklngly unnatural. So disturbed
waa I that I determined to see a little
more of the new Inmates of th cottage.
I approached and knocked at the door,
which was Instantly opened by a tall.
gaunt woman with a harsh, forbidding
face.
" "What may you be wantln'?" she
asked. In a Northern accent.
- "I am your neighbor over yonder,'
said I. nodding towards my house. 1
se that you have only Just moved In,
so I thought that If I could be of any
help to you In any
" "Ay. we'll Just ask ye when wo want
ye.' said ahe, and ahut the door In my
face. Annoyed at the churlish rebuff,
I turned my back and walked home. All
evening, though I tried to think of
other things, my mind would still turn
to the apparition at the window and the
rudenesa of the woman. I determined
to say nothing about'the fdrmer to my
wife, for .sh Is a nervous, highly
strung woman, and I bad no wish that
MltS
Vu AUTTKryW jeT
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isgko
she should share the unpleasant im
pression which had been produced upon
myself. I remarked to her, however.
before I fell asleep, that the cottage
waa .now occupied, to which she re
turned no reply.
"I am usually an extremely sound
sleeper. It has been a standing Jest
In the family that nothing could ever
wake me during the night. And yet
somehow on that particular night,
whether It may have been the slight
excitement produced by my little ad
venture or not I know not. but I slept
much more lightly than usual. Half In
my dreams I was dimly conscious that
something was going on in the room,
and gradually became aware that my
wife had dressed herself and was slip
ping on her mantle and her bonnet. My
lips were parted to murmur out some
sleepy words of surprise or remon
strance at this untimely preparation,
when suddenly my half - opened eyes
fell upon her face. Illuminated by the
candle light, and astonishment held me
dumb. She wore an 'expression such as
I had never seen before such as I
should have thought her Incapable of
assuming. She was deadly pale and
breathing fast. glancing furtively
towards the bed as she fastened her
mantle, to see if she had disturbed me.
Then, thinking that I was still aoleep.
she slipped noiselessly from the room,
and an instant later I heard a sharp
creaking which could only come from
the hinges of the front door. I sat up
In bed and rapped my knuckles against
the rail to make certain that I was
truly awake. Then I took my watch
from under the pillow. It was 3 In the
morning. What on this earth could my
wife be doing out on the country road
at 3 In th morning?
"I had sat for about 10 minutes turn
ing the thing over in my mind and try
ing to find some possible explanation.
The more I thought, the more extraor
dinary and Inexplicable did it appear. I
was still puzzling over It when I heard
the door gently cfoee again, and her
footsteps coming up the stairs. .
'Where in the world have yon been,
Effle?" I asked as she entered.
"She gave a violent start and a kind
of gasping cry when I spoke, and that
cry and start troubled me more than all
the rest, for there was something Inde
scribably guilty about them. My wife
had always been a woman of a frank,
open nature, and It gave me a chill to
see her slinking Into her own room,
and crying out and wincing when her
own husband spoke to her.
"Tou awake. Jack!" she cried, with
a nervous laugh. 'Why, I thought that
nothing could awake you."
"'Where have you been?" I asked
sternly.
" "I don't wonder that you are sur
prised," said she, and I could see that
her fingers were trembling as she un
did the fastenings of her mantle. 'Why,
I never remember having don such a
thing in my life before. The fact is
that I felt as though I were choking,
and had a perfect longing for a breath
of fresh air. I really think that I
should have fainted If I had not gone'
out. I stood at the door for a few mln-
utes. and now I am quite myself again.'
"All the time that she was telling me
this story she never once looked in my
direction, and her vole was quite un
like her usual tones. It was evident
to me that she was saying what was
false. I said nothing In reply, but
turned my face to the. wall, sick at
heart, with my mind filled with a
thousand venomous doubts and suspi
cions. What waa it that my wife was
conceallnsr from me? Where had she
been during that strange expedition?
I felt that I should have no peace until
I knew, and yet I shrank from asKing
her again after onee she had told me
what was false. All the rest of the
night I tossed and tumbled, framing
theory after theory, each more unlikely
than the last.
"I should have gone to the city that
day. but I was too disturbed In my
ntlnd to b able to pay attention to
business matters. My wife seemed to
be as uDset as myself, and I could see
from the little questioning glances
which she kept shooting at me that she
understood that I disbelieved ner state
ment, and that she was at her wits' end
what to do. We naraiy excnanKea i
worri Aurinir breakfast, and Immediate
ly afterwards I went out for a walk,
that I might think the matter out in
the fresh morning air.
"I went as far aa the Crystal Palace,
spent an hour in the grounds, and waa
back in Norbury by 1 o cioca. n nap
Dened that my way took me past the
cottage, and I stopped for an Instant
to look at the windows, ana to see ii x
could catch a glimpse of the strange
face which had looked out at me on
the dHV before. A I stood tnere, ira
agtne my surprise. Mr. Holmes, when
the door suddenly openeo ana my wim
walked out.
"I was struck dumb with astonish
ment at the sight of her; but my emo
tions were nothing to those which
showed hemselves upon her face when
our yes met. Sh seemed for an in
stant to wish to shrink back Inside the
house again: and then, seeing how
useless all concealment must be, she
came forward, with a very white face
and frightened eyes which belied the
smile uponjier Hps.
"'Ah. Jack.', she said. 1 hav Just
been In to see if I can be of any assist
ance to our new neighbors. Why do
you look at me like that. Jack? Tou
are not angry with meT
- -so,' said I, "this is where you went
during the night'
"What do you mean? she cried.
- Tou came here. . I am sure of it.
TVho are these people, that you should
visit them at such an hour?"
" 'I have not been here before.'
" 'How can you tell me what you
know is falser I cried. Tour very
voice changes as you speak. When
have I ever kept a secret from you? I
shall enter that cottage, and I shall
probe the matter to the bottom."
- "No. no. Jack, for God's sake!' she
gasped, in uncontrollable emotion. Then,
as I approached the door, she seized my
sleeve and pulled me back with con
vulsive strength.
""I Implore you not to do this. Jack.'
she cried. 1 swear that I will tell
you everything some day, but nothing
hut mlserv can come of It If you enter
that cottage." Then, as I tried to shake
her off. she clung to m in a rrenzy or
entreaty.
"Trust me. Jack:- she ctiefl. Trust
me only this once. You will never
have cause to regret It. Tou know
that I would not have a secret from
you If It were not for your own aake.
Our whole Uvea are at stake In this.
If you com home with me. all will be
well. If you force your way Into that
cottage, all Is over between us-'
There was 'such earnestneas, sucn
despair. In her manner that her words
arrested me. and I atood Irresolute be
fore the door.
" 1 will trust you on one condition.
and on one condition only, said I at
last. 'It Is that this mystery comes to
end from now. You are at liberty
to preserve your secret, but you must
promise me tnat mere snail oe no moro
nightly visits, no more doings which
are kept from my knowledge. I am
I are kept from my
I willing to forget
I passed if you will
) shall be no more In
1 - i was aure ths
forget those which are
promise that there
n the future.
that you would trust
me." she cried, with a great sigh of re
lief. 'It shall be Just as you wish.
Come- away oh, come away up to the
house.'
"Still rolling at my sleeve-, she led
me away from the cottage. As we went
I glanced back, and there was that
yellow livid face watching us out of
the upper window. What link could
there be between that creature and my
wife? Or how could the coarse, rough
woman whom I had seen the day before
be connected with her? It waa a
strange puzzle, and yet I knew that my
mind could never know' ease again un
til I had solved it
"For two days after this I stayed at
home, and my wife appeared to abide
loyally by our engagement, for, as far
as I know, she never stirred out of the
house. On the third day, however, I
had ample evidence that her solemn
promise was not enough to hold her
back from this secret Influence which
drew her away from her husband and
her duty.
"I had gone Into town on that day,
but I returned by the 2:40 instead of
the S:36, which is my usr.al train. As I
entered the house the m&id ran into
the hall with a startled face.
"Where Is your mistress?" I asked.
" T think that she has gone out for
a walk," she answered.
"My mind was Instantly filled with
suspicion. I rushed upstairs to make
sure that she was not in the house. As
I did so I happened to glance out of
one of the upper windows, and saw the
maid with whom I had Just been speak
ing running across the field in the
direction of the cottage. Then of
course I saw exactly what It all meant
My Wife had gone over there, and had
asked the servant to call her if I should
return. Tingling with anger, I rushed
down and hurried across, determined to
end the matter once and forever. I saw
my wife and the maid hurrying back
along the lane, but I did not stop to
speak with them. In the cottage lay
the secret which was casting a shadow
over my life. I vowed that, come what
might, it should be a secret no longer.
I did not even knock when I reached It,
but turned the handle and rushed Into
the passage.
"It was all still and quiet upon the
ground floor. In the kitchen a kettle
waa singing on the fire, and a large
black cat lay colled up In the basKet
but there was no sign of the woman
whom I had seen before. I ran into the
other room, but it was equally deserted.
Then I rushed up the stairs, only to
find two other rooms empty and desert
ed at the top. There was no one at all
in the whole house. The furniture and
pictures were of the most common and
vulgar description, save in the one
chamber at the window of which I had
seen the strange face. That waa com
fortablo and elegant and all my sus
picions rose Into a fierce, bitter flame
when T saw that on the mantelpiece
stood a copy of a full-length photo
graph of my wife, which had been
taken at my request only three months
ago.
"I stayed long enough to make cer
tain that the house was absolutely
empty. Then I left It feeling a weight
at roy heart such as I had nevr had
befor. My wife came out into the
hall as I entered my house; but I vas
to hurt and angry to speak with ner,
and pushing past her, I made my way
WM - MR
3 '
i i mm
III
into my study. She followed me, how
ever, before I could close the door.
" 'I am sorry that I broke my prom
ise. Jack," said she; 'but if you knew
all the circumstances I am sure that
you would forgive me.'
" 'Tell me everything, then," said I.
" "I cannot Jack, I cannot" she cried.
" Until you tell me who It is that has
been living in that cottage, and who it
is to whom you have given that photo
graph, there can never be any conn
dence between us,' said I, and breaking
away from her, I left the house. That
was yesterday, Mr. Holmes, and I have
not seen her since, nor do I know any
thing more about this strange business.
It Is the first shadow that has come be
tween us, and It has so shaken me
that I do not know what I should do
for the best. Suddenly this morning it
occurred to me that you were the man
to advise me, so I have hurried to you
now, and I place myself unreservedly
in your hands. If there is any point
which I have not made clear, pray ques
tion me about it But, above all, tell
me quickly what I am to do. for this
misery Is more than I can bear."
Holmes and I had listened with the
utmost interest to this extraordinary
Ml 1
statement, which had been delivered In
the Jerky, broken fashion of a man who
Is under the Influence of extreme emo
tion. My companion sat silent now for
eome time, with his chin upon his hand,
lost In thou&rht. -
"Tell me," said he at last "could
you swear that this was a man's face
which you saw at the window?"
"Each time that I saw it I was some
distance away from it, so that It is Im
possible for me to say."
"You appear, however, to have been
disagreeably, impressed by It
"It seemed to be of an unnatural
color, and to have a strange rigidity
about the features. When I approached.
it vanished with a Jerk."
"How long Is it since your wife asked
you for a hundred pounds?
"Nearly two months."
"Have you ever seen a photograph
of her first husband?"
"No; there was a great fire at At
lanta very shortly after his death, and
all her papers were destroyed.
"And yet she had a certificate of
death. You say that you saw it."
"Yes; she got a duplicate after the
Are.
"Did you ever meet anyone who knew
her in America?"
"No."
"Did she ever talk of revisiting the
place?"
"No."
"Or get letters from It?"
"No."
'Thank you. I should like to think
over the matter a little now. If the
cottage Is now permanently deserted
we may have some difficulty. If, on
the other hand, as I fancy It more like
ly, the Inmates were warned of your
coming, and left before you entered
yesterday then they may be back now,
and we should clear it all up easily.
Let me advise you, then, to return to
Norbury, and to examine the windows
of the cottage again. If you have rea
son to believe that it Is inhabited, dd
not force your 'way in, but send a wire
to my friend and me. We shall be
with you within an hour of receiving
It and we shall then very soon get
to the bottom of the business." t
"And if it is still empty r
"In that case I shall come out to
morrow and talk It over with you.
Qoodby. and above all, do not fret until
you know that you really have cause
for it"
"I am afraid that this Is a bad busi
ness, Watson," said my companion, as
he returned after accompanying Mr.
Grant Munro to the door.. "What do
yoh make of it?"
"It had an ugly sound." I answered.
f'Yea. There's blackmail in it or. I
am much mistaken."
And who is tne Diactcmaiierr
Well, it must be the cerature who
lives in the only comfortable room In
the place, and has her photograph above
his fireplace. Upon my word. Watson,
there Is something very attractive about
that livid face at the window, and I
would not have missed the case for
worlds."
You have a theory 7"
Yes, a provisional one. But I shall
he aurDrlsed If it does not turn out to
be correct This woman's first husband
In that cottage."
"Why do you think so?"
How else can we explain her fren
zied anxiety that her second one should
not enter It? The facts, as I read
them, are something like this: This
woman was married In America. Her
husband developed some hateful -qualities:
or shall we say that he contracted
some loathsome disease, and became a
leper or an imbecile? She flies from
him at last, returns to England, changes
her name, and starts her me, as sue
thinks, afresh. She has been married
three years, and believes that her po-
itionf is quite secure, naving snown
her husband the deatn eeruncaio oi
om man wnose naruo ue u.B as
sumed, when suddenly her whereabouts
Is discovered by her nrsr. nusoano; or,
we may suppose, by some unscrupulous
woman who has attached herself to
the invalid. They write to the wife,
and threaten to come and expose her.
She asks for a hundred pounds, and
endeavors to buy them off. They come
in spite of it, and when the husband
mentions casually to the wife that there
are new-comers in the cottage, she
knows in some way that they are her
pursuers. She waits until her husband
is asleep, and then she rushes down to
endeavor to persuade them to leave
her in peace. Having no succes, she
goes again next morning, and her hus
band meets her, as he has told us. as
she comes out She promises him then
not to go there again, but two days
afterwafds the hope of getting rid of
those dreadful neighbors was too strong
for her, and she made another at
tempt, taking down with her the pho
tograph which had probably been de
manded from her. In the midst of thia
interview the maid rushed In to say
that the master had come home, on
which the wife, knowing that he would
come straight down to the cottage, hur
ried into the grove of fir trees, probably,
which was mentioned as standing near.
In this way he found the place deserted.
I shall be very nuch, surprised, how
ever. If It is still so when he recon
noiters it this evening. Wrhat do you
think of my theory?"
"It is all surmise."
"But at least It covers all the facts.
When new facts como to our knowl
edge which cannot be covered by it
It will be time enough to reconsider It.
We can do nothing more until we hve
a message from' our friend at Norbury."
But we had not a very long time to
wait for that. It came Just as we had
finished our tea. "The cottage is still
tenanted." It said. "Have seen the face
again at the window. Will meet the
7 o'clock train, and will take no steps
until you arrive."
He was waiting on the platform when
we stepped out, and we could see In
the light of the station lamps that he
was very pale, and quivering with agi
tation. "They are still there, Mr. Holmes,
said he. laying his hand hard upon my
friend's sleeve. "I saw lights in the
cottage as I came down. We shall
settle it now once and for all."
"What is your plan, then?" asked
Holmes, as he walked down the dark
tree-lined road.
"I am going to force my way in and
see for myself who is in the house.
I wish you both to De tnere as wit
nesses." "You are quite determined to take this,
In spite of your wife's warning that it
is better that jrou should not solve the
mystery?"
i "Yes, I am determined."
"Well, I think that you are in the
right Any truth is better than in
definite doubt We had better go up
at once. Of course, legally, we are
putting ourselves hopelessly In the
wrong; but I think that It Is worth It."
. It was a very dark night, and a thin
rain began to fall as we turned from
the high-road into a narow lane, deep
ly rutted, with hedges on either side.
Mr. Grant Munro pushed impatiently
forward, however, and we stumbled
after him as best we could.
There are the lights of my house,
he murmured, pointing to a glimmer
among the trees. "And here is the
cottage Which I am going to enter."
We turned a corner in the lane as he
spoke, and there was the building close
beside us. A yellow bar falling across
the black foreground Bhowed that the
door waff not quite closed, and one
window in the upper story was bright
ly illuminated. As we looked, we saw
a dark blur moving across the blind.
"There Is that cerature!" cried Grant
Munro. "You can see for yourselves
that some one is there. Now follow
me, and we shall soon know all."
We approached the door; but sud
denly a woman appeared out of the
shadow and stood in the golden track
of the lamp-light. I could not see her
face in the darkness, but her arms
were thrown out In an attitude of en
treaty. , . , ...
"For God's sake, don't. Jack!" she
cried. "I had a presentiment that you
would come this evening. Think better
of it, dear! Trust me again, and you
will never have cause to regret it."
"I have trusted you too long, Effle,"
he cried, sternly. "Leave go of me!
I must pass you. My friends and I
are going to settle this matter once
and forever!" He pushed her to one
side, and we followed closely after
him. As he threw the door open an
old woman ran out in front of him and
tried to bar his passage, but he thrust
her back, and an instant afterwards we
were all upon the stairs. Grant Mun
ro rushed Into the lighted room at the
top, and we entered at his heels.
It was a cosy, well-furnished apart
ment, with two candles burning upon
the table and two upon the mantel
piece. In the corner, stooping over a
desk, there eat what appeared to
be a little girl. Her face was
turned away as we entered, but
we could see that she was dressed In
a red frock, and that she had long
white gloves on. As she whisked round
to us, I gave a cry of surprise and hor
ror. The face which she turned to
wards us was of the strangest livid
tint, and the features were absolutely
devoid of any expression. An instant
later the mystery was explained.
Holmes, with a laugh, passed his hand
behind the child's ear, a mask peeled
off from her countenance, and there
was a little coal-black negress, with
all her white teeth flashing in amuse
ment at our amazed faces. I burst out
laughing, out of sympathy with her
merriment; hut Grant Munro stood
staring, with his hand clutching his
throat. .., i.
"My God!" he cried. "What can be
the meaning of this?" .
"I will tell you the meaning of it,
cried the lady, sweeping into the room
with a proud, set face. "You have
forced me, against my own Judgment,
to tell you, and now we must both
make the best of It. My husband died
at Atlanta. My child survived."
"Your child V
She drew a large silver locket from
her bosom. "You have never seen this
open." '
"I understood that It did not open.
' She touched a spring, and the front
hinged back. There was a portrait
within of a man strikingly handsome
and Intelligent-looking, but bearing
unmlstakabl signs upon nia ieaiure
of his African descent.
"That Is John Hebron, oi Aiiania.
said the lady, "and a nobler man nev
er walked the earth. I cut myself orr
from mv race in order to wed him, but
never once while he lived did I for an
instant regret it. " It was our misfor
tune that our only child took after h!
people rather than mine, n is un
in ,rh matches, and little Lucy Is
darker far than ever her father was.
But dark or fair, she Is my own dear
little girlie, and her mother's pet" The
iitti .rtun ran across at the words
and nestled up against the lady's dress.
"When I left her in America, sne cuu
tinued. "it was only because her health
was weaK. ana. m," -done
her harm. She was given to the
care of a faithful Sootch woman who
had once been our servant Never for
an Instant did 1 aream oi uiouwmag;
her as my child. But when chance
threw vou in my way. Jack.
and I
(Concluded on Pa 7.).