Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-09-27
CONTINUED from Tuesday, Sept 2I.)
ENGAGED IN HASTE.
II nIsS n. Z. BRADDoN.


secret fears which she was struggling to
repress.
This woman knows more than any ono
else" he thought, and then he questioned
Lady Darnel about the contents of the
cabinet.
~Yes," she said dreamily, as if only
Just remembering the fact; there
are some bank-notes there. The money
Sir Allan had drawn for our travelling ex-
penses," her voice faltered little as she
recalled her delight in the idea of that
journey, the sweet expectation of happy
days with her beloved in lovely land, and
now grave yawned before; darkest, direst
fears crowded upon her soul.
"A large sum of money!" inquired Pen
wern.
"Three-no. think it was 940O"
slave you the key Of the cabinet, Lady
Darnel9"
aMy husband and have duplicate keys
but doubt If Sir Allan locked the cab
met that night. He had taken out his pis-
tolls in order to examine them-he was ex-
cited, tired, and did not put the pistols
back in the cabinet"
"Will you be good enough to see If the
notes are still there, Lady Darnel'" asked
the detective
"She started, hooked at him curiously,
and then sudden flow of crimson swept
over her cheek and brow.
@What difference can that makef-tho
notes are safe, Of course" she said.
sNot if there was burglar in this room
and he was clever enough to secure his
booty before Sir Allan interrupted him.
You don't suppose, Lady Darnel, take it
that Sir Allan got up out of his bed and
70 hi Co. h cnlf
Il suppose nothing-I know nothing ex-
cept that my husban's life is in danger"
The law wants to know great deal
more than thatS" said Dora. "The law
wants to know how my poor brothers life
came to be endangered"
"Oblige me by looking for the notes,
Lady Darnel," said the detective "The
obvious reading of this sad business is
that Sir Allan was shot by a burglar-who
managed to escape before you re-entered
this room. II so, the burglar must have
come after something, and with some
definite purpose. Please try the cabinet"
He could see that she was reluctant,
curiously reluctant, to obey; but she went
slowly to the Italian cabinet and opened
the doors to the widest. She had been
right in her conjectures-the cabinet had
not been locked since Sir Allan took out
the pistol-case.
ado you find the notes, Lady Darnel?"
asked Penwern when she had been stand
ing there some minutes, examining shelves
and drawers, and secret-nominally secret
-receptacles at the back Of the quaint old
piece of furniture.
No they are not here-at least can not
find them"
ado you know If Sir Allan had taken
the numbers Of those notes?"
~ think not. He only drew them from
the bank the day before the accident He
was out with the hounds early next morn
ing-he was engaged with his steward all
the afternoon
ave can get the numbers from the bank,
I dare say" said the colonel.
"True. But they will be of very little
use to US. Bank notes and diamonds are
the bread and cheese of the burglars
trade. The thing is to find out who did
this. have an idea that could put my
hand upon the mantle hero of good
many portico robberies."
"Pray, what is portico robbery" asked
the colonel
almost every country seat has a portico;
the better the house the bigger the portico,"
explained the detective. Nothing easier
to scale than handsome, classical portico
No ladder or ropes or tell-tale apparatus
wanted. The burglar watches his oppor-
tunity, generally finds it at dusk, when
the family are at dinner, the servants all
occupied downstairs. He scales the por-
tico-there is always at least one window
above it. He gets quickly in at the win
dow, sneaks along a corridor to my 1ady's
dressing room or bed-room-of course he
hos Ian hn nf
floor observation-disclosures her jewel-case,
pitches it out of the window to a friend or
friends below-catch as catch can-and as
quietly sneaks out of the house, and off to
the nearest railway station, where friends
have gone on before with trap. If he is
met in corridor after the fact, there is no
property in his possession-he PUSHES past
bewildered maid-servant-gets clear OF
before she can collect her senses"
"And you think that this was portico
robberyi" said the colonel.
81 know of only one mana distinguished
artist in that line-quick enough and au-
dacious enough to manage this business in
the time in which it was DONE" replied the
detective. "Pray, Lady Darnel, how long
were you absent from this room before
you heard a pistol-shot?"
"A very short time"
give minutes'"
"Rather more than that-nearly ten
minutes. perhaps"
"Ah; the man mean could do good
deal more than ransack that cabinet in ten
minutes. After you heard the pistol shot
! did you lose much time in getting to this
roome"
"Not an instant"
"And when you came in there was no
one else in the room but Sir Allan'"
| mo one"
"And you did not think of looking out Of
the window after the assassin
al thought of nothing but my husband"
"a pity. Yet, don't suppose you would
have seen much If you had looked. Did
nobody think Of examining the grounds
round the house that night'"
"No one," answered Colonel Stukely.
~We ought to have hunted the scoundrel,
but we were all half out of our wits. The
only thought was of Sir Allan and getting
the DOCTOR"
$50 the man had his chance, and got
| clean off. He must have left the neighbor-
hood by an early train, and got back to
London dare say 1 shall be able to hear
| something about him at the station. By
the way, Lady Darnel, do you remember
| II there was any conversation about those
notes between you and Sir Allan that eve
ning-anything that could have been over
heard by person standing outside the
balcony"