The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-09-28
JAIL RIGHTS RESERVED.1

Should De done, DO not see why L should
not do so. should not have done this il
the affair bad not taken mos mysterious
turn, and had not discovered that some
one is mysteriously and perhaps unscrupul-
ousiy WORKING against us. Now, / will tell
you the facts"
Robert Harbut then related the Journey
down to Bath, the discovery of the locality
where Constance Purcell's parents had re-
sided, the interview with the clergyman,
and the receipt of the packet of letters. He
related how postmark on the first letter.
written an hour or two after the marriage
had given them the clew to the marriage,
how on searching the register at Folke-
stone, it was found that the page on which
the marriage had been inscribed had been
cut out. How he had learnt from Madame
Duport that Mr.. Corbyn had been for some
months after his marriage accompanied by
man who had been his scout at college,
that the ma IS Identity had been accident
ally obtained, how that clew had been fol-
lowed up, and the result.
MY dear Robert, you are a genius, y
James Ferris said, when he had finished,
and it is clear that you were cut out for q
detective. 1t Is extraordinary how YOU
should have worked all this out. OF course
tue story as it at present stands is a pure
assumption, and the pos tmark on the letter
the only real fact A woman in writing to
LIZA ptAlCHJo ulLot away WOnlQ
probably endeavOr to ease their minds by
telling them that she was married.
Even If she was married., it may
not have taken place at Folkestone. They
may have been married III London, or Can
terbury, or anywhere else, OH this IN Jrning
this day on which she writes The fact
that the page of the register at Folkestone
happens to be missing is in itself no cor
roboration of the story. IL is very unfor-
hot 10 al oh
case, as far as you hrve brought it, is a
highly ingenious one; but you are still
literally without vestige of evidence chat
the marriage ever took place at FOlkeStone
or elsewhere. What you have discovered
may influence our own ideas on the subject,
but it cannot in the smallest way aifect
the legal status of the owner of Corbyn
Court"
"Of course, see that" Robert Harbut
said. II myself am as convinced that this
marriage took place as if 1 had witnessed
it. And | am conyinced-although | quite
grant may be wrong-that it was to de-
stroy the evidence of that marriage that the
leaf was extracted from the register. AT
first my opinion was very strong that
Algernon Corbyn, after having lost his wife,
determined to ignore the marriage alto
gether, and that to prevent the posi-
bility of its discovery managed somehow to
cut out the missing leaf. At the time l
thought so, it did not appear to me That
any one else could have known of the mar
rage, still less nave any intereStin suppress
ing the proof it, but now there is evidence
that third party is at work, endeavoring
to trace the whereab )uts OF this man Nor
son, do not know what to think about it.
The leaf may have been cut out twelve d avs
ago OF twelve years We now come to tue
question asked you first. Who is the
party who is looking for MorsonY
81 have not the most remote idea. Ger
tainly it is not Clitheroe."
sit is clear that, whoever it is, he must
have been aware previously of the Whole
circumstance of the case; of the church at
which the marriage took place and the
names of the witnesses to it. and was there
fore able to go straight TO the church
and destroy the proof there, and to send
straight to Oxford to fiud out the where
abouts of Morson."
ut is a strange bust TESS, however and a
most singular one. What do they want
| Morson for9
ITO see whether he was likely to be
| troublesome. should say. Now that they
have found out that, if still alive, he is in
Australia, they, whoever they may be. will
probably do nothing more in the matter 1t
would not be polite to let him know that
| Algernon Coroyn is dead, and that, the reg
lister Of the marriage being lost, his evidence
| has become of great Importance
Eyes" Ferris said, but you see you are
| assuming that whoever has set these detec-
| tlves at work, is hostile to Miss Corbyn, and
that is by no means proved. OF course, If
| these are the people who have stolen the
| leaf, they are endeavoring to prevent her
! from proving her rights; but who would
have any interest that way except Philip
| Clitheroe."
'Now, assuming that my first conjecture
was not the right one, and that Corbyn
himself did not cut out the leaf. the person
now inquiring for Morson may be some one
who has for years been cognizant of the
business, some one to whom Corbyn may
| have contded it, or some pal of Morson's,
who, hearing of Corbyn's death, sees his
way to making handsome thing out of
proving that his daughter is the legal
heiress to Corbyn Court. That certainly
seems to ME by far the most likely solu-
tion."
Eyes. suppose it is" James Ferris said,
more thoughtfully; ''this is q most compli-
Gated business, look at it which way you
will. Have you any objection to my telling
tn story to Clitheroe? / think that as you
have told me he ought to kno" how the
| thing stands. or course, till the result of
the search which l suppose you are going to
make for Morson is over, nothing can be
done. If you get legal proof of the mar
riage, there is an end of the matter, but if
you do find him and can get nothing out of
him, | am sure that Clitheroe will be glad to
recognize that the young lady has higher
moral claim, although no legal one, than. she
| would have as the undoubtedly illegitimate
| daughter of his uncle, and | can certainly
promise you beforehand in his name. that
he will be ready to agree TO any proposition
that may seem to you fair, just and honor
able for her future provision. Anyhow, l
think that he ought to be told the facts"
Eyes, / agree with you that he had better
| be tod, James, we have nothing
| to conceal, and we are workn :
openly, and he is not the man TO
take improper stops to thwart u.s. Iswoul
not be fair that he should be kept in ignor-
ance of the probability of a storm suddenly
bursting upon him. You told him, did you
not, that you had recompeaded Miss Cor
byn to place herself in my haud;sn
"Oh, yes, told him, and he repeated
what be said before, that he only wanted
right to be done; aud was, indeed, genuinely
distressed at the thought that he might be
possibly usurping the rights Of friendless
| giri."
They talked the matter over until Jam %
Ferris suddenly discovered that IL was IL
| o'clock, and then hurried away. Next day
| he wrote a line 20 Philip Clitheroe: