Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-03-06


she Is humble and staid. Besides. there's
no possible way Of spying or savesdrop-
ping down there, and / was absolutely
alone with my cousin in the bank, and
everything closed around u.s.
-Humphl Well, we'll see Wormer.'
In q few minutes more Mr. Marlowe
had finished his toilet, and they were
passing odt Of the front door together,
when the servants were perceived return
ing from church in the same order as they
had gone-that is, with the housekeeper
and coachman at the head Of the col
umn.
-Feel your way-question her" vhis-
pered the lawyer, with nudge.
by the way, Miss Winford, said the
banker, as the servants came up, do
you think il possible for any one to have
secretly entered the Offices last night2"
Miss Winford at first seemed amazed
at the question, and to this succeeded an
expression Of alarm, as was perfectly
natural.
Goodness gracious me, Mr.. Marlowe,
mol 1 can't imagine such thing, she
exclaimed. How you alarm mel Is any
thing missing?"
Not that could see; but some Of the
furniture seemed TO me to have been dis
placed. That will do for the present; l
may have occasion to speak Of this
again."
Thed, as he was moving away, leaving
the housekeeper and her companions
good deal hustered, he turned again, say
ing:
However, may have been mistaken,
so you need think no more of it, Miss
Winford. Will Noel be with us at din
nerp" a.
He didn't say" was the faint reply, for
the good woman had not yet recovered
from the shock she had received.
"Well, at all events, you may expect me
to bring Mr.. Croak, and perhaps also Mr..
Wormer, with me" And, after a slight
hesitation. he added:
Moreover, suppose you present my
respects to Mr.. and Miss Alworth, and
ask them to join us at table. They are
not to be with us much longer, and will,
besides, like to see Mr.. Croak, / fancy"
He then moved away with the lawyer,
leaving the group at the gate probably
more astonished than they had been at
first.
"That was good-that was really consid-
crate of you, Marlowe-your including
the Alworths on my account, and sha'n't
forget it, said Croak, in pleased tones.
@But what are you going down the street
for? Wormer isn't in my Office. Hes
over yonder in my garden, with some
brandy and cigars that the inn-keeper
gave him for getting him out of that last
scrape with the authorities. Come"
"So," said Marlowe changing the
direction of his steps. well, what
| did you think of her manner, when ]
limited about the bank having been en-
| tered?"
Perfectly natural and perfectly inno-
cent. had my eyes on her face from
the moment you spoke. Still, it must be
remembered that the womans sad disfg-
urement would aid dissimulation, were
| it required of her. Here we are"
| Mr.. Croak's residence. in which he
lived with his clerk and an old housekeep
| or, was dilapidated, rry-looking cot
tage, directly across the road from the
bankers.
1 1t was surrounded by ragged little
garden, containing some poor shrubs ant
apple trees, and thus looked something
like house that had become broker
down and half demented, and been, il
consequence, shut away in debtor
prison, for impoverished trees and unfor
tunate plants.
Upon following the lawyer around tn
side of the cottage, and Back into tn
garden, Mr.. Marlowe saw two person
who had long been quite familiar t
his eyes,
| One was middle-sized, sprucely at
tired man of As or thereabout, smooth
shaven, and with certain sphinx-lik
impenetrability of countenance, who wa
lounging under an apple tree with news
paper IN his hands, and black bottl
and glass on the ground by his side. Thi
was Mr.. Wormer, Croak's confidential as
sistant, who took such cynical view o
the opinion of others ss to rather plum
himself on the fact, pretty we'll known
that he had in the course of his caree
been both professional criminal and
stool-pigeon for detectives.
Seated under wood shed not far from
him, with book, apparently bible, j
| her lap, and spectacles on her nose, wa
an old but still strongly framed woman.
When she looked up and removed he
spectacles, as she did at the approach G
the newcomers, she presented to the vie
q very remarkable face-a strongly marke
|, face, scanned with wrinkles, but ever
! now and then giving the impression this
you were looking at it through q sheet I
dancing flame mot an essentially ba
face, either, but one suggestive Of an
, possibilities of wayward and lawlet
passions in the past. This was Mr.
Beane, the lawyers housekeeper.
She was, also, not without her crimin'
history, having had sort of passion I,
associating himself with the dark side I
humanity, even in his household rels
. tions-it being notorious that her mast'
had years before saved her from the ga
7 lows in London, to which she doubtleI
would have been sent on charge I
murder but for his perseverance in h,
behalf. But, unlike the legal assistan
!. Mrs. Beane felt the disgrace of her ai
I tecedents SO profoundly that she new
Quilted the premises if she could help
and was good deal Of misanthrope
\ Bring two more chairs out here, MI
Beane, said Croak, -and then leave !
J: to ourselves"
= The woman silently complied, and wh'
!. the men were seated together alone Ma
lowe, with very few preliminaries, !
g counted to Wormer what he had alrea,
!. told to the lawyer.
!. CHAPTER XII.
woMAN's THEORY.
You understand the relative position
!" the money-vnult, and all that, / suppose