The morning call., 1891-03-08

II beg pardon, madam, l was told that
Mr.. Marsden's chief agent -
Yes, that is right, I am his chief agent,
Geraldine Laval" said the other quietly,
seating herself at the desk, and the visitor
took one at the side Of it, Il am at your
service"
'iGeraldinei" the visitor exclaimed, as he
started back in the surprise of a recognition.
AT your service" she answered, without
the culver of voice or lip. and plainly de-
clining to admit that she remembered him.
TT can't be that you have forgotten me-"
and now he became reserved in his turn.
"Our frieudship-Our intimacy-our-"
pray DO not say our love, ;" the calm
Young woman inteTpOsed. You said your
self when we parted in Russia that did not
~=lo7s YOU. and you convinced me fully that
Won did not love NE. Let US not talk about
anything else than the business upon which
You have called"
THANK you" he said simply, then ]
will be as brief as possible. My business"
he paused 2 second as II TO get himself
together s-murder. Do you remember
the Romano muTderr"
She did not start nor move muscle, as
many women might have done. She lifted
those penetrating seeretive gray eyes to his
and said cd0lly: Perfectly, and you are the
artist Alr. WilfTed Romano"
Il am me on whom, he said bitterly, wise
official and public suspicion rested, and still
rests, and doubtless amongst others, in your
mind. too"
NE" said the detective. in the self
possessed, reS0lute way that seemed habItual
10 her both by nature aud training; Il read
all the evidence, and never for moment
thought you guilty.
Two months prior to Wifred Romalne's
visit to the detective Office, the city was
Mortified by mysterious murder at villa
on the rivers bank. A widow named
Romano was the victim and her body had
been found in the river with handkerchief
tied tight over the mouth. The terrible dis
cOyeTy had been made by the victim own
stepsOn, Wilfred Romano. a valuable
diamond ring was gone from the lady's
finger, and the murderer had apparently
been disturbed before he could rife watch
OF purse, or get into the house by the open
window Of the drawIng-r0om Two or
three days later, at the inquest, more par
ticulars came out 1t appeared that the
ste son himself was the only person who
benefited by Mrs. Rumaines death, since
his father, who died some year or more
back, had left $4,000 year to his widow for
life, aud S100O to his son. The widows
death would make the son master Of the
whole invested capital. The son was by
profession an artist, was Extraordinarily,
and on leaving college had gone to Italy TO
study further and travel His parents had
been most generous to him, and he had
more than approved of the above disposition
of the property. he was deeply attached
to his stepmother; he said she was like an
elder sister. She rented the villa for this
autumn. He had returned home late,
about II missed her from the drawing
and gone up to her dressing-rOom to ask If
he should close the shutters below. The
servants had just retired. While upstairs
he thought he heard faint cry from down
the lawn, close to the river, and ran down
stairs out to the garden, calling Margaret.
1t was ten minutes before he discovered the
body, submerged and caught in the roots and
weeds of the bank below the boundaries Of
the garden. No help was near. He had got
The body out and carried it back. called the
household up, and sent for doctor and po-
lice. He had never seen or heard any one.
No, he had never seen the handkerchief be-
fore. 1t was not his. 1t was a white hand
kerchiaf with no mark except tiny patch