Arizona republican., 1891-12-16
4 MYSTERY OF THE MIND,

landed in Southampton on the l4th of November, 1872. It was late of Sat urday afternoon, and by the time my baggage was at the railway station there was barely time to catch the last train to London. A few hours later was in my room at the Westminster Palace hotel, for it was of course much too late 10 think of hunting up Madelaine. must wait until the next day.
 lpaSsed a restless night, for l could not rid my mind of a misgiving that had been weighing upon it for several weeks past This misgiving was none the less oppressive because it was not founded upon what could be called fact Facts are by no means always the most per Suasve part of experience, and con yicti0u may be none the less a conviction because it is impossible to furnish mat ter of fact reason for it.
 had been awas-from England four years in all Most of this time had been passed in New'Zealand, as editor and, finally, as proprietor of newspaper there. l had partly made up my mind to settle there and have Madelaine come out and join me, or perhaps to return and be married to her in London and take her back with me. But when her letter came, informing me that she was not very well" formed a sudden de- termination to sell the paper and return for good and all. It was not so much what she said as certain depressed tone apparent throughout her letter that lmpeled me to this step.
 The letter had reached me on the last day of July. l made my arrangements promptly, and succeeded in disposing of my newspaper on favorable terms. l then wrote to her that l was coming, and a few weeks afterward l embarked. The idea of returning home in compara- lively prosperous circumstances to marry the woman had loved so long filled me with happiness, and during the early part of the voyage l was in excellent spirits. Then came the mystery; and from its effects l had suffered ever since.
 No doubt the situation, in other re- spects, did not call for anxiety. Made laiue, like myself, was an orphan, but l believed her to be in good hands. Mrs. Trench, the executrix of the will and the girls guardian, had good business head, great force of character, and was in all respects an uncommon woman. She was a widow, and for years had con ductcd her late husbands business in masterly manner, paying off one by one the heavy debts which had been con trac,el and establishing it upon a pay ing basis She was second cousin of Madealue's, and the girl and her e20, GOO could not have been left in safer or more capable hands. had gone abroad completely at ease on that score. All the same was very ill at ease now.
 When looked out from the window of my hotel room that Sunday morning l was confronted by a dense and dark London fog My watch told me that it wa, in the morning, but it might have been that hour in the evening, for all the daylight there was. 1 dressed and went down stairs, and by o'clock was in a hanson, on my way to Courttield gardens, Earlscourt, where Mrs. Trench and Madelaine lived. The distance was not great, but the fog was so bewilder- ing that We were nearly an hour in reaching the place. At last the cabby drew up in front of the house, and l jumped out and ran up the steps. l was very much excited, but l tried to fight down all dark thoughts, and the antici- patton of seeing Madelaine once more sent the blood tingling through my body
 servant opened the door and stared time inquiringly. Iasked whether Mrs. Trench was at home. The girl replied that no such person lived there. Miss Madelaine then? The girl shook her head. Its Mrs Forbes family lives here, sir" she said. And she added, in response to my startled inquiries, that they had been in possession not much over a month.
 l demanded to see Mr. Forbes, who turned out to be portly and respectable British merchant; but he could give me little available information. He had only seen Mrs. Trench once; of Made Iaine he knew nothing. The negotiations had been conducted through the house agent. obtained the address of the lat ler and returned to my hotel in very uuenviable frame of mind indeed. Be- ing Sunday, was forced to remain in- active till the next day. l now felt sure that Madelaine was dead. But how did She die: And why had Mrs. Trench, who knew l was coming home, left no trace or clew for me to find her? It had an ugly look.
 Next morning the fog still continued, I OFp t,f ,a of al most as soon as it opened. Here, too, ny investigations were far from reas- suring, The agent had never seen Mrs. Trench at all. A gentleman had called On him and transacted the business on Mrs Trench's behalf This gentleman nal not given his name, but was de- kcrbed to me as tall, slender person. age, with a dark beard and eyeglasses. More he could not tell me.
 From the agency l drove to Mrs. Irench's place of business, in Leadenhall street. l did not expect to find her there, but could scarcely fail to learn her whereabouts. To my astonishment Hound the store in the hands of stran- gers. Trench &s Co. had made an assign ment nearly year before, paying eight Smlhngs on the pound. No one knew Where Mrs. Trench was, nor could any one give me the least information about Nadelaine.
 was now not only thoroughly alarmed, but also thoroughly aroused. Evidently there was some black secret here l would fathom it at whatever