Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1892-12-02
The Sandycroft Mystery.
CHAPTER YII-CoNr1Nurn.

face" she went on abruptly.
Il knew by the dream l had
last night that I should not be long
before l heard i'll news Probably
you don't put any faith in dreams; l
do. But tell me what it is that has
brought you here. and with as little
preface rs possible. or course your
visit refers to my husband He is
not" She paused. with lifting
bosom and parted lips. which brought
into prominence her large, white,
pointed teeth.
ALAS madam, grieve to have to
have to inform you Here the
coloners voice gave way.
That he is dead? Ali my dream
my dreamW She caught at the
table against which she was standing
Us il TO steady herself. but this is
terribly sudden sir Yesterday. when
he left home. he was. TO all appear
ance. as well as you or j. But you
have told me no particulars. DO not
be afraid, sir. | will neither faint
not make a scene"
Il grieve TO have TO inform you.
madam, that Captain Darvill has
come to very tragical and terrible
end. He was murdered-stabbed TO
the heart-last night between nine
and eleven o'clock by some person or
persons unknown"
''Murderedm Her lips formed the
word. bat no sound came from them.
Tho olive OF her cheeks had been
gradually fading. till now their hue
was a sickly. greenish yellow; for the
time being her heart seemed to have
drawn every drop of likelihood to it.
self Hitherto they had all been
standing but Mrs. Darvill now sat
down. and motioned to the others TO
do the same. The colonel was in
finitely relieved to find that whatever
display OF emotion there might be it
was not likely to prove OF an incon-
venient kind. As mattsrs had turned
out Emma might just as well have
stayed at home.
Colonel Bernage'" resumed Mrs.
Darvill. after a silence during which
she had been making manifest efforts
not to lose her cOmposure. your news
is OF that kind which leaves me q
know not how it might affect others
SO circumstanced) without power 10
express 1.-THE of what feel At any
great crisis of life il seems TO me that
words-however adequate they may
be to give expression to ones feelings
at other times-lose their force and
become trite and commonplace.
Great griefs are silent from their very
intensity. II say little / trust you
will not assume that feel the less on
that account"
1t was a strange speech for woman
TO make. but the simple minded
colonel saw nothing out of the COM
mon in it
Your views coincide with my own.
madam" he said. Grief that pa
rades itself in plenitude OF words al
ways seems TO me to lack sincerity"
Then TO himself he added "A most
admirable woman, really"
Enna was puzzled. Evidently Mrs
Darvill was not one OF those women
who can be summed up with some de-
gree OF accuracy by an acute observer
after a quarter OF an hour or so spent
in their company. There was more
in her than she allowed TO be seen.
did she really love him. and she is
merely paying a part in order to
throw dust in our eyes?" queried
Emma But If so with what objectP'
The latter question. however she felt
did not demand an answer Young
rs she was she knew that there
are numbers OF her sex who as
sumo role simply for the pleasure
of doing so and because playing a
part is as natural TO them as the air
they breathe. To such women the
most difficult OF all arts is TO be them
selves as nature intended them to
be
Mrs. Darvill's natural color was
coming back to her. She pressed her
handkerchief to her lips for moment.
then she said. You remarked just
now Colonel Bernage that my hus-
band had met his death at the hands
OF some person or persons unknown.
Is there no clew, may ask. by which
the assassin can be traced?"
None at present i grieve to say;
but the police have not yet had time
TO complete their Investigations l
purpo calling in detective from
Scotland Yard TO assist the local
police"
And the weaponp'
''As TO that we cannot be sure at
present My own opinion is that
certa n Ind dagger belonging to me
may have been the instrument In
any case. the dagger in question 10
missing"
Then the assumption is that the
murderer took it away with himp'
'Th' s Is the supposition at present
but further search may prove success
ful in bringing it to light"
1T is all very strange and shock
ing. >" resumed Mrs. DarvilL What
possible motive could any one have
for numbering my hcsbandP What
had any one to gain by his deathp So
far as | am aware. poor Vivian had
not an enemy in the world.
The very question | have put to
myself again and again said the
colonel lat present the affair is
shrotlded in mvsfarv h1t IL NAV he