Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1894-06-07
[CONTINUED.l
CHAPTER ".
THE INCKEn DOOR.

ascending the long flights Of STAIRS which
led to his apartments. he came up two
steps at time But somehow mental
depression had so mysterious and init
mate connection with his powers Of To-
comotion that when anything troubled
him very much he was apt to content
himself with the ordinary rate of prog
ross. This afternoon his footsteps Jagged
on every stair He looked at his latch
key abstractedly for several minutes be-
fore he placed it III the lock, and when
he did finally perform this operation it
was with a savage thrust, as though he
wanted to stab the door. 1t was not
quite dark when the key turned and he
went III.
ALI" said DR.. Lamar from his chair
by the bedside in the windoWlCSs alcove
room, looking out between the loOpod
curtains as the artist entered You are
here at last! | am glad you have come,
DR.. Bcntly has just been down from the
hospital He is almost as much interest
ed in the case as your worthy sister, and
don't be surprised if you see me carried
away by tine Same craze He says he
thinks there's a Slight change in the pa
tient's mental condition.
Does that mean good?' asked the
artist
His sister answered quickly:
COZ courscN
ooh, possibly" substituted the eau
hOus phv5ician. "You must not let your
wishes dictate your conclusions so large
ly Miss Maxev You will make a very
probable disappointment much moro
keen by so doing. Now, don t always
say what | think, you know, but you arc
my friends, and l cannot feel like pro-
fessional man in this house, and | must
tell you that this case is developing some
Of the most remarkable mental phonon-
ena | ever met with. Whether they
are symptoms of a curious brain disease
or simply "reminiscences Of the normal
mental condition Of the patient, | am
unable at present to decide. DR.. Bcntly
is as much in the dark as myself, and
when DR.. Bently hesitates in a case Of
this kind ii is of little use to inquire
further, We have been making some in
tercsting experiments i'll your absence.
And that reminds me that Miss Maxcy
SAID you went out for a specific purpose,
Have they learned anything? What about
the letter they found on the beach yes.
terday:'
''Leamed!' echoed Maxcy impatient
ly MS his sister helped him off with his
coat after which it appeared that both
his hair and his necktie We're III a terri
bic state, Learned! What could you
expect of such an eXaspcrating affair as
this: Is there anything about it like any
thing else you over heard Of: Does any
body concerned III it do anything that a
rational being would expect him to do:
Not bit Of it. Mark my word, now, if
the thing ever does come out, it will be
just what nobody thought it was. But
may | be shot if / believe we are ever 60
ing to know any more about il than we
do at present. Our only hope is that the
girl will get well enough to tell us, and
she won't. l know very we'll She won t. -
But the letter, Julian, urged his
sister. Surely the lettcr'--
The lcttcr!' echoed the exaspcratcd
Maxey. THE letter is just like every
thing olso-a mystery. Tho letter leads
jlst where the footsteps III the snow did
--noWhere. -
But even they gave us hint of tho
direction the ficnd went, said the lis
ter. ooh, l think they are acting terri
bly, stupid in this affair! If | could get
out now, l believe l could do some
thing"
Il believe you could DO wonders, of
course, returned Marcy little spite
fully, for he was still suffering the keen
ness Of his disappointment. But |
lilo 70 l., i,,fg 10,
what you would do in this caso?"
DO? would hunt up that Mrs Hap
good who wrote that letter if | had to
question every man, woman and child
il the city to do So "
"Of course you would and so would
anybody. That is just what the police
did do, Only they We're sane enough to
lool, in the directory instead Of attempt
ing the cotcchising. Why they had a
gentleman in conversation with Mrs,
Hapgood before the letter had been i'll
their hands an hour "
Then there is such person!' cried
the doctor and Miss Mnxcy together
'Oh, yes there is, but she never
heard Of or saw tho letter before, and,
what is more, she is not acquainted with
any Annette and has not d single friend
or foe to her knowledge missing or to
whom such letter could be written OF
such an accident possible, And rs this
Mrs. Hdpgood is very worthy and re-
spectacle old Lady indeed, it is no use
to say She would lie about such an af
fair. You see, l couldn't believe it sec
ondhand, and | have been to see her
myself, and that's the result"
Maxey flung his gloves modify on
the center table and dropped himself
with disguised expression into an easy
chair, which his sister had wheeled in
front Of the crate.
Chow very strangeW cried Miss
MaXey.
"Weu, isn'tit in perfect keeping with
all the rest? | was so cXasperated t.