Birmingham age-herald., 1895-03-18

piled, slowly, with monotonous em- phasis on each word. '1t may be non sense, but it's fact. I saw her take it."
 MT. crcllan simply gasped. Hewitt drew. his chair a little nearer.
 If you saw her take it," he said, gently, closely watching the woman's face the while, "then, of course, there's no doubt"
 Il tell you I saw her take it." the nurse repeated. What was in it, and what her game was in taking it, don't know"
 Mir. Crellan turhed blankly to Hew- it, but Hewitt kept his eyes on the nurses face.
 i "Whcn did this occur9" he asked. land howl"
 Ut was on Saturday night, rather late. Everybody was in bed but Miss Grath and myself, and she had been down to the dining-room for something. MT. Holford was asleep, so as wanted to refill the watcr-bottlc, l took it up and went. As was passing the door of this room that we arc in now, heard q noise and looked in at the door, which was open. There was candle on the table. Miss Garth was opening the top right hand drawer of that bureau, and l saw her take out blue foolscap en- velope, and as the flap was open, I could see the inclosed paper was white. She shut the drawer, locked it, and came out of the room with the envelope in her hand"
 ''Perhaps," Mir. Crcllan ventured at a .blurt, "perhaps she was walking in her sleep?"
 That she wasn'tr the nurse replied, ''for she came back to MT. Holford's room almost as soon as 1 returned there, and asked some questions about the mcdicine-which was nothing new, for must say she was very fond of in- terfering in things that were part of my business"
 Hewitt did not take his steady gaze 7 from the nurses face for some seconds after she had finished speaking, then he only said; 'Thanl you Mrs. Turton, I think that is all, unless you have more to tell us?'
 As soon as she had gone, "Is Mrs. Turton at all interested in the will?" Hewitt asked.
 2 Fss'No, there is nothing for her. She is newcomer, you see, and, really, can't believe her story for moment" t'Why?"
 s"Well, you see, it's absurd. Why should Miss Garth go to all the secret trouble to do herself an injury-to make beggar of herself? And, besides, she's not in the habit of telling barefaced lies"
 s, lse 1~~,< >4 F I suppose?"
 a.. ,. sT telegraphcd to him at his cham 5bers in London the first thing yester- y-Tuesday-morning as soon as the telegraph office was open. He came here (as I've forgotten to tell you as yet) the first thing this morning-be- fore was over here myself, in fact. He had been staying not far off-at Ockham, thinh-and the telegram had been sent on. He saw Miss Garth, but couldn't stay, having to get back to London. met him going away as I came, about eleven o'clock. Of course said nothing about the fact that I couldn't find the will, but he will prob ably be down again soon, and may ask questions.
 ''Yes," Hewitt replied.
 And so Hewitt and Mir. Crellan talked on late into the evening, turning over every apparent possibility and finding reason in none. The household went to bed at ten, and soon after Miss Garth came to bid MT. Crellan good night. It had been settled that both Martin Hewitt and Mir. Crellan should stay the night at Wedbury hall
 Twelve o'clock struck, and MT. Crel- Ian was about to suggest retirement when the sound of light footstep startled Hewitt's alert ear. He raised his hand to cnjoin silence, and stepped to the door of the room, Mir. Crellan following him.
 There was light over the staircase; seven or eight yards away, and down the stairs came Miss Garth in dressing gown and slippers; she turned at the landing and vanished in passage lead ing to the right.
 Where does that lead to?" Hewitt whispered hurriedly.
 Howard the small staircase-other end of house." Mir. Crellan replied in the same tones.
 She was nearing the opposite end of the passage, walking at fair pace and looking neither to right nor left. There was another light over the smaller staircase at the end. Without hesita- ton Miss Garth turned down the stairs tsll about half down the flight and then .sssC
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