Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1895-05-22
CHAPTER XVIII

I'D stairs" said, with my gaze still
fixed upon that marvellous countenance,
"your husband has returned He is out
side this door and hears the words that
am now speaking. He is seeking
chance to kill me. He was figuring
from the sound Of my voice my exact
position in front Of the door, so that ne
would be sure of hitting ME if he fred
through the panel; hence my change OF
position He can't do it now without
first opening the door. That will give
me as good chance as he can have.
which is all | seek.
But" | added, with meaning
which could not he mistaken, "if he or
any one of the wretches in his employ
fires shot at me while you are within
range, swear by the Eternal | will
shoot you dead as you stand there. Yonr
husband hears these words. Let him
govern himself accordingly Won't you
sit DOWN.
For the first time after my repeated
invitations she seemed to become aware
that the chair was near her. She glanced
at it, hesitated an instant and then
walked to the stove. She seemed to be
looking after the fire within, and sus-
pected nothing, but that beautiful fiend
outwitted me. She did thing which |
did not see, and whose meaning did not
come to me until afterward. She threw
something among the embers of the
wood and the ashes left by the sticks
that were burning there before entered
the room. Then she came back to where
she had been standing and sat down III
the chair. three PAGES away and facing
me-
have spoken of singular odor | no.
ticed upon opening the door and which
at first was rather pleasant, but it be-
came more marked as the heat Of the
room increased and was oppressive al
most to the point of nausea. How |
longed for a breath of the cool, pure
bracing air from the outside, but there
was not a crevice through which it could
reach me.
"What are all those things?" alked
flirting my head toward the long table
Oh which lay the articles have referred
TO-
II do not choose to answer that ques,
tion.
l was listening intently, for / knew
that the East Indian was still in the hall
outside and heard every word that
passed. smoke in a clear, deliberate
tone, for was talking to him as much
as to her.
1T makes no difference l can look
at them some other time This room
seems to be sort Of workshop for you
or your husband, or both"
She made no answer to this, but fold
ing those beautiful arms, with the tiny
points of one shoe showing, calmly con-
fronted me.
II have admitted that neither you
nor your husband was in New York on
the night that Mana Sahib's ruby disap.
peared, 80 that, no matter what takes
place, the crime can be brought directly
home to neither unless the thief you
employed should turn states evidence
If yon understand that?"
She NODDED her heau.
Before giving any explanation please
wait until ask for it..
1T shall be as you say. Do you know
anything about the robbery of the ruby?"
For the first time since We had ad-
dressed each other her lips parted with
that dangerously fascinating smile.
"Yes; know all about it. -
"Will you tell me?"
''It is your business to learn such
things Why do you come to me?"
Because it is beyond my skill /
can't comprehend how that stone was
taken from the room in the Windsor
hotel"
"Of course you can t." she said, with
still more marked smile, because
you Americans are stupid. You must
come to India to learn wisdom. "
Twill you become my instructor"
"No; must have pupil with
mind that will understand the simple
truths that are plain to child"
when the pupil is stupid, then the
teacher should be patient and try to
make things clear to him. -
But when he is too stupid to under
stand it is waste of time"
"You have not tried me-"
Because you cannot comprehend. l
know it by your looks"
II am said to bear close resemblance
to your husband"
'Bismallah, what ISLANDERS are heaped
upon his headW she exclaimed, with
such tragic air that laughed.
1T may be SANDER, said, upon
him or against me, but it ought to make
you willing to try my ability to grasp
those simple truths. Thought that per-
haps the owner of the ruby rose in his
sleep and removed it to some place
which he forgot -
mo; it was simpler than that. "
why not tell me at once?" asked,
more impatient than l ought to have
been.
The one thing which troubled me
more than all others was the odor that
had noticed and which steadily grew
more pronounced. 1t was nauseating,
though could see no evidence that it
troubled her in the least.
To raise the window l would have to
l.