The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-02-18

A TONE OF HORRoR-
the body. It's all in the matter Of bust.
ness, sir, and we hope you won't OBJ
ject."
son the contrary, If there is likely to
be any good in il i shall help you all in
my power. What do you intend TO doY'
Then l put myself forward.
'Nith your leave, Sir Charles, / shall
stay here" L said, 'whilst Crewe goes
back to London to make the applica-
ton. 1 don't feel that my work is fin
ished. must take more soundings be
fore 1 shall be satisfied that the jewels
are not still in Manningford."
Il feel convinced they are!" chimed
in Ben.
OF course, we had not confined our
precautions to the place itself. For
miles around search had been made al
pawnbrokers and all places where
stolen goods were likely to be disposed
of-and information of the loss, with a
description of the article, had peer sent
10 every seaport town and principal
railway station in the kingdom. But
no news of any sort had arrived of it,
or anything like it.. i confess / was be.
ginning to be fairly puzzled, and Ben's
behavior puzzled me still more.
What in the name of all that's holy
L said TO him, as soon as we were out
side The Gables, "arc your plans, Ben
What are you going to do next?"
You leave that to me, my boy" he
replied; "you don't approve of my ac-
ton in the matter, SO you stick to your
own. You shall stay here and look for
the jewels under the beds and in the
maids pockets and I'll go up to town
and get an order for an elimination OF
the old ~gentleman's carcass"
We parted the best of friends, but I
really thought he had gone a bit dotty.
The old baronet may have been helped
ont of the world by his missus, for /
could see that was what Ben thought,
but how would the discovery of muir
der help us to find the raiah's heir
loom? SO i continued to keep a sharp
eye on all the inhabitants of Manning
ford, whilst he. was busy with his APP
plication TO the home secretary. These
sort OF things generally take some time,
but at last the order came, and down
came Ben with IL to Manningford.
There was n tremendous scene at The
Gables when our intentions wel. made
known. The widow protested against
the disturbance of her late husbands
remains. She declared il was an out.
rage and an indecency, and she would
not allow it. But Ben only winked his
eye when she wasn't looking. and as
sured her, alphabetically, that she
hadn't n voice in the matter, and that
government had a good reason for the
demand. The dwarf. Miss Craley, who
appeared TO have gained some inkling
of what was about to happen, seemed
delighted at the idea. She capered
md scrueched Mt day, constantly max
ing signs with her hands that she
wanted the earth removed from the
coffin, and then pointing to her own
mouth, and then TO the dowager, Lady
Ellesmere, as though she would inti-
mate that she had something 20 do with
her beloved patron being put under
ground. Until l really began TO be.
lieve myself that Ben was right after
all. and the widow had given the old
gentleman his quietus. And yet hc
had treated the idea Of Il lover with
indifference. Aha! l said TO myself.
Ben may supplement the discovery
with another. but he'll find I'm right
after all, and that the jewels were taken
by her and delivered over TO an ac-
complice-the one, doubtless. who
helped her to hasten her husbands
death. But the idea of that beautiful
face and figure in the dock didn't please
me. and ] wished Zen hadn't been quite
so sharp, but contentcd himself with
looking after the lost property.
The exhumation vas carried out
very quietly. The coffin was disin.
TERED by night and conveyed 10 the
mortuary chapel, where two medical
mel beside DR.. Stone were prepared to
examine il, | and Ben. OF course. being
present, with Sir Charles Ellcsmcre.
1 ielt very sad rs | watched the pro
ce,dings commence. j vas thinking
of the beautiful widow up at The
Gables, and how IL would fare with her,
10 Bsn's suspicious proved correct. 1
have rather a soft heart for womer:
J can't help III II seems so terrible 10
me that they should ever go wrong,
when there's so much good in each one
OF theml As the coffin lid was re-
moved, | stepped forward rather Curl
ously 10 view the corpse. IL vas That
of'an attcnuated. shriVeled-up old man.
with a stern expression. The appear
nce o. the body was almost unchanged
by the short time II had been under
ground, but a. the doctors moved IL