The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-31


nave no reason to be ashamed of it.
Wlshed him to help me. believed that if
nad an interview l could gain his
help, SO l asked him to meet me-
But why at such an hour?"
Because l had only just learned
that ne was going to London next day
and might be away for months.
mere We're reasons why l could not
get there earlier"
But why rendezvous in the gar
den instead of a visit to the house?"
DO you think a woman could go
alone at that hour to a bachelors
house?"
We'll. what happened when you did
get there?"
Il never went"
Mrs. Lyons!"
No, 1 swear it to you on all I hold
sacred. never went. Something in
teryened to prevent my going"
What was that?"
tell it,
You acknowledge then that YOU
made an appointment with Sir Charles
at the very hour and place at which
ne met his death, but you deny that
you Kept the appointment"
That is the truth"
Again and again l cross-questioned
her. but could never get past that
point.
Mrs. Lyons" said l. as 1 rose from
thls long and inconclusive interview.
you are taking a very great respon-
slbility and putting yourself in very
raise position by not making an abso-
iutely clean breast of all that you
known. If 1 ahve to call in the aid
OF the police you will find how seri-
ousiy you are compromised. If your
innnnant 1xy1,,x
the first instance deny having written
to Sir Charles upon that date?"
Because / feared that some false
conclusion might be drawn from il.
ana that l might find myself involved
in a scandal?"
And why were you so pressing that
SIR Charles should destroy your let
ter?"
know" Wal
II did not say that I had read all
the letter.
You quoted some of it"
Il quoted the postscript. The 1e++er
mad, as l said, been burned and it was
not all legible. L ask you once again
why II was that you were so pressing
that Sir Charles should destroy this
letter which he received on the day of
his death"
Ihe matter is very private one."
Inc more reason why you should
avoid public investigation"
L will tell you, then. If YOU have
heard anything of my unhappy history
you will know that 1 made a rash
marriage and had reason to regret it,"
Il have heard so much"
MY lie mas been one incessant per-
secution from husband whom l an
nor. The law is upon his side, and
every day L am faced by the possibil-
10y 'nae ne may force me to live
wrote this letter to Sir
Charles l had learned thai
there was prospect of my regaining
my freedom If certain expenses couId
De met 1t meant everything to me
peace of mind, happiness, self-respect-
everything. l knew Sir Charles gen
efoslty, and thought that if he heard
tne story from my own lips he would
help me-" N''
Then how is If that Won 5,a
co." uio not
because I received help in the in
terval from another source"
Why, then, did you not write to Sir
Charles and explain this?"
so l should have done had not
seen his death in the paper next morn
ing" MIL IL
Inc Woman's story hung coherently
together, and all my questions were
unable to shake it. could only check
1t by finding If she had indeed. insti-
tuted divorce proceedings against her
husband at or about the time of the
tragedy.
1t was unlikely that she would dare
10 say that she had not been to Bas-
kerville Hall if she really had been
for trap would be necessary to take
her there. and could not have returned
to Coombe Tracey until the early hours
of the morning. Such an excursion
could not be kept secret. The probab-
ility was, therefore, that she was tell.
ing the truth, or, at least, a part of
the truth. l came away baffled and
disheartened. Once again had reach
ed that dead wall which seemed to be
built across every path by which l
tried to get at the object of my mis-
sion. And yet the more I thought of
the lady's face and of her manner the
more l felt that something was being
held back from me. Why should she
turn so pale? Why should she fight
against every admission until it was
forced from her? Why should she
have been SO reticent at the time of the
tragedy? Surely the explanation of all
this could rot be as innocent as she
would have me believe. For the mo-
ment could proceed no farther in that
direction, but must turn back to that
other clue which was to be sought for
among the stone huts upon the moor.
And that was a most vague direc-
ton. 1 realized it as / drove back and
noted how hill after hill showed traces
of the ancient people. Barrymores
only indication had been that the
stranger lived in one of these aban-
doned huts, and many hundreds of
them are scattered throughout the
length and breadth of the moor But
/ had my own experience for a guide
since it had shown me the man him.
sef standing upon the summit of the
Black Tor. That then should be the
center of my search. From there I
should explore every hut upon the
moor until l lighted upon the right
one. If this man were inside it
should find out from his own lips, at
the point of my revolver if necessary,
who he was and why he had dogged us
so long. He might slip away from us
in the crowd of Regent street, but it
would puzzle him to do so upon the
lonely moor. On the other
hand, if should find the
hut and it's tenant should not
be within it I must remain there,
however long the vigil, until he re-
turned. Holmes had missed him in
London. 1t would indeed be a triumph
for me IL I could run him TO earth.
where my master had failed.
Luck had been against us again and
again In this inquiry. but now at last
It came to my aid. And the mes
senger of good fortune was none other
than Mr.. FARMLAND, who was stand