The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-08-31

! My life has been one incessant perse-
The law is upon his side, and every day
am faced by the possibility that ne
may force me to live with him. At the
/, time that l wrote this letter to Sir
Charles I had learned that there was a
prospect of my regaining my freedom if
certain expenses could be met. 1t meant
| everything to me-peace of mind. happi-
| ness, elf-respect-everything I knew
Sir Charles generosity. and I thought
| that If he heard the story from my own
| lips he would help me-"
Then how is it that you did not go?"
Because I received help in the inter-
val from another source.
why, then, did you not write to Sir
Charles and explain this?''
so I should have done had not seen
his death in the paper next morning.,
The woman's story hung coierently to-
gether. annd all my questions were un-
BILE to shake it. l could only check it
by finding if she had. indeed. instituted
divorce proceedings against her husband
at or about the time of the tragedy.
1t was unlikely that she would dare to
say that she had not been to Baskerville
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 probability was.
therefore, that she was telling the truth
or, at least. part of the truth. I came
away baffled and disheartened. Once
again I had reached that dead wall which
seemed to be built across every path by
which I tried to get at the object of
my mission. And yet the more thought
of the lady's face and of her ma inner the
more I felt that something was being
held back from me. Why should she
turn so pale? Why should she fight
against every admission until II was
forced from her? Why should she have
been so reticent at the time of the ira
gedy? Surely the explanation of all this
could not be as innocent as she would
have me believe For the moment /
could proceed no farther in that direc-
ton. 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 direction
I realized it as L drove back and noted
how hill after hill showed traces of the
ancient people. Barrymore's only indica.
ton had been that the stranger lived in
one of these abandoned huts, and many
hundreds of them are scattered through
cut the length and breadth of the moot
But had my own experience for guide
since it had shown me the man himself
standing upon the summit Of the Black
1Ol. nat tHen De the centre or
my search. From there should explore
every hut upon the moor until lighted
upon the right one. If this man were
inside 1t I should find out from his own
lips. at the point of my revolver If
necessary. who he was and why he had
logged US SO long. He might slip away
from us in the crowd of Regent Street.
but 1t would puzzle him to do SO upon
the lonely moor. On the other hand. If
I should find the hut and It's tenant
should not be within it I must remain
there. however long the vigil until he
returned. Holmes had missed him In
London. It would indeed he a triumph
for me If 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 messenger
OF good fortune was none other than Mr.
FARMLAND. who was standing, grey whs-
kered and red-faced. outside the gate OF
his garden which opened on to the high
road aloong which I travelled
"Good-day. DR.. WATSON cried he,
with unwonted good humor you must
really give your horses rest. and come
in to have glass of wine and to con-
graduate me-"
My feelings towards him were far from
being friendly after what I had heard of