Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-29
CHAPTER TX.
Shadows.

The revelation held me utterly dunn
founded
Already I had. by placing my hand in
contact with the shawl ascertained Its ex-
act texture, and saw that both it's tint and
its fabric were unquestionably the same as
the tiny fragment I held in my hand Che
rille shawls as every woman knows, must
be handled carefully or the lightly made
fringe will come asunder; for the kind of
cord of floss silk is generally made upon a
single thread, which will break with the
slightest strain.
BY some means the shawl in question had
accidentally become entangled-or perhaps
been strained by the sudden uplifting of
the arm of the wearer. In any case the
little innocent-looking fragment had become
strained, and been dropped at the bedside
of the murdered man.
The grave suspicious of Ethelwynn which
l had held on the previous night when she
endeavored TO justify her sisters neglect
crowded again upon me, and Sir Bernard's
hint at the secret of her past thrust the
iron deeply into my heart.
My eyes were fixed upon the little OBJ
ject in my palm-the silent but damning
evidence-and my mind became filled by
bitterest regrets. 1 saw how Cleverly 1
had been duped. and recognized that this
woman, whom had thought an angel, was
only a cunning assassin.
No, reader: | was not prejudging her!
The thought had already occurred to me
that she might have entered the room wear
ing that shawl perhaps to wish the invalid
goodnight. She had, however, in answer
to my question. declared that she had re-
tired TO bad without seeing him-fOr Nurse
Kate had told her that he was sleeping.
She had, therefore. not disturbed him.
Then yet another thought had occurred to
me Inc 1ipyhf haN yrnr he CHI Hr-l, -l,ay,
she entered after the raising of the alarm.
In order to clear up that point had ques-
toned the servants, one by one, and all had
told me the same story, namely, that Miss
Ethelwynn had not entered the room at all.
She had only come to the door and glanced
In, then turned away in horror and shut
herself In her own room. As far as any
one knew, she had not summoned suffi cient
courage to go in and look upon the dead
mans face. She declared herself horri-
fled and dared not to enter the death cham
Der.
In the light of my discovery all these
facts as related to me made the truth only
too apparent. She had entered there I'M
known to any one, and that her presence
had been with a fell purpose 1 could no
longer doubt.
If I gave the clue into Amber Jevons'
hands he would, knew, quickly follow 1t,
gathering up the threads OF the tangled
skein one by one, until he could openly
charge her with the crime. l stood undecd-
ed how to act. Should l leave my friend
10 make his own Investigations independent
" and unbiased, or should l frankly tell
him Of my own startling discovery?
carefully went through the whole of
the circumstances, weighing point after
point, and decided at last to still retain the
knowledge ] had gained. The point which
admission of Short regarding the possess
sion OF the knife So I resolved to saw
nothing to my friend until after the inquest
AS may be imagined the London papers
a f1r of he
Nothing like a first-class sensat ton sub
editors will tell you. There is an art in
alliterative headlines and startling Gross
heads The inevitable interview with a
member of the family" who is genera lily
anonymous, be ii said. is sure TO be eagerly
devoured by the public The world may
sheer at sensational journalism. but after
all, loves to have its curiosity excited
over the tragic denouement OF some do
meStiC secret. As soon as the first infor-
nation reached the Central News and Press
Association, therefore. reporters crowded up
on us. Representatives not only OF the metro
poiitan press, but those of the local news
papers. the Richmond and Twickenham
Times, the Independent over at Brentford
the Middlesex Chronicle at Hounslow and
even the MiddleseX Mercury of Iseworth
all We'd with each other in obtaining the
most accurate information.
Say nothing" Jevrons urged BE civil
but keep your mouth closed tight. There
are one or two friends of mine among the
crowd TN see them and give them some.
Remember, you mustn't make any state
ment whatsoever"
l obeyed him, and although the reporters
followed me about all the morning and out
side the house the police had difficulty In
preventing crowd assembling. | refused
60 express any opinion or describe anything
had witnessed.
AT IL O'Clock l received a wire from Sir
Bernard at Hove, as follows:
Much shocked at news. Unfortunately
very unwell, but shall endeavor TO be with
you later in the day"
At midday l called at the neighbour
house close to Kew Gardens station where
the widow and her sister had taken refuge
Mrs. Courtney was utterly broken down,
for Ethelwynn had told her the terrible
truth that her husband had been murdered
and both women pounced upon me eagerly
to ascertain what theory the police now
held.
looked at the woman who had held me
so long beneath her spell. Was Ii possible
that one so open faced and pure could be
the author of so dastardly and cowardly a
crime? Her face was white and anxious
but the .coufltenance had now reassumed It's
normal innocence of expression and in hei
eyes l saw the genuine iove-look of old