The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-08-03

wirg The other is my wife, and l can
answer fer it that the sound could not
have come from her.
And yet he lied as he said it. for it
CHANGED that after breakfast I met Mrs.
Barrymore in the long corridor with the
sun full upon her face. She was large
in,rassive, heavy featured woman with a
stern set expression of mouth. But her
telf-taIe eyes We're red and glanced at me
from between swollen lids. 1t was she.
then. who wept in the night, and II she
dld so her husband must know it. Yet
he had taken the obvious risk of dis
covery in declaring that it was not so.
Why had he done this? And why did she
weep so bitterly? Already round this
pale-faced, handsome. black-bearded man
there was gathering an atmosphere of
mystery and of gloom. It was he who
had been the first to discover the body
Of Sir Charles, and we had only his word
fer all the circumstances which led up to
the old mans death.
Was it possible that it was Barrymore
after all whom we had seen in the cal
in Regent Street? The beard might we'll
have been the same The cabElan h1d
described a somewhat shorter man, nut
such an impression might easily have
been erroneous. How could settle tie
point forever? Obviously the 4rst ;E'ng
to do was to see the Grimpen Eos:nias-
ter. and find whether the test telegram
had really been placed in BarrEmcres
own hands. Be the answer what 1t
might, I should at least have something
to report to Sherlock Holmes
Sir Henry had numerous papers to ex-
anime after breakfast, so that the time
was propitious for my excursion. 1t was
a pleasant walk OF four miles along the
edge of the Moor. leading me at last to
a small gray hamlet. in which two
larger buildings. which proved to be the
inn and the house of Dr. Mortimer, stood
high above the rest. The postmaster
who was also the village grocer. had a
clear recollection of the telegram.
Certainly sir" said he. II l,.d the
telegram delivered to Mr.. Barrymore ex-
actly as directed"
"Who delivered it?''
my boy here. James. you delivered
that telegram to Mr.. Barrymore at the
Hall last week. did you not?
Eyes, father. I delivered 1t.
Into his own hands?" ! asked.
"Well. he was up in the loft at the
time SO that I could net put it into his
own hands, but gave it into Mrs. Bar
rymore's hands, and she promised TO
deliver it at once
Did YOU see Mr.. barrymore
mo, sir; tell you he was ~ ne
loft
.sIf you didn't see him, no" did S1i
know he was in the loft?
We'll, surely his own wife ought to
know where he is said the postmaster
testify Didn't he get the telegram?
If there is any mistake it is for Mr..
Barrymore himself to complain"
1t seemed hopeless to pursue the in
quiry any farther. but it was clear that
in spite OF Holmes ruse we had no proof
that Barrymore had not been in London
all the time. Suppose that it were So
suppose that the same man had been the
last who had seen Sir Charles aliye. AID
the first to dog the new heir when he re-
turned to England. What then? was
he the agent of others or had he some
sinister design CT his own? What inter-
est could he have in prosecuting the Bas-
kerville family? 1 thought OF the strange
warning clipped out of the leading ar
ticle of the Times. Was that his work
or was it possibly the doing of some one
who was bent upon ccunteracting his
schemes? The only conceivable motive
was that which had been suggested by
Sir Henry. that if the family could be
scared away a comfortable and perma-
nent home would be secured for the
BarrymoreS.
But assurely such an explanation as that
would be quite inadequate to account for
the deep and subtle scheming which
seemed to be wearing an invisible net
round the young baronet. Holmes him
self had said that no more complex case
had come to him in AL the long series
of his sensational Investigations. I
prayed as I walked back along the grey
lonely road that my friend might soon be
freed from his preoccupations and able to
come down to take this heavy burden of