Omaha daily bee., 1903-01-18
Copyright. 1902, by T. c. McClure.)
CHAPTER XIII.
Tba Mvsterv az Mary.

Regret to inform you that Mrs. Courte-
nay was found drowned in the river this
morning. Can you come here? My mistress
is very anxious to see you"
without a moments delay I sent a reply
In the Affirmative, and after searching in the
B. c. found that l had a train at 3 o'clock
from Kings Cross. This l took, and after
an anxious journey arrived duly at the
Manor, all the blinds OF which were closely
Parkinson, white-faced and agitated, a
thin, nervous figure in a coat slightly too
large for him, had been watching my APP
proach up the drive and held open the door
for me.
"Ah, Doctorl" the old fellow gasped.
tits terrible-terrlble. To think that poor
Miss Mary should die like that!'
Tell me all about it," 1 demanded.
quickly. Gomez and l led the way into
the morning room.
1--WE don't know anything about It, sir.
It's all a mystery" the gray-faced old man
replied. when one of the housemaids went
up to Miss Mary's room at s o'clock this
morning to take her tea, as usual, she re-
ceived no answer to her knock. Thinking
she was asleep she returned half an hour
later. only to find her absent and that the
bed had not been slept in. We told the
mistress, never thinking that such an awful
fate had befallen poor Miss Mary. Mistress
was inclined to believe that she had gone
off on some wild excursion somewhere, for
of late she's been in the habit of going away
for a day or two without telling us. t
first none of us dreamed that anything had
happened, until Just before ~ o'clock
Reuben Dixon's lad, who'd been out fishing,
came up, shouting that poor Miss Mary was
in the water under some bushes close to the
stile that leads into the Monks wood. At
first we couldn't believe it-but with the
others l few down posthaste, and there she
was, poor thing, under the surface. with her
dress caught in the bushes that droop into
the water. Her hat was gone, and her hair
unbound 1oated out, waving with the cur
rent. We at once got a boat and took her
out, but she was quite dead. Four men
from the village carried her up here, and
they've placed her in her own room"
"The police know about It, of course?"
Yes, we told Jarvis. the constable. He's
sent a telegram to Oundle, l think"
And what doctor has seen herr"
Doctor Govitt, from Peterborough. He's
here now" @
"Ah I must sch him. He has examined
the body, / suppose?"
81 expect so, sir. He's been a long time
In the room"
And how is It believed that the poor
young woman got into the water?"I asked,
anxious to obtain the local theory.
ITS believed that she either fell in or
was pushed in, a long way higher up; be-
cause half a mile away. not far from the
lock, there's distinct marks in the long
| grass showing that somebody went off the
path to the brink of the river. And close
by that spot they found her black silk
shawl"
"She went out without a hat, them" I
remarked, recollecting that when she had
met her husband in secret she had worn
a shawl. Could it be possible that she had
met him again, and that he had made away
with her? The theory seemed a sound one
in the present circumstances.
at seemed to me, sir, that the very fact
of her taking her shawl showed that she
did not intend to be out very long" the
butler said.
eft would almost appear that she went
in the night in order to meet somebody,
I observed.
The old man shook his head s%orrowfully
saying:
poor Miss Mary's never been the same
since her husband died, sir. She was Otter
very strange III uSI mdh"Si DON"SSh ~
selves, I strongly suspect 1t to, be a case Of
deliberate suicide. She was utterly broker
down by the awful blow"
81 don't see any motive for suicide"
REMARKED. Then / asked, Has she evel
been known to meet anyone on the rive
bank at night?"
Old Parkinson was usually an impene
trable person. He hdgeted, and I saw tina
my question was an awkward one for hin
to answer without telling a lie.
"The truth will have to be DISCOVERIES
about this, you know" 1 went on. There
fore, IL you have any knowledge likely t
assist us at the inquest It is your duty t
explain"
well, SIR" he answered, after a shor
pause, ito tell the truth, in this last wee
or so there have been some funny rumor
in the village"
about WHAT"
people say that she was watched b
Drake, Lord M~assington's gamekeeper, VIII
saw her at 2 o'clock in the morning wall
ing arm in arm with an old gentleman.
heard the rumor down at the Golden Bal
but wouldn't believe 1t. Why, Mr.. CouI
tenay's only been dead a month or two. TT
man Drake is a Dragging fellow, and I thin
most people discredited his statement"
! We'll" I said, at might possibly hay
= been true. II seems hardly conceivable thu
3 she should go wandering alone by the rive
: at night. She surely had some motive
; going here. Was she only seen by the gam
keeper on one occasion?"
"Only once. But, of course, he soon spree
> 1t about the village and 1t formed for a wee
a nice titbit OF gossip. AS soon as l heal
II I took steps to deny It,"
at never reached the young lady's ears
"Oh, no. the Old servant answered. "V
were careful to keep the scandal to on
selves. knowing how It would pain he
She's had sufficient trouble in her life, pc
> thing" And with tears in his gray o
eyes, he added: Il have known her ev
Ae since she was a child in her cradle. Il
N awful that her end should come like this
. He was a most Trustworthy and devot
~ servant, having spent nearly forty years
~ his life in the service Of the family, un
sn he had become almost part Of II. His vol
81 Quivered with emotion when he spoke
is the dead daughter OF the house, but
g knew that toward me II was not a servan
privilege TO entirely express the grief
felt.
IN l put other questions regarding the de
woman's recent actions and he was CO.
hO PEELED to admit that they had of late be
quite u~naeeountable Her absences We
frequent and she appeared to sometiT