Evening star., 1904-04-18
The/0rce cereSS of the
//trdnd. z sf sos4! ST 1gsiAeE s15aef
COPY pIGhT 1904 BIZ TIE rCEWJPApER ENTERPR3E A331

p11ilty do not for a moment believe. In
the meantime the police will remain here.
He caught my arm. ana TWO minutes later
we were rushing through the night toward
London.
'.My dear fellow" I gasped, explain
yourself, for heavens sake. Is Violet in
nocent?"
.Wonderful luck" was his enigmatical
answer 81 fancy Sara has overacted this
piece.
"You cannot find the bloodstone?''
"That cannot tell you; my business Is to
clear Lady Bouverie. Don't talk or we
shall be wrecked
He did not vouchsafe another remark till
we stood together in his room. but he had
driven the car like madman.
He then drew out the two packets con-
tanning the handkerchief and began to
make rapid chemical preparations.
Now, listen," he said. f'You know I am
treating Lady Bouyerie. The medicine l
have been giving her happens to contain
large doses of iodide of potassium. You
may not be aware of it, but the drug Is
eliminated very largely by all the mucous
membranes, and the lachrymal gland,
which secretes the tears. play prominent
part in this process. The sobbing female
whom you are prepared to swear on oath
was Lady Bouverie at the rendezvous by
the summer house droppeda "a handkerchief
this one.''. He laid his finger on the first of
the two packets. Now, IL that woman was
really Lady Bouverie, by analysis of the
delicate test, distinct traces of iodine on it.
If, however, it was not Lady Bouverie, but
some one disguised with the utmost skill of
an actress to represent her, not only physi-
cal1y, but with all the emotions of dis
tracted and guilty woman, even to the sobs
and tears-then we shall not find iodine on
the analysis of this handkerchief
My jaw dropped as the meaning of his
words broke upon me.
Before testing, I will complete my hy-
pothesis by suggesting that the note, ev.-
IDENTIFY thrown in your way, was to decoy
you to be witness of the scene, and that
the handkerchief taken from Lady Bou-
verte's room and marked with her 1nitia s
was intended to be the finishing touch in
the chain of evidence against her. Now we
will come to facts, and for all our sakes
let us hope that my little theory Is cor
rect"
He set to work rapidly. AT the end Of
some operation lasting several minutes he
held up test tube containing clear So
luton
Now he said, opening bottle contain
ing an opalescent liquid: guilty or not
guilty?'
He added few drops from the bottle to
the testing tube. long, deep chuckle
came from mis- broad chest
Not trace of it, he said. Now for the
handkerchief which l took from Lady Bou-
verie for check experiment.
He added a few of the same drops to an
other tube. A bright violet color spread
through the liquid.
There's iodine in that you see Not
guilty, Druce"
A shout burst from my lips.
Hush, my dear chap" he pleaded Yes,
it is very pretty. am quite proud"
Five minutes later joyful telegram was
speeding on irs way to Greylands.
so it was Sara l said, by-and-by:
What is your next move?
He shrugged his shoulders.
ut is one thing to prove that person
is not guilty, but 1t is another thing to
prove that some one else is. OF course,
will try This is the deepest game l ever
struck, and the boldest, and I think the
cIeverest Poor Ali Khan. the shah will
certainly cut his head off when he gets
back to Persia OF course, Sara has taken
the stone. But whether she has done so
simply because she has fancy to keep it
for herself, believing in it's power as a