Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-28
CHAPTER VII.
The Key to the Mystery.

l I'D kne StalT
(Which room will you look at first. sr?''
1 he asked.
Let us see Mr. Tremaine's room first
| Very well, sir" said Thomas, and opened
| a door and stood aside to let US pass.
There was nothing at all extraordinary
| about the room. 1t was large, well-lghted.
| well-ventilated. well-furnished-just the sort
| of bedroom one would naturally expect to
| find in a luxurious country house.
Godfrey cast a glance about it. then he
| went to one of the windows. opened 1t, and
| stepped out upon the balcony. He walked
| along the balcony to the end where the
| heavy creepers were, took look at them.
1 and finally came back to the window.
! That's all" he said. as he stepped
| through into the room. ''Of course, l didn
| expect to find anything here-our friend is
| much too clever to be caught mapping tina I
| where IT was when Mr.. Tremaine had the
| room?"
Yes, SIR"
Godfrey sat down at it, measuring the dis
tance from 1t to the window.
Lester he said. II wish you'd go out
and come up the walk and see if you can
| see me sitting here.
l ran down the stairs and did as he di-
rected. but could catch not a glimpse of
| him.
''Well?" he called down, coming to the
| open window.
Il can't see you at ALL" l said
| Il thought so. Come up again"
lie was sitting again at the table when l
! opened the door.
Now, take look at it. Lester" he said
GU IL see that the able is so far away
from the window that it's quite impossible
Tor anyone on the ground outside to see the
| person sitting at it. Yet Drysdale stated
| ulstihcty that he saw Tremaine sitting at
| the table writing when he came back from
| that mysterious walk. What would you
| argue from that?"
That Tremaine had moved the table
| nearer to the window
And why should he do that?''
| tured
| He might have done it. in the daytime.
| 10 get better light, but at night he would
get much worse one over there by the
WlEdoW than here. The lights you'll oh
| serve, hang from the center of the ceiling.
| h men ne did it l said in order that
ne might be seen from outside"
| Ihats it; not only that he might be seen
nut that Drysdale might see him, | wonder
| II TINS is the kind of paper he wrote on?'
| We keep a supply of il in ali th, y,,as,
rooms, sir, volunteered Thomas
Godfrey took it up and looked at II. IT
VIZ d pam white linen of good quality,
N WITT the word "Edgemere,' embossed in
blue at the top There We're also on tbs 70
DIE pens, an inkstand and two or three bIot :
tefs- He turned the blotters over. bot only
one or them showed any sign of havins
oeen used and the marks on it were very
lG'Ht-yet they seemed to interest Godfrey
he bent over them with puzzled face: then
he got out a little magnifying siass and and
studied them again.
.a,! lester he said at last Il wish you
| take look at this ard he pushed the
pIotter and glass toward me "What do
you make of it?' "o
gazed through the glass at the marks
put, put lor "a a moment could make nothing of
them Then they resolved themselves into
string of letters marching backward
larry dlstlnct at one end, but fading away
to nothingness "a the other
n6xrc
a Iot or disconnected letters on piece of
paper, said at last Il can't make out
any words The letters seem to be mostly
Thomas" said Godfrey will Won, 90
d0"n and ask Mr. Delroy if he has a sam
PIE OF Mr. lremaines handwriting and If
So D., If he will let us see it for a moment?"
at Godfrey in surprise.
You think those marks have sorne
value?' l asked
Godfrey drummed absently on the table
and stared out of the window
Il don't know" he answered: but in an
investigation of this kind no point is too
small to be important. We've got to ex-
anime everything, weigh everything. Pile up
every little atom of evidence If we exnect
to tip the scale in our direction rs Verv
probable that Tremaine never made these
marks at all; even If he did, they probably
have no significance. But, in any event,
II Wont do any harm to make sure: and
besides, Id like to see sample of his
handwriting, just for it's own sake-the
handwriting of a man like that ought to
be interesting. All, here is Thomas
Here's letter, sir," said Thomas
Godfrey opened it and glanced at the
contents.
He's a good penman," he said; see
Lester. and he handed me the sheet; but
1t S quite different hand from the one on
the blotter-much broader and more mas
cullne-just such hand as one would nat
urally expect man like Tremaine TO
write
He examined it again for a moment, then
folded 1t up and handed it back to Thomas
Perhaps Mr.. Delroy will want 1t again."
he said Now, let US see Mr.. Drysdales
ROOM
As he got up from the table. I Noticed
that he still held the blotter in his hand
and | saw him place it carefully in an in
ner pocket. After all, then, he did attach
some Importance to it.
The room which had been occupied by
Diysdale was the counterpart of Tremaines
but IL was in great disorder. An open trunk
stood in the middle of the floor with cloth
made
we was ordered not t. do anything to-
ward settin this room to rights explained
Thomas, alphabetically, "till the coroner
sent us word we might. He amt sent no
word yet
1t was evident that Drysdale had been
packing very hastily when he was inter-
rupted by the arrival of the officers. The
crammed In carelessly-though, of course
that might have been done by the coroner,
after searching It.
"Drysdale evidently didn't spend much
time in bed that night" observed Godfrey.
and indicated a pile of cigarette stubs
heaped high on an ash-tray the table
He must have had some knotty problem to
wrestle with to need so many"
He walked slowly about the room looking
at everything keenly, but touching nothing;
he stood gazing at the bed for long time
Then he turned again to the table
Here's the diary" he said, picking up a
little book which lay there. so Heffel-
bower didn't get it. Well. l guess I'd bet
ter see that he doesn't have another
chance"
He weighed it in his hand, and 1 could see
how 1t tempted him-perhaps here lay the
very key which he had been seeking in
vain! But in moment he slipped it I'M
opened into his pocket
"A man Is a fool to make promises" he
observed, with wry smile, and sat down
at the table. Hello, what's this?" he
added suddenly, and, STOPPING, he fshed
from the waste-basket beside him the frag-
ments of a cane.
1t was q cane certainly of at least ordinary