Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-10
other. My niece Mary has deserted me-"

| Yes Her bed this morning had not been
slept In, her room was empty, and note
fot me lay upon the hall table. l had sad
to her last night. in sorrow and not in an
ger. that IL she had married my boy all
| might have been well with him. Perhaps
IL was thoughtless of me to say so. 1t is to
| that remark that she refers in this note:
MY Dearest Uncle-I feel that have
| brought trouble upon you. and that If l
| had acted differently this terrible misfor-
| tune might never have occurred cannot
| with this thought in my mind. ever again
b. happy under your roof. and feel that
| must leave you forever. Do not worry
| about my future, for that is provided for.
and. above all. do not search for me. for II
| will be fruitless labor and an ill-servtce TO
me. In life or in death, / am ever your
| loving MARY
What could she mean by that note. Mr.
| Holmes? Do you think it points to sui
haps the best possible solution. I trust,
M Holder. that you are nearing the end OF
your troubles"
"Ha! You say so, You have heard some
| thing. Mr.. Holmes: you have learned some
| thing! Where are the gems?''
You would not think f1.ooo apiece an ex-
| cessive sum for them?''
II would pay ten
| THAT would be unnecessary. Three
| Thousand will cover the matter. And there
is little reward. 1 fancy. Have you your
| check book? Here Is pen. Better make
1t out for $1,000
With a dazed face the banker made out
| the required check. Holmes walked over
| to his desk. took out little triangular
| piece of gold with three gems in 1t, and
| threw 1t down upon the table.
With a shrek of joy our client clutched
It UP. =.
you have itr' he gasped. Il am saved!
| I am savedH'
The reaction of JOY was passionate as
| his grief had been. and he Rugged his re-
! covered gems to his bosom.
| There is one other thing you owe. Mr.
/ Holmes
sternly.
"ower.. He caught up pen. Name the
| sum, and will pay II"
| mo. the debt is not to me. You owe
| very humble apology to that noble lad.
| your son, who has carried himself in this
| matter as should be proud to see my own
SON do. should ever chance to have one.
Then 1t was not Arthur who took
| them7'
II told you yesterday, and 1 repeat to-
| day. that 1t was not
| "You are sure of It! Then let us hurry
| to him at once. to let him know that the
| truth IL known"
He knows it already. When had clear
| ed 1t all up had interview with him.
and. finding that he would not tell me the
| story. told 1T to him. on which he had to
1 confess that I was right, and to add the
| very few details which were not yet quite
| clear to me. Your news of this morning.
| however, may open his lips
For heavens sake tell me, then. what Is
this extraordinary mystery"
IT will do so. and l will show you the
| steps by which l reached 1t. And let me
say to you first that which 1t is hardest
for me to say and for you to hear there
| has been understanding between Sir
George Burnwell and your niece Mary.
| They have now fled together"
| my Mary? Impossible."
ut is unfortunately. more than possible;
| It IS certain Neither you nor your son
| knew the true character of this man when
| you admitted him into your family circle.
| a Ia of n
| England-a ruined gambler, an absolutely
| desperate villain, a man without heart or
conscience. Your niece knew nothing OF
| such men. When he breathed his vows to
| her. as he had done to hundred before
| her. she fattered herself that she alone
had touched his heart. The devil knows
| best what he said. but at least she became
| his tool and was In the habit Of seeing him
nearly every evening
II cannot and / will not believer cried
| the banker. with an ashen face.
| II will tell you, then, what occurred at
your house last night. Your niece. when
| you had as she thought gone to your
| room, slipped down and talked to her lover
| through the window which leads into the
| stable lane. His footmarks had pressed
| right through the snow, SO long had he
| stood there. She told him Of the coronet.
| His wicked lust for gold kindled at the
| news, and he bent her to his will. 1 have
| no doubt that she loved you, but there are
| women in whom the love of lover extin-
| guishes all other loves, ard l think that
| she must have been one. She had hardly
listened to his instructions when she saw
| you coming downstairs. which she clos
ed the window rapidly. and told you about
one of the servants escapade with her
wooden-legged lover. which was all per-
fectly true.
! Your boy, Arthur, went to bed after his
| interview with you. but he slept badly on
account of his uneasiness about his club
debts. In the middle of the night he heard
a soft tread pass his door. he rose. and.
| looking out, was surprised to see his cousin
| walking very stealthily along the passage,
| until she disappeared into your dressing
room. Fortified with establishment the lad
slipped on some clothes and waited there in
| the dark to see what would come OF this
strange affair. Presently she emerged from
the room again, and in the light of the
passage lamp your son saw that she car
ried the precious coronet in her hands. She
passed down the stairs. and he. thrilling
with horror. ran along and slipped behind
! the curtain near your door, whence he
! could see what passed in the hall beneath
He saw her stealthily open the window
hand out the coronet to some in the
gloom. and then closing it once more hurry
back to her room, passing quite close to
where he stood hid behind the curtain.
LAS long as she was the scene he
could not take any action without a horri-
BILE exposure of the woman whom he loved.
But the instant that she was gone he re-
allied how crushing misfortune this
would be for you, and how all-important II
was to set it right. He rushed down. just
dow sprang out into the snow and ran
down the lane. where he could see a dark
figure in the moonlight. Sir George Burn
we'll tried to get away but Arthur caught
him, and there was a struggle between
them, your lad Juggling at one side of the
coronet and his opponent at the other In
the scuffie your son struck Sir George and
cut him over the eye. Then something sud-
denly snapped. and your son. finding that
he had the coronet in his hands, rushed
back. closed the window. assembled to your
room. and had just observed that the cor
onet had been twisted In the struggle and
was endeavoring to straighten It. when you
appeared upon the scene"
as it possible?" gasped the banker.
You then reused his anger by calling
him names at a moment when he felt that
he had deserved your warmest thanks. He
could not explain the true state of affairs
without betraying one who certainly de-
served little enough consideration at his
hands. He took the more chivalrous view.
however and preserved her secret
And that was why she shrieked and
tainted when she the coronet," cried
Mr.. Holder. ''Oh. my God! what blind
fool 1 have BEEN And his asking to be
allowed to go out for five minutes. The
dear fellow wanted to see if the missing