The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-05-07

unlocked it, and drew out long blue
envelope.
Here it is, Mr. Holmes. Would ID
heaven l had never seen it,
How can we return it?" Holmes
muttered. Quick, quick, we must
think of some way Where is the des-
patch-boX?"
"Still in his bedroom"
what a stroke of luck! Quick,
madam, bring it here!"
A moment later she had appeared
with red fiat box in her hand.
GLOW did you open it before? You
have a duplic@e key? Yes, of course
you have. Open it,!
From out of her bosom Lady Hilda
had drawn a small key. The box
flew open. 1t. was stuffed with papers
Holmes thrust the blue envelope deep
down into the heart of them. between
the leaves of some other document
The box was shut, locked, and return
ed to the bedroom.
Nov we are ready for him. said
Holmes. I'VE have still ten minutes.
/ am going far to screen you, Lady
Hilda. In return you will spend the
time in telling me frankly the real
meaning of this extraordinary affair"
MIR. Holmes, ] will tell you every
thing" cried the lady "Oh, Mr..
Holmes, l would cut off my right hand
before l. gave MIN a. UiOllCllL VI SUI
row! There is no woman in all Lon
don who loves her husband as l do,
and yet if he knew how / have acted
how | have been compelled to act
he would never forgive me. For his
| own honour stands SO high that he
could not forget or pardon lapse in
another. Help me- Mr.. Holmes! My
| happiness, his happiness, our very
lives are at stake!"
"Ouick. madam. the time grows
short"
at was a letter of mine, Mr.. Holmes
an indiscreet letter written before
my MARRIAGE foolish letter, letter
of an impulsive, loving girl. / meant
no harm, and yet he would have
| thought it criminal Had he read that
| letter his confidence would have been
| forever destroyed. 1t is years since l
wrote it. / had thought that the
whole matter was forgotten. Then at
last l heard from this man, Lucas, that
it had passed into his hands, and that
he would lay it before my husband. I
implored his mercy. He said that he
would return my letter if i would
bring him a certain document which
he described in my husbands des-
patch-box. He had some spy in the
office who had told him of its exist
ence He assured me that no harm
could come to my husband. Put your
self in my position, Mr.. Holmes! What
was l to do?"
Take your husband into your con-
hdence.'
II could not Mr. Holmes. / could
not On the one side seemed certain
ruin on the other, terrible as it sem
ed to take my husbands paper, still in
matter of politics l could not un-
derstand the consequences, while in
matter of love and trust they were
only too clear to me. l did it, Mr..
Holiness 1 took an impression of his
| key. This man, Lucas, furnished
duplicate. ] opened his despatch-box.
took the paper, and conveyed it to
Godolphin Street"
what happened there, MADAME"
81 tapped at the door as agreed.
Lucas opened it. ] followed him into
! his room, leaving the hall door ajar
| behind me, for l feared to be alone
with the man. ] remember that there
was a woman outside as L entered.
| Our business was soon done. He had
my letter in his desk, | handed him
the document. He gave me the let
| ter. At this instant there was sound
at the door. There were steps in the
| passage. Lucas quickly turned back
! the drugget, thust the document into
some hiding-place there. and covered
| it over.
"What happened after that is like
some fearful dream. 1 have a vision
of dark, frantic face, of a woman's
voice, which screamed in French, My
waiting is not in vain. At last, at last
/ have found you with herr There
| was a savage struggle. | saw him
| with a chair in his hand, a knife
cleaned in hers. l rushed from the
horrible scene, ran from the house,
and only next morning in the paper
| did / learn the dreadful result. That
night 1 was happy for l had my let
ter, and | had not seen yet what the
| future would bring.
ut was the next morning that l
| realized that l had only exchanged one
! trouble for another. My husbands
anguish at the loss of his paper went
to my heart. l could hardly prevent
myself from there and then kneeling
down at his feet and telling him what
| had done But that again would
| mean a confession of the past. ] came
| to you that morning in order to un-
| derstand the full enormity of my Of
| fence. From the instant that l grasp
| ed it my whole mind was turned to
| the one thought of getting back my
| husbands paper. 1t must still be
where Lucas had placed it, for it was
| concealed before this dreadful woman
| entered the room. If it had not been
| for her coming, | should not have
! known where his hiding-place was.
| How was l to get into the room? For
| two days l watched the place, but
| the door was never left open. Last
| night / made a last attempts What
/ did and how I succeeded, you have
already learned. l brought the paper
back with me, and thought of destroy
| ing it, since L could see no way of re-
| turning it without confessing my guilt
| to my husband. Heavens, / hear his
! step upon the STAIR!
The European Secretary burst ex-
| citedly into the room
ANY news, Mr.. Holmes. any news?"
he cried.
81 have some hopes"
"Ah, thank heaven!" His face be-
came radiant. THE Prime Minister
is lunching with me. May he share
your hopes? He has nerves of steel.
and yet l know that he has hardly
slept since this terrible event Jacobs,
will you ask the Prime Minister to
come up? AS to you, dear, l fear that
this is a matter of politics. We will
| join you in a few minutes in the dim
| ing-room'
| The Prime Minister'S manner was
| subdued, but l could see by the CLEAN
| of his eyes and the twitchings of his