The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-04-30

nothing of it at the time. 1t was more
than an hour after that heard my
mistress scream, and down | ran, to
find her, poor lamb, just as she says,
and him on the floor, with his blood
and brains over the room. 1t was
enough to drive a woman out of her
wits, tied there, and her very dress
spotted with him, but she never want
ed courage, did Miss Mary Fraser of
Adelaide. and Lady Brackenstall of
| Abbey Grange hasn't learned new
ways. You've questioned her long
enough gentlemen. and now she is
coming to her own room, just with her
| old Theresa, to get the rest that she
| badly needs"
With a motherly tenderness the
gaunt woman put her arm round her
mistress and led her from the ROOM
"She has been with her all her life,"
| said Hopkins. "Nursed her as a baby,
and came with her to England when
| they first left Australia eighteen
months ago Theresa Wright is her
rtame, and the kind of maid YOU don't
| pick up nowadays. This way, Mr..
Holmes, if you please!"
The keen interest had passed out of
| Holmes expressive face, and l knew
| that with the mystery all the charm
remained an arrest to be effected. but
what were these commonplace rogues,
| that he should soil his hands with
| them? An abstruse and learned spe-
| cialist who finds that he has been call
| ed in for case of measles would eX-
| perience something of the annoyance
which | read in my friends eyes. Yet
| the scene in the dining-room of the
| Abbey Grange was sufficiently strange
| to arrest his attention and to recall
| his waning interest.
1t was a very large and high cham
| Der, with carved oak ceiling, oaken
panellng, and a fine array of deer's
| heads and ancient weapons around the
| walls. At the further end from the
door was the high, French window of
which we had heard. Three smaller
windows on the right-hand side filled
| the apartment with cold winter sun
shine. On the left was a large, deep
fireplace, with a massive, overhanging
oak mantelpiece. Beside the fireplace
was a heavy oaken chair with arms
and crosS-barS at the bottom. In and
out through the open woodwork was
woven a crimson cord, which was Sc
cured at each side to the croSSpiece
below. In releasing the lady, the cord
had been slipped off her, but the knots
with which it had been secured still
remained. These details only struck
thoughts were entirely absorbed by
the terrible object which lay upon the
tiger-skin hearthrug in front of the
fire.
1t was the body of tall well-made
man, about forty years of age. He
lay upon his back, his face upturned,
with his white teeth grinning through
his short, blacks beard. His two
clenched hands we're raised above his
head, and a heavy, blackthorn stick
lay across them. His dark, handsome,
aquiline features were convulsed into
a spasm of vindictive hatred, which
had set his dead face in a terribly
fiendish expression. He had evidently
been in his bed when the alarm had
broken out, for he wore a foppish,
embroidered night-shirt, and his bare
feet projected from his trousers. His
head was horribly injured and~ the
Whole room bore witness to the savage
ferocfty of the blow which had struck
him down. Beside him lay the heavy
poker, bent into q curve by the con-
cussion. Holmes examined both it and
the understandable wreck which it had
wrought. M
He must be a powerful man, this
elder Randall" he remarked.
Eyes, said Hopkins. II have some
record of the fellow and he is a rough
customer"
You should have no difficulty in
getting him.
Not the slightest. We have been
on the lookout for him. and there was
some idea that he had got away to
America. Now that we know that the
gang are here, l don't see how they
can escape. We have the news at every
seaport already, and a reward will be
offered before evening. What beats
me is how they could have done so
hat lad,
could describe them. and that we
could not fail to recognise the descrip-
ton
Exactly. One would have expected
that they would have silenced Lady
Brackenstall as WELL"
"They may not have realized"
suggested, that she had recovered
from her faint
THAT is likely enough. If she seem
ed to be senseless. they would not take
| her life. What about this poor fellow.
| Hopkins? | seem to have heard soma
queer stories about him.
HE was a good-hearted man when
| he was sober, but a perfect fiend when
| he was drunk, or rather when he was
| half drunk, for he seldom really went
J the whole way. The devil seemed to
| be in him at such times. and he was
| capable of anything. From what l
| hear, in spite of all. his, wealth and his
title, he very nearly came our way
once or twice. There was a scandal
about his drenching a dog with petro
| leum and setting it on fire-her lady
| ships dog, to make the matter worse
| and that was only hushed up with
difficulty. Then he threw a decanter
! at that maid, Theresa Wright, there
| was trouble about that. On the whole.
and between ourselves, it will be a
| brighter house without him. What are
| you looking at noW?"
Holmes was down on his knees, ex-
amining with great attention the
| knots upon the red cord with which
the lady had been secured. Then he
| carefully scrutinized the broken and
| frayed end where it had snapped off
when the burglar had dragged it
down.
when this was pulled down the
| bell in the kitched must have rung
| loudly" he remarked.
mo one could hear it. The kitchen
stands right at the back of the house.
How did the burglar know no one
would hear it? How dared he pull
at a bell-rope in that reckless fash
ion?"