Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-04


4 lie round Char1ngton Hall upon the other
! You could not find more lonely tract or
| road anywhere, and 1t is quite rare to meet
so much cart. or peasant. until
| you reach the high road near Crooksbury
| Hill. Two weeks ago / was passing this
| place. when 1 CHANGED to look back over
my shoulder, and about two hundred yards
| behind me / saw man. also on bicycle
He seemed to be Tniddle-aged man, with
a short, dark beard. l looked back be-
| fore I reached Farnham but the man
was gone. so l thought more about 1t.
| But you can imagine how surprised L was.
| Mr. Holmes, when, on my return on the
Monday, l saw the same man on the same
| stretch of road. My establishment was in
| creased when the incident occurred again,
| exactly before, the following Satur-
| day and Monday. He always kept his
! distance and did not modest me in any
way but still it certainly was very odd.
l mentioned it to Mr.. Carruthers, who
seemed interested in what l said, and told
me that he had ordered horse and trap,
| so that in future 1 should not pass over
these lonely roads without some companion.
The horse and trap were to nave come
this week, but for some reason they We're
not delivered. and again l had to cycle to
| the station. That was this morning. You
| can think that l looked out when 1 came
| TO Charlington Heath and there, sure
enough was the man, exactly as he had
| been the two weeks before. He always
| kept so far from me that could not clearly
| see his face, but it was certainly some
| one whom | did not know. He was dressed
| in dark suit with a cloth cap. The only
| thing about his face that | could clearly
| see was his dark beard. Today l was not
| alarmed. but l was filled with curiosity,
| and / determined to find out who he
| and what he wanted. l slowed down my
| machine, but he slowed down his. Then [
| stopped altogether, but he stopped also
| Then l laid trap for him. There is
sharp turning of the road, and 1 pedaled
very quickly around this. and then | stopped
| and waited. L expected him to shoot
round and pass me before he could
| 10 cd
| went back and looked round the
| corner. l could sec mile of road but he
was not on it, To make it the more
| traordnary, there was no side road at this
| point down which he could have gone
Holmes chuckled and rubbed his hands.
| This case certainly presents some features
elapsed between your turning the corner
| and your discovery that the road was
| clear?'
| 1.-TWO or three minutes
! '"Then he could not have retreated down
| the road, and you say that there are no
| side roads,?
| None
Then he certainly took footpath on one
| side or the other"
1T could not have been on the side of the
heath, or l should have seen him
| $50. by the process of exclusion. we ar
rive at the fact that he made his way to-
| ward darlington Hall, which, as L under
| stand, is situated in it's own grounds on
one side of the road. Anything else?'
! Nothing. Mr.. Holmes, save that I was
| so perplexed that 1 felt 1 should not be
happy until l had seen you and had your
| advice.
Holmes sat in silence for some little time.
| Where Is the gentleman to whom you
/ are engaged?' he asked at last.
''He is in the Midland Electrical Company,
| at Coventry"
| "He would not pay you a surprise visit?'
"Oh. Mr.. Holmes! AS if L should not
| know him.
Have you had any other admirers?"
| crol hnfo I lyfau (,yri
And since?"
There was this dreadful man Woodley.
If you can call him an admirer."
| No one else?'
| Our fair client seemed a little confused
! Who was he?" asked Holmes.
| "Oh, it may be mere fancy of mine, but
| it had seemed to me sometimes that my
| employer, Mr.. Carruthers, takes a great
| deal of interest in me. We are thrown rather
! together. / play his Accomplishments in the
! evening. He has never said anything. He
| is perfect gentleman. But girl always
| knows.
''Ha!" Holmes looked grave. What does
! he do for a living?"
| He IS rich man"
| mo carriages or horseS?"
! Well. at least he is fairly wel-to-do.
| But he goes into the city two or three times
| week. He is deeply interested in South
| African gold shares"
| You will let me know any fresh develop
ment. Miss Smith. 1 am very busy just
| now. but 1 will find time to make some in
| uuiries into your case. In the meantime,
| take no step without letting know.
| Goodbye, and / trust that we shall have
| nothing but good news from you
| 1t is part of the settled order of nature
| that such a girl should have followers
| said Holmes. as he pulled at his meditative
| pipe. but for choice not on bicycles in
! lonely country roads. Some secretive lover
| beyond all doubt But there are curious
| and suggestive details about the case, Wat
SON.
| That he should appear only at that
Ooint?"
Exactly. Our first effort must be to
! find who are the tenants of Charlngton Hall.
| Then, again, how about the connection be-
tween Carruthers and Woodley, since they
appear to be men of such different type?
How came they both to be so keen
upon looking up Ralph Smiths rela-
tons? One more point. What sort of
a menage is it which pays double the mar
ket price for a governess. but does not keep
horse, although six miles from the sta
ton? Odd. Watson-very odd!'
You will go DOWN."
mo, my dear FELLOW you will go down
This may be some trifiing intrigue. and L
cannot break my other important research
| for the sake of it. On Monday you will ar
rive early at Farnham; you will conceal
yourself near Charlington Heath; you will
observe these facts for yourself, and act as
your own Judgment advises. Then. having
| inquired as to the occupants of the hall,
you will come back to me and report. And
now. Watson. not another word of the mat
| ter until we nave q few Sofd stepping
stones which we may hope to get across
to our solution
We had ascertained from the lady that
she went down upon the Monday by the
train whiclf-leaves Waterloo a $50, l
started early and caught the 9:13. At Farm
ham station ! had no difficulty in being
directed to Charlington Heath. 1t was i'm
possible to mistake the scene of the young
ladys adventure. for the roads runs be-
tween the open heath on side and an
old yew hedge upon the other, surrounding
a park which is studded with ma gnificent
trees. There was main gateway of lichen
studded stone. each side pillar surmounted
by modering heraldic emblems but be-
sides this central carriage drive | observed
several points where there were gaps in
the hedge and paths leading through them.
The house was invisible from the road but
the surroundings all spoke of gloom and
decay.
The heath was covered with golden
patches of Towering gorse, cleaning mag
nifcently in the light of the bright spring ]
sunshine. Behind one of these clumps /
took up my position, SO as to command
both the gateway of the hall and a long
stretch of the road upon either side. 1t
had been deserted when / left 1t, but now
1 saw cyclist riding down it from the OPP