Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-10

waited by the fire until he should return.
We were sitting there in silence when the
door opened and young lady came IN.
She was rather above the middle height.
slim, with dark hair and eyes, which SEEM
ed the darker against the absolute pallor Of
her skin. 1 do not think that l have ever
seen such deadly paleness in woman's
face. Her lips, too, were bloodless. but her
eyes were flushed with crying. AS she
swept silently into the room she impressed
me with a greater sense of grief than the
banker had done in the morning, and it was
the more striking in her as she was evident
ly a woman of strong character. with i'm
mense capacity for self-restraint. Disre-
garding my presence, she went straight to
her uncle and passed her hand over his
head with a sweet womanly caress.
You have given orders that Arthur
should be liberated, have you not dad?"
she asked
NO. no. my girl: the matter must be
probed to the bottom.
But am sure that he is innocent. You
know what womens instincts are. l know
that he has done no harm and that you
will be sorry for having acted SO harshly.
Why is he silent, then, If he is inno-
"Who knows? Perhaps because he was
so angry that you should suspect him..
How could / help suspecting him when L
actually saw him with the coronet in his
hand?"
"Oh. but he had only picked it up to look
at 1t. On. do. do take my word for 1t that
IT,. <e
say no more. 1t Is so dreadful to think or
our dear Arthur in prison!'
Il shall never let It drop until the gems
are found-never. Mary! Your affection for
Arthur blinds you as to the awful conse-
uuences to me. Far from hushing the thing
up, have brought gentleman down from
London TO inquire more deeply into it,
This gentleman" she asked. facing
round to
.No. his friend He wished US to leave
him alone He ia round in the stable lane
now"
THE stable lane." she raised her dark
eyebrows. What he hope to find
there All, this. I suppose. is he. l trust,
sir that you will succeed in proving. what
I feel sure is the truth, that my cousin
Arthur is innocent of this crime"
II fully share your opinion, and l trust
with you, that we may prove it, returned
Holmes going back to the mat to knock
the snow from his shoes. Il believe l have
the honor of addressing Miss Mary Holder.
Might l ask you question or two?'
Pray do, sir, If 1t may help to clear this
horrible affair up
you heard nothing yourself last nght?'
Nothing, until my uncle here began to
speak loudly. 1 Heard that and l came
down"
''You shut up the windows and doors the
night before. Did you fasten all the win
dows?"
Yes"
Were they all fastened this morning?"
'You have a maid who has a sweetheart?
I think that you remarked to your uncle
last night that she had been out to see
him2"
Eyes. and she was the girl who waited in
the drawing room, and who may have
heard uncles remarks about the coronet."
II see. You infer that she may have gone
out to tell her sweetheart, and that the
two may have planned the robbery"
But what Is the good of all these vague
theories" cried the banker. impatiently,
when I have told you that saw Arthur
with the coronet In his hands?'
wait little. Mr.. Holder. We must
come back to that. About this girl. Miss
Holder. You saw her return by the kitchen
door. / presume?'
Yes: when 1 went to see II the door was
fastened for the night 1 met her slipping
in: saw the man, too, in the gloom
do you know him.
oh yes: he is the green-grocer who
brings our vegetables round. His name is
Francis Prosper"
HE stood" said Holmes, ito the left Of
the door-that is to say. further up the
path than Is necessary to reach the door,"
"Yes, he did"
And he is man with a wooden leg?"
Something like fear sprang up in the
young lady's expressive black eyes. Why
do you know that?' She smiled. but there
was no answering smile in Holmes thin,
eager face.
Il should be very glad now to go up
stairs" said he. II shall probably wish to
go over the outside of the house again.
Perhaps 1 had better take a look at the
lower windows before I go up"
He walked swiftly round from one to the
other. pausing only at the large one which
looked from the hall onto the stable lane.
This no opened and made a very careful
examination Of the sill with his powerful
magnifying lens. Now we shall go up
stairs" said he at last.
The bankers dressing room was a plain
ly furnished little chamber. with gray
- WI,, 49, L.. .f...sr.
Holmes went to the bureau first and looked
hard at the lock.
(which key was used to open It," he
asked.
''That which my son himself Indicated
that Of the cupboard of the lumber room"
''Have you 1t here?
THAT Ii 1t on the dressing table,"
Sherlock Holmes took 1t up ana opened
the bureau.