The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-03
voice changes as you speak. When
have I ever had secret from you? |
shall enter that cottage and I shall

voice changes as YOU speak. When |
have I ever had secret from you9 I
shall enter that cottage and I shall
probe the matter to the bottom
No, no, Jack, for God IS sake!' she
gasped, in uncomfortable emotion. Then,
as [ approached the door, she seized my |
sleeve and pulled me back with con-
vulsive strength.
Jack, she cried. 'Isswear that l will
tell you everything some day, but moth
ing but misery can come of it if you
enter the cottage Then, as / tried to-
shake her of. she chung to me in
frenzy OF entreatY.
thrust me, Jack! she cried. Trust
me only this once. You will never have
would not have secret from you if it
were not for your own sake. Our whole
! lives are at stake in this. If you will
come home with me, all will be well.
If you force your way into that cottage
all is over between us
| "There was such earnestness, such
despair in her manner that he words
arrested me and I stood irresolute be-
fore the door,. f
- Il will trust you on one condition,
and on one condition only, said at
Hast. It is that this mystery comes to
an end from now. You are at liberty
to preserve your secret, but you must
promise me that there shall be no more
nightly visits, no more doings which are
kept from my knowledge. [ am willing
to forget those which are passed if you
will promise that there shall be no more
in the future
Il was sure that you would trust
me- she cried, with great sigh OF
relief. 1T shall be just as you wish.
Come !; sway--oh' come away up to the
"Still pulling at my sleeve, she led
me away from the cottage. AS we went
, I glanced back, and there was that yell
low, ivid face watching us out of the
upper window. What link could there
be between that creature and my wife?
Or how could the coarse, rough woman
connected with her? It was a strange
puzzle, and yet I knew that my mind
could never know ease again until had
: solved it. z.sre
l "For two days after this / stayed at
Z home, and my wife appeared to abide
t loyalty by our engagement, for, as far
!, as I know, she never stirred out OF the
: had ample evidence that her solemn
7 promise was not enough to hold her back
E from this secret influence which drew
e her away from her husband and heI
! duty.
+ II had gone into town on that day
:, but [ returned by the 2:4O instead OF
Q the 1886, which is my. usual train. AS
r I entered the house the maid ran into
e the hall with a startled face.
i Z" Where is your mlstress!'
d asked. =. =
y stEI think she, has gone out for g
r walk she answered.
:. s'My mind was instantly filled with
}, suspicion. I rushed upstairs to make
|, sure that she was not in the house, Al
p I did SO I happened to glance out OF ont
n of the upper windows and saw the maie
p with whom / had just been speaking
It running across the field in the direction
s of the cottage. Then, of course, I say
h exactly what it all meant. Ny wife ha(
e gone over there, and had asked the ser
y Want to call her if I should return
d Tingling with anger, I rushed down AM
hurried across, determined to end tn
IS matter once and forever. Il I saw m,
n. the lane, but I did not stop to speal
r. with them. In the cottage lay tn
r; secret which was casting a shadow owe
| my life. I vowed that, come wha
dl might, it should be a secret no Longer
I did not even knock when I reached
u, but turned the handle and rushed int
the passage.
ID cit was all still and quiet upon tn
1t ground floor. In the kitchen kettl
II was singing on the fire and a large blac
n cat lay coiled up in the basket; bu
Ee there was no sign Of the woman who1
k, ] had seen before. I ran into the othe
to room, but it was equally deserted. The
I'd I rushed up the stairs, only to find tw
IN other rooms empty and deserted at tn
top. There was no one at all In tn
tn whole house. The furniture and pit
at lures were of the most common an
vulgar description, save in one chambe
q, at the window of which / had seen til
strange face. That was comfortable an
re elegant, and all my suspicious rose, int
Id fierce, bitter flame when 1 saw thu
as on the mantlepiece stood copy of .
ne which had been taken at my reque'
ct only three months ago.
"a 81 stayed long enough to make &c
OF tain that the house was absolute]
Id empty. Then left it, feeling weigl
at my heart such. as | had never ha
es before. My wife came out into the ha
as I entered the house; but [ was tt
ny pushing past her, made my way to II
ke study. She followed me, however, b
ne fore I could close the. door:
Sc. q I am sorry that ] broke my pror
ny Use, Jack said she; but if you kne
NY all the circumstances [ am sure that VI
us would forgive me-
It tsETell me everything, then,' said
eg "T cannot, Jack, [ cannot 81
ge cried.
no = Until you tell me who it is tn
nix has been living in that cottage, and WI
ne it is to whom you have given tn
ne photograph, there can never be any co
ed, fidence between us, said /, and brea
ore ing away from her, / left the hous
That was yesterday, Mr.. Holmes, al
lat / have not seen her since, nor do
my know anything more about this stran
to business. It is the first shadow that
to come between us, and it has so shak
see me that I do not know what I shou
lch do for the best. Suddenly this morni
er- it occurred to me that you were t
mt, man to advise me- so have hurried
nat you now, and ] place myself UNI
ord servedly in your hands. If there is a
;er- point which have not made clear, pr
:, question me about it. But, above 6
the tell me quickly what am to do,
this misery is more than T can bear
zee, Holmes and I had listened with t
vas utmost interest to this extraordins
APP statement, which had been delivered
the the jerky, broken fashion of man W
to is under the influence Of extreme en-
1 ton. My companion sat silent now
age some time, with his chin upon his hal
on lost in thought.
IRE, Tell me- said he at last, co,
n len you swear that this was man IS fs
lie which you saw at the window?'
Each time that [ saw it was SO
lsn- distance away from it., so that it is
mo possible for me to say
len g You appear. however, to have be