The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-04-30
The Adventure
of the
Abbey Grange
By A. CONAN DOYLE.

ill-treating her, and she too proud to
complain. She will not even tell me all
that he has done to her She never
told me Of those marks on her arm
That you saw this morning, but know
very well that they come from a stab
with hatpin The sly deviI-God for
give me that 1 should speak of him
so, now that he is dead! But a devil
he was, If ever one walked the earth.
He was all honey when first we met
him-only eighteen months ago and
we both feel as if it were eighteen
years. She had only just arrived in
London. Yes, it was her first voyage
She had never been from home be-
fore. He won her with his title ana
his money and his false London ways.
If she made a mistake she was paid
for 1t, If ever a woman did. What
month did we meet him? Well, l tell
you 1t was just after we arrived We
arrived in June, and 1t was July They
were married in January of last year
Yes, she is down in the morning
room again, and I have no doubt she
will see you, but you must not ask
too much of her. for she has gone
through all that flesh and blood will
stand"
Lady Brackenstall was reclining on
the same couch, but looked brighter
than before. The maid had entered
with us. and began once more to TO-
ment the bruise upon her mistress
brow.
IT hope" said the lady, that you
! have not come to cross-examine me
AGAIN."
NO" Holmes answered, in his gem
tlest voice. II will not cause you any
unnecessary trouble, Lady Bracken-
stall, and my whole desire is to make
things easy for you. for I am con-
WINGED that you are much-tried woman.
II you will treat me as a friend and
trust me, you may find that I will
justify your trust"
what do you want me to do?''
ITO tell me the truth"
MIR. Holmesr'
mo, no, Lady Brackenstall-it is
no use. You may have heard of any
little reputation which I posses
will stake 1t all on the fact that your
story is an absolute fabrication"
Mistress and maid were both staring
at Holmes with pale faces and fright
ened eyes.
"You are an impudent fellowr" cried
Theresa. "Do you mean to say that
my mistress has told a lie?"
Holmes rose from his chair
Have you nothing to tell me?'
81 have told you everything"
Think once more, Lady Bracken-
stall Would it not be better to be
frank?"
For an instant there was hesitation
in her beautiful face. Then some nev:
strong thought caused 1t to set like
a mask
81 have told you all know"
Holmes took his hat and shrugged
his shoulders. II am sorry" he said,
and without another word we left the
room and the house. There was a pond
in the park. and to this my friend led
the way It was frozen over. but a
single hole was left for the convent
ence of a solitary swan. Holmes gazed
at it, and then passed on to the lodge
gate. There he scrubbed a short note
for Stanley Hopkins, ami left it with
the lodge-keeper
ut may be a hit or it may be a
miss. but we are bound to do some
thing for friend Hopkins, just to JUS
tify this second visit" said he IT
will not quite take him into my conf
dence yet. i think our next scene
of operations must be the shipping Of
flee of the Adelade-S Southampton line,
which stands at the end of Pail Mall,
IL l remember right. There is a sec
ond line of steamers which connect
South Australia with England but
we will draw the larger cover first
Holmes card sent in to the manager
in acquiring all the information he
needed. In June of %, only one Of
their line had reached a home port.
1t was the Rock of Gibraltar their
largest and best boat. reference to
the passenger list showed that Miss
Fraser, of Adelaide, with her maid
had made the voyage in her. The
boat was now on her way to Australia
somewhere in the south of the Suez
DC
in '95, with one exception. The first
officer Mr.. Jack Croker, had been
made a captain, and was to take
charge of their new ship, the Bass
Rock sailing in two days time from
Southampton. He lived at Sydenham.
but he was likely to be in that morn
ing for instructions. IL we cared to
wait for him.
No; Mr.. Holmes had no desire to see
him, but would be glad to know more
about his record and character.
His record was magnificent. There
was not an officer in the fleet to touch
him. AS to his character, nS was
liable on duty, but wild, desperate
fellow off the deck Of his ship-hot-
headed excitable, but loyal, honest.
and kind-hearted. That was the pth
of the information with which Holmes
left the office of the Adelaide-S South
ampton company. Thence he drove
to Scotland Yard, but. instead of en-
tering. he sat in his cab with his
brows drawn down, lost in profound
thought. Finally he drove round to
the Charing Cross telegraph office,
sent off a message, and then, at last,
we made for Baker street once more.
NO. / couldn't do it, watson said
he, as we re-entered our room. "Once
that warrant was made out, nothing
on earth would save lin. Once or
twice in my career 1 feel that 1 have
done more real harm by the discovery
of the criminal than ever he had done
by his crime. l have learned caution
now and l had rather play tricks with
the law of England than with my own
conscience. Let us know little more
before we act"
Before evening we had visit from
Inspector Stanley Hopkins. Things
were not going very well with him.
Il believe that you are wizard.
Mr. Holmes. l really do sometimes
think that you have powers that are
not human. Now, how on earth could
you know that the stolen silver was
at the bottom of that pond?"
81 didn't know it."
"But Won told me to examine it,
you got 1t. them
Yes. 1 got it."
81 am very glad il I have helped
YOU
But you haven't helped me. You
have made the affair far more diff
cult. What sort of burglar; are they
who steal silver and then throw 1t
into the nearest pond?"
at was certainly rather eccentric