The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1906-09-28
BY A. CONAN DOYLE.

more freely. and you on your side Will
not, l am sure, think the worse of ms
because | desire, wen against his will
to share my husbands anXieties. Once
more | beg that you Will say nothing
of my visit
She looked back at us from the door,
ana / had q last impression of thai
beautiful haunted face, the startled
eyes, and the drawn mouth. Then she
was gone.
Nov. Watson. the fair sex is your
department" said Holmes. with n smile,
when the ~dwindling frou-frou of skirts
had ended in the slam Of the front
doo-. What was the fair lady's game
What die she really want?"
surely her OWE statement is clear
and her anxiety very natural"
hum: Think of her appearance,
excitement. her restlessness, her ten
acity in asking questions. Remember
that she coineS of Il caste who do not
lightly show emotion"
She was certainly much moved"
Remember also the curious earnest
ness With which she assured us that
it vas best for her husband thai she
should know all. What did she mean
by that? And you have observ-
ed. Watson. how she Unanswered to
have the light at her back. She did
not wish us to read her expression
Yes. she chose the one chair in the
room"
And yet the motives of women are
so inscrutable. You remember the
at Margate whom 1 suspected
for the Same reason. No powder on
her nose-that proved to be the cor
rect solution. How can you build on
such a quicksand? Their most trivial
action may mean volumes. or their
most extraordinary conduct may de-
,Aa,,J ,,~o, % ,;,,; 4
Good morning. Watson"
you are off?
Yes. ! will while away the morning
at Godolphin street with our friends
of the regular establishment. With
Eduardo Lucas lies the solution of
u problem, though l must admit that
I have not an inkling as to what form
1t may take. 1t is a capital mistake
to theorize in advance of the facts.
Do you stay on guard, my good Wat
son. and receive any fresh visitors. I'll
join you at lunch if 1 am able"
All that day and the next and the
next Holmes was in a mood which
his friends would call taciturn, and
others morose. He ran out and ran in,
smoked necessarily. played snatches on
his violin. sank into reveries. devour-
ed sandwiches at irregular hours. and
hardly answered the casual questions
which l put to him. 1t was evident
to me that things We're not going we'll
with him or his quest. He would say
nothing of the case. and it was from
the papers that l learned the particu-
lars of the inquest. and the arrest With
the subsequent release of John Milton,
the valet of the deceased. The cor
oner's jury brought in the obvious
"W1lful Murder" but the parties re-
NAMED as unknown as ever. No mo-
tive was suggested. The room was full
of ~fto1a 90 ~1,,@ L-& n 49,
taken. The dead mans papers had not
been tempered with. They We're care
fully examined. and showed that he
was a keen student of International
politics. an indefatigable gossip, a re-
markable linguist. and an untiring let
ter writer. He had been on intimate
terms with the leading politicians of
several countries. But nothing sensa-
tionaI was discovered among the docu-
men which filled his drawers. As to
his relations with women. they appear
ed to have been promiscuous but sup
e%rficial. He had many acquaintance
among them, but few friends. and no
one whom he loved. His habits were
regular, his conduct inoffensive. His
death was an absolute mystery, and
likely to remain so.
AS to the arrest of join Milton. the
valet, it was a council of despair as
an alternative to absolute inaction. But
no case could be sustained against him.
He a visited friends in Hammer
plete. 1t is true that he stated home
at an hour which should have
brought him to Westminster before
the time when the crime was dis
covered. but his own explanation that
he had walked part of the way
seemed probable enough in view of the
flneness of the night. He had actually
a yriNro1 nt 10 0'o1nn1Y o,,d ~ rod. Sc
be overwhelmed by the unexpected
tragedy. He had always been On good
terms with his master. Several of the
dead mans possessions-notably a
small case of razors-had been found
in the Wallets boxes, but he explained
that they a been presents from the
deceased. n the housekeepe: was able
to corroborate the story. Milton had
been in Lucas employment for three
years. 1t was noticeable that Lucas
did not take Milton on the continent
with him. Sometimes he visited Paris
for three months on end, but Milton
was left in charge of the Godolphin
she had heard nothing on the night of
the crime If her master had q WISH
tor he had himself admitted him.
So for three mornings the mystery
remained, so far as l could follow it
in he papers. If Holmes knew more.
ne kept MS own counsel but, as he told
me that Inspector Lestrade had taken
him into his confidence in the case. l
knew that he was in close touch with
every development. Upon the fourth
day there appeared n long telegram
from Paris which seemed to solve the
whole question.
"a discovery has just been made by
the Partisan police said the Daily
Telegraph. which raises the veil which
hung round the tragic fate of MI. Edu-
ardo Lucas. who met his ueatn ~ .Iu-
lence last Monday night at G%odolphin
street. Westminster. Our readers will
remember that the deceased gentleman
was found stabbed in his ROOM, and
that some suspicion attached to his
valet. but that the case broke down on
an alibi. Yesterday a lady, who has
been known as Nine. Herr Fournaye,
occupying a small villa in the Rue Aus
%terlitz, was reported to the authorities
by her servants as being insane. An
examination showed that she had ia
deed developed mania of a dangerous
and permanent form. On inquiry. the
police have discovered that Nine. Henri
Fournaye only returned from a journey
to London on Tuesday last, and there
is evidence to connect her with the
crime at Westminster. A comparison
of photographs has proved conclusive
1v thof M EJarrt INN,, onI Ill,