The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1907-08-15

7 casions when she had arrived at 9 In
the evening she had found that he
did not require his dress clothes put
out, and had asked her to bring him a
few sandwiches or some light food OF
that description, as he intended &c
work alone far into the night.
These slight divergences from his
ordinary habits were, every enc
agreed, significant of something. But
what that something was nobody
knew, and the wild suggestions made
on all sides seemed to provide no real
solution.
The last occasion upon which Mr..
Rathbone had been cen by any one
able to report the occurrence was in
the early morning at breakfast. Mrs.
Baker, the bedmaker, had cooked the
breakfast Is usual, and had asked her
master IL he would excuse her at
tendance In the evening, as she had
a couple of orders for the Adelphi, in
return for displaying the bills of the
theater In a little shop she kept with
her daughter in a street off Holborn,
and wished to see the play.
MY master seemed in his usual
spirits" the good woman had said in
an interview with a member of the
staff of the Westminster Gazette.
He gave me permission at once to go
to the theater, and said that he him.
self would be out that evening. There
was nc trace of anything unusual in
his manner. When l arrived In the
morning and opened the door Of the
chambers with my pass key, / vent
into the study and the sitting room as
usual, lit two fires, turned on the bath,
made a cup of tea and took it to Mr..
Rathbone's bedroom. There was no
answer to my knock, and when I
| opened the door and went in, think
ing he was oversleeping himself, l
found the bed had not been slept in.
This was very unusual in a gentleman
of Mr.. Rathbone's regular habits. 1t
would not have attracted my notice
in the case Of some gentlemen I have
been in the habit Of doing for, who
were accustomed to stay out without
any intimation of the fact. But !
think 1t strange In the case Of MI.
Gerald, always a very steady gentle.
l waited until nearly l o'clock,
but he did not return. l then went
home and did not go to the chambers
again till 6 o'clock, when l found
things in the same state as before,
the fires burnt out, and no trace OF
anybody having entered. AS l left the
inn l asked the porter IL he had seen
Mr.. Rathbone, and he replied that he
had not returned. The same thing
happened for the next two days, when
the porter communicated with the au-
thorities of the inn and an inspector
of police was called in"
The interview disclosed few more
facts of Importance, save only one.
This vas that Mr.. Rathbone had
dressed for dinner on the night of his
disappearance. His evening clothes
were not in the wardrobe, and the
morning suit he had been wearing It
breakfast was neatly folded and
placed upon a chest of drawers ready
for Mrs. Baker to brush it.
This seemed to show Individually
that the barrister had no thought of
being absent from home that night.
There the matter had rested at first.
Meanwhile, as no new discovery was
made and not the slightest ray of
light seemed forthcoming, the public
interest was worked up to fever heat.
Rathbone had few relations, though
many friends. His only surviving rel
alive appeared to be his uncle, a
brother of his mother, who was the
dean Of Bexeter. The clergyman was
interviewed, and stated that he gener-
ally received a letter from his nephew
every three weeks or so, but nothing
in the most recent letter had been un.
usual, and he was as much in the
dark as any ordinary member of the
public.
This much vas known to the man
In the street. But in society, while
the comment and amazement were no
less In intensity, much more was
known than the outside world suspect
| ed.
Ito Be continued.)