Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-23
CHAPTER XII.
The Express Letter.

Lie press LSIIc1.
Take your time" Dallas said, encourag-
ingly. Il don't want to hurry you. All
want facts
TT is beginning to come to me now the
clerk said thoughteully. Yes, 1 remember
it quite distinctly. You see, Madame Leona
Fare the gr at French actress, is staying
in the house, and she did not come in TILL
just o'clock. After 1 had given her her
key Mrs. Deahay came up and asked who
the lady was. She wanted her key, too,
which she told me missing from the
door of her room"
"Oh, indeed" Dallas said softly. She
had Just come In, 1 suppose? Had she
taken off her things?"
NE" the clerk said. she had just come
in from the street. 1 had to explain to her
how it was that the key had found Its way
back into the office again"
"She did not appear to be annoyed at
that2'
Not in the least. Indeed, she seemed
to be rather amused at her own careless
ness. No, l saw nothing suspicious in her
manner. l think that is all can tell YOU"
POSSIBLY" Dallas said. But there is
one other little matter in which you may
be of assistance. / suppose you can recol-
lect the night that Mr.. Delahay left the
anything of that kind? 1t would be quite
the usual thing to do. OF course 1t is a
small point"
There were no post letters" the clerk in
terrupted. But Just Mr.. Delahay was
going out messenger boy brought an ex-
press1letter for him, which he read hastily,
and then asked the hall porter to call him
a cab. No. l can't say that the message
disturbed him at all, but 1t seemed to hurry
him up a bit. Just as a telegram might
have done. That was the last l saw a.
him."
On the whole Inspector Dallas was not
disposed to be dissatisfied with his morn
ing's work. He had discovered some i'm
portant facts, and, at any rate. 1t had i'm
pressed the detective with the truth of John
Stevens evidence AS to the rest, 1t would
not be a difficult matter to find out the
name and number of the messenger boy
who had brought the unfortunate Delahay
that letter. There was nothing for 1t now
but to take a cab and go off in the direction
of the district office whence the messenger
boy had come AS Dallas walked briskly
down the steps of the hotel he met Lord
Ravenspur coming up.
Il am just going to see Mrs. Delahay,
the latter said. by the way. inspector,
that was remarkable evidence which the
witness Stevens volunteered this morning.
But, of course, he was mistaken. 1t Is
absolutely impossible that Mrs. Delahay
could have been with her husband at the
time he stated
We'll l am not so sure of that, my lord"
Dallas replied. Really, don't know what
to make of it. At any rate, l have dis
covered an absolute fact-that for two
hours between twelve and two, Mrs. Della
hay was not in the hotel. have 1T on the
Independent testimony of two witnesses
who corroborate one another down to the
minutest detail l don't know what to
make of it,
All the healthy color left Ravenspurs
face.
This is amazing he said Yet 1 can
not believe that Mrs DeIahay has been
deliberately deceiving US l will go up and
see what she has to say for herself. l sup
pose l am at liberty to tell her what you
have just said to me?"
II don't know why not Dallas said
after a thoughtful pause. You see, she
is bound to know sooner or later. And
hope you will make her the advisable
ity OF accounting for her movements. Moth
ing can be gained by trying to deceive us,
to say nothing Of the wrong impression
which Mrs. Delahay Is creating in the
minds of other people Really, If you come
to think of 1t, she is standing in an ex-
ceedingly perlous position, my lord.
Ravenspur was not destined to make any
impression upon the widow of his unfor-
tunate friend. for she refused to see him.
One of the servants came down with mes
sage to the effect that Mrs Delahay could
not see anybody Even letter hastily
scrubbed by Ravenspur failed to induce her
to change her mind. With something like
despair in his heart Ravenspur went off in
the direction of his own house For the
rest OF the afternoon he sat In the library,
prey to his own gloomy thoughts. Wis.,
itors came and went. but the same mes
sage was given to all of them-Lord Raven
spur was far from well. He could not see
anybody this afternoon. 1t was nearly 7
o'clock before Walter Lance came into the
library.
II am sorry to disturb you." he said,
but I have something serious to say to
you. / have been reading today's evidence
In the Delahay case. and I was SO inter-
ested In the matter that l went to Scotland
Yard and had chat with Inspector Dallas.
1t seems to me that Mrs. Delahay has
placed herself in a very compromising posi-
tion.'
What do you mean by that?" Ravenspur
demanded.
| Surely, my dear uncle, the thing Is plain
] enough. Whatever your opinion Of Mrs.