Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-28
CHAPTER XVI.
Strong Measures.

And I. sir am equally positive the
| Italian detective replied. Il think my
| friend. Inspector Dallas, told you just now
| that l had the Fiavio case in hand from
| the first. Indeed, L have had many con
versations with the countess. SO positive
am / that 1 am right that I will be pre-
pared to make affidavit of the facts.
This is very strange. Lance murmured-
Il cannot but believe that you have been
deceived by a strong likeness between two
different women l know all about Mrs.
Delahay. She comes from very good
Italian family. though | believe they were
poor: they were exceedingly proud ana eN-
elusive, and until the death of her parents
Mrs. Delahay lived life of almost mon
astic seclusion."
perhaps you wouldn't mind telling me
| her name?" Berti asked. 1T might Ia
cilitate matters
Certainly" Walter Lance replied Be
fore she married Mrs. De!ahay was
Sgnora Descartt
4 peculiar smile fitted over his face.
THAT is assuredly a point in my favor,
he said seeing that Countess Flavio also
was Signora DeScarti."
Lance began to feel less sure of his
ground 1t appeared to him that the mys-
terry was deeper than he had anticipated,
and the more he came to investigate, the
more bewidering the puzzle was. certain
ly he had known Mara Delahay for the
last three years on and off, but when ne
came to think over matters 1t struck MN
for the first time with peculiar force that,
really, he knew little or nothing OF Nara
DelahayS antecedents. He well recoilected
the time when Louis Delahay announced
his approaching marriage. He recalled that
evening perfectly. Delahay had been a
self-contained sort of man, and one OF the
last persons in the world to associate win
matrimony, but he seemed to have found
his fate at length. and had quite come out
of his shell, discussing his future vile with
Lance.
And what was It that he had told him
after all? In the first instance, S!gnora
Descarti was no longer in the bloom OF her
youth. In the second place, she was shy
and retiring. possibly because, up to Ger
tain time, she had lived such secluded
life. Despite the fact that she was OF eX-
cellent family, she was earning precarl-
Gus living with her brush, ana Deiahay
had limited that there had been romance
in her early days which had colored her
life Really beyond this. Walter Lance
had no knowledge of this unhappy woman s
past. and he did not forget that the flaVlo
affair was nearly twenty years old Except
by the police, the thing was absolutely Tor
gotten 1t was almost impossible that any
body besides these authorities would recog-
nze Carlotta, Countess FfaVlo, at THIS mo-
ment.
1t came upon Lance with quite a shock
that his unfortunate friend. after all, might
have married woman who mad Deen trleo
five times on the capital charge. Eighteen
years IS long span in human me- ana
many changes can happen in that time.
Lance put aside the uneasy thoughts that
rose to his mind and turned to Bertl again:
That Is distinctly point in your favor,
he said ~ confess that the fact that both
ladies possessed the same maiden name
comes as q shock to me. And yet, even
| now, I can't altogether abandon the loea
| that this is nothing more than colnci-
| dence. But, tell me, what opinion did you
| form of Countess Fiavto's character"
The Italian smiled and shrugged his
shoulders.
Enigma" he said. 1.-The woman seemed
to be without feeling altogether. from the
time that l arrested her until her maj ac-
quttal 1 never knew her display any feel
ing at ALL Even when l had to announce
to her that she was at liberty. she gave no
sign of pleasure or relief. She was like
creature who had been deprived OF all the
emotions, like some people you see who
are deeply addicted to the drug habit. l
have seen her eXecrated by mob OF eX-
cited people, and taking no more notice OF
them than If she were deaf. Yes she was
q most extraordinary woman.
"Did you believe her guty?" Lance
asked.
"Ah. there you puzzle me-" Berti replied.
Upon my word. don't know opinion
was so equally divided: In each case the
Jury was balanced for and against. Some
times l thought the woman was guilty,
and sometimes l thought she was innocent
OF course it was that extraordinary alibl
which saved her life. There was no getting
away from 1t, for the testimony In the
womans favor was given by people VINO
were total strangers to her. On the other
ward one after the other, and gave their
mistress a very bad name indeed. On their
testimony she would have been executed,
without a doubt. II only hair they sad
was true the Countess Flavio was fiend.'
Did no servant testify in her favor?'
Lance asked.
.Well one And he was a manservant
who had accompanied the countess from
her own home. According to his account
his mistress was perfect angel, and the
count was no more nor less than DISGRACE
to humanity. This testimony passed for
very little seeing that Count F'avio's
neighbors and tenants came forward and
spoke of him a man of singular charm
and virtue
II have heard that" Lance said. thought
fully you see, Lord Ravenspur, my
uncle was a great friend of the count.
understand that he never met the countess,
though he had an interview with the count
not long before his death. Accofd.ng 10
what Lord Ravenspur says. at that time
the count walked in fear of his life. he
was very fearful lest his wife should try
to destroy him. And now you tell me that
the Countess Flavio was no less than the
wife OF my friend Delahay. l don't know
what to think about 1t. l presume that In
spector Dallas will take steps to assure
himself that Mrs. Delahay Is the woman
you take her to be- .
well, yes" Dallas said grmly; Il don't
see how the matter can rest here. we
know perfectly well that Mrs. Deiahay
was away from her hotel Tor upward OF
death 1t has been proved that she was
seen in his company. And yet, at the nrst
outset, she declares that she has not been
outside her bedroom. One doesn't like to
come to conclusions; they are fatal things
to form in our profession. But 1t seems to
me pretty obvious that there Is one person
who could clear up this mystery, and she
happens to be the dead mans WIFE,
Lance had nothing to say in objection to
this Still, at the same time, there was
haunting doubt in the back of his mind
that circumstances were shaping them
selves against Maria Delahay apart from
any faults of her own.
You haven't enough to justify an i'm
mediate arrest. suppose?" he asked. You
see what l mean?'
"Oh, see perfectly well what you mean.
SIR" Inspector Dallas replied. There is
nothing to gain by such course. 1t Is i'm
possible for the woman to get away. In
deed we should take immediate steps to
prevent her leaving the country. If she Is
the guilty party she will be much more use
to us as free woman than she would be
as suspected criminal under lock and key.
But. unless I am mistaken, Mr.. Lance, you
came here to tell me something"
Il had clean forgotten all about it,
Lance exclaimed. But it IS getting late
r uIn p