The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-03-04

that, Immediately on her return, she
had gone to the room in which she was
least likely to see her husband, had
to tea as an agitated woman will,
and finally, on his coming in to her,
had broken into violent denominations
Therefore something had occurred be-
tween seven-thirty and nine o'clock
which had completely altered her feel-
ings towards him. But Miss Morrisons
had been with her during the whole
of that hour and a half. 1t was abso-
lutely certain, therefore, in spite of
her denial. that she must know some-s
thing of the matter.
My first conjecture was, that possi-
bly, there had been some passages be-
tween this young lady and the old SOL
der. which the former had now con-
fessed to the wife. That would ac-
count for the angry return. and also
for the girls denial that anything had
occurred. Nor would it be entirely
incompatible with most of the words
overheard. But there was the refer
ence to David, and there was the
known affection of the colonel for his
wife. to weigh against it, to say noth-
ing of the tragic intrusion of this othera
man. which might, of course, be entire
ly disconnected with what had gone be-
fore. 1t was not easy to pick ones
steps, but, on the whole, l was inclined
to dismiss the idea that there had
been anything between the colonel and
Miss Morrison, but more than ever
convinced that the young lady held
the clue as to what it was which had
turned Mrs. Barclay to hatred of her
husband. I took the obvious course,
therefore, of calling upon Miss NJ, Of
explaining to her that 1 was perfectly
certain that she held the facts in her
possession, and of assuring her that
her friend, Mrs. Barclay, might find
herself in the dock upon a capital
charge unless the matter was cleared
up.
Miss Morrison is a little ethereal
slip of a girl, with timid eyes and blond
hair, but 1 found her by no means
wanting in s~hrewdness and common-
sense. She sat thinking for some time
after l had spoken, and then, turning
to me with a brisk air of resolution,
she broke into a remarkable statement
which 1 will condense for your benefit.
II promised my friend that / would
say nothing of the matter, and a prom
Use is a promise said she; but if I can
really help her when SO serious q
charge is laid against her, and when
her own mouth, poor darling, is closed
by illness, then I think / am absolved
from my promise. 1 will tell you ex-
actly VIVA happened Upon Monday
evening. ~
1--WE were returning from the. Watt
Street Mission about a quarter to Q
O'Clock. On our way we had to pass
through Hudson street, which is a very
quiet thoroughfare. There is only one
lamp in it, upon the left-hand side.
and as we approached this lamp | saw
a man coming towards us with his
back very bent, and something like q
box slung over one of his shoulders.
He appeared to be deformed, for he
carried his head low and walked with
his knees bent. We were passing him
when he raised his face to look at us
in the circle of light thrown by the
lamp, and as he did so he stopped and
screamed out in a dreadful voice, MY
God. it's Nancyr' Mrs. Barclay turned
as white as death. and would have
fallen down had the dreadful-looking
creature not caught hold of her. I
was going to call for the police, but she,
to my surprise, spoke quite ciyily to
the fellow.
~ thought you had been dead this
thirty years, Henry" said she, in "a
shaking voice.
ESQ l have said he. and it was
awful to hear the tones hat he said ID
in. He had a very dark. fearsome
face. and a CLEAN in his eyes thar
comes back to me in my dreams. His
hair and whiskers We're shot with graz
and his face was al crinkled and puck
cred like a withered apple. ~
Just walk on a little way, dear,'
said Mrs. Barclay; Il want to have a
word with this man. There is nothing
to be afraid of" She tried to speak
boldly, but she was still deadly pale
and could hardly get her words out for
the trembling of her lips.
II did as she asked me, and they
talked together for a few minutes. Theh
she anne down the street with her eyes
blazing. and / saw the crippled wretch
standing by the lamppost and shaking
his clenched fists in the air as If he
We're mad with rage. She never said a
word until we were at the door here.
when she took me by the hand and
begged me to tell no one what had
happened.
"''It's an old acquaintance Of mine
who has como down in the world, said
she. When | promised her | would
say nothing she kissed me, and have
never seen her since. I nave told you
now the whole truth, and if / withheld
IL from the police 1t is because / did
not realize then the danger in which
my dear friend stood. I know that it
can only be to her advantage that
everything should be known
There was her statement, Watson,
and to me, as you can imagine. it was
like a light on a dark night. Everything
which had been disconnected before be-
gan at once to assume its true place.
and 1 had a shadowy presentiment OF
the whole sequence of events. My next
step obviously was to find the man who
had produced such q remarkable inn
preston upon Mvs. Barclay. If he were
still in Aldcrshot it should not be a
very difficult matter. There are not
such a very great number of civilians,
and a deformed man was sure to have
attracted attention. l spent a day in
the search, and by evening-this very
evening, Watson-I had run him down.
The mans name is Henry Wood, and
he lives in lodgings in this same street
in which the ladies met him.. He has
only been five days in the place. In
a 100