The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1909-07-09
CHAPTER TX.

Daisy.
The train swung away out of hid
eous Liverpool Street station, which,
even in the yellow radiance Of a sum-
mer midday, seemed an excellent mod
ern substitute for one of Dore's illus
trations to the Inferno"
Capt Basil Marriott was already
seated in the luncheon car of the fast
train which was running down to Es-
sex. It was the day after that Of the
terrible discovery of the Baroness Won
Ravenstein's body, which Basil had
made with Michael Grant, in the lat
ter's fiat.
What had happened was this, briefly
summarized.
The body had been taken to the
Westminster mortuary. An hour or
two after dinner both the young men
had arrived once more at 1OOA, Picca-
dilly, and there had been a long and
intimate conversation with the duch-
ess. The poor girl, both Of them had
found, was bearing up wonderfully
well. Messages Of sympathy and Of
fers of help had poured in upon her
from all quarters, for by then it was
hardly too much to say the whole CIV
ilized world knew of what had occur
red.
She told the young men of this uni
versal sympathy, and that she had
been especially touched by the fact
that. just before dinner time, a little
black, single-horse brougham had
dashed up to the house, and tall and
gracious lady had entered the strick-
en- home, remained there some fifteen
minutes, and then driven away. Even
the journalists had not yet got hold of
this fact, though hour by hour special
editions-full of the most astonishing
misstatements and the widest con-
jectures-were being hawked about
the streets of the town.
The duchess had told her two hench-
men exactly how the matter stood at
present The detective agencies of
Scotland Yard and the continent were
employed to their fullest power, but,
from the very nature Of the case, the
duchess had felt herself quite unable
to place in the hands Of these people
the whole story of what she feared,
which must necessarily involve the
opening Of old wounds and the recital
Of the mysterious history of the past,
when the late duke was alive.
Strangely enough. the suicide Of her
aunt had not added very much to the
burden Of misery and terror under
which the duchess suffered. The moth
er in her was awake and fierce. All
her affection for the grim and singu-
lar old woman who was dead was
turned to the fiercest hate and resent
ment.
Nevertheless. from the fact Of the
suicide. the duchess drew certain
consolation. What she had said, In
effect, to Grant and Marriott was that
she believed Miss Decies. or-to give
her her right name-the Baroness Won
Ravenstein. had successfully accom-
plished her conspiracy Of getting the
little duke out of the house. and then
was not concerned with 1t any more.
Terrified at the magnitude Of the
evil which she had wrought, torn both
ways by conflicting impulses. she had
found the struggle too great for her,
and-old. scared, never too much In
love with life-she had quietly made
an exit from It which was not lacking
In the elements of sardonic dignity.
The duchess had made many things
plain to her knights, and they had left
Piccadilly primed with all the informar
tion that It was possible to obtain.
One thing only remained. To see Miss
Hobson. who had so lately been re-
moved from the position Of under
nurse, for. In view Of her appearance
at Michael Grants nat and what she
had stated there, It might we'll be that
she held some clue.
It was Tor this reason t00t Basil
Marriott was travelling down to Essex
I'm order to interview the girl In the
seclusion OF her fathers rectory.
Grant had offered to undertake this
ONCE, but the captain had been mark
edly anxious to do 50 himself. and had
carried his point. It had been ar
ranged for q conference between the
duchess, Grant, Marriott and Sir An.
thony HELLER that the two young men
should pursue their own investigations
absolutely apart from those undertak'
en- by the onlcials. They would have
free hand. and unlimited command
OF money to do exactly what seemed
best to them IN the matter.
n short. they we're embarked upon
q romantic and dangerous . quest ~
might we'll exist IN all the tangled life
and by-ways Of our modern civilisa'
tion.
SO Basil was going 70 interview
naia~ rYn1Nnnm IA vv0uld hn hack II