The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-09-18
5 A WOMAN'S { { .ENCHANTMENT} 3 ( By William Le Queux
 Copyright, 1909, by William Le QueuX
(Cont,nued.)
Copyright, 1909. by William Le Queux


 me. But the whole plot had. I after ward discovered, really been formed to get rid of Marie Lebas in the most secret and mysterious manner possible. Lydia came back from Hastings next day, pretending to be appalled, by what had happened, and suggested that she should remain unknown and unrecog- nized by entering the service of Ma dame Perrin as shirt and collar dresser. I had no idea that the wom- an was married. or that her husband. the ex-professor. was one of the clev- crest and most artistic criminals of modern times. discovered his exist ence only a fortnight ago by watch ing her movements. His name is Pilade Branchini. and he"
 ''We know!' cried Myra. "Mr. Ral- ston has already told us of him. He knew him in Vienna"
 Then. MT. Ralston.'' exclaimed Gar shore. you perhaps know that the ex- professor is an expert paleographer and we'll versed in the science of de ciphering ancient manuscripts and rec ords preserved in state archives and private imminent rooms?"
 "No," I responded. 'I did not know that. I have always believed that he was professor of natural philosophy at the University of Bucharest
 'So he was. But he was also pro- lessor of history there" Garshore Are- sponded. From exhaustive inquiries have since made. have. during the past fortnight, elicited several start ling and amazing facts. Greciano died with exactly the same symptoms as poor Marie Lebas. had believed mine to be a master mind where chicanery and fraud were concerned. but com pared with Pilade Branchini am. as yet, a tyro''
 1T hold certain incrin1inating, docu- ments which I found in your posses sion MT Garshore.' said. in hard determined voice; documents which show you yours elf to be a poisoner! 'Be patient" he urged. land will explain everything. Fearing treach- cry, the maid. Lebas. on the evening of her death posted letter to me which I had not received until the fol- lowing day. See! I have it herein her own handwriting" he added, ex- hibiting it. Read and you will see that she confesses to having in Vienna discovered Branchini in the act of making some mysterious distillation while her mistress was out. A week later she found upon his table some grayish powder in a small phial, and, taking it up. was about to smell it. whcreupon the man sprang forward in horror and blurted out that 1t was a compound that would be fatal if in- haled into the nostrils. Two days aft erward there occurred the mysterious death of Prince Pa1l, accomplished, without a doubt. by the secret but potent poison which Branchini had been able to manufacture from the formula contained in certain ancient documents. A few years before. as he admitted to Lydia, he had discovered these by accident in the course of his paleographical studies in an old book shop in a back street in Leghorn- parchments which at some time or an other had evidently been abstracted from the state archives at Venice. These had given into his unscrupulous hands an all-potent power-the secret of poison impossible of detection"
 
 possession" repeated.
 'I. know he answered. "That. too, I'll explain
 ,"But why was the life of Marie Lebas taken in that manner and sus- picion thrown upon my friend Cough? 2"
 '.Ah! the ingenuity of that Italian. Branchini, was little short of demonia- cal, andlin his wife he had an apt and clever acconplice. It appears that the unfortunate Marie had only a few months ago related in confidence to her mistress what she actually knew concerning Branchini's crime in Vien- ma, Lydia at once told her to charge MT. Cough with the murder, because there was already evidence of a heat ed quarrel. By this she saw that she might shield her husband. All went we'll Information was given to MT. | Winch. and the warrant issued for the arrest. but suddenly Marie and the | Italian quarreled--'
 .erhe Italian?'I interrupted. "was he short and stout. with a large flabby face?" I asked. recollecting this my sterious Italian I had seen meeting Lydia in Soho.
 "Yes, that describes Branchini, was Garshore's response. Well. the maid and the husband had a slight quarrel. and she threatened to leave madame's service. Then it was that Branchini, living in hiding in London, and the master mind behind all the actions of the clever Lydia. continued the plot | which had for it's motive the maids mysterious death and silenclng of her | lips forever. Branchini and his wife were in alliance. and the only person | they then feared was Marie-hence | was the fatal powder placed within the smelling bottle which her mistress knew her to be so very fond of using. By this they not only got rid of what they thought was the only person who | had knowledge that Branchini was so
 well versed in the science of toxico- logy. but also they placed still strong CT suspicious upon Granny Gough.'