The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1909-05-20
CHAPTER V.

It was / o'clock in the morning at
10Oa, P~iccadiIly.
The great DR.. William Larus had
been summoned to attend the Ouch
ess, who was born by now in a pitia-
BILE state of terror and breakdown.
The doctor had insisted upon his pa
tient taking a strong opiate, and her
maids were with her in her own
room, waiting until the potion should
lures dear nurse" should come and
wash the troubled mind from all its
anxiety and fear.
The old duke of Perth had driven
away some time since, while Sir An
thony Heller had also departed, with
Inspector Downes from Scotland
Yard.
Two other detectives had arrived
and were to sit awake through the
night-one in the hall by the front
door, the other at the back of the
house-so that no one should enter
or depart without their knowledge.
Meanwhile the whole intricate web
which has its center in the great po-
lice building on the embankment was
being aaitated to its farthest ends,
and as the night went on the formida-
Bile armies Of the law were warned
and marshaled for the work that was
to he done.
Michael Grant had gone home to his
own fiat in Victoria street, promising
to return early in the morning.
Almost the last person to go up
stairs was Miss Decies. She remained
in the blue drawing room some time
after the departure of the duchess,
discussing the eventful night with
Remington, the butler, and the two
new detectives. The Old lady seemed
much shaken, and the usually hard,
stiff repression of her manner had
gone. With a ~forethought somewhat
unusual for her, she gave instructions
that the two Notwithstanding lOath
should be brought supper and re-
freshments of every kind. She thank
ed the house steward and the butler
for their work during the evening;
and when at length she finally went
upstairs to her room, both the upper
servants agreed that Miss Decies'
bark was worse than her bite" and
that she had presented herself this
evening in an entirely new and unex.
pected light.
The old lady closed the heavy,
carved mahogany doors of her sitting
room and stood still for a moment
without moving, and as if listening
intently. Then she pressed the catch
of a Bramah lock which effectually
secured the entrance to her domain.
1t seemed obvious that the events of
the evening had wearied her beyond
her strength, and that she did not de-
sire to be disturbed again. For, with
the most careful precision, she tried
the handles of the doors and made
absolutely certain that they were per
fectly secure.
There was a bolt at the bottom of
the two doors. and Miss Decies stoOp-
ed quickly, pressing it home as if to
make assurance doubly sure.
The bolt went into its socket quite
noiselessly, and the shaft, which
turned slightly in the movement,
caught the glitter of the electric light
and shone as if it had been newly
oiled.
On one side of the great room was
a long French mirror, in a frame of
gilded Corinthian columns and with
the ducal coronet surrounding it.
Miss Decies' next proceeding was to
walk up to the mirror and stand gaz.
ing earnestly at herself for over a min
ute. She bent her face forward and
scrutinized it, as is it were something
new and unfamiliar, turning it this
way and that as one might hold an
old Grecian mask to the light in an
endeavor to discover the secrets of
its subtle smile, the meaning of it's
moulding and contour.
Her face was still very pale, but It
wore its ordinary impressive express
sion of grim determination to be ade-
quate with the conditions of life, and
to show no softening or interest in
anything that might occur.
Her prolonged observation seemed
to satisfy her, for, suddenly in the
silence of the room, there came a lit
tie cackle of hard, mirthless laughter,
as she turned away and sat down in
an armchair. For five minutes she
remained quite still, her head lying
back upon the cushions, her eyes
closed.
Now and then the thin lips worked
a little, as II some great emotion or
nerve storm was taking place within
the brain. But, save for these slight
contortions, she rested m~otionless. At
the end Of five minutes Miss Decies
rose and went to a carved oak cup
board, which she opened with a small
key that was suspended round her
neck upon a thin chain of gold.
Opening the cupboard, she took from
it a bottle and a long, narrow, tinted
glass, the kind of glass In which hook