Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-10
CHAPTER XXXIV.
Concludes a Life Story.

situation-trying. no doubt TO solve the
mystery-eh? | may as we'll tell sou
at once that find | have been entirely
misled. and though my hands in this
affair are not altogether spntless. Yet
| i am-you Will admit when you know
| the truth-no worse than others.
The mans calm confidence amazed US
! Il admit the fellow went or. that 1
am not what ! pretend to he. Mass
Maynard, to whom l now offer my pro-
| foundest apologies and regrets will tell
YOU the truth later. In this matter,
/ however, l have been the victim OF a
most remarkable and ingenious con
| spiracy. l have only escaped death ny
an ace.
You l gasped. incredulously. But
/ you are Coughs worst enemy.
! Hear me. and I'll tell you what oC-
Cured and how j was induced to act
as have DONE. he urged, quickly look
| ing from Myra's pale face to that of the
girl who had once placed her faith n
| him. What I'm about to tell you is q
remarkable story: but | will afterwar.i
| furnish proof of it--of every word of
! it." Then turning to Granny, he said:
| From you, Mr.. Cough. j have to crave
forgiveness. for. on your arrival in Lon
| don from Bucharest, l was induced 20
! join in dastardly plot At the time
was in entire ignorance of what was
| Intended"
| Granny nodded. but uttered no word.
| We were all hreatfaless in attention.
l regarded his words as lies. for nad
| ] not in my possession those crinkicd
parclments which plainly showed him
to be an expert poisoner? Had I not
smelt the manufacture of that fatal
| compound within his house?
| Il admit, Mr.. Cough. that | feared
you then--as, indeed. ] fear Won now.
| the man known as Garshore went on.
| 'They-Lydia and her maid-told me
! in the first place that you knew tie
/ actual truth--of my real name and my
| past. Lydia declared that. being jealous
OF her, YOU had quarreled with and kill
ed young Prince Greciano in Vienna
/ There We're persons who had overheard
j your quarrel. Lydia wished TO get rid
nf you and asked me tn assist her. for
/ by so doing we should close your mouta
! Well the conspiracy was arranged en-
! tirely by Lydia, who caused the
| furnished house to be taken by
most of the details of the
cunning and elaborate plot, the real mo-
tive of which, / confess. never dreamed
The arrangement was that you were to
be entrapped in that house, and arrested
under the warrant already ont for you
as the assassin of the young prince in
Vienna. 1t was her revenge, she de-
clared. and she bade mo leave all the ar
rangements entirely i'm her hands. | had.
of course no idea that the secret prime
mover of it all was her husband, Bran
chini."
Then he paused for moment and
glanced round, before he continued
She already knew of my acquaintance
with Miss Maynard yonder, and of her
friendship with Myra S;apleton. Mr..
Coughs fiancee. whereupon she made the
cruel suggestion--whch at the time APP
pealed 10 me, / admt-that Miss Elfrida
should be induced to go there in secret on
the night in question and witness the ar
rest of Myra'S prospective husband.
Then that is why 1 received the urgent
Telegram purporting to be from Mr.. Cough
and stating that he had an important
message for me to convey to Myra."
| 81 sent that wire, Miss Maynard. Car
shore said in a humble tone. AT that
time. ! never dreamed how cleverly l my
self was being deceived, or of the das-
| tardly motives of the pair. | dared not
denounce them for fear of what they
might allege against myself.
Well" / calculated. tell us exactly
what occurred at Radcliffe Gardens. Ex-
plain why Marie Lebas was dressed in one
of her mistress gowns.
She did so at her mistress instigation
as part of the plot" Garshore respond
ed. Marie, she told me, was an actual
witness Of the crime in Vienna and
police on their arrival at house she had
already prearanged. She, Lydia, did not
wish to appear connected with the affair
| in any way, so that evening, after we
down to Hastings and stayed at the
| Queens. while | took train TO Ipswich
where l put up at the Great White Horse
All this was to avoid any charge of col
fusion later.
| But what did actually occur?" I asked
Shall relate what heard and saw?''
asked Elfrida, quickly. taking step for
ward.
Yes. do cried Myra- Why did you
not already tell me?''
| Because IL feared Mr.. Garshore."
! she explained. 'Once, not SO very long
| ago, he compelled me to cash a cheuue
| for f23O at bank in the Uxbridge road
"a cheque which I suspected was forged
I saw the hue and cry about 1t in the
papers. and he came to me and declared
that If he were arrested he would de-
| nounce me his accomplice. / was an
| accessory TO the forgery
You blackguard. I cried. my fists
clenched my eyes flashing in anger.
| Il admit it. Mr.. Ralston-1 entirely adj
NIT it he said cody. But when
| you have heard ALL YOU will.
I trust find some extenuating circIm
| stances, and declare that things are not
quite so black against me as they now
| appear
/ recollected those yellow, half-faded
parchments, and turned from him in dis
gust. His humility, in face of his appar-
ent guilt. outraged our intelligence.
Listen! exclaimed the girl, whose
wonderful eyes held me beneath her spell.
VIII captain IdppcItu 10 HE tnaI
night | left my mother in the Hotel
Metropole at 1890. and instead of going
to bed | took cab to Radcliffe Gardens
expecting TO meet Mr.. Cough. The door
was opened by woman. whom / nat
urally supposed to be MademoiseIle Pope
sou. for the telegram had given her name
She apologized for her servants having
gone to bed, and invited me into the
drawing-roonl. telling me that Mr.. Cough
would arrive presently Scarcely had I
seated myself when there was a ring AT
the door. and she went to it. | heard
Mr.. Cough express sudden surprise at her
dress, then l overheard her exclaim
'Sh-sh. warn:ngly. and this set me
thinking. On entering the drawing room,
the lady manner suddenly changed for
stlll standing. she charged him openly with
having killed young Prince Greciano in
vienna. adding that two police officers
were outside, and thai she was about to
Identify him the murderer. We were
| both struck dumb Mr.. Cough, who had
come there in response to telegram
signed with my name, protested his inno-
cence but family. as though he was we'll
aware that circumstantial evidence was
against him. A long and very heated ar
gument ensued At last Marie said: You
do not leave this house free man. You
were jealous OF my mistress and you kill
ed NJ sieur Paulr
Mr.. Garshore was not present." asked
, Myra.
No: | never saw him. was Elfrida's
quick response. There was a struggle
Mr.. Cough hurting an ornament across
the room in his endeavor to escape. The
woman. who had locked the doors, sent