The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-09-17
A WOMAN'S
 ENCHANTMENT'
By William Le Queux
Copyright, 1909, by William Le Queux
(Conttpued.1 CHAPTER xxxIV.  Concludes a Life Story.

COnctuQeS a 1AlI0 SLOTys
 sr must apologize to the ladies" |" Garshore said lowing with studied politeness as he closed the door be- hind him. My train was late. Well II see by your faces that you are discussing the situation-trying. no Soubt, to solve the mystery-eh? I p,ey as well tell you at once that l ina have been entirely misled. and though my hands in this affair are not altogether spotless. yet I am-you win admit when you know the truth no worse than others"
 The mans calm confidence amazed us.
 q admit" the fellow went on. "that am not what I pretend to be. Miss Maynard, to whom I now offer my profoundest apologies and regrets, will tell you the truth later. In this mat ter, however. have been the victim of a most remarkable and ingenious conspiracy. have only escaped death by an ace!"
 Your I gasped. incredulously. But you are Coughs worst enemy!
 Hear me, and I'll tell you what occurred, and how I was induced to act as have done" he urged. quick ly looking from Myra's pale face to that of the girl who had once placed her faith in him. ''what I'm about to tell you is a remarkable story; but T. will afterward furnish proof of it. of every word of it.' Then turning to Granny. he said: From you. MT. Cough. I have to crave forgiveness, for. on your arrival in London from Bucharest. T was induced to join in dastardly plot. At the time was in entire ignorance of what was intend ed. .'s
 Granny nodded, but uttered no word. We were all breathless in attention.
 I regarded his words as lies. for had I not in my possession those crink1ed parchments which plainly showed him to be an expert poisoner? Had I not smelt the manufacture of that fatal compound within his house?
 sI admit MT. Cough, that I feared you then-as. indeed. I fear you now" the man known as Garshore went on.
 .sThey-Lydia and her mafd-told me in thehfirst vplace that tsyou knew the actual truth1of my real name and
 
 Jealous of her. you had ouarreled with and killed young Prince Greciano in Vienna. There were persons who had overheard your quarrel. Lydia wished to get rid of you and asked me to assist her. for by so doing we should close your mouth. Well. the con- Epiracy was arranged entirely by Lydia, who: caused the furnished house to be taken by her maid Marie, and who suggested most of the details of the cunning and elaborate plot. the real motive of which, confess. I nev- CT dreamed. The arrangement was that you were to be entrapped in that house. and arrested under the warrant already out for you as the assassin of the young prince in Vienna. It was he- revenge, she declared, and she bade me leave all the arrangements entirely in her hands. had of course no idea that the secret prime-rnover of it all was her husband. Branchini.''
 Then he paused for a moment and glanced round, before he continued
 She already knew of my acquaint- ance with Miss Maynard wonder. and of her friendship with Myra Suspicion, MT. Coughs flancee. whereupon she made the cruel suggestion-which at the time appealed to me- I admft-that Miss Elfrida should be induced to go there in secret on the night in ques- tion and witness the arrest of Myra's prospective husband"
 Then that is why I received the urgent telegram purporting to be from MT. Cough and stating that he had an important message for me to convey to Myra."
 T sent that wire. Miss Maynard" :" Garshore said in humble tone. At that time. T. never dreamed how cIev- erly I myself was being deceived, or of the dastardly motives of the pair. dared not denounce them for fear of what they might allege against my self.''
 @We11,e calculated, "tefl us exact ly what occurred at Radcliffe Gar dens. Explain why Marie Lebas was dressed in one of her mistress gowns ;,
 She did so at her mistress instiga- tion-as part of the plot,'' Garshore responded. Marie, she told me, was an actual witness of the crime in Vienna, and would identify your friend Cough to the police on their arrival at a house she had already prearrang- ed. She. Lydia, did not wish to ap- pear connected with the affair in any way. so that evening. after we drove away from the Cecil. she went down to Hastings and stayed at the Queens while I took train to Ipswich. where l put up at the Great White Horse. All this was to avoid any charge of col fusion later"
 .sBut what did actually cccur?" ] asked.
 Shall relate what I heard and sawa" asked Elfrida, quickly. talk Ing a step forward.
 "Yes. do,'' cried Myra. "Why did you not already tell me?"
 Because Fl feared MT. Garshore,' she explained. "Once. not so very long ago. he compelled me to cash q ]. cheque for e230 at a bank in the Ux- bridge road-a checue which I sus- pected was forged. saw the hue and cry about it in the papers, and he <,oreao fo ypa and dac1ared that if hf