The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1910-09-11

three went out together, leaving me in
a wretched state of anxiety and doubt
1t seemed to me that none of them
at all understood the situation, and
1T was SO wonderfully clear in my
own mind, so enormous and astound-
ing in its menace, that I was woefully
puzzled to see how they could have
missed 1T. But l was to learn no more
until the following day, when, lying in
bed, stiff and sore, with every muscle
in my arms and shoulders aching.
father came in with that unwontedly
grave and puzzled face that the poor
dear had worn so often since the be-
ginning of the whole miserable exper-
fence.
The detective and police had been to
the Spanish Woman's house. he said, and
had interviewed her. She had told them
quite frankly that she had indeed sent
for me to come to her, and had implored
me not to give the evidence which I
was expected to give; because she said
she fully believed it to be false-that
the pistol I had thought / had seen in
Johnny Montgomery hand must have
been a fancy of mine, and that she
could not bear to have such damagin e
testimony given so recklessly. She had
thought, so she said that being a
woman she might perhaps know better
how to elicit the real facts OF the case
lice officers and even my father-night
very we'll have frightened away my
memory by their manner of going about
it. But when had been so obstinate,
she said, she had lost her head and be-
came angry. and that had frightened
me. She said she had tried in every
way to reassure me- but that had re-
sisted all her offers of hospitality, and
finally, becoming hysterical, had struck
a glass of wine which she had offered
me, out of her hand. and rushed out of
the room, before she could stop me or
even discover why / had so suddenly
fed.
Mr.. Dingley. father went on. had ex-
planned that he had been waiting for
stairs, but at the moment when / had
come he had not been in the sala.
I could only stare at father. These
didn't seem to be at all the same ex-
periences which had been through so
short time before, and yet. when /
considered, / couldn't contradict a
thing. The incidents were there, but
somehow they all sounded perfectly
harmless. I felt bewildered. Beside
these mild looking facts my actions
seemed those of a madwoman.
Furthermore, father went on, Mr..
Dingley had said that when he went
through the sala afterward, searching
and locked fast and the police had de-
clared there was no hole in the convent
wall, and that the wall itself would
have been difficult drop even for a
man.
/ bounced upon this, as tangible fact
Then some one in the house must have
closed and locked the window again
and there was. hole in the wall, or how
could I have gone through It? The
drop was very bad indeed, for my hat
was crushed out of shape"
Poor father looked very much puz-
zled. But about the wine-I don't
understand. Why did you do that?"
The answer was ready at my amazed
lips, but I stopped 1t, for now at last
/ began to see. began to see how.
without that peculiar intent look with
which the Spanish Woman had handed
me the wine glass, nor the menacing
gesture with which she had thrust 1T
upon me. the episode of the wine that
had seemed to me so threatening be-
came mere empty courtesy; and in
deed. separated from the sinister ap-
pearance of the moment, not one
episode that had taken place in that
extraordinary house which could not be
explained away 1 knew, past any
doubling, that the Spanish Woman had
tried to bride me. had tried TO poison
me, and failing that would have de-
tanned me by force, If I had not got
out of the window And if Sho41ld