The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1910-10-21
CHAPTER XXI.
A Murder.

Enid was crossing the hall to the
large staircase. A dark figure glided
from a corner and went rapidly up
| before her. The figure never turned,
but hurriedly unlocked the countess
door and entered. 1t was Dorothy
herself. Enid went swiftly down the
passage and knocked. At first there
was no answer, but finally Dorothy,
pale and disheveled, opened the door
Enid tremblingly asked if she could
be of assistance, but was dismissed
with a rough "No!"
Dorothy waited with her ear close
against the door till the sound of
Ends soft footsteps had died away.
She was trembling all over from the
effects of excitement, the great fear
that had come upon her in the woods,
and lastly by the dread of detection
with which she had struggled, on her
stealthy passage back to her room;
with almost superhuman swiftness
she had thrown off her cloak and
slipped her loose silk peignoir over
her dark tweed gown, shaking down
her hair as she did so.
She was careful to stand with the
| door only partially opened, so that
Enid might not see anything strange
in her appearance, or catch a glimpse
of the thick boots that were wet from
the moisture of the weeds and grass
through which she had just come.
Once alone and safe, Dorothy sunk
for an instant on to an ottoman that
stood at the foot of the bed, and bend
ing forward, buried her face in her
hands and tried to calm the fluttering
Of her heart and the trembling in her
limbs; but suddenly she started up,
for the dim light fell on her right
| palm, and she noticed for the first
time that a stain OF blood was
smeared on it, LETT there from the
moment Of finding the wound in
| LaXon's arm. She rubbed her hand
feverishly with her handkerchief, and
then went hurriediy to her dressing
room and held it under a running
steam Of water, having first thrown
the piece Of cambric and priceless lace
! to be deyoured by the fire.
She shuddered every now and
then with a long-drawn shudder Of
horror It was a wise precaution she
had taken in shutting Gervais and her
maid from the room, for assuredly
her condition would have provoked
much alarm and many questions
Shivering as if struck by some sudden
chill, Dorothy crCuched down by the
fire and tried 10 gather warmth and
strength from it, but the strain on her
| mental powers had been SO great that
she could not control herself, and in
sheer desperation she rose to have
recourse to other aids.
BY the earls orders, Virginie had
brought up dainty tray, with some
delicacy to WOO back Dorothy's truant
appetite, and a small hottie of cham
payne, which GervaiE had sent up,
having heard from Lady Lowe that it
| was so good for neuralgia. This Dor
othy had despised, simply bidding
Virginie leave it and not return but
now it came as a friend to succor her.
With feverish, trembling hands she
tried to unfasten the cork, and, find
ing her fingers roWeriess, she struck
the neck of against the marble man.
tie pillars and drank the bubbling
golden liquid without drawing breath.
The effect was almost instan-
taneous. Of late Dorothy had had re-
course to brandy and other stimu-
lants, and the exhilarating wine ran
with strengthening fire through her
veins