The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-03-11

SIfouSH, SuppOSe ne SdlU HI d casual way; but his eyes, narrowed to slits, watched her keenly, arfd mo- ticed the grace of her form, the ease of her movements.
 the cabinet.
 "That is strange he said. "I sup pose you have been living on the moor some timer"
 Since I was a child,' she answer ed; "but I do not often leave the moor; my father does not like me to do so.''
 Dexter Reece pricked up his ears. Was he mistaken, was his imagina- tion misleading him, or was there in reality a vague Italian accent in her voice?
 Since you were g. child,'' he said. with an air of friendly interest. Then, you were not born here.'' "No," she said, leaving the cabinet and coming to the table, where she stood with her fingers resting lightly on 1t, her eyes glancing from him to the fascinating objects in the hall. "I was born in Italy--I think" she added indifferently. Dexter Reece's heart beat fast; the conventional smile became wooden on his face.
 "You only think?" he said, stretch ing the smile still further. 'I don't remember" she replied as indifferently as before "But your name is English" he said.
 ''Is it?" she asked "I did no. know. My father is an Italian "You speak English perfectly" he remarked. And where did you come from mean. before you came to the mill?"
 As he put the question he glanced | over the graceful form, at the beauti- full face. With her now neatly done | hair and a plain serge dress which, | because of its age, fitted her closely, | she looked totally different girl to the unkempt and roughly clad one | he had seen at the mill. He could ! have cursed himself for having go | completely ignored her at that, their first, meeting.
 "I don't know" she replied. She
 raised her eyes to his suddenly and
 looked at him with "Why do you
 want to know?"
 l Dexter Reece actually colouEed. l "Oh, for-for no particular reason,''
 he responded, with a smile.
 '"Then it doesn't matter" she said
 calmly. | Evelyn came running down the
 stairs at that moment with the book ] of engravings in her hand. l Come along. if you must really go, Cara,'' she said. l The two girls went out to the pony 1 carriage that was waiting. Dexter
 Reece followed them, and put them 1 in; then when they had driven off
 he returned to the hall; but, after a 1 moment or two, he went to the lib-
 rary, took the miniature from the
 cabinet and examined it with feverist
 eagerness. Yes; there could be nc
 doubt about it; the resemblance was
 extraordinary. With the miniature n l his hand, he sank into chair, and shutting his eyes, pondered over the | problem which the resemblance pre-
 scented.
 This girl of the Mill, which stood within a short distance of the Hall
 was the very image of Sir Mortimer wife. She passed as an Italian, her
 face was that of an Italian: they had
 come to the place when this girl was
 but child. Could it be possible that | there was any connection between this Cara Raven and the child who
 had been stolen on the night Sil Mortimer had been murdered? Coult
 it be possible that this girls father the miller, was in some way or othel connected with the murder, the thief
 of the ruby, the abduction of tht
 child?
 The mere suggestion of such a1
 idea sent the blood racing througf
 Dexter Reece's veins. He tried tt
 calm himself, to hold himself in hand
 to argue against the possibility D
 such a connection. Was it likely, h,
 asked himself, that the murderer, tht
 man who had stolen the priceless ruby, who had abducted the child would return to England and take III
 his abode so near the scene of hi crime? It scarcely seemed probabi, . possible; but Dexter Reece in hi
 study of human nature, its foible
 and its weakness, was aware that tn,
 extraordinary animal, man, will fire quently do the unexpected, and tha the criminal, by strange and name
 less fascination, is often drawn, as i by an unknown power, to the seen of his crime.
 |, He sprang from his chair ans
 paced up and down the room, nj thin lips working, his eyes glancin, from side to side, like those of a vol searching for @ trail through a bound
 less forest. If this girl, this miller , daughter, were the stolen child O ! e. A.