The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-02-06
contlnned from sa,uroay. }


with pretended surprise Really.
Miss Innes. don't YOU mink you ex-
aggerate? l understand IL is not the
first time MIR, Innes nas--disappear-
cd"
You are clubbing, doctor. This IS
"a matter Of life and death. VIII you
answer my question:
Certainly. He said his nerves were
bad. and ] gave him a prescription
fer them. ! am violating professional
ethics when tell you even as much as
that"
could not tell him he lied. think
dom shot.
Il thought perhaps | said. watch
ing him narrowly, that 1t might be
. bout Nina Darlington"
For a moment / thought he was
going To strike me. He grew liyid.
and small crooked blood7vessel in
his temple swelied and throbbed
curiously. Then he FORCED short
laugh.
Who is Nina Darlington" he ask
ed
Il am about TO discover that" !
replied and he was quiet at once. 1t
was not difficult to divine that ne
feared Nina Darlington a good deal
more than he did the devil. Our
leave-taking was brief: in fact, We
merely started at each other over the
waiting-room table, with its litter of
year-old magazines. Then / turned
and went out
ITO Richfield," ! told Warner. and
on the way ] thought, and thought
hard.
Nina Darlington. Nina earring
tom the roar and rush OF the wheels
500 "A to ctr In tYn
Darlington. n. c." And j then knew,
knew as surely as if ! had seen the
whole thing. There had been an n.
c. on the suitcase belonging to the
woman with the pitted face. How
simple it all seemed. ~Mattie Bliss
had been Nina Darlington. 1t was
she Warner had heard in the library.
t was som ething she had told Halsey
that had taken him frantically to
Doctor Walkers office. and from there
perhaps to his death. IL we could
| find the woman, We might find what
had become of Halsey.
We were also at Richfield now, so
| kept on. My mind was not on my
| Grant there now. 1t was back with
| Halsey on that memorable night.
What was ii he had said to Louise,
that had sent her up 10 Sunnyside,
| half Wild with fear for him? | made
| up my mind, as the car drew up
| before the Tate cottage. that / would
see Louise If l had to break into the
| house at night
| Almost exactly the same scene as
| before greeted my eyes at the cot
| tage. Mrs. Tate, the baby-carriage
/ In the path, the children at the swing
| all were the same.
| She came forward to meet me, and
! noticed that some of the anxious
lines had gone out of her face. She
/ looked young. almost pretty.
! Il am glad you have come back"
/ she said. Il think will have to
he honest and give you back your
money"
NO. but some one came and paid
| the boys board for month. She
talked to him for long time, but
when | asked him afterward he didn't
know her name"
| "A young woman?'
Not very young. About forty /
suppose. She was small and fair
haired, just little bit gray. and very
sad She was in deep mourning. and,
] thing. when she came, she expect
| ed to go at once. But the child
| Lucien. Interested her She talked
10 him for a long time. and, indeed
she looked much happier when she
| left"
| You are sure this was not the real
| MOTHER"
y mercy, no. Why. she didn't know
! which of the three was Lucien.
saoa sht, perhaps. she was friend of
yyours, but. OF course / didn't ask"
she was not--pock- mark ed ?"
asked at a venture.
mo, indeed. A skin like a babv's
But perhaps you will know the initials
She gave Lucien a handkerchief and
I forget 1T 1T WIS very fine, black
hordered. and it had three hand
s ! 2. istteFs in the reernef~~~Fs b.
No" said with truth enough,
| she is not friend of mine" f. Il.
! A. was Fanny Armstrong, without a
chance of doubt
With another warning to Mrs. Tate
as to silence, We started back To
Sunnyside. So Fanny Armstrong knew
or Lucien Wallace, and was sufficiently
Interested to visit him and pay for
his support Who was the child,s
mother and where was she? Who
was Nina Darlington? Did either of
them know where Halsey was, or what
had happened to him?
On the way home we passed the
little cemetery where Thomas had
been laid to rest Wondered If
Thomas could have helped US to find
Halsey, had he lived. Father along
Eas the more imposing burial ground.
where Arnold Armstrong and his
father lay in the shadow of ta)I
granite shaft. or the three, l think
Thomas was the only one sincerely
mourned.