The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-10-21
The TERROR
In THE SNOW

Hendry, my servant, saw to It that
I should not forget Inspector Adding
ton Peace. Shortly after the adven.
ture which have already narrated, ]
left London for a round of country
visits. And IL a paragraph concern.
ing that eminent detective CHANGED
to appear In a newspaper, the sub.
stance OF it was brought to me with
my shaving-water In the morning.
II see e as bin up to Is games
again. SIR" was Hendry's usual over.
ture. my word, but 'e's a sly one,
by all accounts" was the customary
conclusion.
believe that Hendry often gained
considerable notoriety in the serv.
ants hall by a boosted friendship
with Peace. To this I attribute the
fact Of his being consulted by Mr..
Heavitree's butler on the occasion OF
the burglary that took place while ]
WAS staying at Crandon. Hendry's
ludicrous fiasco. which nearly result.
ed In a lawsuit for false imprison.
ment, need not be narrated here.
though It was considered q remark.
ably good joke against me at the
time.
Towards the end Of December I re-.
turned to London for a few days,
and on the third night after my ar.
rival I decided to visit the inspector.
Hendry had discovered that he was a
bachelor, and lived in two little
rooms on the third floor. The floors
that separated US were let out as
Offices, SO that Peace at the top and
I at the bottom had the old house to
ourselves after seven o'clock.
The little man was at home, and
seemed pleased to SEQ me. With his
sparrowlike agility he hoped about,
producing glasses and a bottle of
whisky. Finally, with our pipes in
fun blast, we sat facing each other
across the IRE, and soon dropped
into a conversation which to me, at
least was Of unusual interest. A
very curious knowledge of London
and its peoples had Inspector Adding
ton Peace.
An hour quickly slipped by, and
when rose to go asked him II he
would dine with me on my return
from Cloudsham in Norfolk, where ]
gas spending Christmas. He would
be pleased, he told me; and then, as
he stopped to light a spill in the
Goals
You stay with Baron steen, sup
pose7" he asked.
Yes"
"And why7'
"Why7" I echoed in some sur
prise.
You have relatives or other
friends?"
my nearest relative is a sour old
uncle in Bradford. who calls me hard
names for using the gifts Providence
gave me instead of adding up figures
in a smoky office. AS for friends
well. am a fairly rich man, Inspec
tor, and. as such, have many friends.
What is there against Baron Steen? 2"
"Oh, nothing" he said. putting al
his pipe, so that he spoke as from a
cloud, mistily.
'T know that he has played a bold
game on the stock exchange" con.
tinued, land there may be a few out,
witted fnanciers growing at HE
heels. But 1t would be hard to find a
more thoughtful host. Yes. am go
ing to Cloudsham tomorrow"
We shook hands warmly on part.
ing, and as I descended the stairs
he leant over the rail, smiling down
upon me.
Remember your dinner engage.
ment," I called up to him. Il shall
see you after the New Year"
yes, IL not before" he said; and
seemed to catch the faint echo of a
laugh as I turned the corner.
It was on the afternoon Of Decem.
% that ! stepped from the train at
the little station of Cloudsham. Fresh
. snow had fallen, and the wind came
bitterly over the frozen levels Of the
fen country. A distant clock was
striking four as the carriage passed
into the crested entrance-gates and
tugged up a rising slope of park land
dotted with ragged oaks and storm.
bowed spinnies, which showed as
black stains upon its snow-clad I'M
dulations. At the summit the road
bent sharply, and ! saw below me
the old manor of Cloudsham, beyond
which, somber plain. losing itself
in the evening mists that swathed
the horizon-stretched the restless
waters of the North sea.
The house lay in a broad depres-
sion, in shape as the hollow of a
hand, save only on the seaward side,
where the line of cliff bit into 1t like
the grip of giants teeth. he gray
front looked up, across a slope of
grass land. to semi-circle of forest
that swept away In dark shadings of
FIR and oak. From the long oblong
70 ne main buildings were thrust
back two wings. fianked on the nearer
eide by a chapel.
: From the back of the house to the
adge of the sea cliffs. a distance OF
aome quarter of a mile, ran an ir-
regular avenue of frs with clipped
Pew walks and laurel-edged flower
gardens on either hand.
Aozen mon sweeDing the paths