The Washington times., 1913-03-30
THE TIMES DAILY SERIAL STORY

things to say about her work when
| Sc showed II to me.
| Vel. those three Willamsons were
! simply out of the question. That night
| that l saw the light in my studio.
there was light in theirs-they gem
orally spent their evenings there. I
! went straight over, .oid. them some one
had been rummaginS around my dig
| gings. and asked II they heard any
| thing through the wall. They were
! hanson got quite excited over tho
idea OF robbers and wanted to know
| IL had lost anything. They had been
! in their studio all the evening. Nov
you can say it might have been one
of them, and 1 can't prove that 1t
| wasn't: but all the same the notion
| is tnconceivable."
II agree with you" said 1. Go on.
What happened neXt?'
There wasn't anything very differ
ent up to the time you and Madeline
came to visit me-, SAID Jeffrey. Two
or three other experiences more or less
like the ones I have told you about.
One night when I Was In bed-I don't
know whether ] was asleep or not
/ wasn't steering well then-I walked
up. If / had been asleep. with the idea
that / had seen some one go by my
he'd room door. ] wasted two or three
minutes. III admit. lying still In
sweating terror, trying to convince
then I heard the studio door shut.
II got ND and lighted all the lights
and looked around. but / didn't find
anything. The whole thing may have
been a dream. But the handkerchief
we found on the floor wasn't a dream.
and I'm sure il had been dropped while
We were out That was the first
tangible clue got. the first thing that
couldn't reason away when / was
in good form, on the theory of imag-
ination.
II went I'D one night to call on the
man who'd rented me the studio. in
the hope of finding out what his ex-
periences had been. But he was mum
as an oyster and tried to pump me.
Williamson spoke of it again once and
more. and I told him no. I didn't feel
like showing him what an ass I was
and I knew I couldn't start talking
about it without giving away the
whole thing
Its awfully queer. of course. said
II haven't begun the story yet said
Jeffrey-"the real story. But here's
where it begins. Now listen. and If you
want TO call in an alienist when | get
tell the thing connectedly first.
"A couple of weeks after you and
Madeline left Paris, got a note from
the Muirheads. suggesting that I pack
un my cOfOr-DOv ana come uO"n to
Etaples for a few days. They were
having a lovely time painting winter
skies and things. and they wanted 10
let me in on 1t. I was glad OF an
excuse to get away, SO l went. / did
those sketches I showed vou-the only
real work I've got to show for the
whole rotten winter-and went back to
Paris feeling that I'd got rid of the
co!webs. '
II reached the studio about in the !
afternoon-a bright. clear day | was !
feeling as well-as little liable to any :
ina ginative decisions as It is possible !
to ina aine anyore. went into my |
apartment. got rid OF NV traps. and |
went down into the studio.
This is what ] saw: One OF my |
easels had been drawn out into the mid |
die of the ROOM There was a canvas |
on il that had been painted; there was |
a low stool in front of 1t where the |
painter had sat. To the left of IT was
one of my chairs, just an ordinary. |
-bs ckcd chair. with mirror OF
mine standing on it-an old mirror in a
gilt frame. with sort of 'orna-