The Washington times., 1913-10-15
CHAPTER IV.-(Continued.)
IIH n RS. ASHLEY he said
MI abruptly, was Mrs. Var
N Rensselaer, left-handed?"

NI Rensselaer, left-handed?"
"Left-handed? she re.
peated, in surprise. Surely not. She
wrote and sewed and did most things
with her right hand, like the majority
OF people. have never noticed that she
was ambidextrous in any occupation,
much less left-handed.'
Your hands-may l see them?'
She held them out, Wonderingly, To
him, with the palms uppermost, but lIe
turned them over and looked at the
backs, and then at the rigid, clenched
ones, as if for some comparison.
Then he dropped them. and pulling
from his pocket a small, buI powerful
magnifying glass. he examined every
detail of the body, from the soles CT
The small blue slippers to the terrible
cash IN the slender threat.
When he had finished he went to each
OF the windows in turn and. subjected
them to the closest. most painstakinG
scrutiny; then the desk-upon which,
beside the ordinary paraphernalia, lay
an open book, face uppermost; DELI
cately scented lace handkerchief. and a
tiny fragment of some yellow transpaI
en- substance resembling thick glass;
and finally. the bed came under his at
tention-
It had evidently been slept in-the two
daindly frilled pillows were placed one
ON top of the other. and were deeply
dented in the center, as though head
had rested there for several hours.
There was no sign of violence or
struggle about the bed, nor was there
the slightest trace of blood.
Mrs Van Rensselaer, slept with her
door unlocked?'' asked YoTke finally,
turning to Madge.
Invariably" she replied. Mr.. Van
Rensselaer, usually wrote and studied
into the early hours of the morning,
and frequently would come TO tell her
of some new and important disco-erey
in his researches or read her a climatic
chapter of his treatise on heredity, in
which he has been completely absorbed
curing the past year or more.
Victoria was ready to wake at any
hour and give MIN Sympathetic under
standing and encouragement and ap-
plause- Dysart depended on the mental
stimulus of he. appreciation more than
nc will be able to realize for many
weary days to come"
He looked at her as she spoke-a long
covert glance, which seemed to study
lot her grief-weigher attitude, or the
mere words which she uttered. but the
spirit back of them-the deep, anguish
&c feeling that was more than SYM
pathy, which pulsed through her tones
a gain at tho mention of Dysart's desc
lation. The waters before him seemed
70 he deepening.
There is nothing more for me here
row." Yorke said, after a pause.
Il shall want to ask you some ques-
tions later. but l can learn nothing
until the doctor arrives"
Madge went to draw tho curtain. but
as she passed around the feet Of the
lifeIess form she uttered low eXclama-
ton. Yorke, who had gone again to the
desk and paused there with his back to
her, wheeler sharply around.
Look" she stammered, there is a
great blotch of blood on the, sole Of one
Of her slippers, yet there Is no blood
anywhere about her feet 1t looks as
"WhstT'' he asked quietly.
Some one must have placed IL on her
foot after-after she was dead!" she
shuddered. "Some one whose hands were
wet with her blood"
Were the slippers on when you dis
covered herr" he interrogated-
II don't know. 1 did not notice. The
room was darkened, you know, and
coming upon her so suddenly. I saw only
her face-and that terrible wound In
Perhaps Il was Dysart-hc was alone
in here with her for over an hour be-
fore he could be persuaded to leave her
body. Her slippers might have fallep
off and he replaced II, in mechanical
sort of way.
He was out Of his mind with grief.
and didn't know any Of US nor was he
conscious of what he was doing. He
sat there upon the floor fnr q long, long
time with her poor head on his l4p-he
is literally covered with her blood. !
hope-oh, pray-that tn. doctor will
come soon! fear for his reasOn-his
very life, perhaps"
There was no mistaking IL. now. That
low, fespairing cry came from the in
nernost depths of her heart. and was
all the more convincing in its uncon-
sciousness of any betrayal
Yorke looked once more al this wom-
an who loved Dysart Van Rensselaer,.
md in his mind there lcaped great