The Holly chieftain., 1915-04-30
CHAPTER III.

NSAs IuAuliouS SSai VI - -
drew up outside the front of the Le-
land hotel, little after midnight. Ella
leaned over and kissed her hostess
Thank you, dear. ever so much,
for your delightful dinner" she ex-
claimed, land for bringing me home.
AS for the music. well, l can't talk
about it. am just going upstairs
into my room to sit and think"
The car rolled off. Ella, a large
umbrella held over her head by the
doorkeeper. stepped up the little strip
of drugget which led into the softly
warmed hall of the Leland. Behind
her came her maid, Lenora, and Mac
dougal, who had been riding on the
box with the chauffeur. He paused
for moment to wipe the snow from
his clothes as Ella crossed the hall to
the left Lenora turned toward him.
He whispered something in her ear.
For moment she shook. Then she
turned away and followed her mis-
tress upstairs.
Arrived in her apartment, Ella
threw herself with little sigh of con-
tent into big easy-chair before the
fire and gave herself up for few mo-
ments to reverie.
A log stirred upon the fire. She
leaned forward lazily to replace it and
then stopped short. Exactly opposite
to her was a door which opened on
to a back hall. 1t was used only by
| the servants. Just as she was in the
act of leaning forward Ella became
conscious of curious hallucination.
Lenora, come here at once"
The maid hurried in from the next
room. Ella pointed to the door.
"Lenora, look outside, See if any
one is on that landing. fancied that
the door opened"
Lenora crossed the room and tried
the handle. Then she turned towards
her mistress in triumph.
1 1T is locked, my lady," she re-
ported.
Go down and ask Macdougal to
come up. l am going to have this
thing explained"
Something of her mistress agita-
tion seemed to have become commu-
nicated to Lenora.
She walked quickly to the back part
of the hotel and ascended to the wing
in which the servants quarters were
situated. Here she made her way
along a corridor until she reached
Macdougal's room. She knocked, and
knocked again. There was no answer.
She tried the door and found it was
locked Then she returned to the lift
and descended once more to the floor
upon which her mistress apartments
were situated She opened the door
of the suite without knocking and
turned at once to the sitting room.
81 am sorry, my lady" she began.
Then she stopped short. The lift
boy, who had had little trouble with
his starting apparatus and had not as
yet descended. heard the scream
which broke from her lips, and a fire.
man in an adjacent corridor came rum
ming up almost at the same moment.
Lenora was on her knees by her mis-.
tress' side Ella was still lying in the
easy-chair in which she had been
| S0dlcu, UuI ACi lCdo was ShAo"h ooSiA
in an unnatural fashion. There was
red mark just across her throat.
Lenora shrieked, "Shes tainted!
And the diamonds-the diamonds have
gone!"
A doctor, hurriedly summoned, had
just completed hasty examination
when police inspector, followed by a
detective, entered.
"This is your affair, gentlemen, not
mine," the doctor said gravely. "The
young lady is dead. She has been
cruelty strangled within the last five
or ten minutes"
The inspector made careful exam
ination of the room.
"Tell me-" he }cquired, "is this the
young lady who owned the wonderful
Ashleigh diamonds?"
They've gone!" Lenora shrieked.
They've been stolen! She was wear
ing them when l left the room!"
The inspector turned to the tele-
phone.
"Mr Marsham." he said, "I am
afraid this will be difficult affair.
am going to take the liberty of calling
in an expert. That you, exchange?
want number one, New York city
| Mr. Sanford Quest"