The Spectator., 1915-07-09

Tt Is not in her handwriting-I won- der why?"
 The paper was of foreign make, with blue lines ruled in squares. Written in hand that was evidently foreign. Tor the mistakes in the orthography were many, was the following curious communication:
 My Dear Lydia:
 Perhaps you may never get this letter. the last l shall ever be able to send you Indeed run great risks in sending it An! you do not know the awful disaster that has happened to me. all the terrors and the tortures l endure. But no one can assist me, and am now looking forward to the time when 1t will all be over. Do you recollect our old peaceful days in the garden at Chichester? I think of them always, always. and compare that sweet peace of the past with my own terrible suHerings of today An, how wish I might see you once again; how that I might feel your hand upon my brow. and hear your words of hope and encourage ment, But happiness is now debarred from me. and I am only sinking 10 the grave under this slow torture of body and of soul.
 This will pass through many hands he fore 1t reaches the post. If. however. 1t ever does get dispatched and you receive It. will you do me one last favor-a favor to an unfortunate girl who is friendless and helpless, Id who will no longer trou- ble the world? It is this: Take this let ter 10 London, and call upon Mir Martin Woodrone at 9s Cork street. Piccadily. Show him my letter. and tell him from me that through it all I have kept my > Promise. and that the secret is still safe He will understand-and also know why cannot write this with my own hand If he Is abroad. keep 1t until he returns
 It Is all l ask of you, Lydia. and I know that If this reaches you, you will not refuse me. You have been my only friend and confidante. but I now bid you farewell. for the unknown beckons me, and from the grave l cannot write. Again farewell, and for ever.
 Your loving and affectionate friend
 ELMA.
 "A very strange letter, is it not?" re- marked the girl at my side "I can't make it out. You see there is no ad- dress, but the postmark is Russian. She is evidently in Russia"
 "ln Finland" l said, examining the stamp and making out the post town to be Abo. But have you been to Lon. don and executed this strange commis. sion?"
 No. We are going up next week. I intend to call upon this person named Woodroffe"
 made no remark. He was, knew. abroad, but was glad at having ob- taiRed two very important clues: first. the address of the mysterious yachts man, Woodroffe. alias Hornby, and, secondly. ascertaining that the young girl l sought was somewhere in the vicinity of the town of Abo. the Fin. nish port on the Baltic.
 Poor Elma. you see. speaks in her letter of some secret. MT. Gregg" my companion said. She says she wishes this MT. Woodroffe. whoever he is, to know that she has kept her promise and has not divulged it. This only bears out what have all along sus. pected."
 What are your suspicions?"
 Well. from her deep. thoughtful manner, and from certain remarks she at times made to me, l believe Elma is in possession of some great and ter. rible secret--a secret which her uncle. Baron 0berg. is desirous of learning know she holds him in deadly fear she is in terror that she may inadver- tently betray to him the truth"
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