Evening star., 1918-07-21
[STY ARROW

upper part Of the tapestry.
A probe in a fresh direction might
reach a more vulnerable spot.
But you had been behind the ped
estal7" Or; Price s%sgested. -
again. "My old timidity led me to
conceal myself where l could watch
undetected her bright young figure
pass from arch to arch along the
opposite gallery. Not till she had
out. and then-thon it was to see
what have already told you-her
rush toward the front-the start she
gave-the fall-that cruel arrow!
own that shrank back into my
narrow hiding place when / realized
thai tnas dsaa all was at an end-that she
why? You had been witness to
deed Of blood-a deed which must
have recalled to you the anxiety ex-
pressed by the woman-whom you re-
garded as the young girls guardian:
sight-away from those who had the
right to make inquiries! How do you
explain that. Mr.. Travis?
Il cannot. except that was SO
dazed. 80 stricken. that I was hard,
y conscious of what did. And, sirs.
the refuge afforded by that narrow
space behind the pedestal, I think
should have fallen headlong to the
moor: When / came again to myself,
which was after some Of the con-
FUSION had abated. ] had only one
thought in mind: to suppress myself
and my story lest some shadow should
fall across her sweet purity, Wait
ing until the attention Of the men you
had placed on guard over her body
was attracted another way, slid out
and hastened to the front, wnere .
managed to find quiet room in
which to sit down and brood again
over my misfortune. Forewarned, as
You have said. and on the spot, with
every wish to protect her. I had failed
to to- 90 60. sav !, fear 1t will make me mad
Had 1t made him insane already7
Was his story to be trusted? It Was
full Of incongruities: were they those
OF q disordered mind? Such had been
the excuse made for Mrs. Taylor
when she had been thought guilty
applied to this man who certainly
had given evidences of not being Of
tho usual type Of young Englishman?
with a sidelong look at Mr.. Gryce,
which that individual perfectly un-
Travis for his candor and asked il
he could point out the room in which
he had sat while their young man had
gone through the building checking
on the position of everybody in it.
TO his surprise. the Englishman
and rose when they rose,
The glances exchanged between the
other two men were eloquent. Where
was he about to take them? Sweet
water was no fool: how had this man
OF marked appearance and generous
proportions managed to elude him? :
As has happened before, 1t proved
to be easily explainable when once
the conditions were known. The
room to which he led them was that
on on the upper story marked H on Chart
Two. It was devoted. like one or
paintings at once the hope and de-
spair of young girl copyists. The
one most favored for this purpose
hung Just behind the door 'X,'' which.
half open as they found it. made with
the easel. the canvas upon 1t and an
apron hanging carelessiy over ali. an
tmpromptu screen behind which a
mann crouched In misery on the COPY.
lists stool might easily remain un-
noticed by any one passing hurriedly
by him. -. - =
And thus vanished one hindrance
to full belief in young Travis.
story. ~
But a greater one remained. The
bow! the bow found behind the tap
estry at the edge OF which he had
stood in timorous hiding! In the
hope that shock might. startle him
into some admission which would
give different aspect to the case,
they now led him back to this place
OF first concealment. He was show.
Ing strain by this time. and no delay
was made to press their point. Civ
ing the Tapestry pull, the coroner
pade him tell what he saw behind 1t.
The answer came with much emo
tion.
"The bow! The bow which sped
the arrow which killed Mrs. willetts.
do not want to see it. 1t hurts me
hurts me physically. Let me go,
entreat."
'Mr. Travis" urged the cofoner as
sney IN sl.ra again In, emerged upon the open
was no one with you in the section
where you stood. II that was SO,
how came this bow to be where you
have just seen it?"
A 'bewildered look, a slow shake Of
the head and nothing more
,,.,, DID you know It was there? DID
mo, saw nothing. am an honest
man. You may believe me-"
The coroner scrutinized him closely,
but not unkindly.
We shall know before night who
handled that bow, Mr.. Travis: 1t car
ries Its own clue with It,"
A CLEAN of unmistakable joy light
ed up the Englishmans features.
am glad" he cried. 'T am glad"
Coroner Price was a man of expert
ence. He recognized the ring Of truth
In the Englishman's tones, and saying
no more. LED the way from the gallery.
A few minutes later he was on the
lower floor. He had q short conversa-
tion with the two dooormen; then he
proceeded to the telephone and called