Omaha daily bee., 1919-07-15
WOMAN IN BLACK
By EDMUND CLERIHEW BENTLEY

NV NcutuIy COLp2uy.
me what l shalt ask you, you will de-
eide that; but I tell you this on my
word of honor:'I shall ask you only
as much as will decide me whether
to publish or to withhold certain
grave things that | have found out
about your husbands heath, things
not suspected by any one else, nor,
! think, likely to b SO. What l have
discovered-what l believe that l
have practically proved-will be a
great shock to you in any case. But
it may be worse for you than that;
and if you give me reason to think
It would be so, than / shall destroy
this manuscript"-he laid long en-
velop on the small table beside him
and nothing of what it has to tell
shall ever be printed. 1t consists, I
may tell you, of a short private note
to my editor, followed by a long
dispatch for publication in the Rec
ord. Now you may refuse to say
anything to me. If you do refuse,
my duty to my employers, as l see
1t, is to take this up to London with
me today and leave it with my editor
to be dealt with at his discretion.
My view is, you understand, that I
am not entitled to suppress it on the
strength of a mere possibility that
presents itslf to my Imagination. But
if | gather from you-and / can
gather it from no other person--that
there is substance in that imaginary
possibility I speak of, then / have
only one thing to do as a gentleman
and as one who"-he hesitated for
phrase-"wishes you we'll. l shall
suppress that dispatch of mine. In
some directions l decline to assist
the police. Have you followed me
so far?" he askd with a touch of
anxiety in his careful GOODNESS; for
her face, but for its pallor, gave no
sign as she regarded him, her hands
clasped before her and her shoulders
drawn back in a pose of rigid calm.
She looked precisely as she had
looked at the inquest.
II understand quite WE'LL" said
Mrs. Henderson in low voice. She
drew deep breath, and went on:
II don't know what dreadful thing
you have found out, or what the pos
sibility that has occurred to you can
be, but it was good-it was honor
able of you to come to me about it.
Now will you please tell me?"
II cannot do. that" Trent replied.
"The secret is my newspapers, if it
is not yours. If I find it is yours,
you shall have my manuscript to
read and destroy. Believe M" he
broke out with something of his old
warmth, II detest such mystery-mak-
ing from the bottom of my soul, but
it is not I who have made this mys-
terry. This is the most painful hour
Of my life, and you make it worse
by not treating m like a hound. The
first thing I ask you to tell me-
he reverted with an effort to his
co1orless tone-"is this: is it true,
Is you stated at the inquest, that you
mad no idea at all of the reason why |
your late husband had changed his
attitude toward you, and become
and reserved, during the
asst few months of his life?"
Mrs. Manderson's dark brows
fitted and her eyes famed; she
quickly rose from her chair. Trent
got up at the same moment, and
ook his envelop from the tabl; his
manner said that he perceived the
interview to be at an end. But she
neld up a hand, and there was color
II her chks and quick brathing in
Ter voice as she said: do you
NOW what you ask, Mr.. Trent? You
lsk me if I perjured myself"
II do" he answered unmoved; and
lie added after a pause: ''You knew
llready that l had not come here
o preserve the polite fictions, Mrs.
Henderson. The theory that no re-
'utable person, being on oath, could