Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-07-25
THE
WOMAN IN BLACK
By EDMUND CLERlHEW BENTLEY
SoPyANhts ASA0b ~
CHAPTER XXI.
Her Faith in Marlowe's Innocence
Copyright. 1919, by the Century Company

CHAPTER XXI.
Her Faith in Marlowe's Innocence.
"Then." said Trent, who had fol-
lowed this with earnest attention,
I'VE are forced back on two other
possibilities, which had not thought
worth much consideration until this
moment. Accepting what you say,
he might still conceivably have killed
in self-defense; or he might have
done so by accident" /
The lady nodded. "Of course I
thought of those two explanations
when | read your manuscript"
And | suppose you felt, as ! did
myself, that in either of those cases
the natural thing, and obviously the
safest thing, for him to do was to
make public statement of the truth,
instead of setting up a series of de-
ceptions which would certainly
stamp him as guilty in the eyes of
the law, if anything went wrong
with them"
yes" she said YEARLY, 81 thought
over all that until my head ached.
And l thought somebody else might
have done it, and that he was some
how screening the guilty person But
that seemed wild l could see no
light in the mystery, and after a
while I simply let it alone. All l was
clear about was that Mr.. Marlowe
was not murderer, and that if |
told what you had found out, the
Judge and jury would probably think
he was. l promised myself that !
would speak to you about it if we
should meet again; and now I've
kept my promise"
Trent, his chin resting on his hand,
was staring at the carpet The ex-
citement of the hunt for the truth
was steadily rising in him. He had
not in his own mind accepted Mrs.
Manderson's account of Marlowe's
character as unquestionable. But she
had spoken forcibly; he could by no
means set it aside, and his theory
was much shaken.
There is only one thing for it,"
he said, looking up. II must see
Marlowe. 1t worries me too much
to have the thing left like this. l
will get at the truth. Can you tell
me-" he broke off, show he behaved
after the day l left White Gables"
Il never saw him after that" said
Mrs. Henderson simply. For some
days after you went away | was i'll,
and didn't go out of my room. When
l was about again he had left and
was in London, settling things with
the lawyers. He did not come down
to the funeral. Immediately after
that I went abroad. After some
weeks letter from him reached me,
saying he had concluded his bust
ness and given the solicitors all the
assistance in his power. He thanked
me very nicely for what he called all
my Kindness, and said good-by.
There was nothing in it about his
plans for the future, and l thought it
particularly strange that he said not
a word about my husbands death. |
didn't answer. Knowing what |
knew, I couldn't. In those days |
shuddered whenever I thought of
that masquerade in the night. Rather
than face him, l was ready togo on
in ignorance of what had really hap
pened. I never wanted to see or hear
of him again"
"Then you don't know what has
become of him."
mo: but l dare say Uncle Benton
Mr.. Cupples, you know,-could tell
you. Some time ago he told me that
he had met Mr.. Marlowe in Lindon,
and had some talk with him. l
changed the conversation She
paused and smiled with a trace of
mischief. II rather wonder what
you supposed had happened to Mr..
Marlowe, after you withdrew from
the scene of the drama that you had
put together SO much to your salts
faction"
Trent flushed. do you really
want to know?" he said.
81 ask you" she retorted quietly:
"You ask me- to humiliate myself
again, Mrs. Mahderson. Very well.
| will tell you what l thought |
should most likely find when | re-
turned to London this year; that
you had married Marlowe and gone
to live abroad"
She heard him with unmoved COM
posure. 1--WE certainly couldn't have
lived very comfortably in England
on his money and mine she OBJ
served thoughtfully. He had prac-
tically nothing then"
He started at her-"gaped," she
told him some time afterwards. AT
the moment she laughed with little
embarrassment. Dear me, Mr..
Trent! Have I said anything dread
full? You surely must know
l thought everybody understood by
now = Pm sure I've had to ex-
plain it often enough - = if marry
again>I lose everything that my hus~
band left me-"
The effect of fhis sneech mon