Omaha daily bee., 1919-07-28
g. THE
WOMAN IN BLACK
BIZ EDMUND CLERIHEW BENTLEY
opvrieht. 1919. by the Century Company.--

her say: 4 have not quite thirty
pounds here. Will that~be enough?'
| did not hear the answer, but next
moment. Manderson's shadow was
mingled with hers. and l heard the
chink of money. Then, as he stood
by the window, and as l was NOV
ing away, these words of his came to
my ears-and these at least | can
repeat exactly, for establishment
stamped them on my memory-I'm
going out now. Marlowe has per-
suaded me to go for a moonlight
run in the car. He is very urgent
about it. He says it will help me
to sleep, and guess he is right
Il have told you that in the course
of four years had never once heard
Henderson utter a direct lie about
anything great or small. l believed
that | understood the mans queer
skln-deep morality, and l could have
sworn that if he was firmly pressed
with a question that could not be
evaded he would either refuse to
answer or tell the truth. But what
had l just heard? No answer to
any question. A voluntary state
ment, precise in terms, that was ut
terly false. The unimaginable had
happened. 1t was almost as if ones
dearest friend, in moment of clos
est sympathy, had suddenly struck
one in the face. The blood rushed
to my head, and l stood still on the
grass. | stood there until l heard
his step at the front door, and then
I pulled myself together and stepped
quickly to the car. He handed me
bankers paper bag with gold and
notes in it. There's more than
you'll want there he said, and |
pocketed it mechanically.
For a minute or so | stood dis
cussing with Manderson-it was by
one of those tours de force of which
ones mind is capable under great
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT points about the
route Of the long drive before me-
| had made the run several times by
day, and, I believe l spoke quite
calmly and naturally about it. But
while ! spoke my mind was seething
in a flood of suddenly-born suspi-
cion and fear. | did not know what
! feared. | simply felt fear, some
howl did not know f,ow--connect-
ed with Henderson. My soul once
opened to it, fear rushed in like AL
assaulting army. l felt knew
that something was altogether
wrong and sinister, and | felt myself
to be the object of it. Yet Mander-
son was surely no enemy of mine
Then my thoughts reached out Wild
ly for all answer to the question Why
he had told that lie. And all the
time the blood hammered in my
ears: Where is that money! Rea-
son struggled hard to set up the
suggestion that the two things were
not necessarily connected. The in
stinct of man in danger would not
listen to it. As we started, and the
car took the curve into the road, it
was merely the unconscious part of !
me that steered and controlled it,
and that made occasional empty re-
marks as we slid along in the moon
light. Within me was a confusion
and vague alarm that was far worse
than any definite terror / ever felt.
About a mile from the house,
you remember, one passed on ones
left a gate on the other side of which
was the golf-course. There Man
derson said he would get down, and
| stopped the car. You've got it
all clear?' he asked. With sort of
wrench I forced myself to remem-
Der and repeat the directions given
me. That's 0. K he said. Good
by, then. Stay with that wallet
These were the last words I heard
him speak as the car moved gently
away from him"
Marlowe rose from his chair and
pressed his hands to his eyes. He
was flushed with the excitement of
his own narrative, and there was in
his look horror of recollection that
held both the listeners silent. He !,
shook himself with movement like
a dogs, and then, his hands behind
him, stood erect before the fire as
he continued his tale.
Il expect you both know what
the back-refector of motor car
is?'
Trent nodded quickly, his face
alive with anticipation; but Mr.. Cup
piles, who cherished mild but OBJ
stinate prejudice against motor cars,
readily confessed to ignorance.
at is small round or more often
rectangular mirror" Marlowe ex-
planned, rugged out from the right
side of the screen in front of the
driver. and adjusted in such a way