Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-02-20
THE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
A Detective Story by J. S. Fletcher

you have told me about the Chamber
iayne atfair has led me to think this
mere. may have been people, or n per-
son IN London, who was anxious to
get Marbury, as we'll call him, out Of
the way, and who somehow encountered
him that night-anxious to silence him.
l mean, because of the Chamberlayne
affair. And ] wondered, as there is
SO much. mystery about him, and as he
won I give any account Of himself, If
this man Anymore wns really Chamber
layne. Yes, ! wondered that But Ayl-
more's tall, finely built man. quite
six feet in height, and his beard. though
| 1t now getting grizzled, has been very
. dark, and Chamberlnyne you say, was
medium sized, fair man with blue
eyes
That's so, sir" assented Mr.. Quar-
terpage. Yes, midding sized man,
and fair---very fair, Deary me, MI
Spargo-this is revelation. And you
really think. sir, that John Maitland
and John Marbury are one and the
same person"
I'm sure of it, now," said Spargo.
II see it in this way. Maitland, on
his release, went out to Australia, and
there he stopped. At last lie comes
back, evidently well to do. He's muir
dered the very day of his arrival. Ayl-
more is the only man who knows any
thing of him-Aylmore won't tell al,
he knows, that's fiat. But Aylmore' s
admitted that he knew him at some
vague date, say from twenty one to
twenty two or three years ago. Now,
where did Anymore know him? He says
in London. That's a vague term. He
won't say where--he won't say any
thing definite-he won't even say what
he, Aylmore, himself was in those days.
DoSyou recollect anything of anybody
like Anymore coming here to see Matt
land, Mr.. Quarterpage?
II don't" answered Mr.. Quarter
page. Maitland was a very quiet, re =
t,ring fellow. sir; he was about the
quietest man in the town. ncver're-
member of such a friend of his as this
Aylmore, from your description Of him,
would be mt that time"
did Maitland go uD to London
much in those days?' asked Spargo.
Mr.. Quarterpage laughed.
well, now. to show you what q
good memory have" he said. "I'll tell
YOU of something that occurred across
| there at the Dragon only n few months
before the Maitland affair came out
| There were some of us in there one
evening, and. for rare thing. Maitland
came in with Chamberlayne. Chamber =
'ayne happened to remark that he was
Going up to town next day-he was
always to and fro--and we got talking
about London And Maitland said II
course of conversation ,hat he believed
he was about the only man of his age
in England-and, of course, he mean,
f his class and means-who'' never
even seen London! And 1 don't think
'e ever went there between that time
and his trial: in fact, I'm sure he
'idnt, for if ne had, l should have
card of it."
"Well, that's queer" remarked
Spargo. cts very queer. For In
certain Maitland and Marbury are one
md the same person. My theorv about
that old leather box is that Maitland
had that carefully planted before hi'
arrest; that he dug it up when he came
out of Dartmoor; that he took it of
to Australia with him; that he brought
+ back with him; and that, of course
the silver ticket and the photograph
hnd been in it all these years
Now"
There's the boots from the Dragon
at the fronr door, sir said a parlor
maid. entering. Hes brought two
te'cgrams for Mr.. Spargo, thinking h
might want them at once"