The Washington times., 1920-04-18

a short walk In the moonlight"
'lf she really lay down at length
on her bed, with her head on the
pillow: or on the sofa with her
head on the cushion. II probably
would need little rearrangement;
but that would not mean doing II
all over again"
"And now then. Miss Carlton, ]
will ask you this:
as II possible that her ladyship's
trouble-the reason why she re-
tired and did not care to dine
downstairs-was Of the mind
rather than OF the body? There
are times when we are wearied
and upset and one would be alone.
to straighten out the thoughts and
to rest the nerves."
1T may have been something
like that" said.
$50 that we arrive at the prob
ability" he commented. "that the
poor lady did not lie down, and we
may suppose, too, that she was not
very grayely indisposed."
Then he exploded at me, with
out notice, the question to which
all this had no doubt been leading
up.
"Of course Sir Ralph and her
, ladyship were always on perfectly
affectionate terms?"
I should have been disposed to
say that even before this, and dur
ing the whole of the interrogating.
the little man had been observing
me with the utmost possible close.
ness, but as he put this important
question the piercing quality of his
eye seemed suddenly to be intensi-
fed many degrees. 1t may have
been only my fancy that suggested
this to me, or 1t may be that he
really did stare little more in
tently. Please remember. too, that
my nerve had been strained by all
that had gone through and was
still enduring. However II was. /
felt that could bear II no longer.
l jumped up from my chair and
said:
Sergeant Crisp. I told you that
/ would answer you any questions
you liked, and I am perfectly will
ing to do so, but ! am not going
to- cannot-sit there any longer
and have your eye boring into the
back OF my brain like a gimlet. II
we are to 60 on with this game of
question and answer 1t must be
with q screen set up between u.s."
"Ah," he said, in a voice of gen.
uine grief. Il am so panied. There
is no improvement-no improve
ment. Again and again have
promised myself that I would re-
member there were other things,
human things, hearts and feelings,
besides the finding out who did
this murder or that burglary. II Is
my weakness, miss, my besetting
sin, that when I get on the track,
hunting, as you may say, lose my
SELF lose all my humanity. Miss
Carlton, 1t Is a disgusting profess
sion mine. loathe It," HIS whole
face had changed marvellously and
had become. from a thing Of wood,
quite full Of expression.
"Oh, no." said, "you don't
really" 1t was wonderful how diff
ferently I felt toward him and
toward the whole situation now,
after that curious outbreak Of his.
had felt afraid of him. and now I
felt nothing but pity and almost a
kind Of affection. l felt that 1t was
in my role to comfort him and en-
courage him. "You don't really
loathe your profession" l said.
You are doing a very good work.
bringing the criminals to justice.
You are really serving society all
the WHILE"
WELL" he said with a sigh, "let
us put 1t like that. At all events
it is my profession now, and | have
a wife and children to support by
It. so I must make the best OF 1t
as 1t is. And now we must get
back to professional work again,
Miss Carlton"
well, them" l said, Ito bark
back to the last question that you
asked met is no use trying to
pretend that theirs was exactly an
ideal marriage-Uncle Ralph's and
Aunt Ends; but they got on, /
should think, as well as the major.
ity of married couples"
"You don't look on that as set
ting the standard very high" he
suggested. snow" he went on,
glancing at the one shoe which pro-
jected beyond the skirt of the poor
body on the floor, would you say
that those were her ladyship's
house shoes, or are they those that
she would ordinarily put on when
she was going out?"
Those are not indoor Shoes" I
could answer with decision.
Then we come to the conclusion
that 1t was no sudden impulse Of
her ladyship's on which she went
out last night. 1t must have been
deliberate"
ut looks so," I agfeed.
And yet she came out without
hat or cloak. It would seem that
wa ahpuld fpfar fhat hor Iadvchin