The Washington times., 1920-05-30
CHAPTER XIII.
s.,s.an. cr.s "R.ee.ss'ssss."


= not suppose II is possible.
In the short span Of human life'
for all that such an ordeal must
imply, 10 be left behind. For the
moment the most outrageous inter
ference with the privacy which
grief specially demands was at an
end.
or course. all the eyes and NOR
bid curiosity OF the public. for
which the different newspapers
catered. each In It's particular man
ner, Was enormously Increased by
the entry OF Captain vibart's ngure
on the stage. II introduced just
that element of "wife's friend"
which domestic drama and tragedy
seem to require, but by sedulously
avoiding all reading Of the news
papers one could escape this added
horror. Az
In spite OF the most careful avoid
ance, however, one had to meet
now and again some headline such
as ''The Mystery Of the Summer
house." for that was the favorite
form of the title which our misery
had assumed In peoples talk and
in the journalists writings.
Search for the knife with which
the wound had been inflicted was
being begun in a systematic man
ner which would leave It's mark for
many long day in the shrubbery.
The grass was scythed down and
the low and bushy parts Of the
shrubs cut away for considerable
area In the neighborhood of the
Summer-house-all under the direc-
ton of the police. l avoided that
part of the grounds most carefully.
but knew all that was going on
there.
The only time that went out
side the grounds for several days
after the inquest was on the
Wednesday when we buried the
body Of my young aunt In the pres
ence CT an immense number OF reo-
pie of whom | do not suppose that
as many as one-tenth would have
been there to pay her respect had
her death happened in any ordinary
way. Two OF her brothers came
~-vn for the funeral, tut | am
'tarkful to say that they did not
t., = do b
How Uncle Ralph could have borne
:, il they had.
He was in very curious state
ell these days, absolutely unlike
his normal self. He had summoned
me into the library. soon after the
inquest and had said:
Now, please understand-I do
not want to talk about all this.
want everything connected with it
to be mentioned as little as pos
sible between us. want to ask
you to make all arrangements
about everything as far as possible
without consulting me at all about
them. shall be satisfied with
everything that you may arrange,
or II am not will let you know
but | would mucn rather that you
would do all without referri>g to
! me about 1t. want to put 1t away
from me as much as l can"
He said 1t in a hard, rather q
bitter voice, Just as unlike as could
be his usual kindly tones. His look
was fixed and firm and hard, too.
He seemed quite changed. But,
then, when he had said this almost
as II he were repeating a lesson
which he had taught himself to
say, he added, in much more
kindly way, please do not think
that l do not realize that ] am ask
ing a great deal of you in asking
you this-am putting good deal
on you. do realize 1t, and / shall
be ever so grateful to you II you
will do 1t. You do not know what
a lot you will be sparing me-"
This was very long speech for
Uncle Ralph, who was no great
ta,ker, and 1t was great unfold
ing Of himself, too, for he was not
at all good at explaining himself or
his actions even to himself. knew
the effort 1t must be to him, and so
appreciated II the more and, Of
course, promised to do all could
for him so far as 1t was in my
power. After all, It was only a lit
tie extension of what had always
done In the old times before Aunt
Enid had made her appearance, and
even in a large degree since.
II was few days after Uncle
Ralph had made this request to me
that Granger told me that Sergeant
Crisp would like to see me. ! had
seen him once or twice about the
grounds and in the house since the
inquest - instructions had been
given to the servants that he should
be allowed to come and go where
and as he liked-but had not
spoken to him. ".
We lived, during those days. un-
der police surveillance, as 1t were,
II was almost as II the place we're
not ours, but the Governments,
and we were more or less prison.
ers or interned lunatics. allowed