Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-01-16


perfectly frank with me-"
Once more she inclined her head.
Il desire only to aid In discovering
the truth"
odeil eyed her with growing In
tercst. and the consciousness OF hay-
Ing seen her somewhere at some mast
time incrcascd.& Her diction was SUI
perior to that usually encountered
in one in her position, and her bear
| ing, although perfectly respectful
suggested certain dignity equally
Incompatible.
! when did you first learn OF the
discovery OF Mr.. Chalmers body last
week."
| when MIR. Lorne called me to at
| tend Mecs Meade after he had led her
down from the room of poor Mr..
Chalmers. But knew there was
trouble terrible trouble before that.
sir. when NJ. Lorne sent the butler.
Peters, up TO call the young gentle
man.
where were you at tho timc?"
I'm the room OF Mccs Cissic. She
had just had her coffee and was pre-
pairing TO get UP. We heard Peters
pass the door and then come stunb-
ling down. crying out in a chokcd.
| frightened way. Mecs Cissic wanted
me to go and find out what had hap
pcncd. but 1 could not. sir. The
strength left me. and / sank down
into chair. We heard MIR Lornc
Eo up and Mr.. Gene. but Noes Meade
walks so softly that We did not know
when she passed the door. was
still there In that chair when SIR.
| Lorne called to me"
You remained in attendance on
the ladies' all the morning" Odcll's
] questions were becoming as mcchani.
cal as tho replies. lilo could not force
the woman's personality into sec
ondar! place. ana the sense OF in
conErUity still prevailed.
with Mccs Meade until she had
recovered her composurc. sir. After
ward with Noes cIssie. who was hys-
tcr!cal. 1t was lunch time before ]
descended 10 the servants dining
room in the basement"
"Gcrda. when WAS IL that YOU frs,
heard talk among the servants that
there was something queer abou,
these two deaths so close together -
| Something queer sirc" she re-
peatcd ''Do YOU mean that il might
be Il curse or fate or some strange
mystery"
odeli nodded.
They were all discussing IL when
I entered the dining-room for lunch.
sir: Peters and Marcelle. the cook. and
Jane. They said il was not natural"
She broke of with shrug. You
must know tho usual gossip Of tho
of our kind. sir. And It's not TO be
wondered at. Two deaths in a month
in the same house and both from ac-
cidcnt: 1t is enough 10 make any one
afraid to stay here"
She had retrieved her mistake. but
added another To i, by too obviously
straining for effect.
! For second Sergeant Odell looked
iiXcdly at Gerda. whom he was uucs-
,!oninS regarding the mysterious
| deaths.
You yourself did no, take any
stock in their superstitious fears. did
you"' He deliberately adopted a
more familiar tone and she as in
stinctivcly withdrew from IT,
Il felt uneasy. nervous. but I am
not Supcrstit!ous. sir"
Again that foreign little shrug.
Il don't know. sir. Perhaps the
| gloom that hung over the house, the
sorrow"
Did you hear anything last night?
| Any sudden noise?"
Yes, sir. went to bed quite
| early. but was still awake when
l heard faint crash far below. We
morning Peters told us Of the picture
that fell down. But that was after
the accident to Mr.. Lornc."
AT what time did Peters leave the
house?"
Il don't know. sir. but it must have
been before 0. He slipped away
| while the doctor was here attending
| TO Mr.. Lorne, and none of us saw
| him go. He didn't say a word t.
| anybody. but just walked out: his
| things are all here in his ROOM Jane
| says. lie was the most frightened
OF MS all this week and kept saying
| that we would be murdered in our
| beds. but l don't think he meant il.
| he didn't exactly know what he was
| afraid Of"
She was forcing the volubility.
Odell could see; anu gradually the
look of anticipation was fading from
| her eyes. Could IL be that he had
actually seen her somewhere before:
that she had recognized him and
waited for the recognition to he mu-
tual? He determined to throw out II
! feeier.
"Gcrda. where did you work before
coming here
|
| Nowhere. That is. had been i'll
for "a very long time" She hcsi-
tatcd, but the eager look had come
back into her eyes. Before. that
had been maid for a lady here in
town for some years"
".Who was She
The answer came slowly with a
courteous. studied evenness OF tone.
~ Madame Gael"
Not Mrs. Quincy Gael. who was
dvorccd?"
YES. sir. But the divorce came
later. after L had been taken i'll and
gone away
did you ever see or hear Of