The St. Mary banner., 1921-02-19

hllc" HIS JetlOuSS VI al tilul, but " III
could have dreamed 1t would lead him
to this,"
Don't, mother beg" implored the
girl whom Sewer had called MOyra.
'He can't be guilty. And whatever
may be the truth, 1t is cruel of you
to prejudice the Captain against him. y
Mrs. Ransome flashed reproach ut
her. "It is you who are cruel to de-
fend Arthur's murderer" she ex-
claimed. Listen, Captain Bruce" she
impetuously went on, Anthony Sc
vier inherits Arthur's money, should
| Arthur die unmarried. The fortune
was left In that way by their uncle
! Anthony himself got bare pittance.
Besides Eyes, will tell, Moyra-it is
my duty to speak), Arthur Trefusis
and my daughter were to have been
married month from now in England
at the house Of that uncle's sister,
who promised to leave more money to
him If the wedding should take place
at her home.
"As for Anthony, he has always
cared for Moyra; though it was i'm
possible | should ever have allowed
her to become the wife of such q
ne'er-do-wel.
Late in the afternoon 1 went to the
staterOom where the murdered man
lay, and shut myself in. Locking the
door, l turned on the electric light.
which Illuminated every corner of the
room.
AS I questioned myself, lifted the
bath-robeS with the other clothing on
the wall and put myself behind them.
AT once a faint but agreeable perfume
was perceptible to my nostrils.
Slowly l took down the garments
which seemed more strongly saturated
with the perfume than the others. and
then-Suddenly | gave vent to a slight
exclamation. A hairpain was sticking
in the loosely woven meshes of the
Turkish toweling of which the robe
was made as though it had, in close
contact. been dragged from wOman's
hair.
Miss Ransome's hair was brown.
We carried two stewardesses on the
Canada, and lost no time, on leaving
the room of the dead, in going first to
one, and then to the other.
After dinner the stewardesses came
to me in my cabin. There was a long
array Of hairpins arranged according
to my order.
/ could hardly control my excite |
ment as my eye lighted on the mate to
the hairpin 1 had concealed in my |
pocket. drew 1t from the paper 1t,
too. was scented.
"No 51," l read aloud from the card |
underneath.
''lou can go, and let me impress 1t |
upon YOU again that not whisper is
to Z" around about this. on pain of in
stani Dismissal" I said.
In Il moment I was alone. In an
Other | had found the name of the
wo:":2n who occupied No. 81 1t was
the next stateroOm but one to that in
which the murder had been COM
mitled. and the name of its inmate
WAS Mrs. Rochester, of Quebec. The
RanSomes, Trefusis and Sewer had all
come from Montreal.
i went out on deck. l had the good
uck to find Mrs. Rochester alone
She started and looked around as l
and took up position be-
side her.
"Will you allow me to offer you q
penny Cor your thoughts?" / inquired.
"They are worth more than that"
she answered in a low voice.
you are right Mrs. Rochester," l
said, "but l believe that l can guess
that you are thinking of last night;
living over again the time when you
stole into stateroom 40. picked up
knife which lay there, hid behind the
hanging on the wall, waited
for Mr.. Arthur Trefusis to come in,
and then, when you saw him at your
mercy, struck"
For Heavens sake!" she uttered
hickly. For Heavens sake!"
Her voice broke, she reeled, and
would have fallen in dead faint had
not caught her across my arm.
Later l had all the truth from her
md from Anthony Sewer, who would
lot have spoken out his suspicious
had she not been detected) for fear
If screening himself by wronging the
innocent.
Trefusis had known her in Quebec,
7recked her life and married happi-
less, and promised to marry her If
Ter husband should die. She had
leard of his approaching union with 7
lis cousin, and had followed him on
,Oard the Canada.
The rest was easy to understand +
Nhe unfortunate and guilty woman s