Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-10-26

Sherlock Holmes seemed to be en-
barrassed by the question. Frankly,
nowP' she repeated, standing upon
the rug and looking keenly down at
him as he leaned back in basket
chair.
Frankly, then, madam, I do not"
'You think that he is dead2'
81 do"
"MurderedY
'I don't say that. Perhaps"
"And on what day he met his
.death?"
"On Monday"
"Then perhaps, Mr.. Holmes, yyu
will be good enough to explain how
it is that / have received letter from
him today"
Sherlock Holmes sprang out of his
chair as if he had been galvanized.
= "Whatp he roared.
eyes, today" She stood smiling,
holding up q little slip of paper in
the air.
MAY l see it?"
Certainly
He snatched it from her in his eager
ness, and smoothing it out upon the
table, he drew over the lamp, and ex-
amined 1t intently. had left my chair,
and was gazing at it over his shoulder
The envelope was very coarse ono,
and was stamped with the Gravesend
post-mark, and with the date of that
very day, or rather of the day before,
for it was considerably after midnight,
Coarse writing" murmured Holmes.
Surely this is not your husbands writ
ing, madam"
mo, but the enclosure is"
II perceive also that whoever ad-
dressed the envelope had to go and
inquire as to the address"
How can you tell that?'
"The name, you see, is in perfectly
black ink, which has dried itself. The
rest is of the grayish color, which shows
that blotting-paper has been used. II it
had been written straight off, and then
blotted, none would be Of a deep black
shade. This man has written name, anC
there has then been q pause before hC
wrote the address, which can only near
that he was not familiar with it. II
is, Of course, n triie, but there is nothing
so important as trides. Let us now
see the letter. Hal there has been ar
enclosure hereW
YES there was ring. His signet
! ring"
"And you are sure that this is youl
husbands hsnd?s
zone of his hands"
"One2"
Ills hand when he wrote hurriedly
, 1t is very unlike his usual writing, anC
yet know it we'll"
q" Dearest do not be frightened. Al
will come well. There is huge erro
which it may take some little time e
rectiiy. Wait in patient.-Neville.
Written in pencil upon the fly-leaf of {
book, octave size, no water-mark, Hum
, Posted today in Gravesend by maj
with a dirty thumb Hal And the flap
has been gllmmod, if | ar9 not yer,
, much in error, by person who hadbeeI
chewing tobacco. And you have NJ
doubt that it is your husbands hand
madam"
None. Neville wrote those words.
And they were posted today a
| Graesend. Well, Mrs. st. Clair tn
, clouds tighten, though / should no
r venture to say that the danger is over.
: ''But he must be alive, Mr.. Holmes.
e 'Unless this is a clever forgery 4
/ put us on the wrong scent. The ring
after ALL proves nothing. 1t may hav
/. been taken from him"
e mo, no.. it is, it is his very ow
a writingp'
q Very we'll. It may, however, hav
: been written on Monday, and onl
posted today"
That is possible"
"If so, much may have happene
between"
'Oh, you must not discourage nj
e Mr.. Holmes. know that all is we
j with him. There is so keen a sympath
between us that / should know if ev
!. came upon him. On the very day tn,
g l saw him last he cut himself in the bee
Y room, and yet ! in the dining-rool
e rushed upstairs instantly with the utmo!
q certainty that something had happened
Do you think that l would respond {