Evening journal., 1922-04-18
Continued From Our Last Issue
CHAPTER "


Hapgood had said 10 his friend Of
the effect on Sabre of Mabel's ac-
ton against him; He's crashed.
The roofs fallen in on him And
that had been Sabre's own belief.
But ii was not so. There are de-
grees Of calamity. Dumfounded.
stunned, aghast, Sabre would not
have believed that conspiracy against
him of all the powers Of darkness
could conceivably worsen his plight
They had shot their bolt. He was
stricken amaln.
But they had not shot their bolt.
The roof had not yet fallen on him.
The timbers Of the superstructure
had but bent and cracked and
groaned
The bolt was shot, the roof
crashed in. the four sides of his
world tottered and collapsed upon
HIM, with the words spoken TO Sabre
by that man who approached and
took him aside while he stood to
take leave of Hapgood.
The man said. Il daresay you
know me by sight, Mr.. sabre. I'm
the coroner's officer at Tidborough.
You're rather wanted down there.
The fact is that young woman that's
been living with you's been found
dead"
sabre's face took then the strange
and awful hue that Hapgood had
marked upon IT,
Found dead? Found dead
where?"
I'm your house. Mr.. Sabre. And
her baby. dead with her"
Found dead? Found dead2 Eff
fie? And her baby? Found dead
Oh, dear God Catch hold
of my arm a minute. All right, let
me go. Found dead? What d'you
mean. found dead?"
There's to be an inquest tomor-
row. That's what you're wanted
for"
Inquest? Inquest?" sabre's
speech was thick He knew II was
thick. His tongue felt enormously
too big for his mouth He could not
control It properly. He felt that all
his limbs and members were swollen
and ponderous and out OF his con
troll. Inquest? Found dead? In
quest? Found dead? Goo God
can't you tell me something"
The man said. Il say that's for the
coroner And least you say best. sir
II you understand me. Looks as Il
the young woman took poison. OK.
alic acid"
"Oxalic acidl"
They went TO the cab.
II
In the morning, in the mortuar,
adjoining the coroner's court. hi
mind suddenly and with shock mos
terrible made contact with the cal
amity II had pursued.
In the mortuary
When he arrived and alighte
from his cab he found a small crow
OF persons assembled about the var
of the court. Someone said. "Ther
he isl" Someone said, That's him
A kind of threatening murmur wer
up from the people. What was tn
matter? What were they lookin
at? He seemed to be wedge
among a mass of dark and rattle
beastly faces breathing close TO hi
own. He could not get on. II
was being pushed. He was cause
to stagger. He said, Look on
I've got a game leg" That threat
ening sort of murmur arose NOR
loudly in answer TO his word
Someone somewhere threw a piec
of orange peel at someone. II a
most hit his face. What was up
What were they all doing7
At the door OF the court sabr
looked across to where on the otht
side of the yard some men wer
shuhiing out OF detached building
The coroner's officer said, "Jur.
They've been viewing the corpse"
"Corpsel" the rough word Stable
through his numbness. He though
''Corpsei Viewing the corpsel Al
scene and horrible phasel Corpse
Emei" He made movement 1
that direction.
The man said, Yes, perhaps you
better"
He was against a glass screeI
misty with breaths OF those who ma
stared and peered through Il. Tn
policeman wiped his sleeve acros
the glass. There you are"
All. Now suddenl
and with shock most terrible. h
mind made contact with that whic
II had pursued. II had CROPPED as
dark room with outstretche
hands Now, suddenly and wit
shock most terrible. II was as
those cropping hands had touched
the darkness a face.