Connecticut western news., 1922-09-14
CHAPTER ".
MArrived Safe: We'll"

As the door closed behind Sherrill, Alan went over to the dresser and picked up the key which Sherrill had left. He put it, after a moment, on the ring with two or three other keys he had, and dropped them into his pocket; then he crossed to a chair and sat down.
 Sherrill had spoken Of the possibil- jity that something might have hap pened" to Corvet; but it was plain he did not believe he had met with actual violence. He had left it to Alan to ex- anime Corvet's house; but he had not urged Alan to examine it at once; he had left the time of the examination to be determined by Alan. This showed clearly that Sherrill believed perhaps had sufficient reason for be- lieving-that' Corvet had simply "gone away" Corvet, Sherrill had said, had married in 1889 But Sherrill in long knowledge of his friend, had shown firm conviction that there had been no mere vulgar liaison in Corvet's life. Did this mean that there might have been some previous marriage of Alan's father-some marriage which had strangely overlapped and nulli1ed his public marriage? In that case, Alan could be, not only in fact but legally, Corvet's son; and such things as this, Alan knew had sometimes happened, and had happened by a strange combi- nation of events, innocently for all parties. Corvet's public separation from his wife, Sherrill had said, had taken place in 1897, but the actual separation between them might, pos sibly, have taken place long before that. Hs ..
 The afternoon had changed swiftly into night; dusk had been gathering during his last talk with Sherrill, so that he hardly had been able to see \ sSherrill's face, and just after Sherrill had left him, full dark had come. Alan did not know how long he had been sitting In the darkness thinking out these things; but now a little clock which had been ticking steadily in the blackness tinkled six. Alan heard knock at his door, and when 1t was re- peated, he called. Come in."
 The light which came in from the a man servant. The man, after a re spectful inquiry, switched on the light, He crossed into the adjoining room a bedroom; the room where Alan was, he thought, must be a dressing room, and there was a bath between. Pres ently the man reappeared, and moved softly about the room, unpacking Alan's suitcase. He hung Alan's other suit in the closet on hangers; he put the linen, except for one shirt, in the dresser drawers, and he put Alan's few toilet things with the ivory backed brushes and comb and other articles on the dressing stand.
 Alan wondered, with sort of trepi- dation, whether the man would expect to stay and help him dress; but he only put the buttons in the clean shirt and reopened the dresser drawers and laid out a change of things.
 'T was to tell you, sir, MT. SherriM is sorry he cannot be at home to din ner tonight. Mrs. Sherril and Miss 5ACAAAh WAL OO AGANs 4~AAhN4 Ao eGb seven, sir"
 Alan dressed slowly, after the man had gone; and at one minute before seven he went downstairs.
 There was no one in the lower hall and, after an instant of irresolution and a glance into the empty drawing room, he turned into the small room at the opposite side of the hall. A handsome, stately, rather large wom- an, whom he found there, introduced herself to him formally as Mrs. Sher- Till. Her reserved, yet almost too casual acceptance of Alan's presence, told him that she knew all the par ticulars about himself which Sherrill had been able to give ;<and as Con stance came down the stairs and joined them half minute later, Alan was certain that she also knew.
 Dinner was announced, and they went into the great dining room, where the table with its linen, silly CT, and china Gleamed under shat ed