Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-10-21

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she carried the precious coronct IN her |
hands. She passed down the stairs, and |
he, thrilling with horror, ran along and
slipped behind the curtain near your
door, whence he could see what passed
in the hall beneath. He saw her stealthily
open the window, hand out the coronet
TO some one in the gloom, and then clos
ing it once more hurry back to her room,
passing quite close to where he stood
hid behind the curtain.
"As long as she was on the scene he
could not take any action without a
horrible exposure Of the woman whom
ne loved. But instant that she was gone
he realized how crushing misfortune
this would be for you, and how all-im-
portant it was to set it right. He rushed
down, Just as he was, in his bare feet,
opened the window sprang out into the
snow, and ran down the lane, where
he could see dark figure in the MOON
light. Sir George Burnwell tried to get
away, but Arthur caught him, and there
was struggle between them, your lad,
tupping Mt one side of the coronet
and his opponent at the other. In
the scufile, your son struck Sir George,
andc ut him over the eye. Then some
thing suddenly snapped, and your son,
finding that he had the coronet in his
hands. rushed back, closed the window,
assembled 10 vour room, and had Just
observed that the coronet had been twiste
in the struggle, and was endeavoring to
straightcn II when you appeared upon
the scene.
: "Is it possible?" gasped the banker.
, you then reused his anger by
calling him names at moment when
/ he felt that he had deserved your warm
r est thanks. He could not explain the
true state of affairs without betraying
, one who certainly deserved little enough
consideration at his hands. He took the
more chivalrous view, however, and pre-
served her secret"
: And that was why she shrieked and
T tainted when she saw the coronet,
cried MIR. Holder. ooh, my Godl what
5 n blind fool | have beenl And his asking
r 10 be allowed TO 90 out for five minutes
, The dear fellow wanted to see If the
missing piece were at the scene OF the
struggle. How cruelty have misludged
himr
5 "When arrived at the house." con-
? tinucd Holmes, 81 at once went very
carefully round it to observe If there We're
anv traces in the snow which might help
, me. knew that none had fallen since
the evening before, and also that there
|, had been a strong frost to preserve I'M
! pressions. | passed along the trades
. mems path. but found it all trahpled
down and indstin9uishable. Just beyond
i il. however. at the far side of the kitchen
5 door. n woman had stood and talked
r with a man, whose round impressions
on one side showed that he had wooden
leg. could even tell that they had been
disturbed, for the woman had run back
s swiftly to the door, ms was shown by
|. the deep toe and light heel marks,
4 while Wooden-leg had waited little,
$ and then had gone away. l thought at
q the time that this might be the maid and
@ her sweetheart of whom you had already
r spoken to me, and inquiry showed IL
; was so, ! passed round the. garden
without seeing anything more than ran
dom tracks, which ! took TO be the police;
: but when got into the stable lane very
n long and complex story was written IN
n the snow in front OF me-
? There was double line of tracks
I Of n booted man, and second double
d line which saw with delight belonged
|. TO man with naked feet. ! was at once
!, convinced from what you had told me
|. that the latter was your son. The trst
;. had walked both ways, but the other had
g run swiftly, and, as his tread was
@ marked in places over the depression OF
@ the boot, it was obvious that he had
4 passed after the other. / followed
: them up, and found that they led TO the
v hall window, where Boots had worn
all the snow away while waiting. lhen
I" | walked to the other end, which was
hundred yards or more down the lane.
4 I saw where Boots had faced round,
!. where the snow was cut up as though
q there had been a struggle and, hnally,
d where few drops of blood had fallen,
h To show me that / was not mistaken
S Boots had then run down the lane, AND
% another little smudge OF blood showed
d that il was he who had been hurt. When
!, he came TO the high-road at the Other
10 end, ] found that the pavement hac
II been cleared, so there was an end TO thai
n clew.
40 "On entering the house, however
ST / examined, as you remember, the sll
A and frame work Of the hall window with
~ my lens, and could at once see that som,
d one had ppassed out. could distinguish
1t the outline of an instep where the we
pr foot had been placed in coming In. wa!
ll tneu DeRlllluilR w NC aDic W ioih "a,
opinion as to what had occurred
a A man had waited outside the window
10 some one had brought the gems; th'
SIS deed had been overseen by your son
10 he had pursued the thief, had struggled
S with him, they had each tugged at tn
4 coronet, their united strength causing
40 injuries which neither alone could hav
N effected. He had returned with the prize
n but had left fragment IN the grasp o
,d his opponent So far / was clear. 1h
no question now was, who was the man
of and who was it brought him the coronet
"a ut IS an old maxim OF mine tha
when you have excluded the Impossible
whatever remains, however, improbable
, must be the truth. Now,I knew that
was not YOU who had brought it down
so there only remained your niece ant
the maids. But If it were the maids
why should your son allow himself to b'
I accused in their place? There could b'
Il no possible reason. As he loved HI
| cousin, however. there was an excellen
| explanation why he should retain he
| secret-the more so as the secret was
l disgraceful one When j remembered
that YOU had seen her at the window
1 and how she had tainted on seeing the
| coronet again, my conjecture became
| certainty.
And who could it be who was her
| confederate? A lover evidently, for