Evening star., 1924-03-26
fcuoyrirAt 1923, by Norman Renington Osapany

wholly depends on what you do
KNOW
Il know next to nothing" said Mrs
Renton. And I'm utterly confused
about what / do know. Everything
was 500 very strange.
1 What was it that was stranger"
asked Smith.
|conduct-her--oh, it was all strange!
replied Mrs. Renton Il didn't and
don't understand 1t at all. Perhaps
I'd better explain. You see, L ar
days. whenever 1 come to town 1
ALWAYS stay at Claridge's, and the day
,before l come / send line to the
lpspers--the Times, Morning Post,
Telegraph. you know-saying that
am staying at Claridge's for so long.
That let's my friends know I'm In
jtown and saves me a lot of trouble.
OF course. / sent the usual notice to
the papers when ! came up the other
day. And / suppose that's how Miss
Brock got to know that | was at
;Claridge's, you know. Anyhow. dur
ling the first afternoon l was there
got a note from her, asking me to go
and see her that evening"
| You haven't got that note, of
course, Mrs. Renton?" inquired Smith.
! Mrs Renton Immediately unclasped
her bag.
''oh, but Of course have" she an
1
: She threw "A much-crumpled sheet
of cheap notepaper on the table, and
Smith picked it up and drew the at
itention of the other three men TO 1t
lit was dated from Laburnum Terrace
and bore traces of having been hur-
riedly written.
Dear Mrs. Renton: l learn from
the paper that you are staying at
Claridge's Hotel l should be so CRATE
full to you if you would come and see
me at the above address this evening
about $3.50 o'clock. l am sorry to
trouble you,. but l am sure you will
come when / tell you that l am in
very great trouble.
| SOPHIA BROCK"
| That's Miss Brooks writing, 1 sup
pose, Tress?" asked Smith. You
know it?'
| "Oh, that's her writing all right"
it's hers"
Smith handed the note back.
| so you wen There, Mrs. Renton:
he remarked.
evening, l did CO." replied Mrs Rem
lton. II certainly thought il a strange
request, and l couldn't think why 1t
was particularly made TO me, nor why
Miss Brock couldn't come to my hotel.
But I'm not without a certain amount
of curiosity, and as l thought that
Miss Brock had run away from your
house. Mr.. Tress, because OF that
Kesteven affair, I-well, 1 went. l
dined early on purpose, and l drove
to this place Immediately after din
ner And when Il got there and saw
Miss Brock, was more mystified than
ever
| "Now, why, exactly?" asked Smith,
who was following every word with
great attention. What particularly
| excited your astonishment?"
Because of Miss Brooks manner
and what she ssid-or didn't say-and
her behavior-and everything" re-
piled Mrs Renton. She seemed as if
She didn't quite know what she was
doing. She didn't, or couldn't. tell me
what the trouble was to which she
jointedly; she was perpetually going
to the window and looking out on the
street,
"As if she expected somebody, eh?"
interrupted Smith.
| Il don't know whether she expected
anybody or not" said Mrs. Renton.
q only know what she did, and that
she was restless and uneasy. And in
the middle of it all telegram came
"Ah!" exclaimed Smith. He glanced
knowingly at Hextall. Yes" he went
| on, turning again to Mrs. Renton. "A
| telegram, Ell? And what then? She
read it, Of course, in your presence"
burned it in my presence" answered
Mrs Renton There was a bedroom
candle standing on sideboard in her
sitting room, and she lighted 1t and
burned the telegram before me as
soon as she'd read it And then she
said-I give you her words as near as
can remember them-'Oh, Mrs. Rem
ton. I can't talk or tell you anything
let me come and see you in a day or
two?' AND I saw that she was so
upset about something that L went
there and then"
yAnd-that's a1l?- asked Smith, with
a keen glance at the narrator.
"All!" replied Mrs. Renton, with de-
cisive promptitude. II left without
hearing why she wanted me, or what
was the matter. or-or anything. And
neither saw her, nor heard of her. un-
til bought a newspaper about noon to-
day and learned that her body had
been found. And now, really, Mr.
Smith, what would you advise me to
dor
Smith appeared to consider this
question; the others silently and idly
watched him-with the exception of
Styler, who quietly scribbled line
on a scrap of paper and unobtrusively
pushed il along the table under his
masters notice.
"Well, that question requires some
thinking over, Mrs. Renton," said
Smith at last. "And before l answer
III IL,
two. Did you know Miss Brock at all
well?"
II" exclaimed Mrs. Renton in evil
dent surprise Dear me, no, How
should 1 know her? 1 met her at Mr..
Tress' house-now and then. Once or
twice l met her on the roads near
Lynne Court, or in the village at
Lynne, when she had Mr.. Tress' little
brother with her. No, 1 didn't know
| the poor thing at all-beyond that"
so that there was no reason, that
you can think of, why she should ap
peal to you?" suggested Smith.
None! That made me so surprised.
And" added Mrs. Renton, thought
fully, "all the more astonished when.
having appealed to me, and I having
responded, she seem to have nothing
to tell me on my going to her. In
fact, I was thoroughly mystified,
amazed, by the whole affair"
Just So said Smith. Now, have
you told all this to any one beyond
ourselves? Mentioned it to anybody,
7, eh ?-anybody at ALP"
Yes, I have" replied Mrs. Renton.
| '1 mentioned it to my brother, Maj
Esmondhaugh, when I was lunching
|fC0T,DS THAT 0