Evening star., 1924-03-02
- IR HENRY MARQUIS, chief G

80
- q monograph on this case. H
said we were accustomed to believ
that the dead were impotent in hui
man affairs, but it was a thing o
which no man could be certain. Hov
could we know whether the power o
those gone out Of sight and hearin,
waxed or waned or ceased, or by wha
means or in what manner they nigh
be able to move the living to thei
will. He said this case Profound.
interested him.
X X X
WE stopped in the pine woods t
listen. The music seemed t
I'LL the world. 1t was low and soft
a sort Of vague, elf1n music, appear
ing as by some enchantment.
There was this strange quality ii
it--that 1t appeared to emerge from
the wood itself.
stopped beside Sir Henry MarQui.
on the path. Behind us was the vii.
lage and it's inn, where we had gone
for luncheon at the end of our motol
Journey from London that morning
And before us, at the end of the path
through the wood, was the lovely
artistic house that my fathers wife
had built here for this romantic mar.
riage after my fathers death. Now
that she, too, was dead, it remained
in the possession of this Hungarian
fiddler.
When one considered the man
alone, when one looked coolly at him.
1t was past belief that my step
mother should have been SO infatu-
ated with the Count Andreas. II
must have been this music that had
entranced the woman. Out Of the
spell of it she seemed to be also out
OF the spell of this strange creature
For when she lay dying in her Lon.
don house she expressed the wish
that a bracelet of Burma rubies In
the counts possession should be given
to me. And when her solicitor
pointed out that her verbal wish
could have no effect against the
counts resistance she said: II will
return and make him do it!''
Count Andreas would make no re-
ply to my solicitors And so on this
morning l went with Sir Henry Mar.
ouis. chief OF the criminal investiga-
tion department Of Scotland Yard, to
ties Of justice were on my side. The
;, rubies had come from my American
mother. had been passed on by my
father to his second wife, and now.
by operation of the English law, this
Hungarian fiddler took them.
had gone from my solicitor to Sir
Henry Marquis, for he had known my
mother in the old days and remained
= friend. He promised to help me.
I'VE shall go down and see this
Count Andreas. I know something of
him"
And SO we had come down on this
August morning. We could see the
grass terrace before the house. for
the house stood on a shelf of the
moor--a space had been cut out Of
the pine woods for it-and this green
terrace. flanked by the woods on
either side, and the house behind,
looked down on the sea. 1t was zoo
feet above, but one could have cast
stone into the water. The brow Of
the moor here dropped like a plum
met into the ocean.
The music came from the terrace.
We could see a man walking about
on 1t, a violin at his shoulder, his
bow hand flying. And in the glamour
Of the melodies he was a sylvan crea-
ture, but when he stepped out Of 1t
he was the Hungarian fiddler.
He stepped out OF it as we came
Up. but he was a very clever person,
carefully dressed and with a suave
demeauor.
1T is Sir Henry Marquis" he said,
"and Miss Sarah Whitney. am hon
ored."
Then he spoke directly to Sir
Henry Marquis.
you arrive quickly. Ny telegram
to Scotland Yard could not have
reached London before an hour Of
noon."
caught the fieeting evidence of
surprise in Sir Henry's face, but
there was no surprise in his voice or
manner. He had not journeyed here
at the call of any telegram from the
count to Scotland Yard, but his pro-
fession was not one permitting of
surprises. 1 wondered what Delphic
answer he could make.
what are the details Of this mat
ter?" he said.
It was a key that would fit any
lock.
THE count put his violin down care
fully on stone seat and. went
with US toward a window on the first
floor OF the house on the farther side.
The house sat parallel with the'ter-
race in it's longest direction. There
was hall in the center and a stair
way going up, and on one side the
drawing room, with the dining room
on the opposite side across the hall.
It was not a large house. but it was
beautifully designed, and its fur
nishings were artistic
=. But Count Andreas did not 60 on
directly to the window. He stopped.
'1t was all very cleverly DONE"
he said. There was no sound. I am
puzzled to know II the woman was
alone or had an accomplice."
''were you alone in the house?'
Again it was a key for any lock,
for he did not know what was before
him ana whether IL had happened in
the night or day, or. In fact. what It
was in which 4 woman had been con-
carned.
II am very careless,' Andreas said;
I sleep here alone. The servants como
out from the vtllag1 Of a morning,
but I have no fear"
1T is very dangerous" said Sir
Henry. ITO have no fear"
. ~ an not 4 practical man.. said
the count, cor else would have
taken my wifs's Jewels to London
and . bank vault: but wished her
room IN this house e. remain ~ she
VT 4t-aothtaS haA bssa changed Or