Evening star., 1924-03-02

earth on the heels Of these slippers;
| 1t is garden earth, and it is quite
| fresh.
The theory is against all expe-
rience of l,fe." Sir Henry went on;
but there are evidences: one enters
this house through a window prob
| ably fastened. through a door prob
| ably locked. opens a drawer In desk
| with a key which the dead woman
had hidden, and removes it's contents,
also SO noislessly that Count Andreas
| sleeping within q dozen steps, Is not
awakened. These slippers belonging
| to the dead countess have walked
before the window, but with only the
weight Of a phantom in them. How
shall We say that she has not been
here?"
The dead do not return. This will
have been done by some one OF my
wife's maids. who prepared for it in
advance by taking away with her the
key to these drawers and the slip
pers. The window has probably been
unfastened long time. and the door.
as I have said, was probably not
looked. 1t does not require a ghost
to 60 noiselessly about a robbery"
But one could see that the mans
logic did not convince even himself.
Sir Henry looked strangely at him.
'This was not the work Of any
mortal woman! Mortal women have
weight"
- - -. -
LIE advanced a step toward Count
Andreas, and his voice took on a
low. penetrating menace:
III show you that no living per-
son could have done this thing. will
you take that for an evidence OF
your dead wife's will IN this affair.
and release this bracelet to Miss
whitney-if I can find it,"
The Hungarian laughed. as in bra
vado.
YES" he said. 'ff you can find It."
'It is q bargain" Sir Henry said.
before q witness. and I accept 1t. As
Stunning. as theory. that the Count
ess Andreas WASH able to carry out her
threat, where should we look to find
these Jewels? Let us reflect"
He looked steadily at the man be-
fore him.
'The dead woman would be at this
work to remove these rubies from
your possession, and she would place
them where you would not look to
find them. Then, to find them we
must look in that place which you
have not searched"
He paused.
There IL only one place in this
room," he said, where you have not
looked; and you will agree with me
that no living person. on last night.
could have concealed the jewels in
that place."
He turned abruptly and indicated
the counts portrait fastened to the
wall by the great spider wed.
NO living person could remove
this frame without breaking that
web. and yet the Jewels are CON-
cealed in the old folded paper that
holds the bottom Of this frame out
q little from the WALL
Count Andreas made q swift stride
forward: but Sir Henry was before
him. He wrenched the folded paper
from under the frame and thrust It
into his pocket.
thought Count Andreas looked
about him for a weapon. Then the
menace fell from him, and he sat
down.
You are right" he said: "the dead
woman has been here"
"If any woman has been here" re-
piled Sir Henry Marquis.
Outside, on the path to the village.
with the priceless rubies in my hand,
I turned to Sir Henry Marquis.
did the dead woman come back
to carry out her threats?''
'Perhaps the dead woman carried
out her threats" he replied; "but
she did not come back to do It,"
count Andreas wished to be rid
Of your insistence. so he prepards
these false evidences to indicate that
q discharged maid had entered the
house and accomplished the robbery.
But he was q conspicuous bungler,
for all his care; the woman's foot.
prints which he made In the lowered
bed, by lying down on the turf and
pressing the countess slippers into
the soft earth with his hand. did not
show a print deep enough for the
weisht OF woman. OF course he
had the key to the desk drawer"
'But the spider web7" I cried, how