Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-05
The Wrist
Mark
By
]. S. Fletcher
Alliance and Mrcpoitan


CnmR else, ne covered us lower parts
and went up to the magistrates bench
and to the exact spot at which he had
last seen Sanderson. Standing there,
he examined his surroundings.
There were heavy curtains behind the
bench, which was really raised plat
form running across the whole length
Of one end Of the big room and having
In its center a sort of dais, on which
was set a massive chair for the use of
the presiding magistrate. Lifting the
curtains as he went along, Johnson
found that they concealed two doors,
both unlocked. He passed through that
on the left-hand side of the chair first
and found himself in short passage
which led to what was obviously the
magistrates room.
From that room another door and
another passage led to short rignt
of steps which terminated at door
that quite evidently opened on side
street. That, Of course, was the mag
istrates' private entrance, and interested
johnson no further-SanderSon had not
left the court that wayl He turned
back, along the bench again, and OPEN
ed the other door, to perceive at once
that 1t led into part OF the oio piace
which was obviously of an earlier date
Of architecture than the rest. Here was
old masonry; q winding stairway ana
evidences of antiquity missing from the
front regions which, no doubt, had
been built on at a later date. Ana TINS
part as johnson knew from the care
full observation he had made OUTSIDE
adjoined and was indeed actualiy puC-
tressed against the great keep OF the
castle.
He turned into one room after an.
other without seeing anything beyond
old furniture, shelves piled high WITH
municipal archives and the like before
giving his attention to the winding stair.
That went high in the building. 1t
brought him out at last on top OF
small turret tower, around the curve OF
which ran a fairly high battlemented
wall, and as he emerged on its loaded
roof johnson saw what he had had
some idea of seeing. The turret on one
side actually adjoined the wall of the
keep and between turret and keep was
narrow passage terminating in stout
oaken door heavily studded with Dig
square headed nails.
Probably because it was there, imme-
diately before him, ready to his fingers,
johnson tried the great iron ring that
| formed a handle to that door but he
knew before ever he laid a hand to 1t
that the door would be locked. OF
course But there would be q key to
1t somewhere, and doubtless Sanderson
knew where that key was to be had
/ anu IldQ DIONluCO AlAhAloCiA WIN Az Az
now Johnson felt as certain as man
can be certain of anything that this
was how Sanderson, and perhaps Hew-
! lit, too had got away unobServed from
| the Magistrates Court far below. He
had slipped behind the heavy velvet
curtains when no one was looking made
his way up the winding stair, across
the leads of the turret and through
that door into the castle. So-the
castle had it's hooks and corners next
johnson got out of the town hall as
easily and secretly as he had entered
it and went round by side street
to the gateway of the castle. In the
lower room of the gateway the GUS
todian and his wife, their door wide
open, were seated at breakfast. The
smell of eggs and bacon met john
sons nostrils as he turned in at the
great Norman arch. They stared at
him in surprise when he poked his head
into the ROOM but the custodian rec
ognized him as one OF the gentlemen
staying at the Castle Hotel and hustled
to His feet
Don't disturb yourself" said john
son. Il just wanted to know II l could
go up the keep. hear there's grand
view from there and it's a particularly
bright morning"
The custodian his mouth full of
bacon replied that johnson could go
where he liked: everything was open.
And johnson began the climb, and
climbed and climbed, and at last came
out on the other side of the door. That
was the door! oh, yes. that was the
door the opposite side of which he had
already inspected He pictured San
derson, spurred to flight by the sudden
appearance of AnStie, coming through
| it into the safety and silence of the
massive keep and pausing there to
think as to the next stage. And-what
would that be?
He leaned out of one of the neigh
boring embrasureS and looked down at
the buildings beneath him. The keep
of the castle, in which he was now
planted, stood at its northwest corner.
From its foot the curtain walls spread
away at right angles. The great quad
rangle, of which they formed two sides,
was of vast extent. The various parts
of the old fortress, still existent, formed
continuous lines within the curtain
walls and here and there overlapped
] them. At the further end walls and
buildings overlapped the high, scarped
mount on which its founders had built
tNiS stronghold. At the foot of the
mound ran the river. Beyond the river,
SO shallow that q child could cross 1t
anywhere, hung thick woods. Above
the woods stretched the moorS, vast
solitudes. What easier than for a man,
or men, to make a way through the
ruins of the castle, across the river,
through the, woods and on to the
moorS?
That's been the way of til" muttered
johnson. And there are places in
these moorS in which man might hide
himself for monthsl"
He went back to the hotel on that,
planning and scheming. He was silent
at breakfast as he had been at dinner
the night before, but when breakfast
was over he got Engleden aside and
after telling him of his interview with
John Oates on the previous afternoon
and of his investigations that morning
came to point.
you'll have to do what I felt must
| be done all along" he said, land that's
offer a substantial rewardl There
are people here who know something
and they've got to be bought"