The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-06-13
The Mazaroff Mystery

Inn by James MuSgrave."
sit was Haneshaws that had 1t
when I was last here" murmured my
companion. "Dead and gone, no
doubt, all of them! And this man no
doubtful be Musgrave."
A man had appeared at the open
door, and was coming across the road
to us. He was middle-aged, good
looking fellow. Behind him came q
woman, sharp-featured, alert, quick
ly observing woman, who slipped past
the man and gained the side of our
car first. 1t was she who did the
talking.
"Good day, ma'am," said Mr.. Maza.
rolf. you'll be the landlady, no
doubt?-and this'll be your husband?
Aye, well now, we're thinking of
breaking our journey here for day
or two, perhaps for two or three, just
to look around this grand country Of
yours. You'll have accommodation?
"Oh, yes, indeed, sir!" answered
the woman, taking In the car and its
occupants with appraising eyes. "Since
this motoring became fashionable
we've a lot of custom, and we're pre-
pared for it. l think you'll find 1t
comfortable, sir" as she led the way
inside. "We've had customers here
that said they were sorry to leave it.
There's a sitting room here, sir, that
you can have all to yourselves"
She showed US into an old fashioned
parlor, snugly furnished with solid
old stuff, and lighted by tall, narrow
windows that looked out on the moor
and the hills: Mr.. Mazaroff, at the
mere sight of it, gave grunt Of
| pleased satisfaction.
"Aye, ayew he said. "This'll do
grandly-keep this room for me,
ma am, as long as we STOP Holt !"
he exclaimed, when he had conferred
with the landlady about dinner that
evening and she had left us to our
selves. "This is the sort of place I've
dreamed of, many and many a time
when I've been in places where there
wasn't the shade of q wall nor the
leaf of tree to creep under-a cool,
gray, sleepy, place where time seems
to stand still. l like this, Holland
we'll just have look round before
our dinner"
We went out to look round. 1t
needed small powers of observation
on my part to show me that Mr..
Mazaroff was as well acquainted with
this old wayside inn as it's landlord
and landlady were. | could see that
he knew every stone Of the ancient
buildings and every yard of their sur
rOundingS. There was walled gar
den at the side of the house: he wan
dered about it with the familiarity
of a man who has known a place init
mately. AS we were coming out Of it,
we saw Musgrave at its gate.
We had come up to the gate and
as Musgrave was about to open it,
two ladies came in view from behind
the high wall, walking along the half.
grass track by which we had motOred
during the last three or four miles of
our journey. Musgrave lifted his hat
as they glanced in our direction; each
gave him a nod and a smile as they
passed on before the front of the inn.
At one of them l merely looked: to
the other l gave more attention. She
was a girl Of possibly twenty-one or
two years, brown-haired, ligbt-colOred,
slim and graceful in her country coat
and skirt, distractingly pretty, as
could see in that brief glance; the
other was tall, handsome woman of
middle age, somewhat stern and cold
in manner, despite the gracious re-
Spouse which she made to the land
lords civil greeting. From their dress
and appearance these were evidently
folk Of consequence.
l glanced at Mr.. Mazaroff as the
ladies disappeared. He was gazing
after them, it seemed to me with I'M
usual attention.
"Neighbors of yours?" he asked
suddenly, turning to Musgrave.
"That's Mrs. Elphinstone,N sir, of
Marrasdale tower" replied the land
lord. "That's the big old house across
the moor. Used to belong to Sir
Richard Cotgreave, did Marrasdale
tOwer-been in that family hundreds of
years, by all accounts. When Sir
Richard died, few years since, this
Mr.. EIphinstone bought the place and
came to live here: most of the land
hereabouts is his"
"Mrs. Elphinstone, en-" said Mr..
Mazaroff. sand the young lady?-
Miss Elphinstone, of course"
mo, sir" replied Musgrave. "The
young lady is Miss Merchison-Miss
Sheila, as we all call her. Mrs. FL
phinstone's daughter by a previous
marriage, sir"
l fancied l detected renewed inter-
est in the expression of Mr.. Maza-
roff's face during this explanation.
But he was good hand at concealing
his thoughts, and he turned and
waved his hand toward the wide pros
pect before us.
$50 Mr.. Elphinstone Of Marrasdale
tower owns most of what we see?" he
suggested.
swell, not what you might call
most, sir" replied Musgrave. Those
moors to the south and east, sir, High
Cap moors, they belong to a London
gentleman, Mr.. Werner CourthOpe, a
banker. He's got shooting box right
in the middle of 'em-High Cap lodge
they call it-and he's there now, with
a small shooting party.
With occasional bits of gossip of
this sort, out first evening at the
Woodcock went off very pleasantly.
l wondered what we were going to do
with ourselves next day in so solitary
a place. But Mr.. Mazaroff, it seemed.
had notions of his own, which he
loix,