The East Riding Telegraph. — 1903-03-14 (Beverley, Humberside, England)

SYNOPSIS. Being at the point of death, Dr. Follett, an eccentric old physician, living in seclusion near Andover, summons his only daughter Nancy to his bedside. Recalling to her the tragedy of their lives—the murderer of her brother Anthony, . . . . .  who had been shot in a Paris cafe by an unktioNCii , man who is only to be identified by a peculiar mark on his lip—he commands her to take up his lifework, and, with the help of Crossley, the  detective he has employed, continue the search for the murderer. He then confides to her care  a small sealed box, with instructions to keep it  until the supreme moment comes. Meanwhile, Adrian Rowton, Nancy's lover, and the owner of a neighbouring shooting-box, the Bungalow, arrives home unexpectedly. On the morning following her father's death, Nancy tells him that 1 she is burdened with a terrible secret, and that she can never become his wife, but Adrian de.  clares that he will marry her in spite of all. At the Bungalow Rowton receives a visitor, a Mr. Scrivener, who informs him that he brings a commission from one Long John, or Piper, in London, for him to go abroad on pressing business. Rowton, however, announcing his approaching marriage, refuses to go. Some weeks later, Adrian and Nancy are married. On their return from the honeymoon Adrian takes his wife to Rowton Heights, his Yorkshire home near Pitstow, where he surprises her by his display of wealth. Here Nancy makes the acquaintance of Murray Cameron, Rowton's little nephew. In response to an urgent summons from Long John, Rowton soon after pays a flying visit to town, where, in a house in a low neighbourhood of Chelsea, he is welcomed by a band of men as " Silver." Having received orders from their chief, he shortly sets off on one of his mysterious journeys, leaving Nancy in the care of an old friend, Lady Georgina Strong. On the evening after his departure, Nancy receives a visit from Crossley, the detective. His investigations have now brought him close upoa the discovery of Anthony's murderer, but complications arise which lead him to persuade Nancy to discontinue the search. Finding her obdurate the detective goes on to tell of an important clue he has obtained consequent on his arrest of a man belonging to a notorious gang of burglars, now very active in thc neighbourhood. In this man's possession he had discovered a paper in cypher similar to one that had been found by her dead brother's side in Paris. His suspicions having been directed to Rowton Heights, a member of his staff, Jacob Short, is stationed as a  footman in the. house. About a month later Rowland returns to England with a big haul of diamonds. Reporting the success of his mission at a meeting of the " Silver School," as the band of thieves with which he is associated is known, he is much disturbed to find that Long John has designs upon Murray. Determined to keep the boy out of the other's hands, Rowton rejoins Nancy and begins preparations to celebrate his home-coming by a ' house-warming." On the night of the ball Murray is kidnapped by Scrivener. his absence, however, is not discovered till the morning, when it is also found that the house has been broken into. Among the plate and jewellery stolen is a costly black diamond that Rowton had been commissioned by ,Long John to sell abroad. While aware that the burglary has been committed as a " blind " to divert suspicion from the Heights. Rowton recognises that Long John has at the same time gone a step too far and carried out his plans with regard to Murray. He at once sends a peremptory letter to his chief. and some hours later himself sets off for London. On the top of these events comes a note from Crossley, summoning Nancy hastily to town. The detective has now, with Jacob Short's 1 assistance, brought, his investigations to a satisfactory issue and identifies Rolston, by means of the cypher he employs, with the leader of the I" Silver School" and the murderer of Anthony IFollett. Nancy treats his announcement with scorn, and determines to refute his theory by satisfying herself that Adrian's lip is undisfigured with the mark.