The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1913-09-06 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

AONOW.  CHAP= XXIII.-CONTINttIiM.  Even Dr. Adams was impressed by Felicity's proud bearing as she swept past him. She was as white as a snowflake, certainly, but her courage kept her up, and he admired her on account of this courage. But he was quite certain that she had planned and committed a most cruel and wicked murder. Like the snake in the fable she had bit at the hand that fed her—played the poisonous part. Still, she had grit in her, this slight, fair gift, and she was proving that now. He began to talk about Felicity after he had made his way to the drawing-room, where a patient awaited his serrices— the tall, lean solicitor who had turned eo faint and had been quite unable to be present at the inquest—end Dr. Adams assured Pleydell that he was not at all surprised that he had suddenly felt so ill and upset. The whole ease was a peculiarly painful one, -and it was frightful— absolutely frightful—to think that a young girl like Miss Harwood could have , conceived and carried out such a terrible crime, for, of course, all the evidence pointed to Miss Harwood having murdered her friend. The COroner had practically charged her with the murder. Pleydell started when Dr. Adams got so far in his narrative. He sat boltupright in his chair and made an odd, rasping sound in his throat, and the doctor glanced at him- with a certain amount of professional interest. "I'm afraid you are not feeling very well, Mr. Pleydell. The fainting has come back again, I fear. This has been a very upsetting time for everybody—and you drew up the will." He took Pleydell by the wrist and felt his pulse. "A quick pulse, Mr. Pleydell—an unduly .quick pulse. I must prescribe a sedative draught for you; your nerves are very unstrung." "Never mind about me." Pleydell interrupted, hoarsely. "I am all right. It was foolish of me to turn faint. But I Feel all this very much, for, as you say, I drew up the will, and viewing the body upset me—the poor woman's body." fie paused, raised a cold hand to his forehead, and rubbed his heavy eyelids. "About Miss Haewood—Miss Felicity Harwood—what were you saying about her— have a great admiration for the young lady—l have, indeeck-She was devoted to poor Mrs. Latimer." "Or appeared to me," Dr. Adams interrupted, drily. "Oh, I haven't a doubt in my mind—not a single doubt—that the girl poisoned her benefactreee. I suspected it froth the first, mark you—from the very first! I saw that Mrs. Latimer had been imbibing arsenic into her system; her finger-nails gave that away, her 6.s coloured knuckles. Besides, all her symptoms pointed to the presence of some irritant poison in the system." He drew a deep breath and moved a step nearer to Pleydell. "Why had I not been sent for before? That was the question I asked myself at once; for poor Mrs. Latimer used to send for me if she only had a Inger ache—she placed the greatest confidence in her doctors. But this time, when she was seriously ill, mark you, and suffering great pain_, she neglected to euninion me; but that was becalm(' she was under her companion's influence. I could swear to that!" "1 sin sure you are wrong." Pleyiell moistened his dry lips with his tongue. "Miss Harwood would not have done raiyth ing of the sort. I—l know she wouldn't." He felt in a dream as he spoke—a strange and most evil dream. For could it , really be true that people were suspecting Felicity of Rosa Latimer's murder— Felicity? And what Was all this damning evidence about the fly-papers—what did it mean? He looked at Dr. Adame with cold eyes. This doctor had not been the fool Pleydell bad hoped he would be; he had detected that Rosa was suffering train an irritant poison, he had insisted 031 a postmortem. Curse the fellow l—confound him! Why couldn't he have signed a death certtileat• and put Rosa's illnesa down to directive troubles, and her death tn fatal syncope of the hearty Why must lie shout out the hideous word "poison" from the house-tops? "Miss Harwood deliberately tried to get me out of the house !when I was finally called in. I can swear to that fact when I give my evidence at her trial. She as good as told me to leave Mowbray Manor; 8110 asked me to put off the nurses 1 had sent for. She did this—she did, udeed—and Hrs. Latimer died five hours later—died in extreme agony." Dr. Adams's lips tightened. ire looked