The Barrow Herald and Furness Advertiser. — 1880-05-01 (Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England)

CHAPTER XIV. THE SILVER FOX. Again Reginald follows the mysterious woman, whose frigid beauty, and weirdly lit eyes, so strangely fascinate all who gaze upon her. This time they are in the broad light of day, in the midst of a bustling crowd, in the very heart of the largest city in the word. If he had seen an apparition on the previous night, it was no airy shadow that he pursued now. She was dressed very elegantly—too showy, perhaps, for the streets. She wore a tight-fitting costume of slate-coloured silk, trimmed profusely with silver fur. For the protection of her throat was a sort of scarf, made of short, grey feathers; it crossed in front, and was held together by a massive, chased, silver—brooch, constructed to hold in the centre, a small, natural, moss rose. Her gloves and boots were the same colour as her dress, and her bonnet was made of the skin of the silver fox. The sun was on her, and as she moved along she seemed ablaze with light. People turned to admire her. She walked on proudly—quite unconcerned at the interest she exciter'. Her dress subdued her beauty. If this was the same woman that Reginald had seen on the previous night, her dark, lustrous face was far more majestic, and striking, and more deadly in her clinging garments of sombre black. But it was incredible that this lavishly dressed woman had been prowling about the dreary, misty, Belvedere road all night. Still they were strangely alike. She stopped before a large perfumer's shop, attracted by some new toilet ornaments. Reginald stood by her side and peered into her face. "Elaine," he said softly. "Holy mother! "the woman cried, with a slight, foreign accent, which gave a piquancy to her tone. She raised one hand, and her eyes dilated, but her words came slowly and calmly; her manner was unconcerned, and in no way confirmed the perturbation her language implied. I thought you dead. It is miraculous! I dreamt of you last night ! " "And I saw you last night," he returned, emphatically, watching her keenly. "let us walk on," he continued, offering her his arm, "we are attracting much notice." "What savages these creatures are! " she exclaimed, flinging a supercilious, scornful glance at the men who were admiring her. Then, with more condescension, she continued, "It is strange, my good friend, to be on your arm once mere. I like you," (this with supreme patronage.) "You are more refreshing than most men. It is something to meet one of your kind who ignores the conventionalities. Here are we two, who have not met for many years, and we havn't yet shaken hands, or said Hew d'ye do ?' quite delicious, I protest." "I have an office near here," he said gravely, "will you accompany me to it? I wish to speak to you very seriously.' "You had always a disgusting habit, Monsieur Reginald, of talking seriously. Your office!" she continued sarcastically, "and do you deal in tallow, or discount bills?" "Neither," as he spoke he kept his eyes fixed on hers, she did not flinch. "I have taken it for a peculiar purpose. I have lost a friend and am striving to find him. If any one has injured him they will pay a bitter penalty." "Bah !" she cried, disdainfully, as an evil light darted from her eyes: "you are trying to interest me. But there are no mysteries—no intigues in this cold, savage, London. A man is murdered— the brutes !—or commits suicide, or runs away, that is  all !" "I told you just now," Reginald spoke deliberately, 's that I saw you last night. Don't you know where ?" "I had forgotten," she said lightly, "that you said so. You are mistaken, my knight of the sorrowful figure. I had a beastly headache, and I went to bed before eight in the evening. And where, if you please, did you see a woman whom it was possible to mistake for me 2" she asked haughtily. He never ceased watching her closely Her manner obviously puzzled him. They had now reached the top of Norfolk-street. They could see the glittering river; the irregular line of wharfs, warehouses, factories, and tenements running along the oppoaite bank. "Look over there," said Reginald; "look right across the stream. On the other side of those buildings runs a road, and further along towards the city— let us get to the bottom, to the parapet of the embankment, and we can see it—is a great, gloomy, empty house. There! you can just distinguish the one corner of it. Is it not familiar to you ? " Heavensi Familiar to me ? Are you mad? Ugh! it looks very sad over there." Late last night," said Reginald, impressively (they had entered his office now—she was seated, and he was standing over her—he had placed her chair so that the light fell upon her face, and he watched its expression intently—never varied), "you left that house by a side door. You were dressed in black. You walked as far as the Westminster Bridge-road, and then you turned suddenly. For a moment we were face to face. I recognised you; you did not appear to see me. I traced you back again a little way, and then you disappeared—unaccountably—you vanished completely." "This is charming," she cried, with a low, mocking laugh; "it is possible, then, to be in two places at once—to be sound asleep in my bed in Torringtonsquare, and to be wandering about those ugly-looking streets? But you have not finished. lam intensely