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If h m H ! CHAPTER XIII. jf Sergeant Crisp "Reconstructs." ' A-r-VHAT particular phase of our E ordeal was over, but I do not suppose it Is possible, ( in the shvrt span of a human life, for all that such an ordeal must ' imply, to be left behind. For the 1 moment the most outrageous inter- ference -with the privacy which 1 grief specially demands was at an i Of course, all the eyes and mor- bid curiosity of the public, for I which the different newspapers Hj catered, each in its particular man- I ner, was enormously increased by Hj the entry of Captain Vibart's figure on tho stage. It introduced just that element of "wife's friend" ' which domestic drama and tragedy seem to require, tout 'by sedulously ) avoiding nil reading of the news- . papers one could escape this added , horror. , In spite of tho most careful avoid- ance, however, one had to meet now and again some headline such as "The Mystery of tho Summer house," for that was the favorite Hj. form of the title which our misery Hf, 'had assumed in people's talk and W in the journalists' writings. V Search for the knife with which Hj! the wound had been inflicted was Rj 'being begun in a systematic man- ft ner which would leave its mark for HJ many a long day in the shrubbery. H-' The grass was scythed down and the low and bushy parts of the shrubs cut away for a considerable H' area in the neighborhood of the Summer-house all under the dircc H. tion of tho police. I avoided that part of the grounds most carefully, but knew all that was going on H; The only time tliat I went out- H; side the grounds for several dnys after the inquest was on the Hj Wednesday when we burled the body of my young aunt in the pres P ence of an immense number of peo- pie of whom I do not suppose that as many as one-tenth would have been thee to pay 'her respect had H, her death happened in any ordinary H' way. Two of her brothers came H; down for the funeral, 'but I am Hi thankful to say that they did not stay in the house. I do not know how Uncle Ralph could have borne tt if they had. H; He was in a very curious state all these days, absolutely unlike H. his normal self. He had summoned me into the library soon after the Inquest and had said: I "Now, please understand I do not want to talk about all this. I want everything connected with it to be mentioned as little as pos sible between us. I want to ask you to make all arrangements about everything as far as possible without consulting me at all about them. I shall be satisfied with everything that you may arrange, or if I am not I will let you know, but I would much rather that you would do all without referring to me about it. I want to put it away from me as much as I can." He said it in a hard, rather a bitter voice, just as unlike as could be his usual kindly tones." Kis look was fixed and firm and hard, too. Ho seemed quite changed. But, then, when he had said this almost tys if he were repeating a le86on which he had taught himself to say, he added, in a much more kindly -cay, "Please do not think that I du not realize that I am ask ing a great deal of you iu asking you this am putting a good deal on you. I do realize it, and I shall be ever so grateful to you if you will do it. You do not know what a lot you will be sparing me." This was a very long speech for Uncle Ralph, who was no great talker, and it was a great unfold ing of himself, too, for ho was not at all good at explaining himself or his actions even to himself. 1 knew the effort it must bo to him, and so appreciated it the more and, of course, promised to do all I could' fnr lifm sn far as it wan in mv III power. After all, it was only a Ht- b tie extension of what I had always j done in the old times before Aunt l Enid had made her appearance, and I J even in a large degree since. lj It was a few days after Uncle Ralph had made this request to me i : that Grainger told me that Sergeant ji Crisp would like to see me. I had Hl seen him once or twice about the f grounds and in the houso since the W. inquest instructions had been H ?ivon to the servants that he should H oe allowed to come and go where Ht: and a3 ho liked but I had not spoken to him. i We lived, during those days, un- f der police surveillance, as it wore. Hl ' It was almost as if the place were Hli! not ours, but the Government's, Hr and we were more or less prison- Hii ers or interned lunatics, allowed a modified and limited share of lib 1 evty in it. Police officers in uul- I I form and others who had "police- Hi' man" written conspicuously in their (hearing and general aspect, though they were not encased in blue H' 'cloth and l)rass buttons, appeared , ut tho most unexpected corners , and times. It was like living in a HP state of siege. ! I had a sitting-room of my own, where I did the household accounts Hr ; and to which I could retire out of .' ran go of boredom that is, bore- dom by anybody except myself. I ' was there when Grainger told me that tho sergeant had called, s.o I gave orders that he should como in. It was the room in which I had first seffn the little man. I held out my hand to him as ha came in, and I think that he wau particularly pleased to be greeted in this manner, though .one could scarcely do less to a man whoso arm had been round one's waist, as his had been about mine when ho supported me as I was going -to ' faint at the Inquest. I had learned 'by this time that ho was very amenable to any treatment which seemed as if one regarded him as a human being and not as a mere crime-detecting machine. He looked at me keenly enough his glance could not bo other than keen but it was with a kind ly keenness, as 1 thought, quite different from the steely hard gaze that had seemed to piorco me through when he was catechizing me at our first mooting. Ho began by saying something conventional about hoping I was better after my fainting attack. I replied by thanking him for his help on the occasion, and that put us on good terms at once. "It is possible," he said, "that-1 may have to ask you for n good deal of help in return." I said that I should be very glnd to give it him if he would explain in what way. "Well," he said, -"It is like tnis. A. ' ' ' Of course, my object. in being hero, nlmost the object of my existence, I may say" ho added this with a little smile "ia to find, out the truth the truth about this case and others like It. And it is almost impossible to find out the truth without some help from those who are nearest to it." "Certainly," I said, "I will do all In my power to help you to tho truth, but"-- I was going to say, "But I hardly can see of what help I can be," ,when he interrupted with some thing like the old metallic piercing look coming back into his eyes. "Yes,! believe that you will now." He said that "now" with just so much emphasis that it was impos sible to let it go Ijy without a chal lenge. "What do you inean by 'now'?" I asked. ?J . J2f "Sergeant Crisp ' s looked at me M' Jicenly enough W&h If could not be other than keen hut it was witl kV a kindly keeness, as I thought." "Oh," he replied, "If you are go ing to ask me that, if you arc riot going to be candid enough to tell me that you know quite well what the meaning of that 'now' Is well, it is hardly worth while my asking your help. It is equivalent to re fusing." "Yes," I said, "yes." I quite knew, as he said, what ho meant. He meant that when ho was talk ing in that room before I was not, as a matter of fact,- giving him every possible help. I was keeping something back from him all the while. It was quite true. Tho little man was noute at guosslng about what was going on in one's mind. As I hesitated a moment before roplying, ho went on: "Now, I'll help you to mako up your mind to bo candid with me by tolling you how much I know already. I know that you had, at the back of your mind all the whilo that you were talking with mo in this room before, something which you would not tell me, Youkopt back something. It waB something which seemed to point suspicion at someone whom you are very fond of. Tell me, is npt that a correct guess?" "It is. But since you know so much" "Since I know so much it can' surely do no harm to tell me more,, to tell me all especially since tho doctor's evldonco has proved that suspicion "to bo groundless Is it not so?" "Yes, certainly, that Is so," I ad-, mitted, "and I think I will tell you everything quite frankly. But do you tell mo thi3 first how did you find out, I will not say that I was keeping something back you may have conjectured that from my (C) 1020. International Feature Service. Inc Great Britain RUrbto Reserved. r manner but how did you find out that what I wns keeping back pointed to a suspicion which the doctor's ovidence dispelled?" "My dear IUiss Carlton," he an swered, "surely that is most obvi ous. It was just this the doctor's ovidence which caused you so mucli emotion. That could not havo (been so unless you had that suspicion. And you could not havo had that suspicion unless you had some evidence, apparently pointing toward it, which you had kept 'back from me. Tho inforences, you sec, are very simple." "Simple, yes; if that is simplic ity," I assented, "and now I really will tell youvall." The "all" that I had to tell him was very little, and it was quickly told, though It had meant a great deal to me; it wac just tho vision which I believed mysolf to have had of Uncle Ralph crossing' tho gravel front and going to the shrubbery plant. I had noticed that it very often happened with Sergeant Crisp that giving him any information re sulted in his asking some quite un expected question. So now, when he had nodded his head once or twice In the course of my brief nar rative, to show that ho was follow ing its points, he asked me: "Had he an overcoat on?" I paused a moment to think and then, rather to my -shame, found you know I'm not quite sure." "No," he said, as if my answer was just what he had expected. "And a hat?" Again I had to think, and again I was quite confused and surprised tto discover that I did not know, that I had no clear vision in my mind, that I could not recall in any detail the figure that I had seen. It was but the general impression of Uncle Ralph crossing the gravel that I had retained. I did not know what the detective would think of my value as a witness. Luckily ho understood the psy chology of the case far better than I did. "It is perfectly absurd," I had said. "I don't know what you will think of me, but, honestly, I cannot tell you whether he had a hat on or not." But he answered, "Oh, no, it is not in the least absurd, and, really, I should have been rather surprised if you had been able to tell me. It would have been very absurd it anyone trained as wo are in our profession had not 'been able to tell me, 'but I had not expected it of e you or of any untrained person. It is all one with the old story of tho person who is not accustomed to observing things for the purpose of drawing them being asked about a hansom cab whero the driving seat goes, how the shafts and the wheels are attached and so on. Ho has seen the whole thing ten thou- -sand times, but the attention which H would tell him those details haaO, H never been applied. It Is all in that ' H --the attention." 'Thanks," I said with a laugh, H "for making such a fine excuse for what I must regard as my stupid ity. But now, will you toll rac, why ' vys it Is that you asked mo these quos- jH tions? Surely it was not only to 'jl provo to mo how stupid I was?" ijl "It Is not a question of stupidity, . IH nt all, Miss Carlton," he replied, as, : jH In duty bound, and thon he was In tont a moment or two, going to the . window and looking out, as if com- ' muning with himself. When ho j camo back he answered me he had made up his mind. "Yes. I will tell you," he said. HI "You havo been candid with me and I will be candid with you, as you doservo that I should be. And, , for another thing, I want a helper ; in thi3 houso. I want all tho help I I can get. And Sir Ralph doesn't J; seem able or willing to glvo it to J me. I can understand that It Is nil UiRMfi too painful for him he cannot bear !Jk to speak about it. Of course, thcro "W-i is tho maid, tho Frenchwoman, L-w Mademolsollo Coleste, but" M He left me to finish his meaning -1 about Celeste, and It was not cliff i- cult, He meant thnt something more than a lack of attention was wanting to make her information m of high value. I was in two minds m whether to send her away iinmedl ntoljv paying hor a month's wages T in advance. I should havo been jtPl glad to be quit of her out of the 1 .1 house. But It was Sergeant Crisp 1 :l himself, when I consulted him on 1 .1 the subject, who begged me to keep 1 Q her for a while. "It Is quite pos- v' siblc that we may get tho truth (from her far more often than she I , intends to toll it to us," he said. r "I want to have her where I can i .' lay my hands on her." j ' It was easy to pretend that she ' was of use in arranging poor Aunt I ' . Enid's things and so on. There j d was enough to keep hor more or j, 1 less busy for a week or so, and. I t kept her on. 1 "But now," I said to the sergeant, , l "condor for candor what are you J'l going to tell me?" "You have told me," he said, ;. "what It was that gave rise in your r mind to a very terrible suspicion. I am going to tell you now what it A was that gavo rise in mine to pre- t claely the samo suspicion though ; the evidence was quite different. I will tell you that first, and after that, if It will interest you at all, I I will tell you what my theory is as ' to tho real meaning of those pieces ' 1k of evidence which misled both you U and me. And when I have told you - i lj tnat, men you win see tne mean- l ing of those questions which you 1 '', were not able to answer about tho ' coat and hat." L "That all sounds thrillingly in- terestlng." I said, and I settled my- . self with great eagerness to hear ' t t what he had to say. Ky The first thing that he had to 2p toll me the first piece of evidence It which hnd directed his susoicions , toward Uncle Ralph was that im press of the shoe outside tho Sum- "'i mer-foouso window. And. as he told - it me, that did indeed seem a wit- 1 ness of the most extraordinary dl- t redness and force. And then, af- I A ter that, ho told me of tho state- f j I ments of Celeste and of Heasdeo ' I about actually seeing Uncle Ralph coming away from the Summer- ( house, and of Heasdon going and . i" looking through the window after- 2 ward, and all the rest of it just as relatea already. w sjj "But, of course," I exclaimed, W when he had carried the story thus I 1 far, "of course you had to believe I I that it was Uncle Ralph. You must 1 1 have been certain thot it was he, ' i ' I especially as you had not been able 1 to find the doctor and hear his evi- ' j ! dence. But even now I don't see i ' I don't understand why was it thnt uncle said that he did not go out that evening? What object could he have had in saying so? That is what, I can't understand." r ' , "Shall I tell you why I think It ! ! was, Miss Carlton?" he asked. ''' "I very much wish you would," , f) j ' was my reply.' t .. ) ; ' , xu my opinion," tne little man ,M n . said firmly and decisively, "the rea- ' ' I U 5 son why your uncle said that he V ' ' did not go out that night before : ' he was summoned by tho keeper is 1 ! this, solely and simply that he did not go out," "But," I oxclalmod, greatly taken aback, "but I saw him and you yourself saw his footprint you say' l you measured it and Celeste saw WtM him and Heasdon saw him! What , jH c?n, ?2U mean did not go out that! . night?" f-XH The sergeant gavo a little cackle of his dry laughter. "Well," he said, "these are just 1 tho points you have noted them lH off very clearly that we have to ' examine. Did you actually see him? Did I find his footprint? Did Mademoiselle Celeste and Heasden see him? Wo will take the first, in its order, first the evidence of IH your own eyes. I hope you forgivo me, but I asked you those questions about the coat and hat just to make you sure what it was that you really did see when you " ' 1 looked from tho window that night " It is now evident Is it not? that W,UatJ,U m seo Just a figure of which you had the general im! pression that it was the figure of your uncle, of Sir Ralph? That il aOTHsisiont of yottp . (Continued on Xext Page)