In the Fog

disapproval written

it would have nothing whatsoever to do with it I would not have remained." H

otests a servant for the second time slipped a piece of paper into the hand of the gentlem

ested but silent listener to the tale of the Q

to be seated. He has been accused in our hearing of a most serious crime,

ried the

the tale at the point where Lieutenant Sears laid it down and give you those details of which Lieutenant Sears is ignorant. It seems strange to you that I should be able to add the sequel to this story. But the coincidence is easily explained. I am the junior member of the law firm o

red but eager, sank

long, sir!"

r; "and," he added, in a tone which gave his words almo

find it much too interesting as it is." He glanced rue

m," he called to the servant,

g, and his physicians refused to have him awakened. My father urged that he should be allowed to receive Lord Edam's instructions concerning the documents, but the physicians would not disturb him, and we all gathered in the library to wait until he should awake of his own accord. It was about one o'clock in the morning, while we were still there, that Inspector Lyle and the officers from Scotland Yard came to arrest Lord Arthur on the charge of murdering his brother. You can imagine our dismay and distress. Like every one else, I had learned from the afternoon papers that Lord Chetney was not dead, but that he had returned to England, and on arriving at Chetney House I had been told that Lord Arthur had gone to the Bath Ho

he had intended, declaring that he was no nearer death than ourselves. Under other circumstances, this happy change in him would have

not return, and nothing occurred until late this morning, when Lyle received word that the Russian servant had been arrested. He at once drove to Scotland Yard to question him. He came back to us in an

assured him that he was not suspected of

of a hansom that had run over him in the fog. The cab-horse had kicked him on the head, and he had been carried in unconscious. There was nothing on him to tell who he was, and it was not until he came to his senses this afternoon that the hospital authorities had been able to send word to his people. Lyle at once informed him that he was under arrest, and

stant attendance on his father, he did not look at the evening papers, and it was not until after dinner, when the butler brought him one and told him of its contents, that he learned that his brother was alive and at the Bath Hotel. He drove there at once, but was told that about eight o'clock his

as far as the fog would permit the hansom to go, and walked the rest of the way, reaching the house about nine o'clock. He rang, and was admitted by the Russian servant. T

ut,' she said. 'I am going to the dining-

other that their father was not expected to outli

thur said to him; 'you have come back from the dead on

at this Chetney

nstant I arrived. My only reason for not doing so was because I thought he was still angry with me. I shall return with you im

an that?' A

he had separated from the Princess even before he went to Central Africa, and that, moreover, while at Cairo on his way south, he had learned certain facts

to obtain my father's consent to our marriage she was in love with a Russian diplomat. During all that tim

ight,' Arthur protested, 'only

e was in great and present trouble, dying of an incurable illness, and without friends or money. She begged me, for the sake of old times, to come to her assistance. During the last two years in the jungle all my former feeling for Ziehy has utter

She has no influence over me now, but I believe, in spite of the way she has used me, that she is, after her queer fashion, still fond of me, and when she learns that this good-by is final there may be a scene, and it is not fair to her that you should be here. So, go home at once, and tell the governor that I am following you in ten minutes.' "'That,' said Arthur, 'is the w

ssure you that he is a very remarkable man. Our firm often applies to him for aid, and he has never failed us; my father has the greatest possible respect for him. Where he has the advantage over the ordinary police official is in the fact that he possesses imagination. He imagine

ated for a moment, and then told him

ste paper. You were suddenly in debt for thousands of pounds-for much more than you could ever possibly pay. No one knew that you and your brother had met at Madame Zichy's. But you kn

' Arthur cried. 'And for me to become Lord Edam

'that she was a witness to the

kill the servant as

leep, and s

ieve that?' A

believe,' Lyle said gravely. 'I

Arthur cried. 'The thing

ot and began pulling on his clothes. When the nu

who murdered him. That woman murdered him. She first ruined his life, and now she has killed him. For the last five years she has been plotting to make herself his wife, and last night, when he told her he had discovered the truth about the Russian, and that she w

down at the floor. 'I might say,' he

Lyle carried him back to the bed again, and we left him with the police and the doctors, and drove at once to the address he had given us. We found the house not

hat boy I could have made him commit himself I was right in trying to do so; though, I assure you, no one would be better pleased than myself

deously dissipated look, like the foyer of a theatre at a matinee, or the entrance to an all-day gambling hell. The house was oppressively silent, and because we knew why it was so silent we spoke in whispers. When Lyle turned the handle of the drawing-room door, I felt as though some one had put his hand upon my throat. But I followed close at his shoulder, and saw, in the subdued lig

e given a thousand pounds if we had found

acing the knife near her he could help to make it appear as if she had killed Chetney and then committed suicide. Besides, Lord Arthur insisted that the evidence in his behalf would be our finding the knife here. He would not have urged that if he knew we would n

ee everything that he saw, and, if possible, to prevent his interpreting it in the wrong way. He finally finished his examination, and we sat down together in the drawing-room, and he took out his notebook and read aloud all that Mr. Sears had to

he went on: 'one that Lord Arthur is responsible for both murders, and the other that the dead woman in there is responsible for one

!' I asked. 'He was drunk a

ugh he had made up his mind to be

rious, absentee landlord, who lives in St. Petersburg, the unknown Russian who came between Chetney and Zichy, and because of whom Chetney left her. He is the man who bought this house for Madame Zichy, who sent these rugs and curtains from St. Petersburg to furnish it for her after his own tastes, and, I believe, it was he also who placed the Russian servant here, ostensibly to serve the Princess, but in reality to s

nch paintings and the heavy sil

re he sat in the hall he could hear Lord Chetney bidding her farewell; for, if my idea of him is correct, he understands English quite as well as you or I. Let us imagine that he heard her entreating Chetney not to leave her, reminding him of his former wish to marry her, and let us suppose that he hears Chetney denounce her, and tell her that at Cairo he has learned of this Russian admirer-the servant's master. He hears the woman declare that she has had no admirer but himself, that this unknown Russian was, and is, nothing to her, that there is no man she

than Arthur, but Lyle's explanation was too utterly fantastic. I told him that he certain

servant I will make it quite clear to him that I believe he is the murderer. I think that will open his mouth. A man will at leas

ave been on our way to Scotland Yard. But just as he opened the street door a

with an exclama

never have seen it. The moment I entered the house I should have thought of securing the letters which came this morning. I have been grossly careless.' He stepped back into the hall and pulled at the lid of the letterbox, which hung on the inside of the door, but i

m Inspector Lyle from Scotland Yard,' he said. 'The people in this house are under arrest. Eve

he was now upon his third round. He had made one post

s did you leave h

together,' the

through the door in

em into the box, and ring and go away. Th

letters you leave here bear a R

d, 'Oh, yes, sir

me person, wo

d. 'They come regularly about once a week-one of tho

yle eagerly. 'Thank you

ulling out his penknife, began to

a guard over their mail-box. These letters, which arrive regularly every week from Russia in the same handwriting, they can come but from one person. At least, we sh

on the blade and it broke in his hand. I took a step backward and drove my heel into the lock, and burst it open. The lid flew back, an

other, but it was Lyle who was the first to recover. He se

e one has been here ahead of us. Some one has entered this house n

ussian servant

pect, and that some one is the murderer. He came back here either to obtain those letters because he knew they would convict him, or to remove something he had left here at the time of the murder, something incriminating,-the w

whispered, 'that he i

ic on the piano. "'Whoever the man is,' he said over his shoulder, 'we know that he has a key to the front door and a key to the letter-box. That shows us he is either an inmate of the house or that he comes here when he wishes. The Russian says that he was the only servant in the house. Certainly we have found no evidence to show that any other servant slept here. There could be but o

thout seeing me, muttering

rk, we shall have found the murderer.' He spoke like a madman, and as he spoke he ran around the room with one hand held out in front of him as you have seen a mind-reader at a theatre seeking for something hidden in the stalls. He pulled the old letters from the writing-desk, and ran them over as swiftly as a gambler deals out cards; he dropped on his kn

turn for the letters. He could not have known their value. He must have returned for some other reason, and, as he was leaving, saw the letter-box, and taking out the letters, held them together-so-and

s dated this morning. The envelope was of official blue paper and we had no difficulty in finding the two other parts of it. We drew the torn pieces of the letter from them and joined them to

ived twelve hours ahead of his letter-but i

ruck the table

. "How was it signed? W

op of the sheet was the man's address. That address was 'THE AMERICAN EMBASSY, ST. PETERSBURG, BUREAU or THE NAVAL ATTACHE,' and the initials," he shouted, his voice rising into an

Sir Andrew, pale and staring, drew away with an exclamation of repulsion. His eyes were fastened upon the Naval Attache with fascinated hor

guessed what you were driving at. You fooled me, I

that instant, for the third time, a servant, hastening through the room, handed him a piece of paper which

ve a mighty shout, and tossed t

e shoulder. He nodded joyously at him, at the Solicitor, and at the Queen's Messenger. "Gentlemen, to you!" he cried; "my

ir-and-and you talked so fast I couldn't make out what it was all about. I'll bet you that evidence wouldn't hold in a court of law-y

until a sudden exclamation from Sir Andrew caused them to turn guiltily

you know this man is a murderer, why is he at large? Is this a game y

a glance at the others, r

could possibly be of me. I beg you please to be indulgent. I assure you, we meant no disrespect. We have been matching stories, that is all, pretending th

his hand nervously

tney is not dead, that his Solicitor did not find a letter of yours written from your

n Petersburg. Until this week, I have never been outside of my own country. I am not a naval officer. I am a writer of short stories. And tonight, when this

the papers." "So did I," assented the American soothingly; "and it struck me as being a very good plot for a story. I mean his unexpected return from the dead, and the probable disappointment of the younger brother. So I decided that the

d grimly upon the

f the Foreign Office. I have often seen him in Whitehall, and, according to him, the Princ

oked unhappily at the Cabinet Minist

a Queen's Messenger in a railway carriage-only it did not happen to me, but to a pal of mine. The only Russian princ

t of indignation, front

course, it must have been, since Lord Chetney is not dead. But don'

t, "but my name is not Chudleigh. I assure you, though, that I know

ng from the liberties you take with the Chetneys, y

d glanced toward the servant

doubt if even the waiters remember me. Perhaps Joseph may," he added.

ffed head of a great lion which

ell these gentlemen who shot that l

eremonies to members of the Club, shift

ou did," he

an, what is the name of the man who shot it! Tell

Joseph. "You are Lord Edam'

brother was accused of murder. I had to do something. Family pride demanded it. Now, Arthur, as the younger br

st champagne." "Oh, no!" protested the man with the pearl stud, "it is not for you to sign it. In my opinion it is Sir Andrew who should pay the costs. It is time you knew," he said, turning to that gentleman, "that unconsciously you have been the victim of what I may call a patriotic conspiracy. These stories have had a more serious purpose than merely to amus

and then quickly at his watch. The smile disappeared from

ked icily, "what was th

the expenditure of many millions of the people's money upon more battleships. In a wo

h brilliant color. His body s

ock this evening. I spoke for three hours in its favor. My only reason for wishing to return again to the House to-night was to sup on the terrace with

ave to thank you, sir," he said,

which Joseph had given him toward

gn it,"

E