The Big Bow Mystery

e dead man at his side was flushed with the hues of life. To the overstrung nerves of the onlookers, th

s. The audience seemed turned to stone. They sat or stood-in every variety of attitude-frozen, r

. Mortlake shook off

of infinite indignation, "t

swered him. The little cobbler darted from behind his pillar, and leaped upon a bench. Th

oria Park voice, "listen to me. Thi

k at him from all parts of the room. Everybody rose and

I'm a plain man, and I want to know if it's

mighty volu

lake's popularity. He stood on the pla

didn't they prove

r, h

n't they leave it till the ceremony was ov

! Three cheers for Tom Mort

or the police."

knew not what to do. They had all risen and stood in a densely-packed mass. Even Mr. Gladstone's speech failed him in circumstances so novel. The groans died away; the cheers for Mortlake rose and swelled and fell and rose again. Sticks and umbrellas were banged and rattled, handkerchiefs were

smile. There was no hurry for him to get Denzil Cantercot arrested now. Wimp had made an egregious, a colossal blunder. In Grodman's heart there was

from his forehead with a characteristic gesture. The fevered audience hung upon his lips-the men at the back leaned eagerly forward-the

, been identical with his, there is little reason why this honorable duty should have fallen upon me. Gentlemen, I trust that we shall all find an inspiring influence in the daily vision of the dead, who yet liveth in our hearts and in this noble work of art-wrought, as Mr. Gladstone has told us, by the hand of one who loved him." The s

there was a breathless hush. Mr. Gladstone's mobile face was working with excitement. No such extraordinary scene had occurred in the whole of his extraordi

were almost a whisper, but in the supreme s

call thrilled an answering chord of defiance in every b

" he said, "let me go. Don't make any noise a

ever, concerning himself no more with Denzil Cantercot, who was already strengthening his nerves at the bar upstairs. The police about the hall blew their whistles, and policemen came rushing in from outside and the neighborhood. An Irish M. P. on the platform was waving his gingham like a shillalah in sheer excitement, forgetting his new-found respectability and dreaming himself back at Donnybrook Fair. Him a conscientious constable floored with a truncheon. But a shower of fists fell on the zealot's face, and he tottered back bleeding. Then the storm broke in all its fury. The upper air was black with staves, sticks, and umbrellas, mingled with the pallid hailstones of knobby fists. Yells an

he celestial stores of Jupiter and enveloped her fondling in kindly night, so that his adversary strove with the darkness,

The darkness could be felt-and it left blood and bruises behind it. When the lights were t

face of the dead man who had soug

the story of how he had rescued Tom Mortlake. He had been among the first to scale the height, and had never bud

ating his supper o

got away safely," said Crowl,

l hadn't turned off the gas. I lik

d-easier," fa

eter, I'm sorry to find you always will take such low views. It may

read and cheese

head to save him?" said Mrs. Crowl with

me in, now," said Peter thoughtfully. "

onfusion. It also began to dawn upon him that he might be called to account

ica. Wimp's melodrama had been, indeed, a sight for the gods. Only, virtue was van