The Stowmarket Mystery

ela

Table of

t on terms that might be st

ed the unwilling Hume from Helen's society, and picked up the detective at the Wheat Sheaf Inn

one time you took keen interest in matters of mutual concern. All

e unprepared f

iffening, "the man who concocted all s

ight word, nor 'imaginary

ful in your choice of language. Had Winter been as careless in hi

ed tête-à-tête with his beloved, to

d to do-shake hands?

lice detective, and a most fair-minded one. He will be a valuable ally. Before many days are over you will be deeply in his debt in every sense of the word. On the other hand, you, Hume, are a much-wronged man, whom Winter mu

o men exchanged

nt. I will seat myself beside the groom, and please oblige me, both

Naturally, they steered clear of all reference to the tragedy in the p

his eyes fixed on Beechcroft and its contiguous

thy with him. Had he stormed and blustered when I pitched into him to-day I would have thought less of him. And his wife! What mysterious workings of Fate brought those two together and then disunited them? They become fascinated one with the other whilst the brother's

such may be said to exist. It is a difficult, perhaps an impossible, undertak

or not, were he suddenly endowed with the gift of prophecy, he

ting-room of the Stowmarket Hotel, the th

by being confidenti

een cleared, to some extent, by Mr. Brett's remarks, I

e aw

ght from the ball-room to the Hall, sat down in the library, and did not move from your c

act

u for nearly ten minutes standing in the shadow of the yews

putting i

existence, and I am certain he

ha

rised, because he knew how careful Winter was in matters of fac

ed, "wait until I have finished. If I did not fully accept Mr. Brett's views on this rem

but not too virtuous,"

r time, the trees and bushes were bare, and he was startled to see the same gentleman, with his coat buttoned up, standing in the shade of the yews close to the Hall. 'Rabbit Jack' naturally thought he had been spotted. He gripped his lurcher's collar and stood still for nearly ten minutes. Then it occurred to him that he was mistaken. He had not been seen, so he stole off towards the plantation and started operations. He is a first-rate poacher, and always works alone. About three o'clock he was alarmed by a policeman's lantern-the search of the grounds after the murder, you see-and made off. He entered Stowmarket on the far side of the town, and ran into a policeman's

r a moment when Wint

e engaged in making smoke-rings, "tha

s! Who on earth could he be?"

his chap's stor

ow

rden outside. Can you bring t

hink

im about nine o'clo

ttle while; then he addr

everything that happe

nk so.

hree-quarters of a

pronounced. His habitual air of reserve g

t?" he cried, striving

eet Miss Helen Layton in the avenue about 1.30 a.m.-soon

ow did you ascertain

and I wanted to keep the poor young lady's name out of the affair as far as p

iserably at Brett, but the barrister was still p

gainst him. Helen watched him enter the park; she pretended that she was going in to Mrs. Eastham's. She could see the lighted windows of the library, and she wondered why he did not go inside, but imagined that at the distance she might easily be mistaken. At last she ran off to the rectory. Again she lingered in the garden, devoutly wishing that all might be well between Alan and me. Then she became conscious that something unusual had taken place, owing to the lights and commotion. For a long time she was at a loss to conjecture what could have happened. At last, yielding to curiosity, she came bac

nded the barrister, wrapped i

way in which I heard of Miss L

ugh Fergu

t death outside that library window, and if the cause of the trouble is another Hume-Frazer, it is

t beginning to hear the co

, but passe

ion came through a

! How interesting

eason other than that which ac

pressed. It bore the type-written address, "Police Office, Scotlan

of paper, also type

ket. David Hum

sin talked

ood. David Hu

wood aft

d the two documents on a table near the window,

irst proceedings before the magistrates! The production of an illiterate man, who knew neither the use of a

en herself will tell i

s out of gear, and does not register accurately. Do you note the irregular spacing in 'market,' 'Frazer,

urse it's

has fallen on hims

n, Tuesdays and Fridays, and I will give you a night-school t

sed. His eyes were brilliant, his nose dilated as if

village like Sleagill on a New Year's Eve; four miles from everywhere. Was ever clue so simple p

ns of Brett's caustic utterance, "say you forgive me for keeping that

since assimilated in quicklime in a prison grave. You are all cracked, I t

igiously, with frowning brows and concentrated eyes. The others did not

ill hear s