The Chief Legatee

t's

Hotel -- to his chief clerk.

entleman is desperate. But very anxious to have it all kept quiet; very anxio

ourse

lady's missing, that's all; th

the clerk's finger, running along th

r bent ove

'" he read out in decided a

lady. They registered here a few minutes before five o'clock and in ten minutes the bride was missing. It's

joining the new-comer, he made a significant gesture which was all

m 81?" the man

a man nam

, I'll knock, for I must hear his story as

gentleman's waiting

er had ju

e which met their eyes was startling. Distress, anxiety, and an impatience al

in a gasp from h

red him. Mr. Gerridge was the detective. "Relate the circumst

en. The manager, whose name was Loomis, hastily closed it. Mr. Rans

of nerves, if I had not afterwards detected in her face, through all the hurry and excitement of the ensuing reception, a strained expression not at all natural to her. This was still more evident after the congratulations of a certain guest, who, I am sure, whispered to her before he passed on; and when the time came for her to go up-stairs she was so pale and unlike herself that I became seriously alarmed and asked if she felt well enough to start upon the journey we had meditated. Instantly her manner changed. She turned upon me with a look I have been trying ever since to explain to myself, and begged me not to take her out of town to-night but to some quiet hotel where we might rest for a few days before starting on our travels. She looked me squarely in the eye as she made this request and, seeing in her nothing more than a feverish anxiety lest I should make difficulties of some kind,

tective asking him how and when Mrs. Ransom had dese

; but later, when I turned to ask her to enter the elevator with me, she was gone, and the boy who was standing by with our two bags said that she had slipped into the recept

t her ba

detective, b

Some influence was brought to bear on her which she felt unable to resist. I have confidence enough in her to believe that. The

thing," protested Gerridge. "T

her old home. Her uncle has just been here and he is as much mystified by t

spered to her during the reception, c

ook on an expressio

ton; yet Mr. Fulton's niece int

ve? When

, 'A cousin of yours?' and she answered with very evident embarrassment, 'A relative';-which you must acknowledge didn't locate him very definite

aw him in

Secondly, because his face of all those which confronted me when I looked for the cause of her sudden agitation, was the only one not turned

ibe th

ned up with an expressio

, as his eyes flashed from the detective's face to that of the manager's, "that the influence he exerts over my wife is not that of love. No one could love him. The secret's of another kind. What kind, what, what, what? Find out and I'll pay you any amount yo

st I must have a few more facts. A man such as you describe s

ually

or l

ar

bea

he injury to his ja

hat you would c

ners of good society, if he did whisper words i

ton knows no

thi

the present. You have a

s in all the pa

n we go by it? Doe

. My wife is something uncommon.

ark beauty. Is her

k it has purple

eyes? B

, which look black owi

ibe it as minutely as you can. It was

able to the occasion, but I don't remember much about it. I was th

ou tell t

he veil she had wound so tightly around her face and hat to keep the rice out of her hair that I could not get one glimpse of her features. All nonsense that veil, especially when I h

she kne

s as if

e was meditating fli

saw that man," Mr

t her uncle's house. Your wife

nfortun

nfortu

and offers a lure to irres

une is la

; larger th

Mr. Ransom to b

r by her

I believe, who made his

y under her

irel

er man of

rper, of-W

ll know sooner or l

on all your force and ransack the city for this bride of five hours. But such publicity is too shocking. I should like to give her a day to reconsider her treatm

houghtful. The problem

st, pointing to the two trunks h

that she had slipped away on some foolish

e them to be full; ho

bag and an umbrella.

's t

at the door. She went away

om had pointed out, fingered it, the

ce woman's toilet met their eyes. Also a pocketbook containing c

er and manager met in

be at work. Give me two hours," were his parting words to Mr. Ransom. "By that time I'll either be back or telephone

. "You can't tell me t

N

the furniture and hangings. Don't you see one somewhe

e was still staring and, glancing slowly around him, finally

I remember now. Brown,

nd the

open at the wrist. Her hands looked quite disfigured. I wondered that so sensible a woman should buy gloves at least tw

as in t

es

didn't sp

a w

eemed so very

't seem cut u

tir

ad pressed against t

ttle turn

es

e shrank

ittl

en when the car

arted u

u help

romised not

ed out af

es

ever s

a w

r the manager to follow, and, once in

who took her bag and was wit