The Lost Lady of Lone

laced under examination," said Lord Arondelle, who sat, with pale

d. Let the man be calle

ced boy, clothed in a well-worn suit of g

my lad?" inquired

ease your worship," repli

ur

na

ld are

teen come St. Andr

do yo

illie Ferguson, th

he clerk, who, pen in hand, had been busily taking down the un

what I saw yestreen under the castle wa', and doctor here, he wad hae me come my ways a

us what

awa to see the wedding deecorations. But after my wark was dune and I had my bit

id you see beside

thick shrubbery I spied a lassie, standing unde

hour wa

ae been ten o'clock; for I ken th

ell; g

dered at that. And I waited to see the end. I waited, it seemed to me, full twa hour. The moon was weel nigh overhead, when at lang last the gallant cam' on wi' anither tall mon. And they passed sae nigh that I heard their talk. Spake the gallant: 'I would na hae had it happened for a' we hae gained.' Said the ither ane: 'It could na be helpit. The auld mon skre

n again if you were to see

could na see a fea

know the

e the lass ony mai

he thi

the ith

or any place spoken o

ur honor all I heerd. I heerd no mair

xamination could not dra

eir heads together a

r all, the nearest to a clue

ere put in the hands of the

o have taken place between ten and twelve at night, and that there is a train for London which stops at Lone at a qua

summon the agent who happened to be o

dispatched to Lone to bring th

hold servants were examined, but wit

ompanied by Donald McNeil, the ticket-agent who had been

complexion, sandy hair and open, honest countenance. H

is name as Donald McNeil, his age forty y

he Railway Station at Lone?"

m, s

tion last night, between twel

as,

r London stop at L

uarter past twal, sir, and seldom v

ght as usual, at a

sir, av

ers get on that

use the passenger was a young lass, travelling her lane, and it is u

er, then, that took the midnig

one,

e was a

ng las

ake a thro

r, to L

t cl

nd-cl

he lug

ack leather bag,

know the bag

r offered to relieve her o' it, but she w

it a la

, the like of whilk the college lads whiles collect in the mountains. Na, it w

that young woman again

vail, doublit over and over her face, the whilk was t

aled. How, then, did you kn

nd her gait just,

ed with y

n she handed in the money for her

her voice again if

hat I

is young wo

tweed cloak wi' a hood t

but as nothing new was elicited t

re recalled hour after hour and day after day, with

prentice, could be found who had seen the susp

nd Rose Cameron talking together under her window. But Miss Levison was so far incapable of giving evidence as to be lying at

everal days without arrivin

n secretly admitted to the castle through the connivance of the valet; that the strong guard placed over the treasures in the lighted drawing-room had saved them from robbery; that the robbers, disappointed of their first expectations, next went, with the farther connivance of the valet, to the bedchamber of Sir Lemuel Levison

murder, were confederates in the crime, and the woman was the midnight passenger to whom Donald McNeil sold the secon

f the unsatisfactory inquest a ve

om a heavy bronze statuette held in the hands of some person unknown to the jury

and the valet was arrested, and confined i

ysterious, vailed woman, with the heavy black bag, who on the nig

e Lone was cleared of the law officers and all others

e funeral of the deceased b

f servants there remained now i

e, who had been requested to take the direction of affairs; the old Duke of Hereward, who had been brought to the castle in a helpless condition; the family physician, who had turned over all h

s men came and went while completin

banker should view her father's face once more; but the impossibility of restoring the crushed skull to sh

of the murder of Sir Lemuel Levison, or even of the banker's presence in the castle. His failing mind had gone back to the past, and he fondly imagined himself, as of yore, the Lord of Lone and of all its vast revenues. The presence and attendance of all his old train of servants, who, as I said before,

d-Alexander-John Scott, Duke of Hereward and Marquis of Arondelle, in the peerage of England, and Lord of Lone and Baron Sc

deferred until his daughter and sole hei

t away with him to London to ke

ly. She was out of the imminent danger of

s practice in the village of Lone, and only visi

ady Belgrade, nearly worn out with long watching, fatigue, and anxiety; and the young Marquis of Arondelle, whom we must henceforth designate as the Duke of Hereward, and whom even the stately dowager, wh

ing more than to be near his b

me so feeble, that she seemed to have re-enter

to have lost the memory of its cause-her father's shockin

rrible tragedy. She herself w

asion w

ile in an easy resting chair, beside the open window of her boudoir, to enjoy the f

the summons, and h

and now he was almost overwhelmed with sorrow to see i

lowing over her shoulders, so fair, so wan, so spiritual she looked, that

r, and embraced and kissed her h

tings were over, she amazed

erer been dis

hey feel sure will lead to the discovery and conviction

of my dear father?" she next

those of my own parents," gr

knew that your dear mother had

It is well with him as with yours. They are

me," murmured Salome, as she dropped her fac

d you of my father's departure, else I had not alluded to it so suddenly. There! weep no more, lo

e current of her

mind now to a littl

u," she sighed, wiping

it affects your interests, my l

enty-one on my

your great inheritance-an one

for me. I shall not feel

your own wishes. And that brings me to what I wished to say. Kage, your late father's solicitor, is in possession of his last will. He could not follow the custom, and read it immediately after the funeral, because your illness precluded the po

"Send the telegram to-day, please. To hear his la

d left in the charge of Kage, to be delivered with the reading of the wil

ter from Heaven! Telegraph Mr. Kage to bring down the papers at once, dear Joh

at letter is of equal importance with the will-

its purp

ise it, from some conversations that I

entered the room, saying softly, as she woul

fifteen minutes permitted by the doctor hav

dear madam," said

, while he gazed into her eyes, then pressed it to

e Lone Station, and dispatched a tel