The Curved Blades

atement, the Coroner broke the breathl

xplain what you me

corner and peeping out, and then coming forth again; she wore no shoes and carried no light; she went down the big staircase

rrand?" asked Sc

dn't go," she

was doubtless on an innocent errand. I have no idea she was implicated in Miss Carrington

you chanced

to my room and was just closing the door, when I saw a white figure glide across the hall. She passed through a moonlit space or I could not hav

t to be thi

hair was hangi

telle, but Mr. Scofield s

, easily. "You may as well own up,

tinately, and no cross-questioning co

up to you, Mr. Coroner, to find some person who acted suspiciously nearer that time. And, by the way, as man of business of this es

Haviland," said Scofield, suave

then, if the truth hasn't com

Anita, with a look of importance

lready heard, and she corroborated Pauline's recital of t

prompted t

d that this time I was really dismissed from her secretaryship. And that made me feel very sorry, for it is a good position and I've no wish

eness f

ave always tried to please her, but she was, er,-difficul

go to h

to the

hat t

k. Not more than five

said to be administered at about one! Did this fa

ell the story of anythin

. But I heard

t wa

lking inside. I paused, and I listened, in order to discover if her maid was still with her,

was

r voice was high-pitched, and of what is called a carrying sort. The things she sai

ere as beautiful.' I assumed, then, she must be talking to Miss Stuart, for surely she would not say tha

ery singular! Are you s

almost a scream, that. And she went on, 'To-morrow all these jewels will be yours,-if y

nothing m

ment, Miss Carrington resumed; she said, 'I shall change my will. Not Carr's half, that must stand. But the other half shall never go to a niece who has no affection for me!' Again I heard nothing, for the responses were inaudible. Then Miss Carrington said, in a musing tone: 'I hav

Henri to be C

onstruction to pu

ntleman was in Miss

et, it sounded as if she were

ayne. Have you mentioned these things

, and concluded it was best t

n that there was another person in Miss Ca

med so

hear this other

ent and then said:

hear it

oice clearly, there were sounds that might have been a

e was merely talking to

'Your face is beautiful,' and when she said, 'I have willed you ten thousand dollars,' inde

d your room, did y

I did

d just as you have repeated them? It is a great strain on the memory to re

amazed at it all, I wrote it down as soon as I reached my room. I had then no thought of-of what was going to happen, but Miss Carrington had made peculiar remarks during the evening about something happening to her, and in conn

ho

with Miss Carrington, and I was present, I often made a re

erpret the words, 'Henri,

on was in favor of considering a mar

you imagine that Miss Carrington had a

ce of mine,' and 'to-morrow all these jewels will be yours,' I couldn't help

ke the despairing one o

t sounded full of l

with the person to w

no. Her voice showed varying

was not cont

t, remember, I could not hear all of what she s

ch a word from t

door was closed, and as soon as I realized there was some one there, not Estelle, I had no thought of knocking, and I soon we

. Can you suggest, from what you heard, who mig

told you what I heard, it is for yo

to. I am sure Miss Frayne could not have heard all that nonsense! It is impossible, on the face of it, that my aunt should have received any one in her room after her maid left her. It is incredible that she should have made all tho

the darts of scorn from her dark eyes were met and ret

o adopt that attitude, I will go on to say what I had intended not to reveal, that I s

ediately after hearing the alleged conversation you w

opened my door, and looked out. My position then commanded a full view

I deny that I was in my aunt's room after leaving it at midnight in company with Miss Frayn

ix the time s

moon. I, too, had been disturbed at my aunt's attitude, and her threats to send me away to-day, and I

going through t

ep window-seat. I was thinking I would go to my room, and then

e she came f

see me, I am sure, for I drew back in the window and watched her.

ayne when she went to M

s then looking out

d you h

ick and a light foot

id you

t straight to

he had been cool, calm and imperturbable. But now a momentary hesitation of speech, added perhaps, to the circumstantial story of Anita

all her life lamented her own lack of it. This was no secret woe of the poor lady's. To any one who would listen, she would complain of her hard lot

not far more likely to be a figment of Miss Fray

es were contradictory an

been mysterious enough before,