The House of the Whispering Pines

h in all the p

h would appear

nce like ric

o virtue, and

us C

still ho

, a way with him that goes straight to the heart in spite of prejudice and the claims of conscience. That’s a dangerous factor in a case like this. It hampers a man in the exercise of his duties. You may escape th

us addressed, leaned back in

by his attractions. I’ve had to do with too many handsome scamps for that. But I shall be as just to him as you will, simply because it seems an incredibly brutal crime for a gentleman to commit, and also because I lay greater stress than you do on t

nferences, without any aid from me. The police did find traces of a second horse and cutter having passed through the club-house grounds. It was snowing hard, and these traces were speedily

was in Mr. Ranelagh’s cutter, showing that his story o

made other arrangements, business arrangements — But that’s neither here nor there. No one doubts that he planned an elopemen

me, deliberating carefully with himself before venturing to reply. Then when the

from the condition of the body when our men

the moment when the former looked into the room from the outside and that of their final entrance. But whether it was five minutes or ten, the period was long enough to render

rreptitiously taken from the club-house’s wine-vault, four were fou

ady to swear to the correctness of his report and the disappearance of these two bottles. Ranelagh did n

mptied elsewhere. There’s our clew and if the man you’ve got up

y the least. But he has a good eye, and will get along with the boys all right.

hese bottles. Only some one addicted to drink would dra

ck. They were kept far back too — hidden, as it were, behind the other bottles. Yet they were hau

ur bottles found on

Two bottles of rum and one

carry them all off

king for, would make choice of just those bottles. So

but just follow the clew. Those bottles, full

olour of the bottles, bot

et us see yo

ell, the door opened and Mr. Clifton was ushered in. Well and favourably known to

takes he has made, or the various offences of which he has been guilty. His best friends must condemn his hypocrisy and fast-and-loose treatment of Miss Cumberland; but he vows that he had no hand in her violent death, and in thi

nd considering the character of the two women involved in this tragedy, this cannot be looked upon as entirely to his discredit,— he has confided to me a circumstance

noted myself and could accurately describe if required. If she took it off before starting for The Whispering Pines, it should be easily found. But if she did not, what a clew it offers to her unknown assailant! Up till

r. None has come to his r

ermined. You will pardon my having called your attention to it. As Mr.

strict attorney. “But you must remember that some of its

titude which I, for one, have not yet fathomed. You must have noticed this also, Coroner Perry? Your inquest, when you hold it, will reveal

lving his arrest as a suspected murderer?” was

ure; but I’m not here to express notions unless you call my almost unfounded belief in

use of you

ally the caus

search for the ri

note which Mr. Ranelagh says he received from Miss Carmel Cum

ll scraps of soiled and crumpled paper, one of which was the half

d this out,

mal name, that there can be any d

the same hand, contained but two or three discon

stacked-up pile of outgoing freight, and the other I picked out of a cart of stuff which had been swept up in the early morning. I offer them in corroboration of Mr. Ranelagh’s statement that the ‘Come!’ used in the partially con

ith Miss Carmel Cumbe

le who are. I believe these words to h

ack in their envelope and l

e we are obliged

o in derby hat and a coat with a very high collar, left the grounds of The Whispering Pines just

but he failed somehow — else why the quick glance of startled inqu

that, too,” promised

of that man with Ranelagh will cause the latter to unseal his lips. Before you ha

t the table before which he sat, and failed to raise his head until the young man had vanished from the room and his place had been taken by another of very differ

eeable to one who did not know his many valuable qualities. His receding chin and far too projecting nose were not likely to create a favourable impression on one

some credentials

department. Mr. Gryce wrote it,” h

rry on looking it over. “Mr. Sweetwater is commend

the better. Mr. Sweetwater, we have some doubts if the man we have in hand

’s in the

ing m

e not been in tow

u known

o; it’s my first

e people as they are of you. We

ake persons as I find them; and if there is any deep family secret to unearth, it’s mighty fortunate for a man to have nothing stand

ned his attention to the table again, and, while betraying no embarrassment, was not quite his usual self. The distri

is hands on her throat, we cannot speak so well. He has the faults and has lived the life of a social favourite. Gifted in many ways, and popular with both men and women, he has swung on his course with an easy disregard of the claims of others, which, while leaving its traces no doubt in many a humble and uncomplaining heart, did not attract notice to his inherent lack of principle, until the horrors of this trag

d as yet unknown — party on the scene of crime, he rose excitedly to his feet and, declaring that it was a most promising case, begged permission to make his own investigations at The Whispering Pines, after which

woman like that. If he exists and the whole story is not a pure fabrication of the entrapped R

e district attorney, with the shortest

luck, gentlemen. It’s a blind job, but that’s just in my line

t closed them again without speaking. Did Sweetwater notice