THE TOWER HILL MYSTERY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15201, 15 January 1913, Page 11

THE TOWER HILL MYSTERY.

1 , ' fOSMSEED BY SPEOIAIi ARRANGEMENT. ?

—.— _ i BY ALFRED WILSON-BARRETT, - .1,., 1 •'.-'.•■'. .■..'■- - .■'-,-■: I >,'*'. , ' Author of " •Tustut Wise," etc. n "■;'■ '" • i '■•--"■' ■ - ''"'. j/,, 1 11. < ' ————, > COPYRIGHT. ' . I' r SYNOPSIS. Justus Wise, conficloi;iial agent, scenting wme myatory in the actions of a prosperouslooking man dining; in a London restaurant, |' followed him to oonfidoiiiial After being gofne mystory in the actions of a prosperouspoking man dining: in a London restaurant, >" followed him to the Minories. After being as- ;-',', , saulted and robbed by roughs Wise proceeds >?■»■• on his way in a dark street, and stumbles ever the body of the man ho had boon foli ' '■'> lowing. Wise goes through the man's ' sockets and appropriates the contents, some SSO, comforting himself with the reflection 5 > that the money was no good to a dead man, and he (Wise) was hard up. It dawns on ; .. Wise then that he might bo suspected of V the murder, and ho left the scene. CHAPTER 111. MRS. NEA.VE. Justus Wise arrived at Bank Buildings, >Uackley Street, Holborn, in good time on the morning following his exciting adventure. It would perhaps hardly be correct to describe the worthy agent as looking as if butter would not melt in his mouth, but he certainly appeared quit© as neat and shining as was his usual custom, and bore no trace of anything unusual having occurred to him. ' Perhaps his cheerful appearance was to . a certain extent- due to the fact that 50 ■ & [^:rt. golden " sovereigns rattled gaily in his pockets, but, indeed, Justus was inclined always to face the world cheerfully, whatever his troubles might be, and even, on i ; this occasion, bad one been ablo to peer ms : -] beneath the tranquil surface, one might .hi's been aware that all was not so smiling as it seemed to be with the agent. For, in spite of his newly-acquired wealth and the apparent ease with which he "had secured it, Justus was not entirely free from [p ':;,care. It yet remained to be seen, he reali ised, whether some curious eye might not Jsi;"'have marked his pursuit and discovery of the murdered man, his making free with the ..money, and his flight with blood-stained bands. It was not at all probable, but it . was possible in an interfering world, and the knowledge of the possibility kept Justus from complete happiness. Then, too t there ;;■! • were the ovening papers to come out, with ;?jii;:';their startling headlines < and surprises (there had been nothing in the -morning ones—Justus had very > early made certain of that), and he felt that until at least he \ had perused what they might have to say he could not feel thoroughly at ease. • ''I will pay tho rent at all events today," he thought, as he made his way to . the lift that bore him to his office. " And Dark must have his wages. Once paid . they can't .be unpaid, whatever happens, , ana that will be settled at all events. * , ,' Justus's office consisted of two rooms, ". communicating on an upper floor of a big' ; J building composed mainly of suites like |;;: his own. His cleric, a well set-up, soldierlylooking man, who had served his time in the army, occupied the outer of the two j " rooms, with the idea of announcing callers when there should be any, while Justus sat *in the inner apartment. Both rooms were scantily furnished, various portions of Justus's belongings having been attached at ;:-f different times by obdurate landlords. Two fables, a few chairs, an almanac, and an empty bookcase formed the principal furniture of the office, which for the rest bore * J,-few signs which might give a clue to its ti occupier's business profession. This, indeed, was hardly to be wondered at, Justus . during the troubled months in which he had been a tenant of; the buildings having inaugurated at least four different enter-' ; prises, all, by the way, highly problematical. '~"'•, h;NL: "Anyone called, Dark?" asked Justus, as the ex-soldier rose and saluted his em- , ployer, according to his custom.', "No ono yet, sir." It was Dark's usual reply, and he always added the "yet" in a tone which would have cheered one far less optimistic than his present employer. '""':" ';' ' The agent nodded. "Never mind, Dark," 'he said, .calmly. I, ah, expect "we shall ■ * "bo much busier' shortly.' I anticipate-— . — considerable,, increase in our business ; ,' before long. But first, ofall, Dark, how much do I owe you? M . , "Five pounds fifteen, sir," replied tha i ex-soldier, wit'i no enthusiasm, however. He had been asked the question so many . • times before without any tangible result. " '! That is five weeks, sir, and 15s you have i ." borrowed in small amounts." * ■ ■ ''• The agent drew" out . six sovereigns from ; ' his pocket. Quite ". right, Dark, quite . right," he said, smiling. "Here ;is ; six i pounds. We won't trouble about the 5s change. And I think this morning I will - settle up the matter of the rent. I fancy ' , it is a little overdue." , * "Thank yon, sir. _ Well, sir, I did ! think ] I see someone hovering about earlier on as I came in, but he seems to have gone now," ] , .;; returned Dark, who was in a state of con- ' . instantly having an eye open for possible . '■•. bailiffs. •;' ••'•• ■'-..■ ' ■ Yes, yes," said Justus, hastily. "Well, ( we will pay them now, and stop them *, hovering, and then, Dark, I will get you to r;.;;.;,/S tako ian advertisement down to the Mail ■ ' and Telegraph." £ ' ;~ # And tne agent made his way into the 1 inner office, and, seating himself at his desk,. drew out the advertisement which l had occupied his* attention at the restaurant on the previous evening. ( And even as he did so his face r flushed, and he gave a little laugh, for in pulling out the sheet of paper a few - twisted scraps fell to the floor, and he , recalled with a start the stout man's agifated efforts to write, and his own recov- r life- er of the crumpled papers from the floor. ,• ■-;.' ■' "Arid I forgot all a|out them!" he |fpithought, picking .them quickly up and , smoothing them oh\ upon his desk. "Well, f well, it is too late now, whatever ho may <. ' have wanted to write. He kept the ap- * pointment, poor fellow, and this letter was a never written and never will bo now. I * wonder what he wanted to say in it." c But the agent's curiosity was destined a to meet with little satisfaction, and the v scraps of. paper were to tell him very little, ? as a. glance soon showed. " " ; Written hastily, in- an agitated tremb- n . hng hand, the few words that caught his eye were merely repetitions in different lorm of one solitary sentence. "The old 9 - .'-j-px has asked me to meet him to-night." " He wants me to meet him to-night and S1 one never knows." "I have got to meet tee old fox to-night at ten o'clock and in ?! T' rm." 1 have & ot t0 B°-" That „ m - , The shaky handwriting, the un- . evenness of the lines told much, even if v . f •Justus had not had ocular proof,' of the ■'] agitation of the writer. The reoetition " <« a doubt in the words "one" never „ ,'• .?*■>„ " and in case," even .the "I have J *u i" a ' so Mid many things in view of the terrible results which Justus had wit- J. jessed of the writer's keeping of this ap- ' pntment; but as for any clue to the man J , , Himself, to his unknown correspondent or - Jo the assassin, the scraps of paper were rataUy uncommunicative, and Justus, after a Poring over them for some time, put them h ,'■:■■:*?» agam -with . a sidi. a .;. ■ *~ I wonder what led mo on in such a '' -'X*' r ß^, ? ht '" he Pondered, eyeing than doubtfully. "If J had lost him, as b '■' aw/and ho hadn't been murdered as ho I I *wu I , ah « uldn 't have looked very wise a with only these scraps of paper this morn- „ ■EL™ I cl ! an for my cab faro and my 8 , " ' stolen watch and money. It must really '« w! t n j£ ie ' y° u know » for as i s I tl Jvo got fifty pounds and-Yes ! Come c "U ...... ' ' in&. P * er80 ?, who had locked and thus w Jtenupted l ie agent's chain of thought v ' ' nT SS*' Vl **:*»!<«« entered the in- . r™,? 06 *'* quite a beaming face, in si - SB 6 to his master's call, and having m Mwsted carefully closed the door behind b 1 tliw'J ! ad to , see you ' sir he Baid » go'g ■JJongh the formality, as he always did ai Iv! n ho addressed his employer, of a mili- M ■■"'" 2S ■ Sa . l , ute -, Ib Phased Dark, Justus cl ' n*o« liked it, and it cost nothing, as the tl ■ agent said.) Shall I show her in. sir?" a, :, «* continued. ni *tl*i , T ady? es ' certainly, show her in," W 1 ÜBtus ' <*-l»ttde confused nevertheless 1 rf. ». Sudd enness of the arrival and his In ; : mm 3 mysterious manner. ■ "But what w i °?£f he nt, Dark?" • m : ■ She— or—l think she is a client, sir. tl name is Mrs. Neave." "" I w A client! I thought »*- was—" Justus c£ ,'« out to say. " the charwoman with • ** bill," but he'? pulled himself up in si ; • me. >t " Yes, show her in at once, please, . . V- he continued. "I am »ot en- tl ftp*** ' ' ~£ja

' l"ho ex-soldier saluted and disappeared ' to appear again in a. moment and 'usher in' what Justus, who had always an eye for the fair sex, thought was one of the pretti'cat sights ho had over seen. ' "Mrs. Neave to see you, sir," said the clerk with a look of pride on his square, honest face, and he disappeared again after carefully closing the door. , , - Justus rose, making his best bow, and drew forward a (the only other) chair, his keen eyes taking in meanwhile every detail of the trim, graceful figure before him. And tho details were worth taking in lie instantly decided, as well worth it as the whole form which was that of a small, exceedingly pretty and exceedingly well-dressed girl, with ravgn black hair, and tho most beautiful dark eyes and eyebrows it had ever been the agent's fortune to gazo on.' ;■ . ;',.-. ■ . '

" And not only pretty but charming as well, and a lady," Justus decided, as, thanking him in a low sweet voice, his visitor took the proffered chair, and seating herself looked up at him; the slightest degree confused by his inspection. "You are Mr. Justus Wiee?" she asked breaking in upon the r agont's meditation. Justus became instantly himself, regaining the composure which he hardly ever lost.- ■ , '■ ■ ', "I am Mr. Justus Wise," he replied, "and quite at your service. May £ ask what you wish to sec mo about \ r "You— I understand, are a—that is, I believe you make inquiries," said his visitor, her fine <oyes glancing round the office, and evidently a little at a loss how to classify the agent's business.. Justus bowed again. " That is a part of my profession, certainly," he replied. "Indeed, 1 may say it is one of theer most important parts, though it is one which I have only lately taken up." _ "Yes, bo I said Mrs. Neave. " * .:'•,.v • ' -'

Justus passed his firm,' white hand through his whiskers. " I won't waste ■money on those advertisements after all," ho meditated. " I appear to be quite well known as it is." ■' Ho nodded, noticing that his client seemed to require his help. "And you want me to make some inquiries for you, madam? " ho asked.

Mrs Neavo bent her head, her dark eyes for a moment clouding over. "Very ranch," she said, "very, very much." "It's a man, of course," thought Justus, looking at her with sympathetic eyes. "Lucky beggar!" Aloud, ho repeated his thought, but in a different way. "And' the inquiries would bo about a gentleman, madam?" he asked. ' 'Mrs Neava looked up. "Yes," she replied quickly. " How did you know ? " "I really should like, to tell her why I guessed," thought Justus, looking at "her admiringly, '.' but should lose a client, and at present she is my only one," and putting on his severest professional manner he continued aloud. "The merest sur.mise," madam. A gentleman, yes. And you want him watched?" - "Watched." Mrs Neavo's dark eyes met the agent's a.little indignantly. J'Not at all. I—l wanj, you to find him for me." ■ ■'•- : "Find him ?

"Yes! Ho has disappeared. For more than a fortnight, now, no one has seen nor heard of him. Oh, can you. help me. Can you find him?" Justus felt that ho would go finding needles in haystacks all day long for another look like that. What a fool the

man must be !" he thought. "FinJ him? I will certainly do my best," ho said, quickly. "And I think I may say that I very seldom fail utterly in anything I undertake. But you must give ma all the particulars, all the Tacts, you know, of the gentleman's disappearance, together with his name, description and 1 ; anything else you may think likely to be of use to m© in my, endeavours. > 1 may say that I always ask perfect frankness 'of my clients," ,he continued, his keen eyes watching the flush, upon his client's cheek, "and always with the happiest results." ' , . Mrs. Neav© nodded. "I will bo perfectly frank; Mr. Wise,'* so said quietly, "though- I would not tell any one else all I am going to tell yon. It is because I have heard that you are perfectly trustworthy and discreet, as 4 well as clever, that 1 have come to you in my trouble, which is very great, I assure yoiu" ■ Justus mentally registered ■ an offering of thanks to his unknown champion, and bowed almost to his desk. ~■■:■.-'. ,

"You shall find me all that you have Been led to believe," he said, "and I hope that your trouble will be short-lived. And now \ while I • take a sheet of paper and pencil, to jot down any notes that may occur ts. nie,'. will- you—^er—kindly tell mo what you think" I ought to know?" .

Justus's face was keen, as we think we, rave said, ; but it was not an unsympathetic; one, and? Mrs. Neave, after a quick jlance from her lovely eyes, which in spite )f the agent's aplomb, appeared to him to ead his innermost thoughts, apparently nade up her mind. / • # '' His name is Fairfax," she said. "His Christian name, Carl. A foreign namOj of :ourse, though both- he and his parents are quite ; English. But; his mother had a ancy for' the name, and—l think it inits him," she' continued, with' a little mile. "His age is twenty-six, a year aore than my own!" The agent nodded. "Profession?" he sked. \ ■ ;■" • "He has none. Though he is very lever. I'm afraid he is, or has been, ather idle." ' - .' ■** "He has means, I suppose?" »Yes—no. I really cannot say. _;, Mr. (Vise," returned Mrs. Neave, looking at lie agent a little hesitatingly. "He was' ich,. I know. Then—— -"■■ .-, i " He .ran ; through his money ? " "Yes," said Mrs. Neave. • The ageiat bU nodded. '"A littleer— let? "be suggested. ' ■' *, Mrs. Neave's eyes clouded. Then she x>ked un quicklv. "Not fast. Not bad at 11, Mr. "Wise," "she said, her lips tremb-. :ng a little. "Ho had been what people ill a little wild. .He was fulL-of life nd gaiety. Every one liked him, ? and he ras- everyone's friend. People imposed pon Mm, and he was careless and peraps a little thoughtless, but nothing tore. And lately " ' Justus leant forward. "And lately? " "Lately Re had been so good. He had uite' reformed, quite settled ' down." Justus bowed.* ; "Your influence, I prenne," he said. ' " - ' . _~ Mrs. Neave's, «yes softened. "I hope >," she said. ; "Indeed, I am sure of . We have been friends for some time ow, nearly a year, and latelyl 'am a ■idow I may tell youlately we had benne engaged. It was doubtful, however, we could have been married yet, in any' xse, for I have very little money of my wn.' and Mr. Fairfax was, when I met im, almost a ruined man. He had pulled p, Mr. Wise, though, he had entirely kinged his life, and I am sure, clever 5 he is, would have made a great career >r himself, but—" "But?" asked the agent, wonderingly. "Oh, is is very strange, Mr. Wise, and ifficult to oexplain. I must try to do so, aw ever. Some weeks ago Mr. Fairfax jparently became quite rich again." "Rich?" "Yes. Kicher than he had ever been sfpre. I was frightened, Mr. Wise, for feared that he was getting into debt ;ain, that he had gone back to the oney-lenders and borrowed some large im, but he assured me that it was not >, that the money was his own and that rere were thousands more where that

came from." - , ' - Justus pulled thoughtfully at his whiskers. "Did he tell you where that was ?" he asked. . Mrs. Neave shook her head. "No," she said. ."He would not. He only told me that it was better I should know, but that the money was really his." You don't think he gambled ? " "No. He had quite given up play of any kind. And it was about this time, Mr. Wise, that his . manner began to change. ' Not towards me, he was always the same ' towards me, but he grew pale and thin, and seemed unhappy, as if he had some frightful trouble on his mind." " Which ho would not discuss Which he would not discuss. Which he would not allow even existed. But he was no longer his gay, . frank, laughing self, and though ho would never talk of this trouble, it did exist, and* it was that, I; am sureoh? I am sure of it—that has caused his strange disappearance." Justus sat for a moment thoughtful and silent. '■''■■■ ,'< ■ # . .•''< , ■ "Dear ; me," ho said, ,at last. "All that you tell me is really very extraordinary— XW-. : ''.'Mr.. FaisfaaCaave. .no. s«zjju_ i.

firesume, outside this change in. his ortnnes and his manner of his intention to disappear ? " ; ; ,

" None—none whatever. He was always the same to me, always everything that I could ask. His only thought seemed to be me, and how he could please me." "And when did this disappearance occur?" -' - *

I "A fortnight ago yesterday. Oh, for all that time I have waited and hoped that news would come, that I should hear from him. JJut there has been no word, no sign." :'.,'■ ■-

' Justus nodded,' watching his visitor's lovely face for a moment in silence. It was evident that she was suffering greatly, though she proudly concealed the depths of her emotions. - '

: " Yon have not applied to the pol— the authorities?" he asked, at last.

The young widow flushed. " I have not," .she said. "I—l—oh, I thought it better not just yet. And when I heard of you" ~ . You came to me. Naturally. And I am sure you have done the wisest thing," said Justus, quickly. "You have no photograph of Mr. Fairfax, I suppose ?" ho continued. ' Mrs. Neave smiled, her rather rare, sad smile. "Yes,; I have one on me," "she said, " but I cannot part with that. However, I can show, it to you." Sho drew a little gold locket from her neck as she spoke and hold it out to Justus, and the agent's keen eyes took in the portrait quickly. It was that of a young man of twentyfive or so, with fair curling hair, and a bright, sunny, handsome faco, that laughed out from the gold circle of the locket as Justus felt that its owner must have laughed out on the world. The last man on earth to disappear mysteriously, to have secrets, to be pale and sad, the prey to secret trouble, the last man in the world to come into a large sum of money that could not be explained away, he thought, avoiding Mrs. Neave's eyes. "I shall remember that face," he said, quietly, returning the locket. "A very striking and pleasant face, and' a very handsome one.

The young widow's lovely eyes met Justus's with a pleased look. "Every one admired him, she said. "And you will, find him, won't you, for me? " and she rose from her chair, with a little flush at the accent that had crept involuntarily into the last words of her speech. "Everything that experience, and I think I may say brains, can suggest, shall bo done, madam," said Justus. "You can rely upon that. And now if you will kindly let me have an address where I can communicate with you— "I am staying for the present at 300, Brook-street, with friends," said Mrs. Neavo, " but I will write it down. Have you a piece of paper ? Oh, don't trouble. This will do." • . , Before Justus could stop her, even if he had so desired, she had taken up one of the scraps.of crumpled paper which bore the. dead man's writing, from the desk in front of her,.and written hastily her name and address upon the back. :: .:- "Dear, dear,'* thought Justus, watching her little gloved hand as she wrote,- " you would be surprised if you knew all about that scrap of paper, my pretty lady. I wouldn't have let you write your name on that if I could have stopped you." * But the agent, if he had only known, was destined- to think that thought with far greater emphasis before many hours were past. - x

: 'CHAPTER IV. , THE EVENING PAPERS. •When Justus Wise turned back again to his,office after bowing his interesting visitor out, he cam© face to face with his clerk "who was regarding him with a pleased smile illuminating ,'i his square, honest features. Justus was beaming ' a little, too. "A promising client, I fancy," he said cheerfully. " Really a very promising client." " Yes sir," replied the clerk. " I thought she would be.". •■' ' Ah, um," the agent smiled, patronisingly. "And I think she realises that I am the man to assist her," he continued. "Yes, sir,'.' repeated Dark, beaming more than before.' .. " I told her she would." ~• • .'. •- ' The agent stared a little. -" You told her so, Dark?" he asked. "I didn't hear you discussing me just now." [Dark rubbed his hands together. " No, sir, not just now, sir," he said. " Yesterday, it was." - | "Yesterday?" Justus looked up surprised. "Do you know the lady, then?''. he asked. : -' ; ,- ■.";'"■/ ■ .' Dark nodded. " Yes, sir. Known her some years, sir," he said. Justus's white hand went * to his favourite whiskers. "Oh, then it was from you she heard?" .* "Yes, sir. I told her she couldn't do better than come to you." "You appear very intimate with the lady, Dark," said the agent, a little taken aback. '* - ■

"Not intimate, sir." * The clerk shook his head. "She has known me some years, now, sir. I used to be officer's servant to her husband, Captain Neave. He was captain in my old regiment." V " Indeed," said Justus, thinking hard. "Then you can tell mo something about her." ; .;' • .' '

: Dark nodded. "Yes. sir.'.' he- said. "You see her husband, -the captain, though I say it, was a bad lot, sir, u real bad lot." - -"Indeed!" ■ \ \'.

'. ; Yes, sir, a thorough wrong 'un, I call him, and he treated the poor young lady very badly, he did. She couldn't do right no hows. He was after anybody that came along, and, he wasn't even faithful to her, let alone that he knocked her about once when, he had had a drop too much." "Dear, dear," said the agent, remembering the sweet smile and dark eyes, that had so aroused his admiration a few moments before. "That is very bad, very bad.".'..-./ \< .'..,

" Yes, sir. And there was worse to come. In the end he got tired of her and got some one else, a lady with money, she was. And of course he wanted to marry her. Well, he got up a lying case against his poor young wife in the end. There wasn't a word of truth in it,' sir, we all knew that, and his case fell flat; but that was .too much for her, Mrs. Ncave,« that was, and she left him straight away. And quite right, too. Well,'that didn't do him much good, and by and by ho got killed out hunting. Drunk, I'believe he was." ! '' Dear, dear,'" repeated . the agent. "And that was about how long ago?" "■ "About a year, eir, or a year and ahalf. But I had left the army then." The agent thought for a moment. "Did you happen to know a Mr. Fairfax, Dark?" he asked. .. "Yes,.sir, knew him by sight, sir. He was very friendly with a lot of our officers, sir. A nice, open sort of gentleman, he was, always jolly and laughing. Very popular gentleman, sir." " You don't happen to know where he is now?" asked Justus, struck with a sud-

den hope. "No, sir. That's what Mrs. Neave wants to know, '■ sir, ain't it? She told me so, that is. You see, I happened to meet her yesterday in the street like, and she, knowing me, of course, and knowing that I knew Mr. Fairfax, through having seen him so often at mess and about quarters, she asked me if I had happened to see him lately. It seemed that he was missing and that she was in trouble about him, and so from one thing to another it led on to my telling her that finding people was in our lino of business, and that she couldn't do better than come. to you, sir." ' " Dear me, that was very thoughtful of you, Dark," said the > agent, after, a moment. "And I am really very appreciative of your intelligence. _ It will certainly be very useful your knowing this Mr. Fairfax 50 well, t trust you will keep your eves open in case you chance to run across him. But isn't that a boy calling out the evening papers?- Run and get me one, Dark." ■: , - It was the evening papers, and Justus was right. The sound of the boys shouting them reached the office above the noise of the Holbom'trafficj and it seemed to the agent as he listened eagerly that he could even hear the shouts of "Murder! Murder!" mingling:with the other cries. '.' Had they discovered the body Was the murder out?" he wondered. He was in quite a fever of expectation. and excitement by the time Dark returned bearing a News and a . Star, : and it was with trembling fingers ' that he took the papers from the clerk's hands and retired to his inner office to shut himself up alone and devour their contents. - Yes, there it was,, holding a prominent

. " Murder in the East End." ! "Gentleman . found stabbed to the heart." ■«. ' * * j ■■:■ And then another heading—- " Arrest of the alleged murderer." ; " Arrest of the alleged . murderer I; Good heavens Justus tugged at his whiskers, and read on with breathless interest:" At about half-past five this morning the body of a" gentleman was! discovered .lying .in the roadway in Middle Lane, not far from the Minories. The deceased, -who was about forty-five or fifty, and well dressed, had been stabbed to death, his breast : and neck being covered with wounds, any one of Which , would have been sufficient to cause death.,-: The alleged assassin was found by the constable, who discovered the body, kneeling by the deceased's side, his hands covered with blood, and clutching in his fingers a sharp knife -with; which he had evidently committed the crime. '.■'■■ The man, apparently a seafaring ..man, ' between twenty-five and thirty : years of age, on being arrested" by, the constable and accused of the murder, made no statement, and was conveyed to the Tower station, whence he will be brought up to be charged at Bow-street later on. The strange thing: about the crime is that, according to the doctor who examined the body, which was at once removed to the Tower mortuary..,-" the deceased gentleman must have met his.death some hours previous to the finding of the body, and that therefore the alleged \ murderer, instead of making good his escapo, must, have remained by the body during the greater part of the night. Another rather peculiar fact is that, while no money, papers, orproperty that would be likely' to identify the deceased wero found upon the' body, a search of the "-'arrested: man produced >. only;:a few shillings in silver. He, himself, who gave his name as John Mart to the police, has declined to -furnish the authorities* with his abode or any further particulars as to his means, mode of living,-etc. The police, who have a theory that more than one person was implicated in* the crime, are making active inquiries." ".":*-"

Good heavens! With staring eyes Justus read the paragraph again and then sat motionless, pondering over it. The murderer arrested? But of course it wasn't the murderer. How could it be ! Found kneeling by the body, with his hands covered with blood ! Very likely, but Justus himself might have been discovered in the same embarrasing circumstances a few hours earlier had the police come. on the scene. Yet Justus was not the murderer. Nothing to identify the body. No he, Justus, had discovered that too. And " only # a few shillings in tho young man's pockets'. Justus flushed pink as the lines caught his eye. They might have found fifty sovereigns in his pocket if they had been earlier, but even that would not have made him tho murderer. No, of courso this was an innocent man that the police with their usual blundering had arrested. And yet, if he was innocent, why had he made no statement? Justus wondered furiously. He himself would, he was confident, have made several, the chief of which being that he had heard cries, run to the scene, and discovered the man lying in the roadway. This man could not have heard cries, of course, but equally lie must have discovered the body, and the blood on ; his hands could havo. been explained away, as Justus knew, giving a glance at his white fingers, which he had spent an hour scrubbing that morning. What should ho do? he wondered. He could not let an inno-

cent man suffer for a crime he felt sure he had not committed. But, of course, the man would speak up. Why shouldn't ho? Unless, unless the police were right to arrest _ him. Unless he were really, the criminal or an accomplice of the criminal, and had come back rashly after: Justus's departure, drawn by. a fatal fascination to the scene of the crime. It was all very

confusing and nob a little thrilling, he decided at last, his eyes wandering to the outer office door a little nervously. " Thank heavens, I didn't take that knife," he thought, " though, it would-have been better perhaps for that other poor devil if I had. And thank heavens they can't identify golden sovereigns," putting his hand cautiously into his pocket where the balanco of the £50 still jingled. "That chap would have been in worse trouble if I had left that money. As it is, he has only to sneak tip., Olf, why doesn't, he''speak up! Weary of conjecturing, at last, and too nervous and uneasy to remain in the office, Justus arose and took up his hat and stick. "I must go out, or I really think I shall be ill," he said. " I wonder what time that young man will come up at Bow- - street? Very likely this afternoon. I should like to be there if I dared. At all events, I can see the evening papers as they appear, if I go out, and, though I don't feel at all up to work, I must not forget' my charming client, and that I have got to find Mr. Fairfax for her.". And giving instructions to Dirk to attend to the office, the agent made his way out into the street. lie found, however, little peace outside. The city seemed to the agitated agent to be full of the murder. It was in the air. The evening paper placards were taken up with it. It resounded in the newsboys' cries, and even the passer-by appeared to Justus suspicious eyes to bo discussing it, and gradually in spite of himself, drawn by an irresistible fascination, he. found himself outside Bow-street station staring up at the grey building, watched, as he- fancied, intently by the policeman standing on the steps. If I hang about here I shall end by going inside," he thought, at last. . " And. I should not like that, I know. It would be J most painful to me to see that young man, charged with murder, and perhaps not sneaking up. I should really feel, though that's absurd, that I ought'to be standing in his shoes. But he will explain, of course. . But suppose he can't, or suppose they don't believe him?" How long he might have remained undecided, unwilling to stay, yet equally unable to go, it is impossible to say, but at last a diversion was caused in his mind by the driving up to tne door of the station of a four-wheeler containing as Justus could see, a man in ordinary clothes and two others in official garb, one of these last a policeman. And almost immediately on the arrival of the cab a small crowd gathered round the steps of tho station. Justus, who had been eyeing, the building from a discreet distance./watched the cab and the knot of people with excited eyes. * "It can't bo him, already," he speculated. "And yet I believe it is." Even as the thought crossed his mind the two officials, each holding an arm of the third man, leapt quickly from the cab and/ disappeared into the station. | Justus had darted forward, on the open- ! ing of the cab door, but so quickly had the man vanished and so eager had been the little agitated' crowd, that he had hardly had time to catch sight of tho three men or to note their faces, or rather the face of the one in ordinary clothes, for it was upon that that his attention had been particularly strained. Yet he had caught a glimpso of the young man's features, and that glimpse had startled him. For it was a face that he knew. Yet where he had known it or how he knew it he could not immediately say. And ho remained for a moment open-mouthed and wondering, staring at tho door through which the men had disappeared. And then suddenly he remembered where he had seen the young man before, and why it was that he seemed so strangely familiar to him. He had seen him only an hour or two before in the locket on Mrs. Neave's gold chain. Yes'; swift though the glimpse had been of.the hurried figure in the grip of the two officials, it had been sufficient, and Justus felt certain he was right. The fair, curly hair, the frank, open, handsome features, he recalled them all so vividly. It was not a face ? as he had told Mrs. Neave, that one was likely to forget, and#he had not forgotten, though for the moment he had hardly realised it, so unexpected was the young man's appearances under such circumstances as these. " John Hart, a seafaring man," and cow accused of murder, and all the time he was, Carl Fairfax,, the young man of position, and, apparently, wealth, who had so mysteriously disappeared. Why, what did it all mean?" Justus quickly made up his mind, putting all hesitation ' aside. He must, find' out what he could at any cost; and swiftly he made his way into court. To be continued on Saturday next.)