Marion Marlowe's Cleverness, or, Exposing a Bold Fraud — page 23: what you’re looking at

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Everett’s true friend was Ar iety. : _ “T have been watching that case very care- fully,” he said, finally. “Mr. Everett is. my learest friend. I felt sure from the first that he would be suspected.” _ Marion looked at him questioningly, and with just a tinge of resentment. ’ ed F think it is outrageous that they should suspect him!” she cried, hotly, “and all be- cause of that convenient balcony.” “Listen!” said Professor Arden, letting his roice fall even lower. “You see, Miss Mar- lowe, this murder is part. of a deep-laid scheme. Some one had to be arrested, and so he suspicion was thrown on Everett.” ‘By whom ?” asked Marion, with disgust aher voice. “By the employees of The Nor- rood! A lot of irresponsible servants.” She was so beautiful in her anger that Ed- nd Arden paused to look at her. He un- lerstood fully now what his friend Everett yas suffering. 4 “Tt was not all done by servants,” he said, with a frown. “There is a man at the bot- om of this plot against Everett, and it is in nis envelope, Miss Marlowe, that we shall 1 ad his motive.” “Oh, do you think,so, sir?” cried Marion, quickly. “Then, whatever it is, that woman, Mrs. Gregg, knows it.” evinced by his Before her companion could reply, two gentlemen entered the parlor. They looked sharply at Arden and Marion, and then came ver and greeted him. a ‘Detectives and Everett’s friends,” said the Professor, in a whisper; then he turned and | ntroduced both men to Marion. This is our ally, men,” he said, in a low voice. _ “Miss Marlowe is a better detective han any of you. She has not only wrung a onfession from the servant girl, who was mployed by Frederick Stanton, but she has und this document under the carpet in the lead man’s chamber. He held up the heavily-sealed envelope as € spoke, and each of the detectives took it and looked at it critically. But the servant girl escaped,” said Mar- H, sorrowfully. “TI locked her in her room pal I tried to see Mr. Everett, and, when I ; = MY QUEEN. 21 went to her door later, I found that she had vanished.” The detectives looked at each other as she spoke, and, just as she finished, each winked at the other. “Was her name Nannie Finley?” asked one of the men. Marion nodded her head, her eyes bulging with wonder. “Well, don’t worry about her—we've got her,” said the officer. “The old woman let her out and paid her passage to Ireland, but as it happened I was down at the ticket of- fice when she got there. Instead of going to Ireland, Nannie went to the House of Deten- tion !” je CHAPTER XII. SOME NEWS FOR THE WIDOW. When Marion returned to The Norwood it was almost seven o’clock in the evening. Mrs. Gregg was in the dining-room, and the -dinner was ready, but, of course, there was nothing to be seen of Nannie. The young girl went at once to Mrs. Stan- ton’s room and was delighted to find the dressmaker just leaving. If her aunt had missed Marion at all, she did not say so, for at last she was satisfied with the results of the modiste’s skill and was fondling her new garments with much com- placency. Mrs. Gregg had already told her of Nan- nie’s disappearance, but even that news had failed to ruffle her serenity. . When the dinner-bell tinkled, Marion fol- lowed her aunt to the dining-room and forced herself to speak of Nannie’s unceremonious departure in a most natural manner. 7 “Oh, I suppose she found this horrible thing too depressing, poor girl,” said Mrs. Stanton, sighing. “Very few servants care « to remain in a home where a murder has been committed.” She uttered the horrible word so calmly that Marion could not refrain from staring. Certainly her aunt was a peculiarly con- stucted creature—a woman without feeling other than for her own personal welfare. “Most people would call her heartless,” she COnNIE SOOKS (SO) am