Marion Marlowe's Peril, or, A Mystery Unveiled — page 29: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

CHAPTER XIII. LEONIE IS FOUND AT LAST. _ After Marion had hurled the note through the glass she stood by the broken window a rioment. ~The air revived her, and she began to think more calmly. No doubt the mad F: artist would soon return, and she endeavored to think by what means she could best outwit him. . | The picture on the easel held an wnac- c ountable fascination for her now, inasmuch as it portrayed her own intended doom—the doom which this madman had so deliberately pianned for her. “Poor, poor Leonie!” she moaned, wring- her hands in agony. ‘To think that you, poor child, should be the victim of such a raonster! In this beautiful prison you were murdered by him! I have not a doubt on the subject—you were cruelly poisoned!” | She stared at the picture, endeavoring to ead every line of the hideously distorted face After a little time she became strangely alm and thoughtful. 2 “That is not death,” she whispered, finally ; ‘that is only hideous, horible suffering! Le- mnie did not die—if she had, the picture gould be finished !” A fay of hope had shot through her brain. ‘eonie was not dead—she felt it—she knew rough the heavy walls she heard a first, mt sound. She ran over to the door and put her ear to the keyhole. “Oh, if I could only get out and search for her,” she murmured, sadly, for already she vas beginning to feel less fear on her own _ account than Leonie’s. There were unmistakable sounds coming © her now of a disturbance of some sort, 4 with bated breath Marion stood motion- 88S and listened. ? early half an hour had elapsed since she th irew the message through the window. It S possible that it had been found; deliver- a might be coming at that moment. BSuddenty a horrible shriek reached her vers rained ears; it came, choked and muf- i g , yet blood- << in its fierceness. There were voices, high-pitched and angry, he corridor outside. bred W MY QUEEN. Without another 27 moment of waiting the young girl cried aloud for deliverance. As her first ery died away she felt a hand upon the door; it trembled slightly, and then flew violently open. “Thank Heaven you are safe!” It was Dr. Brookes who spoke. He had caught Marion in his arms and was straining her to his bosom. “We must save her—Leonie!” gasped the brave girl, quickly. “She is here in this house -—I am almost sure of it!” As the doctor led her out into the corridor Marion stared wide-eyed befor her. It was a sight so terrible that her blood seemed to stop flowing for a minute. The artist was sitting on a chair, bound hand and foot.. He was gibbering idiotically ; he had become stark, raving mad. Two men stood near him with grim, deter- mined faces, while a third, a young man, whom Marion recognized instantly as [om Villard, was bending over the artist’s mother, who was crouching in a corner. “At last !—she admits it at last!’ cried Vil- lard, just as Marion came up. “Leonie is liv~ ing! She is in this house! She has known all along that her son was crazy, but because che feared him she has kept this infamous secret !” “Oh, I knew she was not dead!” cried Mar- ion delightedly. ‘“‘He poisoned her and then painted her as she was suffering in agony! Come! I'll show you the picture!” she cried, starting back toward the studio. “He tried to poison me—if I had died, it would have been finished !” For a moment her wild words could hardly be understood. Then Dr. Brookes beckoned to the two men, who were officers in plain clothing, and the three followed Marion to the little studio. There was no mistaking the hideous pic- ture, and as Marion talked rapidly and eager- ly, she pointed to the glass of wine that still stood on the tray on one corner of the velvet divan. “We will take this along,’ said one of the officers ; “but the picture we can’t touch—the chief will have to come here and see it!” “We will make a thorough search of the premises later,’ said Dr. Brookes earnestly. EORNIECLOOOKS (CO)