Manfred's Quest: Or, The Mystery of a Trunk — page 30: what you’re looking at

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

MANFRED’S QUEST. question arose, why should the woman turn pale at the mention of the fact’ that there was a lady who resembled her dead husband? ‘* What do you think of my statement, madame?’’ **T do not know what to think of it. You say she bears a striking resemblance to my dead husband?”’ os Yes. 33 °* Did you ever see Mr. Silver?’’ ‘No; but you will remember I have seen his photo- graph, and that makes the resemblance even more remark- able. ’’ ee a6 mio understand it; there is some mystery here, as you say.” ‘*'The lady whom I met, and ‘whom you claim is Mr. Silver’s daughter, resembles you?’’ ‘*'Yes; she is my child, I am assured, and consequently the child and heir of Mr. Silver. Who this other is, I can -not perceive; but one fact is certain; were she in any way legitimately entitled to my late husband’s fortune, she | would not take illegitimate means to gain possession of it.” | ‘“'We have no proof that she is taking illegitimate | means to gain it.”” ‘“¢'We know that the man who is aiding her is a villain!’’ ‘** How do we know it?’ ** You said so. ”’ ‘* Well, we will see further. matter clear through. ’’ ‘* One thing is certain; if the girl whom you met is my daughter, she is also the daughter of Mr. Silver, and his heir, even though he married another. Such a marriage would have been illegal, so long as I lived.”’ Upon the following morning the detective returned to the house where he had overheard the allusion to a missing —trunk, and he placed the house under surveillance. Some hours passed and:a veiled lady left the house, and the detective started to trail her. She walked up toward I shall investigate this Broadway and turning down the latter street was joined | from one of the hotels by a man, and the two walked on pogether. Manfred, as our old time readers know, was a man pos- sessed of very delicate features, and it was one of his favor- ite rdles to assume the disguise of a lady. He saw the parties he was following enter a well-known restaurant and he at once resolved to adopt a very novel disguise. He hastened to his own home, which, fortunately, was not far distant, and twenty minutes later a lady, veiled, and possessed of a graceful carriage, and well-dressed, entered a well-known restaurant. The lady glanced around ‘as she entered, ‘and espying a couple seated in a far corner of the room, she proceeded and took a seat near them. ‘The latter parties were en- grossed in conversation and did not at the moment observe her approach. The man was young and quite handsome, although his face possessed a sinister cast. ‘'he lady fad not removed her veil, so our herodid not at the moment catch a glimpse of her face. Manfred, under the cover of the veil, was enabled to ad- just a little sounding instrument to his ear, a remarkably | ingenious contrivance of his own invention and construc- tion. Under favorable circumstances the instrument was @ splendid conductor of sound, and upon this occasion cir- cumstances were favorable, and our hero was listener to a | very remarkable dialogue. He overheard the man say: ** Since this girl has turned up, matters look rather black for us. ** The girl staaus in our way.’’ ** She does, and your skillfal mother, I fear, will not be able to play a winning game.”’ Manfred’s heart sunk; those few words had opened up to him a most-startling yorslation. He at once concluded. that he had fallen to the trail of the veiled girl whom he had met upon the train, and it opened up the possibility that after all he was being played by a pair of sharp ad- venturesses; then again there were other remarkable inci- dents pointing in another direction. Meantime the conversation continued. The woman said: ‘* If we fail to secure that fortune, we are lost, and it ig hard to lose it after so many years; it belongs to us, and it is only accident that makes it possible for another to claim it. I3 ‘** There is but one way ‘for ne to secure the fortune; we must adopt desperate remedies. ’ ‘* What remedies can we adopt?” ‘We must secure possession of the girl and her moth- er.”’ ‘* Eh! what does this mean?” thought the detective. ‘¢ Do you think it possible for us to secure possession of the girl?’’ . ** Yes; but there is one fact in our way.’’ ‘* What is that?” sis a Bey have secured a smart man on their side, a law= yer.’ ‘You mean Mr. .O’Grady?’’ éé Yes. 33 ‘*'The man who visited me?’” éé Yes. 33 ‘* Well, well,’’ thought the detective. He had indeed caught on to an important revelation; ar admission had come which settled matters; and forever all doubt as to the genuineness of the claims of the lady whe was his gnest and of the girl whom he met on the train that fateful night, was settled in his mind. Our hero came to the conclusion that the veiled lady te whom he was listening was the same girl whom he had been introduced to by the man Stevens, and he at last had positive proof of the fact that, despite her singular resem- blance, she was illegitimately scheming to secure a fort- une; indeed, she had admitted the righteousness of an- other’s claim, while at the same time pronouncing it accidental. ; | ‘* The whele chance rests upon finding the girl. ’’ 6é Yes. 3? ** But this lawyer?’’ ‘** We will try and secure him, too; but the fact is, there is a mystery about him.”’ ‘* What is the mystery about him?” ‘* We can not learn anything concerning his antecedents, and he is a wonderfully deep and cute man. He told Ste- vens on ingenious story; but we know the seid to be false. ’ ** You might expect he would tell a false tale. ’ ‘Yes; but his having told it proves that he knew Ste- vens at the time he told it; there is a deep counter-game against us, and besides, there ; 18 pomaelnng very mysterious . about that trunk.’’ ** How did Stevens find out about the trunkr’’ ‘* He found the man at C——, who carried it to the de- pot, and he followed up the clew and learned the check number. He then had duplicates made, and presented them, but the trunk had been taken away. ”’ ** It was a pity we did not work that scheme sooner.” ‘* Ah, there is where we made our mistake!” ‘‘ What do you think was in the trunk?’’ ** We think now the whole fortune was in the trunk. ™ a = = — _ ’ x ~~ = ~ ed 1CbOOk S.cC =e LICE NA RET = ——— tn hd Ake ) ae)