The Argosy — page 305: what you’re looking at

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

A Great Mystery. 287 him Mr. Stone—which appeared to be his name. Mr. Stone had no- thing of a report to bring Miss Deveen. “Tt’s one of two things, ma’am,” he said. “ Either this has been done by somebody in your own house; or else the neighbours are playing you tricks. I can’t come to any other conclusion. The case is peculiar, you see, in-so-far as that nothing has been stolen.” “It is very peculiar indeed,” returned Miss Deveen. — “T should have said—I should feel inclined to say—that the culprit is some one in the house “It’s the most unlikely thing in the world, that it should have been anybody in the house,” struck in Miss Deveen, not allowing him to go on. ‘ To suspect any of the young people who are visiting me, would be simply.an insult. And my servants would no more play the trick than I or Miss Cattledon would play it.” ‘Failing indoors then, we must look to the out,” said Mr. Stone, after listening patiently. ‘And that brings up more difficulty, ma’am. For I confess J don’t see how they could get the window and shutters opened from the outside, and leave no marks of damage.” “The fact of the windowand shutters being wide open each morning, shows how they got out.” . “Just so,” said Mr. Stone ; “ but it does not show how they got in. Of course there’s the possibility that they managed to secrete themselves in the house beforehand.” “ Yesterday I thought that might have been the case,” remarked Miss Deveen ; “to-day I do not think so. It seems that, after what occurred, my servants were especially cautious to keep their doors and windows not only closed but bolted all day yesterday, quite barring the possibility of any one’s stealing in. Except, of course, down the chimneys.” Mr. Stone laughed. ‘ They’d bring a lot of soot with ’em that way.” ‘“‘ And spoil my hearth-rugs. No; that was not the route of entrance.” ‘‘'Then we come to the question—did one of the servants get up and admit ’em ?” But that would be doubting my servants still, you see. It really seems, Mr. Stone, as though you could not help me.” ‘‘ Before saying whether I can or I can’t, I should be glad, ma’am, to have a conversation with you alone,” was the unexpected answer. So we left him with Miss Deveen. Cattledon’s stays appeared to resent it, for they creaked alarmingly in the hall, and her voice was tart. ‘‘ Perhaps the man wants to accuse you or me, Mr. Johnny !” We knew later, after the upshot came, what it was he did want: and I may as well state it at once. Stone had made up his mind to watch that night in the garden; but he wished it kept secret from everybody, except Miss Deveen herself, and he charged her strictly not to mention it. ‘ How will it serve you, if, as you say, they do not comein that, way ?” ECoOMmicloooks (CO)