The Argosy — page 378: what you’re looking at

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

Verena Fontaine's Rebellion. 359 “That young woman led to all the mischief. Running away, as she did—and sending us off to that wax-work show in search of her! Fine figures they cut, some of those dumb things !” “TI found also,” resumed Chandler, turning over his papers, on which he had looked from time to time, “that Sir Dace met with one or two slight personal mishaps that night. He sprained his wrist, accounting for it the next morning by saying he had slipped in getting into bed; and he lost a little piece out of his shirt-front.” “ Out of his shirt-front !” “Tust here,” and Chandler touched the middle button of his shirt. “The button-hole and a portion of the linen round it had been torn away. Nothing would have been known of that but for the laundress. She brought the shirt back before putting it into water, lest it should be said she had done it in the washing. Maria remembered this, and told me. A remarkably intelligent girl, that.” “Did Maria—I remember the girl—suspect anything?” asked the Squire. ‘Nothing whatever. She does not now; I accounted otherwise for my enquiries. Altogether, what with these facts I have told you, and a few minor items, and Ferrar’s evidence, I can draw but one conclusion—that Sir Dace Fontaine killed Pym.” “JT never heard such a strange thing!” cried the Pater. “ And what’s to be done P” ‘That’s the question,” said Chandler. “ What zs to be done?” And he left us with the doubt. Well, it turned out to be quite true; but I have not space here to go more into detail. Sir Dace Fontaine was guilty, and the dream was a true dream. : “Did you suspect him ?” the Squire asked privately of Jack, who was taken into counsel the next day. “No, I never suspected Sir Dace,” Jack answered. ‘‘ I suspected someone else—Verena.” 66 No ! ? “J did. About half-past eight o’clock that night, Ferrar had seen a young lady—or somebody dressed as one—watching Pym’s house from the opposite entry: just where, it now appears, he later saw Sir Dace. Ferrar thought it was Verena Fontaine. A little later, 1n fact just after the calamity must have occurred, Alfred Saxby also saw a young lady running from the direction of the house, whom he also took to be Verena. Ferrar and I came to the same conclusion—I don’t know about Saxby—that Verena must have been present when it happened. J thought that, angry at the state Pym was in, she might have given him a push in her vexation, perhaps inadvertently, and that he fell. Who knew?” ‘ But Verena was elsewhere that evening, you know; at a concert.” “ I knew she said so; but I did not believe it. Of course I know COMIC OOO© SS (C©) am