The Argosy — page 154: what you’re looking at

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

Christobel. 139 “TI was interested in her from the first moment that I saw her,” said Mr. Sherlock, calmly ignoring the malice of the widow’s speech. ‘“T talk so little that I think I observe more than other people. I noticed a resemblance—at times very striking—in Miss Fane to Van- dyken, and that was the first thing that set me thinking. My cousin Millicent’s strange agitation did not appear to me at all explicable merely on the hypothesis of her failing mind, and this made the second link in my chain of suspicion. Finally, when you, Hillyer, were cross- questioning Miss Fane as to what happened at the Quarry, I remarked what seemed to me like a secret understanding between the young lady and Verschoyle. You may remember, Mrs. Chisholm, that you had the same idea, and were constantly speaking of it, so I must not exaggerate the merit of my own acuteness.” Mrs. Chisholm, annoyed, bit her lip, but made no reply; and Mr. Sherlock, with his furtive smile, resumed : “I boldly accused Verschoyle of previous acquaintance with Miss Fane, and seeing that I was really interested, he owned to it at once. But he did not tell me her real identity, for, on her first arrival at the Hall, she had bound him to secrecy, and he considered that it was the business of the police, and not his, to unravel the mystery sur- rounding Vandyken and Clarence Dare. But he told me enough to make me more kindly than ever towards the poor girl, and as soon as I arrived in London, I set a private detective to work to discover where she was living. Iam fond of surprises, and I had planned one which would have reinstated Miss Fane in everybody’s good opinion. In this I have been foiled through information given to Scotland Yard, and the consequent discovery of Vandyken, or rather Harold Hillyer. I have an old friend in the police, and by going to him this morning I have been able to learn some interesting particulars as to Vandyken’s intended arrest. They (the police) were thrown off the track in the first instance by the delay that ensued before Clarence Dare was recognised—that is, discovered mot to be Vandyken. ‘This gave the latter time to get clear off. He went as far as Calais, shaved off his beard, and then did the very cleverest thing he could do in returning to London and (presumably) seeking out his daughter. He was, perhaps, determined to this by illness, for it seems that for some time past he had suffered from disease of the heart. The Mirandolas’ was the last house where anybody thought of looking for him—and some false information further misled the police, in causing them to con- clude that Miss Fane had also left the country. But they had cor- — rected their various mistakes, obtained many particulars from America, and were probably within twenty-four hours of discovering Vandyken, when somebody told them all they wanted, and their purpose was frustrated only by the hand of Death.” Mr. Sherlock paused, and there ensued an awkward silence. Much was still unexplained, and many questions might have been asked, but for the various considerations which imposed silence upon everybody. CONnniclooolKs (SO) am