Show co tA Y n P TB B J LIC C LAUDE 4 Ol O T i J L K I 1 N Co Th The Turns and aWick d Life Ends Patience Amherst Who SYNOPSIS possesses great natural talent as a painter is invited by Sir Hilary Marlow a distinguished portrait painter to pay him a visit in London P Vernon Ramsey a rising young barrister who loves and it is loved by Patience tries to dissuade her from undertaking art as a career but is unsuccessful Sir Hilary tries to force her into all an artis artistic artistic tic compact that is to last two years and then throws her in contact with his nephew a flippant flip flipPant Pant Ot Frenchman Her impulse is to leave his home but she remains largely out of sympathy for Lady Marlow whose per he has completely overridden Her er artistic work under Sir direction is extremely successful end cud as she is coming into prominence she receives a call from f rom her former fanner suitor who has been through a severe illness of o f which she knows T Yet through a they dri t further apart than ever Theil site finds Lady is probably her mother and that Sir Hilary takes pleasure in iii tormenting the spirited woman Size She later discovers Sir Hil Hilary ary maltreating his wife vif e and to rid herself of o f his presence for a time takes a motor trip into the country with an admirer whom she it ir forced f to part with By accident site she meets Vernon r ernon to whom size she is reconciled But when she returns home size site finds Sir Hilary dying CONCLUDED FROM LAST SUNDAY CHAPTER Continued E HAD been stabbed In Inthe Inthe the with a curious sliver silver dagger and 11 he had evidently lacked courage to pull out the weapon which still stuck t In the wound Perhaps he F K l felt that his me life would gush away In blood when F he did aU all would 11 Ik be over at once ti He presented a ghastly g I spectacle as he be lay on the fa face e livid and dIstorted hIs h hands a n ds clenched as though In fn paIn His w hit h i t e shirtfront was hor Patience noticed C t by that blood kept trickling down from his wound to tomake tomake b make a dark pool on the carpet Yes blood seemed For Far a s second e con d she thoUGht she must faint the sight was so awful so terrible Then the warm humanity of her nature urged her to struggle straggle against such Buch an exhibition pt pf w weakness akness when there was a man at her feet teet who needed though this man washer was her most cruel and unnatural father She sprang to Sir side and knelt down on the floor What has happened she cried Oh Ob Sir Hilary who has done this cruel thing Shall I take the dag dagger dagger ger out and tr try to stanch your wound Ho He looked up at her with eyes ees of recognition for all that a tUrn film was gathering over oer film of ap approaching did he appear particularly sur surprised to see her herI I have hae been murdered he mut muttered muttered It If you have pity In you Patience cry out and summon the household My moans have been too faint to attract attention and I 1 must make a deposition to the police He hesitated a second fighting hard hanl for breath Dont to pull out the dagger I shall die dIrectly It Is know I 1 shall A terrible rush of at blood will come and It will be all over with even before I Ican can accuse the owner of at the hand that has laid me low loo He laid a faint exhausted finger on Patiences arm For the love loe of God he cried call In a want ant to charge my She looked at him with Intense s dyIng man whose Bole desire was to be avenged on his enemy Then she crIed out for help even as he had bidden her do her oleo ringing out through the silent night and the sleeping house houseA A few tew moments later a whole crowd ot of hurriedly dressed servants flocked down and then Lady Marlow deathly pale and wearing a long white dressing gown appeared ed on the be followed by Pierre Lamerre CrIes were raised at once for tor the the police poUce and footmen were hurriedly dispatched to summon aid ald aldIn In n quite a little so It t seemed to policemen had bad appeared as it if by magic In the study and then a doctor bustled In and ran up to the Injured man though he had some culty In pushing Pierre Lamerre Laferre whose face betrayed Intense grief and dis dismay may and vho called passionately on the dying man The he do doctor tor stooped over his patient I will see what cad can do he muttered but after he had made a examination he Shook his head and beckoned to the po lice to approach Sir deposItion had better be taken at once pe whispered he Is s fast fastOne fastOne One of the constables bent over the dyIng out ut a big notebook Can you OU tell us who committed this crime Sir HU HIl HIlary HUary ary he asked Give us the th name of your assailant Wo Va want to toYes toYes Yes I know what you wish to do Interrupted the sufferer with a marvelous flash of strength You want to take down my statement before the breath leaves my bodY Well I charge a woman with this crimea woman I He half haIt raised himself from the ground by a dous exercise of will and Pierre flung his arms about his father so that the dying man could lean against him the man whose red lifeblood kept oozing away even as aso ho o spoke and whose face was turning livid lividA lividA A woman The policeman wrote the words down So a woman was WIlS your assailant Sir Hilary Now for tor her ber name SIr Hilary paused Then his eyes wIde and an expression ot of extraordinary hate came Into appalling rage He looked as a devil might be expected to look some fiend from the nether nethermost nethermost most hell and Patience shuddered as she sho watched him She had never Imagined such malignity could distort the human countenance and It seemed So as It if he was staring at her all the her herl He raIsed his handa trembling poInted It at Patience NoticIng this a little housemaid who had bad been standing by the girls side gave a st startled cry so that all eyes were turned on Patience I b wIsh to charge Patience Amherst with my mur der SIr Hilary said In clear deliberate tones She has been an Inmate of at this house for some time police policeman policeman man She Is a young artist whom I befriend but I had occasion to reprove her severely tonight tor for forthe the scandalous behavior she has been guilty Of today and I 1 told her that In c consequence ot of her conduct she must mu leave my house In fact I turned her out How She got b back ck again I cannot lIk likely lyby by the std aid crt of aa a latchkey ey Anyhow she made her way to this where I was reading g a book o and after a acene II b 4 5 a r I i yAt Mr w I r qi 1 y a t t l a t td d tit d e x 1 Tr st L wd tN Ie C Mon Dieu l I he cried you will be a 8 dead woman in a few seconds l I t c ot of Indescribable violence she caught up a dagger which was lyIng on the writing old Italian weapon which I sometimes used to cut papers with and stabbed me as you se stabbed me repented her deed and screamed out Ho He gave a curIous cough as he said the last words and something began to rattle In his r rattle ominously and horribly but he still glared at Patience triumphantly ns as though delighted by his vile tle lie lle lieA A terrible silence followed Sir false state statement which a diabolical desire to be revenged on Patience had InspIred It seemed as If none of the spectators could speak or move for a horror was too Patience felt that accusing eyes were being turned upon she was being judged and condemned and for tor a crime ot of which she was Innocent She sprang forward wildly and rushed up to the dying man manSir manSir Sir Hilary she cried Unsay what you have just said Dont go Into the presence presen e ot of your Ma Maker er wIth a alie alie lie upon your awful lI liet t I ask this of YO you as much for tor your own sake as for mine For remember In a few moments you will he f facing judgment and you Ou know that you have cruelly I amm am guiltless of what you have laid to my charge You have accused me ot of a terrIble crime out of a spirit of at revenge and yet you are my father you say my father She spread out her arms arma helplessly her imploring eyes on the dying man manI I am not your father Sir Hilary spoke In low broken gasps Ask Lady Marlow If I am for she knows better He shrilled the last words out with a sudden access of at strength Then his eyes left the girls pale agonized countenance and he gazed at his wife glared at Lady Marlow who was shrinking back the wall Sh She tottered forward as Sir Hildry ry looked at her Her face was shook as with the palsy Hilary HUary she moaned HilarY why have you ac accused accused Patience He made no answer b beyond yond a low hoarse laugh then the death sweat gathered on his face and he f fell back helplessly Into Pierre arms The doctor bent over him did the two policemen But Patience covered her face with her could not watch the death was bad enough to have to listen to the dreadful rattling sound BOund of Sir quick painful breathing She was dimly aware that the servants WhO thronged the room were eyeing her as If she was a red handed murderess Indeed they believed her to be and she was vaguely conscious that It might be almost im impossible impossible possible for her to establish her Innocence that It might be her lot to die a death of shame to die a terrible and Ignominious death at the hands of the tho common hangman She thought of Vernon and It seemed as It If her heart must brain burst The heavy breathing suddenly ceased There came a along along long and terrible pause He Is dead the doctor spoke In low Impassive tones Sir Hilary Marlow Is dead CHAPTER Lady Marlow Learns All never forgot Ina in after ter days that second d dof PATIENCE V of blank awful silence whIch followed the doctors statement that Sir Hilary Marlow was deada silence during whIch no one moved or one thought ot of stirring Then quite Lamerre fell on hIs knees by the corpse and aban abandoned abandoned himself to a passionate outburst of that was certainly genuine for the young know knew that he had lost his best friend and that he must be dependent On his own exertions In the future fOr dally daily most unpleasing prospect for Pierre Ono One of at the policemen advanced toward Patience and the girl Instinctively realized that he Intended to arrest charge her with having committed a crime of which she was guiltless Yes she would be dragged oft orr o 0 prison In a a few minutes she told her herself herself self on the tho strength of a dead mans lying oath convIcted on false fabe testimony She shuddered and turned Icy cold Sweat broke out on her forehead her lips twitched painfully all at once a hoarse cry burst from her pale Ups lips Dont drag me to prison Dont shame me so utterlY I ani am Innocent by the God who made me I Iam Iam am He Hilary lied 1 She pressed presse her hands to her forehead She was too dazed bY all that h had d happened t to ask herself herselt who had really commItted the murder nor did she quite realize that she had been deceived In believing that she was the dead mans child For all Patience could really take In and fully appreciate was the dreadful fact that Sir Hilary before he died had charged her with the hideous crime ot of murder She saw things through a haze ot of red The smell of blood to be and hateful and she fancied that Sir glassy eyes were still fixed upon her In glaring baneful triumph The pOliceman hesitated and glanced at the pale beautiful girl compassionately but at last put hIs hand upon her shoulder It was 1 Is heavy hand and Patience fet tet dragged down by itS down to some unknown depths She just as some wild furry creature caught in a trap might Innocent beau wild thing who cannot understand why It should be snared broken killed Oh dont hold me pOliceman I Dont touch met mel she moaned I go away with you to you ou touch iDle e eShe She hesitated a second I amm am Innocent Oh I am innocent Innocenti abe repeated Then she sUddenly pressed her hert hands over her face again Verri Vernon she cried My Vernon come to me come to me and don let me bit be taken too to prison pitiful to ta hei et to 1 hear her he r cry out but the pOlicemen had theIr duty to do and could not avoid avold doing It However just as they were about to charge harge Patience formally with the murder of SIr Hilary Marlow Lady ady Marlow st stepped forward Her He face was deathly white her Ups lips gray but she had conquered the nervousness she had betrayed when she had first entered the pitiful shrinking nervousness that had made her crOuch up agaInst the walland now she rt stood od up as cold and calm as though she had been carved out of stone I have a statement to make too She spoke In slow measured tones Then she crossed over to where Patience stood shaking and trembling put her hand handon handon on the girls arm and drew her away tram from the police Miss Amherst Is Innocent she went on slowly My husband lied when he accused her of his murder He did so m merely rely out of a a spirIt ot of he hated her even more than he hated me It was Patience Amherst who circumvented circum circumvented vented aU all his plans Yes It was aU all owing to Patience that I learned certain truths I felt ill ann an hour ago and I came downstairs to fetch my husband but asI as asI I was about to open his study door I heard him sa say something to his nephew and what I overheard decided me to play the eavesdropper So I stood out outside outside side and listened to the conversation that was passing between himself and his nephew and soon lIoon realized that I had been a tricked and deluded woman all through my married life Ufe I learned for the first fint time that my husband was a widower when hemar he mar married ried me Instead ot of being the young artist wholly devoted to art as he had represented the man who had never loved any woman but myself She hesitated a 3 second then bit fiercely at her lip lipI I have written a a letter she continued written out a full and accurate statement of at the way my husband has lied to me and deceived me for tor years and I have confessed In this letter which you will find on my dressing table upstairs to that crime of which I 1 and no other have been guilty tonight But before I accuse myself more definitely let me say this at least In my own defense My husband plotted mur murder murder der against I She left Patience as she spoke and made her way to where Sir Hilary lay on the ground the eyes of at everyone every one In the room fixed On her You see this ring She knelt down by the dead deadman deadman man and ond drew a heavy Italian looking ring tram from one oneat of at his cold fingers This is a ring with a secret spring You have but to press the middle diamond In n the cluster and the stone falls back and discloses a little locket In which lie two or three grains ot of white dust Well Sir HUar Hilary told his son whom I had been led to believe was his son ron of his first he would get me to sign a will tomorrow by hook or by crook a will wUl In which I should leave him my entire fortune and then he would give me the contents ot of this ring to swallow She paused a second then turned fiercely on the crowd of eager spectators who had watched her every move movement movement ment Have you n no pity on me she cried Remember I have been deceived by the man I loved by the husband I 1 adored tricked with regard to the daughter whom I 1 honestly believed to be my own child who was born to me before my m marriage had been publicly ac acknowledged acknowledged and whom I 1 was fir first t told had died at birth and then that she was alive But you ou must know that Sir Hilary would not let me claim the girl who he told me was my own daughter She grew In her explanations He kept on putting me moment had not yet come he said he had not got all his proofs resumed presumed parents might refuse to give her up he argued It would be bet better better ter to get her here by some trick or other And so the years crept on and then a few months spoke in n low |