Show SAW THE FATAL 0 R F 0 V N D 0 V T BYA ciz L author of cf man bit own F friend eo 1801 by 6 v vat tall company co 0 0 p y V 1 r d ig A 9 1 19 0 0 9 2 1 8 t r f f 9 it sm 9 M 1 it 9 A iea CHAPTER XIV continued I 1 all though detill legible were more ar w less injured by the flery ordeal to which they had bad been in some degree the fire which dmd stopped before reaching tho the upper part of the body had been sufficient for this ile he ran hla his eye over them again what was vas that something crackled as he laid hla his hand upon one ot of the papers nearest to him it was a sheet of foreign note paper much singed and written only upon one eide aide ile he pushed all the other papers together la in a heap then with the burnt letter before him m ith an elbow planted on each side and his head SIX supported between his hands handa lie bent himself to the task of deciphering what still remained at last after at least an hour spent in this way le made a gesture of despair 1 I 1 sup suppose ose I 1 must give it up the task is beyond me at least athla por cioll of rt it ho he cast his eye again over the words they tell roe me nothing as they are they even serve to cast some implies tion upon my fathers honor and ile he broke off abruptly and the color forsook his bis face what was it the doctor had hinted at something discreditable la in the past ile he glanced at the paper again but tills this speaks of something 11 worse ile he gave a hasty look round as though he halt half feared the possibility of the presence of a listener as ho he whispered the words something criminal I 1 ile he took up his bis pen pan again and onee once more concentrated his whole attention upon the burnt letter the paper before him contained a number of broken phrases the be ginnings anil fragments of sentences the uppa appet part of the letter had been burned avay amay and the that word which was decipherable was waa Us lita fattier fathers a nam name silas below this might be read with mith isome difficulty the following inco herent scraps of sentences la in which after all ther ewas a good deal of guess work 11 II 11 ve not forgotten of twenty liars on receiving this letter at once lor for dover expect to reach there la a that between us ua which not allow allon you to deny I 1 ask and many you alone can it if iou ou refuse I 1 shall that sou ou as the criminal of your youth beneath deneath this last sentence he ha clad cl ad make out what nhat lie he took to be the tha letter J which apparently stood for the initial letter of the christian name but the rest of the signature was burned and obliterated at this moment something again re billed to idia the mysterious words which he be had heard beard the night before the funeral and he looked round tor for a possible interpretation lf cf them juls eye roamed from one object to another and his tongue repeated the words the ithe baring at the back of the recess what recess where lie rose from hla his chair and took a sharp turn round the room loom the recess what was meant hy by the re cess cesa rather he ha said ns as though ad dressing some one present show me what you meon mean ile he drew up hla his chair and resumed his bis seat but there was as that in his behavior which sug rested one under the control of some mesmeric influence or who walked in his big sleep immediately sh ih front of him hla his eye rested upon a small door to his he be now for the first time that the key hey was in the lock lie he turned it and saw papers within tied up in bundles and en darned some were quite yellow with age and some were morr modern lie he went to work deliberate until lie he had quite cleared the space it was waa not very iery large but now that it was waa empty it formed a sort of at lie he did not the word even in hla his own mind but began to pass his fingers over the tha panel at tho the back lowly backwards and forwards forward an inch it t a time at lat last som something athIng seemed to catch his hi nail something which projected project od ever so BO slightly lie he pressed it tho spring at the back of the recess firmly there was a little jarring sound and the back of 0 tho the partition tell fell forward re another compartment behind the fie first this at first seemed seamed to contain noth ing but a packet of old letters tied round with nith a faded blue ribbon they were his mothers letters written ritten il be foie tier her marriage and treasured ever since A bundle of old lovo love letter a was that all no there was nas something else A photograph faded and yellow like the tatters letters A photograph of a young man in the dress that now seemed old fashioned and ridiculous ot of awen ty or thirty years ago the features were hardly distinguishable but on oil the back was a name and a date james ferrars Ferr taken june jun 1858 CHAPTER XV the new client sir mr john sharp a officer corces ii were ere situ abed off the strand and at I 1 11 I 1 0 dork clock one morning mr air john sharp was scaled lit in his pi hate room expecting a visitor or aa mr sharp would have expressed pressed ey it himself a client while malting alting for the latter to put in an appearance lie he walled away the time w ith the morning paper at the particular moment to which wo we refer hta his attention wai wag enraged by something in the top right hand corner of the outside sheet which seemed to afford him a considerable amount of satisfaction it certainly does read well lie he re maikos to himself complacently 1 I 1 can edeny that though I 1 did draw it up myself 1 I wonder lie he continued rasping his chin mith ft ath hit his forefinger whether the gent chos made the appointment for 11 0 clock came from the advertisement or whether he ha was recommended 7 ithe advertisement referred to was as follows sharp a agency swift something I 1 can do for you sure and secret all inquiries con ducted with the tha greatest irea greatest test euill and dis credon evidence obtained on an any subject kit all communications regard ed as strictly private and confidential mr john sharp promises to all those who honor him by seeking his aid the experience of twenty years and the secrecy of the confessional nr john sharp as regarded his out outward ivard appearance appeal anac was somewhat of tho the weasel order As he be himself often said sharp was Us his name and sharp was his nature my afy now new clients client a late he be con coil united tinned looking at his watch ire he opened a door of communication and put his head through jenningss Jenning sl I 1 assir when the gentleman comes dont don t forget to tell him that I 1 in for the moment but chat ahall be at lib jib erty shortly and mind you curne cume in when ou oil hear me bang the door and ask if I 1 ant am dig disengaged engaged and can see th the 0 g gentleman 0 atlen an nov the faithful jennings performed his duty to the tha lett t 1 1 I think said mr air chirp rising and to to a memorandum as the gentleman gent lemon was w a a ushered in that I 1 have tho the pleasure of addressing mr will vill you be good enough to be scaled tho the visitor admitted that was waa his bis name and took the seat indicated something I 1 can do for you in quiren mr sharp placing the ups tips of hla his fingers together interrogatively the ne new client who had with him a small email leather bag opened it and produced three articles which he placed upon tho the table before min him they consisted of a square hat flat pack age a photograph and a ball from a revolver suppose you begin from the birg and tell mo me all about it I 1 shall not interrupt aou ou said mr sharp AS he be opened the notebook androla toned a stump of h 1 ad pencil with his tongue ile he kept his word though he made copious notes and for some moments there wits was only the monotonous sound of the one voice as the tha now new client recapitulated all the circumstances which had led to his seeking mr sharp a asel assistance stance and which hav babu already been fully gone into when he had finished I 1 I thought the name seemed familiar to me said ald th other to be sure euro I 1 ro remember member all the circumstances connected with tho the sad aad and so vou think you havo have hit upon the guilt party T I 1 I am certain of it w WM is the determined answer I 1 believe I 1 I 1 know bla big name and have proof in my 1117 own mind that lit b the du what I 1 want you to do 40 Is 1 to trace lim alz for er e r ratter put rne me on hta track and tot ka me a run him down dawn phoel whittled whistled ur mr sharp softly under hla his breath this la is something quite out of the common this to la bup bill pose poni he be said addressing addrel ng tho the young man thant we examine the evi evidence denoe this la Is the bullet YOU say and this thin a photograph you found among the tha deceased gent gentleman lemans s pipers papers might I 1 inquire what ahat this Is lat laying hla his hand baud upon the other article that to Is tho the letter I 1 spoke or of which made the appointment which my father kept and waa nan thus thua indirectly the cause ct cf hla his death it to Is partly destroyed but enough remains to show how that there was mas here ito ho best fated for the arat time something of the tha nature of a secret between them mr sharp ran his eye down the tha page I 1 humph he remarked something vague and unsatisfactory it certai certainly nl seems to hint bt at some thing of a auspicious nature between the tw tm a 0 dont don t make maho any mistake put in ted burritt at this point m whatever there may be ot of that nature does not cannot apply to my father I 1 probably nott not probably not but ou must allow a certain amount of 0 ambiguity of cutting both ways was 11 I 1 we could prove the tha kno knowledge A ledge of some nefarious here ho he referred to a sentence in the copy of the tha letter some home criminal proceedings con coil berning the writer on the part of the or er the unfortunate gentleman who was waa shot something which abich lay be tween those two alone why then we N should be able to see our way suppose there was a strong tion suppose those two to be alone alona in a atrat rat class carriage suppose that a sudden quarrel arises between them that the deceased as I 1 have just said Is provoked to utter titter threats as to what hat he be may or may not mot do suppose the one threatened who car lies ilea a rev revolved olvet vei makes hakea up his bla mind tc 1311 silence nce him onee for all by the means of a bullet thi his brain mi ilig client nodded now continued mr sharp bo ba tore fore proceeding farther just juat let us ua come to an understanding as aa to what you want ant me m to do 1 I m want ant you was as the anaid answer er to trace this other from the time that lie he m was as last seen very good from mr sharp and to travo hla his history back v maids aids from that ti time me and the baity a name tod ted handed banded him birn the photograph and showed allowed him what was nas irit written tea on the tha back vei y good sir air I 1 think we under aland each cach other and oil would wish mish me to belan my In alons at oncel once there waa maa a little discussion here about terms expenses etc which be ing satisfactorily arranged ana ngod the climit lose and prepared to take tahe hla his depar ture 70 IN w in 1 you win 1 five rne me the photograph and our copy of the letter ted budritt assented and replaced the other articles artl clea 11 I 1 shall make a point said mr sharp of going through the report of at the inquest again to refresh my memora and in case cage there 1 bo be any little flat that rott ma have escaped yours you have to prove checking ing the items oft off on lits his fingers first that the man WP p want abote that let ter secondly that he was waa the other passenger pase enger and thirdly that ho he tired fired that shot the answer was waa firm and concise 1 I don t require oil to prove the tha murder so much as all to trace the man and when you hal bae e done dona so Ho leave him to mel me to be continued |