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AUTHOR OF "THE MARATHON MYSTERY," "THE HOLLADAY CASE," ETC. NEW YORK HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY 1907 Copyright, 1907, BY HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY Published October, 1907 THE QUINN & BODEN CO. PRESS RAHWAY, N. J.
AUTHOR OF "THE MARATHON MYSTERY," "THE HOLLADAY CASE," ETC. NEW YORK HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY 1907 Copyright, 1907, BY HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY Published October, 1907 THE QUINN & BODEN CO. PRESS RAHWAY, N. J.
CHAPTER I. An Urgent Summons CHAPTER II. A Bride's Vagary CHAPTER III. The Lover's Story CHAPTER IV. A Strange Message CHAPTER V. Deeper in the Maze CHAPTER VI. An Astonishing Request CHAPTER VII. Tangled Threads CHAPTER VIII. The Path through the Grove CHAPTER IX. The Old Sorrow CHAPTER X. The Mysterious Light CHAPTER XI. An Old Acquaintance CHAPTER XII. Word from the Fugitive CHAPTER XIII. Pursuit CHAPTER XIV. Recalled to the Front CHAPTER XV. A Battle of Wits CHAPTER XVI. The Secret of the Ce
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An Urgent Summons
An Urgent Summons
"That seems to be all right, Lester," said Mr. Royce, and handed the papers back to me. "I'll be mighty glad when we get that off our hands." So, I knew, would the whole force of the office, for the case had been an unusually irritating one, tangling itself up in the most unexpected ways, until, with petitions and counter-petitions and answers and demurrers and what not, we were all heartily tired of it. I slipped the papers into an envelope and shot them into a pigeon-hole with a sigh of relief
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A Bride's Vagary
A Bride's Vagary
Two minutes later, I was speeding downward in the elevator, having paused only long enough to give a word of instruction to the head clerk. A glance at my watch showed me that if I would catch the 12.38, I had no time to lose; but luckily a cab was passing at the moment, and I jumped aboard the boat for Jersey City just as the gates were closing. Not until I was safely aboard the train did I give myself time to conjecture what this imperative summons meant, but during the half-hour run to the li
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The Lover's Story
The Lover's Story
I paused, as soon as we reached the pavement, for a look about me. We were evidently in the fashionable quarter of the town. The street was wide, well-kept, and shaded by stately elms. The houses which stretched away on either hand had that spaciousness, that air of dignity and quiet, which bespeaks wealth and leisure. Here was no gaudy architecture, no flamboyant flourish of the newly-rich; rather the evidence of families long-settled in their present surroundings and long-accustomed to the lux
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A Strange Message
A Strange Message
I guessed in a breath who she was, and my heart went out to her in instant pity. Yet a second glance told me that it was not the shadow of this recent sorrow which lay across her face. Time alone could grave those lines of calm endurance, could give to the eyes that look of quiet resignation, to the mouth that curve of patient suffering; and only a deep spiritual faith could preserve and heighten the sweetness and gentleness of a countenance so marked. "This is Mr. Lester, Mrs. Lawrence," said o
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Deeper in the Maze
Deeper in the Maze
I sat for a moment half-dazed, with this astonishing note in my fingers. Then I read it through again—there could be no doubting the sincerity of the writer, her passionate earnestness. "I cannot be your wife ... it is quite, quite impossible." But why was it impossible? Clearly not from any lack of affection. If the note proved anything, it proved that Marcia Lawrence loved Burr Curtiss far beyond the usual application of the word. Why, then, had she fled? "There can be no explanation." There w
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An Astonishing Request
An Astonishing Request
I sat down again and examined my find more closely. I am no connoisseur of lace, yet even I could appreciate the handkerchief's exquisite beauty. But how came it here, crushed into a corner of this chair? Whose was it? Some instinct—or was it merely a delusive hope?—told me that it belonged to Marcia Lawrence—that it was she who had left it here—that the tears which dampened it were her tears, tears of bitter, bitter sorrow for dead hopes and a future which had changed from gold to grey. She had
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Tangled Threads
Tangled Threads
I stared at her a moment without replying—so she was guilty! So she did know! I heard the opening of the door as the maid left the room, and the sound somehow restored me a portion of my self-control. "Cease? But why?" I asked. "Surely——" "Marcia has said that the marriage is impossible," she interrupted. "Is not that enough?" "Mr. Curtiss does not think so. And if it is impossible, he, at least, has a right to know why." "Marcia has decided not; she has no wish to bring reproach to the memory o
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The Path through the Grove
The Path through the Grove
I had no trouble in finding the path and in following it through the grove, noting how the trees screened it from the street. I reached a hedge enclosing a garden which the path skirted, and finally a second hedge, which seemed to be the one bounding the estate. The path led to a gate which opened upon the grounds of a cottage just beyond. I could see that there was a garden and that the cottage was covered with vines, but no further details were discernible. Suddenly a light flashed out from on
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The Old Sorrow
The Old Sorrow
"To Mrs. Lawrence?" I repeated. Here was a coincidence, indeed! Could it be, I asked myself again, that this thing had been deliberately arranged? But I dismissed the thought as ridiculous. "I will tell you the story so far I know it," said the clergyman. "It is no breach of trust to do so, for it was public property at the time, though long since forgotten. I should not recall it now but for the fact that it may shed some light upon to-day's occurrence." "Perhaps it will," I agreed. "Mrs. Lawre
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The Mysterious Light
The Mysterious Light
It was some moments before I could think clearly, so real and vivid had that vision been. I threw out my arms to assure myself that I was still in bed; I could scarcely believe that I was not really shivering behind the hedge, staring across at that lighted window and the dreadful drama it revealed. I was bathed in perspiration and yet felt chilled to the very marrow. Indeed, my teeth were chattering as I groped my way to the light, turned it on, and looked at my watch. It was nearly one o'clock
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An Old Acquaintance
An Old Acquaintance
I arose betimes in the morning, despite the fact that I had been up most of the night, for I was determined to gain entrance to the Kingdon cottage and force an interview with Marcia Lawrence before I went to my appointment with her mother. Day had taken from my dream nothing of its vividness, but my nerves were normal again, and I could approach the task with a coolness which had not been possible the night before. That Marcia Lawrence had taken refuge with the Kingdons, I did not for an instan
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Word from the Fugitive
Word from the Fugitive
I glanced at my watch; it wanted still half an hour of eleven o'clock. "Let's walk on together," I said; "this needs talking over. A special-delivery letter from New York, then, causes Marcia Lawrence, a well-poised, self-possessed, happy woman, to flee from the man she loves, to wreck her life, throw away her future——" I stopped in despair. Really, I felt for the moment like tearing my hair. "It seems incredible, doesn't it?" asked Godfrey, smiling at my bewildered countenance. "Incredible? Why
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Pursuit
Pursuit
My work at Elizabeth was done. Whatever mystery this house contained, whatever the secrets of the Kingdons and the Lawrences, my business was not with them. I had only to return to New York and place this message in Burr Curtiss's hands. I would counsel him to wait until Marcia Lawrence chose to reveal herself—I was sure it would not be long. A few days' respite would be wise for both of them; they would be calmer, more self-controlled, better able to meet bravely and sensibly what must be the o
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Recalled to the Front
Recalled to the Front
Never were slippers and easy-chair more welcome to me than they were that night. I was thoroughly weary in mind as well as body, and as I dropped into the chair and donned the slippers, I determined to go early to bed, and to forget all about the Lawrence enigma. I was heartily glad that I was rid of it; it had proved so baffling, so discouraging that I rejoiced at the chance which had taken it out of my hands. Burr Curtiss must puzzle it out for himself. I fancied I could see him, pacing up and
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A Battle of Wits
A Battle of Wits
I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock. But she did not fire. Instead, she lowered her pistol with a grim little laugh. "So it's you!" she said, and stood looking at me, her lips curving maliciously. "Yes," I answered. "Who did you think it was?" "Oh, I don't know. A burglar, perhaps." "You seem to have been prepared for him." "I always carry this pisto
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The Secret of the Cellar
The Secret of the Cellar
It was a moment before I fully understood the meaning of these extraordinary words. When I did understand them, I saw crumbling before me that elaborate structure which I had been at such pains to build—the structure founded upon the assumption of Miss Lawrence's innocence. She was only an adventuress, after all, then; or, more probably, only a weak woman, swayed by an ungovernable passion, risking everything rather than give up the man she loved; deceiving him, lying to him, taking the one desp
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A Tragedy Unforeseen
A Tragedy Unforeseen
For an instant I stood so, rigid with horror, scarcely breathing, scarcely daring to believe my eyes. Then Godfrey snatched the torch from my nerveless fingers, and bent down into the grave. "Good God!" he murmured, after a moment's inspection of what lay there. "I would never have guessed this! This is a thousand times worse than I imagined! Here, Lester, hold the light. I'll uncover the face," and thrusting the torch into my hands, he attacked the loose earth at the other end of the grave. I,
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A New Turn to the Puzzle
A New Turn to the Puzzle
How we got her down, I scarcely know. I dimly remembered bringing a chair for Godfrey and holding up the body for a dreadful instant while he severed the cord about the neck; but my first clear recollection is of her form upon a bed in the adjoining room, with Godfrey bending over her and Lucy Kingdon standing by with such a face of anguish and despair that, for the first time since I had known her, I found it in my heart to pity her. She had snatched up some dark garment and thrown it over her
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Under Suspicion
Under Suspicion
We carried her up the stair and placed her on a couch in the room where her sister lay. "She's only fainted," Godfrey said. "Put some water on her face and chafe her hands. She'll soon come around. I must be off, or I'll miss my scoop, after all." "All right," I agreed. "I'll wait here. You'd better notify the police." "I will. But I'll get my shoes first," and he hurried out into the yard, while I got some cold water from the tap in the kitchen. "Here are yours, too," he said, coming back with
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An Appeal for Advice
An Appeal for Advice
A cold plunge wiped away the last vestiges of sleepiness, and ten minutes later, I joined Godfrey in the dining-room, where he had ordered lunch for both of us, and where we could talk undisturbed, since we were its only occupants. "I've been up only a few minutes myself," he began as I sat down. "But I didn't get to bed till nearly noon. There was too much to do, this morning." "Tell me about it," I said. "I'm anxious to hear the developments." "There aren't any." "But you've cleared up the mys
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Cross-Purposes
Cross-Purposes
Godfrey was waiting for me at the desk, and I felt him glance at me keenly as I announced my readiness to accompany him. "We'll go up to the Kingdon place," he said, "and see if the coroner has made any discoveries. The clerk told me you had a visitor," he added, as we reached the street. "A client," I answered, with forced jocularity. "A clergyman in need of legal advice." "I thought I recognised him as he came out. It was Dr. Schuyler, wasn't it?" "Yes." He glanced at me again, and then walked
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Light at Last!
Light at Last!
I sank back into my chair, overcome by such a flood of relief and thankfulness that I could not speak. But Dr. Schuyler laboured under no such disability. "I cannot understand," he said, and I saw by his flushed face that he was genuinely angry, "how you could have got the preposterous idea that Marcia Lawrence was connected in any way with this affair. Any sane man would have seen the utter absurdity of such a theory." "I see it now," I assented hoarsely. "Why, Marcia Lawrence could no more be
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The Story
The Story
It was not until I unfolded my Record at the breakfast table, next morning, that I fully appreciated Godfrey's tremendous activity. I had always known, of course, that he was energetic, indefatigable, and fertile of expedient, but his results, remarkable as they often were, were usually achieved with such apparent ease that I had never suspected the extent of the downright hard work which lay back of them. Now, as I looked over the paper before me, I understood and wondered. I had left him at te
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The Secret
The Secret
The dusk of evening was falling as we were ferried across to the city. I bade Godfrey good-bye, and took a cab direct to my rooms, for I was weary in body and spirit. But a bath and dinner improved both, and at eight o'clock I was ringing at Mr. Royce's door, for I knew how anxious he would be to hear my story, and besides, I owed him some reparation for leaving him alone at the office. He opened the door himself, and his face brightened at sight of me. "Why, Lester!" he cried, and shook hands w
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The Revelation
The Revelation
Neither Mr. Royce nor myself was quite equal to the routine work of the office next morning. We had solved the mystery, indeed; but so far from bringing us relief, the solution had brought us a terrible unrest. Miss Lawrence had chosen her words well when she had said that the marriage was "quite, quite impossible." Yet who could have guessed a reason so dark, so terrifying, so unanswerable! Small wonder that she had fled, that her first thought had been to put the ocean between herself and her
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The Return
The Return
It was not until we were back at the office again that either Mr. Royce or myself ventured a comment upon this extraordinary story. Even then, we found very little to say. Nothing could be done to divert the blow; nothing even to lessen its severity. Burr Curtiss and Marcia Lawrence must endure their fate with such courage as they could; must forget; at least, must strive to soften love into affection. How would they regard each other, I wondered? Would the mere fact of revealed relationship alt
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The Curtain Lifts
The Curtain Lifts
For a moment I hesitated. Was it best to tell him? But a glance at his drawn face decided me. "The search is over," I said. "Miss Lawrence is home again," and I handed him the message. He read it at a glance, then started to his feet. "Will you come with me, Mr. Lester?" he asked. "I know I've given you a lot of trouble, but this will be the last, I think." "You haven't given me a bit of trouble," I protested. "I'll be glad to come." "Thank you," he said simply, and held out his hand to Royce. "
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The Marathon Mystery With five scenes in color by Eliot Keen.
The Marathon Mystery With five scenes in color by Eliot Keen.
An absorbing detective story of modern New York, especially original in its plot and the fact that a young lawyer does the detective work; the conclusion is most surprising. "The author has stepped at once to the front ranks among American writers of detective tales ... a yarn with genuine thrills," (and comparing it with some of the most popular detective stories) "the English is better and cleaner cut, the love passages are never maudlin, there is throughout more dignity and sense, and the boo
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The Holladay Case With Frontispiece by Eliot Keen.
The Holladay Case With Frontispiece by Eliot Keen.
A tale of a modern mystery of New York and Etretat that has been republished in England and Germany. This is one of the new and artistic style of detective stories, somewhat in the vein of Conan Doyle. The tale begins with the finding of a New York banker stabbed to death in his office. Suspicion falls on his daughter. A kidnapping and pursuit over seas follow. The story contains a minimum of horror and a maximum of ingenuity. "Almost instantly commands the reader's attention."— Critic. N. Y. Tr
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THE HELPMATE A story of married life.
THE HELPMATE A story of married life.
"An advance upon 'The Divine Fire.'"— London Times. "The one novel on the divorce question."— Boston Transcript. "A noteworthy book.... There are things said in these pages, and said very plainly, which need to be said, which are rarely enough said—almost never so well said. The book contains unforgettable scenes, persons, phrases, and such a picture of the hardness of a good woman as exists nowhere else in our literature."— New York Times Saturday Review. "Masterly ... artistic to the core."— B
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THE DIVINE FIRE A story of a London poet.
THE DIVINE FIRE A story of a London poet.
"In all our new fiction I have found nothing worthy to compare with 'The Divine Fire.'"— Mary Moss in The Atlantic Monthly . "A full-length study of the poetic temperament, framed in a varied and curiously interesting environment, and drawn with a firmness of hand that excites one's admiration.... Moreover, a real distinction of style, besides being of absorbing interest from cover to cover."— Dial. "I find her book the most remarkable that I have read for many years."— Owen Seaman in Punch (Lon
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THE TYSONS
THE TYSONS
"Maintains a clinging grip upon the mind and senses, compelling one to acknowledge the author's genius."— Chicago Record-Herald....
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SUPERSEDED
SUPERSEDED
"Makes one wonder if in future years the quiet little English woman may not be recognized as a new Jane Austen."— New York Sun....
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AUDREY CRAVEN
AUDREY CRAVEN
"It ranks high in originality, interest and power.... Audrey is a distinct creation."— Times Review....
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ALICE-FOR-SHORT
ALICE-FOR-SHORT
The story of a London waif, a friendly artist, his friends and family, with some decidedly dramatic happenings. "'Joseph Vance' was far and away the best novel of the year, and of many years.... Mr. De Morgan's second novel ... proves to be no less remarkable, and equally productive of almost unalloyed delight.... The reader ... is hereby warned that if he skims 'Alice-for-Short' it will be to his own serious loss.... A remarkable example of the art of fiction at its noblest."— Dial. "Really wor
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JOSEPH VANCE
JOSEPH VANCE
A novel of life near London in the 50's. "The book of the last decade; the best thing in fiction since Mr. Meredith and Mr. Hardy; must take its place, by virtue of its tenderness and pathos, its wit and humor, its love of human kind, and its virile characterization, as the first great English novel that has appeared in the twentieth century."—LEWIS MELVILLE in New York Times Saturday Review. "No novel since Thackeray's own will give you so much honest comfort and delight."— World's Work. "If th
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MRS. E. L. VOYNICH'S THE GADFLY
MRS. E. L. VOYNICH'S THE GADFLY
An intense romance of the Italian rising against the Austrians early in the nineteenth century. "One of the most powerful novels of the decade."— New York Tribune....
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ANTHONY HOPE'S THE PRISONER OF ZENDA
ANTHONY HOPE'S THE PRISONER OF ZENDA
Being the history of three months in the life of an English gentleman. Illustrated by C. D. Gibson....
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ANTHONY HOPE'S RUPERT OF HENTZAU A sequel to "The Prisoner of Zenda." Illustrated by C. D. Gibson.
ANTHONY HOPE'S RUPERT OF HENTZAU A sequel to "The Prisoner of Zenda." Illustrated by C. D. Gibson.
These stirring romances established a new vogue in fiction and are among the most widely-read novels. Each has been successfully dramatized....
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C. N. AND A. M. WILLIAMSON'S THE LIGHTNING CONDUCTOR
C. N. AND A. M. WILLIAMSON'S THE LIGHTNING CONDUCTOR
A humorous love story of a beautiful American and a gallant Englishman who stoops to conquer. Two almost human automobiles play prominent parts. There are picturesque scenes in Provence, Spain and Italy. "Altogether the best automobile story of which we have knowledge, and might serve almost as a guide-book for highway travel from Paris to Sicily."— Atlantic Monthly....
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C. N. AND A. M. WILLIAMSON'S THE PRINCESS PASSES Illustrated by Edward Penfield.
C. N. AND A. M. WILLIAMSON'S THE PRINCESS PASSES Illustrated by Edward Penfield.
"The authors have duplicated their success with 'The Lightning Conductor.' ... Unusually absorbing."— Boston Transcript....
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D. D. WELLS' HER LADYSHIP'S ELEPHANT
D. D. WELLS' HER LADYSHIP'S ELEPHANT
This humorous Anglo-American tale made an instantaneous hit. "He is probably funny because he cannot help it.... Must consent to be regarded as a benefactor of his kind without responsibility."— The Nation....
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R. M. JOHNSTON'S LEADING AMERICAN SOLDIERS Biographies of Washington, Greene, Taylor, Scott, Andrew Jackson, Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, McClellan, Meade, Lee, "Stonewall" Jackson, Joseph E. Johnson. With portraits.
R. M. JOHNSTON'S LEADING AMERICAN SOLDIERS Biographies of Washington, Greene, Taylor, Scott, Andrew Jackson, Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, McClellan, Meade, Lee, "Stonewall" Jackson, Joseph E. Johnson. With portraits.
The first of a new series of biographies of leading Americans. "Performs a real service in preserving the essentials."— Review of Reviews. "Very interesting.... Much sound originality of treatment, and the style is clear."— Springfield Republican....
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AS THE HAGUE ORDAINS Journal of a Russian Prisoner's Wife in Japan. Illustrated from photographs.
AS THE HAGUE ORDAINS Journal of a Russian Prisoner's Wife in Japan. Illustrated from photographs.
"Holds a tremendous human interest.... Author writes with wit and a delightfully feminine abandon."— Outlook. "This surprisingly outspoken volume ... could have been written only by an extraordinarily able woman who knew the inside of Russian politics and also had actual experience in Japanese war hospitals."— Chicago Record-Herald....
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JOHN L. GIVENS' MAKING A NEWSPAPER
JOHN L. GIVENS' MAKING A NEWSPAPER
The author was recently with the New York Evening Sun . Some seventy-five leading newspapers praise this book as the best detailed account of the business, editorial, reportorial and manufacturing organization of a metropolitan journal. It should be invaluable to those entering upon newspaper work and a revelation to the general reader....
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THE OPEN ROAD THE FRIENDLY TOWN Compiled by E. V. Lucas.
THE OPEN ROAD THE FRIENDLY TOWN Compiled by E. V. Lucas.
Pretty anthologies of prose and verse from British and American authors, respectively for wayfarers and the urbane....
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