The Piccadilly Puzzle

n the presiding deity, by name Lena Sarschine, was very beautiful, and insisted upon having her dwelling fi

e felt quite at ease when upon ringing the bell he was admitted to the garden by a solemn-looking man servant. He was well acquainted with Calliston's life

pt by hearsay of the divinity who dwelt in Cleopatra Villa. Calliston had fallen in love with her down in the country some years before, and bringing her up to town installed her in the bijou residence, which she rarely left. Occasionally she went to the theatre, and sometimes drove in the Park, but at such rare intervals that few people knew who she was. Calliston was very jea

nt of all this, and had now come down to discover what connection the

, where he awaited the appearance of the lady, intending when she entered to ask her all particulars about her maid Lydia Fenny, with a view to discovering the perpetrator of the crime. Being of

ich a small fountain splashed musically into a wide marble basin. There were low velvet-covered lounging chairs all about, tables crowded with bric-a-brac and photographs in oxydised silver frames, whilst here and there on the carpet were skins of bears and tigers. Contrary to the usual custom in drawing-rooms there was only one mirror, a small oval glass over the mantel-piece framed in pale-green plush. In the corners were high palms and other tropical vegetation, with white marble statues peering from out of their green leaves, and in one corner a

ed to his seat to await the appearance of Miss Sarschine and to

ran somewhat aft

t. But then the spectacle of a man talking to a woman in the doorway of a house would hardly attract much attention, and if the murderer had accomplished his purpose by means of poison there was no doubt the fanciful description given by Hash would be tolerably correct. Supposing the assassin to have wounded his victim by means of a poisoned weapon, she w

pearance her mistress would watch the papers to see if anything had happened to her. She would then notice the Jermyn Street murder, and from the description given would have no difficulty in recognizing her

ardly do so in such a public place, but why has she been so quiet?--again she couldn't know

ne side was incomplete, a Malay kriss having been removed. He looked at the other side and there were certainly two arranged crossways, but on the other there was only one. Dowker was startled by this discovery as it seemed to point to the fact that the crime had been committed by

is finger to assure himself he had not broken the

qualised, and trusted to this fact to hide his abstraction of the weapon. Then he took some old letters out of his pocket, and tearing t

of death are the same, that will be proof conclusive that the missing dagger was used to commit the crime. Once I establish that

, active-looking face, which, however, was disfigured by marks of the small pox. She was dressed in a well-made dark costume and wore a knot of crimson ribbon roun

Dowker, "he wouldn't

anced as Dowker

arschine?" she asked, l

I the ple

, but I can let her have any

see the la

; she is ou

then was the reason Miss Sarschine di

our message?" a

iston," said Dowker, i

ble," replied t

hy

is away yachting, and Mi

ind

ssed as he was now at a loss for an excuse

he papers?" he

id the woman, somewhat tak

lar reasons for

nswer your question.

r--det

this and looked a lit

you want

servants of this

have any been la

ude to any part

Lydia

n starte

abou

pers you would have noticed the Jerm

istake," said th

r, coolly taking out the hat from

hat the woman became

e did you

ad of the woman w

e a cry and s

, under her breath, "w

s that Lydia F

ed vehemently

o you

I am Lydi

ared at h

"the hat is mine; how did yo

told me you bought it from he

ny again

I'm afraid to say; h

acket, a silk dr

her hands

she moaned; "it is

ked Dowker in

ss--Miss S

nstead of the maid it was the mistress. Dowker too

at?" he as

ied quickly; "but what is

en by

iso

und lying dead in Jermyn Street

Lydia with a gasp, "that w

ll about it. I am employed in the case and I want to disc

sess strong nerves, sat down a

et life and had few friends. Lord Calliston came here very frequently, and she was very much in love with him. Where she came from I don't know, as I have only been

Bals

e weeks ago I went away for a holiday, and when I came back I found my mistress in a terrible state. She had discovered in some way that Lord Calliston had determined to elope with Lady Balscombe and go off

he murder," mu

ck here and, waiting till the evening, dressed herself and put on my hat as less conspicuous than her own. She intended to catch the ten minutes past nine train from London Bridge Station and go right on board Lord Calliston's yacht and ins

ar of the Jermy

my mistress, and all the servants here live very quietly

e doing in J

ccadilly, so perhaps she went there first and the

nyone who had a gr

-no

rose to

ive me Lord Calliston's address in Piccadilly and I will f

ng, gave the necessary addres

opping. "Where is the dagger

the weapons and gave

are g

, but the other

nday, and said if Calliston did no

m--not h

itting suicide. What are you

ath are the same, then I will know the companion dag

take it from

She must have met some one in Jer

't be s

k, so it could hardly have been self-inflicted. Besi

ll I see

t took place in the Piccadi

satisfied with the result of