The Silent House

hed the age of twenty-five without having been attracted in any marked degree towards woman-kind; or, to put it more precisely, he had not yet been in love. But now it seemed that the hour which com

inwardly contemplating the beauties of Diana, he appeared to move amongst his fellow-men l

m with sudden fervour, even against his better judgment. Love is not an affair of reason, to be clipped and measured by logic and calculation; but a devouring, destroying passion, impatient of restraint, and utterly regardless of common sense. It is born of a look, of a smile, of a sigh, of a word; it springs up and fructifies more spe

was an end of all argument. The long lane of his youthful and loveless life had turned in another direction at the signpost of a woman's face, and down the new vista the lover saw flowering meadows, silver streams, bowers of

estowed-by doing her will, and her will was to revenge the death of her father. This was hardly a pleasant task to Lucian in his then peace-with-all-the-world f

f No. 13 and requested the keys of the house. But it appeare

etired grocer, who owned the greater part of the square. "The hou

a possible ten

h I'm hoping against hope. But what with the murder and the ghost, there don't

le, a clue to this crime," explained Lucian, supp

find Mrs. Kebby cleaning up, and she'll let you in if you ring the bell. You ar

just now; I don't want to upset them by in

"I wish that Berwin, or Vrain, or whatever he called

rs beforehand," said Lucian drily, and walked away, leaving the unfortunate landlor

ho was due at eleven o'clock. Punctual as the barrister was, he found that Miss Vrain, in her impatience, w

ful figure, and he felt the hot blood rise

rassment and with all friendliness. Her thoughts were too taken up with her immediate task of exploring the scene of the crime to waste time in conjecturing the reason of the young

y, Mr. Denzil?"

ven us permission to go over the house. A charwo

ing short, "and cleaning up the house! Is

to be aired and swept; to keep it

e name of t

. Ke

ewspaper reports as having w

on; "but I would advise you, Miss Vrain, not t

I am prepared for all that. I don't blame him so much as those who drove him to intemperance. Is th

t was in this house that your father came t

young man was speaking, and now stood eyeing her

" she demanded, wit

myself permission to go over the hous

e did?" grumbled Mrs. K

I tell

ghter of Mr. Vrain," said

. Kebby, stepping aside. "And ye've come

of will, she swept past the old woman and entered the sitting-room.

yonder is the poor gentleman's blood; it soaked right through the carpet,"

ughly, seeing that Diana looked as though

he crone, retreating. "You'll bring me to you if y

ou leave us alone," said Lu

lighted up, and she leer

h, I'm not so old but what I don't know two turtle doves. He! he! To

ain, with a hard, white face, was leaning against the wall, and gave no sign of such knowledge. Her eyes were fixed on a dull-looking red stain of a dark hue, irregular in shape, and her hands the while were pressed

rting forward, "you are ill! Le

examine every inch of it; don't speak to me, ple

circumstances; and in silence conducted her from room to room. All were empty and still dusty, for Mrs.

explored the kitchen, the servant's parlour, the scullery, and the pantry, but with the same unsatisfactory result. The kitchen door, which led out into the back yard, showed signs of having been lately opened;

lf, to prove that no one could have entered the house during his absence; and I was satisfied then, from the rusty conditio

hose who killed h

arn, Miss Vrain. But why d

hat Lydia and Ferruc

o you that Mrs. Vrai

up to kill my father, and I speak in the plural because

n, but as yet we have n

hey found Mrs. Kebby sweeping so vigorously that she had raised a kind of dust storm. As soon a

relishing the familiarity of the old dame, but unexpe

rs Kebby, pointing to a scrap of personal ad

n downstairs. It's a pretty red and yaller thing, but of

e old woman's hands and examined it. It was a broad yellow ribbon of rich s

atly excited. "Mr. Denzil, I bough

ering at her excitement,

nce, at the same time, has been used to kill him! I ti