THE STORYTELLER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 227, 30 October 1909, Page 4

THE STORYTELLER.

I the sloane street affair. ? SEXTOX BLAiCE WSCOVEKS TH'i HEAKT Gi' A GREAT MiMEUi. ; '•Hallo! Sexton Blake, by all that* ' wonderful.. . . "How are you, Arkwright? rejonit.l Blake, his miiUi'i'-uf-fact, emoUunlc,, • tone being ill strange contrast to the • exuberant cordiality of the man who had paused to greet him. It was about eleven o clock on a nil' Sintember morning, and the detective ■who had business in the' Brompto i 'ftoad, had for some mornings been makibz a regular practice of leaving his 'house afoot and walking to his destination by way of Sloane Street. He nad iubt turned out of Sloane Square wliei he was stopped by. AirkwrigUt's slnn- % dapper person planted in his path. The detective had never seen Ark- \ wright since the two went down from 6. Oxford together for the last time; nor V was he particularly pleased to see him r. novy. Arkwright had never professed a " strong admiration for Blake in those E" distant college days, but the admiration . was all on one £fide. j§L Arkwright, however, did not seem to

6 observe the marked lack of geniality ~ , in Blake's tone. He linked his arm * ' familiarly through Blake's. "You are going down.Sloane Street, E""-to- bhirped, in his 'curiously weedy Sk falsetto voice. Til walk a little way «£•> Wl th' vou. I have to do a commission 11, f or Lady Harberton at Madame llat|jp tbilde's, a modiste's near the Brompton K Koai. I shall not be three minutes. 1 fe.' have only to hand in a cheque and IF notify a change in an appointment. s'" You will oblige me very much if you will wait. 1 have a matter of cong. eiderable importance I want your ad- ' yice upon. Blake gave him a reluctant assent. "HI give you exactly three minutes *- be said, looking at, liis watch. If f y °"ril tot fcSwVmLC' cried r the steps, he pushed, 5 open the half-closed door, and vanished tato the interior, brushing against a l -man who was hurrying out, and who, « betraying every sign of agitation anil haste, leapt down the steps and cant noned full into Blake, bolted across the | - street, ran after and boarded a passing s ; - hansom, and was driven rapidly away. I ffhe sound of sudden cries from within - the shop caused Make to turn sKSply round, and the next moment the door 1 f- , vas flung violently open, and Ark ft •• wrtaht reappeared, his face the color ;f L chalk, his eyes distended in h°rror, his ; hand violently beckoning to Blake. << "Come quickly, man!" he cned- < *' "There's been murder done! Did y > , Bee him? Did you.see the fellow who 1 rußhedout? The miserable ruffiMi. He f SU done it): He has killed, her! . T Struck her brutally .do™—r - "Keep your head! said ,a . ke - ~ i 1 And, placing his hand on Arkwn„ht chest, he pushed him gently back into ' the corridor, and closed the door again^ 6-' the crowd that was gathering. , ■ A,'he did so a strange look grew into , „ his eyes, and he gave a curious glance L at Thj k lattfr, however, did not °otice it. < ' - He had thrown open a door on thc rig , of the corridor, 4nd was point n trftfricallv to a group of terrified girls l" gathered round an inanimate form on | I' forewoman stay!" ® l,k . e said 1 " sharplv. "The rest of you retire imme- . C diately to yeur workroom; and he good I enough to go out in Indian file, and keeD close to the walls. * "Sow," he said, turning to Arkwright, me exaetlv what happened. 'it was shocking!" said Arkwright, k dabbing his face with-his , I i r fewrtfijrasm T. know, save that I naturally con- " eluded that the man wh» came liurryin 0 . ' ° U Vho M llalaWluhUde see this , mornin"?" Blake asked the forewoman. 7™ with her at five ".'natejo should the prospect of Jn,' Msit m "So -it was the captain! I thought re^d«c hi wa' S his cousin, sir.' said Vr- TToward. "Thev were not on g" 01 ' *"^t£rm S ; The captain-he i t , mv mistress very mucJi, and j,e wote to him a violent. letor in reply, to which he wrote again, saym„ tlint one of them, must be lying, and he would come at eleven this morning v. to discover who.' /, aske a ' "And he came at eleven.

B -vt sir; I Showed Mm in exactly at ele«n •' tid Mrs. Howard.. "And from tw raised voices there is no doubt Sat they were quarrelling. Then the voices ceased suddenly, and Iwas abo to go in when Mr Arkwright eaUei fng open - SiS Sme always kept it'jealously locked, sir," replied- M™' H °™ a ka had "I'm afraid it begins to lp<* » » business for" the captain," said Blake, bending over the limp form Jv »„g on the divan. There <=°uldhe no doubt about the manner in w j. unfortunate woman had _ been a flo^at A Lrfect Cl whM B e P the murderer acon9 n Srio a «tr: rhif shoulder and •STft **■*&' ami he hastened on tiptoe from the

WfeMMW* t,e flUwintod silk that was ravS4?tj«s?s^Sf a "'! : U ™, ~,1 wilb a brown linoleum. ,I** m *• 'into tli" wol^' n " o f aViCre-toefl. dusty ■ff^ to^^W^'to fl r ' tl,e ■ w But\ »ave hardly any- atcorridor But tention to t>™ p H nf illted toes, m focussing tli P strides from that came in «T i «» 1 f t > thence M"ii» bacV to ilie tnmed-to Hie couch, and lifted tne f-**-Mm H f " 'Til came forward to help him. •Hi. l-on gaze had noticed a cigarette-. J?! mlf till then hy the dead TXfdown, picked it «P. «*■«- • .minnl it Tt was bitten risht through,! n tt Chared end —till warm He I dinneH it. into a compartment of pocket-book as the door nnonoa o a. n.t the station inspector with a surgeon and Arjvwri„lit . f °'TrtmV«t this flentleman tells me.' said ttl, inspector mdicnti . wj-it-hf "there doesn t seem to -room in this case for your spen.il ■ - 'Mr. Blake." .. ai"Tt would '"cm not. »am mo-t resretfi'Uv. kwl Marsh ; f d , ome concomitants of, S vr il-ter. in^orr , •'lnnrtleofT. C«mn«. '"'"■rnnVe *rk»ri.rlit reached the - door'l feel *<> re yon have a card up your dw v ®1 u

I U A very obvious one" said .Blake drily. "It simply struck mc that there was rather an ingenious way of bringing that man .Murrili to book. And it :t interests you gentlemen to comerouud to my rooms to see me this afternoon at four o'clock, 1 think 1 may safely promise \ou, inspector, that you will leave them with the murderer in your charge!" "11l be there," said the inspector laconically. "How interesting!" murmured wright, as they gaiued the corridor, "i' hope I am included, Blake, in that invitation. 1 have heard su much ut your method*' that it will be of tiic keenest interest to me to see them in operation!" I

1 "Oh, come if you like!" said lilake, with a shrug of indifference, as he drew out a cigar and prolfered Jiis case to Arkwright. "Thanks, no; if you don't mind, I'd prefer a cigarette," replied Arkwright, selecting one from a highly-chased silver case he drew from his pocket.

as ever," said Jilake, stretching out his hand and taking the case. "All, a bad shot of mine!" he laughed, as' he handed it buck, after a mpment's examination. "I see it's a present, anil ho older than yesterday. From 'L.G.' A fair lady's monogram, no doubt?"

"A memento of my betrothal," said Arkwright, with a smile, "to the niece of- Lady Harberton."

"I must postpone my congratulations till four o'clock," said Blake, with a dry laugh, as" he stepped into a taxi.

Arkwright arrived at the doorstep of Sexton Blake's house at the saipe moment as Inspector Marshall. Blake greeted them both with a brief nod. "Captain Murrili will 'be here presently," he said, continuing the examination under the microscope that he was engaged on as tliey entered. The next minute Simmons, Blake's man, threw open the door and announced "Captain Murrili!" There was an anxious look on the sailor's bronzed, determined face as lie stepped into the room and confronted the three pairs of eyes that were focussed on him. He looked from one to the other, pausing irresolutely near tie door. "Which of you gentlemen is Mr. Sexton Blake?" he said. "lit is I,", said the detective. "I am glad my letter reached you." "I do not understand a word of it, said the captain, looking from Blake to the open letter in his hand. "I had only just read in an evening paper of the dreadful murder of my poor cousin when your letter was handed me. You say: 'lf you wish to be present at the arrest of your cousin's a&'sassin, and to relieve yourself from a grave menace, come to my rooms at the above address at four this afternoon.' Well, I am here. Perhaps you will explain?' • "I will," said Blnke. "Oblige me, Arkwright, by handing me that cashibox." It was evident that ArkwrigM's hands trembled a little as he complied. It was the cashbox he had seen that morning on the floor of Madame Jlatthilde s room. He lifted' it in his two hands, and held it out to Blake. Xext moment he let it drop with a crash, as Blake, with a rapid movement, drew his wrists into the snap of a pair of handcuffs. "That is the murderer of Madame MatthUde," he said composedly, "or to give her her full name, Matilda Arkwright." . 'Well, I'm jiggered!" gasped the insnector, catching Arkwright, who had reeled back, half fainting, ill his arms, and jerking him to liis feet. "It's a lie!." screamed Arkwright, writhing under the inspector's iron grip. "It's no He!" said Blake sternly. "There is the copy of your marriage certificate to Matilda Murrili, dated in the Julv of your last long vacation at Oxford." In a room downstairs is a sailor from the Obion, who has identified your photograph as that of a man disguised in sailor costume who usited the Obion at the docks last night, and who slipped -a belaying-pin into- his C °«lf vou turn up his right-arm sleeve, inspector, you will see that the forearm of his silk, flesh-colored singlet will show that a thread is missing from it on the under side. Here is the thread, which 1 picked up this morning .from a

notob in the end n tiie Here also is a winch found under bis wife s skirt, b> t sofa. Tm the force of Ins blow lie: bil it through, nnil it fell unheeded. Hen nl o i* another cigarette T borrowei frcm his case as we left the house. 1 von will examine them, inspector. J Ol "will see are identical. •To clin-h matters, I visited his room, in lirompton Square while he ««' > lunch, and found there a packet of bank notes 1 have since- traced to the po»»es sion of his wife, and in his grate >oin lialf charred love-letters of his own, ail dressed to her at the time she was . milliner's assistant in Carfax. 'These were taken fromi in. wife, eashbox this morning bv him. Wlier he left'me he stole past the workroon door, entered hi, wife's private room slew her. robbed the caslibox of its con tents then stepped back into the work room and sent in Ills'card. He forgot however, that tbe streets were dustj anil that the points of Ins boots traoei his passage. It was a cool-blooded pr meditated murder, done with the objec of ridding himself of a woman of *h<m he bad-long tired, and of leaving him free to inarrv Hiss' Lucy Clejard. 'There is no ih.nl.t whatever that knew Mnrrill had an appointment »iti his cousin at eleven, and tliat he timed hie dastardly deed in such fashion ns to throw suspicion on the captain. 1 ■ rivalry in Miss Gerard's feared. I have also discovered that 1« .had been making enquiries ataut mA morning walk; anil I have no doubtl!i accosted me.by design this morning, tliinkhi" to befool me mto becoming an expert witness in his def™"'"You are a fiend!" shrieked Ark wriglit, making a furious dash at Blake In"? to be twitched back by tbe inspec for'q stumer hand. "Well, it beats me!" said the inspec tar "It would have completely foolec me! How ever did you bit on the trac of him, Mr. Blake f , , "I happened," said Blake, to plac my b»:nA on h> 9 in ™■ from the street, wliere bis well-aete< agitation a*d alarm crowd.' The pulsation of bis heart wa. absolutely normal, and the contradicti r between that stale and his show agitation, awakened my 9 « 5 1 ,,c >"" 9 sincerity. The rest was a mere mattei of inference. Take him away, inspec | tor."—Answers. ■ *