Was He the Man?

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10197, 27 March 1911, Page 2

Was He the Man?

OUR SERIAL.

BY F. L. DACRE,

Author of "A Phantom of the Past," "Tronholme's* Trust," "The Doctor's Secret," "A Loveless Marriage," "Sir John's Heiress," etc.

CHAPTER III.—Con: i.med. With my brain still confused by the excitement of the strange meeting, I hurried to my chambers to keep my appointment with Fenton, whom I found waiting for me. He must have noticed something queer about me, for ho said:

its existence savo ourselves, the law yer, and thoso who witnessed it."

"Good! Write to-morrow and tell tho witnesses to say nothing about it until you givo the word. Now I am all attention." I then read:

"I think it is about time that you had some help in this affair, for you look as if you had seen a ghost.!' -

"]. feci somewhat shaken. If not a ghost, I have seen something nearly equal to one. The man we are trying to hunt to his death was within a few feet of me not half an hour ago!"

"On board S.S. Dover Castle, * : "35 hours out from Funchal, r ' June 15th, 188—. DECLARATION. "1, Henry.Fitzgerald Denver, V.C , lato Major Twenty-third Rifles, solemnly declare that the following narrative'eontains to the best of my know- ! and belief, the exact truth, and nothing but the truth, with regard to the matters therein contained. HENRY F. DENVER."

"What! Imposible! Far too good to be true. Are you sure your mind has not been dwelling upon this affair so constantly that you imagine likenesses where they do not exist?" : . "No," I returned, "I am perfectly •certain.; and do you know,. I almost Visit £ had riot such-good reason for being certain. There is something horrible in coming face tcface with the exact living counterpart of a man you have only just seen in his coffin, and the work before me appals me in spite of ray better judgment." "Yes, I can quite understand that; it reminds one of those hideous vampire stories. As matters stand I am glad I never saw Major Denver. But come —tell me about the meeting, ajid let us;g©b to work," replied Fenton. I narrated all the circumstances of the meeting, and telling my guest to help himself to whisky and cigars, I got out Denver's cash box and'laid it on the table. '

"Witnesses: " "James A. Selkirk, Comander, Dov- ■■ or Castle. .-. \ ~. "Alfred- Pollard,. Vlife.; Surgeon, ; Dover Castle.

"On Thursday, in Passion Week, of 188 —, I received from a friend in the English Embassy at Rome, where I was then staying, an order permitting me to aterid"the recital of the Penitential Psalms at the Sistine Chapel. As the order was for three persons, 1 went, accompanied by two friends, a German artist, and an Englishman, Sir James Mansfield, who was studying antiques. .

"I must confess I went more from curiosity than devotional motives, and by the time we had taken"bur places, and the great doors of the church were locked, I had already begun to feel that I had undertaken to assist., .at a rather monotonous, as well as depressing ceremony.

"This is the box I told you about," I said, as I unlocked it, "and it contains practically all the materials we have to work upon until we find some fresh evidence. This is a copy of Denver's will, and this is his manuscript. I'll .read them both to you presently. There are his photographs, one profile and one full face, you see they are both dated and signed. This is the murdered man, Kenneth Moore, and this is his niece, with whom Denver fell so suddenly and mysteriously in love. What a splendid pair they would have made! And here," I continued, taking out a small parcel wrapped in papeiy"are the two pieces- of the dagger with .which one murder was committed arid another attempted." With fingers that I am not;ashamed trembled a little, I unfolded the soft Toll of paper, and took out a fragment of a dagger about two inches long, and a very small chip box, such alchemists uso as,a receptacle, for cot-, ton lying, in the midst or .wjhich were two'tmy|fagments of steel, incrusted with rust. ' ' ' ,

It was not long before I heartily regretted that I had accepted the order, and could I have foreseen the terrible consequences of my presence there, I would have risked any Scandal or danger to have left the building before the sendee concluded,*

"The black draped high.altar was lighted by thirteen huge candles, and these were the only lights, the rest of the chapel being shrouded in gradually deepening darkness, from the chancel screen to the aisles. ■

"The choir of men's voices sang, the psalms in strophe and antistrophe, to the music of a Gregorian chant..., When the first psalm was finished, one of the candles on the altar was extinguished; and I thought, with a kind of shudder, that I should have to sit v until-a 11 the thirteen candles were thusidisposed of; lief ore. thp end Sir James Vas' fast "asleep.'".''The artist was on Jiis knees, either praying or asleep. I could not 'see <

CHAPTER IV,

IN THE SISTTNE ABBEY,

As I looked at the small pieces 6f Steef I thought of the man whose blood had rusted one of them, and then of the scoundrel whom I had just seen on the Embankment, with his accomplice' in crime. Then once more my soul repeated the promise I had made: at i Denver's bedside, and with it a resolve j tljat'my task should be carried out to~ the last detail. "\ "|

Fenton examined the photographs and the fragments of the dagger with something more than professional interest) and when he looked up I; saw In his face the assurance that I should not be left to do the work alone. . v "This must have been a pretty weapon," he said, examining it closely onceimbre; "it is as keen as a razor, and, beautifully tempered. r lt must ■have been a savage thrust that broke it, -thin as it is. It is genuine old Damascus. Look, this scroll running down the centre is inlaid gold. I have heard that that is one of the lost arte. There will be no identifying'the other portion if we are fortunate' enough to get hold of it. But lam impatient to hear the contents of the manuscript'." He settled himself in a chair, lit another cigar, and waited*for me to begin. , I: handed him the'will to read, drew up v ariother chair,to the table, and toolc the manuscript from its long envelope.

"At last only one candle, was left, and the final psalm died, as it seemed to me, almost in a groan. It ceased. Then utter darkness, and as though very far away, behind the choir, there "wailed forth the pure, sweet strains of youthful voices, chanting the 'Agnus Dei.' A few momnets of delicious trar.ce followed, and then stillness and darkness.

."One moment before you begin," said Fenton, folding the will and laying it 'upon the table. "Sad as the circumstances are I must congratulate you. This makes you master of a very handsome fortune. By the way, I hope you haven't taken any steps towards proving the will. Have you?" "No," I replied. "No one knows of

"After several moments of oppressive silence, the doors of the chape? were opened, lights were brought in. and the congregation began to fil» slowly out. .'■ ■:•''!'.. '■ . "Intending to avoid "the .©tush, T waited in my place until the buitfing was almost empty; my two frienns, eager to get into the open air again, had taken their chance with the crowd. (To Be Continued.)

'Tor myself I could neither sleep ! nor.pray'; the weird melody rising and falling on the long-sustained notes; was beginning to have a strange effect up- :' ou me. Long forgotten' emotions stirr- ' ed within me, and soon my whole being seemed vibrating in unison with ijhe solemn cadences. '•■" ; "Presently I hoard a 'half-stifled sob within a few feet of me. I looked up,, and two Seats in front of me, on'the ; women's side, I sa\y a slender, grace- ] fill figure kneeling on the stone-floor,- '■*. with its hands clasped on the flat top of tlie chair in front: the small, shape* [ Iy head leaning upon them was half- •■ covered with a lace veil>.through wnich ; I could se the faint sheen of red-gold hair. "Again I heard the 'deep sob and at the same moment I;saw the shapely i shoulders rise and fall convulsively.-" ' "Minute after mimfte; the solern'n f chant went on, light after light was ; extinguished, and the gloom grew deeper and deeper over the 'throng of : worshippers, many of whom were now sobbing,* and even wailing aloud.