Produced by Annie R. McGuire. This book was produced from scanned images of public domain material from the Google Print archive.
[Illustration: "THIS IS THE MOST BLESSED OF ALL YOUR CONTRADICTIONS"--_Page 267_]
_BY_ CAROLYN WELLS AUTHOR OF "THE GOLD BAG," "THE CLUB"
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOR BY GAYLE HOSKINS
PHILADELPHIA & LONDON J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY 1912
COPYRIGHT, 1907 BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
COPYRIGHT, 1912 BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
CHAPTER PAGE I. THE GIRL ACROSS THE HALL 7 II. THE TRAGEDY 18 III. JANET PEMBROKE 30 IV. DOCTOR POST'S DISCOVERY 41 V. SEVERAL CLUES 52 VI. THE INQUEST BEGINS 63 VII. I GIVE EVIDENCE 75 VIII. AN AWFUL IMPLICATION 88 IX. GEORGE LAWRENCE 103 X. PERSON OR PERSONS UNKNOWN 118 XI. THE CHAINED DOOR 130 XII. JANET IS OUR GUEST 144 XIII. JANET IS MYSTERIOUS 160 XIV. MRS. ALTONSTALL 173 XV. WHO IS J. S.? 186 XVI. LEROY ARRIVES ON THE SCENE 201 XVII. CAN LEROY BE GUILTY? 214 XVIII. THE ROOMS IN WASHINGTON SQUARE 227 XIX. A TALK WITH JANET 239 XX. THE INITIALED HANDKERCHIEF 251 XXI. FLEMING STONE 264 XXII. A CALL ON MISS WARING 282 XXIII. LAWRENCE'S STATEMENT 295 XXIV. THE CHAIN OF EVIDENCE 306
I do hate changes, but when my sister Laura, who keeps house for me, determined to move further uptown, I really had no choice in the matter but to acquiesce. I am a bachelor of long standing, and it's my opinion that the way to manage women is simply to humor their whims, and since Laura's husband died I've been rather more indulgent to her than before. Any way, the chief thing to have in one's household is peace, and I found I secured that easily enough by letting Laura do just as she liked; and as in return she kept my home comfortable and pleasant for me, I considered that honors were even. Therefore, when she decided we would move, I made no serious objection.
At least, not in advance. Had I known what apartment-hunting meant I should have refused to leave our Gramercy Park home.
But "Uptown" and "West Side" represented to Laura the Mecca of her desires, and I unsuspectingly agreed to her plans.
Early every morning Laura scanned the papers for new advertisements. Later every morning she visited agents, and then spent the rest of the day inspecting apartments.
