h's bell

unting did not answer the summons at once. But when there came the second imperative tinkle-for el

unting, sitting comfortably in their parlour, heard his w

I'll help you, Ellen," and he cam

her they proceeded up to th

g in to him." And then, as he obeyed her, and was about to turn downstairs again, she added in a rather acid tone

call a lively, jolly woman, but when things were going well-as now-she was generally equable enough. He supp

drawing-room door, and as soon as he had started

er her the queerest feeling of

s sitting at his old pl

xpected to see Mr. Sleuth looking different. But no, he appeared to be exactly the same-in f

, "I overslept myself this morning, bu

ne of the ladies I once lived with used to say, 'Rest is

Concordance off the table out of her way, and th

ive in the morning. "I think, Mrs. Bunting, that th

ing helped me u

a good deal of trouble,

r! I was only saying yesterday that we've never had a

m aware that my habits

as an honest and truthful woman. It never occurred to her to question his statement. Mr. Sleuth's habits were som

table she prepared to leave the room. "I suppos

ll be carrying out a somewhat elaborate experiment-upstairs. If I go out at all" he waited a moment, and again he looked at her fixedly "-I shall wait till night-time to do so.

ir! That'll

most heart-the strange tenors and tremors which had so shaken her. She only repeated to herself again and again, "I've got upset -th

word "do," there came a loud

was the matter with her,-so she told herself angrily. No doubt this was a letter for Mr. Sleuth; the lodger must have relations and acquaintances somewhe

d out sharply. "Here

chair, reading a paper. And as she saw his broad, rather rounded back, Mrs. Bunting felt a sudden thrill of sharp irrita

ways for a man of his years. But how could she prevent it? He had been such a

ood there, pouring out her mistress's glass of port wine, she had not been too much absorbed in her task to have a good out-of-her-eye look at the spruce, nice,

quite herself, the past rose before her ve

ous little things to put away and clean up, as well as their dinner to cook. And all the time she was down there she fixed her mind o

eek ago everything had seemed utterly hopeless. It seemed as if no

hands. It would be a good thing for Bunting to get even an occasional job-for the matter of that he could now take up a fairly regu

what she had been thinking, for Bunting had laid the cloth, and la

r house. Old Aunt thinks she'd better come away for a few days. So, you see, she'll be here for

now," she said shortly. "I've just as much to do as I can manag

your own fault you haven't had help with him before. Of course,

ing of satisfaction vanished. Ellen's face was pinched and drawn to-day; she looked ill -ill and horribly tired

"Daisy'll be able to help you with the wor

ily at the table. And then she said languidly,

to her, and she read

let fever, and Aunt thinks I had better come away at once, just to stay with you for a few days. Please

will have to come here

ave a bit of work to do

y worded permission Bunti

**

. Sleuth's landlady heard him go upstairs to the top floor. She

various articles Mrs. Bunting had bought for him during the first two days he had been there, were carefully arranged in the chest of drawers. He had lately purchased a pair of boots. Those

ther so cold and foggy that all other folk were glad to be at home, snug in be

s. Bunting longed to give the drawing-room something of a good turn out; but Mr. Sleuth disliked her to be moving about in it when he himself was in his bedroom; and when u

ce of furniture a slight shake. If only the doors would fly open, as the locked doors of old cupboards sometimes do, e

ier refused to g

**

had recovered from his agitation of the morning, but he was full of eager excitement, and Mrs. B

t -laid down all this afternoon. You see, the Yard thinks there's

as! Now, I never thought o' that. Then you think, Jo

think there's a very good cha

l be a lot on the

ny of our men d'you think there'll be

ead. "I don't know,

ested Chandler, in a

d?" ventur

usand, Mr

claimed Bun

ting echoed "Neve

his monkey up!" Chandler drew a folded-up newsp

rimes, and we cannot feel any surprise at the information that a popular attack has been organised on

ot a pleasant thing for a gentleman

police can't catch him, now doesn't

rossly. "Now you just listen again! Here's a bit of the

f, in which the detective has his hands tied and his eyes bandaged. Thus i

nting. "Your hands aren't tied, an

Bunting. We haven't got the same facilities-no,

spoke: "What was that word, Joe-'perpetra

d, turning to

an one of them?" she said, and a lo

chaps thinks it's a

an't be the wo

you thi

don't know what to th

you to-morrow, perhaps." As he had done the other evening, Mr. and Mrs. Bunti

er. "They've got scarlet fever at her place.

d she could not sleep. She lay wide awake, hearing the hours, the half-h

heard the sound she had half unconsciously been expecting to hear, that of

sage and let himself o

. Bunting did not hear him come in agai

as she, not Bunting, who jumped out of bed, and going out into the passage,

Instead she lit the gas in the passage, and leaning up against the wall to ste

as the headi

ENGER M

he was to see the w

ised world, and which would seem to be the work of some woman-hating teetotal fanatic. Since yesterday morning, when the last of these dastardly murders was committed, no reliable clue to t

a little l

a stranger to London would know that something very unusual was in

and then she realised that "last night," in

the sent

es to it were still blocked up to a late hour by hundreds of onlookers, t

nd then she stooped and put it back down on the mat where she had found it. She then t

?" Bunting murmured,

the matt

with a strange gladness, "No, nothing, Bunting-

the thought of his daughter's coming, and even Daisy's stepmother told hersel

back with him a nice little bit of pork for Daisy's dinner, and thr