"A hundred thousand dollars!" ejaculated Mr. Royce, and sat staring at his chief. "A hundred thousand dollars! That's a good deal for a girl to give away in a lump, but she can afford it. Of course, we've nothing to do but carry out her instructions. I think both of us can guess what she intends doing with the money." The other nodded. I believed that I could guess, too. The money, of course, was intended for the other woman—she was not to suffer for her crime, after all. Miss Holladay seemed to me in no little danger of becoming an accessory after the fact. "She seems really ill," continued our senior. "She looks thinner and quite careworn. "When does she go, sir?" asked Mr. Royce, in a subdued voice. "The day after to-morrow, I think. She did not say definitely. In fact, she could talk very little. She's managed to catch cold—the grip, I suppose—and was very hoarse. It would have been cruelty to make her talk, and I didn't try." He wheeled around to his desk, and then suddenly back again. "By the way," he said, "I saw the new maid. I can't say I wholly approve of her." He paused a minute, weighing his words. "She seems careful and devoted," he went on, at last, "but I don't like her eyes. They're too intense. I caught her two or three times watching me strangely. I can't imagine where Miss Holladay picked her up, or why she should have picked her up at all. She's French, of course—she speaks with a decided accent. About the money, I suppose "Yes, I suppose so," agreed Mr. Royce, and the chief called up a broker and gave the necessary orders. Then he turned to other work, and the day passed without any further reference to Miss Holladay or her affairs. The proceeds of the sale were brought to the office early the next afternoon, a small packet neatly sealed and docketed—one hundred thousand-dollar bills. Mr. Graham turned it over in his hand thoughtfully. "You'll take it to the house, of course, John," he said to his partner. "Lester 'd better go with you." So Mr. Royce placed the package in his pocket, a cab was summoned, and we were off. The trip was made without incident, and at the end of half an hour we drew up before the Holladay mansion. It was one of the old-styled brownstone "We've brought the money Miss Holladay asked Mr. Graham for yesterday," said Mr. Royce. "I'm John Royce, his partner," and without answering the woman motioned us in. "Of course we must have a receipt for it," he added. "I have it ready here, and she need only attach her signature." "Miss Holladay is too ill to see you, sir," Mr. Royce hesitated a moment in perplexity. As for me, I was ransacking my memory—where had I heard that voice before? Somewhere, I was certain—a voice low, vibrant, repressed, full of color. Then, with a start, I remembered! It was Miss Holladay's voice, as she had risen to welcome our junior that morning at the coroner's court! I shook myself together—for that was nonsense! "I fear that won't do," said Mr. Royce at last. "The sum is a considerable one, and must be given to Miss Holladay by me personally in the presence of this witness." It was the maid's turn to hesitate; I saw her lips tighten ominously. "Very well, sir," she said. "But I warn you, she is most nervous and it has been forbidden her to talk." "She will not be called upon to talk," Miss Holladay was lying back in a great chair with a bandage about her head, and even in the half-light I could see how changed she was. She seemed much thinner and older, and coughed occasionally in a way that frightened me. Not grief alone, I told myself, could have caused this breakdown; it was the secret weighing upon her. My companion noted the change, too, of course—a greater change, perhaps, than my eyes could perceive—and I saw how moved and shocked he was. "My dear Miss Holladay," he began, but she stopped him abruptly with a little imperative motion of the hand. "Pray do not," she whispered hoarsely. "Pray do not." He stopped and pulled himself together. When he spoke again, it was in quite a different tone. "I have brought the money you asked for," and he handed her the package. "Thank you," she murmured. "Will you verify the amount?" "Oh, no; that is not necessary." "I have a receipt here," and he produced it and his fountain-pen. "Please sign it." She took the pen with trembling fingers, laid the receipt upon her chair-arm without reading, and signed her name with a somewhat painful slowness. Then she leaned back with a sigh of relief, and buried her face in her hands. Mr. Royce placed the receipt in his pocket book, and stopped, hesitating. But the maid had opened the door and was awaiting us. Her mistress made no sign; there was no excuse to linger. We turned and followed the maid. "Miss Holladay seems very ill," said Mr. Royce, in a voice somewhat tremulous, as she paused before us in the lower hall. "Yes, sir; ver' ill." Again the voice! I took advantage of "She has a physician, of course?" asked my companion. "Oh, yes, sir." "He has advised rest and quiet?" "Yes, sir." "When do you leave for the country?" "To-morrow or the next day after that, I think, sir." He turned to the door and then paused, hesitating. He opened his lips to say something more—his anxiety was clamoring for utterance—then he changed his mind and stepped outside as she held the door open. "Good-day," he said, with stern repression. "I wish her a pleasant journey." The door closed after us, and we went down the steps. "Jenkinson's the family doctor," he said. "Let's drive around there, and find out how really ill Miss Holladay is. I'm worried about her, Lester." "That's a good idea," I agreed, and gave the driver the address. Jenkinson was in his office, and received us at once. "Doctor Jenkinson," began our junior, without preamble, "I am John Royce, of Graham & Royce. You know, I suppose, that we are the legal advisers of Miss Frances Holladay." "Yes," answered Jenkinson. "Glad to meet you, Mr. Royce." "In consequence, we're naturally interested in her welfare and all that concerns her, and I called to ask you for some definite details of her condition." "Her condition? I don't quite understand." "We should like to know, doctor, just how ill she is." "Ill!" repeated Jenkinson, in evident surprise. "But is she ill?" "She's your patient, isn't she? I thought you were the family doctor." "So I am," assented the other. "But I haven't seen Miss Holladay for ten days or two weeks. At that time, she seemed quite well—a little nervous, perhaps, and worried, but certainly not requiring medical attention. She has always been unusually robust." Mr. Royce stopped, perplexed; as for me, my head was in a whirl again. "I'll tell you the story," he said at last. "I should like the benefit of your advice;" and he recounted rapidly the facts of Miss Holladay's illness, in so far as he knew them, ending with an account of our recent visit, and the statement of the maid that her mistress "And you say she looked very ill?" he asked. "Oh, very ill, sir; alarmingly ill, to my unpracticed eyes. She seemed thin and worn—she could scarcely talk—she had such a cough—I hardly knew her." Again the doctor paused to consider. He was a very famous doctor, with many very famous patients, and I could see that this case piqued him—that another physician should have been preferred! "Of course, Mr. Royce," he said finally, "Miss Holladay was perfectly free to choose another physician, if she thought best." "But would you have thought it probable?" queried our junior. "Ten minutes ago, I should have thought it extremely improbable," answered the Mr. Royce hesitated, and then took the bull by the horns. "Doctor Jenkinson," he began earnestly, "don't you think it would be wise to see Miss Holladay—you know how her father trusted you, and relied on you—and assure yourself that she's in good hands? I confess, I don't know what to think, but I fear some danger is hanging over her. Perhaps she may even have fallen into the hands of the faith-curists." Jenkinson smiled. "The advice to seek rest and quiet seems sane enough," he said, "and utterly unlike any that a faith-curist would give." "But still, if you could see for yourself," persisted Mr. Royce. The doctor hesitated, drumming with his fingers upon the arm of his chair. "Such a course would be somewhat unprofessional," Mr. Royce's face brightened, and he caught the doctor's hand. "Thank you, sir," he said warmly. "It will lift a great anxiety from the firm, and, I may add, from me, personally." The doctor laughed good-naturedly. "I knew that, of course," he said. "We doctors hear all the gossip going. I might add that I was glad to hear this bit. If you'll wait for me here, I'll go at once." We instantly assented, and he called his carriage, and was driven away. I felt that, at last, we were to see behind one corner of the curtain—perhaps one glimpse would be enough to penetrate the mystery. But, in half an hour he was back again, and a glance at his face told me that we were again destined to disappointment. "I sent up my card," he reported briefly, Mr. Royce's face fell. "And that was all?" he asked. "That was all. Of course, there was nothing for me to do but come away. I couldn't insist on seeing her." "No," assented the other. "No. How do you explain it, doctor?" Jenkinson sat down, and for a moment studied the pattern of the carpet. "Frankly, Mr. Royce," he said at last, "I don't know how to explain it. The most probable explanation is that Miss Holladay is suffering from some form of dementia—perhaps only acute primary dementia, which is usually merely temporary—but which may easily grow serious, and even become permanent." The theory had occurred to me, and I saw from the expression of Mr. Royce's face that he, also, had thought of it. "Is there no way that we can make "She may need it very badly," agreed the doctor, nodding. "Yet, she is of legal age, and absolute mistress of her actions. There are no relatives to interfere—no intimate friends, even, that I know of. I see no way unless you, as her legal adviser, apply to the authorities for an inquest of lunacy." But Mr. Royce made an instant gesture of repugnance. "Oh, that's absurd!" he cried. "We have no possible reason to take such action. It would offend her mortally." "No doubt," assented the other. "So I fear that at present nothing can be done—things will just have to take their course till something more decided happens." "There's no tendency to mental disease in the family?" inquired Mr. Royce, after a moment. "Not the slightest," said the doctor emphatically. There was nothing more to be said, and we turned to go. "If there are any further developments," added the doctor, as he opened the door, "will you let me know? You may count upon me, if I can be of any assistance." "Certainly," answered our junior. "You're very kind, sir," and we went back to our cab. The week that followed was a perplexing one for me, and a miserable one for Royce. As I know now, he had written her half a dozen times, and had received not a single word of answer. For myself, I had discovered one more development of the mystery. On the day following the delivery of the money, I had glanced, as usual, through the financial column of the Sun as I rode home on the car, and one item had attracted my attention. The brokerage firm of Swift & Currer had that day presented at the sub-treasury the sum of one hundred thousand dollars in currency for conversion into gold. An inquiry at their office next morning elicited the fact that the exchange had been effected for the account of Miss Frances Holladay. It was done, of course, that the recipient of the money might remain beyond trace of the police. |