Devlin the Barber. B. L. Farjeon

when he entered the room that he was greatly agitated.

      "I have intruded myself upon you, sir," he said, "because I felt that I should go mad if I did not speak to some person who was a friend of--or----"

      He could not proceed, and I finished the sentence for him. "Of the poor girl who has been so cruelly murdered?"

      He nodded his head, and, when he could control his voice, said, "You were an intimate friend of hers, sir?"

      "Mr. Melladew's family and mine," I replied, "have been on terms of friendship for many years. I have known the poor girl and her sister since their infancy."

      "I did not dare to call upon Mr. Melladew," he said, and then he faltered again and paused.

      "Are you acquainted with him?" I asked.

      "No," he said, "but I hoped to be. If I went now and told him what I wish to impart to you, he might look upon me as responsible for what has occurred." He put his hand over his eyes, from which the tears were flowing.

      "What is it you wish to impart to me?" I inquired, "and why should you suppose you would be held responsible for so horrible a crime?"

      "I scarcely know what I am saying," he replied. "But my secret intimacy with Lizzie"--I caught my breath at his familiar utterance of the name--"becoming known to him now for the first time, might put wrong ideas into his head."

      "Your secret intimacy with Lizzie?" I exclaimed.

      "We have known each other for more than four months," he said.

      "Secretly?"

      "Yes, secretly."

      "And the poor girl's parents were not aware of it?"

      "They were not. It was partly my poor Lizzie's wish, and partly my own, I think, until I was sure that I possessed her love. She kept it from me for a long time. 'Wait,' she used to say, smiling--pardon me, sir; my heart seems as if it would break when I speak of her--'Wait,' she used to say, 'I am not certain yet whether I really, really love you.' But she did, sir, all along."

      "How do you know that?" I asked, in doubt now whether I should regard him with favour or suspicion.

      "She confessed it to me last Tuesday night as she walked home from Baker Street."

      "You were in the habit of meeting her, then?"

      "Yes. I beg you to believe, sir, there was nothing wrong in it. I loved and honoured her sincerely. I wanted then to accompany her home and ask her parents' permission to pay my addresses to her openly: but she said no, and that she would speak to them first herself. It was arranged so. She was to tell them to-night, and I was to call and see her father and mother to-morrow. And now--and now--" Again he paused, overpowered by grief. Presently he spoke again. "See here, sir."

      He detached a locket from his chain, and opening it, showed me the sweet and beautiful face of Lizzie Melladew.

      "It was taken for me," he said, "on Wednesday morning. She obtained permission from her employers for an hour's absence, and we went together to get it taken. The photographer hurried the picture on for me, I was so anxious for it. I had my picture taken for her, and put into a locket, which I was to give her to-morrow with this ring in the presence of her parents." He produced both the locket and the ring. The locket was a handsome gold ornament, set with pearls; the ring was a half-hoop, set with diamonds. The gifts were such as only a man in a good position could afford to give. "I shall never be happy again," he said mournfully, as he replaced the locket on his chain, after gazing on the beautiful face with eyes of pitiful love.

      "Were you in the habit of writing to her?" I asked.

      "No, sir. No letters passed between us; there was no need to write, I saw her so often--four or five times a week. 'When father and mother know everything,' she said on Tuesday night, 'you shall write to me every day.' I promised that I would."

      "I am not sorry you confided in me," I said, completely won over by the young man's ingenuousness and undoubted sincerity; "but I can offer you no words of comfort. You will have to make this known to others."

      "I shall do what is right, sir. It is not in your power, nor in any man's, to give me any comfort or consolation. The happiness of my life is destroyed--but there is still one thing left me, and I will not rest till it is accomplished. As God is my judge, I will not!" He did not give me time to ask his meaning, but continued: "You can do me the greatest favour, sir."

      "What is it?"

      "I must see Mary--her sister, sir. Can you send round to the house, and ask her to come and see me here? She will come when she gets my message. Will you do this for me, sir?"

      "Yes," I replied, "there is no harm in it."

      I called my wife, and bade her go to Mr. Melladew's house, and contrive to see Mary Melladew privately, and give her the young man's message. During my wife's absence George Carton and I exchanged but few words. He sat for the chief part of the time with his head resting on his hand, and I was busy thinking whether the information he had imparted to me would be likely to afford a clue to the discovery of the murderer. My wife returned with consternation depicted on her face.

      "Mary is not at home," she said.

      "Where has she gone?" cried George Carton, starting up.

      To my astonishment my wife replied, "They are in the greatest trouble about her. She has not been home all the day."

      "Have they not seen anything of her?" I asked, also rising to my feet.

      "No," said my wife, "they have seen nothing whatever of her."

      "Is it possible," I exclaimed, "that she can be still at her place of business, in ignorance of what has taken place?"

      "No," cried George Carton, in great excitement, "she is not there. I have been to inquire. She went out last night, and never returned. Great God! What can be the meaning of it?"

      I strove in vain to calm him. He paced the room with flashing eyes, muttering to himself words so wild that I could not arrive at the least understanding of them.

      "Gone! Gone!" he cried at last. "But where, where? I will not sleep, I will not rest, till I find her! Neither will I rest till I discover the murderer of my darling girl! And when I discover him, when he stands before me, as there is a living God, I will kill him with my own hands!"

      His passion was so intense that I feared he would there and then commit some act of violence, and I made an endeavour to restrain and calm him by throwing my arms around him; but he broke from me with a torrent of frantic words, and rushed out of the house.

      Here was another mystery, added to the tragedy of the last few hours. What was to be the outcome of it? From what quarter was light to come?

       CHAPTER IV.

      MR. RICHARD PORTLAND MAKES A SINGULAR PROPOSITION TO ME.

      In the evening I received another visitor, in the person of Mr. Richard Portland, Mr. Melladew's brother-in-law. A shrewd, hard-headed man, but much cast down at present. It was clear to me, after a little conversation with him, that his nieces, Mary and the hapless Lizzie, had been the great inducement of his coming home to England, and I learnt from him that there was no doubt about the news of Mary Melladew's mysterious disappearance.

      Mr. Portland was a thoroughly practical man, even in matters of sentiment. It was sentiment truly that had brought him home, but his expectations had been blasted by the news of the tragedy which had greeted him on his arrival. He was deeply moved by the affliction which had fallen upon his sister's family; his indignation was aroused against the monster who had brought this fearful blow upon them; and, in addition, he was bitterly angry at being deprived of the society of two lovely, interesting girls, in whose hearts he had naturally hoped to find a place.

      "My brother is fit for nothing," he said. "He is prostrate, and cannot be