The Greatest Thrillers of Fergus Hume. Fergus Hume

Bedford Gardens early in the afternoon.

      The house was a quaint, pretty cottage, which stood in a delightful garden--once the solace of poor dead Mrs. Arryford's soul--and was divided from the road by a tall fence of iron railings closed in with wooden planks painted a dark green. The room into which the detective and gipsy were shown was a prim and rather cosy apartment, which bore the impress of Miss Lyle's old-maidism in the disposition of the furniture. When they were seated here, and were waiting for Miss Lyle, who had been advised of their arrival, Hagar suddenly asked Horval a leading question.

      "Is Rosa dumb?" she demanded.

      "Bless you, no!" answered Horval. "It's true as she don't talk much, but she can use her tongue in nigger fashion. Why do you ask?"

      "She said she was dumb when she pawned the beads."

      "Oh, that was 'cause she was too 'cute to let her voice betray her," replied Horval, smiling. He had humor enough to note Hagar's uncon--scious bull; but as she was likely to be useful to him in the conduct of the case, he did not wish to anger her by remarking on it.

      When Miss Lyle made her appearance, Hagar, after the manner of women, took immediate note of her looks and manner. The old maid was tall and lean and yellow, with cold gray eyes, and a thin-lipped, hard-tempered mouth, turned down at the curves. Her iron-gray hair was drawn tightly off her narrow forehead and screwed into a hard-looking knob behind. She wore a black stuff gown, somber and lusterless; collar and cuffs of white linen, and cloth slippers, in which she glided noiselessly. Altogether an unpromising, hard woman, acidulated and narrow-minded, who looked disapprovingly on the rich beauty of Hagar, and remarked her graces with a jaundiced eye and a vinegary look. The cough with which she ended her inspection showed that she con--demned the girl at first sight.

      "Is this young person necessary to your conduct of the case?" said Miss Lyle, addressing herself to Horval, and ignoring Hagar altogether.

      "Why, yes, miss," replied Horval, on whom the antagonistic attitude of the two women was not lost. "She keeps the pawn-shop at which Rosa pawned the beads!"

      Miss Lyle gave a start of virtuous horror, and her thin lips wreathed in a viperous smile. "The wretch did kill my poor friend, then," she said in a soft and fluty voice. "I knew it!"

      "She pawned the amber beads, Miss Lyle, but---"

      "Now, don't say the wretch didn't kill my martyred friend," snapped Miss Lyle, going to the bell-rope; "but we'll have her in, and perhaps this young person will recognize her as the viper who pawned the beads."

      "It is to be hoped so," said Hagar, very dryly, not approving of being spoken at in the third person; "but the regress kept her face turned away, and I might not---"

      "It is your duty to recognize her," exclaimed Miss Lyle, addressing herself to the girl for once. "I am convinced that Rosa is a dangerous criminal. Here she is--the black Jezebel!"

      As the last word fell from her mouth the door opened, and Rosa entered the room, whereat Hagar uttered an exclamation of surprise. This regress was rather short, and more than a trifle stout. It is true that she wore a yellow dress trimmed with black jet beading; that silver ornaments were on her neck and wrists; also that she was without the wonderful hat. Still, Hagar was surprised, and explained her ejaculation forthwith.

      "That is not the woman who pawned the beads!" she declared, rising.

      "Not the woman?" echoed Miss Lyle, virulently. "She must be! This is Rosa!"

      "Yis, yis! I Rosa," said the negress, beginning to weep, "but I no kill my poo' dear missy. Dat one big lie."

      "Are you sure, miss, that this is not the woman?" asked Horval, rather dismayed.

      Hagar stepped forward, and looked sharply at the sobbing negress up and down. Then she glanced at the woman's hands and shook her head.

      "I am prepared to swear in a court of law that this is not the woman," she said, quietly.

      "Rubbish, rubbish!" cried Miss Lyle, flushing. "Rosa coveted the necklace, as it was connected with some debased African superstition, and---"

      "It one ole fetish!" interrupted Rosa, her eyes sparkling fire at the old maid, "and ole missy she did wish to gib it me, but you no let her."

      "Certainly not!" said Miss Lyle, with dignity. "The necklace was not fit for you to wear. And because I persuaded Mrs. Arryford not to give it to you, you murdered her, you wretch! Down on your knees, woman, and confess!"

      "I no 'fess!" exclaimed the terrified negress. "I no kill my missy! I no gib dose amber beads for money. If dose beads mine, I keep dem; dey a mighty big fetish, for sure!"

      "One moment," said Horval, as Miss Lyle was about to speak again, "let us conduct this inquiry calmly, and give the accused every chance Miss," he said, turning to Hagar, "on what day, at what time, was it that the beads were pawned?"

      Hagar calculated rapidly, and answered promptly: "On the evening of the 23d of August, between six and seven o'clock."

      "Ah!" exclaimed Miss Lyle, joyfully--"and on that very evening Rosa was out, and did not return till nine!"

      "Me went to see Massa Jevons for you," said Rosa vehemently; "you send me."

      "I send you! Just listen to the creature's lies! Besides, Mr. Jevons's rooms are in Duke Street, St James's, whereas it was at Lambeth you were."

      "I no go to dat gem'man's house. You send me to de train Waterloo!"

      "Waterloo!" said Horval, looking sharply at Rosa. "You were there?"

      "Yis, masse; me dere at seven and eight."

      "In the neighbourhood of Lambeth," murmured Horval. "She might have gone to the pawn-shop after all."

      "Of course she did!" cried Miss Lyle, vindictively--"and pawned the amber beads of my poor dead friend!"

      "She did nothing of the sort!" interposed Hagar, with spirit. "Whosoever pawned the beads, it was not this woman. Besides, how do you know that Rosa killed Mrs. Arryford?"

      "She wanted the beads, young woman, and she killed my friend to obtain them."

      "No, no! dat one big lie!"

      "I am sure it is!" said Hagar, her face aflame. "I believe in your innocence, Rosa. Mr. Horval," she added, turning to the detective, "you can't arrest this woman, as you have no grounds to do so."

      "Well, if she didn't pawn those beads---"

      "She did not, I tell you."

      "She did!" cried Miss Lyle angrily. "I believe you are an accomplice of the creature's!"

      What reply Hagar would have made to this accusation it is impossible to say, for at this moment a young man walked into the room. He was good-looking in appearance, and smart in dress, but there was a haggard look about his face which betokened dissipation.

      "This," said Miss Lyle, introducing him, "is my nephew, the heir to the property of my late dear friend. He is resolved, as such heir, to find out and punish the assassin of his benefactress. For my part, I believe Rosa to be guilty."

      "And I," cried Hagar, with energy, "believe her to be innocent!"

      "Let us hope she is," said Jevons, in a weary voice, as he removed his gloves. "I am tired of the whole affair."

      "You are bound to punish the guilty!" said Miss Lyle, in hard tones.

      "But not the innocent," retorted Hagar, rising.

      "Young woman, you are insolent!"

      Hagar looked Miss Lyle up and down in the coolest manner; then her eyes wandered to the well-dressed figure of Jevons, the heir. What she saw in him to startle her it is difficult to say; but after a moment's inspection she turned pale with suppressed emotion. Stepping forward, she was about to speak, when, checking herself suddenly, she beckoned to Horval, and advanced towards the door.

      "My errand here is fulfilled," she said, quietly. "Mr. Horval, perhaps you will come with me."

      "Yes,