whose births he had certificates, by reason of the places of birth. The remainder Yardley investigated one by one. It was a long and unpleasant task, but in the end it had been possible in every case to trace[105] each child—for a period sufficiently prolonged to establish it as quite impossible that Miss Stableford could be one of these children. But the likeness between the two women haunted Tempest, and he wondered whether the real explanation was that Evangeline Stableford was the child of Dolores Alvarez. But an interview with the surgeon who had made the post-mortem examination, and a reference by the latter to his case book, left no doubt of the fact that Miss Alvarez had never had a child. Utterly puzzled, Tempest turned to the only remaining possibility that Miss Stableford might be the daughter of Lady Madeley; but a few careful inquiries showed that Lord and Lady Madeley had been married some days before Lady Stableford had found the child. By the fashionable intelligence in different papers, and by the succession of hotel registers, Tempest was able to trace the movements[106] of the married pair as day by day in easy stages they journeyed overland to Southern Italy. The last supposition, therefore, was an absolute impossibility, and Tempest finally could see no other conclusion than that the amazing likeness was after all only coincidence. [104] [105] [106] So that they had nothing to go upon save the details of the tragedy. These were strangely destitute of any enlightening clue. Late one evening, Yardley and Parkyns called at Tempest’s chambers in order to keep an appointment for which Parkyns had asked. “Well, what is it?” asked the barrister. “Mr. Tempest, I’m at my wits’ end about the murder of Miss Stableford. I’ve done everything I can think of, so has Yardley. We haven’t found out a thing, and the mystery is at the precise point it was when we started. I’ve come to say that unless you can suggest anything, I’m afraid[107] I must give it up. You see, sir, this isn’t the only thing I have to attend to. Have you thought of anything, sir?” [107] “Yes, Parkyns, many things, and I’ve done a little bit of inquiry myself; but I must say all to no
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