The doctor’s face, which had been very grave, livened into eager curiosity.

Mr. Kentworthy came up to the writing table.

“This was the first letter. It was not addressed to the Home Office. It was sent to Scotland Yard.”

While he was speaking he had put his hand over the sheet of paper; now he lifted it, and Dr. Maclean saw a large sheet of paper marked I. Drawn in pencil was a curious conventional design, under which ran the words—“Water-mark of the original (foreign) paper.”

Then, written in block letters in very black ink, he read the following:

THE WRITER FEELS IT HIS DUTY TO DRAW THE ATTENTION OF THE HEAD COMMISSIONER OF POLICE TO CERTAIN MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING THE DEATH, ON THE 28TH OF LAST MAY, OF MRS. EMILY GARLETT AT THE THATCHED HOUSE, TERRIFORD VILLAGE. MRS. GARLETT WAS THE WIFE OF HENRY GARLETT, OWNER AND MANAGING-DIRECTOR OF THE WELL-KNOWN GRENDON ETNA CHINA FACTORY. THOUGH THE DEATH WAS VERY SUDDEN, NO INQUEST WAS HELD.

“This reads like a man’s letter,” observed Dr. Maclean.

“It was meant to read like a man’s letter,” said Mr. Kentworthy. “But we believe it to be the work of an educated woman.”

The doctor went on staring at the sinister epistle. What dread secret of love or hate—or was it only poisonous malice—lay behind these roughly ink-printed words?

“Here is the envelope. You will notice that the postmark, which by the way has been drawn in, for it was too obliterated for any other method to be of use, shows the letter to have been posted in London just a month ago. For what it is worth I may remind you that almost any educated man would realize that such a communication should be sent to the Criminal Investigation Department of the Home Office, and not to Scotland Yard.”

“What happens,” asked Dr. Maclean, “when such a thing as this is received?”

78“By long experience we are well aware that such a letter is likely to be only one of a series—and sure enough, four days later, came this second letter!”

78

The speaker pushed aside the first sheet of paper he had laid down, and put in its place another.

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