m which
he presently brought the scrap of paper which had already figured in the
inquest as the mysterious communication taken from Mrs. Fairbrother's
hand by the coroner. Pressing it out flat, he took another look at it,
then glanced up in visible discomposure.

"It has always looked to us as if written in the dark, by an agitated
hand; but--"

I said nothing; the broken and unfinished scrawl was sufficiently
eloquent.

"Did your friend declare Miss Grey to have written with a pencil and on
a small piece of unruled paper?"

"Yes, the pencil was at her bedside; the paper was torn from a book
which lay there. She did not put the note when written in an envelope,
but gave it to the valet just as it was. He is an old man and had come
to her room for some final orders."

"The nurse saw all this? Has she that book?"

"No, it went out next morning, with the scraps. It was some pamphlet, I
believe."

The inspector turned the morsel of paper over and over in his hand.

"What is this nurse's name?"

"Henrietta Pierson."

"Does she share your doubts?"

"I can not say."

"You have seen her often?"

"No, only the one time."

"Is she discreet?"

"Very. On this subject she will be like the grave unless forced by you
to speak."

"And Miss Grey?"

"She is still ill, too ill to be disturbed by questions, especially on
so delicate a topic. But she is getting well fast. Her father's fears
as we heard them expressed on one memorable occasion were ill founded,
sir."

Slowly the inspector inserted this scrap of paper between the folds
of his pocketbook. He did not give me another look, though I stood
trembling before him. Was he in any way convinced or was he simply
seeking for the most considerate way in which to dismiss me and
my abominable theory? I could not gather his intentions from his
expression, and was feeling very faint and heart-sick when he suddenly
turned upon me with the remark:

"A girl as ill as you say Miss Grey was must have had some very pressing
matter on her mind to attempt to write and send a message under such
difficulties. According to your idea, she had some notion of her
father's designs and wished to warn Mrs. Fairbrother against them. But
don't you see that such conduct as this would be preposterous, nay,
unparalleled in persons of their distinction? You must find some other
explanation for Miss Grey's seemingly mysterious action, and I an agent
of crime other than one of England's mo