The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Christmas Mystery, by William J. Locke

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Title: A Christmas Mystery
The Story of Three Wise Men

Author: William J. Locke

Release Date: January 13, 2004 [EBook #10707]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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"_I cannot tell how the truth may be:
I say the tale as 'twas said to me._"

BY THE SAME AUTHOR

IDOLS
SEPTIMUS
THE USURPER
THE WHITE DOVE
THE BELOVED VAGABOND
THE DEMAGOGUE AND LADY PHAYRE
THE MORALS OF MARCUS ORDEYNE
AT THE GATE OF SAMARIA
A STUDY IN SHADOWS
SIMON THE JESTER
WHERE LOVE IS
DERELICTS

[Illustration: "I HEARD IT. I FELT IT. It WAS LIKE THE BEATING OF
WINGS."]

A CHRISTMAS MYSTERY
THE STORY OF THREE WISE MEN

BY WILLIAM J. LOCKE

ILLUSTRATED BY BLENDON CAMPBELL

1910

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

"I heard it. I felt it. It was like the beating of wings." Frontispiece

"I told you the place was uncanny."

Instinctively they all knelt down.

Carried with them an inalienable joy and possession into the great
world.

A CHRISTMAS MYSTERY

Three men who had gained great fame and honour throughout the world met
unexpectedly in front of the bookstall at Paddington Station. Like most
of the great ones of the earth they were personally acquainted, and they
exchanged surprised greetings.

Sir Angus McCurdie, the eminent physicist, scowled at the two others
beneath his heavy black eyebrows.

"I'm going to a God-forsaken place in Cornwall called Trehenna," said
he.

"That's odd; so am I," croaked Professor Biggleswade. He was a little,
untidy man with round spectacles, a fringe of greyish beard and a weak,
rasping voice, and he knew more of Assyriology than any man, living or
dead. A flippant pupil once remarked that the Professor's face was
furnished with a Babylonic cuneiform in lieu of features.

"People called Deverill, at Foulis Castle?" asked Sir Angus.

"Yes," replied Professor Biggleswade.

"How curious! I am going to the Deverills, too," said the third man.