s., she lived under this assumption for twelve years
at her present hotel. In all that time, so far as I can learn, she has
never been visited by anyone of an appearance answering to that of her
former lover; nor have I any reason to think she ever intruded herself on
him, or made herself in any way obnoxious. He was married and settled,
and contrary to the usual course of men who step with one stride into
affluence, was living a life of usefulness which was rapidly making
him a marked man in public esteem. Perhaps she had no right to meddle
with what no longer concerned her. At all events, there is no evidence
of her having done so in all these fourteen years. Even after Mrs.
Roberts' death, all went on as usual; _but_--" Here Mr. Gryce became
emphatic--"when he turned his attention to a second marriage and that
with a very young girl--(I can name her to you, gentlemen, if you wish)
her patient soul may have been roused; she may have troubled him with
importunities; may have threatened him with a scandal which would have
interfered greatly with his political hopes if it had not ended them at
once. I can conceive such an end to her long patience, can't you,
gentlemen? And what is more, if this were so, and the gentleman found the
situation intolerable, it might account for the flight of that arrow as
nothing else ever will."

Both men had started to their feet.

"How! It was not _she_----"

"It was not she who was struck, _but it was she who was aimed at_. The
young girl merely got in the way. But before I enlarge upon this point,"
he continued in lower tones as the two officials slowly reseated
themselves, "allow me to admit that any proof of correspondence between
these old-time lovers would have added much to my present argument. But
while I have no doubt that such an interchange of letters took place, and
that in all probability some one or more of them still exist, Mrs.
Taylor's illness and Mr. Roberts' high position prevent any
substantiation of the same on our part. I must therefore ask you to
assume that it was in obedience to some definite agreement between them
that she came to the museum on that fatal morning and made her appearance
in that especial section of the gallery marked II. If this strikes you as
inconceivable and too presumptuous for belief, you must at least concede
that we have ample proof of his entire readiness for her coming. The bow
brought up so many days before from the cellar was within r