The Hound of the Baskervilles Part 22 (1/2)
She met my difficulty with the utentlemen who knew my sad history and united to help hbour and intily kind, and it was through him that Sir Charles learned about my affairs”
I knew already that Sir Charles Baskerville had made Stapleton his almoner upon several occasions, so the lady's statement bore the impress of truth upon it
”Did you ever write to Sir Charles asking hier again ”Really, sir, this is a very extraordinary question”
”I am sorry, madam, but I must repeat it”
”Then I answer, certainly not”
”Not on the very day of Sir Charles's death?”
The flush had faded in an instant, and a deathly face was before me Her dry lips could not speak the ”No” which I saw rather than heard
”Surely your e of your letter It ran 'Please, please, as you are a gentleate by ten o'clock'”
I thought that she had fainted, but she recovered herself by a supreentleasped
”You do Sir Charles an injustice He did burn the letter But soible even when burned You acknowledge now that you wrote it?”
”Yes, I did write it,” she cried, pouring out her soul in a torrent of words ”I did write it Why should I deny it? I have no reason to be ashamed of it I wished hiain his help, so I asked him to meet me”
”But why at such an hour?”
”Because I had only just learned that he was going to London next day and et there earlier”
”But why a rendezvous in the garden instead of a visit to the house?”
”Do you think a woo alone at that hour to a bachelor's house?”
”Well, what happened when you did get there?”
”I never went”
”Mrs Lyons!”
”No, I swear it to you on all I hold sacred I never went So”
”What was that?”
”That is a private e then that you made an appointment with Sir Charles at the very hour and place at which he met his death, but you deny that you kept the appointain I cross-questioned her, but I could never get past that point