E-text prepared by Sankar Viswanathan, Suzanne Shell, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 26482-h.htm or 26482-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/6/4/8/26482/26482-h/26482-h.htm) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/6/4/8/26482/26482-h.zip) The Great Detective Story. MADELINE PAYNE, THE DETECTIVE'S DAUGHTER. by LAWRENCE L. LYNCH, (Of the Secret Service.) Author of "Shadowed by Three," "The Diamond Coterie," "Out of a Labyrinth," etc., etc. [Illustration: "Yes," she cried, wildly, "I know; you need not say it"--page 219.] Chicago: Alex. T. Loyd & Co. 1888. Copyright, 1883, Donnelley, Loyd & Co., Chicago. Copyright, 1883, Alex. T. Loyd & Co., Chicago. Copyright, 1884, Alex. T. Loyd & Co., Chicago. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. MAN PROPOSES 9 II. THE OLD TREE'S REVELATIONS 16 III. THE STORY OF A CRIME 25 IV. THE DIE IS CAST 44 V. A SHREWD SCHEME 54 VI. A WARNING 64 VII. A STRUGGLE FOR MORE THAN LIFE 75 VIII. THREADS OF THE FABRIC 98 IX. GONE! 104 X. BONNIE, BEWITCHING CLAIRE 113 XI. A GLEAM OF LIGHT 121 XII. A MESSAGE FROM THE DEAD 130 XIII. MISS ARTHUR'S FRENCH MAID 137 XIV. WHEELS WITHIN WHEEL 143 XV. CORA AND THE FRENCH MAID MEASURE SWORDS 155 XVI. FACE TO FACE 167 XVII. GATHERING CLUES 184 XVIII. THE HAND OF FRIENDSHIP WIELDS THE SURGEON'S KNIFE 191 XIX. A DUAL RENUNCIATION 203 XX. STRUGGLING AGAINST FATE 215 XXI. HAGAR AND CORA 229 XXII. TO BE, TO DO, TO SUFFER 239 XXIII. SETTING SOME SNARES 244 XXIV. A VERITABLE GHOST 251 XXV. SOME DAYS OF WAITING 257 XXVI. NOT A BAD DAY'S WORK 265 XXVII. CLAIRE TURNS CIRCE 272 XXVIII. THE CURTAIN RISES ON THE MIMIC STAGE 279 XXIX. A STARTLING EPISODE 291 XXX. WAITING 299 XXXI. MR. PERCY SHAKES HIMSELF 303 XXXII. A SILKEN BELT 310 XXXIII.