Produced by Stephen Lins THE MARKENMORE MYSTERY THE MYSTERY STORIES OF J. S. FLETCHER “MR. FLETCHER is a master of plot, and he never goes beyond the bounds of reason in its procedure and development. He, moreover, can write the English language as a vital means to the end both of narrative and description, and he never fails to show that he is its master. It is therefore a pleasure to read his stories, not merely for their entertaining qualities, but also for the agreeable appeal of their manner and their style.” —_Boston Evening Transcript_ THE MIDDLE TEMPLE MURDER [1918] THE TALLEYRAND MAXIM [1920] THE PARADISE MYSTERY [1920] DEAD MEN’S MONEY [1920] THE ORANGE YELLOW DIAMOND [1921] THE CHESTERMARKE INSTINCT [1921] THE BOROUGH TREASURER [1921] THE HERAPATH PROPERTY [1921] SCARHAVEN KEEP [1922] THE RAYNER-SLADE AMALGAMATION [1922] RAVENSDENE COURT [1922] THE MIDDLE OF THINGS [1922] THE LOST MR. LINTHWAITE [1923] EXTERIOR TO THE EVIDENCE [1923] THE MARKENMORE MYSTERY [1923] THE WOLVES AND THE LAMB [In Preparation] THE KING VERSUS WARGRAVE [In Preparation] _NEW YORK: ALFRED • A • KNOPF_ THE MARKENMORE MYSTERY BY J. S. FLETCHER [Illustration: publisher’s mark] NEW YORK ALFRED • A • KNOPF MCMXXIII COPYRIGHT, 1923. BY ALFRED A. KNOPF, INC. _Published September. 1923_ _Set up, electrotyped, and printed by the Vail-Ballou Co., Binghamton, N. Y._ _Paper furnished by W. F. Etherington & Co., New York._ _Bound by H. Wolff Estate, New York._ MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA CONTENTS I Two Wanderers Return II The Butler’s Pantry III Grey Dawn IV Markenmore Hollow V Denounced VI The Coroner Sits VII Mrs. Braxfield Supports VIII The Incriminating Letter IX The Midnight Meeting X The Ring and the Pipe XI First Steps XII The Dower House XIII William Pegge XIV Gone XV Was It Robbery XVI Family Matters XVII Too Late XVIII Deep Lane XIX Under Pressure XX Village Gossip XXI Arrest XXII Mrs. Braxfield’s Move XXIII The Professional Theory XXIV The Man Who Could Guess XXV The Devil’s Grip CHAPTER I TWO WANDERERS RETURN