E-text prepared by Suzanne Shell, Mary Meehan, 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 17763-h.htm or 17763-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/7/7/6/17763/17763-h/17763-h.htm) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/7/7/6/17763/17763-h.zip) THE MYSTERY OF THE HASTY ARROW by ANNA KATHARINE GREEN Author of "The Chief Legatee," "That Affair Next Door," "A Strange Disappearance," Etc. With Frontispiece by H. R. Ballinger [Illustration: "Do not by any show of curiosity endanger her recovery. I would not have her body or mind sacrificed on any account."] A. L. Burt Company Publishers New York Published by Arrangement with Dodd, Mead & Company Copyright, 1917, By Dodd, Mead and Company, Inc. Made in U.S.A. CONTENTS BOOK I--A PROBLEM OF THE FIRST ORDER CHAPTER I "Let Some One Speak!" II In Room B III "I Have Something to Show You" IV A Strategic Move V Three Where Two Should Be VI The Man in the Gallery VII "You Think that of Me!" BOOK II--MR. X VIII On the Search IX While the City Slept X "And He Stood Here?" XI Footsteps XII "Spare Nobody! I Say, Spare Nobody!" XIII "Write Me His Name" XIV A Loop of Silk XV News from France BOOK III--STORM IN THE MOUNTAINS XVI Friends XVII The Cuckoo-Clock XVIII Mrs. Davis' Strange Lodger XIX Mr. Gryce and the Timid Child XX Mr. Gryce and the Unwary Woman XXI Perplexed XXII He Remembers XXIII Girls, Girls! Nothing but Girls! XXIV Flight XXV Terror XXVI The Face in the Window BOOK IV--NEMESIS XXVII From Lips Long Silent XXVIII "Romantic! Too Romantic!" XXIX A Strong Man XXX The Creeping Shadow XXXI Confronted XXXII "Why Is that Here?" XXXIII Again the Cuckoo-Clock XXXIV The Bud--Then the Deadly Flower BOOK I A PROBLEM OF THE FIRST ORDER I "LET SOME ONE SPEAK!" The hour of noon had just struck, and the few visitors still lingering among the curiosities of the great museum were suddenly startled by the sight of one of the attendants running down the broad, central staircase, loudly shouting: "Close the doors! Let no one out! An accident has occurred, and nobody's to leave the building." There was but one person near either of the doors, and as he chanced to be a man closely connected with the museum,--being, in fact, one of its most active directors,--he immediately turned about and in obedience to a gesture made by the attendant, ran up the marble steps, followed by some dozen others. At the top they all turned, as by common consent, toward the left-hand gallery, where in the section marked II, a tableau greeted them which few of them will ever forget.