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Miss Morstan entered the room with a firm step and an outward co lady, sloved, and dressed in the most perfect taste There was, however, a plainness and siestion of lie, untrimmed and unbraided, and she wore a small turban of the same dull hue, relieved only by a suspicion of white feather in the side Her face had neither regularity of feature nor beauty of complexion, but her expression eet and aularly spiritual and sympathetic In an experience of women which extends over many nations and three separate continents, I have never looked upon a face which gave a clearer promise of a refined and sensitive nature I could not but observe that as she took the seat which Sherlock Holmes placed for her, her lip tren of intense inward agitation

"I have come to you, Mr Holmes," she said, "because you once enabled my employer, Mrs Cecil Forrester, to unravel a little domestic complication She was much impressed by your kindness and skill"

"Mrs Cecil Forrester," he repeated thoughtfully "I believe that I was of soht service to her The case, however, as I remember it, was a very simple one"

"She did not think so But at least you cannot say the sae, more utterly inexplicable, than the situation in which I find listened He leaned forward in his chair with an expression of extraordinary concentration upon his clear-cut, hawklike features "State your case," said he, in brisk, business tones

I felt thatone "You will, I a froloved hand to detain h to stop, he ht be of inestimable service to me"

I relapsed into my chair

"Briefly," she continued, "the facts are these My father was an officer in an Indian regiment who sent me home when I was quite a child My land I was placed, however, in a coh, and there I ree In the year 1878 iraphed to me from London that he had arrived all safe, and directed hae, as I re London I drove to the Langha there, but that he had gone out the night before and had not yet returned I waited all day without news of hier of the hotel, I co we advertised in all the papers Our inquiries led to no result; and from that day to this no word has ever been heard of my unfortunate father He came home with his heart full of hope, to find some peace, some comfort, and instead--" She put her hand to her throat, and a choking sob cut short the sentence