The Mystery of St. Agnes Hospital | Page 7

be concealed about the building.
If so, he would find it.
Reflecting thus, he passed outside the hospital walls.
Three men were approaching along St. Nicholas avenue. Two of these
he quickly recognized as Chick and Lawrence Deever. The other was
unknown to him.
Evidently Chick had sent Cleary away in a carriage which they had
kept waiting near the hospital during the evening. How he had met
Deever, Nick could not guess.
He went forward to meet the three men.
He had removed the disguise in which he had deceived the doctor, and
was now as Deever had seen him before.
Deever recognized him at once, and started forward, saying:
"You ask for proof of my brother's death. I will give it to you. Here is a

man who saw him buried."
And he pointed to the stranger.

Chapter IV
What Was Found in this Garden
Nick received Deever's startling intelligence with every evidence of
satisfaction.
"You are doing great work, Mr. Deever," said he. "We shall soon have
this affair straightened out."
As Nick pronounced these words he signaled to Chick in their sign
language as follows:
"What do you think of this witness?"
Chick promptly returned the answer:
"He seems to be telling the truth."
Then Deever turned toward the new witness.
"Mr. Haskell, Mr. Colton," said he, in hasty introduction. "Now,
Haskell, tell what you know."
"Wait," said Nick, "who is this man?" And he pointed to Chick.
"He's a fellow that knows my brother. We met him just below, and
brought him along to help in the identification. There are two more
coming."
"Then you purpose to disinter your brother's body at once?"
"Of course I do."

"You have no tools."
"The others will bring them. That's what they're after."
"Where is the place?"
"The hospital garden. Haskell, tell your story. But, no; I'll tell it for you
to save time."
He took Nick by the arm and led him along the hospital wall on the
southern side of the ground. They followed the wall in the direction of
the river, until they came to the corner.
Between them and the river was a large piece of ground nearly as wild
in appearance as it was a hundred years ago. Many trees and bushes
grew upon it.
"This place," said Deever, "is a sort of lovers' walk. Any pleasant
evening in summer you can see dozens of couples walking down that
path.
"Haskell was here Monday evening with a young lady. They sat for a
while on the trunk of a fallen tree, looking off toward the river.
"It was nearly eleven o'clock when Haskell walked home with her.
Then he discovered that he had lost his knife. He had been whittling the
tree-trunk with it.
"It was a good knife, and he thought it worth while to go back and try
to find it. He went back, and after quite a hunt, found it beside the tree.
"By this time it was after midnight. On his way home he passed the
spot where we are now standing.
"Just as he got here, he heard a peculiar noise on the other side of the
wall. It seemed strange that anybody should be at work in the garden at
that hour, but the sound was as if somebody was using a shovel.
"Haskell has more curiosity than a woman. He resolved to find out

what was going on inside that garden.
"The wall here is pretty high, as you see, but with the help of a piece of
board he climbed up so that he could look over. Now, Haskell, tell us
just what you saw."
Chick and Haskell had come up just as Deever finished his introduction
to the story.
"I saw Dr. Jarvis digging," said Haskell.
"How did you know it was he?" asked Nick.
"He had on his dressing-gown and cap," Haskell replied. "I guess pretty
near everybody who lives up this way knows those things."
"What did you do?"
"I watched him a couple of minutes. He seemed to be hard at work
digging a hole. I never thought then that it was a grave."
"Could you see how big a hole he was making?"
"No; he was under the shadow of the trees. I could hardly see him at all
there, but just as I got on the top of the wall, he came out for a second
or two into the moonlight. Then I saw the old cap and dressing-gown."
"Did you see any object lying upon the ground which looked like a
body?"
"No; it was dark under the tree. The body was probably there."
"Why do you say that?"
"Well, it couldn't have been anywhere else."
"How do you know there was any body ?"
"Mr. Deever has told me