The crystal claw

The fatal candle flickered as its heat caused the fragile balloon to expand.
THE CRYSTAL CLAW
BY WILLIAM LE QUEUX AUTHOR OF “MADEMOISELLE OF MONTE CARLO,” “THE VOICE FROM THE VOID,” ETC.
Frontispiece by GEORGE W. GAGE
NEW YORK THE MACAULAY COMPANY
Copyright, 1924 By THE MACAULAY COMPANY Printed in the United States of America
THE CRYSTAL CLAW
THE CRYSTAL CLAW
“Yes, an extremely pretty girl,” remarked old Dr. Feng, bending towards me and speaking softly across the table-à-deux at which we were dining at the Kürhaus hotel at Mürren, high-up in the snow-clad Alps. “A honeymooning couple, no doubt,” he went on—“nice place this for a honeymoon!” and the white-haired old Chinese who—most unusual in one of his race, had a long white beard—smiled as he poured out a tiny glass of white curaçao, the only form of alcohol I ever saw him indulge in.
I glanced across in the direction he indicated and saw seated in a corner, a pretty dark-haired grey-eyed girl of twenty. She wore a flame-colored dance-frock, and was laughing happily as she chatted with a good-looking young man, perhaps six years or so her senior. The young fellow was smart and distinguished-looking and the girl was very handsome, with irregular features, and singularly expressive eyes, but hers was a nervous, restless physiognomy that rather chilled one at first sight. The expression in both their faces told the truth quite clearly. They were, indeed, newly wed, and they had that evening arrived on the funicular railway from Lauterbrunnen, in the valley below, by the service which had left Victoria station the previous afternoon.
“Yes, a very handsome pair,” I agreed. “I wonder who they are?”
“Don’t inquire. When you marry, Yelverton, you won’t like people to be inquisitive. All newly-married people are super-sensitive, you know,” declared my companion.