"This." Clarice held out the letter, without explanation, as she wanted to know if the elusive memory would come more clearly to Anthony. He opened the envelope in silence, then sprang up with a shout when he saw the contents.
"The Purple Fern, by Jupiter!" said Ackworth, staring. "What does it mean?" asked Clarice, vaguely terrified.
Ackworth looked anxious. "Nothing very pleasant," he muttered; "I thought it had been stamped out."
"What had been stamped out?"
"This purple fern business. Don't you remember that the papers were full of it a year ago, Clarry?"
Clarice put her hand to her head. The memory came back with a rush, and she now knew why the pictorial representation of the fern had been vaguely familiar to her. "Oh," she exclaimed, "does it mean death to Uncle Henry?"
"What?" Anthony looked relieved. "Then you did not get it?"
"No. Uncle Henry told me that he found it outside his bedroom window. I expect he remembered about the murders, and received the shock he talked about. Why do you look so relieved?"
"I thought that the warning might have been directed to you," muttered Ackworth, turning over the envelope, "apparently it is not, and perhaps not even to Mr. Horran, since there is no address."
"Tell me, Anthony, exactly what it means," said Clarice, anxiously. "I remember reading a lot about those murders, but I almost forget."