"No. For over a year they have ceased; but this," Ackworth pointed to the golden box, "and the warning received by Mr. Horran, look as though the accomplices who were not caught intend to begin another series of crimes."
Jerce looked confounded. "What's that you say, about Horran having received a warning?" he asked.
Before Ackworth could reply, Clarice drew the attention of the two men to the box, which she had opened. It was divided into two compartments, one of which was empty, while the other was filled with a silken pad, moistened with purple ink.
"Look!" cried Miss Baird, aghast, as well she might be. "This is the very box which contained the stamp for impressing the purple fern on the forehead of the victims. Here is the pad, but the stamp has gone. Oh, Anthony, how did this come here? The letter, too, and--"
"What letter?" asked Jerce, soothing her agitation, while Ackworth took over the box to examine it.
"It's not exactly a letter," said Clarice, striving to appear calm, "only Uncle Henry found an envelope outside his window yesterday. It contained a sheet of paper stamped,--but Mr. Ackworth can show it to you."
"Here it is," remarked Anthony, taking the envelope from his pocket, and passing it to the now grave doctor, "and now this box has been found, it seems to me that Mr. Horran is in danger of death."
Jerce examined the picture of the fern, turned and twisted the envelope to see if there was any address or postmark, and looked attentively at the dainty box. "Humph!" said he, cautiously, "the assassin must be a man of taste and culture, since he designed such a receptacle for his india-rubber stamp, and uses such costly stationery."
"A man," echoed Clarice, with a sudden idea, "the assassin may not be a man at all. That box and paper look as though a woman--"
"No," interrupted the doctor, decisively, "the person who dropped this gold box here is a man. And without doubt he is connected with those wretches who used the purple fern to stamp their handiwork. Yes," he spoke half to himself, "there certainly must be a gang."