The Lonely Bride by Fred M. White

Grace stood there with the cigarette-case in her hand, examining it as closely as possible by the light of the moon. She had no longer reason to doubt; there was Max's monogram plainly enough; the deeply-cut letters standing out all the more clearly now that they were filled with dirt. The inside of the case was empty, a fact that rather surprised Grace, seeing that it had been Max's invariable custom to keep one of his visiting cards there. The girl noticed with a thrill that the case was not only dirty, but that it was also marked and battered as if it had been ill-used or as if somebody had trodden upon it. All these signs pointed to foul play.

In the first place, the old ruins were long way out of Max's route on the return journey from Brooks' house to Water Park. The high road was well enough at this time of the year, so that it was possible to wear evening slippers; indeed, Grace had noticed that Max was wearing pumps on the last occasion that she had ever seen him. But it was not in the least likely that Max would have walked through the damp grass shod in that light way when he had a clear path home. Still, Grace held it in her hand, evidence of the fact that Max had been to the ruined Priory, or she would not have found his cigarette-case there. Just for a moment it occurred to her as possible that the miscreants had placed the cigarette-case there by way of blinding the trail, but a reflection assured Grace that this was not to be thought of. She stood there full in the light of the moon waiting for something, she knew not what, to happen. She had a strange feeling that something out of the common was about to take place, one of those premonitions we all feel at times, but cannot logically account for. Therefore it was no surprise to Grace when a long, misshapen shadow lay across her feet, and the figure of a man came rapidly towards her. The man had been running very fast; he gasped for breath, but he did not seem in the least surprised to see Grace waiting there. Nor was she in her turn surprised to find herself face to face with "Poor Billy."