The Argosy, Vol. 16

# The Master of Greylands

This serialized novel by the author of East Lynne continues through Chapter XXVIII. In a seaside village, Walter Dance has accidentally shot himself at the Chapel ruins near the haunted Friar's Keep with a pistol of mysterious origin. The incident sparks intense speculation at the local inn, the Dolphin. Villagers debate Dance's unlikely story—that he was shooting a sea-bird at dawn when his elbow struck a wall, discharging the weapon. Some suspect the apparition known as the Grey Friar caused his trembling hands. The mysterious pistol troubles observers, connecting to an earlier shooting death involving Anthony Castlemaine. George North, listening from a corner, grows convinced of a connection. Later, Harry Castlemaine encounters Jane Hallet on the road; they discuss an unspecified "change" Jane dreads. When Jane asks if Superintendent Nettleby shot Dance, and warns Harry against visiting the Chapel ruins, Harry becomes alarmed at her evident distress and cryptic warnings.