The Argosy, Vol. 35

Winifred Power, by an unidentified author (June 1883)

This serialized domestic mystery novel centers on the disappearance of a valuable thirteenth-century Psalter from the household of Sir John, a wealthy patriarch. When suspicious noises are discovered in a locked box-room, Sir John discovers his nephew William Hatherley hidden there, fevered and delirious after weeks in hiding supported by his mother and the butler. Sir John suspects William of stealing the Psalter, though no proof emerges. Family tensions escalate when young Dolly confronts her uncle about the household's unwelcoming atmosphere; Sir John threatens to expel the dependent relatives. After advertising for the stolen manuscript, Sir John receives a letter from a Parisian housekeeper revealing that an illuminated Psalter matching the description was offered to a deceased bibliophile by a young dark-haired man in February. The mystery deepens without resolution: the Psalter appears in the deceased collector's estate, but its original thief remains unidentified.