The Argosy, Vol. 74

Malicious Fortune This novel serial by Stella M. Duringfollows Dickie Tiark, a man devoted to proving the innocence of Helen Thorneycroft, a young woman dismissed from the MacArthur household for allegedly pawning valuable pearls. Dickie questions the pawnbroker to establish that the woman who pledged the necklace under the assumed name "Harriet Thorn" could not have been Helen—the description does not match her appearance. His inquiries shift suspicion toward Forbes, the MacArthur servant. When Dickie attempts to intimidate Forbes with a fabricated story about a photograph proving her guilt, she remains unmoved. That evening, Forbes abruptly flees to her sister's lodging house in Doughty Street, Bloomsbury, confirming Dickie's suspicions. Mr. MacArthur encourages Dickie to pursue Forbes, while Mrs. MacArthur actively resists reopening the case. Dickie determines to take lodgings at the boarding house to continue his investigation.