THE BRIGHTENER

BY C. N. & A. M. WILLIAMSON

FRONTISPIECE
BY WALTER DE MARIS

GARDEN CITY, N. Y., AND TORONTO
DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY
1921

COPYRIGHT, 1921, BY
C. N. & A. M. WILLIAMSON

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, INCLUDING THAT OF TRANSLATION
INTO FOREIGN LANGUAGES, INCLUDING THE SCANDINAVIAN

COPYRIGHT, 1921, BY AINSLEE's MAGAZINE CO., NEW YORK AND GREAT BRITAIN.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

"A SLIGHT SOUND ATTRACTED OUR ATTENTION TO THE HISTORIC STAIRWAY"

PREFACE

To the Kind People Who Read Our Books:

I want to explain to you, in case it may interest you a little, why itis that I want to keep the "firm name" (as we used to call it) of "C. N.& A. M. Williamson," although my husband has gone out of this world.

It is because I feel very strongly that he helps me with the work evenmore than he was able to do in this world. I always had his advice, andwhen we took motor tours he gave me his notes to use as well as my own.But now there is far more help than that. I cannot explain in words: Ican only feel. And because of that feeling, I could not bear to have the"C. N." disappear from the title page.

Dear People who may read this, I hope that you will wish to see theinitials "C. N." with those of

A. M. Williamson

CONTENTS

BOOK I. THE YACHT

CHAPTER I. Down and out
CHAPTER II. Up and in
CHAPTER III. Thunderbolt Six
CHAPTER IV. The Black Thing in the Sea
CHAPTER V. What I Found in My Cabin
CHAPTER VI. The Woman of the Past
CHAPTER VII. The Secret Behind the Silence
CHAPTER VIII. The Great Surprise
CHAPTER IX. The Game of Bluff

BOOK II. THE HOUSE WITH THE TWISTED CHIMNEY

CHAPTER I. The Shell-Shock Man
CHAPTER II. The Advertisement
CHAPTER III. The Letter with the Purple Seal
CHAPTER IV. The Tangled Web
CHAPTER V. The Knitting Woman of Dun Moat
CHAPTER VI. The Lightning Stroke
CHAPTER VII. ...