The Argosy, Vol. XIX

This serial installment from *The Argosy* depicts Chapter XIII, "Miriam Byrne," from "A Secret of the Sea." Gerald Warburton visits Peter Byrne at a lodging house in the City, where Byrne has undergone elaborate disguise—aged wig, dental modifications, antique clothing, and affected deafness—to appear an infirm elderly man to the mysterious Van Duren. Byrne hints at a theory concerning an unspecified investigation he pursues on behalf of Ambrose Murray, though details remain obscured. Miriam Byrne, Peter's twenty-two-year-old daughter of Romanian-Jewish heritage, enters wearing stage costume jewelry and a faded violet velvet dress. She expresses passionate devotion to music and opera, lamenting her lack of artistic talent. Peter reveals that Van Duren has begun emerging from seclusion and shows interest in Miriam, leaving Gerald uncertain how to respond to this development.