The Morning herald., 1877-08-07


To-day be it,"
This was one of the daily arrangements
made which were never carried out. Once
the comedy of trying to catch Sivory into
some admission Of his connection with the
Taggart's Inn mystery playedUut and the
detective abandoned his keen hunt until
smother occasion rose. .,.'u ne
For still carrying out his determination
to compromise Margaret as little as posi-.
bic, he was disinclined to allow her to ap-
pear in the streets walking upon his arm.
He knew that if she was recognised, her
character would suffer, and it has been al
ready said that his fear of injuring her
reputation was excessive.
!. Webber would propose these excursions,
and then say no moro about them; while
Austin himself never referred to them, be-
cause he found it infinitely more agreeable
TO pass the day in Margherita's company
than in driving about from one London
/ wonder to another. -.-.. ..
Every day about three, and after lunch,
Sivory and Webber walked or droveto Mar
garet's lodgings overlooking the Park on
one side and Park street on the other
1T is needless to say that Austin was al-
ways taken to the street door. He knew
nothing Of the garden entrance from Bird
cage Walk. of the arrangement-of reaching
the hall from the balcony and conserva-
tory attached to the back drawing room
Of the gate key, which Webber always car
ried with him. -lssa.I
Reaching Margaret's rooms, the three
sat about the fire chatting. while some
times, though rarely, Webber ordered q
carriage, and they drove in the Park.
They generally dined together late in the
+ evening, and little more conversation
concluded the strange days work. ,,;.
Strange, indeed! A few weeks before,
neither of these three had seen the others,
and now they were seated daily at the
same table, and, to the 0ccupiers of the
house, appeared to be very pleasant and
well-conducted family party. Who could
have thought that the beautiful woman,
dressed in black, was an agent in the
hands of police-constable. who together
were endeavoring to hunt their companion
to the scaffolds ..
About Austin Sivory the detective had
woven an inextricable net of watchful-
ness. This espionage was the most COM
plete imaginable. He watched his victim
from morn until midnight, and he not
only watched the man himself, but his
least gestures, his faintest words, or parts
Of words; his looks, his very thoughts,
were open to the detectives unceasing
work.
And the detectives work was the more
marvellous that it was not the police Off
Ger who daily sought out the victim him.
self; it was this latter who placed himself
day after day in the grasp Of the detec-
tive. Without any trouble on his part,
and with his feet comfortably warming at
his own freside at Westminster, or at
Margaret's, he continued his duty perse-
veringly. Always watching; always
ready to anaIyze each word, to find in bis
victim actual and moral proofs Of that
guilt which Webber still firmly believed
Austin sivory would sooner or later dem
onstrate.
What had been his aim in introducing
Margaret and Austini What had be said
to herf These words: "Sivory has never
fallen in love, and you are beautiful. Once
attract him--once make him devoted to
YOU, and all his secrets are yours. This Is
the only means we have of ascertaining
whether he did or did not kill Graham
Forbes" bed.
And when Margaret, for Q moment,
HSked from the proposal, he added, He
does not know you, he never saw you be-
fore the murder, and therefore he cannot
mistrust you. You will creep into his life,
YOU will learn his PAST, and sooner or
later, you will unmask him. Be the Deli
lah of this new Sampson, and let us to-
gether bind him and give him over to the
Philistines."
Finally she consented, as our readers
have already learned. She, Margaret, it
was who played the principal character in
tllis chastity drama--she, and not Webber.
He simply enacted the part of confidant,
and had only to bring the chief characters
and wait, wait until he was
wanted. -t. -y..
His better sense told him that be would
do wisely to leave Austin to Margarets
;;watchfulness alone, but that mysterious
something (the knowledge and strength OF
which so far he had not measured) in.
dueed him to save her reputation as much
as possible,-that unknown power which
caused him to awake in the black night to
ind tears upon his face, drew him con-
stantly towards her, and gradually No
found himself as eagerly listening to whas
she said to Austin, as watching Sivory.
Had Margaret herself asked the deteo.
tive to be present as frequently as posslble'
Did she fear to be near Sivory without
third, being close at handf Did she fear
that, il left to herself, she should fail in
tho mart she had to play; that she might
betray herself; that upon some terrible 90
.a.:a,.I ,,nahlo 70 hida the hate and indigs