Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-12-20

mence. y, Crawford as the man at
that instant appeared at the door.
I" Is anything the matter ?" he said, in.
In vain did his wife try and persuade
Doctor Brown to taste any breakfast a
cup of tea was all he would try to swallow,
and that was taken in hasty gulps, to cleal
his dry throat, as he heard Crawford's voice
talking to the policeman whom he was
ushering in.
The policeman heard all, and said little.
Then the inspector came. Doctor Brown
seemed to leave all the talking to Crawford,
who apparently liked nothing better. Mar
garet was infinitely distressed and dis
mayed by the effect the robbery seemed to
have on her husbands energies. The prob
able loss of such sum was bad enough,
but there was something so weak and pool
IN character in letting it affect him SC
strongly-to deaden all energy and destroy
all hopeful spring, that although Margaret
did not dare to define her feeling, nor the
cause of it, to herself, she had the fact be.
fore her perpetually, that if she were to
Judge of her husband from this morning
only, she must learn to rely on herself
alone in all cases of emergency. The IN.
spector repeatedly turned from Crawford
to DIR. and Mrs. Brown for answers to his
inquiries. 1t was Margaret who replied
with terse, short sentences, very different
from Crawford's long involved explana-
tions.
At length the inspector asked to speak to
her alone. She followed him into the room,
past the affronted Crawford and her de-
spondent husband. The inspector gave
one sharp look at the charwoman, who was
going on with her securing with stolid in
difference, turned her out, and then asked
Margaret where Crawford came from-how
long be had lived with them, and various
other questions, all showing the direction
his suspicious had taken. This shocked
Margaret extremely; but she quickly an
swered every inquiry; and, at the end,
watched the inspectors face closely, and
waited for the avowal of the suspicion.
He led the way back to the other room
without word, however. Crawford had
left, and DR.. Brown was trying to read the
mornings letters (which had just been de-
livered), but his hands shook so much that
he could not see line.
''Dr. Brown" said the inspector, 81
have little doubt that your man. servant
mas committed this robbery | judge SO
from his whole manner, and from his anx-
iety to tell the story, and his way of try
ing to throw suspicion on the chimney
sweeper, neither whose name nor dwelling
can he give; at least he says not. Your
wife tells us he has already been out of the
house this morning even before he went to
summon policeman so there is little
doubt that he has found means for conceal
ing or disposing of the notes and you say
you do not know the numbers. However,
that can probably be ascertained."
At this moment Christie knocked at the
door, and, in state of great agitation, de-
manded to speak to Margaret. She brought
up an additional store of suspicious cir
cumstances, none of them much in them,
selves, but all tending to criminate her
fellow servant. She had expected to find
herself blamed for starting the idea OF
Crawford's guilt, and was rather surprised
TO find herself listened to with attention
by the inspector. This led her to tell
many other little things, all bearing against
Crawford, which dread of being thought
jealous and quarrelsome had led her to
conceal before from her master and mis-.
tress. At the end of her story the in.
spector said :
"There can be no doubt of the course to
be taken. You, sir, must give your man.
servant in charge. He will be taken before
the sitting magistrate directly, and there is
already evidence enough to make him be
remanded for week, during which time
we may trace the notes, and complete the
chain.
'Must l prosecute ?" said DIR. Brown,
almost lividly pale. " 1t is, l own, a seri-
GUS loss of money to me but there will be
the further expenses of the prosecution
the loss of time-the-"
He stopped. He saw his wife's indig-
nant eyes fixed upon him, and shrank from
their look of unconscious reproach.
yes, inspector" he said, 81 give him
in charge. Do what you will. Do what
is right. Of course l take the conse-
quences. We take the consequences, don't
we, Margaret ?" He spoke IN kind OF
wild, low voice, of which Margaret thought
it best to take no notice.
"Tell US exactly what to do" she said,
very coldly and quietly, addressing herself
to the policeman.
He gave her the necessary directions as
to their attending at the police Office and
bringing Christie as a witness, and then
went away to take measures for securing
Crawford.
Margaret was surprised to find how little
hurry or violence needed to be used in
Crawford's arrest. She had expected to
hear sounds of commotion in the house, Il
indeed Crawford himself had not taken
the alarm and escaped But when she had
suggested the latter apprehension to the
inspector he smiled, and told her that when
he first heard of the charge from the police
man on the beat he had stationed detect
i've officer within sight OF the house, to
watch all ingress or egress so that Craw-
ford's whereabouts would soon have been
discovered had he attempted to escape.
Margaret's attention was now directed
to her husband. He was making hurried
preparations for setting off on his round of
visits, and evidently did not wish to have
any conversation with her on the subject
OF the mornings event. He had promised
to be back by i o'clock, before which time,
the inspector had assured them, their pres
enee would not be needed. Once OF twice
DIR. Brown said, as if to himself, 1t is a
miserable business" Indeed, Margaret felt
it to be so, and now that the necessity for
immediate speech and action was over, she
began to fancy that she must be very hard
hearted-very deficient in common feeling,
inasmueh as she had not suffered like her
husband at the discovery that the servant
whom they had been learning to consider
as friend, and to look upon as having
their interests so warmly at heart was in
all probability, treacherous thief. She
remembered all his pretty marks of atten-
ton to her, from the day when he had well
coined her arrival at her new home by his
humble present of flowers, until only the
day before, when, seeing her fatigued, he
had, unasked, made her cup of coffee
coffee such as none but he could make. How
often had he thought of warm, dry clothes
for her husband how wakeful had he
been at nights; how dihgent in the morn
ings IL was no wonder that her husband
felt this discovery of domestic treason
acutely. It was she who was hard and
selfish, and thinking more of the recovery
of the money than of the terrible disap-
pointment in character, if the charge
against Crawford were true.
At II o'clock her husband returned with
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