Litchfield enquirer., 1881-05-19
And when scoandrels like them take to


 And when scoundreis like them take to quarrelling; honest men may come by their own Besides, for an hour or two this morn ing Oliver was wandering bit in his mind, and managed to pick up something he had dropped, from the warders in attendance. I believe if we could only make him speak, we should get to the bottom of the plaut,s".7ao
 Naturally the news threw me into rap ture of delight, though second thoughts rath CT dashed me. ''Ay, if we can make speak i; but there's the difficulty. He is. not likelyto criminate himself, even for the pleasure of being revenged on Lurcher." <
 t'1 don't know. He's ina deuce of hob- ble without that other business and setting aside the grudge he may have. at Lurcher, he may think that making clean breast of. t will help him. There's another thing. Hear ing he was ill, Miss Molyneux went to visit him yesterday, and took him some oranges and things. Of course to day she had other fishato fry And when she fainted this eve hing on coming out of court, Divers wife happened to be near, and helped to bring her round. Bad lots as they. both may be. they would most likely rather do her a good turn thannot. But if you are to see the lady to night, you had not better breathe word of all this" ,s.,- 2''a@ agreed with him there; but when did see Miss -Molyneux, found it very hard to keep the promise had made. In the reac- tion from the days excitement, and with the shock of the verdict, she was hopelessly cast down and hopelessly discouraged It seemed heartIess mockery to hear her talk, and say nothing of what would certain ly have cheered her. Yet perhaps second disappointment might have been more than she could bear. 1 was about to take my leave; when the ser, want came to say that woman was below very anxio to speak to her. Like poor Abraham, for moment she was false to her nature, and answered impatiently that she could-see nobody.
 The maid fingered. ''She seems greatly troubled, Miss she bade me say she was the, wife of the man you visited in the prison yesterday. Her name is Oliver"
 Of course 1 was at once on the alert. Miss Molyneux, all unconscious, sighed heavily. 'Well, let the poor woman come up, Mary; am sureI ought to feel for other people," {
 recognised the shawl I had seen in the lane. Mrs. Oliver was ra, her good looking young woman she was wiping her eyes, and greatly agitated. She walked straight up to Miss Molyneux, either net remarking or not needing my presence. II am come to fetch you to my husband, Miss; he would speak with you immediately"
 "Is he worse? Is he in danger? It is past ten, you see, and the prison must be locked up."
 T know tbey will let you in at any hour. Come along,-come, and don't lose mo. ment If he has time to think of it, he may change his mind. It's for your own sake am pressing you, not for ours and If you miss the chance, you will never forgive your self"
 Miss Molyneux started, trembled and looked at me, and saw something in my face that increased her agitation. She left the room, to come back in moment or two cloaked, bonneted, and tolerably composed Mrs. Oliver made no object ion to my accom- panying them, and Mir. Molyneux had come downstairs to escort his daughter.
 Mrs. Oliver was evidently anxious-anx- ious, as fancied, as to the mood in which we might find her worthy husband. And it was just as plain that she was quickly reas- sured. He was supported on his bed by the pillows, ready and eager to speak. He had the air of a man longing to take 8 leap he had been craning at, and know himself landed on the other side.
 need not go into his disclosures in detail, since they must have been pretty we'll antici- pated by the readers sagacity. It appeared that "Olver" and Lurcher, like Marmion and Lady Heron, had been ''friends of old" The invalid had had several GItdses in his lifetime, but his real name was ODriscoll.
 
 comic actor who had been concerned in Lurch- CTS original escapades When 1 heard that, began to see my way clearly, and something more than glimnering as to the mistaken identity which imposed so unfortunately on the respectable bank.cashier, Lurcher and ODriscoll had always kept up relations. al- though, at the time when Quiekett began to make his inquiries they had quarreled over a distribution of their plunder, and had cut each other. Lurcher had been hard up, and needed money to indulge in the dissipation that had become habitual to him. Moreover, in the overflow of gall from his malicious heart, he longed to he revenged on his bene factor for the moral training" he had been subjected to. He had never forgotten the shipwreck on the Danube, or that terrible passage of the Strahlek which had put hin, in bodily terror. In his easy intimacy with O'Driscoll, he had been entirely unreserved as to hls feelings. The pair had laid their heads together, and, according to O'Driscolrs version of the story, the tempted had become the tempter in turn. Hehad dwelt upon MT. Cex's eccentrcti6s and his careless habits of business. He had taken an impression of the key that hung at his patrons watch chain and as he ransacked his repositories regularly he knew all about thelr contents. He had Kept himself posted up as to the balance that stood at the credit of the Prevalent Society," He could lay hands on the cheaue book t any moment. He could supply specimen of his masters signature, as well as that of Rev. Mir. Prior; while Mir. O'Driscoll was unapproachable at counterfeting handwriting and, thanks to long experience as an actor of all-work, was inimitabe at dressing up to ac, any part.
 At this point the invalid seemed to feel that his share in the rascality needed apology and when he insinuated that his guilt was light compared to that of Lurcher, so far 1 was willing to admit his plea. Lurcher had ab- stracted the suit of his masters clothes in which ODriscoll dressed himself to draw the cheque.
 ''When pulled them off again, with the false whiskers and beard, knew we were pretty safe so far as detection was concerned But when l heard that Mr. Cox was really brought in guilty, aud when Miss Molyneux came to me with oranges and tapioca, little thinking of all the trouble had brought on her,-looking up in her sorrowful face, could hold my peace nc longer. There, Miss-Ive made clean breast of it at last :; and for the rest don't care much what be- comes of me-"
 How that may be. do not know, though could fancy that O'Driscoll was clever ac, tor; nor did think it meet to ask him at the moment how far his grudge against Lurcher mlkut nave ulctaseQ ms candid confession.
 Neither did remind him that that very af. ternoon his wife had been pressing his accom- plice for funds to conduct his defence The confession was taken down, signed, and du- ly attested. By way of confirming it, ODris- coll had suggested that in all probability the abstracted suit of clothes had never been re. turned to their legitimate owner. According. ly, he volunteered the address of the pawnbfo. ker who had been in the habit ot accomnio dating his accomplice in his straits and may mention that, in the course of the follow ing morning, the garments in question were in the custody of the police.
 On the morrow there was hardly an attempt at suppressing the acclamations in court when the judge delivered most feeling ad dress to an audience of frank, fashion, and beauty" When he walked forth '.without a stain on his character" Abraham was abso. lutely mobbed by sympathsers who struggled