The National tribune., 1881-11-26


full half of the entries were quite unintellgible
to any but the writer. Letters did duty for
words, and numbers had apparently mysterious
and hurried meaning. Money was, from the first
page to the last, its great burden. If | had been
looking for evidences of the Captains secret
mOney-lending business instead of for the eluci-
dation of life and death mystery, my search
would have been amply rewarded; as it was
there was very little to interest me. Stay! What
followed the memorandum Of the visit to my
office? Only this:
&C on Il. H.-19S-1030, Goth. Imp. Qurr."
Only a line that seemed as inscrutable any
of the others. | my eye hastily down the
remainder of the Ieaf-there were a few, very
few more entreS-and closed the book, batlied
AS the inspector had said the room bore no
trace of any violence preliminary to the one great
crime. Neither had there been a struggle. An
alteration with Gerald Myrtlemore-a death
wound. In any unpreu udiced case l was bound
to confess to my own judgment that, like the pc
lceman should have linked the two facts to-
gether
Gerald was imprisoned in the inspectors own
part of the village JAIL and thither went to seek
him.
On the road I met Mr.. Markham, popularity
known as the Squire" All the old mans pom
posity was shaken out Of him, and he reined up
his steed, with a face as grave and bewildered as
my own.
a terrible affair! sad business, Mr.. Parke!"
he said.
very. Mysterious to degree"
II really would not have believed it of young
Myrtlemore."
Il DON'T" dryly, an with an accent of indig-
nation.
"No more does Bronze, nor I-nor thor
oughly. We shall have to get London detec-
tive down. I do not believe these police will un-
ravel it,"
Roberts thinks it's plain"
"Yes; that's just the reason. Possessed by
that insane idea, they will allow the real GRIM
inal to escape
"Ah. Have you seen Myrtlemore 2"
"No; am just going there: to a jail, indeed"
Even from so friendly an encounter as this, it
was plain that the tide of suspicion was running
heavily against my friend; among strangers it
would be ten times worse. Sick and sad at heart,
l held on my path.
Gerald was sitting bowed down at the little
deal table as 1 entered the room. He rose TO his
feet and looked me fully in the face-a look that
went through me like a knife, and yet had no
enmity in it. met his gaze as firmly, as sadly,
and as decisively. If my features had worn the
least shadow of the surrounding suspicion | be-
lieye the old bonds would have been broken be-
tween us forever 1t was otherwise; and in
silence he griped my hand with strong con-
vuIsive grip. Then he spoke.
q I thought you would come he said.
'YOu were sure Of it, Gerald"
"How does Milly take it?"
Il have not seen her, She was very sef-pos-
sessed, they said, for so young girl and under
great a shock"
And they suspect nay, charge-me with
numbering MiIIy's father. They are wise folk,
these police, and Markhams like the rest"
The irony was hard and grating; it told OF
chaos within.
Personally, | have no doubt whatever, Gerald,
OF Your innocence. and have told them so: but
there are circumstances-capable of speedy ex-
pIanation, OF course-wlich, on the face of it,
look black and, after ALL the duty of the police
is duty"
Exactly, exactly; should remember! But it
is an awful ordeal, my friend" and his voice
broke, as only the voice of rare, oyerpoweTing
emotion can break
Gerald shuddered before he could repress the
revolt
"Will you tell me what actually took place
last night. 50 far as YOU are concerncd?"
Just what you can guess, just what you knew
would. ! went up to Hollies Hall about ten, as
fixed by an answer to a note soliciting an inter
view. | made my proposals, asked for AIily, put
my case as we'll as | knew how, and received
No. given in Il passion and with insults. Poor
fellow | am sorry for the Captain now, and l
never wished him any harm, but he got my own
temper up, and our parting words were warm
ones. / came away by the road past the chalk |
pits, crossed the fields, came home and sat think
ing until two in the morning"
And that is all! Pardon me, Gerald; do you
know anything about pstol?"
"Yes and no. That is strong point against
me, and my explanation must naturally seem
weak. Roberts showed it to me-that pistol
and / cannot deny that bought it at Tilman's |
sale last spring, and / had possession Of it for
long; but month ago | lost it."
where"
q believe it was stolen, and I had a suspicion
that | knew by whom but it was only a suspic-
ion, and | never accused the man.
"WhO was hep"
q very insignificant person, a marine store !
dealer I'd had a Guarrei with wears arO The !