The National tribune., 1882-04-01

| fare if he should wish to remain IN
| England, or to send him back to Pennburg
if he should desire it, my responsibility
being vouched for by Mr.. Burns; and indeed
Mrs. Hodgson herself recalled nay name,
and the circumstances of my marriage with
Miss Oakland just prior to her migration
to America. OF course my motive in bring
ing the lad to England was by no means a
disinterested one, nor had it primarily in
view his temporal advancement.
AS soon after my return to Boroughton as
the arrangement of my clients affairs and
my own would permit, set about to de-
velop, and if possible, TO demonstrate, q
| Henry Elden which had seized on me while
in Pennburg, and had gained in strength
| the more I revolved it in my mind. The
| first step was to secure the cooperation of
| some person Of intelligence who would be
sufficiently interested to devote time to the
matter, ard discreet. enough to keep his
own counsel. Among all my acquaintance
no one seemed better trustworthy than my
old friend Aaron Rawton. He had been
indefatigable in his efforts to discover the
cause of his cousins disappearance, and to
him I turned for assistance in following the
cIew which it seemed to me chance had
thrown in my way. To Elden Hall, there
fore, / went, and found him, as usual, in his
study-a spacious room with high vaulted
ceiling, Gothic windows, and huge old
y Al Err, cl, ,aH N
carved oak, wherein he had accumulated a
large and valuable library, which claimed
most Of bis time and thoughts. After brief
greetings, told him the object of my visit.
He seemed slightly annoyed at first, rs if l
had needlessly awakened sad memories, and
expressed himself as incredulous. "You
know, my dear fellow" said he $50 many
times we have thought we were on the right
scent, and it led to nothing. But let us
hear it, by all means"
Thus invited, proceeded to relate to him
all the circumstances developed upon the
Hildebrand examinations, and also what
had learned from Mrs Hodgson, and that
the lad was then at my house.
"But" he asked interrupting me, what,
pray, has Hildebran6 at Pennburg to do
with the disappearance of Harry at
Boroughton? You surely do not think
that he had hand in the affair.""
"By no means: but he may resemble the
man who had. In short, my suspicion points
toward Bauer"
Rawton's face blanched little at the men
ton Of that name, which had at first been
so much spoken of in connection with the
matter, as he said, "The simple fact of a
fancied resemblance between Bauer and
Hildebrand points to nothing"
"But," says I, let me proceed, and I will
follow the trail just as it evolved itself from
my own mind. First, why should this lad,
who had been brought up by his pious aunt,
and who, as further acquaintance with him
shows, is as truthful, honest, and good
hearted as any person I ever met, frame a
deliberate lie for the purpose of doing a
deadly injury to man who had been to
him kind master and benefactOr? No
motive whatever has been found. Besides,
the boy told the story only when under the
influence of a violent nervous attack-call
it queer turn or fit, or what you like
which when it had passed away, left him
nothing but a vague feeling that he might
or done something while in that ah-
condition, which he would not say, do,
to hear about when he recovered pos
of his faculties. He had never met
with any accident which could account for
these attacks, and was at other times of
perhaps average mental capacity. Was
this singular nervous organization trans
mitted to him from his parents? We both
know this was not probable, as his parents
were stolid, plodding people of strong
physical constitutions. Only two hypoth-
eses; then, remain: either we must suppose
that child born of strong healthy parents
had by ldpsus nature received such an
imperfect nervous organization, or he carries
with him the shadow of some terrific shock
inflicted upon his mother at the time of his
birth"
Rawton's hand clutched the arm of his
chair, and I saw that he had caught my
meaning.
Some such attack or shock the boys
mother did have, and of a nature which she
never disclosed, and, moreover, it did occur
Just before the birth of the child, which
was few days after Henry Elden disap-
peared. To be plain, then-and I say it in
profound confidence-I have the notion that
the terrible shock which the boys mother
received was the sight of some foul deed of
which Harry was the victim, and / never
shall be satisfied until / have examined
the garden in the rear of that inn to see if
some trace of the body may not yet be
found. AS I passed there to-day ON the
way hither, I observed that there is an old
moss-covered stone post which marks the
boundary between his land and yours, and
it lies due westerly from the door of the
tap-room."
Just trace of sneer came over Rawton's
face as he asked me if did not think it a lit
tie Quixotic to dig up neighbor's garden in
such q search, all because of the wandering
prattle of half-witted boy. Besides, his
fevered fancy points to two assassins, and
you suspect only Bauer"
"Bauer may have had an accomplice, and
most likely had one, as he would hardly
have dared to attack Harry single handed
but whether he had an accomplice or not, I
am resolved to put my mind at rest as