The Washington critic., 1885-12-19

ing darkness and silence to insure re-
pose. That Thursday night, after the
card playing, / went TO my room at
about eleven o clock The house was
very quiet; but there was full moon,
| and too much light came into my room.
] must give you these details so that
you may understand the accident by
which | became the unseen and uusus.
| pcctcd witness Of crime"
The speaker paused and looked
kcenly at his wrctched companion, but
saw no change in the utter despair Of
his attitude and expression.
After preparing for bed" con
tiuuCd Hanson, "as IL was so much too
light for me, ! closed my window shut
| tiers and drew down my shade, and
made it nearly totally dark. But then
and hereby hangs tale or rather
q rope with moose at the end of It,.
He paused, and glanced furtvely Mt
his victim, who covered as il he had
received a lash.
But then" resumed Hanson,
"hough my own room was dark,
was annoyed by line of light from
room No. 25. The light--which was
a bright beam of the moon piercing
through small knot hole about half
way up the wooden partition between
the two rooms-shonc across my room
and flashed in the face of the looking
| glass on my dressing table, and daz-
Zlcd my eyes every time turned to the
front of my bed. 1t was trife, but
1t kept me awake to become the witness
of u crime-providentially, perhaps.
What do yoW Think demanded the
narrator suddenly pausing to put the
| question.
HIarcourt never replied by word or
look, and his accuser continued his
story.
81 heard my neighbor come up into
his room, lock his door and move
about, preparing TO get into bed. |
hoped that he would close his windows.
He had two windows to that corner
room, one south window, opening on
the balcony in line with mine, and
one east window, opening on roof. l
knew that troublesome moonbeam came
through the open east window, the
moon being in the east. Pray, excuse
these details; they are really necessary
to the understanding of the case"
said Hanson, interrupting himself to
cast glance at his wrctched compan-
ion.
But Harcourt might have been dead
for any sign he gave.
81 heard Yclverton go to bed, and
without closing any of his windows.
After awhile heard him snoring, while
| still lay awake tormented by the
moonbeam as well as by the shores
Are you listening, or are you in n
tranceY' inquired the speaker, suddenly
stopping and turning TO the silent and
frightened clerk.
81 am listening" replied Harcourt,
in hollow voice that seemed to come
from subterranean depths rather than
from the motionless man in the chair.
VERY well, then, | will go on. /
lay awake, harassed by the snores and
moonbeam until heard some distant
clock strike two. A few minutes later
the sound of the snoring began to sub
side and finally ceased. Then thought
If ! could stop up that knot-hole
through which the moon shone might
90 to sleep. put out my hand and
picked up one Of my socks from the
floor and thought would poke the toe
of ii into that troublesome hole.
stood up on my bed until my face was
opposite the hole. | looked into the
moonlit room and saw-but yoU were
thercl You know what sawp'
"Oh, Lord in heaven Why was ]
ever born ?" walled Harcourt, startled
out of his stiffness and wringing his
hands above his head.
you were there. Oh, how stealthily
you must have entered Inever heard
you, but saw you in the brilliant
moonlit room. You did not see me
with my eye at the knot.hole, for neg
room was dark; but | saw you and saw
all that happened
you stood by his bedside. You
took his trowsers; you searched the
pockets and drew from them packet
and placed it in your bosom. At thai
moment Yelverton awoke, discovered
you, seized pistol from under his pill
low and leveled it at your head. You
sprang upon him and threw up his arm
before he could pull the trigger. There
was Il momentary struggle for the pos
session of the pistol, then an explosion
Yelverton fell back, shot dead
ooh, that ii had been myself" wNilet
the youth.
"1ndeed" sneered Hanson, &C
shouldn't have thought that to hav,
been your sentiment mt the time, for
think ! never saw an instance of thu
instinct of self preservation so instan
taneous in asserting itself, or 81
promptly obeyed. One moment yo,
gaZed upon your victim, then darteC
to the door, locked it on the inside
leaving the key in ii, snatched III
another key from the floor, hurried t.
the open window ON the roof ant
closed it fast, darted to the open win
and closed the shutters, which fastened
by spring on the inside, and coul'
not be opened from the outside. Thu
you made good your escape, leaving
the room locked and bolted from ,rithja
even while the reused house was hurry
ing along the hall towards the spo
from which the report of the pistol hat
been heard. They tried the door, and
finding it locked ON the inside, burst
open. They found the man dead i
his bed. They found the window
fastened on the inside. No one coul
have entered the room, they said. Vel
verton had shot himself, was their ven
dict. He had attempted suicide one
before, it was said. Every one wa
shocked, but no one was much SUI
priscd A man who led such life a
Nclyerton might have ended it by hi
own hand at any time these ten year
past Such was public opinion. Onl
one man knew the facts of the case
That man was myself, But | gave II
sign"
"Why did you aot?' breathcd Han
court, in a hollow tone.
because the secret was too valuubl
! TO be thrown away
but as you saw all that occurred
YOU must have seen that it rus IN az
cidcnt" pleaded llarcourt
"An Gccident?--was il accident tina
you stole to Nclyerton's room