Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1886-10-16
Five MILLION POUNDS.

"Oh, q great deal. lie progressed to Y
discovered some dreadful plot in which we
were all engaged for tho purpose Of i'm
posing upon my uncle. l laughed at him at
the time, for I knew Of course that there
was no plot Of any kind, and I little dreamed
of what was coming. But the man became
hateful botht to me and my uncle, especially
when we found that he had actually followed
us to England. Ihave never seen him, how.
ever, since that day at York"
@Tell, me, dearest, who we're the persons
whomhe charged with being in this plotr
sOh,sI believe I was the chief sinner Of all.
and accused me Of it. Then he hated Film.
ter,and said dreadful things about him, and
even about DR.. Branksome. But I never
knew what the plot was to which he re.
sHerred."
"Did DR.. Branksome know what the man
was saying about HIM"
"Of course he did. Why, I think that,
next to mo, he hatel DR.. Branksome the
most, and I remember his saying once that
he could have sent him to penal servitude II
he liked" =
S"In Dir. Branksome's presence"
: aaYes!n :
I was startled by what I had heard, for I
remembered how Branksome had disclaimed
any knowledge of the meaning of Gregson's
language TO me in the railway train when l
had reported it to him. Some strange fan
cies stole into my brain.
"Tel me, Daisy, what do you think of DR..
Branksome himself?"
She glanced up at mo, and that troubled,
doubtful look which 1 had noticed more than
once at Scarborough passed over her face.
ado notknow how l can nsw your ques-
tion," she said, after a pause. and speaking
very slowly, as though weighing all her
words. DR.. Branksome is a wonderful man.
Inever met any one like him. When I am
with him he can make me do everything he
wishes-or nearly everything. 1t is only
when l am away from him that I doubt and
fear him."
"Then you do doubt and fear him some
times."
"Yes, when he is not near me. When he
is, l hardly seem to have any will Of my
own. 1t is very strange. I cannot explain
it. Sometimes l think he is q very. very
good man; but there are times when I think
very differently of him."
"When did you see him last, Daisya" l
asked, feeling as though I were on the brink
Of some great discovery.
"The day before tho trial began. Did you
lOU hllOW! AAdS Lo llOV tOlu yOuS
she has told me nothing"
"That is strange, for he promised that he
would do SO. He brought me my will, which
it seemed that it was necessary I should sign
before I was tried"
"Your will l don't want to pry into
your private affairs, my darling, but T must
ask you If you left anything to DR.. Drank.
some?"
Anything! Why, I left everything to
him, of course-that is, everything but some
little things 1 want you" She stopped,
blushing rosy red.
"Do you mean you left all your uncle's for
tune to DIR. Branksomes"
ayes; you see he was the trustee appointed
by my uncle, and lie did not need to tell me
that he was the only person to whom I could
leave my uncle's money!"
In an. instant / saw, as when the blaze Of
summer lightning illumines the wide land
scape for miles at a stretch, the whole con-
spiracy, in the tolls of which my darling
had been caught. But that vivid flash Of
consciousness faded almost as quickly as it
came, and left me once more cropping in the
twilight-not, however, before I had taken
by bearings, US it were, afreA, and had seer
that our real position was altogether differ
ent from what, up to that moment, I had
imagined it to be.
Daisy" said, trying hard to subdue my
excitement, "are you aware that the power
Of attorney which you signed the other day
makes me for the present absolute master OF
all your propertys You have constitutes
me your other self. While you are in con.
f1nement here l can go where l will and dc
what l please i'll your name, ss your repre-
sentative. Are you willing that I should
make full use Of these powers1"
"Oh, yes" she cried; "who can use then
better?'
"Then, darling, I shall make my first use
of them by putting a veto upon you. ]
want you to promise that you will ON nc
account allow DR.. Branksome to SO, you
until We meet again. You xnow they will
allow no one to visit you now unless you de
'ire it. Will you promiscs"
II will promise anything you wish"
"Then l must tell you TIA. l shall 60 direct
from here to Great Lor- on, in order that ]
may search thu hall from tho roof to the
collars, if necessary, for proof of your limo
cencc. Tho first thing I have to find is tina
parcel of strychn;,. Can you help me7'
She shook her head doubtfully. II wis
I could; but l cannot recall what l dN
with it."
"By the way" i said, do you know thisf'
took from my pocket the rusted knife OF
dagger which I had found on my bed on the
night that l slept at the hall
She looked at it. and then the color dyed
her cheeks once more.
"Where did you find It'll" she asked.
"In my bedroom-the haunted chamber
"Ah, I remember!" she cried, II remember
now where I placed the poison! It is in the
oro ~, 49, 1aols-- ~ H. l-.~k-Y----. :
D you indeed remember, my darling
Are you sure"
"Quite, quite sure. Stay, let me tell you
after he had said good night to you, of what
had passed Letween us in the garden. he
cana 10 my room. I had not gone to bed,
for I was thinking of all that you had beer
saying to HE We had a dreadful scene, al
you know. Some one had poisoned his
mind. He told mo I should never see you
again, and I was in despair. Then Iremen.
bered that you were to sleep in tho haunted
rooln, and that there was a private stail
lending to it from the drawing room cor.
ridor. l resolved to send you q letter,
so that you might not leave the hall
thinking that I was unfaithful to you.
My maid and I had discovered the
Iassage shortly before, and knew that it led
up to your room, which was entered by
means Of u sliding panel wrote the note
and gave It to her to take to your chamber
when she was certain you were asleep. She
went with it; but returned almost i'm
mediately to say that she could not move
the panel. We looked about for something
by which to open it, and I saw this old knife
in its sheath. 1t was given to me as a curl
osity, years ago, by an old sailor. Taylor
my maid, took tho knife, and went back t
your. room. When she returned she toll
me that she had placed the note upon you
pillow. but that at the moment when aha dif