Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1886-04-23
CHAPTER XII
STILL ONE CHANCE LEFT.

Murridge. Business was before HIN which
wanted his clever clerk, and she was gone.
Wonderful unheard of She confessed what
she had done, and she went away without a
word Of excuse, without any appeal to mercy;
just as il somebody else had done the thing.
Never was audacity more complete.
Il could forgive her" said Mr.. Murridge.
Il feel it in ms to forgive her" Perhaps the
thought of her cleverness, and the loss OF
her departure, assisted him to this Christian
frame of mind. 'sYes, l feel that | could
forgive her. l could stop the sixty pounds
out of her salary, and we could go on just
exactly the same as before, only / should
lock up the check book, if she'd only tell me
why she did it, and say she was sorry. And
the little devil goes of with a toss Of her
head and a glare in her eyes as if somebody
else had taken the checksl It's wonderful;
its wonderfulf'
Meantime how could he replace herr
"In make her come back to me" he said.
IF she won't accept my terms I'll prosecute
her, even without the checks. She must
have taken them out of Dicks drawer, too.
Women will do anything-anythingI But
that was cleyer. What will her father sayl l
don't care. ri prosecute the Honorable Norah
Cronan, daughter of Viscount Clonsilla, for
forgery That is"-he paused-'if | can
without the checks; and then she'll be glad
enough to accept my terms
While Mr. Murridge was thus breathing
fury and flames he received q call. A
young gentleman, whose appearance was I'M
known to him, knocked at the door and
walked in.
INV M mr. u A CuiIa - he eotI gtUos, ~vslI
understand why | have called when l tell
you that | am engaged to Miss Norah
Cronan."
"Ohl" Mr.. Murridge replied, with a snort;
you are, are youl And has that young
lady seeR you since yesterday mornings"
Yes; | have seen her"
HAS she made any kind of statement to
you2 Do you understand what has hap
panedl'
Il learn from her that some kind Of charge
has been brought against her"
She is accused-not by me, but by an
other-of theft and forgery. Sixty pounds
is the total. have been robbed in my own
office Of sixty pounds by five distinct for
geries. She made no bones of confessing the
thing to me. Laughed at it, SO to speak.
Laughed at It'll Told me to find out the
truth for myself"
"Confessing2 Norah confessingW
Certainly. And if, young gentleman,
you can explain how she came to confeBl
without the least shame, L should be glad to
hear that explanation. Come"
Let me understand. How could she con
fessl What did she sayF'
''She confessed that she cashed one of the
-N-a1-. I--ua1n - 49, II =
another. Is not that confession enough for
your
'Nothing would be enough for me, because
I'm as firmly convinced of her innocence as
Of my own. Much more firmly, in fact, be-
cause Norah could not do this thing. Con-
slider, Mr.. Murridge"-the young mans voice
trembled-"this is a very dreadful charge to
bring against any one, and most of all
against a girl. Yet you talk Of it as if it
was not only a possible charge. but already
proved"
every day in this city" said Mr.. Muir
ridge, 'thers are robberies of this kind.
They are all committed by perfectly innocent
persons previously unsupported. When they
are found out the first cry is that it is i'm
possible. Now, young gentleman, l am very
sorry, for the girls sake-I don't know an
other person in thu world for whom | would
say so much. The thing is impossibl is it
notl Yet it has happened"
rs that ALL Tell me exactly. Is it all
that Moran saidl'
''She said that she would answer no more
questions"
as that allF'
mot quite. What she said them cant
understand twas that / must find out the
truth for myself. What. do you make Of
that?'
Only that you have not got the truth yet.
Stay; let us send for her brother. Will
you let me put a question to him in your
presenceF'
by all means Send the office boy in a
cab"
Hugh hastily wrote a note. and dispatched
the boy in a hanson. From the city to
Cover street a tolerably swift cab takes
twenty minutes. They had, therefore, forty
minutes at least to wait.
"And now" said Mr.. Murridge, your
relations with his young lady are so init
mate, and you know SO much, it would be
just as well If you knsw all"
He opened his safe, and took from it a roll
Of paper.
This document, " he said, twas placed in
my hands by nc other than my own son.
Read it, remembering that the girl is his
old companion and friend from childhood
Hugh read it through, slowly and deliber-
ately. Then he read it a second time.
you accept this statement" he asked
''without question:
Surely. 1t is a perfectly plain statement
by my own son, who can have nothing what
sver to gain by disappearing the facts.
You observe that he suppressed as long as
he could the most important fact"
Hugh made no reply. But he read the
paper O third time. Then he looked care.
fully about the room.
''Come, Mr.. Murridge," he said, "let us ex-
anime this document with a little more care
Dick says that Norah shut the door; that the
door, as sometimes happen, was not quite
close, but stood ajar; that from the place
where he sat he could see through this
partly open door. Come into the other Of
Zee with me-"
He carefully adjusted tho door so that il
should be ajar at an angle of about eleven
and a half degrees, which is, SO to speak,
good large jar.
Now" he said, "if it was ajar, it Ger.
sainly could not have been wider than this
Here are two tables and two chairs; l suppose
he must have been sitting at one Of them
while he saw the door ajar."
This Is my sons chair
'sSit here, them Hugh went on. tel
ne what YOU can see In your " oflceP'