Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-09-10

$50 the man had his chance, and got
clean Off He must have left the ncghhor-
hood by an early train, and got back to
London. ! dare say | shall be able to hear
something about him at the station By
ne way, Lady Darncl, do you remember
il there was any conversation about those
notes between yOu and Sir Allan that eve
ning-anythng that could have been over
heard by II person standing outside the
balcony"
"Sir Allan spoke of the notes before lie
put them away
"Was the window open at the timet'
ayes, there was window open
"Thank you, Lady Darnel. Idon't think
] need trouble you any more BE Kind
enough to lock that cabinet, and keep the
key in your possession. 1t is II good lock,
! suppose
at is n Brahma lock, which Sir Allan
had put ou three years ago. said Dora
Lady Darncl sunk into her chair by the
hearth, the pretty parti-colorcd. basket
chair in which she had sat ON many an
evening chattcring with her husband when
the rest of the household had retired for
the rest of the night. She sat with her
hands idle in her lap. her eyes fixed and
fearless lost in painful thought. Yes, the
notes were gonc-and she knew too well
whose hands had taken them. She could
understand it all now, her sons persistent
demand for E3OO or GlOO pounds.
He had been standing out on the balcony
by the open window, when Sir Allan
talked about the notes: he had seen where
they were put He would have got them
from her if he could, induced her to rob her
husband for his benefit, it was toward
that point he was urging when Grace's
summons called her suddenly away, and
lie was left in the room with the money
within his reach. Then came the daboli-
cal temptation an easy step from diShon-
orable dealing to absolute theft. The man
who had never hesitated Mt cheating a
creditor became in moment the midnight
robber. Then the surprise, the pistols
lying there fatally ready for use, a shot
fired at random, perhaps, and hasty es-
cape by the open window.
While she was thus picturing the horror
of that night, Mr.. Penwern was out in the
balcony making further investigation.
A box Of mgnonette stood in his way as
he stepped from the window to the
balcony 1t must have been in the way of
the burglar in his flight. Mr.. Pcnwern
knelt down and examined the flowers and
the mold under them. Yes, the man had
trodden on the mignonette; there were
broken stems, bruised leaves, and the
deep print of a heel on one side of the box
"A SmalliSh heel, worn down on one side
"A fashionabiy made boot, but dooccd
old boot" said Mr.. Penwern to himself as
lie studied that point 10 The mold. a.
never knew COvey to sport anything as
shabby as that. Convey was always neat
about his understanding \ man who has
to get acros, country against time can t
afford to be sipshod or down at the heel. -
The footprint in the mignonette box
made the matter of the burglars escape a
certainty to the mind of Mr. Penwern.
/ He went downstairs with Colonel Stukely,
and made minute examination of the
Italian garden in front of the balcony. He
was able to trace footsteps in Il diagonal
line across the garden, deeply stamped
/ upon tlower-beds, and but family indicated
here and there on the gravel walks. The
man had worn odd boots, one boot
with broader heel than the other and a
hole in the middle of the sole, both boots
seemingly in the last stage Of dilapida-
ton.
"Egad" exclaimed the colonel, after
the detective had eXpatiated upon these
marks, The must have been shabby
devil"
AS he spoke sudden scare took hold OF
him. What if this man should have been
/ the French adNenturer, Gracc's disrepu-
table lover? The man had been seen lying
on the common, was clad like tramp
shod like a tramp. and those indications
on the flower-beds pointed to lust such a
man. Taking this fact in conjunction
with Camillac's disappearance, his silence
toward Grace, the colonel felt that there
far
her folly should have brought this ruin
upon her fathers house
And to pursue this investigation -Whic h
Penwcrn was conducting with ill-con
ceaed chCerfuncss, as of one certain OF
distinction and reWard-to pursue this in
vestigation to the end might be to intlict
inefable shame upon his gOddaughter
Were this Camillac the offender, any trial
any public examination, must need bring
that miserable episode of Grace's Partisan
education into the broad glare of news
paper publicity.
Mr.. penwcrn seemed troubled in hi,
mind after the discovery of these irregular
prints in the howcr-beds. He went back
to thcm-hc scrutiniZed them as closely n,
great chemist mi Lht have watched som,
curious experiment. He was evidently
dashed in spirits. He had made up hi!
mind that this little affair had been car
ricd through by the distinguished Covey
1t bore, as ne thought the very stamp o
Coveys workmanship; for Convey was un
scrupulous. ana would not have hestatet
at shooting down any one who came in hi
way. He did things neatly, but he did no
mind little blood now and then Iu
Mr. Pcnwcrn seemed to know Convey Il, j
he were his brother, and he could not lee
licve that any turn of fortunes whee
could bring Covey to wear such boots a
those dl,grgcetui objects that had lett TIA
print of thch dowL-trudGen heels Oh thu
lioWcr-bedS Of Darnei
IF could believe in a tramp clevc
enough to do such neat work, | should 81!
that this had been done 10y II tramp sai'
the detective, with conviction; "but heNc
knew a tramp yet that could rise above
kitchen-WindOW robbery"
Come back to the house and have som,
lunch" said the colonel, with the siui-tc
intent of giving the detective such liberia
| entertainment ms should at least take /