Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-01-14
CHAPTER XIV.

Raymond returned to Meridon farm. His mother did not need to question him; she had noticed the traces of sorrow and trouble on his mobile face on his departure; she saw joy and hope when he returned.
 Something pleasant has happened, my pns"
 He smiled, but only said:
 q can tell you nothing, mother-yet"-
 "Wells"
 .oy."
 And her refusal?"
 "Was not on her own account. There was .n obstacle between us"
 "How -many mysteriesl and the obstacle has ceased to exista"
 "No."
 "And your marriagea"
 "Soon, I hope. It depends on certain things, which am not at liberty to toll, but I hope soon.'
 "Pray God you have your wish, my dear boy. ask no more to render my own hap piness complete" said this mother, who was so blind. Afterwards they both remembered this wish. Her face cleared and she grew quite cheerful in the knowledge that her favorite to be happy. Not one com miserating thought did she bestow upon her elder son, whose heart lay like lead in his bosom, and who had no idea that Raymond vas his successful rival
 From the day he saw Suzanne last Ray s1ond had but one desire and one preoccupa- Eon, and that was to discover the mystery in he affair concerning her father.
 At Paris at police headquarters, he found 10 difficulty in getting all the facts he de- sired. The Laroque affair was not forgot ten, and with the exception of Henriette and Lucien all those who had been especially in- kol ,As1l ,l;,x l,o he could easily find them.
 The days passed in minute reconstruction and copy of all the testimony, and, though he could not see his way clear to prove it, he saw clearly how justice had followed up Roger Laroque upon Q preconceived theory of his guilt given by M. Lecroix, and thus they had never made any movement toward the discovery of the real criminal. He studied the testimony of Suzanne and her mother, of Roger and Victoria, and noticed that not one of them varied. Ho did not wonder that an innocent man was tried and condemned on such evidence; indeed, he wondered mere how he was not sentenced to death. One mystery appeared in all Rogers an- swers. Had Lucien penetrated ita Perhaps he had. Was it not possible that among the papers relating to this affair might be found some mention of ita At any rate he could look. In Q large closet at Meridon farm there was an immense quantity of paper, books and briefs, which had belonged to his father, and he was quite certain that he should find them undisturbed, with the accumulated dust of all these years upon them. 1 This would have been painful task, to l open and search all these traces of his bril- liant fathers ambitious talent, under other circumstances. Now it seemed a pious labor, and as he worked among them he thought with regret of that honorable, loyal life so l nobly spent and lost.
 Until evening he worked without finding anything; then he at last camo upon tho notes which boro upon tho assassination of Larouette. Little by little he found tho pa- pers which made up tho file. and finally he found the notes and most of the final speech which Lucien had given. He read it with a heart beating high with conflicting emotions, and with tears standing ill his eyes. The eloquent passages fairly spoke even now, with tho dust of ago upon them. At nearly every page Raymond found few words as mar ginal notes, such as: aWhat is this mystery of the moneya" "What internal part has this woman played in Rogers life, that he will l not contest" q sec wonan,s hand in this. ? and "Who is this woman?,
 My father was not deceiveo,n said Ray mond. "There was a woman, but who is she?n
 At last the desk in the closet was empty. and there remained but few papers. This desk had belonged to Julia, but in removal to tho farm it had been placed in here and all tue other papers wish Rnd urUn 1t. AS there