Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-05-06
.erhere can be no mystery behind it." |

should be brought to trial and found gullty l after that should be content that he should die before the just sentence of the law was carried out. But at the prison my inexor- able wish melted into thin air; it was de- stroyed by a higher than human judge Samuel Fleetwood was dead!
 "He died quite peacefully, sir,' said the inspector, "with smile upon his lips. "He must have been in a queer state of mind af- ter what he did, to say almost with his last breath, T go to join my beloved wifep"
 Ibid he make no further confession?" asked, confounded by the news.
 "I believe he did, sir" replied tho inspec- tor; 'sthe clergyman will produce it at the in- quest, which must, of course. be held@on him. When he left the prison understood he was going to your house,
 eve did not meet him." said, looking helplessly around; i've came straight here."
 "It's no use worrying, sir" said the in spector. "With Fleetwood's confession and death there is an end of the affair."
 Nodding, retraced my steps. and on the lawn in front of my house was accosted by Mdlle. Rosalie.
 "A clergyman has been here to see you sir" she said, sand left this packet for you"
 I took it from her hands, and would have passed on, but there was something in her face which awoke within me in fullest force tho feelings of disapproval had long enter tained towards her.
 "Mdne. Rosalie" said, "I am about to exercise an authority which properly belongs to my wife,"
 "Indeed, sir" she said, raising her eyes to my face with sly meekness.
 <h.,l ooIv pI hrin nosn N no m the number of compromising circumstances in connection with her which had annoyed me in the past, I said:
 "It will be agreeable to mo, mademoiselle, if you will regard your services in my estab- lishment at an end."
 eDo you discharge me, sir3" she asked with placid smile.
 If it was her purpose to anger me, she succeeded. "I discharge you," said, with wrathful look.
 "Not suddenly and immediately, sir7"
 "Yes, suddenly and immediately" "But it is almost dark, sir, and to be thrust from your house so abruptly would ruin my reputation"
 "You shall leave my house tomorrow said. "After tomorrow you shall not sleep in it another night" ........ "DO you forget, SIT, CnaI aIu to Ue ouo oA your daughters bridesmaids2' "I forget nothing that has occurred. It is my opinion that you are not fit associate | for my wife or my daughter"
 ssIn point of character, sirr' 'sIn point of everything. sThat is a shocking thing to say to vir- tuous woman," she said, slowly and with marked emphasis. "But wonder who will be the first to leave this house-you or I?'
 She gided away, leaving me in 8 state of the bitterest resentment against her for her impudent words. But I would not waste | further time upon her. It was necessary that should ascertain without delay what the packet contained which the clergyman had left for me. I went to my study, lit the gas, and opened the packet.
 The first thing which attracted me was an unsealed letter from the clergyman, which proceeded to read:
 "My DEAR SIR II write this at the bedside | of Samuel Fleetwood, whose confession have taken down from his own lips. The original 1 of this confession, duly signed by Samuel Fleetwood and witnessed by me, retain, to deliver to the authorities. The document you will find herein is a faithful copy of the same, which made at the unhappy mans urgent | request, who exacted from me the promise that would deliver it to you as soon as he was dead. Desiring to comply faithfully and exactly with the request, l write these ex- | planatory lines. to provide for the contin- gency of your not being at homo when call. have time to do this, as Samuel Fleetwood is still lingering, and cannot leave him until all is over: l cannot say that am el'- and explicit as 1t must be to all who
 read it. My reason for dissatisfaction
 lies in the fact that, after the confession
 was drawn out, I asked the dying criminal to I tt,,t h, lt.~t,t tlxy
 fused, saying that surely the words of a dy- ing man would suffice. There must be strange contradictions in his nature As one
 who has sat at many death-beds I should
 so horrible, Samuel Fleetwood would have
 been afraid to meet his Maker. It is not so
 Unless have gathered a false impression from his utterances, he goes to his account
 fears of the judgment of the Eternal Lofd You will find also in the packet l leave fol you sealed letter from tho criminal whicl
 he must have already prepared before ht
 gave himself up to human justice, and sue l cessfullly concealed from those who searched
 him in prison. It is, he says for your eye alone, and have faithfully carried out hi
 most earnest, nay, his solemn desire, by en closing it herewith. Heaven have mere. | upon all sinners F'
 This letter led me to expect that shoul, find two enclosures in the packet. Ther l was, however. but one, the heading of whic was, "Copy of Samuel Fleetwood's Comics sion." The sealed letter was missing!
 Had the clergyman forgotten to put it i the packet, or had dropped it on the lawn No, not the latter, because the packet wa , firmly tied round with string, which had t cut before could open it, the knot bein
 fast. However, I went out and looked, bu
 did not find it. There was another possibl
 explanation: that Mdlle. Rosal1e had e1
 tracted it, with the idea that it containe
 some information which would be of valu
 to her. Should go to her and accuse he
 of the theft2 No, it would be useless; sh !, would deny it, and I should be no better of n I decided, after a little reflection, to read th c confession first, and then to hasten to tt {, clergyman's house, and ask him for tt missing document. I should have gor
 immediately had it not been that was to ', anxious to read Samuel Fleetwoods confe
 sion. It ran as follows:
 z ssI, Samuel Fleetwood, lately, and fe
 many years in the service of Richard Pal J don, Esq, being on the point of death, an