, 1891-10-17

="
He held out his hand as he spoke. Tom
rose and stuck his opn into IL. &
Thomas II. Bannick, Esq, no longer
occupied the small Office room on the
top floor of a down town
He now did business in a very handsome
suit Of rooms in a new building on
Wall street, and the cynical Office boy
had been multiplied into half a dozen
grave and gentlemanly clerks, Zach one
more imposing than the last. In the
inner sanctum, remote from the noise of
the street, Mr.. Bannick sat. He was
still the same good hearted, clever, hui
morous being that he was before fortune
found him out, for wen prosperity can
not spoil such men, but he made an
effort to keep this fact a secret from all
but his best friends, and there were peo-
pie who fancied he was rather a severe
and formidable parsonage. He had
plenty to do. Keeping Count de Isles
estate in order was no small undertake
ing, but the count could not have
chosen n better man, and Tom had now
got everything in good running order.
The count-for we will allow him still
to wear a disguise which has from the
first been transparent to the reader,
though not to persons less well informed
Count de Lisle, otherwise Keppel
Darke, called at Bannick's Office a day
or two after the events last narrated,
accompanied by Mr.. Alonzo Garcia,
whom we last saw in the role of a Hin
doc magician. They were at once con
Quoted to the Interior retreat, and orders
were issued that no callers be admitted.
1t may here be observed that BannicB
had been made a participant in the
counts secret for obvious reasons, and
Garcia also, for reasons perhaps not so
obvious. Further than these two and
Sallie Matchin the secret had not gone.
sis she all right" vas the counts first
question after the door was closed.
GAS well as ever she was in her life"
Tom replied.
Does she seem to have any recollec-
ton of the AFFAIR."
Not the least in the world! Upon my
word it's a wonderful thing-this hypno-
tizing businessl l don't understand it at
all, and ! don't believe any n else does
not Garcia, here, himself.
"You both understand" interrupted
the count, "that there is never to be n
repetition Of the experiment, and hence
forth it had best be a blank in our mem
cries, as it is in hers. 1t has answered
its purpose. Sallie Matchin is now con-
WINGED that it lies in my power to destroy
her whenever l see fit, and yet all legal
process has beer avoided"
"But.don't you mean to proceed against
Iarsr s-r,,,~.l nn,.1 GII..- 80.
the evidencey"
Some evidence and plenty of moral
certainty. Garcia could prove the for
gerry and the fraud as to the finding of the
will, for in order to get his assistance
she was obliged to make admissions
which, coupled with other known facts,
amount to proof. AS to the murder the
evidence is of course circumstantial.
No one saw her strike the blow, but we
know that she several times was dressed
in mans clothes, that she was present,
so disguised, in Trent's house that night,
and that the papers in her possession
could only have been taken on that
night from the safe in his library. The
net is strong enough no doubt. But it
is enough for my present purpose that
she knows she stand in deadly peril.
To bring her to trial and have her sem
fenced would be n relief to her. / wish
to punish her myself. She did what she
could to get an innocent man hanged in
her stead. l will keep the same rope
dangling yer her head till she is ready
TO draw the moose herself. There is no
law to punish adequately a criminal like
her."
II can understand her putting a knife
into Mr.. Trent" observed Garcia. HE
had given her the best of reasons t.
think that she ought to be his wife, and,
having finished him, the manufacture OF
the marriage certificate and of the will
followed as a matter of course. Those
are foibles, and become a beautiful WON.
an. 1t was her treatment of me tina
caused the iron to enter my soul, and NJ
torture is exquisite and lingering enough
to pay for it"
How do you make hat out?' demand
ed Tom, who could never quite satisf,
himself as to whether this personag,
were a tiend, n fool or a jester.
Being stabbed | shouldn't mind.
Garcia went on, "or robbed, or starve,
or any commonplace matter like tina
But she insulted my feelings, and that
can forgive. ! loved her-yes.
any n may know it now. knew TIL
she was aiming at Trent, but she pc
suaded me that it was his o 81
wanted, not him; and in that way 81
used me. 1 ran her errands and did Ia
dirty work, believing that it was me 81
really loved, and that Trent was the foe
and that as soon as she had carried h
point she would snap her fingers in h
face and be off with me. Yes, gent
men, h made me believe all that, al
without once committing herself, eithe
She is a clever woman"