The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-24
for the first time understood the full horror
of the situation.
CHAPTER XIII.
MAN OR DEVIL.

stain at his heart; a few PAGES OH, the folds
of the cloak concealed the slight figure Of
the girl.
The two men seemed already caught in
the tolls Of that justice which one of them
at least so richly dererved.
But they were speedily reused from their
stupor.
The lad Leonard struggled to his feet,
and, understanding instinctively the mean
ing Of the increasing din at the door,
gasped out.
1.-THE policel-I killed him!-iet him come
and take mel" and reeled to the door as If to
open 1t.
Royal staggered heavily to the table, a
cold sweat breaking out on his face his
limbs shaking, and his teeth chattering In
an agony Of fear.
Verify an sbject specimen Of humanity
with his giant frame quivering, and his
handsome haggard face.
Far different was it with his partner.
The quick thought of all that be had to
loose, his child and her love, nerved the
Rats lion heart in the struggle for free
dom.
"Were not lost yet" he whispered, in his
low, cool tones.
you'll fight for itg" was Roy ais answer,
one trembling haod feeling for the pistol.
"Fightl MOI" said the Rat oontemptu.
ously, Pm not such a fool as thatW
| By this time the lad had reached the door.
|
lencs him somehow. Here, take thisl"
And he put a phiai like the first, but con-
tanning different liquid, into Royals shak-
! ing hand, while a sharp "Do as | say, or
leave you to your fate" reused him like a
| spur.
With feeble imitation of his compan-
ions sang froid, Royal poured the con-
tents of the phial upon his handkerchief,
and, advancing to the lad, as he vainly
strove to undo the door, brought it tightly
| over bis nose ana mouth.
A brief struggle, aud the slight form fell
back into his arms.
That done, be looked inquiringly at his
partner.
! Hide everything" was the command
The elder man had already lifted the bunch
backs body in his arms, and was bearing it
swiftly into the next room.
Knowing from experience that it was bet
ter TO obey than to question, Royal bent all
strength 70 the work.
He dragged the lad TO the inner room bed,
and arranged his limbs as il in a drunken
| sleep, fiinging the coverlet over him, and
taking away the handkerchief, now for
! that its work was done Leonard lay like q
| log under the influence of the narcotic.
1t was easy to lift the girl up, but where
to hide her was the difficulty. His partner
| had now closed the door of the inner room,
and Royal knew that she could not be put
there
In the outer room the only hiding place
| was the curtained recess OF the window.
| Urged by the continued knocking, he de-
pos ted her in IL, carefully drawing the cur
taius together.
There still remained on the table the scat
! tered cards aud money. Hastily collecting
| them, Royal placed the cards IN a secret
drawer, but the money, including the fatal
| pocket book, he took care to conceal about
his own person.
As he did so, hs saw that his guilty hands
were staining the brighs pieces with the
| dull red Of half-dried blood.
Again the murderer's heart failed him,
and he almost let fall the gold he adored,
| but the peremptory knocking grew louder
| and louder, and he steeled himself to hide
away the yellow coins that now seemed his
accomplices in crime.
1t was not moment too soon.
| The knocks at the door became blows and
amid the omiuous cracking Of yielding
bolts and panels. he heard his partners voice
| from the inner room.
| "Open the door"
care you made" asked Royal.
"Open the door, and leave the rest to
me-" was the peremptory answer.
1t did not seem to matter whether Royal
| opened the door at once or his eager visi-
tors forced it "A few moments lscer How
ever, he did as he was bid, aud opened it
| wide.
He made out in the darkness five figures,
| of whom three entered the house. One was,
Of course, Mr.. Andrew Ferret, very official
in his frock coat. Royal met his searching
| glance steadily in the dim light of the dark
ened room.
This is an unexpected pleasure" he said,
with ironical politeneSs. "Io what do Wa
owe visit from you at this time of uightW
1--WE seek Sir Lawrence Huutingford,
who entered this house an hour ago, and
has not since left it"
| There is no one OF that name here" re-
1T is no time for disputihg about names"
returned Mr.. Ferret, sternly. "News has
just reached us of the death Of his elder
brother and Of his uncle, Sir Charles. 1t
is the new baronet whom we seek. Where
| is hep
A pause, in which Royals heart heat a.
most to suffocation; then, In answer to the
question came single word:
"Herem
The voice which spoke was 80 like the
hunchback's hcarse whisper that it seemed
as if some echo still fingered in the room.
from which his body had so lately been
| borne
The door of the inner room opened, and
| upon the threshold sto5d a figure, which
halted the very blood in Royals veins.
All eyes were turned away from him. or
his superstitious terror must inevitably have
betrayed everything.
The figure was that of the hunchback.
There he stood, his bent body in its coarse
dress, his strapped-up face peerinR from out
the matted white hair which hung over it,
one hand resting Oh his crutch-stick, the
other holding alOft a candle, which threw
up in bold relief every detail of his distorted
frame. Even Mr. Ferret at the sight OF
that twisted body and the dis6gured feat
ures in the eerie light began, as the chill
dren say, to feel "goose-heshy." while his
men, used as they were 70 queer custom
ers,n owned after ward that they imagined
they had stumbled on less than half man
and more than half demon.
The hunchbaok himself was perfectly un-
concerned.
Leaning on bis stick be advanced and
placed the candle on the table, saying, as
distinctly as the strap at his mouth would
allow, You have not waited for the signal,
Mr.. Ferret" and he held up the whistle
which Royal had thrown down. But per-
haps it is just as we'll. Otherwise you
might have waited all night. l am utterly
wrong in my surmises. and, to tell the
truth. l am not sorry, for, when It comes to
the pinch, as told you before, flesh and
blood is flesh aud blood"
Mr.. Ferret, for once in his life, felt him
self cornered. II he had not made some
kind OF terms with the fellow he might
have used against him his guilt of the