The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1892-04-14
THE GREAT HESPER.
TALE OF A BIG DIAMOND.
How an Immense Gem Was Lost.
Recovered. and Lost Again.
CHAPTER VYI--ooNTrNryEp.

CHAPTER ViI--ooNTINUED.
Good heavens" / exclaimed, los
ing my temper; "what notion have
you got hold of nowp Last night you
suspected Sir Edmund"
81 would suspect any one who has
the opportunity to possess himself of
| such q treasure us you hold. Do
you blame the man who protects
himself when his life is in danger?
That diamond Is life to me. What
could | do ii it were lost? You hold
that diamond-my life-in your keep
ing. You are bound to take every
precaution for it's safety. You have
no right to despise my warning be-
cause it does not agree with yourreck-
less trust in humanity"
"Take the diamond into your keep
ing, if you think it is not safe in
mine," | said.
"You make that offer because you
know | am powerless to accept it in
my blind and helpless condition. How
can l keep it against man like
Brace?"
"If you have more faith in
my power to keep the diamond
why do you accuse me of neglecting
it's safety?"
Because you are blind to the dan
ger that exists. God" he exclaimed,
! protruding his sightless eyes to the
! light, and clenching his hands in frenzy,
Ito think that those who can see will
not seer"
"What possible connection can
there be-" Iasked, &c between the safety
of our diamond and the event of last
night?"
"a palpable connection. The event
| of last night was an abortive attempt
| to obtain the diamond"
AS | heard this, and looked at Van
! Hoeck, | almost doubted if he were in
his right mind.
"The plot failed" he continued,
"because the girl mistook the room"
An incredulous explanation escap-
ed me.
"You shall hear me-" he muttered,
| stretching his arm to the right and
| left until he encountered mine with
his hand, and then clutching it tightly;
''you shall see--with my eyes, if not
with your own. You have urged that
the girl could know nothing of the dis
! position of the rooms; but she might
receive instructions from her father.
He went into the wood to give her in
structions yesterday. Look at your
| PLAN" He handed me the diagram |
had drawn at his request. "Brace,
having his room at the back of the
right block, would naturally tell her
that, when she got to the top of
the stairs, she was not to pass
through the picture gallery, but to go
straight to the landing over the stairs
she had assembled. open the window
in the bay. which would then be on
her left hand, and make her way to
! the oriel facing her. That, according
to his calculation, would bring her to
your window"
Certainly"
"But he did not take account of the
fact that the door by which the girl
enters the house is at the back of the
right block, and that the stairs by
which she would ascend to the first
floor bring her to the landing between
Sir Edmund's room and Miss La
scelles'. Thus, though carrying out
her fathers instructions to the letter,
she must inevitably make her attempt
upon Miss Lascelles' room, and not
upon yours. Look at your plan"
II follow you perfectly well" | said
Hstonished by the ingenuity of his ex-
PLANTATION, which had made a perfectly
incredible supposition possible, may,
Tor the moment probable.
1 hn hui
umphantly. =
"You have yet to explain how
Brace thought to obtain the diamond
by the means he employed. He
would scarcely expect that I should
faint with terror"
"Who said he would? Brace calcu-
lated upon dealing with heavy sleep
er, not a. nervous girl. The tapping
is described as soft and regular; it was
intended to test whether you were
asleep or not. The moment q
light appeared the sound ceased
the girl had gone back to the bay.
From the landing she could see when
the light was put out, and it was safe
to recommence the attack. The can
die was lit with some difficulty the
second time,-Miss Lascelles possibly
stood with her back to the window as
she held the vesta. Lola may have
detected the first glimmer, and, un-
certain or not whether it was safe to
continue, turned the blind and looked
through. At that moment the wick
burned up, sand Miss Lascelles, turn
ing saw the girls eyes between the
Iaths. The knock was not repeated,
for simple reason,-Lola had dis
covered her mistake, and retreated
Do you know now the purpose with
which Brace has gone to seek the girl
to-day2"
Twas forced to admit that this ex-
PLANTATION was feasible; yet / could
not believe that Lola, who seemed
sincerely attached to me, would con.
sent to aid in my ruin merely at the
instigation of her father, whose au-
thority she habitually disregarded. ]
4 said this to Van Hoeck.
at is because she is attached to
you-because she loves you, - he re-
piled, with emphasis, that she would
readily enter into her fathers project
i to rob you of the diamond. The
diamond is her enemy,-it has sepa,
rated you from her, and placed you
side by side with Miss LasSelles, tol
whom she has manifested a Jealous
hatred from the very first. What
could be more gratifying to her savage
disposition than to take away the dia
mond that has created this difference
between you and her, and to reduce
you once more to her level? 1t is the
only hope she can have of getting yor
away from Miss Lascelles, and restor
ing the former condition OF equality
upon which your companionship with
her rested"
Again was compelled to admit the
force of Van Hoeck's argument.
"But why" I asked, should Brac,
trust such perilous undertaking tt
his daughter?'
"For an obvious reason" he re
piled. "If you caught her in the &C
of robbing, you would not raise you