The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-10-21

Kavanagh and heard the result OF his in
quiry respecting the friend In Soho.
followed her when she went out shop
ping slept with my door open, and wax
ing at a fancied sound crept out in the
darkness to listen on the stairs. discov.
cred nothing tending in the slightest de
gree to confirm tho suspicion OF her com
plicity In the outrage; on the contrary, hei
continued detection, which the cheerful
remonstrance Of Taras failed to remove,
seemed to confirm the sincerity OF her sor'
row and humiliation.
Apparently Kavanagh found greater
difficulty than he had anticipated In his In.
vestigations, for week elapsed before !
saw him again. When he went up with
Taras into the workshop to see the new
group, which was already taking form.
followed with the hope of finding an OPP
portunity OF hearing the communication
which I thought he might have to make to
me.
II shall finish il now" said Taras conf
IDENTIFY ''by the time Gordon's kiln Is
ready to be fired"
''If nothing happens to you or it In the
meantime" said Kavanagh somberly.
1T isn't likely the rascals will try that
game on again. II they do, 80 much the
worse for them. They win have to settle
accounts with poor old Mere Lucas"
'And supposing, nevertheless" +" said Kav-
anagh, with glance at me as he turned &c
Taras, that this group shared the fate Of
the last, what them"
"What then' Why, would begin an-
other, with revolver by my side, and
never leave 1t till gave it to the world to
protect"
Kavanagh nodded gravely, but made no
other comment. For some minutes he
stood silently watching Taras as he built
up fold In the drapery with pellets OF
moist clay; then, recovering from his fit OF
abstraction, he looked at his watch and
pleaded an engagement. Taras laid aside
his clay, and despite his friends remon-
strances led the way down the steps to see
him TO the door.
In that moment Kavanagh. turning to
me, murmured:
~ have something to tell you when get
the chance But, for heavens sake, don't
lose sight of Mere LucasW Then he added
some commonplace in o louder tone and
ran down the steps.
At dinner time Taras said to me:
~ am going to smoke a pipe with Cor
don presently. Will you walk as far as the
Adelphi with mel"
Nothing would have pleased me more.
but with Kavanagh's warning still ringing
in my ears dared not accept the offer.
How long shall you stay with himf"
asked, thinking TINT il the time were not
too long Mere Lucas might be left
"A couple OF hours or 10. too long for you
to wait. And can't very well ask you to
go up into his rooms"
~ know that" l had almost ceased to
be exacting and no longer begrudged Taras
the liberty which a man always wishes to
feel. Thank you very much. but think
would rather stay at home tonight"
1t was o'clock when Taras started. At
9Mere Lucas came In to bid me lugubri-
GUS adieu, and then began to listen to the
footsteps In the street, though 1 had no rea-
son to expect Taras In for at least another
hour. At 10 o'clock went out as noise
lessly as could and looked up at Mere Luz
cas- window. There was no light in the
room, but as reached the door of the work.
shop the window sash was thrown open,
and her head in its white nightcap ap-
peared. She had heard me unbolt the back
door.
"Who IL theres" she cried in tone of
alarm.
told her it was I. who had come out to
see II the lock which had been put on the
workshop door was secure.
my poor little friend" said she, "do
you think I could lie down if had not
mad. sure Of thati Is ii that my good lit
tie master has not returned yeti"
told her that expected him in every
minute and with a mutual good night"
she closed the window. and entered the
house.
had left light in the kitchen. Look
ing round ! saw that everything was In
its place and the bright latchkey of the
front door, which Mere Lucas used when
she went out In the daytime, hanging over
tho dresser.
Surely said to myself, reassured by
these signs, "Kavahagh has been deceived.
There is no necessity to watch Mere Lucas
tonight"
returned to the front room to listen
again for Taras' footstep. At rare inter-
walls my ear caught an approaching sound,
and my heart rose with hopeful anticipa-
tion, to sink lower than ever when the step
became sufficiently audible for me to dis
tinguish that it was not my friends. As
the minutes dragged on my anxiety in.
creased. It occurred TO me that Kava-
nagh's hint referred to some personal at
tack which he had reason to believe would
be made upon Taras I'm the house that
night, an attack which Mere Lucas was TO
facilitate by admitting her accomplices
when he slept 1t might have been agreed
that In the event Of his going out the at
tack should be postponed, in view Of the
uncertainty with regard to the hour Of his
return. That would account for Mere
Lucas present inactive attitude
After waiting little while another sup
position suggested itself. What II the
scene of attack had simply been chifted
by Taras going outs had heard rumors
of persons being robbed on the embank-
ment and thrown into tho river Taras had
an infatuation for the embankment, which
might be known TO his watchful enemies.
They might waylay him at some point be-
tween Westminster bridge and Lambeth
and silence" him In that expeditions way
At that moment Big Ben chimed the
threequarters past 10. strained my ears
to catch some other sound, but none break
ing the intense silence I resolved to end my
intolerable suspense by going out to find
Toraa