The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-26
lCoPYRIGHTED Is9;
CHAPTER XIV.
LADY CARsLAND's SCHEME.

with the CCmm4rtal OF some uSluOus CElAAle
and for a moment ne was staggered by her
manner, as much as by taeSentence she had
spoken. But he recovered himself quickly,
and in almost his natural voice asked;
"You found the " hite Gipsy-Miss Bar
bingham Il suppose, wearing this
broochf
certainly Have not told you so al
readyl You don't think l lied!"
''Not for moment. my dear" he an
swered, dropping his gaze from his wifes
questioning eyes. and examining the mas
sive, heart-shaped trinket she bad thrust
Into his hand "But after all see nothing
mysterious in the fact that you found the
girl wearing this
~ think it most mysterious" she replied
hotly, land mean to get at the bottom of
it before I've done. ask you again how
did it come into her possessionN
How should l know? l daresay Paul
may have bought it and given it TO her"
THAT is not the case, u she snapped out,
triumphantly. "She told me herself that
Paul did not present it to her,"
'Who did them" he queried, knowing
that be was only evading the real points at
issue between him and his wife, but un-
speakably glad to gain "a few moments
difficulty that faced him, and decide how
be was to meet it.
''Some old and dear friend, and l want to
know who that friend is
"What does il matter who the giver is!n
''It does matter because that is one of the
Jewels which would have belonged to me
had you not been - she was about to say
"a thief"-but she added, "had you been an
honest man."
I'VE will not discuss that point now, he
said, biting his lip with an anger he could
not afford TO put into words at that mo-
ment
''As you please: but you will have to dis
cuss it, for l intend to know what you did
with those jewels, and how that brooch
came into the possession Of that pit brow
girl"
"You may be mistaken after all, AIDE
Iaide," he remarked. willing TO overlook the
affront and menace her words contained.
"Mistakenl In which ways"
''This Jewel may not have been the one
my mother possessed. 1t resembles it, but
do not think it is the same one. As you
must know, articles of this kind-brooches
Of this very pattern-would be made In
scores, perhaps hundreds"
II am prepared to admit that, but if this
Is not the brooch / saw that day when your
father showed me the jewels which were to
form his wedding present to me, how does
it happen that your PARENTS initials are en-
graved upon the backP'
"Are you certainN
He asked the question with an excellently
feigned look of amazement. OF course, he
had already seen the initials to which she
referred, but had hoped they had escaped
his wife's notice.
''Quite certain, as you must be. For
heavens sake she exclaimed, ''let me have
no more Of this pretense. l am not silly
enough to be led from my purpose by any
of your tricks and make~be- believe lodges.
Tell me once and for all what you did with
the jewels"
81 did not take"
"You did, and you know that l know
you did. The safe was found open the next
morning and you had disappeared. Your
father knew who the thief was, just as /
and Frederic knew also. Had you been
any one save@@Your fathers son you would
have been hunted down and sent TO gaol.
II dare say you and my brother urged
my father 70 put the police on my track"
he cried bitterly. stuug at length into re-
torting by her virulence "And if | did
take them l had right to themln
mot at all. They were your fathers
property 20 do with as he liked, and but for
the advice OF his solicitor, Mr. Elliston,
you would have discovered that your re-
lationship 10 your father made you none
none the less a plunderer. But why not
admit like man that you took the Jewels
when you fedP'
''Well, did take them, and would lido
it again. Did you and Frederic think was
cur enough to stand every indignity VOC
could heap upon met It was not enough
that he should cut me out with respect to
yourself. but the insult and injury was to
be carried farther, inasmuch as his wife
was TO be given my mothers jewels. 1t
was carrying matters too far that, and
stopped the game"
g.
doing 50, she replied In a more amiable
way, 'for, after all. there was some reason
In your point of view"
"Then why rake the business up again
after all these years."
Because l want to know more You
have admitted that you took the things
now what did you do with themp
"Why trouble yourself about such
things You have jewels in abundance. ana
II you desire others you have only TO speak.
You know, Adelaide, that meanness is not
one Of my fsilings."
"Nonsenseh she calculated, angrily. 81
want nothing in that wvy. l only want to
know what you did with the things. There
is nothing unreasonable in my request, |
think, especially in face of the fact that
found the brooch upon tine person who calls
herself Miss Birmingham. You must tell
me what became Of the jewels l insist
upon knowing, and if you refuse to speak
snsl nave 10 unu out through other means,
that is ALL"
"Well, the truth is-if you will know
that did nothing with the cursed things !"
"Nothing!" she cried with amazed looks.
81 mean that l lost them-was robbed of
them-before they had been in my posses
sion many hours"
Robbed"
Eyes, robbed"
"But howl And who were the thieves
Win you kindly explain, Sir Sidney"
He was dumb for few moments and his
face was ofadark as q rain cloud. That his
unrighteous past was rising up before him
and threatening 90 envelop him in all sorts
of difficulties was evident, and he was en-
deavoring to see bis way out Of tine trouble
Presently he spoke in a petulant way
1t happened this way. When the thought
that you were to marry my brother and
have my mothers iewelry given you had
reused me to the point Of desperation,
crept into my fathers room while he slept
seized his keys, placed the jewels in a hand
bag and made my way across the country.
1t was in the night time, and when
reached Hough Wood l hid there thinking
1t was quite possible that I had been
watoned and followed.
~ had not been long in the wood when I
saw the forms Of numerous men stealing to
and fro. aud the sight Of them made me
jump to the conclusion that the Jewels had
been missed, that | had been tracked, and
tnat the men were there to arrest me. You
no. Oh 10 Hr.N Fz..V