Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1893-03-17
THE MISADVENTURES
OF JOHN NICHOLSON.
BY ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON.
CHAPTER VI-CoNrrNUEp.


He grasped his forehead, and star
ing on one spot OF gravel, pieced to-
gether what he knew and what he
suspected. Alan had murdered some
one: possibly "that man" against
whom the butler chained the door in
Regents Terrace; possibly another;
some one at least: human soul,
whom it was possible to STAY and
whose blood lay spilled upon the
floor. This was the reason of the
whiskey drinking in the passage, of
his unwillingness to welcome John, of
his strange behavior and bewildered
words; this was why he had started
at and harped upon the name of muir
der; this was why he had stood and
hearkened, or sat and covered his
eyes, in the black night. And now he
was gone, now he had basely fled; and
to all his perpleXities and dangers
john stood heir.
"Let me think-let me think" he
said aloud, impatiently, even plead
ingly, as if TO some merciless inter
rupter In the turmoil of his wits, a
thousand hints and hopes and threats
and terrors DINING continuously in
his ears, he was like one plunged in
the hubbub of a crowd. How was he
to remember-he, who had not a
thought to spare-that he himself
was the author, as well as the theater,
of so much confusion? But in hours
of trial the junto of mans nature is
dissolved, and anarchy succeeds.
1t was plain he must stay no longer
where he was, for here was a new
Judicial Error in the very making.
1t was not so plain where he must go,
for the old Judicial Error, vague as a
cloud, appeared to fill the habitable
world; whatever it might be, it
watched for him, full-grown, in Edin-
burg; it must have had its birth in
San Francisco; it stood guard, no
doubt, like a dragon, at the bank
where he should cash his credit; and
though there were doubtless many
other places, who should say in which
of them it was not ambushed? No,
he could not tell where he was to go;
he must not lose time on these insolu-
bilities. Let him go back to the be-
ginning. 1t was plain, too, that he
must not flee as he was, for he could
not carry his portmanteau and to fee
and leave it was to plunge deeper in
the mire. He must go, leave the
house unguarded, find a cab, and re-
turn-return after an absence? Had
he courage for thatP
And just then he spied stain about
bands breadth on his trouser-leg,
and reached his finger down to touch
it. The finger was stained red; it
was blood; he stared upon it with
disgust, and awe, and terror, and in
the sharpness of the new sensation
fell instantly to act.
He cleansed his finger in the snow,
returned into the house, drew near
with hushed footsteps to the dining
room door, and shut and locked it.
Then he breathed q little freer, for
here at least was an oaken barrier
between himself and what he feared
Next, he FASTENED to his room, tore
off the spotted trousers which seemed
in his eyes link to bind him to the
gallows, flung them in corner, donned
another pair, breathlessly crammed
his night things into his portmanteau;
locked it, swung it with an effort
from the ground and with rush of
relief, came forth again under the
open heavens.
The portmanteau, being of occi-
dental build, was no weight;
it had distressed the powerful Alan;
and as for John, he was crushed I'M
der its bulk, and the sweat broke upon
him thickly. Twice he must set it
down to rest before he reached the
gate; and when he had come so far.
he must do as Alan did, and take his
seat upon one corner. Here, then,
he sat awhile and painted; but now his
thoughts were sensibly lightened
now, with the trunk standing just in.
side the door, some part OF his disso'
citation from the house of crime ha6
been effected, and the cabman neeG
not pass the garden wall. It wa:
wonderful how that relieved him; fol
the house, in his eyes, was a place Il
strike the most cursory beholder with
suspicion, as though the very windows
had cried murder.
But there was to be no remission o
the strokes OF fate. AS he thus sat
taking breath in the shadow of the
wall and hoped about by sparrows
it CHANGED that his eye roved TO the
fastening Of the door; and what HI
saw plucked him to his feet. The
thing locked with spring; once tn,
door was closed, the bolt shot OF 1t
self; and without key, there was N,
means Of entering from without.
He saw himself obliged to one o
two distasteful and perilous alterna
tives; either to shut the door alto
gether and set his portmanteau on
upon the wayside, wonder TO all be
holders; or to leave the door ajar, s.
that any thievish tramp or holida.
school-boy might stray in and STUMBLE
on the grisly secret. To the last. a