The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-10-02

bedroom and had, struck hight i
formed resolution 10 act promptly as
soon as morning dawned. j drew back
the curtain from the window and looked
out into the night.
/ Ny chambers were a top "set, " fac.
ing the Thames, and the bed was so adj
| justod that when lying down upon il
my face was turned toward the south.
east, and there in the black horizon-for
| pot star was visible--with the dark
| river flowing below, the first reflection
| Of sunrise must, i knew, meet my eyes.
Never did man look ont into the night
more keenly; never did sailor. wrecked
ut sea, watch more anxiously than i
watched for morning. III / raised my
head from the pillow once and strained
my eyes until they ached, l must have
done 80 dozens Of times.
had thrown myself upon the bed in
my dressing gown, ready to carry out
my plan Of action. At last, as though
moved by breeze. / saw faint glim-
mer breaking beneath the blackness. At
the same time with that strange conf
dence which one places in the will at
its weakest moments, closed my eyes
and waited. and so l fell into sleep
against which / had struggled success
fully for hours, and which l cannot
even now look back upon without a
pang, for much of the trouble which
soon followed might have been averted,
/ have little doubt, if had kept wake
ful and watched
soon Began TO dream that some one
was knocking at the door--a knocking
which seemed 10 continue for hours
when suddenly opened my eyes and
found myself in broad daylight
AS the knocking still went ON sprang
up and exclaimed, who's there?"
"Only me, sir'
1t was the voice of my laundress
Mrs. Billings.
"Why, what's the timer"
"Struck 8, sir, if you'll believe me. F"
opened the door and glanced quick
ly toward the sofa.
Scroggie had vanished!
"Where is Mr.. Scroggie?" said i.
"Gone, sir, hours ago. said Mrs
! Billings "Says he, sir, Don't disturb
Mr.. Field. Them was his words. Says
he, sir, Mr.. Field amt well, and, says
| he''-
"What time did he go?'
"Mr. Scroggie?" said my laundress
meditatively. "When comes into the
rooms, sir, he jumps up and goes out,
if you IL believe me. -
When had given Mrs. Billings any
reason to suppose that l doubted her
word / could never discover, but she
! seldom answered any question / put
without taking the precaution to add "if
| you'll believe me, - as if her principal
ambition was to establish confidence in
| her statements.
''Do you know if Mr.. Bowser is in?"
| Mrs. Billings gave me smile through
the black patches on her red face and
said:
"Lor, sir, Mr.. Bowser went out early
too"
"But he may have returned"
Again my laundress smiled and this
| time as if there was some fear that /
was losing confidence. She placed her
head on one side and looked at me
thoughtfully out of her fishy eyes, while
/ took a glance at her bonnet, which
never failed TO interest me. It was
crushed and neglected, as usual, and
| looked as if it had been long forgotten
| in the midst of domestic affairs of more
| immediate importance.
''No, sir; he amt returned" said
Mrs. Billings. Twas in his rooms not
five minutes age, if you'll believe me- "
II 20.
| take tea with Miss Pilkington and Alice
Darrell, and il occurred to me as not i'm
! probable that Frank Bowser had already
gone TO Guilford street, where they
| lived. 1t was nearly 4 O'Clock, SO l
fastened TO make my toilet.
AS drove TO Miss Pilkington's, medi-
tating over Bowser's scheme TO awaken
guilty conscience with the clink of
gold, thought which had hitherto only
taken shadowy form III my mind now
took shape. 1 became convinced that
Bowser suspected Scroggie, and Scrog-
gle was the man he was hunting down.
When his suspicious had been first
evoked, it was impossible for me to de-
| termine. The men had met frequently
! for year or more at my chambers, and
| yet it was only within the last few
weeks that Bowser had invented the
plan of clinking his gold. He had never
told me that the scheme had been sug-
gested by Scroggie's remarks or man
per, and yet this now seemed to be the
only possible explanation. But what
seemed most certain was that he had
been Intentionally concealing these sus-
| picions from me.
The necessity for seeing Bowser con-
corning this strange affair appeared ev-
cry moment more urgent. Yet as the
cab drew mp at Miss Pilkington's door
1 folt unnerved and disinclined to meet
him. His conduct required some ex-
planation. He had not thought, be-
haved 10 me like a friend.
Miss Pilkington's house in Guilford
street had an old fashioned appearance
of comfort which was exceedingly in