Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1894-04-06

slight as the sound. II it was a fact
that heard one, ii was fact that /
saw the other.
drew myself up gradually, and
leaning forward, l suddenly flung
back tho curtain with my left hand;
There was no resistance to my hand;
nothing TO be seen beyond but the
lamp burning steadily on the table.
tho saddle back chair, and the dim
outline OF the big chimney-piece.
got upon my knees, and pnshed
the curtain fat against the wall. TO
be sure that there could by no posi-
bility be anyone concealed in the
heavy folds--to assure myself that
my suspicious were utterly without
foundation.
This end of the room was compare
lively light, and the saddleback
chair was so placed as to preclude
the possibility CT anyone hiding be-
you'd it.
If the curtain had indeed moved, II
must have been by hand under the
bed. 1t was easier TO believe that
had been mistaken III seeing the light
movement than TO suppose l had
overlooked a concealed thief when l
looked under the bed to satisfy Van
Hoeck; so let the curtain fall, and
sat down again.
My thoughts still dwelt upon the
idea of assassination. Setting aside
the idea OF an intrigue in which Lola
was concerned, there was yet moth
ing preposterous in Van Hoeck's pre-
sentiment. There were eight or ten
servants in the house, and undoubt-
edly everyone CT them knew OF the
marvellous treasure in my keeping
They would tell their friends in the
adjacent village, the keepers, the
tradespeople-in few days the
story would be carried about and
made known to hundreds; and was
there mono among them whose cupid
ity might take practical formP
1t was quite possible that under
this very roof there was one with the
ingenuity and daring to plan and ex-
ecute the robbery. A servant intim-
ately acquainted with the arrange
ment OF the rooms and the peculiari-
ties of the building would probably
know of the external means OF COM
munlcation between the bay and the
oriel windows Without this knowl-
edge, no one, it seemed TO me, would
dare to attempt the passage at night
and in the dark; but with that
knowledge, and possibly some previ-
Gus practice, the feat was sufficiently
practicable In that case, Edith
might actually have seen what she
had since attributed to Imagination.
A cause 10 sometimes discovered
by examining the effect. Now what
effect had been produced by these at
tacks? 4 The first had frightened
Edith excessively; the second
for only to second fright
could attribute her scream OF ter
ror-zad brought her father and N.Y.
self from our rooms. Instantly some
thing like the truth flashed upon my
mind:
To bring me from my room was the
very object with which an attack
upon Edith had been made.
Unriddling the mystery with this
key, assumed that the thief had
watched me close the door
upon Van Hoeck and return
to my room; that, after allow
ing me sufficient time to get into
bed. but not to fall into sound sleep,
he had made the attack upon Edith,
opening her door beforehand to pro-
vide speedy means OF escape and
to allow her cry to be more dis
tinctly heard; that, having succeeded
in terrifying her, he had sped down
the stairs in the left block, passed
through the library and dining-room,
and assembled by the stairs in the
right block about the same time that
might be supposed to have reached
Edith's room, and that, reckoning
upon my keeping the Great Hesper
under my pillow, and leaving it there
In my alarm upon Edith's account
he had expected to have possessed
himself OF q treasure. II what ]
thus assumed was the fact, then in
deed this plan might have succeeded
but for Van Hoeck's prudent insist
ence upon my strapping the diamond
to my wrist.