Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-08-22
CHAPTER VIII

was enacted over again when returned to Marshminster. My aunts had great ly resented my sudden departure for Par is and announced that they this time intended to keep me with them for some weeks. had no objection to this arrangement, as I anticipated n long and laborious task in ferreting out evi- ilence against Felix. The first thing to be done was to learn all that had taken place in my absence, and the informa- ton was ably supplied by Aunt Jane, seconded by her sister. I inquired about Briarfield and his fiancee.
 'Bellin Hall is to be shut up next week, said Aunt Jane. ''The Bellins are going to town and with them Mir. Briarfivld.
 ''I wonder they staid here so long when the season was on in London" said Aunt Sophia, but it was all that foolish Mrs. Bellin. She chose to COR sider herself ill and so insisted upon re- maining here. Now she can't resist the attractions of town life any longer and goes next week.
 "She has to arrange about the we'd ding, Sophia. You know it takes place in July. I Iwonder if Mir Felix Bria-- field will be back in time to be best man."
 That can safely say is impossible," said dryly.
 But why?" exclaimed both the old ladies, scenting news.
 Well, he has gone to Italy and from there goes to the east, answered, un- willing to tell the truth. II don't see how he can return in time for the we'd ding if it takes place ill July.'' My female relatives looked signifi- cantly at one another.
 What did I tell you, Sophia?" said Aunt Jane, in a tone of subdued tri- umph.
 ''Yes, sister, you are right, sighed Sophia, shaking her head. Poor young man! thought myself he loved Olivia. 7"
 "Who loved Olivia?" I asked sharply. Felix Briarficld," said Aunt Jane. "When his brother went to America, | he was always with her and no doubt l loved her dearly. 1 can scarcely wonder | at that, as she is so beautiful girl. But he behaved very well, and when Francis came back went to the cunti- nent
 He was unable to bear the sight of his brothers happiness, said Aunt So- | phia scntimcntally. Poor young manl | have no doubt his heart is broken. He actually left Marshminster before his | brother arrived from America, so as to spare himself the painful sight of their | happiness. -
 l saw by this conversation that my surmise was correct Felix had fallen in | love with Olivia while his brother was in America, and sclfishly determined | not to give her up had devised the idea | of passing himself off as Francis With this in his mind he had gone to Paris and pretendcd to stay there. then reap | peared to Marshminstcr as Francis, al- | leging an earlier return from Chile as | an excuse When Francis really return ed. Felix asked him to be at the Fen inn so as to rid himself of his brother be- fore he could see Olivia
 Whether he intended to kill Francis or to merely explain matters l could not tell, but at all events Francis had been | murdered, and 1 firmly believed that Felix was morally guilty of the crime. The suppression of the letters, the sub stitution of himself as Francis and the dexterous manner in which he had rid himself of the corpse, according to Mcr- rick's theory, all showed me that 1 had a dangerous and reckless man to deal with. But after the clever way ill which
 he had baffled me in Paris by rcsuming
 his name was prepared for any viii
 lainy at his hands. He had committed
 himself so far that he could not draw
 back and was compelled to follow crime
 by crime in order to bolster up his po-
 sition.
 He was going to town with the evident
 intention of cvading mo. Doubtless he
 thought that, deceived by the episode
 at the Hotel dcs EtranCcrS, I had quite
 abandoned all idea of mcddling ill the
 affair. But for Mcrrick 1 should cer-
 tainly have done SO Now that Merricll
 saw the matter i'll the same light as
 did 1 was determined to go on. but
 resolved to give no hint of this tn Felix.
 When he left Marshminstcr, l could
 pursue my inquiries at leisure. Already
 I had been too rash in revealing my in
 tentions, for had I not mentioned my
 journey to Paris Felix would not have
 been put on his guard and baffled me SC
 adroitly.
 I had at least gained one important
 piece of information. which in itself , I was sufficient to break of the match The passenger list of the Copiapo proved
 concluSively that Francis had not reach ! | cd England before the 9th of June, an(
 this shown to Olivia would show that Fc lix was passing himself off as her lover
 With such proof I could stop the mar , riage immediately, but preferred to wal , until gained further evidence impli s eating him ill tho murder of hi
 brother. 1 believed Merrick's theory t, t be true and quite expected to find tha , Felix had ridden out to the Fen inn fo
 the purpose of hiding his brother $ bod, in one of the bog holes. 8 By the way" I asked Aunt Jane n t we parted for tho night, ''how doe @ Miss Bellin look? Like happy bride e eh?''
 l. "By no means, " replied my aunt sol l. emnly. ''She looks ill and miserable But that I know this marriage wit e Francis is love match should say sh n disliked the idea of becoming his wife. V "No doubt,'' thought I, mo dout h Olivia mistrusts Felix already" n I said good night to my elderly rela a tive and went off to bed. Instead ( I turning ill, lighted my pipe and leane . out of the window, thinking deeply a Could it be possible that Olivia had di, covered the imposture? If so, why di p she tamely submit to marry a ma n whom she must know was guilty of h Tt brother's and her lover's death? Mort n over, if she was assured of this, sf ,s must also have condemned the deceptio ,e at the Hotel des Etrangers. Her coi
 duct seemed strange, yet I could n' ID bring myself to believe that she kne " the truth If she did, she was as had , a Felix.
 "She must think that he is real