Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-15

domination, rarer still who is utterly I'M
moved by impulses arising from instinct.
Mr.. Ph:lbrick tried the front door of
Prof. Drummonds house and found it lock-
ed. He stood, arms akinbo, looking at it
a moment, and then went leisurely to the
French windows that faced the piazza. He
did not try to raise any of them, for he
could see that they were fastened. Pres
emily he descended the steps and disap-
peared beneath the piazza in the direction
of the basement door.
DR.. Williams mind was In a tumult, He
lay there in the grass on the top of the
knoll trying to make up his mind what he
ought to do. The thing that had formed
itself in his thoughts as a vague possibility
had happened Mr.. Philbrick had taken ad-
vantage of the expected absence of all oc-
cupants from Fairview to so into the house.
or, at least, to try 10 get in. That he was
led to this course could be for no other
reason than that he was determined to
urravel the mystery of the recent tragedy.
1t mattered nothing that there was no ap-
parent reason fo- his making an inyes IL
CATION. He had denied that he was per-
sonally acquainted with Starkweather, but
that may have been a lie. The fact was
beyond doubt that he hoped by a search
within the house to find clue to the cause
of death, some clue, that meant, to the
guilt of Prof Drummond.
The doctor tried to marshal his thoughts,
In logical array. He recalled his promise
to Amelia, promise made in all sincerity
and with a consciousness that 1t might
lead him to the certainty that Prof. Drum
moEd vas a murderer. He said to himself
that that promise was made as much on
his own account as on account of the young
woman who asked for it. He declared to
himself that he was bound in honor not
only to her, but to his own self-respect to
Keep that promise, no matter what might
be the end of his investigation. And he
would Keep that promise-but that did
not mean that he was to permit another
and stranger to delve into the same ter
rible secret 1t was one thing to assure
himself If the facts so warranted that
the professor had been guilty of the great
est crime recognized by mans laws, and
al 0ther thing to proclaim it.
with this reflection came the all-com-
polling influence of his love for Louise and
he recalled how he had had more insight
INTO the mystery than any other man in
Belmont; how for the sake of his love he
had endeavored to disarm his first suspc-
ions ana to suppress what might seem like
evidence of guilt to the unth!nking He
had reasoned that Starkweather might
have been the victim of accident, and that
the professor, fearful of the consequences
al the exact truth were known. had invent
ed lame tale to account for the Young
mans death. Better, the doctor had thought
that this distorted invention of an excited
moment should pass current if the COM
muhlty would accept 1t, than that general
suspicion should be provoked to action and
to an investigation in which the discovery
of the facts would be the more damaging
TO the professor by reason of his prevarica-
ton. In any event. Louise must be saved
from knowledge of her fathers guilt, if
guilt it should prove to be-
mat could not be accomplished If this
stranger were permitted to make an inves-
tisation with Il hostile mind, with preju-
dlces against the suspected man. with the
power to distort every appearance into a
certainty of guilt. If the truth must be
found, and 1t must be, 1t should be found
by himself, the doctor, and known only to
himself-perhaps
So. In spite of the possibility that Mr..
Philbrck might be able to accomplish as
much as himself. and thus unwittingly full
NIL Amelia's desire for the truth, he doc