Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1895-04-20

cides that she must see Florence at once.
Rising, YEARLY, she is about to cross
the corridor TO her cousins room, when,
the door opening. she sees Florence,
with a pale face and agitated, coming
toward her.
~You. Florence!" she exclaims. Il
was just going To you, to tell you that
my hopes of this afternoon are all"
let me speak" interrupts Florence
breathlessly. II must, Or" She sinks
into a chair, her eyes close, and inyol-
unfairly she lays her hand upon her
heart as il to allay its tumultuous beat
ing.
Dora. really alarmed, rushing to her
dressing-case, seiZes upon a flask of
eau-tle-C Cologne, and filings some of its
contents freely over the fainting girl.
Florence, with "a sigh, rouses herself,
and sits upright.
There is no time to lose" she says
c~onfusedly. "Oh, Doral" Here she
breaks down and bursts into tears.
"Try to compose yourself" entreats
Dora, seeing the girl has some impor-
tant news to impart, but is so eryou
and u%nstrung as TO be almost incapable
of speaking with any Conference. But
presently Florence grows calmer. and
then, her voice becoming clear and full,
she is able TO unburden her heart.
"All this day | have been oppressed
by a curious re~stlessness," she says TO
Dora: and, when you left me this af-
ternoOn, your vague promises Of being
able to elucidate the terrible secret
| that il weighing us down made me even
more unsettled. / did not go down to
dinner"
Neither did l." puts in Mrs. Talbot
sympathetically.
Il wandered up and down my room
for at least two hours, thinking always,
and waiting for the moment when you
would return, according to promise,
and tell me the success OF your hidden
enterprise. You did not come, and at
half past nine, unable TO stay any lon
ger in my own % with only my own
thoughts for company, | opened my
door, arj, listening intently, found by
the deep silence that reigned through
out the house that almost every one
was gone, If not TO bed, at least TO
their own rooms"
LADY FitzAlmont and Gertrude
passed to their rooms about an hour
ago" says Dora. But some of the men.
/ think, are still i'll the smokiBg-rOom."
Il did not think of them. stole
from my room, and roamed idly
through the halls. Suddenly a great
| car not help thinking now a super
naturally strong-desire to go into the
servants corridor took possession of
me. Without allowing myself an in
slant hesitation, | turned in its direc-
ton, and walked on until | reached it."
She pauses here, and draws her
breath rapidly.
Go on" entreats Dora impatiently.
"The lamp was burning dimly. The
servants were all dOwn-stairs-at their
supper, / suppose-because there was
no trace of them anywhere. Not a
sound could be heard. The whole place
looked melancholy and deserted, and
filled me with a sense of awe | could
not overcome. Still it attracted me. |
fingered there, walking up and down
until its very monotony wearied me;
even then | was loath TO leave it, and,
turning into a small sitting-i Dom, |
stood staring idly around me. At last.
somewhere in the distance | heard a
clock strike ten, and, turning. i decid-
ed on going back once more to my
ROOM
Again, emotion overcoming her Flor
ence pauses, and leans back Ill her
chair.
We'll but what is there in all this to
terrify you so muchr' demands her
cousin, somewhat bewildered.
"Ah, give Inc time, Now | am COM
ing TO it," replies Florence quickly.
You know the large screen that
stands in the corridor just outside the
sltting-roOm | have mentioned-put
there, | imagine To break the draught:
Well, | had come out of the room and
was standing half-hidden by this
screen, when i saw something that
paralyZed me with fear"
She rises TO her feet and grows dead
ly pale as she says this, as though the
sensation of fear she has been describ
ing has come to her again.
You saw" prompts Dora, rising
too, and trembling violently, as though
in expectation of some fatal tidings.
Il saw the door of the room that
leads to the haunted chamber slowly
move. 1t opened; the door that has
been locked for nearly fifty years, and
that has filled the breasts of all the ser.
wants here with terror and dismay, was
cautiously thrown open. A scream
rose 10 my lips but | was either too ter
ritied to give utterance to it, or else
soIne strong determination too know
what would follow restrained me, and
l stood silent, like one turned into
stone. l had instinctively moved back
a step or two, and was now completely
hidden from sight, though l could see
all that was passing in the corridor
through a hole in the framework of
the screen. At last a figure came with
~hesitating footsteps from behind the
door into the full glare of the flicker
ing lamp. l could see him distinctly.
1t was"
Arthur Dynecourt." cries the widow.
| nnVQrinu har uhaSflC funA with har
hands.
Florence regards her with surprise.
1T was" she says at last. But how
did you guess itY"
Il knew it," cries Dora frantically.
He has murdered him, he has hidden
his body away in that forgotten cham
Der. He was gloating 0ver his victim,
no doubt, just before you saw him,
stealing down from a secret visit to
the scene of his crime"
Dora" exclaims Florence. grasping
her arm, IF he should not have murder
him after all, If he should only haze
secured him there, holding him prison.
er until he should see his way more
clearly to getting rid of him. Ii this
idea be the correct one, We may yet be
in time TO save, to rescue himl"
The agitation Of the past hours prov
ing now too much for her, Florence
bursts into tears and sobs wildly.
ALAS, l dare not believe in any such
hope." says Dora. Il know that man
too well to think him capable of show
ing any mercy"
@And yet that man. as you call him,
you would once have earnestly recon-
mended to mt as q husband.' returns
Florence, sternly.
do not reproach me now" exclaims
Dora; later on you shall say to me all
you wish, but now moments are pre-
cious."
you are right. Something must he
done. Shall I-shall l speak to Mr..
Villiers?"
Il hardly know what to advise"-dis-
tractedly. If we give our suspicion
publicity, Arthur Dynecourt may even
yet find time and opportunity to battle
and disappoint US. Besides which, we
may be wrong. He may have had moth
ing TO do with it, and"
AT that rate, If secrecy Is to be our
first thought, let you and me go alone
in search of Sir Adrian"
alone, and at this hour, to that ay-
full roOm!' exclaims Dora, recoiling
from her.
"Yes. at once"-frmly-@without an
oSln- -O-~o.x, I.