, 1897-04-19
It was Mr.. vyse's custom to &c for a

"aih MISS tAIt ubN was WHY NIly ~
tween the hours Of IL and /. He usu-
ally went down the high. road straight
out of the town for a mile, returning
home over the fields and through a
small plantation. A few days after the
loss of the cashbox he took the accus-
toned path. Dot, his favorite dog, half
pointer, half retriever, accompanied
him. In the middle of the plantation
Dot suddenly shifted the air, then
bounded in among the brushwood and
pointed.
dot! Dotl" called his master.
Here, good dog, come back!" But Dot
had evidently found something and re-
fused to be shouted off.
Mr.. Vyse made his way to where the
dog was standing. Up sprang a fine
rabbit and dashed away. Dot in hot
pursuit. But Mr.. Vyse needed neither
rabbit nor dog. His gaze was riveted
on the place from which the rabbit had
jumped. Thus for a moment or two he
stood; then, with u peculiar smile on
his face, he wheeled round and walked
briskly home. Some three days later
Richard Starkie was summoned to his
chiefs presence. He went, trembling,
fearing he knew not what.
"Starkic," said MI. Vyse, lyon have
been in my employ longer than any
other of my clerks; therefore l think it
only right to make you my spokesman
to them. l wish you, then, to tell them
on my behalf that l attribute the disap-
pearance of my cashbox to none of
them; that l am quite convinced of
their innocence"
Richard Starkie paled slightly. Had
his scheme to ruin young Acland failed
miserably after all? It seemed so. But
he replied, with apparent %frankness, 81
am very pleased to hear that Robert
Acland has cleared himself, sir"
"He has done SO most completely"
rejoined Mr.. Vyse. Il have a very high
opinion of Acland, Starkie."
$50 have !, SIR" he returned glibly,
while he inwardly cursed the man Of
whom he spoke thus l%audingly. at has
caused me great pain to think that he
could possibly be a thief"
sis it possible that this man is inno-
cen after all?' wondered MI. Vyse.
eff not, his hypocrisy is simply astound-
ing. But l shall o know the truth"
And a grim smile passed over his face.
Just one thing MORE" continued
Mr.. Vyse, looking straight into his
clerks eyes, which met his own I'M
flinchingly. ''and this is for your ear
alone, Starkie. In the theft of my cash
box l have sustained a far greater loss
than any one but myself is aware of. II
is IA box of peculiar construction-in
fact, it had a false bottom, and i'll that
false bottom. Starkie, there were notes
to the value of goo. l had placed them
there only two days before 1 wa rob-
bed"
''Of course, you have the numbers,
sir?"
"Why. yes, 1 have the numbers,
Starkic, but M expert thief-and i'm
agine from the GOODNESS and audacity OF
the robbery that / have becn the victim
of one-finds no difficulty in changing
stolen paper. He knows where to take
it and obtain a good price"
When Richard Starkie went back to
his colleagues to give .them their en-
%ployer's message, his breast was torn by
two emotions-baffled spite and greed
of further gold.
II will destroy him yet" He thought
Of Bob Acland. "Hc's escaped me for
awhile, but it shall not be for long. Elsie
Venner shall never be his wife. l am n
good plotter, friend Bob, and though
you wriggle ont Of my clutches n hun
dred times, I will have you the hundred
and first.
"Poor old buffer" his mind revert
ing tothe man whose presence he had just
left-"you little guessed that i'll making
q confidant of me You were telling the
thief how to further enrich himself!
Well. 500 guilds will come i'll very
handy just now, and, l suppose, the
commission would not be more than
e2OO. Markby's getting very FESTIVE for
his money, and 1 could pay him and
still have a nice little balance in hand.
You're in luck's way, Dick. my boy.
Fortune favors you"
If to be standing in the dark on the
brink of II precipice without knowing it
is to be in luck's way, then Richard
Starkie was indeed in an enviable posi-
ton.
Bending down amid the bramble, and
brushwood which formed the under
growth of a small plantation, cropping
among the briers and grasses, Richard
Starkie was searching for the cashbox.
81 know l flung it somewhere here"
he muttered flercely. where can the
thing be? Ah," and his hand at last
aliphted on some metal, ''here you arei