The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-12-01
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CHAPTER L.

'
al idea that some unusual sound had
roused her. She sat up in bed to listen.
Then she heard voice, It was old Mr..
Benton in hfs room adjoining hers. He
was speaking in q loud, angry tone.
Miss Hastings rose, thrust her feet
into slippers and put OH wrapper.
She was vaguely frightened and yet
hardly knew why she should be 20. She
turned up the gas, which had been
burning low. and approached the parti-
ton between her room and the old
mans. Now she could hear more dis
tinotly. Mr.. Benton seemed to be an
grily upbraiding some one. Miss Has
tings opened the door leading into the
corridor, and the voice of the old man
became more distinct.
"You are no child Of mine from this
day forthr' she heard him cry. II shall
disown you tomorrow Get out Of my
sightl To think that you
The door of Mr.. Benton's room was
suddenly slammed, and Miss Hastings
shrank from the crack through which
she had been peerinR. Then she heard
footsteps pass her door and descend the
front stairs
Miss Hastings sat down at her table,
took up a book and tried to read, but
found herself turning page after page
without recalling word she had read.
She could hear the heavy tread Of the
old man as he walked to and fro III his
room. What had happened2 What was
about to happen? What had been going
on all that week between her friend
Alice Benton and her father The old
man had treated Arthur Montcastle, o
guest like herself, very rudely and had
since been taking his meals in his own
room to avoid meeting him. Besides
this he had quarreled constantly with
Alice and his SOL Ralph about trif1es
ever since Miss Hastings arrived, week
before. 1t had made her feel very unoom-
Portable, and she would have gone home
but for her sympathy for Alice and the
fact that Ralph had asked her to remain
longer
Ola Benton walk had ended. Miss
Hastings hoped he bad gone to bed, but
just as she was about to undress herself
she heard his step and the rattling Of
his doorknob He was leaving his
room. Miss Hastings again peered eau
tiously into the corridor She saw the
old man, dressed as he had been all
day, go into the laboratory which adj
Joined his room on the other side. Look
ing ont on the lawn below. she saw a
bright light streaming from the win
dow Of the laboratory and knew that
he had lighted the powerful electric
lamp which hung in the center Of the
room Now and then she saw his gigan-
tic shadow on the lawn az be moved
about. What could be be doing there ut
such lato hourp She looked at her
watch. 1t had run down and stopped at
II. but she thought 1t was at least two
hours later than that. Suddenly the
light left the lawn. Then she heard Mr..
Benton close the door Of the laboratory
and descend the back stairs leading to
the garden.
Miss Hastings decided to 60 to bed.
She was angry with herself for being
90 uifeasonably nervous. She had un-
buttoned her wrapper When
"Crackl'
It was loud, clear report like that
Of revolver.
Miss Hastings blood ran cold. She
conquered al impulse to scream, DELHI
Grated moment as she stood quivering
in the center Of the room, then jerked
the old fashioned bell pull. One min
ute, two, three, ten minutes passed.
No one came to answer her ring, and
there was nothing to indicate that the
report had reused any one else in the
house.
Miss Hastings did not want to run
the risk of making herself appear ridicu-
lous in the eyes Of the rest Of the house
party, so she began to try to persuade
herself that the report was made by
some explosive with which old Benton
was experimenting What could be
more natural, since he was given to
such things and had just left his lab
,oratory? She sat down and tried to
calm herself by using her will power.
Half an hour passed. 1t expanded
slowly into an hour, and yet Mr. Ben
ton had not returned to his room. Miss
Hastings fears were now increased ten
fold. She was sure she had done wrong
in not rousing the house at first She
drew the silken bellcord to the floor
several times Then, getting no re-
Spouse, she decided to wake some one.
Mr.. Stanwood, q guest Of the house,
roomed across the corridor She went
to his door and raped.
She knew he was sleeping soundly,
for it was several minutes before she
heard him rise. He opened the door
slightly.
who is it?'' be asked.
"1t's !, Mr.. Stanwood-Miss Has
tings," she explained alphabetically.
IL heard loud report in the garden
about an hour ago. 1t sounded like a
revolver, and as Mr.. Benton-Mr. Jacob
Benton-went out about that time and
has not returned was afraid something
might have happened to him, some
burglar orr
"Oh, I presume noti' said the young
man lightly. 1T may have been some
one shooting at cats. They have been
very noisy in the neighborhood lately"
IL don't think 1t was that. said
the young lady, land really am 80
nervous that I should be very grateful
II you would get up and see about it. I
have rung several times, but the serv-
ants seem not to have heard"
"Oh, certainlyr' exclaimed Stan
wood. "I'll be ready in minute.
She was waiting for him, her head
enveloped in shawl, when be emerged.
II believe I'll go down stairs with
you," she said. 1.-THE others must be
up, for think hoard voices outside I
don't like to be left alone up here"
"You are nervous" replied Stan
wood. "Oome On, then; we'll soon clear
1t up"
She followed him down the carpeted
stairs into the large, dark hall below.
He turned on the electric light. No one
was in the library or the adjoining
drawing room, but low vsices were
haard outc{da PASSING throngh tho s{t.