The record-union., 1897-05-09

Mr.. Jevons, his face changed. 80, -
he said, drawing a long breath, ''in the
course of the day after tomorrow the
resorted bags will be made up and
sealed. My attempt must take place
either tonight or tomorrow; after that
it will be too late. Tonight, then, let
it be. in case the first attempt should
prove a failure"
That evening he and Mr.. Jevons
played cards as usual. at first as part
ners at a rubber OF whist, finishing up
with eucher after their opponents had
retired for the night. It was the mail
officers practice to indulge in a couple
of forums of grog by way of night
cap" and it had seemed to Dare a
custom worthy of imitation. Tonight,
when they We're in the middle of their
second glass, said Dare:
by the way, as 1 was rummaging
over my portmanteau this afternoon
came across a flask of liquor given
me by a friend before I left London
and the existence of which 1 had clean
forgotten till / saw it again. 1t was
recommended to me as something very
choice and rare, so much so, indeed
that the supply of it, which is limited
is nearly all bought up by wealthy con-
noisseurs, which accounts for its hardly
ever finding it's way into the market
I don't think that nip of it, by way of
w1nd-up, would do either you or me
any harm. What say you?"
After little protest on Mr.. Jevon's
part, which was easily overruled, Dare
went to his cabin, and two minutes
later came back with small wicker
covered flask. A steward having
brought couple of liquor glasses, he
proceeded to fill them out of the flask
and then passed one across the table
to his friend. So pleasant and pecu-
liar did Mr. Jevons find the flavor of
Dare's Eau de Plaisir, as the flask was
labeled, that he was persuaded into
taking a second "thimbleful" Then
the two shook hands, bade each other
goodnight, and made their way to their
respective berths
Mr.. Jevons had taken off his coat, and
was in the act of winding up his watch,
when a sudden giddiness came over
him. causing him to lurch forward
and nearly fall on his face. This was
succeeded by dull buzzing in his ears
and by the dancing of a multitude of
black notes before his eyes Never
had he felt in the least like it before.
He seated himself on the edge of his
bunk in the hope that the feeling would
pass off in the course of minute or
two. But presently he became con-
scious that an unconquerable drowsi-
ness was stealing over his faculties
his eyelids felt as though weighted with
lead; he tried to stand up, but his limbs
refused to do their office; the buzzing
in his ears became louder till it
seemed like the rushing of a great riv-
er; he was just able to reach forward
and extinguish the cabin light, and
then he sank on his bed and knew
nothing more.
AT IL o'clock all the saloon lights
were put out save one which was
turned halfway down and ept burn
ing through the night. At midnight
it was the rule that the lights in the
cabins and staterooms should be ex-
tinguished, after which hour the pas
senger portion of the big ship was Civ
en- over to solitude, the only visible
creature being the night steward, who
hours.
1t was half-an-hour after midnight
when the door of Eustace Dare's cab
in (Which, as there happened to be a
paucity of passengers. he was fortu-
nate enough to have to HIMSELF was
cautiously opened to the extent of an
inch or two, and then presently wide
enough to allow of his head being pro-
truded through the opening Having
satisfied himself that the steward was
engaged elsewhere he slipped out, shut
the door softly behind him, and made
his way with stealthy footsteps to the
cabin of Mr.. Jevons, which was not
more than a dozen yards from his own
A moment he stood listening with his
ear close to the panel, then he turned
the handle, stepped boldly in and
closed the door.
In the cabin it was pitch dark only
the portfolio was family defined as a
disc Of blacknesS a shade less than that
which framed it. Dare could now dis
tinguish the low, regular breathing of
the sleeping man. so the Eau de
Plaisir has not failed to do it's work, -
he whispered approvingly to himself
with him he now flung a cautious ray
around. In his berth lay Mr.. Jevons
only partly undressed, just as he had
sunk back when overcome by the mar
cotic; had the vessel blown up just
then it would scarcely have aroused
him. Dare now began to ransack the
officers clothes in his search for the
key to the mail room, but it was not
till, last of all, he thrust his hand un-
der the pillow, that he found it, The
blood seemed to tingle to his finger
ends as he grasped it.
His next proceeding was to disguise
himself by means of a false beard
which, both in color and shape, bore
a close resemblance to the one worn by
Mr.. Jevons. He had brought with him
from London a collection of a dozen or
more artificial boards and moustaches
so that with the aid of a pair of scis-
sors, he had easily trimmed one Of
them to meet the requirements of the
case, while his own dark brown NOUS
tache, when joined to the beard. made
the resemblance still more striking and
complete. Next, after having slipped
off his lounging jacket, he inducted
himself into Mr.. Jevon's dark-blue
coat with it's gold stripes, and finished
by putting on the peaked cap which
that official wore as a part of his uni
form. Then, with a handkerchief
pressed close to his face, he stepped
out of the cabin and pulled to the door
after him.
Half a minute later he had unlocked
the mail room door and passed in. He
had brought his lantern with him. and
the instant he had opened the slide his
eyes sought the pigeon hole in which a.
few hours earlier, he had seen the