The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-11-17
Y WILLIAM LIE QUEUX.
yiot you of murder.

WY ~ d 1n - that had any hand whatever
| in the affair1 :, he pretested. why. she
went with me to the station and saw me
| off to Reading 1t WAS given IN eVioence
that the police inquired OF the sgation
officials at Stratfield Mortimer ana use
at Reading, and vera enuireiy sa.is .lV'
that there was no suspicion upon lne.
Therefore, whatever you say 10 utterly
worthless he added. turning from her
contemporary.
1--WE shall see, y she replied. "If you
have so conveniently forgotten what your
movements were, l will describe them.
1t is quite true that Nelly saw you of to
Il eading, But prior to this, while alone lone
in the dining room of Captain BROKER
cottage, you found lying about the letter
l had written her making the appoint,
ment Curiosity prompted you to read
| its contents, and you therefore knew that
| at seven O'Clock she would be in Cross
| Lane. You babe her farewell at eight
minutea past six and your train arrived
at Reading at twenty minutes past. You
| Immediately took fly back towarde
StrattieId. but dismissed the man at
Three Mile Gross. and after watching the
conveyance out of sight Took q cut across
the fields for about mile and hall to
Cross Lane, thus completely doubling. Ii
was growing dark when you reached tne
railway bridge but you saw your victim
coming ITclU LILO OHpOoAuo aAAoou1S-A $500
drew back halfway up the steep ascent,
where you knew she must pass SLOWLY
Suspecting no danger, the lighthearted girl
allowed her machine to run swiftly down
the incline. then pedalled hard for the
ascent, when suddenly you raised your
weapon, took deliberate aim and Tired.
With a cry she dropped sideways on her
feet, the machine falling with her. Then
she blindly staggered forward two OF
three PAGES and sank to earth, dying. For
an instant you waited. but evan while
you looked the poor girl sighed heavily
and passed away. lhen, fearing detec-
ton, you turned and fed back across the
fields to Reading station, where l saw
you an hour later
60 I went direct to London after leaving
the girl .
"You did not, for 1 found the man
who drove you to Three Mile Cross, and
who will give evidence against you on
your trial. y
"You havel' he yasped. You will
hand me over to the police." he added
hoarsely.
"Csrtainly.' she answered, firmly.
5 sThe police of Reading and the police OF
Nice will alike be anxious to give. you
free lodgings in a chamber scarcely MS
comfortable as any in the Villa Chevrier.
For good many months the mystery of
Charles Holroyde's death has puzzled
them, but it will remain an enigma no
longer.
aThsn BROKER will suffer ALSO" he
'sNo, be will not = replied the inventor
of the ssAgony of Monte Carlo" quickly.
my evidence will prevent that. | saw
you commit the murder, and likewise
witnessed how BROKER endeavoured to
prevent you.
IT, fod Mar ttfhaTa
another fact. FIom the inquiries / have
made it is plain That some months prior
to Nelly death she, by Word or action,
had betrayed her knowledge of your crime
committed in Nice. =
II recolleot now" cried Lame, sudden
ly. "She always loathed Zertho. fact
which often caused me some surprise, he
ents after his sudden change of fortune.
Once, too, i CHANGED to remark in jest
that / might possibly become Princess
d'Auzac, whereupon she answered, No,
never / could prevent that.
This exactly proves my contention,
exclaimed Marietta, exoitedly turning to
the others. siNel1y had betrayed her
knowledge of his secret, and he was in
deadly fear of her. He committed tbs SEC
ond cri me SO that the first should remain
concealed. IL was not until months after
wards, when Richards disclosed his idsn-
tity, and, having had run of ill-luck at
the tables, offered to preserve silence for
q monetary consideration, that he knew
there was second witness. Nelly had
never told him that she had companion
on that Hateful night, and he felt assured
that the man who had SO suddenly sprung
upon them could not again identify him.
Only when Richards came forward did
he realize the truth that in taking Nelly
Bridson's life he had failed to efface hts
g.. l<.I - IL z<4.lf in
deadliersperil.
A deep silence fell. The man accused
stood motionless. his dark, sallow face
livid, his eyes. with haunting look of
abject terror in them, fixed upon the
carpet. His hands were clenched, his head
bent, his body rigid. This sudden and
unexpected exposure held him dumb.
At lust Lame spoke in low musical
voice, q little strained perhaps, but her
tone showed that at last the crushing
weight of Zertho' s accusation of her father
had been lifted from her mind, and she
already felt her freedom to love George
Stratield.
ssIhere is yet one thing unexplained,
she said. 81 have confession to make. -
"A confessionl" gasped her lover.
ssWhat?"
son that fatal evening when poor Nelly
was SO brutally killed l had an appoint
ment to meet you at the spot" she an
swerd. sAnd I kept it,
"You did? Why thought you were
prevented. =
q I was, but I arrived there late. I'm.
conscious of the fearful tragedy, walked
there and in the twilight waited in the
gateway leading to the meadow, the very
spot where MARIETTA and Nelly had been
standing an hour before. While there the
high wind blew my hair about and sew.
eral of the pins fell out. / picked them
up, all save one-the one you discovered.
aIt was yoursi'' he cried dismayed.
there alone about ten minutes, then
PASSED beneath the railway .hridge and