Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1900-08-24

'.77''' -"uIi'i',s- - -
Ny brain positively rcclcd
The two pairs of steel eyes met and
looked fixedly at each other.
A tap came to the door.
Sir George WINGED and made a sign to
Ralph, who rushed to it and bolted it.
Il am coming in, George" said Lady
Mary's voice.
"Send her away" came a whisper from
the bed.
This was easier said than done. But
it was done after sufficiently long
parley and Lady Mary retired under the
impression that Ralph was sitting alone
with his father, who thought he might
get little sleep.
"Now," whispered Sir George, motion
ing to Ralph.
1.-The fact is" said Ralph, "the jewels
are gone. They have been stolen iii the
night"
He bolted out with this one sentence
and then was silent. Marston and |
stared at him aghast.
SIS there no mistaken" said Marston
at last.
None" replied Ralph. Il put them
in a drawer in the great inlaid writing
table in the library last night, before
everybody. went for them this morn
ing, half an hour ago. at fathers re-
quest The lock was broken, and they
were gone"
There was another long silence.
81 was fool of course, to put them
there" resumed Ralph. "Charles told
me so, but l thought they were as safe
there as anywhere, if no one kncw-;,nd
no one did, except the house party
"Were any of the servants about
asked Marston.
mot one. They had all gone to bed
except one of the footmen who was put.
ting out the lamps in the supper room
miles away"
Another silence.
THAT is the dreadful part of it, burst
out Ralph. ''They must have been takeT
by someone staying in the house-some
one who saw me put them there. The
first thing did was to send for the house
maids, and they assured me that they
had found every shutter shut and every
door locked this morning as usual. Any
one with time and wits might have got
in through one of the library windows
by taking out a pane and forcing thu
shutter. | suppose o. practiced hant
might have done such Il thing, but
went outside and there was not a foot
step in the snow anywhere near TIT
library windows, or, for that matter
anywhere near the house at all, excep
at the side and front doors, which an
tnpracticable for anyone to force an en-
trance by"
"When did it leave OFF snowing?" asket
Marston.
"About o'clock" replied Ralph, II
must have showed heavily till then, 70
there was not trace Of al the carriage
wheels on the drive when we went on
last night, but our foot prints down t
the lodge are clear in the snow now
There has been no snow since o'cloc
this morning"
"It all points to the same thing" sal
Charles, quietly, speaking for the frs
time. "The jewels were taken by soml
one staying in the house"
Gone of the servants began MAJ
ston.
"No," said Charles, cutting himeho
mot one of the servants"
''It is impossible it should have bee
one of them" said Ralph after som
thought. "First of all, none of thems
the jewels put into that drawer, an(
secondly, how could they suspect me
hiding them in place where had nevG
thought of putting them myself till tn;
moment? Besides, that one drawer onl
was broken open-the center drawer
the left hand set Of drawers. All IL
others were untouched, though the
were all locked. No one who had II,
seen the jewels put in would have fonn
them SO easily. That is the frightf
part of it,"
For few minutes no one spoke. /
last Marston raised his head from h
hands.
"There is no way out of it," he sal
very gravely. "The robbery was con
mitted by one of the visitors staying
the house"
"Yes!' said Charles.
"Yes!' echoed q whisper from the be
Charles looked up slowly and delibe
ately, and the eyes of father and son m
again.
eve do not often agree, father"
said in a measured voice. II mark til
exception to the rule with pleasure
"When | had made out as much
this" continued Ralph, "father told L
to call both of you and Charles to co
slider what ought to be done before '
make any move"
''Have you an inventory of the jewels
asked Marst0n at length.
"None," said Sir George, "unless Mi
dleton had one from Sir John"
1 thereupon recapitulated in full
the circumstances Of the bequest, final
adding that Sir John had never so mu
as mentioned an inventory.
$50 much the better for the THE
said Marston, his chin in his hands.
is not Il case for detective" he added
II think not" said Charles.
A kind of hoarse, ghostly laugh cal
from the bed.