The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-10-23
CHAPTER VIII.

CHAPTER VIII.
Continued.
"And YOU will not tell me what that
sort of half-idea was?" interrupted
Clifford, eagerly.
NO" answered Nell, firmly.
"And now?" pursued Clifford.
"Now I have no more idea who did
It than you have yourself. At first
tried to think that this Mr.. Lowndes
went to sleep with his head full of
thoughts of robbery, and that he
dreamed all that long story that he
told us. But the more thought about
his manner of telling us, the more l
could not help believing that it was
not a dream, after all. And yet
"You saw no one so through your
room but him?"
mo one," answered Nell, emphati-
cally.
Gould it have been-the-the serV-
ant, the woman I saw in the barr"
suggested Clifford, with lowered voice.
Nell smiled sadly.
poor Meg? No. She has been with
nv uncle for fifteen years; and, you
know; they say it is only lately, since
I have been here, in fact" and again
she grew crimson, that the theftS
have been committed. I am ashamed
to say that that night, when Mr..
Lowndes had told his story, did go
into poor Meg's room, just to-just to
see if she was there. And she was
fast asleep; really fast asleep, not
shamming. I tried her with q lighted
candle before her eyes; you see was
desperate" she added, in apology.
"And then even went downstairs and
had a look at old Nannie!
And Nell looked deeply ashamed OF
the fact she was confessing.
But Clifford, who had naturally less
delicacy on the subject of Mamie and
Meg, secretly cherished hope that in
some inexplicable way one or the other
Of these estimable persons might get
them all out of their difficulty by
eventually confessing to the thefts.
But he was careful to give no hint of
this hope to Nell.
Clifford did not want to see George
Claris, but he felt bound to do so. The
innkeeper was, as he had anticipated.
very surly in manner toward him, and
he frustrated Clifford's intention of
opening his heart to him on the sub
ject of Nell by abruptly disappearing
from the bar almost as soon as the
young man entered it.
Clifford did not see Nell again; she
had entered the house at the back,
and he came in by the front, and al
though he fingered about until it was
almost dark in the hope that she
would relent and come out and bid
him farewell. he was obliged to re-
turn to Courtstairs and thence to town
without that consolation. Nell, on the
alert for the expected visitor, was not
long before she discovered him. He
came, only a few days after Cliffords
visit, in the guise Of a mild-looking
man with sandy hair and pale eyes,
one of those men whose age it is diff.
cult to guess until you perceive by a
close inspection of the wrinkles under
the eyes that the apparent lad is well
over forty.
George Claris had no suspicion of
his visitors profession. In spite Of the
rumors about the house, there were
travellers staying there about five
til, t., pt1f fhnr fh0SD
were usually of a humble class, whose
pockets might be considered not
worth the picking.
The detective himself, for such he
was, called himself a commercial
traveller, and professed during the four
nights he spent under the roof of the
Blue Lion, to do a round Of business
calls in the neighboring towns, return
ing to the inn toward evening, now
from one direction, now from another,
in a perfectly transformations and busi-
ness-like manner. On the second day
he announced that he should have
money to receive on the fourth, and
he made this announcement in the
could. Jem StickelS, who still hung
about the Blue Lion with malicious
eyes on Nell, two or three other fish
ermen and a couple of farm laborers
were in the bar at the time.
Jem nudged one Of his companions
and winked knowingly. The detec-
tive, without appearing to do so, saw
the wink and took note Of Jem.
When the last lingerer had been
turned out, and the Blue Lion had
closed its doors for the night the de-
tective made few notes in his own
room before he went to bed.
On the fourth night, when he was
supposed to be in possession of the
collected money, the detective went
upstairs as usual, but not to sleep.
He had avoided such an accident by
a nap in the afternoon. Fully dressed
he lay down under the bed coverings,
and for three hours. listening intently
to the slightest sound in the house, he
waited
And presently, about two hours be-
fore the dawn, the expected visitor
came.
Very softly, with the rapid, light
movements of an expert, the figure
crept round by the wall, creeping,
searching. The man in bed sprang
up, leaped out. and placed his back
against the door.
Then for five minutes he waited in
vain. Not sound betrayed Me pres
ence of another person in tie room.
He took box OF matches from his
pocket and struck light. He could