Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-12-02
CHAPTER XVIII.
AUTHOR or THE MN IN BLACK,
. GENTLEMAN OF FRANCE. ErE'e.
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n GEN ILENlHN VI
COPYRIGHT eob BY eAsSELLPUBLis
CHAPTER XVIII.
A moment hung IN suspense. Then
one Of the men said: .'He is in there. He
is safe enough!n He pointed as he spoke
to door which seemed to lead to an inner
cellar.
Fright, said Master BERTHE, still stand
ing. II have two pieces of bad news for
you nevertheless. Firstly, have just been
recognized by the Spanish ambassador,
whom met in the courtyard above. y
Half the men rose to their feet. What
Is he doing here?' they cried, one boldly,
the others with the quaver very plain in
their voices.
II do not know. but he recognized mo.
Why he took no steps to detain or arrest
me / cannot tell. He rode away by the
north road. !"
They gazed at one another and We at
them. The wolflsh look which fear brings
into some faces grew stronger In theirs.
What is your other bad news3 said
Kingston, with an oath.
"A person outside, friend Of The pris-
oner, has list of our names and knows
our meeting place and our plans. She
threatens to use the knowledge unless the
man Clarence or Crewdson be set free"
There was loud murmur Of wrath and
dismay, amid which Kingston alone pre-
served his composure. I'VE might have
been prepared for that, !" he said quietly.
"It is an old precaution Of such folk. But
how did you come to hear Of it,"
MY friend here saw the messenger and
heard the terms. The man must be set
free by sunset
And what warranty have We that he
will not 60 straight with his plans and his
list to the council9"
Master Berthe could not answer that,
neither could I. We had no surety, and
II we set him free could take none save
his word. His world Could even ask
them to accept thatS To stake the life OF
the meanest OF them ON it3
saw the difficulties Of the position, and
when Master Kingston pronounced coolly
that this was waste of time, and that
the only wise course was to dispose OF the
principal witness, both in the interests of
justice and our own safety, and then shift
ourselves before the storm broke, ac-
knowledged in my heart the wisdom Of
tho course and felt that yesterday 1t would
have received my assent.
The risk ID about the same either
way" Master Berthe said.
Not at all, - Kingston objected, a spar
kle of malice in his eye. Last night we
had thwartcd him. Tonight it was his
turn, and the dark, lowering looks OF those
round him showed that numbers were
with him. "This fellow can hang us all.
His accomplice who escapes can know
nothing save through him and could give
only vague and uncertain evidence. No,
no. Let us cast lots who shall do 1t, get
u done quickly and be gone.n
1--WE must wait at least, BERTHE urged,
Huntil Sir Thomas comes.
Nor retorted Kingston, with heat.
ave are all equal here Besides the man
was condemned yesterday with the full
assent Of all 1t only remains to carry out
the sentence. Surely this gentleman" he
continued, turning suddenly upon me,
"who was SO ready to accuse him yester-
day, does not wish him spared today"
II do wish 1t, said in low tone.
Ho! hop be cried, folding his arms
and throwing back his head, astonished at
the success of his own question. Then
may we ask for your reasons, sirr Last
night you could not lay your tongue to
words too bad for him. Tonight you wish
to spare him and let him go"
81 do, y said. felt that every eye was
upon me and that, Master Berthe except
ed, not one there would feel sympathy
with me in my humiliation. They wers
driven to the wall. They had no time for
fine feeling, for sympathy, for apprecia-
ton Of the tragic, unless 1t touched thcm-
selves. What chance had with them,
though / was son pleading for fatherP
Nay, what argument had save that l
was his son, and that / had brought him
to thise No argument. Only the appeal
to them that they would not make me .
parricidel And I felt that at this they
would mock.
And SO, in view Of those stern, curious
faces, new temptation seized me-ths
to be silent. Why should
not stand by and lot things take their
courses Why should mot spare myself
the shame which already saw would be
fruitlessi When Master Kingston with
cynical bow, said, Your reasons, sir, ]
stood mute and trembling. II i kept 81
lence, IL refused to give my reasons, II
1 did not acknowledge the prisoner, but
merely begged his life, he would die, and
the connection between us would be
known only to one OF two. I should be
freed from him and might 60 my own
way. The sins Of Ferdinand Cludde were
we'll nigh forgotten. Why take to myself
tho sins of Clarence, which would other
wise mover stain my name, would never
be associated with my father or myselfs
Why, indeedi 1t was q great and sore
as stood there before all
those eyes. He had deserved death. had
given him up In perfect innocence. Had
any right to call on them to risk their
lives that might 60 harmless in con-
science, and he In persona Had L.
Whati Was there, after all, some faint
in my bloodf Was going to become like
him-to take to myself a shame OF my own
earning in the effort to escape from tho
burden Of his III famef / remembered in
time the oath I had sworn, and when,
Kingston repeated his question answered
him quickly II did not know yesterday
who he was, said. II have discovered
since that no Is my father. ask nothing
on his account. Were he only my father !
would not plead for him. plead for my
self, . murmursd. III you show no pity,
you mako me parricide."
1 had done them wrong There was
in my voicc, suppose, as
said the words which cost me SO much,
which wrought with almost all OF them in
q degree. They gazod at me with awed,
wondering faces and murrnured, His fn-
thcr!,' In low tones They were recalling
the scene Of last night, the moment when
I had denounced him, the curse he had
hurled at my, the half told story Of which
TINT had seemed the climax. had
wronQed them. They did SEQ the tragedy