Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1902-06-20
,thor Of" The House on fhs Narsh," etc.
copyright. 1896, by Robert Bonner's sonsl


lass? What were you doing out there
at this time O. night" rOared her IN
Gle, with an earnestness which con.
WINGED Lowndes of his innocence OF
the attempt at theft.
"I-came QUITO see-what was the
matter!' stammered the girl, whose
voice was weak and tremulous. a.
L"
Her uncle stared fiXedly at her, as
If doubt Of her had begun to darken
even his mind. 1t was in different
tone. almost apologetically, that he
turned to the stranger. "Well, and
that's reasonable answer enough
surely! For I'm sure by the noise you
made, it might ha' been the parish
church afire"
But the shivering man was begin
ming to feel that dry clothes and a fire
outweighed everything else in his
mind.
"Let me get inside" stammered he,
land when I'm dry again, I'll talk to
YOU"
But this speech caused Claris to look
at him with more attention, and he
then perceived that Lowndes was
dressed.
There's something to be explained
herew he exclaimed, with sudden sus
picion. "YOu haven't been to bed
Who are your" he asked, in different
tone, barring the entrance to the house
with his burly person. "Who are
you? And what did you come here
for? Now, out with it! Were you
sent here to lay traps for honest folks?
Speak out. man, or back you shall go
into the river again.
And Claris seized the unfortunate
Lowndes in his powerful grasp and
forced him backward in the direction
of the little river.
By this time Nell had partly recov.
cred her composure. She now spoke
to her uncle in O calmer voice.
LET him come in, Uncle George"
she said. "Let him come in and
change his wet clothes. And then
make him give an account Of himself
If he can"
With apparent reluctance the Inn
keeper took his niece's advice, led
I.owndes up to his room as if he had
been prisoner, locked him in, and
kept watch outside the door until he
was ready.
Jack Lowndes could hear the uncle
and niece in whispered conversation
on the landing, and murmured some
imprecations against the "artful little
hussy." as he detected by the rising
anger in George Claris's tones the fact
that the girl was working him up"
A laundering knock at his door,
which threatened to bring it down as
easily as Lowndes himself had brought
down the door of the upstairs room,
warned him that it was time for him
to come out and face the indignant
pair.
"Now, SIR" roared Claris, barely
leaving Lowndes the time to get down
stairs before beginning his attack,
what have you to say for yourself?
1t seems you had the - impudence
to batter in the door Of my niece's
room, and that you went flying out
through the window like mailman.
Now, what have you to say for your
self? Do you remember anything
about it, or notY"
And George Claris, who had lit a
candle, the pale rays Of which looked
sickly in the struggling light Of the
dawn, peered curiously into the bag
gard face of Jack Lowndes.
Remember? OF course remember.
How should 1 know it was your
niece's room? 1 only came into the
house last night for the first time. I
followed the woman and she went in
there. She turned the key in the
lock, so ] had to burst it OPEN"
AS he mentioned the word woman"
q cry burst from Nell's lips, cry so
piteOus that Lowndes turned to look
at her, and was struck with bewilder-
ment. Believing thoroughly in her
guilt as he did, having come down as
he had come to unmask her, he was
at that moment converted to an absO-
lutte belief in her innocence. And yet
he could not have explained how 1t
was that the sight of her face, the
sound Of her voice as she uttered the
cry, had this instantaneous and de-
cided effect upon him. So deeply alb
sorbed was he in contemplation of this
new aspect of the matter that at first
he did not hear, or did not heed, the
innkeeper's next words.
Woman! What woman You said
nothing about woman"
II don't know myself what woman
it was" answered Lowndes, in tone
in which a change to doubt and hest
fancy could be detected. "But some
woman came into my room in the
night"-GeOrge Claris moved impa'
tiently. II don't say l was UMPIRE
pared for this, but 1 can swear that
she came, and when she took up my
clothes and 1 heard the chink OF the
loose money in my pockets l started
up, and she ran out of the room.
was not unprepared, as say, and
ran after her, saw her go into the
back room at the top, heard her lock
it, burst it in, and saw her getting out
Of the window just as 1 got into the
room. l got out after her, saw her
once more when I got to the ground,