Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1902-09-19
Nonsense. nv DEAR" interrupted

inform the police? They would lay
an ambush for this person, and would
certainly free you from the annoy
ance of his visits, in any case"
To the young mans surprise Colonel
Bostaps face assumed an expression
Of alarm which he tried In vain to
hide; but Miss Theodore broke in trl-
umphantly:
"That is just what I tell him, Mr..
King, but he won't hear of 1t. Per-
haps you will be better able to per-
suade him than l."
The Colonel, for answer, leaned back
in his chair and drew his daughters
little thin hands round his shoulders.
II always think" he said, after q
long silence, during which strange
suspicious rushed through Clifford's
mind, that it is better not to stir up
scandals that are past and done with.
1 may have my own suspicious that
the annoyance we suffer from Is con-
nected with the uncanny stories we
have heard so much about. But still
/ will not interfere, and / refuse to
call in the aid Of the police. We must
not forget that in delivering up this
unknown person who annoys us. we
might be exposing others to danger"
"What others, papa?" asked Miss
Theodore quickly.
But the Colonel would not answer.
He turned the conversation to another
subject, and the interesting topic was
not again touched upon until Clifford,
having taken leave of the Colonel,
stood in the hall with Miss Theodore.
"Do you know why l came down
here today? he then asked.
"Not to see us" asked Miss Theo-
dora. eve could hardly have hoped
for that"
1T was to see you and to thank you
for your trust in Nell. 1 met MSs
Lansdowne in town one evening, and
she told me you were the one person
who still believed in her innocence
But, to his chagrin, the little lady
sighed and looked down. At last she
said:
81 did hold out as long as l could
against the thought of her guilt, Mr..
King; but I must confess that /, too.
have had to give way to Overwhelm'
ing evidence. In face of some fresh
circumstances which have now come
to my knowledge, don't see how l
can escape the conclusion that she did
commit these crimes"
Clifford drew himself up with a
great shock of disappointment. Here,
where he expected a fortress, he found
q quagmire.
"In fact, it is because my father
feels sure that the person who comes
here to annoy us is the very same crea-
ture who instigated the girl to commit
these crimes, that he refuses to give
to the police"
"And who is the person." asked
Clifford, quickly.
"a young man who has obtained q
great influence over her, and who has
by this time become her hus-
band" replied Miss Bostal.
Clifford could not repress a move.
ment of anxiety at these words. Miss
Bostal tried to persuade him to come
back into the dining-room with her
and to stay to tea. But he excused
himself and, with a rather colder
than he had expected, he
left the house by the back door, and
heard Miss Theodore draw the bolts
before he reached the end Of the gar
den.
This visit had left an extraordinary
upon him.
There had flashed through his mind,
as he noted the effect which Theo-
dora's prattle made upon her father.
an uneasy suspicion whether the
Colonel himself was not in some wa.
implicated in the murder of Jem Site
kels and the robberies at the Blue
Lion. 1t was quite clear that poor
Miss Theodore had no inkling of this,
for she chartered away without even
her fathers uneasiness. 1t
was in vain, however, that Clifford
tried to imagine any series of circum"
stances by which the old Colonel
could have been implicated in the
crimes. On the other hand. they re-
manned just as inexplicable at the
hands OF any other person.
1t was with a great sinking of the
heart that Clifford began to feel his
own belief in Nells complete innO-
cence giving way. He was forced
again to take refuge in the belief that
If she had been an agent in these GRIM
NAL acts, she had been an unconscious
)ne. And the thought which was
lppermost in his mind was: What
steps should he take to find her? The
feeling which was. strongest in his
heart was the desire to shelter her
from the consequences of those acts.
But the question was: How to find
ler? Clifford had been down to
StrOan already to make inquiries, but
lad been unable to obtain any tidings
# the uncle or the niece more defin-
tie than the vague rumor that George
Jlaris was "shut up somewhere"
Clifford paused for few moments
outside the garden gate Of Single
end, wondering whether he would
lpply for information to the police at
'troan. 1t was a step he dreaded to
axe, although he began to think it
vas the Only one likely to lead to his
obtaining the details he wanted.
AS he stood looking vaguely along