The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1904-12-27

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| tribute her scream Of terror had
! brought her father and myself from
our rooms. Instantly, something like
| the truth flashed upon my mind:
| To bring me from my room was tbt
| very object with which the attack up
on Edith had been made.
| Unridding the mystery with this
key, I assumed that the thief had
watched me close the door upon Var
Hoeck and return to my room; that
after allowing me sufficient time to gel
into bed, but not to fail into sound
sleep, he had made the attack upon
Edith, opening her door beforehand
to provide speedy means of escape
and to allow her cry to be more dis.
tinctly heard; that, having succeeding
in terrifying her, he had sped dowr
the stairs in the left block, passed
through the library and dining-room
and assembled by the stairs in the right
block about the same time that might
be supposed to have reached Edith $
room. and that, reckoning upon my
keeping the Great Hesper under my
pillow, and leaving it there in my
alarm upon Edith's account, he had
expected to have possessed himself Of
our treasure If what / thus assumed
was the fact, then, indeed. this plan
might have succeeded but for Van
Hoeck's prudent insistence upon my
strapping the diamond to my wrist.
AS / thus explained what had hap
pened. more startling reflection oc-
cured to my mind The thief had
been disappointed in not finding the
diamond beneath my pillow, but he vet
might not have relinquished the hope
Of getting il.
He might not have left the room. He
might be hidden there at that very mo-
ment.
What was more easy, being in the
room, than to conceal himself in til
The curtain that masked the oriel, the
great chest. the settle, the press, were
all suggestive Of that course. The fell
low might be under the very bed
was lying upon!
liz AOf[tACAt AAftN oCNAA III LIZ NAA
tain, the sound similar to the drawing
of blade from its sheath (which might
well have been caused by the move
ment Of the heavy valance Of the bedl,
strengthened the suspicion. Was he
lying there waiting for the sound Of
my heavy beathing to assure him thai
slept?
There was scarcely the necessity to
wait for that, for what resistance
could /. lying upon my back, make
against foe springing out Of the
dark upon me?
/ thought of the claspknife Van
Hoeck had given me, and, stretching
out my hand, felt for it where / had
stuck between the mattress, and
the bedstead. could not find it.
Pushing back the curtains SO that
the light from the lamp fell upon thu
edge Of the bedstead, ! assured my
self that it was not where / had left it
1t must have slipped through-or beer
drawn out.
The latter supposition explained thu
sound and movement had heard anf
seen. Yet it might have made tina
sound in slipping through its fall upor
the floor deedened by the carpet or its
point sticking in the boards, but ! fan
cied its horn handle was too wide to al
low of its slipping through.
To satisfy myself at once upon this
point leaped out Of bed, resolved Il
strike match and look under the va
| lance. I stood for moment stupefied
Ethe box Of vestas was gone from the
table where ! was certain had laid
them.
| They must have been taken while
\ lay screened by the bed curtains.
/ / glanced over my shoulder.
| The folds Of the curtain against thu
| bed were not the same as when
pushed them back to the wall; one fol(
| stood out at an angle, and as, slowl,
turning round, looked more closely,
saw against the dark oak panel Of TIL
wall. about the mid-height Of man
and protruding but an inch or SO from
the edge Of the curtain, the brigh
1 point Of knife blade.
Now. indeed, there was no longer an,
doubt. The man who had come to rol
was there to murder me. Had stoppe'
but another moment on the bed b
might have knitted me.
i What was / to do? had him stand
ing there behind the curtain at q Ger
tain advantage.
4 Should ! spring upon him and stran
gle him against the wall in the folds 0
4 the curtain?
1t was not sure victory for me, ant
a partial one might in the end be IA
tai. The thick stuff would prevent M,
| getting a firm grip OF him, and hi
right hand, the one that held tn
knife, was free. MY chance was to
small the danger too great to justif.
the attack, though the muscles OF N,
arms and fingers were strung up t
make the tempting effort.
q Keeping my eve upon the curtain
drew back to the foot Of the bed. 7
get to the door / must cross the room
and inevitably be seen by the murder
Gus rascal as he stood there on the ii
her side Of the bed curtain; and al
rived at the door l must turn the ke
twice, snd the handle as well before
5 overlook me. On the other hand,
had to disengage himself from tn
, folds OF the curtain and recover IA
I, start had ef him.
| .z