The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-11-04
CHAPTER Y.
Continued.


uneasiness possessed me as i raised
the lamp shade and looked round the
room. The dark oak wanscot, the
sombre hangings, the painted ceiling
overhead, absorbed the light there was
a black void on the opposite side OF
the bed, where the lamp was intercept
ed by curtains; / could not see even
the outline OF the great press.
i readJusted the shade, turned the
wick higher. and, half undressed.
threw myself upon the bed. ! was not
afraid; in strength / was a match for
any natural foe, and i did not believe
I'm the existence OF any other; yet l
felt myself infected with Van Hocck's
presentiment OF impending calamity.
Van Hoeck's theory OF Lola's com
plicity in plot TO steal the diamond
had been upset by the fact that was
watching her asleep at my door at the
very time Edith believed she saw the
girl looking through her blinds; but
this had in no wise shaken his cOnvic-
ton that the mysterious appearance
was connected with the scheme TO rob
us.
Are n mans convictions TO be lin
ited by his sensesY' he asked. You
are convinced that a cloud is rising in
the horizon because you see il, but am
i 10 deny its existence because have
no sight? Are you justified, then, i'm
declaring that we ara not menaced
by this disaster which is TO overwhclm
us because you have not my faculty
of precision? You who cannot deny
the prescience OF n bee, the PRESENT.
ment of coming storm TO cattle. tell
me that my conviction is nothing II
is only by conviction that we live.
What saves us from destruction but
the conviction that by stepping into
an abyss, we must fall? / tell you 10
look about you; you are on the edge OF
nn abyss. There are signs TO strike
the dullest intelligence. Your turn
will comer'
] had hung my watch in the pocket
npOn the hanging at the head Of the
bed; its lively ticking sounded strange
iy out Of keeping with the gloom ana
stiffness Of the surroundings. The
shaded light gave funeral aspect 20
the bed hanging; the baldaquin over
my head might have been cata-
faique for the dead. | wondered how
many men had ended their days on
this bed since those hangings had been
put up. Would Van Hoeck's PRESENT.
ment be fulfilled? Should l be found
there in the morning dead?
1t was well suited for a murder that
bed, with It's pall-like hangings to con
eeal the lurking murderer.
Tic-tac, tic-tac, tc.tac, tic-tac, tie
tao.
My ear had become so familiar TO
the brisk movement Of my watch that
the slightest sound was audible above
To my mind, dwelling then upon as
Rassins, il sounded like the drawing
of dagger from it's sheath.
Turning my head toward the side
from which the sound proceeded. !
fancicd ! saw the heavy curtain move;
IL was between me and the lamp. The
movement was as slight as the sound.
II il was fact that heard one, II
was n fact that | saw the other.
al drew myself mp gradually, and,
haning forward. j suddenly flung
back the curtain with my left hand.
There was no resistance TO my hand;
nothing 10 he seen beyond but the
lamp burning steadily on the table,
the saddle-back chair and the dim out
line of the big chimney piece.
got upon my knees and pushed the
curtain flat against the wall, to be
sure that there could by no possibility
be any one concealed in the heavy
folds-to assure myself that my sus-
picion was utterly without foundation.
The end OF the room was compara-
lively light. and the saddle-back chair
was so placed as 20 preclude the pos
sibilty Of any one hiding beyond it.
If the curtain had indeed moved, II
must have been by hand from under
the bed. II was easy to believe that
j had been mistaken in seeing the
slight movement than TO suppose that
j had overlooked concealed thief
when | looked under the bed 10 salts
fy Won Hocck; so let the curtain fan
and lay down again.
My thoughts still dwelt upon the idea
of assassination. Setting aside the
idea Of IN intrigue i'm which Lola was
concerned, there was yet nothing pre-
pOstcrous in Van Hoeck's PRESENT.
mcnt. There were eight or ten ser
wants i'm the house, and undoubtedly
every one Of them knew of the mar
velous treasure in my keeping. They
would tell their friends in the adjacent
village, the keepers, the trndespcople-
in y few days the story would be car
ried out and made known TO hundreds:
and was there none among them
whose cupidily might take practical
form? II was quite possible that un-
der this very roof there was one with
tho ingenuity and daring 10 plan aud
execute the robbery. A servant init
mately acquainted with the arrange
mont Of the rooms and the peculiarities
Of the building would probably know
OF the external means of communica-
ton between the bay and the oricl
windows. Without this knowledge no
one IL seemed io me. would dare 20
attempt that hazardous passage at
night ani in The dark; but with that
know Lodge. aud possibly some previ-
ous practice. the feat was sufficiently
practicable In that case. Edith might
actually have heard and seen what she
had since attributed 10 Imagination