Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-02-26
tomorrow about ten. an we'll loot 1t up"
 T will,' Crane answered.

XL.
 The old bay horse that crawled back to Rsngwood with Allis Porter after her interview with Crane must have thought that the millennium had sure- ly come. Even the ambition to urge the patriarch beyond his complacent, irritating dog trot was crushed out of her by the terrible new evidence the banker had brought in testimony against her lover.
 T didn't need this," the girl moaned to herself. Tn her intensity of grief her thoughts became audible in ex- pressed words. s"Oh, God!" she plead ed, strengthen me against all this falseness. You didn't do 1t, George you ouldn't-you couldn't! And Alan! nay poor, weak brother: why can't you have courage and clear your friend"
 Her heart rose in angry rebellion against her brother, against Crane, against Providence, even against the man she loved. Why should he sacri- flee both their lives, become an outcast himself to shield boy, who in mo- ment of weakness had committed an act which might surely be forgiven if AO Wou10 Out dOlAtt uAS mlSt1hO: IAO punishment accepted in heroic silence by Mortimer was out of all proportion to the wrong-doing. It meant the ut ter ruin of two lives.
 The evening before Alan had been at Ringwood and Allis had made a final endeavor to get him to clear the others name by confessing the truth to Crane. On her knees she had plead ed with her brother. The boy had fiercely disclaimed all complicity, pro- tested his own innocence with ve- hemence and denounced Mortimer as worse than thief in having poisoned her mind against him.
 In anger Alan had disclosed Morti- mer's treachery-as he called it-and crime to their mother. Small wonder that Allis' hour of trial was 8 dark one. The courage that had enabled her to carry Lauzanne to victory was now tried thousandfold more se- verely.
 Allis crept to her father like fear some child. Providentially he had not been initiated into the moral crusade against the iniquitous Mortimer, so the girl chung to him as a drowning person might to a plank of salvation. She longed to tell him everything of her love for Mortimer, perhaps he had guessed it, for he spoke brave words often of the sturdy young man who had saved her from Diablo.
 Allis went to the tea table by her fathers side, fearing to get beyond his hearing; she dreaded her mothers s questioning eyes.
 A square old-fashioned wooden clock on the mantelpiece of the sitting room had just droned off seven mellow hours, when the faint echo of it's mu- sic was drowned by the crunch oi somebody coming up the drive, then l the wooden steps gave hollow notice The visitors advent was announced again by the brass knocker on the l front door.
 "I'll go," said A1lis, as her mother rose. The girl knew who 1t was that l knocked, not because of any sane reason: she simply knew it was Mor- l timer.
 l Come in," she said, quietly; 4I am glad you have come"
 T just want to speak to you for g l minute. said I would come, but l can't see anybody just you. alone" 'I understand, 2 she answered. Come inside.''
 T am going away" he began; T I can't stand it here" .tYou have done nothing nothing tc clear yourself?"
 Nothing"
 And you won't?"
 s'No.''
 l s'Is this wiser
 "It is the inevitable" 1 They were silent for little: theJ