Morris tribune., 1904-06-04

the door beyond the gilded pillars it
was to see the tall figure of this old
man mounted upon the chair had left
which I had so lately lifted the pic
ture. He started as presented myself
and almost fell from the chair. But
the careless laugh 1 uttered assured
him Of the little Importance I placed
upon this evidence Of his daring and
unappeasable curiosity, and he cor
fronted me with an enviable air of
dignity, whereupon I managed to say:
"Really, Mr.. Moore, I'm glad to see
you here. 1t is quite natural for you to
wish to learn by any means in your
power what that picture concealed.
came back because suddenly remem-
bered that I had forgotten to rehang
it."
Involuntarily he glanced again at the
wall overhead, which was as bare as
his hand save for the nail he had al
ready examined.
"It has concealed nothing" he re-
torted. "You can see yourself that the
wall is bare and that it rings as sound
as any chimney piece ever made"
Here he struck it heavily with his fist.
"What did you imagine that you had
found?'
smiled, shrugged my shoulders in
tantalizing repetition of my former
action upon a like occasion and then
answered brusquely:
81 did not come back to betray police
secrets, but to restore this picture to
its place. Or perhaps you prefer to
have it down rather than up? 1t isn't
much of an ornament"
He scrutinized me darkly from over
his shoulder, wary CLEAN showing
itself in his shrewd old eyes, and the
idea crossed me that the moment
might possess more significance than
appeared. But 1 did not step back
ward nor give evidence in any way
that had even thought of danger. 1
simply laid my hand on the picture
and looked up at him for orders.
He promptly signified that he wished
it hung, adding as 1 hesitated these
words: 1.-THE pictures in this house are
supposed to stay on the walls where
they belong. There is traditional SUI
perstition against removing them"
I Immediately lifted the print from
the floor. No doubt he had me at a
if evil was in his heart.
and my position on the hearth was as
dangerous as previous events had
proved it to be. But it would not do
to show the white feather at moment
when his fate, if not my own, hung in
the balance; so, motioning him to step
down, put foot on the chair and raised
the picture aloft to hang it. AS did
80 he moved over to the huge settle of
his ancestors and, crossing his arms
over it's back, surveyed me with
smile 1 rather imagined than saw.
Suddenly, as 1 strained to put the
cord over the nail, he called out:
'Look out! You'll fallv'
If he had intended to give me start
In payment for my previous rebuff he
did not succeed, for my nerves had !
grown steady and my arm firm at the
glimpse I had caught of the shelf be-
low me. The fine brown powder had
scattered there had been displaced in
five distinct spots, and not by my fin
gers. 1 had preferred to risk the loss
Of my balance rather than rest my
hand on the shelf, but he had taken no
such precaution. The clew so anx-
ously desired and for which I had so
,ecklessly worked was obtained. /!
But when, half an hour later, found
an opportunity of measuring these |
marks and comparing them with those |
upstairs l did not enjoy the full tri- |
1mph 1 had promised myself, for the I
;wo impressions utterly failed to coin
eide, thus proving that whoever the
person was who had been in this house
with Mrs. Jeffrey on the evening she |
lied it was not her Uncle David.