The Washington times., 1905-11-19
Continued from First Page.)

hCCHlAiiAEA - pAAt -ol e-t5~-t
lay motionless. The room was in ut
ter darkness and silence. Then I heard
a football, ereaking Of a door
sprang from F-y bed, only to trip and
fail heavily over the rug which I had
carried with me- 1 groped for the
table, found It, and lit the candle,
crouching, half expectant of some at
tack when 1 should reveal myself /
looked keenly about me-the room was
empty.
But / had had a visitor for the door
was still ajar. ] ran to it, shading the
light with my hand. peered down the
passage The@e was no one visible
returned to ths room, this time locking
the door securely. Perhaps, after all,
I reasoned. there had been no cause for
my alarm. Some feliow-guest might
have mistaken his chamber, retiring
quickly on discovering his error. This
argument heartened me, for. to be
honest. L was shaken not a little. I ex-
amined the room carefully. without re-
suit; and then, after a composing cigar
ette. slipped back into bed, leaving the
candle burning in the center of the
room.
It showed that night. and to some ef-
feet, as the morning light showed me.
The broad, slovenly street beneath my
windows was thiekly coated: and
though the fall had ceased, a dull sky.
streaked as with muddy whitewash.
threatened a further downfall It was
bitterly cold. and / flung on my clothes
in a vile temper.
Graden was meditating before the
stove when 1 entered our breakfast
room. with the strange book he had
shown me during the journey in his
hands.
You look pale as a ghost Are you
quite ht2" he asked kindly.
"Oh yes; though my night was not
particularly peaceful"
What DO you mean?"
I told him briefly OF my unknown Wis
itor. He seemed greatly interested.
questioning me minutely on various
points.
Your theory may be correct" he con-
cluded. Some guest may have mis-
taken his chamber. and hurried off on
discovering his mistake. Yet. IL he had
a light with him, how came he to make
such an obvious error: whereas, if it
was the striking of a match that reused
you, what was the man doing wandering
in the dark?"
ITO tell the truth. when I first woke, I
imagined it was Marnac himself"
Il have considered that 1Oint do
not think it could have been he"
And why2"
Before YOU were down this morning
I had a talk with your landlord The
guests at his house are of two classes
commercial travellers and those havlne
business at the dye-works. They do not
stay lOng-usuall- a week at most. OF
the nine which he now has. none has ex-
ceeded that limit. He knows them
personally-six commercials, two dye
works men, and a rich Englishman. one
George Wakefield. who has been staying
with some magnate in the neighborhood
But mere IS Herr Reski himself"
Gentlemen" said the landlord, bow
Ing low, your sleigh Is at the door
How far is it. then, TO Castle Oster?'
1 asked him.
'Close on twenty miles; and with thi:
fresh snow it Will be heavy going"
Ten minutes later we slid on our silen
runners. to the tinkle of the bells. ou
through the squalid. sprawling town, ou
through the wooden novels OF the sub
urbs. out past the dye-works. with thei
tall. melancholy chimneys. out into tn
snow-clad levels beyond. and there from
out OF the east there sprang upon US ;
= great and bitter wind, chilled by 1t
long journey over the boundless steppe
of frozen Russia. Here and there, acros
the plains, Whit of powdry snow, lik
the smoke of heavy guns, would lea
up before the hercer blasts. only L
burst and fall as they lulled once more
To the south and east the pine Wooo
ranged their formal ranks, black agalns
the dazzling carpet at their foeS.
Was a scene CT utter dssolattoa.