Morris tribune., 1905-07-01
THE DANCING MAN.
Continued From Page 2.
copfiQent peal at the bell.

dgOnfiQent peal at the bell.
'I think, gentlemen" said Holmes
esuietly, .'that we had best take up our
position behind the door. Every pre-
eaution is necessary when dealing with
such a fellow You will need your
aandcuffs, Inspector. You can leave the
aalking to me-"
We waited in silence for a minute
aae of those minutes which one can
never forget Then the door opened
and the man stepped in. In an instant
Holmes clapped a pistol to his head
and Martin slipped the handouts over
his wrists. 1t was all done SO swiftly
raud deftly that the fellow was help
Eass before he knew that he was at
lacked. He glared from one to the
sE3her of us with a pair Of blazing black
ayes Then he burst into q bitter laugh.
"Well, gentlemen, you have $he drop
on me this time. l seem to have knock
cd up against something hard But l
game here il answer to a letter from
Mrs. Hilton Cubitt Don't tell me that
she is in this Don't tell me that she
HGlpeu TO set Cfap Tor me-!
Mrs. Hilton Cubitt was seriously in
cured and is at deaths door,"
The man gave hoarse cry of GRIEF,
which rang through the house.
you're crazy!' he cried fiercely. 'It
was he that was hurt, not she. Who
would have hurt little Elsie? l may
nave threatened her-God forgive me!
but I would not have touched a hair
of her pretty head. Take it back-you!
Say that she is not hurtw
'She was found badly wounded by
the side of her dead husband"
He sank with a deep groan on to the
settee and buried his face in his man
aeIed hands. For five minutes he was
silent Then he raised his face once
more and spoke with the cold COM
pesure of despair.
Il have nothing to hide from you,
gentlemen" said he. eff 1 shot the
man he had his shot at me, and there's
no murder in that. But if you think
could have hurt that woman, then you
don't know either me or her. l tell
you. there was never man in this
world loved woman more than 1 loved
her l had right to her. She was
pledged to me years ago. Who was
this Englishman that he should come
between us? l tell you that l had the
frst right to her and that 1 was only
claiming my own
"She broke away from your influence
when she found the man that you are"
said Holmes sternly. "She fed from
America to avoid you, and she married |
an honorable gentleman in England
You dogged her and followed her and |
made her life d misery to her in order
TO induce her to abandon the husband |
whom she loved and respected in order
to fly with you, whom she feared and |
hated. You have ended by bringing
about the death of a noble man and
driving his wife to suicide. That is
your record in this business, Mr.. Abe
SIaney, and you will answer for it to
Ghe law
eff Elsie dies I care nothing what
becomes of me-" said the American.
He opened one Of his hands and look
ed at note crumpled up in his palm.
''See here, mister" he cried, with a
gleam Of suspicion in his eyes, you're
not trying to scare me over this, are
you? If the lady Is hurt as bad as
you say, who was it that wrote this
note" He tossed it forward on to the
table.
Il wrote it to bring you here"
''You wrote it? There was no one
on earth outside the Joint who knew
ahe secret Of the dancing men. How
came you to write it?"
"What one man can invent another
can discover" said Holmes. "There is
ffN dSn6 coming to convey you to Nor
WITCH, Mr.. Slaney. But meanwhile you
have time to make some small repara-
tion for the injury you have wrought
Are you aware that Mrs Hilton Cubitt
has herself lain under grave suspicion
Of the murder Of her husband and that
1t. was only my presence here and the
knowledge which 1 happened to pos.
sess which has saved her from the ac
cusation? The least that you owe her
is to make it clear to the whole world
that she was in no way, directly or
indirectly, responsible for his tragic
end.