Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-06-02

q have spoken to no one"
 1 The duke took pen in his quivering { fingers and opened his check book.
 q shall be as good as my word, Mr. 1 Holmes I am about to write your 1 check, however unwelcome the infors nation which you have gained may be ] to me. When the offer was first made 1 I little thought the turn which events { might take. But you and your friend are men of discretion, MT. Holmes?" i ''I hardly understand your grace"
 q must put it plainly, Mir. Holmes. 1 If only you two know of this incident there is no reason why it should go any further think f12.O00 is the sum that owe you, is it not?"
 But Holmes smiled and shook his head.
 T fear, your grace, that matters can hardly be arranged so easily. There is the death of this schoolmaster to be &C., counted for"
 But James knew nothing of that. You cannot hold him responsible for that. It was the work of this brutal ruffian whom he had the misfortune to employ"
 T must take the view. your grace, i that when man embarks upon crime he is morally guilty of any other crime which may spring from it."
 Morally, MT. Holmes; no doubt you are right; but surely not in the eyes of the law. A man cannot be condemned for murder at which he was not present and which he loathes and ab hors as much as you do. The instant that he heard of it he made complete confession to me, so filled was he with horror and remorse. He lost not an hour in breaking entirely with the mur derer. Oh, Mir. Holmes, you must save him-you must save him! I tell you that you must save hmw The duke had dropped the last attempt at self command and was pacing the room with convulsed face and with his clinched hands waving in the air. At last he mastered himself and sat down once more at his desk. "I appreciate your conduct in coming here before you spoke to any one else,' said he. At least we may take counsel how far we can minimize this hideous scandal
 Exactly said Holmes. T think, your grace, that this can only be done by absolute ,frankness between us. l am disposed to help your grace to the best of my ability. but in order to do so must understand to the last detail how the matter stands. I realize that your words applied to Mir. James Will der and that he is not the murderer
 "No. the murderer has escaped"
 Sherlock Holmes smiled demurely.
 Your grace can hardly have heard of any small reputation which I pos sess or you would not imagine that it is so easy to escape me. Mir Reuben Hayes was arrested at Chesterfield on my information at ii o'clock last night. had a telegram from the head of the local police before left the school this morning"
 The duke leaned back in his chair and stared with amazement at my friend
 You seem to have powers that are hardly human," said he. 50 Reuben Hayes is taken? I am right glad to hear it if it will not react upon the fate of James,"
 "Your secretary"
 ''No. sir: my son.
 It was Holmes turn to look aston ished.
 T confess that this is entirely new to me. your grace. 1 must beg you to be more explicit" 'I will conceal nothing from you. agree with you that complete frank ness. however painful it may be to me, is the best policy in this desperate situ. ation to which James folly and jeal- ousy have reduced us. When I was a very young man, Mir. Holmes, I loved ! with such a love as comes only once in lifetime. I offered the lady marriage but she refused it on the grounds that such a match might mar my career ? Had she lived would certainly never have married any one else. She died 2 and left this one child, whom for heI 3 sake have cherished and cared for. could not acknowledge the paternity tc the world. hut I gave him the best Of ? educations. and since he came to man 8 hood have kept him near my person He surmised my secret and has pre- sumed ever since upon the claim whicf he has upon me and upon his power ol - provoking scandal which would bs - abhorrent to me His presence had something to do with the unhappy is sue of my marriage. Above all. h. hated my young legitimate heir iron the first with persistent hatred.
 ''You may well ask me why, unde these circumstances, I still kept Jame under my roof. answer that it wa because I could see his mothers fac in his and that for her dear sake ther was no end to my long suffering. Al her pretty ways. too-there was no one of them which he could not sue gest and bring back to my memory.
 could not send him away. But feare' so much lest he should do Arthur that Is. Lord Saltire-a mischief tha dispatched him for safety to Dr Huxtable's school
 James came into contact with thi fellow Hayes because the man was tenant of mine and James acted a q