The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-01-28

your son knew the true character of
this man when you admitted him into
your family circle He is one of the
most dangerous men in England-a
ruined gambler. an absolutely desper-
ate villain, a man without heart or. con
science. Your niece knew nothing of
such men. When he breathed his vows
to her. as he had done to a hundred
before her, she fattered herself that
she alone had touched his heart. The
devil knows best what he said, but at
least she became his tool and was in
the habit of seeing him nearly every
evening"
Il cannot, and l will not. believe .itt,'5
cried the banker, with an ashens faee.
Il will tell YOU then, what occurred
at your house last night. Your niece
when you had, as she thought gone to
your room, slipped down and talked to
leads into the stable lane His foot
marks had pressed right through the
snow, so long had he stood there She
told him OF the coronet His wicked
lust for gold kindIed at the news, and
he bent her to his will. / have no doubt
that she loved you, but there are Wo-
men in whom the love of a lover extin-
guishes all other loves, and I think
that she must have been one. She had
hardly listened to his Instructions when
she saw you coming downstairs. on
which she closed the window rapidly,
and told you about one of the servants
CSEdAdQE VIII 4lGI ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I0E-
er, which was all perfectly true.
Your boy, Arthur, went to bed after
his interview with you. but he slept
badly on account of his uneasiness
about his club debts. In the middle of
the night he heard a soft tread pass
his door, so he rose, and, looking out
was surprised to see his cousin walk
ing very stealthily along the passage.
until she disappeared in your dressing
room. Fortified with establishment the
lad clinTod Dr7G 4 To-
there in the dark to see what would
come of this strange affair. Presently
she emerged from the room again. ana
in the light of the passage lamp you
son saw that she carried the precious
coronet in her hands. She passed down
the stairs, and he, thrilling with horror
ran along and slipped behind the cur
tain near your door, whence he could
see what passed in the hall beneath. He
saw her stealthily open the window.
hand out the coronet to some one in
the gloom, and then closing it once
more hurry back to her room, passing
quite close to where he stood hid be-
hind the curtain.
'sAs long as she was on the scene he
could not take any action without a
horrible exposure of the woman whom
he loved. But the instant that she was
gone he realized how crushing a mis-
fortune this would be for you, and how
all-lmpOrtants it was to set it right He
rushed down, just as he was, in his
bare feet; opened the window, sprang
out into the snow and ran down the
lane. where he could see a dark figure
in the moonlight. Sir George Burnwell
tried to get away, but Arthur caught
him. and there was a struggle between
them, your lad Juggling at one side of
the coronet and his opponent at the
other. In the scuffle your son struck
Sir George and cut him over the eve.
Then something suddenly snapped and
your son, finding that he had the coro-
nat n
the window, assembled to your room,
and had just observed that the coro-
net had been twisted in the struggle
and was endeavoring to straighten it,
when you appeared upon the scene"
is it possible ," gasped the banker
y on then aroused his anger by call
ing him names at a moment when he
felt that he had deserved your warmest
thanks. He could not explain the true
state Of affairs without betraying one
who certainly deserved little enough
considera ton at his hands. He took
the more chivalrOus view, however, and
preserved her secret"
And that was why she shrieked and
tainted when she saw the coronet p
cried Mr.. Holder. oh my Godl what
a blind fool 7 have been! And his ask
ing to be allowed to go out for five
minutes! The dear fellow wanted to
see if the missing piece were at the
scene of the struggle. How cruelty 1
have misjudged him.
when I arrived at the house." con-
tinued Holmes. "I at once went very
carefully round it to observe if there
were any traces in the snow which
might help me. I knew that none had
fallen since the evening before. and
also that there had been a strong frost
to preserve impressions. I passed
along the tradesmen's path. but found
it all trampled down and indistinguish-
able. Just beyond it, however. at the