Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-11-17
CHAPTER III.
Arson purand.

T.,
jewel as at some hateful thing menac-
ing both my life and honor.
Il have had nothing to do with it.,
Yehemently declared. II did not put
the gloves in my bag, nor did I know
the diamond was in them. tainted
at the first alarm, and"
There! there! 1 know" interposed
the inspector kindly. II do not doubt
you in the least; not when there is a
man to doubt. Miss Van Arsdale, you
had better let your uncle take you
home. will see that the hall is
cleared for You. Tomorrow may
wish to talk to you again but will
spare you all further Importantly to-
night"
shook my head. 1t would require
more courage to leave at that mo-
ment than to stay. Meeting the in
spector's eye firmly, quietly de-
clared,
IF Mr.. Durand's good name is to
suffer in any way, will not forsake
him. l have confidence in his in
tegrity, If you have not. 1t was not
his hand, but one much more guilty,
which dropped this jewel into the
bag,
"sb! so! do not be too sure of that,
little woman. You had better take
your lesson at once. 1t will be easier
for YOU, and more wholesome for
him."
Here he picked up the jewel.
Well they said it was wonder!"
he exclaimed, in his sudden ,admira-
ton. II am not surprised, now that
I have seen a great gem, at the
famous stories have read of men
riskifty life and honor for their pos
session. If only no blood had been
shedI"
'''Uncle! uncle!" walled aloud in
my agony.
II. was all my lips could utter. but
to uncle it was enough. Speaking for
the first time, he asked to have a
passage made for us, and when the
inspector moved forward to comply,
he threw his arm about me, and was
endeavoring to find fitting words with
which to fill up the delay, when a
short alteration was heard from the
doorway, and Mr. Durand came rush
Ing in followed Immediately by the
inspector.
His first look was not at myself,
but at the bag, which still hung from
my arm. AS I noted this action, my
whole inner self seemed to collapse,
dragging my happiness down with it.
But my countenance remained I'm
changed, too much so, it seems: for
when his eye finally rose to my face,
he found there what made him reooil
and turn with something like fierce.
ness on his companion.
Uvn,1 houa hoan fn1lyipo IN
he vehemently protested. Perhaps
YOU have gone further than that
What has happened here? / think
ought to know. She is so guileless,
Inspector Dalzell; so perfectly free
Why have you shut her up here, and
piled her with questions. and made
her look at me with such an express
sion, when all you have against me is
Just what you have against some
half-dozen others,-that was weak
enough, or unfortunate enough, to
spend a few minutes with that I'M
happy woman in the alcove before
she died?"
at might be we'll if Miss Van Ars-
dale herself would answer you," was
the inspectors quiet retort. What
you have said may constitute all that
we have against you, but it is not all
we have against her"
l gasped, not so much at this seem
ing accusation, the motive of which
believed myself to understand, but at
the burning blush with which it was
received by Mr.. Durand.
What do you mean?" he demand
ed, with certain odd breaks in his
voice. What can You have against
herr"
"a triviality," returned the inspec-
tor, with look in my direction that
was, felt, not to be mistaken.
II do not call it triviality,"
burst out. ut seems that Mrs. Fair
brother, for all her elaborate toilet,
was found without gloves on her
arms. AS she certainly wore them
on entering the alcove, the police
have naturally been looking for them.
And where do you think they have
found them? Not In the alcove with
her, not In the possession of the man
who undoubtedly carried them away
'+h him. but"