Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-08-13
nembered no more.
CHAPTER XXXIy,

VII tAC uVoiclCP, puouCu PtlSt nAnI ehs~ the hall. I'll
 Your master has sent me to fetch some papers," he announced, display ing bunch of keys. T am sorry to disturb you like this, but the matter is important. Please bring me cup of coffee into the library in half an hour."
 Groves, who was sorely perplexed. stood with bis back to the door which M. Louis had approached.
 Really. sir" he answered, T scarce ly know what to say. I am afraid that cannot allow you to interfere with any of my masters property in his ab- sence."
 NJ. Louis held out the keys.
 Quite right" he said. Tt is an awk- ward situation. of course. Your mas ter did not tell you the reason of his sudden departure, I suppose"
 Not word, sir.'
 There can be no harm in telling you this much, at any rate" NJ. Louis continued smoothly. Your master, through no fault of his own, got mixed up in very unpleasant. affair in Paris. and he will have to appear in the courts there. am his friend and wish to do all that can to help him. We have been talking the matter over, and have strongly advised him to pro- duce some papers which think will help him materially. The police officer in whose charge he is would not allow him to return, so he handed me his keys and asked me to fetch them. I can assure you that am your masters friend and wish to do all that can to help him. If he had not trusted me, he would not have given me his keys. which no doubt you recognize"
 Groves reluctantly stood on one side.
 T suppose must let you in, sir" he said, but I wish that the master had sent me line"
 We had neither pencil nor paper" Nj. Louis said, land the affair was urgent. I must be back in Norwich by 8 o'clock"
 'T will prepare the coffee, sir," Groves said, turning away. If you require more light the switches are behind the door,"
 Every good" NJ. Louis said. You need not have the slightest anxiety. am here on your masters behalf"
 Groves hesitated and looked for moment curiously around the room. He seemed as though he had something else to say. but checked himself at the last moment and withdrew. NJ. Louis drew little breath of relief.
 He did not immediately proceed to work. He threw off his overcoat and lit a cigarette. His fingers were steady enough, but he was conscious of an unwonted sense of excitement. He was face to face with destiny. He had played before for great stakes, but never such as these. A single false step, an evil turn in the wheel of for tune spelled death. and he was afraid to die. He moved to the sideboard. Everything there was as they had left it. He poured out some brandy and. drank it OK
 With fresh courage he moved to the safe, which stood in the corner of the room. It must be there, if anywhere, that this precious document lay. He tried his keys one by one. At last he found the right one. The great door swung slowly open.
 He was spared all anxiety. There on the top of pile of legal looking docu- ments, leases, title deeds and the like, was a long envelope, and across 1t in Duncombe's sprawling writing these few words, Entrusted to me by Miss Poynton.-Sept 4th."
 He grasped 1t in his fingers and tore open the envelope. As he read the sin gle page of closely written writing his eyes seemed almost to protrude. He gave a little gasp. No wonder there were those who reckoned this single page of manuscript worth a great for tune. Every sentence. every word. told its own story. It was a page of the worlds history.
 Then strange thing happened. Some part of him rebelled against the instinct which prompted him to care fully fold and place In his breast pock- ct this wonderful find of his. His nerves seemed suddenly frozen in bis body. There was a curious numb sen sation at the back of his neck which forbade him to turn round. Ills hands shook. his teeth chattered- The sweat of death was upon his forehead and despair in his heart. He had heard nothing. seen nothing. yet he knew that he was no longer alone.
 When at last he turned round he turned his whole body. The muscles of his neck were numbed still, his knees shook and his face was ghastly. M. Louis of the Cafe Montmartre. brave of tongue and gallant of bearing. had suddenly collapsed. NJ. Louis. the drug sodden degenerate of a family whose nobles had made gay the scaf- folds of the Place de Ia Republique. covered in his place.
 It was the worst upon which be looked with chattering teeth. but with out surprise. The door of the inner room was open. and upon the threshold stood Toquet. small. dark and satur- niDe-Toquet with something which gIittered in his hand. % that N. Louis. already the prey of . diseased and gbastly imagination. felt the pain of the bullet in bis beart On an easy chair by the 1reside Henri de BergiIlac vas IouDging. with . queer smile upon bis lips