The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1907-11-21

~ - oAsJ 49,
give the criminal to the surgeon. But
have 1t your own way William. |
will forego the experiment. 1t is OBJ
| vious that IL the body is to be found
there must be no traces of anything
of the sort. There would be a post
norton, of course"
Then what do you propose, Guest?'
LET me smoke for a moment and
think"
He sat silent for two or three min
utes, with the heavy eyelids almost
yelling the large, bister-colored eyes.
Then he looked up. His smile was
so horrible In its cunning that
Gouldesbrough made an involuntary
shrinking movement. But it was a
movement dictated by the nerves and
not by the conscious brain, for, dread
full as was the thing Guest was about
to say, there was something in Sir
William Gouldesbrough's mind which
was more dreadful still.
"The body shall be found" Guest
said, I'm the river, somewhere down
Wrapping way, anywhere in the dense
ly populated districts Of the docks. 1t
shall be dressed in common clothes.
When 1t is discovered and identified
I know how to arrange a certain iden-
tiication--it will be assumed that
Rathbone simply went down to the
slums and lost himself. There have
been cases known where reputable
citizens have suddenly disappeared
from their surroundings Of their own
free will, and dropped into the lowest
kind OF life for nc explanable reason.
De Quincy mentions such a case In
one of his essays"
Good. But how can II be done?
We can't carry a body to Mapping In
a brown paper parcel"
"Of course not. But has It not oc-
Cured to you that we are close to the
Regents canal? I haven't worked
out the details; they will shape them
selves later on. But there are plenty
of barges always going up and down
the canal. Certainly we can do the
thing; it is only a question of money.
We have an unlimited command OF
money. But listen. Our body is still
alive. It will be quite easy for us,
with our knowledge, to treat this Nv
ing body with certain preparations
and in such a way that when 1t Is
dead 1t will present all the appear
ance of having been killed by excess
in some drug. The post-mortem will
disclose it. IL we keep it alive during
a month from from now we a make
1t a morphia maniac to all appear.
ance, We can inject anything we
like into this Rathbone and make him
a slave to some drug, whether he
likes 1t or not"
mo, Guest. The really expert pa
biologist would discover 1t. 1t couldn't
be done in a month. 1t might In SIX
'The really expert pathologist won't
perform the post-mortem, William.
There are only ten in London! Some
local doctor or the police will apply
the usual tests and discover exactly
what we wish him to discover. He
will analyze a corpse. He won't syn
thesize a history of the corpse. Only
ten men in England could do that
with certainty. And you and ! are
two of those ten, though 1t is many
years ago since we gave up that sort
of work for physics. So you see your
object will be doubly served. The
actual death will be proved and the
fellows life be discredited, while the
apparently true reason of his disap-
pearance will be revealed"
Sir William looked steadily at his
assistant, "Your brain Is wonderfully
sufficient" he said. ut is e~xtraordin-
ary how 1t withstands the ravages Of
alcohol. Really, my dear Wilson, you
are a remarkable man. All you say
Is quite excellent. And, meanwhile,
I have a proposal TO make"
He suddenly rose from his chair.
and his eyes began to blaze with In
sane passion. He shook with 1t; his
whole face was transformed. In his
turn he became abnormal. And just
as the famous man had thought of the
lesser q moment or two ago-had re-
garded him coldly, and spoken Of him,
to him, az a mind diseased-so now
| the lesser, stimulated to spurious SAN
fty for the moment, saw the light of
mania In his chiefs eyes.
Guest saw the swift and terrible
| drop into the horrible and the gro.
tesque. He realized that for a brief
moment he was master Of the situa.
ton.
Tell me, William" he said, land
| what n your ides?"
G~ouldesbrough stopped. He turned
| toward his Questioner and shook a
long. threatening arm at him.
why" he said. "all this time the
| man Rathbone has never known why
we are keeping him in prison. He
has seen me. but day by day
you have descended to his cell. caught
him up In the tolls OF the chains
which he wears, and hoisted him or
to the couch. And all this time. wher
you have fitted the cap upon his head
the man has known nothing Of thu
reasons. am going down to tell hin
that every thought which has beer
born In his brain has been noted and
recorded by You and me. 4 am soinl
to tell him what We intend doing with
his wretched body He shall know o
your proposals--hoW thet we. hii