Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1907-12-27


came out. still unnoted, and went to
the supper room for more cups of eof-
fee. Sut that minute had set its seal
on his heart forever. She was sitting
there alone, with her side to the en-
| trance, so that he had to pass around
In order to face her. Her elegance
and certain air she had Of remote
ness from the scene of which she was
the glowing center when she smiled,
awed him and made his hand loosen a
little on the slender stletto he held
close against the bottom of the tray.
But such resolution does not easily
yield, and his fingers soon frightened
again, this time with a deadly grip.
| He had expected to meet the fash of
| the diamond as he bent over her and
dreaded doing so for fear it would at
tract his eye from her face and so cost
him the sight of that startled recogni-
ton which would give the desired point
to his revenge. But the tray, as he
held it, shielded her breast from view
and when he lowered it to strike his
blow he thought of nothing but aiming
so truly as to need no second blow.
He had had his experience in those
old years in a mining camp, and he
did not fear failure in this. What he
did fear was her utterance of some
cry, possibly his name but she was
stunned with horror and did not shrek
horror of him whose eyes she met
with her CLASSY and staring ones as he
slowly drew forth the weapon.
Why he drew it forth instead of
leaving it in her breast he could not
say. Possibly because it gave him his
moment of gloating revenge When in
another instant her hands flew up and
the tray tipped and the china fell the
revulsion came, and his eyes opened to
two facts-the instrument of death was
still in his grasp, and the diamond, on
whose possession he counted, was gone
from his wifes breast.
1t was a horrible moment. Voices
could be heard approaching the alcove
laughing voices that in an instant
would take on the note of horror. And
the musician, how low it had sunk,
as if to give place to the dying muir
muir he now heard issuing from her
lips. But he was a man of iron.
Thrustng the stiletto into the first
place that offered, he drew the cur
tains over the staring windows. then
slid out with his tray, calm, specklesS
and attentive as ever, dead to thought,
dead to feeling, but aware, quite aware
in the secret depths of his being that
something besides his wife had been
killed that night and that sleep and
peace of mind and all pleasure in the
past were gone forever.
1t was not he | saw enter the alcove
and come out with news of the crime.
He left this role to one whose ante
cedents could better bear investiga-
ton. His part was to play. with just
the proper display of horror and curl
osity, the ordinary mental brought face
to face with crime in high life. He
could do this. He could even sustain
his share in the gossip. and for this
purpose kept near the other walters.
The absence of the diamond was all
that troubled him. That brought him
1t times to the point of vertigo. Had
Mr.. Grey recognized and claimed it?
If so, he, Abner Fairbrother must re-
main James Wellgood. the waiter, in
definitely This would require more
belief in his star than ever he had had
yet. But as the moments passed and
no contradiction was given to the uni
versally received impression that the
same hand which had struck the blow
had taken the diamond. even this
cause Of anxiety left his breast, and he
faced people with more and more cour-
age till the moment when he suddenly
heard that the diamond had been
found in the possession of Il man per
fectly strange to him and saw the in
spector pass it over into the hands OF
Mr.. Grey.
Instantly he realized that the crisis
of his fate was on him. If Mr.. Grey
were given time to Identify this stone,
he (Abner Fairbrother) was lost and
the diamond as we'll Could he prevent
[ this? There was but one way. and
that way he took. Making use of his
ventriloquial powers-he had spent a
year on the pubnt stage in those early
days, playing just such tricks as these
he raised the one cry which he knew
= would startle Mr.. Grey more than any
other in the world and when the dia
mond fell from his hand. as he knew II
would. he rushed forward and. in the
act of picking it up, made that ex
! change viii III not only baffled the sus
= picions of the statesman. but restored
. to him the diamond, for whose posses
/. sion he was now ready to barter hal
his remaining days.
4 Meanwhile Mr. Grey had had his owl
a anXietes. During this whole Ions
n evening, he had been sustained by tn,
: conviction that the diamond of which
e he had caught but one passing glimps'
n was the Great Mogul of his once ia
nous collection. SO sure was he o
:, this, that at one moment he found him
:. calf tnmntal To nnter the nlcnNn de