The Washington herald., 1907-05-26
CHAPTER K.
IL This should Bee

What do you mean by that?' ne asked
In a voice scarcely above a whisper.
"I mean" Dr.. North replied. that his
heart was in such a condition that
very little Of the poison which was found
in that glass on the table at his elbow
might have Killed him by bringing on an
attack"
"But-you prescribed it." Godfrey STAN
mered
Not in that form-not the poison In
the glass" DR.. North said; "but whether
he took any OF It I can't tell. He might
not have done so. and for all 1 knew
from the examination I made, he might
have died naturally enough. 1 did not GO
farther-I did not search his body for
poison-I dared not"
There was a dead silence for a moment.
Godfrey sat quite still in his chair. DR..
North stopped in his walk, and stood
staring at the carpet at his feet as though
there were puzzles in the pattern Of it.
IF It had been any one but Hetty.'
he added abruptly at last. Il should have
said she was guilty; but I could not would
not believe it Of her. She must have
been mad. Heaven knows. Clavering. she
must have been. mad, think Lord Fan
shawe bewitched her. Anyhow, she was
never the same from the day you left
Oldcasue until the day she disappeared
Where did she go?' Godfrey asked.
DR.. North shook his head.
'I don't know" he replied; "she was
seen. as YOU know. by Miss Walter. who
had called on some trihng matter on
the night of Mr.. Lancasters death. She
was either in the act Of coming in or go
ing out Of his library by the window
when Molly Byrne opened the door 70
announce Miss Walter. and directly she
saw them she fed-ran away, and was
never seen again in Oldcastle neither at
the inquest nor during the weeks that
followed She had disappeared. The po-
lice tried 10 find her. but failed, and for
years 1 heard nothing Of her. She might
have been dead for all I know. until one
day. about two or three years ago, I saw
her in London"
I'm London?" Godfrey gave a startled
CRY. as he remembered the girl 50 like
her that he had seen i'm st. James Park.
as he drove through 10 Buckingham Pal
ace
''Yes; she was getting her living in
factory there" Dr. North said. packing
biscuits, or something OF the sort Heaven
knows il went 10 my heart to see her
all the bloom gone out Of her face, all
the light from her eyes. Do you remem-
Der, CIavering, what bright, wide eyes
she had2 And her hair-it always seemed
to have the sun in it in Oldcastle, but
London had taken it out. London is a
brutal cruel place for @ young girl and
when 1 saw her / thought it was killing
her I met her by accident. came face
20 face with her in a West End square
after I had searched for her in vain for
years. She looked quite poor and utter
ly changed. but she was the same Hetty
20 me. and told her so. and begged her
10 let me take care Of her-t0 come back
with me TO Oldcastle as my WIFE
And she?'' asked Ge0ffrey h0arsely.
she said she dared not Dr. North re
piled. "She seemed afraid of me. as if
as if-oh. heaven forgive me for saying
it. Clavering, but she behaved Just as if
she had been guilty Of her fathers death,
and knew that it had only been through
me and what I had done that she had
gone free / tried not to believe it. tried to
believe i'm her. but I could not. She look
ed and spoke as if she felt that ] must
have known her to be guilty, as if I had
sacrificed my honor I'm defending her. as
though she knew-as though we both
knew-that 7 had lied at the inquest"
Geonrey started mp from his chair and
crossed TO the fireplace, standing looking
down with blind eyes at the dull fire that
burned in the crate.
she isn't guilty" he said, sharply, sf-
ter minute Il won't believe Il; I'll
never believe It until hear her confess
# with her own lips Where is she now,
North?"
Dr. North stared at him a little queerly
"That 1 don't know he answered.
"She would not tell me where she lived
and 1 tried to follow her and failed. I
traced her to Battersea, and there lost
sight Of her. She managed 10 give me
the slip, as she said she would, and have
been TO London twice since then, and
haunted the square. and never had even
a glimpse of her"
Godfrey turned suddenly a face that
showed haggard and white in the gaslight
North. [ saw her" he cried saw her
two or three days ago in St. James Park
on my way to" He broke off. drawing
his breath sharply He had better not
know vet that he was Geoffrey Waring.
that only day or two ago he had been
presented 70 the King, He turned abrupt
lv and looked squareIy into DR.. NOrth's
face.
Il saw her. he went on but | didn't
for a moment dream it could be Hetb-.
II thought she was Lady Fanshawe.
thought he had married her. and that she
was a great lady. I never dreamed Of
ANYTHING else" His voice broke. Il had
no idea Of al this. I have been rough
ing II these eight years; I've been out
I'm the wilds. i'm Australia. India-oh. ev-
erywhere. trying TO forget England and
he memory Of il. and now to come hack
and find her under a cloud, branded 1T IS
borrfble North, and / am either going to
urove her innocent or Die"
He took a step forward, HIS hand out
etretched
"Ij shall come TO you again." he said
'in few weeks. it may be in a few days,
when 7 have found her. If she is guilty.
You will never hear Of me again. II she
IS innocent, ! shall fight for her tooth and
nail. and you'll help me. North?'
Tho two men clasped hands
you know It. said the doctor
A few minutes later. Godfrey stood at
the TOP of the long white steps looking
down into the lighted streets The doctor
stood behind him
4 shall wait for some sign from you"