Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1907-11-01

with full force: HE do this. \ wait
er, or as you think. Mr.. Fairbrothers
steward, to be provided with so hard
to- comedy an article as this counter
part of a great stone? Isn't that al
most as incredible a supposition as
any | have myself presumed to adj
vance,"
POSSIBLY, but the affair is full of in
crediblities, the greatest of which. to
my mind, is the persistence with which
you, a kind hearted enough little wo-
man, persevere in ascribing the deep
est guilt to one you profess to admire
and certainly would be glad to find in
nocent of any completely with great
crime"
felt that | must justify myself.
"Mr. Durand has had no such con-
sideration shown him." said l.
II know. my child l know: but the
cases differ. Wouldn't it be we'll for
you to see this and be satisfied with
the turn which things have taken with
out continuing to insist upon involv-
ing Mr. Grey in your suspicions?'
A smile took off the edge of this re-
Duke, yet l felt it keenly, and only the
confidence l had in his fairness as a
man and public official enabled me to
say:
But l am talking quite confidential
iy. And you have been so good to me,
90 willing to listen to all | had to
say, that l cannot help but speak
my whole mind. 1t Is my only safety
valve. Remember how | have to sit in
the presence of this man with my
thoughts all choked up. 1t Is killing
me. But think l should go back con-
tent If you will listen to one more sug-
gestion have to make. 1t IS my last"
Say 1t. am nothing II not indul-
gent"
He had spoken the word. Indulgent,
that was 1t. He let me speak, prob
ably had let me speak from the first,
from pure kindness. He did not be-
lieve one little bit in my good sense or
logic But | was not to be deferred.
l would empty my mind of the ugly
thing that lay there would leave
there no miserable dregs of doubt to
ferment and work their evil way with
me in the dead watches of the night
which had yet to face. So | took
him at his word.
81 only want to ask this. In case
Sears is innocent of the crime. who
wrote the warning and where did the
assassin get the stiletto with the Grey
arms chased into its handle? And the
diamond? Still the diamond. You
hint that he stole that too. That with
some idea Of its proving useful to him
on this gala OCCASION he had provided
himself with an imitation stone, setting
and all-he who has never shown, so
far as we have heard, any interest in
Mrs. Fairbrother's diamond. only in
Mrs. Fairbrother herself. If Welgood
Is Sears and Sears the medium by
which the false stone was exchanged
for the real. then he made this ex-
change in Mr.. Greys interests and in
his own. But | don't believe he has
anything to do with it. think every
thing goes to show that the exchange
was made by Mr.. Gray himself"
"A second Daniel" muttered the in
spe ctOr lightly. $50 on, little lawyer.
but. Tor all TINS attempt at banter OF
his part. imagined that | saw the be
ginning of very natural anxiety t,
close the conversation. therefore
fastened with what l had yet to say
cutting my words short and almost
stammering in my eagerness.
Remember the perfection of that i'm
itation stone, copy so exact that II
extends to the setting. That shown
| rnan-forpive me if | reDeat myself
preparation. a knowledge of stones. &
particular knowledge of this one. Mr.
Fairbrother's steward may have ha,