Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1907-08-02
cove before she died?"

IL might De well III MISS van ArS-
dale herself would answer YOU" was
the Inspectors quiet retort. What
you have said may constitute all that
we have against you but it Is not all
we have against her.
gasped, not so much at this seeming
accusation, the motive of which | be-
heved myself to understand. but at
the burning blush with which it was
received by Mr.. Durand.
What do you mean?" he demanded,
with certain odd breaks In his voice.
What can you have against herr"
"a triviality," returned the inspector,
with look in my direction that was,
l felt, not to be mistaken.
IL do not call 1t a triviality," I burst
out. at seems that Mrs. Fairbrother,
for all her elaborate toilet, was found
without gloves on her arms. AS she
certainly wore them on entering the
alcove, the police have naturally been
looking for them. And where do you
think they have found them? Not in
the alcove with her, not In the posses
sion Of the man who undoubtedly car
ried them away with him, but
Il know, 1 know" Mr.. Durand
hoarsely put In. You need not say
any more. Oh, my poor Rita! What
have l brought upon you by my weak
ness?'
"Weaknessv'
He started. l started. My voice was
totally unacceptable.
II should give it another name" l
added coldly.
For moment he seemed to lose
heart, then he lifted his head again and
looked as handsome as when he plead
ed for my hand in the little conserva-
tory.
"You have that right" said he. BE
sides, weakness at such time and
under such an exigency Is little short
Of wrong. II was unmanly in me to
endeavor to secrete these gloves, more
than unmanly for me to choose for
their hiding place the recesses of an
article belonging exclusively to your
self. l acknowledge It, Rita and shall
meet only my just punishment II you
deny me in the future both your sym
pathy and regard. But you must let me
assure you and these gentlemen Also
one OF whom can make it very unpleas-
ant for me, that consideration for you,
much more than any miserable anxiety
about myself, lay at the bottom of
what must strike you all as an act OF
objectionable cowardice.
From the moment / learned OF this
wemans murder in the alcove, where
had visited her, l realized that every
one who had been seen to approach
her within a half hour of her death
would be subjected to a more or less
rigid investigation, and | feared If her
gloves were found in my possession
some special attention might be direct
ed my way which would cause you I'M
merited distress. So, yielding to an
impulse which l now recognize as a
most unwise as wei as unworthy one,
l took advantage of the hustle about us
and of the insenslbility into which you
had fallen to tuck these miserab BILE
gloves into the bag saw lying on the
floor at your side. l do not ask your
pardon. My whole future life shall be
devoted to winning that l simply
wish to state fact"
VERY good" 1t was the inspector
who spoke; could not have uttered a
word to save my life. Perhaps you
will now feel that you owe it to this
young lady to add how you came to
have these gloves in your possession"
Mrs. Fairbrother handed them to
me-"
Handed them to your"
Eyes, l hardly know why myself.
She asked me to take care OF them for
her. 1 know that this must strike you
as a very peculiar statement 1t was
my realization of the unfavorable eff
feet 1t could not fail to produce upon
those who heard 1t which made me
dread any Interrogation on the SUBJ
ject. But l assure you it was as
/ say. She put the gloves into my hand
while l was talking to her. saying they
incommoded her"
And you?"
"Well, | held them for a few mill
utes, then | put them In my pocket,
but quite automatically and without
thinking very much about it, She was
woman accustomed to have her own
way. People seldom questioned it, I
Judge"
Here the tension about my throat re-
Taxed, and | opened my lips to speak.
But the inspector. with a glance of
some authority, forestalled me.
Were the gloves open or rolled up
when she offered them to you?"
They were rolled up"
"Did you see her take them off?"
"Assuredly."
"And roll them up?"
"Certainly."
"After which she passed them over
to your
mot Immediately. She let them lie
in her lap for awhile"
"While you talked?"