Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1907-09-05


ence seemed 10 some degree to comprO-
mise me-
Soon prepared for my departure, l
was crossing the hall to tile small door
communicating with the side staircase
where my uncle had promised to await
me, when l felt myself seized by
desire to have another look below be-
fore leaving the place in which were
conferred all my deepest interests.
A wide landing, breaking up the
main flight OF stairs some few feet
from the top offered me an admirable
point Of view. With but little thought
Of possible consequences and no thought
at all of my poor, patient uncle, l
slipped down to this landing and, pro-
tected by the unusual height Of its
balustrade, allowed myself parting
glance at the scene with which my
most poignant memories were hence
forth to be connected
Before me lay the large square Of the
central hall. Opening out from this
was the corridor leading to the front
door and incidentally to the library.
As my glance ran down this corridor
beheld approaching from the room
just mentioned the tall figure of the
Englishman.
He halted rs he reached the main
hall and stood gazing eagerly at
group of men and women clustered
near the fireplace, a group on which I
no sooner cast my own eye than my
attention also became fixed.
The inspector had come from the
room where had left him with Mr..
Durand and was showing to these peo-
pie the extraordinary diamond, which
he had just recovered under such re-
markable @if not suspicious circum-
stances. Young heads and old were
meeting over it. and / was straining
my ears to hear such comments as
were audible above the general hub
bub, when Mr.. Grey made a quick
move, and / looked his way again in
time to mark his air of concern and the
uncertainty he showed whether to ad-
vance or retreat
Unconscious of my watchful eye and
noting no doubt that most of the per-
sons in the group on which his own eye
was leveled stood with their backs to-
ward him, he made no effort to dis
guise his profound interest in the stone.
Els eye followed its passage from hand
to hand with covetous eagerness of
which he may not have been aware,
and was not at all surprised when,
after a short interval of troubled indie
cision, he impulsively stepped forward
and begged the privilege Of handling
the gem himself.
Our host, who stood not far from the
inspector. said something to that gen.
tleman which led to this request being
complied with. The stone was passed
over to Mr.. Grey, and l saw, possibly
because my heart was In my. eyes,
that the great mans hand trembled
as It touched his palm. Indeed, his
whole frame trembled, and l was
looking eagerly for the result of his
inspection when, on his turning to hold
the jewel up TO the light, something
happened so abnormal and so strange
that no one who was fortunate Tor I'M
Fortunately enough to be present In the
house at that instant will ever forget
it.
This something was a cry, coming
from no one knew where, which, un-
earthly in its shrillness and the power
It had on the Imagination, reverber0ted
through the house and died away In a
wall so weird, so thrilling and SO pro-
longed that 1t gripped not only my own
nerveless and weakened heart, but
those of the ten strong men congre-
gated below me. The diamond
dropped from Mr.. Grey's hand, and
neither he nor any one else moved to
pick it up. Not till silence had come
again-a silence almost as uncomfortable
to the sensitive ear as the cry which
had preceded it--did any one stir or
think Of the gem. Then one gentle
man after another bent to look for it,
but with no success, till one of the
walters, who possibly had followed it
with his eye Or caught sight of its
sparkle on the edge of the rug, whittier
1t had rolled, sprang and picked it up
and handed 1t back to Mr.. Gray.
Instipctively the Engllshman's hand
closed on 1t, but 1t was very evident
TO me, and think to all, that his In
.terest In it was gone. II he looked at
It he did not see ii, for he stood like
one stunned all the time that agitated
men and women were running hither
and thither in unavailing efforts to To-
cate the sound yet ringing in their
ears. Not till these various searchers
had all come together again, in terror
Of mystery they could not solve, did
he let his hand fall and himself awake
to the scene about him.
The words be at once gave utterance
20 were as remarkable as all the rest.
'GenIemsn." said he, ''you mus
pardon my agitation. This cy-yOl
need not seek its source-is one Il
which am only too well accustomed
/ have been the happy father Of ST.
children. Five have buried. and be
fora fha daafh NJ zach fhia Same orr