The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1908-05-26


How could she write, not knowing
where you were? There are several
of your letters now at the Poste
Restante at Goucy"
"But / wrote to her twice, both to
her and my uncle in Liverpool. My
letters to Toh told her everything.
do not understand it.
What can have become of them?
Poor Tola has not had one line from
you. The suspense has been very
great.
"And you came in search of me in
consequence? How good you are,
Irvine. I will make close inquiries
about the letters. 1t is most extra
ordinary"
Nov, tell me first, Arthur, what
is your position here?"
I'VE have been battling for life
and death, said Arthur. "The strug-
gle has been terrible, and we have
had a terror of worse than death !"
He shuddered slightly. But it is
over now"
THANK God!" said Irvine, earnest
ly. Have you been allowed to be
with herr"
"Yes. She is not in the hospital,
but in private apartments, and I'M
der the charge, not only of the nurs-
ing sisters, but of DR.. Simon's wife,
a good, kind woman, who has been
like mother to us both. Now she
sits up; she is very weak, but is get
ting well, and l am allowed to be
there frequently"
Mr.. Irvine, looking more closely
at his friend, saw in his face traces
of long-continued fatigue. He had
grown very thin, and looked white
and tired
"You have had a dreadful time of
it," he repeated, and Arthur nodded.
"She will be too tired to see you
just now" he said presently; "but
tomorrow you must come. Mean
while, we may as we'll go back to the
hotel and make inquiries about the
letters"
They made the closest investiga-
ton, and after time the truth came
out. Arthur had employed a boy
from the hotel to post his letters who
had long been suspected of petty dis
honesty. He had regularly cut off
the stamps, and posted the letters
down grating, where he thought
they would never be discovered, and
as no inquiries were made, and no
trouble came of it, he went on doing
so with impunity.
Il can scarcely regret it," said
Arthur, "since the result has been
such a proof of friendship as your
coming out in search of me"
The next day he took his friend to
visit Antoinette. They found her ly-
ing on a sofa in the apartment of
the hospital that belonged to DR..
Simon's wife, and Mr.. Irvine, when
his eyes rested first upon her, thought
that he had never seen a creature so
fragile and so fair. Her face was
still white, and so delicate that the
pink color rose and died away at
every movement. Her little hands
seemed almost transparent, but the
great, glorious, grey eyes, which fol-
lowed Arthur's every movement with
loving, clinging pride, showed him
that love and life were strong within
her.
The good, fat doctors wife took
him aside and said to him, with tears
in her honest eyes: "Ah, Monsieur,
it is only his love that has kept her
alive; he has nursed her like a
mother, and tries to fulfil every wish
she has. May only my Victor turn
out as good young man as he is,
and in all ways resemble him"
AS Victor was a small youth, with
large shaven black head, and loose
ly hanging limbs, Mr.. Irvine could not
help thinking that the wish was de-
cidedly sanguine.
That evening Arthur told his
friend the substance of Paul Leduc 5
confession. His name was, of course,
like all else, part of his imposture
He was a well known Paris sharper,
on whose track the police of both
London and Paris had long been. He
had long had his eye on Monsieur
Rigaud, whose transactions had re-
sembled those o. the ostrich, when
hiding her head in bush she i'm
AGNES herself to be hidden from her
enemies. With a view to watching
his proceedings he had travelled with
him and Arthur Denstone from Lon
don to Southampton, disguised in a
1, e..
Arthur presence, he might even
then have succeeded in his purpose;
but an accidental turn of the con-
versation gave him just the clew he
wanted, and 1t became comparatively
easy to personate nephew who had
never existed. The supposed Paul
Leduc almost pathetically protested
that he never meant to murder the
old man. but owing to his extra
ordinary passion for his diamonds he
was obliged to do SO in order to get
possession of them. The deed was
done in daylight, before the arrival
of Mademoiselle Rigaud and Arthur
Denstone; and in a carefully chosen
moment, while the old servants were
making their scanty meal, he had re-
moved the treasure to place long
chosen and prepared for it's recep-
ton, meaning to return when all was
blown over to take it away with him.
But before he had long left the place
a strange terror came upon him, and
he determined at once to fly to Bor-
deaux and remain there hidden till