The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-06-03
BY WILKIE COLLINS.

0 - AAdaC LII tAAAIS AlhG q sup
preston of facts on my part a des-
p%erately dangerous experiment.
You wanted to see what 1 was about
up here, did your" said he, when 1 had
ended my confession. do you knoW?'
The pistol barrel touched my cheek
as he said the last words. / thought OF
all suspicious objects scattered about
the room, of the probability that he
was only putting the question to try
my courage, of the very likely chance
that he would shoot me forthwith. If
1 began to prevaricate. I thought OF
these things, and boldly answered.:
Eyes, 1 do know"
He looked at me re~flectively; then
said in low, thoughtful tones. speaking,
not to me. but entirely to himself:
Suppose 1 shoot him?'
1 saw in his eye, that if 1 fniched, he
would draw the trigger.
Suppose you trust me?" I said,
without moving a muscle.
Il trusted you, as an honest man,
downstairs. and I find you, like a thief,
up here" returned the doctor, with u
self-satisfied smile at the neatness of
his own retort. NO. he continued,
relapsing into %soliloquy; there is risk
every way: but the least risk perhaps
is to shoot him."
Wrong" said 1. "There are re1a-
tions of mine who nave a pecuniary in
terest in my life. I am the main con-
dition of a contingent reversion In
their favor. If I am missed, I h a be
inquired after" I have wondered since
at my own GOODNESS in the face of the
Doctors pistol; but my life depended on
my keeping my self-possession, and the
desperate nature of the situation lent
me a desperate courage.
How do I know you are not lying?"
he asked.
"Have I not spoken the truth.
hitherto?"
, Those words made him hesitate. He
lowered the pistol to his side. I began
r to breathe freely.
t Trust me-" I repeated. "1f you
r don't believe I would hold my tongue
about what I have seen here, for your
y sake, you may be certain that 1 would
y for
For my daughters" he i~nterposed,
with a sarcastic smile.
a I bowed with all imaginable cor
If diality. The doctor waved his pistol
IN in the air con~temptuously.
N There are two ways of making you
Mt hold your tongue" he said. 1.-THE first
d. is shooting you; the second is making
by a felon of you. On consideration, after
~ Nllh EO0 AAL 68ASf NAAC A11@N -
til case seems about equal. I am natural
n ly a humane man; our family have
n done me no injury; 1 will not be the
ng cause of their losing money; l won't
at take your life, I'll have your charac-
ter. We are all felons on this floor of
I'd the house. You la come among us
IS. you shall be one of us. Ring that
tie BELL"
r He pointed with the pistol to a bell
81 handle behind me. I pulled it in silence.
IF you utter one word in contradict
ton of anything / say when my work.
men come into the room" said the doc
tor, unlocking his pistol as soon as I
had rung the bell, 81 shall change my
a mind about leaving YOU life and TAX
ing your character. Remember that,
lie n keep a guard on your tongue"
IL h door opened and four men en-
rs tered. One was an old man whom I
had not seen before; in the other three
| I recognized the w~orkman-lilSe foot
/ man, and the two sinister artisans
whom l had met at the house-gate.
n They all started, guiltily enough, at
seeing me.
Let me introduce you," said the doc
tor, taking me by the arm. "Old File
and Young File, Mill and Screw-Mr.
Frank Softly. We nave nicknames in
llHlS WOTkStlODy MI. guilty. QSlANCQ AAt
morously from our professional tools
and machinery. When you have been
n here long enough. you will get a nick
name, too. Gentlemen" he continued,
turning to the workmen, "this is a new
recruit, with a knowledge of chemistry
which will be useful to us. He is per-
n fectly well aware that the nature of our
vocation makes us suspicious of all
newcomers, and he, therefore, desires to
= Civ you practical proof that he is TO
be depended on, by making half a
crown Immediately, and sending the
y same up, along with our handiworK,
It directed in his W handwriting, to our
estimable correspondents in London
When you have all seen him do his
of his own free will and thereby put his
Y own life as completely within the power
S of the law as we ave put ours. you
will know hat he is really onA of US,
G and will be under no a~pprehensions for
It the future. Take great pains with him,
It and as soon as he turns out a tolerably
g neat article, from the simple fiatted
Y plates, under your inspection, let me
know. 1 shall take a few hours repose
h on my camp-bed in the study, and shall
be found there whenever you want me-
He nodded to us all round in the most
r friendly manner and left the room.
s 1 looked with considerable secret dis
d trust at the four gentlemen who were
e to instruct me in the art of making
false coin. Young File was the work.
e man-like footman, Old File was his
Y father, Mill and Screw were the tvs
d sinister artisans. The man of the COM
e pany whose looks l liked least was
d Screw. He had wicked little twinkling
d eyes-and they followed me about
a treacherously whenever L moved. You
and L, Screw, are likely to quarrel" 1
thought to myself, as l tried vainly to
stare him out of countenance.
1 entered on my new and felonious
functions forthwith. Resistance was
useless, and calling for help would have
2 been sheer insanity. 1t was midnight;
and, even supposing the windowshad not
been barred, the house was a mile from
any human habitation. Accordingly, |
l abandoned myself to fate with my usual
! magnanimity. Only let me end in win
= ming Alicia, and l am resigned to the
u loss of whatever small shreds and
u patches of responsibility still hang
about me-such was my philosophy.
u ITO BE Continued TOmOrrOw)