The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1908-12-29
CHAPTER XXI
IN DEAD OF NIGHT.


IN DEAD OF NIGHT.
l could feel that my consterna-
ton at this news was an open book
o Herzog, which he was reading
without the slightest attempt at
3oncealment. Strangely enough,
searching as was his scrutiny of
me, it had in it rather pity than
menace.
Seeing that l was incapable of
nothing but an incoherent exclama-
ton, he turned to the garrulous
landlady. II presume that the col
onel thinks the first telegram was
a bogus one, sent by some miscre-
ant in Miss Chilmark's name?" he
said.
That's exactly what the poor old
gentleman does think, SIR" Mrs.
france replied. "She may have
been made away with, up In that
wicked town, and then the person
that did it sent the telegram to
keep the colonel quiet and prevent
inquiries for some days"
"Humph, that's one way Of look
ing at it, but there is another" Her
zog grunted, and then he added
after a pause: See here, Mrs.
France, it is a privilege to help
people who cannot help themselves,
Convey my compliments to Colonel
Chilmark, and say that l have had
some experience of this kind of
case, and that shall be pleased to
place it at his disposal if he would
like to see me-"
The landlady sped across the
passage, and was back Immediately
with Colonel Chilmark's grateful
compliments, and he would be glad
to avail himself of "Dr. Barrable's"
kind offer.
Herzog left the room. and after a
vain attempt to discuss the matter
with me. Mrs. Krance also de-
parted. Left alone, had to bring
all my manhood into play to keep
from breaking down utterly. That
Roger Marske was the author of
the telegram received yb Colonel
Chilmark in the morning was to me
self evident. That, without hand
ing myself over to the hangman, l
could not make 1t evident to any
one else was my dilemma. That
Marske had fallen foul of Janet on
her quest, sent the telegram to
defer inquiry, and hurried back to
the Isle of Wight in order to prove
an alibi If necessary, seemed be-
yond question.
Yet, with this we'll founded thesis
to work from-a clew which vii
lage policeman could not have
missed was powerless to move a
finger, unless l gave myself up to
Justice. And if l did that, well, I
knew that the word of convicted
and escaped felon would not weigh
for a single instant against that of
man in Marshes position-the
son of the chancellor Of the ex-
chequer and the guest of the prime
minister. My story would be set
down at once as an impudent fabri-
cation, without even the recon-
mendation of being plausible; be-
sides which, as the day fixed for
my execution was already past, 1t
was very doubtful of should get a
chance to tell my story to anyone
in authority. AS condemned pris-
oner | was already dead in the eye
Of the law, and should go straight
to my doom without hearing.
An appeal to my kind sympa-
thizer, Lady Muriel, would fare no
better, for with all the will in the
world, she would be impotent to
help me, unless she could show
grounds for suspecting Roger
| Marske, and that she could not do
unless / could be produced as her
authority. Then. again. in the alb
sence of any light Janet might have
thrown on the matter, there would
be nothing but the unsupported &C.
cusation of a condemned convict
against highly placed gentleman.
could see no way out of it. De-
spair, for myself little. for the
girl who had gone forth to fight for
me whole ocean, hedged me in
on every side. l was wishing my
self dead, when telegraph boy
appeared at the garden gate. A
minute later Mrs Krance entered
with a message for Herzog.
AS he read 1t he drew long
breath. From the brief time he
took ocer the perusal !. guessed
that the message. unlike the others
which he had been receiving, was
not in cypher. In his treatment OF
1t, too, | noticed n difference. The
cypher kilograms he had instantly
destroyed by tearing them into in
Hnitcsimal fragments or burning
them In the CRATE. This one he
carefully folded and put 1t away In
his pocketbook. sRr
Gro be continued)