The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-06-03
Continued From Yesterday

So far, so good, 1 found myself in a
dirty lumber-room. Large pans, some
of them tracked and more of them
broken; empty boxes bound with iron,
of the same sort as those I had seen
the workmen bringing in at the front
gate; old coal sacks; a p~acking-case
full of coke; and a huge, cracked,
mouldy <b~lacksmith's bellows-these
were the principal objects that 1 OBJ
served in the lumber-room The
door leading out of it was open, as 1
had expected it would be, in order to
let the air through the back window
into the house. l took off my shoes,
and stole into the passage. My first
impulse, the moment I locke along it,
was to shut down my lantern-shade,
and listen again.
Still I heard nothing; but at the far
end of the passage I saw a bright light
pouring through the half-opened door
of one of the mysterious front rooms.
L crept softly toward it. A decidedly
chemical smell began to steal into my
nostrils-and, listening again, thought
I heard above me, and in some distant
room, a noise like the low growl of a
large furnace, muffled in some peculiar
manner. Should I retrace my steps in
that direction? No-not till 1 had seen
something of the room with the bright
light, outside of which I was now stand
ing. 1 bent forward softly, looking by
little and little further and further
through the opening of the door, unit
my head and shoulders were fairly in
side the room, and my eyes had con
vinced me that no living soul, sleeping
or waking, was in any part of it at tina
particular moment. Impelled by a fata
curiosity, 1 entered Immediately, and
began to look about me with eager eyes
I saw iron ladies, pans full of white
sand, files with white metal left glitter
ing in their teeth. molds Of plaster of
Paris, bags containing the same ma
terial in powder. a powerful machine
with the name and use of which l was
theoretically not ~unacquainted, white
metal in a partly-fused state, bottles
of aquafortis, dies scattered over a
dresser. crucibles, sandpaper, bars of
metal and edged tools in plenty of the
~strangest construction. 1 was not at all
a scrupulous man, as the reader knows
by this time: but when 1 looked at
these objects and thought of Alicia |
could not for the life of me help shud-
dering. There was not the least doubt
about it, even after the little 1 had seen
the important chemical pursuits to
which DR.. Dulcifer was devoting him
self meant, in plain English and in one
word, coming.
Did Alicia know what I knew now, or
did she only suspect it?
Whichever way / answered hat ques-
tion in my own mind, I could be no
longer at any loss for an explanation
of her behavior in the meadow by the
stream, or of that unnaturally gloomy,
downcast look which o~verspread her
face when her fathers pursuits were the
subject of conversation Did L falter in
my resolution to marry her, now that
1 had discovered what the obstacle was
which a made mystery and w~retched-
ness between us? Certainly not. 1 was
above all p~rejudices. 1 was the least
particular of mankind. I had no family
affection in my way-and, greatest
fact of all, I was in love. Under those
circumstances what rogue of any spirit
would have faltered? After the first
shock of the discovery was over, my
resolution to be Alicia's husband was
settled more firmly than ever.
There was a little round table
in a corner of the room furthest
from the door. which l had not
yet examined. A feverish longing
to look at everything within my
reach-to penetrate to the inner
most recesses of the labyrinth in which
1 had involved myself-consumed me.
I went to the table, and saw upon it,
ranged symmetrically side by side, four
objects which looked like thick rulers
wrapped up in silver paper. 1 opened
the paper at the end of n of the
rulers, and found that it was COM
posed of half-crowns. I had closed the
paper again, and was just raising my
head from the table over which it had
peer bent, when my right cheek came
in contact with something hard and
cold. 1 started back-looked up-and
confronted DR.. Dulcifer, holding a
pistol at my right temple.