The searchlight., 1909-01-08

and he dared run NO risk. But it
must be disposed Of, and SO effectually
that no chance could bring It to light
again.
"Stephen!"
He looked up quickly from the draw
er where that grim thing was. The
desk, piled with books, was between
them, and 1t was impossible that
Olive could see 1t or even the open
drawer; yet he started and instinct
lively made a movement to close Il, as
/ the sound of her voice reached him.
Stephen. what is 1t you are keeping
, from me? Your manner tells me"
Her words ended abruptly.
Some one had come up the garden
path, passing the window hurriedly:
there was loud knock on the door,
startling Olive by its suddenness: she
had not seen the man pass the win
dow. stephen had caught a glimpse Of
the mans figure-Burrow. the verger
of the church. The knock was quick
ly repeated-the urgent, insistent sum-
mons of an impatient or agitated hand.
Why the thought should have in
stinctively flashed across his mind
Stephen could scarcely have told, yet
he was sure that that knock only
meant one thing. 1t was the news at
last that had been three weeks COM
ing-news at last tha tthe dead man
was found. Burrow. when business
brought him to the rectory, usually
went to the side door and knocked In
an almost apologetic way. Only some
thing that had startled him very much
would have made him depart SO far
from his usual rule.
Rat-tat-tat, For a moment heavy
hush OF expectation hung in the room
where the man and the woman were.
, Stephen heard the maid open tho
front door, could hear Burrows voice,
startled and unlike it's usual tones:
rs the master in? | must see him
at once. II he is. 4 terrible discov-
ery's been made"
Stephen leapt to his feet and, not
waiting for the servant TO bring the
message. strobe out quickly into the
hall, shutting the door after him.
On the threshold OF the front door
Burrow was standing. He burst out
excitedly. almost incoherently, In a
! food OF words, as the rector came
towards him:
There's terrible news, parson: l
came at once to tell you. They've
found him lying dead. shot-not sui
eide: the doctor says he couldn't pos.
sibiy have fired the shot himself
half buried In a drift by the Cross
Ways. II was Jim the Carrier made
the discovery: he saw the hand stick
Ing out of the snow. as though the
dead man was pointing! 1t gave him
rare turn; and then when he saw
1t was Mr. Philip Hume. missing these
three weeks"
Hush. mani" cried the rector.
The mans voice was raised excited
ly, and Stephen Ruthen had remem
bered that only a wall and closed
door divided them from Olive. His
warning was too late.
As the exclamation left his lips a
wild cry broke from the room Ste
phen Ruthen had just left. Olive
had heard the words! Olive knew!
! With blanched face he rushed
; back to the study.
Olive had left her seat by the fire;
} perhaps she had risen 10 catch ths
news the verger brought. She wal
! standing by his desk-by that drawer
| that Stephen remembered he has
barely closed.
The drawer was more than half opei
now. and Olive was standing Al
! though turned to stone. with lool
of intense horror frozen on the whit
, face. one hand holding the half-ruste,
weapon. her dilated eyes riveted upol
, IL. as though tho sight of the reyolve
seemed to ilt In with some dream tina
+. had haunted her delirinm.
, Stephen Ruthen caught his breath
I For an instant he thought that tn
memory OF her act had swept bael
on Olive at the hearing of Burrow'
news-at the sight of that weapon
: that her fingers had clasped once be
fcre.
. Her first words undeceiyed him
! the lcok in her face undeceived him
: AZ he paused aghast on the threshold
, Shot-murdered-the man loved.
4 she broke ont. wildly.
Her eyes fastened themselves ol
4 his face: there was suspicion In thei
Q depths mineling with their horror
e The fierce. cleaning eyes were lik
3 an accusation. Shaking all over. Ste
n phcn Ruthcn sprang forward an
= snatched the revolver from her hand
n almost roughly. The action scenes
4 TO confirm the suspicion that her fac
I expressed.
: And you-yon-' she began
n wildly.
I What other words she would hay
D said died on her lips.
She swayed forward. Stephe
e Ruthen caught the fainting woman a
:, she was falling.
y Ito Be continued.l