Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1909-10-07
CHAPTER xLl-Continued

LathOm slipped out or the GROUNDS
Of the Grange, and walked down the
road away from Lendal. He had de-
termined to give himself up to the
police, but not till he had seen Hilda.
From the town to which he walked he
could not get a train till the next
morning; and it was early in the after
noon before he reached the rectory,
after making his way across fields and
lanes from a railway station some dis
lance from Wildfell. AS it was, even
on this devious route he met more
than one person who recognized him
lin evident amazement.
He had made his way to the back
of the rectory, and almost caused old
Martha, the servant, to have tit at
the sight of him.
But to come in broad daylight. Mr..
Jack-and the superintendent of police
from Fellsgarth here at this blessed
moment in the masters bedroom"
she cried.
She thought he must have taken
leave of his senses to be SO rash, as
she led him inside and went to tell
Hi1da.
'You mustn't look so scared, sweet
heart" he said reassuringly, as he
caught the girl in his arms. I'm tired
of this game of hide and seek; and I'm
going presently to interview the SUI
perintendent, who, Martha tells me, is
upstairs-give myself up. You see,
the revolver was virtually the only
bit of bad evidence against me; and
now that Stephen can prove it was
not my revolver that fired the shot
we'll, there can't be much case against
me. Dearest, be sure the time is not
far off when l can come to you free
man-free to claim fulfilment of your
prOmisei"
Upstairs the police-superintende
was closeted with Stephen Ruthen.
The rector's return to convalescence
had been slow and tedious; but at
last the doctor had reluctantly per-
mitted this interview, for which the
police were impatient.
"Of course we couldn't act on your
confession until we had confederation
of it from your lips" the official said.
I'm glad you made a clean breast of
it at last; and of course we shall shield
you all we can. But you know, par
son, you might have found yourself
in very awkward position" he add
ed, not unsympathetically. Even
chivalry has to take back seat where
the law is concerned.
your written statement, even
though our hands were tied, was valu-
able, coming when it did. Things have
been moving in other directions, too
For one thing, we've traced the man
who asked for Mr.. Hume under the
name of Carr the night before the
crime He's racing tout, and / don't
mind admitting we have Mr.. Thornton
We've got some valuable information
from him. He went to see the dead
man on the night of the murder: he
was up to bit of blackmail, I fancy
anyhow, he surprised Philip Hume
and Bonholt in violent quarrel that
proved bad blood existed between
them.
Then, this morning we had a tele-
gram from Miss Vanstone herself.
won't go into details-but at once, on
hearing her news, we communicated
with Scotland Yard; the Yard sent
down a man to interview her. Her
statement corroborates your story.
The shock had driven the memory out
of her mind; then last night, to put
it in nutshell, another shock brought
it all back to her; and she's ready to
swear on oath that she caught a
glimpse of Bonholt Hume's face that
night on the scene of the crime. And
then, too, there's the evidence of the
revolver"
He paused an instant.
"And above ALL" he went on, eve
arrested his man servant, Matthew
Bland, early this morning in Liver
pool, on the point Of making bolt
fol it under another name. We have
reason to believe this man knows
something, and Bonholt Hume, taking
alarm, was trying to smuggle him out
of England. We got wind of his in
tention in time-and the police have
"a long arm Altogether l think we've
got a pretty strong web of evidence,
parson, woven round Mr.. Bonholt
Humei"
And almost as the words were on
his lips Lathom entered the room.
"Well, superintendent" he said,
"here am to give myself up"
"Of course, you'll have to come back
with me to the station, Mr.. Lathom,"
the superintendent was saying; "but
we'll make you as comfortable as we
can under the circumstances. You've
done the wisest thing-after leading
us a pretty dance! | don't mind tell
ing you, Mr.. Lathom, that in view of
facts recently come to our knowledge
there's very little evidence against
you; and at the assizes-lucky for
you they open next Monday-it will be
animated that the police do not wish
to proceed in your case, and the grand
jury will throw out the bill. You'll
he free man within a week, Mr..
Lathom, And, confidentially, we hope
to have our hands on the guilty man
before tomorrow morning"
CHAPTER XIII.