Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1912-01-18
The House of the
By ANNA
KATHARINE
GREENE
Copyright 1910.
BY Anna Katharine Rohlfs
CHAPTER XIX.
II AN INNOCENT

<H1s was a direct blow at my
self and Of course called Mr..
Fox to his feet with a mo-
ton to strike out this an
swer. An alteration followed be-
tween him and Mr.. Moffat, which,
deeply as it involved my life and repu-
tation. failed to impress me as it
might otherwise have done If my
whole mind had not been engaged in
reconciling the difficulty about this
ring with what I knew Of Carmel and
the probability which existed Of her
having been responsible for it's re-
moval from her sisters hand. But
Carmel had been i'll since. desperately
i'll and Unconscious. She could have
had nothing to do with its disposal
afterward among the flowers at her
sisters funeral. Nor had she been in
a condition to delegate this act of con
cealment to another. Who. then, had
been the intermediary in this bust
ness?
The point raised by the. district at
torney having been ruled upon and
sustained by the court, Mr.. Moffat
made no effort to carry his inquiries
any further in the direction indicated,
but I could see. with all my inexperi-
ence Of the law and the ways of at
torneys before a jury, that the episode
had produced it's inevitable result and
that my position as a man released
from suspicion had received a shock.
A moments pause followed. during
which some Of Mr.. Moffat's ervous-
ness returned. Then he asked:
"Mr. Cumberland. to return to the
night Of your sisters death, EAR you
tell us what overcoat you put on when
leaving your house,"
Arthur was rs astonished and GER
tainly as disconnected if not as seri-
ously alarmed as I was by this extraor-
binary move.
II cannot. I took down the first l
saw and the first hat"
"Took down? Took down from
where?'
"From the rack in the hall, where
I hang my things, the side hall lead
ing to the door where we usually
go out"
"Have you many coats-overcoats,
I mean?"
"More than one."
"And you do not know which one
you put on on that cold night?"
II do not"
"But you know what one you wore
back?"
mo"
"You do not know what n you
wore back?"
II do not"
"You have seer the hat and coat
which have been shown here and
sworn to as being the ones in which
you appeared on your return to the
house the day following your sisters
murder?"
"I have"
"Also the hat and coat found on
a remote hook in the closet under the
stairs. bearing the flour mark on it's
under brim?"
"Yes. that too"
"Yet cannot say which of these two
overcoats you put on when you left
your home. an hour or so after finish
ing your dinner?"
Trapped by his own lawyer-visibly
and remorselessly trapped! The blood,
shooting suddenly into the astounded
prisoners face. was reflected on the
cheeks of the other lawyers present.
\ but it was a surprise not untinged by
apprehension. Mr.. Moffat must feel
very sure of himself to venture thus
far.
Il cannot. I was in no condition to
notice. I "a bent on going into town
and Immediately upon coming down.
stairs went straight to the rack and
pulled oE the first things that OF
fered."
1t. appeared to be a perfect give.
away. And it was. but it was a give.
away which, l feared, threatened Car.
mel rather than her brother. O.,
mi. Cumberland, were a coat and
hat all that you took from the hallY'
mo; l took a key-a key from the
bunch which l saw lying on the table,"
what key was til"
1T belonged to Mr.. R%anelagh and
was the key to the clubhouse wine
vault"
"Where did you put it after taking
it up?"
I'm my trousers pocket"
"What did you do then?"
"Went out, of course"
"Without seeing anybody"
"Of course. Whom should / see?"
It was angrily said, and the flush,
which had begun to die away, slowly
made its way back into his cheeks.
"Are you willing to repeat that you
saw no one"
There was no one"
A lie! All knew it, all felt it. The
man was %perjuring himself under his
W counsel's persistent questioning
on a point which that counsel had evi
IDENTITY been warned by him to avoid
I was assured of this by the way Moi
fat failed to meet Arthur's eye as be
pressed on hastily and in a way Il