The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1913-02-15
CHAPTER X.-Continucd.

Very briefly she explained that she
had seen the professor that morning,
and had laid before him the original
letter and my copies of the others,
and that he had kindly promised to
make careful study OF them and ac-
quaint her with the result later in the
day. She thought it better. however
that | should call upon him for his
conclusions. she said, as they would
probably be verbal, and she doubted
her own ability TO convey them to me
with entire accuracy. or course she
had told him nothing as to the clrcum-
stances surrounding the letters. As
they bore no dates. and were unad-
dressed. she had him to infer that
they were autographic curiosities be
longing to her uncle. in which we
were all three Interested.
had met Professor Griffin on sew
eral occasions. Once or twice he had
contributed articles to The Week, and
while we were scarcely intimate we
were on terms of friendly acquaint-
anceship. He was an oldish, white
haired gentleman. of rather the ascot
&c type. with long, somewhat peaked
face, and light. watery blue eyes,
which seemed to bulge behind the
strong lenses OF his gold-bowed spec
taeles
He received me in his study. a spa
cious. book-lined room on the second
floor OF his old Colonial stone house.
Il have been deeply interested, Mr.
Clyde" he began. in the autographs
and copies which Miss Grayson
brought to me. They are unique speci-
mems OF English composition. in that
the Oriental influence is so clearly
demonstrated throughout. Do you.
by any chance, know where Mr.. Cam
eron obtained them?"
l was hardly prepared for this ques-
ton, but | answered as promptly as
possible that they had recently come
into my friends possession, | be-
neved, but from just what source l
had not learned.
The three sheets lay before him on
the writing-shelf OF his old-fa shioned
mahogany secretary; and now he took
up one OF the copies. holding 1t at
some distance from his eyes, as
though his glasses. thick a 8 they were,
We're not as powerful as his sight re-
Quired.
The three writings" he went on,
in the tone of a classroom lecturer,
evidently form series. OF which. l
take it. this is the first"
The one which says, Take warning
OF what shall happen on the seventh
day." l queried.
Yes. That is the first. The other
OF the copies. In which occurs the
phrase once more, is. of course. the
second. And the original autograph
Is the last"
Exactly" I agreed. 1t seemed to
me that all this was very obvious. but
In courtesy l could not say so.
"All three" he continued sagely,
''begin. as you must have observed.
with the same sentence. That which
you have wrought shall in turn be
wrought upon you That is quota
ton
"A quotation." l exclaimed, in sur
prise.
"A quotation from Mencius, the
great expositor of Confucius, who
lived B. C. 372 to 2s9. In the origi.
nal, word meaning Beware pre-
cedes the warning. and a more literal
translation Of the passage would be:
Beware! What proceeds from you
will return to you again."
It seemed to me this was taking a
great deal for granted. l feared that
the professor. like many savants who
specialize, was straining the fact to
fit his theory. but he very promptly
disabused me.
The supposition that the words are
q paraphrase Of Mencius." he ex.
planned, would not be tenable. per
haps-the idea Is not anomalous
v<re u nox that We and running