Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-06-21

| a ring OF smoke into the ar nc H1-
sumed an air Of portentous gravity.
"she ought to have told you VINO that
man was" he said.
Maud put up a warning hand. Under
stand" she cried sharply, II wish 70
hear nothing to Captain Arrols dis
credit ! shouldn't believe II, for one
thing And / don't care what he did"
she added dehantly, only" her voice
faltered.
Huron shook his head sadly You will
| have 10 be told and at once" he said; /;
| you must not meet that man again."
mot meet him agaln" The Juno Of
| the South Kensington square was now
as white as her prototype in the British
Museum
mot IL you have any respect for your
fathers memory"
She looked lntently into the mans face.
A horrible suspicion flashed upon her.
The man she loved might years before
have loved her mother.
Gilbert Huron considered her thought
fully, then walked back 70 the window
and looked out across the square. lie was
wondering whether he had been wise In
making his disclosure in this way
What exactly do you know OF the cir
cumstances Of your fathers death?' he
asked tentatively.
"I understand that he was found shot In
his study at Portsmouth whllo 1 was at
school, 1 WAS only at the time, as you
know, and, OF course. II wasn't till long
after that 1 was told how he died. He
was found by his secretary, wasn't her
And the man was charged with the MUIR
der, but acquitted They never found tho
real murderer That Ia all there is to
know about It, isn't it7"
There was an anxious ring In her voice.
Huron pulled ct the ends Of his white
mustache and seemed loath to speak.
His hesitation chafed her. do tell me-
she pleaded.
well" he said, with n show Of reluct- |
ance. the man charged with the crime |
was no other than your friend, Captain |
Arrol."
Maud stared blanlSly at the man as he
half turned to face her. Then she gave
little startled, gasping cry. "I don't be-
lieve III" she cried.
"It is true all the same" asserted
Huron. Struggling his shoulders. II don't
fancy he will deny It. He has not troubled
TO change his name"
Maud sat almost stunned. It was not
the revelation she had somehow expected,
and she hardly knew as yet whether she
was relieved or not. She threw back her ,
head delantly. well, what does It mat
ter? He was acquitted. l don't think
you have any right to throw this up
against him."
Gilbert Huron with studied deliberation
knocked the ash from his cigarette into
the tray at his elbow. you haven't got
1t quite right" he said slowly. 'He was
not acquitted He was put on his trial
twice. On both occasions tho jury dis
agreed. The third time the Crown en-
tered what Is called 'nolle prosecute
they dropped the prosecution. Martin
Arrol escaped by the skin OF his teeth,
but his innocence was never established.
1 m not sure that the prosecution couldn't
be revived If the Crown so chose"
Maud slipped off her perch and con-
fronted her mothers friend. "But-gra-
clous Heavens!-you don't mean to tel!
me that you believe that Captain Arrcl
my father"
Huron looked hard at his cigarette as
though in search OF counsel. II have no
right to express an opinion one way or
another" he said. According to law,
every man Is innocent till he is proved
guilty. He was proved guilty, as have
been assured, to the satisfaction of IL
out OF 12 jurymen. The 18th held out
and saved his neck" He raised his eye
orows incredulously. HE may have been
right and the IL wrong" Maud stood ir-
half way between tho table and
the window, her gaze fixed on a point
n the carpet Her world had turned sud
lenly upside down. Arrol, the generous,
Sindly sailor, the man who had kissed her
lps the night before, the slayer Of her
'ather2 Impossible. monstrousl
She threw back her head proudly "You
say the jury disagreed twice." she re-
minded him at seems to me that there
must have been a pretty strong doubt
Ibout his guilt And mother, she
doesn't believe 1t. ="
Jaw her shake hands with him; she was
willing that he should lunch with u.s.
Why should you believe him to be
suilty?"
II did not say I did"-Huron's manner
vas patlent-'I merely stated the facts.
{ seemed to me that you Of all persons
'ught to be made aware of them. / con-
vent so far as to shake hands with him.
'he must have been taken by surprise, l
why shouldn't she shake hands with
im?" demanded Miss Plessey, am
mlnous light In her eyes.
Mr.. Huron nimbly ficked the end OF
us cigarette out OF the window. For
he reasons I have adduced," he replied.
so long MS any doubt remains about
hat mans responsibility for your
atheTs death, 1 cannot understand how
ou or your mother can endure his pres
nee. 1t seems to me unnatural, that's
The man put his hands In his pockets
nd began to pace up and down the
oom.
Maud flushed beneath the implied
aunt "And 1t seems to me grossly un-
air." she retorted hotly. "to condemn
man for crime of which they tried
vain to prove him guilty. Supposlng
ou had been accused Of the crime?"
III" Huron started and stared at her.
What had TO do with it?"
Nothing, I presume but supposing
nme one had made up case against
ou and that through some accident you
lere not able TO rebut the evidence abso-