Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1916-01-12

hesitated-the dinner-gong went on IN
the hall outside the door! I remem-
Der watching the thing on the floor
to see if it would move.
"Then l lost my head-absolutely.
turned the key in the door, to give
myself a few seconds grace or start;
it reminded me of the keys in my
hands. One of them was one of those
little round bramah keys. 1t seemed
familiar to me even after so many
! years. I looked up, and there was my
fathers Michael Angelo closet, with
it's little, round bramah keyhole.
opened it as the outer door was
knocked at and then tried. But my
mad instinct OF altering every pos
sible appearance, to mislead the po-
lice, stuck to me to the last. And
took the mans watch and chain into
the closet with me, as well as the
cap and truncheon that had picked
up before.
II don't know how long was above
| ground, so to speak, but one Of my
fathers objects had been to make his
retreat sound-tight, and could scarce
ly hear what was going on in the room.
That encouraged me; and two Of you
don't need telling how I got out
through the foundations, because you
| know all about the hole I made my
| self as a boy in the floor under the
oilcloth. It took some finding with
single matches; but the fear of your
neck gives you eyes in your finger.
ends, and gimlets, too, by Jove! The
worst part was getting out at the
other end, into the cellars; there were
heaps of empty bottles to move, one
by one, before there was room to open
the manhole door and to squirm out
over the slab; and thought they rang
like q peal of bells, but put them
all back again, and apparently :. {.
nobody overheard in the scullery.
"The big dog barked at me like
blazes-he did again the other day
but nobody seemed to bsar him either.
I got to my boat, tipped fellow on
the towing path to take 1t back and
pay for it-why haven't the police got
hold Of him?-and ran down to the
bridge over the weir. stopped big
car with q smart shaver smoking his
pipe at the wheel. should have
thought he'd have come forward for
the reward that was put up; but pre-
tended was late for dinner had In
town. and let him drop me at the
Grand Hotel. He cost me flyer, but
had on a waistcoat lined with notes,
and I'd more than five minutes In hand
at Charing Cross. If you want to
know, it was the time in hand that
gave me the whole idea of doubling
back to Genoa; 4 must have been half
way up to town before l thought Of
it," " ~. {, TT ~
He had told the whole thing as he
always could tell an actual expert
ence; that was one reason why it gang
SO true to one listener at every point.
But the sick mans sunken eyes had
advanced from their sockets In cumu-
lative amazement. And Hilton Toye
laughed shortly when the end was
reached.
'You figure some on our credulity!"
was his first comment.
Il don't figure on anything from
you. Toye, except q pair OF handouts
a. . first installment!"
Toye rose In prompt acceptance Of
tho challenge. Seriously, Cazalet,
you ask US to believe that you did all
this to screen q man you didn't have
time to recognize?"
tT've told you the facts"
''Well. guess you'd better tell
them to the police" Toye took his
hat and stick. Scruton was struggling
from his chair. Blanche stood petri-
fed, q dove under serpent's spell, as
Toye made her a sardonic bow from
the landing door. "You broke your
side Of the contract, Miss Blanche!
guess it's up to me to complete"
"Wait!"
1t was Scruton's raven croak; he
had tottered to his feet.
"Sure," said Toye, III you've any.
thing you want to say as an interested
party"
"Only this-he's told the truth"
well, can he prove it,"
IT don't know" said Scruton. But !
I CAM"
"You?" Blanche chimed in there.
Eyes, I'd like that drink first, II you
don't mind, Cazalet." It was Blanche
who got it for him, in an instant.
"Thank you! I'd say more if my bless
ing was worth having-but here's
something that is. Listen to this, you
American gentleman: was the man
who wrote to him in Naples. Leave |
it at that a minute; 1t was my second
letter to him; the first was to Austria
liza, in answer to one from him. It
was the full history of my downfall. I
got a warder to smuggle it out. That
letter was my one chance"
II know it by heart" said Cazalet
1T was that and nothing else that
made me leave before the shearing."
ITO meet me when l came QUIT"
Scruton explained in a hoarse whisper.
"To-to keep me from going straight |
to that man, as I'd told him I should |
in my first letter! But you can't hit |
these things off to the day or the !
week; he'd told me where to write |
to him on his voyage, and I wrote to
Naples, but that letter did not get |
smuggled out. My warder friend had