The spectator., 1922-05-23

| NuSSdQulIn FeluONeu the dinner ana brought Alan q dessert. He returned to stand in the place across the table that Alan had assigned to him, and | stood looking down at Alan, steadily and thoughtfully.
 Do look like any one you ever saw before, Judah?" Alan inquired of him. "No."
 ''Is that what you are thinking?' That Is what I was thinking. Will coffee be served In the library, Alan?" Alan crossed to the library and seat ed himself in the chair where his fla saquam brought him the single small cup of coffee, lit the spirit lamp on the smoking stand and moved that over; then he went away When he had finished his coffee, Alan went into the smaller connecting room and re- commenced his examination of the drawers under the bookShelves. At ten o'clock, Alan stopped his search and went back to the chair in the H. brary. He doZed; for he awoke with start and a feeling that some one had been bending over him, and gazed up into Wassaquam's face. The In dian had been scrutinizing him with intent, anxious inquiry. He moved away, but Alan called him back.
 "When MT. Corvet disappeared, Ju- dah. you went to look for him up at Manistique, where he was born-at least Mir. Shefrill said that was where you went. Why did you think you might find him there?" Alan asked.
 Tn the end, think, man maybe goes back to the place where he be- gan. That's all, Alan"
 'In the end What do you mean by that? What do you think has become of Mir Corvet?"
 'I think now-Ben's dead"
 What makes you think that?"
 Nothing makes me think I think 1t myself"
 "I see. You mean you have no req son more than others for thinking 1t but that is what you believe"
 Yes" Wassaquam went away, and Alan heard him on the back stairs, as- cending to his room.
 When Alan went up to his own room, after making the rounds to see that the house was locked, droning chant came to him from the third floor. He paused in the hall and listened, then went up to the floor above. A flickering light came to him through the half-open door of a room at the front of the house; he went a little way toward 1t and looked in. Two thick candles were burning before a crucifix, below which the Indian knelt. prayer book in hand and rocking to and fro as he droned his supplica- tions.
 A word or two came to Alan, but without them Wassaquam's occupation was plain; he was praying for the re- pose of the dead-the Catholic chant taught to him, as 1t had been taught undoubtedly to his fathers. by the French Jesuits of the lakes. The h. toned chant for COrvet's soul, by the man who had heard the Drum, fol lowed and still came to Alan, as he | returned to the second floor.
 
 during the evening, Wassaquam's atti- tude toward him. Having no one else to trust, Alan had been obliged to put a certain amount of trust in the h. dian; so as he had explained to Was saquam that morning that the desk and the drawers In the little room off Corvet's had been forced, and had warned him to see that no one, who had not proper business there. entered the house. Wassaquam had appeared to accept this order; but now WaSsa- quam had implied that it was not be- cause of Alan's order that he had re- fused reporters admission to the house.
 Alan started and went quickly to the open door of his room, as he heard voices now somewhere within the house. One of the voices he recog- nized as Wassaquam's the other in distinct thick, accuslng-was un- known to him; it certainly was not Spearmans. He descended swiftly to the first floor. and found Wassaquam standing in the front hall alone.
 "Who was here, Judah?" Alan de- handed.
 "A man." the Indian answered stol- idly. He was drunk; put him out"
 What did he come for?"
 He came to see Ben. put him out; he Is gone, Alan"
 Alan flung open the front door and looked out, but he saw no one.
 What did he want of Mfr. Corvet, Judah?"
 'tI do not know. told him Ben wns not here; he was angry, but he went away"
 Has he ever come here before?
 "Yes; he comes twice."
 "He has been here twlce?"
 More than that; every year he comes twice, Alan. Once he came oftener."
 "How long has he been doing that?"