New Britain herald., 1922-11-17
GO ON WITH THE STORY
CHAPTER II.

2 lI
 GO ON WITH THE STORY
 CHAPTER II.
 "The murder of Lord Winton, the wise English authorities attributed to me-" Lord Valley continued coolly.
 They spared no effort to fix it upon me. That they were unable to do so is not. think, attributable to this thing which you call Providence. "It is attributable rather I think, to the intelligence of my legal coun- sel and to myself"
 He looked directly at Monsieur Jonquelle His big, placid face lifted {; his voice was even and nnhurried..
 .J am not embarrassed to discuss it, monsieur" he continued. When the war had ended with the death of Lord Winton's sons, l was, by virtue of what you save so aptly called the accident of birth next in succession to the title. I thought it both ad- visable and courteous to present my self to Lord Winton. and I went to England for that purpose.
 Lord Winton was an eccentric per son. As he grew older, and after the death of his sons, his eccentricity became more dominant. I did not find him on his estates at Ravens croft; he was at this time in London in a little old house which the family has always owned in a street toward Covent Garden.
 "On the night that I called to see Lord Winton, it was quite late. found him alone in the house He
 &o e was courteous and cannot complain of his welcome. He semedN however not to realize that I had grown into g. man He seemed to regard me as a queer, foreign lad to whom he owed some obligation of hospitality"
 Lord Valleys stopped. He leaned a little forward in the chair, and his voice took on q firmer note.
 Monsieur" he said, "I am saying to you now a thing to which I testi- fled at the English trial, and which was mot believed. Lorn Winton tolo me that he expected a person to cal on him within q very few minutes anc to remain for perhaps an hour. Ht : asked me to return at the end Of ar hour, I got up to go. AS wen' down the stairway, a hanson, enter ing the street from the direction oi the city, stopped before the door '.,he door was closed but the sound was aclearly audible.
 Lord Winton, who was behind me came also down the steps. On con- sole in the hall were several candles which the servants, according to GUS tom. had placed there. An idea came to Lord Winton, for he stopped me as my hand was on the door to 20. out. He took up one of these candles in a tall brass candlesucK and touching me on the arm, handed it to me.
 Instead of going out" he said suppose you go down into the wine cellar There should be some bottles of Burgundy of a famous year stored there by your grandfather. see II you can find them, and we shall naVt a glass of wine with our talk nav. a great deal to say to you, my nepiie" The wine will sustain us.'
 you will see, monsiur, that thls idea that I was merely a groWn-ui lad come to visit an ancient relative n,aa quite fixed with Lord Winton As +ba servants had gone out, he was sending me, as though ] were a lao from Elton, to find the vine TOT ou' conversation He gave m ethe key' direction about the steps ana uooIs He even said there was box or DIS. cuit on the dining-room table wh1cf T should bring up. It was alt yot soc monsieur, quite as though l were an undergraduate from some Enshsf public school"
 The man looked down at his trm placid hands resting upon the oo scuring the arms of the chalr III which he sat. .u
 "This." monsieur" he said, fs nortion of my evidence which th' E,nk,fsh criminal court refused to De lieve It was incredibly stupid.
 Monsieur Jonquelles looked uf sharply at that sentence.
 .'The English criminal court" he said. twas even more stupid than vol imagine. It was. as you nave salo incredibly stupid.'"
 Lord Valleys made no comment.
 There was only my word for the statement" he said. "I could no prove it, and yet it was the. truth
 The man was startled py MOI sieur Jonquelle's reply.
 one knew that, although ont vou,d have ben troubled to describe the evidence. It is precisely the truth" said Monsieur Jonquelle.
 Lord Valleys looked steadily at the Prefect for moment before ne spoke. ~
 "I regret monsieur he said "tha' you were not present in that Englisf court"
 The man looked down again at hi wonderful hands, steel strong, and al supple as silk; then he went on'
 Tt happened, however that thi' chance, which you question. in human affairs. came to my aid One or tht Metropolitan police on duty on thi' night in the neighborhood of Coven' Garden saw hanson drive ava! from Lord Winton's door. The time as nearly as could be fixed, cores ponded with the hour which l had in d,cated in my testimony. And fo' inc first time in the course of th' criminal trial, the case for the Crowf uas shaken. Neither my solicitor' nor the Grown were able to discover anything further. The driver Of th' ransom could not be located. and th'