Evening star., 1939-01-27
BY H. G. WELLS.
CHAPTER XLVIII.
Confession.

given up active practice for some
years and had reverted to certain
problems of physiological chemistry
from which he had been diverted
during the economic collapse that
had preceded the War of the Ideolo-
gies So far he had published no
results of very commanding origi-
nallty. He had very lovely wife,
dark-eyed and still, she was fully
dozen years younger than himself,
and she had given him three bows
and daughter.
Husband and wife were evidently
upon the most affectionate terms,
they could not meet without some
trif1ing caress, but it seemed to
Krause that they talked very little.
Once or twice he saw her looking at
her husband with gentle scrutiny,
as though she felt unsure of him
and of what he might do next. It
seemed odd to Krause that he
should be aware of this and Car
stall apparently unaware. or else so
used to it as to be indifferent to it.
1t was as if beneath the general
candor of his bearing he has kept
something essential, some belief or
disbelief, some habit of thought or
action, out of that relationship, and
that she felt that incompleteness.
Carstall Conversation Leader.
Krause had begun as Carstall's
pupil and the tone of their old re-
lationship of mentor and inquirer
still favored their intercourse.
Krause was subtle and original
worker but his makeup had an in
eradicable junior quality. and by ma
ture Carstall was a sixth-form boy.
So Carstall usually had the CONVEX
sational lead. And it presently be-
came clear to Krause that Carstall
had bias for talking about the
Master Director.
BY imperceptible degrees Krause
apprehended what was coming.
They were sitting together after
lunch one afternoon on the terrace.
indolently aware of the mountain
GUS loveliness spread out before their
eyes. Nice could be seen through
a thin veil like a burst sack of
microscopic crystals poured down a
slope, and far beneath in the gorge
the Loup was thin, bright blue
line winding its way down through
a nearer wilderness of crests, cliffs
and wooded slopes toward the Medi-
terranean.
Carstall reverted again to Rud.
What was Rud's significance in the
world? What had he acieved? Had
his work been done when he died?
At last he blurted out what he
wanted to say speaking with an
affectation of casualness: Did you
know it, Krause? I killed him."
Autopsy.
So he said it at last.
All the muscles of Krause seemed
to tighten. For a space he was
silent. Then he said: II thought
you killed him-until I made the
autopsy"
II saw you did at the time"
"But how did you manage 1t?
How could you have killed him?"
You suspected me?"
"Then-yes. Arsenic. There was
that curious depression of his spirits
before the end-and the f1uttering
heart. But my autopsy yielded
nothing. There wasn't trace. OF
anything"
Carstall studied Krauses pensive
profile.
There were tons of arsenic in
him. His body was soaked in it.
After all that strychnine he'd had.
Primitive, I admit, but 1t
happened to be convenient"
Then hoW?"
Can you remember now after 10
years, how, where and when you
made your tests?"
1--WE been over it again time and
again in my mind"
That does not always improve a
memory. But let me refresh the
facts for you. We took our material
from the body together. You had
every facility in the hospital lab
oratory. Yes. But in the hos
pltal patients die every day."
Krause turned his face to Car
SlaIl IN surprised interrogation.
Material From Another.
eyes. While you and your as
sistant were busy with your re-
agents. ~ said Carstall, IT handed
you fresh material. From another
subject. I had it ready. Yes. You
did all man could do under the
circumstances. And you assistants
checked your results. I have al
ways felt, Krause, you could not be
trusted with secret-with that Sc
cret, anyhow. At that time your
scientific habit Of telling the truth
might have caused lot of trouble.
Everything might have gone to
pieces. Some adventurer would have
got people excited I might have
been shot. And I did not want to
be shot"
Krause made weak sound of pro-
test.
I'm afraid I should have been shot.
But now as this new regime settles
down it does not matter At last,
thank the stars, I can talk. Even
if you ran out now and denounced
me nobody would believe you after
all this time. 1t had to be done.
He was hopelessly mad at last. He
was frantic with vanity and fear.
T,hoya M N&hor ,v,o~v ~,;<t, I,i,.e