Northern Weekly Gazette. — 1906-05-26 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

NORTHERN WEEKLY GAZETTE.  gazed up at the ceiling, the fingers firmly clenched closed ofver the stoma. Stowing, Scott bent down to chiftn his prize. But the Jew was not dome with yet. His enemy's approach se>mmed to galramise him into Life. With a last despoiling effort he pressed the hand that held the stone close to his heart, and with a look of hatred in his eyes turned over—his face towards the flour; and in his last gesture of defiance died. _  While the blackened twisted face stared up at him Scott's physical elation had run high. Now that the face Was hidden, the dead man assumed a potency he had net held in life. Scott's big body trembled as his fingers stretched out towards the corpse. An impassable barrier seemed set between the living and the dead. With a feeling of intolerable nausea he staggered back. His will, still indomitable, cried out that he must bear the sight of that dead face, wrest the jewel from the dead hand. But his flesh, tried beyond its power, refused the spur of reason; his limbs, suddenly heavy, would not move. His feet seemed glued to the ground. A convulsion of mad unreasoning terror shook him from head to foot. That face, he could not hear the sight of that dead face! He bit his lips and clenched his hands until the naiLs bit into the flesh. Had it come to this, that at the last he had turned coward! If he did not secure the gem for which he had killed the man his fate was sealed. His enemies would triumph. By a mighty effort, he forced himself towards the body, touching it with his hands, but even as he did so, setting his teeth to kee.lp his flesh from crying orut, a sound froze him to the floor.  It was no fiction of his brain, no unconscious effort of the imagination. Far down in the ba.sement he could hear a step slowly and steadily ascending. Nearer and nearer it came. It had reached the first floor; it was mounting the staircase; it had gained the outer office. A hundred inconsequent thoughts rushed through his reeling brain. Ile seemed to hear music from the Nature scene in Don Giovanni—rooted to the spot, he stood, frcrien with terror. Who was earning? What was coming? Could the dead revive? Could the act he had just done but have released the spirit of that which lay at his feet? Was the Jew coming back? The steps were on the threshold—with a shriek the assassin turned and dashed through the private door, fled down the side sthircasci out into the streiet.  Some half-hour later, drawn by that subtle attraction that lures a, murderer to the scene of his c-rime Amberley Scott returned to the offices in Hatton Garden. His nerves were steady; he had eaten and drunk, hiding his scars in the obscurity of ion IthJi&n cafe. His physic.al courage had returned; he feat that be m.ust know the worst. The place was in darkness. There was no sign of d'Lsturhamee in the street. The gossiping crowd of men and women, the stolid figures of the police inseparable from a seaaqn±,ieral discovery were absent. He crept silently, swiftly as a shadow to the private door. It was unlocked as he had left it,. He groped his way up the staircase, and into the office. The room was in darks; with quickened breath he switched on the light. The Jew lay as before, huddled face downwards on the floor. There was no sign, no trace of any intruder. It must have been fancy that had oonjured up that step upon the stairs. And yet who had switched off the light? His nerves were under control now; he stooped and turned the Jew upon his back without a tremor. The face still stared up instinct with hzte, the hand still tightly elPmehed lay on his heart. But when with eager haste the firugers were unclasped, the hand that lay upon the dead man's breast was empty! "The Vault of Hes,ven " was not thare! (To be Concluded.)  "Plena? excuse Mary from attending school this aftarnoan, as she has an illustrated throat, with glaciers on both _was a note sent po a teachers