The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1910-11-02 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

ARTHUR W. MARCHMONT. author of "By Right of Swoed," "Whim 1  CHAPTER XXl.—(Cont in ued.)  • " nive me some more. Oh, my God, I ternember now," he cried wildl. and clapped both his heads to his face. I gave him the spirit. and the glass rattled as he placed it to his chattering teeth. m'd batter get on that sofa and lie down for a while." . . • .  He glanced at me like a dog at his master, crawled across the floor to the couch and dragged himself up slowly to it. He was shivering violently. so I threw over him the skirt of the dress I had wort,. and left him to himself for • long time: half an hour probably. I took out again the paper he had stolen from his father's office and re-read it carefully, fixing all the main points in my memory. Old Ziegler had known we,' what he was about in forcing von Felsen to steal such a document, and in gettinr, Die to agree to pubfish it in iondon. It was ootitini; lees than . compie e statement of the Kaiser's shipbuilding policy for the future; the strength of the future navy, • full list of the ships which were to be built; their tonnage, equipment and armament; the number of the crews needed; everything given with scrupulous detail. Against every vessel indicated there was the name of a British vessel with the same detail of its size and armament. In each case the German vessel was to be of superior strength. It told its own story with - clearness of inference that no one could mistake. That it was an authentic document. I eould not doubt. It was full of interlineations and corrections in different handrwitings. I recognised one or two of them, and the whole appearance of the thing convinced me thet It would have been r -actically impossible for von Felsen or an; else to have forged it. That its disclosure would have raised a storm all over Europe was as certain as that day follows night; and that it would injure the Imperial Government immensely was equally clear, in view of the then excited condition of public feelings. It might even have provoked a war with England. Already the relations between the two countries had been strained almost to a breaking point by the Kaiser's hot-headed telegram to the Boer President and the belief of his desire to inter ,ens in the war in South Africa.  _ Even had I been still a newspaper man I should have hesitated to take the responsihility of publication; and as it was, I did not contemplate end a step for an instant. I bad obtained p•wisession of it for my own private ends, and for those I w uW ue- it. For such a purpose it was precisely what I deeded. But the instant the theft was discovered there would be such a hue and cry raised that the mere possession of it would be a source of danger. Luckily I had foreseen something of this; and it was my plan to get it out of thcountry with the least possible loss of time. It was for this I had told my sister to be ready to leave by the mail.  Mlle %AS getting on too: so I roused von Felsen. " Come, you mu( get to work." I said. "I can't wait any longer." ___  "What do  ith a heavy sigh he sat up. you want?" "Write me the truth as to how you came by this paper. Where it was kept: in whale charge it was; how you knew of its existence; why you stole it: and precisely the steps you took to obtain it. short as you like; but in such detail that your story can be tested."  "1 daren't. It's more than my life is worth." he protested. " You can choose between that and standing your trial for Ziegler's murder. AVithout this ring I have enough evidence to convict you—what you did before the crime; where you went from: bow you gained admittance to the house when you left: where you want; and. mark this, what you did with the weapon." . .  The greater part of all that was, of