Year: 1869

| ueT eyes WtIC OllSn ItU WIN weeping,
and her face wore settled look Of melan
Choly and despair. Not that he failed in
affection or tenderness. only he was one
of those men who, in the goodness of
their own digestions and the smoothness
OF their life-stream, look upon dyspepsia
as popular delusion, and cannot under
stand why any one should be unhappy. 1t
was the evening of the fourth day since
Murray's arrival, and after dinner | had
left him and Charlie discussing a bottle of
54 Chateau Margaux and their old Paris
days, and was wandering down side
path that led to the plantation, when
suddenly trod on something. Looking
| downward, | saw that it was pocket
book of somewhat bulky dimensions
There was only one thing to be done,
namely, to pick it up, unclasp it, and ex-
anime The contents, which | need scarcely
add | faithfully did. This investigation
| having been satisfactorily accomplished
placed the pocket-book in my pocket, and
strolled on into the plantation to reflect
what my next move with Mr.. Murray
should be. | knew the game was in my
hands "now;" my only puzzle was how
to play it without making disturbance
Still, what was to be done must be done
| quickly. AS l came to this determination
l found myself standing by the side of a
small lake that lay in the midst of the
| plantation almost at the same moment
l heard groan as of some one in distress.
Turning eagerly to the direction whence
it seemed to come, through the dusk which
was now growing into darkness saw the
| flutter of a white dress near to the head
| of the lake. know not what possessed me,
but thought seized me that sent me tear
| ing through the bushes and brambles with
frantic speed. A few seconds more, and
l had caught Mrs. Forester by the wrist


"What would you do, woman" ex-
claimed, breathless


She made no answer-only fell fainting
at my feet.


When got back to the house 1 found
Murray alone in the dining room, paying
the closest attention to second bottle of
the "a Chateau Margaux, to better appre-
Ciate which the lamp had been brought
| In, so that he might examine the marvel
Gus beauty Of its color. Charlie was clos
eted in the smoking-room with his farm
bailiH; in short, the opportunity of an in
terview alone with Murray that | so
much wanted presented itself was not
| slow to take advantage of it, and flingipg
myself into an armchair close to him.
poured out glass Of wine, and settled
| comfortably to my task. 1t was pretty
plain that he was anything but pleased at
the prospect of tete-d-tefe and seemed
not altogether easy in his chair


II was thinking of taking stroll in
the garden" he said, half rising from his
chair.


"a pity to leave such excellent tipple," !"
l replied; besides, it's rather chilly. Do
you KNOW" l continued, 81 have been
thinking of that observation you made the
other night, when | said we had met be-
fore, and upon my word | believe l was
right after ALL ] have such capital
memory for faces that l cannot imagine
myself mistaken"


Indeed" he laughed, roughly, "you
seem to have great confidence in yourself.
Unfortunately, as told you, in this in
stance, you are quite wrong"


"Well, perhaps l am" was my answer,
as / drew my chair little nearer to his.
"The strangest part of my error was that
| fancied you were one of two men l de-
Tended at Reading some four years ago,
for conspiring to cheat young under
graduate out of his money by playing with
loaded dice"


He was far too much on his guard to
make any sign; he only said, with a smile,
"You certainly paid me a great compli-
ment." But l saw that he was drawing
away his right hand which had hitherto
been resting on the table.


1t was remarkable case," continued,
"chiefy from the way in which the
roguery was detected The hand of the
man who was manipulating the loaded
dice was, as yours might be, on the table,
to all appearances in the most innocent
manner possible with that, as if to give
him ocular demonstration of the way in
which the cheat had been effected, took
hold of his hand, and held it on the table
-"when a stranger who had been sitting
at the farther end of the room came quick
ly to the side of the rogue, and in an in
slant more had pinned his hand with a
carving fork to the mahogany" I felt
that had carried the play on long enough,
and quickly inserting my finger at the top
of his glove l tore it down the back. He
jumped to his feet and so did l. "Youar
that man." | said, "whose hand was so
pinned to the table, and that scar is the
evidence should call if it were necessary
to prove it. Therefore sit down, and hear
what else have to say"


He glared viciously at me, lifted his fist
as if he would have struck me, and then
sank into his chair again.


"a man who could try to rob q poor
silly boy by such disgraceful means" l
continued, "couid hardly be expected to
have any pity on helpless woman; but,
fortunately, l have been witness OF
your endeavOrs on more than one occasion,
by threats and menaces, to extort large
sum of money from your hosts wife, and
that by representing to her that her first
husband was alive, and at Otago, in New
Zealand, when you knew as well as L do
that he was dead, and has been so this
two years"


"He is not dead," growled Murray.


He is Dead" replied, and your own
pocket book proves il"


AS / said this held up to him the wal
let that had tumbled upon in the planta-
ton walk, in one of the pockets of which
among a number of other exceedingly sus-
picious looking documents, had found
a certificate of the death of Arthur Ber-
, nard.


But as have been very long time in
telling my story-barristers are proverb-
, tally long -winded, you know-I must hur-
ry to conclusion.


Murray, with many excuses and regrets
: found himself unavoidably compelled tc
return to town. AS he got into the phe
) ton that was to take him to the station he
! kindly whispered in my ear, "Pll live tt
, pay you out for this yet !" promise thai
. l somehow or other fancy he will fulfil
! some day. Till then am content to for
: get all about him. AS for Mrs. Forester


the clouds upon her horizon have lifted
! she has buried sad and painful past, anC