Year: 1869

Unfortunately, as told you, in this in.
stance, you are quite wrong"


well, perhaps 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 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 smile,
You certainly paid me q great compli.
ment" But | saw that he was drawing
away his right hand, which had hitherto
been resting on the table.


1t was remarkable case" continued,
chiefly 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 IL 80 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
Cdl Wing lOIh W blt IuuuOHhDl. Il lClt
that had carried the play on long enough,
and quickly inserting my finger at the top
of his glove | tore it down the back He
jumped to his feet and so did |. "Youare
that man." l said, whose hand was so
pinned to the table, and that scar is the
evidence l 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 a poor
silly boy by such disgraceful MEANS"
continued, "oould hardly be expected to
have any pity on helpless woman but,
fortunately, | have been witness OF
your endeavors on more than one occasion,
by threats and menaces, to eXtort a 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 us | do
that he was dead, and has been SO this
two years."


He is not dead" growled Murray.


He is dead" l replied, and your own
pocket. book proves it,"


AS l said this held up to him the wal
let that had tumbled upon in the planta-
IlOh walk, III one OF Jne pockets OF winch,
among number of other exceedingly sus-
picious looking documents, l had found
certificate of the death of Arthur Ber-
nard.


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


The morning following our interview
Murray, with many excuses and regrets,
found himself unavoidably compelled to
return to town. AS he got into the phG.
ton that was to take him to the station he
kindly whispered in my ear, "Ill live to
pay you out for this yetr' promise that
l somehow or other fancy he will fulfill
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, and
Aves in present loved as dearly and ten
derly as ever by Charlie, who knows
nothing, and who never shall, unless she
as have advised her, has the courage to
tell him all, even to the extent that her
future husband, Arthur Bernard, was the
cO-conspirator who stood at Murray side
in the felons' dock. l have every hope
that she will do this, for the confidence
between husband and wife should be as
clear as the day at noon.