Year: 1879

were ill.,


She slightly bent her head, but spoke
not word nor withdrew her glance


He felt more and more that it was
causing him an effort to be himself.
Her slow, stealthy, albeit lady-like de-
meanor added greatly to the effect already
produced, and a curious sensation was
gradually creeping over him, that-im-
| possible as 1t might seem--that face was
not strange to him. Little as he, with
his temperament, was given to specula-
ton or introspection, he found himself
striving to look back for some event or
circumstance in his life which might
give him clew. Had he ever dreamed
Of such face or had he seen it in child
hood? He was puzzled, affected, quite
put out Ard still the deep, penetrating
eyes were fixed on his, piercing, as It
were, into his very soul. And the hands! !
what were they doing2 Taking off.
the gloves as with set, deliberate pur-
pose; and the long, white, thin, almost
claw like fingers worked strangely and
nervously, slowly closing and opening
upon the palm, as il preparing to grasp
something. @


| Again he strove to throw off the un-
pleasant, unusual sensation which had
crept over him.


II can't stand thls,'' he thought; s.I was
never So uncomfortable in my life!
must do something or say something to
put stop to this, to make her take her
eyes off nep'
He moved abruptly to the further cor
ner OF the carriage, and to the same side
on which the woman sat.


'l'll try and dodge her in this way"
he said to himself; she shall not sit and
glare at me in this fashion!''


But she, too, Immediately shifted her
place, and rising to her full height, which
was very great, went ever to the seat ex-
actly opposite to him, never for one sim
gle second dropping her eyes from his.
He looked out of the window with asvague
notion of getting out Of the carriage:
which suddenly, passing little station
which he recognized, but at which the
train did not stop, an idea struck him
an idea after his own heart--a comic idea
He availed himself Of it on the instant,
and assuming an ease which doubtless
sat i'll upon him, and which he was far
from feeling, he pointed with his thumb
back toward the station they had just
passed, as he said mysteriously in hol-
low voice:


"Do you know that place?"


She seemed to answer in the affirma-
tive by slight inclination of the head as
before.


"Ah! you do, Good! Langmoor," he
went on; "then don't mind telling you
a secret He paused. [K'll trighten her.
he thought) Criminal lunatics," he
said aloud; II am one Of them. have
just escaped from therep'


$50 have IT,


With what had already gone before,
this put the finishing touch to Jacks un-
easiness of mind. It was not as he said,
the mere presence of the woman. or the
revelation that his joke had elected,
which scared him, though the circum-
stance in itself might be unpleasant
| enough.


II should have faced it right away
from the first, as any man would have
done, had it not been for the remarkable
influence her face aud look had upon me; /;
that unaccountable feeling that she was
no stranger to me, it was, that unnerved
and even appalled, mo-


No sooner had she uttered the words,
$50 have l." than Jack sprang to the
| cord communicating with the guard van,
| Tor he telt their TRUTH and saw in them
key to the whole mystery. But ere his
hand had reached the cord, she had siezed
him round the waist with one arm as with
the grip of a wise, and at the same in
| slant he felt one Of those terrible hands at
his throat.


Every effort to release himself was
fruitless; her strength seemed superhu
man, and was as far beyond his as was
down upon his now, still with the same
fell expression. ,g


"The only thing I could have done,'
went on Jack, in describing the scene to
me-and just here he shall speak for him
self; "the only means by which might
perhaps have made her relax her hold
would have been by aiming one or two
tremendous blows with my right fist
(Which was liberty at her face. Had
been a,man's, there would have been no
hesitation; bad it been indeed that
of an ordinary woman, at such
pass l should not have hesitated
to strike her, to stunn her, if could,
by any means; but that face, that /
seemed to know SO well, yet so myster-
iously, could not raise my hand against
It, and, as my arm swung up with the
first impulse to deal her a blow, it fell
helpless by my side. Vain were my ef-
forts to get her hand away from NV
threat; there was terrible swaying to
and fro for minute or two, felt the
grip of the long fingers tightening, and
myself choking. Suddenly we fell
there was fearful jerk or two, strange
upheaving Of the floor, tremendous rat
tie and crash-I appeared to be thrown
headlong to some great distance, and
all was darkness !"


The termination of that deadly strug-
gle was brought about in a manner a.
marvellous and unlocked for as could we'll
have been imagined.


Some fifty souls, say, were travelling in
that train, all save one in perfect security
Jacks life alone was in danger, when. 10!
by one of those marvellous condolences
which do happen at times In the supreme
moments OF existence, the rescue came.
but at the cost OF many q life, which lust
before would have seemed worth treble
the purchase of Jacks.


At the very instant that his might have
depended upon another Tightening grin
or two from the hands Of maniac
hightful catastrophe occurred to the train.
The tier Of an engine wheel broke, and