Year: 1870

One, two, rang out from the bclfry on


the brcathess June night, already heavy


with the rising fog from the river. Fos-


ter lloughton found himself broad awake


as he counted the strokes; but even while
he thought it was the clock that had dis


turbed him, he felt cold, hard ring of


steel against his temple, and saw through


the darkness man by his bedside.


" Not one word, or you will never utter


another"


lie noted the voice even in the whirl of


the moment, and knew that it was strange


to him. He turned towards his wife, and


saw that there was man by her side also,


with revolver aimed felt, rather than saw


that she had walked when he did, and was


waiting, sclf-possessed, for whatever was


to come. AS the darkness yielded to his


eyes, he was aware of third figure,
standing at the window.


" Perfect quiet, remember, and we will
tell you what is to be done" said the same
voice, cool, firm, with an utterancc entire
ly distinct yet hardly louder than whis-
per. You have nothing to fear if you
obey orders. A knife is ready for the
heart of each of you if you disobey. The
lady has simply to lie still as she will be
bound to the bed and her mouth stopped,
that will be easy; and the gag is very
gentle, and will not hurt if she docs not
resist. Mr. Ioughton will arise, put on
his trousers, and go with us to the bank,
always in range of this pistol and in reach
of this blade. The keys are already in
my pocket. Number Three, will you
scratch match that I may help the gem
tleman to his clothes"


The figure in the window stepped noise
lessly forward at the summons. As the
blue fame lighted the room Foster Hough-
ton observed that his visitors were all
masked with black silk, through which a
narrow slit permitted vision. lie noticed
that their feet were shod with listing
so thick that a step made no audible sound
upon n straw carpet. He noticed that
long, thin black cloaks covered their forms
to the ankles, so that no details of clothing
could be noted to identify them. And
while he observed these things, not ven
turing to stir until the threatening muzzle
was withdrawn from his face, he felt his
hand tightly clutched by the fingers of his
wife beneath the coverlid.


Years of familiar association had made
him apt at interpreting his wife's thoughts
and feelings, without the aid of the spoken
word. Either by some peculiar express
ion in the grasp itself, or by that subtle
which we know exists among
the unknown forces, he felt that there was
more than the natural terror of
the moment, more than the courage of a
heart ever Drawer than his own, more than
sympathy for his own supposed dismay, in
his wife's snatch at his hand More alarm
ed, at the instant by the shock thus
given him than by the more palpable dan
ger, he turned his head towards his wife
again, and in her eyes and in the direc-
ton they gave to his saw all that she had
seen.


The masked figure in the centre of the
room, in producing match, had unwit-
tingly thrown back one side of its cloak.
By the sickly flame just turning to white
Foster Houghton saw, thus revealed, the
twisted chain he had played with in his
own boyhood the golden crescent with his
mothers hair, the massive key with its
seal, just as he had seen them on his boys
breast at sunset. In an instant more a
.aper was lighted the curtain of the cloak
was drawn together again. But the secret
t had exposed was impressed upon two
hearts, as if they had been scared with
ron As a drowning man thinks of the
crowded events of lifetime, Foster
HoughtOn thought, in that moment of SUI
orcm6 agony, of dozen links of circum-
itantial evidence, the boys bafled desire
or money, his angry words, his evil asso-
,iatcs, his missing revolver, his deliberate
explanation of a night-long absence, his
intimate knowledge of the affairs of the
,ank, except the secret combination of the
ock which he had often teased for in vain
Two things were stamped upon his brain
ogether, and he was thankful that his
wife could know the horror of but ono of
hem.