Year: 1870

| said MIR. MOSS. LII looks Dedulllul Wnel
clean, and you'll find the desk to be rea
Spanish mahogany"


They would suit me well enough, and
told Mr. Moss so; paid him quarter
rent in advance, and rose to depart.


80, by the way, Mr. Moss" | exclaimed
a sudden thought striking me; a viii
send a man to paint my name on the door
and on the wall down stairs"


"Very good, sir; L would do it at one,
if were you. Carl was loose fish, ant
if you delayed it until you got here yo,
might de annoyed"


Chow sos What was he?"


"Take cigar first, Mr.. Harker, you'll
find no better in Liverpool. Lord how
like him you do look when l don't set
your eyesl"


"And yet l have not been thought to re
semble a loose fish before, Mr.. Moss"


81 didn't mean that. Have you nevel
seen an ugly person resemble very hand
some one. | have many time. Well
about Carl; he was here about two years
and call me Jew if l could reckon him
up. He used to come here about noon
and work up to eight or nine o'clock a
night but what business he worked at
could never find out. | know he had 8
big ledger, and two or three such books
but big ledger won't make business
any more than q big carpet-bag will, and
he always carried one. He would come
and smoke a cigar with me now and then;
! but | never came up here during all thai
time, and he kept this door locked. He
always seemed expecting blow, did poor
Carl, more like rat in corner than any
thing else, poor beggar! Well, sir, one
morning | found the key on my mat, and
found the place just as you see it, and
have never seen Carl since. One or two
queer looking men have inquired about
him, and asked if he was coming back,
and L said most likely he would, and likely
enough he will"


mot at all an interesting story" l
thought, and | felt inclined to yawn in
Mr. Mosss face; but thanked him for
his information, and promised to take pos
session In three days, which l spent. in
presenting my letters of introduction, and
making other arrangements for the prose
cution of my plans.


At length the eventful day arrived, and
| stood in my own office, with my name
emblazoned on the door and passage wall.
l was waiting for friend to call on me
(who, by the way, had promised to put
me in the way of doing some business t nat
very day., and felt impatient for his ar
rival in consequence.


The office was clean and tidy, and the
floors had been well scrubbed.


Why hadn't they emptied the waste
paper basket of all that lumber?


The Office-keeper had lighted fire, ant
1 took up the basket to perform the opera
tion myself; but from some cause or other
/ placed it on the table and began idly to
burn the scraps, one by one.


had nearly disposed OF them all when
a scrap attracted my attention and | read
it. 1t was torn SO as TO leave a few words
intact, and it ran thus:


Louise has given your description, and
you may rely on our finding you. For
wald the plates at once, Or"


Then another piece of mysterious
paper, apparently plan of some place or
Other.


What did this mean?


Blt | had no time to consider, for my
friend entered, and putting the two pieces
of paper in my drawer, l emptied the bas-
ket in the fire, and Went out with him TO
do good days work.


Returning late in the evening, 1 relit
the fire, and addressed myself to the writ
ing of two important letters to be posted
by II: 80 that night, in order to be in time
for the Cunard liner, which sailed early
in the morning and then 1T was that the
black darkness of the doorless room OPP
posite to me began to trouble me most.


1t had troubled me before, but on this
night it troubled me tenfold. From child
hood have been imaginative, and know
ing this, stirred the fire, called myself
an ass, and went on with my letter. But
not for long. My eyes wandered TO the
black darkness of the doorway, and l
bgan to ransack my memory for statistics
of men who could tell by some occult
power If any one were hidden in the
room they entered and | laughed aloud
when | remembered that l had read of
one sensitive gentleman, who by this
same occult sense had found that sur
geon's skeleton was in a closet behind
him.


Iown / dislike being in the dark, but l
will do myself the justice to say that
have resolution enough to overcome the
dislike


Therefore proposed to myself to very
quietly walk into the dark room which
troubled me land without light), look
out of the windows, and slowly return.


went,-the very first step beyond the
threshold dispelled my fears. 1 could see
JUc RllfuIutI VI t1C SUITS lDIOuRu tn6
glass, hear the rattle of the cabs outside.
Why, it was quite cheerful place, after
all


Hal there was shufiiing noise there
by the closet, and then my fears returned
and overpowered me- | strOve to walk
out like a tragedy hero; but my pace
qulckened as | neared the door, and heard
the shufiiing noise close to me, and the
next moment powerful hand was at my
throat, and helpless on the floor with the
cold muzzle of pistol pressed to my head,
l was bound and dragged into the outer
Office, thrust into my chair and confronted
by two quiet looking men, one of whom
laid his revolver on the table, saying at
the same time with an ugly sDeer, So,
Brunton, we have caught you at last"


H.


The speaker wasa mild, intelligent-lOok
ing man of about thirty-five. In proper
dress he would have looked like High
Church clergyman. His companion was
evidently a foreigner, and L imagine a
German He was about fifty years of age,
and wore spectacles, and prOfasiOn OF
beard and whiskers covered more than
half his face But he had winning smile
and good teeth, which he often took an
opportunity of showing.


awe have found you at last"


1 am thankful to say that 1 am not ner-
Vous when see danger, and boldly re-
piled


my name is Harker and not Brunton
Mr.. Moss, the landlord of these premises,
has noticed my resemblance to his late
tenant, and is satisfied that L am not the
same. Depend upon it that | shall make
you repent this outrage"


tried to rise to call for help from the
street, but the pistol was cooked and
pointed at me, and there was that i'm the
mans face which cautioned me against
rashness in my helpless position


al will sit down." replied, and hear
what you have to say; but if / choose to
do it | shall do my best to raise an alarm
in spite of your revolver"


"Vell spoke, Carl" said the foreigner
"Louise always say he was plucky one"